#Warlike Madness

[drondskaath]

Vassus | Warlike Madness | 2024

UK Raw/Ambient Black Metal

[overthinkinglotr]

People always say “Thorin could never retire in the Shire because he has to be King” — and I think the funniest way to handle that plotline would be for Bilbo to convince Thorin to eliminate the monarchy.

Bilbo has lived all his life in the Shire, where they elect their main leaders in a democratic system. Thorin is the first king he ever meets. Bilbo would initially think monarchy was very storybook-like and fantastical, like the things he’s read about in tales from distant lands…..but he would quickly find the reality of monarchy underwhelming, baffling, and annoying. Thorin/ Thranduil/Bard would make Bilbo decide that all monarchies are terrible. Being a king makes you self-important, haughty, greedy, and warlike. Kings are too powerful and use that power to fight over utter nonsense. They’ve got no one to keep their stubbornness in check. He would come to decide that the Shire really did have it right by holding elections.

I’m imagining a scene where Thorin dramatically confesses “I suffer under the burden of my duties; heavy is the head that bears a crown” and Bilbo flatly responds “don’t be king, then. >:/Elect someone else. If your people don’t want you then they won’t choose you! Im very tired of this whole affair and I wish I were back in the Shire, where folk are more reasonable >:(“

Thorin is enchanted by the strange foreign Hobbit custom of “elected leaders.” He has never considered this as a possibility. Overwhelmed by the Hobbit’s wisdom after the Battle of the Five Armies, Thorin converts his kingdom into a democratic republic and retires from public life.

This causes a domino effect. Other kingdoms across Middle Earth are inspired by Erebor’s example, and band together to reject their monarchical systems. Revolutions ensue.

Thorin’s consort “Bilbo Baggins,” known only as “the dwarf-king’s advisor who first set off this wave of revolutions,” becomes one of the most controversial and reviled people in all of Middle Earth. Bilbo becomes a figure of mythic proportions, loved by the democratic republicans and despised by the royalists, each of which invents their own wild legends.

To the democratic republicans “The Great Baggins” is glorified as a great warrior sent from Valinor to restore the long-forgotten wisdom borne out of The West— he snaps his fingers and with a poof of smoke he washes away all the old corrupt systems of the world, just as the Valar washed away Numenor.

But to the royalists, “The Mad Baggins” is a scheming shadowy monster who crawled up from the deep places of the world to burn the very foundations of Middle Earth to the ground; he’s a monster more powerful and terrible than a dragon or a balrog, who threatened Thorin into submission and brought the world into chaos. he snaps his fingers and monarchies collapse in a puff of smoke.

Meanwhile elderly Bilbo grumpily putters around the Shire with Thorin, mostly oblivious to all of this.

[polutrope]

WiP Snippet

Tagged by @thelordofgifs and @runawaymun to share... something. Thank you!

From And Love Grew:

"I cannot believe there is no one among you who can discover the cause of this sickness, who can stop the deaths. I cannot believe that you do not care that children are dying, not now that you have triumphed over us—” “Triumphed?” Maglor interrupted. By the look of Embor’s face, he knew it was not worth explaining to this son of a warlike people that there was nothing triumphant about their victory at Sirion. “Of course I care. But whatever tales you have heard about us, we are not heroes or saviours. My kin, perhaps, were heroes — and what became of them? They were slain and overcome by the Enemy who will overcome us all. Do I know the cause of this sickness? Yes. It is the malice of Morgoth, carried from the North and rained down upon us, poisoning the waters. That is why your people are dying, why mine are going mad. See how powerful he has become, that his hate can pursue us so far from his seat of power? Not even Fingolfin or Felagund could stand against him now.” Maglor laughed. His temples throbbed painfully. “Certainly not me, certainly not one whose only victories have been against his own kin.” All the while, Embor stood staring at him with expressionless eyes. “Have you tried?” he asked.

Would you like to share, @grey-gazania @ettelene @jouissants @meadowlarkx @swanhild?

[finnlongman]

And Læg said: "Thou art a witless idiot, O Setanta. Is this a time to indulge thy mad freaks, when the Olnemacta are routing the Ultonians over all the right centre. If thou carest not for thyself have at least a care for thy charioteer, who, shieldless, hath no protection save what lies in thy skill and warlike prudence, of which right little dost thou possess."

O'Grady makes wild choices but this is perfect Láeg characterisation. He then threatens to quit and Cú Chulainn is like "aww come on it's not that bad, look, you've never been injured while hanging out with me, right?". Perfect.

[adndmonsteraday]

Gnolls were a humanoid race that most closely resembled human-hyena hybrids within Faerûn. They were carnivorous humanoids, known for their savage culture and warlike ways.

“If you should find yourself the object of gnollish pursuit, burn your corpses, cover your scent, and pray to whoever might aid you, for there is no bribing, begging, or reasoning with hunger incarnate.”

— Excerpt from The Lords of Madness.

Gnolls were extremely tall, with the average member of the race standing on average between 7′0″‒7′6″ (2.1‒2.3 m). Though gnolls were relatively lean for their height, weighing in usually between 280-320lb (127-145kg) , they cut an impressive visage. In part because of their height and lean musculature, gnolls were very quick compared with many other races such as humans. Gnoll skin was greenish-gray, and their furry hide a light or dark brown hue, sometimes marked with spots or stripes. Many gnolls also had a dirty yellow to a reddish-gray crest-like mane that stood on end when they were angry.

Sub-Races Flind: These gnolls were shorter, broader, and stronger than others. They were often found leading a tribe or settlement of gnolls. Flinds used a primitive flail-like weapon called a flindbar, which consisted of a pair of metal rods linked together by a chain.

Half-gnoll: These were halfbreeds born from a human and a gnoll parents.

Witherling: Gnolls who were killed and devoured by their war band companions, and whose skeletons were then raised through a ritual to Yeenoghu. These undead gnolls traveled with the band killing and destroying as they did in life, but did not eat, leaving more food to the rest of the band.

Source: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Gnoll

[delightingintragedy]

Mars Correspondences

From Christian Astrology by William Lilly

(It is mostly word for word. I tried to format it to fit into a nice correspondence list, but the information itself is untouched.)

Zodiac: Aries is his Day-house, Scorpio is his Night-house. Exhaulted in Capricorn, Depressed in Cancer, Detriment in Libra and Taurus.

Nature: Masculine, Nocturnal Planet, in nature hot and dry, choleric and fiery, the lesser Infortune, author of Quarrels, Strifes, and Contentions.

Profession: Princes Ruling by Tyranny and Oppression, or Tyrants, Usurpers, new Conquerors. Generals in Armies, Colonels, Captains, or any Soldiers having command in Armies, all manner of Soldiers, Physicians, Apothecaries, Surgeons, Alchemists, Gunners, Butchers, Marshals, Sergeants, Bailiffs, Hangmen, Thieves, Smiths, Bakers, Armourers, Watchmakers, Botchers, Tailors, Cutlers of Swords and Knives, Barbers, Dyers, Cooks, Carpenters, Gamesters, Bear-wards, Tanners, Curriers.

Diseases: The Gall, the left Ear, tertian Fevers, pestilent burning Fevers, Migraines in the Head, Carbuncles, the Plague and all Plague-sores, Burnings, Ringworm, Blisters, Frenzies, mad sudden distempers in the Head, Yellow-jaundice, Bloodyflux, Fistulas, all Wounds and Diseases in men's Genitals, the Stone both in Reins and Bladder, Scars or small Pox in the Face, all hurts by Iron, the Shingles, and such other Diseases as arise by abundance of too much Choler, Anger or Passion.

Colour: Red colour, or Yellow, fiery and shining like Saffron.

Savour: Those which are bitter, sharp and burn the Tongue.

Herbs: The Herbs which we attribute to Mars are such as come near to redness, whose leaves are pointed and sharp, whose taste is caustic and burning, love to grow on dry places, are corrosive, and penetrating the Flesh and Bone with a most subtle heat: They are as follows: The Nettle, all manner of Thistles, Restharrow or Cammock, Devils-milk or Petty spurge, the white and red Brambles, the white called vulgarly by the Herbalists Ramme, Lingwort, Onions, Scammony, Garlic, Mustard-seed, Pepper, Ginger, Leeks, Dittander, Horehound, Hemlock, red Sanders, Tamarinds, all Herbs attracting or drawing choler by Sympathy, Radish, Castoreum, Aresmart, Assarum, Carduus Benedictus, Cantharides.

Trees: All Trees which are prickly, as a Thorn, Chestnut.

Beasts: Panther, Tiger, Mastiff, Vulture, Fox; of living creatures, those that are Warlike, Ravenous and Bold, the Castor, Horse, Mule, Ostrich, the Goat, the Wolf, the Leopard, the wild Ass, the Gnats, Flies, Lapwing, Cockatrice, the Griffin, Bear.

Fishes, etc: The Pike, the Shark, the Barbel, the Fork-fish, all stinking Worms, Scorpions.

Birds, etc: The Hawk, the Vulture, the Kite or Glead, (all ravenous Fowl), the Raven, Cormorant, the Owl, (some say the Eagle), the Crow, the Pye.

Places: Smith's Shops, Furnaces, Slaughterhouses, places where Bricks or Charcoal are burned or have been burned, Chimneys, Forges.

Minerals: Iron, Antimony, Arsenic, Brimstone, Ochre.

Stones: Adamant, Loadstone, Bloodstone, Jasper, the many coloured Amethyst, the Touchstone, red Lead or Vermilion.

Weather: Red Clouds, Thunder, Lightning, Fiery impressions, and pestilent Airs, which usually appear after a long time of dryness and fair Weather, by improper and unwholesome Mists.

Winds: Western Winds

Angel: Samael

Planetary Alliances: His Friends are only Venus; Enemies all the other planets.

Week Day: Tuesday

Correspondence posts for the other planets: [Sun] [Moon] [Mercury] [Venus] [Jupiter] [Saturn]

[vigilskeep]

i just wish to inform you that i am insane about tristan. as an avid cousland stan he compels me in ways i cannot fully put into words. does he have interests outside of the courtly duties he had to learn? like does he care for battle strategies and such?? what is his opinion on loghain??

yes he has a very well-rounded noble education, combat too!! despite knowing the kind of life he was intended for, they couldn’t blatantly leave him out without risking questions, they couldn’t risk him being the only heir left and untrained if anything happened to fergus, and also i suspect bryce has no idea how else to interact with a child. between that, his magical training, and his noble education, tristan barely had any time for interests of his own, and it’s almost lucky he’s a creature of boundless roaring unspent energy. he’s intelligent, chivalrous; though he’s not nearly as talkative after the events of the origin, he’s wry and charming and he should be well-spoken and well-read enough to hold his own when asked to speak on anything. i’m drawing on, like, chivalric archetypes, courtier ideals, and even, idk, regency novel style standards for the “accomplished lady”. he can charm, he can entertain guests, he can rule, he can fight, he can play music, he can cast judgement, he can write, he can settle land disputes, he can cast walking bomb, and hell, he can even dance

physically, these days, he doesn’t train as much as he did as a boy hoping he could convince his father of a few things, but he still maintains his fitness. a little more vanity in that than dedication to combat, though, lmao. it mayyy be more about looks nowadays than actual strength. also just about being a big wolf in a small cage who is so foundationally bored. the same way cousland’s mabari acts up in the castle because it’s a war dog playing nursemaid. you gotta pace along the bars of your enclosure sometimes, because eventually you run out of books to read and catastrophically bad ideas of who to sleep with. he has a high-ish con score for a mage that i would put down to the above

as for loghain, he was a hero of his as a child. i think a specific part of tristan’s background is being raised on glorified tales of the rebellion and idealising that, romanticising it, and coming to understand that he would never be permitted to achieve anything like the warlike standard that had been set up for him. (he has such bad luck with this. he used to be genuinely fond of arl howe because his visits meant news from outside highever and stories from the old days.) anyway, with loghain, tristan also likes the idea of a historically great “right hand man” somewhat in the shadow of his king’s greatness, because tristan believed he would always be effectively that to his teyrn father and brother. at ostagar he’s spitting mad at cailan, and only his respect for loghain has him following the plan. tristan’s not got quite the head for pitched battle strategy—that was one of the things he was explicitly not really trained for—but he’s educated in history, he’s as good as you’ll find in siege warfare, etc. similar to alistair, he has every good, knowledgeable, evidence-backed reason to trust in the ostagar strategy. afterwards, he can barely react to loghain’s actions. it’s something of a quiet final death knell for the person he used to be, the things he used to believe in, when he wakes up in flemeth’s hut. howe could be an anomaly; loghain can’t

but it’s worth saying that if tristan said what he wants to say to loghain about ostagar—that if he had any heart, any honour, he’d have stayed with cailan, died with cailan if necessary—he’s not really talking about loghain. or ostagar. survivor’s guilt is a bitch

[ianitos]

(this is upg ‼️ & contains adult themes)

the aspects & epithets of bacchus 🐆🍷🍇

aspects

the liberator ≻ Bacchus is extremely well known for his cult and following, allowing for liberation of all peoples - most predominantly women and slaves. and thus is associated with and as the liberator of people (especially marginalized communities).

initiator of rebirth ≻ being reborn from mortal to deity, bacchus is the initiator of the cycles of rebirth. especially with life and death (metaphorically), but can also extend to other rebirths and new identities (such as queer ones).

patron fertility & prosperity ≻ bacchus reaps and sows, he brings prosperity to his followers in all that they do (most well known for wine and agriculture but can extend to the arts).

epithets

the liberator

"Freeing Tongue"

"the Free One"

"of Madness"

"Gentle Hand"

"Boisterous Laughter"

"Goat-Killer"

"the Blooming"

"Born of Thunder"

"Wise Teacher"

"of Grapes and Wine"

"Warlike"

"of Frenzies"

"Deathly"

"of Mania"

"Twice-Born"

"Ivy-Crowned"

"Fulfilling Madness"

"the Souls Anodyne"

"the Androgyne"

[nalidyne]

Hi I recently discovered your blog and I want to say your artstyle is incredibly adorable, keep up the good work ! Btw, I'm very interested in the Frontline_land au of yours, what is it about? Thank you and have an amazing day

Hello! Thank you so much 😭💖

I'm not very good at explaining with words but I'll try my best,,, Here's some very old concept art while we're here;;;

Frontline is a belligerent land run by the the Queen of Hearts, there's really no royal family or elections everyone can become queen they just have to kill the previous sovereign and their personal deck of soldiers.

Anya Braginsky is the current ruler, she's know as the Queen of War because of her hunger for power and heavy warlike strategies that led Frontline into expanding it's territory but also into financial misery. The only one who had enough power and support to stop her unfortunately can't do anything anymore, Arthur Kirkland the Great General of Frontline's navy has gone mad after witnessing his wife's public execution. He now lives on a boat and calls himself the Great Pirate Hatter. The main story follows unit A.Liddel an half military android with amnesia, the last message she receives is "Find the White Rabbit" and that becomes her mission. During her quest she slowly regains her memories by meeting and experiencing Frontline's people.

White Rabbit is the resistance founded by Maria Beilshmidt, the only survivor of the previous Queen's deck of soldiers, Dr. Cheshire an eccentric doctor who was forced to inherit his sister's job, and Colonel White a pilot and brilliant mechanic that used to work for Anya's army. The story in not that deep it's mainly an excuse to draw whimsical military clothes and people fighting so yeah xD BUT thanks for asking about this AU I'm glad I piqued your interest! I really wish I could explain more but I'm very bad at it---

[keepsmagnetoaway]

Rise of Apocalypse 1 (October 1996)

Terry Kavanagh/Adam Pollina

I regret so much already.

Okay, so. Last post, I explained at length why I'm deviating a bit from chronological order to go back and read what my reading guide calls "Era 0": comics set before the X-Men's 1963 debut. I wanted to get these read at some point, and coming off of Days of Future Past and at a good pause point for the ongoing series, this seemed like the right time for some time travel. And now I have to live with the consequences of that decision.

When I say "comics set before the X-Men's 1963 debut" I was mostly imagining "what was Wolverine up to in the 1950s" kind of thing, and that is indeed what we're going to read some of. But we're beginning at the very beginning, and the very beginning is approximately 3,000 BCE, in one of the worst comics I have ever had the misfortune to read (it's also 1996 CE, which explains a lot).

This abomination of a comic is Rise of Apocalypse, a 4-issue miniseries which narrates the early history of X-Men villain Apocalypse. We have met him before, just barely, in another bit of retroactive insertion in Classic X-Men, but I don't know much about him beyond being powerful, vaguely Egyptian-themed, and a key enemy of the X-Men in the still-to-come 1980s and 90s. I sure learned a lot about him in this series, though!

Apocalypse - also known as En Sabah Nur, meaning "The Morning Light", is some kind of super-mutant who was found as an abandoned baby by a tribe of warlike nomads in the deserts surrounding Ancient Egypt: he grew up terrifyingly powerful and soon became involved in the power struggles of that era, and specifically in a struggle against the all-powerful Pharoah Rama-Tut, who was actually time-travelling villain Kang the Conqueror (of appearing-in-the-MCU-and-then-suddenly-very-much-not-appearing-in-the-MCU fame).

That's basically the plot of this four-issue series, although there is an absolutely deranged appearance later on from a modern-day Marvel team that we'll get to when we get to it. But I lay all this out now to basically say: I will absolutely not be recounting the dogshit details of this absurd, hyper-melodramatic plot in any more detail and will use the next three posts to get mad about various aspects of this comic instead.

[sigmalied]

GODDESS BLESS THE QUEEN 2.0

CHAPTER 4: A WARLIKE SOCIETY

Read Here on AO3

A skeptical expression was indelibly upon Tevos’s features and her legs were rendered inoperable. In nonplussed stupor she could not comprehend what was being demanded of her. That she was expected to accept ignorance as the conclusion of the Dantrida probe was madness, especially without knowing why. The matriarchs’ machinations were subversive of the Council to a degree Tevos could not abide, regardless of their aim. “I know what you’re thinking,” said Theralia. “I see Ralleus in you, that turian righteousness I once identified as virtue. I see now that it curtails you in practical matters.”  “It is not a weakness,” said Tevos, her jaw stiff from suppressing indignation. “I dedicated half my life to studying ethics and the edification of society.” With undue disdain, Theralia retorted, “Then study more. For you as asari councilor should never claim to observe immaculate ethics. Doing so would require dereliction of duty.”

[stupidvampires]

“The warlike days are over. Blood is too precious a thing in these days of dishonourable peace; and the glories of the great races are as a tale that is told."

Dracula’s fucking terrifying oh my god he’s so mad he can’t slaughter people left & right anymore

[lizardrosen]

i just found my notebook from 2011 when i went through the entire text of hamlet line by line and took extensive notes on each scene. do you want me to share the best parts? of course you do.

Unless otherwise noted, this is my own notes verbatim, but I remember having some objectively Incorrect Takes and I'll give my current commentary on my past self

Act I, Scene 1

1.1.14-15 "Friends to this ground" "And liegemen to the Dane" Horatio is loyal to the land itself with all its history; Marcellus cares more about the current king and military leader, Claudius

1.1.46-49 "What art thou that usurp'st this time of night?" like Claudius usurped Papa Hamlet "fair and warlike" either praises war by calling it fair or juxtaposes the adjectives "in which the majesty of buried Denmark" the ghost embodied the spirit of the country but it died with him

1.1.36-37 "If thou hast uphoarded in thy life / Extorted treasure from the womb of earth" Horatio suggests that the ghost might not be perfect? current Will: I think it's more that Horatio is running through any possible reason that there might be a ghost just in case he guesses right and gets a response

Act I, Scene 2

1.2.2-3 "And that it us befitted to bear our hearts in grief" Claudius acts sad because he feels he ought to and it's expected of him current Will: Wow, I gave Claudius a lot more credit than he deserves, this is clearly manipulating the social climate of the court!!

1.2.70-71 "Do not forever with thy veiled lids / seek for thy noble father in the dust" she does not know Papa Hamlet does not stay buried, and wants Hamlet to move on with his life veiled=lack of movement; seek=active

1.2.118 "Let not thy mother lose her prayers" Claudius has Gertrude speak here because he knows that Hamlet will listen to her <3 current Will: this is hilarious! even knowing that Claudius is a murderer, I still treated him like basically a good dude and missed his deliberate control of his image

1.2.150-151 "A beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer" - compare to the princess bride: Did you get engaged to your prince that same hour or did you wait a whole week out of respect for the dead?

1.2.185 "I saw him once, a was a goodly king" How did Horatio see the king and what does that say about his character? current Will: there are actual answers to this question in scene one :D

Act One, Scene Two summary At this point Hamlet s not quite emo and not quite mad. He's a bit sadder than is "manly" but has the presence of mind to talk about gardens, Greeks, and galled eyes. Iago did that too, so if Hamlet is mad here, it is a calculating madness.

Well, I was half right. Little did I know that Hamlet would talk about all of those things no matter what his mental state is.

(to be continued!)

[noahsbookhoard]

📚August 2024 Book Review (Part 1/4)📚

I had soooo much free time in August! Heatwaves meant every outdoor activities were out of the question. There was nothing to do at work outside of my 2 4-hours shift either. I ended up reading a good 8 to 12 hours a day, hence the 16 books of this months review!

La Forteresse du Chaudron Noir (Les Aventures du Pyro-barbare et de Billy #1) by Bob Lennon

Billy is a young farmer in a village decimated by disease. After his mother dies he sets out to the city unaware that an ancient evil was on the rise. Now accompanied by a goliath, Billy will have to use his wits and strength to defeat the terrible power hidden within the fortress. YOU are Billy!

When I was a kid I LOVED Choose Your Own Adventure books! They were fun, novelty, and always had a ton of different characters and places to interact with. I liked the "game" aspect of them as much as the "book" aspect. But after some time you explored every available path and getting the "good" ending was more muscle memory than puzzle solving, the replay value of kid CYOA was generally low.

Now enter Bob Lennon! Most of you won't know him but he is one of the biggest french video game youtuber. He's been on the platform since 2011 and has still the same workaholic energy. He created his own character inspired by Skyrim who is a Fire Barbarian named Le Pyrobarbare and his sidekick Billy. He is also a TTRPG fan.

That was a very long introduction to say that he created his own CYOA book series that are inspired by those characters and have a big TTRPG dynamic to them and THEY. ARE. INCREDIBLE.

It all start with a character creation system: you will always play Billy the farmer but you can choose between a collection of objects and whichever you chose decide which type of Billy you are: warlike, rustic, resourceful or cautious. And all of this influences which decisions you can or can't make. And there are A LOT of decision, we're talking about a 400 pages book. That might not be that many but I have never seen a CYOA above 150 pages.

The combat system is fairly easy to use, while being more interesting than "roll two dice the lowest roll loose". It pairs well with different stats of your Billy, which change depending on the class, the equipment, the event that happened in your adventure.

There is an achievement system on the last two pages of the book that also includes the ending so I counted them: there is a DOZEN ending. I discovered there was a dragon I could have fought to get the Warlike Gold Ending and I missed it! I was so mad!

I could keep of gushing about this book (I didn't talk about the characters, about the city and the castle the story takes place in, ir even the Pyrobarbare who is the funniest) but it was really a lot of fun and I hesitate between starting a new run with a different class of Billy or buy the SECOND book if the series (the 3rd one is being crowdfunded and I can't wait!)

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

Hollywood icon Kitty Karr died, leaving her fortune to the three St John sister, young wealthy Black women. While dealing with Kitty's affairs (and keeping away from journalists) they find a dairy which uncovers secrets in the background of the South and Hollywood during the Segregation.

I would probably never have picked up this book if it wasn't a draw from the book club pile. I like historical fiction but Hollywood and the stars is not something I have any interest in. I went a bit blindly into it, scared that if I research it I'd create bad expectations.

I was surprise: it isn't the drama filled story I was dreading! This is a dive into the segregated USA and in a community I had never really read about: white passing POC. Even when Kitty starts to work in the film industry (as a phone operator at first then climbing the ladder to become a famous actress) the focus is always on social issues, racism, the careful balance of being a black woman in white spaces, the fight for civil rights and the work these woman did for this cause. Atop of all this there is the thread of family legacy and secrets and what ties Kitty and the St Johns together.

It is a very interesting book, nuanced and deep. I don't know how much of it is was researched but it felt fairly accurate from perspective.

The Oleander Sword (The Burning Kingdom #2) by Tasha Suri

Malini and Priya parted ways: the Princess is marching to the capital city, gathering allies to otherthrow her brother; the Priestess is working with her siblings to rebuilt the Temple and restore her city. But when Malini's fight encounter divine resistance she will once again draw from Priya's magic to get her end, with their fragile relationship, and Priya's own goals in the way.

I adored book 1, The Jasmine Throne and I was so excited to read the rest of the story! I loved having my favorite characters back, I loved the politic developing after the events of the previous tome and as usual I loved the angst, the complicated relationship between Malini and Priya, the mysterious happening in Ahiranya,Malini's change as her goal draws closer...

The writing is still gold, perfectly highlighting the feelings and doubts of the characters. I love having so much insight in the characters mind. The switch between multiples point of view is really well handles.

Unfortunately it suffers from Middle Book Syndrome: very little new element introduced and very little resolution of previous elements. That's to be expected, but when the third and final book is not yet available it is really frustrating.

I am still hyped for the last book, The Lotus Empire, it should be releases in November but the TBR is so high, I'm afraid I'll have to keep it for next year

Path of Destruction (Darth Bane Trilogy #1) by Drew Karpyshyn

A thousand year before the events of the first Trilogy, Des is a disillusioned miner in the Outer Rim. He joins the Sith to escape his misery and discover his connection to the Force. Through the training of the Sith Masters he develops his talent and as his power grows so does his ambition. He is now Darth Bane and he will be more powerful than them all!

I had been disappointed by novelisation of series before so I approached this one with caution, even though I heard everywhere that it was one of the best Star Wars novel (if you disagree don't blame me, blame Reddit)

That's a recurring event: I was dead wrong, this book floored me. The writing is good, the plot is even better, characters are incredible and I never thought I would be cheering so hard for a Sith!

I was a bit scared having no previous knowledge of this period of the Star Wars universe would make it impossible to understand the book. Maybe I misses some references but it never was obscur. The Star Wars lingo is also always explicited with context clues. That's really agreable because that's not always a given when you dive into work on the further edge of canon.

The characters are almost exclusively Sith (and some usual brand of assholes) but they are still relatable, even though they are cunning, vicious, calculating. Bane especially has some redeeming circonstances that made him endearing even though he joined the dark side and dives deep into its ways.

A really really good surprise and a really really good book. I'd really like to read the rest of this trilogy, it sparked back my interest for Star Wars when the recenr series and just bored me to death.

[awriterofdivinedreams]

Name Meanings/Etymologies of Devil May Cry Characters

Classic Devil May Cry Canon A: Agnus - lamb Alice - noble, of nobility Alex Lowell - to defend, to protect | young wolf Alyssa Martin - rational, noble | warlike, of Mars, warrior Amanda - worthy to be loved Angelina Hagel - messenger of god | farm Arius - warlike, devoted to Ares Arkham - happy

B: Beryl - colour of the sea Bobby - bright fame, shining glory Butler - servant in charge of the wine cellar

C: Carlo - man, free man Cindy - light Chen the Cannibal - dawn, morning, great, tremendous Christopher Lowell - bearer of Christ | young wolf Claude - lame, disabled Credo - I believe

D: Dante - enduring, steadfast, lasting Ducas - leader, to guide, general

E: Elena Huston - bright, shining light | hugh's town, settlement on the hill Elise - oath of God, God is satisfaction Ernest - serious, determined Enzo Ferino - home ruler | iron Eva - life, living one

F: Fredi - peaceful ruler

G: Gloria - glory Grue - shiver, shudder

I: Isaac - he will laugh

J: J.D. Morrison - son of the dark-skinned Jeffrey Turner - pledge of peace, district, traveler | lathe worker Jessica - to see before, god beholds, to behold Joe - he will add Julio - youthful, youth, downy bearded

K: Kalina Ann - viburnum tree, to make red-hot | grace, mercy, favour Kerry Marcus - dark, dark-haired | warlike, dedicated to Mars Kyle - narrow, strait, channel Kyrie - lord

L: Lady - noble, bread kneader Lucia - light Lynn Marcus - lake | warlike, dedicated to Mars

M: "Mad Dog" Denvers - crazy, insane | canine | green valley Margaret - pearl Mary - bitter, beloved, drop of the sea Matier - friend, friendly Michel - who is like God Mike Hagel - who is like God | farm

N: Nell Goldstein - bright, shining light, weaver, merciful, god is my light | gold stone, touchstone Nero - black, strong, powerful Nesty - place to sit down, pure, chaste Nicoletta “Nico” Goldstein - victory of the people | gold stone, touchstone Nina Lowell - little girl | young wolf

P: Patty Lowell - noble, patrician | young wolf Patty Lowell (heiress) - noble, patrician | young wolf Paul - small, little, humble

R: Rock Goldstein - crag | gold stone, touchstone Roy Martin - king, red, redhead | warlike, of Mars, warrior

S: Sally - princess, noblewoman Santa Claus - saint, holy | victory of the people Sanctus - holy Simon - he has heard, flat-nosed Soldier “Crew Cut” - mercenary | short-length haircut Solemnis - annual, ceremonial, religiously fixed Sparda - sword, simple, frugal

T: Tiki - hope, waterfall, image Tim - to honour

V: V “Vitale” - Roman numeral for five | life giving, lively Vergil - flourishing Vincent - to conquer

X: χ (Chi) - christ, Greek numeral for six hundred

BOSSES and/or DEMONS

A: Abigail - father's joy Argosax - bright, shining Agni - fire, flame Artemis - butcher, safe

B: Bael - lord, master Balrog - demon of might Baul - snail, slow like a snail Beastheads - wild animal | top of body, leader, ruler Belphagor - lord of the gap, lord of the opening Beowulf - bee wolf, war wolf, bear Berial - worthless Bolverk - evildoer, worker of evil Bradley - broad meadow Brian Lowell - noble, high, hill, strong | young wolf

C: Cavaliere Angelo - knight, horseman, rider | messenger of god Cerberus - hound of the earth, black wolfhound, death-darkness

D: Dagon - grain, fish Demon of Capulet City - spirit | hat | citizen Demon of Morris Island - spirit | dark-skinned | watery land Director - to guide Doppelganger - double-goer, double-walker

E: Echidna - snake, viper Elder Geryon Knight - old | earth | boy, youth, servant

F: Freki - greedy, ravenous Frost - to freeze Furiataurus - fury of the bull, furious bull

G: Geri - rules with a spear, greedy Geryon - earth Gigapede - giant foot Gilgamesh - the ancestor is a hero Gilver - [ERROR 404: meaning of word not found]

Gilbert - bright pledge

Goliath - to uncover, reveal, running, destroyer Griffon - curved, bent

H: Hell Vanguard - to cover, conceal | before guard

I: Infested Chopper - to attack, hostile | helicopter Infested Tank - to attack, hostile | reservoir of water

J: Jester - reciter of romances, minstrel Jokatgulm - [ERROR 404: meaning of word not found]

K: King Cerberus - ruler | hound of the earth, black wolfhound, death-darkness

L: Leviathan - to twist, coiled

M: Machiavelli - bad little nail Mad Hatter - crazy, insane | maker of hoods, maker of cowls Malphas - mischief Modeus [Asmodeus] - wrathful spirit, demon of wrath Mundus - world

N: Nefascapitis - head of sin, head of violation of divine law Nefasturris - tower of sin, tower of violation of divine law Nefasvermis - worm of sin, worm of violation of divine law Nelo Angelo - black, strong, powerful | messenger of god Nevan - little saint, little holy one Nidhogg - malice striker Nightmare - a female demon suffocates sleepers Nina Lowell (demon) - little girl | young wolf Noctpteran - night wing

O: Orangguerra - war orangutan

P: Phantom - an apparition, specter Plesio - near, close Plutonian - relating to wealth, relating to riches Pride - brave, pomp, valiant Priest - one who leads cattle

Q: Qliphoth - husks, empty shells

R: Red Eye - airplane flight that deprives travelers of sleep, raw and inferior whiskey Rudra - howler, roarer, to cry

S: Sara - princess, noblewoman Secretary - one entrusted with secrets Sid - wide Sloth - indolence, slowness, laziness

T: Tartarussian - relating to a deep pit Tateobesu - vertical, length, height | fat, stout, plump The Savior - the one who saves others Trismagia - three magicians

U: Urizen - your reason, to limit

W: White Rabbit - bright, shine | young rabbit

Ninja Theory's DmC: Devil May Cry Canon

A:  Assiel - created by god

B: Bob Barbas - bright fame, shining glory | beard, uncle, stammering

D: Dante (DmC) - enduring, steadfast, lasting

E: Eva (DmC) - life, living one

H: Hollow Dante - empty place | enduring, steadfast, lasting Hollow Kat - empty place | pure, clear Hollow Vergil - empty place | flourishing Hunter - one who chases wild animals

K: Kat - pure, clear

L: Lilith - spirit of the night

M: Mundus (DmC) - world Mundus's Spawn - world | to spread out, expand

P: Phineas - mouth of brass, dark skinned, serpent's mouth

S: Sparda (DmC) - sword, simple, frugal Succubus - to lie beneath

V: Vergil (DmC) - flourishing

[arkham-dossiers]

Patient File: Prince Lotor

Born to Emperor Zarkon, ruler of the Galra, and the Altean scientist Honerva (also known as the witch Haggar), Lotor revealed himself to be a prodigy early in his childhood, possessing intelligence and maturity far beyond his years. Unfortunately, these rare gifts went largely unappreciated by Lotor's parents, both of whom were driven mad by an overdosage of raw quintessence and now only valued power and domination over others. As far as they were concerned, the only future Lotor had was that of a warrior, brutally instilling in him the Galran creed of "Victory or Death". Despite this, Lotor abhorred the warlike ways of the Galra and desired to change them, truly believing that the same imperialistic ends that his people sought could be achieved through diplomacy and peaceful persuasion.

Lotor's efforts were met with tragedy. Even when he succeeded at taking control of a planet through his methods and establishing a quintessence harvesting operation through the consent of its population, Zarkon was angered by his son defying his upbringing and had him knocked out. When Lotor regained consciousness, the planet had been destroyed and all its quintessence taken at once, and Zarkon now proclaimed that Lotor was banished from the Galran Empire's territory. Something within Lotor snapped that day. While his ideals remained the same, never again would he seek to achieve the results he wanted through honest means, and never again would he be fully open and trusting with another person. And while he got by through his reputation as the Galran prince, he all but disowned that side of his heritage in his personal life, identifying as Altean instead and becoming more fixated on the secrets of the Alteans and of quintessence than ever before, vowing to use them to save the universe from his father's despotic reign someday, keeping himself alive through quintessence for hundreds upon hundreds of years.

While his powerful natural mental fortitude kept the full effects of quintessence-induced madness at bay, it still undeniably affected Lotor and impacted his moral judgement. He became obsessed with achieving his dream: a peaceful universe ruled over and defended by him, with all its grateful inhabitants showering him with the love he had been denied by his own parents. He even created a prototype for this sort of universe by finding every surviving Altean he could and creating a secret colony for them to live in under his protection, which naturally earned him their perpetual reverence. He was like a god to them; they trusted him whole-heartedly. Which made it all the crueler for Lotor to betray that trust, weeding out the strongest in natural quintessence and sending them to a "second colony"...in actuality a laboratory where their quintessence was slowly drained from their bodies and studied in all manners of experiments, as well as used by Lotor for sustenance as he desperately needed to keep living so that he could see his glorious vision for the universe's future through.

By the time Lotor was allowed to return to the Galran Empire, he had been firmly twisted into a cold, calculating and even cruel person who displayed great pleasure in toying with his opponents, manipulating them to his own ends, and even making them suffer. Not even his own loyal followers were safe from him - when he learned one was being used to spy on him against her will by Hagarr, he didn't hesitate for even a second before striking her dead in cold blood. He then proceeded to use his other followers' natural misgivings about this as well as the dead end his plan had hit to manipulate them into "betraying" him...exactly the convincing scenario he needed to convince his former enemies, the Voltron Alliance, to bring him on board as an ally. In this position, he was finally able to kill his father in a duel and become the ruler of the Galra. He then proceeded to skillfully manipulate the Paladins of Voltron into aiding him in a plan that, unbeknownst to them, would ultimately end with Voltron's destruction and supplantation by his own "defender of the universe", the Sincline Beast, made from an interdimensional comet that allowed it the ability to phase in and out of the quintessence field between realities. He also manipulated the Altean Princess Allura into providing him assistance through her falling in love with him...an easy feat considering that he was just as genuinely in love with her in something of an Oedipus Complex, as she greatly resembled the woman his mother used to be, the woman he still admired even though he never knew her and he despised her present witchy self.

When his true colors and intentions were exposed and his plan began to crumble around him, Lotor's priority was now squarely on keeping Allura at his side, as his passionate feelings toward her had become overwhelming; the fantasy of ruling a new Altean Empire side by side with her too enticing for him to easily give up. But when it became clear that he would have to give it up, with Allura even comparing him to his hated father for good measure, the mental wall Lotor had erected between his psyche and quintessence-induced madness collapsed. This was only made worse as Lotor used the Sincline Beast to start jumping in and out of the quintessence field with reckless abandon, now single-mindedly fixated on destroying Voltron and its Paladins, his beloved Allura included, so that nothing would stand between him reshaping the universe to his own desires.

Diagnosis: Lotor is a very interesting case study, and needs to be discussed both without the effects of quintessence considered and with it considered. When you completely ignore the quintessence factor, then Lotor displays clear symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder over the abuse he received from his parents and Galran society growing up, and the mental defense he turned to in response was the development of a narcissistic personality disorder. As noble as his intentions for the universe are, they are tainted through the prism of his narcissism: he must be the one to bring about the change, he must be the one to rule over the universe and enforce the peace through totalitarian means, he must be worshipped and loved by all. Even the romantic feelings he develops for Princess Allura are rooted in his self-image as the tragic, misunderstood heir to Altea and his fantasy of being his people's (read: Alteans) savior and ruler of a new Altean Empire. He is only able to empathize with Allura because of what she is rather than who she is and what she has personally been through, which is why he is unable to understand why she would take the truth of what he had done to his Altean colony subjects so badly and would view him with such revulsion for it.

With the quintessence factor at play, Lotor is a psychopath. Beyond lacking empathy and having a grandiose self-image, he is also petty and cruel, chronically dishonest, possessing superficial charm that he uses to manipulate others with, forms no legitimate connections, displays an utter lack of remorse or conscience about the immoral means he is pursuing his noble ends with which includes torture and murder, and is driven by a deep well of rage and entitlement that we get to see in full during his final battle with the Paladins of Voltron.

Lotor's tragedy is that neither diagnosis I presented would hold true had he been born and raised in a healthy environment. Indeed, Lotor would have become a devastatingly potent force for good if his parents had been loving toward him and he had never been exposed to quintessence. As his regretful mother Honerva / Hagarr proclaimed when all was through: "He deserved better. Better than I could give."

This patient is dangerous under regular circumstances. Extremely dangerous when under the full influence of quintessence. Avoid!