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utilitycaster · 19 days

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Hi there,

You said in the answer you just gave that, "the Nein mechanically played really well to the casts strength." Could you talk more about that? I'm someone who hasn't actually played D&D before, and everything I've learned has been through osmosis with CR, and your more crunchy posts have been really interesting to read, too.

Hi anon,

Thank you! I can answer but this is definitely pretty subjective in terms of how I see the classes they played and my view of the cast's mechanical strengths so know that you're getting one very specific perspective here. You will notice as a theme that I am not one for indecision.

Anyway: I think Liam and Travis are both notable within the cast for being decisive, in and out of combat, and both played characters with a huge array of options, as arcane utility spellcasters (plus Fjord's melee and, later, paladin abilities) and so having people who can make a quick, confident decision and stick to it with their spellcasting was crucial. Travis also has, as I once put it, court sense, and so having a character with options at basically any range in combat (from melee to eldritch blast range) was extremely good for him. I also just think they like utility casting, which, as my url indicates, I obviously think is awesome; but not all people like it and that's okay! I also just think they like it - both have mentioned on 4SD that Orym and Chetney are much more limited in what they can do.

I think Sam can get really hung up on the optimal and ideal thing to do at times. Really, the best way to put it - and FCG's death is a great example actually - is that Sam is not precious at all with his own characters but is worried about letting other people down. So I think the fact that Veth had a limited but interesting number of choices was actually quite good for him - he could make creative decisions (and even think outside the box, as with fluffernutter) but didn't have an endless list. It also still provided spellcasting, which is important to him.

I think Marisha is one of the strongest players on adding flavor to combat which is purely non-mechanical but is important in actual play if you are playing a character who does mostly the same thing. For what it's worth a lot of the things Beau played to her strengths were on the RP side (give the notetaker a character who has a reason to know a lot of lore) and also, I like monks but they are very straightforward characters to play in battle for the most part so there's not a ton to say, but I think she had a good sense of melee combat and would love to see her play more melee characters; Keyleth was obviously incredibly versatile, but this meant she did spend a lot of time in melee! Marisha also has decent instincts for tanking (Keyleth as regular tank thanks to wildshape and Beau as a dodge tank) so Beau allowed her to exercise that.

Taliesin is also a generally strong player in terms of mechanics and I think, honestly, his strength is that he doesn't seem to have a strong preference on what sort of class he plays and therefore was able to lean into a character who was almost purely support without any resentment over not getting the kill. In general I think Taliesin is very good at just...doing what his character is built to do, which seems damning with faint praise but honestly I think people who get really obsessive about Subverting Their D&D Class are annoying so this is praise and respect.

Laura is an interesting one in that I think she really likes to do Big Damage but she actually is quite skilled at utility casting. Having Caduceus definitely allowed Jester to shine in that she didn't have to serve as dedicated healer, but she also was a strong healer. Laura can be somewhat precious about her characters and I think being a healer is a good antidote for that in that you have the power to heal yourself if you get worried (honestly, this is why I started off as someone who played healers until I allowed myself to accept that dying on graph paper, as Taliesin once said, is fine). Being a prepared caster is also good for someone who, like Laura, can be competitive - it's interesting because she and Sam have a lot of similarities but I think respond in different ways, and Laura having a lot of options and knowing she can change them works well for her approach.

Ashley is also quite strong at flavor descriptors but I also think she likes doing damage, and I think Yasha was very much a "right character at the right time" for her in that barbarians are complicated in the sense of maneuvering, but not in the sense of options - it's a much easier character to jump back into after being away because she is, for the most part, going to be hitting things with a sword. I think she's doing a great job with Fearne too, but wildfire druid is MUCH harder to put down and pick up.

Really, in short, I think the cast members who thrive on having a ton of decisions had them; the cast members who at times have trouble picking what to do had a much more limited list which helped them; and those who don't really have a strong preference had other stylistic elements that were a good fit.

(I also happen to think, as I alluded to especially for Marisha's portrayal of Beau, that the Nein played to the cast's RP strengths as well and/or were given the time and space for the cast to grow into things they were less confident doing, eg: Travis and romance; and I think that does bleed into combat in that it helps you take actions that feel right for the character which in turn helps the other people around you predict what you'll do. It's the drift compatibility.)

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag #more generally the way i mentally categorize the cast and their characters for the campaigns is like #c1: i made this guy for a one shot i guess we're playing to L20 in front of strangers; strong RP & mechanics varied #c2: we are going to very carefully ensure we prove we're not a one trick pony; what do i really want to do now that i know what i'm doing?#c3: what haven't i done yet that intrigues me?#so i do think the nein just hit a particular sweet spot for that reason

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rooolt · 22 days

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okay fun little game I’m gonna play, who would win bad kids 1v1 their rat grinder counterpart, under the cut bc I ramble (also I fully understand within canon I’m aware that the rat grinders have far less experience and that may affect their strategies in battle, but I’m trying to think largely mechanically bc I’m a loser who likes rules)

Adaine vs Oisin: I do think this one would be close bc ultimately wizard v wizard is rough and I think comes down to initiative order bc that’s gonna determine a lot of counterspells. For example, if oisin goes first, adaine has to decide whether to waste a counterspell on something he’d predictably summon as a conjuration wizard, which he himself then would probably counterspell, which does use his reaction meaning he can’t counterspell later in the turn, however if Oisin is 10th level or higher he can’t lose concentration on conjugation spells which means the only way to get rid of stuff that was conjugation would be dispel magic, but then that becomes a matter of whether or not adaine “wastes” her turn on that. Neither of them have healing spells, and adaine has portent and also summons, but one could assume Oisin has more stocked and is more built upon that so I think in a 1v1 he may be at a slight advantage. This one I think would be very close

Fabian vs Ivy: This is another one that I think can depend on circumstances bc ivy is a ranged fighter and so if she surprises him from far away, he’s not as good in ranged combat, however, in melee, Fabian is so stacked with battle master + swords bard + fandrangor, but as a ranger (? I think, the wiki says she is but I don’t remember) ivy could have healing spells on top of second wind as well, and while Fabian can know healing spells, idk if we’ve ever seen him cast them

Fig vs Ruben: she stomps his ass easy. Paladin and warlock levels are so good. If fig hits once + spirit guardians she can do seriousssss damage. Bards are largely support anyways and so I think pure bard against a multiclass is at a disadvantage. Also I don’t know what Ruben’s subclass is, but fig has cutting words so

Gorgug vs Mary Ann: I think Gorgug wins. Because if Mary Ann is strictly barbarian, no matter how good of a barbarian she is, gorgug has spells and artificer stuff to buff and heal himself as well. He also has clobeca which in a 1v1 is definitely beneficial. We don’t know much about mary Ann other than a very good strength score but I think brute forcing it vs more strategy gorgug could bring I think gorgug wins

Kristen vs Lucy: they’re kissing on the mouth

Kristen vs Buddy: this one is rough purely bc they’re both obviously support classes, and specifically subclass wise not particularly offense oriented. However, if Kristen goes first in initiative and gets off a successful banishment the fight could be over very quickly. Buddy is presumably a life cleric and based on the rat grinders and his vibe in general I think he’s probably even more healing and support based than Kristen and thus would be at a disadvantage during a 1v1

Riz vs Kipperlily: FIGHT I WANT TO SEE SO BAD GIVE ME A ROGUES 1V1 GIVE IT TO ME BRENNAN PLEASE!!!!!!!! Anyways, we have confirmed subclasses for them both and I think based off of them riz wins???. Like, kipperlily is a mastermind and mastermind’s abilities are largely social and to do with helping their allies and commanding them like that. Riz on the other hand is an arcane trickster and thus has spells. Now, it seems that kipperlily can turn invisible, whether this be oisin’s doing or not, if it is a thing kipperlily can do herself, we know riz has see invisibility and there’s still one eye of the vulture king left, so ultimately I think he could get around it. Both of them seem to have ranged weapons (kipperlily’s crossbow from the last stand) and so I think they would both probably attempt to stay hidden in ranged fighting in order to get sneak attack. It is very possible that kipperlily has various bullshit fuckyou items she could use, but with our current understanding I think riz is at an advantage due to his ability to use his subclass features

#I want riz v kipperlily more than anything show it to me Rachel please #This is the autism talking I love dnd mechanics I love them so much #dimension 20 #fantasy high #fantasy high junior year

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cookinguptales · 1 month

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Okay so now that I've had some time to digest and think about Late Night with the Devil, some thoughts.

Sorry in advance, this got really, REALLY long as I rambled about all-male secret societies, who and what was possessing whom throughout this movie, literal and metaphorical hauntings, how fame and fortune tempt us all to give up our humanity, and uh. Family youtubers.

I really enjoyed the film, but I do have to wonder, to start with, if other people will get all the allusions...? I didn't think about it until later when I was reading confused posts by other viewers, but I guess the film does kind of predicate on a lot of somewhat arcane knowledge. Like you can understand what's going on without it, but I do think you get a lot more enjoyment out of it if you have a good working understanding of, like, the Satanic Panic of the 70s, the parapsychology/esper craze, James Randi's whole thing, Anton LaVey, Waco, late night hosts like Johnny Carson, and of course the Bohemian Grove.

The Bohemian Grove is kind of... like, obviously a lot of the people making up conspiracy theories about that recently are alt-right assholes (see: Alex Jones), but it is very much a real thing. It's kind of a modern Masonic situation, imo, where you get these big groups of rich, influential men together and they do silly, juvenile vaguely pagan frat boy shit. It's edgelord stuff. But because they are secretive and they are powerful, people come up with all of these conspiracy theories about them.

(I mean lbr that's kind of the history of the occult in general, isn't it? lmao. People ask me if I was afraid when I was studying secret societies and occultism and it's like -- no, these were by and large just rich assholes fighting over headcanons about rituals that they made up based off of deeply faulty scholarship. But I digress.)

The fact of the matter, though, is even if the actual rituals and stuff are kind of silly, the main focus is really rich, powerful men meeting up with other rich, powerful men and networking like crazy. It does keep the rich rich, the powerful powerful, and political resources focused on men. Like the Masons, women aren't allowed in the Bohemian Grove -- and women in politics have bitterly criticized the way that they're being excluded from this kind of networking.

(God, it's so fratty. It's so fucking fratty.)

So in that respect, it is kind of something to be feared.

And... I do think you see that aspect of it reflected in Late Night with the Devil. The consolidation of power, the networking with shitty people, and the way that women are "sacrificed."

[massive spoilers for the entire film to follow!]

I do think I want to see this movie again to firm up some of my ideas, because I suspect that there are a lot of details that I missed the first time I watched this. (And I really should have watched the open captioned version of this; I couldn't understand a lot of what the demon was saying, rip.) But here are some initial thoughts.

The heart of this, obviously, is the demonic presence at the Grove and the way that men go there to sell their soul for power. In a very literal sense, that's what's happening in this film and it's what happened to Jack Delroy. He made a deal with a demon for fame, and that demon ended up taking everything from him to achieve that.

But... metaphorically speaking, it seems clear that Jack Delroy was very willing to make human sacrifices in his day-to-day life. He may have literally (and I think accidentally) sacrificed his wife's life to a demon at the Grove, but he very consciously and willingly sacrificed her for fame when she was alive, too. I mean... imagine having a spouse who is actively dying of cancer and making her make an appearance on your show two weeks before she passes. For ratings. Imagine how much it must have physically taxed her. Imagine how difficult it must have been for them both emotionally. It even could have hastened her death. But he was still willing to do all that for views. He sacrificed his wife, his home life, and his overall privacy for views.

(Family youtubers, anyone? 🙃)

He's also willing to sacrifice his girlfriend, his crew, his audience, and a little girl for ratings. Gus, his voice of reason. He was willing to humiliate him onstage and wouldn't let him go home when he was scared. His audience, whose trauma he was entirely willing to capitalize on through Christou's act. His gf, who I'd argue was probably using Lilly as well, was totally thrown to the wolves when he realized it'd make good television.

Like -- yes, there were supernatural forces at play. Supernatural forces claimed these lives. But Jack sure as shit wasn't being very careful with them, and these supernatural sacrifices always, always mirrored his mundane ones.

(I mean... he performed a human sacrifice of a little girl on national television while in a hallucination about using the sacrificial dagger on his dying wife. It wasn't subtle. lmao)

Moreover, the producers of the show were also very willing to put people in harm's way and capitalize on tragedy for ratings. So... there's a really unsubtle message here about fame and capitalism and the way it tempts you to sacrifice your humanity to get ahead.

(MAYBE LIKE UNDERMINING YOUR ARTISTIC INTEGRITY BY USING AI INSTEAD OF HIRING ARTISTS, IDK)

I'd in fact argue that pretty much everyone who got on that stage that night sacrificed their humanity a bit for fame, with the possible exception of Gus. Gus was the voice of reason, but I mean... he was still there. Maybe a message about how once you get in, you can't get out. :(

But yeah, Jack's obvious, but also Christou, who was willing to use people's trauma for fame. June, who was willing to use a little girl's incredible trauma to advertise for her new book. Carmichael, who got off on humiliating people just to make himself seem smart.

Like... they all started with a kernel of something good (wanting to help the grieving, wanting to help traumatized children, wanting to stop charlatans) but in the end, show biz turned all those urges into the most amoral, selfish, and cruel versions of themselves.

And all of those people crumbled when they were confronted with something real.

(Side note, our theater was in hysterics when Carmichael tried to offer the demon the check. lmao)

Truthfully, it felt like all of them had made their own individual deals with the devil years ago. Halloween 1977 was just the devil finally coming to take his due.

That's the main message of the movie, I think, but there are still some smaller details I want to talk about.

The Grove itself was an obvious allusion to the Bohemian Grove, which is a secret society of powerful men who meet amongst the redwoods in Northern California. Their mascot has always been an owl, which is why you repeatedly see the owl motif throughout the movie. (Happy Owl-ween, the owl mask, etc.)

Abrasax makes sense as a demon to choose (the strong historical associations with magic and demonology, the reoccurrences in many world religions (and occult groups), the role in Gnosticism, etc.) but there seem to be vibes of Stolas, an owl deity who communicates arcane knowledge to humans in exchange for their souls, as well. I noticed a lot of little allusions to Abrasax throughout the film even before Lilly started manifesting, like the movie being shown after the show being about Abrasax.

Lilly... She was rescued from a cult that seems to be a hybrid of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan and the Branch Davidians who died during a siege by the US government in Waco, TX. (Like the cultists in the movie, their compound caught fire when they were being raided. IRL, it's unclear whether the fire was started as a suicide cult situation or if it was started by the actions of the government as they tried to flush people out.) In this cult, girls were sacrificed at age 13, and all who witnessed that sacrifice would fall under the control of Abrasax.

So... she was rescued at age 10. Three years have passed. So she is now 13, the age at which these girls were sacrificed. She was due, in other words. Who and what was possessing her... that's the question, I guess. Demons, historically speaking, were known to speak foreign languages, speak in the voice of other humans, have psychic knowledge their hosts shouldn't know, etc. So she did exhibit symptoms like that.

I think... there are a couple of options here. There's Abrasax specifically, there's June's theory that she was possessed by a minor demon, and there's Minnie. Or a combination of the three.

It's pretty clear that Minnie's presence is felt throughout the whole taping. You can see her reflection various times throughout the movie, she manifested through Christou, and obviously you see her in the tape playback.

(And when I say my theater YELLED. lmao)

The question is, though... Is it really Minnie? And if it is, what does she want? Has she been haunting Jack all along? Is she there because, as it's the first Halloween after her death, it's her last chance to deal with her unfinished business? Did the demon allow her to manifest? Or was the whole thing an illusion created by the demon all along?

(I'd like to note here that, historically speaking, there was a theory that ghosts aren't actually real. They're actually demons masquerading as the spirits of departed loved ones, and they want you to summon them and listen to them so they can tempt you away from God. You can read this in the writings of a lot of the ancient Christian theologians. Or you could have talked to my grandmother, who also told me this when I was a kid! :') But she's dead now so I guess you'd have to do a summoning and find out for yourself.)

All that said... I come down between two current theories. I'd have to watch it again to firm up my ideas.

The first theory is that she's been trapped on earth for the past year, but because it's Halloween, she can haunt them. They mention at the beginning of the film that Halloween is a recent spirit's last chance to take care of unfinished business. So this could have been the case with Minnie. That said... what exactly was her unfinished business? Was she trying to protect Jack and the others? Or hurt them? Was she angry, or was she just, as Christou said, sad? Was her "an unmarried man wearing a wedding ring" referring to the way that Jack was grieving her and still wearing his ring, or the way that he wasn't much of a husband to her when she was alive?

The second theory is that, when she was sacrificed to Abrasax, she became a part of that legion. She was, like Lilly and the other little girls, essentially raised to be sacrificed, and once she was, she joined everyone else who is under the control of the deity. It's still hard to sense whether she was trying to help or hurt throughout the broadcast, but it explains her presence (she came with Lilly, not Jack) and how she was used during Jack's hallucinations to ultimately get him to perform the sacrifice on Lilly, thus bringing all audience members (both in the studio and at home) under Abrasax's control.

Either way, Minnie, in this film, is literal ghost haunting the stage -- but also a metaphorical one. The ghost of all of Jack's past misdeeds and the humanity he's sacrificed to get ahead. She's guilt and she's shame and she's desperate grief, and I guess it's no wonder that the negativity surrounding her was enough to kill Christou when he touched it.

I do think it's fascinating that all of the women in this movie are, in a very real and physical sense, sacrificed for the aspirations of men. (The little girls are sacrificed, Minnie died of a mysterious cancer, June dies because Jack pushed for her to stay, etc.) But metaphorically speaking that seems to be the case as well. They're constantly expected to put their own comfort and safety aside for the men in their lives, and their own aspirations are consumed by the men's.

Like I said, it feels very telling that women aren't allowed at the Grove. Women are constantly being denied power in this movie (or are only allowed power when it's in service to a male costar/deity) and it's largely because they just don't have the connections that the men do. The deals were made while they weren't in the room, essentially.

I'm not sure if that was a conscious choice being made, but it does seem to dovetail nicely with the strong, strong sexism and male privilege present in real-life secret societies of powerful men that disallow women. Like June only getting to shill for her book because Jack let her, women are only allowed at the real-life Bohemian Grove in very limited areas -- and only as a male member's guest.

Um... back to Lilly, though. What the hell is possessing her? She speaks as Minnie a few times, but that could be because Minnie is a part of their legion or just because she's trying to freak out Jack. Demons are known to lie using the voices of loved ones. Minnie's presence could have been influencing her, but I definitely don't think that's all that was in there.

The question, really, seems to arise from what June said about Lilly changing like a week ago and how she started talking about Jack nonstop. At least one presence in Lilly seems to be the same deity that Jack spoke to in the Grove when he was making his deal with the devil (so to speak) because it mentioned that encounter. But is that the only one in there? Is it the same deity that's always been in there? Or did it come to her only a week ago as a way to get to Jack and complete their contract? ("It is done.")

Lilly refers to her demon as Mr. Wriggles (which feels like an Exorcist allusion) and it seems like she has a pretty good lid on it. And when that demon is brought out of her by June, it seems confused and frightened. But Lilly is pretty clearly possessed the entire rest of the broadcast, so really the two options are that she was faking the entire time just to fuck with them (entirely possible) or there were two different deities, perhaps the original (lesser) one put in her in the cult and Abrasax(?) newly arrived to claim Jack and his audience.

It's fascinating watching her, because you can see her slip in and out of a possessed state several times when people aren't paying attention to her (jerking, spacing out, etc.) but it's hard to tell whether that's different presences coming in and out of control, her "talking" to what's inside her, etc. Again, this is a thing I think would benefit from multiple viewings. I'm really not sure if the Grove creature is new to her body or if it's been there all along biding its time, and it's only changing its behavior now because it wanted to be on tv.

While her recently changed behavior seems to lean towards the former, I am sort of stuck on the detail that Jack said early on, that he read June's book and couldn't stop thinking about it. That could just be normal fascination (and he did end up having an affair with her) but it could also be demonic intervention. That would indicate that the demon was manipulating him into putting Lilly on TV long before a week ago.

What is not really up for debate is that the presence inside Lilly now is one that has connections to Jack through the Grove and promised him fame. Lilly (before she was visibly possessed) alludes to this promise by telling Jack that he'll be very famous after tonight. And once the ritual starts, she is seen taking electrical energy from the set and cameras. She is literally getting her power from the audience viewing the sacrifice. (It's very Ringu.) And after Jack stabs Lilly, the studio audience, audience at home, and presumably real-life audience watching this movie, are all put under Abrasax's control.

("Hail Abrasax" is seen multiple times throughout the film, which might also imply that the documentarians themselves are trying to spread this contagion after watching the video.)

Uh... a few more small things.

Carmichael Haig is obviously James Randi. Like Houdini before him, Randi was also a stage magician who dedicated his life to exposing "supernatural" charlatans. He did indeed offer a huge sum of money to whoever could prove him wrong. Carmichael even looked like James Randi. (Though I'd point out that "Haig" is the name of the man who constructed the owl statue at the real-life Bohemian Grove!) I suppose it makes sense that he'd be such an asshole in a world where demonic possession does actually exist.

The one thing I'd say is... it's hard to say whether this was a case of the filmmakers not thinking through implications or if this really was a nasty joke, but Randi was, IRL, gay. He came out late in life and got married to a man shortly before he died. So the implication that Carmichael, in the movie, wanted to join the Grove largely because he was perverted is... iffy. Carmichael was never stated to be gay in the movie (that I noticed) and it's hard to suss out whether the orgies he was talking about were relating to the all-male membership of the Grove (i.e. a gay orgy) or the women that these powerful men had hanging all over them (i.e. a... less gay orgy) and I do think which they were implying has major implications for what they were saying about a man who was, IRL, gay.

Like... if the implication was that he must've been willing to hurt people in order to have wild sex because he's gay, that's uh! Not great! But if the creators didn't realize that aspect of Randi's life (it was less publicized because, as I mentioned, it happened later in his life) then they might have just been pushing on that trope of powerful men using women.

Really, really hard to say.

Next, Christou. Christou... it's hard to say whether the man was psychic at all. It's clear that he was doing a lot of fake-ass cold reading beforehand (though I do want to go back through it and see if there really was any allusion to a Peter- character involving the skeleton) and was using interviews to find grieving audience members. (Two practices that James Randi talked about a lot IRL.) But he also did have a very real experience when he sensed Minnie and, while overwhelmed, didn't seem particularly shocked by it.

If I had to guess, I think that Christou does have some psychic powers (which is why I want to investigate the Peter thing) but can't control them well and is easily overwhelmed by real phenomena. He plays things up for the cameras (I noticed his accent slipped when he had his real experience, lmao) but I wouldn't be surprised if, like everyone else on stage, there's a kernel of something real in him.

Finally... that fucking skeleton! I want to do an entire watch through just to examine that guy. He was in the flashbacks about the Grove, so I think it's likely that he might've been a member of that. He also is the only one who refuses to take off his mask, which seems to relate to the dialogue at the beginning of the film about wearing a mask to protect yourself from spirits during Halloween. I think he's definitely in on what's going on, to some extent, but it's hard to figure out exactly in what capacity. Was it a Grove member, or maybe a cult member? A follower of Abraxas? Was it actually the personification of Death?

Hard! To! Say!

Like I said, I really do want to rewatch this movie to pay more attention to small details I might've missed in the theater. I'm also looking forward to seeing it with subtitles. It wasn't a perfect movie, but it was intriguing and original enough that I really enjoyed it and want to watch it again to puzzle through it. Really, the one big mark against it was the brief use of AI, which is just -- god, it's infuriating.

It's such a small part, so it would have been so easy to not do. (Apparently it wasn't even IN the first festival showing.) But it kind of pollutes the whole movie, especially when such a large message is not fucking over real people in the quest for success in the media landscape.

Plus, it just kind of looked like shit.

I know it's probably a lost cause, but I would be thrilled if they hired a real artist and redid those images for the Shudder release. It would be so easy to fix, and it would make the movie a lot better. Those commercial breaks were so funny and if they had better interstitials (that didn't make you feel icky just looking at them) then it would boost an already great film.

I just. I don't even know why they did it in the first place. I'm guessing, based on the fact that they weren't in the original screenings, that they were pressed for time to finish things...? But come on, surely you can find some artist who can do something quick for you. It wasn't even a moving image.

So uh... yeah, I guess that's where I'm at. It was an interesting (if slightly hokey) movie pulling together a lot of threads to make something cool and mysterious, I liked a lot of the acting (particularly Jack Delroy's) and set design, I wanna chat with people about it -- but I can't really in good conscience fully recommend it because of the AI thing. It's just such a disgrace to artistic integrity. Here's hoping they hire a real fucking artist.

#this got really long sorry lmao #really though more than anything this just made me feel like #damn why did I stop coming out to the bourse and east #like yeah they're a little further than the PFS center and the amc but not by much #I felt so nostalgic there #I gotta get back into seeing weird indie movies I miss it #late night with the devil

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space-blue · 9 months

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Hi, I love a lot of your meta and analyses. Especially for Arcane. One thing that's bothering me is what exactly was Silco's reputation among the Lanes in act 1? It's odd how Vander seems to say he's worse than enforcers, and Benzo even calls him an animal and immediately tries to charge at Silco after Grayson's death. But we know that Silco only became this ruthless AFTER his attempted murder by Vander. So during the old times when Vander and Benzo knew him, Silco was apparently a "weak man" who wasn't nearly as violent as Vander. So what gives?

Sure, the "animal" line could just be because of the brutal way he killed Grayson and the enforcers, but idk, the way he immediately charges Silco no questions asked seems to indicate something deeper. It's funny too, because Silco murdered only the enforcers that were arresting Vander, and didn't even want to kill Vander until he rejected Silco's plan and refused to join him. So if Benzo just stayed calm and kept his hands to himself Silco would've probably kidnapped them both. Hell, without Benzo's murder hanging over Vander's head, maybe he could've even be persuaded to rejoin Silco for another try at revolution? But the story needs him to refuse, so ofc Benzo had to die.

I'm just wondering why exactly, if Silco was known as the less violent one before Vander tried to kill him, then why do Benzo and Vander in act 1 treat him like he's been a devil the whole time. Did they maybe catch wind of his unpleasant activities while he was underground and building his revolution plans?

Hi Anon! What a great ask! And thank you, you make me blush. It's nice that my horrendous Arcane brain rot actually serves some purpose somehow x'D

This is a very good question and a difficult one—because of the writers. I'm not sure if they really know or care to make sense of Silco and Vander's past. The timeline is shaky and vague. I think they were happy to leave things quite mysterious. Some of us desperately try to unravel it, but the bulk of viewers took it all at face value and concluded that Silco is a horrible man who did horrible things.

This is not me bashing other fans, all theories are valid, but I must admit sometimes I wonder if the Arcane writers managed to convey their point across. Because I've seen quite a few people theorise that Silco did something truly horrible and 'deserved' to be killed by Vander, despite the lack of evidence or accusation, or the show going to great length to harp about Vander's potential for change, of his "monster within" who caves in skulls with his fists.

(Not to mention the casual fans who thought the sun shone out of Vander's ass because they couldn't see past Vi's pov and didn't do dozens of obsessive rewatches like yours truly).

My point is that their relationship is pretty complicated and there are plenty of dissenting theories. And I think a lot of people go one way or the other precisely around those moments you mention. I'm going to give you my theory, but it's very fanon. I'm genuinely a lot less certain about this than some of my other meta. It's just what gels for me considering how I interpret the rest of the show.

I'm going to put this under a cut, because there's a lot!

What exactly was Silco's reputation among the Lanes in act 1?

I don't think Silco was weak. That's him reframing his trauma. Not just weak physically (like obviously he could never fight Vander off fairly), but for having trusted him. Weak for not seeing the betrayal coming, and not coming on top of that conflict. He calls his old self weak because he must believe in his own progress, his own resurrection into a being who can enact his plans at last.

I think Silco was a beacon of hope and zealotry. I think he was a propaganda machine. Young Silco united a lot of Zaun under the banner of his dream. He probably worked hard, and led the movement. From the way their dialogue goes, the accusation of betrayal, saying "I trusted you", and the manner of Silco's attitude around Vander, I'm of the (generally not that popular) sentiment that Silco was the leader of the early rebellion, and that Vander was his follower. Most likely his right hand man.

In fic I've theorised that Vander, who tells Vi he used to always be so angry and violent, didn't have a channel for said violence until Silco gave him structure and a purpose. Directed that violence at Piltover, at creating (read, carving out) the Lanes.

Which, FYI, are NEVER clarified. We don't know if it's a business model or a territory or both. Writers truly don't care to explain it.

Anyway, Silco speaks of "our dream" and then uses "brother" with a LOT of irony laced in, in reply to Vander's own use of the term. They used to be brothers in arms and Vander believed in that dream. We also know that Vander used to fight for the cause and claims he's "not that man anymore".

He basically was fighting for team Silco—team Zaun—right until the day of the betrayal.

Then we're told by Vander that Silco had his respect, the Lanes' respect, "but that... was never enough for you". We're also told by Sevika that Vander created the Lanes.

This suggests to me that Silco and Vander created the Lanes together.

I assume that over time Vander started seeing Silco's plans as too greedy, while leading the Lanes seemed ideal. 'Good enough', if you will. Vander is small minded where Silco is aiming for the sun. One wants too little and the other too much. Silco says they 'shared a vision, dreams of freedom, not just for the Lanes but for the whole of the Underground, united as One'. They used to dream of Zaun together... And then Vander realised Silco would tear the Lanes apart if it would serve his purpose (to attack Piltover).

I think he didn't believe it'd work (and given what we see of Piltover vs. Zaun before shimmer, it might not have), and realised he wanted to rule the Lanes. Vander would now see Silco's dreams as too dangerous.

I know some people in the Zaundads community who theorised that Vander was influenced in turning on Silco by Benzo or others. It's not my prefered theory.

I think Vander wanted the Lanes for himself, and knew that Silco was too zealous to ever stop. We don't know why he got so (intimately) violent. Why they were in the Pilt. We see Vander first very cold, slowly drowning Silco, then very hot and brutal, once he's been hurt. I think he was very different indeed from the genial Vander we know in arc 1. Young Vander is the guy who carved the Lanes with his fists. The guy who built the reputation old Vander still coasts on. A guy known by foreigners! In short, it doesn't really help to look at him through the old Vander lens. He did what he did..

And THEN, he hid the (most likely black and contaminated) wound from Silco's knife. While Silco wears his scar unashamed for what must be a decade or two, Vander has his arm constantly covered. This speaks of shame to me. We know he had regrets too :

Truly a young, impulsive, violent man, who rushed into a bad decision and has regretted it since. I can picture a young Vander missing his best friend, his guiding light, and yet finally becoming the leader he wanted to be. Curtailing Silco's uprising entirely and settling, at least until his own revolt.

We know there was only one time where the rebellion went ahead, and that was well after Silco left. Vander, to the assembled Lanes people, says "we crossed that bridge once before". It's the era where he still had Silco's respect, but was immediately followed by his pact with Grayson. Which Silco knew of.

Sorry... I'm rambling to try and get all the details in... Almost there.

Finally we come to Vander holding his (shamefully hidden) wound and saying "there's worse things than enforcers out there, we both know that."

And I'm not sure WHAT HE MEANS!! Like, this is not proof he knows Silco is alive. My personal feeling is that Vander believes there's a chance Silco might be alive, but he's not actively taking precautions like that's a possibility. Silco's attack wouldn't have come out of left field and taken them so completely by surprise otherwise.

There are plenty of things worse than enforcers. Including himself!! He could mean competing chembarons. He could mean someone wanting his seat. He could mean anything, it's infuriating.

Anyway, I think Vander came back from the Pilt with a bad stab wound and a story. I think he told everyone that Silco attacked him and died. That he turned traitor. Or any other bullshit story. But I believe he did what any new illegitimate ruler does, and shat all over Silco's reputation. Or else cried some crocodile tears over him and called him dead. But Silco never stepped back into the open, so Vander making him persona non grata is more likely.

Whatever the case, Vander had completely taken over the Lanes by the time Silco was in good enough health to show up.

Did they run into each other? Did Vander scare him off again? I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Vander looks way too shocked when he realises who's showing up at the murder party. This isn't the expression of someone who is used to thwarting schemes. This isn't the Batman's face when the Joker appears with mischief around a street corner.

Meanwhile, why would Benzo react so negatively to Silco? The well respected man who was betrayed (a fact Vander owns up to and APOLOGISES for), who was half drowned and mutilated by Vander's hand... Yet Benzo immediately calls him an animal (which, you're right, could be in reaction to stepping into a mass killing—which, fair), and tells him to "crawl back into whatever hole he came out of."

I feel like this is the reaction of someone who thinks "wow, it's the cunt who harmed my bestie 20 years ago and (insert Vander's lies about him). Who knew he was still alive?"

Meanwhile, Vander looks like it's judgement day. I think he has excellent reasons to be afraid. He stole the Lanes, destroyed Silco's dreams, ruined his rep, drove him out of the Underground... and somehow Silco stayed under the radar all this time? And now he's got killer monsters? Of course he'd be scared. Vander knows how intense Silco used to be, and knows how guilty he himself is. I think he believes all bets are off. Precisely because Silco never had a reputation as a weak man.

I mean, consider! If Vander was mega violent under Silco's guidance... If they built the Lanes together... If Silco was the leader who helped Vander redirect his rage... Then Silco clearly didn't mind being extremely violent. He didn't mind unleashing "the Hound" on the people who stood in the way of Zaun.

((I think Silco's "weak" narrative is a self soothing framing device. That he's recontextualising himself, making a philosophy of life. After all, he tries to use these same terms to speak to Jinx about her own trauma, while failing to grasp that while he was at his weakest, Powder was at her strongest. His personal motto of letting the weak die doesn't work for Jinx.))

It's very revealing that Vander says "Benzo stay back!" and Silco says "you never did know when to walk away." Like if he'd stayed back and then walked away, he'd have been fine. I fully agree that this tells us that Vander thinks Silco is only after him. That he wouldn't kill Benzo needlessly. Needless deaths were probably never Silco's style, as someone wanting to 'unite' the Underground. And after all, he's not even here to kill Vander, but to recruit him.

So, yeah... In conclusion (at last lol)

Silco was never weak, simply too big a dreamer, someone who wouldn't surrender his lofty ideals for the reality of being one of the most powerful men in the Undercity. Ultimately he got in young Vander's way. Vander impulsively sacrificed Silco for his own desire to rule the Lanes. Then he turned around, shameful and regretful, and lied to everyone about it as he usurped Silco's place and became the Lanes' sole leader.

(I personally theorised in several fics that the last Drop was actually Silco's, and that Vander took over it after the betrayal, partially explaining why Silco never leaves the place after his own takeover. Complicated feelings + it was his and fuck Vander lol)

I don't believe Benzo or Vander have any clue about Silco's plans, and simply react based on what they know and imagine (Benzo based on whatever Vander told him, and Vander based on how fucked he has to be and how insanely dedicated Silco must still be). I believe Vander has a lot of double agents in his midst (Sevika, Syd), and people who've been keeping tabs on him for years.

Counter-argument : Marcus says he spoke to one of Vander's "old friends" and that he "wasn't always so peaceful". You could think this may have tipped Vander off... But how many people did he leave behind or crush when creating the Lanes? How many people hate him for leading the failed uprising? I think it's still plausible that Vander doesn't suspect Silco's involvement.

Vander just lacks cunning. Another final argument for him being totally clueless is that he had a direct line to Grayson, and a quick, 'Hey, okay I'll tell you who stole your stuff' pointing fingers towards Silco would have entirely solved the situation for him.

Yet he never is shown to consider it.

PHEW. I think that covers it?? I think I covered every point? At least that's how I interpret this situation, even though it relies heavily on my own fanon readings of the timeline and a lot of other details.

If anyone disagrees with this, or wants to double down, as always go crazy. I love me a meta pile on.

#arcane #arcane netflix #arcane meta #meta #silco #vander #vanco #zaundads #benzo #arcane silco #arcane vander #arcane benzo #arcane marcus #grayson #jinx #anon ask #meta ask #thanks for the ask anon

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decafbat · 17 days

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dunno if this has already been asked before, but have you ever thought about what your ocs would text/type like Or what their hand writing would look like? very curious

i worry that by doing this i'll imply that characters only speak in one tone or that the general vibe of conversation would be punchy and comedic (which just kind of feels encouraged when i write small excerpts of dialogue without context, and because im not that great of a writer). but obviously i think all the characters would talk in very different ways depending on the situation and mood. i dont really imagine a super distinct way of typing for any of them besides just how their personalities come through in interaction but i think what i have here might work as an exaggerated case to give you an idea of their patterns and personality at its most extreme, but which you might see hints of in general conversation.

cath: exaggerated, truncated, lots of hyperbole and poor spelling. cute emoticons. when typing long messages she writes run-on sentences. her hand-writing is ok. she cant read cursive or even some fonts, or long paragraphs. she might have dyslexia. hellooooo. . .?

(”O_O) think im so fucked

HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEE

update i quituple-checked the cabinet we dont have bread or rice or anything at all

leica: kind of theatrical, sarcastic, arcane, proper spelling and punctuation unless she loses her composure which is often. handwriting is small, scratchy and unreadable.

In the material world, it's generally frowned upon.

I climb the Tree of Life to find and devour the Fruits of Yuri. Nothing less could ever satisfy my wretched heart.

ILL MURDER WHOEVER SENT HER THOSE PICTURES ILL TEAR THEM APART

I sincerely apologize for how I acted and I wont do it again.

erin: uses lots of acronyms, types in her typical boisterous tone. her handwriting is pretty much perfect.

So a LOOOOT happened between us its kind of a lot to get into LOL dumb drama but things are g now dont worry!!

YOU'VE SEEN THAT ONE? I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!

WOW LOL SOUNDS TOUGH HOPE THAT GOES GOOD!

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piltoversfinest-caitvi · 1 year

Text

Katie Leung at 2023 Facts Gents Con

There has been news circling around about season 2 Arcane development as well as the Q&A recorded at the Facts Gents. Take some information posted with a grain of salt but I believe them to be plausible

Some questions for Arcane:

Q: In the voice acting were you able to be together in the studio for like scenes with interactions for example between Caitlyn and Vi

Katie: No... so I have not met Hailee who plays Vi. Normally when you do voice acting for something like Arcane, you are just in a box, so you have a producer on one side of the room with a glass pane between you And then it's just me and then the mic and the monitor with the lights or the animation and sometimes if Hailee's done her Vi lines before me then I'll get to hear the stuff that she's done and then I can respond to it. But most of the time there's a director on the screen who will just say the lines to me and then I have to respond and not that they are not great actors because I'm sure they could kind of give me a performance if they want it but I think they try and keep it neutral so then I'm responding to Vi saying something that might be potentially romantic and (the actor) will just be very dead and then I'll just have to kind of respond in the way that I would want to respond as caitlyn so it's funny that because when they put it together, it sounds like we're all in the same room because so much emotions that's carried forward in the voice acting but I've never met Ella or Hailee or anyone for that matter so it's great what they can do

Q: How did a process feel for you because voice acting is different from real life acting and how excited are you for the second season?

Katie: Oh my god I just did some recording for season 2 of arcane a few days ago and I can say that it's looking really good. It was a project I went into without knowing how big it was going to be how incredible the animation was going to look. I heard of league of legends before because my brother is a huge gamer and I used to be a big gamer as well but I never played it so... I did it because I knew he was a big fan so yeah I'll just do it cause I have time. And these guys, you know the creators, they sound really nice so I remember them sending me just photos of Caitlyn And this is the character you're going to play. And she looks really cool so I really yeah uh I went to the recording studio like you know it was just me and the mic and that was kind of strange because I wasn't really sure what they wanted and I wasn't sure you know with the storyline I didn't know what they were talking about when they were talking about piltover and um just all these kind of different jargons that are in relation to League of legends so I was a bit confused about what I was doing and seeing And then once the animation came in and I was able to see some sketches I was like oh my god this looks really cool and then when it came out last year I was just blown away

Q: Which line from Arcane is your favorite? (@ 2:30 Sunday) Katie: Oh that's a hard one because I feel like I really enjoy all the scenes between Vi and Caitlyn and like the moments they have. The most precious moments are the ones where they don't say anything to each other. But if I had to choose a line probably when Vi calls her cupcake and she says shut up. Yeah, that's a really cute moment

Q: Which character storyline are you most excited about for season 2? Katie: Uh…… I think I'm excited mostly.... I'm just trying not to give anything away but I think with season one for Caitlyn she like I felt her pain in season one, you know she had, there's a lot of kind of weight on her shoulders uhm kind of to do the right thing she's kind of like she's a justice warrior She wants to do things correctly and she wants to do things for the people she believes in equality and justice and all these and uh obviously she's a bit of a goody goody two shoes um in comparison with Vi and I think we get to see a different side of her in the next season so I'm really excited for people to see that arc, that journey um and also it's been really exciting for me to play that as well.

Q: What kind of dynamic do you think Caitlyn will have in the upcoming season with Vi

Katie: Oh…. I can't tell you that, I mean, all I can tell you is that….. no no I can't tell you.

I'm telling you a lot by not telling you

Q: If you come to facts as a cosplayer who would you dress up as Katie: Oh my god that is a really good question. I think I would dress up as Caitlyn because I just did some recording of season 2 and she has some incredible costumes. She looks really good. Yeah I mean I can't say anymore but I would love to dress up as a Caitlyn you know her costumes are really cool

Q: When you did the voice acting, did you have any props or cosplay items that you could use? (@ 6:35 Sunday) Katie: No, um, I think it would have been helpful to have like something I could hold on to because there are certain moments when Caitlyn, you know when she's fighting, .. Okay I'm giving stuff away now ..

But when she's maybe in action whether she's running or she's fighting or just breathing heavily or trying to climb out of something I think it's always helpful to be able to grab onto something but there's nothing that you can because they're afraid you might make extra background noise so everything has to be like in the air.

So that can be difficult so I would have liked to have some props for sure but it, there's only ever like a glass of water and the pages with your lines on it and the microphone.

Even when you're running, you have to just be like you have to pretend you're out of breath in place so I'd say it's definitely not easy to do voice acting but it's so much fun when you get the hang of it.

Q: What do you think Caitlyn's Spotify playlist looks like? Katie: Oh god, I don't think she would want anyone what's on her playlist but if she had to... it would be like 90s, R and B, literally, I'm just listing the stuff that I listen to. A bit of rock, a bit of grunge, I'm thinking of TLC I think she would love a TLC, maybe see Dr Dre, maybe Linkin Park, yeah, put up everything

Q: What nickname do you think Caitlyn would have for Vi? Katie: Oh.... do you know what I think she would probably call her by her full name. Violet. I think that would be quite a tease because I think Vi is such a cool name. I'm not sure Vi likes her full name to be honest, I think there's a reason why she doesn't, cause, Violet is, I guess I would see it as quite feminine and quite lovely and that's a last thing Vi would want to hear. As Caitlyn, I probably would call her Violet.

youtube

#caitvi #piltover's finest #caitlyn kiramman #katie leung #fortiche #misc #arcane #arcane rumors #arcane season 2 rumors #voice acting process #violyn #Youtube

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illarian-rambling · 2 months

Text

Character Introduction: Detective Ivander Montane, champion of greed

“So.” Unconsciously, Ivander began to fidget with his tie pin. If he had known, he would have stopped immediately. Fidgeting was an unbecoming habit. “You have a story for me?”

Ceyrel’s face immediately folded into a guilty uncertainty. “Well….” The woman hesitated, curling a strand of brassy hair around one blood-red claw. “I got a letter from my sister in the Republic yesterday night….”

“Wait, Lavir, Tagwyn, Brigid, or Arta?” Ivander asked. “You have a lot of sisters.”

“Lavir, obviously.” Ceyrel rolled her eyes. “The Reppies would never give a passport to a dwarf.”

“Of course, my mistake. Please continue.”

The trials and tribulations of Ceyrel’s massive hobgoblin-dwarven family were standard fare for their gossip sessions, so Ivander wanted to get an idea of who he was dealing with, and by extension the veracity of the news. Lavir—Ceyrel’s full sister—was a trustworthy sort, if prone to attachment issues and not repaying her debts on time. Ivander figured he could believe the contents of any letter she sent.

“So anyways, I get this letter from someplace along the Sulu’Okan-Skolandi border. Bekridge, I think it was called? Some decent-sized town Lavir decided to stay the night in before heading up to Landanium. But that’s not important.”

“Then what is?” Ivander winced impatiently. His knuckles were beginning to feel like someone had poured molten lead in between them. Too much writing in one day.

He saw Ceyrel spot his flinch and noted the resigned concern that flared in her eyes. She knew of his curse, though he’d never given her the whole story. However, the woman was a damn skilled detective. Between his abilities and the esteemed Montane name he still carried, she probably had a few theories. Wrong ones, of course, but a wrong theory could still be good.

“Yeah, so she’s telling me all about how shit the roads are down there and how it's just kind of a free-for-all along the border. No conners, no government anything, except the taxman. They even have this awful debtor system that’s basically just feudalism with extra steps. She said she hired a bodyguard to take her through some of the marshy stretches, because apparently if the human bandits don’t get you, the selkie raiders will.”

“This is all important because, Ivander, you have to understand how barbaric it is down there. I know I tease you about growing up with your own bank, but these Reppies make my family look just as hoity-toity as yours. They still have penal slavery, and lords, and require non-humans citizens to wear government medallions. So, when I tell you that my sister wrote to tell me about a murder of all things, you’ve got to understand how bad it was.”

“A murder. In the Republic.” Ivander shrugged. “I’m not sure what this has to do with me.”

“Still getting there. Apparently, the night Lavir was staying in Bekridge, there was a murder in one of their arcane distilleries. The town is big into alchemical manufacturing, being so close to the N’Diki swamp and all. Just after she heard the news, Lavir went to poke around because she’s even nosier than me and managed to sneak a peek at the scene of the crime.”

Now, Ceyrel’s golden eyes went deadly serious—from Ivander’s chatty friend to the hardboiled investigator every smart thug south of Council Round knew to watch out for.

“The victim was found missing a perfect circle out of the back half of his skull. Painted on the body were runes. Lavir’s pretty into all that magic stuff, but she said she didn’t know a single one….”

Ivander’s body went icy. It froze at the first mention of the broken skull and kept freezing until he felt as if he would shatter apart into a hundred hurting pieces. Memories whirled through his mind; a university corridor splashed with gore, a brothel full of sobbing prostitutes, a warehouse, a fabric store, and a kitchen still echoing with a child’s screams. Long sleepless nights and eternal agonizing days.

And worst of all, hope.

Ivander is a selfish man. Know this before anything else. Remember this above all else. Despite his gossiping tongue and steady hands, greed is at the core of his corroded heart, be that for good or ill.

Ivander was born to the wealthy and influential Montane family, in the grand trade city of Unity. Such wealth and influence came from one place; the banks. Long ago, the first Montane progenitor made a deal with Timaz, the Illarian god of greed. In exchange for the power to write unbreakable contracts and call on the occasional miracle, this ancestral Montane promised Timaz the obedience of their family, along with their souls and the souls of those they make contracts with. Using this power, the Montane family has come to control every bank in Unity, from the vaults of the Merchant Council to the payday shacks in the east side slums. They trade their undying loyalty for unlimited wealth.

Ivander was born to the family's patriarch, Antonin Montane, and his foreign, Cloud Folk bride, Idrin Pashan-Baijahreet. When Ivander was eight, his mother disappeared, never to be spoken of again. From a young age, Ivander was trained by his Uncle Marius (Antonin had more important business than raising a son) in the ways of the Montanes. He learned economics and theology hand in hand. Like all young Montanes, he was not allowed to leave the family compound until he signed his divine contract.

This signing happened when he was sixteen. Ivander was escorted to his father's office, whereupon his relatives held him while the contract was carved into his chest by way of ritual scarification. He carved his own name beneath it all in the end, and became a Chosen of Timaz. After that, he was permitted to join the family business.

For four years, Ivander worked in a bank under his uncle. Even from the beginning, signing people onto inescapable contracts made him uneasy. But as the things he convinced people to do became worse and worse, Ivander began to doubt his family. It was after he convinced a man to sell his children as indentured servants that he finally ran away. He thought he could repent and put some good into the world to make up for the bad. The thing he forgot about though, was that on a scale of vengeful gods, the god of greed is pretty high up there.

The Montane contract protects from direct divine wrath. However, it does not protect from a god sending the offending Montane a slow-acting, deadly curse. Ivander's curse isn't complicated; he's turning slowly into mist. Slowly and painfully, ever bit that's evaporated leaving behind another inch of flayed flesh or pitted bone to torment him. Every waking moment is pain for Ivander. The curse was not so bad when he first left his family, so he decided that his path to doing good would be to join Unity's Bureau of Arcane Investigation. The BAI roots out magical crime in the massive city, so Ivander thought it would be the perfect place for him. In a way, he was right.

The BAI is, was, and always will be corrupt. That corruption and the menial evil of everyday crime seeps into a person. Ivander never ended up doing much good there, though he did learn to line his pockets well with bribes. All he got in trade for leaving his family was a slow death sentence and a new way to exploit people.

This is where we find him, sort of. For you see, Ivander has found a murder case that just might be the thing that can protect him from his slow death. And he will do whatever it takes to save himself. This is where The Mystery of the Mortal God picks up.

As a person, Ivander is defined by his upbringing. He grasps for any advantage he might take, lies unrepentantly, and keeps any people who might strive for a close relationship at arms length, no matter how he might long for such a thing. The issue with intimacy isn't helped by the fact that his curse has left him disfigured. He wears an illusion to cover his true face, however, such a thing won't hold up under close examination. This practice might seem vain, but on the order of sins, vanity isn't really a concern for Ivander. A man just likes to look dapper sometimes, you know? Another big trait of Ivander’s is that he's a huge gossip. He loves knowing everyone's business and all sides of a story, which actually makes him a half decent detective if a case catches his interest.

Looks-wise, Ivander stands at about 5'8" and is much lighter than even his slender frame would suggest. He also looks younger than his 30 years. This is more through a quirk of his heritage than anything illusory though. It's from his mother's side that Ivander got his blue blood, double pointed ears, and too-blue eyes. On his father's side, he's elven, human, dwarven, and siren. In Unity, this would make him many-lined (of too many peoples to identify with any one). His illusory face is a handsome one, with swept back black hair and a thin mustache and goatee. His true face is a corroded ruin, missing much of its eyelids and lips. He wears bandages to keep blood from getting on his fine suits and walks with a cane. The illusion itself is held by an onyx tie pin inscribed with hidden runes.

Now fun facts!:

Ivander's condo is color-coded. Blue for the bedroom, green for the sitting room, yellow for the kitchen, purple for the bathroom.

He's a crack shot with a rune rifle.

He makes his money by investing bribes on the stock exchange using all of his insider Montane knowledge. He might’ve left his family, but that doesn't mean he's going to live in squalor.

Paperwork is his favorite detective duty.

His case partner is a hobgoblin woman named Ceyrel Gavorn. Ivander thinks of her as his dear friend, even if he'd never say so aloud. They're both incorrigible gossips.

He takes all thunderstorms as personal wrath from the gods against him in particular.

He lies for fun.

Out of the other MG pair, Ivander finds Mashal to be an incredibly kind and brave man. Ivander and Astra, on the other hand, hate each other's guts.

And that's a wrap on main POV character! I think maybe I'll do antagonists next, or places, or side characters. Whatever I decide though, I hope you find detective blueboy to be entertaining, and as always, lmk if you have any questions.

Have a bitchin day <3

(Tag list @amandacanwrite @elsie-writes @riveriafalll @kosmic-kore @kaylinalexanderbooks @bard-coded @carrotsinnovember @patternwelded-quill @somethingclevermahogony @whatwewrotepodcast @goldxdarkness @the-angriest-author @mk-writes-stuff)

#writing #writerscommunity #writblr #my ocs #author

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bringthekaos · 2 months

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When Arcane first aired, I remember the whiplash of seeing non-league players interacting with league characters for the first time.... I remember scrolling through twitter and tumblr after the finale, and lots of people theorizing that, *if* Jayce and Viktor survived, their paths probably will diverge in the future and they will end up as enemies and I was like.... huhh yeah? Isn't it obvious? That's mean to happen. But then I thought about it and honestly? If you don't know the characters beforehand... would you really guess how bad things are going to end?

Speaking as someone who knew fuckall about League beforehand, and actively avoided any information on it until after I finished the show to avoid spoilers… I had absolutely no clue. The moment I finally Googled Viktor’s name with League of Legends and saw him and his story…. I was the epitome of this

Obviously there are some ideological differences between him and Jayce, as they argue a few times. And I understood that these narrative seeds they were planting could grow to fester, but like… I didn’t think it would be to mortal fucking enemies. After all, they’re standing together at the end, despite their qualms and differences, and it seemed that Jayce had learned the consequences of his unconscious biases and was actively working with Viktor to finally act in Zaun’s best interest. I thought… oh hey, character growth. They faced a challenge and rose above it, all good now, that’s awesome (even though they might have been blown up in the process 🫣)

And I think the changing of their origin story had a lot to do with that. I think if they’d gone with the original lore (RIP, I’m so sorry to my League friends. I really do wish they’d just left the two separate. There are so many implications on what this means for the characters of both Arcane and League, and honestly it was just stupid. But that’s a rant for another post), then it would have been more obvious. I do like the way they did it though, because it makes Viktor’s LoL bio a much more obvious lie. They were friends. They were close. They were the whole world to each other, whether romantic or platonic, for years. And even though I had no idea a falling out was coming, it makes it that much more heartbreaking when it does happen. It just makes you think… I hope you know we had everything.

#arcane #arcane league of legends #league of legends #arcane lore #arcane Jayce #arcane Viktor #Jayce Talis #asks #ace answers

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the-dumpster-fire-of-life · 1 year

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Hi! You know those projects in high school where they make you care for an egg? Could I request some headcanons for the Arcane cast doing that, pretty please? :> Whoever you want to write for works! Thank you!!

(Hey! sure I can! Here, enjoy!)

Arcane Characters Taking Care Of An Egg

Jayce

He tried okay

He got probably a C- on the assignment

Didn’t know the difference between a fertilized egg and a unfertilized egg

Sat on it or kept it warm

Waited for it to hatch

Was heartbroken when it didn’t

Egg had a face on it also

With sunglasses and he wore his to match

Jayce is an egg parent now

Whenever he has eggs he stares down at the cracked yoke and remembers his lost child

He then eats the eggs all guilty

Mel is concerned

Viktor judges him

Heimerdinger brings more eggs

Viktor

He was already pretty smart

He was the best one at it

Obviously

His egg was his best friend

Loner core

He made a little pouch for it on his shirt

Keeps it there all the time

Talks to it and sometimes forgets it is not a real person

Still treats it like one though

Semi sad when he has to give it back for his grade

Stole it when the teacher wasn’t looking and booked it out of there as fast as he could

Stealth mission 100%

Vi sucked at the assignment

100% failed the entire thing

She put it in her pocket for a little while but usually forget it was there

Vi also had a face drawn on it

Powder stole it a lot also

Powder probably drew some explosions and doodles on it

She once got mad at a student and reached for the nearest thing

Which was her poor egg

Chucked it straight at the kids head

Kid knew what was coming and ducked

The egg nailed a teacher in the head

All froze in their spots

Before the teacher could say anything Vi ran away

Was scared to go back to class but she did

She failed horribly

But she stole another egg and broke it on the other kids head

Successful if you ask me

Caitlyn

She took good care of her egg in the beginning

She gave her egg a name and took it home with her all happy

She was a mother for an egg now

Which was pretty cool for her since she was a lonely child

Was a normal assignment for her

She always had weird assignments, okay?

But she always mastered them

So why not this one?

Let me tell you why

In Caitlyn’s wonderful mind she thought the best case was to put it in the fridge

With the other eggs

She woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon

Went downstairs and opened the fridge to find her egg missions

“Oh, what are you looking for, Caitlyn?”

Her father asked as he didn’t turn around from the stove

“Did you see an egg with the others? It had a face drawn on it. It's a part of my grade final.”

“Oh.”

Caitlyns dad then slowly showed her her plate for breakfast

Caitlyn was horrified

It was George

Her egg

Was horrified and most definitely had a funeral

Ekko

Ekko surprisingly did pretty okay

He took care of his egg

He had to protect it from Vi, Mylo, Claggor and Powder though

He did pretty good at that also

Made a small box with cushioning inside to help keep the egg safe

He did drop the box a good amount of times though

Would stand still and do a little pray before slowly picking it up

Was always relieved to see it was okay

Even if the egg did break he replaced it over and over again until it was time to turn in the egg

He’s smart so the teacher didn’t catch on

Ekko is still smug about it to this day

Powder

She really didn’t care about the assignment

She knew she was a mother now

Took it so serious

Put it to bed, talked to it, hugged it, took it everywhere

The whole works

She just drew on her egg most of the time

Her egg is so colorful and full of doodles it’s crazy

She kept it so safe though

Kept it on her belt pouch also to keep it with her all the time

Always tucked it into a small barbie bed next to hers

Was horrified when she woke up and got out of bed and stepped in something

It was her egg

It had fallen down

She cried so much

She then got the thought to go get another from the kitchen

Which she did and just drew on it again and tada!

All’s well

She then got hungry and put it on her belt and got another egg

She cracked it open and was also horrified

She saw it was a fertilized egg they had missed

Stared at it on the pan before she yelled

“Vi! Want some eggs?!”

“Sure, Pow-Pow- what the hell?!”

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lilliesofinspirationvalley · 30 days

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Soul Eater Revised Overview!

In case you didn’t know, I have a fan project in the works called Soul Eater Revised, a rewrite/personal interpretation of Soul Eater’s world and narrative. It’s primarily a written piece, but I also have a lot of designs and stuff for it too! has its own blog @souleaterrevised and chapters of the fanfic here on AO3 (they're only accessible if you have an account just to prevent AI scanning).

There’s so much I can get into, and I want to leave at least some surprises… but I can’t help myself. I might as well give some sneak peeks at everything I’m cooking!

Obviously there will be a good amount spoilers for everything I’m planning, so reading all of this is to your own discretion!

Lore & Worldbuilding

Y’know the whole thing at the end of Fire Force where it ends as like… a “prequel” to the SE world out of nowhere? Yeah, some people find that cool while others find it incredibly forced. I… I think it’s both. I have some thoughts on how I would rework Fire Force myself, and part of that is the ending and how it connects to SE. Essentially, the world of flames and infernals dies, but is reborn into a world of souls and magic. The supernatural and fantastical become inherently tied to this new world thanks to Adolla’s whole deal with shared human perception and all that.

Excalibur is the most obvious piece of evidence of the Old World existing— He’s essentially the personification of Arthur’s escapism and loneliness. He got pulled out of the spiritual realm and can’t really get back… so he’s just kinda been hanging out in the physical world for multiple centuries. Truth be told, he just misses his dad, man.

So yeah, Shinra, Iris, Tamaki, etc… they all kinda die??? But they also like… become these fun deities known as Patrons. Much of what’s known about them in the New World is this weird mix of myth and fact.

Speaking of deities, I got more information on how those work!! Essentially, there are multiple deities that work with and look after their associated cultures. For example, death deities such as Anubis/Anpu focus on collecting the souls of those living in Egypt.

Most deities focus on their respective groups (but obviously intermingle and all that), but there are a few deities who work more internationally! These include Lord Death (obviously, lol), Lady Gaia (also known as Mother Nature), and Arcane (Observer of Magic)

There may or may not also be a goddess of madness and chaos whose stuck in a distorted realm of flesh and black ooze. But she’s not trying to get back out into the physical world or anything… right? @hollyhuedhorror may know more about her ;3

Due to deities and magic and all of this fun stuff being more commonplace, not only has global transportation developed a little earlier (especially for supernatural communities), but there was a lot of intervention (especially when LD shows up and sets up DWMA) of “HEY. DON’T COLONIZE AND ENSLAVE EACH OTHER.” Immigrants learn to coexist with indigenous communities, people travel across the world because they wish to and not by force, all that good stuff. Essentially we replace most of the racism/cultural prejudice with… soul type prejudice. Call that what you will.

Soul types are a lot more developed as a concept— it honestly deserves its own post, but to get a major, mostly relevant thing out there: Monsterfolk (associated with animals and magic as a whole) and fae (associated with the elements) were essentially the overseers of humans in much of ancient history due to their sheer power and longer lifespans. Witches are initially created as the offspring between Monsterfolk and humans, though their soul type can pass down through further generations. Enchanters are essentially the same thing, but the offspring of fae and humans. Many of these magical people were genuinely benevolent and helped humans… but a lot of them were also very tyrannical, finicky, all that stuff

Living weapons generally discover their powers around puberty (the average being around 13-14 years old). Just about every soul type is capable of carrying weapon abilities (through genetics and whatnot), so it’s not too uncommon for powerful soul types to unlock their powers much earlier. This is the case for Fire and Thunder! They’re 5 year old nymphs (Fae) and already have phenomenal control of their gauntlet forms.

Aside from deities and corrupted souls like kishins/afreets and phantoms, there are 3 categories for soul types: Human, Monsterfolk, and Fae. These three categories each have their own “enhancements”— incredibly rare variants of the average soul’s capabilities.

Humans - Warrior, Seer, Grigori, Pixie

Monsterfolk/Witches - Sorcerer

Fae/Enchanters - Shaman

Lord Death was… essentially sent down to the physical world as a “janitor” in the Middle Ages (around the 1200s to be more specific). A lot of deaths have been happening to the point where people aren’t really performing the proper rituals to help souls pass on. So LD is sent in to help collect leftover souls and figure out the sorta things causing so much destruction

While he’s getting adjusted there, he ends up meeting some supernatural people such as the sorcerer Eibon and witch Arachne. They form a fun little travel group going around the world and helping people/hunting down corrupted souls. Arachne was incredibly passionate about wanting humans and the supernatural to see each other as equals.

During these adventures, Arachne finds an orphan child who’s village had gotten destroyed and he lost his parents. Arachne, having so much maternal instinct as she does, takes the boy in as her own kid (even though her sisters aren’t too much older than him lmao). This totally doesn’t have a domino affect on anything, I promise :)

But yeah, what do you do when you’re personally hit with the fact that humans are far more vulnerable and die easily compared to you and your supernatural companions? That this vulnerability is what many supernaturals exploit for their dominance in society? You want to find ways to help humans defend themselves, right? And if you already travel with what is essentially an overpowered living weapon… you’re gonna get some ideas, right?

Just because you may have the ability to bring the dead back to life… does that mean you should? What if the revived have no idea what to do with the sudden powers and rejuvenated, unnatural body you’ve given them? What if they don’t remember their past lives? What if they eventually or already do? To literally die and be reborn… it could cause u to go a little cuckoo bananas one way or another.

None of this leads to the divorce between a Reaper and the Spider Witch. Or the first fully corrupted Kishin to be born. Or an octopus merman becoming eldritch. Or witches fearing for their lives on all sides and creating their own pocket dimension for refuge. Nope. Not at all. (In case you genuinely can’t tell, this is sarcasm. So much shit goes down but we don’t have time to unpack all of that)

DWMA Details

The Death Weapon Meister Academy/Association is an international organization that focuses on fighting against corrupted souls, along with teaching living weapons (and meisters) how to control their powers.

The DWMA has several regional branches, each with their own overseeing staff and representative Death Weapon (also known as Death Scythes).

Normally Overcome Target (aka NOT) courses are available at each region’s headquarters, while the Especially Advanced Talent (EAT) program is held exclusively in Death City, Nevada.

The academy predominantly teaches middle-high school students, between (U.S.) grades 7-12. They also provide a large amount of university/college courses for graduates. In most cases, students enroll in whatever grade they would continue in normal school, or the grade most applicable for their age.

If a weapon or meister in a partnership graduates before the other, they remain with their partner but don’t have to continue schoolwork (or they simply move forward with higher, college-level courses)

In order to be in EAT you have to be at least in 9th grade/3rd year, which usually means you spent at least 2 years in NOT courses.

If you enter the academy at an older age, you still need to be enrolled in the NOT course for at least 2 years (some exceptions depend on whether your partner is also able to enroll)

Character Notes

To be completely honest I plan on expanding more background and development on almost every character (because lord knows we need it) so I don’t think I can list everything and everyone. However I will cover some general highlights and details I think are very swag.

First things first, I don’t write Blair as a gross fan-service baiting creep! She’s still very playful but only gets coy and flirtatious around actual adults. I’m making her the big sister/maternal figure bad bitch she deserves to be! She’s also getting more of a backstory— She was adopted and raised by an incredibly powerful sorcerer who… will be quite involved in the later stages of SER’s main storyline. Blair gets her own sample of the horrors, I’m so sorry queen.

Ah yes. We’ll be diving a lot deeper into horrors and madness as a whole. Of course I’ll do more with Soul, Stein, etc… but we’re gonna make madness a little more gender inclusive. That is to say, Maka’s gonna have more unhinged grinning to do! Tsubaki’s gonna become an Omori kinnie! Not even Liz and Patty are safe!

Get ready to explore and learn about more characters’ families and upbringing! It’s… it’s actually a pretty big recurring topic.

I will be including and reworking NOT as the first few months of the school year before the main SE plot kicks in! You will learn to enjoy Tsugumi and her girlfriends… hopefully.

Shaula has more of an independent and chaotic personality compared to Medusa and Arachne. She has a history of pulling major conspiracies and stunts, especially around DWMA. Why does she do this? Mostly for shits and giggles. Don’t be fooled, she is not above manipulating an already traumatized girl and making her memory repression even worse.

Princess Ponera and Nars Garnier from the Wii Game, Monotone Princess, are included! They’re gonna be associated with Noah. Ponera is a haughty, pompous princess dead-set on vengeance. Nars is an arrogant, deceptively friendly man who blends Phantom of the Opera with Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Ponera and Shaula are girlfriends. They’re actually very healthy despite being y’know. Evil.

While we’re on the subject… Noah Grimoire is a sorcerer Eibon took in and mentored 600 years before the main story (but sadly, Eibon thinks Noah died in an accident… this isn’t the case). His associated animal is worms, and it’s very easy to joke he is a major bookworm himself. That term goes even deeper than you can imagine :)

Noah thinks he’s the next Xehanort Kingdom Hearts (guy who makes multiple copies of himself and seeks knowledge no matter the ethics to become a god). He negotiates/coerces multiple people to work with him— including a teenage boy from early 19th century Russia. The kid’s a real angel, he doesn’t experience anything bad ever.

Ragnarok is going to be known as the Dragon Sword! He’s a dragonborn (type of monsterfolk) that just. Showed up in Norway 200 years ago and started causing havoc. Marie’s ancestors at the time were the ones who imprisoned him in his weapon form, and he was sealed away for a long time. Until… someone managed to steal him for Medusa Gorgon herself. You already kinda know what happens next

Pls don’t kill me for this but… Crona is going to be a very tragic character (I’m following the manga plotline because I think it’s super interesting). They doom themselves in the narrative more than anything. You can’t wait around for everyone else to figure out how to deal with you, after all.

Crona and Maka’s relationship is… not that healthy, all things considered! Their “guardian angel” needs to survive a codependent, homo-ambiguous teenage friendship.

Everyone pour one out for Soul as his meister repeatedly ignores his obvious discomfort over being around the person who nearly killed him. And for all their friends kinda getting ignored by Maka too, and also being pushed into hanging out with someone where neither party is that comfortable.

Marie becomes a school counselor/therapist for EAT students (and especially Crona) when she arrives after Asura’s revival. She is the Death Weapon of Northern Europe (Scandanavia) and looks after Justin a lot until LD felt he was “ready” (since he becomes a Death Weapon at such a young age and all). She’s going to go through so much guilt of feeling like she failed to guide the young people she cares so deeply for!!!

Justin is like. Baby Claude Frollo to me. If that makes sense. Tezca (“I can fix him”) and Giriko (“I can make him worse”) both take him in as their lil brother

Giriko doesn’t do the gross descendant possessing thing because that’s just. Not fun to think about! Instead he’s more or less a living golem, frequently creating new bodies for himself out of the earth. He absolutely still has a ton of kids/descendants though like the deadbeat sleazeball he is. If Denji Chainsaw Man were in SE, we unfortunately all know who would be the father.

Eibon’s narrative relevance actually becomes a big thing!! I love when all-powerful characters are actually just. Really chill and nice. He’s like that with so much guilt from all of his past actions. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and all that.

Proper background, time, and development for characters such as Mifune and Angela, Eruka, Free, the Mizune Family, Tabatha, and Taruho (aka Lisa and Arisa from Chupa Cabra’s)

More on the Hoshi family of meisters/martial artists and how the Star Clan branched off from it! BlackStar doesn’t just have to deal with strangers associating him with corrupted assassins, but much of his actual blood family is really restrained and they don’t want Shiroto (WhiteStar)’s kid to end up the same way.

Mabaa and the Witch Realm! The fox Witch Judge is named Netsuki and she’s Mabaa’s wife <3

Kid getting flashback dreams of Asura and more of him playing detective to uncover the mysteries his dad keeps hiding from him. Some are easy to expect and others… not so much.

Tons of OCs

Maka’s mother, Kumiko Kami-Albarn! She was originally Azusa’s partner until she caught onto Stein experimenting on Spirit when they were all students. She’s a bitch who needs to be better than everyone else (and gets jealous of her own kid rip). I like her so much

Chupa Cabra’s owner, a literal chupacabra vampire! His name is Raul, he’s the brain cell and wants to convince everyone he’s sane and normal.

Squirrel witch Nui Harime kinnie who can checkout people’s mindscapes!

Shadow fae butler dad so Kid isn’t in Gallows Manor all by himself as a child! His name is Lungelo, he’s super cool and dilf material.

EAT classmates based on several things! Magical girls! No Straight Roads! ENA! Undertale/Deltarune! They all get their own little bits to shine and be interwoven in the narrative

More Death Weapons and their meisters to match more distinct regions! For example, Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, South America (Tezca is Central America because... he's Mexican. Literally based on Aztec myths which is in Mexico), South Asia, actual regions of Africa (North, East, etc).

Characters created by my friends such as @starkitters @chalkanthit @teaableu and @silvvergears!

#lilli's rambles #soul eater #soul eater revised #soul eater rewrite #I am. Not tagging everybody and everything I talk about in here lmao

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literaticat · 1 month

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Agents seem to want people to write a lot about consequences and stakes - i.e. if the main character doesn't solve the mystery, the world will end. That kind of thing. I understand that but what if the stakes are more personal or smaller and don't have end-of-the-world kind of proportions to them? What if, e.g., a character is searching for a missing friend? Their goal is just ... they want to find them. But the stakes if it doesn't happen are what exactly? The friend remains missing, could be dead, etc. I just don't know how to make the goals and outcome/stakes if the character fails sound suitably ... epic? I kind of feel in plots like these the goals and outcome are already implied. How do you spell them out more without it sounding like the stakes are too ... small? I mean, it means a lot to them because they miss their friend, but the consequences if they don't find them won't matter to the wider world. That's just an example. I guess I'm asking how to spell out more personal or smaller stakes to make them sound more riveting to an agent?

Counterpoint: You could say "the consequences wouldn't matter to the wider world" about MANY stories. (MOST, even!)

Hell, if you WANTED, you could say "not epic!" about almost ANY story! So what if Dorothy doesn't get home from Oz -- she's some random tween that only a handful of farmers in Kansas will even notice is missing, if she doesn't get home, who cares? So what if the Pevensie children don't defeat the White Witch -- winter isn't THAT bad, sheesh!

(I'd argue, in fact, that when you ARE dealing with an actual epic story with big-time, world-changing stakes, what makes it interesting is NOT THE EPIC PART -- it's the PERSONAL part. It's the characters and the small things in their lives, not the battles with a Big Bad that hook us on epic stories. In Die Hard, we are hooked on the story and rooting for the dude NOT because bad guys want to blow up downtown LA and he wants to stop them -- that's fine and all, but we really care that it's THIS guy, because this guy is not JUST trying to stop people from blowing up downtown LA, he's doing that WHILE trying desperately to get home for Christmas and put his broken family back together against all odds, and because he has quips and cool in the worst possible situations, and by the way because he is literally barefoot and alone and vulnerable against an array of well-armed and armored psychopaths!)

But OK, maybe it's a story about a man who just wants to be left alone, but learns, against his will, to let goodness into his heart again after years of curmudgeonliness. So what? He's not saving the world -- but he is, arguably, saving HIMSELF. That's important! To him! And to the reader!

Or maybe it's a romance about two rival co-workers who couldn't be more different, but find themselves trapped in a cabin after a terrible snowstorm during an office retreat (and obviously, there's only one bed) -- the two will have to learn to get along if they are gonna get out of this mess... and maybe, JUST MAYBE, LOVE will bloom along the way? But so what? They are just two random people, they aren't saving the world, that's not EPIC. (But they ARE saving EACH OTHER - that's important! To them! And to the reader!)

Anyway, my point is, not every story is an epic plot-driven thriller about saving the world / stopping terrorists / finding an arcane device before the bad guy blows up Mikwaukee, or whatever. Some stories are much "smaller" and more personal/emotional character-driven stories.

That doesn't mean the stakes are not high -- they are just high FOR THAT CHARACTER. They aren't saving THE ENTIRE WORLD -- but they are doing something that is important/vital/whatever to them. So, much like in the previous ask with the Oz example, you make it sound compelling by telling us something about who the character is, what they want/need/desire, what's thwarting them, etc etc.

You are a writer -- if your story and characters are interesting and compelling enough to carry a whole novel, I feel quite confident that you can figure out how to make a paragraph about them interesting and compelling, too.

(ALSO: Your fake example feels like a pretty bad example of a low-stakes situation. Like, ok, your person is looking for their missing friend, and yes, the stakes if they don't find them is THEIR FRIEND IS STILL MISSING! THEIR FRIEND COULD BE DEAD??? THAT'S IMPORTANT!!!! Why would you think that ISN'T important enough??? THAT SEEMS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.)

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vigilskeep · 1 year

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Hi I saw you mention wanting to talk about schools of magic and specializations; do you want to talk about the arcane/primal earth DAO -> force mage DA2 -> rift magic DAI transformation and what that says about the different places that various protagonists learned their magic/what the fade is like in Kirkwall (I feel like I saw you mention that "fade is thin in Kirkwall" + "yeah rift magic, which has all the force mage spells, is a new school since the giant hole in the sky" was a bit of an odd take)?

Alternately, would you like to talk about the arcane warrior -> knight enchanter thing and how the chantry getting ahold of ancient elven battle magic might have occurred? And what that means for the Greater Lore?

Anyways love your blog and you have the best takes ❤️

i actually just made a joke about the obvious similarities of force magic and rift magic and it’s @miraculan-draws who had the really great take about the veil in kirkwall that made me take this seriously!

it really can’t be overstated how fucked the veil is in kirkwall. the sheer amount of demons out and about! the way you can just become an abomination with a snap of your fingers no trip into the fade to make contact with demons necessary! good lord! it’s also worth noting that it’s not even just the mass suffering and slavery that has happened here and is literally painted onto the walls; kirkwall, insanely, is intentionally built in the form of giant glyphs and iirc it’s implied it was used by magisters as a mass blood ritual for entering the fade, possibly even THE entering the fade? not to mention corypheus�� prison nearby or keeping the mages in the GALLOWS of all places or the histories of occupation or sundermount. mass death and suffering causes tears in the veil. nobody should live in kirkwall. nobody should fucking live there. it would totally make sense if force magic, a brand of magic specifically noted to be popular in kirkwall, required the same closeness to the fade as rift magic. kirkwallers don’t need a breach they literally just live like that

as for arcane warrior/knight enchanter, it’s covered really interestingly by ariane in the witch hunt dlc and velanna in the awakening dlc that a lot of the circle’s magical knowledge is essentially appropriated from ancient elven knowledge that they were able to preserve while the dalish were robbed of it. that’s what’s happening when you take ariane to kinloch to get information on eluvians and some random young human mage knows more than her and her keeper, and ariane talks about this at the time. velanna and anders also have this banter:

it comes up a lot in anders’ banters with dalish mages that he is coming from having grown up in a place intended for the sharing and discussion of magical knowledge, where bickering academic rivalries as well as political ones are commonplace, and learning from each other and living side by side is what makes them better safer mages. (which is one thing abt the circle i think he actually misses and tries, however awkwardly, to seek out. imo he’s just parroting “great civilisations are built on the sharing of ideas” here, it sounds way more like something that’s been said to him than something he would think. he wants to talk abt magic bc he’s lonely and on the run and used to be surrounded by people to talk abt magic with! vivienne talks abt this more intentionally, she makes good points abt mages thriving when they’re together among those who can understand them.) whereas merrill and velanna grow up in a background where magic is quite individual and private, shared from one keeper to one first and (according to merrill) never practised in public, and that’s a safety measure to protect them from templars and to protect elven knowledge from being taken away from them as it has been previously. so obviously they’re not engaging with the first human mage trying to blunder his way into discussion with no sensitivity at all by picking the kind of fights he’s used to, which velanna and merrill obviously wouldn’t have context for

that’s a tangent abt characters bc i love talking abt anders merrill and velanna and the way i think they think abt magic, ignore me. anyway. my POINT is i imagine the ideas behind knight-enchanter came into the hands of circle mages and the chantry in a similar way to finn’s knowledge about eluvians in witch hunt. that seems natural enough. i believe you can have a conversation with solas after taking the spec where you discuss what the ancient elven arcane warriors might think to see their abilities in the hands of the chantry?

#man i wonder how much was lost in the mage rebellion...#i cant imagine many people stopped to think of saving the books or that if they did they were very successful #magic and lore hc fun times #force mage #rift mage #arcane warrior #knight enchanter #i need to start tagging specialisations

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