#reminds me i really need to write up the lore for my forge world

[ashroomy]

I love it!!!!

Do they get into conflicts at all, or are they more peaceful? Also, was there ever a power struggle between the 17 over who should hold control of Herrika?

HERRIKAN FORGEWORLD

Many artifacts from the Dark Age of Technology lie in the golden sands of Herrika. Across the unending deserts of this planet are scattered multiple husks of a bygone era, sprawling networks of corridors and pipes, rotting from the inside, as they are infested by creatures discovered to be descendents of a preexisting human civilisation, now turned cannibalistic abominations, adapted to live in the long forgotten bunkers. The greatest gifts may lie in the steel veins of the planet, but mere inches beneath the scorching sand, buried there by the winds, unending deposits of archeotech just wait to be dug up by the followers of the Omnissiah. Many expeditions attempted to cleanse and reclaim the network beneath the surface, but none were successful so far. As such the main task of the Herrican techpriests is currently sifting through the sand, using fleets of tracked machines equipped with nets burying themselves in the sand, in search of forgotten technology. 

Herrikan history is one of adaptation and survival. The forgeworld started as a simple expedition by a group of 17 radical techpriests from a range of different forge worlds. Everything seemed fine, until they lost contact with the rest of expedition fleet in orbit, as they have been ordered by the administratum to leave everything in order to serve as a force multiplier in a nearby rebellion over the tithe of a hive city. The 17 founders, now left stranded on this desert wasteland decided that the only way they can survive is to prove their worth to the Omnissiah by venturing into the depths of the planet, reclaiming what has been lost over the ages. They found more than they could ever hope for, machines of war and peace, technology of the Dark Age, and an artifact that became the reason for a schism within the 17. 6 of them wanted to use their discovery to establish their own empire, create the new civilisation of the Followers of machine, while the rest came to a conclusion that such a drastic action would just mark the end of their stories, dooming them to be executed as hereteks. Tensions were high but with not enough people or resources for a civil war the thirst of blood eventually ended with the official declaration of creation of the Herrikan forgeworld, led by 17 arch-scavengers, each carrying their vows of steel wrapped on their right hands.

Now, 4 thousand years after the first artifact has been discovered on Herrika, it has grown to be a small, but influential forge world, trading in unique archeotech, establishing multiple client forgeworlds like the radicals of Titanis Arx or the voidfaring Nefirran Fleet and solidifying itself as one of the biggest sources of archeotech in segmentum tempestus.

If anyone has any more questions about the lore and stuff feel free to ask, also if anyone wants to use this forgeworld in any art, story, minis or anything feel free, just tag me.

[enchi-elm]

I've been writing some smut for two of my OCs in the Turn fanfic You've Caught Me Between Wind and Water, Lt. Jameson Mullcock and Lt. Frederico Ridgewell. It's going really well, so well in fact that I might end up submitting it to an erotica magazine in the future--which would prevent me from posting it on AO3.

To that end, to cover my own disappointment, here's some bits of lore for these two, gratis:

Background

Frederico

Full name is Frederico “Dico” Miguel Carvalho dos Reis Ridgewell

He is a Portuguese-American (mother is Portuguese) and stands in for the many Portuguese-American contributions to the Continental Army (go look up Pedro "Peter" Francisco)

Father split when Frederico was young, he grew up with his mother in New York in a Portuguese neighbourhood

Speaks fluent Portuguese

James

Jameson Mullcock is just Jameson Mullcock, but he goes by James

He is Irish-American and stands in for the many Irish-American contributions to the Continental Army (I explicitly wanted to include an Irish-American character because there were shitty stereotypes in the army against the Irish from other nationalities; like, we have primary sources for this)

James does not disclose he is half-Irish when he enlists and just lists his birthplace as Philadelphia

His mother is Abaigeal Noiréis (Abigail Norris), born in Galway, Ireland (thank you @mercurygray for naming her and helping me with her backstory!)

She is Catholic and married a Protestant British soldier she met during the occupation of Ireland, then followed him to England and then Pennsylvania and had to keep her faith secret

James is raised Protestant and only knows a little of the Catholic faith, which he keeps secret (because there was a considerable anti-Catholic sentiment in parts of the colonies)

Knows a little bit of Irish and wishes he knew more but doesn't think he'd be welcome (or feel comfortable) among the Irish soldiers and officers

Personality and looks

Frederico

olive skin, dark eyes, tousled dark hair

enough weight on him to look conspicuously healthy at Valley Forge in 1777

exactly as athletic as he looks but not quite as intelligent

drop dead gorgeous and doesn't care

cinnamon roll, too pure for this world, is the only one unaware that people believe this of him

a dark horse so dark you can't even see him coming

James

pale enough to look anemic, eyes and hair too light for people's comfort

tall, gangly; gaunt, even by Valley Forge standards

more athletic than he looks and more intelligent too

sarcastic slacker who's too smart to let people know how much more responsibility he's capable of taking on

has maybe two vices (tea and tobacco) that he'll hold onto, everything else he's already resigned himself to losing

would rather light his arm on fire than go after something he wants in a direct, open, and honest manner (and be Seen? Are you mad?)

Occupation

and the whole reason I put this post together, which is to remind future Apfel that they are 2nd LIEUTENANTS in LAMB'S CONTINENTAL ARTILLERY which was reorganized in 1777 from LAMB'S INDEPENDENT COMPANY NEW YORK ARTILLERY which drew from artillery companies in NEW YORK, CONNECTICUT AND PENNSYLVANIA. OKAY??

AND ARTHUR GARRICK IS A 1ST LIEUTENANT AND CAPTAIN ARMISTEAD FOLK IS THEIR CAPTAIN. AND PERKINS IS THEIR ENSIGN. IT'S ALL ONE GROUP. REMEMBER THIS!

CALEB WAS PART OF THIS GROUP. THEY WERE ALSO IN PEEKSKILL AND AT THE WHITEMARSH ENCAMPMENT.

YOU ALREADY WROTE LAMB INTO THE STORY IN CHAPTER 8.

YOU ALREADY FIGURED THIS OUT.

YOU DON'T NEED TO RESEARCH IT AGAIN.

...

@georgios-kyriacos, I believe you expressed interest in these two :)

[gear-project]

DEAR SANTA

Lots of stuff happened this year, not sure how I'll continue to deal with it, but somehow I will.

But, I owe you a big thank-you, Santa...

See, thing of it is, I finally got to talk with my family again recently, and no, I don't mean the guy I don't get along with, I mean the family I DO GET ALONG WITH.

You know how it goes...

I was also yet again reminded of my mortality... I don't know what I'm gonna do moving forward, but I also think about the people who have supported me over the years and I really want to do something nice for them if you got any ideas...

I've been feeling rather down lately, Santa... gifts to me feel like something of a matter of course in my solitary household (i.e. buying gifts for myself and nobody else)... just lots of ideas and concepts people put together to make toys and games and other things, but... I feel like I get stuck on the stuff I currently own and can't move on to newer things very easily.

Someone recently confronted me about my taste in games, and their point of view makes me out to be something of a bully when it comes to fighting games... But they're the minority and only real exception I've come across: everyone else I know is more than capable of being competitive and improving their skills...

Well, I guess there ARE some rare people who just aren't cut out to have a game controller or joystick in their hands... but, it bothers me that said people sometimes give up far too easily. I wish I could fix that self-condemning mindset others can have.

In terms of my recent tastes, I've been overly obsessed with forging weapons in Soul Calibur... I know it's weird to have a hobby over a game that rarely gets played except in small circles but... I just got the itch to craft powerful weapons for each of the game's respective fighting styles (Libra of Souls is very fun, even after several years this game has been out).

I still have my eyes on DNF Duel, The Rumble Fish 2+, and also GranBlue Fantasy Versus Rising (among many other titles). To say nothing of my gaming backlog and my PC that STILL needs to get fixed.

But, if I had to say the greatest gift you've given me, Santa... it's the gift to stay positive in a world of negative opinions and bias.

I've struggled a great deal with some people of late, others reject me outright and wish I'd disappear, and even when it comes to family members, I'm still juggling a delicate balance with some of my folks who don't even get along with themselves.

The world would be so much simpler if people just dropped their pride and got along.

Or, at least, that's my line of thinking.

Oh, so, you were thinking this would be a more positive letter, Santa?

Sorry about that... I got a lot on my mind.

I've been cleaning my Apartment, and that's a monumental task when you live by yourself.

Even though I'm busy, I'm glad there's a ton of GG fans to keep me busy though with community discussion of Lore and other topics related to Guilty Gear.

I've been keeping this tradition of writing the letters to you Santa, out of respect for the idea of whom you represent: Human Kindness.

I just want you to know I'm glad you've been supporting me all this while. And even if I'm not productive all the time, just the fact I can continue to talk about stuff I like on this blog of mine is a blessing I can never be too thankful for.

In terms of stuff I "want" for Christmas though... it's a bit complicated, since I'm still PLAYING my backlog of games... BUUUT... if I ever get around to it, I'll check out some other stuff when I get the chance.

I know a lot of people think I'm weird for only liking sword-based fighting games (i.e. GBFVSR, Samurai Shodown, Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, etc)... but the only thing I can really say is... that's just how I am: I like swords. I like weapons. I like armor. That's my schtick.

Some people only play SNK games or Capcom games or whatnot... I acknowledge that... but I just have different aesthetics.

Aside gaming though, I have to say Santa... please continue to support Comic Book, Manga, and Manhwa artists... I've been reading Berserk for a long time (even despite losing Miura) and just the fact that series is so loved by both fans and creators alike is amazing. I wish more comics got that level of support!

Though, it'd be great if someone talked to YouTube about their Advertising standards... I'm not interested in Gacha Commercials interrupting videos I watch for extended periods... but well... I'm just being nitpicky I guess. Just would be nice if they set their Ads between videos and not in the middle.

Anyways, Santa... just, for now, keep an eye on me.

I had to deal with the whole "being in a Hospital" thing this year... and that was something I am still mentally recovering over. But at least I'm mostly mended.

Next up: gotta visit a Dentist.... sigh... as if fixing my PC was easy by comparison!

Welp, that's it (I think?) I haven't even sucked up the courage to buy a PlayStation 5 yet... I doubt I will though, since I'm pretty content with my PS4 at the moment.

PC-wise... I dunno, there's a lot going on that needs fixing and I need an expert to advise me (even make a house-call, since I'm not taking this huge desktop on a bus with me to a shop).

I just hope when everyone's settled I can afford it.

But yeah... that's about it, Santa. I hope things are good on your end... gotta keep the Elves happy and all that. I bet feeding Reindeer is expensive too!

Take care... and I hope you have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(FYI I say "Christ" in Christmas... because I'm traditional, so deal with it!)

Yours Truly, Gear-Project (dot Tumblr)

P.S.: I'm still playing STRIVE despite the haters, so here's hoping next year is just as exciting for Guilty Gear!

[fellhellion]

can you make a rec list of your favorite fe3h fics? if that's alright?

OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE TO <3 always happy to give my fave works a shoutout <33333

Though mind u this is going to be a LOT so ill pop them under a cut

from the heart in exile

TLDR: platonic hubert edelgard fic that haunts me. It’s extremely good with really well written character voices and focuses on these two characters trying to find out who they are beyond the war with their friends refusing to leave them behind

Summary: 

You can’t speak just yet to whether time—and age? experience? not that war or rulership have given you much of the latter, at least in the area of gardening—has made your thumbs any less brown, but the house in the Oghma Mountains is surrounded by so many growing things it hardly seems to matter. It sits at the edge of a forest, on the gentle lower slopes, and the people in the nearest town had all smiled to speak of it when they pointed the way for Hubert, the day you arrived. A number of them were old enough to remember what it had been like, years ago, in the warm and golden before, and to insist that it had not changed in the ways that mattered. It was still full of light. The air still smelled green.

In which Edelgard keeps a garden, Hubert learns to fly, and those they leave behind refuse to be left behind.

----------------------------------------------

Watchtower

TLDR: platonic fic and amazing sylvain character study. Like genuinely one of the best i’ve ever read. If you’re someone who really wanted a deeper exploration of Sylvain’s feelings about Dimitri this fic is for u. 

Summary: 

When Sylvain is six and a half and climbs to the top of a tower with no one’s hand in his, he realizes that each and every one of the people he loves has been born as a gift to something else. Dimitri was born for Faerghus, and Felix was born for Dimitri. Glenn was born for the royal family, and Ingrid was born for Galatea and for Glenn. He realizes, too, that what they’re for decides their future. Dimitri will lead them into a better world. Felix will guide his path, and Glenn will protect his life, and Ingrid will bind her future to theirs.

And Sylvain, who was born for the border, will stand in a watchtower. He will see the enemy before it comes, and he will keep Dimitri and Felix and Ingrid and Glenn safe.

Dimitri reappears after five years. Sylvain knows it's his role to fix the mess they're in, but he doesn't know how.

-------------------------------------------

little light

TLDR: really good exploration of flayn and seteth’s relationship (+ with his wife and flayn’s mother) pre canon (also post canon if i remember right) just a really good if heartbreaking family fic 

Summary: 

"She is beautiful, and she is perfect. It is foolish to say so, because the goddess herself says perfect beings cannot exist - but Cichol knows now she must have been wrong, because his daughter is perfect. They name her Cethleann. In the old tongue, it means 'light.'"

Cichol, Cethleann, what they lost, and who they became.

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conjure the wind, ease my mind

TLDR: this author in general writes FANTASTIC work so pls check out their whole repertoire. a platonic fic between holst and claude w an exploration of claude’s past that’s just so good....found brotherhood i am WEEPING 

Summary: 

“I’d like to know what’s wrong. I’d like to help if I can.”

Calculating green eyes lock onto Holst’s own, but this time they’re laced with something a little bit like resignation

Many people call Duke Riegan a liar, but Holst feels like he knows the young man a bit better than that. To call him a liar is wrong, you see, because all Claude has ever really done is master the art of giving up as little of the truth as possible. He keeps truth close, treats it like a valuable commodity.

“I have three brothers,” he says. “Half-brothers.”

***

Claude won’t spar with Holst and Holst wants to know why.

----------------------------------------------

my fellow passerine

TLDR: same author as before and just...god this fic is so good. a platonic exploration of the relationship between Claude and Cyril. This fic has it all: found brotherhood, worldbuilding about Almyra, Claude character study, CYRIL character study. it’s just fantastic 

Summary:

Then the Alliance delegation shows up, and their offering strolls through the gates of the monastery like he already owns the place.

A reminder, for those who need it: Cyril is not an idiot. He has good eyes and he uses them.

An observation, for those who want it: The Golden Deer house leader is Almyran.

~

Cyril knows a lot more than he lets on, Claude is far less covert than he thinks he is, and messing with the guy your parents told you was a possibly-unkillable demon-prince isn’t usually supposed to earn you a lasting friendship but hey… life is already pretty damn weird.

-----------------------------------------

Autotomy

TLDR: god this ferdibert fic just fucking...destroys me. i cannot get through it without crying at least twice and usually more. it’s basically a CF canon divergence with a heavy HEAVY exploration of ferdinand and hubert’s perspectives towards usefulness and how abelist thinking affects that in their efforts to find Shambala after Ferdinand loses his sight from one of Hubert’s experimental spells. All while falling in love. this fic is VERY fucking heavy, please mind the tags, it’s amazing but it’s subject matter is something you need to be very aware of. Also i would highly reccomend reading the prequel to this fic as it provides some critical context to Hubert’s actions that you don’t get through Ferdinand’s flawed pov. Basically this author is a master of character perspective.

Summary: 

Ferdinand von Aegir's war record ends in 1182. The war does not.

Or, blind man's bluff.

---------------------------------------------

Coming of Age

TLDR: same author as before and god...just my FAVOURITE ferdinand character study. Takes place within the period Byleth is away. I don’t want to spoil anything but it’s incredible. Mines the fantastic character drama hook between Edelgard and Ferdinand that canon DIDNT rip

Summary: 

Ferdinand was a general. In theory. Edelgard had promised him continued command of his battalion, and a general needed a certain measure of wealth to supply his horses, his servants, his armor and rations and lodgings and, she’d promised.

But his father sat rotting in a cell, or worse, and it could be nothing more than a fable they thought him simple enough to believe. What did promises matter?

When the house of Aegir collapses around him, Ferdinand struggles to forge a path forward. He quickly discovers he can't manage it alone -- and neither, perhaps, can Edelgard.

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Another Life

TLDR: same author AGAIN (can u tell theyre my favourite fjsdhfk). Ferdibert fic, a man loving his partner and trying to figure out the best way to support them as they silently wrestle with questions about their gender identity is something that can be so PERSONAL and make u CRY god. also dark flier hubert my beloved. 

Summary: 

Ferdinand notices things. He cannot say what he notices, precisely, because he has no one to ask, and if he were to ask Hubert it would damn well result in every questioned moment up and vanishing forever behind a new wall of prickly austerity. Ferdinand cannot risk that. The things that he notices stick in his chest, and he thinks only, but.

Hubert wrestles with unasked questions; Ferdinand wrestles with a pegasus.

---------------------------------------------

Beneath the Sheets of Paper Lies My Truth

TLDR: Dimilix fic in my FAVOURITE fucking format of secondary in game historical sources exploring their relationship in retrospective.

Summary:

It was said that Duke Fraldarius’s grief at King Dimitri’s death was more potent than even the queen’s—but said by whom, and how, and why?

-----------------------------------------

A Fair Day’s Work

TLDR: Post CF Canon ferdibert where Hubert and Ferdinand’s overworked aides desperately try to get them together so they’ll be too busy being uhhhh AMOUROUS to give them so much work. Very much a romantic comedy with very fun OCs as our protags. 

Summary:

“I may have some coffee in the place for you,” said Prime Minister Aegir. “Let me show you how much better I have become at brewing it to your taste.”

“If you insist,” said Minister Vestra but he sounded pleased. To Delarivier, who had literally made it her profession to attune herself to his tone (usually ranging from sort-of-murder-y to extremely-murder-y), Minister Vestra sounded very pleased indeed.

--

Ferdinand and Hubert's long-suffering aides figure out a way to work fewer hours.

----------------------------------------

Roost

TLDR: Dimilix post AM Canon with some pre canon moments. Basically an exploration of the complexity of their relationship with bird symbolism and extra Holy Kingdom lore. Gifting ur lover a vulture is something that can be so personal fksdhfsjkd

Summary:

Dimitri makes an affirmative noise. Then he takes a breath, voice leveling out into what Felix had long ago dubbed his 'future king voice', all steady explanation: “Long ago, the saying fledged right along with the nobles' and royal family's love of hawking, and it has remained a common phrase from one generation to the next. As adviser to the king, the duke is meant to be regal and strong, even deadly when required, from his place at the king's side. To always act as the most piercing, watchful eyes over the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and her sovereign."

He looks over to Felix as soon as his mouth snaps shut on the final word, as always seeking approval on his recitations.

Felix tilts his head, trying to look unimpressed. “I like eagles.”

A hand automatically comes up to cover the lower half of Dimitri's face, muffling the inarticulate sound of a snort of amusement. “That is good, since you are to be mine.”

***

They say an eagle watches over Fhirdiad.

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A faint and faraway sound

TLDR: Ferdibert with an excellent Hubert centric character study....just so good...makes me warm and fuzzy...the mutual pining and ROMANCE of it all

Summary: 

Hubert learns to be a person, with a lot of help and complication along the way.

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In golden light

TLDR: A really REALLY good ferdibert fic with ferdinand centric pov that focuses on him reflecting on his life as he prepares the Aegir house to become a boarding school. Ferdinand sibling exploration is ABOUND here and it’s great

Summary: 

When his family's summer home at Lake Aegir is set to be converted to a boarding academy, Ferdinand pays it one last visit and contemplates his complicated relationship with family, love, and legacy.

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one three four three four zero

TLDR: the fic that actually got me into dimilix. VERY heavy character study and you NEED to mind both the general fic tags and the content warnings the author lists for each chapter but it’s incredible. Takes a very familiar trope and just. slams you in the face with over 60k words of amazing character study. 

Summary: 

“How are you going to get the One-Eyed Demon of Garreg Mach, the Boar Prince of Faerghus, smuggled past Dukedom soldiers? What plan could you possibly have to get a creature that incapable of even pretending it isn’t a bloodthirsty beast into Dominic without getting caught?”

The Professor gives him one of their steady, unreadable stares. They definitely do not and could not possibly have answered him, “You’re going to pretend to be married to him.”

or, How to Pretend to be Married When One of You Can't Stop Hallucinating and the Other One Uses Hostility to Cope

[shera-dnd]

Lori’s New Troll Lore

So me and my friend took very different approaches to rewriting the lore of these fantasy races. While Sal had the approach of making all the canon lore be born from in universe racism and misunderstandings, while creating the real lore of what these people really are instead of how they’re perceived by external groups (which is a fucking amazing btw)

I decided to go with a simpler approach of taking the very basic of what is canon to the universe and then reworking it so that it becomes its own unique thing, free of the usual yikes.

So what do we know for sure about troll canon. Well they can regenerate like crazy and can only be killed by fire or acid. They have amazing dark vision, at the price of being sensitive to bright lights (apparently that’s not in their stat sheet, but it’s referenced in lore). They’re a matriarchal society (weird how only evil cultures are matriarchal in D&D. I wonder why that would be the case), lead by shamans. And they’re sorta kinda giants, because they were born of the demigod Vaprak, who was born from... well when The All Father pulled a Zeus with a sorceress (Yes, depicting a child born from this kind of shit as inherently monstrous and evil is profoundly fucked up)

As you can see this shit is just full of yikes, but there are still a lot that can be salvaged here and put to good use creating an interesting story, so let’s see what I managed to make with all this

(I added a keep reading link, because this shit got loooooooooong)

~~~

Fire is the greatest enemy of Troll kind. It blinds them, it burns their flesh and it reminds them all of their own mortality, to this terrifying force of nature they show equal parts fear and respect. For in the hands of the old and wise, fire can still be used to make grand things.

Of course most troll children aren’t born with this inherent knowledge, so little they’re exposed to anything that could ever do them real harm. Young trolls have this sense that they’re immortal, invincible. When two trolls fight they could suffer terrible wounds that would kill even the mightiest of human warriors a dozen times over, and still get up and laugh it off.

From this two things can be gathered about troll kind. First that their disdain for armor and fancy clothes, comes entirely from practical reasons. What point is there in wasting resources in equipment that will get completely destroyed in a quick scuffle.

Second, that when it comes to real conflict, who wins is not the strongest troll, but the smartest. In the absence of fire or acid, the only real way to best a troll is by outsmarting them or outrunning them. This is one of the many reasons why it is wisdom, and not strength, that makes for a great leader. 

It is also wisdom that allows for some trolls to work terrifying force of fire. Those who can treat that force with respect and who have fully understood what it means to hold in their hands the only thing that can kill their own people.

Still fire is very rarely used. They do not need it as a light source, they do not need it to cook their food or to heat their bodies, and they have very little use for metal tools. Fire in troll culture serves only one use, as a funeral pyre.

In the rare occasion when a troll truly dies, their body is burned and their ashes returned to the world. To many young trolls this is the first time they’re shown the destructive force of fire and learn of their own mortality. But in a way this ritual is less about how a troll dies, but more about how a troll lives on.

From those pyres banquets are prepared, their ashes are spread and seeds are planted where they were scattered. In this way a troll’s death is simply a means for them to truly become immortal.

In recent years metal tools have also been forged from these pyres, as more and more other cultures push into troll land, the more they must protect themselves from those who so carelessly brandish flame and magic.

Of course there are always grand tales about these tools, both of the people who brandished them and the people who became them. There are legends of an old troll queen whose corpse refused to burn away, keeping her pyre burning from 7 days and from that fire many grand weapons are forged - some hich are said to still carry her will.

Or perhaps the tale of the old wise woman who used a shield and a hammer to create an avalanche, thwarting a conquering army and humbling their warlord. It’s said that the shield forged from her pyre could stop even the acid breath of a black dragon.

Those are the story of the great troll people, of their strength and their wisdom, carried on in the world around us and in the many stories of their children.

~~~

Okay so that was a lot. One last bit that I wanted to write down is how they relate to the 13 classes of D&D. Gonna keep these quick and simple, because jesus christ I’ve been writing this shit for over an hour

Artificer: One wouldn’t expect them to have many artificers, but you’d be surprised with how much they can achieve without the use of metal. Ingenuity and cleverness goes a long way for Artificers and trolls have plenty of that. Though they do tend to prefer Alchemy as their field of study.

Barbarian: Rarer than most people think. Unyielding rage will only ever get you so far when fighting other trolls and their rage can’t do much to protect them from magical fire. Those that do exist lean towards the Path of the Ancestral Guardian

Bard: The living memory of the troll people. They retell the grand tales of their ancestors and share their wisdom with new generations. Many who follow this tradition lean towards the College of Lore

Cleric: Trolls prefer to worship their ancestors more than they worship gods. The one exception being Vaprak themself, as they’re the oldest of troll ancestors. Clerics do not have a particular preference towards any domain, as there’s certainly at least one great troll out there with a tale relating to each of them.

Druid: The most common of spell casters and wise leaders in troll communities. Though they may join any circle, the Circle of the Moon seems to attract particularly few of them, as their bodies far outmatch those of most natural beasts.

Fighter: Where there’s a fight to be had, there are fighters to fight it, troll culture is no exception. 

Monk: Troll martial arts tend to center around grappling and pinning their foe, a victory by submission is often the best one can hope to achieve when dueling another of their kind. Still there are some who learn the ways of the Monk and how to channel their Ki to make their bodies even deadlier

Paladin: There are no classic paladin orders to be found among trolls, but as rare as they might be, there are still individuals who would dedicate so much of themselves to a cause that something out there - ancestor or god - is compelled to land them their aid.

Ranger: No society would have ever gone that far without rangers, hunters and guides, to lead them through the natural world. Trolls are no different.

Rogue: It may seem silly to think of something as large as a troll sneaking around, but it’s this sort of thinking that makes such clever people the deadliest and fiercest among their kind.

Sorcerer: Sometimes magic simply manifests itself to a person. Elves, humans, orcs and trolls alike, magic flows through them all and can awaken just as easily in any of them.

Warlock: Most trolls who seek this path are too young to understand the consequences of they’re doing. Perhaps they have never seen a funeral pyre being lit and are confident of their own immortality, or perhaps they have and are doing everything within their power to avoid such fate

Wizard: Only the old and wizened are ever allowed to take such a path, for such terrifying power cannot be taught to one who would use it carelessly, and far too many tales were ended far too soon by a single stray spell.

AND WE ARE FINALLY DONE. Hope you enjoyed this absurdly long read and please feel free to offer me feed back and your own unique takes on other fantasy races. Please do keep your advice constructive. I know I probably fucked up some bits back there, but nothing here is set in stone and a lot can be rewriten and changed as necessary

[archivistsammy]

"What, you really haven't heard of us? What kind of angel are you, we're- we're the freaking Winchesters."

In my last post, I looked at how I felt Castiel embodied the energy of the tarot card the Fool, card #0. Today I want to continue the tarot conversation by looking at the next card in line, the Magician. There are a lot of characters who fit this archetype, including Rowena, Lucifer, maybe even Gabriel or Jack. But for me, the real Magician is Sam.

I mentioned the Magician comes right after the Fool, our official card #1. Some people see the major arcana as a journey the Fool takes, taking different roles as the journey progresses, and some people see the figures that follow the Fool as characters that he encounters. Regardless, the Magician represents the same things, especially in relation to the Fool. Where the Fool indicates potential, faith, and naivety, the Magician indicates intention and direction. 

The card is usually depicted with a figure pointing one finger to the heavens and one to the earth, a table laid out with each of the four suits (or elements). The figure holds a magician’s wand, and bears an infinity symbol above their head. The imagery suggests access to resources and the infinite possibility for combining and using them. There’s a sense of manifestation, action, and willpower, but there’s no moral imperative for what kind of action is taken. This is why Bakara Wintner talks about the Magician as someone who "toes the line between the true miracle-worker and the trickster."

Sam has this resourcefulness. How many times has Sam tried something in the moment, based on previous knowledge and experience, and had it work out. Directing Dean to park on the hallowed ground of a fallen church in “Route 666.″ Painting their faces in blood to mask that they’re alive when Samhain is raised in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester.” His impulsive—but successful—reverse-exorcism in “What’s Up, Tiger Mommy.” 

I think one of the key aspects of Sam’s resourcefulness is his confidence. He believes in the power of past experience to inform the present, and he trusts in his instincts. This is also part of being a Magician. I love how Melissa Cynova talks about the power of the Magician in a reading, how the card “represents self-love, self-awareness, and confidence. It's one thing to know for certain that you're going to do something. It's something altogether different to know for certain that you're going to succeed.” When I brought this up with Katharine, she brought up Sam’s response to Alistair in the final act of “On the Head of a Pin” when Sam cockily dismisses Alistair’s comment about Sam sending him back to Hell. “I’m stronger than that now,” Sam says with a smile. “Now I can kill.” And he does. 

Confidence, of course, doesn’t have to mean cockiness or arrogance. It doesn’t have to mean domination. And for Sam, his confidence is usually of a much softer sort. Katharine, our resident Sam-Whisperer, reminded me of this when she also brought up Sam’s words in “It’s a Terrible Life” regarding his life and hunting. "All I know is, I got this feeling in my gut. And I know—I know that deep down, you gotta be feeling it too. We're supposed to be something else." Sam’s sense of self is unshakeable, and his confidence in his own instincts in this moment is powerful. 

Then we have the quote I used to open this post. I was sort of iffy on using it—it falls a little back into that arrogant category that demon-blood-bender Sam really lives in. But the more I think about Sam stating what, in all honesty, I’m shocked neither Winchester says more often, the more I like it. Because Sam asking Metatron in “The Great Escapist” incredulously if he really hasn’t heard of them gets at the inherent Magician-ness of both Winchesters pretty neatly. We’ve stopped the Apocalypse, Sam seems to be saying. Defeated the Mother of All Evil, saved the world from Leviathans, survived Purgatory and Hell! What haven’t the brothers achieved? What magic haven’t they worked to still be standing after the horrors that they’ve faced? Sam has a right to wonder why the scribe of God has somehow missed the memo on God’s most chosen of children. 

Thinking of confidence and sense of self also makes me think about Benebell Wen’s take on the Magician. “To wield the intensity of concentration needed for omnipotent power, one must be strong in both spirituality and character,” she writes. “Thus, the Magician card often appears in spreads for those who are strong in spirituality and character. It is the card of individuality.” “Strong in both spirituality and character” alongside “the card of individuality” really calls Sam to my mind. Sam’s faith in those early seasons, his willingness to believe God may be talking to him even in season 11 after God has proven time and time again to be largely uninvested. Sam wanting to be a lawyer, wanting to help people. Taking charge and guiding the folks of Apocalypse World. Sam forging his own way after loss, after grief, after anguish. That is all evidence of his strength in spirit. That is strength of character. Sam maintains up until the final episodes of the final season that he and Dean’s righteous positions will find purchase, even when they are challenging God himself. Of the two brothers, Sam is ever the optimist, always willing to find a way to make a situation work. He will use what resources he has, what willpower he can still muster, and he will make something work or die trying. He’s both trickster, and miracle-worker, and his heart is always in the right place.

I want to close out this post by thinking of the Magician and Sam one final way, and that’s as a “vessel,” as Rachel Pollack sees the Magician. 

He is not casting spells or conjuring demons. He simply stands with one hand raised to heaven and the other pointed to the green earth. He is a lightning rod. By opening himself up to the spirit he draws it down into himself, and then that downward hand, like a lightning rod buried in the ground, runs the energy into the earth. Into reality.

She’s talking about the imagery of the card, and informing those of us who read tarot that, as the Magician is a conduit for spirit, so too are tarot readers. Through use of these tools, we become conduits to whatever is sending us the messages. This can be contested, of course, and isn’t a universal belief re: tarot. But it is, quite literally, the truth when it comes to Sam*. 

Sam is Lucifer’s vessel; he is a literal conduit or channel for divine intervention. He has the potential within him for great feats of power and violence, and with his past brushes with demon blood, this is a potential he is hyper-aware of and anxious about. Sam’s role as “lightning rod,” so to speak, is a lot of what drives his cultivation of spirit and character. Sam wants to do good, and wants to believe he is good, and he makes choices as the series goes on to live up to those desires. Sam’s worries about himself are aligned with the reversed energies of this card, such as the potential for manipulation, the misallocation of resources, and a lack of empathy. Essentially, the Sam we meet when he is soulless. 

Luckily for us and the others on the show, Sam largely lives in the role of the Magician defined by Melissa Cynova and Benebell Wen. He’s driven to do good and help people, putting his resourcefulness to work in the best possible way, the lore as his tools of his metaphysical trade. And, of course, by the close of the show, he’s also a bonafide witch, a literal magician on top of his Magician-like qualities. And we always love to see it.

*Also Sam is literally a witch. So. Jot that down. 

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of Marvel: Week of July 24th, 2019

Best of this Week: House of X #1 - Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia and Clayton Cowles

“You have new Gods now.” - Erik Lehnsherr, 2019

The new era of X-Men is here and for all of its familiarity, it does something new and sort of unsettling with a tried and true formula. This is thanks to the beauty and scale of Larraz’s art and the far and wide nature with which Jonathan Hickman is crafting yet another saga to rival both his SHIELD and Avengers runs. If you let it, House of X will engulf you in a rich new mutant world filled with happiness and untold amounts of pride by it end, but also with a good helping of fear… as if everything is just a little bit off.

The book begins with a great wide shot of a figure staring up at what appears to be the root of or at least some important part of a tree. Two other figures, a woman with red hair and a man with glowing eyes, are birthed from two sacs under the tree and we get the familiar line, “To me, my X-Men. Presumably, this is Charles Xavier and as we progress, this idea is made clear as it seems we are doing away with the “X” identity he took up during Astonishing X-Men (2018). This also serves as some clear symbolism of a new rebirth for the X-Men.

Over the next few panels, we are shown shots of various X-Men planting flowers, plucked from the island of Krakoa, in various areas from their home in Westchester, New York to Mars, the moon and the Savage Land. The book is then framed around Magneto and two of the Stepford Cuckoos giving ambassadors from various countries a tour of the various locales that Krakoa has been placed upon as they ponder Charles’ proposed deal. This deal would allow them to make use of the flowers of Krakoa for various medicinal purposes, possibly making the world a much better place, so long as they agree to recognizing the sovereignty of the Krakoa nation state. A new Haven for Mutantkind.

Of course there have been such efforts made in the past. Genosha, the first and most prominently mentioned example, is alluded to have been the catalyst for humankind not being taken over by the mutant X gene. Mutantkind apparently would have become the dominant race on the planet Earth within ten years if not for Genosha’s destruction. Asteroid M and Utopia weren’t mentioned, but my guess is that they simply weren’t as impactful in regard to mutant kind likely because of the events of House of M (2005) dwindling their numbers to nothing. As it stands now, after the implementation of Krakoa spiking the birth rates to much higher than previously calculated, that humanity has about 20 years left.

These estimations are made by a brand new organization known as The Orchis Protocol, a network built for the purpose of monitoring evolutionary anomalies and preparing a doomsday protocol in case humanity is threatened by Homo Superior. The organization apparently consists of ex assets from practically all major organizations in the Marvel Universe from AIM, SHIELD and Hydra to even Hammer, Alpha Flight and SWORD. Some of Larraz’s best shots are in the scenes where we’re introduced to this mysterious group. They pilot a ship towards the sun and we get a good shot of the outside of a portion of their space station as they dock their ship.

Karima, an Omega Sentinel character that hasn’t been seen since sometime after Second Coming (2010) accompanies an Orchis higher up as they talk about the state of absolutely giant station so close to the sun. We get a bit of a tour before we get the best and most ominous shot of the full station. It appears to be the head of MASTER MOLD surrounded by hexagonal plates, the most terrifying shape in all of fiction. Master Mold hasn’t been really seen since about 1994, and again in 2010 because of universe jump in Second Coming. Master Mold was one of the X-Men’s most dangerous threats for it ability to produce sentinels at a rapid rate, so there’s no way that this can mean anything good.

Cutting back to New York, Mystique, Sabretooth and Toad are stealing information from the Damage Control Database. Mystique and Toad manage to get away, but Creed is captured by Invisible Woman and the rest of the Fantastic Four. Scott Summers shows up to remind them of the amnesty that’s apparently been granted to mutants, including thieves and possible killers like Sabretooth. Scott and, normally even tempered, Reed butt heads a little bit as Reed has a problem with Sabretooth getting away with his crimes and Scott acquiesces, seeing that Reed is serious. Scott does leave them with one sick burn as he tells Reed and Sue that Franklin has actual family on Krakoa when he’s ready.

What I love best about this scene is just how smug Reed is about all of this. For years, mutants have tried to stay out of the affairs of the greater Superhero world out of fear for their reputations. The shoe is on the other foot now that they have all of the leverage and the power that they so deserve. Even more awesomely, Scott’s new costume is a fantastic design combining the best of his Astonishing costume with the angular design of his Uncanny X-Men costume, minus the X mask, with blue lines instead of red.

Speaking of colors, Marte Garcia excelled in this regard. There’s so much symbolism to be gleaned from something as simple as a color change. Cyclops wore that suit in a red hue when he was a violent radical; having it recolored blue gives off the hint that he’s still a radical, but in the way that he dealt with the situation between Reed, he’s more hands off, non-violent even. Magneto normally wears red and purple when he’s angry and evil and gray during the AXIS (2015) era and that alluded to his anti-hero nature during that time. This go around he’s wearing white. He’s also peaceful, but at the same time he’s as graceful and imposing as he always has been, never betraying the idea that he is still the same man, but won’t harm anyone as long as they respect mutants. The most glaring example is the change in color from the AIM scientists where they’re wearing red instead of yellow.

In between each different scene we’re given these little interludes in the form of documents called Xavier files. These give some background on the new elements introduced in the book and the best one is the Omega Level file. There have been hundreds of mutants introduced over the years, many of which could have been considered Omega Level mutants, but thanks to Hickman’s expert writing, things have been parsed down to just fourteen. On Twitter, he stated that the X-Men lore was nothing but chaos, so he wrote a 14,000 word memo on what the new status quo would be, including limiting the use of the term “Omega Level.” This undoubtedly helps to establish something of a power structure given the high number of mutants that are known about while also acknowledging other heroes. Notably, while Forge is a master of technopathy, his level has been surpassed by humans in the past, but Magneto is the only master of Magnetism.

I want to bring things back to the tour. After it is over, several of the ambassadors agree to support Xavier. Russia’s ambassador never had intentions too, neither did one of the representatives of STRIKE as he was simply assigned to watch another ambassador. The last ambassador had a weapon hidden and Magneto immediately dismantles it and promises to each of them that things will be different. He wants them to tell their superiors that while Charles made the offer out of grace and love, it is NOT a negotiation.

Magneto takes pride in this. So much so that his assurance and steadfastness in his stance is powerful. It moved me. He tells them to be grateful for the bounty they’re receiving out of graciousness as mutants, like Thanos, are inevitable. It’s like he can actually see a future, one not shrouded in darkness for mutants and he’s smiling because he knows it’s coming.

This is one of the more interesting aspects of the book. Charles Xavier had always wanted to coexist with humanity, but after years of divisions and attacks, he seems to mostly be done with that. He’s willing to give humanity Krakoa’s flowers to make pills that will help them as long as they leave mutants alone. He’s effectively made something that will definitely topple the pharmaceutical market and he has to know that humanity would start to get very afraid. Not only that, but Krakoa has the ability to create portals that can move mutants from place to place without humans being able to track where they’re going. Of course the ambassadors are afraid of the use they could have as far as movement and positioning in case things went to war, but Magneto assures them that it is only them that wants war.

Everything seems perfect. Everything seems like it’s going to be alright, but that helmet… something about that helmet and the bodysuit reminds me of The Maker, another Jonathan Hickman creation from his turn on The Ultimates. It scares me and I needed that, I needed something to keep me hooked and the fear that everything is not as it seems is just that.

House of X hit the ground running. While it does little to acknowledge the fantastic Uncanny X-Men run from Matthew Rosenberg, that’s probably for the best. Jonathan Hickman does his best work when he has a fresh slate. He took over Avengers from Brian Michael Bendis and made an amazing story over the course of nearly four years. He reinvigorated SHIELD and the Fantastic Four with innovative stories that had nothing to do with the books prior to them. Hell, the reverberations of his runs on each of these are still being felt to this day.

Pepe Larraz was possibly the absolute best artist to capture Hickman’s vision for this project. His high angles and wide shots give credence to the size of the story. His facial expressions give into the idea that mutants have won this time, there’s hope where previously there was none. Body language surprisingly upbeat, bouncy even. There’s a lot to say about symbolism in terms of sun positioning in many scenes. The book has many showing the sun rising, symbolically showing a rise for the mutants. I see Orchis base near the sun as an allegory for Icarus flying too close to it. As the book ends with a sunset over Jerusalem, I see things as the sun setting on the time of humanity.

X-Men and their vast history is absolutely ripe for fine tuning if not complete destruction only for it to be made bigger and better in the years to come. I have no idea where this story is going and with 80,000 spin-offs incoming with a bunch of different creative teams, there will absolutely be something for everyone. In an attempt to revitalize a part of the world that used to sell like gangbusters, Jonathan Hickman is gearing up to shoot the X-Men right back up to the moon and light the world on fire behind them.

[fivepercentgodsandearths]

9 Reaches To Decode Black Panther **SPOILERS ALERT**   After seeing the Black Panther film I knew I had to pen a think piece to share what I saw. Not to debate the pros or cons of seeing it but to share with those who did see it some deeper insight into the symbolism, folklore and science throughout the film. Even though Black Panther is a 1966 comic developed by a couple of Jewish guys, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, when Christopher Priest, a black man, began writing the Black Panther comic in 1998, this character served as the inspiration behind the Marvel Studios film Black Panther. The story is about T'Challa, heir to a mythical NE African throne in the land of Wakanda; an isolated society comprised of 18 tribes who for centuries has possessed an alien element called vibranium that they acquired from a fallen meteor. Nearly indestructible and one of the most powerful substances on the planet, vibranium is used to create wealth and the highest technological advances known to humans. It is also the element that was used to forge Captain America's shield. Wisely hidden away from the outside world, the Black Panther and his council of tribal of elders known as the Taifa Ngao, have primarily kept Wakanda safe and free from outside influence for the majority of their existence. Like the Five Percent as in Wakandan culture, education or knowledge is viewed as a fundamental building block of its nation. As all things change, Wakandan culture is eventually discovered and the 10% [world’s powers] plot to pillage their vibranium. T’Challa’s father T'Chaka, the current Black Panther and King of Wakanda, is assassinated at the UN thus forcing T’Challa to step up and lead his people as the next Black Panther. The film covers his transition into that role and the challenges, literally, that come along with it. Before I get into the symbolism, folklore and science throughout the film, I think I need to give some context into why Black Panther Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit. First and foremost he is wealthier than any superhero in the DC or Marvel Universes. In other words, he's got more paper than Bruce Wayne, Tony Starks and Floyd Mayweather combined, and he has actual superpowers. Black Panther has super strength, psychic abilities, invisibility, super stamina, clairvoyance, master acrobat, healing factors, necromancy and other powers. If you, and especially the youth around you, have never really checked out the Black Panther comic I would encourage you to. If it's not you, what other fictional or nonfictional images of power are youth exposed to? If you cannot think of any, don't complain; either create them or support those who are creating them. Alright, here are some things I peeped in the Black Panther film that I think are worthy of sharing with you: 1. For my Yonians, central to the Wakandan culture was the worship of the Neteru Bast. Bast, in her ancient Kemetic zoomorphic form, is the symbol of the cat; what some people, particularly men, call a p*ssy. Partly symbolizing a protectress, Bast is the reasoning behind the powerful woman-led Dora Milaje warriors. This is also why present day f*ckboys seek to shack up with Bast women and take advantage of her Okoye loyalty. The heart-shaped sacred herb, a symbol of Bast's transferred power that enhances a person's strength, mobility, stamina, endurance and instincts, resembled a yoni and was cultivated in the subterranean regions of Wakanda... 2. A 'Monger' is a dealer or trader. 'Erik' is a Norse or Proto-Germanic name which means eternal ruler. Thus Erik Killmonger means "an eternal ruler who deals death." As a sexual innuendo of his toxic masculinity, his notches  for "bodies" [body counts] went well beyond his belt and covered his entire upper body. He clearly had no love for women as shown by the non-relationship with his mother, shooting his Bonnie & Clyde companion in the head, choking out a elder caretaker of the heart-shaped herb and demanding that she burn its sacred garden, slitting the throat of one of the Dora Milaje, slicing Nakia across her leg and almost murdering Shuri. This is what he did, yet many women have still shown sympathy for Killmonger's actions. "I understand what he was trying to do" I've heard many women say, "to fight for oppressed people" -even though there was no tangible evidence of him working with oppressed people, which includes women. This helped me better understand why some women, not all women, rationalize staying in abusive relationships, keep dudes around because the sex is Killmonger and follow conscious community miscreants; Stockholm syndrome. Some of us love words and potential yet fail to acknowledge what folks are actually doing. I've seen the argument that Killmonger is the result of being left in America, disconnected from his people, and it's not his fault. I agree that abandonment was not his fault and Killmonger's feelings about that family dysfunction were understandable; many black people in the wilderness of North America can relate and feel the same way. Yet his resolve with those feelings, as an eternal ruler who deals death, was not wise nor did it make him a hero. From his own mouth he prided himself on his assimilation into "the white man's" society, via his military experience, and he brought those colonialist ways to Wakanda. King T'Chaka was wrong for abandoning Killmonger as a child in America and Killmonger was wrong for how he handled that disappointment, as an adult, with his family and people. We need warriors with the aggression and passion of a Killmonger, especially as a Border tribesman, but not sitting on no throne. His inconsideration for other men and insensitivity to women, children and the society at large were qualities of a self appointed tyrant who rules by fear, not the qualities of a just and true King. Killmonger's "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, cause they knew death was better than bondage" quote and other revolutionary words were noble but I didn't see one act that demonstrated his capacity to be a loving Husband [King], a Father raising children [successors to the throne] with integrity and a Man of his people wisely working with his counsel of elders. 3. The burial ritual to connect with Wakandan ancestors and inherit the Bastian power of the Black Panther is similar to the Recapitulation technique some warriors in indigenous tribes use to also connect with their ancestral past and gain clarity of their life purpose. In Freemasonic lore it's also symbolic to the shallow grave the Master Architect Hiram Abiff was buried in before he was raised with a lion's paw grip. After you select an appropriate burial spot, usually among trees and in an isolated area beyond human disruption, a shallow grave is dug East [head] to West [feet] about 2 feet deep that's a little longer and wider than ones body. Next layer the bottom with a blanket. After that search the area for sticks and large leaves to cover the tomb that stops the soil from filtering through. You start covering the grave from the bottom to the top and once it's almost complete you climb in and finish covering it as you lay inside leaving a small hole for air. Fasting is important before you do it and the length of time you remain varies. I've done it for 24 hours and the best time to leave the grave is sunrise or sunset. The whole idea is to meditate on our demise as a form of detachment from the world. An earthen self-deprivation chamber, this is literally a place to reflect upon the past and present life and what they can do in the future. 4. M'Baku, King of the Jabari Tribe, in the comic he is the leader of the White Gorilla Cult because he gained his superhuman powers by killing a white gorilla, bathing in its blood, eating its flesh, and then he took on the name Man-Ape. The M'Baku line, "If you say one more word, I'll feed you to my children! I'm kidding. We're vegetarians" in the film was a play on that comic book backstory. Although the mountain ranges M'Baku and his tribe inhabit is nowhere near the Caucasus Mountains, I found it interesting that pre-Farrakhanian Nation of Islam members under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad [THEM] openly taught that white people [devils] that were exiled from our homeland and living in the caves tried to graft themselves back into the original black man. In the process some became [white] gorillas. In fact, he taught that the entire monkey family are from the 2,000 year history of the white race living in the Caucasus Mountains. Although M'Baku carried a shillelagh, THEM also taught that the guards of these mountain boarders kept weapons [flaming swords] to stop these humanoids from coming back among the original people. The above image is from the first page of the 1998 Black Panther comic by Christopher Priest where Agent Ross remarks that, "ZURI was into his THIRD re-telling of how the great god T’Chaka ran the evil white devils out from their ancient homeland." Naw I don't think Stan Lee, Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole drew these parallels and wrote that. Christopher Priest obviously had knowledge of this and I could see the parallels. 5. After Get Out Chris Washington got WOKE, changed his gubment name to W'Kabi and started a rhinoceros farm on the fringes of Wakanda as leader of the Boarder tribe. After Rose 'Beckyed' him it's obvious he ain't been right since.   6. Tobias Whale is Killmonger's uncle; Killmonger's mother's brother. Whale developed a hatred for Black Lightning because N'Jobu reminded him of the Wakandans and the metahuman Black Panther who exiled albinos to the lands where they were hunted, killed and their bones ground up as a power potion, as Lady Eve reminded him. Green Light is a synthetic form of vibranium and when Quentin caught wind of what Killmonger was doing he came back to the Chi to re-stake his claim as a Frank Lucas-like vibranium plug for the 100. Lastly, Kevin was around at the end of the film asking T'Challa questions about his ship because he was with his family in Cali who happened to stay in the hood Killmonger grew up in. Kevin was out there laying low after shooting Ronnie. 7. When it comes to even just conceptualizing a Wakandian society, one of the downfalls of many men is trying to f*ck the Nakia's, Okoye's, Ayo's, Shuri's and Xoliswa's on their team instead of working with them. One of the downfalls of many women is allowing them to. 8. I loved seeing all of the Wakanda inspired regalia at the Black Panther movie premieres around the country. I haven't seen it since Kwanzaa and I look forward to seeing it again during Juneteenth. 9. Black Panther had the fifth biggest opening of all time and broke box office records during its opening weekend. It's the largest opening for a black Director, the second biggest opening for a Marvel Studios film and currently the #1 RATED FILM OF ALL TIME via Rotten Tomatoes. Not only does this demonstrate the earning potential of films told from our perspective but this, along with Get Out, is reshaping the false narrative that black themed films not doing box office numbers domestically and internationally. While some may see this as production houses and film companies becoming more open to our pitched ideas and potential larger pay dates, I see it as a watershed moment of self reliance and cooperative economics. Many of us already know our buying power as a black community, but willfully this galvanizes us to do more, culturally and artistically. Some felt as though nothing could top the response of Get Out, but here we have it, and this film won't be the last. Peace, Saladin Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, with Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis. The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole wrote the screenplay.

http://atlantisschool.blogspot.com/2018/02/9-reaches-to-decode-black-panther.html

[myhahnestopinion]

The Night A CANONIZED BRAIN-DEAD HOLIDAY REGURGITATION Came Home: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT III - BETTER WATCH OUT! (1989)

It’s October, the true “most wonderful time of the year.” Cool breeze, crunchy leaves underfoot, that new Blade Runner film looks pretty cool, and, of course, there’s Halloween. Last year, to celebrate the season, I decide to delve into the weird world of horrible horror films. Over the course of the month, my sanity was slowly chipped away by the onslaught of unbelievably incompetent horror films I discovered, leaving me a bewildered, defeated husk of my former self come my favorite holiday.

And so, naturally, I decided to embark on this journey once again. Due to a busier schedule than last year, I will be tackling less films this time, but don’t worry! With the quality of films I’m analyzing this year, it won’t take long for me to reach the same point of enervation. Last year during this series, I encountered some of the worst films I have ever seen in my life, including Where Evil Lives, The Nightmare Never Ends, and, of course, Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2, perhaps the most grueling film experience of all time. Let’s hope that this year is a little bit kinder to me.

…

No. No! NO! This… this can’t be. This can’t be real!

Yes, there is a third Silent Night, Deadly Night movie. Somehow, after a film so ill-constructed and languid that it consisted of over 40 minutes of clips from the first movie - OVER 40 MINUTES OF CLIPS - followed by an infamous series of surreal events that made me literally start tearing out my hair in fits of frustrated disbelief… they made another sequel. A sequel where the aspect the director is most proud of is how quickly they made it. Silent Night, Deadly Night Part III: Better Watch Out!, a title that is certainly a threat, not a warning.

The film begins harmlessly enough, in that I can actually tell that this is going to be a real movie, unlike Part 2. After opening credits, we follow a teenager named Laura Anderson, as she navigates around a series of bright-white hallways. They’re deserted. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. When what to my wondering eyes did appear, but…  a man with a glass dome over his exposed brain, brandishing a scalpel?

Wait, that’s not right. I thought these were Christmas themed movies? How’d we get stuck with this guy who looks like he was rejected from a rejected X-Files episode? A man with a fake brain that is clearly too big for his skull, because while they obviously spent some time on this prosthetic, they didn’t care quite enough?

So, Laura runs away from this brainy man through the hallways… right into the arms of Santa Claus! Santa pulls a knife on her, and she screams! Ah, yes, there’s that holiday cheer I was looking for! 

Laura awakens in a doctor’s office. “What did you dream about?” nearby Dr. Newbury asks?

“I dreamed about Christmas,” she replies, adding, “Obviously because tonight is Christmas Eve.” Why, yes, obviously, Laura! I couldn’t tell what exactly it meant that the calendars are marked as December 24th, nor why there’s snow on the ground, nor why people greet each other with a “Merry Christmas.” But, now I know, it is obviously Christmas Eve because you dreamed about it, and because you told us in an obvious manner.

To be fair, perhaps this movie did need to be as blunt as possible about its Christmas theme, considering I still don’t understand how the dome-headed man fits into all this.

And, lo and behold, like the infant Jesus in the manger, the dome-headed man is there, dwelling among us, laying in a hospital bed opposite Laura. The name tag reads… Ricky… Richard Caldwell. Most of you probably don’t understand the significance of that name, but, for those of us who were swept up in the increasingly befuddling antics of Ricky Caldwell in Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II, it is a name that lives in infamy. 

Ricky Caldwell, of “Garbage Day!” fame. Ricky Caldwell of “he kills people whenever he sees the color red, because writing character motivation is hard sometimes” fame. Yes, rather than simply revolve the series around a new Santa-suited slayer, Silent Night, Deadly Night III decides to forge ahead with the same character, confirming that everything in Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II is officially canon by default. Even the part where Ricky goes to the theater and watches the first movie while being in the sequel to that very movie That’s canon. So, just so we’re all clear, nothing in this world means anything.  

Ricky is, logically, now in a coma, as that is what happens when your body is shot to pieces more than Peter Weller’s in RoboCop, as seen in the end of Deadly Night Part II.

Laura, who is blind in real life but not in her dreams, is attempting to build a connection to comatose Ricky’s memories. Dr. Newbury asks Laura to fall asleep again, and this time, Laura dreams… in clips of the first movie. Ah, well, traditions are important in the Christmas season. It just wouldn’t be a Silent Night, Deadly Night movie if that didn’t repeat the original film’s origin story several times throughout.

By the way, this replayed scene, in which a Santa-suited man kills a man and woman driving down the road with their family WAS BILLY’S ORIGIN STORY, NOT RICKY’S! BILLY, THE KILLER FROM THE FIRST MOVIE! RICKY WAS HIS YOUNGER BROTHER AND A NEWBORN BABY AT THE TIME, MEANING HE WOULD HAVE NO MEMORY NOR TRAUMATIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH THIS EVENT! HIS ORIGIN WAS SEEING HIS BROTHER KILLED IN FRONT OF HIM! AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT REMEMBERS THE CONTINUITY OF THIS FRANCHISE? AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT CARES?

Probably.

Anyway, after Laura awakens, she tells Dr. Newbury that these tests are getting to be too much, and that she might not return after visiting her Granny for the holiday. After she leaves the office, Dr. Newbury tells the assistant that he thinks Laura has made contact, and that she is one step closer to unlocking her psychic powers, a thing that apparently exists in this universe now. “She’ll be back,” he says, “and then she’ll let me go as deep as I want to.” Um, hey, dude, we’re still talking about medical tests here, right?

Laura is picked up from the hospital by her older brother, Chris, a man with a truly legendary set of curly, golden locks, played by Leo from Twin Peaks. Along with Chris’s girlfriend, Jerri, they drive off to visit their Granny upstate. Laura takes an immediate dislike to Jerri for unknown reasons, though possibly because Jerri is the type of person whose first conversation starter on their long car ride is “How long have you been handicapped?” 

Along the way, Laura falls asleep… and we watch even more clips from the original film, because for a franchise that really loves Christmas, they don’t seem to understand that no one likes regifting. We even watch that clip where a Santa-suited man (the one who was retconned from a priest into a janitor by the second movie, because that second movie just literally did not care) is shot in the back by the police because he was deaf and didn’t hear their demands to freeze. I suppose this clip is helpful in that it reminds us that this series has not had the best track record for representation of people with disabilities, so Better Watch Out! manages to look marginally better in comparison.

Back at the hospital, a drunk Santa-suited man wanders into comatose Ricky’s room. “Who’s your favorite singer?” he asks, “Perry Coma?” before singing the first few lines of “Fly Me to the Moon,” a joke that only works if one remembers probably the tenth most famous rendition of that song, and that the dude’s name was “Perry Como,” not “Perry Coma.” This is all to say that Ricky did not find this joke amusing, awakens from his coma, and kills the man, along with a few more in the hospital, before making his escape. 

Due to their psychic connection, Ricky makes his way down to Laura’s grandmother’s house, somehow arriving long before Laura and company, despite the fact that Ricky moves with the speed and enthusiasm of a man still in a coma. It’s here, though, that we are introduced to the absolute best character of the entire movie… nay, the entire series. Granny, played by Elizabeth Hoffman, is another one of those unbearable sweet elderly actors who somehow find the time to be in some truly terrible horror films. Honestly, if I were to rank… everything that ever existed ever…, well, elderly actors whole-heartedly committed to playing kindly grandparents in slasher films is probably in the top three. And, so, when Ricky shows up at Granny’s door, a hat lazily throw over his head in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his glass dome, and Granny invites him in anyway and feeds him supper, my heart just melts.

Unfortunately, Granny is far too good for this cruel world. So, when she attempts to give Ricky a present, saying it’s from Santa, Ricky kills her. Despite my attachment, Granny’s fate was just inevitable, playing the mentor of Cambellian lore to fellow psychic Laura. But, while Ricky may have struck her down, she will now become... well, about as powerful as you’d imagine an elderly Grandma to be.

I am apparently the only one who really cares about this Granny character though, as when Laura, Chris, and Jerri arrive at Granny’s home to find it deserted, they don’t wait long before giving up the search, lounging about, and warming up some food. Jerri goes immediately to the bathroom and takes a bubble bath, the kind of thing one naturally does when visiting their boyfriend’s grandparent for the first time, and clearly not an excuse for gratuitous nudity. 

Back at the hospital, Dr. Newbury meets with Lt. Connely, the police officer sent to investigate Ricky’s series of murders. “How is Ricky still alive?” Lt. Connely inquires, informing us that he was present when the police “pumped a dozen rounds into him” at the end of Part II, further confirming that film’s canon status. 

“His brain was reconstructed,” Dr. Newbury replies, because when someone is questioning how a person survived their body being torn to shreds by an excessive amount of bullets, it is a perfectly logical and satisfactory answer to say that their brain was pieced back together. I mean, talk about treating the symptoms, not the disease…

So, fearing that Ricky will target Laura, the two head off on a road trip together to Laura’s Granny. Like any odd couple on a road trip, the movie gets a lot of fascinating debate from these two bouncing off one another, let me tell you! First, Lt. Connely tells Dr. Newbury all about the wonders of this brand-new, revolutionary technology known as cell-phones! They can receive calls, and take messages on the go! Can you even imagine such a thing?! When Dr. Newbury questions why Lt. Connely is telling him so much about cell phones, Connely responds, “I get $100 off my cellular bill for each new sign up.” Ah, well, at least some things haven’t changed. Although, considering inflation, $100 off in the 1989 seems like a much better deal! I feel ripped off!  

Their conversation than moves on to a different topic. “Science is the only way to make us innocent” Dr. Newbury uses as the rationale for why he chose a vicious serial killer as the test subject for his resurrection technology. The film desperately wants to pretend its developing a profound “science vs. faith” debate, utilizing the spiritual nature of the holiday season as a backdrop for its conflict between psychic powers and a medical monstrosity. However, because of the general lack of time, money, effort, and ability, the central conflict of the movie actually ends up being “science vs. pointy objects.” The winner may surprise you!

The film then moves into the kind of loosely-staged, uninvolving climax that comes from having a villain barely awoken from a comatose state. I honestly never thought I would say this, but I’d take unpredictable “Garbage Day” Ricky any day over this Ricky, who meanders around, his eyes unfocused and his face expressionless. Despite killing with the speed and enthusiasm of one of his own victims post-mortem, Ricky manages to chase Jerri and Chris around Granny’s House and kill them.

Dr. Newbury arrives, having stolen the car from Lt. Connely in an attempt to get to Ricky first, and he too is quickly… well, not so quickly, because, again, this dude is half-comatose… murdered by Ricky. He’s stabbed after attempting to persuade Ricky to return to the hospital so he can complete his medical tests. That’s SCIENCE: 0, POINTY OBJECTS: 1, for those of you keeping track at home. 

Laura is pursued into the basement by Ricky, and discovers the hanged body of Granny there. Ricky is about to kill her, when Chris, actually not dead, appears with a shotgun. “Is it live, or is it Memorex?!” he shouts, before blasting Ricky, a one-liner that was presumably not good even back when people knew what Memorex was. 

The shotgun is loaded with blanks though, perhaps because Granny was simply too kind-hearted to actually load a weapon, or perhaps to drag this painfully slow climax out even longer. Ricky stabs Chris again, and returns his focus to Laura. Suddenly though, Laura receives a vision of Granny. “You have the power! You can learn how to use it for good,” Granny says. Despite my affection for Granny, though, I honestly have no idea what she is talking about here, considering that, after the vision, Laura grabs a nearby stick… and Ricky just falls on it and dies. I HAVE THE POWER! THE POWER OF… BROken… sticks…? 

Lt. Connely arrives with the police, and carries Laura out of the house into his car. “I don’t know how you did it, but I guess there’s a lot of things I don’t know,” he says, but, again, she just killed him with a pointy stick. Seems pretty self-explanatory. The movie ends with Laura saying “Merry Christmas,” and driving off. A shot of Ricky wearing a suit is overlaid, and he speaks to the audience, saying, “and a Happy New Year,” teasing a potential return…

Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out!, everyone! I’m honestly not sure what we were supposed to be watching out for, though, considering comatose Ricky is probably the most easily avoided slasher villain of all time. The film doesn’t lean too much into the holiday theme either, the most explicit moment being our “obvious” exposition at the beginning. It honestly makes me long for the overboard charms of the first Silent Night, Deadly Night, but, hey, at least it was recognizable as a movie, so it’s inherently better than Part II. My sanity is still fairly intact, so all-in-all, I’d say that completing this trilogy was a successful way to kick-start this new volume of The Night X Came Home. Still, the subtitle of this film can’t help but linger in the back of my mind. Perhaps I was not supposed to “Watch Out,” for the terrors that lay in this film. Perhaps… it was a warning of some terrible film just on the horizon, lurking, waiting to strike. I have an unsettling fear that even more incompetent horror awaits us, so, until next time, Better Watch Out, readers.

Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out! is available on DVD.

NEXT: The Night AN OBSESSIVE, REGRESSIVE, POSSESSIVE TEENAGE GHOST Came Home…

[daydream-gaming]

Character Template For Chester White “The Watchman” -Using Flint Dille & John Zuur Platten - The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design  + Concept ART

Name

Chester  White “The Watchman”

Story Purpose

Main Character

Gameplay Purpose

Main character

Persona

He’s lost his family and friends when his village  was destroyed 10 years ago from ancient beast known as “The Watcher”. He’s  spent the last 10 years training and adapting his skills to slay the ancient  beast, he’s learnt numerous skills along the way.

Special  Abilities

Using Fire Essence to create fire balls.

Education/ Intelligence

Was head’s watchmen, and head of the training for  the village’s swordsmanship and hunting survival skills in a forest.  

Family

A young son (age 5 when died) and a Wife (Age 25  when died).

Aspirations

Slaying the beast and restoring his village to make  peace with the past. He also wants to restore life to cities such as Aniopia.

Addictions

To Mushmen caps, these are rare highs you gain from  eating Mushmen’s hats, this will also kill the Mushmen in process, or can be  obtained when they die. The Cap is a drug used among many and is usually used  as a pain killer or anti-depressant. The drug is hard to obtain due to  Mushmen’s lethal attacks and rarity. Mushmen hide in dark locations, normally  near caves or huge shadows. Weakened by light.

Occupation and attitude towards it (good or bad)

Former Watchmen, hunter and trainer, it was his  dream Jobs. Now he is a Beast Hunter.

Objective(s)

Killing The ancient beast and uncovering the truth.

What does this character want?

Redemption for his “sins”. He sees his village  getting destroyed, his family and friends getting killed as his fault this is  why he seeks redemption from his mistakes.

Who or what do they love?

His family, his wife and son.

What are they afraid of?

Failing, not being strong enough to beat the beast.  He is also afraid of moving on with his life, he is afraid of finding a new  settlement and it all happening again. He’s afraid  finding new love, and having his family be  disappointed by him in the afterlife therefore being cast away to the  underworld.

Why are they involved in this situation?

The ancient beast attacked the night Chester was out  on a hunting trip on a nearby mountain by himself. The beast is quite and has  unbelievable power, thus killing the village.

Other  roles and identities?

A good drinking buddy with a light-hearted sense of  humour.

Single adjective to describe this character

Robust.

Skills

Survival skills, his swordsmanship and his use of  Fire Essence.

Reports/ Answers to?

Himself, Sprits of the dead he sometimes sees.

Who reports to this character?

Nothing. Not even monsters dare to talk to him

Trademark Object

He has nothing but the blade that forges he forged  long ago, the blade he forged now forges his way into the future.

Common emotions

Chester fights his past in everyday life and doesn’t  want to move into the future leaving him conflicted between leaving in the  past and wanting to kill the beast.  Chester is a courageous man due to him being  the only one ever in history challenging the beast to a fight.

Chester  is also intelligent, a quick learner that makes him good against new  opponents. Lastly, he is demoralized because he pulls through with his plan  of killing the beast he fears judgement day, the day he dies, when it’s time  to face his sins and atone for what he has done.

Signature  move or Tic

Fire  Essence weaver

Nationality

Ellikian  

Ethnicity

White male

Religion  

Vakian (Va-kian)Vakian is an ancient religion  followed by many, however numbers of worshipers have dropped after “Insight  Day” where a portal was opened to another world (Earth) 2 years ago.  

Favourite Food

Rabbit

How does this character dress? 

Leather armour, likes to wear light clothes, due to  his old age his speed has dwindled therefore wearing light clothes make him  able to move around the way he used to in heavier armour.

Locations where this character is mostly likely to  ‘blend in’

In a village.

Where was the character born?

In the Ellikan continent called Jokoro, country  Herrika. Five thousand miles away from the “Insight” portal.

Where has the character been?

He was originally trained by mountain monks at a  young age but later on left to live in a village and became head trainer due  to his unique style of fighting and impeccable swordsmanship

Where does the  character live?

He is Nomadic as for now.

Where will (did) he or she die? And how?

He will die after defeating the beats.

Objects the character wears on his or her body   

He believes his skin is a temple due to his religion  (Vakian) so therefore has no intentional marks on it. He also doesn’t wear  any Jewellery due it being lost when the village getting destroyed.

Dichotomy of character (inner conflict in the  character)

He doesn’t want to move on, yet he still does, this  creates conflict in his mental mind.

Character reaction to different events in the game  (walk through a few beats)

He is clever but yet still attacks stupid in moments  due to his over confidence, this leads to him getting injured. He also picks  his prey carefully, he waits till the right moment to attack at times.

What would you think if you saw this character on  the street?

I would think the man is part of the old huntsman of  that was founded in Aniopia's temples, which are now ruins.

What was your character doing 3 days before the  start of the narrative?

Preparing for the fight, training and resting up,  collecting resources.

How did your character lose his or her virginity? 

He had sex with his wife and thus had a son.

Morality: Moral choices the character makes in the  game. Does this affect how the player should play him/her?

The  character makes quite moral choices, however also quite bad choices at times,  this is shown on how he approaches the monster. This does not affect the  player so they shouldn’t worry on playing the character differently.

Emotional  Stability

The character sometimes sees “beings” the beings do  no attack, or interact with the player, the player can slay theses “beings”  but nothing happens. The main character also constantly reminds himself of  the past therefore always being upset with himself making him unable in cope  with simple emotions such as joy.

What do they do to comfort themselves?

Eat Mushmen Caps, this helps him calm down due to  the drug being an anti-depressant.

Phobias

Monophobia, fear  of not being accepted into Vahallen (Heaven) due to not being able to safe his family, and the fear of moving on and meeting a new lover.

Vanity

His sword skills and his blade, the way he was able  to survive by himself so long and finally being able to face the monster.  That he has made it so far.

Epitaph: what will go on the characters tomb stone?

Nothing because he wont be getting one as no one  will know that he died.

Age and health

He is 46 years old, his old age slowing him down a  bit, this is also due to all the battle injuries he has acquired over the  years, but otherwise healthy.

Height

5“9

Weight

14  stone

Body Type

Wide shoulders muscles with a heavily trained body  and massive muscles on arms and legs.

Hairline/Colour

long grey hair as it represents the character's  maturity, indifference, immoral personality and his old age.

Eye Colour

He has white eyes due to his heavy intake of Mushmen  Caps, this is a side effect they give out, however do not blind the person in  anyway

Facial  Hair

He has a beard to represent that he hasn’t lived  within a civilization in a long time and not needing to shave. This also  shows of his old age.

Why Did I use this?

I used this character Template because I am familiar with it and the content is easy to lay out with the questions. It goes into detail without making you, it also makes you think about the questions, creating lore easier and making the character seem more alive. I also like how you can skip questions if you do not need them, there is more than necessary questions meaning that I do not need to fill them all out and then later cut them out as I have done. 

This Template also made me think about how I can make the world seem more real, how I can make a magical fantasy world have issues that we have in a modern world into a medieval world. This made me think of drug abuse and alcoholics. I put these problems in with the Mushmen, although they’re dangerous people are still craving the anti depressants they get from them. The main character is using these to stay “Sane” in a way however he won’T be needing them in game, or eating them. 

The template was really useful and I am glad I used it. It really allowed me to progress the world of Ellika and make it seem just ta little more real with more continent and countries, background stories and tales.

Concept Art

This is my concept art for the main character, This is how I would like him to look, rather casual I know and not really a “Warrior Look” but he is in leather armor and I am not that great of a drawer. This is why I made him like this. I used “FireAlpaca” to make this drawing. I have also drawn him in a sketch book to get a different version of him and explore the possibilities of what he could look like. I have drawn him without a berard in this because I wanted to see how he looked without one.

This is my concept of him with an axe and a eye patch, this is more leaning to my final concept that I had of him and made him look a lot more badass, I didnt really like the eye patch so I got rid of it. The necklace was going to be a theme of the game series because in the game “Ellika Flyers” (my previous game) the main character wore a necklace too. However I decided not to have that. I wanted the theme to be “overcoming your fears” this goes into both games and will continue in the games. 

This is the main character’s final concept as you see I have made the pixel art for it, I used a  template character from Heartbeast who has given me it in one of his videos. I like the way the sprite turned out, the process of taking ideas from 2 different concepts really helped me for it allowed me to use more of a variant ideas. I also will try to continue to do this in the future.

Dille, F. (2007). The ultimate guide to video game writing and design. 1st ed. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, pp.128-169. 

  [Beginner Tutorial] Make an RPG in GameMaker [P3] Variables and Character Sprites. (2015). [video] HeartBeast.

Dropbox. (2017). RPG Sprites.zip. [online] Available at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s4gky4st9biym5m/RPG%20Sprites.zip?dl=0 [Accessed 18 Apr. 2017].