#bardic thoughts

[sagesbard]

Introduction 💕

Hi My name is Sage :3 my pronouns are She/They and so far I'm a writing blog.

The fandoms I will write for are:

Mouthwashing (including Jimmy but in AUs where he's not a rapist)

Telltales the walking dead

Aphmau (Mystreet mainly)

Ace attorney

And that's it for now :)

When I post fanfictions I will use the tag Bardic writing and when I'm just jotting down my thoughts I will tag it as Bardic thoughts :)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

I can't say this enough but my requests are open! I will do NSFW but no noncon, piss or stuff like that. Dubcon is on the table but very rarely.

If you guys ever wanna support me I am a fine arts student so I have like no money I have a cash app! $sagethebard you'd be helping me afford things like food and school expenses also if you do end up sending me something your requests will automatically go to the top of my priority list and will probably be better quality. Not that I don't put effort into my other stuff I'll just be a lot more descriptive or I'll lean towards how you'd like to be described in whatever you request :)

[tangents-within-tangents]

Thinking about the song "Ship in Port" by Radical Face and clones

Thinking about the line "Farewell to the chains we were born into" and what that can mean for the clones

Thinking about how "But I have always stayed in place/Under that old illusion that it's safe" could equally describe Hunter, Echo, and (s1+2) Crosshair's complete opposite approaches to the Empire and post-war life.

The way Crosshair clings to his identity as a soldier of the Empire

And Echo as a soldier of the Republic

But Hunter puts his identity as a soldier behind him

Crosshair fights for the Empire to gain purpose

Echo fights against the Empire to save his brothers

And Hunter decides the Empire is too strong to even try to oppose

"A ship in port is a safer one"

"but it's not the reason it was made"

"So forgive me if I wander off"

"And forgive me more if I just stay"

Thinking about what The Bad Batch could have been if it had more fully explored the differences between those ideologies

(Thinking about what The Bad Batch could have been if it had dedicated more screen time to the 'reg' clones within the Empire and the underground network's fight to free them , instead of just sidelining Echo and Rex for a hypothetical clone rebellion show we might never get)

[avalonbards]

tor knows gawain killed king pellinore.

he’s observant, more than anyone can ever guess. so he knows the signs when gawain returns after riding out for a few days. the subtle tremble to his hands, the distantly relieved light in his eyes. and the drops of dried blood gawain missed, smudged on his armor and sword.

like looking for which wolf attacked his sheep during the knight, so as to not bring undue retribution to all.

but tor doesn’t feel any anger, any grief. he cares not even a moment for pellinore being dead when the king’s body is discovered later. he sits on the chair he has been assigned at the Table, carving a shape out of a block of wood, and feels…

nothing.

nothing.

until someone, he doesn’t care to look to see, asks if he’s alright since his father has been killed.

“why wouldn’t i be fine?” tor questions, voice colder than he could ever remember it being. “that man may have impregnated my mother, but he was no father to me. i just feel grateful someone else took care of the wretch before i got to it.”

his declaration is met with silence from whichever knight it was who had shown such concern. but tor doesn’t care. he raises his gaze to meet the cool stare of sir gawain across the Table.

and tor smiles.

[bardicbird]

shoutout to like two years ago (ish) when I got into zero escape 999 and produced this wall of text after seeing the ending for the first time. i love how it sounds like i’m descending into insanity.

[txt:] me when shrodinger’s cat ship of theseus paradoxical life time anomalies lies versus truth versus there are two truths and both of them are lies, does the amnesia become real or fake just based on your own actions? and bunnies a four leaf clover that’s kept for years and made into a bookmark and maybe it’s sentimental but maybe it’s just because he knew that it would save his sister and i guess both are true and false and will they have to do this all again? does the story ever end? the phantom pain of an incinerator from nine years ago. axes and knives and a literal chekov’s gun. one little girl mattered so much to people that they changed fate to save her and one of those people was herself. a man justifying his torture and murder of children by citing how hard it is to live with face blindness while a blind man he kidnapped 9 years ago stands next to him, silent. bombs that aren’t real, a ship that’s only in the past, empty threats as one of the only kindnesses they can grant them—and they don’t even know until the end that such kindnesses were given. holding a gun to your sisters head, shooting her murderer. saving her and watching her die and thinking maybe this time everything will work. an escape room where almost everyone knows how the puzzles are solved but they pretend to be none the wiser. a teenage girl who keeps her name out of spite, convenience, cheekiness—something like that. maybe it was for luck. your childhood friend and crush literally breaks reality to save you and you make a break for it and drive away from him because it was never about him, it was about you. you know that they’ll follow, anyways. he’s always been taking the fall for her, bruised skin and knocked out teeth bloody lip and death but only sometimes and confusion no matter what. fuckkkk

[bacchuschucklefuck]

Just found your class swap au and I have absolutely fallen in love! I'd love to hear basically everything about it! Especially like what subclasses they might be!

Also the art is so so so good!!! They're all so expressive!!! Ahhhhh!!! I'm just here screaming as I look at they over and over again!!!

thank you I'm glad ur enjoying ur time here! we don't got everything in place yet (bc that requires like, writing lol) but I do have some ideas of subclasses if that's what ur looking for here. riz I'm thinking college of whispers -> college of lore, gorgug's domain of peace -> domain of twilight, fabian I think starts out as phantom rogue and then swashbuckling rogue + some levels in ranger? kristen I think starts out with wild magic idk if she'd move away from that. maybe lunar sorcery? fig is currently either path of the giant or totem warrior but I imagine she will also pick up at least two more classes (paladin definitely one of them which lol. lmao). adaine I'm thinking battlesmith -> armorer + some levels in fighter. that's about it for now

[forcedhesitation]

dead by daylight-- the game where you can play as steve harrington from stranger things, and can get sent to partake in a match of murder hide and seek at midwich elementary from silent hill, where you can then use a lute to perform bardic inspiration from dungeons and dragons to give a bonus to your teammates, except for the one who is being chased by nemesis from resident evil 3.

[amoremagnificentbastard]

It's time for yet another episode of "Someone Sweet Encourages Amy to Share Her WIP and She Forgets to Respond until Two Days Later"! I was tagged by the lovely @bardic-inspo for Snippet Sunday. It is now Tuesday. I'm sorry, dear.

I'm scared I'm going to end up sharing all my favorite parts of my smutty WIP before I even post it at this rate, so here is a scene that will be in my longfic when I finally start writing that in earnest:

Tagging @aevallare, @dalgursbate, and @thedreamlessnights. Only if you want to!

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Thinking about the complexities of a "losing your magic" story in a DnD (and similar) scenerio because what it means completly depends of your class. Because while not everyone is born with magic, everyone can have it.

How for a sorcerer losing their magic is genuinally about losing a part of themselfs, to suddently not being able to do something they always did. Losing your magic is like sudently losing a limb or one of your senses. And how besides being always theirs, their magic is ancestral how it can mean losing a connection with a part of their family history.

How for paladins is about morals. About breaking their vows whatever they are, dealing with the fact that they changed or maybe that morals were always way more complicated than they thought they were. (The Oathbreaker subclass changes things but I think it can work if Oathbreaker is one of the ways to embrace the emotional conflict that took your magic). Is almost phylosofical. Is the what makes Thor worthy?

How for druids, clerics and warlocks are different levels of losing a connection. For druids is with nature, with a force beyond their comprehension but that became a part of you for so long and who are you without this feeling? For warlocks is so many things, is losing a boss, a friend, is the price of freedom, is the loss of whatever you had with the sentient being that gave you powers. And for clerics is a mix, is about if their gods are feelings like nature or beings that talk to them, but whatever it is, for clerics, for clerics is a lack of faith. Is about what happens when you doubt your god, when you can't belive it or in it. Is also about what happens when your god doesn't belive in you.

For bards and mages is the loss of a skill. The bards might have the loss of their playing or voice but even if not, even if is just the magic that is gone, well they, just like the mages, studied hard to be abble to do magic. If for a sorcerer is like losing a limb, for them is like waking up in the morning and noticing your accent changed or that you don't speak a language you once did anymore, is trying to ride the same bicycle you used to go to work everyday and noticing you just doesn't know how.

[dark-twist-fairytales]

I got my research, which basically confirmed my thoughts. Anyways, now having a lot of Marius thoughts.

[ilovedthestars]

I don’t know how to do this but for your ask game, Mensah?

Hi Bardic!! don't worry, you did a great job!!

(Send me a character ask game)

First impression

The thing with Murderbot fandom is that I saw a lot of fandom stuff before I actually read the books, so my first impressions were largely formed by other people's analysis. So...probably the general fandom consensus that she's competent, caring, and a Favorite Human not only of Murderbot but many readers as well.

Impression now

I love her!! I like all the PresAux humans for different reasons, but if I have to pick a favorite, it's probably Mensah. She's admirable in so many ways, but still has faults--like the assumptions she makes about what Murderbot wants at the end of ASR, which she learns from after it leaves. She feels so human, which is both a sign of excellent character writing and a perfect counterpoint to Murderbot and its blend of humanness and inhumanity.

Favorite moment

Oh, there are so many to choose from. If I have to pick...something from Exit Strategy, which pre-System Collapse was probably my favorite book in the series (and could still give SC a run for its money). I can't decide between that moment of reunion--the ping, the tell me your name, the hug--and that moment in the shuttle when she grabs it by the collar and tells it No. It probably has to be that one--I will never be over the moment when Murderbot realizes she isn't afraid of it, and it doesn't want her to be.

Idea for a story

Besides that animatic I had in the works a while back (i have no idea when I'll get back to it, but I hope to someday)...

I had a fic idea a while back, inspired by other fic authors' takes on a similar idea, where Mensah talks to an old associate who works with augments, and arranges a way for Murderbot to have its company logos removed. I second-guessed how to handle various aspects of that a lot, but I did enjoy the Emotions it included. It's on the big pile of Things I May Or May Not Ever Finish Writing, alas (but I'd be willing to dig it up and share some snips if anyone's interested)

Unpopular opinion

I don't think Mensah is that controversial lol? I guess maybe...as much as I like ART, I do wish we got to spend more time with Mensah and Murderbot, on Preservation (or elsewhere). They mean a lot to each other, and I would love to linger with their relationship more. I can hope for her to return in future books, although it seems unlikely she'll appear in the next one. Speaking of which, I wanted a little more closure with her and Murderbot at the end of System Collapse (which is why I ended up writing it myself when given the chance for the gift exchange)

Favorite relationship

Murderbot & Mensah, no question. They are peak platonic love and deep, deep care for each other that mostly goes unspoken but is always, always felt. She was one of the first people to really see it, to know it as a person. It ran away from her and then turned back to save her life yet again. She trusts it with her life. It trusts her with its safety. She's its favorite human. They gave us the phrase "I really like you, not in a weird way" as a way for all us fans to say we love each other like they love each other. They make my little aro heart so happy <3

Favorite headcanon

....I'm drawing a blank on this one, honestly? I have trouble drawing the line between a personal interpretation of canon and a headcanon sometimes. But I can't think of anything specific that I headcanon about Mensah.

Thank you for the ask! <3

[vrisbian]

With Edgin, there are certain elements of his flavoring that are more rogue for sure.

However, I feel his character was leaning into more the performance essence of bardhood- and beyond that- though they didn’t give it a special effect I could feel him giving Bardic Inspiration. He is using spells but only the ones that rally his friends.

[teatitty]

Like to think that Dandelion's hatred for Valdo is because of an academic disagreement compounded by them having been detested roommates during their tenor as students in Oxenfurt. Imagine having to room with a guy you hate who drives you absolutely mad and also fiercely disagrees with every academic argument or viewpoint you have. It's like when you read about ye olde scholars getting into literal fist fights over how to properly translate a text or something. It's just funnier to imagine that Dandelion and Valdo once got into such a violent altercation about the correct interpretation of a purposefully vague poem that they've wished death on the other ever since

[aurils-blesstide]

Did... Did the ask pertaining to the recently posted stimboard simply vanish? I could swear to you all I posted it, but it appears to be entirely absent on the blog proper.

[avalonbards]

despite the (many god so many) flaws it has i do love the post-vulgate because it really added so much detail to existing stories and did a lot of really in-depth digging into so many of the knights as characters.

one of my personal favorites is how it really expands that yes bors is a soft-hearted and gentle guy, but he just plain doesn’t seem to enjoy being around anyone who isn’t part of a very small number of people. and he has an uncanny ability to reduce anyone who angers him enough to snap at them to incoherent tears because bors doesn’t play games. he tears into people with some truly cutting words that they can’t deny at all.

also just funny to note that bors shows anger far more often than lionel or lancelot, his is just restricted almost entirely to emotional damage.

[theeborealowl]

Yessss!! Age with grace.

Let them tell the story of your persistence on this Planet. Let the grey hair shine with the silver strands of wisdom woven over decades. Let your wrinkles depict the many victories and defeats of your long life.

Your smile will shine through the sun spots that tell a tale of many days playing and working under our Sol.

Let the torture of existence show on your flesh prison and have the audacity to proclaim: I was strong and I persist.

Aging is hot. Gray hairs are hot. Smile lines are hot. Get with it.

[aceofspades42]

When your straight friend is playing a bard and he flirts with a guy for the first time

Bard Has Unlocked the Achievement:

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

BEING GAY

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈