#The Dwarves were changed to mythos

[amaryllis-sagitta]

[Old reposts] Succession of the Evanuris and symbolic eras in the elvhen history

Looking up the Evanuris mythos, I was wondering about family relationships between the Evanuris assumed in the Dalish lore. I don’t find it very likely that these were actual blood bonds. I would blame this on the origin myth tropes, where the first inhabitants of the world tend to be depicted through blood relations.

But what if this order of kinship depicts some actual relationship between the Evanuris? I will test the following assumption: the Evanuris assumed power in “generations” of succession, each of them adding to the elvhen society or changing it, in parallel to the Dalish myths and given divine attributes of the Evanuris.

Succession of the Dalish Creators goes as follows:

1st gen: Elgar’nan and Mythal,

2nd gen: Dirthamen and Falon’Din, the former couple’s “first children”,

3rd gen: Andruil and Sylaise as sisters, either daughters of EG&M, or daughters of the Earth itself; June either as their brother, or as Sylaise’s husband,

4th gen: Ghilan’nain, ascended by Andruil’s favour,

Fen’Harel: known as “kin to the Creators”, but placed outside their line of succession. A suggested direct relationship between Fen’Harel and Mythal would likely place him in the 3rd gen of the Evanuris, as a wayward “son” of Mythal’s legacy, but definitely not a “first child”.

I believe we can find traces of the main course of elvhen history through the Creators’ respective domains - due to the Evanuris converting themselves into an origin myth, and ascribing their names to the earliest eras of the society’s development.

Elgar’nan was told to be the first among the gods, born from the Sun and Earth themselves. He is best known for having defeated the Sun when it got envious of all the creatures of the Earth. 

Elgar'nan had defeated his father, the sun, and all was covered in darkness. Pleased with himself, Elgar'nan sought to console his mother, the earth, by replacing all that the sun had destroyed. But the earth knew that without the sun, nothing could grow. She whispered to Elgar'nan this truth, and pleaded with him to release his father, but Elgar'nan’s pride was great, and his vengeance was terrible, and he refused. (Codex: Mythal; The Great Protector)

Mythal allegedly “walked out of the sea of the earth’s tears” and convinced Elgar’nan to negotiate with the Sun.

Humbled, Elgar'nan went to the place where the sun was buried and spoke to him. Elgar'nan said he would release the sun if the sun promised to be gentle and to return to the earth each night. The sun, feeling remorse at what he had done, agreed. 

Tinfoil guess: in the age named after Elgar’nan and Mythal, the world became inhabitable. This is reflected by their success in mitigating Sun’s anger, establishing a day and night cycle, and bringing the creatures of the Earth back. Only the Canticle of Threnodies from the Chant of Light goes further back in cosmology than this, suggesting that spirits of the Fade appeared before the material world, and before the creatures of will/ soul. 

Furthermore, Trespasser DLC suggests that Elgar’nan and Mythal had something to do with an onslaught on the Titans and dwarves:

War? I don’t remember any legends about our people fighting the dwarves. Though I remember my Keeper telling a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan’s fire. A metaphor for the elves of Arlathan driving the dwarves underground? The Qunari like metaphors. I should share that. (Codex: Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 2, Trespasser DLC)

Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever! (Codex: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads, Trespasser DLC).

The official reckoning of Thedas dates the first contact between the elves and the dwarves around -4601 Ancient, which is also 3000 years after the founding of Arlathan. Let’s leave it for a while.

Falon’Din is told to be the first one who freely crossed what Dalish myths interpreted as the Veil. But the situation is more complex. A tale of a wounded animal suggests that Falon’Din’s journey is relevant to boundaries of life, but not necessarily the temporal boundaries. As we know, the Elvhen were effectively immortal:

"Play with us,” said Dirthamen.  “Alas,” spoke the deer, “I cannot. I am old, and although I wish to go to my rest, my legs can no longer carry me.”  Taking pity on the deer, Falon'Din gathered her up into his arms and carried her to her rest beyond the Veil. Dirthamen tried to follow them, but the shifting grey paths beyond the Veil would not let him. (Codex: Dirthamen: The Keeper of Secrets)

What Falon’Din really did was release the deer from the body:

When Dirthamen found Falon'Din, he found also the deer, who once again was light on her feet, for her spirit was released from her weakened body.

Tinfoil guess: in the era of Falon’Din and Dirthamen, the People established a way to enter and leave (semi-?) material bodies at will. Dirthamen, in turn, “gave each creature a secret”. 

Now, things will get philosophical. Falon’Din and Dirthamen are viewed as complementary yet inseparable. This reflects a basic dualistic view on the mind and body. My speculation is that whereas Falon’Din taught how to use the body - the vessel, the part of the self exposed to the environment, Dirthamen watched over secrets of the inner world. (It is a complex topic to what extent this internal world, within the metaphysical framework of Thedas, is built of spirit, soul, a mix of both, what spirit and soul mean in the first place - I had Plans™ in this regard but covering it will require a lot of effort.) The most important take-out from this is that Falon’Din and Dirthamen represent the discovery of incarnation. Indirectly, this hypothesis speaks in favour of metaphysical succession between primal spirits and the elvhen. Extensive exploration within the frames of physical experience began.

Returning to the timeline of Thedas: could it be that destruction of the titans was a step to prepare Thedas for a mass incarnation? Could it be that, for about 3000 years, Arlathan only existed in the Fade, as the Eternal City/ Golden City without a material aspect, with spirits occasionally peeking in but otherwise having no interest in the physical world? That’s high tinfoil right here and I can’t handle it for the moment.

Moving on to Andruil. She is known as The Huntress, and the patron of the best known elven moral code.

In the era of Andruil, the People are described akin to a prehistoric society of gatherers.

When the People were young, we wandered the forests without purpose. We drank from streams and ate the berries and nuts that we could find. We did not hunt, for we had no bows. We wore nothing, for we had no knowledge of spinning or needlecraft. We shivered in the cold nights, and went hungry though the winters, when all the world was covered in ice and snow. Then Sylaise the Hearthkeeper came, and gave us fire and taught us how to feed it with wood. June taught us to fashion bows and arrows and knives, so that we could hunt. We learned to cook the flesh of the creatures we hunted over Sylaise’s fire, and we learned to clothe ourselves in their furs and skins. And the People were no longer cold and hungry. (Codex: June: God of the Craft)

In the age of Sylaise and June, the People became skilled hunters. 

That Andruil, June and Sylaise are put together nonetheless, might suggest that “physical” elvhen developed technology quite rapidly:

It is Sylaise who gave us fire and taught us how to use it. It is Sylaise who showed us how to heal with herbs and with magic, and how to ease the passage of infants into this world. And again, it is Sylaise who showed us how to spin the fibers of plants into thread and rope. (Codex: Sylaise: The Hearthkeeper)

Finally, Ghilan’nain, whose domain after ascension becomes navigation, finding one’s way on the journey - both physically, while traveling in aravels, and morally, as a tribute to Andruil’s moral code. In the age of Ghilan’nain, the People could have been improving their means of transportation and expanding across Thedas. Also, could her gift in creating monsters be an allusion to cattle farming, and a hint at the transition into the Thedosian equivalent of the Neolithic revolution?

It’s weird in as much as this progression suggests that the elvhen were on a very mundane path of technological advancement and expansion. That something pulled them to stay in the world and organize themselves into a society there, instead of making the Fade their hub and their point of return.

At any rate, I hope this makes any sense as a hint at a shift between some sort of Fade-based existence, mass incarnation and a clumsy transitional period when the elvhen were getting used to physical reality, towards an advanced, mostly mundane society that had to compete with other entities of the earth.

[monocerosland]

The Tale of Snow White

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass and the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, first leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. I am here to set the record straight and tell you the true story of Snow White.

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful Queen who was very much in love with her King, they had only been married for a short period of time before learning that she was with child, an heir to the throne. The King was overjoyed with the news as was the rest of the kingdom. The Queen was also pleased and they ruled the kingdom fair and just and were happy that their child would be able to carry on the tradition. One day the Queen sat by the window sewing a blanket for her unborn Prince and then she pricked her finger with her needle, causing three drops of red blood to drip onto the freshly fallen white snow on the black windowsill. Then, the Queen heard a voice call out; “My Queen, you believe that you will bear the King a son, however, you will instead have a Princess, that has skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony."  The Queen turned her head startled by the voice as she had never heard it before and grasped her stomach then dismissed the thought and proceeded to sew the rest of the blanket.

As winter passed and spring arrived the Queen had fallen ill toward the end of her pregnancy. The King searched all of the lands himself consulting with fae and witches and all other mythological creatures to find something to save his beloved Queen, trying all kinds of antidotes and magical spells. And just as all hope seemed to be lost the Queen gave birth to everyone's surprise but her own; a beautiful baby girl, whom they named Snow White.

The Queen miraculously regained her health but not nearly all of her strength and she blamed Snow White for it. She held resentment toward her for being a girl and not a boy but she never addressed it to the King, who loved Snow White dearly, and as she grew they noticed that she had retained some of the magic that was in the potions and antidotes and she would grow to be a very powerful witch. But Snow White was not the only one affected by this, as the Queen herself also possessed some sort of magical capabilities but they paled in comparison to Snow White's. The Queen soon realized that the voice that had spoken to her was coming from her mirror that she had received as a wedding gift, and it possessed magical powers of its own. She would ask the mirror every day; “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” The mirror would always reply; “You are the fairest one of all my Queen.” Which was the only thing that seemed to please the Queen, for the magic mirror could never lie. She still loved the King but she grew envious of the relationship between him and Snow White. And one fateful day she heard Snow White scream from the Gardens as she ran out to her she heard her daughter cry, “Papa! Papa!” and she saw the King lying in the Garden unconscious.

The Queen lashed out at Snow White “What have you done to him, you wretched girl?”

“Nothing, we were going to pick some flowers and give them to you and he just fell Mama!” she said crying into The Queen's dress.

The servants rushed out shortly after and took the King to his chambers and the doctor told The Queen that he had suffered from a syncopal episode less than a month later The King had died from an ear condition, we now know as Mastoiditis.

After his death The Queen's hatred for Snow White only grew, and to make matters worse as Snow White grew up, she became more beautiful each day and even more beautiful than the Queen, and when the Queen asks her mirror, it tells her that Snow White is the fairest of them all. And from that moment on the Queen's heart had turned completely against Snow White, but despite her increasing hatred toward Snow White she persisted to love her mother and hoped to get love in return, but the Queen only grew more wicked and vain.

One day while Snow White was picking flowers to give to her mother she had been walking through the Gardens when one of the Guardsmen approached her, “My Princess, if I might suggest the forest has an abundance of wild flowers we do not have here in the Gardens I can accompany you if you'd like.”

Snow White smiled at this, thinking that it might be just the thing to hopefully bring a smile to her mothers face. “Of course, Thomas, just give me a moment so I can alert the other Guards of where I'll be going.”

Thomas stepped in front of her, “Don't worry yourself about that your Grace, I will alert them that we are on our way out of the Castle, I will meet you in the stables in a moment.” he said to her motioning her toward the horse stables. And Snow White left without a second thought, trusting him more than anyone because they had grown up together. Little did she know, the Queen had known of Thomas closeness with Snow White and had ordered him to take her into the deepest part of the forest and murder Snow White and for proof, she demanded her heart, in hopes that by having her murdered her strength and beauty would be fully restored.

Thomas takes Snow White deep into the forest and as they were walking she reminisced with him of how they use to go into the forest as children and use her magic even though she hadn't properly learned how to control it yet, with no one to help guide her and how fond of him she had become over the years. He turned to look at her, “Your Grace if I might say - “

Snow White touched his arm, “Please, how many times must I tell you? Call me Snow.” she smiled sweetly at him leaning in closer as if she were about to kiss him.

He looked into her eyes and shook his head, “I can't do this.” he backed away, from her.

Snow White now looked confused, “What are you talking about?” he turned away from her, “Thomas why are you acting so strange?” she said walking closer to him, “Is it because you don't feel the same way for me?”

He spun around to face her and put his hands on her arms, “No, it is because of how I feel about you that I cannot do this, Snow, your mother, she wants me to kill you.”

Snow White's eyes widened in horror, “What?”

“She ordered me to take you into the deepest part of the forest and murder you and bring her back your heart. And I can't do it, I love you. You have to go, run Snow, run as far away from the Kingdom as you can and don't come back or she will kill you.”

As Snow ran away from him, he found a wild boar and cut out its heart and presented it to the Queen that night.

Snow White ran until she couldn't run any longer and her legs fell out from beneath her, she was in complete disbelief that her mother wanted her dead, despite the hatred she had shown her over the years she couldn't fathom the thought of her truly hating her that much. She cried lying there in the cold forest unable to move barely breathing she was cold but then suddenly she felt warm but her eyes were too heavy to hold open and she fell asleep. When she woke up she found herself lying in a bed unaware of where she was or how she got there.

“Is she...dead?” she heard a voice say.

“Quiet! She's sleeping!” another said quickly.

“Well she won't be if you two keep clamoring on like that!” said another.

“...I think she's awake” the first voice said softly. As Snow White turned her head to see where the voices were coming from.

“Hello?” she said sitting up in the bed.

Suddenly she saw a bright light fly in from the other room. “Hello!” it was the first voice she heard, “I'm Glick!”

“Snow White, you're...you're a fairy?” she said in awe.

“Yeah, I sure am, but that's what the gals prefer to be called I call myself a fae and this here is Whick, he's a dwarf.” he said dragging a dwarf out from hiding.

“Ugh!” Whick said unhappily, “I told you to be quiet!”

Glick whistled, “Hey guys she's awake!” and suddenly Snow White heard thuds and footsteps some heavy and some soft and then she saw a band of seven mythological creatures standing before her, Snick who was an elf, and the third voice that she had heard, Blick a Werewolf who reassured her not to worry because he only turns during a full moon, a merman holstered up with crutches named Plick, an Orc who didn't say much but grunted and groaned a lot named Quee, a shape-shifter named Flick who displayed how he could turn into a hawk and insisted that he was the smartest animal someone could choose to turn into. And of course the dwarf  Whick and the fae Glick.

Snow White explained to them what happened, and they told her to stay with them in exchange for housekeeping. They warn her to be careful when alone at home and to let no one in when they are away delving in the mountains which she happily agreed to.

Meanwhile back at the palace, The Queen asked her mirror once again: "Mirror, Mirror on the wall who's the fairest one of all?" The mirror replied: "My queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White beyond the mountains at the cottage of the Band of Misfits is a thousand times more beautiful than you." The Queen is outraged to learn that Thomas had betrayed her and that Snow White still lived.  And as she searched for him she was unable to find his whereabouts for he had himself fled knowing that he only had a short amount of time before the Queen discovered his deceit. So she decided to instead kill Snow White herself and conjured up what energy she had and cast a spell to disguise herself as an old peddler. The queen appears at the cottage and found Snow White washing laundry in the brook and told Snow White that she was a traveler who had lost her way and was in desperate need of some water. Snow White being the kind Princess that she was, took pity on her and not only offered her a drink but invited her to come back to the cottage and rest for a moment.

“Thank you, kind girl.” She said sitting down at the table, “I don't know how to ever repay you other than to offer you some colorful, silky laced bodices, I made them myself, it's all I have.”

“Oh, I couldn't possibly.” Snow White persisted.

“Oh you can and you must, if you don't I will never forgive myself for taking advantage of your kindness.” The Queen said standing up, “Now here I will help you put them on.” she said approaching Snow White.

“They're quite beautiful.” Snow White said as the Queen fastened the bodice around her.

“Yes, just as you are. Now hold still while I tighten the laces for you.” The Queen fastened the laces so tightly ignoring Snow White's protesting until she fell at The Queen's feet, now taking her true form, “There, there my daughter, not long now until you draw your last breath.” she said touching her cheek then leaving her in the cottage for dead.

Luckily the Misfits arrived just in time to save Snow White by Quee ripping the bodice and loosing the laces. Snow White gasped for air thanking them but didn't tell them about the Peddler because she had agreed not to allow strangers in the cottage, to begin with.

The Queen then consulted her magic mirror again, and the mirror revealed Snow White's survival. Outraged The Queen poisons a comb and makes it to the cottage again disguised as a crippled comb seller convinced that her naive daughter would never question the intentions of an innocent cripple. And at first Snow White was hesitant but then The Queen said, "Here I will leave it here for you, do with it what you wish. Good day." and with that, she left hiding in the trees nearby watching as Snow White picked the comb up and began brushing her hair with it and then she watched as Snow White's skin turn gray and fell to the floor. The Queen satisfied with her work headed back toward the Castle but little did she know the Misfits were on their way home and immediately examined her to find out why she was unconscious again. Snick touched the comb and felt the poison coming off of it and abruptly removed it. Only this time the Misfits asked her what was going on because they knew the comb was poison meaning someone had to have been in order to poison it, to begin with.

“Snow,” Plick said taking her hand in his, “we need you to tell us who was in the house?”

“Who was it?!” Blick said almost in a roar.

Snow White shook her head, “I – I don't know.”

Whick sighed, “We won't get mad at you Princess, we just need to know who was in the house and why they would want to harm you.”

Snow White put her hands on her temples, “I can't remember.” she looked up, “All I can remember is a crippled comb seller laid it on the windowsill and that's all I can remember.”

Snick stood up, “Okay, so there's only one person we know that could want to cause her harm and that is The Queen, but she has no idea where you are right Snow?” he said turning to her.

“N-no.” she said shaking her head slightly while Glick made healing incantations to ease her headache from the poison.

When The Queen approaches, feeling stronger than ever, the mirror again indicates that Snow White still lived.

She paced back and forth in her chambers, “Why?” she shouted, “How does she still live?” she bellowed toward the mirror.

A few days passed and nothing had occurred to the Queen to try to succeed in killing Snow White then she remembered when Snow White was younger she would always request to go to the Apple Orchard with her parents and that's when it struck her. “Apples,” she said with a smirk. She decided to make a third and final attempt on Snow White by disguising herself as a farmer's wife and offering a poisoned apple to her. But she knew by now Snow White would be starting to catch on after two attempts on her life. So The Queen took the apple and only poisoned half of it. Leaving the other half harmless. When she approached the cottage she noticed Snow White was in the kitchen making pies.

“Smells delicious!” The Queen called to her, “Blueberry?”

Snow White glanced toward the window and nodded, adamant on not talking to any strangers, then looked back down at the pie.

“Always been an apple woman myself,” she said placing the apple on the windowsill, Snow White glanced at it but did nothing to accept it.

“What's the matter, dearie?” She said grabbing the apple and slicing it in half with a knife, eating half of it with a smile. “Go on, have a bite.”

“Well apples are my favorite and they remind me of the ones back home,” she said eagerly takes a bite.

As she bites down she hears the farmer's wife cackling, “What's the matter, dearie?” She walks over top of her daughter for the last time now looking at her with no disguise, “You look so sad, are those tears? Oh, my sweet child, you want to know why I'm doing this?” she kneels down and places Snow White's head in her lap, “You took my power, my beauty...the minute I gave birth to you. A woman becomes a mother, to a daughter she can't help but see her mortality in that cherubic little face. Every time I looked at you I saw my own death. You were a constant reminder...of my worst fears....if only you would have been the Prince that I had promised your father, I loved you so very much until I realized what you were. And with each breath you take closer to your last I can feel my power surging from you back into myself. It's the greatest gift.” she said brushing Snow White's hair back, watching a tear slide down her cheek until her eyes went glassy. The Queen clicked her tongue getting up “Well, I will tell you this, I couldn't kill you, my child. I'm not a monster, no instead you will be unable to move ever again, and then they will bury you my dear and the worms will eat away at your flesh and you'll be screaming but no one will hear you because your lips will never move.” and with that the Queen left the cottage and went back to the castle once more.

Unaware to The Queen, ever since the second assault, the Misfits took turns staying home with Snow White hiding just in case someone returned. Plick had been in the brook catching fish for dinner while he saw The Farmer's Wife approach and when he saw The Queen leaving instead he alerted the other Misfits as quickly as possible. Unfortunately this time, they were unable to revive Snow White. Assuming that she was dead, they place her in a glass coffin enchanted to never allow her to age while she was inside of it, her beauty inside and out should never be below the ground. So she stayed there for a few years and flowers grew around her and the Misfits visited her often, though Whick visited her most of all. One day, as he was talking to her, he heard someone in the woods, certain it was The Queen he hid until he spotted the figure then attacked it. Only to find out that it was a guardsman from The Palace. As they threw a few punches at each other the Guardsman looked up and over to Snow White.

“Snow!” he fell to his knees.

That's when Whick realized he knew her, “You knew the Princess?”

“Yes, I love her.” he said tears falling from his eyes.

“Thomas?” Whick said now realizing who he was, “She always talked about you.”

“She has to go back to the Kingdom,” Thomas pleaded, “They must know what has happened to their princess, they must know how the Queen truly is.”

Whick hung his head, “There's no stopping her, Princess is gone.”

The rest of the Misfits emerged and agreed with Whick except for Blick who declared that they needed to go into The Palace and make The Queen pay.

So they allowed him to lift Snow White out of the coffin and as he held her in his arms he couldn't help but kiss her lips and then he feels something between her lips and noticed that it was a piece of an apple that had been lodged in her mouth and he removes it. Snow White awakens saying "Where am I?" the realizes she is with the Misfits and Thomas and they decide to head back to The Palace together and confront The Queen together in front of everyone.

Once they arrived Thomas stopped her before they went to confront the Queen, "Wait, I have an idea."

Meanwhile, the queen, still believing that Snow White is dead, again asks her magic mirror who is the fairest in the land. The mirror says: "Thou, lady, art but second loveliest here, I ween; but lovelier far is the new-made queen", which enrages the queen. Not knowing that Snow White had arrived and that when they arrived they had told the council everything that had happened and they were not hesitant to believe them once they realized Snow White was, in fact, alive and well after believing her to be dead and abruptly made her Queen.

The Queen storms into the throne room only to find Snow White sitting on the throne, suddenly The Queen gasps clutching her throat while all of the Council and Misfits watched as she fell to the ground. For all of the magic she had conjured up and been siphoning from Snow White was drained from her abruptly leaving her no more than a pile of ash in the middle of the throne room.

Snow White and Thomas married and just as her father had promised the Kingdom his heir did reign happily over the land for many, many years and sometimes traveling into the mountains and visiting the Misfits if they weren't already within the palace walls.

[broken-synchronicity]

Did I or did I not wait til feb 22 2022 just to post this whole ass thesis when I found out you added in Biology Au and Twst Thesis on the second of feb 2?

Yes.

And for good reason because I've been reading into demonology, Indian mythos, and how Faeries came to be just to clear their good names.

I’ve been shorthanding Merfolk, Beastmen, and Fae for too damn long but for now, I’m going to focus on Fae because Crowley is a comfort character for me–

I said that faerie were divine or atleast bred with divine beings and such had children who killed their divine parent in order to take their spot— guess who just found out that Faerie are derived from angels/Peri, the story goes that God had casted them out and only by atoning for their sins they will be granted access into paradise, when Islamic beliefs were introduced to Persia, however, they became more benevolent, which comes into play later I swearrr.

Now, I know this is too far into the future and I might be making my own Twst!Faerie mythos up buttttt— what if there were Fae purists? What I mean by this is, let's say Fae were kicked out of paradise (i am not talking monotheism, where there is a singular god just wanted to clear that up, i think Twisted Wonderland was born from primeval magic in the form of multiple god killing each other kinda like Sumerian myth where Tiamat birthed Gods that terafor— i digress)

Okay, so, they were kicked out of paradiso for being too mischievous and with humans, merfolk, and beastmen still being in their developmental stages they were kinda just sitting on rocks and drawing in mud— life’s no fun when you don’t have people on your wavelength you know? Yeah, you can mess with other fae, start a longstanding blood feud with monsters, beasts, and humans but like…. Come on now, they (beastmen, merfolk, humans, monsters) are essentially that weird kid next door with the temperament of a honey badger so they just… lounge around.

See, the thing with apathy especially when you’re waiting for something to happen is that… it changes a person, yeah they might be considered divine but like, divine beings are hella insane and we’re seeing it in the Age of Gods (rip). I mention Apathy because it’s one of the sins of current times along with false morality and the like.

Let’s focus on Apathy– Christian morality dictates that those who exhibit listlessness, lack of care, or are straight up not concerned with their life or position are sinners because if one doesn’t appreciate the life G-d has bestowed upon thee and all that is beautiful then you go directly to hell.

Cool, let’s call these demoted Fae, Acedia fae.

No I am not naming any future fae in this post after the Seven Deadly Sins bc I read Demonology, leave me alone.

Okayyyyy but what does this have to do with Fae purists???

Everything!1! I needed to name my main Fae purists somehow and I gave a messy justification as well.

With the introduction of Dwarves and subsequently Gnomes (guess who found out Fae and gnomes are distant cousins??? Or that Fae are considered the “first” humans as in more human looking which goes against biblically acu— no.) A new perspective was introduced— no, I’m not talking Panic at the disco— the same way Islam had been introduced to Peri in our history.

Achievement unlocked: New purpose.

Acedia ideology started slow, some went back to their roots and thus rediscovered naming ceremonies, some went on to follow other species around mindlessly observing the generations and docking the information in— nothing seriou–

Age of Gods, where I left off.

I should’ve added this into the brain decay but I was making those theories late at night with nothing on the brain but curating a twst society and art history (I will get back on my Artho shit i swearrr) and used ur ask box because i can’t restrain my fingers when it comes to hyperfixations i pick up on the side of the road at three am—-

Age of Gods sparked Acedia beliefs when they realized that they were capable of breeding and having a high birth success rate— it’s like an old [lower] god breeding with a new [upper] god and being like “hm, i could bring my status up.”

I think I mentioned at some point that Faeries broke up and migrated when their magic began to respond to them (smth like that) and I wanna call those Fae, Elementals on the basis that they were wreaking havoc on the environment by shifting them around or straight up fucking it up leaving the flora and fauna there to either migrate, adapt, or straight up die. (what if there were children’s tales that played this up—tundra was created by an ice elemental, desserts by a fire and wind bilqis [usually the considered the failed union between Peri and Human but this is way back then, could make the term worse for whoever its used on])

Age of Gods was def the height of Acedia beliefs when you considered that a God can recognize a God, demihumans, demigods step aside because demifae are here and ready to slay—- not.

When the Age of Gods transitioned into the Age of Heroes and Gods were no longer in style by a majority vote (Merfolk, Human, Beastmen, Dwarves, Gnomes, Faerie, the entire population of Earth v Acedian) I’d say that Gods became more villainous and/or grotesques monsters for the people to defeat and create legends around— The Jabberwocky was an amalgamation of lesser Gods (should’ve stepped their game up and that wouldn’t have happened but nooo)

Thus Acedian beliefs fell off—

What I’m trying to figure out is how draconic fae came to be and how they survived since its said that there’s only a small population of them and Fae usually don’t find the need to procreate/aren’t fertile enough to.

Did Fae….

They fucked the dragons yall ewwwwwwwwww.

Divine beings are nasty as fuckkk.

Anyways. I wanna bring this back to Acedia and how they played a role in Fae beliefs, I've kinda been conflating Unseelie and Acedia together at points and that's bc I kinda believe they are?? Like views shifted around a lot at the time and we notice that Fae only breed with the top dogs while Humans and Beastmen just breed with anything that can get outbred or they go on to murder the unbreedable.

Jabberwocky is not a sexy beast. I am telling you this right now.

I'll say it right now so that the transition to my next ask is coherent but—some dragons are divine and some are just regular degular dragons.

TL;DR: Me creating lore about the Unseelie court in Twst.

I mean, considering it was indeed half past 1 AM for me when I saw these, you made good on that promise 🤣

MORE FAE LORE HELL YEAAAAAAH

[mornyavie]

Glossary of references in The Bifrost Incident

 It’s Very Long and yet also not really complete. If there are any questions / clarifications I can add, or I’ve messed anything up and need to fix it, let me know!

The tl;dr is that nearly every word in the album draws from either Norse mythology or the Lovecraft / Cthulhu mythos, directly or indirectly.

@moony221b here’s that glossary that I promised forever and a day ago.

Edit: I decided to create this document of annotations (x). Lyrics taken from Genius; I’m not totally sure how accurate they are, but hopefully they help get the point across! Again, questions and complaints both welcome.

Arcomba

I can’t find anything on this, would be interested if someone knows.

Asgard

One of the Nine Worlds, specifically the one where most of the Æsir (the subset of gods most associated with humans, including the well-known ones like Thor and Odin) live.

Thus Asgard is the planet on which the most powerful inhabitants of the Yggdrasil system, and those named after the gods, are found (though the subjugation / colonization relationship does not exist in myth).

Azathoth

This one’s from Lovecraft; Azathoth is the greatest of the Outer Gods, often served and worshiped by other gods themselves. Often described as mad, a demon, a sultan, or putting it all together as the Mad Demon Sultan. Resides at “the center of the universe,” where he appears as some sort of vast, amorphous, bubbling, roiling mass of “nuclear chaos.” (Nuclear probably refers to center, not nuclear power, which didn’t really exist when this was written). Servants about him play drums and flutes.

Mentioned briefly as the train travels through the Bifrost and into his realm, and a lot of the narration in those few verses draws directly from Lovecraft’s descriptions.

Baldur

The god of light and beloved by all, Baldr was killed by Loki in his final betrayal of the gods. After the murder Loki was tracked down and imprisoned, and will escape at the start of Ragnarok. In particular, Loki used a spear made of mistletoe... or, in the album, missile two. And tricked another god into throwing it, which I think is mimicked in the distance and impersonality of the crime. Look up more of his story if you want, it’s interesting and important, but that’s the relevant info here.

Bifrost

The rainbow bridge that the gods use to travel between worlds. 

Which is, of course, directly analogous to the wormhole-ish extradimensional-ish space of “shifting, undulating hues” through which the train travels.

Edda

The Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda are the names given to two pieces of literature that are most people’s main source for Norse mythology. The Prose Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson around 1200 to teach his (mostly Christian) contemporaries about the mythology and mythological references that made up a big chunk of Norse literature. The Poetic Edda is a set of poems that serve as a major source for Norse tales.

This is partially just a way to connect our hero Lyfrassir Edda to the Norse traditions, but also definitely a reference to their (presumed) role as the main “recorder” and source of information to get out of the Yggdrasil system.

Fate

Honestly the way the Mechanisms deal with fate in general is very interesting and arguably sometimes quite Nordic... but in particular, Bifrost Incident references fate or destiny a number of times and features a number of situations where the outcome is fixed and can’t be changed, but you have to fight anyways: “Killing me won’t save your world” “I don’t care” or how Loki and Sigyn can’t stop the train, but can only delay it. A lot of Norse tragedy revolves around people heading into battle knowing that they’re doomed and fighting anyways, or around the cycle of conflict that marked the cultural requirements for avenging insults. And the myth cycle is notable for the fact that the gods know, explicitly, exactly what Ragnarok is, what’s going to happen, and how they’re going to die, but will fight in it anyways. 

Inevitability and helplessness in the face of what you can’t possibly understand, let alone fight, which is a depiction slightly sideways of the Nordic version, are very Lovecraftian themes.

Fenrir

A wolf, child of Loki and father of Skoll and Hati, who was chained by the gods (particularly by Tyr, who placed his hand in the wolf’s mouth as “hostage” to assure him they would unchain him later, and lost the hand). He will break free at Ragnarok to join the battle against them and kill Odin.

With his association with monsters and with Loki, it’s fairly clear why he was aligned with the resistance movement. He’s serving “five life sentences” as a reference to his being chained, and the whole motif of the train’s journey being hijacked for a prison break certainly references the various characters who will be freed or break free as Ragnarok begins.

Frey

The brief reference of Frey being killed by the raging fire of the sun, with “no weapon, no defense,” is a direct translation of the god’s role in Ragnarok, when he will be killed by Surtr. Frey gave away his sword for the opportunity to woo his eventual wife, and so will be armed only with a stag’s antlers in his final combat. Also called Freyr.

Freya (“weeps tears of red-gold”)

Like her brother Frey (and yeah, these names get confusing), Freya is associated with harvest and fertility, though unlike him she also gets battle. In the song she weeps red-gold tears at the death of her husband Odr, which in myth she is said to do when her husband is absent. Also called Freyja.

Garm

Garm is another wolf, who guards Hel’s gates. He also breaks free at Ragnarok, and his howling heralds its coming. As in the album, he will fight and kill Tyr. Also called Garmr.

Hati

There’s a lot of wolves in Norse mythology. This one is a child of Fenrir. He chases the moon across the sky, and will swallow it when Ragnarok comes.

Mentioned briefly only as one of the resistance members on the train.

Heimdall

Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, with keen eyes and foresight, and guards the Bifrost as the entrance to Asgard. He will blow his horn to summon the gods to the final battle during Ragnarok, and he and Loki will kill one another. Also called Heimdallr; you’re probably noticing a pattern. It’s a grammar thing.

Mentioned as guarding the train and “doing his part.” His dying screams initiate the train’s destruction and echo throughout it, which presumably recalls the horn thing.

Hel

Another daughter of Loki, and, as the name will imply to English speakers, a guardian of the dead. She refuses to give Baldur back to the world of the living after Loki kills him. Also the name of the realm in which she resides, and to which go those who die of disease or old age. Doesn’t necessarily have the same bad-punishment connotation as modern Hell. I don’t know whether there’s any indication of what she herself is doing in Ragnarok, but many of her people and associates are certainly fighting against the gods, and I’m fairly certain the ship Naglfar, which carries Loki and his allies to Ragnarok, sets sail from Hel.

Hel as a prison colony clearly references the various characters the gods have chained or otherwise imprisoned (though, in myth, not all within Hel) as well as her alignment with “other side” during Ragnarok, and the jailbreak the resistance members are planning recalls the breaking of all these bonds as Ragnarok begins.

Hoddmimis

The woods in which Líf and Lífþrasir (see Lyfrassir) will shelter to survive Ragnarok and the various disasters accompanying it. 

So, good news! We can be marginally assured of Lyfrassir’s survival after taking shelter at the mining-colony of Hoddmimis.

Jormungandr

The world serpent, which lives in the seas and encircles the earth. Will arise during Ragnarok, causing great floods, and fight Thor; Thor will slay the serpent, but in turn the serpent’s poison will cause his death, after he staggers “nine steps back.”

Thor’s fight with Odin-turned-serpent is pretty clearly analogous to this, especially the taking nine steps to the window before destroying it with his hammer, resulting in both their deaths. I don’t think there’s any mythological basis to Odin turning into the serpent, though

Kvasir (“blood drained out”)

Kvasir was a very wise man/god and the originator of poetry. I’m leaving out a fair amount of his birth and life; the important information here is that two dwarves who were jealous of his knowledge tricked him, killed him, drained his blood, and mixed it with honey to make mead. Any who drank of the mead gained the gift of poetry / scholarship; eventually the gods stole it.

I’m not sure if there’s a reason they decided to specifically describe him as a resistance member, but there’s a clear parallel in Kvasir’s blood being drained and used to power the train, especially with the language of glyphs and sigils providing power.

Loki

Ah, Loki. Male in the general canon, though not without genderbending (he turns into a mare and gives birth to Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr, for instance). Inasmuch as the Norse myths we have can be organized into a “chronology,” you could do it (in my opinion) along Loki’s path from a mostly benevolent trickster god whose antics occasionally cause trouble to a genuinely malevolent figure. Associated with wit, magic, and trickery. Despite how modern lore (I suspect influenced by Marvel) often portrays Thor and Loki as brothers and children of Odin, in the myth Loki and Odin are bonded as blood-brothers. But Loki also often appears alongside Thor. As mentioned, parent of three of the main figures of Ragnarok. In the “final” myth, he jealously arranges the death of the god Baldr, who was loved by all; then he appears at a feast, where he exchanges insults with the other gods. This is the last straw; they capture him and chain him to a stone, over which they tie a serpent. Venom drips from the serpent’s fangs, causing him great agony. His wife Sigyn stays by his side, catching the venom in a bowl, but when she is forced to leave for a moment to dump it out his thrashing causes earthquakes. He will break free at the start of Ragnarok and sail to Asgard, where he and Heimdall will kill each other.

Hopefully that’s enough to give you a good background for Loki’s role in the album... it’s pretty clear why she’s framed as the opposition to the gods and the “leader” of the resistance movement, as a call to her role in Ragnarok. Her association with magic and trickery make sense for her being the “expert” in the twisted Lovecraftian “science” that produces the train. It also parallels her role in myth; her actions often get the gods into trouble, but they just as often need her wit and knowledge to get them out of it, as Odin needs her knowledge despite her taking action to destroy the train. And the setup at the end - drip, drip, drip, her face twisted in pain, her wife beside her, her “release” heralding the end of the world - precisely echoes the language of her bondage in myth; though her mind-destroying imprisonment by Odin also invokes this.

Lovecraft(ian)

A highly influential horror writer from the early 20th century. He’s largely credited with the creation of the creation of the “cosmic horror” genre, a type of horror which emphasises a vast, unknowable, uncaring universe against which we cannot hope to even begin to fight. His ideas and the gods / demons / creatures he created form the basis of the “Cthulhu mythos” or even “Lovecraft mythos,” which today is a sort of standard set of assumptions on which writers can build. Lovecraftian themes of apocalypse, inevitability, and powerlessness are highly prevalent in the album. Several of the gods in this mythos are used; in particular, Yog-Sothoth (see below). Also, a lot of the general description (madness, roiling chaos, undulating colors) draws from his distinctive vocabulary that remains staple of the genre. It’s worth noting that Lovecraft was a horrible and very racist person, but the genre today is widely used by people who are not terrible.

Lyfrassir

Líf and Lífþrasir in Norse mythology are the two humans who will survive Ragnarok and rebuild humanity; a hopeful sign for our album’s protagonist!

Midgard

In Norse mythology, the “middle” world where humans live. Earth.

Nagthrod

I don’t know this one.

@acorn-mushroom pointed out that it may be a mis-transcription of Naglfar, the name of the (ocean) ship which will carry Loki and his followers from the shores of Hel to the battlefield at Ragnarok. It’s made of dead men’s nails.

Odin

The king of the gods in Norse mythology. As the god of both wisdom and madness, Odin’s role in the album as a researcher and technological ruler whose discoveries drive her slowly mad is both very Lovecraftian and a reasonable leap. I could say a lot about the figure of Odin, but I think this character is one of the most divergent from the myth, in detail if not in role.

Odr

Óðr is Freya’s husband.

Outer gods

A Lovecraft thing referring to several of the most horrible and powerful gods, including Yog-Sothoth.

Ragnarok

The apocalypse, basically, in Norse mythology. Proceeded by various catastrophes, especially a very long winter, mentioned in the album, culminating in a great battle between the gods and their enemies, and resulting in the death of the majority of gods and other creatures of the world.

Ratatosk

A squirrel who runs up and down Yggdrasil, carrying messages between some of the tree’s other inhabitants and sowing discord. The Ratatosk Express links the worlds of the Yggdrasil System, and causes “discord” in the resistance’s opposition to it.

Sigyn

Loki’s wife. See Loki for her role in his imprisonment.

Skoll

Sköll in Norse mythology is the wolf that chases and will someday eat the sun. Association with Fenrir (another wolf) and other monsters motivates his inclusion in the list of resistance members.

Thor

A Norse god, associated with war, lightning/thunder, strength, and in general sort of... common people, as opposed to Odin’s association with kings and royalty. Prone to anger, which makes sense with his depiction as a volatile military leader in the album. He is heavily associated with his hammer mjölnir, hence jokes about “throwing a hammer in the works” and whatnot. Often associates with Loki, both as friends and as enemies as Loki progresses from a mostly-harmless trickster to actively opposing the other gods; thus how in the album he and Loki were once friends. See above for his death fighting Jormungandr.

Tyr

Another Norse god associated with war. He sacrificed a hand to bind Fenrir, and will be killed by Garmr during Ragnarok, both events referenced in the album.

Yggdrasil

The world-tree of Norse mythology, which supports the nine worlds of the cosmology. 

Yog-Sothoth

An Outer God of Lovecraftian mythos; also called the Gate and Key. It is associated as sort of the substance of time and space, binding together the cosmos. A lot of the description during the Ragnarok sequences draws directly from the “canonical” descriptions of this deity, and the invocation spoken by Lyfrassir in Red Signal draws from a story about this creature, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

[aion-rsa]

The Lord of the Rings Almost Killed Off One of the Hobbits

https://ift.tt/2THdh6D

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’s $2.9 billion collective worldwide gross and 17 Academy Award wins (one of which was for Best Picture,) certainly make a case for the 2001-2003 films being the product of a winning formula, both production-wise and plot-wise. However, the process of getting the grandiose, once-unfathomable project off the ground naturally involved producers pressuring director Peter Jackson to implement ideas often contradictory to the source material. Apparently, one such idea would have seen one of the film’s four hobbits die!

While the more loquacious half of Lord of the Rings’ onscreen hobbits, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd—Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck and Peregrin “Pippin” Took, respectively—have told myriad stories about life on the set across the past few decades through interviews and the films’ insightfully entertaining DVD commentary, the duo brought new anecdotes in an interview with IGN promoting their recently launched, Rings-heavy podcast, The Friendship Onion. According to them, there was a brief period in production during which Jackson was being “pressured from above” (presumably New Line Cinema,) to sacrifice at least one of the film’s four hobbits—of course, with the other two being Elijah Wood’s Frodo Baggins and Sean Astin’s Samwise Gamgee—for a development that would clearly contradict the text of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels.

While the identity of the specific hobbit producers wished to see relegated to taking second breakfast in the great beyond was not revealed, Monaghan offers a theory, stating, “It’s a good job that didn’t happen, because it would have been me,” he laughed. “It definitely would have. There’s no way they are killing Frodo and Sam, and the only ones that would be left would be Merry and Pippin. They wouldn’t kill Pippin because Pippin has a really strong story with Gandalf. It would have definitely been me. I think Pete quite rightly was like, ‘This is a luminary piece of written work, and we need to stick close to the text.’ So, he stuck by his guns. Yeah, I’m thankful that didn’t happen.”

Read more

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Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings Series is Focusing its Massive Budget on Huge World-Building

By Joseph Baxter

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Dark Alliance Reminds Us We Need a Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Remaster

By Matthew Byrd

Much to the gratitude of Monaghan and Tolkien purists everywhere, Jackson won that particular battle in the end, thereby leaving the trilogy as a more authentic take on the text. However, while the notion of actually making a casualty of one of the beloved hobbits might seem outrageous to moviegoers, especially those with intimate knowledge of the Middle Earth mythos, it was actually a sound suggestion from a purely dramatic standpoint. After all, as with Bilbo Baggins in preceding story The Hobbit, the diminutive hole-dwellers from the Shire were meant to represent average people, unprepared for the travails of life away from home, who, during times of war, find bravery within themselves when thrust into overwhelming circumstances. Pertinently, with strong bonds having been forged amongst comrades during said circumstances, the loss of one yields a dramatic payoff that’s hard to resist from a narrative perspective. Notwithstanding The Fellowship of the Rings‘ fateful death of Boromir, such a death wouldn’t even be without precedence, since, in adhering to the literary lore, 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies famously featured the deaths of the party’s two youngest, most energetic dwarves, Kili and Fili, in the climactic moments of Jackson’s prequel trilogy.

If, as Monaghan theorizes, Merry was set to be sacrificed in the name of plot pathos, then it likely would have occurred during Return of the King’s Battle of the Pelennor Fields, during which Merry—after being forbade by King Théoden—secretly joined a disguised Éowyn to participate in the Kingdom of Rohan’s horseback counter-attack against the siege forces of Mordor orcs—and later the oliphaunt-riding humans of the Haradrim—outside of Gondor. Merry’s role in the battle was the clear culmination of an arc that saw him go from a crop-thieving ne’er-do-well to sword-wielding battlefield hero, and highlighted him at his highest point. He also proved integral to the victory when he stabbed the Witch King of Angmar in the back—injuring himself in the process—which allowed Éowyn to make the iconic “I am no man” deathblow to the head, taking the enemy’s most powerful player off the board. Yet, Merry was left in bad shape by the end of the battle, found barely cognizant by a wandering Pippin in the aftermath, facilitating one of the film’s many emotional reunions. This moment could have been repurposed into Merry’s death scene, after which a perturbed Pippin would be motivated for vengeance in the ensuing, trilogy-climactic Battle at the Black Gate, thereby completing his own arc.

New Line Cinema

While Jackson had to make several changes from the source material—mostly regarding the timeframe and segments that detracted from the main plot—to make The Lord of the Rings’s chronicle-styled prose work on the big screen, he also knew that the understated narrative in the periphery from Tolkien’s extensive lore was an intangible quality that separated this mythos from other fantasy offerings. Indeed, the appendices included at the end of the novel trilogy were a consistent source of context-setting backstories that Jackson wove into the main narrative of the movies. Case in point, in the novels, the movie-prominent romance of Aragorn and Arwen was primarily told in the appendices, outside the main content. Likewise, Tolkien crafted full fates for our foursome of hobbits, including Merry, who ended up marrying Estella Bolger and becoming a key member of the Shire’s leadership as the Master of Buckland. The backstory is so extensive that it also reveals when Merry and Pippin died, after which they were entombed with honor over in Gondor, later joined by King Aragorn Elessar himself. Consequently, it would have seemed disrespectful to dismiss such extensive stories by Tolkien.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Regardless, fans of The Lord of the Rings will soon have no shortage of new onscreen content, with Amazon’s untitled prequel series—set thousands of years before the main story—currently in production and possibly set to premiere either by the end of 2021 or sometime into 2022. Moreover, an anime feature focused on the namesake of famous fortress Helm’s Deep, titled The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is also in development from Warner Bros. and New Line. Given the eras in which these offerings take place, fans can likely breathe a sigh of relief for poor Merry.

The post The Lord of the Rings Almost Killed Off One of the Hobbits appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3l810TY

[sunflowerdrake]

Shinobi Hobbits - prologue

Fandom: Naruto x Hobbit/LOTR

No known pairings yet

Summary: Every Shinobi gets the opportunity to be reborn in a more peacefull life. Some take it, others don't. But heir new Shire-life will not stay peaceful for much longer.

Very AU for HobbIt/LOTR timeline

Not pposted on AO3 (yet?)

PROLOGUE:

Religion was never a part of shinobi life. They didn’t believe in a deity who would make everything better after prayer, or who watched over them. This was something that every shinobi had in common, despite all their other numerous differences.

No shinobi really thought about life after death. There was no need to. There life was what mattered. There was no shared mythos of heaven, or hell.

Most hoped to find some peace after the brutal lives they led. Surprising or not, but barely any shinobi died peacefully in their sleep of old age.

And peace they found.

No one ever questioned where hobbits came from.

Elves were the firstborns of the Valar, men came later, and some say dwarves weren't meant to be.

Nonsense of course.

The Ishtari were always sort of there, even if their numbers were few.

But where did Hobbits come from?

No one knew. And no one cared to ask. And none who were alive now could actually recall the truth.

All they had left were stories now. Stories, of their ancestors meeting first the Sage of Six Paths, and later the Valar. Both responsible for this second change. A change given to all the Sage's children.

Some choose not to accept this gift, choosing a different kind of peace. Others grasped it almost desperately, dying to re-meet with loved ones and live the life they had wished for the first time.

True peace wasn't something any shinobi got to know. Not until death. The creation of the Greta shinobi villages had created more peaceful times, to be sure, but violence still reigned. Children were still taught to kill from a young age.

It was better than before. But true peace was a gift. Given to them by their ancestor and strange gods who had created a world and strange people to inhabit it.

Hobbits weren't warriors. They never were meant to be.

And most who choose that life left the violence behind.

They embraced the peaceful life, their plump bodies not made for it, and their will for conflict and violence reduced to nothing. They were gifted land by the Valar, and they were thankful.

The Valley of the Anduin housed them for many years, until the growing darkness chased them out, kill g the fertile land they once lived on.

There is a saying, that every time Hobbit take up weapons again, the world changes.

It was Ashura, who led the remaining Hobbits over the Misty mountains, and to the lands that are now known as the Shire, under the guidance of the Green Lady.

The wandering days were gone, and many Hobbits were lost along the way.

But they found peace again. And for ages, they knew nothing else.

For the truth was, Hobbits were souls reborn.

They were fussy little beings, small with elf ears and big feet. Peaceful beings.

They were made to enjoy life. Because peace wasn't something most got to enjoy, before becoming Hobbits.

All remembered who they once had been. Most chose to forget, and spent most of their life as if this really was their first and only life. Some chose to remember, but to put the past behind them. Very few kept true to their past life, refusing to give up who they had once been, and that was fine as well. These Hobbits kept up their training, and mostly acted as the Shire’s defence, for those few instances a defence was needed. Like that time during the Battle of Greenfields, when goblins tried to invade their home. There had been the Wandering days before that. But generally there was no need to keep up with the skills they had learned in their first live.

The Shire was generally a peaceful place. It had sustained them for generations, giving the battle hardened shinobi a chance at a peaceful life. And most embraced this opportunity with open arms.

Recently though, things had started to change.

After the fourth and last shinobi war, births had increased to an almost uncomfortable amount. The older hobbits realised that their lands were becoming too small for the amount of people in it.

A solution would have to be found in coming years.

The last Shireling to be born was Peregrin Took. He was the last of a wave of babies to be born, a wave bigger than ever before.

Pippin, just like the Faunt born before him, had a unique mark in the palm of one of his hands. A sun, while young Frodo Baggings was born with a moon in the opposite palm.

Pippin, who had not died because of the war, but after it, because he had been the only one left after years of fighting, came into the world without a sound.

His parents, the same ones he had always had but who he only now got a chance to know, were both over enjoyed and sad to welcome him in their lives.

Births always were strange happenings in the Shire. People were happy to reunite, of course, but at the same time sad. Because a birth here, meant someone had died first.

People weren’t exactly born in the same order as in which they died, strangely enough. Some of them were kept in between longer than others.

Children only gradually remembered their past life, if they chose to remember at all. It was why some hobbits got two names. A “true” name, and old name, and the new name they were born with.

Faunts, even remembering their past live, grew up happy. Playing around in the green hills of the Shire, wrecking mischief where possible.

Even if some were born to parents they hadn’t had before. Only active shinobi were reborn after all. Children from civilian families got born into different families, and while confusing sometimes, there weren’t loved any less.

As the years passed and generations grew in number, more and more Hobbits were born.

There wasn’t an immediate problem. Sure, they were many of them, but the Shire was plentiful. They might live a bit cramped in some places, but there is enough food to sustain them all, and no one felt immediate action was required.

Until the Fell Winter.

The cold, harsh winter that would take months and would dwindle their food storage to almost nothing. The winter that brought starving wolves to their lands. Wolves, who on their turn brought wargs and even orcs down with them.

It would be a winter of great change.

[allywrites360]

Red Shoes - Analysis/Review

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world… whether my eyes are open… or closed.” - Merlin

““But I’m still that Merlin inside.” - The one who grew. The one who changed, and learned to love himself and others for more than what’s on the outside. I know Snow is the main example of self love in this film, but Merlin provides a great example of this; something we don’t often see in male characters.”

--

So this film just released in North America, and I thought I’d share some thoughts and overall themes/metaphors from this film. But first, I’d just like to encourage you (if you haven't already) to go and support this film. It pretty inexpensive, and was made by an independent animation studio, which I think is absolutely amazing. Now onto the analysis!!

Love the concept of everyone being an adaptation of a fairytale character; adds to the society being shallow and appearance focus as a whole, as fairytales were traditionally focused on dichotomy and physical beauty.

The lighting, and really animation as a whole, is phenomenal for a film made by an independent studio. The shading and colour grading is a real standout, though. And the landscapes!! They feel really three dimensional, and gorgeous.

[ID - A shot of a sunrise, beautifully lit behind a belltower - End ID].

Scoring/motif for the main villain is amazing.

Introduction to the protagonist is really not setup well. Did she actually get sent away from the palace? How long was she gone? How desperate is she to save her father? All of these questions are left unanswered, and no prominent character traits are shown through her first scene. She could be clever? All she did was change her hiding spot, so even that’s a stretch.

I hate the king’s narration. The dialogue is choppy, and repetitive in a completely irrelevant way.

The lore around the tree is really unclear. Why haven’t the shoes worked for Regina? Why do they work for Snow? Will they not regrow?

Love the transition scene to the dwarfs; makes it feel as though they’re just been walking listlessly since the spell was cast. Which, y’know, more or less true.

[ID - A shot of the seven dwarfs walking together through the centre of a forest in midday, looking slightly dejected - End ID].

Love the fact the mirror points out that ‘wisdom’ and ‘kingdom’ don’t rhyme; I paused to point that out.

I will say that the action scenes are really well directed/choreographed. The camera flows really nicely, and always follows our protagonists (ooh, tying into the dichotomous nature of fairytales overall?), which makes the stakes and emotions feel higher/more personal.

The villain’s voice acting and dialogue is really sharp and entertaining. She feels like a real threat (and also uncannily similar to Gothel but).

Love the wooden front on their house disguised as a castle. Really nicely done metaphor for them clinging on to a cheap version of their pasts; refusing to move on, which is torn down when she arrives. Also ties in to the “what’s on the inside outweighs what’s one the outside” moral.

[ID - The seven dwarfs’ house, which is a cave, with a wooden cutout shaped and painted like a castle sitting in front of it to give the illusion of a grander living space - End ID].

Can I also say I love that her first reaction isn’t insanely positive to her new appearance? In general, she just notes there’s been a change, which is a really nice subversion of the ‘overweight people have to be unhappy at the outset’ trope.

Her facial expressions are also really animated, which is something I’ve always loved (see Ariel, Anastasia, etc.), especially her eyes. Really well designed. Actually, all the expressions suit the characters’ personalities really well. Great job, animation department!

The fact that all seven dwarfs are names after popular mythical characters is really inventive (much more so than simply naming them after a character trait), as well as having their diverse fighting style be built from that, which I loved. Could even be allusions, but I don’t know enough about the original stories to say.

Hate the electric guitar of Prince Average. Highlights how much he doesn’t belong in this movie. His name is horribly uncreative, and his pop culture references break the forth wall, and aren’t funny, as they aren’t used properly. With him as the involved antagonist for most of the film, I can’t take the threat seriously. Other comic villains have been done so much better, such as Prince Charming from Shrek. The only valid line he has is about ‘dwarfs’ vs. ‘dwarves’; I never know which to use. “Finally, the big guns, thank you!” One more fourth wall break from this man I swear.

Love the added detail of the shoes not being able to be removed once you place value on the beauty they give. It’s hard to let go of that temptation; and if you don’t, you won’t be seen as your true self. It also highlights how she loves herself at the outbreak of the movie, and is therefore able to remove them freely. Also gets rid of the the deus ex machina of her shoes coming off freely in the water.

Wish we could’ve seen her doubt grow as she realizes they wouldn’t have helped her in her original form. Feels like we were a bit disconnected from her emotions. Which might not be a bad thing… if we assume Merlin in the protagonist.

Nice foreshadowing to her father being the bunny; if you know to look for it.

References such as ‘#blessed’, or ‘Pablo Picasso’, don’t work in the slightest. They serve no purpose, and aren’t funny simply because most would recognize them.

Normally I would make a note about Merlin and Snow having really standard, basic designs, but one, this animation studio is small, and on limited resources, and two, it, again, relates back to the shallow, uninteresting societal expectation of beauty that refuses to be unique.

Ahh, nice that apples are what trip the guards up in the chase scene through the market. Symbolic.

Love that she’s willing to defend the dwarfs even when she realizes they won’t help her in her original form. Again, wish we could’ve seen her emotions pertaining to that a bit more, although the reflection shot in the mirror (reflected from the shot at the start of the scene) was nice. Speaking of that, the broken, fragment reflection of her ‘fake’ self, is beautiful, because it isn’t a representation of herself, however at the end of the scene, we see the reflection in the same manner, but with her original self, but due to newly inflicted self doubt, we get a split second of that reality being fragmented too.

[ID - Snow White frowning as she looks into a shattered mirror leaning against the wall of an alleyway in her society-dictated “beautiful” - End ID].

[ID - Snow White looking into the same mirror, frowning, and having removed the shoes, restoring her to her original appearance - End ID].

The three bears (I’m assuming an allusion to the Goldilocks mythos) don’t really serve any plot relevance… however they are cute, so make of their inclusion what you will.

Again, the scene where she exits the dwarfs’ home; it would’ve been great to see a shot of her internal conflict before she submits herself to giving up her freedom for Merlin and Arthur’s. Relating to that, I have noticed that the hostage situations have shockingly low stakes in this film. For instance, at the end, Merlin is simply held in a branch, and a second later, Snow is willing to give up her life to set him free.

The movie didn’t end up using this (which was a nice subversion of expectations), but if Merlin had used all his spells in the final battle, and needed just one more shot, it wouldn’t have been a deus ex machina, because we establish previously he has the one Snow gave him for luck. I assumed it’d comeback again, but turns out they just used it as a symbol (for having the flower, a symbol of outside beauty, float out of his hand), for him letting go of his shallow mindset.

[ID - Snow White (wearing the shoes which change her appearance) smiles at Merlin, in his dwarf form. In his hand there’s a paper flower she folded from one of his spells - End ID].

Really love the joke about the mirror being hurt by smoke. Get it? Smoke and mirrors? Now that reference is funny; and also ties into the theme of false fronts/illusions. But not gonna lie, all that was an afterthought. It genuinely made me laugh.

Love that they rebuild the house too. It’s not beautiful, at least in a traditional sense. It’s cracked, uneven, but personal to them; they did it as a family. I’ll give the writers credit for so fully entrenching the theme into every frame and action. Nothing is meaningless in this film. Well, at least surrounding the protagonists.

Ooh, ooh, I could forgive the use of pop as their love motif if at the end, when there are no facades, it’s replaced by original scoring. I don’t remember that scene in all that much detail though.

The tree thing is… strange, I’ll admit, but considering Regina puts all her stock in the beauty which comes from the magic tree, it makes sense it’d be rooted into her magic in some way. The apple details are cool (notches shaped like seeds on the trunks), if nothing else, considering the scene with the three attacking is not investing the slightest, beyond some inventive attacks from Merlin (the action and attacks surrounding him aren’t executed all that poorly).

The directing in general is phenomenal in this movie; which is something I’ve been trying to put a bit more attention on lately.

Love small details like Merlin holding his back after the fight, circling back once again to the fact these characters are more similar than they realize (if you remember, that’s what she used as a cover when she first woke up).

[ID - A shot of Merlin running, pressing a hand against his back as he does so - End ID].

Okay, I can suspend my disbelief for a lot of things in this movie, but when Snow dives into the lake, that surface tension would’ve seriously hurt her. If even some waves would’ve been added, it would’ve not only added suspense to the scene, but made it a bit more grounded as well.

“Who do you like more, Snow White or Red Shoes?” “Easy, it’s Red Shoes.” “Who does Red Shoes love more?” “Easy, it’s me. Wait… no. It’s you.” That line is by far my favourite from the film. I love that it shows his guilt. She’s chosen to love him despite his appearance, but he won’t do the same for her. And now he has to look in the mirror at that ugly part of his personality.

[ID - At night, Merlin in his dwarf form stands beside Merlin in his human form. The dwarf version of him looks irritated as he looks up - End ID].

(Assuming Merlin named the rabbit, and if I’m being honest I didn’t pay attention to that) It’s sorta fitting to his character that he named it ‘Long Ears’ - a notably physical attribute.

While I do like that, just because the climax called for it, the sword didn’t suddenly lift from the stone, I really dislike that it was broken out by sheer force; which goes goes against the entire magic system/point of the sword and who gets to hold it.

Kronk as the magic mirror is hilarious. I want to credit the screenwriters for his lines… but I have a strong feeling it was mostly improv. Well done whoever is to credit for that.

Now this action scene, with Merlin being attacked by the tree roots, is insanely well done. For maybe the first time in this movie, I feel the suspense I’m intended to, and the setup and just character movement in general is really inventive. You feel his emotions and breath in this scene, which takes serious talent.

“How could she possibly want to save you more than she wants to be beautiful? Did you cast a spell?” - On a related note, I’m proud of this movie for not falling into the traditional ‘misunderstanding breaks up characters before the final battle’ (they technically do split up, but it’s the fault of Merlin’s unresolved selfish intentions rather than a petty matter) through Snow seeing the love spell, and assuming the worst even though Merlin never uses it.

The vines could be a metaphor as well; in this battle, they’re the shallow desires holding him back, while he, with the assistance of others, has to break his own way out (as shown by him using his lighting to crack a small hole in the doors (or exit) of the room.

[ID - Merlin is running towards the “camera”, however, he looks surprised as a vine grabs his waist, and attempts to drag him back into the castle - End ID].

“I’m sorry, Snow White.” That’s the first time he uses her name; and he does it mentally; in a voiceover. It isn’t to impress her, or win a competition. It’s how he truly sees her now. Also, so beautiful how his motives go from being self centred, to focused on her; he changed because of her influence. It’s been done before, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful here.

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world… whether my eyes are open… or closed.” That wasn’t his final line (he survives), but if it was… that would’ve been so powerful. Still is, just in a different way.

“I kinda liked the short and green Merlin.” “But I’m still that Merlin inside.” - The one who grew. The one who changed, and learned to love himself and others for more than what’s on the outside. I know Snow is the main example of self love in this film, but Merlin provides a great example of this; something we don’t often see in male characters.

And I loved that it was a hug immediately after his spell is broken. He isn’t trying to gain anything, he’s just happy to be with her, which is super romantic. 

[ID - Both now restored to their original forms, Merlin and Snow White sit on the ground just outside the palace hugging each other, both smiling with their eyes shut. The king, and a few of the dwarfs stand in the background - End ID].

Onto a few of my favourite lines;

“I was worried about you!” “I was worried about me too. But- but mostly you!”

“If you could see the real me…” “I think I can see the real you… eyes open or closed, I still see Merlin.” What a great line. What a great theme. You don’t need to know the facts about someone, or see their original appearance, to know who they are. And I think that’s beautiful.

“Someone you’l be proud to be seen with.” “I think you’re right.”

“I thought that we were both under the same spell… but I was wrong.”

“He likes you more than he likes me,” as she looks down at the shoes.

“Who do you like more, Snow White or Red Shoes?” “Easy, it’s Red Shoes.” “Who does Red Shoes love more?” “Easy, it’s me. Wait… no. It’s you.”

“How could she possibly want to save you more than she wants to be beautiful? Did you cast a spell?”

“I’ve never been so glad to be chubby and green again.” - Because it means he’s not alone.

“I’m sorry, Snow White.” 

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world… whether my eyes are open… or closed.”

“I kinda liked the short and green Merlin.” “But I’m still that Merlin inside.” 

I’ll just say, as an ending thought, that the 2D animation of their wedding is adorable.

Overall, I’d give it 8/10. Nothing phenomenal that was entirely groundbreaking, but there’s a lot of heart to be shown here, with some truly amazing characters, even if some of their universe isn’t all that intriguing. Would highly recommend.

[beautiesandheadcanons]

I've been planning this post for a while, but just haven't had a chance to sit down and compose it until now, so here we go! Also, my spell-checker absolutely hates me now, so you’re welcome.

This week, I wanted to talk about one of the most intriguing and unique races of Dragon Age. Other games, of course, have Elves and Dwarves a plenty, but the Qunari stand out as being a creation all of their own. While they may bear passing resemblances to other fantasy races (and even those are few and far between, from my person experience) between their looks, their language, and their culture, it makes for a complete experience separate from any other mythos.

The word "Qunari" is an interesting word in and of itself, because while most use it in general to refer to the race of grey-skinned, horned giants, it's only translated to mean "People of the Qun", and as a result there are those who are Qunari in race but don't follow the Qun's philosophy, and there are others who are not of the race but who convert to the Qun (they are typically referred to as Viddathari). Those of the race who are born outside the Qun's influence are known as Vashoth ("grey ones"), while those who rebel are known as Tal-Vashoth ("true grey ones"). Vashoth and Tal-Vashoth are terms that, in game, are used pretty interchangeably, but in experience there is a difference. Tal-Vashoth are rebels, usually fighting directly against the Qunari, while Vashoth simply exist outside of it.

The Qunari as a race descended from an unknown race of people known as Kossith, which predate the Qun philosophy. There was a settlement of them in the Korcari Wilds in southern Thedas, but they were overrun by darkspawn during the First Blight (and it's assumed the darkspawn's contact with them is what lead to the creation of ogres). While there is no records of what they looked like in relation to modern Qunari, it is said that they are different, not just in society. Why there was a split from Kossith to Qunari isn't completely clear (and possibly is shrouded in secrets for the purpose of propaganda, though that's just my personal opinion). What is known is that a Kossith philosopher, Ashkaari Koslun, developed a school of thought that became the basis of the Qun, the laws and guide that set down the rules of society for the Qunari, which is wildly different than any other in Thedas. Qunari do not marry or have families, but are bred and the children are raised and brought up in groups by Tamassrans. These Tamassrans also educate them and help to designate their roles in the society, which they are expected to fulfill to the letter. However, they don't see themselves as limited in their roles, they believe that from birth they are given a purpose in their nature and their lives are spent fulfilling that nature. To rebel against their nature is to rebel against order, is to become Tal-Vashoth, is to fall to chaos. Whenever they have led campaigns into Thedas for the purpose of conquering, they see themselves as liberators bringing the Qun to free them from their torment.

Their naming practices are the most unique in the game, because strictly speaking, Qunari don't have names in the traditional sense. They are assigned a series of numbers at birth - similar to a social security number of sorts - and their "name" is simply their profession. And, since their profession can change over time, with promotions and such (especially in, say, the military) then their "names" change as well (more on that later, as there is an interesting specific example).

Magic is seen as dangerous, and they treat mages far more severely than even the Chantry in southern Thedas (which, considering how abusive some Circles were, should tell you how seriously they treat it). Qunari mages are named Saarebas ("dangerous thing"), and their lips are sewn shut, their horns cut off, they are collared and shackled, and they are kept under strict control by a special soldier named Arvaarad ("holds back evil"). If at any point a Saarebas is separated from their Arvaarad, they are executed upon return because the danger that they have been possessed in the meantime is too great to them to risk. In Dragon Age 2, when Hawke escorts a lone Saarebas, if they fight for them then they are referred to as Basvaarad, a non-Qunari who controls a Saarebas (since "bas" is the Qunlat word for non-Qunari).

Physically, they are known as giants for a reason, since they stand taller than any other race in Thedas. While they commonly have grey skin and are usually called as such, their actual skin tone can vary, but is usually darker, like variations of gold or bronze (or even other colours, potentially, as we see in Inquisition). Most Qunari seem predisposed to having white hair, but that's by no means across the board. Their ears are pointed, but smaller than an Elf's ear typically is, and obviously their most prominent feature is their horns, which vary from Qunari to Qunari. Said horns have no nerves, so if they're damaged or even removed, that causes no problems. The horns are said to get irritated in some way (possibly itchy due to growth, at least that's my headcanon) and so they've developed a balm for themselves (otherwise I like to imagine a large, hulking Qunari rubbing their horns against a tree like a deer to relieve the sensation). However, not all born Qunari develop horns, and it seems the chances of that happening are akin to red hair occurring naturally in humans for us. Instead of being shunned or shamed, however, those without horns are revered as special and usually given high-ranking, prestigious roles in their society. For a race that is large and imposing and who typically sport horns, for them, not having horns is seen as scary or dangerous. This is the reason that Saarebas have their horns removed, as an indication of the danger they possess. In fact, the first Qunari we get to meet in the game is hornless, and if recruited, can become quite the powerhouse companion for the Warden.

In the first Dragon Age game, Origins, the first Qunari we get to encounter is Sten (which, again, is his title more than his name). He can be found locked in a cage in Lothering, imprisoned for slaughtering a family after waking up post-battle to find his sword missing (a shameful crime for a Qunari warrior, the consequence for which is execution). The Warden can free him or leave him to die, but there is no reason to leave a perfectly capable powerhouse warrior behind. He is very blunt, to the point, and obviously military born and bred from childhood. He is even puzzled by female-identifying fighters amoungst the group, as for Qunari society, warriors are male only (female Qunari who are adept at fighting are known as Aqun-Athlok, and enter the warrior caste as males and identify as such, since gender is a secondary trait that is considered less important than their duty to the Qun; again, Sten is obviously a fighter and not a philosopher and isn't as flexible in his thinking). Sten's personal quest involves retrieving his sword, which means after the Blight is over and he leaves the Warden's side, he can return to Qunari society without shame. If the Warden has a high enough approval, he'll even refer to them as "Kadan", a term normally associated in later games with a romantic connotation, but which simply means "where the heart lies" and can technically refer to close friends as well as a romance partner.

In Dragon Age 2, there are no Qunari companions, but there is a group of Qunari stranded in Kirkwall that is interacted with several times. They are headed by the Arishok, the general military leader for the Qunari people. At first, their staying there is chalked up to them waiting for a ship to come for them, however it's later revealed that the real reason they haven't left is because they have lost the Tome of Koslun and cannot return without it (which, surprise surprise, Hawke's pirate companion is involved in its theft). The Arishok, like Sten, is stoic and rigid and uncaring for the plight of Kirkwall itself. After spending a few years there, however, the chaos becomes too much for Arishok to handle and he leads his Qunari on a campaign through the city, executing the Viscount in front of the nobles and confronting Hawke, the protagonist of DA2. Hawke has a couple of ways of dealing with him, which include giving back the Tome of Koslun (which means giving up Isabella, the companion involved in its theft), they can fight Arishok and his company, or if Hawke has done enough to earn his favour as "basalit-an" (an outsider worthy of respect) or if Fenris is in the group, the Arishok can be encouraged to settle the matter in a duel one-on-one with Hawke. The duel itself is difficult, especially for squishier characters like mages, but from personal experience, a little strategy and patience can net a win over the Arishok, killing him and ending the Qunari hold on the city. Even if Arishok is given the tome and Isabella and leaves peacefully, however, Isabella later escapes with the Tome again and when he returns to the Qunari homeland of Par Vollen, he faces a court martial and is removed from his role as Arishok.

The interesting bit is, however Arishok is removed from his position, Sten from the previous game is given the role of Arishok, thus changing his name from Sten to Arishok. This can create a little confusion sometimes in referring to the characters, because Sten is no longer Sten at all and to Qunari he is Arishok only. As a result, in talking about him, the fandom has varied ways of referring to him. Some stick to more lore-friendly names - as in the Arishok post 9:34 (the year he was made Arishok), New Arishok, the Hornless Arishok - and others either make an amalgamation of the names such as Aristen or Stenishok, and others will just give him a nickname of their own to personally refer to him. We even get to see him as Arishok in the lovely comic “Dragon Age: Those Who Speak”, and I gotta say, he looks much better with the facial hair. 

In Inquisition, we get the first chance to not only romance a Qunari companion, but also play as a Qunari! If one chooses to play as the Qunari race, they are technically Qunari who were born outside the Qun are Vashoth (though the game keeps referring to them as Tal-Vashoth, as if they rebelled and rejected the Qun). Their default last name is Adaar, which means "weapon", which our lovely Qunari companion comments on appreciatively. As a Qunari, the class options are the same as most races, and the player can be a warrior, a mage, or a rogue, though Solas and Cullen are excluded from their romance options (Cullen is locked for female humans and Elves only, Solas is the most restrictive with female Elves only). There are also unique dialogue options that can both be selected and that can be heard both in direct conversation and in passing … and not all of it is friendly and accepting. I currently have two Qunari Inquisitors that I play with, one a female rogue assassin named Katari (in Qunlat, "one who brings death"), and the other a male mage necromancer named Talan (in Qunlat, "truth").

The Iron Bull, I admit, is the whole reason I bought Inquisition first, because I wanted to romance him. When the player meets him, he is heading a mercenary band called The Bull's Chargers. While he appears to initially be Vashoth or Tal-Vashoth, in truth he works as a spy for the Ben-Hassrath, an arm of Qunari society that act as enforces and protectors of their law and also disseminates information and even sends assassins. The Iron Bull is not his "name" under the Qun (he's known as Hissrad to them, "keeper of illusions" or, colloquially, "liar") and is simply a name he took for himself when sent to spy in southern Thedas. To his credit, he is upfront with the Inquisitor about this, and passes on information from the Qunari along with sending information back to them. As mentioned, he can be romanced, and race and gender does not matter to him. If the Inquisitor doesn't romance him or Dorian, however, and their party banter reaches a certain point, the game will put The Bull and Dorian in a romance of their own (known to fans as "Adoribull"). His personal quest involves a mission given by the Qunari to stop a shipment of red lyrium. At a critical point, the Inquisitor will have to make a decision to either sacrifice The Chargers and forge an alliance with the Qunari, or to save The Chargers and forgo the alliance. This has a large impact on his character, as if his company is saved, he is branded as Tal-Vashoth and he is expelled from the Qun and everything he knows, but if his company is sacrificed, he becomes even more loyal to the Qun. In game, only a few dialogue and cutscenes are different, but in the DLC Trespasser, if The Bull is Qun-loyal or if his quest wasn't done at all, then he will turn on the Inquisitor and the player will have no choice but to kill him, even if they are in a romance.

With Dragon Age 4 being hinted to take place in/near/around Tevinter (who is in a constant slap-fight of a war against the Qunari) it's my hope that we get more of a peek into both of these cultures that we don't get much of a glimpse of in game. While their society and how they work and function is far from perfect, I find it's an interesting juxtaposition from the other cultures present in Thedas, and thus a refreshing change of pace from a lore perspective. I also hope that the Qunari remains a playable race, as while I prefer playing as an Elf, being a tall, imposing Qunari is a lot of fun, too.

[playeroneplayertwo]

The Ten: 5.19

It seems a good icebreaker, or as good an icebreaker as any, to lay bare my top 10 of all time. Clear the air, so to speak. Get to know each other. It’s fair to say that this may be a make or break moment for us. Hopefully, I won’t lose you. Let’s see.

This is a list I imagine I’ll update periodically (which is why it’s dated), as my wife Kathleen (Player Two) and I play a lot of games, and a lot of new games. I’m a notoriously curious and searching type, and I love trying new games, sometimes to my wife’s chagrin. More often than not, my spare change goes to new games for the house. New games that make a splash tend to spike pretty high and then slowly fade. It’s not a great trait to have, especially in someone who tries to speak or write critically about quality (ie write reviews). But being that I’m aware of this, I hope that tempers it at least somewhat.

Anyway, where’s the list, you say? Here we go:

1. Brass: Birmingham (2018)

Oh boy, it’s a new one. Cult of the new? To be fair, Kathleen and I have played this game fairly regularly for the last eight months. By our third play or so, I knew it had locked itself into my top spot. I’d done a fair bit of research on the OG Brass (now Brass: Lancashire) prior to purchasing Brass: Birmingham, and by the time I eventually took the dive and purchased Birmingham, I was as excited to try it as I was unsure we’d actually enjoy it. At the time, it was the heaviest game we’d played, and it also relies heavily on route building–it’s in fact one of the most important parts of the game. I mention this because tactical spacial elements are not Kathleen’s forte. In fact, it’s one of her least favorite mechanics.

This is a good time to tell you that Kathleen and I think (and play games) very differently. Kathleen is a strategic player, relying on long term planning and execution to maximize scoring/performance. I, on the other hand, do not make long term plans. I find it not only remarkably difficult, but also unenjoyable. I’m a short term/tactical player. On my turn, I’m more likely to look over the board, get a lay of the land, and make the best, most advantageous play available to me at that moment.

Brass: Birmingham remarkably manages to cater to both of our play styles, which is one reason it ranks so high. Birmingham presents a myriad options for players to pursue. You’ve got a whole pile of different factory tiles you can build, a whole mess of locations or regions to move into, and about as many different strategies to pursue on your way to the end game. I don’t think I’ve ever played the same game of Brass: Birmingham twice, nor have I ever pursued the same options. The card play means, for me, that I will go where the cards lead, and I find using these cards as a guide to build my engine incredibly satisfying.

2. Covert (2016)

Dice placement. For some reason, this mechanic sounds incredibly unappealing to me, and I think it’s because it’s literally a portmanteau mechanic consisting of the worker placement mechanic using dice, two individual mechanisms that I seem to enjoy less and less. Dice I tend to avoid for their randomness (yes, I know that’s the point), and Worker Placement, in it’s most stereotypical application, I find frustrating. Why can’t I just put my worker wherever I want and just run my engine? Being stymied in a worker placement game just annoys the hell out of me.

So why do I love Covert?

It’s a pretty straightforward points race built around mission cards that have specific requirements. And using the dice as workers seems a fairly typical euro mechanism, but what I like about Covert is how puzzly it is. When you place your dice workers, they’ll be placed on round tracks with spaces numbered 1-6, and you won’t be able to place a die unless it’s adjacent to another die. In this case, you can do anything you want, but only if you plan correctly and work well with the other players. It becomes an order of operations puzzle, which may frustrate some, but I love it.

Also, I can’t get enough of that spy theme. And the production is fantastic.

3. Eldritch Horror (2013)

Ah, Cthulhu. For being the spawn of such a troubled person (HP Lovecraft), I find Cthulhu’s mythos and surrounding universe positively enthralling. 

But dice! Ugh yes, this is a huge, sprawling, long, and [sorta] bloated game that is built all around a very simple dice rolling resolution system. I have no way of justifying why this doesn’t bug me, but it just doesn’t.

Maybe I’m just a sap for the theme (Indiana Jones + Cthulhu = Win). Or maybe it’s nostalgia, considering this is the game on my top ten that I’ve played the most and had the longest. But, if I try to dig into the real reasoning here, it’s probably because this game manages to give you a big, rich, story-based experience that feels like an event when it’s over. Yes, it’s the biggest, longest play session on this list. But I love every minute of it. Even those maddening bad dice rolls.

4. Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (2011)

A long time ago, Kathleen and I came to this hobby via Magic: The Gathering, the deep, long standing king of the collectible card game. Magic is a great game, but it brings out the worst in me as a gamer. Playing Magic makes me both a bad winner and bad loser. Frankly, that’s a terrible combination. Why would you want to play with me at all?

This obvious problem led us to cooperative board games. If I’m gonna lose, why don’t I just lose with you. That’s a refreshing change of pace!

And speaking of losing, hey let’s talk about Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. The word used most frequently when talking about this game–by me and pretty much anybody who’s ever played it–is PUNISHING. And yes, it’s punishing. Kathleen and I have played a few punishing euros at this point (feed those people), but this is something else. Get a few bad card flips from the encounter deck and you’re suddenly up to your eyeballs in LOTR baddies. Orcs and goblins? Oh hai. But your dwarves or hobbits or whatever are never really out of it. Smart deck building (and luck) definitely has carried us out of the tall grass on more than one occasion. And there’s something to be said for a game as well balanced as Lord of the Rings. More than once, a game has concluded on a turn where we either win or lose based on that single turn’s outcome.

The theme doesn’t really do much for me, but I took the dive on this game because it looked like a well-designed and well-supported cooperative card game (of which there really aren’t too many). It’s stood tall over the years, and I hope it continues for a while. When I first played Arkham Horror: The Card Game, I figured it would knock this down a peg or two. But the designers’ ingenuity in the LOTR quests and encounter deck designs has been (for me, at least) a much more rewarding experience.

And I appreciate a cooperative game where you actually lose more often than you win. It seems a rarity in the co-ops we have.

5. Great Western Trail (2016)

I’d heard and read so much about this game prior to purchasing it that I almost didn’t even want to get it (which is exactly how I feel about Concordia and Trajan, subsequently). I dig the cowboy theme, but beyond that, I’d pretty much phased out all the actual details on this game’s gameplay.

But yeah, it really is good. Ya’ll were right. I love games that are heavy but are built around simple gameplay, and Great Western Trail epitomizes that. One your turn you move your cowboy on the (effectively) huge rondel board and then take an action on the space where you stop. That’s it. 

The beauty of the game comes from the remarkable breadth of options you can pursue. Using cowboys to buy cows, hiring engineers to move your train and build stations, hiring carpenters to build buildings and busy up the board, and completing objectives are some of the main tasks you’ll be focusing on, and what really clicks for me with Great Western Trail is that it’s a tactical player’s dream. The board is constantly changing, and as it changes, so must your plans. The objective cards steer you somewhat, but you’ve really gotta cut your own path across the wilderness here.

Oh, and I love deckbuilding as a sort of side dish mechanic. It isn’t always enough to sustain a whole game, but it’s great as a single piece of a pie.

6. Gloomhaven (2017)

All right, so this big beast has moved all over my ranking in the year+ since my first game. I won’t lie, it sat at #1 for a while. Then it slid a little, then a little more. I mean, it’s still at #6, so it’s not exactly plummeting. It’s the Board Game Geek #1 game of all time (as of this writing), and it’s hard to say if it’s deserving of this (and if not, what deserves the spot instead). Again, this is so subjective, and games like this or Scythe tend to be lightning rods for people who want to take a shot at the new hotness.

But yes, it’s good. It’s very good. I’m not as enamored by the sprawling nature of it as I was, nor the campaign, but being a person who loves variety, it’s scope is certainly a nice bonus. But after you haven’t played it in a while, it becomes a HUGE box that takes up a whole shelf and is a bear to set back up. And even though the box is 20lbs and takes up a whole shelf and the game takes 20+ minutes just to set up, the card play in Gloomhaven is just stellar. I love that this is essentially a tactical minis game with a euro engine. Tactical minis games rank incredibly low on my chart o’ interest, but this game takes that standard tactical minis expectation and smashes the shit out of it. 

Despite its niggling flaws, it’s an excellent game.

7. The Exit Series (2017-?)

This is the last co-op game on my list, and I just looked back and saw that there are four on here. I was just talking to Kathleen about how much I’d rather play competitive games instead of co-ops, and apparently I said that in a moment completely lacking self-awareness. Also, this is a cheaty kind of entry considering we’ve played at least eight Exit games.

Remember when I said that I liked Eldritch Horror because it was an event game that provided a big, rich experience? Well, the Exit games give you a meaty, brainier experience in a slightly shorter time period. There’s not much story–despite the designers really trying to cram one in there–but I’ll always love Exit because it’s become our Date Night game. Kathleen and I will get some nice booze, take out food, and sit down with a new Exit after we put our son to bed. The experience can be frustrating–remember we think very differently, but each experience has always been something to remember (except the Secret Lab; what happened in that one?). Special props to Exit: Dead Man on the Orient Express, in particular.

The puzzles are really satisfying when you crack them, especially after working on them for a while. We take longer than average to do these because we resist those hint cards as much as possible, so our games can stretch. But Exit should be an event, and when savored like one, it doesn’t let you down.

Also, if you have concerns about the value of an Exit game, if you look at it as an event (like going to the movies or *cough cough* playing T.I.M.E. Stories), it’s actually a very good value. Recycle it!

And finally, yes, Exit trumps Unlock any day of the week.

8. Glory to Rome (2005)

That Glory to Rome is out of print is a cryin’ shame. Our copy isn’t even a real copy, I printed a crappy DIY version at Staples and then cut and sleeved them with old Magic commons. Our copy looks bad, is cut unevenly, and has eery MTG watermarks shining through the thin weight paper, and I couldn’t care less. This game is awesome. It’s got about a million different combos that are all seemingly game-breaking, but the fact that everything is so powerful is really what makes this game so exciting.

Multi-use cards are one of my favorite mechanic, and this game is completely built around them. And like any well-designed game that is build all around cards, the design of this never leaves you feeling hamstrung by bad card draw. If you’re doing badly at Glory to Rome, it’s your fault. Sorry. You haven’t found the combo that will win the game for you. I can say this because I’m terrible at Glory to Rome, and I know it. That’s not saying I’ve not won before. I have, but more likely than not it was because I accidentally stumbled onto something good. 

Like Brass: Birmingham, no two games of Glory to Rome are the same. There are so many cards in the box, and the subtle sense of humor that permeates some of the cards just tickles me (please see: latrine).

It’s fast and exciting, and giving you options on other players’ turns is also one of my favorite mechanics.  I’ll happily play and lose Glory to Rome anytime.

9. Nippon (2015)

Full disclosure, this is the newest edition to this list, and Kathleen and I have only played this a few times, but there’s something about this game that really fascinates me. 

At first blush, it feels like Brass, but it’s not. Like Brass, this is an economic engine, but it doesn’t allow the multi-turn build up to The Big Turn like Brass. Then I thought it was a little like Great Western Trail, but it’s not really like that either. Great Western Trail presents a ton of options, but by the end of the game, you really need to work on all of them, at least a little bit, or else your score will suffer. Nippon, however, doesn’t make you do a little bit of everything. There are a number of elements in Nippon (like trains), that can be all but ignored except for certain circumstances. It’s a game built around area control via slow burn engine building. A number of other elements to the game are very specific tools you can use to hone that engine, but could just as easily prove useless under the wrong conditions.

This may be misdirected musings by someone who hasn’t played the game enough, but it feels right to me. The last time we played, I came to the realization that the game felt so fraught because I was trying to do too much. The game presents you with a large amount of avenues to pursue because you don’t actually have to pursue them all; you can’t, there’s not enough time in the game (or money!). You need to choose your actions and build the best engine as quickly as possible.

Nippon is a cutthroat fight that feels both wickedly fast and frustratingly slow at the same time. Special bonuses for completely subverting the worker placement mechanic with its own implementation that runs the whole game. It’s a puzzle that I have relished greatly.

10. Star Wars: The Card Game (2012)

Two Fantasy Flight LCGs on the list? Sweet Christmas!

But yes, this is a great game. I’m not sure it ever got much love, and it saddens me that it’s now dead, but it’s such an interesting design. That it does a fine job of simplifying deck construction is just a bonus.

I appreciate that Star Wars feels like a game of high stakes gambling. The first few turns are slow and quiet as you work through your deck and build your forces, but once conflict erupts, everything tends to break wide open. Each decision you make has massive repercussions, as single large mistakes will lose you the game. Add in some actual bluffing and a ticking clock, and this is the simplified and streamlined (if safer and less wild) version of Doomtown: Reloaded, another card game that I absolutely love. 

But where I think Doomtown ultimately fails, Star Wars succeeds. The game doesn’t get bogged down in complexity, and instead feels relatively streamlined considering its medium weight. Every time I play this game, I’m impressed by how smart Eric Lang’s design is. I feel like he played a ton of Magic: The Gathering, and then he removed all the things that bothered him (and bothered me, too).

I think this game is overlooked and underplayed, and dare I say forgotten, but for my money, it’s absolutely worth revisiting. And played over and over again.

Please remember, this list will change. Check back occasionally to see how. If you have any questions or opinions of your own, let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Eric (Player One)

[hocats-blog]

7 Lord of the Rings Fan Theories to Rule Them All

As you probably remember, Gollum wasn't always Gollum. For a time he was Smeagol, a Hobbit quickly corrupted by the power of the One Ring. It was his "precious" that afforded him an extraordinarily long life, and warped him into the scrappy half-naked mangoblin that becomes the bane of Frodo and Sam. Though he's been Gollum far longer than he was Smeagol, at times there seems to be a war of identities going on within the sad creature. We assume that the centuries he's spent under the ring's influence has created this rift within the character, but that might not be the case at all. One intriguing fan theory claims that Gollum is actually a personality inside the ring, an entity that can possess anyone. The identity isn't unique to Smeagol, meaning that if someone like Aragorn held it long enough, he'd turn into a pasty diaper-wearing wretch just the same as you would. Think about those we know who have held the ring for an extended period of time. Right off the bat, there's Bilbo Baggins. He seemed relatively chill about the ring and managed to hold onto it for years without going nanners, but we definitely saw some cracks forming in his psyche when Gandalf came to town. Bilbo was less than thrilled about having his "precious" taken away. That, right there -- Bilbo unconsciously "gollum'd." That's the "Gollum personality" breaking through, its infection spreading within Bilbo. The possession gets a bit more overt later on during a conversation with Frodo, at which point Bilbo's face makes a hellish transformation. Looks a lot like Gollum, doesn't it? Bilbo doesn't just call the ring his "precious" just because he heard Gollum say that -- that's actually Gollum talking through Bilbo. For more proof, we have to look no further than Isildur. Remember Isildur is the one who lopped Sauron's fingers off and took the ring? Isildur is also the same shitbrick who, given the chance, didn't toss the ring into the fires of Mount Doom. Instead, he wore it around his neck, which is more or less the Middle-earth equivalent of treating a nuclear warhead like a piece of bling. The corrosive power eventually killed Isildur, but not before he wrote about the ring in a series of creepy journals. Gandalf discovered these writings, and found one particularly disturbing passage. Could it really be a coincidence that a dude who lived thousands of years before Smeagol would used the same word to describe the One Ring? Probably not. It seems a lot more likely that Gollum is a personality inside the ring that infects its host and possesses them to protect the ring and do Sauron's bidding. If Isildur's hubris hadn't ended him, it may well have been his wispy form that Bilbo came across on his initial adventure in The Hobbit. Now, the name "Gollum" is merely the name given to Smeagol after his neighors kept seeing him hacking up a lung every day, so it's probably not the actual title of the deity inside the ring. But the name "Gollum" has significance, in that it's pretty close to "golem," the mythological creature which is made of inanimate materials, but given life from an outside force. It's a compelling theory not because it dramatically changes the story, but because it gives you a new perspective on what the ringbearers must have been going through. That, and it's fun imagining a crazed Viggo Mortensen wearing a diaper.

This is a stupid idea. No one's going to actually come out and say that J.R.R. Tolkien created Albus Dumbledore and the world of Harry Potter. But it's a testament to the strength of fan theories that some beautiful bastard could come up with a convincing explanation that links Hogwarts and Middle-earth. It all relies on the fact that there are five Istari -- better known as "wizards" to people who have seen the sun in the last two weeks -- in the realm of this fiction. You probably already know three of them: Gandalf the Grey, Saruman the White and Radagast "That Forest Hippie Who Refuses to Clean the Birdshit Out of His Beard" the Brown. The missing pieces of this magical grandpa pie are the two "Blue Wizards," which Tolkien glossed over briefly but never really followed up on. Last we heard, they were sent into Mordor to quell the threat of Sauron. They weren't seen again, but there's also no explicit mention of their deaths. The two blue wizards could be anyone, which is why it's entirely possible that they are in fact Albus Dumbledore and his nemesis/boytoy Gellen Grindelwald. All it would take is a temporal or multidimensional mishap, and they'd be in the modern world of muggles. How they got to Earth from Middle-earth isn't as important as the thematical connections. Dumbledore says that "It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated." Meaning that he wasn't going to give up once Sauron was down for the count. Though Grindelwald fell to the "dark side" like Saruman before him, Dumbledore kept up the fight and was eventually upgraded from "Dumbledore the Blue" to "Dumbledore the White." It fits, especially because in Latin, "Albus" literally translates to "white." It makes sense that Dumbledore took the job at Hogwarts, as that was the place he could best mount his defense of the world. Once there, he builds an army of wizards to do just that. And yet, he still remembers where he came from, which explains why there's a portrait of Gandalf the Grey hanging in Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had already assembled his wizard defense force, so he passed off into the undying lands in the most fantastical way possible. The entire theory sheds new light on Dumbledore's words: "Ah, music. A magic far beyond all we do here!" As it so happens, the world of Middle-earth was created via song by the Illuvatar. Did J.K. Rowling write Dumbledore with Tolkien's lost wizards in mind? It's not impossible, but it's probably unlikely. It doesn't matter, because veracity isn't the point of this fan theory. The real strength of this tangled yarn is just how creative it is in weaving two disparate but similar fictions together. These two worlds don't exist anyway, so why can't they they exist in the same place?

Though it's not featured in a big way in the films, the books go into a little more detail about the death of Frodo's parents. Drogo and Primula Baggins drowning during a freak boating accident is tragic, but storywise, it gives Frodo less of a reason to be tied down to the Shire. But one fan theory suggests there's a darker undercurrent to this story, that Frodo's parents were in fact murdered. The culprit: Gollum. We all know that creepazoid is capable of murder. It's arguably the first thing Smeagol ever did as Gollum. After the events of the Hobbit, Gollum set about finding the his precious stolen ring. Problem was, Gollum really only had two things to go on when it came to finding the ring: "Baggins" and "Shire." It's not out of the question that he might come across the Brandywine River on his quest, and he would certainly kill any Bagginses he found there. The theory is propped up by the questionable circumstances of the deaths. There seems to be a question among the Hobbits as to just how Frodo's parents passed. Whatever the case, both Drogo and Primula were pretty experienced boaters, so it's more than a little surprising that they would just fall in the water and die. No, it makes more sense that an angry Gollum murdered them straight out, giving up on his mission once he found nothing on their person. The only real damper on this theory is Gandalf, who claims that Gollum never made it to the Brandywine. That would seem to put an end to this theory, but put yourself in Gandalf's old man shoes for a minute. You're talking to Frodo, the guy who is going to lug the world's most dangerous weapon across a continent, and he's pretty fragile as it is. Now imagine if Gandalf decided to tell Frodo that the same guy who guides him through Mordor is the one that deprived him of his parents -- he'd undoubtedly lose himself to rage at some point, and as a result succumb to the power of the ring itself. If Gandalf hadn't pulled off an Obi-Wan-tier lie, our story would be over before it began. To be fair, at least that one ending is preferable to like seventy.

This almost feels like cheating. This "fan theory" is so perfect, fits so well into the mythos of the series that it's basically canon. But that's exactly the reason it can't be ignored. Just after the Fellowship is formed, the angelic Lady Galadriel offers each member of the group a special gift. Legolas got a rad new bow, Pippin and Merry each received sweet daggers, and Boromir was bestowed with a tacky gold belt that did not go with his bracers. The most interesting gift was that given to Gimli, the dwarf. While most others just took what was handed to them, Galadriel actually asked Gimli what he wanted from the elves. After a bit of stammering, Gimli gave in and requested his greatest desire. Others were naturally curious about this mystery gift. Asking for (and actually GETTING) a strand of Galadriel's hair might sound creepy, but it's really a huge deal. To explain why, we have to rewind a few thousand years. Several millennia before the War of the Ring, there was this shitbird named Feanor. Now, Feanor is a grade-A dickweed, but even he can see how lovely Galadriel is. As the legend has it, Feanor too asked for a single strand of Galadriel's hair, but he was denied. Twice more Feanor made the same request, and twice more he was shut down. Dude wasn't worthy of Galadriel's crusty toenail clippings, much less her luscious locks. Flash forward to the Fellowship, and Gimli's wish for a strand of Galadriel's flawless hair is granted threefold. Though Gimli is likely oblivious to the significance of the gesture, Legolas' smile tells us he understands. Up to this point, dwarves and elves had an uneasy relationship, like co-workers that hate each other but stay cool because they have to be in close proximity every day. But Galadriel saw the innate goodness in Gimli, and rewarded him thrice over. You can almost hear Feanor grumbling "It still only counts as one."

[concerningwolves]

You seem to know a lot about folklore! Is it okay if I ask you a question? My story is run on belief and takes place in NC. I've looked at immigration records to find out kind of creatures would live there (British Isles-Western Europe-Celtic-Germany-Native American). Modern US myths is hard because it doesn't have many old beliefs to tap into. So if magic were real, what kind of things do you think would live here? Are there any books that you know of that can help me? Any tips would be great.

my encyclopedic knowledge of folklore was one of the things that led my therapist to think I may have autism hahah oops

The way I see it, the magical creatures that stem from myths and ledgends are immobile, while the magic itself is flexible. You can bring the belief over to America, but not the beings. A belief grows within a culture from two things: the people, and the environment. For example, the Irish peoples would come over to America but the Daoine Sídhe (their fae lore) probably wouldn’t. This is because sídhe means mounds, and the fae of the earth (Aos Sí) inhabited the mounds and hills of Ireland. It was believed that each mound or hill had its own court. This deep link between mythos and land suggests to me that were magic real, you wouldn’t find the true Daoine Sídhein America.

However, thinking about speciation, migration and evolution in general, I reckon that the magic of the belief would re-shape itself, creating fae that adapt to live in the environment of America. This new adaptation of the Aos Sí might claim old buildings, ghost towns or other features that are very American as their courts. As the people who brought the beliefs over changed and adapted, so would the results of the mythos; perhaps their attitudes and behaviours shift, their interactions with humans changing, and the perception of them alters to fit the new world. 

Some creatures probably wouldn’t make it in America at all. I can’t see the frost giants from Nordic lore making themselves at home, while I can see the dwarves adapting to survive. This is because the frost giants were products of an environment that is almost unique to the Scandinavian penninsula: the fjords, the huge waterfalls, frozen wastes, glacial landscapes... the Nordic peoples looked at those long ago and saw giants in them. Dwarves, on the other hand, lived underground in caves and other subterrainean features. There are plenty of those in America as well, so why wouldn’t an immigrant from Norway comfort himself with tales of dwarves living in the abandoned mine?

I see Magical America as a huge melting pot of hybridised magical beings, and underneath all of the magical mayhem you’ve got the creatures of Native American lore, who protect their territories and are respected for their purity and sense of belonging.

Really, it’s up to you to do as much research as you can and then make choices based on your own thought as to whether each creature would adapt - and how. Just thinking about the mythos of vampires across many cultures, from the Greek to the Western European, they’re all so different. What would happen if two conflicting offspring of the mythos came into close proximity? You have so much to play with here! Popular urban ledgends would also play their part, because although they’re not ancient, deep beliefs like many of the immigrant ones, they’ve still got this sort of teenage, desperate energy to them. I think that the “old = strong” theory is kind of bull. New myths and ledgends tend to gather energy very quickly, especially in our modern world. Use them! 

Finally, a little caveat to finish: be wary of how you use the term “Celtic” in regards to the beliefs and lore that you are using. I don’t know if you’re using it as an umbrella term or not, but it’s very little-known fact that there were celtic peoples from Ireland to Turkey, so be careful not to use “Irish folklore” and “Celtic folklore” interchangeably. They’re not the same thing. As I said, environment plays a large part in how a mythos develops, and so the Celts in Turkey held entirely different beliefs than the Celts in Ireland. We also have no way of knowing who the indegenous peoples of the British Isles were, but we do know that it wasn’t the Celts. The pre-dating of stone structures suggests that a lot of the lore around faes, giants and other supernatural things were around before the Celts came to Irish shores; I would suggest doing some thorough research into beliefs that are exclusively Celtic, and those that may have stemmed from pre-Celtic times. It’s a very unsure field, but the research will pay off in the worldbuilding.

As for books, Bullfinches Mythology is fantastic for non-fiction reference, but I would also reccomend the novel American Gods by Niel Gaiman.

I’m really sorry if this has been more info-dumping than advice! Feel free to send another ask if you need clarification, and enjoy your world-building. You’ve got a great concept here :)

[writernotwaiting]

Fallen Angels, ch. 23

Chapter 23 – Before: “Seven for a Secret”  Chapter Summary: In which Loki and Sigyn have some issues they need to work through. The action here picks up immediately after the events of chapter 22 in which Loki embarked on a campaign to teach the Aesir some respect, Sigyn was none too pleased with this, and Sigyn was “invited” to take up residence in the palace proper. Rating: E for the story overall; M for this chapter. If you are under 18, go read something else! Characters: Loki, Sigyn, Thor, Anna (ofc), Balder (might-as-well-be-omc), Amora (a might-as-well-be ofc), Odin, Elli (a stone giantess and might-as-well-be-ofc), Cyril (omc), Tyr Story Description: a post-apocalyptic, MCU-Norse mythos mash-up; science fiction/fantasy

I will re-blog with the tags.  I would be glad to add to or remove from the tag list at your request.

Bless you, again to @icybluepenguin, without whom this chapter would be a skeleton of its current self.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to my readers in Texas: @marvelousmissfit, @indomitablemegnolia, and anyone else whom I am unaware of. I hope this serves as a temporary distraction to What Mother Nature Hath Unleased Upon You.

Ch. 1: Walking with unblest feet

 Ch. 22: Never Say that I Was False of Heart Ch. 24: ?

One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told. Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten for a bird, You must not miss. [yes, I totally stole the idea to use this folk song from @incredifishface -- sue me] 

Norns, I’m tired. Loki rubbed his temple hard as his horse ambled up the road toward the lodge, and he sighed with deep relief as soon as the house came into view. As he got closer, though, his brow furrowed at the dark windows and smokeless chimney.

Sigyn should be home at this time of day.

His quick eye darted around the landscape, taking note: he could see lights in Anna and Torvald’s cottage, their older children still outside bent over a game in the fading light, Fenryr sprawled out next to them, but everything at the great house was quiet, even though the grass was trampled on the front lawn.

Maybe she stayed in the village with a patient. It was not unheard of, though it happened less often out here, because of her dislike for the local officials. Even if she were with a patient, though, that didn’t explain the great divots in the grass.

He turned his horse toward the cottage.

The two children stood as he got closer, and the taller reached up to take the reigns while Loki dismounted. Fenryr trotted over to nudge at Loki’s hand, wuffing softly for a scratch.

“Leif, where is Sigyn? Will she return soon?”

The two children exchanged worried looks before the boy answered, “She’s gone back to Asgard, Master Loki.”

[read more cut here]

“Back to Asgard? When.”

Before the child could answer, Torvald came out of the house, and Loki repeated his question. “Torvald, where is Sigyn?”

Torvald frowned, his brow scrunched in confusion. “Einherjahr came two weeks ago, master, and escorted her back to Asgard. They said she was to live in the palace.”

“What?”

“Did you not know?”

Loki shook his head as a sick feeling settled in his gut. “I’ve been away, and no message was sent.”

Torvald gestured to his son to take the horse over to the stable. “I am sorry, Master, I thought perhaps you were at court and had been told.”

Loki shook his head once more and drew close, “No. This is news to me. Is she ok? Who was the captain? Did they treat her well?”

“She is fine, though none too happy at the summons,” Torvald smiled ruefully as he said it. “The guard were led by Tyr. He was very respectful. They only just left four days ago.”

Loki dragged a hand through his hair as he contemplated what to do. “Tyr? I thought better of him than to carry out such a frivolous summons.”

Torvald shrugged. “He had the decency to apologize for it.”

Loki scoffed, “Pfft! What good is an apology like that? Empty words to ease a guilty conscience.”

Torvald shrugged again, implying that he expected no less, before he got a twinkle in his eyes. “She at least made them earn their pay before they left.”

Loki quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“She told them they might as well be useful while she packed up her things, since she wouldn’t be here to winterize the house. She put three of them to work cleaning the stables, and another raked out Anna’s fallow kitchen garden. Two of them hauled the carpets out of the parlor and beat the dirt out of them in the yard there. They loaded the wagon, then she made them unload it and re-pack everything before loading it all back on. Then she remembered a few more things that she could not do without. Then she had them dig through to the middle of the pile for a book she decided ought to remain here.  It was quite the thing to behold. They won’t forget their stay anytime soon.”

“Ha! I wish I had been here to see it.”

Torvald sobered. “I wish it, too.” He thought for a moment, staring at the dirt at his feet before looking up once more. “Where have you been, Master?”

Loki’s eyes flashed darkly at Torvald’s implications. “Are you forgetting something, Torvald?”

Torvald paused a long time before he answered, carefully taking in his master’s face. Loki had changed since they first met, back before the couple had moved to the city, before the fight with Thor, before the children had died. The mischievous glint in Loki’s eyes had lost much of its mirth, and while he had always been lean, what few curves he once possessed were now hardened into sharp angles.

Torvald’s voice grew heavy with melancholy. “No, Master, I know my place better than most, I imagine; it’s just that—“ Torvald lowered his voice considerably,  “it’s only that we are worried—Anna and I. Something is wrong out there. We know this. But something is wrong here, too,” and Torvald held a knotted fist to his chest, before reaching inside a breast pocket to pull something out. Loki began to turn away angrily, but Torvald risked a hand on his arm, and placed an emerald ring in Loki’s palm. “She left this here, in the kitchen. She thinks she is alone.”

Loki pulled his arm away, though not with the anger Torvald expected. He clutched his fist tight around the ring, jaw muscles working as he struggled for control. After a few short moments, Loki turned back to him, eyes hard as an ice floe. A decision had been made somewhere behind them.

“I will sleep a few hours in the lodge—just enough to make sure my horse is rested—then I will leave for the court—before light breaks if I can.”

Torvald nodded, watching Loki as he strode up to the big house before he went himself to check on his son’s work in the stable. As he did so, Torvald thought to himself that he was glad not to be counted among his master’s enemies. Loki had hardened into a glacier during these last few years, and to lay in his path would be to face certain obliteration, either in the explosive crash of an avalanche, or in the slow, inexorable crushing of ice and rock over the landscape. There was no longer any mercy in him.

*****

The first thing Loki did when he reached the city that clung like barnacles about the royal court was to go to their house to see if there had been any damage. There was. Of course. As soon as he turned into their street he could see the scrawling marks of vandals on the walls. He did not expect the guards—two at each door. These informed him that his “necessitous effects” had been removed to his palace suite, while the Allfather placed a few other items “in protective custody.” Loki leveled a look at the guard that nearly caused him to wet himself, though he somehow managed to hold his position.

*****

The second thing Loki did was confront the Allfather.

“I do not owe an accounting to you or anyone, Loki. I feel it safer for you to reside in the palace itself, and if the only way to accomplish that is to invite the healer, as well, then it shall be so.”

“My wife—she is my wife, and her name is Sigyn. Refusing to speak her name will not alter that fact.”

Odin continued as though Loki had not spoken, “I ordered that your personal items be brought from the house in town to your rooms here. All of your books, your bottles, concoctions, clothing, tools—along with all of the items she requires to ply her trade—everything was carried here in complete safety.”

“And what did you keep back?”

“There were some items that I deemed sensitive, and so placed them in secure conditions.”

“And these are?”

“A silver knife, some jewelry that seems to carry some sort of enchantment, a few papers, and Laufy’s dagger.”

“You have no right!—those jewels were wedding gifts from the dwarves and Utgard. Those blades are our house weapons.”

“I have every right! I am your father, Loki, but more than that, I am your king. They are in the vault, and there they shall remain as long as I see fit.”

“For what reason?”

“Safety.”

“Whose safety are we concerned about?”

“Asgard’s.”

*****

The third thing he did was to seek out his wife. He found her in an inner parlor, sitting rock still next to a balcony whose doors stood wide open. She stared into the middle distance, doing nothing. He leaned against the doorway. As he stood there, he closed his eyes briefly, just breathing in—the smell of a fireplace yet to be re-lit for the evening, the smells of the palace kitchen wafting in through the open balcony, the smell of the honeysuckle Sigyn must have brought from the lodge, and smell of the sage and lavender Sigyn used to launder her clothes and scent her bath. The ache in his heart grew.

At long last she addressed him without turning around, her voice flat, her sentences clipped. “Did you know about this?”

“No.”

“Where were you when the summons came?”

“Learning things.”

“When did you find out?”

“I spoke to Torvald. Apparently I only missed you by four days.” Loki smiled stiffly. “He tells me you made the Einherjahr earn their keep while you packed.”

She did not smile as she replied. “It was the least they could do.”

Loki remained in the doorway during the long pause that followed, anchored there by the cold pit that had settled in his core ever since he realized the full extent of the ugliness that had settled on Asgard. The weight in his chest intensified as he looked at his wife across the distance. He wondered what sort of Hel he had condemned her to, what sort of Hel he would willingly walk through in order to make her safe, to make everyone pay for her suffering.

Was it a half hour? An hour that they remained just so? It certainly felt like it. At long last, he crossed the room, sinking onto his knees next to her, hand on her thigh. He could feel her tension. He couldn’t, in fact, remember the last time his own shoulders hadn’t felt like strings on a guitar tuned too high.

He squeezed her leg gently, looking outside as he spoke next, “What has it been like here? What are you permitted to do?”

She snorted, lip curled into a snarl. “They tell me that I am granted complete freedom of movement, and I can come and go from the palace whenever I please. They tell me that I have open access to all public places within the palace, even the kitchens!”

“However . . .”

“I am shadowed.”

Loki’s breath hissed at this, but he nodded as though he rather expected it.

“Oh, it’s at a discreet distance, mind you, but omnipresent, and close enough that it was noticed by several of my patients and at least one shopkeeper who asked that I not come back—it makes people nervous.”

“Yes.”

“He took our wedding presents.”

“I know. I went to the house before coming here. The guard also said something about some papers?”

“Your letters.” Sigyn’s fists clenched tight on the arms of the chair. “They took the letters you wrote to me while you served as ambassador.”

“I should have guessed. Not yours?”

She smiled innocently, eyes wide. “They must have been lost when we moved. Oops.” She shrugged.

He chuckled and squeezed her leg once more. He shifted then, and began an inventory of the room. This was not the suite he had occupied growing up, but the rooms were still vaguely familiar. He had played enough games of hide and seek as a child to have been in and out of pretty much every corner and closet in the complex, and as an adolescent, he had made it his business to discover every nook and secret passageway. These rooms were much as he remembered, though the furnishings were perhaps not those that would have been laid out for more august guests. At least they had used his colors, rather than Thor’s.

“You have not been shielded.”

“I assumed not.” She patted his hand patronizingly. “Don’t worry, Loki, I have been a very good girl. Hardly any broken knick knacks.”

“Hmmph, that’s not why I asked.”

She shrugged and looked back outside. “You thought it.”

Loki sighed, then closed his eyes, mumbling as he started to work a few protections into the walls and ceiling so they could at least speak more freely. The room resisted these at first, which worried him, but gave way with more effort. When he felt he has assured them of some modicum of privacy, he looked up at Sigyn and smiled weakly. “I am sorry, Sigyn. For my long absences. It was not fair of me to leave you alone for so long.”

Sigyn shifted in her chair to face him. “It is not your physical absences that bother me. We certainly endured plenty of those during your exile. It is something else that I have missed. What has happened, Loki?” Her eyes searched his face as if reading some cryptic algorithm. “I hardly recognize what you’ve become—this creature consumed by vengeance. You have buried yourself.”

He dropped his gaze to the floor and knotted his fists. Of course she knew, though they had never spoken of it outright. She knew what he had been doing. Even when he answered, he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes, gazing out past the balcony as he spoke, his voice barely audible. “I burn, Sigyn. I am full of rage. Every time I see my golden brothers hailed as the source of all that’s great and good, every time Odin leans over to ask Amora’s opinion of some matter of state, every time I hear some whispered slur—” he broke off, and finally turned to look up at her directly. “They must learn to respect me, to respect you.” He took up her hand. “You have more power in your left hand than Amora will wield in her entire lifetime! If you would only learn!”

“Stop.” She extricated her hand from his.

It was like arguing with a stone. His shoulders sagged. “I feel as though a net is tightening around us, and all I can do is watch. I have been tracking Balder and Amora. She has established a cult on Midgard, hundreds of little mortal sheep that she has duped into worshipping her with a little “faith healing” and prophecy. She drinks in their adoration, feeds on their worship. I have seen her intoxicated with it—quite literally. And when she returns to Asgard, she uses that power to create her golems. It takes tremendous amounts of energy to create the semblance of life. On her own, she would be lucky to have one or two of them, but she has created dozens, and she has convinced the All-father to utilize them in all sorts of places where an Einherjar would be too expensive.”

Sigyn ground her teeth. “Prophecy? When did she become a seer?”

“She has an artifact, a stone—I could feel its power even as I perched in a tree outside the temple. I do not know where she stole it from, but the stone gives her limited glimpses into the future. That is my next goal—to find where she keeps it hidden. Without it, her power will be greatly diminished.”

Sigyn scowled and across the room something shattered. “Why does He not do anything? Travel to Midgard is strictly prohibited. How, in all his infinite wisdom and all-seeing might, can he not know? What about Frigga? She knows everything?”

Loki couldn’t help but laugh under his breath, despite everything. “Do they keep replacing those as you break them?” then ducked swiftly to avoid the palm that nearly connected with his head, throwing his hands up in surrender before he continued, “Amora is a clever manipulator, and Odin sees only what he wants to see. . . As for Frigga . . . she has withdrawn from court. I have barely seen her in months. It’s as though she has retreated entirely. Have you seen her since you came here?”

“I have not seen her.” Sigyn hesitated. Then reached into a pocket of her breeches to pull something out wrapped in a bit of paper. “I did, however, find this under my pillow on my first night here.”

A pin for a cloak, decorated with a flock of magpies, seven of them, but space where one more had clearly been broken off.

“Is that all? No message?”

“On the paper.”

Perhaps you should do more research about your ancestry.

“Well that’s cryptic.”

“Yes.”

Loki handed the bundle back. “Have you?”

“Have I what?”

A smile spread over Loki’s face. “Done any more research?”

She scoffed. “How? That trail is long cold.”

“How long has it been since you’ve been to the library? Over 50 years? Well, guess who now lives in the palace with free access to all public places?”

“Oh yes, along with a free escort, to boot!”

His voice became all-over sweet. “But you will merely be researching your ancestry.”

“But I don’t know what I am looking for!”

“Look in your hand. I am the magpie—you know that. It has always been my favorite form for quick travel when I wish to avoid prying eyes. Frigga knows it, too. And there is an old Midgardian children’s rhyme about magpies: One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told. Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten for a bird, You must not miss.”

Sigyn looked at the brooch once more, fingering the empty space where the eighth bird had been broken off. “So . . . no wishes?”

“The time is past for wishing. We must do something. And that book of the Norns—it is full of secrets. I’m sure she believes we will find something there. ”

“So Frigga  . . . ?”

“Perhaps she also watches. She is a shapeshifter, and now that I think about it, I’ve seen a cat lurking about the temple that seems to have a double at Amora’s estate.”

Sigyn narrowed her eyes, the bitterness heavy on her tongue. “Then let Frigga do something about it. Why us? We are already living on the edge. Have we not paid enough for her husband’s blindness?”

“It is precisely because we are on the edge that we can act. Odin’s bureaucracy is too entrenched to take down from within. It must be demolished from without, and its corruption must be laid completely bare.”

Sigyn looked once more at the brooch, still playing with the empty space where the eighth bird was once mounted. “One for sorrow,” she looked at Loki and grimaced in frustration. “What trouble will that bird fly to? Loki, Amora wants to destroy you.”

Loki swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

“You are not the only one who burns with rage, Loki.” Her fist clenched around the brooch tight enough to draw blood. “I’ve felt its simmering from the moment Balder invaded our house after our wedding. Coal after smoldering coal has been added to that fire ever since. If Amora takes you from me, Loki, I will explode. And I promise you, a good deal else will burn right next to me.”

Loki picked up her hand and pulled it to his face, brushing the back across his own cheek. “Sigyn, I am so very sorry. I allow my obsessions to close out everything else. Never doubt, however, that you are the very bedrock for everything I do—you are my breath, my blood, the spark of seidr that brings them to life.” He brought out the emerald ring Torvald had given him. “Will you wear this once more? A second pledge? I cannot promise that I will not fight her, but I do promise you are my lodestone, and I will always return to you.”

Sigyn put the ring on her finger and grabbed hold of Loki’s hand once more to squeeze it tight, and he pressed the knuckles to his lips. “I am so sorry, my love.” A tear dropped onto her hand and rolled away.

“Oh Loki.” She tried to pull her hand away, but he would not relinquish it, pressing kisses to each joint, turning her hand over to press his lips to her palm and each fingertip, guiding it to cup his face as he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch like a cat.

Sigyn set the brooch aside and ran her fingers through his hair, scraping his scalp gently. “I have missed you, dearest,” she whispered. “So much.”

He turned his head to place soft kisses on her wrist, running his other hand up her thigh until the thumb rested at the base of her hip. “It has been,” he agreed, “so very long.” He flicked his tongue over her pulse point, closing his eyes as he opened his mouth to suck gently and savor the taste of her skin. He heard her breath quicken, and he shifted to kneel between her knees.

Sigyn raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to make it up to me? I might allow you to worship me for the evening.”

“Oh you might?”

“I think I deserve a bit of pampering after what you’ve put me—ahh—through.” She gasped as he pushed up her loose sleeve and nipped at the soft flesh inside her elbow.

“I have always enjoyed paying proper homage to your flesh, dearest.” As he stretched up to bury his face in her neck, Sigyn’s gasp at being tickled morphed onto a low moan as he placed soft wet kisses under her ear, across her jaw, then back down her neck to the hollow at its base while his hand moved over her waist then up her ribs just beneath her breast. He felt her heart rate increase and her breath come faster.

“So beautiful.” He crooned into her flesh as he breathed her in, “Have I told you how much I love this waistcoat?” He tugged at the laces and insinuated fingers between the garment in question and the linen shirt beneath. “It hugs your curves in precisely the right way.”

“And what way is that?”

“In precisely every way that scandalizes the social parasites in these halls.” He rubbed his face over said curves for emphasis inhaling deeply as he went. “Intoxicating.”

“Oh . . . ahhh! You always did have a weakness for leather.” The words now coming breathy and low.

“Mmmmm . . . leather, and seidr, and herbs, and you.” He nosed the waistcoat aside to nibble at her breast through the shirt.

Sigyn’s hands moved up his arms over the lean muscle of his shoulders and then anchored themselves in his hair. As his attentions became more intense, her back arched up and her feet hooked behind his legs, the heels of her boots digging into his thighs, dragging herself to the edge of the chair and pulling him closer.

Loki took one more lingering suck before pulling back with a low chuckle. “I think I remember hiding in these rooms with Fandral on occasion.”

“Oh? He always was trouble, wasn’t he?”

“Hmm . . . back then? He was the best sort of trouble. I wonder if the bed is just as comfortable?”

Sigyn flashed a genuine smile at last. “Time to investigate, then?” She sighed.

“Definitely.” Loki picked her up as he stood in a single, fluid movement and headed into the bedroom.

[smosh-stuff]

Demigods

Smosh Family: Demigods.

FLitz (13&½): Thoth (Egyptian god of writing, magic, wisdom, and the moon)

Damien (10): Athena (Goddess of wisdom, craft, war, diplomacy, weaving, poetry, medicine, and commerce)

Boze (12): Deimos (Greek God of Terror)

Wes (12): Bia (goddess of Raw energy and force)

Shayne (10): Janus (Roman God of beginnings, transitions, time, duality, doorways, and endings)

Olivia (12): Cao-Guojiu (Chinese God of the Performing Arts)

Sohinki (11): Eris (Greek goddess of strife and discord)

LaserCorn (13): Loki (Norse God of mischief and fire)

Keith (11): Angerona (Roman Goddess of Silence/Secrets)

Mari (11): Xochipilli (Aztec god of art, games, beauty, prostitution, dance, flowers, and song)

Joven (13): Bean-Nighe/Banshee (Celtic omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld)(Omens/Creatures are the closest thing to Gods in Celtic mythos)

Noah (8): Hathor (Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of joy, feminine love, and motherhood)

Courtney (12): Freya (Norse Goddess of love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death)

Ian (14): Dionysus (Greek god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, and Theatre)

(They’re out of order age wise… Sorry)

  LaserCorn was thirteen when the “police” came for him. He had been living in an orphanage since he was two, his mother having given him up in hopes of a better life. But, no one wanted the mischievous little boy; it was as if anyone who even looked at him disappeared off the face of the earth. Remember those “Police”? Yeah, well they were actually dwarves. Gross ugly, ball-chin dwarves. What a way to find out to find out your dad is a Norse God, right?! Well, long story short he used his weird, newly discovered, disappear-y magic and found himself in front of a ball of energy and a human philosophy book (Wes and FLitz for the confused peeps). Of course, the ball-sac dwarves could also do weird disappear-y magic and soon enough the three of them were on the run.

“Born” to Roland Haas and Athena the Goddess of wisdom, craft, war, diplomacy, weaving, poetry, medicine, and commerce (I’m going with the Percy Jackson version. AKA she joins minds with other people to create her kids), Damien Haas had a surprisingly normal life. Well, that was of course until he was SIX YEARS OLD, and a CYCLOPS chased him from his home. He was six years old and he had lost everything. His father was dead and his mother refused to answer his prayers. And now? Now Damien Haas is a ten year old nobody on the streets of California, alone, constantly looking over his shoulder in fear.

Mari Takahashi was tired of this crap. She was sick and tired of people looking at her like she was some piece of meat, she was tired of fighting her way past crowds of people that wanted to see her “dance”, and she just wanted to go home. But she knew she couldn’t, her mother had sent her to America because she recognized how talented Mari was as a ballerina. Other people just wanted her to take off her clothes. Mari realized it was time to disappear right after her eleventh birthday, when a man had cornered her and instead of letting him near her, Mari ripped out his heart. So, with bloodied tutu and pointe shoes still on she ran.

FLitz, like Damien wasn’t a being born from sex, but unlike Damien he had only one parent. Thoth had met his “mother” and after endless hours of talking to each other, Thoth could feel something creating itself. Yes, FLitz had been born of his own want to be (Thoth was also self-created); he pulled himself from the abyss and in so gave himself the ability to create. Of course he wasn’t as powerful as Thoth; his creations only lived for a day and they were easily destroyed. He had begun his own quest for knowledge at the age of twelve, and around the time he was thirteen (“Almost fourteen!”) he ran into a tall boy by the name of Wes and decided that his quest could become theirs.

So, uh, the carnival is not a fun place to be. Especially not when you’re Joshua Ovenshire (The kid who sees Death everywhere), the thirteen year old son of a guy that works on movies and a spirit that wails at people. Yep, his mom is a banshee. Well, she’s a banshee when she wants to be. Most of the time she’s just a Bean-Nighe (washes the blood from the grave-clothes of those who are about to die). So, the Carnival which is just a death trap, scares the crap out of Joven. But hey, when you’re thirteen and can predict death, a carnival is the best place to work. Until the police come after you, and you’re forced to run away with an asian girl and her weird, kinda short, friend. How did they meet? Well, Joven got in a debate with the shorter boy over the possibility of multiple Pantheons. The kid- “Sohinki” (Who names their kid that?) did have good points, but Joven had always been raised with Celtic mythos stories, and it was hard to believe that others could exist. But, in time, he would realize how right Sohinki was.

Wesley Johnson: Literal ball of energy, son of Bia, and a lover of all candies. Wes had always known who he was, where he was from, and in all honesty? It didn’t really have any effect on his day to day life. No, Wes’ life wasn’t normal there was always the camp he stayed at during the summer, there were times that he’d have to leave a room because he was literally bursting with energy, and yeah, there was the odd monster or two. It was on one of those trips to his Summer Camp that he was attacked by something called a Serpopard. Thankfully, Flitz was there to save the day. And now (after the flame haired spitfire that is Lasercorn showed up), they’re on a quest to find out why something from the Egyptian Pantheon would attack the son of a Greek goddess, while also running away from some mean dwarves.

TFW you meet someone who seems like they’ll be a sweet and innocent bean, but instead they turn out to be a vicious four foot-nothin’ ball of terror. Yeah, Boze scared the crap out of Damien, But, in his mind, that’s a good thing because if he’s scared than he’s on edge, and if he’s on edge he’s aware of his surroundings. Erica Bozeman was, as Damien stated, a four foot-nothin’ twelve year old who had found the boy behind a dumpster with a shiv as his only weapon. After questioning him, she realized he needed a safe haven where monsters couldn’t get him, and wouldn’t you guess it Boze knew exactly where to take him. Well, not where exactly, more like who to take him to. She had met Wes when they were six. It didn’t take much for their friendship to form, and now Boze had a coin that would lead her to Wes if she ever needed him.

It’s scary knowing that so much can go wrong in life. Keith Leak Jr. had found Noah Grossman one brisk winter about four years ago, which made him (currently) eleven and Noah eight. The younger never told Keith just how he ended up in the streets, and the older boy couldn’t imagine someone throwing Noah out. The boy was a ball of love, love that he gave to literally anyone. Keith had to stop him from hugging a complete stranger just last week. Of course, they were now travelling with said stranger. Keith had thought he was invisible when he’d tried to steal the apples. His mother had given him the power in hopes that he would be able to protect himself. But, he was only a kid and his powers didn’t always work. So, they had been caught trying to steal, and Shayne Topp had come to their rescue. The ten year old didn’t have a sharp tongue, or any tricks up his sleeves, he just talked to the man. In the end the three of them ended up with bags of food and a weepy man. Turns out that Shayne, being the son of Janus, could see into their pasts and was able to pull sympathy from the grocer they’d tried to steal from. Instead of ditching the other two, the ten year old took them back to his hideout where they met Olivia and Courtney.

Olivia and Courtney, were inseparable. One time they had glued their hands together just to prevent the other from leaving. They had lived in the same apartment complex since day one. Courtney had only ever shown Olivia her powers (turning things into gold), and Olivia, in return, showed Courtney that she could change her appearance at will. Of course, that apartment complex had burned down in a “freak accident” when they were twelve. More like a bunch of fire giants came after the two and now they live in an abandoned auditorium with three boys and to quote Ian Hecox, “More coming”. What did that even mean, were there monsters coming, or more people, and by more how many did he mean? Not to badmouth Ian, he had saved all of their lives, but he needs to get better at this messaging stuff. He was the oldest at fourteen and the most experienced demigod in the group. Apparently there was even a camp where they’d be able to stay at. The auditorium they were living in had been dubbed, the “Smosh” hideout, and everyone was grateful that Ian was there for them.

Matthew Sohinki had been forced to run away from home after he came home to two ghouls wearing his foster parents skin like masks. The eleven year old wasn’t fast, and he would’ve been caught if one Mari takahashi hadn’t been there to save him. She had weird flower powers that made vines wrap around his house, ghouls still inside, before pulling it back into the earth. The two ended up travelling together, in search of nothing in particular, at least not until they reached the carnival. When he’d heard what Joven could do he wanted to run, but Mari was convinced that the older boy needed to come with him. In reality, Joven wasn’t given much of a choice when the police showed up looking for blood. Joven turned out to be a great asset to the duo, his ability to see death had kept the three out of many bad situations. One bad situation that they did get themselves into was when Mari had decided to break from the group to investigate a different trio consisting of a mammoth sized guy, an almost equally sized hatted person, and a crazy looking short dude (“We are the same height, you Asshole!”) with orange hair. Apparently having six demigods in one area makes you a beaconing signal for monsters, and soon the group had to fight their way through a hoard of Strix(bird of ill omen, product of metamorphosis, that fed on human flesh and blood). So, now their trio is a sextet headed to some abandoned auditorium because some guy with a bad haircut told them that all of their questions could be answered there.

The End? I guess…Idk

Sorry for inconsistencies, I tried.

AHHH, THAT SOUNDS SO COOL!...Though, I do have a suggestion...? I’m not sure how far or where you looked into Celtic mythology, but the Irish Celts did have a few deities! (As someone who practices wicca, which incorporates many celtic themes, I actually follow a couple myself) Maybe instead of a banshee, he could be the daughter of Clíodhna herself; queen of the banshees, and also ruler of the Celtic afterlife?

[cyberkevvideo]

Throne of Night Theory Builds Part 8: The End Boss of Book 6 (and Final Campaign Boss)

Haven’t determined if this is my final entry or not, but it’s definitely gotten to the point where I’m not sure where to go from here. I’ve already done a lot entries regarding the adventure path based on pics we’d seen on other sites, and most of them wouldn’t even have to be adjusted because they’re fine as-is. I’ll be playing it by ear though.

By this point in the adventure path, the party should be level 18-19 (or even level 20) and ready for the final showdown. In Way of the Wicked, they had a final encounter that bordered between CR 25 and CR 27, depending on whether you stagnated the fight and had each boss come one after the other, or if you teamed them up and had them fight the party all at once. This was really determined by how well or poorly they did over the course of Book 6. As well, it was assumed that the party had a literal army under them plus having Leadership to gain 2-4 cohorts, giving them a party of 8-10, not just a party of four. Given the summary, I didn’t see that being the case here. The more likely outcome was a single final boss that the party would be fighting by themselves (a party of 4 dwarves plus one NPC cohort).

Originally, I was saying that the final boss would probably be just a standard starspawn of Cthulhu with the fighter template and possibly a few other templates, plus advanced HD. Since that time, I have actually sat down and honestly contemplated it. I jumped back and forth between whether it would be a lower CR creature or if it’d be so monstrous it’d be nearly impossible to defeat. I finally resolved myself to a final outcome when I finally had an epiphany. Thankfully someone else had already considered the idea and did the work for me, although it’s different than what I was originally going to do.

For space reasons, cropping the encounter build.

Again, all images shared here were done by the forever fantastic and amazingly talented Michael D. Clarke, aka SpiralMagus. 

In Gary’s update regarding the final boss, he wrote: “And finally the ultimate enemy is discovered – a horror from another world intent on making this world its own. Even the aboleth were only pawns of this transdimensional terror. How can anyone hope to oppose this mighty creature?“

When I saw the picture, I knew exactly what it was. How does anyone who games not know, or at least heard of, Cthulhu? It seemed like a rather fitting final boss considering books 5 and 6 were almost exclusively aberrations. I’m still not entirely sure how the daemons and proteans fit into this story, but that’s all but irrelevant at the moment.

As written, the creature wouldn’t be much of a threat for level 19 characters, but if you were fight a CR 25 mythic version, that’d be a very different story. Originally I was thinking of just adding the Agile, Divine, and Invulnerable Simple Mythic templates, the Advanced template, and just advancing HD until it got to the proper CR. Figured CR 25 or 26 would be perfect. A little bit of work, but I was willing to put in the elbow grease. Then I randomly came across it during a Google search. Legendary Games released this version of the star spawn in their OGL Mythic Monsters Mythos Too. The build was released online for free too. Even better. Overall, it was pretty much everything I needed it to be. Just needed a tiny bit of tweaking for me to be completely satisfied with it.

CXUMBR'ITHOSS, SPAWN OF CTAARRU Mythic Star Spawn

In addition to what’s written in the link above, these are my minor changes to make it a true CR 25:

Regeneration only works once per round, at the beginning of the creature’s turn, regardless of the number of turns a creature has. This is on Paizo who didn’t properly explain how the ability works.

So because of that, this star spawn is slightly lacking in hit points. No problem though. Just add: +1 HD and make it 26 HD instead. This gives the mythic star spawn +18 hp, +1 BAB, +1 Will, +1 caster level for divine spells, and 11 skill ranks. It only has 11 skills so just put 1 rank into them all. That’ll be more than enough considering its DR and regeneration, as well as high AC being 46 instead of the standard 43 that a CR 25 would normally get. The BAB and Will increase now makes it closer to a the CR as well. Having the divine power spell will help immensely as well. Finally, with an even number of HD, a lot of the DC 32 abilities will now be 33.

For divine spells, switch out barkskin and word of chaos. Doesn’t help that the math seems that it’s actually 53 spell levels and not 50. I could be miscalculating that. I’d hope they’re right. I’d hope that you wouldn’t need to get rid of three spell levels. Still, if you’re fighting drow, the latter spell doesn’t do anything for you, and not every dwarf is going to be lawful. Not to mention they’ll have a decent number of bonuses vs. spells and spell-likes. However, both parties are more likely to be wearing some metal armor. Instead of the above spells, give the mythic star spawn freedom of movement and rusting grasp. If I am correct, and you do need to get rid of one of the 4th level spells, keep one or the other based on what your players are wearing, but give the creature bless, divine favor, or heightened awareness. This choice is based on how difficult the party is to hit, how much they use Intimidate to demoralize, or how stealthy they are (and can fool blindsight).

For treasure, a CR 25 gets 185k worth of gear. In the Seeker of Secrets book, it’s said that a creature can absorb ioun stones. The process isn’t OGL, but there’s nothing saying a creature that can use miracle once per day couldn’t have figured out how to do the same thing. Maybe that’s why he’s got so many glowing veins.

For its gear, I would give this creature the following: amulet of mighty fists +1, cloak of resistance +2, embedded ioun stones (clear spindle, dark blue rhomboid, deep red sphere, pale blue rhomboid, pale green prism), torc of truespeech, and wand of protection from energy (14 charges). The torc is super important as you’re going to want the star spawn to interact with the party before they get down to business. The wand would almost always be used on fire protection so it could continue to use its regeneration for a while longer. In addition, because it has miracle, I’d give the star spawn the equivalent of manual of quickness of action +1, and tome of understanding +1. Due to the star spawn having access to miracle once per day, there’s really nothing stopping you from continuing and giving it +1 inherent bonus to all of its stats. Only its intelligence would really be affected, honestly, as tome of clear thought +1, giving it so many skill ranks. The star spawn has a few racial skills without any ranks in them. Maybe max out Acrobatics or split it with Acrobatics, Escape Artist, and Survival. While it would give a massive increase in “wealth” for the creature (the equivalent of 27,500 gold for each stat increase), it doesn’t actually gain any benefit for having odd numbers in Str, Con, and Cha, so technically there’s no reason to increase the CR even if you did do that.

Finally, just for fun, change its languages to be Aboleth, Abyssal, Aklo, Elder Thing, Infernal, Terran, and Undercommon.

As for tactics, there’s not really much to say other than cast divine power, righteous might, and owl’s wisdom as soon as possible. If you’re using my spell swap suggestions, freedom of movement would be another spell it would cast asap, and rusting grasp on the closest, most heavily armored individual. When he’s looking rough, cast miracle to have it gain an empowered heal spell. That’s 225 points of healing on just one of its turns. Other than that, it will use Power Attack and lay waste to any many targets as it can reach. Assume that given its one ability, that there’s a large body of water nearby. A tsunami would be a terrible thing for character that might not have water breathing going at the moment.

By no means will this be an easy fight, but if all has gone well, the PCs will not be alone and it won’t just be the four of them plus Knivy Ivy. If it is, expect a long slog of a battle. Lots of buffing and hopefully lots of damage can be dealt by them.

If the math is right, the final boss will be AC 48, touch 11, flat-footed 45; hp 535; regen 15 (fire), saves of 23/14/29, and DC 33 on most special abilities.

EDIT: Essentially, it should look like this. I actually did put it together, and, oh boy, is it crazy. I can see GMs ignoring that build completely and doing their own thing (or doing my second suggestion below), using as-is (and that’s perfectly fine), or throwing it at their players without hesitation. No matter the choice, it should hopefully be an epic conclusion.

If this is absolutely way too overwhelming a fight for your party, a standard star spawn with the Simple Cleric Class Template and a couple of fighter levels, might be the ticket instead, for the same CR 25.

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

Definitely have to say that I’m glad this build was out, and I could make use of it. Saved me a lot of work. Hopefully you can make use of it as well, and challenge your players.

I might do an entry regarding what other encounters there are, but for now this is the final encounter, the adventure is over, and your party’s kingdom is currently safe from any known major threat. At 20th level, very few things can threaten or intimidate them.

[vyahohmyah-blog]

Lorestory: Warcraft Origins

One of the most important things in the World, and why we have developed so much as a species, is taking what we have created and building on it.

Warcraft didn't come out of nowhere - it was influenced by the fantasy ancestors that came before it. Most would cite Dungeons and Dragons and Tolkien as two major influences - and they aren't wrong! - but what came even before that?

In this Lorestory, we will check out what has led us here to Warcraft, the game we so love.

Part One: Origins

While the word fantasy was rarely used until the 1940s, it's origins are ancient. Every civilization has their fairy tales, which began popping up around the bronze age. The tales themselves were normally meant for lesson learning and meaning behind it. All regions also had their own mythology and pagan Gods as well with their own mythos. The human imagination and beliefs has always transcended what is in front of us.

How is fantasy defined? Essentially, it has ultra unrealistic plotlines, characters, settings, creatures, etc. Star Wars is as much of a fantasy world as Warcraft. Anything that takes you beyond the belief of what is possible and what IS, is considered fantasy.

The very first piece of literature we have, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is perhaps the very first example of fantasy. It's over 6000 years old! Similar fantasy spread throughout Greece and the Roman Empire, but it wasn't until we find ourselves in the medieval period where Fantasy soars to greater heights.

This period brought us such epic tales such as Beowulf and the entire Arthurian lore.

Note: while some may disagree, I find Arthurian lore to be the first example of a fully fleshed out fantasy world. It was here we found many, many different characters and settings - and it has hyper-magical characters/items in it. As it would take a very, very long time to learn Warcraft lore, learning the full Arthurian lore would also take ages. It is the first instance in time where a made up Legend (though grounded in some historical fact, if even a little) could require HOURS to read about the different characters like we would when researching a modern fantasy world. I consider this legend the first "modern" fantasy.

Section Two: Taking Flight

In the 1800s, some authors messed around with what we would today consider fantasy (see: Edgar Allen Poe and dark fantasy), but it wasn't until the king himself J.R.R Tolkien's absolute beast of lore around Middle Earth came out that fantasy as a genre absolutely took off (C.S Lewis with Narnia also was a big contributing factor).

Where Authurian lore left off, Tolkien added onto. It is true that EVERY SINGLE modern fantasy owes much to him and his world. Now we had a completely alive, complex world (remember, Authurian was still grounded in the real world with fantasy elements!) crawling with hobbits, humans, elves, and orcs. It was the single most game changing moment when Middle Earth books became available. You could lose yourself for not only hours, not only days, not only weeks, but MONTHS and YEARS into the complexity of the established lore in his books.

The first Dungeon and Dragons came out in 1974. Now, YOU could add and live in the fantasy. Dungeons and Dragons itself was inspired by a game that recreated medieval combat called Chainmail. The founders of D&D took this idea and bumped it into the next level. The games themselves could be infinite and they were (and are!) only limited by your own imagination. This was the very beginning of RPGs and fantasy worlds.

Part Three: Here We Are

Warhammer. It started off as a tabletop game in 1983, and was greatly influenced by Tolkien and a different fantasy series that involved a character named Elric. Warhammer has since came out with video games - but here is one thing I can promise: If Warhammer tapped into the RTS and later made a World of Warhammer, I would be writing about that right now. Warhammer - if they had played it right - COULD have been what Warcraft is now.

And it's fitting, because Warcraft was definitely inspired by Warhammer. There are many things that overlap between the two franchises: orcs, Dwarves, High Elves, goblins, humans, and most telling (though BOTH were greatly influenced by Cthulu) a SPACE TRAVELING ancient entities called the Old Ones (see: Old Gods). All of this was an entire decade before the first Warcraft RTS launched.

Game of Thrones also came out in the 90s, and did influence some of later WoW (white walkers, for example - the army of undead...it was all out before Warcraft III). The first Game of Thrones (or a Song of Fire and Ice in this case) came out in 1996, where Warcraft III came out in 2002. We are first introduced to the scourge and the Lich King a full six years after first being introduced to the White Walkers.

Chapter Four: Stalemate

Above, you can see a pattern. About every 10 years since the release of J.R.R Tolkien's work, there has been an advancement in Fantasy. Until the 2000s, where the Warcraft RTS hit it's zenith, and World of Warcraft came out. Since then, not much has happened in the fantasy world. Nobody can really come up with much more, and it hasn't been elevated. All the greats have already been made - Middle Earth, Harry Potter, Warhammer, Narnia, A Song of Fire and Ice, and Warcraft.

What's next?

[jurakan]

On Gods and Belief in Fiction

Oh hey guys I’m thinking of putting more of my Saturday Notes from Facebook up on Tumblr. Let me know what you guyses think and I’ll consider posting more.

On Gods and Belief in Fiction

There is an omnipresent concept in modern fantasy fiction, especially urban fantasy that wants to deal heavily with religion. It goes like this: mythological figures, especially gods, are reliant entirely on whether people believe in and/or worship them. If gods don’t get worship, or their amount of worshippers/believers wane, they lose power, and eventually fade away into nothingness to be replaced by other gods who have more belief from common people. Likewise, how these gods act is often tied to how they’re perceived; so a god doesn’t really get a choice in how he or she or it does, because they’re just fulfilling the beliefs of their worshippers anyway. There are a few stories that do this well; obviously Small Gods by the late great Sir Terry Pratchett, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennet. But I am frustrated that this system has become the default for how gods work in fantasy stories; now that everyone’s doing it, it’s no longer creative and if anything it’s rather stale and presents a self-centered view of the world.

So first, let’s ask: why do authors do it?

The first obvious answer is that it’s a way for an author to have several different pantheons present in the same fantasy setting. Using this system you could have different deities whose very nature contradict each other (like say, Helios, Ra and Sol, all three incarnations of the Sun) coexist. The author doesn’t have to explain how they could all be the sun, or the rain or the thunder or something, as they’re not really--they’re the people’s personifications of their beliefs of those things. And if you wanted to have different pantheons duke it out, an easy point of conflict could be that the gods are fighting over worshippers. This is one of the factors leading to conflict in the SMITE tie-in comics.

The second obvious answer is to make a statement about the changing natures of belief and religion. Religions, weirdly enough, come and go out of fashion like everything else. The differences between the religions that were and the religions that are can be transformed from figurative to literal by showing the gods of the old religions weaker and starving for belief, while the new ones are young and strong. American Gods has the old gods that immigrants brought over as hunting for belief or purpose wherever they can find it, while the new gods like Internet and Media are thriving. Though as the story goes on it’s shown that the newer gods are just as terrified about losing worshippers and becoming forgotten as the old gods, they’re just better at hiding it since they’re in power.

But as you can probably tell I’m not overly fond of the idea, in large part because it’s become sort of universally recognized as the way that gods work. The original planned ending of the God of War III was that Kratos slays the gods by making sure the world  no longer believed in them, so of course they just poofed away. When something in fantasy becomes universally accepted as a rule of the genre, we have an issue, because fantasy is about pushing past the expected. I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with genre conventions, but if we’re going to get on fantasy authors’ cases for copying Tolkien’s elves and dwarves, we should also be on their cases for copying Gaiman and Pratchett with little diversity of thought.

But most of all, the thing that really gets to me about the concept is that by making the gods starving for the belief and worship of humans is that it makes the entire world revolve around us: we are the center of the universe as we are the ones on whom the gods owe existence. It is a perception that makes us the gods. Humanity literally becomes the most important thing in the world, and that’s rather troubling when applied to fantasy worlds where there are people other than humans walking around. It’s a very humanist way to look at the world, but also an incredibly arrogant one that decides that we’re the ones who decide who the gods are, even if unconsciously.

“The gods are great, but people are greater, for it is in their hearts that gods are born, and to their hearts that they return,” declares Mr. Ibis, the American incarnation of Thoth, in the American Gods television series.

If that’s not a promotion of self-worship, I don’t know what is. And it isn’t the kind of story I prefer to go for anyway.

I like the idea of humans not being the center of the universe in fiction. Lovecraft made his stories about the concept that there are powerful alien forces beyond our comprehension at work all around us. Mind you, he also was really morbid in the execution of it and made sure to exclude and shred of hope. In Lovecraft’s mythos, we are nothing in the grand scheme of things, and those cosmic forces will turn us mad or annihilate us without any consequences. I like hope in stories. So I prefer things like B.P.R.D. or The Dresden Files where cosmic forces still work around us, but humanity still has a fighting chance against the darkness when it comes.

That seems a more rational view of the universe to me. Reality can be huge and unforgiving and in the end maybe it doesn’t really care about us, but we can still make it through.

I know it’s tempting for a lot of authors to try to prop the gods as something that can be more easily punched out by human characters because belief, but I think that’s more of a strawman than an actual interesting character choice. Writers, if you’re going to depict gods, do something godly, and make a character that’s far beyond mortal comprehension. Don’t make them dependent on humans just to live, because that defeats the very purpose in the first place. You don’t have to portray them reverently or nicely or morally, but don’t make them so dependent on people, and especially don’t act like it’s a great twist on your take on religion.