#Basically any combined of the ishtars

[ishtarcest]

Happy and shocked that this url was available. Still setting the blog up but uuuh expect probably writing and reblogs, maybe some art once I get settled in. I'll put some ships you'll see here in the tags. I ship much more than this so there may be more eventually.

A little bit about me:

• I'm 21+. Please don't interact if you're under 18

• I ship a lot of shit and a lot of it is problematic, as my username suggests. If you don't like that it's totally fine to block me

•I'm friendly, feel free to say hi!

[ashoss]

Child of Venus (or alternatively a legacy) Tim Drake. 

First really quickly going to run down some very basic history quickly. 

Roman Venus comes from the Greek Aphrodite, who comes from the Western Semitic goddess Astarte, who is known by the ancient Mesopotamian as Ishtar and earlier Ianna. 

This is an extreme overview of thousands of years of history, but it conveys my point. I want to explore all of these aspects quickly before I get into my thoughts on how this connects. (Also, like an extreme basic rundown of things that people might not know)

Ianna - is the goddess of love and war (along with several other fields) but is also heavily associated with divine law and political power. An interesting fact is that she was actually a three-form goddess. She went from a fairly localised deity to one of the most venerated deities across Mesopomeia. When the Assyrians took over, she became the highest deity, even above their national ones. She was so popular and essential that she is alluded to in Hebrew text. She didn’t experience a proper decline until the period between the 1st century CE and the sixth century CE when Christianity became widespread. She was in more myths than any other Sumerian deity.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna 

Astarte - is the goddess of these associated combinations: war, royal power, healing, and hunting (and several others). The travels, trade, and colonisation of the people would end with her being worshipped and an accepted deity in many places, from Egypt to the Iberian peninsula. She is considered to be the equivalent of Isis in some schools of thought. Her worship would land in Cyprus, where she could have merged with a local goddess and would slowly go to mainland Greece during the late Mycenean era or the following post-Broze age collapse. In the Greek classical period, she was occasionally equated with Aphrodite through (what a great many Polythetsic cultures did) the practice of synchronising deities.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte

Aphrodite - is the goddess of love, beauty, and passion (along with the others everyone knows). She is one of the twelve Olympians and is one of the most widely celebrated and worshipped deities in the Hellenic world. Some of her other epithets were Eleemon (the merciful) and Enoplios (armed). She was called Tymborychos (gravedigger) along with the previously discussed Areia (the warlike) in one of her darker, more violent natures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite_Areia

Venus - is the goddess of desire, prosperity, and victory. She is the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, and Julius Ceaser claimed to have been her ancestor. A couple of the epithets I want to highlight for a moment are Fleix (lucky), Genetrix (the mother), Physica Pompeiana (Pompeii’s protective goddess), Verticordia (charger of hearts), and Victrix (victorious) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_(mythology)

Okay, now let's move on to my thoughts because this consumed my brain so much that I needed to grab my computer and write it down. 

The Thoughts! 

I’ll start with the child of Venus and then do the legacy version. 

Janet and Venus. Imagine if, on one of the important archaeology trips, Janet comes across something important to Venus. It could be anything, whether it be the start of new ruins of a worship spot or a statue. Venus appreciates Janet's respect towards the findings and wants to know more about Janet. (There is also the fact that there is an extreme difference between the number of men and women in archaeology, especially field archaeology.) The two of them share a conversation where Janet shows interest in the history of Venus, and Venus herself drops the idea that the history behind Venus and the goddesses that precede her is also enjoyable. It was a test. Janet takes this information, wanting to have another conversation with the woman and learns as much as possible. Realising that she can do more field research, she sets it up. Venus appreciates this, and he wonders whether Tim is just the kid of Janet and Venus or if he has a three-parent setup. Tim exists. 

Did Venus more or less give Janet a quest? Yes. Does Janet regret it? No. It is a very cute and tragic set-up because to be favoured by the gods is to be doomed by them. You could change up their death a bit, too. To match the tragedy vibe. 

Tim grows up learning all about his parent's work. It may not have been his favourite, but he listened and learned. Tim, sent to boarding schools and in the comics, always saw school as a necessity but something secondary—Tim, who was often separate from his parents. What if when Dick Grayson’s parents died (Monster attack?), his parents realised just how dangerous the world is, and they sent him to different boarding schools to try and keep him safe. It could also explain some of Jack’s attitude. Knowing that Tim isn’t truely his. Knowing the reality that fate could hand his son. Explain why he often sits back to parenting, knowing that his son could die in tragedy young, but also why he clings sometimes. Why will he hammer down on parenting when he realises that he can’t protect his kid and his kid could die? 

Now onto Tim. Tim loves his city so much. Tim goes back to Gotham even when his whole family moves. Tim would do anything for Gotham. That is Passion and Love. That is dedication. Tim, who becomes Robin. Who must go through a much longer trail and training before becoming Robin properly? He who trained under Shiva, who Shiva sees potential for. He who chooses an unconventional weapon. One that does not quickly kill but requires skill and ability to use. (He is fighting a war in Gotham but also loves Gotham. He hurts and helps. He causes pain, and he saves. He brings himself to ruin to help his loved ones in his beloved city and make something better for the world he lives in.) 

Tim finds himself victorious most of the time but sometimes has to rely a bit on luck. He is Robin, a protector of Gotham. Tim, by the way of being Robin, is trying to create a better Gotham. Tim is the one who created the Batfamily as we know it. He often gets people to work together that do not work together very well. 

He is also well-travelled because he is Robin and a hero in general. He has been on multiple teams and has worked alone, and despite seeing what the world (the universe) has to offer, he is still from Gotham and will belong to Gotham. 

But tragedy follows him, and he ends up in front of the graves of his loved ones more often than not. His parents, his friends, and those he feels he has failed. Even with the best of intentions, people still die and leave, and generally, being Robin creates a tragedy. 

Tim being the first Roman in the family could be very alienating and make him feel like he has to prove himself, but also the idea that he would have to work harder to prove he can fight and be here, and people still underestimate him? Venus may have been significant, but people have inherent biases. No one would assume a child of Venus would be a skilled warrior despite the history of war. However, the opposite is how people would think he only got this far because of how important of a goddess his mother is. That he didn’t have to put in the hard work because he wasn’t expected to. 

I have many more thoughts, but they generally vibe without a coherent statement. If I find words for them, I’ll send another annon. 

~~~

The Legacy idea

One of the Drakes is a child of Venus who is doing archaeology because it is part of the quest their mother sent them on. They are constantly travelling because staying in one place could have put their son in even more danger. If you still wanted Tim to be tied to Athena, you could have the other parent be a child or a legacy of Athena. 

Annon AK

(btw if you guys are interested in aphrodite lore, i really enjoyed Overly Sarcastic Production’s video on her! theyve also done one on Dionysus, Hermes and Hades/Persephone - plus a ton of other myths and classics :))

Honestly i am so in love with aphrodite/venus child tim (no pun intended). while yes athena fits him in terms of intellect and wit- tim is more so defined by his love- for his friends, family, gotham itself. (and thank you @pooky-chan for telling me abt aphrodite tim, i feel like his love is such an underused part of his character.)

i think actually going into janet and jack's relationship with venus is super interesting! i hadn't really thought about how their birth/godly parent would effect any of their family dynamic at all.

tbh everything youve said is really great! i definitely couldn't have gone in that much detail for his background. thank you for sharing :D

[cookiesupplier]

Catch You When You Fall - Part Two

pairing: Nicholas Ruffilo & ofc (Catherine)

warnings/tropes: slow burn, angst, murder, mystery, smut, mentions of speciesism, mentions of violence, trauma... (to be added.)

summary: A new soul has arrived in the Afterlife. While she appears to adjust just like anyone else might in the new environment of the world of life after death, despite the ordeal she experienced with her death. The question is has she really, and can Nicholas help her without crossing lines that he knows he shouldn't?

Authors Note: Sooo took me an extra day.. and its extra unbeta'd.. sorry for any mistakes.. my read through of my draft was super rushedddd sorry.. hopefully its not too bad!

To find the others in the Hell AU Universe: Combined Hell-Verse Masterlist

tags: @missduffsblog @tearfallpixie @spicywhenspeaking @sorrowsofsilence @wild-child-7747

@lacktoesandtoddlerants @blackveilomens @valiantroeagleangel @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses

@embracethereaper42 @emmmm127 @sunsshinesunny @dominuslunae @xxkittenkissesxx

If you would like to be added to this tag list please see THIS FORM

Over the next few days, Cat got the ‘Hell’ tour from Bryce. He showed her around the community, took her to her new home. It was a little apartment on the ground floor, with a balcony that led out to a small green area out front. Bryce had even told her she could plant something there if she wanted to. It was the first time in her life that she had the option of her own garden to tend to, and she absolutely loved the idea. Before, she’d always lived in different types of rental spaces, and they always, without fail, had different levels of landlord rules. It made sense of course, she was only renting and didn’t own the space, she couldn’t do anything she wanted with it. Basically, it amounted to her not being able to plant anything, even if there was a strip of space that would be perfect for it, now she had hopes of starting a little garden of her own. She just had to decide on what flowers she was going to plant in it, what she was going to do with it, she knew she wanted to include some irises of some kind, they are her mother’s favourite. Once she had them planted, she looked forward to seeing them every morning, she hoped it would be a long time until she saw her mother here. As it was, she was almost wished the flowers were already planted as she got ready to leave, but they weren’t, not yet. 

Pulling on her coat as she passed by the balcony of the front hall of her apartment and let herself out the door. She was on her way to her first day of work, well, her first official day of work. Cat had met her boss yesterday. Ishtar had been wonderful when they spoke the day before at the vegetarian café that Cat was going to be working at. It was still quite new apparently, it had only opened up a few weeks ago, so everything was still just starting up, but it already seemed popular. While Cat wasn’t vegetarian herself, she loved to bake and try new things. The moment that Ishtar had heard this, she’d lit up like the Christmas tree in the middle of Times Square, and Cat couldn’t help but smile. She had a feeling they were going to get along just fine, despite the fact that she was almost sure that it was Bryce that had seemed wary when he told her about this job.

When they started talking about what jobs she might want to do, Bryce had brought her a list of different possible options for her. Most of them were menial jobs she would have never touched when she was alive, bartender? Not that she had anything against working at a bar, or clubbing, but she didn’t know how to make those kinds of drinks for the life of her! She’d studied as an English major and had worked at a publishing house while she was alive. Sure, she had drank a few cocktails, but she didn’t know heads or tails about how to make them. Books, now those were something that she had always been passionate about. Being here, in the Afterlife, her entire world turned upside down, it was a perfect time to make a change, to take a chance on something she loved. So that was what had drawn her to the café, despite Bryce’s attempts in talking her into working in the library instead. She knew he was just trying to guide her to what she knew, she couldn’t blame him for that. 

She had visited the library with him when he had taken her there, hoping to change her mind, she was sure, not that he said as much. Cat had gone to the library, and come back with a decent stack of books that were currently sitting on her night stand, and she was happily enjoying reading. The Afterlife had a very enjoyable assortment of literature, and unlike in the living world, she didn’t have to spend every cent of her pay check on books constantly. Who needed heaven, she was quite happy right here in so-called hell right now, thank you.  

Now, when it came to Bryce’s real problem with her working at the café, and she could tell he had a problem with it, even if he didn’t come right out and say it. The amount of times he asked if she was sure, if she was absolutely certain she wanted to work there, it was a giveaway. There was also the fact that he kept assuring her that if she changed her mind at any time, even after she started working there, she could always come to him, and he would work out another position for her. He was absolutely determined for some reason that she not work there, and it was mind-boggling as to why. 

Cat wasn’t sure which he seemed to have more trouble with, the fact that she didn’t immediately agree to his idea in the first place, or that she had chosen that specific café in question. At first, she had thought it was because she had decided on anything but his idea, he seemed like a man that was used to everyone just going along with the ideas that he had. Bryce was very easy going, the surfer vibe he had going on, he used it well, it worked for him, and seemed to make agreeing with him just seamless with most things. However, then, when she selected the café, and really insisted that was what she wanted to do, he switched gears and started assuring her that she didn’t have to decide right then and there. She could take her time. Take a few weeks, a few months if she needed to.

That was when he let her know that humans didn’t even need to work in hell, that technically, only demons did. Well, that was news to her. Up until that moment, he had seemed to be encouraging her to work, impressing upon her that she should. In fact, it had made her feel like if she didn’t, that she would be penalised in some way. Maybe she might not have ended up being punished in one of those torture realms, but something might happen to her. For all she knew, she would have gotten assigned a job if she didn’t choose one, and one that was disgusting.. Or worse, forcibly reincarnated as a bug, a cockroach, or worse, a spider. So hearing that she didn’t have to work at all, oh, Bryce was very obviously manipulating her, and she didn’t like it.

That had been when she decided that the café was definitely where she wanted to work, and there was nothing he could say that would talk her out of it now. She started this morning, and Cat was on her way to work, bright and early. While she loved to bake, she wasn’t actually going to be working there as one of the bakers, or dealing with any of the main food preparations that she knew of yet. Ishtar had told her yesterday that she was set to learn the ropes today, and that a lot of her work at the end of one day, was setting up for the next. It made everything go a lot smoother the next morning if she had everything prepared the day before. That was really smart, and she loved that idea, already the woman sounded amazing, she couldn’t wait to get to know her more. 

As she approached the outside of the café, she went along the side where the staff door was, knocking lightly, and a moment later the door opened to the smiling face of her boss, Ishtar. When she’d first met her, it had been remarkable to meet the bright bubbly face of the demoness, but a welcoming one. 

“Hey, Cat, come on in.”

Unlike Bryce, Ishtar, didn’t seem to jump right to the endearments to sweeten her up, she didn’t need to. She was perfectly nice enough on her own. Of course, meeting demons like her, made it all the clearer what Bryce had meant when he said that some demons don’t shift into a human form. While she had a humanoid form, two arms, two legs, and hypothetically ten fingers and ten toes by the looks of it, she was pure demon, with her gorgeous purple tones to her appearance. She adorned with tattoos still like other demons, hers were simple flowering vines over her skin, and stunning horns curled from her beautiful hair that was braided around them today.

Slipping into the back area of the café where they made all the food and drinks for the sitting area out front where they served the customers, at least the ones that didn’t take their food to go.

“Alright, Cat, so I’m going to get you started just taking orders behind the counter for now. Don’t worry, it's not going to be permanent, I hope to teach you how to do all the different jobs through the café. From waitressing, working register, making drinks, even baking for the display case, cooking out back.”

That really excited her to hear, that she wasn’t going to be shoehorned into one job here. If felt nice to know that she was going to have options and means to vary in time.

“Admittedly, sometimes I bake a lot a home and bring them in, it cuts down some of my extreme early morning commutes, and my boyfriend thanks me for that. His version of waking up early involves very different activities than baking.”

Cat felt her face flush warm, the kind of activities that she would attribute to early mornings and boyfriends, well, they didn’t involve baking either. Even if the thought of being in the kitchen of the morning brought about the idea of her boyfriend surprising her while she wore nothing but one of his shirts that she slept in. A boyfriend she had never got around to getting, she’d been far too much of a home body, always with her head in the books. The closest she came, and even before the end of the second day, he’d basically told her she was boring. That she needed to get her head out of the clouds, that there was more to life than fantasy. That being obsessed with dragons, magic, and elves, and all those things that go bump in the night was pathetic. Personally, she just thought he was pathetic, he would sit there playing his video games, and shoot up people, military type games. He had his obsession, so the fact he thought he could call her out for what she enjoyed, was ironic in the face of it. Unfortunately, at the time, she had spiralled and got so depressed at the rejection, but eventually she got over him and moved on focusing on school instead. 

“So if I might want to experiment in the future, baking, or other café style dish ideas, provided it's vegetarian, you might be interested?”

Cat was curious about trying different things. She wanted to try and see what happened with cooking instead of just her delving into the world of words and books like she had when she was alive. Maybe, also maybe, she was trying to give herself a little something for a distraction. A distraction from this dark feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t even really fathom right about now. 

“Oh, I would most definitely be interested. I can’t promise we will always serve what you come up with, but I’d love to see what you do make, I always like trying new things.”

Of course, Cat had no idea just yet what she might like to make, what would go well with what they made here. They had different treats and delights in the display case yesterday when she had come by to talk to Ishtar. Ishtar hadn’t called it an interview, nor the first time she had been by the café to meet with her and find out if she would be will to hire her in the first place. Instead, yesterday just seemed to be a check in to make sure everything was okay and that both she was still interested in working there, and Ishtar was still partial to having her at the café. With them both still on board, here she was, bright and early and ready to go.

“Can I ask, is the vegetarian element of the café, is that a preference of yours, or is that something you found lacking in the general cuisine choices?”

Cat couldn’t help but ask, it was a curious thing, she had found that a lot while she was alive. If enough people wanted something, then customs would adjust to embrace it. However, there were places that would buck so heavily against this it would tear a community apart, and it was so painful to see. She didn’t want to insult Ishtar by assuming anything about what she liked, or didn’t like.

“It’s a personal choice, I suppose it's half culture, half upbringing. When I was reborn this lifetime, I spent a lot of time with my mother, and she is vegetarian. However, as I got older and travelled more, I found I just didn’t have the same taste for meat others do. I can and have eaten it on occasion, it isn’t a health issue.. Much to my boyfriend’s thankfulness. Though.. Thinking of poor little animals, skewered for food, always does make me miserable.”

Nodding, that was fair, and it showed she had a bigger heart than some people. 

“I find it interesting there are still such diverse ways of life here.”

“Exactly, demons are just as diverse as humans, unfortunately it can also get just as ugly.. But let's not get into that. Now, let's get you set up at the register.”

Ishtar hooked her arm with hers with a bright smile and guided her up front to the counter so she could help her get set up before they opened.

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

[skelezomperman]

Revising a Tale of Star-Crossed Knights - Chapters 10-11

Link to Chapter 10: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39015690/chapters/101569836 Link to Chapter 11: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39015690/chapters/101992011

Chapters 10 and 11 are the response to Chapter 9. They cover the arc of the Silessian Civil War and the aftermath.

Chapter 10 is personally one of my favorite chapters of the work. It has some well-written scenes with battles in it and the motif of the Heavenly Knights being eliminated one-by-one is something that I liked. I also think I integrated well the personal drama of Erinys, especially involving her discovery that she is expecting another child with Finn far off in another country. Overall, fairly well written.

Chapter 11 is basically just filler, though it's not bad. I recall that the big thing I did for this one was write the letter and set up a scene farther in the future.

I don't really have much more to say but I wanted to document it at least. There weren't any major changes besides OCs getting excised again, aside from Hawke and Hermina's parents.

---

Original A/N for chapter 10:

This chapter is one that I've really looked forward to! It's such a combination of emotions, one after the other that will hit you *hard*. I was really looking forward to showcasing Erinys' battles with Dithorba and Pamela. I found that I wanted to show a sort of contrast between them. Pamela I feel is someone who actively lusted for power at any cost, someone who was outright envious of Annand - so she's a foil to Annand primarily, and Erinys wanted revenge. Dithorba on the other hand I feel is a foil to Erinys. She, like Erinys, has a child and she wants to make Silesse get a better future - she just thinks Lewyn would be a terrible king. So I made the battle between Erinys and Dithorba something to showcase that. One detail that I had is that Erinys only kills Dithorba because she was about to play dirty and assassinate Lewyn from behind - I didn't want to see Erinys actively want to kill Dithorba since she wasn't seeking revenge like with Pamela. And of course Dithorba leaves behind a daughter who I hope to incorporate at some point in the future.

This is also the chapter where Erinys finds out that she's expecting another child, which is something that shouldn't be a surprise to the reader at all. But this brings grief to Erinys still because Finn isn't going to be there when the child (spoilers: the child will be named Fee) is born. And that's something that will get showcased more in Chapter 11...although I'm still trying to plan out Chapter 11 so it doesn't exclusively focus on Fee being born.

Miscellaneous notes: Ced and Seliph having a playdate is nice. I think they should get to be friends. They will be in the future. Yes I created OC parents for Hawke and Hermina. They will definitely show up in the future for sure as background characters. Queen Erinys is going to need a court after all. Cabbage soup sounds reasonably simple enough to be something enjoyed by the peasantry, so it gets to show up as a sort of comfort food for Erinys. I headcanon that some of the kingdoms/duchies where the ruler wields the holy weapon, the coronation normally accompanies the passing down of the weapon. But this has to be selective given the examples of children taking the holy weapons from their living parent like Quan or Ishtar. Some quotes from the battles are inspired or taken from Fire Emblem Heroes.

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and looking forward to publishing Chapter 11 next week. Feel free to kudos or comment as always. :)

---

Original (very cringe!) A/N for Chapter 11:

(RANT) Okay, to be a bit upfront I genuinely do not want to write this much about pregnancy ever again. I'm not disgusted by it personally but I'm aware that some people are squicked out by it even when it's not turned into a kink like it is in some fanfics. So I can't help but feel really awkward about it because I'm anxious that other people will get turned off by it. I'd like to thank someone else who I've been talking to for helping me to not feel super weird about it and even giving a couple ideas for this. And I think I did an okay job of balancing it out so Erinys' character isn't revolving solely about the fact that she's having another kid. That said, I still don't want to drag out a pregnancy ever again in any fanfic, and hopefully I stick to that.

(RANT OVER) So this chapter was actually supposed to go all the way to the point where Erinys learns about what happened at Belhalla. Bellhalla is going to happen in not-July which is a couple months after Fee is born. But I dragged out a lot of the fluffy scenes so I decided to end the chapter with a scene of Erinys going to sleep thinking about the future which ties into the ending of Chapter 9. Chapter 12 is probably going to flip-flop POVs between Finn and Erinys which will at least help with keeping things in chronological order.

I added a couple more scenes involving Silvia because I wanted to develop the relationship between Erinys and Silvia more beyond that line in Chapter 7 that said "they were friends after that." Silvia is probably not going to appear in this fanfic ever again after this since she and Lewyn will disappear at Belhalla, so if I wanted Erinys to get close to her (other) queen then this was the time and place.

I also developed the relationship with Lewyn more as well. In the scene where Lewyn reveals that he wants to propose to Silvia, I wanted to make Lewyn look a bit nervous although I don't think I did that too well...he drank a lot on Not-Christmas Eve so he'd have the strength to propose to her. He'd kind of be the person who can try to make advances on people all the time but gets tripped up when he's seriously interested in someone. Towards the end is the scene where Lewyn tells Erinys to stay home. My intent with this scene was to make Lewyn sound patronizing towards her, something like "oh you're pregnant so you can't help" and it quietly makes Erinys feel mad that she's being looked down upon. She still does stuff in Silesse Town but she still wishes she could have gone with Lewyn, even if she would have ended up flying back to the capital anyways.

Miscellaneous notes: The song that Lewyn plays - made up. But just think of your favorite Christmas carol and maybe that will fit the mood. Erinys is uncertain about the second child being born because, let's face it, even in modern times a non-negligible amount of pregnancies end in the mother dying and/or the child being lost. Of course we as readers know that Fee is going to be born healthy but the characters don't know. Also that letter is going to return at some point but not in time to really help Finn. Annand having a marked grave is unrealistic and I don't really care because it made for a good scene. I considered titling the name of the top cleric in Silesse as the Metropolitan of Silesse but people recognize what an archbishop is and they probably won't recognize what a metropolitan is. But in terms of headcanons with the Church of Edda, the "archbishop" title is reserved for bishops who are associated with a holy weapon wielder (e.g., Leonster) while "metropolitan" is for bishops that aren't associated with holy weapons (e.g., Agusti or Miletos). Silvia is now Her Majesty the Queen of Silesse. Lahna is going to stay Her Majesty the Queen Mother though...Lewyn and Silvia never truly get a chance to rule anyways.

Feel free to kudos and comment as always :)

[comrade-meow]

When The Drummers Were Women

By Layne Redmond

Yes, guys, there was a time in our history when the primary percussionists and drummers were women. The first named drummer in history was a Mesopotamian priestess named Lipushiau. She lived in the city-state of Ur in 2380 BC, which at that time had conquered all the surrounding city-states. She was the spiritual, financial and administrative head of the Ekishnugal, the most important temple in Ur dedicated to the moon god, Nanna-Suen. Her emblem of office was the balag-di, a small round frame drum used to lead liturgical chanting. In 2380 BC, Lipushiau ruled!

From the civilizations of Anatolia (Old Turkey), Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, the Goddess and the frame drum emerge as the core trance and mystical religious traditions. The frame drum was once at the center of the oldest rave like gatherings — it was the oldest technology for altering consciousness. The mystery rites would last for days at a time with nonstop drumming and dancing. Get this in perspective — this was church. Quite a different religious experience than I had growing up! A frame drum is defined by the diameter of the drumhead being much larger than the depth of its shell. The shells range in depth from 2" to at most 6". They range in diameter from 4" to 30". Most of these drums are portable and can be held in one hand.

The frame drum most often has a skin on only one side but sometimes it may have skins stretched across both sides. Bells or jingling and rattling implements may be attached to the inside rim, and in ancient times were believed to add to the drum’s power to purify, dispel and summon. Very often the drums were painted red, the color of blood, or sometimes green, the color of vegetation, the primordial colors of life. Mystical designs and symbols might also be painted on the skin head or the wooden frame. Threads or ribbons knotted with ritual prayers or chanting often hung from them.

Although this frame drum is similar in appearance to the shaman’s drum found throughout Asia and North America, there is a major difference in how they are played. The shaman’s drum is struck with a bone, horn or stick. The Mediterranean frame drum is played with the bare hands. While striking a drum with a stick gives a single deep resonant sound, finger techniques allow more variety: a deep, open tone, a slap, a high-pitched rim sound, or a soft brushing sound. This difference in stroke technique has led to differences in construction. The inner edge of the rim of the Mediterranean frame drum is often beveled and its skin is usually thinner, to enhance the sounds produced by fingers and hands. Hand or stick? I have not been able to determine which technique is older - the shaman’s drum played with a stick or the frame drum played with bare hands. The use and basic constructions of the drums are so similar that they probably both grew from the same root techniques of altering consciousness. In every ancient Mediterranean civilization I studied, it was a goddess who transmitted to humans the gift of making music. In Sumer and Mesopotamia it was Inanna and Ishtar; in Egypt it was Hathor; in Greece, the nine-fold goddess called the Muse. Musical, artistic and poetic inspiration was always thought to spring from the Divine Feminine. One of the main techniques for connecting to this power of inspiration was drumming.

The drum was the means our ancestors used to summon the goddess and also the instrument through which she spoke. The drumming priestess was the intermediary between divine and human realms. Aligning herself with sacred rhythms, she acted as summoner and transformer, invoking divine energy and transmitting it to the community.

The earliest known depiction of any drum was painted on a shrine room wall in 5600 BC in a Neolithic city in what is now Turkey. The shrine room wall depicts a group of ecstatically dancing figures, some of which appear to have percussion instruments. A band of human figures clad in leopard skins play various percussion instruments as they dance ecstatically around a large bull. One figure holds a horn-shaped instrument in one hand and a frame drum in the other. Other figures carry what look like shakers or rattles, as well as bowed instruments similar to the Brazilian berimbau. The excavating archaeologist, James Mellaart, has unearthed numerous other shrines in this city honoring a great goddess, and he believes that primarily priestesses tended these shrines. To date, the wall painting is our oldest evidence of a goddess-based tradition in which the frame drum was used in ecstatic rituals.

From 3000 to 2500 BC, written records of the Sumerians describe the goddess Inanna as the creator of the frame drum, along with all other musical instruments. They tell of Inanna’s priestesses who sang and chanted to the rhythms of round and square frame drums. Along with the written texts, numerous figurines of women playing small frame drums have been found. These drumming rituals were carried on in the later worship of Ishtar, Asherah, Ashtoreth, Astarte, and Anat in Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Palestine and Assyria. Somewhere between 2000 and 1500 BC, the frame drum arrives in Egypt. James Blades reports, “All records from this period (Middle Kingdom) show the performers as women; in fact the whole practice of the art of music appears to have been entirely entrusted to the fair sex, with one notable exception, the god Bes, who is frequently represented with a drum with cylindrical body (frame drum).

”Another text described the priestesses as the composers and choreographers of the music and dance used on religious occasions. In the Cairo Museum there is an actual rectangular double-headed frame drum from 1400 BC that was found in the tomb of a woman named Hatnofer. Also surviving from the Ptolemaic period is the skin head of a frame drum on whose surface is painted a woman playing a frame drum in front of the goddess Isis. The inscription on the drum reads, “Isis, Lady of the Sky, Mistress of the Goddesses.”

It is important to comprehend the significance of women’s control of sacred music and dance in Egypt. Religious ceremonies based on music and dance can synchronize the underlying energy of the mind and directly influence our perceptions of reality. Ritual influences our modes of awareness that both underlie and transcend the normal patterns of consciousness. Rites can be used to rouse and shape group emotion and behavior, developing a continuous shared consciousness. Music vibrationally transmits states of mind directly from consciousness to consciousness. Thus, politically, music can resonate simultaneously on far more levels — emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical — than can words alone. As music initiates changes in group consciousness, it can affect vast social and economic cycles.

The Biblical lands have also yielded numerous images of women playing the frame drum. Old Testament texts refer to the tambourine as the toph, which as been translated as the timbrel and the tabret. Exodus 15:20, “And Miriam, the prophetess, sister of Aaron and Moses, took a timbrel in her hand, then the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.” In some legends it is said that Miriam parted the Red Sea with the shamanistic power of her drumming.In Greece, some of the most beautiful representations of the frame drum are found on the red figured vase paintings from the fifth century BC. The frame drum entered Greece from several different directions — from Cyprus, one of the main centers of the cult of Aphrodite where the frame drum was prominent from at least 1000 BC, and also from Crete, where it was used in the rituals of Ariadne, Rhea and Dionysos.

Pre-classical Greece also saw the introduction of the cult of the goddess Cybele, from Western Anatolia. The tympanum, the Greek frame drum, was the main instrument of the maenads, the women initiates, in the worship of Cybele and Dionysos, and the priestesses of Artemis, Demeter and Aphrodite also played them. Both single-headed and double-headed frame drums appear, once again played almost exclusively by women.

The Romans saw the last great flowering of these rites when the religion of Cybele was brought to Rome in April of 204 B.C. She was described as, “Cybele, the All-Begetting Mother, who beat a drum to mark the rhythm of life.” Rome was the cultural center for the mystery religions of Cybele, Dionysos, Isis and Dea Syria — all of which used the frame drum in their ecstatic rituals. These practices flourished until the Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity in the fourth century A.D.

In the ancient world, prayer was an active, trance-inducing combination of chanting, music and dance, and initiates often danced the sacred spiral into the labyrinth. The classic labyrinth is a single path meant for meditative circling. To enter it is to experience a ritual death; to escape from it is to be resurrected. The danced line into the labyrinth was a sacred path into the inner realm of knowing. Dancers holding a rope signifying Ariadne’s thread (that allows participants to find their way in and out of the maze) followed a leader into the labyrinth, spiraling right to left, the direction of death. At the center they turned, dancing out in the direction of evolution and birth, all to the driving rhythms of the frame drums. Another function of the frame drum was to create a prophetic trance state in which the priestess could foretell the future. The most dramatic mode of prophecy was uttered in inspired rhythmic speech. In the depths of ecstatic trance, the oracle was possessed by the goddess, who rapped in powerful rhymes directly through her lips. The Greek word for this state of transfigured consciousness is enthusiasmos – “within is a god” – the root of our word enthusiasm.

Ecstatic prophecy has many parallels with shamanism. Prophetesses sought inspiration through a number of external stimuli, including fasting, ingesting honey, inhalation of burning herbs or essential oils and intoxication via alcohol or psychotropic plants. Cybele’s priestesses relied most heavily on the trance-inducing properties of music and dance. The rhythms of frame drums, cymbals and flutes moved them towards the consecrated, concentrated state of divine revelation.

The Dionysian rites are the most widely known of all the mystery schools and have an enduring reputation as drunken sexual orgies. This is due to the later descriptions by Christian political leaders to whom the ancient mysteries of the goddess along with ecstatic drumming, dancing and in this century, rock and roll, have been labeled devil worship. Our word “orgy” comes from orgia, derived from the root word meaning “deed.” The term was used for the celebrations following initiation in mysteries, which might or might not include sexual imagery or behavior. Its ancient connotation seems to have been simply “secret rites.” Their aim was the ecstatic transformation of consciousness through rhythmic movement of the body.

Historians have associated the maenads, priestesses of Dionysos and Cybele, with unbridled sensuality and socially uncontrolled behavior. The word maenad means “mad women.” Their erotic longing for union with the Divine found expression in wild, barefoot dances to the primordial music of flute and drums, their unrestrained hair flying wildly about their faces, snakes wrapped around their arms. According to some reports they drank blood and tore wild beasts limb from limb. Not too far out of line from what might take place at a contemporary summer rock festival!

Wine was indeed an important part of the Dionysian mysteries. External stimulants were always used in pursuit of higher consciousness, for divine intoxication with the spirit of the deity. References to drinking blood may actually allude to a communion rite in which the fruit of the grape represented the blood of the deity, as it does today in Christian communion rites.

Mastery of the precise musical rhythms required to align the devotees’ consciousness with divinity suggests a control and sophistication of technique that contradicts the historical image of wanton frenzied women. Creating rhythms powerful enough to move hundreds of people into ecstatic trance states required skill, discipline and endurance.

With the ascendancy of Christianity, Cybele’s great temple in Rome was destroyed, the Vatican was built on the site and the new priesthood banned the priestesses, instruments and music associated with her rites. Not only was the frame drum banned from Christian religious rituals, its use in secular contexts was also frowned upon by the Church, in particular its use by women. The Catholic synod of 576 (commandments of the Fathers, Superiors and Masters) decreed: “Christians are not allowed to teach their daughters singing, the playing of instruments or similar things because, according to their religion, it is neither good nor becoming.

”For 3,000 years women had been the primary percussionists in the ancient world. As Europe pursued this policy of disallowing women to learn music, they effectively barred them from the professions of composing, teaching or performing.

The last 30 years have seen a dramatic rise in the number of professional women musicians, but there are still few women pursuing drumming. Although little is known about the history of frame drums and the women musicians who played them, it is an important part of our percussive history. And the ancient traditions of using drumming for spiritual purposes can point out what we have lost.

At contemporary rock concerts we have all the trappings of ritual without the spiritual purposes. Flashing trance-inducing lights, loud rhythmic sound, chanted and sung words, but often with no higher purpose than to momentarily entertain or to glorify the individual performer. And no matter how much idolization some of these quite gifted musicians attain, they are often driven to attempt to fill the emptiness with drugs and alcohol.

Yet I remember concerts that hinted at the search for wider realms and dimensions of being. The first concert I ever saw was a show by the Monkees. But what blew me away was the opening act — Jimi Hendrix. I had no frame of reference for where he was taking me. I soared with him beyond the known on the piercing sounds and songs of his guitar. Yet in the end he burned and beat that beautiful guitar to pieces. I had experienced something profound and transformative, but it had ended in destruction, leaving me bewildered and yearning for something more. I have spent the rest of my life looking for the pathway into the ecstatic that leaves me transformed, whole and euphoric.

This article was Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s December 2000 Issue

[yamayuandadu]

The Two (or more) Ishtars or A Certain Scandalous Easter Claim Proved to be The Worship of Reverend Alexander Hislop

Once upon a time the official facebook page of Richard Dawkins' foundation posted a graphic according to which the holiday of Easter is just a rebranded celebration of the Mesopotamian mythology superstar Ishtar, arguing that the evidence is contained in its very name. As everyone knows, Dawkins is an online talking head notable for discussing his non-belief in such an euphoric way that it might turn off even the most staunch secularists and for appearing in some reasonably funny memes about half a decade ago. Bizarrely enough, however, the same claim can be often found among the crowds dedicated to crystal healing, Robert Graves' mythology fanfiction, indigo children and similar dubiously esoteric content. What's yet more surprising is that once in a while it shows up among a certain subset of fundamentalist Christians, chiefly the types who believe giants are real (and, of course, satanic), the world  is ruled by a secret group of Moloch worshipers and fossils were planted by the devil to led the sheeple astray from the truth about earth being 6000 years old, tops. Of course, to anyone even just vaguely familiar with Christianity whose primary language isn't English this claim rightfully seems completely baffling – after all it's evident in most languages that the name of the holiday celebrating Jesus' resurrection, and many associated customs, are derived from the earlier Jewish Pascha (Passover) which has nothing to do with Ishtar other than having its origin in the Middle East. Why would the purported association only be evident  in English and not in Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Spanish, virtually any language other than English and its close relatives – languages which generally didn't have anything to do with Mesopotamia or early christianity? Read on to find out what sort of sources let this eclectic selection of characters arrive to the same baffling conclusion, why are they hilariously wrong, and – most importantly – where you can actually find a variety of Ishtars (or at least reasonably Ishtar-like figures) under different names instead.

The story of baffling Easter claims begins in Scotland in the 19th century. A core activity of theologians in many faiths through history was (and sometimes still is) finding alleged proof of purported “idolatry” or other “impure” practices among ideological opponents, even these from within the same religion – and a certain Presbyterian minister, Alexander Hislop, was no stranger to this traditional pastime. Like many Protestants in this period, he had an axe to grind with the catholic church  - though not for the reasons many people are not particularly fond of this institution nowadays. What Hislop wanted to prove was much more esoteric – he believed that it's the Babylon known from the Book of Revelations. Complete with the beast with seven heads, blasphemous names and other such paraphernalia, of course. This wasn't a new claim – catholicism was equated with the New Testament Babylon for as long as Protestantism was a thing (and earlier catholicism itself regarded other religions as representing it). What set Hislop apart from dozens of other similar attempts like that was that he fancied himself a scholar of history and relied on the brand new accounts of excavations in what was once the core sphere of influence of the Assyrian empire (present day Iraq and Syria), supplemented by various Greek and Roman classics – though also by his own ideas, generally varying from baseless to completely unhinged. Hislop compiled his claims in the book The Two Babylons or The Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife. You can find it on archive.org if you want to torment yourself and read the entire thing – please do not give clicks directly to any fundie sites hosting it though. How does the history of Easter and Ishtar look like according to Hislop? Everything started with Semiramis, who according to his vision was a historical figure and a contemporary of Noah's sons, here also entirely historical. Semiramis is either entirely fictional or a distorted Greek and Roman account of the 9th century BC Assyrian queen Shammuramat, who ruled as a regent for a few years after the death of her husband Shamshi Adad V – an interesting piece of historical trivia, but arguably not really a historical milestone, and by the standards of Mesopotamian history she's hardly a truly ancient figure. Hislop didn't even rely on the primary sources dealing with the legend of Semiramis though, but with their medieval christian interpretations, which cast her in the role of an adulterer first and foremost due to association of ancient Mesopotamia with any and all vices.

Hislop claims that Semiramis was both the Whore of Babylon from the Book of Revelations and the first idolater, instituting worship of herself as a goddess. This goddess, he argues, was Astarte (a combination of two flimsy claims – Roman claim that Semiramis' name means “dove” and now generally distrusted assumption that Phoenician Astarte had the same symbols as Greek Aphrodite) and thus Ishtar, but he also denotes her as a mother goddess – which goes against everything modern research has to say about Ishtar, of course. However, shoddy scholarship relying on few sources was the norm at the time, and Hislop on top of that was driven by religious zeal. In further passages, he identified this “universal mother” with Phrygian Cybele, Greek Rhea and Athena, Egyptian Isis, Taoist Xi Wangmu (sic) and many more, pretty much at random, arguing all of them were aspects of nefarious Semiramis cult which infected all corners of the globe. He believed that she was venerated alongside a son-consort, derived from Semiramis' even more fictional husband Ninus (a mythical founder of Assyria according to Greek authors, absent from any Mesopotamian sources; his name was derived from Nineveh, not from any word for son like Hislop claims), who he identifies with biblical Nimrod (likewise not a historical figure, probably a distorted reflection of the god Ninurta). Note the similarity with certain ideas perpetrated by Frazer's Golden Bough and his later fans like Jung, Graves and many neopagan authors – pseudohistory, regardless of ideological background, has a very small canon of genuinely original claims. Ishtar was finally introduced to Britain by “druids” (note once again the similarity to the baffling integration of random Greek, Egyptian or Mesopotamian deities into Graves-derived systems of fraudulent trivia about “universal mother goddesses” often using an inaccurate version of Celtic myths as framework). This eventually lead to the creation of the holiday of Easter. Pascha doesn't come up in the book at all, as far as I can tell. All of this is basically just buildup for the book's core shocking reveal: catholic veneration of Mary and depictions of Mary with infant Jesus in particular are actually the worship of Semiramis and her son-consort Ninus, and only the truly faithful can reveal this evil purpose of religious art. At least so claims Hislop. This bizarre idea is laughable, but it remains disturbingly persistent – do you remember the Chick Tracts memes from a few years ago, for example? These comics were in part inspired by Hislop's work. Many fundamentalist christian communities appear to hold his confabulations in high esteem up to this day – and many people who by design see themselves as a countercultural opposition to christianity independently gleefully embrace them, seemingly ignorant of their origin. While there are many articles debunking Hislop's claim about Easter, few of them try to show how truly incomprehensibly bad his book is as a whole – hopefully the following examples will be sufficient to illustrate this point: -Zoroaster is connected to Moloch because of the Zoroastrian holy fire - and Moloch is, of course Ninus. Note that while a few Greek authors believed Zoroaster to be the “king of Bactria” mythical accounts presented as a contemporary of Ninus, the two were regarded as enemies – Hislop doesn't even follow the pseudohistory he uses as proof! -Zoroaster is also Tammuz. Tammuz is, of course, yet another aspect of Ninus. -demonic character is ascribed to relics of the historical Buddha; also he's Osiris. And Ninus. -an incredibly racist passage explains why the biblical Nimrod (identified with – you guessed it - Ninus) might be regarded as “ugly and deformed” like Haephestus and thus identical to him (no, it makes no sense in context either) - Hislop thinks he was black (that's not the word he uses, naturally) which to him is the same thing. -Attis is a deification of sin itself -the pope represents Dagon (incorrectly interpreted as a fish god in the 19th century) -Baal and Bel are two unrelated words – this is meant to justify the historicity of the Tower of Babel by asserting it was built by Ninus, who was identical to Bel (in reality a title of Marduk); Bel, according to Hislop, means “the confounder (of languages)” rather than “lord” -the term “cannibal” comes from a made up term for priests of Baal (Ninus) who according to Hislop ate children. In reality it's a Spanish corruption of the endonym of one of the first tribes encountered by the Spanish conquerors in America, and was not a word used in antiquity – also, as I discussed in my Baal post, the worship of Baal did not involve cannibalism. This specific claim of Hislop's is popular with the adherents of prophetic doomsday cult slash wannabe terrorist group QAnon today, and shows up on their “redpilling” graphics. -Ninus was also Cronos; Cronos' name therefore meant “horned one” in reference to Mesopotamian bull/horned crown iconography and many superficially similar gods from all over the world were the same as him - note the similarity to Margaret Murray's obsession with her made up idea of worldwide worship of a “horned god” (later incorporated into Wicca). -Phaeton, Orpheus and Aesculapius are the same figure and analogous to Lucifer (and in turn to Ninus) -giants are real and they're satanists (or were, I think Hislop argues they're dead already). They are (were?) also servants of Ninus. -as an all around charming individual Hislop made sure to include a plethora of comments decrying the practices of various groups at random as digressions while presenting his ridiculous theories – so, while learning about the forbidden history of Easter, one can also learn why the author thinks Yezidi are satanists, for example -last but not least, the very sign of the cross is not truly christian but constitutes the worship of Tammuz, aka Ninus (slowly losing track of how many figures were regarded as one and the same as him by Hislop). Based on the summary above it's safe to say that Hislop's claim is incorrect – and, arguably, malevolent (and as such deserves scrutiny, not further possibilities for spreading). However, this doesn't answer the question where does the name of Easter actually come from? As I noted in the beginning, in English (and also German) it's a bit of an oddity – it  actually was derived from a preexisting pagan term, at least if we are to believe the word of the monk Bede, who in the 8th century wrote that the term is a derivative of “Eosturmonath,” eg. “month of Eostre” - according to him a goddess. There are no known inscriptions mentioning such a goddess from the British Isles or beyond, though researchers involved in reconstructing proto-indo-european language assume that “Eostre” would logically be a derivative of the same term as  the name of the Greek Eos and of the vedic Ushas, and the Austriahenae goddesses from Roman inscriptions from present day Germany  – eg.  a word simply referring to dawn, and by extension to a goddess embodying it. This is a sound, well researched theory, so while early medieval chroniclers sometimes cannot be trusted, I see no reason to doubt Bede's account.

While Ushas is a prominent goddess in the Vedas, Eos was rather marginal in Greek religion (see her Theoi entry for details), and it's hard to tell to what degree Bede's Eostre was similar to either of them beyond plausibly being a personification of dawn. Of course, the hypothetical proto-indo-european dawn goddess all of these could be derived from would have next to nothing to do with Ishtar. While the history of the name of Easter (though not the celebration itself) is undeniably interesting, I suppose it lacks the elements which make the fake Ishtar claim a viral hit – the connection is indirect, and an equivalent of the Greek Eos isn't exactly exciting (Eos herself is, let be honest, remembered at best as an obscure part of the Odyssey), while Ishtar is understood by many as “wicked” sex goddess (a simplification, to put it very lightly) which adds a scandalous, sacrilegious dimension to the baffling lie, explaining its appeal to Dawkins' fans, arguably. As demonstrated above, Hislop's theories are false and adapting them for any new context – be it christian, atheist or neopagan – won't change that, but are there any genuine examples of, well, “hidden Ishtars”? If that's the part of the summary which caught your attention, rejoice – there is a plenty of these to be found in Bronze Age texts. I'd go as far as saying that most of ancient middle eastern cultures from that era felt compelled to include an Ishtar ersatz in their pantheons. Due to the popularity of the original Ishtar, she was almost a class of figures rather than a single figure – a situation almost comparable to modern franchising, when you think about it. The following figures can be undeniably regarded as “Ishtar-like” in some capacity or even as outright analogs:

Astarte (or Ashtart, to go with a more accurate transcription of the oldest recorded version of the name) – the most direct counterpart of Ishtar there is: a cognate of her own name. Simply, put Astarte is the “Levantine”equivalent of the “Mesopotamian” Ishtar. In the city of Mari, the names were pretty much used interchangeably, and some god lists equate them, though Astarte had a fair share of distinct traits. In Ugaritic mythology, which forms the core of our understanding of the western Semitic deities, she was a warrior and hunter (though it's possible that in addition to conventional weapons she was also skilled at wielding curses), and was usually grouped with Anat. Both of them were regarded as the allies of Baal, and assist him against his enemies in various myth. They also were envisioned to spend a lot of time together – one ritual calls them upon as a pair from distant lands where they're hunting together, while a fragmentary myth depicts both of them arriving in the household of the head god El and taking pity on Yarikh, the moon god, seemingly treated as a pariah. Astarte's close relation to Baal is illustrated by her epithet, “face of Baal” or “of the name of Baal.” They were often regarde as a couple and even late, Hellenic sources preserve a traditional belief that Astarte and “Adados” (Baal) ruled together as a pair. In some documents from Ugarit concerned with what we would call foreign policy today they were invoked together as the most prominent deities. It's therefore possible that she had some role related to human politics. She was regarded as exceptionally beautiful and some texts favorably describe mortal women's appearance by comparing them to Astarte. In later times she was regarded as a goddess of love, but it's unclear if that was a significant aspect of her in the Bronze Age. It's equally unclear if she shared Ishtar's astral character – in Canaan there were seemingly entirely separate dawn and dusk deities. Despite clamis you might see online, Astarte was not the same as the mother goddess Asherah. In the Baal cycle they actually belong to the opposing camps. Additionally, the names are only superficially similar (one starts with an aleph, the other with an ayin) and have different etymology. Also, that famous sculpture of a very blatantly Minoan potnia theron? Ugaritic in origin but not a depiction of either Astarte or Asherah.

The Egyptians, due to extensive contact with Canaan and various Syrian states in the second half of the Bronze Age, adapted Astarte (and by extension Anat) into their own pantheon. Like in Ugarit, her warrior character was emphasized. An Egyptian innovation was depicting her as a cavalry goddess of sorts – associated with mounted combat and chariots. In Egypt, Ptah, the head god of Memphis and divine craftsman, was regarded as her father. In most texts, Astarte is part of Seth's inner circle of associates – however, in this context Seth wasn't the slayer of Osiris, but a heroic storm god similar to Baal. The so-called Astarte papyrus presents an account of a myth eerily similar to the Ugaritic battle between Baal and Yam – starring Seth as the hero, with Astarte in a supporting role resembling that played by Shaushka, another Ishtar analog, in the Hittite song of Hedammu, which will be discussed below.

Shaushka – a Hurrian and Hittite goddess whose name means “the magnificent one” in the Hurrian language. Hurrian was widely spoken in ancient Mesopotamia and Anatolia (and in northernmost parts of the Levant – up to one fifth of personal names from Ugaritic documents were Hurrian iirc), but has no descendants today and its relation to any extant languages is uncertain. In Hittite texts she was often referred to with an “akkadogram” denoting Ishtar's name (or its Sumerian equivalent) instead of a phonetic  spelling of her own (there was an analogous practice regarding the sun gods), while in Egyptian and Syrian texts there are a few references to “Ishtar Hurri” - “Ishtar of the Hurrians” - who is argued by researchers to be one and the same as Shaushka. Despite Shaushka's Hurrian name and her prominence in myths popular both among Hittites and Hurrians, her main cult center was the Assyrian city of Nineveh, associated with Ishtar herself as well, and there were relatively few temples dedicated to her in the core Hittite sphere of influence in Anatolia. Curiously, both the oldest reference to Shaushka and to the city of Nineveh come from the same text, stating that a sheep was sacrificed to her there. While most of her roles overlap with Ishtar's (she too was associated with sex, warfare and fertility), here are two distinct features of Shaushka that set her apart as unique: one is the fact she was perceived in part as a masculine deity, despite being consistently described as a woman – in the famous Yazılıkaya reliefs she appears twice, both among gods and goddesses. In Alalakh she was depicted in outfits combining elements of male and female clothing. Similar fashion preferences were at times attributed to Ninshubur, the attendant of Ishtar's Sumerian forerunner Inanna – though in that case they were likely the result of conflation of Ninshubur with the male messenger deity Papsukkal, while in the case of Shaushka the dual nature seems to be inherent to her (I haven't seen any in depth study of this matter yet, sadly, so I can't really tell confidently which modern term in my opinion describes Shaushka's character the best). Her two attendants, musician goddesses Ninatta and Kulitta, do not share it. Shaushka's other unique niche is her role in exorcisms and incantations, and by extension with curing various diseases – this role outlived her cult itself, as late Assyrian inscriptions still associated the “Ishtar of Nineveh” (at times viewed as separate from the regular Ishtar) with healing. It can be argued that even her sexual aspect was connected to healing, as she was invoked to cure impotence. The most significant myth in which she appears is the cycle dedicated to documenting the storm god's (Teshub for the Hurrians, Tarhunna for the Hittites) rise to power. Shaushka is depicted as his sister and arguably most reliable ally, and plays a prominent role in two sections in particular – the Song of Hedammu and the Song of Ullikummi. In the former, she seemingly comes up with an elaborate plan to defeat a new enemy of her brother - the sea monster Hedammu - by performing a seductive dance and song montage (with her attendants as a support act) and offering an elixir to him. The exact result is uncertain, but Hedammu evidently ends up vanquished. In the latter, she attempts to use the same gambit against yet another new foe, the “diorite man” Ullikummi – however, since he is unfeeling like a rock, she fails; some translators see this passage as comedic. However, elsewhere in the Song, the storm god's main enemy Kumarbi and his minions view Shaushka as a formidable warrior, and in the early installment of the cycle, Song of LAMMA, she seemingly partakes in a fight. In another myth, known only from a few fragments and compared to the Sumerian text “Inanna and the huluppu tree,” Shaushka takes care of “Ḫašarri” -  a personification of olive oil, or a sentient olive tree. It seems that she has to protect this bizarre entity from various threats. While Shaushka lived on in Mesopotamia as “Ishtar of Nineveh,” this was far from the only “variant”of Ishtar in her homeland.

Nanaya was another such goddess. A few Sumerian hymns mention her alongside Inanna, the Sumerian equivalent of Ishtar, by the time of Sargon of Akkad virtually impossible to separate from her. As one composition puts it, Nanaya was “properly educated by holy Inana” and “counselled by holy Inana.” Initially she was most likely a part of Inanna's circle of deities in her cult center, Uruk, though due to shared character they eventually blurred together to a large degree. Just like Inanna/Ishtar, Nanaya was a goddess of love, described as beautiful and romantically and sexually active, and she too had an astral character. She was even celebrated during the same holidays as Inanna. Some researchers go as far as suggest Nanaya was only ever Inanna/Ishtar in her astral aspect alone and not a separate goddess. However, there is also evidence of her, Inanna and the sky god An being regarded as a trinity of distinct tutelary deities in Uruk. Additionally, king Melishipak's kudurru shown above shows both Nanaya (seated) and Ishtar/Inanna (as a star). Something peculiar to Nanaya was her later association with the scribe god Nabu. Sometimes Nabu's consort was the the goddess Tashmetu instead, but I can't find any summary explaining potential differences between them – it seems just like Nanaya, she was a goddess of love, including its physical aspects. Regardless of the name used to describe Nabu's wife, she was regarded as a sage and scribe like him – this arguably gives her a distinct identity she lacked in her early role as part of Inanna's circle. As the above examples demonstrate, the popularity of the “Ishtar type” was exceptional in the Bronze Age – but is it odd from a modern perspective? The myths dedicated to her are still quite fun to read today – much like any hero of ancient imagination she has a plethora of adversaries, a complex love life (not to mention many figures not intended to be read as her lovers originally but described in such terms that it's easy to see them this way today – including other women), a penchant for reckless behavior – and most importantly a consistent, easy to summarize character. She shouldn't be a part of modern mass consciousness only because of false 19th century claims detached from her actual character (both these from Hislop's works and “secular”claims about her purported “real”character based on flimsy reasoning and shoddy sources) – isn't a female character who is allowed to act about the same way as male mythical figures do without being condemned for it pretty much what many modern mythology retellings try to create? Further reading: On Astarte: -entry in the Iconography of Deities and Demons in Ancient Near East database by Izak Cornelius -‛Athtart in Late Bronze Age Syrian Texts by Mark S. Smith -ʿAthtartu’s Incantations and the Use of Divine Names as Weapons by Theodore J. Lewis -The Other Version of the Story of the Storm-god’s Combat with the Sea in the Light of Egyptian, Ugaritic, and Hurro-Hittite Texts by Noga Ayali-Darshan -for a summary of evidence that Astarte has nothing to do with Asherah see A Reassessment of Asherah With Further Considerations of the Goddess by Steve A. Wiggins On Shaushka: -Adapting Mesopotamian Myth in Hurro-Hittite Rituals at Hattuša: IŠTAR, the Underworld, and the Legendary Kings by Mary R. Bacharova -Ishtar seduces the Sea-serpent. A new join in the epic of Ḫedammu (KUB 36, 56 + 95) and its meaning for the battle between Baal and Yam in Ugaritic tradition by Meindert Dijkstra -Ištar of Nineveh Reconsidered by Gary Beckman -Shaushka, the Traveling Goddess by Graciela Gestoso Singer -Hittite Myths by Harry A. Hoffner jr. -The Hurritic Myth about Šaušga of Nineveh and Ḫašarri (CTH 776.2) by Meindert Dijkstra -The West Hurian Pantheon and its Background by Alfonso Archi On Nanaya: -entry in Brill’s New Pauly by Thomas Richter -entry from the Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses project by Ruth Horry -A tigi to Nanaya for Ishbi-Erra from The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature -A balbale to Inana as Nanaya from The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature -More Light on Nanaya by Michael P. Streck and Nathan Wasserman -More on the Nature and History of the Goddess Nanaya by Piotr Steinkeller A few introductory Ishtar/Inanna myths: -Inanna's descent to the netherworld -Inanna and the huluppu tree -Inanna and Enki -Enki and the world order -Inanna and Ebih -Dumuzid and Enkimdu

[megashadowdragon]

**1.**Punching Gilgamesh the moment you are summoned/enter a fight/enter a room is not reasonable and should not be done at any time -Gudao

1a. Not even when he barges into the Camelot Room and threatens to everyone, especially when he does it to make your female counterpart marry her -Gudao

1b. Apparently PTSD is not a viable excuse to punch someone when you see him harassing someone. Noted.

2. Just because I am a King, does not mean I can give people nicknames. Makes me wonder how Gareth felt about being called Best Boy by Merlin.

3. Eating contests are apparently not allowed, seems food shortages are common with my counterparts.

4. As it turns out, screaming "To Valhalla" is not the best idea when you step onto Iskandar's Chariot. Especially so when you are right in front of the enemy.

5. Frankenstein is not a doll, do not dress her up. No Arthur, not even if she tilts her head and makes cute growls -Gudao 5a. Okay! Only if its a sundress! -Gudao

6. Getting together four of my other counterparts and forming the Saber Rangers is not allowed, especially if we have Excalizords. Seems the other servants aren't fond of needlessly big robots that take too long to combine.

7. Motorbikes are not to be used at any point or time in Chaldea, no, not even when Iskandar decides to hold the "Chaldea Grand Prix" -Da Vinci

7a. THE SAME GOES FOR OTHER VEHICLES YOU MONGRELS, UNLIKE YOU FUCKS, SOME OF US NEED BEAUTY SLEEP AT 3 AM! -Gilgamesh

8. Just because I can use a sword, doesn't mean I am allowed to attack my Cu Chulainn with it. I swear, he walked into it.

9. Apparently I am not allowed to compliment people? Turns out after I left the beach where I hung out with a sweetie named Kiyohime, along with master, Kiyohime attempted to burn someone alive because I said that master looked like a dashing man. I highly doubt she did.

9a. The smell is still stuck to my trunks Arthur -Gudao

10. My liege... My OTHER liege, please don't ever get Red Saber to sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" again when I am about to utilize Galatine -Gawain

11. We know you are fascinated in other cultures, but please. Stop talking to the Servants of France about Sasaki Kojirou, we don't know if you made up his nickname, but he is not the "Savior of France" - Jeanne D'Arc

12. I would suggest that you stop entering the Camelot Room by screaming "Where is my love! Guinevere!", while it as funny once or twice, I can't stand to see either Lancelots' become depressed anymore -Arturia Altria

13. No offense... But please stop patting my head so much, I know you are basically my Uncle, but people are getting the wrong idea -Mashu

14. While Proto League is an acceptable nickname for the servants of your war, please don't ever enter a fight and scream it out again. We know you enjoy it, but it can get obnoxious after a while - Random Mob 1

15. Proving that I am male by either fighting or pantsing myself is no longer allowed after Heracles decided to do the same thing when a recently summoned Shakespeare made him question his own gender -Da Vinci

15a. Having the entire male team to pants themselves in front of the enemy is not a viable tactic against Archers, no matter what you watched beforehand and despite how fun it is -Robinhood

16. Just because Merlin suggested it, I shouldn't instantly do it. Its odd, almost like no one trusts Merlin, he seems just like my one.

17. "I saw a pest" is not a viable reason to drop a Corrupted Grail into the Babylon Room, we understand your dislike towards the King of Heroes, but Ishtar and Ereshkigal were caught up in the rage.

17a. "I was bored" is not a viable excuse to kiss a female servant while under the effects of Merlin's illusionary spell, Gudao has yet to leave his... specially enduced Coma.

17b. "I saw this scene-" is not a viable reason to go to a prior singularity and ask Muramasa to create a specific weapon, it is time wasting, no matter how strong the weapon is.

18. Suggesting to Rayshift to the point before someone dies is not a good idea, no matter how much fun it is for you to watch the "Crazy Murder Loli" die.

18a. Getting Fou'd is not a good reason to Rayshift back to your fight against Beast VI just so you can "Finish the Fucker Off".

19. Using a voice manipulator made by Merlin is not a good way to get people to be afraid when you shout a noble phantasm.

19a. Shouting "Stella" is not allowed, Arash prematurely shot off his Noble Phantasm while training and now we have to resummon him.

20. Just because we have a Simulation Room, does not mean I can alter the device to allow me to see someone from the past.

20a. We know you miss her, we do too. If you want to speak, you can come talk to us -Proto League

21. Trying to host an "Engry MIYA" talk between Nameless and Alter is not a good idea, just... Don't.

22. While having a Picnic is fun, please don't host them in the middle of a fight.

23. Just because a rabbit killed Gawain in a movie, does not mean you can threaten to cook Fou alive.

24. We know you love kids but come on, you can't just take Nursery Rhyme and Jack out to "Play Fetch" with the Dragons in France every after-noon.

25. Blaming someone that isn't even a servant isn't a viable way to shift blame.

26. I've been banned from the Kitchen, apparently forcing my way in and cooking the meals before Nameless is not a good idea. He looked ready to cry.

26a. Turns out mentioning the fact that Muramasa was far more willing to let me into his kitchen when I visited him was not a good idea. I don't think Nameless likes me much.

26b. "Just because I have the alcohol" is not a good excuse to get a few of the servants including Mashu drunk at dinner.

27. Just because you technically existed before Back to the Future 1 and 2, does not mean you can threaten to sue the creator, even if you can go back in time freely.

28. NO, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, NOT EVEN IF KIYOHIME ASKS NICELY, WE SHALL NEVER REPEAT THE EVENTS OF YESTERDAY AGAIN.

29. "Look what I found" is a sentence that I am never allowed to speak when I am holding something bigger than my head or smaller than my hands.

30. Turns out that breaking my own arm is not the best way to get Nightingale to calm down. Never thought Merlin would be wrong.

31. "Sure you can touch my Excalibur" is not the best way to differentiate between Arturia's Excalibur and my own when someone asks to hold it.

31a. "But mine is bigger" is not a good response when Arturia talks about how easy her seals are to remove from her Noble Phantasm, nor is it alright to use when talking about when how she made Mordred.

32. Stealing Gilgamesh's potion of youth and putting it in the Soup that EVERYONE ended up eating is the easiest way to have myself barred from missions for a week.

33. Just because people are afraid of it, doesn't mean you should hug it. Not even if Merlin says to.

34. Just because someone stole your food, does not mean you should "Call in a favor" and have Elizabeth sing until someone gives up who stole it

34a. Update: The above applies to Nero as well.

35. Just because I have an innate fear of the Lancer version of my female counterpart, does not mean I can steal her horse and run away because of that fear.

36. Making King Hassan say "Omae wa mou shindeiru" is not allowed, especially if you reply with "I'm already dead" just to mess with him.

37. You are fond of Mordred, we understand. But please stop teasing her. Calling her cute will be her death - KotR

38. We understand that being locked in a single room with Nobunaga can be hard, but saying it was like prison is not fair.

38a. Quoting an abridged anime is not allowed, especially if it has "Sluts" and "Prison" in the same sentence, we still don't know where you got that swim team outfit.

38b. Making a mini Excalibur and saying "Blade of Promised Prison Riots! SHANKCALIBUR" is not allowed at all, Edmond almost had a heart attack.

38c. It is noted that the Arthur and Nobunaga were almost forced to kiss, but utilizing time manipulation to see Romani's death and threaten him with "Spoilers" is not allowed.

39. Just because Merlin asked, does not mean you should dress up as a "Cutesy Idol" and perform a song with a voice changer on in front of a camera for his "Magi*Mari" stream, Romani has yet to heal from that wound.

40. Looking Mordred in the eye and saying "Mordred, I am your father" is not allowed, especially when you have her surrounded by all the versions of her "Father", even the ones that just look like "Him".

41. "I solomly swear I am up to no good" is not what you say while standing behind the Director in the Lost Room, she died once already, we don't need her worrying about what you will do.

41a. "Remember that time you became a Loli" is not to be said around Olga Marie after what happened after she was... Killed.

42. Quoting Kamina from Gurren Lagann is banned, especially after everyone believed you were actually erased from the throne. Only to find you a month later taking off an invisibilty cloak and sneaking into the mens bathrooms to shave.

43. Anime is fun to watch, but please. Stop trying to explain why a certain character would be within the Throne of Heroes.

43a. Stop. Asking. When. I. Will. Summon. ISSEI HYOUDOU! -Gudao

43b. BOOSTED GEAR SCALE MAIL! -Arthur

43c. BOOSTO? -Siegfried

44. Valentines is a wonderful thing, we get it. But making everyone in Chaldea chocolate by going around and hunting in various areas is not needed, we have too much already.

45. Stop Rickrolling, that was so early 2000s, get with the golden times old man -Kintoki

45a. EX-

46. Commenting on the impractical armors of the female knights that walk around is not needed, we have gotten complaints about how they feel harassed -Staff Member

46a. I just wanted to help out... -Arthur

47. I am not to sing anything ever again, the reason isn't because I am bad, no. Everyone agrees I am quite good. But its the genre I sing coupled with my Charisma rank. Seems love songs should not be sung. How sad.

48. Just because I have cat ears, does not mean you should give me Catnip - Atalanta

48a. The same was repeated for Alter.

48b. Along with Tamamo Berserker.

49. "Merlin told me to do it" is no longer an excuse that is accepted, even if he did make you do it.

50. LITERALLY ALL THE THINGS ON THIS LIST ARE BECAUSE OF MERLIN, STOP LISTENING TO HIM.

51. I'm only responsible for a quarter of these, stop blaming me for your troubles, Normies -Merlin

Kiyohime asks Arthur what to do to catch Gudao's attention. Arthur tells her to turn into his most cherished person. She turns into Gudako and tries to force Gudao into sex.

[sorrowful-prince-pelleas]

I think that, as a general rule in Fate, characters are either “elevated” to being a hero, or made out to be worse than they are if they opposed the hero. Obviously it does make sense as a writing choice, but it’s very frustrating when interesting characters are relegated to being jokes or hated just because they opposed a cooler hero at some point in their original tale.

Karna and Arjuna are a super obvious one - Arjuna is consistently denied any sort of characterization because he’s constantly portrayed as being angry at Karna and vengeful in the main story, which makes him not be that interesting despite him being so fascinating in the Mahabharata. That, when combined with the figurative and literal white-washing of Karna makes him come off as super unlikeable.

Medea and Jason are another relationship where it really takes two to tango - they’re both pretty awful people and instead of them being portrayed as such (which would’ve been so interesting to see - I love terrible, toxic relationships in fiction), Jason is made to be a joke character that exists to be mocked and insulted. While LB5.1 does serve to redeem him, he’s still not treated as good or noble outside of that. And in contrast (in fgo especially), Medea is typically portrayed as a nice quirky witch girl, with many of her worst attributes being due to being placed under mind control by Aphrodite and then loving Jason, because she’s meant to be likeable. While in Fate Stay Night she’s absolutely more of an anti-hero (and imo way more interesting as a result!) she ends up losing a lot of those aspects, which is a shame because I think she is great because of them, not in spite of.

Fionn and Diarmuid are another example where in order to make Diarmuid look like a good person, Fionn (who is a fascinating and powerful mythological character in his own right!!) is portrayed as an unreasonable asshole that constantly insults Diarmuid and is completely self-obsessed.

There’s also the case of Achilles, where while his opponents aren’t demonized, he’s still definitely made to look a lot better as a person than his mythological counterpart. His rage and anger, which defines Achilles is gone, and a lot of his worst personality aspects (like say, withdrawing from war and whining to his mom when his literal slave whose family he killed that he’s into is taken from him) are completely erased. This isn’t to say that I dislike Achilles as a mythological character because I do find him fascinating, but I feel like his portrayal leaves much to be desired.

Ishtar and Gilgamesh are a very frustrating set to me, because to make Gilgamesh and Enkidu look good/right, Ishtar is made to be a joke and the one in the wrong. This is especially unfortunate because Ishtar is so cool as a goddess - the duality of her being a goddess of sex and war, and the fact that the original myth has Gilgamesh basically slut shames her (despite the fact that he himself is kind of a rapist) make it super unpleasant to me that fgo uncritically just treats her as a nuisance and as a terrible person for killing Enkidu when there’s so much more to her, and when Enkidu and Gilgamesh aren’t perfect themselves (but those traits of theirs are kind of erased or minimized).

This isn’t even counting something like Iskandar and Darius because that entire rivalry is so poorly written and executed and Darius isn’t even portrayed as a person which is. Definitely not a portrayal I’m happy about, considering how fascinating the Persian empire and it’s history are.

[ziracona]

On a scale of one to ten (one is your screwed and ten is your gonna destroy them) how would you do in a fight against the dead by daylight killers. First rules though. 1. No prep for either side (suck it Danny) 2. No guns! Only weapons found around your house. 3. It's to the death one being leaves an that's it. 4. No help from friends or pets. 5. Whether legion is four teens or just one combined is up to you.

Uhh, this depends drastically on if you mean I one v one every one of them, or if I’m trying to fight a mob. Because if it’s me vs all of them, I’d just die. Like I’m sure I’d have decent odds of killing at least one, maybe two, and taking them with me. But I’m not John Wick—I cant 1v23 a bunch of armed people with some degree of experience with their weapons given no prep time, allies, or special weapons to save me. I like basically anyone else die sadly to the mob.

If this is one v one though, bc it’d be hard to get them all to work together anyway, and that’s the only way like anyone stands a chance?

Evan: I give me 50-50 odds. He’s way bigger than me and his weapon has a longer reach than any known, even the swords. I’m pretty good at thinking on my feet though. I feel like I have about a 50% chance of living or dying (I’m getting gravely injured regardless), but if I die, I am taking him with me, 80% chance. I was not always proficient at winning fights, but I was very good at not losing them. I’ve been known for taking a sword to get a kill hit at cons a lot. I give me a 6 at simultaneous KO or victory.

Philip I refuse to kill. Even if he was trying to kill me. I would defend myself though. Much bigger threat than Evan to me because I /don’t/ want to hurt him at all, which puts me at disadvantage and liable to freeze up or make mistakes even trying to deal nonlethal damage, he’s bigger and taller than me so height and weight advantage, and I don’t have long enough weapons to help me overcome that, plus on top of that, he’s a tactical fighter, which is what I am. And I think it’s harder to beat someone at your and their own game than just to beat another style most of the time. I mean skill is skill in any area, but I’d take a really strong tank in a fight rather than a planner any day of the week. I think he’s smart, probably smarter than me under pressure, definitely more experienced, and would kick my ass tactically if his heart was in it. If it wasn’t though, I’d have a chance to catch him off guard. I think Vs Philip I get one chance to use a tricky move, and if I mess that up, I die. If I do it right, maybe I can knock him out. It’s a one shot long shot at disadvantage. I give me a 4 if his heart isn’t in it, 3 if it is.

Hillbilly has a chainsaw and hammer, but those are both unwieldy and slow weapons. I’m faster than him, and I’m willing to get hurt. Also he’s killed a lot, but he’s not a /fighter/, which gives me an edge. Being tactical works really well vs someone whose edge is brute force. And he doesn’t have as massive a height or strength advantage. I also have tricks and home court advantage. So long as I don’t fuck up, I give myself an 8.5.

Sally isn’t that scary. I would try to incapacitate her. I feel I could easily take her as a ghost or a person. I have good ghost fighting supplies, salt, chalk, talismans, knowledge. I’m prepared for this. I think I’m coming in for this one at a solid 10.

Michael Myers would kill me. I mean, he’s got like X-Man semi invincibility, good skills, and I don’t really want to kill him. I’d try to talk him down while defending myself. I’d probably fail, but I’d try. Best case scenario I get him to hesitate, but also I’m being generous and giving me a 12% chance of that. Realistically, best case is I pull out a rug, trip him, and temporarily escape. A fight in an enclosed space, most likely outcome is I try and fail to talk him down, and I die. I feel very sure I cannot take him in a fight unless Ishtar herself blesses me with god like abilities. I’m probably dead. At least it would be quick. I give me a 1.6.

Lisa is tiny and not that strong. I could easily break her little glass bones. I’m taller and stronger than her, and she had worse weapons than me. I would try not to kill her though—just incapacitate. I feel I could do this while sustaining only minor wounds. Not to give you a look beyond weird ghost shit into my personal arsenal, but I definitely have supplies for that. I give me a 10.

Herman is tall and strong but he’s not a fighter. He’s a scientist. I’ve been shocked before, and I know what to expect from him. He’s getting blasted by a power washer at range until his weird face apparatus comes off and he’s down and out. I have more precise weapons than him and can easily neutralize his abilities and turn them against him. Also have rubber to wear. He’s big though, so for that alone I give me a 9.6 in case I mess up.

Anna would destroy me. She’s good at ranged weapons, I am not. I would try to look as young as possible and convince her in my very bad but slowly improving baby Russian to please have mercy on me. We’re back to the Michael scenario where I know I have no chance of normal survival and would have to try and talk my way out. My odds are higher here though. I’m pretty cute and I know a little Russian. I give me a 4. But the 4 is not me winning it’s my odds of surviving through begging for my life. She’d kick my ass in a fight.

Bubba isn’t that good at fighting and has a big and cumbersome, if scary, weapon. I feel I could easily use terrain, weapons, and strategy to my advantage and kill him, unless I’m in a place with no terrain or furniture. In which case it’d be a lot worse for me. If I was not, though, I give me a solid 9.6 at owning that fight. I have a good throwing arm and plenty of stuff that can blind a foe, and a lot of weapons. A lot of weapons.

Freddy. Okay this is hard. I know how to kill him about as well as anyone does? So comparatively my odds are good? But. Also he’s a demon and a bit of a heavyweight in this arena. Sadly. If we’re in-realm rules, I have a /very/ good chance of kicking his ass. Give me a 10 to win, although I might not survive either. Probably would. If he’s like /film/ loadout? I give me more like a 6. It would be a battle, but I have a lot of knowledge and determination. Also I’m taller than him and bigger and could break his arms.

Amanda. Easy fam, that’s a 10. No, 11. Injured recently drugged Eric Matthews almost kicked her ass while toting a smashed foot. She’s like, 5 foot 1 and 30 pounds underweight. It’s not gonna be hard at all.

Kenneth I give me a 10 too. Easy fam. Even if he gets realm rules where he’s not tripping balls on his own drugs, I know what he’s got. I’ve got better weapons, I’m young, fast, strong, and smarter. I hold my breath, and run him through. Quick jabs from a dagger, take him down. Use my agility. He was never a fighter anyway—he used drugs to prey on people who couldn’t fight back. You know what? Give me another 11.

Rin? Uhhhh, I know as much as about anyone how to deal with her, but my odds of succeeding /before/ she killed me are...not great. And if we fought, there’s no way I have the ability to kill an Onryo. I put using my supernatural beings knowledge to hold her back long enough to stop her in the realm of improbably, but potentially doable, and give myself a 2.7. This is not to kill her though. Just to make her stop killing me. I have no way near the power or spiritual knowledge needed to kill something like that.

Legion I’d not really want to kill. They’re all teenagers or baby 20 year olds. I don’t want to wail fatally on kids, even ones who suck. That said, I think I could take them in a fight. If it was four and I got to fight them one at a time, easiest, four in one body back to back is medium, four at once is hard. First two options I could potentially fight to not kill. Third option only choice would be do everything I can to even /maybe/ have a shot. I have less experience stabbing people, but I’m more ready to take pain, and more motivated, so I give myself a 6, 5, and 3.5 to those scenarios respectively. I would be badly wounded regardless.

Adiris I don’t have healthy enough fear of dying of bubonic plague, and that would give me an edge. I think I have a good sword and shield combo to deal with the mace. She’s tall, but I have her beat in strength and stamina as well as agility bc she’s emaciated and dying. I would not want to kill her though. Might try to talk to her in my fucked Akkadian. Try to incapacitate if that failed. I give me a solid 8 if she’s treating this like a 9 to 5 or distracted by me, give me a 4 if she wants me /dead/. Either way, I probably have to run to the CDC and pray I survive scarred after.

Danny is just some sneaky dick with a knife. He doesn’t even know how to get stabbed. Slightly harder than a few other knife fighters bc he wears so much damn leather, but the eyes and mouth of that mask are vulnerable, and I feel sure I can drive a knife into them before sustaining any kind of fatal wound. He doesn’t have much edge on me in any area, I have him well beat in conviction, and I’m smarter than him by quite a bit. I give me a 9.

Uhhh, Demo isn’t that hard, and I love fire. Probably gonna get a little hurt, but I’m not worried about this one. Easy 10.

Kazan is interesting. He has me beat in size and strength, but his weapon is unwieldy and slow. I have quick weapons and am more agile, and I’m ready to fight dirty to save myself. 7 probably. It’s a luck thing. I have the edge, but if he really lands a hit on me even once, it’s all over. So. Not the /best/ of odds. Maybe a 6.8, actually.

You said no guns but I assume Caleb still gets his. He only gets one shot before being vulnerable though, and he’s much older than me. I’m faster and more agile, and stronger. He’s got really good endurance too though so I don’t have the edge there. It’s gonna be kind of a game of chicken to see who blinks. If he misses his one shot, I win. If he gets the shot, he wins. However, I think my odds of baiting the shot and getting my opening are decent. I give me a solid 7 here.

I still don’t even know which Pyramid Head he /is/. Why does any version exist here and want to kill me, can he smell, can I use that, can electricity hurt him, can he use my guilt against me? There are so many unknowns for both of us, I give us both a 5.

Talbot is an easy 10 unless he gets the jump on you. But you said no planning, so no surprise attacks, so I give me a 10. His body is literally falling apart, and all the blight serum in the world can’t save him from me forever. I have a bunch of tools at my disposal, and he’s fast, but he’s not accurate. Edge, me.

Victor and Charlotte. Interesting one here. Don’t want to kill them either, but I would to save myself I guess if I couldn’t stop them. Not scared of Victor. I bite too, and I go for the throat. Charlotte is more of a problem. Finally it’s a tall killer with a short range weapon though, so edge: me, in weapons. I think I have decent odds of beating them, but I would not get out unscathed. Give me a 7.5.

Jo-Woon. Depends wildly. He throws tiny knives that do too little damage. If he takes me seriously as a threat and tries to go for the throat before I can get close, edge: him, and I’m in for a really rough fight even with a shield. If he wants to fuck around with me though, I’ll win. Because I am prepared to suffer immensely to get a kill shot. If he was smart, I’d give the fight a 6, but I feel extremely confident he’d be cocky, so I give me a 9 to survive, a 10 to at worst get a simultaneous K.O.

[tipsycad147]

Magickal symbols of protection

by Michelle Gruben

Protective magick is probably the most basic of all types of spellwork. If you don't feel safe and secure, it's difficult to enjoy any of the pleasures of life. Since the beginning of time, humans have been creating protective signs and symbols to ward off evil and bad luck.Would you like to learn some protective glyphs to use in your spells and amulets? Today, we'll be taking a look at nine powerful protective symbols from the Western magickal tradition. These symbols come from diverse spiritual paths including Wiccan, Norse, Judaeo-Christian, Egyptian, and others.Just as no two words have exactly the same meaning, each magickal symbol has a slightly different energy and function. Read on to find the perfect symbol for your protective workings.

Pentacle (or Pentagram)

The pentacle, or five-pointed star, is probably best-known as a symbol of the Wiccan religion. This symbol has been passed down to modern Witches through the tradition of ceremonial magick. Wiccans and Pagans wear it as symbol of faith, but it is also used as a protective glyph.The pentacle's protective legacy probably began in medieval times. The five points were said to represent the five wounds of Christ. Early occultists saw the pentacle as a microcosm, or representation of the human being. The pentacle's affinity with the body makes it immensely useful to the human magician. Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" is the most famous representation of a man's shape drawn over the pentagram.To contemporary Pagans, the five points of the pentagram stand for the four elements (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water) and the "fifth element" of Spirit. Placing Spirit at the top is a reminder that Spirit inhabits and presides over all forms of matter. The circle surrounding the star evokes both infinity and the aura or energy field that surrounds the body.The pentacle has diverse magickal uses, including protection. The pentacle is a powerful reminder of a world in balance. Witches draw pentagrams in the air to banish or consecrate sacred space. Pentagram amulets are a popular choice for warding the physical and energetic bodies.

Solar Cross

The Solar Cross is an equal-armed cross, which may also be surmounted by a circle. It is one of the oldest spiritual symbols in existence, dating back to Stone Age carvings.The Solar Cross represents the light and movement of the sun. The sun was extremely important to early humans, both for its life-giving energy and its predictable cycles of days and seasons. Many subsequent religious symbols (including the Christian cross) are related to this simplest of drawings. Many more mytho-spiritual concepts can be found therein: The Celtic-Pagan Wheel of the Year, the Wheel card of the Tarot, the classical Sun Chariot, and the Native American Four Winds are just a few.As a protective symbol, the Solar Cross evokes the power of the Sun God or All-Father, as well as the guardians of the Four Directions. To meditate on the cross's intersection is a powerful centering exercise.The Solar Cross represents both balance (at its center) and infinity (at its extremities). It it a symbol of eternity that embodies themes of birth, death, and rebirth. Use the Solar Cross as a centering and calming aid when under threat. As a solar symbol, it is used to banish negativity and cast out shadows.

Mars Sign

Named for the Roman god of war, the planet Mars is big, red, and brutal. Astrologers and alchemists developed the Mars symbol as a shorthand for the planet. In magick, it stands for all things martial: Conflict, personal power, and virility.Mars magick includes protection spells of the more aggressive variety. Mars brings its warrior energy to curses, hexes, banishing, and counter-magick. This is not a glyph for your "white light" or "live and let live" shielding magick. Evoke Mars when you want to stick it to someone who's bothering you (and make sure they think twice about doing it again).

Hamsa

This hand-shaped amulet is popular throughout the Middle East and Africa. Hamsas are worn as jewelry and hung over walls and windows. With its all-seeing eye in the center of the palm, the Hamsa is said to ward off the Evil Eye. The open right hand represents power and blessings.In the Middle East, the Hamsa tradition is known by Jews and Muslims alike. However, the right hand of protection can be traced as far back as the Mesopotamian cult of Ishtar. Modern Witches sometimes say that the palm stands for protection, while the fingers represent the five blessings: Love, Money, Health, Wisdom, and Power.There are many variations of the Hamsa symbol, from simple line drawings of the five fingers to the very elaborate and stylized versions. It is a very common practice to personalize the amulet with words and symbols of power. A custom Hamsa charm can be as specific as you want it to be. Or, use it as a general charm against ill luck, jealousy, and poverty.

Eye of Horus

The Eye of Horus (or Eye of Ra) is one of the most enduring protective symbols in history. Featured in ancient Egyptian amulets and artwork, it symbolizes divine power. The All-Seeing Eye is said to protect anything it looks upon. The shapes within the Eye have links to sacred geometry and sacred mathematics.Through the myths of Ra (the Sun God) the Eye represents eternal life and rebirth—hence its use in Egyptian tomb decorations. It is also popular as an amulet against evil-doers and ill-wishers.

Triquetra

The Triquetra (or Celtic Shield) is sometimes used as a protective symbol by Pagans and Celtic Christians. The three-cornered knot represents the Triple Goddess or Holy Trinity. As it has no beginning and no end, the interwoven knot stand for protection that cannot be broken. The circle is also a symbol of eternity.

Bindrune

A  bindrune is a sigil composed of one or more archaic letters (runes). The bindrune combines the properties of each rune into a single symbol. Bindrunes may be created for any magickal purpose, but they are commonly used in protective charms. The most effective bindrune is one that you assemble with intention, using your own understanding of and relationship with the runes. The bindrune's exact meaning will be known only to you. Afterward, the bindrune is worn as an amulet or incorporated into sigil magick. The picture is an example of a protective bindrune incorporating the runes Ingwaz (harmony) and Isa (solitude). It is meant to confer a peaceful environment and inner strength upon the wearer. Also hidden within the bindrune are the shapes of Algiz (divine protection) and Othala (birthright), in case the two main runes are not enough for the job!

Hexagram of Solomon

The six-pointed star is an important esoteric and religious symbol. It is composed of two interlaced or interlocking triangles. Ceremonial magicians know it as the Hexagram of Solomon or Seal of Solomon.Mystical interpretations of the hexagram are many, and depend upon who is viewing it. Western occultists see a fire (upright) triangle superimposed over a water (inverted triangle). This represents the spiritual fire of the aspirant reaching upwards towards heaven, while the fluid grace of God descends simultaneously. The interlocking triangles can be seen as a kind of shorthand for the Hermetic axiom, "As above, so below".The symbol is named for the Biblical king Solomon, who was said to practice spirit evocation with the aid of a signet ring with a hexagram seal. Later, medieval occultists would seek to replicate Solomon's mastery over unruly spirits. The hexagram was said to represent the authority of God and to offer the wearer protection from evil. It is often inscribed with divine names and other symbols and words of power.

Crossed Spears

Sometimes the best magickal symbols are the simplest. There is no mistaking the meaning of the crossed spears. A simple line drawing easily conveys the message, "Do not pass." This type of sigil is often used within folk magick traditions, where a lack of formal literacy is no obstacle to crafting powerful spells. Drawings of axes, swords, hammers, and shields may also be deployed for power and protection.Variations of the crossed spears motif appear in many cultures and time periods, from British heraldry to the national flag of Kenya. It is also one of the eight Witches' Runes. In divination, it signifies quarrels and conflict. In magick, the Crossed Spears emblem (and its cousins) are used to put up a psychic barrier or block the actions of an adversary.

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/magickal-symbols-of-protection-1

[alectology-archive]

SJ/M’s unacceptable and lazy usages of real world places/cultures

I’m aiming to make this the most comprehensive list of SJ/M stealing bits and pieces of world history and pretending like she came up with them. Feel free to comment down below or send an ask if you can think of anything.

The addition of adaptation of names from some real-world places is included either because of insensitivity (Hybern and Prythian) or mostly because SJ/M doesn’t try to represent any of the cultures she takes from.

Note that this post will keep getting updated as I discover more evidences of unacceptable usages of cultures. Also note that there is every possibility that some resemblances are purely accidental and/or unintentional. So take it with a grain of salt.

T/HRONE OF GLASS

- Most of the cultural activities mentioned in Tower of Dawn are rip-offs of Mongolian culture and seem to resemble the Dothraki from Game of Thrones very closely.

- Pagan holidays mentioned in the books:

Yulemas* is celebrated in Erilea despite there already existing an established religion consisting of 12 gods and goddesses.

Samhain* is a festival celebrated by Irish and Scottish people.

Beltane* is a festival celebrated historically in Ireland and Scotland.

- Nehemia is probably derived from the Jewish leader Nehemiah who helped rebuild Jerusalem. Instead of trying to work that into Nehemia’s narrative, SJ/M killed off Nehemia to serve a white woman’s narrative.

- Mycenae is a historical site in Greece.

- Illium is an actual Greek city as well.

- Ravi in KoA is named after a Hindi word which means “sun”.

- Strangely enough Ravi’s brother is named Sol after the Roman god of the sun.

- Suria, where Ravi is from, is also a synonym for sun in Hindi.

- Mab is from the story of “Queen Mab”.

- Maeve is a sexual goddess in Irish mythology who was actually raped. So making Maeve a rapist in the books was hurtful.

A/COTAR

- Nagas belong to Hindu/Indian mythology included in a book that’s clearly a very western fantasy and has little to no PoC representation. 

- Illyrians were an actual indo-european tribe with close relations to modern day Albanians. S/JM is not the first person to feature them in her work but other authors have used versions of the name like “Illyria” by Shakespeare, “Ilirea” by Paolini, “Valyria” by GRRM etc. which are acceptable.

- Calan Mai is actually a celebration of spring in Welsh culture. As @gemorsedd put it so eloquently, SJ/M turned it into a festival about Tamlin being unable to control his hormones.

- Hybern is derived from the classic latin name of Ireland which is “Hibernia”. 

- Prythian is a modified version of the ancient name of Britain “Prydain”. COINCIDENTALLY, Prythian VERY closely resembles the UK. It’s also possible that she plagiarised the name from Anne Bishop’s Daughter of Blood.

Note for further reading: Read @blakeseptember’s about why SJ/M was especially insensitive in including Prythia and Hybern in the ways she did: https://blakeseptember.tumblr.com/post/187088853587/hybern-as-ireland

- Bharat is actually the Hindi name for India which is mentioned in ACO/TAR. Not only is it mentioned that Feyre’s father was sailing to Bharat to trade in cloth and spices (which was exactly what British colonialists and traders did when they sailed to India), it’s also said, quite clearly, that Feyre’s mother died of Typhus while her cousin died of Malaria (IN BHARAT). By doing so SJ/M is blatantly promoting a very colonialist view of India. 

The Malaria mention: “My mind was void, a blank mess of uselessness. Could it be some sort of disease? My mother had died of typhus and her cousin had died of malaria after going to Bharat. But none of those symptoms seemed to match a riddle. Was it a person?”

The Trade of cloth and spices: “I swallowed. ‘Eight years ago he amassed our wealth on three ships to sail to Bharat for invaluable spices and cloth.’”

- Myrmidons feature in A/COWAR. The Myrmidons is actually a nation from Ancient Greek mythology (led by Achilles in the siege of Troy). 

- Harem pants which are worn in parts of South and Middle-east Asia feature in the books where they’re introduced into a court consisting of white people only.

- F/eyre’s floral tattoos are very reminiscent of mehendis which are very important to Indian, Arabic and North African cultures but it’s a trait given to a white woman here. Read this post.

C/RESCENT CITY

- Danaan is from Tuatha de Danaan (celtic mythology) / Danaans is another name for Greece in the Iliad, used interchangeably with “Argives” and “Achaeans”.

- Avallen is Avalon (the legend of King Arthur). Ruhn’s story also bears a very close resemblance to the legend.

- 6 point star = Star of David

- Lehabah = a word in Hebrew meaning "a flame" (להבה)

- Mount Hermon = an actual mountain place in the northern part of Israel.  In Hebrew: הר החרמון.

- SPQM’s full form is Senatus Populusque Midgard. Which is awfully close to the SPQR of the ancient Roman empire which is Senatus Populusque Romanus

- The river Tiber mentioned in CC is actually a Roman river.

- Midgard, in Norse mythology, is the home of mankind. In Norse mythology.

- Sandriel: Comes from the angel Sadriel, the angel of order. S/JM added an “n.”

- Orion “Hunt” A/thalar: First name is pretty obvious, Orion as in the hunter which is where his name “Hunt” comes from. Probably from the god Attar called Athtar in Southern Arabia. Attar is sometimes considered a storm god explaining his lightning powers, but also linked to the Morningstar aka Lucifer. No explanations are given regarding as to how the constellations of our world are the same as that of SJ/M’s fantasy AU.

- Shahar Daystar: From the dawn deity Shahar. Also linked to Lucifer.

- Jesiba Roga: A Croatian respelling of Baba Yaga. Jesiba Roga, is quite literally just a combination of Ježibaba (a figure closely related to Baba Yaga in West Slavic folklore) and Baba Roga (the Croatian version of of Baba Yaga). 

- Danika Fendyr: Danika is a Slavic dawn deity. Fendyr comes from Fenrir a wolf in Norse mythology. 

- Isaiah: Taken from Isaiah 14:12-15 which details the fall of Lucifer. It’s also easily accessible from Shahar’s Wikipedia page (which may imply that SJ/M uses Wikipedia for research and just steals/lazily incorporates whatever she finds along the way.)

12 “How you are fallen from heaven,

O [a]Lucifer, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground,

You who weakened the nations!

13 For you have said in your heart:

‘I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

On the farthest sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

I will be like the Most High.’

15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,

To the [b]lowest depths of the Pit.

- Fury Axtar: Hunt is likely related to Attar or maybe even Ishtar or Ashtaroth. It’s unclear right now. Ishtar is sometimes linked to Lucifer as well. It’s possible that she’s named after the Furies in Greek mythology, deities of vengeance.

- Micah Domitus: Micah is a prophet in Judaism.

- Syrinx: A chimera in this book, a nymph known for her devotion to Artemis.

- Urd: The god of flame and shadow possibly the name comes from Urðr one of the three Norns in Norse mythology.

- Luna: A Roman moon goddess

- Cthona: “Chthonic”, in English, describes deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in Ancient Greek religion.

- Vanir: The Vanir are actually group of Norse gods.

- Asphodel Meadows: A section of the ancient Greek underworld where ordinary souls were sent to live after death.

- Hel: Hel is a goddess but also a location in Norse Mythology for the dead. Depictions of Hel depend on the source of the information. It’s strange that Hel and Asphodel Meadows belong in the same place, translating to lazy world building on SJ/M’s part.

- Midgard: In Norse Mythology basically the plane of existence of humans.

- Laconic Mountains: Named after Laconia the administrative capital of Sparta.

- Nidaros: Where Bryce grew up. It’s the ancient name of Norway’s capital when the Christian kings ruled. It’s now called Trondheim.

- Istros River: Taken from Istros of Ancient Greece

- Valbara: Taken from the super continent Vaalbara

- Pangera: probably Pangea, the huge supercontinent on which dinosaurs lived

- Crown of Thorns: In reality it’s a symbol of Jesus but in the book it’s branded onto the foreheads of angels who rebelled in a war some decades ago.

- Keres: Phillip Briggs’s terrorist gang is named after the Keres who are “goddesses who personified violent death and who were drawn to bloody deaths on battle fields.”

- Sailing: A Norse funeral custom for Vikings as seen in movies like How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Thor: The Dark World. Here’s more information on it, but it seems SJ/M got it wrong. Most Vikings were usually cremated and it was mostly used for Kings and Chieftains (Danika might fall into the Chieftain category).

- 33rd Imperial Legion: Could be a reference again to Jesus who was 33 at his death.

- The Ophian rebels (of which the the Keres rebels are a subgroup of) are named after Ophian, and elder Titan in Greek mythology.

Sources I’ve derived some facts from so far:

- Sapir Englard on Goodreads via @spaceshipkat’s tumblr post using Hebrew in CCity.

- @bittenwrath for basically everything in crescent city. 

- @blakeseptember’s tumblr about Hybern’s origins.

- An anon dropped by with “Hel”

- @chenmighty and @tavithelibrarian pointed out the Illyrians.

- @sylphene and @omourningstar for Prydain

- @ok-boomer pointed out that Yulemas, Samhain and Beltain are all pagan holidays.

- @gemorsedd For pointing out Calan Mai

- An anon pointed out the Norns, Danaan and Avalon.

- @mimiofthemalfoys for the Bharat, malaria, typhus, spices and cloth mention.

- @kryingkardashianz for Danaans being another name of Greece and Myrmidions.

- an anon pointed out Nidaros

- @shurislut for mehendi and harem pants

- @sanktaalinaa for Jesiba Roga

- @croissantcitysucks for the Ophian Rebels

[krinsbez]

GI Joe: Remixed, Viper Leaders 1

More OCs by Night_stalker, in this case, the bosses of various Viper cadres

(It was very fun trying to make it fit when we found out one of the Viper-types already HAS a boss)

TELE-VIPER LEADER:

Name: Kyu-Hwang, along with many usernames online. Codename: Gwisin DoB: Unknown Former Affiliation: Bureau 121 Orientation: Het Bio: Little is known about Kyu's past, but given his past affiliation, one can make some guesses. The fact that he also has a fondness for snapping to attention whenever a superiro comes by, and is a bit rickety makes one suspect North Korea was involved in some way. That said, he's not your sterotypical nerd. Suave, charismatic, ruthless, bit paranoid.... Kyu is one part hacker, one part cat manager, as having to run a department of IT personnel in a terrorist organization does tend to turn off the actually qualified people from turning up in person. Hobbies: Movie pirating, Coffee roasting, Cooking, and Tai Chi.

LASER-VIPER LEADER:

Name: Adrian Townes Codename: Rytov DoB: April 28th, 1965 Former Affiliation: US Army Corps of Engineers ERADC Orientation- Homosexual Bio: Born into a family that had lasers in their blood, Townes was fascinated by them. In fact, he could say he was all but in love with them. Getting appointed to the Army Corps of Engineers was his dream, where he started looking at the applications of lasers on a smaller scale then his comrades. While they tinkered with making lasers able to shoot down Ivan's ICBMs, he looked at fitting them inside tanks, if not smaller. However, finding funding for laser armed tanks and such, even in the 80s was difficult, to say the least.  Matters were not helped considering that while he was incredibly gifted when it came to developing lasers, he was less then skilled at interacting with others, or with what he termed "Petty minded bureaucrats seeking only to further their own power". When the 90s came around, he found himself out of a job, the laser projects all being put into cold storage. Faced with the prospect of his life's work being left to rot in some musty filing cabinet, Adrian started making the rounds of the Pentagon's higher ups, as well as the GAO. His arguments, while very technically impressive and certainly promising quite a lot of things, well, were considerably out of touch with fiscal reality, as well as the political realities. Left fuming in a dead end post, mostly being spent watching over the laser projects in cold storage, Townes heard of Cobra's announcements, and decided this was the means to affect revenge, while also finally vindicating himself. The fact that, as an added bonus, he could likely turn his weapons against his hated rivals in the Pentagon was, in his mind, icing on the cake. Hobbies: DiY Electronics, 3D Printing, Caligraphy, and Kombucha brewing.

RANGE-VIPER LEADER:

Name: Venus Callahan Codename: Ishtar DoB: Asking a Lady her age isn't polite. Much less a ex SF Lady with more guns then employees. Former Affiliation: Canadian Airborne Regiment Orientation: Hetero Bio: Venus had a relatively normal life in Canada. Growing up in the frozen wilderness, Venus learned how to clean a rabbit before she could walk, and viewed icy temperatures as "Bit nippy". Shockingly to literally nobody, she signed up to be a officer in the Canadian Army, where she rose up the ranks due to her jocular personality, as well as being able to set a personal example for many of the men to live up to. That said, she was given one of the tougher assignments in the army, namely, the famous, or depending on who you asked, infamous, Canadian Airborne Regiment. Unfortunately for her, she was assigned to it barely before the infamous Somali Affair occurred, which meant that when the resulting inquriy occured, she was one of the victims. Naturally, being the most junior officer present who could be held accountable, she was thrown under the bus as much as possible. Being "suggested" that she resign in order to avoid a lengthy court martial that would probably lead to a lot of unsavory details being outed, well, it doesn't inspire loyalty in one towards their government. Holding a grudge against the government and establishment that had tossed her aside so easily, Venus signed up with Sandline International. When that was shut down in the early 2000s, she signed up with MARS Industries, but didn't quite fit in. Her once jocular personality had turned acidic over the years, and while her skills hadn't degraded any, well..... There were certain topics one didn't bring up around her. Or in earshot. Or someplace gossip might reach her about it. So when Cobra started headhunting, HR for MARS pitched her over so fast it was a miracle she even realized what was happening. That said, she seemed to fit in like she'd been born for the role. Her skills, combined with a refusal to take shit from literally anyone, and backing up that stance with the threat of stranding them in the middle of the Arctic, buck naked, well, it got results. Hobbies: Archery, Stamp Collecting, Gardening, Latin Dancing, Trainspotting, and Hunting. 

SNOW SERPENT LEADER

Name: Otto Koskinen Codename: Wendigo DoB: November 11, 1975 Former Affiliation: UTJR Orientation: Bisexual Bio: Formerly a Finnish sniping instructor, Otto ended up leaving the army under circumstances he's refused to reveal. That said, people suspect it's tied to his fondness for eating almost anything, and a shrink's diagnosis of him basically being a sociopath with some severe mental hangups. Shockingly, he seems to get along well with the Snow Serpents, which has helped make him the leader of those frosty psychopaths. Hobbies: Skiing, Trail Skating, Ballroom Dancing, Model Trains (N Scale), and Sewing.

EEL LEADER:

Name: Ro Yun-Soo Codename: Selkie DoB: November 18th, 1984 Former Affiliation: Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare Flotilla Orientation: Asexual, formerly heterosexual Bio: Ro grew up in a small fishing village on Baengnyeongdo Island, the only child of a fisherman and his wife. A few years into her young life, her mother died from a North Korean artillery barrage, leading her father to bring her along on his fishing vessel to keep her safe. There, she grew to love the ocean, and hate North Korea with a passion. These passions led her to join the Navy, where she excelled in diving and swimming, leading to her transfer to the Special Warfare Flotilla. She had a promising career ahead of her, even had a fiance who was an RoK Marine assigned to the Flotilla as a liason. Then it all fell apart in a manner of weeks. Her fiance was struck and killed by a drunk driver, at first. Then she was discharged from the Navy due to what she has described only as "office politics". The final straw was her father dying in yet another North Korean artillery barrage, just a week after her discharge from the Navy. Furious at the world, and the Norks most of all, she joined Cobra, where her talents had her assigned to the Hydro-Viper program. Hobbies: Rowing, Wrestling, Chess, Starcraft, and Fishkeeping.

MORAY LEADER:

Name: Secondina Vespa Codename: Lemure DoB: December 12th, 1982 Former Affiliation: COMSUBIN Operational Raider Group Orientation: Bisexual Bio: Growing up in Sicily, Vespa learned to take crap from nobody, and that above all else, family came first. Unfortunately for her, this proved to be a dangerous combo when, years into her naval career, her brother was revealed to be a member of the infamous Motsi Mafia Clan. This naturally sank her career faster then a crash diving submarine, but thanks to her brother's career, some doors were opened up for her. Turns out the Mafia saw some benefit in a diver who was combat trained and would have no qualms helping to smuggle cargo or loot shipwrecks. Though after awhile, her brother vanished. Well, to be fair, depending on who you asked, he said he was going off to the cafe with some friends, and would be right back, or said something like "I gotta get out of town, they're after me man". Shockingly, without a brother who was a Capo, people who are openly bisexual don't tend to last long in the Mafia. That said, she wasn't stupid enough to be unprepared this time around, and on her way to the local airport, swung by the local Carabinieri ROS office to drop off a thick file of evidence for their perusal. Her bridges by now more then thoroughly torched, she fled to the Florida Keys, doing mercenary diving work for local OC. This came to the attention of a Cobra headhunter, who also saw that she had no quarrels with body alteration, or at least didn't totally read that employment contract well enough, and she was slated for the Moray program in no time at all. Hobbies: Wine tasting, Audiophile, Magnet Fishing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

HYDRO-VIPER Leader:

Name: Brad Thor Codename: Leviathan DoB: August 21, 1969 Former Affiliation: USMC Force Recon Orientation: Het, married to a Nitro-Viper. Bio: Once a Marine Force Recon captain, Thor ran into hard financial times. Desperate to earn money to pay off some debts, he made a deal with Destro. Unfortunately, Destro didn't show, but rather a NCIS team, who arrested him. While enroute to his new prison, he reached out to Cobra, and requested a job. This was granted, and before long, he was assigned into the Hydro-Viper program. Of course, he requested it on the grounds of it being the one he was least likely to interact with Destro with, and also suited his talents the best. As luck would have it, he even met his future wife while in the basic Viper program's bootcamp. Of course, she was a Nitro-Viper, so it turned out great for all involved. His loyalty was cemented, and she got a loving husband to help get her over the last husband's untimely demise at the hands of faulty Destro merchandise. Hobbies: Fantasy Basketball, Glass Sculpting, Poetry, and Drama.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

Analysis: Romulus = Quirinus

So now that the Command Chain calculator has this big guy, its time to do an analysis! 

Sky MAX HP: 13,632  Max ATK: 12,273 (Effective ATK: 12,886) NP Charge on ATK: 0.59% Star Generation: 12.2% BBAAQ B = 3, A = 3, Q = 4, E = 5 Base NP Gain: Arts = 1.77%, Quick: 2.36%, Extra = 2.95% 

Throne of Quirinus EX: Increase party’s Atk for 3 turns (10-20%) Increase party’s critical damage for 3 turns (10-20%) Further increase the critical damage of Roman allies for 3 turns (20-30%) Inflict Roman trait debuff to all enemies for 5 turns. Cooldown: 7 -> 5 turns Apotheosis B: Grants self invulnerability for 2 attacks, 3 turns.  Charges own NP gauge. (20-30%) Gain 10 critical stars Cooldown: 8 -> 6 turns Nine Lives Roma: Slaying the Hundred Heads Roman Style A: Increases own Buster performance for 3 turns. (20-30%) Increases own critical star absorption for 1 turn (300-500%) Inflicts Roman trait debuff to enemy for 5 turns upon critical attacking for 3 turns.  Cooldown: 7 - > 5 turns Magic Resistance A: Increases own Debuff resistance by 20%. Independent Action B+: Increases own Critical Damage by 9%. Divinity of the Chief God B+: Increases own damage by 225. Increases own Buster performance by 9%.  Per Aspera ad Astra Buster 5 hits Does damage to all enemies (300-500%).  Deals 100% more damage to Roman enemies.  Deals 20% more damage to enemies per Roman Trait debuff per stack (Max Stack = 10 for 200% more damage). Inflicts all enemies with Roman trait debuff for 5 turns.  Grants party Roman trait buff for 5 turns.  Increases party’s atk for 3 turns based on overcharge. (10-30%). Primary Role: DPS Secondary Role: Crit DPS, Farmer Situational Role: DPS Support Phew. Compared to Caenis, I’ve had to type a lot more than I’ve had for the superior ROMA. But it honestly goes to show how interesting of a servant ROMA can be. First, let’s starts off with stats and generation. His ATK is the highest of all Lancer class Servants, which is already a pretty significant boon, but he also has pretty good HP as well. Basically, there’s no disappointment to be found in his base stats. His NP generation does leave a little to be desired though. His AQA chain will generate about 31% NP, which is good, but mostly good because of his two Arts card. His AAQ chain will generate about 30%, but also generate 14 stars which makes it overall the best generation chain for ROMA. Speaking of crit stars, ROMA does have a hard time generating many crit stars. With his NP he can generate around 18 crit stars, but you probably want your crit stars before you NP, so even though his one Quick has 4 hits, he’s not great at crit star generation. This will be a problem for ROMA as much of his kit is crit based.  His first skill is unbelievably loaded. Not only is it Ishtar’s Manifestation of Beauty, it also has two additional effects that are quite strong.Using this skill alone gives the party 20% more Atk and 20% more crit damage, but ROMA gets a total of 50% more crit damage, which is insane on this skill with this cooldown. In addition it applies the ROMA trait debuff to all enemies, which not only increases the damage of his NP by at least 120%, but also enables some Servants who have anti-Roman skills. So, Boudica, but its very notable. His second skill is also pretty good, although a bit more tame in comparison. A mini Protection from Arrows that’s invul instead of Evasion, 30% NP gauge charge, and 10 crit stars. This is mostly a consistency booster, allowing him more consistency in staying alive, more consistent NP usage, and more consistent crits. All of these skills bundled together does give the skill a little bit of contradictory usage, but its very good overall. Finally, his third skill is probably the least interesting of the bunch. The 3 turn Buster performance buff is really good, but the additional effects are more lackluster. Crit star absorption that only lasts for 1 turn doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Romulus is going to score more crits, which is important because he needs crits to apply more Roman trait debuffs. His low star generation however is a notable hamper to this, so he’ll need support to guarantee more crits. 

His NP, is, in a word, nutty. It’s probably the best part of this entire kit if you’re going to use ROMA for damage. With his first skill, his NP will do 120% more damage. This really ramps up the NP damage, since it’s an effective damage multiplier and so more than doubles ROMA’s NP damage. In addition, it applies another stack of Roman debuffs, but also makes the party ROMA as well, which helps with his 1st skill and Bond CE. Finally, it gives a small Charisma buff similar to his 3-star version. Now, its important to note before we get too carried away; its really rather difficult to have that many ROMA stacks on an enemy. Part of this is because he has a 50% crit steroid, meaning he might just actually kill the enemy or boss before you can get a full stack, but also because a full stack typically is going to require Summer BB or extensive use of skill cooldown or party member deaths and lucky card draws, as well as just crits. Even at base however, his NP does enough damage that its very worthwhile to use. 

A small moment for his Bond CE, which increases the Atk of Roman allies by 20% while he’s on the field. It’s decent if you want to use Romulus as more of a support than a DPS, which is potentially worthwhile. 

Notable Servants:

Boudica: I don’t think it can be stressed enough how Romulus has taken what was previously a somewhat decent but overall mediocre support Servant and has made her functionally incredible. Even if you don’t factor in her NP, Romulus’ 1st skill will enable the extra damage of Boudica’s 1st skill, increasing the party’s damage to roman enemies by 60%, as well as providing an additional 50% crit damage. Boudica and Romulus can form the backbone of a team focused around an Arts, crit based Servant, such as Lancelot or Yagyuu, thanks to the synergistic buffs, but this system is also good for just about any Servant, because a 60% damage buff is insane. It’s even more ridiculous if you can get a support Boudica, for a combined 120% extra damage, 100% crit damage, and 40% Arts performance. You can even get some extra Def and 45% more Atk with two Boudica NPs. The only downside is Boudica’s high crit star absorption, but you’re doing so much more extra damage anyways its not a huge factor. 

Gaius Julius Caesar: Obviously there is the initial, surface benefit. Caesar is a Roman ally, meaning he’ll benefit from Romulus’ crit damage buff. He also is a fantastic support for Romulus himself, providing another 18% NP damage, 16% Atk, 40% crit damage, and finally, 100% more star gen. This makes Romulus’ AAQ chain generate 29 Stars instead of the initial 14 stars, and his NPBB chain will generate 39 stars, greatly increasing his crit rate. Caesar also benefits because Romulus will increase his high NP damage, especially with Boudica.

Summer BB: “Ana, you can’t just recommend Summer BB for everyone” Yes I can, and I will, but there’s a very good reason for it this time. Summer BB can guarantee 3 brave chains for Romulus, as well an additional 12 crit stars per turn. This really helps out with getting the maximum damage possible for Romulus’ NP, as well as more consistent crits. It is a bit of a no-brainer that for a skill that requires as many crits as possible to pair up with Summer BB, but I think it’s important to point out. 

As well, just any Buster support will be good with Romulus. His arts cards are not great, so he doesn’t necessarily benefit from Arts support as some other servants do, but crit star generation up buffs are also pretty important for more consistency with his 1st and 3rd skills. 

Craft Essences: By and large what you want to focus on, is Buster and Crit performance. Star Gen up CEs are by and large not especially powerful and won’t make a huge difference to Romulus’ performance, so you’re going to want to focus on damage for the most part. If you’re using him as a support, however, the Ox King CE can be useful for the 15% Buster up, or a CE like 2030 can be used as a more general support CE. Starting NP can also be good as well, although you might avoid trying to NP as soon as possible to draw out a little more damage for it. 

Overall Pros and Cons:

Pros: -High crit damage and high NP damage means he’s a solid Buster DPS -All 3 skills are good and useful -Invulnerability is possible for defensive uses -NP charge and small crit star bomb for consistency -Is incredible with Boudica -Decent NP generation

Cons: -Low star generation means it is very difficult for Romulus to self-sustain his own crits -ROMA buffs are a bit less impactful than Jason’s Argo buffs because of the difference in their roles. Jason is a supporter first, DPS second so his other party member’s do not necessarily need to support him as well. Romulus is a DPS first, supporter second, meaning his party members should also provide support to Romulus. It’s not a major con however.

Overall, Romulus is really, really good. He can be a little difficult to use because of his low crit consistency on his own, but with proper supports he has immense potential to shine. 

[fuwafuwamedb]

Are you still doing drabbles... Can we have the Gil's (caster and kid) and Enkidu meeting archer and Hakuno new born(s)?

[Actual image of Enkidu finding out that birthing involves pain and it’s the pain of their beloved friend, Hakuno] 

“Do you think they’re out yet?”

Caster stared over at Enkidu for the dozenth time, seeingthe being slouching over the doorknob of his chamber door. Those green eyes wereglancing over at him, brows furrowed as they genuinely wanted to know.

Sighing, Caster stared down at the paperwork in front ofhim. There were certain tasks he ought to be doing. There were tasks he reallyneeded to be finishing. Siduri would have been lamenting over the amount ofwork he had piling up nearby. She would have been climbing the walls of Chaldeato reach him just to get him back to work. Instead, he had Enkidu.

The being made a loud sound as they paced once more.

“Maybe I could-“

“You tried to attack the midwife assisting Hakuno,” Casterpointed out. “Archer and his younger self both had to drag you from the room.You decided to turn into your more primitive and true form to protect Hakuno.”

“I did the right thing,” the being countered.

They would have been crying over her while she pushed outhis child.

Or rather- Archer’s child.

Caster glanced towards the door, tapping his tabletthoughtfully.

“Gil?”

“Enkidu, I am not supposed to allow you to go over to Archer’schambers until the birthing is complete. I do not think that you wish topartake in watching Hakuno suffer through the pains of labor any more than Ido. Sit. Have patience.” He motioned at his work. “Assist me! Since you arealways going on about how you wish to assist me with my paperwork.”

“Paperwork is boring.” Enkidu groaned, walking over to himnonetheless. The being’s hair swung from side to side, their robes flowing outbehind them as they more or less flopped themselves dramatically over his deskand his work. Those bright green eyes glanced up at him. “I want to see theinfants.”

“We both wish to see the infants. We should not see themright now though.”

A hand pressed against his cheek, the smooth, poreless skinlike alabaster. The being leaned in closer.

“Enkidu-“

“We could take a quick look,” the being murmured. “In andout. Just to make sure things are going alright. Hakuno would want me there.Archer too, although he will never say it. You call him immature. You callHakuno a people person. You know I’m right.”

“I know you are,” he agreed, “but I know for a fact that youare planning to slaughter anyone near Hakuno if she so much as whimpers withyour godchildren inside her. You’ll destroy the entire setup that Archer hasput in place for Hakuno’s wellbeing.”

“I would never endanger Hakuno.”

“You wouldn’t mean to.”

“You could put more faith in me,” Enkidu cooed to himsoftly.

That hand was entirely distracting, but not as much as the claybeing’s body sliding slowly onto his lap. Apparently disrupting his work was notenough. The being needed to take their successful arguments and combine themwith physical encouragement. Soft touches, gentle tones; the being had becomefar too coddled.

This being was going to be the godfather to his offspring,technically.

Gods help them all.

“Caster! Enkidu!”

Enkidu was on their feet in an instant, rushing to ChildGilgamesh the moment the boy ran through the door. Their arms held the childsteady.

“Is it time?!”

“Enkidu, you’re hurting me a little,” child Gil whined,smiling despite himself. “Hakuno is done, but Gudako kicked me out. Said Archershould be able to spend time alone with Hakuno.”

“And?” Caster looked over at the boy, grateful to hear the worstof this was done. “What heirs do I have?”

The boy shrugged, turning back to Enkidu. “I don’t knowanything. They won’t let me close. If you’re with me though, Enkidu-“

“Let’s go together,” Enkidu replied immediately.

“Hold it!”

The of them paused, Enkidu’s whine louder than the boy’s athis side. “GILLLL, it’s my children!”

He raised a brow at that.

“Godchildren. Basically my babies.” Enkidu huffed, glaringat him. “Instead of hovering over that work-“

“Enough, Enkidu.” Caster shook his head. “It is bad enoughmy other selves think so poorly of me. My friend thinking the same? I’ll neverforgive such nonsense. Such insolence. I was merely pointing out that you areleaving me behind and I do not approve of such actions. This is my child orchildren that we speak of.”

They only were mentioning plural due to Enkidu’s sensing of agood amount of mana. The being had detected more life than they had thought wasnatural for one being. Perhaps two children.

He was quite excited about that fact.

Enkidu smirked at him. “You’re too slow, Caster.”

“Mhmm.” Caster flicked at the being’s forehead. “We walkdown the hallways. If either of you run, I’m forcing you to begin this walk toArcher’s room from my chambers and I’ll have Vlad escort you.”

The two fools both shivered. “The knitter.”

Personally, he enjoyed the company of the unfortunatevampire. Him, alongside that cook of Chaldea, were entertaining enough. Theymet their purposes and did not aspire higher.

The threat lasted a couple hallways, ending the moment theysaw the blood stained sheets being carried away by Nightingale. At the sight ofred, they were sprinting. No sense of reason, no logic; the two idiots wouldhave screamed had they one braincell less. And then they would feel guilt overawakening the offspring.

Mash and Gudako nodded at him as they walked passed,discussing baby clothes and which servants to possible have as sitters.

“Ah!” Enkidu paused in the doorway, holding Child Gil back. “Canwe come in, my friend?”

Archer must have motioned them through. They didn’t hesitateto rush into the man’s chambers. Once more, he found himself behind, following inthe vapor trails as Enkidu and Child Gil leaned over the bed.

To be quite fair to his arrogant and unappreciative archer’sself- he was behaving admirably.

The man was drenched in sweat, still holding Hakuno frombehind. His usual gaming tanktop was ripped in a few places, no doubt fromfighting Enkidu out of the room and from Hakuno’s attempt to gather strengthagainst the onslaught of pain. His arms were wrapped around the young woman,face returning to its place on the top of her head. His voice softly murmuredto the woman, no doubt telling her nonsense of some nature. Hopefully, he wasmurmuring soft, sweet nothings to praise her for this hard work.

More likely he was telling her that she should have pushedharder.

Perhaps he’d surprise him.

Enkidu was already picking up one of the two bundles inHakuno’s arms. Their face moved in close.

“Archer, your children are so tiny.”

“They will need to grow, obviously,” Archer replied, his expressionstill content. “There were two as well. You were indeed correct in yourassessment.”

“I’m never wrong.”

Archer nodded. “Hakuno had a hard time with the second. Theboy was insistent on being lazy. I imagine I’ll have trouble getting both youand him out of bed as he grows older.”

“Ah, a spirit after my own clay heart.” Enkidu cooed, theirsmile growing.

Archer glanced over at his child self. “…Hakuno told me toallow you and Caster to hold them. Take advantage of my giving nature. I willnot be so generous later.”

“Hmm? Oh. Right.” Their younger self reached for the otherbundle, picking up the infant and staring. “…They’re wrinkly.”

“And you’ve lost my good graces.” Archer turned hisattention over to him. “Caster, take my child from this infant. I’d rather nothave a child holding my great treasures.”

Treasures now?

“Do not refer to our heirs as material possessions. Boy, letme see the child.” Taking the bundle from his young self, Caster hesitated.

A pair of red eyes stared up at him.

“Hmm? Caster?”

There was no doubt a purpose behind the chubby cheeks, thesmall limbs and wisps of hair that barely graced their head. Swaddled in theirblanket, the newborn looked… fragile. Despite the weight, his mind flickered tothe simplicity of hurting it. One wrong move, one simple mistake-

He glanced at Enkidu, gently rocking the infant in theirarms, and paled.

“Enkidu, we should return the infants to their motherimmediately.”

“Hmm?” Enkidu glanced over at him. “I am not done.”

“Enkidu.”

There was no debating over whether or not to return them.Hakuno was who they were safest with. She had conceived them, carried them inher own person for nine months, brought them into this world; she’d be whomthey were safest with.

Caster moved to put the child back and found Archer blockinghim.

“Archer-“

“I have not gotten to properly hold my woman in a bit. Not withouther cries ringing in my ears. Let me hold her and you hold the kids.”

“Archer-“

The man smirked. “What’s wrong, Caster? Does holding ouroffspring make you uncomfortable? They are quite tiny things, aren’t they?”

He knew.

The damn asshole knew.

Caster glared at him. “Do not play games with me, Archer. Ido not want to endanger our heirs by mishandling them. Their mother will missthem-“

“Enkidu is quite happy with the one. If you are souncomfortable, let the other baby lay at their side. They’ll watch them both.”

The being nodded, radiating happiness from every artificialpore on their being.

“…I will instruct the Chaldeans to bring you a proper cribfor the infants. One bad roll in one’s sleep would mean the end for these two.”

Archer bit his lip, the smirk on his visage growing.

Caster set the infant down by Enkidu and glanced around. “Aproper canopy will be important as well. Toys. I do not see anything in thisroom that is proper for a young mind. I have heard from Mozart that infantsrespond well to music. It encourages the mind to grow. Along with that, themongrels in this place need to understand who is no longer allowed near Hakunoand our children. Medb, Ishtar, and Jack offhand.”

“Jack isn’t that bad,” Child Gil argued.

Caster flicked the boy’s forehead. “I will see to the startof preparations.”

He turned without delay, listening to Archer laugh in a lowvoice.

“Alright, you have successfully proven me wrong again, Hakuno.Allowing Caster near our creations was indeed a wise choice. If it means theinfants have their own space and I may resume holding you properly in my arms,then he may be allowed to oversee the newborns alongside Enkidu.”

Caster found his chest feeling lighter at the thought.

Uruk would also need to be notified.

His kingdom had heirs.

[crystalelemental]

yukikun98 replied to your post: New units stats!  They’re neat....

The one thing I feel will make her somewhat standout would be her default weapon coupled with close guard from Death Knight. She’d be able to give out her def/res drive to both kinds of enemies, making her somewhat more supportive. It would be nice if she was a bit more better in order to at least have some viability compared too the more current meta of dancers. Young and Legendary Azura are just too good and leave little room for making more viable dancers.

That is her main niche, I think.  And it’s honestly pretty good.  Combined and improved Drive Def/Res is really nothing to sneeze at.  But that really is the issue.  A dancer that’s mostly just there to dance doesn’t exist.  Young Azura is surprisingly good as a tank, because of her spectrum debuff when next to an ally.  Offensive dancers have Micaiah as a nuke with dual effectiveness, or L!Azura with her speed.  And of course, nothing will ever beat the support of turning any buff into an omni-buff, and a +1 movement bonus that L!Azura grants.

The new dancers...all kinda prove that.  They’re min-maxed to all hell.  Berkut’s actually a really strong physical tank, with 36 attack and 37 defense, and a superboon in both defenses.  He’s really tanky and able to hit back reasonably hard, AND packs the support of +4 to all stats of anyone he dances.  Ishtar and Reinhardt are also ridiculously min-maxed, with Ishtar being the scariest of all, being capable of quad-attacking most enemies in the game with little issue, and if she somehow reaches Desperation range, good luck.  Basically, they can all function without Dance at all.  They aren’t just a supporter, they’re capable fighters in their own right.  And there’s something...kinda fucked about that.  The idea that new dancers have to pack serious combat potential in addition to the support is...concerning, and frankly a pretty good indicator of the problems we’re facing with powercreep overall.

Look, 180BST armor was ridiculous to start with, and I hope we don’t go any further than that with anything.  But infantry...honestly went too far.  167 felt alright to me for melee infantry.  That you could min-max effectively and make really good.  But apparently, that wasn’t enough.  Now we have shit like Fallen Corrin and Sothis, who pack an obscene 173BST.  This in addition to other ridiculous shit, like Sothis having a DC weapon with adaptive damage that also negates strong against dragon effects, a two-turn cooldown special that’s a combination of Regnal Astra and Noontime, and some of the best skills for base kit you could ask for.  Because that’s fair!  Seriously, imagine Legendary Tiki, but take away 1 stat point from each stat.  Now give her a special that recovers a ton of HP and deals obscene extra damage for a two turn cooldown, and has some top-tier skills.  And also she gets two movement.  That’s just a thing she gets, all the time.  That’s outrageous.  The BST of infantry units is, frankly, out of fucking control.  I get that the meta is trying to shift away from armor and dragon dominance, but you’ve beaten dragons to death enough at this point, and Null Follow-Up is on so many new 5* units that it’s not particularly hard to shut down Fighter skills.  Not that they’re needed when you essentially have equivalent base stats and the ability to move further than them.  This is my biggest concern with Heroes right now.  Powercreep is one thing, but we haven’t even finished the whole book yet, and somehow we blasted past Gen 3 straight to Gen 4 stats, with absolutely no reason to do so.  It’s just...so much, so fast, and it feels like a huge acceleration of the problem rather than a fix.  And worse, now other movement types like Cav and Flier are getting the boost, because they can’t compete with the new infantry units and need help, and the original purpose of dragonflowers remains unfulfilled.  The reason infantry units got to get +10 while other movements got +5?  Because that was the increase in BST for new units.  But now we’re already past that, and it’s been like, what, 6 months?  Already they’re outdated, because they keep pushing stats higher. They really need to back off of it.

[yamayuandadu]

Do you know of any attempts to reconstruct a hypothetical Proto-Semitic pantheon? I'd be interested in reading something like that but I haven't come across anything even remotely resembling such a thing. (Also be interested in a Proto-Afro-Asiatic pantheon but that looks even more remote).

I do not think it's possible in the first place and I think it's good the field generally abstains for quests for such phantasmagoric entities considering how the focus on "reconstructed Proto-Indo-European pantheon" basically resulted in some combination of reinventing Jungian archetypes and hyperdiffusionism over and over again. I don't think it's bad in principle but the results are often... dubious to put it very lightly. Additionally, ultimately religion and language aren't necessarily correlated, and cognate names of deities won't necessarily tell us much. For instance while the Ashtar from 1st millennium BCE sources from the Arabian Peninsula certainly has a name cognate with that of Ishtar, it's hard to deny that Ishtar shares more "religious dna" with Sumerian Inanna, Hurrian Shaushka and Elamite Pinikir. A good example of this is also the case of Hittite religion - Hittite is undeniably an Indo-European language, and yet the Hittite pantheon was largely patterned on Hattian, Hurrian and Mesopotamian ones, with no trace of particularly many figures resembling the reconstructed PIE gods. Another problem is that there is no purely "Semitic" pantheon - ie. one with gods with names exclusively drawn from a language which can be assumed to be Semitic - in the oldest known sources, casting doubts over whether such a thing ever existed, especially as the Ancient Near East was a very linguistically diverse area (you can’t really discuss Akkadians and Amorites without Sumerians, Hurrians, Elamites, Kassites...). The a-list gods in Ebla - Ishara, Kura, Barama, Dagan, Hadabal (aka NI-da-KUL), Astabi - with the exception of Hadda and Resheph seem to come from some linguistic substrate (or multiple); Akkadian and Sumerian pantheons are virtually impossible to fully separate as are the cultures; and so on. The development of pantheons was much more complex than the models promoted by some PIE religion researchers would make one believe, and on top of that there is always not necessarily accounted for variation. We can't actually say for sure that the religon of Pontic-Caspian Steppe or the Fertile Crescent was uniform in the times proposed for the proto-Semitic or proto-IE languages!