#and he is the emissary cause WHO he is and the choices he makes.... i think?

[blood-starved-beast]

Ok but I love this discussion between Moros and Nemesis? We learn in a different unrelated interaction that Nemesis has worked with Moros in the past to depart fitting retribution onto some poor schmuck who sought such consequences so this discussion is definitely one where each are familiar with the other's job/role. And each are speaking from the perspective of their own roles here.

Nemesis's job is to see to who gets consequences for their actions and what those consequences are - therefore, from her perspective, it is she is the one who makes those independent decisions. Cause yeah, she's normally the one making them. But Moros is Doom yes but also an emissary of the Fates, and regularly saw how timelines are shaped and even in an unrelated conversation with Mel, confirms sometimes he and the Fates choose to make the interesting Choice just cause they'd like to see it happen. In his perspective, people are not independent actors but a product of the Fates's designs, further reinforced by how he himself was never really an active participant outside of those choices. He was always a watcher, not a do-er. It's so interesting to see these differences in POV here coming from different walks in life.

Also I love how it devolves to basic "no u" sibling convo at the end lmao.

[misedejem]

I hope the game continues to deny Emet-Selch his rest after he died because something new keeps cropping up every time he tries, I think that would be quite funny

Like

You’re one of the last surviving members of your people, and for 12000 years you and the other survivors have been trying to bring them all back. It has been so long and you have considered giving up more than you care to admit. One of the three survivors has died, another has lost himself, and you’re so exhausted. And what is left of one of the people you loved more than anything has just killed you. Your soul returns to the Sea, and you think 'at least now I can rest’.

But no, suddenly you remember all the things from your life you had forgotten, because the aetherial sea really is like that, and you realise that awful work trip you had completely forgotten about? Turns out the memories you lost then told you exactly how the apocalypse that destroyed your people happened and also how to stop it (you couldn’t).

So you can’t rest because you’re processing that, and you should also be on standby because it looks like the Emissary is making his last stand, and you know it’s futile and you’ve lost, so by now you just want his suffering to end. You gain brief respite when he has been defeated, but the person you kind of abandoned as a Sin Eater for a century has now returned to the Sea and likely has a few choice words for you.

Then the last person in existence that you could possibly want to talk to at that point turns up and tells you to join Her on an inter-shard trip back to the Source, and you know you can’t refuse, because those memories you regained told you that you couldn’t. You know what happens for a while from here, and you know there is no point in resting now, so you resign yourself to watching the person who killed you and hoping their journey will be short. 

At which point, your coworker - who you now know kind of caused the apocalypse because of those regained memories of the terrible work trip - kills your God.

And you cannot rest, because killing your God did free the souls who were sacrificed to summon Him, and they are returning to the Star. Coworkers, relatives, acquaintences, all joining you in the Sea. Among them is the other person you love more than anything, and this reunion is more important than any rest you could ever want. But you also know that person was very good at denying you sleep when you were alive, and he surely has not changed so much that he will not do the same now that you are dead. 

You watch the destruction that befell your home so long ago devastate the Source, and the Warrior of Light returns to the First to make a journey you know will lead them to your younger self twelve millenia in the past, bringing the events you recalled full circle. You think, perhaps, you may finally be able to get some sleep. But this tale has not ended yet, and the Warrior of Light is now in the aetherial sea, making a lot of noise in heated battle with their God, and you and your beloved can do nothing else but watch your dear friend’s soul forge ahead to the end of their journey. 

At which point they drag you both out of the aetherial sea to the edge of the bloody universe to help them. And you do, because deep down you know you wouldn’t have it any other way, and you make a very immutable point of saying goodbye because surely, surely this is the end of your role in their story. You will wait and sleep in the aetherial sea until their soul joins you, and the three of you will return to the Star together. Surely this annoyingly undefeatable force of nature won’t die for some time yet, and you’ll have a good few decades of rest. 

And for a time, you do get that. A few months, a year maybe, of nothing of note happening that would concern you beyond perhaps some idle curiosities that Hythlodaeus insists you should see. And you think this is how it will be from now on.

Until the Ancient’s Extremely Dangerous and Fucked Up Monster Facility that should have been destroyed twelve thousand years ago appears on the Dead Person equivalent of your back doorstep, and you realise your suffering is never actually going to end

[istherewifiinhell]

Apparently i needed to do a whole essay just about todays star trek sunday? WUH? HUH??? Okay anyway im culturally christian athetist and Literally just some guy on the internet but Sisko is The Emissary and please accept him into your heart

OKAY OKAY. theeee. literal narative purpose that the Fake Out Emissary guy is WRITTEN so he is an obstacle in and "social issue of the episode" thing aside. like. he could be his OWN very complex character, super juicy perspectives etcetc. But hes NOT hes a character in a FABLE. SEE.

Sisko is the MOST guy who doesnt want to do the thing EVER. im sure a thing that has never happened to any other religious important figure/messanger of the gods./s He is not a literal believer in the prophets. he does believe his senses tho. but that episode i think does a good thing in showing he does not just believe 'yeah theres aliens that live in the wormhole' a la the keiko school ep.

Cause sisko doesnt just believe his own perceptions. he believes the prophets/aliens perceptions too. sisko is so good as a character where we see him go up against character after character, and philosphy after philosphy. and i THINK. its a disservice to try and divide that into secular and religious aspects.

new not emissary guy so clearly interprets what happened to him. all these things for a REASON. see he would have DIED. but they saved him. he was removed from time. so CLEARLY hes been moved to bring something from the past. but sisko knows enough, even if he doesnt WANT TO. to know that doesnt make a lot of sense.

And they go to the wormhole to decide. does reaching the celestial temple FIRST give him crendence as the Real Emissary. but. of course, the prophet/aliens Have No conception of FIRST.

Well okay but the aliens/prophets. literally saved this man from death. Does That have meaning? well, they have no greater reason for healing him than, that is what you do with an injured person. does there ever NEED to be a bigger reason?

In fact, they YOINKED him out of the past, FOR SISKO. in the 'future'. they did something in the 'past' AFTER the thing they did in the 'present'. They DO NOT. experience time linearly.

SO WHY FOR SISKO? Well sisko is the one that talked to the prophet/aliens. and explained to them how linear time works. but they also showed HIM. that he is NOT linear. part of him exists in a past moment of loss of grief. despite that he continues in the present. They proving. Allowing for sisko to prove to himself, that he IS the right person, the person they choose, and thats a good thing.

AND WHY AT ALL? something the alien/prophets WANT. is the protection of bajor. (genuinly dont have enough of the show in my head to go more into why lets just say thats what they want). But they are NOT. telling sisko what do to or how to do it. part of siskos ability to protect bajor is his role/position in starfleet. part of what will MAKE him protect bajor is his feelings towards it. he WANTS to protect them.

Sisko is good for Bajor, as an Emissary, as a Man, in a way the miracle blessed famous poet was not. And getting caught up in the Religion as some Other Thing in that is kinda like a trap i think.....

like. grah. okay. episode we see directly after. Sisko is putting his GOD DAMN ALL. into representing Worf in the trial for like. Literal War Crimes. The option to lose, to go along with the klingon lawyers i guess. plea deal. IS NOT THERE. THE WHOLE TIME. We watch him and he is just In This Thing. Seeing everyones testimonies. which are given in such a striking non digetic format. one that blurs, linearity. that really PUTS the idea of perspective and recall and memory, in front of mind. btw.

This works to both as to make it more interesting, visually and emotionally. AND show there are completely mundane situations where this level of conceptional complexity come into play. If existence is just, things that happen, people who exist, etc. But what happens and who people are, is so fraught by perception, and our understanding OF peoples perceptions. We are working from perceptions of the past, decision of the present, and predictions of the future. So How the FUCK do you determine the TRUTH. OF ANYTHING? EVER!

But Sisko wins THAT GD CASE. by breaking the very CONCEPT of what they were debating over in the first place. The opposition said they agreed with the facts as presented, but want to decide what was in Worf's heart. WELL. the facts as presented WERE VERY MUCH up for debate. It was never a real ship that was blown up, or crime that was commited. All the while what was IN WORFS HEART was REAL, while the ship, was not.

AND THEN. we see Sisko reprimand worf for his actions. This Whole Time we had no SIGN of that in sisko. But now that Worf has been protected from that trail. There remains that An Incedent happened. (Except of course. that it didnt, it was an illusion) and the behaviour still needs to be corrected. So Sisko guides Worf into understanding that behaviour, his mistakes. (Which he already partly knew). They can settle that matter. Sisko lays out to Worf the assurance of future sucess and future dilemmas. With certainy. One day when you are captain. Which will of course. Happen. When you have Even more people to protect, which of course, you will, and maybe when you might have to sacrifice, which of course, you would. There will still be time to create joy, which of course, you must.

LIKE? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME HERE? There IS NO DIFFERENCE. Between the religious Figure parts of sisko and the secular Officer. He is the same man. And he is Exactly the Right man. He IS OF BAJOR because he Decides to be and He WILL BE. Because time is not linear. He accepts the alien/prophets and the prophet/aliens accept him cause he is as keen and as canny at talking to and unweaving the ideas at play, the perceptions had and philosphies held by them, as he is to any mudane scenario. Because non off them are mudane. Existence is a headache and the stakes are monumental. But there's No Other Option and he will put Everything he is to it.

WEH HEHEHE. non linear aliens like yes indeedy. we did something in the past because of something we did in the more recent past. your past. what you call the past. LIKE. YEAH. OKAY.

[that-cartoony-villain]

i have some thoughts after the first ep of downfall

i really like that they have the deities disguised as human trying to shut down aeor and the beginning with their possible creation and light vs darkness was incredible

but as much as i think the binary message was a cool little touch to make it easier to figure out which gods they are, i kinda wish they didn't do that

for people that dont know exandrias pantheon, seeing those words kind of dont mean anything to them because they wouldnt know what each god is a deity of

but at the same time for critters who know the lore it became very easy to figure out who is whom by the hints the cast and brennan were throwing around without them saying like "oh hi I'm [blank] god"

the raven queen was the easiest solely because we've had more time with her in c1 and other campaigns too since death is kind of inevitable

dawnfather was a slow build and then very much you couldnt ignore that it was him once nick said "it's not dark" like the little mf that pelor is /pos

melora was also fun to figure out because animals are her thing and then she got the most upset when erathis didnt show up like the yearning little lesbian that she is

arch heart was also a slow build up to figure out, they needed to be rigid and play their part so the others could get on board, they couldnt stop themselves of visiting the city of creation, they see beauty everywhere, they're just as much of a little shit as i imagined they would be also /pos

law bearer's envoy (champion?) was easy to figure out because of meloras reaction and also for The Emissary's lines about helping civilization, he was sent to be their salvation, maybe she knows it's inevitable for the city to fall and wants to preserve as much as she can (he might be the one to send out the blue bubbles who knows)

and then we have the everlight, at first i thought ashley was playing ioun, the husband talked about her being a teacher but then you have these subtleties in their lines - asmodeus talking about her not having followers, the dawnfather's care for his sister, her compassion - and everything made sense, even her light being name Luz is just Light translated from some romance languages

then we have the npcs: ioun was easy enough to figure out from the get go, brennan was also very explicit about who she is, and the betrayers were very fun to figure out, we don't have all the knowledge about them all but asmodeus, the father of lies, choosing to be Father Milo and a cleric of the Dawnfather just to fuck with him is an incredible choice, Torog being the torturer but also the most tortured and fucked up looking is such beautiful imagery, and the other two we don't have that much but i assume the halfling is Lolth, since she enjoys the darkest corners and climbing things, while the other one might be Tiamat, just cause it makes sense for me that she would be a heavy hitter

this is all to say that brennan and the cast did a wonderful job in this first ep with the imagery and subtle (and not so subtle) references to each character in a way that fans can figure out who is each person and newcomers can learn their personalities slowly and figure out the dynamics with the time we get to see

because we need to remember, this is bells hells watching this, and many of them have no knowledge about the gods beside a few that they've met their champions, fcg followed the changebringer, orym, fearne and dorian have met the wildmother and the spider queen, laudna has some connection to the matron and they now met a champion and a follower of asmodeus, both of which they havent asked much about the prince of hell

this is as much for them to meet the deities as it is for us to see the downfall of one of the most important cities in the Age of Arcanum

[fancifulplaguerat]

One final spiel about the Lilich sisters to conclude my thoughts about how they seem two sides of the same coin. To reiterate, how Aglaya is aware of her role while Nina is a prophetess; Nina conquered the Law, Aglaya is Its servant, yet her infatuation with Artemy suggests some desire to overcome it? 

I am intrigued by the implications of Aglaya’s attachment to Artemy, given that it derives from Artemy’s sense of autonomy in that “Any choice is right as long as it’s willed.” I mean. Daniil and Georgiy comment on Artemy’s effect on her from essentially their single conversation about freedom. The game pretty much points to this being the reason Aglaya was fond of him. Ex. Daniil remarks to him “You have made quite an impression on the emissary of the Powers That Be. Congratulations. Keep doing that, and soon there’ll be no menacing Inquisitor in town—only a gentle Aglaya Lilich […] She was quite intent on destroying you when you came to her. But she was so impressed by your dignified demeanour that she’s had a change of heart. What did you tell her that touched her so much?” to which Artemy can reply, “We talked about freedom.” And likewise, if the player speaks to Aglaya, you can say, “Did you fall in love with him because he was free? But that wasn’t him; it was me.” Aglaya muses whether Artemy were sent to her by fate, and Artemy’s philosophy indeed seems the resolution to Aglaya’s conflict over her autonomy. There is a gratuitous amount of quotes about this, but I think the most direct are “I must admit I’m a bit confused—but it was for the better. It allowed me to escape the iron grip of my preordainment. I’m content with being able to choose with my heart,” and “I’m honest with myself—so does it really matter what I’m made of?” 

But here is my thing. That Aglaya is in conflict with her autonomy fascinates me because it implies Aglaya potentially wants freedom from the Law? It’s difficult to approach this, because to what extent does Aglaya see the Law/The Powers That Be as one and the same? I’m unsure, but since I first played Patho I imagined that Aglaya’s adherence to the Law was in part because it granted her some semblance of control over herself/her actions—that to think this is how the world works, how it *has* to work could somehow make her lack of autonomy less painful. That in Aglaya’s own way, she has a parallel (if not identical) interest to Nina. And I am obsessed with the interpretation that Aglaya is envious in some part of her that Nina managed to do what she could not. 

But even beyond a potential shared desire to 'break' the Law, I think  there is a certain mythos around both sisters. Nina is naturally steeped in being this miraculous sorceress who was unyielding, domineering, and followed unquestioningly by others. Yet to me, there is an echo of this around Aglaya by virtue of her being an Inquisitor. Dialogues establish Inquisitors as cruel individuals who exercise absolute control over others. There is even, I feel, potential similar language around Aglaya and Nina’s foreknowledge as Inquisitor and prophetess. That is, Yulia describes the Mistress as able to “see the whole chain of cause-and-effect connections. They also see where the chain would lead” while Aglaya describes herself one who has “built a logical chain of events and consequences.” Likely directed to the game’s conception of fate but still, I find it interesting that these consequential chains are found relating to Nina and Aglaya. 

Then there is that Aglaya despises Nina for being thoughtless about human lives; indeed Nina is described as treating people as mere instruments for her aims. But when Aglaya describes herself as a humanitarian, she says that “I only condemn a few to death for the sake of many.” I personally think Aglaya would be less flippant with human life than Nina, but there is still a similar sentiment here, that some must die for a greater good/the good of many. Nina’s exact motivations are more difficult to provide exact evidence for given. Well. There is far less information about her. Through indirect characterization/her position within the narrative, however, I think it is a safe assumption that Nina was motivated chiefly by the same ideas as her fellow utopians. A drive for miracles and reaching beyond the body’s bounds rooted in that abstract ‘love’ that manifests and thus motivates every utopian to an extent. That as Daniil or her family, she is cruel by necessity but ultimately acts with what she would likely consider righteous intentions; trying to achieve a goal that will benefit others. 

[ainchase]

Ain 4th Path Description

Lofty: Schreier

Apparent Age: 21 yo, Male, Pendulum

After his contact with the goddess was cut off, he worried for her safety. The situation in Elrios only worsened those concerns. Torn by the guilt of failing to fulfill his mission, of causing the El to be damaged, he was further horrified at the sight of humans who continued to recklessly mishandle the El’s power. Why did they keep making the same mistakes? He knew there was nothing he could do - after all, the El was bestowed upon Elrios by the goddess herself. Even so, he could not rid himself of his disgust as he watched humans use the El's power carelessly.

“Should the El really be left in their hands? If only my voice would reach the goddess…”

Anxiety made his physical condition worse. Could it be the wound he sustained inside Henir’s dimension? As a temporary solution, he gathered faint El energy to heal himself. He knew that, using this method, he could maintain his form until he either returned to normal or fulfilled his mission. But the small amount of El energy he had gathered into his body influenced him.  A new power awakened inside him, which he called Arte.

“This situation cannot continue. I must gather the scattered El energy and let the goddess know of this blasphemy.”

Ain maintained his physical condition and assisted the El Search Party, remaining vigilant for any chance to contact his goddess.

Schatz Reprise

Apparent Age: 21 yo, Male, Pendulum

Did the goddess forget me? Left without an answer to his calls, Ain began to think the worst. No, that can’t be it… He tried to suppress his anxiety as his thoughts spun. Perhaps pursuing the El’s whereabouts is not enough to reach the goddess.

But his barely-suppressed anxiety boiled over the moment he discovered the corrupted Dark El. Shocked, horrified, he tried to purify the Dark El in a panic, but instead accidentally exposed his rift-wound to the demonic energy within. He realized what had happened too late. The demonic energy had already corrupted his creation magic.

Once he managed to regain his composure, terror melted into fury. Not only did those fools shatter the El the goddess had given them, they carelessly used the shattered pieces of that El with no remorse. Shameless and ungrateful beings, taking the El’s blessing for granted. The goddess may have given them this blessing, but they did not deserve it.

Awful, uncontrollable emotion pushed him to a decision. No… If the El is left as it is, it will only get worse. My duty is to return energy to El. For that, the destroyed El must first be restored.  But I cannot leave it to those who had damaged it once before. The El must be protected, and I, the emissary of the goddess, must be the one to do it. And so Ain began retrieving the El energy scattered throughout Elrios.

Even as he retrieved the energy, his own power slowly turned. The demonic energy that had fused with his wound still corroded his body, corrupted his being. Perhaps if he used the energy he had retrieved… But that would be misusing his goddess’ power for his own gain. He could not bring himself to do that, especially as he’d completely failed to fulfill his duty. Thoughts like these tormented him with guilt.  Unbeknownst to him, his corruption was spreading to a point he couldn’t even fathom, as the demonic energy took root deep inside.

Bigott 

Apparent Age, Unknown, Male, Pendulum

“...I’ll make it so that the goddess will have no choice but to come and find me.”

A twisted emissary of the god who doesn’t hesitate to destroy to force an answer from the goddess. A class that uses Arte formed by continuously retrieving and returning El energy that supports effective and powerful battles.

The Giant El had been restored. All the energy Ain had gathered had been absorbed into it. He had not expected it, but neither did he mind. The restoration of the El was needed for his mission. For a moment he believed he could soon fulfill his duty. Now, if he sacrificed himself and injected his strength into the Giant El, it would return to its stable state… 

As he stretched his hand toward the El, he winced and recoiled.  An instinct deep within screamed that he shouldn’t do this. Before he could even think, an instinctive repulsion pulled his hand away from the El and toward the ground. The reason for this repulsion soon became obvious. A god’s representative who’d been corrupted by demonic energy and steeped in the power of chaos cannot fully restore the El.

Everything was in vain. He believed everything would return to its place if he could just fulfill his mission, and now what should he do? He couldn’t just decide what to do alone. Confused and more desperate than ever, he called out for his goddess’ answer. Whether she chose to enlighten the path of her foolish emissary, or descend to punish him for failing his mission, or replace him with another… Be it salvation or destruction, so long as she replied, Ain was willing to heed any answer. However, the only thing he received was that same horrifying silence.

Why…? He couldn’t understand. The sudden explosion of the El, Henir, demons, his authority changing from Ishmael to Elria… Unforeseen events piled up, one after another, things he hadn’t been tasked to deal with. He grew resentful of the goddess. He cried out, pleaded, begged, threw his resentment up in prayer, and received only silence. He wasn’t asking for something he didn’t deserve, like those foolish creatures of Elrios! How could she insist on silence in all these situations? Unless she had completely abandoned him–

As his crisis of faith petered into exhaustion, Ain decided to give up and find another way. At this point, he had to hear an answer. Any answer. And if he couldn’t reach the goddess himself, then he would force her to look for him.

“I will return the El to the goddess.”

Even if it means destroying the goddess’s beloved Elrios.  If I can reach her… it’ll be worth any sin.

===

translation by yours truly editing courtesy of @blazingsnark

note: these are heavily edited and are not direct translations but we did our best to stay true to the source while not sounding like complete garbage -- enjoy!

[bijoumikhawal]

Thoughts on ds9 main cast as DnD classes

Sisko: Is it possible to be a warlock without being the initiating party? Actually scratch that, depending on how you interpret the whole thing with his mother and the prophets, he could be a sorcerer. I don't think he's a paladin because to me the defining feature of a paladin is the oath; Sisko is initally reluctant to being the Emissary and even tries to hand off the responsibility to someone else, partially out of genuine belief they might be better suited to the job. The fact that sorcerers don't chose their power is a defining characteristic, and not all sorcerers are from a bloodline. Some have a somewhat random awakening, like Sisko’s entering the wormhole. They don't learn new magic from books; they discover new abilities through the course of life, which reminds me of the episode with his visions.

Kira: Paladin. She becomes the person she is by dedicating herself to a cause wholly and completely, she never strays from it, and she's still devoted to it to this day, to the point where she gets chosen as a vessel for the prophets during the show down that wasn't. Alternatively: you could argue monk, and say her cloister was her terrorist cell, but I don't know it's as strong as the argument for paladin. That said, I am biased.

Dax: I struggled with her, not gonna lie. I feel like her massive jock energy is a known quantity, but she's also the science officer and clearly does a lot of research. I feel like you could most safely argue warlock- like I said for Sisko, sorcerers don't choose their path, and while joining could be similar to the outside influences in sorcerers, the process itself is a choice and ultimately similar to the mutually beneficial pacts warlocks carry out.

O'Brien: his face is next to the entry for "artificer". But if we were sticking to the core classes, I think his vibe is pretty close to those posts about Wizards as IT support technicians. You don't have to be a special guy to be a wizard, you just learn your trade.

Bashir: Sorcerer, but in a hypothetical DnD AU, not the usual way where your grandmother was a dragon fucker. More of in a horrible experiment way. However, he either intentionally multiclasses or pretends to be something else, and I think that's a ranger. From DnD beyond's single sentence summary: "(A ranger is) a warrior who combats threats on the edges of civilization". Now, the stuff in the rulebook isn't necessarily the best or only conceptualization of what a class is, but Julian does have that infamous line from the pilot. From a character analysis standpoint (though not an game mechanics one) you could argue disease is a favored enemy.

Worf: He's definitely a martial heavy class, not a primarily casting class. He doesn't fit as a barbarian at all, I don't think he's got a particular devotion that makes an oath for a paladin, and I don't believe he has a spiritual element to his character found with monks (admitting of course, that I'm not familiar with TNG). He does have the solitary style rangers are associated with in ds9, but not the nature association. You could argue that by serving in Starfleet, he, like Julian, is protecting a civilization from the outskirts as someone politically involved in the Klingon Empire. And even draw in his decision to live on the Defiant into this. You could also say he's a straightforward fighter.

Odo: I think you could make an argument for Odo as a paladin- his commitment to his idea of justice and fairness is very oath like, but I also find the read of paladins as cops kind of boring and not getting at the meat of what a paladin is. You could argue druid because of the shapeshifting and the idea of balance found in the class vs his idea of justice, but I feel like overall changelings focus more on a mastery over nature than being an extension of it, and that's pretty antithetical to druids when played as standard.

Quark: I do not think he is a rogue. To be fair, we see his failed schemes because those are the interesting ones, but Quark stans to my understanding like his middle aged fail babygirl vibe. I'm not sure what else he would be though... he's a decent negotiator and a good people person, so a high charisma class. That leads me towards bard, though Quark isn't much of an artist or speech maker.

Garak: hot take! Hot take alert from the known clown! Rogue/Paladin multiclass. Rogue is obvious- its a favorite for spy type characters. However- the third episode Garak is in, we learn about his sheer devotion to Cardassia, and how he classifies it as love. Paladins aren't the way they are because of religion (though that's often a big element), it's because of devotion. And that devotion can be deeply destructive. Plus- tell me, upon thinking about it, that afterimage isn't an oathbreaker level breakdown.

[vulpinesaint]

waitttt tell me about faedren’s fantasy surgery i don’t think i know about that

omg yeah cause it only happened a couple weeks ago! ummm so basically faedren was turning into a vampire right. got bitten by his friend who was essentially possessed by the power of a vampiric goddess and Fucking Died about it (didn't see heaven that time but he went to 0 hp) so! whoops! vampire time! which sucked and his body kept rejecting all of his own blood and eventually like. his guts. so the party had to get him what THEY thought would be essentially a blood transfusion to get him back to how he was before.

throughout all of this he's being terrible to his friends and especially the party member that got possessed and bit him. and it's because he's really shaken and having to confront his own mortality but truly he's been AWFUL to everyone. that party member says she loves him and he won't even really acknowledge it. bad time for this group.

anyway they had to make a choice between the creepy priestesses of that goddess or a rlly volatile wizard who wanted them to like. commit terrorism. faedren (religious freak who hates wizards) wanted the priestesses to do it but! none of the rest of the party trusted those guys (they were really creepy and their cathedral had a river of blood and stuff which was not too bad for faedren who was raised in a cult of murderous revenge but was really unsettling for everyone else) and eventually faedren agreed to let the wizard do it (not because he wanted to but his goddess sent an emissary to tell him that he had been practicing heresy and that he should stop being a dick to his friends and he was so upset about upsetting his goddess that he fully accepted that he was probably going to die and it was what he deserved 👍)

so they show up to the wizard after going on a little side quest for the materials that they need (some unmagical blood) and the wizard tells them that what they're going to do is Fully Kill Faedren And Bring Him Back. which is HORRIFYING but again he goes into this accepting it as punishment for being a bad follower of his goddess so he goes in there and lays down on the table and confesses his love to one of his party members fully thinking that he's not going to come back from this. (party member is a devil stuck in mortal form and he says "i love you" in infernal it's super emotionally meaningful actually.) they knock him out and then like. god. can't even remember all the things the dm said happened to his body. so many dice being rolled for all the wizards doing this operation... cracked him open and took out his heart and all his other organs, put his body in An Incinerator, reform it, reanimate it, it becomes a zombie for a second, they kill the zombie, and then bring his spirit back into his body—

and while his party is watching all of this go down, horrified, faedren appears in some kind of celestial meeting room, sees his goddess, sees his friends' gods, receives a sacred mission to go hunt down and slaughter the cult that raised him for their heresy against their goddess, and chooses to take the help of his friend's god and travel to the hells for like. plot reasons. can't entirely remember what's supposed to go down with that but! emotionally significant because what faedren chooses is an option that lets them go back to the place his party member considers to be home and an option that he thinks might let them like. settle down. incredibly meaningful gesture. and his friend's god tells him that when he comes back to life he'll be better than he was before but his blood will run like tar. and faedren goes "alright. cool. sounds good man" (<— awestruck from speaking with his goddess and run emotionally ragged)

so back on the mortal plane what happens is his party member (under the influence of like. theoretically his god) Sinks His Hand Into Faedren's Chest And His Nails Into Faedren's Heart and taints faedren's blood with his own blood. and THAT'S what brings faedren back. incredibly poetic moment where the party member who doomed him by poisoning his blood saves him by tainting it with her own. and faedren comes back and he's slightly more gorgeous than before and all his scars are gone but his blood runs black now 👍 and he's not going to get turned inside out by his own body transforming into a vampire 👍 hooray for modern medicine. he was absolutely correct to be horrified and it Did kill him but divine intervention came through for him in the end...

[forevermagik]

13 video games to get to know me

vaguely tagged by @rarmaster. Sort of pulling from an old tweet thread about this. Ish. In sort of a particular order, but don't think too much about it.

Under the cut 'cause this is long

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - gave me feels about time shenanigans and destiny and stepping up to the plate and waiting for the person you care about and character growth and childhood friends. Also reincarnation and the self, and are you who you think you are, or are you who you were destined to be? Very much my shit. It's my favorite Zelda game.

FFVIII - also time shenanigans and destiny and proving destiny wrong and forging your own way and making your own luck and standing up for what you believe in. Also, there is something about the fact that my disc 3 (out of 4) was broken and I had to replace it 3 times just to get past the part on the moon so I could finish the game. Definitely makes it more special I think. The patience and dedication. (Also, I know a game has wrecked me when I'm writing fanfiction for it. And then taking characters from this game and putting them in other fanfiction. (Okay, it was Kingdom Hearts so it only kind of counts.) But I definitely added Rinoa to my KH long fic and have no regrets about it.)

Kingdom Hearts II - Yeah it was only a matter of time before something KH showed up on this list. I chose KHII because it's honestly my favorite to play. It's a really good balance of mechanics, controls, and skill that I feel other KH games don't necessarily have. Plus, I mean, somewhere between here and Days, I had enough ideas to start writing a longfic that basically is the length of 4+ novels.

Dragon Age Origins - I really enjoyed the concept of starting out in different places but coming to the same result in Ostagar. I loved making the best of a shitty situation and getting to know a bunch of people who were also coming from shitty situations but somehow we all were what it took to save the world. And my choices mattered! (Well, as much as they could in a BioWare game.) Also a game I wrote fanfic for - though never finished the fanfic. But that doesn't change the fact that sometimes I think about what would've happened if all the potential Wardens had lived.

Undertale - I feel like this one speaks for itself a fair bit. Being kind. Choosing mercy. The power of friendship. (Assuming you go that route.) But also, consequences of actions. Choosing to be good. The lesbians win. Sometimes a marriage isn't recoverable. Sometimes kids are just kids. The horror I felt when I realized how the game changed based on your kill count? Yeah, definitely restarted and figured out how to do a full pacifist run. Wrote fanfiction for this fandom too. A couple of shorter one shots. Because I like operating under a "what if everyone lives" sometimes.

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Yes, another Zelda game. Twilight Princess is very much vibes for me. Another Link who steps up to the plate even though he was just a goat farmer. Zelda trying to reconcile her past. Midna's entire fucking existence. Also, there is so much that haunts the narrative in this game if you look hard enough. I want to know more about it. I don't want to know more about it. It's perfect as it is.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl - Play Subspace Emissary. I'm begging you. Epic team ups. Character development in a fighting game. Trying to save the world from a greater evil that's destroying everything. Former enemies setting aside their differences to wreck shit together. Some of my favorite moments include Peach and her tea and then Zelda also has tea. Also Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf deciding that the Big Bad is a bigger problem than their differences. So much good stuff here.

Thrillville - This game has everything. "You've inherited a park from your crazy uncle go manage it." It's a rhythm game, a side scroller, a coaster builder, a racing game, and so much more all packed into one. I spent way too much time getting every high score for the cheerleading mini game. Also Event Horizon is the best. I go back to this game for comfort.

Yoshi's Story - This is also a N64 game. I worked very very hard to get to the end of this game while keeping all of my Yoshi's alive. (Did I absolutely reset if I died so I didn't lose the Yoshi? You bet I did as soon as I learned I could do that.) I spent a ton of time trying to figure out how to unlock everything in that game (when the internet was still new for this sort of shit) and I *still* never managed it. I tell myself one day I will, but I probably won't.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Maybe it's cheating to say this game? It's also the newest game on here because I really focused on ones that were formative for me at a younger age. However, if there's one Zelda game I wish I could go back and play for the first time again, it's this one. That's it, that's the vibe.

Tetris 64 - I very specifically mean this one. There is something about making a square that makes my brain go BRRT. It makes happy noises. I play this game to destress. I remember racking up lines and building the 7 wonders of the world alongside my fam. It's good shit.

Shrek Super Party - Honestly, this one is about the fun memories of playing with my family. We would mimic the voices of the mirror and poke so much fun at each other while playing. We'd compete for high scores in some games, and just accept that others of us were just better at others. So so so much fun and a lot of fond memories attached to this game.

Mario Party 1 - Okay look, you're probably like, "magik, why are there not one, but TWO party games on here?" And my answer is that Mario Party 1 was the first game that my family and I played together that we actually like, worked for a common goal. (Tetris notwithstanding.) Like sure, we'd play racing games and stuff, but there was something about Mario Party when we got our 100 stars and then Bowser came to steal them and we played his map for the first time? And then Eternal Star? I have *vivid* memories of sitting on a chair with a TV tray in front of me with my food in one corner and the controller in another as I waited for my turn or mini games. And we all just sat there, playing a STORYLINE that hadn't been there until then. Except it had been? So, I mean, that is a very specific scenario to me. I cannot do that again for the first time. But that's okay.

Honorable mentions:

Mario Kart Double Dash - while this game doesn't have all my favorite Mario Kart tracks, there's something about the mechanics. Two racers, with power ups linked to racers. The ability to play two people one kart?!? Wild. The mindmeld required to do that and the experiences I had playing with my friend and sibling growing up. Also, Baby Park is insane.

Super Mario 64 - I played this game a lot with my friend as a kid. We shared a save file. My younger sibling was not a fan of seeing this game in their dreams because they watched us play it all the freaking time. We just worked to get gud and beat the game. Before school. After school. Over the summer. It was like, goals.

Mario Party 2 - Costume changes based on the worlds. That is all.

Some non-video game media that fucking rewired my brain that you should consider:

Owl House - I have not been this wrecked over a TV show in years. I have not been this wrecked over media in years. But if you haven't noticed, it's been Owl House hours on my blog for the past several weeks and that's not stopping in the near future either. But there's something about seeing myself in Eda. Along with the tight writing. The excellent magic system. The characters. The parallels. Everything.

New Who - I specifically mean doctors 9-11. Tennant was like, my favorite doctor. But 9 has some amazing episodes. And River, another of my beloveds, is primarily featured with 11.

Middlegame - Time. Loops. Siblings. TIMELOOPS. Dodger, I love her.

So You Want to Be a Wizard - Technically, I wasn't really wrecked until much later in the series, but the way magic works in this universe is fantastic. Also, I so wanted to be Nita and find a manual like she did. Alas, I did not. So instead I write my own stories.

Mistborn - Listen, you do not read all three of Era 1 in three days, make a shitton of playlists, and think about it for hours on end and not say it didn't rewire your brain. (This is currently, effectively, what I am doing with Owl House apparently.)

Arcane - Again, siblings. The vibes. Victor. The will-they-won't-they between Caitlyn and Vi. The music. The vibes.

[lustrumlane]

“— In Musica Veritas”

As the Emissaries’ narration ends, a lone figure

slowly,

                emphatically

                                           claps.

Ve▓etia’s hat still shades both her eyes, but the expression beneath it has returned to that classic, cocky smile. If she’s feeling anything deep, tragic, vulnerable in her last free moments as a material being, these people sure as hell don’t get to see it.

“Bravo!” For all she plays at warmth, the ice in her voice now is almost palpable. “Bravo. What a performance!”

She flings her arms wide, gesturing to the Seekers, the Emissaries, the Moons themselves. Every one of you part of her spectacular orchestra, which from her demeanor now you wouldn’t be able to guess hadn’t gone off without a hitch, despite the truth- er, refusing to stare you in the face just a few minutes prior. Still refusing now. While she clearly can’t feign humility, as you all had a chance to observe, pride? It’s hardly even second nature.

It’s her first.

“Dahlia was the perfect star…and poor Rui Isahai the perfect, tragic foil, don’t you agree?” Her words betray no affection for either…and that’s probably true. Ven▓█ia had no friends in the House or the Lane, mostly by her own choice - her own fault. A hopeless apprentice here, a regrettable moment of weakness and understanding there, an audience to marvel in wonder or fear at her world’s technology there, but never anyone she would’ve mourned had they proven more convenient a target than Dahlia, stumbled across the scene in Rui’s place. “I didn’t even have to pretend they killed each other - they did so much of it for me that all I needed was a moment. One gentle touch and I became the gallant rescuer, ‘Oh, please help her, dear Doctor’…but so terribly sorry I arrived too late.”

Dear Doctor himself earns her attention next, along with the Fabricator, Curator likely caught in the crossfire as well. “And you, who call yourselves Echoes and servants of this world, are so far out of your depth-” a pause, a laugh, a sharp, brittle thing… “fitting, isn’t Depth one of those Powers that never answers your prayers except to cause you more trouble?” Though she doesn’t put too fine a point on it, the meaning is clear: why not trust in a power you wield and control instead? “You had no earthly clue what you were dealing with! You listen to the pretty birds and the pleasantries and you question! Nothing!” She sounds almost angry it was so easy, slamming a hand down on her podium.

“Oh, and you, guest of Aurelius…I suppose even things like you are slave to the base human desires for a refreshing stroll and a little snack. Couldn’t restrain yourself long enough to avoid leading us all in one more dance of suspicion…I couldn’t even plan that! You did it all on your own! Brilliant!”

Each condemnation more passionate than the last, V█▓et█a’s tale reaches its climax: the trial itself. “And what a dance it was! Say, how did it feel hearing poor Matthew speak so fondly of Rui Isahai only to come to suspect him as her killer?” A fabrication, of course, but her fabrication, her pride in her work with he and Rui both as but unwilling props. “A hand, if you would, for making himself such a perfect target!” With that emphatic flourish, she’ll wait a moment, to see if anyone bites. “Now that one was intentional from the start.”

Curiously, she makes no mention of Elena, despite the original intention of the poison and every suspicious opportunity that fell into her lap thereafter. Had she pursued Elena instead, would things have ended differently? But Matt had made himself just too perfect. Until…

“I had it in my hands. I had it. My plan was perfect!” Passion turns to desperation, wild eyes dancing from one onlooker to another. “It only failed because—”

Silence, cut off mid-gesture just like the Doctor before.

Why did it fail?

The Doctor didn’t truly believe it. ▓█n█ti▓ didn’t truly believe it.

Ever since she saw that cursed vision, V██▓t█▓ hadn’t felt like herself. The anxiety brought on by the silence in the air momentarily giving way to relief - the pleasant blur of her youth abruptly coming into focus just enough to spot a tiny contradiction - a woman’s face haunting her dreams even though a door had separated them the entire time.

Who did you vote for, ▓█n▓▓█▓?

Who are you?

“A-all of you, just - shut up! Not one of you…knows…what really…”

Not even █▓██▓█▓ herself.

[westeroswisdom]

Not sure about the status of the Jon Snow sequel. Even before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes there had been some question about its future.

Regardless, here is some speculation about it. (Roman numerals added for easy referencing)

[ I ] A White Walker Return At the climax of the darkest battle scene ever to grace the small screen, Arya Stark killed the Night King, causing a chain reaction that destroyed his army of undead wights and turned his White Walker lieutenants into icy shards on the grounds of Winterfell. For all intents and purposes, the White Walkers no longer exist in Westeros. However, this is fantasy we’re dealing with—anything is possible if the writers dream it so.  [ ... ] [ II ] A Free Folk Civil War There could be dozens of factions of Free Folk that managed to avoid the Night King’s wrath. What if a faction of Thenns wants to kill Jon as retribution for murdering their leader at the battle for Castle Black? In a time of desperation and war, the Free Folk were willing to accept Mance as a leader because he had wildling blood. But Jon, as a Targaryen and a Stark, will inspire no such allegiance with his markedly Westerosi ancestry. [ ... ] [ III ] The Dothraki, Unsullied, and Drogon’s Revenge In the aftermath, Greyworm and the Unsullied wanted Jon’s head for his treason, but Bran and Sansa were able to broker a deal that allowed Jon to serve a life sentence at Castle Black. Greyworm and the Unsullied set sail for the Isle of Naath to serve as protectors for Missandei’s people. But the only reason Greyworm left King’s Landing without Jon’s head on a spike was the promise of imprisonment that King Bran agreed to. If Greyworm somehow learned Jon abandoned his post to trek north of the Wall, perhaps he would redirect his company’s course to punish Jon for not holding up his end of the bargain. [ ... ] [ IV ] Targaryen Restoration If King Bran or his haphazardly chosen Small Council make too many questionable moves, some might begin to look for an alternative. And what better choice is there than Jon Snow? He’s a seasoned military tactician, a former king, and the son of the beloved Prince Rhaegar – the last of the Targaryen line. Jon’s snowy vacation north of the Wall could be interrupted by emissaries bringing news of a broken realm and shaky leadership.  [ ... ] [ V ] Bran and Sansa vs. Jon Perhaps these newly minted monarchs would face pressure to capture the fugitive Jon and bring him to face the King’s Justice. If the writers chose to go in this direction, it would force all three characters to decide whether family and honor should be held above law and order. As the first ruling Queen in the North, Sansa might feel obligated to quiet the naysayers and prove her mettle by making an example of Jon. King Bran would have to come to terms with his increasing detachment from his humanity and find out if he still has the capacity to love his family. 

So, I think that I doesn't make any sense unless the Night King had a "brother". If the Children of the Forest transformed another human into a White Walker who then quickly separated and went off to chill someplace for 10,000 years then this would be a blatant deviation of the narrative. Fantasy or not, some rules need to be followed.

II is clearly the most feasible. The only problem is that it's not clear how many Free Folk/Wildings are left. It would be more like a brawl than a civil war if only a few hundred remain.

III is a mixed bag. After Drogo's death in Season 1 the khalasar just moved on. After the death of a leader it's doubtful the Dothraki would show any loyalty to a corpse. To them, it more a matter of turning the page.

The Unsullied under Greyworm might take umbrage to Jon roaming around freely North of The Wall. But would they leave sunny Naath and abandon the locals they promised to protect to go on a wild goose chase in winter to a place hundreds of kilometers further north than the coldest place (Winterfell) they had ever been to? It's far more likely that they would take out their frustrations on Bran and Sansa.

Drogon may be smart, but he still thought the Iron Throne killed Dany. Unless he gets a red priest/priestess to revive Dany, he'll probably end up in the Shadow Lands where his egg was found and later bought by Illyrio Mopatis to give to Dany as a wedding gift.

IV is rather fanciful when you consider that the last Targaryen monarch committed mass murder against her own subjects and that her father was loony enough to become known as the "Mad King".

Bran and Sansa may not be perfect rulers but they are smart enough and sufficiently self-aware not to let things spiral out of control. Bran has the advantage of being able to monitor everything via his Three-Eyed Raven powers. As Isaac Hempstead-Wright once commented about King Bran, Westeros is now a "surveillance state". Any treason would be quickly identified and dealt with.

V could theoretically happen but the two monarchs are probably too busy rebuilding their kingdoms to worry much about Jon gallivanting way up north.

And while Jon may be a great warrior, Sansa is far better at understanding politics. It was her message to Baelish – not Jon's swordsmanship – that was primarily responsible for the defeat of Ramsay Bolton. Sansa, before the arrival of the Army of the Dead at Winterfell, took the lead in tending to the needs of the low born populace; if she is still that attentive then they probably wouldn't abandon her for her brooding cousin who is more comfortable with Wildings. And Bran would be particularly interested in preserving stability. Keeping the people happy is a big part of that.

[torahtantra]

3. Parsha Lekh Lekha, “The Becoming.” From Genesis 12:1–17:27.

The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram "the Shield", “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.[a] 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”[b]

*Great Nations =the result of the “Shield” wedding Sarai, “the Senate”. 

->What is a curse and why would a Blessed God levy them, and how?

For this we need to resort to the Bow and Arrow, "transmutation expertise", the Talmud, and the resources of Chabad Hasidic Philosophy.

Shelah means "emissary of blessing", kelalah is the opposite. God is always the Missionary of Blessings, man has the capacity to take these blessings and devolve them into curses:

In the words of our sages, “No evil descends from heaven”—only two types of good. The first is a “blatant” and obvious good—a good which can be experienced only as such in our lives. The other is also good, for nothing but good can “emerge from the Supernal One”; but it is a “concealed good,” a good that is subject to how we choose to receive and experience it.

Because of the free choice granted us, it is in our power to distort these heavenly blessings into curses, to subvert these positive energies into negative forces."

When devolution to God's Greatness occurs because evil men are at work this is when we need Abram, Serai and Lot the most.

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot “covered” went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran [Ararat. This implies Abram purged himself of all inhumane tendencies that caused the Flood].

5 He took his wife Sarai [his senate], his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan [the low place, the place of humility], and they arrived there.

This means Lot is "covered", protected by Abram, the Shield, AKA the covenant between God and Noah that took place on Harran, "the mountaineer" who was lot's "father".

All that took place on Ararat was meant by God to protect all the generations of mountaineer fathers and their sons who follow.

This concept of the mountaineer recurs in the Torah repeatedly. See my post on Torah Geography as to why.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh [early rain, the teacher, AKA the Tree of Eden] at Shechem [the shoulder]. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring[c] I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Canaanites are "Royal Qualities" that must be inherited, from the generation ahead which has shouldered the burden of the religion across the ages, from Eden onward.

One of these is the "pitching of the tent", the creation of a mobile refuge that exists between the savagery we saw in early human beings and a mankind that subscribes to the enlightened tenets of the Temple:

8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel [house of God] and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai [place of ruin] on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev [dry, parched].

Abram, “The protection” and his “senate” leave the mountain top free of any hints of the curse, the urge to use state power for violence. They move on to Canaan where God says all ‘servants of servants’ AKA civilized governments are born. Imagine that, a government that acknowledges it is paid by the people to make life palpable!

They pitch a tent, meaning they establish a vessel in which the skills and attributes can be taught and learned. It is “West of the House of God, east of ruin, on the way towards a place parched free of anarchy. 

Abram, the “Shield” presumably a term for a Chief Executive, then heads towards Egypt which remains a Hebrew word for the “Temple of Ptah” the Egyptian god of speech. 

We don’t yet have the Ten Commandments. We have nothing in fact, except violence and killing and an angry God. 

Why didn’t God give us the Commandments and tell us on the cover page of the Torah all about the “Thou Shalt Nots?” 

Why did he wait until Slavery in Egypt, when the “temple of the god of speech” turned from being a source of science and statecraft into a place of lies, gossip, propaganda and stupefaction? 

Could the Commandments have prevented slavery? Or is there simply no excuse for killing, for the ruin of all that Joseph built and shame on you for not knowing this on your own, it’s common sense? 

Let’s see if the first mention of Egypt in the Torah offers a clue: 

Abram in Egypt

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt "the Temple of Ptah, the Place of Tragedy" to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are.

12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

-> Famines are periods when Torah instruction is suspended and from the ground up and even into the sea, life becomes stressed. This is true literally and figuratively as we are seeing.

Because our generation of mankind has turned profoundly away from the Torah and all faith in general to worthless superstitions about food, clothes, sex, and abortion, all the elements and resources on the earth are retracting and becoming poisonous to us, to plants, animals, and microbes.

Once we restore the Torah, the weather, the ground, crops, and the supply chain of food will return to normal along with it.

14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh "the Confederate", and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

-> The famine in Canaan, which had olives, grapes, grain and pomegranates (peace, prosperity, learning, and righteousness means corruption drove Abram and his government away. Right into the hands of Pharaoh, a kind of monarch that was always treated like a god. And we hate those. 

Now remember, Joseph was not a pharaoh but an emperor, an important distinction. 

Abram and Sarai have traded their freedom and their holy union for a bunch of farm animals. 

Sheep= subservience

Cattle= collateral for loans. Abram loaned his government to a god on the ground for some cattle. 

Male and Female Donkeys= donkeys are slow and really don’t do a lot of work. Male donkeys are the worst, and a female donkey just makes more donkeys! So Abram gave up his finely tuned working government for a  donkey farm. 

Camels= Camels are said to be infused with the elements around them. Obviously a bunch of camels who store up the propaganda of the Pharaoh are not going to be any good to anyone. 

Camels that carry the essence of the religion and the Tenets, Decrees, Commands, etc. these carry pilgrims from one oasis in history to the next.

So now, notice- long before the Flight, God has to schcrew around with the Egyptians to get Pharaoh to let the democratic government go free from its captivity to an idol; it seems to me we are in the same place with the same people, but politics have changed: 

17 But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Governments must be grown up out of the principals established at the end of Noach. There is no way around this. The alternative is to allow confederacy, a government based on immoral principals enforced as if they were rule of law.

-> If famines represent periods without the Torah, then diseases represent the presence of the Exterminators, or violations of the Seven Laws of Noah.

It is a duty of all Israelites to ensure the Torah is mainstreamed and the Exterminators are treated and "vaccinated". Just as in real life, Incenses and resins are used for this purpose.

The Pharaoh, a confederate did not want any of these or a "senate" that belonged to a man who covenanted with God to address the causes of violence and shield the people through policy and rule of law. Why would he?

He returns the senate to whom he borrowed it, and we know what kind of culture grows up in Egypt instead. Absent an appropriate womb, a flawed model of government springs up next to the future Israelites and we know how that turns out.

All working governments must have senates, food, medicines and laws, they must "cover" the people, they must all be local, indigenous and bind the people to one another via lawful matrimony with the Head of State.

If these help a culture become something amazing, then surely famines and diseases - violence and oppression - are their undoing. A shield governor like Abram is what trans-mutates all that God gives us an initial blessing through His Torahs during the Seven Days and and amplifies them into civilized life through the manmade torah of sound government.

[asha-mage]

Your Cauthor Amol feelings?

It makes me so overwhelmingly sad that Mat's choice to return to Tuon rather then travel with Moiraine to Merrilor is the final kiss of death for his and Rand's old relationship, something that everyone seems to grasp except for Mat.

Consider for a moment the Almost of that: If Mat had gone to Merrilor and been present for the Randland UN, he would have been a voice of reason, pushing the idea that the Seanchan could be reasoned with, and that an alliance was necessary, not just to protect the nations, but to gain their military aid in facing the Shadow. And so Mat would have been dispatched to serve as emissary to bring the Seanchan to the peace, Rand's general and oldest friend first, providing a link to the Empire to bring them into the coalition. Very likely his and Tuon's meeting would have been largely the same even: except that Mat would been there to win her over to the Light, and prepare her for her second meeting with Rand.

But instead what happens is that, in a final burst of abandonment of his duty and destiny, the thing that drove Mat and Rand apart in the first place, Mat refuses to go to Merrilor with Moiraine, and instead flees to Ebu Dar in an attempt to wait out the Last Battle, regressing at the last second instead of confronting and overcome his main character flaw head on. And that leads to the meeting we get in canon: Mat sneaking into the palace after he learns Tuon is under threat of assassins, which leads to them reconciling before Mat can reconcile with Rand, which then precludes his and Rand's reconciliation.

You can see the after affects when Rand shows up the next day: both Tuon and Rand sort of come out of their confrontation subtly acknowledging Tuon's claim to Mat, and there after he is more or less bound to the Seanchan empire, both in the story and more importantly, his own mind. Mat accepts his primary place, not as Rand's general and commander, not as his friend and ally, leader of the Band of the Red Hand, and reluctant part of the Ta'veren trio, but as consort to the Empress, commander of the forces of the Empire.

The amazing @highladyluckck, has a great meta about the ways that Tuon is, in essence, the evolved form of the Dagger plotline. Tuon powerful, beautiful, dangerous, alluring, and most of all, impossible for Mat to truly understand, or to shake off. The heartbreaking difference between the first dagger plot line and Tuon and Mat's courtship though, is that, unlike before there is nothing to balance Tuon's effect on Mat.

Mat ran from Rand, the man who kept him sane, who struggled to keep him from falling under Mashadar's power, who cared for him when he went blind, and refused to let him succumb to despair. The man who refused to let the evil of Mashadar consume him. Mat ran from him constantly, and furiously, struggling against fate itself, because he refused to be bound by anything. The tragedy of that, is it ends with him being snared anyways, by something just as beautiful and just as dangerous as the dagger once was.

And things where SO CLOSE to putting Mat back in a position of balance, where Rand could help him again struggle against what was trying to ensnare him. If Mat had gone to Merrilor, Rand, with the raw hurt the Seanchan had caused him, all the knowledge of their depravity and cruelty, might have been able to meaningfully oppose Tuon's influence on Mat as he once did the dagger. Certainly no one ELSE proved willing or able to do so, anymore then anyone else proved able to help Mat face the dagger's influence. But instead Mat chooses to return to Tuon rather then face Rand again, and so, seals his fate.

I can't describe how incredibly sad their final scene in the garden makes me feel, and nothing quite as much as the way that Mat swears by Rand's trustworthiness and compassion to Tuon in private even while abandoning him one final time.

It's a final flash of reminder that beneath it all he DOES love Rand (in whatever way you want to consider it- romantic or platonic or brotherly) and knows him to be good, but that he lacks the trust to put faith in that good, even though Rand proved it beyond any shadow of doubt from the very beginning.

[waitingforsecretsouls]

Gamer alignment chart, Irregular edition. Based of course only on the ones introduced so far. Sometimes more, sometimes less serious explanations for the sorting:

Lawful Good: Bam. Does this need an explanation? Bam is a kind person trying his best to treat everyone with respect and only lashes out when fundamental truths of his world-view are attacked or someone hurts/kills his companions. A possible area of contention is the possibility of a more chaotic streak, based on the concept of Bams existence, however, he himself is very consciously trying to not simply be a vortex of destruction or hunger, ergo no CG for Bam here.

Neutral Good: Urek. A solid dude who’s mostly doing his own thing, arguably known for trying to help out his friends, whom he does not distinguish based on ‘Irregular’ and ‘Tower-born NPC’. Exuding very chaotic energy, it is true, but does mostly stay in his own lane and has no interest in the squabbles of the Tower as long as everyone plays fair and doesn’t bring the conflict to him.

Chaotic Good: Gustang. Okay, so please hear me out on this one: first of all this alignment is not based on characters role in the plot in relation to Bam, where Gustang is very obviously a more or less backstabing (depending on perspective) plotter that is set up as an antagonist, confirmed by SIU himself, and fully in line with the Great Warriors perspective as everyone who’s not an Irregular as irrelevant bugs. Now, Gustang still would not have been my first choice for this: the first character in general to come to mind was Yuri, wo unfortunately does not fall into the Irregular category, then, tracing it back from Yuri and her supposed resemblance to her to Yurin, whom I was gonna settle on , however she only appears in two pannels, neither of which would make an even half-nice picture. So, going by his vibes (kind of dick--ish but actually not overtly evil (as of now)), that mostly consist of shaking up the status quo and not, strictly speaking, doing anything that’s breaking the rules (and because he didn’t fit in either CN or CE, and the latter I wanted to reserve for Rachel), I plopped in Gustang, even if I’m myself not fully satisfied with his placement.

Lawful Neutral: V. Arguably he would have a similar issue to Yurin regarding lack of actual ‘screentime’, however we do know a little bit about him, namely that he was ‘interested’ in the Towers inhabitants and tried to get closer to them in his youth. While we do know he argued with Arlene, and formed FUG with her, and fought with her in the ensuing war, it is mostly Arlene moreso than him that comes off as the mover and shaker in their duo, even moreso as he opts out early instead of trying to see their cause through. Mostly based on vibes again, seems like a very ‘by the book’ and straight-laced type of guy.

True Neutral: Traumerei. I feel like the story itself kind of explains this: yes, to him Zahards opinion has priority but he does do his best to take everyones (everyone he considers friends) opinion into consideration as well, very ‘go with the flow’ in this regard. But also based on vibes, just seems right.

Chaotic Neutral: another controversial placement, maybe, but to me Enryu just does not have enough pizzaz and personal investment for Chaotic Evil: yes, his brief appearance is very badass but not quite on the level of Phantaminum killing all of Zahards rankers, confronting the guy and then disappearing, only being remembered as a vortex of chaos. While the story itself presents Enryu as an emissary from the Outside God and Arlene’s avenger, the guy still seems very removed from the conflict as a whole? He appears, delivers thorn fragments, and leaves. Honestly, the Arlene connection itself seems very questionable and is never explicity stated a ssuch, afair. Does his job but does not give off the air that he cares that much? Others can do the real work.

Lawful Evil: Zahard. Wahtever your opinion on what he does with it, played to the ‘top’ fair and square and earned the toys that come with it. If someone wants to bitch about that, they can go confront him like Phantaminum, everyone else has no right to complain. Oh, his ‘immortality’ is cheating? Well, how about you get gud scrub and maybe the administrators will start offering sweet deals to you too, huh?

Neutral Evil: Edahn. Khuns in general are described as having ‘douchery’ as their characteristic family trait, both Ran and Mashenny were demonstrated to engage in kill-stealing, even if it did not strictly speaking result in the ‘death’ of their target (Ran regarding the holographic door guardian of the Hell Train station, Mashenny against Jinsung), it feels like a safe bet to put Edahn himself down for this.

Chaotic Evil: Rachel. Now, to be clear, this placement did not occur due to her antagonistic role regarding Bam and co., but it so happens that the trait that conflates with that very often is her willingness to do mostly anything to get ahead, since she feels she has no other options. Does this always pan out for her? Certainly not, but especially regarding her stint on the Hidden Floor, which is purposefully built extremely similar to video games, the sentiment feels very Rachel nonetheless.

[queenaryastark]

Arya Ruined Cersei’s Attempt at Restoring the Iron Throne’s Finances and Relationship With the Iron Bank

So, in the novels, Arya is in Braavos, the city where the Iron Bank, the most powerful bank on Planetos, resides. This bank is so powerful that it can seat and unseat lords and monarchs who don’t repay their debts.

Thus was born the Iron Bank of Braavos, whose renown (or infamy, to hear some tell it) now extends to every corner of the known world. Kings, princes, archons, triarchs, and merchants beyond count travel from the ends of the earth to seek loans from the heavily guarded vaults of the Iron Bank.

The Iron Bank will have its due, it is said. Those who borrow from the Braavosi and fail to repay their debts oft have cause to rue such folly, for the Bank has been known to topple lords and princes and has also been rumored to send assassins against those it cannot remove (though this has never been conclusively proved). -- TWOIAF

At this point in the story, Cersei has decided to stop making payments on the debt the Iron Throne owes to the Iron Bank. This has resulted in the bank calling in full repayment on loans from those living in Westeros and declining new loans, essentially squeezing those who live under Cersei’s rule. More than that, they also sent an emissary to negotiate financial support for Stannis’ campaign for the Iron Throne.

Tycho Nestoris had impressed him as cultured and courteous, but the Iron Bank of Braavos had a fearsome reputation when collecting debts. Each of the Nine Free Cities had its bank, and some had more than one, fighting over every coin like dogs over a bone, but the Iron Bank was richer and more powerful than all the rest combined. When princes defaulted on their debts to lesser banks, ruined bankers sold their wives and children into slavery and opened their own veins. When princes failed to repay the Iron Bank, new princes sprang up from nowhere and took their thrones. As poor plump Tommen may be about to learn. No doubt the Lannisters had good reason for refusing to honor King Robert's debts, but it was folly all the same. If Stannis was not too stiff-necked to accept their terms, the Braavosi would give him all the gold and silver he required, coin enough to buy a dozen sellsword companies, to bribe a hundred lords, to keep his men paid, fed, clothed, and armed. Unless Stannis is lying dead beneath the walls of Winterfell, he may just have won the Iron Throne. -- Jon IX, ADWD

--

The Iron Bank has opened its coffers to me. You will collect their coin and hire ships and sellswords. A company of good repute, if you can find one. The Golden Company would be my first choice, if they are not already under contract. Seek for them in the Disputed Lands, if need be. But first hire as many swords as you can find in Braavos, and send them to me by way of Eastwatch. -- Theon I, TWOW

Based on Arya’s sample chapter from TWOW, Cersei has regained control of the Iron Throne and follows through with Kevan’s plan to send Harys Swyft to Braavos to restore their relationship with the Iron Bank and bring back more gold. While there, he takes in a play at The Gate, the playhouse Arya is working for her latest apprenticeship. While she knows nothing about what’s going on with the political and financial struggle between two of the claimants to the throne, she does know that one of the guards sent with Swyft, Raff the Sweetling, is on her list for committing the crimes of rape and murder. To get him alone so she can execute him, Arya listens in on his conversation with another guard and hears that Raff wants to be a lord:

“Well, maybe I’ll follow him after the mummery. Find out for myself.” The guardsman put a hand on the hilt of his sword. “If I’m right, I’ll be a ma lord, and if I’m wrong, well, bleed it, it’s just some dwarf.” -- Arya I, TWOW

So when she approaches him, she pretends that she is there specifically for the “lords”:

“You are lords of Westeros, my friend said.”

The old one laughed. “Lords? Aye, that’s us.”

Mercy looked down at her feet, so shy. “Izembaro said to please the lords,” she whispered. “If there is anything you want, anything at all… “ -- Arya I, TWOW

Raff falls straight into this and pretends he’s a lord:

“I’m Lord Rafford, sweetling, and I know just what I want. Hike up those skirts now, and lean back against that wall.” -- Arya I, TWOW

Arya leads him away from his co-worker and executes him. While we don’t know the specific details of how this will play out yet, even Arya knows there will be repercussions. 

“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” she sang sadly. A foolish, giddy girl she’d been, but good hearted. She would miss her, and she would miss Daena and the Snapper and the rest, even Izembaro and Bobono. This would make trouble for the Sealord and the envoy with the chicken on his chest, she did not doubt.  -- Arya I, TWOW

The significance of Arya claiming she was sent for the “lords of Westeros” will come into play when Raff’s co-worker explains what happened and Harys Swyft comes to the conclusion that the assassin was sent for him. Swyft is only a knight, but he is the highest ranking person in their group. It’s likely he will think that the Braavosi don’t know the difference between the two ranks and were out to kill him as the envoy of the Iron Throne. This will likely end all negotiations between the Sealord/the Iron Bank and the current set of Lannister envoys. 

So as a result of Arya’s execution of Raff, Harys will return without the gold Cersei sent him for and the Iron Bank will continue supporting Stannis or any other claimant over Cersei’s children.

[writers-dilemma]

I’m a decent way into my first ever D&D campaign, and it’s a small group. DM, and three players. I think our DM leaves a lot more room for us to figure out way through scenarios that don’t involve combat.

My character, Pavish the Unclean, is a 14yo halfling rogue who is adorably naive in social etiquette, but clever in other ways. She will wave at almost any unknown sentient creature and attempt to say hi or talk to them. It’s completely adorable and has ended up saving our party several fights! Because the DM lets me roleplay.

Our party went to a rundown castle, and this was an obvious set up for a big battle. DM def went through everything to give us a challenging and fun fight. But when we got there, Pavish and one of the other party members just didn’t want to leap into battle cause it’s not how their characters are.

Pavish came up with the idea of trying to convince them that our hulking half-orc barbarian was an emissary of a dragon in the area, and if they didn’t wanna all get slaughtered by it, they could move to a fortress we had previously cleared out earlier in the campaign.

And it worked.

We fashioned our Barbarian a fancy crown of sorts, and acted as their servants, and the DM let us talk all these orcs, bugbears, and ogres into abandoning the castle for the ruined fortress. We should’ve had the dickens of a time clearing this location. But we didn’t.

When we were in an abandoned mine, there was an ancient forge of enchanting in there, but it was watched over by an equally ancient entity. We could’ve fought it. But Pavish cheerfully made friends with it. And when we really did have to clear the mine of all creatures, we convinced it to simply leave.

As much as 5e def pushes for combat, and strips down a lot of roleplay, I think credit should be given to DMs who don’t force their players into those roles. Our party doesn’t level up by battle xp, and that’s a choice on our DMs part. He lets us encounter situations, and gives us leave to interact with it how we feel our characters would. So when our party tries to talk our way out of a fight, it’s a valid option. Do we have to do charisma/persuasion/deception checks, yes, but not for every single attempt to negotiate a situation. He does his best to play the NPCs how he thinks they would interact with us. It’s such a rewarding experience, and I think we should acknowledge that there are ways of negating the battle ethics instilled into modern D&D/ttrpg systems. Rules and systems can be bent for better experiences. It’s like when modders make mods for video games that further enrich the gaming experience, or make systems more flexible or balanced. Don’t discount or ignore creative DMs/referees and their parties. I play loads of video games with hack and slash mechanics. But that doesn’t mean I play D&D like a video game. I play D&D to roleplay a unique character in unique situations. My character happens to be curious, friendly, and not aggressive. And my DM respects it. I’m very grateful for that! Sorry this turned into such a ramble and I think the point got a little lost in there somewhere, but thanks for letting me word vomit all over the post 😂

Putting all tabletop players into a college level ethics class and forcing them to turn in a paper on moral philosophy before buying a new book