A Theory About Why Cazador Chose Astarion
Or a vampire lords miserable existence.
Okay to get it out of the way I first present my usual theory as to why Cazador Szarr chose Astarion
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A Theory About Why Cazador Chose Astarion
Or a vampire lords miserable existence.
Okay to get it out of the way I first present my usual theory as to why Cazador Szarr chose Astarion

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okay so after watching the City Walls video a few times and thinking about the ending, I don't think it's as sad as I thought on first watch. TylerClancy didn't break the cycle but he DID gain ground towards breaking it. his black paint is lower on his face than Nico's was. I bet it gets lower and lower each cycle. and we know from the letters that TylerClancy was already kind of plotting to take over Dema and try to make it better (which was wishful and delusional thinking, but hey, INTENTIONS!!) and honestly now I don't even think actually breaking the cycle is the point. the point is to keep trying and keep fighting and to stay alive. in fact one could say that the cycle IS the point. the intentions are the point, the fight is the point. Clancy will try again to overthrow the new Bishops and Torchbearer will always find Clancy, get him out of Dema and prepare him to keep the fight going. Torchbearer never stops helping each Clancy because their intentions line up. they are the same. when Clany fails Torchbearer never loses hope.
overcompensate. overtake your former self. starting it all over once again. intentions are everything. the sun will rise and we will try again. stay alive. |-/
Of representations and reinterpretations
I feel I have to note this down, even if it doesn’t get seen by anyone. Short as my stint of ‘I love everything about Lore Olympus’ has been, I’ve noticed plenty of people being angry over how Greek mythology is being interpreted in Lore Olympus, claiming that it sullies the original myths (which they think don’t need to be reinterpreted) and it misrepresents the mythology as a whole. Furthermore, it has been claimed that achieving commercial success in misrepresenting the myths could potentially mean that reinterpretations such as Lore Olympus will overshadow the original myths and wrong ‘lore’ will be passed on as ‘true’, which will mess up the knowledge passed on to future generations.
This is not a new problem - reinterpretation of stories, folklore, myths, and anything of content is far from being a new phenomenon. While I lack deeper knowledge of Greek mythology, I am still aware that myths rarely have just one version (in fact, they often have multiple versions) and that reinterpretations - both official and non-official - happen. In my opinion, the problem for those who dislike the attention Lore Olympus is getting, is not just the reinterpretation, but the potential possibility that the reinterpretation will gain a life of its own and the original myths will pale in comparison. This is an understandable fear, but the solution to this is not a ban on reinterpretations or scoffing at people, who do like reinterpretations, but educating - calmly - your peers that original Greek mythology and mythological interpretations are two different things and should be accepted as such. Reinterpretations of modern entertainment has also been an issue, with people being upset over new versions of their loved TV series, movies, etc. being released. There are plenty of examples, where new versions or interpretations of existing content have been released and someone is always unhappy about it - examples are Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth version vs Keira Knightley version - both of which I love, because I think they’re different and yet they still tell the same story); Jane Eyre (I was so upset over the Mia Wasikowska version, as I loved the 2004 version, but I have grown to love it and have discovered that plenty of people absolutely hated the 2004 version); different doctors in Doctor Who etc. Key term is - don’t hate what people like, unless there is a reason for it such as promoting abuse or unhealthy relationship/life patterns etc. While Lore Olympus is not perfect, it probably won’t have the potential to create similar damages to how people view Greek mythology as for example Fifty Shades of Grey did to BDSM community, after which plenty of people seem to think that FSOG is the true representation of explorative sexual relationship. However, if people accept that FSOG is not a true representative of BDSM kinks (and don’t promote it as such) and still like it, then who the hell am I do judge them for it? Personally, Ithink FSOG is a poorly written crap with even poorer sex within, but arguably lots of people like it and enjoy it and I keep myself out of their enjoyment. This is not just about Lore Olympus, although I used it as an example. I noticed the same about Anne of Green Gables reinterpretation (which I thought was fantastic! And I love both ‘Anne with an E’ and the original Anne of Green Gables movies) and Harry Potter. Don’t get me wrong - I loathe Cursed Child, but I cannot undo it and there are people who enjoy it. I simply choose to ignore that part of HP lore and focus on other aspects that I love in the fandom.
I prefer to believe that fans of any content and medium are rational and calm people and allow people to like what they prefer. While I don’t dispute the original Greek mythology I was taught in school, I just like Lore Olympus reinterpretation because of its art, its colours, and yes - I am a die-hard romance-shipper, so I do like it for the romance as well. I don’t take Lore Olympus as a replacement of real Greek myths and I would never travel to Greece and spout something from Lore Olympus as a fact of real Greek mythology - I have been educated and I know that these are two separate things. Allow fans of Lore Olympus - or any reinterpretation of beloved works and characters - the courtesy of liking what they like and being smart enough to separate different mediums.
I wonder why in the Dark Souls series there wasn't an organization developed to maintain the First Flame at a controlled burn instead of either there being either an age of Fire or Dark? I know it sounds centrist and that Darkness in the DS cosmology is strongly tied to confusion, suffering, and obsession, but maybe that was the point of the series. To say that anguish and sadness cannot be completely excised from the human condition, each story being a cautionary tale of one who fell into despair by holding onto joy past its time. Maybe the solution no one had the courage to think of was to maintain the twilight between pleasure and pain, embracing the full spectrum of human experience while denying neither.