#I cannot believe 'Of An Age' was released last year

[pierppasolini]

✨ 9 favorite films that i watched (for the first time) in 2023 ✨

I was tagged by @anthonysperkins thank you! 💙

Since I did my Top 10 First Time Watches a few days back [here], I decided to do 9 more first time watches that I loved last year. :D

[discordiansamba]

that said the idea of Zuko being the spirits go to guy for problem solving is so funny to me. something something AU in which Zuko was born a hundred years ago and when Aang vanishes the spirits are just like. gee. we need a temporary bridge between worlds until he gets back so they just make a beeline for zuko. yeah you'll do. we're going to slap you with immortality. go forth and problem solve for us.

zuko: do I have the option to unsubscribe.

spirits: no.

local immortal firebender doomed to wander the earth doing whatever the spirits want of him. they promise they'll release him if the Avatar ever returns. Zuko is increasingly suspicious that won't happen. he doesn't have any cool spirit powers- he just doesn't die. or grow. he would have appreciated not being perpetually sixteen actually.

he can't prevent the war from happening. that's not what the spirits want from him. but he watches it all unfold- and he tries to help whenever he gets the chance. he somehow still manages to forge vague connections to the rest of the world. it's not why he's there, but he helps a young woman from the northern water tribe escape her unwanted marriage by fleeing to the south. he hates going to omashu because that bumi kid won't leave him alone- what do you mean he's king now.

he watches the war get worse. he watches the dai li grow increasingly corrupt. there's so much he wants to do, but the spirits usually won't let him intervene in mortal affairs. he belongs to them. just when he starts to believe that he'll never be free, the spirits tell him he has only one last task left. go to the south pole. escort the three children there to the north pole.

it's a weird request, but zuko literally cannot refuse, so he goes. kanna greets him. she's gotten older again since the last time he saw her. her son is off to war. her oldest grandchild is almost his physical age. they went out fishing and haven't returned. when they do, they arrive on a sky bison- and there's an airbender with them.

it's the fucking avatar.

after a hundred years, the avatar has returned... and instead of instantly releasing him from his contract, the spirits want him to be his babysitter. what did he do to deserve this.

(well. his father being fire lord sozin probably didn't help.)

[xiaq]

Thanks for all the prompts! I combined a few: Outsider POV, getting together with the help of friends, Steve Harrington is an Idiot (affectionate), Rocky Horror, and “did we almost just kiss?”

“Robin,” Steve says, before he’s even fully in the Family Video door. “I’m having a crisis.”

She shoves another VHS tape into the rewinder. “No.”

“What do you mean, no?” He whines, collapsing face-first onto the counter.

“I mean no. I don’t have time for a crisis right now. We just finished a crisis and I require at least fifteen business days between crises. I do not have the bandwidth.”

“It’s not like a crisis, crisis,” he mutters. “It’s…a personal crisis.”

She flicks the side of his head. “What is the nature of this personal crisis?”

He rolls his face so his cheek is pressed to the laminate. He meets her eyes. “How did you know you liked girls?”

“Oh,” Robin says. The tape rewinder clicks but she doesn’t move. “Oh. Yeah, we can handle this crisis now. It’s long overdue.”

“Long over—” Steve straightens, weight on his elbows. “What?”

“Honestly I thought we were going to have this conversation during the whole Rocky Horror Picture Show thing but––”

“Robin”

“Sorry. Right. I knew I liked girls because I liked girls. I knew I liked girls because I wanted to kiss girls.”

“Yeah. But how did you know it was more than the normal amount?”

“…the normal amount,” she repeats.

“Well sure,” he scrubs a hand through his hair. “Everyone wants to kiss everyone a little bit, right? Like. How did you know it was more than the normal heterosexual amount?”

Robin cannot believe she’s going to have to say this out loud. She glances around the empty store just to make sure no one has somehow teleported in during the last two minutes.

“Steve. Steven. There is no normal heterosexual amount of wanting to kiss people of the same gender.”

He crosses his arms. “Well, that can’t be right.”

“Hold on. Wait. What boys have you wanted to kiss?” She can guess, but confirmation would be nice.

“Are you sure that––”

“Yes, I’m sure. But back to the boys you’ve wanted to kiss. Have you…acted on that, ever?

“Yeah but just the––oh. Well. You’re probably going to say there isn’t a normal heterosexual amount of kissing the same gender either.”

“How are you this stupid.”

“I mean, everyone messes around with their friends at some point, right?”

“I desperately wish that was true,” Robin answers. “Because if it was, I would not be standing here at 19 years old finding out that Steve Harrington has kissed a boy before I kissed a girl. Jesus. Wait. How many boys have you kissed?”

“Three?”

“Three? Unbelievable.”

Except now he’s wearing his big-eyed, floppy-haired sad expression and she knows, she knows she’s not handling this the way she should.

Robin sighs. “Ok, I’m sorry. Thank you for trusting me with this. I love you and I’m here for you and it sounds like you’re bisexual. Which is actually pretty cool because that means I know two whole queer people other than myself in Hawkins. Well. Probably three. But that hasn’t been officially confirmed.”

“Bi-sexual.” He rolls the word around in his mouth like he’s tasting it. “Bisexual. Huh. Okay.”

“It means you like both. Or, any, I guess. Which no, is not normal for everyone.”

“Okay. Bisexual. Neat. Who else do you know?”

She raises an eyebrow at him.

“Right. That would be super uncool of you to tell me without their permission. But, um. Are they people I know?”

“They’re people you know.”

“Are they over the age of 16?”

“One of them is.”

The hopeful look on Steve’s face is actually a little gross.

“Are they–”

“Eddie!” Robin says, “hey, what are you doing here so early?”

Steve’s reaction to Eddie pushing open the door provides all the confirmation she needs about which boy Steve currently wants to kiss. Not that there was a lot of uncertainty there anyway. He’d practically kept vigil at Eddie’s bedside while he was in the hospital and in the last month since Eddie was released, they’ve become weirdly inseparable. Half the time when Robin calls in the middle of the night to talk though her nightmares, it’s Eddie answering the Harrington phone. And when no one answers the Harrington phone, a call to the Munson phone will usually do the trick. She’s tempted to think they’re already together except Eddie’s pining has only gotten worse over the last week. If they were banging he’s be less insufferable. Well. He might still be insufferable but in like, a happy, well-fucked way. She doesn’t want to think about that.

“Eddie,” Steve says, “hi.”

“...hi,” Eddie says, understandably confused by Steve’s strangled greeting. He rocks back and forth on his heels, hands shoved in the pockets of a pair of black jeans that are, for once, not ripped. “So. Big news.” He spreads his arms. “You are now looking at a gainfully, legally, employed, upstanding citizen of Hawkins.”

Robin isn’t really surprised. The owner of the auto shop across the street that Eddie applied to is friends with Wayne and a regular at Hideout. If there’s anyone who’s willing to look past Eddie’s poor reputation, it’s him. And Eddie had gotten some sort of automotive certificate the year before in shop class. One of the few things he’d passed with flying colors.

“Oh my god,” Steve says. He stumbles over to hug him and then twirls him around like they’re in one of the stupid romcom videos on the back wall. “Eddie,” Steve says again, this time so overwhelmingly full of tenderness that Robin feels like she’s intruding despite the fact that she’s, you know, standing behind the counter of her own place of work. 

“Congratuations,” Steve continues. He’s set Eddie down again but they’re still so close, arms tangled together, that he’s practically speaking the words into Eddie’s mouth. “When do you start?”

Eddie doesn’t answer. Eddie seems to have misplaced his self-awareness because he’s swaying forward, through the scant space left between them, and oh my God, Robin is going to have to do something or they’re definitely going to have their first kiss in the Family Video with her watching.

Robin slams the clamshell case on the Aristocats return she’d just rewound. They jump apart, looking dazed. Steve runs a hand through his hair. Eddie plays with his rings. Even though they’re no longer touching, they’re still looking at each other with the kind of naked affection that could get them in trouble if they’re not careful. Well. More trouble. 

“Eddie, that’s awesome,” Robin says brightly. “When do you start?”

“Oh. Monday, actually.”

“That’s great. You and Steve should celebrate tonight.”

“We…should.” Eddie agrees.

“I have plans. Important plans. That I can’t miss. But Steve was just telling me that he wanted to watch Rocky Horror again, right Steve?”

“I–yes?”

“And you like Rocky Horror, right Eddie?”

Eddie narrows his eyes at her. “I do.”

“Great.”

She gives Steve a significant look.

“I’ll come to your place with the movie once I’m off?” Steve suggests to Eddie.

Eddie nods slowly. “Yes. Cool. Cool cool cool. I’ll get pizza. And see you then.” He salutes for some ungodly reason but Steve salutes him back like that’s a normal thing to do and they grin at each other as Eddie walks backward toward the door.

Idiots.

God, she loves them so much.

Steve waits until the van has pulled out of the parking lot to resume his face-down position on the counter.

She goes back to rewinding tapes.

She waits.

“Did we almost just kiss?” he asks finally. “In the Family Video.”

“Sure looked like it,” Robin says. “Which is not advisable. I feel like I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

“Yeah, obviously, but that means…if I try to kiss him tonight he’d probably go for it, right?”

“Only one way to find out,” Robin sighs.

Except she already knows that tomorrow morning Steve Harrington will have kissed four boys and she still has yet to kiss a single girl. 

Unbelievable.

Steve sits up with sudden purpose. “I am. I’m going to kiss him tonight.”

“Great. Super happy for you. Can you help me rewind some tapes until then?”

Already working on PT. 2 which is Wayne’s POV when he accidentally intrudes on their celebration that night. So. Stay tuned for that.

Pt. 2 is Here.

[shyvien]

Here are 100 random quotes from Lucifer!

Sourced from the OM! Wiki, chats, devilgram, screenshots I found, etc. I made this list to help with studying to write the characters in character. (Not really proofread, sorry if there are mistakes. Also, there may be spoilers. If so, they’re minor spoilers)

✧༺⚜️༻✧

​​“Do you want my attention? Why don't we talk for a little then? I have enough energy for that. As your presence is so very soothing to me.“

​​“Heh, not afraid to get sassy with me anymore, are you?”

​​“Let's celebrate until you cannot stand anymore.“

​​“No need to rush. I won't be able to help you if you fall down in the middle of the street. Rather, I would probably enjoy the sight.”

​​“...Well? How do you like Demonus-flavored kisses?“

​​“I believe it's long been established that if anyone's going to be eating them, it will be me.“

​​“If you want me to keep you from running that mouth of yours, you need only ask.“

​​“Are you poking fun at me right now? I see you like to play with fire. Well, there's a punishment for getting cheeky with me like that. Come here, MC”

​​“I am exceedingly concerned…”

​​“Now Listen, and listen well. I will not be your possession. I won’t belong to you. You will belong to me.”

​​“You seem repentant, so I shall forgive you.”

​​“Are you still tired from last night? After all, I didn’t let you get much sleep.”

​​“I will watch over you. Until the day comes where we must part. And I promise... to love you until the end of your days and beyond.”

​​“You... Release me! Don't you dare try to put me to sleep like I'm not ten million years older than you!”

​​“All of you, out of the way...! I'm going to tear that human limb from limb…!”

​​"Are you trying to please me?"

​​"Do you need a goodnight kiss?"

​​"You are a strange human being."

​​"You want me to praise you for that? Very well… Good iob."

​​"Fine, I'll forgive you just this once."

​​"Do you need something?"

​​“It's as if you're saying that you need me in your life, and that's a wonderful feeling. Is it conceited of me to say that? Well, I am the Avatar of Pride, after all."

​​“Stab it with a fork or something. Anything sharp should do the trick.“

​​"I can't say I mind spending my time with you while Mammon's shrieks echo in the background either. Heh! And Diavolo's laughter is even louder than that."

​​“Well, there are worse demons it could have happened to... Probably.”

​​“Asmo, you stay right there. I'll go get my whip.“

​​“Hush now. Daddy's here to give you a hug.“

​​“NONONONONONO! I'm saying I DON'T want them to see that picture. So, if they ask you for it, I'd like you to tell them that no such photo exists. OK?”

​​“That won't be necessary. I went ahead and blew it up. The entire room.“

​​"If you want to get the better of me, that toy of yours isn't going to cut it. Perhaps try lethal poison from some horrific insect, aged a thousand years for maximum potency."

​​“I know, I know... But why don't we save the killing until after you've eaten your breakfast, hm?“

​​“Mmm, nothing's sweeter than listening to their screams of agony. Heheheh...”

​​“Bring him down to the living room. Use whatever means necessary…though I do want him alive.“

​​”I would never have imagined I would be kissed on the cheek by you. I don't dislike it when you take the initiative. But why on the cheek? You don't need to hesitate with me. Next time, do it on the lips. Understand?”

​​“Hell coffee becomes bitter when you prepare it for someone that you're fond of. It's a special property of the coffee beans. Naturally, I drank every last drop of your feelings.”

​​“Only those that haven't been involved in that dolt's childish antics are the truly happy ones.”

​​“When I get my hands on him, I'll have to be thorough with my discipline.”

​​“Tomorrow I will be handing Diavolo a report detailing how all of the exchange students are faring. I'll be sure to stress how excited you are to continue your education here at our prestigious academy.”

​​“How's the Celestial Realm? Unlike the Devildom, you don't have to worry about anyone grabbing you and eating you for lunch there, do you?”

​​“You've got Solomon with you as well, so you should relax and enjoy your time there.“

​​“If only my brothers were as obedient as you are. It is not every day that you get the chance to have me indebted to you. You can expect a one-hundred times return on the investment of your time, that I promise. In return, I expect that you won't let me down.”

​​“How naive. If you don't want me to have wasted my time by informing you, be sat in your seat at the table within the next sixty seconds. It will be just you and me. Let us enjoy the rare breakfast together before my brothers ruin the atmosphere.”

​​“Don't get cocky, MC.”

​​“One spoke at length about the clothing on the Diavolo sticker. It waxed lyrical about how exquisite the design choices were.”

​​“However, I discovered a slew of insults written in invisible ink on the page.“

​​“How could you tell? You really know me well, MC! Hehehe. I was drinking Demonus with Diavolo earlier. And you know, he kept saying all these nice things about you... Let me tell you, I'm also really happy you're down here with us.”

​​“…Who even came up with the idea that whoever empties their bottle first, wins...? Oh, right. I did... My bad. Ah, my head is spinning. Good night MC. Love you.”

​​“Ugh, you thickheaded fool of a demon! What's your skull made of? Granite?”

​​“That's a curse meant to make you stub your toe on the leg of a table… But if you actually do stub your toe, it hurts quite a bit.”

​​“MC. It has come to my attention that Mammon and Asmo took you out for a drive recently. Well, how was it? Enjoyable? …I'm glad to hear it. We all need breaks from the daily grind from time to time. l'd like you to join me for a drive next time. I'll give you a taste of euphoric freedom that those two could never dream of. Prepare for the time of your life.”

​​“If you'd like, we could take a shower together.”

​​“After all, I haven't managed to seduce you yet. I'm going to need more time.”

​​“The three highest-ranked demons in the realm, frolicking about in a frivolous pajama party? How absurd.”

​​“I didn't hear a word you just said. I know nothing about it, and I'm going to keep it that way.”

​​“I see. Then I should be allowed to take a similar photo of you, no? Come stay over in my room again tonight.”

​​“Don't be stupid. I will not allow myself to be clad in demon garb. I'm going to strip off every last piece of it this very instant and fling it as far away from me as I can.”

​​“You're a demon. I'm surprised someone like you is able to feed me lines like that with a straight face. You've got some nerve.”

​​ “Heheheh. Well, he is my brother, after all, so I thought I'd go easy on him. So, should I make this quick, or go slowly, bit by bit? Your choice.”

​​ “So, tell me. what's with the Little D.? The one looking at me with that moronic expression...”

​​“You think you stand a chance against me?! You think you could defeat Lucifer, Avatar of Pride?“

​​ “Well, aren't you persistent. I suppose you won't be happy until you've pummeled the door senseless?”

​​“...Just what were you hoping to accomplish by knocking me down like this, hm? Because doing something like that to me, right now… is making it much harder for me to control myself...!”

​​“Given that you were the one who pounced first, you can't complain when the tables are turned, can you? …I'm so thirsty, I can hardly think straight. I trust you understand what that means.”

​​ “To show my thanks, I suppose I'm not against giving you some special treatment. You'll have to come closer. I'll give you my lap until you're satisfied. ...You'll keep me company until then, won't you?”

​​"You deserve a thank you."

​​ "Sorry, this isn't exactly my cup of tea. I was hoping you'd know me better."

​​"It appears to me you know what pleases me."

​​"Are you really trying to tickle me? Heheheh, you'll have to do much better than that."

​​"Pff...if you think that tickles, you're wrong."

​​"Well, if you insist on touching me, then be my guest.”

​​"Well, hello. How are things?"

​​"You've got some nerve keeping me waiting. Well now, what are you going to do about it?"

​​"I'm back. Hm? ...Did you miss me?"

​​"*sigh* I've had a long day. But seeing you has a way of making me feel better."

​​"Sorry, I had some business to take care of. Well, well, you certainly seem happy to see me."

​​"Done? Let's continue this in my room."

​​"Good night... We'll meet again in our dreams."

​​ "I feel like we both have a nice day ahead of us."

​​ "I enjoyed our time together. Perhaps we should do this again."

​​“You do know what I'm capable of... don't you?"

​​ "Happy Easter. Will you accept it, my little bunny?"

​​"Once you're officially a sorcerer, I'd like you to become powerful enough to shut up Solomon for me."

“Very well. Here I go. Lucifer Kick!”

“Why should I be subjected to the indignation of a pat on the head from you?”

​​“After all, it's a bit like tossing a helpless lamb into the middle of a pack of hungry wolves, isn't it? But it's also important to understand just who it is you're eating, wouldn't you say?“

​​ “It means that I see you as prey, too. Just like the others. It goes without saying that I'm far stronger than you. If I were to pin you down right here and now, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it, now would you? How about we give it a try...?“

​​“You will soon enough.”

​​ “When a vampire feeds, it's not like his human prey feels only pain. Quite the opposite, actually. They're overcome with a feeling of unimaginable ecstasy. The truth is that you want this as well, don't you? You want to feel my arms around you, to give yourself up to me and offer up your blood... You're special. I won't drink you dry...no. I'm going to kiss you again and again, all over your body. Indulging in you just a bit each and every night. And I do mean every night. No other vampire will ever know the taste of your blood…”

​​“Do you have any idea how hard I had to struggle not to do this earlier...? It was all I could do to resist throwing my arms around you right in front of everyone at the party.”

​​ “MC… I missed you. I can tell just from the way you feel against me. I can sense what you're feeling.I'm sorry, MC. ...Sorry it took me so long to get to you. You should really stay with me tonight. We need to make up for all the time lost.“

​​ “You're drunk, you idiot. Oh well, I'll go along with you just for today. Bottoms up.”

​​“Me? Intoxicated? Preposterous. I'm my usual old self.”

​​“You are also fond of me, no?“

​​ “Then come over here. Are you holding back? Come closer. Prepare yourself. If I win, I get to do with you as I please.”

​​“You know there is no turning back after the first pillow is thrown, right?”

“As a demon, I've never cared when humans bred…”

​​“Stop unnecessarily stressing me out. You're shaving years off my life here.”

​​ “I don't mind. If I am not allowed to nag, then I can simply beat these rules into you.”

​​“Is this how you all amuse yourselves? By sending photos of your exposed body parts?”

​​ “Good grief. I need eyes everywhere to keep track of everyone.”

Extras! (It's hard to pick just 100 y'know?)

1. ​​“Leading unhealthy lifestyles, frittering away your time and money… The extent to which you all squander your lives away is quite intolerable to watch.”

2.​​ “Put two or more of you together, and you start getting ideas in your head. Bad ideas.”

3. “The next time one of you puts so much as a toe out of line… I'lI march you all up your beloved Mt. Imminent Death, and ensure that you NEVER return.”

4. “So as an extra bonus, I'll tickle you...”

5. “How nice that you're not letting our large underground gambling problem spoil your fun...”

✧༺⚜️༻✧

𝑀𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉

𝒮𝒽𝓎 𝒲𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓇 ༝༚༝༚

[satorugojjo]

I don’t think there’s a single book BookTok has promoted in the last couple years that’s turned out to be an actually good “you cannot miss this read” which now makes me and so many others I know avoid it as a whole.

A lot of BookTok books seem to be specific for very young or very new readers who haven’t cut their teeth on fanfic or haven’t been reading from a young age. The writing style is either a really profound Instagram metaphorical caption kinda overwrought and over flowery language, or it’s trying so hard to be edgy and sardonic and ends up being completely tell and almost zero show. This Is How You Lose The Time War is a PERFECT example of this - where the flowery and poetic language actually takes AWAY from a scene and distracts you from it rather than adding anything to it in the moment, and for those who do like poetic fiction this will be up their alley but if you don’t and you pick it up because of badly marketed hype when you normally wouldn’t, it’s gonna turn you off reading in general!

There’s nothing wrong with starter fiction to help get readers engaged and then find their way into actually good books, but my gripe is that it’s never ever marketed as that and as if it it’s just generically good fiction. Nothing Colleen Hoover has ever written is objectively good - the writing style is mediocre and she romanticises taboo topics which will seem spicy to the average population who doesn’t READ. And yet she takes up every bookshelf which I promise you will end up turning many readers who ARENT on booktok away from reading altogether.

YA is another genre that has declined a lot in recent years because it’s full of marketers trying to fit all the buzzword tropes into their books and getting young readers to buy it because it’s “enemies to lovers pirate cyberpunk found family” or whatever - and it feels more like focus group fiction rather than actual writing. I LOVE YA but nothing that’s been released post 2020 has had any depth, plot, character development or any style to it.

A great example is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - i tried reading 2 chapters as a sample and it was shocking to see how illogical, overdramatic, overedgy and exceptionally “this happened then this then this then that” it was. There was absolutely zero nuance and it felt so “I’m telling you all this but I’m not gonna prove any of it”. And yet it’s rated either 5 stars or 1 star. I’m sure it’s a great starter middle grade/teen book but it is definitely not deserving to be on the same pedestal as other YA books like Hunger Games or Six of Crows. I used to think that perhaps I’ve just outgrown YA but considering I can pick up YA from 2018 that I haven’t read before with no problems, it’s so specific to BOOKTOK YA.

It’s getting to the point that if I see a book that’s being overpromoted on tiktok, I’m more likely to believe the bad reviews because there hasn’t been a SINGLE book where I’ve disagreed with them, and then go find a different book in the same genre that hasn’t been on booktok - it’s getting hilarious actually that the books that are actually incredible get zero screen time and traction on booktok because they aren’t just cheap easy airport reads. Once again - nothing wrong with an easy airport CH book or YA book, but we aren’t going around parading a Lee Child book as peak literature no matter how enjoyable they are.

I don’t even have a conclusion to this entire rant - I’m sick of books like Babel getting steamrolled because it was “too sad or too hard” in favour of the latest SJM book, and getting even more sick of the decline of media literacy due to books getting easier and more spoonfeedy. When they aren’t? They mistake flowery metaphors for complexity and depth.

[bsof-maarav]

Editor’s Note: Sanne DeWitt is a microbiologist, geneticist, researcher, and author of a memoir: “I Was Born In An Old Age Home”. She has lived in Berkeley, California since 1957, where she moved for advanced studies in microbiology and genetics, and worked there until her retirement. The views expressed here are those of the author. View more opinion on CNN.CNN — 

In 1957, I moved to Berkeley, California: a bastion of American liberalism that squarely aligns with my progressive values, and a hub of American scholarship that nurtured my academic quest and professional growth. I came here for advanced studies in microbiology and genetics. Since then, I have lived, worked as a scientist and retired in this community.

Over the 65 years that I have called this beautiful area home, I have occasionally encountered antisemitism, but these one-off incidents never succeeded in destroying my spirit. When I was four years old, Nazis burst into my bedroom and sent me and my family to Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp. We were soon released and I was smuggled out of Germany by a Christian woman. After this harrowing experience, not much in the Bay Area could scare me.

But since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the hatred towards Jews that I have seen in Berkeley terrifies me more than anything I have experienced while living here. I am still reeling from being called a liar at a Berkeley City Council meeting, where I asked for a proclamation to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day and spoke about October 7. The Jews at that meeting were circled and called “Zionist pigs” by menacing protesters.

We are approaching the holiday of Passover, which commemorates the freedom of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and our formation as a free Jewish people in our own land. But this Passover is like no other in recent history, with scores of hostages still held in Gaza and Jews worldwide fearful for our future — including Jews in the US. We are facing the worst global antisemitism since the Holocaust and while it is not state-sanctioned as Nazism was, it is a threat going unchecked in California’s East Bay.

It is incredibly painful to see my neighbors vilify Jews, tear down posters of Jewish hostages in Gaza and not believe Jewish rape victims. In this hotbed, hatred and hostility have become normalized. Families have moved their children out of public schools. Jewish businesses have been vandalized and boycotted. And lies about Jews and Israel have gone unchecked and unchallenged in our public forums. Our local Jewish community is both horrified and petrified.

This onslaught of Jewish hatred cannot become the new normal. This epidemic must be treated as seriously as all other hatreds that our society is confronting, such as racism and homophobia. We need more education about Judaism and how the long, sordid history of antisemitism ties into other forms of hatred in our public schools.

We need colleges and universities to unequivocally denounce hate speech and actions directed at Jews. We need public officials to urge mutual respect, understanding and civil discourse during city council and town hall meetings.

I have seen where unchecked antisemitism can lead, when people will do nothing — or worse, join the mainstream, such as our German neighbors during Nazism. This Passover, I resolve with whatever time I have left in this world to fight for the safety of the Jewish people, in Berkeley and around the globe.

During Passover, we are commanded to tell the story of the exodus out of Egypt to our children. We believe in the lasting power of sharing this history with younger generations and reflecting on this hopeful new beginning. There is also lasting power in sharing my history as a Jewish refugee — and I invite my Berkeley neighbors to hear my story. Without understanding and acceptance, we are enslaved by our biases.

The hatred, violence and bigotry against the Jewish community cannot continue — for our shared future, we must confront it and root it out.

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

PHIA SABAN PHOTOGRAPHED IN NEW YORK BY JULIA SARIY FOR ROSE & IVY MAGAZINE.

HOW HAS THE ANTICIPATION BEEN LEADING UP TO THE RELEASE OF SEASON TWO?

"It's funny because in order to make the show with any integrity, you cannot think about the scale of it at all. It has to be about the moment you're trying to make special and doing justice to the reality of the reality. I mean, it’s a show about dragons (laughs). I hope people will find it's a family drama and the dynamics are very human."

"You almost can't focus on what a big thing it is, but there's nothing like doing a press tour and going to New York, Paris, and London. You realize it is bigger than the soundstage in Watford (laughs). I guess the answer to your question is trying not to anticipate anything."

"That’s the other thing, it's fantastic when things are amazingly received especially since it has such a built-in fan base. People love it almost before it even exists, which is fantastic. It's been very warm and lovely how everybody has received us."

HAS THE EXCITEMENT AROUND THE PROJECT SUNK IN YET?

"When I watched the first episode, 90% of me thought, this is really cool—cool because I was watching my friends on TV. But 10% of me thought that's the way I've done it; it’s permanent and that represents me now and that’s quite hard. It's easy to feel a bit existential about it, especially when you've started with theater and went to drama school."

"There's something amazingly ephemeral about theater and the fact that it doesn't exist anymore once it's happened."

"When you have something with a big budget and loads of people working on it who really believe in it, everyone is so engaged in how to serve the story best, but it's not the same as theater. When you wrap that's the scene."

"It doesn’t have anything to do with me anymore, and it's going to be made into something else."

"During a play, the only people who shared the moment was me and everyone else in the room, and then it goes out into the ether. I am on the journey of finding that on the screen because it's not the same."

ABSOLUTELY, IT’S A LITTLE BIGGER OF AN AUDIENCE—IT’S INSIDE PEOPLE’S HOME, BUT TIMES MILLIONS AND MILLIONS!

"Exactly—that's a nice way of thinking of it, that it is still being shared. With a show that comes out with one episode a week, there's something communal about that. It can be a talking point at the pub or work, which I really like. When Succession came out weekly, I was like, I'm so glad I'm alive to watch this week by week (laughs)."

YOU MENTIONED YOU GRADUATED FROM DRAMA SCHOOL, AND THIS WAS ONE OF YOUR FIRST ROLES.

"I did have one part before, The Last Kingdom, a Netflix show, which is about Vikings and Saxons. I was in my third year of school, and it was during that third year Covid came. So we were all sent home and we didn't ever have that closure."

"But also, you're doing an acting degree and you think, the thing I'm in denial about is that this might not even happen for me. Then suddenly theater doesn't exist and you're back in your childhood bedroom. I mean, worse things were going on in the world, but I think that when I got that part in The Last Kingdom, it felt like magic. I couldn't believe it."

"I got to go out to Budapest for eight months. The cast was so warm and welcoming. I got the House of the Dragon job while I was on that job. I had a bit of time to wait in between them, but it was time I could obsess about the scripts that I did have and all my ideas about her."

CAN YOU WALK ME BACK TO WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GOT THE PART?

"It did take a long time before I finally got the part of Helaena. They were using dummy sides from a scene of Arya’s from Game of Thrones. I did it and thought it was a long shot because every actor my age in the world was probably taping for that part. I knew it was good to be seen by the casting director, Kate Rhodes James. I didn't hear anything for a very long seven months."

"In Budapest, there were whispers that some of the actors were getting auditions for it. I didn’t think it was going to come through for me."

"Eventually, I got a notice saying, they didn’t want me for that part, but to audition for the part of Helaena. When I came home for Christmas, I did the tape. It's so rare when you do a tape where you think, that's a bit of me and I really want to do this. Then I was back in Budapest and I got a text that said they wanted to meet on Zoom."

"So I met with the casting director and the two showrunners, and that just went by in a complete blur. After, I felt like an alien a few days (laughs). I kept having to put myself to sleep in order to not feel worried. One day I woke up from one of those naps and I had a text that said, you've got the part."

YOU GET TEXTED THAT INFORMATION–THEY DON'T CALL YOU! AT LEAST A TEXT CAN BE PRINTED AND GO IN THE MUSEUM ARCHIVE. YOU CAN CREATE SOME MEMORABILIA!

"That's true. I think either way it would've gone, it would have been just me blacking out."

CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER, HELAENA?

"What's interesting for me about Helaena is that she's in this unique situation. She's in the royal family and married to her brother, which she’s done for the family. It is a personal sacrifice."

"She's uncomfortable with what's expected of her. She doesn't like wearing those clothes. She doesn't like standing up there in front of the people and doesn't like being a figurehead or being projected on. She's got her own stuff that makes her feel safe and she wants to be in her own world."

"So we leave her growing up in a level of discomfort. For this season, I would describe it as a reckoning of what she's willing to accept and how far is too far. It's about family dynamics, inherited trauma, and the quest for us to understand each other."

IT MUST BE PRETTY FUN TO FILM THE SHOW ON THAT SET. ARE THERE ANY COOL MOMENTS THAT STAND OUT?

"The sets by set designer Jim Clay are incredible. They have built a castle inside the studios. I can walk into my bedroom, look around my bedroom, walk out, walk downstairs, the grand hall, go into my mother's bedroom, go upstairs, and go to the study."

"In a way, it's like a lazy actor's dream because you just look at something and it's real."

"My favorite moment of this year was when I got my first scenes that are properly in Helaena’s bedroom."

"She has this special interest in her insects and there are cabinets and cabinets filled with the most beautiful bugs and incredible things that had been designed to look like something that she would've sewn."

"She’s written notes all over her desk and dreams all over the wall along with these amazing drawings. I'm trying to think of the perfect way to describe it, but it was as imaginary as if somebody had created a child's imaginary world for them in real life."

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR WORK ON THE SERIES?

"That's a really big question. I'm proud I made a choice about this character and have stayed true to her. I try to make choices that are through the lens of specificity of this person."

"It's not even so much something to be proud of, but it's more like a gift that I'm in this position because you don't always get to play someone so particular. It's really exciting to get to make all of those choices for yourself."

SINCE YOU ARE THE START OF YOUR CAREER, ARE YOU SOMEBODY WHO HAS A VISION BOARD OF WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE?

"I go to the theater twice a week, so I almost see that as manifesting, just in that I put so much thought and energy into appreciating plays that I like. I'm letting it rub off on me."

"I'm also someone, who every time I watch a film, see a performance, or go and see a play I'm interested in, I log it somewhere. It’s a nice notch on the climbing ladder and helps in developing a strong sense of taste."

GROWING UP, WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT LEFT AN IMPRESSION ON YOU THAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE ACTING?

"I was a kid who watched a lot of TV and films. I was really into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I also did a huge amount of Shakespeare because nearby there was a small children's company that put on plays in the summer."

"I also had a crush on James Dean in films like East of Eden, but I also wanted to be Buffy."

"When you are in a small school and you're objectively the keenest person in the class, you get to play cool characters, parts that I would never play now in a million years. So I think of it all as influential."

IT’S SO INTERESTING WHEN SOMEONE HAS THAT FIRE FROM A YOUNG AGE AND THEN THEY PURSUE IT TO THE BIG LEAGUES.

"It's also about the positive energy of the people you have around you."

"I have had very supportive parents and teachers, so it didn't seem as much of an obstacle, but that's not the case for everyone."

DO YOU HAVE ANY FUN PLANS FOR THE SUMMER?

"I'm going to the End of the Road festival—I went last year for the first time and it was such a beautiful festival."

"I think I am going to go to Naples but I also hope I'm going to be doing a job."

"As an actor, you want to make these plans, but you also think, I could just stay home and wait by the phone instead and not do anything."

"But it's important to make the plans, but I kind of hope that something gets in the way."

[nadas-dirthalen]

I Saw Solas's Origin in an Achievement Icon and It Opened My Eyes on 15 Years of Lore

— PART SIX: if you haven't read previous parts, do it now! —

[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]

Welcome, friends and travellers! I wanted to get some thoughts recorded before Veilguard's release so I could see if I am right about an absolute BOATLOAD of theories I have.

In short: I saw the achievement list when it was released. I have seen the backstory hints for Solas included in said list. AND MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have been warned: THIS COLLECTION OF THEORIES INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR EVERY DRAGON AGE GAME AND ALL PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL UP TO AND INCLUDING OCTOBER 18, 2024.

Come sit down with me. Make a nice cup of tea (and hide it from Solas). We've got a lot of unpacking to do.

(no, this photo isn't the spoiler, I just like it.)

Today's Discussion: The Tragedy of the Evanuris (2/3)

— The Many Horrors Enacted Upon the Faithful —

As ever, please please pretty please go back and read the earlier parts of this series if you haven't already! I promise, there is a mountain of context that I don't reiterate in every post that I make, and I feel it is important for everything I say here and going forward.

Last post, we went over how the crimes/misdeeds of the Evanuris got their start: Mythal and her lyrium coffins, feeding dreams to spirits like Solas in order to turn them away from their Titans. From there, the experiments could begin: Elgar'nan with sundering the spirits that (I believe) would become Falon'Din and Dirthamen; Falon'Din then "blackening the heart" of a Titan. Crucially, all of these actions can be found symbolically represented by their corresponding vallaslin.

Bearing in mind that I don't want to guess at the specific chronology of all the Evanuris's deeds and crimes, I'm still going to sort these posts by gods, not by actions/year. This time, I want to talk about the crimes that continued from there as things began to spiral downward into incomprehensible horror.

Sylaise and the Scaled Ones

June, Architect of the Geas

Dirthamen: What Were His Secrets, and Where Is He Now?

If you're wondering where a certain very notable two Evanuris are on this list, don't worry: this post has three planned instalments. ;)

Sylaise and the Scaled Ones

Sylaise is known as the Heartkeeper in Dalish legend. She is a goddess of healing and knowledge. For a long time, I wondered what she could possibly have done to earn Solas's ire, for all the Evanuris are his mortal enemies. We know so little about her, don't we?

Let's start with what we do know.

It is Sylaise who gave us fire and taught us how to use it. It is Sylaise who showed us how to heal with herbs and with magic, and how to ease the passage of infants into this world. And again, it is Sylaise who showed us how to spin the fibers of plants into thread and rope.

Sylaise is clearly a goddess of fire and a healer and helper of the People, in Dalish legend. In this way, she gives me the same "vibes" as the Greek god Prometheus. Now, while I am no scholar on Greek mythology, I remember Prometheus as strongly associated with fire, and the creator of humans. I hadn't given much thought to the latter until now. But now, with the understanding that the Evanuris's crimes stem from the creation of the People?

I turned back to the Song to Sylaise, from the Temple of Mythal.

Sylaise, whose heat rivals Elgar'nan's light. Sylaise, whose temples rival Mythal's cities. Sylaise, whose breath rivals Andruil's spear. Sylaise, whose skill rivals June's craft. Sylaise, whose fire cannot be quenched. We give ourselves gladly to your service.

Let's draw connections between the Evanuris we have covered so far.

"whose heat rivals Elgar'nan's light" — now that we know that not only was Elgar'nan famous for his uncontrollable anger, but that he apparently sundered "the sun and the moon," I am wondering if this speaks not to Sylaise's potential anger, but her apparent affinity for forging and/or sundering spirits.

"whose temples rival Mythal's cities" — I always suspected this had to do with the population of Sylaise's temples, but before this month, before this spoilers, I had assumed those faithful had come willingly. That they were devotees who chose to live in her temples. What could be so bad about that? Well, now we know: Sylaise's temples rivaling Mythal's cities may well refer to how she created more people than Mythal.

"whose skill rivals June's craft" — we'll get to June in a moment, but I believe that June was crafting with lyrium, and that fits Sylaise in this context. Clearly she was shaping lyrium-spirits into something, and I believe this line says she did so with unparalleled mastery.

"Sylaise, whose fire cannot be quenched" — this shows me that the association with fire in Dalish legend holds true here, as well, albeit in a far more vicious light. That means, to find other references of Sylaise throughout the games and established lore, we should hunt for mentions of fire and the creation of people.

We need look no further than the Scaled Ones. Though they are chronicled as existing after the time of Ancient Elvhenan, I believe that they are Sylaise's invention: her armies stronger than Elgar'nan's, forged from something sturdier than skin; more populous than Mythal's; more well-crafted than June's (again, we'll get there).

We can also connect the Scaled Ones to the serpentine imagery present in Sylaise's vallaslin.

Torches would suddenly go out, leaving us to stumble though the dark and trip over discarded caravans. Then came the attacks, hard and fast. Father was one of the first. We heard breathing: slow and heavy, from a creature much larger than us. Father held out his arm and grabbed the front of my armor to make me stop. I saw its shadow move, darker than the darkness, and then my body jerked forward. It left Father's arm hanging, still grasping my chestplate.

The Scaled Ones had dominion over fire magic, it looks like: they could snuff out entire torches at a distance.

The Scaled Ones had set up a camp at an intersection in the Deep Roads. In the center there was a golden altar fashioned in the shape of fire. A chill swept through me. On the tip of each flame hung the corpses of those we'd lost—including Father and Drohg. They'd been drained of blood, leaving only bone wrapped in grey skin.

They also seem to worship this fire, which we know can still be associated with Sylaise outside of Dalish legend. They also seem to be harvesting the blood of those they've slain: in this case, dwarves. Blood magic, historically, is used to alter minds and to bind things. It could be that the Scaled Ones are keeping up with Sylaise's practice.

Or...

A robed Scaled One stood before the altar. Its voice was different from the others: softer, almost feminine. It chanted and raised a basin of blood towards the altar. The other Scaled Ones bowed low. The robed Scaled One produced fire from its palm and mouth and ignited the blood.

It could be that she lives on, somehow: a fire mage of unchecked power, with skin of the same scales that she forged in others. Watch for that in the post after next.

I still wish I knew more about Sylaise, and I wish I had time to go through everything I think about the Scaled Ones and their potential relationships with the kossith and/or Taash. But Sylaise's existence and the existence of the Scaled Ones do tell me that Ghilan'nain is far from the only Evanuris to have done biological experiments with her creations.

That sets a precedent for all the others, and I will continue to go on to describe why.

June, Architect of the Geas

For the little we know of Sylaise, we know even less of June. We know that he was the Dalish god of crafts, either husband or sibling to Sylaise (as much as the Dalish can even name the Evanuris's relationships accurately). The Dalish associate an unsolvable puzzle toy called "June's Knot" with him. The High Keepers of June seem to have been smiths.

I feel like this codex from the Vir Dirthara is trying to say the same thing:

The pages of this book—memory?—describe a heated argument between a group of well-dressed elves inside an elaborately arched pavilion on an island floating in a void. In the distance, haloed by a blizzard of light, thousands of elves are maintaining an elaborate magical ritual that pulls raw essence from the Fade, funneled into a sphere in the air. Through the lens of the sphere can be seen a world of indigo waterfalls and rust-red jungles, and a temple palace so frescoed and cleverly carved, it is a masterpiece in itself. The well-dressed elves' shouting grows so loud, it can be heard over the magic. One leaps at another, howling and pulling out a knife burning with prismatic flame. "Architects of the Grand Sonallium (a gift from Blessed Sylaise to Clever June as thanks for a great favor) in friendly debate over the color of the palace's roof trim."

However, he is never depicted with any of the tools that the Dalish associate with him. It's his architects who arguing here, one with a prismatic blade. Whether the blade belongs to June, there's more going on here than just common building and tool usage.

Rather than June's role changing over time, I think something else is true of June, and I see it when I look at his vallaslin.

Like the other Evanuris, he seems to have vallaslin designed reminiscent of lyrium branches. However, June's are all bent and woven very deliberately, in a more mechanical-looking fashion than Ghilan'nain's and Sylaise's. Even more important to me, though? They closely resemble Fenris's lyrium tattoos.

Considering that Fenris's slaver, Danarius, got the knowledge of how to embed lyrium beneath the skin from an "ancient treatise," it is possible that this knowledge was obtained from June's own notes. After all: in the codex with the Sonallium, has anyone made note of the thousands of slaves maintaining the magic around it?

Therefore, I believe June was the creator of the first geas, and the first vallaslin may have used geas magic to force the ancient elves into servitude.

To take it one step further and check my belief against other pieces of lore, I posit looking at one more source: the whisperings of June's archdemon.

I long wondered which archdemon might belong to June, but when I read the Chant of Light this week (again), I noticed something. The names of the archdemons' high priests are indicative, potentially, of which Evanuris they belonged to.

There is an Architect mentioned. Many of you may already be familiar with the name. The Architect is cited as the High Priest of Beauty: the old god of Beauty is cited in World of Thedas as being Urthemiel.

Per the Chant of Light:

The High Priest of Beauty, Architect of the Works of Beauty, designed Every work and wonder of the Imperium according to the plans of his god.

Remember how I mentioned that I believe the archdemons were puppeted by the Evanuris while they were imprisoned? This is no exception, and I'd like to draw attention to what the old god of Beauty whispered to his Architect.

And to him, Beauty revealed a grand plan: "Open the gates. And when you stand before me, I shall give you designs That shall rival the greatness of heaven. I will make you the First among the new gods, And you will build a paradise on earth."

To me, "designs that shall rival the greatness of heaven" should be interpreted in what the Evanuris would think of as greatness: limitless power, bending the very bounds of what should be physically possible, shattering common morality. When I read, "will make you First among the new gods," then, I cannot help but imagine the Architect of Beauty being given designs to help build an army of always-willing soldiers: ones operating under a geas. No great work would be impossible, in such an instance.

Thus, we have another facet in the tragedy of the Evanuris, the reason that all of them needed not just to be killed, but imprisoned, their works destroyed and never again recreated. Along with the ability to craft people with lyrium, to sunder spirits, and "blacken" the hearts of titans, the Evanuris used lyrium to create endless armies of seemingly "willing" slaves.

But even Urthemiel and his Architect were not first among the old gods or their followers. To understand the tragedy of the Evanuris and the complications in all of Solas's plans to stop them, we must look further into the Chant, and further into the Evanuris.

Silence, and his Evanuris: the Keeper of Secrets, Dirthamen.

Dirthamen: What Were His Secrets, and What Don't We Know?

I, like many others, assumed Dumat must be Elgar'nan's archdemon until a little while ago. But knowing Elgar'nan is alive and must still have his own, plus reexamining the Chant of Light and looking at DA:I with a more critical eye have shown me differently.

First among the Old Gods was Silence. His least whisper could end wars or topple Archons. A single word could turn recrimination into glory. The sacred fires of his temple burned Rare incense, and the trees of Arlathan, and lapped at the bones of slaves While his altars dripped with the blood of sacrifices that never dried.

Elgar'nan is not one to work with silence, nor whisper to topple an Archon. That doesn't seem like the way he would puppet an archdemon.

No mortal foot could tread those halls, No hand knocked upon the gate. Secrets beyond measure were the keys The Choir of Silence would need, and they had few. (7) And so the First Acolyte spoke to the High Priest And said: "We are the masters of secrets, But our god demands more.

Dirthamen is the Keeper of Secrets, and so I first looked to Dumat for clues on what, precisely, his worst deeds were. But then, the title hit me again. Keeper of Secrets.

What is a secret, I ask you, but a thought no one can know about? And in our understanding of the Evanuris, of spirits, and of Thedas itself, what is a thought but a spirit?

I dove into codices, because of course I did.

No beast is more beloved by Dirthamen than the bear. When the world was new, Dirthamen gave one secret to each creature to keep.

Let's rephrase this Dalish legend. Every time we read "secret," let us read "spirit." When we read, "gave one secret to each creature to keep," let us ask ourselves how it would sound with, "bound one spirit to each creature," therefore creating abominations.

The foxes traded their secrets to Andruil for wings. The hares shouted theirs to the treetops. The birds sold theirs for gold and silver.

It seems like this is describing what happened to each creature who gained Dirthamen's secrets. Foxes suddenly sprouted wings (sound like everyone's favourite Veilguard assassin to anyone?). The hares shouted theirs to the treetops.

Except, wait a minute, I know something about Dirthamen and trees.

He whispered into the mountains and the fallen trees of the forest gathered, shaping an immense and agile spider-like beast. It was the varterral. With lightning speed, vicious strikes, and venomous spit, it drove back the serpent. From then on, it was the guardian of the city and its people.

Whispered into the mountains sounds a lot like pulling "thoughts" from the mountains, or depositing "thoughts" into those mountains. Afterward, trees bend and warp around one another, forming the varterral.

Only the bears kept Dirthamen's gift, deep within their dens, they slept the months away in the company of their secrets and nothing else. When Dirthamen discovered what had been done with his gifts, he snatched the wings from the foxes, silenced the voices of the hares, and turned the birds into paupers. but the bears he honored for their steadfastness.

Bears, according to the wiki, can become enraged. Sounds a lot like something that might be possessed by Rage, no?

It did not stop at animals. We have the Temple of Dirthamen to look at, after all.

We few whisper here where shadow dwells. Some words remain unuttered. Truths are pushed down, down Where they shall never arise again.

Truths pushed down, down. Truths, like secrets, are based in thought. And when we think of thought with regard to Titans, spirits, and the Evanuris, we must think spirits. Spirits that are pushed down, down, never to rise again—because the priests of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen have committed to holding them.

Dirthamen is gone, he said. Our Highest One brings to us this gravest news. What shall we do? Where shall we go? What of the old secrets that burn within our hearts?

Our Highest One, he deceives us. The honeyed words that drip from his tongueWe know the despair they mask. We disciples of Dirthamen know truth, now as ever.

If we think about these priests as people who have been forced to harbor spirits, suddenly "the honeyed words that drip from his tongue / We know the despair they mask," takes on a whole new meaning. A capital-D Despair meaning.

Let's return, then, to the Conductor of Silence listening to his old god. The old god—puppeted by Dirthamen—required so many secrets that the priests did not know how to fulfill such a request. Masters of secrets, how could they possibly gain more? Well, now we know "secrets" and "spirits" to be interchangeable. The priests needed souls.

What happened next?

(2) In the Great Choir of Silence, the High Priests gathered. A hundred chosen acolytes brought lyrium Enough to drown a city in chiming silver And slaves beyond counting to the temple In accordance with the designs of their gods.

Lyrium and souls were brought to the temple. Lyrium, souls, and blood.

Only, the Magisters did not find Dirthamen, once they entered the Golden City.

(11) Above them, a river of Light, Before them the throne of Heaven, waiting, Beneath their feet The footprints of the Maker, And all around them echoed a vast Silence.

They heard him.

(12) But when they took a single step Toward the empty throne A great voice cried out Shaking the very foundations Of Heaven and earth:

We know that this is not the Maker. The Maker, by this time, probably exists in a sundered state, sleeping, as all Titans are. This has to be someone in the Golden City. Someone who, perhaps, knew the Magisters were coming.

(13) And So is the Golden City blackened With each step you take in my Hall. Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting. You have brought Sin to Heaven And doom upon all the world. (14) Violently were they cast down, For no mortal may walk bodily In the realm of dreams, Bearing the mark of their Crime: Bodies so maimed And distorted that none should see them And know them for men.

The Magisters were cast out, all of them blighted. But nothing could have attacked them, and we know from all the Dragon Age games that simply being around the blight isn't enough to get out protagonists sick with it.

Someone had to be there to inflict it upon them—someone who Corypheus, Conductor of Silence, would have been expecting to find, and dismayed to not be finding. He looked upon the throne of his god, after all, and found it empty.

Dirthamen is the only one of the Evanuris whose vallaslin has evolved over time. The first one evokes imagery of a broken gate on its forehead, surrounded by triangles: a symbol for the Veil.

The second, on Bellara, is newer—and not available to the player. Unique to her. It looks as though it features two birds on either side of a third eye. An all-seeing third eye.

We know a few things about Dirthamen, from all of this speculation. The "secrets" that Dirthamen kept were likely spirits and demons, which he bound to trees, animals, and people. His archdemon, Dumat, made demands on his behalf for endless "secrets" to get into the Golden City: endless spirits.

Dirthamen may have been the only one of the Evanuris to break free of his prison on his own, blighting the Magisters Sidereal.

But he would not be the only one to manipulate the blight, and he would not be the only one to escape his confines.

---

As ever, if you got this far, thank you!! I look forward to reading any additions or questions people might have, as ever!!

Also: I am trying my hardest not to consume full-game-review spoilers! As these reviews have just gone live today (10/28), I am not reading my notifications/replies, and am appearing here only to continue posting my theories.

But if you feel like sticking around anyway, stay tuned for: The Tragedy of the Evanuris pt. 3: Pestilent Doom Upon All the World.

[robinbuckleysfringe]

you are in love.

tom blyth social media au

pairing: tom blyth x reader

warnings: none

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 year later

*yninstagram has posted*

tagged joekeery, nataliadyer, maya_hawke, sadiesink, calebmclaughlin, gatenm123, noahschnapp, millybobbybrown, finnwolfhard, josephquinn & strangerthings

liked by tomholland2013, rachelzegler, tomblyth, florencepugh and others

yninstagram in honour of season 5 finally being released, here's some bts pics from earlier seasons that never made it to the 'gram. love to all involved with making this final season such a blast ❤️

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tomblyth proud of you!! can't wait to watch!!

↪️ rachelzegler watch party at yours then, yeah?

↪️ hunterschafer omw 🫶🏻

↪️ joshandresrivera rach said to tell you that we're getting on the next plane to see you, so don't start the final season till we're there 💕

↪️ yninstagram oh my goshhhh, love you guys 🥺🥺🥺💕💕💕💕

florencepugh cannot wait to watch you shine ❤️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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strangerthings it's been a pleasure 🫶🏻

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gatenm123 thanks for being the best onscreen sister. already missing you ❤️

↪️ yninstagram love you gaten ❤️

sadiesink we all love you!!! thanks for keeping the boys in check 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

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joekeery thanks for making the last few years so much fun and parenting these children with me xx

↪️ yninstagram love you forever joe 🫡🫶🏻💕

millybobbybrown aww, missing you already y/n ❤️❤️❤️

↪️ yninstagram miss you too mils ❤️

josephquinn congrats on the final season x

↪️ yninstagram thanks joe. wish you could've been there, set felt quiet without you this season 💔😥

user can't believe it's the final season 😭😭😭😭

user I'm so excited!!

user don't know if I can bring myself to watch, I don't want the show to end!! 😭😭😭

user ahhhhh!!!! so excited to finally watch it!!

☆☆☆

*yninstagram has posted*

tagged tomblyth

liked by rachelzegler, jacobelordi, zendaya, hunterschafer and others

yninstagram one year of loving you. happy anniversary love ❤️🫶🏻😘

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tomblyth love you sweetheart ❤️😘

↪️ yninstagram love you too ❤️❤️❤️

rachelzegler obsessed with the way Tom is holding lenny. happy anniversary guys 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

↪️ yninstagram love you rach ❤️

↪️ tomblyth thanks rach xx

hunterschafer congrats on finally becoming insta official xxx

↪️ yninstagram thanks hunter 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

user omg they're actually together???

user I know they've been rumoured together since beginning of 2024 but it stills feels crazy for y/n to drop this on us

user omg tom and lenny 🥺🥺🥺

user the 3rd pic 🥹🥹🥹. they look so happy together 🥺🥺🥺

user omg mum and dad are actually dating!!!

user they're so cute wtf

user stopppp this is so cute!!!!!

☆☆☆

*tomblyth has posted*

tagged yninstagram

liked by rachelzegler, yninstagram, joshandresrivera, hunterschafer and others

tomblyth happy anniversary my love, can't wait to see what the next year brings us ❤️

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yninstagram love you big time 😘🥰❤️

↪️ tomblyth love you ❤️

rachelzegler you guys are too cute 😍😍😍

↪️ yninstagram rach stopppp 🥺🥺🥺

hunterschafer ❤️

user tom's first post in ages and its for their anniversary??? I can't 🥹🥹🥹

user they're literally so cute together wtf

user so iconic of them to go insta official with an anniversary post tbh

user I want what they have so bad omg 😭😭😭

user they're so in love omg 🥺🥺

☆☆☆

*yninstagram has posted*

tagged zendaya, tomholland2013, rachelzegler, joshandresrivera, tomblyth & hunterschafer

yninstagram a little snippet of recent life 🐶🫶🏻💕

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tomholland2013 it was so lovely to see you again x

↪️ yninstagram miss you guys 🫶🏻🫶🏻

zendaya aw, love you y/n 💕

↪️ yninstagram love you Z

joshandresrivera do you think we'll be allowed back in that restaurant?

↪️ yninstagram absolutely not

↪️ user omg, what happened??

rachelzegler you did me so dirty with that photo. I really look like I don't wanna be there

↪️ yninstagram we were basically 3rd wheeling while our boyfriends went out on a date

↪️ rachelzegler 100%

tomblyth loved our double date with rach and josh

↪️ yninstagram you mean your date with josh and me and rach 3rd wheeling

↪️ joshandresrivera 😂 love you, man x

hunterschafer haven't seen you in so long!!! miss you already girly!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

↪️ yninstagram miss you tooooo!!!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

user need me a friend that takes cute pictures of me like that

user y/n's really living the best life out here

user omg tom and zendaya are so cute!!!

user omgggg love that photo of tom, josh and rachel!!

user rachel's face has me creasing omg 😂😂😂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one more part left of this little series :((

[bumblesimagines]

When Fire Meets Fate

Part 6

Request: Yes or No

For anyone who may get confused, the last timeskip takes place in ep 6 when everyone has now aged up

~~~

Peering at the purple bruise covering his side, (Y/N) ran his finger over it and winced, pain shooting up his spine when he pressed into the skin. The previous night's events replayed in his head: a splendid feast, gleeful dancing, and then chaos. He knew little of Ser Joffery Lonmouth, other than his relatively close friendship with Ser Laenor. He'd heard whispers from gossiping maids about how Ser Joffery had allegedly insulted Ser Criston Cole, resulting in the knight losing his temper. Others rumored Ser Criston Cole seemingly attacked the young man for no real reason. 

"Purple isn't your color." Looking up into the mirror's reflection, he blinked at the princess. Rhaenyra grinned cheekily at him as she approached, tilting her head down to look at the bruise. She hummed softly and reached out, gently placing a cold finger over the darkened skin. Her eyes, however, slipped away from the bruise and instead inspected the bare skin presented to her. 

"How is Ser Laenor?" (Y/N) asked, releasing the crumbled-up shirt and letting it fall over his stomach, efficiently blocking her view. Rhaenyra pulled her hand away and flushed lightly, softly clearing her throat.

"He left for Driftmark this morning. They'll be burying Ser Joffery there, per Ser Laenors' request." Rhaenyra responded, fingers toying with the necklace her uncle had gifted her. "I truly can't imagine what it must feel like to lose a trusted friend so unexpectedly." Smoothing the back of her dress, Rhaenyra lowered herself onto a chair, setting her elbow on the bronze armrest and running her fingers through her hair. "What could've possibly set off Ser Criston?"

"Jealousy, perhaps." (Y/N) murmured, approaching his bed and gazing down at his coat. He reached out, dragging his finger over the green fabric and gold designs, colors that he'd been wearing for years. But after the power display his sister had done the night prior, he thought twice about wearing them with tensions so high and gossip spreading like wildfire.

"What makes you believe it is jealousy?" Rhaenyra questioned, leaning on the armrest to look at him, thin brows furrowed and causing wrinkles to form between them.

"I was told some rather interesting information last night. I suspect, if they are telling the truth, Ser Criston reacted out of intense jealousy that he directed onto the unsuspecting Ser Joffery. If you cannot harm someone, you harm those closest to them and Ser Joffery seemed awfully close to Ser Laenor." The Hightower answered, lifting the coat from the bed and cradling it in his arms for a moment. He heard the wood of the chair scrape against the ground as Rhaenyra stood up from it, turning his head to watch her approach.

"What exactly were you told?" 

"Nothing worth losing sleep over, Nyra. You and Ser Laenor have an agreement, correct? He does not care about your maidenhead being taken by another."

"(Y/N)-"

"Which reminds me," (Y/N) folded the coat into a square, breezing past the stunned princess to put it away and pick out another. "How was your night?"

Swallowing, Rhaenyra rubbed her covered forearm before speaking. "Ser Laenor was too grief-stricken to focus on anything. He promised Lord Corlys he'd be ready after the funeral." She explained as (Y/N) slipped his arms into a maroon-colored coat, adjusting its collar and buttoning the ends of the sleeves. Rhaenyra turned, her long dress whooshing around with her movements and hair slipping over her shoulders. 

"I do not love Ser Criston Cole."

"I know."

"And what happened between us-"

"I do not care, Nyra." Rhaenyra closed her mouth, a confused exhale escaping her. She walked closer to the young man, fingers coiling around each other from nerves. (Y/N) regarded her with an amused look and brought his hands to her face, cupping her cheeks. Her eyes bore into his, fingers pulling away and instead wrapping around his wrists as she searched his face.

"Why do you not care?" She asked softly.

"Because if you wanted him, you would've gone to him first." 

"I admire your confidence." Rhaenyras' confusion gave way to amusement, a soft giggle slipping past her lips. Her hands left his wrist as she took a step forward and slipped her arms around his neck. Her eyes twinkled with mischieve and she tilted her head, grinning up at him. "I believe we were rudely interrupted last night."

"Were we?"

"Mhm, we were." Rhaenyra leaned forward, brushing her nose against his. His breath fanned her face and she felt their lips brush briefly, excitement pooling in her stomach and sending a flurry of butterflies fluttering around inside her. Closing the distance, she pressed her lips against his, nails scraping against the nape of his neck. (Y/N) dropped his hands to her waist, digging his fingers into the cloth of the dress and pulling her closer. 

"You're married, Rhaenyra." (Y/N) muttered against her lips, feeling her chuckle softly and slip her hands under the coat, shoving it down his arms. 

"Only days ago, you sent me away because you didn't wish to ruin the wedding night for my husband." She breathed, placing a fleeting kiss on his lips. "But, as your future queen, I command you to ruin it."

                    ✶        ✶       ✶       ✶       ✶       ✶

Another scream tore from Rhaenyras' throat and (Y/N) grimaced, sharing a glance with Ser Harwin as they stood before her bedchambers. Her pregnancy had been sudden and unexpected yet widely celebrated throughout all the lands. King Viserys had been beyond thrilled, throwing a feast and many tourneys in celebration of his future grandchild despite the fears clouding his daughter's mind. Her mother had suffered greatly, grieving many stillborn children and being betrayed by her own body and husband in the end. The prospect of dying covered in her own blood with a sliced belly sent chills down Rhaenyras' spine, no matter how many times Ser Laenor assured her he'd choose her over the babe if it came to it. 

The labors had begun early in the morning before the sun had even risen and Rhaenyras' crying and screaming had been echoing down the hall for ages. The first babe was always the worst had been Princess Rhaenys words as she entered the bedchambers with her husband in tow. The two, more so Lord Corlys, had demanded to be in the room to witness their grandchild and the future of the kingdoms being born, despite Laenors' protests that they wait elsewhere. (Y/N) didn't have the luxury of being at her side, so he stood outside with Ser Harwin, being forced to listen to Rhaenyras' cries, screams, and curses. 

"You bitch!" (Y/N) snorted softly, digging his teeth into his bottom lip as he listened to his lover scream at the midwives attempting to help her. She hadn't relented in her curses, though they were occasionally followed by a strained apology and another agonizing groan. The muffled voices of Laenor and the maesters encouraging her seeped through every few seconds, something (Y/N) wished he could do.

"She's certainly fiery." Harwin chuckled as the clicking of metal hitting the solid ground filled the hallway. Looking down the hall, the two men watched King Viserys and his wife approach with their guards at their heels. Alicents' hand rested upon her swollen belly, her own pregnancy nearing its end as well. The brunette narrowed her eyes at her brother and frowned, taking a glance at her husband.

"What are you doing here, Brother?" She questioned, straightening her shoulders and quirking a brow. "I'm sure Princess Rhaenyra-"

Lifting his hand, King Viserys stopped Alicent mid-sentence and offered her brother a tired smile. "How is she doing?" He asked, sounding rather breathless. His health had been in a steady decline the recent years but nothing would stop him from seeing his daughter and first grandchild. The piercing cry of a babe pulled their attention toward the closed doors and King Viserys quickly entered the room, followed by his wife and (Y/N). Alicent glared back at (Y/N), wordlessly motioning for him to leave the room but he ignored her.

Rhaenyra lied covered in a layer of sweat, blood, and other bodily fluids. Her hair stuck to her wet skin, her chest heaving, and hands tightly clutching the sheets. She lifted her head, exhaling deeply upon seeing (Y/N) and giving him a tired smile as her body relaxed. (Y/N) turned toward Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys, throat tightening when he took in the babe in the older man's arms. The babe had been wrapped in dark blue cloth but the mop of unmistakably brown hair had caught his eye first. Apart from the babes' cries, the room had fallen otherwise silent as those present absorbed the situation. The older princess's lips pressed into a line, eyes shifting over to the Hightower.

"A boy, Y-Your Grace." A maester offered King Viserys a meek smile and he cleared his throat, taking the bundle into his arms. Alicent tore her gaze away from the babe and turned to her brother with wide, furious eyes. (Y/N) met her gaze and inhaled through his nose, looking away from them and toward Rhaenyra as Laenor and a midwife helped her into a sitting position. 

"He's perfect." King Viserys whispered, adoringly staring down at his new grandson. The newborn quieted his cries and calmed, tiny fingers grabbing his grandfathers' thumb as soft coos left him. King Viserys smiled, completely taken by the young boy. "What is his name?"

"Perhaps, Joffery?" Laenor attempted.

"No." Lord Corlys finally spoke, eyes remaining on the newborn. "He should be given a name fit for a king." His wifes' gaze snapped toward him and her brow quirked but she remained silent. Nobody dared to make a comment about the newborns' rather obvious lack of Targaryen features, though the glances shared around the room said enough. Velaryon blood did not run through the newborn's veins.

"His name will be Jacaerys Velaryon," Rhaenyra announced and the older men nodded their approval. The name brought a wide smile to King Viserys face and he approached Rhaenyra, handing the bundle off to her and affectionately stroking the back of her head. Rhaenyra lied back on the pillows, finally looking down at her son. 

"You did well." King Viserys praised, leaning back and smiling warmly at his growing family. Lord Corlys inhaled and looked at his king, clasping his hands together behind his back and lifting his brows.

"May we speak privately, Your Grace?"

"Yes, of course." King Viserys sighed, glancing at his daughter before he followed Lord Coryls and Princess Rhaenys out of the room. Alicent lingered, teeth nipping at the skin of her lips and nails digging into the skin of her palm. She whirled around, sighing heavily as she exited the room with the midwives and maesters following to give Rhaenyra some space. 

"How furious is your father?" (Y/N) asked Laenor, taking a seat at the edge of the bed, being careful to avoid the bloody sheets. Laenor brought a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it, shrugging his shoulders and giving him an apologetic look. 

"Not furious enough to accuse you outright." He replied and Rhaenyra hummed softly, lifting the bundle toward her face and pressing a soft kiss to Jacaerys forehead. 

"Regardless of parentage..." Rhaenyra began, looking at the two men. "Both of you are his father." She smiled fondly, gently bouncing the newborn to keep him from breaking out into sobs again. She leaned forward and winced, shakily exhaling before she offered the bundle to (Y/N). The Hightower tensed but hesitantly took the baby from her, pressing the bundle to his chest. Jacaerys opened his eyes and (Y/N) half-expected him to break out into sobs but the baby instead stuck his fingers in his mouth and stared up at him curiously. Big brown eyes. Just like Alicent and their mother. Their father would surely curse him when news reached Oldtown. Another reason for his family to distance themselves from him. 

"He's a Velaryon and a Targaryen, even if he has Hightower blood. My family would never accept him as one of their own." (Y/N) murmured, watching Jacaerys eyes flutter shut, tiny chest rising and falling steadily. A stain on the family, even with royal blood. A bastard the religious Hightowers would despise. 

"Come now, little one." Laenor smiled and took the baby into his arms, cooing softly. (Y/N) stood up, looking back at Rhaenyra. The princess had already fallen asleep despite her uncomfortable condition. She deserved a warm bath and clean clothes.

"I'll fetch a maid to clean the sheets and get Nyra dressed in something that isn't covered in so much fluid." (Y/N) glanced at his son one last time, running his finger over the hair on his head. Turning, he walked toward the doors and opened them, pausing when he noticed a servant about to knock. 

"Queen Alicent requests your presence in her room, Lord (Y/N)." The servant announced, straightening up.

"Could you fetch some maids for the Princess? She's in need of some care." (Y/N) watched the servant nod and bow his head before he headed off down the hall to fulfill his request. Harwin pushed himself off the wall and tilted his head, arms crossing as he took in the lord.

"How's the babe? Lord Corlys appeared rather-"

"He doesn't look Targaryen." (Y/N) interrupted Harwin quietly. The knight took a moment to soak in his words, eyes slowly widening and stance going rigid. His jaw went slack and he leaned forward in shock. "He looks like a Hightower and the Velaryons know it." 

"But-"

"We'll speak later. If I don't show, Alicent will come looking for me herself." Harwin swallowed and nodded, looking back toward the closed doors. (Y/N) turned and headed down the hall, the surprise of it all beginning to chip away. A healthy boy with Hightower features. A boy who would eventually be called King Jacaerys. His son. (Y/N) marched on despite a wave of lightheadedness washing over him as the realization settled. He had a son. A son he couldn't parent for the sake of keeping the peace between the families. 

"Your Grace." (Y/N) called as he entered his sisters' bedchambers and Alicent ripped herself away from the window, dismissing her servants with a steely look and wave of her hand. The maids quickly left the room, sparing glances at each other and whispering. When the sound of the door closing echoed in the room, she addressed her brother with a seething glare.

"A bastard, (Y/N). You've sired a bastard with a princess."

"I assume you've already sent word to Father?"

"Of course!" Alicent hissed, walking forward, only stopping to place a hand on her belly. She winced and grasped the top of a chair, carefully lowering down and taking a seat. She inhaled deeply and brushed away brown strands from her face. "This isn't how I envisioned you becoming a father. That child is pure Hightower. He should've been Velaryon."

"Laenor is his father, Alicent. He has his name and will use it until he sits the throne as a Targaryen."

"You and I both know Laenor had no part in his creation. He has the same hair and eyes as our brothers. Even if the Velaryons accept him and claim he is a pure Velaryon, he is yours and soon everyone in court will know it unless..." Alicent trailed off, lips parting as she sank deep into thought. "Unless he is believed to have been sired by someone else."

"Alicent-"

"Ser Harwin Strong." Alicent breathed, head snapping up. "He and Rhaenyra have gotten close over the years. The boy could pass off as his."

"He is my friend." (Y/N) sneered.

"And if anyone questions who the father of that boy is, he will take the fall for your mistake. His father is the trusted Hand to the King, he will be fine. You are my brother, (Y/N). You told me you spent your life protecting me, now it is my turn to protect you."

                    ✶        ✶       ✶       ✶       ✶       ✶

"Have you heard anything about the Princess?" (Y/N) asked the servant hurrying past him. The maid parted her lips but nothing came out, gaze drifting past him and down the stairs. The Hightower turned, a soft scoff of disbelief leaving him as he watched his lover struggle up the stairs with a new red bundle in her arms. Laenor held her arm, keeping her upright and quietly speaking to her.

"Rhaenyra!" He scolded, heading down the stairs and meeting them in the middle. Laenor gave him an exasperated look, showing his innocence in the princess's determination to walk up a flight of stairs after just having given birth. Targaryens were notably stubborn individuals and Rhaenyra proved it every day.

Rhaenyra released a shaky breath, blowing a strand of silver hair out of her face. "You can blame your sister for this." She winced, holding the bundle with trembling hands. "She ordered he be brought to her immediately."

"He?"

"Another boy," Laenor confirmed with a wide smile. One would mistake it for pride but in truth, it was happiness for his dearest friends, even if the boys saw him as their father instead of (Y/N). "I suppose it's true what they say about Hightowers only having boys." His voice dropped to a playful whisper and (Y/N) chuckled, taking Rhaenyras' other side and gently taking her arm. 

"A curse, truly." He replied softly, gazing upon his third son. Jace and Lucerys, or Luke for short, would be thrilled with the news of a new brother. Corlys hadn't been in the room during Luke's birth but he'd been first to enter, perhaps searching for a crown of silver but he'd only been greeted by wavy hair similar to Alicents'. It seemed he'd given up hope with their newest child as he'd kept to Driftmark. Both boys had been raised with Laenor as their sole father and a mixture of rumors of who had actually sired them. Alicents' rumors of Ser Harwin being the father had many believers, including (Y/N)s' own nephews and niece. But there were those who believed the boys to be Hightowers. the Velaryons amongst those believers. The only one who refused to entertain the rumors had been the boy's own grandfather, King Viserys. 

"I can speak with her-"

"You and Alicent only ever argue." Rhaenyra breathed, wincing again and groaning softly. "And we've gone too far to turn around now." She added, stopping briefly to catch her breath. Laenor sighed heavily and reached down, bunching up some of her dress and lifting it slightly so she'd be able to walk better. Rhaenyra gulped down some air and pushed forward, climbing up the last set of stairs and heaving in relief when they reached the top. They continued down the hall, stopping before Ser Criston Cole. He bowed his head and pushed open the door to Alicents' room, watching them enter. Alicent stood by her window as a maid worked on her dress. Maids walked about the room, cleaning and putting away things. The maid at his sister's feet stood and curtsied, pulling Alicents' attention away from the window and toward the three.

"Rhaenyra," She breathed, eyes wide. "You should be resting after your labors."

"I have no doubt you would prefer that, Your Grace," Rhaenyra responded, wobbling slightly. Alicent took notice, eyeing her exhausted figure and sighing softly.

"You must sit. Teyla fetch a cushion for the Princess." 

"There's no need."

"Nonsense." Alicent brushed her off, nodding to Teyla as the redhead placed a cushion down for Rhaenyra to sit on. Despite her previous protest, Rhaenyra gladly took a seat, shoulders lowering in relief. Alicent stepped off the stool and approached them, attempting to get a peek at the child in her arms. 

"What happy news this morning." King Viserys called as he entered, hair disheveled and pace slow. (Y/N) bowed his head and moved to stand behind the seat, looking down at Rhaenyra and the babe. Laenor smiled at the King and nodded, gingerly picking up the newborn when King Viserys asked for him. Taking his newest grandson into his arms, he smiled widely.

"A fine prince." He whispered, love and adoration written all over his features. His glee even brought a small smile to Alicents' face. "You will make a fearsome knight. Yes, you will." King Viserys cooed, chuckling softly when the baby made noises in turn.

"Does the babe have a name yet?" Alicent inquired, turning back to Rhaenyra and Laenor.

"Oh, we haven't-"

"Joffrey." Laenor interrupted. Rhaenyra blinked at him, pressing her lips together and furrowing her brows. "He will be called Joffrey."

"An unusual name for a Velaryon," Alicent muttered, looking at her brother with a disapproving frown. (Y/N) pursed his lips and looked away from her, head shaking slightly. 

"I do believe he has his father's nose." King Viserys smiled and Laenor forced an awkward chuckle, nodding in agreement. (Y/N) bit the inside of his cheek and reached down to graze his fingers against Rhaenyras' shoulder. The princess hummed in contentment, eyes closing for a brief moment. She almost nodded off, only opening her eyes when Joffrey cooed.

Clearing his throat, Laenor looked at her father. "If you don't mind, Your Grace, your daughter has exerted herself heroically and should rest."

"Of course." King Viserys nodded, allowing Alicent to step in and take a closer look at the child. She smiled sweetly, taking Joffrey into her arms and walking toward the door. Rhaenyra nervously watched her, rising from the baby blue couch as King Viserys took her hand. (Y/N) parted from her side to approach his sister and son, watching her hand him off to Laenor. He knew his sister would never hurt a babe, much less one she knew was her nephew. Alicent didn't have that type of hatred within her. But (Y/N) couldn't help the uneasiness that swelled in his chest.

"Do keep trying, Ser Laenor. Soon or late, you may get one that looks like you." Alicent whispered, offering him a smile before she stepped away and walked toward her husband. Rhaenyra joined them, walking awkwardly as she exited the room, keeping a hand pressed to her belly. 

"You don't think to consult me before you name my child?" Rhaenyra questioned. 

"He's our child, is he not?" Laenor frowned, gently bouncing the baby in his arms when he fussed. Rhaenyra glanced at him, pure exhaustion on her face.

"Only one of us is bleeding."

"Joffery is a fine name, Nyra." (Y/N) muttered, raising his brows at her when she looked at him in disbelief. "Certainly not a name I'd choose but a fine name nevertheless." Pursing her lips, Rhaenyra stared at him a moment longer before looking away, letting the topic go with her lover's input in mind. Laenor gave his friend a thankful look and the three made their way to the boys' room. Rhaenyra entered first, greeting her sons with a wide smile. The boys stood up and detached themselves from Harwin's side, excitedly showing their mother the egg they picked for their new sibling. (Y/N) chuckled, running his fingers through Luke's dark hair as Harwin helped Rhaenyra sit. 

"A good choice." (Y/N) praised his boys and they smiled widely, looking back down at the egg.

"Not every day an egg leaves the Dragonpit. I thought it best to escort the lads." Harwin explained, studying the boys. (Y/N) moved away from them, approaching Harwin and giving him a small smile. Harwin returned it, lifting his hand to touch his chin and stroking it with his thumb. 

"Another boy, I heard?" (Y/N) nodded, resting a hand on Harwins' side and giving it an affectionate squeeze before he faced Laenor. The Velaryon bounced the little one, cooing softly as he stepped closer to (Y/N), carefully passing him off so (Y/N) could hold him. (Y/N) hummed softly, feeling Harwin loom over him to look down at the prince. Joffrey slept soundly, even as his brothers attempted to get a look at him before Laenor pulled them away and out the door.

"Laenor named him Joffrey." (Y/N) told Harwin, feeling the knight slip his strong arms under the bundle and take him. (Y/N) smiled softly at Harwins' tenderness and took a seat beside Rhaenyra, letting the princess melt against his side and rest her head against his chest.

"Asleep in front of the Commander of the City Watch." Harwin tsked playfully, staring down at the boy. "Terrible lack of respect." 

"I'm afraid he gets it from us," Rhaenyra muttered tiredly, eyes threatening to close. (Y/N) slithered his arm around her shoulders and gently played with her tousled hair, slowly lulling the princess to sleep. Her breathing slowed, soft snores eventually escaping her as she fell limp against him. (Y/N) chuckled softly, looking back at Harwin.

"Terrible lack of respect." He repeated playfully and Harwin shook his head, continuing to gently bounce Joffrey in his arms. They remained in blissful silence for a little while longer until (Y/N) stood, slipping his arms under Rhaenyras' knees and scooping her up into his arms. He brought her to the bed, laying her down and pulling a blanket over her shoulders. Pecking her temple, he rubbed her shoulder and stepped away to approach Harwin and Joffery. 

"I'll fetch a wet nurse soon since it seems the Princess is rather occupied," Harwin said, glancing up at the sleeping Targaryen with a small smirk. (Y/N) nodded, reaching up to stroke the head of his youngest son.

"Jace and Luke will be riders soon. I have no doubts this little one will become one as well." (Y/N) muttered, turning his head to look at the pot holding the dragon egg. "It worries me."

"They're Targaryens, (Y/N). It's in their nature to ride dragons." Harwin reminded softly, taking Joffrey to his crib and setting him down, allowing the baby to rest properly. (Y/N) sighed, rubbing the side of his neck and nodding but his words did little to ease his anxieties. He hadn't expected fatherhood to be sprung on him so suddenly and now, he had sired three boys who were destined to take to the skies on dragons.

Noticing the look on his face, Harwin gave a small smile and approached him, gently taking his face into his hands. "They've got the blood of kings in their veins. They were made to ride dragons and conquer kingdoms. Your boys will be knights, leaders, and kings. Just like their ancestors."

[vandalyssm]

Theory: Merlin's Recent Publicity and its Correlation to a Possible Sequel/Revival/Reboot (+Eoin Macken's Pseudo Merlin Project)

'Ello. Fancied sharing my thoughts on recent developments regarding BBC's Merlin.

Fair, firm warning: I'm only sharing speculations and my personal opinions on the matter, and I do not advertise them as fact whatsoever. Consider them musings (or delusions, your choice). You can use this to further fuel your hope of the slim chance that this beloved show will see the light of day once again or maybe make theories of your own. Dispelling it is also an option, as I cannot assure my arguments would be free from flaws.

Right. Without further ado...

Revival of the Official Merlin Twitter Account

Let's put this into scenario.

Imagine a dated piece of media, previously well-known worldwide and had its own golden age for a time. This media launched the last of its contents over a decade ago, yet it gained a loyal, devoted following that persisted to grow and continued the legacy of the franchise over the years. Though there were highs and lows, the community remained alive for an impressive amount of time, steadily producing art, fiction, and creations dedicated to the media, despite not having anything new to work with. This devotion is acknowledged by those from an outsider's perspective, including the creators of this media (cast, staff, and distributors alike).

To put into context, the community was left unsatisfied with how the media ended, and many wished for the media to return. Articles were written, petitions were signed, comments left on the cast' social media accounts, and even questions were asked directly to them. Although different in wording, the inquired notion remained the same: Will there be a possibility of a sequel/revival/return/reboot? The answers range from a neutral, vague reply to a more resounding no.

This cycle persisted, but the people were immovable; they were visionaries and their dream lived on in their hearts. And this did not go unnoticed.

So it continued... until one of the media's social accounts made a sudden return. Out of nowhere, without a warning. They're back for good, the account announced. It sent the community into a frenzy. But if you took a step back from the excitement, you'd notice that it's strange. Why would a media ended over a decade ago suddenly be promoted again?

Now, I'm going to explore two possibilities; pragmatic and idealistic. The previous hypothetical scenario lays the general principal of Merlin's relevance (duh).

I'll make the pragmatic perspective brief. FremantleMedia saw the opportunity to make some bucks from Merlin because of the loyal fanbase, using a no-cost yet effective method to keep us tuned in; hoping. OMG, what does this mean? Does this mean they're going make a sequel?! Holy shit, they're teasing us, aren't they? I can't believe this is happening, it's a dream come true! And so on and so forth. Evidently, it works and numbers are growing. The official Merlin twitter account is racking up more followers and likes with each post. In this possibility, there's no such thing as a sequel/whatever it is the fanbase hopes for; just a reanimated corpse doing the same silly tap dance while we holler at it, dumbly hoping that they bust out new moves.

Now, the fun part. The idealistic version!

I'm going to use a real life example for my theory: the upcoming release of Dragon's Dogma 2. With a quick Google search, you can learn that Dragon's Dogma 2 is the highly awaited sequel for its well-liked predecessor, Dragon's Dogma.

For some time, Dragon's Dogma was on sale on Steam (with a decent cut too). This was done to gain the attention of...

1. those who haven't previously dived into the franchise. It's to make them think 'Wow! This game's so good. Oh, there's a sequel of it that's gonna be released soon? With even better graphics and gameplay? Sign me the fuck up!'. You liked Blueberry Cheesecake, so it'd make sense that you'd be more open to buying Double Blueberry Cheesecake, Premium Ingredients Addition, with 2 additional paid toppings.

2. Veterans and nostalgic fans. 'They're promoting the game I liked years ago... Oh, well, it won't hurt to play it again, just for the nostalgia. It never really left my mind anyway."

In other words: hype! hype! hype!

If using this principle, then the possibility of a sequel/revival/reboot/new content exists. It's either being processed (wishful thinking, not as likely) or being considered (more likely). If it's the latter, then they're testing the waters to see how much people still care/how much money they'll make. The more attention and hype it gets, the higher the likelihood.

Simplified:

P (old media pushed for publicity) -> Q (hype built)

Q (hype built) -> R (new content)

Eoin Macken's Pseudo Merlin Project

If I recall correctly, Eoin Macken first announced a pseudo Merlin project in late 2020. It's first teased to be released in 2021, but nothing came out of it so far (at the time of writing this) except if you count the small handful of times Macken hinted it over the ongoing four year period.

Now, I understand his position. First and foremost, he needs the legal rights to actually produce anything and it's no easy feat when you're dealing with a massive company. Then there's the issue of costumes, props, sets, and equipment. A lot to consider. To put it simply, he must offer the company something worth more than the show itself or contribute in their favor in some way. Macken seems like a charming and capable guy, so he can make it work. Probably.

I lean towards the spin-off theory because a cast reunion would not take four years. As far as I know, Macken is close with the knights and they could get together at any convenient time. If the project was a zoom call or a recorded get-together, it would've been released already. To compare, by using the average of 385,000 babies born each day during the last three years, we have 421,575,000 newborns before the Pseudo Merlin Project.

I want to tie this in with the previous theory, but eh. It can connect, but not really. I don't have any further explanation or evidence since Macken hasn't given any news.

---

Anyways. That's enough of this. I hope it made sense, at least it did to me. I'm entering my third year in the fandom, so I'm relatively new and still hopeful. (Though I try hard to keep my feet on the ground while I stare up at the clouds.)

To end this post, I'd like to say: keep hoping. Hope is such a stupidly beautiful thing, and it should be nurtured. Turn that feeling into art, into efforts.

There are franchises revived 2-3 decades after, and Merlin is no exception.

[neil-neil-orange-peel]

A word on Rik Mayall today...

I recently rewatched the 1984 Wogan interview where Rik does a set as Rick and then an interview as himself. I've always loved the contrast between the oblivious vulnerability we're shown in Rick and the nervous, unguarded energy we glimpse in Rik. I must have watched the video so many times, but it'd been a while since my last viewing, I must admit.

There is something beautiful and raw about Rik and his comedy, especially when looking back at his earlier performances - where he hadn't quite figured out who he wanted to be to the world yet. The way he flits between character and self fascinates me; you can see the change in his face, his posture, his confidence.

Here we behold a man who was much more comfortable behind a persona. These personas let him release a pure, unadulterated, yet still of course hilarious madness that no one else has ever replicated since. That was his gift.

And so, with all this in mind, I took a moment to watch Rik in his element: his eyes wide and glinting, his face grinning and bright, his body abuzz with the performance, his words spiralling wild and loud. That funny man. That pan-global phenomenon.

I found myself laughing, and then I found myself crying; and these two reactions cannot be separated. It was an inarticulable outpouring - because Rik is dead, because time has marched on, because I am no longer 17 years old and freshly in love with him, because things can never be quite as they were ever again. Yet, in spite of all that, this glowing, glorious imprint of Rik remains here, immortalised through the camera.

There he was: Rik Mayall, aged 26, still making me laugh 40 years down the line.

I'd like to say something to Rik, but I can't, so this will have to suffice:

Rest easy, Rik, you darling, funny man. Thank you for the wonder you filled me with when I first found you. It is still within me; it still flickers. Thank you for your fire. Thank you for your madness. Thank you for all the big and small things I want to list but can't capture coherently.

You've been gone ten years now, and that is unspeakably unfair. I am furious on your behalf, believe you me, as I have it on good authority a great many other people are too. I never even met you, and you changed my life. I know that sounds silly, but it is no exaggeration. If such things as souls exist, you made mine full. You made mine laugh.

Thank you, Rik. You utter bastard. I won't ever forget what you've done for me. I really bloody mean that.

I'm thinking of you today.

[tookishcombeferre]

I'm about to write something absolutely crazy, but hear me out. I want y'all to listen to these two songs and tell me there isn't some very distinctive similarities in key, notes, and words.

Please forgive the interruption from the nerdy 13 year old who still lives inside my head. As we age, we are still all the ages we once were, and the little 13 year old kid who longed to play Jekyll on Broadway demands to be heard. I have *long* been obsessed with the musical and the novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." I am auditioning for the show at a community theater (but the child inside me is fawning over the chance to play the role anywhere.) As such, I have been spending a good deal of time with the music. And, I just noticed something I *cannot* un-notice. This is the last time I will be rational in this entire post. Both characters, Jekyll and Cedric, "center" around the same "power note" - F#4/ G4. (Jekyll's highest note in the whole show is an "A4" and that's only when he's "screaming." A4 is usually Hyde's sort of "manic" note. Though, the actor has to sing both. It's ... it's a lot. Trust me.) Both characters, at this point in their story, have been put in this position due to public humiliation. (Jekyll due to a rejection of his scientific theory by the "Board of Governors" at the medical hospital at which he presented his research, and Cedric because of bullying and being a social outcast most of his life - as the song explains.) Now, the major difference is, up to this point, Jekyll has been an upstanding and moral dude. He honest to goodness believes that he can rid the entire world of evil by separating good and evil from people. He wants to end war. He wants to cure insanity. He's a good dude with a big heart. However, bro-bro is about to create evil in himself and go absolutely coo-coo for cocoa puffs in like 20 minutes. But, that's neither here nor there. Musically these songs *feel* the same, and I would argue that "This is the Moment" could have been a musical influence ON this song. The idea of an internal war between good and evil - "polar twins that are constantly struggling" - as Jekyll says at the very beginning of the musical. Is the ENTIRE THEME OF THIS SONG. In fact, most of Cedric's music up to this point has centered around the F#4/G4 note. Which, is also the power note for Jekyll throughout the WHOLE MUSICAL of Jekyll and Hyde. (Something I find just fascinating is that there are some STRONG parallels between Jekyll's music in this show and Cedric's throughout the show. Like it goes beyond this song, and it's like REALLY, REALLY strong. Not saying the creators were doing anything there, but I find it really interesting. And they *BREAK* the association as soon as the redemption happens. Cedric's music is happier and bouncier post-redemption. The minor key polar-twin struggle is GONE! UGH!!!!!!!!!! I cannot! It's FASCINATING! I wish I had more appearances from him in season 4 to know if that was intentional. Because, even when he fights with Cordelia, it's NOT written in the Jekyll KEY! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Jekyll is a soft character who has a really bad thing happen to him. In the end, it's because of his own dumb decision to poison himself. But, in his mind, he feels pigeonholed into making that choice because of other people's prejudice against him. At the point that he sings this balad, his reputation is *completely* destroyed. He has no other choice than to experiment on himself. (Or, at least he thinks so.) Then, after Hyde is released, he's stuck in the pits of warring between the good and the evil within himself because of this one crap decision that he has, somewhat inadvertently, made. But, he ends up in complete isolation with no one to help him by a series of his own, again, poor impulsive decisions. So, he goes completely banana pancakes because he's a tragic hero in a Victorian era morality play. Thus, like all good tragic heroes, Jekyll must die. (He's so complicated and beyond impulsive, your honor, I love him.) Obvs, this does *not* happen to Cedric. We get a nice redemption arc instead. Which, I wish is what happened for my boy Jekyll because the Victorians did him dirty. So, looking beyond the plot and notes, the *words* are incredibly striking. The number of times the word "great/ greatest" comes up in "This is the Moment" is a lot especially near the end. Additionally, the idea of loneliness, isolation, aloneness, and the overcoming of that isolation into greatness is a major theme in both lyrics. The music swells surrounding "I'll prove to them I made it on my own" & "This is the moment/the greatest moment/ of them all" and "I've always had so much to prove/I will not hesitate/ It's time for me to make my move and be/ King Cedric the Great." I'm just saying that if the creators can draw influence from Gulliver's Travels and numerous other really bizarre pieces of classical literature. I fail to see why a super-duper subtle reference to Jekyll and Hyde is off the table? (Is Hyde Wormwood????????????? - Wait a ... nooooooooooooooooo ... more on that later. Separate post. Pip. Separate post. I'm still team Wormwood redemption. But, that's because I believe in the unification of our polar twins not their separation. Again. Stop ... Pip. Separate post!) I just think this is so neat!!! Because, y'all, like I said, the number of literary influences on this show are NUMEROUS. I just can't unsee it or unhear it. (But, I'm a person with mild audio-visual synesthesia so that's all the same to me.) Anyway, music. Literature. Nerdy stuff. Was this intentional? Am I crazy? I dunno. But, all I know is these songs sound similar, and I love them both SO MUCH! UGH! MUSIC! AHHHH!!!!!!!!

(Also, while this song is fine, PSA from a certified fandom adult to anyone younger than, like 15/16, DO NOT go seeking out the whole musical or you might end up with more than you bargained for. It's pretty gory and intense. One and a half steps down in vibe, I'd say, from Sweeney Todd and maybe about a step up in intensity from the Hunchback of Notre Dame revival with Patrick Paige and Michael Arden- so the one where they brought in some of the darker themes from the novel. [Thank you Alan Menken for doing that for us, and for casting Patrick Paige as Frollo. None, of which we deserved.] I found Jekyll and Hyde The Musical at 13 because I was a gremlin who read the novella The Mysterious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson well younger than I should have because, if it was a classic, I was allowed to read anything. Okay, bye!)

[forabeatofadrum]

It's Wednesday My Dudes! Thank you @that-disabled-princess, @nausikaaa and @cutestkilla tagging me. Time is an illusion.

I was out and about, not doing much, since it was my birthday. I watched the digital ticket of Starkid's new musical Cinderella's Castle, and I enjoyed it, and I played some viddy games, namely Cult of the Lamb and Splatoon 3. Splatoon 3's come to an end with the great Grand Festival. I hope Kurt and Blaine are bopping to ANOTHER version of Ebb & Flow. Off the Hook keeps releasing new versions of that song and it still slaps.

And after last week's poll, I started The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. So far, it's not going well for me, up to the point I'm looking into cheats. I can't believe I am unbelievably stuck on the first dungeon.

But because of Wind Waker, I have returneth to writing with the thing no one asked for, me included, namely a Zelda fic!

A little background, but back in 2021, I wrote Any way the wind blows, a fic that's set in Breath of the Wild and it's about Link reuniting with his sister after a hundred years. Then, fast forward to 2023: Tears of the Kingdom came out and the character of Purah has been doing scientific fuckery with her age. Maybe some of you remember this, but after that game came out I spent some of these SSS/WW posts talking about a possible sequel for Any way the wind blows. Welp, seeing the Link and Aryll of Wind Waker interact brought all of those thoughts back and last night, underneath my blanky, my mind started writing it. So under the cut there's some words of Easy come, easy go, will you let me go, because yes, I even came up with a title.

Kiana knows Aryll is old. Everyone in Lurelin knows Aryll is old. She's called the village elder for a reason. She'll be turning a hundred and twelve. If she manages to make it. Everyone's noticed that Aryll's grown even more tired than before. She spents most of her days inside, even though the villagers have made the outside more accessible. A few weeks ago, she only went outside when her brother came to visit. The two of them would sit by the ocean. But now, that's also stopped. To be fair, now that the Calamity is over, Link spends more time at Lurelin. Before, he would only visit once a week. After, he practically moved here. But Link and Aryll spend most of their time inside Aryll's hut and Link's also started roaming around Lurelin without her, because she's often asleep when he's around. Kiana knows Aryll's lived a good life without regrets. If it hadn't been for Link returning, she'd be at peace with Aryll slowly fading away, but Aryll's had to miss her brother for almost a hundred years and it feels cruel to have it end. Sebasto argues that maybe this is the way it is. The Goddesses have kept Aryll alive so that she could be reunited, but now that's happened, and it's time to move on, but Kiana cannot accept that. Kiana knows she can't stop death. No one can, not even the most advanced scientists in Hyrule, but when she overhears Zelda and Link discuss the aging experiments of one of their friends, Kiana starts to think.

I'd like to write this fic in the same style as the first one, which alternated between the present and Aryll's stories about the past, but I have no clue how to do that. Ah. We'll see. I gotta finish it first.

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @coffeegleek @caramelcoffeeaddict @raenestee @tectonicduck 

@nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer

@special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral

@artsyunderstudy​ @facewithoutheart​ @shrekgogurt @rockitmans @bitbybitwrites 

@whatevertheweather @shame-is-a-wasted-emotion @esilher @kurtsascot @blackberrysummerblog 

@nightimedreamersghost @ivelovedhimthroughworse @thnxforknowingme @martsonmars

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

hello can you do a xavier thorpe with midnight rain ?please

This has been in my drafts for so long and I did not plan for this to be over 2.7k, but here we are. Midnight rain is one of my favorite on Midnights so I couldn't not write this

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

You've dreamt of writing novels since you could hold a pen.

At nine years old, you wrote your first short story, a dark mystery starring you and your sister Wednesday. Your English teacher was both impressed and horrified when she read it. She sent it to a writing contest for young writers, believing your writing skills deserved to be read by bigger names, but the judges preferred a tooth-rotting romance written by a typical American sweetheart.

You never stopped writing. On the contrary, you were spending more time with your typewriter, perfecting your storytelling and expanding your vocabulary. Those judges were too narrow minded and weak stomached to appreciate your writing.

At eleven years old, you met Stephen King at a book release event. You were the youngest in line and may or may not have skipped school in order to meet him. Sorry, Mrs. Jackson, but Stephen King was of greater importance than your lecture on World War I. You got him to sign your favorite book and dropped a folder with your name on the cover. The horror writer was confused, thinking it was something else you wanted him to sign — it wasn't.

''It's my first novel. I would like you to read it.''

His opinion mattered more to you than those judges from the young writers contest.

Wednesday, the ever so pessimist, kept telling you he would toss your novel in the trash and move on with his day, but a few weeks later, you received a handwritten letter from the man himself. He had read your short story. He called it macabre and at times disturbing, which was a praise coming from him.

Ten years later, you were standing in the very same bookstore you met Stephen King. But this time, you were the one sitting behind the table and signing books.

It felt surreal seeing your name on a book cover.

The New York Times listed you as one of the promising authors under the age of thirty, which made the sales of your novel go up.

You were getting ready for your signing, making sure you had enough pens and that your dark lipstick was not on your teeth when Eleanor, your personal assistant for this book tour, came up to you holding a bouquet of flowers.

''These were sent to you, Ms. Addams,'' she said, placing the bouquet of black dahlias on the table.

You looked at it in confusion. ''Who are they coming from?''

''They aren't addressed to me, I legally cannot check.''

You nodded in understanding and sent her off. Whoever had sent these knew your favorite flowers. Most assumed it was black roses, but you preferred dahlias — like the murder.

You took the small card attached to the bouquet and read it.

Congrats on the novel. I knew you were gonna make it.

X.

A rush of emotions swarmed through you. You had recognized the handwriting, the perfect calligraphy of the boy who once owned your heart.

Sometimes, you catch yourself wondering what your life would be like if you hadn't broken his heart during your last year at Nevermore. You would be lying to say you didn't miss him. Xavier was more than a teenage romance. He was the love of your life, but your and Xavier's vision of the future, life after Nevermore Academy, didn't align. He wanted a comfortable life, away from the spotlights. You wanted the world to know your name.

You tried to make the relationship work, you really did. You thought you could do it, true love can get through the hardest ships, but you started focusing on your writing more and more, and lessening the time you spent with Xavier. He was understanding, knowing how important writing was to you. Sleepovers became less frequent as your nights were spent with your typewriter, weekly dates turned into monthly dates, and the 'I miss you's outnumbered the 'I love you's.

This wasn't fair to Xavier. He deserved someone who wasn't always going to make him second in her priorities. You had always been driven by a greed to succeed, the desire to accomplish your dreams. Love had come to you when you least expected it. It had never been part of your life-plan.

With a heavy heart, you found yourself turning the page on a relationship you thought would last your lifetime, because when you love someone, sometimes you need to let them go. Even if it hurts.

''Madelaine is asking when we'll begin,'' your assistant asked, pulling you out of your mind.

You shifted your eyes away from the card, hiding it in the pocket of your trousers.

Eleanor averted her gaze from you, turning to the beautiful flower instead. She was curious of their provenance, but knew it was none of her business. ''Eh, sorry. I didn't want to interrupt—''

''What is it?'' Your tone was a little rude, but you didn't get to apologize.

''There's a line outside that extends to the café and the owner is complaining that it's blocking the way and interfering with his business. Madelaine is asking when we'll begin.''

You glanced at the large clock on the wall. ''I'm meeting Wednesday and Enid for lunch at 1pm. I need to be finished by then.''

Eleanor nodded. ''I'll tell Madelaine to let the people in, then.'' She gave you a smile, then walked away.

*

After having dinner with Enid and Wednesday, you returned to your hotel. On the walk there, your heart jumped in your chest when you saw a tall man with his hair tied into a bun waiting to cross the street. Your mind immediately made the connection, the piece of paper in your picked feeling suddenly heavier.

According to Wednesday, Xavier lived in New York. He bought a loft somewhere in Greenwich Village and displays his paintings in a gallery. She and Enid had attended his last exposition a few months back.

It made you happy to know his paintings were displayed in a gallery. You always knew he was talented and could make a living off his art. You wondered what his paintings looked like. He must have improved since high school. Was he still using his nightmares as inspiration? Had he moved on to a more abstract style? Did he still have that painting of you?

Your questions remained unanswered, having reached your hotel.

Eleanor must have come into your room after the signing because the black dahlias were placed on the table along with the few small gifts you had received from your readers. You removed your coat and walked up to the flowers, a feeling of nostalgia filling your heart.

The first time Xavier got you black dahlias was on Valentine's day. While everyone got their significant other roses, he got you a black dahlia. The special attention had touched you. You had only mentioned once that they were your favorite. It was at his shed and he was painting. You thought he wasn't listening to you, but he was. He always listened.

You gave one last lingering glance to the black dahlias on the table, then called your mother through your crystal ball. A phone would have been more practical, but you weren't a big fan of technology.

Shortly after summoning her, Morticia appeared through the crystal ball. ''You look tormented, my little stormcloud.''

You couldn't hide anything from her.

Before you told her anything, she noticed the flowers behind you and immediately understood the provenance of your torments. Fortunately for you, heart matters were Morticia's favorite. She had a preference for those involving cursing a lover who did you wrong, but she was still very pleased to be of help.

''What's stopping you from reaching out to him?''

Flashes of Xavier's teary eyes haunted your thoughts as guilt and regret filled your guts. ''I broke his heart, Mother. I cannot show up at his apartment.''

''If he is the love of your life, why not give it a shot? Love makes us forgive the heaviest mistakes, my darling.'' Morticia paused, thinking about her own past mistakes. ''Besides, he sent you flowers, didn't he?''

*

The cab ride to Greenwich village felt interminable. You almost told the chauffeur to turn around fifteen times, but when would you be in New York again? This was your chance.

The car stopped in front of Xavier's building. It was tall and most lights were out. Maybe he was asleep? Xavier has always been a night owl, the chances he was asleep at this hour were very slim.

You paid the driver and took the stairs, your heart hammering behind your chest as you got closer to Xavier's door. You paused before knocking, deciding to use the secret knock you and Xavier used at Nevermore when sneaking in each other's dorms. It's been a few years, but you hoped he remembered.

The door opened and you momentarily forgot how to breathe. His green eyes looked down at you and an army of spiders swarmed your stomach, making you feel like a teenage girl.

Xavier stepped back to let you inside, then closed the door, plunging you in the silence of the apartment.

''You don't seem surprised to see me.''

He casted his eyes down and shook his head gently. ''I had a dream about you last night,'' Xavier explained, shifting his gaze back to you. ''You were here, standing by the large window of my apartment, looking absolutely stunning by the moonglow.''

You crossed the large room, your shoes clicking on the wood floors, and stood by the window adorning the street, trying to recreate Xavier's dream picture-perfectly. ''Like this?''

A soft smile spread on your old flame's face.

''I didn't know if it was my mind playing and trying to hurt me or if it was premonitory,'' he said as he walked over to you, his pace slow and calculated.

The moonglow hit his face, making his beautiful eyes glisten.

You wanted to kiss him.

Shaking that thought from your head, you cleared your throat. ''Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful.''

''I saw a poster with your face at the bookstore last week saying you would be having a signing. I wanted to come, but I didn't know if you would have wanted to see me...'' He got closer to the window, watching the city under.

''I always want to see you, Xavier.''

He scoffed, an ache in his heart. ''That's not what you said a few years ago.'' The wound was old, but it had never healed completely.

Guilt and regret swarmed your guts. You wanted to apologize, but no 'sorry' would be enough to amount how much you regretted those words. You had lied to him, right to his face, that night. You had watched his green eyes fill with tears as his heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

''Would you have thought of me today had I not sent you flowers?''

''Yes,'' you replied with no hesitation. ''Just because I'm a published writer doesn't mean I've forgotten about my past — our past.''

Shaking off the flashes of the past, Xavier blinked back his tears and tightened his jaw to camouflage his emotions. ''Why are you here, Y/N?''

The question was simple, yet you didn't know what to answer. You couldn't exactly blurt out 'because I still love you'. Although it was the truth, you knew this would not work with Xavier. You broke his heart and if you wanted him to let you have it again, you'll have to mend the pieces.

''I want to fix the past.'’

It was naive and silly to say, but you couldn't find anything better.

You continued. ‘’When we’re young, we think we know everything — we don’t. Decisions we think are right at the time sometimes are not and we only realize so when we grow up. I made a tremendous mistake when ending things with you, Xavier. I’m genuinely so sorry for all the hurt I inflicted upon you that night and all the ones that followed.’’

Xavier glanced at you for half a second, then looked away again.

‘’I wish I could say I wish I never pushed you away, but I can’t. If I hadn’t, I would never have realized how important you are to me. How I miss the deep connection we shared, the way we understood each other without words and having someone to share my greatest achievements with. I miss our late nights together, me writing or reading and you painting. I miss Sunday mornings at your dorm and seeing your sleepyhead beside me—’’

‘’Just because you miss these moments doesn’t mean anything. We all miss things from the past, it’s called nostalgia.’’

‘’I know what nostalgia is, and this ain’t it!’’

Frustration was beginning to build inside you and you were starting to think you were fighting for a love that was too far gone. A flame that had been killed and would never ignite again.

Tears welled in your eyes, but you blinked them away.

‘’Back then, I believed my career was the most important thing. I thought if I made it and became a writer, I would feel fulfilled, but all this time I’ve been away from you made me realize that love is important too. What’s the point of living my dream if the person I want to share it with is not there by my side?’’

When you got the email from a publishing house saying they loved your novel and wanted to publish it, Xavier was the first person you wanted to call and tell your big news to. Your finger had hovered over his name on your phone for several minutes.

Instead, you had called your mother.

‘’When you're young, we make mistakes we thought were right at the time. When you grow up, you realize and come back to what you need. We’ve accepted that our lives grew apart, but what if I don't want our lives to grow apart? What if I want them to meet in the middle?’’

‘’Do you know how different our lives are, Y/N? I live in New York and you…I don’t know where you’re currently living. How are they supposed to meet in the middle?’’

‘’We make them meet in the middle,’’ you answered simply.

‘’We’ve tried that before.’’ Xavier scoffed, shifting his body toward the window. He could see your reflection in the glass, but tried to ignore it and focus on the street below. ‘’It didn’t work.’’

‘’We didn’t try hard enough.’’

The room was filled with a mixture of longing and uncertainty as your words were left pending. Xavier's skepticism was evident, his doubts stemming from the geographical distance that seemed to separate your lives and the flashes of the past. A part of him wanted to jump in and take a chance, but another reminded him of the tough heartbreak he went through when you broke up.

‘’I’m ready to give my all into this relationship, if you’re willing to give us another chance. New Jersey is not that far from New York. I…I could move here! I have a computer now, we could video-call. Or you could come spend a few days at the Addams manor?’’

Xavier turned his gaze from the window to meet your eyes. Like your sister, you had always been reluctant to submit to technology. He was surprised that you owned a computer. ‘’It’s called Facetime.’’

You drew your eyebrows together. ‘’What?’’

Xavier couldn't help but chuckle at your response. ‘’Video-calling,’’ he mocked. ‘’It’s called Facetime.’’

Right. Facetime. Enid had told you many times.

You rolled your eyes. ‘’Excuse me for not being a slave to technology for as long as you,’’ you retorted, turning the teasing around.

Accepting defeat, Xavier then shifted back to seriousness. ‘’You really think we can do this?’’ he asked, his voice tinged with a mix of hope and uncertainty.

You took a few strides toward him, raising your eyes to meet his. ‘’If we put our hearts in it.’’ You took his hand in yours, holding it with both hands.

A moment of silence enveloped the room as your words hung in the air. You were trying to be optimistic, but the longer the silence was getting, the less optimistic you were. He was going to push you away...

His green eyes shifted from your hands, distracting himself with the dainty rings on your fingers. You still had the one he gave you for your fifteenth birthday. You were just friends back then, so it didn’t have anything romantic tied to it.

‘’Okay.’’ He covered your hands with his other one, making you look up at him.

‘’Okay?’’ you repeated, making sure you had heard correctly.

Xavier nodded. ‘’Just…don’t break my heart again. Please.’’

You couldn't make that promise. ''I'll try,'' you said instead. ‘’And if you break mine?’’

‘’We’ll say we’re even.’’

—

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[randomnameless]

Land 1 done!

Without crossing the bridge to get rekt'd by the final boss and trigger a bad ending, of course :p

I know the game puts more emphasis on gameplay than on characters, unlike, say, FE 8x2, but damn if every little situation you recruit random characters makes me think of past FE events in different titles and it just... fits? Somehow?

Like, evil empire has trouble conquering a party of Cornia, but behold! A mysterious plague pops up, that is totally not tied to the shady as fuck necromancer who works with the evil empire and says it'd be annoying if people find a cure.

So we have some guy and his army of cleric wearing plague doctor masks trying to find a cure by, uh, experimenting/working on people who already caught the plague, even accepting to work with the evil empire because curing the plague is more important, right?

Ends justify means yadda yadda... save for the part I earlier mentionned, that it is heavily implied the evil empire is the one who created that plague to begin with!

Now, imagine in a FE game if, in the background, we had to rescue people or hear about people being afflicted by a strange and unknown disease... and if that disease was engineered by people for a further motive...

8x2? Nah.

We also have quests where people are fighting for the evil empire who is occupying their land because they believe as long as they obey their people won't be put to the sword...

(I watched my bro play the final chapter, we know how it ends lol)

Not!Cyril fighting against bandits, finding and helping a witch fend off people who are trying to "catch her" - we even get a flimsy excuse for a bikini attire in the process and an answer to the "why do i use spells to rejuvenate myself in a sexy body? It's because I won't be able to move as fast as I can now if I was a crone" other flimsy excuse, etc etc.

Now it's time to enter the land of fucked up siblings relationship (sure Virginia is Alain's cousin - who looks like his mom - and can end up with him, but this is not the kind of Jugdralian stuff I had in mind) and let me tell you, all those plot bunnies I had in Jugdral about Lester believing he was going to become Lord of Jungby all of his life, only to have his role/throne snatched before his eyes by a bum who's apparently his cousin and can use the legendary shiny bow of legend is... basically Drakengard (Drakenhold in english?), but up to eleven.

Ah, and it wouldn't be a post from me if I don't find a way to rant about the localisation lol

Josef, upon meeting Virginia, basically goes in the audio "it's been a long time since I last saw you". In the english version?

Like what are you implying Josef, she wasn't a princess when you saw her last time or didn't have the "standing" fit for a princess?

Besides, I hope the release of the october book won't blow a hole in the Josef's "you were a teenager when we last met" by releasing character ages, but that's not really that important.

This however

Alain greets his long lost cousin, nothing wrong here right?

Well, in the JP audio, he calls her with the "hime" suffix, showing as much deference as Josef, who is a retainer of the royal family. Virginia doesn't use any suffix because that's her, but in Alain's various support convos, we learn that he had to learn and to behave like a proper noble after escaping from his castle 7 years ago, and all this noble/formal stuff is something he doesn't use with his commoner friends.

Ergo, this minor thing here is important, especially in the Drakengard themes : siblings/relatives used to be close, but reuniting after a long period of time or several life changing events, they are changed and even if they want and try to, cannot be as close as they once were.