#and i was like what do you mean theres no blood mage

[tiny-huts]

I really admire Matt's dedication to making DND a more goth friendly environment. Dude whips out another blood magic based subclass every time someone leaves him alone for so much as twenty minutes

[thornswoggled]

105 stream of consciousness, lets get it

what a whammo of an opening shot. this hits different if you read ghost and witch

JASMINE SMASHING THEM INTO A GOO PILE HELP???? HELP ME.... HEEEEELP..... HEEEEEEEEELP.....

second time weve had puppies on a cover in recent times. first was 102 with chise and ruth lying in a puppy pile. and then of course there was the egg/baby bird imagery in 103. baby animals on baby animals. i know yamazaki just likes dogs, but im sure theres symbolism there

i fucking knew we were gonna start with a flashback to get the full story on what happened at the end of 100

can i draw your attention to the fact that in this flashback, jasmine is wearing a big white sweater on top of a black collared shirt, and chise in the present is wearing a big black sweater on top of a white collared shirt. im telling you man. white dragon vs red dragon. the parallels are paralleling

rian questioning if jasmine is a sleigh beggy is really interesting. and "thats the law" about sleigh beggys being kept housebound. theres laws among alchemists about that? why is chise allowed to wander about, then? because shes a mage so it doesnt apply to her, probably. you cant make a mage follow the law of an alchemist

lil fella full body hugging her is sooooo cute

so isaac is the only one who doesnt know about this thing unless rian told him about it later

OLD MAN!!!! NEW OLD MAN!!!! yamazaki loooves to draw an old man

what does finn mean about "not being able to dine together" ? this feels like a weird translation. also, i guess he doesnt care about the goo dragon puppy. not paid enough to care

stellar, simple flashback with lindsay covered in blood. effective without doing too much. whoa, its a flashback within a flashback..

lindsay already knows about lil fella, if only vaguely... thats really funny. i wonder if he knows in the present? id like to see the twins shock when he goes "yeah i knew you had that thing"

IT CHEWED THE CORNER OFF THE WALL PLEAAAASE

just noticed on the slider that this is a longer chapter than weve been getting recently

you can definitely tell that yamazaki is copy and pasting the twins in the "OH." panel. i love that. work smarter not harder

really freaky deaky body horror with this thing. im telling you yamazaki should do a horror one day

all signs point to lil fella being a piece broken off of the white dragon. ruth barking at it is. really good

speaking of, this is an old house, and lil fella is made of a rocky crystal sort of stuff. i wonder if the guys downstairs can hear all this rowdy thumping from chises room

whooooo is this greaser dude jasmine is thinking of. if its one thing yamazaki is gonna do its drop a nugget and decline to elaborate

CHISE IMMEDIATELY FOLDING AND TELLING ELIAS bwahh fdshfs sdfjfj sdjfsdjf

"give me some room!!" chise has been really really resistant lately to getting touched by elias. of course, part of it is she doesnt want her friends to know... being around a lot of people has made her more self conscious about how others perceive their relationship. i think the incident in 98 has also made her cagier. maybe shes having her "im 16 i should be at the club" moment. shes gonna make him crash out dude

makes sense that elias wouldnt care about lil fella. it doesnt impact him at all and hes largely unconcerned with right or wrong

im surprised chise brought up the conversation with lindsay. didnt he broach the subject to elias after chise already left the room? maybe her dragon ears are just that sharp

"it was grown-up talk" i really dont like that. it sounds infantilizing and im glad chise pushed back against it. i remember that the anime reinterpreted a line that elias said as "this is not a matter for children," and someone on here talked about how elias only said it that way to recontextualize a line chise says later on about "are there really things adults can do that i cant?" looking at the manga alone, this doesnt seem in character and i dont like elias treating her like a child. it would be fine if they werent pseudo-married. but they are. so..... ya, blegh

loving chises "you cant even tell me??? 👉👈" she is so funny. manipulate that old man chise

him keeping it a secret reminding chise of adults arguing about what to do with her when she was younger....... ooooouuuugh

this isnt helping with how insane i was about this secret conversation earlier. if it was about lindel and iceland im not sure elias would be reluctant to share

"i guess that would make joseph an adult too" SHES SO FUNNY HELP

i appreciate that we are also getting elias' side of things in saying "i only said it to get her off my case." very much the same attitude we saw from him in early arc 1. but im surprised chise is even asking him this as if he would know

TINY ELIAS AND RAHAB IM GONNA CORN ON THE COB MYSELF WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE THAAAAAT. he looks sooo goofy

i dont love the bold and creepy font used here when elias calls her a child. but it suits how i feel about this conversation... so....

honestly, this all serves to remind us that in addition to being a fantasy, tamb is more of a coming of age than a romance

switch of setting to iceland. good! maybe thats what the convo was about after all

oh, is this the dragon that cursed chise? poor thing is still traumatized and scared of people

all right lindel just confirmed it for me. discussion of trauma taking a long time to overcome... yamazaki you arent slick i know where youre going with this

tamb having its maximum ride environmentalism heel turn moment

why is scary lindel kinda... uh... who said that

hilda entreating him like a medieval knight. does she think he doesnt understand modern english syntax

HUH!!!!! well that answered a lot of questions and left room for some more to be answered. id say pretty satisfying overall

[tsunflowers]

I started drawing more outfits for kris and luke. I keep thinking about them

kris grew up in a lightly spooky manor house deep in the woods. all the women in her family are psychic mediums for real and people come from far and wide to hear the dead through them. most people with magic get it through the maternal line and every family has a specialty, with some talents appearing only once every few generations. kris is the only living member of her family to specialize in necromancy, physically raising the dead rather than just channeling them. her mom and aunts and grandma all hate it bc it is not marketable. they're not con artists, they really can speak with the dead, but they're businesswomen first and foremost. the people who come to them are Not interested in seeing what kris can do. for most of her teenage years she got put on entertaining the clients' kids duty and learned a lot of sleight of hand magic tricks (many of which she cheats at using blood magic bc if her blood is on something she can call it back to her)

but kris's true passion was always reading necromantic tomes and forbidden spells and raising squirrels in the woods and her family was like STOP!!! so they sent her to spend time with the youngblood family as a diversion and it was the worst mistake they ever made. although it did end with her getting out of their hair so maybe it was good

luke's family moved to the country for him to convalesce bc he's dying of fictional disease that has only the symptoms the writer wants it to. he loves reading but has been losing his eyesight due to this mysterious disease. his mom is old friends with kris's mom so they hatch a plan to keep kris out of trouble by having her come read to luke. they hit it off and started hanging out without being forced but eventually kris started talking about necromancy bc shes crazy for the stuff

luke's condition gets worse but kris's skill at necromancy improves and the topic naturally comes up. does luke want kris to kill him and raise him as a zombie. zombies have excellent night vision so he would be able to see and read again. they don't feel pain and they have enhanced strength. in a lot of ways it would be very cool to be a zombie. there is the problem of being entirely dependent on the person who raised you for continued survival but kris swore a blood oath that she would keep him alive for the rest of her natural life or until he wanted to pass on, and a blood oath from a blood mage is serious business. they really thought they had thought everything through and they hadnt but, young love, you know

kris's specialty returns the soul to the body in the condition it was in at the time of the ritual. since she and luke plan everything together and she's the one to kill him that means his body returns to about 30 seconds after his death at the age of 19 every month when she re-ups the ritual. they did not really consider how this will work out for them in the future but since luke looks like shit he can probably continue to pass for the same age as her into his 30s

they run away and join the circus where kris uses her charisma, sleight of hand skill, and dark magic to wow the crowds. luke as her handsome assistant mostly helps by showing off props and getting cut into pieces before "miraculously" standing up whole again. they put makeup on luke when performing so he looks a little more alive to the audience but I think everyone who spends any amount of time with them realizes that theres something wrong with them. but necromancy is a big taboo and most people wouldn't think of it so they're just like oh there's kris and her gaunt greenish boyfriend with the dead black eyes that don't reflect light

after they get tired of the circus they settle down in a big city with lots of crime and solve those crimes by reanimating the victims and asking them who did it

[theskyexists]

Reread iron and velvet Kate kane because I bought it years ago and remember loving it. And still is REALLY good. The WOOFS, the dry humour to the narrative voice, the CLEVERNESS to the narrative voice i.e. the protagonist. Still love the casual transgender woof. The banter is incredible! Still real cool cultures and hierarchies within factions as well as such comprehensive backstory almost like maybe you might have missed a book. The making fun of twilight still hilarious, book two expands on that. AND I MEAN. this writer MUST have read the Hollows. MUST have. The protagonist and the position she has within supernatural society and the recklessness and self-sacrificial impulses and the vampire girlfriend who can deliver a bite of ecstasy.... I LOVE NIMUE but she sure is....uh. demanding. When I feel like. It was a bit contrived..she could have stopped her mages from attacking and MADE JULIAN KNEEL from the beginning. So not protags fault. but it made the protag her Knight so I guess it's ok I like that.

I wasnt back then surprised I think to see the leaders of all powerful factions romantically or sexually involved with the protagonist. Now I do notice it. Pretty hilarious fantasy, really. It's never mentioned but that MUST have something to do with protags faery blood right. And the sex scenes are genuinely actually really well-written but... And I do remember this from before. Boring. Tried to read the second book and I'm just like.... I don't really care. When the second sex scene came around I had to skip. I do really enjoy Julian's and protags banter. It's great and very funny and often sweet. BECAUSE THE THING IS. I know Patrick is like - a parody of toxic vampire shit and Julian is the grown up adult version of dangerous but non-toxic vampire shit. But like.

Ivy in the Hollows plays so well with Rachel because she's tormented. I KNOW I KNOW. That defeats the point if you were to keep that. But. Just. Hear me out. It works so well because there is a core of insecurity in Rachel which is constantly contrasted with Ivy's beauty and competence. It's so natural. Rachel is a mess Ivy is so impossibly perfect. Why did Ivy pick RACHEL? There's a teenagers' love story in there. To be chosen and therefore special. But when push comes to shove, Ivy is scared and alone and doesn't want to be a monster and Rachel simply doesn't give up on her. She needs her. And Rachel needs Ivy. Meanwhile theres the whole sexual blood tension - how to be intimate while it is dangerous, how to be intimate without coercion, how to be intimate when it feels so so so good and you're soulmates BUT you're afraid of blood slavery because trauma etc. Etc. Power dynamics.

Ok. What i mean is Julian and Kate are girlfriends but they're not soulmates. They don't provide each other with something fundamental. Maybe that's the point. But it's also in my opinion a little bit boring. Because yknow who cares. Wheres the goddamn devotion.

[symphorine]

let's go see our friend varric and then do some stuff - talk to neve, fix the eluvian, run around the lighthouse, go to the crossroads, dig around into solas' memories some more.

theres not much in terms of interesting bits being talked about, but it drives me nuts that i can't deicde if varric is mostly a product of rook imagining him, or if he's mostly a creation of solas. because that gives very different interpretations to a lot of lines! when varric shows concern, are you imagining your friend, or is solas playing him how he thinks he would act? when varric talks about solas, how much is him/what he's told you, and how much is solas filtering his own vision of himself AND what he thinks varric's vision of him is? when varric gives you advice about being a leader, are you remembering his (kind of trite ngl, you rehash the same thing like three times if you go through the extra questions) advice, or is solas already trying to manipulate and mold you?

also this. it's either a cheeky foreshadowing/hint OR solas being an absolute asshole. i need to know!!!

lighthouse bits. the caretaker's shop is and has been accessible already but without them. also this above the library shelves:

that's elgar'nan's symbol right?? again, is this asset reuse or deliberate? because if deliberate then i have questions. esp when iirc later it's mentioned that elgar'nan views the lighthouse as solas trying to recreate something of his(?). i can't remember the details right now but hopefully when i come across it again i'll remember this bit.

next neve conversation about where to look for allies. we get pointed to lucanis (side note, rook can ask neve if "mage killer" doesn't bother her, but doesn't seem we can say anything if rook is a mage. i feel like personally i'd be a little bit alarmed!) and neve wants to go back to dock town and check in with the shadow dragons. also she is so pretty

she presents the shadow dragons as "They're a resistance group that fights slavers, blood magic, and Imperial corruption." i dont want to rehash too much things about how bioware clearly decided to throw nuance out the window and shied away from portraying slavery, but i'll repeat that it's a shame this is our introduction and then we don't really get to see them do that. i DID pick treviso and lose access to shadow dragons npcs on my first run so also very possible that on a saved minrathous playthrough, it's different, but that doesn't change the fact that slavery is in this game a little setting spice and nothing more. which sucks. and re: blood magic, it's frustrating that we do get in previous games more contrasted depictions, even in dai - in particular i'm thinking about a codex entry talking about a blood mage healer - but in veilguard blood magic is just 100% bad. it's not worth writing an essay about it here, but it's still disappointing (though not surprising - after dai the direction in which they were going for blood magic was pretty clear).

we go to the eluvian and bellara fixes it.

Harding: What is that place? Bellara: If I had to guess? It's the Fade. Another part of it, I mean. Neve: Didn't Morrigan say this eluvian could go anywhere? Didn't think that meant "elsewhere in the Fade". Bellara: She called it the Vi'Revas. "Freedom of ways". I wonder... [...] Bellara: Some of the older texts talk about a place in the Fade where all the eluvians meet. Bellara: A crossroads... where you could travel across all of Thedas in just minutes. Harding: Right! We saw something similar, when we were chasing Solas. I wonder if it's the same? Spirit (the Caretaker): It is alike. And it is not. [...] Caretaker: The wolf's fang. You carry it now. Caretaker: Old paths. A new journey.

Plus this codex entry:

Magic Dampener Notes Initial notes on the dampener's operation: -Dampener creates a counter-resonance to the Fade. That's why it's safe to live here. No one's been torn ap[art yet (that I know of). -But the counter-resonance from the dampener is tuned to this specific part of the Fade. The more you move away from this spot, the less effective it would be. -There's a theory that every mage has a unique resonance -- the way they touch magic is just a little bit different. -Theoretically, could you tune the dampener to a person's resonance instead? Make it so they couldn't use magic? -Would be hard to figure out someone's specific resonance. Would need examples of their magic. -Need third volume of Harris's Collected Essays. Will ask the professor if he has it. Bellara

I transcribed the convo because the Crossroads make me feel insane and I will talk about them a bit later. I love the codex entry, I thought Bellara's technical writings and musings were all really well done and interesting - before this, if you go bother her while she's fixing the eluvian, she also mentions waiting for lyrium to cure, and during this convo she talk about the distortion in the eluvian's special machinery. it's fun! it helps selling her as an actual expert as well, someone who does understand the workings and theory of things. also i loooooove magic tech. i just think it's cool. i also thought that part about figuring out someone's resonances and keeping them from doing magic would come back later, but it never did.

the thing that bothers me a little is her note of "asking the professor if he has it." she might be already corresponding with Emmrich at this point? although it wold probably have been a short acquaintance still. and he's obviously not there yet. just feels kind of out of place.

After this we finally have sun in the lighthouse!!!! a few screenshots:

cloudy sky, but finally sunlight which is soooo nice. in that third screenshit, we see a smoking chimney on a building attached to the library. wonder what the smoke is coming from? at this point I can't think of any open area that would cause it. of course, it's possible there are places in the lighthouse that are working independantly. The floating building with that half sphere also looks interesting, mostly because it's probably something specific. I said in a previous post that I think the lighthouse probably used to be much bigger - i think the floating islances used to be attached/accessible in some way to the main part where we are.

in the fourth screenshot, I (finally) noticed the symbol on the tower building. it looks like one of the other gods' symbol - i've seen people map it to sylaise? although nothing certain. would be interesting if it was though - in his exchange with elgar'nan later on (transcribed here) solas says that "our great cities came from Sylaise". For the Dalish, she is also known as the Hearthkeeper and is "the goddess of all domestic arts". Her way is also called The Vir Atish'an, The Way of Peace. did sylaise perhaps build the lighthouse before it became the hideout of the rebellion? did she enter the conflict with the titans or solas later, and this worked with him for longer? maybe she was, like ghilan'nain, not one of the very first born elves? we know frustratingly little about the evanuris other than mythal, elgar'nan and ghilan'nain.

either way, it is now less depressing to run around the lighthouse. yay sunlight.

onwards to the crossroads.

MIRRORS UPON MIRRORS This place is amazing. June's normal eluvians function with twinned lyrium fragments. One always leads to another. Solas somehow talked the Crossroads into making Fade-eluvians that override them. His own network to run our rebellion. Provided you ignore all the old stories about holding mirrors up to mirrors and getting caught in the infinite reflections. -Felassan

note you find on the side of the passage to the middle dock.

THE CROSSROADS MAKE ME INSANE. the best way i can reconcile all this is that the crossroads are the hidden hardware of eluvian travel that solas managed to access but that gets hidden by "regular" eluvian travel.

so the crossroads existed before solas tapped into them and "talked them into" making "Fade-eluvians". we also know there is at least one instance of separate crossroads: the one the evanuris used. briala, in the masked empire, also gains control of a (the? barring solas'?) network of eluvians - which COULD be the one the evanuris used. either way it cannot be this one, because she locked it with a secret passphrase that felassan refused to learn from her, and solas can't know it (yes felassan is in the book! if you want to see more of him you can read it). plus, upon entering the crossroads in the books, felassan says he has no idea what this place is - of course it's possible he's lying (although he doesn't tend to lie to briala), or him knowing about the crossroads in davg is a retcon bc they hadn't planned that bit yet.

page 278-279 of the masked empire:

"What is this place?" she asked Felassan, who was rocking back and forth on his heels. "You know, da'len, I honestly have no idea." He leaned over and poked at the stones. "It's not the Fade. The runes are elven... If I had to guess, I would say that our ancestors actually created some sort of tiny world between the eluvians." "Can that be done?" "Apparently." [...] "And this little world seems to like us." Briala was about the ask him to explain when Ser Michel stepped through the eluvian and onto the path. "Maker's breath!" he swore, shaking his head and stumbling. Briala reached out and grabbed one armored arm to steady him. A moment later, Celene came through as well. She stiffened, clutched her head, and dropped to one knee with a low cry. "Felassan, what's wrong?" It seemed worse for them than it had been for her. Celene shuddered, wincing, and used Briala for support as she slowly pulled herself up. "I suspect that this land was made for the elves," Felassan said as Michel stood up, stiff and awkward, wincing against the light. "Which they aren't."

So the crossroads they walk in the book are worse for humans than for elves - the humans also walk slower, and it takes them more effort, while briala notes she and felassan had been walking at a relaxed pace and she didn't feel exertion from it. the path ends at another single eluvian. when they go through it, they come into the mortal world again - in a chamber with several eluvians. in general, they go through several of those mirror-to-mirror paths to find more chambers - that are themselves a crossroads - and the elven runes they come across are also hard to impossible for the humans to decipher, but briala, in her pov, notes that they look perfectly simple and logical to her. she gains control to them and we're told that the eluvians are all activated - the ones still in working order at least - but dormant until she wills it otherwise, or presumably someone else uses the passphrase (although at the point she is the only one who knows it). it DOES seem like there are a fair number of eluvians that are working.

ok so my theory is this. the eluvians that briala controls are the ones the evanuris did - a physical network, with physical hubs, like changing buses or tram lines. felassan seemed to sincerely not know what the non-fade (but clearly not mortal world either) path between eluvians was, so maybe it appeard as the magic degraded over the centuries? and it used to be that this transitional space was imperceptible. the crossroads we use in veilguard are the same, or similar, to the ones morrigan takes us to in inquisition - and similarly used to not be fragmented islands, but a better connected whole, that allowed solas and his allies to go anywhere. and this was achieved by connecting the fade to the eluvians - basically hacking the eluvians. this means they are different in nature to thos inter-eluvian paths in the book, and that's why non-elves arent in pain when they enter them. why solas is the one who could do it and not the evanuris, I'm not sure. ok i think i've finally reconciled it all for myself.

side note but i miss felassan. honestly he should have been part of the "good end" with mythal and the inquisitor. bring back his ghost and make solas have a heart attack.

ALRIGHT NOW THAT IVE SOLVED MY ELUVIANS AND CROSSROADS CONFUSION. let's have a look around!

there are three different mosaics on the ground facing (chin towards) the three docks. they all seem to be stylized renditions of a wolf's face - the first with two eyes and some flourishes on the lower part fo the face, the second with six eyes, the third a flatter triangle - could arguably not be a wolf, but then idk what it would be. not sure what it means but i thought it was a neat detail.

we take the fade ferry of the dock in the third row of the pics, which is gonna lead us to (the fade island with the eluvian for) minrathous.

cool callback to kirkwall which used to be a slave port with those giant statues. now actually talk about slavery. :/

we see the refugee spirits - i wish this was a little more expanded upon just bc like. we're told this isnt exactly the fade. is it connected to it still? have these spirits been here since the veil happened? or do they freely come and go between the crossroads and other parts of the fade? and the gods' corruption encroaching is what is preventing them from leaving? also one of my only real complaints about sort of like, atmosphere stuff, which is that they really could have stood to use more than two (2) models for the spirits

we find this note in the main sort of. plaza. i can't say crossroads again that's just too many times in one post.

THE VANISHED CITY I'm dreaming, but this time I know I am. Even if I didn't, this place would tell me. I'd never dream of a place like this. Cities are full of people. An empty city is the bones of a good meal. A reminder that makes a hungry woman sad. -Susan Kravizielle, Jainen Circle, 8:20 Blessed.

she was dreaming and found herself in the crossroads. also interesting! they can't be that far removed in nature from the fade if someone can just stumble upon them in dreams. i also like the "An empty city is the bones of a good meal." line.

last section here will be the solas memory of ghilan'nain's lab.

we meet an elf, tarasahl, who talks to us as if we were a fellow agent of the dread wolf who'd been sent with her to infiltrate ghilan'nain's lab. it's clear with how she talks about solas that she respects him greatly, and that he's already seen as more than he is - greater than life, at least, a hero, if not a god. the labs are covered in blight, and solas comes in person to help you and tarasahl - bc of the gravity of the infection ("This unnatural corruption demanded my personal attention."). you split up again to find an exit route - "to the surface", so ghil's lab here is underground. rook notes that solas sounds "rattled" and "spooked [...] by the blight"

reminds me of the "horrors of hormak" story, where grey wardens find a strange pool surrounded by horrible experiments made of mashed up creatures deep under a mountain. the narrator collapses the path in and out of that, but there were carvings on the walls that indicated there were eleven other places like that, I think - other labs waiting to be discovered. I honestly thought they'd come in play in veilguard, but besides this memory, we dont actually see or get any info on where ghilan'nain is experimenting with darkspawn. kind of a shame, it could have been interesting - esp if you saw this memory before, and got to talk to solas after about the lab.

as we go and fight the memory's darkspawn, one of the companions notes that these are darkspawn that are similar to the ones we fought before in arlathan - rook says "Maybe the darkspawn we've been seeing aren't new. Maybe they're old." ghilan'nain blights tarasahl in the memory - she cries out "Wolf! Help me!", so again solas is like. this Figure, rather than just a man. i know varric says in the conversation earlier that solas "never wanted to be a god, he's just a man", so it's just a nice juxtaposition. he may not have wanted to be, but the way he act ("this corruption demanded my personal attention) and his position as leader of the rebellion, as the person responsible for his followers' freedom, show that he's already in that role, separated from the rest of his people. felassan, in his notes, seems to be consistent in their closeness, so i dont think solas was entirely isolated in that way, but there's already this pedestal under him.

AND THEN THAT FINAL DIALOGUE IN THE MEMORY

Solas: You would unleash a blight on this world and call it a masterwork! You, who were the most sensitive of us... Ghilan'nain: All that I am belongs to the pursuit of creation. You chose to contrain yourself. I must climb to the heights only understood by gods. Ghilan'nain: I go now to join them. [Ghilan'nain leaves, Solas watching her.] Tarasahl: Wolf... you are greater than any of them. Please. Help me. Rook (He won't help her): He's too afraid of the blight to do anything but end her pain. Solas: I am so sorry I failed you. There is only one way I can help you now. Tarasahl: Wolf... Solas (to Rook): This place, and the corruption within it, must be eradicated. No trace can be allowed to spread. Solas: Go. Your work here is done. There is no need for you to witness what I must do. [Memory ends] Rook: It's over. Solas destroyed the lab, the blight that was here... and his agent. Bellara: He wasn't just her leader, he was her god. And this is her reward?

bellara at the end is bc she was with me, but I believe any of the other companions would say something similar. I picked "he won't help her" this time around, but if I remember correctly what happens is the same no matter what rook chooses, the memory plays out the same.

I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THESE ANCIENT ELVES' DYNAMICS. BIOWARE.

it's not unlocked now, but we get these codices later on:

Letter from Solas to Ghilan'nain I have seen your creatures. Some are beautiful, some are horrific, but all are brilliant. I can understand how such incredible achievements could make one feel like a god. Perhaps that explains the terror you have caused, and the transformations wrought upon those unable to defend themselves. But you must know that you are not a god. You are a mage, and a title from the Evanuris cannot alter that. If anything, joining their ranks will bind you to their political will. You could make creatures to protect our people from the Evanuris. Why debase yourself and threaten our people by joining them? Of course, I know why. I hope you gain peace with Andruil. You would not be the first to sacrifice your morals for love.

and

Ghilan'nain's reply Solas: I have always respected your intellect and your investigations into magic's boundaries. But you err in assuming I seek a title. Like you, I am not among the firstborn. The Evanuris will grant me magic I could never attain. New forms, new matrices of blood, already swim in my dreams. This is not for Andruil. Andruil petitioned on my behalf. She supports me, always, in everything. You say to craft creatures to protect our people. I have already given them my halla. I made them when I was younger. Untraveled. Naive. I did not know then what flesh could do when compelled. Tell our people to treasure those animals. I could not make them now. At the bottom of the letter is the stamp of a stylized halla head.

it's getting late and i don't have coherent thoughts but solas and ghilan'nain clearly had a prior, at the very least cordial relationship, if not friendship! AND THEN WE GET NONE OF THAT BETWEEN THEM IN GAME. NO MENTION. WHY NOT. PLEASE.

the memory also places Ghilan'nain's ascension to the position of evanuris as happening during solas' rebellion, or shortly before maybe. she chose to do this despite the conflict, and solas pleading her not to (though he doesn't even believe it will work himself). whether the rebellion was already underway or not, solas' oppositon to the evanuris is clearly already firm and known.

most of what's said also reinforces again solas already being considered an equal to the evanuris - in power (whether deserved or not) and in standing. bellara's assertion that he was her god seems accurate, even if he didn't claim the title of god for himself.

i think it's also interesting to see solas' reaction to the blight... having played the game already we know that he is (along with the evanuris) responsible for it. he's scared of it and destroys it completely and ruthlessly - I don't know if he could have cured it or not in tarasahl (the game is. giving very conflicting information on curing the blight), and if he could have, if he wasn't confident enough that it would eliminate all traces of it. in present day, in inquisition, we've also seen him react very strongly to it, and very negatively to wardens, judging that infecting themselves with the blight to fight it is foolish and dangerous. i think he honestly fears the blight even more than the evanuris. for all that i keep thinking of how scared he looks at the ritual, when he turns around and elgar'nan and ghilan'nain tower over him; that he warns us they are very powerful, and they clearly always were, they are still... people. powerful ones, but you can fight. the blight spreads and infects and destroys no matter what and it any shred of it is present it will inevitably corrupt. it's a very different enemy, and even if none of it escaped more, ghilan'nain and elgar'nan bring more of it into the mortal world by virtue of being positively imbibed with it. they're carriers of the infection and its virulency - and then of course they're able to use it as a tool, but even without that it's a terrifying thing.

it's frustrating that he is so judgemental towards wardens without explaining why - partly bc of course it's hypocritical, but also bc i would love for him to give us more details on the blight and how it works. i also think this would have been a great opportunity to bring up broodmothers, if he knows they exists. fascinatingly horrible piece of lore. are they something that "evolved" so to speak, or did ghilan'nain create them first?

ok gotta go to bed now, but next is a little bit more crossroads, then dock town! extra screenshots for the road

[quarktrinity]

SIGH ok so.

classpects (or titles) in homestuck are like a special superpower every character has catered specifically to their life and identity, made from a class and an aspect. an aspect is a concept, usually largely symbolic ("breath" being freedom, "light" being fortune, knowledge and the vague concept of "the spotlight", etc), and a class decides what the character can DO with that concept (a knight equips themselves with their aspect and weaponizes it, a thief steals their aspect from others, etc).

after going god tier (dying on a special bed and waking up as a superhero version of themself) they get a special outfit and cool superpowers decided by their classpect (which may or may not manifest in smaller ways BEFORE going god tier)

the thing with classpects is that very few of the aspects and classes are directly exposited on in the comic itself, so most of the knowledge we have on the specifics of it is decided by interpretation of the characters and finding patterns between them, leading to wildly different understandings of each class and aspect (classes moreso, bc recently there was a Certified Canon Personality Test (barf) that went into detail about every aspect).

like, personally, i disagree with every single one of these assigned classpects (tess? a page? like, really?). i HAVE listed my own classpect interpretations for the main gang in aurora, but i will not be listing them here, because no ones going to read that and it was entirely self indulgent anyway.

but for just a basic understanding of this, heres a BRIEF rundown on what each class and aspect means (all classes and aspects come in pairs):

CLASSES

the heir - one who invites change in or through [aspect]

the witch - one who changes [aspect] or brings change with [aspect]

the seer - one who sees and understands [aspect] and guides others with this knowledge

the mage - same base ability as the seer but because of their personality uses that knowledge to inform their own actions

the page - one who equips others with [aspect] and is generally a massive loser until the very end of their character arc when they do something super cool

the knight - one who equips themselves with [aspect] and weaponizes it

the rogue - one who steals [aspect] and gives it to those who need it, and can use [aspect] as a tool for stealing and other roguish business

the thief - one who steals [aspect] for themselves. always an asshole but very good at what they do

the sylph - one who heals [aspect]

the maid - people arent super sure about this one! but its probably: one who creates [aspect] or maybe "cleans it up?"

the bard - one who invites destruction in or with [aspect]. always weird and annoying

the prince - one who destroys [aspect] or destroys with [aspect]

theres also the lord and the muse. we dont talk about the lord and the muse

ASPECTS:

space - the literal dimensions and physical properties of space or objects within it, and the metaphorical concept of creation

time - the literal passage of or travel through time and split timelines thereof, and the metaphorical concept of destruction

breath - literally wind and flight, metaphorically freedom, individuality, etc

blood - bonds, friendships, etc, we dont know the superpowery manifestation of it since no blood players ever used cool powers onscreen

light - fortune/luck, knowledge, the vague concept of "the spotlight" or just general relevance within the narrative. a sylph of light once repaired someones eyesight

void - nonexistence, obscurity, being invisible or irrelevant. symbolized by pumpkins. dont ask

life - exactly what it sounds like, but also the concept of power (literal, political or otherwise)

doom - death, bombs, apocalypses, you get the gist. often associated with programming

heart - the soul, identity, emotion, and yknow, lovey dovey stuff

mind - general causality; the decisions people make and the consequences thereof

hope - positive emotion and faith in things. manifested literally as angels and destructive white light. yeah

rage - negative emotion, physical strength, and... clowns....?

so. yeah

Dear Red,

As the occupier of a Venn diagram segment so small and so aggresively tumblr it isn't even funny (homestuck and your comic), I took the liberty of classpecting your characters:

Kendal: The Heir of Blood

Heirs are commonly defined as those who passively manipulate their aspect for the benefit of others, or who are protected by their aspect. Alternatively, they can be described as those who inherit their aspect, are controlled or represented by their aspect (inheritance in programming), or even become them. Blood is the aspect of interpersonal bonds, attachment, unity, and obligation.

Kendal seems to have an uncanny knack for picking up friends and team members without even trying, many of whom would sacrifice themselves for him. He is clearly "the leader", even if he doesn't specifically command anyone, which ties into how a lot of blood players are leaders in terms of inspiring and rallying others rather than commanding them.

He also inherits a lot of obligation (namely the saving of Vash and his people), and a physical body that isn't his own, and disregards himself and his own autonomy for the sake of his quest and those he seeks to help. Heirs are very often self sacrificing and care very deeply about their friends and what they believe in. Blood is opposed to Breath, the aspect of freedom. Kendal is at risk of dissolving away his own personhood for the servitude of others (becoming Blood)

Alinua: The Sylph of Life

Sylphs are often defined as those who heal, or passively create their aspect. Life is the aspect of, well --- life, and also growth, wealth, and betterment

This one was pretty easy. Alinua is first and foremost a healer who helps people everywhere she goes. She has life magic powers, Sylphs are magic-wielding healers. Life players are very empathetic and often put other's needs before their own, which can often backfire as this hurts their mental health. Life and Sylph just seem to go together really well, and are often specularted to be an exceptionally powerful combination. Life players often seem to have a connection with wealth, and Alinua seemingly has a lot of money from the time those villagers thought she was a forest god and left her gifts in thanks. I did strongly consider making her an heir of life, but that just doesn't account for her sheer drive to heal, free, and help others as well as being a sylph does. Maybe she could be contextualized as an excentionally strong player who struggles with her power.

Erin: The Mage of Light

Mages are not that well defined in story, but fans have speculated that they are those who actively seek and recieve knowledge pertaining to their aspect, or benefit from knowledge pertaining to it. There also might be an element of suffering from that knowledge, experiencing both the good and bad of the aspect. Light is the aspect of knowledge, fortune, relevance, and luck

Erin is first and foremost a knowledge seeker. As a mage, he gains power through the acquisition of knowledge. He is indeed literally described as a mage in the story. A mage of light --- gaining knowledge for knowledge's sake in order to guide others to a fortuitious victory. Light players often love to info-dump and share knowledge, often going on and on --- like Erin. And Light players often have a major case of main character syndrome --- like Erin. Additionally, Erin suffers from his own curiosity and knowledge, namely by getting possesed by the Void Dragon. Mages may even suffer from a lack of their aspect --- bad luck, frequent mysteries, as well as a literal being of darkness inside of him. Ironically, many light players seem associated with the darkness, often as a result of them seeking the light. Erin is such a sterotypical light player it isn't even funny.

Falst: The Knight of Blood

Knights are defined as those who exploit or wield their aspect as a tool or weapon. Or those who protect and serve their aspect. They often preside over sessions with a distinctive lack of their aspect. We've already covered Blood.

Knights often have a habit of disgusing their true selves --- Falst puts on a mask of being grumpy and aloof, pretending not to need friends when in fact he is deeply loyal and will fight for them to the end. He also now has friends who will defend him in turn. Falst can be seen as the underappreciated glue that holds his team together. Falst also shares an aspect with an actual homestuck character --- Karkat, and there are many strong parallels between them. Namely, they are both social outcasts (one for his "mutant, candy red" blood color, the other for being a ferin), they are both rather cranky as a result of this, and they both really care deeply about their friends and being helpful.

Tess: The Page of Breath

Pages are hard to define, they may passively serve and serve with their aspect, but above all else they are defined by their untapped potential. They initially lack their aspect, but once they gain it, they are among the most powerful of all. Breath is the aspect of freedom, expansiveness, detachment, direction, and confidence

Tess is most clearly defined by her wanderlust --- the drive to go to new places, see new people, and experience all life has to offer. She is extremely independant, can never be tied down and has a remarkably strong sense of autonomy. However, that autonomy was something she had to gain. As a metal-cast sold into slavery before her spark, she initally had no freedom, no drive, no identity, not even the ability to make her own choices. Now that she has been struck by lightning and is a stormbreaker, she has the most Breath out of anyone (along with some powerful sky-based abilities, [both wind and lightning can be connected to Breath]), and she seems driven by the will of Breath --- to be free and never be tied down, serving others with it, like when she helped with the prison-escape or the fight against Tynan. Breath players are often great leaders in the sense of uplifting others wherever they go, but this is usually incidental to their own personal quest and they are often suprised that others look up to them so much. An example of a page of breath in homestuck is Tavros. To me, Tess screams a fully-realized page. One who has reached the end-stage of their personal growth and now is just along for the ride.

Dainix: The Knight of Time

Knights are already covered. Time is the aspect of, well... time and timelines, but it is also associated with destruction, inevitability, entropy, action, and problem-solving

I had a tricky time with this one. For a while, I thought mind might fit, then heart, then rage. But what Dainix does throughout the story most of all is take action and solve problems. He is someone who is serving a long personal quest to fix or control a destructive part of himself, and he just seems like he'd make a good time player --- sensible, worldly, and driven to protect and maintain. Of course, aurora doesn't have time travel, so this seems pretty moot, but I still think it fits. Additionally, he hid the fact he was a crucible from Kendal, and seems to be involuntarily involved in a long-term plot by Caliban and Tahraim, as a "champion" --- someone who will serve their ends. An example of a knight of time in homestuck is Dave. If anyone has a better interpretation for Dainix, I'd be glad to hear it.

(best one I could find)

Bonus:

The Collector: Witch of Space

Witches are defined as those who actively manipulate and change their aspect, even breaking the rules of said aspect. Regardless, they are often quite powerful. Space is defined as the aspect of creation, of the underlying fields of the universe. Space is also associated with the big-picture, patience, and creativity

It shocked me just how well the collector fit the aspect of space --- not even as a destroyer of it. Listen to this “Those bound to the aspect of Space are [...] concerned with the big picture. They are patient, masters of the art of 'wait-and-see', and are inclined to take things as they come. That isn't to say that they're pushovers or willing to let injustice lie-they just choose their battles wisely, understanding that sometimes you have to let something burn to the ground in order to build it back better and stronger than before. To this effect, they tend to be innovators, concerned with creation and redemption. Catch them recycling the old to make the new, the fresh, and the beautiful."

That last passage especially captures The Collector. Yes, she wants to destroy the world, but not neccesairly out of thirst of destruction. She wants to, in order to revive the primordial Life, not caring for her own life, or the life of anyone else, instead looking towards the big picture, seeing the revival of this massive, eldritch super-goddess as the ultimate good. In a weird, way, as you read about her, you begin to see her worldview as twistedly, horrifically, beautiful. Red described her as "kintsugi" picking up and recycling the broken pieces in a way that turns the scars into a source of beauty --- not something to be hidden. In homestuck, there aren't any antagonistic space players, as it is a passive, creative force. The collector is a perfect example of how you can do that right. As for her being a witch, well she is extremely powerful magically, and she breaks the rules of her life magic by using it to manipulate and heal the other elements in a way never seen before. She also is immortal (this could be seen as her going god-tier). I could also see maid working for her pretty well, but not prince because she definitely embodies the ethos of space, and the destruction is clearly not the point.

For the gods, right now I would say:

Vash: Rogue of Hope,

Zuurith: Prince of Hope,

Tynan: Thief of Breath,

Tahraim: Witch of Heart,

Caliban: Heir of Breath

Light Dragon: Muse of Heart

Void Dragon: Lord of Time

Please share your own intepretations if you also find yourself in this incredibly small venn diagram segment.

can someone who speaks homestuck please translate

[charliesinfern0]

i would like to hear about your aus

alright, so you already know about citrus (homestuck but my ocs are in it). very standard for what i normally do, but then i finished reading homestuck and was liek, "..... what if it was good?" (/j i am joking) but i had some ideas of how canon could have gone differently and then homestuck='citrus' was made (originally it was called homestuck='fruit' and...... hm. i mean. yeah??) i also wanted to expand on the trolls' session so hivebent is now called hivebent='blood' because wyllin is a thief of blood. and despite everything........................................ hm wait i dont know if i want to spoil this AAAAUUGGGGGHGHH sometimes i am an open book and i just say whatever but sometimes i think. no i dont want to reveal this bc it would be so cool they wouldnt see it coming. shit. you know what whatever uncle cambell (paul) doesnt get do be an alpha kid because the alpha kid dynamic is already complicated as it is there does not need to be another person in there also hes a thief of doom (he used to be a bard of doom and maybe he still is im not sure actually but hes one of the two) because i had 4 aspects (doom, blood, mind and rage) and 4 classes to pick from (mage, sylph, theif and bard) and i had made page a mage of rage and she COULDVE maybe been a mind player maybe but she wasnt, if she was shed probably be a witch of mind, and wyllin couldve been almost ANY aspect, there are some that i didnt want to touch bc i though they were too important, but i made her a thief of blood despite me now thinking that blood mightve been too important. doom is also a too important aspect but it doesnt matter for paul. (also i came up w other stuff for paul like his chumhandle (cardinalAdrift because fisherman and the cardinal directions and also cardinal as in bird which is like a direct contridiction like what thats not a fish) and his planet (land of vaults and radon (LOVAR)) and his strife specibus (crowbarkind (which is kind of why he died he wouldve broken the session also vaults and crowbars and thief and LOVAR rhymes with crowbar)

anyway i gave page her own classical element (lightning) and associated item (gold) bc im a nerd about that kind of stuff, i came up with a rage denizen for her (marsyas) and her own consorts (chameleons) and also her exile is White King/Writ Keeper because it fits its perfect and he shouldve had more relevance. also that reminds me that on the strife album theres a song for each of the kids (heir conditioning, dance of thorns, time on my side, atomic bonsai) and theres a song on there called Stormspirit and pages whole thing on her planet (land of nod and thunder (LONAT) (nod like sleep because uhhh................. actual spoilers <_< >_> and thunder bc storms)) is that theres a huge storm/tempest thing happening, it just fits.

(and wyllin's planet is the land of pillars and crowns (pillars like the architechture but also like capillaries and crowns because treasure and..... thief. and their denizen is talos)

also its an everybody lives au, i was very much inspired by the crow strider au lol

oh yeah also i wanna do just a bit more with the dancestors' session bc i think it looks cool

also im thinking of changing how the retcon works, like instead of it working like time travel where if you travel back to a time where you exist there will be two versions of you, its more like youre rewinding time from where youre standing, so youre still you but in the past

(also im goiung to do an epilogue because i wanna write everybody living on earth c and just being together and working through things together and being there for eachother and stuff becaus im a sap. yes its called the pumpkin epilogue because i am not original we know this to be true)

[keibea]

alright here we go the moment you've all aimee's been waiting for, my final thoughts for dragon age 2 LETS GOOOOO

CONTAINS SPOILERS!! this ones a long one guys theres a lot to cover and beware probably many spelling mistakes and opinions you may not like you have been warned. but tbh i love all characters so let that be known. even anders. sometimes...

this is for you @amuhav 💗💗

so like wow, just wow. like i knew kinda what was going to happen but like WOW to see it just made like everything more real, now for my chaotic commentary

lets start from the beginning of act three. firstly didnt i bloody have like half ownership of the bone pit??? yeah well that went down the drain didnt it stupid dragon. that could've been very profitable to! also dragons are big, can confirm, previous suspicious were indeed wrong.

the qunari are gone which is bloody depressing. i mean not all of them, those damn tal-vashoth are still hell bent on stopping me from minding my damn business THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MOTHER TRUCKERS BTW and attempting to kill me, which like varric says, is suicide.

i freaking hate those stupid gangs. like why. also 'followers of the she'?? seriously? they are so annoying. like leave me alone. im not trying to kill you, im just suspiciously walking around the docks at night in heavy armour with weapons leave me ALONE. so many of them too UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH piss off

also went to visit orsino after one of the main quests and he gave me robes. im a warrior. what the f am i going to do with those????? does my hawke LOOK like she wears robes? NO she's always wearing armour i give the frick frack up.m

i hawke has a cousin which is coooool her name is charade for some reason. also gamlens still an ungreatful prick what a shocker. i was so nice to him too and he like "stay out of my business" HELLLOOOO i just reunited you with your daughter you bastard suck a toe

aveline was starting to piss me off. LIKE GOSH GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS BITCH. idk if i mentioned this last time, but i gave her a shield and she got all mad at me. LIKE SORRY FOR BEING CONSIDERATE AND WANTING YOU TO HAVE A GIFT. she didnt even take it in the end! i was like fine you salty bitch im going to keep it hmph. also she got all mad at me when i questioned her about the rumours cullen told me to look into. SORRY BITCH FOR WANTING TO DOUBLE CHECK. she's so touchy. like do i need to remind her I WAS THE ONE THAT GOT THE BITCH MARRIED??? i give up on her shes so mean

merrill is still a bitch, but less of one. but still a pain none the less. the mother trucker was still going ON about that stupid mirror. okay fine so it's not a stupid mirror i have played the dalish elf opening but STILL. so when the option was given for her to maybe get possessed for a demon, therefore leaving me HAVING to kill her, i took it instantly. cause bitch. unfortunately the selfish bitch instead had the keeper die. and then she was crying so i just said I TOLD YOU SO. yeah she still doesnt like me much. and by that i mean she hates me, but quite honestly suck it up i dont care. so i couldn't kill her :( not that my hawke would want to anyway. and i accidently ended up killing her whole clan. I DIDNT MEAN TOO, i accidently said "stand down" because i thought that was what my hawke would do i didnt realise id have too kill anyone FRICK but tbh if i was in her clan i would want to kill her too couldnt even blame them, felt kinda bad for stopping them ngl i said what i said

the mages really werent helping me help them. i supported them none the less but the least they could do was not resort to blood magic so i could make them look a little bit better. but i understood why, it was just really inconvenient LOL

get.rid.of.the.spiders.

sebastian, good old sebastian. yes i did buy all dlcs before the sales came on, yes it did cost me 30 bucks, yes i kinda regret not waiting a month to buy it but in my defence i wanted to play the WHOLE game straight away so. i like him sometimes. sometimes he's a bit pretentious. ALSO LELIANA??? HELL YES!! i saw her in the mark of the assassin dlc but we actually got like a really meeting that counted in this. if you didnt know, my warden originally romanced her before moving to zevran so i have a soft spot. she still looked like a baked potato, like come on do them some justice bloody hell.

follow up on this, poor bloody cullen, he looked like dry spaghetti.

meredith was getting increasingly crazy which i loved. LOVED her hair btw, always like perfectly stunning. honestly she had the best vanilla hair of everyone else in my opinion.

varric is the best thing ever. like what an absolutely babe. the whole haunted house thing was funny lol. like a bloody chair was stuck to the roof at one point and all i could do was laugh LOL. i let him have that shard, my come back to kick me in the ass idk.

isabela was good this act, and didnt stab me in the back, which was very nice.

fenris OH FENRIS gosh i love him. still needs to learn when to shut the f up in some situations but gosh hes so cute. and whenever he says "im yours" (and yes i did keep clicking on him to hear him say that leave me alone) i just melted and said "yes you are bitch!" gave him a sword, he seemed to like it. it glowed, pretty cool ngl. still grumpy as frick but the end scene before they went to war like HAD ME OH MY GOSH when he said and then hawke said and then they AWWWWWWWWWWWW okay im a sucker for romance leave me alone.

bitch im dead

also bethany stopped being a massive BITCH so thats nice.

anders (lovers of anders dont come at me im fragile) is a bitch. like WOW. like what a dick. firstly when i was helping HIS ASS with HIS QUEST which i didnt even need to do because he was just going to explode the chantry anyway, he had the NERVE to come at my relationship with fenris. when you start a mother freaking sentence with "i know it's not my place" STOP, because bitch it is not your place leave me and my bae alone you unhinged mother trucker. WOW sorry lots of aggression towards him whoops. probably because i did everything i could to be his friend and he still stabbed me in the back the dick. so i stabbed him back in the back. yes i killed him, kinda regret it, because im pretty sure my hawke wouldve spared him but my own feelings got in the way whoops. seriously though, i bloody swear that blowing up the chantry did nothing but start a war what the frick was he thinking come on bro.

also this game only took me 46 hours?? which is weird because origins took me AGES to get through, and although ive started and stopped inquisition many times, i still have like 200 hours on it. and let it be known, that because of my ocd i did finish every single bloody side quest (well except for the awiergan scrolls and all the swords and one other one where it wouldnt show in the map which probably meant i would have to search every single damn cave again and kill spiders and i just could NOT be bothered. other than that, every signle thing was completed. is it a shorter game or did i somehow manage to get through it quickly? then again i did get a mod that made combat easier (LEAVE ME ALONE OKAY, IM A LOVER NOT A FIGHTER. im also a lore and history nerd so the main reason im playing these games is for the storyline leave me alone) so that probably made everything a lot quicker but idk.

in the end i sided with the mages because

A. meredith has lost her marbles

B. i wasnt going to let her kill all of the just because anders is a crackhead.

C. i felt like it idk

so yeah battle won, meredith turned to stone or whatever, all is right with the world and i am on to inquisition. TO WHICH i actually bought the whole game + bonus content + DLCs for 5 bucks. im so ready to romance cullen lets go. still debating whether to be a human or an elf. i think i might go mage for once but idk let me know what you did aimee and anyone else who read this whole essay

all in all INCREDIBLE GAME and im so glad i went back and played it. yeah the places got a bit repetitive sometimes but it also felt nice not being lost in the hinterlands for 8 hours so idk. the characters were amazing, and looked much better, although the nobles look like they have no dick with those weird pants but whatever. definitely recommend so much fun, and really funny at times too.

BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[spectogram]

So some of u may know the first co/ws fic I wrote was a body swap au, ill met by moonlight - I got about half way through the third chapter before I totally shifted focus to offerings and now it’s just not really a fic I’m interested in completing. I did like what I wrote of chapter 3 tho, getting into simons experience of Baz’s vampirism and kind of the weird psychosexual aspect of their relationship developing amidst a body swap curse SOOOOOOOOOOO here u go. This is like basically totally unedited so if u notice anything funky that’s just added flavor ur welcome

This section is I think still rated T, but edging towards M bc I think theres a dubcon angle to this scene, however this i feel is still relatively canon typical. Dm me if you’d like more details!

BAZ POV

Simon’s quiet as we walk to the kitchens. He’s been quiet. He was quiet while walking with Bunce back to the grounds. I’m certain it’s because he resents that I spoke up to the púca, and promised on his behalf that he would speak nary a word to the Mage about her appearance. It’s ridiculous he was debating it in the first place. In fact I find myself getting preemptively angry, but my magic rises to the surface as it’s wont to do when I’m in Simon’s body. It rises like bile, so I swallow it down.

You’d think with my upbringing in repression it wouldn’t be such a problem. But repression doesn’t make it go away. And anyway, anger is the great lightening rod of all emotion otherwise unworthy of expression. If I can’t be angry, I don’t have many other outlets. Wanking usually does the trick, but not when I’m in public.

Simon suddenly draws to a stop from where he’s been marching ahead of me, in the dim corridor that goes around the dining hall and to the back entrance of the kitchens He’s rigid all over, head listing towards his right shoulder a bit. It looks odd, and I look odd enough as it is. He doesn’t turn around, so his voice drifts soft, casted behind him, “Baz. I have to tell you something.”

All at once I know what’s happening. What’s likely been happening all day. I can feel the blood rushing out of my face, constricting around my heart in a fist of panic. I swallow heavily, and suck in a burning lungful of air, so Simon’s magic doesn’t rise with my dread, even though I can feel the green sting of it in the back of my nostrils.

He turns to face me then, expression guarded, though I can see the tell-tale bulge of his lips on either side. Through the veil of flesh, the fangs look like soft oblongs, though he’s tensing his lips to keep my teeth hidden, so they don’t poke out, wanton and piercing.

“I need to — to drink,” he says thickly between the jagged prism of fang that is my mouth. It’s grotesque to see like this - the softness of my lips and my tongue flashing wet and pink between knife-points. I never look at myself like this, and with my hair waving in black disarray around my cheeks, my lips parted guilelessly. I wish Simon would make some effort to be less of a mouth-breather.

“Let me guess,” I say. I feel curiously blank. It’s not how I thought it would feel if Simon ever uncovered incontrovertible evidence of my vampirism. “You’ve needed to drink practically all day.” I keep my eyes on his neck. I can see a pink mark above my Adam’s apple where he swiped gruffly with the razor this morning. I can’t keep looking at the horror show of my mouth.

He fidgets, clenching and unclenching, his shoulders up next to his ears. “You should have told me,” he hisses. “And you — why do you smell so much better than everyone else?”

My eyes snap up to his at that. Blood rushes hither and thither. It’s exhausting how easily excited Simon’s body is. My face is hot. I say, “What are you talking about?”

“You smell — your smell — it’s different.” He sticks his chin out at me, which is just stupid really, since he’s taller than me now and it means he’s subtly exposing his throat. Idiot. My throat flexes, but it’s Snow that’s swallowing. “It’s more appealing.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say weakly.

“You don’t think my blood is more appealing?” he demands in a fierce whisper.

“Of course not. What is this, Twilight?” I don’t try to force a laugh since I think that would overplay my hand.

He scowls at me.

“You should have spoken up while we were in the Wood,” I tell him. I’m lightheaded with hunger myself, with a threatening pulse of headache behind my eye, but my appetite isn’t homicidal. “Come on.”

I turn and walk back the other way, Simon’s footsteps at my heel.

SIMON POV

I’m not surprised he’s taking me down to the Catacombs. I’ve followed him down here so many times, and stalked its passages ceaselessly for hours and hours. I wonder how many hours, how much it would add up to. Some nights I’d come down here a pace and look and look and not sleep a wink. All that time and I never got the proof I’d bee looking for, but the proof is jabbing the inside of my lip. The only living things in the Catacombs are rats and insects - unless you count Baz and myself, which I guess I do.

The back of his neck is all red, and I can smell his magic before it settles. It comes up and goes down over and over. He really does smell better though. It’s not like in Twilight, I’m not going to kill him or anything, but it’s distracting. Intrusive.

Baz is such a twat and a liar. I definitely smell better than other people. It’s why I had to tell him. I was going to, but we were in that corridor, just him and me, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. The second we closed the outside door behind us my fangs slid out and I don’t really know how to get them to go away, and the oil rich salty sweetness of his blood was making me practically drool. I think I actually was drooling.

The chill of the tomb isn’t really helping things either. I thought it would, but there’s not even the smallest crevice to let in a breath of fresh air down here. It’s just us two on our torch-lit walk. It’d be easy to grab him from behind, pull his neck to me and let these fangs shear open a supple artery. Whatever he’ll have me drink down here, I’m sure it won’t be half as satisfying as that. He’d struggle, but I’m so thirsty and so strong. It’d be so nice to feel a warm body against my own. I’ve been so cold and thirsty all day.

His senses aren’t what they usually are. I know that now too, for certain. In all the time I’ve been down here, these passages have never been so evenly, cozily lit up. I can see details, things I’ve never noticed before.

Baz’s scent, my scent, leaps back at me, back and back again. It leaps at me with the same vigor as as blood, with its same rhythm. I pick up my pace. Baz doesn’t notice, because his senses are duller than mine right now.

I’m at his back, stepping in the aura of his warmth before he notices me. This close, I feel it waving against my face, pulses of heat, chased by the lively, salty hue of blood beating behind my eye lids. I don’t even see him when I push Baz against the wall, but I feel his body against mine, under my hands. I feel the way my body squirms and trembles under Baz’s hands.

“What are you doing?” he says, voice tight. He’s trying to catch my eye, but I’m dropping my head, dropping it so my nose and mouth are level with his neck, so his voice comes from above. I see his voice travel up my neck, his neck, the same way his blood is rushing. It’s funny how his breath just smells like blood to me. Everyone smells like blood, but no one more than me, I realized.

“You smell,” I say, with a big, lung-filling inhale, “so much better. I told you. I told you.” I sniff again heavily, eyelids fluttering closed, so it’s just me, my face inches from Baz’s neck, and my body.

Warm hands on my chest, pushing. My body is strong, but not as strong as this one is. Even in the summer, when I’m not eating enough, I make sure I do enough push ups. Still. He can’t make me budge.

He says, “Simon, listen to me. Listen.”

My eyes snap up to the underside of his chin. Everything else freezes. He’s tilting his head back against the limestone walls. He swallows, and his neck is alive with muscles moving and blood beating, and the naked blue of his eyes is catching the torchlight, shimmering with desperation I think. Kind of funny how blue my veins are, blue like my eyes.

I’ve got him by the shoulders, and I can feel it all in my finger tips. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. I slide my knee against the wall, between his legs and I can feel his heartbeat there too, a fuzzy vibration agains the stone, on either side of my knee. My whole body is just a finger on his pulse.

“Simon.” He says it again. Like he’s ever called me by my name, my first name. It’s like he suddenly knows who I am. I look at Baz, Baz with my blue eyes, and dark blonde curls, and I see on his face such a weird expression. It’s hard to read, hard to think, when all my senses are pinned through the butterfly of his heartbeat. But his eyes have a kind of gelatinous quality, lips parted. He’s Breathing quickly, noisily, and I can see a sheen of sweat along his forehead. My forehead. My freckles. My frantic stare. My blood, swimming bluely along. When it’s in him it’s blue. If I drink it, it’ll turn red . “You don’t want to drink from me.”

“I do,” I say. I whine a bit, actually. My throat spasms in sympathy with Baz’s pulse. It’s worse than hunger. It’s more than hunger. My skin is prickling alive with want. I feel the dust in the air, I feel blood beating all over Baz. I drop my head onto his shoulder, which is warm and squirming, and I feel drool pooling in the corner of my mouth. I’m eye-level with the big ripe vein going down the side of his neck. I wonder what it’ll feel like to bite into it. These teeth are sharp. I imagine the vein tearing open, releasing into my waiting tongue.

BAZ POV

There’s no other way to put it: Simon Snow is humping my hip. In my body, which is ruining it a bit for me. Also the fact he’s moments from taking a bite out of me while I’m in his body.

He’s pressed against me, hands clutching my shoulders, knee slotted between my thighs, and rhythmically rolling his groin into my hip. I can feel him, erection digging into my hipbone and his mouth open and panting against my neck. Thankfully, I can’t yet feel the sting of my fangs, but I need to act fast. He’s trembling, and I can feel the live-wire of his tension. I can feel his breath, the repetitive, urgent motion of his pelvis against mine.

A dart of something suspiciously similar to arousal shoots through me, piercing me bodily with appalling vigor. It feels wrong. It’s Simon in there, but all the sensory information I’m getting is from my body. My hair tickling the side of my neck, the tart, green smell of my shampoo. Worst is the smell of my body, the smell all the other ones cover up - he’s so close I catch the familiar peppery under current of my body’s own arousal snaking through it all.

He makes a thready, open-mouthed noise, a whimper. I turn my head to the side, taking a sharp inhale of dank catacomb air. One of us needs to think clearly, and I suppose it ought to be me. Even though I know he can’t appreciate what a sacrifice I’m making.

Still, I’m hesitant when I reach up to cup his cheek with one hand. Hesitant, not because I think he’ll bite me, though that is a bit of a concern - hesitant that he will sense all the tenderness I feel for him through this touch. I’ve never touched his face before not intending to hurt it.“Simon, listen, you don’t have to give in.”

He falls still when I touch his face. I flinch, but I don’t let my hand fall.

“It’s not going to kill you to hold off little longer,” I tell him. I put my other hand on his back, right in the center, where I can feel his breaths rushing in and out. I’m holding him to me, hugging him in a lover’s embrace - only it’s me I’m holding. I try not to dwell on that. “I know it feels like it.”

He sags into me for a moment and then lurches back, almost stumbling and then he does fall into a heap. He scuttles back, shoving himself back against the opposite wall, and looks up at me, with an expression of naked shock. “Holy hell!” he gasps.

[girlbob-boypants]

*stumbles in* OK now that I'm awake and not trying to keep my heart healthy

Part of this is entirely personal preference as whether or not someone likes a fictional character is just that.

However I think its fair to say that how well a character is used/established for their role is more objective/less subjective compared to if you like them?

In my opinion, Jowan is just. Not that well introduced or interesting? There isn't a great establishment of him as your long term friend, he's not really that agreeable as much as he is kind of pathetic, and his relationship with you is entirely him wanting things from you.

Combine that with there being no personal reason to help him. You've finished your harrowing. You're fine. You're safe. It's aggressively established that your phylactery isn't at the Circle anymore so you can't escape. And you aren't being framed of anything. Breaking the rules is pretty obviously shown to be the worst thing you could do because it's throwing away the only "normal" life a mage can have with absolutely no personal benefit.

And cap it off with the fact that Jowan isn't even doing all this for good reasons. He's studying a form of illegal magic and fucking some wannabe nun (who is herself a throwaway character (what IS it with Origins and being so eager to make women the throwaway characters??)).

It creates a not that likeable character with mediocre and kind of unsympathetic motivations that you're supposed to be unbelievably good willed and self sacrificing for (in a game that let's you be pretty selfish???).

But all of the pieces are there. A magical prodigy who's childhood friend is genuinely bad at magic. An oppressive police force. A leader of the circle who's willing to sacrifice one or two mages if it means keeping the peace. Framing someone as a blood mage in order to Tranquilize them. A Grey Warden watching like a hawk for any opportunity he can take advantage of.

Theres sooooo many good movable pieces in this story that just aren't used in a way to create a truly compelling narrative, in my opinion.

You can definitely argue that the other Origins feature similar pushes towards a certain characterization but I never felt quite so "literally why am I even doing this" as I did with mage??

Was gonna rant more but I was responsible and did cardio so I'm tired so I'll just give the short version

I wish the mage origin had used any of its pieces properly but in my opinion it didn't so I feel no concern for Jowan nor any actual motivation to get involved

[blackinquisitors]

deidra-🌻🌼🌟, garret-💧🍃, xavier-💐🌷🌹

a so many thank you

🌻- What's this oc's mental health state?

LMAOO erm bad. deidra's my messed up girl <3. shes a tabris so obvi has ptsd for her ptsd. this manifests in generalised anxiety until something triggers her anger and then. hey dont be there. shes like an unsocialised chihuahua, just a small little trembling thing until someone gets near her and then shes biting and growling

🌼- What's your favorite thing about this oc?

my design for her <3 which her faceclaim is model kukua williams. just a very unique kinda weird looking beautiful face

🌟- Is this oc good at expressing themself through words or do they have to use other means?

not really. she'll let problems build and build and when shes ready to talk and she has everything she wants to say in her mind, the second she opens her mouth she starts crying. shes learned that she can write out her feelings but then gets too nervous to actually give the letter to anyone. so then it just simmers until she gets in a fight and goes into a rage and it alllll comes out. then after the fight is done shes just standing there shaking covered in blood and sobbing. girl who gets in a fist fight and is clearly winning but is sobbing the whole time

💧- What is this oc most passionate about?

I think its a pretty common characterisation for hawke to be very passionate about family, especially as time goes on. but also hawke becomes passionate abt training for mages. bc as an apostate, he never really saw a purpose for the circles, bc he never needed them and turned out fine. but then the more insane mages he sees, namely the guy who butchered his mother and anders slowly losing himself, he learns a few things: 1. Malcolm was an amazing mage who trained hawke and bethany extremely well. 2. circles dont work (anders is proof) 3. there needs to be some sort of training for all mages that isnt chantry based. so he becomes very passionate about that sort of education so theres less

🍃- Describe this oc in one word

sound

💐- Where is this oc's favorite place to relax?

somewhere in the woods, preferably by a creek or river. xavier loves parties and noise and people, but thats all very exciting, so he just sits in the woods and listens to all the noise of nature. very calming

🌷- How does this oc take their coffee?

like a gay boy. iced of course, with vanilla

🌹- What's this oc's biggest fear

losing control over his body and mind. xavier watched his grandfather have dementia and forget everyone and everything, to the point where he forgot to eat. behind a prisoner to his own body is something xavier fears so much, which is why he fell apart after solas took his arm. learning to adjust to the new center of gravity, the phantom pain, and how it was more of a theft than a willing amputation, it was really hard on him. he recovers of course, but losing something he couldnt recover from or adjust to? terrifying

[merrilldidnothingwrong]

Yeah playing dai was really frustrating despite all the cool new lore because you just. Can't denounce the chantry in any way OR the templars and you cant even support the mages as much as u could in da2. I enjoyed how there were lots of continued threads from the previous games but 😐 and not to mention even when hawke supported anders they still kind of demonish him which is...weird. probably the best part of the game was getting to see the cultures which were previously introduced finally like orlais and then all the new elf/magic lore. but I really couldnt stand how it stuffed you into one box. im sure this has been discussed for ages and im just cautiously hopeful that da4 will have nuance wrt solas and the new crisis but.......i dont have much faith in the writers

yeah i was SO happy to play a dalish again, but then its like.... if you dont play your cards right you can get your clan wiped out.... nobody says a word...  and theyre so.... proper?? (every inquisitor has the same personality??) such a huge step backwards from the warden. you cant be proud to be dalish, (or Quanri, or a Dwarf) like you get disapproval from everyone??!! 

theres a templar banner outside the quarters, there’s reminders of the people who colonizes your people everywhere, even the damn war table (the tree was torn down after the war between humans and elves and you gotta use it every time you gather to talk to your people about the missions). and like 2 of the advisors are cool but then you got cullen whose like talking about a “dalish queen” or some shit and fetishes your people... and is racist against all other races in thedas. but then again most humans are. (blackwall, my main main, gets his prejudices pointed out and hes like oh shit you right)

and yeah bioware / the game REALLY hate elven mages, which is probably why they created solas in the first place. i mean in da2 we had merrill, who was an angel, OH but blood mage, ohh so EVIL. and she wanted to preserve her people, wanted to save her people, DOUBLE EVIL. make her autistic coded? TRIPLE EVIL. even though they (humans) are obsessed with their own gods, their history, their past, but oh thats okay, but because its elves, its fictional, its “crazy”, its make believe. it doesn’t exist. and they MUST shut it down, kill it, wipe it out (genocide) and thats what they must do again. (which is why theres a part of me that hopes some of solas’ plans works. i want the elves to have their culture, i dont want them to continue to suffer. i don’t want them to die, i dont want thedas to die, but clearly, genocide of a culture is not the answer. This shit has been going on a thousand years, ENOUGH. the chantry, the templars, the circles, should NOT exist)

its just really horrible what the non human inquisitors go through during inquisition. always surrounded by humans, having to listen to human bullshit. even though they have companions that are of their own race, its like theyre disconnected from it too, and they don’t talk about the struggle of it. Varric is like, nah, im cool. i grew up this way. but hes cool with the chantry? even after everything hes been with in Kirkwall???? 

just imagining what could have been different if they put more nuance into it like they did with origins....... sigh. what i would have given tell the chantry to stfu and gtfo

sorry i didnt mean to type a novel lol nothing about inquisition makes any sense what so ever

[numbaoneflaya]

8, 21, 22, 26 for Caz , 25, 27, 29, 39 for Felria, 23, 30, 40, 43 for Suds, and 21, 25, 26, 35 for Nirn? 👀👀

HERE THEY ARE IM SJORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG GDSHEDG...

Caz

8. How does your character feel about religion?

Not a big fan! Hates the chantry and Andraste and the Maker and the Qun. Being raised in the circle run by templars and nuns and seeing the corruption of the church firsthand from the inside really left a bad taste in her mouth for organized religion.

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate?

She has the ability to flip her manners on or off depending on who shes with. If shes comfortable then shes going to be more crass and impolite, but shes capable of really cleaning up her act and pretending to be professional if she needs to be. Her type of hero is anyone who goes against the status quo and disrupts systems of oppression- She considers Thurwen/the HOF and Hawke personal heroes (if Hawke sides with the mages) as well as Anders. Has read all of Anders manifestos and reports on Thurwen and Hawke and would geek tf out meeting them.

22. Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner?

Friends are anyone who accepts her for who she is and doesnt snitch on her, people she can trust to do the right thing or atleast try to, and people she can have a good laugh with. Lovers are only a couple in the past as she needs to get to know someone well/find them interesting to want to sleep with them. Her type is large, charismatic and rugged. Anyone who looks like a good brat tamer but is also intelligent and keen. Iron Bull.

26. What does your character’s home look like? Personal taste? Clothing? Hair? Appearance?

Everything is covered in tomes and journals but theres a method to the madness. She likes to keep her things organized, surprisingly. She likes cool colors like greens and blues, likes dressing comfortably. Oversized shawls that second as blankets and loose pants. Her hair she likes to keep down with the sides pulled into little braids in front of her ears.

Felria

25. What are their hobbies and interests?

People watching and painting! She knows how to blend into a crowd pretty well or how to find a hidden vantage point where she can just sit and watch people… for hours. She finds peoples behaviors/reactions fascinating and makes little journals of interesting things she sees. Finding how other people work differently than her is vital to figuring out how best to manipulate and control them and she loves learning new ways! And painting because she has an artist's eye and enjoys beautiful things. A few bottles of blood and a quiet evening in front of an easel is a great way for her to unwind.

27. How do they relate to their appearance? How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality?

She relates her appearance with how easily she will be able to blend in or stand out of her surroundings, and how to dress in order to play the role she wants to play. Because of her line or work (professional assassin and information gatherer) she has to have a lot of costumes available to fit the personalities she plays. Shes a performer at heart but only for herself and the joy she gets in deception. Her own style, if shes not performing, is simple reds and blacks and silvers. She keeps her hair long so shes able to do more with it.

29. What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling?

Her pride could definitely be her downfall as well as her curiosity. She believes shes just better and different than everybody else and that its her right to play with people as much as she wants, I can see her eventually trying to play with the wrong person. She believes she can get out of any situation by herself without help and that she deserves the finer things in life, and if someone gets in her way, they deserve whatever harm befalls them.

39. What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid?

She will really ridicule anything and anyone because she finds most things stupid or benign. She likes to ridicule any of the gods and aedra, and anyone who worships them. She ridicules mortals and werewolves and any other creature that's not a vampire.

Suds

23. What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex?

Back in his youth he wanted spontaneous fun, a charming and outspoken person to sweep him off his feet. He always wanted someone to take him on adventures and be dangerous and in the moment. Now? Poor guy just wants commitment and someone genuine. Hes tired of charismatic liars who he always seems to fall for. He wants someone to help tend his garden and bond with the bees. He feels that sex is a sacred thing to be shared with people you trust, not something thrown around haphazardly. Relationship and trust come first with him, and he casually waves any flirtation most of the time as if he hadn't noticed it. He's been hurt too many times to trust easily like that.

30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive?

Yeah hes holding onto a long ass past full of betrayal from the people hes held dearest to him :/ He by nature is a very forgiving person and believes one must be generous in forgiveness. Hes holding onto his past hurt from Felix and cant seem to get away from it- hes forgiven him many times and each time Felix just does the same things as before.

40. How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?

A little dual natured in this aspect. Generally pretty reserved and soft with other people and can seem serious to those who dont know him. Underneath that is his reputation as a trickster- fond of pranks and revelry. The little twinkle in his eye is the only thing that would give him away as the culprit when everyone is looking for who filled a bucket of mud over Nirns chamber door. His favorite kind of jokes are the really long ones, the ones that have a seemingly normal storyline and go on forever and then end in a way where the joke is really on the person listening. And everyone around goes “AAAUUGHH!”

43. Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back?

A lot of them! Hes a very good secret keeper as hes who many people go to with their problems. After being alive so long and being somewhat involved with politics he probably knows more than a few that could take down nations, and always seems to know whats going on wherever in the world. He has his connections, his mushrooms and his bees and such have eyes everywhere. And don't tell anyone but he is an ardent fan of juicy gossip.

Nirn

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate?

Impeccable manners. The posture of a God, obviously. Always eloquent and polite, knows which spoons to use for certain dishes and common diplomacy practice from all over the world. Nirn has no heroes, hes never held anyone to a pedestal or been one for hero worship. If he had to choose hed say his mother, for how graceful yet ruthless she was in politics and trade. He also does not hate anybody, he considers strong feelings a weakness and to harbor such resentment would only make him act rashly. He dislikes the slovenly, though. Not the common man but the drunken aristocrat with wine breath who gambles his savings and acts impolitely.

25. What are their hobbies and interests?

Chess and games of strategy are some of his favorites in the odd chance he has any free time. He also plays the violin and the harp and the lute, instruments he's known since he was taught them as a child. Wine tasting as well! Hes one of those mfs who can just sniff a certain drink and say with precision the date time and location it was made.

26. What does your character’s home look like? Personal taste? Clothing? Hair? Appearance?

Everything is refined and elegant with a certain air of someone who enjoys the arts. Many expensive paintings and sculptures on display. He prefers the colors red and gold and white, sometimes a darkish blue or purple. He is always dressed to impress, satin and velvet and exotic leathers. He keeps his hair long to the small of his back, or tied up in a bun. In appearance hes intimidatingly tall and knows how to stand to look even taller, does not tilt his head down to you but moreso stares down his nose.

35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?

Failure is only a means to greater success to him. To win a game sometimes you need to sacrifice a few pawns, etc. Takes them calmly and with little indication that hes upset at all. He usually has four or five backup plans for any endeavor, so hes able to quickly jump tactics if something isn't working. In game or battle hes typically a good sport at losing, though he very seldom does. Hed be more impressed that someone managed to make him fail, and get to thinking on how to get them in his employ.

[hopefullyababe]

@comradeupdog oh girl you have no idea what youve gotten yourself into

*inhales*

yeah classpecting is a form of personality chart in the sense of what sort of hero youd be in a game of sburb. theres a heavy emphasis on how you interact with the world, and what you DO as opposed to your inner world/inner struggles. in my opinion at least.

classpect is a portmanteu of the two axis that make it up: the class and the aspect

a class is your title (bard, prince, witch, heir, etc) and the way you interact with your aspect, or with the world through your aspect. there are twelve of these; bard, prince, thief, rogue, heir, page, seer, maid, sylph, knight, witch, and mage. (there are also the two master classes: muse and lord.)

an aspect is a. uh. like. aspect of the universe. its sort of like an element, but in some ways more metophorical. there are aspects such as breath and light which are phisical things, but have metaphorical meaning- breath being associated with freedom and movement, and light being associated with knowledge and a want for more. there are also twelve of these; breath, blood, life, doom, light, void, time, space, heart, mind, rage, and hope (that ones my aspect!)

theoretically, each class is paralel with another class. we only get 2 examples of this in the actual comic, but the classes are divided into two catagories: passive and active. a passive player will be effected by their aspect, or perhaps "controlled" by their aspect, whereas an active player attempts to wield their aspect or take control of IT.

there are six passive classes and six active ones. as an example, prince and bard are the destroyer classes, with prince being the active destroyer class, and bard being the passive destroyer class. a prince, therefor, actively destroys their aspect, or destoys other things with their aspect. a bard is a trickier class to really describe, but a bard basically invites destruction through their aspect(as opposed to actively going out and wrecking shit). the other canonical example of this active passive class pairing is the thief and rogue classes- the stealer class. the theif actively steals their aspect, or steals through their aspect for self gain, and a rogue steals their aspect, or steals through their aspect for party/net gain. a rogue is the "robinhood class" as roxy puts it in the comic. they steal and redistribute.

each aspect also has a paralel! they are laid out in a wheel formation, with breath/blood, life/doom, light/void, time/space, heart/mind, and rage/hope each being across from eachother.

(this is the only image i could find where theyre labeled, but the symbols are kinda important too so heres the symbol chart:)

(its oriented differently to the one above but the pairs are the same! that gash looking one is blood, and the one across from it at the very top is breath, etc etc)

you then combine the two of them in the form of [class] of [aspect]. eg. my classpect: rogue of hope.

i wont go into what every single class and aspect individually means because ive already spent. far too long typing this up when i should be writing my essay. but you also asked if i had classpected you, so i can at least tell you what my considerations for you mean.

aspect-

just based on vibes, you struck me as a blood player. a blood player is one who deals in relationships and bonds mainly. the blood aspect has ties to heaviness, reality, commitment, and. of course. bonds. they also tend to be leaders, or attempt to be leaders. people who have a hand in moving things along. they inspire, and push for change.

(theres also a description from the canon aspect quiz abt blood that ill put here:

"Those bound to the aspect of Blood draw their strength from bonds, from the trust and camaraderie that blooms among a group of people who all share a single vision. Blood-bound are absolutely leaders, but they inhabit more of an inspirational role than a commanding one. They are prophets, rather than generals, giving others the strength and motivation to keep fighting. The Blood-bound can dispense excellent advice even when their own lives and interpersonal relationships are disasters. They can be very “do as I say, not as I do” types. A Blood-bound can often be found on a sinking ship, forcing an endeavor forward with sheer stubborn force of will. No matter how bad things go, a Blood-bound can always count on friends and allies. At their best, they are charismatic, uplifting, and magnetic. At their worst they can be sullen, unkind, and set-in-their-ways.")

class-

as for class. well. see picking classes is kinda my weakness in this whole thing. but if i had to make an educated guess. id say youre a knight.

via the wiki: "The Knight could be defined as one who serves [aspect] or one who serves through [aspect] for the betterment of others."

a knight would be devoted to a cause. someone willing to get their hands dirty to protect it.

so that would make you a knight of blood. (the same classpect as karkat vantas!) a knight of blood would be someone who serves their bonds, community, or cause. and someone who protects.

though of course, take that with a grain of salt bc i havent looked in depth at every single one of the aspects and classes with you in mind quite yet so there may in fact be a classpect which fits you better. mind may be a good aspect for you. light may also be a good one. but like. if youre a blood player you get to have a red outfit. which is kinda on brand with the whole communism thing. anyway. daph needs to write her FUCKING ESSAY NOW-

ive gotta like. make a binder of all my classpecting charts and information so that when i want to classpect someone or if someone asks me a classpecting question i can just open the binder instead of visiting the wiki and scrolling through 8 pages of ads or visiting like 8 different six year old blog post which have an oddly agressive tone and are also complete bullshit/headcanon presented as canon

[sparklecryptid]

@kittenlzlz​ said: Lostbelt? Can I ask what this is about b/c goddamn you make it sound compelling

okay so backstory: this is from the second part of Fate/Grand Order a mobile gacha game. the first part of the game has you saving humanity, your own world, from being incinerated.

the second part, the part where I am at now. has you destroying other worlds that shouldn’t have gotten as far as because they should have gotten pruned off. but they have but they have gotten far enough and are now a threat to your own world and want to take its place (or rather some mages want to duke it out to see what world is the best suited to take the place of the world you’re from) and so you have to literally destroy worlds and wash yourself in blood to keep your own world safe

thats the gist of it.

the more complicated aspects are the fact that after the convo with ivan up there the protag is literally shocked and willing to give up because what right do they have to decide the fate of other potential worlds?

but then-

theres this yaga called patxi. he hates the protag. hates the protag because the protag is weak and cheerful and willing to forgive most anything. he hates the protag because the protag is an example of everything his world doesn’t have or cant allow.

he saves the protags life. he  saves their life because he cant stand to see them like that. because he wants what the protag has. because he cant stand the thought of his people continuing to life like this.

and he dies in the process.

and that gives the protag the motivation to fight back. the death of someone that isn’t from their world gets them to fight for their home again. the death of someone telling them to fight even if it means the destruction of that persons  world makes the protag fight again.

and im a lot of feels brb sobbing

[nedsseveredhead]

can i get a 15, 30, 50, 68, for dear Wither and 36, 39, 89, 94 for beloved Ned? Tell them I say hi pleas and give them a pat on the head

I shall do this but then Wither will personally dissolve my body from the inside-out <3

15. How good are they at conversation? Are they a small talk master, bad at initiating, etc?

Hes not great at conversation really, he waits to speak until spoken to and even then its usually very short and concise answers. Later on when he gets more Evil tm he gets a little better at conversation but thats just from mirroring people he watches. He WILL monologue at you about decay and death tho so thats... something to look forward to I guess.

30. Do they consider themselves a “hero” or “villain”?

Neither, both, it doesn't really matter to him to be honest. He considers himself a natural part of life, a mass extinction event thats been long since over due. Despite this though he doesn't consider himself a hero either, and he doesn't blame anyone for trying to stop him- a body's natural reaction to a disease is to fight it. He just intends to prevail. All of this, as far as hes concerned, is nature. Theres no morality tied to it, there just is.

50. Why would they be a good partner for a road trip?

No lmao he smells vaguely like decay and I can imagine that'd get old in a cramped car pretty fast. Also he just says weird shit and identifies the road kill you guys pass unprompted like just leave him at home its fine

68. Are they easy to fluster? What would you have to do to truly fluster them?

You'd have to get through his dense head that you're flirting with him before you can even hope to fluster him, many have tried and all have failed. Seamus had been trying to fuck him for 7 slutty slutty years and no luck. "Isaac you look very pretty in the moonlight" "The moon tends to reflect off most things in a way that gives them a natural softness. Anything is pretty when you look at it in the right light" like okay cool

And for Miss Warden Commander..

36. Do they trust easily? What would you have to do to earn their trust?

At the beginning of the adventure she does. I mean aside from templars who she trusts as far as she can throw, she has a very naive view of the world. That trust lessens the farther they go and the more she has to face that people in power keep putting themselves first instead of helping eachother in the Literal Apocalypse. Still, earning her trust is easy enough. Prove that you want to help people and you've got her.

39. Are they superstitious?

I don't think so.. growing up as a mage in a circle, you learn that a lot of the chantry's superstitions are just.... misunderstandings. And her lucks been shitty enough no matter how many four leaf clovers she finds or how few mirrors she breaks. Orion on the other hand...

89. What would they get into a petty argument over?

Orlais lmao. Shes Ferelden to her core, except for the fact that her mother was Orlesian, and her full name (Nedine) is also Orlesian. But she will fight you if you bring any of this up afgfgb

94. What does their room look like?

Lots of Warden regalia tbh. She loved the wardens ever since she was young and being Warden Commander of Ferelden is the thing shes most proud of in her life. She also has a lot of bookshelves- history books, magic books, anything of the sort. She shares her room with her husband, Jowan, so they have a decent sized bed and he also has her own section of the room too with like.. Journals and books to continue learning about blood magic and the like. Between the two of them though its probably a cluttered mess of organized chaos. They know where everything is but the mere thought of it is giving my ocd a run for its money asdfvg