#BA: lore

[burning-academia-if]

I wanted to do one of those cute questions like all the others about the ROs, but I couldn't think of anything (and while I didn't intend to do romance on a first run, I've always been a sucker for the childhood friends to lovers trope, and I really liked the way Rook came to MC's defense against the Headmaster 😅). But one thing I am curious about is how Magicians are born, that is, is it genetics, is it random, or is it both of those (or none of them)?

For magicians, its genetics! It's also what sets them apart from other magic users (mages, witches, and warlocks). I think I've mentioned briefly before in a prior ask, but the biological structure of a magician is actually slightly different from a human! Their heart is just slightly bigger, and to a human doctor it would look like they have extra veins and blood capillaries (however these extras don't carry blood, it carries magic, so magicians literally bleed out their magic when hurt. This is also in part why Soul Magicians bleed when they push themselves to hard when using magic).

However, the gene for magic is actually recessive! So it's very possible to have two magician parents who end up having a human child. This also makes magician politics incredibly messy (especially in the region Vales Grove is in since they're uh, Significantly more strict about magic use and humans knowing magic exists).

Luck magicians are also a sort of biological mystery since by all accounts, they should be able to use magic (they have it in their veins, and their biology mimics magicians that can use magic), and there's currently a lot of theories around why they can't.

Last note because I could rant about this forever LMAO but this is also why magicians can see magical creatures and humans can't! Even their eye structure is slightly different, and if you look at the region of the brain responsible for interpreting sight, you'd see that region of the brain looks just slightly off as well. This point stands for hearing as well!

[harbingerofsoup]

there’s death of the author and then there’s whatever the fuck is up with danny phantom

[theangrycomet-art]

wait just how big is Elita once she gets her jet upgrade?

El' was already a big femme, but according to my height chart's after her upgrade she's just a few feet shorter than Starscream.

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[krussyarts]

H- hi guys *drops my first crumb of the shockblurr yuri au and runs* (yap in tags)

[val-of-the-north]

Tibia Mariners and Those Lost in Death

While I am at it, I should talk about a detail found in Messmer's Shadow Keep. On the way to the Specimen Storehouse, you'll be faced with a peculiar sight: boats lit on fire.

This seems to be a callback to Viking funerals, except the boats are placed in a row and burnt on land. It's certainly an odd practice, but it might only be done this way because Messmer's forces are far from an accessible shore or water that's deep enough to perform it normally.

However, something else caught my eye. The boats looked quite familiar so I went back to check and...

It was the EXACT model as the boats used by the Tibia Mariners! Perhaps it is obvious seeing as the Messmer boats are used in a funerary rite, but I think it's still quite a significant connection, especially since the old Mariners have gotten quite a bit of new lore in the DLC. In Charo's Hidden Grave we can find the skulls of boatmen as a crafting material, presumably that of previous Tibia Mariners.

This is outright confirmed after finding the lone Tibia Mariner in the area, who upon defeat drops the Tibia's Cookbook, which describes them as the oldest of grave keepers.

(Btw I love the detail of the piece of lace cloth and golden ornaments, they are the same found on the Mariners themselves. They even come with the same ghostly glow)

This is quite the revelation, as prior to Shadow of the Erdtree we had no way of knowing that these guys actually predated the spread of Deathroot and Godwyn's transformation into the Prince of Death. And how could we doubt that, since they even drop Deathroot themselves? But there was something that most people have neglected to note about the Mariners, me included.

In the base game, the Tibia Mariner found in the Wyndham Ruins drops a spell called Tibia's Summons. This inconspicuous sorcery of the servants of death actually holds a perplexing description which mentions a group known as "Those Lost in Death".

There was something seemingly redundant and unexplained about these guys. What does "Lost in Death" mean? Why aren't they simply called "Those Who Live in Death"? It wouldn't blame anyone for assuming that this description just contains an outdated term for the undead before they stuck with the one used in-game. However, through the Tibia's Cookbook, we find a NEW reference to this same concept.

Roughly the same title (Those Lost in Death = one lost in death), the same underlying sentiment, and we have verifiable proof that the Tibia Mariners are outright ancient... so what's the deal with this? Well, I have a theory.

The descriptions of these things hint at the fact that the dead have been wandering for a very long time, and that they are in need of leadership. Before the DLC, it was easy to assume that the undead were simply a result of Deathroot, and the game seemed to suggest the same thing by stating multiple times that it was the origin of Those Who Live in Death...

... but that's the thing! Prior to Deathroot connecting them to Godwyn, the undead amounted only to shambling corpses. They were not LIVING in Death, but simply LOST in it, which is how the Mariners were able to control them in ancient times through the use of sounds, both their horns and the Calls of Tibia. It's only through the guidance of a lord, in this case the Prince of Death, that they found an identity and new life.

It's likely the undead waned in the era of Marika because of her elaborate Erdtree burials and general control of life and death. Heck, the figure of Rosus, who guides us to the Catacombs, must have also played a big part in their disappearance. His axe has a similar power to the Tibia's Summons and it's called Rosus's Summons. Its description also mentions that the dead easily lose their way, meaning that Rosus was meant to lend the dead a guiding hand. "Those Lost in Death" would be lost no more.

Without people Lost in Death, the Mariners kind of lost their purpose and vanished for a long time... until the Shattering and the rise of Those Who Live in Death of course. It might mean that the only reason they hold onto Deathroot is because it attracts and connects the new undead.

I guess Godwyn was meant to be a sort of "lighthouse" for all undead. He would make sure they never lost themselves but also that they would be allowed to live instead of being forced back to rest like with Rosus and Marika. Him being a "lighthouse" also fits the marine theme that all this death business is going for quite neatly I think...

But to return to what started this... maybe those boats lit on fire are Messmer's way of making sure the soldiers of his army aren't lost to death after their passing. A way to give them a proper rest the way Marika would have wanted, even though he is limited in what he can do about it. The Catacombs are now corrupted with Deathroots and Godwyn's corpse bodies, and guarded by his fervent golden Death Knights.

(P.S. - I didn't know where to put this, but "Charo" is one letter off from Charon, the ferryman of the dead in Greek mythology. Seeing as the place is connected to the Tibia Mariners, who shepherded Those Lost in Death in an age long past, I find that this connection might not be mere coincidence...)

[ziezii]

zuko's stressing and dreading for the next council meeting happening in a few days for new installments for their new city, he's talked to katara about his feelings but decide to keep his dread about what to do a secret

but, for the past two days he's seen it. little scribbles on paper giving him ideas and opinions on the thing he was working on. he immediately thinks his wife was behind all of this and smiles at the thought (he'll have to thank her later)

that smile however, turns even wider when he comes to his study room the night before the meeting and meets his 8 year old son, seemingly brainstorming

their relationship has been somewhat rocky, only turning for the better the last couple of months. so when he walks in and his son notices, they spend (and will continue until he's an adult) the majority of the night in prepping for the meeting

[buboloboogie]

INTRODUCING THE ALBISUCKERS!!! aka just if you put the riptide characters into Vampire The Masquerade setting -- I have thought a lot about this. BUT ANYWAY!! this is my piece for @foxhoarder13 for the @jrwi-art-exchange !!!!!!! was super fun to work on it, this is my first event so I am excited to do more !! :DD Hope you like it as much as I had fun working on it :33 posting a speed paint of this soon btw!! just gotta edit it eehehe

[thegreatyin]

i don't think veils and candles were necessarily partners in the romantic sense but i do think the fact they were close is undeniable. but also i don't think it's quite as simple as friendship. or really even anything in-between those two extremes. but also DEFINITELY somewhere in-between those two extremes. but also Not. i think veils regrets nothing but is also haunted™ by everything. i think they're doomed yaoi but like in an especially fucked up and particularly evil way. i think candles walked around always dressed up in the finest silks and veils was often spotted prying wax off its claws. i think the vake sometimes brought its prey home and their fat was used to light candlefire. i think if iron was his knight veils was his casted shadow. i think candles' absence is a very deep very bloody very rancorous hole in veils' heart that it tries to ignore, fill, or replace, but the hunger remains nonetheless. i think candles thought he understood it. i think veils knew he never did. they embraced before he rose and they will never embrace again.

but also this is all over a guy who looked like This, so, y'know, maybe eaten is just upset he lost his good looks in the cannibalism and he really needs to get over it already

the god-eaters said they'd take a little. and they did. they did take a little. it's just that he's tiny and "a little" by normal curator body measurements translates to "his entire fucking body". this is the truth fbg doesn't want you to know-

[dragonagegayz]

I can’t write nor draw cause I’m too tired waiting for this terrible shift to end so I’m gonna lore dump about Bas a little since he’s on the dome

So Bas transitioned very young but was figured out to be a mage before he could fully transition at the age of 16. He was turned to a Saarabas since he was part of the Qun at the time and while he hated it entirely, it was the only way he did feel safe from possession because that’s how the Qun explained it to him. He truly thought were he not binded as Saarabas are, he’d instantly get possessed.

Unfortunately at 20, Bad was assaulted and fell pregnant but by this time he knew he wanted to leave the Qun. With the help of other Saarabas, he did manage to escape however he had to stop before he could escape because he gave birth to his child, a son he named Hissera (hope). They were recaptured though not before Bad managed to murder a whole lot of them but fell due to exhaustion.

Bas was meant to be sent to the reeducators in attempt to rid him of his disloyalty but he escaped before they could get him there, managing to find Hissera and escaping a 2nd time, this time successfully.

Like many escaping Qunari, they ended up in Rivain and from there, he met a women elf Estella who would later become very important to him…

[burning-academia-if]

Hi! What are the powers of each ro? what makes them "special" and mc?

I won't give a super detailed explanation since Rhea already went into all of it in Chapter 1 but a quick recap: You're either born with magic or you aren't.

If you are, you're a magician. There's three types; Soul magicians (magic comes from intentions/morals/beliefs, considered the most powerful, magic can have harmful effects on their body), Heart magicians (magic comes from emotions, less powerful, magic can visibly be seen in use), and Luck magicians (have magic in their veins but can't use it, since they still have magic the world seems to like them and 'lucky' things happen to them, hence the term).

BA has a pretty soft magic system, so you can theoretically do w/e you want with magic with certain limits. Soul magicians can't use magic at all if it goes against their beliefs + it can hurt their bodies. Heart magicians magic is as powerful as the emotions they're currently feeling. Heart magicians are also the only ones compatible with Death Creatures (ghosts, wraiths, poltergeists, etc), although that's pretty rare and no one knows why. With all that said:

Soul Magicians: Rook and Rhea

Heart Magicians: Beck and Lars

Luck Magician: Zoe

Not a magician: ??? and MC

Beck and Lars are both special because their magic is compatible with Death, but they're still Heart Magicians and so their magic is seen as weaker. Rook's magic...isn't strong, and Rhea's magic is average. ??? isn't a magician and can't use magic at all. What MC can do is up to you since there are a few options. You can find a magic item to use (making you a mage), you can get into necromancy, or you can pick the terrible decision to make a deal with something to use magic (making you a warlock). You can also not do any of that and remain without magic/death abilities. Each decision has their own unique consequences.

It should also be noted Death and Magic are opposites of each other, so necromancy isn't considered magic in this world. If anything, it's just blasphemy lol

[townslore]

if i happen to draw today i'll get to doing more requests ❕❕ been too tired coming home from work but im free for a week now

[theangrycomet-art]

No Longer You

Ariel deals with the changes of her recent upgrade poorly.

Don't worry, nobody important died. She just almost maimed her bestie- what's a few near fatal injuries between friends anyways?

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[breakdawn-avenue]

A quiet love – I.

Summary: Loving someone has never been difficult, despite being closed off. So falling in love with a co-worker is nothing new. Midoriya Izuku, the young teacher who just started teaching shortly before you came to U. A., has such a unique personality that it feels like it’s impossible not to fall in love with him. His caring, gentle, and fiercely loyal heart has captured you right away, despite the awkward first meetings. You want his sunshine in your life so badly. But what happens when he gathers the courage and confesses to you? Your first thought is to leave U. A. Much to your chagrin, though, Katsuki doesn’t let you run away. But if running away is not an option, then what else is there to do? chapter I. summary: Saturday’s school day is finally over. Your head pounds and you want to head over to a pharmacy. However, your supervisor isn’t done with talking to you yet. How on earth did you end up like this? Words: 3,380 CW: swearing since Katsuki has a role in this story as well. reader can swear as well but they usually chose not to. canon-typical violence in later chapters. we’re re-visiting the Wild, Wild Pussycats in the Beast’s Forest! to be quiet honest, it wasn’t intended to publish this little story. mostly since I also lost my primary reader. things went down badly and I don’t want to disclose what exactly went wrong. so, instead, I push myself a little bit and combine an ask that I received a while ago (“who said ‘I love you’ first?” but since they blocked me, I can’t “answer” it properly anymore) with how we got together and how the first kiss happened. the first chapter is already up on Ao3. thank you very much for reading if you do decide to read it! :)

[zukkaart]

Chapter 25: Love Amongst the Dragons of Try Hard is officially live!

I really love seeing everyone’s takes on what they thing the Love Amongst the Dragons play that Zuko loves is really about! And as such I was SO exited to write my own!

I really hope you enjoy and even if you don’t read the rest of the fic please let me know if you like this version of LUtD I’ve written 🥰

Chapter 25/27

Read from the beginning!

Official playlist 🩷

[ask-valiant-victory]

[ @ask-a-silvy ] Shauna @Valiant: [You have a sibling that calls you funny names? I do, too! Tell me about yours first? Please?]

She clung to the above note with both paws, looking at Valiant with pleading, eager eyes.

Valiant stared at the note for an uncomfortable amount of time, it had words on it... Oh no. He wasn't the best when it came to reading, especially mortal words. They always looked so odd compared to Arcerune. If he could, he would almost feel too intimidated to give it a try, but thankfully that wasn't the case and after some further silence, he attempted to read it aloud. But, very slowly.

He was clearly struggling with the note, often stopping on some words completely for minutes at a time. It was almost painful to watch the Zoroark stumbling and stuttering through the short sentence. It took far too long before he finally got through it all. Once he said the last word he happily chirped up. "Okay! I think I know what it says now..."

"Did I get that right?" he cheerfully asked, "Forgive me I'm not the best at reading things. I'm still trying to learn how to read better." "But to answer your question, I have two siblings. If you do not count the other gods Giratina, Palkia and Dialga."

"They were also the one that liked to throw things at me for fun! Voyage was very close to Arceus."

"But, sadly my god didn't want them anymore so they got rid of them! Arceus said it was because they didn't do what they wanted, so they didn't need them!"

"It was funny because Voyage would always tell me I would never replace her, which I find very silly because I wasn't trying to! They did not like that I was a 'fake copycat of her.' as they put it. They would always bring up how I wasn't the real version." "And lastly!"

"Valor didn't like to listen however. I do not know why but that never changed no matter how many times Arceus tried to remake him. Maybe it was because Valor was made with the things I was missing?" He gave a soft shrug. "I am surprised Arceus hasn't attempted to remake me yet... But, they often call me a 'failure' and a 'lost cause', so perhaps it would be too much effort to do so."

"I really wish to hear of yours now! This is very fun! I like this bonding activity." He gave her a smile, even if it was still as fake as ever. "Which one of your siblings calls you the strange words?"

[ Ask from @ask-a-silvy ]

[bolinity]

(i did it. i finally finished rewatching atla.)