#and I do mean that in the literal sense there will be blood

[midnightwind]

you guys like me going off on random DA tangents and musings, right?? because I've been awake too long so you're getting another one

I have been sat here trying to figure out Why Lucanis' prison looks like a bunch of ice and why it was so far away from the "lab" settings for a while now. (arguably two rooms fit this description, the one where Lucanis tells you about Zara and the one right outside his phylactery room) Like, even without that bridge being broken, it's in such a bizarre corner of the Ossuary. And I mean, it wouldn't really matter with a normal prisoner, but Lucanis was a notorious Crow and mage killer on top of that, plus he was Zara's special little guy to fuck with. You would not want to take him for a long walk to experience the worst shit on earth every few days. Maybe it's close enough to the little room where he mentions Zara and maybe she wanted him close to the door so she didn't have to go far to torture him, but again, leaving such a challenging subject close to the exit seems like a bad choice. You want him to have to get through so many guys and doors before escaping so you have time to take him down.

This also ignores the magic required to leave, but they're not clear on what that is and not all the Venatori are mages so there's gotta be a mundane way out he could snatch off a guard. I digress, the whole ice cage and far off room doesn't make sense. But we know they were shipping demons to Zara. (I'm pretty sure the few demons you confront in Minrathous were Zara's little pets set loose so we can assume she wanted them in the capital for the eventual Venatori coup on the crown) If Zara was about to be stuck in Minrathous for the foreseeable future, setting things into motion for Elgar'nan, I could see her wanting her pet Crow at her side. Especially if you consider the initial idea for Lucanis: he was going to be a mind controlled murder puppet before you break him out.

Sure, Spite didn't crack open his ribcage and crawl out like some new horror, but having a demon in Lucanis lets her control him via the phylactery if not just outright with her blood magic. Maybe his will was too strong for mundane control, but the phylactery works. We know it works based off of Lucanis' dialogue about it. So we know she had a surefire way to keep him under control. (There's a whole other post exploring the amount of dead Venatori and the fact that Lucanis still has his leathers and weapons [which would make sense if he was Zara's murder puppet, but alas] and whether Lucanis recently made a break for it or if the loose demons/spirits/undead killed them all) Maybe he kept his leathers because Zara wanted him presentable upon delivery, I don't know.

But I do think he was being prepped to move. The Ossuary is falling apart, Zara is pulling all the best results, they're losing personnel and servants without being given more; Zara was clearly moving on from that location. But she wanted her little Antivan prize. He's too dangerous to move normally, a Crow is likely to escape if given an inch especially a skilled one like Lucanis, so they need to lock him down somehow. Ropes and chains aren't reliable, not with a Crow, but he's not a mage. You can use magic. You can literally put him on ice. I think they were packaging him up in an ice cube and doing it next(ish) to the door so they could more easily move him. I think Zara was going to take him and his phylactery to Minrathous and use him to cause some absolutely ruthless mayhem in the city before her cult took it over.

I think Rook showing up weakened the spell being cast just enough for Lucanis and Spite to break out, and I think it saved a whole lot of lives.

[the-raven-and-the-tower]

Some Davrin angst for your day?

GHILAN'NAIN: Grey Wardens! I wield the power of the blight.(Archdemon roars) Today, you face the finest child of the gods!

(Tiny infodump on this bitch even though this post is about Davrin) The whole "finest child of the gods" thing is because Ghilan’nain was elevated to godhood by the elven pantheon (specifically by Andruil, the goddess of the hunt). Before her ascension, Ghilan’nain was known for creating creatures that had never been seen before, which pleased Andruil for a while... until some of the creatures started becoming monsters and killing people.

NEVE: Ghilan'nain! And she brought a dragon!

DAVRIN (grimly): Worse! That's an Archdemon!

Historically, Wardens have ended blights by facing down Archdemons as the only ones capable to taking them down. For Grey Wardens, sensing an Archdemon is not just a call to battle; it’s a call to potentially end their life. The ritual that makes a person into a Grey Warden requires them to consume Darkspawn blood, which changes them - giving the ability to sense darkspawn... at the cost of linking their fate directly to the fate of the Archdemon. It's a strange connection that means killing the Archdemon requires the life of the Grey Warden who strikes the final blow. The ultimate sacrifice, seen as a necessary cost to save the world from a Blight.

ROOK: We have to get inside!

MILA: The war room isn't far!

Just real quick a second can we cheer for how frickin' adorable and badass Mila is? And appreciate how understandably stressed Rook is about a child guiding them through an active battlefield? While Mila is confident and calm. I love it.

ROOK (stressed): Stick close, Mila!

DAVRIN: (staggers, pained grunt)

NEVE: Davrin? What's wrong?

DAVRIN: Wardens... we can sense an Archdemon... I can hear the Calling... Splitting headache... but I'll make it.

Grey Wardens are constantly aware that their life might end with the Calling. Davrin has lived his life with the concept of an early end to it so long that he's begun to draw comfort from the idea. Here, at what he very well may believe is his end, he's showing stoic resolve. No wavering, no fear, no hesitation. For as long as he can remember, his purpose has been to defend the world from the blight and with that purpose has come the knowledge that he will die doing it. He's running towards his purpose now with no fear of his own end, embracing it, even. Little does he know that a whole new battle awaits him on the other side, a wrestling match with his own mind when he survives, as he never expected to.

NEVE: ...

NEVE: Well, this went sideways! (on to the next problem) How's Lucanis going to kill a cloud with a dagger?

ROOK (still very stressed about the literal child leading them across the battlefield): One thing at a time! For now, let's not die out here!

[spock-smokes-weed]

Just finished blue eye samurai and if doesn’t get another season im gonna go full Mizu

Wtf was that ending.

[tackykachowch]

This is what they should've added to Jinx's design in season 2. Btw

UPD: I also want to add this screenshot of my tags on my first ever post about Jinx because I still agree with what I said

[ofswordsandpens]

"Katara was forced to be a child soldier, let her choose ✨ peace ✨ in adulthood 🥺" is probably the corniest response to criticism of how her character was handled after the original series

like im sorry but if you think Katara "I will never turn my back on people who need me", Katara "I want to fight", Katara who incited a prison riot and rallied others to fight, Katara who continuously reached out to people in need even when the others were telling her not to because they didn't have the time, Katara who didn't actually have to leave the Southern Water Tribe in the first place but was the one that propelled both her and Sokka to do so (and thus propelled the entire original series imo), would grow into an adult that is content with being on the sidelines ???? lol

[lord-squiggletits]

Also I'm just gonna say that even if it were true that Rodimus was a """""true Prime"""" and Optimus wasn't, that isn't as much of an L for Optimus as people seemingly want it to be.

Like so you're telling me Optimus was never a chosen hero and the burden of the Matrix/leadership pained him morally, emotionally, and physically, yet he still survived 4 million years of war?

You're telling me he wasn't God's Designated Special Boy but he still tried his best to live up to that impossible ideal to the point of developing serious depression and suicidal ideation as a result of so much goddamn loneliness and self-doubt?

Optimus wasn't a "true Prime" and yet he still believed in ideals of reconciliation and ending the cycle of violence? He wasn't a true Prime but he still stayed on Cybertron trying to fix a broken, broken society while also trying to stop Earth from being invaded for a second time? He didn't even need to do that he could've just stayed in exile which he was originally supposed to do all along, and which he would've personally preferred?? You're telling me that Optimus wasn't Primus' Specialest Boy And Chosen Leader and yet he stepped into leadership anyways bc he perceived that there was injustice to be fixed??

Wow yeah I guess Optimus is just such an inferior leader, clearly his actual actions/moral character as person don't matter and his "worthiness" should be judged solely on whether the Magic Cybertronian 8 Ball liked him or not.

[a-lonely-dunedain]

I hate the Staghorns so much. every time I do their questline to get that painting I think "oh surely it's not going to make me mad this time around" and YET

[lunatic-fandom-space]

I just remembered, about a year ago immediately after reading interview with the vampire for the first time I stumbled upon this youtube comment under a video that was about progressive modern reboots and why so many of them suck, i think? that was basically like "the new iwtv show is a good example of a progressive reboot thats actually good, in large part because it focuses on the queer relationships that could only be hinted at in the original book bc it was published in the 70s" which absolutely flabberghasted me. like, im not gonna deny that homophobia was A Thing in the 70s but I never got the impression that iwtv was the way it was because of that. like Ive started rereading it and thirty pages in I feel like Louis just keeps saying shit to the effect of "what lestat and i did together was very much not unlike gay sex", so he is kinda vague about it but the homoeroticism is blatant enough that I dont think it was selfcensoring yknow. also, after reading the vampire lestat I feel like you can chalk that vagueness up to just louis' personality because in his own book (which came out in the 80s) he basically straightup says "i love louis the way i love my mother. romantically" which is wild of course but well. he said it not me.

[recitedemise]

𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆. For him, the feeling of the latter—striking, palpable, entirely all-body—is addictive. It feels the most potent, singing through his body in a manner that thrills, and after calling down lightning in a flash of blue, its the fragrance of a storm that he's proud to wear. It makes his nerves feel alive. His every muscle feels wired. In a way, life's at its brightest when he plays with lightning, and mad in his eyes and wild in his hair, there's no element that comes close to besting it.

That said, however, it is necromancy that he's grown most adept in. Unfortunately, his relationship with it isn't half as kind as it is with lightning. Rotting from the inside, skin cracking nastily, Gale had grown desperate to control the orb. Because he's dying, he thought it best to study dying, poring himself endlessly in necromantic textbooks and experimenting (unsuccessfully) on his blight-gotten wounds. To note, necromancy itself isn't inherently evil. For example, it doesn't mean you support the raising of the dead. Rather, it's a study that's neutral just as any other, and as a study on forces from both death to life, Gale, with urgency, obsessively learned. With his year in solitude, it is feverishly that he took to necromancy. Somatically and verbally, his aptitude for the field is practically bar-none, and after Elminster helped tame the orb, the breadth of his studies comes to fruition. It isn't his favorite field, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't thoroughly enjoy it. It works well, anyway, considering his leaning for lightning; with necromancy chilling him, those violent bolts warm.

[mad-hunts]

so... i've been thinking about auriel again because i actually did have an account for her once upon a time (just on another platform) + all i can remember is doing this roleplay on there with barton immediately asking the person whom told him they saw her was whether she was okay because she had went missing with no trace for years after all. and additionally, this was also while shedding tears like there was NO tomorrow, which is 😭 like he isn't a good person, y'all, but he does have his moments where it actually seems like he genuinely cares about people

[no1ryomafan]

I do not bother to check if Getter and Big O ever interacted in SRW because I’m so use to the other mechas I like being in the same game as getter but being so different that they never have any story reasons to have interactions since Getter is only ever allowed to interact with mazinger, OG gundam and any other combiners + it’s all in untranslated hell so I won’t even know wtf was said if there WERE interactions but god damn it I keep rotating a scenario where Roger negotiates to get Ryoma out of jail even though I know for a fact that DIDNT happen despite how many times they used arma and how Z2 actually adapted it fucking correctly for once but it’s just so funny to imagine.

[bosspigeon]

i think i saw some people saying that a vampire has to willingly give their spawn blood for them to become a full vampire. thats at least what ive seen when i saw people asking why unascended astarion couldnt just bite cazador before killing him to become a full vampire. idk much about dnd vamp lore to know if that true or not but thats what ive seen people say!

I've also seen lore that says if the vampire spawn's sire dies, the spawn becomes a fully-fledged vampire too? but i mean d&d lore is constantly changing so 😅

[babisawyer]

baby we are dropping like flies over here my great aunt passed this week.

[arundolyn]

i don't really know how to articulate this super clearly but i really appreciate that like. kuon conceptually with the 8 floaty swords behind him could very easily have turned out like a murakumo knockoff and im impressed by how visually and stylistically distinct he is. its really nice

[kerosene-saint]

people when I tell them arthritis is an autoimmune disorder: 😮

[hauntingblue]

Skypiea time part 2

She is a woman..... this is sanji's influence... in whiskey peak his slashes were non gendered

Ace just letting himself get pushed into the river like aight my bad I will take my punishment.... he really is so well mannered (it sounds like I'm talking about a dog)

Conis showing that nami influence.... gfs....

Nami and luffy twins moment look how relieved she is... this whole fight is so theirs...

Also how funny it is that the milk girl gave ace a shirt.... also new pants??? She must think he lost the shirt in the river.... no girl he is just a slut...

Nami: okay ❤️ yay ❤️

Noland just thinking about where karugara is and if he is alright in his EXECUTION!! SICK AND TWISTED

OMG BOUNDMAN INSPO????

NO ACEEE NOOOOOOOO

THE END OF ACES STORY IS THAT THE COFFE IS NO LONGER BITTER BC THEY SERVE IT WITH MILK AND WHY AM I EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT