#Shadow Archetypes

[jaredxenoengage]

Veyle’s other self: the difference between the altered mind and the other self.

When we look at the aspect of Mind Control as a whole, it is the simple act of altering one’s thoughts to perfectly align with the controller’s wishes. While Fire Emblem itself usually voluntarily just uses mind control to get a (usually female) character to do what the bad guy wants them to do, the mind control trope itself is actually far more variable and complex than what you may think https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MindControl.

Beyond just that, the case of a certain Fire Emblem Engage character is a more interesting case than what some may say. Enter Veyle, who is my personal favorite Fire Emblem Engage character. A lot of people have complained that her evil personality in the words of TVTropes “cheaply removes agency from the real Veyle so she can be entirely sympathetic.” To that I say, what if I told you that that’s the point?

When it comes to Veyle’s story of abuse and control, there are three things we need to take into consideration: 1. Sombron’s control over Veyle’s life. 2. How the other Veyle is supposed to work and 3.(very important) Veyle’s accountability.

The best place to start talking about Veyle’s life of oppression is with the oppressor himself. The Fell Dragon Sombron, Veyle’s (and Alear’s) biological father. In case if it wasn’t obvious from his introduction in Chapter 10, to Sombron, everyone that he comes across (his children, the Four Hounds, and even his followers) are nothing more than pawns at best and tools at worst. Once Sombron has no use for you, you’re just deadweight (emphasis on the dead part). The end of chapter 24 also displays how he sees his children:

So right from the start, of course Veyle was stripped of her agency; she was living under a jerk that only saw his children as worthless slaves. Why would Sombron allow someone he considers to be a pawn to be allowed the chance to decide their own lives? Remember how Sombron rewarded Hyacinth for aiding his revival? He was eaten alive for it…

As a matter of fact, when it comes to Sombron’s control over others, it also foils how Sombron strips an Emblem of their free will when using an invocation on them. This represents the dominance he has over his children just for simply being their father.

This isn’t helped by the fact that the Four Hounds are all followers of the Fell Dragon (Sombron). This is especially the case of Zephia and Griss. Their reasons for treating Veyle as a “defect” is because she lacks the qualities they expected from someone who is Sombron’s child. In other words, they see Veyle as an extension of Sombron.

Zephia (Sombron’s most devoted follower) and Griss (who follows Zephia) only act nice to the good Veyle in order to keep her trapped. So that once Zephia’s spell takes full effect, the real Veyle would be erased and the other Veyle would take her place.

Griss really followed Veyle (EVeyle) so that he could get pain as offering to the Fell Dragon. It now makes sense why he was following Veyle and considers her good side to be a defect. Just Sombron and Zephia, Griss was forcing his expectations onto her.

The mere fact that the Hounds were followers of her father Sombron means that Veyle was going to be trapped by him no matter how many times she tries to run or defy his orders. Sombron will have control over Veyle’s life one way or another. For Veyle, there was never such a thing as being able to control her own life (no agency). Because Sombron is the one who had control over it. The Four Hounds exist to keep her trapped under the rule of her abusive father.

Like I said before, just simply being the daughter of the Fell Dragon allows Sombron to have control over Veyle even when not directly there. As Veyle lost her mother and was forced to go into hiding because of the persecution she suffered from the humans.

This leads into Veyle’s other personality EVeyle. This is not just another mind control situation. EVeyle is her own person with her own thoughts and feelings. She isn’t just some mindless robot who can’t think without someone else doing the thinking.

EVeyle feels more like a Shadow from the works of Carl Jung (referenced in the Persona series, 2 and 4 more specifically). A shadow is the innermost emotional cores that lie deep within our psyche. Often representing the sides of ourselves we wish to hide from others.

EVeyle represents Veyle’s inner hate for humans, her innate desire for Sombron’s acknowledgement, and her fear of becoming a monster. Zephia uses her power to tamper with her heart to create her other self. The other Veyle is the embodiment of Sombron’s will.

Even EVeyle says that she is “the real Veyle.” This is a common word choice for shadow archetypes. Representing the darker paths that we as individuals are at risk of taking.

Yu's vocals: You and I we ain't so different

I guess I had more blessings

Without it, got belligerent

But I totally understand

Glass was half full for mine

Adachi's vocals: And it looked half empty for me

Both: Maybe that one glass made the path we took, who knows?

— "Yin Yang", Persona 4: The Golden Animation

As Zephia’s actions with tampering with her Draconic Impulses implies, Zephia was just stimulating the feelings that Veyle held inside of her. EVeyle’s hatred towards humans, her desire to please her father, and her fear of what she would become as a result, etc.

Terra: What did I do? What did YOU do?

Maleficent: You speak as if I pulled some invisible strings. No, you couldn't be further from the truth, child. I simply whispered to the darkness you already held inside.

— Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

As for EVeyle having a personality, Veyle’s supports with Ivy and Hortensia confirm that Evil Veyle liked Sweets. While the real Veyle likes Spicy foods. This is the moment where Hortensia truly begins to accept the real Veyle as the true Veyle.

In the case where this was a similar situation with Hortensia or Invoked Emblems, EVeyle would be a mindless husk incapable of having the capacity for liking or disliking anything. She would have no emotions whatsoever. Would a mindless person have the ability to beg for their life and say “I don’t want to die” with such emotions? I don’t think so.

But the most important aspect about Veyle’s character comes after she finally wins her agency back: her desire to atone for her (EVeyle’s) sins. A choice that she is making for herself. Not because anyone is asking/forcing her to do it.

Veyle’s supports and the rest of the game are focused on her atoning. Veyle could have just blamed all of the bad things that happened onto Sombron, Zephia and/or her evil self. But when it comes down to it, Veyle chooses to atone.

One could say that it’s out of self hatred, and while this may be true, this is another reason why I compared EVeyle to be a shadow. She still treats EVeyle as her own weakness. Something that, if it didn’t overcome her, then everything that happened could have been avoided.

The puzzling question is can one still be hold accountable for circumstances they have no control over? The circumstances may vary, but in the case of Veyle, because EVeyle is the darkness in her heart, she has to make the choice to fight to prove she is more than what others say.

In fact, Veyle was very close to choosing the easy way out and accepting death just to be with her sibling Alear who just died protecting her. And even then, she didn’t blame the world, Sombron or Zephia for the suffering she endured.

It isn’t until Alear (who also suffered from Sombron’s abuse) faces his own struggles that he learned to understand and accept Veyle. And this act of forgiveness would be the first step in saving the world and (more importantly, in that moment) mend their broken relationship.

Regardless if Veyle deserves credit for all that has happened or not, it’s as Sigurd said to Alear and Seliph; truth is subjective and there can’t be one single truth either. We have to see the bigger picture in order to truly understand each other.

If Lumera was in her right state of mind at the time and knew the full truth about Veyle, I’m sure Lumera would have forgiven Veyle without a second thought. And I’m sure Alear forgiving Veyle is what the real Lumera would have wanted too.

Veyle doesn’t deserve forgiveness for being a victim of Sombron’s abuse. Veyle deserves it because she herself made the choice and effort to make things right, to atone, to change… even before chapter 22, she already had the potential to be a hero…

And that’s more than I can say for Sombron and Zephia, who made no effort to repent whatsoever and continued to live in their selfish ways until the very end. In the words of Ike: “they’ll get no sympathy from me.”

So overall, I say screw TVTropes take here. Veyle fighting to get her agency back is the point, EVeyle actually has more depth than you think, and above all else, she’s sympathetic because she chose atonement when she could have hid behind her excuse. That’s just my opinion though.

[theshadowworker]

The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are

- Carl Jung

[dammarchy211]

Despite my tablet being broken I’ve been doodling on my bf’s to pass the time !

Raz experiencing the horrors of being 13– shadow Raz is also there if you remember him but this time he actually looks Good

ARCHETYPE BOY🫵

[gaylactic-fire]

They should make more of these little guys imo

[shadowpuppetteer]

Shout out to the Human Characters Who Have to Wrangle Their Monster Buddies Archetype:

And a shoutout to the Non/Sorta Humans Who Wrangle A Bunch of Human Buddies Together Archetype:

And a big shoutout to A Band of Weirdos Wrangled Together for Some or No Good Reason, Aka Found Family Trope!!:

[cauldronlakefiles]

what if Scratch was the friends we made along the way

[bmtalbott]

“The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.” - Hermann Hesse, Demian.

"Fear Abraxas, who rules over the human world. Accept what he forces upon you, since he is the master of the life of this world and none can escape him." - Carl Jung, The Red Book

"There is a God about whom you know nothing, because men have forgotten him. We call him by his name: Abraxas. He is less definite than God or Devil. ... Abraxas is activity: nothing can resist him but the unreal ... Abraxas stands above the sun[-god] and above the devil. If the Pleroma were capable of having a being, Abraxas would be its manifestation." - Carl Jung, "2nd Sermon", Seven Sermons to the Dead

"That which is spoken by God-the-Sun is life; that which is spoken by the Devil is death; Abraxas speaketh that hallowed and accursed word, which is life and death at the same time. Abraxas begetteth truth and lying, good and evil, light and darkness in the same word and in the same act. Wherefore is Abraxas terrible." - Carl Jung, "3rd Sermon," Seven Sermons to the Dead

"Abraxas doesn't take exception to any of your thoughts or any of your dreams. Never forget that. But he will leave you once you become blameless and normal." - Hermann Hesse, Demian.

[cosmic-ghost-hermit]

Heyo! All the art on these readings is drawn by me. Take what you can from the reading and leave all that does not resonate behind but always be open to new perspectives.

The archetype reading was inspired by the deck I used today. The guide book uses examples from anime to fit the descriptions of the tarot cards. I thought that was really clever so I decided to build off that idea and tell you what archetype you are most drawn to wants to tell you. In short, this is really a message from a specific cards energy. I hope this helps anyone who might be struggling!

PILE 1

Crystal: Tigers Eye

Character: Badtz-Maru

Archetype: The Empress

Astrology: Taurus ♉️, Libra ♎️, Pisces ♓️, Virgo ♍️

Dear pile 1, you are represented by the empress of this deck. The archetype you embody is someone who is luxurious, modest, kind and attentive. You care deeply for those you love and would do anything to assist them and make their life easier. You are a fantastic friend, partner and companion. You don’t necessarily have to be a woman to embody that energy. The message this part of you wants to tell you is that your kindness is being taken for granted. Your attentiveness is being discarded as if the love you gave isn’t worth anything. Your intuition is telling you to withdraw from the connection that is causing this. You maybe started this friendship or connection a while ago but you have started to notice this pattern from the other party in this relationship. They don’t return your love. They don’t say thank you when you go out of your way to be good to them. This doesn’t mean you should necessarily cut them off. Just don’t go out of your way anymore. They are undeserving if they cannot be grateful to you for all you do. I see if you did stop it would barely be noticed at first. However, the person will slowly realize how much you did to assist them. How much work you did was important and helped them get through the day easily. If they apologize and communicate they did wrong that won't necessarily be your queue to go back to scratching their back. You need to wait for them to lend their assistance to you. That will be your invitation to return to being kind. Until then use the extra time you have working on your passion projects and aiming for your dreams.

🖤✒️🔎💻🕋🛞♟️🎤🎼🎱🏴🪨🐕‍🦺🕶️🎩🐦‍⬛💣🎵🎶♣️♠️🏴‍☠️👁️‍🗨️

PILE 2

Crystal: Flower Agate

Character: Keroppi

Archetype: The Devil

Astrology: Leo ♌️, Aquarius ♒️, Capricorn ♑️, Gemini ♊️

Hey pile 2! Your archetype is the devil. Don’t worry though, for this doesn’t make you evil or bad. All this communicates to me is you are an enjoyer of the darker parts of life. You enjoy what other people usually fear. This is definitely not something horrible you should shame yourself about. I see you probably enjoy altered states of reality or perhaps you are very free with your sexual expression. I see you like the taste of control, power and vengeance. Again not a bad thing in my mind. Humans have many states of being and no part of existence is incorrect. Your message from the devil archetype is not asking you to cold turkey your behavior. However, I think it is saying balance is super important when you dabble in darkness. You might be prone to addiction to literally anything you can get dopamine from. I am an addict as well. I know how hard restraint can be. Even doing this reading is giving me cravings to be honest so I know you deal with cravings constantly. Your cards are saying it doesn’t matter if you feed the addiction. You will always be starving for more. You will always be chasing something you can never achieve. Please take care of your body before the cravings lead to worse. When I was dealing with my addiction I ended up in the hospital multiple times. It would have killed me if I hadn’t stopped. It is okay to dabble in darkness but seriously I beg you, from the bottom of my heart please moderate. Moderation is key to keeping yourself safe. If you are meant to have the darkness, it will be in your grasp. If you are in need of a break. Trust the universe when it takes it away. You are not evil for needing. I want to reiterate that because I know how it feels to need something that hurts you.

💚🦈🪀🧃🍵🪦🥗🥒🥑🌪️🫒🍸🍏🥝☘️🌱🥈⚓️🪴🎍🐍🦎🚬👒🤢

PILE 3

Crystal: Carnelian

Character: Tuxedo Sam

Archetype: Emperor

Astrology: Cancer ♋️, Aries ♈️, Sagittarius ♐️, Scorpio ♏️

Hey, pile 3! Your archetype is the emperor. You are a force to be reckoned with. A master of your craft and skilled beyond other people's wildest imaginations. You have a plan and have been putting so much energy into it. You know exactly what you want and exactly how to get it. Your cards are pretty straight forward just like you are. They are telling me that working hard is good! That your progress is fantastic and you have made it so far! However, the pace you are keeping at is almost unsustainable. You can’t juggle all of the tasks you are trying to keep under control. You cannot do it all by yourself. That isn’t logical! Humans are not solitary creatures. We need community and connection to continue on. Humans who have been left alone for too long go hecking crazy! You absolutely can handle all of it mentally. I am not saying you are incapable because you are SO CAPABLE. Rome was not built in a day. Masterpieces are not made out of minutes, they are made out of days or months or years. You are creating a masterpiece so allow yourself time to think about it. Allow yourself the space to brainstorm and be patient with your body and your creativity. Be gentle with yourself. You are only one person and the secret you are missing is that you are not alone. The silly little secret is that you don’t need to set a deadline for the greatness you are going to grow into. One of my favorite artists didn’t make it when he was 20. He grew into his greatness when he was 35. Does that make him any less of a great artist? Absolutely not!!! You are cool, awesome and wonderful! Why do you need to prove that when you already know it is true?

💙💤🌀🪬🌨️🧿💎🚿🧊🫐🌊🌧️🌬️💨🌏🦋🪼🐬🧢🫂🥶💠

-ghost 🖤🩵

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

shadow weaver: i care about the safety of everyone in etheria and i’m actively trying to help protect everyone

fans: omg shadow weaver evil!! she’s just selfish and wants to drive catra and adora apart!

catra: i’m going to abandon adora on her deathbed just because she didn’t choose ME over the safety of the entire world. i only care about adora if she prioritizes me over literally everything else.

fans: poor catra, she’s so right! she just wants adora to be happy!

[yourqueenb]

I do not think it’s a good idea to keep Nia’s situation from the rest of the group. But the bitchy side of me is glad she doesn’t wanna tell anyone because I know the moment we do, it’ll become all about her again and MC’s issues will get pushed even further into the background 😑🤷🏽‍♀️

[divine-nonchalance]

Remember.

[besttropeveershowdown]

The Best Trope Ever Showdown: Round 1, Side A

Shadow Archetype

Propaganda:

This is something I use a lot in my current writing project, I just go insane over characters who represent opposite concepts but their opposite is someone who they fear and hate and love because that's absolutely a part of themselves that they deny, and having backstories that mirror and parallel each other, it's just so good and thematically rich.

Hurt/Comfort

Propaganda:

I like warm (or cold) hugs with my big sad characters.

[theshadowworker]

Take care when battling your demons that you don't banish the best thing about you

- Friedrich Nietzsche

[castilestateofmind]

“It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth--penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words. It is beyond words. Beyond images [...]. Mythology pitches the mind beyond that rim, to what can be known but not told”.

- Joseph Campbell.

*The cave of Altamira.

[iamdeltas]

It has been years and yet it still tickles me that Glimmer from SPOP counts as an Unscrupulous Hero. I mean I agree, she definitely does count as one, but it's just funny considering the usual characters that get to be this trope.

For minor context, Unscrupulous Heroes are on the Edgier(TM) side of the Anti-Hero scale. It's not the Absolute Edgiest(TM) end of the scale (that honor goes to Nominal Heroes, which... kinda self-explanatory IMO) but it's only one notch less Edgy(TM) than that.

The typical go-to example of an Unscrupulous Hero is your "ends justify the (very violent and morally dubious) means" types of guys, like the Punisher. The Punisher imo is kind of the best example of this, though some depictions can make him swerve into Nominal Hero territory. Huntress and Jason Todd are pretty good examples too, though I don't read a lot of DC so I could be off-base there.

So the concept of the examples of Unscrupulous Heroes being angsty, violent vigilantes in grimdark comic books, cynical characters who do What Has To Be Done in gritty crime dramas, troubled hardboiled detectives in the film noir genre... and a pastel pink glittery princess from a reboot of a 80s toyetic cartoon? It's fucking incredible.

[helgahaze]

Nine Nights of Odin: The Hanged Man Lessons

Yggdrasil by Finnur Magnússon. The Public Domain Review (Public Domain)

«I know that I hung on a windy tree nine long nights, wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin, myself to myself, on that tree of which no man knows from where its roots run».

—The Poetic Edda, Hávamál (Sayings of the High One), 138

According to Norse Mythology, Odin performed a self-sacrifice, hanging for nine nights on the World Tree Yggdrasil, pierced by a spear, to gain knowledge of the runes. Each night corresponds to one of Nine Worlds. Each world reviled its wisdom and secrets to Odin.

These nine nights commence on April 22 and culminate with Walpurgis Night on April 30 – May 1.

The same motif is woven into the 12 Major Arcana card – The Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man—“Pam-A” tarot card from the Rider–Waite Tarot deck, 1910. Public domain.

Keywords of the 12th Arcana: Initiation, sacrifice, moment of uncertainty, change of perspective.

The Hanged Man represents a person undergoing initiation. They hang to prepare for transition to another state, relinquishing control to feel the greater power of the world while demonstrating resilience and adaptability.

In everyday life, this state can be likened to being in limbo. If you find yourself in such a state, the following spread may assist you. Even Odin was’t alone during his quest for wisdom, so some support is always valuable.

«What is Ragnar doing sitting on the hillside? He’s preparing himself»

…

«What are you preparing for? What do you mean? I’ve watched you. You are about to do something. You have made yourself very strong».

— Vikings series