#infernal flame emperor

[unreadpoppy]

Fic recs

In light of some stuff I saw, I decided to make this post to briefly talk about some fics I really like and recommend them. All are BG3 related and most are Raphael. Also, there's some authors that write a lot of great fics, I'll try to keep one fic per author or else we'll be here forever (but definetly go check everyone and their other works out!)

...

Cheerful Oblivion by @sassyandsodone - Read the tags before reading this but Love me dark stuff, the writing is amazing (legitimetly gasped at a few points) and the mix of Tav not remembering what happened and the dehumanization aspects were the cherry on top. It

I Don't Think About You Anymore (But I don't think about you any less) by @sky-kiss - This fic put me in a lot of different feels, ESPECIALLY SAD (which i do like, love when stuff makes me feel) and the ending was unexpected to me but it made it all worth it. Shed a tear or two

Devil's Debauchery by ChildofYugotth - One of the first fics I read on the Raphael tag, the first chapter lives in my mind rent free for many, many days, and I really like how the three chapters kinda go like regular raphael, haarlep and then ascended fiend, like a progression. Also read the tags.

Fallen in Flame by @cambion-companion - Love the dynamic between the two characters and how their relationship developed and the conflicting feeling that Tav has of like, being an aasimar and dealing with a devil

The Devil that knows you by @timesthatneverwere - Cat!Tav was not something I knew I needed before reading this. The relationship between Tav, Raphael and even Haarlep in this one is VERY interesting to me (and has lowkey inspired me some times) and I love seeing Raphael keeping secrets and manipulating people (also i have to mention, this fic gave us the mephisto fuck chamber)

Let the dream begin by DiscordsMuse - POTO inspired, this has hit me in the feels with relating to Morrigans struggles of feeling rejected, and honestly, Raphael as the Phantom was amazing.

finirà bene by @inaconstantstateofchange - A Halsin/Astarion/Tav one for a change, this is such an interesting and heartbreaking concept, but there's also this sense of mystery that I think is really well done. Also, beware the ANGST

Her soul will burn all the way down by khapikat222 - Read the tags, another dark fic that I loved, and this one had this manipulation and fucking with someone's fears that I really liked. Also, props to the author for making the lullaby fit, it was a great cherry on top.

Baldur's gate 3 infernal oneshots by @hrefna-the-raven - chapters 1-4 are a little story between Raphael and Tav that I really liked. The dynamic of raphael being more protective and the cat and mouse analogies were really fun!

The Intimacy of Pain by @bearhugsandshrugs - This is an Abdirak/Tav fic which I found so delightfully good, like the descriptions of how Tav was feeling and the mix of pleasure and pain were really well done

The Devil's Hour by @adarlingwrites - Also one of the first fics in the tag that I read, and what made me like OC x Canon, love the complicated but also interesting to read relationship between Fortune and Raphael, and another aspect that I really liked was Fortune's relationship with art and her parents being brought up like (like idk why but those two things really stuck with me)

Sweetening the Deal by @adevilyoudo - I have to admit that I'm a bit behind on some chapters BUT it's a great work, love seeing this side of Raphael of trying to convince Tav to take this deal (and in a way, almost confusing her even more) and I loved to see the side of the Emperor constantly being in Tav's head, I think it really conveyed well how that feels like when playing the game

The Devil You Share a Room with by @djmorn - Really fun concept and the shennanigans between the two in the beggining, when Tav is reluctant to share a room with Raphael, was a delight to read and really really fun.

Damaged by @dark-and-kawaii - This is a Rolan/Tav one, it's dark but it also tugged at my heart in a sad way, with Rolan feeling all these things and doing what he does because of the abuse he suffered and Tav also trying to understand that. Like aaaa it just, it's some good stuff this fic

Who's the Daddy by Follyfall - This fic is the definition of fun and a good time, I legitimetly laughed a lot while reading it. The writing is fun, the concept is hilarious and the relationship between Raphael, Tav, Haarlep, the baby and Wyll is really really fun.

...

Also, keep in mind that there's A LOT of amazing writers in the bg3 community and i haven't read every single written work in the tags ever, so feel free to also reblog and add reccomendations of your own, or make your own post!

[thecreaturecodex]

Valpyr

Image by MJ Allen, © Emperors Choice Games

[Sponsored by @crazytrain48. The valpyr is Arduin's answer to the question, "I want to use this balor miniature, but how do I do that without murdering my entire party"? Later, in the Emperors Choice era, the question was "how do I sell that balor miniature". The valpyr is clearly a balor clone, with an undead type and a lower HD. So how do I justify it existing in a setting where balors are a thing? Read on.]

Valpyr CR 11 NE Undead This creature is a demonic humanoid, with a forked tail, a pair of horns, and inky black eyes. Enormous bat-like wings grow from its back, and its body is wreathed in silvery flames. It carries a shortspear in one hand and a barbed whip in the other.

A valpyr is an undead mimic, a creature born of evil hoaxers and disguise artists. Their targets of mimicry are powerful fiends, most commonly balors. Valpyrs masquerade as balors in order to intimidate mortals and immortals alike, scaring off psychopomps and necromancers while browbeating lesser monsters into serving them. Valpyrs have to temper their bluster with caution. Even though they are powerful by the standards of mortals, they are nowhere as strong as a balor, and anything that can genuinely challenge one of the lords of the Abyss would have little difficulty destroying a valpyr.

Most valpyrs maintain savage fiefdoms of other creatures to serve them, and usually initiate combat from behind waves of loyal undead or monstrous hounds. Against weaker foes, they prefer to fight with manufactured weapons, the better to maintain the illusion that they are a balor. If they feel genuinely pressed, they instead fight with teeth and claws in order to drain the life from their enemies. Valpyrs will attempt to bluff or intimidate stronger enemies, but flee rapidly if their threats fail.

Although most valpyrs are balor mimics, some instead resemble other types of demons. This is usually due to the sins committed by the valpyr in life, but rumor has it that some valpyrs can intentionally change their form through sinister rituals. These variant valpyrs use the same base statistics, but replace fiery body and whip mastery with two appropriate abilities of the demon in question (like constrict and multiweapon mastery for a valpyr mimicking a marilith, or Huge size and an unholy nimbus for a valpyr mimicking a nalfeshnee).

Valpyr CR 11 XP 12,800 CE Large undead Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +20, see invisibility

Defense AC 25, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +11 natural) hp 147 (14d8+84) Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +14 DR 10/good; Immune fire, undead traits; SR 22 (26 vs. divination) Defensive Abilities fiery body, nondetection

Offense Speed 40 ft., fly 120 ft. (good) Melee adamantine shortspear +13/+8 (1d8+5), masterwork whip +13/+8 (1d4+2), bite +12 (1d10+2 plus 1d6 fire plus ability drain), 2 wings +12 (1d6+2 plus 1d6 fire) or 2 claws +14 (1d8+5 plus 1d6 fire plus ability drain), bite +14 (1d10+5 plus 1d6 fire plus ability drain), 2 wings +12 (1d6+2 plus 1d6 fire) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. with whip) Special Attacks burn quintessence

Spell-like Abilities CL 11th, concentration +17 Constant—nondetection, see invisibility At will—command undead (DC 18), detect magic, magic missile 3/day—bull’s strength, scorching ray, quickened true seeing 1/day—animate dead, fireball (DC 19), glibness, plane shift (DC 21)

Statistics Str 20, Dex 20, Con -, Int 22, Wis 17, Cha 23 Base Atk +10; CMB +16; CMD 31 Feats Flyby Attack, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Multiattack, Quicken SLA (true strike), Two-Weapon Fighting Skills Bluff +20, Disguise +27, Fly +24, Intimidate +32, Knowledge (arcana, religion) +23, Knowledge (planes) +20, Perception +20, Sense Motive +20, Spellcraft +23; Racial Modifiers +4 Disguise, +4 Intimidate Languages Abyssal, Common, Daemonic, Infernal, Necril SQ whip mastery

Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization solitary or army (1 plus 2-20 galleytrots, skeletons and zombies) Treasure standard (Large masterwork whip, Large adamantine shortspear, other treasure)

Special Abilities Ability Drain (Su) A creature struck by a valpyr’s claw attack must succeed a DC 23 Fortitude save or take 1 point of Constitution drain. A creature struck by a valpyr’s bite attack must succeed a DC 23 Fortitude save or take 2 points of Constitution drain. A valpyr gains 5 temporary hit points every time it deals ability damage. The save DC is Charisma based. Burn Quintessence (Su) Any fire damage dealt by a valpyr’s supernatural or spell-like abilities deals full damage to incorporeal creatures and ignores the energy immunities and resistances of extraplanar outsiders. Fiery Body (Su) A valpyr burns with silvery fire. It deals 1d6 points of fire damage with its natural weapons, and any creature that touches it takes 1d6 points of fire damage (no save). Whip Mastery (Ex) A valpyr treats a whip as a light weapon for the purposes of two-weapon fighting, and can inflict lethal damage on a foe regardless of the foe's armor.

[quitealotofsodapop]

The idea of Monkie kid Nezha being (technically, I know) the Jade Emperor’s grandson is hilarious to me because it opens up the idea for two dynamics.

“I hate you because you are the walking representation of the marriage my daughter betrayed me to have.”

Or

“Your mother’s a bitch but we’re cool.”

It's... complicated.

You see, after the situation with Zhinu and Songzi/Guanyin happened, Second Princess Yin Wuming had been one of the many imperial princesses that had silently opposed her parents punishments against their own children. Upon losing both her eldest and (then) younges sisters to their poor parenting; she had enough. She was a second born who decided once and for all to scream her opinion into the world, no matter the consequences.

As a punishment for her insolence; the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother sent Yin to live a mortal life on earth until she could understand the suffering a mortal life can bring.

Yin responded to this reincarnation by becoming a demon hunter, marrying a cool af fellow hunter, and having 2 half-divine children before her parents realised that they had made a terrible mistake.

Refusing to yield on their negative opinion of human-celestial relations, but not wanting to lose another daughter as they had Zhinu, the Queen Mother cursed Yin to be unable to bear a child without great suffering. Similar to what she would do to Princess Iron Fan many years later.

What the Queen Mother hadn't counted on though... was that Yin was already pregnant with her third child...

Nezha absorbed the infernal magic sent by his grandmother, and became well... Nezha. Wreathed in flames and more demon than child.

The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother looked down, saw this little guy and were like; "Uh oh."

After the whole storyline involving the war with the dragons, Nezha's sacrifice and rebirth, the Investiture Crisis, Li Jing's and his sons rise to godhood, and Lady Yin refusing reascension to continue the cycle of reincarnation?

The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother basically see Nezha as a painfull reminder and a trophy all at once.

Nezha is the sum of their victories in the Investiture Crisis. Holding a blessing from the Pure One themselves in his rebirth. Raised in his new life to become a fine heavenly soldier and valuable asset to the Celestial Realm.

But he's also a reminder of the wrongs the royal couple have done. They were indirectly responsibile for his creation, and the suffering he brought upon the gods, mortals, and dragons alike. And even with their grandsons and son-in-law becoming celestials, they still lost another one of their daughters.

Nezha is both their most trusted advisor and most detested grandchild.

Lady Yin's soul is still in the cycle of rebirth, so there's no way to know where she's at rn.

[randomnameless]

Not counting “must you continue to conquer in retaliation?”, what's your favorite Supreme Reply from Edelgard?

:)

I swear if I have the time, before the end of the year, I'll make a poll about it!

Anyways!

Supreme Replies are replies that demonstrate a several lack of awareness and thus, are utterly ridiculous (like the "no u" you've mentionned) and ultimately don't make any sense.

I found some in SB !

From SB's last chapter we have those :

Thales: Foolish harridan! This land you seek dominion over is drenched in the blood of beasts! Supreme Leader : Fool I may be, but I have plenty of company— my allies and I stand ready to trample you into the dust!

"wuzzat? Beasts ? Nah, I'll come back with a witty one-liner. "

Thales just revealed the plot/the secrets of Fodlan, but she dgaf.

Rhea You boast blood of the Hresvelgs and the heart of a traitor. Your sins run deeper than all others. Supreme Leader: I wear my sins proudly, for they are the reason I fight to free Fódlan from the goddess's so- called "judgment"!

"why is she always talking about Willy damn it. Let's give another witty comeback : I wear my sins proudly (wait does it means I'm proud to have slaughtered people to come here? Oh, I'll let Hubert deal with those details) for they are the reason i fight to free Fodlan from the Goddess's so called jugdment (wait does it make sense? I slaughter people because this slaughter is the reason why I fight? to free Fodlan from your ilk? Couldn't I have said I kill people to free Fodlan from you kin? Oh! I know, I could have said I kill people to liberate Fodlan, like my idol Nemesis! I'll have Hubert give a revamped script to Dorothea to add this line in the opera she's going to play in depicting this scene.)"

SB's chapter 4 :

Rhea : Explain yourself! Why do you betray the teachings of the goddess and seek to shatter Fódlan's fragile peace? Supreme Leader : Seeing as I have no idea what you speak of, this is going to be a short discussion. Now either stand aside or face me!

"Peace? What is that? Can I let Labrunda do the talking instead?"

(That's all for Nopes, but if you found some other replies, let me know!)

From FE16:

So you're another of the goddess's vanguard. You don't have even a shred of self-awareness, do you?

Okay, in itself, this isn't a Supreme Reply - but you realise that in the same map Petra calls herself "the will of the Emperor" forgetting her allegiance to Brigid and the current situation... who lacks self-awareness?

A special one that doesn't come from a Battle :

Claude There's only one goal for grave robbers like these. Right, Flame Emperor? You're here to steal the treasure that rests within the Holy Tomb. Flamey For a fool, you catch on quickly. Those Crest Stones will be ours. That infernal power, which is masquerading as a medicine but is truly a poison, will plague this world no longer.

She insults Claude who only asks a question, and the mumbo-jumbo about medicine and poison - but I want to disqualify it, because the mumbo-jumbo that would qualify as a Supreme Reply is a lolcalisation goof to avoid sheding more light as how Flamey actually wants to use those stones laying uselessly there "neither medicine or poison" aka who could either be used to do good things, or bad things.

of course when we know what they are, we know they are not "uselessly" laying there :)

-

Edit thanks to @ezralahm!

The barbarian : Do you not believe in the power of the people to join together and rise up? Humans are weak creatures. But they are also creatures who help each other, support each other, and together, find the right path. I have learned that humans are capable of all that from the professor...and from everyone in my life. Supreme Leader : I doubt a highborn person like yourself could know how the poor feel or what motivates them.

"Do you believe in the power of friendship? If everyone works together, we're able to support each other and find a path to happiness!"

"As if highborn person like you can know what the illiterate masses - I mean, the poor, feel. But I obviously know what they feel and want, because I am not a highbor- wait let me rephrase that - Oh, alright, shut it, agree to disagree and etc etc, let me get away with my dignity intact, thank you".

And :

Random Peon : Here...you can have this! Just please don't attack the city! Supreme Leader : I never planned to touch the city. Our target is the Alliance and their leader, Claude.

"Hubert, why can't they understand? I don't want to raze their city, I want to destroy their country and get rid of their Leader! It's not the same!

"Maybe that lowlife thinks we are going to destroy Derdriu just like we destroyed Garreg Mach when we invaded it?"

"Silly Hubert, why would that useless man think so?"

-

But we all know CF is where the majority of the Supreme Replies come from !

Here :

Rhea : You must know what a fool you are. The greatest of sins is to make an enemy of the goddess herself! Supreme Leader : I have only made an enemy of the church, not of the faith.

"Wait- did she call me a fool?"

Besides, we all know what Supreme Leader thinks of the faith (she even apparently changes her pov only after talking to Manu), so this is basically... talking to say nothing.

I prefer the SB version, tbh!

Then this (it doesn't really count though, since it's not a "reply"!)

Lysithea. How unfortunate that a talented woman like you should throw her life away on a pointless battle.

"I hope she won't hold it against me when I tell her defending her home and country is pointless."

That chapter we all know and love (i know, no "no u"!)

Rhea : An ancestor of the Hresvelgs, who became Adrestia's first emperor… He saved me. Supported me. Gave his all to the cause of defeating Nemesis. That I should find myself here at Tailtean, striking down his scion… Supreme Leader : I don't advise presumptions, Rhea. I will not die by your hand.

"Why the fuck is she still raving about Willy. I know, he was stupid and dumb and saved it instead of letting it die. I know all of that! Stupid Willy. Anyways, I'll just cut her saying something cool."

In itself, that line isn't material prime to be a Supreme Reply. However, by the time you reach this penultimate chapter, Supreme Leader's feelings about Nabateans have been made clear (either in her sekrit history talk, or in both of her and Hubert's supports), they are creatures incapable of having human feelings, and later on, she textually says they are beasts who don't give a fig about human lives.

So here, Rhea angsting about Willy contradicts what she thinks, a Nabatean can have "human" feelings like sadness and regrets. But instead on focusing on those, or even saying some stuff like "yeah sure you miss my stupid ancestor because he was a pawn you manipulated, beast!", she only focuses on the witty "i will not die here" part.

Supreme Leader : So it's true. You don't value human life at all. Isn't that right, Immaculate One? Rhea : Nonsense! Fools who do not accept their own sins are undeserving of salvation! You humans are the ones who betrayed! You betrayed me, and you betrayed my mother! Supreme Leader : I did not betray you or her. I never believed in you from the beginning.

(the never believed in "you" is a lolcalisation change? In the JP version, it feels like she is more general, and says she never believed in the beginning)

"Rhea : you betrayed me and my mother the goddess"

"Supreme Leader : your mother isn't real"

Again, when the opportunity presents itself to discover more about Fodlan and what Rhea means by betrayal - but more important is Supreme Leader's "I never believed from the beginning", like, what is even the link with the betrayal Rhea's raving about? When you betray someone, it's because that someone put their trust in you, right? So Rhea is saying she trusted humanity - Supreme Leader says in reply that she never believed in Rhea, but that's like trying to fit a circle in a square - where's the link?

"You betrayed me" "I never trusted you" "uh.. yes but I did? This is why I'm calling you a traitor? Because you spat on my trust?"

----

To be honest, I'd say I prefer the last one !

She centers the conversation on herself, dodges the implications of what her foe is saying, the line is nonsensical and wants to feel cool and we have the bonus "retcon" : she never believed in the CoS and its faith to begin with (when apparently she did in her support, she prayed when she was Solon'd?).

So I'd say, for the podium :

1 "Your mother isn't real"

2 "What is peace?"

3 "No U" / "I'm stupid but I have allies!"

What are yours anon?

[silveratlxs]

𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕭𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖑

Who is King Belial:

King Belial appears many times in the bible within the Old Testament, especially in the King James Version (In the New King James Version of the bible his named is replaced with "wickedness" or "perversion" as a way to omit King Belial's name.) In 2 Corinthians 6:15, King Belial is painted as a direct opposition to Jesus, which has led many to debate whether Belial is another name for Satan. In the Goetia, King Belial is the 68th demon and is attributed with the rank of king among demons and he is said to have been created second only after Lucifer. He is the ruler of 80 legions of demons and 50 legions of spirits, who are of the Infernal and Celestial/Luciferian realms of the Earth. He is also named Prince of the Third Order in the Janua Magica Reserata. The order that is referenced in this is known as the "Vasa Iniquitatus", or "Vessels of the Iniquity." He also holds titles such as The Lord of the Sorcerous Path, Lord of the Earth, and a powerful daemon of will made flesh. He is best known to grant offices, distribute promotions, cause one to be liked, and give excellent familiars. He is also typically associated with chaos, seduction, and the darker aspects of human nature. He symbolizes primal desires and carnal pleasures. He also initiates into the Solar and Lunar gnosis of being. When invoked he brings self-initiation and development, specifically in he holds a gateway to aspects of the mind that control speech and thought patterns. It should be noted that he is an extremely deceitful spirit, also known as a divine trickster, and has to be compelled with divine names, presented with offerings, sacrifices, and gifts in order to get him to give truthful answers to demands. It is said he is constrained by the angel Habujah.

Names, Meanings, and Pronunciation :

The correct pronunciation of Belial is (Bee-Lial). Although he may be referred to as Belhor, Baalial, Beliar, Beliall, Beliel, and Matanbuchus, all of which are historical spellings or other names associated with King Belial. The name "Belial" itself is derived from a Hebrew word that most commonly translates to mean "worthless" or "without value" in English. It is also commonly accepted that Belial means "without a master," as well.

Appearance:

King Belial is said to speak with a comely, or pleasant, voice with a sinister touch to it. He typically may appear in the form of not one, but two beautiful Angels standing in a chariot of fire, in accordance with the Goetia, however it is assumed that this is a error as all other grimoires with mentions of King Belial describe only one Angel as his common appearance. However, in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, he is described as having a second appearance as an exorcist in the bonds of spirits.

Correspondences:

Element(s)- Earth; Water

Planet(s)- Mars; Jupiter; Neptune

Day- Tuesday

Color(s)- Red: Black; Silver; Gold; Orange; Green

Symbol- Flaming sword

Plant- Mullein

Direction- North

Metal- Tin; Neptunium

Candle Color- Orange; Red; Black; Silver; Gold; Green

Incense- Patchouli; Sandalwood; Cedar; Vetiver; Lemon Balm; Copal; Dragon's Blood; Myrrh

Tarot Cards- Judgement; The Chariot; King of Swords; The Emperor; The Devil; Justice; Death

Enn: Lirach Tasa Vefa Wehlc Belial

Sigil:

Summoning Sigil of Belial, the best time to summon is at night with the area or room being as dark as possible.

Signs of King Belial:

-Fire

-Chaos

-Increase in deception towards you

-Goats

-Bills

-Scorpions

-Black Serpent

-The colors black, red, gold, and silver

-Unexplained patches of heat

-Nightmares about people lying to you

-"Be careful what you wish for."

-Shadows moving

-Uneasiness

Offerings:

When giving him offerings, it is important that you not tell him what to do, do no bow to him, remain quiet, and expect drastic changes.

-Music (typically dependent on his mood)

-Taxidermy

-Earth/Dirt

-Blood

-Dark Chocolate

-Gold

-Burnt Items

-Smokey Quartz

-Obsidian

-Black Merlinite

-Raw Meat (beef or pork, with spicy seasoning)

-Red Wine

-Whiskey

-Rum

-Cuban Cigars

-His Sigil Anointed with Cologne

-Precious Metals

-Bones

-Skulls

-Blue Vervain

-Cinnamon

-Tea Devotional Offerings

-Hot Black Coffee

-Sandalwood

-Peppercorns

-Mugwort

-Juniper Berries

-Willow's Bark

-Resin Incense

-Sexual Offerings

-Research

-Fire Offerings (i.e. candles, bonfires, etc.)

-Things you Have Made

-Art

-Garnet

-Onyx

-Black Tourmaline

-Tree Agate/Other Earthy Crystals

-Standing in your Truth

-Prayers

-Daily Devotions

-Taking your Power Back

What He Teaches:

-Baneful magick

-Illusion magick

-Deception magick

-Glamour magick

-Manipulation

-How to acquire success through social strategy and manipulation

-How to bend others to your will

-Freedom

-Necromancy

-Influence

-Achieving Earthly Goals

-Overcoming Obstacles, Barriers, and Fears

-Healing from Trauma

-Building Confidence and Self-esteem

-Stepping Into or Reclaiming Your Power

[yugiohcardsdaily]

Posted Cards Master List - 57.0

March 2024, 1st thru 20th

Gorgonic Guardian

Hidden Temples of Necrovalley

Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley

Interplanetarypurplythorny Beast

Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon

Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest

Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree

Majiosheldon

Mighty Warrior

Mobius the Mega Monarch

Mystic Macrocarpa Seed

Nikitama

Oath of Companionship

Obedience Schooled

Onomatopaira

Overlay Booster

Overlay Sentinel

Powered Inzektron

Purge Ray

Queen Angel of Roses

Rank-Up-Magic Astral Force

Rose Witch

Shared Ride

Sirenorca

Skill Prisoner

Snapdragon

Stand-Off

Starship Spy Plane

Swordsman from a Distant Land

Tackle Crusader

Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms

The First Monarch

The Monarchs Awaken

Tytannial, Princess of Camellias

White Duston

Xyz Avenger

Xyz Shift

Bacon Saver

Bonfire Colossus

Breakthrough Skill

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Hawk

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Raven

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King

Brushfire Knight

Crimson Blader

Crimson Sunbird

Diamond Dire Wolf

Dice-nied

Dimension Gate

Dododo Bot

Double Shark

Fire Formation - Tenken

Fire Formation - Tensen

Fire Formation - Tensu

Fool of Prophecy

Gagaga Clerk

Gagagadraw

Garbage Lord

Garbage Ogre

Goblin Circus

Gogogo Ghost

Hazy Flame Basiltrice

Hazy Flame Cerbereus

Hazy Flame Griffin

Hazy Flame Mantikor

Hazy Flame Peryton

Hazy Flame Sphynx

Hazy Glory

Hazy Pillar

Heraldic Beast Basilisk

Heraldic Beast Eale

Heraldic Beast Leo

Heraldic Beast Twin-Headed Eagle

Heraldic Beast Unicorn

Heraldry Change

Heraldry Reborn

Hyper-Ancient Shark Megalodon

Ignition Beast Volcannon

Infernal Flame Vixen

Infernity Archer

Jurrac Impact

Kickfire

Leotaur

Lightning Chidori

March of the Monarchs

Mystical Fairy Elfuria

Pyrorex the Elemental Lord

Pyrotech Mech - Shiryu

Reaper of Prophecy

Red Duston

Slacker Magician

Spear Shark

[paragonrobits]

When i think about the discourse that really bothers me, it often leaves me feeling that the sort of people causing this discourse are... not exactly chronically online, because I don't think that's the most useful way to describe. Insular; yes, absolutely. Living in a small selected bubble where only the most inoffensive and affirming thoughts cross your experience until that becomes the whole of your personal universe, and anything outside it is an ideological threat.

It leaves me feeling that these people often haven't suffered that much, or know what genuine struggle and fear are actually like. They've almost certainly had in their lives, sure, but probably on a more minor level, and they're so wrapped up in their own image of heroism that they consider every minor inconvenience to be a horrifying nightmare the likes of which no one can compete with.

I see these people online, turning shipping arguments into a massive flame war and moralizing over ships and I think 'could you please get some ACTUAL problems instead of acting like a victim over something this petty?'

And I see their works; it's similarly vapid. It's always low-stakes, it always resents the idea of fantastical things outside of being an escape fantasy, and the idea comes up over and over that all they want to see is things that affirm what they already know or believe.

Deliberate discomfort in art, of exposing you to tragedy or horror or compelling you to question yourself and your beliefs (even if the answer is 'I believe what I started out believing, I now can give a defense of it'), seems foreign to them. Sometimes they suggest that the CONCEPT of discomfort is inherently evil.

Let it roll around in your mind a bit, the things you dislike about their works; its almost static, and character stasis seems to be a virtue to that mindset. Ignore the implications of the term 'redemption arc' and instead consider that a character arc is about change, whether they DO change or retain their stance; either way the point is that they move and flow with a world, but in these works, a Character is an unchanging stone; any kind of change, or contemplation of it, is an act of violence.

(This may also be why we see discourse positing that a character was Always Good; it supports the idea of built-in character and morals, in the same way that a character who becomes an antagonist is supposed to always be Ultra Turbo Bad. Change is unwanted to this perspective, and instead they have to ALWAYS have been Good or Bad.)

And finally this makes me think about a line from the Exalted tabletop RPG, in a supplement covering the Infernal Exalted; those empowered by the malicious, inhuman and fundamentally broken titans of the setting, chosen to be the rock stars of Hell, given monstrous powers and horrific mutations to empower them.

The Infernals are a far cry from the Solar Exalted, the golden champions of the setting. They don't burn with holy golden light; they radiate the awful, cold flames of the hell realm that empowered them. They don't just punch things, green fire ignites from their fists to blast their foes into a radiation-riddled corpse, blazing in a fungal bloom. Coppery exoskeletons rise through their skin, alit with runes that tell the story of the maddened universal emperor's descent into hell. Their bodies swell with infernal power as they become grotesque and monstrous, their blood turns acidic and blasts into the faces of their enemies.

They are monsters, and they are heroes too. Chosen from the lost and the damned, from those yearning to tear down a system that hurts them, from people who almost had a chance to be a hero but turned from it at the last second and are consumed by the shame.

Like many other Exalted of that edition, they have a unique martial art style derived from their instinctive combat powers. Their's is known as Infernal Monster Style; they turn rage into a tool, overwhelming a foe with nightmarish power and extreme violence, smashing a foe into bloody paste, being both Hulk and Hellboy, an untamed apocalypse of raw power.

Their power comes from rage. It's a deep anger, a real anger.

I honestly doubt that the kind of online moralizers really know what that kind of anger is. They might think they do, but I wonder if they've ever looked up into the sky in a moment of despair, felt the sun beating down on them while their whole families abandoned them and thought: "Today, I'm really going to die."

Lack of hope makes anger swell up. It gives real anger a place to live and lets it sit there for years and years, to simmer and wait.

Now, I think of the Infernal Exalted again, and their Infernal Monster Style. Each such style has a sutra associated with it, and a story underlying its philosophy. And their's tells the story of a maiden, trapped in a stone cell. So, she punched the wall with her bare hand.

(Sometimes you don't need a pretty affirming story.)

She punched it until her blood splattered the wall.

(Sometimes you want something ugly and violent and monstrous, because it speaks to the horror in your life, or a horror you can understand.)

She punched it until her bones broke.

(Sometimes a low-stakes slice of life coffee shop AU is insufficient, or meaningless; violence, sorrow, despair, questions about "do I have to be a monster" and "what is the price of my vengeance" are more important to you.)

Still she punched at the wall.

(Purity means something being entirely a single thing, unalloyed or marked by anything else. Singular; alone. But alloys make something stronger. Something that has never known sickness or violence is easily killed by those things when it inevitably finds them.)

The wall shattered.

(Purity and wholesomeness are not virtues; they are sought after, so much, by people who consider your existence a crime. Purity is weakness.)

Survival is fury, said the maiden.

[limpfisted]

DESCENT INTO AVERNUS. references for my own benefit! please blacklist #descent into avernus ref if not interested in seeing this content! i cannot provide alt text to the images from the handbook, however, i will be showing notes on what i read in between screenshots!

PART ONE: chapter one of the descent into avernus guide book. shitty screenshots and summaries

Important to WYLL:

baphomet is a demon lord worshipped by minotaurs. wyll has fought a minotaur in his many journeys, it is one of his favorite and most impressive stories to tell

belynne stelmane : of emperor alliance fame, she had a stroke due to the emperor, wyll had a crush on her, she is one of the four dukes

dillard potyr: another of the four dukes

klim jhasso: member of the noble family, the jhassos

mortlock and thurswell vanthampur: 3rd son and 1st of duke thalmara vanthampur

thalmara vamthampur: duke of bg

tiamut: five headed dragon queen of evil dragons, wyll stopped this dragon from taking over the city 7 years ago with mizora

grandduke ulder ravengard: wyll’s dad, obvs lol

thavius kreeg: high overseer of elturel, this is the place and person ulder went to go see before it fell

notes: zariel intends to take ofer baldurs gate next, zariel and thavius kreeg, the high overseer, have an infernal contract.

ulder is missing after having gone to elturel. the flaming fist is useless without him, and are even referred to as “distracted” and “thugs.” there are HUNDREDS of refugees trying to get in, the dead three already has its claws in bg obviously.

thalmura vhampur using tiamut’s gold (tiamut if u remember was the reason wyll was banished) to fund the dead threes murders

thalmura is doing this to “shatter the confidence” of people who believe in the flaming fist, and get them defunded. she has made a deal with zariel that when the fist is disbanded, she will take over as grandduke.

the shield of the hidden lord will help her smack bg into hell, and has been corrupting the morals of bg for “decades.” i guess this means if u take it away it’ll make bg better! her sons have stolen it

ulder is “valiant” but he “opposes” elturel

zariel was once an angel and you can redeem her, wild

zariel wanted the other angels to fight in thr blood war between demons and devils, she made an army called the hellriders, the hellriders LEFT her gay ass there, and kept that a secret from the world

zariel lost her army but also her hand and her sword she was holding. she told yael, her bff general, to take the sword and get out. ollianthius and haruman, her other two besties, refused to leave her side. they were sent to nessus, the lowest of the hells

asmodeus was like i know u tried to kill is but that was so cool, rule avernus for me bestie? and bel was mad about it, but zariel wanted to fight demons so fuckin bad she said yes. haruman was like ok bestie lets go. olanthius killed himself bc he was NOT a true ride or die, but zariel brought him back as a zombie, bc fuck u olanthius, that’s why

zariel ALWAYS wanted revenge on the hellriders, who went to eltruel. in 1444 dr, she got her chance. they were raken over by a vampire lord. thavius, a priest of thorm, appealed to any power to save his city, zariel said “hi” and he accepted her deal, and elturel was safe.

EXCEPT THAT IT WASN’T!!!

thavius actually just became high overseer, only to ask ravengard to come on over RIGHT BEFORE the time limit was up and elturel would be pulled to hell!! ravengard didn’t even WANT to go, he was pressured to, probs bc elturel was gaining power n turning into a proper nation, and they have various disputes that make ulder “at odds” with them!

thavius greeted the duke and then LEFT HIM THERE to “watch from a safe distance” then disguised himself as a refugee and then tells everyone elturel has fallen with HUNDREDS OF HIS OWN PEOPLE THA5 ARE REFUGEES BC OF HIS EVIL ASS, and then goes to chill with duke vanthampur in her VILLA, while all the tieflings are in RAGS.

more to come……..

[xendrassk]

Here’s a little something for dmc oc week.

Name: Fairuza (True name sealed away 2,000 years ago-Nivalis)

Age: 2,300+ years

Height: 184 cm (a touch over 6’0)

Weight: 68 kg (approximately 150 lbs)

Species: Dragonian demon

Fairuza belonged to a very small group of enigmatic beings called “Dragonians”. Back in those days she was better known as Nivalis the ethereal frost and one of Mundus’ terrible generals. After the dark knight, Sparda defeated the demon emperor, Nivalis was stripped of her name and sealed away by the last two remaining dragonians. Her crime was the destruction of most of her clan, including her father, Bellicus the Infernal might. When she was sealed away, most of her memories were sealed as well. She slumbered for a millennia before her tomb was moved elsewhere and subsequent awakening…

Fairuza utilizing the Bellicus devilarm gauntlets. A power she cannot use simultaneously with her innate primordial ice powers. This is but a fraction of Bellicus true primordial flame abilities. It can pose a threat to Fairuza if she is reckless. The utility of this devilarm is connected to her will. If there were a situation where her resolve were to falter…

[euryalex]

I'll gladly infodump about my Tav!! Her name is Merle and she's a teifling oath of vengeance paladin! In my personal headcannon, her parents are drow but she somehow got some infernal ancestry. Her father was a menzoberrenzan (hope I'm spelling that right lol) lord and she was born out of wedlock to one of his mistresses. Fine for her father, especially since she's a devil child, until Merle became somewhat of a local hero and her father worried she would come for her inheritance. He sent guards after her who ending up murdering her mother. Merle took revenge but also killed her half siblings and step mother in the process, so i actually view her as a former oathbreaker who's trying to get back on the right path. She's very much the strong silent type. She romances Gale though carried a small flame for Shadowheart. For a long time she genuinely thought the emperor/dream guardian was the spirit of her mother trying to protect her.

Idk I just think she's neat!

HI I AM ASKING FOR MERLES HAND IN MARRIAGE!! OUGH this is. interesting !! i love this story you created and the idea of a paladin who broke their oath before the events of the game... ough

What was her mother like :O is there something about her in game story that kinda... reflects on her past? like are her choices influenced by what happened to her mother? :O !!

[fleet-admiral-hiba]

DARKNESS ARISE

A/n: the beginning of the end

Hubris did come before a fall.

And his would be spectacular.

While he was sat on his ivory tower, nearing steadily Mariejois, he hadn't thought about one thing: he had enemies,lots of them.

But most of all, he underestimated the need for revenge he instilled in those he wronged.

He was sure he could waltz in the Holy Land and do as he pleased.

But darling, karma was indeed a bitch. And it came in the form of a scholar.

.

.

.

The Charlotte in the end reached an agreement with them, thanks to Brennan. Now,they just had to wait.

The same went for the other emperors. They knew that something far more dangerous was moving in the world, and they had a privileged seat to watch it unfold.

It was time.

.

.

.

The marines all held their breath.

The WG trembled.

Peace was going to be restored.

.

.

.

The ship was near. They could see them, and one by one they started to pick them apart.

Mentally and physically.

Oh what joy it brought, to put in his place such an asshole.

The sniper was the first: he could warp around and his skills could be fastidious. It took nothing to destroy that asset.

Eyes blank, mind filled with nothing and everything. The sharpshooter was just a shadow of himself, nothing but a broken statue .

Next was Lafitte and Shiryu. Both were dangerous in their own accord: one could manipulate people and the other could be everywhere while invisible.

Well then, let the chase begin.

Shadows morphed and time stretched. They didn't notice anything. Blood was slowly pouring out. A death so gruesome it would take them years to notice, but just a second to execute.

Trapped into a limbo of eternal pain, while their bodies were decaying. Such decadent image.

The others were just as easy to dispatch. A touch was only needed. Their bodies turned to dust, gradually disintegrating.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" they said.

Oh to be a scholar, it brought them so much joy and manic glee.

The last one was trickier, but nonetheless quick. For them, it all took five minutes. For them, it will be eons before they'll die.

"Marshall D. Teach" they said, while gliding along the grass of the Holy Land, "you have committed a great crime. And thus I shall punish you" continued, while passing a hand on their frozen shoulder, enjoying a tad too much such wanton bloodlust. "I reckon you never thought it possible. You have two of some of the strongest fruits in the world, yet you have been bested by a mere scholar" whimpers, all his mouth could utter was whimpers.

"Hush now, don't interrupt me. You see, had you not injured civilians, among other people, you would have never met me. You see, a God doesn't interfere in the affairs of mortals. But you have sinned" . A scythe, black like the void was unsheathed, gliding along the plane of his abdomen, drawing blood and leaving cuts that would never be closed.

"Thus my job is to come here and right some of the wrongs committed. The Void, O'Hara, Marineford, the destruction of those islands. Some where my doing, some those of my brethren. But you...you will be my cleansing" and slowly, slash after slash, the fallen emperor weeped.

It hurt, but he couldn't move. He was becoming s grotesque figure that warned mortals of their wrongdoings.

"Dust you were and dust you shall return" murmured the scholar, while the scythe began to glow a cold blue.

Infernal flames were always the best method to dispose of bodies. "The suffering you inflicted shall return upon you tenfold. So I declared and so it will be. Your soul and those of your comrades are all condemned to the same fate" .

The earth rumbled and the skies split.

Nothing was left of the Blackbeard's fleet. Not an ounce of dust. The fruits returned to the sea, and justice for the moment was restored.

Kuzan smiled from his bike, glad to have you on his side.

But it wasn't the end... The WG had its share of the blame.

No one knew what had happened on this fateful day to the inhabitants,but many told the story of a great reform.

Who knew...karma could be so vicious yet so fair?

[soulventure91]

Diric has at LAST finished Act 2! One PC death and a remake later. [His choices, impressions, etc under the cut]

Entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands from the Underdark was different from his first go (emerging from the pass and lying to summon Kar'niss before siding with the Harpers at the ambush site), especially given the curse itself! But he saved the Harpers that initially appeared and gladly went to Last Light to meet Jaheira (and hearing Karlach squeal in fangirlish delight) and Isobel (protecting her from Marcus's ambush!), as well as reunite with the surviving tieflings from the Grove!

Speaking of re-meeting the survivors, Diric of course checked on Dammon and provided the second piece of infernal iron to help stabilize Karlach's engine! Diric gave her her first hug in ten years like the softie he is.

However, it was Wyll that fully captured Diric's heart as they danced one evening - this time Dir inviting Wyll to kiss him after stealing one off of him at the end of Act 1. This did mean Karlach had to have her heart broken because of her intense feelings for Dir (which he shares!!!) and was not going to share him with Wyll (but this is what post-game fic is for).

Getting into Moonrise was fairly straightforward thanks to the tadpoles - though witnessing Ketheric Thorm's immortality gave Diric huge pause. He avoided all conversation regarding the Prism and its contents (as far as he knew at the time) and instead slid out to clean out Reithwin of Thorm's twisted relations. In so doing, Dir then found Art Cullagh's lute and helped Halsin rescue Thaniel and Oliver in preparation of undoing Thorm's curse!

Definitely had to savescum a few times on entering the Gauntlet and meeting Balthazar - and deciding to off him right there in his office. [Pictured above: a failed attempt prior to reloading] But we got him down, and completed all of Shar's challenges successfully to enter the Shadowfell and come face to face with the Nightsong. SOMEHOW, Diric got a natural 20 against the initial DC 30 persuasion check to keep Shadowheart from killing Aylin! She was then freed and helped tremendously in battling Thorm at the top of Moonrise Towers - she practically soloed Thorm to drive him to the colony underground while Diric and friends clobbered the skeleton wizards, bone doggy, and True Soul necromancer. Of course Diric's military time came to the fore in the colony - save who you can, kill all else. So Zevlor and the two captured Flaming Fists were successfully saved, as well as Mizora.

Fighting Thorm himself was actually quite straightforward - after all, when you hit level 9 just prior to the descent, this saves a lot of rough HP gaps - even more so when you boost your CON! No need to reload as Shadowheart and Wyll dropped Flame Strikes and Gale unleashed an Ice Storm to buy Diric the necessary space to get to Aylin (even if he did try to hit Thorm a couple of times on the way and realized the immortality was back in effect). Even though I was ready for Shadowheart to pocket-heals for Aylin, that moonlight deva absolutely wrecked Thorm - even if Gale did finish him off with a well-placed Fire Bolt.

At least, until Myrkul decided to show up.

And yet! The party plus Aylin were speedy enough to take down the avatar in two rounds, with Diric finishing him off! Thus the Chosen of Myrkul got his ass beat. Diric tore off Thorm's Netherstone and heaved an exhausted sigh of relief. Even if there's an elder brain controlled by Chosen of two-thirds of the Dead Three running amok, plus an army of mind-controlled thralls with tadpoled lieutenants ready to transform into mind flayers on command.

But despite it all, the curse is lifted. And now Diric and friends head for Baldur's Gate...

...though waylaid by the revelation they're carrying a renegade mind flayer that likes to be called The Emperor as well as gith prince Orpheus inside the Astral Prism. And Diric has absolutely no intention, whatsoever, of evolving into a mindflayer.

But that's all farther down, deep in the streets of Baldur's Gate itself.

[thetrishtalgem]

Whumptober 2022 Day 1: A Little Out of the Ordinary

Adverse Effects || Unconventional Restraints || "This Wasn't Supposed To Happen"

Tag List: @poetic-leigh-me @writerofscribbles @whumptober-archive

Fandom: Dungeons and Dragons (OCs)

It had been a few months since the party traveled to Surtur’s Maw and closed the infernal portal that had opened there. Doing so had saved Eldrastad and the entirety of Shiro from being destroyed by a catastrophic volcanic eruption. The Emperor himself had commended the Bar Crawlers on a job well done. An innocent town was saved. An entire continent had been saved. It was, by all accounts, a complete win.

But despite that, Sylvain felt as if his very soul had been weighed down. Matukaal had felt like a crushing defeat to him. The Holy Champion of Helm had instead been relegated to hitting a rock with his sword, and even then Sylvain still managed to miss on occasion. After their battle the fire giants permitted the party first dibs on the infernal scraps the devils had left behind. Sylvain had kept most of it with himself in the bag of holding.

The war efforts showed no signs of slowing. If anything, the magnitude of battles the party faced only seemed to grow. Numinex the dragon lord continued to desecrate the entirety of Nihon, with Drakken now serving as an undead general of his. There was a growing cult within the Empire led by a powerful patron known as “The Stranger” that seemed set on bringing the Blood War between the Hells and the Abyss to an end. The Black Hand’s strikes against Francois became more and more frequent. And then there had been the entire raid on the Vault of the Silent Legion, where Sylvain had slain the solar of his own God only for it to have been for naught. The Ruby Rod of Asmodeus wound up in The Stranger’s hands, and The Stranger revealed himself to be the Emperor of Rython.

All in all, things couldn’t be worse for the Bar Crawlers.

Sylvain kept to himself for the most part after it all happened. Most of his party members were wary to trust him after he’d used a scroll of Sending to secretly contact the Emperor about this cult. He had been afraid. He had thought he was doing the right thing when he handed over the empirical evidence they had.

And it played right into Malacode’s hands.

The nightmares Sylvain dealt with only seemed to get worse after that. Despite his surrender of the bag of holding to Tesi, he could still hear the whispers of doubt in the back of his mind. They would never trust him again. How could they? He’d deliberately betrayed every one of them. He put not only themselves in danger, but their loved ones. It was a blatant disregard of his oath. Some holy champion he was.

In the silence of the night, those whispers echoed louder than anything else in his head.

Even when he tried to go into a meditative trance, he saw the same terrible images play out in his head. Heard the same doubts play out like a hissing snake. Felt the sharpness of steel against his skin. Sylvain could never seem to chase the feeling of fatigue that followed him. Even the scars he’d gotten over a year ago seemed to ache with every movement of his body.

He had truthfully come to prefer those dreams, though.

His other nightmares had him thrown against every enemy that had stood against them before. Each time he stood with his sword in his hand, blade at the ready. Its radiant flame seemed to glow brighter than ever before. The whispers would quickly rise into a cacophony of screams.

“KILL THEM ALL! CUT THEM DOWN! SLAUGHTER THEM LIKE THE BEASTS THEY ARE! MAKE THEM FEEL WHAT IT MEANS TO INVOKE THE WRATH OF THE GODS!”

The light would burn brighter the longer the voices spoke. Sylvain could feel the anger bubble and swell in his chest. He could practically see the faces of everyone who had done the party wrong. Done him wrong. The anger would rise out of his mouth in deranged laughter as he would blindly swing his sword. With each strike he felt, the feeling only grew. Consuming him until he was left kneeling on the barren ground, staring at the carnage around him. Laughing along with the voices.

Those sorts of visions were what kept him up these past few nights.

He leaned over the side railing of the Inn Strider’s deck. Waves crashed against the battered wooden hull, sending a gentle spray of salt water up and into his face on occasion. His hands were folded together as he stared out into the endless night’s expanse. So much ahead of the Bar Crawlers was one big question. It made it difficult to plan for their next move. Especially when they had enemies coming from seemingly every direction.

“Sylvain.”

Sylvain turned his head to see Laila standing behind him. Her long silver hair was unbraided for a change, practically glowing in the pale moonlight. The breeze of the deck ruffled the bottom hem of her shirt. He stood upright and turned fully to face her.

“Laila,” he said. “I-I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

Laila waved a hand dismissively, “It doesn’t matter. What are you doing up here?”

“I just…needed some fresh air. I suppose,” Sylvain answered.

Laila smiled gently. She took a few sauntering steps forward before reaching out for him. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she buried her face into his chest. Somewhat hesitantly, Sylvain put his arms around her.

“Mind if I stay up here then? I miss having you next to me,” Laila glanced up at Sylvain pleadingly. Her right hand began to trace idle patterns against his chest.

Sylvain laughed softly, “I can’t say no to you.”

Laila grinned. Gently she began to pull Sylvain down to sit on the deck of the ship. He obliged with no resistance, pulling her into his lap and cradling her gently. The two sat together, the cresting waves the only sound for a while.

“Tell me what’s wrong, baby,” Laila finally broke the silence.

Sylvain looked down at her, caught off guard. “Huh?”

“You’re tense. And you make these whimpering noises whenever you fall asleep,” she answered quietly. “You know you can wake me up if you can’t fall asleep. Right?”

“There’s no point in both of us being awake,” Sylvain dismissed.

“There is if I can help you, Sylvain. You just have to let me,” Laila pressed him.

“You can’t. It’s…it’s too much for you to try to take on,” Sylvain protested.

Laila pulled back to look Sylvain in the eye, “Maybe. Maybe not. You’ll never know if you don’t talk to me.”

It doesn’t matter.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sylvain echoed the whisper without thinking. “I’m not gonna bother you with it, okay?”

“It isn’t ‘bothering me’ if I offer it to you. You blockhead,” Laila teased. She playfully punched Sylvain in the arm.

“Laila, please. I don’t want to argue about this,” Sylvain sighed in exasperation. “You don’t need more of my shit weighing you down.”

Laila rolled her eyes. She placed a hand on his hip before leveling a serious look at him, “Sylvain Gautier, I know exactly what I got myself into when I agreed to be your girlfriend.

It’s not her burden to bear.

“It’s not your burden to bear.”

Laila’s brows furrowed together. Sylvain felt her grip on his lower waist tighten, fingers curling around something. She glanced down quickly before redirecting her gaze back to his.

“Sylvain,” she spoke calmly despite the worry shining in her eyes. “What…what is that? In your pocket?”

Curious now himself, Sylvain shifted to reach into his pocket. His fingers curled around a warm, circular piece of metal. He pulled it out of his pocket, turning the soul coin over in his fingers for a moment. Laila reached for it, taking it from his hands. The moment that the coin left him, Sylvain felt a weight lift from his shoulders. His aches and worries suddenly seemed to roll off of him. At the same time, he watched Laila’s face almost instantly darken.

“Laila, don’t-,” he reached forward, but she held the coin just out of his reach.

“What is this thing?” Laila whispered.

“It’s a soul coin. We found them back in Surtur’s Maw,” Sylvain took the coin from her hands. As he did, he felt the crushing weight settle back on his shoulders.

Laila stared at him in disbelief. “That was at least three months ago, Syl. You’ve been carrying it with you this whole time?”

“Well, yeah. I just thought…” Sylvain trailed off as he flipped the coin between his fingers. “I don’t know. The others can’t carry them all, and I feel like it’s my duty to help shield them from it.”

“Sylvain, you don’t need to be carrying that thing. I mean, why do you even have it?”

You can’t leave me alone don’t leave me alone never leave me alone-,

“I can’t leave them alone,” he answered with a noncommittal shrug. “I-I dunno. We carry around a lot of weird shit.”

“Them?”

“Yeah. I…sometimes, it’s like I hear someone talking to me. In my head.”

Laila pulled completely away from Sylvain. She looked at him in a combination of worry and disbelief. Sylvain felt his face suddenly beginning to burn.

“Wh-what?” he asked defensively.

Laila's expression softened ever so slightly, “You’re a good person, hon. But damn if you aren’t an idiot sometimes. You don't need to be carrying around something so…cursed.”

Sylvain opened his mouth to respond, but found the words stuck in his throat. Cursed. He held the coin in both hands, staring at it with a gaze that seemed like he wanted to bore a hole through it. Sylvain closed his eyes, concentrating his holy magic into the tips of his fingers.

“Be set free,” he murmured.

Slowly he opened his eyes. He watched the infernal runes on the coin glow a bright red. The metal grew hot in his hands, so much so that he had to drop the coin onto the deck of the ship. Laila instinctively wrapped her arms around Sylvain as the coin rattled on the ground. From its center rose a vague spectral form bound in glowing red chains. The runes on the coin burned brighter. As they did, the chains surrounding the form seemed to as well before one burst into tiny specs of red arcane light. One infernal rune from the coin disappeared. Sylvain and Laila watched as the other chains began to disappear. With one final, blinding flash of light, they saw the specter’s form in detail.

Floating about five feet off the ground was a dwarven man. Despite his translucent and barely visible form, Sylvain could see a grizzled face looking back at him. There was a tense moment where nothing else seemed to happen. Then the form before them gave a warm smile.

There was a faint whisper in the back of Sylvain’s mind as the wind seemingly blew the form away.

Thank you, Sylvain.

As he stared into the empty space in front of him, Sylvain felt light. As if the burden had been lifted from his very soul. He felt Laila’s grip tighten around him a little.

“Sylvain?” she called to him quietly.

He glanced down quickly and gave her a soft smile. He held her tighter, carefully standing up with her still in his arms.

“C’mon,” he whispered. “I think it’s time we go to bed.”

[quitealotofsodapop]

LMK Queen Mother of the West theory/au:

OK this is an idea I just had, reading over aus/theories that Princess Iron Fan is one of the Jade Emperor's daughters. We haven't seen the Queen Mother of the West in LMK just yet, so this idea might end up outdated by the time of S5.

According to a lot of Chinese mythos, The QMotW/Wangmu Niangniang/Xiwangmu was once revered as a Goddess of Destruction and Death before she was viewed as a Mother Goddess. She is almost always associated with her beloved peach orchards and the Big Dipper constellation. She is commonly depicted as a massive celestial tiger and/or a woman with tiger and panther body parts (Jade Emperor done pulled himself a catgirl /jk) who girlbosses her way through court and if people don't follow her advice they end up dead. So what if when Red Son and Mei snuck into the Peach Orchard to get the peach for the antidote, they were caught by an unfamilar face?

A woman. Far larger and more regal than either of them have ever seen. Her skin is a deep orchre, marked with pale stripes like a tiger. Her robes are a mix of peach tones. Her firey red-orange hair streaked with the silver of age. Her eyes are weakened but burn red like hot coals.

Red Son & Mei: *both freeze in terror* Imperial Woman: "I know that you're here for a peach." Red Son & Mei: "Pssh! No!" "No peach thiefery here!" Imperial Woman: *laughs and shushes softly* *With a single stretch of her arm, she reaches farther than Red Son has climbed, plucking a single peach from a branch.* Imperial Woman: "There. You should try some. They're very good this year. Though I would prefer if your friends came and asked me directly next time." Red Son, shakily taking the peach. He feels like he should recognise this woman: "Th-thanks..." Mei: "Whoa! We could have just asked!? It's that easy?" Imperial Woman: "Of course dear. I wouldn't let one of my subject go hungry." *background chaos of the others getting the pills and furnace* Mei, hoists Red Son on her back like in the episode: "Sorry for rushing ma'am! But we're in the middle of something! Thank you so much for the Peach!!! I love your hair by the way!! Bye!!"

The Imperial Woman just smiles as they flee the garden. A swarm of palace guards and orchard maidens come rushing to the scene. With a single raise of her hand, the Imperial Woman calls off the guards.

The QMotW: "Don't worry. They're just children playing a game. After all, it's been a long time for me not to have met my own Grandson." *Reminded of her own infernal past she laughes, a tiny flame flickering in her palm* The QMotW: "He takes far more after me than he realises."

[landsofaruin]

Abominatus, The Dark Centurions

"The commanders ears began to bleed and he screamed out for the comfort of his mother as the shadowy figure loomed across the sky. As it approached I heard it, the cries, the crying of a dragon and man entwined in pain. A dragon betrayed by the rider it so dearly loved, screaming for the gods to release it from the pain it experiences with every horrific breath. It's skin was black and cracking, flakes of the dragons previous scale pattern creeping through but it seemed as if its flesh moved of its own accord, the magic of the previous dragon desperate to be released from its fleshy prison. The smell...by the Gods the smell, like that of the longest rotting corpses, puss filled and morose. It opened its maw and bathed my fellow soldiers in flames made from the infernal realm itself, flames clinging to their skin like it needed to make its way inside us. May the Gods give us mercy."- survivor of the Massacre at the Plain of Gold

Trivium's final act against the gods was to commit the dark gods to create horrid abominations of nature. He took his most loyal generals and their dragons and commanded the mages to use demonic powers to increase their strength and abilities, the daemon magics and the innate magic of the dragons fused with the powers of the Centurion's particular favored Dark God and human body creating a creature, not dragon nor man but fully daemon. The generals of the Dark Emperor, dreaded Abominatus, Dark Centurions, monsters of scale and infernal flesh. Each of these nine Centurions would be able to combat the greatest of the Altrian Dragons and would be able to use their own magical powers while in these infernal forms, they are unable to be killed fully outside of the infernal realms of the Dark Gods but they are now fully bound by the magics of the infernatum, they can be prevented from being summoned onto the material plane." -Entry from "The Book of the Vile and Infernal" by Hierophant Xenophon the Martyr, 100 PI

[yugiohcardsdaily]

Posted Cards Master List - 56.0

February 2024, 1st thru 20th

Herald of Ultimateness

Invocation

Invoked Augoeides

Invoked Caliga

Invoked Cocytus

Invoked Elysium

Invoked Magellanica

Invoked Mechaba

Invoked Purgatrio

Invoked Raidjin

Magical Meltdown

Magistus Invocation

Magistus Theurgy

Magistus Vritra

Ninaruru, the Magistus Glass Goddess

Omega Summon

Spellbook of Judgment

Star Drawing

The Book of the Law

Trismagistus

Vahram, the Magistus Divinity Dragon

Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame

Additional Mirror Level 7

Aratama

Armed Neos

Babysitter Goat (Master Duel, I think???)

Arms Regeneration

Baby Spider

Mother Spider

Battlefield Tragedy

Black Mamba

Blackwing - Sharnga the Waning Moon

Cattycorn

Courageous Crimson Chevalier Bradamante

Daidaratant the Ooze Giant

Dark Magician the Knight of Dragon Magic

D/D/D Super-Dimensional Sovereign Emperor Zero Paradox

Dimensional Fissure

Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder

Don't Slip, the Dogs of War

Duality

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman - Infernal Rage

Favorite Hero

Extox Hydra

Final Cross

Ghost Fusion

Ghost Lancer, the Underworld Spearman

Ghost Sleeper, the Underworld Princess

Ghost Wyvern, the Underworld Dragon

Golden Rule

Guard Mantis

Herald of Pure Light

Junk Archer

Lamia

Link Decoder

Mathmech Equation

Mathmech Sigma

Mysterion the Dragon Crown

Numbers Last Hope

Odd-Eyes Rebellion Xyz Dragon

Performapal Barokuriboh

Performapal Classikuriboh

Performapal Odd-Eyes Butler

Performapal Odd-Eyes Valet

Photon Jumper

Praying Mantis

Protection of the Elements

Promotion

Puppet Pawn

Puppet Rook

RGB Rainbowlution

Rokket Coder

Rose Shaman

Sage of Benevolence - Ciela

Sage of Strength - Akash

Sage of Wisdom - Himmel

Shadow's Light

Sky Striker Ace - Azalea

SPYRAL Quik-Fix

Synchro Zone

Tri-Edge Master

Urubonus, the Avatar of Malice

Viper's Grudge

Xyz Bento

Archfiend Giant

Baby Raccoon Ponpoko

Baby Raccoon Tantan

BIG Win!?

Blue Duston

Burst Rebirth

Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius

Chain Ignition

Chow Chow Chan

Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand

Dragard

Dragon Shield

Gagagatag

Giganticastle

Granmarg the Mega Monarch

Grisaille Prison