#i like lantry and verse too much to do this to them

[hlozt]

Insights from Act 1 - Never before had a game made me feel so powerful right after having a companion punch me in the face.

[kittymaverick]

If anyone needs them, here's the transcribed version of the entire bloopers

Tunon: The chaos you’ve sown everywhere is unacceptable. You cast yourself so far outside the established order, and I [Record scratch] I can’t—I just CAN’T EVEN DEAL WITH IT.

Sound cut: *Beep beep*

Barik: I’m a weapon bond to you only by duty. No freaky deaky.

*Beep beep*

Lantry: Point taken. I will make no note on the subject for the time being, except for what happened to my accent. [Cough]

*Beep beep*

Eb: The Archon’s more fragile than I susspe— speh, speh speh speh.

*Beep beep*

Graven Ashe: [Maniacal cackle] Oh you putting big words out there!

*Beep beep*

Barik: [Voice cracking from desperation] I would be out of this armor if I could do this!

*Beep beep*

Nerat: Ever the loyalist. Prepare yourself for a second cage, Barik the Di— Barik of the Dithfavored. Phlaffuring Fuckertash!

*Beep beep*

Barik: Get up, girl! [Sobbing] He was… the most human… of all of us— Spock!

*Beep beep*

Eb: Considering all the things that don’t think to bother you the slightest, I’m not gonna lie, I kinda like getting o— I’m kin— I— Mm— [To the side] hmph! Reading.

*Beep beep*

Verse: The last thing I need or want is a hug from the shambling junk keep— Junk huuuuuurrrrgggghhhhhhh. [Disappears off screen] Junk, heap. Junk heap, okay.

*Beep beep*

Nerat: We will have your bones fashioned into a sceptre, you skin knotted into a belt, and your tongue fed to crav—feh—heh— I’m good with the words speaking.

*Beep beep*

Sirin: Fatebinder! It is always such a pleasure to speak with you. [To voice director] Do I sound sarcastic? [Laughs]

*Beep beep*

Nerat: Good ear, young fatebinder! When the Vendrini guar— Vendrinen guard, VenDRIEN gua— Vendrien—fuck my life!

*Beep beep*

Tunon: The court may never recover from this blow, but at least I can seek some final satisfaction out of you, and NOW I understand the line better!

*Beep beep*

Sirin: Goodbye, Fatebinder. [Snaps fingers] I, AM, OUTTIE.

*Beep beep*

Eb: The band is too small to be a serious threat to the Dissfavored or the Chorus— [chuckles]

Valerie Arem: Darn it! The Dithfavored! [Still laughing] Can, can we ju… it’s like a Pinky and the Brain line at this point for me! [Inhales, resets.]Urgh!

*Beep beep*

Verse: Classic example of the Overlord’s devastation, like a battering lamb that e— lamb? A battering lamb.

[Voice Director: I was just kinda thinking about, you know, deep fry— (???)]

Allegra Clark: Can you imagine instead of a battering ram, an actual battering lamb. Like a MEEEHH, bloop!

*Beep beep*

Eb: Now that I stand at the top, the only chant I will start is a chant of disarmament. I will not throw them into the charnel pit.

Valerie Arem: Oh! I— I s— totally faked it on charnel I was so glad I chased that I had no idea if that was how it was pronounced. [Laughs] Oh happiness! ^_^

*Beep beep*

Lantry: I think she has great potential. A dangerous amount of potential, to be blunt. The Scarlet Furries— Ha! Furies! Sorry! I’ve been at a convention.

*Beep beep*

Killsy: Thought would stalk small pack of sages near den place call Burning Library. But Sages b—[Stumbles on next syllable] fuck. Ahem.

*Beep beep*

Ashe: Perhaps another catastrophe that will punish our foes for hiding behind their [sudden change of tone] walls? [Cackles] I get to the—

[breaks character and laughs]

Kirk Thornton: I saw the question mark way to late! [Still laughing]

*Beep beep*

Barik: The Adjudicator certainly taught you everything he knows about being a inedebedeburdeBerDURpassthehand!

*Beep beep*

Lantry: What’s that, you say? Flocks of nubile lasses with an interest in old man who knows history? You need a definitive trectatus?— tracTAtus! Dammit! [inhales angrily] Urgh.

*Beep beep*

Sirin: You can’t be serious, Fatebinder. Don’t ask me to do this. [Prolonged gasp as Voice Director explains what is about to happen.] AURGH…. WHAT THE FUCK, MAN? This shit just got real.

*Beep beep*

Mark: Won’t have much of anything left once the Adj—Adjfucker— Shit! [Awkward tittering] One more time.

*Beep beep*

Lantry: Sustaining it, and if enough people fear it, even growing a beh- ahahoho, poo.

*Beep beep*

Nerat: You have exhausted your usefulness, and we will delight in tattooing our sigil on your fla— [garbled syllables] ong nyour nya nyer.

*Beep beep*

Barik: And the strength of our legion, is in— [Bumping sound] me hitting the mic stand, boomshakalaka.

*Beep beep*

Verse: You piece of shit! Do you know how hard I’ve work to sta—[strangled] uuuuaaaaarrrrrrggghhhhh. [Disappears off screen again.]

*Beep beep*

Lantry: Scholars hypothesize the Scourges are born of magic. The Oldwalls and their— oo, shit. Crech? Creché? [Voice Direction corrects.] Crèche? Crèche. Somebody’s gone to school… it wasn’t the actor.

*Beep beep*

Nerat: Graven Ashe and Tunon have allied against us! You conspire to rob of— duh pfft pfffft pffftttt… to man— amange you! That’s— [sputtering, angry and frustrated] ERGH!

*Beep beep*

Graven Ashe: [Sound of a grizzly bulldog shaking off water?] Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreh…Heh.

*Beep beep*

Nerat: That simpleton Ashe is no doubt sobbing in his porridge over the [sudden realization of self incrimination] soldiers we killed— fuck!

*Beep beep*

Tunon: Either the Archon of shadows has lost his once indomitable pow— prowers, in combact, eh dep…[breaks character]

Ray Chase: Even the typo, ah, make sense. Comapt!

*Beep beep*

Verse: The most we do for each other is try not to get the other one killed, which is more than you can say for morse— urgh, my gawd. [Slurring, then] RA GA GYA GYA GYA- okay.

*Beep beep*

Tunon: Master, if you’ll join me upstairs. [Blushing] I will pledge fealty to you in the lawful manner.

Ray Chase: I do not want to know what THAT is. [Everyone laughs]

*Beep beep*

Graven Ashe: Would Kyros’ mighty spymaster please enlighten this gathering of allies with some scrap of stratIA—GLURERrrrrrr!

*Beep beep*

Nerat: We are legion, and you cannot stand against [voice cracks] us all. That was a stumble, fuck.

*Beep beep*

Eb, or rather Valerie Arem: Geez god fuck I can’t say any of that!

*Beep beep*

Lantry: I don’t imagine Kyros leaves anything to mere confidence coincidence in-conscious and all the other words I thought was. [Checks.] Coincidence.

*Beep beep*

Sirin: Burgh! [Throttling] Ergh! Wow! Hey, I got… bronchitis, hey!

*Beep beep*

Graven Ashe: So I will start protecting the peers— petitia—

*Beep beep*

Lantry: General Grumps is the wiser choice. It’s patently obvious which Archon he is truly loyal to— well derp, poopy head.

*Beep beep*

Verse: Welcome back, ass [Also gets bronchitis] hole. Ergh! Ass HOLE, like HOLler.

*Beep beep*

Eb: Perhaps now is a fine time to test the reach of your Edict—s. Oh, Edict- Eh huh, uh huh…

*Beep beep*

Tunon: I once thought that Kyros was the sole Overlord. The notion of rising to her eshe— eke— ektelon…[resigned inhale]

*Beep beep*

Xander Mobus: “Fatebinder of reeking discharge”? We’re going right to the fart jokes!

*Beep beep*

Nerat: [Mockinglyl] Fatebinder of reeking discharge.

*Beep beep*

*Fart noise and effect*

*Beep beep*

Verse: Phew! I can spell you— spell. [Elatedly] I can spell!

*Beep beep*

Mark?(Nope! IT'S NERAT!): You’re gonna have to kill ALL of us, ‘cause you’re my number one guy… Sorry, full jack.

*Beep beep*

Verse: Of all my days running with the Chorus, I think I enjoyed Ass gang the most.

Allegra Clark: I’d wanna be in Ass gang! That sounds great!

[professorwillynilly]

if i cannot bend heaven, i will raise hell

OOC Notes: friends, comrades, countrymen. i’m so sorry for the disappointment posted below. it is neither very spicy nor very exciting. but it is a thing, and i wrote it, and i finished it, and that’s what matters! 

for context: the scene starts immediately after Tunon tries to banish Bleden Mark to the naughty corner for taking the Fatebinder’s side during the trial in Act III.

i listen to a lot of music while writing but i think this is best read with Castle by Halsey as mood music, rofl. pls be gentle i have not written seriously in a long time and my beta is myself.

He is vaguely aware of a number of things -- the polished marble floor beneath him, the smell of singed flesh, the searing pain behind his eyeballs. In fact, everything is quite painful at present, but not nearly as much as it should, and he can’t quite parse out why that is until it strikes him that this is most certainly not the plane of Illumination. Which, last he checked, is where he ought to be.

No, this is not the Archon of Shadows’ own personal hell, because he is, for some reason, still in Tunon’s Court. And even as his mind struggles to make sense of this revelation, further details of the current situation continue to flood his senses - the ugly screeching sound of metal rending metal, a heavy, coppery scent in the air that he is quite sure does not originate from himself, and the drone of a decidedly familiar voice nearby. That last part is what pushes him to raise himself onto his elbows and finally see what’s going on for himself.

“Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s rude to break other peoples’ toys, Tunon?” 

Fatebinder -- no, Archon -- Inkar stands where Mark was just a few seconds ago, facing down the Adjudicator with practiced poise and her usual cool composure. Tunon, on the other hand, is struggling to regain his footing, and it seems that-- yes-- the heady scent of blood is most definitely originating from an ugly gash in the Adjudicator's left shoulder. Inkar shifts her weight, and Mark catches sight of the familiar bronze glint of Dauntless’ blade. If breathing wasn’t so difficult right now, he’d laugh at Tunon’s poor fortune; that sword is going to be a bitch to parry, even for an Archon as powerful as him.

And it is, but the Adjudicator soon finds that the enchanted blade is hardly his most pressing concern when facing down Inkar. The former Fatebinder’s martial prowess -- while exceptional -- is far from her most formidable trait, and it is her mastery of the arcane that really does Tunon in. As it happens, Mark is barely back on his feet by the time the battle is all but finished, with comparably minor injuries on the side of the victor. A fine crack runs the length of Tunon’s mask, and he has fallen to his knees, using his Gavel for support in order to maintain some form of upright posture.

Inkar’s companions have made their way up from the lower dias to the upper chambers, and it is only now that it hits Mark that they did not join her during the stand-off. The Archon of Shadows allows himself to feel something like pride towards his former student at having defeated one of the most powerful Archons in Teratus in single combat. He tries not to think too hard about what that says in regards his own skills when compared to the Adjudicator. It wasn’t a fair fight, anyways. Tunon totally cheated.

Mark snaps out of his own musings to the realization that the two Archons have apparently just concluded some private conversation, because Tunon finally seems to be giving up his feeble grasp on life. And it is to everyone’s surprise that Inkar abruptly reaches out to catch the dying Archon by the front of his robe and steady him. The corners of her mouth twist into a cold smile.

“I did not give you permission to die, Adjudicator.”

~

When Lantry has at last assured her of Tunon’s stable condition, and Kills-in-Shadow has at last been convinced that sparing the Adjudicator was a necessary move in the greater game, and Verse has at last stopped bitching about not being able to add another tick-mark to her ‘number of Archons killed’ list - only then does Inkar turn her attention to the rest of the Court. Her fellow Fatebinders seem to regard her with a mixture of fear and awe -- as well they should -- but at least they address her in much the same manner they did when she was the student and they the teachers. She briefly considers giving Calio shit about butting in during the trial, despite previous assurances at Vendrien’s Well, but decides against it. Better that the Fatebinders think they owe her in some way. That could be useful in the future.

The newly appointed Archon of the Tiers makes it almost as far as the exit before Bleden Mark makes his suitably theatrical appearance. The shadows directly in her path shift and shudder and coalesce into a familiar figure, and Inkar obediently halts her retreat to allow the Archon of Shadows to materialize in front of her. She doesn’t quite have the energy to plaster on another fake smile, and since she knows him to despise sycophants anyways, settles for a small smirk. She’s allowed a bit of smugness right now, in her own humble opinion.

“So, was that all just for my benefit or did you actually have a reason for putting on your little show?” He’s flashing her one of those smiles that’s more akin to a hound baring its teeth than any human show of amiability. Once upon a time, the expression made her nervous. Right now, all it does is amuse her.

“Don’t be silly,” she replies, smoothing out the frayed edges of the Binding of Shadows wrapped around her wrist. Mark’s eyes narrow, just a hair, and she barely suppresses the urge to outright cackle with glee. My, how the tables have turned. “I’m sure your ego will heal.”

They’ve always had a bit of a rapport going between them - ever since she passed his training as the sole survivor of the course, anyways. But trading wit with the Archon of Shadows is a bit like walking blindly into a lion’s den and hoping you won’t get mauled; it requires equal measures of caution and recklessness, and there’s still no guarantee that you’ll survive the encounter. Somewhere in the last few hours, however, their dynamic has shifted dramatically. He’s still liable to try eviscerating her just for kicks, but at least now he knows that it’s unlikely he’d escape that encounter with his life intact.

None of this shows in either of their manners, of course. That would be giving one too much power over the other. So Mark only snorts, as if she’d attempted to appeal to his humor and fallen flat, though his predatory smile never fades. “You never intended to kill Tunon in the first place.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“Contrary to popular belief, I have a great deal of respect for Tunon, and I think he’s quite good at his job. So, no, this was never going to be an execution for the Adjudicator. So sorry to disappoint.”

He knows the answer to the question he’s about to voice before he asks it. She can see it in his eyes. “So why provoke a fight? Even after he declared you innocent?”

“Well,” she drawls, and now it’s her turn to smile - the sharp kind, a mirror of his own slightly threatening expression. “I wanted to see what you’d do, of course.”

She doesn’t wait to see his reaction before moving forward to eventually brush past him and out the door. Only when they are nearly abreast of each other does he finally say, “Hope I didn’t disappoint,” in a tone of wry amusement.

She stops just short of passing him, stepping just a little closer than necessary so that their arms purposely brush against one another. They’re almost the same height, and when their eyes meet - vibrant green boring into molten gold - neither seems willing to back down from the unspoken challenge. So Inkar just keeps smiling and says, “Never, darling.”

She knows he’s still scrutinizing her when she finally makes her exit, even if those golden eyes have long since dissolved with the rest of him into a murky haze that seeps into the corners of the Court with the last dying rays of the sun. Beware the shadows, the common folk say, their voices hushed in fearful reverence, Bleden Mark might be watching.

The Archon of the Tiers laughs softly to herself. Oh, I’m counting on it.

[kittymaverick]

Tyranny Tarot Card Motifs: Major Arcana

So some folks in the Discord asked about Tarot Cards and who would be what. I’ve some knowledge in tarots, so I’ll post what I think are good symbolic equivalents with explanations below. There might be some spoilers so read at your own risk. Edit: Made to finish some entries that were missing (?) and a few place with weird wording.

The Fool: Young Fatebinder This one’s pretty simple. The fool is a blank slate, ready to begin it’s journey. The Young Fatebinder at the very start of the game is therefore the perfect example of the fool.

The Magician: Lantry At first it might look like this is because sage = mage, it’s actually a bit more than that. Lantry isn’t actually necessary a good representation of a Magician is like, perhaps minus his versatility, breadth of knowledge, chronicler and jack of all trades tendencies. Rather, he’s more of a WITNESS to the Fatebinder’s actions, all of which can be classified under the Magician card.

The High Priestess: Verse This one surprised me, because it was a coincidence post elimination, but Verse, murderous and ruthless as she may be, exhibited an incredible amount of insight, especially in a fight. It’s part of how her ability to learn any skill comes from, without her really knowing exactly what is going on.

The Empress: Amelia This is from a bit later in the game unfortunately, plus some say Eb would be a good candidate, which I agree, except emphasis on the would part. (See the Hanged man below for why.) That leaves the very protective mother of the unexpected baby as the perfect, almost literal (it runs in the family even! Look below!) representation of the nurturing and protective nature of the Empress.

The Emperor: Graven Ashe Graven Ashe is the stereotypical representation of the Emperor from the get go: in command, laying down the rules, protective and paternal. There couldn’t be a better candidate for this.

The Hierophant: Tunon I know, I know. WTF is Tunon doing HERE instead of Justice. I’ll explain part of it here. Tunon, though he is the Archon of Justice, is one who IMPLEMENTS Kyros’ Law upon the newly conquered Tiersmen. He is the one who introduces them into Kyros’ empire and the society at large, and helps them conform to it. Not only that, he HAS an organization under him that helps him implement those rules. Though he may look like a representation of Justice, he role in Tyranny lore is in fact the very definition of what a Hierophant is.

The Lovers: The alliance? This one really threw me for a loop, because there wasn’t any significant relationships that is obviously romantic, nor do we know of any couple in game where both parties are alive, nor in a healthy relationship. Death Knell and Fifth Eye was suggested at one point, which I thought of for a while, then rejected because that’s more “carnal catharsis”, as Lantry would put it. So instead, we’ll have to settle for the next best representation of forming relationships that can be found in the game: forming an alliance on the rebel path. There IS an option though that may be considered, even though it’s not romantic (lovers in tarot doesn’t automatically mean romance, though it heavily leans toward it). It’s not in the game itself, nor does it actually pass the “both parties are alive” test, technically. But if anyone has read the short story “The Epistolary of Song and Stone”, you would know that Cairn and Sirin had the most innocent, pure, and healthy friendship on the face of Terratus going on. Next time you kill Cairn, think about what you just did and feel guilty.

The Chariot: Barik Chariot and Strength are actually two very commonly confused cards even in general Tarot culture, because Chariot represent Strength, while Strength represent...while...itself. XD However, there is indeed a different. Chariot is about using the strength one possess to work towards a goal. It’s about gaining control and steering you to where you want to be despite obstacles. It’s about bringing an order to the chaos around you. All these are very well represented by our resident stuck-in-his-armour Disfavoured, Barik.

Strength: Sirin I didn’t pick this just because it’s a tiny girl opening a lion’s mouth in the picture, I swear! The card Strength itself is different from Chariot in that control itself is the goal. In Sirin’s case, she’s still a budding archon learning to use and expand her powers over the course of the game. Her power itself is a form of mind control. Of course, we know she gets stronger at the end of the game should you guide her, but does she become someone who use that power for good, or someone who use that power for evil? The dual nature of nearly all tarot card is actually also part of the consideration of which symbol represent what.

The Hermit: Kills-in-Shadows With this one, I did take some artistic liberties in why Kills is the Hermit. Killsy’s motivation in game was to survive by being in the shadow of the strongest person in the Tiers, which is very far flung from the typical Hermit, representing introspection and solitude. However, on closer examination, you can see a resemblance, as the hermit isn’t just about looking into one self, it’s also about hiding yourself away. Killsy’s powers and intention is very much that, and who could blame her, given that she’s the sole survivor of the Shadowhunter’s clan?

Wheel of Fortune: Ascension Hall Runic Hall Edit: Somehow I missed writing the explanation for this one! The wheel of fortune is the representation cycles, luck and turnings points of life. Think of the dharmachakra, if you will. In Tyranny, I think the runic halls, especially Ascension Hall Runic Hall, is a good symbolic equivalent given that it is the location where the Fatebinder took their first step towards becoming the what they will be.

Justice: Tunon’s gavel, his mask, and the Scales of Mercy Okay, back to the topic of why Tunon =/= justice. Tunon himself pointed out that Kyros’ Law doesn’t ACTUALLY serve justice in principle as much as it should. By extension, he, the instrument that her laws are delivered though, therefore cannot be justice ITSELF even if Kyros is adamant of making him the very symbol of it. In fact, the endeavour itself is impossible. He knows Justice a notion that you reach for, not something you can truly embody. That being said, the gavel, mask and scales, however are symbols that can represent what is it he technically wants be serving.

The Hanged Man: Eb Other than being the only one with enough rope to tie herself to a post, Eb has sacrificed everything to the war with Kyros. Family, the School of Tides, Country, home, she’s pretty much lost all of it. At the same time, she’s forced to contend with the new life of living under the Overlord’s rule. This is the embodiment of the Hanged Man: Sacrifices and change in perspective. Of course, being incredibly stubborn, Eb isn’t quite ready to hand everything over yet, which is often represented when the Hanged Man is upside down.

Death: Kyros Death represent change, it represent endings, beginnings, and transition. While Kyros, faceless like our representations of Death IRL, never shows up in the game, she’s the driving force of introducing change to the Tiers, all be it through her armies and Archons.

Temperance: Matani Sybil The reason why I associate Temperance with Sybil is mostly because of the water motif. Whether she embodies the virtue is a matter of debate, though I think giving rude gestures across a river is rather reserved in comparison to other actions. XD

The Devil: Bleden Mark Ah, the Devil. The Temptation, materialism, addiction and surprise surprise, bondage. Mark doesn’t seem much of a threat on other paths until he stabs you at the end of the game, but on anarchy he plays the role of the Devil down to the “is he serving you, or are you serving him” bit. Also, the Binding of Shadows? It’s like he can’t wait to put something on you that says “THIS ONE’S MINE”.

The Tower: The Mountain Spire The Tower is the one frigging card in the Major Arcanas where the meaning does not change no matter which way you turn it, other than perhaps your reluctance towards what is to happen. It’s destruction, it’s upheaval, an explosive conflict. So what better object can we find than the Spire from which we rain destruction and upheaval upon as the game’s representation of the Tower?

The Star: Tarkis Arri The Star is the thing that brings hope to someone (you know, because you wish upon it), or inspires you to do something. It’s about what makes you start something new, or in this case, a rebellion. Arri, being the leader of the rebels, is therefore a good fit for the card.

The Moon: The Voices of Nerat Moon is the symbol of illusions and lunacy. Nerat is all about trickery, secrets and being off his rocker. These two were made for each other like Ashe was made for the Emperor.

The Sun: Florian Pelox, or should it be Travost? Or maybe ELDIAN? We might just have to go with Vittles here... @elegiacescapist, you might be right. Okay, with this one, I just wanted to throw someone from the first act in. My justification was “you know if he wasn’t so hostile Florian is pretty much a cheery and boisterous guy”. And if you don’t think about it too hard, it fits! Actually, you know what? He’s kinda a bravado-fill war jockey. Florian’s brother, Travost, seems chill though, and I think they have the same game model so we don’t have to change anything. The alternative of Eldian is really weird because usually, the Sun is represented by a boy toddler (a bit of a reference to Apollo) and associated with youth. However, Eldian does exhibit some of the traits of the Sun, especially in the positivity and warmth. Plus you know, he lives under the Sunset Spire... Though in honestly, Elegia’s suggestion of Vittles is a pretty good fit that you can’t argue too much against. Soooooo until further notice, I think we’ll go with the poor forced into conscription boy.

Judgement: Edict (of Execution, though all fits) Speaks for itself.

The World: The Tiers Speaks for itself.