#I've only played some of Genealogy
Text
Monster Spotlight: Mobogo
CR 10
Chaotic Evil Huge Magical Beast
Bestiary 3, pg. 194
These gigantic, demonic toads are thought to be the direct offspring of Gogunta, Demon Lord of Swamps, though the Mobogo themselves rarely care about their potential genealogy unless she bothers to contact them directly and bless them with some divine power. Rather, they act as the emperors of entire tribes of Boggards and other swampfolk, embodying the gluttony of toads and the greed and pride of dragons (this art doesn't show it, but they do have a draconic tail and back spines!) as they spend their days basking in the adoration of their peers... and the constant stream of sacrifices provided for them.
Whether they serve Gogunta's will or see themselves as gods worthy of worship, there's little that a Mobogo enjoys more than having food and gifts lavished upon it by devoted subjects. Unlike with, say, a normal dragon, playing into a Mobogo's greed and gluttony will in no way promise safety or passage through their territory; give them all the possessions you have while promising them even more, and they may still decide that it's better to have food now than later and snarf you down whole and alive. The only creatures Mobogo bother listening to and refrain from eating are their boggard sycophants and others of their kind, and even that loyalty begins to fade if they find their tummies grumbling.
It's not a matter of supernatural metabolism, they just enjoy eating. Which, y'know, relatable. Ironically, food isn't much of a problem for the big toads or the tribes they surround themselves with; able to use Charm Animal at will, the Mobogo are in no danger of starving. If one's hungry, it's simple to snare the mind of a swamp boar or a flock of birds and beckon them closer so their servants can dispatch it. How often this technique is used is entirely dependent on the Mobogo's mood; some only use it to feed themselves and force their servants to hunt and farm for food, while others can act more benevolently and share their charmed spoils with their boggard neighbors... but the default state of these dracotoads is "screw you, I got mine." The at-will charm also means they're kept in the loop on what's going on in their swamps, as they're able to Speak With Animals without needing an action. They're actually quite stupid despite their power (Int 6) so it's not likely that they'll have a spy network of birds and lizards around, but it's useful for keeping their minions behaving when they think every insect and frog they see may be an eye for their master.
Charming animals isn't all they offer! If they really put their minds to it, Mobogo can be true gods of prosperity and harvest; they can use Create Water at-will, Control Water 3/day to undo the damage of flooding (or cause even more of it if offended), Plant Growth 3/day to enrich the ground and assure a bountiful harvest (or entangle and destroy whoever they wish), and Quench 3/day to instantly snuff any fire that proves a danger to their land (or... actually there's no evil way to spin Quench). The unfortunate problem in the 'could be a bringer of prosperity and hope' is everything I've mentioned in the previous three paragraphs.
In addition to their utility magic, Mobogo have a lot more offensive magic than it first appears. Sure, Fog Cloud and Control Water don't look that impressive in a vacuum... But you have to remember that you're not fighting these dracotoads in a vacuum, you're fighting them in a swamp. A thick, primeval swamp loaded with gigantic patches of quicksand, choking vines, waters that go way deeper than you think they do (perfect ambush spot), and trees that block out the light. Say you're in a dingy little boat trying to get through boggard territory, and then suddenly you have to contend with a whirlpool forming in the river you're sailing through! Or a bank of thick fog rolls in out of nowhere, blocking your view of the shoreline!
And then a gigantic toad crashes down on your boat from above, dealing 2d8+13 damage to everyone and everything in its 15ft space. If you're lucky, that's its opener. If you're not, your head is split by the beast's at-will Sound Burst, potentially stunning everyone in a 10ft burst... and then it slams down with its Crush to initiate before attacking everyone open to its Full-Attack. Mobogo attack with two slams for 1d6+9 damage and a bite with their oversized mouth for 2d6+9, which aren't the most impressive, even if their 15ft space and reach let them swath huge chunks of the map in a threat radius. They also have no DR, no resistances, and no defensive abilities that protect them if they get into melee or find themselves at the receiving end of enemy spellwork (aside from some meager Regeneration that's shut off by all the common elemental damage types), forcing them to be pragmatic in their swampy homes. They may not be smart, but they're wise enough to use terrain to their advantage.
Mobogo are unimpeded in natural territory thanks to Swamp Stride, something they should be making full use of among tangled roots and sticky mud. They CAN fly, adding another vector they can attack from, but they're unlikely to get a surprise round unless they attack from underwater or from behind a fog bank. More than likely, though, Mobogo will use their spell-likes to impede the party from afar before dragging them in one by one with its tongue, a massive appendage with a 45ft reach that deals 1d6+9 damage on impact before Grabbing the victim and Pulling them 5ft closer. Like most frog monsters, Mobogo don't become grappled if they have someone seized with their tongue, allowing them to continue making attacks against other targets while their tongue damages and yanks victims in round by round. Any creature dragged into a space adjacent to the dracotoad on its turn risks being swallowed whole, taking 2d6+13 damage a round while freeing up its tongue.
Fun fact: Mobogo can't use their tongue as part of their Full-Attack (they have to choose their slam+bite or their tongue), but they can use it to make Attacks of Opportunity alongside Combat Reflexes to fish for long-ranged grapples multiple times a round to severely impact a party's ability to do anything requiring concentration or uninterrupted movement, and they can use it alongside their Cleave or Awesome Blow feats to swat multiple foes in a round or send one foe flying into deep water, thick plants, or sticky mud. And speaking of sticky mud, Soften Earth and Stone is a spell which is only vaguely useful in most situations, but "being in a swamp" is one of those situations where it becomes downright encounter-defining, potentially entangling the entire party in mud that denies all actions for 1d2 rounds if they fail the Reflex save. Even if they get out, the Mobogo can use Gust of Wind 3/day to blow them right back in, or just use Awesome Blow to do it.
I mentioned a while back that they can initiate with Sound Burst, but there's actually two potential obnoxious noises they can make to begin a fight and/or to support their allies: Every 1d4 rounds they can unleash a Vile Croak, a maddening noise that staggers all non-boggards within 50ft for 1d4 rounds if they fail a DC 19 Will save. Any boggard or Mobogo (including the user) which hears the croaking instead gets +2 to attack rolls and to saves against fear effects for one round, letting the monstrous beasts sit back as their (literal) toadies do all the work, occasionally giving their foes a tongue-lashing from afar.
In a vacuum, Mobogo are much weaker than their CR suggests. In their swamps, they're truly awful foes to try battling against as they budge party members amount with their superior reach and knock or pull them into disadvantageous territory, and they almost always have whole clans of toad people at their beck and call to pick up whatever slack they have. When fighting in swamplands, the terrain itself is as dangerous as the encounters within, and Mobogo are born to take advantage of it!
You can read more about them here.
21 notes
·
View notes
Text
Read a paper on the third Homeric Hymn (Aphrodite's long hymn) the other day, and I've been musing on Aphrodite, her ability to 'cast sweet desire' into the hearts of people, and agency. Not sure this will have any insight, I'm just trying to think out loud, basically, but -
On the one hand, obviously the instances we know of where someone or other gets cursed/deliberately struck with desire is a specific and forcible/foreign sort of experience.
On the other, where does the line (is there a line?) go between Aphrodite as the origin and cause of all sexual(-romantic) feelings and desire, in general, and Aphrodite as deliberately forcing someone to fall in love/desire with another person?
Is each and every case of such a spell a wholly foreign-to-the-person desire, something they wouldn't have at all felt otherwise, or is it (sometimes) bringing out what could be/is there and making it impossible to ignore?
In the hymn, Zeus first strikes Aphrodite with desire for Anchises, and then Aphrodite herself does the same to Anchises, for her.
The layers to the question of agency and consent and whatnot are of course many, here, if we should strictly look at this from a modern lens (at the very least Aphrodite commits rape by deception). On the other hand it'd be somewhat wrong to look at it in such terms, I think.
Neither Aphrodite nor Anchises are turned into unthinking sex beasts who fall upon the object of their desire with the need to screw, and nothing more. Aphrodite plans out her approach, and goes to very deliberate effort to gain what she (now) wants in a way that will be as free of stress/fear for Anchises (in the moment, before her revealing herself) as it possibly can be.
Anchises, in turn, also takes steps to assure himself this strange "girl" is someone he actually is "allowed" to have sex with - that is, that she is mortal, and not divine. (Even if we allow that he does want the answer to be 'yes', and thus is probably an even easier target for Aphrodite's deceptions than he might otherwise have been.)
The paper I read points out that we have a possibility that Anchises is actually asking for immortality (and thus to be able to keep having a relationship with Aphrodite), and that Aphrodite might want this too (and thus mirroring Anchises desire) but then steps away from that. And this is after they have satisfied each of their love/desire "delusions".
And the Bibliotheke gives her and Anchises a second son, who, given that Aphrodite names only Aeneas in the Hymn, must have been conceived at a later date if we acknowledge this variant, so they clearly still desire each other. Is it natural, at this point, then?
Zeus' part in this is his act of turning Aphrodite's powers against her (the paper suggested he might be able to do this not just because he's the current ruler of the cosmos, but, as the Hymn uses that genealogy, because he's Aphrodite's father), as revenge for her doing the same to him, many times.
This is probably meant in a general sense, but - later tradition had Zeus be forcibly induced to at least some of his liaisons, as the Dionysiaca shows.
But is he helpless, someone who is being used and have no agency?
I think I can begin to see what is meant by that even if a character is under divine compulsion, they have responsibility for themselves. What matters is what they do, not whether the desire is entirely natural to them or not.
We're not talking sex pollen or omegaverse-levels of heat/rut need to have sex, really.
Basically all characters we see impelled in this way still have agency to (attempt to) resist, to reason with themselves and to decide how to act.
Phaedra in (the surviving version) Euprides' Hippolytus' play has been suffering for months, maybe more than a year, before the tragedy goes down - and this because Aphrodite meddles more, not from her initial awakening of that desire. (And, as a side point, considering that Euripides has Hippolytus raised by Pittheus, so Phaedra hasn't even spent every day for however many days around a small child who's grown up into a beautiful young man. She's seen him only briefly, if at all, until the moment she sees him when she's struck - is it impossible that even a sliver of that attraction is her own entirely?)
Seneca's version of this play has Phaedra shameless instead of struggling, already having given in, and that does lend a different look, but given that we know it's perfectly possible to resist and even choose death (Phaedra is just pre-empted out of her chance to do this before tragedy strikes and she still also goes through with it).
Pasiphae does not launch herself at the bull, either. (Though here it's usually Poseidon, and not Aphrodite, striking her with the desire.) She may have resisted, and we don't know how long she might have been thought of as doing so, since we don't have any (surviving) text that touches on this. If one wants to look at it that way, she even makes sure her indiscretion might have gone unnoticed, thanks to Daidalos' contraption. Unfortunately she sleeps with an animal sent by a god, so it's not odd her precaution is foiled by a result that would otherwise be impossible.
We don't actually know how the oldest sources that did/might have touched on Helen and her meeting with Paris portrayed this. We don't know what sort of influence Aphrodite exerted, or in what way, and this is quite necessary to be able to say anything about it. The later sources that actually show this either have no gods involved (because it's "realistic"), or if the gods still exist, no obvious divine interference (like Ovid's Heroides and Colluthus' Abduction of Helen).
Helen talking of delusion/madness in the Odyssey doesn't really tell us anything, since this could be either actual forcible influence of some kind, or just a generalized way to talk about love-desire given the way the Ancient Greeks conceived of it.
The Iliad is ambiguous on the matter, and there is certainly no divine influence of the sort we're talking about here at play in Helen and Aphrodite's scene - at best, simple wingmanning and flirting-by-proxy, in the way Aphrodite presents Paris and Helen acknowledges this is exactly what it is (seduction) and she reacts to it, too.
Going back to Zeus and the Iliad, where he unquestionably actually is under a forcible influence that cannot be denied (Aphrodite's belt/girdle), that is one of the closest of "unthinking sex beast" reaction we have. He is singularly focused on getting Hera to sleep with him right then and there, and while it shares some similarities with the versions where Phaedra has abandoned her inhibition/shame, she's more aware of that than Zeus is, while under the influence of the girdle.
The possibility of self-awareness and resistance, and ability to reason and plan, even in the grip of being struck by a deliberate influence makes the whole thing a lot more nuanced than we might first think it is, I feel like.
(Not really touching on Medea here in the versions of the Argonautica we have; I have no idea if we should categorize Eros/Cupid's influence as somehow different in kind/degree/ability from Aphrodite's or not, first of all. Second, the fact that Aphrodite seems to "lose" the ability to strike desire into people by herself and needs Eros/Cupid to do so in later sources is curious, and, again, feels like it'd be needed to be looked at as a separate thing.)
12 notes
·
View notes
Note
Do u have a favorite oc?
(Thank you for enabling me JJ)
I love all of my OCs equally but the one i've given the most development is Jackie
I really enjoy doing arcs for OCs and Jackie's is the most finalized. The tl;dr is that a lot of her character focuses on learning independence and developing a sense of self. She is magical and nerdy and kind and will constantly show up in OC writings if I don't control myself
Autism rant under the cut bc when you enabled me you got me on a "was literally ranting to my boyfriend about my ocs earlier so is in a talky mood"
Jackie Fei aka I am putting this girl through the grindhouse of trauma and she's gonna come back better
Jackie is the one who, when I started reworking/rebooting my OCs in 2020 got the biggest change, design, powers, and relationships-wise. Her arc is about learning to define herself and escape her issues with co-dependency.
I am sort of exploring this in my fic Selenelion, which focuses on her relationship with Lloyd (which does play in a lot to her arc) (also shameless plug for the fic it's only two chapters but i'm gonna start working on it again in november) because well... a lot of her co-dependency is there.
Up until post-S7 in the timeline, Jackie latches onto people as sources of strength to an unhealthy degree. She was raised by an oppressive, overbearing caretaker and had her life dictated to her for 18 years. When she tries to escape and gain independence the first time, she gets kidnapped by the Overlord ends up latching onto Garmadon. After Garmadon dies she latches onto Lloyd. It isn't until she and Lloyd have a blowout fight in S7 that she realizes how much she's defined herself using other people. She was Garmadon's Student. She was Lloyd's Girlfriend. Four years ago, she ran away to find who she was, and she still hasn't done it. So she runs away again. Lloyd is fucked up by this but don't worry he'll be fine.
And that ties into her powers. Jackie uses magic as an elemental power, but I want it to be different from other forms of magic in ninjago. Her magic needs a power source to draw on, and the healthiest one is herself, but she does have the ability to draw on others. For example, the Overlord teaches her how to use Dark Matter as a source (bad idea, do not do this, it damages ur mental health) and I've toyed with the idea of Lloyd lending his power to her in battle. Her personal strength is like a muscle, she needs to use it and work on it to grow stronger and relying on other sources doesn't allow her to develop it (which leads to issues when she starts relying solely on Dark Matter in S2, only to lose access to it)
Who Jackie is Post-S7 is a different person and for me it's important she gets that development then because even though I'm a fake fan and haven't finished S8 (I should be soon bc I've been feeling brave) I know her reaction to Garmadon's resurrection and her relationship to Harumi is going to occupy my brain for fifty years, along with how she and Lloyd interact and how their relationship grows in this time (I am determined to give them a healthy romance with a happy ending after a tumultuous start)
None of this is even mentioning the super complicated relationship she has with Wu and Misako at first because her mom... well, her mom Mei is another fascinating character who will be talked about when I talk about my thoughts on the previous generation of EMs at some point
One fun fact about her Post-S7 that I gatekeep but will make appearances is that she curates the Museum of History after she comes back from a long self-discovery journey. She does a lot of research into genealogy and is determined not to let any of the myths, legends, histories, or lore go unremembered (she and Misako and Twyla love to bond over their shared interests). She has an intern named Jenny who goes onto curate the museum after her.
Other general facts:
1. her color scheme is galaxy + green, with purple featuring prominently
2. she's the best at video games of her friends
3. the ninja she has the closest friendship with is Kai, the member of her team she has the closest relationship with ties between Hannah and Roxie
Sorry for the rant, thank you again for enabling me to talk about my OCs I love any opportunity to do so, and hopefully you enjoyed a mini-essay on why I often think about her and why she's up there in terms of my lovelies <3
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
So I've been playing around with Infinite Craft, and just now I randomly got the word 'Genealogy', so of course I had to try and make Genealogy of the Holy War!
This... ended up being a lot harder than I thought, haha.
I had no luck mixing together anything to do with Genealogy and Holy Grail or Crusades (couldn't get it to give me 'Holy War' as an option). I got Fire Emblem by combining Nintendo and Strategy (but only after it gave up Advance Wars), but then after I cycled through the modern FE games, I struggled to get the earlier ones; adding NES to Fire Emblem just gave 'Marth', which was funny. (And I couldn't manage to get SNES for some reason...)
Finally I managed to make Thracia 776! ...and then it took a weirdly high number of combinations for it to give up Genealogy. It just liked Thracia better?
But, okay, now for the real goal: Seliph. Combining Thracia 776 with Hero immediately gave Leif, but that did not work for Genealogy. Nor did anything else I could think of, honestly. I had Marth, of course, and in the process of combining got Lucina, Eirika, Ephraim, Ike, Hector, and Tiki, but no Seliph whatsoever. In retrospect, maybe Leif was easier because it is a real Norse name? (And sure enough, combining things with Leif tended to just give Norse mythology stuff.)
But I'm nothing if not persistent when it comes to chasing the endorphin rush of discovering something slightly cool, so I kept at it. And when I randomly combined Leif with Eirika, there it was: Seliph.
Not... sure why THAT was the one that finally did it. But at the same time, I can't say I disagree: Leif + Eirika = Seliph.
#fe4#fire emblem#it also kept giving me 3 houses when I tried to go for genealogy which was funny#which is why I thought it'd be funny to combine them and. well.
3 notes
·
View notes
Note
Jiaozi is a character from the "journey to the west" of the yuan zaju dynasty, daughter of king huolun jinding and wife of sun wukong, the great sage of tongtian. Sun wukong once said, "I stole fairy clothes, fairy hats, fairy peaches and fairy wine in my heavenly palace. My wife will happily enjoy them." So jiaozi is not only sun wukong's wife also is the mother of his children. Jidu and luohou and daughter yuebei. The eclipses twins and the moon star comet
@maidenofthecloud hmmmm apologies if I'm missing something but as far as I knew "Jiaozi" is just a kind of dumpling (X_X). HOWEVER, this could very well just be due to my own ignorance and the fact that I've never encountered an English translation of the Zaju Xiyou Ji. If you have the link to one please share it!
As it is pretty much all my knowledge of that play comes from the scholar Hongmei Sun's overview of different versions of the the Monkey King throughout the centuries. Here's a few things she has to say on this earlier version of the westward journey:
"The six-part, twenty-four-act Zaju Xiyou ji is attributed to the fourteenth-century playwright Yang Jingxian, who lived during the late Yuan and early Ming periods. In the few hundred years between Shihua [an even earlier version] and Zaju, the story of ‘Journey to the West’ is not only more expanded, containing many of the stories that can be found later in Journey to the West, but the monkey figure in Zaju has grown into a character strikingly different from Hou Xingzhe [the monk's faithful companion in Shihua]. If Hou Xingzhe in Shihua is depicted as an advisor for Tripitaka, as respectable albeit mysterious deity, and a brave fighter, the monkey in Zaju is pictured as a rowdy clown, an untamed demon and ill-qualified Buddhist disciple.
The monkey’s name in Zaju now is almost the same as in the sixteenth-century fiction Journey to the West. He refers to himself as ‘Tongtian Dasheng’ (Great Sage Reaching Heaven), only one word’s difference from ‘Qitian Dasheng,’ the title Sun Wukong receives from the Taoist heaven in the sixteenth-century book. In some versions of the Monkey King story, including the Zaju, Qitian Dasheng and Tongtian Dasheng are brothers…
Although Tongtian Dasheng is the monkey’s title, in the drama everyone calls him ‘the monkey’ (husun), including Guanyin, even though she is the person who gave him the names Sun Wukong and Sun Xingzhe (Acolyte). When Guanyin presents Sun Xingzhe to Tripitaka as his disciple, she gives the monkey an iron fillet, a cassock, and a knife….Even with the headband’s control, Tongtian Dasheng’s behavior and language indicate that his mind remains that of an irreverent demon.
As in the zaju theater tradition, Sun Xingzhe introduces himself to the audience with a poem at his first appearance. Vaunting his celestial birth, his power, and the troubles he could create, in colloquial expression rather than elegant traditional terms as others’ opening poems, the monkey’s poem describes himself as a celebrated ape demon, referring to himself as the King of a Hundred Thousand Demons. In the following statement he introduces himself and his four siblings as his demon family: His elder brother Quitian Dasheng, a younger brother Shuashua Sanlang, and two sisters, Lishan Laomu and Wu Zhiqi Shengmu. This genealogy of the monkey shows that Sun Xingzhe in Zaju is already much more localized, settled into the local religious/cult culture. Unlike the monkey in other versions, this one has a wife, the abducted princess of the Country of the Golden Cauldron. He also proudly reports to the audience his famous misdeeds, which is also the reason that heaven is after him: he has stolen the Jade Emperor’s celestial wine, Laozi’s golden elixir, and the Queen of the West’s (Xichi Wangmu) peaches and fairy clothes. He also makes upfront ribald references about himself in this very first speech. The monkey’s demonic heart is indicated by his intention to eat Tripitaka immediately after Tripitaka rescues him from beneath the mountain. He never shows any seriousness about his business of pilgrimage, and his behavior does not improve during the journey. When the team arrives in India, he uses crude language in a conversation with an old lady about Buddhis ideas of the ‘heart.’”
---
@journeytothewestresearch also writes that in Zaju Xiyou Ji the princess is eventually freed from her forced marriage to this monkey by Heavenly King Li Jing (Li Nezha's father) and the Bodhisattva Guanyin. Here Sun Xingzhe/Sun Wukong definitely bares more similarity to magically powerful and sexually violent monkeys in other stories from Chinese folklore! And that remains true even though the quote you provided makes it sound like he wants the princess to enjoy nice things.
So given these literary and historical circumstances, especially with Jidu, Louhou, and Yuebei Xing not appearing until the 17th century Journey to the South, it might be a stretch to say that the princess of the Country of the Golden Cauldron is a likely candidate to be their mom. This is especially true since as far as I'm aware there's no mention of Sun Xingzhe and the princess having any kids, or even of her being pregnant...ON THE OTHER HAND, it must be acknowledged that she might also be the best candidate given that no mom is mentioned in Journey to the South and that there is a historical precedent for her being Sun Wukong/Sun Xingzhe's wife for awhile. If that narrative thread is followed then it might mean Jidu, Luohou, and Yuebei Xing have more than one similarity to the children of the Yellow Robe Demon, who also kidnapped a princess and had two children with her. In that situation I'd actually hope that she isn't their mom, given that that would make Sun Wukong a rapist and them the product of a forced marriage. ON THE OTHER OTHER HAND, given that the Monkey King's characterization and many aspects of his history from Journey to the West and Journey to the South (as far as I know lmao) is so different from Sun Xingzhe's in Zaju Xiyou Ji , and that all of this comes from folkloric roots in which stories are very different from region to region and even one year to the next, I could see there being an argument made for bringing her into the more recent continuations of Xiyouji as Sun Wukong's wife and the mother of his children while the rapey aspect of the earlier version of their relationship is dropped for something more loving or at least consensual. So even with my ignorance on what precisely happens in Zaju Xiyou Ji and Journey to the South, it seems like as with Xiyouji itself there's a lot you could potentially do with "the princess of the Country of the Golden Cauldron is Jidu, Louhou, and Yuebei Xing's mother" idea, from the sweet and loving to the absolute grimdarkest context.
#xiyouji#journey to the west#jttw#zaju xiyou ji#journey to the south#sun wukong#monkey king#princess of the country of the golden cauldron#jidu#louhou#yuebei xing
22 notes
·
View notes
Text
toa anniversary munday!
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.
Name: Nic
Pronouns: they/them
Birthday (no year): 14th July
Where are you from? What is your time zone? The UK (BST)
Roleplay experience: I started around like '06 via msn or stuff doing Harry Potter or Naruto rp with my friends.
Got any pets?: Catcat!
Favorite time of year: Summer - I hate the heat but like, I need the sunlight to keep myself together
Some interests and things you like: Reading, writing, languages and linguistics, astrophysics, mythology, history, animals uh... I find almost everything interesting and it definitely keeps me awake a lot.
Some funfacts & trivia about you: I fell asleep at a scout camp once in the toilets and didn't hear the tannoy that was sent out for me. My grandfather taught me how to stroke bees. I love water/the oceans/seas/rivers but never learned how to swim. Peas scare me. I'm pretty good at -- and rather competitive about trivia games and quizzes.
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play?: The Sims! Dragon Age, Persona, Story of Seasons, Rune Factory, Stardew Valley, Wildermyth
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: Fire or Fairy and I just think Dreepy is very endearing.
How did you get into Fire Emblem?: I saw a review of it on a news channel and decided to try it out. Then I became obsessed and haven't looked back since.
What Fire Emblem games have you played? I've watched playthroughs and read scripts for all but I played about half of fe5, fe7 (lyn and eliwood modes only though), fe8, 3/4 of fe9 before my emulator crashed, fe10 and everything post Awakening.
First Fire Emblem game: Fates
Favorite Fire Emblem game: Either Genealogy, Radiant Dawn or Three Houses
Any Fire Emblem crushes?: Ayra, Mercedes, Camilla, Lucia, Diamant, Jeorge, Sonya and oh my god I hate myself for this but Sylvain.
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?
- Awakening: Chrom but now I'd probably opt for Libra or Henry?
- Fates: Takumi before I knew what an S support was. Kaze as a neutral pick, Subaki for Hoshido and Niles for Nohr
- Three Houses: Dimitri or Mercedes ?
- Engage: Yunaka was my first!
Favorite Fire Emblem class: DARK FLIER. but also any pegasus class is so chefs kiss for me
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? I'd want to be a pegasus knight or a mage but I could see myself being an armoured unit tbh
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? LION PRIDE LETSSSSSGOOOOOO
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? Micaiah :D
How did you find TOA? I just searched the fire emblem rp tags on a whim one day and found the group. Had a nosy around and was really impressed and excited to join :)
Current TOA muses: Elincia, Goldmary and Julia
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? Lincie! :D
Have you had any other TOA muses? I've had quite a lot um... Eirika, Ares, Orochi, Mercedes, Mae, Manuela, f!Shez, Macuil, Lana, Forrest, Constance, Tana & Celine
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? I do feel a big pull to healers usually? Or pegasus knights.
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? Character's bonding and forming relationships.
Favorite TOA-related memory: Unlocked 2021 Cha Cha Slide
How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔 Usually like noah but with a t but sometimes i call it twaaah just to be silly.
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day that you’d like to share? 😉 Tatiana, Safy, Rodrigue, Altena and Yunaka all have either blogs or partial apps. Of them Tatiana and Rodrigue whilst still outliers could potentially hit me with a steel chair at some point in the future.
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
TOA anniversary munday!
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.
Name: Cody
Pronouns: he/him
Birthday (no year): October 16th
Where are you from? What is your time zone? CST
Roleplay experience: Ugh idk man like 6 years or something now
Got any pets? A cat named Laurie
Favorite time of year: Fall because it's cold but not like you're gonna die cold
Some interests and things you like: I love to sit and listen to a vinyl while reading some kind of book or manga. I also like to screech in my car to songs that I like a lot!
Some fun facts & trivia about you: I'll listen to one song over and over again for like 5 months until I get bored of it. I have an odd amount of knowledge about old music and WILL share it with you without hesitation. I'm also a crazy TOA prophet because whoever I tweet about ends up joining TOA like a week after.
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? I play a lot of Final Fantasy games and also League of Legends. I've played SO many games though, it's hard to keep count.
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: I really like grass and psychic types! My favorite pokemon is Musharna and it has been since N gave her to me back in black and white!
How did you get into Fire Emblem? I got the game for my birthday along with a gameboy way back when I was about 7-8 years old. That game was Binding Blade and I've been riding that wave ever since.
What Fire Emblem games have you played? I have played through almost all of them excluding ALL of fates and the tellius games.
First Fire Emblem game: Binding Blade
Favorite Fire Emblem game: Genealogy of the Holy War
Any Fire Emblem crushes? AUGH MAN- L'arachel honestly...
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? Miss Olivia von Fire Emblem
Favorite Fire Emblem class: AUGH PALADIN!!!
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? Sage honestly
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Golden Deer, easily!
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? Eirika and Ephraim this was not even a question I had to think about
How did you find TOA? Well it was first mentioned to me by N a year or so before I actually joined! I was really wanting to get back into the FE scene and so I thought this might be a good start.
Current TOA muses: Scáthach, Ephraim, Eliwood
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? Male Robin! It's probably unlikely... I love him to death but he's easily my oldest fire emblem muse and he is VERY tired.
Have you had any other TOA muses? Quanathan my beloved
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? I KNOW I HAVE A TYPE I GRAVITATE TO! I never really knew this about myself until TOA, but I seem to gravitate towards knights the most. There is just something about the kind of devotion a knight feels, and how that alters their entire existence.
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I typically really enjoy getting into the gritty of things while I'm writing. Explaining emotion and action, why a character is the way they are. I find this most fun with another muse who has close connections to mine.
Favorite TOA-related memory: I think my favorite moment might be when Soji and I reconnected after 10 minutes of me being in this server. We had interacted one time in indie but she had always been on my mind because of how exceptional her writing is. Turns out she remembered me too, and now we're besties and going to cons together!
How do you pronounce TOA?: I usually just say the letters themselves because I'm extra like that.
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day in TOA that you’d like to share? WELL LET'S SEE ahem Astram, Noah, Finn, Sonya, Sain, and so so so so so many more that I can't even think about right at this moment.
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.
tagging: you.
Name: alina
Pronouns: they/she/he
Birthday (no year): octrober 4th
Where are you from? What is your time zone? georgia, EST !
Roleplay experience: since i was like? nine?
Got any pets? two dogs & my cat, melon!
Favorite time of year: spring or autumn
Some interests and things you like: cosplay, sleeping
Some funfacts & trivia about you: ive been wearing glasses since i was three :'D (my prescription is a +7.5 for those who Know)
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? league of legends (sigh), devil may cry, hsr and (formerly) genshin, nier -- i've dabbled in a little bit of everything
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: big flying enjoyer, but i like a lot of them. i also have a number of favs but my horsegirl years have left ponyta & rapidash with a very special place in my heart
How did you get into Fire Emblem? watched over someone's shoulder when i was an young child (i think they were playing POR..?) and now. well.
What Fire Emblem games have you played? i've played every game post awakening (+ sacstones), though i've read the scripts & watched playthroughs for fe4, 5, 6, 7, 11, & 12
First Fire Emblem game: that i played? honest to god i do not remember (probably awakening)
Favorite Fire Emblem game: narratively, genealogy, but my heart belongs to conquest
Any Fire Emblem crushes? girl i do Not want to talk about it we will be here all day
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? - Awakening: chrom- Fates: azura...leo every time after tho- Three Houses: dimitri- Engage: diamant
Favorite Fire Emblem class: I FUCKIGN LOVE PEGASUS KNIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? probably a bow knight... low stat growth archer that everyone benches by chpt 3
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? i live and die blue lions godbless
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? take a guess man (corrin)
How did you find TOA? i was going through it and reaaaaaally missed rping so i just. took to twitter in search of fire emblem rp groups and... at six am.... i sent in a reserve......
Current TOA muses: f!corrin, lucina, and priscilla
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? probably the greatest outlier in all of my toa muse history, my first muse was sylvain! honest to god if i picked him up again i pray somebody would call in a wellness check for me LMFAO
Have you had any other TOA muses? i have written sylvain, rinea, eirika, ash, erinys, nyna, and tailtiu within toa so far (sobs)
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? women.
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? i really enjoy writing complex relationship dynamics, and find i have the most fun picking apart the way a character's experiences shape their view and approach of other people
Favorite TOA-related memory: if i'm being completely honest, i don't think i could pick one. perhaps my very first arena when my team discussed a hypothetical grocery store trip between our muses for some reason (team ralf i love you)
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day in TOA that you’d like to share? :3
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
TOA Anniversary Munday!
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.
tagging: anybody/everybody!
----
Name: Maddie
Pronouns: they/she
Birthday (no year): January 12
Where are you from? What is your time zone? US East Coast, EST
Roleplay experience: probably about ~10 years on-and-off between forums, chat rp, and tumblr
----
Got any pets?
two dogs! Seamus is an Australian Shepherd, and Keegan is a rescue mutt. I love them both very dearly
Favorite time of year: Fall
Some interests and things you like:
drawing/painting, RPGS, video game music (listening to, finding notation of + transcribing for piano)
Some funfacts & trivia about you:
i'm left-handed and an eldest sibling, which means i accidentally taught my younger sister how to play guitar hero backwards
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play?
oh man. childhood favorites that stick with me are Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy. I've dipped into Tales of, though the only one I've completed is Vesperia (beloved game). Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 are both amazing. Splatoon is my favorite shooter. I've gotten lost in Pillars of Eternity for hundreds of hours. I think my fav Elder Scrolls game has become Oblivion for some reason. Sometimes I dive into sim games like Planet Zoo or Two Point Hospital for a bit. I like video games!!
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon:
hard to pick a type, but some of my favs are Ampharos, Ivysaur, and Furret!
----
How did you get into Fire Emblem?
downloaded the Awakening demo and played it like 10 times in a row. decided that buying myself the game was going to be my first "treat yourself" purchase when i moved out for college
What Fire Emblem games have you played?
completed: Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Awakening, Shadows of Valentia, Three Houses (VW, CF, most of AM)
actively in progress: Blazing Blade, Three Hopes, Silver Snow route of 3H
started, but only barely: Gaiden, Genealogy, Shadow Dragon (DS), New Mystery of the Emblem
First Fire Emblem game:
Awakening
Favorite Fire Emblem game:
Tellius Duology (hard to separate them for me haha), with SOV as a strong contender as well
Any Fire Emblem crushes?
...and if I was also a little aquiver with python from lukas's performance in the SOV DLC what of it
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support?
- Awakening: Stahl - Fates: Azama - Three Houses: Shamir
Favorite Fire Emblem class:
hmm...archers and mages, maybe. it's always satisfying when the chip damage is enough to save a front liner from retaliation, and even more satisfying when a crit or adept procs and the ranged unit is like "nah dw i got this"
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class?
my gut says wind mage. idk why tho besides the lack of athleticism needed for a physical class lol
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation?
Golden Deer!
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with?
I have not played engage but i want a ghost ike to be my bestie...
----
How did you find TOA?
Lucius was over at my house and pitched it to me one night while we were reminiscing about FERP on tumblr. pulled up the rank chart on my computer to explain it to me and everything lmao
Current TOA muses:
Python and Caspar
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again?
Python was my first! He's definitely the one I'm most confident in, and I see him as kind of my "bedrock muse" for now.
Have you had any other TOA muses?
I had Reyson for a short-ish time!
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards?
I think I'm still feeling out the difference between "types of characters i gravitate toward liking" and "types of characters I gravitate toward writing". I do think I feel most comfortable writing supporting characters with enough backstory for me to tease out and build up from there!
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most?
I love character connection. Whether it's spoken aloud or not, I like little moments where I can have my muse compare a character to someone else they know, or see each other in a different way. I also love when characters have conflicting views and motivations and have to deal with that in one way or another!
Favorite TOA-related memory:
KKE Team Guard coming together for that crazy rapid-fire chat that Ree sprung on us for the finale is definitely a strong one! It was so fun seeing different characters shine throughout the conversations, and on my own end I loved having an opportunity to let Python lose his cool for once >:3
How do you pronounce TOA?
each letter pronounced individually: tee-oh-ay
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day in TOA that you’d like to share?
I've only got fleeting thoughts that I would have to let simmer longer, especially when I would have to let someone go to fill the slot (I have accepted that 2 is my personal limit). That said, I've got a few guys hidden behind my back on the off-chance that I feel like it's time for a change ;0
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
ooc; TOA Anniversary Munday!!
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together. ily!!
tagging: (flutters my lashes)
Name: Kano!! IRLs also know me by Dimitri, but it is by no means restricted to there.
Pronouns: he/they/it
Birthday (no year): May 6th
Where are you from? What is your time zone? Georgia kiddo wrow. est in actuality, european at heart (during breaks)
Roleplay experience: Did some stuff back in elem? But never really got into it until TOA, which I joined about a year ago, the day before the 3rd anniversary!
---
Got any pets? Nope. I'd like to have a cat someday though.
Favorite time of year: Spring time baybeeeeee. Birthday bias but it's also a nice medium between extremes :softsmile:
Some interests and things you like: Uh...... Fire Emblem? Also most things that go into video games (drawing, writing, composing/playing music, i love programming so much it's insane, etc. etc), I'm a little art kid :sparkles:. Oh also Spider-verse and Nimona.... :softsmile:
Some fun facts & trivia about you: I know my integer squares up the 22? Did I mention I love math? Studying game design at a technical school rn, and I know six programming languages atm (JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Java, C#, and Python). I also programmed a text-only GBA combat sim in Python earlier this year. Took a couple weeks and I did that instead of my Physics work :D
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? ...So here's the thing. (JKJKJK) Uh..... I like Triangle Strategy, Hades, I've been meaning to finish the original Ori :shrek_mmh:, and Omori went crazy but I'm not playing it again (it's best on a blind playthrough). I also really enjoyed Undertale! Don't have much else on my backlog tho haha
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: So I don't really Pokemon. BUT. I do love Squirtle and Wartortle and I had a Gible named Nom Nom in Pokemon Arceus. Favorite type though would probably be Dragon or Dark. lol
---
How did you get into Fire Emblem? Back when I was in 3rd grade, my mother gave me and my brothers a Wii with Super Smash Bros Brawl! I was a Sheik main but my brother got me to play some other characters, including Marth, Pit, and Ike. I didn't like Ike for his slowness but Marth and Pit were good for my style of play. I later followed him into Fire Emblem Heroes hell, and then later into emulating Sacred Stones! Didn't finish it until after Three Houses came out though. Finished Azure Moon in three weeks (including school).
What Fire Emblem games have you played? I've beaten Sacred Stones and Three Houses, most of Engage, roughly half of Valentia, the first few chapters of Genealogy, Shadow Dragon, and Binding, and the demo of Awakening. Also about half of Three Hopes but that doesn't count it's a Warriors game (also through most of Book 5 in FEH) :/
First Fire Emblem game: Sacred Stones! The first I finished was 3H though lol
Favorite Fire Emblem game: Sacred Stones I think. Altho it's definitely fist-fighting 3H still.
Any Fire Emblem crushes? Dimitri is a solid one I think. Most of the Faerghus Four guys tho are... yeah. :woozy_face: Also mayyyyyyybe Diamant? I'm unsure tho FJDKNGKSFGN. The arospec-ness definitely kicking in :joy:
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? - Awakening: N/A - Fates: N/A - Three Houses: Dimitri hah - Engage: N/A
Favorite Fire Emblem class: Grrrrrrrr that's a hard one. Probably one of the magical ones, but (gestures at this muse) yk. Wyverns.
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? Either some sort of mage (probably Sage-leaning) or a wyvern class like Wyvern Knight. Mortal Savant is also very alluring.
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue Lions, no question. My energy is definitely more Deer tho lol
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? Sigurd. Dude is scary LOL
---
How did you find TOA? Okay so while I was still relatively new to Tumblr, I was browsing tags and a previous Dimitri's posts (the art especially caught my attention it was incredible) were coming up under the Dimitri tag (the mun knows who they are). When I looked at the blog and saw it was dedicated to Dimitri, I got completely suspicious of it immediately :crylaugh: Ended up digging around though and saw the art style was consistent, and after I got past the drabble at the top I realized it was a roleplay blog, which. While I was still new, I was accustomed from Twitter to people being both god artists and god writers, so I figured it was just all by one person. Followed it for a few months (which I got exposed for when I reserved Linhardt but I still find that hilarious so it's fine), and eventually the August activity check popped up last year and I decided to join. Yay! (Never found out who 'mun' was tho :/ (this is a jest))
Current TOA muses: Linhardt, Colm, and Valter!
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? Also Linhardt! lol. While I don't expect to be dropping him soon (looks away), if I ever did, I have a feeling he'd be back eventually. Adore my little genderball.
Have you had any other TOA muses? Nope! Picked them up one after the other and have yet to drop any dnjgkfsn
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? Hm...... Well I know I have a type, but it's hard to put into words haha. Anyone who makes me laugh I guess? And people who are super duper attached to their role in life (think knights and knight-adjacents like Selena and Glen). There's something going on in their noggins that is just so. (STARES) Also people who scare me with their in-game dialogue. (Valter, but TS Dimitri applies as well FNDJKNG.)
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I'm not really certain, but I know I have a LOT of fun whenever I craft dialogue. Me and my incapability to be quiet (endearing)
Favorite TOA-related memory: A close one would be two of the muns recognizing me when I submitted the Linhardt reserve, but I also get a kick out of Linhardt climbing a tree to escape a boar during Unscripted last year fnjsdkngsf. The birthday wishes back in May also made me explode (positive) EDIT: I FORGOT SIRIUS ROLLING VALTER FOR HIS LIEGE DURING KKE!!!!! THAT WAS HILARIOUSSSSSSSSS (so was patty's crush on valter. makes me cackle every time)
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day in TOA that you’d like to share? I might still make use of my Saleh blog. I have an idea I want to go for, but he isn't the biggest delusion right now. Neimi might also have a shot, but I don't expect to be doing anything for Lukas or Hubert any time soon. You all know who's coming next.
#[ ‘by my cursed lance!’ ] (ooc)#[ ‘to ask such a thing of me…’ ] (memes)#// i had fun filling this out!!#// the favorites were definitely some pretty hard ones#// as opposed to the just raw facts#// but hey!! we jive!!#// happy anniversary TOA!!!#// i look forward to seeing the growth of your true potential :softsmile:#// - kano!! :D
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.
tagging: all the ladies out there ;D
Name: Samantha/Sam
Pronouns: she/her
Birthday (no year): May 28
Where are you from? What is your time zone? California! I am on PST timezone so three hours behind the TOA clock
Roleplay experience: Over 10 years! (Dear Naga the passage of time)
Got any pets? No :(
Favorite time of year: Winter!
Some interests and things you like: Reading but that's a given. I'm a huge history nerd and love learning random facts. Also love languages and have tried learning a handful of them but never stick to it rip. Dragons are my fave fantasy creature. (I'm terrible at filling these things out LOL)
Some fun facts & trivia about you:
-I own about 300 books
-I can skateboard
-I wanted to be a geologist as a child until I learned how much math was involved
-I can play the piano and a tiny bit of violin
-I've never broken a bone
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? Zelda, Persona, SSB, Honkai Star Rail
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: Water & Vaporeon!
How did you get into Fire Emblem? Watching my brother play on the GameCube
What Fire Emblem games have you played? Physically played: Everything from SacStones on. Read scripts for Genealogy and Thracia.
First Fire Emblem game: Path of Radiance
Favorite Fire Emblem game: Awakening!
Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳 Take a WILD guess. LMAO but besides the Boy of All Time, I can admit I have a crush on Xander.
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?
- Awakening: Chrom and I'd still S support him I'm basic and that's ok
- Fates: Silas and it's a tossup between him and Leo now
- Three Houses: Dimitri and still Dimitri.
- Engage: Diamant and still Diamant I know what I'm about
Favorite Fire Emblem class: Swordmaster!
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? Swordmaster!
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue Lions
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? It's a tie between Leif and Eirika & Ephraim
How did you find TOA? I saw an advertisement for the group on tumblr WAAAAY back when
Current TOA muses: Inilow, Leo, and Azelle
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? The one and only Inigo. I really can't see myself dropping him unless I left the group.
Have you had any other TOA muses? Ilyana and Vanessa!
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards?The loyal ones for sure. A shocking amount have sibling complexes and I don't know what that says about me as a person.
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? Honestly, I enjoy writing a little bit of everything! Happiness, angst, romance. But if I have to pick a favorite it'd be combat :thinking: Something about the adrenaline
How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔 Tee-Oh-Ay
Favorite TOA-related memory: Oh naga. I literally cannot pick one so any and all the inside jokes/memes that pop up that would NOT make sense to anyone else
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day that you’d like to share? 😉Coughs into hands. If I said I had a Seth blog what then. Silas is up there too and there's a few from Thracia I have my eye on
#and a one. a two! [ooc]#THIS WAS SO CUTE WAH#pardon me can i be a sap for a moment:#i have grown so much in the group over the last (almost) four years#learned a lot about myself/even how to handle friendships and while it's been a rocky road#i think i finally have that confidence in myself i've been lacking#and cannot wait to see what the next year(s) bring#<3 thank you toa
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.
tagging: you! come closer
---
Name: Erica
Pronouns: she/any/whatever
Birthday (no year): May 3
Where are you from? What is your time zone? Phildelphia ish, EST
Roleplay experience: oh jeeze oh gosh uh like idk 15+years off and on?
Got any pets? Winston the German Shepherd and Pipis the ragdoll pisscat
Favorite time of year: Winter
Some interests and things you like: taking naps
Some funfacts & trivia about you: - I'm the oldest in toa cringe, idk man I'm so tired rn
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? nothing like consistently right now? I like rpgs and games with a good story.
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: Ground and grass, Diglett and Dugtrio I've been their number one fan since the games came out
How did you get into Fire Emblem? I was at a Gamestop determined to buy a new game and Awakening looked interesting. 3H reignited my love of the series though.
What Fire Emblem games have you played? Uhh Radiant Dawn is the only one I don't have any experience with but I read the Jugdral games, the Archanea games, and Binding Blade.
First Fire Emblem game: Awakening
Favorite Fire Emblem game: Genealogy if it counts even if I never played it. Three Houses or Blazing Blade if we're talking about ones I like to actually play.
Any Fire Emblem crushes? Arvis baby call me back we could be clap in clap love clap
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? - Awakening: Frederick I took one look at that freak and knew I was in love- Fates: I think it was Hinata but I honestly don't really remember- Three Houses: Claude and then I immediately felt bad because I stole him from Hilda - Engage: Saphir she's old like me
Favorite Fire Emblem class: I like an armored knight honestly idk why
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? Some kind of cleric/healer
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Golden Deer
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? Sigurd probably it's baby girl time
How did you find TOA? I saw it in the tags when I was looking for Hilda content and went hmm. Kept watching until their Hilda fell through and then jumped on that.
Current TOA muses: Deirdre, Ethlyn, and Altena
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? Hilda (the good one) but her time is done
Have you had any other TOA muses? Hilda, Charlotte, Elise, Serra, Silvia, Tina, Ninian, is that it?
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? Tragic wives/moms, little sisters, pink. Love how Ethlyn combines all three of these.
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I love familial relationships whether they are biological or found. I also really love cross game relationships whetehr they are platonic or romantic. It's fun having the relationship develop from ground zero rather than with an extra boost from them knowing each other in canon. Plus it's just neat to get to explore. I also like a little (a lot) of drama and angst. Messy relationships are very fun.
Favorite TOA-related memory: It's gotta be all the friendships we've found along the way. The writing and stuff is great and wonderful but the community and sense of belonging is something I will always remember and cherish.
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day in TOA that you’d like to share? Louise is a matter of when not if honestly.
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
Magor Investigates… by Larry Horsfield
============= Links
Play the game
See other reviews of the game
See other games by Larry
============= Synopsis
You are Magor, court sorcerer to King Kelson Haldane, the young king of the kingdom of Hecate. You are in your chambers, having just had a herald bring the news that the king and Duke Alaric Blackmoon have arrived back from their journey to the Great Sand Sea to investigate reports of Xixon lizardmen being seen down there.
The herald also told you, most unusually, that Kelson & Alaric will be coming to see YOU instead of you having to go to the king's audience chamber and that the visit will be informal, so no bowing will be required. You wonder what tales they will have to tell you?
"Fancy that," you think to yourself. "The king coming to see me!"….
============= Other Info
Magor Investigates… is an ADRIFT parser, submitted to the 2023 Edition of the IFComp. It was ranked 64th overall.
This is the 4th instalment of the Adventures in the World of Alaric Blackmoon series. (this is the first one I've played)
Status: Completed
Genre: Fantasy
CW: /
============= Playthrough
Played: 13-Dec-2023
Playtime: around 30min
Rating: 3 /5
Thoughts: But we investigate little...
============= Review
Magor Investigates... is a relatively short linear parser, where you play Magor, the court's sorcerer. Though the game is part of a series and a larger universe, it is not required to have played other instalments to complete this game (relevant information is provided in-game). In this entry, you are tasked by the king to work some genealogy magic and find whether the monarch has some relations to another crowned head. While there is no walkthrough, a comprehensive hint system is implemented.
Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.
This was a quaint and low-stake little game. With the return of the King after a difficult quest, you are given the simple (though maybe tedious task) to trace back your monarch's lineage and hopefully find a connection to another royal family. But oh, no! the Archivist is down with a bad stomach ache and can't let you browse to your heart's content. Good news! Being a sorcerer, you have an extensive library, which includes a tome on remedies. Fix up the concoction, nurse the archivist, go back to your main task, and report back to the King. End Credits!
From the premise, and the length advertised on the IFComp website at an hour and a half, I... expected more. Even though I loved the cozy and low stake vibes of the game (with a non-existent difficulty, and super well hinted actions), I was done within a third of the expected time, having completed the 9 out of 10 tasks.
The discussions with other NPC are triggered after an action, which you (the player) do not control/cannot change (you can't ask people questions). This is a bit of a shame, because those discussions are at times lengthy (had to scroll back up at multiple occasions), and could have been broken into multiple actions.
As for the investigation, only one action is require before the task is complete. And even if the game includes many room, the engine does not let you explore much of it, as it tries to railroad you into one specific path.
Another gripe I had with this game was the visual aspect. I am all for funky and bright interfaces, but the use of this particular palette with the Comic Sans font was quite painful to the eye. And when you have long block of texts on the screen, it is not really comfortable to read. For this aspect, I was kinda glad the game was fairly short.
It was a cute short game, otherwise.
#Magor Investigates...#Larry Horsfield#interactive fiction#complete#2023#review#ifcomp#adrift game#parser
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Magic System Inspiration Tag
Thank you for the tag, @blind-the-winds.
Passing the tag to @cljordan-imperium, @talesofsorrowandofruin, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, @writernopal, @druidx, @anthros-vanitas-archive, and an open tag for anyone else who wants to share.
Rules: list the inspiration(s) for your WIP's magic system and, if you want, go into detail.
So, both The Archivist's Journal and Empty Names qualify as fantasy and have magic, but really only Empty Names has a "magic system" per say.
The Archivist's Journal is more like "try to keep individual elements internally consistent but otherwise throw supernatural odds and ends at the wall and see what sticks." How or why anything magical works in that world is intentionally meant to be ultimately unknowable and barely comprehensible (at least to the Archivist) and making peace with that inability to know is something that I've come to realize wound up being something of an overall theme. And whether anything really even is magic and not some combination of placebo effect, hallucination, and/or disguised/misunderstood science and technology is a bit of a recurring background question.
In that vein then, I suppose one might point to some Lovecraftian cosmic horror influence, but with the twist that the unknown has just as much - if not more - capacity to inspire wonder and whimsy as it does horror and madness. Meanwhile, things like the nature sprite's fey trickster vibe and the tendency for objects to take on unusual properties after being cared for for a very long time have any number of precedents in folklore and pop culture, so it's hard to point to any one source of inspiration.
As for Empty Names, well, at the end of the day there's really only one magic system/concept at the core of everything, but it's one that can be extrapolated out to a number of things, allowing me to play fast and loose with "rules" for magic and enabling what looks like multiple conflicting magic systems to be running at once.
Going to hide the rest of this under a "Keep Reading" line because I expect this to turn into a rambling essay.
The core magic system:
So, anyway, the core "magic system" in Empty Names is that reality is influenced and defined by belief and perception, both of the individual and of the collective human consciousness. This ultimately started as me trying to come up with an explanation for why magic stuff needs kept out of the public eye in an urban fantasy setting. That explanation being that having an entire "anchor world" full of people that fundamentally believe the universe to be stable and bound by physical laws gives enough stability to allow other worlds to be more fantastical without reality breaking down altogether. It was an idea that I'd sort of played with of and on over the years in various iterations when trying to come up with ideas for TTRPG campaigns to run, but it wasn't until I came across a certain Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) image gallery (those are something of a guilty pleasure of mine) that made use of this concept in an extremely similar way that I found a good way to properly define and articulate it.
Once I had that down, everything else magic-related in this setting was ultimately able to tie back to that. All the different magic systems at play here are essentially just "it works this way because the mage using it expects it to work that way, and so do enough other people that follow that tradition of magical practice." There's probably more than a little bit of the Warhammer 40K Ork tech principle in that idea's genealogy.
The Autogenesis Principle:
The Autogenesis Principle (or just "autogenesis" as it more often gets referred to in the text) is probably the most original thing I came up with for the setting. Taking the "reality reflect perception" idea and applying it on the individual level instead of to the world so that the internalized view people have of themselves physically manifests as changes to their bodies. I think I originally came up with it as an explanation for Eris having the superhuman strength and durability to be able to throw down with monsters barehanded and then ran with it as an excuse to give Lacuna alternating hope/angst about gender dysphoria stuff. Or maybe it was the other way around. And when planning on doing an episodic monster-of-the-week type of anthology (as was the original plan for the project), playing into the classic trope of "person who does monstrous things literally turns into a monster because of it" gives a convenient source of monsters to deal with. But similar to The Archivist's Journal recasting unknowability as potentially good and wondrous, that aligning of body with perception has the potential to be wonderfully affirming too (see again, the hopeful wish-fulfillment side of Lacuna's gender hope/angst).
Also, some of the capacity of autogenesis being tied to reality stabilization stems from the endless and tiring internet forum arguments of "Why don't people in <Insert Setting Here> just use magic to boil blood/cause an aneurysm/suck air out of lungs/<Insert Other Cheap And Brutal Auto-Win Strategy Here>?" The implicit explanation of "your self-image doesn't usually include being on fire, so autogenesis protects you from mages internally combusting you" preemptively fills that potential plot hole.
Crossherd and other pocket dimensions:
Crossherd, "the largest and most connected-to pocket dimension in North America" and "collective wistful dream of every small town that could have been a metropolis if only history had gone a little differently" owes its meta-existence to two primary influences. The first is from a campaign I ran for the "Glitter Hearts" magical girl genre TTRPG. That campaign's setting was a bit of a thought experiment of "What if a couple key local historical events went differently so that my own small hometown had grown into a major metropolitan center for the region?" and the name "Crossherd" is itself a butchered AU-ified version of my irl hometown's name.
The second major influence for the Empty Names version of Crossherd as a pocket dimension haven for the supernatural within the otherwise seemingly mundane anchor world is Three Portlands from the SCP wiki, particularly as it appears in the "Third Law" canon. Actually, a lot of Empty Names is influenced by "Third Law" and the adjacent SCP tales and canons, seeing as I'd just finished reading every article linked from that canon hub when I started jotting down the initial notes for this project. And while I'm at it, not technically "Third Law" or magic system related, but special shoutout to Aldon from the "Learning the Alphabet with Aldon & Finnegan" collection of SCP tales as being an influence on Lacuna's search for a way to get herself a new body after learning that magic exists.
Meanwhile, Carnette's eclectically adorned and bigger-on-the-inside Bridgewood Manor draws its biggest inspiration from the player housing in the MMORPGs AION and Final Fantasy FXIV and the exploits that some players would get up to in order to create far more impressive displays than the designers ever seemingly intended. And just like the high-end players who have saved the world several times over spending all their time post-campaign breaking the game to make the coolest house possible, Carnette Bridgewood - the world's most powerful mage - spent her days experimenting with how to best break reality itself over her knee for the sake of interior decorating. There's also traces of House of Leaves in the manor's inspiration. There's even a labyrinth out behind the house, perfect for a Minotaur.
Rituals, Enchanting, and Lacuna's tech approach to magic:
Another big magic sub-system for Empty Names is the use of elaborately drawn magic circles and long involved chants for rituals to produce magical effects without needing to be a full-fledged mage. That general idea of magic circles and slow elaborate rituals instead of wizards just casually tossing fireballs around has a long, long, history with any number of mythology/folklore/pop-culture examples, but I think the D&D 4e and 5e approaches to it as it explicitly being a way for non-spellcaster characters to do magic is the most immediate influence for me here. And then there's plenty of RPG (video game and tabletop) influence on being able to use rituals like that for drawing glyphs onto objects as enchantments to buff equipment.
Lacuna's particular method of using a digital projector to perfectly draw her ritual circle in the first chapter and then her later work with using AI to make real-time adjustable circles and sped up computer-generated chanting to do ridiculously complex rituals in a short amount of time once again draws inspiration from the SCP wiki, with similar technology showing up in the "Third Law" and "All That Glisters" canons. Also, the fleshy laptop Sullivan gives her is rather directly inspired by the so-called Osteotronic Cubes from the latter canon.
Going back to the "magic works how your expect it to work" thing, Lacuna being a huge anime nerd with a fondness for Fullmetal Alchemist is low-key part of the reason the glyph-circle based magic works so well for her. And, drawing from some of my own irl experience with coming on board late into legacy code bases and programming, Lacuna's got no idea how the innermost workings of that AI system function, she just has faith that it does and knows what surface-level components she can modify and add onto without breaking it. This probably won't wrap back around to "belief shapes reality" and accelerate the AI system into a nascent machine god singularity or something.
Not quite Lacuna's field, but magic and tech related, there's some background worldbuilding of technically mundane tech in Crossherd being sped up decades ahead of the mundane world via techniques inspired by the Theosophical Society and attempts at Occult Chemistry to use clairvoyance to divine the atomic structures. RevaTech, the company that Lacuna left, is short for Revelation Technologies as a nod to this. Meanwhile, actual paranormal technology getting referred to as "paratech" is another SCP reference.
Ashan's magic:
The world that Ashan learned magic on is based on a homebrew D&D campaign I ran once and has some tendency to follow similar D&D-esque classifications of magic into schools/styles based on effect. The similarity to D&D's magic system mostly ends there though (aside from the aforementioned rituals). The real inspiration for Ashan's particular spellcasting style of drawing/painting his conjurations into existence comes from the trend of early games on the Nintendo DS and Wii to make gameplay gimmicks of incorporating the stylus or remote respectively to have the player draw things on the screen. I never actually played Okami myself so I might be off base with it, but it's the big one that always jumps to mind for me as an example.
That random necromancer Ashan fights in Chapter 2:
This particular application of necromancy as manipulating flesh and bone rather than raising the dead was mostly inspired by Tamsyn Muir's "The Locked Tomb" series.
Culescu and Flesh-shaping:
A world that gets mentioned a bunch in Chapters 8 through 12, known for its inhabitants' secretive mastery of a brand of magic that easily transforms and shapes living flesh in spite of autogenesis normally making that incredibly difficult. That was all born from a heavily reflavored (but mechanically unaltered) psion class character I played in a 4th Edition D&D campaign over a decade ago. Jero, who shows up in Chapter 12 is the most recent iteration of that character. I ended up reusing the character and the concept in several of my own homebrew campaigns over the years, expanding on it into a world/culture as I went (even if my players hardly ever directly encountered any of it).
The biggest inspiration on that is my own personal tendency to react to the body horror genre and Geiger-esque art with fascination instead of horror or disgust. Asking the question "What if instead of such dramatic bodily transformations being horrible, painful, and traumatic, they were painless and willingly initiated as a way to experiment with new physical sensations, explore the relationship between mind and body, and allow for self-determination and affirmation of one's identity?" "What if this was easily accessible, reversible, and normalized?" "What if it were elevated to an art form?"
The art of Lucian Stanculescu (aka hypnothalamus), particularly circa 2010-2014, was a big influence on how I'd often pictured such artistic application of flesh-shaping often coming out. Enough so that the name of the world is an homage to that artist.
Also, the manga "Franken Fran" is a somewhat more twisted version of this vibe and something of an influence on Jero's tendency to walk the line between chipperly helpful and deeply unsettling.
Cosmology and travel between worlds:
While I don't expect it will get too much screen time or explanation in Empty Names proper, aside from the early-mentioned bits about "anchor worlds" the biggest influence on my perception of some worlds being "closer" or "farther" from one another despite them being different dimensions/universes rather than a separation of physical space (and their surprising fragility) comes from the webcomic "White Noise" by Adrien Lee. I tend to imagine the stations in Crossherd for traveling between worlds as looking similar to the portal stations in that comic as well.
As for the space between worlds (and again, their surprising fragility) there's definitely a Lovecraftian cosmic horror eldritch monster all-is-the-dream-of-Azathoth type stuff going on. The "Void Without" that Sullivan swears by. Well, if I'm being really honest, it's perhaps even more directly inspired by that concept but as portrayed in the dream bubbles and Horrorterrors of the Furthest Ring in Homestuck.
Names and name-based magic:
Once again, there's no shortage of sources to draw inspiration from in pop culture and folklore when it comes to stories about faeries stealing people's names, or names otherwise being stolen or sold, often with the result being some combination of the new holder of the name controlling, taking the form of, or abandoning the original owner to be an empty husk. And once again, the SCP wiki's takes on this was one of the biggest immediate inspirations for how this plays out in Empty Names. The memetic geass NDA contract that Lacuna had to sign when leaving her old job was similarly inspired by the "Third Law" SCP canon.
The biggest inspiration for the workings and inclusion of nominative magic in Empty Names however are the various short stories, poems, and social media posts I've seen speculating on how such a fey theft or sale of a name might affect a trans person trying to get rid of a deadname. Lacuna going through such a bargain in order to bind a fairy into her service as a familiar by trading it her deadname was actually one of the first scenes I wrote a rough draft of. It'll be a long time until the main story gets to that point though.
Xenocolors:
There have been a couple of offhand mentions to specific weird colors that produce certain effects when seen. This is less "inspired by" and more "referencing" Fallen London's Neathbow.
Whatever is going on with Sullivan in Chapter 11:
Kirby, but simultaneously human-shaped and more explicitly Lovecraftian.
#tag game#writing tag games#The Archivist's Journal#Empty Names#writing inspiration#worldbuilding#magic system
10 notes
·
View notes
Note
I was a bit bummed out by Engage but with all your post on it I tried the older FE games, and it's really great so far! Do you have any recommendations or favorite characters? :D
Nice! I'm loving Engage, but that's very related to (1) nostalgia, and (2) liking a game more battle-focused after Three Houses' story-focus. (It's nice to have best of both worlds on one system!) What have you started playing?
If you're just looking to learn the ropes of FE gameplay, both FE7 (just "Fire Emblem" outside of Japan, the first released elsewhere) and Awakening are decent starting points for the general structure. Both also have really solid characters and simple-but-fun plots (which are handled without the over-the-top dramatics of Engage). FE7 outside of Japan has added intro chapters to help players get used to the genre (where your "lord" is Lyn, before Eliwood and Hector are introduced as the lords for the original game). The translation is a little uneven sometimes (and sloppy at others), but it's a very solid introduction if you have access to a GBA/DS/DSLite (or want to emulate).
Awakening is easier to get access to (since it's more recent and on 3DS), and is also a nice, solid intro to FE gameplay. It also has more bonus maps/DLC that extend gameplay and let you nab extra characters (both from older games and from Awakening itself). Honestly, Awakening seems likely to remain my favorite game in the series: it's just all-around fun. Good plot (if not a complex one), great characters (and DLC to flesh them out more), fun gameplay, multiple difficulty options, and some DLC that lets you obtain ways to boost levels/supports/money/weapons/classes, if you're into that. I've put in close to 1,000 hours in Awakening - due to the support system, there are all sorts of ways to mess around with how you play the game and use certain characters.
Sacred Stones (FE8, the second released outside of Japan for GBA) is a lot of fun, and has a brief route split if you like to play more than once, but if you want to try a GBA game, FE7 is probably the better starting point, for the Lyn chapters. (Especially because managing the convoy and items is clunky in the GBA games compared to later ones, so the intro chapters help before you have to figure out inventory management and gameplay!)
Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn (on Gamecube and Wii, respectively) had the most complex plot since Genealogy of the Holy War (which was not released outside of Japan). The problem with them is that they are all but impossible to track down for a reasonable price - both bombed spectacularly at release, so copies are scarce. Emulation is usually the way newcomers to the series go if they want to tackle the Radiant games.
Shadow Dragon is a remake of the very first game, but it hardly added anything beyond updated portraits and battlefield grids so you don't accidentally wander somewhere where you'll get your butt kicked if you mathed wrong. 😅 It's on DS, and I'm honestly not sure how easy it is to find now. It sold so poorly that FE12 (a remake of FE3, Mystery of the Emblem) once again was Japan-only. Which sucks, because FE12 actually beefed up characters and plot! Shadow Dragon would be a good place to get the hang of gameplay, but its story is more Final Fantasy 1 than Final Fantasy 6. 🤷♀️
If you can't find (or emulate) FE7, Awakening is a solid place to start. It eases you into gameplay, lets you grind (either for free, especially if you play on Normal, or with paid DLC), lets you choose Casual (no permadeath - characters come back next chapter if "killed") or Classic (permadeath - pick a god and pray) and has, in purely mathematical terms, an epic buttload of characters to choose from if some *cough*Vaike*cough* aren't to your liking. Just, uh... listen to Severa. Trust me. Listen. To. Severa. You can thank me later.
Fates has fuuuuuun battles and some really amusing joke weapons (it's Azura with the broom! But wait - wait! She's out, she's out, Jakob came in from the side with pebbles! Victory! Victory to the angry butler!!! 😱), but the plot and some other stuff is... well. The monkeys with typewriters were going to manage Shakespeare, but then they ate too many pot brownies and we got Fates instead. Have fun killing goo daddy with your flaming chainsaw sword! Fates also has three different routes, which can be a bit confusing if you don't know how they differ. (Birthright is the "easy" route, Conquest will kick your ass six ways from Sunday and add a seventh kick at chapter 10, and Revelation was written frantically after the monkeys demanded a union and walked out of the job.)
Shadows of Valentia is the last of the 3DS games, and a remake of the second game (Gaiden, never released outside of Japan). It's... weird. Fully voiced, which is very cool (especially since the cast is solid), and has some interesting twists on the FE formula (like dungeons and Mila's Turnwheel, which lets you go back a number of turns without having to restart the whole map), but the plot remains pretty early-90s-JRPG, and they opted to keep in a fuckton of water maps and desert maps that are insanely tedious. Reclassing also feels a bit clunky after the relative freedom of Awakening and Fates. It's definitely well done, but I wouldn't recommend it as an intro to the series.
Same goes for Three Houses: except for the way the battlefield functions, it is very different from the other games. It is darker, attempts more complexity than it should have (at the expense of some plotpoints left dangling in all routes), and has four different routes that, with one exception, force you to choose the route after a single battle and barebones intro to the characters. It also has a loooooot of stuff you can micromanage and/or waste time on and a weird (by FE standards) recruitment system. Great game, all four routes, but a little more than Intelligent Systems could juggle. (This is especially obvious if you pick the Black Eagles.) It's also quite easy, by FE standards, outside of some paralogues (side battles) and the DLC (which was very, very simple compared to Awakening, Fates, and Shadows of Valentia, though a lot of fun if you like a challenge!).
Awakening, Fates, Shadows of Valentia, and Three Houses (like Engage) all give you a choice of male or female avatar, and Casual or Classic mode. (Fates also has Phoenix mode, but ew. No. Bad.) All also have DLC. With DLC in mind, remember that the 3DS eShop goes down for new purchases as of the end of March of this year. If you get Awakening, Fates, or Shadows of Valentia, buy the DLC now if you think you'll want it! (It adds new characters, new weapons, some additional lore and/or character development, and some silly stuff like beach chapters. 🤣)
Honestly, if Engage is all you've tried, I'd say go with Awakening (the game Lucina is from) or FE7 (where, as mentioned above, Lyn is from). Your call! Both are good intros without so much management and bloat they get overwhelming. And none of the choices you make will drastically alter the rest of the game! Awakening should also still be easy to find, compared to what came before.
Favorite characters? Pegasus knight has been my favorite class since I started playing, and my all-time favorite character is Cordelia. I also love Ninian, Rebecca, Lyn, Serra (all from FE7), Eirika, Seth, L'arachel, Lute (all from FE7), the Whitewings (Palla, Catria, and Est, who are in FE1, 2, 3, 11, 12, and 15), Caeda (FE1, 3, 11, and 12), Nephenee (FE9, 10) Olivia, Inigo, Severa, Lucina (FE13), Laslow, Selena, Soleil, Reina, Flora, Jakob (FE14), Mathilda, Clair, Mae, Boey (FE15), Edelgard, Dimitri, Hapi, Lysithea, Constance, Ingrid, Seteth, FERDINAND VON AEGIR (FE16), and I'm still deciding on the new game, but Chloé and Etie are great thus far in what I've played. If I had to pick top three of all time, I'd probably go with Cordelia, Inigo/Laslow, and Edelgard.
There are a handful of spin-off games (Fire Emblem Heroes, two Warriors games, and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE), but they're all very different from the core of Fire Emblem proper. Fun, but not a good intro to the series (and like Engage, they rely on knowledge of past games/characters).
Longest answer ever, but I hope it helps you figure out which way you'd like to go next! You may enjoy Engage more when you know the Emblems better. 😁
Happy strategizing!
13 notes
·
View notes
Note
Thank you so much for your detailed answer! You made it very clear, which is really the point because like you said i'm lost when it comes to the genealogy of the Elves. I rely on the family trees on Tolkien Gateway, but i don't think they are complete and i'm not sure either if they are entirely reliable.
Your opinion is important because you have a clear vision of what the characters are, while i have a hard time to define Sauron's personality, and trying to make theories based on the character development of the show is complicated for him, because i don't think we have really seen Sauron, only a darker version of Halbrand (that's my impression).
I was under the impression that he should have been happy working with the elves, despite his dark intentions, just because he really loves smithery and he was surrounded by the best blacksmiths of the Middle Earth. He seemed sincerely excited and proud when he said to Galadriel that he couldn't believe that someone like him was working with the Elven smiths of Eregion as if it was something very prestigious even for him. That's why i was surprised that the show didn't make more of his relationship with Celebrimbror. But with your reply now i understand it's not possible based on what he thinks of the Elves. He seems to not have interest or not care, of feel too superior to enjoy the skills of the species he considers inferior to him, unless it's useful for his plans.
Hopefully, his intentions and personality will become more clear next season now that he doesn't need to play the repentant and can go full evil.
Thanks again for your help!:)
You're welcome! I'm glad you found it helpful. :)
I think, based on what I've seen, the genealogies on Tolkien Gateway are pretty comprehensive, but there are gaps and contradictions in the actual material. That's why Gil-galad's parentage is a fandom in-joke, because Tolkien never seems to have decided it himself. Christopher Tolkien put him down as the son of Fingon in the published Silmarillion, but there were other options. Other characters are in the same boat.
I always try to back up my views of the characters with what's in canon, but they're just as subjective as any other, so please don't take me as gospel! And bearing in mind that a lot of what I wrote in my post was drawn from the Silmarillion and other books, which is a rather flawed approach when theorising on what's going to happen on the show, since that's not what the writers have the rights to.
For what it's worth, I don't think we've really seen Sauron as himself yet - I think that's what we're going to see emerge in the future series. But imagining him as a darker Halbrand seems like a fair way of looking at him, I think, because the whole thing is that he's spent the entire series hiding in plain sight. He never lied, exactly - his deception was all in the things he didn't say!
I agree, actually, his excitement at being in Eregion seemed pretty genuine. The writers and the actor have said they want to play on ambiguity - this is the character known as the Deceiver, after all - so half the fun (for me) is trying to decide when I think he's being sincere, when he's delivering a stealthy truth, or just flat-out lying; when he's scheming or being opportunistic, etc.
Just because I love Sauron, and I can't resist talking about him: the thing he says - "I can still hardly believe it. Someone like me, here, working with the Elven smiths of Eregion!" - it could just be his "just an 'umble human blacksmith" act. But I think he is excited. Like you said, he's a smith, a Maia of Aulë, and on that level, I think, he just can't help himself. He's working with materials he's never even seen before, with the best smiths in Middle-earth. He may have had some notion of disappearing into obscurity as a swordsmith in Númenor, but this - this is the real deal!
Did he have this all planned from the start? I doubt it. That's why he can't believe it - he can hardly believe his luck. He got caught up in events, but they've landed him right here, in the capital of Elven craftsmanship, at this crucial point of the Elves' very existence. But he's an opportunist as well as a schemer - he'll be figuring out how he can make this work to his advantage.
And there must be something delicious in the fact that he, erstwhile lieutenant of Morgoth, is now working with Celebrimbor, last scion of the house of Fëanor, helping him with his masterpiece just as Morgoth may possibly have shown Fëanor how to make his. "Someone like me", indeed!
He hates the Elves, absolutely, but he can't help but appreciate their craft and skill. Even the Valar were awed by the Silmarils. He undoubtedly feels superior to them, yes, but he'll know that they're still a force to be reckoned with. (He once tried to take on Lúthien, after all, and came out the worse for it.)
I was surprised there wasn't more of him and Celebrimbor, too. It may be a result of them condensing the timeline, when in the books Sauron actually spends a few centuries in Eregion. At the same time, I'd be surprised if he's finished with the Elves yet, Celebrimbor included. Galadriel told them that Halbrand couldn't be trusted, but didn't tell them why. "Halbrand" might return to Eregion and convince Celebrimbor that she was mistaken/lying. Or he might use a different disguise. There will need to be some reason for Celebrimbor to forge the other rings, after all. As things stand, they seem content to have made the Three to serve the Elves - but of course it won't stop there. So something will have to happen to tip the scale.
I don't think his repentant stage is going to last much longer! He's already conflated saving the world with ruling it, so I reckon it won't be long before he commits himself to being evil again! >:D
(I'm sorry for going on and on. I just love Sauron a lot. I could talk about him all day. XD)
20 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
richard59ga
FuckUrHandPussy
edmondsonniebuhr80
The Journey of Morrison 859
belzebull
Kira
klondikeadventurescheats
klondike adventures cheats