#fallout-and-dragon-age

[breelandwalker]

Oh great witchstorian, I bring to you an offering of tea and coffee and the promise of "I owe ya one" in return for an answer to a question of mine:

Do you know what that big deal about "Celtic astrology" is? Which group did it come from? Where's the rest of the context necessary to understand it? Or was it created recently and then applied backwards?

~Jasper from @jasper-pagan-witch

Ohhhhh THAT.... -claps on the hat-

Okay so, here's the thing. The ogham letter calendar? That exists. We have evidence of it dating back to the single-digit CE years. That's just how some Celtic peoples marked their year.

The Celtic Tree Calendar setup we see today, particularly the mapping of the tree calendar onto a "zodiac," is an entirely modern invention. It was invented by Robert Graves, yet another contribution to modern paganism from his novel, The White Goddess. (Honestly, I don't know how anyone can look down their nose at pop culture paganism when so much of Wicca and nondenominational paganism based upon Wicca can trace its' roots - pun fully intended - back to fiction and poetry from the 1940s.)

Graves was one of those people who was REALLY into trying to figure out what the ancient Druids were up to, and he made an attempt to figure that out by charting the mythology of Ireland, England, and certain parts of mainland Europe and the Middle East. One of the theories he put forward in The White Goddess was this idea of a tree calendar that more or less followed the same model as the Greek zodiac we're all familiar with from our daily horoscopes.

Now, witches, pagans, and New Agers just LOVE a good zodiac, and while there are many ways of casting a horoscope or calculating a birth chart, the systems do not always overlap or work in the same ways. But since when have details mattered when you can have a tree instead of a constellation for your birth sign, or a "Native American Moon Zodiac" infographic that just looks so cool and free-spirit-y on your Facebook page?

So yeah. When you see anything referring to a "Celtic tree calendar" that presents the idea as an astrological system? Completely modern invention.

Is it fun? Absolutely. Is it a neat thing we can do if we want? Sure.

Is it real in the sense of being created or used as an astrological device by pre-Christian Celtic pagans? Not even remotely.

Hope this answers your question!

[mikk1n]

What are some fucked up things in the Modern Warfare trilogy that you wished had been addressed or even just acknowledged but the series just kinda brought them up and then never talked about them again?

HEY REMEMBER WHEN THEY BROKE PRICE OUT OF A LITERAL GULAG AND HE IMMEDIATELY TOOK FIELD COMMAND OF THE 141 AND LAUNCHED A FUCKING ICBM??????????????????????????????

[veshialles]

you 🤝 me: need new glasses

may we both soon find a means of getting new glasses that will fit our desired style perfectly and not break our banks 🌠💫🌟✨

[crimsonsongbird]

It's just occurred to me that I've known you for a few years now and I still don't know if you're an only child (among other things) so uhhh have these get-to-know-me emojis: 🌅🏘✨🤓

Hiya, Jasper!

Emoji Asks:

🌅: Early Bird or Night Owl?

With my current job, I am an early bird. And I was always an early riser as a child.

🏘 : Any Siblings?

I have an older sister! She is 3 years older than me and lives in a neighboring state.

✨: If You Could Be Any Supernatural Creature, What Would You Be?

Easy, vampire! I have a vampire bitemark tattoo and my hubby is ordering me custom fangs for our anniversary!

🤓: Do You Wear Glasses?

I do! I have worn glasses since my freshman year of high school.

Thanks for the asks!

~Crimson

[littjara-compleated-sage]

I recall having seen you vaguely when you were going by simic-simp (I think?) and you're pretty neat. If you're still doing the "put a plane in my ask box" word thingy, how about Jund? Have a lovely day.

I did used to go by that! I changed my URL because the word "simp" has some pretty unsavory history behind it that I wasn't aware of, and I want my blog to be a welcoming and inclusive space. Thank you for the compliment!

Still doing the plane asks but this is probably the last one since I'm moving on to OC ones next!

Jund: Your favorite “big creature”

Easily Vorinclex from Kaldheim, since he is actually my favorite Magic card of all time. His ability, flavor, frame (Phyrexian language presentation), and tribe are all perfect for me.

[ceo-of-sloppy-men]

[razumdars]

Anyways while racism in the writer's room is definitely a thing and does affect how black characters are written and portrayed, to say "well this character wasn't written well (because of racism) so THAT'S why I find them boring!" is just disingenuous and trying to shove blame elsewhere.

Wyll may have been shafted in terms of writing, but he still clearly had more effort and time put into him than Halsin. And yet out of those two characters, which one is more popular in the fandom?

Dragon Age: Inquisition may bend over backwards to make Vivienne seem like a villain at times, and her opinion on the Circles is a bit complex, but that game also has Cullen in it - who was an antagonist for two previous games, and also has even stricter views on mages and the Circles. And out of the two of them, who's the one people are more forgiving to?

Preston Garvey might have a bugged radiant quest that means he says the same thing over and over and over again, but why is it annoying when he does it and endearing when it's characters in other games? (Brynjolf's "Sorry lass, I've got important things to do" comes to mind)

While yes, we should hold writers and developers accountable for the racism they bake into their games, this does not change that fandom is a transformative space. Fandoms will regularly take characters who were underwritten, who were treated poorly by their source material, or who were overlooked, and create beautiful works of art and fiction surrounding them.

So it's quite telling when they refuse to do this with the black characters.

[yesiplaygamez]

The npc in every fetch quest :

[trisexyual]

rb and respond with your top unromanceable video game character/s that you think should have been romanceable

[breelandwalker]

I need to put you in a room with my future platonic husband so you two can discuss horror movie stuff. ~Jasper

Please do, I wanna nerd out with someone over scary movies!!!!

[mikk1n]

Also, I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but I pronounce your username as "McKin" like a freaking...McDonald's menu item.

pull up to the nearest mcdonalds like yeah can I get uhhhhhhhh....mikk1n meal...with extra mcyassified terrorist

[veshialles]

HOLD THE FUCK UP. Lightsaber crystals are alive??? YOU TORTURE THEM TO TURN THEM RED? How come LEGO Star Wars (my only personal interaction with Star Wars) never mentioned this...?

Technically alive, yeah! Kyber crystals are technically just crystals that are "attuned" to The Force and can channel that energy efficiently, but because "the Force flows through all living things" they're just a tiny bit sapient, able to communicate non-verbally with other crystals and living beings, partly due to their intricate lattice patterns. Also they have traces of organic and inorganic material in them, and they're invulnerable to heat and extremely resistant to physical damage and pressure

Now, in the Pre-Disney lore (pretty much any non-movie Star Wars thing produced before 2010-ish) "Red crystals" were actually just fake kyber, because uh. The Sith are evil but respect mining rights apparently and they just. made their own synthetic crystals?? and they kept turning out red by accident until they decided "eh good enough". kinda lame ngl.

But in the new lore: kyber crystals are naturally attracted to the Light Side of the Force and so they simply don't work for Sith because they have a will of their own. So in order to make the crystal do their bidding, a Sith must take a kyber crystal (either their own or a crystal taken from a Jedi they killed) and forcefully channel The Dark Side into it, pouring all of their hatred and rage and fear and pain into the kyber crystal until it becomes corrupted and turns red. This process is called "bleeding". But it requires a certain balance otherwise they risk causing instability in the lattice or even cracking the crystal through the sheer violence unleashed upon it (as is the case with Kylo Ren's unstable lightsaber)

It's possible to "heal" corrupted kyber crystals by channeling The Light Side back into them, this usually turns them into a pure white (like Ahsoka's new lightsaber crystals, which were recovered from an Inquisitor she defeated and disarmed)

so yeah they're alive and can be tortured :)

[crimsonsongbird]

Hellenism asks 4, 6, and 10?

Heya, Jasper!

Hellenism Asks:

4. Have you had a liking in Greek mythology since you were a kid? If so, does it influence your practice?

I have loved Greek mythology since I first learned about it in grade school. It influenced my choice of path, for sure! As for my practice? Not really. I was obsessed with Athena as a child, but she and I (currently) are not very close.

6. What drew you to Hellenism? What made you choose it over anything else?

As mentioned above, having been obsessed with Greek mythology since childhood, I've always felt really connected to the Theoi. And every experience I've had with them has made me feel so at home. Like I found where I belong, ya know? While I had wonderful experiences with the Kemetic and Celtic pantheons, I always felt a deep calling from the Theoi.

10. Which deity do you turn to most in times of trouble?

It usually depends on the trouble, but it is almost always Mother Hekate. When I am having nightmares or feeling scared, I instinctively call out for her. When my world is falling apart, I call out for my Mother. And she always answers the call.

Thanks for the asks!

~Crimson

[reidrunner]

I’m definitely capable of atrocities but picking the mean dialogue option in a video game is just too far.

[rpgchoices]

Useless rpgs recs. Rpgs where you can romance a character or companion

(Games I forgot to add: Faery - Legends of Avalon, Always Sometimes Monsters and the sequel)

[skiptomy]

Well Hey There, it's been a hot minute since I've been properly active on Tumblr, but the rest of the internet is rapidly crashing into more of a hellhole than this lovely hellsite. So I'm looking for more folks to follow, and hopefully to make some new buddies

Name: Lou (Luceferin, Skip, Skip To My, Art Gremlin) About Me: -I'm 31, turning 32 in September -I'm Agender + Asexual -AUDHD (autistic + adhd) -I have EDS, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, and I'm a tummy ache survivor -I'm an artist, and I'm gonna be posting a whole lot of work soon -I watch dogs and cats and will be posting very goodboys and gals Fandoms/Interests: -Dungeons and Dragons -Cowboys in general -LGBTQIA+ Studies/History -Games: Hades, Pyre, Bioshock, Fallout, Mass Effect, Legend of Zelda, Dragon Age, Red Dead Redemption, The Last of Us, Lethal Company -Shows/Movies: Leverage, Hilda, Ted Lasso, Golden Girls, X-Men '97, WWDITS, In the Flesh, Over the Garden Wall, Bob's Burgers, Pacific Rim, Annihilation, Knives Out, -Hellboy -Dropout TV -Podcasts: TMA, Wolf 359, Girl in Space, NADDPOD, MBMBAM, TAZ -Nature: Animals/Geology/Space -Spooky Shit -Body Positivity/Positivity in general -Probably so many more I have the brain RAM of a piece of wet cheese If you think we're a good match, reblog this with your info or send me a message!