#Right but also I think Water should be able to heal most elements have healing abilities so like

[kakusu-shipping]

The year is 2022 and I am a little guy legally married to Makarov Dreyar of the Fairy Tail Guild, as 13 year old me would have wanted.

Self Insert and just straight up Making Things Up about Fairy Tail Lore beneath the cut

So, in the world of Fairy Tail I am a Vampire, pushing 600 years old. I’m lifting a lot of this from young mes original self insert which pushed the Immortal Loli/Shota trope, so I am Makarov’s 3′nothing size.

The rest of this is more origonal

In his 600 years, Emile became the (to his knowledge) last living pure blooded vampire, as much like Dragons, Vampires were eventually hunted to near extinction by humans after catting and feeding of them for so long.

Emile survived due to his small stature and young appearance, keeping humans from believing him to be the immortal creature of the night that had been feeding from their village for years.

Now alone, Emile travels the continent, avoiding staying in one place for too long, inventing Magic Items such as The Magicmobile to assist humans, and gather a growing wealth deposited in banks across the land.

To gain access to these springs of wealth, however, he has to be a legal citizen of the country he is currently staying it. As he can’t exactly claim to be the 100+ year old original opener of the account, he instead has to play the decedent. Starting first with forged documents, he puts himself in schools, moving every other grade to avoid suspicion as he doesn’t age or grow, and ending with a big of Marriage Fraud to solidify his residency, and gain access to his accounts.

This is how he ended up with Makarov Dreyar, after all the Fairy Tail guild seems to rack up a lot of repair bills, would be rather nice to have someone with plenty of spare wealth to pay it all off.

Emile, as an ancient being, has a lot of deeper understanding of magic than most in the guild. In his time he’s had the space and practice to master most types of magics, only Celestial Magic still eludes him.

He’s more than happy to spread this magic onto others, teaching Cana card magic, Erza her requip spells, helping Mira and Elfman perfect Take Overs, he even implanted the Lighting Dragon Lacrima in Laxus when he was a mere toddler.

Early in Emile’s life in the guild he saw no problem teaching such young children dangerous magics. So long as he’d lived, he knew of human’s short life spans. Keeping the Guild strong mattered more than keeping the kids safe. Sending them on jobs alone, charging them jewel for food or rent around the guild seemed fair. They’re old enough to be part of a guild they’re old enough to work and pay for their rights to stay.

Until Lisanna died.

He hadn’t really thought himself attached to this kids, Makarov’s kids, until he stood beside him at Lisanna’s funeral, staring at a tombstone with such a young age on it.

He did that.

He let a child go on an S class quest. He taught a child dangerous magics. He told Makarov they’d be fine on their own.

Rules changed soon after. Minors were no longer allowed on S Class Quests at all. Minors also were not allowed to take monster hunting jobs without an adult in the party. S Class Quests were moved upstairs and fewer of them were accepted.

Emile started making magic items for everyone in the guild on top of making Erza’s armor and weapons. Just something to help them on quests, a little something to lean on, to keep them safe, to hold on to.

He tries not to be too protective over the kids, he knows they’re goo wizards and can handle themselves. But they’re also just so squishy, humans with such short life spans always running head first into trouble.

He understands why Makarov went bald so quickly now.

[corazondebeskar-reads]

of rage and ruin - chapter one

of rage and ruin series

chapter one

series masterlist | next chapter

werewolf!alpha!Joel Miller x f!omega!reader

word count: 3.1k

summary: Joel Miller made it twelve years into the apocalypse without getting bit. He turns into a much different kind of monster than he expected, though.

chapter warnings: dark, dead dove do not eat, a/b/o, alpha/omega dynamics, omegaverse, captivity, torture, canon-typical violence, genre-typical violence, horror themes, graphic violence, suicidal ideation, gore, abuse by captors (not by either joel or reader), death, murder of innocent people, typical raider/hunter behavior, mention of cordyceps, angst, no y/n, reader is able-bodied and afab with no specific descriptions, viewer discretion is advised

also on ao3

dividers by @saradika-graphics

This is a werewolf omegaverse fic that uses traditional and non-traditional elements of the genres. It largely ignores TLOU canon.

DISCLAIMER: A plotline of this story involves unethical medical care and human experimentation re: vaccines. It may give anti-vax vibes. This is NOT an anti-vax story and I do not want any related discourse please and thank you. This is about FEDRA being the absolute worst, not about the real world in any way.

In a rare moment of lucidity, he thinks he used to be human, once. 

He’s partially transformed more often than not. Almost never fully, unless he’s under the sway of the moon. His��real keeper. 

These raiders may think they own him, but he knows the truth. 

But lucidity is rare, and most of the time, Joel Miller is more beast than man. 

Most of the time, he doesn’t even know he’s Joel Miller.

No matter what, though, he’s a nearly uncontrollable force of nature. 

That’s why they keep a shock collar around his neck and tasers at their waists. That’s why they never turn their backs or leave him unrestrained. He fought like hell for a long time until he broke. 

No shame in it, he knows. Everyone breaks eventually. 

As the years have gone on, though, he’s been getting restless and snippy, less cooperative. And the pain doesn’t really matter anymore. 

Nothin’ really does when you’ve given up.

On the last new moon, when the wolf was quiet and the man was loud, he’d tried to refuse. He sat, buck-ass naked, on the gritty wood floor of the house they were raiding. 

He did not sniff out treasure like some fucking metal detector. He did not tear the humans limb from limb. He did not feast. 

He paid for that night and had the receipts to prove it, laid into his back from the silver-tipped whip. 

He should have tried harder to die at the start. 

He hadn’t understood right away, when they took him. It, frankly, didn’t even cross his mind that they’d know. Laura, the woman in the woods, had been so sure it was secret. 

He got it when they shot him in the leg with a BB gun, though, and the silver shrapnel burned. They were prepared. Silver-coated chains and cuffs, silver-tipped batons and whips and knives. Cattle prods and electric collars. 

They’d been hunting him. 

They tried to break him easy, first. They were looking for a wolf; didn’t know they’d find Joel Miller. They left him chained in an abandoned suburb, giving him just the minimum food and water to keep him alive. 

It worked to weaken him, but they didn’t want him weak forever. Not a very good guard dog or weapon if he can’t lift his head. So when that didn’t work, when he didn’t beg and plead or bend the knee, they gave up and bulked him back up slowly. 

So they tried pain next. 

He came to know the healing as a curse. They avoided the silver, at least at first, since it’d leave damage. But when they found out they could break his bones over and over and over?

That’s when he started to wish he was dead. What was the point, anyway? He couldn’t go back to Boston. Couldn’t risk himself around Tommy and Tess. 

Couldn’t kill himself if he tried, but they could, with their arsenal. 

Didn’t matter what he wanted in the end; his brain wouldn’t give in. It overrode his silent pleas, and it fought and fought and fought.

So they took him on a raid. Starving, chained under the full moon, and they waited. He couldn’t go far, but he didn’t have to. 

They brought the food to him.

“You’ve no control over it, huh?” Cheryl said after, leering into his “room.” They send her to play nice, but he knows she’s the worst of them all. They just think he’ll smell pussy and roll over. “We didn’t need you to kill them. You just need to scare them and help us find what we’re lookin’ for.”

They had him. He knows, he knows, he knows. He’d have done anything to stop it from happening again. From devouring tied-up families who dared to say “no” to Jim and his crew. From throwing up blood and bones and bows. 

He can’t kill himself. They won’t kill him. He had no choice. 

He broke.

This new moon, they don’t take him out to scavenge. No, instead, they drag him outside and spray him down with the hose. This, in itself, is not unusual. But when they force the muzzle over his snapping teeth to scrub at his skin with precious lye soap and a rag, he starts to get concerned. 

His suspicions are confirmed when they take him back inside. 

The only time he’s left unbound is here, in his room. Well. It meets the vague requirements for a room, but it’s also reinforced with silver-plated steel and concrete. Cheaply so, but enough to mute his senses and hopes. 

Usually, they wait until the grate is shut to unclip the lead. They wait until he kneels and offers his hands to unlock the shackles. When he’s been good, of course. 

But not today. Today, they chain him tight to the wall at the far end of the room. 

They’ve had this theory that he hates to admit is not without merit. Looking for another way to control him, they’ve tried to find him an omega. 

The first few times, they just forced him on them out wherever they’ve raided. Usually, he’s too out of control, and they don’t survive the encounter. 

The most recent time, they dumped one in his cell. But the poor thing still smelled of his alpha, having only lost them hours earlier. 

Joel didn’t react well. 

They’re trying something new, now. 

That he’s here while they clean his room is deliberate. He knows this. They’re purging all his scent from it, and they want him to watch, want him unsettled.

He growls when they remove his mattress completely. It’s a pathetically small, thin, hole-ridden thing, but it’s his. 

Before they drag in a new one, a flat pack of grated metal is tossed in the corner. Two of his captors go to work on assembling the contraption, and another leaves for a while, only to return with a sawed-off portion of his mattress. 

It fits neatly inside the cage. For that’s what they’ve constructed. It’s silver-coated, of course, but pathetically weak otherwise. If he truly desired, he could snap the bars as easily as bone. 

He’s not keen on having burnt hands, though. 

Just inside the front of the cage, they clip up a bit of cloth. He doesn’t need to be told what it is, knowing immediately after it’s extracted from the airtight glass Tupperware. 

They tell him anyway. “Got a new toy for you to try, if you’re good. For now, this is all you get.”

The heady scent of omega soaked into the panties permeates his room. 

He’s salivating a little by the time they finally release him, but he waits until the heavy footfalls echo from down the hall to give in. 

They smell divine. He can’t resist tasting, lapping at the tiniest hint of musk and omega under his elongated tongue. 

“Told ya he would have shredded her,” Jim says to Cheryl when they come in the morning with his breakfast. Joel’s in his mind enough to feel a little shame, back of his neck burning, when they see the tattered fabric. 

It’s clear they anticipated it because, along with his tray, he’s given a new pair. 

They’re not so appealing this time. The sweet scent is cut by acidic fear like vinegar through molasses. He ignores them in favor of his meal. 

He eats better here than he ever did out there. He’s worth more rations to the raiders than to FEDRA. Robust meals full of meat and eggs and potatoes. 

They need him strong, after all. 

It’s not until a few hours later that he’s drawn back in by the underwear. It’s not so acrid anymore. Or maybe it is, and he’s just in the mood. Either way, he buries his face in them while he strokes his cock and uses them to catch his cum when he finishes. 

There. That’s better. The mix of him with… whoever you are. 

When they bring him lunch, they make him put the panties on his old tray before pushing it out to them. He doesn’t burn with shame this time; no, he almost feels proud. Like a peacock fluffing out its feathers. They know now. They must. 

Whoever you are, you’re his. 

The next day, they bring back the same pair. He wolfs out a little at the fresh layer of you over his cum. It’s all fear and tears and disgust, but it doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter at all, not to him, not to the wolf. 

All that matters is how his head fills with static when he licks across the gusset and howls. 

Cheryl’s looking pretty smug on the other side of the door, but for all that she’s pleased with the results; they still threaten to turn on the collar if he doesn’t eat quickly.  

He’s nearly fully wolf, gobbling down the food and returning to his treasure. He snarls as he strokes his cock, the head angry and purple as he tugs. He doesn’t spill onto the panties this time, not wanting to cover up the perfect combination of your scents. In the end, they’re shredded anyway, as his fingers stretch and break into claws. 

In his full glory, his senses are even sharper. Sharp enough that he can hear a faint sobbing across the building and Cheryl’s sharp laughter. 

“I don’t know,” she’s drawling when he tunes in. “He sounds pretty excited to meet you.”

The soft sobbing turns raw and cracked. He can smell the salt and phlegm, can practically taste it in the air. He’s aware of Cheryl, but nothing is louder than the way your heart is tripping over itself.

When Cheryl’s words sink in, when he realizes he might actually get to have whatever delicious creature they’ve gotten him, he howls again, a long, aching sound that creeps down your bones like frost.

Later, when he’s a little more present, he realizes they didn’t shock him either time he howled. It’s usually a guarantee. 

Whatever game they’re playing, it doesn’t bode well for you.

Joel Miller made it twelve years into the apocalypse without getting bit. He wasn’t even worried when it happened. They’d been heading back to the QZ, him and Tommy and Tess, when a wild dog attacked them. 

Or, well. A wolf. 

Tommy had gotten a bullet in its head, but it had Joel’s arm in its jaw at the time. Its teeth had rent through his jacket like a spoon in a banana split. 

FEDRA would shoot him without a second thought, so they doubled back to the little cabin and hunkered down. Figured they’d lay low long enough for it to be hideable before sneaking back in. 

Tommy went out at daybreak for the carcass—it’d be leagues better than what they had in their bags. When he came back, he was faint and empty-handed. 

“...don’t make any sense,” he kept muttering, pacing the tiny kitchenette. 

Joel and Tess exchanged a glance. 

“Probably a bear took it,” she suggested.

Tommy ran his hand through his hair, shook his head, and did it again. When he looked up at them, it was through wild, unpredictable eyes. “Wasn’t a wolf. It was a man.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Joel said.

“C’mon.”

They followed him through the thicket, and sure as shit, in the same place the wolf’s corpse had lain was a man with a bullet through his skull. He was completely nude. 

“Gotta be a coincidence,” Joel muttered.

Tommy turned to him, eyes wide and hands shaking. “What kind of fucking coincidence is this?” 

There was a rustle, and they all turned, guns raised, as a woman peeked from behind a tree. 

She put her hands up and waited. Tess jerked her head to one side, and they lowered but did not stow their weapons. 

The woman was in a ratty cotton dress with no shoes; autumn leaves crunching underfoot. 

“That’s, um. That’s my husband,” she said softly. 

“Apologies, ma’am,” Tommy said, his face soft and sad. “But—I think he attacked us.”

Her green eyes grew wide, pupils dilating and breath catching in her chest. “Did you get bit?” 

Tommy and Tess instinctually looked at Joel. 

“What’s it to ya?” he said.

“Did you get bit?” she repeated.

“Was he Infected?”

“Not with cordyceps, no,” she says. She avoids looking at the body but flinches when she brushes a foot against a blood-soaked leaf. 

“What does that mean?” Tommy said. 

“I think it’s best we go someplace and talk.”

Against better judgment, they follow her through the words to her home. She claims to have two kids alone there, four years and six months. 

It turns out to be true. She gets them both down for a nap and serves hot stew. They try to refuse, but she insists. 

Tommy feels a little sick eating the food of a man he killed. They all listen, rapt, as she begins to speak.

“It happened a year ago. But it wasn’t an accident.”

When the full moon is two days away, Joel is nearing the furthest from himself. Same shit, different month, but his reactions to your scent are getting, well, feral. 

They’re bringing him strips of cloth, now. He gets a new one with each meal. He doesn’t destroy them anymore. Oh, no. When he’s clearer, he wishes he did. 

But no. He smells and licks and then jerks off with them. If only that were the worst of it. He’ll come to be mortified during the waning, but he starts to add them to the cage. It’s fairly saturated with the smell of him from his old mattress, but it pleases the beast within to line it with the sweet mixture soaked into the torn sheets. 

You’ll understand, then, the wolf thinks. You’ll know it’s safe for you. Somewhere he’s made, a den all your own where he can keep you. 

But you won’t know, because what you know is very little. 

When FEDRA started asking for volunteers to test vaccines, you didn’t hesitate. You knew the risks. And the rewards—room and rations for the length of the observation period, anywhere up to a year in length. You knew there would be a catch—probably many, but given that you rarely had a room or rations, it wasn’t a hard choice.

But this was the end of the world, and “informed consent” was not something that survived the outbreak. 

They worked in batches. A truckload of live bodies at a time. Sterilizing showers with the barest trace of privacy, dressed in stiff starchy scrubs, and led into little cubicles where nurses with needles sat in wait. 

A quick jab to the upper arm, and then you were off. The hospital was an old correctional facility, but again, for someone who hadn’t had a bed on a reliable basis, you felt only relief. 

Until the deaths started.

They didn’t even try to hide it. Within 24 hours of arrival, a fourth of your group was gone. Carted out in black bags marked with β and nothing more said. You watched through your window like everyone else. 

Someone came around the next day and drew blood from every remaining subject, and the tagging began after that. You could see the symbols on other’s doors, but not your own. α or Ω. What they meant, you couldn’t begin to guess. 

It started not long after. 

The changes.

At first it was so subtle, you may not have noticed, but a nurse came by each day to ask you a series of increasingly embarrassing questions. 

What do you smell? What do I smell like? What does your sweat smell like? How sensitive are your breasts? Describe your vaginal discharge. How aroused are you on a scale of 1-10? 

They began weekly tests. Blood draws once a week and daily urine samples, of course, but also hearing and vision. They made you run on a treadmill hooked up to wires. 

And then, one day, after six months of intensive observation, they moved you.

Or. They tried to.

You were exhibiting a specific set of side effects, they said. You were to be transferred to another facility for subjects with the same side effects for further observation. 

Raiders took out the truck halfway through the ten-hour journey. It was… it was a bloodbath, actually. For the FEDRA officers, anyway. 

When they had you all lined up, grippy socks soaking in the ankle-deep mud, well, that was when you all learned which symbol was on your door. They couldn’t keep the word out of their mouths. Omega. 

Not that it fucking explained anything.

One by one, a short blonde with a bob went down the line of you and shoved something up to each omega’s face. That’s it. It seemed to have no greater purpose.

But for some reason, when she pressed the cloth against your nose and mouth, she smiled. And they separated you.

Whatever that was had a deep, oaky musk, like the illicit brewery operating out of the warehouse you often slept in before the trials. 

They tell you nothing.

They make you sleep on strips of cloth, so you roll around in the pile as you toss and turn, rubbing your sweat and slick and pheromones all over. 

They don’t bring you anything of his, but you catch faint whiffs of him (him, always him, they never call him by a name), of those aged, liquor-soaked barrels, but all it does is make you nauseous. You don’t understand how you know it’s him; you still don’t understand any of it. 

You learn very quickly not to ask questions. 

They take him out on the night the moon is full and bloated, hanging over him like a searchlight. See, it whispers, I can find you anywhere. Anywhere. It doesn’t matter. If it didn’t, the wolf would find it anyway. 

He is not himself.

He is his truest self.

He is two or one; neither yet both. A monster movie mashup of fur and teeth and roughshod science experiments conducted by a doctor who wasn’t a doctor at all. He’s the monster’s victim. He’s the monsters’ monster. 

He’s the wolf and the wolf is him. 

He’s The Wolf and he’s swallowed Joel down. 

He’s the man, the weak link, buried so deep he can’t see the light of his celestial mistress 

He’s Joel Miller. Sometimes, sometimes. 

Tonight, he is gone. There is only the Wolf. 

And the Wolf knows. As soon as they cross the threshold, he knows. 

Dawn is rising, the hunt is over, but he’ll be the wolf for a while longer. And he knows that fuckin’ smell. 

It’s the saccharine sour mix of you. Heavy on your sweet apple undertones, and oh, he knows. 

You’re in the cage.

next chapter

*title from "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

😬 I've been working on this baby for a long, long time, so I will be drinking your likes and comments desperately. thank you for reading and i love you.

[magicaguajiro]

La Bóveda | Caribbean Ancestral Altars 101

What is a Bóveda?

A boveda is an altar that comes from cuban varieties of espiritismo and spread through the caribbean. It combines concepts from Alan Kardecs teachings on 19th century spiritism and Taino and African (Yoruba and Congo) Beliefs. It is a space where you can work for the elevation of yourself and your spiritual frame, which comprises of your ancestors and spirit guides. The word Boveda means vault. There are alot of taboos and tasks that come with starting a boveda, it is a commitment to your ancestors.

How do I build a bóveda?

So there are a few basic elements that comprise a boveda as I learned it. These are light in the form of a white candle, a glass of water, and a white table cloth. There are other tools that can help, but I find it best if you start with these three things first and slowly allow your sacred items to come to you naturally. The white candle is there to give spirits illumination, guide them to your call and give them comfort. The water allows them to better manifest in your space, giving them a physical current to work through. Think about it, a human body is 70% water, so you are giving them 70% of a body in a way. The water also serves to cool any of them who may have a hot disposition, and to bring clarity. Once you have a good understanding of how to work this basic altar, then begin experimenting with how the energy if different tools affects your sessions.

Other tools you can incorporate:

Bells - call in spirits like knocking, clearing energy

Colognes- florida water and the such as offerings of scent and cleansing agents

Tobacco/Incense + Ash Tray + Matches (they need to have a way to light them, duh!)

Food offerings - should be given sparingly, as to not ground your spirits too much and hinder their and your elevation.

Prayer books - alan kardec books/the bible/orphic hymns/self written prayers

A cross-represents christian influences, the body of a spirit and the Crossroads.

Coffee- energizes spirits, helps them work quickly especially with money and foundational work, also just nice to share a cup with them for comfort sake.

Flowers- bring life and energy, Earth element

Cascarilla-draw symbols on altar/floor/self

More glasses- depending on the tradition, you can have variations of anywhere from 1-9+ glasses. Sometimes each one is a specific spirit, or group of spirits. Other times the configuration is the key and has to do with the working being done

What do you do at the bóveda?

You will pray, sing, talk to your spirits, give offerings and meditate here. The purpose of the prayers and items is to further your spiritual development as well as the elevation and healing of our spirits and building a strong relationship with this spiritual court who are tied to you from birth. It also helps you in developing your spiritual gifts over time. Through elevation, your spirits gain strength, power, clarity and can better aide you in your endeavors. I recommend having a mentor who can guide you when it comes to most Caribbean Spiritual Practices, but Bóveda work is one of the tools almost anyone can at least try and it can actually help to lead you to the right mentor! A basic routine can be to approach the altar clean and dressed in white or light colors. Light the candle and knock on the table three times to awaken and alert the spirits. You can choose to say a written prayer from one of the books or just speak from the heart asking your good and guiding spirits who have your best interest and free will at heart to come and partake in the offerings and commune with you. From that point on just sit, talk or listen. Keep a notebook nearby to record anything important. Over time you will be able to know when your spirits are trying to tell you something even when not at the altar. You may also choose to do workings in front of the Bóveda, or on it if you choose although I usually prefer the former.

A note on spiritual hygiene at the Bóveda:

I’d like to bring up an important concept called Hot/Cold. So some things carry a hot energy, while others have a cooler energy in a sense. Bóveda work is very centered around peace, cooling, and enlightenment because you are essentially working with the dead, so keeping them cool is how you protect yourself while being around that intense energy. You keep the altar cool by keeping it clean and behaving appropriately at it. New offerings of things like water and flowers are cool because they still are full of life force to offer your spirits. After a set amount of time, usually no longer than a week, they begin to wilt or mold or rot and are therefore becoming hotter and hotter, which agitates the household and the spirits. To avoid this, refresh offerings once a week or more and do a major altar clean at least once a month. Also, when approaching always be respectful, calmed, present and clean (physically AND spiritually).

Always approach the altar cleansed physically and spiritually, in clean (preferably light colored) clothes . This is so important because unwanted spirits can come through if things are done improperly. Keep the surrounding area clean and tidy and cleansed. If things become to hot and dirty on the altar, you may see your blessings become blocked or may feel like you have a dark cloud over you. When working with spirits, holding up your end of the bargain to avoid this is CRUCIAL. Your Guides are not sabotaging you on purpose (usually), but rather are unable to operate in their full and usual capacity since they are lacking their full and usual offerings and environment! Spiritual hygiene includes behavior too. When the candles are lite, try to be respectful in front of the altar, as if your Great Grandma were in the room, because in a way she may be.

This is an amazing tool for beginning your journey into Cuban Folk Magic or Caribbean Spirituality. A good Bóveda sets the stage for an amazing practitioner.

Bendiciones 🧿

[4ragon]

Can I convince you to play Octopath Traveler 2?

Hello my lovely followers! I have recently run into a problem where I have fallen in love with another video game and do not have enough people to talk about it with. I have therefore decided I’m going to do what I do best and talk WAY too much about the subject for an unreasonable amount of time. 

So! Why should you, dear followers of mine, play this hip new rpg called Octopath Traveler 2?

Well, to put it simply, this game was the most genuine fun I’ve had playing a video game in a very long time!

What is Octopath Traveler 2?

Octopath Traveler 2 is a new turn based action rpg by Square Enix, combining the charm of old school pixel art with modern graphical capabilities to create one of the most beautiful-looking 2D games out there. Like. It’s so pretty! Look at this shit!

It’s so good! Look at that presentation! Great graphics, full voice acting, orchestrated music, just. The presentation, guys!

The Gameplay

Now. Here’s the deal. I am not the most crazy about turn-based rpgs. I like them fine, but they can get very repetitive! Pokemon is a prime example. Rival sends out a Charizard? Well, better go get my Vaporeon and wreck his shit! And yes, I know there’s more strategy behind it, but like. I have never once bothered. At a certain point, the game is just “water beats fire, grind levels until you win” and that’s kind of as much as you need to bother with.

BUT

BUT BUT BUT

Here’s the deal. Octopath (both 1 and 2) is SO much fun. It is the greatest turn based rpg I have ever played. Because it’s no longer about elemental damage and sending out the right Pokemon that a lot of other turn based games use.

In each fight, the enemy has an unknown list of weaknesses, which you can discover as you fight. Each successful attack chips away at their “shield points,” until you can knock the enemy out for one round, weakening their defenses and stopping them from mercilessly beating your ass. (At least until they wake up in the next round and get to attack first.)

There are also boost points which build up each turn, just as long as you don’t use them up. Those either boost the damage on your single attack OR, and here’s the kicker, allows you do use a regular melee attack up to four times.

These two things in tandem open up a HUGE amount of strategizing! Suddenly, it’s not “will my Vaporeon be able to use hydro pump before Charizard uses fly,” it’s “do I use my turn to heal, or do I boost my attacks so I can knock this boss out before he kills me? Do I knock him out now, or do I save my boost points to do one massive attack once he’s weaker? Do I knock all of the enemies out at the same time, or should I stagger it so they don’t all Kick My Teeth In next round?”

It’s about timing! It’s about strategy! It’s like one huge puzzle combined with all of the terror of a normal action rpg! And it’s!!! So fucking fun!!!!

Just. I know most of the people following me are following me for my love of murder mystery visual novels like Ace Attorney, so this may be a bit of a harder sell than if I was trying to convince you all to play Murder By Numbers or Return of the Obra Dinn, but still! It’s not too terribly difficult to get into the game, and hey, it’s turn based! Reaction speed not required.

(Important note: Octopath Traveler OG is also just as fun to play. They added some cool mechanics in 2, and tweaked certain characters’ movesets, but overall, both are just as much fun. Try 8path 1 too! I highly recommend it.)

The Music

I have a running list of games with the greatest soundtracks of all time. We got Zelda of course, we got Kingdom Hearts, Ace Attorney, but Octopath is quickly clobbering its way into my favorites. Every single track in both games slaps so hard. Boss fights? Town music? CHARACTER MUSIC? I mean. Come on.

Come on.

Every song is gorgeous. Fully orchestrated, incredibly well done. I don't know shit about music theory, but 8-Bit Music Theory did a cool video on game one that I think holds up pretty well.

AND, because this game added a Day/Night cycle, most of the songs have multiple arrangements. Even the character themes have multiple arrangements. And I won’t spoil any of them here, but I swear, when Agnea’s final battle track started playing, I had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. It’s just. It’s so good you guys.

The Story and Characters

Okay. Alright. Here’s where Octopath Traveler 2 goes from good to great. And here’s also where Octopath 2 edges out the first Octopath game. Now, this is not a dig at the original game. Play the original game! I love it so much! The characters are so much fun! The story is wonderful! But Octopath Traveler 2 does everything I wanted the original Octopath to do and more! More character interactions! More story! An endgame that isn’t deeply anticlimactic and actually involves the characters I care about! It’s so good.

Octopath Traveler 2, of course, stars 8 wildly different characters, each with completely different motivations and completely different skillsets, both in and out of battles. Different weapons, different spells, and different ways to interact with the NPCs around you.

And man, I love every single one of these characters so much. I feel like there’s a character for everybody, I’ve seen so much art of basically all of the main cast because every one of them is so different and interesting.

There's a favorite for everyone! We’ve got the dark, broody character, the pure-of-heart character, the character struggling with a dark curse. We’ve got revenge, chosen ones, amnesia, cowboys, one asshole detective who I am a little bit in love with. (Murder mysteries, guys! Come on! That’s my jam!) Often times, there’s usually one character that falls a little flat to me, but I just find all of them so much fun, even the ones with less going on in their backstories. They're fun! They're charming! I love it!

None of these stories are particularly complicated, of course. It’s no Tales game, where the stories twist and turn and build on each other constantly. In fact, by the very nature of this conceit, where no player character is the true main character, they can’t really build the sort of story other RPGs would usually have. Each character’s story is simple, even if they branch into different routes and do slowly start to tie into each other in subtle ways. Sure, there were surprises (and like holy shit to a few of these surprises) but overall, the stories are simple and straightforward.

And yet, even with 8 relatively simple stories, the characters absolutely shine. Sure, I took one look at the character who secretly did that murder in chapter one and went, “Ah. It was absolutely you.” And sure, we had an evil king who was so cartoonishly evil to the point of becoming farcical. But still, these stories didn’t have to be these huge, sprawling, mindblowing paths. They’re about the leads growing and meeting new people and bettering themselves. Each route has its own eclectic bunch of NPCs that bring so much life and color to the world, from the put-upon knight being dragged around by the world’s shittiest cleric to the happy-go-lucky scrivener looking for her big scoop to whatever the FUCK is happening with the Blacksnakes holy shit jesus christ what the actual fu

These stories made me laugh. They’ve made me cheer. They made me sob like a baby. They made me rage so fucking hard that I had to put down the computer for several hours and lay on the ground, which to be fair was absolutely the intended effect but I’m also still so fucking mad about it I swear to god.

PLUS

PLUS PLUS PLUS

Okay, I always say a jrpg with a huge cast rides or dies on their character interaction. Love is found in the found family y’all. And, again, it’s certainly no Tales game, in part because the game isn’t quite as scripted, but there’s still so much. Each chapter has a set number of side conversations between whoever is in your party (which if you miss them you can go back to that chapter in your menu and watch them anyway thank god). Several pairs of characters get to go on fun little side quests together throughout the story. Characters talk to each other during battles, which doesn’t feel like a ton but it really does add so much charm. They feel like friends, and even if they don’t tend to interact during story cutscenes, it feels like their relationships grow and develop over the course of oh holy shit I played 90 hours? Oops. Well. Whatever. That’s fine.

Anyway. That’s my pitch. Play this game. Join me in hell. Come on. You know you want to.

[senstless]

Splinterlands Social Media Challenge - Showcasing Runemancer Kye getting to 80 HEALTH!!

Featuring Bronze League Summoner and Monsters in Action!

Weekly Highlight -Runemancer Kye

Edition: RIFTWATCHERS Rarity: LEGENDARY Element: WATER Attack: MAGIC Abilities: FLYING Abilities" LIFE LEECH Health: 8 Speed: 3 Attack: 2 Armor: 5 Reasons Why I like it It's becoming one of my favorite cards to play when you can build the correct stack around it. It's likely means you can start to build a dominant wall of health that might be too big to overcome on an attack side where each round you're able to heal more than your enemy is able to deal with damage. Especially when you're able to give a few boosts with martyr, and benefit from its flying, speed, and armor.

The Matchup - Where Rules Sets, Splinters and Mana Collide

The Rule Sets

Watch the Match Here

MANA: 44

Ruleset: Born Again: All Monsters have the Rebirth ability

SPLINTERS: Fire, Water, Earth, Dragon

Initial Rule Set and Mana Gameplay Thoughts

** Rulesets The Born again rules set is intriguing because of its pros and cons. One oneside you're able to stack multiple martyr boosts to your team, while having to acknowledge your opponent is likely to do the same. Bloodlust is also able to be triggered multiple times, especially for low mana fighter cards where it might not be ideal to play them anymore if they're just going to give bloodlust boosts to your opponent. Once their resurrected, they're able to be healed and sometimes coming back with one health and full armor is enough to allow the tables to turn and to get a big enough health back to where your opponent's not able to overcome

Mana 44 mana is plenty of money to do anything you want with about any splinter available. Sometimes it gets difficult but in this matchup I don't know if you could really use any more mana to build a more effective team ** Splinters Losing life and death isn't too big in my opinion. I don't think they're particularly the strongest suits although they both have a couple of scavenger cards that might benefit from born again but overall they would not be a splinter that I focus on for this skill set

Summoner POSSIBILUS THE WISE While not a traditional selection given the rest of my lineup, I really selected it for the additional 2 health. Given my sellout into building Runemancer I need to give it an advantage possible

First Position VENARI MARKSRAT

Hoping to start the match with a martyr that turns into a double marker boosting Kye.

Second Position RUNEMANCER KYE The star of the show, hopefully going to get a couple of boosts and build those steps up

Third Position ANASTH SOOTHSAYER One of my go-to cards now given the fact that it has both thank you and cleanse. Luckily cleanse goes before tank healed and it helps eliminate some of those pesky monsters that take away healing on your most important cards

Fourth Position MERDAALI GUARDIAN If one tank heel is good then two tank kills is even better. To start the match I'll be able to heal eight damage per round and it should go up each round as my health grows

Fifth Position RIVER HELLONDALE If everything goes right I will get a triple marger boost on Kye to really help my health and attack stats

Sixth Position SWAMP SPITTER Since it has armor repair I definitely wanted around to give Kye every advantage and be able to avoid some heavy melee attacks each round if my opponent plays them

Opponent Lineup & Match Play

Summoner ROBB LOWLAND Solid choice, opens up a couple of powerful Earth cards to be played.

FUNGUS FLINGER . Great minds think alike and they'd like to start to mess with a double March of boost

QUARA TOWERSHEAD Probably the scariest card to face against in a born-again matchup where it will get a double marterboost or more. If it starts to take out cards then the bloodlust might be too much to overcome

GLBIN PSYCHIC Having quora tank heel plus another human behind as much like my approach hoping to keep it around long enough to get ridiculous stats

QUEEN MYCELIA Adding some additional armor for protection is always a good idea

DOCTOR BLIGHT One of the cards that I struggle against the most until the new release and a few more cleanse cards have come into the picture.

MYCELIC SPLIPSPAWN Not sure I love this play without a triage card in conjunction but it will help focus my text on the rear lineup until Quora gets her double boost

Round 1

Before the round starts I'm not sure how this is going to go. Quora a is very difficult monster to overcome sometimes especially after a few boosts and bloodlust. It'll be interesting to see how it all goes. The first round is extremely uneventful as no one actually loses any cards given the extra health and healing that we all have.

Round 2

Round two triggers my first martyr boost that gets doubled up by the end of the round. It also marks my final knockout of slip spawn.

Round 3

Round three starts with the third and final knockout that triggers a martyr boost. This pushes me to five magic attack, five speed, 8 shield and 17 health in round 3. Pretty solid stats that should heal about 9 to 10 health at my current rate and adding 1 to 3 health every round to my base. The rest of round 3 is mostly an eventful. It's turning out that my cleanse is very important as I have been afflicted about every single round.

Round 4

Quora has some seriously damaging stats at 6 magic and melee each. If it wasn't for my armor that keeps getting repaired each round I'm pretty sure I would have lost his match. It's very important that I have double tank heel, with cleanse, with repair to ward off the massive attacks that I'm feeling.

Round 5

It's hit me that around 5:00 no one made any progress anywhere and that we are now into a endless loop until around 20. From here on out things will just continue to build until later.

Round 15

Round 25

It took forever but I finally managed to pull off the victory. This is what it looks like before the five health damage to fatigue hits and wipes out my opponent.

It was interesting to see all of my cards leave, and then get reborn to give me another heel, armor repair, and then the next round of my final heal. These certainly helped push me to having 80 health as you can see in the picture.

Thoughts - and Chances to Win Again

I absolutely love when I started healing over 10 health per round. At the end each healing card could have healed Kye 20 health per heel making it almost immune to any attacks. I think this strategy is likely to work out well most of the time unless your opponent somehow plays a heavy sneak/snipe attack match that takes out your healers.

I don't think I've ever gotten a card to 80 health before. I have certainly gotten cards to higher speeds and damage I think I've had over 10 on each but I'll save that for another day.

~~@senstless

[dishisdesignerjewellery]

Green Stone Gold Ring at Dishis Jewels

A green stone gold ringis a type of ring with a gemstone that’s not yellow or white but rather a green color

A green stone gold ring type of ring made with a green stone with gold or silver on both the band and the setting. Both men and women wear these types of rings. However, most people wear them for special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays.

The history of thesegreen stone gold ringscan be traced back to ancient Egypt in 2900 BC. They were also popular in ancient Greece in 750 BC. The green stone gold ring is set in a black steel band. The stone is dyed due to the oxidation process during the manufacturing of the ring.

The green stone gold ring has a simple and classic design; however, it has an exotic twist due to the oxidized green color of the gemstone. This “oxidized” color can also be seen on other gemstones such as rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

Who should wear a Green Stone Ring?

There are manybenefits of wearing a green stone ring. For example, it can help you reduce the chance of cancer and make you healthier. In addition, greenstone is a very popular color because of its mystical qualities. It is said that if you wear this color, you will be able to see into the past and future. There are many different colored gems as well, but green is by far the most popular because it can offer many advantages for your health.

Green belongs to one of the four Pancha Mahabhuta or Five Great Elements (Earth, Water, Air & Fire), which have their respective colors assigned as

follows: Earth – Brown (Yellow), Water – Blue (White), Air & Fire – Red (Black). There are a lot of myths about this, and I will try to shed some light on them in the following paragraphs.

First, generally said that if you wear a green stone ring on your right hand, you will have good luck. But wearing it on the left hand is also not bad: just be sure to take it off before you shake hands with somebody, or they might get the impression that you are making an offer or proposition.

A green ring might also be worn by people who want to strengthen their relationship with others

but beware that if your partner is jealous and possessive, he or she may see this gesture as a serious threat. Greenstone rings are generally worn by those who wish for love from others and prefer partners who are kind and sensitive.

Why do we wear Green Stone Rings?

The green stone ring is a common present used to express love, and they are both inexpensive and expressive. The popularity of green rings is one reason so many different traditions are associated with wearing them.

For example, some cultures believe that wearing a green stone ring will bring good luck, while other cultures think that it will protect you from the evil eye.

The meaning of the green stone ring is to symbolize nobility. It is also a spiritual symbol of peace and harmony. Greenstone rings are believed to bring luck and prosperity to their bearer. It is believed that the green stone ring can ward off evil spirits, heal sicknesses and bring good luck in love affairs.

How to Choose a Green Stone Gold Ring?

Many people think choosing a green stone gold ring is a difficult task. However, this isn’t true if you know the important points to consider. There are many things to consider when choosing a green stone gold ring. For example, you should pay attention to the quality of the metal, the size of the stone, and

the ring’s design. Moreover, you also need to consider personal factors like your skin type and hand shape and what occasion it will be worn for.

There are various factors to consider when choosing a ring. You should consider the stone setting, the size of the stone, and finally, your budget.

Stone Setting

The beauty of a green stone is that it comes in various colors, such as blue, black, and green. The different colors have their characteristics, so it’s important to consider this when deciding

what type of color you want for your ring. For example, if you’re looking for an engagement ring, a dark green will signify life, while blue will signify emotional strength and stability.

Size of Stone

When considering the size, it’s important to consider

how big you want the stone to be and how big your finger. is This can be done by wrapping string around your finger and seeing where it meets or by going to a jewelry store with friends willing to help!

Budget

We hope that you have learnt a lot for choosing your amazing masterpiece jewelry. We are here to stand by your side by helping you to choose the best ring for your loved ones. Check out the latest collection of our jewels. Login today to get your green store gold ring today. You can check the trendiest collection for 2022 now. Check out here!

Check out the fashion Jewellery collection : Shop Now

[freyayuki]

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Iroha And Lunafreya Banner

The Forcefully with Dignity (Intersecting Wills) event just started in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game. This event came with 1 banner.

Forcefully with Dignity (Intersecting Wills) Banner

The Forcefully with Dignity (Intersecting Wills) banner features the following chars and their weapons:

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret from Final Fantasy XV - Burst or BT only

Iroha from Final Fantasy XI - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, and Force or FR

Seven from Final Fantasy Type-0 - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Raijin from Final Fantasy VIII - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Already have all of Raijin’s and Lunafreya’s weapons.

Have Seven’s 15cp, 35cp, and Ex fully MLB. Her Ex has been Realized to Ex+ 0/3. Missing her LD.

Have a copy of Iroha’s LD which hasn’t been limit broken at all. Have copies of her 15cp and 35cp, both of which have been limit broken once. 

Have like 3 copies of her Ex weapon but have decided not to fuse the copies together in case I need more dupes of her Sphere. Missing her FR.

Thoughts about Iroha from Final Fantasy XI

I like Iroha from Final Fantasy XI (#ad) well enough but she’s not a fave or anything. Perhaps it’d be more accurate to say that I don’t dislike her and wouldn’t mind getting her weapons and being able to use her.

My Iroha has 0 Artifacts and 0 Boards. Heck, mine doesn’t even have her base armor.

IIRC, I tossed some tickets on her debut banner and yet I didn’t bother to build her even when I got copies of all of her currently available weapons at that time.  Back then, I guess I didn’t really feel like I needed her for anything.

Even now, I don’t think I really need her. She’s a support with decent enough buffs and auras but I already have plenty of supports and those supports provide better buffs and auras.

Iroha’s main claim to fame and what makes her different from other supports is that she allows everyone in the party to retain 20% of their brave in between each of their HP attacks.

Iroha also has a pretty good FR. It’s not meta or anything but it’s very generic which means that most, if not all, chars can easily fulfill the conditions needed to increase its HP damage bonus.

Kinen no Isshi, Iroha’s Force ability, has the following force time effects:

HP damage bonus +30% when individual HP at least 100% of max on party member’s own turn

HP damage bonus +20% when individual BRV at least 20% of max on party member’s own turn

With Iroha’s healing and BRV retain gimmick, any char should be able to easily increase the HP damage bonus of Iroha’s FR by 50% each turn.

At the moment, my FR of choice is Lunafreya’s, mostly because I just got her and fully built her up. Her FR is pretty good but it does require dealing elemental damage.

This isn’t really a problem since Lunafreya enchants the party and imperils enemies with the ice and water elements. With her FR, chars will be able to increase the HP damage bonus by up to 40% per turn. This can go up to 60% if a char can also grant a buff to an ally but most chars won’t be able to do that.

For now, Lunafreya’s FR works well enough, but in the future, I heard that we’ll get fights that lock out certain elements or that require a particular element. So it’s best to have other options.

But it’s not like we’re about to get those quests right now. I don’t need to pull for Iroha now. I can just wait until we get other Force weapons. Heck, I can even wait to pull for Iroha when she comes back again, this time with her Burst weapon.

I don’t know if I’ll pull for Iroha’s BT though. Like I said, she’s not really a fave or anything. Even if I get her Burst, I doubt I’d bother to Green it or upgrade it to BT+ 3/3 unless the resources needed to do that become more plentiful.

Was considering my options. Should I pull for Iroha’s FR now? Should I bother to build her?

Maybe the answers to those questions should be no and yet I was leaning towards saying yes anyway. I guess I just felt like pulling. 

Besides, since I never really got to build and play with Iroha before, I kinda wanted to give her a try now. Why not, right?

Iroha from Final Fantasy XI Sphere

Iroha has an A Sphere called Critical BRV Gain. Its effect is:

When dealing critical hit: • Increases BRV by 10% of MAX BRV once per turn *Does not stack with same sphere

This could be good for chars with the Encouragement’s Keystone High Armor (one of its effects is increasing the brave granted by its user by 30%) to maximize the brave gains from both the armor and the Sphere.

Not sure yet who I want to give this Sphere to but at least I have it in case I need it.

Forcefully with Dignity (Intersecting Wills) Banner Tickets Pulls Results

Since I’m only really missing Iroha’s FR and Seven’s LD from this banner, couldn’t justify using gems to pull here, especially since I’m not even all that attached to Iroha anyway.

So decided to use my tickets instead. Currently have 272 tickets on-hand. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get Iroha’s FR before I run out of tickets.

Got the usual bronze and silver trash and a few gold dupes. Even got 10-draws that didn’t give me a single gold weapon.

Here are the results of some of my more notable 10-draws on this banner:

4/10, came from a gold orb - Iroha’s 35cp, Raijin’s 35cp, Seven’s 15cp, and Iroha’s LD

It was nice to see so many golds from a 10-draw. Too bad these were all dupes. Ah, well. At least I can make use of the dupes of Iroha’s 35cp and LD to further limit break the copies I already have.

1/10, came from a gold orb - dupe of Iroha’s Ex

1/10, came from a gold orb - dupe of Iroha’s Ex

After a couple more 10-pulls, got a gold orb which turned into my very first copy of Seven’s LD.

It’s always nice to get a new weapon but Seven didn’t really get anything new on this banner. She doesn’t even have a Force weapon yet. She’s kinda outdated and powercrept by now so don’t think I’ll bother to build her and use her for any endgame content.

This 10-draw also gave me dupes of Iroha’s 15cp and LD. Nice.

Just when I was starting to think that I might not be able to get Iroha’s FR, a force orb showed up.

Hell, yes! Was super pleased to finally see a force orb. I was starting to worry that I’d end up at 0 tickets with no Iroha FR to show for the loss.

Really pleased to have been able to obtain a copy of Iroha’s FR without having to use my gems.

Actually, much to my surprise, this 10-draw gave me not just 1 but 2 copies of Iroha’s FR. Nice. Also got a dupe of Raijin’s 15cp.

Was down to 152 tickets when Iroha’s FR finally came home.

Iroha from Final Fantasy XI

Leveled Iroha to 90. She’s already Crystal Level 90. And she already has her Bloom Stone.

Had enough dupes to be able to fully MLB Iroha’s 15cp without having to use a single Power Stone.

Only got 1 copy of her 35cp from pulling on the Forcefully with Dignity (Intersecting Wills) banner so needed 1 more dupe or 4 Power Stones in order to fully MLB said weapon.

Instead of using my Power Stones, opted to use my Weapon Tokens to exchange for 1 dupe of Iroha’s 35cp.

It’s been a long time since I last used any of my Weapon Tokens so I’ve been able to accumulate over 1k of these by now. 

On the other hand, although I have hundreds of Power Stones, 20 of these are needed in order to create 1 High Power Stone. You need dupes or 12 High Power Stones (4 per limit break) in order to fully MLB a Force weapon.

Anyway, 1 35cp only costs 25 Weapon Tokens in the shop so exchanging for 1 copy of Iroha’s 35cp didn’t even dent my stash.

After fully max limit breaking Iroha’s 35cp, turned my attention to her LD. Was able to get 2 dupes of her LD so just needed 4 more Power Stones in order to fully MLB my first copy.

Got a few more dupes of Iroha’s Ex so decided to use 2 of those to limit break my first copy. Then I just used 4 more Power Stones to fully MLB said weapon. This way, I have a few more dupes of her Ex lying around in case I need more copies of her Sphere.

After fully limit breaking Iroha’s Ex, spent the resources needed to Realize it and upgrade it to Ex+ 3/3 or Purple.

Fused the 2 copies of Iroha’s FR that I got. Now I need 8 High Power Stones in order to fully MLB said FR.

Was kinda reluctant to make use of my Power Stones and High Power Stones but what else can I do if I want to use Iroha’s FR?

A Force weapon that hasn’t been fully MLB’d really sucks and isn’t worth using at all.

I was like, I bothered to pull for Iroha’s FR and was thankfully able to get it. It’ll be a complete and utter waste of tickets if I don’t even bother to use it. Even got 2 copies so I only need 8 High Power Stones to MLB said FR.

Currently have 7 High Power Stones on hand so just needed to transform or convert 20 Power Stones for 1 more High Power Stone before I was finally able to fully MLB Iroha’s FR.

Also completed all of Iroha’s Summon Boards. Unlocked parts of her Character Enhancement Boards, particularly the tiles that would give me her LD Call and LD extension passive.

Iroha has the Force Enhancements feature but for now, have opted not to unlock this for her yet. I did buy her High Armor then spent the Book needed to Realize it to 0/3.

Started farming for Iroha’s Artifacts. It took a while but I was soon able to get her triple of her perfect Artifacts - ATK 108 with Guardian of Reisenjima Up★★ (While Sekkanoki active: Raises own MAX BRV, ATK by 5%).

Also ended up giving Iroha 1 RF D Sphere. Haven’t decided what A Spheres to equip to her though. So have left the A slots blank for now. But no matter what I decide, it’s practically a guarantee that she’s getting RF and not real Spheres.

Haven’t really had the chance to try out Iroha in battle yet but looking forward to doing so.

Conclusion

So, what about you? Did you pull on the Forcefully with Dignity (Intersecting Wills) banner? What do you think about Iroha, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, and all the other chars featured on this banner? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

[resinatingbeauty]

~•The Essentials For Your General Magick Cabinet •~ 

I create intuitively chosen mystery ensembles inspire by the occult, witchcraft, and mythology where many of my own handcrafted creations fill the box in my Etsy shop, thus, I often am asked by those new to Witchcraft or who are beginning to explore different aspects of their spiritually to include 'the essentials', or whatever it is I think would benefit someone who is just delving into the world of new age spirituality and witchery.

It doesn't matter what books you read or blogs you may follow, there always seems to be some inconsistencies here and there regarding what tools are 'essential' for a beginner. Sure, there's a lot regarding the altar and shrine set up, but what if you do not have the space to dedicate to an altar? What if you prefer to perform your craft on the fly, or find yourself leaning toward secular practices rather than devoting yourself to deity worship? 

The handful of tools and supplies I have put together here covers pretty much any ordinary practice that would take place in any spell or ritual and give you an inexpensive basis from which you may build upon as you continue learning, practicing, and exploring what ignites your spark and helps to recover your light. :) 

•White Candles or Tea Lights (And Matches or a Lighter)- One may enter any Family Dollar or Dollar Tree and find multipacks or single white candles or tea lights in abundance. Many spells call for a specific colored candle to be used that corresponds with the purpose or intentions to be expressed or manifested. This extends beyond what is known as 'candle magick' and falls into a category I personally just learned was called 'sympathetic magick'- which is a fancy word for choosing spell or ritual tools, components, and supplies that have some kind of symbolic or intrinsic association to what you desire. The act of creating the right atmosphere for manifesting your will is a type of magick unto itself that can extend well beyond an altar or shrine. Picking the corresponding moon phase, time of day and day of the week, herbs, oils, and candle colors are all forms of sympathetic magick, with candle color probably being the easiest aspect to understand and acquire. White Candles may be substituted for any colored candle that a spell or ritual may call for, as white is considered the absence of color, you may imprint upon it whatever color you desire it to be. This kills the need for a large stash of chime candles or votives of all different colors. Sure, it's nice to have the appropriate color a spell calls for and having such in your possession does help conjure the atmosphere whoever created the spell intended to conjure, but in a pinch, any white candle or tea light with something to light them with will work just as well as that pink or red candle for your love spell or whatever it may be you are attempting. 

•Clear Quartz Crystals- Clear Quartz only recently became semi-scarce due to over mining and demand, though one may still purchase Clear Quartz crystal points in bulk for around $10-15 for a 100 gram bag on Amazon and beyond, where if you prefer raw stones over tumbled and polished, you may be able to get them even cheaper. Clear Quartz is believed to be the 'Master Healer' by Reiki Masters, as it possesses many different healing properties in addition to cleansing, grounding, and aligning the chakras. In witchcraft, Clear Quartz is used in many different rituals as it is an amplifier of energy that can enhance the efficacy and success rate of spells and manifestations aside from amplifying the energy of any and all other components and crystals around it. Clear Quartz may be readily substituted for any crystal, should a crystal be called for in any sense, and its abundance in nature and online make it an essential choice for having on hand for everything from creating Charging or Moon Water, creating crystal grids, talismans, spell jars, mojo / Gris Gris bags, or simply placing in your home or on your altar to help facilitate whatever you may be attempting to conjure or manifest at any time. 

•Olive Oil- it's no joke that essential oils, especially those that are organic or completely natural and high quality are quite expensive. If one were to purchase even just the handful of essential oils commonly mentioned in most witchy books, occult texts, and herbalist grimoires, you would be looking at a good $30-$60 investment for the basics. Olive Oil, on the other hand, may not be particularly cheap at the grocery store, but when you consider the amount you get for the price compared to the .33fl oz bottles of essential oils, you are getting quite a bargain and a tool that may be substituted for any particular oil something may ask you to use, including for dressing / anointing candles and ritual tools. The ancient Greeks and Romans often used Olive Oil as an offering to the Gods, and it has long been considered a sacred nectar in many different religions. If you already have a selection of essential oils, you may use Olive Oil as a carrier oil to make them last longer by diluting them and rebottling them or to make your own essential oil blends and ritual oils. Olive Oil is naturally pure and will allow your oil blends to work with most diffusers and burners while providing a hypoallergenic carrier option should you wish to apply any to your skin. 

•Salt- So many things salt may be used for and so many reasons to keep a stash of salt around set aside for spiritual endeavours. Sea Salt in particular is a component of many spells, rituals, potions, and magickal concoctions. It is representative of the element of Earth and is associated with many simple practices you can easily integrate into your daily rituals for cleansing, banishing, and protection. Using salt for cleansing offers a no-burn, inexpensive, sensitivity friendly option for the modern witch that can be purchased on the cheap virtually anywhere that sells things.

•Sage- The next few items are more essential for the diligent witch putting together their toolbox, as one can avoid the herbal aspects of witchcraft entirely if they desire to with many more modern texts not blending the old world concepts of herbalism/ old world medicine being akin to magick. Sage is often burned for cleansing purposes, either in smudge or incense form, but it may also be substituted for any herb a spell may call for, provided you are not trying to concoct a definitive product or recipe as a result. Sage may be easily grown within your own home- I myself have a common Sage plant I grow indoors and have been reading the benefits ever since I purchased the starter from a small nursery in Kentucky, as I never seem to have any luck sprouting seeds myself. Sage may be added to spell jars and the like as easily as one would add a handful of crushed Clear Quartz for the added benefit of maintaining a cleansed vessel for manifestation. Sage incense may also be substituted the same way.

•Roses- Roses and Rose Petals have always been associated with love spells and love potions, but many do not realize that Roses have a positive energy so profound, that vibrates on so many levels, that they may be adapted to serve virtually any purpose in any spell or spiritual practice, not just spells associated with love, romance, or sexuality. 

•A Bell or Bells- Whether you wish to drop the money on an intricate antique or visit your local consignment store or dollar store and pick up some used school bells or jingle bells, the bell and bells are probably the most underrated tool a witch can utilize, like, ever. Bells have a long multicultural history of providing blessings of prosperity, protection, and good luck, with many beliefs rooted around the belief that the ringing of a bell resonates throughout the fabric of the cosmos, reverberating across space and time. Percussive instruments, as bells are, are often used for cleansing rituals and spiritual healing. It is often stated that ringing a bell 'resets' the atmosphere and energy around you, effectively banishing negativity and providing a blank slate for conjuring new energy and any other spiritual activities. Don't balk at the bells! 

If you're the creative type, you may create what are known as 'Witch's Bells,' often made from wreaths or braided twine, beaded rings, etc with three or more bells attached meant to be hung off the doorknob of the entrance to your space or they may be made as a handheld tool to be used for regular rituals. These are then blessed or enchanted in some way that depends on the practitioner and the purpose they wish them to serve. 

What about those of us that have limited storage space? Or those that may not be able to light candles or incense due to living arrangements or allergies? This is where myself and many others can step in and offer you a hand. In my own shop, I offer hand crafted and personalized / customized spell kits created for your specific needs that will provide you all the materials for any specific spell or ritual you desire. There are other sellers that offer similar options, some that are personalized and others more general, but if you are looking for something more 'disposable' to be at your disposal at any given time, this may be worth looking into. 

My own spell kits range anywhere from $12-$35 depending on what it is you request and the materials you require. As I cater to all skill levels and handicaps in terms of what one can feasibly perform or utilize in any given situation, if you do happen to have a particular spell in mind but have no idea how to proceed in your current situation,I will be more than happy to consult with you and hand select or create a spell kit with detailed instructions and tools to aid you on your spiritual journey, regardless of your destination. As I take great pleasure in assisting others in manifesting their dreams and desires, I will always work with you and put your needs above your budget. 

Just some food for thought for those of you who have been blindly purchasing items for spells or spiritual endeavours to have on hand 'just in case' and to remind everyone that magick and successful manifestation is less about the 'stuff' and very much about your intentions when using it to conjure energy and become the catalyst for change, however you proceed to do so. 

Wishing everyone a blessed weekend and throwing a friendly reminder out there that the current sale that has been ongoing in the shop will be ending soon- this will be the last until next month so please take advantage if you have had your eye on something. I will be retiring some older designs at the end of September 2021 for recreation / re imagining and to pursue new and better concepts to take other's places. These designs will go on one last farewell sale during the month for a good 25%-50% off until they are sold out. As always, I appreciate everyone's support of my Craft and crafts. It has been a pleasure to work with and get to know so many amazing people! A dream come true to do this full time!

-Samantha 

Owner, Designer, Creator, Chaos Witch & Spiritualist 20+ Years Practice

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[hamliet]

Chemical Weddings in RWBY

So once upon a time Hamliet said she’d write a meta about ships in RWBY, and then arrived months later without Starbucks. 

The central tenet of alchemy is solve et coagula: dissolve, and then coagulate. The process (RWBY appears to be following Ripley’s 12 Gates) repeats, rinses, and repeats again and again throughout the steps, “each time at a more refined level.” The point of a chemical wedding is to reconcile opposites, which is something I touched on in my pseudo-quick meta here. Lyndy Abraham, the author of A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery, describes the chemical wedding as: 

a crucial operation in the creation of the philosopher’s stone. The alchemists were ultimately concerned with the union of substances, the reconciliation of opposites.

Basically, it unites opposites (fire and water, air and earth, sun and moon, passive and active,  etc., etc., etc.) and then the opposites start to take on each other’s qualities, creating the “Rebis,” or a person both male and female. 

The first chemical wedding is usually somewhat violent, primitive even, whereas the second one signifies the creation of the stone. However, characters can have more than two weddings, and chemical weddings do not inherently have to be romantic--Sam and Frodo aren’t, for example--but most often are, because it’s the most obvious way to show a union between separate people (the old adage “two become one” in marriage, for example). 

If we look at George Ripley’s 12 Gates, chemical weddings tend to be focused on in the fourth stage of conjunction (which I wrote about here) and in the ninth, fermentation (which is probably going to be in volume 10--maybe a little in volume 9, but traveling between worlds seems to be a hallmark of sublimation in fiction so I’m guessing we’re stuck there for the time being). But in a lengthy series spanning eight years and counting, there is going to be overlap. 

So let’s talk about chemical wedding imagery historically. It tends to involve dissolution (via water or fire--keep in mind metal was associated with fire in olden days, so stabbing with metal was considered liquid fire, or so it was believed to be by alchemists) and then coagulation (healing/coming together). 

Four of the five ships--two of whom are definitely happening, one of which I think is happening and one of which I think has a good chance--reference historical alchemical artwork and symbolism in key moments. (RWBY does reference alchemical artwork; see here and here.) So let’s dive in and examine potential chemical wedding allusions in RWBY:

Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie (Renora)

Let’s start with the most obvious couple: Ren and Nora. Their first chemical wedding occurs when they are children. In alchemical art, birds are often used to show the volatility/primitiveness of a first chemical wedding:

The raven is replicated in the Nevermore which forms a similarly threatening pose over Ren and Nora when he unlocks his semblance to protect her, thus honoring his father and mother’s legacies. 

You can even see earth (trees), water (river), fire, and air (the bird flying) in the scene as it pans out. After this, Ren and Nora become “Ren and Nora,” as Nora herself says in Volume 8. They’re inseparable, because they’re on their way to becoming one. However, unification doesn’t mean that they’re literally the same person; in stories like these, it’s more like they become better versions of themselves through growing towards each other and adopting each other’s traits (like Nora’s courage for Ren, and Ren’s caution for Nora). 

Their second, elevated chemical wedding is in the same place as their first, when in Volume 4 they return to the village and defeat the monster they were too young to defeat last time. This time, Nora is the one who protects Ren by telling him he could not sacrifice his life by pulling Ren back, in a reversal of his running to her in their first moment years ago. 

Like the first, there’s water involved--Ren and Nora hide next to a river, watching as the Knuckelvee advances on them. I talked previously how I thought this looked like a possible allusion to this alchemical image (look at the moon symbol on the head of the aggressor): 

The moon symbol actually shows up quite a bit in this scene, first when Nora and Ren discover the Nuckelvee is still alive in the cave: 

And then in the moment when they defeat it: 

While I am certain this is a chemical wedding, I’m not certain why the moon symbol is so prominent in this, though I do think it is possibly in reference to this image and how Nora and Ren are united now: 

Yang Xiao Long/Blake Belladonna (Bumbleby)

Firstly, the alchemy image is somewhat of a creepy image, right? In this, Mercurius has united the two principles by beheading them (amputation is a Thing in alchemy), leaving them to putrefy and then coagulate.

Like the Nuckelvee for Nora and Ren, Blake and Yang have a somewhat antagonistic Mercurius who unites them: Adam Taurus. He doesn’t cut off their heads, but he does seriously injure Blake and cuts off Yang’s arm in a scene that is romantically charged (you have Blake’s possessive ex telling her he’ll target someone she loves and specifically chooses Yang). 

While I have my issues with how Bumbleby is written, it’s hard to interpret that as anything other than him seeing Yang as a rival for Blake’s affection.

Their second chemical wedding also involves Adam. There’s no one direct image that seems to have inspired it, but it does take place in a place full of waterfalls (fountains and flowing water in general, like the ones in Nora and Ren’s village, are common elements of chemical weddings’ settings) and by the ocean (the “mercurial sea” is where the elements dissolve to make the Philosopher’s Stone, so it’s also a common hallmark for chemical weddings).

(To briefly address this: this is where my complaints about the writing pile in, because you can also make a damn strong case that Blake and Sun fighting on the ship to Menagerie is a chemical wedding, which it is, but I think it’s clear at this point that Bumbleby is endgame. Either both were written for a reason, like if they weren’t sure if they could do Bumbleby, or a narrative reason, in which case Black Sun should have been dealt with rather than hand-waved away, or they were just teasing, but baiting fans is never, ever good writing; it’s cheap. All that to say that while I think there’s a compelling case they were interested in pursuing Bumbleby from the start, Black Sun shippers have a right to feel tricked and not all criticism thereof is based in homophobia or a lack of narrative understanding, or even in a dislike of the ship.)

At the beginning of this scene, Adam makes it clear that this is a redo of their previous chemical wedding by reminding them of it: 

Blake stabs Adam with a silver weapon; Yang with red. We have earth, air (clouds), water, and weapons as a stand-in for fire.

It’s still somewhat of a violent wedding, which makes me wonder if Bumbleby will have a third (and Renora as well). But it also parallels Renora in this: returning to a pivotal scene where they were traumatized, but this time being able to overcome it because they’ve become more like each other. Blake is in many ways Yang’s trauma stretching far beyond Beacon (Blake runs away, as does Raven, Yang’s mother who abandoned her), and likewise Yang for Blake (she’s hotheaded and holds grudges, like Adam). But Blake and Yang have been working on becoming better versions of themselves. 

At the end of this scene, they even exchange quasi-wedding vows (since Blake’s promise is to not abandon Yang): 

And the artists drive home the point by drawing Blake’s hair far bushier than normal (more like Yang’s), and Yang’s far tamer than normal (like Blake’s). 

Jaune Arc/Weiss Schnee (White Knight)

Weiss and Jaune have had one chemical wedding thus far (possibly two but not sure) and I didn’t ship them at all until I saw this scene. Like Bumbleby and Renora, they have an antagonistic Mercurius: Cinder.  

(This one I’ll be arguing a little bit about why I think it’s set up for romance as well.)

In this scene, Cinder directly compares Weiss to Pyrrha in regards to how Jaune feels about them (and we know Jaune and Pyrrha were romantic--you can also argue Cinder was an antagonistic Mercurius uniting Pyrrha and Jaune). 

When Weiss screams, Cinder gets an idea and slides her gaze from Weiss to Jaune. 

And then reenacts this: 

As I also mentioned previously, Jaune then plays the role of the Prince to Weiss’s Snow White (which is an alchemical fairy tale). Like when Ren unlocks his aura to protect Nora, Jaune unlocks his to save Weiss. Weiss looks as if she is in a glass coffin that gets more and more golden, symbolic of refinement. 

It’s also probably an allusion to this image of a chemical wedding presided over by Saturn (Mercury in this scene, since he’s there) and Death (Ruby and Qrow, who are also present in the scene with Jaune and Weiss). (For more on this image, see here.)

Weiss and Jaune also have some oppositional imagery and arcs: Weiss starts Beacon with a deep family legacy and an inherited semblance, she chooses to go to Beacon on her own and is the favored child (at first). Jaune too has a family legacy of warriors, but instead of feeling empowered because of this, he is insecure and  literally cheats his way into the school. He doesn’t have a semblance until season 5. After this incident, Weiss and Jaune spend some time recreationally together (seeing a movie in vol 7); Jaune becomes more confident as a leader, and Weiss continues her arc in becoming more sympathetic to those from less privileged backgrounds.

Arguably, what happened at the end of volume 8 could be seen as having some symbolism of a chemical wedding for Weiss and Jaune too, but I don’t think it actually is one since they weren’t focused on as characters enough (if this was intended to be the start of one, we’ll get something next season, I’d imagine). The only reason I’m mentioning it is because it does function as an inverse of the previous one, which is the case for Renora and Bumbleby’s first and second weddings too. Cinder again almost kills Weiss (she falls in the exact same position as in vol 5), but Jaune saves Weiss when he screams after killing Penny. Instead of saving Weiss by healing, he kills. There’s also some distinctive red and white imagery. 

And then Winter arrives with a six-pointed star and birds before telling them to run together:

But again, I wouldn’t really call this one; it just has some imagery of one and fits a pattern, so I’m including it as a potential lead-in to an actual one in the void or later. 

Ruby Rose/Oscar Pine (Rosegarden)

Like with Weiss/Jaune, I’ll be arguing a little bit about why I think this one is likely to end up romantic, too (for example, Cinder most recently in volume 8 used Oscar to taunt Ruby in a callback to using Pyrrha and Weiss to taunt Jaune).

Also: oh look, finally a wedding that isn’t violent. They just... meet. Which is also normal for a chemical wedding but less dramatic.

Behold, the bird uniting the solar king and lunar queen: 

(Fun fact: unless CRWBY came up with ship names which I highly, highly doubt, this is pure coincidence, but it’s a funny one: the art series this image is taken from is called Rosarium Philosophorum--which literally means “rose garden philosophy.”)

Let’s look at the scene where Ruby and Oscar meet for the first time. What makes this a chemical wedding is in part how obvious their markings are and the overall imagery is in the scene.

They are united by Qrow (who in addition to being named after a bird can literally transform into a bird):

Oscar asks about Ruby specifically (yes, I know because Qrow’s her uncle, but the writing is telling us to focus on his relationship with her): 

And immediately notes/is in awe that she has silver eyes (i.e. the moon): 

Qrow seems to realize he’s done something momentous in a way that almost doesn’t entirely work within the frame of the narrative (but he is drunk, so). 

The scenery of this room is also telling. The table is literally an Emerald Table, the legendary foundation of alchemy itself. 

Once they sit and talk, behind Oscar are the elements of earth and water, which he represents, and also the moon, which while traditionally associated with earth and water, he does not (at least not as strongly as he’s associated with the sun/gold):

Similarly, behind Ruby we have the elements of fire and air (like, if you zoom in, they actually drew air), which she is marked as, and the sun, which again, she’s not as strongly associated with as she is with the moon:

In Splendor Solis, which CRWBY has referenced before, the Solar King does eventually end up grounded in the moon, and likewise the Lunar Queen in the sun:

Oscar and Ruby also do have oppositional arcs and roles: Ruby starts the series in the very first episode by being invited to Beacon two years early because of her leaping into action to stop Torchwick. She’s scolded for her recklessness, but immediately picked out as special because of her silver eyes. In contrast, Oscar is reluctant to leave his farm once Ozpin inhabits him; he refuses at first, and then once he does leave, is nervous and timid.

Anyways I wouldn’t be surprised if Qrow arrives in Vacuo with RWBYJ in tow and this time reunites Ruby with Oscar in an inverse. We’ll see. 

I do want to say that I also see potential for Emerald Sustrai/Mercury Black, in that they often act as one and share a theme song, but I haven’t seen any actual visual references to a chemical wedding for them... yet. 

[linnoya-writes]

—Katara: a Lesson on Strong Work Ethic— Sometimes I just think about characters like Azula and Aang, who were naturally-gifted in their elements and became child prodigies, and how Toph became a prodigy with the help of blind badger-moles, embracing earthbending as an extension of herself.  Zuko wasn’t exactly gifted, but he had the Dragon of the West as his private teacher for at least 3 years, and he pushed Zuko to learn discipline and patience.  These characters had the privilege of time to practice their element, and they had excellent masters to help hone those skills to the best of their abilities. Katara? She didn’t have anyone. She was the only waterbender in the South Pole, and she was practically a secret.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Gran Gran discouraged her to waterbend due to the long history of war-violence against the Southern water benders, and perhaps the only reason she occasionally went fishing with Sokka was to sneak some practice. (Why else would she tolerate his antics more often than necessary?) 

Katara taught herself basic water moves without a clue of what she was doing, because she felt connected to that element. It was all around her with the ice and water and snow, so she had to give it a shot, right?  This must have been so awkward for her — her village may have seen her as a freak, but she didn’t care because waterbending was a part of her and she wasn’t going to ignore her ambition just because she was alone with the tools without a teacher.  

Imagine trying to teach yourself how to bake a cake, because you have a huge craving... and the ingredients and stove are right there in front of you... but no recipe. So you end up doing countless cycles of trial-and-error, measuring ingredients, mixing, heating, tasting, spitting out grossness, then measuring different ingredients, mixing them in different orders, then heating everything in different temperatures... learning more from every single attempt... until finally, things start to go somewhere... and you begin to smell the cake more and more as you go. 

That was Katara with her waterbending —and she did this for years. 

Without even understanding what she was doing, she gave herself structure and learned the value of discipline.  She didn’t care if what she did looked foolish, and she was determined to connect more with her element through self-discipline and self-discovery because nobody else was going to help her.  She did it when it was probably the most dangerous time in the world to do it, too. Her mother was killed for being mistaken as a waterbender... but if anything, this gave Katara another reason to keep practicing.  She must’ve known that if she didn’t stop waterbending, a significant part of her culture would die out.  She wanted keep her culture alive. Katara was fighting for its survival; it fueled her determination to learn waterbending.

In the entire year she travelled with Aang, she didn’t wait for teachers or scrolls to show up before giving herself a reason to practice.  She knew there was a war, she knew she needed to protect Aang, and it was her personal desire to master water-bending.  So she practiced whenever she found time to do it. 

Oh yeah— and she was also the resident “mom” of her group, playing the nurse, the therapist, the one who would cook the meals, train Aang, sew, clean. Every time the group arrived at a new place, the group had to adapt to new surroundings ... and yet, she still found the time to practice and train herself in new methods of waterbending all on her own. She was able to gather knowledge from other bending techniques that her friends had, and became perhaps the most versatile waterbender in a century of war.  

She became so good that, within less than a year of training on her own... she wasn’t just able to float blobs of water.  She was able to freeze and thaw water on command, suspend rain droplets, maneuver a water whip, create water-tentacles, create water pockets to travel underwater, create thick ship-disappearing mist, create cliff-high water chutes, create ship-capsize-able water waves, create face-reflecting ice plates, create wood/metal-cutting ice shards, heal internal wounds, and control human bodies against their will. 

Imagine how differently Katara’s skills would have developed had she been given the same luxury of time, resources and masters like everyone else. Those few weeks that she trained with Master Pakku-- excelling more than any student he’s ever had-- demonstrates how passionate and dedicated she was to becoming a master waterbender and learning from the best.  However, would she have garnered the same discipline, versatility, and appreciation to this craft... had she not had to pick things up on her own, in her own time, throughout that whole journey with the Avatar?  I believe it was because of her drive, her self-study and self-discipline with this practice that made Katara so unique of a student, and her sense of adaptation and open-mindedness made her all the more powerful.

Then, take a moment to think about how much wrong the world had thrown at her (the war-devastation, the sexism, the friend-betrayals), all the reasons Katara had to just “screw the world” because what she wanted didn’t come easily for her, and people were never fair to her.  At any point in this journey, she could’ve chosen a dark path.

Think about that, and how, in spite of her tenacity and her extraordinary self-taught abilities... Katara never lost her compassion.  She was an extremely powerful, self-made prodigy, yet she still chose to be good.  Think about how she used her gifts to help bring an end to the war and build an era of peace. She didn’t make excuses to not learn or practice just because she was alone in the South Pole without anyone supporting her of her gift. She didn’t give up because she lacked the resources to formally train herself. She didn’t complain about the little time she had to practice, due to all of her other responsibilities.

Not once did Katara consider settling for another hobby when she realized she wasn’t as naturally-talented as her other bending peers.  She kept at it.

Katara held onto her ambition. She gave herself the time, she gave herself the discipline, and (with her tribe’s dying culture, the war still happening, and the Avatar still a novice waterbender) she gave herself the reasons to work that much harder.   She made the most with whatever she had.  She learned to be resourceful, sharpened her skills and embraced new techniques... and that ultimately made her unstoppable. And...instead of turning selfish and chasing power, like Azula... Katara chose to use her skills to serve communities and inspire kindness instead of fear.

So, all of this is really to say: if you want something, stop waiting for the world to give you permission to pursue it.  Just get to work.  Give yourself the time, the tools, the structure and the discipline to practice getting better at it. Teachers can only push your potential, but they are not responsible for your drive or ambition.  Stop making excuses.  If it doesn’t come easy for you, remember why you want it so much and keep working at it.  If someone says you’re wasting your time, ignore them.  If someone says you should be wanting something else, prove them wrong.  Fight for what you want, and always be a positive inspiration. Let’s all strive to be brave, hard-working, determined, headstrong, and compassionate like our resident badass, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.

[nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice]

What would an Azula redemption arc look like?

First things first: I hear this thing a lot about how “Azula deserved a redemption arc” and while I don't think Azula was irredeemable, that’s not to say that she should have been redeemed nor was she in the right place to be redeemed during the series. Post-series, I think Azula could have gotten better, but I don’t think “redemption arc” is the right phrase for it. 

Second, I hear a lot about how Zuko should have been the one to go on a “life-changing field” trip for her redemption arc and I don’t think it’s that simple, nor do I think Zuko would be the right person to help her become a better person. The fact of the matter is that even though they are siblings, they spent a good part of the series trying to kill each other. Azula shot lightning at Zuko in the first episode of season 2, they both almost killed each other in The Boiling Rock and The Southern Raiders, and Azula tried to kill Katara during their Agni Kai. They are siblings and I do think they care about each other deep down, but the fact of the matter is that their relationship was hostile and damaged. Repeated murder attempts aren’t a thing either of them is going to get over quickly and they aren’t the type of thing that’s going to make it possible for Zuko of all people to be the one to help Azula heal. There’s also the fact that he’s a teenage boy dealing with his own damage from his abuse and just because they had the same abuser doesn’t mean he’s going to be the right person to help her heal. 

An Azula redemption arc would in no way be the same as a Zuko redemption arc, but let’s first examine why his redemption arc worked in the first place: 

I’ve written more about Zuko’s redemption arc and why it works here. But in terms of him making amends, the big reason why his redemption arc worked was because it stemmed from him choosing Iroh over Ozai. It was his recognition that the unconditional love and support Iroh had shown him was right and the cruelty and conditional acceptance Ozai had shown him was wrong. And further, it was his realization that he was right all along in terms of being compassionate and his father was wrong when it came to the war. He recognized that all the war was needless suffering because he had seen the real human cost in season 2. And through that journey, he saw that the people of the Earth Kingdom didn't deserve the destruction the Fire Nation was bringing on them and realized they had been wrong the whole time. And his betrayal of Iroh was the catalyst for his redemption arc because Iroh realized that already and spent season 2 trying to get Zuko to embrace compassion and peace. He spends a lot of time after he joins the gaang wondering “what would Uncle do?” and tries his hardest to do the things that will make his Uncle proud. Even though Iroh showed him unconditional love upon their reunion, Zuko still put the work in to do right by Iroh in order to make up for his betrayal.

“He’s the one who’s been a real father to me.... It was cruel and it was wrong!” 

Another thing that needs to be made clear: Zuko’s redemption arc worked because he spent time making amends with the people he hurt, but not just because he wanted to make amends, but because he genuinely related to and wanted to help them with their struggles. He was able to make amends with Aang, Sokka, and Katara by relating to their dilemmas and doing everything in his power to help them through their own emotional struggles he also struggled with. He helped Aang overcome a fear of firebending because he too struggled with finding a way to see his element beyond destruction and harm. He helped Sokka “regain his honor” by helping him at the Boiling Rock because he knew what it was like to fail at something and have a person he cared about bear the consequences of his actions (Sokka with Hakoda and Zuko with Iroh). And he helped Katara find the person who killed her mother because he understood what it was to have the Fire Nation take away his mother. Zuko understood their pain in these specific cases and leaned his hand not only to show them that he had changed, but because he had changed. It was because he genuinely understood and wanted them to overcome their problems. He wanted Aang to find his inner fire, he wanted Sokka to regain his honor, and he wanted Katara to be able to find closure because those were all things he wanted for himself. His acceptance into the gaang wasn’t ‘do X thing and then that made up for how he hurt them’ or ‘said he had changed and felt bad and that was enough’-- it was the combination of his genuine remorse, his ability to relate to them, and the actions that stemmed from that. 

“You can do it, you’re a talented kid.” 

“You need to regain your honor? Believe me I get it.” 

“I know who killed your mother and I’m going to help you find him.” 

So the main takeaway: Zuko had the capacity to be good all along but needed the right influence and before he made amends with the people he hurt. He needed to heal a little bit himself, confront the fact that he was hurt too, and change on his own before confronting the gaang. 

So for Azula to have a redemption arc, she would need to do the same. She would need to address the people she had hurt and Zuko was one of the people she hurt the most. That’s why Zuko wouldn’t be the person to guide her on the path to redemption. She’s the one that needs to do the work to make amends with him (this isn’t to say that Zuko hadn’t hurt her in fights before, but she was the instigator of most of their fighting). But before she’s able to do that she would need to do some work on herself. 

The thing that’s going to make it difficult for Azula to get ‘redeemed’ is that Zuko had a war to change sides on. There was a tangible conflict for him to help the ‘right’ side with. Post-war Azula doesn’t have that. She doesn’t have a Firelord to help Aang defeat or a war to help end. 

But another thing that’s going to make it hard for her is that her actions were objectively more harmful than Zuko’s were. Zuko spent season 1 trying to capture Aang, but there were multiple instances where he chose to put others before his search: he chose not to leave the Southern Water Tribe alone, when Iroh was captured he chose to save him from the earthbenders rather than go after Aang, and during the Storm he chose to keep his ship safe rather than go after Aang. He never intended to hurt Aang, even though his actions were harmful. The worst things Zuko did were as follows: burning Kyoshi village, capturing Aang in the North Pole, betraying Iroh in Ba Sing Se, and sending the assassin after Aang. But in all these cases, there was either someone else with worse intentions or he did tangible things to make up for them or the actual consequences weren’t that bad in the end. Kyoshi village was fine, Aang escaped his capture, he committed treason for Iroh, and he risked his life to stop Combustion Man. 

So what exactly does Azula need to redeem herself from?

1. Repeatedly trying to kill Zuko 

2. Almost killing Aang in Ba Sing Se 

3. Sending Mai and Ty Lee to prison 

4. Conquering Ba Sing Se/wrecking havoc on the Earth Kingdom in general 

5. Hitting Iroh with fire (The Chase) and sending him to prison 

But again, she doesn’t have the outlet of war to tangibly show that she’s changed sides. And for most of these actions, it’s other people that dealt with the consequences. Katara healed Aang and Zuko after Azula shot them. Zuko helped Iroh after Azula shot him and Iroh busted himself out of prison. Mai and Ty Lee were released without her help. The Order of the White Lotus freed Ba Sing Se. She doesn’t have a clear way to make amends for the damage she caused. 

So she’s not going to be able to make personal amends with the gaang. Mostly because there’s no reason for her to do so. Zuko was able to because they needed a firebending teacher for Aang and their goals were aligned. Azula doesn’t have that. That’s one of those things that’s just not going to happen because neither party has a reason to want to make amends.

I don’t think she’s going to be able to reconcile with Mai and Ty Lee after what she did to them. She was going to hurt the people they cared about and at the first instance of disloyalty, their childhood friend threw them in prison. At the Boiling Rock, Mai betrayed her because she was going to kill Zuko and Ty Lee betrayed her because she was going to hurt Mai. Neither one put Azula in danger, but she still tossed them aside when all they wanted to do was keep the people they loved safe. They move on from her after the series and find new people to surround themselves with. They were entirely justified in deciding to cut Azula out of their lives after how she treated them. 

And in terms of Zuko, again, they spent a good part of the series trying to kill each other and I’ve written about the complexity of their relationship and Azula in general here, here, here, and here. But the point is that they spent most of their lives pitted against each other by Ozai and they have some serious resentment and hostility towards each other. This isn’t their fault, but it’s undeniable and that hostility is something that’s going to make it impossible for Zuko to be the right person to help Azula heal. He shouldn’t have to if we’re being honest because of how outwardly violent she was to him. But more on that later. 

So because of these things, I think Azula’s redemption arc would have to parallel Iroh’s. 

It’s talked about a little bit, but Iroh was at one point militaristic and destructive. When he was kidnapped in season 1, the earthbenders called him a war criminal. In the flashback of Zuko Alone, we saw him laugh about “burning [Ba Sing Se] to the ground”. In between Ozai’s coronation and Zuko’s banishment, Iroh let go of his need for military victory and learned to focus on spirituality and peace. This is when he joins the White Lotus and starts to see the faults in Fire Nation propaganda, especially after he lost his son in the process. But what I think is important to remember about Iroh is that he faced the dragons long before his son died. In The Firebending Masters, Zuko says that Iroh allegedly killed the last dragon “long before [he] was born” and they deemed him worthy anyway, despite the fact that he still went on to use his bending abilities to conquer the Earth Kingdom. This means that the dragons were able to see deep inside of him and that gave him a greater appreciation for firebending not as a weapon, but as an extension of the self. So if Iroh had that chance when he was younger, before he decided to live peacefully and help others, Azula might have that chance too. 

And Azula is a prodigy at firebending, but the reason Zuko and Iroh are better than she is is that they recognize firebending as energy and life. They use it to keep them warm and they incorporate other bending techniques into it. We only see Azula use firebending as a weapon, never as a tool. She considers firebending something she has to conquer rather than something that’s a part of her. And she thinks this way because that’s what she was taught her whole life, but like Zuko, she needs to understand her element beyond its ability for destruction in order to accept that she herself has the capacity to be something more than a destructor. Azula determined her self worth and the worth of others by their strength and abilities. In order for her to move past this mentality, she would need to go to the dragons. 

And this might be the place where Iroh can step in for her. I’ve written about the dynamic of Azula and Iroh’s relationship (or lackthereof) here. But during the series, Iroh’s priority was to protect Zuko and Azula just happened to be one of the people he had to protect Zuko from (see The Avatar State, The Chase, and The Guru.) If Azula were to face the dragons, she might want to kill them in order to prove herself as worthy since that was the mentality of the Fire Nation, but if Iroh were to connect with Azula in any way it would be though firebending. It would be in guiding her to the dragons and showing her the true meaning of the element. 

Second, and again like Zuko, she would need to recognize how she was hurt by her parents. There’s that scene in The Beach where she mentions how she was hurt by how her mother treated her, but doesn’t actually talk about it. It would be beneficial for her to verbalize how her self image was warped by how Ursa viewed her. Azula seems to realize that how Ursa favored Zuko over her wasn’t right, but she doesn’t understand that the way Ozai treated her was wrong either. She relished the praise her father granted her and didn’t recognize how he used her for her abilities and didn’t value her as his daughter. So a big part of her learning to become better would be recognizing that the way Ozai treated her was wrong and that she has value beyond her ability to carry out his orders. Azula needed to have her own “it was cruel and it was wrong” moment now that Ozai’s in prison and she’s not beholden to him. And it would take her time to come to that conclusion, but she could get there eventually. Through all of this, Azula really just needs her mental health addresses over anything else. 

And for her to truly be “redeemed” (for lack of a better word) she would need to do two things: she would need to prove to Zuko that she was remorseful for how she hurt him and she would need to prove to the world that she wasn’t seeking destruction anymore. Let’s parallel to Iroh’s redemption arc again. Iroh changed in small ways by helping those around him, mainly Zuko, but his redemption from his years as a general for the Fire Nation and his actions in that regard came in his freeing of Ba Sing Se in the finale. That was his moment of redemption. Azula, being the conquerer of Ba Sing Se, would need to have a moment where she proves to the world that she’s going to work for the greater good over personal glory or her father’s orders. There would need to be an opportunity for her to use her abilities to save people, most likely from Ozai’s supporters. 

And in order for her to reconcile with Zuko, she would first need to be genuinely remorseful for how she hurt him and would need to recognize how Ozai hurt him. For most of the series she relishes in his suffering and if she’s going to truly be redeemed, she would need to first, be genuinely remorseful for how her brother was hurt and second, take steps to show him how she doesn’t want to hurt him anymore. In the finale, we see just how fractured their relationship is as she shoots him with lightning and Katara heals him. In season 3, Zuko learns to heal by letting go of the family that hurt him and finds a family that’s going to look out for him and protect him. If Azula is going to prove to Zuko that she’s changed, she would need to act as his protector. Maybe from an assassin or something along those lines, but she would need to put all her efforts into showing him how she’s changed, similar to how he risked his life in stopping Combustion Man to prove to the gaang how he changed. 

And it’s very possible that they’ll never have a good relationship, but if what we’re looking for is an ‘Azula redemption arc,’ that’s what needs to happen. And Zuko isn’t required to forgive her or have her in his life. The fact of the matter is that Azula hurt him and the people he cared about repeatedly. And just because they were hurt by the same person doesn’t mean she didn’t hurt him too. They very well may never have a ‘good’ relationship, but that doesn’t mean Azula wouldn’t be able to get better on her own. 

I think if anything, Azula might be able to immerse herself in firebending. That’s something she understands and that she’s good at. But in order for her to find peace within herself, to move past the mentality Ozai and Ursa instilled in her, and to become a better person, she would need to follow a spiritual path. She would need to go the route of Iroh. Azula doesn’t need to be any kind of military leader or fighter. What she needed was to recognize herself as something other than a weapon, because as long as she valued herself for her combat and military abilities, she was going to seek destruction. In order for her to heal, she needs to recognize that her ability as a prodigy doesn’t mean she was meant for power or destruction, but rather it’s a gift. Azula is an incredible bender, but she didn’t appreciate herself or the true meaning of the element. And if she’s going to move beyond ruthlessness and callousness, she needs to learn the beauty in her element. 

In conclusion, an Azula “redemption arc” is easier said than done. Azula’s motivations are sympathetic and it’s obvious that she’s a victim of abuse and manipulation, but she did hurt people in major ways. She hurt people in ways she wasn’t able to make up for and that’s why if she were to become better, she would need to learn to let go of this image of herself as a force for destruction and recognize the beauty of firebending. She might never fully reconcile with Zuko and it’s improbable that she would develop meaningful relationships with Mai and Ty Lee, but the fact of the matter was that Azula was 14 and her actions stemmed from her abuse. Her path to becoming a better person wouldn’t focus on the people she hurt, because they had moved on and cut her from their lives, but rather it would focus on her individual path to growing past the propaganda of her nation and the emotional abuse under her parents. 

Azula’s “redemption arc” would not be rooted in interpersonal relationships, but rather would entirely focus on interpersonal growth. 

[old-hyper-super-clover]

Obey me! x Avatar the last airbeder/ Avatar the legend of Korra

I thought about what elements the Obey me characters would be able to bend in the universe of ATLA/ ATLOK, so here´s a list of their elements, sub elements and their preferred fighting style!

If you don´t know the show, here´s a short list of the elements (although I highly recommend watching the series they´re amazing)

Fire bending (can be trained into lightning- & combustion-bending)

Water bending (can be trained into ice-, steam-, plant- and blood-bending)

Air bending (can be trained to fly or project your spirit)

Earth bending (can be trained into metal- or lava-bending and for seismic sense)

Have fun reading and let me know what you think!!

Lucifer

Element: Fire (white-blue flames)

Sub element: Lightning

Fighting style: mainly fighting with lightning, it's more elegant and deadly, and those words are basically the definition of papa Luci. Legends say that once when Lucifer was angered enough, he casted a whole storm to let lightning go down on the whole land.

His white-blue fire is known to be the hottest type of flames, with Lucifer being able to keep their heat on this level for as long as the flames are burning.

"Fire as well as lightning shall be treated with care and used with dignity. Also, if you keep your cool in battle, you can watch as your enemy gets toasted by your attacks, and I personally very much enjoy this satisfaction."

Mammon

Element: Air

Sub element: mild form of flight

Fighting style: "Korra style", basically the more modern way to airbend as shown in the legend of Korra: specifically more forward and for combat (attacking and approaching enemies), for dragging enemies through the air as Mammon pleases.

Although flight is an extremely rare and spiritual ability, somehow the goof Mammon is able to fly short distances without a glider or other tools.

"Livin' like a true air nomad? Nah, that ain't like me. How am I able to fly, then? Well, I'm THE great Mammon after all!"

Levi

Element: Water

Sub element: Ice, steam

Fighting style: prefers to attack with waves of pure water, but when his envy kicks in, he might switch to freezing it (when self-loathing) or boiling it (when angered in envy).

As he loves being engulfed in water, he has perfected moving and diving in the ocean.

"I like being in the ocean... The water wraps around you like a tight but soft hug... A-ah, n-nothing, I would never say anything cheesy like this...!!"

Satan

Element: Fire

Sub element: Combustion

Fighting style: much like his anger can occur in explosive rushes, so does his element as combustion bending shoots a beam of explosive energy at whoever Satan wants to see dead. The explosions become larger the angrier he is, but also harder to control.

Yes, he has this fancy third eye tattoo where he shoots the explosions out of, period.

Technically very skilled in bending fire but dislikes using it (as it reminds him of Lucifer)

"What are you staring at? Do I look this strange to you? Well, if it's that irritating to be near me, I could blast you into pieces."

Asmo

Element: Water

Sub element: Plant bending

Fighting style: not really into fighting, but if he does he uses vines with thorns to whip his enemies asses (preferably in the literal sense hehe). He keeps the vines entagled around his body to always have some with him, and let's them bloom to make it/ himself more beautiful.

Is actually better at bending plants than regular water, even though the pure element should be the easiest to bend.

"Water inside plants is sweeter, which is just like me!", is his explanation for this.

Beel

Element: Earth

Sub element: Seismic sense

Fighting style: Due to his physique he is able to bend massive amounts of stone at once, yeeting those at his enemies. His powers decrease the hungrier he is, but peak once he enters his hungered rage. God help the mountains around him if that happens, they might be pulled of the ground if they are in the way between Beel and his food.

As he is rather calm and dislikes initiating fights, he learned to listen to the earth, his seismic sense helping him detect objects connected to the ground through vibrations.

"If you stay calm and feel your surroundings, you'll find yourself with many advantages in life... For me, it's the ability to detect the nearest food, hehe..."

Belphie

Element: Earth

Sub element: Sand

Fighting style: likes the fast attacks that are possible when bending sand, it's lighter and better to form than solid ground.

Probably his favourite move is to swirl the sand up to disturb his opponents vision while he himself isn't hindered by it at all. If no sand around, he prefers to use smaller rocks and uses them as projectiles.

"Direct combat is too tiring... I'd rather annoy my enemies until they are sick of fighting me. Everyone hates sand in their eyes, right?"

Diavolo

Element: Earth

Sub element: Lava

Fighting style: In my personal AU that is currently forming in my head, Diavolo is the earth prince and thus rarely gets to fight, but oh boy can he beat you up if he wants to. For his size, he is surprisingly agile as he utilizes his earth bending to move. His attacks are mostly through lava bending, a technique which he came up with himself after thinking about how water benders can change their element's state of aggregation. With lava, he keeps his enemies where he wants them to be, to then bombard his enemies with lava projectiles.

"Don't be shy, come a little closer! I might be a prince, but there is no need to be afraid... If I wanted to battle you, you would have already found yourself in a pit of lava!"

Barbatos

Element: Earth

Sub element: Metal, truth seer

Fighting style: This sly mf keeps shreds of metal on his body at any time to be able to shoot them at enemies (kind of like Mai with her knifes). Not an aggressive fighter, rather he waits for the opponent's move, analysing them to then attack with whatever metal is around, or through earth bending, if more effective.

His truth seeing is a form of seismic sense that specialises in sensing another's breathing and heart rate, making him the perfect guard for the earth prince Diavolo.

"I seem to sense an increase in your heart rate... Are you lying or simply thrilled to see me, hm~?"

Simeon

Element: Water

Sub element: healing, spirit bending

Fighting style: Simeon barely ever has to fight, his role in the tribe is a spiritual, not a warrior one. He has magnificent healing skills and is highly spiritual, so fighting is just not his cup of tea. All techniques he is able to do are traditional figures that are passed over generations in the water tribes.

He uses the techniques for 'dances' rather than combat, when pacifying evil spirits or to communicate with and befriend good ones.

Sub element: mild form of spiritual projection

Is able to travel to the spirit world, helps keeping the balance between the human and spirit world.

"Bending is so much more than a weapon to hurt your enemies. Come, I will show you my favourite spiritual place and tell you about the beauty of elements and spirits."

Luke

Element: Air

Fighting style: "Aang style", defensive and keeping his distance. Dodging until finding a weak point, however if you annoy litte Luke, he might switch to a more direct fighting style. With this reckless fighting style, Luke likes to disturb his opponents balance, his satisfaction big when he, a tiny boy, can blow grown-ups off their feet.

Solomon

He loves spirits, so he had always given it his all to get into the spirit world, successfully. Now, he is working on a technique to move his soul unbound by his body. Up to now he can drastically increase his sense (see and hear) through sensing through the wind around him, but he couldn't give his spirit an intangible form yet.

"If you can exist outside your body in the spirit world, it has to be possible here, too! Watch me, I will figure out how to do it one day!!"

Element: Water

Sub element: blood

"You know, technically, air nomads could bend the air carried by your blood cells... Earth benders the minerals and ions in your blood... So basically, blood bending is a really... Huh? What do you mean you're scared of me? I'm harmless, I swear~"

Fighting style: Don't worry, I know blood bending is always treated as the worst thing ever, but Solomon rarely ever relies on his blood bending skill for combat, even though he is able to use it outside of full moon nights, too. He knows a lot about the human body, so he can actually use those skills to heal and help people! (Or well, potentially, he could cause all your blood vessels to burst, but... That is only an option... Maybe... Mostly...)

He is talented with water and ice enough to fight bending those, will use those in the most annoying ways he can.

Bonus: My two MCs Violet and Clover

Element: none

Clover

Weapon: Bow and arrows

Fighting style: Clover tought herself how to use the bow in her free time in case she ever needs to defend herself. Other than that, she wasn't born with any bending abilities, but is, just like Simeon, very spiritually talented and helps him with his work. Wishes to be able to travel to the spirit world one day.

She can hear and see spirits that have escaped into the human world and has made it her task to ensure they return to their home safely.

"H-huh? Ah, don't mind me, I'm not special at all... But wouldn't you like to meet my ghost friends? They have so many fascinating stories to tell."

Violet

Element (learned): fire (mastered), earth (only a little)

Element (yet to learn/ master): water, air, earth

Fighting style: Avatar alerrrt. Yes, this amazing lady would be the avatar of this generation. Born in the fire nation, she has mastered bending fire at young age. Given the right ground (e.g. volcanic stone), Violet has a unique technique of colouring her flames as the bends tiniest fragments of metals and minerals along with the flames. For that she lets the fire touch the ground and burns the metals in her motion. The minerals cause the different flame colorations and showed that she is indeed the avatar. Has yet to learn bending the three other elements.

Lucifer was her teacher for mastering fire bending, and she was taught to fight with a sword, too.

"I may be capable of bending every element, but I still have a long way to go. My homeland has taught me the arts of fire and the sword, but now it is time for me to learn the arts of the rest of the world."

---------------------------------------

Thank you so much for reading!! If you´d like to hear more about this concept I can come up with backstories for each character! Just let me know if you´d be interested~

[imreallyhereforkataang]

I'm unsure about how's the best way to articulate this, but I'm kind of surprised there's not more fan content highlighting the otherworldly aspects of Kataang, and a part of me wishes we could see a bit more of that.

I'd expect that most if not all fandoms frequently have an affinity for glamorizing aesthetics of characters and ships, and content creators who I know often look for ways to convey that sort of thing. I've also witnessed lots of people on this site claim that they first became attracted to a ship for its aesthetic because they saw embellishing artwork that didn't really highlight much about the characters' personalities, but was still gorgeous and impressive to look at.

And yeah, it makes sense that content creators and consumers in fandom engage with works that make epic an idea that may be primarily based off the “what” of the characters, or the situations they find themselves in, rather than the finer details of the “who.” The resulting creation is similar to what happens when the personal elements of a legend get lost over time, while the sensational aspects continue to be retold and glorified. That sort of thing makes for extremely intriguing depictions of the original source material, even if it’s at the expense of some of the subject’s humanity. Though, even when that depiction becomes so far removed from the original that it's totally unrecognizable, I do think it's often still fascinating and creative, and maybe should be its own celebrated thing altogether.

It's just surprising to me, and kind of disappointing if I'm honest, that, based on the relative lack of fan content doing this, many people seem to either not recognize or not act upon how Kataang has that exact aesthetic potential.

If you were to keep the basics of their story intact but tell it through a different lens or genre, maybe dramatize it a bit, it would be so easy to emphasize how Kataang is literally like a demigod and a mortal falling in love. That on its own to me sounds like the premise for the epic love story fandom culture would traditionally find appealing. And it's really not much of a stretch -- that is one legitimate way to look at the pairing if you broke it down to its objective pieces, even if it's not the most focused-on part of their relationship in the original material (though it certainly is alluded to). The source material is much more detailed and personal, like watching a show where Oma and Shu are the main characters versus hearing the major beats of their legend.

For Kataang, we can definitely take it further with drawing out their major beats. The mortal comes into her own and is shown to be a force of comparable measure to the demigod, as she is his self-appointed protectress. She releases him from dormancy, bringing him back into the world to fulfill his grand destiny, and on their quest, she would become his teacher, both in training and in reacquainting himself with the new era. At one point she would even revive him and his line of divinity after watching him be struck down and killed. This mortal is his first devotee, and his personal connection with her makes her his attachment to the world and, in extension, the mortals he protects.

Meanwhile, the demigod is the personification of the mortal's faith, a vessel of the compassion she feels so deeply for others. He takes her places, literally and metaphorically, she never could have gone before, teaching her in turn about lost practices and new perspectives. He can legitimately bring her to the skies with a unique ability that no one else in the entire world possesses -- an ability that also defines much of what he stands for and what her world has been missing in his absence.

Not to mention how the mortal was one of the only people who believed this demigod would resurface, and the only person by his side from the start of meeting him in their warring environment. The two were born nearly 100 years apart, yet their connection and love is shown to transcend both time and space. Their elements and roles to the world and to each other can be represented by synergistic air and water, which are associated in canon with freedom/peace and change/virtue, respectively. And if one were going to dramatize Kataang's relationship and what it stands for, their exchange could reasonably be depicted as the bridge between the heavens and the earth (moon and ocean).  

Like, truly, their story is so mythical. The pieces are there. Think about how their theme is called "The Avatar's Love" and segments of that theme are reused for LoK, pointing to Aang's reincarnation cycle and how the love he feels transcends so many lifetimes, but he chooses Katara in this particular one. Think about what Yangchen says to Aang about the reason the Avatar is born a human and not a spirit, that the Avatar must live amongst humans and experience human emotions to recognize how precious the life is that the universe entrusts him with protecting. Think about Aang's chakras in The Guru, and not just the Love and Thought Chakras but nearly all of them, and how truly tied Katara is with his energy, his spirit. That can't be faked -- that's real, genuine influence, her touching his life in ways that highlight his humanity. Think about how Aang has a real-time vision of Katara without even intending to, and the only other being we see Aang do something similar (but intentionally) with is Appa, to whom Pathik says, "You and the Avatar's energies are mixed. You have an unbreakable bond."  

Think about the Pietà pose in The Crossroads of Destiny and all that symbolizes about Aang and Katara (honestly that alone should be enough because it speaks volumes), including their world savior/first believer dynamic. How Katara brings Aang back to life and says, "I don't know what I did exactly," thus giving fuel to the idea that saving him didn't just constitute normal healing on her end. Think about the visual parallel between her resurrecting him and her releasing him from stasis in the first episode. Think about Katara's extended opening narration in the pilot and how it evolves to when she meets Aang, with just as much trust in an idea as in what ends up being the real thing.  

Think about their relationship when Aang goes into the Avatar State, embodying his most divine form. How Katara is able to speak with and approach him, and how he can hear her and respond to her while in that state, honing all his past lives. Think about when Aang deals the heavy attack at Fong's base that would continue to haunt Aang for so long afterwards, which showcases how out of control he is here, yet his blow from all Avatars completely and deliberately avoids Katara while targeting everyone remotely near her. Think about how Katara is so unafraid of a raging demigod, even when the person underneath hasn't been acting like himself lately, that she doesn't flinch at the output of his anger and just goes to him as everyone else runs. Think about that visual where she grabs onto his arms and pulls him from the air that only he can bend to the ground she's tied to and into her arms. Think about how she always tries to catch him when he falls, because she is adamant about being his cushion to the earth.

Think about how Aang is the reason Katara gets to touch the heavens. Think about how he takes her on an epic journey across the world so she can learn waterbending and make the difference she's always wanted. How being with him, the one person with a divinely granted duty to the world and who will always choose her, puts her right on the foreground for making that difference. Think about how they can still waterbend together even if Katara can't airbend -- no one can besides Aang. Think about their push and pull of the water and how it highlights their equal footing, and that although, as the demigod he is, Aang can master all the elements, Katara is the mortal who teaches him mastery in the one they share between them.

I don't know, to me it's all so cool and awe-inspiring. Obviously the most important part of Kataang's relationship is how their personalities play off each other and how they treat each other, but in terms of this kind of grander depiction, I think of it more like Oma and Shu. We don’t know the details of how Oma and Shu acted towards each other, yet we hear the story about the power of their love and take inspiration from it.

So yes, I unfortunately don’t see this pronounced demigod/mortal iteration of Kataang very often in fan works, but it makes for a pretty dang fascinating legend to contemplate anyhow.

[thefairyletters]

Could you answer this question? I went through a bunch of Sakura fics, many recommended by yourself (many good ones, thanks for your excellent taste!) but I also explored on my own, which is how this question spurred. I was wondering why so many ppl want Sakura to have wood release? &, because it's been a while so my memory's foggy, wasnt wood release sort of a bloodline thing? They had to infuse Hashirama's cells w/ Yamato for him to use it. It seems a little...I guess radical to give it to her? I LOVE Sakura, which is exactly why it kind of throws me off. I think she's already strong as is, & I think being able to utilize genjutsu & slug sage mode are logical expansions of her abilities, so wood release seems very...Idk how to put it but it seems like erasing Sakura. I'm discovering that I truly really dont think I like BAMF Sakura fics a lot bc it just doesnt read AS Sakura. It's like the author's are ashamed of her. Also I dislike when they use Strong!Sakura as a tag on ao3 bc she IS strong that HASNT changed & there's a canonical version of BAMF!Sakura in everything before the Pein arc. Everything after the Pein arc turned the entire series in a bad fanfiction for everyone in itself.

Thank you, I'm happy to know you enjoyed my recs!

That's a good question.

This is what I think makes Sakura badass ➡ here

I love Sakura the way she is, as well. Her development, however, is lacking not in terms of her personality but her skillset. She has impressive chakra control, monstrous strength and is one of the two frontline medics and one of the best healers in the world. She has impressive feats under her belt as well, two of the most remarkable include her byakugo seal and her fight with Sasori alongside Chiyo. But it pales in comparison to her teammates, including Sai and Kakashi. I don't mind that too, because her journey is different than others, excluding Lee and possibly Tenten. She isn't seen much involved in fights, her attacks are repetitive in the show, she isn't bestowed many techniques under her belt and her best moments are in games and novels. It is not her character's fault but Kishimoto who just doesn't use her strength and intelligence which he (and other characters) have mentioned she has.

She is genjutsu type – but has she ever performed one, or even gotten out of one easily? Whats the use of such information if Kishimoto doesn't use it?

She has near perfect chakra control – she should be easily able to perform many techniques and practice different elements, especially water, but earth style and cloning is what we mostly ever see her use.

She has good foundation in Taijutsu – and that should increase her stamina and therefore her chakra coils, and that in turn will ensure she is able to use many techniques.

Her medical and research skills are only next to Tsunade – and we wish to see her revolutionize the medical field which she has but in Borutoverse. That is time skip. That doesn't really relive you much.

She has resistance to mind jutsus, thanks to her inner personality – and theoretically she should be able to even evade strong genjutsus like she did Ino's clan technique (something never been done before) but Kishimoto only used that incredible ability once. ONCE.

She has massive chakra storage and exceptional chakra control and sensitivity – she should be able to master Senjutsu, a field which is all about chakra. Anything that has to do with chakra control is Sakura's playground.

She is more or less an unofficial poison expert – but we didn't see her playing with poison expertly (a poison that even Suna's poison experts failed to break) after Gaara's retrieval arc.

She is the smart and responsible one of team 7 – but Kishi often makes her look both stupid and selfish. We don't see her use her intelligence much. I hate that more than her lacking in the expansion of the skills.

She trained under a political leader – that itself makes her and Shizune great administrators and governors. So, out of everyone, Sakura is the one of the best Hokage material. Hokage is said to be the strongest fighter of the village but that requirement failed us when Tsunade became the fifth Hokage.

She has yin seal – the strongest seals one can make, in their own body no less. It also shows her expert control of her chakra. She can summon one of the big 3 summons. Sealing is more or less code that requires high intelligence and great chakra control that can be fused into the ink. As far as I can tell, she is one of the best candidates to learn Fuinjutsu.

With all these possibilities of her growth – because it is not something we make up but something Kishi has implied she has but never explored – how can one not exploit it? It doesn't mean one doesn't love Sakura for who she is but that its because they love her that they want to give her what she has the right to. She doesn't have to be expert at something to be powerful, just her putting her skills to best use is admirable as it is. I love Sakura for who she is and who she could be.

Now, onto the question as to why people seem to favour giving Sakura wood release, this are the following reasons that I think could be it:

Does it have to be bloodline limit?

Kishimoto gave Hashirama a unique bloodline limit that apparently cannot be inherited by any other Senju. That defeats the purpose of bloodline limit. What makes Senju clan so different? Without Hashirama in the picture, you cannot distinctly identify a Senju clan member aside from their strong chakras. Tobirama is identified for his water techniques. Tsunade has perfect control of her chakra that allowed her to exhibit monstrous strength and incredible healing abilities. How come wood release is a bloodline limit but is not passed down the line?

It is complicated because Tsunade is also renowned for her perfect chakra control just like Hashirama. So, some stories make Sakura a secret Senju clan member because of her uncanny resemblance to Tsunade and Senju clan in general. Pink hair can be a diluted version of Red (Mito) and her chakra control originating directly from Hashirama's lineage.

I personally don't like this because I love Sakura being a civilian child.

It's not a bloodline limit:

So, assuming wood release is not a bloodlimit but a very hard technique requiring precise chakra control and mastery of dual elements Earth and Water, then it is possible for Sakura to practice same technique because of her prodigious chakra control. By that logic, we can also assume that Tenzo inherited Hashirama's unique chakra control to use wood release. Because Orochimaru could have used Tsunade's DNA too if it was only about clan blood. So that rules out bloodline limit.

I love the idea of Sakura practising wood release because it is possible for her to do so. So if an author gives Sakura wood release that she hones with practice and control (ref. fanfic: Labyrinthine) instead of having been gifted with it, I'm digging it.

Nature chooses the wood user:

Naruto universe has many references to spiritual entities such as gods/goddesses, reincarnation and celestial bodies. It is conceivable to make nature an ethereal entity that has its own will. Sakura looks like the embodiment of spring with her petal hair and green eyes, and Hashirama can be compared to wood with his warm personality and appearance, these attributes can make them look distinctly attractive to nature. No other characters remind me strongly of nature than these two so I suppose they can be uniquely selected to be blessed this ability. Tenzo's abilities is the result of human experiment by Orochimaru who always cheats on nature so he is an exception.

I only like this because I like the idea of Sakura being Nature's child.

Most stories that I love don't give her a special edge and only give her more techniques under her arsenal. It is very rarely that I love an OCC Sakura who has a bloodline, a clan or godlike abilities.

After Pein's arc, Naruto turned into a joke. Everyone in team 7 (barring Sakura, Sai and Yamato) and long list of antagonists seemed to get power ups left and right. Sakura got hers in the last moment as a last ditch effort to reunite team 7 as one, a moment that felt so hasty that I couldn't take the show seriously at all. I was so disappointed with the whole war arc. I cringe just thinking about it. I sometimes think if it would have been better for everyone to just die with happily ever after in their mind. That would be tragic but a fitting end because Madara became too OP and Kaguya ridiculously so.

The reason people add 'Strong', 'BAMF', 'Smart' prefixes before Sakura is the reason why people add extra qualities to Sakura's character. They are not satisfied with how Sakura handles herself in fights and many base her fights with the one she had with Sasori. After that, did you see her actively participating in any major fight, barring her attempts to make a score on sidelines? Usually, these fanfictions also justify why she is Tsunade 2.0, something the Naruto failed to show.

By the way, many stories have BAMF tag for Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke as well. Are they not already strong af? They don't use Strong tag for them though, and that's because their fighting prowess is already seen. Shikamaru is not much of a fighter as much as he is a strategist and a leader. He is a cool and sly character. Naruto and Sasuke have flashy moves with flashy names under their belt with absurd power levels that puts them in god tier. Sakura has none of that – no signature move that is uniquely her, no clan to back her, no move with a name (barring game moves) – and she is seen useless because she is a healer which is a non-offensive, background job even if it is the most crucial and taxing job. It's significance is even more reduced when people point out how her work is futile because they are again sent to the fight/missions once they are up to go. Most fans only care for visual aesthetics, regardless of how rare and in-demand medics are because of the lack of qualified people who can muster and use medical chakra properly.

Sakura is more than just a healer but in canon she is more or less reduced to that. To make things worse for her, both Ino and Hinata are also shown to have healing techniques. They both also have clan techniques (vastly unknown) with them which makes them appear more 'useful'. Sakura is literally in the shadow of her mentor and her friends.

In Boruto, she is said to be the most powerful Kunoichi of her generation and quite possibly the greatest medic in the world but in Shippuden it is severely undermined. This is also why Boruto fans love Sakura but a bunch of Shippuden fans don't.

I mostly don't judge BAMF/Strong Sakura fanfictions, but I mostly avoid Anbu Sakura fanfictions if I can because I personally don't belive Sakura to be an Anbu material.

.

I want to add more, but I think I got my point across. Thank you for reading this far. I hope I answered your question adequately.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #169

Two builds in one day? That’s right! Today’s my birthday, and that means I get to pick the servants! As a birthday gift to myself, we’re making Caster of the Nightless City! As usual, expect spoilers in the build breakdown below the cut and in their character sheet here!

Scheherazade is a Creation Bard to truly bring her stories to life, and a Genie Warlock to create her own Bedchamber of Survival.

Race and Background

Wildly, Scheherazade is a Human, giving her +1 to all abilities. She’s also a Guild Artisan with one of the most demanding patrons in the world, giving her proficiency with Insight and Persuasion. 

Ability Scores

Your Charisma better be as high as possible, you’re literally famous for your storytelling skills. After that is Wisdom. Anyone can read a story, but to tell a story you’ve got to be able to read the audience. Your Intelligence is also pretty good, because let’s be honest, remembering over 1,000 stories is pretty goddamn impressive. Your Dexterity isn’t awful, because we need to be able to go from standing to dogeza in seconds. This means your Constitution and Strength are rather low. Sadly, telling stories doesn’t make you all that battle hardened.

Class Levels

1. Bard 1: Being a bard gives you proficiency with Dexterity and Charisma saves to avoid fireballs and being banished to other dimensions. (Though I guess banishment is better than death?) You also get proficiency in three bard skills, that is to say, three of any skill. Performance for storytelling, Acrobatics for faster dogezas, and History for more story material.

You can use Bardic Inspiration to give a d6 to an ally Charisma Mod times per long rest, and these dice can be added to pretty much any d20 roll to make it a bit better. (Not yours though, heaven forbid you have to get out there and... attack things.)

Speaking of not attacking things, let’s talk Spells. You cast em with Charisma, and get stuff like Blade Ward for taking less damage and Friends for convincing people to let you live in the first place. You also get Charm Person for a similar reason, Bane to weaken their offense if they still want to try anything, Feather Fall to avoid death by heights, and Silent Image for the first of your storied illusions.

2. Bard 2: Second level bards become Jacks of All Trades, adding half their proficiency to ability checks they’re not proficient in. By becoming more useful, you’re less likely to get killed! Probably. You also get a Song of Rest to boost healing during short rests. Healing is good, healing helps people not die. Finally, your Magical Inspiration lets allies add your inspiration dice to damage or healing caused by spells. Again, healing is good, and I guess doing more damage can be nice sometimes.

Speaking of doing damage, we’re not doing that. Instead, grab Sleep for a bedtime story.

3. Bard 3: Graduating from the college of Creation will help you bring your stories to life thanks to your Performance of Creation. As an action you can create a nonmagical object once per long rest or by spending a 2nd level spell slot. The item must be medium or smaller, and can only be worth at most 20 times your bard level in GP.

You can also help your allies star in legends of their own with Stories of Potential that add extra effects to your bardic inspiration depending on how they’re used. Ability checks get advantage on rolling the inspiration, attack rolls deal thunder damage to nearby creatures if they fail a constitution save, and saving throws add temporary HP to their users.

You can also cast Calm Emotions to keep the king from beheading you in the morning.

4. Warlock 1: Now that that’s taken care of, let’s get some help from a Genie. Picking this patron gives you a Genie’s Vessel, a tiny object like, say, a scroll case, within which you can find a Bottled Respite that you can hang out in for up to 2x your proficiency bonus hours per long rest, but you can only enter once per long rest. Any items you leave behind stay in the respite until the vessel is destroyed or you take them out again. Also, I gotta remember to point out the inside is bigger than the outside, space isn’t an issue for you.

You also learn to imbue your attacks with a Genie’s Wrath, adding thunder damage equal to your proficiency bonus to one attack per turn. You don’t really attack that much, but it’s nice to make every bit count.

Speaking of attacking, you can actually do that with your new Spells! You still use Charisma, but you have Pact Magic, so these slots don’t mix with your old ones. The plus side is they recharge on short rests instead of long ones, and you can still cast bard spells with warlock slots and vice versa.

You get Minor Illusion for cheap lifelike stories, as well as Eldritch Blast for the ever-present caster balls. For first level spells, you get Detect Evil and Good and Thunderwave for free, as well as Comprehend Languages because copyright doesn’t exist in D&D, and Protection from Evil and Good. Some kings are evil, some are good, but very few are neutral. (WARNING: does not actually protect against good or evil aligned humanoids)

5. Warlock 2: Second level warlocks get Eldritch Invocations, ways to customize the selling your soul experience. Armor of Shaodws gives you free mage armor to avoid dying, and Eldritch Mind makes it easier to concentrate on your spells, which are keeping you from getting killed.

Speaking of spells, Sense Emotion lets you read the prevailing emotion of a nearby creature as an action, and you can repeat the action each turn. Good storytelling requires you know what your audience wants.

6. Warlock 3: Third level warlocks get a Pact Boon, and Pact of the Tome gives you a super cool magic scroll that gives you three cantrips from any spell list. You get Guidance and Resistance for added protection, and Mage Hand. Handling hot objects can be dangerous! Now you don’t have to do that.

Besides that, you get second level spells here, like Enthrall. Being the center of attention is dangerous, but you’re the most personable member of the party, so this might be less dangerous than letting them talk. You also get Phantasmal Force and Gust of Wind for free, letting you attack with fictional characters and just make things a bit more dramatic.

7. Warlock 4: At fourth level you finally get your first Ability Score Improvement, which will be used to round up your Dexterity and Constitution for a higher AC and higher HP. Not dying’s good, you should try it out.

You also get Prestidigitation to add minor effects to your stories, and Flock of Familiars to summon background characters.

8. Warlock 5: Fifth level warlocks get third level spells, like Major Image to make larger effects for your stories. You also get Create Food and Water and Wind Wall for free.

On top of that, the invocation One with Shadows lets you turn invisible as an action in dim light or darker, and lasts until you move or take an action. When a truly good storyteller gets going, the story takes on a life of its own, and they just sort of... fade into the background.

9. Warlock 6: Sixth level genilocks get an Elemental Gift, giving you resistance to thunder damage. Like Cursed Arm always says, you can’t travel the desert without protection from wind. As a bonus action, you can now fly for 10 minutes Proficiency times per long rest. Admittedly you don’t really do that too often, but I’m sure you can illusion up a big genie hand or something to lift you up.

You can also summon a main character now thanks to Summon Fey. You can create a small fey creature in one of three moods that can teleport around and fight for you. Fuming fey get advantage on attacks after teleporting, mirthful fey can charm creatures, and tricksy fey create magical darkness which you can use to turn invisible.

10. Warlock 7: Congrats on your fourth level spell slots! Your freebie spells are Phantasmal Killer and Greater Invisibility to put less focus on yourself and more focus on the terrifying monsters you can summon. You can also use Hallucinatory Terrain to reshape the world into the world of your story. You can also use Trickster’s Escape once per long rest to cast Freedom of Movement on yourself to get the hell out of dangerous situations.

11. Warlock 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Charisma for better spells and better stories. You also learn how to Charm Monsters to avoid even more danger by just... getting along with everything.

12. Warlock 9: Ninth level warlocks get fifth level spells, like the freebies Creation to make even more nonsense out of nothing and Seeming to again, avoid danger. On top of those, you can use Modify Memory to retcon your stories to prevent your audience from getting too upset. You also gain the Gift of the Protectors, allowing you or another creature to write its name on part of your scroll. The scroll can hold the names of Proficiency people, and once per long rest the first creature to drop to 0 hp sticks around at 1 hp instead. You can also erase names if you have a falling out, but since it’s first come first served you might just want to keep this to yourself.

13. Warlock 10: Tenth level genielocks get a Sanctuary Vessel, allowing you to take up to 5 willing creatures into your Genie’s Vessel with you. You can eject creatures as a bonus action, by leaving yourself, dying (don’t do that one), or by destroying the vessel.

On top of all of that, creatures that stay in the vessel for at least 10 minutes get all the benefits of a short rest, plus they add your proficiency to any healing they get from hit dice. That’s on top of the d6 they were already getting from your song of rest.

Oh right, you get another cantrip too. Grab Blade Ward again. You can never be too careful.

14. Bard 4: Yeah, did you think we were done with bards? Nope! This level of bard gives us another ASI that’ll max out your Charisma for the best spells possible!

You also learn Message, because miscommunication can be deadly, and Lesser Restoration. You never know what kind of status effects might doom your party, after all...

15. Bard 5: Fifth level bards get their inspiration bumped up to d8s, and they finally become a Font of Inspiration to recharge their inspiration on short rests. I wanted to get sanctuary vessel as quickly as possible for the sake of getting your bedchamber of survival, but it’s awfully tempting to put these two levels earlier, ngl.

You also learn how to Feign Death, because nobody’s going to bother killing you if you’re already dead, right? This spell makes you or the targeted creature effectively dead by the reckoning of anyone around them. They can’t take actions, are blinded, and can’t move. They get resistance to all damage except psychic, and any diseases or poisons they’re affected by are frozen until the spell ends an hour later.

16. Bard 6: Sixth level bards can use Countercharm to protect their party from effects that would charm or frighten them, giving them advantage on those saves for a round.

You can also put on an Animating Performance to turn a large or smaller object into a Dancing Item, which follows your orders, given by your bonus action. You can do this once per long rest, or by spending a third level spell slot.

Your last bard spell is Catnap, putting up to three creatures to sleep for 10 minutes. If they stay asleep the entire time, they get the benefits of a short rest. Dying of overwork... what a horrifying concept.

17. Warlock 11: At eleventh level, instead of getting your spell slots made bigger you get a Mystic Arcanum, allowing you to cast a sixth level spell once per long rest. Guards and Wards is very useful if you’re paranoid, creating wards to protect up to 2,500 square feet of space (a.k.a. 100 5′ squares). You can specify creatures that are immune to effects, or a password that does the same thing.

In corridors, fog fills the area, and forks in the road have a 50% chance of forcing creatures down the wrong way.

Doors are magically locked, and up to 10 doors in the area can be covered by illusions.

Stairs are covered in Webs that regrow when destroyed.

You can also place: Dancing Lights in four corridors, Magic Mouth in two places, Stinking Cloud in two places, Gust of Wind in one corridor or room, and Suggestion in one five foot square.

Casting Guards and Wards in the same place every day for a year makes it permanent.

18. Warlock 12: Use your last ASI to bump up your Constitution for better concentration and health. You also learn your last Invocation, Minions of Chaos! Once per long rest you can cast Conjure Elemental using a warlock spell slot. It is a little bit risky, but even you have to be willing to stick your neck out at some point. Might as well be level 18.

19. Warlock 13: Your seventh level Mystic Arcanum is Mirage Arcane, allowing you to reshape reality in a square mile, altering the entire terrain to your story and even making entire structures out of nothing. Even creatures with true sight will still feel the illusion, so feel free to recreate the tower of babel and hide out on the top of it.

20. Warlock 14: Your capstone level gives you a Limited Wish from your patron, recreating any spell of fifth level or lower once per 1d4 long rests. Sometimes your story just needs a Maelstrom, and nobody’s going to wait for you to take 9 levels of druid just to finish a story.

Pros:

If your DM rewards creativity and you’ve got the mind thoughts to power this build, this build will treat you very nicely. This whole thing is basically an excuse for the roleplayer inside of you to ham up your acting, chew the scenery, and distract everyone from the rogue rifling through their pockets.

Speaking of distractions you can make some really good ones. Show up to the BBEG’s lair, butter them up with some stories, then trick them into entering your vessel, and then they’re trapped in there for up to 12 hours. If you can trick them into allowing you to catnap them, that gives the rest of your party a full 10 minutes to ransack the place before they even know what’s happening. You can always kick them out if they’re being unwelcome guests, but there’s no way for them to leave on their own outside of killing you. And that’s easier said than done, because...

You’re really hard to fight. Between all the illusions, summoning creatures to fight on your behalf, the invisibility, and the altering reality in a mile radius, landing a blow on you is an ordeal, especially if you know they’re coming.

Cons:

If you’re actually stuck in a cage match with an enemy it’s gonna take a while, because you really aren’t built for damage. You have a negative strength stat, and your first damaging spell doesn’t show up until level four. Just bring them into the vessel, help them relax, and put them to sleep with catnap, that’s way less work than actually fighting them.

On a similar note, anything that can see through your illusions is going to cut through you like butter, because you’re pretty squishy. Only 15 AC and just shy of 150 HP means you should avoid fights like... well, you do in canon.

Another side effect of your squishiness is that your concentration saves aren’t that great, which is really bad for an illusionist/summoner. Neither your animated item nor your invisibility use concentration though, so you can actually get away with more than you’d think, it’s just a complicated juggling act. And trust me, you do not want to drop them in the middle of combat.

[serendipitybutterfly]

Pick a Card Reading: What's Coming in the Month Ahead?

*Disclaimer- Pick a card readings are general as they are intended for multiple people. If a message resonates with you and what's going on in your life then it is for you and if it doesn't then it's probably for someone else and you can ignore it.

If you feel drawn to more than one pile then feel free to have a look at any of them as there may be information for you in more than one. I'd be grateful for your feedback on if you enjoyed this kind of reading and if you found it helpful as this is the first pick a card I've done. I hope you enjoy and that this may be useful to you in some way! 💜

Close your eyes and take deep breaths, focusing on the cool sensation of the air entering your lungs and warm sensation as it leaves your nose. Pay attention to sounds around you, from the loudest to the quietest... Let your awareness expand. Then, ask the question, 'what is coming in the month ahead?'. Open your eyes and they will be drawn to the pile or stone that is meant for you.

Pile 1: Amethyst

Pile 2: Selenite

Pile 3: Rose Quartz

Pile 1:

For everyone who chose pile one, this will be a month where the focus is entirely on your personal growth and development. This is a month in which you fulfilling your dreams and goals needs to be at the forefront. The archetype card that represents you this month is The Exorcist and this is really representative of you exorcising your own demons; the little voices in your head that tell you you can't do it, that you're not good enough or that lead you towards toxic habits or people. This month, your attention needs to be on letting everything which no longer serves you go in order to focus wholeheartedly on your dream (I love how the Focus card here has purple crystals which match the amethyst... some lovely confirmation!).

The tarot shows that you have The Star, The Empress in reverse, the Wheel of Fortune in reverse, and the 10 of Pentacles. This is telling me that you have the immense potential to make your dreams a reality and that fulfilling this dream will lead to a comfortable, secure lifestyle for you and your family materially. You are like the Empress waiting for her throne to come to her, but you're the one who needs to make it happen. You need to believe in yourself. As soon as you start working on developing yourself, you'll see the wheel begin to turn in your favour. It will take hard work to kick bad habits and have the discipline and focus to develop your skills and work towards your dream, but it will be worth it.

I hope this isn't too disappointing to some of you, but for most of you I don't think the True Love card is referring to your relationship with another person, but rather it's about how you see yourself. You're going to be learning that True Love actually comes from within. Love is a quality, a state, which is born within you and which you can share with others. You never need to look further than your own heart for love. There's a need to shift your perspective on love, on the way you view it and where and how you're looking for it. You need to begin seeing yourself differently, believing in your own talent and potential and having confidence that you will succeed.

It might sound strange, but I need all you pile ones to go listen to The Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston, you could even watch the music video, and make sure to pay attention to the lyrics! I started singing it to myself while doing this reading so I think it contains an important theme in this month for you and could be great inspiration.

Speaking of which, The Bard card tells me that music, songs, stories and art in general will be hugely inspirational to you this month. It could be a song you listen to, a book you read, a movie you watch... Something will motivate and inspire you and it's important that you take advantage of that inspiration. I think quite a few of you may also be aspiring 'bards' ; artists who want to share their music, art and stories with the world. I'm telling you that The Star is shining on your dreams so believe in yourself, work hard and you will have your wish! Good luck in the month ahead! 💜

Pile 2:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, for those of you who chose pile 2 and Selenite (a stone associated with the moon) this pile seems to be very much about you getting in touch with the watery energy of your spirituality and emotions. The archetype card representing you over the next month is the Monk / Nun. Someone who has devoted them self to a spiritual life. Monks and Nuns also take vows of chastity and what I'm seeing for any of you that are interested in romance is that there is quite a bit of spiritual work you need to do on your own first before you're truly ready to open your heart to love.

The tarot cards you got, the 2 of Air (swords), the 2 of cups, the King of cups reversed and the nine of wands, are telling me that you have some underlying issues when it comes to relationships (I think mostly romantic but it could also include other kinds of relationships so take it how it resonates). I feel like there's a sense of hesitating to trust others or believe you could be in a great relationship... You have some hidden emotional blockages that you need to work through before you can be a well adjusted King of Cups with his amazing emotional intelligence, confidence and open heart. The nine of wands in this tarot deck (Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights) is actually very different from the usual imagery of the nine of wands which shows the battered warrior having won one battle yet knowing the war isn't over. This nine of wands on the other hands shows what seems to be a couple meeting each other in a quiet place for a romantic rendezvous... I take it in this case as a couple reuniting after being separated by difficult circumstances and overcoming them on their own... Now finally they can be together. That's the message for you pile 2, you have the potential to have beautiful relationships but first you need to work on the blockages that are holding you back from being able to love with all your heart.

You got the Lotus card representing 'Unfoldment'. I want you all to look up the symbol of the Lotus in Buddhist tradition, but essentially consider that the beautiful Lotus flower rises to the light of the sun out of the darkness and filth at the bottom of the pond. You may have gone through dark times in your life, but don't see yourself as tainted by them forever. You can and will overcome your past and rise, pure, clean and beautiful into the light. You can see with the Water Cleansing card just how much clear water elemental energy is present in this reading. I think doing some cleansing rituals involving water would be extremely beneficial for many of you. If you live near the sea, or a clean river, stream, spring or lake where it is safe to swim and wash yourself in the water, do go out and do so at a peaceful time of day, visualising the water washing away any past wounds and leaving you fresh again. If there's no natural body of water near you, then make up a cleansing bath (or shower) at home and do just the same, imagine the water washing away the pain and fear that no longer serve you. Almost like a baptism where the past is washed away and it's like you are born again, I see that symbolic cleansing with water will help you feel pure and clean in your body, mind and spirit and allow you to begin anew.

Rounding out the water imagery, we have the Water Faery card representing you in the month ahead and emphasising that this month is all about emotional healing and spirituality. Together with the Druid Card and It's Safe to Love card, I'm getting the message that having this period of soul searching and spiritual growth is key to healing the emotional wounds left by your past. I want to recommend all of you to do some Sacral Chakra and Heart Chakra healing meditations as I think that would be a good place to start for a lot of you. You can find guided meditations on YouTube for these. Right now I'm really getting the impression that you're experiencing blockages in these areas due to some events in your past that you've really held onto and it's stopping your loving and creative energies from flowing as they should. Once you give yourself permission to heal and let go of the pain you're holding onto, you're going to be elevating yourself and opening up to the love and connections you really deserve. Sometimes it's hard to face and reconcile with the most shadowy parts of yourself, sometimes it's actually scary to step out from the shadow because you don't know who you are without it, but I promise you all that having the bravery to start this healing process will be worth it every step of the way. Let yourself be washed clean and start afresh now.✨

Pile 3:

OK pile 3... This is a rough time for a lot of you I can see. Right now some truths seem to have come to light in your life and you've been left feeling betrayed, deceived, lied to... It doesn't feel good, but let this reading give you hope and confirmation in the fact that you are blessed and protected.

First of all, the archetype representing you this month is the angel card. Not only is this telling me that you are a good, kind person who is not in the wrong in the situation you are in, its also a confirmation that you are surrounded by angels who are protecting and guiding you. This reading is full of angels. I counted 5 angels in all so perhaps 5 is a lucky or significant number this month (it is also the 5th month of the year!).

All the tarot cards - 7 of Air (swords), 3 of swords, and Judgement twice! - are giving me the simple message that you were being deceived or misled, but the truth has been brought to light and this left you feeling heartbroken or disappointed. But try not to give in to this feeling. Everything happens for a reason and those who did wrong will be brought to justice and those who did the right thing will receive their just rewards. Honestly, I get the feeling that you were actually protected from a worse outcome. You feel the truth coming to light ruined something for you but actually it spared you from a greater suffering and has now opened the doors to you stepping into the opportunities you really deserve. In a sense, this really is actually something to celebrate, even though it may not seem so right now.

With the Distant Thunder and Oracle cards, I'm getting the message that right now isn't the time to make any hasty decisions or take any rash action. It's important right now to watch and listen carefully to what's going on and make sure you have all the information you need before you make your next move. Don't worry, you're going to be guided to take action when the time is right and all the necessary information will be provided to you. Just keep your eyes and ears open and watch for the signs.

With this Partnership card I'm getting that this particular group has people dealing with a few different kinds of situations... For some of you this is to do with a romantic relationship, for others it's with friends or family and for others it's to do with business or education... Regardless of the specifics, I want to assure you all that you have been blessed and protected by the guides watching over you and that is something to celebrate and grateful for. Although you're disappointed now, try to have faith that what is coming to you is greater than what you had imagined previously. There are better things in store and this setback is just paving the way for you. Have a little patience and keep watch because great new opportunities are in your future!😇