#6 Crowns Campaign

[ashleyrowan]

You may remember this lovely mermaid from a piece I did for Mermay. I figured I ought to share her full ref because she's absolutely gorgeous. I love mermaids who you can just tell can and will drown you.

[attila-werther]

I need to finish that one d20 comic I started last year. I did rough page layouts and everything and immediately forgot because I turned the page to do (squints) something. indecipherable

[twoheadedcalfsanctuary]

GOD I fucking love acoc

[the-bed-gremlins-reading-list]

My Marriage to the Cursed Royal

Demo: Twine on Itch.io Last Update: 9/6/2024

Rating: 18+

Synopsis

When you meet with an unfortunate accident in the real world you find yourself cast into the role of the younger Medulloi sibling. Your elder brother is the Duke of Ausones, a small and recent addition to the Nasennii Empire.

For three hundred years the Imperial war machine has fueled the Nasennii expansionism across the continent of Fantasia. A war machine that has been unable to advance across the northern expanses that make up Ithel.

Imperial superstition maintains that it is unlucky for a commander to remain unwed - so when the Royal Bastard, the Emperor's cursed child, makes little headway in the campaign a marriage in absentia is arranged.

A marriage to you.

It's a new world with a spouse you have never met.

Oh, except one itty-bitty thing - Fantasia Crown Wars is one of the most popular media franchises to exist. (Oh, and a savvy fan knows that Auberon Medulloi's younger sibling died.)

Characters

Auberon Medulloi - The Duke of Blood

Your new half-brother. He's famous among fans for his brutality as a military commander and the cold calculus with which he approaches his alliances when he's introduced during the third book of the main series. You know him as your warm, slightly fussy elder half-brother who frets himself silly over taking care of your family's lands and makes you sweets when you feel sad. He's joined you in the Imperial Capital to insure that you're safe and have all the support you could possibly stand. In the books he becomes the most feared leader of a rebellion against the Nassenian throne. One that was destroyed by your spouse and leads to Auberon's eventual execution.

Lucius/Lucia Nasennia(us) - Your Spouse, the Cursed Royal (RO)

They are the emperor's eldest child, the illegitimate one whom misfortune follows like an old friend. They were born in the dead of a moonless night and gifted with the ice magic of Ithel through their mother's veins. The priesthood has sworn should they ever take the throne it will be the end of the Nasennian Empire. And yet they are among the most gifted commanders of the age, it is on them victory against Ithel and peace among the conquered lands depend. The books described them as cold and calculating. The blockbuster movie saw them behead their younger brother after arranging the death of their father. They were also supposed to be unwed.

Marcus Nasennius - The Golden Prince (RO)

The third child of the emperor and the heir to the throne after the death of their sister. Marcus has always been the charmer of the royal family, the one for whom life was easy and joyful. He's said to have been blessed by the Empire's gods - born on a bright summer day in the heat of noon, and gifted with command of light magic he has always been placed in competition with his elder brother by the court, but they were friends once. Marcus was one of the main characters of the books - and the classic prince charming had always quite popular. So popular, in fact, that after his tragic demise in the movie he was brought back to life in the television show.

Rossella Catilia - The Red Mage (RO)

The Catilia family has stood behind and beside the throne of Nasennia since the War of Sparks founded the nascent Empire. They are wealthy and powerful and Rossella is the same age as Prince Marcus. She was brought to court at a young age and raised with the expectation that she would be among those considered as his match. A marriage she's openly appalled by due to her close friendship - and lack of romantic feelings for both the royal brothers. Still she's publicly considered the picture of what an Imperial Lady should strive for. Like many Imperial nobles she has some talent as a mage with a reputation as a skilled healer. In the books Rossella played the part of peacemaker between the brothers until her sudden foreign marriage removed her from the picture during TFCW's brief period as a graphic novel. (A move her fans hated almost as much as the scarlet color her hair was colored with on those pages.)

Caerwyn - The Assassin from Ithel (RO)

Bright, obnoxious, oh, and a vampire. This Ithellen assassin was meant to be your death. You're still not sure what changed his mind, nor why he's decided to serve you as your personal "spy-slash-assassin-slash-bodyguard-slash-gossip-gatherer". Caerwyn's appeared in the plot far earlier than he should have based on the books, where he only emerges out from the shadows after Ithel's defeat. Following the demise of his homeland he had come to serve your brother, Auberon. Caerwyn is among those that is supposed to be killed by your spouse, having dramatically sacrificed himself to ensure the escape of the rebel army and leading to that arc lasting much longer than anyone expected it would.

Rune Leleux - The Knight? (RO)

Like the assassin Caerwyn, Rune Leleux has shown up in the story far earlier than they should have. In fact you have a strong suspicion that the next book that was suppose to release in a month will reveal that the person introduced as a wandering bounty hunter and oath-breaking knight stole the real Leleux's identity. The Rune Leleux you know serves as your brother's faithful knight and right hand. They've been your friend since you were children. You can't see how the soft-spoken, if sometimes sarcastic, warrior who helps you live in Fantasia could possibly be the brutal and heavily scarred murderer draped in wolf skin that the Bastard Royal hires to help assassinate the emperor and sabotage the capital's defenses.

Robin Watcher - The Bard (RO)

This sweet natured bard is a minor character in the canon - like your new identity is. Or at least, she must be, because you definitely can't remember her from anywhere. (Maybe she was one of those unnamed extra in that one made-for-tv movie that everyone prefers to forget exists?) Whoever this bard is she always seems to know quite a bit about whoever happens to be around - and, well, she's rather curious about you. (In more ways than one.) Also, no one seems to know who she is or where she came from, just that she's great with instruments and has a very pretty voice.

WIP Warning: Any information contained in this post is subject to change as the project develops. The same goes for information posts on this blog.

[minmos]

while you're here...

ghada is a 32 year old currently trapped in gaza with her family. she is displaced with her parents, 3 of her brothers, and 6 children.

here, they have no access to clean water, shelter, or medicine. polio is currently spreading through the children. gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving them surrounded by sewage.

they cannot live like this. while we wait for a permanent ceasefire, people are currently suffering and dying of disease, exposure, bombing, and starvation. they do not have time to wait. they need help now. every day is full of extraordinary risk.

ghada is fundraising to keep her family alive and, hopefully, cross the rafah border. the last donation was 2 days ago.

this campaign has been verified, and is #6 on GazaVetters' spreadsheet.

please, if you have even $5, donate to ghada's gofundme. share the link, tell people her story. thank you.

tagging for reach:

@pcktknife @postanagramgenerator @valtsv @velvetys @beetledrink @bunjywunjy @bixels @nabulsi @mintaii @amygdalae @hotvampireadjacent @lady-katherines @pocket-deer-boy @itwashotwestayedinthewater @thatdiabolicalfeminist @emil @3000s @wayneradiotv @sayruq @90-ghost @magnus-rhymes-with-swagness-blog @rickybabyboy @zzoupz @omegaversereloaded @annabelle--cane @beserkerjewel @sporesgalaxy @punkitt-is-here @weirdmarioenemies @sawasawako @danijaci @thatdiabolicalfeminist @that-house @tamamita @feluka @ot3 @jehadism @apas-95 @communist-ojou-sama @komsomolka @tpwrtrmnky @redbuddi

[anarchotolkienist]

you’re attacking that neopagan kind of birthstone post about druid plants, but could you please elaborate or at least clarify the explicit trope that is being used that has been historically weaponized?

I used to spend about a good third of my time on this godforsaken website attacking that idea, but sure, I'll do it again. This will be a bit of an effortpost, so I'll stick it under the readmore

There is a notion of 'celts' or Gaels as being magicial and somehow deeply in touch with nature and connected to pre-Christian worldviews that the people who decided to make up the "Celtic tree astrology" used. This is also why Buffy used Irish Gaelic as the language of the demons, why Warhammer uses Gaelic as Elvish, why garbled Scottish Gaelic is used by Wiccans as the basis for their new religious construct, why people call themselves Druids to go an say chants in bad Welsh in Stonehenge, or Tursachan Chalanais, or wherever, etc etc. This stuff is everywhere in popular culture today, by far the dominant view of Celtic language speaking peoples. Made up neopagan nonsense is the only thing you find if you go looking for Gaelic folklore, unless you know where to look, and so on and so on. I could multiply examples Endless, and in fact have throughout the lifespan of this blog, and probably will continue to.

To make a long history extremely brief (you can ask me for sources on specifics, or ask me to expand if you're interested), this is directly rooted in a mediaeval legalistic discussion in Catholic justifications for the expansionist policies of the Normans, especially in Ireland, who against the vigourous protestation of the Church in Ireland claimed that the Gaelic Irish were practically Pagan in practice and that conquest against fellow Christians was justified to bring them in like with the Church. That this was nonsense I hope I don't need to state. Similar discourses about the Gaels in Scotland exist at the same time, as is clear from the earliest sources we have postdating the Gaelic kingdom of Alba becoming Scotland discussing the 'coastal Scots' - who speak Ynglis (early Scots) and are civilised - and the 'forest Scots' (who speak 'Scottis' (Middle Gaelic) and have all the hallmarks of barbarity. This discourse of Gaelic savagery remains in place fairly unchanged as the Scottish and then British crowns try various methods for integrating Gaeldom under the developing early state, provoking constant conflict and unrest, support certain clans and chiefs against others and generally massively upset and destabilise life among the Gaels both in Scotland and Ireland. This campaign, which is material in root but has a superstructure of Gaelic savagery and threat justifying it develops through attempts at assimilation, more or less failed colonial schemes in Leòdhas and Ìle, the splitting of the Gaelic Irish from the Gaelic Scots through legal means and the genocide of the Irish Gaels in Ulster, eventually culminates in the total ban on Gaelic culture, ethnic cleansing and permanent military occupation of large swathes of Northern Scotland, and the destruction of the clan system and therefore of Gaelic independence from the Scottish and British state, following the last rising in 1745-6.

What's relevant here is that the attitude of Gaelic barbarity, standing lower on the civilisational ladder than the Anglo Saxons of the Lowlands and of England, was continuously present as a justification for all these things. This package included associations with the natural world, with paganisms, with emotion, and etc. This set of things then become picked up on by the developing antiquarian movement and early national romantics of the 18th century, when the Gaels stop being a serious military threat to the comfortable lives of the Anglo nobility and developing bourgeoise who ran the state following the ethnic cleansing after Culloden and permanent occupation of the Highlands (again, ongoing to this day). They could then, as happened with other colonised peoples, be picked up on and romanticised instead, made into a noble savage, these perceived traits which before had made them undesirable now making them a sad but romantic relic of an inexorably disappearing past. It is no surprise that Sir Walter Scott (a curse upon him and all his kin) could make Gaels the romantic leads of his pseudohistorical epics at the exact same time that Gaels were being driven from their traditional lands in their millions and lost all traditional land rights. These moves are related. This tradition is what's picked up on by Gardner when he decides to use mangled versions of Gaelic Catholic practice (primarily) as collected by the Gaelic folklorist Alasdair MacIlleMhìcheil as the coating for Wicca, the most influential neo-pagan "religion" to claim a 'Celtic' root and the base of a lot of oncoming nonsense like that Celtic Tree Astrology horseshit that started this whole thing, and give it a pagan coat of paint while also adding some half-understood Dharmic concepts (three-fold law anyone?) and a spice of deeply racist Western Esotericism to the mix. That's why shit like that is directly harmful, not just historically but in the present total blotting out of actually existing culture of Celtic language speakers and their extremely precarious communities today.

If you want to read more, I especially recommend Dr. Silke Stroh's work Gaelic Scotland in the Colonial Imaginary, Dr. Aonghas MacCoinnich's book Plantation and Civility in the North-Atlantic World, the edited collection Mio-rún Mór nan Gall on Lowland-Highland divide, the Gaelic writer known in English as Ian Crichton Smith's essay A real people in a real place on these impacts on Gaelic speaking communities in the 20th century, Dr. Donnchadh Sneddons essay on Gaelic racial ideas present in Howard and Lovecrafts writings, and Dr. James Hunter's The Making of the Crofting Community for a focus on the clearings of Gaels after the land thefts of the late 18th and early 19th century.

@grimdr an do chaill mi dad cudromach, an canadh tu?

[whencyclopedia]

Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings in south-east England on 14 October 1066 saw the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II (r. Jan-Oct 1066) by the invading Norman army led by William, Duke of Normandy (reigned from 1035). After a day of heavy fighting, the Norman cavalry eventually proved more effective than the Anglo-Saxon infantry.

William claimed the throne of England had been promised to him by Harold's predecessor, Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066) and he had invaded England to take by force the kingdom he considered rightfully his. Harold was killed in the battle, according to tradition, hit by an arrow to the eye and then hacked to pieces as he fell. The victor would be crowned king of England on Christmas Day of the same year and, over the next five years, his conquest of England would earn him the title of William the Conqueror. Hastings brought an end to 500 years of Anglo-Saxon rule and innumerable political, religious, and cultural changes over the coming decades as the Norman elite installed themselves throughout their new kingdom, setting up castles and creating such innovations as the Domesday Book.

Harold Godwinson

In 1066, the momentous year which would change English history, Harold Godwinson had only just become king of England. Formally the earl of Wessex, Harold was crowned on 6 January following the death of Edward the Confessor who had no heir. Harold had acquired the throne in unclear circumstances although Edward, on his deathbed, had personally nominated Harold as his successor. Harold was the foremost military leader in the kingdom and had built his reputation on his successful campaigns in Wales in 1063-4.

Continue reading...

[queer-scots-geordie-dyke]

I've posted about this before but in the current climate, especially, a signal boost can only be a good thing.

There is an excellent organisation here in the UK that I have an ongoing donation to, Campaign Against Antisemitism.

From their website:

"HOW WE FIGHT ANTISEMITISM

Campaign Against Antisemitism consists of eight directorates which collaborate closely to expose and counter antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law:

1. Investigations and Enforcement

We work closely with police forces around the country, the Crown Prosecution Service, regulatory bodies and the government to ensure that antisemitism is detected, investigated and punished with the full force of the law. We focus on criminal antisemitism and antisemitic acts committed by professionals or institutions which are subject to special regulation, such as lawyers, teachers, sportspeople and charities. We also provide training and advice to the authorities, whilst also scrutinising their performance and holding them to account when they fall short.

2. Awareness and Communication

Working closely with senior journalists and advertising professionals, we run proactive campaigns to ensure that the public is aware of anti-Jewish racism and the immense societal danger that it poses. Through our advocacy work we seek to mobilise public support for the fight against antisemitism, whilst also generating pressure on the authorities to pursue a policy of zero tolerance for antisemitism. We also provide information and comment to the media through our media centre.

3. Outreach and Education

We strive to reduce anti-Jewish prejudice by providing education and training to all in society who wish to find out more about being Jewish, antisemitism, and fighting racism. We also reach out to other minority communities and anti-racist groups so that we can work to strengthen each other.

4. Public Affairs

We have forged links with the government, local authorities, regulators, police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as with companies such as the major social networks. We meet at the highest levels to tackle the roots of antisemitism and ensure that the law is upheld effectively, consistently and firmly.

5. Mobilisation

Antisemitism is a societal problem and we believe that individuals should be at the forefront of the fight against antisemitism. We recruit, train and mobilise volunteers, empowering them to leverage their talent and expertise against antisemitism.

6. Litigation

We have recruited some of Britain’s most formidable and acclaimed legal minds. Our lawyers give their time to provide guidance on specific cases and also takes action to hold the authorities and private companies to account when they fail to act against antisemitism effectively. Our legal experts include specialists in criminal law, charity law, regulatory law, administrative law, employment law, media law and litigation.

7. Organisation and Finance

Our volunteers need central support in every area from systems administration to finance. Working with senior professionals, we ensure that our volunteers receive the support they need, and that our charity complies strictly with regulatory and financial requirements.

8. Fundraising

We are proud to operate with extremely low overheads, relying almost entirely on volunteers, however our work costs money, whether it is to pay court fees when we litigate, or to commission important research. We fundraise throughout the year to raise the sums needed to enable our work to continue."

They also have a podcast that recently aired its 100th episode, that I highly recommend. They talk about the current work they're doing, media bias, representation, and over 5 seasons have included interviews with Jewish public figures, Holocaust survivors, and more recently, survivors of Oct. 7 and family members of hostages:

https://antisemitism.org/podcast/

[judesmoonbeauty]

Vogel’s Extravagant Leisure Time - All Characters Inclusive

Not 100% Accurate. Cybird owns everything. This is their twitter campaign that is available for viewing on the X account.

Post #1 Nica: So, now that there’s three of us free with free time, what are we going to do? Darius: I was thinking of playing a game of giving each of the Crown members a nickname. Ring: ….What great way to kill time. Are you a genius? Nica: That’s the height of boredom. OK, let’s start with the Self-Righteous Monarch.

Post #2 Nickname Target #1 💟William💟 Darius: He’s so flawless I can’t choose one♡ Nica: Red King Ring: Piano Man Nica: Dari, you really like William don’t you. Darius: Yes♡ Ring what’s Piano Man? Ring: I saw him playing the other day. It was good. I want to listen to it again. Darius: I want to hear Will’s performance too.

Post #3 Nickname Target #2 🐈Liam🐈 Darius: Mr. Beautifully Shaped Cat Nica: Smooth Talking Stage Actor Ring: Sparkly Pink. Nica: But I can’t see past the sparkling pink. Ring: …Because he’s flashy? He looks sparkling. And, his hair is pink and cool. Darius: You look like a child looking up to a hero, Ring. Ring: Ah, n-not really…..it’s not like I particularly admire ….him.

Post #4 Nickname Target #3 🦊Harrison🦊 Darius: Mr. Troublesome Fox Nica: Lie Detector Ring: Droopy Tear Mole Ring: Harrison Gray. Is he troublesome? Darius: Perhaps. He might seem aloof, but I think he’s quite compassionate. Having a kid like that makes things nice and unified. Nica: Ahhh, well then my hard-work has increased.

Nickname Target #4 🍎Elbert🍎 Darius: Mr. Greedy Beauty Nica: Bisque Doll Ring: The Desired Nobleman Darius: A bisque doll is rather blunt, Nica. Nica: Elbert was looking at a butterfly in the garden the other day, and I thought it was a real bisque doll. Ring: …..Maybe someday, we can talk about butterflies together. Nica: What was that, Ring. Ring: N-no…..nothing!

Nickname Target #5 🪞Alfons🪞 Darius: Mr. Lewd Illusionist Nica: Shameless Mirror Man Ring: Perverted Mirror Nica: Ahaha! “Perverted mirror”, that’s a bit much. Ring: I- no different than you calling him “Shameless Mirror Man.” Darius: When I look at both of you, there are times I realize, you really are twins. It’s amusing. Nica & Ring: Really?

Nickname Target #6 ⌛️Jude⌛️ Darius: Mr. Ruthless President Nica: Extremely Heinous President Ring: The Angry One Darius: I get the strong impression that he’s a President. Nica: Hey, Ring. That evil looking guy probably has a lot of money, next time why not ask him out to treat you to a meal? Darius: It’s as if my family doesn’t eat. Ring: Sorry, I eat a lot, but…it’s never enough.

Nickname Target #7 🔫Roger🔫 Darius: Mr. Double-Crossing Doctor Nica: Muscle-Glasses Doctor Ring: Dog Loving Brother Darius: Roger has a dog? Nica: According to my intel, it seems he has one kept at home. A corgi named Ale. Ring: Her butt is plump and cute….I wonder if they’ll let me play with it if I ask. Darius: I want to play with it too. Nica & Ring: ……

Nickname Target #8 ⛓️Ellis⛓️ Darius: Mr. Dangerous President’s Assistant Nica: President’s Personal Assassin Ring: Kind Bean Pole Ring: Ellis Twilight’s an assassin? Nica: That’s right, he approaches as easily as breathing and then- whoa! Ring: ! T-that surprised me…. Nica: Ahaha, what’s with that face? Just like you when you were a kid! Darius: Yes, both of you should make sure you don’t get killed.

Nickname Target #9 💀Victor💀 Darius: Absolutely not, I don’t want to give one♡ Nica: Long-Haired Eccentric Guy Ring: Energetic Cooing Pigeon Nica: I’d like to pursue an investigation of Dari’s secret dislike of the Queen’s Aide, but Ring what’s with the cooing pigeon? Ring: He’s amazing. He can send out pigeons at will, and there’s lot of them. Nica: That can’t be true!/Das kann nicht wahr sein!* Darius: Ah, that sort of thing irritates me.

Final Post: Darius: Ha~♡ It was fun to see so many cute Crown members. Ring: As usual, I don’t understand Dari’s meaning of cuteness. Nica: Hey, let’s go now, I’m hungry. Darius: -Before that. Did you two notice that I’ve been dropping hint the entire time?

Ring: Hints? Darius: The initials related to the cursed from the Alice In Wonderland group. Nica: Ah, ahaha, I see. Certain words pop up in the order they were targeted. Ring: I am the only one who doesn’t know what you’re talking about? Darius: Maybe something fun will happen if you solve the mystery.

*I'm not sure if I translated this line correctly or not.

Tags list: @theimaginativelyreticent @sapphire-323 @sh0jun @letter-from-afar

Divider: @/natimiles

[valeriefauxnom]

Things You May Or May Not Know And/Or Remember About the Royal Family

Exactly what it says on the tin, here's at least 3 things for each family member that you may not know!

Leonidas:

-I'll use my freebie here to cheat and pull out the 'he has a pet panther that has given jewlery and metal to wear' because I want to spread this niche detail about. Evidence for that one you can find in this link here. But yes, by all accounts Leonidas seemed to have a pet panther, and no he does not talk about it once. It also explains his sudden competence to know that cats shouldn't have grape juice in the comics when correcting Emile, because he has one... a big one, mind you, but he's got a cat!

-His curry obsession in the comics is implied to have been a thing passed on and or learned from Aurelius, which is perhaps the only thing Leonidas seems to like about his father!

-Leonidas is 99% of the time Very Serious in his wording of things, but I gotta hand it to this line for being probably the single silliest thing he's said in canon entirely on his own volition (ie, not being heavily coached by Mym/Siren):

-Mars is not his first dragon

-Is actually the first to exit the main campaign at ch.16, though he does a good job of acting as Euden's secretary afterwards by directing Ilia to him at the Sacred Tree and requesting Emile's army at Grams

-Has either bought or built a completely separate manor in the capital despite being the crown prince and thus likely king

-Declares Valkaheim the new capital of a re-established Alberia (not to be confused with New Alberia) mid-canon, in effect making himself King of Alberia

Phares:

-At some point in canon, Phares crept back to Clave Loy'elune, snuck back in the cave where Everything Went Down, and stealthily did a little cutting of Alberius/Chthonius' corpse

-Phares is not actually the first sibling to dive into alchemy, even if he ultimately does end up the most learned in it - Leonidas actually was the first, and it's more implied Phares' initial interest was out of the slight rivalry they have

-Per the 'meet the cast' thing they did at the end of the lifespan, Phares is skilled at reading ancient languages

-Is the direct reason for guns manacasters re-emerging in the modern day, or at the very least the reason they emerged as early as they did. How?

He's apparently also schooled enough in archeology to then be able to teach Chelle... which then gave her the knowledge and ability to start finding manacasters and restoring them:

Chelle:

-Has sent her betrothed (Elua) to be executed

-When younger, used to harass Leonidas and Phares trying to chill out together, which they did not like

-Was devoted to the idea of getting Cat Sith as her dragon long before she ever could pact

-In one wyrmprint, suggests she still dreams of ascending Alberia's throne, which raises Questions of how she intends to do so since she seems to get along very well with her elder brothers and vice-versa:

-Liiiiittle bit shaky here since it's based on my observation/memory and not a concrete fact as the others, but if I'm right, Chelle is the only member of the currently-pacted family who does not shapeshift. Phares is not pacted for at least a good bulk of canon, Leo does in ch.12, Valyx 6, Euden... everywhere, Zethia and Nedrick in tree drama... The closest she gets is in her gala story, but decided against it.

Valyx:

-Valyx may seemingly need glasses, as every time he dons them in canon and in the comics, they seem to be of a more functional variety than Chelle's clearly decorative one. They also seem pretty consistent in design.

-His battle standard isn't 'just' a bear - it's a 'greatbear', which I'm guessing is just a Really Big Bear

-His journey to pact with Thor was seemingly fraught - not many wanted to come, and of those that did, many got smote by Thor and died

-Prior to Euden, his forces were undefeated

-Has nearly executed Malora for espionage (after she ironically convinced him into doing so over lifelong imprisonment after correctly pointing out she'd just seduce her way out of a prison cell)

-Became the military leader of, essentially, Grastea's NATO, at the end of canon before he and the most of the siblings got smote in ch.25

Beren:

-Has said 'okie-dokie'

-Canon's variety of him is the only one to get as far as he has in life in the entire span of worlds:

-This isn't hidden knowledge at all, per se, but I never will get over the fact he chooses his alias to be 'Ed'. Like. Ed????

-Beren's problems with black mana began at birth; Leonidas wanted to kill him but by the time he gained the authority to do so had somehow grown 'too strong' for him to manage that.

-Somewhat surprisingly per the character intro, likes 'quiet places', which is both understandable as the only thing he's known and shocking, since I might have otherwise thought he wouldn't for the reminder of his previous imprisonment

-Has brass knuckles dangling down from his straitjacket (and is not wearing pants), which makes me dream of a playable Beren that's not a spellcaster and instead just beats people up with fisticuffs

Emile:

-Explicitly had the hots for humanoid Mercury, making him one of the three royal family members that even so much as hinted towards any romantic inclination

-His Gala portrait has several hidden details, including a ghost Aurelius hiding/watching over him and the dome above him depicting his regular form leading soldiers

-Is so insensitive to spiritual matters that he cannot perceive ghosts in the slightest!

-You might have noted the lack of mention of him in my shapeshift spiel.... and that's because he technically did shapeshift once, but it wasn't when he was pacted. Instead, he did it from tapping into Euden's pacts with his and Mercury's permission! So yeah, it's... complicated.

-His Gala form gains a single earring suspiciously similar to Leonidas', which makes me personally think he was trying to copy Leonidas' overall presence/grandeur, but chickened out at the pain. Funnily enough, he and Leonidas are the only ones in the fam consistently depicted with earring(s) in unit art, as Chelle only rarely features them in other art! ...Zethia may technically seem to be wearing them in 'Endless Waltz', but this event is, well, dubiously canon, as there never really was a time in which she could party with Luca and then become Empress (even if Emile playing ocarina will never get old).

Euden:

-Is so terrible at using knives in the kitchen that Cleo seems seriously concerned he's about to faint from blood loss and orders him to lie down

-Did ask Leonidas pre-canon where the heck Beren was, only for Leonidas to tell him that he went 'missing' despite knowing full well the truth

-Hobbies include writing and seemingly playing violin, even though that latter bit was sidelined for a while as Aurelius instead forced him to learn piano

-His royal fam t-shirt that's part of the running joke in the comics is actually pink and red, the one time we see it in color:

(By the way, Leonidas' is orange-red, Emile's is green, and we never see the colors for Phares' but I'd guess blue since 2/3 are tied to their usual color schemes/theme)

-Also a silly comic fact that he has a little wallet with his face on it that he sometimes gives to people, and his seal also bears his face (as WillofWinnie recreated the latter here)

-Was so bad at swordplay that even after years of practice, complete novices could beat him

-Likes taking walks with the doggy in the woods when he's feeling bad

Zethia:

-Has her own bank of quotes even as an NPC adventurer for her brief stint in ch.1 as a 'party member', one of which is 'I admit, every now and then, I wonder how *I* would look in a suit of armor...'

-She also notes that she's not 'wholly unfamiliar' with the sword due to watching Euden practice so much

-Has said the word 'damn' before

-Literally almost beat up Morsayati with just her and Zena in ch.5, impressively

-Likes wildlife/nature and making flower crowns

-In a mix of other lore and her, birds are a holy symbol in the Ilian faith, which might explain why she's often depicted with them and why comic!Zethia feels the need so often to help chicks back to their nest

-If I can include Zena, Aurelius actually was alive in her world for a while, and was the reason she was able to cross into all the others she did

-Kinda personal, kinda lore, but Zethia did kinda break her vows as Auspex when pacting with Bahamut, as a pact is something that puts her in the line of succession when she forswore ascending, in a thing I wish was addressed.

Also, she'd technically be higher than Euden in the line of succession to the Alberian throne because they seem to operate on a 'pact+age' determinate of order, and she is a month or two older.

Nedrick:

-With Zethia, seems to have a line of scales running down part his leg after formally pacting with Bahamut

-Relatedly, his Gala unit still has the faint hints of the Alberian dragon symbol oft used to tie characters to the land and the royal fam on its base

-Nedrick seldom speaks or even thinks of Euden's name, which, while that very well might be deliberate in the sense of him not wanting to acknowledge Euden's replacement of him down to the name (a thing he seems also dedicated to pretending he doesn't care about his 'abandonment'), but he does make an exception the moment he realizes with Zethia that Euden is going to die:

-Likes quiet forests, which theoretically means he could jive with Zethia and Beren rather well in this regard

-Really doesn't seem to like people not talking to him if he wants an answer:

-Seldom eats or sleeps and instead supplements this lacking self-care by just absorbing mana around him

So, yeah, there's some of the quirks and little moments of the fam! All of the plain statements of fact come from moments in Dragalia instead of them just being individual headcanon, which I'd be happy to point out to any who are curious where they come from!

[cheshireliam]

Vogel’s Extremely Indulgent Time-Killing: Twitter Campaign

Masterlist

These are fan-made translations solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

Part 1 (Intro)┊Part 2 (William)┊Part 3 (Liam)

Part 4 (Harrison)┊Part 5 (Elbert)┊Part 6 (Alfons)

Part 7 (Roger)┊Part 8 (Jude)┊Part 9 (Ellis)

Part 10 (Victor)┊Part 11 (Outro)

Bonus LINE Chat — Crown’s Revenge?

[misfitwashere]

The Muskrat Goes Global

Why is the richest person on earth with the largest political platform in the world and the next U.S. president in his pocket becoming a global neo-fascist? What can be done to constrain him?

ROBERT REICH

JAN 7

Friends,

Elon Musk repeatedly asserts, without evidence, that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer covered up the abuses of young girls by gangs comprised largely of British Pakistani men, in cases that date back to before 2010 when Starmer was head of Britain’s public prosecutions. 

“Starmer was complicit in the RAPE OF BRITAIN when he was head of Crown Prosecution for 6 years,” Musk posted to the top of his account on Friday. “Starmer must go and he must face charges for his complicity in the worst mass crime in the history of Britain.”

In fact, Starmer, who heads the Labour government, did not cover up abuses. Instead, he brought the first case against an Asian grooming gang and drafted new guidelines for how the Crown Prosecution Service should deal with cases of sexual exploitation of children, including the mandatory reporting of child sex offenses. 

Musk also calls Jess Phillips, the Labour government’s under secretary for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, a “rape genocide apologist” because she pushed back on calls for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, a town near Manchester. 

In fact, Phillips, who has long campaigned for women’s rights, has called for a local investigation by Oldham authorities rather than the central government. Women’s rights supporters say Musk’s labeling Phillips a “rape genocide apologist” is threatening her safety.

Yesterday, Starmer warned publicly that Musk’s baseless accusations “crossed a line,” adding that “once we lose the anchor that truth matters, in the robust debate that we must have, then we are on a very slippery slope.”

Musk’s global reach

Musk’s lies about the left-wing British government and his support for far-right groups are parts of an emerging pattern. Musk is also: 

boosting the far-right party in Germany with neo-Nazi ties, known as Alternative for Germany (AfD), before elections early next month. Musk signaled his support for AfD in mid-December, writing in a post on X that“only the AfD can save Germany.” He also penned an oped in a German newspaper recently, describing the party as the “last spark of hope” for the country. Musk is planning an online “discussion” on X with the AfD’s leader and candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, amplifying the party’s neo-Nazi ideology. 

attacking the Italian judiciary for curbing Italian Prime Giorgia Meloni’s hardline anti-asylum immigration policies. Musk has met regularly with Meloni, who has called him a friend, and appeared at a youth event for Meloni’s party. 

urging support for Britain’s far-right MP Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform U.K. Party. Musk says he might donate upward of 100 million pounds ($127 million) to Farage’s group. 

demanding Britain “free Tommy Robinson,” the far-right founder of the English Defence League — an Islamophobic, nationalist group and anti-immigrant agitator whom, Musk charges, is in jail for “telling the truth.” In fact, Robinson is in jail because he was found to have defamed a teenage Syrian refugee and then defied a British court order by repeating the false claims. (Robinson has been previously jailed for assault, mortgage fraud and traveling on a false passport to the United States, where he has sought to establish ties with right-wing groups.) 

allowing on X inflammatory lies of a kind that incited anti-immigrant riots in Britain last July, following the killing of three girls in a mass stabbing in the town of Southport. After Britain arrested more than 30 people, Musk condemned the government for what he called an attack on free speech.

calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau an “insufferable tool” over comments Trudeau made in support of Kamala Harris, and predicted he “won’t be in power for much longer.” (Yesterday, Trudeau announced he will resign.)

Where Musk is getting this power

As the richest person in the world, politicians everywhere now recognize his capacity to pour money into their parties and political campaigns, as he did by investing a quarter of a billion dollars to get Trump elected. 

He also owns X, formerly Twitter, which (as of December 2024) has 619 million monthly active users. He has manipulated X’s algorithm to boost his own posts, which now reach 210 million. 

But Musk’s real power these days comes from his proximity to and presumed influence over Donald Trump, soon to be President of the United States. 

Musk has hardly left Trump’s side since the election, meaning that Musks’s opinions (amplified by his social media platform) cannot be ignored by politicians around the world who are trying to decipher Trump’s opinions. 

One prominent member of Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party is asking that Germany determine “whether [Musk’s] repeated disrespect, defamation and interference in the election campaign were also expressed in the name of the new U.S. government.”

This combination — the richest person in the world, owner and manipulator of the biggest political messaging platform in the world, with direct influence over Trump — puts Musk in the position of being able to move other nations toward the neo-fascist right. 

Why Musk is doing this

Not for money. As it is, he has far more than any human can utilize. 

Partly, it’s ideological. He calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” which puts him at odds with Europe’s and Canada’s aggressive responses to hate speech online. (Britain, Musk says, “is turning into a police state.”)

But the roots of Musk’s neo-fascism probably go deeper. 

I am no psychoanalyst but I imagine that as an immigrant from South Africa, Musk is especially triggered by poor people of color moving into white nations. His father smuggled raw emeralds and had them cut in Johannesburg.

Part of his shift to the radical right also comes from Musk’s transgender child. As Musk told conservative commentator Jordan Peterson, “I lost my son, essentially,” claiming she was “dead, killed by the woke mind virus. I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that.” (Musk’s daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, now 20, told NBC News that Musk was an absent father who was cruel to her as a child for being queer and feminine.) 

On X, Musk continuously criticizes transgender rights, including medical treatments for trans-identifying minors, and the use of pronouns if they are different from what would be used at birth. He has promoted anti-trans content and called for arresting people who provide trans care to minors. Last July, Musk said he was pulling his businesses out of California to protest a new state law that bars schools from requiring that trans kids be outed to their parents. After Musk bought X, then known as Twitter, in 2022, he rolled back the app’s protections for trans people, including a ban on using birth names (known as “deadnames” for transgender people).

Perhaps the major reason for Musk’s recent effort to push other nations to the neo-fascist right is his newfound thirst for right-wing global politics. After effectively (at least in Musk’s mind) winning the presidency for Trump by spending more than $250 million and unleashing a maelstrom of pro-Trump and anti-Harris lies over X, he now seeks even more of an authoritarian rush. 

It will not be the first time in history that someone is seduced by the thrill of unconstrained power, although it may be the first time that so much of it is concentrated in one unelected megalomaniac. 

What should be done about Musk?

For the time being, particularly under Trump, there is little that we in America can do to constrain Musk except by boycotting Tesla and X. 

Canada and Britain and other European nations, meanwhile, should, at the very least:

enact laws and regulations to prohibit non-citizens (like Musk) from financing activities that could affect their elections.

maintain, if not strengthen, laws and rules against hate speech, and ensure that they are applied to social media companies, such as Musk’s X. 

refuse to contract with Musk’s Space X and its Starlink satellite division, or with Musk’s other corporations (Tesla and the Boring Company).

disengage from any joint ventures or technology transfers involving Musk, including xAI, his artificial intelligence company. 

(If you’ve got other ideas, please include in the comments.)

[dol--blathanna]

So since CR campaign 3 is ending today (RIP) I’ve been seeing a lot of Hot Takes about the campaign overall, the events of the past few episodes, and the fact C3 is ending now. I generally try not to get involved in CR discourse (also I am primarily a witcher-themed blog lol) BUT I wanted to share my Super Duper Important and Urgent Campaign 3 Hot Take because I haven’t seen anyone mention it and I'm beginning to gaslight myself over if I'm remember things wrong:

I Can’t Believe Bells Hells Never Called Ira Out For Erasing Ollie’s Memories/Mind-Controlling Him

So way back in the campaign, in episode 31 “Breaking Point”, Ira betrayed the group (including Birdie and Ollie), stole the Moontide crown, and vanished. Imogen and FCG entered Ollie’s mind and found various “grey smears” in his memories, including one where “Birdie was crying”, then both she and Ollie angrily gathered their belongings with the intent to leave as fast as possible…only for the memory to go into the grey smear, and then the next memory having Birdie and Ollie working alongside Ira again, as if their moment of wanting to ditch Ira never happened.

So obviously, Ira was either erasing Ollie’s memories or magically controlling him and Birdie (or maybe both) in order to stop them from leaving. Not only that, but there are these grey smears all over Ollie’s mind – Matt even describes it as “Swiss-cheese”, i.e. Ira did this a LOT! Bell’s Hells even theorise that perhaps Birdie and Ollie kept on discovering that Ira was evil and wanting to leave, or – most importantly – wanting to go back to Fearne. And Ira robbed them of their choice!

And Bell’s Hells…completely forget about this. The next time they see Ira, they’re asking him to help stop Ludinus during the solstice and the first attack on the Malleus Key (and, very importantly, to Please Not Let Xandis Die when they make the plan to crash the airship into the key). And like, I totally get it – they were trying to gather as many allies as possible, and Ira is both very useful but also not particularly trustworthy, so accusing him and starting an argument with him before a very dangerous and time-sensitive mission would have been unwise.

But, 88 episodes since they entered Ollie’s mind have passed and – nothing! It has never, ever been brought up again, despite them working with Ira a number of times since then. And I think that’s a shame because Fearne feeling abandoned by her parents, then all the additional drama with Zathuda, was a very interesting part of her character, and Ira mind-controlling her parents could have been part of why they didn’t go back to her – but unless it’s brought up in the 8hr finale tomorrow, I guess we’ll never know. (Of course this isn’t even touching the question of whether Nana Morri stretched time secretly to give herself more years with Fearne, considering it had been 90 years since Fearne saw her parents but Birdie was under the impression it was 6/7 years – that’s a whole other can of worms that unfortunately was never opened, iirc).

But anyway Bells Hells might have forgotten about Ira meddling with Ollie’s mind but NOT ME. I haven't and I have held a grudge against Ira this entire time and I have no regrets for that. Fearne I love you, Birdie and Ollie I’ve got your back, FUCK Ira all my homies hate Ira, I hope he steps on a lego with his nasty 2-toed feet, also isn’t it funny that he FAILED to blow up his nemesis Sorrowlord Zathuda with a giant bomb on the moon haha what a LOSER. Meanwhile Chetney threw a chisel at Zathuda’s head and Orym slashed him and then Zathuda DIED wow Ira you are so CRINGE you couldn’t even manage that. Also I am Totally Not in Denial About Campaign 3 Ending. We’re definitely getting another 100 episodes trust me. Source: my delusions.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Martin Pengelly at The Guardian:

Donald Trump’s Jewish daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, refused to sign a statement saying Trump was not antisemitic, according to a new book by the veteran Trump tell-all author Michael Wolff. “As he kept seeming to be incapable of offering absolute support for Israel in the wake of October 7,” Wolff writes, referring to the deadly 2023 attacks by Hamas, “Trump, not for the first time, turned to Jared for Jewish cover, explicitly asking him and Ivanka for a public endorsement. “As Trump had continued to waffle, the Washington Post, the campaign understood, was working on a piece that would recycle all the language Trump had variously used over the years, which, on its face, might certainly sound antisemitic. Kushner kept dodging on the formal endorsement of his father-in-law. The campaign then tried to settle for merely a statement from him that his father-in-law was not antisemitic.”

According to Wolff, Kushner finally said: “No, Ivanka and I aren’t going to do that. We’re not going to go and put our names on something and get in the middle of things. That’s just not what we’re going to do this time.” Kushner and Ivanka Trump were senior advisers to Trump during his first presidency, from 2017 to 2021. But they kept their distance after his attempt to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat to Joe Biden culminated in his supporters’ January 6 attack on Congress. The couple have not taken up roles in his second administration after he won back the presidency in November at the expense of former vice-president Kamala Harris, though Kushner has been linked to Trump’s controversial plans to depopulate and redevelop the Gaza strip after Israel’s relentless assault in response to 7 October.

Wolff’s book, All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America, is his fourth on the president. The new volume was formally confirmed this week, shortly ahead of its US publication on Tuesday. The Guardian obtained a copy. Wolff’s first Trump book, Fire and Fury, was released in 2018 and sold millions as Trump tried to block it, kicking off a lucrative rush of Trump-focused books that has shown new signs of life since he won re-election.

Wolff followed Fire and Fury with Siege and Landslide. Excerpts from All or Nothing have been published in Vanity Fair and the Daily Beast, the latter detailing what Wolff claims is Melania Trump’s “hatred” for her husband. Announcing All or Nothing, publisher Crown said: “Wolff’s thesis in his 18 months of covering the campaign was that the establishment would destroy Trump, or Trump would destroy the establishment. All or Nothing is Wolff’s panoramic and intimate picture of that battle … from indictments, to trials, to assassination attempts, to the humiliation and defenestration of a sitting president, to Trump’s staggering victory.”

According to the new All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America book from Michael Wolff, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner refused to sign memo saying Trump was not antisemitic.

[tellmeallaboutit]

Reasons why Asmodeus should stay king of hell, a shittily written list of indulgence and propaganda (Praise Asmodeus!)

1. My non-OC OTP: Asmodeus x Mephistopheles, is sexiest when mephistopheles gets put in his place. (Which needs Asmodeus being a higher rank)

2. Asmodeus is sexy (the art by kooks I shared awhile ago)

3. Asmodeus is smart (he outsmarted heaven in their own court...)

4. Asmodeus is strong (one billion examples here)

5. Asmodeus is a greater deity (sexy)

6. He's just a cute gigantic snake... He's never done anything wrong ever (ignore the many awful things he's done)

7. He's playing 5d chess while everyone else plays connect four while drunk

8. Pretty snek

9. Mephistopheles hateboner must stay strong

10. Because I said so

- Asmodeus propagandist (totally not Xy)

Hail Asmodeus! Hail the Great Serpent!

You speak the truth, totally not Xy. As part of the joint propaganda campaign, I will quote this vision of Asmodeus from HWLL:

The Great Serpent wriggled through the cosmos, worlds, planets and souls and beyond. This great cosmic maw, the great eater, capable to force rip the fabric of space and time, to erase reality, to shatter it into trillions of tiny particles, to consume quadrillions of whining fleas, you included.

You could not comprehend the true form of the Great Serpent. To look upon him and comprehend his scope was to have one's humanity extinguished like a candle flame.

What have you ever known of power? The crown, the weave, the magic itself, it was all nothing compared to the primordial cradle, the original sin, the seed of evil in every being that can breathe as long as it is forced to breathe. Every existence started not with bliss, but with a scream of agonizing pain.

Every vice, every lie, every sin slaked the Great Serpent, and he multiplied them in return. The Great Serpent loves us all. Without our multitudes, he is nothing, and we are nothing without him.

[mooshlovely]

Nein Again Episode 11

Watching Beau crush on Yasha this early is really cute (23) "She's super creepy, but in like, a hot way"

oh god its the bread muffler (1:04)

Courting of the Crick! (and also Tusk Love) I just can't believe how much this bookshop foreshadows the romances in this campaign. Like you couldn't have planned this any better if it were intentional. Also I am very much Caleb in this situation, I too want educational smut (1:10) Also the fact that Courting of the Crick is a banned book, that it uses Crick instead of Kryn, it does so much to set up that whole conflict

Beau looking over her shoulder for Fjord when shes in a social situation, I love their relationship so much. (1:21)

They mostly make fun of the bread muffler cause it's weird, but its also such a clear sign that Caleb did not grow up with money (1:25)

Sudden Caleb interrogation. Beau definitely knows Caleb has opinions he is not sharing and she wants to know (1:31) "what are you going to do about it?" Well in a couple months you'll both be putting a Cerberus assembly member in prison

Caleb found his spell book in a pawn shop? Huh. I guess he needed to start somewhere (1:34)

I love Matt describing the Courting of the Crick (and also Marisha writing everything down) (2:13) And god its super useful that the Nein have at least some basic info about Kryn (also find it very funny that the book calls it the Kyrn empire and not the dynasty, such a good way for them to learn the correct misinformation)

Huh I do not remember why Nott is asking about Dolan (2:17)

Oh shit I forgot we got Nott backstory like this. (3:01) "I need him to save me" god I didn't even realize that Nott is already hoping that Caleb will turn her back. Nott and Caleb really are winning the codependency Olympics. "He could change me" and Fjord thinking that its a lack of self-esteem and not like, a matter of a witch's curse. Fjord: "I didn't always look like this" lol Nott immediately latches on to this. Of course her first thought is that she has found a kindred spirit

Fjord: "I did my own dental work" Oh shit cause of the tusks (3:05)

Damn I forgot that the Courting of the Crick was a tragedy (3:11)

Temult Storehouse. Fucking wild. Unrelated to Imogen though right? (3:16) Ah its Timalt, damn

Crown of madness is an ingenious ploy from Fjord, fucking amazing (3:20)

It really does say a lot about the Nein that 4 out of 6 of them have disguise self. They're just so sketchy (3:24)

I would love to know how much of this shit made it back to the Baumbocks. Like do they realize that there's a group going around intentionally dragging their name through the mud in the weirdest of ways? This is would be such a fun PC backstory. Give me a young Baumbock with a vendetta trying to figure out why the Nein are like this

"all your life" you mean the last two years, Molly (3:42)

It's actually interesting how hesitant Caleb is about this. I think at this point his fear of being found out weighs any desire to try and fix things. Which I guess makes sense if his master plan is still to go back and time to fix things (3:43)