#and the other needs a domain related to magic

[crkfragmentedsouljams]

fictional cookies suffering? oh myyy 🙃

Last Updated-3/27/25 (Added Smilk & Misty down below, updated general)

| Fragmented Souljams AU! — Introduction/Masterpost ig-

(FSAU for short)

This crk au is basically: What if the ancients loses to the beast and is now under their control? :)

| General Info:

Blog is owned by @cheesymellow (MINOR!) :D, so no weird stuff please 🙏

Fanart & Fanfiction are COMPLETELY OKAY!! (TAG ME IN IT!) Aslong as its sfw. And heck you can send it to my inbox too if you want!

This is still a massive WIP and i dont have that much planned rn for this. But feel free to ask questions in my asksbox or in the comments-

Sometimes im either really active or not at all. If im ever randomly missing probably means i got alot going on in my personal life/school

| Asks Info :

You can ask any sfw questions in my askbox!. I wont reply if its nsfw or anything weird like that

If you want you can ask stuff to the cast (Any cookie related to BY!)

Ex: “Empty Vanilla how is it like in the spire?”, or “Soulless cacao, Do you like peach baos?” <- already used questions. (Its optional to call the ancients by their AU name btw, you can still call them Pure Vanilla, Dark cacao, & Golden cheese :D)

i will most of the time reply with a doodle of the cookie but small chance it will js be dialogue depending on my day- I take a while to answer stuff so bare with me 🥲

Oh yea you can do anon names if you want. Like ✨ anon or smth i dont mind.

If you have any non-au related questions, Just ask in my main blog @cheesymellow

Eyy you interested? If you are, All character info & stories r DOWN BELOW!!

| The Lineup of characters!

—Designs & info may change in the future!

1st, Lets start off with.. The Ancients!

| Pure Vanilla/Empty Vanilla

(Ep7) Empty vanilla is now a shell of his former self. His souljam exploding unknowingly whilst falling down the tower. Injuring him in the chest and half of his face, even severely damaging his memories… Now with those damaged memories. He contemplates if he is “Pure Vanilla” or “Truthless Recluse”. Residing in shadow milk’s domain to find answers. (At least, thats what he’s been told.)

As for Gingerbrave, Strawberry, And Wizard cookie. They all are forced to reside in the spire. Reluctantly joining shadow milk TEMPORARILY obeying orders as they try to escape and recover Empty Vanilla’s memories. (cant think of a color palette)

– Extra Info!:

Empty Vanilla was given his name by none other than Black Sapphire! He found it fitting considering he doesn’t know what he is.

His personality is a mix of Pure Vanilla & Truthless Recluse. Kind and forgiving but sometimes rude and pissed (Mostly to Shadow Milk ☺️)

80% of the time you’ll find him sleeping. The 20% is him doing orders/chores

Also Re-learning both Light magic & Dark Moon magic. That wont go wrong right?

He can see WAYY better now and doesn’t need his staff to see! He only uses it to do magic. (which is barely)

| Golden Cheese/Lusterless Cheese

(Ep5) Burning Spice had TOOO much fun fighting with Golden Cheese that he shattered her souljam in the process. But even after doing that. He still continued to fight her until she somehow managed to escape. Crumbling and bleeding jam as she was holding a piece of her souljam. That had enough power to heal her but… She couldn’t reclaim it. For she has lost to Burning Spice. After that she manages to find Smoked Cheese and barely escape together… They’re now both lost in the desert trying to hide from the Spice Swarm.

Smoked Cheese is in worse condition. His arm almost falling off yet surprisingly still very strong. He still has the soulcheeses with him and vows to protect it with his life despite his dying state.

– Extra Info!:

Lusterless Cheese was a nickname given to her by the Spice Swarm after she lost to Burning Spice. She isnt really that shiny and golden now is she?. Only Smoked Cheese calls her Golden Cheese. (Also just a name so i can differentiate her from canon and this au)

Constantly gets reminded of that fight and is slowly losing hope

She took extra clothes from a nearby village due to hers being heavily damaged & dirty. And has wrapped bandages over all her scratches.

Her wings are slowly regrowing thanks to the bit essence of her souljam!

Speaking of souljam, Burning Spice is delighted by this change. Trying to find out what the shattered souljam can do.

| Dark Cacao/Soulless Cacao

(Ep3) Kneeling down infront of Mystic Flour as he accepts his fate and sees his souljam getting taken.. Mystic Flour attempts to turn him into flour for she feels pity for him. But alas.. No matter how hard she tried, He wouldnt disolve completely. Even after giving up. Until she realized his souljam was shaking uncontrollably, Then—Poof! Shatters unknowingly and simply loses its shine. She is lead to believe this is fate telling her that Dark Cacao could be of good use to her. So she recruits him to become his servant/devoted follower. He accepts willing to find a purpose.

As for his warriors. They are lost in beast yeast, Currently having made their own campsite while trying to find their king.

– Extra Info!:

Soulless Cacao was a name given by Cloud Hatae (Yes this 💩 is alive). Just a random nickname on spot since he has changed.

He dosent use his sword anymore. Doesn’t commit violence at all

As days go by, His memories fade away bit by bit.

He loves watering the plants of the ivory pagoda. And has made good friends with the guards and even Peach

Slowly becoming a peach bao lover..

Keeps his cape/cloak thingy as dear memory/remembrance

2nd, The beasts!

| Shadow Milk

Ever since Pure Vanilla has fallen under his control. Hes been more happy? than ever with a new comrade by his side! But even with all the pieces from the shattered souljam. Its power has.. vanished. He cant reclaim it back. Hes been researching on how he can re-piece its power back while also keeping an eye on what Vanilly’s doing. Giving him books and scrolls to keep him busy and to also try getting his memories back (but slowly reconsidering whether he likes him this way or not) Only time will tell i suppose? Overall still your same silly ol’ jester.

Candy apple and Black sapphire have been tasked to help out Empty Vanilla while hes busy. And lets just say they have mixed feelings about it.

– Extra Info!:

Hes been slowly growing paranoid over pu- Empty Vanilla for a while now. He just dosent feel like the same cookie to him.

Smilk LOVES making outfits for everyone. Hes the one that made Empty Vanilla’s , Gingerbeave, Strawberry, And Wizard cookie’s outfits! He purposely made them all match :D

He has very VERRY flowy hair, You can walk through it. (Sometimes he ties his hair up too when bored)

Gave everyone a plushie of him so he can track all of them anytime.

Everytime he lies, The eyes in his hair show his real emotions/intent >:D,

Shortest among all the beasts. And flies alot to make himseld appear taller (Still taller than EV/PV tho)

Cat pupils

| Mystic Flour

Ever since Soulless Cacao’s arrival. She’s changed a bit. Being less apathetic and more merciful than usual. Even after persuading Soulless Cacao to her side, She couldnt reclaim the souljam either. Unlike Shadow Milk who couldnt reclaim it due to the lack of pieces. She has all and yet all it’ll so is flicker slighty. It has little to no power left but she dosent thrive for the half of her power anymore. She’s just been chilling with the rest until their inevitable doom of disintegrating to flour.

– Extra Info!:

Shes been enjoying the stay of Soulless cacao lately. Feeling the joy of life

Has a spider form when shes mad or pissed, And hides her extra arms inside her robes >:D

Regularly lets Cloud Haetae and sometimes Soulless Cacao fix her hair

Secretly enjoys peach baos and its flavor. and is trying to secretly make her own garden-

Her eyes are scary to everyone except Soulless. And maybee cloud haetae but depends on the situation honestly

——————————

Thats all for now! I am STRUGGLING ON DRAWING BURNING SPICE IM SO SORRY WAAAA THIS IS LIKE SOULLESS CACAO ALL OVER AGAIN. I MIGHT add burning spice’s info but without the drawing or only add it once i finally draw him. lmao we’ll see ig

LOOK- I MOSTLY DRAW FEMALES AND I DONT KNOW ANATOMY JUST BARE WITH ME BARE WITH M-

Oh yea have a lovely day

[sunlight-shunlight]

i realized i may be one of the only people on this webbed site who played both earthdawn and dragon age, so i thought i should share haha, i've never seen anyone else talking about the similarities.

earthdawn is: a tabletop rpg initially developed in the 90s and still publishing to this day. david gaider mentioned playing/running some campaigns of it. and the similarities are... very extensive and funny. let me go over them:

earthdawn is an apocalyptic high fantasy setting where every few thousand years, there's a cyclical, catastrophic event where monsters (both physical and astral) unstoppably ravage the world for centuries. this has led to loss of entire civilizations, and vast areas that are permanently tainted by their effects and are uninhabitable.

there's a small order of distrusted, secretive people, who take on an aspect of the monsters they're hunting, in order to more effectively track and kill them. this connection goes both ways, and the monsters can find and torment them in turn. regular people find this a bit scary. members of this order tend to not live very long (not like a physical limitation in their case, they just usually die on the job before they get old)

great dragons are very magically powerful, the oldest form of sapient life, and used to rule the world in a very bygone past era. they created immortal elves as servants, went into hibernation, and then their disaffected immortal elf lackeys rose up and killed some of them off to create their own civilization instead. there are some remaining great dragons, but they're reclusive. if needed, they can take on a humanoid form and blend into society and pull strings to influence various cultures. there are a few groups of people who live near the dragons and worship them, and the dragon protects them in return. there's also a bit about dragons possibly feeding people their blood in rituals as a way to create servants, or imbue people with power/greater lifespan, and thus influence entire noble lineages descended from there.

magic used to be far more powerful and prevalent, but has declined somewhat. there's an astral plane that reflects the real world. it's only easily accessible by mages, and can be entered physically, but that's very dangerous to the point of being usually fatal, and generally the astral plane is only perceived mentally while staying in the regular world. the astral realm is corrupted and dangerous, while also containing some neutral/friendly spirits. unwary mages can get possessed or killed by the monsters in the astral plane. spirits can manifest out of the astral plane and into the physical world voluntarily, or be summoned or bound for various tasks. this is controversial in the setting, as some people see it as fine, and others see it as forced servitude. some spirits are old and complex enough to clearly communicate with people and have their own full blown agendas and personalities, some are much simpler and only focused on a small domain of influence relating to a single trait they have.

blood magic is not as common in the area where the game is set, but...

there's a huge, decadent, ancient byzantium/rome themed blood magic empire, that runs on slavery and sacrifices. it used to have control over the entire map, but it was weakened by the apocalyptic event + various uprisings, so now its sphere of influence is much smaller. it still maintains slaving raids and tries to expand back into its old provinces. it was influenced very early on by weird shady mages who left the elven empire, and had convenient knowledge of the apocalypse before it happened. the empire has a much better scholarship around magic in general + the apocalypse than others, as well as a more "magic is indistinguishable from high tech" vibe to its standard of living. it has floating castles and fortresses that protect its nobility/can be deployed in warfare.

there's one underground dwarven kingdom remaining out of a few dozen that used to exist - all the others fell to infighting or the apocalyptic monster hordes. at the time of the setting, this kingdom is having a bit of a succession/legitimacy crisis with its monarchy. the dwarves are also a hub of trade and commerce bc their city was well-shielded from the apocalypse, so their language is the base of the common tongue and writing system everyone uses.

there's also an ancient elven empire that used to exist, but was also mostly lost in the apocalypse. currently, elves are mortal and about as magical as everybody else. there are some elves who are fully immortal, and still walk the earth - either gaining power and going through false identities to pose as normal rulers and maintain a vice-grip on elven society, or doing magical research and stuff to stave off more of the apocalypse, or doing centuries-long shadow warfare against each other/the dragons by using mortal kingdoms as pawns.

there's an elven pantheon of gods that everyone else adopted when the elven empire was bigger - it included a trickster deity who sealed themselves + two other gods into the Apocalypse Juice to try and partially nullify it, thus preventing the apocalypse from running over the whole area. unfortunately, this has corrupted all 3 gods who are marinating in that Juice, and now they generate madness and violence and despair in people they connect to.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

What PJO cabins do you think the HP kids other than Harry would be in? I feel like maybe it'd be either Apollo or Athena for Ron, and perhaps Ares (or Athena, if Ron's a child of Apollo) for Hermione?

(I accidentally sent an unfinished ask last time)

Well, I'm not going to give as deep of an analysis, but sure, this is fun.

Harry was mentioned here, where I settled on Apollo cabin, but a more distant descendant of Hades.

The Weasely twins have to be related to Hermes in this AU; there is no other option. And because Hermes is a god of way too many things, I think it works well with the other Weasley children as well:

Bill - Hermes is the god of travelers & wit

Charlie - Hermes is the god of shepherds. What is a dragon tamer if not a dragon shepherd?

Percy - well, Hermes is also the god of language & oratory, which Percy is involved with as an undersecretary in the Ministry.

Ron - Well, I already mentioned Hermes is the god of wit & cunning, which I think applies to Ron.

Ginny - Herems also happens to be the god of athletes.

Basically, I want all the Weasleys to stay siblings, also on the godly side of things. Though, like with Harry, I don't really want to remove either of their parents, so let's make Hermes Arthur's dad, or something.

Hermione - Athena is a classic choice for her, and I think it fits for her wit and learning side + the dash of ruthlessness that Athena is associated with as a war goddess.

Fleur - has to be a daughter/granddaughter of Aphrodite with the veela magic.

Draco - I'm going, Dionysus, because Draco is a theater kid if I've ever seen one. I think if Hogwarts had a drama class, it would've improved his life dramatically. Also, he gives me the vibe. (But I like his relationship with Lucius... we'll need to find a solution for that)

Severus - I considered Athena, for craftsmanship, wit, and warfare aspects.

Sirius - I'm kinda leaning toward Ares. Violence & bloodshed, these things that are the epitome of what we see of the Black family in canon. His animagus form is linked to the Grim, a harbinger of death. I just like this for him. Plus, it'll be fun, because in this AU, I want Bellatrix to also be a daughter of Ares, so it'll be fun. (Also, Ares is associated with dogs).

Lupin - Like, Zeus is known for his association with wolves; Zeus Lykaios is one of his epithets. "Lykaios", meaning wolf, and the origin of the word "Lycanthropy". That being said, Apollo is also associated with wolves and is a better fit for Remus, probably. (Though the Zeus Lykaios is fun).

Tom Riddle - He was a tough one for me. I think the funest way to go for this AU, is Apollo. a) for the connection to Harry. b) Beauty, plague & knowledge being among Apollo's domains. c) Association with snakes. d) Prophecy. Though I can see Posidon perhaps, mostly for vibes (earthquakes & destruction) rather than a deep analysis.

Albus - I kinda wanna go Zeus. Like, it fits his behaviour, his arrogance, and he is skilled. Idk, it makes sense to me.

Again, this is something quick and fun and not to be taken too seriously.

[mahouowo]

Clow Card Divination 101

In this post I wish to share with you my favorite form of divination!

It's a long one so more under the read more!

The Clow cards (later Sakura/Star cards) are from the manga & anime Card Captor Sakura. The series follows a girl called Sakura Kinomoto who finds a book in her father’s study called the Clow book. The book contains Clow cards which were made by Clow Reed before his life ended; sealed away until Sakura accidentally releases them. With the Clow cards gone and only left with The Windy, the story follows her capturing all the escaped cards. When she finally has all of them it becomes clear she is next in line to become the master of them. Thus, the cards ‘evolve’ into the Sakura/Star cards by Sakura signing her name onto them.

Clow Reed and The Clow

Clow Reed was a sorcerer born with both English & Chinese heritage. His parents were from very powerful families of magic users and because of his mixed heritage, Clow Reed came to be the most powerful sorcerer ever known. He created The Clow; cards encompassing both Western (Sun) & Eastern (Moon) magic. Each card has their own personality and tremendous power. With the creation of The Clow he also created two guardians called Cerberus & Yue.

Cerberus

Cerberus (aka Kero) is one of the two guardians of The Clow. He is bossy, confident and overindulgent, but also positive and fun. Clow Reed left Kero with the task to find the next master of the cards when he died. Although Kero chooses Sakura out of consequence, he becomes her guide for The Clow throughout the story and helps her through many ordeals. His power is that of the sun & western magic and the cards under him reflect his personality and domain. Just like the sun he generates his own energy instead of needing his master’s to survive.

Yue

Yue is the other guardian of The Clow. He is cold, serious and aloof but he has a kind heart. He cared very deeply for his old master, so much so that he had a hard time accepting Sakura as the new one. Yue is in charge of judging the person Kero chooses to see if they are worthy of being the new master of the cards. Because of his hard time accepting anyone other than Clow Reed it took a while before Sakura could convince him; not wanting to hurt him. His power is that of the moon & eastern magic and the cards under him reflect his personality and domain. Just like the moon he doesn’t generate his own magic and needs his master’s energy to survive.

System

The Clow cards work under a hierarchy. The attribute cards rule over the elemental cards and the elemental cards rule over every card underneath. When laying cards, if any of the attribute cards or the elemental cards come up they influence the reading greatly with their meanings.

The Suits

The Light Suit

The cards under The Light stand for all that is everyday life, lightheartedness and fun. The exception to this suit is The Shadow, but without light there is no shadow, thus it is included here instead of The Dark suit. I also relate The Light suit with the major arcana in tarot, albeit the positive side more than the negative side. Positive things like having good fortune or good things that we do not have immediate control over.

The Dark Suit

The cards under The Dark stand for all that is mysterious, unknown, and otherworldly. This includes parts of life we might not like, but still have to go through. Just like the Light suit I relate The Dark suit with the major arcana in tarot. It talks about things we thus far had no control over, but notifies us to think about those aspects and invites us to take the necessary steps for positive change. It will be a challenge and we might even fear it, but life is filled with ups and downs. When we get through our down period, we face the better times triumphantly with an experience richer and we might even be better equipped to handle a similar situation in the future.

The Fire Suit

The cards under The Firey stand for action, passion, temper and upheavals. It tells us that one way or another we need to put our all into it. Whether it’s to keep trying, fully take something out of our lives or try our best to hit that mark. Yes, it may be challenging and the road might be bumpy, but the vitality & creativity of the Fire suit tells us that we can do this. Sometimes all we need is willpower & determination!

The Water Suit

The cards under The Watery stand for emotion, relationships and intuition. Although the Watery is an aggressive card of its own, the cards underneath it tend to be more calm, soft and some are even fun! However, the cards underneath the Watery are also related to how we handle situations and react to the world and people around us on an emotional level.

The Earth Suit

The cards under The Earthy stand for stability, security, & strength. They are about the material self or about things related to the self. Whether this is protecting one’s self, finding balance around one’s self or breaking material cycles.

The Wind Suit

The cards under The Windy stand for communication, truth & clarity. It's about taking a step back and thinking it through sometimes. Although the element of air is related to the mental realm not all cards in the wind suit are related to it. Some are about literal movement as well.

Individual Card Meanings

This is a long list with a few words per card. I am working on a more in-depth document regarding The Clow because many people, including myself, don't think the official fortune telling book really fits with its descriptions. The Clow cards each have their own individual & unique personality which shine through in their meanings. Why not add those into the equation? There are also meanings that come from my personal use of the cards. Use what you feel is right!

The set I bought came with The Miracle card which I use myself so I included it here as well. It does not belong to a suit like The Hope & The Nothing.

The Dark

unknown, uncomfortable, needs over wants, catastrophic thinking, night, challenge, mystery

The Light

day, clear, going to be okay, enlightenment, positivity, encouragement

The Firey

arrogance, passion, rage, explosive, high energy, drive, fire

The Watery

emotions, co-operation, relations, water

The Earthy

body, material, earth, stoic, barren, stability

The Windy

intelligence, mental clarity, bind, mentality, wind, logic, analyzing

The Arrow

shooting your shot, several chances, scattered, many passions, aiming but not shooting, goal-oriented, inspiration

The Big

not as scary as it seems, big heart, non-discriminating, means well, friendly, clumsy, oblivious, ditsy

The Bubbles

clean slate, cleansing, cleaning, make a prototype, there is an idea but nothing concrete, ephemeral

The Change

empathize, change, camouflage, fitting in, mask, invisibility, hiding, aversion to change, mind games

The Cloud

brain fog, confusion, emotionally clogged, pretending to be fine, making the best out of a bad situation

The Create

creation, manifestation, inspiration, writing, paper, art, imagination, creativity

The Dash

avoidance, speed, quick thinking, shy, scared, skittish, escape

The Dream

prophecies, dreams, occult, knowledge, clair senses, veiled, obscure

The Erase

declutter, moving on, lift the veil, revelation

The Fight

giving it 110%, hard work, disciplined, meticulous, brash, actions speak louder than words, exercise, hidden power, assertive, willpower

The Float

detached, big picture, head in the clouds, more than it seems, take a step back

The Flower

friends, fun, longevity, light-hearted, optimistic, joyful, calm, relaxed, party, celebration

The Fly

moving, flying, soaring, travel, big change, transformation, open-mindedness, support, freedom

The Freeze

congeal, frozen, stagnation, cold, many pieces to a whole, sharp, splintered

The Glow

good fortune, kindness, beauty, peace, inspiration

The Hope

positivity, wish, hope, content, look at the brightside, love, oneness/unity, happiness

The Illusion

see what you want to see, imagination, longing

The Jump

leap before you look, reach further heights, pestering, stupidity

The Libra

balance, truth, weighing options, justice

The Little

small, bullying, sadism, annoyance, schadenfreude

The Lock

stability, shut-in, not available right now, familiarity

The Loop

repeat, habit, link, infinity

The Maze

self-created, lost, (feeling) stuck, distorted

The Miracle

divinity, support, family, miracle

The Mirror

leadership, regret, mirroring, confrontation, image

The Mist

toxicity, decay, elusive, destructive

The Move

turning heads, chase, small steps, keeping it small

The Nothing

nothing, void, negativity, (fear of) abandonment, loneliness, despair

The Power

Showing-off, pride, trouble maker, friendly challenge

The Rain

fun, abundance, jokes, free-spirited, chaotic

The Return

a need for change, regret, living in the past, restore, nostalgia, return, learning (from the past)

The Sand

multiple options, jack of all trades, adaptability

The Shadow

two sides, hidden, consequences, the shadow archetype

The Shield

defensive, jealous, protest, protection, help others, idealism, steadfastness

The Shot

obsession, events speed up, hectic times, ruthless, stubborn, willpower, lashing out

The Silent

meditation, contemplation, look within, loud, sensory overload, solitary

The Sleep

sleep, end, momentary peace, forgetfulness

The Snow

witty, control, purity, management

The Song

bliss, happiness, singing, music, song, mimicry, perfectionism

The Storm

bothered, moody, overthinking, uncertainty

The Sweet

sweets, self-love, rest, relaxation, take care of yourself

The Sword

challenge, anger, precision, conflict, cutthroat, confrontation

The Through

omit, remove, invisible, spirits

The Time

time, when, exhaustion

The Thunder

upheaval, sudden, rampage, lightning, tower-moment

The Twin

two people, equal, entwined, together, stuck, co-depend, pattern, fate, cycles, habit (and breaking of), hurting without meaning to harm, duality

The Voice

greedy, communication, all talk no action, venting

The Wave

overwhelmed, tidings, emotionally moving

The Wood

growth, perseverance, gentleness, nature, patience, sensuality, abundance, altruism, fertility, breaking habits

[violaextract]

NOT ONLY CLASS SWAPPED SCYTHEBELTS, BUT ALL CLASS SWAPPED FATED??

you try to give a flower to your crush and your powers go haywire smh

hi so if you saw the og class swaps i did for the fated in like,, 2020 maybe,, uhhhhhhh no you didnt ( you can see the og ones behind them in the line up )

this time i chose sub classes for them!! and they are very silly, BELOW THE CUT IS MY THOUGHTS AND WHY I CHOSE THE SUBCLASSES I DID, IF YOU WANNA HEAR MY RANTING VVVV

sylnan is circle of shepherd, i felt that it suited him, especially with the idea that he could steal from people with the help of animals, also because he lived with the rats, so,, ykyk,, also the vines can be used to climb stuff because thats cool, i love the guardian spell too, basically you get downed and you can summon a spirit that will attack anything that gets near you, ( even if the spell doesnt attack teammates or non threats its a nice idea for braad to be the only one who can get near him when this happens, and possibly as the party grows together the others can also approach him ) also the vest design is meant to mimic a ribcage, i think i had an idea of why i did this but forgot,, it just looks cool. maybe something to do with his death or his emotions, whos to say

braad, arcane trickster, SURPRISING NO ONE, hes silly thief guy who maybe became a rouge to help their situation, but he was kinda just hiding it from his brother, until the pact thing happened and then after the pact is severed, hes a trickster instead of a bard. he needs to be able to do his silly illusions, also i like to think he just happens to doge stuff, like by sheer coincidence

velrisa, college of lore, i thought because she wouldnt be a cleric for weejas, she could be a sort of, storyteller if you will, spreading the word and fighting for her god with music, she still does stuff with undead and whatnot being raised by clerics, but she simply found another way to show that,( maybe she struggled with normal cleric magic also maybe she relates to mountain )

taxi, battle master fighter, it was this or champion, but i feel like it fit what with what we know about his parents, in this he was trained and whatnot, it was probs a gillion tidestrider thing where it was fucked and he throughout the fated travels learns to fight for himself and protect the people he cares about instead of listening to what people told him he should be fighting for. also maybe he could become some sort of champion because its taxi, i love him.

mountain, war domain, like with taxi i was inbetween war domain and death domain, i felt death domain because the death of his wife maybe threw him into that, but i felt that what with mountain being in a fighting ring and meeting his wife there, that war fit better, he is a crazy good fighter and healing also possibly learnt from Hilda and heightened after her death. hes still mountain though so alcholic cleric punch healing and shenanigans, dont think that just because hes a healer now hes devoid of everything that makes mountain, mountain. plus with taxi, maybe hes very involved with helping taxi find his fight, and with vel, she knows about cleric stuff despite not being one so ykyk

okay rant over, the read more thing didnt work so IM SORRY, i put too much thought into this BYEEE

[witchofthesouls]

So, I'm just thinking now, considering how Unicron is Earth (or well, the inner-most parts of the planet, and Gaea being the outer parts and making up his prison), would that technically mean that in some cases he (or perhaps Gaea) may or may not have created some of the Pantheons of ancient Earth?

I mean it would explain why so many of the Greek Gods were such jerks.

And would that furthermore make many of the creatures and beasts in those mythologies creations of the two? Like, going back to Greek Myth, Typhon is actually a direct creation of Unicron, meant to destroy the gods, and potentially Gaea herself.

Idk, just a bit of a thoughty-think I had

Primeval Anon

I did have some thoughts related to this, but more in the 'magic was once real' area.

Personally, I think Unicron was meant to represent the 'end' of everything; he was of the Void where everything was sprang forth, he is the Call to return to it. Death, I suppose.

Gaea is an... intermediary. In a way, she's the bridge of Unicron to Primus as she represents the 'driving force of chaos in creation and death' since neither of them would completely stand on their own. Hence, why Gaea and Megatronus Prime were respectively 'born' because both step into a critical role as support/adversaries/contemporaries for the respective forces that once came of nothing. Primus needs Unicron, just as equally as Unicron needs Primus, so they made their own versions of their brothers to fill that particular void of in their lives, even if Unicron did his by mistake because he was in a coma.

The accidental union between Gaea and Megatronus would have made a nearly indestructible prison that would have kept Unicron caged definitely as he's contained on a very secluded galaxy and feed through Gaea's brand of chaos via life/death cycle of the native lifeforms... if it wasn't for the incoming visits of other Primal lineages or creations (the Quintessons and the modern Cybertronians).

Because of the absolute chaos that's combined, is it really a surprise that Earth/Gaea plays a pivotal setting across the multiverse?

In a more commentary route, when it comes to the Ancient Greeks or any of the pantheons of the ancient world, violence is an integral theme within them because they're are divine personifications of their respective domains. Life is beautiful, but it can be full of grief, suffering, and cruelty as well as joy, wonderment, and compassion. The pantheons reflect that conflicting, confounding nature.

So going back in the direction of the ask, 'magic is real' is basically the joint that holds Elsewhere and all the Other AUs because it's deeply fascinating thinking about the roles that humanity played among that. Magic is a really wild concept in and of itself, so everything can be true, even if contradictory. It's like the old philosophical and theological debate of whether or not did gods predate humanity or did humanity make gods in their image to explain the universe?

So if the power of collective faith had shaped the world holds true, then it really puts a different spin on the various tales told across the world of all kinds of folklore stealing away many humans, staying near human settlements, or the creation of certain kinds of entities, doesn't it?

[junoshifts]

𝓣HRONE of 𝓖LASS ASK

i will be answering this ask from @alaraowo about my THRONE OF GLASS reality ( 🍋 + 🍎 + 🥝 ) for jade’s fruit shifting ask game ! as an important note, i don’t support this author or any of her opinions ( fuck sjm )

🍋 TERRIBLY SOUR LEMON . . . who’s your least favorite person in your DR? a poisonous ex, a toxic professor—maybe someone who tried to straight up murder you. who do you truly go sour in the face at the thought of?

honestly? the people i cannot stand in this reality are the obvious answers— maeve, the valg kings, duke perrington, arobynn, etc. other people get on my nerves from time to time, but i can brush that off as everyone being under a lot of pressure. i honestly don’t interact with many of them because the events of this timeline are very different and much less extreme, but i have a feeling that if we did meet, i would have many unkind words of choice to offer them.

🍎 SHINY RED APPLE . . . what are you the absolute best at in your DR? the thing that, when people need help with it, they let out the most gigantic sigh of relief when you walk in the room—everyone knows you do it best.

healing and comfort. i am a priestess of hekate in that reality, so my powers are related to the in-between domains— the hours of twilight, easily navigating crossroads of decisions + challenges, healing, prophecy, witchcraft, and other unique skills. almost everyone i surround myself with has a tendency to get into trouble whether it’s intentional or not, and i am the one to patch them up and heal any wounds (either through magic or medicine). i have an almost unsettlingly intuitive sense about how to navigate challenging circumstances due to prophetic dreams/visions/divination, so when there is an obstacle in our paths, i’m the one who is consulted often. if you know anything about dungeons & dragons, think twilight domain cleric. aside from magic, i act as a soothing presence for many of my friends. i’m a shoulder to lean on when times get tough, someone to talk with about grief or sadness, or just a calming distraction from the past. i take a lot of pride in being a source of support for my loved ones, especially here, and especially when it comes to dorian.

🥝 FUZZY BURST KIWI . . . what’s something about you in your DR that people wouldn’t expect to be true? it doesn’t quite line up, some fabulous detail about you. when people find out, they’re positively shocked

i come off a lot more intimidating than i mean to in this reality due to my reputation as a priestess of hekate. i grew up on an isolated island, so the banning of magic didn’t touch us. we are worship + honor lady hekate, and a lot of our abilities can be linked back to her divine protection + our ancestral gifts. we rely heavily on protection magic and divination, and i work extremely hard to prove myself as a trusted presence to the members of the cadre and other allies. the lack of knowledge around my heritage + homeland contributes a lot to that uncertainty and intimidation— after all, people often fear what they don’t understand. once i let my guard down after spending time with the gang (for lack of a better word), my natural personality began to shine through much more. dorian + aelin did vouch for me quite a bit, since i had met them both when we were all younger, and that helped establish my reputation as someone trustworthy and supportive

[adhdbisexualramblings]

Hello, Gravity Falls fandom! Since the Book of Bill, I have gotten remarkably attached to that loser triangle again, and that has consequences!

So you know this fic of mine, yeah?

Well, I’ve made an AU out of an AU. Yay~!

The main premise of the AU is simple - Bill dies with the rest of Euclydia to his own fire (because I am under no impression that a kid/teen who was brimming with anger knew how to control his powers well enough to leave one lone survivor) and gets sent to the Axolotl’s domain, which is some version of heaven, though not exactly heaven.

Like in my fic, Bill asks to stay. This time, the Axolotl agrees and lets him out of pity and since it also knows what Bill will do once he’s alive again. It wants to prevent that.

And so begins the Assistant Godling AU!

Bill is essentially raised in the Axolotl’s realm, and is much more emotionally stable for obvious reasons. He’s not magically 100% better, and will still shut down if he can’t handle something devastating, but he knows how to take care of himself for the most part.

Since it would be boring stuck in a void, Bill has a job. He’s the only (one of the only) Bill Ciphers who is good, and the Axolotl needs some help with damage control, so that’s exactly what Bill does: damage control. He goes around from universe to universe to stop any world-ending events. A lot of the time, his assignments are Weirdmageddons, but he’s gotten others.

Character reference sheet below, since he looks different. Please read for further context:

And some closeups (in which you can see my tiny mistakes lol)

He is rather fond of the Pines family and very protective. Ford is still one of his favorites because of his six fingers.

He’s met a lot of kid versions of both sets of mystery twins and of most all other Gravity Falls residents.

Doodles :3 (the first and last ones are not AU related but they’re still neat)

He also eventually gets a twin but that comes later in the story. I hope this intrigues some people!

[lunastrophe]

Drow Fashion 🕷️✨ About Spider Silk - Part 1

Everything you may want - or may not want - to know about spider silk in (mostly Lolth-sworn) drow culture and fashion. In this part you will find information about:

sources of spider silk,

basic uses and meaning of spider silk in drow culture.

🕷️ Various Types Of Silk – among surfacers, silk spun by spiders is generally not widely used, but in the Underdark, spider silk is not excessively hard to obtain. It is extremely light, very elastic, durable and often has many other extraordinary properties, especially after being imbued with magic. In consequence, the Underdark silk market is probably vast.

Raw spider silk can vary in quality, depending mainly on the spider species it comes from – also, most spiders are naturally able to produce several types of silk that vary in thickness and adhesiveness. Some threads are suitable for producing delicate, transparent or semi-transparent materials. Some are useful for weaving thicker fabrics, carpets and tapiseries. Silk waste, after being properly processed, is also useful – for example, for making silken threads and fabrics of lesser quality.

🕷️ Silk Farming? – silk can be obtained from webbings, cocoons or egg sacks of wild spiders, or it can be extracted directly from caught or freshly killed specimens of various sizes. Such methods are generally time-consuming, though, and often dangerous.

Silk farming is probably quite popular in the Underdark, allowing to produce silk on a larger scale while maintaining better control over its quantity, quality and properties. Silk farms can contain thousands of more or less domesticated spiders that can belong to species best suited for producing silk.

Headcanon warning - silk farming is not mentioned in drow lore sources, I borrowed this idea from historical attempts to produce spider silk on a larger scale. So far, we humans are bad at this, mainly because we cannot figure out how to domesticate spiders (they like to kill each other, so it is hard to keep them together) and how to make them produce the kind of silk we want them to produce (every spider produces several types of silk and only some are suitable for making threads and textiles)... but I bet that drow would figure out how to make this work.

(If anyone is curious about this topic, I was inspired mainly by this article).

🕷️ Free-Range And Cruelty-Free* – silk can be obtained without harming the spiders and in case of more intelligent species, even with their explicit permission. Such things are probably especially important to Lolth-sworn drow who are forbidden to cage, mistreat or kill arachnids, or even to disturb inhabited spiderwebs.

*Only in relation to spiders, though. Underdark drow are probably not overly concerned with well-being of slaves and serfs tasked with gathering and processing silk...

Silk of spiders that live in temples and other places sacred to the Spider Queen, as well as silk of abyssal arachnids that live in Lolth’s domain, is most likely highly valued among worshippers of Lolth – especially among her priestesses.

🕷️ Uses Of Spider Silk – drow use silk to make armour, weapons, clothing, domestic and ceremonial textiles, high-quality strings, lines, nets and tents, and various works of craft and art. Spider webs, often calcified with magic, are used in creation of architecture ornaments or sometimes even whole structures like bridges, passages or buildings.

Among Lolth-sworn drow, spider silk is closely connected to worship of Lolth and is widely present in Lolthite temples and shrines – just like living spiders. It is said that Lolth herself favours silk and that when she takes the guise of a drow, she appears as a lithe drow woman dressed in a gossamer gown woven from spider silk.

Spider silk is also useful as a spell component and it can be used to craft magical items. For example, silk of phase spider and strands of ether are needed to create a portable hole – wondrous item that looks like a circle of black cloth.

For more of my drow lore ramblings, feel free to check my pinned post 🕷️

[bluetortoist]

I know I have a MILLION other ideas I need to focus on rn, but I really wanted to share this since its been cooking in my mind for a while. I had an idea for some sort of Gods&Monsters AU with Batman and my OCs

(THIS IS A LONG POST, SO CLICK BELOW TO SEE MORE!)

Some of the Lore/Rules I have thought up of it so far:

● Gods/Goddesses are divine, immortal beings that have domain over specific things in the world. They are a power that can be bestowed by any mortal to take the place of the previous god if they so choose said mortal. Though this rarely happens for God's are usually reluctant to give up their domain and immortality.

● People called their "Champions" are blessed by their respected god and can communicate with them and call upon them for their assistance/power. They are people both feared and/or revered depending on who they fight under and when blessed, aquire great strength, durability and magic ability than that of a normal person.

● Gods/Goddesses can only travel to different locations their temples were built at on mortal land. If they have a Champion, though, they can then travel with them and basically go wherever their champion goes in the mortal world.

● Gods/Goddesses all go barefoot, wearing very little accessory on their feet, for their divinity keeps them from touching mortal ground. They can travel to the mortal realm, but they can't be seen by them unless they are their champion or if their champion calls them for power.

● It is possible for a God/Goddess to relinquish their status of godlihood and become human. They can either willingly give their title away OR if they bare a child to a mortal, thus bearing a demigod. However, like before, most gods (especially older ones) are not easily ready to lose their godlihood, so when a God loses their divinity, it is usually seen as disgraceful or sorrowful action for being brought down in such a state. The act of having a demigod child is thought to be the biggest taboo and the surest way to lose all their divinity, so relations between a God and a mortal is not really thought in high regards.

● Monsters and humanoid races exist in this world. Humanoid races who have intelligence can also be candidates as gods.

So my OC's first:

🐇 Eleanor is the Goddess of Childhood and is a fairly popular god among families and children. She watches over all children who request her blessings for protection, good fortune, health, etc. There have been a few cases where some children were able to see her while in her temples, but they lose the sight when they get older. Do not be fooled by her title and appearance, because like a child, she can be just as cruel as one. She is more powerful than some people think and her mood can turn just as badly. Even with that said though, she is a pretty lonely goddess, because she has never had a champion in her name. No one wants to fight for something as fleeting as childhood. Same with her followers, they will all eventually leave once they become adults and got what they wanted from her.

Jervis Tetch is her champion that represents her and can call upon her and her powers for assistance in combat. He was another that was able to see her as a child, but was one that actually stayed with her. A troubled and difficult life is what made him feel safe and wanting to keep coming back to Eleanor for the sense of comfort he never got to have in his life. It was no secret that she was getting attached to the man as well, watching him grow up and see how his life was turning even daresay love?. At Jervis' lowest point, she managed to reveal herself to him and it only solidified, not only their co-dependency, but his devotion and resolve to become her champion, to be something more than what even he thought he could be.

💀 Kathy is the Goddess of the Afterlife and conjurer/watcher of creatures of the undead. She is considered a neutral evil god since death comes for all, no matter who or what they are, but she tends to bend the rules of her domain over the dead. In her mortal life, she secretly practiced forbidden magic in necromancy due to her interest in the god and the beings who can come and go from it. While she meant no harm, she was tried for heresy against her kingdoms faith and messing with conservative ideas of life and death. She was severely punished, but rather than pass on, her soul was given the title by the previous god. When she returned, she wasted no time turning the old kingdom into a graveyard and necromancing the peoples corpses in it.

Jonathan Crane is her champion and can call upon her and her powers for assistance in combat. He traveled to the abandoned kingdom of the dead because he planned on stealing Kathys books and knowledge of necromancy, but ended up finding her in her domain and becoming her champion instead. It was an equal exchange sort of deal, where he can get access to her divine powers and her necromancy teachings while she gets to see the outside world and join in on her handsome Champion's sinister endeavors in using the dark occult.

🦅 Mavis is a fairly newer Goddess of the Skies, basically a "lesser" nature god that domains over the skies and all aviary beings. Mavis is the illegitimate daughter of the previous Sky Goddess and the corrupt ruler of a kingdom that took advantage of the god and her following of the Harpy people. The position of Sky God had been left vacant for a good few years until Mavis came out of hiding and reclaiming the divinity since she was the previous gods child, suprising both gods and mortals thinking that she has been dead. Not a whole lot of gods welcomed her at first for being a demigod and such a new one at that. But part of why she came out now was so that she could finally smite her blood father for all of his crimes against her, her mother, her people, and Oswald.

Oswald used to be the rulers advisor, who originally planned to sabotage and take his place, but then came to befriend the Harpy people and then his motives begun to change when he was aware of the rulers plans. It was realized too late, however, after finding out the ruler took advantage of the Harpy god and was sentenced criminal charges for aiding in the betrayal and for later taking the demigod offspring of the previous Sky Goddess. He became a father to Mavis while living in hiding, and told her everything that happened and how she was the next one in line. Even after years later, Oswald decided for them to return to the harpy people. Oswald had become too injured to be her Champion, but has gained the Harpy's trust again and became one of their many leaders among them, supporting and affirming Mavis' power and domain as he so wanted to do from the beginning.

Other thoughts from Canon characters are:

🦇 Bruce Wayne, of course, is the lone wandering "Dark Knight" who is a demigod born from the God of Medicine and his mortal mother. Being able to travel both planes of existence, he wanders through both lands as his own form of affirming justice and peace among both corrupt mortals and corrupt gods alike.

🃏 Harley is the newly appointed Goddess of Chaos and has been for a few centuries now. The title used to be Jokers and used to be his champion before she got tired of being used badly by him and managed to trick and strip him of it. Joker still roams the mortal realm to this day spreading his own chaos while finding his way into getting back at Harley and overthrowing her to gain the title back again.

🌿 Ivy is obviously the Goddess of Nature and is considered one of the older, major gods of the world. She usually keeps to herself up in the divine plane, but has roots everywhere on earth so she and other gods and see whats going on down there. She is a popular god among many masses, including farmers, hunters and apothecaries since her domain is what makes up most of the world. Though truth be told, even with all the followers, she doesn't seem to care for mortals that much.

🐈‍⬛ Selina is another lesser, but still important, nature Goddess of the Fauna on land, though its apparent that she favors the feline races. She is a finnicky and trickster god that usually prioritizes her own vices, but still offers her services to her followers, if she so feels like it. She rarely is ever on the divine plane with the other gods and would rather be roaming around in the mortal realm since there are many of her temples spread wide around the world. She and Pamela sometimes clash since Selina usually tricks and brings misfortune to hunters who mean ill will while Pamela blesses good fortune for them.

🪙 Harvey is the God of Law and is a frequently used name among many kingdoms' justice system, be they morally just or corrupt.

❔️Ed is the God of Knowledge and is a prominent figure for both scholars and inventors alike. He has played a hand in many constructions of mazes, puzzles and engineering throughout the centuries. He is someone always hunting to get to the answer first and prides in being two steps ahead of the situation. He is a God that is a bit of a Trickster and likes to play mindtricks, even to his followers (he thinks its only fair that they use their brain).

❄️ Victor is the lonely God of Snow. Nora and used to be his Champion and were both very much in love until she was inflicted by a curse from an opposing God before they defeated them. He keeps her in a divine casing made of his ice to preserve her until he can find a magic strong enough to release her from this curse. He can only go so far with no Champion and very little temples to his name unfortunately.

Aaaaaand that's all I have in this AU so far! I know some characters have more thought in them than others 😭 But I hope you enjoyed my crazy rambling and this world I'm cooking up! I'd definitely like to expand on this sometime since I think there's still so much you can fill in. Again, thanks for listening~ 💙

[autumnslance]

FFXIV Write 2024: 27 Memory

(Hey it's the practically tradition, annual future fic! Spoilers for Endwalker's patch storyline.)

“Did you want the radio on this morning?” Tillie asked as she set out breakfast.

“Please,” Iyna answered, easing herself into her chair. Her right leg was stiff and aching this morning thanks to a shift in the weather. Even Viera grew old eventually, though she had never expected to be one of them with all the adventures and danger she had been through in her long life.

Tillie turned on the radio, the morning host going over said weather report while Iyna ate. There were also the morning’s newspapers to peruse. She liked to keep a few subscriptions rotating, to see where the biases were and who she had to write stern letters to.

Well, dictate to her assistant. Her handwriting was still shite, and her typing skills weren’t as good as they used to be. Her wrists and fingers ached too easily these days.

The weather report ended, with a brief word from the morning’s sponsor—some chocolatey beverage powder—and the next forty-five minutes of music began before general news. There was a brief identification of the song title and singer if it had lyrics, but otherwise the announcer remained silent.

Iyna was chewing on jam-covered toast when notes she had not heard in decades struck her ears. They had none of the magic of the old minstrel’s performances—regulations wouldn’t allow it for many good reasons—and there was a modern stylizing, but the song was unmistakably one of his, commemorating and embellishing on one of the Warrior of Light’s victories.

She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. It had all begun with a map they hadn’t been sure was real. They had found the treasure—and a gateway to the Thirteenth, and thus had begun a new adventure: to search the Void to find the lost Great Wyrm Azdaja, sister to Vrtra, the Satrap of Radz-at-Han.

They had not expected the twists and turns along the way. Had not expected Zero, or the Fiends, or Golbez. None of them had expected Zeromus, and the dive into Golbez’s domain on the moon’s reflection to fight the draconic voidsent.

Iyna remembered how close it was; the cracks in reality between the Thirteenth and the Source, the creature’s rage as it hammered them again and again with draconic void magics. Lotus draped over C’oretta’s head as she flopped to the ground. Dark had her axe that day, standing before the others, heaving and snarling as the darkness attempted to reconstitute. Aeryn straightening, rapier ready, about to rush in again. Zero’s hopeful light, able to pierce the deepest darkness. Vrtra’s call. The simulacra falling as a small dragonet manifested with the help of her brother’s Eye.

The song was coming to an end. “Who was the artist?” Iyna asked. “I missed it.”

“I don’t think they said yet,” Tillie replied. “Probably after, before they introduce the next one.”

Iyna nodded, and listened for the announcer. She smiled as he identified the modern artist as Nadim Ranaz, commemorating the two hundredth anniversary of Lady Azdaja’s return with a new rendition of the classic ballad. Ranaz was also a distant blood relation to the Warrior of Light, and his musical interests included rediscovering and modernizing the songs and ballads of his many-times-removed cousin, to spread and preserve them in the current era.

“It’s been some time since I’ve visited Thavnair,” Iyna mused. “Tillie, would you—”

“On it,” her assistant replied, pulling up contact information and beginning arrangements.

Two hundred years. Azdaja no longer needed her brother’s Eye, her own aether replenished, though she still had plenty of regrowing to do to reach her full power again. It would be nice to visit the dragons, to speak of old times, of old friends, and reminisce about that wild era before seeing the fruits of their labor in the peace and prosperity of modern Thavnair.

Iyna would also have to make a visit to Ranaz, sharing her carefully kept copies of the old minstrel’s songs—most of them from Aeryn’s own extensive collection.

Both of her old friends would like that. That wandering minstrel had only ever wanted to share his stories with the world, and Aeryn’s own bardic nature, so oft at war with her tendency to demure her heroics, would appreciate the songs being passed to a new generation.

After all, Iyna’s own self-appointed task as keeper of her friends’ legacies meant keeping those tales and their truths circulating for as long as she was able. To keep their memories alive in not only her heart but the rest of the world’s.

She wasn’t out of the fight yet.

She also was not at all the singer that Dark or Aeryn had been, but hummed a few bars anyway as she left the kitchen to prepare for her next adventure.

“Tales of loss and fire and faith...”

[gravity-what]

I was thinking about your posts about Wuya's powers and Chase's powers and the Land of Nowhere and I have a question!

Chase sticks a couple of fingers in the ground, emets this blue/black aura, and then this zombie-esque serpentine creature springs forth.

Do you think this is Chase's power, or does it have something to do with whatever he did to Wuya's power in the prior season (since you said Wuya's power is something like breathing life into stone/awakening spirits)? Or is this just a demonstration of how absolute Chase's control over The Land of Nowhere is, that even corpses buries in the land can be called to his beck and call? It has those red eyes like the fallen warriors often do, so maybe...

Oh, and do you think this is was dead creature Chase buried here to use later? Is the leftover bits of a dragon he killed? Is it something he cobbled together from bits of his domain through his own power?

Thank you very much for your time!

Ohhh! This is a really interesting question!

I’ve only just started to explore some of the magic system in my fics, so some of this answer is still just raw thoughts and headcanons but I actually imagine this is Chase’s power. I imagine that the ground in the land on nowhere is absolutely permeated with Heylin magic (some of which is the Heylin magic Chase stole from Wuya) and so Chase just has to kind of activating it to get it to do his bidding. (It’s the extract same thing Wuya did when she took over the world, essentially shoving all of her magic into it so that, if she wanted to use that magic is was at her fingertips instead of having to go the more tedious route of actually crafting a spell). I also think this spell is slightly different from the awakening spells we see Wuya favor (though I do think she could easily do this one if she wanted) in that it’s more a re-awakening/bringing a spirit back to the body while Wuya seems to favor awakening inanimate objects. [related note: I don’t think Wuya is the only person that can do awakening, but she was one of the more prolific and powerful witches back in the day that could and the only person that seemed to be able to awaken objects simply by existing most people needed at least a little spell work! The reason Chase doesn’t need it here is because it’s the land of nowhere.]

So, ya, this is a case of Chase having full control over the land of nowhere.

As for what the creature is: I think it’s probably a Uwabami or some other name for a mythological giant snake. I think if it was a dragon it would just be bones since Chase wouldn’t have let any flesh remain! However I do think this is something Chase killed and brought to the land of nowhere for this exact purpose. I’m sure he has a tone of these kinds of creatures laying around just waiting to be brought back like this!

[korechthonia]

This probably counts as a cursed thought but my brain went what if Tortall omegaverse and anyway...

Kel is an Alpha. Like, she starts as a page unpresented because they all do, and so everyone is all focused on her being a girl, and like, all the primary gender stuff is like canon.

And non-magic users are usually betas and magic users are usually alphas or omegas, so like, no one thinks much about secondary dynamics in that regard because it's obvious.

Except usually is not always. And a few people suspect, because she is such a good leader and protective, (not Kel, of course) but no one knows until she presents.

And then, like, she's still a girl, there's still loads of people who say she shouldn't be a page, a squire, a knight, but some of them simmer down because alpha knights are highly respected. Mostly just a wait-and-see kind of quiet, not actually believing in her.

Kel is Kel and largely oblivious to all of this, just trying to be a good person, and Raoul takes her on as squire because he sees her leadership qualities and whether they are dynamic related or just Kel is irrelevant, they deserve to be nurtured.

(Neal is an omega, as is Alanna. This makes them an unconventional knight/squire pair but also an awesome one I would happily read about their adventures (although that's also true in canon). Jon is an Alpha, Daine is an alpha, Numair is an omega, Thayet and Raoul and Dom are betas. George is an alpha. (Please imagine George and Jonathan snarling at each other but also immense respect because both leaders of their respective domains. ) )

(I am imagining the general attitude of tortall to be male alpha > male omega > male beta ~= female alpha > female omega > female beta. but nobility/class is an even more important axis, so that's not like, absolute.)

And then Kel is knighted and given command of Haven and actually I am not sure this changes all that much really. She's still her determined protective self and claims all the residents and animals as Hers and in need of protection and really the real test is versus the male alphas but like... she is a stronger alpha at holding the respect of basically everyone and can stand up to King Jonathan and like - she will back down, but that's not dynamics related that's he's the king, and there's basically no one else she would back down to. The weak and small and hurt and poor are Hers and she will fight for them. ... she doesn't want to beat King Jonathan, that would just distract her from what really matters.

Um... and actually that's not cursed at all, that's just dialing things up a notch.

[ominous-faechild]

Alright, I'll bite: How does magic work in Arcane Rifts?

*COUGH*

✨LORE POST✨

topics: ⚜ axiomatic magic ⚜ axiom ⚜ glavnran's axiom (aka pantheon)

categories: ⚜ #the faechild worldbuilding ⚜ #worldbuilding-blocks ⚜ #on axiom ⚜ #on magic ⚜ #on glavnran ⚜ #on kavo

So, magic in tAR actually works pretty much the same as in the rest of my works! Except... also not. (lol)

Like in the rest of the (in-universe) world, magic is infused within everything to one degree or another. The Faewildes' intrusion upon Reality in the early years deeply changed it, and especially imbued magic within humanity.

Now, there's many different kinds of magic. The most commonly known ones are fae and axiomatic magic—magic that is bent and molded by people's beliefs. Fae magic is unique to the fae and the Faewildes (but, as mentioned before, got infused within humanity and the world itself). Axiomatic magic, on the other hand, is naturally local due to how it's shaped by people's beliefs.

In short: axiomatic magic arises from religion, folklore, and stories.

So, while tAR's magic is technically just like the rest of the world's—where magic is typically tied to the individual and always requires essence—tAR has its own unique axiomatic magic.

Significant events important to the plot in Kavo's history led to a mass exodus of mages from the town. However, magic isn't always obvious, can be purposely hidden, and can develop in an individual through exposure or being gifted it later on by a higher power. So there are mages within Kavo, Glavnran—but just about all of them have the local axiomatic magics of one of their gods.

These gods, of course, being Glavnran's main pantheon of five: - Bhayol (the sea, ocean wind, trade, society) - Rholvny (fire, the hearth, healing, fertility) - Zhrizn (wild nature, corruption, disaster) - Ertzat (death, blizzards, cold, the afterlife) - and the nigh-forgotten Zhelevol (???)

The gods within the Reborn World (which I'm now realizing I REALLY need to give a different, official name lol) all have wider, more abstract domains than what I just listed. What I described above are simply over-arching concepts that mostly encompass what the Glavni people believe of them.

In other words... what is true of their powers, and always will be.

Kavo's populace is largely devoid of magic, but the few who do have it often hide it, or otherwise have godly associations.

For example: - Nikolai, the chief of police, was blessed by Ertzat. He has a resistance to the cold, suffers immensely in the heat (lol), and can near-effortlessly control snow and blizzard-winds.

- Indah, the head of Kavo's Church of Rholvny, has a resistance to heat and fire, especially struggles in the cold, and has fire and healing magic.

- Adilzhan, the local devil's messenger boy priest of Zhrizn, has nature magic. He's able to grow and manipulate forestry, has mild control of the earth, and can influence animals around him. (As well as a few other things... 🙂😉)

- Mislav, a boy whose family was killed by Zhrizn's order Adilzhan and was thereafter taken in by him, has life magic. He's able to control nature around him, influence living things around him, and heal.

(As well as a few other things 😈😘)

Reminder: everyone's magic requires essence—or magical energy—which is separate but related to their typical energy reserves. This is true across all of magic within my stories. Unless you're Sammy or Victor... 🤔

Worldbuilding Taglist:

@honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

@seastarblue @rae-butter @paeliae-occasionally @pluppsauthor @thelovelymachinery

pssst, @caffeinated-starsailor, @teamarine777, @mythicalmagical-monkeyman, do you want to be added to the worldbuilding/or the "all story-related" taglists? I lowkey forgot they exist lol

divider by @thecutestgrotto

[inaconstantstateofchange]

Mephistopheles's Deal - Devilish Hierarchy in the Forgotten Realms

[Spoilers for Astarion's personal quest and also pretty much the entirety of the game.]

So, I have a lot of thoughts about the devils in Baldur's Gate 3. I think in general, Larian has done a pretty solid job of drawing from and referencing the Forgotten Realms lore as it relates to their characters and storylines, but with the devils is where the most has been lost in translation to the broader audience.

There is a big difference in the Forgotten Realms between devils and demons - it's more than just semantics. This is one area where the alignment charts are actually useful - Devils are Lawful Evil, while Demons are Chaotic Evil. What this means in practice, is that devils are evil, yes, but they are also intensely bureaucratic and bound by specific laws, structures, and hierarchies. Demons are the exact opposite, misshapen monstrosities (for the most part) that do not belong in the world and are driven to lash out at it for its existence alone.

The "Blood War" that Karlach and a few other characters mention in Avernus? That is devils vs. demons. In fact, devils were originally celestials themselves, that became corrupted in their efforts to stop the tide of demons. The remaining celestials turn a blind eye to the Hells (or actively encourage its existence) because the devils are the forces holding back the encroaching Abyss, a far greater threat than they themselves could ever be.

The major area that we see this hierarchy expressed is in the layers of the Hells, the different dominions. Zariel is the least powerful Archdevil, ruling (and fairly recently come to power, too) the First layer: Avernus. The second-strongest Archdevil, of the Eighth layer, is Mephistopheles, superseded only by Asmodeus, the Archdevil of the Ninth layer.

With regard to the overall power level of the archdevils, this is where the exact answer gets a bit fuzzy. It has varied by edition, and personal take on the lore, but the ultimate point of agreement is this: no matter how powerful you personally think the Archdevils may be, Asmodeus is the exception. He has at least the strength of a greater god (one with a wide and expansive domain crossing multiple worlds), not even including the additional power he would be able to bring to bear by virtue of his domain, were a conflict to take place within it.

Raphael and Mizora, the two "devils" we have the most direct experience with as players, are not true devils at all, but rather cambions: half-devils. This allows them to skip some of the steps of power development usually required for devils to increase their power, but also stratifies them a bit with that development. Their primary advantage is freedom of movement between the planes, granted to them by their mortal parentage.

(The above is just part of the reason why Raphael's "plan" is so laughably doomed to abject failure, but that is a meta for another day.)

On to souls: why do devils need them, how do they get them, and what do they use them for?

Devils have an entire society based on backstabbing, conniving, one-upmanship, and, most importantly: paperwork. The devils - especially the Archdevils - are always looking for ways to get one up on each other. Not even necessarily to take their positions (although if it so happens to work out that way, all the better), but just to have information, leverage, even one point of superiority over them, etc.

One of the primary ways devils can bolster their power levels is based on the number (and quality) of souls under their command. Those souls, when willingly signed away, do not go to the usual Fugue Plane upon death, to be taken by whatever god values them most highly to their own afterlife. Instead, they go directly to the Hells. There they begin the standard progression of lowest-ranked devils: tortured to wring out what magical energy can be gleaned from them, then starting as lemures on the lowest rungs of the hierarchy, contributing to the infernal economy and adding to their ruling Archdevil's power, ranks, and influence.

Unwilling souls can be used, but they are generally considered to be the lowest quality, used mostly for things like soul coins, etc.

Note: this is where this is going from primarily lore-backed meta to meta I am extrapolating onto a bit, based on what seems logical to me.

If souls can only be willingly signed away, why can Cazador pay for his contract with Mephistopheles by trading the souls of others? Based on the legalistic evil of devils, my take is that, by the properties of magic and vampirism in the Forgotten Realms, "legally" speaking, the spawn he creates are enough a part of him that he is able to speak for their souls in their stead.

Based on this property, and the aforementioned power scale of the devils, the thought arises: does it really make that much sense for the Dark Urge to just be able to waltz into the Eighth layer of the Hells and steal the Crown of Karsus? It would make much more sense if it was willingly given - or at the least, allowed to be taken - by Mephisto, who stood to gain something much better than a bauble of not much use to archdevils: souls, and a multitude of them.

If Cazador is able to sign away the souls of his spawn, due to them being magically recognized as a part of him, I believe the same would be true for mindflayers turned by the controlled Netherbrain. The goal of the Dead Three was to ultimately transform an untold number of denizens of the Forgotten Realms, to take their souls and the power from their worship away from the gods (they never claimed to be brilliant strategists, we'll leave it at that). Mephisto, then, would stand to gain a great deal in being able to make use of those souls himself.

I do think that rather than a heist, Durge and/or Gortash made a deal with Mephisto for the Crown in exchange for the souls of any transformed mindflayers. A win-win for both parties, by all accounts.

Shame about the unforeseen brain damage and/or ragtag team of meddling do-gooders - and their owlbear, too.

[dkniade]

I’m trying to understand the style and inspirations for Flowers for Princess Fischl, and ended up looking for allusions in its title in the original text and across some of the translated versions.

Sommernachtgarten

It is said that those who are highly skilled in the magical arts will possess their own unique domains of consciousness. Their loves, hatreds, yearnings, jealousies, adherence, and passions of the soul will be stored here. In the fictional tales of other novels, this space is called Summerland.

-

The Suspected Return

Fischl's father is undoubtedly not a mere shade. He is majestic and mighty, and helps Fischl to dispel her confusions.

(…..shade?)

In the final volume, Fischl's mother had already faded away, and so this volume, naturally, did not have this preceding line.

But as the universe entered its denouement and all things within it flowed into the Immernachtreich, she spoke another line of enigmatic intent—

"Find meaning somewhere. The night deepens."

"Find meaning somewhere. The night deepens, but the dream lives on."

(…faded away? denouement? “flowed”?)

(Eyes “Masquerade of the Guilty”)

—

What’s the rationale behind the name Flowers for Princess Fischl if it doesn’t really relate to the similarly named sci-fi Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes…?

The title in Chinese is 《菲谢尔皇女夜谭》, (Fēixiè'ěr Huángnǚ Yè Tán) or literally speaking, “Nighttime Stories of Princess Fischl” (Genshin Impact Wiki).

🤔夜谭, the word transliterated to “Nighttime Stories”, is part of a Chinese idiom 天方夜谭 (Tiānfāng-yètán) which refers to wildly fantastical and bizarre views (if I’m understanding the Chinese definition correctly).*

The idiom originated from… a Chinese name for One Thousand and One Nights.**

…which is a frame story/narrative, which matches how Fischl’s domain is presented and how the team needed to enter the domain’s layers through books. Oh.👀

*Maybe it was misunderstood to be a flower name in the English version, hence Flowers for Princess Fischl? I mean… Telosma cordata, one of its common names being Chinese violet, is known as 夜来香 (lit. “night-induced fragrance”) in Chinese… so 夜谭 might seem like a flower name or something? Though the Chinese violet apparently means “noble soul” in flower language which is a phrase used to describe Fischl various times, but this is probably a coincidence.

**According to the Genshin Wiki, the Korean title for the in-game novel is “피슬 황녀 야화” (Piseul Hwangnyeo Yahwa) which is “motivated from one of Korean translations of One Thousand and One Nights.” I don’t speak Korean, so I can’t verify this claim…