#great seven lore

[amarizuu]

What the little minions of the Great Seven call Yuu: Most names I use are gender-neutral terms for both ladies and gentlemen.

The White Rabbit: “Young Majesty, please take your time, we both have enough time to get there!” The little rabbit reminded Yuu again, running up to them with a red clock in hand.

Duval: “Hello there little Master, do you wish for my assistance with a few matters troubling you?” A tall man asked Yuu as they gave him a reassuring smile, seeing how Yuu was tired from the training.

Jetsam: “Little human, where are you going now?"

Flotsam: “Can we come~ it’s boring doing nothing!”

Pain: “My lord I suggest that we should triple their suffering for what they have done to you!”

Panic:  “Yes, I agree with Pain, my lord!”

Mirror: “Your Highness, do you wish to know the truth of lies?”

Iago: “Hey little Yuu! Wanna come flying with me, haha-- what? No, I won't drop you again-- I swear this time!"

And yeah, these are the titles the little minions call Yuu besides their names, though Lago didn't really have a name for them, he just likes to call them little despite the fact Yuu is bigger than him.

[foodlesoodlesdoodles]

Who cares about canon when you can draw Johnny in a wolf t shirt and a trans sweater

[catacropolis]

Don’t mind me having a whole breakdown and a half loosing my mind over this

[itskenickie]

this video by briefed_ on tiktok perfectly explains why i enjoy naruto so much despite of the many creative decisions that i hate.

the reason why i, and many others, get attached to the characters is because they’re just in-depth, so complex that you can’t just paint them white or black.

irl, i would never feel sympathetic to war veterans or give them an excuse for the actions that they’ve done. but, i cant deny that some people were exploited and manipulated into going to war (the government targeting the poor and promises them food and shelter) but then with the akastuki, everyone has a somewhat of an explicit reason as to why they went to war.

some of them have bad reasons (deidara, sasori and kakuzu) and some of them for “good” reasons pain, konan and kisame. then you have the victim who was manipulated by his government to sacrifice his family and himself for peace (itachi) and the realists who strongly believe that war will never end but you can achieve peace through an illusion (madara, obito/tobi) kind of how we have social media outlets and celebrity scandals that distract us from ongoing wars.

idk what i’m saying to be honest but point is, naruto has a lot of amazing characters that you’ll easily fall in love with or get attached to.

[kardulis]

i am no longer begging nor asking nicely. listen to ateez's the world: movement album. this is an order.

like. are y'all hearing this???? the bridge???? im literally going insane please check this out it might not change your life fundamentally but i promise you, you won't regret it.

[starsinlegions]

tag dump

[shukuchiisms]

~~

[mochatsin]

MC as a Dating Sim Character

An AU in which the seven brothers knew you as a dating sim character from a game they love to play so much. Has nearly the same functions as the Obey Me app. 

It started off as a trend in Devildom, a new app that a lot of citizens and RAD students play with recently. Great reviews when it came to the storyline and the characters. The brothers gave it a shot and surprisingly became attached to it. The reason? You.

Levi is the first to fall down that rabbit hole because he’s been waiting for this game’s release for a while now. He saw the roster of dating sim candidates and he fell for you first. Something about your design was alluring to him and when he finally had the app downloaded, he spent the first night playing the storyline to understand you. Learning your lore is what made him fall even harder to the point he has a shelf dedicated to your merch. He grinded so hard to upgrade all your cards (he definitely got those UR and UR+ ones)

Asmo started playing when he saw the trends about it and he wanted to jump on that bandwagon. Play the game and talk about the characters, which ones he like and whatnot right? It was easy, but when it came to your character he found himself playing on the game longer than he wants to admit. His fans can immediately tell whose Asmo’s favorite character is with how much he talked about you in his videos. He makes sure to get all the pretty skins that get released because in his opinion, there’s not a single outfit that doesn’t look good on you. 

Mammon plays the game as well when he attempted to sneak into Levi's room to sell something and ended up finding his brother’s merch of you. Mammon doesn’t want to admit how many hours he’s spent on the game trying to max out the affection level with you. Definitely spent so much money to get the UR cards since he can’t grind as much as Levi does, and he’ll buy those limited gifts to hear those special voice lines from you.

Satan gets curious and downloads it because he’s wondering how good was this game to even make Mammon lessen his casino gambling habits. The storyline is great, but the writing for your character was what made Satan stay in the game. He doesn’t hesitate in approaching Levi to ask about the game mechanics and tips, and Satan has it covered from there. He focuses on the story to get as much lore he could out of you. He wants to learn about every single fact about his favorite character. 

The twins played at the same time, and it’s funny how they both ended up liking the same character. They found out when they were playing the game together and saw you were their home screen character. Beel loves listening to your voice lines while he works out to motivate himself, while Belphie always has your voice lines wishing him goodnight that he uses to fall asleep with. 

Lucifer will never tell anyone that he plays the game. Not as much as his brothers though, this is something he wants to do in his free time or when he’s alone in his private study, he’s more casual about this than others. Your character is honestly pleasant company, it’s nice to hear you cheer him on while he works. Though he’s sure that if his brothers knew he found comfort in a dating sim character, they would mock him for sure (even if they’re all the same).

Though something weird happens one day when all users log in the app. Levi is practically screaming when he runs out of the room with distraught in his face. You’re his home screen character, but for some odd reason you’re not where you’re supposed to be. He thought maybe it’s the game being laggy, but you don’t reappear no matter how many times he refreshes the app. 

The brothers are just in shock, phones on the table during breakfast to check what was going on exactly. Your cards are all glitched out and corrupted, though everyone else’s was fine. People are wondering if this was all part of the game, if there’s some sort of event or what but there’s nothing. It’s like the game actively tried to erase you.

The devs eventually released a statement that due to some complications and unforeseen circumstances, the game will be deleted. Of course a lot of people are outraged, why would the devs suddenly discontinue the game in the middle of its peak? It was gaining a lot of attention and some people have already spent so much money for it. Everything was just unfair when there’s no answers.

Despite any attempts to keep the game, it was somehow deleted from everyone’s phone. Levi only has some of his screenshots and recordings to keep, whining from time to time as he looks longingly on his merch line. Some brothers sulk more than others, though they’re all upset regardless. Why you? Why did it have to be you specifically? You suddenly disappeared from the game, and they never knew why. With the game gone, there doesn’t seem to be a way for them to get their answers. 

Satan wanted to use his connections to figure out the truth, try to find the devs to get the answers everyone is looking for. The truth seemed much more disappointing for Satan though, learning that the devs actually didn’t know either where your character went. They thought it was a virus at first, but all your data was just missing. No matter how hard they tried to fix it, there was nothing they could do. They can’t handle running a faulty game, so they chose to discontinue and start fresh. 

Some fans would probably be thrilled to hear a new game already in the works, but it doesn’t feel the same. You’re the character that these brothers were invested in. There’s just something about you and your charms that had them drawn in the game, so the brothers weren’t exactly excited hearing about the new set of characters. Clearly it upsets the demons.

That’s until Lucifer called the brothers to Diavolo’s castle, as there’s some sort of emergency that requires their attention. Lucifer drags each and every one of their brothers out of their rooms, they can pout and whine about you later. 

Diavolo called in all of them, talking about that dating game that took Devildom by storm once. No matter how hard they tried to hide it, the young prince knew that each and everyone of them were playing it. They’re all embarrassed at being caught, but surely they’re not here just to be exposed by Diavolo right? He says that an unexpected guest has been found in Devildom recently, bringing the boys to a room in a castle.

There you are, standing in the room in front of the seven demons that are staring at you with awe. You’re here… in Devildom? At first they thought you were just some cosplayer, but the way you introduced yourself and your name was the same as the one in the game. There’s no way you’re real, but all the evidence is standing right in front of them. 

Diavolo says that he’s entrusting you in the care of the seven demon brothers. Barbatos somehow knew that you were all of their favorites, so they probably know what you like and how to take care of you. Maybe it would be a good idea. 

To be continued… i think?

[amarizuu]

A Small Secret to Keep

Note: This is referred to this video from my channel. A short story to explain more about what Yuu and Epel talked about! Yuu's pronouns will be used as They/Them. Tried to keep them all in character. And not proofread!

Take note, this scene happened in book 3 after Azul's overblot.

After a long battle in the Octavinelle Dorm Yuu thought they won't encounter anything that could trouble them but like what Scar mentioned once they entered this academy "This damn world never gives us a break won't they?"

"Epel? What are you doing here?" You asked. Epel Felmier, a student from the Pomefiore dorm had a small conversation after Yuu apologized to him regarding their friends' misunderstanding of his gender.

"Oh, I just have a question to ask. Mind if I enter?" Yuu gave him a nod as they took a step back, letting him in.

"You seem famous, students really love flocking around you, huh?" Hades commented sarcastically, with a low groan, arms crossed over his chest.

"But I do wonder why he is here. But if this is about the situation from earlier, it's finished and done" The Queen of Hearts claimed.

"But the student isn't from my dorm isn't it, it's from Queen Grimhilde's dorm" Ursula pointed out as the other queen took a quick look at his attire, it was the school's uniform but with the color and dorm insignia of Pomefiore.

"So why are you here?" Yuu asks as they walk towards the living. Epel took a quick look around, wondering where Grim went, and found him sleeping on the couch.

"I have a question to ask. And it's really important" Yuu turned to see Epel's hand over his chest, eyes down looking guilty yet curious. Yuu raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on his hip.

"Go ahead. I'm all ears"

"Are you really magicless?" Yuu's body froze and so did the Great Seven. Epel slowly looked up from the ground, staring at their eyes.

Yuu was just confused on the spot, what did Epel mean when he asked that question, are they really magicless? Of course. The Mirror already said that they do not have magic and their soul doesn't belong to any dorms, it's colorless. The reason is that he doesn't belong to this timeline, or is it really because of that reason?

"Woah, woah- this kid knows what's up!?" Hades said as his flames ignited and blazed. While the others were still processing and wondering HOW.

"Okay, we need to take this kid out. We can't have him spreading if he knows our secret, Yuu's safety is more important" Scar warned as he retracted his claws that came out, feeling a sense of danger.

"Wait, we cannot do that. We can't think irrationally now. Dragon child, stay calm and ask the question how does he know about this" Yuu mentally nodded, hearing the calm voice of the Thorn Fairy, Maleficent.

"Well, yeah I am. The mirror proved it on the first day Epel" Yuu acts confused, denying his words but Epel didn't buy it at all.

"Don't ya lie to me, I saw what ya did with my own pair eyes" Epel grinned at them, going on explaining what he saw. Hearing him mention the mirror that looks close to the School's magic mirror but with a slight difference with the flames framing it, made Yuu tense on the spot as if he failed a mission and Hades was ready to burn this student in front of them.

"You--"

"I saw ya talkin' to that mirror," Epel said firmly taking a step forward to prove his point but this made Yuu instinctively summon his sword that was in hiding in the fireplace It just flew to his hand which caught Epel off guard as the blade pointed at him, putting his hands up in defense. They have a sword and he has nothing to fight with, or does he want to do sword vs fist.

"Did you share this information with anyone else" Yuu threatened Epel with the sword in hand, taking a step forward as Epel took a step back, where did this sword come from?! Epel thought as he swallowed his saliva.

Epel shook his head.

"Dragon Child put the sword down."

"Put the sword down?! What if this child is a spy"

"I agree with the retired lion over there."

"Retired what---"

"You two just keep your mouth shut, we do not wish to be spilling blood. If this child is a spy why would he come to us, asking a simple question about Diamond being magicless"

"To hold something against us, one step of being manipulated"

"Hades you aren't making this situation any better"

Yuu can hear all their rambling but in the end, listen to the advice of Jafar and Maleficent. Slowly, they moved their hand down. Epel sighed in relief.

"Look. I'm not here to cause any trouble or anything. I just want answers ya hear me" Epel explained.

"There are only questions I can answer." Yuu threw his sword away, but the sword flew back to where it was hidden.

"Then answer my first question, are you really magicless," Epel asked again.

The room fell silent. The two students stared at each other as water from the ceiling dripped down, making small thuds as they hit the wooden floor.

"We can recruit this kid then" Jafar suggested earning a few glares at the others, they didn't seem to like that idea but the Thorn fairy looked interested in his idea.

"Think about it. It's been three months and we still have no way to go back, I bet that ...crow who calls himself the head mage hasn't done anything" Jafar rolled his eyes as he mentioned Crowley. The others looked away, thinking about his suggestion.

"We can ask for this kid for help, he belongs to this world..or timeline. He has more knowledge of this place than we do"

"I do agree with Jafar. For the past three months, we've been trying to give Yuu the break they need but this school just drags that idea out" Queen Grimhilde commented as she took a step forward.

"And no, we are not gonna burn this school down." She added as Hades was about to say something but stopped once she mentioned burning the school, which was his original idea.

"So, we're just gonna tell this kid that we, the great seven are inside of Yuu?" Scar raised an eyebrow at them, pointing a finger at himself.

"Of course not. We are just gonna drop a few hints, we don't need to tell everything." Jafar facepalmed earning a nod from the Queen of Hearts.

"Very well then, go ahead Dragon Child"

Yuu mentally sighed, hearing all their voices in a short time. Epel was confused, why is it taking so long for them to answer his question, are they planning to threaten him with the sword again to not say anything?

"I'm not exactly magicless but I don't own any magic" Epel flinched, suddenly hearing their voice from that long silent pause. But hearing their words just confuses him more.

"You are not magicless but the magic you own doesn't belong to you?"

"Yes, I am simply a vessel, nothing more" Yuu closed their eyes for a moment feeling a mental slap at the back of their head from Hades.

"You are more than that Hedgehog, you need to let go of that thought" The Queen of Hearts sighed, rubbing her forehead with a frown.

"You heard that matchstick or else I'm hitting the back of your head again"

"Are you trying to burn him?!" Queen Grimhilde scolded which earned herself an eye-roll from Hades.

"Dragon child, please ignore them and listen to the Queen of Hearts. You are more than just a vessel dear, you are a human being."

Yuu smiled, hearing their voices.

"A vessel you say, okay, so you are like some wand then." Yuu laughed for a moment, imagining how Epel thought of him.

"You can say that. But I cannot tell who's holding this wand then" Yuu followed after his statement which made Epel smiled nervously since it seems they already know what they were gonna ask next.

"Ahah, even if I asked for a hint?"

"Well, I can say they are known as big figures around here" Epel thought for a second, trying to guess.

"I'll tell you when it's the right time" Yuu stopped Epel from thinking on who's this figure is.

"Haha, deal!" Epel smiled.

Jafar and Maleficent looked at each other as their eyes glowed...

Got A Secret?

Can you keep it. . . .

[galesdevoteewife]

Gale may not be so typical squishy wizard/scholar?

-My Galeology study note-

Looking at his character sheet in the Deluxe pack gets me thinking, maybe our wizard is not exactly designed to be the typical squishy one...?

[Act2 spoiler warning]

2 things caught my eyes:

1) Great physical fitness, and good reflexes. (For your reference, Gale & Wyll are the two companions who have the highest Con: 15. I put everyone's sheets at the bottom of the post.)

His Con and Dex are... very high?? I mean, higher than Karlach and Lae'zel...????

Note 1: I suspect it could have something to do with his background as Mystra's chosen, as they are somewhat "transformed" when they agree to become the goddess's chosen. A topic for another day since I haven't quite figured it out yet, for anyone who is interested there's a chapter about it in The Seven Sisters. Also, I have little clues on how much chosen lore credit Larian was taking into account while designing him, or how Mystra's "taking back the given ability" works. Note 2: Again, Mystra's chosen are often sent on missions that involve a lot of traveling according to Elminster's series. Mystra also mentioned that Gale and she used to have adventures together, which leads to an assumption: despite his preference he might be traveling quite a lot until he was cast aside and quarantined himself in his tower. Might be the type of scholar who is very keen on field studies?

Note 3: Can someone undress Elminster to exam my theory please??xD Neh won't work I think all human might share same body model in game

Come to think of it, there was a party banter between Karlach & Gale that went like :

Karlach: Whoa! Almost slipped there. Gale: You wouldn't be the first, I'd wager. It's been some time since these walkways felt the carpenter's hammer. Karlach: You gonna catch me if I eat a brick? Gale: With my reflexes? I'd catch you before you so much as stubbed a toe.

At first I thought that was a sarcastic joke but, seems like it wasn't? Also this:

Karlach: Ready to enter the belly of the beast? Gale: It's the stairs I'm dreading. I shall close my eyes, and pretend I'm climbing my own, far superior tower in Waterdeep. Karlach: In that case, welcome home.

...So it seems when I pictured him as a homebody, I should reimagine the concept of home... His has...lots of stairs? Just walking around in the tower could be counted as a workout, sort of thing? Note: I don't think the place he shows in the Act 2 cutscene is his tower. Otherwise, aren't these neighbors pretty much doomed?

2) Not THAT smart. Well, I love him, so I will speak in his defence: [1] He has a warm(s) digging holes in his brain. [2] Poisonous magical bile running in his blood. Maybe he's just not at his best, makes sense, eh? Wyll mentioned he is nerfed after tadpole too. After all, this man obviously memorized a DICTIONARY:

Gale: You promised to stay in Waterdeep. 'Promise,' verb, meaning to swear something will or will not be done. Tara the Tressym: And I decided 'will not'. And a good thing, too. You look like you haven't had a good meal in days

Player: When I said we could be more than friends, you answered 'perhaps'. What does that really mean? Gale: If I recall correctly, the Waterdhavian Dictionary of the Common Tongue of Faerûn defines it as an adverb that conveys the meaning of 'it may be that', or 'possibly'. Gale: Sorry, sometimes I just can't help being quite insufferable. In seriousness, I'm glad you asked that question.

Along with a bunch of you-may-never-need information:

Everything about ceremorphosis? Myconid? Why in the world have him read about Cazador??? And how can he not know the distance between Waterdeep & Baldur's Gate, even Karlach ―who spent a decade, which is likely half of her life in hell― knows better geography than him. Gale either totally ignored the subject or portaled everywhere; distance meant nothing to him?? Uh, but you can't take party banters too seriously; it's buggy. How could a bug bit Karlach in the swamp? It should've been burned into ashes before it even reached her, no?

Anyway, just rambling some thoughts <3 I would have gone to Harvard if there was a major in Gale...

-DISCLAIMER- Brought to you by a brainrot wife, Galerian missionary. Be warned the article might has (strong) bias because the writer is braindead and she thinks Gale is the most awesome character in the world.

[pennyblossom-meta]

A short study on the origins of Gale Dekarios

Going through some game information and Forgotten Realms lore, I found some interesting tidbits about the possible origins of Gale and the Dekarios clan. So, what do we know?

After finding Tara in Act 3, there's a dialogue tree (as of yet still bugged 08/12/2023) where Gale tells us that his surname comes from his mother, Morena Dekarios.

Gale: (...) Courtesy of my mother, the inimitable, dare I say it, sometimes unavoidable, Morena Dekarios.

There isn't much to go on from this. Other than a brief mention that Gale's parents denied him a kitten, we don't know where his father is or what happened to him. Indeed, the surname Dekarios could be inherited from Gale's mother or even his father's side — and for the latter we can assume Morena took on the surname sometime after marrying Gale's father, thus becoming her son's main reference for the rest of the clan upon her husband's absence/death.

That being said, I can't find anything about the Dekarios surname within DnD lore. What we do know, is that Gale's clan is scattered far and wide, perhaps even beyond the Sword Coast.

We also know that Gale is of full human heritage, at least from his closest ancestry.

Now, let's dig in a little deeper.

There are several human ethnicities throughout Faerûn.

As of DnD 3.5, there are seven major ethnic groups widely recognised: the Calishites, Chondathans, Damarans, Iluskans, Mulan, Rashemis, and Tethyrians.

However, as of DnD 5E, the Player's Handbook adds that there are actually nine major ethnic groups in Faerûn, including the Shou from Kara-Tur and the Turami who are native to the southern shore of the Inner Sea. In 3.5E, these groups just receive a brief mention, while in 5E there's more of an attempt on expanding their lore.

Note: If you're interested in knowing more about the different ethnic groups in Faerûn, I would suggest reading the Forgotten Realms: Races of Faerûn (2003), the 3.5 Player's Guide to Faerûn, the 5E Player's Handbook and the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.

Here's a useful map of Faerûn from 3.5E.

It's actually the 3.5 Player's Guide to Faerûn and Forgotten Realms: Races of Faerûn that gives us more in depth information about which communities have a major presence in different areas of the Sword Coast.

For example, while Gale and his mother live in Waterdeep, we don't know whether they moved to the city when Gale was a child or, perhaps, his parents always lived there. Perhaps generations of Dekarios lived in Waterdeep — including Gale's aunt Agnes.

Without further information, it's possible that the Dekarios clan even has their ancestral roots beyond the Sword Coast. Who knows?

According to 3.5E, the recommended human subraces in The Sword Coast are the Illuskan and Tethyrian.

In Waterdeep, it's the Chondathan, the Illuskan and Tethyrian.

Given what we know of Gale, lorewise, what would be the most accurate ethnicity for the Dekarios clan? Let's see what the handbooks say about the three major groups in Waterdeep.

--

The Chondathan

Races of Faerûn (2003): (...) Although Chondathans make skilled mercenaries and cunning rogues, Chondathan culture, has not encouraged study of the Art or great religious fervor. Notable exceptions exist, particularly in the study of the Art among the Netherese influenced Chondathan cultures that lie north and west of the Inner Sea.

(...) Those Chondathans who dwell north and west of the Sea of Fallen Stars (except in Sembia) are more likely to have blue eyes and have fairer complexions and darker hair than those born in the South, evidence of a Netherese heritage. In Chondath itself, particularly in the lands bordering Sespech, a significant Shaaran influx in recent centuries has given many natives of Chondath more of an olive skinned hue.

(...) Chondathan Society (...) As Chondathans place a high value on book learning, many receive some amount of schooling while growing up.

(...) Animals and Pets (...) Chondathans favor small felines as pets and hunting companions (...). Tressyms are highly favored by those who can afford them, as are lynxes.

3.5E: Descended from the natives of the Vilhon Reach, these hardy folk have spread to settle most of the western and central Inner Sea region and much of the Western Heartlands. Chondathans form the primary racial stock of Altumbel, Córmyr, the southern Dalelands, the Dragon Coast, the Great Dale, Hlondeth and both shores of the Vilhon Reach, the Pirate Isles of the Inner Sea, Sembia, and Sespech. They are slender, tawny-skinned folk with brown hair that ranges from almost blond to almost black. Most are tall and have green or brown eyes, but these traits are hardly universal.

The Chondathan domination of central Faerún came about largely by virtue of extensive trade and settlement rather than by force of arms. Many Chondathans are merchants of one sort or another, and they are not afraid to take risks, travel, or settle new lands.

5E: Chondathans are slender, tawny-skinned folk with brown hair that ranges from almost blond to almost black. Most are tall and have green or brown eyes, but these traits are hardly universal. Humans of Chondathan descent dominate the central lands of Faerun. around the Inner Sea.

Chondathan Names: (Male) Darvin, Dorn, Evendur, Gorstag, Grim, Helm, Malark, Morn, Randal, Stedd; (female) Arveene, Esvele, Jhessail, Kerri, Lureene, Miri, Rowan, Shandri, Tessele; (surnames) Amblecrown, Buckman, Dundragon, Evenwood, Greycastle, Tallstag

--

The Illuskans

Races of Faerûn (2003): (...) Wizards are rare in Illuskan society. They are widely feared and assumed to be in some way affiliated with the Arcane Brotherhood. Of those who do study wizardry, perhaps the most common specialization is the school of Evocation. Sorcerers and bards are more common among Illuskans, as many Illuskans have a trace of draconic ancestry in their heritage.

(...) Illuskans are not inclined to keep animals as pets, companions, or familiars, as relatively few species are native to Ruathym or nearby islands. Goats, sheep, and geese do better in the cold Illuskan lands than do cattle, swine, or chickens.

3.5E: : The seagoing, warlike people of the Sword Coast, North, the Trackless Sea, and the Desarin river valley, Illuskans are tall, fair-skinned folk with blue or steely gray eyes. Among the islands of the Trackless Sea and Icewind Dale, their hair color tends toward blond, red, or light brown. On the mainland south of the Spine of the World, however, raven-black hair is most common. Iluskans are proud, particularly of their ability to survive in the harsh environment of their northern homelands, and they regard most southerners as weak and decadent. Illuskans make their livings as farmers, fishers, miners, sailors, raiders, skalds, and runecasters.

5E: Illuskans are tall, fair-skinned folk with blue or steely gray eyes. Most have raven-black hair, but those who inhabit the extreme northwest have blond, red, or light brown hair.

Illuskan Names: (Male) Ander, Blath, Bran, Frath, Geth, Lander, Luth, Malcer, Stor, Taman, Urth; (female) Amafrey, Betha, Cefrey, Kethra, Mara, Olga, Silifrey, Westra; (surnames) Brightwood, Helder, Hornraven, Lackman, Stormwind, Windrivver

--

The Tethyrian

Races of Faerûn (2003): (...) In recent centuries, these disparate groups have gradually coalesced into a relatively new ethnic group known as Tethyrians, occupying a vast territory stretching from Calimshan to Silverymoon and from the Sea of Swords to the Sea of Fallen Stars. After centuries of enslavement and oppression by one group or another, Tethyrians are fiercely independent, protective of their freedoms and suspicious of threats posed by powerful kingdoms and empires. Given their disparate ancestry, Tethyrians have never developed a unique language of their own, instead adopting the language of the latest wave of conquerors or refugees. Today most Tethyrians speak Chondathan.

(...) Outside Calimshan, many Tethyrians are craftsmen or caravanners, while others find employment as mercenaries in the employ of other realms. Tethyrians make skilled fighters and rogues, reflecting the struggle to survive successive waves of conquest and generations of warfare. Tethyrian culture has a long tradition of bardcraft, reflecting the absence of a Tethyrian empire at any point ni history and the corresponding reliance on itinerant bards to preserve and spread Tethyrian oral history.

(...) Tethyrians view life as a struggle to be survived through ties to Family, clan, and tribe. To a Tethyrian, freedom is the most precious gift, and the enslavement of another is the greatest sin.

(...) The paths of the loremaster and archmage are both attractive to Tethyrian wizards.

(...) Aside from bards, Tethyrians have not traditionally had access to book learning, although those who do are much esteemed by their peers.

(...) Familial, clan and tribal bonds require that adults look out for one another, so the elderly and those who cannot earn their keep turn to relatives and friends for support.

(...) Tethyrians have strong arcane and divine spellcasting traditions: Bardcraft is revered, and many master bards are of Tethyrian stock. The varied mature of Tethyrian heritage has produced many sorcerers as well. Likewise, the strong influence of Calishite and Netherese cultural traditions has echoes in the large numbers of Tethyrian wizards, although most learn their craft through a traditional master-apprentice relationship, not by attending a formal school.

(...) Animals and Pets (...) Tethyrians are partial to canines, particularly those bred for herding, hunting, or working. Falcons (treat as hawks) and swamp ferrets (treat as weasels) are commonly employed in hunting and often serve as familiars. Ravens are also favored as pets or familiars, particularly in the vicinity of the High Moor.

3.5E: The Tethyrian culture is a melting pot of Calishite, Chondathan, Illuskan, and Low Netherese elements. This unique background makes Tethyrians among the most tolerant, though fiercely independent, ethnic groups in Faerûn. They inhabit a vast territory stretching from Calimshan to Silverymoon, and from the Sea of Swords to the Sea of Fallen Stars. Tethyrians are of medium build and height, with dusky skin that grows fairer the farther north they dwell. Their hair and eye color varies widely, but brown hair and blue eves are the most common. Tethyrians are proud of their diverse heritage and protective of their freedom, so they tend to distrust powerful kingdoms and empires.

5E: Widespread along the entire Sword Coast at the western edge of Faerun, Tethyrians are of medium build and height, with dusky skin that tends to grow fairer the farther north they dwell. Their hair and eye color varies widely, but brown hair and blue eyes are the most common. Tethyrians primarily use Chondathan names.

--

Verdict

After analysing these descriptions, I would say that it makes sense that Gale Dekarios can be of either a Chondathan or Tethyrian heritage — though I'd venture a guess that there's a fair mix of both.

Given that the Dekarios clan is "scattered far and wide", it could imply that they're of a mercantile affinity (Chondathan) and thus have settled in various cities along the the Sword Coast and beyond for trade purposes. Further migration patterns veering west, towards the Sword Coast, and an affinity for magic that can be related to Netherese ancestry (Chondathan and Tethyrian) are valid backgrounds for what we know of Gale.

Some things to consider:

The Tethyrians have more of a natural arcane leaning than the Chondathans (Gale was casting accidental fireballs at the age of 8, among other funny accidents).

The Tethyrians form strong familial and clan bonds (Gale has strong ties to his mother, is very family oriented).

Gale has more of an olive skinned hue, brown eyes and hair, as the combo is more common with the Chondathans ethnicity in contemporary Faerûn. It speaks of a Mediterranean background, if we were to compare it with Earth.

The Chondathans also have an affinity with felines, while the Tethyrian veer towards employing animals for hunting and favor birds of prey as familiars.

The Chondathans place a high value on book learning.

Both ethnicities have ties to the Netherese, which creates a compelling narrative device — especially after Gale's fallout with Mystra due to the Netherese orb incident. However, opportune irony aside, I think that what we see of Gale points to a mix of both heritages and that they reflect different sides of him that go beyond ethnicity, as they also affect his background from a socio-economical standpoint.

[prince-kallisto]

Crowley’s Realm Dominance & Mirror Dimensions: “A Piece of My World”

I’ve had this theory in my sleeves for a while now, but an impromptu collab with @moonlightequin1 on Twitter truly opened my third eye!

It started out with Ray saying what if “Piece of my World,” aka TWSTs theme song, is the name of someone’s Unique Magic? It certainly does have a ring of a Unique Magic title haha. It sounded like a bit of a joke at first, but then our discussion suddenly became serious. Because what if it was the Signature Spell/Unique Magic for Crowley?

In Book 7, when STYX is learning about Malleus’ Overblot, STYX drops a huge lore drop about the dream barrier being Malleus’ “Realm Dominance,” an ancient and rare class type of Fae magic. A type of magic that can change the world into the visions of the caster. Malleus puts everyone to sleep and trapped in thorns because it’s the world he wants- where his loved ones can’t die nor leave. We don’t know the extent of Crowley’s magic yet, but we do know he’s a long-lived Fae who speaks of Imagination being the key to a mages magic. In Book 7, Silver also begins to speak of this world of imagination created by memories (side note, the ghost camera pictures full name in JP is “Memories: Fragments of Remembrance”) before getting cut off.

But what does this have to do with Crowley? After all, not even regular Fae has this sort of Realm Dominance magic- it needs extreme power and imagination for it come true. And it’s only possible on a world scale because Malleus is one of top 5 mages, despite not even being a matured Dragon Fae. But the thing is, this has EVERYTHING to do with Crowley. In fact, Ray and I are convinced that Crowley has already shown the “Pieces of his world” ever since the very beginning of the game.

Staring right in front of us is the mirror dimensions for each dorm. Outside of NRC, there has been NO CASE of a mirror having another stable realm inside. None whatsoever! The Lost in the Book with Stitch event does have the mirror on a storybook, but everyone loses their memories at the end. It’s clearly not a stable mirror realm. Side note, I will be talking about how sus that book is in a future post, Ray and I also had a lengthy discussion on that one haha.

I don’t believe that this is normal magic. Sure, mirrors are commonly used for teleportation in TWST, but an entire POCKET DIMENSION? We know for a fact that it is a pocket dimension because in Book 4, there is a limit to the dorm worlds inside the mirror. The dimension gets colder and darker the farther you try to travel, which we received proof on in Book 4 during Jamil’s Overblot. Jamil threw us to a cold, dark and grey area of the dorm, aka the literal boundaries to the dimension that can take hours if not days to trek through by foot.

And isn’t it interesting that each of these mirrors has a world individually crafted in the image of the Great Seven? An entire WORLD where students can live in and use magic in, while taking up no space in the real world of Twisted Wonderland. So Ray and I are thinking that this is one of Crowley’s display of “Realm Dominance,” that these mirror dimensions are his creations. Crowley even wears mirrors (5 in total) all over his body, perhaps as a hint to this

So if Crowley’s Unique Magic is “Piece of My World,” the dorm mirrors are quite literally, a piece of Crowley’s world that he has created! The opening animation even starts out with Crowley being surrounded by mirrors with the names of each dorm inside them, in flame. So in the terms of this theory, if Crowley’s Unique Magic is related to Realm Dominance itself, it’s likely how he can craft completely individual and stable dimensions within objects like mirrors that are his own pocket dimensions. And if he’s capable of that, it could be possible at a world scale.

Twisted Wonderland is, well, twisted. A world where the villains won or at least are viewed favorably…a world where these Overblots at NRC are suspected to be caused by someone on purpose. And from what we now know from Book 7, it is possible for Realm Dominance to take over the ENTIRE WORLD. In Malleus’ case, it’s because his magic supply could literally never run out because some Fae can absorb magic power from nature itself. And this, Malleus renews his magic and slowly expands his sleeping realm.

Edit: @camrastuff sent me a wonderful ask bringing this up! On the front of his body, Crowley having seven keys: three on his hat, and four at his belt with the mirrors. Perhaps these keys work similarly to Azul’s contracts, and are something that keeps the separate dimensions in check? Or if they are a necessary thing to his magic, and this is on a world scale…Crowley’s cane being in the shape of a giant key is 👀👀👀👀

It’s also interesting to note that the theme song of the game doesn’t have a full OP yet. A “full” performance on ABEMA TV was made, but an official release was never made, and it’s believed that it wasn’t the true full version due to potential spoilers to the late game of TWST. It’s just a possibility tho haha, we can’t say for sure.

Edit: I’d like to add that the ominous opening song when you physically open the game is literally called “Dire Crowley.” If “Piece is my World” is also Crowley’s song, his presence is lowkey everywhere in the background in the game??

There were many, many topics from Ray and I’s discussion that I’d like to cover, but I’ll be separating them out for coherency haha. On a final note, I’d like to add that the countdown art was connected to tarot cards according to their number. I made a whole deep dive on Crowley’s card, but to sum it up, Crowley’s countdown number was “1,” and the last one in the countdown. In this case, Dire Crowley has the number of the Magician, who has the potential of infinite creation capabilities as long as he can imagine it. It’s interesting to note how the Magician serves as a connection between worlds as well 👀 I think this theory has potential for Crowley gaining a more centric role in TWST soon…Book 8 specifically. The Magician also has a strong connection to the number 8, because of its theme of “infinity.” Just something to think about…

Edit: Part 2 to this theory is out!! This time, going further into the idea of Crowley’s magic being on a world-scale level, and his motives for his magic 👀

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Ramshackle is such an interesting mystery and it needs to be talked about more.

I know it’s mostly because of narrative/storytelling reasons, but the fact that Ramshackle WASN’T based on a villain even when it was an active dorm and didn’t have a corresponding statue is interesting to me. The Great Seven have always been The Great SEVEN, so it’s safe to say old Ramshackle dorm students never had a cool Disney villain to admire.

Unless Michard M*use is a villain, you know. Ramshackle is the dorm of cap*talism lmao

We know it’s based on the Thru The Mirror short, but in-universe it’s just a bit out of Night Raven College’s standard, it gives an “other” feeling, like Ramshackle was that one dorm that didn’t have enough relevance or just a bit overshadowed by the other dorms from the beginning. Or maybe it was important one day but due to mysterious circumstances nobody remembers it.

Not only that, but it’s the only dorm located on school grounds that doesn’t require access through the mirror chamber. It just feels very… Normal? Like I cannot tell you how Regular Guy this dorm is. Literally just the smallest dorm compared to all the others, too.

Maybe it was Night Raven College’s very first dorm? Maybe the OG Ramshackle students weren’t even magic users, and had other talents? I’ve seen some theories but I hope they expand on Ramshackle lore after episode 7.

Ramshackle is for sure the "odd one out" of the dorms. As this anon has said, there's various anomalies that separate it from the others (aside from having fallen from grace): it's located on-campus rather than in its own pocket dimension, Ramshackle has no key historical figure or known core value associated with it, the scale of the dorm is much smaller comapared to the other dorms, etc, It really adds to the sense of "not belonging", which is what also makes the dorm such a fitting place for misfits like Yuu and Grim, who aren't your average NRC student.

Pomefiore is said to be the oldest dorm at Night Raven College so by that logic, Ramshackle is definitely NOT the first dorm. This is most likely a reference to how Snow White is the oldest of the films that feature the Great 7, having released in 1937. Hercules, the most recent of the films, came out in 1997, so that perhaps explains why it is the most "modern" and high-tech of the dorms (though we don't know if this one was the newest dorm in the TWST-verse yet). Oddly, the Thru the Mirror short came out in 1936, a year before Snow White, but Pomefiore is still credited as the oldest dorm, not Ramshackle. Perhaps the irl movie release dates don't correlate that strongly with the age and the history of each of the dorms after all? I also believe that NRC has always been an academy to train mages, so they wouldn't allow non-mages to attend (with Yuu being a very rare exception); they wouldn't be able to complete any of the coursework required of them in their later years (Yuu is only able to do so because of their mage partner, Grim).

Hoping we do get to learn more about Ramshackle in the future, whether that's in the current TWST arc or in the next ^^

[theindescribable1]

Ah, 2024 is here. I'll keep the memories of 2023 with me, and these are some great people I've met in 2023!

@invisible-hidden @siren-serotonin @pola-artist @clownpalette @the-monsters-in-1870 @yourhappyfella @kindercelery @dreamdoll-12 @essentially-a-worm-on-a-string @the-squishy-scrimblo @i-have-dots-in-my-brain @mistysparks @lore-addicted @hh-and-hb-fan @justmwahstruly @blueshykitsune-blog @pipileo @hiimerick @3amclothesmonster @acen404 @slinkthecat @artsandstoriesandstuff @lemonpie45 @r3set-does-aus @rogdona @echoinginthevastscosmos @sharkyy599 @ask-crow-aus @ecila-amelia @theradiocast @seven-thewanderer @macaron-jester @yourfriendlyshapeshiftermonsters @wheredidmybooksgo

And more!

How about you guys?