#Florin Root

[m3wllo]

knocks on your door like a salesman. excuse me (holds out hand like a poor victorian child) ocs??? i need ocs to cure my poor baby boy.,,,,,,,,,, my child is very ill..,,,,

ah an orphan family (explodes you)

OKAY uh. lets see ive got Two New Freaks, Florin Root (last name subject to change but im okay with it for now) and Mal Larceny. Florin is.. some kind of fae royalty runaway whos just trying to live their life peacefully, in their shitty abandoned borderline haunted house (it may actually be haunted but with like, pixies so they dont really notice) and Mal is a Freak whos convinced Florin is not human and both obsessed with "exposing" them and With them. worlds most fucked up yandere/victim dynamic

GHEHEHEH THEN THERES TARR AND LANE. lane im specifically Really happy with the new lore theyve got. theyre both irkens and lane is just. my son named wrinkle with every disease.

theyre an offspring of theee (looks something up) control brains, no i dont know how that works either But im thinking that like. the control brains are computers so surely they have coolant of sorts right? anyways Something Fucking Happened and a smeet got popped out. anyways. lane is very…. fucked up compared to your average irken, something happened in the process of their brith that left them with burn scars, a very weak skeletal structure, and hyper sensitive yet somehow dull senses.

they have like… yknow the antenna addon thingy. AND YEAH THIS COULD WORK BECAUSE IN THE COMICS A SMEET GETS BORN FROM THE FLUID OF ZIMS VOOT CRUISER SO DONT FUCKING LOOK AT ME OKAY? OKAY. also i cant figure out what the fuck the antenna add ons are called and im nearly convinced now that theyre a fanon thing. my autism has failed me, anyways the addons help in both being able to Use their antennas for their purpose (smelling stuff and… whatever else…), help with vision and other brain functions, and also help from letting these senses get too overwhelemed.

also reavers (hello reaver) irken guy, reeb, is their caretaker. also the tallest are Fucking Terrified of lane because i think its funny. and it kind of makes sense. worlds creepiest little smeet. ALSO they get around primarily with their PAK legs, or sometimes let reeb carry them around HOWEVER when disguised as a human they use a wheelchair :3 (i..i almost typed disguised as a wheelchair…)

AND THEN THERES TARR! a little irken explorer whos. good at their job? i mean yeah buddy they sure Do explore but do they report anything meaningful back? not really! this beast has adhd and a childlike sense of wonder. they also have a habit of breaking and entering. their …tolerance..i guess to earth is surprisingly higher than most irkens. i mean water still burns them and stuff but its not as bad. they also like the ocean i think and have modified their ship to be water proof and, yknow, ocean proof. our ocean is Fucked Up (said with love)

[rainbowswirlything]

Sleeper, Protector, Friend and Foe – The Darkest Faerie and Jerdana

(Or: In This Essay, I Will Overanalyze A Couple of Neopets Characters)

The eleven heroes who Altador chose to help found and lead his city drew his attention in numerous ways. Siyana discovered and thwarted a plot to raid a village, Florin cured a plant blight, Marak mediated peace between his underwater village and land-dwellers they’d come into conflict with, Gordos rooted out corruption in his town…

...but two of the Protectors of Altador were chosen because they saved the life of King Altador: the Sleeper—aka the Betrayer, aka the Darkest Faerie—and Jerdana, the Protector. As it turns out, there are a few interesting parallels/contrasts between these two characters.

Recruitment Order

The way the Book of Ages is written suggests that the order in which the 12 founders are presented is the reverse of the order in which they were recruited.

For one thing, Altador’s chapter (The Hunter) is the last out of the founders, and he obviously was the first to get onboard with the city-founding plan—it was his plan to start with.

For another, in Jerdana’s chapter, which immediately precedes Altador’s, it doesn’t sound like Altador has recruited anyone else at that point—he’s alone when Jerdana first encounters him, and after she saves his life, he says "With your powers of protection, my just leadership, and the help of other strong hearts, we could make a city of legends." To me, that makes it sound like Altador didn’t yet know who the “other strong hearts” might be.

In addition, in Siyana’s chapter, which immediately precedes Florin’s, after Siyana saves Florin’s village from bandits, Florin “told her that there was a noble Lupe she should perhaps meet,” which suggests that Florin had already been recruited at this point.

If we assume that the recruitment order is indeed the reverse of the chapter order, then Jerdana and the Sleeper were the first and last recruits to Altador’s council, respectively—a pair of matching bookends.

Chance Meetings in the Wilderness

Most of the Twelve were recruited when Altador heard of some heroic deed they’d performed and deliberately sought them out.

Siyana might be one exception—in her case, Florin was the one to suggest she might be a good fit for the council, and she may have even been the one to seek Altador out at Florin's suggestion.

As for Jerdana and the Sleeper--Altador's first encounter with both was out in the wilderness, entirely by chance, and he was a direct witness to their heroic acts (for the obvious reason that said acts involved saving Altador himself).

Jerdana is stated in the Book of Ages to have been a wanderer who helped people she met in her travels but never stuck around in one place too long; however, it’s not clear exactly what the Sleeper was doing out near a monster’s lair. The Sleeper isn’t really given any backstory or any rationale for why she happened to be in Altador’s path; in fact, unlike all the other chapters, we never see the Sleeper outside of Altador’s perspective. After the introductory paragraph, the Sleeper’s chapter starts with Altador going off to hunt a monster, and the Sleeper only appears when she enters Altador’s life by killing a second monster that threatened him.

It's certainly possible that the Sleeper, too, was a wanderer--but one who found it less easy to lean on the hospitality of others. Jerdana, as a Neopet with a talent for protective magic, would have doubtless found it easier to find a warm welcome in Neopet settlements than a dark faerie.

We don't know much of Jerdana's past beyond the fact that she didn't seem to have a place she called home... until Altador found her, and created the city that became that home.

And perhaps it was the same for the Sleeper. Perhaps she, too, felt she had no greater purpose--and no true home--until Altador gave her one. (And later, of course, she attempted to make it hers in a different way--not just her home, but her conquest, her possession, her dominion, hers and hers alone.)

Regardless of where they came from or why they were in the right place at the right time—that’s indeed where they were. If not for their meeting with Altador—especially in the Sleeper’s case, since one could argue that the Werelupes only got the drop on Altador in Jerdana’s chapter because he was distracted talking to Jerdana—the Lupe who dreamed of founding a city may have met an untimely end, and the city of Altador may never have come to be at all.

Protector vs. Destroyer

Of course, the way in which Jerdana and the Sleeper save Altador’s life differs.

Jerdana saves Altador’s life by raising a magical shield to protect him from a threat—specifically, a pack of Werelupes who had snuck up on them. She holds the shield in place until the Werelupes lose interest and run off. Her actions are purely defensive—Altador draws his weapon, but she raises a magical shield.

The Sleeper, on the other hand, saves Altador’s life by using her magic to destroy the threat.

Of all the twelve Protectors, the Sleeper is the only one whose “heroic act” that got her recruited involves a clearly-depicted killing. (She and Altador are the only two of the Twelve explicitly shown killing another creature within the Book of Ages, both in the Sleeper’s chapter—even if that creature was a monster.)

Even Torakor, the champion gladiator, isn’t directly depicted as killing anyone in his chapter. We could just as easily imagine that Torakor’s single combats all ended in non-lethal takedowns and that the general he ousted was permitted to flee; the narrative doesn’t tell us otherwise. Even if we assume that, as a member of a military force, he’s probably killed people off-screen… well, that’s off-screen. The point isn’t just about who’s shed blood—it’s about who’s shown shedding blood.

It's possible that, from the Sleeper's first meeting with Altador, she felt that she had something in common between herself and Altador in that they were both ready, willing, and able to spill blood, if need be--though not quite to the same degree, in the end.

Going back to Jerdana—there isn’t really any explanation why she chooses a purely defensive approach. Magic in the world of Neopia tends to be on the “softer” side of the spectrum—magic does what it does, as the narrative requires, without a lot of hard rules to define it, and the capabilities of independent magic users are often not well-defined either. It’s certainly possible that Jerdana simply isn’t capable of using the same sort of attack magic the Sleeper does, or that she can’t use offensive and defensive magic at the same time.

But it’s also possible that Jerdana is making a deliberate choice—that she does not want to inflict harm on others even if they wish to harm her.

If so, this is a philosophy she still holds after the Sleeper becomes the Betrayer.

Protector, Not Destroyer: Jerdana’s Orb

The Doylist explanation for why the Darkest Faerie is still alive despite being a massive threat to Altador is, of course, that it was kind of necessary for the plot. Also, this is Neopets, and they don’t tend to kill off characters--villains are more likely to be defeated in a way that leaves the possibility they may return in a future story. (Even Hubrid Nox, who was unambiguously killed during the Faeries’ Ruin plot, is still hanging out in Neopia as a ghost.)

However, if we switch to a more Watsonian framing…

The Sleeper is a threat to everything that Jerdana holds dear. She was once a friend—but now she’s a bitter foe who, if not stopped, will harm all of Jerdana’s other friends. There’s one sure way to end the threat the Betrayer poses and ensure she never threatens Altador again—and that’s by ending her.

But that’s not what Jerdana does.

She doesn’t seek to destroy the Betrayer, but to contain her. She creates a magical Orb to turn the Betrayer into a statue—and the spell is very much not permanent, as shown in The Darkest Faerie PS2 game as well as The Wraith Resurgence plot.

It's true, Jerdana may have been inclined towards mercy for the fact that she and the Sleeper had spent decades as allies--as friends. But still--in her chapter of the Book of Ages, she showed no less mercy to enemies who were total strangers.

The only point at which Jerdana’s Orb causes the Darkest Faerie bodily harm is after the Darkest Faerie tries to use its remnants to make a magic ring to strengthen her powers. It's the Darkest Faerie’s influence that turns Jerdana’s Orb—designed not to do physical harm—into something that can cause harm to others... and, it turns out, to herself as well.

(That said, it seems likely, given the Darkest Faerie’s quote on her TCG card—“Fyora stole one thousand years from me, and that was about what it took for me to plan my revenge”—that the Darkest Faerie was conscious to some degree during her imprisonment… which probably wasn’t great for her mental health. But hey, her physical health seemed more-or-less intact once the Orb was removed!)

Another interesting thing to consider—in some alternate history in which Jerdana was the one to betray the other members of the council, would the Sleeper have shown the same restraint, or would she, if Jerdana became a threat to all she herself held dear, have slain Jerdana--even if she felt sorrow in doing so?

Final Thoughts

The Sleeper and Jerdana are, in a way, foils for each other. The Sleeper is the final recruit, the one who won her place through killing a threat, and the one who uses her magic to try to conquer the city; the Protector was the first recruit, won her place through protecting without killing, and is the one whose magic saves the city.

There’s a lot of empty space in the story of Altador’s Golden Age—the time during which all Twelve Protectors sat on the city’s council, faithfully serving Altador’s citizens. We know, of course, that the Sleeper became the Darkest Faerie at some point—but the details are left fairly vague.

After the on-site Altador mini-plot is completed, Jerdana says that conquering Altador “was something [the Betrayer] had secretly desired since before the kingdom was even founded.”

However, Jerdana isn’t all-knowing—and she has good reason to see the Darkest Faerie in an incredibly negative light right now, so she's not exactly an unbiased source.

So, here we venture further into my own interpretation of the Sleeper's character.

Personally, I’m inclined to think that the Sleeper was, at the beginning, genuinely friends with the others--including Jerdana--and only years later turned against them and plotted to take over the city, which then raises the question--how and why did that change happen?

It's possible that, in her frustration at being unable to steer the city in the direction she desired, she may have become increasingly resentful--and that resentment may have been colored by the events surrounding her first encounter with Altador.

Whenever her ideas were rejected—when her visions for what the city of Altador might be were refused—perhaps there was a tiny voice in the corner of her mind that whispered “But you wouldn’t even have this city if it weren’t for me! I saved Altador's life! Surely that means something!”

Except Altador was only around to save because Jerdana saved him first.

Once resentment and ambition took greater root in the Sleeper’s heart—did it begin to sting for the Sleeper to know that she wasn’t the only one to whom Altador owed his life—and that, moreover, she wasn’t even the first?

The last recruited, whose vision was rejected by King Altador when she sought to increase the city’s influence through conquest—might she have developed a particular resentment for Jerdana, the first at Altador’s side, the one whose philosophy of defense-sans-offense had been accepted as policy? (Not only her philosophy, of course, but still.)

"I saved your life, too, but you listen to her, you value her input--you value everyone else's input--you won't let me do what I'm good at--you recruited me for my power, but you won't even let me use it... well, maybe I don't need your permission!"

Of course, whatever the Sleeper/Betrayer felt towards Jerdana personally before spending a thousand-and-change years as a statue, she surely resents Jerdana after having been bound by her magic.

And Jerdana, for her part, with all her happy memories from decades spent side-by-side with the Sleeper gone sour after the latter’s betrayal, seems to believe that the Sleeper was never truly her friend at all.

[historyartthings]

‘…a venomous row between the Lord Privy Seal and… the Duke of Norfolk…

The Duke seized on the general brief of the evening, which was to comfort the Archbishop and reassure him of the King's favour, in order to make a malicious comparison with Cardinal Wolsey. Cranmer ‘was much to be preferred for his mild and gentle nature, whereas the Cardinal was a stubborn and a churlish prelate, and one that could never abide any noble man, and that... know you well enough, my Lord Cromwell, for he was your master, etc.' ‘Etc.' is always the sign in a Tudor text of further offensive material omitted, and there was offence enough already.

The Lord Privy Seal at first controlled his temper, riposting coldly 'that he could not deny but he was servant sometime to Cardinal Wolsey; neither did repent the same, for he received of him both fee, meat and drink, and other commodities', but he then made a wounding thrust at the Duke: ‘[Cromwell] was never so far in love with him [Wolsey], as to have waited upon him to Rome, if he had been chosen Pope, as he understood that he [Norfolk] would have done, if the case had so fallen out.’

This was a deadly blow: to Norfolk's outraged denial, Cromwell furiously shot back in his most combative style, specifying ‘what number of florins he should have received, to be his [Admiral of the Fleet]’ to conduct the Cardinal to Rome. That was a characteristic grasp of detail long squirrelled away in his memory until it proved useful. The Duke, as Earl of Surrey, was indeed Admiral of England at the time of Wolsey's second unsuccessful bid to be Pope in 1523. Horrified at what was turning into a full-scale shouting-match with dangerous political overtones, Cranmer and other peers intervened to calm things down; ‘yet it might be’, as Foxe or Morice observed, 'that some bitter root of grudge remained behind, which afterward grew unto him [Cromwell| to some displeasure.’ Now there was an understatement. The incident stripped bare the reality of a decade of mutual hatred and resentment. We must trace how the grudge festered in the claustrophobia of Court and City, and follow Cromwell to a meeting at the Council board twelve months later’.

- MacCulloch, Thomas Cromwell, p. 505.

[mariaofdoranelle]

The Courtship Deception - Part 6: Surprise

Fic masterlist

Written for @throneofglassmicrofics

IM SO EXCITED TO POST THE NEXT PART

Warnings: none?

Words: 714

Fenrys’ POV

Chaol’s face looked surprisingly welcoming when Fenrys entered his bedroom’s antechamber.

“You have news from Aelin?”

Fenrys’ eyes sparkled. Straight to the point, as he liked it. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Did she like the gifts?”

“Well…” he picked on his nails, feigning nonchalance. “Her favorite one was a Cartier bracelet.”

“Interesting.” Chaol tilted his head, curious. “I don’t remember her following Cartier on Instagram in the research I did.”

He shrugged. “This just means someone else knows her better.”

“Your point is?”

“My point is that Aelin’s confused to why you agreed to this,” Fenrys lied. His point was actually to send these boys running, but he’d only ruin his agenda by disclosing it. “You either don’t want this, or you were definitely quick to forget about Dorian,” Fenrys not-so-subtly mentioned their scandalous affair.

The man’s face turned somber. “He was quick to forget about me too, wasn’t he?

“Wow.” Fenrys leaned on the wall, carefully trying to pick up on his cues. “So Aelin’s the next best thing, or you’re just trying to get to Dorian by chasing her?”

His jaw tightened. “Are you usually this indiscreet with people like me?”

“Not with people like you, no.” Fenrys looked at Chaol up and down, unafraid. “I’m more used to royal families, I didn’t know lords were so… touchy.”

If someone questioned him, Fenrys was just doing his job—protecting Aelin. She was currently being chased, without her consent, by two boys who, from the looks of it, were willing to marry this girl they couldn’t handle for a month when she was eighteen. Idiots, both of them.

Chaol sat on an armchair, legs crossed, but those tight eyes and flat lips failed to hide his anger. “I still don’t know why you’re here.”

To scare him away, though Fenrys was failing at that miserably. He scrambled his head for a new tactic.

“I…” he trailed, trying to buy some time. “The gifts.” Fenrys cleared his throat. “Aelin liked the Cartier bracelet better. You’re losing the gift battle.”

“And?”

“You’re actually my favorite in the courtship run, you know—“

“That’s hard to believe—“

“Shh. You are,” Fenrys lied, “I’m rooting for you. That’s why I’m suggesting you a new way to get her back, since you used to date.”

Chaol leaned back on his chair, finally interested. “Do tell.”

“Aelin likes her men with balls.”

“You don’t say.”

Fenrys narrowed his eyes at him. “Not literally.”

“What do you mean, then?”

“You could prove yourself to her in a duel.”

He’d face Dorian at the duel and give up on killing the man he loves. The shame of his surrender would send him flying back to Anielle. It was perfect. Fenrys came up with it in half a second, but it was flawless.

“A duel?! Isn’t the arranged marriage outdated enough?”

“She likes period romances.” Fenrys shrugged. “It’s the fastest way to her heart.”

“Nope.” Chaol got up, paced around his room for a second with both fists on his hands. “I’m not battling against Dorian. Not like this.”

Oh, fuck. Fenrys crossed his arms, keeping a smirk to hide his struggle. Think of something, think of something, think of something—

“Who told you the Cartier bracelet was from Dorian?”

It was, but Chaol didn’t need to know this.

The man’s eyes went wide. “Rowan,” he said in a pensive tone, low with realization. He paced a little more, frowning.

“A duel, really? That’s your best guess?”

Fenrys tsked, as if this was such a naïve question. “Do you know how often she rereads that Bridgerton book with the duel scene?”

“How often?”

“Often.”

Well, she did like Bridgerton, but Fenrys knew nothing about the series or if it had duel scenes. He was sure Chaol didn’t know either.

“Very well, then.” The man swallowed, not meeting the other’s eye. “Tell Rowan I’ll see him on Thursday at 7pm.”

˜˜

“At Mala’s abandoned temple by the Florine?” Dorian asked, fiddling with his handcuffs at his own bedroom antechamber.

Fenrys gave him a curt nod, glad that he found the prince at a time no one was close to hear. “Rowan will meet you there.”

Now, it was time to tell Rowan about the two duels he had queued up.

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[tomtenadia]

Detours to you - ch 2

Hello and good Sunday :)

For those interested I have e present. This chapter is a bit angsty and I am sorry.

Please do not be mad at either of them. it's a very tricky situation and they are just fighting for what they believe is the right thing to do.

Hope you will like it.

MASTERLIST

The following morning, Aelin arrived at the shop a bit earlier and found that Elide was already there “Morning, Lorcan kicked you out?”

Her friend turned and Aelin froze at the woman’s expression “El, are you okay?”

“Ae, I need to talk to you and I need to do it before we open.”

“You are scaring me,” Aelin dumped her behind the counter “what happened?”

Elide took a deep breath and counted till five “You know, Lorcan and his friends have a bro code and have  rules and all,” she blabbered “and you know he is stubborn and I tried…”

Aelin groaned hard “El, please.”

“Rowan is back and Lorcan told him about Maya.” She blurted out in one breath.

Aelin stood eyes wide open, her hands shaking.

“Aelin, please talk to me.”

She just grabbed her bag and ran to her office, slamming the door shut.

In that instant Lysandra walked in carrying hot drinks and sensed the bad energy in the air “what happened here?”

“I told Aelin that Rowan is back and that Lorcan told him about Maya.”

Lysandra cursed loudly “this is bad. Where is she?”

Elide nodded towards the office “I think she needs a bit of space before we open.

Both women stared at the closed door with a heavy heart “Your husband deserves to stay without sex for three months.”

“Hey, that’s a punishment for me too.”

Lysandra wanted to laugh but the situation did not call for it. Slowly they got the shop ready for the day and left Aelin in peace for a bit.

*

Rowan was excited and nervous at the same time for his first day as chief. Tradition was that the new chief would visit all of the houses on his first two days to introduce themselves to the teams. He had made a plan of the order in which he wanted to go and had started early. Now in his TFD pickup he was driving to the first one. He’d start from the northern part and slowly make his way down to the south and then hit the centre to finish with Station 15. His old firehouse. His old team. He had kept in touch with Lorcan and knew all about what had happened throughout the years. He was proud of them and was looking forward to see them again. But first of all he had to visit all of the other stations.

-

It was late noon when he decided to take a lunch break from his tour. He had a productive morning and had managed to visit a good number of firehouses and was on track to keep his schedule. He drove towards old Orynth and parked near the Florine, strolling through the pedestrian area. He had always loved the old part of the city. It had personality and charm. Rowan walked down the cobbled street reaching one of the street vendors where he bought some food and then sat down near the river bank on a bench. Terrasen and Orynth had always felt more home than Doranelle. He had set roots there, had spent a good part of his adult life in those lands and leaving had been painful. But now he was back and had unexpectedly found a new reason to never leave again.

He thought about Maya, he only had a small glimpse, but the girl looked like the most adorable child he had ever seen. He wanted to get to know her.

The previous night while laying in the grass he thought about things to teach her, wondered if she liked the stars or hockey or crazy sugary stuff like her mother. He had always wanted kids, that was something he and Aelin had discussed while they were dating. Rowan wanted a big family and now that the possibility was within grasp he would do his best to fight for it until the end.

Lunch finished he resumed his walk and found himself in front of the window of Aelin’s shop. He had missed the inauguration by a week but had seen photos. He had helped her throughout the whole process and saw the shop slowly coming alive. She had done well and, although he was mad at her for lying at him, he was proud of her.

Hesitation hit him hard. A part of him wanted to go inside, but the other was not sure. He had no idea how he would feel at seeing her again. His feelings were far too tangled to be able to predict his reaction and it unnerved him.

Step by step he moved closer and at the front door his hand moved on the handle and pushed the door open. 

A bell marked the arrival of a new customer and two heads turned towards him. Both black haired: Elide and Lysandra. He stood, incapable of moving an inch. His eyes scanned the shop and did not find Aelin.

“Rowan,” Elide had walked to him, followed by Lysandra.

“So you are back,” added Lysandra almost in a confrontational tone.

“My mum got tired of me.” He tried to make a joke but his nervousness hitched up a notch. The two women clearly did not like him and he was okay with it. He just wanted to talk to Aelin “Is Aelin around?”

The two women exchanged glances and then indicated the office with their heads. Before he could move, Lysandra’s hand landed on his arm “You hurt her and I swear Whitethorn, you will be running back to Wendlyn within a day.”

Rowan glared at the woman and gently extricated himself from the grip. Why was he the bad guy all of a sudden?

He reached the door of the office and knocked.

*

Aelin slumped on her chair behind the desk and buried her face in her hands. A sob broke the silence of the room and then another and one more. Aelin let her tears flow. So many questions crowding her mind. Rowan was back. And he knew. How was she going to explain to him the reasons why she had lied? Her fears? Why was he back?

She stood and paced the room, looking outside where the snow was falling hard. She had woken up in a wonderful mood but now… 

Aelin almost sat down again when a knock at the door stopped her.

Silence and a second knock came a few seconds later “Aelin?”

That voice. She hadn’t heard it in five years but it still had the power to undo her. His accent. That lilting tone that was so him. Her heart raced and concentrated hard on what awaited her behind the door.

“Come in,” she croaked.

The door opened slightly and Rowan appeared in front of her. He had his uniform on, a white shirt, blue cargo trousers and a blue soft shell jacket that read Chief Whitethorn. She looked up at his face and her breath caught. His hair was slightly longer and his face… the harsh lines that gave him a rugged handsomeness were all still there. She hadn’t seen him in five years and her heart still raced like the first time.

“Rowan,” she breathed harshly “You are back.”

He nodded in silence.

“You look good,” she added, trying to fight the awkwardness of the moment. All of a sudden she had no idea how to talk to him.

“I love the shop. It looks amazing,” his lips bent in a very tight smile.

Aelin leaned against the desk placing her hands behind her “Why are you here?”

A loud snort left Rowan “Really? Do you have to ask me that question?”

“I was not expecting you back.”

“Clearly,” he added trying to clamp down the irritation in his voice “So much that you decided it was okay to keep from me the fact that I have a daughter.”

Aelin briefly looked away “It was the best choice at the time.” She looked back at him and saw fury burn in his pine green eyes. Smouldering hot fury cursing through him.

“She is my daughter too,” he hissed at her “and you lied.”

“You left!” She growled back in response matching his tone.

“Aelin, my father had died, my family was falling apart,” he breathed hard and started pacing “My mother fell into such deep depression that for a while the doctors had thought to place her under suicide watch. I had to go.” The words hit like knives. His mother was doing so much better thanks to therapy and the medication, but he could not forget the months following his father passing. And he was in a dark place too.

“And I let you go, Rowan. I never tried to keep you away from your family so don’t make me pass like a monster.”

Rowan stared at the woman in front of him and all of a sudden he did not recognise her anymore. The woman who had been the love his life had become a stranger. And the deep part of him that still remembered what he felt for her, grieved at the loss.

He took a step closer “Were you pregnant the last time I came back?”

Aelin was silent all of a sudden.

“I did the math after Lorcan told me her birthday.”

“It was pointless anyway.” Her voice sad.

“I could have found a way.”

She looked up at him, her eyes shining with the hint of tears she was trying not to shed “Maya and I were not a weekend past time. You could have never fully committed to us, so I gave you an out.”

She could see that Rowan was pushing down his anger, she knew his reactions so well. His jaw was tight, making the lines of his face harsh, his hands tightened in fists at his side.

“Have you even thought about the fact that knowing that she was a grandma might have helped my mum? That I could have brought her to Terrasen for a while? Do you really think that I was so deep in my sorrow that I would have made a crappy father? I would have found a way to make things work.” He growled trying not to raise his voice.

Her blue eyes met his and saw deep sincerity in them. She knew that Rowan wanted a family and had no doubts that he would make the most caring father a child could have, but a the time she was positive that not telling him was the best way to protect everyone.

“I was just trying to protect her.”

“From her father?”

“From pain, Rowan. From you not being here for her.”

His hand raked roughly through his hair “That worked out well. You robbed me of five years of my daughter’s life. Five years of her growing up, learning to walk, talk, read.”

Aelin was silent and Rowan took that as a clue to keep venting his feelings “I have rights, Aelin. She is my daughter, my blood. I want to see her grow up. I want to teach her things, spend time with her.”

“Until you transfer again.”

He growled again “I bought a house Aelin, I am not leaving Orynth, this is my home.”

“I have to think about it.”

“About what?” He roared a bit too loud “If I am fit to be around her? Are you kidding me?”

“She is five, Rowan. Have you thought about how it would affect her to have a father all of a sudden?”

“Are you ready to answer the question when one day she comes home from school and asks you why she does not have a father like all the other kids?”

Aelin was stunned. Yes, until two days ago she had a lie ready. She would have told Maya that her dad was a firefighter and died bravely in a fire.

“You did!” He added at her silence.

“I was going to tell her you died heroically on the job.”

Pain. She saw the unyielding pain that cursed through Rowan at her admission. He stood silent, staring at her, his eyes set on her “I have rights, I want to see her. I can be a friend of your for now, but I want to see my daughter.”

Aelin was silent. Rowan drew a harsh breath and saw him regains his composure.

“Don’t make me involve lawyers, Aelin,” he said quietly “I don’t want to put our daughter through a custody battle, please.”

With that he left the room.

Aelin slumped on the floor and let the tears come in full force.

taglist

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee @athena127

[christian-oc-tournament]

Oh dear time to pull out the big guns! Val Helsing concept art time!

Valentina and her best friend Rafail Morris on their off-time, in their civilian attire. Valentina enjoys the time off but as the story goes along she’s always keeping an ear to the wall for any magical, supernatural, or otherwise weird goings on in the area. In the meantime, some coffee and dumplings and a nice breeze and reading the parts of the paper that aren’t job-related are really nice, especially the reviews for any plays in town or even news on movies that came out. Rafail meanwhile as a changeling is trying to get in touch with his Earthbound Faerie (those not living within the magical realm for one reason or another) roots in any way he can by getting into all the mystical stuff that was popular in the 1920s. He’s been trying to get good at fortune telling and he swears one day he’ll get it right. Changelings also have a rather large appetite so for someone so delicate looking, Rafie can put it away. He and Valentina have been best friends since they were kids, and remained that way even after the spell on him was lifted when he was around thirteen and his changeling nature became apparent (changelings never know who they really are until they reach a certain age so it’s always traumatizing for them, so Valentina’s continued friendship ended up really helping Raf out).

For some concept art and some worldbuilding, every Ranger must at one point cross over into the magical realm, The Other Half, where the Fae dwell, and find a designated group of Seelie to help them finish their training. While most of it is simply testing the Rangers to see if they understand the complexities of Faerie politics and etiquette, there are trials to undergo as well, and those who manage to pass then collaborate with their magical teachers in forging a holy weapon. Valentina’s great granduncle only really ever needed his mind, but it doesn’t hurt to have a blessed lance around.Valentina’s (and Rafail’s as well) designated Seelie are The Gentle Ones (or the Blajini), small, sagely, pious, and kindhearted rat people who live by the rivers where the two worlds become closest.(as for the Gentle One in the picture, don’t worry if the lynx pounces on him, they might be small and, well, gentle, but any Faerie can easily defend themselves, especially from mortal animals)

I might’ve also forgotten to explain the lynx. He’s still in need of a name, but essentially a Ranger after gaining their family badge (see the griffin emblem that Valentina has in her artwork), the thing that allows transport/communication with The Other Half as well as just an occupational symbol, will lead you to an animal companion, as animals are always sensitive to magic and the supernatural and can help locate such things with ease. No matter the animal, once they sense they’ve met their companion, they are bonded, so some are fortunate enough to have the undying loyalty and companionship of a bear or a tiger. A lynx works just as fine though. (Rafail’s companion by the way is a raven).

Old Dracula may be smoke and ash never to rise again in spite of what the movies or video games may tell you, but that doesn’t mean that Valentina has her own rogue’s gallery. Among them is Florin, a rather pretentious/beauty-and-high-art-fanatic vampire who is obsessive over her and drinking her blood (and only becomes moreso when he knows she is a Ranger and ergo “forbidden fruit”). The feeling is not mutual. Valentina does not want to become a vampire and knows he’s a total creep and being a creep is not romantic and no means no and if he can’t respect that then a boot to the head it is. By the way, Valentina’s shoes are steel soled-and-toed, but finished with silver. Comes in very handy when your only option in a fight with a creature of the night is to go melee.

That’s about it for now! Vote Valentina if you so wish, or vote Vellatra instead, either works! Have a good one!

@ladyaster​

[madamlaydebug]

Alchemy in the Bible.....

In this thy book, such will there nothing see, As in the Bible some can find out alchemy. - John Donne Opened magic book with space for copy text

A few months ago, I had written a popular article about Gnostic Bible Verses that many of you enjoyed. Some of you were not aware that there are many Gnostic teachings in the bible that we modern followers of Gnosis can utilize for our own benefit.

In this article, I would like to list some of the teachings on alchemy that I have found in the bible. Alchemy is the science of mastering the chemical energies of our minds and bodies in order to operate at the most effective optimum level as a human. A science, that can literally transform our entire bodies and energies. A science, that can not only prevent and cure disease, but also improve the quality and prolong our lives.

Alchemy and Jesus An example of alchemy in the bible, would be when Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judaean Desert after being baptized . What Jesus was doing in the desert, was alchemy in the form of solitude, prayer, and fasting. By going into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus was tempted by the devil, but he was successfully able to cleanse these impure thoughts, not only in his mind, but also impurities from his body. What this bible passage is describing, is the alchemical transformation of his whole chemical make up, into a new heavenly one made of the stars. The ascension of Jesus to heaven then occurs 40 days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3). As Jesus had said In Revelation 22:16, he unmistakably identifies Himself as the morning star.

Comparing alchemy and the bible is nothing new, but a revival of the hidden biblical teachings that many people have interpreted since the early beginnings of Christianity and especially during the Renaissance. Much of the alchemical writings of these biblical scholars had went underground during the Renaissance, when the Church of England had banned many of these teachings.

One of the most famous interpreters of the bible during this time was Paracelsus. Paracelsus (born Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, 11 November or 17 December 1493 – 24 September 1541) was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist. He founded the discipline of toxicology and modern psychology, that often also credits him for being the first to note that some diseases are rooted in psychological illness. Paracelsus had also used the teachings of the bible and science to help interpret some of his alchemical teachings.

Paracelsus was a true man of God, who was also a Gnostic that walked the walk, and talked the talk. He was known as a paracelsus fiercely independent thinker whose thoughts and teachings went against the status quo of the medical and religious establishments. Paracelsus was openly defiant against mainstream medicine because his ideas were very different from that of his medical colleagues. And we all know what happens when someone goes against the establishment... They are simply taken down and outcast from the mainstream, as it was in the case of Paracelsus.

Here is an example of one of these incidents that Paracelsus had to face after he had actually cured a prominent ecclesiastic of gout; then when he demanded a fee for his services, he was accused of necromancy, sorcery, and drunkenness.

After Paracelsus had been lecturing in the University of Basel for about two years he was called to a prominent ecclesiastic who was suffering from the pangs of gout. Paracelsus agreed to cure the Bible into German. Priests and doctors before his sufferer for 100 florins, and produced immediate relief by the administration of "laudanum pills," probably similar to our laudanum. He then demanded his fee, which was refused by the prudent ecclesiastic, and the matter was finally taken into the courts.

The defendant not only declined to pay the bill, but publicly accused Paracelsus of necromancy, sorcery, and drunkenness. After hearing the case the court decided in favor of the priest, whereupon the professor issued a violent and abusive manifesto against the judge. This did not go well in the little republic of Switzerland, and led to the inauguration of steps to visit upon the offender condign punishment for contempt of court. The professor having got wind of this fled with great precipitation, and thus sacrificed his professorship and his position as city physician.

Isaac Newton had also written occult works that had explored chronology, alchemy, and Biblical interpretation (especially of the Apocalypse). As a Bible scholar, Newton was initially interested in the sacred geometry of Solomon's Temple, such as golden sections, conic sections, spirals, orthographic projection, and other harmonious constructions, but he also believed that the dimensions and proportions represented more. He noted that the temple's measurements given in the Bible are mathematical problems, related to solutions for \pi and the volume of a hemisphere, V = (2/3)\pi r^3, and in a larger sense that they were references to the size of the Earth and man's place and proportion to it. (Issac Newton Sourced from Wikipedia)

In 1675 Newton annotated a copy of Manna - a disquisition of the nature of alchemy, an anonymous treatise which had been given to him by his fellow scholar Ezekiel Foxcroft. In his annotation Newton reflected upon his reasons for examining Solomon's Temple by writing:This philosophy, both speculative and active, is not only to be found in the volume of nature, but also in the sacred scriptures, as in Genesis, Job, Psalms, Isaiah and others. In the knowledge of this philosophy, God made Solomon the greatest philosopher in the world.

Carl Jung Alchemist The infamous Swiss Gnostic, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Carl Jung had written about these scientific connections between alchemy and Christianity. One such example, is when Jung had demonstrated that the philosopher's stone and the image of Christ had mirror like qualities between alchemy and Christianity themselves. He had said, "Alchemy stands in a compensatory relationship to mainstream Christianity, rather like a dream does to the conscious attitudes of the dreamer. The Stone of alchemy is in many respects the stone rejected by the builders of Christian culture, demanding recognition and reincorporation into the building itself".

Below are some examples of alchemy that can be found in the bible. The interpretation of each verse must be done by each one of us if we are able to tap into these secret mysteries of life.

Psalms 12:6 - The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Proverbs 27:21 - [As] the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so [is] a man to his praise.

Revelation 3:18 - I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

1 John 3:1-24 - Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

First Epistle John Chapter 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Timothy Chapter 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: and 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

Romans 12:1-21 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

Exodus 4:1-31 - And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

Genesis 2:22 - And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Genesis 2:7 - And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Revelation 2:17 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth [it].

Matthew 4:1-25 - Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Psalms 106:22 - Wondrous works in the land of Ham, [and] terrible things by the Red sea.

Exodus 32:19-20 - And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

Exodus 7:17 - Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I [am] the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that [is] in mine hand upon the waters which [are] in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

Mark 8:36 - For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

SOURCES:

1. Medical Record, Volume 84 edited by George Frederick Shrady, Thomas Lathrop Stedman

2. Alchemy in the Bible By Thomas Willard

3. Wikipedia

4. King James Bible Online

[miss-story]

Florien and Kutkha discover a changeling

Florin gave the fledgling raven a gentle pat cautiously holding her close as let a singular drop of his own blood drip down into the brass brazier resting in front of him. Fuzzy threads of magic formed in his mind. Focusing he followed them as they twisted in the air in front of him.

The magical connection between them deepened and he felt a momentary detachment from all his own senses. He found himself staring up at himself, but nothing was quite right. brilliant glints of silver roots came from his scalp. He squinted looking closer at the dimly lit visage. parts of it were familiar but a creeping realization took hold of him his face was subtly shifting its shape, like the nose hadn't fully decided on its form.

He came rushing back to his own mind, stumbling backward tripping over his own feet. His breathing hitched. The realization was closing in on him. It was too much to fathom. A monster... all this time he had been a monster. A facsimile of the real Florien ir'Litvin. A being of deceit and spycraft.

His hands shook, holding the bird away from himself trying to banish the truth. A choking sob was interrupted by a soothing voice speaking to him through that tenuous connection of magic he had just forged.

"Please don't cry, Why are you sad friend?"

[ilmhist]

wake up gang new lazy oc sketch dropped!

[augustatheodora]

👀

[namesetc]

neutral flower inspired names

requested by @moodboardheavens-blog

---

Aster

Allium

Anther

Basil

Clematis

Carnations

Carpel

Fleurir

Fior

Florin

Hyacinth

Hibiscus

Indigo

Lotus

Leaf

Nectar

Orchid

Petal(s)

Pollen

Pistil

Root

Sage

Saffron

Style

Sepal

Stem

Seed

Willow

Xylem

Yarrow

More here!

[blueiscoool]

Three 2,000-Year-Old Silver Bracelets Discovered in Romania

A Romanian man has found three ancient Dacian bracelets with the aid of a metal detector, the latest case of an amateur digging up historic treasure in the east European country.

The silver armlets which date back about 2,000 years century were discovered at the root of a tree in the central county of Brasov.

The bracelets, which have human-like carvings on them, are in an excellent state for their age.

The items will be cleaned and restored and evaluated by specialists. They have been handed over to the County Culture Department, rfi.ro reported.

Florin Boșoteanu, the chair of Association of History Prospectors said the find was the latest discovery by an amateur archaeologist using a metal detector in recent years.

He told RFI that another metal detectorist had found a treasure trove of nearly 1,000 Spanish, Polish, Turkish, and Romanian coins in south Romania.

A dozen Roman coins were found in eastern Romania and another amateur found a cache of more than 47,000 coins which is “the biggest silver monetary treasury in all Romania,” he told the station.

By law, anyone who digs up treasure is eligible to receive 30% of the value and as much as 45% if it is marked as national treasure by experts.

Dacia corresponds to the present-day countries of Romania and Moldova as well as smaller parts of  Bulgarua, Serbia, Poland and Ukraine.

A Dacian Kingdom of variable size existed between 82 BC until the Roman conquest in AD 106.

[shachihata]

thinking about flora and florin too hard is straight up going to give me a fucking headache. i think he and flora when they were chosen to be grass-type co-leaders decided to get their hair bleached and dyed together to match the theme and now their bathtub is just permanently stained green because 1. florin didn’t know how to handle hair dye and 2. flora didn’t care enough to learn how to handle hair dye. And now that they’re older florin thinks it’s kind of silly but it’s kind of their #signature #look now and they do sibling bonding every month sitting in the bathroom together to touch up their roots. Fuck everything

[christian-oc-tournament]

Oh dear time to pull out the big guns! Val Helsing concept art/propaganda time!

Valentina and her best friend Rafail Morris on their off-time, in their civilian attire. Valentina enjoys the time off but as the story goes along she's always keeping an ear to the wall for any magical, supernatural, or otherwise weird goings on in the area. In the meantime, some coffee and dumplings and a nice breeze and reading the parts of the paper that aren't job-related are really nice, especially the reviews for any plays in town or even news on movies that came out. Rafail meanwhile as a changeling is trying to get in touch with his Earthbound Faerie (those not living within the magical realm for one reason or another) roots in any way he can by getting into all the mystical stuff that was popular in the 1920s. He's been trying to get good at fortune telling and he swears one day he'll get it right. Changelings also have a rather large appetite so for someone so delicate looking, Rafie can put it away. He and Valentina have been best friends since they were kids, and remained that way even after the spell on him was lifted when he was around thirteen and his changeling nature became apparent (changelings never know who they really are until they reach a certain age so it's always traumatizing for them, so Valentina's continued friendship ended up really helping Raf out).

For some concept art and some worldbuilding, every Ranger must at one point cross over into the magical realm, The Other Half, where the Fae dwell, and find a designated group of Seelie to help them finish their training. While most of it is simply testing the Rangers to see if they understand the complexities of Faerie politics and etiquette, there are trials to undergo as well, and those who manage to pass then collaborate with their magical teachers in forging a holy weapon. Valentina's great granduncle only really ever needed his mind, but it doesn't hurt to have a blessed lance around. Valentina's (and Rafail's as well) designated Seelie are The Gentle Ones (or the Blajini), small, sagely, pious, and kindhearted rat people who live by the rivers where the two worlds become closest. (as for the Gentle One in the picture, don't worry if the lynx pounces on him, they might be small and, well, gentle, but any Faerie can easily defend themselves, especially from mortal animals)

I might've also forgotten to explain the lynx. He's still in need of a name, but essentially a Ranger after gaining their family badge (see the griffin emblem that Valentina has in her artwork), the thing that allows transport/communication with The Other Half as well as just an occupational symbol, will lead you to an animal companion, as animals are always sensitive to magic and the supernatural and can help locate such things with ease. No matter the animal, once they sense they've met their companion, they are bonded, so some are fortunate enough to have the undying loyalty and companionship of a bear or a tiger. A lynx works just as fine though. (Rafail's companion by the way is a raven).

And for the final bit of art, Dracula may be ash and smoke and never coming back in spite of what the movies or video games may tell you, but that doesn't mean Valentina doesn't have her own rogue's gallery. This fellow right here is Florin, a pretentious at best and horrific at worst vampire who is fanatical over the concept of beauty and high art, and is obsessive over Valentina and the idea of drinking her blood, especially when he learns she is a Ranger and therefore "forbidden fruit". The feeling as you can see is not at all mutual. Valentina does not want to become a vampire under any circumstances, she knows this behavior is not romantic and is instead really creepy, and no means no and if Florin can't respect that, a boot to the head it is. Said boots by the way are steel toed-and-soled but given a silver finish to do proper damage to creatures of the night, very handy in melee situations.

And that about does it. Please vote Valentina if you want! Or vote Vellatra, either works.

.

[gefdreamsofthesea]

Florin is now a level 2 Pathfinder character!

Changes:

Picked up "Shared Strategem" class feat

Picked up "Root Magic" skill feat

Now trained in Intimidation and Performance

Multiclassed into Sorcerer (Undead bloodline) so he now has access to divine spells

Still a soft boy (most of the time)

[rwby-redux]

Deconstruction

Worldbuilding: Armed Conflicts II

In Part I, the focus was on comparing and contrasting RWBY’s overreliance on real-world parallels to compensate for underdeveloping its Great War. Today is all about speculating on the worldbuilding potential available to us, and what RWBY could have done to give the war its own identity.

Set-up and Escalation (Before)

As you might’ve guessed, world leaders usually don’t roll out of bed one morning and decide, “I’m bored. Let’s go invade our neighbors!” Every war has a motive behind it, with some form of build-up (either gradual or accelerated) providing that momentum. More often than not, multiple factors can influence a country’s decision to take up arms.

Abduction — Taking hostages is one way to incite a war, either as the initial instigation, or as a form of retaliation to the kidnapping. A good example of this is The Princess Bride. In the film, Prince Humperdinck has Buttercup kidnapped in order to frame the enemy nation of Guilder as the culprit. That way, the prince has an excuse for Florin to declare war.

Assassination — Offing an important sociopolitical figure is another way to instigate war, and it’s a pretty reliable method too, if historical precedent is anything to go by. In Dishonored, the Spymaster Hiram Burrows arranges for the assassination of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin. Her death leads to civil unrest and the formation of the Loyalist Conspiracy, a faction that seeks to overthrow the Lord Regent and reinstate the Empress’ daughter to the throne.

Divine Right — There’s nothing quite as terrifying as confronting a person who has convinced themselves that they’re absolutely right, and uses that self-surety to commit unspeakable acts. In The Elder Scrolls, the Dragonborn Tiber Septim was proclaimed by the Greybeards as the man destined to unite the nine provinces of Tamriel under a single banner. Over the next four decades, Tiber Septim led a bloody campaign that ended in the formation of the Third Empire and the proclamation of the Third Era.

Incompatible Realities — Stories that feature this motive are often Lovecraftian in nature, as eldritch horrors lend themselves pretty well to the underlying conflict. In cases like these, the motive is either enigmatic or transcendent of human comprehension. “There is no animosity,” but “neither is there negotiation,” in no small part because the antagonist is “inherently inhuman.” [1] In Mass Effect, the Reapers ensure the continuity of life by routinely exterminating synthetic and organic species, before they reach a point where they wipe each other out. These preemptive cullings are the Reapers’ solution to foreseeable conflict, and the resulting annihilation of civilizations is not only seen as inevitable, but necessary for preserving the galaxy as a whole.

Internal Schisms — Revolutions, rebellions, and civil wars all fall under this heading. Whether it’s done out of perceived necessity (overthrowing an oppressive regime) or desire for power (wanting to install a government that reflects the insurgents’ values), it’s certainly up there for most common war motive. In the Transformers: Aligned continuity, Megatron instigates a revolution that leads to planetary civil war when he challenges the caste system.

Nationalistic Imperialism — Better known as, “My way is the only way, and I’ll kill anyone that disagrees.” Of course, this motive can be obfuscated under the guise of good intentions (see the quote at the opening of Part I), but its existence is ultimately rooted in a sense of moral, cultural, technological, or ethnic superiority that seeks to unify through elimination or subjugation of The Other. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fire Lord Sozin begins the Hundred Year War with the purpose of “sharing their prosperity” with the rest of the world.

Natural Disaster — In the wake of cataclysmic forces of nature, like hurricanes, earthquakes, and droughts, a need to survive can compel people to seize adjoining lands. In A Song of Ice and Fire, the Targaryen conquest of Westeros can trace its origins to the Doom of Valyria from a century prior. House Targaryen came to occupy Dragonstone after the Valyrian Freehold was destroyed by a series of volcanic eruptions. This relocation to Westeros put Aegon in a position where he and his sisters could contemplate, and then enact, their unification of the seven kingdoms.

Religious Zealotry — Unlike divine right, where a person or group believes that prophecy or godly ordinance mandates war, religious zealotry is compelled by a sense of theological extremism. Whether the end goal is to convert or punish infidels, the end result is all the same. In Halo, the Human-Covenant War began when the High Prophets discovered that humanity may have been directly related to the Forerunners, a blasphemous contradiction of their religion, The Path. To maintain order within their religious hegemony, the High Prophets declared a holy war upon humanity.

Resource Acquisition — Nearly every war in history can trace resources as either a primary or secondary motive for its inception. In Avatar, anthropogenic pollution and unsustainable overharvesting depleted Earth’s natural resources. The resulting energy crisis led humanity to colonize the moon Pandora. Their mining and harvesting operations threatened the existence of the indigenous Na’vi, with whom they engage in frequent conflict.

Revanchism — Revanchism is the political manifestation of the will to reverse territorial losses. Such losses usually follow wars or social movements, and the subsequent reversal is motivated by patriotic, geopolitical, or economic factors. Two of the Clans in the Warriors series, ThunderClan and RiverClan, wage continuous battle over the Sunningrocks. This highly-disputed borderland sits between their respective territories, and offers prey that both Clans are suited to hunting. The Sunningrocks disagreement stretches back generations, to the point where no Clan is certain who originally governed the land, but are both equally convinced of their right to it. It often changes ownership between series.

Territorial Expansion — The desire to expand one’s area of governance can be brought on by overpopulation, a desire to hold a strategic location, or increased access to certain resources. In Steven Universe, the Great Diamond Authority of the Gem Homeworld oversaw the colonization of other worlds. The physical appearance of Homeworld—marred with fissures and orbiting debris—suggests that colonization began when native resources were depleted, and the planet was nearing its carrying capacity.

Of the examples I provided, only resource acquisition, territorial expansion, and nationalistic imperialism could be applied to RWBY. And even then, those motives were reduced to their most basic forms, leaving a lot to be desired where the minutiae are concerned.

So, how do we fix this?

Let’s start by revisiting the history of Mantle. The show tells us that the sole reason why settlers ventured into Solitas’ frozen landscape is because the harsh climate afforded them protection from Grimm encroachment. As we already discussed back in Deconstruction: Grimm, that’s a load of bullshit. Volume 7 shows us Grimm everywhere in Solitas. The cold does absolutely nothing to stop them. Unless the show intends to retcon this in later seasons, we need to give people another reason for travelling north.

As it just so happens, the show provides us with an unexpected solution: Mistral being an empire. We know from World of Remnant that the emperor had continued his predecessors’ work of annexing other societies on Anima, long before the Great War began. [2.1] Maybe the people who settled Solitas weren’t trying to escape the Grimm, but rather, were trying to escape Mistral. If neighboring settlements were unable to resist the empire’s conquest, it stands to reason that early Mantic settlers would’ve chosen to flee rather than fight. With the threat of slavery looming over them, people sailed across the ocean dividing the two continents, and took refuge amidst the taiga and tundra of their new home.

While Solitas presented its own unique challenges—endemic species of Grimm, harsh weather, and restrictions on available resources—the early settlers were safe from Mistral. With their armies unacclimated to traversing the snowy terrain, [2.2] the empire couldn’t pursue them any further north. Unable to conquer them, Mistral decided to do the next best thing—ally with them. Much like Dorne, who resisted Aegon Targaryen’s conquest, and Hammerfell, who resisted Tiber Septim’s, Mantle likely would have agreed to a pact that preserved their autonomy and interests, in exchange for certain concessions, like access to technology and Dust.

With this partnership established, we can turn our attention to how the four countries’ cultures might have developed from here, how they interacted with each other, and what tensions/events led to calls for war.

Perhaps the King of Vale, who condemned slavery, offered asylum to runaway slaves that managed to reach the shores of eastern Sanus. When met with demands from Mistrali diplomats to surrender their lost property, the King either refused or feigned ignorance of their whereabouts. By securing a foothold in Sanus, Mistral might have used that vantage point to either look for escaped slaves, or to stop new runaways from reaching Vale’s capital.

What forms would Mantle’s censorship laws have taken when they were enforced? Did the government seize art and burn it? Perhaps it established a bureau that regulated what types of literature was being published. Law enforcement might have been given additional powers, like the ability to search homes or businesses without warrants, in order to find any artwork being smuggled by the populace.

Not only was artwork outlawed, but artisans—painters, seamstresses, sculptors, smiths, musicians, writers, dancers, and the like—had to apply for special licenses. While some professions and careers were outlawed, others had to register themselves with government agencies in order to work. A blacksmith was allowed to forge items like armaments and furniture, but not decorative pieces, like sculptures. A writer could continue to produce scripts, but for informative nonfiction works (manuals, articles, textbooks), not stories or poems.

In addition to naming children after color, underground activists began to find unusual ways to preserve their culture. One person might have memorized an entire book (much like the drifters of Fahrenheit 451). Another person would tattoo musical notation of a popular folk song onto their chest. (The act of preserving various artforms through tattoos could’ve eventually given rise to unique tatoo traditions.)

If RWBY’s history wanted to go full-Orwellian, perhaps Mantle could have implemented more drastic measures to suppress the emotions of its people. Instead of taking Bartleby Brunswick’s approach to keeping everyone calm (the Apathy), what if Mantle secretly poisoned the city’s water supply with tranquilizers? (Decades later, someone in Vale suggests putting fluoride in the tap water to prevent tooth decay. Atlas’ citizens immediately panic and refuse, viscerally reminded of what happened the last time their government put something funny in the water. This results in Atlas being the only country whose tap water doesn’t have fluoride in it, and it earns Atlas the reputation of its water being “unsafe to drink.”)

Following up on the poisoning-the-people idea: What if dissidents in police custody were prescribed sedatives by prison doctors? Does this create a postwar generation of people adverse to psychotropics? How does that affect alternative mental health treatment in the future?

In the outlying cities and settlements of the Mistrali Empire, small-scale rebellions and uprisings might have sprung up after the government adopted Mantle’s censorship laws. Whether or not these uprisings posed legitimate threats to the government is based on how well Mistral utilized the three Cs: communication, control, and commerce. [3]

Did Mistral make effective use of propaganda, and manipulate the spread of information in order to sway public opinion? If Mistral’s population was religious, did it use theological influence to convince the people that artistic repression was good? (Imagine a sage preaching to the masses: “Art is a sin, a vice that the selfish soul gives in to in order to promote individualism at the expense of the group. Altruism ensures the safety and welfare of all; thus, the honest soul rejects such vanity, lest its purity be tarnished.”)

In what ways did the Mistrali government make it preferable for its citizens to be in the empire rather than outside it? If the empire was able to reliably protect and feed its people, and provide them with jobs, then would that diminish any incentive for citizens to protest?

Prior to the invention of the CCT, long-distance communication was either unreliable or nonexistent. How did people communicate over long distances? Did they use methods like birds, couriers, smoke signals, drums, heliographs, or whistled languages? If interactions with other countries were limited, this estrangement might have reinforced biases or stereotypes that enabled bellicosity.

I could go on for pages. These are just a handful of the ways cultures could have responded and adapted to sociopolitical tensions. War doesn’t simply happen overnight, which is why developing a hypothetical buildup is crucial for the lore.

Because eventually, those tensions reach a breaking point.

The Execution of War, and What Transpires (During)

The first battle of the Great War, as we’re told, began as “a riot between two bands of settlers,” [2] with the identity of the instigator lost to time. Despite his citizens’ concerns, the King of Vale insisted on sharing the peninsulas with Mistral.

The first time I heard this, something immediately struck me as off. Mistral—an empire known for conquering the various civilizations of Anima, and enslaving its own people—intended to establish colonies on Sanus soil. The only obstacles that stood between Vale’s and Mistral’s capitals were a mountain range, and a narrow sea. Mistral has now crossed one of those barriers. Why the fuck wasn’t the King of Vale more concerned about a possible invasion? Didn’t he have any tacticians or advisors to talk some sense into him? At the very least, if the King of Vale was truly that determined to preempt hostilities, why didn’t he send diplomats or liaisons to parley with the newcomers? For that matter, who were these mysterious settlers? Were they run-of-the-mill citizens looking to start over somewhere new? Or were they sent to the peninsulas by their respective governments, with the thrones supplying and provisioning them so that they could build new cities?

You could argue that the identity of the settlers is inconsequential; that they were simply nameless frontiersmen whose sole purpose in the narrative was to perish. But—and this is an important but—if we’re assuming that Mistral was much more aggressive, and way more proactive, about expanding its empire, then the identities of those people might be worth taking a second look at.

In 1931, a lieutenant of Japan’s Independent Garrison Unit detonated a small stick of dynamite close to a Japanese railway near Shenyang. The sabotage (which failed to destroy the track) was simply Japan’s pretext to invade. After accusing Chinese dissidents of the act, the Imperial Japanese Army occupied Manchuria and established its puppet state of Manchukuo six months later. This series of events came to be known as the Mukden Incident, or Manchurian Incident.

I want you to imagine the Emperor of Mistral in his chambers, hunched over a table with a map unfurled across its surface. Imagine as he contemplates the parchment before him. His alliance with Mantle has secured their interests in the north for the foreseeable future. His generals stationed in Vacuo have just informed him that they subdued the last of the rebellions, and Dust extraction is at an all-time high. And Mistral’s people bent the knee long ago.

His fingernails scrape over the outline of eastern Sanus.

Vale could not be allied with like Mantle, subdued like Mistral, or intimidated like Vacuo. Only bloodshed would allow the Emperor to bring the last of the four great powers to heel. But a military campaign of that scale would require unconditional support from his subjects. They’d need a cause to rally behind, a reason to justify it.

In the dim light of his chambers, the Emperor of Mistral smiles thinly.

When we look to real-life history for ideas, it isn’t too hard to picture the Emperor contracting a saboteur or an assassin to stage an attack. A man who has no qualms with enslaving his people would surely feel little remorse for sacrificing a few settlers, in the name of waging war. I promised myself I wasn’t going to dwell too much on the inciting incident of the Great War, but the potential intrigued me too much to be left well enough alone.

Regardless of what actually happened—whether the first battle was the result of a staged attack, or mutual disagreement between people of different nationalities—the Great War was now underway.

Of the many disappointments I have with RWBY’s Great War, the one that I’m most vocal about is how little we know about what specifically went down during the war. Sure, people died, resources were rationed, Grimm attacks increased worldwide—the obvious things you’d expect to happen. But I’m talking about the devil in the details. Let me give you a few examples:

What were each kingdom’s respective strengths? In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sozin had his comet, naval superiority, and technological advancements. In The Elder Scrolls, Tiber Septim had his Thu’um, Numidium, and his loyal vassal, the dragon Nahfahlaar. In A Song of Ice and Fire, Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys had their dragons (Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes). As a kingdom comprised of coastal cities, we can assume Vale had an impressive navy. Mistral, with its cities in the wind-carved cliffs, had an incentive to develop the technology behind airships. Given that Vacuo and Mantle both occupy deserts (a hot one and a cold one, to be more precise), perhaps both nations had well-developed armies?

Did any of the kingdoms conscript their citizens during the war? Did Mistral rely on slave soldiers for carrying out menial or dangerous tasks? What about sacrificing them on the frontlines for the sole purpose of exhausting the opposing forces?

What sort of weapons were used by soldiers? Did each kingdom’s military have standard issue equipment that people were trained to use?

What was the level of technology available to people in Remnant during this time? On one hand, we’re told that Mantle was supplying technological innovation to their allies in Mistral. On the other hand…

The depiction of a battle between Vale and Mantle-Mistral. | Source: World of Remnant, Volume 4, Episode 8: “The Great War.”

Unless Mantle is mass-producing Hawkeye’s exploding bow and quiver, then I fail to see how Mistral benefits from this arrangement.

If RWBY wants to well and truly commit to borrowing ideas from WWII, why not have Faunus soldiers in Vale’s and Vacuo’s military that occupied a similar role to Navajo codebreakers? It stands to reason that Mistral and Mantle wouldn’t have much experience with any of the languages spoken by the Faunus. Both countries saw them as little more than expendable labor, and might not have bothered to learn the languages of “lesser beings.” Or the languages were outlawed, thus reducing their exposure to them. Vale and Vacuo, however, who (presumably) didn’t oppress their Faunus, had access to strategies that their enemies unintentionally shirked through ignorance and arrogance.

Did any war heroes emerge during this time (similar in scope to Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Soviet sniper who earned the alias “Lady Death”)? Were there specialized fighting units that earned a reputation for using unconventional tactics? Maybe there was a unit of guerilla fighters that shared similar Semblances, and developed a fighting style that centered around that skill (analogous to the Night Witches, or Nochnye Vedmy, the all-female aviators who idled their plane’s engine in order to glide to the bomb-release point).

Were proto-Huntsmen/professional Grimm-killers drafted because of their specialized combat skills? Were there infantries comprised entirely of people with certain Semblances? Could someone with an illusion Semblance cloak an entire army? How did Semblances and Aura shape warfare in their world? Were people with Semblances like Yang’s sent in as berserkers? How did armies defend themselves from speed Semblance users? What percentage of each kingdom’s militaries consisted of soldiers with Semblances? Did the brass mandate that soldiers had to have their Aura unlocked in order to fight?

Did soldiers ever defect or desert? Was capturing enemy combatants prioritized over killing them? Where were POWs detained? What was the final cumulative death toll at the end of the Great War?

What effects did the war have on Mistral’s criminal underworld?

Immediate and Abiding Consequences (After)

We’re in the home stretch now, so I’ll try to keep things brief. In the aftermath of the Great War, the legendary Warrior King ratified the peace treaty that sanctioned land ownership, restructured the governments, abolished slavery, and established the Huntsman Academies. It was a time of dramatic change, spearheaded by a global initiative to avoid bloodshed of that magnitude ever again.

But these are all changes that happened on an administrative level. I want to talk about what was happening on a cultural level, and pose some relevant questions.

What does it mean for a species, which is frequently threatened with extinction by predatory monsters, to be faced with a worldwide decrease in population? In a world where humans and Faunus aren’t the dominant species, and are thus restricted in where they can expand, it stands to reason that a high number of casualties would make people nervous about depopulation. What if societies became more culturally pronatalistic, in order to incentivize increased fertility rates? Governments could offer financial aid and social programs to encourage couples to reproduce, while cultural paradigms would stigmatize being childfree. Perhaps there would be a correlative increase in queer persecution and discrimination due to the stigma of same-sex couples not being “biologically compatible.” (And as awful as this sounds, extreme pronatalism could help explain the absence of LGBT+ characters in RWBY.)

What happened to the royal families of each country after the King of Vale introduced democracy? Did they have any relatives or descendants that needed to be taken into consideration when doing away with the monarchies? Were the leaders of the other kingdoms ever charged with war crimes?

If artistic censorship was only ever imposed on people in Mistral and Mantle, then why did people in Vale and Vacuo adopt their color-naming tradition?

Similar to the oleander becoming the official flower of Hiroshima because it was the first to bloom after the bombs dropped, did any symbols emerge from the Great War? Maybe the emblems that characters use as calling cards can trace their ties to historical figures or factions. (Velvet’s stitched heart, for example, could be descended from a symbol once donned by a unit of combat medics. Neptune’s trident icon, instead of just being a lazy reference to his namesake, could be a nod to a famous merchant captain who once captured an enemy ship wielding nothing but a three-pronged fishing spear.)

Regrettably, I didn’t get to talk about everything I wanted to, nor did I get to go into greater depth on the things I did talk about. If you’ve managed to stick with me through all the word vomit, you have my undying gratitude. Let’s see if I can’t get the hang of brevity between now and the next post.

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[1] Ashkenazi, Oren. “Six Sources of Conflict for Your World.” Online article. Mythcreants. September 22, 2018. [https://mythcreants.com/blog/six-sources-of-conflict-for-your-world]

[2] World of Remnant, Volume 4, Episode 8: “The Great War.”

[2.1] Narrator (Qrow): “But the emperor of Mistral had managed to conquer nearly all that Anima had to offer…”

[2.2] Narrator (Qrow): “…Mantle introduced technological innovation, as well as guidance in the settlement of Anima's cold northern territory.”

[3] Hello Future Me. “On Worldbuilding: How do Empires Work? [ Fire Nation l Roman l Mongols ] PART 1.” YouTube video. September 29, 2018. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51MWp0Hgo90]