#but I'm going to stop for the time being

[malvolios-yellow-stockings]

On the my Warden Surana (the usual brainrot)

Throwing my two cents and headcanons in here:

Surana is my favourite Dragon Age Origins origin (hehe) - you get to become radicalized, in my opinion, in a very organic way.

beware - no deep thoughts are being thunk here, I'm writing this at one a.m. instead of studying for an exam.

My Warden grew up in the Circle, it’s the only thing he remembers, which is why questions about his family really upset him. They tug at something he’d rather not think about. There’s a feeling of I should know this, right? I should remember the people who brought me into this world? but he simply cannot recollect anything. How his family looked, what they were like. Nothing. The only place, and lack of a better word - home, he’s ever known is the Circle.

Now, he’d been one of the more talented children there, which did go to his head, and that meant he really had no incentive to think about his position or the position of mages in general. He surely didn’t see any problems with the Circle on an institutional level, more like a case of a few bad apples that need to be thrown away before they spoil the lot. Just follow the rules and you have nothing to fear etc. etc. Obviously, yes, you don’t get to see much of the outside world, but you’re dangerous. Magic is as much of a blessing as it is a curse. And all mages are inherently dangerous, especially the “unstable” ones.

On the other hand, the Circle did make him feel like an elf sometimes, but not enough for it to be more than a little grating. My Warden chalked it up to the other mages being jealous and close-minded. After all, he was favoured by some higher-ups so he must’ve been doing something not only right, but better than the rest.

And then the whole fiasco with Jowan happens and shakes it all up. For some reason, my Warden became friends with him. He thought about it sometimes - how? and came to believe it was a matter of the right place at the right time. And they became close. And then, this person he cares deeply about drops this plan in front of his feet, and Surana is absolutely certain Jowan’s a blood mage although he doesn’t want to believe it. So, he decides to rat Jowan out, spoil his plan. Now, it’s because everything Jowan plans goes amiss, I’m doing this to save his life is mostly what my Warden thinks. But there’s something else there. The anger he feels for not having told him about the Harrowing, for not taking his desperation seriously enough and for not realizing the threat of becoming Tranquil looms over the heads of many mages in the Circle. He’s going to use his good graces in the Circle to save Jowan’s life because it’s true, we all make mistakes. And he is positively certain that something considerably worse would’ve happened to Jowan had he not intervened. I mean, for Maker’s sake, it’s the Circle! You cannot hide anything here! It will eventually be found out. And everything goes as well as he’d expected. He intervenes to help Jowan, doesn’t help nearly as much as he’d hoped, because the stupid fuck is a blood mage. In a way, he hopes he never sees Jowan again because he’s angry, but in a way, he hopes he never sees Jowan again because he’s acutely aware of the fact that maybe, just maybe, Jowan was partially right, and maybe, just maybe, he could’ve helped him escape had they prepared better, and maybe he’d always help him, if he’d only ask. well, we all know how that please don't let me meet jowan again thing goes

After this, thinking about his own Harrowing and the Tranquil becomes painful. There’s something deeply rotten about the Circle, isn’t there? Jowan wasn’t born to be a blood mage, even Surana cannot believe in that, circumstances made it so. And this whole thing, with the Wardens, it might give him some much needed perspective.

The thing is, he knows he’s right. He bloody despises Isolationists, Lucrosians, Loyalists and Libertarians - almost equally. Loyalists basically being puppets and Chantry apologists. Libertarians, dreaming of breaking away from the Chantry, like they’re five years old. Aequitarians really do have the clear picture in mind, slow is gradual and peaceful, always.

He meets Morrigan. She inevitably pisses him off but there’s something enticing about her. Especially the whole apostate, hedge mage business. And sometimes, at night, he has to think about it - that maybe, although typically cruel in her wording, Morrigan had a point - the mages of the Circle simply allow themselves to be subjugated, accept their nature as inherently dangerous without second thought.

Outside the Circle, he’s always treated like an elf and this time, other elves aren’t treated badly because they’re lazy, untalented or any other reason (ahem excuse) he could think of. it’s because they’re elves. That is the entire reason. That cannot be right, now, can it?

For Surana, from the beginning onwards it’s just disillusionment after disillusionment. He thought he’d had the worst of it as an elf in the Circle - he was wrong. He thought apostates were all on the road to become vile abominations - he was supposedly wrong about that as well.

After Redcliffe and a short while with the Dalish (where he flirts with Dalish concepts of religion and their gods, plans to get a tattoo as well because returning to his roots and embracing them, particularly after the treatment he had gotten outside the Circle, feels right), he returns to the Circle and it is a mess. What have the mages done? What have the Templars done? What have the Templars done to the mages? And this really is the turning point.

Mages are not human - they're weapons and tools to be shaped and wielded, and, when no longer useful - to be cast away.

In the end, after meeting Wynne, he realizes there’s nothing to be gained from her ideology. That’s probably his final disillusionment. He reluctantly, slowly, and painfully thinks about what the Circle has taken away from him. How he had embraced their narrative with open hands. He got used to the treatment of the Circle and was fed with Chantry propaganda, practically nurtured, since he was a child.

The culmination of his status as an elf mage (in Origins) comes when he gets to ask Anora for Circle independence. He simply thinks that elves are guaranteed some rights in the future, surely, he’s helped not only Ferelden but Thedas, as have so many other elves, it has to happen because the alternative is unthinkable… and Ferelden cannot be that backwards thinking, right? So he chooses to ask for what are basically mage rights.

His status helps him choose Bhelen as well, hearing the rumours his rival spreads about him, his casteless lover and “anarchy” and anti-tradition he is supposedly bringing to Orzammar. Among many other things.

And that is why, when he meets Wynne again, in Awakening, he says this to her:

He has changed and truly believes this and he feels something brewing. There is no compromise and there is no peaceful solution. He, as a Warden and Hero of Ferelden (a title he greatly dislikes), and an elf mage, has tasted freedom. He just want that for everyone else now.

I think this is why I simply adore the Surana origin. Being an elf and a mage play so well together. It’s why a Surana romance with Morrigan is my canon.

Just look at the barren Wiki for Surana. You are free to make shit up!

tl;dr - An elf mage Warden is a very specific concoction of oppression and in my personal headcanon the Warden really gets to understand the plight of elves when he gets out of the Circle, while his understanding of mage oppression works backwards - when he returns to the Circle during the Broken Circle quest. And I think that's really neat :)

[kettlefire]

Prepare for the unexpected. (DPxDC)

Everyone knew about the reign of Pariah Dark. Even those who did not dabble in those realms have heard the tale of the tyrant. A power-hungry man who ruled over the dead with an iron fist.

Following the rise of Pariah Dark, his realm had been effectively cut off from communication. Many mystics and magic users knew better than to open the door of nightmares that could arise if Pariah Dark's reach went further than his own realm.

Except, the universe had plans to bring the realm of the dead back into the cards.

A new opponent, one that had all of Earth's heroes scrambling for options. A being with powers of a god over weather, destruction was on the horizon. A world ending threat.

It's the only reason the Justice League was doing this. In a deep bunker, far from close civilization as a precaution, the heroes looked on with grim expressions.

The world was already being threatened. It would be destroyed regardless of what the league did. So it only made sense to make the last ditch effort. To summon someone strong enough to defeat the threat.

No one wanted to do it. No one wanted to be the one to pull the realm of the dead back to the living. The consequences were untold if this succeeded. If Pariah Dark was freed and defeated the threat, whose to say he won't want control?

That was a problem for later. For the aftermath. For now, the league could only watch on with bated breath as Constantine completely the summon ritual.

They watched on as the shadows in the room seemed to darken and grow. As the sigil sputtered to life with a glow that was growing increasingly brighter. A sudden gust of wind rushed through the room, the temperature began to drop with eaching ticking second.

And then it was all gone.

The room stood perfectly still. Just as it had been moments before. Nothing changed. No giant king standing before them, no sign that the ritual worked.

The room stood deadly still for another beat before the murmurs started. The team trying to make sense of the situation, figure out what went wrong.

Constantine swore up and down that this was the correct ritual, taking offense that they would even think the problem was on his end. It only made it better when it finally happened.

A loud sound ripped through the room, pulling everyone's attention back to the summoning circle. Just in time to see a tear appear in the space above the circle.

A thin tear that ran the length of eight feet. The fabric of the dimension seems to curl at the edges, pulling back to reveal a deep glowing swirl of greens. A dark gloved hand reached through, fingers curling around the edge of the tear, stretching it even further.

A portal. The ritual had worked, but there had been a delay. A delay that had every hero nerves on edge. Each team member tensed, weapons at the ready as they watched the being stretch the portal to the right size.

Then, a foot stepped out with a heavy thud. A dark boot that looked otherworldly despite its similarity to mortal clothing. A deep black that seemed never-ending. A second foot quickly followed before a full body emerged from the portal.

Not many people in the room have ever seen Pariah Dark, let alone know what to expect. Based on what Constantine and Zatara had said, this wasn't Pariah Dark.

A man had stepped out of the portal, standing at almost seven feet tall, and built like a brick house. One glance at the glowing white hair, deadly red eyes, and shard teeth was enough to know this being was not to be messed with.

But there was no giant show of armor or royal garbs. There is no large crown at the top of his head or jewelry from the infinite realms laced around his neck.

Instead, the man stood before them in combat boots, worn-in ripped jeans, a graphic t-shirt, and a spiked leather jacket. Despite his almost normal clothing choice, the man's jacket seemed to be a never-ending depth of the dark night sky. If one was to look closely enough, the cosmos could almost be made out in the sea of darkness.

None of that would have prepared them for when the man spoke. His tone sounded more bored than anything as he took a step forward.

"Oh, so now you need the help of the dead." The man had spoken, running a hand through his hair. When Batman took a step forward to speak, the man raised a hand. Immediately commanding silence in the single gesture. "I'm on babysitting duty and have yet to have a cup of coffee. I'll be right back."

Just like that, both the man and portal vanished into thin air. Leaving behind a group of stunned heroes. Not only was the man not Pariah Dark, but he was also supposedly babysitting.

"Did that just-"

The Flash had been the first voice to speak up, his eyes trained on where the man had once stood. Except he had barely made it through the first few words before the man was suddenly back.

The man that now had a child hanging off his shoulders and another teen being held up by his scruff. Unlike the man, these kids looked human.

Too human for Bruce's liking. The dark black hair and bright blue eyes had every heroes eyes flickering to Batman for just the briefest moment.

"This isn't fair! I'm not even the king. Why do I have to be here!" The teenager had been complaining the moment the man had reappeared. Arms crossed tight over his chest and seemingly used to being held dangling. "Besides, who brings kids to a show down! Wait til I tell mom about this."

"Aw, come on, Danny. This is gonna be fun!!" The younger girl seemed in much better spirits than the teen, Danny. She had climbed up the large man, sitting on his shoulders and resting her arms on the mess of glowing hair. "It's like take your kids to work day! Ooo, Dan! Can we fight too!?"

Unlike the two kids, the man looked purely exhausted and annoyed. The man, Dan, dropped Danny like a sack of potatoes as he took a long drink from the travel cup in his hand.

It didn't take a genius to recognize the look of an exhausted parent in Dan's expression. A look many of the league members were well acquainted to. A look that even had Batman grimacing with sympathy.

"Can it, little shits. You two were grounded, remember." Dan had growled at the kids before shifting his focus back on the team of heroes before them. His glowing eyes set in a deadly glare. "Pariah Dark isn't coming, and he never will. He's been dethroned and banished. We're the best you've got."

A summoning that started with a group of on edge and scared heroes looking for the ghost king, ended in a way no one expected.

No one was even sure if it made any sense. They weren't sure if they should feel hopeful or in despair.

Because truly, what was a ghostly man with two seemingly human children against a godlike foe with the control over the weather?

The unspoken question of power and ability seemed to vanish following Dan downing the metal travel cup of coffee, and crushing it in his fist.

He tossed it to the side, straighting up his posture as he looked over the heroes. Dan might not be a hero, but he's been playing family for too long.

An almost feral, bloodhungry grin spread across the man's face, sharp fangs on full display. The look made the man suddenly look even less human. He looked closer to a demon from the pits of hell rather than the exhausted parent he looked just a few seconds ago.

"Point me in the direction of this bastard. It's been too long since I let loose and had some fun."

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt in Memes 5

Once more, have a prompt entirely in memes because I'm too lazy to properly write one right now lol.

[spielzeugkaiser]

How it started-

How it's going!! They are a family and I am!!! also draw the hug you want to see in the show but they are forgiven because them meeting in brokilon was still soooo tender my HEART-

[buttercupshands]

So.

Act 5, huh?

Oh, and that.

"You can start breakdown now."

Finished the game couple of days ago and had some thoughts I needed to process a little. Like. Yes.

So anyway I actually didn't plan this and just wanted to redraw some sprites to just make sure I understand how to draw Siffrin correctly (still working on that!)

What did I learn from this? How fun it it to draw on a canvas that literally doesn't let you draw with colors without some layer cheating when necessary. Never tried it.

The beans. Sleeping beans.

Basically what happens when you want to sleep AND draw. Draw characters sleeping on your behalf.

Doesn't help, but at least it's cute.

I have no idea what was going on in my mind as I drew this. Feels like a fever dream of 'I want to sleep' at 4 am and 'Hm...' of thinking random things

Also that phone craft sign. Still too funny to imagine. I had to.

[hoofpeet]

I'm not a living thing anymore

[a-most-beloved-fool]

Kinda want to write a Spock POV post-fal-tor-pan fic where Spock sees Jim and is instantly whammed with the fact that he's in love with him, but still has no idea why or what that means, so he just goes around with a knot of love tangled in his mind, utterly baffled as to why it's there or how to figure it out. He can't ask the kolinahr adepts, because it feels un-vulcan, so instead he's just. confusedly pining the entire time.

Jim smiles sappily at him and Spock's like "My Heart Is Beating Faster. Why Is My Heart Beating Faster. There Is No Cause For My Heart To Be Beating Faster. Do I Have Tachycardia."

Spock, to McCoy: Doctor, is there history of heart disease in my family?

Bones, suspicious: Yes? Why? (already surreptitiously scanning Spock w/ a tricorder)

Spock: I have noticed concerning irregularities in my heart beat. They occur primarily around Admiral Kirk.

Bones, freezing: Repeat that for me, Spock?

Spock: I have noti-

Bones: No, not that, the next bit! Where they happen!

Spock: Ah. Around Admiral Kirk.

[FIVE MINUTES LATER]

Spock, annoyed: Doctor, cease laughing. I fail to understand what part of my medical condition you find so amusing.

Bones, still wheezing with laughter: Don't - don't you worry your little head about it, Spock. You're not sick, that's the important thing. (interrupts himself by laughing again) You'll (wheeze) figure it out eventually.

(Spock, disgruntled, gives up on him and leaves.)

(McCoy keeps laughing for another ten minutes.)

[egophiliac]

happy new year Ego!!! Just wanted to let you know that I absolutely adore your twst fanart and the tags are just an absolute pleasure to read! You are my greatest inspiration for my personal twst art and I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful masterpieces <333 if possible, may I ask what are some of your headcanons for the diasomnia family? If not for diasomnia then any other characters are fine as well!

thank you, and happy new year! 💚💜💚 that is amazing to hear; it's always a little bewildering but super flattering that other people like my silly little doodles so much!

I don't think I really have any really solid headcanons and also canon keeps validating me left and right (FLUFFY DOMESTIC DIAFAM IS REAL). mostly just kind of...impressions and general thoughts, if that makes sense! lately though I've been kind of obsessed with thinking about Lilia's hair, and specifically when/why he ended up cutting it. (l-look, we're bouncing around the timeline and I gotta make decisions about these things when I draw, it's relevant) (I mean I would probably be weirdly fixated on this anyway, but.)

I think I've settled on the idea that he kept it long until he went to NRC, partly because 1) I like drawing The Ponytail, and 2) I think he thought of NRC as a chance to reinvent himself a bit! he gets to go and be a wacky carefree teenager for a few years and have fun! (officially he's there to keep an eye on Son #1, but how much trouble could he get into, really.) so he gave himself a Cool Teen Haircut to go with his fresh new Cool Teen Persona!

also maybe he had some reflection on his hair's troubled past with three kids...

...and had to weigh his vanity versus the fact that he was going off to be around hundreds of kids on a daily basis, and. the choice suddenly seemed obvious.

[starcurtain]

I know I've talked a lot about Alhaitham actually being one of the funniest characters in Genshin Impact, but every time I think about him, I find something new to laugh at.

Alhaitham's character stories and personal criticisms of Kaveh largely hinge on one specific point: That Kaveh's genius intellect and artistic abilities are incongruous with his idealism. Kaveh possesses more talent than a selfless person should reasonably have, leaving him vulnerable to constantly being taken advantage of.

However, Alhaitham states these complaints about Kaveh's personality while having the exact same problem himself.

Alhaitham is literally the definition of "personality and talents do not match." Sir, you are the pot calling the kettle black.

It's a given: Alhaitham is exceedingly competent. He is intelligent, rational, and capable of being impartial when needed. Despite being a slacker as the Akademiya's scribe, during his stint as the Acting Grand Sage, the game goes out of its way to note--in several places--that Alhaitham was actually going above and beyond what was expected of him, taking the position very seriously, uncovering and fixing major issues in the Akademiya, and demonstrating a deep care for the sanctity and future of the Akademiya as a whole when Sumeru's people's will to research and learn declined after the collapse of the Akasha.

By all accounts, Alhaitham is (was) a fantastic Grand Sage. Compared to Azar, who is shown as inherently self-aggrandizing and unconcerned with Sumeru's well-being, Alhaitham genuinely did his best during his brief time as Sumeru's leader, protecting students' research, concerning himself with how to address the people's problems, and even diving in to solve mysteries that normally would have been left for the matra. As Acting Grand Sage, we're told his behavior and judgments were fair, and he addressed problems immediately and with his full effort.

In short, there is literally no one else more qualified to be Grand Sage than Alhaitham.

And yet, despite possessing every talent needed to be the leader of a nation, Alhaitham doesn't have the personality for it. He has every single trait a good leader requires... And yet he refuses to be a leader. His own talent vastly exceeds the slow-paced life his personality leads him to seek, making his particular abilities more incongruous with his values than Kaveh's--by a mile. People keep trying to promote him into positions of leadership because his talents are so obvious, and yet he does everything in his power to deny his own abilities and instead fly under the radar--and under the level of his full potential too.

Awful hypocritical for you to claim Kaveh's talents don't match his personality when yours match even less, Alhaitham...

[knifearo]

"asexual discourse" is so funny cause dude that's not discourse and it's never been discourse. it's not an argument and it's not a conversation bitches are just yelling at us unprompted and then making up people to get mad at 😭

[welcometogrouchland]

Disgustingly messy and crusty sketch dump but I couldn't get my own terrible theory out of my head and ended up making a bunch of sketches about it. Also at the end a bonus dickbats and Damian doodle bc I was reading an issue of their Batman and Robin run (IDs in Alt)

[divorcedfiddleford]

and you may say to yourself: "my god! what have i done?" and you may tell yourself: "this is not my beautiful wife!" and you may tell yourself: "this is not my beautiful house!" and you may ask yourself: "well, how did i get here?"

time isn't holding up, time isn't after us, time is a pony ride! (images described in alt text)

[bacchuschucklefuck]

dreaming abt sophomore year class swap bard!riz

[sysig]

Two skeletons in a trench lab coat (Patreon)

Bonus:

He’s very careful! Everything was fine before you interrupted!

[hauntingjasper]

Happy Pride Month to THEM 🥹

[makiswirl]

can i just say. and this is probably a niche hill to die on. that i am so gobsmacked every time someone vaguely hints at the idea that jotaro doesn't care meaningfully for the other crusaders, usually particularly kakyoin and joseph, when those two actually tend to be the ones he reacts to being hurt the hardest

like he cares for his loved ones!!!! that literally plays into his character motives in every single part he shows up in!!! stop lying to me!!!!!!!