#wbn sly

[dumpster-fire-sapphic-failgirl]

a lot of folks have asked why Ame didn’t drop Sly’s name because then surely Steel would have been more amenable

but I’m 99% sure that would have made things so much worse

Stone was in the college of Diviners

Moved there after being kicked out of the Citadel. One of the few to be allowed back in at all

Steel speaks of prophecies and traps like she’s speaking from experience. There’s a fear there.

if I’m right, Steel hates Sly. Because Stone heard a prophecy, one that led her to send her daughter to a witch’s home for the summer, one that put an amulet around Suvi’s neck, one that meant Soft and Stone couldn’t, wouldn’t wait for Steel on that first mission they went on without her

the last mission they ever went on

and Steel doesn’t want that to happen to Suvi, to Ame. She wants to protect them from the trap.

Ame dropping Sly’s name would have certainly added more context and possibly led to a lore drop

But i def don’t think it would have helped her case

[ETA: i got the timing wrong. Stone was Diviner then Abjurer. Still doesn’t stop me from thinking Stone and Sly cooked up their plans from the start and/or were in cahoots]

#worlds beyond number #the wizard the witch and the wild one #worlds beyond number spoilers #the wizard the witch and the wild one spoilers #wbn steel #wbn sly #stone wbn #wbn soft

[thewizardsarcasm]

Inspiration for the future WBN musical episode!

Feel free to add as you reblog! This is how I imagine everyone is feeling at the end of episode 22!

The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One (Taylor's Version)

Ame - Bad Blood, Getaway Car, I Did Something Bad

Suvi - mad woman, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Look What You Made Me Do, Out Of The Woods

Eursulon - The Man, Bejeweled, Long Live, The Archer

Ame & The Fox - I Know Places

Silver - ...Ready For It

Steel - You Need To Calm Down, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Sly - Mastermind

The Fox - Anti-Hero, Look What You Made Me Do

AmexSuvi - Don't Blame Me

SilverxSuvi - Paper Rings, Endgame

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ybL8ifea6AZbdJz2kjvhy?si=qhLUV4N-SSi16Mm5NkrPMw

#worlds beyond number #aabria iyengar #brennan lee mulligan #the wizard the witch and the wild one #suvi the wizard #suvirin kedberiket #the wizard sky #suvi #ame the witch #erika ishii #lou wilson #eursolon toma #eursulon #taylor swift #spotify playlist #wbn steel #wbn pod #wbn sly #silver

[thewizardthewitchandthewildone]

#wizard sly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #worlds beyond number #wbn #wwwo #the wizard the witch and the wild one

[swordscleric]

The Wizard Sly is the funniest goddamn wizard in the citadel and also that “if you prevent catastrophes that never happen, you aren’t important” line is just every programmer who worked on y2k

#worlds beyond number #wbn spoilers #i love this diviner with my whole heart #eursulon was dead right hate the citadel post-kasov love it post-sly

[amysky21]

Haaaaa The Wizard Sly. Damnnnn. When Suvi asked for a piece of bad news (why would you even ask that to a diviner? wizard hubris is wild) and he just replied “you’re not ready for it” I got full goosebumps. I am also not ready for it, whatever it is.

Absolute legend of a guy but also I’m scared cause I know what Brennan is capable of with oracular visions (Calamity flashbacks)

#wbn: www #wizard sky #the wizard the witch and the wild one #the wizard sky #Suvi #suvirin kedberiket #worlds beyond number #wizard sly #www spoilers

[hoarding-stories]

Really really loved the name cloak ceremony. It was so cinematic and helped me kinda *get* what it's really about.

Cuz I mean I knew the whole protection bit, names have power and obfuscating your real one will of course be wildly beneficial.

But I did have an "oh shit" moment where I realized the true decision behind choosing a name, and why Sky is so big.

It's a balancing game of finding yourself in an abstract, a facet of a word that fits who you are, what you hold dear, or what you want to become/exemplify, and the perception of others who won't know or see how you connect to your name but will fill in meaning based on their personality and values or assign expectations depending on history. To lose your true name to the cloak is to move into almost a bigger shell. Something that not only encompasses who you are but covers what you will become and how you are seen.

Sky is a big name, a title, because it's so big literally and metaphorically! It's always changing and always there, and there are so many ways to put meaning to it and interpret it. Sure, there are Suvi's predecessors, who both seem like major historical figures, who have their legacies and shoes to fill, but also, it's a major thing to exemplify by itself!

Continuing under the cut with the Archmagi's little speeches & Suvi's connection to her name cuz I think it kinda tells us a bit about their personalities.

Saber:

What power then, that that great firmament might rain down. Whether thunder, lightning, great powers to cover all, and with its judgment mete out what it sees fit.

Of course the Archmage named Saber has a very weaponized view of the sky, concerned with the power it (& Suvi) holds and how it is used to defend or attack. (I wonder if he sees himself, above all, as a weapon to be wielded by the Citadel)

Sand:

What cannot be seen, who's weightless weight we bear each day upon our shoulders, turns the mountains into dust. Subtly and the movement in spaces unseen. The dominion of your title.

Tbh Sand is the Archmage that interests me the most, I'd say her choosing of her name had to do with time. The invisible currents in the sky, the hidden stars during the day, the sun disappearing at night. Always shifting even when unobservable and moving ever onwards.

Sorrow:

Things eternal. That have been with us since the dawn of time. Wisdom in the watchfulness of a constant partner ever above, defined by its distance.

Sorrow is also very interesting. The sky as something always there but never interacting. A monolith of cosmic knowledge, knowing from observation but not experience. (Perhaps a sorrow of missed connection)

Serenity:

Movement. Life, in a desert beyond which no growing thing can be seen from our vantage point. We see the beginnings, wisps of vapor that will become storms, rain to fall upon forest and field. A partner in a dance to sustain the world forever.

Serenity's view is one that I'm fond of, the sky as a nurturing force, full of change and life-giving, whose effects will spread beyond what can be observed. (Legacy, perhaps, the peace in knowing that the seeds you sow continue to grow for a long time, ripples in a pool).

Silence:

The sky is not the weather or the wind, the sky holds all things, let it be known that vastness is yours. The sorrows it will bring you, that you and your road are vast and broad and lead to all places. Many who have destiny curse it. But what a burden, to be able to choose any path under the sun.

Less of what the sky itself holds or is, but instead acknowledging the freedom something so big has. Suvi can shape her and others' interpretations however she wants. There is space to spare, and the legacies of those before her haven't restricted anything at all. That there is the possibility of things going wrong, or being missed, but at least it was a choice that could be made. (Everything that can be said with silence, when it is best to talk and best to hold your tongue. The possibility in that empty space of what could come next)

Suvi:

...The version of the sky that Suvi will claim for her own is a sky that she saw when she was 6 years old. The dead of night. Stars visible. Snow gently falling. As her world got blown apart. And she remembers the explosion of magic, she's never seen anything that big, and she thought it would destroy everything, not just her but the world itself and yet the sky looked down and held it all and watched it all and persisted. That is the sky that she claims.

& when giving Ame her name:

That night, and the day we met Eursulon, contain everything in this world I seek to protect. All below one big sky.

Very inchresting & I know I'm not the best person to do a ton of meta on subject but, I was originally going to say Silence's view was similar, then Sorrow's, but neither are quite right. The sky is always there, through fear and joy, and remains a constant no matter what changes. It holds everything, stands in relief no matter what, feels it, but can weather it and remain unchanged. Suvi wants to be strong, to be able to go through and witness terrible things but remain stalwart in the face of it, protecting no matter what. To always continue. To see and have those happy times with those she loves and see them safe while still watching and waiting in just in case.

#worlds beyond number #wbn #wbn spoilers #wwwo #wwwo spoilers #the wizard the witch and the wild one #loved the insight into the citadel #i kinda want to meet the mage sly now as well #just to see what they're like #this definitely got away from me #but twas fun

[embraceweird]

The fox deadpan saying "I eat meat" is so funny to me! There was no reason for him to speak up but he did and I love that for him

#wbn spoilers #wbn pod #wbn #worlds beyond number #the fox #fox #the wizard sly

[scattergoriesofevil]

A recurring thought I keep having about the Wizard Sly, who solves future problems only he can see by preventing them from ever becoming problems in the first place.

What if the future problem is something these 3 people will do when they are working together?

What if their friendship was what needed to be altered today to prevent a future outcome?

He made sure Ame felt guilt, responsibility, and urgency at a critical moment. Was the intent to warn her away from a dire outcome (with her friends) or toward one (without her friends)?

#worlds beyond number #the wizard the witch and the wild one #wbn spoilers #the wizard sly

[chillinglikeashilling]

The introduction of The Wizard Sly is so interesting in what it implies about the nature of the conflicts that will occur to the citadel during the campaign.

What are Sky's politics regarding the Citadel and Umora? What might he see that would prevent catastrophe for the World but still present a real danger to the Citadel. What is he actually prioritizing? He's clearly very hard at work and some of what he sees concerns very near events if he had the foresight to requisition something for Ame.

The last time the empire was attacked it was because they were not aware of an innovation in magic that left them vulnerable to attack. Did Sly see that? Were the seeds of that planted so long before he actually perfected his craft that he was powerless to stop them? Was he just powerless to stop them anyway- no one seems to take him seriously. Was he playing Cassandra on the great stage of the Citadel? The other empires have to have diviners too, is there a way to block divination? And if there is to what scale- obviously individuals and places can probably guard against divination but everything the Citadel/Empire does involves too many people and too many other places to not be detectable in some way? Does an event have to be larger than a battle but smaller than a war to completely escape notice?

Or is that scale the problem, too many people too near in the future. So many possible paths to take and the river flows along its bed but slowly surely the water wears away at the bank of the river. Not one big decision like the sound that starts an avalanche but water drops freezing in the crack in a boulder until that too inevitably breaks?

#i'm always so fascinated by diviners #i actually played one in a kids on brooms campaign once #the wizard sly #worlds beyond number #wbn spoilers #wwwo #wwwo spoilers

[findingtheshiny]

Seeing a lot of discussion about the players choices during this latest episode of WBN, but I can’t stop thinking about the stage set up by the wonderful Brennan Lee Mulligan.

The nudging and prodding, compelling action while also leaving no clear course of action. Upping the stakes, increasing the pressure.

The wizard Sly handing prophecy over as fact, but we have no real evidence of his accuracy when it comes to prophecy. Talking about the war spinning up again. Multiple moments of creating the feeling of an animal in a trap, Ursalon and the Kasov collection, conversations with Ame and the fox. Steel trying to bring her sense of reason into the conversation at the cost of time.

Brennan is taking the things he knows each character cares about and drives them and is using those things to drive the players into difficult choices and it feels masterfully crafted. He knows the exact buttons to push to get the players into action in ways that are meaningful and important.

Who do they listen to? Who do they trust? Do they have the time? Where is the priority? What happens if they don’t act quickly enough? And do they want to find out? And it makes perfect sense that based on who they are and the pieces in front of them right now, the characters chose different priorities.

#worlds beyond number #wbn pod #wbn: www #wbn spoilers #the wizard the witch and the wild one

[medievalpeasant]

wbn stuff please do not spoil yerself it’s a great pod i encourage you to listen

sorry. gonna have to be an Ame stan on this one. Let’s look at what’s happening to her. She is:

1. 20.

2. neurodivergent (the coding is pretty obvious)

3. Has just inherited one of the most important position in the setting. The fate of the world is literally on her shoulders.

4. Has just woken up from a month long coma where she regained *numerous* important memories. All at once she begins to see the danger she is in.

5. Has woken up in one of the two hearts of an enormous imperial machine (let’s be clear: the citadel is a tool of the militaristic Kehmsarazan Empire. its goals are the empires goals, that’s where they get their funding). This empire is occupying her home land.

6. This is an incredibly dangerous place for herself, and her friend Eursalon. We see this from the Cassov collection, from the artificer’s factory, from Steels undermining and delay of her attempts to leave. Eursalon also understands this.

7. Her friend Suvi does not understand this. This is not Suvi’s fault, there are so many factors that make it very difficult for her to learn the truth (one of the main icons of this militarism, steel, is literally her adoptive mother) but it is still true that Suvi seems unaware (I want to state for the record that I really like Suvi. I think she’s an excellent character played excellently).

8. Steel. Steel is very scary. She’s the sword of the citadel, the head of its armies. She has probably the most important role in the entirety of the city. She has brought her legion back, is searching for vaguely designed “traitors” and “spies”, and is using the threat and reality of police and military violence to get her way. let’s be very clear. this is a coup. Even if it’s not, how could someone in Ame’s position be anything but frightened by this?

9. A friend of grandmother Wren’s and talented diviner, Sly, has told her that it is very important she leave, and soon, and that while her best friend Suvi *must* accompany her on pain of death, Suvi will not receive permission to accompany her.

10. All of this is merely the preamble to what may be the most important few days of her life, the summit at the north pole. The meeting will determine the fate of magic, the safety of every human in the world, and whether the job Ame has been training for since she was like 8 will even continue to exist.

With all of that in mind, it seems pretty obvious what Ame is (quite reasonably) thinking.

“Here i am in incredible danger. Not only is this the worst place in the world for me to be, but i desperately need to be a different place doing different things. Oh no! Leaving is difficult, and getting out relies on my friend Suvi unlearning her indoctrination over the course of a couple hours. Fuck! Let’s bounce.”

That this is a reasonable position is not only reenforced by everything I just said, but by the fact that Eursalon completely agrees! When presented with the same information (plus a little more, since he’s people smart in a way the other two aren’t), he comes to exactly the same conclusion. Let’s bounce!

My point isn’t that Suvi is evil, or that people should be shitty to Aabria Iyengar (she’s mentioned that ppl have been. if that’s you, fuck off!). It’s just that Ame is not the villain here either. She’s making decisions that I can only imagine I would also make in her position.

Plus, why are people only shit talking Ame? When Eursalon is doing the same shit? and is in fact more responsible for violence against citadel solders (see:the end of the previous arc) (which i don’t begrudge him either, for reasons i would get into if i wasn’t so tired)? It’s just obvious sexism. (tho i also wouldnt be surprised if people were trashing Eursalon abt this and I just haven’t seen it. still, the degree to which the hate is Ame focused is telling)

Anyway, I’m talking too much and no one will read this. I’m just saying, keep in mind the pressures mounting on Ame before accusing her of quest fever.

#wbn pod #wbn spoilers #wbn #wbn: www #ame #ame no-canon-last-name-to-my-knowledge #ame nclntmk #again i really wanna stress that i love aabria iyengar and respect her work very m #uch. got cut off

[hoarding-stories]

Interested to see how this talk goes with Steel, I think it'll kinda set the tone on getting assistance from the Citadel for Ame. She's done it their way and waited to have a conversation, now to see if she gets anything actually useful from it.

#worlds beyond number #wbn #wbn spoilers #wwwo #wwwo spoilers #Ame didnt actually say Sly was the origin of the vision #so I'll give Steel that #but it's not really witch compatible to wait for bureaucracy #and I want to see if Steel takes it seriously period #slash forms a plan/opinion on the goings on other than 'we can protect you' #cuz that's not really helpful #not sure shed be able to anyways as well