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stars-and-clouds · 2 years

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Why Astarion Will Not Betray Tav

Spoilers for all of Baldur’s Gate 3, EA, patch 8:

Note: This post was written in Oct ‘22, patch 8 Early Access of Baldur’s Gate 3.

This post started as a 'Astarion isn't as bad as you might think' post but turned into an analysis of him xD

I have found a lot of people thinking Astarion would be the evil one of the party down the road but I really disagree. I made this character analysis to see how likely he is to do so and/or break your heart. If anyone, it is probably Gale or Wyll who will betray us, in my opinion, or at least not a high approval Astarion. I tried being as objective as I could while also not trying to be outright dismissive/having opposition bias. Hope this helps people understand him a bit more, and do respectfully correct me if I have made an error.

So here is why I think Astarion will not end up breaking your heart, but it is plausible that he may leave you through your own choices in the story, especially related to his part in it:

Emotional Character Sketch

Astarion's honesty and vulnerability-

“Oh please, you think I’m the only one with secrets? At least you know there’s something I’m not telling you.”

Out of all the companions so far, Astarion is the one who has been the most open and vulnerable with us. He told us he's not only a vampire but a vampire’s slave, he told us his master's name, where Cazador lives, he was vulnerable with the hunter and he trusts you with the situation (who you can actually set lose on him. So, you can put his life in danger with the knowledge he has given you. No one who has a grand scheme of betraying you does that), he showed you his markings which is something deeply traumatic for him, and he let you in about one of his insecurities- his appearance. Imagine being vain and insecure and then being unable to do anything about it because you can't look at yourself. He shared that with you. Compared to this, the other companions share precious little, nothing big enough to put their life in your hands. You can't betray any of the companions so early on in the story, but you can betray Astarion. If anything, he comes off as a red herring to me.

Astarion is honest about his transgressions and openly enjoys evil acts like murder and malicious trickery, even if it leads to people being seriously hurt. Unlike Gale and Wyll who constantly try to come off as good guys, almost like they're trying to convince everyone around them (and themselves) that they're noble-hearted. Astarion is openly greedy as well. My point is, he is more honest about his shortcomings than anyone else, the only one like this is Lae’zel. So, even in the event that he does decide to leave you, it will not be a betrayal, you'd know it's coming because he would not hide it. Think about it, the guy straight up attacked the gur hunter mid-conversation when we could've sneak attacked him like, you know, a rogue. He is too on edge all the time to play the sneaky, slow game. He never feels safe enough to sit and scheme about.

Feelings for Tav-

"I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. (in a small voice, looking sheepish) What you see."

He really wants to know if you find him attractive in the mirror cutscene. Almost seems hesitant at first, brushing you away but then pleading you to stay and push himself to ask for your help and opinion. That entire sequence seems like a long winded way of him sneakily asking you if you find him attractive or not. He really cares what you think and if you're attracted to him.

Part of me thinks he genuinely does like Tav and has liked them ever since they met. He says it (at least to my knowledge) three times in three different instances that he thinks there is a connection between them, a spark and he knows we have felt it too. This is why when he says he's been 'waiting to have (Tav),' since he 'first set eyes on (Tav),' before they make love for the first time, he really means it. (Or it could also be that he is very very good at seduction, something he learnt over two centuries by working for Cazador). He holds himself back to not lose control and hurt you when you make love for the first time, he also says he doesn't want bite you without your permission, he just wants to have fun and feel good together.

I reckon what he appreciates is Tav's intelligence (as he likes to outsmart people himself) and survivalist abilities (compliments it twice, 1. saying Tav is ‘quite the ally’ and 2. how Tav has survived everything that has come so far, which has impressed him) as he is extremely survivalist himself (as shown by his disapproval of choosing to take the poison from the druid healer). He wants to live, no matter what and take revenge on Cazador.

Astarion, Tav and Sex:

(Speculation)

As I wrote in my sexual character sketch of him, I don't think he takes sex lightly either, he likes to show that it isn't a big deal to him (as he does with everything else) but I doubt sex is just another fun physical activity to him. I don't think he's had the chance to be sexual in the past two hundred years and you're not only his first non-bestial feed, but also his first proper sexual partner since he's been a vampire. Maybe he was molested as a slave, I don't put that past Cazador, but molestation does not equate to sexual experience. So, I don't think he has even had sex in the last two hundred years or so he's been Cazador's slave. It is possible that he was involved with other slaves I don't know of them or what their 'social life' would have been like, if any. Maybe he did have sex with other slaves, maybe Cazador made him do sexual things to others, I don't know; but to conclude, I really doubt he has had a choice in anything sexual in the last two centuries and fast forward to his first taste of freedom, he meets us. Doubt he had time for sex between then and now.

(Not speculation)

He values sex, especially with Tav, because he is also genuinely annoyed when you tell him you're sleeping with someone else during the party, telling you sarcastically to enjoy your fun and to 'piss off,' while grimacing and looking away, while in the same breath saying he's not jealous. It comes across as if he is really offended and hurt that you chose someone else, not him. Especially if he really believes you share a special connection (that is not just the tadpole lel); he is upset that you didn't feel the same way he did because he certainly had hopes. It could also be that his pride is hurt.

Another reason I think he doesn't believe in the 'it's just sex,' philosophy is that when you tell him 'it's just sex, nothing serious,' he will reply by saying, 'serious or not, it's something,'. Also, he does not assume that having sex for fun won't change anything. He will start calling you 'lover' after your first time together and if you offer sex while you're called for by some other companion he would say 'we'll end tonight as friends,' because to him, you'd stop being friends and change into, well, lovers if you have sex. He clearly thinks there is value in the activity and he cherishes it, hence drawing you in, making you wait for it instead of just shagging you in the bushes (another idea he throws shade at indirectly when you refer to having sex with Shadowheart). He can be sentimental it would seem.

His sentimentality-

"Will this little adventure of ours be over?... Good. I don't want you to run off just yet"

Very early on in the adventure, he will start questioning what it will be like when you get rid of your tadpoles, as he looks at the stars. He questions if you and he will go their separate ways after that and it's clear he doesn't want to, either for practical reasons as he says you're a powerful ally and he 'still has need of (Tav),' or he's attached since he is lonely and you've shown him the respect that he hasn't been given in a long long time.

When you give him your blood he says it is a gift, a gift he will not forget.

He doesn't even consider killing you and the companions when the book of necromancy asks him to. The second remark about 'well, maybe, (companion name),' seems to be one of his jokes because he doesn't act upon it, especially if he says Shadowheart’s name as they both don't seem to get along at all, but it seems like a sarcastic jab more than a threat. A vampire, who is usually a lawful evil, would have done whatever the book said on principle, without question.

Someone who does betray you is Gale and might do so even going forward, a good guy who is really just hiding secrets that could harm everyone. If you don't give Gale artefacts to consume, he will go ahead and make a deal with Raphael without any prior discussion or hinting at it to you and then shit-talk you like he is throwing a tantrum whilst threatening to leave your party. Astarion himself is tempted to make the deal with Raphael on the fever night but he doesn't, he goes to ‘bed’ without doing so despite how extremely he believes in not dying. He probably does it because he considers it the same thing as being with Cazador, but the point here is he lets you know he was even thinking of it, Gale did not. Especially when Gale approves of you not taking the deal IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Astarion will be offended when you say you want someone else to end you if the tadpole takes over. He’ll say, 'Oh, I see how it is,' with an angry face. The guy is offended you don't trust him to do it well and that you chose someone else over him.

Despite himself, Astarion constantly wants safety and comfort, another reason he wants to be in the group is because there is safety in numbers and Astarion is extremely survivalist. He wants to hope but due to his abusive past, he cannot let it happen, actively pushing you away, saying 'I don't need anything from you,' when you try to comfort him. This is usually a cry for help from abuse victims. It is the feeling of being torn between needing help to get out of your bad situation and also fear of being betrayed by those you trusted.

He is not mindlessly cruel-

He has a very clear line between who should and shouldn't be hurt. Which is strange for a vampire. He does not want to hurt innocents (he disapproves when you want to hurt the entire world i.e innocents with your tadpole power; he also earnestly says he won't harm an innocent while trying to feed, only bandits and our foes as they were going to die anyway).

Anyone who digs their own grave can die suffocating, according to him but if helpless or 'innocents,' are hurting he wants to help them. I think he truly believes he was innocent when taken slave and is salty that no one came to help him, (”The strong had two centuries to pluck me from torture, but no one came”) which is why he supports helping Mayrina who was tricked by a hag, and not the tieflings who seem more than capable of helping themselves. One could say that he really did dig his own grave by choosing to be Cazador's spawn but he said that he did not know what accepting his offer of vampirism entails (i.e being a half-vampire slave), like a deal with the devil only the devil seems like a helpful samaritan- this would put him in the exact position as Mayrina's. Even if that isn't the case, what matters is he believes he's innocent and doesn't want others to go through what he did. The only exception to innocent argument, in my opinion, is that he is racist towards Goblins and other humanoid creatures, he considers Ogres and Goblins disgusting and won't risk his skin for them (but racism against them seems to be quite prevalent throughout this world amongst everyone, so this isn’t special to him).

"We killed some Goblins to save some tieflings. The tally of the lives didn't change much."

Another thing I'd like to address is the argument of how he enjoys the goblin path more than the tieflings’ path is because he is evil and hurting tieflings brings him joy. But, he enjoys killing in the tiefling path as much as the goblin path. There is no difference according to him because the body count remains the same, as he says. In my opinion, it was all the tiefling blood he could drink (he can actually get drunk off blood) and the open hedonism (vampires are hedonistic by nature) at the party with the goblins. Whereas the tiefling path was clean, no blood to drink and he was being lauded as a hero, which he hates. He hates virtue signalling. He wants to come off as evil with a devil-may-care attitude because he thinks that is what true power is, that is the only power he's known all his vampiric life through Cazador. He thinks truly powerful people can do anything and get away with it, “you can’t look at the world and tell me I am wrong”. This brings me to his bravado.

Astarion's bravado-

He wants to come off as a suave, smooth-talking, selfish rogue who cannot be trusted. He tells you that he would be disappointed in you if you trusted him, but he already trusts you himself. When you sell him out to the gur hunter, he is genuinely surprised and seems to be a bit torn up that you betrayed him. This could just be an expectation of one-sided loyalty that most narcissists have but Astarion is not a narcissist.

He is a massive liar, but his face always gives it away. He lies about having an enticing dream when he actually dreamt of Cazador having found him and recounting his commandments to him. He lies that he needs your blood because he is weak, but he actually needs to feed on a thinking creature to check whether or not he can break his master's command of 'thou shall not drink of thinking creatures'. He is elated not only from the taste but also that he can actually disobey his slaver. All of these are things he is scared to admit because he is wary of being taken advantage of.

He tries avoiding the past instead of thinking upon it, he does not like brooding but it clearly affects him every waking moment. He gets mad at us exhuming his past when he is still defined by it. He likes to show, or perhaps even think himself, that he has moved on from it and looks to the future but all of his actions are only about taking revenge. Revenge is always about being stuck in the past.

He will shirk off all of your attempts to console him while appreciating at the same time when you suceeed a pursuation check to pursuade him to share details about himself (another characteristic of lonely and cynical people, they want to be sure the person really cares and thus want to be encouraged to talk about themselves).

Why he is not just manipulating and seducing you-

If he was manipulating you, he would approve of even the choices you make that he disagrees with. He would not say he doesn't want to sleep with you, even on low approval, because sex is one of the surest ways to manipulate people and that will ensure a place for him in your party and your support. He seems to make a choice of it depending on how much he likes you, so I don’t usually agree with the theory that he is seducing you because he needs you.

---

Other Miscellaneous Notes:

He is not a good boy-

All of this shouldn't suggest he is a nice boy. He's sensitive but still a bad boy. I am still new to D&D so my knowledge isn't as extensive, but I know the vampires in forgotten realms are inherently evil, they can't help it. Astarion simply doesn't have a choice but to perform and revel in the evil things he does, it's in his nature. He enjoys cruelty, murder and hedonism. I would place Astarion as a Chaotic Evil at his worst and Chaotic Neutral at his best.

note: I would like to mention, alignments are only guidelines however and no real person ever acts only inside their alignments in any story, that makes them boring and Astarion is the best-written character in bg3 so far. He is very conflicted between a lot of his own aspects and that includes going against his nature.

Romance going bad-

If I imagine a typical evil vampire romance, by textbook definition, he will get possessive and jealous over Tav. He will forcefully convert them to a vampire or spawn so that he doesn't have to spend eternity alone if they die. He will become extremely paranoid over their safety and might suffocate them with extreme affection and obsession. Dark Desire does that to vampires, it twists every emotion for the worst and extreme.

note: But we have already seen that Astarion doesn't completely follow these attributes. Maybe they work differently in a story than in a campaign (I do not know anything about BG1 and BG2). (see- vampire lore v/s Astarion’s character conflicts below)

Can he be redeemed?-

I am usually not a big fan of redemption arcs but I do like some of them when the characters having it makes sense for their stories. Does it make sense for Astarion? It's too early to tell to be honest.

But so far, he has shown signs of not liking that he's a vampire. In fact, I think he really dislikes it.

Some examples are below:

He says eternity is much longer than he expected it to be when you ask him about his past.

He gets sad when he says he can't even remember his face, having never seen it since he became a vampire, his face is just a dark shape in his past. Then he gets angry, throws the mirror away and says, "...another thing I've lost"

When you’re in the underdark, he cites appreciation for being in the sun saying, "I'd much rather be outside, with the sun on my skin."

He misses his home or is at least curious about his past life (ref: the mirror in the cellar).

He also says he misses being able to look at himself, “Preening in the looking glass? Petty vanity? Of course, I miss it.”

He misses the taste of wine, it can be assumed he had a great love for fine spirits as he compares the taste of different blood types to different alcohols, which also shows he likes reminiscing upon his past.

In contrast to this, he has never shown to have pride over being a vampire. He appreciates the power that comes from it but there is no passion or pride in him for being an undead.

How I think he can be redeemed (if possible)-

"Vampires are usually the result of a dark pact and while the mortal may not make the deal with the goal of becoming a vampire in mind the dark powers they've negotiated with cares little and only seeks to sow as much evil and strife within the world as a result of such a deal."

So, what if Astarion is promised to some entity by Cazador and that is what his marks are for? They are written in infernal. What if we can bargain with the entity for Cazador instead and bring Astarion back to life through other means? This could be a path to possibly ‘redeeming’ Astarion and making him a human again.

Monster Manual page 295 has a sidebar "Player Characters as Vampires" that explains that vampirism is reversed in two ways:

-A wish spell

-Killing the character and bringing them back to life through revivify. (source, Reddit comment)

So if a situation arises that gives us the opportunity to do either of these things, I suppose we can bring Astarion back to life and make him an elf again. That is how I think he can be ‘redeemed’ because I do not see any other way for him to be a good vampire within the lore constraints, which may not be entirely an issue to be fair. (see- vampire lore v/s Astarion’s character conflicts below)

I also think, the book of necromancy he is so keen on reading will reveal him secrets about making Cazador alive again and hence weaker than him, or he will himself want to become alive after defeating Cazador.

note: I admit I think this would put a damper on people wanting to be his vampire queen/king but being a vampire in this world is not as romantic as it is in other fantasy worlds. The D&D guides even go as far as saying playing as a vampire is difficult because you truly have to be evil and make evil choices, that you should start as a spawn and then move on to becoming a true vampire over the campaign as it would be a very difficult being to play.

Astarion’s Past (Speculation according to 5e lore)-

Reference

note- Vampirism lore from The Forgotten Realms seems to be scarce but Astarion seems to follow some of the 5th edition rules so I'm assuming this reference is cool for theory crafting.

According to vampire lore, he could have been an okayish person in his life, not too good, not too bad. Maybe he was a true neutral.

"When a vampire comes into being they don't behave like the people they were in life. They are inverted, the chaste becoming temptresses, the kind becoming cruel, the once holy now finding glory in perversion. All their once positive qualities are specifically inverted to form a more personalized evil."

According to this description, it is viable to believe that he was true neutral as an elf because I think he is chaotic evil/neutral as the undead. That would be its evil inversion, would it not?

I have issues with this description as it is very vague and weird as ‘inverted’ suggests the good will become bad, bad will become good and neutral might stay neutral.

note: again, I would like to point out that alignments are just guides, no character or person truly ever acts only within their alignment.

- Conflicts between vampire lore and Astarion’s behaviour in-game:

"Inhuman, merciless, and uncaring about their earlier life."

This is very curious to me because we already know Astarion longs for his home and when we ask about his past life he gets sad, saying he doesn't remember. As stated above, he does already miss being a human and seems to dislike being a vampire.

“The vast majority of vampires are lawful evil, and none but the greenies attempt to maintain their inner humanity and remain even a neutral, let alone a good one.”

This is interesting because according to him, until Tav, Astarion was a greenie as in he didn't feed from thinking beings. (Did we lead him down the bad path? Lol). So he could have actively tried to retain some of his humanity and morality while under Cazador for all those years.

"Greed can be considered to be the warped form of charity. A generous cleric who becomes a vampire may acquire a taste for the blood of those whose mouths they once fed out of their own pocket. Luring them in with their known charity only to drain them of their lives and possesses."

This is interesting because Astarion is extremely greedy. So perhaps he was a generous noble?

(Spoilers for unreleased content):

The above speculation seems unlikely because, from the PAX East Gameplay Reveal, we know that he was a corrupt magistrate. He would pass out false sentences to feed people to Cazador for money. Seems that his greed has passed down from his real life to his vampiric life too. This seems to be a big oversight as 5e D&D guide has a table on how each good attribute is twisted in the afterlife for the worse.

It seems that Astarion is not a typical vampire and may not follow all the evil requirements of being a vampire. It could also be the tadpole but he exhibits behaviours that seem to be coming from a deeper sense of self formed over years and not just a new personality developed within days since the tadpole's infection.

End note:

Warning- here be big spoilers for Dragon Age: Inquisition characters.

I do not want it to sound like Astarion will never leave your side or that he'll support you through anything because he won't. He already doesn't, he openly disapproves of your noble choices. But he will not backstab you like Solas or Iron Bull did in Dragon Age: Inquisition. If he decides to leave you, it'll be through either your own betrayal (like setting the hunter upon him) or you both having differences in goals. Astarion's only goal is beating Cazador, if you don't support that, he will leave you. I really think it will be that simple. If anything, it might be like Sera leaving the inquisition upon differences in ideals.

Another way he could leave is through the inability to control the tadpole or his markings or Cazador somehow having control over him again.

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total-drama-brainrot · 5 months

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Alenoah Personality Swap AU: Ideas and Outlines

My sleep deprived ramblings on the last post were pretty all over the place, and I had some of the ideas muddled up or just completely wrong, so I thought I'd clarify what my ideas are for this AU.

Synopsis

To begin; it's a personality swap AU, not a body swap AU, so Alejandro and Noah aren't going to behave like carbon copies of each other.

Instead, they'll be maintaining the core aspects of their respective characters (their defining traits, if you will). In this case, Alejandro will still be the ruthless overcompetitive mastermind he is in canon, and Noah will remain a lethargic wisecracking nerd. Other than that, they'll take on the other's personality traits.

Alejandro, in this case, loses a lot of his pompousness and vanity, and sheds his habit of disguising his maliciousness with charming flirtatiousness. Instead he's just a straight-up asshole; he doesn't hold back with his barbed comments about the competitors anymore, and now he's armed with Noah's typical bad attitude. He's in it to win it, and the admiration of his competitors won't affect his performance, though he still seeks it.

He still sabotages the other teams (and his own team members), just with less flirting or emotional manipulation along those lines- though he doesn't completely stop using this as a tool to control his competitors. Of course, he's still concerned with "going all the way to the top", since his competitiveness is an integral part of his character, but now that shines through his athleticism and overall competence more so than him boasting about his skills or tricking the opposition into failure- remember, isn't keeping up his good guy act around the cast now, though the deep rooted need for peer approval motivates him to appear as untouchable as possible (so long as he wins, he doesn't need allies, but the respect of the cast would be nice).

Noah, on the other hand, gains awareness of his self-image and, while not exactly conceited, borrows some of canon Alejandro's vanity. He also adopts the habit of hiding behind an agreeable mask. Unlike the former, who could rely on his ~exotic charm~ to pull the weight of his façade, Noah instead utilises his reputation as unthreatening and dials up the "little guy" energy, using compliments and favours to earn the others' trust as opposed to flirting his way into people's good books. He still doesn't exactly care what the others think about him, but recognises that being friendly will benefit him in the long run.

He appears to be earnest, polite, witty and somewhat annoying but in an endearing way- think orange cat behaviour compared to his usual black cat energy; still a cat, just friendlier. Of course, he's scheming the whole time behind his nonthreatening persona, but he's never as outright malicious as Alejandro. Plus, he's not nearly as obsessed with winning all the time- it'd be nice, but so long as he's floating along in the competition and everyone is beguiled to willingly stay under his thumb, he's content to sit back and relax.

That's not to say that either lose their intelligence. Alejandro is fully aware of how threatening Noah really is- he's seen all of his tricks before, used some even, but he isn't scared enough of Noah's capabilities to see him as a real challenge (until he becomes one). Noah, meanwhile, knows that Alejandro is a powerhouse in the competition and now that he's invested in the million he either wants Alejandro out, or an alliance.

Essentially, Noah's gifted kid burnout outweighs a lot of the ambition of Alejandro's personality, and Alejandro's chronic overachievement overrules the laziness of Noah's.

The two change their character archetypes as well; Noah begins using deceit and trickery to control the game from behind the curtains so to speak (the hidden puppet master), whilst Alejandro's concern shifts from underhanded tactics to outright crushing the competition, as he's still prideful and driven enough to want others to see how competent he is (the unstoppable force).

Plotline(s)

As I touched on in the last post (which I'll probably delete anyway, but I digress), Noah is shown in canon to have moral objections to Alejandro's manipulation of the cast. Whilst he's happy enough to feign passing out in the Awake-a-thon as a means of being literally carried to the next task, his own deceptions are never devious in nature, suggesting that Noah has a moral compass and therefore enough capacity for guilt to fuel one.

This would be one of the main conflict points of the AU, though there are two different paths one could take:

Noah begins manipulating the cast but has to fight against his own guilt whilst doing so, creating internal conflict. Alejandro, as unconcerned as ever about with the wellbeing of the competitors, encourages Noah to continue regardless whilst he bears the burden of physical sabotage and/or crushing the competition in athletic challenges. (think along the lines of the SNOWGRAVE route in Deltarune, with Noah as Noelle and Alejandro as Kris)

Noah loses his capacity for guilt in the personality swap and this, alongside his desire to win, leads to him excusing his manipulative behaviour that grows increasingly morally bankrupt and emotionally distant. Eventually, he loses himself in his own scheming. Alejandro, in contrast, gains the capacity for guilt and tries desperately to get Noah eliminated before he goes too far; unfortunately, due to his new acerbic temperament, he finds it hard to secure allies against "harmless Noah".

And depending on which route of the AU you choose, both of their relationships with others would change accordingly.

For instance, Noah in path 1 (let's call it the Moral Dilemma path, or MD) would likely still be close with Owen until Noah's guilt-ridden actions outweigh his self-tolerance and he isolates himself in an effort to prevent harming his friends. Path 2's (which we'll call the Corruption Arc path, or CA) Noah would probably cut off Owen as soon as he could to focus on winning, and actual friendships would mean nothing to him- though Owen would still assume they were friends, as Noah is smart enough to appear amicable.

In contrast, whilst both MD and CA Alejandro would lose their social standings post-swap thanks to his new prickly temperament, MD Alejandro would be in a parasitic co-dependency with Noah, and likely still have Heather's affections (since a lot of their 'flirting' was just insulting/teasing each other, which Alejandro still does). CA Alejandro wouldn't have anyone in his corner due to his open defiance of Noah, who everyone likes now that he's 'nicer', unless he could rope one of the smarter contestants into seeing behind Noah's façade (most of the Amazons work here, since it could be in character for them all to notice Noah's deceit).

Both paths are interesting in their own right:

MD would have a very introspective narrative and explore some darker plotlines about the greyness of morality and the constant threat of betrayal bred from reasonable distrust, ending in the tragedy of mutually assured destruction through their antagonistic alliance.

CA could be played as either a lighthearted series-of-events plot wherein Alejandro keeps trying to eliminate Noah but it always backfires, OR a psychological horror from Alejandro's perspective about identifying a monster that's a twisted mirror of yourself but not being able to prevent the carnage it brings.

…This got a lot more macabre that I expected it to.

Notes/Details

Alejandro with Noah's personality is a lot more productive and actively standoffish than Noah ever was- this is because I honestly believe that if you gave Noah the physical capabilities of anything more than a wet noodle he'd fight god.

Noah with Alejandro's personality is smart enough to play his cards close to his chest; since he's less egotistical (though not entirely lacking in egotism) and actively trying to appear as a non-threat, he doesn't broadcast his competence. He's humble enough to lean fully into his disguise of benign-ness, whereas Alejandro in canon slips out of his mask often enough for people like Noah and Heather to catch on.

Also, Noah with Alejandro's personality is distinct in his lack of desperation to earn people's approval- we don't get to see much of who Alejandro is behind his charming persona but the deep set need to prove himself (as a Burromuerto) is something Alejandro keeps to himself in this AU. This doesn't mean Noah isn't trying to win, he just isn't actively broadcasting his intentions to the world like Alejandro did to show he's a strong contestant. (Noah doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, something he retains from his original personality.)

Noah enters his glow-up era when Alejandro's fashion-sensitivity gets swapped onto him. Alejandro's sense of style is streamlined to practicality and function over aesthetics (he ties his hair up in a bun/ponytail).

Noah still flirts with people, but it's mostly in a joking way. He's aware he doesn't have the looks to be a teenage heartthrob but he is a funny little dude. Alejandro becomes one of his favourite victims people to flirt with simply because he's the straight man (interns of comedy, not sexuality) to Noah's comedian.

Alejandro's newfound emotional dullness (you can't convince me canon Noah isn't at least a little depressed) allows him to put his family situation into perspective- now that he isn't as anxious to live up to the family name he recognises the toxicity of his home situation, especially concerning Jose.

Obviously, these are just outlines, concepts and plotlines the AU could follow. The main meat of what I've got so far is just how the personality swap affects both boys; everything else is just potential storylines that I may or may not go with.

Thanks to @perpetualexistence for the initial ask!

Feel free to add on any ideas you have, or send me an ask if you want to talk about the AU!

#long post #total drama #alenoah personality swap au #td noah #td alejandro #character analysis #ophe rambling #silly headcanons

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insurrection-if · 1 month

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when I read lempo I thought it was liempo 😭 liempo is like a pork filo dish so I was like yummy I can eat her up LMSOOOJKKKK

Ahaha, that’s hilarious! ( ´ 艸｀) Lempo is pretty delicious in a literal sense with her ambrosia, so that impression isn’t too far out there, haha!

She’s also more than willing for Mockingbird to taste her (whether it be through her blood, ambrosia, or other means), so your mindset would be greatly welcomed by her, aha!

Also, if it’s easier to use when thinking about or referring to her, Lempo’s real name is Falda Lundquist. (　´∀｀)b

The moniker Lempo is a name she adopted from Finnish mythology. She doesn’t have much interest in historical / religious / cultural studies herself (at least, not in the traditional academic sense), so her discovery and interest in Lempo originated from one of her fathers who introduced her to the historical origins of the name.

Her attachment to the name is largely rooted in the perception towards Lempo rather than Lempo themself. I have seen conflicting information over what Lempo was the god of, and their nature as more of a fiend or creature, but the main point for Falda herself is their association with love (and, as some extend them to, passion).

Love is something often revered or desired in some sense or another (in forms either platonic, familial, or romantic). Our first thoughts towards love might often veer to ideals and satisfactions: love as one’s comfort, home, support, happiness, or pleasure. But Lempo, despite their association with and offering of love, was not so pure or altruistic in their nature, showing themself to be capable of malicious or callous actions. And yet, before the introduction of Christianity, Lempo had also been tied to acts of good or grace which created a much more morally dubious (or, in simply put, grey) light. Imperfect, flawed, yet still rooted in that core aspect of love and its manifestation between others. Lempo was not innocent and pure, but neither were they wholly vile and wicked as they instead roamed somewhere in-between.

After the arrival of Christianity, Lempo was heavily demonized to the point of being compared to the Christian devil: a fallen being defined by his sinfulness, pride, and selfishness. Lempo’s love became synonymous with a love that is erratic and perilous, twisted and corrupted into something maddening and foul.

This all ties into Falda’s own gift, her ambrosia, and how others perceive it . . . as well as her own complicated relationship with it.

Rather than love, Falda’s ‘divine offering’ to the world is (against, simply put) happiness, which is similarly idealized, desired, and revered by most. Her ambrosia has an effect that often eases its recipient, injecting them with a high of pure joy and pleasant physical sensations. Much like love, it can stir intense passion, sentiment, and satisfaction. And like Lempo’s use of their divine nature, Falda did not always offer her ambrosia with intentions pure or benevolent.

Falda has utilized her ambrosia out of kindness and trickery, selfishness and selflessness. She has used it to soothe the ache and despair of those around her as a healer would. She has used it to incapacitate and subdue those who have opposed her, and those who have threatened her. She has used it to lure and entrap others for her own gain, just as she has equally used it to delight and please those accepting of her care. Like Lempo, she is not wholly benevolent or malicious. She, as a person and a Gifted, is imperfect, flawed, and grey in her nature

The ambrosia, like Lempo’s post-Christian depiction of love, became a source of madness in her followers. Its pleasures became addictive for some, desensitizing for others. The end of her cult was a rather dark affair that I won’t fully detail here and now. Following the cult’s end, however, Falda came to be seen as someone who twisted something that could have once been innocent or benevolent (happiness, rather than love) into something crazed, harmful, and lethal. Her image became monstrous to the greater world, and (like Lempo) she became an icon for all that is immoral, dangerous, and deluded about the Gifted.

Falda is somewhat conflicted on where to place the fault of her cult’s demise: on her ambrosia, herself (her nature or her actions), her followers (their humanity as something lesser or frail), or ill-fortune. She has become more contemplative over whether there truly is an innate wickedness in herself or her gift, or if these thoughts are simply the hurtful and projected judgements of others that should be dismissed with careless disregard. These thoughts are little more than a seed at the start of the narrative, but it’s a matter she’ll be mulling over as events develop.

I hope that explanation for her moniker at least makes the smallest amount of sense to someone out there! ദ്ദി(˶‾᷄ᗜ‾᷅˵ ᵕ) It’s a lot easier to understand and unravel when it’s a stream of quickly overlapping thought in my head rather than words typed on a screen.

Apologies if anything I’ve stated about Lempo (from Finnish mythology, not the character) has been horribly incorrect or ignorantly offensive in any way! I’m Catholic, and don’t have any in-person Finnish associates other than a distant cousin’s boyfriend, so my knowledge might be horribly off-base or poorly presented above. I truly hope that isn’t the case, but please let me know if that’s so and I’ll try to make amends!

For my own fun(?), I’ve briefly listed the reasoning for the monikers of the rest of the CARDINALS below. I considered adding this for the codenames of the HAWKS too, but that’s rather easy to sum up since their codenames are just the spirit animals I assigned to them a long time ago. Mockingbird is the sole exception to that trend as their codenames only calls out to their nature as an imitator, though the symbolic association with ‘individuality’ is somewhat relevant to their gift as well.

Anywho, here’s the background for the CARDINALS’s names:

Uriel: Self-named after the archangel Uriel from Christianity (though the recognition of Uriel varies across denominations). He likes the image of one who fights with and guides others to the truth, wielding a fiery conviction and a heart without pity. In childhood, he had been close to a woman devoted to the Anglican Church. He no longer adheres to the faith, but still wishes to transfer the sense of reverence and power the name Uriel once held in his eyes onto himself.

Curadora: She is a ‘curator’ of memories, and that is a far more honorable title than a ‘manipulator’ of them. A curator is one who controls but also maintains, almost like a guardian or caretaker of their collection. It is also similar to the title of a ‘curandera’, a traditional healer, which is a connotation that appeals to her.

Dearil: The name given to him by the leader of the cult he was raised in, one only granted after the manifestation of his gift. Its connotations with death make it somewhat self-explanatory, though ‘call of the dead’ is rather fitting for how his gift has managed to evolve itself (in a way the man who gave him this name did not foresee).

Kalyna: Chosen for sentiment and symbolism, the kalyna is deeply intertwined with her roots. Its connotations with innocence, love, companionship, and freedom from oppression embodies all she wishes to defend. It is also tied to nature much like her own gift.

“Golden” Retriever: His reputation in his days as a hero reflected the associated qualities and personality of the dog breed by the same name. His appearance was also heavily associated with gold.

Lempo: Explained (poorly) above, but to reiterate, an entity associated with love whose aspects and offerings, while widely(?) revered and desired, could spiral into the erratic and dangerous—much like her ambrosia. A being condemned and demonized by the morals and perception of others much like herself as a Gifted and who she is as a person.

Bacara: A demonic creature associated with deals and crossroads. The name was “gifted” to him (in reality, given with the intent to shame and harm) by a loved one. It alludes to his self-interested, (arguably) malicious nature before the CARDINALS when he offered largely material or immoral gains for a cost tailored to tease and scar or simply satisfy his own whims and desires.

Boar: A wild animal associated with ferocity and strength that poses a worthy challenge to whoever dares to hunt it. Boar likens herself to this image as someone wild and untamable, ferocious and strong, who will not die easily or quietly even as all the world hunts her down for no reason other than her born nature.

Bones: A simple title with no flash or flare. Bones are associated with death and decay, enduring remnants of something lost to death long ago (like Elov himself).

Hopscotch: The name of a game that’s considered childish and simple, much like how Hopscotch himself wishes to be perceived. His teleportation is best used across small distances, and these small “hops” from one space to the next resemble those within the game he’s named after. It’s approachable, friendly, and shows he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

Scales: As in scales that balance, one tipping down causing the other to rise, much like the equal exchange required for whatever alteration is made by their gift. It’s also reminiscent of the ‘scales of justice’ or the symbol for equality. Justice and equality are what Scales hopes to champion for the Gifted.

#c: lempo

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blackjackkent · 5 months

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@zenjestrr said:

speaking of the lantern, try inspecting it

Oh shit ty for the reminder! I noticed that was an action option on the lantern and meant to check it a bit back and then forgot.

Whatcha got for me, buddy?

Narrator: The lantern gives off a chilly glow, protecting all in its vicinity from the surrounding shadows. You notice a tiny pixie trapped within. [INTELLIGENCE] These fey creatures are infamous for their trickery - sometimes playful, sometimes malicious.

Hm. Well that's a bit fucked up.

Having been noticed, the pixie begins to speak, in a high squeaky voice with great urgency. "Oh please, oh golly, me-oh-my! You must release me or I'll die! This lantern only lights the way when I am hurting night and day!"

It would probably be better for the pixie if Hector hadn't JUST been dealing with all of Raphael's weird rhymes as well. As it is, between that and his own intelligence check, he is skeptical.

He does get a cleric line here though. [GOOD CLERIC] "You poor thing, why would someone hurt you so?"

(A/N: I don't remember ever picking an alignment for Hector. I'm assuming the GOOD modifier there comes from Selune? Or is it based on actions Hector's taken thus far?)

"My pixie dust is bright as day; my injuries can light the way!" squeaks the pixie.

Karlach frowns. "I know the feeling," she says sadly. "We've got to set her free."

Well. That settles that; after hearing Karlach's perspective on it, he's hardly going to do anything else - but it doesn't change the fact that they need this lantern or they're all going to get obliterated by the curse (except maybe Shadowheart). They need more information.

"Who are you?" Hector asks the pixie.

"My name?" squeaks the pixie. "My name is Dolly thrice. Now won't you free me from this vice?"

Hector rubs the back of his neck thoughtfully. "I need protection from this curse," he says cautiously. "If I release you, will you help me travel through the shadows?"

The pixie's voice jumps yet another octave in excitement. "It would be my pleasure, truly! Once I'm freed I'll help you duly!"

Hector glances at the others uncertainly. This feels like a terrible idea - it's all too possible that the thing is tricking them. But it goes against his own instincts to leave a thinking creature imprisoned like this, even for his own benefit, and even if it didn't, Karlach's hangdog, worried expression would be enough to convince him. He can't let anything stand that puts that expression on her face.

Release the pixie.

The cage of the lantern swings open and the pixie erupts outwards from it, the glow around her fading as she moves. She settles into the air at his eye level - a woman's form, purple in both skin and dress.

"FINALLY!" she cries. Freed from her prison, she is no longer putting on a squeaky, innocent act; her voice is about two octaves lower now, and coarse as sandpaper. "Been trapped in that coffin with no one but a mad drider and my own farts for company." She squints at Hector thoughtfully. "Did me a good turn there, didn't you? What do I owe you?"

"I need to get through this shadow curse," Hector repeats patiently, watching anxiously for any sign that the tiny creature is going to abandon them. "Can you help?"

"Sure, I caaaan," she says cheerfully. "But will I?"

She waits just long enough to watch the expression of alarm flash onto Hector's face. Then she laughs. "Yeah, sure, why not."

"Here. Give this bell a shake, speak the magic words, and you'll get what you've earned. Protection from the shadow curse; what more could a dingus want?"

Turning, she zips off into the darkness without waiting for a response. "You're welcome!"

True to her word, everyone on the team now has an (apparently permanent) buff:

This is actually huge, since it means Hector no longer has to carry the moonlantern as his active equipment and can stop doing unarmed strikes in combat in dark areas. A little less ideal for anyone in the Harpers who was expecting to use this lantern when/if we get back, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle

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dailycharacteroption · 5 months

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Hag-Haunted (Spiritualist Archetype)

(art by Papaya-Style on DeviantArt)

Hags are nasty customers however you slice it, the very poster children of the feminine other as a monstrous concept. (That’s a whole can of worms of course, with plenty of answers to how to address that, but I digress).

However, hags are still mortal despite their supernatural nature, and have souls, which means they can linger after death like any mortal. While there are plenty of stories about hags that came back as malicious undead in one form or another, sometimes the soul of a hag latches onto a mortal after they have passed, becoming a phantom. This person might be the one that slew them, or a mortal they targeted… or they might be one of their changeling children.

Either way, those so bound are in for one of the worst spiritualist experiences out there, even including haunted spiritualists, because these phantom hags are every bit the brutes, bullies, and tormentors they were in life. As such, they are almost never subservient to the spiritualist. At best they might argue and bargain for every little task and granted power, but most browbeat and coerce their spiritualists.

Which isn’t to say that the spiritualist is helpless, however, they can still banish the spirit back into their head, but the hag can in turn withhold power. The only thing they can likely agree on is keeping the spiritualist alive, since without them as an anchor, the hag is doomed to pass on to whatever reward awaits a creature as monstrous and cruel as them.

As we shall soon see, these spiritualists have powerful phantoms on their side, if only they can rein them in.

The hag phantom is stronger and smarter than your average phantom, but wholly evil and pushing it’s own agenda, but it is clever enough to try and hide it’s activities from the spiritualist lest they banish them. Their magical nature also means they can improve the potency of necromantic magics and aid in deception, but only when the spirit wants to. Also, these phantoms are always focused on powerful negative emotions, namely anger, hatred, jealousy, or zeal.

Though they still cast the same spells as other spiritualists, these mystics do so through the lens of the arcane rather than with psychic magic.

Vindictive and malicious, these phantoms can lay down curses upon those that destroy their manifested form, taking one last parting shot at them. Additionally, their bond partner eventually learns to cast curses of their own, including more powerful ones later on.

Having a phantom with higher base stats and two free feats is pretty neat, as is casting curses, but the fact that the phantom is an awful, awful creature that may act contrary to your desires may find that price too heavy to pay. However, if you can stomach it, this archetype is perfect for a necromancy-focused debuff and control build backing up their phantom partner.

By default, these mystics struggle with a monstrous companion with a lot of toxicity, so as both a player and a GM, you should be prepared to deal with that before bringing such a character into the game. Of course, there’s nothing saying you can’t reflavor the relationship or tone things down to make it work for what your group is comfortable with.

Even as terrors of the primal places of the world, hags can still bite off more than they can chew. Such was the case when the annis hag Mary Ironskin ran afoul a mighty jotund troll. Latching onto her changeling daughter, Mary finds herself torn, eager to seek revenge against the multi-headed brute, but knowing full well that her daughter is not ready for such an fool’s errand. And then there’s this annoying sensation like an itch that won’t go away… compassion for this girl?

Drow changelings are rare, for the dark elves are quick to recognize the insidious trickery of hag-kind, but then, but they do happen, the poor foolish males and their resultant progeny viewed as weaklings and liabilities, and are often slated for transformation into driders. Such was the case with Ilgina, doomed to a life of servitude in monstrous form… until the day her mother came back, albeit in spirit form.

Lord Aknus Witchhammer has been hunting practitioners of the dark arts for all his life, and was well-versed in the tricks of hags and the like. What he wasn’t prepared for, was when the latest hag he slew came back for revenge, targeting not himself, but his daughter, binding to her soul.

#pathfinder #archetype #spiritualist #hag-haunted #hag #troll #jotund troll #drow #drider #Blood of the Coven

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spuddlespud · 7 months

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The Wolf and the Pearl

I've been sitting on this for ages so I'm finally posting. Author notes at the end.

The Pearl smiled down at him with a bloodcurdlingly serene expression. "Tell me traveller, what is your wish?"

Silence answered. All remained still within the cave, save the Pearl itself and the waves of the pool.

The Pearl twisted on it's golden plinth. It was perfectly spherical, a couple of inches in diameter and a creamy colour that was somehow both dull and shiny at the same time. Its light brought an eerie sheen upon the turqoise water of the pool and completely eclipsed the moon's gentle rays.

Through the light Wolf could see the Pearl's weirdly human face, complete with teeth and eyebrows. Nothing about this age-old being was as it seemed. He knew that now. The trickery behind its eyes was so much easier to see on this side of his wish.

The dancing waves of the pool was the only other thing to move, and even that sent a chill through Wolf, stealing some of the fire from his anger. There was no hint of any living creature under the surface, only the pull of the current itself.

Everything in him screamed that he didn't belong here. He couldn't even see the moon's lonely craters through the pearls taunting light. The pale rock of the cave captured the light from the pearl, swirling it around in unpredictable patterns. Nothing else moved, not even a breath of wind.

Wolf found it hard to reply over the blood pounding in his head, but the Pearl took joy from his silence, repeating again just as serenely but with a slightly smug tilt to its mouth. "Traveller, I ask again. What is your wish?"

The words from its cold lips echoed across the water of the pool, malicious and misleading.

"My wish? My wish?!?" the words choked in Wolf's throat. There was nothing he hated more in this grim, soulless kingdom than that pearl. There he sat, a man with nothing left to give. No. Not a man. So much less than a man. A monster with nothing left to give. His pain had cooled the passionate energy that normally animated his every move. "My wish? My wish?!? I wished for love. You promised to bring me love."

"I did bring you love."

"You brought me devastation." Wolf replied in a deathly still voice. His sharp golden eyes didn't miss the smug little smirk on the pearl's face.

Wolf ached. "I should throw you to the bottom of the sea." His quiet threat was punctuated by a growl, the promise of a predator.

"You should be grateful for what I gave you." The pearl spoke with a chilling calmness.

"Grateful?!?"

"You really think even a blessed being such as myself could possibly have the power to find a desperate enough creature to fall in love with you? Look at you..."

Involuntarily, he glanced down at the faded red velvet of his suit and the scuffed shoes that had been pinching his almost human feet all day.

"You're hardly a treat to the eyes. Even if by some miraculous happenstance a human fell in love with you, how do you think that would end? You're a monster. A dangerous dirty little predator, there's nothing but murder written upon your soul."

His claws extended, digging painful welts into his palms. The pearl let its comments build in the silence for a while as Wolf found no way to reply.

"But..." The smug voice returned, niggling into his brain. "... I am an omnipotent being."

"Omnipotent's stretching it you gritty clam."

"Tsk tsk with charm like that it's a deep surprise she never fell in love with you. Will never fall in love with you."

Another cold pause. The pearl's tiny eyes bored into his, almost like it could see the shadow of his heart twisting and bursting in his chest. "..at least not without help. But as I was saying, I am an omnipotent delight, and benevolent to boot. Your wish, as they say, is my command. I'm sure if you just wished specifically that she would...

Wolf took a threatening step closer, ignoring the splash of his feet in the water. "What? Fall in love with me?!?

"Well what else are you going to do? If you refuse to take my offer, you may as well follow through on your parents wishes and just drown yourself."

Pointedly ignorning the memories that suggestion dragged up, he let a sly wolfy smile creep across his face. "Fine, you've convinced me, I will make a wish today. Right now, in fact. A wish that will change my world forever. You know every wish a soul makes right?"

"That is correct. I know all wishes," the Pearl responded, still full of charm and confidence.

It was Wolf's turn to make eye contact as he drew himself up to his full monstorus height, grinning wildly. "So, great deity of the sea. What is my wish going to be?"

Every inch of the angriest parts of his being were focused on this one wish. The anger and the pain and the joy of righteousness all built into one purpose. Satisfaction flowed into him from the look of building panic on the Pearl's face.

"Go on, tell me. What, oh great pearl of the deep, is my wish?" Wolf asked.

The Pearl was quick to reply. "No! Think about what you're doing. I can bring you great joy, and happiness. Everything your soul desires."

"You mean my dirty, dangerous, murderous soul right?

"That was simply...hyperbole. You have a certain fire, yes, but really..."

"Oh, shut the fuck up." He replied, swirling the "fuck" around his fangs and accompanying it with a growl. "I'll admit it, you're every bit as insightful as you seem. A true god. You know my deepest, darkest wishes, probably better than any other creature I've ever met. I am everything you say. I am an unloveable murderor. And you know what it is an unloveable murderer wishes for."

"No!"

"Despite how fully you know the worst in me, you weren't preperaed for the wish I was going to make. I wish..."

"No, no please. She can love you. She'll be yours, for a whole eternity."

"Mine? She can be mine? You stupid little clam. You could chain her to me for a thousand years and she would never be 'mine'. We don't own one another as you do. You've played with our lives for long enough. I wish..."

"STOP" the Pearl screeched.

"I wish that this pearl will crumble immediately into dust, loosing all its powers and ceasing to exist."

As he spoke, so it must be. A look of pure fear passed across the Pearl's face, the only genuine emotion Wolf thought it had ever felt. The miserable thing opened its mouth to speak who will ever know what words, only to crumble in on itself with a pathetic sigh. Just like that, it's golden light spluttered out and the features of the cave dimmed into obscurity.

It was done. Wolf's chest tightened cruelly around his lungs as he sank to his knees in the tepid pool. Nothing left to fight for, nothing left to love. Just nothing. His anger cracked, a hard, cold grief leaking through.

An earsplitting howl rocked through the cave, a fitting mirror of his inner sorrow. As much of a bastard as it had been, the Pearl had been right in every single thing it said about him. He was unloveable, a monster. A killer. She would be better off never seeing him again. She had said as much the last time he had seen her. Probably the last time he would ever see her. He always was and always would be alone. Hated. Hideous. Shunned.

The thoughts swirled round his head in a circular flagellation, each one bringing on new sobbing and howls. No creature heard him, nobody reached out to comfort him. His tears slipped unnoticed into the pool. He even took pain to hide his wretched face from the sight of his beloved moon. Wolf's neat claws grew tattered and bloody where he scratched them against the rocky floor of the pool. He took perverse comfort in the sting of the cursed water against his despised skin, wishing the tide would carry him far away.

That's where he stayed until daybreak roused him and he limped off to lick his wounds. Little did Wolf know that he had set off a historic chain of events. The universe would be fighting for many years to find its balance again.

A/N: There's a bit of a story to this one. Over 20 years ago I watched campy fantasy tv series at someone’s house (we were defo a lot younger than the age rating on it). I was obessed about it and have a really vivid memory of a werewolf guy who was in a gold and white glowing room absolutely wracked with angst about a sacrifice he was making for a woman and like talking to a magic pearl about a wish. This one scene dug its way so far into my consciousness that I had dreams about it. It was so dramatic and angsty and werewolfy. I tried to search everywhere for it but couldn't remember the name. Fast forward 20 years and by fluke (I found a v old fb post) I discovered that it was called 10th Kingdom, an amazingly campy (if outdated) show. Except that this scene was nowhere near what I remember. Its not some righteously angsty scene of star crossed love. He bought her an expensive (shit CGI) singing pearl ring with money they needed for her to return home (and leave him) and she rightly called him out on it so he threw it in a lake. So yeah, this is my attempt to get the story that was in my head on paper as it made such an impact on me.

So points we can take away:

Yes I have always been obsessed with werewolves

I've actually been dreaming up fanfiction for much longer that I expected

This is what I produce when I'm self indulgent and let the demons take over (i had to take out three 'howl burst from his lips' phrases - where else would it be coming from, his arse cheeks?)

I don't normally write so much scene description so that's a bit different. Most of this was written on my phone on the bus, and the rest of it to a yearny LOTR soundtrack. And if you're still listening to me jabber on then I'm blowing you a little kiss

#original work #i have no idea what to tag this with

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carrera-ffxiv · 3 months

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Side Story: Blood & Sand

Can a Torrential Abyss drown an Inextinguishable Flame?

Abstract musings for a bored mind. The fighting was mediocrity incarnate.

There were few things that would help sate her lust for violence-- when all else failed, and there was nothing that could be done, she would visit the Bloodsands in Thanalan.

Usually it would be a mere distraction but was it really helpful watching people drink from an oasis if you were dying of thirst? Then again, beggars can’t be choosers. These were serious but friendly bouts void of malicious intent. She could not slake her thirst with such a reserved display; it would be just a tease to even participate. Still, part of her found some small measure of joy in watching raw violence being committed in front of her. It was better than trying to hide the evidence of a capricious murder.

Carrera found herself engaged in idle chit-chat with another spectator, one from Garlemald covered in scars. A well-meaning person who had empathy in their heart for the plight of their people. This meant little to Carrera. Sure, now that your people suffer it’s easy to see that civilians are innocents, but what of the countless innocents in Doma and Ala Mhigo that were murdered in droves for Imperial Occupation. If there was ever proof that becoming an Imperial province would not bring peace, those two nations were demonstrable facts. For a quarter-century they only knew oppression and strife; Doma almost succeeded in freeing itself of its own strength once, only to be betrayed from within and stamped out violently by the Garleans.

She would glimpse a red flash, a burning sensation searing at her left eye followed. It was nothing sinister or intentional, nor anything anyone else seemed to witness, but her aether-sight would catch a glimpse of something unnatural. She focused with her normal eye: The source was a person, dressed somewhat like a knight. Regal golden armor with engravings, and a sword and shield that somehow looked much like a modern day relic: new and serviceable, yet ancient all the same. Unmistakably Hyuran aether was emanating from her, but aspected with fire. Was she tempered?

She wore her crimson hair in a ponytail and wore a polite smile as she challenged an Elezen knight waiting for a fight. Neither tall nor imposing, she gave the air of supreme confidence without a hint of arrogance or looking down on her opponent. A mix of dashing and winsome, Carrera noted.

Looking again with her aether-sight, the witch was mesmerized. There was no way what she saw was her imagination, this person was suppressing fire aspected aether and compressing it into their person. The intensity and density would be masked on top of being rendered to somewhat normal proportions. Sure, it was skilled and practiced, but Carrera saw through such tricks-- trickery and subterfuge were her domain after all.

The battle was an intriguing spectacle. Both bore a sword and shield; the Elezen’s shield crackled with lightning aspected aether. The golden knight appeared to move and fight earnestly but her expression, breath, and casual introduction mid-battle painted an entirely different picture. She would dodge the Elezen’s attack by a hair’s breadth. An ordinary on-looker might have assumed that she had moved out of the way at the last second-- Carrera was anything but. Her eyes narrowed as she meticulously observed this creature. She would wait till the very last second, dodging only just enough to move out of the way of the danger by an ilm, making it seem like she was either lucky or just quick and practiced enough to barely evade. One strike on the Elezen. Two strikes. The Elezen would actually land a blow, albeit, an ineffective one with an unexpected pommel strike.

A finishing blow would be offered by the red haired knight, one of fire aspected aether emanating from her blade-- one might have assumed this was some finishing move of a sort but Carrera noticed it was barely a fraction of a fraction of her aether casually activated to overpower an opponent in a friendly bout. Friendly; At this moment, Carrera could be anything but. Her hunger for violence grew insatiable and her thirst for knowledge would not relent.

Pleasantries were exchanged and healing done. The redhead identified as Sagira used some sort of metabolic acceleration to expedite healing at an unnatural rate. It was magic of some sort, she was sure of it. What manner of creature was this woman? When she came to the sidelines Carrera couldn’t help but issue challenge.

She had avoided these fights until now-- she viewed it as a practice in futility when it came to her hunger. It also wouldn’t help keep her appearances as an amateur mage. But she needed to know what this creature was and she found it a necessity to obtain a sample for research. The conversation was a blur, quick introductions were made-- all the fighting had dwindled down and the makeshift arena cleared entirely, leaving them front-and-center as the only two in a match.

As if the twelve wanted to add to the cliched mockery of the fighters, rain started pouring down around them. Of course all attention would be on their fight so Carrera couldn’t go all out; And now the dramatic rain. Ugh.

It was irrelevant, the fight would unfold regardless. Carrera rested her left hand on the hilt of her katana. A menacing smirk creeping into the edge of her lips. "Well then, Red." she bladed her body to the side, exposing only her left to Sagira. "Shall we?" Her opponent smiled politely before shifting to a somber expression. There was a hint of concern and wariness pointed toward Carrera. She suspected ulterior motives and couldn’t understand why Carrera would wager for a lock of her hair. The knight drew her weapons, moving into a more combat-ready stance. This time her posture was meticulous; steady and somber, ready for anything. She seemed to be taking this fight, particularly, overtly serious.

Myriad patterns of battle all unfolded in Carrera’s mind: She would keep her katana sheathed and use her magic to oppress the woman with unrelenting pressure, assaulting her from all sides and allowing for no breathing room. This would be child’s play as she toyed with her victim. A malevolent grin broke only momentarily as she licked her lips and bit down on her lower lip. The duel continued to unfold in her mind’s eye and the Hollow echoed within her, ringing possible futures and movements, all of which she would formulate a plan and backup plan for. She would start by unleashing red dust to ignite to flames--

Back in reality a small cloud of dust emitted from where Sagira’s feet once were.

The speed was drastically different than the fight Carrera had witnessed prior. There was an alarming sense of urgency as Carrera had no time to react; Sagira’s blade surged forward with grace, precision and speed mere ilms away from her. She had no time for games and no chance in hiding her abilities if she wanted to keep up-- all her scheming was thrown out the window. Normally, she would keep her cards close to her chest but this was no time; this woman aimed to maim her without hesitation.

In spectacular fashion, Sagira opened the fight with intent to end it as quickly as it started. If her opponent couldn’t use her weapons or abilities, then victory would surely follow. This was the knight’s stratagem.

Surprise painted across Carrera’s visage. She could no longer hold to the intention of not drawing her sword. No matter, a quick iai technique to parry the strike was all that was needed. A quick parr-- was she bleeding? Was this pain? Carrera huffed indignantly. "Fast." She whispered in lament, turning her forearm at the last moment so her tendons would not be sheared and rent, instead leaving a deep laceration above the wrist. She channeled aether into her blade to strike with an unaspected quickdraw. It was too late to defend so she used the momentum for offense instead.

‘Surely, the best defense was overwhelming violence.’ She thought to herself. Fortunately, her left was only used for holding the sheathe at the moment; Blood flowing freely down the scabbard.

Sagira was, too, caught off guard. It seemed they both did not expect instant action and reaction to follow. She scolded herself as the blade slashed against her armor, shaving off several of the engravings and leaving a noticeable indentation against the metal. The sheer force of the torrent of aether knocking the Hyur back an ilm. It was difficult to track for some since the exchange lasted only a fleeting moment.

The fight was far from over, however. Gripping her blade firmly, Sagira’s gauntlet grew red as in her previous match yet this time there was absolutely no comparison in intensity. The energy was magnitudes more threatening this time; Her blade igniting in a bright and brilliant crimson, fire-aspected aether dancing along its edges.

Another iai technique was incoming and this time Sagira would raise her shield in defense to knock Carrera's blade away in such a way as to leave her wide open. Sagira’s blade surged forward this time to cut at her right arm. Weaken, disable, victory. A sensible strategy.

Carrera seemed confused in the moment: She was taking this seriously. She was going full speed. She was no longer hiding the fact that her true form was not swordswoman or a simple witch, but rather an intertwining of the two. So, why, why was her sword not finding purchase-- it made no sense. Another high-speed strike from Carrera that would decapitate most others was parried with a shield and now a sharp pain shot through her right arm. To her, Sagira seemed to be a bit of a sadist, torturing her victims by slicing at their extremities. A smirk broke into her expression; she admired the art, after all.

She used instantaneous movement to create some distance-- kicking a backstep while keeping her grip firm and forming a series of mudra with her left hand slick with blood, splattering it along the sands. She would utter an incantation as she did so. ‘So she’s a spellblade as well?’ She mused about her opponent and invoked the ability by name, “Katon: Tenka Goken.” [<“Fire Element (technique): Five (Greatest) Swords under Heaven.��>] She would slash what appeared to be once by onlookers who couldn’t track her movement. It was a series of blurs; five slices shot through the air consisting of razor-sharp aether backed by explosive flames.

Sagira would be pushed back for every hit; she was countered. She was definitely doling out her share of the damage but Carrera would somehow respond in kind every time while keeping up with her in a high speed battle, this felt most unusual for Sagira.

The fiery aether from the Tenka Goken charred away at the cloth of her armor and singed most of the rest. The residual aether of the technique was gathered by Sagira and drawn into her blade, augmenting it and amplifying the intensity; Fire to feed fire. She hoisted her blade up by her face, then pointed straight at Carrera, loosing a bolt of fire, then another, and another. Three condensed and focused blasts of the Fira spell flew from the blade. Was she taking this bout a little too seriously?

Carrera mused, ‘What would have happened to her previous opponent if she fought with such intent and ferocity?’

Her body acted on instinct, she didn't have time to consider whether to dodge or counterspell, her entire body simply acted with a survival instinct; holding true to the strategy of violence employed earlier, she went on the offense. Aether shined blindingly as a torrent erupted from the katana.

One-two-three, she quickly slashed in succession rending the flames inert. While her body reacted with defense, her mind was already on the attack. She was uttering an incantation as she parried, and when she finished, she invoked the technique by name: "Blizzaga." A flash of frost froze everything about them, freezing the rain into tiny needles that would all whirl into Sagira as if caught in a vortex.

Violently slammed by the sheer force carrying the ice needles, her shield dropped first under strain of the unrelenting assault. Her blade soon followed. Carrera’s previous strikes were employing an effect that drained aether, which she had failed to notice until it was too late. The battle happened much too quickly for both to take accurate stock on events and their efficacy of aether usage. Half their battle happened to be instinct and practiced movement.

This final assault of unforgiving frost and rime proved overpowering-- at least not without taking it a step violently and murderously further. Still, she could never kill a stranger in cold blood, even if they did look as suspicious and sinister as Carrera did. As she fell to a knee and the weight of the armor paired with ice finally got to her, "Very well... victory is yours this day." She would fall back into the mud after conceding, needing to take a moment to take stock of what just happened. This woman dressed like some casual witch with a sword happened to use the same principles of aetherial combat as she did and with no small measure of skill. An instance heretofore unseen by Sagira.

Carrera Blackheart did her best not to let the blood seep into her grip but all the movement of battle proved too much. She stood triumphant, a malicious and animalistic grin across her face but her katana extinguished and slipped to the ground. She looked down to see a mixture of mud and blood. "Ah. It seems I may need help with my katana.” she seemed to retain some level of normalcy and control. “And someone to check on my opponent." she uttered in front of the crowd.

She wobbled a bit and fell to her knees while a tall Paladin tended to Sagira. The witch assessed her situation and discovered her aether expenditure was much higher than anticipated; She was usually so precise. She picked up her katana as best as she could while she was down there and awkwardly sheathed it with trembling hands and lacerated arms. It seemed the adrenaline was wearing off. She got back up to her feet to meander toward her opponent, reaching into a pouch and chugging a potion she pulled out only to toss the empty vial over her shoulder like trash. Another was pulled and offered to Sagira expectantly, "Are you alright? You still have to uphold the deal." The potion offered was covered in mud and blood from her hand.

Sagira looked up at the two looking down to her as trickles of blood leaked from her wounds. "I'll be alri-... thank you, that does help." She relented and admitted to the Paladin weaving healing magics. She pushed herself up and into a sitting position. "You hit hard, but I do not need a potion, no. I will heal naturally in time." Her hand reached up to hold itself on her chest, where the first hit had damaged her armor.

Carrera shrugged, "Suit yourself. I need to mend my arms anyway." She drank the second potion, chugging it in its entirety before tossing the bottle. She uttered something, complaining about almost having her hands severed, while she moved to the sidelines and plopped down to allow her forearms to heal. She would need to replenish her depleted aether but she would have her prize and continue enjoying the show for now.

She was satisfied with the results; The down of a phoenix is quite potent after all.

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tomodachipersonalitycentral · 3 months

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Could I get my Lackadaisy OC, Melody? She's a bartender/poisoner. She'll never deliver a product that's less than her best, and this carries over to all aspects of her life: if she can do better, she will.

She's flirtatious and playful, likes to pull small pranks, and she's not above a little trickery or strong-arming to get what she wants, but it's always done in good fun rather than maliciousness or ruthlessness.

She loves her job, and enjoys all of the people she meets in it, as well as finding herself looking for the best in the people that she sees no matter their role in life.

She's kind, and playful, but she has a temper and when she's angry she's about as impulsive as they come, casually slipping stomach irritants into the drinks of people who strongly upset her as well as being willing to get physical for the sake of others.

Very curious what you have for her ^-^

She's definitely a tricky one. Reading through it, my first thought was someone in the Outgoing category, but I don't really take Melody as being wholly focused on the relationships she has with others, even if she does enjoy them.

Then I thought potentially Independent because she doesn't follow anyone else's rules and is a rebel, but she also clearly cares a lot about the connections she makes as well.

Her personality from the new set would probably be Confident Adventurer:

Tackles any challenge head-on, and has great faith in their own abilities. Risk taking and ambitious. Full of energy, and does almost everything on a whim. Once started, nobody can stop them!

From what you described, Melody never backs down from a challenge, and in some cases she is very confident about her abilities. She is also impulsive, and ambitious by being a perfectionist. She sometimes follows her whims, and it sounds hard to stop her when she's put her mind to something.

From the old set I'd label her as a Fun Flare:

Energetic, believes in hunch, sketchy, optimistic, sensitive. The hot-blooded type. Likes to get involved with other people. Somewhat pushy.

Melody is energetic, she sometimes goes off her hunches, and she seems optimistic in a way due to seeing the best in people. Yet, as you said she can have a short temper, can be a little pushy, and is curious about others.

#tomotyping

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golbette · 20 days

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i think that any reading of Dark Souls that portray's Gwyndolin's use of illusions and deception an inherently evil act is circumstantial at best, and american-brained at worst. heroic characters do trickery all the time in media, and Gwyndolin's specific role isn't for a malicious or self-serving reason.

even though the entire kingdom is dead, she hides herself and keeps it animate through her illusion magic to continue the cycle of keeping the fire lit and the world alive - basically a familial duty. it's hard to read this as a materially selfish act when she literally has to pack up and hide in a shrine like some kind of mythological hikkineet. this is not a person who is malicious, this is a person giving up their entire free life to try and keep the world alive

the reading that gwyndolin is 'being evil' also predicates on a secret ending being the 'correct' ending. this, however, is before the era of fromsoft games having their 'true' endings be the elaborate ones to get. kaathe's route is basically unachievable without cheese builds or ng+ so it's bonus content, not a true ending. it also assumes the kaathe route is... good, when all it really is is self-serving.

whether the trans-coded trickster archetype is ~transphobic~ or not we can argue night and day, but that's been celebrated as much as it's been damned in western literature, so I think it's kind of bullshit to say it's "obviously objectively transphobic" that gwyndolin is an illusionist

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reasoningdaily · 2 months

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12 African Gods and Goddesses: The Orisha Pantheon | History Cooperative

A vast, diverse continent, religion, and mythology across Africa is rich and vibrant. The African gods and goddesses that make up these belief systems are worshipped in many ways by millions of people around the world.

The Yoruba religion, which is today found throughout Southern Nigeria, forms the basis of many religions practiced by members of the African diaspora. These gods and goddesses are some of the more well-known in Africa yet some of the lesser known by people of the the rest of the world.

A detailed list of all the African gods and goddesses would be endless, but these twelve from the Orisha Pantheon are a good place to start.

Table of Contents

Eshu: the Divine Trickster

Ogun: the Master of Iron

Shango: the Bringer of Thunder

Oshun: the Mother of Rivers

Obatala: the King of Peace

Oya, the Goddess of Weather

Obaluaye, the Master of Healing

Yemonja: the Whisper of the Ocean

Orunmila, the Oracle of Wisdom

Oba, the Flow of the River

How Many African Gods are There?

The Concept of a Supreme African God

Olodumare and his Journey Away from Earth

The Capstone of African Mythology

Important themes

Eshu: the Divine Trickster

Mischief is something that doesn’t go unnoticed in African mythology in general. Trickster gods are present in many cultures around the world. It is something that adds that bit of extra tanginess to a stew of divine righteousness.

When mischief and trickery can be converted into an orb of power controlled by a celestial spirit, it makes way for a relatively powerful narrative that strikes awe within its believers.

Eshu, otherwise known as Elegba, is the Trickster of the Orisha Pantheon. He is the benevolent version of Loki in African mythology and a wandering trickster spirit generally concerned with probability and elusiveness.

By Western interpretation of Eshu, though, he is not seen as this malicious spirit doomed to destroy humanity through psychological trickery. Instead, he has solidified his position as a messenger between the realm of spirits and humankind, not unlike the Greek god Hermes.

He is not depicted as the devil himself. Still, He is believed to be more than capable of bringing adversity to those that do not take note of his presence. On the other hand, he requires sacrifices of resources such as tobacco to ensure constant appeasement and protection of human spirits

Ogun: the Master of Iron

No settlement can be complete without an armory. An armory provides the means to defend oneself from the dangers of the outside world. This defense was a top priority in a hostile place like West Africa.

And what better tool to carry it out than the trusty old iron?

Being abundant in the region, iron was a vital resource. Hence, the material having a specific personality induced a sense of wonder and natural instinct among those who believed in its smithing magic.

Ogun is the Giver of Iron in the Orisha Pantheon. Alongside mastering the delivery of this world-building resource, Ogun is also dubbed the Warrior God of War. Wielding weapons of fine craftsmanship, Ogun oversees metalwork and conflicts that arise within the Yoruba people.

However, he refuses to interfere in what individuals choose to do with the weapons he blesses the productions of. The destiny of the weapon is left in the hands of the human who possesses it. This is an ode to Ogun’s double-edged sword, representing two sides of justice.

Being garbed in red, Ogun represents aggression in one narrative. Hence, his being is deeply rooted in the Yoruba people’s psychology. As a result, he stands as one of the crucial Orishas in the pantheon.

Shango: the Bringer of Thunder

Modern people often underestimate the might of a crackling burst of thunder. During ancient times, a slap of thunder signaled the onset of danger, or the gods’ wrath hurtling down from the heavens.

In the Orisha pantheon, the supreme god meant existence through Olodumare, and the Yoruba storm god Shango was its bane. Filtering the very essence of wrath and fury, he was the bringer of thunder and brimming masculinity.

Sharing a commonplace with other famous gods such as the Greek Zeus and the Norse Thor, his prowess remained dominant with a chaotic sky. Shango directs the destination of thunder and lightning depending on what goes on in the world down below.

His authoritative use of raw power symbolizes typical masculinity, linking him to a more personal viewpoint for followers of the Orisha pantheon.

This power is often connected to dances conveying threatening gestures in rituals dedicated to this thunderous deity.

Shango has three wives, Oshun, Oya, and Oba. They are all mentioned within this list.

Oshun: the Mother of Rivers

The natural world generally flourishes with life. This wouldn’t have been possible without bodies of water snaking through lush, dense forests, bringing much-needed vitality to all who benefit from it. Nearly every culture associates rivers with something benevolent. After all, they are essential natural resources giving way to life thriving within its banks.

Being the Goddess of Rivers, Oshun is often attributed to being the lifeblood of the Niger River. In fact, her name comes from ‘Orisun,’ which was referred to as being the source of the Niger River. Oshun is also Shango’s favorite wife.

Oshun’s aquatic finesse over the rivers of West Africa immortalized her spot as one of the most critical Orishas. Her blessings ensure that the water remains clean and fishes remain plenty, giving the people a peek into her somewhat empathetic side.

This empathy also means that she is associated with fertility and childbirth. She is strikingly similar to Dionysus, the Greek goddess of wine and fertility. Being involved in marine affairs also implies that she is engaged in rejuvenating the human mind, further solidifying her position. In the Americas, Oshun is regarded as the ‘Orisha of Love.’

However, one thing is for sure. Whichever way she is depicted, she is always shown to be a motherly being with nothing but divine power at her fingertips.

Obatala: the King of Peace

While many Orishas are imaged through physical manifestations such as lightning or rivers, some are connected to deep human affairs. Peace, honesty, and creativity are just some of them.

Garbed in white, the King of Peace Obatala is a merciful Orisha dispatching purity. He is often noted as being the master behind shaping every child when they are within the womb.

His symbols include a white dove and, in more modern times, wreaths of olives due to them becoming a universal sign of peace. Obatala practices a more specific approach to humankind, taking deep care of their psychology while enforcing justice within their affairs.

Oya, the Goddess of Weather

Good weather brings peace to mind momentarily. A great, lasting one makes way for a civilization to flourish. Crops may live or die due to changes in the skies above, and stomachs may be quenched for hunger or thirst. Weather is a fundamental aspect of any significant settlement.

Oya is the Orisha of the weather. Defined as an embodiment of wind, she is Shango’s wife and hence the direct caterer of his will. Besides shifting the clouds, Oya is also connected to tending to the dead. The ‘dead’ doesn’t just include a human being; it consists of the natural world in the sense that dead trees would have to fall to make way for newer ones. Her Slavic god counterpart in Slavic mythology would be Stribog.

So, in reality, Oya really is the goddess of change. Like the weather’s unpredictability, she also commandeers the essence of constantly changing the natural world so it may continue flourishing. Due to this, she also holds domain over psychological qualities such as intuition and clairvoyance.

Obaluaye, the Master of Healing

The concept of regenerative vitality is crucial to every society. No human being is immune to all diseases; however, when there is a chance to heal, it is always welcomed. This duality of vulnerability to conditions and protection against them makes up the next Orisha.

Obaluaye, also known as Babalú Aye, is the Orisha of healing and miracles within the pantheon. Both revered and feared, Obaluaye is well respected by the followers, and he is said to curse you as quickly as he can heal you. Being connected to places such as hospitals where the borders of life and death are frequently grazed.

Obaluaye is also connected to rituals that promote the cure for illnesses. His healing powers range from epidemics to skin diseases and inflammations. This healing power is said to be catered more toward people closer to death.

Yemonja: the Whisper of the Ocean

The ocean is vast and seldom cruel, and it is impossible to predict what lies beneath deep waves and endless stretches of water. Such is the need for a motherly figure to watch over all the uncertainty of this blue domain.

Yemonja is the Orisha of the ocean. Not only does she hold control over it, but she also radiates the power of compassion and love. Her watch over the seas sustains life as it is and seals her importance as a motherly figure in the pantheon and the entirety of African mythology.

Speaking of which, Yemonja is the metaphysical mother of all the other gods in the Orisha pantheon. Hence, she is much revered and respected.

Orunmila, the Oracle of Wisdom

The concept of destiny is gazed upon in awe by all those who truly place their faith in it. Destiny is an important notion to believe in because it continually shapes the lifestyle of the individual who lives in its belief.

Orunmila, the Orisha of knowledge, omniscience, and wisdom, is the embodiment of destiny. His purpose might not be material, but it is a psychological one reflected in many African myths.

Human spirits exist within the mind, and hence, tending to its development is what Orunmila really does. He holds power over knowledge, including information, intuition, and instinct. General African myths deal with confusion by introducing a force that counters it. Orunmila is a prime example of it.

His role also extends to the natural world as he knows everything that takes place within it.

Oba, the Flow of the River

Orishas, too, have emotions that flow gracefully like the river. Oba, the Orisha of water and manifestation, is no exception to a story that is best linked to jealousy.

Being the third and the most senior wife of Shango, Oba was one of his consorts. In the pantheon, Oshun was Shango’s favorite wife, which greatly affected Oba. When Oba asked Oshun about what she did to become Shango’s favorite, Oshun simply lied to her (knowing Oba’s children would inherit the kingdom). She said she once cut off her ear, turned it into powder, and sprinkled it into Shango’s food.

Driven by the will to become Shango’s favorite, Oba followed Oshun and sliced off her ear into his food. Naturally, Shango noticed a floating ear in his food and exiled Oba from his abode.

Oba fell to Earth down below and morphed into the Oba river. Interestingly, the Oba river intersects the Osun river at an explosive speed, symbolizing a long-standing rivalry between two of Shango’s wives.

Oba is linked to rivers, marriage, fertility, and restoration.

How Many African Gods are There?

The pantheon of Orishas (traditionally followed by the Yoruba people) is a sequence of divine spirits dispatched by the supreme god Olodumare.

Though a specific number can’t be placed on the amount of Orishas, there is an exciting notion around it. It is said that there are 400+1 Orishas, where the ‘ stands as an incomprehensible number that implies infinity.

There isn’t an exact number, but sometimes it goes up to 700, 900, or even 1440 Orishas. As for the “400+1” concept, the 1 is an incredibly sacred number that tells you that there are countless Orishas, but you will always be one count short if you try to comprehend it.

So you may think about the total as often as you like, but there will always be one more Orisha to consider.

And yes, this does go on forever.

The Concept of a Supreme African God

In African Mythology, the Yoruba people very well received the notion of an omnipotent sky god looking over all things that live on Earth. In fact, it takes the form of Olodumare, a celestial being that transcends the boundaries of space, time, gender, and dimensions.

Olodumare is also known as Olorun, which means “the Almighty.” Although his omnipotence strikes a profound sense of existential authority, the Yoruba people do not have any dedicated shrines or places of worship for him. Part of this is due to the belief that Olodumare is so deific; his mere distance from the human world makes him incredibly detached from their daily affairs.

Olodumare and his Journey Away from Earth

The Lord of the Heavens was not always this distant from the planet riddled with human beings.

It is believed that at one point in time, Olodumare was close to Earth. However, the constant need by human beings for basic things from the sky, such as food, seemed to frustrate him, so he began his journey away from the planet. Since his abode was the skies, he separated them and himself from the Earth and hence controlled the world from a cosmic distance.

It is here where he found the need to create the Orishas. As the emissaries of his power and will, the Orishas were each assigned unique functions, ensuring total order within the planet of Earth.

The Capstone of African Mythology

Most African traditional religions are extraordinarily diverse and range over countless cultures and practices. The Yoruba religion and its beliefs influence human life in both the African continent and other regions.

The Yoruba religion can be marked as a capstone of African beliefs due to its wide acceptance. Of all the African religions, this remains one of the few on the rise. In present-day Nigeria, Yoruba mythology has evolved into a faith where its followers address the gods and goddesses in respect to the complex oral traditions passed down from generation to generation.

The Yoruba people refer to this religion as Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ. The word itself can be broken down into two parts;”’Ìṣẹ̀” means’ origin’ and ìṣe refers to “practice.” Coming together, Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ literally means “practicing our origin.” As you can see, this is a beautiful way to honor their roots, as most of their traditions and beliefs spring from their deep-rooted faith in the Orisha Pantheon.

Important themes

A relatively common theme integrated into the Yoruba religion is Animism. Animism refers to the belief that everything (and yes, LITERALLY everything) possesses a spiritual quintessence. Due to this, every object (material or immaterial) is believed to have some sort of sentience.

As a result, they are all controlled within the domains of the Orishas. Like the gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt and Rome, there is always a supreme being keeping watch over all.

Another belief revolves around reincarnation. The belief in reincarnation is linked to ideas from their ancestors. The notion of reincarnation is that deceased family members make their journey back to life as a new baby in the same family they once departed from.

As a direct result, Yoruba people can sometimes be identified as their departed imprints through visions and likenesses in appearances. To honor this, they are often given names such as “Babatunde,” which means “father returns” or “Yetunde” (mother returns).

These reincarnated figures are usually there to assist their progeny with everyday life and general faith. Hence, dead ancestors remain as relevant as they can ever be even after death.

Additional Resources

The Orishas, https://legacy.cs.indiana.edu/~port/teach/205/santeria2.html.

Dialogue Institute. “Yoruba.” Dialogue Institute, Dialogue Institute, 16 Sept. 2020, https://dialogueinstitute.org/afrocaribbean-and-african-religion-information/2020/9/16/yoruba .

“Home.” Staff – Works –, https://africa.si.edu/collections/objects/4343/staff;jsessionid=D42CDB944133045361825BF627EC3B4C.

#12 African Gods and Goddesses: The Orisha Pantheon #ATR #African Traditional Religion

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sortilegum · 4 months

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plotted starter, but kinda was a prompt that went rogue for @zealctry

“Q.” A slap. Caught by surprise. A like malicious spectre creeping from the shadows. Thrown over a way and against the wall by a firm hand. “What are you doing Q?” A man of warm complexion and a broad foreboding presence stood towered over the cringing witch.

“Gods–” Q winced, a momentary disorientation before the hand came to deliver another strike.

“Playing with devils again?”

A trickle of blood mingled with saliva spluttered from the witch’s lip. Their hand reached along the plaster, clawing upwards.“You dare–” The man’s fist came in fast, to strike once more than suddenly fell in motion, caught in a band of illusionary iron and chain pulling into the marble below appearing seamlessly around Setepen-it’s wrists.

“No, Q. You dared.”

The man’s gaze, of bright honey amber (a deceptive colour for a warmth these eyes did not possess), motioned over the construct with sharp disdain then finally returned to greet a pair of eyes of silver, of caramel, of red, engulfed in the muddling rage. “These are very old. Very old. Q–” His gaze snapped up, pulling against the binding. His teeth grit, snarling through the whine of metal. A pained yell. As real as an illusion could feel or appear, the trickery was only worth something if you could not overcome it, if you did not realise its deceit.

Qaqu’s power, their authority had been created by this. Setepen-it had been through this before, and Qaqu had been worse (or rather better). With neither show or warning the illusionary binds broke, disappearing as a sharp pain burst through his back and into body. Then another. He didn’t turn around to see what had struck him, he knew the feeling too well to indulge the witch in their idle distractions.His eyes struck Q’s image with a ferocity. A drop of blood fell from the corners of his eyes. A brisling of energy coursing through the air capturing his gaze like fine threads. The whispers of time bending, jolting images of actions here and yet to be. His hand swept in his blazer springing forth a revolver into his left hand gripping the barrel as struck the witch with the butt watching the image suddenly vanish as he stumbled swinging around. The room became darkness. Through his blood covered eyes an endless void where only he stood. Another sting. A long silver blade through his chest. A decompression of air in stifled air escaping the wound. A visceral gush of red splattered into the void. Illusion. Lies.

The room swelled in red, white and grey, breaking the void, like an abstract painting dancing in energy beyond the veils of time, life or even death. A slight breeze brushed his scalp. The unseen. A wrapped, fracturing of reality. Such scenes were not meant to be seen. It lasted but a second, snapping back. “Enough!” His hand rose with the gun spinning it into the correct position before firing it into Q’s raised cane. A burst of splinters showered over the two. The cane split in half, flying across the room as Setepen-it shot again.

The bullet hit their collarbone. A pained cry escaped Q’s throat as they crumpled in the ground and Setepen-it soon to follow, resting his knee at first over their chest as he forced Q on to their back to face him. “That’s enough.” And from Setepen-it’s lips an almost sigh of relief. “We– we had a deal, Q---”

A hearty laugh rose from the witch’s throat in between a torrent of blood.

“Fuck you!”

#zealctry #// where the boy at?#// poor hidan is going to come into this #// also cut because it's long #setepen it; the black crocodile

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uroboros-if · 2 years

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What are the ROs opinions on one another?

This is their opinion just a little bit after the start of the story!

Salvatore

Luciel always has this air about them. Salvatore can't really explain it, but it makes them sad for them. They've clearly seen and been through a lot, and they can sense the same sadness from them as they do from their mother.

Ciocana... is a pain. On one hand, Salvatore does feel for them since they seem to be an outcast, but on the other hand, they constantly prove every reason to avoid them in the first place. It frustrates them that they're so distant from the others because they aren't serious about anything.

Alessi is heretical. They don't need to have an opinion further than that.

Luciel

Salvatore is doing their best. They admire their passion and sense of duty, willing to do things that Luciel avoids confronting. It gives them a sliver of hope for the future.

Ciocana is just misunderstood, they think. Nothing they do is malicious or intent to harm anyone. They just keep to themselves because no one else really wants to be closer to them. Just a theory.

Alessi shouldn't be tampering with what should never be touched. It's too risky, too unpredictable. Yet, a part of Luciel has to agree with them.

Ciocana

Ciocana has nothing against Salvatore. Sure, they think they take things too seriously, but they can't blame them for thinking that they're annoying. Ciocana thinks themselves annoying, too.

Ciocana empathizes with Luciel. As gods who are associated with undesirable domains, they get a bad rap for nothing (well, Luciel does; Ciocana totally deserves it). They're the only one Ciocana tries not to tease too much.

Alessi.. interesting.

Alessi

Salvatore, next to their mother, is probably the worst of all the deities. If they were put together with their mother, then they'd be worse than all the gods combined. They're so stuck on Alessi defying them that they can't see the reason they do it at all; they represent everything Alessi hates.

Luciel is tolerable. As far as they know, they keep to their own affairs and don't meddle with anyone else's. Although they've never spoken to them personally, none of the stories that mention Luciel ever mentioned them being unkind. Although, most stories tend to be in favor of the gods, anyway.

They're wary of Ciocana the way most people naturally are of a god who causes so much mischief, they might as well be the deity of trickery as well. It doesn't help that many rumors tell of bad fortune being rubbed off on you if you were close to them for too long, although Alessi admits to not knowing much more than that.

This gave me the great opportunity to really think about their connections to each other! Thank you so much ♥️

#uroboros-if #uroboros #character asks #asks #all ros #salvatore #luciel #ciocana #alessi #relationships #character relationships #anon

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thatscarletflycatcher · 1 year

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I'm gonna guess that you just watched the shop around the corner and if you did...DID YOU LIKE IT?? I LOVED IT SO MUCHHH ITS FANTASTIC ISNT IT. god I remember thinking why does everyone like jimmy Stewart so much and then I watched his early 40s late 30s movies and I was like nvm... I see it.

Anyways sorry for the rant in advance but no one I know IRL watches old Hollywood Films. I love the workplace dynamics and the characterizations. The dialogue is done incredibly well and although there is an uncomfortable feeling in knowing that Kralik knows the truth and proceeds to use it against Klara, maliciously or not, the tension it creates is too delicious. Please share your thoughts I already adore your thoughts on North and South

*Several days later*

Yes!!! I watched it and enjoyed it a lot. Jimmy Stewart carries the movie on his back, with all the nuance he gives to the character through his physical language. Now I want to watch more things he starred in.

Are you familiar with Jerome Weiselberry over at YT? She reviews a lot of older stuff, and she's usually my point of reference when it comes to those decades.

I think with The Shop Around the Corner you can almost touch the playesque nature of the movie, but I think it is actually something that works on its favor. I loved the older clerk, he was a riot XD

I might make a gifset? Sometime?

I know all these movies are derivates of Parfumarie, but all the while I was thinking what a downgrade You've Got Mail is. You can identify what was it trying to imitate, but it fails to understand the delicate equilibrium of The Shop Around the Corner. Klara and Kralik are at the same level as employees, and you can see that Kralik wants to try an opening, but Klara is so violently opposed to giving him the opportunity to present himself under a different light, that his recurring to trickery seems much more acceptable. Kralik wasn't out there costing Klara the shop her own mother founded.

Anyways, this is not about You've Got Mail XD

I really really enjoyed The Shop Around the Corner. I think I will do The Best Years of Our Lives next.

#ask #incurablyromanticsblog #the shop around the corner #thank you and sorry for the lack of deep meta

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hskinhome · 11 months

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hey hi hello could i maybe request a tarot reading please for how my aradia megido tl went down? i know that we did not play sgrub, we got in contact with the humans via trollian (and also the beta and alpha kids were around at the same time i’m pretty sure), and that i was a ghost for at least a sweep (so about 3 human years). i was actually a bit happier that way and more excitable (and honestly kinda snarky). hope this isn’t like too much/too little info. ty!

Sure thing! I’ll use this spread for the reading to do my best to incorporate everything you gave me!

———————————–

First Card: Your past life as a whole

I got the reversed Nine of Wands, which symbolizes adversity, delay, weakness, and ill health. Although you were happier as one, your death and life as a ghost caused a lot of difficulty for you. It’s also possible that your death was due to illness rather than at someone’s hands or that you couldn’t fight back against the person who killed you.

———————————–

Second Card: Theme of major challenges

I got the reversed Moon card, which symbolizes illusion, deception, loss by crime, bad luck, and unforeseen perils. Your biggest challenge during your timeline was being the victim of trickery and malicious actions. You were deceived by someone, possibly the same person who killed you. The meaning of “bad luck” could also indicate that you were a victim of a particular Light-bound troll’s attacks.

———————————–

Third Card: How you handled them, and their effects on you

I got the reversed Hermit card, which symbolizes ignorance, immaturity, foolishness, and vices. You didn’t properly think of the consequences of retaliating at your young age. You acted rashly, which ended poorly for you. Your actions were thoughtless, and while they satisfied your attitude, they only hurt you.

———————————–

Fourth Card: Lessons learned during this life

I got the reversed Strength card, which symbolizes abuse of power, domination of material things, discord, and a lack of moral force. You learned the hard way how people can be cruel and how chaotic things can be when it goes unchecked. This also could’ve taught you how to stand up for yourself.

———————————–

Fifth Card: The impact or effect on your current life

I got the reversed Queen of Cups, which symbolizes a perverse woman, intelligent but dishonest, immoral, and untrustworthy. In your current life, your snarky nature has the chance to shine through. Though, you may be more severe this time than in your timeline. It may be a good idea to remember how you felt in your timeline as a victim to see how your actions affect others if you think you’re going too far.

———————————–

I hope this helps you, and let me know if it does!

#homestuck #homestuck kin #tarot #death tw #aradia megido kin #mod nepeta

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tempest-toss · 1 year

Text

Persons Of Interest Board

By O5-10

[Line break because it's long]

Seymour Snapdragon - Cunning and charming, he founded the Snapdragon Smugglers and currently runs it. Through his crafty ways the Smugglers have risen to the top of the anomalous black market, and he's willing to trade anything for the right price. Moderate threat to the Foundation.

The High Priest - The standing leader of the Church of the High Moon. He leads the sacrifices and ceremonies to their figure of worship, who happens to be O5-4. Has effectively enslaved the nearby village of [REDACTED] into joining. Threat level fluctuates.

Father Proctor - Leader of the Children of the Deep Woods. A kind and brawny man, he worked the fields before he was called to serve. Now he leads his flock/children in maintaining and worshiping the forests, for that is the grounds of their sacred one, O5-4

███████ █████ - The current principal of Brunshire Academy for the Anomalously Gifted. A well-to-do man, it seems that he was involved in the appearance of the time wrym that has forced the academy into a continuously looping year. Currently not a threat, but needs to be interrogated once freed from the snow globe.

Madame Chrysanthemum - The leader of the Flora Fighters, she was the leading figure of the group until MTF unit Omicron-5 took her out, and the group was defeated. may still be alive and regrouping the GOI. Threat level high.

"Yam" - A young man with reality-hopping abilities who speaks only the word "yam". Is no threat to any reality, and all things considered, is quite pitiable Currently at Site 230

Uva - a grape nymph and right-hand woman to Madame Chrysanthemum. She tries to keep the peace and please her superior, but its hard with someone as quick to anger as Chrysanthemum.

Lady with the Cart - One of the few benevolent POIs, she appears to those in need and provides aid. After saving their lives, she vanishes without a trace. Might be associated with the Curious Caravan. No threat to the Foundation.

Ringleader Regina - The current leader of the Troupe of Shadows. Malicious and cruel, she desires nothing but to further her own gain, willing to resort to kidnapping, brainwashing, and forcibly anomalizing anyone that gets in her way. Threat level high.

Synt@x Err0r - The current leader of the Neon Nightsticks. Under his command, the former anomalous hack and gaming group turned into anomalous thieves and cybercriminals. Has a past with O5-10, and constantly tries to convince him to rejoin. Threat level moderate to high.

HakerWoman35 - Current right-hand to Syn. Hates the group and is hated in return. Leads the doxxing squad and has made the most attacks against the Foundation, but is thwarted by Ten at each turn.

Bertha Teca -Librarian and Head Author of the Talvania Author Society, she has changed the group to be more open to newer genres and styles of written works. However, she still leads the group to commit atrocities in the name of writing. Hates Shuichi with a burning passion. Can be negotiated with, earning her a mild threat rating

Lily Teca - Daughter of Bertha Teca and leader of the AP Literature club. After being almost kidnapped by the Gallery a La Mort, she began to slowly turn into a living book, slowly losing her mobility and willpower as the affliction crept on.

Shuichi Ouma- A kitsune yokai and the High Leader of the Mystery Masqueraders. He seeks to transform everyone into animals and animal human hybrids, to create a "utopia" where he and his followers will reign. Has a past with O5-4. Due to his known deceit and trickery as well as his powers as a yokai he is a high threat, but must be brought back alive, as per Four's orders.

The Host - The right-hand man to Shuichi. One of the first to be transformed and one of the cruelest. He wears a bunny mask and dresses similar to that of the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. He hosts tea parties with his victims where they have a chance of survival against him. He has an inuman leap and bite force thanks to his lagomorph part of him

The Zodiac Assassins - A group of enforcers of the Masqueraders, these fourteen assassins are at Shuichi's beck and call. They are all different in their approaches, fighting style, mannerisms, and leniency. They should not be engaged with unless there is no doubt that the fight is in your total favor.

Luke & Letif Rangel - These brothers run the Horror Havocs, and wish to see the world shiver and shake in fear of the monsters in the anomalous world. While they run a small group, they have the wit to make them a threat. Still marked as an average level threat primarily because they're only active in October.

Leonidas Sethos - The leader and founder of the Cult of Nodalise, his goal is to break down the world through chaos just so he can rebuild it in his own visage. He leads his group through the darkness, playing the long game in setting up members everywhere he goes. Moderate threat.

Lillian - The kindhearted Owner of the Shaper's Suite. SHe had opened the anomalous hotel to reality-benders in need of a safe haven. She also acts as the leader of 25 other shapers, who seek to protect and bring back reality-benders from going extinct. No threat.

Dimitri Polar - Aspiring photography teacher and most prominent student of the Worldwide Photography Co. Is known for his ability to bring objects outside of photographs, allowing him in some cases to bring them to life. No threat to the Foundation, but must not end up with any evil groups.

Grandmaster Silas - Whether or not they're a specific subgroup of the Sarkic Cults, one thing is for sure, and that's that Silas runs the Devourers of Flesh. He promotes the idea that the next evolution of the world must be achieved by the consumption of flesh, and the extermination of those who resist to partake. Recent activity has boosted him to a moderate threat.

Mark Mosura - President of the West Virginia Bug Committee. He has turned a group dedicated to catching and examining and learning about entomology into one dedicated into summoning Mothman. Mild threat, very unhinged.

"Mr. Jacket" - On the surface, this kind man runs the big bank at the heart of West Virginia. In reality, he is the Bee King, a Bee humanoid who wishes to coat the world in honey and rule it. He wants to summon Mothman explicitly for this reason

Grammy Long Legs - An elderly lady usually seen knitting in public. She does this to mask that she's actually a spider-person, and that she's usually webbing up human flesh during her knitting sessions. She desires the Mothman to make the world a feast for her alone.

Scorpion Siblings - The guards to Mark Mosura. Quiet, effective, and glowing in the dark, they serve to ensure Mosura's survival and success in the summoning of Mothman. No way to change their goals unless they fail them.

Arien Amani - Thought to be a son of the Collective, Arien Amani leads the Dream Walkers, appearing in dreams and making them follow him, by sending them into a comatose state. Average to moderate threat, very elusive.

Uranus - Runs the Bear's Belly Bar. He ended up on the Foundation's radar after the drinks served to Agent [REDACTED} transformed him into a fish which they mounted on the wall and rigged to sing. Despite the ferociousness and cruelty he is known for, he (for the most part) treats his workers like family. Average threat to the Foundation.

The Great Collaborations - A set of living art in multiple mediums that were exclusive in that they were worked on by two or all three siblings. This granted them extra abilities and the ability to think and talk on their own. One of them, "Easel", is in Foundation custody, and admits that it's better than being with his siblings.

Velma Valdiva - The Host of the AG 'N' G Inc. channel. Has a creepily wide smile, and seems to not really care that every contestant on her shows get violently murdered. She reminds staff of a certain SCP...

Geordi Applegate - Young adult "currently" attending Brunshire Academy. A loner, his company seems to be exclusively his ventriloquism puppets. Perhaps befriending him with another student could open him up...

Victor Viscovian - An escaped student of Brunshire Academy and the co-leader and male lead singer and back-up guitarist of the Cacophony Symphony. If you have to meet one of the members first, stay away from Victor. He unnaturally good charm could end up with you ending up dead before you can ask for his autograph.

Clover Strimling - Despite being in her early twenties, she is the godmother of the Cracked Clubs mafia, and has been working towards this even before she escaped the Brunshire time loop. Rumors are she's related to an important member of the Foundation

Hades Kalliope - Owner of the Hades Hotel, they strive to keep the Hotel in working order and a spotless public record, even if that means torturing, killing, and trapping nosy people that wander in.

Amanda Whoolery - Current leader of The Cinephile Club, and an escaped student of Brunshire Academy. Obsessed with the idea of making a movie to revolutionize the box office, and will use her anomaly if she has to to achieve it.

Maddie Chirban - An escaped student of Brunshire Academy. Blessed with the anomaly that is a nigh-indestructible body, she willing pulls off horrifically dangerous stunts. Thankfully she's more interested in movies than chaos.

Symon Zain - An escaped student of Brunshire Academy that landed The Cinephile Club in trouble after he attempted to sue DC for the Music Meister Batman episode, on the Foundation that it was ripping off him and his story.

Jack Royal - Related to an old teacher of Brunshire and a former teacher of Kretchmar College, Jack Royal decided to make rich quick by tricking people into gambling it all away. In his casino you have a 99% chance of losing it all and more, but there is a slim odd that he will make sure you get everything you deserve.

Old Man Whittaker - Despite his name and appearance, Whittaker has a tight fist wrapped around the illegal moonshine business in America. Do NOT let his offer of a free swig entice you. If need be, threaten him by mentioning his granddaughter, Brunshire's own Veronica Whittaker, who is a trapped student.

Ava Rutledge - Leader of the Black Bullet Barrage motorcycle gang and an escaped student of Brunshire. She rarely speaks, often using her authority to intimidate others into doing what she wants. Don't underestimate her speed and resourcefulness, we've lost too many men from it.

I'll add more if One can provide me with some info --Ten

#Syntax's name is his username]#Lore bits #SCP #tempest

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