#amadis mention

[theartofloss]

Milu: I'M A CHILD OF DIVORCE

[the-rebel-archivist]

39 ILLARIO AND AMADIS THIS ISN'T SPIRITS

This one's for you, not-spirits, and it is glorious. It changed my whole canon and I've never been happier. While Illario languishes in the crow prison of Velabanchel, Amadis finds herself in her own prison in the fade. Their reunion is very Antivan - dramatic, violent, and passionate. The crow mating rituals are intricate.

Prompt: A kiss because time's run out

Amadis de Riva / Illario Dellamorte | 3446 words

Seven steps. That was how many it took to cross the dark, dank cell Illario had been confined in all these weeks. Nine if he took very small steps. Five if he took very large ones or if he walked to the raised wooden pallet that might be called a bed, not that he granted it the honour of that name. Once he had managed to make it in six perfect steps, heel against the starting wall, toes against the end, and had spent the next few hours replicating it. But seven, seven was comfortable.

The steps took a little longer today, weighted by the blossoming bruises over his abdomen that forced a wince from him with each movement. He had discovered very quickly that a little light treason wasn’t appreciated by the crows of Velabanchel. Still, he wouldn’t want anyone to think that he’d lost his edge while in prison and so he paced, took whatever exercise he could, and tried to keep his mind occupied the way his training had conditioned him to.

The way he’d unwittingly forced Lucanis to live for a year. Would he be as sane after his own year had passed?

Illario shook his head to clear it. That was not a useful thought. File it down.

Heavy steps thudded against the flagstones of the hall outside of his cell door and from a distance torches on the wall were lit one by one, gradually spilling warm light into the room that had previously only been lit by a narrow slit of the moon reflecting off the sea below the prison’s cliff. One set of noisy, wide-set footsteps, the night guard’s, he knew by now… and one lighter, one barely imperceptible, whispers kissing the floor, but footsteps that would rouse him from sleep even if he were dead.

He was conscious then of his stained clothing and unwashed hair that hung limply about his face, deprived as he was of his hair tie for fear that he’d use it as a makeshift garrotte. He probably would have. He smoothed his hair back as best he could and leaned as nonchalantly as his aching body would allow against one salt-brined wall, crossing his arms in front of himself.

The flame from the torchlight appearing beyond the bars of his cell door burned his eyes, now attuned to the darkness, and so his first view of the figure that haunted his dreams was glimpsed through squinted eyelids, his careful attempt at composure hindered by his need to shield his eyes with his hand.

With the sharp scrape of metal on metal the door creaked open and in she stepped, skirting around the broad-shouldered guard like liquid metal and giving him a small nod.

“Ten minutes,” the guard growled, locking the door behind her and seating the torch in its bracket in the hallway. Ten minutes in which he was at her mercy, ten in which he could speak his last words.

Only he and his true jailor remained, his beautiful, infuriating jailor, who stood glaring daggers at him but who stood when she should have been dead.

“You’re brave to come alone again, and without bars between us this time,” he said in what would in any other situation have been a drawled implicit threat but which emerged from his mouth neutered and toothless. 

Amadis stepped toward him with those stealthy feet, those quiet killer’s footfalls that he knew too well. Anyone else with her dark hair, dark eyes, and dark leathers might have blended in to the gloom but not her, never her. Her black curls glowed in the halo of the torchlight and shadows traced her form like lovers’ hands while his own seemed suddenly empty.

“Has your ability to threaten atrophied so much already?” she asked with a sarcastic narrow of her eyebrows at his verbal gracelessness, tucking her hair behind her shoulder and exposing her neck with a dare nestled deep in the blackness of her eyes.

Oh, but the bait was tempting. Off the top of his head he could list ten different ways to crush a windpipe, all of which required his skin to make contact with hers and in which he would hold her again for a few glorious seconds as the life drained from her body.

He put his hands down at his sides and stretched them open to clear the thought.

“You left me here to die, Adi. You left me to the damp and the rats and the humiliation. I could kill you now. I should kill you now.” He took a step, biting back the grimace from the weakness of his wounded flesh, channeling it into the fire-flash of anger. “They told me you were gone,” he said accusingly, drawing himself up to his full height before her. “You were dead and it was not me who did it.”

“And that’s what matters, is it?” she asked with a scornful twist of her mouth.

“Yes!” Exasperated, he kept from resisting the offered throat and framed it with his hand, ignoring the thrill that ran down his arm from the contact point of their flesh. “Of course it matters! No matter how far I go you dog my steps, and you left me.”

“Oh, well I’m so very sorry that I inconvenienced you by not dying at your hand,” she sneered, looking up and daring him to tighten his grip. His fingers flexed; he considered, and then felt a flush of satisfaction as her eyes widened when he shifted his grip to the side of her face. The curls at the back of her neck were threaded through his fingers, her cheek cupped and held insistently.

“You don’t understand, you were dead. For weeks you were dead.” 

When she was gone from this world he had learned what it meant to live where she was not. Their last meetings had been marked by antipathy - not indifference but passion, chaos and emotion and hatred all intermingled with the knowledge that there would be a next encounter. And then there was not. There never would be. 

But she had returned from the dead. 

“What does it matter to you, Illario?” she asked bitterly, taking his hand to lift it away from her and letting go like it was some diseased, distasteful thing. “What makes this time so different from the last time you pointed a blade at my neck?”

She wiped every trace of his hand from her body as she spoke and his stomach turned that she would be so repulsed by him.

“It does matter. It did matter. I never told you.”

“Is there anything you could possibly tell me that I don’t already know?” She asked with her dagger-sharp tongue, heedless of the jagged wounds she left behind. “That you betrayed your own family to death and torture, failed and failed again no matter what traitorous heights you set your sights on? You betrayed me but I knew what you were when I took you into my bed.” 

Pausing, she looked away and felt her next words in her mouth before giving voice to them, testing the shape of them. When she spoke again the sound was raw and cracked. “I would have forgiven you for that. I won’t for Antiva. I can only be glad that you failed like you failed at everything else. You keep failing over and over.” 

“Stop it,” he said quietly, an echo of a parentless boy four feet tall and eight years old. “Stop it. They’re already ripping out my nails, isn’t that enough for you?” He gestured toward her with the left hand pinky finger that barely stung now. “They made me what I am, like they did you. The difference between us is that I am twice defeated by my House and you are the victor.”

She had no answer, only a long exhale as she broke her gaze to look away at the floor in the corner of his cell and blinked a few times in quick succession. “Your justifications will leave you bound up in knots,” she said wearily. When she looked back there was an uncertain, nearly pleading look in her eyes that he didn’t recognize. She didn’t look at him that way. She simply did not. Where his suave confidence ended, hers began, not… this. Not the questioning vulnerability that he saw now.

“If you don’t tell me we can forget I was here. We can pretend that we will never wound each other again and I will forget you,” she said, and her pleading eyes begged for silence.

“Even if you could, I could not.”

Illario took a breath in and held it for one, two, three paces-lengths. He willed the prison to open up and swallow him. To swallow them both. Then, exhaling softly, he slipped his hand to the back of her neck and leaned close to her, looking down into those deep, dark eyes that had bewitched him with their passion and spark so long before he knew how to feel. 

“Please,” he said quietly, and he could have sworn that for the briefest of seconds she leaned in to his hand before nodding, resigned to her fate.

“Amadis, I didn’t know until you were gone that a world without you in it would feel like the stars had gone out.” 

They froze in time, interlocked and unmoving for what seemed like minutes, hours, millennia. She blinked; he imitated the motion. Her chest rose and fell with a breath; his did the same. Her skin was warm to the touch, burning his damp-chilled fingers, and since she seemed to permit his hand to linger he pushed his luck and ran his thumb under her jaw. Her eyelids fluttered closed, scrunched together once, and then reopened.

“You would try to kill me and then tell me what, that you love me?” The sound of her voice came out low and scratched, edged by bitter and false amusement.

“Yes- no. I don’t know. Love is too shallow a word. Love is supposed to be kind but this rends me open and leaves me raw. They say love is patient but this is a hungry thing that wants to eat me whole. Every second I spend here I curse your name and every second I know that there is no one else I would wish to curse for an eternity.”

It was embarrassing, exposing his vitals to her when she could execute him on the spot and the other crows would thank her. He was conscious again of the dirt and dried blood on his skin, the odour of his unwashed body, and the clothing that had not stood up to the rigours of being the prison’s punching bag. He was also painfully, sharply aware that despite all of that she had not pulled away from him.

“You are three betrayals too late, mio caro,” she told him, but told him softly, nearly wistfully, as she removed his hand from her face - but allowed her fingers to rest for just a moment over his before letting go. 

A pit of lead grew in his stomach but he smiled through it; if that smile was cruel it was only to himself for allowing himself to believe even for a moment that he might be someone’s first choice. He thought he had crushed that hope long ago but she had coaxed it out of him, dug it up where it lay buried and exposed it to the light while he screamed, all without her ever knowing. If the prison collapsed into the sea at that moment it would have been a true mercy, a miracle sparing him the need to debase himself further. 

“Nothing would have changed, even if you had known,” she said. She knew him, knew his inner workings, knew him as well as she knew her own hands. And he knew that on that night in the opera house had things gone differently he would have seen her dead himself even had he known his feelings, but at least as she gasped her last it would have been his face she saw before her eyes went dark. 

“No, it wouldn’t have. You would still have chosen my cousin’s side.”

“Then how can you love me?”

“If it was possible not to, I wouldn’t,” he said with an acerbic huff through his nose. “You’re asking me how I’m able to keep my heart beating. I could sooner stop that than I could destroy this beast that wants to devour me. Did you know that when you walk into a room everything around you glows? Are you aware of the effort it takes to numb myself when you put your hand on my skin and set it on fire? I wish I didn’t know, but I do now.”

With a deftness that made his aching limbs scream he put one hand on her waist and the other around her back, slipping his fingers into the back of her waistband and searching for the hidden pocket where he was certain her dagger would sit. The guards would have taken her weapons, but that single needle-thin blade was one she would have been loath to give up - and he was right, it was there, the finely made hilt sliding easily out into his palm. 

Amadis drew back, a warning in her glance as she caught his wrist at an awkward angle, but loosened her grasp when he knelt down on the cold stone of the prison floor.

On his knees in front of her he slowly, unthreateningly, brought the dagger close. Like any assassin, he knew the exact position and depth of his heart; the little blade would be enough. He pointed the tip directly over that spot and pressed the weapon into her grip, curling his fingers over hers on the handle.

All she had to do was press down. 

“I spilled your blood once. Take mine, it’s yours.”

It had to be her. Not this place, not these people who cared nothing about his fate except to hope he suffered. Not even his cousin, the playmate and rival he’d followed after his whole life but who had never truly understood him. Not even the grandmother who’d withheld her approval to the last.

Her. The one person who looked at him and never flinched.

Amadis rolled the handle softly in her fingers, tightening and loosening her hold on it as she considered. Her face was unreadable, a conflux of emotions that he was too focused to untangle. The rhythm of his heartbeat pounded in his ears and yet he could not count them by step-lengths of breath while he waited for her answer.

She set her mouth, bit the corner of her bottom lip, and pushed the razor-sharp point forward. He inhaled sharply as his skin broke; yet another red stain spread over the threads of his shirt, fresh and bright against the old splotches of brown, and she stared down at him intensely. 

“Do not lie to me again.”

“Not to you.”

With a sharp inhale and something akin to a sob she pulled her dagger back and wiped the tip against her side before seating it back in her waistband. He said nothing and moved only to let his hands fall in front of him.

“Void take you, Illario Dellamorte,” she said as she sunk both hands into his horrible, prison-filthy hair and smoothed it behind his ears. A quick twist and his neck would crack; it wouldn’t be so bad, it would be quick. His head was tilted back, the eye contact between them unbreakable. 

“You said that I didn’t understand, but I was dead and you weren’t there. Some terrible, rotten fragment of your soul is lodged inside of mine and will not come loose.” Her eyes flashed with an intensity incongruous with the delicacy with which she brushed away the wispy hairs over his ear with her thumb and then knelt down at his level.

“One day I may yet end your life. Until then I demand all of you.”

All of… nothing. A man with no House, no family, no reputation except that of a traitor. A man battered and bruised and broken, the skills beaten into him left to fall into decay and disuse all these weeks. Not an assassin of House Dellamorte. Only a man.

“Even now, when I am this?”

“Especially now,” she said, and she kissed him and the cold, salty cell above the sea came alive with warmth. Her lips were soft where his were cracked and broken but they met hungrily, her arms curling around his neck, his hands grasping at her upper back and pulling her tightly against him.

“This doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you,” she whispered in between kisses.

“Good,” he said with a wicked smile against her lips. “I haven’t forgiven you either.”

In the hall, the heavy footsteps of the guard thudded against the stones. It was twenty steps for him usually, though Illario had missed their beginning. Amadis moved away from him and began to untangle herself; it would be embarrassing, after all, to be found in such a compromising position with a would-be enemy of the state.

Naturally then, he did not let her go, no matter how she glared.

“You will be the death of me,” she huffed, but there was no bite to the words. 

“Is that a promise?” he asked, a smile growing on his face when she laughed against his mouth. 

“Yes, it is.”

Leaning forward, their foreheads met and they knelt in silence for three step-lengths, their eyes closed, their hearts beating in unison.

“Your death belongs to me, Adi.”

“And yours to me.”

They whispered; it seemed wrong to speak out loud or permit anyone else to hear such a vow. It was for them alone. The footsteps in the hallway grew louder as the guard approached nearer and nearer but neither of them could find it in them to give notice to it.

He kissed her once more, deeply, unheeding of the clatter of dense iron keys rapping at the cell door, filing the smell of her and the feel of her in his arms away deep within his mind. The rapping became more and more insistent, less easy to ignore, and Amadis broke first, loosening her hold around his neck and stroking his cheek.

“You have to let me go.”

“Oh.” It had been so easy to forget when she was in his arms that she would leave. Even the return of the guard had not quite driven it home that in a moment she would disappear and he would be left alone to his days of step counting and nights on the wooden plank he continued to refuse to call a bed, existing at the whim of his guards. 

They had allowed him a few minutes’ hope only to destroy it again as some new torture in a long string of cruel and unusual new ways to cause suffering. Frankly he would have preferred the honesty of the rack.

“Right,” he said distantly, holding his side as he brought himself to his feet and stood against the back wall, bile gathering at the back of his throat.

File it down. File it all down. Make it useful.

Useful for what? Useful for whom? Not for him, not anymore.

He hadn’t seen Amadis get up in his haze of despair but she was standing too, her clothing smoothed out and mouth wiped clean, all trace of him gone from her person. She nodded to the guard. Half of him longed to watch her disappear down the hall until she was no more, to imprint the image of her in his mind to remember in the empty days to come, while another half hoped to forget everything in the last few minutes for his own sanity.

He jumped when he heard her voice again and blinked uncomprehendingly at her where she stood facing him in the open doorway.

“I asked if you were coming.”

“Coming where?” he asked stupidly.

“To fight with us rather than against us.”

With a smile that lit the entire cell she reached out to him, her palm upturned and open. Still unsure, he glanced between her and the guard, a stolid gentleman who gave him nothing back in response to his nonverbal inquiry but who also didn’t seem inclined to stop him. Going where? It didn’t matter. It wasn’t here, and it was with her, and it was a start.

He took the outstretched hand and they stepped forward together.

[foibles-fables]

Something I feel like too few people talk about is that Talanah's gift she leaves in The Base™ is flowers. Like top 1 romantic gestures the goddamn nerd. I'm so sorry 'Lanah that Aloy is a dumbass that don't realize when people are serious about their flirting

not only are they flowers, but they are PURPLE flowers—either violets or forget-me-nots

so like, either way, COME THE HELL ON.

Not to mention that she leaves them directly outside of Aloy’s bedroom door—they’re the first thing she sees when she leaves her room

I legitimately cannot handle them. It’s sickening. Downright foul

(Also shove off with the idea that Amadis gave Talanah the flower she’s holding at Barren Light as a parting gift. Doesn’t even make sense. Talanah picked that flower for Aloy, then one of the same for herself. Use brains.)

[georgieenkoom]

I've seen several people believing that Sasuke is fodder (some go as far as to say below Lage level) without his Sharingan. Much like how I did with Obito in the past, I'll use a Quora answer to free many from such delusions :

This answer isn't here to convince you to like Sasuke if you aren't fond of him, but rather to remind people of how truly versatile he is as a fighter and how he easily remains in the Kage-level bracket and even beyond even in base form. I was also kind enough not to mention his (late) Rinnegan either for the sake of a fairer analysis.

Keep in mind, I'm not denying that Sasuke's ocular techniques are a vital element of his fighting stule, but he's still an otherworldly beast in combat even without it.

[forbiddenwestern]

ppl have prolly already said this but my thoughts: the thing is I think Amadis is a cool character, I think his lore is v interesting and I CAN believe he WAS “one of the good ones” (as much as u COULD be I mean), I just wish he was his own sidequest character u find at camp nowhere (or even u locate the tunnel with HIM bc he missed the Oseram expedition, then once u clear the other side, he goes to camp nowhere, and Talanah isn’t involved) either way he mentions going to the rot to find someone from his past and Aloy’s like “sounds dangerous, if I’m over there I’ll check up on him” but he’s not connected to Talanah. ik this would require trashing the comics completely but I think those shouldve had a BRIEF cameo of Amadis to get people interested in his edgy enigmatic vibe for his later sidequest, NOT make them besties and he tells her everything. they shouldve been about HER and her sidequest shouldve as well, I just find him interesting enough on his own. also, tf happened to the long hair.

[thetruearchmagos]

The Commonwealth Calls

An Excerpt: Disciplinary Measures

This idea's been sitting in my notes for a while now, but I've finally gotten it done! This won't be the last time you see these new names...

Tagging @theprissythumbelina @caxycreations @hessdalen-globe @bureaumantic @sleepyowlwrites @kckramer @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling

Sergeant Amadi poked his head through the door at a quarter to twelve.

"They're here, sir."

"Right," Gustav replied, setting down the papers on his desk. "Let 'em in and let's get this sorted."

Nodding, the hulking man turned out again, and shouted down the hall.

"You three, come on in!"

He stepped inside and held the door ajar, and the sound of heavy footsteps was followed by three infanteers in their full service dress filing in through and forming a line in front of Gustav's desk. To the last, their heads were turned to the floor, hands firmly held behind their backs.

Amadi closed the door shut with a thud like a closing crypt, and took his position standing to his lieutenant's right. Their eyes looked over the three before them with grim faces, and they, too, were resplendent in their mud brown uniforms. Such circumstances called for the formality.

"Sir, these are Lance Corporal Georgiou, Private Inamdar, and Private Pietsch," Amadi presented, raising an outstretched arm to each in turn.

"Good evening, soldiers. Do sit down." They did exactly that, their every movement as awkward as a scolded child.

Well, no one ever said being an officer was easy.

"Well then, I imagine you all know exactly why you're here right now," he spoke, drawing out every word. The two privates, young men who's proximity in age to his own was something Gustav routinely tried to ignore, barely reacted, but Lance Corporal Georgiou deigned to nod in agreement.

"So, would you care to fill me in on last night's... events?"

It wasn't a question Gustav needed an answer to, of course, thanks to the report he'd just read through, but it was an important part of the ceremony nonetheless.

They kept their lips sealed.

"No?" he asked, no longer meaning it. "Well then, why don't I tell you what I've read here, and you can listen and see if it jogs your memory a little."

"After dinner last night, a patrol of Provos came upon the three of you in a private motorcar — yours I presume, Corporal? — on the road between here and Uchikimbo. They called out to you, and Lance Corporal Georgiou exited the vehicle and hailed their attention. Upon closer inspection, they found the two of you" he gestured at the privates "unconscious, and bottles of alcohol on the floor of the vehicle."

"The military police then proceeded to wake the two of you up, and note here that you offered no resistance when they escorted you and the vehicle back to base," he finished. "Upon questioning, Georgiou, you confessed to having consumed alcohol prior to starting to drive, and during it, before pulling to the side of the road when you realised how inebriated you were. Does that sound about right?"

"Yes, sir," answered Georgiou, raising to meet his eyes with a carefully set. Gustav got the message that she'd probably try speaking for all three of them, if he let her.

"And the two of you?"

"Yes, sir," they replied.

"Good to have the facts in order, then," he carried on, nodding to himself.

"Now, I've had a talk with Captain Soucek this morning---" and at the mention of the company commander's name there was a sharp intake of breath, and their faces turned pale "--- and he and I are in agreement on a few details regarding what, precisely, we are going to be doing with you."

"Firstly," he began in a gravelly voice, and raised his index finger, "he thought that I should make it clear to you, in no uncertain terms, that the Army, our Corps, and this battalion most certainly do not condone driving under the effect of any substance." He spat the last word out like something bitter.

"Secondly," Gustav continued, raising a second finger, "we have agreed, in light of the lack of any material damage as a result of your actions, and considering Lance Corporal Georgiou's decision not to continue with your little expedition, that we will not be bringing up last night's events with the Colonel or base commander in any... formal, sense."

"That's to say," Amadi offered, breaking his silent looming, "that your rank idiocy won't earn you a court martial. This time."

"Indeed, sergeant," Gustav agreed, allowing the beginnings of a smirk to creep across his face. Relief seemed to wash over the three of them, but whatever positive feelings they may have acquired were wisely kept to themselves. "And you can count your lucky stars none of you are track drivers."

"Nonetheless," he continued, "we have no intention of letting such conduct go without consequence." Time for the other shoe to drop, though every soul in the room knew that whatever it was, it could have been much worse.

"Your pay for the month will be docked, and Georgiou, your driving privileges will be revoked for the next twelve months. Finally, as far as anything written down is concerned, all three of you are restricted to the garrison for the next three months, barring me or the captain's personal authorisation."

Gustav paused to catch his breath, and when he spoke again it was in a different, warmer voice.

"I know we take our friendships seriously here, folks, and I'd be the last fellow to get in the way of that. And corporal," he turned to Georgiou now, "I hope you take this as a lesson on how to conduct yourself within your sub-section."

"Absolutely, sir," she quickly replied, a faint blush creeping into her face.

"Thank you, corporal," he smiled.

"Now, before you three leave," Gustav suddenly began, and this time he didn't bother hiding the smirk on his face. "Me and Sarge had a chat before we asked you to arrive, and we've decided that additional instruction was in order to make sure that you've all learned the importance of respecting the Army and its reputation."

The three young soldiers wore looks of terror, but of a far less mortal variety than when they'd entered.

"Sarge?" he said, turning to his right.

"You three," Amadi barked, glaring daggers. "Get into your fatigues, and meet me outside the motorpool in fifteen minutes with a toothbrush you're not too fond of. Move it!"

The three of them ran out of the room without another word.

"Well, sir," Amadi turned to him. "All in all, not a bad show for your first hearing." His voice shed lost all its hard edges, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you kindly, sergeant," Gustav replied. "But I'll keep hoping I won't have to do too many more."

[slecnaztemnot]

hi!! just reading through your dragon age leaks compilation (bless you btw), you mention "Companion 3 might be black elf who appeared in some concept art." -- can you point me toward the concept art by chance?? I've been trying to track it down but I'm striking out

Hi,

the concept art was in one of the "making of" videos produced by Bioware.

Here is the link:

I also compiled the most important pics here in my speculation about the companion line-up:

The black elf is the one who appears in several concept arts and has been mentioned by 2 different (?) alleged leakers. In the Behind the scenes video, there is a black voice actor called Ike Amadi, who is voicing character named "Darvin".

At this point I am pretty sure he is our companion. I think he will be a warrior, though mage is also possible. Most likely Grey Warden, since in the video, the character shouts "For the Wardens!"

Hope this helped!

[nathanialhowe]

ALSO LIKE

siege of weisshaupt was a banger quest and overall interesting. however what the fuck.

the missed potential here and not just because bioware no longer gives a fuck abt the wardens of yesteryear we have vested interest in but because this game is so bad at creating tension and atmosphere. LIKE really excellent conceit (every warden in Thedas hearing the call at the same time) that they did not lean into for long enough even with Darvin. what! and the fakeout when they have genuine stakes--wardens having to die to fully kill an archdemon and putting a bandaid on it with "well maybe they've changed the rules". like maybe they HAVE bro but its like the game toes around rammies.

also like. lets be for real here. having like seventeen nameless grey wardens when you couldve had the ones we have emotional investment in. and that would have made. narrative sense to be there. the gap is just enormous and from a game dev stance i "get" it, I guess, but it's so glaring. imagine the little dudes we actually know abt giving their last stand at weisshaupt after all this time. lmao i might have cried. i DID cry--not because of things that happened in the quest--but because of brainworms i have for the wardens and the missed potential with the first warden LMAOO. imagine ur hof or loghain or alistair biting the bullet w the archdemon for real that time. man i wouldve gone probably insane. thinking abt ricky "i escaped my fate by doing dubious blood magic and bringing an unassuming child into the world for self-preservation rather than desire for a son" cousland actually having to face consequences and die a real warden's death against ghil's archdemon was like. man. overwhelming. would've been so neat to see it. would've really mattered. but here we are.

obviously i knewwww the hof or any of the prior wardens couldn't/wouldn't be there ever again. but it's so glaring it's impossible to look past. like who are these people. oh. "grey warden #1" "grey warden #2"...okay. at weisshaupt? yeah.

at leat the justice mention was cool! i guess.

also i miss having like 5 quests in the entire game but they each take like 3 hours to complete. this one just feels so overstuffed. like. BOOM BOOM BOOOM okay lore drop. can't think about it. who cares about the red lyrium idol! BOOM CRASH BANG more STUFF Is HAPPENING ITS THE END OF THE WORLD!!! BOOM BANG. EPIC CINEMATIC MOMENT WITH THIS RANDO ROOK. okay let's all talk about our feelings for a second in a hammy way. okay back to it. BOOM. BANG. CRASH.

anyway at least Davrin's stuff was pretty well written and ike amadi gives such a great performance.

[loumauve]

every now and then when I remember how frustrated I was during my first playthrough of hfw

[the stressful fight with all the stupid noise and aloy yelling about what i was already doing my best but failing to do bc skill issue the drowning or alternatively glitching into out of bounds while doing my best to avoid drowning/or getting stuck in a crack between some rocks bc idk game design I guess the weird pacing and genre change that could have used some improvement the random spoiler-y voice lines in unexpected places (tilda mention before ever being introduced to her by name and in person as a potential ally) just.. so much I've blocked out but sometimes it comes back and I get annoyed all over again. I'm sure those vent posts can be found somewhere buried in my tumblr archive]

but what they did do was give us more time with some old faves (Talanah, Petra) as well as just so much more potential for ships (Alva, Beta, Milu, Zo, Yarra, Regalla, Tilda as well as a bunch of more minor characters from side quests like Silga or Kivva (my beloved))

and I do cherish that. like. I was so fucking sad when I finished Petra's quest and instead of being able to check in with her all I got was dialogue with the boring dude right next to her. LET HER FLIRT WITH ALOY I STG anyway. similar with Talanah, you can check in but at a certain point that's all it is. and sure it's not too different with hfw but at least there's more women overall so it feels less shite as a whole.

could they have done better and let Zo be badass without making her the token pregnant woman representing fertility in the face of her partner and Aloy's loyal sidekick dying? YEAH could they maybe have made Tilda more interesting, I wish bc I'm just not too invested in her, it seemed kinda cookie-cutter hung up on your ex and seeking connection through her clone in a real weird and gross way, but that could just be me not vibing.

also they definitely fucked over Talanah, she deserved better. Amadis should at least have been his comic-canonically hot-af self instead of whatever basic ass dude we got. I'm so disappointed. when it comes to guys I have one type (who I prob still wouldn't date but they are ever so beautiful) and that's raggedy handsome lad with dark, longer hair and a scraggly beard and they ruined him also hello she's clearly at least bi, come on Guerrilla Games.

oh well. all this rambling just to say that I'm glad hfw has more *WOMEN* who are also badass and hot and very capable in a multitude of different ways. and I love that for them (and Aloy)

still pretty homophobic and not very gg of GG to not let me play some lite version of Burning Shores on my PS4 pro. fuck me for wanting to look at Seyka more, I guess. who, btw, also deserved better than what they made her. she had so much potential and I wish she got to be who she could have been. I love her and I wanted more quality time with her.

[holodaxy]

Okay so stay with me as I've been having thought...mostly Hawk and Thrush Thoughts...sort of...

Is there a fic (and there isn’t because I’m about to get oddly specific – maybe this is more of a cry to write this because I won’t) where somebody has inadvertently gotten close to Beta (on purpose seems a bit cruel and horrible) as an Aloy replacement?

In my head it’s Talanah – in some way this seems wrong and a touch out of character, but you know those oddly specific details? Well yeah, she works for those oddly specific details so stick with me here…

So Talanah crosses paths with Erend and naturally they get on about Aloy and he mentions that she’s spending a lot of time helping reunite the Quen Fleet and rather innocently makes a joke about how Aloy is more interested in spending time with a Quen Marine than reuniting the fleet (because of course the GAIA Gang have been gossiping about Aloy and Seyka – not to mention they’ve got an inside source! Alva is right there!) Talanah isn’t impressed by this information, though doesn’t know why (Erend has a good idea, but he’s already opened his big mouth once so he’s not doing that again).

How Talanah makes her way to the base I’m not sure (I can’t work it all out!) and cue an awkward first meeting with Beta because of course Aloy didn’t mention that there’s this anxious identical ‘twin’ wandering around. So Talanah is about to leave (because this wasn’t on her ‘Life with Aloy’ bingo card) when she discovers Beta doesn’t know how to use any weapons and really, how could Aloy be so careless as to leave her twin sister all alone in the base with no way to defend herself? Anybody could walk in! As evident by the fact Talanah had just walked in – that’s her argument and she’s sticking to it, she won’t hear any objection from Beta about how the base security was likely programmed by Aloy to let Talanah in because she's been there once before.

So Talanah sticks around to show Beta how to use a bow (or any weapon really) and Beta totally isn’t her Thrush because that would just be weird (not that the whole situation isn’t weird to either of them, but its just a little nice for Beta to have company and for Talanah to be away from the stress of the Hunters Lodge). And I can totally see Beta being the one to tell Talanah everything – about Nemesis, about Zero Dawn and Elisabet Sobeck, about how she and Aloy are clones (again, none of this was on Talanah’s ‘Life With Aloy’ bingo card). She’d also give her a Focus (because Beta doesn’t understand why Aloy isn’t handing these out like sweets to people!) and shows Talanah how to use the Focus and oh look! They’ve taught each other things and that’s nice.

So one day they decide to venture out of the base (again, I don’t know, I really don’t know why) and who do they stumble across? Well Amadis of course (because every story needs a villain – that was harsh, he’s not actually going to do anything wrong this time). He doesn’t get a close look at Beta and just thinks Aloy has drastically cut her hair and changed her clothes (she did it like three time the last time he met her, where is she hiding those armour sets???) and he passes comment about how both he and Talanah were using each other to get over other people the whole time. Talanah has an ‘oh fuck’ moment and Amadis goes on his way again not realising he's caused total turmoil again.

So Talanah’s ‘oh fuck’ moment hits home that she’s drawn to Beta because of Aloy and she’s done exactly what she never wanted to be and made somebody her second choice. And deep down I think no matter how close the two of them were getting, Beta knows she’s an Aloy replacement and her self esteem is so far in the ground that she’s just pretty much ‘that’s just it for me, I’ll never be anything other than the inferior copy’ (and my poor baby Beta, I want to hug her) so she’s just kind of clung to somebody being nice to her even if it’s possibly (keep possibly in your mind) not meant for her in the first place.

I didn’t say this wasn’t angst – I mean, my opening summary of this didn’t indicate there wasn’t angst!

How this ends I’m not sure – I have two options, again…stick with me…

Aloy returns to the base right in the aftermath of the ‘oh fuck’ moment and is totally confused about what Talanah is doing there, but she’s kind of grateful that Talanah was looking after Beta. Then she finds out how close the two have gotten and is not impressed because how dare Talanah go near Beta! And Aloy totally won’t admit to being jealous and what Quen Marine? She’s be reuniting the Quen Fleet!

The two then have a long overdue heart to heart and all their feelings laid bare, happily ever after Hawk and Thrush. This ending seems a bit harsh on Beta who I don’t think deserves that so from stage right enter some unseen original character who has never, ever laid eyes on Aloy and knows nothing about her so they can like Beta for being Beta.

Option 2 goes totally the opposite way, enters rare pare mode and Talanah realises Beta is a totally different person to Aloy and while the original reason she spent time with Beta was Aloy (and was totally wrong) she’s actually rather drawn to Beta’s totally different personality and quirks. Cue Aloy returning to the base with Seyka and being totally confused about what’s going on – and has Beta just stolen her moment? She was about to introduce her girlfriend to the gang and now Beta and Talanah are a thing and…well…typical sibling bickering.

Of course there’s hidden option 3 which is everybody is miserable and unhappy, but that seems a bit bleak even for me.

Well thanks for sticking with me for this long…whatever this is – I don’t know what this is. I’m going back under my rock now, I’ll keep these wild idea to myself as this got out of hand 😁

[chloe-spade]

OC CATALOG: WIP

For future OCs

Night Raven Collage

1) Lyra Casimir

2) Fiona Woodward

3) Yazari Sinclair

4) Sami Baker (belongs to Soot!)

5) Cameron Miller

6) Berry Avelís

7) Amir (also belongs to Soot!)

Royal Sword Academy

MCs:

1) Hikaru Sora

2) Melissa Noboa (Belongs to Soot)

3) Tari

4) Wilbur Haski (Belongs to Soot)

5) Winny Dear

6) Vio Shade

7) Moon

🌹

Mattermind: A Dorm based on The Curious Child's Sense of Wonder. The students of the dorm excel at mysterious magic and tea parties.

1) Alister Liddel

2) Maddi Edwards

3) Charles Tempo

4) Dave Tale

5) Dan Tale

6) Tommy Chimney

7) Chen'ya (he isn't an OC, but part of the dorm)

🌹

🦁

Llanomane - A Dorm based on The True King's sense of purpose. Students of the dorm can be seen as stratgocyand problem solving

1)Monti Nii

2) Sipho Uzuma

3) Taiwo Aoi

4) Daxter 'Dax' Maddex

5) Alexander 'Alex' Gulloux

6) Hinto Tokaoa

7) Yada Bhave

8) Amadi Iwo

🦁

🐚

Merintaya - A Dorm based on The Little Mermaid's sense of adventure. The students are often adventurous and are great with history

1) Rielle Mrryh

2) Filip Gert

3) Sophos Xenia

4) Gabriel Aquilus

5) Mako Reef

6) Marshall Krill

7) Morgan Pike

🐚

✨

Magical Lamp - A Dorm based on The Diamond in the Rough's sense of Cleverness. Though sneaky, students are very clever academically (and mischievously)

1)Ali Dana

2) Asra

3) Sky Oracles

4) Asha Tendua

5) Jeet Khoya

6) Kimo Stitches

✨

🍎

Wishful Mirror - A Dorm based on The Sweet Princess's Innocence and Pureness. These students are often praised by their beauty and kindness

1) Neige LeBlanche (Same as Chen'ya, he deserves an mention)

2) Meadow Lake

3) Andrew Dahling

4) Tulip Huckleberry

5) Elliott Nightgale

6) Jamie Scarlet

🍎

🎖️

Demiruge - A Dorm based on The Hero's Strength. Students are physically and mentally strong enough to be respectful and save others from danger

1) Envader Zeus

2) Pan Devito

3) Eros Gospel

4) Caleb Conrall

5) Xan Xinya

🎖️

💤

Peaceful Moor - A Dorm based on The Sleeping Beauty's sense of imagination. Students of the dorm are kind and thoughtful, and are one of the more stronger dorms of the school

1) Amoré Delia

2) Mathys Thierry

3) Fortune Thierry

4) Fioare Thierry

5) Almar Siberil

6) Tori 'Tink' Bellflower

7) Loris Willow

💤

Thank you for reading about my original characters.

[foibles-fables]

For the fic ask game: 10, 11, and 18. Have an amazing day my lovely, keep up the FAB writing!!! ❤️

omg you are SO SWEET and of course!!

10. Do you read your own fics for fun?

answered here!!

11. What's an idea for a fic you've had that you'll probably never write?

HMM let me think of another! proooobaby an unironic attempt at constructing an Avad/Amadis childhood friends to lovers narrative. I still kinda am itching to, but. Alas.

18. Is there some headcanon you've included in more than one fic?

I totally mention peaches as Aloy's favorite food in a number of fics <3 <3

fic asks

[thedinanshiral]

Starting next week...

As mentioned here i'll be doing a little something as we approach release date, just for fun, and after much deliberation i've decided to reveal my Rooks for the countdown grouping them by faction, starting with the more familiar factions and going up to the newer, more mysterious ones. The schedule is as follows and i'll be updating the list with links to each post as they come out:

GREY WARDENS

Oct.14th - Duncan

Oct.15th - Favian

ANTIVAN CROWS*

Oct.16th - Chiara Victoria aka Vica

MOURN WATCH

Oct.17th - Viatrix Lorena Véritas Amadis Liberia

Oct.18th - Katari

LORDS OF FORTUNE

Oct.21st - Athima

Oct.22nd - Shokra

Oct.23rd - Meraad

SHADOW DRAGONS

Oct.24th - Revas

Oct.25th - Renan

VEIL JUMPERS

Oct.28th - Dante

Oct.29th - Sethena Theneras

*I have another Crow in the works but i decided to cut this at an even number, Luriel de Riva will see the light at a much later date.

I'll keep things short and simple, just a mini mood board with key visuals, a couple of keywords and a short introduction.

[creators-novel]

“How much do we wanna wager that we’re close?”, Amadi wonders out loud.

            One by one, the group jumps off the rocks and onto the new, more stable path. This one is fairly simplistic, it seems to be just a straight shot; the way forward is illuminated by purple lights in the air and through the ground.

This seems too easy.

“Did anyone notice how quiet it is?”, asks Nathaniel.

“It’s…too quiet.”, Exisite observes.

But the silence is soon broken by Kali’s continued shivering as she slips on her coat; as well as

“AZH-YOO!”

…Uriel sneezing.

“Let’s keep our guards up, everyone.”, says Koto as she adjusts her sweater, “This place is freaky…”

“It’s like nightmares made real.”, says Exisite, recalling the dream that, from his perspective, started this whole mess.

“That’s- an interesting way to put it.”, Straus agrees but feels it’s not the best time to mention he watched the dream happen.

Kali crosses her arms and feigns a smile, “You think this is what goes on inside the heads of everyone we’ve had to beat up to get here?”

Azura shudders, “Yep- maybe.”

“Incoming!”, announces Amadi. Right on cue, several hordes of voidlings begin to surround everyone, blocking them from moving forward.

            Moving down the winding, bending corridors of Voidverse, at the end of it all we see Vyz and his legions of Stygians. One such walks up to Vyz and hisses, “They’re here, Masssster…”  “Delay them.”, Vyz commands, “I still need time for our darkness to cover more ground.” And so, they follow their leaders’ command and move towards the inevitable.

“And so, it begins!”, Koto declares, summoning her knife, “Get ready!”

“On our marks…”

Energy builds up, and weapons are drawn.

“Get set….!”

The enemies begin to close in.

“…GO!!”

And they’re off! It doesn’t take long for the heroes to begin laying waste to the opposing forces. After everything they’ve been through up until now, this is nothing! Child’s play, even! Purple and black gore paints the ground as a comparable fireworks display of magic and melee tears through the endless pawns. “Keep it up, everyone! We’ve got this!!”, Koto shouts to encourage the others. “DO IT TO ‘EM!”, chants Ex, almost dancing as he speedily rips through the opposing force.

            “They’re turning us into passsste, master! We’ll be lucky to sssucceed without further delays at this point.” Vyz holds out a hand to silence his panicked underling. “…We’ll have to throw them off course… and it starts with our little friend.” He snaps his fingers, the sound of the click ringing out. Then, after a moment, out from behind Vyz two particular figures come forth. Both seemed to sport blue clothing at some point, perhaps their hair was brown and their eyes were a delicate green. It’s difficult to tell given how much they’ve been corroded by the void. Vyz turns to face them both and grins confidently, “It’s time for you both to make use of yourselves. Now, go.

Show your daughter what you’ve learned.”

"̸A̸s̷ ̵y̶o̷u̵ ̶w̷i̶s̴h̵,̸ ̴M̶a̶s̶t̸e̸r̵.̸"̴

            “Yeah-heah! We did it, everyone!”, cheers Koto as the last of the stygians are finally defeated. Straus goes to everyone on the team and high-fives them for a job well done. As everyone is taking a moment to breathe, and as Koto steps forward to regroup with the others, she suddenly feels a sharp pang in her chest. It knocks the wind out of her and makes her see stars. She doesn’t know who or what is approaching but she knows that this fight is not over. “There’s someone else here!”, she breathlessly calls out. “Huh?”, asks Straus, turning to face her. Just then, Uriel’s ears perk up, “Footsteps! Fast approaching!” Red points towards the edge of the path ahead, “Up there!” Koto moves to the front of the group, still clutching her shirt, “But who are-…they…”

…

No hesitation, no one can reach out and stop her in time, she’s already gone. “KOTO!!”, Uriel shrieks, trying to catch up to her. When did she get so fast? It’s as though she’s moving on pure instinct alone. There’s something about these two, something that’s drawing her in; but what is it? “Sis?”, nervously says Straus as he follows. As the two try to reach Koto in time, she does not hear them. She doesn’t realize she’s in danger. All she sees in front of her is what she’s been waiting and hoping for since the moment her journey began.

Oh no.

Straus nearly trips over himself as the realization sets in. Even Red, who didn’t speak a word of Cosmic, could tell what was happening now.

“Dad! Mom! It’s me! It’s Koto!” Fueled by pure delusion, Koto presses on, her parents nearly within arm’s reach. “Koto, wait!!”, yells Straus. Summoning every bit of strength within herself, Uriel zips towards Koto and grabs her shoulders to stop her!

“Koto, listen!!”

“But-! They’re right there! This is what I’ve wanted for so long, for everyone to finally be together! And to be happy together! Why are you stopping me from having that?! Why are YOU of all people trying to take this from me!?”

“WILL YOU JUST LOOK AT THEM!?”

“Let me go, Uri! Let me have this, I beg you!! I want all of my family to be together! I want-…I… I want…”

She looked. She sees them properly now, she sees everything. Koto’s knees buckle and she slightly falls into Uriel’s arms.

“I know, I know.”, says Uriel as she holds Koto up. “This is exactly how I felt when DarkClaw was taken from us.” She holds Koto’s face and makes her maintain eye contact. Her voice shakes slightly as she tries to comfort her and snap her back to her senses. “I know it hurts, but we gotta save them first, then we’ll have that happy ending. Ok? Can we do that?”

Koto swallows hard and takes a breath in, allowing herself a moment to recollect herself. “Yeah…we can!”

Uriel sighs with relief and gives Koto a playful hug. “Good! That’s my Creator!”

“Let’s do it, then.”, says Azura as everyone else catches up with them.

Nathaniel crosses his arms and scoffs, “Vyz must know by that we were coming here to kick his hide.”

“So, he drops this bombshell to distract us.”, adds Amadi, “pitiful…”

And said bombshell is still coming towards the party at an alarming rate.

Koto shakes her head to focus and starts planning, “We’re just going to have to- … wait- how are we supposed to save them this time? We were able to save the others back in Lightverse only because Straus hit Vyz really hard-!”

“Uhhh… beat ‘em up a little?”, shrugs Red, “Shouldn’t be that hard.”

Koto looks exasperated, that response is the last thing she wants to hear. But if it’s their best shot at saving her parents, for her to finally have what she lost all those years ago, then it’s unfortunately what needs to be done. She sighs, “Ok…!”, then points her knife out towards her parents, who are closing in.

“FOR MY FAMILY!”

And, cue the charge!

            Vyz watches from high above, satisfied with this result so far. “Perfect. They’re fulfilling their job.”

“What comesssss next, massster?”

“…Corruption. And from that corruption will bring in a new age of Chaos. And then, people will finally know what it feels like to suffer as much as I have.”

            Strike by strike, the party tries to find any sort of opening on Koto’s parents to get in that precise hit they need. But those two are tricky, where one of their attacks ends another begins; both fully utilizing the skills of the Cosmic race to their advantage to create swift combos that keep everyone back. The diversion is working.

“Ugh-! Come on, snap out of it!”, Koto tries to call out, but still gets no response from them. Exisite takes note of a dark aura flowing through the air, “This is distracting. We’ll never get to Vyz like this.” “You’re right!”, agrees Uriel, “Should we split up?” “Split up?! That’s crazy!”, Nova and Luna oppose in unison. Kali ducks as an attack comes her way, “It could be crazy enough to work at this rate-!”

 Looking ahead, Straus’ eyes follow the path. There’s not that far left to go until they all reach the end. At the very least, he can halt Vyz’s takeover of everything for just a moment. “You guys keep them restrained.”, he states, “I’ll get to him.”

“Wait- you’re going by yourself?”, asks Koto.

“You’ll need everyone to help your parents. I can handle Vyz. We can make this work.”

“Are you sure?”, asks Red.

Straus nods, defiant in his decision.

“Just-…come back safe, ok Brother?”, Koto pleads.

Straus winks and answers, “You got it.”, before taking off. Koto gives him a thumbs up and smiles as he leaves, she then returns her attention to the problem at hand.

            Vyz is alarmed by Straus’ sudden approach, but quickly regains his composure; albeit his anger is quickly rising.

“Maaassssterrr! He’ssss coming!”

“Stop. Him.”

“But-!”, his servant whispers, “He’sss ssstrong…!”

“DO IT.”

To which they do. Even though Vyz’s forces are dwindling severely now, he sends out whatever voidlings are still walking to go after Straus. “YOUR TRAIL ENDS HERE!”, one particularly literate Stygian roars as it lunges at him. Straus simply sighs and summons his claws as he speeds up towards them. The small group doesn’t even have time to blink before he tears through them all, splitting them in two. He skids to a stop for just a moment to watch their bodies dissipate into a fine, purple mist. “Your service is forfeit.”, he lingers only a second more before advancing to the edge of the path.

            Koto’s parents stand shoulder to shoulder, quietly hissing as everyone surrounds them in a tight circle, also trying to catch their breath. “What are we supposed to do?”, wonders Melanie. “What’re we supposed to do!? They’re not stopping, and if we kill them then all of this is for nothing!!”, Kali snaps. “It’s like Straus said. We have to restrain them.”, Exisite reminds everyone. “So, we gotta make them completely stop somehow.”, Ex concludes.

The question is, how? No one among them has a spell to lull them to sleep. Every bit of magic they have would either heal them, make it so they can’t get near them, or critically injure them in the worst case. And Cosmics, as we know by now, are a very delicate people. What haven’t they tried? What else CAN they try? Think, think! If they don’t figure something out now, then everything they know and love will be gone forever! Vyz will take over and there’ll be nothing left that anyone can do to help everyone. C’mon…! Just think of something, anything!

THINK KOTO, THINK!!

Uriel, not taking her eyes off Koto’s parents, gently bumps Koto’s shoulder, “Hey? Still in there?”

No response.                                                                                                                

“Oh, come on, not again! You gotta snap out of it! We need you, Koto!!”

The cries of her friends can barely break through the dissociative state she’s in. In trying to come up with a solution, her mind only presents more problems. She spirals further and further into the depths of her mind... Thankfully, there’s still one more being who can help her.

Illumi reaches out, “(…Mistress?)”

“(…I can’t focus, I can’t think. What is left to stop all of this? Straus is alone and we can’t keep this battle up forever. But…Mom and Dad…! I don’t know what to do this time…I’ve run out of every option in the book…. it’s hopeless.)”

Illumi takes a deep breath before continuing, “(…Mistress, I have watched over you for many years now. And although some of your ideas have failed, there is no denying that you have grown into someone capable of amazing things. Do not think that this is the end. There’s always light to shine through the darkness…)” She thinks to herself for a moment and warmly smiles. “(You helped me see the light after all, did you not? And I know you can do it again for them. You can help them. Everyone believes in you, Koto.)”

“(Illumi…!)”, Koto, within their shared mindscape, embraces her. “(That’s it, Illumi! I’ve got it! And- …Well, I’m kind of embarrassed I didn’t think of it sooner.)”, she chuckles to herself, “(But thank you, for everything…And boy, I hope they’ll be proud of us for this one.)”

            Red is the last one to try and get her attention, “Koto-? Any day now-!” Koto shakes her head and feels sensations return to her, “I’ve got it, everyone! I know why Vyz wanted to keep Straus and me away from everything!” With a wave of her hands, she summons a barrier around her parents, who immediately break out of it. Koto jolts, surprised that didn’t work. “Help her out, guys!”, Nova chimes. Koto tries again, this time aided by everybody else with defensive magic. With that extra boost, the barrier holds. “Yes!”, Exisite cheers. Koto shifts her footing and holds both her hands out, as Cosmic energy swirls and gathers through and out of her fingertips.

“(Alright, I can do this…! This is it; this is everything I’ve worked up to! Dad, Mom…I’m sorry if this hurts you-!)”, Koto waves her hands out, sending everything she can muster towards the barrier, and shouts,

A bright flash. And it’s done.

Koto regains her balance, supported by Uriel and Nova. When her eyes readjust, she looks into the barrier to see her parents sleeping peacefully, as the void’s corruption burns away. Uriel blinks, “…Why DIDN’T we think of this sooner??”, she asks matter-of-factly. Koto stands up and releases the barrier as tears begin to trickle down her cheeks.

“Mom!! Dad!!”

Koto’s father, a strong Cosmic named Kilgore, grumbles as he looks towards his daughter for the first time in ages.

“Koto…?”

“Oh, my baby! There you are! Look, honey, I knew she’d be ok!”, says Koto’s mother, a gentle Cosmic named Lazuli. Koto runs into their arms, her mission complete. The others watch as magic from all three of them sparkles and surround the family, the purest form of magic for all the Cosmic race: the bonds that tie them together; are finally restored.

[jamietukpahwriting]

I always carry his latest letter with me until a new one comes. When I told Amaka that I do this, she teased me in her reply about being lovey-dovey with Father Amadi and then drew a smiling face. But I don’t carry his letters around because of anything lovey-dovey; there is very little lovey-dovey, anyway. He signs off with nothing more than “as always.” He never responds with a yes or a no when I ask if he is happy. His answer is that he will go where the Lord sends him. He hardly even writes about his new life, except for brief anecdotes, such as the old German lady who refuses to shake his hand because she does not think a black man should be her priest, or the wealthy widow who insists he have dinner with her every night. His letters dwell on me. I carry them around because they are long and detailed, because they remind me of my worthiness, because they tug at my feelings. Some months ago, he wrote that he did not want me to seek the whys, because there are some things that happen for which we can formulate no whys, for which whys simply do not exist and perhaps, are not necessary. He did not mention Papa—he hardly mentions Papa in his letters—but I knew what he meant, I understood that he was stirring what I was afraid to stir myself. 

—Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

[mrs-gauche]

I thought it would be fun to revisit this post I made a few years ago before they might drop a trailer tonight or on sunday. 👀 Just a quick update, taking into account everything we have learned since I posted this! 😁

1.) "Victoria Secret"/Lindsay Lohan (yeah, I'm still gonna call her that 😂)

Well, I still think there's a good chance that this could be Calpernia (which I think would be awesome!). Other than that, nothing to add really.

2.) "No Bad Hair Days" Qunari Lady

She still doesn't have a name YET, but we all love her already, right? <3 (Is this our "Harley Qun"? lol)

3.) Scarf Man

(That *is* a scarf, right? lol) I've since seen many people saying this could be Davrin, the one who was mentioned in the 2020 Gamescom video voiced by Ike Amadi, which would make him a Grey Warden? 👀

4.) Maevaris

Yup, without any real evidence, I'm still 100% sure this is Mae. I don't know, it's just a gut feeling, I guess. 😂 I'd also just really really really love to see her as a companion. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

5.) "Shotgun Girl"

A few years later and I'm now 100% convinced this is Harding. lol (And I'm still curious to learn how she got Bianca (if it IS the same weapon).. Please Varric, don't die. *sob*)

6.) Assassin's Creed Protagonist Nr. 35

My best guess is still Lucanis Dellamorte from Tevinter Nights. When I first made this post, it also didn't even occur to me that Lucanis might have faked his own death in order to escape the responsibility of being the successor of his grandma, First Talon Caterina Dellamorte, as him struggling with this was also highlighted in the "Wigmaker Job" in Tevinter Nights.

7.) "Not Sten"

Ok, I still have no idea who this could be, BUT I will note that this guy has a striking resemblance with Strife, who we have since seen in the The Missing comics. 👀

8.) Ghost Rider Jr/"Manfred"

Yeah, other than that this guy comes 100% from the Grand Necropolis in Nevarra... I have no clue. lol A lot of people want him to be Audric from Tevinter Nights (though I'm personally still voting for Manfred the skeleton butler that was only mentioned once lol).

Interesting thing to note though is that there was a guy named Emmrich Volkarin in the short story "The Flame Eternal", which took place in 9:22 Dragon in the Grand Necropolis.....

....and in one of the BioWare Community Updates, they revealed a few codex entries, one of which about the Grand Necropolis that had a name that was redacted....

....and some clever folks figured out that the redacted space fit perfectly with the name "Emmrich". 👀 Sooo... maybe there's a connection here?

Also, speaking of the upside down figures in the 2020 teaser mural a few years later, I'm now pretty confident that these two are actually Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan! 😁

And last but not least, on the topic of the next protagonist.. Well, because of the 2023 reddit leaks, we now have a potential name/title that might hint at a spy background, so I think my theory about Rook being hired/recruited by Varric to get the idol still has merit! 😂

There you go, that's the update, I can't wait to learn more about all of them (if they actually made it in the final version of the game) and let's see how wrong I was whenever The Veilguard is introduced to us!! <3333

I was in the mood to write down a little personal speculation post on this companion concept art piece that was shown in the Behind the scene video in 2020, because although we can’t really conclude anything from this and like Patrick Weekes said, the concept art is more about conveying a certain mood than anything substantial really, I just think it’ll be fun to look at this later on, if only to see how wrong I was. :D

(Also, I got a bit carried away and speculated a bit about the next protagonist as well later on, if anyone’s interested.)

Putting the rest under a cut, cuz it got looong.

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