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nerdyenby · 11 months

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Midnight timeline

If y’all haven’t read the Midnight series by @atherix you’re missing out. It’s one of the most well crafted works of fiction I’ve ever encountered and has some of the most intricate and intriguing world building I’ve ever seen.

Atherix mentioned once (in response to an ask) that the timeline is fairly loose, even in their own mind, so I wanted to give it a shot!! If I can piece together some sort of logical timeline from lego ninjago, surely I can do the same for a fic series with this much care and attention put into it, so let’s go!!

There will be mild spoilers here but I’ll be keeping it fairly vague :)

Midnight Wanderings

The first entry in this series has several scenes that give us a fairly clear timeline

Grian bumps into Scar one night when he has been living in Boatem for six months

Grian meets Mumbo one night after having lived in Boatem for eight months

Chapter two picks up three days after Grian meets Mumbo

There are three more scenes an indeterminate amount of time from Grian and Mumbo’s meeting and each other

In one of those scenes, Mumbo mentions that Crimson Stardust was made by the S’Major family in 4201, to which Grian thinks is roughly 300 years ago

In another scene, Mumbo says his back-and-forth with Cleo started “around 250 years ago, when I decided to finally interact with vampire society”

In summary, Wanderings spans a timeframe of (presumably) close to three months, starting six months after Grian first came to Boatem

Midnight Festival

It’s implied that Grian has been in Boatem for less than a year, as this is his first time attending their annual festival

Mumbo mentions that avians had been hunted for their feathers until about 30 years ago

Festival lasts one evening

Midnight Lies

Grian meets Scar, it having been three months since they first ran into each other

Scar deliver Mumbo’s order three days early

It’s implied that there are ~12 months in a year (once every three months equates four times a year)

Mumbo has been a client of Scar’s for seven years

Grian says he befriended Mumbo in “less than a month”

Grian pesters Scar into agreeing to visit him once every two weeks

In chapter two, it is heavily implied that the pair’s first glyph call is when Scar is late to visit him

Grian calls Scar again later that same week

Two separate calls occur, the second of which involving Scar asking if Grian’s going to “insist on calling me every three days?”

In the next scene, Grian mentions that Scar visited him at work yesterday, presumably for their biweekly visits, making it at least a month or a month and a half since they’ve met

A few more snippets later, Scar casually calls Grian his friend and Grian revels in the fact that they’ve grown into a more casual and mutual relationship, stating Scar visits him even outside of their scheduled meetups

Lies picks up nine months after Grian comes to Boatem and spans (by my estimates) at least two months

Midnight Mistakes

Mumbo was born in 3998, “nearly 500 years ago”

Mumbo was taken and turned in 4029

Three days after Grian snoops, Mumbo apologizes for having lashed out

There is no reference to whether this happens during the same timespan as Lies or after, it spans three days.

Midnight Warnings

Scar pays an unexpected visit to Mumbo’s manor, making the excuse that he forgot part of his last delivery, implying it has been just over three months since he first met Grian

Three days later, he drops off holy weapons he made for Grian

In the next chapter, Grian fends off a woman he recognizes from the intel Scar gave them “nearly a week before”

Warnings starts 12 months after Grian first came to Boatem (the author has stated their years are longer than ours so I’m not claiming it’s been a year yet) and spans close to a week

Midnight Misunderstandings

Scar says Boatem is the oldest settlement on the continent at 2000 years old, “predating the Old Hermetian Kingdom by nearly 400 years”

Chapter one is a self-contained scene, happening during a single day

In chapter two it’s stated that it is “the middle of the first week of the month” and that Scar delivered blood for Mumbo last week, meaning it’s been three months since Warnings

Chapters two and three take place the same night, Grian and Mumbo get together and Grian decides to stay in the mansion

Chapter four takes place five days after chapter two; Mumbo states that he’s known Scar for seven years

Chapter five takes place a week after chapter four

Misunderstandings starts 15 months after Grian came to Boatem and spans just under three weeks

Midnight Sands

Sands takes place on one night, shortly after Misunderstandings

Mumbo says it’s “nearly autumn”

Midnight Memories

One night, nice and simple

Midnight Visit

Chapter one is on Scar’s usual delivery day

Chapters two and three take place on the same day/night an indeterminate amount of time after chapter one

Tubbo is 19

Scar spent three weeks in the mansion following Misunderstandings

Scar says he and Mumbo have been trying to start over “for the past few weeks now,” contradicting the three month gap between deliveries, but I’m gonna stick with the most established guideline

It has been roughly a year (or more) since Grian first took Mumbo to the clearing in the forest

Mumbo verifies that Grian met Scar a month after meeting him

Visit starts 18 months after Grian moved to Boatem, the time it spans is unclear but I’d guess a few days to a week

Midnight Ambush

Scar says it’s now a cold season, with summer being long past

Grian says “a few months ago” he would’ve been too jealous to recognize Scar’s feelings for Mumbo, which lines up well with the beginning of his and Mumbo’s relationship

All three chapters take place more or less the same night

Midnight Passions

One night

Midnight Strolls

Grian and Mumbo visit Scar in Aqua Town, a three day’s trip from Boatem

Mumbo asks Scar about his research he saw in Ambush, implying they haven’t seen each other much since then

Mumbo says it’s been months since Misunderstandings

Scar left home when he was fifteen and says that that was almost sixteen years ago, making him 31

Strolls takes place over two days

Midnight Folly

Chapters one through three take place on the one night after Grian and Mumbo return to Boatem and Scar is still in Aqua Town

Chapter four picked up “a few days” later

Midnight Rains

Scar visits Grian and Mumbo in Boatem during a storm

This story consists of a series of flashbacks from Scar’s youth

Rains takes place one day/night

Midnight Revelation

Mumbo first met Scar “eight years ago now, roundabouts”

Mumbo says that he has “a few more years” until he’s 500

Chapter two is a day after chapter one

Scar refers to the events of Folly as “last month”

Tubbo is still 19

Revelation spans two or three days, it’s loosely implied to have been the better part of a year since Misunderstandings (when Mumbo says he’s know Scar for seven years)

Midnight Melody

It’s been roughly two years since Grian moved to Boatem

Chapters one and two happen on the same day, when Scar and Tubbo move to Boatem

Chapter three is on a separate evening an unspecified amount of time later

Midnight Summers

“Winter is in full swing”

Cub says it’s been 16 years since Scar ran away

The Fae King says Scar is 30, which contradicts Cub’s statement but only just

Summers takes place over one evening

Midnight Dreams

The story happens over the course of one night/day, a little while after Scar officially joined their relationship

Mumbo describes the war of his last active period as “almost 70 years ago now”

Scar is doing his deliveries “next weekend” and should be gone only a week or so

Midnights Past

Past is a series of flashbacks of Scar and Tubbo’s relationship over the years

In a scene the same day as Summers, Tubbo says that he’s “almost 20”

Chapter fifteen takes place roughly the same day as Dreams, Tubbo’s birthday is less than a week after Scar gets back from doing his deliveries

Midnight Miseries

Things go down shortly after Scar leaves for his trip

There is a lot of history given involving Mumbo’s past but that’s not what I’m most interested in for the purposes of this project

Mumbo thinks that he wish he could talk to himself from “two years ago” and tell him how wrong he was about Scar

Miseries takes place over one night

Midnight Meeting

Their trip to the alley is going to be roughly an eight day journey

Miseries was “just a couple days ago”

Tubbo’s birthday is in ten days

Mumbo didn’t send Cleo a tie this year, confirming that it’s been over a year since Wanderings

Meeting takes place one day shortly after Miseries

Midnight Alley

Chapter one starts with the gang already in Aqua Town, which we know to be three days away from Boatem (assuming they didn’t get there using magic)

Tubbo describes there being “hardly a hint of winter chill left”

Grian says he’s only known standard for three years

The first few chapters are spread out over their journey to the alley

Grian says he lived there five years ago

Boatem’s annual festival is being held, Grian says they didn’t go last year

Tubbo’s 20th birthday is in chapter eleven

It’s implied that the polycule has been together less than a year

The final chapter is a short epilogue in which Tubbo leaves town

Alley spans a little over a week, including Tubbo’s 20th birthday

Midnight Flux

Grian says they got back “barely a day before”

Tubbo left town the previous morning

Mumbo sealed his cellar roughly 450 years ago, likely after his turning

In chapter eight, Mumbo says Grian has been a god for three days

In chapter ten, Mumbo says it’s been less than 24 hours since Scar’s flux started

Chapter twelve picks up a week later

Mumbo says Scar was bedridden two days ago

Majority of Flux takes place on the same night/day, with a final scene a week later

Midnight Mystery

Mystery takes place shortly after Flux

Mumbo and Scar plan to be back “by tomorrow night”

Grian says it’s been “more than a week” since he’s talked to Jimmy

Scar last went to the Twilight Woods a year ago to get wood for Grian’s bow in Warnings

Scar is 31 years old

Mumbo is in his 480s but was turned when he was 30-32

Mumbo says he and Scar have only been together for two months

Scar stopped working as a blood supplier shortly after he quit working for the coven “a few months ago”

Visit was less than a year ago

It’s been two years since Festival

#midnight series #fanfiction #mcyt #hermitshipping #<- not real people ofc #mumscarian #grian #mumbo jumbo #goodtimeswithscar #nerdy’s hc things #ig

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marcilled · 1 year

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on TOTK and what it's flaws and strengths are to you!

I had a whole response typed for this, ready to post, and my power shut off... well! I'm back now so I'll try to type my thoughts on this again.

big disclaimer here that tears of the kingdom is a HUGE game... I'm still working my way through it. I've done the equivalent of one of the divine beasts in botw for a bit of reference (they have a very direct equivalent in totk it seems).

that being said some of its strengths were the strengths botw had... truly expansive open world, that does an amazing job at rewarding you for exploring it. It never feels "empty", there's always some little surprise to find in every tiny nook and cranny you can explore- usually a korok. There's so many koroks. None of them are where they were in botw, despite using the same map (with some modifications).

this got really long, so I'm going to put a readmore (might contain some vague spoilers)

What I find especially apparent with totk, that sets it apart from the previous game, is that it does a really great job of guiding the player from point to point. It's still very much an open world game, but instead of leaving you directionless and hoping you find what you're looking for, there's always some npc mentioning that some weird ruins from the ancient zumblefuck civilization suddenly appeared in chungustown, across the suckdick river in east falumpa or whatever.

Even when you're just, you know, getting your horse out of the stable, the npcs will constantly be giving you directions to some major landmark, where you'll find a bunch of other npcs giving important quests or furthering the plot! In that way, you're never left wondering "well, this is great and all, but what is there to do in this game besides exploring", they just straight up tell you. botw ... sort of did that, but not enough.

I think that this sort of design philosophy is especially apparent in the tutorial island you begin the game at, where they very expertly crafted this island that is definitely "open world", but at the same time, directs you from point to point almost invisibly. Sure, you could visit any of the three shrines in any order you like- but there's one shrine super close to you, and it's the most visible from where you start the quest. So, may as well go there! Oh, turns out that the next shrine is way easier to get to after you have the ability from that closest shrine... Not to mention, the little robots give lots of tips for everything you're about to run into along the path you conveniently ended up taking that definitely isn't exactly where the game wants you to go! Plus, you keep running into this handsome goat man along the way who's always saying some contemplative stuff that makes you fall in love with him. Wait was that just me? Anyways, it's incredibly clever at guiding the player where they need to go without seeming like it's holding your hand either. botw wasn't really designed that way, and I appreciate that totk takes this approach.

In line with the direction that the npcs give you, I also really love to see how the world of totk feels so much more alive than in botw. In botw, humanity had nearly been wiped out by the calamity. For 100 years they toiled just to survive, and the remaining settlements felt very disconnected from one another, with how dangerous travel was. It gave this very melancholic feeling to every place you visited. However, in totk, it's clear that some time has passed since link defeated calamity ganon, and the people of hyrule have really begun to heal. There's people everywhere, and they're visiting each other more often. There's cooperation from every part of the kingdom, with everyone working together to try to find Zelda, and figure out what caused the upheaval, and what it means for the future. One particular interaction I really loved, was talking to a rito and a hylian woman at a stable near rito village, where the rito woman had come to pick up supplies for the village to deal with the intense blizzard there. The hylian woman said something like, "we're glad to help you, you've been wonderful neighbors to us!", and the rito woman was so thankful. that sort of camaraderie really sets the tone for totk, and it warmed my heart to see. There's this real sense of the world healing and supporting one another that I really enjoy.

Another thing that sets it apart, for better and worse, is the all-new abilities you get. No more magnesis or stasis or bombs, they're replaced with ultrahand, reversal, and... being able to attach bombs to literally any object you desire, as well as throw them directly, or even stick them onto contraptions you build?! Not to mention the ability that lets you travel up through ceilings. The abilities are quite different and do make a serious impact in how you play! The bizarre fucking contraptions you're able to build using ultrahand, combined with the various pieces of zonai tech, makes for some really compelling emergent gameplay! And lots of funny clips you can post online which I'm sure you've probably seen by now. It's a lot of fun.

That being said, I feel there's something lost by getting rid of the old abilities- for example, I almost never find myself using any of those abilities during combat. The most I'll do is attach items to my weapons (which is very fun!), but it's nothing compared to being able to bonk enemies with huge rocks using magnesis, or using stasis to pile on the damage onto a single enemy, or even just launch them off of cliffs. Although, the rest of the fun physics from botw is still there, like freezing enemies and making them slide around or what have you. I guess my primary complaint here is that the new abilities feel a bit underutilized, for example I pretty much never use the ability to reverse time, unless I'm doing a shrine where it's obviously required for a puzzle or something. Ah well.

I think my main complaint with totk really just boils down to the story just kind of refusing to admit that it's a sequel? even though... it is a sequel?? it's kind of weird, and just makes me sort of sad. Ancient Sheikah technology was crucial to the entire worldbuilding and story of botw, and somehow it's nowhere to be found in totk. They've just replaced all the ancient sheikah stuff with different ancient tech, which, while it's really cool in its own right, makes it feel very disconnected from the game that came before it. I get that they're trying to make the game feel welcoming to people who never played the first one, but you don't have to literally get rid of all traces of the previous game to accomplish that?!? I haven't found a SINGLE broken-down guardian anywhere in the whole game so far, much less one that's still living. There's been basically NO MENTION of the divine beasts either! The most I've seen is purah and impa having some ancient sheikah stuff/pictures relating to the calamity, but that's about it. It doesn't go beyond mentioning that the calamity happened, really. It's bizarre. They don't even talk about calamity ganon. What the hell!!! it just makes me kind of upset.

Actually, it goes deeper than this. the threat of calamity ganon was omnipresent in botw. You could always see it floating around the castle from almost anywhere on the map, at the very center. More than that, though, the remnants of an ancient war were everywhere- Guardians existed everywhere, always threatening you with that utterly terrifying music. There's not really an equivalent to that in totk. Sure, there's the zonai constructs, but... None of them are nearly as threatening as guardians were, other than the ones that are obviously boss fights. It just feels a bit sad, there's not as much "urgency" to your actions.

Then again, totk seems a bit more linear in its progression than botw- it could be possible that I'm still too early on to see the difficulty ramp up further, and introduce new threats? that'd actually be really cool if that were the case, but I have no idea. I just have to keep playing, I suppose. But as of rn, the "demon king" is just a big question mark, and his influence on the story is a bit unclear right now. it's not even immediately obvious what the endgame is, which is a lot different from botw. So perhaps I'll hold my judgement on this front until later. I just miss how the guardians were a constant threat, always reminding you of what your goal is.

And as one last quickfire of several little complaints:

The (english) voice acting in the game is very underwhelming. It's just not very good. I play ffxiv so I'm used to middling voice performances tho LOL. this was a problem in botw as well tho.

the boss fight i did (that i compared to one of the divine beasts) was too easy. i expected it to feel at least a little challenging, but i didn't feel threatened even once. the enemies i encounter in the overworld are tougher, it felt kinda underwhelming in spite of the (extremely good) boss music

the depths feels a bit samey after a while. my first impression was utter awe, i was like, "i'm completely in love with this game", but i soon realized that they used some sort of algorithm to translate the topography of the overworld onto the depths and suddenly the magic disappeared a bit. it's still really cool, and the mechanic of permanently losing hearts while you're down there makes it feel incredibly threatening, but there's simply not enough variety to feel like it's justified to take up that much space. unlike the overworld, the depths /do/ end up feeling empty after a while of exploring.

... I suppose as a bit of a TL;DR, my main complaints boil down to, "this is great, but it could be even better", or, "I miss some of the stuff that was in botw".

There's more thoughts I could probably share, like how I love all of the very blatant ghibli inspiration in this game (even moreso than in botw!), but I've already rambled quite a lot. thank you for the ask anon!! <3

#asks #Anonymous #long post

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talenlee · 2 months

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The Yawning Boredom Of The Word Epic

Good god this is a dull word, right?

Cancon was a fun convention, I liked it a lot. But while I was there, I saw this word being worn into a groove in my brain. It was an all-purpose descriptor, a vague and generic positivity, a detailer of scope and an encouragement for engaging, and every time I saw it I felt a bit of my brain shut down in response. I think some of this is just the normal overuse of meaningless words. If someone described a game as being ‘lit’ I would probably also just as much immediately ignore that descriptor. Packing peanut language, that kind of thing.

And I know it’s rich, coming from me to complain about overuse of cliche. I just said ‘packing peanuts’ which is something I am very selfconscious about saying a lot.

It’s not just the ungoogleable game Epic by Wise ‘Maybe We Don’t Want To Be Called White Wizards Any More’ Wizards. It’s also games like Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt Skullzfyre or Epic Resort or Tiny Epic and their franchise of genuinely exciting little games, or Crafting Epic Dungeons or Epic Scenery or Epicness Incarnate or Warhammer Epic or Epic Confrontation and you might not know if I made any of these games up, or all the other things I saw on the convention floor that just kept using the term, and every single time made me realise that in so doing, I now knew less about them than I would if almost any word was in that space.

What is ‘epic’ for?

I saw it being used to describe campaign sourcebooks and TTRPG material. It’s an interesting quirk of language that back when I was playing 3rd edition D&D, epic was a specific term used to describe the game after 20th level, which is to say, the point when the game’s rules started to break down and all the power design got exceptionally dumb. Of course that’s an old term from an older time – 3rd edition hasn’t been a meaningful frame of reference since the ye olden times of 2019 when Pathfinder 2e came out. In 4e — the best edition — the term is used to describe the last 10 levels of the game, where the game stops being about the movement of heroes and monsters and starts being about the will of demigods and resolutions of kingdoms.

Still, it looks to me now like ‘Epic’ is a thing that is used to describe a campaign that is long and has a huge scope. That’s cool and all, I can imagine a reason to want that, but I think this runs into a problem I have with the landscape of TTRPGs with prebuilt content in the first place. I don’t actually have much interest in modules or campaign setting information myself because I will almost always want to make my own, to tell my own story. Buying a campaign is weird enough to me, but then buying a big campaign, especially an extremely long campaign has all the aspirational purchase energy of the kind of person who buys roof racks for their sports utility vehicle that’s never going to be used to drive anywhere but work in the city and the shops.

Epic dungeons are somewhat in the same space in that they’re very large commitments of time and energy to a large space. Spaces are interesting to me because a space has an ideology and a purpose. The nature of a dungeon is that it’s a place with a purpose and you have to work out exactly what that means for a world — if there’s a dungeon the size of the Imperial City underneath the ground somewhere with its own ecosystem, I’m left wondering why it’s there, what’s the ideology of a structure like that.

Epic Dungeons are Dungeons, but big! Dungeons where you go down into them and what, have to spend time making beachheads and establishing places you can come back to? This is an idea that always feels to me like it works better for a videogame like Diablo, where there’s a system in place that lets you ‘save’ your progress, or a game world like Dark Souls where you can operate completely at your very edge of survival, where the nature of the place you’re going gives you a chance to restock yourself, and you don’t have to leave it except to empty your pockets.

And like, those worlds make for fun videogames but that’s a videogame? There’s no sense of verisimilitude or ideology of place in a videogame, certainly not compared to the vast freedom of a TTRPG. Yes, I’m saying Dark Souls is worse at giving a sense of place and a world than graph paper. And I should, because I’m right.

So like, what use is an Epic Dungeon as a thing you buy and drop into a world? It seems like you need a world that’s made for it, a world where it made sense for there to be an epic dungeon and a playstyle that supports it.

Epic challenges also feels like a strange place to start because what about them is epic? The scope of them? I guess that can be a way to make something feel big and impressive, but when a RPG sourcebook is promising ‘epic challenges’ I have to wonder how they make that feel that way. I remember keenly Exalted with its vast scope and how little that scope felt like it existed or mattered because the world kept winding around the same four or five people and the same villain. Are these games full of really good structural design that allows you to convey a deeply complicated scale of a problem with a huge variety of variables in a meaningfully handleable way? Or are they just full of art that shows very big things? Is it a dwarf with a big axe leaping through the air? Because that just feels like heroic fantasy, and I’ve got that.

I feel that in some cases there’s also an element of low-key snobbery around some of these ‘epic’ encounters where what they mean by ‘epic’ is ‘players can fail.’ Like there’s something about ‘epic challenges’ that means I know how to represent a real challenge, you don’t, and with all this there’s the precarity of a failure state hovering over things, a failure state that, being honest, for an appropriately epic sized kind of challenge, you won’t really see, because, like…

You don’t tend to survive epic failures.

Worlds don’t tend to survive epic failures.

It isn’t that any of the time, the impulse to use the word epic is a bad thing. It’s not like any of these companies are going to hurt for using a word that I personally just happen to think exists at the same level of writing effort as a gamer webcomic about two guys on a sofa complaining about the size of an Xbox controller.

I predict if Ettin gets to read this, he’s going to, before he finishes reading the article, send me a discord message saying ‘lol, epic.’

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Games #Media

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jcmarchi · 4 months

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OpenAI’s Prompt Engineering Guide: Mastering ChatGPT for Advanced Applications

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/openais-prompt-engineering-guide-mastering-chatgpt-for-advanced-applications/

OpenAI’s Prompt Engineering Guide: Mastering ChatGPT for Advanced Applications

Understanding Prompt Engineering

Prompt engineering is the art and science of crafting inputs (prompts) to get desired outputs from AI models like ChatGPT. It’s a crucial skill for maximizing the effectiveness of these models.

ChatGPT, built upon OpenAI’s GPT-3 and GPT-4 architectures, has advanced significantly, becoming more responsive and context-aware. Understanding its evolution is key to mastering prompt engineering.

Like a skilled conductor leading an orchestra, prompt engineering allows us to direct these models to perform complex tasks, from crafting detailed technical documents to generating creative and engaging content. This guide will walk you through strategies and tactics that transform your interaction with AI, elevating it from basic exchanges to nuanced and meaningful conversations.

Consider the difference in asking, “How do I add numbers in Excel?” versus “How do I automatically sum a column of dollar amounts in Excel, with totals displayed on the right in a ‘Total’ column?” The latter, more detailed prompt, leaves less to AI interpretation, leading to a more accurate and helpful response. Similarly, understanding the use of personas, delimiters, and step-by-step instructions can profoundly impact the AI’s output quality, especially for complex tasks.

This guide into prompt engineering will not only cover the theoretical aspects but also provide practical, hands-on examples. You’ll learn how to effectively use tactics like providing reference texts to guide the AI away from fabrications, or how breaking down complex tasks into simpler subtasks can yield more accurate results.

1. Clarity and Detail

Crafting effective prompts for AI models like GPT-4 needs combination of precision, context, and clarity. The difference between a poorly crafted prompt and a well-thought-out one can be the difference between a vague, generic response and a highly relevant, specific answer.

Example 1: Leveraging ChatGPT’s Language Understanding for Technical Queries

Ineffective Prompt: “How do I fix a bug in my code?”

AI Output: “To fix a bug in your code, you need to first identify the bug, understand why it’s happening, and then modify the code to correct it.”

Effective Technical Query: “I’m coding in Python and getting a ‘KeyError’ when trying to access a dictionary. The code snippet is: . What’s causing this error and how can I fix it?”

AI Output: “The ‘KeyError’ in your Python code is likely due to attempting to access a key in the dictionary that doesn’t exist. Here’s how you can modify your code to handle this error: [Modified code snippet with explanation].”

Example 2: Creative Writing with Style Imitation

Ineffective Prompt: “Write a short story.”

AI Output: “Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a kingdom that faced a great peril…”

Effective Style Imitation Prompt: “Write a short story in the style of Ernest Hemingway, focusing on a conversation between two old friends who meet unexpectedly.”

AI Output: “The sun beat down on the dusty road where Jack and Tom, two old friends, met by chance. ‘It’s been years,’ Jack said, his voice as dry as the air. ‘Years since the war,’ Tom replied. [The story continues in Hemingway’s concise, dialog-driven style].”

Example 3: Travel Advice

Ineffective Prompt: “What should I do in Paris?”

AI Output: “In Paris, you can visit landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Notre-Dame Cathedral.”

Effective Prompt: “I’m visiting Paris for three days this summer with a focus on art and history. Can you suggest a detailed itinerary?”

AI Output: “Day 1: Visit the Louvre Museum in the morning, followed by a walk to the Notre-Dame Cathedral. [More detailed itinerary follows].”

Insights for Crafting Better Prompts

Specificity: Be as specific as possible. The more detailed your prompt, the more tailored the response will be.

Contextual Information: Include all relevant context. This helps the AI understand the exact nature of your request.

Clear Objective: State clearly what you expect as an output. Whether it’s a recipe, a travel plan, or a technical solution, make your objective clear.

Avoid Ambiguity: Ambiguous prompts lead to generic responses. Clarify your request to get precise answers.

Utilize Known Formats: If applicable, ask for information in a specific format, like a list, a step-by-step guide, or a diagram.

2. Enhancing AI Responses with Reference

The strategic use of reference texts in prompt engineering can significantly elevate the quality and accuracy of responses from AI models like GPT-4. By providing relevant, trusted information alongside your query, you can guide the AI to compose answers based on the given material, making the responses more reliable and contextually accurate.

Example 1: Scientific Explanation

Conventional Prompt: “How does a black hole form?”

AI Output: “A black hole forms from the remnants of a large star that dies in a supernova explosion. If the core’s mass is sufficient, it collapses under its own gravity into a black hole.”

Enhanced Prompt with Reference Text:

Reference Text Provided: “[Scientific paper on stellar evolution and black holes]”

Prompt: “Using the information from the provided scientific paper, explain the process of black hole formation.”

AI Output: “Based on the scientific paper provided, a black hole forms when a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel and its core collapses. The paper details: [‘Relevant excerpts from the paper’].”

Example 2: Legal Interpretation

Conventional Prompt: “What are the legal implications of intellectual property theft?”

AI Output: “Intellectual property theft can lead to legal consequences like lawsuits, fines, and in severe cases, imprisonment.”

Enhanced Prompt with Reference Text:

Reference Text Provided: “[Legal journal article on intellectual property law]”

Prompt: “Referencing the legal journal article provided, explain the specific legal implications of intellectual property theft.”

AI Output: “The legal journal article states that intellectual property theft can result in civil litigation, statutory damages, and potential criminal charges. Specifically, the article mentions: [‘Direct quotes from the article’].”

Insights for Using Reference Texts in Prompts

Select Relevant Texts: Choose reference texts that are directly relevant to your query.

Prompt Specification: Clearly instruct the AI to use the provided reference text for composing its answer.

Citations: Request that the AI cites specific parts of the reference text in its response for accuracy and verification.

Handling Insufficient Information: Instruct the AI to clearly state if the provided text does not contain the necessary information to answer the question.

3. Simplifying Complex Tasks with Subtask Division

The key to effectively handling complex tasks with AI models like GPT-4 lies in breaking them down into simpler subtasks. This approach not only streamlines the process but also enhances the accuracy and relevance of the AI’s responses. Below, we demonstrate this strategy through specific examples, highlighting the advantages of using intent classification, summary techniques, and structured conversations for complex queries.

Example 1: Customer Service Query

Ineffective Approach: A single prompt asking for general assistance.

User Prompt: “I’m having issues with my account.”

AI Output: “Could you please specify the nature of your account issues?”

Effective Approach: Classifying the query into categories and providing targeted assistance.

User Prompt: “I’m having issues accessing my account.”

AI Directive: “Classify the query into ‘Account Management’, then offer specific steps for troubleshooting access issues.”

AI Output: “It sounds like you’re having trouble accessing your account. Let’s start by resetting your password. [Followed by detailed steps].”

Example 2: Long Document Summarization

Ineffective Approach: Attempting to summarize a long document in one go.

User Prompt: “Summarize this 300-page book for me.”

AI Output: “I’m sorry, but I cannot process documents longer than my context window.”

Effective Approach: Summarizing the document piecewise and constructing a full summary recursively.

AI Directive: “Summarize each chapter separately, then create a summary of summaries, proceeding recursively.”

User Prompt: “Summarize chapter 1 of this book.”

AI Output: “Chapter 1 Summary: [Brief summary of chapter 1].”

Continued Process: The same process is applied for each chapter, followed by a final summary combining all individual summaries.

Benefits of Subtask Division and Contextual Prompt Engineering

Increased Accuracy: By focusing on specific aspects of a complex task, the AI can provide more accurate and relevant responses.

Enhanced Efficiency: Breaking down tasks makes them more manageable and reduces the likelihood of errors or irrelevant outputs.

Better User Experience: Users receive targeted, step-by-step guidance, which is more helpful than generic responses.

Cost-Effectiveness: Smaller, targeted prompts can be more cost-efficient compared to larger, more complex prompts.

4. Giving GPT time to think

The strategy of giving models time to “think” and breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps significantly improves the quality of responses from AI models like GPT-4.

Example 1: Math Problem Evaluation

Ineffective Approach: Directly asking the model to evaluate a student’s solution.

User Prompt: “Is the student’s solution to this math problem correct?”

AI Output: “The student’s solution appears to be correct/incorrect.”

Effective Approach: Instructing the model to first work out its own solution before evaluating the student’s work.

User Prompt: “First, solve this math problem. Then, compare your solution to the student’s solution and evaluate its correctness.”

AI Output: “My solution: [Detailed solution]. Comparing with the student’s solution, I found an error in their calculation of [specific part]. The correct approach should be [correct method].”

Example 2: Document Analysis

Ineffective Approach: Attempting to analyze a large document in one query.

User Prompt: “Summarize the key points from this entire document.”

AI Output: “I’m unable to process the entire document due to its length.”

Effective Approach: Sequential extraction of excerpts and follow-up queries for comprehensive analysis.

User Prompt: “Extract key excerpts from this document related to [specific topic].”

AI Output: “Excerpt 1: [Relevant passage]. Excerpt 2: [Another relevant passage].”

Follow-up User Prompt: “Are there more relevant excerpts? Ensure they contain full context.”

AI Output: “Additional Excerpt: [Further relevant passage].”

Benefits and Insights

Depth of Analysis: By working out solutions or analyses first, the AI can provide more accurate and in-depth evaluations.

Guided Learning: In tutoring scenarios, the use of inner monologue and hints encourages students to arrive at solutions independently, enhancing their learning experience.

Comprehensive Coverage: For document analysis, sequential and recursive approaches ensure thorough coverage without missing important details.

Avoiding Bias: By generating its own solution first, the AI avoids bias that might arise from directly evaluating a given answer.

5. Leveraging External Tools

Incorporating external tools and resources into AI interactions can vastly improve the accuracy and relevance of the responses generated by models like GPT-4. This section demonstrates the use of embeddings-based search for knowledge retrieval, code execution for accurate calculations, and function calls to augment the capabilities of AI models.

Example 1: Accurate Calculations with Code Execution

Without Code Execution: Relying solely on the model’s calculation abilities.

User Prompt: “Calculate the square root of 529.”

AI Output: “The square root of 529 is approximately 23.”

With Code Execution: Ensuring precision in calculations.

User Prompt: “Calculate the square root of 529.”

AI Directive: “Write and execute Python code to calculate this.”

AI Output: “python import math math.sqrt(529) The square root of 529 is exactly 23.”

Example 2: Using API Calls for Dynamic Interactions

Without API Calls: Limited to static, pre-programmed responses.

User Prompt: “Send a reminder to my friend about our meeting tomorrow.”

AI Output: “Reminder: Don’t forget to send a message to your friend about the meeting tomorrow.”

With API Calls: Interacting with external systems for real-time actions.

User Prompt: “Send a reminder to my friend John about our meeting tomorrow.”

AI Directive: “Use the messaging API to send a reminder.”

AI Output: “python import message message.write(to='John', message='Hey, remember our meeting tomorrow!') Reminder sent to John about the meeting tomorrow.”

Benefits and Insights

Expanded Knowledge Base: By using embeddings-based search, the AI can access and incorporate a vast array of up-to-date information, enhancing the relevance and accuracy of its responses.

Precision in Calculations: Code execution allows the AI to perform accurate mathematical calculations, which is especially useful in technical or scientific contexts.

Interactive Capabilities: API calls enable the AI to interact with external systems, facilitating real-world actions like sending messages or setting reminders.

6. Systematic Testing

Systematic testing, or evaluation procedures (evals), is crucial in determining the effectiveness of changes in AI systems. This approach involves comparing model outputs to a set of predetermined standards or “gold-standard” answers to assess accuracy.

Example 1: Identifying Contradictions in Answers

Testing Scenario: Detecting contradictions in a model’s response compared to expert answers.

System Directive: Determine if the model’s response contradicts any part of an expert-provided answer.

User Input: “Neil Armstrong became the second person to walk on the moon, after Buzz Aldrin.”

Evaluation Process: The system checks for consistency with the expert answer stating Neil Armstrong was the first person on the moon.

Model Output: The model’s response directly contradicts the expert answer, indicating an error.

Example 2: Comparing Levels of Detail in Answers

Testing Scenario: Assessing whether the model’s answer aligns with, exceeds, or falls short of the expert answer in terms of detail.

System Directive: Compare the depth of information between the model’s response and the expert answer.

User Input: “Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon on July 21, 1969, at 02:56 UTC.”

Evaluation Process: The system assesses whether the model’s response provides more, equal, or less detail compared to the expert answer.

Model Output: The model’s response provides additional detail (the exact time), which aligns with and extends the expert answer.

Benefits and Insights

Accuracy and Reliability: Systematic testing ensures that the AI model’s responses are accurate and reliable, especially when dealing with factual information.

Error Detection: It helps in identifying errors, contradictions, or inconsistencies in the model’s responses.

Quality Assurance: This approach is essential for maintaining high standards of quality in AI-generated content, particularly in educational, historical, or other fact-sensitive contexts.

Conclusion and Takeaway Message

Through the examples and strategies discussed, we’ve seen how specificity in prompts can dramatically change the output, and how breaking down complex tasks into simpler subtasks can make daunting challenges manageable. We’ve explored the power of external tools in augmenting AI capabilities and the importance of systematic testing in ensuring the reliability and accuracy of AI responses. Visit OpenAI’s Prompt Engineering Guide for foundational knowledge that complements our comprehensive exploration of advanced techniques and strategies for optimizing AI interactions.

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mybg3notebook · 3 years

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Lore: Details about the “Orb”

Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were written up to the game version v4.1.104.3536 (Early access). As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information. Written in June 2021.

Let's start with the context, because everything related to Gale is packed heavily with Forgotten Realms lore, and since the game is not fully released, whatever extra information that the game could provide to help us understand this is not there yet. Also, it's always important to keep in mind this post about "Context, persuasion, and manipulation" to be sure we are talking in the same terms.

The lore

I'm going to enumerate some objects or elements related to Forgotten Realms lore that I personally see worth checking out in addition to other “orbs” that I've seen the fandom put attention on. All this information can be expanded using the references and sometimes wiki, even though I personally distrust forgotten realm wiki, unless I can check that info from the original sources.

Shadow Weave

The Shadow Weave is the space between the strands of the Weave. If the Weave is a spider's web, the gaps in between are the Shadow Weave. Shadow Weave reaches everywhere the Weave does, and more. It is not subject to Mystra’s laws or state of well being. If Mystra were to die and the Weave collapses, the Shadow Weave would persist. [Magic of Faerûn 3e. Personal Comment: Yes. It explicitly says in the book that it’s independent of Mystra’s well being. Clearly this has been modified in 4e since the Shadow Weave needs the structure of the Weave to be somehow stable. It collapsed when the Weave did so, so we can see this begins a series of inconsistencies]

Shadow Weave is a dark and distorted copy of the Weave created by Shar, more suited for spells that drag life or confuse the mind (necromancy, control, illusion schools), and gives more difficulty to cast spells that manipulate energy or matter (evocation or transmutation schools). It can't sustain spells that produce light. Both Weave and Shadow Weave are means to use Raw Magic (see at the end of the post). The more familiar a mortal becomes with the secrets of the Shadow Weave, the more detached they become from the Weave. Shadow Weave is NOT a part of Mystra, so Mystra can't block people from accessing magic via Shadow Weave.

It’s a common mistake to make the analogy that the Shadow Weave is to Shar the same way the Weave is to Mystra. No. Shadow Weave is NOT Shar, while the Weave is Mystra. Shar never developed that level of commitment, making herself one with the Shadow Weave. This is one of the reasons why she could not sustain the Weave during the Spellplague when she tried to corrupt it completely into Shadow Weave.

All this information belongs to Magic of Faerûn 3e and the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3e and novels of 4e. There is nothing about Shadow Weave in 5e. If it weren't for Ed Greenwood's twitter, we should have guessed it disappeared from the lore. So far we know it's slowly recovering in the same way the Weave is. And the Shadow Weave doesn't feed on Weave. For some mysterious reason, fandom started to think so due to BG3.

Death moon orb

This artefact belongs to the 3rd edition, created by a Netheril wizard. From him, it passed to the hands of Szass Tam, who saw it destroyed when the Spellplague corrupted the magic in it. I won't give more details about this object because it looks so unrelated to what Gale has in his chest. Not only is its shape inconsistent with what we see in-game, its powers and properties are unrelated to what is explained in EA. The object is cursed, compelling its owner to cause greater acts of evil; it has a size that changes and looks like a violet-black sphere. In my opinion, the only detail in common with Gale's “orb” is the name "orb". Which is a fallacy, since Gale says explicitly that he uses the word "orb" for the lack of a better one, because clearly what Gale has in his chest is not an orb, but a mass of Black Weave.

Netherese orbs

These objects are found in Neverwinter MMO in the quest Whisper in Darkness:

The Netherese are foul plague upon this world, corrupting everything they touch. They have cursed the Gray Wolf Tribe, turning them into bloodthirsty monsters. We must find what the Netherese intend to do with their werewolf slaves. The Shadovar Emissaries use the Netherese Orbs powered by Soul Shards to communicate orders from the Prince of Shadow.

This is all the information we have of this object. That's all. It comes from a Neverwinter MMO game which belongs to 4th edition. Once more, the concept that Gale's “orb” is not an orb but a black mass of untamed magic makes me believe that these objects don't apply either. The nature of their magic is compatible though: Netherese orbs are made from shadow magic by Shadovar, descendant of Netheril stuck in the Plane of Shadow (called Shadowfell later on, read more in the post of "The Netherese in 1492DR"). This plane is the source of Shadow Magic, they don't use Raw Magic. Ethel explicitly said in BG3 that Shadow Magic is Netherese Magic, so maybe we can consider this object filled with Netherese magic? In any case, these Netherese orbs are used for communication... which has nothing to do with Gale's “orb”'s properties. There is also no reference of consuming Weave to remain stable.

Devastation orb

The mention of a "devastation orb" happens only in Yartar in Princes of the Apocalypse (related to the god Tharizdun, the mad god):

In page 5 we have some context: Four elemental cults grow in power in the Sumber Hills, claiming abandoned keeps that connect to an underground fortress once part of an ancient dwarven kingdom. The leaders use elemental magic to create devastation orbs capable of ravaging the countryside. They’ve been testing these magic weapons, bolstering the cults’ ranks, and infiltrating various communities, all directed by visions the prophets receive from the Elder Elemental Eye (Tharizdun). These orbs are plainly described as: essentially bombs of elemental energy to unleash natural disasters.

In page 222 we have a more detailed explanation of what these elements are:

Devastation Orb: (Wondrous item, very rare) A devastation orb is an elemental bomb that can be created at the site of an elemental node by performing a ritual with an elemental weapon. The type of orb created depends on the node used. For example, an air node creates a devastation orb of air. A devastation orb measures 12 inches in diameter, weighs 10 pounds, and has a solid outer shell. The orb detonates 1d100 hours after its creation, releasing the elemental energy it contains. The orb gives no outward sign of how much time remains before it will detonate. Regardless of the type of orb, its effect is contained within a sphere with a 1 mile radius. The orb is the sphere’s point of origin. The orb is destroyed after one use.

Again, I don't see a real connection with Gale's “orb”. These devastation orbs are not netherese-based, they have elemental energy, and despite the explosion, they don't have any mechanics that resemble the consumption of Weave to remain stable. However, I do find a link between these devastation orbs, their process of construction, and the book that Gale found out. The remotest concept I can scratch here is that, whoever crafted the book with that piece of blackest Weave, could have used the knowledge of the construction of these devastation orbs. Instead of filling them with elemental magic, they filled it with a blackest weave of netherese magic. A procedure that could have been applied to the netherese tadpoles as well.

That's all the information I could gather that remotely is called “orb” or has some vague chance to be that blackest weave.

The Game BG3

In the game, all the info that Gale provides in EA about the “orb” is given before his revelation. The what it is, the how it works and the how it feels. In the revelation scene we only learn the details that are personal and intimate for Gale: the why he ended up with the orb, and potential solutions he can guess so far. To show proofs:

During the meeting:

Tav [Wisdom/tadpole] Try peering into his mind. If he won't open up, you'll sneak in. [Success] Narrator: For a split second you see a swirl of untamed magic – then his defences drop like a portcullis.

During the Protocol:

Tav: I simply want to know what it is you're keeping from me Gale: I'm dangerous. Not because I want to be, but because of... an error I made in the past. [before Gale speaks of his loss] It makes me dangerous – even in death. [after Gale speaks of his loss/tadpole intrusion] I told you how I sought to win the favour of Mystra. I did this by trying to control a form of magic only one wizard ever could. I failed to control it. Instead it infested me. It makes me dangerous... even in death. […] Tav: The darkness inside you, what is it? Gale: It's magic from another time and another place. It is something that is beyond me, yet inside me. That makes me dangerous... even in death.

During the stew scene or the ask for artefacts in neutral or lower approval

Tav: [Wisdom/tadpole] you sense secrecy and danger. Use your tadpole to probe Gale's thoughts. [Success] Narrator: you become one with Gale's mind and you can feel something sinister oppressing you. It's... inside of you, a mighty darkness radiating from your chest. You could try to push further, but your hold over Gale feels brittle. It won't be easy delving deeper without him noticing. Delve deeper: [Success] Narrator: “ you see through gale's eye, staring down the corridor of a dread memory. A book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. It's teeth, it's claws, it's unstoppable as it digs through you and becomes part of you. And gods, is it ever-hungry.

Gale: The only way to “appease” said condition is for me to take powerful magical artefact and absorb the Weave inside. [...]Tav: What happens if you don't consume any artefact? Gale: Catastrophe. [...] Think of it as... tribute. The kind a king might pay to a more powerful neighbour to avoid invasion. As long as I pay there will be peace. But should I ever stop, along comes a war. I can assure the battlefield would extend well beyond the borders of my body alone. [...] I will consume the magic inside. What was a powerful artefact will be rendered no more than a trinket. But it will save my life- even if only temporarily.

Tav: That condition of yours is a very expensive one. Gale: I obtained it in Waterdeep. Nothing there comes cheap.

Artefacts scenes:

Gale: I can feel the storm abating. [...] I will feel it stir again – like a distant thunder sending tremors through the soul. I will need to consume another artefact before the lightning strikes. There's no choice but to find more. [...] It's good to perceive this constant fear repressed into a quiet scare. Let's hope it will last a good long while.

During Revelation scene:

Gale: The gist of it is that he sought to usurp the goddess of magic so that he could become a god himself. He almost managed but not quite, and his entire empire – Netheril – came crashing down around him as he turned to stone. The magic unleashed that day was phenomenal, rolling like the prime chaos that outdates creation. A fragment of it was caught and sealed away in a book. No ordinary book, mind you; a tome of gateways that contained within it a bubble of Astral Plane. It was a fragment of primal Weave locked out of time – locked away from Mystra herself. ‘What if’, the silly wizard thought. ‘What if after all this time, I could return this lost part of herself to the Goddess?”

Narrator: You feel the tadpole quiver as you realise Gale is letting you in. Into the dark. You see through Gale’s eyes, staring down the corridors of a dread memory. A book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. It’s teeth, it’s claws, it’s unstoppable as it digs through you and becomes part of you. And gods, is it ever hungry… [...] This Netherese taint.. this orb, for lack of a better word, is balled up inside my chest. And it needs to be fed. As long as it absorbs Weave it remains stable – to an extent. The moment it becomes unstable, however.. [...] It will erupt. I don’t know the exact magnitude of the eruption, but given my studies of Netherese magic, I’d say even a fragment as small as the one I carry…. It’d level a city the size of Waterdeep

Tav : I should godsdamned kill you GALE: Perhaps that is what I deserve, but you deserve no such thing. To kill me is to unleash the orb.

So far, if we don't use the tadpole, we learn from Gale that he is unwillingly dangerous, there is an ancient magic stuck in his chest—acquired in Waterdeep—that he never could control and it inspires a dreadful state of mind (constant fear). It requires Weave to stay stable, and if it is not fed, a catastrophe will happen that will extend past his body.

With the Tadpole we learn, in addition, part of the details we can learn during the revelation scene: it's a swirl of untamed/chaotic magic which is an ever-hungry "blackest weave".

During the Revelation Scene all the information acquired by the tadpole intrusion is given, in addition to describing this mass of magic as an "orb" despite its inaccuracy. We also learn that killing Gale will only unleash the orb instead of putting an end to the problem.

Gale said everything that is important related to the orb before the party scene, excluding only the personal information since he is a private person. This was exactly the boundary he set when he promised during the stew scene that he was going to explain the what, not the why. With the use of the tadpole we only learn details, simple extra descriptions; all information that Gale will willingly share during the revelation scene anyway.

We can learn a bit more of the “orb”'s function if we explore the goblin party. There, Gale explains part of the mechanism of the “orb” in a "poetic" way, that may or may not be taken exactly as such:

Gale: Two shadows are darkening my soul.The shadow within and the shadow without: you. You led me down this path. [...] I don't know myself anymore. All this... It's not who I am. Around you, I'm not who I want to be. I should leave.

Tav: [Insight] Stay. We make each other stronger. We make each other survive. /OR/ [Deception] You don't stand a chance alone. You're free to go. I dare you.

[Success][DC15] Gale: [...]. Few things are more powerful than the will to live. But carnage such as this.... the shadow within is spreading like poison, corrupting kindness and compassion. [...]. Tonight I need to wash my hands of blood and my mind of shattering memories.

This shows that when playing an Evil Tav who sides with the Goblins, we have an extra description for this “orb”. Again, I ponder every bit of information with its context: Gale is a poet, and he tends to speak with metaphors specially when it comes to emotional painful states of mind or when it comes to the “orb” (which puts him in a very emotional state that even the tadpole doesn't), so these lines can perfectly be understood as a poetic way to describe his deep regret for participating in massacring the Tieflings. However, there is this detail that I can't overlook: the shadow within, understood as the blackest Weave, is spreading across his body, corrupting his good essence. As we saw in the post of "Extensive list of Gale's approvals", compassion and kindness are key elements in Gale's personality. This scene shows a potential that is not explored in EA: the “orb” seems to set a path in which it will corrupt Gale.

Now this could be considered as a potential beginning of a shift of alignment, but it goes against what Sven said several times in interviews and presentations: he stated that they were not considering to change alignments in the companions (if you can imagine all the extra branches that it opens up, it makes sense not to allow it given the already colossal proportions of the game), so it's hard to suspect how Gale would evolve from here, or if this situation will give him reasons to attempt to kill this Evil Tav eventually (which is my personal guess). Sven suggested many times that companions could potentially kill Tav or other companions during their sleep. We saw this happening in EA with Astarion. Using datamining content, we saw the same with Lae'Zel and Shadowheart. I don't see why not to give in-character reasons to make this mechanism work with Gale as well.

As an extra (datamining) detail, we have Ethel's vicious mockery line emphasising the concept of "the shadow within":

Ethel: I can smell what's under those bandages wizard, you're all rot and ruin.

Putting aside the unnerving detail that Gale's concept art has bandages on one of his hands while the game is oblivious to this, the idea of Gale's “orb” as a source of rot and ruin, in combination with that necrotic aura when he dies, gives us a sure idea that there is a “disease” spreading in Gale's body as a consequence of this blackest weave stuck in his chest.

All the in-game information was presented, so now let's drag conclusions: Comparing all the information extracted from the scenes, we can now consider how much potential has the lore object named before:

Shadow Weave: Could Gale's “orb” be a fragment of Shadow Weave?

Strengths of the argument: Gale's “orb” is described as "blackest weave". It could barely be a hint, even though the Shadow weave has no canon colour nor physical description in the corebooks. So this is a very weak strength.

Weaknesses of the argument: Shadow Weave doesn't feed on Weave (this is a fallacy so far I've checked. It would make no sense to feed on the same object that it needs to exist.) Shadow Weave doesn't explode nor is chaotic.

Death moon orb:

Strengths: It's called an "orb". And it was made by a netherese arcanist, so it must contain “netherese magic”.

Weaknesses: This object was destroyed during the Spellplague. It's a physical orb which changes size, but it's not an "amorphous mass" of magic. It doesn't consume Weave.

Netherese Orb:

Strengths: It's called an "orb". It's made of shadow magic (which is not netherse magic in corebooks but in game Ethel used both denominations as synonymous). We know Shadovar are masters of Shadow Magic. Read more in the post "The Netherese in 1492DR".

Weaknesses: This object doesn't appear in the corebooks. It's used for communication. It doesn't seem to have any explosive properties nor consumes Weave.

Devastation orb:

Strengths: It's called an "orb". They explode with the intensity to destroy a city.

Weaknesses: It's made of elemental magic (not netherese magic). It's a solid object, a bomb (not an amorphous mass). It doesn't consume weave.

Personal speculation

I don't think any of these canon objects are or inspired Gale's “orb”. If we take the descriptions in-game as they are, and considering the importance that Karsus and his folly have been given in the whole game (to the point that Larian added ingame books explaining part of it) I support two hypothesis that, by now, they must be obvious for lorists since I want to work with what the game (and datamining) gives me:

1- The concept that this is a piece of corrupted Weave that Karsus' Avatar allowed to have access to when he disrupted the Weave. Gale calls it “primal weave” as well, which is a concept that doesn't exist so far in the corebooks, and one could relate, very barely, with raw magic. Maybe.

2- Heavy magic (key concept during 2e)

To understand this we need MORE lore (I know, this has no end; this is why I think a lot of misunderstandings with Gale’s character come from the big holes of lore that EA leaves, which is obvious, it's EA) So, allow me to clear out the concepts:

Karsus' Avatar is the name of the spell that caused Karsus' folly and made him a god for just an ephemeral moment. The notes regarding the spell’s essence were nowhere to be found. It’s believed that Mystra, the reincarnated form of Mystryl, snatched the spell information from the ruins of Karsus’s enclave and sent it “on an eternal journey to the ends of the universe” (who knows what this means). Besides, as if this were not enough precaution, Mystra changed the rules of magic on the material plane making it impossible to cast spells over 10th level. Karsus' Avatar was a 12th level spell.

Raw Magic is “the stuff of creation, the mute and mindless will of existence, permeating every bit of matter and present in every manifestation of energy throughout the multiverse. Mortals can't directly shape this raw magic. Instead, they make use of a fabric of magic, a kind of interface between the will of a spellcaster and the stuff of raw magic. The spellcasters of the Forgotten Realms call it the Weave and recognize its essence as the goddess Mystra.” [Player's Handbook 5e]

The creation of the Weave allowed all mortals to have access to magic through study. The Weave works like a barrier and an interpreter to use the real source of magic: Raw Magic. For more information on this, check the wiki (otherwise each of these posts will be mini books of lore). Few mortals can tap magic from the raw magic. Spells like silver fire are part of the raw magic. Some wild mages can tap into it as well, but at the cost of making their spells very random. Only Weave-disruptive events can allow an uncontrolled influx of raw magic into the world (which can be considered what happened during Karsus' folly)

Mythalars are immense artefacts that work like intermediates of the Raw Magic. They don't use the Weave, they have direct access to Raw Magic and were used to power up magical artefacts around them (thanks to these objects the Netheril cities floated in the air). Touching a mythalar causes instant death since Raw magic is harmful for most mortals.

So the first hypothesis (corrupted Weave) means that when Karsus cast this spell and became the Weave itself for a brief moment, he may have access to Raw magic directly. His spell Karsus' avatar started using common Weave, but in the second he connected deeply with the Weave and with Mystryl's powers, he had access to Raw magic as a god. His spell may have changed the source of its power from the Weave to Raw Magic, adding the latter's randomness and chaos to the spell itself and therefore, corrupting the Weave. The transition, so violent like the whole event, may have corrupted part of the Weave that was being used while casting the spell. According to Gale's description, the “orb” stuck in his chest is a piece of Weave with the active effect of Karsus' Avatar (the spell), but the Narrator gives us the extra information that it's corrupted. Apparently Gale never realised this object was corrupted, or may have known it and he tried to cleanse it so he could return it to Mystra. Either way, the source of the corruption may have been the sudden transition to Raw Magic during the casting. My main problem with this hypothesis is how a spell can be stuck in a piece of Weave, since Gale's “orb” maintains Karsus's avatar's effect.

On one hand, Karsus' Avatar main effect is “to absorb god-like powers”. In that moment of history, this spell was aimed at Mystryl, and therefore to the Weave. The disruption of the event “stuck” the effect of “absorbing weave” in a piece of Weave, while the chaotic nature of this “orb” could be attributed to the direct presence of Raw Magic, also stuck in it. Now, another weakness of this hypothesis is that nothing of this causes a "corruption disease" as Gale implies it (we only know that the failure of the spell turned Karsus into stone). So we don't have a good argument for this effect beyond the one “I believe that since the moment was disruptive, it must have corrupted something, and that corruption is quite unhealthy in a mortal body”. Which it's not of my liking, but this is what we get up to this point in EA.

The second hypothesis I talked about is another lore concept intimately related to Karsus in 2e: Heavy Magic (which I personally prefer over the first hypothesis).

Heavy magic is physical, tangible magic, usually presented as a viscous mass of chaotic nature. It can crawl, entering into cracks of a wall or a body, for example. Karsus created a distilled version of this magic called super heavy magic, and experimented with people. The subject eating a bit of this magic will have heavy magic spread on all the inner walls of their body and will kill them (it's not a disease, but it spreads inside and kills). The usual effect of the stable super heavy magic was to magnify the powers of a spell or enchantment (it allowed spells to be stuck in it), however it could be used for everything.

Karsus used this element to enhance enchantments on walls, for example projecting illusions endlessly. This means that this product has the ability of keeping a spell functioning in it (as we see that this black weave keeps the function of the Karsus' avatar). [Dangerous Games, 2e]

Naturally, heavy magic absorbs life energies (maybe another characteristic fitting the concept of disease and necrotic effects). There is an event (2e) related to this aspect in which the renegade arcanist Wulgreth became a lich after heavy magic overflew him [Power and Pantheons, 2e]

As it is easy to see, this concept shares a lot of similarities with the object stuck in Gale's chest. But there is still more:

In the novel Dangerous Games (2e), strongly focused on how Karsus experimented with Heavy Magic, it is explicitly said that Karsus infused himself with super heavy magic before casting Karsus' avatar (probably to magnify the spell power but we also know that heavy magic can get spells stuck in it). He grew taller, and glowed in a white-silver radiance. Babbling arcane chants, the super heavy magic raged within him until he came into a state of being between a man and deity. Then it followed his folly. Karsus “died”, turning his body into red-hued stone, bound in eternal torment to relieve repeatedly the moment he became aware of his folly.

So there exists a chance that a pieces of super heavy magic (in which Karsus was infused when all this happened) may have kept Karsus' Avatar effect stuck in them. One of these pieces could have been recovered later around the red stone where Karsus is now. This could potentially be the object or, at least, in what it had inspired Gale's “orb”. It's also worth noticing that one of the main characters in this novel Dangerous Games was looking for ways to safely contain heavy magic and avoid its damaging effect, so there is extra lore information about vessels that could justify the sealed book that Gale found in Waterdeep.

As an extra detail on this matter, we know that the runes of teleportation may have been made with heavy magic: "Gale: See that rune? Netherese, I think. Weave's so thick on it, it's almost viscous."

Since Gale is calling "Weave" to the element attached to the teleport runes, it makes me wonder if this was a slight variation that Larian made of the canon concept of Heavy Magic to not add new concepts to the already complex world of Forgotten Realms. Maybe, in the end, both hypotheses are the same: the second one is strictly more canon-related than the first one, which is more or less the same but simplified in terms and concepts.

As a last conclusion from my personal point of view, I see no much sense in calling this thing “orb”. In game it's clearly described as an amorphous black mass, not an orb. And it made me remember Gale's original description, when the EA was not released yet: it's the only way where I can see its nonsensical origin, which was done in a completely different context.

Gale has one ambition: to become the greatest wizard Faerûn has ever known. Yet his thirst for magic led to disaster. A Netherese Destruction Orb beats in his chest, counting down to an explosion that can level a city. Gale is confident he'll overcome it, but time is not on his side.

After the game was released in EA, Gale's description changed radically, and therefore his current description has a different approach entirely, removing the concept of "orb" for what we know in the game: “ancient chaotic magic”.

Wizard prodigy: Gale is a wizard prodigy whose love for a goddess made him attempt a dread feat no mortal should. Blighted by the forbidden magic of ancient Netheril, Gale strives to undo the corruption that is overtaking him and win back his goddess’ favour before he becomes a destroyer of worlds.

This is one of the many details that make me believe that Gale's original concept/character was changed significantly before the EA release. But this is a mere personal speculation. For more details on netherese magic, read the post of "The Netherese in 1492DR".

Source:

2nd edition: Powers and Pantheons, Netheril: Empire of Magic, Dangerous Games by Emery Clayton. 3rd Edition: Faith and Pantheon, Magic of Faerûn 4th edition Player's Handbook 5th edition: Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

This post was written in May 2021. → For more Gale: Analysis Series Index

#bg3 meta #bg3 lore #bg3 early access #gale #gale of waterdeep #bg3 gale

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flydotnet · 2 years

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Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where nobody’s sent me any sort of requests because I suck at being appealing and instead I go wild every time I think of a prompt fill idea. (Red cross is the completed prompt, character headshots are prompts I’ve already filled).

I can fight too, you know!

I have a more than sneaking suspicion this prompt is supposed to be physical - like a character getting beaten up "for their own good" by the evil guys. I could've gone that route, but as I was getting back into yet another phase of KH brainrot (those happen like once a year, I swear to Goofy), I realized I could use it in another way. I'm not sure it'll be clear from how I ended up writing this fic, but if it is, then mission success! If not, I hope it's still an enjoyable read anyway. I had to get a screenshot for my card and it just reminded me of how much I wanted to bonk Squeenix on the head for making Kairi so useless in the games. As some sort of revenge and to please my inner child who really wanted to see Kairi kick some ass with her girly Keyblade, I made her slay shit like a queen in this story. I'm not sure if I even like the general plot of KH3 (I kinda don't) but it made for a good set-up for this fic. Isolate two characters, hurt one, see where it can lead the story. If the game is mostly filler, it's not too bad if I fill it up some more, right? (Ironic, please don't huwt me). This somehow ended up being less shippy than I thought it'd get, which I suppose could be a plus for some people. My child self was shipping these two harder than I do now, but I still have an undeniable soft spot for a (potential) world-saving, ass-kicking duo and if Squeenix and Nomura won't give me the goods, then I suppose my 20-something self can craft himself said goods. The fake-ass world used here because I couldn't be bothered to adapt an existing KH3 world to the needs of my story is inspired by Trauma Center. I'm ironically not a big Disney guy at all, but I sure am trash for TC, so I decided I'd have a world inspired by it with an appropriate boss. Hey, my self-indulgent fic, my references! In the end, I'm not quite sure I actually wrote the characters properly. I had a blast writing it, but in the end... does it really feel like Kairi and Sora? I can never quite decide for myself in those cases, especially when I haven't written a character before (like Kairi). Well, I hope it's not that bad or noticeable if I messed up. That'd kind of majorly suck.

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Don't You Dare Save Me (Again)

Summary: Once more, someone thinks she can't protect herself and gets hurt in the process. This time, however, Kairi stands her ground.

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts (set in KH3, slight canon divergence; no direct spoilers) Relationship: Implied/pre-rel SoKai

Wordcount: 4K words

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo

AO3 version available here. (As always, recommanded)

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The Bay of Angels is one of the calmer worlds out there – or so Kairi’s been told. Compared to the mess the Organization has caused in some others, this one has remained fairly stable for its population, but the looming threat still makes it so they wanted to send someone to scour the place and bust out any Heartless or Nobody that could have been hiding in there, waiting for a chance to strike and cause any sort of harm or havoc. That’s not something anyone wants at a time where they’re somewhat running around the clock.

Sure enough, the Bay of Angels is calmer than the worlds that she’s heard about lately where her friends had to fight against bigger monsters and purchase Organization members determined to only taunt them with vague words and the threat of a terrible, terrible time. Of course, every time these plans got thwarted by someone (usually Sora and company), but the what-ifs have crept into their mindsets. Finishing training their newest recruits was starting to get urgent, to the point where she was finally sent to a world to experience “normal” conditions instead of the artificially calm woods she had been stuck in with Axel for the longest time.

Come to think of it, she wonders where her training companion has been sent: is it to a peaceful world like this one, or is it to one who needs a more rigorous struggle to keep the Organization at bay? She wouldn’t be too surprised they trusted him more than her to defend himself in case he got attacked. It’s always been like that: they think she can’t deal with evil herself, so they shelter her, and since she never gets to go on the attack, she never learns to defend herself, so they shelter her even more.

It’s a vicious cycle she’s been in for her entire life and is only breaking away from now; it’s taken literal years and she knows one more incident where she gets kidnapped or used against her will for some grand plan will bring her back to square one yet again, so she’s careful but can’t deny being excited about it. It’s her first mission in a world, Keyblade in hand, to help someone out there and she intends on carrying it as well as possible.

She’s not alone, obviously, because nobody is getting sent alone anymore (they’ve had calls too close for comfort, solitude is what will get you if you spend too much time near darkness or anything of the sort; she’s seen it happen with her own two eyes). They were supposed to be four, at first, but Donald and Goofy went their own way to handle civilian security against whatever threat had been reported (somehow) to their little group of light. Instead, she’s teaming up with Sora and only Sora which feels… a little weird, come to think of it.

Even back on Destiny Islands, before people from other worlds entered the picture, Riku was there and they were a trio (at least, she likes to think they were a trio, but on second thought, they may have been a duo with a girl third wheeling herself to their friendship). She’s been in a duo (or some approximation of) before, but it was with Naminé or Axel. It’s for the best, she thinks: at least, they both know each other well, despite how much has happened during the last couple years. If their friendship could survive memories being erased and rewritten and the almost-end of the world (twice), this mission should go just fine.

Well, as “just fine” as everything revolving around the Organization can go.

The Bay of Angels is a world where most illnesses don’t exist and as such people (usually) live in peace and harmony. However, recent surges of Heartless has made the population uneasy at best and utterly terrified at worse, leading to some exodus and most of them deserting one of the world’s most notable structures: Caduceus Tower, a grandiose hospital-like building where medical research can be conducted for the sake of a lot more people than Bay of Angels residents.

She got sent to accompany Sora, Donald and Goofy (it’s always in that order, right?) to contain the threat and bring peace back to the world. She knows it’s supposed to be a smooth one because there’s no way they’d give her a mission where she could be seriously harmed. They reminded her to reflect damage and use curing spells as soon as something was heading her way as if she couldn’t handle herself. It was getting a bit ridiculous how worried everyone was for her as she stepped into the Gummi Ship, but she couldn’t tell that to their faces. They were worried because they wanted the best for her, had her well-being in mind…

They’ve always been worried for her and had her best interest at heart when they decided she was made out of sugar glass and it’s made her sick.

Even now that she’s fighting Heartless after Heartless, swinging her blade when she’s about to get attacked and providing support spells on top of some offensive abilities, Kairi feels like she’s being treated like a glass statue. She knows Sora enough for the concerned glances he occasionally throws her way to resonate in a painful manner, that of the friend who really doesn’t believe in you and would rather do everything in your stead. It’s mean put that way because there’s no other explanation to that than Sora caring way too much for her – and, admitted, he’s done far, far worse than just being concerned for her in the midst of battle – yet it doesn’t mean it’s not true.

They may be fighting side-by-side, she can’t not feel the superiority in battle of her friend who’s been through so much, travelled in so many places, had to start from almost scratch so often than only someone as luminous as Sora could withstand it without sinking into despair from the cycle this must’ve become for him. Seeing him either grit his teeth or smirking when riposting an enemy or throwing a fire spell tells a lot more than what actually gets out of his mouth. It didn’t use to be like that, but people change, and he’s changed more than he must think he has. It’s not that he isn’t the same it’s that… they’ve grown, she’d say, and with it came some changes. Going through so much in so little time can’t have done him only good too.

It’s no time to think about any of this, though: they’re on a battlefield, faced with a seventh (and supposedly last) giant Heartless. The previous ones they had to fight all took on weird, unconnected shapes: a giant bat-shaped one with blade-like wings, an angel-like red-and-blue duo that kept fighting each other and causing destruction in their path, a triangle-shaped thing with thorns protruding from its body, a bug-shaped entity with vibrant colours (green, yellow, purple – all poisons, they came to find out), a sort of fan with some more blades (not unlike a vortex) and a spiky worm which kept splitting when they hit it. In the end, they prevailed from all of them, but the weird forms they took indicated them those weren’t normal occurrences.

That last one is the biggest of them all yet, towering over both their heads and three times their size, indigo and shaped like a spider and a heart at the same time, the emblem of the Heartless on its abdomen. Its web secrets some sort of caustic liquid that prevents them from getting too close, so they’re fighting from a distance, using spells for the most part, and sometimes Sora transforms his Keyblade into a machine gun for some more damage. Their stock of Elixirs is getting dangerously low, but they’re getting there, she’s sure of it.

That thing has been packing quite a punch, even as it’s now standing on its last legs. As it gets redder and redder, it abandons the web more and more until it decides to just stay in its lane but attack vigorously with some other magic it’s kept hidden from them. It’s, fortunately, not poison or acid again: rather, it’s violent beams of whatever energy this thing uses for secondary attacks, most likely some shade of darkness. These hurt, of course, and she can see bruises forming where those hit before she casts a cure spell on herself.

They’ve now officially run out of Elixirs and she has to admit it’s both her fault and not: it was used on her, but it was thrown her way and she really needed a sip to attack again, so she couldn’t fault Sora for actually handing her the vial. She doesn’t know how he ended up running out of those when he’s so used to traveling, only to realize he’d have split the stock with Donald and Goofy beforehand. How did she not think about it until now? Dammit, she’s supposed to know so much about him and yet it takes her so long to remember something like that!

At least, the battle’s over soon, so she charges up Blizzarga – that is, until she realizes the spider is targeting her directly, not leaving her the time to dodge to the side before she has to cancel her spell and go for another, concerned about whatever magic she’s got left.

This is about to get ugly for either of them, but she’s rehearsed this sort of scenario with Axel just enough time to know what to do without thinking about it twice…

…and then she gets her arm squeezed against each other, her hands barely able to keep holding her Keyblade due to the sheer discomfort of the position she’s in, her vision obstructed by familiar dark greys and reds, hearing filled with pained grunts that don’t even try to hide.

Kairi’s furious for too many reasons that it’d make her head spin if her heart wasn’t beating in her throat; but furious enough to throw the person who’s shielding her against the attack to the ground and casting Reflega immediately after setting herself free, reflecting the beam of darkness back to its sender and finally putting an end to this battle.

The red spider falls to the ground and vanishes before her eyes as her shoulders rise and down at a nervous pace, her breath itching. She waits in that position for a couple of seconds, staring at the disappearing creature until she’s sure it’s gone forever and never coming back, not even for a moment, not even in centuries from now on.

It’s only when she’s certain there’s nothing of it left to glare at that she releases her breath. She’s been tricked too many times by enemies who they thought were gone to let it have a second chance. Seconds winds have been a fear of hers as soon as she realized their foes were more likely to get those than they do.

A gulp that isn’t hers brings her back to reality in a snap.

“That… That was amazing, Kairi!”

She turns to face an obviously battered Sora shine her one of his signature, almost childishly bright smiles. If there wasn’t some lingering frustration in her, she’d have responded back, or perhaps told him he was amazing too (truth be told – and she recognizes fully this isn’t the nice thing to do – she didn’t quite pay much attention to how he fought, too focused on herself and the enemy for anyone else).

“I didn’t know you could use Reflega like that, it was—” He gets interrupted by a wince of pain he can’t hide away.

She cuts to the chase, “you’re hurt, aren’t you?”.

The startling contrast between his warm breathless admiration and her icy matter-of-fact sternness is enough to give her second thoughts about deciding to stand her ground at long last.

“H-huh?”

She sighs before holding his right arm as gently as possible. The fact he’s not armed at the moment tells more than enough – far more than he thinks, she’d say, because he isn’t the sort of pay attention to minute details (or, well, bigger details when it comes to himself and how people perceive him).

“You took that beam right in your arm, right?”

She can see him ostensibly sweating and diverting his eyes away from her as soon as he hears her question. Too transparent for lying effectively, as usual. It’s nice to know some things have never changed despite everything else.

“Uh… Guess I did!” He adds an awkward chuckle to his reply, as if what she was talking about didn’t matter, that it really wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s, as always when he shrugs off such concerns, blatantly wrong.

She examines the injured limb with scrutinizing eyes, ones far more cautious than she’d usually have. His right sleeve got blasted right off, torn clean at the seams and leaving his shoulder naked while most of the skin that was directly in contact with the spell got burnt. It’s not as bad as it could’ve been, thank the light, but it still looks immensely painful. She’s surprised he can even muster a genuine smile and not just a pained rictus… although she shouldn’t be, if she thinks about it.

“Can you cast Curaga on it?”

He looks way too nervous about it, eyes looking down and mouth twisting into a tense line, for her not to get suspicious of something… but she’ll do with what cards she’s being dealt.

“I can,” he replies with a shaky voice.

She doesn’t step aside as he summons his Keyblade in his right hand, grits his teeth and cast the spell with a strangle in his voice. The green and pink magic does its job: it reconstructs the lost sleeve, washes the burn away from the skin, restores the right gauntlet that she hadn’t even realized had been gone too; however, his eyebrows remain knitted even after the flowers of Curaga have disappeared from view.

“Here!” He sighs in relief, getting his arm back from her hands. “Let’s head back to Donald and Goofy now!”

He’s already running off into the distance, his left hand reaching for her wrist while his right remains near his chest; but she doesn’t move.

“Hang on, Sora, I need to check something else.”

Without thinking much about it, he turns around, surprise and pain mixing on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Give me your wrist, please.” He’s about to hand her his left one. “The injured one.”

“How did you—”

“If it didn’t hurt, why would you try to reach to me with your left hand? Your dominant hand is your right one, right?”

And, finally, an admission of weakness.

“I-it’s really not that bad, Kairi, I promise. It’s just… a little sore. I didn’t have enough magic to heal it entirely.”

“You… fell on it when I pushed you, didn’t you?”

Her posture straightens. It’s guilt that now washes over her, no matter how much she thought she was right earlier.

“I-it’s fine, really, it is! I’ll just ask Donald for a quick fix or an Elixir when we’ll have reunited with them.”

Her face blanches.

“It’s broken, Sora.” She gulps again. “It’s broken.”

He stares at it, tries to twist his wrist (why exactly, she isn’t sure she wants to know) and immediately yelps in pain.

“Wh-”

“I saw something moving that shouldn’t have. I can’t let you run off like that.” She takes a deep breath, hopes to sound convincing enough. “We don’t even know where they are at the moment anyway, let me at least stabilize it as much as I can.”

“Wait, don’t we have potions too?”

“And what good will a potion do if it casts your wrist in the wrong position, hmm?”

He scratches the back of his head.

“O-oh, fair point…”

“Also, we only have low-grade curatives left, I’m afraid. It won’t be enough to cast it back to a healthy shape, but…” She summons one. “It’ll be enough to lessen your pain, hopefully. Let me just put it in a proper position and you’ll be good to go. Mind sitting down?”

She doesn’t have to insist for him to do as he got told. It’s a bit odd coming from someone as stubborn as Sora, but perhaps the pain is enough to subdue him. If that’s the case, then she doesn’t want to know how bad that fracture really is.

She crouches to his level and hands him the potion. Cautiously, with calculated movements, she cradles his right wrist in her hands like a jewel maker handles a diamond, with precision and care, and ignores her disgust at best as she can. Her breathing is steady as she makes sure the misplaced part of bone (singular because, fortunately, it seems to have been a simple fracture – she doesn’t know how she’d have managed with a composite one, especially with someone like Sora) is back to where it should be.

“I’m keeping it in place,” she tells him, keeping up with the cold façade. “Drink the potion now.”

Again, she doesn’t have to insist, and it feels weird, but maybe for once he has his own best interest in mind. It must be more than uncomfortable to feel your own bones shift around and yet not fully healing because she can’t do much more than that, and she hates it – but he doesn’t seem to share her impression of powerlessness.

“Can I get up, now?”

“Let me just… Do you have some piece of fabric on you? I want to immobilize it against your chest so it doesn’t move.”

It’s then that she remembers Yen Sid gave her a first-aid kit “just in case” before letting her leave. Maybe he predicted the future there. Whatever the case it is, she’s glad she can use Sora’s armguard as a makeshift splint and the bandages as well as she can. It’s clearly not on the level of what they could see earlier because the Bay of Angels has the best healthcare system she’s seen in her studies, but it’ll do. She hopes it will, at least.

“Here you go,” she tells him. Despite her pride in her achievement, her tone doesn’t perk up, and she notices it makes Sora nervous because she’s never like that. Understanding why, however, isn’t as simple as merely realizing something’s off.

He gets up, stares at the did-it-herself splint, and gives her another genuine smile despite concern colouring his features.

“Thank you! When did you learn to do that?”

“Yen Sid taught me before he accepted to let me go on this adventure,” she tells him as they finally start leaving the building to join their friends (well, more like his than hers, but if you listen to Sora, every friend of his is also hers, and Riku’s, and yours, and then the list just never ends). “I don’t know if he taught Axel the same thing, but he gave me the first-aid kit anyway.”

“He even taught you all of that? I didn’t know casting wrists was part of first-aid training…”

“That’s because it’s not. I’m pretty sure he taught me in case I got injured so I could explain it to someone else.”

Something then hits Sora over the head, kind of like a brick judging by how sudden the reaction is.

“You’re not injured, right?”

“I’m fine,” she replies with a sigh more exasperated than she wanted to convey. “You’re the one that got injured, you dummy.” She looks down even as they walk. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Jump in front of it. I didn’t need a shield. I had it covered.”

Sora stops in his steps, hair bouncing as he does, and all pretence of a smile is now gone. That’s when she knows their discussion is about to get intense.

“But, if I hadn’t, you may’ve…”

“I could have casted Reflega either way! You didn’t need to put me before yourself, Sora! Why did you do that?” Her question doesn’t seem to hit, since all he does is stare at her bewildered. “Why did you put yourself between the Heartless and me?”

“I… didn’t think about it, I think. I just didn’t want you to get hurt and I acted on it immediately…”

“You did this for me, then? For my own good?”

The tone of the question isn’t the moved whisper it was two years ago when he stabbed himself to free her heart. No, that was… well, it was necessary, she supposes, and while she still has the occasional nightmare about powerlessly watching him disappear into light dust, she’s made amends with that day. Today just isn’t the same and her voice is caustic as a result.

“I… I guess?”

“If it’s for my own good, then never do it again. I don’t want you to get hurt on my behalf.”

Her friend remains wordless for what feels like more time than the single minute it must be. He looks down, then to the side, then back at her (but not really, since he stares at her crossed arms instead). It’s like it’s starting to sink in that what he did today wasn’t the right thing, that it wasn’t just about physically protecting her from harm.

“Sora, look at me. Please.”

“You… you’re mad, no?”

“Of course I am! I’m mad they hurt you, I’m mad at myself because I couldn’t make you trust me, and I’m mad you preferred letting yourself get hurt than letting me handle it!”

He rises his head, eyes filled with passion, and it pinches her heart how far he’s willing to go. In that moment where he seems to jolt back awake, it’s like his wrist doesn’t hinder him anymore, that all of his pain is vocal.

“But I just couldn’t – I couldn’t let you get hurt!”

Her voice turns into a scream.

“Sora, it can’t work that way forever! I fight the Organization like you, now! I know I put myself in harm’s way and I’m fine with it – as long as I feel like I can fight back, it’s fine. You have to accept that I can get hurt too, like I had to accept you’d get hurt during battle. I really don’t like it either, believe me… but if we keep sheltering each other from the enemy, then we’ll never win.”

His shoulders, that had been risen ever since he had realized where she was going, lower back at last.

“You’re… you’re right,” he whispers in complete resignation.

She still gives him a hand – her left one – and a smile as candid as she can muster when she still fights against what got her so frustrated, so angry in the first place. At least, she’s relieved her plea for fighting her own fight reached someone, and one that isn’t so usually convinced most of the time.

“Let’s keep each other’s interest in mind as long as our own, okay?”

He takes her hand with a smile of his own, finally smiling again too, and that’s one she can enjoy to its fullest.

“Sounds good to me!” He then looks aside, blushing slightly, just enough for her to notice it under the light of the sun. They’re finally outside and the sky is a bright blue. “You’re, uh… you’re not mad at me anymore, right…?”

That makes her chuckle. Yeah, it’s still her idiot of a childhood friend under the disguise of the guy who will help save the worlds from the threat of Xehanort and all of his clones.

“As long as you learn your lesson and, you know, don’t try to get yourself killed to save me from some danger I can fight off, we should be on good terms.”

The giggle she lets out forgets to tell her she’s still holding his hand – it feels too nice to let go of it now.

#bad things happen bingo #kingdom hearts #sokai #still dunno how to tag the characters sowwy #this is for your own good #bthb #one of my funniest writing experiences of the year ngl

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phantompearlsalt · 3 years

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Sour Cherry, Chapter 9

I’m sorry I didn’t give y’all a preview this time! As you may know, this week has been exceptionally difficult for many reasons but mostly work being very hectic. Nevertheless, I found some comfort in writing this chapter and hope you enjoy it! Chapter 9 was somewhat challenging but in a cool way: as reference, this can be read as a sort of “prequel” to chapter 3 but can also be read as a standalone. All the build up before that first kiss. CW: Part “Three” is a kidnapping/hostage situation. As always, feel free to check it out on AO3!

One

“Good afternoon, professor. May I speak to your lead archivist?”

Your face is buried in the dusty journal entries of a former governor in the northern Earth Kingdom when the voice brings you to a halt. Using your finger to secure your place in the pages, you lean back up and instantly stare at your colleague Lihua, disoriented.

“Kuvira?” she mouths, her eyes widened with a marked degree of uneasiness. You stay still but hope that the slight twitch of your mouth is sufficient affirmation. You’ve worked with Lihua for a long time now and you even consider her a close friend. Beyond your working relationship, she has become one of the few individuals you’ve established a dynamic of genuine trust with. Given that precedent, naturally she knows about Kuvira. She knows you’ve been attending the dance recitals with increasing fervor and often teases you about this “silly little crush of yours”.

However, she doesn’t know you’ve been sneaking out at night to attend the illicit gatherings where Kuvira has been recruiting Zaofu residents to defy Suyin Beifong’s isolationist stance on the situation in Ba Sing Se. She knows of the meetings (the woman has an exceptional capacity of acquiring even the most covert information) but you know she would decry your attendance. She has dropped the occasional comment expressing her concern with your infatuation with Kuvira but you have tactfully ignored them each time.

You would laugh at the situation at hand if you weren’t so taken aback — the looks of surprise on your faces are attributed to totally different reasons.

Your supervisor mumbles something that can only be a confirmation. The metal door to the office slides open and Kuvira steps in with Baatar at her side. Much to your dismay, it feels as though your stomach disintegrates into dust when her “brother” appears. You force every muscle in your face to remain neutral while your body prickles with annoyance. Across the room, however, Lihua’s expression remains completely astonished.

Your eyes linger on her for about half a second before turning to Kuvira. She is fully draped in the distinctive attire of the Zaofu guard save for the helmet which Baatar carries in his arms. Her face carries that same reticent quality that characterizes her demeanor but you don’t fail to notice something different. Somewhat cavalier. It’s present in the vaguely lifted slope of her mouth. Kuvira scans the room briefly, stopping at Lihua who instantly stands and attempts to offer some sort of salute.

“Good afternoon, Miss Jiang. My sincerest apologies for disrupting what I’m certain is work of great importance. I hope you don’t mind if I speak to your colleague in private? I won’t be long,” Kuvira offers. The heady resonance of her voice is still present but it slips out much smoother and silkier in a way that titillates your senses and makes your mouth go dry.

“Oh um, no, not at all!” Lihua exclaims, collecting her belongings and messily stacking them into one unorganized pile on her desk. “I’ll leave you to your...business.” The discernable quiver in her voice fills you with unbearable secondhand embarrassment so you can’t deter the wave of relief that washes over when your friend has finally scrambled out of the room.

Once Lihua’s footsteps have faded into the distance, Kuvira turns on her heel until she is gazing directly at you. Her vibrant green eyes flicker with a somewhat cryptic air, boring deep into you as though she were looking beyond your physical self. It makes you feel exposed, vulnerable. You start to shift restlessly in your chair.

She briefly turns to the side, running her finger along the edge of Lihua’s wooden desk with a somewhat thoughtful expression. Your eyes follow the movement intently, observing the confident yet careful weight of her touch as it grazes over the sturdy material.

You have never noticed Kuvira’s fingers before. On the multiple occasions you’ve attended her recitals, you had been too enraptured by the nimble movements of her limbs to focus on those smaller details. Besides, from your vantage point you wouldn’t have been able to notice anyway.

Now that she is in such close proximity, you are able to truly and thoroughly admire the smooth contours and lines that make up Kuvira’s hands. There were nights where you had imagined her fingers to be long and lithe, much like the style of her dancing. While that is certainly true to an extent, you are surprised to see they are slightly broader with a hard layer of smooth muscle. You grow entranced by the distinct cords of tendons that course along the back of her hand and disappear into her wrist.

“Do you know why I’m here?” Kuvira inquires. The sound of her voice shakes you out of your daze. You look back up at her and notice her eyes have never left your face. You nervously lick your lower lip and a current of excitement quakes along your spine as you notice her eyes temporarily flicker to your mouth.

“I’m afraid I don’t,” you respond, surprised at the relative steadiness of your voice despite the rapid-fire pounding of your heart. “I anticipated as much,” Kuvira responds with an undertone of amusement to her voice. She brushes her hand against Lihua’s desk once more before taking the final few steps that bring her to your chair. Instinctively, you stand while keeping your finger lodged in the pages of the journal.

“The professor assured me you were under no pressing deadlines but given your line of work, I can only assume you are constantly preoccupied with all sorts of projects,” Kuvira notes. You chuckle once and shrug. “I appreciate the sentiment,” you reply. “It’s not as exhilarating as being the captain of the city guard but we manage.”

Kuvira’s expression does not change but you notice the edges of her face marginally soften. “I must disagree,” she says. Her hand moves towards the journal until your fingers are separated by the width of a nail. Your breath catches in your throat and you look straight into the spot just below Kuvira’s left eye. The thought of looking at her directly is too much when you can nearly feel the warmth emanating from her body even through layers of cloth and metal.

“You are so much more than an archivist. You carry a keen and profound understanding of Earth Kingdom history and politics. Now more than ever, this knowledge is invaluable and that is precisely why I’m here,” she says.

“I...I’m not sure I follow,” you admit. Your eyebrows knit together in confusion and you watch as a shrewd look crosses over Kuvira’s face. “You are aware of our intention to personally oversee the stabilization of the Earth Kingdom capital,” Kuvira reminds you.

You nod in assent and she continues. “Therefore you understand the great need for individuals who will not only assist in pacifying Ba Sing Se but to effectively craft the infrastructure that will sustain its longevity. I said I would keep my visit brief and I will: I come today with a proposal.”

With this, her foot slides over an inch and your faces are separated by about a foot. From this angle, you can appreciate the brilliant green shade of her irises. Is that a hint of gold?

“You are one of Zaofu’s most prominent and well-respected political historians. You intimately know the inner workings of the Earth Kingdom states and your expertise will be invaluable for our stabilization and reunification efforts. It is a major task but I want you to consider joining my forces. My inner circle, to be precise.”

There is a moment where time seemingly hangs in midair as you process the statement. For a split second you nearly come undone in hysterical laughter because this couldn’t possibly be reality. You always knew you would follow Kuvira’s lead because you believed in her vision. You knew she would transform the capital in ways no one had the audacity to imagine. You had resigned yourself to this truth, of leaving behind your studies, your friends, your history in Zaofu for this work.

But you couldn’t have possibly imagined this. Kuvira’s inner circle? To your understanding, that has only consisted of Baatar, Varrick, and Zhu Li Moon. She had alluded to them on occasion during the meetings but you gleaned enough from how often they could be seen in each other’s company. A thousand questions start running through your mind but you can’t seem to grasp at any.

Kuvira continues to watch you and you can’t tell how much time has passed because you got too into your thoughts again and now Baatar is looking at you too oh wait he’s still here you completely forgot about him and they’re waiting for you to respond you need to say something you can’t keep standing here like an idiot.

You shift your gaze and stare straight into Kuvira’s face. The instant your eyes reconnect, the pounding in your ears slowly dissipates into nothingness and every muscle in your body seems to relax. Kuvira’s stoic expression could be perceived as intimidating and even callous to most but there is a glimmer of some promise that grounds you and tells you to fully lean into the opportunity you have been presented with.

You lift your shoulders as you finally respond, “It is no question. I have aspired to serve your cause since the beginning. If you would have me, I would be eternally grateful to lend my skills to this great venture.”

Kuvira’s face gleams with a faint air of satisfaction and she starts to thank you before Baatar bursts in, shaking your hand and going on multiple tangents about the future of this grand plan and how grateful he is to have you on board. Given your personal aversion to the man, you are rather impressed with the cordial demeanor you manage to convey as he speaks.

As you nod along to the mindless stream of words coming from Baatar, you momentarily glance towards Kuvira again. Her expression, initially tinted with annoyance upon Baatar’s interjection, has grown into something else entirely. You aren’t quite sure what to name it but when you see the fierce intensity of her gaze upon your face, you quickly shift back to Baatar and hope no one notices the beads of nervous sweat that emerge along your temples.

Two

“It is not enough to have the former outer ring partially neutralized,” Kuvira states firmly. “If they do not capitulate to our forces soon we will have no way of systemizing these efforts across the city.”

Her voice echoes across the metal tent with great force, compelling the surrounding commanders and sergeants to look down in distress. You, on the other hand, find yourself losing sight of your notes as you grow entranced with Kuvira’s authoritative poise.

Since arriving in Ba Sing Se, the army has not had a single day of rest. Day in and day out, fighters are out subduing bandits and other agitators while other regiments attempt to deliver aid to multiple neighborhoods afflicted by the repercussions of the mass violence. In the midst of it all, Kuvira has remained the grounding force that keeps everyone oriented towards the same goal: the rebirth of Ba Sing Se and eventually a new Earth Empire.

You observe her and admire the potency of her mere presence. It permeates every inch of her body and every breath when she speaks. When her lips part, there is a lingering edge of hardness around the edges that further stresses her dominance. Despite having endured an exceptionally long and painful day thus far, every aspect of her appearance is pristine.

It’s evident that she took some time to rebraid her hair — the locks are cinched tightly together and there isn’t a single strand out of place. Though her eyes are creased with faint lines you can only attribute to exhaustion, her visage remains sharp and unyielding. She raises her shoulders high and keeps her back ramrod straight.

You graze over the smooth curves of her cheekbones, the lock of hair that hangs over her right eye, the gentle arch of her mouth that moves so artfully with every word it forms.

You wonder how her skin might feel under your hand, your fingers folding into the bone just beneath her ear. Sometimes she looks too exquisite, as if your touch might tarnish this immaculate appearance she has so carefully crafted. Yet you fail to release the desire. Instead, you gaze upon her cheek, tightening your hands into fists beneath the table, as the imagined sensation of its warmth against your palm sends heat tingling through your veins.

The sound of your name repeated twice causes your head to snap back up. Kuvira is staring directly at you and it’s clear she just asked something gauging by the questioning looks of your colleagues.

“I’m sorry,” you say hastily, shifting in your seat while your hands flutter over your pages. “Could you repeat that, please?” The question is out of your mouth before you can halt it and you’re briefly terrified about Kuvira’s potential reaction. Clearly she is not one to tolerate such behavior.

But she surprises you when she proceeds to reiterate her previous inquiry with no apparent exasperation. It catches you off guard and the feeling stays with you even after the meeting has ended.

You exit the tent alongside Commander Zhen, a simultaneously good-natured and formidable woman, who regards you curiously. “Everything okay back there? Kind of looks like you spaced out for a minute,” she says concernedly. You chuckle and wave your hand. “I’m good! Seriously. It was just getting a bit stuffy in there I think,” you reassure her.

You’re both about to move from the entryway when a hand momentarily touches your lower back. Out of the corner of your eye, you recognize Kuvira’s beauty mark and the realization startles you. She is walking away, flanked by Baatar and Varrick, and she looks back for an instant only to shoot a smirk that vanishes as quickly as it appears.

The touch lasts half a breath but it leaves an imprint that diffuses a vigorous electricity throughout your muscles. Zhen continues talking, completely oblivious to the effect Kuvira’s gesture has on you and you try to ignore that burning sensation that spreads across your back and fills your thoughts with a flustered haze.

Three

“I appreciate the role you have played these past few months,” Kuvira says, pressing her hand against your shoulder in that customary way that still feels special when she does it to you. You smile and clasp your hands together in an attempt to conceal your excitement.

It’s been three months in Ba Sing Se and everyone throughout the Earth Kingdom and beyond has expressed immense astonishment at the strides Kuvira has made in stabilizing the city. While there were generally competing opinions about Kuvira’s ability to spearhead the endeavor, everybody managed to agree on the fact that no one anticipated such progress in a short amount of time.

You have just finished another one of your brief meals together before heading off into your respective posts. Though these moments are often fleeting, you treasure them as invaluable nonetheless. It’s only been about a month and a half since you started meeting in this way and it has very quickly become a practice you look forward to each week.

“I wouldn’t have a role to play if it weren’t for your leadership,” you counter, arching an eyebrow as Kuvira’s face brightens so softly you can’t imagine anyone else would notice. “You’re already in the highest ring of my army. Flattery won’t get you much higher than that,” she murmurs discreetly.

Kuvira’s palm moves away from your shoulder and slowly drifts down your arm until it curls around your wrist. You both look down to the spot where your skin touches and for a moment it feels like her fingers are hovering towards your hand.

At that moment, Baatar appears and he’s frantically calling Kuvira’s name. You break away instantly and you take a few steps away from her. Though Baatar’s voice doesn’t convey a sense of dire need, there is still a sense of urgency that shatters the moment you’re having trouble believing actually happened.

“I must go. Thank you again...for all your help,” Kuvira says. You nod once and briskly walk away, ignoring the way your stomach twists inside your abdomen when Baatar’s face conjures up in your mind.

Four

You try to find comfort in the fact that you always anticipated something like this happening. It just seemed too inevitable. Though the most vicious gangs had been uprooted from the city, the less reputable ones still lingered and sought ways to establish their dominance over Kuvira’s army. You understand the basis of their actions. You understand how much pain and suffering they have endured over the course of many years but it doesn’t bring the solace you seek when your arms are bound with itchy rope and your eyes are forced shut behind a sheet of dirty cloth.

You had just parted ways with Bolin, promising him you’d meet for dinner later that night, when you felt a strong set of brawny hands clasp your shoulders and suddenly had cloth pulled over your eyes and mouth.

A muted hiss of multiple voices soon surrounded you as you were carried and tossed into what you assumed was a makeshift carriage. You landed hard on the wooden cart and you were certain you’d be covered in mottled bruises if you even made it out of here alive. From there, time flowed in a warped manner, both quickly and slowly.

Now, you’re somewhere damp and quiet. A cave?

You are breathing heavily through your nose, having given up on struggling against the obstructions when it became evident there was no feasible way out of them. You let your body collapse against the ground, recoiling against the moisture, until you hear a hushed voice far away.

“This is our last chance to lure Kuvira in and take back the city,” someone hisses. “We’ve got the brains behind the whole thing which means she’ll be here any —”

The voice is cut off by a powerful crack that’s followed with a roaring explosion of gravel that shakes the ground below. You curl into a ball, feeling spheres of earth bounce off your back and shoulders. “Looks like someone took the bait,” a different voice sneers.

“You have made a grave mistake,” Kuvira bellows. The sound of her voice lights something in your chest and you start thrashing against your restraints, hoping she will recognize the muffled calls for help.

There is a fearsome cry and another shudder as more boulders crash together. You hear Kuvira struggle with the force of fending off your captors and you want nothing more than to free yourself to help her. You push back into a seated position and use your hands to feel for anything that might be able to tear the ropes off but to no avail.

You jerk against the ground and feel someone grab your shoulders, attempting to pull you away. You shriek against the cloth in your mouth and kick frantically. You manage to land a blow against their knee and they curse, digging their fingers harder into your muscle as you howl out in pain.

But then they release you as a familiar grunt nears your face, followed by a flurry of swings that land against their body. Their breath comes out in one fell swoop, there’s a hiss of metal cutting through the air, and finally silence.

Within seconds, there are hands behind your head frantically undoing the blindfold. When the material falls away, you are met with Kuvira’s face contorted in a grimace of distress. The emotion falters vaguely as relief flashes over but she continues her quick work of loosening the rope behind your back. She bends a short knife out of her uniform and smoothly slices it through.

When your arms are free at long last, they fall like weights at your side and you feel yourself about to succumb to the dark shadows creeping over your eyes. Kuvira instinctively grabs you, her left arm cradling your back as her right drifts hesitantly over your chest. From your peripheral vision you catch glimpses of privates wrangling the subdued gang members but your vision grows hazier around the edges.

“You’re okay now. I’m here. You’re going to be okay,” Kuvira whispers. Her voice sounds so peculiar...is that anxiety? Sadness perhaps? You have never heard her voice quiver like this and the realization would be shocking if you weren’t so defeated.

Just as your eyelids flutter closed and you hear voices encroaching on you and Kuvira, you swear you feel the ghost of a touch along your cheek. But you brush it off as a figment of your sleep-muddled brain.

Five

You come to realize you’re in love with Kuvira like a fire. You know from the outset that it will happen because the embers are there. They may be faint and sometimes it feels like they might extinguish altogether but their constant presence is indication enough of a future where the flames are eventually roaring with boundless ferocity.

As time progresses and the flames are stoked, the intensity sharpens and grows. Each faint brushing of your fingers, each passing glance when you think no one is watching, each touch of Kuvira’s palm against your shoulder is another piece of debris tossed into the blaze. The gestures are small but they are real and each time the heat becomes increasingly difficult to control as it surges in your belly.

Everything culminates into a moment that is so totally ordinary. The awareness dawns on you like anything else would. It comes as naturally as the change in seasons, steady and certain.

It transforms into conscious understanding over lunch. Kuvira is telling you about the time she and her brother-figure Huan had hidden away from the rest of Beifongs during a family trip and got into a metal artmaking competition. It’s the first time she’s given you any insight into her childhood and she goes about it very hesitantly. You can tell she is choosing her words carefully, pausing every so often before she continues.

But it’s the way her eyes crease with nostalgic joy when she recalls Huan’s pretentious but genuine critique of her sculpture. It’s the way the stiff edge of her shoulders loosens so faintly it’s almost undetectable as she describes the intensity of her focus while she forged the metal structure. It’s the laughter disguised in a short rush of air when she looks back on this memory shared with her closest sibling.

The muted embers swell into an abundant cluster of sparks that seem to fill the space between you and Kuvira as you experience this new truth. She continues to speak in pauses, totally incognizant of the many emotions swirling through your body. You come to an understanding that you will have to keep this affection to yourself for the time being and perhaps forever.

The reality of that alarms you.

But instead, as you watch Kuvira’s face light up momentarily, you decide you will willingly and earnestly accept whatever comes next. For now, this is okay.

#kuvira #kuvira x reader #kuvira/reader #kuvira headcanons #kuvira legend of korra #avatar lok #x reader #kinda fluff?? mostly YEARNING #anyways I'm SOOO happy I actually managed to post this weekend #I'm gonna go through all your replies/messages/comments/etc now love youuuu <3

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botwstoriesandsuch · 4 years

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Just me rambling about Breath of the Wild’s opening cut scene because it is masterfully crafted and just a really good display of fantastic game design and story telling...Welcome to my TED Talk.

[And spoilers for the end game, of course]

The first five minutes of game is a master class in foreshadowing and developing the tone that is set for the rest of the game.

The very fist screen that you see, besides the simplistic title screen, which is genius by the way. Having a super unassuming and small logo really puts into perspective how Nintendo doesn’t need to amazing with it’s title right away, the gameplay speaks for itself. Anyhow, the first screen is that of light and darkness. Obviously, it can be interpreted as Zelda’s awakening power, and in a broader sense, the small silver of hope everyone has that the Calamity could be defeated. Most of all, it’s framed in a way similar to how one would open their eyes for the first time, squinting in the light. (Yeah I know all that is kinda obvious...but still, I just think it’s neat)

[more below the cut]

It also perfectly parallels the end of the game in its framing and lighting. Even the opening hum, is the same sound as the Bow of Light being drawn and Zelda appearing out of Dark Beast Ganon.

Ok back to the opening scene. Now the act of Link actively opening his eyes, we’re greeted with this frame, Zelda now clearly telling Link to open his eyes, and we get this blue shape (which is the glow of the shrine) but it’s in the shape of an eye, mimicking Link’s own blue eyes.

Now I get that most of us are used to it by now, but just imagine, or remember the feeling of waking up in here. Most loz games start you off in a cozy home, a forest, or at the very least somewhere medieval. But waking up in this futuristic bath tub immediately places you completely out of your comfort zone. Whether you played every Zelda game, or this was your first, this setting is completely foreign and you have no idea what’s going on. And that feeling of not understanding or grasping where or when you are, immediately puts you in the same shoes as your playable protagonist, Link. Nintendo has already made you sympathize or at the very least find comfort or familiarity in Link.

Now does this look familiar?

It will...

(Also the parallel with the Great Plateau,overrun with the beauty of nature, vs the complexity of a man made castle. Plus the Calamity being portrayed more as a disease that festers upon Hyrule rather than just some tyrannical guy? *chefs kiss* I love my narrative parallels.)

Anyhow, next we have the Sheikah technology. There are a lot of references to blue in the game. From Link’s blue eyes to the Sheikah slates blue eyes, to the Champions tunics and the royal blue shared by the royal family. Blue is the least common color in nature (other than the sky/water. You don’t see a lot of blue trees, grass, animals, or rocks, do you?) so the rarity of it in the vast natural land of Hyrule, emphasizes it’s importance right away. Blue = power/importance. Through out the game, you’re drawn to the blue glow of shrines and towers (although initially orange, but after they are blue, more explanation later...), along with the blue of the water, in which Nintendo intentionally places civilization/treasure across. Plus, the opposite of blue, is the purplish/red glow of ganon. Mmmmm color coordination.

The layout of the Shrine of Reserrction is a straight line, leaving no room for player error/distraction. It’s forcing you to go down it’s desired path. (At least initially...*cough cough* speed running and wall clipping *cough cough*) So the straight forwardness emphasizes the artificial nature of the place.

Now, when exiting the Shrine, the artificial glow of the Sheikah lamps is now replaced with the warm orange sunlight. (See what I did there? Get it? It’s another parallel with the Sheikah technology colors, with the unused technology glowing orange, but when actively used by Link is glows blue? Therefore kinda giving blue an association with technology and power again, and orange with nature and exploration?)

Also more parallels with light/hope

Exiting the Shrine smoothly teaches you how to interact with objects, walk, and climb very naturally. It also teaches you the importance of the Shrine pedestals, an attraction towards chests, and ingraining you with the desire to explore, as the setting give you no information whatsoever. Even Zelda’s dialogue is vague, just saying “long slumber” and not how long, or “that [Sheikah Slate] will show you the way” giving no specifics. And that’s why its all the more satisfying when the vastness and detail of the outside world hits you. You are starved of information, making you more susceptible to the game’s theme of exploration.

The cold, artificial, dark enclosed space of the Shrine, gives way to this shot.

Do I even have to say anything? The way the music swells as Link runs out into the field, and the camera pulls out to really show the vast scope of things. The center piece of a dark castle in the distance, the symmetrical framing of Death Mountain and the Hebra peaks? The lush green shade in the foreground shifting into darker shadows and silhouettes when nearing the horizon hear the Calamity? The way the ridge to the side obstructs the view of Medoh and Naboris, with the natural angles of the mountain ranges hiding Rudania and Ruta? The fact that the sun is just rising, symbolizing a new morning. AND the stark contrast with the artificial, straight line Shrine you just went through, now your new path is more open. Even the path you take to the Old Man is curved, and at a much steeper decline. Also, notice how you’re declining, moving down and out of the Shrine, might not be a stretch to say it’s like you were descending from heaven as the savior of Hyrule. You’ve come back down to the ruins of a fallen kingdom. Although you don’t know that yet.

The opening shot gives no big signs of civilization, the castle being too far out into the distance, and the trees obstructing any destroyed ruins. So when panning to the much closer and reachable Temple of Time, it really grabs the player’s attention. The framing of the Temple of Time is in such a way where it still looks intact. The gaping hole in it’s side faces in the other direction. All it seems to imply is that it’s old. No ruined guardians, or clear, distinct destruction can be seen yet. Also, the point of the Temple’s tower is in line with the Duel Peaks, almost perfectly. Both have stood the test of time, but it was the construction of man that did not last, where as nature has stood strong.

Then, pan into the Old Man, a mysterious figure, you don’t know if they are friend or foe. But given your circumstance your eager to explore and investigate. Especially with how he is placed in front of an warm orange fire, because yeah more color coordination. Orange, serves a similar purpose as the color blue for attracting the players attention, but it’s symbolism is different. One, for it’s association with nature as previously state, but now here in the context of familiarity. Throughout the game, when you see a campfire, that either means enemies or people. All the same, it means company and you’re drawn to it.

The camera zoom and focus of the scene barely shifts at all. When you first exit, Link is at the low center of the screen, even with the pan to the Temple of Time, and the Old Man is also in the low center of the screen. This anchor point allows for a smooth transition with the players attention, and adds to the natural environment and tone of the scene.

So here you are, heading east, towards the sun, an old man, a camp fire, and the Temple of Time. No coincidence they are all in the same direction.

Just look how much story and tone you are able to grasp in the first five minutes????? It embeds the feeling of curiosity and the desire to explore by starving you of information and freedom, before punching you in the face with the openness of Hyrule. It foreshadows a conflict with Ganon, a disease that ravage the world of man, and will next take on nature. The themes of technology and civilization, of time moving on. COLOR COORDINATION. And just the overall wonder of opening your eyes to an beautiful world waiting to be discovered. All this is conveyed to you whether subconsciously or unconsciously.

That’s five or less minutes in to a game you can very well pack hundred of hours into.

Ugh, I love this game.

#botw #breath of the wild #legend of zelda botw #loz botw

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felassan · 4 years

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Transcriptions of the info given in the “World Lore” area of the Keep:

(this is old stuff, not new, and is mostly posted for my reference. some bits weren’t worth including)

Seheron

Seheron is the largest island in Thedas, filled with jungle foliage and consistent fighting between the Tevinter Imperium and the Qunari. Both groups have laid claim to its borders, but Seheron currently sits under Qunari control. This has not brought calm, however. In DAI, Bull describes how the island still broils with conflict. Whether it be the rebellious Tal-Vashoth attacking their brethren, the Tevinter disrupting civil life, or the native Seheron stealth forces known as the Fog Warriors attacking either invading force, few who live on Seheron know peace.

Rivain

The Kingdom of Rivain was founded in -44. The First Qunari War began in earnest in 6:32 when Qunari ships arrive en masse in Seheron and northern Rivain.

Located to the northeast, Rivain occupies a peninsula and is surrounded by ocean that offers ample fish and coastal weather to its inhabitants. The culture is matriarchal, the people value material goods over currency, and belief in Andraste is less popular than both pantheism and the Qun. Rivain is the only nation in Thedas with a true Qunari settlement. To the south lies the island of Llomerryn, known as a home for bandits, raiders and merchants with goods that could never be sold in conventional shops.

Isabela is a notorious Rivaini raider and the captain of a pirate ship. She has a history with Zevran, as it turns out. She turns out to have been at least partially responsible for the presence of the stranded Qunari, and their subsequent attack. In the comics she joins King Alistair on his quest to find his father.

Duncan was a high-ranking Fereldan Grey Warden during the lead up to the Fifth Blight. While still a child, Duncan lost his parents and became a homeless urchin on the streets of Val Royeaux in Orlais. It was there he honed his skills as a rogue. Duncan recruited both Alistair and the HoF. Leading the Grey Wardens at Ostagar, Duncan fell victim to Loghain’s treachery, dying alongside his Grey Warden brothers and King Cailan.

The Anderfels

The Anderfels date back to -695. The Grey Wardens were founded at Weisshaupt in -305.

Located in the northwest corner of Thedas, this is a barren kingdom filled with desert, steppes and darkspawn. Highly religious, the nobility and the population here are among the most pious followers of the Chantry, with treason being seen as a lesser crime than backsliding into debauchery. The Grey Wardens are a powerful force here, holding as much power as the teryns or barons of other nations. The kingdom is also home to the strongest and most ancient of Warden strongholds, Weisshaupt Fortress, seat of the First Warden.

Anders is an apostate mage. Despite his gentle nature, he rages at the abuse of mages at the hands of the templars and Chantry. He allowed himself to be possessed by Justice, a spirit of the Fade who perfectly embodies his name. Emboldened to take action against those who would subdue his fellow mages, he blew up the Chantry, killing numerous clerics and innocent bystanders. This left Hawke to mete out mercy or a more permanent justice.

The Free Marches - Starkhaven

Largest and most opulent city in the Free Marches. The monarchy rule from estates crafted out of marble, enjoying the spacious streets and fine greenery surrounding their city. Before the events of DA2, the Circle of Magi tower here was razed, leading most of the city’s mages to seek shelter in the city of Kirkwall. The Inquisitor elects to help the acting monarch of Starkhaven either invade Kirkwall or help rebuild it.

The Free Marches - Kirkwall

Formed in -25, when Emerius, one of the last strongholds of the Imperium, falls in a slave rebellion and is renamed Kirkwall. The City Guard was founded in 7:60. In 9:21 Kirkwall leadership was ousted when Viscount Perrin Threnhold was overthrown by Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard. Marlowe Dumar was made the new viscount. In 9:30 the Hawke family fled the destruction of Lothering and travelled here, where they began indentured servitude in order to obtain enter the city. In 9:31 a Qunari dreadnought was shipwrecked nearby, stranding their Arishok and hundreds of soldiers in the city. They refused to leave until recovering the stolen Tome of Koslun. In 9:34 the Qunari were provoked into rising up in violence under the command of the Arishok. He beheaded Viscount Dumar in front of his nobles and seized control of the city. Hawke successfully drove the Qunari out in the First Battle of Kirkwall, and is named Champion by Meredith.

In the wake of the Qunari uprising, Kirkwall was left leaderless, and Meredith filled the void. She tightened control of the Kirkwall Circle. In 9:37 Anders destroyed the Chantry with the Grand Cleric still inside, inciting the Mage-Templar War that spreads throughout Thedas. The mages and templars battled in Kirkwall and Hawke led the push to stop them as they clashed. Meredith and the city’s First Enchanter Orsino are both killed. In 9:40, Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast, acting under the authority of the Divine, arrives in Kirkwall and interrogates Varric Tethras about Hawke.

Port city in the Free Marches. Built as a Tevinter mining town, it would become the center of the nation’s slave trade. While it has since been occupied by Orlesian forces, Kirkwall today stands as an independent city-state. This is a city of tension. The affluent citizens of Hightown live at odds with the Commoners of Lowtown. And the domineering templars maintain a stranglehold on the city’s mages. After a series of murders and assassinations in DA2, the tension exploded into a mage rebellion that engulfs Kirkwall, and eventually all of Thedas, in DAI.

Varric Tethras is a surface dwarf, rogue, charmer, fixer, storyteller, occasional con-artist, spymaster and information broker. He’s the type that knows everybody - though none are closer to him than his trusted crossbow Bianca. He joins Hawke in a war against either the mages or the templars - it doesn’t matter which, so long as he’s with Hawke. He joins the Inquisitor as a key party member. He leads the Inquisition to Hawke, and helps disrupt Corypheus’ supply of red lyrium. After the final conflict, he returns to Kirkwall to help with the reconstruction of the city while penning a new novel.

Arishok is not a personal name but a title for the leader of the Qunari military, one of the three pillars of their culture. While the title has been traded among several generals, one of the most famous is the Arishok who attempted a coup of Kirkwall. Stranded after a storm destroyed his ship, the Arishok took residence in Kirkwall, searching for a sacred Qunari relic. After seeing the debauchery there first hand, he decided he must cleanse it, ordering his soldiers to execute the Viscount. After a confrontation with Hawke, the Qunari left the city.

Marlowe Dumar was the Viscount of Kirkwall at the time of DA2. Juggling the templars’ impositions for continued dominance, the mages’ demands for more freedom, and the ever-growing Qunari threat, Marlowe could hardly be said to be in control of his city-state. After his son Seamus was executed by fanatics for converting to the Qun, he lost any will he had to lead Kirkwall. He met his end at the hands of the Arishok during the Qunari coup, his hread and crown bowled down his own throne room steps.

Meredith Stannard was Kirkwall’s fiery Knight-Commander of the Templar Order. She was supported by Grand Cleric Elthina, and enjoyed free rein as the commander of Kirkwall’s dominating military force. When Anders blew up the city-state’s Chantry, killing Elthina, Meredith invoked the Rite of Annulment, allowing the templars to wipe out all mages in Kirkwall to restore order. The mages resisted. Succumbing during the conflict to overexposure of the red lyrium implanted in her sword, Meredith went mad, leading Hawke to cease her rampage. Upon defeat, she crystallized into a statue of red lyrium, which is now featured in the Black Emporium as a curiosity of sorts.

Being First Enchanter of the Circle of Mages in Kirkwall makes Orsino the leader of the city’s mages. As such, he is frequently in direct conflict with the city’s templars, led by Meredith. As the mages began to rebel, the templars tightened their grip, and Orsino was led to consider drastic measures. When the tension exploded into all-out war, he forwent his conscience and turned to blood magic, transforming himself into an abomination that Hawke was forced to put down.

The Hawkes are a family beset by numerous tragedies. Malcolm Hawke and Leandra Amell eloped, fleeing Leandra’s family in Kirkwall who opposed their marriage, and raised three children. Malcolm perished before the events of the Fifth Blight, which drove the family from Ferelden back to Leandra’s home of Kirkwall. During their flight, one of the children was killed by darkspawn. Arriving in Kirkwall, Leandra found her brother Gamlen to have gambled away the family’s estate. It was left to the eldest child to regain that fortune and restore their name.

The Free Marches - Vimmark Mountains

In -191 intelligent darkspawn capable of advanced thought and speech were discovered. The Warden Sashamiri captured Corypheus, who was said to be the greatest of these darkspawn. By -181, the Wardens had spent years studying Corypheus in captivity. This had taught them little as his influence penetrated the minds of even the most powerful mages. The Wardens imprisoned him and sealed him away deep in the Vimmark Mountains, concealing his existence. In 9:37 (although history is vague on when exactly this occurred) Hawke entered the Warden prison and attempted to destroy Corypheus.

These mountains sit to the north of the Free Marches, situated along the shore of the Waking Sea. At their feet rest the cities of Kirkwall and Markham. The mountain wilderness is beset with all manner of beast and peril. Orlesian nobles make sport of hunting the poisonous wyverns indigenous to the area, and darkspawn linger in the desert. But the most dangerous of all is a criminal held in the Grey Warden prison: Corypheus, said to be one of the mages to journey to the Golden City in the Ancient Age, who returned as the first darkspawn.

Once held deep within the Grey Warden prison there lay an ancient evil: a Tevinter magister from an ancient era who sought the power of the old gods and returned as one of the first darkspawn. He title as Conductor of Silence long forgotten, he is now known only as Corypheus. Freed of his prison, he seeks to restore the power of the Tevinter Empire and bring Thedas’ inhabitants under the control of the one he believes to be the first true god - himself.

The Free Marches - Chateau Haine

The famed Chateau Haine was built in the western Vimmark mountains by Lord Norbert de La Haine in 4:90. He used it to stage numerous failed invasions of Marcher states. In 5:21, darkspawn all but devastated the Free Marches, and Chateau Haine became Fortress Haine, a makeshift Warden garrison. A refuge known as the Retreat was dug into the mountain. At the most dire point of the Fourth Blight, hundreds of fleeing Kirkwall and Cumberland residents called the Retreat home.

A converted fortress situated in the Free Marches, Chateau Haine - originally known as Fortress Haine - is a vacation destination for local Orlesian nobility. Seasonal wyvern hunts are held by its owner, Duke Prosper de Montfort, where guests can enjoy the chateau’s amenities, complete with a man-made cavern, underground lake and the Vaults - an underground treasury filled with Montfort’s extensive fortune. Hawke infiltrated Chateau Haine to recover a lost relic.

Orlais

Orlais was formed in -3 when Kordillus Drakon united the tribes of the Heartlands and was crowned Emperor of the new nation. In the same year he formalized the Cult of the Maker, creating the Chantry. In 2:10 Divine Renata I called for the beginning of a holy war against the elves. This became known as the Exalted March of the Dales. In 9:04, Celene, the future Empress, was born. In 9:20 she took power and Empress Celene I ascended to the throne. Soon after this in the same year, Ferelden and Orlais officially made peace. In 9:34, Revered Mother Dorothea was elected and named Divine Justinia V. In 9:38, unrest brewed in Orlais as Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons stirred dissent against the reigning Empress. In 9:40, following the conflict at the White Spire, Lord Seeker Lambert cancelled the Nevarran Accord, severing ties between the Seekers and the Chantry. At this time allegiances between Seekers and templars were split - some still supported the Divine. The Lord Seeker also declared the Cicles of Magi dissolved and the future of mages in Thedas became uncertain. He later went missing, presumed dead.

Orlais is a country in southwest Thedas. It currently stands as the most powerful human nation that nurtured the most powerful religion: the Chantry. Given its expansionist tendencies, Orlais’ relationship with the neighboring Tevinter and Ferelden kingdoms is tenuous at best. Orlais’ culture is known for its excess. But the opulent fashion, elaborate masks and cosmetics applied with abandon are more than vanities, playing an important part in the political games central to day-to-day life. And the architecture is equally resplendent: the Grand Cathedral, University of Orlais and the White Spire make the capital of Val Royeaux a particularly breathtaking sight.

After inheriting the Orlesian throne at 16, Empress Celene I led a cultural revival of arts and education in her country. Orlais has never known such prosperity - or peace - as it has under her rule. She is considered the most powerful woman in Thedas. A plot to assassinate Celene brings the Inquisition face-to-face with the Orlesian royal, leaving the Inquisitor to either protect her seat on the throne, or usher in a new ruler of Orlais with her death. In the War of the Lions, Celene’s cousin Gaspard challenged her right to the throne.

Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons was in line for the throne of Orlais since birth until he was outmaneuvered by his cousin Celene. While she remains on the throne, he continues to vie for his rightful seat through a combination of manipulation and subterfuge, sparking the War of the Lions. The Inquisitor meets with Gaspard at the Orlesian royal ball held at Halamshiral Palace. There, Gaspard entreats the Inquisition to help him depose Celene so that he may take her place as ruler.

Andraste is a central figure of the Chantry, a prophet who was said to be the bride of the Maker, born in what is now Ferelden. She waged war on the kingdom of Tevinter, whom Andraste claimed had turned from the one true god to worship of the Old Gods. Betrayed by her husband, she was burned at the stake. However, her impact had already been made. She was extremely influential, both religiously and politically. Her teachings would lead to the creation of the Chantry, whose followers have led much of Thedas to believe in the Maker.

Maferath was the husband of the prophet Andraste, who together led armies against the Tevinter Imperium in the ancient era. He ultimately betrayed his wife, allowing the Imperium to capture and execute her. It is said he did this because he was jealous of Andraste’s betrothal to the Maker, though many believe he only wanted to rule the lands that Andraste had captured. His kingdom stretched over Orlais, Nevarra and Ferelden, but his rule would not last long. When Tevinter converted to Andrastianism, Maferath’s betrayal was revealed. His kingdom dissolved and he was killed by his own sons.

Mother Dorothea was a Revered Mother of the Chantry who became close with Leliana, inspiring Leliana to devote herself to the faith. Dorothea was later elected to become the new Divine, taking the name Justinia V. A progressive Divine, she saw fit to order Leliana and Cassandra - named Left and Right Hands of the Divine respectively - to reform the Inquisition, hoping to expand the freedoms of mages. While she was killed in the blast that opened the Breach, Justinia - or was it? - later returns in spectral form to help the Inquisitor escape the Fade.

Orlais - Val Royeaux

Andraste was executed in -170 after being betrayed by her husband at one of the city-state of Nevarra, one of their strongholds. She was brought to Minrathous and executed by the Imperium. The Grand Cathedral was built in 2:99. In 9:22, the Grand Cathedral was set upon by dragons during a ten-year gathering of Chantry faithful. A young Seeker named Cassandra Pentaghast foiled what was revealed to be a conspiracy to kill Divine Beatrix III. She was named Hand of the Divine. In 9:40 Empress Celene was called out of Val Royeaux after news of an elven rebellion in Halamshiral. The move is thought to have been orchestrated by Gaspard. Celene’s absence fueled rumors of her death or capture. In 9:40 a violent uprising at the White Spire - a Circle tower in Val Royeaux - left many senior mages dead. The uprising was apparently supported by the Divine through her agents, including the bard Leliana.

The capital of Orlais and home to the Chantry and the busiest port in Thedas. Not only is it the largest city in the Orlesian empire, it’s also by far its most cosmopolitan. The saying goes that “sooner or later, everyone passes through the Sun Gates”, many of whom are students coming from across Thedas coming to attend classes at the University of Orlais. The White Spire, Grand Cathedral and Imperial Palace also join Val Royeaux’s impressive cadre of architecture. The Inquisitor journeyed to Val Royeaux to ingratiate the Inquisition with the Chantry.

The White Spire is a massive Circle tower in Val Royeaux. It also serves as the seat of templar authority for the Chantry, some of whom have taken to calling the tower the “Sword of the Maker”, as its colossal facade - visible from anywhere within Val Royeaux - bears semblance to a blade thrust skyward. The bowels of the tower, a maze of dungeons known as “The Pit”, stretch deep down into the earth. The White Spire was the setting for the split between the Chantry and the templars, initiated by Lord Seeker Lambert.

The Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux is the physical center of the Chantry and the home of the Divine, leader of the Andrastian faithful. The cathedral is walled off from the rest of the city, but its gates are open throughout the day, silently admitting hosts of pilgrims into the giant courtyard dominated by the golden statue of Emperor Drakon the Great, who built the temple to facilitate the beginnings of the Chantry. Its sprawling construction culminates in the Temple of the Divine, where the Divine and the Holy Brazier reside. The Grand Cathedral has endured many battles, and is considered one of the most magnificent structures in all Thedas.

Leliana is a woman of many faces - fitting for a spy and former assassin. In DAO she appeared as a devoted sister of the Chantry. But after helping to end the Fifth Blight, she returns to her life of subterfuge - this time as the Left Hand of the Divine in service to the Chantry. Leliana is only seen working behind the curtain in DA2. She later plays a major role as advisor and spymaster for the Inquisition. Using her intelligence and reconnaissance, she may help bring the rebel mages to the Inquisitor’s side.

As a Seeker, Cassandra Pentaghast serves to thwart any threat to the Chantry, pledging her utmost loyalty to the Divine alone. She had extensive training to become a stern warrior of the faith. She pursued Hawke - known to be a central figure in the growing conflict between the mages and the templars - leading her to interrogate Varric about Hawke’s whereabouts. Later the Breach opens after an unseen enemy murders Divine Justinia V. Cassandra becomes one of the first members of the Inquisition, knowing their pursuit to close the Breach will lead to the Divine’s murderer.

Divine Beatrix III was a former leader of the Chantry. She was the target of an assassination plot orchestrated by her expected successor, the Grand Cleric Callista. A young Cassandra thwarted the attempt, and Beatrix rewarded her with the title of right hand of the Divine. Beatrix lived to an old age, succumbing to senility before passing on the throne in 9:34, three years after the end of the Fifth Blight.

Orlais - Adamant Fortress

In 9:40 an apparent cure to Tranquility was discovered in Adamant Fortress.

Adamant is a fortress founded by the Grey Wardens on the edge of the Abyssal Rift in southwestern Orlais. Constructed by dwarves during the Second Blight to guard against darkspawn surfacing from the Rift, its metal ramparts and walls of dark jetstone are as intimidating as any weapon. The fortress was overrun by demons when the mage Pharamond conducted experiments with the Veil. Later it once again played host to the Grey Wardens, who the Inquisitor had to rout to reach one of Corypheus’ conspirators.

Orlais - The Dales

In -165 Maferath gave the Dales to the elves as a new homeland, for the service in their battle against the Imperium. The Long Walk began as a massive influx of elves settled the region. In 2:20 Dalish elven settlements were uprooted as the Dales fell.

The Dales is a vast, verdant region in southeast Orlais with a history steeped in both the joyous tears of refugees and battle-spilled blood. Thedas’ elves were given the Dales as a home and lived there for three centuries until they were chased out by the Chantry during the Exalted Marches. Today, the scars from that battle remain across the Exalted Plains, its dead are buried in the Emerald Graves, and the abandoned elven capital of Halamshiral serves as a seasonal destination for Orlesian nobility. However, the weather-worn elven stone relics remain in its forests, ever watching.

Orzammar

In -1170 the first Paragons were elected - the Orzammar Proving Grounds were then expanded to encompass Grand Provings, previously held in Kal-Sharok. The best warriors of these provings became the first of Orzammar’s Paragons. Stonehammer built a hall to house huge statues in their honor. In 9:30 there was conflict in Orzammar after the death of King Endrin Aeducan. He died of grief over the loss of his oldest and middle children, leaving only his youngest child, Bhelen, to inherit the throne. The conflict broke out over succession when Lord Pyral Harrowmont accused Bhelen of fratricide.

Buried deep beneath the Frostback Mountains lies the city of Orzammar: the dwarven capital and one of the last remaining great thaigs. Hewn from rock, its architecture is a sight to behold as the peoples’ quarters rise up towards the cavern roof, with royalty living near the very ceiling. The dwarves of Orzammar are separated by caste, with the nobility followed by warriors, who are followed by the smiths, then the artisans, with the casteless at the very bottom. To be born into a caste is to live it throughout your days, unless one should leave the city for the surface world - for those dwarves have abandoned the stone, and are the lowest of them all.

Bhelen Aeducan is a noble dwarf of Orzammar, once considered the least of King Endrin’s children. He proves to be much more devious than he initially appears. He stood to gain the throne, and it was up to the Warden to decide if he was fit to rule or if his position should be taken by the man King Endrin elected over his own son. If he was not elected, he revolted and was killed. If he was crowned, he dissolved the Assembly so that he could rule alone, but opened up trade to foreign kingdoms and improved the lives of casteless dwarves.

A genius dwarf of exemplary smithing ability, Branka was named Paragon among her people - so valuable she surpasses the caste system, the first in four centuries - for her inventions. However, before the events of the Fifth Blight, Branka went in search of an ancient dwarven artifact and disappeared. The Warden discovered Branka attempting to recover the Anvil of the Void, used to turn dwarves into golemns. She had long since gone insane, sacrificing her followers to the traps that kept her from the anvil, and the Warden had to choose whether to assist or stop her.

The Deep Roads

In -380 the darkspawn multiplied and attacked en masse, concentrating first on the underground Deep Roads used by the dwarves. As the dwarven thaigs fell, the darkspawn used the Deep Roads to reach the edges of the Imperium. They surfaced and chaos ensued. In -248 Paragon Caridin vanished, taking the secret of golems’ construction with him. The secret stayed buried for ages. In 5:24 darkspawn continued to attack the Deep Roads, but nobody except the Wardens seemed to care that they infested the Roads all the way to Orzammar. In 9:14, underneath Ferelden, the intelligent darkspawn known as the Architect attempted to unearth and kill the remaining Old Gods and taint the entire surface world. His efforts were thwarted by King Maric and a band of Wardens. In 9:28 Paragon Branka ventured into the Deep Roads to begin the search for the Anvil of the Void. In 9:31 Hawke ventured into the Deep Roads with brothers Varric and Bartrand Tethras after being released from servitude and helping to fund the expedition. This Deep Roads Expedition at Kirkwall discovered an ancient thaig that pre-dated the First Blight. Inside is lyrium that glows red. An idol made of the strange lyrium was recovered.

The Deep Roads are a system of underground tunnels built long ago by the dwarves, connecting the once-populous thaigs beneath all corners of Thedas. Centuries of planning are demonstrated in their construction: the geometry of their walls, the Paragon statues that watch over travelers, and the flow of lava keeping the tunnels lit and warm. Following the First Blight, the Deep Roads were overrun with darkspawn. The city of Orzammar sealed off any entrances to the tunnels, leaving the darkspawn to conquer all thaigs save Kal-Sharok. Though brave travelers still use them, these roads that once belonged to the dwarves now belong to the darkspawn.

Paragon Caridin was a dwarf from an ancient era. After discovering how to craft golems using the Anvil of the Void, he was named Paragon among his people. However, he disappeared, along with the secrets of golem construction. He re-emerged a thousand years later, now a golem himself. It is revealed that casteless dwarves, prisoners and political enemies were being turned into golems against their will. When Caridin stood up to the king’s abuse of the Anvil, Caridin himself was turned into a golem. Caridin asked the Warden to destroy the Anvil before any more harm may come to the innocent.

The Architect is a darkspawn emissary. Contrary to normal darkspawn emissaries - who ensure loyalty among darkspawn ranks to the Archdemon during Blights - the Architect seeks to sever ties to the Archdemons, bestowing free will upon the darkspawn horde. His efforts resulted in a civil war among the awakened darkspawn, which the Hero of Ferelden had to quell. It is later revealed that, though unintentional, the Architect was responsible for corrupting one of the Old Gods, resulting in the Fifth Blight.

Bartrand Tethras is a noble dwarf of Orzammar who was relegated to the surface with his family. Addicted to amassing wealth, Bartrand would work every angle for money and power, even if it killed him. Hawke accompanied Bartrand and his brother Varric into the Deep Roads. Upon discovering a statue of red lyrium, Bartrand betrayed Varric and Hawke, leaving them to die. When Hawke later caught up to the deserter, Bartrand had gone mad with lyrium poisoning, leaving Varric to choose: commit his brother to a sanitarium, or put him out of his madness.

Amgarrak

In -4600 the elves are believed to have made first contact with the dwarves. In 9:31 Amgarrak was overrun by twisted creatures known as Harvesters after failed attempts to recreate Caridin’s golen research.

Amgarrak is an abandoned thaig located in the Deep Roads. Dedicated to rediscovering the mysteries of golem construction - an art that disappeared with its creator, Caridin - its rulers sought to increase their wealth by manufacturing and selling golems. However, Amgarrak fell silent, and the thaig today stands completely silent. The Warden ventured into the city, tracing the trail of an expedition that had hoped to discover the research into golemn production, and instead found an unspeakable horror, which they had to destroy in order to have any hope of escape.

General & Ferelden

Ferelden founded in 5:82.

Roughly in -8400, Arlathan was founded some three thousand years before the arrival of humans on the continent. The date of this is so far removed from recorded history that it is difficult to pinpoint in Chantry years. Records claim the first humans arrive in Thedas around -3900. This is disputed by scholars, who ask where humans came from and why they left. Around -2850 elves are said to have first noticed their quickening, ending their immortality and frightening them into withdrawal from human contact. This is thought by many to be mere legend. In -2800 the first human mages appeared, as at this time the Old Gods are said to have begun whispering to humanity from the Golden City. They taught the Dreamers of the Neromenian tribes magic. Power shifted, and those Dreamers became both kings and priests among their people. In -1815 the Alamarri living near Lake Calenhad broke away, becoming/forming the Avvar tribe. The two groups warred with each other for centuries. In -1700, the Neromenian tribes split to form four kingdoms: Tevinter, Neromenian, Barindur and Qarinus. In -1595 blood magic was first practised when Thalsian, also known as the First Priest of Dumat, became the first known human to wield it. He claimed to learn the art after personally communicating with Dumat, an Old God.

In -1195, Darinius united Tevinter and Qarinus, forming the mighty Tevinter Imperium. He declared himself the first Archon. In -981 tensions between Tevinter and the elves turned to open war. The Imperium besieged Arlathan. In -975, the years-long seige of Arlathan ended when Tevinter is said to have sunk the city into the ground using blood magic. The surviving elves were enslaved. In -395, in secret, a group of the most powerful Tevinter magisters opened a gate into the Golden City, entering it physically. They were cast violently back into the physical world twisted and corrupted as the first darkspawn. In -203 the prophet Andraste was born in Ferelden. The exactly year of her date is hotly contested by scholars. In -187 Andraste married Maferath, an Alamarri chieftain. In -186 she began preaching of a new creator, whom she called the Maker. The more she said, the more her following grew. Maferath used her teachings to unite the Alamarri clans under his authority. In -170 her loyal disciple Havard collected her ashes and carried them back to Ferelden. In -135 her ashes disappeared, revealed ages later to have been stored away at the Temple of Sacred Ashes in Haven. In -130 Andraste’s disciples created the Chant of Light, collecting her teachings into hymns.

In -100 the original Inquisition was founded, a loose association of Andrastian hard-liners who hunted heretics and mages in the name of the Maker. In -30 the city-state of Antiva expanded to become a nation. In -11 the Cult of the Maker continued to spread and gain popularity in the south. One of Andraste’s most fervent followers was the young king of Orlais, Kordillus Drakon. In 1:05 the Second Blight began in the Anderfels after the Old God Zazikel awoke. In 1:20 the Chantry and the Inquisition signed the Nevarran Accord. Senior members of the Inquisition formed the Seekers of Truth. As part of the Accord the Circle of Magi was created/formed. Mages were now formally allowed to practise magic under the close watch of the Chantry. With the creation of the Circle, the Templar Order was formed to police magic use. In 1:33 the Grey Wardens converted to the Chantry. In 1:95 the Second Blight ended when the last battle was fought at Starkhaven. In 2:20 Divine Renata I ordered the establishment of the first elven alienages. Many elves instead became nomads. In 3:00 Flemeth is said to have been born in the Fereldan village of Highever. In 3:10 the Old God Toth awoke, spurring the Third Blight. In 3:25 the Third Blight ended when Toth was destroyed after the armies of Orlais and Tevinter met in Hunter Fell to join the Grey Wardens for the last battle.

In 5:10 the Grey Wardens signed treaties with the various teryns in Ferelden. They were welcomed into Ferelden and entered the land in a permanent fashion. They built a fortress in Denerim as well as several small outposts to watch for signs of darkspawn. In 5:12 the Fourth Blight began with the awakening of the Old God Andoral. In 5:22 Garahel united armies to march against the darkspawn. He gathered Wardens from Orlais and the Anderfels, then marched to Starkhaven, where he organized an alliance between the leaders of the Free Marches. The united army then marched north under the griffon banner. Many griffons were killed during the Fourth Blight. By 5:25, their numbers decimated, they soon died out and became extinct. In 5:42 Calenhad Theirin was crowned King in Denerim, uniting the long-warring tribes of Ferelden under a single banner. By 6:15 dragons had been hunted to near-extinction thanks to methods pioneered by the Pentaghast family of Nevarra. The Pentaghasts became known across the continent as legendary dragon hunters.

In 6:30 the Qunari landed in massive numbers on Par Vollen and handily conquered it, unbeknownst to the rest of the continent. In 7:05, after losing the Fereldan throne to her cousin Arland, Sophia Dryden joined the Grey Wardens and rose to the rank of Warden-Commander in Ferelden. In 7:84 the Qunari War ended after a meeting between the Qunari and envoys from all Thedosian nations except Tevinter was called at Llomerryn. The Llomerryn Accords were signed, ushering in an uneasy peace. In 8:24 Fereldan King Vanedrin Theirin was killed by Orlesian invaders. Calenhad’s sword, Nemetos, was lost. In 8:25 young King Brandel, Vanedrin’s son, was unable to unite the kingdom beneath him, and Ferelden became plunged into a mire of blood and battle. In 8:96 Brandel’s daughter, the “Rebel Queen” Moira, was assassinated. Orlesian forces leveraged her death to tighten their grip on Ferelden. Her son Maric escaped. In 8:98, the Fereldan rebels, led by the young King Maric, took the isolated port town of Gwaren, their first major victory since the death of Queen Moira.

In 8:99 at the Battle of West Hill, the Fereldan army was devastated by Orlesian forces. Survivors retreated to Gwaren. Maric was presumed dead. Also this year dragons re-emerged first in Antiva, having been believed to have been hunted into extinction. They devastated rural Orlais and Nevarra. Repeated attempts to cull their numbers resulted in heavy casualties. Later, with the aid of the Legion of the Dead, King Maric emerged from the Deep Roads under Gwaren. At the Battle of River Dane, Fereldan rebels comanded by Loghain Mac Tir turned the tide against their Orlesian occupiers. Crown prince of Ferelden Cailan was born in 9:05 to Maric and Queen Rowan. In 9:10 King Maric allowed the Grey Wardens to return to Ferelden after two ages of exile for their failed coup attempt. In 9:25 Cailan married Anora. In 9:30 a senior Fereldan Warden named Duncan recruits Alistair and others to put down the impending Blight. Among his recruits was the future Hero of Ferelden. The Fifth Blight ended in 9:31 when a united Ferelden, led by the Hero, slays Urthemiel at the Battle of Denerim. Later the Architect freed an intelligent broodmother called the Mother from the call of the Old Gods. She went insane and attempted to undo his work. A new breed of talking darkspawn emerged. Some pledged allegiance to the Mother and some followed the Architect.

The geographically diverse nation of Ferelden in southeast Thedas is known for its verdant fields in the Hinterlands, primeval Brecilian Forest and intimidating Frostback Mountains. Considered relatively primitive by other nations, having only begun to civilize in the last few centuries, Ferelden has often been beset by invaders seeking to conquer the kingdom. But having stood up even to the Fifth Blight, Ferelden has proven itself a nation not easily conquered. In DAI, its monarchy saw fit to grant rebel mages asylum within its borders. However, the templars pursued the mages, bringing war to the Hinterlands.

While he appeared as an ash wraith in DAO, protecting the urn of Andraste’s ashes, in life Havard was a warrior and friend to her husband. Havard is known as one of the first of Andraste’s disciples. Following Maferath’s betrayal of Andraste, Havard disowned the man he once called friend. He recovered Andraste’s ashes following her execution at the stake, and returned them to her Alamarri homeland.

Flemeth: Sorcerer. Dragon. Abomination. Immortal. There are many words to describe Flemeth, known as the storied Witch of the Wilds, mother of Morrigan. Most are tales told to scare children, but there may be motes of truth in each. Flemeth makes several appearances, always on the fringes, working towards some unknown goal. Morrigan describes her as one to be feared, whose true power is unknown. Is she a human? Demon? Or perhaps something more?

Sophia Dryden was the commander of the Grey Warden forces at Soldier’s Peak during the Storm Age. After instigating a rebellion, the kingdom of Ferelden wiped out the wardens at the fortress, and the Dryden name became synonymous with treason. 200 years after the rebellion was quelled, the Hero of Ferelden journeyed to Soldier’s Peak to find ghosts of the deceased reenacting their final battle. Sophia lived, possessed by a demon summoned during the skirmish, and it was up to the Warden whether she continued on as a puppet or if the demon was to be permanently exorcized.

King Maric was the hero king who reclaimed Ferelden from the Orlesian forces early in the Dragon Age. He was the father of Cailan and Alistair, and the close friend of Loghain, his trusted military advisor. His rule ended when he disappeared at sea in 9:25, 5 years before the Fifth Blight. Despite persisting rumors that Maric was still arrive, his son Cailan inherited the throne. Alistair later put those rumors to bed.

Friend to Maric, father to Queen Anora, and a high-ranking general, Loghain Mac Tir was a revered war hero who helped free Ferelden from Orlesian occupation. However, he disgraced himself at the Battle of Ostagar by ordering his troops to retreat, resulting in the death of his daughter’s husband King Cailan. The Warden chose whether to execute Loghain or allow him to join the Wardens. If allowed to live, he will make appearances in subsequent games in the series.

Before she was Queen, Rowan Guerrin fought alongside Maric Theirin and Loghain Mac Tir in the war to reclaim Ferelden from Orlesian occupation. Betrothed to Maric, she became Queen when Maric took the throne. Maric and Rowan had one child together, Cailan, who inherited the throne after Maric went missing at sea. Rowan died of an illness when Cailan was still very young. Rowan was known for her relationship with both Maric and Loghain, and for her battle prowess.

Cailan Theirin was the half-brother of Alistair and king of Ferelden. He was husband to Anora, General Loghain Mac Tir’s daughter. An honorable (if naive) king, Cailan saw the Fifth Blight as a chance to bring glory to his reign, and led Ferelden’s army to fight the darkspawn at the Battle of Ostagar. When Loghain treacherously ordered the reinforcements under his command to retreat without entering the battle, Cailan - alongside almost all of Ferelden’s Grey Wardens - was killed.

Anora Mac Tir/Theirin: Wife of King Cailan Theirin and also the daughter of Teryn Loghain Mac Tir, a general whose treachery at the battle of Ostagar led to the death of her husband. Stalwart and shrewd, she takes her husband’s place as ruler of Ferelden, a role she is more than capable of filling. Accused of treason, captured by her father’s lieutenant and then rescued by the Warden, Anora helps the Hero depose her father. She may then be reinstated as ruler and make appearances in subsequent games.

Alistair Theirin is a young Grey Warden. Swift with both his tongue and his sword, he proved to be a key member of the Hero’s party, especially after discovering he is the bastard son of King Maric, putting him in line for the throne. He can either choose to pursue or abandon his nobility. He later goes in search of his father.

Ferelden - Ostagar

In 9:30 the Battle of Ostagar ended in devastation when it was lost when Loghain quit the field, leaving the assembled Wardens trapped behind darkspawn lines. The Wardens, with the exception of Alistair and the future Hero, were slaughtered.

Ostagar is a fortress on the southern edge of Ferelden, bordering on the Korcari Wilds. It represents the farthest point of encroachment by the Tevinter Imperium into the barbarian lands of the southeast, and was once one of the most important defensive holdings south of the Waking Sea. It was abandoned four centuries ago and has since fallen into disrepair. It served as the final battleground of King Cailan, the Grey Warden Duncan and a number of Fereldan soldiers who fall to the darkspawn horde in an attempt to halt the Fifth Blight, forever known as the Battle of Ostagar.

Ferelden - Korcari Wilds

The Fifth Blight began here in 9:30 after the Architect attempted to make a disciple of the Old God Urthemiel.

The Korcari Wilds are a dangerous, uncharted region in southern Ferelden, a wasteland that spawned the Fifth Blight in 9:30. The perpetual mist that surrounds the wilds is rumored to be a curse, and upon entering its twisted woods, few would argue this to be untrue. Dangerous beasts and Dalish elves call the wilds home, but none are considered more menacing than Flemeth, a Witch of the Wilds. She and her long line of daughters were said to have lived in the Wilds for decades before the Fifth Blight.

Morrigan is a powerful witch from the Korcari Wilds. She works towards her enigmatic goals from behind the scenes. She fears her mother Flemeth, the fabled Witch of the Wilds, whom she believes intends to steal Morrigan’s body to remain forever young. Thus Morrigan seeks out power to escape her mother’s influence. She served as a primary member of the Hero’s party and then pursues the eluvians - elven mirrors that can transport people beyond the Fade - and vanishes, but not before hinting that great change is coming to the world. She later returns having found a place of power within the Orlesian court.

Ferelden - Denerim

Sacked by the Orlesian Empire in 8:44. The Empire then claimed victory and drove King Brandel into hiding. In 9:08 Queen Rowan died. In 9:10 Alistair, a future hero of the Fifth Blight, was born in Ferelden. In 9:25 King Maric was presumed dead at sea and his son Cailan was crowned King.

Capital of Ferelden. Known across Thedas as the birthplace of Andraste. The reality of the city is far less pious: brothels line the dirty streets while the population is often left to take the law into their own hands - if they weren’t the ones already committing the crime, that is. A person’s standing can be gathered by how close they live to Fort Drakon, the building around which the city was built. The interior, where the streets are cobblestone, is home to the elite, while the outer edges are occupied by the lower classes.

Ferelden - Fort Drakon

In 9:00 Maric succeeded at driving the Orlesian occupying force out. He killed the usurper King Meghren in a duel atop Fort Drakon.

A fort with a spire that appears to caress the clouds, Fort Drakon is the tallest and oldest structure within Ferelden’s capital, Denerim. Built as a Tevinter outpost, the collapse of the Imperium let the fortress fall into Fereldan hands. Denerim formed around the building and it now serves as the city’s centerpiece. The final battle between the Hero and the Archdemon in the Fifth Blight took place atop Fort Drakon’s spire. The rooftop also served as the battleground between King Maric and the usurper King Meghren, as they duelled for control of Ferelden.

Ferelden - Soldier’s Peak

In 7:05, Arland was a tyrant. Banns approached Sophia, asking her to intercede. She agreed and attempted a coup against her cousin. Arland banned Wardens from Ferelden and killed Sophia at Soldier’s Peak.

Build decades after the Second Blight as an HQ for Warden forces. Prior to its construction, Wardens had lived in the castles of nobility with spare quarters. The erection of the fortress provided a dedicated environment for Wardens to live and train. However, following a Warden rebellion in which their forces were wiped out, Soldier’s Peak has since fallen into disuse. The Hero journeyed to the fortress and found it to be filled with demons and ghosts of Wardens long dead, repeatedly living out their final battle.

Ferelden - Dragonbone Wastes

In 9:31 the Mother was slain here by the Hero, now the nation’s Warden-Commander. In 9:32 rumors arose of someone resembling Morrigan, a hero of the Fifth Blight, alive in the Wastes. The Hero investigated.

The Dragonbone Wastes of southern Thedas are littered with the bones of long-dead dragons. Drakes and dragonlings stalk the remains, and even high dragons can be encountered, should one be so unfortunate. Centuries ago, the Tevinter Imperium believed the bones of dragons to hold magical properties and built numerous structures - now abandoned - to gather the remains. Following the events of the Fifth Blight, a darkspawn broodmother roosted in the Wastes, birthing an army of grotesque children. She was routed by the Hero.

Kal’Hirol

In -255 Paragon Caridin created the first golem in an effort to fight the darkspawn scourge. The dwarves of Orzammar reclaimed Kal’Hirol thaig in 9:31.

Kal’Hirol was one of the great thaigs of the dwarven kingdom. Monumental strides in dwarven smithing - such as improving golems and researching how to store and handle lyrium - brought immense wealth to the city, though it would later fall to the darkspawn. The Hero journeyed here to destroy a nest of broodmothers and learned about a noble sacrifice made be some of its populace during the darkspawn invasion. Kal’Hirol is eventually cleared of darkspawn and reclaimed by the dwarves in 9:31.

#dragon age #bioware #video games #alistair theirin #cassandra pentaghast #fav warden #my lady paladin #morrigan #queen of my heart #all stuff contained on the wiki and previously told to us in the games books etc #but I just wanted to have all the stuff from that section of the Keep in one place #especially since clicking around the various mini-menus in the map icons gets kind of annoying #ref stuff #cut for length ofc

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arpeggio-the-parrot · 3 years

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The baby is here! Well, he’s been here, but now he has a ref!

Arpeggio Junior is my fanbaby with Arpeggio because I am that trashy. Though, he’s now technically Arpeggio and my birdsona’s kid because that’s a looot less weird and easier to explain.

Oh yeah, I don’t think I ever told y’all that my headcanon surname for Arpeggio is Plumewall and he’s a species of macaw that I made up!

Read below for bio, personality, and relationships info!

NAME - Arpeggio Plumewall Jr. (also known as “Arpeggio Falco” on legal documents and “Arpy”, affectionately)

SEX - Male

D.o.B. - 2 June 2005 (Age 15 y/o as of 6/2/2020)

SPECIES - Hybrid Avian (Golden macaw (Ara aureus) X Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)

BIO

Arpeggio Plumewall Jr. was conceived just prior to the events of the end of the Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and hatched in the room of an English inn somewhere in the countryside. During this time, his father, Arpeggio, was absent and believed to be deceased, and so Arpeggio Junior spent the first several months of his life with only his mother, Samantha Falco, and his father’s former housemaid, Lucille Quillsby. Though he hatched prematurely, he has no lasting physical setbacks that his early hatching might have resulted in. The avian women eventually left the United Kingdom for the United States; specifically to Samantha’s hometown of Deerkill, New York, where Arpeggio Jr. would grow up.

Despite his father’s criminal history and his mother belonging to a known syndicate of thieving families, Arpeggio Jr. currently lives a rather typical life in the otherwise odd and mysterious town that is Deerkill. His parents nor other household members no longer partake in crime for Arpeggio Junior’s sake, though he’s only vaguely aware of his parents’ criminal history.

Arpeggio Jr. is currently a sophomore and the president of his class at Deerkill High School, where he often partakes in electives and extracurricular activities pertaining to engineering and art.

PERSONALITY

Arpeggio Jr. is a passive and introverted young bird. He is moderately self-conscious of his very own existence as the offspring of two former criminals, and as a result refrains from forming close friendships with others out of fear of blowing his family’s cover.

Arpeggio Jr. is a skilled manipulator when he wants to be, using his positive image built up by his high grades and exemplary behavior to his advantage in covering his tracks. Despite his parents’ discouragement of him being involved in any mischief whatsoever, Arpeggio Jr. relishes the rush of the occasional prank or other forms of typical teenage mayhem.

Like his father, Arpeggio Jr. has a keen interest in inventing, which began to show from a very young age as he would build rather complex structures and contraptions using his toy wooden blocks. He is also quite fond of the fine and performing arts (though more so the former) and regularly partakes in drawing and painting as a secondary hobby while participating in his high school’s choir as one of the lead tenors.

He is rather sensitive towards feral (wild-type) animals, particularly birds. He has a tendency to take in small injured ferals from his outings in the woods around his home, and sometimes ends up crafting his own devices and other mechanisms that aid in his patients’ physical rehabilitation.

Likes

- Creating things (concepting/building inventions or drawing/painting)

- Exploring in nature

- Partaking in minor acts of teenage mischief

Dislikes

- Rainy weather

- Law enforcement figures

- Mr. Brett Douglas, the school choir instructor

- Loud noises such as thunder, fireworks, gunfire, etc.

- Sentient robots (weird innate fear he has)

Misc. Facts

- His favorite music genres are punk rock and grunge

- He’s extremely allergic to avocado, like his father

- In terms of food, he’s a huge fan of Italian dishes

- His voice sounds like that of Ned Bigby from Ned’s Declassified

- He has generalized anxiety disorder but manages it rather well on his own

- In his later teenage years, he comes to identify himself as grey asexual

RELATIONSHIPS

Samantha Falco-Plumewall

Samantha, a peregrine falcon, is Arpeggio Jr.’s mother and primary caregiver who cares very deeply for and is very protective over her only child. She named him after his father, who was presumed to be deceased at the time of her son’s hatching and for several months after, to honor his memory. In Samantha’s eyes, Arpeggio Jr. is not only her son but a miniature version of her husband (this is also due to Arpeggio Jr.’s own interests and hobbies, which are very much influenced by Arpeggio’s) who she must try to “remodel” so as to prevent him from meeting a similar fate similar to or worse than his father’s.

Though she and her husband, Arpeggio, are legally married, she has their son’s name on all legal documents with her surname so as to not attract the law’s attention to the family, which was something she, for whatever reason, didn’t consider when literally naming her child after a fugitive wanted by INTERPOL at the time.

Arpeggio Plumewall

Arpeggio Plumewall Sr., or simply Arpeggio, is (obviously) Arpeggio Jr.’s father. Arpeggio only knew of his son’s existence when he decided to locate his secret lover, Samantha Falco, after months of being in hiding. Being one who never wanted children due to his own “faulty genes”, Arpeggio did not take well to finding out he’d become a father during his time on the run. Although, in his desire to reintegrate himself to society as a typical law-abiding citizen, he reluctantly came to accept his new life as a husband and father in some rural American town, though it took a while for his parental instincts to kick in.

Arpeggio Jr. is strikingly similar (if not identical) to his father in his physical appearance, which has lent to Arpeggio’s view of his son as a new version of himself--though not to be involved in any criminal schemes.

Arpeggio Jr. looks up to his father, believing him to be a famed English engineer who was exiled/deported from his home country instead of being imprisoned for some vaguely-explained crime. He does suspect something more to his father’s past as he gets older, though his father will only feed him new hints of information every now and then, telling him only what he deems his son can handle--and forbidding his wife from divulging details of his past without his consent.

Though Arpeggio comes off as a stern and aloof father in the eyes of many, he does genuinely care about his son and wants nothing more than an easy, lawful life for his only child.

Lucille Quillsby

Lucille Quillsby, or simply “Lucy”, a white dove, is Arpeggio’s former personal maid. She remained with Samantha after the events of Sly 2 and helped her care for an infant Arpeggio Jr. in Arpeggio’s absence. Lucy is an aunt-like figure to Arpeggio Jr., though he refers to her as his grandmother to others given her noticeably older age compared to his mother. Lucy would normally be offended by this, but permits Arpeggio Jr. to do so given the family’s situation. Lucy has a strong motherly instinct rivaled only by the boy’s biological mother’s and, given her tumultuous relationship with her former boss, is very quick to criticize Arpeggio’s parenting.

Milo Beakley

A stocky toco toucan who was the former head of Arpeggio’s personal security force, Milo currently resides with the Plumewalls as the family’s bodyguard. Milo is regularly tasked with accompanying Arpeggio Jr. on the boy’s “solo” adventures in the woods or around town. While Arpeggio Jr. doesn’t dislike Milo, he hates being shadowed by him and often finds ways to lose him on their outings. Though not a fan of the bodyguard aspect of Milo’s role in the household, Arpeggio Jr. and Milo often partner up for more rigorous physical activities in which the boy’s father cannot partake due his own physical shortcomings.

Brett Douglas

Mr. Brett Douglas, a turkey vulture, is the choir instructor at Arpeggio Junior’s high school. Though he possesses a friendly demeanor with a dry sense of humor, Mr. Douglas comes off as “creepy” and “off” to many of his students, especially to Arpeggio Jr., who fascinates Mr. Douglas due to his name being that of a musical term. Arpeggio Jr. is highly suspect of Mr. Douglas and, with some of his peers, has created a small, secret organization with the goal of “exposing” him.

#sly cooper #arpeggio #sly cooper fc #fan character #my art #arpeggio jr.#fanbaby #sly 2

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justgottafinishthischapter · 5 years

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Worldbuilding Tips: The Five Visitors

You’ve done it. You’ve come up with an idea for your fantasy world, but right now it’s mostly curb appeal and decorations without much else. So, you have the skin and flavor of your fictional world, but what if you’re having a bit of trouble coming up with the meat needed to make your world juicy and delicious? Well, I have a little game that can help flesh out your world.

Imagine a ship or whatever other kind of vehicle arriving on the shores or outskirts of your fantasy land and from that vehicle emerges 5 people from our own mundane world: a historian, an economist, an anthropologist, a diplomat, and a cartographer. There are some other visitors, but these are going to be the most universally beneficial.

The Historian:

This person is going to be interested in the backstory of your world. They don’t need to know every minuscule detail (though they wouldn’t turn that much information down) and just a general overview would be much obliged. Many fantasy worlds such as Tolkien’s Middle Earth and Martin’s Westeros are far more rich and interesting due to the amount of effort put into crafting their world’s histories. If you’re stumped, look to real world history for inspiration. It doesn’t even need to come from the middle ages so long as it works for your story. You should be able to answer questions like: How long has the dominant civilization been around? What are the biggest defining moments in your world’s history? What things are common knowledge that every child is expected to learn (such as George Washington being the first president of the USA) and which stuff is known more by historians and social studies teachers? And as you’re discussing the rest of the visitors, think back on how the answers you give would impact the historical aspect.

The Economist:

You don’t have to know the exact cost of every single thing in your world, but have a good guess. Be able to at least have a scale of price. If someone can buy a loaf of bread for 13 of your world’s currency, but a house costs 17, that would mean that either that bread is very expensive, that house is very cheap, or each unit of your currency is equal to a lot of real world money. Whatever you use to refer to your currency, keep not only price scaling in mind, but economics. If you have a port city, there’s going to be a lot of merchants in that area. The first primary export you’re likely to see in such a port town would be seafood, but also keep in mind the things that are closet to that port, as well as the climate. Greece for instance is a very rocky and mountainous country, so while they can grow crops, they would not have been any match for medieval French Aquitaine, the crown jewel of medieval farming territory. It’s also worth remembering that food in the middle ages was far more valuable than it is today. There was an old saying that wheat is worth its weight in gold. It was southern France’s bountiful soil that caused it to become one of the richest and most coveted territories in medieval Europe. So, keep in mind where resources would come from and where they would need to go, as well as trade that would be useful. A seaside farming town might not have any good access to raw minerals, while a city in the frozen mountainous north might not be able to grow crops, but are bountiful in minerals. The correlation of supply and demand now opens a vital trade route between them. This becomes more complex when the topic of war comes into play. The kingdom that supplies your crops and food is at war with your oldest ally. Now there’s a dilemma between having enough food to feed your people, or betraying the trust of a long time friend. Now your world building can be used as a part of your drama and narrative tension. The economy also impacts culture. What is considered a display of wealth, or is a common status symbol? What are the living conditions of the poor, the working class, the rich, and the aristocrats? Is there upward mobility? In the middle ages, you were what you were for the most part, especially serfs: peasants tied to their land. It was illegal to leave your territory, but there was a saying in the middle ages that “city air makes you free” that once a serf made it to a city, they’d be free of the life they’ve escaped.

The Anthropologist:

Every society has a culture. The way they act, think, dress, believe, talk. It’s all impacted by culture. Beliefs tend to be tied either to what has come before, or based on the world as observed. While many modern fantasy pantheons are based on ancient Greece, it’s not the only model to live by. In a loose interpretation, religion in it’s earliest stages was a rudimentary science used to explain why things happened. A culture that developed along rivers, sea coasts, and other popular trade routes are far more likely to be diverse melting pots due to the frequent traffic of people coming and going, and the common sight of foreigners choosing to set down roots. Meanwhile, a more out of the way and isolated culture is far less likely to have widespread cultural diversity. Tying back into history, a country that has experienced a number of successful wars may tend to think of themselves as invincible, or may try to police the issues of other countries, assuming they’re always on the right side, or that they can’t be defeated. The same culture may ask a high price of any other culture that asks them for militaristic support. Ask what things your people value, be they material or abstract ideals. However, try to refrain from creating a Planet of Hats, a trope often seen in Star Trek and similar Sci-Fi shows and even some Fantasy stories where everyone of a single race all have mostly the same skills, interests, personalities, and roles in the global culture. This is also the time to start thinking about myths, legends, folk heroes, and historical people and events worth celebrating, as this may be when you start to craft holidays or celebrations. This could also lead into discussing religion, and the gods or lack there of that might be celebrated by your culture. How does your society reflect itself in art, music, literature, dance. Does the way someone dresses tell you something about their place in society? Some taboos come from simple logic. The reason it’s frowned upon to eat a cow in India is the same reason it’s immoral to eat horse in western culture. Both are beast of burden livestock worth a lot more alive than dead. Cows produce milk, a source of nutrients and health. Horses are strong and were used in just about everything from plowing fields to pulling entire families or communities a great distance. Horses even became status symbols, as even in modern culture, owning a horse or pony is still considered to be (largely) a snobby rich person thing. Understanding not only what your people believe, but even just a vague idea why they would believe it is a vital aspect.

The Diplomat:

As this landing party is your fantasy world’s first contact with our own reality. How would they react to the newcomers? If there’s more than one society in your world, how would each society, country, kingdom, race, etc. react to something completely foreign? Would they try to forge an alliance? Open trade negotiations? Declare war? Prepare a feast? How would they feel about the way we dress? act? talk? How would they react to different levels of progression in technology? Could an unbiased third party from our world help two feuding sides come to peace with one another? How would they feel about knowing of a world beyond their own? Are there actions or behaviors acceptable in our own society that are considered offensive to them?

The Cartographer:

Although it’s not necessary that all fantasy worlds have a fully designed map, it is a good idea to have at least a rough idea of where things are in relation to one another. This can tell you about climate, resources, wildlife, natural borders, natural disasters, food chains, and more. It’s worth at least taking a crash course in understanding how geographical biomes tend to be laid out in order to make your world feel more real. Some authors claim that a world map is the single most important feature, others say it’s not that important. Frankly, trust your gut based on the kind of world you have. You may need a map, you may not. It really depends on the size and scope of your world. For instance, with Disney’s

Zootopia

, the entire world doesn’t matter. The audience doesn’t need to know where in the world Zootopia is, or what climate or biome it’s in. Zootopia itself is the world being built, and the separate districts and biomes of the city explain the world that’s being focused on.

Secondary Visitors:

They may still be important to your world, but are less likely to be universally helpful to all people.

Biologist: if your world has creatures beyond those found in our real world, it may be worth exploring how their bodies work on a more scientific level in order to give more realistic weight to their supernatural abilities.

Linguist/Translator: If you feel compelled to come up with a language no matter how basic or complex, it may be worth while to consider the problems with communication. this may also extend to unique idioms, colloquialisms, and slang native to your fantasy world.

Teacher/Scholar: Regardless of whether or not there is a formal education system in place in your world, a teacher may be interested in how knowledge is passed down, and what information the culture might have that would be unknown to people of our world. Whether that’s how to keep a wild animal from charging you, to knowing how to forge a mineral that exists only in your world, being able to readily answer questions is generally considered to be a good thing.

Healer: There may be healing spells in your world, there may not, but most fantasy stories tend to involve either action or adventure, both of which tend to cause fights. And since fights tend to lead to injuries, it’s important to know what can and cannot be treated, and how readily available these healing abilities are to the public.

#world building #worldbuilding #fantasy writing #writing tips #writing advice #writing worldbuilding

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maxparkhurst · 4 years

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Crimson

“In the quiet I sit and wonder,

If the image I had were real

Or just that…

An image crafted by my own desire.”

Two years ago

Max stood hidden in the shadowy depths of a Mariner’s Row alley. She watched as tentative raindrops crescendoed from a light drizzle to a full downpour. Rats scurried and took shelter from the storm in open rubbish bins. She only turned her collar to the cold and damp; this cold couldn’t penetrate the frigid numbness she already felt under the black tide’s pull. Her fingers stroked the vials tucked in the folds of her coat, the smooth glass grounding her in the moment.

Are you always going to be a victim?

A man separated from the throng of by-passers and descended into the alley. He walked with a hunch, shivering uncontrollably as he clawed at his neck. Max met him half-way, her myopic gaze drifting up to meet his shifting eyes. They only focused long enough for her to see the bright, desperate light glimmering in his dilated pupils. A cordial smile touched her lips.

“Fifty gold.”

The man bristled as his wild gaze narrowed in on Max. “You’re fucking with me…” he breathed in disbelief. “It was thirty last week!”

“Supply and demand.” Max shrugged. “Fifty. Unless you don’t want it.”

“How ‘bout I take that supply and demand bullshit and shove it up ya’ass!” His hands fell to his sides- revealing the angry, red blisters from where he’d been scratching- and flexed his fingers.

“You’re welcomed to.” Max kept her voice leveled as she procured a vial from her pocket. Its crimson contents stuck out against the gray-scale backdrop, drawing the man’s attention. “But,” she said with an enticing wave, “You’d get none of this.”

He stared long and hard at the vial. His expression darkened as he dropped his head, a hand untying the coin pouch from his belt. “Damn you,” he spat, tossing her the pouch, “And your price gouging.”

Max palmed the pouch and offered the vial out to the vagrant. He snatched it up and yanked the cork with his teeth, shooting down the crimson concoction. A sense of composure seemed to wash over him as his shoulders slackened and his breath evened. She held out the other three vials for him, watching with a measured smile as he pocketed them. “Same time next week?” she inquired.

“Fuck you.”

The vagrant turned briskly on a heel and charged out the alley. Max didn’t need an answer. She already knew he’d be back next week- they always came back for more.

*** Max laid sprawled out on her couch. It’d been here when she moved into the single room apartment, a relic from the previous owners. She made no plans to replace it, despite the pungent scent of tobacco and brine wafting from the futons. This wasn't a permanent domicile. She was only going to stay here long enough to settle Augustine’s custody papers. At least, that’d been her initial intent. Months since her release had passed in a blur. Finding an executor to authenticate their father’s will and write up Max’s legal guardianship over Auggie proved far more difficult than she could’ve imagined- and far more expensive.

She picked her head up and looked over to her poor excuse for an alchemist’s lab. Vials and alembics crowded a “refurbished” table she found in a back alley, a fresh batch of Crimson simmering over an old burner. The sight of its volatile contents made Max’s stomach turn sour. She collapsed back onto the couch and draped an arm over her eyes.

Crimson had been Vallory’s best kept secret; a secret not even her late husband knew existed. It was a secret she whispered in Max’s ear over a cigarette they shared. The memory still laid fresh in her mind. She could almost feel the cool night air; the heat radiating off of Vallory’s skin; the tenderness of her lips. She shared with Max a secret she’d given no one else and sealed it with a kiss. Her heart ached as she remembered how easily she caved under the woman’s will, allowing all of her vile secrets in.

“You love her...Don’t you?”

Max’s lips pressed into a thin line as the memory shifted. His voice, hoarse and cracked, echoed in the chambers of her mind. She could still see him on the backs of her eyelids, his bulging eyes staring up as he labored for breath. He smiled up at her through a froth of bile.

“She doesn’t love you… She loves no one but herself.”

She knew that now.

Vallory akinned Crimson to prison shackles. Users who typically sought it were looking for a bolster in strength. The poppy extract in it suppressed the flow of glutamate in the brain, blocking the sensation of pain. It was popular amongst brawler rings. But its suppressant properties wasn’t what kept people buying. It was the withdrawal symptoms which followed. Hives, chills, nausea, and fevers were only some of the physical components. Users would experience spells of paranoia, rage, and sometimes suicidal tendencies.

Max witnessed it all through her clients. She found most of them through the underground brawlers ring. While vaguely aware of Crimson’s backlash, Max hadn’t a clue of how potent it really was. She watched over the next several months as these hardy men dissolved into decrepit husks. They quaked and begged at her feet for their fixes, tethered to her bloated prices like rabid dogs. But just as they were shackled to Crimson, so was she.

The executor explained to Max that she’d need to prove her capability as a guardian. She needed to be able to provide a safe home, warm food, and clean clothes for Augustine before they’d let her touch custody papers. Without those said papers, she wasn’t allowed any near her brother. Their Aunt had made sure of it. When news of Max’s release arrived, she’d placed a restraining order which prevented Max from coming within sixty yards of Augustine. She hadn’t even gotten to see him when she found the notice nailed to her apartment door.

They stayed in touch through letters exchanged by way of bottles tucked in the bushes outside the library. Augustine said he found the idea appealing in one of his letters, drawing references to pirates. She had smiled at that one. His letters were what kept Max going most days. She’d read and reread them long into the nights, committing them to memory in case they should ever stop. Some made her laugh and others made her cry. He wrote about his studies; about him and Joseph at the shipyards; about the children from school; about Auntie’s unreasonable requests; about the heaviness in his heart. He wrote that he felt cold and empty; that people were cruel and this world was unfair; that sometimes he wished to go to sleep and never wake up. But mostly, he wrote about how he wanted her to come get him; how he wanted them to sail far away and start a new life; how he really just needed to see her again. In all of her letters, she promised him they would and that it was only a matter of time. She asked him to be patient.

Max’s savings had grown exponentially since she started dealing. A few more transactions and she’d be able to afford the executor and the process of their father’s will could begin. Ruining a few lives along the way seemed like an affordable price. While it’d be one she’d keep paying to ensure her brother’s happiness, it wasn’t one she took exceptional pleasure in. Self loathing sprouted in her chest. It took root not from guilt but from the fear. At first she thought this fear was of Augustine. What would he think about his murderous sister? She not only took the life of one man, but robbed many of theirs. They’d never know reprieve from their hunger for crimson, suffering long after she and her supply left the Kul’tiran Kingdom. He’d have nothing to think, though, because he’d never find out. Max hid her foot prints well and took every precaution to keep off suspicion. Her secret could die here in Boralus and no one would be the wiser. No, the only thing she feared was herself.

She’d broken a seal- made a decision which could never be undone. If she could kill once then she could again. If she could distribute Crimson in Boralus, what was to stop her from distributing in Stormwind? Temptation would always lurk in the back of her mind. She realized at that moment what a horrible thing Vallory had done. She hadn’t shared her secret out of love. No, it was out of malice towards her husband. All of it revenge for his treachery. She hadn’t cared about Max as a person. She’d only used her as a means to an end. Now, just as Max’s clients would never be free of Crimson, she’d never be free of Vallory. Every day she’d have to fight off these temptations; she’d have to fight to be better.

“I have to be better,” Max whispered into the dark room. The alembic simmered. Crimson replied with a bubbling boil. She bit down on her lip and ignored its tempting call. This would be the final batch, she vowed, and no more. No more back alley deals, no more drugs, no more drinking benders, no more shifty people, nothing. She needed to be better.

“I’ll be better tomorrow,” she promised to herself, “I have to be better. I have to be better for him. Better for Auggie.”

Better for Auggie.

Her new mantra. She recited it to herself, whispering it over and over again until she couldn’t recognise her own voice. To obtain anything something of equal value must be lost. She knew this to be her one and only truth.

She forfeited her ties with Vallory

And in return…

She’d be better for Auggie.

#The Alchemists #| Crimson |#Maxinora Parkhurst #backstory #IC #original writing #dribble #drabble

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itsclydebitches · 4 years

Text

RWBY Recaps: “A New Approach”

A friend of mine has a van that she calls the Fun Bus. Oh that’s cute, I thought. I should chuck that into a recap sometime. “All aboard the RWBY Fun Bus!” Except my fun levels are ehhh right now, so how about we just don’t.

In fact, let’s be totally up front about things and get the major positives out of the way:

The animation this volume is absolutely stunning holy shit

I would once again die for James Ironwood. All hail the Hug King

Excellent introduction for Tyrian and Watts. I love feeling like the villains are actually dangerous again

The rest? I’ve got some things to say.

We open on Ruby looking appropriately downtrodden over their circumstances. Getting carted off in an Atlas police craft and all that. We get a pan across each side of the airship with the group looking angry (Yang) or defeated (everyone else)... with the exception of Nora, who is trying to eat through her bonds. I’m well aware that I’m nit-picking at this point, but for once I’d like the serious moments to remain serious in this show. Given her reaction to Salem, Kuroyuri, etc. we’re all well aware by now that Nora is more than just the comic relief. Undermining the others’ reactions with her making dog noises was an early cue that the writers weren’t going to treat the group’s arrest earnestly. To say nothing of the disservice it does to her character.

Actually, there were a lot of coincidental dog references in this scene. Nora’s growling. Referring to the Ace-Ops as Ironwood’s “personal attack dogs.” Deducing that he must have a “bone to pick” with them. Obviously this all means precisely nothing. What I want it to mean is that Zwei will arrive in another package courtesy of Tai, wondering how his kids are doing after one ran off and the other went to find her.

(Seriously though, does everyone remember Volume Five’s ending with Raven? Heaven only knows when that will become relevant again.)

While Nora continues to try and eat metal like a rabid animal, Jaune expresses disbelief that the Ace-Ops “took us out like it was nothing.” Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me how often the group is surprised by other people being stronger than them. Like they’re not the youngest and least trained in a world of professional huntsmen. Rather than acknowledging their need for improvement though---callback to Ruby’s “But we already know how to fight” anyone?---Weiss frames it as an exceptionalism intrinsic to her city. “Welcome to Atlas.” You know, the same city she quickly agreed to steal from and then draw the attention of the guards by giving a racist civilian what-for. The speed with which the show flip-flops between ‘We should fear this city’ and ‘But we shouldn’t take any actual precautions’ is pretty impressive.

All of which is made weirder by Weiss’ next line to the other prisoner locked up with them: “They’re not that big of a deal.” So... which is it, Weiss? Are the Ace-Ops Ironwood’s elites who can obviously take out a group of nine in seconds flat? Or are they worth scoffing and rolling your eyes at? Because you had a rather different opinion literally seconds ago. She does the same thing when the prisoner uses the term “tyranny” to describe the situation in Mantle. She claims now that the label is a “bit much” when before the whole group decided not to approach Ironwood precisely because of how tyrannical he appeared. I swear, good chunks of the dialogue just functions as openings for the plot---let the random prisoner explain all the horrors of this city!---rather than something the character in question would actually say.

But I’m harping. We learn a bit more about Hill and her “Happy Huntresses,” clearly a parallel to Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. I was actually surprised to learn that she’s a full-on freedom fighter, just based on her posters last episode. The number of them and their professional look felt more like Atlas’ brand of propaganda. Big brother sister is watching you and all that. Then again, we also learn that Hill is gunning for a seat on the council, so it sounds like she’s not an ally of Ironwood’s plotting betrayal, and not a radical entirely removed from him either. We’ll have to wait and see precisely where she falls in this divide between Atlas and Mantle.

That fight is treated rather cheaply by the writing though. In this episode at least. Despite providing numerous looks at how horrible things are for the citizens here, this prisoner, currently representing that fight against the elite, is depicted as an absolute buffoon. He’s not engaging in an important, glorious battle for human rights. He just chucked a brick at an airship. He’s over the top, overly passionate, crazed enough that the group is looking away as he desperately tries to convince the guards up front that these things are important. The thing is? He’s right. But the writing doesn’t encourage us to treat his cause with respect, not when he’s bouncing off the walls and yelling like a conspiracy theorist. Actually, that’s the best comparison I can think of here. It’s like if someone laying out 100% real issues with climate change were written like a crack-pot loner who believes in aliens. That’s this guy.

We’re shown again that literally everyone recognizes Weiss Schnee---does no one else in all of Remnant have white hair?---before Jaune and a few others get distracted by how pretty the view is outside. Qrow commented earlier that they were no doubt going to jail.

Spoiler! It’s not jail.

It’s Atlas Academy, animated in a truly stunning design that reminds me of Weiss’ trip to the CTV tower to contact her dad. Looking back, that skyscraper-esque building probably made her anxious for reasons outside of just the call.

“I guess we will be seeing the General,” Ruby says because yeah, why would we have the group experiencing one iota of punishment before being handed the solution to their current predicament?

Look, anyone who follows these recaps is well aware of my feelings towards the airship debacle. I said last week that I wanted the writing to treat the group’s horrific mistakes and criminal activities seriously, but I wasn’t overly hopeful. I was right not to be. From now until the conversation about Salem, the ‘protagonists can do no wrong’ mindset that drove Volume Six is pulled out again in full force.

First, Winter sees the group in handcuffs and responds with, “You have ten seconds to take those off before I start hurting you.” Which is completely out of character to me. Does Winter adore Weiss? Without a doubt. But Winter is also a stickler for protocol and rules. This is the women who threatened to remove Qrow’s tongue over a few vague, anti-Atlas statements. She is all about devotion to her Kingdom. So how should she react when she sees a group of kids being formally brought in for charges? I don’t know, maybe find out what’s going on before demanding an immediate release? Here, Winter prioritizes the emotional assumption that Weiss and her friends are perfectly innocent as opposed to trusting that they’re in handcuffs for a reason. Which they are. Combine that with the humor of the guards scrambling to obey her with more silly sound effects and it’s once again clear that the group’s arrest was never going to be taken seriously.

Things get so much worse though. Ironwood starts apologizing to them, also working under the assumption that this was all some sort of silly mistake. Of course you shouldn’t be in handcuffs. You’re the good guys! Yang and a few others have the gall to be haughty here (yeah, how dare you arrest us after we committed multiple crimes) and for a moment I think all of this will actually amount to something when Ironwood laughs and says, “We assumed [the ship] was stolen!”

Uh yeah, goes Ruby. It... was?

Which results in a brief moment of shock and about three seconds of anger from Winter... and then that’s it. That’s all we get. Weiss interrupts her with, “I’m sorry I worried you, but we did what we had to do” which, no?? Okay first off, worrying Winter is not the issue here. She’s been worried for literally those three seconds and nothing more. Second, as I’ve established numerous times in the past, they did not “do what they had to do.” Absolutely nothing in Argus forced their hand to the point where stealing military property, fighting Cordovin, drawing that grimm, and then deliberately hiding out from Atlas authorities was justified. Why doesn’t Winter or Ironwood challenge them on this? Why the hell would two military personnel accept at face value that committing all of these crimes was necessary? Imagine your younger sister steals a car (which is in no way comparable to an Atlas airship, but let’s run with it). She and her friends then get caught by the neighbor they stole it from, started a fight instead of giving it back, endangered a bunch of other people on the road, got the police involved, and hid out until they were finally arrested. Then at the police station big sister gets angry at the officers for daring to book you and is pacified with a hug. Don’t worry, dear. I know there’s no possible way you could be in the wrong here. No reason to acknowledge, let alone address, why you thought those were acceptable actions in the first place.

Qrow is briefly called out for letting this happen, but like Maria’s comment last episode about the group being incapable of keeping a low profile, he shrugs it off with a joke. “You try stopping these kids when they have their mind set on something.” You know what these ‘jokes’ remind me of? Privilege. Stuff like “Boys will be boys ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” where people accept that change is impossible, so why would we bother calling anyone out on their mistakes? Boys are just hardwired to hurt girls and call it love. Teens are just hardwired to steal airships and call it necessary. You know what they’re like. Putting your foot down is useless because that’s just how they naturally function... and we’re all going to ignore the fact that no one else could get away with this shit. They’re the special ones exempt from repercussions. There’s a reason why both both Oscar and Ruby smile here. They know they’re not in trouble.

What all of this boils down to is that the group is above both the law and basic decency. That’s what Cordovin, Ironwood, Winter, and the writing all tell us. It doesn’t matter how many people you endanger. What you steal. What you break in order to accomplish that. Or how long you might try to hide what you’ve done. You’re you, a nebulous acceptance that you’re somehow above everyone and everything. These kids are never going to learn anything because each time they make a mistake---even massive mistakes that put a whole city in danger---they’re rewarded with smiles and a blanket acceptance that they did what they had to do. That is beyond frustrating to me. For the love of god, let them face an actual consequence for once.

It’s not going to happen though. Even the Ace-Ops apologize for doing their job (and treat Ruby like some sort of celebrity in the process). RWBYJNRQO is painted as victims for suffering the indignity of arrest... when they did numerous things they should have been arrested for. I particularly love Weiss’, “You could have asked us some questions first.” Yes, because everyone should be in the habit of taking a criminal’s word at face value and then letting them go when they say, “I’m innocent.” Rather than acknowledging any of this, the writing has the Ace-Ops go out of their way to emphasize how special the group is. You’re kids, but only technically. You’re students, but who cares. You’re as good as us, regardless of training or qualifications. That fact remains that the group did in fact do everything they were accused of and more, something that should generate reflection on whether they’re up for being paired with professionals, rather than an insistence that they’re automatically on par with these adults who complete their missions in a legal, safe manner. If that Argus fight gets them hugs and cool new weaponry, I shudder to think what else the group can not only get away with, but be rewarded for.

Once everyone blindly bypasses one of the biggest conflicts of Volume Six, we hit on the other divisive choice this episode: Ruby lying to Ironwood about Ozpin and the relic.

Okay. I’m going to be as clear as I can here: Ruby is being a massive hypocrite. That’s it. That’s the situation. I shouldn’t have been surprised by the fandom’s reaction, and yet I somehow still was. In just a few hours I’ve seen at least twenty posts detailing how Ruby is not a hypocrite because her situation is totally different from Ozpin’s. HE can’t keep secrets. SHE can. Which is the definition of hypocrisy: the group holding someone to a moral standard that they themselves will not strive for. Are there differences between telling the group about Salem and telling Ironwood about Salem? Yes, but the decision of whether or not to tell them derives from the exact same concerns:

Ozpin: I don’t know if I should tell these kids about Salem. I don’t know if I can fully trust them. I worry that admitting the relic still has questions will result in them using one irresponsibly.

Ruby: I don’t know if I should tell Ironwood about Salem. I don’t know if we can fully trust him. I worry that admitting the relic still has a question left will result in him using it irresponsibly.

And everyone is in on it. During the elevator ride up they all want to know what Ruby will say, meaning that they’re ready and willing to lie the moment she decides that’s best. “We’ll follow your lead,” Blake says. No one pipes up with, “Hey. Why are we considering lying to Ironwood when we decided that there’s no moral justification for keeping secrets like that? Especially from an ally involved in this fight?” Except, the group obviously never decided that. Jaune was happy to keep his secret back at Beacon. Blake too. Yang is still withholding info about the Spring Maiden. They’re all perfectly happy to lie provided they’re the ones doing the lying. Someone else doing that to them though? Omg, how dare you.

That’s hypocrisy.

(As a side note: good lord this group is so astoundingly bad at fighting a strategic war. They announce that they should be careful about what they say to Ironwood while two of Ironwood’s guards are in the elevator with them. This is a needless conversation! No one has to establish that they’ll follow Ruby’s lead! But yes, let’s talk about our plans to withhold information from the General while two of his men are very obviously listening in. We even get a shot of one guard looking over at that little tid-bit. I wouldn’t be surprised if this came back to bite them in the form of:

Guard, who I am naming Brad: “Sir, I thought you should be aware... the prisoners that just left? I overheard them discussing whether or not they would tell you something.”

Ironwood: “What? But I thought we trusted one another... did they say what this something was?”

Brad: “No, sir. They just agreed to be careful about what they said in front of you. They clearly intended to hide something though.”

Ironwood. “Huh. Now that I think about it, Ruby did interrupt Oscar when he was about to say something. And she was awfully nervous about it.”

Brad: “Sounds suspicious, sir. I’d look into it.”

Ironwood: “Right you are, Brad. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll be sure you get a hefty bonus at the holiday party.”

Brad: “Thank you, sir! My husband and I appreciate it.”

Gay guards aside, this is why Ozpin was right to be cautious. This group is too hot-headed, too immature, and often too plain dense to keep world-shattering secrets safe. This moment gets put up alongside Yang’s demand that Ozpin spill all his top-secret info while the random old woman they picked up 30 seconds ago watches. They just don’t think.)

In short, they are in the same exact situation as Ozpin. Weighing truth against potential repercussions. The fact that said repercussions vary in severity---a group of teens betraying him and/or caving under the pressure vs. a potential dictator betraying them and/or caving under pressure---doesn’t matter. They’re both really bad potential outcomes and both parties are right to be cautious. So yes, I agree with Ruby’s hesitance. It’s the smart thing to do. What I don’t agree with is the characters’ and the fandom’s insistence that Ozpin is not likewise smart for doing the exact same thing. Now that Ruby has made this choice she’d better damn well acknowledge her own hypocrisy. If the writing doesn’t give us a serious moment in which the group reconsiders their actions against Ozpin in light of their recent choices, then the ‘protagonists can do no wrong’ mindset has irrevocably damaged this show. Because you can’t have Ruby making the exact same choices her mentor made and not change her perspective now that she’s had the chance to walk in his shoes. “Oh wow. Sometimes you do want to play information close to your chest. Maybe we were wrong to respond so viciously to Ozpin’s secrecy when I literally just did the exact same thing to someone else. I get it now.”

All that being said, I’d actually argue that Ironwood is in a more justified position to have that information. He’s a chosen member of Ozpin’s inner circle. Ozpin never got the chance to vet this group. He’s a fully fledged huntsmen in charge of an entire Kingdom. They’re a bunch of half-trained kids. Checking in on/taking the relic to Atlas does not require knowing about Salem’s immortality. Enacting a plan to tell the whole world about her really, really does.

Because what else is Ironwood’s end game here? The only way this plan makes any sense is if he believes that Salem is mortal. Ozpin may have failed to kill her, but if we get an entire world to attack her at once we’re bound to win! This plan straight up falls apart when you realize that defeating Salem is not a matter of more manpower. Salem’s immortality is the Achilles’ heel of this scheme, whereas fighting the good fight is something the group signed up for right from the start. Not that Ironwood’s plan is a great one, even if it were viable. I’m sorry, but plunging a whole world into despair---something that draws literal monsters out of the woodwork---is a pretty terrible idea. Ironwood’s army can’t be everywhere at once and an announcement of that proportion would cause an untold amount of death and destruction. I can sort of get Ironwood’s sacrificial perspective. Deal with the fallout because the end result (finally defeating Salem) will be worth it. “Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all,” he says, except hiding the truth hasn’t limited humanity in the way he assumes it has. It has allowed humanity to live in peace while a select few try to figure out how to kill an immortal woman.

...speaking of, how has Ironwood not realized Salem immortality? This remains a basic if/then construction of the story that blows my mind whenever people fail to pass it. “If Ozpin has fought Salem for over a thousand years, then Salem is either immortal or reincarnating like he does.” Because nothing else is possible! I mean, maybe Ironwood does know about her immortality and he intends his plan to work for reasons I can’t fathom right now, but it’s looking really unlikely after this episode. It just astounds me that we haven’t had a single character go, “Of course she’s immortal. Why is that surprising to everyone?”

Anyway, I’ve gotten horrendously off topic plot-wise. We learn that Penny and Winter now know about the relics and Maidens---something that worries me a bit because, as a piece of technology, Penny is potentially hackable. Especially with Watts on the loose. The Ace-Ops know as well. We also learn that they’ve already found the Winter Maiden who, according to Qrow, is “not exactly a spring chicken.” Huh. Another important piece of information that wasn’t blithely announced because people naturally work on a need-to-know basis... Sorry. Not diving back into the salt. That comment does actually intrigue me though. We know the powers can only pass to young women, so it’s a cool setup to present us with someone who has actually survived with that power for most of her life. I’m also eager to know whether Winter is set up to be the next Maiden. “Young” is a subjective marker and one of the criticisms fans have leveled at Ozpin is the fact that he put that pressure on Pyrrha instead of asking an older, fully trained huntress to be the Fall Maiden. Making Winter the next Maiden will lend support to that criticism. Ozpin could have chosen someone older, an actual adult, and actively chose to give it to a teen. As opposed to the assumption I’ve always worked under: those like Glynda and Winter are now too old. We’ll have to see.

Outside of the Salem part of the plan, I think making Amity Arena into a satellite is an excellent idea. Provided grimm like the Nevermore really can’t reach it. It’s actually cool to see how our real life, kind of boring tech makes its way into a sci-fi/fantasy series.

And while all this stuff is getting revealed we see how utterly thrilled Ironwood is to have them all back. To be blunt: I adore this characterization. I want this to be real. Not only because it’s a breath of fresh air to have someone acting so loving and optimistic towards everyone---He acknowledges Ozpin’s existence! Look at that smile! Kneeling down!---but also because it would be an excellent subversion of the premier’s setup. Dictator-y military figures buckling under paranoia is out. Tired but loving military figures making mistakes they’re willing to fix is in. That hug with Qrow? It added ten years to my life. Tender moments between two stoic guys will carry me through these cold winter months.

But (there’s always a “but”...) I’m not willing to buy into this characterization just yet. Not only because Ruby herself obviously isn’t ready to trust it. Not only because this is a story and we expect conflicts in the form of twists and surprises. Not even because there are moments where our trio feels vaguely threatening, stationed perfectly behind that desk, separated from the rest of the group.

No, I’m hesitating because this whole encounters feels... staged. Let’s review the series of events from Ironwood’s perspective:

You learn that one of your airships has been stolen

Instead of sending some everyday guards like the situation calls for, you send out your most elite group to take care of this issue

They immediately confiscate the relic, demonstrating a) that they know it’s important (they recognize it as a relic) while likewise b) not showing any surprise that one of the four, magical objects in the world just happened to turn up among these random teens

They bring the relic to you

Someone orders the pilots to bring RWBYJNRQO to Atlas Academy, not jail

You then act surprised when the group suddenly arrives

Which, under the circumstances, makes no sense to me. Even if Ironwood had no idea who stole the airship (I’d have expected Cordovin to have contacted him about the distinctive group heading his way...), he would have figured it out the moment the Ace-Ops walked in with a relic in their possession. Someone obviously gave the order for them to bypass jail and come straight to him. Basically, Ironwood is expecting them. Ironwood set up the arrest and everything attached to it. The surprise at their arrival, the fawning over their treatment, really over the top emphasis on trusting each other... This whole thing feels fishy to me considering that he had to have known it was all happening in the first place. It feels like a man crafting a situation where he can look approachable and kindly, arriving like a savior and endearing the group to him. Remember who got you out of those bonds? Huh? Huh? Even the choice to give Ruby the relic back. Do I need to point out how incredibly stupid that is? Ironwood isn’t stupid. He wouldn’t give an invaluable, magical object back to a 17yo unless he had another, good reason for doing so; unless the need to make Ruby and her followers blindly trust him outweighs the risk the relic is in while she carries it.

I mean... seriously. The entire point of coming to Atlas was to put the relic in a safe place. And then Ironwood decides that carrying it around on the streets is somehow better than locking it up in the vault? When Ruby and everyone else just got beat by the Ace-Ops in about five seconds flat? Someone could take the relic off them in a heartbeat! It doesn’t even need to be a main villain. Some stronger-than-average goons could manage it under the right circumstances and a bit of luck. Look at this bright, shiny thing we can sell for quick lien. No, I have to believe Ironwood has an ulterior motive here. As much as I want him to genuinely be what he presents himself as---the embodiment of our opening, “When we trust in love and open up our eyes”---a lot of this just doesn’t fit.

(Then again... it’s RWBY. And the writers are clearly still working with protagonist vision goggles. Maybe Ironwood really does think Ruby keeping the relic is the best option here. In which case he’s just a fool.)

All of which, notably, still keeps our group from tackling the core, ethical issue: why they want to fight Salem when they think it’s impossible. They’re ignoring that question by keeping the truth from Ironwood. The plot avoided them completing their mission by having them get the relic back. We’re just existing in perpetual limbo here.

Which finally brings me to Penny. The end of this episode has her leading the group on an exhausting tour of Atlas Academy, the exact sort of bubbly, silly, casual interaction we got with her in the early volumes. Last week when I pointed out how inappropriate everyone’s reactions were to finding out a friend is back from the dead, a lot of people commented that we’d get to the emotional stuff later. Or going so far as to claim that the group, Ruby in particular, is suffering from a delayed reaction. Except we didn’t see that. There’s a difference between a setup and a non-evidence based assumption that what we want to watch will eventually end up on screen. There was no setup for a delayed reaction. No Ruby holding back tears. Or a closeup on someone grappling with an emotion. Or someone else trying to say something before they were cut off by the sirens. All of those imply that an emotion exists but, since we don’t have the time or the inclination to deal with it now, we’ll come back to it later. That wasn’t the case last week. Every emotion was clear and complete, no variation in regards to the overall chill acceptance of Penny’s resurrection. Now, we’ve seen that trend continue. Ruby doesn’t stop in shock when Penny appears in the Academy hall. We’re given no indication that anyone is distracted by her while discussing business, in the way one might be when a friend and ally is unexpectedly back in your life. When she’s left alone with them, there’s nothing except the montage of exhausted tourism and Ruby’s demands to know where they’re sleeping. Basically, I think this is it. Sure, maybe later down the line---maybe even next week---Ruby will have a heart-to-heart with Penny, but by that point it’ll be too late to feel emotionally fulfilling. We’ve already seen their first meeting, a surprise encounter, doing business, and hanging out together, none of which acknowledges her status as a miracle. Hell, in this episode at least, no one even cares that she knows about relics and Maidens now. Penny has never been closer to the group, but she’s still being treated primarily as the comic relief.

As @valasania-the-pale pointed out to me, we also have the question of when Penny was rebuilt. Doesn’t anyone, at the very least Ruby, care that their friend was brought back and no one thought to tell them about it? Would Ironwood, Pietro, and Penny herself have just let them live with her death indefinitely? It’s a pretty messed up situation when you think about it. A fantastic setup in my opinion, but one that Rooster Teeth isn’t equipped to handle well. Like with so much of RWBY, there’s great potential and very little follow-through.

At least Watts and Tyrian were introduced appropriately. We got confirmation that Watts helped build the Atlas code and now controls it at his whim, causing crashes and powering down security cameras. It’s the perfect threat for a city almost entirely reliant on its technology. Even down to, as said, an ally like Penny who knows all these secrets. Hell, Winter’s comment about the group having access to Atlas’ best weaponry while they’re here is worrisome. What if their upgrades end up hackable as well?

Tyrian, meanwhile, is still Tyrian. That blood pool was a great shot in my opinion. Wonderful creep factor as he sets off into the city. “I suppose we all have our talents” indeed.

Obviously then, there’s a lot going on. A lot to cover and, on my end, continually dwindling hopes that RWBY will cover it well. I can’t be too excited about the group lying when we 100% bypassed their choices last volume. If the show isn’t willing to call them out on those mistakes, I doubt they’ll be willing to call them out on this one either. I’m preparing myself to watch precisely what we’re getting in the fandom right now: an insistence that Ruby is wonderful for keeping her secrets while further demonizing Ozpin for keeping his. Because that’s where we’ve been for the past fifteen episodes: perpetually insisting that everything the group does is, by default, heroic. Logic and hypocrisy aside.

But we’ll have to see.

Until next week 💜

Minor Things of Note

1. Please pay attention to precisely how many long, wide, and aerial shots we get throughout the episode. This is what happens when your main cast is made up of twelve people all working in the same place. Plus six more including Maria and the Ace-Ops. That’s far, far too many characters.

2. I really love how the Ace-Ops’ tail gives away how excited he is. That was adorable.

3. Despite my enjoyment at Ironwood’s obvious joy over seeing Ozpin... morally this is so fucked up for Oscar. He’s introduced by Qrow as, “the next Ozpin,” essentially undermining his identity as his own person (note how massively uncomfortable his body language is in this moment). Ironwood then immediately starts speaking to him as Ozpin, not at all interested in the kid he’s housed in. If he even understands that Oscar is a separate person. We should all keep in mind that just a few days ago Qrow told Oscar to stop thinking of himself as an individual. Ruby agreed with him via her silence. The whole group was happy-go-lucky when Oscar announced that he’s resigned himself to just disappearing someday. As happy as I am that someone actually acknowledged Ozpin’s existence and (gasp!) was happy to see him, Oscar is still getting the short straw in all this. The group really treats him like he’s some form of transportation and nothing more. Penny, our resident robot, has more agency than he does.

4. Maria is still just hanging out with Pietro, I guess? Does she care that the group got arrested? Is she trying to do anything about it? I’m half expecting a comedic moment where she barges in, prepared to break them out and take on all their captors... only to realize they never needed her help in the first place.

5. I like this shot of the relic, the first thing to be bathed in light when Ironwood’s presentation ends. Not convinced it means anything, but a cool perspective nonetheless.

6. Intrigued by this guy.

7. Love, love, love, love, love Watts’ purple outfit. I mean, I’m just a sucker for purple in general. So... yeah. There’s that.

#rwby #rwby volume 7 #rwby volume 7 spoilers #mymetas #rwby recaps

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