#s: sage and fable

[hellhunde]

Silly pixel icons for some ocs!

[neptunevasilias]

It's been pointed out that a lot of Vacuo characters are allusions to Arthurian legend, but I haven't really seen other common allusions pointed out before. That is, nursery rhymes and greek mythology. Rumpole being based on Rumpelstiltskin/Rapunzel also connects her to Theodore (Dorothy), being the only other "fairy tale" allusion.

[cryptidcat5105]

Empyrean AU

So I've been thinking about Onyx Storm and the reasons we got for Violet's silver hair and my brain decided "what if we just throw all of that out the window for now and give Violet albinism?" And so these mad ramblings came to be. I've got more too, but since I lack any fanfiction writing talents this is probably gonna turn into a series of vague made up lore about dragons, venin and magic itself with some occasional illustrations. Probably gonna name it Sky wielders AU.

Edit: art, part 2 and part 3 :)

Anyway assume there's spoilers for the entire series

I think albinism would be pretty rare on the Continent, maybe people only heard about it from stories and stuff. So when Violet is born and she's white as snow with red eyes I'm sure her parents nearly had a heart attack but quickly adapted.

Fast forward a few years and the Sorrengail siblings are hearing their first stories about dark wielders from Papa Sorrengail and at one point they would just ask "is Vi a venin?" to which Lilith would ban the fables in the house for a few months.

Everything else would go about as normal with Brennan faking his death and Violet getting forced into the riders' quadrant, except Violet gets a patch from Lilith before even crossing the parapet which indicates to leadership that no, she's not a venin, leave her be.(Violet doesn't actually know what it means and it confuses her greatly). She also gets to keep the Fables of the Barens for plot convenience.

I imagine the marked ones would all be collectively losing their shit once she gets in the quadrant, but would keep their distance once they saw that leadership didn't seam concerned, silently seething at the thought that Navarre would let the very thing that got their parents killed freely walk among them.

Xaden is overall just creeped out by Violet's appearance but quickly figures out she's just challenged in the pigment department and not a venin. Once he catches her at the marked ones' meeting things would go pretty much the same as in canon with Xaden adding some pointed jabs at her appearance. "What you lack in physical color you make up with your colorful vocabulary" or something along those lines probably, he still calls her a "violent little thing" though.

Sometime after this incident Violet starts noticing some of the older cadets locking eyes with her and bowing their head. She assumes most of them are either really tired or really high if the red rims around their eyes are anything to go by... until a hyperventilating first year with vivid red eyes corners her asking how to manage pulling from the earth.

Violet is obviously distraught at this but realizes pretty quick that if the both of them start spiraling shit's gonna get ugly real quick so she tries to keep a cool head and figure out what the cadet has done. (For my sanity and plot cohesion let's name this cadet Kate)

Violet: What do you mean you pulled from the earth?

Kate, panicking: Well it was really an accident. Some douchbag tried to jump me and it was self defense really. I don't even know how I did it. The othes said to come to you, since surely you know how to handle this, considering...*gestures at the whole of Violet*

Violet: I... I'm not a venin, I have never pulled from the earth? I don't know how I could possibly help. And who are these others? There's more of you maniacs?

Kate: But your eyes-... Uh, yeah there's more of us and they kinda assume you're a Sage, but I'm starting to realize just how wrong they were and just how screwed I am. *Slides down the wall*

Violet, considering her options, but tucking the Sage comment for later: Does the red fade?

Kate: From what they told me yea...but after one point it's permanent.

Violet: *sighs* I might have something that would probably give us at least some answers if not a cure

Violet than proceeds to have a whole metal breakdown about the existence of venin and how royally screwed everything is. Over the course of the next few days the same cadets that seemed to show an ounce of respect before, are glaring daggers at her and throwing suspicious glaces her way. She also started looking through the fables for some way to help Kate since she was clearly not like the evil monsters depicted in the stories, but rather a sacred and confused 20 y/o with no clue about what she's done.

Violet came to the conclusion that if the power from the earth is bad then the one from the sky is good so what's the harm in suggesting switching power sources if possible. One night Kate agrees to talk with her and they met near the river bank where the marked ones met at the beginning of the year. Kate was accompanied by two others but they looked just as nervous as her so Violet assumed they were both venin as well and looking for a solution just like their friend.

After sharing her theory about the sky and earth they spent the next few hours trying to pull magic from the air around them. They were not successful but at the very least all three cadets were able to sense the power coming from the sky and decided to try some more the following nights.

For maybe a week they all kept trying, some other cadets, even from upper years, all of them venin, joining them sometimes. They were all able to feel the magic but it was slipping their grasp like water.

At one point Kate kinda just gave up for the night and decided to just try and feel the magic around them, to study it in a sense. After a little while she felt a slight trickle of power cooling her skin. She quickly got up thinking she accidentally pulled from the earth again but quickly realized that the earth's power was warm not cold and there was no patch of desiccated land either. She looked around and everyone seemed to be staring at her.

Kate: What just happened?

Other cadet: Dude, I think you just pulled from the sky if you're eyes are anything to go by.

Kate, irritated: Ugh, great! Even the sky gets our eyes red! Awesome!

Violet: They're not red! Take a look at your reflection, they're silver!

Overall excitement spreads through the venin that are part of this little group and they figure out that they've got to let the magic come to them instead of taking it themselves.

Everyone fully stops channeling from the earth and their eyes no longer have any red hues. Instead they have a constant supply of power that feels borderline sentient with how it seems to watch their backs and make them aware of any possible threats. Their eyes also become iridescent and they all figure out they can change their eye color at will (Wink, wink! nudge nudge!). They're a bit weirded out by everything but pretty happy they no longer have to deal with the effects of channeling from the earth.

Her little gathering has been trying to convince her to channel from the sky as well since it would keep her safer in the quadrant but she tells them that she only figured out channeling from the sky as an answer to their problem and it didn't feel fair to do it when she didn't have a serious reason to.

Violet in the meantime starts recording all her new findings and bonding with her squad but not really telling them about what she's been doing, while in the background all the usual things happen, like challenges and the gauntlet except this time Violet has a bit of extra training from the nights spent past curfew so she does a bit better. During the Gauntlet the dagger trick still happens because I love when people win on a technicality. Everyone gets lined up for Presentation and they start marching forward. Quite a few dragons have been lowering their heads and sniffing some cadets, particularly the first years Violet's been helping and she hopes that none of them get torched today. A few dragons have been sniffing at her as well but she just thought it was because of the dragon scale corset or her peculiar appearance. Once they reached the end of the line of dragons Violet saw the golden dragon everyone seemed to be muttering about. It was pacing excitedly on the spot and raising itself onto it's back paws as if to see the line better. The brown next to it looked so done with the golden one and once Violet locked eyes with the smaller dragon, the brown immediately put a foot on the golden one's tail to keep it from bolting into the line of cadets. Violet was a bit concerned about the whole ordeal but she would not question the ways of dragons.

Threshing goes about as well as in canon except when Violet finds Andarna, she's imidiately accosted by a wiggling mess that's sniffing and circling her like she's some old friend.

Once Jack Fucking Barlow and his entourage show up the fight to protect the dragon ensues and Xaden still comes to watch the shitfest, but this time Andarna actually barrels into one of Violet's opponents (just because I would've like it to happen in canon) and Sgaeyl is reasonably concerned because Andarna was way more chill about all of this before Presentation. What the hell happened with being calm and collected, Golden One?

Tairn shows up, scares the shit out of JFB, torches the guy that wasn't already passed out because of Andarna and stops to sniff Violet as well before commanding she gets on his back. Violet starts wondering why every dragon has an obsession with sniffing her but gets sidetracked by Tairn's aerobatics.

When they finally land Violet notices there are a bunch of larger, battle-scared dragons, nearly on par with Tairn, in the clearing that weren't at Presentation, every single one of them had one of her sky wielders between their front legs and she felt a sense of pride at the sight despite the shock of getting two dragons herself.

Andarna continues to be hyperactive nudging Violet this way and that but Tairn didn't look too concerned so she took it as a good sign.

Violet: I don't mean to offend you, but are you excited that you bonded or is there another reason you are this happy?

Andarna: Oh, I'm happy I bonded, alright, but there are other reasons too. Those can wait a bit though, so don't worry!

Violet: Ok, I'll trust your judgement...

Tairn: Wise decision.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

[neverwinternighting]

30 days of Nevervember!

It’s November very soon and I was thinking about posting a list of NWN/NWN2-centric general prompts for each day in November! (Get it? Neverwinter + November? Never-vember?) It’s tricky to figure out since not everyone has played both of the games and all the campaigns in them, so something more general you could choose from to create seemed like the best idea.

You can write the prompt. You can draw the prompt. You can do a combination of both. Comics? Hell yeah. Everything is welcome!

If you decide to do these, please feel free to tag me in each one you do so that I can give you reblogs.

This challenge is not in the least bit binding and it is by no means an obligation or a contest - you can do few, you can do all, you can even do only one if you want. It’s entirely up to you!

Prompts listed below (take artistic license in interpretation if you need):

Day 1: your hero's home in their childhood days

Day 2: Your character meeting your (personal) favorite party member for the first time

Day 3: Your character meeting your (personal) LEAST favorite party member for the first time

Day 4: Your character and chosen party members lounging about at camp or in a tavern

Day 5: An embarrassing situation during an adventure

Day 6: your character's final (or most recent) positive memory from their childhood home

Day 7: Meanwhile, in ____... (this is your chance to write/draw the "other side" or the "b-plot" while your character is off doing something else!)

Day 8: The most impactful event your character went through

Day 9: A party member finding a way to cheer up your character

Day 10: The moment your character formed a (romantic OR friendship) crush

Day 11: Something little-known about your character revealed

Day 12: Your character or a party member is caught red-handed! (By whoever you like, doing anything)

Day 13: Your character saying something they end up regretting later during an argument

Day 14: Your character in a lesser-known location in the games (because some of those places need a little more love) (from the illustrious malgriff)

Day 15: Bridging the gap between campaigns if you keep your hero through any of them (even the lesser-known campaigns) (from the ultimate jorvach)

Day 16: Your hero or one of their party members in therapy (from the fantastical fable sage)

Day 17: Wrongly accused of something they didn't do (you can go with the obvious or not if you like!)

Day 18: Long-term consequences (of politics, society, inter-personal relationships, etc) (from the beauteous the-great-elwisty)

Day 19: Your character stuck with the most annoying party member

Day 20: Unexpected middle ground

Day 21: "Just in case we don't make it-"

Day 22: If Volo (or a newspaper like faerunian TMZ) did a news report on something your hero did (inspired by the wondrous malgriff, songofmadness, and lergahin)

Day 23: Uh-oh! Your hero (or party members or both!) suddenly got affected by a curse which turns them back into children for a day. How do they react or cope? Who looks after them? (from the stupendous songofmadness)

Day 24: Doubts

Day 25: A diary entry or scene described from a side character of your choice (inspired by the glorious songofmadness)

Day 26: In ruins

Day 27: How one of your party members views your own character

Day 28: What happens to the characters long after the game has concluded? Are they still in touch with one another/are the events still relevant to them/have they moved on? (from the mysterious the-great-elwisty)

Day 29: How the adventure should have really ended

Day 30: What's next in your character(s) adventures? (from the fabbu the-great-elwisty)

[aryamistwood]

NEW HORSE NAMES

This morning, SSO releases a bunch of new options for first and second horse names. I've tried to sort through and pull which are new.

Did I find out when I was 70% done that SSO had already made the list public and that all of my time was wasted? Yes, but I refuse admit my efforts were in vain.

FIRST NAMES:

All Amaryllis Any Arcane Archer Ardent Arrow Aster August Aura Banana Bard Baron Baroness Bell Bill Bolt Boogie Box Bravado Briar Brittle Bulwark Captain Carousel Challenger Champion Charger Chivalry Cinnabar Circus Clash Conqueror Corporal Count Countess Covenant Cow Coyote Creed Crucible Daffodil Dahlia Dauntless Dear Destiny Dino Dryad Earl Element Emperor Empress Enchanted Enigma Epic Errant Eternal Euphoria Even Expedition Express Fabulous Fawn Fear Forest Foxglove Frenzy Frozen Gallant Gargoyle General Genie Glacier Glimmer Goblin Golden Grace Harmony Hazelnut Heart Heliodor Herald Hermit Hill Honor Hope Hyacinth I Impress Inferno Ink Innocent Iris Ivy Jadeite Jasmine Jester Jinx Jolly Joust Justice Karma Knightly Lace Lance Laurel Leaf Lizard Loyalty Mac Mad Maiden Malachite Mandrake Maple Marigold Mars Max Mc Memory Mercury Merry Minstrel Mocha Moose Muffin Musing Nephrite Newt Niccolite Nimbus Nixie Nougat O Oath Olde Oracle Oz Pancake Pandoria Papaya Paradise Patch Peanut Pegasus Peony Pineapple Pixie Pledge Pluto Polo Pony Precious Pretty Puff Puffin Queen Questing Radiant Reindeer Ring Rising Risk Rite Rover Sacred Safe Saffron Sage Shield Sire Slow Smoky Snap Snowball Soda Solar Sorcerer Sorceress Sour Space Sparrow Sprinkles Steed Stellar Super Swan Sword Tango Tanzanite Teak Techno Teddy Tektite Tempest The Tie Torch Tourmaline Tower Trick U Valiant Valor Venus Verdant Virtue Vow Wanderer Warm Watcher Wraith Wyvern Y Yoga Youth Yule Zeppelin Zircon Zoisite Zoom

SECOND NAMES:

Able Abyss al ala Alarm ana Arrow ax ay ba Badger Bard Baron Baroness Bearer Blight bo Bravado Brooke by ca Captain ce cha Challenger Charger Chivalry cie Circus City Claw co Coast Cone Conqueror Count Countess Covenant Creed Crucible cy da Dauntless Day Dear Delight Dinosaur do Doria Double Dryad Dutchess dy e Earl ed el Element Elf elle ember en energy enigma er es ess est et ette Euphoria eus Expedition Express ey Fable Flare Flip Forest ful Gallant Gargoyle Genie Giant Goblin Heliodor Herald Hermit ia ian ic ica id ille im ing Innocent ios is ist ite ive ix ja Jadeite jar Jarl Jester Jinx Jolly Joust Justice Karma Kelpie ko la Lace Lance Laurel let ley Lizard lot Loyalty Maiden Malachite Max Minstrel mir mo Moose mor Musing my n na Nephrite ness Newt Nimbus Nixie no Noble nom Nougat ny Oath on one or Oracle ox oz Papaya Paradise Pegasus Pixie Pledge Polo Pony Potato Puff Puffin Questing ra Radiant Reindeer rey ria Rite ro ros Rover Ruler ry s sa Sacred Sage Serpent Shield Soda Sorcerer Sorceress Squire Steed Stellar Sword ta Tale Talon Tango Tanzanite Teak Tech Teddy Thunder tie to ton Tower Trick Trot Trotter ty u us ute Valiant Vixen Vow Wanderer Warlock Well West Wraith Wyrm Wyvern ya yo yx za Zircon zo Zoisite Zoom zy

[horsegamergirl]

Game master Jess shared lists of all First and Second options for names, that were added to the game, total of 439!

Written down under the cut ↓

First options (total: 211)

A - All, Amaryllis, Any, Arcane, Archer, Ardent, Arrow, Aster, August, Aura B - Banshee, Bard, Baron, Baroness, Bell, Bill, Bolt, Boogie, Boots, Bravado, Briar, Brittle, Buddy, Bulwark C - Captain, Carousel, Challenger, Champion, Charger, Chivalry, Cinnabar, Circus, Conqueror, Corporal, Count, Countess, Covenant, Cow, Creed, Crucible D - Daffodil, Dahlia, Dauntless, Dear, Destiny, Dino, Dryad, Duck E - E, Early, Eld, Element, Emperor, Empress, Enchanted, Enigma, Errant, Eternal, Euphoria, Even, Expedition, Express F - Fabulous, Fawn, Fear, Foxglove, Frozen G - Gallant, Gargoyle, General, Genie, Glacier, Glimmer, Goblin, Golden H - Harmony, Hazelnut, Heart, Heliodor, Herald, Hermit, Honor, Hope, Hyacinth I - I, Impress, Inferno, Ink, Innocent, Iris, Ivy J - Jadeite, Jasmine, Jester, Jinx, Jolly, Joust, Jupiter, Justice K - Karma, Knightly L - Lace, Lance, Laurel, Lizard, Loyalty M - Mac, Mad, Maiden, Malachite, Mandrake, Maple, Marigold, Mars, Max, Mc, Mercury, Merry, Minstrel, Mocha, Moose, Muffin, Musing N - Nephrite, Newt, Niccolite P - Pandoria N - Nimbus, Nixie, Nougat O - O, Oath, Olde, Oracle, Oz P - Pancake, Papaya, Paradise, Patch, Peanut, Pegasus, Peony, Pineapple, Pixie, Pledge, Pluto, Polo, Pony, Precious, Pretty, Puff, Puffin Q - Queen, Questing R - Radiant, Reindeer, Risk, Rite, Rover S - Sacred, Safe, Saffron, Sage, Shield, Sire, Slow, Smoky, Snap, Snowball, Soda, Solar, Sorcerer, Sorceress, Sour, Sparrow, Sprinkles, Squire, Steed, Stellar, Swan, Sword T - Tango, Tanzanite, Teak, Techno, Teddy, Tektite, Tempest, The, Tie, Torch, Tourmaline, Tower, Trick U - U V - Valiant, Valor, Venus, Verdant, Virtue, Vow W - Wanderer, Warm, Watcher, Wraith, Wyvern Y - Y Z - Zeppelin, Zircon, Zoisite, Zoom

Second options (total: 228)

A - a, able, abyss, al, ala, alarm, ana, arrow, ax, ay B - ba, badger. bard, baron, baroness, bearer, blight, bloom, bo, bravado, buddy, by C - ca, captain, ce, cha, challenger, chivalry, cie, circus, city, claw, co, coast, cone, conqueror, count, countess, covenant, creed, crucible, cy D - da, dauntless, day, dear, delight, dinosaur, do, doria, double, dryad, duchess, dy E - e, earl, ed, el, element, elf, elle, ember, energy, enigma, er, es, ess, est, et, ette, euphoria, eus, expedition, express, ey F - fable, flare, flip, forest, ful G - gallant, gargoyle, genie, giant, goblin H - heliodor, herald, hermit I - ia, ian, ic, ica, id, ille, im, ing, innocent, ios, is, ist, ite, ive, ix J - ja, jadeite, jar, jarl, jester, jinx, jolly, joust, justice K - karma, kelpie, ko L - la, lace, lance, laurel, let, ley, lizard, lot, loyalty M - maiden, malachite, max, minstrel, mir, mo, moose, mor, musing, my N - n, na, nephrite, ness, newt, nimbus, nixie, no, noble, nom, nougat, ny O - oath, on, one, or, oracle, os, ox, oz P - papaya, paradise, pegasus, pixie, pledge, polo, pony, potato, puff, puffin Q - questing R - ra, radiant, reindeer, rey, ria, rite, ro, ros, rover, ruler, ry S - s, sa, sacred, sage, serpent, shield, snap, soda, sorcerer, sorceress, squire, steed, stellar, sword T - ta, tale, talon, tango, tanzanite, teak, tech, teddy, thunder, tie, to, ton, tower, trick, trot, trotter, ty U - u, us, ute V - valiant, vixen, vow W - wanderer, warlock, well, west, wraith, wyrm, wyvern Y - ya, yo, yx Z - za, zircon, zo, zoisite, zoom, zy

[steviewashere]

Playing Around With a D&D/Fantasy Concept, Bear With Me

Okay, so a couple days ago, I made a post about the older teens (minus Billy because I honestly didn't think about him) in a D&D world. Like if they were an adventuring party. Here's the link to the post (mainly about Steve, be warned).

But I thought I'd share what I envision them to look like, using Baldur's Gate 3 as my marker. Because it was the easiest way for me to create them as D&D characters without drawing them, and also because I don't have the energy to draw all that right now. If you'd like to see them and their race & class, they're below the cut!

I've given them a bit of backstory, but I'm not doing it in the way that a typical D&D game would go (most definitely), so if the inspiration hits me—maybe I'll come back to this and write some sort of fantasy AU based on this. <3

Also, be aware that Baldur's Gate 3's character creation is wholly based on presets and that I couldn't fine tune any of them. But I tried my damn hardest. And yes, Jonathan and Argyle look a little funky, oops.

First off: Steve Harrington (Fantasy names pending—no they're not)

He is a half-orc fighter. His background places him as a fable/folk hero, having stood up to a monster on his lonesome—saving a town of people. As far as his backstory goes, I haven't fully fleshed it out yet, but I wanted to play with the idea of him being an exile. Dismissed and sent out by his family, but at a very young age. He has no clue, or no memory more like, of who his family is and is in search of them. His family, however, is part of the land's tyranny—his father, the lord of the land. And that's honestly as far as I got.

Next: Eddie Munson

A tiefling rogue. An urchin in his backstory. His parents having lived a not so well life, dying young/being arrested. He is forced to live and survive on the streets. Stealing, sneaking, and surviving are his main tactics. Up until it gets him in trouble, having stolen from the wrong family. This family? The tyrant lord himself. And in order for Eddie to save himself, he's on the search for a half-orc, bounty hunting. This leads him to come across Steve. And again, this is as far as I got.

Third: Robin Buckley

She is a half-elf bard. Loves all things musical, artful, and entertaining. She carries a deep fascination for the finer crafts of life. Highly intelligent, due to her sage librarian background, and wholly curious. Not one to fit in with neither humans nor elves, she is in search of a community to accept her. Misfits and outcasts are her humble friends, and she'll do anything to find this community. Steve and Eddie—the exile and the tiefling urchin?—they're the perfect match for her.

Fourth: Nancy Wheeler

The human of the group and also an excellent ranger. She's a sage, like Robin is, though instead a researcher. Her abilities in history and insight lead her to investigate the lands. She wants to do right by the people, all people—no matter their race or class. With the combination of her high intelligence and sharp shooter skill, she won't let anything stand in her way. Steve, Eddie, and Robin are the perfect merry cast of misfits for her to fall in line with—and as she discovers, they're not as bad as the prejudiced society makes them out to be.

Fifth: Jonathan Byers

A drow half-elf sorcerer. He's an outlander, an outcast far beyond what the party is prepared for. Though, he finds comfort in wandering, even if sometimes it leads him to less...unsatisfactory places. He slinks through the shadows, one that people think is creepy, but is actually and very honestly sweet. His family is all that matters to him, and within his wandering, he hopes to return. During his travels, he meets another outlander, Argyle. The two of them eventually bump into the rest of the party members—literally.

Lastly (and the dorkiest because him being a dwarf, despite his height in the show, is funny, okay?): Argyle [REDACTED]

Argyle is a dwarf druid. Also an outlander, as mentioned with Jonathan. He cares most about animals and nature than anything else. In fact, Jonathan's the only friendly person he's ever come to know. He's not quite sure what he's in search for, but he knows that if he can assist in any way, he wants to. Whether it be with his knowledge of the natural "herbs" of the land or shape-shifting into a creature in battle, he's ready to ball fists for misfits in his party.

[bladeandspell]

Lore Dossier #01: The Purpose of a Runeblade

The objective of this post, and others that I intend to add in the future, is to add coherent definitions to terms you'll see me use on my blog. This post in particular will focus on Runeblades: their history, their purpose, and just what about it is relevant to the way my character is written. While most of this information is taken directly from MapleStory 2's canon, a decent chunk of it is supplemented by headcanon. Think of it as my attempt to fill in the blanks for completely underdeveloped lore that had very interesting potential.

You may notice that I only sometimes capitalize Runeblade. It takes on a different context depending on whether or not it's being used as a proper noun. When using runeblade, without capitalization, I am referring to it as I would any other character class. While capitalized, however, Runeblade refers specifically to a member of Terrun Calibre.

So! What is Terrun Calibre? Simply put, it's the organization that the overwhelming majority of runeblades belong to (although not all-- note the lowercase!) It is both the heart of Calibre Island's military and the face of one of the two branches of its religion. Therefore, its leader is of great importance to the entire country and holds considerable political power.

Terrun Calibre is further broken up into two sects: those who follow the teachings of Jibricia, a shaman who is said to have perfected the knowledge of rune magic handed down to them by the gods, and those who follow the teachings of Pelgia, a legendary swordsman who developed sacred blade magic. The two joined together to found Terrun Calibre, a rallying cry and guardian force to watch over Calibre Island.

From the very beginning, they intended for their methods to become one. However, it's nearly impossible for the human body to withstand the full power of both rune magic and blade magic. The vast majority of those who attempt to master both are utterly destroyed. Therefore, all runeblades focus their training around one, and simply cover the basics of the other. There is a small genetic component to this, as many are born with a natural aptitude in one direction or the other. It's likely that only those with said aptitude have the ability to truly master either sect's teachings at all.

There are exceedingly rare few who are able to surpass this mortal limit and master both forms of magic. These extraordinary individuals are known formally as Rune Sages, although their incredible rarity sees them defined as mythology and nothing more.

Rune Sages are capable of fulfilling the original duties intended for Runeblades. Their otherworldly power allows them to commune directly with the divine and control ancient weapons capable of unfathomable devastation.

Instead of divine messengers, Runeblades are explicitly the custodians of their ancestors, known as the Baaz. While much of their influence has been lost over the centuries for various reasons (not least of which is the diminished and now isolated presence of the people of Calibre Island) their words and deeds are still seen as sacred, and the resting places of even the recently deceased are treated with extreme respect. Only a chosen few are even allowed to set foot into certain areas sanctified for or by the Baaz.

The other main branch of Calibre Island's religion, therefore, are the Rune Shaman who maintain their connection with the gods. Although their power pales significantly to that of the fabled Rune Sages, especially within the last century or so, their existence remains among the most ancient of Calibre Island's cultural identities. Their sacred charge is as important, if not more so, than that of the Runeblades. Through communion with the gods, they determine direction and policy for the entirety of the island. These gods can be thought of as powerful spirits rather than omnipotent deities, and their dominion ranges from spirits of the home, of paths, or luck, all the way to embodying the souls of mountains, oceans, and the sun itself.

It is entirely possible for those who have been trained in these deeply spiritual roles to forsake their duties or defect entirely. It's especially common for runeblades to become unaffiliated, as many who join Terrun Calibre do so in order to gain personal power. The promise of prestige as Calibre Island's elite military forces, as opposed to "standard" soldiers, calls more loudly to them than does the responsibility that comes with it. For these individuals, the potential strength of a runeblade's unique abilities often leaves them feeling frustrated and stagnant in their growth, as much of that power is derived directly from reverence of the Baaz. It's suggested that those who follow Jibricia's teachings are more likely to obtain that power, and Jibricia's origin as a shaman is likely involved. Historically, less Jibrician Runeblades abandon their duties, although there are also less Jibrician Runeblades to begin with.

Over the centuries, a bitter rivalry has sprung up between the Pelgian and Jibrician sects, and Jibricia's followers-- whether they follow that path by choice or by natural inclination-- tend to be looked down on and mistrusted by even those of the wider society. Whatever reasons exist for this, as is always the case for prejudice, none are valid. There have been movements in recent days to bridge the gap and restore equality, but the road has been difficult.

[calii-classy]

Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher by Kenny Loui

About the book:

The tale of a man drifting through life, collecting cute, cuddly plushies and valuable life lessons along the way.

Kenny Loui is a self-proclaimed "UFO catcher," whose life goal is to "liberate" all plushies trapped in captivity inside arcade claw machines. In his UFO-catching journey, Kenny encounters a concerned guardian spirit who tries—but fails—to keep him out of trouble, a beautiful stranger with an affinity for dart games but is always missing her mark, a wise arcade owner who never hesitates to share his sage advice, and a rival who foils Kenny's crane game victories every chance he gets.

This collection of short stories chronicles Kenny’s experiences playing arcade UFO catchers, rescuing cute and cuddly plushies while capturing important life lessons along the way... just like Aesop's Fables, but with a modern-day twist (and an awesome 80's soundtrack)! Based on a true story.

This graphic novel collects all stories originally published in Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher #1-3 and features bonus content including extended scenes, an epilogue, BGM-enhanced stories, and character sketch art.

Buy the book – HERE

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review – 4 stars

Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher , an autobiographical manga by Kenny Loui, was such a creative, lighthearted read. Based on Loui’s personal experiences, he bestows life lessons and wisdom that he has gleaned through a fun, colorful manga.

The story’s main character, Kenny Loui, is a self-proclaimed “UFO catcher” alongside his role as a student, teacher, hopeless romantic, and officer. As a UFO catcher, Kenny essentially goes to crane and claw machines to “rescue” as many plushies and stuffed animals as he possibly can. The manga follows him in 13 different episodes as he plays the claw machine and learns many life lessons along the way. For example, in Episode 2 titled “Always Have a Plan”, the scene is set where Kenny is playing the UFO Catcher claw machine. As he enters his money to play, he moves the joystick back and forth, attempting to maneuver the claw to win a pink cat plushie. After pressing the button, he just misses the toy. Upset, he inserts more money and tries again for his victory. The moral of this episode, summarized by Kenny contemplating his next move next to the claw machine, is to always have a plan. As he states, “Don’t just jump in without knowing what you’re going to do.” Similarly to this, the rest of the episodes continue in this fashion.

As a whole, I enjoyed the plot of all the episodes and found them to be cheerful reminders of timeless advice. But, one of the most notable things about this manga was the gorgeous illustrations done by Yamawe. Truly, she outdid herself. With manga, the artwork is such a crucial, make-or-break component of the novel, and I am happy to say she truly made this book unique! Her attention to detail, color, and precision makes this novel come to life. I loved the way she played with pigments to show shadows, light, texture, and emotion on all of the characters and the scenery.

Finally, one of the most innovative things about this Manga was the incorporation of QR codes. Throughout the story, Loui and Yamawe include scenes with a musical component. On these pages, a character asks the reader to look out for the YouTube play icon, as a QR code is included to deliver you to a music video. The character then encourages you to listen to the song as you read, for a full immersive experience. Personally, I absolutely loved how originative this was. Never before has a book asked me to incorporate another sense as part of the experience, and I loved the results! This truly made this book stand out to me for its creativity and uniqueness!

~ Reviewed By: Theresa Kadair, San Francisco Book Review

Book Life:

Loui collects his autobiographical Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher webtoon series into this entertaining manga following his adventures as a teacher, student, and stuffed animal liberator. Characterizing himself as a “hopeless romantic” (who’s also “unlucky in love”), Loui details his mission to free plush dolls from the local gaming store’s claw machine—“because no one should live in captivity…even cute plushies.” His quest is endearing, as are his attempts to keep his cool when the rescue efforts inevitably go south—and the local bully shows up time and again to reap the benefits of Loui’s hard work.

As admirable and relatable as his mission is, Loui’s adventure of course isn’t all fun and games. But as he hits roadblocks, his guardian spirit, Somi, offers resonant wisdom, encouraging Loui to find the principal lesson he must learn behind every obstacle. When Loui changes tactics mid-rescue, bully Killian steps in to steal his plushie, prompting Loui’s sage advice that you shouldn’t “ ‘flip flop’ in the middle of executing a plan… [or] you may end up opening the door to victory for somebody else.” That’s the start of a serious rivalry between Loui and Killian, and despite Somi’s efforts to help Loui keep his cool, he eventually loses it—and faces grave consequences afterwards.

Yamawe’s illustrations dazzle the eye while suggesting the narrative’s underlying themes, such as depicting Loui, and Killian’s, inner children, who deliver heightened emotion to some of the story’s more tense scenes. Loui sprinkles mature themes throughout as well, as when he’s momentarily distracted by the racy Gals Attack video game only to end up in an awkward position, prompting him to “stick with UFO catching!” Loui’s choice to include QR codes for a 1980s soundtrack to accompany the story is entertaining, and a fun counterpart to Somi’s moral-heavy philosophizing toward the end.

~ Review

About the Author:

Kenny Loui is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Loras College in Dubuque, IA. Due to his lifelong love of comics and Japanese anime/manga, he often incorporates creative and expressive arts into his classes to enhance student learning. One of his most popular classes at Loras College, Law, Crime & Pop Culture Diplomacy combines Dr. Loui’s interest in comparative criminology and East Asian popular culture. His debut graphic novels, Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher: An Autobiographical Manga and There is No Shrimp… And Other Lies My Mother Told Me, were presented the Mom's Choice Awards in 2023 and received praise from Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Book Review and more.

[academicvoyager]

Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher by Kenny Loui

About the book:

The tale of a man drifting through life, collecting cute, cuddly plushies and valuable life lessons along the way.

Kenny Loui is a self-proclaimed "UFO catcher," whose life goal is to "liberate" all plushies trapped in captivity inside arcade claw machines. In his UFO-catching journey, Kenny encounters a concerned guardian spirit who tries—but fails—to keep him out of trouble, a beautiful stranger with an affinity for dart games but is always missing her mark, a wise arcade owner who never hesitates to share his sage advice, and a rival who foils Kenny's crane game victories every chance he gets.

This collection of short stories chronicles Kenny’s experiences playing arcade UFO catchers, rescuing cute and cuddly plushies while capturing important life lessons along the way... just like Aesop's Fables, but with a modern-day twist (and an awesome 80's soundtrack)! Based on a true story.

This graphic novel collects all stories originally published in Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher #1-3 and features bonus content including extended scenes, an epilogue, BGM-enhanced stories, and character sketch art.

Buy the book – HERE

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review – 4 stars

Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher , an autobiographical manga by Kenny Loui, was such a creative, lighthearted read. Based on Loui’s personal experiences, he bestows life lessons and wisdom that he has gleaned through a fun, colorful manga.

The story’s main character, Kenny Loui, is a self-proclaimed “UFO catcher” alongside his role as a student, teacher, hopeless romantic, and officer. As a UFO catcher, Kenny essentially goes to crane and claw machines to “rescue” as many plushies and stuffed animals as he possibly can. The manga follows him in 13 different episodes as he plays the claw machine and learns many life lessons along the way. For example, in Episode 2 titled “Always Have a Plan”, the scene is set where Kenny is playing the UFO Catcher claw machine. As he enters his money to play, he moves the joystick back and forth, attempting to maneuver the claw to win a pink cat plushie. After pressing the button, he just misses the toy. Upset, he inserts more money and tries again for his victory. The moral of this episode, summarized by Kenny contemplating his next move next to the claw machine, is to always have a plan. As he states, “Don’t just jump in without knowing what you’re going to do.” Similarly to this, the rest of the episodes continue in this fashion.

As a whole, I enjoyed the plot of all the episodes and found them to be cheerful reminders of timeless advice. But, one of the most notable things about this manga was the gorgeous illustrations done by Yamawe. Truly, she outdid herself. With manga, the artwork is such a crucial, make-or-break component of the novel, and I am happy to say she truly made this book unique! Her attention to detail, color, and precision makes this novel come to life. I loved the way she played with pigments to show shadows, light, texture, and emotion on all of the characters and the scenery.

Finally, one of the most innovative things about this Manga was the incorporation of QR codes. Throughout the story, Loui and Yamawe include scenes with a musical component. On these pages, a character asks the reader to look out for the YouTube play icon, as a QR code is included to deliver you to a music video. The character then encourages you to listen to the song as you read, for a full immersive experience. Personally, I absolutely loved how originative this was. Never before has a book asked me to incorporate another sense as part of the experience, and I loved the results! This truly made this book stand out to me for its creativity and uniqueness!

Reviewed By: Theresa Kadair, San Francisco Book Review

Book Life:

Loui collects his autobiographical Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher webtoon series into this entertaining manga following his adventures as a teacher, student, and stuffed animal liberator. Characterizing himself as a “hopeless romantic” (who’s also “unlucky in love”), Loui details his mission to free plush dolls from the local gaming store’s claw machine—“because no one should live in captivity…even cute plushies.” His quest is endearing, as are his attempts to keep his cool when the rescue efforts inevitably go south—and the local bully shows up time and again to reap the benefits of Loui’s hard work. As admirable and relatable as his mission is, Loui’s adventure of course isn’t all fun and games. But as he hits roadblocks, his guardian spirit, Somi, offers resonant wisdom, encouraging Loui to find the principal lesson he must learn behind every obstacle. When Loui changes tactics mid-rescue, bully Killian steps in to steal his plushie, prompting Loui’s sage advice that you shouldn’t “ ‘flip flop’ in the middle of executing a plan… [or] you may end up opening the door to victory for somebody else.” That’s the start of a serious rivalry between Loui and Killian, and despite Somi’s efforts to help Loui keep his cool, he eventually loses it—and faces grave consequences afterwards. Yamawe’s illustrations dazzle the eye while suggesting the narrative’s underlying themes, such as depicting Loui, and Killian’s, inner children, who deliver heightened emotion to some of the story’s more tense scenes. Loui sprinkles mature themes throughout as well, as when he’s momentarily distracted by the racy Gals Attack video game only to end up in an awkward position, prompting him to “stick with UFO catching!” Loui’s choice to include QR codes for a 1980s soundtrack to accompany the story is entertaining, and a fun counterpart to Somi’s moral-heavy philosophizing toward the end.

~ Review

About the Author:

Kenny Loui is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Loras College in Dubuque, IA. Due to his lifelong love of comics and Japanese anime/manga, he often incorporates creative and expressive arts into his classes to enhance student learning. One of his most popular classes at Loras College, Law, Crime & Pop Culture Diplomacy combines Dr. Loui’s interest in comparative criminology and East Asian popular culture. His debut graphic novels, Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher: An Autobiographical Manga and There is No Shrimp… And Other Lies My Mother Told Me, were presented the Mom's Choice Awards in 2023 and received praise from Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Book Review and more.

[hellhunde]

OC Kiss Week Day 1: Almost

hehehehe Very excited to draw some oc kissies this week! Starting off with Sage and Fable my Lovelies.

Also going to try to write little things for all of them, but we'll see!!

“I’m working right now, Sage,” Fable whispered through her teeth. Sage inched up to her closer, clearly not deterred at all by Fable’s words.

“I know,” Sage replied, the corners of their mouth perked up in a devilish smile. “But no one ever comes to this part of the garden, and there's tons of trees so no one’ll see if we kiss a little bit.”

Sage got up on their tip toes and pressed their chest against Fable’s, pinning the rake she had been using between them. She sighed. 

Fable did want to kiss Sage, her body heating up at the mere proximity to them, but now really wasn't the best time. If they were caught she'd be fired by Sage’s parents and forced to leave Bottomwood Pine. Normally that wouldn't bother her—Fable liked to wander—but she’d been making an honest effort to stay in town longer, just for the annoying little dork who was trying so hard to kiss them at present. She wanted to be with them so dearly, and didn't want to cut their relationship short. It was really too much to risk. 

And yet…

“If I kiss you once will you leave me to work?” Fable said, losing the battle in her mind. Sage was close enough now that she could feel their breath on their face.

“I can't promise I won't want more…” Sage said, grabbing onto the front of Fable’s shirt. Their half lidded eyes met Fable’s 

Fable wasn't falling for that though. 

“Sage.”

“Fine, whatever, sure,” Sage huffed, any earlier air of trying to be sexy gone. “fuck me for wanting to have some fun.” 

Fable closed her eyes and tilted her head down to meet Sage’s lips. She was fully prepared for Sage to make this much longer than the peck Fable intended it to be.”

“SAGE!!”

Fable flinched back at the sound of Sage’s father’s voice, the ghost of a kiss on her lips. Her heart stopped for a moment, scared that he had saw them, before registering that it was much farther away. Sage took a step back and groaned loudly into the open air. 

“Sage! Your mother and I want to talk to you!” His voice rang out again.

“UUUUUUUGH, this is bullshit,” Sage complained. They scratched their head rapidly in annoyance. Fable smiled, despite the lingering anxiety.

“Better go see what Bill wants,” she said. Another aggravated growl from Sage. Fable bent forward and kissed Sage on top of their head in the soft curls of their hair. Sage relaxed a little, and turned back to Fable.. “I’ll meet you by the lake tonight, we can continue this there.

“Okay…” Sage sighed, before turning away, leaving Fable back to her work.

[cerealisafunbath]

Last Song: Fable by Gigi Perez

Favorite color(s): sunshine yellow, sage green

Last book: counting textbooks, My organic chemistry textbook. last book for fun was Godslayers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Last Movie: Deadpool and Wolverine

Last TV Show: Agatha All Along

Sweet / Spicy / Savory: Sweet most of the time

Relationship status: coming up on 2.5 year anniversary with @astralsyst3m

last thing I googled: grignard reagent (ah the life of a college student taking orgo)

current obsession: the mechanisms. I'm autistic about them constantly

looking forward to: thanksgiving break aka my chem exam not looming over my head

tagging anyone who wants to!

Ten people I’d like to know tag game:

Thanks for the tag @beauty-is-terrror

Last song: Swan Upon Leda by Hozier

Favourite colour(s): dark greens, navy blue, browns

Last book: reread Bacchae and other plays by Euripides

Last movie: Brideshead revisited

Last TV show: I don’t watch them

Sweet/spicy/savoury: savoury

Relationship status: cursed

Last thing I googled: name of the newspaper in my country

Current obsession: ovid

Looking forward to: Going to Switzerland next week

Tagging: @shinaaposts @siriuslyobsessedwithfiction @perpulchra @the-etcetera-archive (no pressure and sorry if anyone has been tagged before)

[sytokun]

there's so many cool but missed opportunities in rwby for their characters, like sun! yk how he's based of "sun wukong" from journey to the west? IK its FOUR characters to a team but i think it would have really been cool if they took more inspo from journey to the west and made HIS team journey to the west characters

Honestly I think that'd be really cool to base the rest of SSSN on the other Journey to the West characters, especially when the basis for a four-man team is already there. And knowing that SSSN was modeled after K-pop boy band Big Bang, imagining the Journey characters as modern hot boys already sounds like an otome-game level move that would fit RWBY pretty well.

That said, if you're making your own interpretation of SSSN, such as by rewrite or AU, you're free to do so. It depends on whether you put more stock into a more cohesive theme for the team, or their original canon inspirations.

...Which is a good opportunity for me to talk about the sketches I did for Sun's team in RWBY: Remnants some time ago. They won't be appearing for a super long time, but I might as well talk about them now.

Here, I renamed them as Team SNSD (pronounced "Sunset"), with Sun Wukong, Neptune Vasilias, Sage Ayana and Scarlet David. (yes, I am aware there is a K-pop group with the same name, the synchronicity is not lost on me) They're still based on their original allusions as I wanted to work within the constraints of canon here, but the full Journey team may be too good to pass up, so I'll consider coming back in the future to tackle it.

People have always been divided on Team SSSN's name, with many preferring to rename them as SSNS ("Seasons"). I do get it - Team SSSN ("Sun") has that kind of dumb, corny "how do you spell?" vibe that matches a team of himbos. But I think having three S's for one word is just going a step too far into... just plain dumb.

Sun is pretty much the same here, but I decided to dial back towards his Asian features and grey eyes - though they're black here cause I like black eyes too. I also added the Monkey's King's famous golden headband, the jǐn gū zhòu, around his neck.

Neptune is pretty much the same here - honestly I really like his original design and think it's one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" situations - but I do want to redesign him more in the future to better reflect his allusion as Poseidon.

For Scarlet, I wanted to lean more into their "pirate king" vibe and androgynous appearance, so of course the coat-cape slung over the shoulders is a must. I also wanted to change their Semblance into something similar to their canon one but... not boring.

Instead of just gliding, Scarlet can either control air currents (and I do mean that in a very loose, fantasy way) or affect the trajectory of any moving object their Aura recently comes into contact with. This Semblance is called Pixie Dust, and instead of a gun and cutlass, Scarlet wields two guns, either named Hook and Darling like in canon... or Faith and Trust (geddit). They can use this Semblance to fly, and infuse their bullets with their Semblance when loading them to cause them to curve in midair when fired. Yes, basically like that one movie, Wanted.

People who don't like physics breaking in live action movies hated the bullet curving mechanic, but I think it'd be a perfect fit in RWBY's universe. It adds a much-needed cool factor, and picturing Scarlet engraving smug comments and poetic farewells onto their bullets like lethal fortune cookies injects an element of charisma and playfulness to what I think is a really underutilised character, and one based on Peter Pan no less.

Now for Sage, he had a very ambiguous allusion. Some say he was based on an Aesop fable, and others on Hindu mythology.

Glad to know Miles Luna doesn't know the allusion to one of his own characters, especially knowing that SSSN is one of the earliest teams designed for RWBY, predating JNPR. But sure, let's give him the benefit of the doubt like we always do for CRWBY. /s

Given that this was so ambiguous and he also had no Semblance, I decided to take some liberties with Sage, and given his surname and appearance, I decided to look to Hindu mythology for Sage's allusion - a really cool but unexplored source of inspiration in RWBY. I was looking at some famous warriors and gods of myth like Arjuna, but I eventually settled on Kartikeya.

Kartikeya is the Hindu god of war. Known for riding a peacock and sometimes depicted having six heads, he also wields a spear with a leaf-shaped blade called a vel. In other countries he is named Murugan, and has a famous statue of him in Malaysia's Batu Caves.

I've redesigned Sage's clothes to more reflect Indian fashion (albeit a fantasy version of such) and with peacock feather motifs on his collar and chest. Sage here also fights with this spear instead of a greatsword, which you can see him holding in the sketch. His Semblance, Sanmukha ("Six-faced"), allows him to see in six different directions at once, having total 360° vision around himself. This vision can also pierce solid objects within a certain range.

While not immensely powerful by itself, Sage uses this to gain an almost unparalleled martial prowess, spatial awareness and foresight in combat, reflecting the god of war's own wisdom and skill. While I do really like the Roman numeral tattoos on his neck, I was also considering using Sanskrit or Tamil script - I should try that next time I go back to his design.

So yeah, that's Team SNSD from me! I'm pretty attached to Indian Sage, but next time I come back to them I want to take a shot at basing them after Tripitaka, Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) and Sha Wujing (Sandy) from Journey. I also need to be sure actual Hindu people are fine with him, since Kartikeya is still a widely-worshipped god in current times unlike Thor or Poseidon, so I hoped this portrayal of Sage as alluding to him is respectful enough.

[deercliff]

32 and 71 for the spotify thing?

32

This song is my fav off Laurel Hell and very relatable, but I didn't want to draw anything about that, so instead I drew my boyfriend @hellhunde 's OCs, Fable and Sage. I love them lots and think of them often. Fable especially babygirl i'd treat u right

71

This song is an old fav of mine from high school and it makes me really nostalgic. For a long time the only character I had to relate to it was an old retired one with terminal Written By A High Schooler disorder but in 2021 I created Lamerin Greymonte, puppyboy supreme, and it fits him even better. Was nice to finally make art with it after all these years.

[immortal-tale]

Bihyung died

Hades and Persephone died

Dionysus died

Chimera Dragon died

Abyssal Black Flame Dragon died

Sun Wukong died

And every constellation that cheered and fought for < Kim Dokja Company > died...

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

⸢He dreamed of every star’s destruction. But, did he really wish for such a result?⸥

I had never forgotten the final moment of the 1863rd regression turn.

The Great Sage turned around and rushed towards the <Emperor>’s Constellations.

Even before I could reach out, Yu Jung-Hyeok and Han Su-Yeong grabbed me and ran away.

Gong Pil-Du continued to shout something or rather, while Yi Seol-Hwa was pulling out all the recovery medicines in her possession. I couldn’t tell whether Yi Hyeon-Seong’s forged steel covered us first, or the pure-white flash of light managed to blanket the world before that. It felt like my whole body was melting down from the incredible heat, only to become deathly cold as if I was exposed to a cold snap.

When I came to, we were already cast outside the cabin.

Fables leaked out indiscriminately from the gaps of the crumbling walls, painfully singing the end of the stars.

The prop storage’s door hadn’t been closed yet. Ash drifted out through the half-open doorway.

[‘The 4th Wall’ is violently trembling.]

Maybe, somehow, everyone inside that cabin was….

[cyborg-squid]

i have some minor qualms with Lostbelt 5′s despctions of the Twelve Olympians (I feel there are some cooler things they could have done with them) but having the Gods be nothing more than malfunctioning robots is incredibly :chefskiss: .

It’s kind of honestly why I’d rather no more (since Artemis and Apollo are already present) of the Olympians be summonable in FGO since like... it’s hard to say quite right, but the story’s not about them? Not the story of FGO, but the story of Greece, and even the story of Olympus itself. The heroes and monsters the gods birth, or empower, or bless, or curse, or condemn, and the wars between the gods but fought by their mortal champions, it’s about those, it’s about them, they’re the true heart of Greek myth, in my opinion, rather than the Olympians themselves. 

It’s further hard to explain, but I was thinking about this before with like... the sort of design contrasts and evolutions of the Greek myth characters, going as far back to the original Fate Stay Night, where you have Hercules and Medea in very sorta ‘traditional’ fantasy outfits, even if they don’t look particularly ‘Greek’. And you see this as well with Chiron, Atalanta, and Achilles in Apocrypha, and it’s actually Achilles’ ascenscions in FGO in which you can kinda see the evolution, going from a more fantasy style battle armor in his second ascenscion (in line with the style, imo, of Hektor, Chiron, Hercules, and Medea) to a tokusatsu show sort of look in his third ascenscion. You can see this too with Atalante Alter’s third ascenscion, which is kinda ridiculous, but you can see how an artist might arrive at that point if they started from from trying to ‘cyberize’ a boar pelt being worn on the shoulder, ya know? A lot of more recent Greek Servants lean more into the sci-fi/robot side of things (look at mecha-pilot Odysseus and Saint Seiya Caenis!), but I don’t think this sort of disconnect in design styles is a bad thing, as long as an appropriate distance is kept from the sort of ‘source’ of them, the Olympians.

And this has also got me thinking about Chinese mythology so far in Fate (which I’ll admit to not being super familiar with) which has a similar yet distinct robots and heaven mixing. But it seems to operate pretty differently in that there’s a lot less direct interaction and a lot more of, what I’d call, building off of what came before. Xiang Yu is a cyborg built from the literal remains of Prince Nezha, who in turn had been created by a Taoist sage. Lu Bu might himself be some sort of robot and Red Hare is literally a robot (or similar... thing) in the shape of a horse. Chen Gong is the inheritor of ancient Magecraft secrets that he was unable to make use of until he met Lu Bu. Both Shi Huang Di’s bodies, their large mechanical one and their Zhenren, are ‘inherited’, their palace form being built off mechanical remains like Xiang Yu, and their Zhenren body being manufactured after analyzing Yu Mei-Ren. Even Yu Mei-Ren, one of the fabled Zhenrens, doesn’t know much of her own origins and doesn’t really have any ‘answers’. All these different parts of these character backstories really work together, especially in the advanced tech SIN Lostbelt, to paint this really vivid picture of a type of Magecraft and heroes built on ruins and tools of the past, but not dependent on ‘gods’ in order to make them work.