#thief ii the metal age

[kirbyddd]

probably my favorite esoteric piece of Thief media is this "Interview with Garrett" some game magazine did (with garrett's responses actually written by the game's writer), and the interviewer asks why garrett's shoes make so much noise cloppin around when he's trying to be stealthy and garrett's like "these fine leather boots are the most exquisite ive ever seen.... i stole them from a noble and couldn't let them go...... i never take them off....."

the idea of garrett, who despises anything ostentatious and wears clothes so filthy his smell gives him away before his sound does, stealing a pair of shoes so beautiful he refuses to wear anything else ever again, even though they're tapdancing shoes and he sneaks around for a living, still slays me

#you cant really call it canon but what IS canon is Garrett's little quirks and sentiments that he tries to pretend he's better than #he would totally admire a pair of fine crafted boots when no one was looking #alright we canonizing interview with garrett in this house #thief the dark project #thief ii the metal age #although he does have a sense of style #after snapping out of his brooding era in The Dark Project he buys nicer clothes and starts decorating his tenement n stuff #he starts reconnecting with himself awwww #honestly though garrett's subtle development through both Dark Project and Metal Age is one of the high achievements of video game writing #but that's like saying one stained glass window of notre dame is a high achievement of architecture #thief is a juggernaut

[neloangelo]

I am not the enemy Garrett, nor anyone here. Here's your enemy, the Mechanists. You will join us in our struggle against them. Join you? Not really my first choice. We have an enemy in common, even you must see that this is so. Sometimes enemies must join forces to overcome a more terrible foe. Yes, or no? Are we agreed to work together? I.. agree. Good, the Earth keeps your promise for you.

#thief #thief 2 the metal age #thief ii the metal age #thief game #thief 2 #garrett thief #viktoria #viktoria thief #***

[slipgatetourist]

Thief: The Black Parade - Release Trailer

#thief #the dark project #the black parade #fan mission #trailer #out now #2023 #gaming #pc gaming #looking glass #Thief 2 #thief II the metal age #mod

[areggos-art-dump]

garrett

extra goodies on patreon

#gaming fanart #art #thief #thief the dark project #thief the metal age #thief ii #thief 2 #thief deadly shadows #garrett #garrett thief #uhhhhhhhh :)

[mvfm-25]

" The one-eyed thief is back! "

PC Zone Magazine n87 - March, 2000.

#Looking Glass Studios #Looking Glass #Eidos #Eidos Interactive #Thief #Thief II #Thief The Metal Age #Thief Garrett #Garrett

[bees-tes-blog]

AAAHHH IT LOOKS SO GOODDDD this artwork literally got me into the thief series and I'm so happy to be able to look at it forever

from alexandru negoita's (@pandemoniumart) inprnt store

#buzz #thiefposting #thief 2 #thief II: the metal age #GARRETT IN MY HOUSE!! #the print actually arrived about a week ago but i didnt wanna post it until i got a frame for it #the archive

[maggot-meade]

I don’t have direct confirmation, but I suspect the makers of this game were huge taffers.

This game has water arrows, rope arrows, blackjacks, and some symbols that look like glyphs.

Not to mention the setting is a densely packed medieval city scape, chock full of rich lords and dressy barons.

If you like thief, I highly recommend it! It’s genuinely a really fun game, made with a lot of love.

The micro transactions aren’t obnoxious, and there’s not much skinner box fuckery here.

Light is also a main mechanic, hence the water arrow to douse torches.

The game play is card based thievery, and is easy to pick up and learn.

The art is great too! Very lighthearted.

So taffers, give it a look eh?

#thief #thief tag #thief the dark project #thief gold #thief ii metal age #thief deadly shadows #thief the metal age #card thief

[mysteamgrids]

Thief II: The Metal Age

#steam #steamgrid #Thief II: The Metal Age

[datcloudboi]

List of Video Games Turning 10 Years Old in 2024

Alien: Isolation

Assassin's Creed: Rogue (the one where you play as an Assassin turned Templar.)

Assassin's Creed: Unity (the one set during the French Revolution.)

Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky

Azure Striker Gunvolt

The Banner Saga

Bayonetta 2

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea (the DLC where you go back to Rapture)

A Bird Story (a sort of spin-off of "To the Moon")

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (is this a sequel to 1 or a prequel to 1? I forgor)

Bravely Default (in North America)

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (the one with K*vin Sp*cey)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (to date, the last new Castlevania game to release)

Child of Light

The Crew (going offline at the end of March)

D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (a wonderfully strange game from the guy that made Deadly Premonition)

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (in North America)

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (in North America)

Dark Souls II

Deception IV: Blood Ties

Demon Gaze

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

Disney Infinity 2.0

Divinity: Original Sin (from the team that would go on to make Baldur's Gate 3)

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Dragon Age: Inquisition (the winner of GOTY at the very first TGAs)

Drakengard 3

Earth Defense Force 2025 (EDF! EDF! EDF!)

The Evil Within (from the creative director of Resident Evil)

Fable Anniversary

Fairy Fencer F

Far Cry 4

Freedom Planet

Guilty Gear Xrd Sign

Hyrule Warriors

Inazuma Eleven (in North America. And digital only.)

Infamous: Second Son (as well as its expansion, First Light)

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

The Last of Us Remastered (just one year after the original version came out...)

The Legend of Korra (the game from PlatinumGames that you can't buy anymore)

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Lego The Hobbit

The Lego Movie Videogame

Lethal League (from the team that would go on to make Bomb Rush Cyberfunk)

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (the third and final chapter of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy)

Lisa: The Painful (yes, really)

LittleBigPlanet 3

Lords of the Fallen (not to be confused with Lords of the Fallen, which came out in 2023)

Mario Golf: World Tour

Mario Kart 8 (the original version)

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes (the prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which came out 18 months later)

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Might & Magic X: Legacy

Murdered: Soul Suspect (it's like Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, but not as good)

Natural Doctrine

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! (a from the ground up remake of the first Oddworld game from 1997)

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (yes, it got a sequel. I don't know how or why.)

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

Pokemon Omega Ruby & Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (the last time that Professor Layton himself was the protagonist. At least, until the New World of Steam comes out)

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Pushmo World

Risen 3: Titan Lords

Sacred 3

Samurai Warriors 4

Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (the 3rd one)

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

Shovel Knight (yes, really)

Skylanders: Trap Team (the 4th one)

Sniper Elite III

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Steins;Gate (in North America)

Strider (the one from Double Helix)

Sunset Overdrive

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS (or Smash 4 for short)

Tales of Xillia 2

Tales of Hearts R

The Talos Principle

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call

Thief (the reboot)

This War of Mine

Toukiden: The Age of Demons

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (this game merged the storyline of the War for/Fall of Cybertron games with the storyline of the Michael Bay movies. I’m not joking)

Transistor

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The Walking Dead: Season Two

Wasteland 2

Watch Dogs

The Witch and the Hundred Knight

The Wolf Among Us (sequel this year!)

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

Yoshi's New Island

#alien #assassins creed #atelier series #bayonetta #the binding of isaac #bioshock #blazblue #borderlands #bravely default #call of duty #castlevania #danganronpa #dark souls #diablo #divinity #donkey kong #dragon age #drakengard #the evil within #fable #far cry 4 #freedom planet #guilty gear #inazuma eleven #kirby series #the last of us #legend of korra #final fantasy 13 #lisa the painful #mario kart

[mah-o-daryaa]

The Cycle Repeats: Part IV

One of the key themes of the ATLA franchise is the concept of the Avatar; master of all 4 elements, the fusion of humanity and Raava, the spirit of light and order, whose sole duty is to bring balance to the world, and be the bridge between both the physical and spiritual realms. Along with this comes the idea of reincarnation, which is the premise of the Avatar Cycle, the idea that the Avatar reincarnates in a cyclic order in any of the four nations (fire, air, water, earth). Another concept related to the Avatar Cycle (although originating from the fandom) is the idea of the Avatar fixing the mistakes of their past life, which is often indicated in differences in both habitual circumstances and personalities between both predecessor and successor, and therefore differences in morality.

But what if I were to tell you that the saying "history repeats itself" is also true among Avatar incarnations? Not exactly going the same way, but rather parallels between the lives, personalities, and accomplishments (and failures) of past lives?

In this series of metas, I will be going over parallels (or in some cases, foils) between certain pairs of Avatars that lived decades, or even centuries apart, and yet could not have ever been more similar.

An Unlikely Analogy II: Avatars Kyoshi and Korra (+ Yun)

"Kyoshi was the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe, and preceding Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation. She died at the age of 230, making her the oldest confirmed human, and was also an exceptionally tall woman, towering over most people. Kyoshi was born to two criminals: Jesa, a renegade Air Nomad nun, and Hark, a thief from an impoverished family of Earth Kingdom actors. She inherited her later signature outfit from her parents, adopting her mother's golden headdress and metal war fans and her father's daofei face paint."

"Korra is the current incarnation of the Avatar and immediate successor of Avatar Aang. Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, where she mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, she later relocated to Republic City to attain a similar proficiency with airbending under the tutelage and guidance of Tenzin, as well as to help her overcome her aversion to the spiritual aspects of the bending arts. With the assistance of Aang's spirit, Korra gained the ability to energybend and, after connecting with her past lives, she gained the capacity to enter the Avatar State at will, marking her transition into a fully realized Avatar."

"Yun was the friend of Kyoshi and Rangi and the earthbending pupil of Jianzhu. Talented, charismatic, and handsome, he was misidentified as the new Earth Avatar after a long and difficult search. Following the revelation of Kyoshi's identity as the true Avatar, Yun was betrayed by Jianzhu, who felt the boy's usefulness had been exhausted and allowed Father Glowworm to carry him off in the mountains."

I once again posted the first paragraph of their respective pages, and you might be wondering why I've included Yun. The reason is that, although Yun was misidentified as the Avatar, he still has various parallels with both Korra and Kyoshi during his "journey". On the surface, you might say that they are more balanced; they have both similarities and differences between their morals and personalities. You would be right on this account, so let's dive in!

(WARNING: There will be possible spoilers for both The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi. If you do not wish to be spoiled, I suggest not reading any further and scrolling past this post until you have finished reading both novels. You have been warned.)

First, we have to take account the parallels between Kyoshi and Korra. The problems that arose during their times were rather complex; Kyoshi's predecessor Kuruk left behind a destabilised Earth Kingdom overrun by criminals, while Aang, although he brought the world to peace, had left behind both the Equalists and the Red Lotus for Korra to deal with. In addition, according to the first chapter of both The Rise of Kyoshi and the premier of The Legend of Korra, Welcome to Republic City (Book 1: Episode 1), both Jianzhu and the White Lotus had been looking for the Avatar for years. Jianzhu and Kelsang had been trying to locate the Avatar across the Earth Kingdom, while the White Lotus had searched both the North and South Poles. This is also where Yun comes in.

Initially in Book 1, Korra had similar opinions on violence and control as Kyoshi did (only justice will bring peace), and even befriended a polar bear-dog (Naga) at the age of four. (Polar bear-dogs are considered to be dangerous animals in the Avatarverse.) However, there is a difference between how each Avatar reacted to her status. Kyoshi denied it and ran away (which I have mentioned parallels with Aang), whereas Korra was the one who discovered her status and accepted her fate as the Avatar, saying that there was nothing more she wanted to be, which is a parallel to Yun's false identity as the Avatar. Ironically, Kyoshi (like Aang) ran away from her duties when the world needed the Avatar, while Korra accepted her duties during a time when the world had long since advanced beyond the need of an Avatar.

Both Kyoshi and Korra are also of mixed ancestry; Kyoshi's father was from the Earth Kingdom, while her mother was a rogue Air Nomad. Korra's father, like Kyoshi's mother, was a rogue immigrant to another nation, being a member of the NWT royal family, while her mother was from the SWT, which gained independence from the North after the Water Tribe Civil War. Kyoshi and Korra are also the only two Avatars to master the elements in their home nation, rather than travelling abroad (Kyoshi learned earth-, fire-, and waterbending with the FOC in the Earth Kingdom and mastered air- and waterbending in the Fire Nation, while Korra mastered water-, earth, and fire-bending in the White Lotus Compound in the South Pole and learned airbending at Air Temple Island in Republic City). However, Kyoshi was constantly on the run, living on the streets as a child, whereas Korra lived in comfort, but isolation.

However, their bending affinity are opposites. Kyoshi struggled to earthbend due to her sheer power, to the point that she had trouble bending small amounts of earth, while moving chunks of the seafloor with ease (not how it typically works), and favoring its elemental opposite, air, in combat. Korra, on the other hand, preferred earth- and especially firebending in combat, while struggling to airbend due to its philosophies contradicting with her drive and hot-headedness.

Now, the parallel between Korra and Yun. Korra and Yun's respective upbringings parallel each other; both grew up isolated in compounds, and being taught by the companions of their predecessors, being told that the only thing that mattered was their status as the Avatar. As a result, this caused a serious mental stunt for both of them, especially when it was revealed that Yun wasn't the true Avatar. Korra wasn't taught how to properly handle politics, whereas Yun went all-in and hunted Kyoshi down Tai Lung-style. Ironically, this was originally supposed to be a way to protect the Avatar, issued by their predecessors, Aang and Kuruk respectively, which was apparently misinterpreted by their supposed caretakers (The White Lotus and Kuruk's companions respectively).

Finally, the parallels between Kyoshi and Yun. Both are similar in that they both grew up abandoned in the streets; Kyoshi in Yokoya, and Yun in Makapu; at least until they were moved into Jianzhu's mansion in Yokoya. Both were "cared" for by a former companion of Avatar Kuruk (Kelsang and Jianzhu respectively; note that I put quotation marks on "cared for" because Jianzhu pretty much physically and mentally abused Yun), but this is where the similarities end.

Now, there are a handful of scenes in the Kyoshi novels which particularly stood out to me. The parallels between Yun's ability to bend the tiniest speck of dust vs Kyoshi struggling with the finer movements but easily raising the entire sea floor during her fight with Tagaka. The parallels between Kyoshi almost drowning herself to connect with Kuruk for the first time while forgetting she can waterbend vs Yun returning to the physical world only to be denied access to water.

We have to remember that the element of earth plays a central role in Rise; Kyoshi is a born earthbender, the book takes place in the Earth Kingdom, earth is the only element Yun can bend, earthbending is the only advantage Jianzhu has against Kyoshi, most of the FOC (Kyoshi's daofei gang) are earthbenders,etc, while the element of water is a central theme in Shadow (which is ironic, considering the book takes place in the Fire Nation), as is Avatar Kuruk's legacy as the Water Tribe predecessor of Kyoshi. In the original series, Iroh states that water is the element of change. During the whole novel, water represents the ability to move on, the ability to change. In these two scenes, water represents both Kyoshi feeling overwhelmed by her new duties as the Avatar and Yun's desperation to prove that he is the true Avatar.

Also, during the final battle, Kyoshi kills Yun by freezing his heart and lungs. Her ability to waterbend represents her ability to move on from the past and change, whereas his lack of waterbending represents his inability to grow, to move on from the past, to change. Yun even bends the earth similar to water, but it's a mere imitation of the bending art, not the skill itself.

Generally speaking, most people can easily spot the similarities (and in some cases, differences) between Kyoshi and Korra. From bending to upbringing to the conclusions of their respective histories, one can find some details between both Avatars. What they don't see is their biggest connecting link; their similarities with Yun. The False Avatar acts as the foil to enhance both characters, their histories, and their legacy. In the next part, we'll discuss the similarities between the current Avatar Korra and the Water Tribe Avatar before her, Kuruk.

<- Prev I Next ->

#atla #past avatars #kyoshi #korra #yun #avatar yun #<- prev tag is literally MOCKING him #lok #kyoshi novels #the rise of kyoshi #the shadow of kyoshi #the cycle repeats #mone's theory #mone digs deep

[loveofdetail]

act 3 of baldur's gate may narratively be sort of a mess, however, it earns top marks in the only video game metric that REALLY matters: number of opportunities to walk across rooftops

works cited: Thief: The Dark Project (1998), Thief II: The Metal Age (2000), Dishonored (2012), Dishonored 2 (2016), Deathloop (2021)

#bg3 #dh #baldur's gate 3

[trentreznortuesday]

every album i listened to this year pt. 1

i listened to 238 albums that were new to me this year. this is the first 119 of them + basic genre tagging.

A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Sea When Absent [noise pop]

ABBA - Volume 25 [karaoke]

Agriculture - Agriculture [black metal]

Agriculture - The Circle Chant [black metal]

Alcest - Écailles de Lune [black metal]

Altar of Plagues - White Tomb [black metal]

Animals as Leaders - Parrhesia [djent]

Another Heaven - 1: You Are Loved [shoegaze]

Art Sorority - Older Boys [folk punk]

Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture [black metal]

Atomic Guava - Peasants of the Future [power metal]

awakebutstillinbed - chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger [emo]

Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell [punk]

bar italia - Tracey Denim [post-punk]

Basketball Divorce Court - rebound [punk]

Big Black - Atomizer [noise rock]

Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You [alt-country]

Black Ends - Stay Evil [noise pop]

Black Math Horseman - Black Math Horseman [black metal]

Blanky - Blood Harmony [alternative]

Bosse-de-Nage - Bosse-de-Nage [black metal]

Bosse-de-Nage - ii [black metal]

Bosse-de-Nage - iii [black metal]

Bosse-de-Nage/Deafheaven - Split EP [black metal]

boybrain - In The Company of Worms [punk]

Bríi - Último Ancestral Comum [rock]

Cable Ties - All Her Plans [punk]

Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist [hardcore]

Charlie Megira - Da Abtomatic Meisterzinger Mambo Chic [lo-fi]

Chat Pile - God’s Country [sludge metal]

Chat Pile - Remove Your Skin Please [sludge metal]

Chat Pile - This Dungeon Earth [sludge metal]

Chat Pile & Nerver - Brothers in Christ [sludge metal]

Cherub Tree - where are your manners [alternative]

Choncy - Community Chest [post-punk]

Corker - Falser Truths [post-punk]

Crime of Passing - Crime of Passing [post-punk]

Dark Factory - Dark Factory [new wave]

Days ‘N Daze - Rogue Taxidermy [folk punk]

Days ‘N Daze - Songs We Recorded for Splits [folk punk]

Dazy - OTHERBODY [alternative]

Deafheaven - New Bermuda [blackgaze]

Deafheaven - Sunbather [blackgaze]

Deeper - Careful! [post-punk]

Dirty Old Town - No Returning Home [alternative]

Dummy - Mandatory Enjoyment [post-punk]

dust - et cetera, etc [punk]

Eddy Arnold - Cattle Call [country]

Ekko Astral - Quartz [punk]

Ekko Astral - The Quartz Farewell [punk]

Elizabeth Colour Wheel - Nocebo [black metal]

Erik Hall - Canto Ostinato (Simeon ten Holt) [neo-classical]

Erik Hall - Music For 18 Musicians (Steve Reich) [neo-classical]

Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone [post-rock]

Explosions in the Sky - How Strange, Innocence [post-rock]

Ezra Furman - All of Us Flames [art rock]

Ezra Furman - Perpetual Motion People [art rock]

Ezra Furman - Transangelic Exodus [art rock]

Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes [art rock]

Feeble Little Horse - Girl with Fish [shoegaze]

Fela Kuti - Beasts of No Nation [afrobeat]

Fela Kuti - Coffin for Head of State [afrobeat]

Fela Kuti - Expensive Shit [afrobeat]

Fela Kuti - Roforofo Fight [afrobeat]

Fela Kuti - Zombie! [afrobeat]

Feminazgûl - The Age of Men is Over [black metal]

Frail Body - A Brief Memoriam [hardcore]

Fucked Up - Dose Your Dreams [hardcore]

GEL - Only Constant [hardcore]

Genital Shame - Gathering My Wits [alternative]

Gilla Band - Live at Vicar Street [noise rock]

Godcaster - Godcaster [psychedelic rock]

Hatchie - Giving the World Away [dream pop]

hey, Ily! - Internet Breath [bedroom pop]

Hoaxed - Hoaxed [alternative]

Home is Where - i became birds [emo]

Home is Where - our mouths to smile [emo]

Home Is Where - The Whaler [emo]

Horse Lords - Comradely Objects [microtonal]

Horse Lords - Hidden Cities [microtonal]

Horse Lords - Interventions [microtonal]

Horse Lords - The Common Task [microtonal]

Hot Snakes - Automatic Midnight [post-hardcore]

Housewives - Twilight Splendor [post-punk]

Ian Noe - Between the Country [bluegrass]

illuminati hotties - FREE I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For [pop rock]

Institute - Readjusting the Locks [post-punk]

Jane’s Addiction - Nothing’s Shocking [alternative]

Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE [punk]

Jeff Rosenstock - No Dream [punk]

Jeff Rosenstock - POST- [punk]

Jeff Rosenstock & Laura Stevenson - Still Young [punk]

Josaleigh Pollett - In The Garden, By The Weeds [bedroom pop]

julie - pushing daisies [alternative]

Kitten Forever - 7 Hearts [riot grrrl]

Kurt Vile - b’lieve i’m goin down… [alt-country]

Lamp of Murmuur - Saturnian Bloodstorm [power metal]

Leonard Bernstein - Chichester Psalms [choral]

Leonard Cohen - New Skin for the Old Ceremony [folk]

Leonard Cohen - Songs from a Room [folk]

Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker [folk]

Liturgy - 93696 [black metal]

M(h)aol - Attachment Styles [post-punk]

M(h)aol - Gender Studies [post-punk]

Malthusian - MMXIII [black metal]

Mamaleek - Cadejos [black metal]

Mamaleek - Come and See [black metal]

Mamaleek - Diner Coffee [black metal]

Mamaleek - Those Who Pass Between Fleeting Worlds [black metal]

Mandy, Indiana - i’ve seen a way [post-punk]

MDC - Live at CBGB’s [hardcore]

MDC - Millions of Dead Children [hardcore]

MDC - Millions of Dead Cops [hardcore]

MDC - Multi-Death Corporations [hardcore]

Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II [alternative]

Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun [alternative]

Messa - Close [hard rock]

meth. - Mother of Red Light [noise rock]

Midori - Aratamemashite, Hajimemashite, Midori Desu [hardcore jazz punk]

[neloangelo]

#thief #thief ii the metal age #thief 2 the metal age #thief game #thief garrett #thief 2 #***

[mindgamcs]

*I AM NO CHEAP THIEF / IT'S THE WORLD OR NOTHING AT ALL.

*NAME: Delphine Baudelaire. *TITLE: The Oracle. *AGE: 29. *PINTEREST: here

»» the flourish of hands married to the drama of words; action as distraction so the discretion of your thievery can commence; the shadows on the wall, shapes created only in others' illumination, shifting with the faintest breath; a deck of cards as both shield and spectacle; a tightrope fraying at both ends; delusive creation as an act not just of godhood, but girlhood — something known in the very fibers of your being.

BASICS, HISTORY, SECRETS & WANTED CONNECTIONS UNDER THE CUT !!

*BASICS.

BIRTH NAME: Delphine Baudelaire NICKNAMES: Delphi TITLE: The Oracle AGE: 29 D.O.B.: tbd (i'm feeling gemini or sag energy for this one &lt;3) BIRTHPLACE:  Tomasina, Madagascar LANGUAGES SPOKEN: French (native), Malagasy (native), English ORIENTATION: Bisexual biromantic RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single ?? (possibly has some fwbs, see history below) CHILDREN: none POSITIVE TRAITS: alluring, witty, adaptable NEUTRAL TRAITS: flirtatious, inventive, coy NEGATIVE TRAITS: delusive, dishonest, mercurial INSP: Holly Golightly, Selina Kyle / Catwoman, Anna Karenina, Margaery Tyrell

*TLDR. (APP + SOME EXTRA DETAILS)

We are so glad to see you safe, FORTUNE-TELLER (SPY FOR MADAGASCAR) DELPHINE BAUDELAIRE of FRANCE! It’s dangerous out in the world these days, but I hear that you are ALLURING and COY enough to handle it. Just don’t let your MERCURIAL NATURE bring you down! Stay on your guard, because with your secret being at risk for exposure, you wouldn’t want everyone to find out THAT YOUR LOYALTIES HAVE BEGUN TO SHIFT FROM THE COUNTRY EMPLOYING YOU TO THE COUNTRY ON WHICH YOU SPY. For Delphine, time has been rendered thick with the hauntings of her past. Born in Madagascar to a poor, criminally-inclined family, she learned quickly to steal in order to survive, and to charm as a means of disarm. As punishment for her and her father's treasonous acts at the start of Madagascar's solidification as a standalone nation, she acts as a spy on the French, with her cover being half-socialite, half-court entertainer. Now, with political revolution spilling over the hallowed halls Delphine has grown accustomed to, she contends with the promise and purpose for something greater than herself, the temptation of her nature, and the hauntings of her past.

*HISTORY.

[ trigger warnings for: mentions/descriptions of blood, war, implications of sex work, more tbd ]

I. EMBER IN THE ASH

»» Delphine's childhood was littered not with toys and pretty things, but stoney streets lined with more bloodshed than blossoms, soldiers fighting over territory disputes as the country itself clamored for independence. Her family was not made of fighters but of thieves. She quickly followed suit, roaming the reddened streets to pick the pockets of the fallen for any trinket to pawn, unbothered by the sights or sounds of the dying.

»» Once too young to know the difference between polish and peril, Delphine used the shell casing of a musket as a hard candy. A gnawing pain in the mouth of a two-year old brought her mother's attention to the hollowed-out bullet between the young Delphine's gums. But, before taking it out, her mother first brandished the moment to her father, a chorus of look at your daughter less a call for reprimand and more an affectionate coo — all for putting a killing thing in her young little mouth.

II. BEAUTY & BETRAYAL.

»» It wasn't the metal that poisoned her, but the so-called love she was weaned on, love which taught little of the closeness of kin in exchange for all manner of thievery, conning, and swindling. Beyond just the apple of her father’s eye, she was fruit bowl and orchard to him — a perfect creature whose particular talents were rarely seen, to set upon the masses in a firestorm of charisma and chaos, blinding the world with her unquestionable beauty.

»» However, he bet on the wrong grand scheme, believing that his wife's homeland could never separate from the 'greater' nation of France. The betrayal of secrets slipped from Delphine's mouth to the ears of a war-hungry general of a neighboring tribe — only for both the general and her father to be put to death for treason, once the nation formalized.

III. GAME, SET, MATCH.

»» Delphine, only nineteen, found her fate left in the hands of a country eager to cement its standing. They saw promise in her, but rejected the leniency of a pardon, too fearful of the girl to grow into her father's shadow, and too wary of the ease in treating the chaotic birth of a nation as ladder rungs upon which to ascend. What better use for a girl whose talents lay in dishonesty and charm than to set her on the world at large?

»» A bag, a few memories, and the crumbs of her birthplace were the only things she carried with her on the journey to the nation on which she was tasked to spy, her mother left in the clutches of Madagascar's government as collateral. It was her father's native country, but it bore no similarities to the man she knew — where he was shadowy but strong, France was a weakened country clinging to the notion of its more glorious past.

»» To the French court, Delphine presented herself as both refugee and gift, escaping the fray as the new country solidified itself, with a talent for supposed divination. To the court, she was no great threat: less a girl who knew the nature of their newfound enemy, and more a pretty young thing they could use to entertain the court from time to time — a distraction.

»» Their attention, however, was grasped entirely when she 'predicted' the location and outcome of a battle, one which supposedly gained France a different African ally. The truth of the matter rested in Madagascar's own carefully planned instructions, sewing seeds of certain belief for the French while Madagascar went on to harvest. A long game, to be sure, but one which garnered secret strides while France was none the wiser.

IV. SHIFTING TIDES.

»» Nearly ten years into her employ, Delphine has become a bourgeoning young socialite, a favorite in the court if only for her entertaining charm and talents as a so-called oracle. Privately, a few nobles have taken to indulging her mercurial fancies in exchange for a nights sharing a warm bed and the divined assurances of their success. The woman enjoys the life to be certain, but still finds herself practicing her old thieving ways from time to time, playing with fire less for excitement, but more so as a means of keeping her core warm.

»» It is not for those reasons, however, that her loyalties have begun to shift. Instead, as a means of gathering information on all facets of the French people, Delphine has taken to associating with more of the common folk, finding in them a certain kinship that simply doesn't exist amidst the lacquered halls and gilded glory of the upper-crust. With a political revolution tinting the rosiness of France in shades of democracy, Delphine has found herself utterly captivated by what seems to be a purpose greater than herself — but the temptation of her nature still lingers, and the hauntings of her past may loom too heavily to ever truly escape.

*WANTED CONNECTIONS.

my brain hurts but i'll add these soon i promise <33 hmu in the meantime pls!!!

#*the starspun oracle » about. #*moonlit temptress » visage. #theopulent.intro

[edenforum]

there are so many people in my dms trying to flirt with me

if u want to actually flirt with me talk about something cool with me like Thief™ II: The Metal Age or something

[crazysodomite]

Thief™ II: The Metal Age