#stray gods challenging a queen

[that-ari-blogger]

Persephone Is Stray Gods' Thesis Statement

I mentioned this when I wrote my post on Pan (check it out, I'm rather proud of that), but Persephone is also a weird choice to include. When you think of the Olympians, Persephone is there, but its "Hades and Persephone" or "That time Hades kidnapped Persephone" or "Persephone, wife of Hades." There is a duality to her pop culture appearance, but here, Hades is absent, and Persephone takes a central role. Why?

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Let's start simple. Who is Persephone? The answer to that is complicated, and thats the point. In the modern understanding, Persephone is the wife of Hades, and that's pretty much it. She's the goddess of spring (although not really). She exists in relationship to her husband and nothing else.

But mythologically, Persephone is terrifying. Her name predates Hades' in terms of archaeological evidence, and she has been equated with the name Kore, meaning "maiden" which, yes, is why that name gets referenced in stray gods. Essentially, Persephone is old, but she had a nickname that people used instead of her actual name.

My theory of this is because you don't want to say the name of a death goddess or she'll notice you, but that is mostly because OSP proposed that idea in their video, and I liked it. Check it out for more detail on Persephone.

The point that I'm going for here is that Persephone is multi faceted in nature but has been whittled down to a 2D archetype in general knowledge. And that's how she is introduced in Stray Gods, she's mean and unpleasant and fits into the "so obviously the killer that she's probably a red herring" archetype. But she gets more complex as a character the closer you look.

Anyway, let's examine this song.

The visuals are phenomenal. Take this shot, for example. Persephone stands raised above everyone else, with her symbol glowing behind her, symbolising how her influence is enormous and that this challenge will be tough. It's also colouring the rest of the room, all of the nameless NPCs are entirely lit in purple, a colour associated very clearly with Persephone. She is in control of this scene. It's also worth noting how small and indistinguishable grace is here, she fades in where Persephone stands out. Grace is weaker here. Thats some cool visual storytelling right there.

Also, The Underworld is a dope as all hell name for a club. (She's queen of the club called the underworld. So, she's queen of the underworld).

Similarly, this is cool. Its a bridge, symbolising connection, or a crossing. As Grace argues and fights with Persephone, she crosses into Persephone's world and starts to understand her more.

This shot is just cool, not much else to it. It's confronting Persephone with herself and her emotions about Calliope, cast in the colours of a sunrise as she forces Persephone to mage a choice about what to do in the future.

"If she had something to say, would you turn her away?" "Please don't do this."

This neatly shows that at this point in the song, Grace has "won". She has succeeded in the challenge, but neither combatant looks particularly happy. The reason for the victory dominates the camera, the connection has been formed because of Calliope.

"You hear that? Silence"

I am a sucker for the simple things. A blank stage with a single image on it is all you need to win my heart. This shot is my favourite in the song. It's the moment when you finally get through to Persephone, if you do that. (I'm not telling you how to get here, work that out yourself). What do you see when you finally get through all of Persephone's walls and defences? What do you hear?

Silence.

Persephone stands before you in an enormous ribcage, where the heart should be. It's overgrown, and empty, and the rest of the body has disappeared. There is just enough there to know that there is a hole, a void.

Phantom Pains sets up a metaphor of anatomy. Specifically, anatomy that has been removed or lost. And here that metaphor is again, showing the wounds at the heart of Persephone. This is a character who knows loss and trauma and betrayal, who is trapped by the memory (I wonder who else is like that).

In one ending, this area is where you get the explanation of Hades' absence. Persephone killed him.

Stray Gods is a story about family, about how, when it goes well, it can be amazing, but when it goes badly, things get dark. Of course, Persephone would be included in that story, she is part of the archetypal dysfunctional family in Greek mythology. But like the myth, this character is more complex than that. Stray Gods is also about moving past trauma, overcoming it, being more than it, and Persephone's characterisation in the entire musical embodies that philosophy.

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#rants #literary analysis #character analysis #literature analysis #what's so special about...? #greek mythology #stray gods #stray gods persephone #stray gods challenging a queen #stray gods the roleplaying musical #stray gods the musical

[onehopefuldreamer]

Challenging a Queen guide

For those of you, who like me, want to get the most out of this song, here comes what I’ve been able to glean about its incredibly complex structure.

These are the main things you need to pay attention to when trying out different combinations if you want to get a different outcome or ending:

The 1st choice always influences the 2nd, but also the 3rd and the 5th

The 4th choice influences the 5th

The ending you get is often based not only on the combination between your 1st and 5th choice but also on your 4th choice

With that out of the way here are all the important combinations I’ve been able to find that lead to unique outcomes and/or endings:

Beginning combinations, 1st + 2nd choice

BBXXX

BGXXX

BRXXX

GBXXX

GGXXX

GRXXX

RBXXX

RGXXX

RRXXX

Secondary combinations, 1st + 3rd choice

Except for middle Red where it’s sometimes 1st + 1nd + 3rd choice

GXGXX (only possible with a Charming Grace)

RXGXX (only possible with a Charming Grace)

BXGXX

BBRXX = BRRXX

BGRXX

GBRXX = GRRXX

GGRXX

RBRXX = RRRXX

RGRXX

XGBXX

XBBXX = XRBXX

Tertiary combinations, 3rd + 4th choice

XXGGX (only possible with a Charming Grace)

XXGBX (only possible with a Charming Grace)

XXGRX (only possible with a Charming Grace)

XXBBX

XXBGX

XXBRX

XXRBX

XXRGX

XXRRX

Ending combinations, 1st + 4th + 5th choice

XXXGG = XXXRG (both are only possible with a Charming Grace)

XXXGG = XXXRG (both are only possible with a Clever or Kickass Grace)

XXXBG (only possible with a Charming Grace)

BXXBG (only possible with a Clever or Kickass Grace)

GXXBG (only possible with a Clever or Kickass Grace)

RXXBG (only possible with a Clever or Kickass Grace)

XXXBB = XXXGB

BXXBR

BXXGR

BXXRB

GXXBR

GXXGR

GXXRB

RXXBR

RXXGR

RXXRB

RXXRR = XXXRR

Video showcasing the different outcomes/endings compiled by the lovely fellow Steam user .:|Sway|:. who helped me find some extra combinations for this song:

For those of you who like me love Persephone - there's a video of all versions of You and I and You and I reprise on this channel as well. You're welcome.

Now good luck with finding your own perfect combination/s for this song!

#stray gods #stray gods: the roleplaying musical #challenging a queen #song guide #stray gods grace #stray gods persephone #Youtube

[libitelnitsachaiynikov]

I am replaying stray gods right now, how you can see lol.

This time i gave more attention to "Challenging a Queen", becouse it deserves all me. At first play, i didin't dig deeper, but now i do.

I saw before green version on the youtube, one where you let Persephone win, but i didn't like it (the version, not idea of winning Persephone)

It was a sight that made me think that I did everything right when I did not make this choice in the first game. I thougt, that Persephone won't respect me enough if i let her win ( i was wrong)

After first play i didn't do green path, so a hadn't ability to let her win

UNTIL NOW

Anyway, i found that green version of "Challehging a Queen" very violent. I dare say more violent than even red version (ok, there is the "don't use that word, you have no right to use that word" moment in red version, but it hurts different)

In the red version, you’re just fighting with each other most of the time. it’s a mutual fight.

But there you're crawling under her skin, and than you're standing in front of the crowd in HER BAR, and dare say something about her suffering publicly. I almost call her a lost little girl (i know it must refer to Grace, but by ear this this line can be attributed to both of us)

In this kind of situation letting her win looks patronizing, condescending

There’s nothing to be thankful for

After years of backstory, let’s move on to the point of the post

I found PERFECT ending of the "Challenging a Queen"

-Persephone wins ✅

-We had a little bit flirty scene ✅

-Persephone takes the first step , and at her will starts telling me something about herself! ✅✅✅✅

-At the end she says that i'm not lost little girl (Remember, this all in our FIRST song) ✅❤️

PERFECT

And all i had to do was just stay out of her when she said "don't do this"

Who’d have thought! ( Yeah, i should had thought)

I love her i love her i love her

#stray gods #stray gods persephone #grace x persephone #challenging a Queen

[mehoymalloy]

Challenging a Queen

#i'm back on my screenshot bullshit folks #this time with a surprisingly great run of challenging a queen i got by guessing on my first replay of the song #stray gods #persephone #stray gods the roleplaying musical #stray gods: the roleplaying musical #stray gods spoilers #calliope

[vaguely-concerned]

I am so mad about how desperately into pan I am. he was specifically made to fuck me up. they dangled him in front of me like 'hey would you like to see a sad clown trickster with emotional intimacy issues and a heart of, if not gold, then some mysterious alloy with qualities not at all unlike those of gold at the end of the day?' and I went 'boy would I!' and now I'm lost. I'm on my knees he's like if reyes vidal was actually redeemable instead of just a 'release my man he did do all of that but I don't care' situation

#the way he seems so genuinely *delighted* by grace finding her voice and wants her to be able to make her music again #even when she's not the muse anymore............ what the fuck that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my LIFE dude #low-key grace's biggest fan musically at least fhsajkd #stray gods #stray gods pan #(this is not a slam on reyes btw the fact that he's unconscionable is part of the appeal in that specific case lol) #I went into the game mostly blind and from what I had seen I fully intended to romance freddie #and then... this bitch shows up for literally one song and I have to restart the whole thing before I even get to challenging a queen #because I now desire the goat guy carnally and I want to duet with him for the rest of forever thank u #also I don't think I can ever not romance him now seeing the contrast between what he gets up to in the endings #what do you MEAN if you don't romance him he just goes off and no one knows where he is. he's still just so alone??? no not on my watch #(if freddie is dead ( :( ) and you romance him there's an *adorable* part in the epilogue where he tells you hekate has him running around #getting lost relics back in a series of distinctly indiana jones-esque misadventures and it sounds like he's having the time of his life #if this is what it takes for him to actually talk to his family without anyone being complete dicks about it I must solemnly accept #the terrible burden of kissing him on every single run through of this game. it cannot be helped it's out of my hands now)

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 1

Challenging a Queen from Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical

vs.

Digital Root from 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

No propaganda was submitted for either track.

If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

#tournament poll #g: stray gods: the roleplaying musical #s: zero escape #g: 999: nine hours nine persons nine doors #stray gods #zero escape #stray gods the roleplaying musical #zero escape 999 #stray gods: the roleplaying musical #9 hours 9 persons 9 doors #nine hours nine persons nine doors #round 1 #t: challenging a queen #t: digital root

[cinna-bunnie]

ppl who seem to always rotate through having specific kinds of trans girls to proclaim their hate for and implicitly putting themselves above them for not being into the same things make me so uncomfies, like... they r not hurting u in any way, yes people can be extra cringe sometimes but why are u like this.

#I am specifically talking about completely harmless - embarrassing at most - behavior! #like sharing those cutesy subby memes like. u don't have 2 be into it and I'm not either 4/5 of the time #but u don't have to be Like That to the ppl who fw them. it's just some fun... we should all be holding hands.. #idk. as a very drama free girlie I see other girlies on here with big followings get kinda big headed about stuff sometimes #like .. chill out pls.. there is no need to make ur trans sisters catch strays like this. #they ain't even strays y'all just coming here to shoot like :/ that was an unnecessary putdown #tgirls with big internet followings be normal about average transwomen challenge level god #actually idk if she'll see this but I think Josie is the most Normal About Trans Women tgirl with a big following i can think of on here #thank u for being such a sweety pie queen I love u #i always forget she follows me back and every time she likes/reblogs from me it's like getting kissed by an angel like HELLO?? #anyways i'm thinking of that one post now that's something along the lines of #I'd rather be cringe than be mean - and that's REAL. STOP BEING SO MEAN??

[no-regertss]

got my friend on board the stray gods fan train and she's helping me plan a run to get all our favorite parts/endings for a perfect nonstop run

eg. getting the "lost in a moment" reprise in the trial but romancing persephone so we get her line in the first bit of the song

its a bit confusing but you do what ya gotta do

#i love her #she likes challenging a queen best #ive taught her well #stray gods

[chantsdemarins]

🏰Breath of the Æsir {Loki X Fem.Reader} Chapter 3: Stories Cannot Burn or Disappear

I am so sorry these chapters are taking me so long. I haven't been the same since Covid! I hope the quality is still good...Thank you for joining my crazy medieval AU Loki fever dream era.

There is a bit of Easter and eclipse magic wound up in this chapter!

Summary: Loki isn't the only one who thinks you are more than a human woman, which buys you time while you figure out how to keep your manor and tenants safe. However, the challenge of nursing a debilitated, power-stripped god adds a layer of complexity to your already daunting task, clouding your judgment when clarity is most needed.

Note to Reader: Yes, Hozier is now a character, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you 😭 But which character will he be? Guess and comment!

Passion and Romance Meter: Nothing explicit yet but hopefully you feel it boiling.

I hope these people don't mind being tagged! I thought you might want to be tagged! Please let me know if you don't want the tag or if you want to be tagged. Also comments and reblogs are healing and joyous for me!

@arcielee @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @thomase1 @mcufan72 @caffiend-queen @fictive-sl0th @muddyorbsblr @anukulee @mischief2sarawr @mochie85 @sailorholly @lokisgoodgirl @shambelle97 @lokischambermaid @eleniblue @smolvenger @wheredafandomat @hiroyukinasukawa @meowmeow-motherfucker @latent-thoughts @buttercupcookies-blog @lcolumbia1988 @soulpiercing @wolfsmom1 @mysticmarvelfan

@holdmytesseract @superficialdomina @scrumptious-finicky-illusion @mjsthrillernp @arcielee @poetic-fiasco @gruftiela @thegodofnotknowing @thedistractedagglomeration @tallseaweed

@dangertoozmanykids101 @jennyggggrrr

The clay soil in your husband’s land hadn’t fully absorbed the blood of the Christian god. Not yet at least. The claustrophobic land was hemmed by bogs and marshes, lowlands with the familiar wooden gods made from branches poking out of the muddy banks. The tides to the east would fill the saturated earth till she could take no more before becoming a lake. This system of pooling respiration created a natural barrier for the people. The stillness of the water meant you didn’t stop for long, just enough time to plant your wooden god or light a beeswax candle, burn some leaves as an offering, and then find fast footing across the rickety log bridges built by people no one could remember.

In spring, a carpet of blue wood betony would appear. The town's folk's talk led you to forage it, keeping the blossoms and stems in dark Roman glass, tucked on the kitchen shelf next to the salt. Your husband never noticed your collection, or if he did, he never mentioned it as anything particular or strange. It was a relief to find plants that grew elsewhere, unlike the state of the manor land — high on a hill, flanked by rocky, sandy soil. Collecting plants often made you wonder if Christ might rise from the bogs. You'd just have to wait and see, you supposed, imagining Christ emerging naked from the thick peaty waters, stray herbs clinging to his torso.

Perhaps when Loki showed up, bleeding from his stomach, you'd envisioned something like that before. That desert man had a different name, Jesus of Nazareth. You blushed at the thought of any man, holy or common.

Yet, you didn't blush much while sewing Loki back up. Stitches plunged down his torso into places you'd only seen hinted at on the marble body of Jupiter in Eboracum. Your confident needlework proved itself. If your cheeks reddened, it wasn't from embarrassment but from lack of oxygen, struggling to breathe. Saving a life required haste, much different from the crafts of passing time.

The day the Northmen came you had been already struggling to breathe, you’d lost your air completely and found Loki’s form in front of you when your eyes finally opened again. His hair like ash from the hearth, his eyes the most peculiar color of blue, much like the betony in your waiting Roman jars. Just where had you gone when you’d lost your air? Loki had refused to confront the Danes, refused to fight them. He had handed you back his weapon, leaving you to confront the invaders yourself.

After all, you became a manor wife because your origins had burned in your village's fire, but not in the stories that followed. Stories cannot burn or disappear, especially when people fleeing tell them to the right people in the countryside. Your husband's family had heard your father's tales and believed him. Your hand in marriage was worth more than any dowry. It was all the more disappointing when you couldn't produce an heir or embroidery, and the manor lands remained sandy, rocky, and haunted. You hadn't known a husband should stay close or lie with his wife until Elinor finally told you. Your confidence to heal a stranger, to meet the Northmen at their boat, came from your father. He told you who you were, and like the manor people, you believed him — even if you didn't understand what you were.

The sky had darkened as you came to the mahogany longship anchored next to the wind-ravaged cliffs. You knew to avert your eyes from the mast, the Northern dragon guardian was designed to kill folk such as you. A provocation to your ancestors. There was confusion at their camp, what seemed like hundreds of men were pointing above and shaking their heads. A seer had cast the runes, and the chieftain seemed to not like what the seer had spoken. The rugged man looked up at the sky once more and sent what looked like an envoy to you. He blamed the Norns and you in yet another language you didn’t understand. He could not kill you because it would only curse them more.

Stunned, your trembling hands clutched Loki's blade in disbelief. You ran beneath the still darkening sky, which seemed poised for rain, though no clouds were visible. Looking up, you saw something unimaginable. A planet had fully eclipsed the sun. Your people knew of these events, but you had not witnessed one yourself. As you ran you wondered if the land's spirits had cast a powerful enough curse to scare the Northmen.

Returning home, you found only Loki in the makeshift courtyard, fever-ridden, slumped over the fence. Your heart sank, fearing he was actually dead this time. But the breath of the Æsir still moved through him, you could see his chest moving as you approached.

The village was silent, its people hiding. The only sound was the wind stirring the grain fields and the oak leaves in a dry, papery rhythm. Loki beckoned you inside but he was barely able to move to the porch, he was already worried you’d absorbed too much of the darkness. You fell into his arms, wincing from the feel of his fevered skin through your shift. Significantly taller, Loki's limbs resembled a freshly felled hawthorn. You dragged him closer to the front door, you both were exhausted in the strange day of night.

Your efforts paused for a moment, you readjusted your grip on the stranger. "Saturn is passing over the sun, an eclipse," Loki murmured, breaths faint and labored. How did he know this? Such knowledge was native only to your people. Still reeling from scaring off the Danes, you now faced an eclipse. Loki speculated on the Northmen's possible interpretation of the event. Since much of their knowledge came from his world, he felt he knew exactly what they must have felt seeing the sky darken as you approached.

"They saw the eclipse as a sign of your power. They recognize planetary transits. As you approached them, Saturn crossed the sun's path, a coincidence perhaps in your favor," Loki continued. "But they'll return, and we need to be ready," he cautioned, aware of your mutual defenselessness. He felt responsible for the deaths across these isles, seeking balance, an unfamiliar concept.

You had wanted him to stay long enough to know who he was but now it appeared like he wasn't well enough to be able to leave, even if that is what you both wanted. The truth was, part of you didn't want him to go at all. There was something about him. He knew some of the old ways and where ever he had come from, you suspected again, he had once held a high status.

Loki also continued to contemplate your shared fates. Did the Norns truly allow for this meeting between you as part of the path of the raven’s wingspan, his destiny as a god with no power. He dared to speak to you some of his true thoughts. He felt he owed you some kind of explanation for his resistance to fighting on your behalf.

“Lady, I wish I could help you but as you see I am unwell from my wounds. When I heal, I would like to help you defend your home as part of my thanks, I will find a way to do that does not involve fighting. We have the cosmos on our side it seems, so perhaps there is more luck for our coming together. This is of course if you will continue to have me.”

His pale face seemed even more ghastly, and he laid his body on the porch in a heap, looking very similar to how you first found him. You felt a tenderness stir. You’d felt it for him when you were saving him but now it was tinged with worry for both of your lives and everyone who depended on you.

“Loki I don't want to heal you twice, but it seems this is my fate. Let’s see what you have within you still and if your Gods are listening. I expect you will tell me why you refuse to fight or why you cannot. You owe me the truth. There is much you are not saying.”

He knew he would not be able to hide himself from you as you seemed unable to hide yourself from him. The circumstances unfolding seemed like the actions of reverse spells, instead of concealing they were revealing who you both were. This was vexing to you both.

Despite his sincere words to you, Loki was not sure this troubled land was his final destination. He wondered if he should try and leave as soon as he was able. He was speaking with two tongues. Perhaps he should venture south, go to the Midgard places where panther Gods and pyramids covered in gold existed. Those people were said to do the bidding of the gods with even more ferocity than the Northmen.

Instead, he was sick with fever and stuck with a mysterious, beautiful, and angry woman, whose husband could return at any moment and kill him for what it looked like was happening, even in the middle of a possible invasion. Suddenly his reverie broke as you lifted his shirt to inspect his wound. Your worry for his fever could wait no longer.

"Lady," he said as he batted your hand away.

You protested back, “I have seen you already, why would you be shy now stranger? I need to check your wound, you are feverish,” you continued to pull up his shirt. His gash had indeed become weeping and likely the source of his fever. Whether you liked it or not, you were healing him once again it seemed.

“Wood betony, that is what you need, you are lucky I have some. I’ll see to it Elinor makes you a poultice, and then I am putting you in one of the downstairs bedrooms.” Your eyes were worried even if your words were not. Loki placed his weakened hand on your shoulder, and spoke solemnly, “You know, we need to find your husband.”

You turned your face from him, you didn’t want Loki to notice even the smallest bit of feeling.

“Of course, that is a good idea, this is his manor and his people after all,” you replied. “We can leave when the fever breaks and you can walk without me carrying half your weight,” there was the slightest tinge of playfulness in your words to your surprise. You hoped he did not notice.

As the day was moving into evening, the villagers whispered their suspicions about the stranger you aided. The darkened sky had unsettled them as much as the Northmen. Loki was right, without your husband the manor would devolve into chaos and this would leave the village even more vulnerable.

You watched Loki slowly drag his body to the downstairs bedroom and close the thick doors behind him before you had the chance to redirect him or wish him a good night. You thought better to tell him that he had gone into your husband’s bedroom not the servant’s quarters you had intended for him to rest.

You felt your stomach twist in knots. If your husband came home tonight the wrong impression you worried you would make, would surely be inevitable. You would have to go and move Loki once you were done with your chores. A prospect that left you even more anxious.

Finally, when everyone had gone to sleep and Elinor had gone to her quarters, you stood alone in the empty house contemplating what you should do next. Sleep seemed an impossibility. The eclipse had only been five minutes, but it disturbed the entire day. Now it was nearly midnight and it felt like morning. All time had shifted somehow. Loki sleeping in your husband's bedroom loomed in your head.

To quiet your thoughts you found yourself in the kitchen, sometimes cooking felt relaxing even if you were not good at it. Instead tonight you eyed the row of bottles on your shelf. There was something else calling to you. You grabbed a jar of mistletoe berries, and held them in your hands. Their color was startling.

Suddenly you busying yourself muddling them with the mortar and pestle. If there was a recipe to follow you did not know it, you pulled a few more bottles off the shelf and added the ingredients. Mullein leaves and blackberry.

Pausing for a moment you felt that Loki’s knife was still around your body, you had placed it in a leather holder diagonally across your chest, and forgotten it was there. The knife passed over your breasts and you couldn’t help but touch the length of it.

You hadn't the time to have paid much attention to it before. You noticed the unusual, rich craftsmanship. The inlay was extraordinary. Garnets and chrysoprase. You then gently pulled it out of the holder and carefully pricked your finger with the impossibly sharp tip. This action surprised you.

You inhaled deeply. Crimson blood rolled down your finger and into the stone mixing bowl. You placed your still bleeding fingertip into your mouth hoping to quickly stem the bleeding, but the knife had been too sharp, or you cut yourself too deep.

Quickly, you sucked the wound, blood filling your mouth. You spat the excess into the bowl and placed it on the windowsill, intuitively sensing it needed the moonlight. Just then you heard a deep voice behind you. You were frozen in place, unable to turn around. It was Loki.

"I had no idea you were a seer, you could have told me that sooner and it would have cleared things up," his words rich with sleep and something else.

When you finally turned around you saw he was only wearing his leather trousers and the poultice. Your heart produced a wild, unfamiliar beat, and you steadied yourself against the kitchen table. You weren't a seer, but you could not explain what you were just doing or what you were now feeling.

Before you could stop him, Loki took your mixture from the sill and drank it. "My gods what have you done?" the startled words fell out of your mouth as he placed the now empty bowl back into your hands.

#loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki fandom #loki fluff #mcu #loki laufeyson #tom hiddleston #loki #loki smut #loki x reader #loki art #loki fan art #medieval 🏰 loki #medieval fanfic #norse paganism #norse mythology #norse pantheon #norse gods #anglo saxon #druids #loki x you #loki fanart

[lavender-temult]

Some stray gods/cr redraws! Someone suggested an animatic of these two to Challenging a Queen and while I don’t have time to do a full animatic the idea is incredible.

#critical role #imogen temult #otohan thull #stray gods #stray gods the roleplaying musical #I have a lot more redrawable screencaps these are just the ones I’ve finished so far #id in alt text #my art

[ltgeneralmuffin]

I compiled all the versions of "Challenging a Queen" from Stray Gods for anyone interested in hearing the different verses in the song.

I used this flowchart depicting all of the possible paths in the song from 8bitMusicTheory's video about this song to figure out how to get all the verses:

#stray gods #Youtube

[that-ari-blogger]

The Ritual Breaks Story

If you hadn't guessed by the two other posts I have made on the song, The Ritual is my favourite song in Stray Gods: The Role Playing Musical. I would go as far as to argue that it is the best song in the musical as well, but that isn't the point of this post.

This post is to gush over why I love the song so much. Specifically, this post will talk about how The Ritual messes with the commonly used story structure, in its placement in the musical, and in the song's actual structure.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

This post will focus on three of the most common story structures, the Monomyth, the Three Act Structure, and the Freytag's Pyramid. But first, I would like to do some contextualisation.

These structures are not rules.

Anyone who tells you that a story "should" or "must" or "can't" do something is talking out of their arse. As such, these structures are to be used as analytical tools, rather than ratings. I am not going to be scoring the song as to how many points on the Hero's Journey it hits, I will be looking at how the musical as a whole uses the monomyth and how it doesn't and to what effect.

That felt like it needed to be said.

The Monomyth, or Hero's Journey, was presented in Joseph Campbell's 1949 book: The Hero With A Thousand Faces and it was, in my opinion, rather unrefined. Or more accurately, overrefined.

What do I mean by this? I mean that Campbell's monomyth was incredibly overdetailed and ridiculously prescriptive as Campbell tried to squint and put every story ever written into the same mould and make judgements about society at the same time.

It also had elements in it that haven't aged well at all. For example, one element that Campbell proposed every story had, was called the "woman as temptress" which is... not just sexist, but also inaccurate. I'm glad the modern monomyth has mostly avoided this.

As such, the monomyth concept is what I will be using, much like other modern interpretations, and either scrapping, or ignoring, certain elements. It is a medicine journey with a few more steps along the road. Ted Ed has a fantastic video on the subject, as does Overly Sarcastic Productions.

In any case, The Ritual, according to this model, fits into the "Trials" section. It's unimportant, and not typically a challenge for a character. This is the start of Empire Strikes Back, when Luke has to get out of the frozen cave. It's tangential.

But The Ritual is what several of the main characters have been leading towards. Eros and Aphrodite and to some extent Apollo have all been gearing up to this moment. You could read this as the result or crisis in their arcs, but I don't think that fits. It's its own moment, but it's its own moment in someone else's story, not Grace's.

The three act structure is the most famous, and is almost synonymous with writing as a whole, but it isn't as ubiquitous as you would think. James Cameron (who wrote The Terminator and Alien) offers this piece of advice:

"I firmly believe in the three act structure. I have just never written one."

The structure boils down to three sections of a story, each culminating in its own climactic event, that build into the third act climax. These don't have to be fast paced, but they are emotional beats. It could be a fight, or a quiet, retrospective moment.

There are then plenty of elements that are usually relegated to a specific act. For example, a villain might have a third-act breakdown, or a hero might discover their magical powers or something in the first act. And the mentour usually dies either in the first or second act climaxes, or quietly at the start of act three.

I would say that The Ritual hits the second act climax, possibly. Because Stray Gods almost intentionally avoids this structure. The closes thing it has to a first act climax is Challenging A Queen, which isn't really a climax, its more of an individual challenge that sets up something later. Similarly, Old Woulds might fit that first act climax, but it also sets up other stuff in later parts. It's deliberately unclear.

But you know what isn't unclear? The structure of The Ritual itself fits firmly into the three act structure, and so do a ton of other songs in the musical, most notably Phantom Pains. I would say the two songs are linked by grief and cycles, but the entirety of the musical is linked with that, so it's not really a unique thread.

The Ritual begins with exposition in the form of those stained glass windows about the war and the idols' place in it. Then it switches to a different location based on a choice you make.

Then there is a lull as Eros (Or whoever you choose if you get to a point where you can choose) begins to speak, before the final act gets decided, and it is here that all the decisions come to fruition. Everything up to the third act is set up, and it all pays off here.

Freytag's Pyramid is a lot less complicated than it sounds, and it is one that you have probably heard of, if not by its actual name.

This is the Freytag's Pyramid. I've heard people call this the five act structure, and I disagree with those people, but I can see where they are coming from. There are five main sections of this, but they aren't acts, they are descriptors.

The Freytag's Pyramid model is a graph. And yes, I am going to bring maths into this. (I can count to 12 and a half, so I assure you I am quite qualified)

The horizontal axis of the graph is time. As the story progresses, usually, you move from left to right on the scale. The vertical axis is tension. The more tense an event is, usually, the further up on the graph it sits.

As you can see in the diagram above, a story tends to progress towards a climax, with tension rising as the story picks up speed, until the story closes, and the stress drops to the denouement, which is just a fancy word for the finale. These lines can be a bit wavy as you see fit, but the general direction is fairly standardised.

So where does The Ritual fit into this?

Trick question, it doesn't. I would argue that The Ritual is its own climax. It should (if we were using this model) fit on the "rising action" section of this. But it doesn't, it's its own thing.

Ok, I've harped on long enough about theoretical stuff. The point I am getting at is that Stray Gods isn't Grace's story. That's a weird way of putting it but let me clarify. Stray Gods is the story of Grace convincing this messed up family to get along and get over their problems.

The Ritual feels like a climax because it is. This song is the climax of a different story that Grace stumbled into and helped change the direction of. It's the climax of a tragedy that Grace managed to avert.

Stray Gods functions like people watching and doesn't fit with the story structures because people watching is exactly what this story is. This is several different stories that have stretched and stretched until they have warped beyond comprehension and lost all meaning.

The stories you watch are trying desperately to stick to these pre-existing patterns, and they aren't working. Stray Gods is a musical about change. You don't fix these people's problems for them, but you convince them to change and to adopt a different story structure. To try things a new way. To try and fix themselves instead of running face first into each obstacle over and over again until either it crumbles, or they do. The Ritual is this concept put succinctly and powerfully.

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#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #greek mythology #what's so special about...? #stray gods #stray gods spoilers #stray gods the roleplaying musical #stray gods aphrodite #stray gods eros #stray gods the musical #stray gods the ritual #the ritual stray gods

[onehopefuldreamer]

Charming Grace

#stray gods #stray gods: the roleplaying musical #stray gods grace #since i did kickass grace i thought i should also do the other two traits #it was tougher to assemble a collection of screenshots for them #but here's my attempt at showing off charming grace #i've chosen both moments locked behind the charming trait and charming choices within the song #i mainly wanted to have a collection of screenshots showing grace being empathetic and suave #the fact that most of these are from challenging a queen and look into me is just my personal bias #i love persephone and medusa so of course i've taken loads of screenshots during their songs

[darkwolf76]

HoTD Big Bang Spring Prompt: The Lake

Here is a little drabble contribution toward the @hotd-bigbang Spring Prompt Challenge, featuring my OC, Lady Deidre Strong, from my ongoing multi-chapter fic Children of Bone and Blood.

Pairing: Criston Cole x OC

Criston Cole knew he was a sinner. His sins had stained his white cloak with blood, as they had stained his soul and heart with bitterness and anger over the years, faults that had only led him to sin further, and ultimately fail as a knight, a sworn shield, a lover, and a father.

He wondered how his tale would be written in pages of the white book by the new Lord Commander: as a tragic figure, a good and honorable knight whom had been corrupted by the vices of anger and wrath but had tried to do what he believed what was right until the end, flawed as he had been? Or as a villain, corrupted and twisted from the beginning, breaking his vows by spoiling both the princess and her lady, then carelessly abandoning them both to serve the queen with malice and hatred in his heart?

He did not know, nor did he care much, for he was leaving Ser Criston Cole behind him. The mists of the lake swirled and closed in around the boat as the green clad ferry man rowed them across the now calm waters of the God’s Eye. Sitting across from him, Deidre reached down and ran her fingers over the plane of silver, the disturbance creating ripples alongside that of the boat. “May the prince find peace in the Gods’ waters,” she murmured quietly, like a prayer, “If only for Elyssa’s sake.”

Criston flexed his fingers in discomfort at the mention of Deidre’s Blackwood daughter. He should have done more for the girl. But there had been little he could do to contain Aemond’s fire near the end, and the girl had seemed willing enough to the prince’s advances. Criston studied the fingers of his still present hand curling into a fist and the bandaged stump where his sword hand used to be. He could still feel the ache of the hand, an ever-present ghost. There were no new beginnings without sacrifice in the eyes of the Old Gods, a sacrifice bone and blood.

Deidre’s slimmer fingers came into view as they wrapped around his arm in comfort, below the stump. “Does it hurt much?”

Criston’s brown eyes shifted back up to meet her green, so tired and wary, but still filled with concern and love for him after all these years. “It’s more strange than anything else. But I’ll get used to it.” He gave her a small smile, all he could muster after everything they’d been through. “Better to lose my sword hand to sate the appetite of the dragon king than my head.”

Deidre nodded in understanding, her eyes getting a far away look as she studied his features, Dornish sun-kissed skin, dark hair and eyes, and he knew whom she was reminded of. His heart constricted in his chest as he thought of their daughter. “What does the king intend to do with her?”

“I do not know. But her soul is now entwined with the beast she rode, hiding somewhere in the Dragonmount. The Gods may still have a purpose for her yet before she returns to them.” Her words held hope, but the grief that marred her face stirred up Criston’s own, along with old regrets that would never fully fade.

“I’m sorry, for everything.” Criston reached his remaining hand to cradle Deidre’s face. He traced his thumb over her cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

The former Lady Strong and Blackwood shook her head, covering his hand with her own. “All of that is done. Lady Deidre Strong and Ser Criston Cole are dead to the realm, and we are together now, as we should have always been.” The two lovers leaned forward and shared a kiss as a flock of ravens appeared overhead, calling a greeting as the winds shifted the mists to reveal the verdant green of the sacred isle. Their green ferry man waved to another figure in green on the shore as they made their approach, the silent faces of the old gods watching from the trees beyond the beach, calling to them. Criston Cole was a sinner, but with his bloodied cloak shed, perhaps the gods would now grant him another chance, to repent, and to truly live.

#hotd spring prompts 24 #hotd #oc: deidre strong #house of the dragon #criston cole #criston cole x oc #hotd fanfic

[elianzis]

I finally finished this animatic! I can't believe I did it. Challenging a Queen is one of my favorite songs from Stray Gods that I just couldn't resist. The main character in the animatic is my original character Leander, Apollo's apprentice and lover.

#art #my art #digital art #fan art #digital drawing #artwork #oc #original character #digital #hades game #stray gods #animatic #animation #Youtube

[herearedragons]

3, 5, 6, 13, 23 from the video game asks! :)

Thanks for the ask!

video game questions

3. 1-3 games you’ve played in the past 12 months that you really enjoyed

the first Pillars of Eternity game (as evident by how much I've been posting about it) is still great and I 100% recommend it, it is darker fantasy than Dragon Age and there are a couple of Yikes Moments close to the beginning, but you WILL love at least one of your party members and the writing is pretty great. also a lot of its soundtrack was used in season 2 of Critical Role, and there is significant vibe/theme overlap, so if you enjoyed that season you'll probably like something about POE1 (also there are a lot of voices from the cr cast in the game itself. Matt Mercer notoriously voices two(2) of your best friends party members)

Dragon Age: Origins! The OG. The reason I'm even on this website. I had a pretty major reset when I realized that I accidentally locked myself out of Zevran's romance and now I have to do the Sacred Ashes quest again, but once I get through it things will get fun again. I've had a lot of fun writing Kyana meta based on this playthrough earlier this year, and I'm sure I'll have more things to say when I GET OUT OF THAT TEMPLE

I started playing The Sims 4 between writing sessions during NaNo. I made an off-brand Evelyn and another household based on two very old OCs, and I was really invested in them for a while (to the point of considering making fanart of the second household). I stopped playing at some point, but I think that, like Stardew Valley, this is going to be a fun thing to come back to every once in a while.

(the first answer was already very long so I'm putting the rest under the cut)

5. Game(s) coming out that you’re looking forward to

I played the demo for GLITCHED: The RPG a couple of years ago and it's been on my Steam wishlist even since. I don't actually know what's going on with the game (I think it was announced that it would come out in 2023 and then it didn't?), but I really hope that it will come out eventually because the demo is A Lot of my favorite things packed into one game. Like, honestly, even if the game won't be out for a while, I think that the demo itself is a really fun experience.

also, despite everything surrounding Dreadwolf, I'm definitely looking forward to it! though somewhat concerned about actually running the game because I Do Not Think my laptop will be able to handle it.

6. A series you’ve enjoyed since your early days of gaming and still enjoy to this day whether it still has games coming out or is one you return to

.........I mean, this is very much a Dragon Age blog. DA:O was one of my first RPGs (Skyrim was the other) and Here We Are all those years later

13. Quick, name the first song from a game that comes to mind

I haven't actually played it yet, but Challenging A Queen from Stray Gods. I'm definitely going to play it, though, because this is another game that looks like it was made personally For Me. and this song absolutely rules (my favorite version is the first one they played in this video)

23. A “Wow” moment of awe

...technically I didn't play this one either, but I watched a full playthrough of Wandersong on youtube, and the final song sequence I can't really talk about without spoiling everything was. very. Emotional(TM)

also for a more somber kind of awe, I really like the ambience in Emprise du Lion in DA:I and the White March DLC's entire deal in Pillars of Eternity. in both cases the environment made me just kind of pause for a second and take it all in (actually, adding to the song thing, the Abydon's Shell soundtrack from The White March is haunting)

#herearedragons speaks