#Rogue has seen the first thread

[dragongodryss]

Fairy Tail Tumblr

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 (Sting) Follow

Its Pride month, you know what that means!

🗿DeathMetalBruh (Gajeel) Follow

No?

🗿DeathMetalBruh Follow

Do we slay gay dragons?

🌅SkyWatcher777 (Wendy) Follow

Please don't kill me

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

@DeathMetalBruh I prefer to slay dragons gayly. Your thing is stupid

Btw, are you a dragonslayer? So am I do we know each other irl?

🗿DeathMetalBruh Follow

@Bumblr-Bee69 Sting are you braindead?

🔥NinNinIconic (Natsu) Follow

So, you guys know how the earth is flat, right? Like, is the sun also flat? Do we even know? It'll burn your eyes if you look at it for too long, so there's no way to know

🗿DeathMetalBruh Follow

This had better be a shitpost

🔥NinNinIconic Follow

why would it be a shitpost

🌅SkyWatcher777 Follow

I thought the earth was round?

🐸Catlover (Rogue) Follow

Fun Fact: It's actually vaguely squished! But round is pretty close

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

@Catlover Nerd.

🐸Catlover Follow

@Bumblr-Bee69 I'm in your walls darling

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

Flattered but I have a boyfriend

🔥NinNinIconic Follow

@DeathMetalBruh Answer the question coward

🐸Catlover Follow

@NinNinIconic Because the earth is roundish Hope this helps

🔥NinNinIconic Follow

I need to kick someone's ass.

🔥NinNinIconic Follow

Update: I kicked her ass.

🌅SkyWatcher777 Follow

Romance side of Tumblr, I need help. I have a date in 30 minutes what do I do?

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

Assert dominance. Eat more than them. Drink more than them. Talk more than them. Dress up better. Hold doors open. Push their chair in. Ask more questions than them. Carry them if they let you. If someone else tries to talk to them, put them in their place. Take them home after (Good way of figuring out where they live)

🐸Catlover Follow

Don't do this.

🔥NinNinIconic Follow

Idk @Bumblr-Bee69 's advice sounds solid. I notice @Catlover failed to suggest an alternative. I know who I'm gonna trust.

🗿DeathMetalBruh Follow

This is how misinformation spreads. I hate tis goddam hellsite.

🐸Catlover Follow

@NinNinIconic @SkyWatcher777 If you're going out on a date with them, they're already interested. Do whatever it is you're doing and talk to them. Try actually listening too. Might help.

Other things that may help: Taking a shower first @Bumblr-Bee69 do it now. Clean clothes too

Not picking a fight with the waitstaff (always applicable when out)

Being a decent human being

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

@Catlover yo wft

🔥NinNinIconic Follow

@Catlover What If i did all those things while asserting dominance?

🗿DeathMetalBruh Follow

Yeah, that would work

🌅SkyWatcher777 Follow

Asserting dominance didn't work. My date's friend just called me and told me she doesn't want to see me if this is how I'm going to act.

🌅SkyWatcher777 Follow

Romance side of Tumblr, how do I get my friend to talk to me? I acted like a jerk during our date and she'd mad and I miss her.

🐸Catlover Follow

The one where you took the romance side of tumblr's advice?

🗿DeathMetalBruh Follow

No need to roast them, chill

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

Buy her chocolate, Show her the thread, and Apologize. Works for me.

🐸Catlover Follow

@Bumblr-Bee69 Not for long if you keep giving bad love advice like it's gospel.

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

Well, I have a boyfriend, and he's a total catch, so I'd say I'm doing something right.

🗿DeathMetalBruh Follow

I'll show him your shitty dating advice and this post and we'll see if you stll have a boyfriend.

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

Fuck you! he wouldn't be with me if my advice wasn't solid. @SkyWatcher777 probably fucked it up somehow

🐸Catlover Follow

@Bumblr-Bee69 Go do your dishes instead of trolling.

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

What kind of comeback is that, nerd? I bet there aren't even any dishes, my boyfriend probably did them already.

🌅SkyWatcher777 Follow

@Bumblr-Bee69's advice worked this time.

🔥NinNinIconic Follow

@Bumblr-Bee69 It's been 20 minutes, were there any dishes?

🐝Bumblr-Bee69 Follow

yea

Learned how to do this from this post

[intuitive-revelations]

Theory: Something serious is up with the TARDIS

I had been wondering about this all series, but after Rogue today, it's finally been confirmed that something's going on with the TARDIS (on top of all the other arc threads going on!).

The moment I picked it up was in The Devil's Chord, where the TARDIS makes a strange groan and creaks after landing back in 1963. Ruby thinks it's from Maestro, but the Doctor says it's "something else". As of today it's happened again, twice! Once in the episode itself, once in the next time trailer. The exact same sound effect!

Someone on reddit pointed out a few weeks ago that this sound appeared even earlier too, in Wild Blue Yonder (notably also when we first saw Susan Twist, had gravity changed to mavity, and welcomed the Pantheon into the universe). Each time, it's also had attention drawn to it. Here's a video of each scene, followed by a direct comparison of each sound:

(I did have a quick glance to see if it appeared elsewhere, maybe even during Flux. As far as I can tell however, Wild Blue Yonder seems to be the only non-S14 appearance.)

What's more, going back to that Reddit thread, someone pointed out what the Wild Blue Yonder script says about this moment:

And then the TARDIS seems to moan. The Doctor fascinated. DONNA: Is it working? THE DOCTOR: I think so. Strange. He reaches out, touches the TARDIS, wondering. And that 'strange' will come back to haunt him, one day. But now...

(Suddenly the TARDIS freaking out over Donna's spill might make a bit more sense...)

So what the hell's going on?

Well, between a trailer scene and some news that just came out a few hours ago as of writing this, I think I may have an idea. Given it's based on trailer footage uploaded and then removed from YouTube, I'll put it below beneath a read more:

In a removed Disney+ teaser trailer we get two frames of the Doctor screaming out into space (with Mel behind him). Except it's not from "his" TARDIS:

It's the f*cking memory TARDIS!

And here's the thing. Not only was this trailer scrubbed from the Disney+ and BBC channels, but in the other trailers, this clip is entirely different! Not only is Mel gone, but the TARDIS interior is now Fifteen's own, and the TARDIS is in a different, generic region of space.

Just before this, we also see a similar nebulous region of space matching the unmanipulated clip.

But why on Earth is this such a big deal, that the BBC/Disney would go full MCU and give us a deliberately altered clip? The only previous time I remember Doctor Who doing this was for Series 10, hiding the plot point of the Doctor's blindness. It's not because of Mel, who literally appears in the released trailer. It's also seemingly not because of the background, despite it also being altered (unless the two moons are a clue with the planet being Gallifrey or something - the thought had occurred to me - but that's such a tiny detail, and we also only see one sun). Instead, it must be the Memory TARDIS. But why?

In-universe, I have no idea. On one hand I'd be delighted to get some answers as to its nature. Assuming it's connected to the groans we've been hearing, then it could be the TARDIS undergoes some sort of metamorphosis into this state? But we've seen the TARDIS change all the time, whether for safety, to recover or whatever. I also can't imagine general audiences are falling over themselves to find out the in-universe explanation for a Classic Who re-release framing device. Not to mention, apparently the sound will go on to "haunt" the Doctor...

...maybe the TARDIS straight up is taken out of commission in some way? And the Memory TARDIS isn't the same ship, but the Doctor's way of saving the day without her? Maybe even remembered into existence Fitz/Amy style?

Out of universe however, it's just been announced yesterday that we're getting more Tales of the TARDIS.

And not just more omnibus stories with past characters returning for in-universe commentary... but with Fifteen and Ruby! What's more, it's apparently a one-off, right before the finale (but, note, after the first part next week).

Which means it's important. Possibly extremely so, given the edited trailer scene. It might even serve as an interquel, given Fifteen and Ruby are somehow in it.

I've seen two common theories. Either a) it will be Pyramids of Mars, and we're getting Sutekh in the finale (presumably with Fifteen and Ruby partially because of bringing back Elizabeth Sladen obviously not being an available option - and even if you thought up another character, eg. Luke, I doubt Tom would be interested, at that point anyway), or b) it will be something tying into Susan returning.

Honestly between the remaining trailer clips (eg. sandstorms and dusty planets), a tease RTD supposedly gave in DWM, and an old interview with him where he supposedly floated the idea of bringing back a Classic Who for a finale and airing the original serial on BBC3 beforehand, I'm kinda leaning towards the prior, even though it wasn't at all on my radar.

However, this still doesn't actually answer what's up with the TARDIS.

It could quite literally be anything. However, here's a few ideas, some reasonable some weird, that I have come up with:

Old age / stress. This is a weird one, but oddly enough something I had thought of once in the past, and I just saw someone else come to the same idea on Reddit. The idea is that while the Doctor has a new regeneration cycle and now a good few years, if not decades or more, of rest and recovery, the TARDIS may struggling in it's own right (especially if it is somehow old enough to have once been the Fugitive Doctor's). However, while this could be something interesting to explore, and I think isn't entirely mutually exclusive with other options, I can't imagine going anywhere near a storyline of the TARDIS itself 'wearing thin'. Besides, if we did, I like to imagine it would have been foreshadowed with size leakage, as per Name of the Doctor.

Relating to the above, could it be something linked to the TARDIS splitting in The Giggle? However, the sound starts before then (not that that means much to the TARDIS, but still).

Laws of rationality breaking down. This one makes the most sense in a lot of ways, between the expanded universe (particularly Christmas on a Rational Planet) and Flux, we've seen the TARDIS cannot survive in an irrational universe. While time has stabilised for now, we're still seeing magic and other Old Time forces encroaching in on the Web of Time. I'm a bit torn with this one however, as while it works from a lore and writing perspective, plus matches with this starting in Wild Blue Yonder (right after the Mavity incident... interestingly), it seems odd it's not more connected with what happened in Flux? Why are the sounds and effects on the TARDIS completely different?

Something to do with the Doctor's fobwatch. In Rogue, the Doctor blames the sound on indigestion. We know we're getting more Timeless Child related stuff - could this somehow be linked to Thirteen dropping the Division biodata module deep into the TARDIS? Would be a weird time to pick this up though, and I'm not sure exactly how that would have had such an effect.

The most actually likely, but least possible to theorise about: it's something time-wimey to do with Ruby, the villain(s) of the story, and/or Susan Twist, especially given this started after her first appearance.

Regardless, I'm just excited to see what's up with the Memory / "Remembered" TARDIS, because it's seems we're about to learn something...

[disniq]

heyyy it's the tropes jason anon again back at it with a new question! what quotes from the comic books would you say describe jason & his philosophy well? thank you so, so much for helping me out ❤

Hi again Anon!

Full disclosure here; I don't think Jason has been written consistently enough over the years to necessarily have one set, inarguable philosophy. But I do think there are certain themes that carry through.

So;

Red Hood: Lost Days #3

This is, notably, the first time Jason kills. (I'm not including Garzonas, which is debatable, or the Cheer incident, which is a retcon) He finds out his hand-to-hand teacher has a barn full of drugged children about to be sex trafficked. The cops and politicians are in on it, making lawful justice extremely unlikely, but taking out one man takes out the system. Jason crosses that line for the first time because nobody else is there to stop it, and this is the most practical route.

He does not see it as "murder" because he feels it was deserved.

Red Hood: Lost Days #4

After that line has been crossed - as Talia points out here - a pattern emerges. It's notable that Jason does not kill all his dubiously skilled teachers, only the ones he deems the worst of the worst - people deliberately and repeatedly harming everyday people, especially children.

Jason reiterates this in his famous utrh speech. He's not talking about killing every rogue, every criminal. He's talking about killing the worst of the worst, the people who can finagle their way out of the system, the people the system fails to catch.

Under the Red Hood

It would be remiss of me not to include that one time Jason killed a nazi. Good for her dot gif.

To Jason, these people are beyond the regular means of justice, so he provides his own. He stops them from hurting anybody else.

This is not an exclusively post-resurrection opinion of his, either. Jason expressed similar thoughts during his Robin run.

Batman #422 (thank you @benbamboozled 😘)

This woman, Judy, baited her sister's murderer into attacking her too and then slits his throat. She's unrepentant, and Jason agrees with her decision. (Bruce, for the record, gives a speech on how "nobody is above the law" which is. An interesting stance for an illegally operating vigilante to take lmao)

It makes sense to me that Jason, as someone who has seen the system fail repeatedly (both as a civilian and as a hero), would have those kinds of doubts. The system doesn't always work. The system often fails the most vulnerable people.

When Bruce was failed by the Gotham justice system, he became his own extra-judicial system. When Jason is failed by both the justice system *and* Bruce's own vigilante system? Why wouldn't he do the same.

Unfortunately, this thread is mostly dropped for a while with the wave of writers who either actively hate Jason and try to make him capital E Evil or who are playing shameless self insert with him, but there are two more recent panels that I want to include too;

Task Force Z #12

So, in TFZ, Jason pushes who he thinks is Bane off a roof for killing Alfred. It... is not actually Bane, but instead the brainwashed former corpse of Gotham re-reanimated via comicbook science and. You know what, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that Jason regrets killing Gotham because he didn't deserve it, but reiterates that he will kill the real Bane if he gets a chance.

Jason sees killing as something he can do that others can't, that others maybe *shouldn't* have to do.

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #8

And finally, I adore this little beat in JTMWSL. This is something Jason thinks about. He's not just some brute that doesn't understand that "killing is bad". He thinks about it, reads theory about it. He sees that between the black and white, there are many, many shades of gray.

He understands that people who don't kill with their own hands aren't necessarily good people - like these cops here, gleefully waiting for him to be killed in prison. And that the people who *do* get their hands dirty aren't necessarily the bad guys - like poor Judy.

And I think he probably varies where he places himself on that scale at any given moment.

[felassan]

just burbling about the new screenshots from this Twitter thread from a few days ago :) -

I like how they are showcasing different Rooks in the promotional and marketing material (lineages, classes, ethnicities etc). ^^ it shows the wide variety of Rooks we can make in CC. this human dude Rook is the one in the release date reveal trailer. look at the eyebrow game! :D and if you compare his facial hair to DA:I and stuff, it's come a long way just like the hair-hair. looks great! the pattern at Rook's collar is a pair of wings. I wonder if this Rook is a Warden, and they represent griffon wings, or being that a rook is a bird, this motif is a more general Rook thing?

the design of the armor Rook is wearing here (bandolier of pouches, the shoulder pieces, curved lines on the breastplate etc) reminds me of the 'iconic' armor Rook wears in the key art, just sans helmet and with hood down, in a blue tone instead of purple, and without the Veilguard symbol on the breastplate. I wonder if this scene is from somewhere in the early game, when the companions are probably at that point just Neve and Harding? maybe it's like, before they get a Veilguard symbol, they first need to, well, form Voltron the Veilguard in the first place, and recruit the rest of the companions etc.

the background is the shifting surface of an eluvian, either about to be used or having just been used (cool visual effect btw). the curving gold architecture of the buildings that can be seen in the other location through the eluvian there is ancient elven, so Rook must have just come from (or be about to go to) somewhere which has those style of buildings. maybe Arlathan Forest, maybe Solas' Ritual site in the Forest, etc.

elf lady Warrior Rook and Davrin. again great eyebrow game. :D she is so pretty. she also has the wing motif at her collar. again her armor looks like the key art one. hers is in a purple tone rather than blue like the Rook above though - is this due a dyeing system? ^^ this one has the Veilguard logo on it, so maybe this shot is from a bit later in the game after the Veilguard has been brought together? a few details of the armor are also different compared to above, like buttons. I wonder if this is due to rogue version of the armor vs warrior version, armor customization, or armor upgrade.

Davrin is so ears. I love elves with big ears like this. :D 2 elf warriors yeyyy

wherever they are in this scene, it looks to be inside somewhere.

Davrin looks amazing! the design of his vallaslin reminds me a bit of the Ghilan'nain vallaslin design from DA:I. there are some neat thoughts on the design of Davrin's armor here. :>

the detailing and texturing etc on Neve's clothes in this shot is craaazy (as in crazy good). even the netting on her hat/fascinator has a lil pattern in it. Tevene snakey scales, the folds of the fabric, raindrops on her clothes, the fact that the snake pattern on her hat is three dimensional..

Davrin and Neve - some of our companions love huge cool collars :D

also, just like her saunter, Neve's half-smile/smirk (dimple.. 🥺) here has me weak in the knees.

location: looks like some kind of ruin maybe? ^^

I wanna believe that our dragon hunter Taash is looking up here into the sky at.. a dragon :D I loved getting to see this detailed close up of her dragonscale shoulderpieces and her jewelry etc. in this shot we can see that her gold-plated horn has spiky triangle bits on it and more detailing on the faces carved on her horn cuffs and the dragon piece at her neck. also I'm not sure if it's just the angle in this particular shot, but her brow looks strong, which I love and think makes sense when big horns grow from your head. :>

[images source]

[prof-ramses]

Finally talking about Batman Caped Crusader (and villains I want in it)

So, up until now, I haven't shown my love of batman, bat-rogues and dc villains in general on this blog, but having finished and marinated on the first season of the phenomenal Caped Crusader series, I've decided to change that.

The show is basically everything I wanted it to be, and though the way its plots are carefully threaded together and amazing, it's the characters, especially the villains, that stand out.

And since arguably the biggest thing about this series is the ways it's reinventing the villains it uses, I thought the best way to start talking about it was to run through some ideas I've had on how it might portray various rouges going forward.

Starting with Scarecrow, as he's been referenced twice in the series. A blink and you'll miss it easter egg in episode 5 shows a self help book written by Dr. Jonathan Crane, which makes me wonder if this take on Scarecrow will lean more towards something like the guru working for Scarecrow in the TNBA episode Never Fear, or possibly a more diluted character who genuinely believes he's helping people overcome their fears.

Moving on to speculative characters, after some thought I've come up with a take on Riddler that would slot neatly into BCC is a traveling magician/escapologist who draws in crowds by offering a cash prize to anyone who can explain his seemingly impossible escapes. He also plans his tours so he can find and pick off other big time magicians by putting them in death trap to see how good their escape skills really are.

And rounding out the dorks, the biggest idea I've had for Mad Hatter is a scientist with a method of inducing intense suggestibility (either the chipped cards or some form of drug) but can't find funding. Because of this, he makes his living as a taxidermist, which would allow both for some creepy visuals and (assuming they go down this route) a jabberwocky patched together out of various animals as a screwed up art piece

I've seen some people suggest Bane for season 2, but I think it would be more interesting to use one of the lesser used bruisers Batman has gone up against like Blockbuster (specifically the version from Nightwing comics), Amygdala or even Solomon Grundy, what with the supernatural aspects we've already seen.

If they do adapt Mr. Freeze, I know this will upset some people, but I want a less sympathetic version of Victor, purely because I'm sick of everything wanting to be Heart of Ice. Maybe he had his accident while trying to freeze Nora against her will, or maybe he causes out of exhaustion because he was neglecting to sleep.

And lastly, this show has the opportunity to be the first animated series to embrace the supernatural implications with The Ventriloquist. Scarface wouldn't even have to be fully alive, just a cursed dummy that amplifies negative emotions and might even be addictive in a way. You could have Batman and Wesker racing to find the dummy as it's being passed from person to person around Gotham.

By the way, if any artists see this and take to one or more of these ideas, feel free to draw your own take on them, just remember to tag me so I can see it :)

[king-bastion]

15 and 9 are incredibly similar

i very rarely post but i haven't seen anyone else talking about it so im gonna do it.

the 9th and 15th doctor are super similar and im kinda down for it. with this new series labeled season one its interesting to see Russell T Davies basically redo series one.

i dont mean to say hes reusing concepts or being unoriginal but a lot of the episodes from series one have a loose equivalent in season one to give a few examples space babies = the worlds end(new companions very first trip is to a far off future to a space station) the devils chord = the unquiet dead(new companions second trip is to the past, there is a famous historical figure there that saves the day instead of the doctor)

basically all the episodes besides the two parter aliens of London and world war three have a episode that thematically rhymes with it. again not to say any of the episodes recycle anything, just that if you boil it down to just the story beats a lot of them follow the same journey.

like i said just loose connections like that where a lot of 9 and 15 stories line up and thats not even bringing the doctor himself into the equation.

but bringing how the doctor acts into the view brings even more similarities they are both obviously gay(rogue and jack(dont tell me 9 and jack were not clearly into each other, i wont hear it)) where as most other doctors tend to fall in the attracted to woman area.

but beyond that 9 and 15 are the only ones who tend to physically express anger. 10-14 all yell and stomp around, sometimes they use weapons and threats and sometimes they follow through with them. but only 9 and 15 have punched a wall out of anger, not hitting the wall to accomplish anything or scare anyone but just because they are mad and they need an outlet for that anger.

this post is already getting long so quick wrap up of small similarities i noticed without sourcing it are, both 9 and 15 are actually good at dancing. both will bring up big threats but actually be unable to follow through with them where i feel other doctors will reluctantly give into violence. 9 and 15 have kind of a similar look when it comes to outfits while 9 only had his signature look 15 changes frequently but the majority of those outfits are leather jackets, not overcoats or tweed or hoodies but leather jackets.

then their the matter of the companion being a 18 year old blond girl whos mom is shown a lot and has a want to go back in time to see a parental figure.

and lastly the single story thread connecting all the episodes with badwolf and susan twist, both those threads lead back to a godlike entity.

anyway to wrap this up i think its interesting that season 1 and series 1 are the same enough to directly compare the two doctors as they go through basically the same story beats and that comparison to show that 15, the "healthiest" doctor, the one who claims to have been through therapy and is more open and vulnerable then any other doctor. is the most like 9, the most unhealthy of the doctors straight out the time war packed with trauma.

ether 9 was really good at masking or 15 might not be as healthy as he claims

[brucewaynehater101]

I wanna get into dc (I’m enjoying reading batfam fanfics) but don’t know where to start, any recs?

Hello! Two notes real quick. One, DC stands for Disregard Canon. I say this because DC has a hard time keeping their storylines, characterizations, and basic facts straight. If you switch between creators (even if the media is the same, such as two separate comic creators), you might get very different ideas.

Second, I'm going to organize this by media.

Comics

There are a ton of blogs on Tumblr that are dedicated specifically towards comics for DC. They would know the very specific details of comics that I wouldn't. I recommend choosing one character and searching for reading lists (e.g. searching "Roy Harper's comic list" in Tumblr's search bar).

Live Action TV Shows

Gotham is a great show for introducing Jim Gordon, various rogues, and the general consensus of how Gotham may work. It follows Bruce Wayne right after his parents died and pre-Batman

Titans follows Dick Grayson, the first Robin, and the Titans. Later seasons show Jason Todd and Tim Drake as Robin. I haven't seen past the first season, though.

The Flash or Arrow. Both shows obviously have little to do with the batfam. However, they give more perspective on heroes outside of the batfam. I personally enjoyed the first 2 or so seasons of both.

Animated Movies

There's too many for me to get into all of them, but HBO has a ton of animated DC movies and shows (from what I've heard).

I personally recommend Under the Red Hood as a must watch. It's hands down a masterpiece

Lego Batman

Video Games

The Arkham Series includes 3 games plus a prequel game. I've played the three regular ones, and I HIGHLY recommend them. The third one made me cry (for a lot of reasons)

Gotham Knights. I haven't gotten too far into the game yet, but it's good so far! I've seen videos of the interactions between the batfam (healthy batfam interactions!!!!) that I'm excited for.

There are other ones as well, but I haven't played them personally

I think there may be Lego Batman video games

Animated Shows

Teen Titans is a classic. Obviously, this focuses more on Robin and his team than the batfam

Harley Quinn Show focuses on Harley but shows a lot of the villains in Gotham. There's a ton of focus on various characters that are usually not given so much spotlight

I will not recommend Teen Titans Go

Young Justice is way different from the comics, but still good to watch

Live Action Movies

Suicide Squad

I'm sure there's a thread or two out there arguing the best live action Batman movies. I don't remember him having any kids in those, but you could still watch them for the lore ig

Joker.... I don't really consider that movie to be canon, but knock yourself out. It's a good film if you distance the idea of Joker from it.

I am most definitely forgetting stuff, but I'm also falling asleep (barely keeping my eyes open). Ask more questions if you want 👍

[loquaciousquark]

So I stayed up ungodly late last night playing through the Cazador quest/conclusion (?) of the Astarion romance and I have a lot of thoughts!

Overall, I LOVED it. Absolutely loved it. I love how much he has to say about the mansion, I love the design and weirdly oppressive layout of the space, the sinister door, the annoying button/attic puzzle, his relationship with Go...dey? The bone man! When I saw that room was called the kennel I literally said "oh no" out loud.

The one thing I'm mad at myself about is that I didn't understand how to actually get into the stupid palace to start the quest! I couldn't get up that dirt incline right next to the map marker so I thought I had to get into the upper city via Baldur's Gate on the left--that the palace was in the next area altogether--so I've been dithering about with murderers and Lae'zel getting kidnapped (D:! she's safe now though) and hag children and a million other things WHEN I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLING CAZADOR THIS WHOLE TIME. Harrumph.

Anyway, once I actually made it into the darned palace, I didn't have any trouble at all with the fights until I got to Cazador himself. I did think the ritual skull on the pillow was a nice touch, and I loved the confrontation with Sebastian in the cell, just in case the PC has any doubt left about how sane/human these spawn still are. Seven thousand souls! That's so many!! Seven is a lot, but seven thousand, yikes! There was also one room with some levers at the end of the tedious attic puzzle that appeared to have no purpose; I guess it was unfinished from the design stage, as dozens of Reddit threads/forum posts all agree there's no clear puzzle solution or interactable element. Really, the first design misstep I've seen from the game, and even that was pretty minor!

Then came the confrontation with Cazador, and for all I didn't even get touched in the werewolf fight earlier this fight WRECKED me. I didn't understand the mechanic and got everyone sacrificed for the ritual the first time (was focusing on the adds first), and then the second time I checked the journal and it said "Help Astarion" and so I wasted two turns getting to him only to discover they meant "help Astarion by killing Cazador," not "free Astarion with the Help action" because that sure didn't work, so he got sacrificed again! Then the third time I focused Cazador better until he Called Lightning on Shadowheart and Karlach and killed them both, and then I finally scraped it out on the fourth try. A really, really tough fight! If I didn't have the six summoned ghouls from the Thay book I don't know if I could have done it with this party.

The choices available afterwards are FASCINATING. I played through them all again, and I loved that in every version he absolutely butchers that vamp with as much violent stabbing as I've seen in a video game. And that little flip of the knife to the reverse grip! So deft! He's a rogue! It's like there's thought and care behind these animations!! Incredible! The choices where you don't help him are absolutely awful--the enraged venom in "I'd say good luck out there, but honestly, I hope you die screaming"--and the flat "Your companion has permanently left the party" made my stomach clench. The version where you help him ascend is also horrifying; are there many other quests where both companions are like, "this is a HORRIBLE IDEA, don't do this!!"? And afterwards Karlach said something about "all those souls..." and she looked like she was about to cry, which was the second worst thing in the world aside from the time I had to break up with her because I didn't realize we were dating. Everything is red and evil and we get nice close-up views of the spawn in agony and bursting and then Astarion's eyes glow red as sin forever. I did really like the explicit confirmation that the infected can use the parasites to see out of each other's eyes; that's given me a couple fic ideas already!

I will say the scene of him crying & screaming was unspeakably cathartic and I was yelling at the screen to let me hug him. YELLING. Thank God I live alone! Again, the tenor differences between this scene in the "insight/persuade him to be better than Cazador" track vs. the "flatly deny to help him" track were shocking. I can't believe how different the exact same animation set felt between the two versions! Unbearable relief & grief vs. total impotent despair--no wonder he tries to kill you in a few of the bad endings (on top of deciding on his own to snap the staff & trap the spawn forever).

Regardless, once the ritual was disrupted and the spawn were saved and freed and Cazador was a lolling pincushion, I couldn't figure out how to trigger the follow-up scene I KNEW had to be there, even though I'd already done Shadowheart's personal quest & should have known I needed to long-rest, lmao. I wandered around like a dope for several minutes before finally triggering it.

I really, really liked this romance scene a lot. I liked that there isn't even an option to break up at this point; just like ME3, the romance is locked in and you can just play around inside that structure, which I thought was fantastic! I am sad that it opened with what I expected, which is him resigning himself to eventually being trapped in the darkness & never seeing sunlight again, and the fact that the game let you pick "maybe we'll figure something out with the tadpoles" only for Astarion to express doubt does make me worried for long-term outcomes. My favorite options once you get to the graveyard were to just stay back and let him talk, but I'm honestly really delighted that we got this scene of pretty significant emotional closure for him, and I loved the animation of him carving the year into the headstone. It seemed so immersive & real that even though we can't read the text, we know exactly what he did.

The only incredibly, incredibly, INCREDIBLY minor things I didn't adore about this scene are that first, when he tells you he loves you, his head animation is weirdly still/frozen the whole time on that set of lines despite his expression changing, and it honestly broke my immersion a little bit. The ambient movements of the characters have been so realistic for so many dozens of hours that to have this seriously critical and important moment for the character be almost rigid, especially against a completely silent music-less background, made it stick out as an "oh yeah, this is a video game" reminder. Bummer!

The other thing is that it's icky to have sex in a graveyard, lmao. Tavish doesn't really care because it's just dirt under them--he's literally standing in front of her, so as far as she's concerned it's not that different from the forest--but I did grimace a little. Someone give these dingdongs a bed! or at least a roof!

Anyway! A fantastic romance and super strong writing/consistent characterization throughout, and I'm pumped to see where it's going to go next. I'm still so curious about how the tadpole outcomes will affect things and faintly hoping for a deus ex machina to keep him in the sun, though I suppose that's what fic's for. Regardless, full sign-off on an utterly satisfying romance; so many little things dropped throughout were EXACTLY what I wanted--you can even accuse him of sincerity in the graveyard scene, which is precisely the arc I was hoping he'd have! He didn't even like you in the beginning and now we're smooching next to a bunch of dead people. What isn't romantic about that?

10/10 Larian, thanks for making me a mess for another white-haired grump.

[jacevelaryonswife]

ㅤSecrets I have held in my heart

The realization scared you. You had never felt it before, maybe you weren't even allowed to, but there was no escaping the nature of the feeling.

∴pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon x fem!reader

∴warnings and a note: slight angst, fluffy, jealousy happy endinh and heavy session of make out, also english is not my first language

Your rapprochement with Prince Jacaerys happened a few years ago, it was quick and almost instantaneous. He was kind, courteous, affectionate, and good-humoured, far more than you are in that last quality, as well as the future heir to the Iron Throne. Your friendship with him always filled the eyes of your parents with hope, after all it was not an impossible union to happen, mainly due to the importance and loyalty of your house to the cause of Rhaenyra Targaryen, the delight of the realm. However, what started out as an innocent friendship turned out to be something more for you over the years, culminating in your current situation. His gentle touches made your skin tingle and crave the permanence of touch. The sweet looks and open smiles filled your heart with warmth and joy. It felt wrong to harbor those kinds of feelings for your good friend, which confused you in the first place. It can't be, you thought. Not that he wasn't worthy of your love, but he was your Jace. Jace the golden boy who never went against his mother's word, who always walked safely in clean sheets.

The realization scared you. You had never felt it before, maybe you weren't even allowed to, but there was no escaping the nature of the feeling. You tried to push him away (unsuccessfully), you tried to mortally suppress in every thread, nail and drop of blood in your body the way your heart beat faster when you were next to him, but you couldn't. At the end of the day, in your fear and anguish you were in love with Jacaerys Velaryon. Sincerity was one of the pillars of your relationship, but the idea of telling him what you kept secret was too terrifying. You couldn't handle dealing with rejection, especially his.

But then tonight it happened. It was a day of celebration for the arrival of Lady Baela Targaryen in Dragonstone. The time has favored the moondancer rider and turned her into a beautiful and voluptuous lady. The eldest daughter of the rogue prince was not only beautiful, but intelligent, communicative and fearless. A perfect choice as a bride and lady wife. And it was at that moment that your heart skipped a beat. The way Jace smiled excitedly as he chatted with his cousin he hadn't seen in years, how he seemed almost entranced by the stunning woman in front of him, how the idea that she might be his new wife crossed your mind and overshadowed everything else. from the hall, keeping your focus solely on them before abruptly retreating from the main hall to the room where Aegon planned the Conquest with his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya. Your head was swimming and the air felt restricted in your lungs, hands gripping the stone table tightly to steady yourself. So this was what jealousy felt like? So suffocating and desperate?

The sudden feeling of fear nearly drowned you beyond your ability to save yourself, but a rising rage surged through your body and burned from the tip of your toe to the last strand of hair. How dare she? How dare he? Jacaerys Velaryon is your man. Yours and no one else's to claim, no matter who or how beautiful she is, she's not you, and you won't let any bees stalk your prince. Therefore, composing yourself in heavy breaths and closed eyes, you prepared to return and put your hands on your dragon, however, a familiar presence approached you attentively.

"What happened? I saw you leaving the hall in a hurry. Everything is fine?" Jace asked before taking your hand, much closer than was appropriate.

Proper wasn't very in vogue at the moment, especially when you leaned in to kiss him on the mouth. It was a thought impulse that almost had you pulling away too quickly if he had made a move, but he did nothing more than grip your forearms. It was a chaste kiss, just a lingering touch of curious lips, but it was enough to make her hearts beat even faster.

“I shouldn't have done that,” you said.

His gaze met yours so that his hands cupped your face. “You should,” he said, “I should have done that,” he corrected, “a long time ago.”

Your eyes widened at the confession. "You should?" You asked.

Turns out his feelings weren't much different from yours. Jace wasn't easily intimidated or shied away from a challenge, but the realization of what he harbored in his chest was different. Like you, he didn't want to feel rejection or awkwardness in your relationship, but it was almost impossible to stop thinking of you as his bride and future queen. His one and only love. What did he have to lose now that he knew your feelings?

"I love you. I've loved you for so long, how could it be otherwise? It's always been us in everything. And I… I never confessed because I didn't think you felt the same, I didn't want to ruin our friendship, I didn't want to lose you.”

An uncontained tear escaped your his eyes, your heart about to explode as you hugged him in euphoria.

"I love you too. I love you so much Jace,” you said. “I was afraid to confess too,” you looked at him before letting a smile escape your lips. “Look at us, fear is not a trait we normally share.”

“Even in fear we meet, then,” he leaned his forehead against your, breathing you in, kissing your lips softly for a long time before adding, “why did you leave the ball? I was really worried.”

Now what did you have to lose? Do you further expose your feelings and make your intentions clearer than ever, or pretend your little outburst never happened? Again, cowardice didn't suit you.

“I was jealous. Of you and Lady Baela. I could just disappear as soon as I saw you smiling so openly in her presence or I could just walk up to you and kiss you in front of her, mark you as mine.”

He smirked in front of you, smug indeed, bringing your face even closer. “Were you jealous, my love?”

My love. “Yes, you idiot, I was.” You snorted, almost softening into the sweet brown eyes of your caring prince. "But I hope I don't have to feel that again."

"You’re not going. You never had to, in fact, there was never anyone who owned my heart like you did,” he assured, sealing his lips to yours again, adrenaline pumping when you cupped the back of his head. You weren't experienced in carnal touches, so it started slow, calm and chaste, an initial contact between lips that had been yearning for so long. Jace had never considered that he would do this in a public place, but the thought of walking away seemed far too absurd. No, it wouldn't be over so quickly. As your mouths moved with more certainty and firmness, his hands moved down your arm to your waist as you pulled him by his hair, causing such good, warm sensations somewhere lower in his body. Maybe it was time to stop...

He pulled away to take a deep breath, face still close to your. You were so beautiful. So so beautiful and perfect. Before he could express those feelings you pulled him even closer and leaned your back on the stone table, sitting with him between your legs and kissing him hungrily. It seemed even more inappropriate, but still Jace's hands gripped your hips before the left one came up to cup your jaw, stroking her beautiful neck. So soft and delicate. What if he tasted a little?

He moved too quickly as he explored your soft skin, causing sweet sounds on your part as the warm, welcoming sensation filled your skin and a specific spot at the apex of your flower.

"Jace," you whimpered as he found the sweet spot on your neck, gripping his hair oblivious to the hardness pressing into your inner thigh. "I want you. I want more,” your sentence came out in a whisper, being so easy to admit to such indecency that it almost scared you. Almost.

However, a throat clearing made your body freeze and your eyes widen in terror, just as it made your prince turn around in embarrassment — partly because of the bulge in his pants and mostly because of what could happen to you. Oh gods, he would never forgive himself if evil rumors spread about you. But by all luck, the unknown figure was just Daemon Targaryen with an almost amused look on his face from the reaction he elicited from you.

“Prince Jacaerys, my lady, I believe this is not the most appropriate place for such conduct, although I understand the appeal,” he said, looking at his second-degree nephew and godson. “Get her out of here before someone else shows up.”

It didn't take much dialogue after that, the two of you nearly running away from the rogue prince and the rest of the cheering crowd. Your heart was almost out of your chest as Jace soothed your concerns, assuring you that nothing would happen to you and your reputation. Daemon won't harm us, he assured you, squeezing your hand affectionately.

“Do you want to go back?” He asked.

"No. Even with what happened, I want to pick up where we left off.”

Oh yes, it would be a long night.

maybe I’ll do a second part 👀

[undermounts]

bite the hand - chapter 2: open palm, beckoning

pairing: Astarion/The Dark Urge

summary: Astarion helps her hide the body. Romance ensues.

preview:

“You’ve got an interesting hand of cards, darling,” Astarion purrs, looking up at her demurely. Damn him, it’s so hard to think when he’s looking at her like that and petting her hand. “I only want to help you play them well.”

Irileth’s mortification only grows as he slides one hand beneath her wrist, fingers splayed across the underside of her forearm, and lifts it to his mouth.

Yes, here is Astarion, kissing her palm, gazing up at her through his long white lashes with those piercing red eyes. It is not an image she will soon forget.

Check it out on AO3

The Archdruid Halsin is gone. Nettie doesn’t have a cure.

The mood between Irileth’s companions has thinned considerably in between the time they encountered the goblins at the gate of the Druid’s Grove and learned from Nettie that their best hope of a tadpole cure is missing, likely captured by the goblin warband. Or worse, if Sazza is any indication of the hospitality they can expect. (‘The Absolute’ll have yer head!’ )

But at least they’ve picked up the Blade of Frontiers. Whatever that means.

Irileth’s moth-tattered brain draws a blank at the moniker when Wyll introduces himself, brandishing his rapier with a suave flourish that the tiefling children seemed to love, so she only offers him a sheepish smile. Astarion laughs.

“Oh, good!” he sneers, putting his hands on his hips. “Another hero.”

“Well, I try to be. That’s the best any of us can do.” Wyll smiles modestly and oh, Irileth likes him instantly. She is relieved when he agrees to join their quest to remove the tadpole, so long as they help with his devil hunt in return. Advocatus diaboli.

Wyll seems so good. Heroic. If there is anyone Irileth can now turn to when her moral compass needs a nudge, it will be him. And should she lose the run of herself, well, maybe the Blade can keep her in check.

So when one of the tiefling children tells Wyll that Mirkon is missing, last seen heading through the Emerald Grove and toward the beach, well. It seems like the right thing to do, to follow the guiding light that is Wyll, charging for the shore.

They are ambushed by harpies.

There are four of them, perched on pillars of rock that punctuate the aquamarine waters of the cove and the surrounding cliffside. All winged, clawed, and clad in clattering bone armor, they sing and screech with beauty and horror in equal measure at the party’s arrival. 

Mirkon is charmed when they find him, slowly wading into the surf, with a dreamlike expression. Shadowheart must haul him bodily over her shoulder to carry him, protesting, up the path to safety, while Wyll targets a harpy singing on the cliffside, his rapier pulsing with a dark green miasma. Astarion takes point on a nearby pillar of rock, his longbow drawn to cover Shadowheart’s retreat. Irileth sets herself on the two nearest harpies, dancing around them with all of a rogue’s grace, her body near vibrating with delectation at the very thought of the things she wants to do to the abominable creatures.

It is the first time they have all fought together, and the harpies are far more vicious and cunning than goblins or bandits. Yet, the fight goes unexpectedly well, up until the point that Astarion, too, is lured by the harpy’s song.

Irileth reaches him, up to her waist in the crystalline water, only a moment too late as Astarion cries out, his voice pain-riddled. She catches him as he stumbles back and the air is charged with the scent of metal. Dark red blood seeps from gashes that start at Astarion’s shoulder and disappear beneath the water, half obscured by his torn clothing.

(Blue satin, red crushed velvet, his doublet is the finest thing Irileth has ever touched, and oh! There: hand-stitched embroidery, made of red thread so dark, it nearly disappears into the blue panels. You wouldn’t notice it unless you knew where to look, and the shade of it doesn’t quite match the velvet. He did it himself. )

Astarion is still swearing and hissing in pain when Irileth drags him away from the harpy, just as its claws rake through empty air for another strike. Allowing the water to carry most of his weight, she pushes him a few feet behind her, back toward the shore. 

Then, she turns, and—gods, it is almost too easy. Astarion called Irileth a punisher last night, and though she rejected the idea, she knows he is right.

She has the harpy on its knees in the water within seconds, its hamstrings slashed, freshwater churning red. It thrashes against her, wailing—how can a creature that sang so wondrously only moments before sound like that? She should end it, quickly, before the damned thing can open its mouth again, but she hesitates. 

For a moment, Irileth is nearly overcome with the desire to drag this little display out, to slowly pull on its wings until tendons snap like harp strings. But then Irileth looks up and there is Astarion, free of the charm, and face distorted with vengeful fury.

“I’ll skin you alive, you foul wretch!”

He is a sight to behold, dripping water and blood. He belongs in a portrait like one of paintings they recovered in the bandit’s den, The Red Prince or Marcus Miles. Red eyes piercing, sodden silver hair curling over his brow and sparkling like so many stars, Irileth revels in the vision. So much so that it is with a near giddy haste that she pulls her blades free of the harpy’s massacred wings, plants her boot in its back, and shoves it toward Astarion.

Let him have his way.

Afterward, they sit on the beach, recovering. Now that they have a moment to breathe, Irileth realizes that the whole scene truly is rather idyllic: great red pillars of rock, sparkling waves, and lush blooms of greenery. And scattered across the dazzling vista are the broken bodies of the four harpies, a few smoking from Wyll’s magic.

Shadowheart is crouched beside Astarion, murmuring under her breath as his wounds close beneath her hands. They had been brutal: deep and jagged grooves that crossed from shoulder to ribs. His beautiful doublet hangs in tatters, torn pieces of golden thread glittering in the sunlight. Beyond repair.

“We’ve known Wyll for ten bloody minutes,” he grouses, glaring towards where the Blade sits perched on a nearby boulder, wiping at Mirkon’s skinned knee. “And we are already risking our lives.”

“Calm yourself, Astarion,” Wyll replies good-naturedly and—ah, Wrong move, Wyll—that only seems to incense Astarion more. “We did a good thing.”

“‘Calm myself?’” Astarion snaps, sniffing haughtily. “Surely you’re joking. You weren’t the one who was lured out into the ocean to be feasted upon by a bunch of overgrown birds.”

Irileth has mostly composed herself by now, her vile appetite sufficiently waned. Her brief wash in the cove cleared away most of the viscera and has cooled her down some, but adrenaline still races through her; she can feel the pleasant after-effects of the battle, shimmering through her marrow. (How sweetly her daggers sang! Flesh rending, bones cracking! Those wings, she wanted to pluck them off, one by one.)

“Perhaps we ought to let them rest up for a while,” Wyll says, rising to his feet with a pointed look toward Irileth. After giving only a brief nod to Astarion and Shadowheart, he begins the return trek up the dirt path, toward the heart of the Grove. “Come along, Mirkon.”

Mirkon scoots off his rock with a little shuffle, then holds his hand out toward Irileth. It is so small, Irileth observes, barely the size of her palm. She can imagine the adorable force it will have, struggling against her grip, if she were to hold him down beneath the waves.

Gods above and hells below, what is wrong with her?

She feels heavy with the weight of her sinful thoughts and, for an irrational moment, fears the others heard her vile musings through an unwitting tadpole connection. A second more and she half expects one of Shadowheart’s radiant bolts of energy to strike her in the back.

But when nothing happens, Irileth does her best to offer Mirkon her friendliest smile and gently presses her hand against his back, urging him forward until he runs ahead to cling to Wyll’s fingertips instead. Together, they guide Mirkon back to the other children, where he bids them to seek out Mol in the Dragon’s Lair should they ever need any help.

“The ‘Dragon’s Lair,’” Wyll echoes, amused, as they watch Mirkon run off. “I remember being young like that. Finding magic in the small things, dreaming of adventure. Did you have such fantasies?”

Irileth likes the cadence of Wyll’s voice, like everything he says is part of a fairytale, where there are only lessons and happy endings. Where nothing hurts.

“I don’t remember my childhood,” Irileth admits, and it feels easy to confess this to him. Maybe, she thinks naively, if she tells Wyll, nothing bad can happen. “I don’t remember anything, actually. From before the nautiloid ship.”

“Truly?” Wyll’s brows raise. His surprise is sincere. “What about the abduction?”

Irileth shakes her head. “Not even that. My first memory is of waking up in my pod, once the ship was already under siege.”

“Ah. I can see how that troubles you,” Wyll replies sympathetically. Then he reaches out and clasps her arm with a gentle squeeze. Irileth flinches. “But worry not, my friend. I have a feeling that our journey is only just beginning to unfold. We face much in the days ahead, and perhaps along the way, we can find you some answers.”

Wyll retreats with a comforting pat, though Irileth tries not to deflate at his response. Without knowing, she had sort of… hoped (how odd!) that Wyll might have a cure for her perverted affliction. Fool.

“Which reminds me,” Wyll says, and Irileth has to resist the impulse to sigh. How many times has she heard something like that in the last few days? “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Yes?” Irileth tries to keep the weariness out of her voice.

Wyll laughs, resting his palm over the hilt of his rapier. “I know that look. You’re spread thin and far too preoccupied. But I promise this will be worth your time.” Wyll pauses, glancing at the tieflings that surround them, still training with wooden swords under Asharak’s instruction. “But not here. Let’s find somewhere more private.”

Wyll has insisted that they find his devil quarry—this Karlach —no later than the day after tomorrow. He learned from Zevlor’s scouts that there have been sightings of scorch marks and fire-razed campsites along the Risen Road.

“It is a noble cause and well worth your while,” Wyll beseeched Irileth, fist held over his heart. “Karlach is dangerous. She brings death and chaos everywhere she goes. It would be unconscionable to let her roam free along the Coast! I promise you, once she is dealt with, I am all yours.” Then, after she already agreed,  he added earnestly, “You’ve got a good soul, I can tell.”

If only he knew.

That was nearly an hour ago. Now, Irileth stands alone on the outskirts of the Grove, not far from the beach where they fought the harpies. Wyll has gone off to gather his things from within the Hollow, and Astarion and Shadowheart are supposedly in search of some new armor to replace the shredded doublet. Gale and Lae’zel are still further inside somewhere, bartering with—or intimidating, in Lae’zel’s case—the tieflings for supplies. In a short while, they will reconvene near the entrance of the Grove, then make camp by the river. 

Irileth is secretly glad to have a break from all of the others. All of this, it’s exhausting. And overwhelming. And terrifying.  

The parasite in her head frightens Irileth far more than she has thus far been able to admit. It has been benign the last few days, but how long will this truce last? Ceremorphosis—Gale has painted a rather vivid picture of the gruesome transformation, and even she finds it too dreadful for her taste. And then, there are the tieflings in the Grove. Halsin. Wyll. So many people, suddenly, who need help, her help, and how can she help anyone when—

And there. The thing she is most afraid of. How is she supposed to help anyone when she is little more than a beast? A hot-blooded killer, a mangled monster. Sometimes, when the battle-lust swells and the violent urge grows, the sound of her heart is less a beat than the pound of a war drum of blood.

She needs to get a hold of herself, immediately. If she doesn’t, they will cast her out, her companions. And with good reason! For who can sleep well knowing they might receive a knife in the back with no justification beyond her barbaric satisfaction? 

But there is more to it than that. Beyond any sense of self preservation, she doesn’t want to hurt the people who have helped her. Call it loyalty, morality, or whatever bits of goodness she has picked up over the last few days. She refuses to bite the hand that feeds her.

Loathsome creature. She doesn’t want to be like this.

“There you are, darling. I’ve been looking for you.”

Irileth jolts, snapping out of her spiraling thoughts, to find Astarion leaning against one of the moss-covered pillars that surround the Emerald Grove. He watches her expectantly, already clad in his new leather armor, ruined doublet nowhere to be seen. He looks much better than he did down at the beach (even if she did like the sight of him, vicious, snarling, and coated in blood). Just beyond, the druids stand watch around their sacred idol.

“Have you now?” Irileth replies in what she hopes is an even tone. The last thing she needs is Astarion picking and prodding at her for all of her dirty little secrets.

“Of course I have.” The smile he gives her is slight and daring. “You’re the only person in this entire place that is even worth the time.”

And, damn her. Irileth knows Astarion is flattering her because that is just what he does, the flirt, but she feels her cheeks warm.

“Really?” Irileth arches a brow, doubtful. “I thought you would still be angry with me, for following Wyll to the harpies.”

“Oh, I absolutely am,” he replies, eyes narrowing, and Irileth can tell that he truly means that, even as he’s being so saccharine with her. His expression twists. “Charmed by a bloody harpy. No control over my mind, my body!” He pauses for a long moment to take a deep breath. “It is not an experience I would relish happening again.”

Irileth says nothing, for at this moment, Astarion looks so discomforted, and his expression is so at odds with his usual cool veneer and unflappable savoir faire. From this, she knows that his grievances with her today are very much real. 

“It was an utterly brainless thing to do, putting ourselves at risk like that with a man we’d just met. But,” Astarion adds, collecting himself, and his smile gleams once more, “I suppose, just this once, I can forgive you.” 

Could he? Doesn’t really seem the type.

“And what would your forgiveness cost me, exactly?”

“Ah, so shrewd, my sweet, dagger happy friend,” Astarion sighs, clasping his hands together. “It won’t cost you a thing. All I ask is that next time you want to race headfirst to the rescue?” He walks his middle and forefinger finger through the air. “You at least consult the rest of us first. Namely me.”

“I didn’t ask you to follow me, Astarion,” Irileth frowns, folding her arms. “Or Shadowheart, for that matter. You both followed Wyll and I down to the beach.”

“Yes, darling, that is rather the point, ” he bites out, momentarily exasperated. “Like it or not, you’ve apparently become our de facto leader. Making poisonous deals with that healer, playing liaison for the tieflings, recruiting bleeding hearts every which way we turn. Something happens to you and our growing, tadpoled little warband falls apart without direction. Remember our discussion about power?” In the midst of his tirade, his gaze suddenly snaps with rapt attention to her hand, to the offended finger.

Irileth curls her fingers inward, hiding them in the crook of her arms. “One of the others can lead, then, if you are unhappy with my choices.”

Astarion makes a quick tutting noise, shaking his head. 

“Let’s not be rash now. No one’s unhappy, at least not yet ,” he coos at her, despite all evidence to the contrary. He takes a few measured steps forward across the mossy earth until the tips of their boots nearly touch. “Gale will lecture us all to death before we get anything done. The only thing Lae’zel and Shadowheart like less than each other is working with other people, and Wyll? Ha! Don’t get me started on Wyll. He’d have us running all over the bloody Coast hunting his devil and any other fiends until we all sprout tentacles and kill each other.”

Irileth raises her brows. He’s certainly formed a lot of opinions, reducing everyone down to a few choice qualities. She doesn’t miss that his own analysis of himself is conveniently absent. “And what about you?”

“Me?” Astarion laughs like she’s the one being ridiculous, not him, with his fluttering lashes and seductive smiles in the middle of a gods damned illithid invasion. “I much prefer to work in the shadows. So you see, you’re our best option. So long as you can be made to reason, of course.”

“Is that what you’re doing now? Working from the shadows to get me to do what you want?”

“I wouldn’t presume,” Astarion replies in a voice that tells Irileth he absolutely would. “This is just some friendly advice.” 

Then, with an elegant gesture, he plucks Irileth’s hand from within the folds of her arms and holds it between both of his. Startled, she tries to pull away but Astarion holds fast, pressing his thumbs into the meat of her palm in a gentle massage. It feels—gods, it feels nice, and Irileth tries not to preen under his practiced touch. 

Oh, she truly is so ridiculous! Drawn as she is to the feel of his skin against hers, cool and soft beneath the callouses.

“You’ve got an interesting hand of cards, darling,” Astarion purrs, looking up at her demurely. Damn him, it’s so hard to think when he’s looking at her like that and petting her hand. “I only want to help you play them well.”

Irileth’s mortification only grows as he slides one hand beneath her wrist, fingers splayed across the underside of her forearm, and lifts it to his mouth.

Yes, here is Astarion, kissing her palm, gazing up at her through his long white lashes with those piercing red eyes. It is not an image she will soon forget.

He releases her slowly, dragging the fingertips of one hand from her forearm all the way to her knuckles and caressing her thumb with the other. Irileth’s breath is tremulous as she releases it, and Astarion smirks, knowing all too well the effect he has.

With no small amount of effort, she clears her throat and stares Astarion down with a look that she hopes is stern, or at least not embarrassingly flustered. 

“Fine,” Irileth says, and oh good, at least she isn’t swooning. She yanks her hand back. “No more harpies.”

Astarion sighs, overly dramatic and practically exuding sarcasm. “Thank you. ”

“And. I promise not to race into any more rescues without consulting the others, if there’s time.” She adds this last bit pointedly when Astarion’s expression grows too smug for her liking. “But if there is something I can do to help, I will do it. You can choose to follow or not.”

This seems a good rule, and honestly, like a little bit of a commitment now that she’s said it out loud. Irileth hadn’t planned to get involved in the affairs of the tieflings and the Grove, but gods, there are just too many issues that will fester if left unattended for long. If they’re going to be running around the wilderness, searching for goblins, supplies, and signs of a githyanki crèche for Lae’zel’s zaith’isk, then they might as well solve a few problems along the way. 

Maybe, Irileth thinks, if she keeps herself busy helping, she won’t feel so inclined to hurt. 

“Eugh. You aren’t even a godsdamned paladin,” Astarion mumbles, lip curling up. “But alright . I suppose that will do for now. Bloody do-gooders.”

“Next time, Astarion,” Irileth flaps her hand at him in dismissal, stepping away, “I would prefer it if you just tell me what you want. You don’t have to touch me to get something.”

“Oh, but I do so like touching you.” His smile is salacious, insouciant. “Trust me, darling, I am quite willing.”

She cannot believe him. Such a honeyed tongue he has. 

He’s dangling bait in front of her, begging her to bite. He is such a flirt, Astarion, but Irileth doesn’t know how to play gently yet. So instead, she gestures toward him. “I see you’ve got some new armor.”

Astarion’s face slackens, confused. Then disappointment steals over his features for but a moment and he looks down at the new leather armor he adorns.

“This? Oh, yes,” he hums, picking at the edge of his collar. “A paltry gift from that tiefling at the forge. Apparently, rescuing that little urchin at the beach garnered us some good will. Now, if they could just give me a pile of gold…”

Astarion trails off with a sigh of longing and closes his eyes, tilting his head back toward the sky. The sun is descending toward the horizon but its radiance plays softly in Astarion’s hair, gilting the fine lines of his brow bone. Irileth’s stomach clenches.

“I’m sorry about your other clothes. Your doublet, I mean,” Irileth says, thinking of the dangling golden threads, the careful stitches he’d made along the back. “I know that you…” 

That he what? Irileth doesn’t know anything about him. (Oh, what’s to tell? I’m a magistrate back in Baldur’s Gate. It’s all rather tedious.)

“You took good care of them,” she says instead, clearing her throat. 

Astarion looks at her blankly for a moment, then laughs, loud and harsh. “Oh, you sweet, silly thing. What do I care about a pair of old clothes?” He says this with a sniff, as if he finds the very idea of sentiment to be distasteful.  “I tell you, once we reach a spot of actual civilization, I’m going to buy my own things, not some out-of-season—ahem. Well. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, now.”

Indeed.

Delightful as this has been (not at all) Irileth has the feeling that they should regroup with the others before Astarion can start swindling her into any bad ideas by whispering sweet nothings in her ear. She is just about to suggest as much when she hears something… odd on the wind. A discordant sound that just rises over the rustling grass and distant waves.

“Do you… Do you hear that?” Irileth asks, turning about. “It sounds like—”

“Like a dying cat,” Astarion answers coolly and Irileth ignores him.

Someone nearby is playing the lute. Or rather, plucking pitifully at it, and crying.

“Oh gods, you know you don’t have to investigate every little cry for help, yes?” Astarion’s sigh is long suffering as he follows Irileth around the peninsula to a crumbling stone veranda. “We just talked about this. Literally seconds ago.

A blue-skinned tiefling woman is perched on a slab of stone, dressed in the brightest assortment of colors Irileth has ever seen. There is a lute in the bard’s lap, which she strums haltingly as she sings in a wavering voice.

“Dance upon the stars tonight. Smile and pain will fade away. Words of mine will change—no. Become—ugh.”

Another dissonant strum. Even the surrounding wildlife, birds and squirrels, squabble their discontent at the sound. The tiefling berates herself, shaking her head vigorously.

Despite herself (and Astarion’s clear disapproval), Irileth is intrigued by this display. It is another opportunity, she figures, to, if not help, then at least soothe.

“Gods above, end me now. I can’t listen to more singing, not today,” Astarion mutters underneath his breath and Irileth steps forward before he can upset the woman further. 

The tiefling is sweet, and miraculously, Irileth seems to aid in easing her sorrow, coaxing her and her verses along, bit by bit, until the entire song spills forth. Listening to the music, she feels, for the first time in days, at peace (for the first time ever, in this life). Perhaps, Astarion was right, maybe she was a bard, before the nautiloid. But the moment Irileth thinks that, she knows it is incorrect. She feels with some inexplicable certainty that in her past life, she despised music. 

Irileth is fairly sure that Astarion is glaring at her the entire time, but she can hardly bring herself to mind. She is flying high today. Despite their misfortune with their tadpole solution, she has kept her iniquitous thoughts (mostly) on a leash and has been less than a nuisance to the tieflings: Arabella, Arka, Mirkon, and now this.

“Thank you,” the bard tells Irileth through a few stray tears when the song is complete, a beautiful eulogy to her fallen mentor. “I… I needed this.”

And then she pulls Irileth to her, the bells of her blazer tinkling softly. Irileth stiffens (Skin too tight, her bones cry their unease. It… frightens her some, the encompassing touch of another). But after a moment, she relaxes into the embrace, carefully placing one hand on the back of the woman’s shoulder. 

Astarion looks on with a bored expression, cleaning beneath his nails with the tip of his knife.

“I’m sorry,” the bard says when she leans away, her orange eyes gleaming. She is so lovely, so innocent. Her voice reminds Irileth of the autumncrocus flowers that are scattered about the Grove, pale purple leaves tinged with yellow (the excerpt from a book on herbs: Legend says the first crocus was created by Lathander, the Morninglord, which is why this delicate flower is always found stretching its petals toward the sun.) “I didn’t even get your name.”

“Oh, Irileth. My name is Irileth.”

“Irileth. It is so good to meet you. Ordained, I think! It must be. Like the beginning of a beautiful story.” The woman smiles brightly and clasps Irileth’s hands tightly and with great warmth.

“I’m Alfira.”

That night, Irileth dreams the sky is raining blood. She dances, naked, beneath the crimson drops.

[1stupidrat]

Learned Mortality Artwork Thread | Episode 17-20

Spoilers ahead for the artwork that appeared in these episodes of Learned Mortality; please watch them first before you read this post!

Learned Mortality has been really heating up as of late so you should really check these episodes out, they're some of my best work ^-^

Starting with episode 17, we saw the retrieval (or rather, discovery) of the care package requested in the early game, crashed into the Marine Lab.

The only new artwork in this episode is the red form of the Jellyfish frostbitten, as seen below.

These frostbitten are found leeching from electrical wires and machinery, their polyps containing a threateningly high level of stored energy. To quote the party; they suck.

Next up we have Night 10's artwork. The good doctor has come to negotiate, and the party engages in a tense but very revealing conversation. To ensure things go well, a new frostbitten appears alongside the good doctor.

This being, warped in coral and holding a bright white flag, appeared by the Doctor's side in the encounter. Nothing else is currently known about it.

Despite the Doctor's cease-fire, Elessar and Val found their way into the Garden of Chains, the Good Doctor's base of operations. Within the large chamber, they found two new sights... a massive frostbitten and the real form of the doctor himself.

Hundreds of rejected forms of the Good Doctor, either broken beyond repair or currently regenerating, all forced into infinite life by the Millenium AI. The Good Doctor has gathered them here in one place in the Garden of Chains.

Next up, day 11, the party goes to the 25th hour to get Bolt's opinion on the situation.

Since Bolt was never supposed to be a visual aspect of the campaign, I never finished his design. This update visually defines him a place in the world and fully realizes how his personality ties into his design. I'm quite happy with it.

And after another Duncan rolls a 1 moment, we rush right into the Mad as Hell ACT 3 encounter. Here are all of the artworks that showed up at the end of episode 19 and during episode 20.

Mad as Hell ACT 3, earth and lightning, the miasma of static electricity, and the one controlling the giant class to act out as a rogue frostbitten.

The hands were confirmed to be part of the giant, now known to be [In the Year 2525].

In its head stands a projector equipped with tragedy from all over time. One of those tragedies stays close.

Professor Black Ice, or "the virus", is a self replicating computer virus from the future. For some reason, it is attempting to look just like Milli...

And finally the party encountered the mental forms of the Good Doctor within the 25th hour. What appears to be Camilia's original personality, and a much more serious and humorless Bliss.

And finally some concept art.

Thanks for reading the post, hope you all enjoy the rest of Learned Mortality, see y'all in the next one ^-^

~Tali

[merlinrarepairfest]

Week 4 Round Up

Coming to the end of November, another week of posting concludes! As always, you can find all works from this week underneath the cut

Title: Saw You In A Dream AO3 username: lavender_spice | @lesbianlefay Rating: G Warnings: none Medium/Word Count: 1.9k Pairing/main characters: Gwen/Morgana Up to 10 tags: Role Reversal AU, First Meeting

Summary:

When Morgana met a mysterious girl on her first day in the castle, she had no idea how much her life was about to change.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60077800

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Title: to hold our destiny AO3 Username: fictified | @fictivecircle Rating: g Warnings: none Medium/Word Count: 1,778 words Pairing/Main Characters: Iseldir/Leon Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Modern Camelot, First Responder Leon, Iseldir makes coffee as well as moves, but this is really just very soft, First Meetings

Summary:

Iseldir serves the coffee; Leon comes back for more.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60123463

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Title: You Should Never Know (How Easy You Are To Need) AO3 username: BeBraveDearHeart | @bebravedearheart Rating: M Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Medium/Word Count: Fanfiction - 8,374 words Pairing/main characters: Arthur/Lancelot Up to 10 tags: pining, closeted Arthur Pendragon, canon compliant, Arthur Pendragon Needs A Hug, Arthur Pendragon Is Bad At Feelings, Lancelot is so bloody sincere, Goodbyes

Summary:

"Arthur waited on the training field in full armour, his surcoat pristine with the Pendragon crest sewn on in shimmering thread by Guinevere (by far the best seamstress in Camelot). He held his head high and proud, shoulders back, spine straight and drawn up to his full height. He looked resplendent, and knew as much by the second and third glances that came his way from nobles and servants alike as he strode the corridors, then the grounds. Suitably intimidating then. After all, he needed the best; he wasn’t going to go any easier on Merlin’s friend just because that was who it was. The man that walked up to him gave Arthur pause. He wore chainmail and a surcoat dyed a shade of orange that ought to look garish and unprofessional, yet somehow complemented the would-be knight’s dark complexion. His deep-brown eyes and hair to match fell just above his shoulders, and his chin was shadowed with stubble kept neat. He stood half an inch shorter than Arthur, though held himself with quiet confidence. The angles of his face were statuesque and they captivated Arthur as much as any fine piece of art."

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60151489

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Title: Sorting Out Shenanigans AO3 username: 429_CarCrash | @carcrash429 Rating: Gen Warnings: None Medium/Word Count: 549 Pairing/main characters: Gwen & Gwaine Up to 10 tags: slice of life, behind the scenes, Episode: s04e06 A Servant of Two Masters (Merlin), Chaotic Besties

Summary:

It’s good to have a friend to check in with when something is afoot in the castle.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60250057

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Title: Rogue Resonance AO3 username: Pearl09 | @pearlll09 Rating: T Warnings: No archive warnings, but violence Medium/Word Count: Fic: 11k, art: 3 pieces! Pairing/main characters: Morgwen Up to 10 tags: Cyberpunk AU, Dystopia AU, Double Agents, Falling in love, getting together, codenames

Summary:

Morgana has a plan to infiltrate the rebels, who have been causing chaos in the city. She hopes to gather important information Arthur and Uther can use to break the group down, but doesn't know that the rebels are actually doing more for the city than Uther ever has. Can she truly pick a side without being seen as a traitor by both groups?

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60667987/chapters/154915444

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Title: friends are the ones who are there at the end AO3 username: Shana_Rose | @shana-rosee Rating: T Warnings: none Medium/Word Count: 3,725 Pairing/main characters: Mithian & Arthur Up to 10 tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Bisexuality, 5+1 Things

Summary:

The moment she opened the door Mithian knew something was wrong. Arthur was breathing heavily on his bike, holding a bag close to his chest. “Arthur? What’s wrong?” Arthur climbed off his bike and looked around before opening the bag.' She gasped, it was full of broken glass! “My dad says we’re not supposed to touch broken glass Arthur!” - Five times Mithian helps Arthur out, and the one time, he returns the favour.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60842395

[arriaryu]

At the start of a long Interval, a virulent disease breaks out among dragonkin. While three of every four infected whers eventually recover, the disease is fatal for dragons and flits without exception.

Highly contagious and able to be carried between dragonkin by humans too, quarantine is entirely ineffective. It soon becomes clear that dragons will imminently go extinct, and a radical plan is devised to avert this. Three gravid queens will go forward in time, laying their eggs at a time when, it is hoped, the disease will have died out.

In the decades and centuries since the start of the contagion, Pern has grown in leaps and bounds. They avoid the old weyrs, filled still with the bones of the dead, but recently they have become fearful once more as the Red Star is seen through the Eye Rock installed at various locations.

The Guardians, a wherhandler group dedicated to protecting and helping the people of the Nerat peninsula, have gathered in response to the call sent out by the time-traveling queens. Some of their leadership have taken up residence at Nerat, with weyrlingmasters, guards, and supplies sent by Fort and Syrim for the eggs, now hatched.

Those eggs, a staggering number even for three Queens, faced many challenges before even breaking shell. A few of their number were stolen by a rogue group of Guardians, and violence erupted on the sands as dragons hatched for the first time in centuries. The hatching itself has resulted in the Impression of many brand new riders from each of the three ‘weyrs’. Now the emphasis lies on who controls the dragons and how much everyone can prepare for thread before it strikes.

An apocalypse is coming. Not everyone will survive. How will Pern use their final chance?

Features:

Follows the revival of the dragon population from scratch as well as the struggle over dragonkin’s role in the world

Flexible personalities, sexualities, and genders for dragonkin

Multiple bondable and non-bondable pets, with player creation available for more

No gender or sexuality-based impression

Unique wher species (river and great wher) and unbonded whers available, including whers holding crafting positions

Dragonkin candidate questionnaire allows players complete control over their character’s bond, from rank through to personality, subspecies, and mutations

All female dragonkin able to clutch

Several years worth of planned plots

A strong emphasis on wher handlers

Two playable locations to come

[lilliankillthisman]

Ancillary Justice seemed to be setting up for a second book where Breq would play a part in the civil war, presumably followed by a final book where the war would end; after a book where the war barely intrudes, I'm no longer at all convinced we're getting an end to the war in Ancillary Mercy. Sword has left us with two big plot threads hanging that have to be resolved; neither seem connected to the war.

The first is the Presger translator, whose death kicks off a huge chunk of the book but not in any of the ways I might have expected; we still haven't met the Presger, but I'm now sure we're going to see them, whereas at the end of Justice I felt like they could just be a looming background presence. This... could actually be setup for Translation State, instead of Ancillary Mercy, but I thought I'd heard that that book was very different to the main trilogy.

The other is the rogue warship on the other end of the dead gate, which... is surely too major, and too closely connected to Breq's character arc, to be relegated to a subplot. It really feels like that's going to be a major chunk of Ancillary Mercy, which suggests the book will mainly be set in the same region, with Breq still aiming to preserve the station and planet's safety, and not playing a pivotal role in the civil war. Which, hey, has produced one very good book so far! No objections to more, though I'll be interested to see how that works to produce an end to the trilogy.

Oh, and from what I've seen on tumblr... we might get to resolve Seivarden's massive, hopeless crush on Breq. Hopefully by them hooking up, but we'll see.

[cephalopod-werecat]

At the start of a long Interval, a virulent disease breaks out among dragonkin. While three of every four infected whers eventually recover, the disease is fatal for dragons and flits without exception.

Highly contagious and able to be carried between dragonkin by humans too, quarantine is entirely ineffective. It soon becomes clear that dragons will imminently go extinct, and a radical plan is devised to avert this. Three gravid queens will go forward in time, laying their eggs at a time when, it is hoped, the disease will have died out.

In the decades and centuries since the start of the contagion, Pern has grown in leaps and bounds. They avoid the old weyrs, filled still with the bones of the dead, but recently they have become fearful once more as the Red Star is seen through the Eye Rock installed at various locations.

The Guardians, a wherhandler group dedicated to protecting and helping the people of the Nerat peninsula, have gathered in response to the call sent out by the time-traveling queens.  Some of their leadership have taken up residence at Nerat, with weyrlingmasters, guards, and supplies sent by Fort and Syrim for the eggs, now hatched.

Those eggs, a staggering number even for three Queens, faced many challenges before even breaking shell. A few of their number were stolen by a rogue group of Guardians, and violence erupted on the sands as dragons hatched for the first time in centuries. The hatching itself has resulted in the Impression of many brand new riders from each of the three ‘weyrs’. Now the emphasis lies on who controls the dragons and how much everyone can prepare for thread before it strikes.

An apocalypse is coming. Not everyone will survive. How will Pern use their final chance?

Features:

Follows the revival of the dragon population from scratch as well as the struggle over dragonkin’s role in the world

Flexible personalities, sexualities, and genders for dragonkin

Multiple bondable and non-bondable pets, with player creation available for more

No gender or sexuality-based impression

Unique wher species (river and great wher) and unbonded whers available, including whers holding crafting positions

Dragonkin candidate questionnaire allows players complete control over their character’s bond, from rank through to personality, subspecies, and mutations

All female dragonkin able to clutch

Several years worth of planned plots

A strong emphasis on wher handlers

Two playable locations to come

[miraculan-draws]

do you have full backstories for you bg3 pc’s? what are they like?

YES ok ok so

Ildàn, Seldarine Drow, Storm Sorcerer—was taken from the Underdark as a wee one by his older brother, and upon getting topside were both knocked on their ass by an absolute hurricane of a storm (terrifying experience they'd not seen Weather before) but they were saved by Mysterious Forces, and Ildàn has had magic ever since. Hes older than he looks, closer to Halsins age than Astarion's. He has a very mortal view of magic, which is the source of much wonderful discussion with Gale ie "if you spend so long looking and plucking at threads of weave, you forget how lovely the tapestry is." Ildàn also has had mortal lovers in the past and has a small armada of children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The first of his line!!

Tavish is a human fighter/rogue (originally he was going to be a half-elf but none of the faces suited him). He's sort of a mercenary type but he's also made of sunshine—fond of crime but not cruelty, very emotionally intelligent and quick to behave as though a stranger is a friend he's known for years. I haven't thought up quite as much backstory for him but he is currently romancing Astarion, who is receiving more hugs than he knows what to do with. Elves don't sleep, but Tavish has gotten in the habit of just plopping down next to Astarion with the sole purpose of zonking out. This is a show of trust and also an excuse to get a cuddle.