#than it is on firebrand with full ritualists

[guardian-instincts-bad]

firebrand mains every balance update

[azems-familiar]

For Storyteller Saturday: give me five head canons you have about Zakuul

oh BLESS i love you. someone has to do the hard work of fleshing out Zakuul since bioware won't!! .......... coming back up here to say i'm putting this under a readmore because i think i wrote like over a thousand words of rambling and it's So Long

the first one is one i've talked about before in other posts, so i won't go much into detail about it, but it involves the Old Ways and worshipping the machine gods. i've developed several different rituals to mark the year (a sort of wheel of the year thing but for the six gods), there's a whole thing, but the Old Ways are sort of... looked down upon by a lot of Zakuulans. the mainstream Zakuulan religion these days is based around worshipping their Immortal Emperor, who is basically their god - he took control by styling himself the machine gods' prophesied demon slayer (canon iirc), even though he wasn't actually, and so to follow the Old Ways devoutly basically implies that you don't believe he actually killed them and don't trust in the Immortal Emperor, etc. so very few people actually admit to openly being devout.

however! the Old Ways are not forbidden, and many of the festivals are still around today, just turned into parties - there was one involving human sacrifice that turned into effigy burning, another that involves ritualistic walking barefoot across hot coals where people can get the damage fixed up directly after. lighting a candle for Scyva in midwinter is a common way of remembering those lost, especially Knights of Zakuul fallen in battle. Valkorion didn't outlaw the practices, because it gave his people something to focus on, sort of like how Firebrand was allowed to do a little terrorism. perfection can get boring after all.

the people who still follow the Old Ways tend to be in one of two categories: the thrill-seekers who do it for a rush, or the truly devout who don't believe in Valkorion as a god. there are a lot of fascinating implications there and i have THOUGHTS about the Scions who believe Valkorion is the literal avatar of Izax and so practice a modified version of the Old Ways, and the Heralds of Zildrog who are a fascinating cult who practice modified versions of the holy days, including actually keeping up with the human sacrifice bit. it's considered an honor to be the person sacrificed to Izax so that he will not come to claim more souls for the rest of the year.

all of this leads into HEADCANON TWO! which is that after Valkorion dies and Arcann takes over as the Emperor of Zakuul, there is the formation of a.... sort of cult probably? a religious group of fanatics on Zakuul who worship the Outlander, either as a reincarnation of Valkorion or as a being more powerful than him, because who but another god can kill a god? there are absolutely some wild ass memes about it on the Zakuul holonet and a lot of theories. the Scions definitely think the Outlander is basically the new vessel for Izax's spirit and that's why they ally with them, it's a tossup on whether they believe "Valkorion" was ever a real person at all, or just their terrible, horrible god. (because in the end, the most fated thing about any one person's life is that they will die.)

headcanon three, which i really need to make a post about: METALWORKING AS A CULTURAL SKILL!!! most of the actual work on Zakuul is done by droids, so most people actually have a basic understanding of mechanics and like, very basic metalworking. the Knights of Zakuul forge their own armor as part of the final step from training into becoming full knights, and they are responsible for repairing it themselves. Arcann repairs his own mask and his own arm. all of this ties into my fourth headcanon, because there's two here, which is about gift giving!

gift giving is a cultural way of showing affection to people, of course, but gifting someone something handmade, generally jewelry or other bits of metal, is A Statement. it's usually done as an affection gift or a mark of loyalty and care. this is why, for example, Arcann forges the Commander a Knight of Zakuul breasplate. there are people who make metal sculptures, too, it isn't just about jewelry and armor but also about art! Zakuul is absolutely full of art because as a society they have so much more energy and time to be creative because so much of the essential work is performed by droids. artists are absolutely held in very high esteem there - this is supported in canon, see the Zakuulan singer who turned traitor being a respected leader for her people. ...that's probably a fifth headcanon but i'll give you one more anyway

okay for my LAST headcanon, i haven't developed this super thoroughly yet, but! some thoughts about the Knights of Zakuul. so most of them are found fairly young. Zakuul is a nexus in the Force and so a higher population than normal of Force-sensitives are born there, mostly because children who would have been weaker or only Force-attuned are able to get their senses sort of... blown open wide by living on a world so naturally strong in it. this is part of why we see some insanely strong people from Zakuul. (and part of why the Sith pureblood species, originating from Korriban, was nearly entirely sensitive, which became a genetic trait that has weakened since they were forced off their homeworld.) sometimes Force-sensitives from conquered worlds are brought into the Knights if they show signs of being loyal. Zakuul, after all, isn't the only world in its empire, there are several other planets in that area of Wild Space (not supported by canon, unfortunately, but canon can shut up. Zakuul being that fully combat ready just does not make sense otherwise, through sheer logistics. they have too many numbers) and all of them fell to the Eternal Empire a long time ago, but there is still fighting on the frontier worlds near the very far edges of the galaxy pre-galactic war, and of course the actual war with Republic and Empire.

so Knights are usually trained from a fairly young age. they are taught to view the Force fundamentally different from Jedi or Sith or other Force-using traditions, and many of them would fall where you consider morally neutral, but just as there is no actual grey in the Force, they don't actually use one side or the other. some are more in tune with the light, using the Force through selflessness and emotion frequently focused on protecting and bettering the Empire as a whole, rather than themselves; some use the dark, wielding it through a selfish lens, grabbing onto its power for their own gains. either way, which side of the Force is used isn't actually regulated. Knights are trained on both the basic single blade and on the lightsaber pike, and many of them carry both weapons on them and can switch between the two, as well as a blaster-resistant energy-field shield for front lines combat. they are also trained in hand to hand, though that gets used less often, and offensive and defensive Force use. there are no Force-blind Knights.

Knights go through a pretty intense set of final trials before they are named a full member of the force, usually involving a survival test on a remote world, as well as forging their armor to wear in battle. they have to forge their armor before the test and wear it to face their enemies during the survival challenge - if the armor isn't forged properly, it will not protect them, and they will more than likely die. if they die they weren't worthy of the gift of the Force (earned in service to a greater goal, aka their empire and emperor), etc etc. when Knights die their fellows will usually attempt to recover a piece of armor or a weapon to enshrine as a memory to the person who made it.

armor has to be uniform, but as i've mentioned Zakuul is All About Art, so the weapons can be customized in small ways! also a lot of Knights will add designs to the insides of their armor pieces as a way to mark them as theirs. if a fully intact piece of designed armor can be recovered from a dead body, the dead person's friends and family will often come together to paint the forged designs and turn it into a real artwork.

there are definitely Funky Religion Things going on with a lot of the Knights too but i need to figure out more of that before i start putting it on tumblr lol so! i'm sorry this is so long you did NOT know what you were getting into when you asked me this but Thank You

[armsdealing]

the worship of the dorados -- aequismo, also known as suxuhismo -- is a polytheistic, henotheistic religion that has background dating back at least five hundred years. it revolves around three main deities, dubbed laws, that are said to rule over all "matters of being and nonbeing" -- and two minor deities, which are said to be supporting agents to the laws.

the laws in question are called laws because aequismo acknowledges the existence of other gods from all other religions -- including the christian one -- but they believe that the laws have a preponderance over them. aequistas entertained the idea of multiple realities and parallel universes long before they became widely discussed in modern society/science, and they ascertained that all gods were gods within their realities, but that laws rule over the very fabric of all realities. the laws in question although personified in their worship are closer to the laws of physics than anything else. they are tenets that aequistas believe mold "existence itself". the tenets in question being retribution (justice), chaos (madness), and obliteration (death).

aequistas believe universes are made and unmade all the time at every point by the laws as need dictates. some universes live longer than others, whilst others last about a blink of the eye before they collapse unto themselves. the success of a universe depends on how well inhabitants can maintain the balance between the laws. too much retribution makes universes inhospitable to life. too much chaos disintegrates any possibility of stability. both prospects make it likelier for universes to fall and be obliterated.

they believe this earth is not the only earth there is, and that it is their duty as inhabitants of the earth to tend to the laws in order to ensure the survival -- or rather, the flourishment -- of all people. that means they base their practices not on hatred of the other but on love towards the other. they accept the unknown as natural and embrace change as necessary. that means aequists have always been on the progressive side of political discourse. members have always been firebrand and staunch in advocating for the rights of people, even before this was popular or safe. as a result they have always been objects of prosecution within their countries. aequist are staunchly anti-colonization, anti-imperialism, and anti-slavery, have been since the inception and solidification of their belief system. they have always been pro-worker, anti-racist, pro-lgbt (before the term existed), and anti-authority be it in the form of governments or the form of law enforcement. and because of their entrenched history opposed to the catholic church and their influence over what became known as latin america during colonial times, they are also -- on paper -- anti-christian, especially anti christian hegemony and anti christian power structures. on the other hand they tend to hold amicable relationships toward most other religious groups, with exceptions made for their fundamentalist/extremist/orthodox factions.

funnily enough, aequists in current times are considered to be an extremist hate group within the countries they inhabit (they have a widespread presence in most countries of the americas, especially colombia, venezuela mexico, brazil and the united states) if not a downright criminal organization. this because of the aforementioned anti-christian practices. aequistas have been linked to the burning of churches they considered to be manned by corrupt officials, and they have been linked to the assassination of religious authorities. because of their proximity to leftism, they are also presecuted by fascistic and conservative groups all the time -- aequistas, in turn, have a historied background of violently fighting back against the rise of conservatism within their countries.  

aequism does not always present itself in the same way. being a henotheistic religion, worshippers may choose around which deity to center their practice. the carminista (justice) wing of the religion is the most well known, since they tend to be the most politically visible, while the desiderista and marenista wings are more centered around in-group efforts, or are subtler in how they reach out to outsiders. all wings are represented equally within the worship, all count with representatives (called ejecutantes) that are meant to work together for the betterment of all practitioners.

aequismo is a semi-closed practice. it is not impossible to become an aequista, and people from all walks of life are welcomed within their institutions, but it takes work to actually become a member and not everything is revealed right away and not everyone makes it in. aequistas do not openly disclose the full extent of their belief systems and ritualistic practices. many of them are a mystery even to this day, which fuels the mistrust many might have toward them. they have been referred to as satanists, as occultists, as cultists, as heretics, and as degenerates by their political enemies. fear-mongering about them has caused the public to fear them in the past, and while a lot of that fear has subsided (in no small part thanks to the aequistas' constant advocacy for the poor and marginalized), they are a controversial topic within their countries, especially since those countries still are under strong catholic or (in the case of the united states) protestant influence.

aequistas center their worship, like i said, around love of the other. they firmly believe that the things they do are done out of love. this love isn't soft, but it can be merciful if mercy is needed. it isn't always kind, but it is always compassionate toward those that require compassion. in turn, it can also be a merciless form of love. aequistas -- especially the carminista faction -- are not opposed to killing those they deem "evil"; authorites that abuse their power, that use it to lie and abuse others, tend to be their prime targets. they have a "no tolerance for the intolerant" policy within their circles, which mean that no form of bigotry is ever acceptable. usually a rehabilitative angle is employed first, but only if they consider it could work. if they think it won't -- as they think often in the case of nazis, rapists, and ethno-nationalists -- then death is considered to be the only solution.

the whole time, hatred toward these parties isn't the focus, but protection and compassion for their victims. just like they aren't above violent tactics, they are also very involved in their communities, engaging in mutual aid organizing, providing food, housing and medical assistance toward those that need it. this aspect of their engagement isn't publicized as often as their unrepentant violence, but it's just as ubiquitous -- if not even more so.

politically, though they won't back out from being called progressives or leftists, they openly oppose any more labels. they aren't marxists. they are not anarchists. they aren't socialists. they are aequistas. they will ally themselves to those they view as similarly-minded, and they usually happen to be leftists from all sorts of denominations, but they won't automatically ally themselves to any group that labels themselves leftist.

realitistically speaking, though, their stances are very much anarchistic in nature. politically they support progressive policities, and as i said, they're anti-imperialism, anti-racism and anti-facism. this all being said, i reiterate political advocacy isn't their main focus, so much as "human-centered" advocacy is. they focus on things that would strategically help the most number of people, and they organize their efforts around that. as a result, you won't find them linked to any official political party. you will always find them doing their own thing, and advocating for political pragmatism within their circles (when it comes to electoral politics) while pushing for progressive causes and doing things they think will disrupt the current status quo.

now, an important distinction needs to be made: not all aequistas are members of the dorados organization, but all dorados are aequistas. the dorados are a recent affair, comparatively -- starting out their activities around the 30-50s in colombia. it is an organization made mainly of carministas, and helmed by the reyes family. it represents the most militant members of the worship, and are usually the ones you catch on the news being arrested for beating up cops that were trying to extort money from immigrant-run businesses.

currently stronghold cities of aequista activity are miami, new york, los angeles, caracas, maracaibo, medellín, cartagena, panama city, mexico city, oaxaca de juarez, reynosa, rio de janeiro and sao paolo. they have smaller groups peppered through the americas.

[ohthehorrorhq-blog]

THE S T A T S

Name: Marcus Kessel

Age: thirty

Occupation: cold case blogger

Face: Parker Young

THE A N T H E M S

“A Lack of Color” - Death Cab for Cutie

“Flowers in Your Hair” - The Lumineers

“Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” - The Avett Brothers

“Lemonworld” - The National

THE L O W D O W N

Marcus never expected anything unusual to happen in his life – and he was perfectly happy with that. For the longest time, he grew up in the most unremarkable of the completely average Kessel household in the middle of the completely boring mountain town of Idaho Springs, Colorado. The most exciting thing to happen in years was a mountain lion attack twenty years ago; otherwise, the calm serenity of the mountains fit Marcus like a glove. He was a low-key kid in a low-key town, whose interests of reading everything he could get his hands allowed him to find out about the world without him ever actually having to venture into it. His twin sister, however, was quite the opposite. Juliette Kessel was a firebrand, and Idaho Springs wasn’t going to be nearly enough for her appetite for experiences. Still, growing up, the two were inseparable. She was possibly the only person able to drag Marcus from their town when they attended the same college. Marcus majored in mass communication, and she in engineering.

They seemed destined for success, both of them successful in their respective programs when they graduated with their degrees. However, Juliette celebrated her final summer as a free woman with a trip across the East Coast, and Marcus decided to head back home and search for jobs. They wished each other well when he dropped her off at the airport, and Marcus settled back home, finally read something for pleasure, and waited for his twin to return.

Except she never did.

Weeks passed, and then months. All the while, sporadic reports of young women’s murders, ritualistic in nature, filtered across the nation back to Colorado. It almost wasn’t a surprise, then, when the police called from a national park in Maine, saying that the remains identified in the latest ritual case, had been those of Juliette Kessel. The family, shocked and disturbed, rallied for answers, but officials solved nothing, and eventually, the crime spree faded into nothing. Knowing that if the roles were reversed, she’d come for him, Marcus made the first move of his own life to leave the comfort and safety of his family and travel to Maine. Perhaps he could look for answers and find what happened to his twin.

Along the way though, he found that he wasn’t the only one looking for answers. Others were equally perplexed, and although Marcus wasn’t able to help everyone, his investigative skills were able to solve a closed case that had been assumed to be a mystery forever. He’d been publishing his findings online as he went, and within a night of publishing the entry that accompanied the news reports, his numbers went way up, and Marcus found his purpose: maybe he could help people who, like him, were waiting for answers that may never come. His blog The Kessel Report was christened then, and ever since then, Marcus takes the cases of those who write to him. Although the successes are few and far between, he relishes every person who’s able to find closure because of his efforts, and deep down, he hopes that someday he too will have the answers his heart craves more than anything else.

THE C O N N E C T I O N S

He tries his hardest to befriend Emerson Albright, the Final Girl, because he senses she’s lonely. He’s well acquainted with Occult Detective, Conspiracy Theorist, and Haunted Heroine.

THIS CHARACTER IS T A K E N