#INCLUDING for the Convocation

[zephyriteluna]

I was unaware of what the role of the Sun was in Astrology, and I have to say this is an incredible take on Azem and the WoL.

Often in the game we are referred to as being inspiring, or an inspiration to others (another thing we're often linked to is hope, but thats a different post).

I believe this was the line from the ancient you were referring to in Elpis (From Charmion, in one of the zone's sidequest storylines)

(Text: Were you perhaps designed to inspire others? I feel something special has been woven into your aura...)

Another case is from Nashmeira in the level 80 Shadowbringers Dancer quest.

(Text: ...Indeed. there is a certain something about you <name>. Something that brings out the best in those whose lives you touch - and Ranaa here is a prime example.)

Heres another line in a similar vein from Cid in the initial unlocking of Bozja questline.

(Text: That was... always your greatest strength... Instilling in others the courage to rise up... The courage to fight for what's right.)

Lastly, more in line with being a Shepard to the stars in the dark. Heres a line from Tolas in the finale for the two big sidequest chains in Lakeland.

(Text: You really are a most remarkable <women or man>. It is as if, by making your way through the world as you do, you bring together those around you, uniting them toward a common purpose.)

And these are just from the top of my head and screenshots I had on hand! (apologies for the mixed quality on those)

There are surely more examples out there and I may add to this post later if I find them, but yeah once again a very fascinating and excellent analysis!

The symbology of the Convocation of Fourteen is just... one of my favorite details in ffxiv. And yeah, I know they have zodiac signs because Final Fantasy Tactics had zodiac signs and FF12 had zodiac signs, but 14's spin on them is inspired, and I don't think that gets enough appreciation.

Each of the Ascians is characterized to at least superficially match their sign. Emet-Selch seems like a Gemini, seemingly on both sides of every issue. Fandaniel seems like a Leo who wants to be the center of attention. Lahabrea, The Creator, seems like an artsy Pisces... just...y'know, a horrible one.

And it's not as if "terrible, messed-up version of Zodiac symbol" is new here. Tactics definitely had that already. The thing ffxiv adds to the trope is the presence of the Sun.

Azem's symbol being the sun and not a constellation tells us exactly what their role in the Convocation was supposed to be. The sun's path through the constellations is what gives all those signs their meanings. You can't be a Gemini unless the sun is in Gemini. The sun's passage through the zodiac is supposed to illuminate the best way forward. This is why Emet-Selch calls them both "Shepherd to the stars in the dark," and "Counsellor to the star's people." They're meant to inspire people to become their best selves. This is inadvertently what WoL does in numerous places and times across the game, (and one of the ancients in Elpis even comments on it) because apparently repeatedly dying at the hands of their coworkers and friends for eons did not get them out of having to do their job.

When the sun protested their unspeakbly terrible plan, they went all in on their hubris by casting it down forever. They never replaced Azem. They don't even want to remember they ever had a sun. They don't have the light that illuminates their best selves, their better future. So they can't find it anymore. They don't know how to be themselves anymore, in Azem's absence. In Elidibus' case, literally. He is so desperate for the guiding star he can't even remember having, that he constantly, instinctively, seeks out Azem in different forms. Wearing Ardbert's corpse, and wandering up to WoL for awkward chats, and looking back to the heroes of the past who were definitely Azem shards.

The sun, torn from the heavens, leads to the maker's ruin.

[thefandomexpert]

Who wants in on Emet Selch Yelling Hours

[gxtzeizm]

well if you seeing me wearing this season's liverpool purple away kit that i've already bought yesterday, no you don't 🙃🙃🙃

[illegiblewords]

Zodiark's Tempering

A lot of people have been confused about whether the Unsundered were tempered (they were) and how tempering works.

Long post under the cut.

First, I'm going to point at the exact line from Emet-Selch in Shadowbringers: "He tempered us. It was only natural. There is no resisting such power."

I believe this was said in one of the ocular cutscenes, but explicitly in no uncertain terms--the Convocation was tempered. This includes the Unsundered. The tempering was, in fact, so powerful, that even after having their souls cleansed in the Lifestream Convocation members still make 'the best servants' according to Emet-Selch.

Zodiark was not only the first primal, but a primal on a scale beyond fathoming. This was half a star's worth of souls, billions of people. I'd argue that we also see what this tempering looks like in practice with Emet-Selch at The Ladder scene in Kholusia, where he is genuinely moved and expresses admiration of both the Warrior of Light and the people of Kholusia coming together only to be railroaded back to 'but the world as it was was better'.

That was not a natural thought pattern. That was tempering. We see further evidence in how Emet-Selch tried repeatedly to live alongside The Sundered and had only the most negative qualities amplified--preventing him from ever finding peace. Hell, it shows in his argument that the qualities of a soul diminish with sundering too. For one, the default quality in a person isn't positive. He frames things in terms of other shards becoming proportionally less intelligent for example, or less kind--but arguably cruelty should have been diminished as well. The civilizations and inhabitants of other shards are also, notably, not at a huge personally/intellectually different framework compared to The Source--where souls are more dense and would (by Hades' argument) have been more advanced and capable.

What we actually know of unsundered versus souls mechanically is that they are more aetherically dense. Being more aetherically dense, it takes more dynamis to influence them. The ancients still feel absolutely and are vulnerable to Meteion, but the sundered are probably a bit more reactive on the whole. It might also be like an inertia situation where once an unsundered starts to feel something it tends to continue and build. That's speculation though.

Zodiark's tempering appears to be closer to magically enforced mental illness in the sense that it warps thought patterns, elevates some tendencies and minimizes/negates others, prevents certain ideas, twists perception, keeps some memories or experiences at the forefront while diminishing or losing others, etc. Psychological wounds that are useful to the mission are kept open artificially well past the point someone would have naturally started to scar over. There is a reason I've been arguing that it's closer to coercion and insanity plea in terms of diminished responsibility. The tempered aren't even able to accurately understand the situations they are in due to thought warping, and claims that their position is reasonable amounts to a completely psychotic person claiming not to be crazy. It's not as simple as mind control from an external source. It's that the person's own thoughts and tendencies are manipulated in unnatural ways to form a cage forcing them into compliance with the primal's mission.

I'd argue it's also very suspect that Elidibus, the lunar shades, and (IIRC) the despairing post-Terminus ancients Venat encountered all separately repeat the exact phrase wishing for 'a world free from sorrow'. Lahabrea explicitly referring to Zodiark as 'the master' at Praetorium strongly indicates tempering too.

A major source of confusion stems from the following scene:

Creation magics are complex and highly sensitive, requiring a tremendous amount of focus. A single moment of distraction can change the outcome of creation. Hades creating his phantom Amaurot having an idle thought 'Hythlodaeus would know the truth' is enough to make the shade of Hythlodaeus aware, even if it wasn't on purpose. Even if it was a split second.

Zodiark was a creation that involved not only the sacrifice of half a star (so likely billions of people)--it also involved the active participation and focus of those people in the summoning process. We know from the environmental storytelling and evidence at Akademia Anyder that I cited in other analysis that Lahabrea was the mind behind the Zodiark concept. We know that the scale of the creation was enormous to the point that it would not function without elevating one individual to steer it--the Heart. This being Elidibus. But the actual summoning was still extremely complex and on a vast scale involving multitudes of people at different skill levels. Hythlodaeus, while experienced as Chief of the Bureau of the Architect, has very limited abilities in creation himself due to aether deficiency. He still sacrificed himself as one of the participants in Zodiark's summoning ritual.

Faith was necessary to simplify the process across that many people of varying life experiences and skill levels. The Convocation would have been handling the more technical elements and forms the concept would take, and guess who was at the head of the Convocation's efforts?

Lahabrea. Who has recently failed to contain Archaeotania despite his people's every faith in him, who we know to be extremely traumatized and has every reason to be terrified not only of the situation but of not performing up to the expectations placed on him. For god's sake, one of the last things Athena said to him involved calling him disappointing after getting full access to his soul.

A single moment of Lahabrea being afraid and hoping everyone would be able to join together to save the star, to be on the same page, would be enough to cause tempering. He's not perfect, but he's been expected to be. He's expected to have perfect composure, impervious to normal human emotions. And of course emotions bled through at a time like that.

The same hope that others would join in to support the mission has bled into every subsequent primal summoning where tempering became a problem.

Venat's summoning technique is different from the summoning technique used by the Ascians. It's also different from the technique used by the Loporrits. Venat used standard creation magic without elevating faith as a tool. She had less people to worry about. The loporrits decided faith would be a useful tool for The Ragnarok insofar as the primals could help fuel its journey, but going off of pure faith rather than the hybrid of faith and strict procedure is dangerous. So they combined the two in a controlled environment knowing the risks.

What Livingway is saying is that using the hybrid technique that is being employed for the first time in that scene, a primal as powerful as Zodiark would cause a slight tug instead of the full force of tempering. Normally there isn't any sense of influence at all with that technique. Zodiark is on a scale and at such a monumental power level that even the safe method would try to influence its summoners along with any bystanders. Zodiark has the most powerful tempering of any primal that has ever existed.

I also want to take a moment to point at what primals are and how they work as distinct from standard creations.

When discussing creations, the shades at Hades' phantom Amaurot mention that souls are gifts from the star and cannot be artificially created. This is part of why Hermes claimed to be so distraught about the way concepts were being handled--there wasn't any accounting for dynamis as a factor.

Livingway mentions that Venat forbade loporrits from making anything possessed of a soul (impossible) or similar.

Here I'm going to point you back to the lecture from the ARR quest What Little Gods Are Made Of:

Primals, brought into being with faith rather than as pure technical concepts, have something like a soul. They are archetypes shared by the living and when they are slain, they aren't destroyed because archetypes can't be destroyed. They return to the aetherial sea, like souls, until they are called forth again. These archetypes reflect common human experiences and desires shared across many, many people. It makes sense that Zodiark would be built off of this premise in the first place as a way of creating common ground with that many participants.

It also makes some sense that something resembling a soul is advantageous, since logistically in FFXIV souls are sources of power in their own right. Thordan, Nidhogg, Shinryu, and The Alexandrians can attest to that.

I understand that there are people who prefer not to use tempering as a key factor in characterization of The Unsundered, and disregard tempering from their headcanons. Obviously this is allowed, but it's not canon. The game is explicit on this point and underlines it multiple times in multiple ways. Hades when told about what lies ahead is completely horrified and does not want to go down the path the Warrior describes--not just for his own sake but because he morally disagrees with it. His line about staying true to his principles at Ultima Thule is deliberately ambiguous--is he referring to pursuit of the Ardor? Trying to save his people? Trying to resist tempering as best he could despite being helpless against it? Giving the Warrior of Light an opportunity to mercy kill him? We don't know.

And regarding the memory of Lahabrea saying he can believe he would get lost trying to save his people to the point of becoming something horrific during Anabaseios... it's very, very important to remember that Lahabrea hates himself. Lahabrea just accepted for years that Erichthonios is better off with the idealized memory of his dead, abusive mother rather than the living father who rescued him. Lahabrea has been ready to commit pseudo-suicide throughout Pandaemonium. His entire Savage transformation design reflects that he thinks the only thing he's good for is being used for his DNA and serving to protect people as Lahabrea. He tries to shield his heart with his wings and the left arm representative of his personal self is long/at a distance, anemic, and basically non-functional due to too many joints. He doesn't want to exist as a person because he hates himself and he expects to be hurt.

And that's before everything to do with The Final Days.

Lahabrea is not a reliable narrator when it comes to questions about whether Lahabrea is a good person. He might be the least reliable source you could find. He is a guilt katamari who is ready to think the worst of himself given the slightest opportunity.

A huge part of what makes Zodiark's tempering interesting is that even if any of the Unsundered are freed, it's difficult to definitively answer the question of whether they might have made the same choices organically. Anything in their heads that might have given them tools to make another choice was taken away. And we know the sundered Convocation members were not tempered when they decided to join The Ardor as Ascians. Fandaniel was able to kill Zodiark because of this.

As it stands though, none of the Unsundered were free. They cannot be judged by the standards of people who are.

I hope this helps clear things up!

[overdressedcarp]

Honestly, I love how the plotlines with Tingyun and Wonweek in 2.7 retroactively help explain why the consecration of the Harmony affected Aventurine the way it did in 2.1.

"The consecration has weird side effects as a result of the power of the Harmony" was honestly a fine explanation in and of itself, but it's cool to get a bit more detail about why Aventurine had those encounters with his "past" and "future" selves. The memoria-induced fracturing/dissociation that Sunday describes when talking about himself and Fugue is extremely similar to what we see with Aventurine in 2.1, both in the tangible effects and the factors that make it possible.

Both Wonweek and the convocation of Tingyuns are identified as the result of a special try-not-to-laugh candy that elicits uncontrollable laughter from those who consume it. (Penaconian consumables infused with specific emotions are something the story has leaned into since our excursion with Sparkle-as-Sampo in 2.0, so it doesn't surprise me at all that a product like this would exist.)

Notably, the candy doesn't have the fracturing side effect on everyone: it works as expected for March and the Trailblazer, and presumably most of the other Dreamchasers who participate in the challenge. Sunday identifies two specific factors that caused the atypical effects for him and Fugue: vulnerable/sensitive mental state, and a fragile sense of self.

Tingyun/Fugue fractured into dozens of memory fragments -- including a younger self embodying her childhood innocence and early memories on the Xianzhou, in much the same vein as Kakavasha for Aventurine.

Sunday, meanwhile, describes Wonweek as "another possibility of me": one that embodies traits he dislikes about himself, similar to the manifestation of Aventurine's "future." Wonweek and Future Aventurine are both externalizations of negative self-talk, giving Sunday and Aventurine a sounding board to express (and push back against) their own internalized self-loathing.

It's also interesting to me that Sunday identifies tuning as the solution for such fractures, adding credence to the idea that the Harmony's consecration (which itself appears to be a form of tuning), could disrupt a fragile psyche in much the same way Sunday can use his abilities to bring someone's mind back into alignment.

To be fair, I don't necessarily think Sunday anticipated this particular side effect of the consecration on Aventurine's mind. The events of Double Indemnity highlight the extent to which Sunday misjudged him by Aventurine's own design, falling for the facade that Aventurine fed him.

Aventurine is resilient... but he is also brittle, as evidenced by Acheron's voice line about him:

This lack of a strong inner self is something that Aventurine tries desperately to distract others from seeing, through the shallow and showy outer layers he presents to the world. But Sunday describes tuning as something that actively prevents people from being able to hide their inner self (very fitting for the Harmony, an Aeon that fundamentally blurs the boundaries between the Self and the Other).

To me, this adds another layer of significance to the presence of Kakavasha and Future Aventurine: they're there because Aventurine can't hide from them while under the Harmony's influence. He's so used to lying to himself about his true intentions that his childhood innocence and his nihilism have to physically manifest in front of him in order to be heard.

Tl;dr Aventurine's experiences under the effect of the Harmony in 2.1 make even more sense in hindsight, and I love the retroactive layers that 2.7 gives to his story arc.

[speed-world]

Hey pal 😼

May I ask for a council of elders and reader?

(For context: Y/N Cookie is the youngest member of the council, they have their own noble house and the “Elder” of entertainment -Like making shows for the youth, doing plays, making music, and creating events. They’re pretty much in charge of the entertainment industry. So what I’m asking, is the council of elders, including Clotted Cream Cookie's opinion of Y/N Cookie and their relationships.)

(I’m also guessing that Y/N Cookie would be in their early twenties or mid twenties like how I see Clotted Cream Cookie.)

(Btw, before the Odyssey update happens, hopefully, I’m making sense lmao)

Convocation of Elders: House Y/N

Clotted Cream Cookie is incredibly fond of you and your House, always having nothing but great things to say about you. Like the other Houses in the Convocation of Elders, he sees yours as very important for the culture and prosperity of the Republic.

He sees it as a responsibility being Consul to know each respective House as well as he can, and he's the most enthusiastic to learn more of yours. He finds your dedication to each of your works so admirable, as you are always striving to continually make each composition, shows, and events better than the last, and he believes such passion for improvement and perfection are what he and every Cookie in the Republic should aspire for.

You two naturally grow very close together, sharing similar struggles and ambitions. Being the leader of a House and being an Elder in the Convocation at your younger age is unheard of. The responsibilities you and your House members have are never easy and have caused you to lose some sleep at times. Very much like the young Consul and his responsibilities placed on him by all the nagging Elders. You both enjoy being able to confide and rely on each other about nearly everything outside of Council meetings.

He's grateful you aren't like the other Elders; he can be comfortable relax and breathe normally around you. If it weren't for his duties, he'd be attending every single event, show, concert, and anything else that features your work. Thankfully, you don't rat him out whenever he occasionally sneaks off to see you or attend one of your works, and he's grateful your House members are also able to watch out for him when bringing him to you.

Sablé Cookie and House Sablé are undoubtedly your biggest supporters and investors. You were incredibly surprised, yet grateful, to have such support from one of the Elders, but she always tells you to not stress about it. After all, it's what she does!

Your style and themes in your works are so refreshing to her and she wants to see so much more of it. No matter what, she always finds a way to clear her schedule to attend any and every event, show, concert, and anything else created from your House.

During Council meetings, she is always the first to sing praises about how your House is doing and has no shame in doing so, even when you blush red like tomato from so many praises. This sometimes annoy a few of the Elders, but she's hard to stop once she gets going.

With how much arts she's seen and supported, you occasionally come to her for any feedback or advice for how to improve your works. While she is always more than happy to comment on your works, give you ideas for future projects, and tell you about former and current artists her House patrons, she will always tell you just how amazed and proud of your works she is.

As laid back and occasionally lost in his own thoughts as Mulled Juice Cookie is, he always seemed to have a clear head and schedule whenever you were around. Whatever he was thinking about before you approached him didn't matter, since by that moment you were his only focus.

He sees your House as critically important for the future of the Republic, as it inspires the youth to be creative and involved in circles of community, and that is doubled since the younger generations have a young, yet extremely innovative and talented Cookie as yourself to look up to as an Elder.

You wish you could reciprocate the generous praise that Mulled Juice Cookie is always giving you, but he doesn't let you since to him, it's unnecessary. He'd much rather step aside and let you be great rather than toot his own horn.

He encourages you to reach out to him should you ever need his engineering or alchemic expertise for help on any of your projects. You enjoy brainstorming ideas with him so much that you both tend lose track of time, causing you two to pull all-nighters just sharing creative ideas back and forth. While he normally would be against going all night for big projects, the refreshing and energetic innovation you have is so gravitating to him that he never minds spending all day and night just creating with you.

Baumkuchen Cookie is initially not too familiar with your House and your work, due to his reserved nature, but he is fond of what you do particularly for the youth.

As the Republic's symbol of medicine, he is dedicated to personally address and tend to the health of other cookies. He sees your events and entertainment as useful in helping this cause, seeing that the emotional health of cookies is equally important, and everyone seems genuinely immensely happy from everything your House does.

Normally, he'd be envious seeing a cookie as young, healthier, and better-spirited like you, but he isn't envious at all in the slightest. You help him understand how to appreciate the well-beings of others who are "healthier" than him, and he is very grateful for that.

He's always the first one to come to any event you have, since he wants to look out for any medical or allergy concerns of the attending cookies. Thanks to him, any piece of food you bring for an event is well documented and checked thrice over. You never have any health problems with cookies attending your shows and events thanks to Baumkuchen Cookie.

While she is quite busy with overseeing the Pearl Legion, maritime trade, and her duties as an Elder, Oyster Cookie has nothing but praise and goodwill towards you and your House.

When she's free, she enjoys relaxing herself by listening to the music you create in either peaceful solitude or very select and few company. Since you compose tracks and arrangements in nearly every genre, she has no issue finding what fits her taste, and she always personally thanks you for creating a song she enjoys after listening to it.

Any stress or mental block you have seems to wash away whenever you and Oyster Cookie hangout alone. Her wisdom is unmatched, and you can't begin to measure how helpful she's been for you learning about the ins-and-outs of the Council, as well as what it's like being a House leader.

She did notice on occasion a few soldiers of the Legion either singing and dancing to your music or reenacting scenes from your plays. You are more than happy to oblige when she requests you to send copies and recordings of music and plays for the soldiers, since they are mostly unable to attend seeing them performed live.

Similar to Oyster Cookie, Captain Caviar Cookie tends to be very busy and reserved, but he enjoys whenever he has the time to interact with you or attend one of your shows or events.

He never has any problems hanging out with you and would graciously let you board his ships. You can't board without supervision from him though, since he wants to make sure you're safe whenever you're out at sea. He also doesn't want to risk something potentially going awry with you on a ship and he's not there.

If you listen closely, you can hear him humming or whistling the tunes of your songs when he's fighting off paladins in the martial arts tournament. He finds you after a fight and is sure to thank you for the music you made, saying it helped him win.

Of all the Elders of the Council, including the Consul Clotted Cream Cookie, Captain Caviar Cookie is the one you can rely on the most whenever you're not feeling the best. He's more concerned on helping you feel at ease and relaxed rather than discuss the stress of your responsibilities, and you're very grateful for that.

You knew that Mille-feuille Cookie was highly respected amongst the citizens of the Republic, so you felt as if you had to show her even more respect when you became an Elder, but she simply chuckles heartily and tells you it's unnecessary to be so stiff around her.

She's always around to help get you back on your feet should you stumble, both figuratively and literally. You appreciate how she puts the needs of other cookies before her own and try to aide her whenever you can as well.

On occasion, she will ask if she could help direct or produce one of your shows or events for the cookies in Choco Mud Town and the orphans at the Divine Sanctum. You respectfully decline since your creative ideas don't gel well with hers, but you thank her for guiding you to the Divine Sanctum and Choco Mud Town so that you can host more shows and events there.

And to be honest, you always felt as if there was some ulterior motive she had whenever she asked to direct or host something of yours. You never address this with her though, in fear that either you may be wrong, or your suspicions may be right, and Mille-feuille Cookie abuses her status to have you punished...

Canelé Cookie makes it very clear that her schedule is way too packed for her to have any leisure time. You want to say that she may be overexaggerating a bit when she says she can't have a cup of tea due to her busy duties, but you quickly changed your mind after seeing how frustrated she is before, during, and after a meeting.

Out of respect and kindness, you to leave her some recordings of plays and music just outside her doors, hoping she'd notice them. After a few weeks, you notice her mood gradually changing, and the soft parting smile she gives you every time you pass by each other is her saying "thank you;" at least in your mind.

Sometimes in meetings, she suggests that your shows, events, music, etc. should be more costly to gain larger profits. You always shut the notion down since you want as many cookies to have access to your works as possible, including making your works free for the poorer residents from Choco Mud Town. Some of the other Elders think Canelé Cookie has a fair argument, so this tends to be more often brought up even outside of meetings.

She tells you that she's only looking out for you and your House and wishes for you to prosper plentifully. While you thank her for grace, you ultimately want your House to prosper through the happiness and well-being it provides to Cookies rather than the monetary value you get. Reluctantly, Canelé Cookie respects your decision and tries to shut down the notion she suggested.

You weren't expecting you and Vanilla Sugar Cookie to gel so well together when it came to, well, anything, since you were so flexible with your ideas and she was more rigid. Despite the many contrasts, she is one the Elders you are most comfortable around.

She's never in a bad mood when you're around and sometimes seems to be cheerier and more youthful whenever she attends certain shows or listens to certain music that fit her taste. Captain Caviar Cookie thanks you for making her not such a stubborn one, although you don't really know what he's talking about since she's never been stubborn with you.

If she isn't busy overseeing the paladins, then she and her cream sheep are attending one of your events for leisure. She has offered ideas of expressing the traditional, historical, and cultural values and stories of the Republic and the Vanilla Kingdom in your plays to educate the youth, but you and her have clashed with how to go about writing a play out in a way that either of you are fine with.

You finally find ways to incorporate the traditions that she wants to see while also expressing them in a modern way for the youth to understand. She loves and gratefully appreciates this, and you hear nothing but praise from her since.

If not you, Custard Cookie is without question the most critical of your House and your works. For a while you convince yourself he's rightfully critical since he wants the absolute best to represent the Republic, the Houses within the Council, and your House, but over time it starts to feel demoralizing when he says you can't feature certain things.

He always has high expectations for what you and members of your House do, which is understandable to an extent as a fellow Elder, but it sometimes feels like his expectations are unattainable. Some other Elders express that he is too demanding to the new and young Elder, but he insists that it's necessary to uphold the reputation of the Republic.

Sometimes, he requests that you demonstrate whatever project you're working on - an event, play, song, etc. - privately with him in individual one-on-one meetings. Your nerves skyrocket every second you're with him, but you do your best to endure so that he can approve what you plan on producing.

Over time, it seems like he eases up and isn't as demanding as before, but it's not super noticeable. You do reject some of his ideas that he pushes you to use on your works, and his reactions are either dismissive or annoyed that you deny what he says.

[kobzars]

Vasyl Kasiyan, academician, Ukrainian graphic artist and painter

Vasyl Kasiyan (1896-1976) was a towering figure in Ukrainian Soviet art, celebrated for his contributions as a graphic artist and painter. Born in 1896, he rose to prominence through his dedication to Socialist Realism, a style that aligned with Soviet ideals, depicting the strength of the working class and the progress of the state. His remarkable talent earned him prestigious titles, including People’s Artist of the USSR and Hero of Socialist Labor, reflecting his significant influence on both art and society in the Ukraine.

Kasiyan’s career was deeply tied to education and culture. As a professor at the Kyiv Art Institute, he shaped generations of artists, imparting his expertise in graphic techniques like printmaking and illustration. His political engagement further underscored his prominence, serving as a member of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR across three convocations (2nd, 6th, and 9th). Through his art and public roles, Kasiyan bridged creative expression with the ideological currents of his time, leaving a lasting mark on Ukrainian artistic heritage.

His works, including notable portraits of Ukrainian cultural icons like Taras Shevchenko and Ivan Franko, remain a testament to his skill and vision. Kasiyan’s legacy is preserved at the V. Kasiyan Art and Memory Museum in Snyatyn, Ukraine, where his life and contributions are honored. Active until his death in 1976, he not only enriched the Soviet art scene but also established himself as a pioneer of Ukraine’s graphic arts tradition, blending technical mastery with a deep sense of national identity.

[sweetfoamspirit]

Espresseleine Role/Class Swap Au

🔹Espresso, youngest child of House Brew (son to Mulled Juice and Blond Roast (OC), brother to Latte and Kahlua (OC)), a family of magical and scientific prodigies.

▫️Founder of his own Coffee Magic and Research Academy.

▫️Always boasting about his family's latest patent or discovery. Loves to support and help his siblings with their projects and enjoys their company with his.

▫️Like in canon, he is generally polite but can be rather blunt at times, especially when in a hurry. Genuinely wants to help cookies with his inventions, but can be oblivious to the struggles of the lower class.

▫️Borderline refuses to walk, instead opting to levitate everywhere. Why should he dirty his shoes when he doesn't have to?

🔹Madeleine, a freelance writer and aspiring journalist, lives in the lower city; nighttime street fighter for extra cash to help take care of his sick mother

▫️Deeply driven by the pursuit of justice and exposure of corruption. Never really rests (trying to get that "Big Break", ya know?).

▫️Toying with the idea of some ~ vigilante justice. Don't know if I really feel like turning him into Superman though.

▫️Loves literature as a hobby as well as a career. Has a few published works, but the royalties suck. Occasionally teaches a writing workshop. ( Very pretentious when it comes to writing, but what writer isn't?)

🔹 Madeleine did an interview and article with Espresso one (1) time and now the mage can't leave him alone.

🔸"Being my personal scribe is a very prestigious position. Are you sure you aren't interested?" "HOW DID YOU GET IN MY HOUSE???"

▫️In all seriousness, Espresso is an actual fan of Madeleine's writing and has purchased...an alarming amount of his works, including discarded pieces and first drafts.

▫️Likewise, the only coffee Madeleine drinks is Espresso's specialty blend. It's almost an addiction.

▫️"Couldn't Care Less" parallel in which Espresso is venturing around the lower city looking for Madeleine and nearly gets mugged. Ofc his beloved swoops in with his experience as a fighter and saves him (he is now madly in love).

▫️Maybe an actual plotline where they work together to uncover corruption in the Convocation (bonus angst: Espresso's turmoil over having to investigate his own father; meanwhile, Madeleine's mother's health is getting worse)

[movedddblogggg]

Hi hello!

I know this is a sys account, but i wanna talk about some backlash that my discord server has received on this platform! TW//CW GOING AHEAD! Hi, my name Doktor Haze, and i run the Therian Forest Server! WE have been called out a few times on here about our opinions on paraphelias! We do not allow any person who is part of z0ph1l1@ or P£d0ph1l1& at all of course, under this rule also mentions objectums and how theyre not allowed to be discussed. One user on here claimed we were discriminating against them for not allowing them to openly talk about the topic. SO HERE I AM TO CLEAR THINGS UP Firstly, we repeated many times that you can exist within the serevr while being objectum, but you are not allowed to discuss it in anyway, as it is a medically claimed paraphelia (See : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341661772_Objectum_sexuality_or_objectophilia#:~:text=Objectophilia%20(also%20known%20as%20objectum,bridges%2C%20cars%2C%20or%20words. ) therefore, we wont allow it to be mentioned due to the discourse, and the medical meanings behind it NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT IT. I couldnt care less if you id with this term, i just dont wanna talk about it nor allow it to be discussed within this server. Our server is revolved around alterhuman identities, including therians, otherkins etc. so why should it matter if you cant discuss it here, its not the point of our server in any shape or form? Posts weve seen have cut out some vital parts of the convocation, had. We will never allow discussion of paraphelias within our server. EVER. Also, we dont allow physical therians nor transpecies people, as this legit cannot happen and/or is still very controversial, no matter what you think about it. Please understand our wishes within the server and understand why we dont want this things mentioned. Our server is for friendship, not discorse. Thank you all. I know this is a sys account, but i wanna talk about some backlash that my discord server has received on this platform! TW//CW GOING AHEAD! Hi, my name Doktor Haze, and i run the Therian Forest Server! WE have been called out a few times on here about our opinions on paraphelias! We do not allow any person who is part of z0ph1l1@ or P£d0ph1l1& at all of course, under this rule also mentions objectums and how theyre not allowed to be discussed. One user on here claimed we were discriminating against them for not allowing them to openly talk about the topic. SO HERE I AM TO CLEAR THINGS UP Firstly, we repeated many times that you can exist within the serevr while being objectum, but you are not allowed to discuss it in anyway, as it is a medically claimed paraphelia (See : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341661772_Objectum_sexuality_or_objectophilia#:~:text=Objectophilia%20(also%20known%20as%20objectum,bridges%2C%20cars%2C%20or%20words. ) therefore, we wont allow it to be mentioned due to the discourse, and the medical meanings behind it NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT IT. I couldnt care less if you id with this term, i just dont wanna talk about it nor allow it to be discussed within this server. Our server is revolved around alterhuman identities, including therians, otherkins etc. so why should it matter if you cant discuss it here, its not the point of our server in any shape or form? Posts weve seen have cut out some vital parts of the convocation, had. We will never allow discussion of paraphelias within our server. EVER. Also, we dont allow physical therians nor transpecies people, as this legit cannot happen and/or is still very controversial, no matter what you think about it. Please understand our wishes within the server and understand why we dont want this things mentioned. Our server is for friendship, not discorse. Thank you all.

[scotianostra]

On January 20th Alister MacGregor, Laird of Glenstrae was hung along with eleven of his chieftains were hanged in Edinburgh.

Numbers vary on this, the dates also differ of the executions, the Clan chief's name also differs depending on the source you read.

This was all embroiled in clan warfare, most notably against the Colqhouns, the Clan MacGregor members were accused of having......

"conspired the destruction of the name of Colquhoun, its friends and allies, and the plunder of the lands of Luss; of having, on the 7th of February preceding, invaded the lands of Sir Alexander Colquhoun of Luss, with a body of four hundred men, composed partly of his own clan and of the clan of Cameron, and of lawless thieves and robbers, equipped in arms, and drawn up on the field of Lennox, in battle array; of having fought with Sir Alexander, who, being authorised by a warrant from the Privy Council, had convocated his friends and followers to resist this lawless host; of having killed about one hundred and forty of Sir Alexander's men, most of them in cold blood, after they were made their prisoners; of having carried off eighty horses, six hundred cows, and eight hundred sheep; and of burning houses, corn-yards, etc."

This was a consequence of the Battle of Glen Fruin, much has been written about this episode in the history of the Scottish Highlands, I won't go into the full story again, you can use the search option to find out more, or you can wait until the anniversary of the battle on February 7th, either way it had massive repercussions for the MacGregor Clan.

A royal warrant was signed by James VI on February 24, 1603, accusing the MacGregors of attacking members of Clan Colquhoun at Glen Fruin “without pitie or compassion” or regard for young or old. King James, eager to make an example of the most troublesome clan later also decreed on April 3rd the

".. the name of McGregor should be altogether abolished, and that (all) persons of that Clan should renounce their name and take same some other name, and that they nor none of their posterity should call themselves Gregor or McGregor thereafter under the pain of death."

In my opinion part of the motives in all this was to show the English how he dealt with those that crossed him in any way, Queen Elizabeth had died on March 24th and our erstwhile monarch had taken his place on the throne of England.

The abolition of the Macgregor name was probably better than the alternative available to King James and one which he was not squeamish of taking even against his own citizens: the actual killing of the entire Macgregor clan, women and children included although, in the result, it was no picnic to be a Macgregor in Scotland or England circa 1604 to 1660. Remember the Stuart King had already led a campaign against supposed witches sending countless women to their deaths after their confessions were obtained through torture.

Anyway back to the MacGregors, Alister Macgregor was caught and brought to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. According to the Newgate Calendar, he was unanimously convicted by jury of many crimes including the presentation of an illegal surname, that of Macgregor. But the worse charge was the allegation that he and his clan members had "killed about 140 men, mostly in cold blood, after they had been made prisoners". Apparently, even according to Macgregor historians, Alister and his Clan warriors had completely lost control of themselves, even killed a party of schoolboys who had simply stopped to watch the battle.

The long and short of it is Alister MacGregor and up to 17 of his followers were drawn and quartered at Edinburgh. His limbs were cut off and exhibited in larger cities in Scotland as, one can only suppose, some kind of macabre warning. From what I can gather 11 were killed on one date, and another six a month or so late, add to that how ever many were slain being hunted down I would go so far to say this time in our history is quite shameful, and was a form of genocide, or maybe Clanocide.

According to the Newgate Calendars, the abolition of the surname Macgregor lasted "until the Restoration" (about 1660), some 57 years later.

The Macgregor clan now flourishes in Scotland, proud of a unique Tartan, with an active clan leader and a website, and with descendants in every part of the world and under a variety of variations from the original Galeic "MacGhriogair", such as Gregor, McGregor or MacGregor.

Okay now I am going to direct you below to a link with some details on this on the previously mentioned Newgate Calendars. If I was to compare this source to anything nowadays it would be the Daily Mail or The Sun, sensationalised and to be taken with a pinch of salt, that's not to dismiss the story, just the shoddy way it has been put together, so ignore the dates on it.

To end with I have to point out that the MacGregor motto is not "Despite them" this is only a modern add on put on the most famous MacGregor's grave, Rob Roy, and only dates to 1981!

The MacGregor Clan motto is in fact "'S rioghal mo dhream" which means "My race is royal" and refers to the claim that they are descended from Griogar, a son of Alpin, king of Dalriada.

Further reading on the clan here http://mcgregorhistory.blogspot.com/.../the-mcgregor-clan...

[yamisnuffles]

38 foy HythAzemEmet if you want!

(first of all, how dare you)

…because they’re running out of time

Hythlodaeus watched Azem pace. Ever was she happiest on the move and that included when it was only her own fear that set her on her feet. Emet-Selch was the one to look to for stubborn calm. Usually. But little existed anymore that acted as it usually did. While Azem paced the length and breadth of their bedroom, Emet-Selch stood on the balcony and glowered at the horizon. The skies over Amaurot still glistened peacefully but they all knew it would not last. And so, neither would sit with him, let alone consider something like rest.

"I'll think of something," Azem said. It had been a common refrain for her of late. Every time she said it, her voice pitched a little higher. Grew a little tighter. One day, Hythlodaeus was afraid it would strangle her. "I just need more time."

Emet-Selch rounded on her with a frustrated growl. "We haven't got it."

"I know. I know. But I can't... we can't..." Azem dug her fingers into her dawn colored hair and pulled. "There has to be another way and I'll think of it."

Emet-Selch strode toward her, his golden eyes ablaze. He hounded her every step. "And how many of our people will die to buy you that time? How long do you think it will be before the star chokes on their blood?"

Finally, Azem stopped. She looked as though she'd been struck. Tears gathered in her eyes but the rest of her face sharpened in anger. "Do you have so little faith in me?"

"Do you have so little faith in me? In the rest of the Convocation you have sworn to serve?"

They'd tread that ground before, many a time. Hythlodaeus knew from experience that it marked the beginning of a very long fight. He'd heard every point of it. He had tried, and failed, to build a bridge between them. However, there was no middle ground to be found. And, since Azem had yet to provide a solution of her own, he knew that he could only help one of them. Which meant, whatever time the star might have left, he had less.

He pushed up from his seat on the edge of their bed and walked between them. "Please," he said. He took their hands and joined them in front of him. He could feel the tension strumming through both of them. "Whatever time we have left, may we not spend it like this?"

"This must be decided," Emet-Selch replied.

Hythlodaeus brought their hands up to his lips and kissed their knuckles. "But not tonight. You can give us one night, can you not, Hades?"

Emet-Selch huffed. Though he tried to remain firm, Hythlodaeus knew he'd won. The anger drained from his handsome features and his shoulders slumped. "One night."

For once, it was Azem who needed further convincing. She bit her lip and turned her head away from them both. Confident that Emet-Selch would not go back on his word once given, Hythlodaeus released his grip on the other man. He used his now freed hand to gently turn Azem's face back.

"One final night of peace is all I ask," he said. "Who knows, perhaps it is all you need for inspiration to strike at last."

Her eyes danced over them both. "Hythlodaeus..."

Emet-Selch crossed his arms. "He has a point," he said, sounding as though every word pained him. "We can put this aside for one night, Helios."

Azem's final mote of resistance fell away. She melted into Hythlodaeus' palm. "One night."

Hythlodaeus closed what space remained between them and kissed her until he felt her lips curve upward. "There's my Sunshine," he said with a matching smile.

United once more, they turned their attentions on Emet-Selch. Lips met lips and fingers found skin until even his stubborn scowl melted away. When their Helios smiled at Hades like that, he could never help but trade a soft, indulgent smile of his own. It was all Hythlodaeus asked for. If he could make sure they lived to smile on, he would happily trade every day that he had left.

[gatheredfates]

Hi all! I managed to jinx myself by saying there wasn't a lot to add to the Compendium this week... and then I found a tonne of resources. I can't say I'm complaining about looking like a fool, though! 🪸

A lot of these resources were shamelessly sourced by xiv.sleepyshiba's masterlist! While I tend to endeavour to provide general / creative resources, their master list does contain a lot of discords / guides you can check out around raiding, combat guides, PVP etc. I might have missed. Send them a coffee if you want, for their kit is pretty comprehensive!

I have tried to include sources I can see have been actively maintained but I can't promise all are 100% accurate or up to date. If in doubt, send me a DM.

Additionally, due to the fact I am slowly increasing my collection, the Compendium has expanded its sections from four to five! We now have a dedicated lore section for anyone who wants to learn more about the game. 📖 I'm hoping this will encourage people to write and submit their lore compilations knowing that people will see them.

However, without further adieu, as of 05/11, the following resources have been added (in no particular order) to Sea's Community Compendium for XIV Creatives!

LARGE SCALE

Eorzea Collection — A one-stop shop for everything gear and glamour related! Browse through gear sets, fashion accessories or individual pieces of gear; view player-made glamorous for any job, race, etc; view chocobo sets and more!

A Master Beginners Guide to FFXIV — A comprehensive document of useful information for anyone looking to get into FFXIV. While accurate only up to Shadowbringers, it includes basic how-to's and general information relevant for people brand new to the game.

FFXIV Venues — A repository of various player-submitted venues open to the public and times of their events!

Aether Roleplay Hub — A discord focusing on roleplay and the roleplayers of the Aether data centre.

Tales From — Every expansion, the Final Fantasy XIV Dev Team releases a series of short stories about the various peoples’, tribes, factions and key characters called Tales From the ___.

Mirapri — Functionally similar to Eorzea Collection, this site accepts player-submitted glamorous for ideas and inspiration. Appears to be predominately used by the Japanese player base.

Akhmorning — A collection of XIV resources containing things one might find the miscellaneous section such as A Comfy Guide for Sprouts and Raiding Fundamentals; Bozja guides including Southern Front, Castrum Lacus Litore, Delubrum Reginae and more; PVP guides including, but not limited to Introduction to Frontlines and Beginners Guide to Feast; and Job guides.

Heavenswhere — Having trouble finding just where your treasure map is located? This tool will help you narrow down the search!

Fashion Reporter — Official Discord server of Kaiyoko and the Fashion Reporter discord bot. Also contains links to access the Fashion Report each week and the How to Make MGP guide.

FFXIV Clock — A tool to track the spawn timers of timed gathering nodes.

LORE

Ishgardian Forms of Address — A document that explores the honorifics, and forms of address used in the in-game setting of Ishgard and by Ishgardian characters using using in-game dialogue, quest text, levequest text and information from the second printing of the English-language lore book, Encyclopedia Eorzea. Maintained by @hasty-touch!

Final Fantasy XIV Lore: Ishgard — also written by @hasty-touch, this document contains lore relating to Ishgard and Coerthas.

Ascian Reference Pile — An up-to-date reference on FFXIV's Convocation of Fourteen, in appearance and lore. Maintained by Igeyorhm on Twitter.

Eorzea Time — The measurement and expression of time in Eorzea, like the real world, is governed by a fundamental set of rules. To understand them, users on Gamer Escape have put together a handy guide for people to follow.

FFXIV Meals Catalogue & Compendium — Have you ever wanted to know all foods currently contained in XIV? This document has a record of all consumable meal items obtained up to 5.4 and the ingredients used to make them. Maintained by vashiane on Twitter.

MISC

Detailed XIV World Map — Have you ever wondered where locations sit in relation to the entirety of Etheirys (and beyond)? This detailed world map provides accurate locals and information for you!

XIV SleepyShiba — Maintained by Udra Virias, this website is a repository of all their resources including, but not limited to; The Detailed XIV World Map, 6x. Paladin Resources, hotbar builders and BiS/gear trackers for raiding, and their own XIV Resources Masterlist!

FFXIV — Hairstyles — Having trouble remembering what Modern Aesthetic style is which? Struggling to find that one hairstyle you saw in game but you don’t know where it’s from? This guide has you covered!

Obscura's consolidation of Helpful links for Roleplay — A collection of tips, tricks and guides to assist people looking into getting into FFXIV RP — or just roleplay in general! Contained within are resources around character creation, relationships, roleplay tips, how to write villains and more.

FFXIV Reference Sheets by Ren — Maintained by @renofmanyalts, these reference sheets currently contain a sortable Roegadyn dictionary and height chart for all the race/clan combinations currently in game.

FFXIV Armoury Collection — exactly what it says on the tin — a collection of every single gear set currently available in FFXIV sorted by things such as patches, class, jobs and raids.

How to Craft like a Machine — This document covers the crafting formulae and other related aspects of crafting in Final Fantasy XIV.

MakePlace — A stand alone tool to preview, edit and share housing layouts.

FFXIV Chocobo Racing — a blog that’s designed to be a comprehensive guide to the Chocobo Racing minigame.

Lord of Verminion — A comprehensive website for everything to do with the Gold Saucer minigame Lord of Verminion.

The Easy Win Lord of Verminion Guide — An easy way to maximise your MGP using the Lord of Verminion.

FFXIV Housing Grade by Plot — A rubric to assist people in understanding the pricing of FFXIV houses.

Housing NPC Images — Not sure what housing NPC looks like? This guide may be able to help you!

FFXIV Fishing Guides — A Final Fantasy XIV Fisher creating guides on how to fish all the fish of The Source and The First, in quick, goldfish sized videos. Making FFXIV fishing easier to do and understand.

Pigeon's Guide to XIV Screenshots — A guide created by @ahollowgrave detailing their screenshot process for FFXIV.

REMOVALS

The following communities have been removed from the Compendium as their sites/tumblrs no longer exist. If new links exist, please get in touch with me and I will re-add them.

The Glitter Hall

Story Hall

CHANGELOG

The Compendium has been updated for compatibility with Google Doc's built-in document outline! This should hopefully assist with accessibility issues. ✨ You can find it by clicking the button below on the left-hand side of the document. No one had made a comment about this, I'm just pedantic.

I have also added definition around the Lore category as well as some general sentence structure and definition in other sections.

Have I missed something? Probably, this update was huge. I'm going to take a break DFKGJHSDF.

Want to submit? You can either fill out the google form here, send me an ask with the relevant information contained on the Compendium, or join my Discord at SEAFLOOR (21+ only)!

[theresattrpgforthat]

This may have already been asked about: but courtly intrigue games!?

THEME: Court Intrigue

Hello friend, I’ve got a nice selection for you, with surprisingly a lot of games housed in the Forged in the Dark framework! I’d also recommend checking out the bottom of this post for other games I’ve talked about in the past!

Court of Whispers, by Alexiconman.

The Court of Whispers… the nobility here are neither great nor good. They all have dark secrets they wish to keep hidden, while hoping that their rivals are exposed and lose face in court.

Court of Whispers is a TTRPG/social deduction game for four or more players playing competitively, but requiring negotiation and brief alliances to succeed. No dice, GM or stats are used. The Court itself can be wherever you want it to be - historical, fantastical, whatever. Perhaps it's a mythological pantheon or faerie court or convocation of demon dukes?

Decide on your name and title, then invent a dark secret in three parts.Your rivals will, amongst them, know these details, but you will know parts of their secrets. Who will be the last to have their secrets revealed??

A game all about piecing together information, this will probably appeal to you if you like social deduction games. Bargain away pieces of information that you hold in order to gain crucial secrets that belong to someone else. Lie, blackmail and negotiate until you think you have someone’s complete secret, and eliminate your opponent when you announce it to the group. The game ends when only one person remains, their reputation not completely tarnished.

Rebel Crown, by Narrative Dynamics.

Rebel Crown is a tabletop roleplaying game of courtly intrigue, obsessive ambition, and perilous conflict. One player takes on the role of the Claimant, former heir to the throne who was betrayed by their family and robbed of their rightful titles. Others play their most stalwart allies: wise chancellor, devoted knight, idealistic noble, vengeful soldier, or opportunistic outlaw. Conflicting duties and ambitions will push them into points of tension, but their commitment to the Claimant’s ascent ties them together.

A GM plays the other inhabitants of the cursed and fractured Empire: nobles, commoners, outlaws, and undead wraiths. The GM presents opportunities, foreshadows consequences, and introduces adversity. They present the challenges that make the player characters’ fight for the throne uncertain and exciting. As a group, you play to find out whether the Claimant can take their throne and what sacrifices must be made along the way.

Rebel Crown has a pretty detailed gameplay loop, re-contextualizing the Downtime and Score parts of Blades into a Recon and Sortie phase, respectively. The group’s goal is laser-focused: you’re trying to put your Claimant on the throne. However, there’s different objectives that you can complete in your goal to restore their rightful title, including finding a way to gain status by building trust, weakening factions that oppose you, and either seizing or destroying holdings that are vital lands within the kingdom.

You can build your own kingdom and Claimant if you wish, but the designers have also created two campaigns with some details already decided, to help speed up your session 0, called Serpent & Oak. You can also check out a quick rules reference and the playbook handouts for free!

Courtiers, by Levi Kornelson.

In this game, players will take on the roles of (competing) courtiers, each of whom is lobbying the royal court in an attempt to promote their local agenda.  The game uses the front and back of a single sheet of paper, and requires four players, a stack of index cards, pens, and six-side dice to play.

This is a combination roleplaying-game and boardgame, relying on the randomness of the dice and the placement of index cards in a row to determine what proposals the court passes and what proposals are denied. Each player will pick up a pre-written character and flesh out their specific goals using proposals, and then take turns trying to push for their proposals to pass. The game has a very specific end point - that being that the approval pile has three proposals.

I think Courtiers is good for folks who want a single-session experience of court politics, or perhaps a way to determine how a kingdom changes before diving into what that means for their characters in a much larger setting.

Most Trusted Advisors, by the HORIZON MACHINE.

Execute your cunning plan before your liege executes you.

Hark, ye players of games! Indulge in the merry vice of dice-playing with this comic production, easy to pick up and play with but a quick skim of the rules. The digital manuscript has been crafted by our finest computer artisans to be perfect for light-hearted, madcap one-shots and short campaigns.

There is nary a heroic act to be documented within these pages. In Most Trusted Advisors, you'll one-up your friends' plans with Twists and buy their credulity with Ducats as you compete for your feudal lord's approval. Poison and murder your enemies as the loathsome Blackguard, start duels and wars as the boisterous Marshal, or pick one of four other dastardly playbooks with which to accomplish your wicked schemes. 

You can set this game in the provided setting, or create your own. The playbooks are reminiscent of Forged-in-the-Dark games, with action ratings, friends and rivals, and special abilities, but much of what you can do follows the same style of play as Belonging-Outside-Belonging games. This is through the Ducat system, which allows you to gain Ducats through certain (nefarious) actions, and spend Ducats in order get new information, present something new to the fiction, or change the story in a specific way.

If you are looking for a courtly intrigue game with the potential for high camp, this is likely the game for you.

Court of Blades, by A Couple of Drakes.

Court of Blades takes place in the vibrant, fantasy renaissance city-state of Ilrien, in a world populated by scheming nobles, court magicians, and dashing duelists.

As a noble retainer, you will engage in the polite civil warfare of the great families. You will host lavish balls, and manipulate the courts, uncover the plots of your rivals, protect the city from arcane dangers, manage your own intrigues and personal scandals, leverage your reputations, connections, and so much more.

Inspired by infamous warring families like history's Medicis and Pazzis, Shakespeare's Montagues and Capulets, or Game of Thrones' Starks and Lannisters, in Court of Blades you will take on the role of a talented retainer to a newly risen House of the Esultare in the great city of Ilrien. The Esultare, composed of the six Houses Major, are considered to be the most powerful families in the Principalities. Amongst them they have their own pecking order, and every citizen of Ilrien is aware of every house’s position within that order.

We play to find out if our noble retainers can play the Great Game and win it all, or if they'll fall prey to the machinations of their rivals or their own human failings.

In this game you’re not the most important members of a great house, but rather just beneath them. This makes you vital to their success, however, because you have the ability to walk where the noble dare not tread. If you can succeed, you may find yourselves elevated to a true place of power.

This is a great game for whispered secrets behind elaborate fans, masked balls where conversations are held throughout a dance, and eavesdropping happens behind false walls or under lush balconies. There’s also magic involved, and a hidden world that you can exploit in your desire to rise to the top. If you like dramatic storytelling and a romantic setting, this might be the game for you.

Also Check Out...

Political and Social Drama Rec Post

[archives-of-iacon]

[IN PROGRESS: Archival Entry #0148-A]

“The Enigma of the Matrix: A Historical and Functional Analysis”

You are viewing a partial draft. Contributors, scribes, and lorekeepers are invited to share corrections, commentary, or corroborating sources via the message board. Final version to be archived within the main database pending review. Small portions of additional subsections will continue to be made available through this channel until full publication. Full document will be available through the Archives' external Fandom data-net upon completion.

I. Origins and Mythological Context

Section I.A – The Primordial Flame and the First Wielder → Please note: This is a DRAFT excerpt under open review. Annotations and contributions welcome.

“We are all but fragments of the Matrix, which releases each of us in order to struggle, and grow, and evolve—so when we return to it, it may grow and evolve. Thus do we serve the Matrix, not just by battling, but also by acquiring knowledge, wisdom, and experiencing love.” — Attribution disputed (see full commentary below)

This section seeks to unravel the dual nature of the Matrix of Leadership, examining its origins and evolution through both mythic and early historical accounts. Drawing upon the Chronicles of the Thirteen, surviving oral traditions, and Alpha Trion’s increasingly symbolic interpretations of accepted dogma, we find that a comprehensive definition of the Matrix must acknowledge its role as both relic and revelation—an artifact forged in a cosmic trauma and wielded as a tool of order in a fractured age.

According to the dominant mytho-cycle, the Matrix emerged in the wake of the Theomachy—the apocalyptic conflict between Primus himself and Unicron. As the myth goes, the Matrix was a byproduct of Primus’ fragmentation, an echo of his will, of creation manifest, cast into physical form. However, scholarly consensus on this origin remains unstable. Some theories posit that the artifact was constructed by the Thirteen themselves as a vessel to contain collective wisdom. [edit this – cite Targon’s 7814 lecture series]

While the “construct” hypothesis has largely fallen out of favor in academic circles, it nevertheless contributed greatly to initial inquiry into early Matrix function. For example, inscriptions once interpreted as exclusive rites of passage have, in pursuit of evidencing the construct theory, been re-translated as collaborative records, suggesting the Matrix may not have been a singularly held relic in its earliest uses [rephrase – unclear]. Where once Zeta Prime was assumed to be its inaugural bearer, recent Golden Age tablet reconstructions hint at shared stewardship among multiple Primes, perhaps in rotation or strategic deployment. [citation needed]

A key philosophical excerpt, widely taught in Ethics of Leadership modules across multiple colonies, has long shaped interpretations of the Matrix’s purpose:

“We are all but fragments of the Matrix…”

Note on attribution: This quote is commonly ascribed to Optimus Primal, who uttered it during the First Maximal Convocation on New Cybertron following the events of the Reformatting. However, a long-standing debate contends that Primal was drawing from older oral traditions, with some tracing similar phrasing to lost sermons of Nexus Prime or even fragmentary verses from the Aurex Codex. Critics of this re-attribution argue that denying Primal ownership of the phrase reflects a broader scholarly bias against Maximal sources, often dismissed in “core-world” academic institutions. The Archives remain neutral on the matter until consensus is reached, but include the quote here due to its last significance in the popular understanding of the Matrix.

— The Archives Administration Post-finalization cleared by Elixion, Acting Head Archivist, in compliance with the recently instituted "draft" protocols

[lilythelitten]

Blazed through Ready Set Solve and Sleuths on the Loose in record time (I told y’all I read fast XD). Obviously, spoilers below as I share some observations.

Okay, so embarrassingly, I didn’t actually solve the Sleuths on the Loose mystery. Well, I kind of did. I correctly guessed part of it. But I got so tunnel-visioned on what I thought was the correct solution that I missed the actual answer ^^;

Did figure out the Ready, Set, Solve twist though! Eggplant mentioned at the end that it was hard to distinguish between the virtual and real worlds and I was like “AHA! The kids are trapped in a video game!” Spoiler alert, the kids were trapped in a video game :P

Speaking of, Sleuths on the Loose pretty firmly sets Murdle Jr. as after Volume 2, since it’s specifically mentioned Major Red was deposed by the Convocation of Countries (as happened in Volume 2). (Incidentally, how the heck did Jake’s history teacher make that story sound boring? Volume 2 was insane.)

This also means that either a) Murdle spans a much longer time span than we all thought, or b) Murdle Jr. happens extremely quickly. After all, there’s only so much time until Volume 3. Only so much time until everything changes forever…

Okay, fine, my theory was wrong, there’s no connection. I did notice, though, that the assistant of Mother Mauve is explicitly named Mr. Lemon. I don’t think I need to remind y’all who also shares that color. (Maybe it’s just a coincidence, a fun shout-out like Rose in Curious Crimes, but…gut feeling says it could be more? I dunno. We’d need more books to solve that mystery :P)

Given Julius’s parents are out searching for Atlantis, I think it’s safe to say by now that Irratino’s extended family is as cuckoo as he is XD

Apparently, everyone at the Investigation Institute gets to choose their jobs for the summer. This also includes who gets to run the place. (I like to imagine Irratino lets them have it. Then they find out the hard way how much running the Institute is like herding cats, and hand the job back to him as soon as humanly possible.)

Also apparently, Drakonia uses dogs as spies. Or at least, Major Red does. Not sure how well that would actually work, but you do you, Red :P

Surprisingly precisely nobody since he appears in Volume 3, Eggplant survived falling off Castle Eminence. And apparently without any consequences. (I mean, in my HCs, he wound up breaking some bones and getting yelled at by his boss for f&$%ing up, which…is absolutely consequences XD)

Speaking of Eggplant, I get the sense he’s one of the only people at TekCo with much in the way of business sense (he does agree with Olivia that going into the game to fix bugs is a terrible way to make a game). I also get the sense he hates his job, but I got that from Curious Crimes already :P

Below:

This has nothing to do with my observations. But I needed to share it. They’re in love, Your Honor—

(Actually, maybe there is an observation there. That being “apparently, Jake has not noticed her detective idol is dating someone”. Between that and Julius just plum not knowing who Logico is in Curious Crimes, I’m beginning to worry the junior detectives might not be the most observant bunch :P)

Irratino would try to befriend aliens. …this isn’t, uh, this isn’t big news or anything, but. Good to have confirmation XD

Between the emerald and the future-seeing machine in Curious Crimes, and the Extreme Beta-Testing here…that makes two Murdle Jr. plots TekCo has been behind. I wonder if this is the start of a trend :P

…okay, so, like, Volume 3 kinda showed this off, but I think Murdle Jr. has managed to show it better, that being that CEO Indigo is fucking terrifying.

NO BUT SERIOUSLY. This is a man who sent people to abduct a ten-year old from the Institute grounds (and also abducted a cat, too) just to get beta-testers. This is a man who, when Jake went looking for her friends, actively tried to stop her, because I guess that would ruin the surprise that everything was just a video game. This is a man who was confronted by all of this, and basically shrugged it off with an “oh well, I’ll just pay the Detective Club to forget this ever happened”. (Yeah, I’m not sure if that would work on Logico, but Irratino’s already rich, so nice try :P)

And here’s some fridge horror for you: we see some of the other suspects in that virtual reality. Now, who’s to say if any of them are real…but who’s to say they aren’t? Who’s to say Indigo didn’t kidnap more people for the beta-test? And if he’s willing to kidnap people, including children and animals, for his own aims…what are the chances that, in Volume 3, anyone in TekTopia came willingly?

You really don’t expect the middle school puzzle books to give the context that makes a character scary. And yet, that’s what happened. Holy crap, Indigo ._.

(On a lighter note, Lapis has absolutely become a fave! Because reading is fun, and we both enjoy it ^^)

[starrysnowdrop]

What is the most romantic gesture your OC has ever performed? Alternatively (or additionally), what romantic gesture would they most like to perform?

Also asked by @tallbluelady, thank you and @paintedscales so much for the asks!! 💖

So far, you could say that the most romantic gesture Hali has ever done was that she’s saved the lives of those she has loved: multiple times over the years and for different love interests.

Though Hali thinks of G’raha as more of a brother and best friend to her now, he was actually Hali’s childhood crush and she never fully got over him until she left Sharlayan and met Aymeric. She has now saved G’raha’s life many times, including during the investigation of the Crystal Tower when they fought in the Thirteenth against the Cloud of Darkness and in the First when he was captured by Emet-Selch.

For Aymeric, Hali has not only helped to storm the Vault to rescue him, but she had been his dedicated healer after the events of the Vault and following the attempted assassination on his life. She even tried to stop Aymeric from going to the Archbishop and confronting him about the truth of the Dragonsong War in the first place, in an attempt to save his life, though she failed to stop him from going anyway.

Lastly, for Themis, she gave him some of her own aether to prevent him from fading away before her battle against Athena, and then after he did fade away and giving him more aether wasn’t helping anymore, she prayed with all of her being for Themis to come back to her, and then used the Azem crystal to bring him back to life.

In terms of what romantic gesture she would want to do, Hali wants to give Themis a life full of happiness, love, excitement, adventure, and wonder, and give him all of the experiences that he never could before, whether that be because of his duty as the Emissary of the Convocation that he didn’t experience the Unsundered World as much as he wanted to, or because of his time as an ascian when he never saw the beauty of the sundered worlds and only wanted to destroy them to bring back his people. She wants to give him a life that he never had, and she works towards her goal every day since he’s returned from the aetherial sea.

Once again, thank you both for the ask!!