#proto nemesis

[maukiki1-but-cringefail]

i ordered this bad boy and during the agonizingly long amount of time it took to arrive i was thinking i wonder if she can hold up a bey? like if i could display a beyblade on her servos? well the awnser is yes and i think it looks raw as fuck

and heres a silly one ahgsisbwjesqhvexn looks like shes trying to pose with a short person😭😭

and heres a failed attempt😭

[grineerios]

Carrion hordes trill their profane Accord with Eldritch plans; To cosmic forms from tangent planes; We End As We Began- (Nyx Nemesis/Nyx and Excalibur Proto/Excalibur)

A massive thank-you to BethTheBeek and VeriTimeLord for helping me get this shot. Yall are the coolest.

I put *so* much thought into this shot and I need to tell people about it. I wanted to include both themes for the contest (Steel and mirrors), as well as make nods towards the 11th anniversary of warframe.

Nyx (11) Nyx is the 11th warframe to be released (If you count Excalibur prime, which I do.)

Proto Skins (Steel/Mirrors) The proto skins have plenty of metallic, exposed swordsteel parts, alongside being a reflection of what we have to look forward to with WF: 1999.

Excalibur (Steel/Mirrors) Excalibur wields his exalted blade. You seriously can't go wrong with swords tbh. Excalibur also contrasts with Nyx here as a pair of mirrored warframes, as Nyx was initially intended to be a feminine counterpart to Excalibur. As equally as he and his proto are mirrors of each other, so is he a mirror of Nyx as well.

Dex Colors/Helmet/Weapon (Anniversary/11) Proto Excalibur uses the Dex helmet, there is a Dex Nikana on modern Excalibur's hip, and both of the modern frames use colors exclusively found on the Dex color picker.

this took me forever to finally settle on an idea, but i'm fairly happy with how it turned out. <3

[rastronomicals]

7:40 AM EDT June 22, 2024:

Proto-Kaw - "Totus Nemesis" From the album   Early Recordings From Kansas 1971-73 (September 17, 2002)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

[lovinglonerhybrid]

What if the lostlight was in transformers prime.

Idk if I’m ever going to get it done but I had an idea that if the lostlight was in tfp it would be really interesting.

Cybertron has been abandoned and there most likely weren’t enough ships for every cybertronion. The crew of the lost light is made up of bots mostly forgotten or left behind by the rest of their race.

Minimus and Dominus ambus where left behind because they where found out to be turbofoxes by the other nobles. The two open the ambus manor to others who were outcast.

Chromedome who was two depressed to get out of bed gets dragged in by brainstorm a double agent who sucked at his job and was left due to the hazard his experiments caused.

Rung finds the manor searching for energon for his trapped patients Whirl and Fortress Maximus. The three were left when rung barricaded them all in a room after hearing talk of the other two getting executed due to their mental health. Fort max and whirl get saved and they all three stay .

Ambulon and first aid join after being left in a testing facility. They takeover an old room and turn it into a makeshift medbay.

Cyclonus and tailgate are found in an old temple for unicron. Cyclonus found tailgate after shockwave left his body in his lab. The elder mech took him and placed an old temple spark into his frame reanimated the dead mech.

Ravage slinks in one day with story’s of how bad megatron has gotten. With them are rumble,frenzy,and skids who hitched a ride when the cassettes left the decepticons.

Swerve is found by the others in the back room of his bar witch he refused to leave. With him they also find a vehicon who named himself ten .

Anode and lug come with proto sparks that had been abandoned to die by the senate. There are three sparks one bonds to first aid and ambulon as caregivers. The other two are put into what is refereed to as the nesting room.

Whirl adopts a swarm of mutated scraplets and names her whirl jr.

The last bot to join the crew well they are stranded on cybertron is deadlock who was tricked by a jealous starscream into being left behind by the nemesis.

Deadlock gets chosen by one of the proto sparks to be its caregiver deadlock names this little sparkling hot rod.

Eventually hot rod runs away and befriends a titan mech who is a spaceship Lost Light.

[red-moon-at-night]

I decided to draw my designs for Helen and Paris :)

There are some notes about the designs under the read more but I think I should stress this one up here: Paris is not short, Helen is just really tall (as in, at least 6'5" and YES you are seeing that number correctly)

Design notes:

"rich-haired helen", "helen of the lovely hair", etc. + the etymology of Helen's name being associated with a proto-Indo-European sun goddess = designing her hair to resemble literal rays of sunlight.

The height difference... listen, I wish I already had other characters drawn so I could put them altogether and you could see the full effect of Helen's height. Alas, you must use your imagination. As for the 'why': well, I have multiple answers for that. The main one being that I enjoy going along with the version of Helen that has Zeus and Nemesis for parents (as seen in cypria fragment 8). It's a fun way to portray some of her divine parentage, by having her be literally larger than life and very very tall. People probably listen better to a very imposing figure. Also, it creates interesting implications for certain events that happen (e.g. the kidnapping, Odysseus and Diomedes taking the Palladium from inside of Troy but not Helen, etc.)

Paris can have both short hair and long hair. The solution: put a phrygian cap on that man and tuck all that hair in it. Boom, problem solved.

Paris is wearing eye makeup because of course he would wear it.

The clothing designs are not set in stone at all and are the most flexible part of this for me. I did my sort-of-research-sort-of-freestyling thing here, mainly because these references were more about the body types/facial features/overall vibe for me. Which I'm happy with! At one point Helen was also wearing a red chlamys like Paris but then I reminded myself himations exist and corrected that lol. Helen can totally wear a cloak if she wants to (and I was half-tempted to leave it like that...)

One day I'll draw Paris in his very patterned elaborate clothing... today is not that day.

[crimescrimson]

Types of Tyrants In Resident Evil: Proto-T001 in Resident Evil 0 (2002) | T-002 in Resident Evil (2002) | T-00 (Mr X) in Resident Evil 2 (2019) | Nemesis T-Type in Resident Evil 3 (2020) | Tyrant R in Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles (2009) | T.A.L.O.S in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (2007) | The Bandersnatch in Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (2000) | T-078 in Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (2000)

[chthonias-guide]

Zeus

Basic Information

Name(s): Zeus, Zef, Dias/Dios

Domain¹:

Thunder, lightning, and the sky

Law and order

Hospitality code (xenia), and by extension, protector of the home and protector of travelers

Protector of the assembly of the people

Chthonic realm

King Of The Gods

Counterparts:

Dyēus (Proto-Indo-European)

Jove/Jupiter (Roman)

Tinia (Etruscan)

Anu² (Mesopotamian)

Amun (Egyptian)

Symbols:

Thunderbolt

Royal scepter

The aigis³

A throne

Eagle

Bull

Oak tree

Olive tree

Typically Wearing:

A crown of olive leaves

A chiton⁴ and cloak (although sometimes he is depicted nude).

Parents: Kronos and Rhea.

Wife: Hera.

Lovers/Affairs:

Metis

Themis

Eurynome

Demeter

Mnemosyne

Leto

Dione

Maia

Persephone

Nemesis

Selene

Gaia⁵

Europa

Io

Semele

Callisto

Thaleia

Alkmene

Danaë

Antiope

Ganymede

Failed Lovers/Affairs:

Aphrodite

Asteria

Thetis

Children:

Hebe and Ares and Eileithyia and Hephaistos⁶ (by Hera)

Athena (by Metis)

The Horae (seasons) and The Moirae (fates) (by Themis)

The Gaces (by Eurynome)

Persephone and Lakkhos (by Demeter)

The Muses (by Mnemosyne)

Apollo and Artemis (Leto)

Aphrodite (Dione)⁷

Hermes (by Maia)

Melinoë and Zagreus (by Persephone)⁸

Helen of Sparta/Troy⁹ (by Nemesis)

Pandia and Ersa (by Selene)

Agdistis¹⁰ (by Gaia)

Minos (by Europa)

Epaphos and Keroessa (by Io)

Dionysus (by Semele)

Arcas (by Callisto)

The Palikoi¹¹ (by Thaleia)

Heracles (by Allmene)

Perseus (by Danaë)

Amphion and Zethus (by Antiope)

Retinue/Entourage:

Zeus’s throne is guarded by the four winged spirits Nike, Bia, Kratos, and Zelos.

Zeus’s personal messenger is Hermes, who also enacted Zeus’s will.

Zeus’s high councilor Themis gave him advice and is seated beside his throne.

Zeus’s personal cupbearer is Ganymede, serving him Ambrosia and Wine at feasts.

Major Myths Of Importance

Birth & The Titanomachy: Prior to Zeus’s birth, Kronos (his father) had received a prophecy that he would be overthrown by his children. To avoid this, he began swallowing whole every child of his. Rhea (Zeus’s mother and Kronos’s wife), in fear of her husband, could only watch. Eventually, with the guidance of her mother Gaia, she hatched a plan to end Kronos’s reign. When Zeus was born, instead of presenting him to Kronos as she had done with her children in the past, she presented to him a rock, which Kronos swallowed. She had given birth to Zeus secretly at Crete, where he was given to the Curetes to be raised. The nymph Melissa and the goat Amalthea specifically played a crucial role in his upbringing. When Zeus came of age, he became the cupbearer of Kronos, who did not know his true identity. With a concoction made by Metis (who would later be his first wife), Kronos regurgitating his swallowed children in the reverse order they were eaten (ie Hestia was swallowed first and regurgitated last, hence where the phrase “Hestia first and last”). Zeus convinced his siblings to rise up against Kronos, and the Titanomachy began. Under Gaia’s guidance, he released the cyclopses and the hecatonchires (hundred-handed giants), who aided him against the titans. After ten years, the Olympian gods overthrew the titans, and established their pantheon on Mt. Olympus. Zeus divided the “universe” between him, and his brothers Poseidon and Hades. The titans were imprisoned in Tartarus, with the exception of those who had aided the gods. Zeus became the king of gods, mortals, and the skies, Poseidon became king of the ocean, and Hades became king of the dead.

The Gigantomachy: In vengeance for her children (the titans) being locked away in Tartarus, Gaia bore the giants, who began immediately hurling rocks and burning oak at the sky. There was a prophecy which stated that the giants would not be killed by the gods alone, and upon hearing this, Gaia sought to harvest a plant which could protect her children (pharmakon). Knowing this, Zeus forbade Eos (the dawn), Helios (the sun), and Selene (the moon) from shining, and harvested all the plant himself. Afterwards, he had Athena summon Heracles, who would be the mortal that would aid them in the battle. Apollodorus goes through each of the giants fates and how they were all taken down, but it is suffice to say that they were defeated (aka I do not want to go through every single giant’s death).

The Seven “Wives”: According to Hesiodic myth, Zeus had seven lovers prior to his marriage to Hera. Metis was the first wife, who was the wisest among gods and men. But, after a prophecy from Gaia and Ouranos which stated that after birthing a daughter, Metis would birth a son that would overthrow Zeus, Zeus decided to swallow the pregnant Metis. As a result, Athena would be born out of Zeus’s head later, and Metis would act as Zeus’s internal monologue and guidance. Zeus then married Themis, who gave birth to the Horae and the Moirai. Aside from Hera, Metis and Themis are the only lovers in this list Zeus is explicitly said to have married. The next lovers are as follows (you can see their respective children in the “basic info” section); Eurynome, Demeter, Mnemosyne and Leto. Finally, he married his final wife (but not his last lover) Hera. To woo her, he turned into a Cuckoo, which is why the cuckoo is featured on her scepter.

Worship and Epithets

Primary Center Of Worship: Olympia, Greece.

Other Notable Centers Of Worship: Crete, Greece (which was widely recognized as his birthplace).

Notable Epithets:

Agathos Deos (meaning the Good God)

Agoraios (given to deities which were venerated as the protector of the assembly/agora)

Alastôr (meaning avenger of evil deeds)

Areios (either meaning the warlike or the propitiating and atoning god)

Asbamaios (meaning the protector of the sanctity of oaths, derived from the city of Asbamaeon)

Gamêlioi (meaning protecting over marriage, and was shared with Hera, Aphrodite, Peitho, Artemis, and sometimes the Moerae)

Hupatos (meaning the most high)¹²

Katharsios (meaning the purifying or atoner)

Maimaktês (meaning the stormy, and was the name the Attic month Maemacterion was derived, and a celebration to Zeus called Maemacteria was held)

Moiragetês (meaning the guider of fate, given to both Zeus and Apollo at Delphi, fitting for the cities role with their oracles)

Nomos (meaning personified law)

Olumpios (meaning the Olympian, and was a general surname given to deities who were said to live on Olympus)

Ombrios (meaning the rain-giver)

Panellênios (meaning common to/worshipped by all people)

Phuzios (meaning god that protects fugitives)

Pistios (meaning god of faith and fidelity)

Polieus (meaning protector of the city, upon which he notably had an altar at Athens)

Sôtêr (meaning the savior)

Sthenios (meaning the powerful)

Xenios (meaning hospitality and protector of strangers, which was VERY important in the time of the Ancient Greeks)

Zugios (meaning presiding over marriage, alongside Hera Zugia).

Notable Fun Facts

He only “fears”¹³ one deity, which is Nyx¹⁴. In Orphic mythology, she delivers Zeus prophecies from the Adyton (a restricted cellar in a Greco-Roman temple).¹⁵

Despite being known for his various affairs and children, he does not place number one as the deity with the most kids (that would be Poseidon).

The Ancient Greeks believed the belly was wear the brain was, and therefore that when Zeus swallowed Metis, he gained her knowledge.

Zeus and Hera’e child Hebe acted as his (and the rest of the gods’s) cubearer until Zeus took Ganymede. It is debated whether or not Ganymede only acted as Zeus’s personal cupbearer or replaced Hebe in that aspect altogether.

1: Zeus's domain varies from place to place, often times the only thing that connected one version of Zeus to a different version of him from another city-state was his name. For example, some local cults venerated him as a Chthonic earth god, rather than the opposite, popularized, Olympian sky god.

2: It is disputed whether or not Anu could be considered the Mesopotamian equivalent of Zeus. Anu is also considered to be the equivalent of Ouranus.

3: Also spelled as “Aegis”. It is an animal skin or shield typically featuring the head of a Gorgon. It is also wielded by Athena, and in the Iliad by Apollo. It may also have been connected to the deity Aex, who nursed Zeus in some myths.

4: Worn in both Ancient Greece and Rome, a chiton is a unisex garment that is fashioned at the shoulders and is made of either wool (Doric) or later linen (Ionic).

5: Zeus and Gaia’s intercourse was accidental. The myth of their union is more closely related to Phrygian mythology. For my sanity’s sake, this will be the only myth that did not originate from Hellas.

6: While certain sources say Zeus fathered Hephaistos, other sources name Hera as the only parent, making him a parthenogenous child.

7: While Homer calls Dione the mother of Aphrodite, other myths say she arose out of the sea foam fully formed after Ouranos's castrated gentile was thrown into the ocean. This lead to Plato making a distinction between Aphrodite Pandemos (Common to all people, child of Dione, and goddess of earthly/sensual pleasures) and Aphrodite Ouranos (Heavenly, born from Ouranos’s castrated gentiles, and goddess of love that transcends the body/physical desires).

8: It is debated whether or not it was Zeus or Hades that fathered Melinoë and Zagreus by Persephone (although in Orphic tradition Zeus fathered Dionysus and the Erinyes by Persephone), as some myths say that Hades is unable to produce life as he is the god of the dead (despite this, some myths said that he fathered Macaria, while no mother is mentioned).

9: Although it is widely recognized that Helen is the daughter of Leda by Zeus, the lost epic called the Cypria says that Helen is the daughter of Nemesis and Zeus.

10: Agdistis was a Hermaphroditic god, but the other gods feared a two-sexed deity, so they castrated him and he became the goddess Kybele.

11: The Palikoi are twin Sicilian deities of hot springs and geysers, that also presided over the solemn oaths sworn upon their springs and provided refuge to escaped slaves in their sanctuary, this is important to note how the Ancient Greeks incorporated other pantheons into their mythology. Okay, I lied, THIS ONE will be the last non-Hellas originated myth, unless I accidentally include more.

12: This also occurs as a poetic epithet, such as in Homer’s Iliad.

13: Although the word used to describe Zeus’s reaction to seeing Nyx isn’t translatable, “fear”, or perhaps “awe-struck in respect”, is an acceptable translation given the scenario.

14: She’s my favorite deity :-}

15: This will probably be the only reference to Orphism in my posts EVER. Only added it because I thought it was important.

[thetrickster-blr-blog]

ANARKY (Beware The Batman)

This is my own redraw of Anarky from the "Beware The Batman" cartoon. While I know everyone has their own opinions on the show (or don't know it exists), I will admit that it has always been one of my favorite Batman shows. One of the most polarizing things about the show is its inclusion of obscure Batman villains like Professor Pyg & Magpie and using them as placeholders for villains that the studio wouldn't allow them to use. And though I certainly am one to be critical of vast departures in comic-to-screen adaptations, I am willing to forgive certain decisions if they make sense or at least have good reasoning. Case in point: The show's depiction of Anarky.

I will admit that this is kind of a terrible Anarky. He's not a politically conscious teenage anti-hero/anti-villain who masquerades as an adult to further his political rebellion and has an on/off relationship with the Bat Family. Instead, he's basically the show's answer to The Joker, whom the studio wasn't allowed to use due to studio mandates. And while I normally wouldn't be so forgiving of such a change to a character that I like and respect, I am willing to accept it if what they make is at least good. And while this isn't a good Anarky, IT IS A GREAT VILLAIN. One thing I like so much about this Anarky is that they basically made him the "Anti-Batman". He dresses in a nearly accurate costume to Batman's, save for it having a hood, an "A" as its symbol, and being entirely white. He even has similar gadgets, though made to kill people as opposed to Batman's non-lethal gadgets. He's also a master combatant who can hold his own against Batman (He was basically the proto Nemesis). I also like how they use him as a Joker placeholder while still making him his own character. Instead of being a maniacal mass-murdering cartoon villain dressed in a purple tuxedo, he's a much more reserved and calculated mastermind who often manipulates others into unknowingly doing his bidding; like when he tricked Batman and Lady Shiva into nearly unleashing an epidemic or when he teamed up with Harvey Dent to take down Batman, which led to the latter getting scarred and becoming Two-Face. He's also not clown-themed in any way, instead going for more of a Chess theme with him as the "White King" and Batman as the "Black King". I also really like his portrayal by Wallace Langham. Instead of being a very off-the-wall over-the-top hammy performance, he's soft-spoken and mellow, but with hints of malice behind his voice. He kind of sounds like Neil Patrick Harris if he had Schizophrenia. Anarky barely ever loses his cool and hardly ever raises his voice, which adds to his menace.

That's all I have to say really. What are your opinions of "Beware The Batman" or this version of Anarky?

[redrosesartcabin]

9.Scenario: The Blow Job

A little nsfw sceanario I couldn’t keep out of my head.

Obvious warning: NSFW found below! This time gender is not specified in this NSFW scenario

(Edited) This chapter was new and is now also posted on ao3

Megatron x reader fanficition ( can be found here as well https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrosessoulcabin)

Link to the previous chapter: https://www.tumblr.com/redrosesartcabin/722532045498335232/8scenario-lemon-cake?source=share

Link to the first post:

Link to the next chapter: https://www.tumblr.com/redrosesartcabin/722642109442801664/10scenario-tell-me-of-the-nemesis

—

It had been one of those hot summer nights where you had slept with Megatron in the barn. You then always slept on his chassis right above the calming whir of his spark, a soft blanket below you as well as a thick pillow to give you more comfort and one very thin blanket on top of you.

This time you woke up to an unusual but more than welcoming sight. As your eyelids fluttered open you saw his spike freed from his panel and erect right in your field of vision. You turned your head around to his face to find out if he was still sleeping but noticed you couldn’t see it because of his chest being so ridiculously muscular, a fact which together with the erect cock now made you as horny as he seemed to be, though you tried to push those feelings away for now. Carefully, you crawled over the chassis until you could see his face. His optics were still dark, and he was breathing evenly, so that meant he was still asleep or ‘in stasis’ as it was called for Cybertronians.

“He must have a nice little dream, and it better be about me”, you whispered to yourself, crawling back and you tried to ignore this thing happening, but you just couldn’t. Instead, you felt your body, against your own nervous thoughts, now crawl towards his spike.

It was the first time you faced it without mass displacement and with both utter fear and fascination, you inspected it, your hand feeling the soft parts that were the proto-form as well as the metallic, blue ridges you’ve come to know, quite literally, inside and out. Without further thinking, your tongue travelled, licking over it, then you stood up carefully until you reached the tip, tasting some pre-cum. Only then you noticed you had never tasted his cum and you couldn’t possibly describe what it could be compared to. It was like nothing you’ve ever tasted, just like with your first and also every kiss after. It was neither good nor bad but you were electrified by it.

As you kept going, licking the tip like a huge ice cream cone, you suddenly heard a dark, familiar chuckle.

“Baby, baby, baby…what are we doing there, hm?”, Megatron asked, his voice still sounding a bit rusty.

“Seemed you needed a little assistance here”, you answered, your mouth on autopilot whilst your heart was making summer saults in your chest, “Sorry if-“

“No no”, Megatron interrupted you, a stupidly cocky grin adorning his faceplate, “Please, continue”

[firesofdainix]

What has Sol been doing when not watching the other planets? Would Helios really admonish his giants in case they went through with consuming the smaller beings?

Looking out for any signs of Nemesis in the Oort cloud, sleeping, in one of the Stellar meetings that happens from time to time, talks to Mercury, all that jazz! In the Proto Era, Sol didn't really... KNOW or notice the Rocky planets, and he'd been involved in an incident where he had killed one of the planets, so yes, maybe Helios will admonish his Giants, but he shouldn't expect to be listened to after all the BS he did.

[mrcompass]

The Antichrists of Beyblade (Part 2): Rago the Blasphemer.

Rago is the main antagonist of Beyblade Metal Fury, making him the final adversary in the Metal Saga trilogy. His character is tied to the concept of the antichrist as he is the one destined to wield Nemesis, the God of Destruction. Rago only appeared in 8 episodes before being defeated for good, and even though he seems flat as a character, the lore surrounding him makes up for the lack of characterization.

Rago first appears when Doji finds him in an ancient temple behind a cascade and soon leads him to Pluto and Nemesis. He is presented as King Hades' descendant who "inherited the same spirit and power" and immediately takes control of Proto Nemesis. Rago realizes that the bey is not powerful enough, highlighting a special connection with this ancient and dark artifact.

Rago's design and personality are meant to emulate his true nature: the wielder of Nemesis, he is nothing more, nothing less. As such, he is a ruthless, brutal, and sometimes sadistic person. His biggest personality trait is his habit of insulting his opponents as worms. His design is particularly ominous; he is tall and bigger than most characters, his dark hair is long with spikes, looking more similar to tendrils than horns. He wears a cap like Ryuga, Damian, and Aguma, and his clothing is reminiscent of ancient Greece. It's like Rago comes from ancient times, showing that he is completely disconnected from the world. Rago, with his haircut, red eyes, and clothing, looks closer to King Hades than Pluto, even though the latter claimed and took pride in his affiliation. This is meant to show us that Rago, and not Pluto, embodies King Hades' will, that he is the one destined to wield Nemesis.

As for his similarities with the antichrist, the beast of the apocalypse is said to come from the sea; Rago's temple is located behind water, and Hades's kingdom emerges from the water. The antichrist brings the apocalypse/armageddon; Nemesis's special move is Armageddon, and the bey was bringing the end of the world. The beast says insults against the righteous and servants of God and denies the Son; Rago constantly insults other characters. His opponents are hardworking bladers (for the most part) and are passionate, unlike him. By calling them worms, he denies their achievement and their humanity at the same time.

He himself lacks humanity; his behavior is far from human. In the manga, he is nothing more than Nemesis's incarnation. His design is a human version of the God of Destruction, who will later use Rago as a simple way to communicate and throw insults.

Furthermore, Rago received Nemesis from Pluto and King Hades, like the antichrist received authority and power from the devil itself. Hades is the Greek equivalent of Pluto, and as the king of hell in mythology, he is often seen as an evil god in works of fiction (like the Hercules Disney movie or Saint Seiya) when he is not. In the Bible, the Devil miraculously heals the beast, and in Metal Fury, a fragment of Fusion Hades (Pluto's bey) allows Nemesis to escape the seal and miraculously come back. Finally, he, alongside Pluto and Nemesis, shares a similar end; they are thrown into a bottomless pit while the antichrist and the devil were thrown into a lake of fire for all eternity.

I would argue that Rago is more complex than he seems as he shares some parallels with Damian. Both were the top bladers of their evil organization, they both defeated an emperor, they possessed powerful beys that had unique mode changes involving the fusion wheel. Both believed to be special and got their strength through unconventional methods (the arrangement and stealing the power of the legendary blader). They both accomplish the will of someone else. And they both served that will to bring a so-called new world, as Rago even said:

"Be grateful that I will put an end to this mistaken history that you are living in right now. I, the child of the Black Sun, Rago, with my own hands, will do this."

He is a genocidal maniac whose only purpose is to wield Nemesis and to bring its power to its full potential in order to destroy the world. His worldview rests on that alone and is completely flawed, like Damian's. However, he didn't choose that; he was born to be like that. He received the spirit of Hades, and there was no way he could have avoided his destiny. Damian is who he is because of Ziggurat, but Ziggurat is a mortal man who played god, and his actions aren't comparable to Rago's. In Metal Fury, it is said that the legendary blader can't avoid their destiny, and Rago is no different. So in the end, who should we blame: Rago embodying a purpose that was created for him, or Hades who created that purpose in the first place?

[fantasyinvader]

Had a bit of a thought today. Indulge once again in my theory that Almyra was founded by members of the Elites' clans who fled Fodlan rather than bend the knee to the Empire. There's a lot this would explain and add to Claude's arc, and I think one of these things is explaining why he believes the Church wants to keep Fodlan isolated.

If the proto-Almyrans fled Fodlan, think about who they were fleeing from. The Empire, who they viewed as a bunch of religious zealots according to the Shadow Library. The unit description for Nemesis also says that they were led to believe that the people of the Empire were being deceived and they were liberating them according to the guy who is fighting under pretenses. We have a people driven from their homeland, seemingly viewing those who bend the knee as cowards (which included the children of the heroes who had "sacred" weapons) while they were courageous because they fled to fight again another day. We also have Edelgard's belief that she'll get along with Almyra because they don't believe in the Goddess.

How much you wanna bet that Almyrans view the War of Heroes as the Empire conquering Fodlan to push their beliefs onto others, with the only options being to accept the Church of Seiros and abandon the beliefs that flourished under Nemesis or to flee? From there, as well as building a bigass wall to keep Almyra out, Claude came to the conclusion the Church wanted to keep Fodlan isolated?

Plus, there was also this bugging me. Remember the information that Solon tried to slip Claude? The stuff about the Immaculate/White One? Why would that have sway on Claude unless there's some history there, like Almyrans remember the Immaculate One as this terrifying monster and showing Claude how it ties into Church doctrine is meant to remind him of that? And thinking about it, is Claude's white wyvern meant to be a jab at Rhea, metaphorically taming the beast and turning it into Claude's own personal mount? You know, before Claude learns the truth, realizes that Almyra is based on a pretty fucked up culture influenced by the Agarthans, and then goes home to reform it in Verdant Wind? Hell, Claude using the Church in Flayn's ending, showing Almyra the beliefs they had long demonized, is said to be effective so it probably stands to reason that Cyril isn't a fluke. Almyran commoners would accept the Church's teachings, which include telling nobility that they have some goddamn responsibilities to those they preside over.

[rastronomicals]

5:28 PM EDT April 10, 2024:

Proto-Kaw - "Totus Nemesis" From the album   Early Recordings From Kansas 1971-73 (September 17, 2002)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

[spidersorcerer]

✨💚🍩 for Kerberos too? >:3

✨-How did I come up with his name?

Kerberos is a proto-Indo-European word meaning “spotted”, but it is also thought to be the word from which “Cerberus” is derived.

💚-His gender and sexuality?

Ker is a trans man! His sexuality for the time being is just unlabeled because I honestly haven’t figured that out for him lol. It may just remain unlabeled for him though.

🍩-His arch nemesis or rival?

Definitely more of a rival than an arch nemesis, but that title could easily go to my gf’s character, Raine, another netrunner! While Ker carries out most of what Barghest needs done net-wise, they occasionally will hire outside help, Raine being one of their top choices. Both, shockingly, are more similar than they will ever be willing to admit, both having almost been killed while netrunning and both being on the run from Netwatch. However, as far as morals and ethics go, are complete opposites. Raine is no saint, but Ker is sitting just a little below the 9th circle of hell.

[the---hermit]

The Black Corsair by Emilio Salgari

This is, believe it or not, the first book I read by Salgari. He is one of the biggest classic adventure authors in Italy, and let me tell you the man was obessesed with pirates. So many of his book series are about pirates, which makes it even more unbeliavable that I never read one of his novels before. The Black Corsair is the first novel in his Corsairs of the Antilles series. The story is centered around the black corsair, of course, who is a feared pirate in the Caribbean. This pirate, the former Lord of Ventimiglia, is seeking revenge for the murder of his brothers. In fact the story's main topic is revenge. The black corsair swears he will avenge his brothers by killing the entire family of the governor of Maracaibo, his nemesis and the man who executed two of his brothers.

For some reason going into this I wasn't expecting the black corsair to be a positive character, I thought he would be a villain of some sort. Instead he is represented as this incredibly skilled and brave pirate, who is also very honorable. This is peak romanticization of the pirate figure, and let me tell you I am here for it. For some reason pirates have always been fascinating to me, and this novel plays a lot into this fascination for this type of characters. It's also set during the golden age of piracy, so you couldn't ask for more. The narration was a bit slow, but I listened to the audiobook which honestly didn't make it too bad, it's actually pretty entertaining. It's a classic that was first published in 1898, so you should keep it in mind obviously. But as I said it's really adventurous and entrtaining, it was the perfect audiobook choice for summer (so much so that I am listening to the sequel at the moment). Salgari was an insanely prolific author and I am very curious to read more of his books. Of course I will have to read at least the first Sandocan book as that is probably his most famous character (of which I remember very little from the animated series I would watch in the morning before school when I was a kid), but I read he wrote some of the first proto sci-fi in Italy and I am very intrigued by it. What makes things even more absurd is that this man didn't travel at all. He wrote adventures set in basically all continents all thanks to his library loans, which really shows you the power of reading, because the settings feel very authentic. Although the book is a bit slow I feel like it's a classic that could work for people who haven't read a lot of classics. It's adventurous nature makes it feel engaging and the writing wasn't too difficult to follow. As I said the audiobook version in my opinion was a winner so I would recommend that option if possible, but overall it was a nice classic to add to my read pile.

I read this book for the black and white cover prompt of the jumbo reading challenge (I know there two colored swirls but this is the closest I can get for this prompt with the books I own atm).

[targentis]

okay, this might be super rambly but,,, Agarthans (note that most of the canon stuff about the Agarthans is like pretty vague? but i’ll try to cover most of it in a way that kind of makes sense)

IN THE BEGINNING, Sothis arrived in Fódlan in the area of Zanado. according to the church, she then like created all life, but who knows whether that’s true. the timeline is a little bit funky around here, but conflict grew between her and the local humans, and eventually some fought against her and probably destroyed large portions of the world. from Romance of the World’s Perdition:

To this end, the children of men have erected pillars of light upon the land. Thinis, Malum, Septen, and Llium were utterly destroyed. Those lands have vanished from this world. Yet even still, the False God stands. And soon, a flood aptly named Despair will drown this world.

this reads to me like the use of javelins of light, so the proto-Agarthans probably essentially nuked the world. they then fled the destroyed surface to inhabit what’s now Shambhala, and swore to one day succeed in destroying the Goddess:

The children of men fled to the depths of the earth, beyond the sight of the False God, beyond the embrace of the sacred sun, and beyond the reach of the waters of Despair. They swore a fervent oath of revenge against the surface world, ruled by beasts, and against their tormentor, the False God.

much time passed as Sothis healed the world, and at some point (unclear if it was before or after this conflict with the proto-Agarthans), she created the Nabateans. they became the rulers of the humans who now lived on the surface again. tensions eventually came to a head again, as humans grew dissatisfied with their Nabatean rulers, and the Agarthans took advantage of this opportunity. from the Nintendo Dream interview:

Those Who Slither in the Dark wanted to overturn this state of affairs (of the Nabateans as rulers) and as such, they devised schemes. They granted humans the technology to make powerful weapons from the corpses of the citizens of Nabatea, or so was their plan that they enacted, to which they went forward with this plan using the human, Nemesis. As a result, what would happen to humans who gained power�� they would want even more power, and find a dragon much stronger to beat in order to collect materials forcefully, in order to make even more powerful weapons… and so that was the cycle that was born. And that was the birth of Fodlan’s Ten Elites.

of note, it seems like the Elites weren’t aware of what they were really doing, or of that Agarthan involvement. from Fragments of a Forgotten Memoir:

Why does Seiros despise us so? What did King Nemesis do to incur such unyielding wrath? Perhaps it was a mistake to accept his offer. In any case, that is all in the distant past now… ______and before this body falls to ash, the evil…

this is what led to the genocide of the Nabateans, as Nemesis + co. killed them off to turn them into Relics. Seiros survived, and eventually gathered the strength of the surviving Nabateans and supportive human allies, and defeated Nemesis and the Elites. with the end of this war, the Adrestian Empire, founded by Seiros’s good buddy Wilhelm, spread across all of Fódlan.

the Agarthans slithered back to Shambhala for a while. at some point, they also started a plan to bring back Nemesis and the Elites, though that wouldn’t be completed for a long long time.

there isn’t a whole lot of lore detailed for quite a while here, but several hundred years later (in the mid-700s), Loog, a descendant of the Elite Blaiddyd, led a rebellion in the northern empire. he got many of the other descendants of the Elites on his side, but they were still severely outnumbered by the empire itself. the Agarthans, wanting to sow discord in human lands, supported Loog in this endeavor. from Burnt Remnants of a Report:

…the Faerghus Rebellion. I harbor doubts about the army Loog has raised. How did he recruit soldiers without raising suspicions in the Empire? How did he acquire those mysterious weapons, so like Heroes' Relics? What is the true identity of Pan, the tactician rumored to have been integral to Loog's victories? And Those Who Slither in the Dark…

it appears that the Agarthans sent an advisor in the guise of this Pan to direct Loog, and supplied his forces with powerful Agarthan weapons to defeat the Adrestian forces and secure Faerghus’s independence. perhaps they hoped this would lead to a revival of Nemesis’s kingdom, given that it, too, was located in what’s now Faerghus, but the specifics are unclear.

regardless, it seems that they later lost hope in their plans in Faerghus. about a hundred years later, King Klaus I of Faerghus died, and the country split among his three heirs. although two of them reunited, this is what led to Leicester becoming an independent country. Klaus’s death may have been orchestrated by the Agarthans as another attempt at sowing discord in Fódlan to soften it up for their future schemes. also from Burnt Remnants of a Report:

The shadowed order of the Knights of Seiros believes that King Klaus I of Faerghus was assassinated… Everyone believes that his will, which demands the territory be divided among the three princes and fails to name a successor, is a fake.

could have been assassinated by someone else, but given that Burnt Remnants is an investigation into Agarthan activity, it seems that whoever put it together figured they were related.

things with the Agarthans seem to have calmed down for a while, or at least whatever they did wasn’t as obvious or relevant to the modern state of Fódlan. by the time period of the games, they seem to have upped their activity once again, causing chaos everywhere they can. they bodysnatched a few prominent figures, most notably Cornelia Arnim, the recently appointed court mage of Faerghus; Volkhard von Arundel, brother-in-law to the Emperor and uncle of Edelgard; and Tomas, trusted librarian at Garreg Mach. they used these positions and others to do things such as:

orchestrate the tragedy of Duscur. Cornelia (Cleobulus) convinced not-yet-bodysnatched Volkhard to bring his sister Anselma to Fhirdiad to escape court politics in Enbarr. Anselma took the name Patricia, and Lambert took her as his wife. as time went on, she wished to see her daughter again, and was convinced by Cornelia that she could do so by helping her orchestrate the tragedy of Duscur. Lambert got assassinated, as did some of his closest advisors and guards, but Anselma only participated on the condition that Dimitri lived, so he was spared. she herself disappeared during the tragedy, and was never seen again. (the fact that the people of Faerghus responded by blaming and committing genocide against the people of Duscur doesn’t seem to have been in the Agarthans’ original plans, but given the fact that they’re Evil, i don’t think they’re too upset about it)

Crest implantation experiments. House Hrym tried to secede from the empire, with assistance from House Ordelia just across the border, but their rebellion was put down by Adrestian forces. House Hrym was killed off, and House Ordelia’s territory was occupied. Agarthans who had embedded themselves inside the Adrestian power structure took this opportunity to experiment on House Ordelia’s children, which Lysithea survived, having received a second Crest. afaik her siblings died? it’s likely, at least. later on, after the Insurrection of the Seven, they did the same thing to House Hresvelg’s children. all died (or ended up in a practically dead state) except Edelgard, who took to her second Crest better than Lysithea, thanks to the extra practice the Agarthans had gotten.

the assassination of Oswald. the Agarthans set up some Demonic Beasts along the roads of Leicester. this led to the death of Oswald, the current Duke Riegan’s son (and Claude’s uncle), as well as Raphael’s parents, who were merchants along that route. Count Gloucester was implicated in this plot, which heightened tensions in Leicester as well.

god knows what they were doing with Flayn. they probably wanted her blood (possibly to use it in their Elite resurrection experiments?) or maybe she was just a red herring to allow for Kronya to infiltrate the monastery as Monica, who had disappeared a year prior.

that kinda covers up to the start of the game!! idk if you were looking for background lore, or also events that happens during the course of the game. i can rant about those too if needed

cited sources and everything too! damn!

thank you for this incredible resource yet again. with the map of fódlan you also made, my fics will be researched to hell and back <3