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bonefall · 1 year

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BB!Goosefeather

[ID: Goosefeather from Warrior Cats in the Better Bones AU. He is a round, wolflike cat with tiny, unreadable, deep blue eyes. In the second image he's caught in a vision, signified by swirling eyes and a nosebleed]

I've always had a very different take on Goosefeather than the wider fandom. In particular, his final scene with Bluefur at the end of Bluestar's Prophecy has always FASCINATED me. She's mourning the loss of her kits, and Goose comes up, almost as if he's going to comfort her like anyone else...

But his tune is very different from the rest of the Clan. He reminds her that the kits were not part of fate, and ergo, her own choice. This screed has this intriguing taste of bitterness, and it immediately made Goose one of my favorite WC characters.

Was that resentment? Smug satisfaction? What was behind those words, Goosefeather?

Did you know that the raid you sent your sister on was going to kill her? Did the herbs even need to be destroyed? What if the only vision he'd received was that Moonflower had to die?

It's one thing if he's just, you know, plagued by visions that will come no matter what, and he's Sad About It. I do love the Cassandra type characters in fiction, but... the idea that he's DEDICATED to the prophecies that haunt him, that it's both a curse and a commitment, a damnation and a destiny... it gives me... gOOSEBUMPS HEYOO

AND SO! Better Bones Goosefeather is a situational antagonist in nearly every story he's in. He believes firmly that to defy fate only creates worse outcomes, that you have to kill a mouse to have a meal. More than just following the 'will of StarClan,' he believes that a prophecy is more than just a warning. To him, they are instructions.

(More info below the cut!)

In Bluestar's Flowers, he receives a vision of Moonflower dying in a WindClan raid. He knew she had to die, and so, he got her killed. This is not revealed until near the end of the book.

At the same time, he will occasionally (and uncharacteristically, Featherwhisker will note) help Bluemoon escape being caught when she sneaks out to meet up with the Forget-me-Not friend group.

Bluemoon's kits are children of prophecy... or, one of them is.

Mosslight is fated to become a grand hero, and overthrow the horrible tyrant, Thistlestar.

Goosefeather will ensure the propagation of both sides of this prophecy. Thistleclaw must become leader. Mosskit must be born.

But, in the end, Bluemoon's love is stronger than destiny. She will NEVER let Thistleclaw become leader, she will NEVER let him command innocent people like Rosetail and Thrushpelt into early graves, and she will NEVER let him brutalize the Clans of her friends.

Goosefeather thought it was a checkmate when she was in the nursery with the three kittens, clearly ineligible for deputyship after accusation of having halfclan kittens (Thistleclaw's questioning violating the Queen's Rights) and his personal endorsement of him for deputy.

he was WRONG

Bluemoon brought them to RiverClan, the hero of destiny dying in the process, cinching the deputyship by a hair's length.

With great tragedy, with great cost, with great sacrifice, Bluestar WON.

The thread of prophecy was severed so hard that Goosefeather never received another vision ever again. Nothing would be the same again, he was living in a new world and a new time.

He lived the last of these days quietly, reflecting on his life, his actions, considering... if all those times where he'd Done What Had To Be Done, if it was for nothing.

Goosefeather is allowed a peaceful death, unburdened by the buzzing curse of prophecy, slipping into his sleep in a doomed timeline that yet persists.

DESIGN STUFF

I need these visions to look painful. I want to drive it home that these are hurting him. So I gave him nosebleeds.

He's committed to the thing that hurts most, because he can't imagine another way

symbolism

His family carries a wolf motif, this is very important because I said so. Awoo, even.

You can see how Goosefeather's big fat tummy is present in his relatives, Sorreltail and Dovewing.

He reminds me of Winnie the Pooh but as an evil wizard. He's got a haunted plushie kind of vibe.

like a teddy ruxpin, even

And lastly this is unrelated to everything, but when I was designing Skywatcher I kept thinking about the two of them having a wizard battle. I just think that is very funny and it is a thought I am now sharing with all of you. <3

[ID: Wizard battle meme]

Skywatcher and Goosefeather at Bingo Night after the Skypelt/Silverpelt reunification in BB!AVoS

#CW nosebleed #tw nosebleed #tw blood #cw blood #blood warning #blood #epistaxis #Better Bones AU #Bluestar's Flowers #BB!Goosefeather

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napswithwolfie · 3 months

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LU Pokemon AU

I came across fever-project's pokemon au and enjoyed it so much they got me excited to try building my own team for the lads!

So here we go!!!

Time 🐥Sky Warriors Twilight Wild Legend Hyrule Four Wind

Team descriptions below the cut 👋👀

First up Sky

🐥Moltres: Crimson has to be included! I debated between Moltres and Charizard, you know, with Charizard being the og favorite of Gen1, featuring in every pokemon game, often with a new form. But Moltres won out— it just felt weird for Crimson not to be a bird, plus fire/sun motifs.

🐥Altaria: Ah, the joys of an afternoon nap. Sky enters through the fog wall... Perishes*

🐥Zacian, the Crowned Sword: Behold, the hero of Howlrule! (Disclaimer: Not my joke, totally swiped from the brilliant Alternatemind and their fic Ranch Days. Do yourself a favor and give it a read—it's pure, light-hearted wholesomeness.) And doesn't the fairy type just feel right for the hero of courage?

🐥Dragonite: I love the duality between mother hen Sky and gale force battle Sky. Perfectly fits Dragonite's personality

🐥Sirfetch'd: Say hello to Skyloft's honorary sky knight! When I realized its shiny form was gold, well, it was a must have

🐥Mew: Now, I had quite the dilemma—Mew or Mewtwo? Since Sky is technically the first of the reincarnations. But really mew is just cuter

🔴 Partner Pokémon: Just like in the anime, each trainer has that one special Pokémon who sticks by their side outside their pokeball. And for Sky, it's gotta be Moltres. I mean, how could it *not* be Crimson?

⚪ Smaller Team: There are 9 of these lads. That's waaaay too many mons at one time, so I went ahead and trimmed the teams down to three choices.

Here we go: Moltres, Altaria, Zacian

---

So how did I do??? Had a lot of fun picking out mons for the whole chain

Next up Time

#lu chain #pokemon #Lu au #Pokemon au #linked universe #lu sky #This was so much fun #I've already got most of the boys sorted out #But some like legend and hyrule are giving me a hard time #I'm so unfamiliar with their games and only have fics to go of off 😅#Lemme tell you tho Times team is sickenly adorable #Wolfiesscrawlings

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petedavidsonscock · 9 months

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i want to talk about the sun/moon motif in in other lands. let’s go let’s do it.

luke is a blonde guy with tan skin. his last name contains the word “sun.” serene is inhumanly pale with dark hair. the two of them have a unique warrior bond and swore never to ride into battle without the other. luke is the sun and serene is the moon; simple enough, right?

wrong.

let’s switch gears and look at elliot’s dad’s description of elka. “‘she was the first thing i saw when i walked into a room … whatever she said was brilliant and startling … she was like that, a constant bright surprise … she was never what i expected. i was even surprised when she left’” (page 128 in my ebook).

the scene is so sad, primarily because of what his dad next says to elliot: “‘you’re not like her. … nobody will ever love you enough to stay.’”

this is heartbreaking for two reasons. first, because what the hell kind of parent says that to their own child. but second, because elliot is like elka. he is brilliant, startling, surprising, and very bright. he’s not to everybody’s taste—we know that—but elka here is being described by someone who was (is still?) in love with her. i have no doubt that serene or luke would consider elliot’s dad’s words a pretty solid description of elliot.

(elliot’s character mirrors elka’s in other ways too. obviously, they are both able to travel to the borderlands; both experience more ambivalence than most real-world recruits seem to about whether or not to stay. they have similar senses of humor [i think? hard to tell if elka is joking around but it seems like she’s less than fully serious] and are abrupt and spiky. elliot likes elka, gets her. they have the same color hair. and both of them ultimately leave elliot’s dad and go to the borderlands.)

the parallels between elliot and elka are numerous and crucial to understanding the text, which allows us to pretty safely analyze the only real description we get of elka as applying to elliot as well. and what else is true of that description? it’s super sun-coded!

elka is (was) obvious, unignorable: a source of brightness, light, and warmth. just like the night that follows each day, her abandonment is framed as inevitable and unstoppable.

(note that the same is true of elliot! the dialogue here is “‘You know what day it is. You know what’s coming.’” / “‘I know that you’re going’” [876 in my ebook]. elliot’s leaving is also expected, unsurprising; a given.)

in conclusion, elka is the sun, elliot is elka, and therefore elliot is the sun. but then… who is the moon? let’s look at our options.

luke is not all that sun-like, but he’s also not much of a moon archetype. he hates crowds, hates being the center of attention. he’s shy, which i guess could be moon-coded? but he isn’t very mysterious about it, which to me is key to the moon part of the dynamic.

serene, as mentioned, is a better candidate, except that she and elliot don’t make a pair; elliot is wrong about their being fated for each other, just as he was wrong about luke being a perfect golden hero. serene gets her own sun, too: golden-hair-scented-like-summer. perfect sun motif.

as for luke and elliot… i don’t know. i’m not really that into the whole moon/sun dynamic as a general trope, so i’m not that invested, but i think you could pretty convincingly argue that luke is in fact the moon to elliot’s sun.

anyway that’s the post. elliot is the sun, serene is the moon but not elliot’s moon (this i think contributes to why elliot was so sure they would end up together: on some level he was aware of the tropes at play), luke seems like he’s the sun but is either the moon or possibly, like, some sort of cloud formation, and golden is the sun to serene’s moon. okay bye.

#girl who’s read iol voice #in other lands #meta #iol #thank god i’m going back to school soon #i’m tagging all the tags i put time into this #elliot schafer #luke sunborn #serene-heart-in-the-chaos-of-battle

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localicecreambiter · 1 month

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Zelda Main Theme/Title screen tier list

before we begin, this is my own opinion and preference in music! we all have different taste, so dont let mine invalidate yours!

im putting explinations for my choices below the cut, so if you wanna hear me yap about zelda music nows your chance

Triforce Heros: 10/10 i absolutely ADORE the triforce heros sound track! (actually listening to it as I type this) its such an underappreciated title (being the "bootleg" four swords lol) but has such good composition its hard not to love it. its similar to botw's rito songs in which acordians are found in a lot of the tracks- anyway back to the topic of the main theme: its great. a refreshing change from the main zelda theme (as was trend with the DS games) and has a lot of character to it. high energy too!! exactly what i want to hear! a straight vibe that id wait to start the game just to listen a little longer

Spirit Tracks: i think we all know why this is 10/10 spirit tracks is another one of those underrated titles, especially for its music! i love how the melody (extremely catchy by the way) is played by a flute here, corresponding to the instrument you get in game :) it feels like im about to embark on an epic cross country ride

Wind Waker: even without knowing the plot of the game it feels like a sailor tune that would be played at dinner on a ship. its simple, and cutesy like the games art style, but fun and catchy too! a classic, one that really gets you into that sea fairing mood

TOTK: The only reason this one isn't higher is because I don't like that beginning bit with all the weird whisper singing. it fits the game really well! its just not my favorite sound in the world, but the melody hits HARD and really plays with the emotion of the scene that accompanies it in game. its high energy, but not in the same way triforce heros was, rather in an epic way rather than bouncy (if that makes sense?) its composed SO well, AND THAT BIT WITH THE SMALL BIRST OF PICCOLO??? chefs kiss. favorite part. not to mention the small zelda's lullaby motif at the end?? THE BOTW MOTIF??????

Skyward Sword: ballad of the goddess is genuinely just SUCH a good song, and the way its composed for the main theme gets you in all the right ways. the deep brass makes it very dramatic, especially with the drums it uses (love me some boomy drums). I love the woodwinds playing with the brass too! scratches the itch just right

BOTW: another great theme! it manages to change up the format a bit, but still keeps that dramatic vibe a zelda theme should have (for the more serious games, I mean, triforce heros doesnt count-) the acordian returns!! the melody! oh my god the melody!!!! its definitely a breath of fresh air (hehe get it?) it manages to encapsulate what a plesant breeze blowing against your face feels like somehow, and im living for it. i love the use of the dragon instruments after the pause! it feels like all the different cultures of botw hyrule has been rolled into this song with the instruments and all that

hyrule warriors: bet you weren't expecting that one, huh? its the only semi-traditional zelda theme in the top tier, and why? im a bitch for motifs, okay? I wasn't diging it at first, because it just sounded like a recomp of the classic zelda theme just really damn epic, but then it hit me with that tiny twilight princess motif and I knew I was in for a ride. THE BALLAD OF THE GODDESS MOTIF GAVE ME CHILLS i was not expecting it at ALL! and tHEN IT TRANSITIONED INTO HYRULE FIELD FROM TP??? AND THEN IT DOES IT AGAIN LATER IN THE SONG? i love you hyrule warriors NOT TO MENTION THE OTHER MOTIFS IT SHOVES IN THERE?? OOT?? MORE TP????? i am unapologetically a motif lover and i will stand by my decision

Minish Cap: i was ranking the track "story" since the intro screen was just 8 seconds and not really a song. i love how peaceful it sounds, and really befitting for a legend. ironically, it reminds me of The Legend from deltarune in a way. the whole song feels like an exposition, and personally one of my favorites which is why it ranked so high

Age of Calamity: ah, hyrule warriors' more popular, edgy, younger sibling. i wont lie to you, the melody is killer! and i love how it goes from eriee to epic final battle-esk music half way through. it feels like a final stand, and my GOD is it good

Twilight Princess: its so empty and woeful sounding, yet oh so full of hope and light i can't help but love it. its so pretty, so SO pretty. it does so much with so little and thats one of the things i love about it. i think the best compliment you can recieve is "you look the way the twilight princess main theme sounds" plus the wolf howl at the end is so funny

Ocarina of Time: i love that OOT makes the ocarina the main melody player and started the trend of the main game instrument being featured in the title/main theme. this one is pretty in a different way than twilight princess, this one is peaceful which is so misleading from the actual game story that i love it even more

Links Awakening (2019 Switch Remake): I separated this one from LADX because its VERY different from the original opening. Obviously, this one isnt retro music and that kind of adds to it, but its also the different beginning bit that sets it apart. the small mabe village motif before the actual zelda theme plays? love it. i really liked how they composed this version with all the different koholint instruments, it was like giving the song a new coat of paint. i love the classic zelda theme, but once you hear it so many ways it can get a little old, so it was great to see them do it like this :)

Majora's Mask: this is really only ranked so high because clock town is an absolute killer song, and I listen to it on loop. the only other reason is because that sharp turn at the end? my god its so disruptive but so good at the same time. the way the background cello gets intruppted by an ominous bass that grows louder, and how the clock town melody abruptly stops? such an amazing and indirect way forebode the dark theming of the story. both MM and OOT have such peaceful themes for their story lines, its good to see mm actually show that in the theme music

The Legend of Zelda: a classic, and what started it all. its simplistic with a great, strong melody, and i like how its paced a lot slower than most of the other games. that opening bit and the transition with the bassline is my favorite part.

Four Swords Adventure: this was another one I wasn't digging at first, but once you got into the meat of the song it was really nice. It starts as one melody, but gains a trumpet echo and a violin. its somehow chaotic but cohesive? i like how that reflects on the game

Oracle of Ages/ Seasons: OOA/S has nearly the same exact theme as LADX and four swords, only composed slightly differently. It keeps things simple, yet its very effective and plesant to listen to. a bouncy rendition of the main loz theme, just like FS and LADX. the only reason this one is ranked higher is because i liked the lower tone of the ooa/s rendition compared to LADX

Four Swords: im going to be honest, the retro sounding bassline with what i think is a snare? it felt a little strange, but i liked the little bits of the higher sounds acompanying the melody here with it. it felt like it was trying to be grand, but didn't quite hit what it was aiming for all the way. it was the beginning that through me off, really-

Links Awakening DX: simple, effective, yet a little too simple compared to the previous two since its the same rendition just with different make ups (if thats the right term) i know it was literally the 4th game to come from the series, but the original zelda theme felt like it had a bit more going on. still a good rendition of the main theme though! i like its bounciness

A Link to the Past: iconic. but, this was difficult to categorize since theres not much of a title theme? theres the selection screen music, but that became the fairy theme so i dont know if that counts either? either way its an 18 second clip or the fairy theme, which both are good, but just not really a show stopper (dont come at me alttp fans i dont mean it like that!! spare me!! mercy!!!!)

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link: why are you so LOUD holy cow- i like the theme, its pretty, but its short so it gets repetative if ykwim. i like the part with what im assuming is supposed to be some sort of bassline :) its my favorite part

Phantom Hourglass: i know its a wind waker sequal and i guess it makes sense, but just reusing the great sea music and changing up a part slightly felt kind of lazy to me? i do like the parts they added though! i think they're great sounding! but still feels a little lazy :(

A Link Between Worlds: I know what you may be thinking: "why is it so low? you LOVE albw" and to that I have to say, you know me so well, dear reader. You will also know, that just like the game its made after, there isnt really a title/main theme. the intro bit is about the same length as alttp so it gives you little to work with in terms of song. plus after the opening bit, it just kinda repeates the same few notes. going through the playlist i was kind of disappointed getting to albw, because at least alttp had selection music. this game has some of my favorite tracks to come from the series in it too so the intro being as it was (outside of a music standpoint, the intro is absolutely epic, don't get me wrong) i was just sad

anywayy! that was all of them!! if you actually sat there and read all of that, im proud of you. thanks for reading my yappage

#the legend of zelda #legend of zelda #loz #tloz #text post #tier list #zelda music #i yap

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bokettochild · 8 months

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Really hoping for the dvd commentary. From Chapter 2 of Kintsugi.

Another blink, this time with that same flicker of silver hues as they watch him, that hint of a smile that is so often reserved for those younger. It looks like Link’s, like that of the skeleton only hours ago left behind in a world destined for destruction. “The sharpest arrow of the goddess’s quiver does not lack power for its speed and shine,” Dei recites, like some ancient proverb or forgotten verse. It’s unknown to him, but the significance of the word picture doesn’t evade him.

‘Flen’ the deity calls him. Flen; that which flies straight and true to its target to cast destruction upon either that which harms or that which, by its death, will provide. ‘Flen’ a word foreign to those of Hyrule’s higher classes but known and spoken well in towns bordering the forgotten forests where fairies whisp through trees and linger to share their stories and mischief.

‘Flen’, a word which means ‘arrow’ to those raised where language turns rough to protect against words rougher from those of higher class.

“If you seek Hylia’s sharpest, I think you’d best look to your Kit, his tongue by far out does my own, and as for speed-”

The deity does not stir, watching.

Warriors sighs. A hand ploughs through hair just beginning to curl again at its ends clutching at the roots with a sigh before his gaze returns to that which bears down on him. “FD, I’m no deity.”

Holy crap I forgot Kintsugi even existed! I swear I saw this in my inbox and straight up stalled going....what story is that? What is it about? When did that come out? Did I write it or are...but Kintsugi is my motif....nvm

And then I read it and remembered.

So! DVD commentary (which believe it or not I love listening to!)

The point of kintsugi as a motif is to show the strength of that which has been broken, which of course Warriors personifies to the extreme. Warriors in this story is a broken man who's been torn down, torn apart, and watched everything in his life, including himself, shatter. The use of kintsugi to represent his becoming stronger through his suffering was meant to be a main point of the story and this scene in particular was going to foreshadow that.

"The sharpest arrow of the goddess’s quiver does not lack power for its speed and shine" is implied to be a quote from poetry or something. The Hero of Warriors is, in a way, the sharpest arrow in the quiver of the goddess. The heroes are meant to be the 'arrows of the goddess' which itself is sort of a play on how the holy weapon that all Zelda's use is a Bow of Light. Each hero has his own qualities and strengths, and Warriors, as the soldier of the group, is one of the sharpest and harshest of the group, because he didn't only face monsters, he faced men.

What Dei means by his words though is that even if Warriors' strength lies in his sharpness, in his blade, he's not in any ways limited to that as his only strength. 'Lacking power for speed and shine' means that he's not just fast on the field and pretty to look at, he's also a powerhouse in his own right, he just doesn't know it yet.

The use of the arrow to represent Warriors is something which I included since the beginning of the story. "Flen" is I think the Old Norse(?) word for 'arrow', and is Dei's distinguishing name for the captain since the first time Warriors put on the mask. Using arrow imagery to tell Warriors he is more powerful than he thinks is sort of the theme of the next few paragraphs.

‘Flen’ the deity calls him. Flen; that which flies straight and true to its target to cast destruction upon either that which harms or that which, by its death, will provide

This basically just means arrows cause chaos, prompt chaos or provide where there is a need.

The next bit though, talking about how the word is foreign to the average Castletown dweller, is meant to remind of Warriors' heritage as a man who was raised in the poorer parts of the world. It's a nod to him being something rough and lowly, but crafted and sharpened from a common thing to an arrow for the goddess' use. He references that the language that the nickname comes from is one that his people use to hide themselves and protect themselves from those who only speak Hylian, thus separating themselves and further establishing the contrast between who he once was, what he was raised to be, and what he became.

“If you seek Hylia’s sharpest, I think you’d best look to your Kit, his tongue by far out does my own, and as for speed-”

This is Warriors trying to deflect. He's basically pointing to Legend ('kit' is Dei's distinguishing name for the vet) and saying "you want something great? look there!" and then continuing to try and point the finger to everyone else to point out their strengths. Earlier in the piece, there was a lot of emphasis placed on Warriors' feelings of mediocrity in the face of his extremely powerful brothers and team-mates, and this results in him continuing to look at them rather than looking within as Dei is asking him to.

Dei isn't having it though. Dei knows Warriors is more because he has seen Warriors unlock his own godly strengths. he's not going to stand for Warriors talking himself down, because the more the captain does that, the less Warriors will be able to see what Dei is trying to show him, the fact that Warriors is, in fact, a demi-god.

The thing is, Warriors isn't a deity in the same strain as the others. In the previous fic, First (Dei) and Legend actually have a discussion about something related to this.

(First is speaking here): “A guardian. Your soul,” He motions to the other. “I may not be the goddess, but any good soldier can be perceptive. You and yours all have souls that sing to a tune. Time.” He motions to the armored leader. “The sea, storms and wind.” Wind. “Light.” The goddess’s youngest, (Hyrule) lightning dancing on his finger-tips as his mother watches with faint laughter. “The elements, the building blocks of life.” The Four heroes who are somehow one. “The forest, the wilds of the world, nature herself.” The goddess’s eyes set in the face of a young boy who spins shadows on his fingers (Wild). “The night, the shadows and the lost and wandering.” He motions to the rancher, to Twilight who sits and watches the others with a gaze dark and yet bright, a contradiction, a shadow that is somehow full of light. “War.” The captain who stands polished and pristine yet who’s very spirit seemed to sing on the field, who’s blade swung stronger with every drop of blood fallen. “Life.” He turns to Legend.

The other takes a moment to catch onto the fact that he’s stopped, that he’s staring at him, and when the lad does see it, his eyes widen slightly. “Life?”

“The living; the breathing earth, the trees and animals, the people . You live to give life and preserve it.” His smile is crooked, he knows. “It is your calling. Forgive my boldness, but I dare say we are the same on that front; we live to preserve what they bring to fruition.”

Except that Warriors does not live to bring things into fruition (which I couldn't clarify without derailing that conversation) but rather, he also lives to preserve. Warriors' very existence is to preserve and unite things, thematically speaking. So yeah. Warriors is different from the others, which prevents him seeing his greatness, but Dei, who is basically the same, can recognize it.

The whole scene you selected- the whole chapter in fact! is about Dei trying to provoke Warriors into realizing his power. As we saw though, it failed :(

#asks and answers #linked universe #linkeduniverse #the blood between us #commentary time babey!#lu warriors #lu dei #asks game

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notmuchtoconceal · 3 months

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youtube

A worthwhile introduction to Theosophy, and with it several key esoteric concepts from what seems to be a center-left position, considering the entanglements and projections related to the concerns of race science.

Truthfully, I have my doubts there ever could be an objective and verifiable model which delineates human prejudice from a social perspective, as we simply don't know enough about either the conscious or unconscious aspects of human psychology -- generally, or what may be specific to the psychic realities of different peoples -- to make those claims. As far as I can tell, any attempt to transmute our sensitivities into a science will inevitably tend to exclusivity and dogma. All we can really do is talk about our subjective understandings, of ourselves, and each other, and make the attempt to really listen and not simply regulate.

This is ultimately the logic behind the "refreshing" comment highlighted in the video that Theosophy is only racist, depending on your interests.

Truthfully, I've always found most liberal or left-leaning people fixated on race were classically doth protesting too much (much in the same way we know all homophobes are gay and most gay men are homophobes). Insincere over-performances which reveal secret shames, too frightful to be confronted and so can only be negotiated and projected.

It's more complicated than that, of course.

One can always talk in circles if one wishes to be insincere.

As long as any material organism is a scarcity-based, ultimately finite resource hog with an in-group preference built to avoid pain and seek pleasure, the reality of racial animus will always exist in some form, and you're better off learning to get comfortable with parts of yourself you find unsavory, as this is ultimately the only way to master them.

If this sounds like apologia, you may be an apologist.

What other things do you suspect the state ought regulate?

I don't need to judge you. You're already judging yourself.

When I judge you, it's refreshingly frank, like Charlemagne.

As a big, brutish redbeard indistinguishable from any other skinhead, I've always been tempted to put myself in the "white male" box so as to not look appropriative, but you see I was fooled -- this was how they got me to do the work of erasing my own ethnic heritage for them.

When the Germanic people talk about the zeitgeist, or Jung the collective unconscious, or one makes the claim that a culture has a "soul", or that people have "Gods" well these are branches from the same tree, and the tension isn't so much between one race and another, but between the collective will of a people and the individual wills therin.

If you humor the possibility that your blood may whisper, and you listen, you'd be shocked what it might have to tell you -- good and bad.

When he cites how the swastika (or manji, a classical solar symbol far from unique to the Nazis) was so widespread among so many cultures which had no contact with one another simply for it was a simple motif, he is absolutely correct. We are, of course, working from all the data.

Incidental shocking (and impossible to overlook) similarities between miscellaneous solar cults are similarly coincidental, such as the universality of a snake motif which represents the unification of dualistic forces (example: the Caduceus, left and right, or the Feathered Serpent, land and sky) or belly-laughs like names such as the Irish warrior hero Cú Chulainn and the Mayan wind and wisdom god K'uk'ulkan.

#i have friends #who to this day #when i mention 'the Black Lodge'#just think i'm talking about twin peaks #(which in fairness i also do a lot)#they test my ph strips #shocking #yet not at all

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illegiblewords · 2 years

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Been playing Elden Ring, part of that has involved messing around with the character creator! Haven’t done lady designs yet, but do plan to. Tried to think about lore in terms of how I’d theoretically tie each design to an origin. Not going to use all of the designs, do have certain favorites. Nightfolk design is an astrologer and one I’m actively using right now. I want to do the Ranni ending with him! I know there’s history for Nightfolk tied to Nox/Nokron/Nokstella as well as mimics--it feels poetic to go in that direction to me based on what I know. Numen guy is a warrior and nomadic, ties to the Blind Swordsman along with Malenia/Miquella. Wanted to really delve into the idea of both deeper heritage, cleansing, and traveling/change/movement. I’m hoping for Miquella-focused DLC. Truth-Seeker is a prophet, has the mark of the three fingers over one eye, would give him the Frenzied Flame ending. I figure there’s a really interesting irony if he was foreseeing the Erdtree burning due to the Flame of the Fell God and was outcast for it--but then due to that chain of events ends up going with the apocalyptic flame ending instead. Aristocrat I figure makes sense for prisoner, I probably will give him a go. The prisoner’s origin is listed as being a noble who did something absolutely heinous tied to magic and is being punished for it, so wanted to be consistent. I’m happy he came out looking as delicate as he does. Probably would do Duskborn ending for him. The Northerener I figure makes sense for vanguard--tried playing hard into the ‘fire giant lineage’ and wanted to give a sense that this is someone who’d been looking for a place for himself but has kind of given up on that and is reconnecting to the Fell God. Loner I wanted to tie heavily to Godfrey, and figure it makes sense for him to be a Hero by connection. Probably has knowledge tying to the Crucible and what predates the Erdtree. Draconian would be a confessor, and I like the concept of a Draconian specifically having devoted himself so utterly to the Golden Order. Would do Perfect Order ending for a fun character arc. Warrior is a Samurai, basically I wanted to see if I could do a Reedlander design but less beefy. I did want to tie to the heavy blood themes mentioned for the Land of Reeds, possibly hint at the Formless Mother a bit. Lots of Mogh motifs.

Reedlander I’m making a bandit, partly because the expectation was Reedlander must be Samurai but also because I think this is another angle that can be examined in terms of bloodlust expression.

Seafarer would be a Wretch--the idea of searching for a home and starting off a stranger with nothing seems interesting and consistent with that background.

#elden ring #tarnished

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legendofzoodles · 2 years

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Era of Hylia Lore 1

This is my interpretation of the Triforce Trio, Hylia, Demise all that cyclical stuff...expect some mild Hylia slander. And again, bit of a brain dump from my word documents- then again all my posts will be just that.

Hylia was the one to choose the first Hero, not the Golden Goddesses. In earlier games they call Link the hero chosen by the gods/goddesses, I’m gonna ignore that and say that he’s just acknowledged by the gods.

The Golden Goddesses put the protection of the land they created and the Triforce in Hylia’s hands.

It kind of sucks that Fi wasn’t created by the Goddesses. I just thought it be funny if they gifted the sword to Hylia, but since she was probably created by them too and was born yesterday she didn’t know how to properly use it. She watched over the Hylians for centuries, seeing them advance and thrive along with other races outside her domain, observed how they trained to use swords- developing special techniques and moves- and saw that there was this one guy who was really good with swords, maybe even the best there was. As well being an excellent fighter who never lost a duel, he also liked to help people and frequently travelled the land going good out of the kindness of his heroic heart. So she approached this random guy who was pure of heart, valiant and selfless, and offered him the Goddess sword, asking him to be her knight.

He agreed because who’d turn down a request from an all powerful immortal deity?

It doesn’t really matter who this guy is, canonically in the games he’s only mentioned as ‘The First Chosen Hero’ or ‘Hylia’s Chosen Knight’, so we don’t even know if his name is Link. I like to think that it’s something comically ordinary/random, like...Allen.

Red/First is what the fandom calls him.

Most people accept Himekawa’s design of the first hero in their manga series as the look for him. The one with the red scarf and sparse gold armour.

I like it, but I want something different. Wasn’t the reason that the chain all wear green because it was that year’s colour for graduating students of the Skyloft Knight Academy?

I like the idea that green represents the hero’s spirit, not any of the chain individually, just their will to do what’s right and the strength to do what others can’t. It is selfless, acts independently of any outside influence and answers to no one. So then, let the first hero have green eyes (since eyes are the window to the soul/spirit, which is a small link to his successors), then wears red, white and gold to show that he fights for maybe even belongs to Hylia.

Hylia herself is still this very tall blond woman with a wing motif and a harp. She also doesn’t use weapons invented by humans for her divine powers are much more efficient than the mortal’s fragile metal and stone. Can’t change perfection.

Quick story time. So Red/Allen was a nobody. He came from simple ordinary origins and became known to Hylia purely because of his acts of heroism and strength. After he was given all that divine power, the Sheikah (or like an early/beta version of the Sheikah) who had not been close to the Goddess but were powerful, more advanced than the Hylians and were loyal to her, felt threatened by him. Not only because he was extremely powerful, seemingly untouchable, but he was also ordered by Hylia to...how to put this lightly? Basically he conquered other tribes like the Gorons and early-Zora, taking their homeland and making it part of Hylia’s protected land. He also had to quell infighting between groups of Hylians

They were also angered that this dirt poor rando had her favour and that he was chosen as her knight rather than a distinguished warrior from their clan. And maybe they also wanted power and protection that came with being close to the Goddess for themselves

I saw fanart ages ago of the First Hero in chains, and that idea was fascinating. I don’t know why- it’s probably explained in the manga but I haven’t read it, so in my story the Sheikah imprisoned him. Maybe by taking advantage of his good will and tricking him (luring him into a trap saying that they needed his help of something), drugging/spelling him, stripping him of all his belongings (maybe burning some) and locking him up in the dankest of dungeons in their part of the land.

Hylia found out, but instead of punishing the beta-Sheikah, she decided to use them. Seeing them best her hero was enough for her to finally acknowledge their magical and technological potential, and she made them her close servants. Not to reward them though, goodness no. They had just roughed up her perfect weapon. She just recognised that they’d be useful and kept them around as tools rather than exiling or killing them.

This kind of fits in with the Sheikah’s strange treatment in the series. Like, their supposedly some of the closest people to the Goddess, directly serving the Royal family, yet they hide in shadows and are forced to do pretty awful things (ahem Shadow Temple). So they serve the Royal family because they have blood descendants of their beloved Goddess, and the royal family keep them around because over the years it just became the status quo. However, they’re powerful and could become a threat if they are not controlled.

This way the Sheikah aren’t total victims, which sounds silly but it’s how I saw them for the longest time since BoTW- since it always seemed like they were getting screwed over by the Royal Family. Having them bring down the hero in the distant past sets the president that they actually are a threat to the Hylians...that being said if they didn’t strike first then Hylia probably would have sent Allen and his friends (maybe he could lead a team of elite warriors) over to assert dominance over their tribe anyway

As for Allen and Hylia’s relationship...? Well, it starts off as strictly professional and business-like. Hylia orders him somewhere, he does it without question. But once they get to know each other, maybe after a few battles, she teaches him how to ride her crimson loftwing (perhaps that’s why Sky is such a natural with his loftwing) and he teaches her to to use the Goddess sword, they become friends-ish. I say ‘ish’, because they’re not really equals as Hylia believes herself above him and I never said that Allen was ok with all this conquering and fighting. But most things he’d try to suggest would be shut down/ignored, (because he’s just a human and she’s a Goddess, therefore she knows better) so he’d have to content with doing his old simple hero stuff on days off.

I don’t think that the first hero was all that close with Fi. She seemed pretty robotic and cold with Sky before warming up to him in SS, and I feel she like she wouldn’t have been so distant if she was good friends with his previous life.

She also doesn’t mention the first hero in any significant way, meaning she probably knew next to nothing about him personally (or he was super unmemorable). Therefore, she was in sword form most of the time only coming out to remind him of objectives set out by Hylia. He’d try to converse with her and make friends but she didn’t reciprocate and after a while, along with Hylia herself calling the endeavour a lost cause, he gave up. Fi was fond of him however, thinking him worthy enough to wield the blade even if she’d prefer if Hylia used it.

Also sorry, but the idea of this powerful deity being a space cadet when it comes to swords is cute! And it nicely juxtaposes some of her descendants who are rapier wielding prodigies, looking at you Dawn (TP Zelda) and Justice (HW Zelda).

~~~

Lore for the Era of Hylia 2

Lore for the Era of Hylia 3

#loz #legend of zelda #loz demise #hylia #hylian #loz hylia #link #legend of zelda link #loz link #loftwing #skyloft #skyward sword #skyward sword link #zelda

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psychewritesbs · 2 years

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What do you like about JJK? Why do you like it so much and what makes it stand out compared to other shonen to you? What do you think will happen with Gojo getting freed and Yuji? :)

HOLA!

Ok so it’s 1 am in my neck of the woods and I’m re-watching episode 1 of the JJK anime after watching Chainsaw Man’s anime’s first episode and...

God I love Jujutsu Kaisen...

He’s such a maniac, I adore him.

Word vomit below the cut.

I just don’t even know where to begin about why I like it so much. And to be honest, I didn’t love JJK until after episode 23 of the anime aired which prompted me to start reading the manga.

There was just something that hit home on an emotional level about Megumi upleveling after failing time and time again that really hooked me.

And to be honest, I think that’s why JJK is so popular and became mainstream... there’s something in the existential struggles of its characters that moves us to the core because we see ourselves in them.

Ah, but since I promised word vomit... without further ado.

What I like about JJK and why I like it so much

Tropes, tropes everywhere!

There's something so fascinating about how, from a narrative and character perspective, JJK uses all the tropes and yet somehow manages to be different.

I mean... you’ve got the 3-man squad, the white-haired super strong mentor, the demon inside the mc, the psychic warriors... you name it, JJK uses the trope and explores new facets of it by fleshing the trope out.

Something like that...

So to answer your question about what makes JJK different, it’s defo how Gege manages to strike a nice balance between using all the familiar tropes and creating a unique experience.

The plot

Not to mention that the plot feels like a puzzle that you put together one piece at a time. JJK reminds me of another show I love, Westworld, because it keeps you guessing right up until the end because the writers keep throwing twists at you.

Now that I’ve been watching and reading JJK for 2 years, to see the pieces of the puzzle come together is fascinating because you can see how Gege foreshadowed certain plot points.

The characters

First, I have to say that right from the beginning I knew I loved Megumi (this love only grew as I have seen how his character is revealed to us). But it goes without saying that I found most of the characters very human and relatable.

I think this is by far one of the most important factors that sets JJK apart from other manga and anime of its kind.

There’s depth to the JJK characters.

Depth Psychology

Ehem... the obvious one.

Dr. Jung would have a ball watching JJK and analyzing the characters’ respective neuroses (or Gege’s psyche for coming up with such a story). I think he’d especially find Megumi fascinating because of the whole shadow motif, and Yuji because of the stark contrast in personalities (like a split ego).

Also, I can’t quite put my finger on it yet, but the way Gege writes his characters is very focused on Psychology of the ego and how circumstances and trauma affects and drives thought and behavior.

But more importantly, I am fascinated by how Gege’s strongest characters are characters with a strong ego complex.

Maybe someday I’ll write a super nerdy essay that no one will want to read about the ego in JJK...

That said, Gege understands Depth Psychology, which is not to be confused with mainstream Psychology. And when I first noticed the Jungian influences on JJK, I wished JJK would have been around when I was in grad school because all my essays would have been about JJK.

JJK is dark and existential

I think that’s another of the things that makes JJK so different: Even while remaining true to its genre (Shonen), JJK is dark, it’s gritty, it’s angsty, it’s nuanced, it’s psychological... JJK is existential.

It’s not just about Goku and Vegeta fighting to see who is the strongest Saiyan, or Deku wanting to become the greatest hero or Naruto wanting to become Hokage so that he is acknowledged by others--it’s about people like you and me who have to face the existential horror of sacrificing their own lives for the sake of the humans who unconsciously create the curses that haunt them.

AND yet, as we’re seeing in the Culling Game arc, it’s also about how sorcerers like to battle it out because their existence is validated in battle (again, that whole thing with the ego and the strongest sorcerers).

In a nutshell, JJK is not just about a three-man team going on missions, it’s about the experience of facing death in those missions and how it changes the characters in different ways.

What happens to Yuji and Gojo?

I don’t know...

And like I want to cry just thinking about Yuji’s will to live even though his fate was sealed right from the beginning of the story.

Yuji is a kid who knows that he’s going to have a short life and he’s just doing what he can to use his unique powers to save others until that time comes.

Don’t quote me on this because I don’t understand it well, but, culturally, I understand the Japanese have an interesting relationship to “life, death and living” which might explain why suicide is so prevalent as a “choice”.

Again, I’m not entirely sure and could be 100% wrong as I am making assumptions based on having read Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being. The book thematically explores how the MCs learn to value their life and choose life over death and I bring it up because, if you think about it, Yuji and Megumi do not value their lives.

And yet to see Yuji cry and come to realize he doesn’t want to die in the panel above is so heartbreaking because we’re told from the very beginning that he’s going to die no matter what.

In the Culling Game arc (don’t read this paragraph if you aren’t up to date with the manga), you even see Yuji willingly decide to sacrifice himself because doing so would solve so many problems. What is even more poignant is how he seems to be convinced this is the honorable thing to do--so Japanese.

All that to say that, again, I have zero clue about what might happen to him because it really could go either way--he dies as planned because he’s Sukuna’s host, or he lives on because he somehow managed to continue to suppress Sukuna.

I’m going to put my money on the latter because as things are right now...

a) We have learned that the Jujutsu scheme of things are a bunch of creepy dudes who are interested in maintaining the status quo for their own benefit. One of the themes of the story is about Gojo wanting to take down these creepsters who decided that Yuji must die so I wonder where that’s going to go.

b) That said, I wonder if we aren’t meant to think that it’s obvious Sukuna is evil af and the reason Yuji has to die is to protect the general population from Sukuna’s evil. But I wonder if there is another reason why he is being targeted other than being “evil”.

c) I’d like to see Yuji value his life. Megumi has already realized that throwing away his life isn’t necessarily the best idea... but even after facing death, Yuji realized that he wants to live but continues to sacrifice himself to save others.

And it’s kind of interesting to think that Yuji is scared of not valuing other people’s lives but doesn’t value his own.

I am not sure if that’s what Gege has in mind for Yuji, but given what we’ve seen of Yuji so far, I’d really, really like to see Yuji choose to live no matter what. I want to see him have the same conviction that he has for saving others, but for saving himself.

That’s another thing I love about JJK by the way, it’s beautifully poetic.

As for Gojo... I haven’t given it much thought to be honest. I think he for sure gets out of the Prison Realm, and I can totally see him sacrificing himself for his students.

I’ve written before about how he doesn’t have a God complex, but how he can be arrogant. And I do feel like Gojo might overestimate how powerful he is. His downfall might actually be that, contrary to Sukuna who has no regard for others, Gojo cares too much for others.

Anyways.

Thanks for the ask dear! It was great to think about these things and put my thoughts together. If you’re up for it I’d love to hear about why you like JJK.

#god I love jujutsu kaisen #ask the mental gymnastics anime girl #ok its now 4 am #off to watch csm episode 2 #then hopefully sleep

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raymondshields · 7 months

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im sure someone has asked this but 696

#696 is delightfully, wonderfully, holy-shit-I-didn't-realize-how-little-art-I-had-of-him-what-the-fuck Hero of Wind and Voices, Tarim 'Laqir' Nakoshima, chosen Hero of Kharos! Pictured here as his recolor.me from 2020, a very bad drawn image from 2014, and a base art from 2012. As you can see, he's always had Generic Anime Protagonist brown hair and green eyes, and has always had that bright-red and bright-cyan motif around him.

When @castcuraga decides he is ready to open commissions, I will give him somewhere between 150-300$ CAD and he will do a fully painted picture of Tarim for me, and it will be glorious, and it will force me to draw a full reference of him, which tbh he really needs.

I know I said 'a few facts'. You're getting a fucking infodump and you will like it, Tsuko-my-dear, because Tarim is one of my oldest OCs, and if I'm not mistaken, my oldest OC that I still use. I think... I'm pretty sure the only older OC that I have is Tranq (Shadow Tranquility is her full name, and I have no idea if she's ever coming back, I won't rule it out).

Tarim has been with me for over a decade, and I love him, and he deserves the world. He was the protagonist for Vocal Paradise, my very first NaNoWriMo novel in 2012. I won that year. I was so proud of myself. He came back for 2017 in Starlight ~ Beginning of the End, which I should reread because the only info I apparently put on NaNo itself was "tarim has to leave the vamps because shit blew up, naitofiara is there," so 10/10, me.

2018, Firstlight ~ The Cultist's Blade opened with "Tarim Nakoshima is dead, the Reihe having consumed him after a Fragment left him in the wrong timeline. [..] Thus, a new group of Twilight Warriors must be chosen." Three years later, Tarim makes his as-of-right-now final appearance in 2012 with Dragonsword ~ His Last Night's Requiem as not only the owner of the titular requiem, but "Not so long after the initial fall of Kagiru Network, two strange young men appear in the middle of the Salem Academy courtyard. One looks Tarathiel Draconis in the eye, tosses her the necklace he had around his neck, and fades to nothingness." which is a pretty metal way to die.

So, now that I've established Tarim's been around for fuckin ages and likes haunting the narrative, who is he?

Tarim is Maradeim! Originally called the Cherchant, which is French for 'searching', because when I was 12 I was learning French so a great deal of the language made it into my writing. The Maradeim are from Ilya Loremmi, the oldest of my original worlds (and very much still a part of the Aethel!), and specifically from the city-state of Isuparingu, which I think is a google-translated-romaji corruption of 'inspiration'? Anyway, they were birthed by the goddess Ivonnu, who's still around, in a fight with her sister Ikuto, who is also still around as Kharos' daughter and being pissy in the woods.

What makes the Maradeim different from ye average elf? Uh, they're grey? Yeah, I know, good question.

Maradeim have been established to be Pretty Rare, so you don't see 'em much outside Isuparingu, and almost never outside the Lorem as it is. Four of the Detan Burata - Zona, Seikyoru (who you may know better as Athena Cykes), Myn, and Rokichi - are Maradeim. To date, Tarim is the only named, non-DB Maradeim character I currently have. (There's two others in my records, Felix and Jaycinda, but I highly doubt they'll ever reappear. I would have to totally rework them, and changing names and designs for characters who didn't have more than that is just making new characters.)

Tarim has average brown hair, spearmint green eyes, gunmetal gray skin, and a jawline sharp enough to slice a man alive. He stands 5'9", would probably be called an otter if he were in a gay bar, and from what I can tell, is the Most Average Maradeim To Ever Maradeim.

He doesn't have parents. Why doesn't he have parents? Dunno. The very first iteration of Vocal Paradise was actually a story my first soulbond, Iban, told me about growing up in the desert. He was making shit up because he was babysitting his younger brother, but I still took it for inspiration. Eventually I moved Tarim to Ilya Ustuxe, I think in 2017 for Starlight, where he actually was an illegal immigrant, worked as a veterinarian for horrors that come out of the woods, and promptly had a super-gay romance with the king, Morcair Rakshara.

Tarim's role has always been that of Protagonist, when he appears; and if he does appear as the Mentor Who Dies, it's because of how his powers and prophecy have always worked.

The oldest prophecy I've ever written was the Prophecy of the Five Heroes, in various forms, and the kicker to it is that people have tried to fulfill it, and crucially, they failed. There's been three generations of Heroes: the first was the Bringers of Hope, the second was the Crafters of Balance, and the third is the Challengers of Fate.

The Bringers of Hope failed so badly that none of them have ever even appeared in any written works: the only thing left of them is their titles, and the fact that they failed. (I know their names, though, and their relationships with each other. Hehehe.) The Crafters of Balance was Tarim, Nyktophotia, Elrua, Akui, and Ikane; who were all actively written out of the narrative when their powers overwhelmed them. They still haunt the narrative. The Challengers of Fate are Tarathiel, Kinefira, Ezra, Saga, Tessa, and Leilahi.

You'll notice that there's six challengers, whereas only five of the other two. Really wonder why the first two groups failed, folks...

Regardless. Tarim is the OG Hero of Voices, and his main magical power is to command the three Alyvian spellsongs - the Reihe, Sterben, and Lautlos - and to reshape the world of travel, Ilya Serina, to his will. He begins using the Sterben, and eventually the Reihe, and only once uses the Lautlos. Contrary to Tarathiel, who primarily uses the Lautlos and sometimes the Sterben, and only uses the Reihe when she purifies her own heart.

Tarim has always been the protagonist, and his job is to be dragged through the Serin into varying parts of the wilderness of the Aethel by the plot, being pissy the entire time and befriending a bunch of animals, sometimes being dragged around by a girl who is supposed to be his love interest and who he doesn't give two shits about. The only person he's shown any romantic interest in was Morcair, who he died on very purposefully and who he kept a lot of secrets from. Morcair's pretty bitter about it, and helps out the Challengers only for Tarim's memory. Lmao.

You'll notice, though, that right up top I said that Tarim goes by Laqir. This is because while I knew from the start what his name was, he has never willingly given his name to another person in his entire fucking life. Seriously. If he weren't sorted under the Ts, I wouldn't have told you his name was Tarim. In my actual files where all his art is, he's listed under Laqir. When I make the wiki, he'll be listed under Laqir as well, and his actual name will only be in the sidebar.

When I write him, he always and only uses he/him pronouns, and only gets named in the narrative after someone asks him his name onscreen, and he has to give it. The first time he did in Starlight (because tbh I barely remember all the shit that happened in Vocal Paradise), it was to Morcair. Tarim panicked, glanced around outside the carriage they were in, saw a road sign for Laqir Lane, and told him his name was Laqir.

What fuckin name was he going by before the shattering of the Aethel? Gods only know. It sure fuckin' wasn't Tarim.

Why he has this issue, I have no idea. But he won't give you his name, just Laqir, and gods only know if Nakoshima is his actual surname either. Prob'ly not. I have no idea why he was orphaned in the desert. He got to Ilya Ustuxe by being a stowaway on a ship as a teenager and is Super Illegally There, but fuck you he's Laqir Nakoshima, consort to the King and Hero of Voices, no one is going to be asking for his passport.

The red/blue thing he's got is something he famously shares with Nyktophotia: that's actually an Alyvian thing, and they both have it through their use of the spellsongs. Tarathiel only does that when she's actively using her powers, and Kinefira simply refuses to use the spellsongs so she doesn't get to be special.

Tarim is a grumpy, generous guy honestly. Dislikes being personable, dislikes being dragged into shit, a very Bilbo-like character tbh? Genuinely very loving, absolutely atrocious at trusting people. Super reliable, though, and has an interest in chemistry.

Tarim is also the actual owner of the Kharosian stronghold on Ilya Kava, as well as a low mansion on a phantom island in Ilya Ustuxe. He stored most of his personal stuff in the Ustux, and most of his Hero stuff in the Kav. The Challengers use his stronghold in the Kav as their primary base of operations in the Aethel, since they don't reeeeaaally want to go to the Ustux and deal with Morcair's grief over Tarim, but Tarim himself is still haunting both of these places in what fragments of consciousness he's managed to plant in them, so he's all smug about that.

It'd be nice to go back and write a few stories for him, tbh. It's been a while, and most of the things he's done in Sagiverse sum up to angrily being written out of the narrative onscreen to pass the mantle to Tarathiel. We should go see what he was up to before that.

[send me a number between 2 and 787 for a few facts about that OC, please send me more these are super fun]

#asks #dorksmithery #it's laqiiiiiir my boy my boy my boy #fun fact: the oc directly above him is tarathiel!#i love answering asks about my writing and ocs and worldbuilding #seriously y'all can just ask about literally any of this #anything interesting i'll tell you all about it

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imminent-danger-came · 1 year

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MK+ Reflections

(1x00 A Hero is Born)

MK: “I just...I don’t want to let my friends down, you know? [...] But it’s too hard! I’m just one guy.” (1x02 Duplicatnation)

(2x00 Revenge of the Spider Queen)

Mirror MK: “Ugh, Stop that! Listen, every time we get in trouble we turn to Monkie King or our friends or someone—they tell us a story and we find that smidge of motivation we need. Well! Now we’re on our own. It’s just you.” (2x00 Revenge of the Spider Queen)

“I gained a new power!”

“The power...of self-reflection”

(2x00 Revenge of the Spider Queen) (This one is an honorary mention)

(2x00 Revenge of the Spider Queen)

(2x02 Dumpling Destruction)

Lady Bone Demon: “Whatever she’s planning, it’s all to do with that. I- I’ve seen you use your staff, surely you could use it to smash that thing?”

(2x05 Minor Scale)

Mirror MK: “No, stop! What are you doing!”

(2x05 Minor Scale)

MK: “This is the trigram furnace, from the celestial realm! How is this-”

“...Trust your instincts.”

(2x05 Minor Scale)

Totally Not Macaque: “The Hero and the Warrior were like the sun and the moon, their light like a protective glow shining upon the world. As the hero’s light grew, so too did his shadow—and soon, the Warrior was cast into that shadow. In the darkness, the warrior was forgotten by the Hero.”

(2x07 Shadow Play)

(2x10 This is the End)

Lady Bone Demon: “This is your destiny.”

(2x10 This is the End) (This isn’t MK, however MK’s self reflection is so closely tied to the celestial furnace, and LBD appears in a trigram furnace reflection so many times with MK that I am obligated to include it)

Tang: “Um, MK? I get the feeling you aren’t telling us something.”

(2x10 This is the End)

Tang: “My mother was right! Associate with the wrong people and see where you end up.”

(3x02 Great Grand Dragon of the East)

MK: “It’s like a whole new me!”

(3x02 Great Grand Dragon of the East)

Sandy: “Are we sure we’re going in the right direction?” Tang: “Not a clue. All Monkey King said to do was head west, so-”

(3x03 Smartie Kid)

MK: “UGH. How am I meant to fight the lady bone demon?”

(3x04 The Winning Side)

(3x06 The First Ring)

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

Sun Wukong: “You actually might have done more for this world than I ever have!”

(4x01 Familiar Tales)

(4x02 New Adventures)

MK: “Remind me how this ‘game’ is supposed to convince me I’m not destined to turn into an evil demon monkey thing again? Cause, EVERY option I pick brings me to this! Same! Screen!”

(4x10 The Jade Emperor)

Oh reflection motif, how I love you.

Interesting to note, MK’s reflection never shows up in the Demon Revealing Mirror (something that is actually, you know, a mirror). Very intriguing to think about, isn’t it?

#it took FOREVER to sift through 30+ episodes to find every instance of an MK reflection #There's a lot and I wanted to compile it!#It takes a little bit to transcribe too #But I've wanted to make this one for a little bit #Next post like this is probably gonna be for the hand motif ehehe #lmk parallels #lmk #lego monkie kid #lego monkie kid mk #lmk mk #monkie kid #lmk sandy #lmk sun wukong #lmk lady bone demon #lmk lbd #OH I ALSO WANT TO MAKE ONE WHERE IT'S MK AS A MIRROR #THOSE SHOTS ARE VERY INTERESTING TO ME #long post #lmk reflection motif

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sidhewrites · 1 year

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10, 12, 17 :v

wip ask game ; accepting! ; For my unnamed fairy wip

10: How would you describe your WIP's narrative style? (1st person, 3rd person, multiple POVs, single POV, alternating chapters, etc.)

I'm mostly working in a 3rd person limited, but it will cut away now and then to make -- not a true omniscient narrator, but to pull back from our main character to better tell the story

12: Which character do you have the least in common with?

Sylvie, definitely. A dutiful, somber, clever fairy warrior who is almost entirely focused on her quest and reluctant to share her thoughts. Compared to our other two main heroes, Polly (the Main Character tm) and Jack, who are both jovial and struggle to hide their emotions. Polly is downright guileless, while Jack wants to make people happy and smiles often.

Also Sylvie has a big sword, I currently do not. :(

17: Does your WIP have any themes or motifs?

I haven't looked at the plot closely enough to figure out what themes this story wants to tell other than I want something fun and full of glitter. I think maybe just do the right thing even if it's hard? Eh.

If you asked the talking cat Marius, however, it's about how he suffered before achieving his true destiny which is to be carried everywhere on plush silk pillows and fed gourmet seafood for the rest of his immortal days.

#Ask #dreamcrow #unnamed fairy wip #i love u so much crow!!!

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blood-starved-beast · 2 years

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Irelia Headcanons again, but this time featuring Liana (Blossoming Blade)

Irelia met Liana in dance school. She’s a little older than Liana (like if there existed a grade system like in the modern day, she’d be a grade older or something like that). They shared classes and Liana always admired Irelia from afar. Was completely embarrassed/enamored when Irelia seemed to be more interested in her than in the other students.

That being said it took Liana long while to realize that Irelia liked her Like That. Irelia flirted with her, but gave her her space and kept their relationship as friends and didn’t press. It was Liana who overcame her anxiety to breech the question of “what are we?” before a tense battle.

That being said, Liana did not fight in the First Ionian Invasion. During the chaos prior to Irelia unifying the resistance, Liana’s parents came for her in the Placidium and the family fled the fighting. As such they remained unscathed from the Invasion for the most part. Liana willing offered herself to join the Resistance in the Second Invasion, overcoming great anxiety in doing so.

Irelia and Liana wouldn’t reunite until after the first Invasion. During the Invasion, Irelia didn’t know what happened to Liana and her family, and only hoped Liana was ok. But of course was very busy with the resistance. They met only by chance around a year after the war and the Placidium opened up again to receive the dancers back.

Liana was very shy of Irelia at first. Yes, Irelia was her childhood friend but they hadn’t seen each other in almost half a decade, and Irelia was now a famous war hero. Irelia was really excited to see Liana again and when Liana realized that it was still her best friend/crush behind the serious hero persona she warmed up to Irelia quickly.

Still, Liana did notice some changes with Irelia after the war from before. They weren’t red flags or anything, only that Irelia seemed a lot more troubled and burdened. Also more reserved. It saddens her, especially in the moments when Liana pressed for explanations, that Irelia would find a way to deflect it. Irelia the Blade Dancer had a lot more walls now and more difficult to navigate than Irelia the Dance Student.

Irelia hates the idea of burdening Liana with anything. Back in their school days Irelia was the one to protect Liana from bullies and people who had nothing nice to say and that mentality still remained in her as an adult. Only now taken to Eleven cause she’s a war general who had accustomed herself to care deeply for her men and women.

Unlike Irelia, Liana did not come from a family of dancers. Her father is a laborer (and good source of dad jokes) and her mother a small town apothecary. It’s from her mom that she got her motifs with blossoms/magic related to that. She also has a younger brother that was born right before the Invasion happened.

Irelia gets along well enough with totally-not-in-laws. It took her a while to re-accustom herself to humor after the war, so Liana’s father’s dad jokes caught her off guard at first. They get along well though.

She has a somewhat more rocky relationship with Liana’s mom, who as medicine person is convinced that Irelia won’t make it past 30 with the warrior lifestyle that she lives (and isn’t afraid to voice that opinion to Liana. Ironically, this was what convinced Liana to join the resistance for the second Invasion). She still treats Irelia’s ailments all the same, supports Irelia despite their disagreements.

Liana’s brother though thought Irelia to be the coolest at first. Though he wasn’t introduced to her as such, it became common knowledge that Irelia is a war hero and he got some clout among the other 6 year olds for his sister being friends (later dating) the Hero of Ionia. His opinion of her grew more nuanced as he grew up and became accustomed to Irelia’s incredibly bad sense of humor, the arguments she had with his mom, her social awkwardness when she’s not in a military setting, her lovey-dovey-ness with his sister. Now as a thirteen-year-old, he thinks of her as one of the family, but more importantly as a dork.

Irelia sometimes helps out with the family business selling medicinal herbs and potions. Used to be that she sold them at the counter but when word spread around that Irelia Xan of the Resistance was countering at the Medicine Shop at X town, people (especially those wanting to join the resistance) would swamp around and block access for people who were actual there for medicine. She was then relegated to herb preparer at the back.

When the assassination attempts started Irelia forced herself to become distant towards Liana and her family out of fear of any one of them getting caught in the crossfire one day. Liana joining the Resistance threw that out the window.

For that reason Irelia reflexively opposed Liana joining the Resistance at first. Liana insisted and pointed out that “Irelia of Navori was always caring for everyone else, but who’s going to care for her?” Irelia finally relented when it became clear that Liana wasn’t backing down.

EDIT, for some more I forgot to add: Liana is not short (Irelia is just tall for an Ionian) but is several inches shorter than Irelia. Irelia’s about as tall as Liana’s dad, a squat man heavily muscled (and tanned) from years of constructing houses and roads. It makes for a fun family portrait.

Irelia had met Liana’s dad once, prior to the Invasion. It was when he came to pick up Liana when the family was evacuating cause the Noxians had stormed their home town. He was the one to recognize her and point it out to Liana on their first meeting after the war.

Her anxiety and insecurity aside Liana is somewhat more well-adjusted and “adult” in some areas more than Irelia. Being a war leader put a lot of important (especially social) things on the backburner for Irelia, and she’s maladjusted as a result. Some of the more unhinged things Irelia says worries Liana for example, but she doesn’t really know to handle that exactly without making Irelia close herself off. Dealing with Irelia’s childness in other respects (like her sense of “humor” and ease to anger at slight provocation) is frustrating but more simpler in some respects.

#Xan Irelia #Liana (Blossoming Blade)#Irelia x Liana #Irelia x blossoming blade #League of legends #I like to think that Liana sees through some of Irelia's walls #including her apparent pride as a defense and walls #despite Irelia's efforts to appear as untouchable

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landoftheway · 1 year

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Doing my first playthrough of FE: 3 Hopes now that I finished Elden Ring, and I realized my brain was even bigger than I thought for basing my Tarnished on Edelgard:

I initially made that decision to create both a parallel and a contrast to Ranni since that was far and away my favorite ending and she’s my favorite Elden Ring character. Both Ranni and Edelgard are bisexual women obsessed with overthrowing the status quo for the sake of a better future even if it means committing evils in the present. However whereas Ranni is associated with ice, magic, and a blue and white color scheme, my Tarnished by the end of the game becomes associated with fire, strength, and a red and gold color scheme. Ranni tends to take an indirect path to her goals; plotting from the shadows, acting through multiple agents, and perfectly willing to deceive if necessary. My Tarnished instead always takes a direct path to her objectives, relying first and foremost on her own strength (with the very occasional ally when the opportunity presents itself), and is honest to a fault. I’d like to think within the more unstated aspects of Elden Ring’s narrative that the two wind up drawn together because of both their similar goals and all of the above differences.

However, I realized that this basis for my character actually worked diagetically in more ways than I’d initially realized. I used the Hero class to build my Tarnished since it’s what was the most optimal to get the final stat spread I needed, but it actually makes a lot of sense for my character along with her Aristocrat descendance. Like Edelgard my Tarnished is from a noble family who experienced a trauma in their relative youth (exile from the lands between in the Tarnished’s case) which would go on to shape their desire to seek power to overthrow the status quo that caused that trauma in the first place. Given that the Hero class is described as “a stalwart Hero, at home with a battleaxe, descended from a badlands chieftain”, if we treat that descendance as being more metaphorical in this case I’d like to think my Tarnished after their exile specifically chose to emulate Hoarah Loux. His leadership of the other Tarnished, overwhelming power, and belief in the right of those who’ve obtained power to rule would definitely appeal to my Tarnished, and would thus explain why they show up in the Lands Between in badlands attire and wielding an axe (she’d also probably look up to Nepheli Loux for much of the early game after meeting her for similar reasons).

The way my Tarnished would develop as I pursued my final build also works diagetically. She starts with a crude battle axe whose associated Ash of War is Wild Strikes, reflecting her likewise crude imitation of the person she’s chosen to emulate to grow stronger. As she gets stronger she switches to using a greataxe with the Ash of War Lion’s Claw along with a hodgepodge of more weighty armor, showing her improvements in both strength and skill as well as her pursuit of an identity and strength distinct from just emulating Hoarah Loux. By the time she’s fought through Leyndell and decided to burn the Erdtree with Melina, my Tarnished has at last settled on the Gargoyle’s Halberd with the Ash of War Flaming Strike; the slight change in style of weapon reflects her settling on her own fully distinct style of combat and way of life, the fire ability is a parallel to her now directly blasphemous actions against the Golden Order while still tying into her core belief in personal strength (and also creates a parallel with how Edelgard is able to imbue her axe with fire in 3 Hopes), and her final armor set is a mix of different once-noble warriors (Leyndell Knight Greaves, Cleanrot Knight Gauntlets, Radahn’s Lion Armor, and a Great Horned Headband) sharing a motif of gold accented by red (again, tying back to burning the Erdtree and the creation of something truly new from the old).

All of this of course culminates in the fight with Godfrey. Like him my Tarnished is fighting for the sake of her god-queen to put the old order of the world to bed, but quite clearly the Age of Stars she’s fighting for is fundamentally distinct than anything Godfrey would make with Marika at his side once more. And more directly apparent, by this point my Tarnished has surpassed him in martial ability with an axe-like weapon to the extent that he has to stop acting as a lord at all and revert back to fighting as the real Hoarah Loux (who I’d presume my Tarnished never saw given the presence of Serosh during Godfrey/Hoarah’s time leading the Long March of the Tarnished). So by the end my Tarnished has surpassed both the figure she idolized and who he truly was by finding her own identity and strength.

#i honestly don't usually put this much thought into designing video game OCs #but once i realized all these parallels were there i couldn't stop thinking about them #elden ring

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