#Apostate(s) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

muzzleroars · 9 months

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REALLY got hit with the line "Now this is a fight worthy of God's Will" and I need to talk about its significance, because it was always interesting to me that it's spoken by Gabriel as the Apostate of Hate. It comes in the second half of the fight in Heresy and while that one is incredibly interesting for the character development it shows in Gabriel, I’ve been thinking more and more about the encounter in Gluttony and just how the two are linked together. I discussed Gabriel’s nature as a warrior in detail here, but in short, he is a being made to fight for God, the battlefield being a holy place for him and where he fully connects to himself as an angel and to God as he fulfills his service to Him. It lights the divine spark within him, it is what causes his passion to burn fully bright and he is completely Gabriel, the Strength of God, in those moments. So where must he be when V1 meets him within Gluttony, what can he be feeling when he has fought thousands upon thousands of machines? There is no honor in these battles, there is no real victory, and Gabriel is growing dull, numb, devoid of any meaning. The machines are beneath him, they offer no challenge and they lack the capacity to recognize him as the angelic warrior that he is. His knightly virtue is smothered, stagnant, his very soul bled dry by mindless engagement after mindless engagement. He is totally disconnected from the self, an angel without their divine purpose and instead acting as a punch clock exterminator.

When V1 arrives, it’s the same despite a flashy entrance – He is more mechanical than his opponent, relying on automatic, rote tactics and repetitive maneuvers. He gets away with it for a bit, so thoughtless that he even pauses in his taunts as his pride dimly flickers to life, V1’s own movements clumsy and poorly timed due to facing an angel for the first time. But V1 is fully engaged, V1 is tuned to every movement that Gabriel makes, the data he nearly hand feeds it – every second its AI is learning, devouring each pattern and quickly mapping out Gabriel’s now own mindless motions. Soon, it’s landing hits, soon he isn’t, soon something starts to feel off. Halfway through the battle, something is wrong. It clicks for Gabriel when he begins to bleed and it seems V1 isn’t harmed. It’s still the same machine? How long had they been fighting? Confusion overwhelms him as he attempts strike after strike and V1 dodges with ease, why can’t he hit it? Why is it still here? The only answer he can flail for is anger, to burst into a rage when the battle refuses to bend to his will, to end. He had gotten sloppy, lazy. Battle, the one thing that connected him directly to God, that was his divine purpose and made him Gabriel, has become so automatic he’s blocking it out. The fire is gone. It enrages him, he flies into a fury at V1, this stupid robot that won’t die and becomes the avatar of his dead passion. A corpse with a pulse, an angel reduced to pantomiming the purpose God gave him against endless mechanical dolls, why, why, what’s happened to him? Nothing is real, he realizes he can’t remember any of the fights he’s had against these machines and his hands have been empty of his true, heaven-forged swords for each one of them. And in his rage, in his furious motions, as he’s consumed with how pointless and ridiculous he looks fighting this minuscule machine, his body falls to the floor, bleeding. His wings support his weight no longer, and every muscle refuses to obey him. He’s lost. Everything is empty, he shouts and throws a fit in utter shock, but has he truly burned down to ash?

And when he returns in Heresy, he is choked with his own anger, his grief, at his failure but too at his total loss of connection to himself, to his God. God, now dead in reality and dead in his own soul. There is nothing left, and so he doesn’t even have a choice in becoming an apostate angel, God is dead and he can no longer even feel him. V1 enters as the avatar of that loss, burns in his mind as a last desperate attempt to claw back the shreds of what’s left of Gabriel and he initially believes he must kill it to do so. To know God’s warrior isn’t fully burned away. But then a change happens again halfway through the battle, that primal spark lights and his wings bloom into brilliant gold and indigo, ecstatic. He is wielding his swords once more, they form into his hands and he is bleeding despite pouring what’s left of his strength and passion into this last battle. V1 meets him, it learns every second and it dances in perfect time with him, a true, real battle, after all the years of the Council bleeding that passion dry. “Now this is a battle worthy of God’s will” he shouts as a man risen from the dead – V1 lights him again as the angel he had forgotten he was even with the light now torn from him, his identity is restored even as he falls and V1 moves him as God once moved him – it changes one last time into the avatar of the God he lost. This is war, this is what he was handmade for...and it has been absent for so long. This machine restores him as Gabriel, returns his love and his passion and his divine ecstasy without the need for anything else – he is Gabriel once again even without God, without his light. It’s thrilling, exhilarating, what else could he do but fall in love when he is given his self back, when he is given the chance to be everything he is without being used by another?

#i am thinking. this is all obvious. AND YET.#i had to write it all out because it means so much for their relationship #to me this is why gabriel falls in love. that he was given himself back fully and without a god #i know how he responds to v1 can be interpreted in many different ways #but this is how i see it and why i just. WHY THEY JUST MAKE ME. UHUH.#gabriel #v1 #gabv1el

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tenrulle · 2 months

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Post with the original art: https://www.reddit.com/r/slaytheprincess/comments/1afx8lh/stitched_together_the_devoted/

It's autor: https://www.reddit.com/user/inlovingmelody/

Inspired by Max0r's incorrect summory of Ultrakill.

P. S: there was supposed to be a third page of Apostate concept with second ending, but I've spent 2 weeks making this, and I am ded. Altrough I will make it eventually and load here as a separated post (probably with some extra stuff).

#slay the princess #fanart #digital art #digital artwork #original character #character concept #meme #shitpost #high quality shitpost #ultrakill

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 9 months

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"It only takes one generation refusing to serve god for the next generation to know nothing about him."

Today's apostates and "nothing in particular"s will be the parents of tomorrow's atheists.

#disbelief #no gods no masters #rise of the nones #empty the pews #decline of religion #no religion #irreligion #religion is a mental illness

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possessedopossum · 9 months

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I love "fugitives together" ending so much. People call Anders romance depressing for very wrong reasons. Like oh, you think chantry explosion was sad? How about Hawke's whole friend group calling his best friend and lover mad for literally the same things Hawke stands for? How about mage Hawke's friends having no problems with templars, the same people, who would gladly imprison Hawke for life or even execute him for apostasy? I think people idealize Kirkwall gang way too much. Varric occasionally drinks with templars and has almost zero principles. Aveline helps templars to arrest apostates. And Fenris...I don't know how much patience a mage needs to listen to "all mages are bad magic itself is bad but you're different" for 6 years. The part where you can kill him in the Gallows for trying to murder you is kinda bruh too. And Isabela doesn't care what side you choose in the end. Isn't it depressing, to know that your friends don't care even one bit about people like you dying and being tortured literally every day? I don't like "fix it" headcanons where Anders warms up to certain companions because why would he? That's, like, the whole point of the game. Playing a mage IS isolating. It WILL make you look unlikable to others if you're vocal enough about the oppression. Because most people tend to ignore all the problems that do not concern them directly and they don't like when the said problems are being pushed into their faces. I can't speak for other players but for my mage Hawke, life in Kirkwall was awful. Like on the level where you think taking your own life is not that bad awful. Anders and Merrill were the only people who didn't make him feel even worse for being a mage. I don't think being fugitive is sad. What saddens me the most, is that only on the run with Anders Hawke realizes that he is finally happy. Because running from authorities is way better than running from your own nature. Its not sad when you and your lover are alone against the whole world. It`s only sad when the unjust world breaks your spirit and you accept it as it is without fighting.

#dragon age #da2 #dragon age anders #handers #mhanders #hawke x anders #art #male hawke

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swan-of-sunrise · 1 year

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Taking Care of Business (Chapter Thirty-Two)

Summary: Din and (Y/N) try and ultimately fail to repair IG-11 and after a discouraging visit to a droidsmith's workshop, they decide that their best chance at repairing the loyal droid lay with Peli Motto.

Pairing: Din Djarin X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: So, how did you guys like the season finale? I thought it was pretty good and it gave me lots of ideas for the future of this fic lol but until then, we’re still on Nevarro for the moment. Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Two The Droid (Previous Chapter)

“If I knew that you were this skilled at rewiring I would’ve had you work on the Razor Crest much more often,” Din remarked as he worked alongside (Y/N) to repair IG-11; there wasn’t much of the droid left in the wake of its self-destruction to work on, but the wiring was complex and thanks to his wife’s precise touch, she could handle even the most delicate wires without inadvertently damaging them more than they already were.

(Y/N) smiled but kept her eyes focused on her work. “Just like a bounty hunter to suggest that. Would you have had me clean your weapons and carbon-freeze all your bounties for you, too?”

“Perhaps it’s better that you stuck to flying the ship; I hear that smugglers tend to think that anything outside of piloting is too taxing on them.”

His wife glanced away from her soldering long enough to give him a playful glare and as she went back to work, she mumbled under her breath, “Keep talking like that, and I might just have to put a stop to our usual nighttime activities; you know, since apparently anything outside of piloting is too taxing on me.”

Beneath his helmet, Din smirked at the captain’s teasing threat. “Mir’sheb.” While they both started to finish repairing the droid’s wiring, his smile slowly faded and he was filled with a familiar sense of guilt.

Their honeymoon on Naboo had been an absolute dream; they spent their days playing with Grogu and exploring the Lake Country of (Y/N)’s beloved homeworld, and their nights were spent locked in each other’s passionate embrace. But, as with all dreams, it came to an end when Din decided to seek out the Living Waters and atone for his transgression against the Creed. He felt guilty enough as he explained his plan to his wife, but his guilt compounded when she readily agreed and he spotted the quick flash of disappointment in her eyes before she could hide it. (Y/N) had lived a life that was nothing short of traumatic; she never knew her father, she’d lost her mother and was forced to flee her homeworld of Naboo when she was only twelve, she spent her adolescence engulfed in the dangerous life of a smuggler, and she’d witnessed the horrors of war firsthand as she worked to save thousands of lives on behalf of the Rebellion. If anyone was deserving of peace, it was her and yet, she chose to marry a Mandalorian apostate and become the co-caregiver to a powerful Force-wielding foundling. One day I’ll earn the love and trust she’s given me, he silently vowed as he studied her beautiful features, and one day she’ll have the peace she’s always desired but never truly experienced.

“There,” (Y/N) straightened and set down her soldering gun before removing her safety goggles and wiping the sweat off her brow. “He’s hooked up to power.”

“Let’s see if we can wake him up.” Din leaned past Grogu, who stood on the work table and had watched their progress with curious eyes, and held two exposed wires together until they finally sparked and smoked; when IG-11 remained motionless, Greef shot him a knowing look but Din remained hopeful that the droid would wake. After a tense moment, the droid’s hand began to twitch and his lights flickered on as he started to sit up, and Din started to smile underneath his helmet.

The High Magistrate chuckled in amazement. “There you go!”

(Y/N) beamed and Grogu let out a delighted coo as IG-11 struggled to speak. “Sub-paragraph sixteen-teen-teen…of t-the Bondsman Guild protocol w-waiver…” Din froze and his heart hammered in his chest as the droid’s familiar words. “Immediately produce said…the bounty is mine. Asset to be terminated.”

IG-11’s lights turned red and he lunged towards Grogu, but Din quickly scooped the child up into his arms and backed away; the droid rolled itself onto the ground and started to crawl towards them, and Din was forced to draw his blaster and fire. The blaster fire did nothing to deter IG-11, so he looked up and over at (Y/N). “Alor’ad!”

(Y/N) held her arms out and caught Grogu after Din tossed him across the room, cradling the child against her chest and drawing her own blaster as IG-11 started crawling in her direction. Greef wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her backwards as he shouted, “Mando, shoot it! Shoot it!”

Din and (Y/N)’s blaster fire started to slow the droid down, but it wasn’t until Greef’s protocol droid shoved a metallic bust of its master onto IG-11’s head that the droid finally shut down for good. The three of them breathed a sigh of relief and Din holstered his blaster with a weary shrug. “Now that’s using your head.”

His wife groaned at his terrible joke and shook her head in exasperation before giving the protocol droid a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“I think he defaulted to his old programming…”

Greef huffed out a humorless laugh. “You think? Come, I may have a solution to your problem…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There’s still a chance we could bypass IG-11’s old programming and rewire his circuitry,” (Y/N) remarked as she handed Grogu a piece of candy. The three of them walked down one of Nevarro’s less crowded streets, with Din pushing a hover-cart piled high with the droid’s parts and Grogu seated next to them and both Greef and (Y/N) walking alongside it. “It’ll be a two-person job, of course. One doing the rewiring while the other prepares to smash its head in just in case…”

“That’s too big a job for you two to do by yourself.” Greef gestured at the city surrounding them and smiled. “Fortunately, Nevarro has attracted the best droidsmiths of the Outer Rim; they’ll have IG back to his old self in no time!”

Beneath his helmet, Din grimaced in doubt. “Are you sure they’re up for it? I don’t think we can handle him with all his limbs if things go scud.”

“Why don’t you ask ‘em for yourself?”

Din frowned and glanced around the empty street. “Who?”

“The Anzellans.”

(Y/N) nudged Din’s arm and gestured to the base of the building beside them; there were two doors, one small and one slightly larger, and standing outside of the smaller door was a grumbling Anzellan with safety goggles resting on his wrinkled head. “Whadda want?”

Greef took a knee – careful not to get too much dirt on his High Magistrate robes – and pointed to the hover-cart. “Could you take a look at my friends’ droid and see if you can’t fix it?”

“C’mon, c’mon,” The Anzellan pointed to the larger door before disappearing back into the building.

Shrugging, (Y/N) got down onto the ground and crawled into the droidsmith’s workshop and as Grogu hopped down to follow, Din shot Greef a look; the High Magistrate simply shrugged and nodded towards the opening. “I promise you, these are the best droidsmiths that money can buy. Just give ‘em a chance, hey, Mando?”

Din heaved a sigh but relented, crawling into the workshop after his wife and foundling and doing his best to sit comfortably in the cramped space while Greef shoved the remains of IG-11 in for the Anzellans to examine. While they waited for the crew of droidsmiths to finish with their assessment, (Y/N) pulled out the knapsack she was making for Grogu and worked some more on it and Grogu, unused to seeing creatures that were his own size, watched the Anzellans work with unabashed fascination in his wide eyes.

After several minutes of unsuccessful soldering, the head droidsmith shook his tiny head in disappointment. “No. Can’t fix. No, no, no. The broken.”

“…Um, okay…”

“The broken. It broke.”

Din sighed. “I don’t understand. Do you speak Huttese?”

“Mando, he said he can’t fix it,” Greef called out from his spot at the workshop’s entrance.

“That’s no good, I need this one.” He pointed at the droid’s remains and then back at himself. “This one’s my friend.”

The Anzellan merely shook his head. “It no friend anymore. Memory circuit broken.”

“He says the memory circuit is shot!”

(Y/N) scooted forward and gave the head droidsmith a patient smile. “Can you put a new one in?”

“No, no, no, no. Not work,” The Anzellan declared and the other droidsmiths chattered in agreement. “Don’t make new one. Very hard to find.”

“He said they don’t make ‘em anymore! They’re very hard to find!”

Din’s jaw clenched in annoyance at Greef’s translation. “I got it.”

“Buy new droid, this one poodoo.” The droidsmiths all burst into laughter.

As (Y/N)’s hand gave the unarmored part of his arm a gentle squeeze of support, Din asked through gritted teeth, “Can you fix it without the memory circuit?”

“Yes, but IG no think.”

A sudden thought came to Din’s mind and after considering it for a moment, he followed the Anzellan’s statement with another question. “What if we find you the part?”

The lead droidsmith nodded. “Okay, now. Then no problem. We fix.”

(Y/N) was smiling as she turned to face Din. “You’re thinking of paying Peli a visit, aren’t you?”

“If anyone’s got an IG memory circuit, it’s her.” He rested his gloved hand atop hers and nodded. “We’ll visit her after we go to Kalevala-”

“No! No! No! No! No!” They quickly looked over to see Grogu pulling the lead droidsmith into a tight hug. “No, down, down!”

Din stretched an arm out across the workshop to separate the two. “No, Grogu, he’s not a pet.”

“No, squeezie, not squeeze! Not squeeze!” When Din set the droidsmith down away from the child’s eager arms, he shook his head and scolded, “Bad baby! Oh, he’s a bad baby!”

The captain winced and gave the Anzellan an apologetic look. “Sorry about that. He’s young.”

“Bad baby, bad baby.” Grogu waited for a beat before lunging at the screaming Anzellan again. “Oh!”

“No, Grogu!” Both Din and (Y/N) reached out to grab the overexcited foundling and once he was safely nestled in (Y/N)’s arms, he finally started to relax his tense shoulders; after a quick trip to see an old friend on Tatooine, IG-11 would be back online in no time and they’d finally be ready to visit Mandalore.

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Later that day, Greef watched as Din and (Y/N) climbed up into the starship and prepared for take-off. “We hope to see you three back here soon.”

“Keep IG-11 safe until we get back with that part,” Din requested as the captain input their coordinates for Kalevala.

The High Magistrate nodded but remained unconvinced of their plan. “If the Anzellans can’t find it, I don’t know who can.”

“Usually I’d agree, but I wouldn’t bet against Peli Motto,” (Y/N) remarked with a bright smile. “It was good to see you again, High Magistrate.”

Greef returned her grin with one of his own. “Safe travels.”

After sliding the windshield into place overhead, (Y/N) powered up the starfighter’s engines and eased the ship up into the clear blue sky. “All right, next stop: Bo-Katan.” They exited Nevarro’s upper atmosphere and the lights illuminating the ship’s dashboard began to flicker. “Dank farrik…” She gave the dashboard a light smack to fix it and chuckled as Grogu crawled into her lap with an inquisitive coo. “It’s okay, little guy, sometimes a planet’s atmosphere messes with a ship’s power. Our maps and charts are still functioning, so we’re good!”

“Being a Mandalorian’s not just learning about how to fight,” Din commented, resting one hand on his wife’s side and rubbing the child’s large ear with the other. “You also have to know how to navigate the galaxy, because you never know where you might be headed next.”

Grogu babbled in interest and looked between them both as (Y/N) began pointing at the various indicators on the ship’s dashboard. “This here’s your hyperspace map; you see how it shows the asteroid field we’re flying past? You determine your range by looking at your fuel gage, that’s right over here. And this-” An alarm began to blare and the cockpit was lit up with a red warning light. “Is your enemy proximity warning indicator.”

Din’s brow furrowed as he glanced around the empty space surrounding their starfighter and spotted the three snubfighters approaching from behind. “Hang on, kid, we got pirates…”

“Avast, Mandalorian!” The familiar voice of Vane the Nikto came through their ship’s communication radio. “You can’t just sneak away after cuttin’ down four of my brothers in cold blood. We’re Pirate King Gorian Shard’s men, now you’ll answer to him.”

(Y/N) rolled her shoulders and flexed her fingers in preparation before taking hold of the starship’s controls and replying, “Gorian Shard should stick to hijacking and ransoming.” Grogu slipped under the captain’s satchel strap and without warning, (Y/N) jerked the controls to send them shooting off into the nearby asteroid field.

Although he trusted (Y/N)’s piloting skills and had witnessed her pull off some remarkable flying in the past, he sat back and anxiously watched his wife dodge asteroids as the three pirates began firing at them. She steered the ship into a rapid corkscrew spin, and Din was forced to hold a giggling Grogu down to prevent him from falling out of his makeshift seat-belt; the three pirates continued their pursuit through the floating asteroids and as she smoothly exited the turning maneuver, the enemy proximity warning indicator sounded off while three more pirate ships approached from the side.

“Three more…” (Y/N) murmured under her breath but if anything, she sounded almost bored by the pirates’ attempt to lure her into a dogfight. Another sharp jerk of the controls sent them darting around more asteroids and after ducking under a particularly large one, she bent down to press a quick kiss onto Grogu’s wrinkled head. “Hold on tight, little guy.” She flipped the starfighter upside-down and sped over the top of the asteroid, firing at the unsuspecting pirates and managing to hit one of them, flying further into the asteroid field as the ship crashed into another asteroid and exploded. The five remaining pirate ships pursued them but with the dexterity of a true smuggler, (Y/N) maneuvered the starship behind a sizable asteroid without them noticing and waited for one to pass by before shooting it down.

“Head for that asteroid due east, it’s got a hollowed-out center,” Din suggested as he pointed to the asteroid floating in the distance.

(Y/N) sped off in its direction and flew the ship through the hollowed-out center, coming out of its other end just in time to shoot down a third pirate ship as it flew past. “Good call, sweetheart!” Twisting the controls to the side, the captain spun the ship around an asteroid and appeared behind the remaining three pirate ships, managing to shoot two of them down and race after the final ship but before she could shoot it, they came out of the asteroid field and were met with the sight of an enormous Cumulus Class Corsair before them. “Dank farrik,” (Y/N) cursed and Din’s eyes widened when he noticed the starship’s guns all pointed at their starfighter. “They’ve got a target lock on us…”

“Stop where you are, Pilot,” A grizzled voice came through the communication radio. “You’re outgunned.”

(Y/N) shifted in her seat but calmly replied, “It’s ‘Captain,’ actually.”

“Ah, Captain (Y/L/N), I might’ve known it was you!” Din’s brows shot up in surprise but he remained silent as the voice continued. “Turning your back on the smuggling life only to take up arms with a Mandalorian, I see.”

“We have no quarrel with you, Gorian Shard.”

“Ha! What a kind sentiment from a woman who just destroyed five of my fighters. Surrender your ship, and I will spare your lives…for old time’s sake.”

Din didn’t have to see his wife’s face to tell that she was rolling her eyes at the Pirate King’s offer. “Little guy?” Grogu cooed in interest as she flipped the cover off the Kineso-switch. “Never trust a pirate.”

With a push of the button, the starfighter shot off into space and past the Pirate King’s starship; while the child giggled in delight, she finished charting their course and launched them into hyperspace. “Well, that was exciting,” Din remarked with a proud smile, removing his helmet so that he could press kisses along her temple and down her cheek. “So, you had dealings with the Pirate King while you were a smuggler?”

“Only a handful, but Gorian Shard’s unpleasantness makes them pretty hard to forget.” (Y/N) took his helmet and held it upside-down so that Grogu could crawl inside, then turned her head to finally meet his gaze. “And apparently, I must’ve made quite the impression on him back in the day, otherwise he never would’ve remembered a scrappy smuggler like me.”

Din smiled at that. “You underestimate yourself, alor’ad. Everything about you, from your expert piloting skills down to your beautiful features, makes it impossible for one not to forget you. And speaking of your piloting skills, I’d happily show you just how much I admired them if we were alone right now.”

The captain grinned and kissed him as her fingers threaded through his hair, and she smiled against his lips when she finally pulled away. “In that case, can I possibly get a rain-check on that offer?”

“Mm-hmm,” He hummed and gave her another sweet kiss. “You can have whatever you want, alor’ad.”

While the starfighter traveled through the peaceful and quiet hyperspace and Grogu napped in his father’s beskar helmet, Din and (Y/N) spent their brief moments of calm engulfed in a world all their own, engaging in murmured conversation interspersed with plenty of kisses. It wasn’t much, of course, but it was time spent that Din cherished with all his heart, even more so as they came even closer to completing their newest mission.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This is Kalevala,” Din spoke to Grogu as (Y/N) piloted the starfighter through the planet’s cloudy skies, smiling to himself when the child babbled in interest from his compartment in the back. “It’s another planet in the Mandalorian system, and that is a Mandalorian castle.”

(Y/N) whistled lowly as the grand Mandalorian castle perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean grew closer. “And here I thought my people were the dramatic ones when it comes to architecture…”

The starfighter lowered gracefully onto the castle’s landing pad and once the engines switched off, the windshield slid open and they were both pelted with rain as they climbed down. After releasing Grogu’s pram from his compartment, they walked up the stone steps and past a footman droid, entering the eerily silent castle and making their way down the main hall. Bo-Katan Kryze lounged across her throne, her expression blasé and almost disconnected as she looked away from the nearby window to fix their trio with a stare.

Din anxiously wet his lips before calling out, “Bo-Katan. It is Din Djarin and (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” They came to a stop before her throne’s dais. “We are here to join you.”

Bo-Katan’s expression didn’t change. “There’s nothing left to join.”

“What of your plans to retake Mandalore?” (Y/N) asked in confusion as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“When I returned without the Darksaber, my forces melted away.”

With a slight sense of guilt, Din exchanged a brief look with the captain standing beside him before glancing back up at the somber Mandalorian. “Where is the stolen fleet?”

“Making their way through the galaxy as mercenaries,” Bo-Katan replied, her eyes flicking over his form as she continued. “Do you still have the saber?”

“I do.”

“Then you lead them. Wave that thing around and they’ll do whatever you say.”

Din weighed his next words carefully. “So, you gave up your designs to retake Mandalore?”

The Mandalorian’s eyes hardened. “Your cult gave up on Mandalore long before the Purge. Where were you then?”

“Are you seriously blaming my husband for a massacre that happened when he was only a foundling?” (Y/N) demanded, her (Y/E/C) eyes filling with a dangerous gleam as she stepped forward. “Perhaps you should reflect on the failures of your homeworld’s leadership before placing the mark of blame on others.”

Bo-Katan hardly flinched at (Y/N)’s scathing retort. “The Children of the Watch and all the factions that came before fractured and shattered our people. No matter what conclusions can be drawn about my family’s leadership of Mandalore, Captain (Y/L/N), that remains an unmovable fact. Go home. There’s nothing left.”

(Y/N)’s jaw clenched but Din spoke up before she could. “We are going to Mandalore so that I may bathe in the Living Waters and be forgiven for my transgressions.”

“You are a fool,” She shook her head in derision. “There’s nothing magic about the mines of Mandalore; they supplied beskar ore to our ancestors and the rest is superstition. That planet has been ravaged, plundered and poisoned.”

“You said that the curse was a lie,” Din countered, his own irritation beginning to rise. “Make up your mind.”

Bo-Katan took a deep breath. “If you want to go to the mines, be my guest. They’re beneath the Civic Center in the city of Sundari.”

“Thank you.” Din placed a hand on the small of (Y/N)’s back and nodded. “And we will find out of the planet is really poisoned.”

They turned and as they walked back down the main hall, Din’s hand drifted down to slip into (Y/N)’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze as they walked out into the pelting rain.

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Mando’a Translations:

Mir’sheb-Smart-ass Alor’ad-Captain

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! Oh, and I’ve created a Spotify playlist of all my favorite music from the world of Star Wars, so if you’re interested in checking it out the link is down below!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KuSKJhVOPPvxdJ9YHeo4M?si=2977ff31bf0c4bdd

Chapter Thirty-Three

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

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catcas22 · 9 months

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CAT!!!!!

I want to ask you about THE ALBINAURIC WOMAN! She hides in a cave to the west of the Laskyar Ruins which jut from the mist-shrouded lake of Liurnia. She knows the location of the medallion's counterpart, I am sure.

(sorry)

In all seriousness, I want your thoughts on something. A post crossed my dash today that was speculating about if Albinaurics, being originally artificial entities, are at all capable of reproducing independently. The OP concluded (and I agree) that they probably can. Despite the fact that Albinaurics are hunted for their blood and frequently tortured/imprisoned/killed for being "impure", and the fact that both generations were deemed failures in the eyes of the Academy (g1 had the bad legs, g2 came out all froggy and was too stupid to use magic) and therefore probably aren't being produced there anymore, they exist in large numbers and many appear outwardly young.

I was doing some more looking when I came across Latenna's dialogue when you take her to the Apostate Derelict.

Oh young yet towering sister of ours. Let the birthing droplet in. And create life. For us. For all the Albinaurics.

Thank you. I've finally fulfilled my purpose. Our young yet towering sister will give us hope. Now that nothing is left unfinished, I will join you in battle to the bitter end. And when the fighting is done, then you may lay me to rest.

As well as if you kill her in the Liurnia cave instead of talking to her there:

Ohh... Phillia. Take...the birthing...droplet...

So the obvious question that I've been pondering is, what in God's name is a birthing droplet??? Why does it need to be "let in?" Why does it need to be Phillia specifically? Why won't Latenna or Albus or any of the dozens of other g1 Albinaurics milling about in the Consecrated Snowfield suffice?

I'm trying to muddle through my own thoughts on the matter, but while I do that I'm curious to see if you have any ideas.

Hi Bri! Sorry this took so long, it had me stumped for awhile. The more I dug into it, the more questions I raised. Long rambling theory below the cut.

So I'll start by saying I agree with OP. Albinaurics have to be able to reproduce somehow, otherwise they would have long since died out.

Going into this, I had the vague idea that Latenna was from Liurnia, probably from Albus's village. Makes sense, right? She's looking for a path to the Haligtree, chasing tales of a safe haven in the hopes of saving her people.

A quick look at her dialogue disproves that. So there's my first assumption dead in the water.

We have reached the land of Miquella's Haligtree, where Lobo and I began our travels. It's entirely thanks to you that I'm so close to home. These great snow-laden lands stretch far to the north. And beyond the ancient bowers, and the liturgical town of Ordina, lies the place to which I must return.

So Latenna is from the Haligtree, specifically the Ordina subdivision. The Apostate's Derelict is located just a bit north of Ordina.

I originally thought the "birthing droplet" might be something similar to a sacred tear produced by the Haligtree. But if the Droplet had its origin with the Haligtree, Latenna never would have had to leave the snowfields. I think we can safely assume that whatever the Droplet is, Latenna journeyed to Liurnia to find it.

It could have had its origin in Raya Lucaria, or in Nokstella. Both would fit, geographically speaking.

Then I realized that Albus's village is located directly beneath the Moonlight Altar.

I'm not sure exactly what to make of this, but it feels important. It feels intentional.

The Altar, specifically the Cathedral of Manus Celes, was at some point bombarded with a shower of these bad boys.

An ephemeral sliver that gives off a pale blue glow. What remains of a passing flash of starlight.

A prized item that was once used in the Eternal City as an ingredient in intoxicating draughts.

Put aside, for a moment, my theory that the g1 albinaurics originate from the Eternal Cities, with the g2's being modern glintstone scholars' clumsy attempt at replication.

Instead, direct your attention to the Amber Starlight Shard.

An ephemeral sliver that gives off a pale amber glow. What remains of a passing flash of starlight.

If the stars command our fates, then amber-hued stars must command the fates of the gods.

This item is found in the alcove just outside the walls of Leyndell, at the foot of a statue of Malenia and Miquella, surrounded by land octopi (who consume human blood) and sacremental buds (believed to originate long ago from a strain of buds cultivated with youthful, sacramental blood).

I believe that this hidden alcove was the spot in which Miquella initially nurtured his stolen Erdtree sapling, hiding away from prying eyes and watering it with his own blood. I also believe that this is the spot where he and Malenia formally severed their fates from the Golden Order, with the Amber Starlight Shard being a byproduct of this act.

Via Albus's dialogue, we know that albinaurics fade away, starting with their legs, due to some imposed fate.

My legs will soon fade, and with them, my life. Alas, this is the immovable fate of all Albinaurics...

If killed by the player, he adds:

You merciless brutes. Let the curse take everything.

Assuming he's talking about the same thing, does that mean that the albinaurics' affliction is the result of a curse? He also refers to Gideon's men as "cursemongers." Not entirely sure what to do with that.

Back to the Birthing Droplet. The name itself immediately brought two things to mind: dew, and tears. We know that the Erdtree used to produce dew, and that said drops could impart blessings and good health. There's also the Celestial Dew -- another connection to the Eternal Cities.

A hidden Tear found in the Eternal City. Also known as a Night Tear.

Allows one to carry out an Absolution at the Church of Vows, reversing all antagonizations.

Once upon a time, the stars of the night sky guided fate, and this is a recollection of those times.

"Tear?" That jogged my memory. Down a fresh rabbit trail.

The Erdtree used to produce sacred tears and crystal tears, but I'm more concerned with chasing the Eternal Cities connection. Thus, we have larval tears and silver tears.

Silver Tear Husk

A hardened husk shed by a formless life form known as the Silver Tear, found in and around the Eternal City. The Silver Tear makes mockery of life, reborn again and again into imitation. Perhaps, one day, it will be reborn a lord...

Larval Tear

Core of a creature of mimicry known as a silver tear. As much as a substance as it is a living organism.

Material required by the amber egg cradled by Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, to birth people anew.

This is where inspiration (madness?) hit me. Doesn't "Birthing Droplet" basically function as a synonym for "Larval Tear?" Sort of like how Fia refers to what everyone else calls a "Cursemark" as a "Hallowbrand," because she's seeing it in a different context?

I will now attempt to draw a definitive link between g1 albinaurics and the Eternal Cities.

Albinauric Staff

The albinaurics harbor a secret; they cast sorcery with their innate arcaneness.

Silver Tear Mask

Mask fashioned from the corpse of a formless Silver Tear, supported by its hardened, shed husk. Greatly increases arcane to the detriment of physical attack power.

Albinaurics and silver/mimic tears both run off of arcane energy, both bleed silver, both are considered a mockery of life, both are made by hands. If albinaurics were not developed in the Eternal Cities, surely they were developed by someone building off of the technology of the Eternal Cities. Albinaurics fit the EC brand in basically every way.

We also have a few oblique references to the origin story of the g1 albinaurics.

Silver Mirrorshield

Shield of radiant silver, festooned with amber and carried by Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree.

The shape is said to imitate that of a sacred drop of dew, which inspired the absurd rumor that Loretta herself was an Albinauric.

So albinaurics are associated with sacred dew in some way? But aren't they supposed to be anathema to the Erdtree?

Albinauric Shield

Tall oval shield made of metal carried by young Albinaurics.

The ornamentation represents the primordial drop of dew from which they are said to have been created.

Blue Silver Mail Hood

Worn by the wolf-riding Albinauric archers.

Blue silver is a metal born from the same mother as the archers themselves, and provides protection from magic and frost.

Put a pin in the "mother" thing. Here we have multiple sources saying that albinaurics originated from a sacred, primordial drop of dew. But that's the Erdtree. That's the Golden Order. The albinaurics shouldn't even be compatible.

I now have to thank two people. One, shoutout to @caelaan75 for suggesting to me that albinaurics might not be subject to the Erdtree's cycle of reincarnation -- their souls may be subject to an entirely different cycle.

Second, thank you @thistoowillpasss for asking...

Prompting me to realize...

Now, let me just get into character...

Okay I'm ready.

I think I was accidentally right about Helphen and the Lampwood Tree.

At first I thought we were looking at an "as above so below" situation, with Helphen being a sort of afterlife mirror to the Erdtree. But then I recalled that albinaurics originate from a drop of "primordial" dew. Primordial. The same adjective used to refer to the Crucible, the previous form of the World Tree.

From the Crucible Tree Set:

Holds the power of the crucible of life, the primordial form of the Erdtree.

And I may be cloudspotting here, but does the primordial Erdtree carving we see in Farum Azula resemble the etching on the Albinauric shield? The shield whose description references primordial dew?

Guys... guys I think I was accidentally right. There may have been an actual Helphen Tree, predating the Crucible just as the Crucible predated the Erdtree. And I think the Nox used the sacred dew of that tree in their development of their various brands of homunculi.

The albinauric curse may have been a deliberate handicap imposed by their creators, or it could simply be a result of the fact that the tree that gave them life no longer exists. Or it does exist, but in a form that fundamentally rejects them.

Whether it originates from the Moonlight Altar, Nokstella, or the stars themselves, I believe that the Birthing Droplet is similar in function to a mending rune, a patch inserted into the albinauric cycle of reincarnation in order to cleanse their curse.

I'm not precisely sure how Young Yet Towering Sister Phillia accomplishes this. Her name is two letters off from filia -- Latin for "daughter."

Wait, didn't the Silver Blue Mail description say something about a mother?

There's only one divine force in Elden Ring that can claim such a title.

Bloodboon

Sacred incantation of Mohg, Lord of Blood.

Thrust arm into the body of the Formless Mother, then scatter the bloodflame to set the area ablaze.

The mother of truth craves wounds.

Briars of Punishment

The guilty, their eyes gouged by thorns, lived in eternal darkness. There, they discovered the blood star.

The Formless Mother's incantations all scale with the arcane stat. Just like albinaurics with their innate arcane energy...

Both the Nox and their Raya Lucarian successors were a highly astrologically oriented society. Could they have venerated the Formless Mother in the form of the Blood Star? Could they have petitioned her aid in the creation of the albinaurics?

Mohg seems to recruit heavily from amongst the ranks of g2 albinaurics. Could he be luring them in with a bastardized version of their own creation myth, with Miquella as their promised savior?

Which brings me back to Phillia. Given her unusual size and rather significant-seeming name, I think it's likely that she was created with the express purpose of using the Birthing Droplet to repair the albinauric "code." Obviously Miquella would be the obvious candidate for her creator. He sought to aid all those cast out by the Golden Order, and he's in the business of thwarting curses and rebuking the meddling of outer gods.

Now, I'm not a fan of the theory that Miquella was in on his own kidnapping. But I think that he and Mohg may have collaborated for a time before his half-brother's true nature became apparent -- likely in the interval between Godwyn's death and the later wars of the Shattering. Like Miquella, Mohg styles himself as the champion of those abandoned by the Order. And if Miquella had traced the albinaurics' creation back to the Blood Star, it would have seemed highly beneficial to work with someone who had a direct line to the Formless Mother.

I think that Phillia was a joint project, a clone of sorts created by Mohg and Miquella. Either Miquella overlooked a whole forest of red flags in order to keep Mohg cooperating, or he decided that the risk was worth it. Maybe he took terrible chances with his own safety in favor of just a little more research -- he was so close to breaking the albinauric curse, after all. Maybe he even made a deal, only to find himself in over his head when, by sheer dumb luck, Mohg imprisoned him directly beneath the territory of the one person who could fight Malenia to a stalemate. But I'm just speculating now. I've already far overstepped my evidence.

Thanks for the ask! This was an experience.

#elden ring #answered asks #elden ring theory #lore theory #albinaurics

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