#this post is about Inarius

[rachelfoleyisntdead]

I think men should have more mental breakdowns in video games. And not like... in a megalomaniacal way as they're cackling about their evil plans for world domination/creating a master race or in a sad boy way while it's raining and the soft piano version of their theme plays bc they're soooooo misunderstood. We're over that, it's been done too many times.

Like. They failed. They can't take it. The stakes were so high, it was their whole thing and they just couldn't get it done and they don't get why and no one will tell them.

[sineral]

Progress on an experimental comic I'm fiddling with. It's based off the same au @necr0-mantix and I have been picking at. An AU Post D3 bit where the Angiris Council get stuck in Nephalem flesh bags. Most of them hate it. Malthael is the most fucked up on the bunch--a literal zombie since he actually died. Here, Inarius is about to find out he's not dead anymore. It's gonna be great.

[fluff-and-such]

Hmmm fluffly Auriel and post reaper Muffy playing and Inarius watching from nearby and tugging at his mane with nervousnes xD

Tbh after becoming a Reaper Muffy isn't a particularly playful angel. More homicidal than anything.

Unlike Cantankerous Malthael, or most other Malthaels (who are on the whole rather more friendly, and far more sane), Muffy has a grudge against just about everyone. He's mad at Inarius for creating humanity, Tyrael for defending them. Auriel and Imperius for stopping him from destroying the humans, and then imprisoning him themselves, and Itherael for not warning him sooner about what was to come.

Auriel still loves him though. She will totally mess with and tease him and kick his ass if he tries any shit. And Inarius is just stuck in the middle of it all.

Poor Fool. One wonders why he'd go through any of the trouble.

Auri can more than handle herself. Actively-Reapering Malthael would most likely beat her in a real fight, but at that point he'd have bigger, fierier angels to worry about.

[lilthya]

this is a very private, canon divergent and highly selective roleplay blog for 𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐇 of the 𝙳𝙸𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙾 franchise. blog is based on theories and current known lore. blog is low-ish activity. ⮚ AFFILIATED: @throned , @diabolem & @palecharm

NOTE: TEMP RULES AND BRIEF MUSE INFO SEEN BELOW ↓

I. please note that this ISN'T BIBLICAL LILITH! this is lilith from the video game series of DIABLO, therefore lore and connections will be different. i am always happy to still work her into interactions with other demons/demonic entities, though! i'm rather flexible, and have no issues plotting/working something out ♡ i'm extremely crossover friendly, and i love original characters.

➤ LILITH is a very powerful demon, she's the queen of the succubi and daughter of MEPHISTO, the lord of hatred.while perhaps not as powerful as her father and the other prime evils ( debateable ) , she's extremely cunning, tactical, and holds many powerful titles which makes her a force to be reckoned with. SHE IS hell royalty. she's the demon that mated with the archangel inarius, birthing not only a new world known as sanctuary ( the mortal realm ) but also the first of the nephalem. she's also 8'5" with her horns, thanks. she has heterochromia, left eye is blue and right is yellow-gold. her direct son is linarian ( rathma ), the child of both her and inarius, he is of first of the nephalem.

II. please don't follow if you're not going to ever interact with any of my posts! i want to keep a clean dash, i'm not here to collect followers or be collected, i'm here to write. i'm also here for friends, my rp partners. they're a priority!

III. i've literally got ZERO time for drama, if you have an issue address it. i don't care enough about online stuff, and have no energy for it. if you don't want to communicate it then keep it to yourself, it's 2023 and majority of the rpc IS well into their 20s. act like it, yeah?

IV. i'm very plot heavy here and will often require some sort of communication ooc? i do enjoy discussion, and want to pick your brain on ideas and perhaps dynamics? i like building bonds with those i write with ♡ only if you're comfy, that is.

V. yes, i love to ship as much as the next person but like the point above.... that's going to require some form of ooc talk. I DO ship her with INARIUS (as drama filled as their relationship is...) i'm a sucker for a good demon & angel romance.

VI. lastly, don't be rude. don't be hateful. any targeted behaviour towards any groups, communities, etc... isn't tolerated here. just don't be disgusting, don't partake in nasty behaviour.

[bowlerhatwearer]

(This post contains Diablo 4 Spoilers)

Some rambling / theorizing under the read more.

I think it is possible that there will be multiple endings. Maybe around four. One ending with Lillith winning, one where Inarius gets the upper hand. The third being the Horadrim ending and the fourth being the "Red Wolf" ending.

Speaking about the "Red Wolf". I am convinced he is Diablo in disguise. We are seeing Tristram in a vision, the town where Diablo was awoken first, and if I remember correctly Diablo was freed at the end of Reaper of Souls. So I think that speaks for this theory.

[ursbearhug]

Okay in my last post about D4 I've done goofed.

I was like 'what do you mean they died? Angels and demons can't die". So for anyone not in the know, Diablo plot is 50% battle between high hevens and hell. It is called eternal conflict because neither angels nor demons can die permanently. They just don't stay down. The catch is! There is limited amount of angels that can exist at a time. When one dies, it is replaced by a new angel. Demons on the other hand simply respawn after certian time, the exact same one.

So yes, Inarius is dead. He never went back to hevens and never will. There will be completely new Archangel for his position.

[hidden-heavens]

The Archangels and Anu

Stay a While and Listen...

A lore post detailing the Archangels of this particular AU, and their God, Anu. Cut for length.

Anu: God of the angels, father and mother both. Anu are a hivemind of organisms forming a massive winged pyrosome. Their origins are shrouded in mystery; all that's truly known about them is that they're the progenitor of the angels and that they dwell in the deep heart of the Silver City, guarding the Arch and the nesting grounds around it. They cherish their children deeply.

-

Archangel Inarius: The Aspect of Creation, Anu's First Note, Master of the Worldstone, Creator and Sculptor of Sanctuary. Such are Inarius' titles in this world, and he exercised them often. Unknown to many is that he also brought the Arch into being (although it was accidental). After the creation of land Inarius disappeared, never to be seen by his younger siblings again. Only Malthael knows the truth of his disappearance; the rest of the Council and all of angel-kind believe him either dead or lost in some form of madness.

-

Archangel Malthael: The Aspect of Death and Wisdom, Master of Chalad'ar, Keeper of the Soulstone. As with most of his siblings, Malthael is representative of two aspects: the Major Aspect of Death and the Lesser Aspect of Wisdom. Born with Death in his nature, he's never gone mad in this timeline and is in perfect control of himself and his powers. Mortals haven't touched Chalad'ar and muddied its depths, but he holds little fondness for them after witnessing their tendency to take more than their fair share of the ocean's bounty. He is very attentive to the needs of Heaven as a whole, aware of the potential for chaos to take them or for the demons to attack at any moment. The only one of the Archangels to see mortals as prey.

-

Archangel Itherael: Aspect of Fate, Reader of Talus'ar, Keeper of the Library of Fate, Oracle of the Heavens. Itherael may only have one aspect but Fate covers a wide spectrum of duties, and he is just as active as the others. Jellyfish-like in appearance, Itherael is known for their generally slow, almost hypnotising way of swimming. They're still very monotone, but have a tendency to fluoresce brightly when emotional. Retains his ability to manipulate space and time to teleport, an ability shared by their host. Finds humanity vaguely interesting since they can't see the Fates of mortals.

-

Archangel Auriel: Aspect of Love and Hope, Siren Supreme. Despite her lack of titles, Auriel is no less powerful than her siblings and commands perhaps the greatest respect of them all, due to her no-nonsense attitude towards wrangling the Council. Perfectly willing to force through necessary changes. Often accompanied by a small entourage of angels whenever she ventures into the open ocean. Al'maiesh in this world is a literal part of her, two long squid-like tentacles that hang from her head and reach most of the way down her body. She regards humanity with curiosity, as do many of her host.

-

Archangel Imperius: Aspect of War and Valor, Leader of the Armies of Heaven, Forgemaster of Heaven. Imperius is familiarly argumentative and stubborn to a fault, his spear Solarion always at the ready, and craves nothing more than a good fight. He's the master strategist of Heaven, but will take advice from Malthael and Auriel. Argues with Tyrael tirelessly, seeing such debates as a battle to be won. He shares Malthael's dislike of the mortals of Sanctuary, although he doesn't quite go so far as to declare them prey or to actively hunt them. 

-

Archangel Tyrael: Aspect of Justice, Judge of Heaven, Lord of the Courts, Bearer of El'druin. He resides over the judgement of both angels who break the laws of Heaven and demonic prisoners with the assistance of representatives from each of the four Courts of Justice. He and Imperius argue over many topics. Smitten with humanity, Tyrael is known to often venture to the surface and walk amongst mortals - much to Malthael's distaste and secret fear.

[mal-likes-biscuits]

Break down Asks for ithereal please?

[Original ask meme.]

How I feel about this character

All the people I ship romantically with this character

My non-romantic OTP for this character

My unpopular opinion about this character

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

1. They’re soft-spoken and reliable, and more a scholar than a warrior. But they’re also a terrifying warrior if they need to be. I love Itherael. They stood up for humanity and even as their Aspect is breaking, they want to look to the future and believe in something better. That this is canon makes me so happy.

2. No one, oddly, because I just can’t see Itherael getting attached that way. In mortal terms, they read as a bit aro to me. Though, there are lots of really wonderful fan depictions of Itherael in relationships (with a Nephalem, from @macabrecabra; and with a post-Hell Inarius, from @fluffy-angels).

3. Auriel, 100%. I write them as being Lightsong twins, so as close to legit siblings as you can get. There’s canon proof they are very dear to each other.

4. I...don’t know if I have one. For Itherael at least I find I agree with general fan consensus.

5. More. Screen. Time. Please. Partially for character development, and partially because I want a better look at their damn snazzy time-hopping abilities.

Also, hey Blizzard, do you wanna put Itherael in HotS eventually?? We all could use a good time/control mage.

[altarsburning]

captainamarii replied to your post: @captainamarii #« one might see her my disease;...

hi hello, “lovesick for mina” by cradle of filth is about inarius and lilith, not dracula and mina. u can’t change my mind (:

i wouldn’t even dream of trying to change ur mind

[macabrecabra]

M.C. CLEAN! Fledglings! Old Council members (and Inarius), what's the general opinion on them? How traumatised/entertained do the mortals look by the descriptions?

The screen flickers on once more and Tevar can be seen, sitting on the couch with a rather disgruntled Aladria in her bathrobe, with a cup of tea between her hands. 

“Tevar...do you have to do this now? I’m trying to relax.”

“This is the only time we get to hang out together these days, what with you and Itherael practically giving each other CPR every-”

“I have a cup of hot tea and I will use it on you.”Tevar shot her a look, huffing light as he sat back, “Fine fine....so...onto the topic of this video....showing off what our darling angels looked as babies! By digging around in old storerooms of Heaven and through ingenious casual conversation, I have located the fabled portraits of their youth.”

Aladria arched an eyebrow, taking a sip of her tea, “Wait...you got baby pictures?”

“It turns out i is a rather common tradition for older angels to commission pictures of little angels and trust me, they are as adorable as you think. So I thought it would be nice to show them to our public and then compare them to what they grew up into!”

Aladria shifted some, taking another sip of her tea thoughtfully before letting out a sigh and giving a reluctant lot, “That honestly does sound kind of fun.” “See? I have good ideas!” He chuckled before turning to reach over the couch pulling forth the first scroll, “And up first, let’s look at your dear Itherael as a tyke!”

With a flourish, he unrolled the scroll to reveal a small, nervous looking angel, sitting on a stool, wings pulled tight and clutching a stuffed animal to his chest, “Our resident librarian looks like such a nervous child. The emotional support teddy bear gives that away! Wings too big, body too small, but one-hundred percent adorable.”

A close-up of the picture slid onto the screen, no done in post editing with a picture of Itherael as a proper adult next to it, “And little nerd grew into the king of nerds and here they sit upon their gamer chair throne, safe-guarding the internet and collecting all its dark secrets and porn.”

“Tevar!” 

“Aladria, I will bet my life ten times over that he has seen something in his browsing of the internet that has caused a spiritual awakening and is hidden in the deepest reaches of his picture folder.”

She gave a roll of her eyes, “Not everyone is a internet gremlin like you...”

“No....some are goblins.” Tevar retorted before moving to pull out the next fledgling picture, “Next, we have Auriel who is not here but..well... given her baby portrait, pretty sure if she was, she would rule the world.”He unfurled the scroll to reveal a picture of young Auriel sitting astride a vicious baby cherubim, one hand on her hip, the other holding a streamer caught in the wind. “Her parents clearly expected her to rule the world and unfortunately, we haven’t found her yet so...no comparison picture, but given her reputation, she feels like the mom you don’t want to piss off because she will come into school, fight all the teachers, kick out the teeth of all the bullies, frighten the cops into submission and have the president pardon her of all crimes out of pure fear.”

Aladria snorted, “....you make her sound scary. She is probably just not the kind of person to take things lying down.”

“Except, you know...prime evils.”

The man yelped as Aladria kicked out of him with a scowl, “What?”“Not funny.”

“Okay okay...she was the one making the demon lord-ow!”

“One more joke like that and I’m going to get the teapot and douse you in scalding water.” Aladria warned, taking a sip of her tea, eyes narrowed.

Tevar ducked his head, grumbling as he turned around, “Okay okay, let’s move on....next we got the resident terror that sasses in the night, Malthael.”He unfurled the baby portrait tapestry showing Malthael standing their awkwardly, half hunched over and looking like the artists had barely been able to sketch out his outline before he had run. “I’ve heard he was a shy boy and a half feral angry child, born forever in his goth phase,” Tevar said as the screen showed a picture of an adult Malthael looking up from where he sat, “A goth phase that went from “I’m rebelling against society in my teenage emo phase’ to absolutely terrifying nightmare goth that hides in your closet, creeps along your ceiling and fills your dreams with dank memes.”

Aladria arched an eyebrow, “What?” 

“He is very dangerous Aladria. I went down with Imperius once to talk to him, and he memed us. Imperius didn’t get it. Imperius still is living in ye old time of ancients, but I did...and I was terrified,” Tevar said grimly, “He is powerful.”

“I don’t think being able to use memes makes you...powerful Tevar?”

“Oh ye of so little appreciation of dank memes,” He drawled,”You’ll understand one day the sass he wields....and speaking of Imperius...he’s next!”

Tevar was trying hard not to laugh as he unfurled the tapstery showing a small, excited looking angel, more rounded and with the smallest wings imaginable upon his back, “All I can say....the bravest bumblebee who just grew into a large angry bumblebee.”“Aww! That’s adorable!” Aladria cooed, “Look at this little wings!”

“I’m of the opinion that Imperius’s baby portrait is a weapon that causes everyone to stop and stare, laugh, or coo, thus ending all hostilities.” Tevar said with a snicker, “The most powerful relic in Heaven.”

“I don’t think he would be pleased if you said that.” 

“From what I heard, calling him a bumblebee causes him to go into a berserk rage,” Tevar said with a shrug before starting to unfurl the last tapestry, “And now, last, but not least....Inarius and Tyrael and I open this up to our dear viewers....which one is which?”

 The picture showed two young fledglings, that were more or less identical, both standing in the same exact pose as they stared down whoever was painting them, “Apparently, they were impossible to tell apart until Tyrael lost his halo....and according to my sources, they weren’t really officially named until then. They just shouted their name and assumed whoever responded was the right angel...”

Aladria squinted, sitting up, “...so do you know which one is which?”

“Nope. Imperius didn’t know either so I put it on the Heaven social media page and it is the top trending topic currently in Heaven....Tyrael and Inarius are at each other’s throats as apparently they can’t figure it out and keep claiming the other one has it wrong. Malthael says the difference is subtle but isn’t revealing which...I’m of the opinion he is trolling all of us.”Aladria rubbed her chin, “...which one was taller?”

“They were about the same height and Tyrael claims he is taller but Inarius is claiming he was always the taller one. Problem is, now they are the exact same height so hard to tell.” Tevar shook his head, “Its a mystery!” 

“This is going to bug me all night now,” Aladria grumbled, taking up the tapestry and eyeballing it, “There has to be something different between them when they were small!” 

Tevar snickered, glancing up at the camera, “And there you have the baby angels, tell me what you think and as always, M.C Clean OUT!” 

[fluff-and-such]

Hey I don't think this ever got posted here, have an Inarius from 2018.

I distinctly remember learning how to shade stuff so it looked curvy in Drawing 2, coming home, listening to stuff by A Perfect Circle (???) at 11 o clock at night, and shading his thighs like my life depended on it. Don't worry about why he's on his knees, admire his shiny wings and pretty copper breastplate instead.

[zydrateacademy]

Current Activities in Gaming #192

E3 Wishlist edition, and some other stuff. Thanks to getting paid weekly at this new job of mine in conjunction with them giving me a lot more hours (4 hour shifts are a thing of my past), I have a bit more weekly play money than I expected. In my last job I was getting anywhere from 220 to 400 (On holiday weeks mostly). -160 for general food and rent and what was left was my play money. But on a weekly basis, the food and rent is lower but I still get around ~250 per week. Take away about ~90 and that’s what I have to play with per week. This means I can typically get game related stuff on a more reliable basis under pretty much the same amount of funding I had before. This is cool. I know sharing one’s personal funding is some kind of social taboo but maybe when I’m earning 15-20 an hour in an office I might hide this fact but I’m barely above minimum wage as a literal grocery bagger so who gives a shit. Sorry for the tangent but hey, this is a blog. First on my list is the upcoming Necromancer for Diablo 3, which I suspect will be released during Season 11 in a month or two. Played it on the PTR and their Grace of Inarius set reminds me of my wizard’s Archon build. I used this in the PTR but I imagine it’ll undergo some tweaking once actual high-tier pros start publishing theirs when they go live, but as it was it allowed me to do Torment 4-6 comfortably;

In a similar fashion to my wizard, if Bone Armor goes down (Mistiming, etc) then it leaves me vulnerable. Otherwise I barely took any damage because gear and runes made my defense stats spike into ridiculous levels. I didn’t like the playstyles of the other sets. The blood magic one is a nice concept but didn’t like watching my health pool tank down to 10% constantly. Anyway. E3 roundup anyone? I don’t know if Destiny 2 was even a talking point but the preorder stuff showed up around the same time. It will likely be my very first purchase later tonight once my money comes in. Some of my Watchtower gaming community is looking into it so I’ll certainly have people to play with in its first wave. The deluxe and expansion stuff is a bit steep, but this game is attached to the Blizzard launcher so they’re usually pretty good about allowing one to buy the upgrade. I can do 60$ now, and then do 40$ for all the extra stuff in a couple weeks, so when October rolls around I’ll have the super special funky extra edition. Hopefully? Next on my priority is Life is Strange: Before the Storm. I have mixed feelings on this, partly because Chloe had some inklings of an abusive relationship with Max (Chloe herself being the perpetrator). I try to justify some of the problematic elements away, but mostly I just headcanon some traits and change Chloe’s base cynicism down a few notches. It’s funny, I’m hardly in the target demographic for this kind of game and some of the teen drama in the first game made me cringe ever so slightly. However, the devs excel and environment, tone, and mood. I like its style and I adore the music. While the gameplay trailer didn’t do a lot to sell Rachael to me, perhaps the game itself will explain some of her behavior. (Or I might just headcanon that shit away, too).

I have a vague, passing interest in Far Cry 5 but the series has suffered from some decay. I played and Beat 3 and it was great, but never got around to beating the 4th because it was a bit exhausting. I had some good fun in my ~8 or so hours on it but it just couldn’t keep my attention. Next is Assassin’s Creed Origins. Anyone who knows me knows that this will absolutely be in my library at some point, but it’s taking some flak again for the gameplay footage being lackluster and Ubisoft releasing an insane 800$ version of the game that comes with some kind of statue and... other stuff, presumably. Obviously I’m not about that life, 800$ could help in like, 1/12th of my failed college debt so if I suddenly had that kind of cash, I’d start paying that off, not buying a statue.

Still, I’m an AC fangirl who even liked Unity, which is an unpopular opinion. (At its worst, I feel like AC3 was a big misstep).

Shadow of War is another big one, but I’ve already blurbed about that in my last gaming post.

There’s one or two more I’m looking into, some I need to find out exactly what the hell they even are (Vampyr, Anthem) but these few are my top priority and will probably involve a few preorders, especially since I’m pretty sure they’re going to be decent.

[fluff-and-such]

I am writeing this about the Auriel post you made.

Unlike humans and demons, angels are sstatic, they do not adapt, they do not change, they stay still and boring all the time.

They think themself as the perfect embodyment of a certain aspect. Their static nature leads to them sticking by eachother, like superglue to your fingers.

The angels seem to be a strict solid union, like the elements of nature (water, air, fire, earth, fertility, spirit, death, etc) or like the ingredients from a food recipe (the pie won't be perfect if you skip an ingredient lol) , and the Heavens could not exist without the loss of one aspect because they would be incomplete.

Hope was kind of an important aspect in their hierarchy, hope was like their will to live, wich seems the most important thing. Without her the angels would go suicidal or useless piles of light. Either way this is quite macabre for them.

This theory was inspired by the youtuber Game Lore Dash, who made a video about the Heavens and their rules , he explained why the angels are failing, and it is not from bad story writeing(as I beleived) but from their unity and static nature wich did not accepts change and reinventing. (Even if this is kind of interesting, I still blame the shit writeing of that story)

Ahh, that post was more about how the angel’s aspects affect humans, if at all.

But you have a point here. Part of why everything the angels ever made with the Worldstone crumbled was due to them thinking they were already perfect. No room for growth. This continues to make them balk at any attempts to ally with them, or get them to really take an interest as a whole in things that are not Heaven.

As of 'recent' events though, angels in Heaven are starting to change - some for the better, some for worse.

Our obvious start is with Inarius, and his decision to actually try something different for onece; make peace with the demons, create a new type of planet. Thank the stars he did, or else we wouldn't have Sanctuary lol. So he, and all the other angels who follow him, set in motion events that cause a big change in Heaven.

Next on the list is Tyrael - everyone's favorite poster boy Tyrael, who changed his mind about Sanctuary and the humans. Because of that unheard of change, Humans are allowed to exist. He goes even farther, dedicating himself so hard to the belief in mortals that he becomes one.

At which point Heaven looses it's first Councilor. Yikers.

Where Inarius and Tyrael started a change that could potentially benefit the Heavens and Sanctuary, Malthael and Imperius started heading steadily downward.

As early as the Sin Wars, Malthael was taking on the aspect of Death, and (intentionally or unintentionally) throwing off the mantle of Wisdom. By the time we see him in RoS, he's fallen so far from what he once was that he's willing to attack the Heavens in an effort to halt the Nephalem. (Bad move on his part, turned Imperius against him.) Where he was once a beloved leader who cupposedly cared for all life, he became a ruthless killing machine hell-bent on murdering the shit out of the humans, and anything that got in his way.

Imperius has been holding pretty true to his aspect, but it's been implied he, like Malthael, is getting more aggressive with his people. He's certainly no longer a friend of Tyrael, despite the fact that they were close allies pre-Sin War.

We see his character really start to degrade in the animated short Wrath. It is entirely possible that we won't have an aspect of Valor for much longer, but have to face down the Angel of Wrath.

Interestingly, Auriel is possibly one of the only angels who hasn't changed at all in her ways. She starts as a kind and caring person, and ends D3 as a kind and caring person. Her lack of change is what's holding the Heaven's together these days.

Itherael is a bit of an unknown given how little we've seen of them, and it's possible that they've gone either way given the shattering of their aspect at the end of D3. Maybe we'll find out more about their character in D4, but i kinda don't expect it.

Anyway, that got really long winded lol. The angels have been pretty growthless for all of eternity, and in the current timeline we're just now starting to see them change.

No wonder it's been such a bumpy ride.

[fluff-and-such]

Bubble Magic Ramble Post Time

Remembering now that I never talked about this cuz I thought it was too silly, but this is a franchise with hidden cow levels and Whimsyshire, so who really gives a damn.

I've headcanoned for a while that Inarius's 'signature magic' is

bubbles.

Long Ramble Post is Long

This whole HC got started by that thing Inarius does in Sin War where he sticks people in bubbles and then banishes them to The Void, aka 'the remotest part of existence'. Basically a big empty black nothingness (I like to think he just tosses them out into Space somewhere). Worth noting that The Void is Inarius's awful bubble-punishment place, and The Abyss is where demons come from. Either way they both seem like terrible places to get sent. (Seems like blizz may be retconning the whole void-banishment things so...idk where that leaves all this lmao)

Bubbles. Why a bubble? Why not just insta-transport them? It's all dramatic too, they get bubbled and then shrink down into nothingness.

Maybe The Void is actually just Really Tiny Atomic Particle Hell.

Somehow Lilith escapes from that, only to get tossed back in after having a building and then some dropped on her. Rathma also gets sent there, and is only saved by the Magical Star Dragon and Mendeln, who almost turns Lilith loose again in the process. Inarius also attempts to bubble Uldyssian, but this doesn't work cuz he's Too OP by that point.

Anywhoozle, at some point I got really hyper-focussed on the whole bubble-your-enemies-and-family thing. Because Bubbles. It's kinda funny, his signature move is putting you in a bubble. No one else puts people in bubbles. (Well, Uldyssian puts Inarius in a bubble, but only cuz Inarius did it first.)

SO! Now I have a whole headcanon for Inarius's signature magic, and that is Magic Bubble Manipulation.

No one expects to get attacked by bubbles. Getting out of the bubble is almost impossible. It also functions as a shield, defending against most magics. Are the bubbles OP? The bubbles might be OP.

It's also a utility magic - use for bounce up high, use for float around, use as furniture, use for shut your brother up, use for throw your brother.

You can even put stuff in the bubbles (aside from ya know. people). Fire is a pretty common one, but anything works. Water, choking gas, a bunch of rusty nails, pretty much whatever.

It is safe to assume that 100% of my AUs include the bubble magic.

That's it. That's the post.

[altarsburning]

captainamarii replied to your post: captainamarii replied to your post: ...

BUT ALSO. can we talk about how inarius’ set is one of the most aethetically GORGEOUS sets that a necro can have, or really anyone in the game?

WE CAN because you’re absolutely right, it’s long been one of my favourites

[mal-likes-biscuits]

[This is a follow-up to this post on language in Sanctuary, because it is predominately canon-based and I wanted to be able to drop it in the series tags.]

Surprise: more thoughts on language in Sanctuary, specifically about the Angiris/High Heavens!

Below is an extended extrapolation on angelic language in the Diablo series.

Let’s talk about Angiris, the language that may or may not exist in the Diablo-universe, written other otherwise. First, let’s look at what we know canonically.

Canon Evidence for Angelic Language

There is some fairly hefty evidence that the High Heavens have their own written code, and additional evidence there is a spoken component to it.

Throughout the Diablo games, we see various weapons and armor inscribed with angelic runes. Malthael’s blades as depicted in the Book of Cain are some of these. Interestingly, you can see the same runes embedded in Malthael’s wings (also in the Book of Cain), which is fitting for an Archangel whose domain is knowledge (and consequently language in some form).

In terms of reading and writing, Selathiel is described as a scribe of the Angiris Council, and Talus’ar itself is described as an artefact that can be read.

In terms of spoken language, Tyrael’s ‘prayer’ in Diablo 2 before destroying the Worldstone could very well be angelic, though there is no obvious indication it is that and not another form of arcane incantation. This confusion is mostly due to there being no properly written guide describing the differences between Angelic and Demonic powers vs. the arcane powers the Nephalem wield. Otherwise, we hear the Archangels speak the player language in Diablo 2 and 3. Again, this could be due to player interpretation, because the Angiris communicate psychically with mortals (as occurs in the Sin War novels), or because it allows for ease of gameplay.

Angiris Language Headcanons

I assume the Angiris have both a written and ‘verbal’ language. Written, because they require a means to transcribe the records of Fate (outside of the crystals themselves) and other matters related to the High Heavens. That Itherael carries around a scroll as an artefact means the written word, even in variable form, is important (integral even) to Angelic existence. We learn in Act III (Diablo 3) that the Angiris literally believe anything that can be known can be written in Talus’ar. More on this later.

I also believe they have ‘verbal’ language, because the angels are shown to communicate through ‘spoken’ word to mortals, meaning they understand at least the fundamental concept of verbal communication. Additionally, we see them communicating with each other in some form both within the gameplay and during cutscenes -- and even when they are speaking to each other in the presence of mortals, mortals seemingly understand them, meaning the language is conveyed in an accessible way.

I believe the mortal ability to understand the Angiris when they are speaking is wholly due to their “speaking” being psychic in nature (again, depicted in Sin War). They do not convey words: they convey concepts. This also explains Tyrael’s lingering ability to share memories (aka: mental communication), and within the canon of my own series, explains Malthael’s ability to speak/read any language while mortal. The Angiris access language at a meta-level.

By extension, the Angiris can communicate with each other across distances. Possibly, this occurs via resonance or some other use of their wings. You could easily make a fantasy-genre argument for their resonance being the source of their psychic-communication powers, and that as beings of light (and the electromagnetic spectrum), they have some funky radio waves going on. This is delving further into the realm of pseudo-science than I like, but I think you can see my point.

Angelic Language and the Power of Creation

One could argue then that Angelic runes have power because something about them conveys concept regardless of language, and consequently, imbues an object or a location with a power that is pure. Not in the sense of Light versus Dark or angelic versus demonic, but in that their language taps into some key fabric of the universe, much in the same way the Arch or the Worldstone have the power of creation. As the Children of Anu, the Angiris carry some of Anu’s power in their form and in their language, which is in turn reflected in their beliefs about the written word (mentioned above).

The few angelic words we see are names for beings or objects. In Sin War, the gates of paradise are called “get-terac” by Inarius, suggesting it is a named manifestation of a concept (gate, protection, holy, etc.). @fishyfiash​ has pointed out that Talus’ar and Chalad’ar have the ‘ar’ suffix, and both artefacts have to do with scrying. Angels don’t seem to have verbs and adjectives and related elements of language, but they do have words for things that exist and serve.

In Diablo 2, Tyrael also claims that “[Izual] was called Izual by mortal men” (thanks @fishyfiash​ again for that find), which implies the names we know the angels and Archangels by are mortal approximations of their base concepts. This makes a lot of sense when you consider the potential meaning behind the names. If the names seem particularly on-point and mortal-y for the High Heavens, it’s because the angels were given those names by the Nephalem.

The Language of Fate

Languages do have their limits, when you consider the concepts they are seeking to convey. Angelic runes and language as we see them in the game are used for the purpose of communication--

--Except for the runes that are implied to be contained in Talus’ar. The Scroll of Fate itself can only be read by Itherael, and the fragments taken from the Arch used it in its deciphering can still only be utilized by Angels of Fate. They read a specific and different language from the rest of the Angiris. What does this ‘language’ show? It shows casual relationships. Space and time: the very things Itherael is able to manipulate in their fighting style.

Another example we see of space-time manipulation in the Diablo games is the Horadric waypoints. They were created by the Horadrim based upon knowledge granted to them by the Angiris, which was subsequently lost. Knowledge of the language of space-time, perhaps? And those particularly different runes Itherael and their kin can read?

I think the Fate angels were hiding a profoundly powerful ability that we only saw glimpses of in animations like Wrath or in their ability to foretell the future of Heaven and Hell. The Horadrim were seemingly close to unlocking some of this understanding with the Waypoints before their research was lost.

(Still, some wizards have learned to inscribe their staffs with peculiar runes, or whisper words of power just so, so that reality bends before them, and they appear away from where they once were. Who were their ancestors, I wonder? Fate angels, likely, who rebelled the same as other Aspects.)

What about the Burning Hells?

I imagine the Hells have their own variant on Angelic runes, as we see witches and other Hell-practitioners utilize spell circles to craft spells. (See: Leah’s unfortunate transformation.) This and the Angiris language would have trickled down from those who rebelled to their Nephalem children, and eventually, to the mortals we see in Diablo 3′s Sanctuary.

Real World Meta and Angelic Language

In the real world, angel-myth about Enochian language suggests that it comes from God’s language, and that it inherently contains the power of creation. We certainly see reflections of this, intentional or otherwise, in how angelic language is portrayed in Diablo.

Amor Aeternus and Archfall Specific Tidbits

For myself, I headcanon that the Horadrim’s knowledge of Waypoint travel comes from the Angels of Fate, and that only those with that background can craft them. I also subscribe to a slightly more extended headcanon that the Waypoints must be traversed with the use of a catalyst scroll (known as a Traveller’s Scroll within my stories), because magic has to pull its power from somewhere, even if it’s a pre-created spell. This helps to “de-power” the Waypoints from their convenience as a video game trope into something more plausible within a fantasy setting.

Regarding angelic language itself, how does it carry on without the High Heavens? Any mortal angel could certainly write it in written form. I suspect that the presence of three mortal Archangels in Tristram will ensure the runes will survive into the future, including their full translation and understanding.

The ‘spoken’ form of Angiris however is lost with the Arch. Mortal angels retain the ability to share thoughts with others, but they require touch to do so. Perhaps in the future a Nephalem will re-discover how to tap into the language-of-all-languages. 

The fate of Fate itself is also up for discussion, as it remains to be seen if any Nephalem with Fate Aspect blood in them can create/read/decipher anything from the Scroll of Fate or its base language. (Certainly, some of the historic Horadrim could understand the language of space-time, as they were able to use it to create the Waypoints and the Traveller’s Scrolls.) Malthael brings a set of scrolls “about scroll-crafting” to the Tristram library in “Arcane and Apples”, but they cannot be read because they are in an unknown and indecipherable language. Hmm.