#cassandra knightly

[carewyncromwell]

Jackson and Matilda, please?

Hogwarts's Deputy Headmistress actually knew of Jackson long before his other professors. As Deputy Headmistress, it was her responsibility to write to all those students who the Book of Admittance had chosen to attend Hogwarts each year, and one of those such students was Jackson. You can imagine Matilda Weasley's shock and concern when -- after sending Jackson's letter to the address on file for Cassandra Knightly -- she received a letter back from Cassandra's father, Everard Knightly, explaining that his grandson had been kidnapped by his Muggle father the previous year and taken to places unknown. Matilda followed up with the Ministry of Magic about this, and sure enough, a case file had been opened, but with no further leads, it had gone cold and there was no indication of where poor Jackson might be. Matilda was heartbroken by the news and actually sent several letters to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement over the next two years, pressuring them to keep looking for Jackson, just as Everard had been. Fortunately, after nearly three years of separation from his mother, twelve-year-old Jackson was discovered in New York City thanks to the efforts of one Adelia Selwyn @thatravenpuffwitch and the MACUSA. Matilda was very relieved by the news, and quickly set about preparing the new arrival to start his second year at Hogwarts.

One could argue Matilda Weasley was predisposed to like Jackson from the offset, just because of everything he'd suffered through prior to getting to school, but this isn't wholly true. Jackson just turned out to be a rather amiable, charming boy -- upon first meeting Matilda Weasley at the Knightly estate before he started at Hogwarts, Jackson immediately bowed to her, offered to take her cloak, and even brewed up a pot of tea for her, his mother, his grandfather, and himself, without any prompting. Matilda was also both startled and awed when Jackson ended up moving the furniture around the room and even conjuring a white rose out of thin air for his mother, all without a wand. Matilda was quick to caution Jackson about using wandless magic, given the risk of becoming an Obscurus -- a warning she'd have to give him several more times in his school career -- but she could already see that this young man had extraordinary magical talent, especially for her own subject, Transfiguration. When Jackson started at school officially, he soon became one of Matilda's most gifted students, acing just about every Transfiguration assignment he was ever given. Matilda would've probably sung Jackson's praises as a student if it weren't also for him constantly breaking school rules. Sneaking into Hogsmeade; exploring forbidden corridors; breaking into the Headmaster's Office and the Restricted Section; finding dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest; sparking duels in the corridors -- Matilda quite frequently arranged for Jackson to serve his detentions with her, just so she could make sure the other professors (like his Head of House, Abraham Ronen) wouldn't go too easy on him and she could bend his ear off about him squandering his potential and defying authority just because he thought he could get away with it.

As Jackson grew older, though, he grew a little wiser and more responsible, to the point that he decided he wanted to go into politics, to make a real difference in the world. Matilda was very encouraged to hear that Jackson hd earned a place on the Minister's support staff while still a young adult and was even more pleased when Jackson became Minister for Magic. She even attended Jackson and Monty's wedding at the Knightly estate. The two did end up having something of a falling-out, though, when Jackson made the decision to actively keep the British Wizarding World out of World War I -- the Weasleys in general, being both so strongly pro-Muggle-rights and unafraid of conflict or battle, were all vocally opposed to the decision, and Matilda was no exception. She even condemned Jackson in a letter at one point, saying that she would never have imagined he could be so blinded by the fears of his past that he'd place a higher value on the Statute of Secrecy than on his constituents' families' lives. After Grindelwald's rise to power, however, Jackson earned back Matilda's favor when he publicly, candidly, and passionately rebuked Grindelwald and his ideals, regardless of anyone else's opinions on the matter. The now elderly retired professor even Transfigured a letter into a paper owl to ensure it reached Jackson at the Ministry, in which she applauded his courage and admitted that she'd always admired how Jackson had never allowed his father's cruelty to blind him with hatred toward all Mugglekind, let alone the world and Fate overall. Later that decade, Jackson was one of many attendees to Matilda Weasley's funeral, and when asked to speak, spoke very fondly of his ex-professor --

"In some ways at school, she was very much like what I've heard many mothers are, for their children. I do very much love my own mother -- but Professor Weasley tried so very hard to try to 'keep me in line,' back then, as it were. And yet, even then, it was like I was doing a high-wire act for her, while doing it -- performing in front of the whole world, showcasing my potential for everyone to see and towering higher than I ever could've, if she hadn't kept me walking that straight and narrow wire. ...I am grateful, truly grateful, that I got to know such a talented witch...a brilliant professor...and a remarkable woman. So let us, when next we enjoy our favorite drink, surrounded by those who push us to be better with their mere presence...take a moment to toast our dearly departed professor. To Matilda Weasley."

Teacher Ask!

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fantasy Books Bracket: Round 1

Book summaries below:

The Dark Artifices series (Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows, Queen of Air and Darkness) by Cassandra Clare

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions… Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it? Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series. Fantasy, young adult, paranormal, urban fantasy, series

The Knight and the Necromancer series (The Capital, The Border, The Sea) by A.H. Lee

It’s a classic fairytale: Knight meets necromancer. They argue. They fight. They…make out? Prince Roland comes home from the war to bury his father and see his sister on the throne. He sneaks out to his favorite tavern for nostalgia’s sake. It’s the place where he kissed a man for the first time, the place where he used to carouse with the lover he buried on a battlefield. Roland expects to enjoy some anonymity and perhaps flirt with a few strangers for old time’s sake. He does not expect to find a fascinating scholar from out of town—a lonely young man with beautiful eyes and an obvious longing to be touched, buried beneath a prickly demeanor. The man clearly has his secrets, but so does Roland, and their unexpected chemistry makes him feel alive for the first time in months. Roland exerts all his knightly charm and is rewarded by the promise of a second date. He figures he’ll need something to look forward to tomorrow, since he must spend the day in council with his family’s sworn enemy—a necromancer whom his sister has rashly invited to consult about the war. Sairis is a necromancer with a price on his head. He knows that he will have to bargain for his life tomorrow. He’s never been this far from his tower. He’s good with magic, not people. He’s frightened, although he doesn’t want to admit it. Sairis knows he’s doing something foolish by visiting a tavern the evening before his meeting with the royals—a tavern that caters to men of certain tastes. But Sairis wants things. Things a hunted outlaw can never have. He tells himself that he’ll just watch—see what ordinary people enjoy every day. Sairis is confident in his ability to intimidate anyone who comes too close. He’s shocked when a dazzling mountain of a man is not intimidated in the slightest. Sairis knows a knight when he sees one. He has killed plenty of knights. But this knight is funny and kind. Sairis finds his defenses melting in spite of his best efforts. Maybe he could go on a second date with this person. Of course, he’ll have to get through tomorrow first…when he must bargain with the hated royals who have persecuted him all his life. Fantasy, romance, secondary world, series

[felassan]

Some thoughts on the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf leak on Reddit which included screenshots & a gif along with text, under a cut due to potential spoilers for DA:D -

first: the usual set of disclaimers that accompany all leaks apply - might not be real, unable to verify at present, games change a fair bit between development phases and final release, take with grain of salt etc

Screenshots:

Weisshaupt, headquarters of the Grey Wardens, as a location which we will travel to irl and not in the Fade.. ngl I have been dreaming of this since 2010 [yelling]. really hyped. we previously speculated these concepts were of Weisshaupt. (compare the blue-ish domes in those with the blue-ish dome structures in the screenshots.) in some of the screenshots, Weisshaupt looked badly damaged.

Weisshaupt Library is extensive and was noted in Last Flight to contain a glass sarcophagus decorated with the horns of Andoral that contains the arms and armor of Garahel. BioWare pls.. Iet's see it :D and what if by 9:52 the Library or Weisshaupt also contains some relics of or references to the Hero of Ferelden.. 🥺👉👈 or that there are some references to Hawke's presence in Weisshaupt at one time kicking around in codex or notes or something..

Seems to confirm that Davrin ("Nobody dies on my watch! For the Wardens!") is a companion who can join us in the field. I wonder if we start out with him or get him early in the game, like Alistair/Morrigan, Cassandra/Varric etc. obviously for later game missions you can choose anyone to come with you usually so it could just be that, but perhaps this storybeat we're seeing here is set near the start of the game? and with darkspawn attacking Weisshaupt (confirmed as well in the text), the very heart of the order, imagine how Davrin's feeling (since he seems to be a rather heroic or knightly Warden).. :[

The other named and voiced character from that previous trailer was Bellara. if Davrin is a companion like we may be seeing here, it wouldn't be wild to suggest that maybe Bellara is too, given they were both featured similarly at the time.

"There's worse than darkspawn on the way" / "And the walls won't hold it back" likely refers to the dragon said in the text to also be attacking Weisshaupt? it some of the screenshots in the background there looks to be the silhouette of a great beast, maybe the dragon. their head certainly looks draconic.

ROOK? :D NOW WHO ARE THEY? another companion like Davrin? this makes three new named DA:D characters (as in appearing in the game itself) that we know of. Davrin, Bellara and Rook. the other possibility is what if Rook is the PC? is "Rook" a surname, title or codename? it's catchy, cool/badass, snappy, short, Hawke-like.

"Rook" imagery (brought up by the name): birds (Hawke had a bird motif), corvids (Antivan Crows..), the Skyhold Rookery (what if they were an agent or former agent of Leliana's? "Rook" would be a good spy codename and it would fit in with stuff like 'Rector' and 'Charter'.. plus it seems we'll have some link to the Inquisition remnants going forwards per TN etc), chess pieces (games of strategy, tactics, trying to outwit Solas, Solas manipulating events), the Tower tarot card and its meanings, and most interestingly [yodels]: the Red Book, the front of which shows a wolf aflame above a rook/tower. the Red Book link makes me lean towards "Rook is the PC"

What on earth is a "Spawn Boil"? darkspawn-associated, and "boil" carries both unpleasant + dangerous/unhealthy imagery, it doesn't sound good at all.. the Children in Awakening spent time in cocoons, they had hatchlings, and there are fleshy sacks of the Taint in previous games.. maybe the pulsing red dark thing we saw previously is a Spawn Boil (a pulsing or cocoon-like thing always gives me the impression that something might hatch or burst out of it, and boils can burst or pop..), and red lyrium has something to do with it, especially considering the following point

Lots of red in some images. not good. not good at all (as in, I'm in-universe worried. u know). the text refers to red lyrium. Varric, don't look 😭 in the image which includes "Destroy the Spawn Boils", the darkspawn are fuzzy so I'm squinting and could just be seeing things but they remind me a lot of these guys. hello, red lyrium darkspawn creatures! (also confirmed in the text) I guess that could be why we need to hurry and destroy the Spawn Boils, because red lyrium darkspawn come out of them or are powered up by them or trying to spread them or somesuch

UI may change between now and release (UI is often one of the last things done or tweaked in a game iirc) I think so I'm leaving off focusing overmuch on it just now. I like the purple though

seems like this playtest was being done on a console?

menus and similar: Map, Character, Companions, Skills, Collections (what's Collections, stuff like mosaic pieces?). an inventory 'bag'. equipment slots. accessory slots. skill slots. currency. are the bits next to the money going to be resource piles, like for crafting? the Grappling Chain warrior skill returns. considering this character is a Warrior, maybe the punching arm icon is for Mighty Blow? the Guard mechanic returns. Items can't be changed during combat. looks like there's multiple slots on the shield itself (for runes and upgrades?)

Item description: "A shield emblazoned with the Templar's symbol. It's particularly effective at absorbing impacts. This one has been enchanted by the Mournwatch" [!!!] "to grant additional resistance against Spirits".

"Level [x] Grey Warden"? Is that this character's background/origin, class, spec? Can the PC become a Grey Warden? Any relation to the 'factions background' fan-theory? Also this character is an elf! in the text the leaker seemed to say that this was who they played. So the PC is an elf, or race selection returns?

The armor and equipment etc looks cool

Also what's with the crumbling stuff in the background on the character menu, do you see that? :D It's like the crumbling of the Dreadwolf logo and promo art assets on the website. Fadey stuff and realitywarping-theories senses tingling..

in the image where there's a character who isn't wearing a helmet, the hair looks decent. that's something which is also mentioned in the text.

also in that image, what's with the purpley fire[?] stuff? purple lyrium? (red+blue=....) purple roots? also there is a green tint to the lighting outside in this image. I think this whole segment we're seeing (darkspawn attack Weisshaupt and something?? is going on) is this scene from concept art being played out on-screen.

very Wardenny doors with the griffons and the chalice. the closing door scene reminds me of the 'party closes the doors to the Temple of Mythal' scene in DA:I. also like the variety of characters holding the door shut & shown in the level scene. humans, dwarves, elves, someone who looks like they're a Qunari. does one of the dwarves look like Harding to anyone else, or am I tripping?

hhh the Grey Wardens put griffon decorations on their big lever.

Gif:

Warriors seem to have have a kicking skill or move, as shown by the foot skill icon and move executed by the character (text describes this as being like a drop kick)

Dead bodies on the ground which don't yet have their textures (that's normal)

More darkspawn

"Resilience"

More purple stuff

It looks or 'feels' like the snippet we saw from the trailer (Grey Warden-armor character doing Shield Wall)

Hard to judge ofc from a very short snippet that we ourselves aren't playing, but yeah the combat looks action-y (action RPG) and from this snippet at least I don't personally see why I wouldn't enjoy it or find it fine (everyone's different tho ofc ^^)

Text (body of post):

"I was honestly shocked when we got no gameplay reveal at TGA, as I was sure we'd get something considering the timing this video was shared with me" - this is interesting

OP notes that what the playtester played was early Alpha. DA:D completed its Alpha milestone in October 2022

Some elements missing textures, missing audio etc tracks with what was said in Insider Gaming's report

Story details: the segment was set within Weisshaupt. the PC being played here is an elf (this was apparent from the screenshots but reading "the player character was an elf" sent me to another planet with hype ok). ((I hope this means race selection returns)) I could be wrong but I'd guess that "Knight" was like, general fantasy world language the playtester was using to try and describe what the character they played was like to their contact, rather than in-game text for the character (in the same way as how "mirrored portal" may be eluvians)? A warrior, armed and armored in gray/silver with a sword, shield and helmet, you know? I'd guess the "knight dude" party member is Davrin (Davin - Grey Warden warrior, confirmed?). Lady dwarf companion confirmed?? (Harding? or Bellara?)

I do hope three squadmates as in DAO, DAII and DA:I hasn't been reduced to only two as this suggests. It's like that in ME so it's not the end of the world, but three friends is always going to be more fun and engaging, especially in a series in which the companions are always the high point

More story details: Darkspawn attacking Weisshaupt (as we see in the screenshots) is a big deal hello?? This is the famous Warden stronghold, their very HQ, being attacked by the thing they exist to destroy/protect the world from. explains why Weisshaupt looks wrecked. Wtf is going on??? scared.. Where is the First Warden in all of this? this is so not good. Especially given the red lyrium spreading and the red lyrium darkspawn. That isn't a surprise as we saw something to that effect in concept art and a trailer, but still. we in danger. "some have red lyrium attacks" omg. is there any connection between this attack on Weisshaupt and whatever weird stuff was implied to be going on at Weisshaupt in the DA:I epilogue?

The dragon is also Concerning.. like. Darkspawn attacking, with a dragon involved. That sounds like a Blight and an Archdemon. Is this the Sixth Blight? is it a Red Lyrium Blight? I'm reminded of this concept art. also HELLO?

"The objective is to fight through the Darkspawn to get to the library, but as you are doing so there is also a big ass dragon attacking from above. And the dragon creates occasional environmental and traversal hazards. It ends once you reach the library, close the gates," [this will be the door shutting scene surely] "and then come face to face with the dragon. It appears you are then supposed to try and chain the dragon up, but it ends before the player completes that." I guess the big lever we see has something to do with trying to chain the dragon up. Why chain it up?? I'm reminded of Ataashi in Trespasser, the dragon in Dark Fortress and the dragon in Absolution. I guess if it was a normal Archdemon, why would we be chaining it up? so it's not or there's something weird or something else going on

"Basically, buildings and whatnot are all modeled and textured but the skybox itself is very dark and makes it seem as though the entire fortress is underground, although it is clearly not. I suspect the skybox could contain some giant world event, similar to the Breach, they hadn't finished." - this is interesting and I'm once again reminded of this piece of concept art where there's something wild going on in the sky or air outside Weisshaupt

OP was told about the God of War (2018) thing, which is what was said on ResetEra. they also mention about little to no party control (or none currently), which is what was said in the Insider Gaming article and iirc was said on ResetEra

Does "completely in real-time" imply no pause button or tactical cam in this build?

Since there's an 'Armor' bar, maybe 'Guard' is actually the special bar that builds up allowing you to pull off a musou special move?

"I don't really understand the comparison to FF15's wheel. It's standard Dragon Age ability wheel." - this contrasts with the bit about this in the Insider Gaming article

Animation quality has drastically improved, jumping returns, warriors can parry and counter

Player's hair "looked glorious", "flowing and bouncing" omg. don't need to say anything here other than [yodels]

Text (comments from OP):

OP elaborates in a comment that the screenshots/gif footage is from an "early build, years old", and that the game is now "way past this state"

On the dragon's environmental hazards, OP expands: "Like the dragon spews fire on the ground requiring you to go around an intended path or blocks off a path so you gotta go up a ladder"

OP describes the level shown as linear

OP mentions in a comment that "Red Templars" are what's invading Weisshaupt, but given the darkspawn they mention elsewhere and in the screenshot text, I'm assuming they meant "red lyrium darkspawn" here and got mixed up?

More references to the devs looking at Gears of War (2018) as a guide when making DA:D, in terms of things like combat/inspiration (it sounds like that anyway)

general feel/thoughts: no way of knowing for sure but looks/feels real/legit to me. also I like the look and feel of it, am excited :)

also I rambled in places in this post sry. :'>

[source]

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Dead-ends and Surprise Visits

by FanficAndFanficAccessories A meeting has been called and Danny knows Clockwork is just giving him the silent treatment. At least the other members of his council will help bring him easy. Tim is hitting so many deadends he might go crazy Words: 2472, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 3 of GalacticPhantom Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Other Characters: Danny Fenton, Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Frostbite (Danny Phantom), Dorathea "Dora" (Danny Phantom), Pandora (Danny Phantom), Ghost Writer (Danny Phantom), Tim Drake (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Harleen Quinzel, Duke Thomas Additional Tags: Youtube AU, danny is a shit poster, danny phantom - Freeform, danny is tims fav tuber time thought it was all fake, wes id cursed, cassandra ass bitch, DP X DC, Dp/Dc, Ghost Council, Knightly wes, Clockwork acting innocent, he aint been innocent a day in his mfing life via https://ift.tt/wimQY2y

[karygurl]

FFXIVWrite #4: Reticent

Sidurgu didn't like her, not at first.

Cassandra came across as a doe-eyed idealist when she spoke to him for the first time in the Forgotten Knight. He didn't know her past, but she seemed too soft to understand the darkness through which he tread. Through which Fray had tread, and been lost.

Sidurgu had been in the Brume with Rielle, staying out of sight when the girl had caught sight of Cassandra for the first time, kneeling next to some poor sod and trying to heal them. He hadn't thought much of it at the time--had been too busy trying to keep Rielle safe with Fray lost to them--but he remembered that little tidbit when the so-called Warrior of Light, savior of all Ishgard, deigned to speak with him in the back of the only inn with a corner dark enough to suit him.

Savior of the Dragonsong War, indeed. Not that the war was over, at least not for those he wished to protect. The True Brotherhood of the Faith wouldn't give up their pretentious, lofty morals without a fight. A fight he was more than willing to give them.

He hadn't expected the hero of the day to join him in the muck, stand with him against the highborn scum that thought themselves better than those beneath them. Hadn't expected her to speak softly and kindly to Rielle, and teach the girl conjury. She even used her sway with the Conjurer's Guild in Gridania to have E-Sumi-Yan give Rielle a look when they were hunting for answers.

He eventually discovered that Cassandra carried Fray's soul crystal, and had kept his sword though she would not wield it herself. She insisted on the knightly sword and shield, a decision he enjoyed deriding her for, but he recognized a spark in her, a reflection of his flame in the abyss. It seemed that they couldn't be more different, but somehow, she understood what few other than Fray and their master had.

Rielle now had two guardians: one who walked in the light, and one who walked in the dark. Yet both walked the same path.

[melorxjas]

excuse me did you see tommy martinez hanging around palmwood studios? oh no, that was carmelo " melo " rojas, the thirty year old who plays jacob knightly on rush. yeah, you know rumour has it they're arrogant and perfectionist, but their fans all say they’re humble and compassionate. the soundtrack to their life would probably be booker t by bad bunny, and when i think of them, the aroma coconut shampoo , the strum of his guitar, the warm smile etched on his features .

carmelo ' melo ' rojas was born on a sunny friday afternoon, he was the first born of luis fabian "luifa" rojas and cassandra alejandra rojas, their first child and the light of cassandra's eyes. his maternal grandfather was overjoyed with carmelo, he learned how to play soccer before he even learned how to walk and it didn't help that his grandfather was the trainer for almost two decade's for the venzuela selection team and took them to the world cup a handful of times.

though at the age of four years old , cassandra decided to move carmelo to the united states , atlanta to be more precise. the new life that they began to live was a lot more privileged than what he lived in venezuela. his paternal grandfather was the apple of his eyes, he loved him father but the relationship from the very start was very fickle, there wasn't a connection there ; not like it was with his grandfather ( his father's father ) wherever he went, you could see the older gentlemen together with carmelo. the older he grew , the more he noticed the hatred that began to brew within his father towards carmelo, he didn't know why. he was vile towards him, never treated him as his equal but more as his enemy , something or someone that was beneath him. though that never phased carmelo, if anything he got to a point by the age of fifteen that he didn't care , he had his mother, his twins sisters who he adored and his both maternal and paternal grandparents, who showered him with love.

at the age of seventeen, he was scouted by scout from COMEBOL who had been watching him for some time now, they wanted him to go through some lengthy trails and carmelo being carmelo went ahead and showed him why he was the best , it was only four years later that he was playing for Venezuela's selection team, playing for his home country and making his maternal grandfather proud, playing with a NUMBER 9 shirt and getting them past eliminations and into the world cup. . Carmelo took the team to the finals of the world cup , just at the ripe age of twenty - three years old he won the world cup for venezuela and there in one of those matches he met the love of his life, or the women that he thought would be the women he would spent the rest of his life with but during the last 15 minutes of the last game , he injured himself to the point that he was told he could never play again and the girl who he thought would stay by him , simply didn't.

once he made back home , with a champion tittle - he didn't feel like a champion , if anything he felt like a failure . after his paternal grandfather stepped down from his position at RED RECORDS as CEO and passed it on fully to carmelo. he decided that he wanted to expand his grandfather's work and opened up a label in miami florida , with the help of his aunt guadalupe rojas . his cousin luciana and him were inseparable as kids and they bickered like all families do but when it was time to go bat for eavh other , they were always there for one another. if anything they were more like siblings than cousins really. shortly after , he moved california and began a brand new career , people knew who he was and he thought he should give it a go in the acting industry and he turned out to be an even bigger superstar than he was before . his heart was closed off to everyone , only giving small pieces of his heart and random women in his bed every other night. he had already given hope in love , he had been there , done that already , why go back ?

[royalreiqn]

º ✧ 。–––  [  luke pasqualino  ,  30  ,  cis man  ,  he/him  ]  welcome  THEON STARK NÉE BARATHEON ,  the  LORD  OF  WINTERFELL  ,  to  king's  landing  !  the  ravens  have  carried  word  of  their  - HEADSTRONG  and  - MERCURIAL  nature  ,  but  we  have  high  hopes  that  their  + CHARISMATIC  and  + VALIANT  qualities  will  shine  through  .  when  you  think  of  them  ,  ideas  of  VEINS FILLED WITH A RAGING STORM  ;  A GRIN AS SHARP AS THE SWORD THAT’S NEVER FAR FROM YOUR REACH  ;  ICARUS MIGHT FALL BUT FIRST HE’LL FLY  come  to  mind  .   they  are  arriving  to  the  red  keep  ,  NEUTRAL  TO  house  velaryon  .  we  do  hope  that  whatever  happens  ,  they  play  the  game  wisely  .

BASICS.

FULL NAME:   theon stark née baratheon. ALSO CALLED:   theon. theo. lord theon. the winter stag.  TITLES:   lord theon stark of winterfell. formerly of storm’s end. AGE:   thirty. GENDER:   cis male, he / him. ORIENTATION:   bisexual, biromantic.

BIRTHPLACE:   storm’s end, the stormlands. RELIGION:   not religious. loosely follows the old gods. SPOKEN LANGUAGES:   common tongue and low valyrian.

STATUS:   wed to lady aryanna stark, heiress of winterfell. LOYALTY:   house stark and house baratheon.

PERSONALITY

POSITIVE:   charismatic. valiant. protective. jovial. dauntless. clever. NEGATIVE:   headstrong. mercurial. mischievous. obstinate. blunt. proud.

APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM:   luke pasqualino. HEIGHT:   six feet, three inches. BUILD:  tall and muscular. HAIR:   short, brown hair. EYE COLOR:   green.

FAMILY

FATHER:   ruling lord ormund baratheon ( deceased ). MOTHER:   ruling lady cassandra baratheon née caron ( deceased ). SIBLINGS:   king consort joss baratheon ( older brother, deceased ), lord william baratheon ( older brother ), ser utp baratheon ( brother ), ceria baratheon ( younger sister ), silvana baratheon ( younger sister ) EXTENDED FAMILY:   house caron ( paternal cousins ), house stark ( related by marriage ), house velaryon ( former in-laws )

SIGNIFICANT OTHER:   lady aryanna stark ( wife ) CHILDREN:   rodrik stark ( son, 4 ), jocelyn and josua stark ( twins, almost 2 )  PET:   two dogs, name tba. 

HISTORY

theon was a handful since the day he learned to walk. he was constantly running around storm’s end and as he grew so did the trouble he got himself into. however, he was also a very happy child, always laughing and smiling, so it was difficult for anyone to stay cross with him for long, not even his tutors when he skipped his lessons once again. he often followed his older brothers around storm’s end, especially joss, who theon has looked up to since he could remember. their parents quickly realized that if joss and theon had their lessons together then theon was more likely to both show up and not sneak out early. therefore, the two brothers spent a lot of time together growing up.

the one lesson theon never skipped was his sword fighting lessons with the master-at-arms. he excelled with a blade, easily besting knights older and more trained than him. he started competing in tournaments as soon as he was old enough. many thought he would be sent to squire with one of house baratheon’s bannermen, but with one of his brothers already pursuing the knightly path, lord baratheon looked for a different path for his third son. 

everyone knew that ormund baratheon’s third son was charming but mischievous and carefree young man, so when news spread that he’d suddenly left storm’s end with no clear destination but to travel, they assumed it was an act of rebellion. theon certainly didn’t correct them. rather, he made certain to get into some trouble, though some was entirely unintentional, and present himself as nothing more than a young lord looking for the next adventure. his pleasant personality and family name helped him be invited to spend time with numerous houses, which was, in truth, the entire point of his travels. for while many disregarded the carefree baratheon son, his father had always viewed theon as the family’s secret weapon: charismatic and quietly clever but underestimated. he might have skipped his lessons but socially he was very perceptive, and quick-witted, and possessed a natural charm. so his father had told him to travel and cultivate friendships that would benefit the baratheons, and that was exactly what theon did. 

it was during these travels that theon ventured north and met the woman who would one day be his wife. marriage had never been of great interest to him, even though his father made it clear that he expected all of his children to find advantageous matches; however, he knew that forging an alliance with the starks would be extremely advantageous for his family and so when discussions about joining their houses began, he didn’t object. he was twenty-six when he married lady aysa stark and a path that previously seemed endless had an end destination. adjusting to the north took some time, but theon had never shied away from a challenge. he embraced the culture of the north the best he could, especially since he knew that one day he’s be the region’s ruling consort, and eventually, he viewed the starks as family and winterfell as a true home, one he was happy to spend the rest of his days living in.

he made frequent visits to king’s landing in order to visit his brother. the moment joss married into house velaryon, theon viewed them as family. never once did he worry about his brother’s safety - until it was too late. even when joss was arrested, theon believed everyone would quickly see it was a mistake. instead his brother was killed and none of the royals he viewed as family spoke in his favor. betrayed and grieving, theon left king’s landing after demanding that the real traitors, the ones on the small council, pay and swore he’d never return. a quiet hatred gradually grew within him toward the velaryons, not enough for him to turn against them but enough that he no longer thought of them as family or even friends. 

theon traveled to storm’s end following his brother’s death and mourned alongside his siblings. however, he didn’t stay for too long, storm’s end carried too many memories, and returned to winterfell still clad in his mourning clothes, which he wore for an entire year. life went on. theon was happy in the north and had no plans to leave, but then the crown demanded their presence, much to his displeasure. but he obeyed. it would be the first time he set foot inside king’s landing since his brother’s murder and this time he brought with him a fury that not even the north’s chill could freeze and where once he would have died fighting for the queen, now he didn’t care whether she kept her throne or not. 

WANTED CONNECTIONS

CLOSEST CONFIDANT  —  theon’s bestie. they would’ve known each other since they were kids so would be from the stormlands or have fostered with a house from the region. theon and this character are cut from a similar cloth, platonic soulmates. there’s no one outside of his family that theon trusts more. would have likely joined theon on his travels and could have stayed in winterfell with him. 

TRAVELING PARTY / FRIEND GROUP  —  when theon left storm’s end and went traveling, he didn’t go along. he brought along a group of close friends ( probably 3 - 4 ), likely people he’s known since childhood. they are all thick as shieves, would do anything for each other, and likely got into a bunch of trouble together while traveling the realm. maybe a few of them even stayed in winterfell with theon; if not, then they definitely keep in touch and visit each other. ideally, i’d love for one to be the good influence/voice of reason of the group and maybe another is a new addition who joined the party after meeting theon during his travels. basically lots of possibilities!

NORTHERN FRIENDS  —  people he befriended after moving to winterfell and helped him adjust to the north. could have known theon beforehand but the friendship really blossomed after his marriage to aysa. 

FORMER FLINGS  —  prior to his betrothal to aysa, theon had fun fooling around. maybe one or two were more serious than others, but for the most part it was simply fun flings.

FIRST LOVE  —  young love, probably the only person theon seriously considered marrying before he met his wife. but for some reason it couldn’t be. maybe they were already promised to another. maybe theon’s feelings weren’t reciprocated. 

BROKEN BETROTHAL(S)  —  papa baratheon was always looking for  advantageous matches for his kids and theon was no exception. could range from an actual formal betrothal to one that never went further than discussions. 

ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ELSE !

[ass-deep-in-demons]

demons’ 31 Days of Dragon Age

Oct 21 - Introduce your Inquisitor

Credit and thanks to @thievinghippo for creating this Dragon Age challenge!

As the second child of Bann Trevelyan of Ostwick, and a (supposed) paragon of knightly virtues, before the Conclave Petyr has led a life of privilege. He used to spend his pre-Inquisiton days training for the Grand Tourney and, well... "jousting", while his older sister, Maryanne, would help their father run the estate, preparing to one day become the head of House Trevelyan.

Petyr attended the Conclave as Maryanne's bodyguard, his only job to keep her safe and look pretty, while she was to negotiate tolls, naval concessions and new regulations for the Oatwick Circle. Thank the Maker for the clever, responsible Maryanne. Whatever would Petyr do without her? Would be a shame if... something. happened to her... at the Conclave... 🫣

🗡 Petyr loves fast horses and well-made armaments. He is definitely a gym bro.

🗡 Petyr romanced Cassandra. They bonded over their grief after losing their siblings, their love of fighting and also their (mostly) compatibile political views.

🗡 After the Conclave, when he was thrust, unprepared and still grieving, into the political game of the faithful nations of Thedas, he quickly realized that he'd been lied to by the Chantry about many things for most of his life. As the events of Inquisition unfurled, his views became more and more progressive.

🗡 He instantly vibed with Dorian, and under Dorian's influence he chose to go to Redcliffe first (despite having been a Templar fanboy for most of his life, but, well, he's had to re-evaluate most of his views after Val Royaux). He conscripted the mages hoping he could keep everyone safe and appeased this way.

🗡 He managed to force Celene, Briala and Gaspard to find a compromise after Florianne's ball.

🗡 He has left Loghain in the Fade to face the Nightmare Demon, allowing the Hero of River Dane to repent for his crimes against the Wardens.

🗡 He supported the Wardens' plans to rebuild the Order.

🗡 He put (softened) Leliana on the Sunburst Throne.

🗡 He did not drink from the Well of Sorrows.

🗡 While he was never great friends with Solas, they respected each other. He wants to try to (reluctantly) reason with Solas and turn him from his path.

🗡 Petyr's hair, while originally blonde, went white from using the Anchor too much.

🗡 At the time of the Veilguard Petyr is helping Cassandra rebuild the Order of Seekers.

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

Dead-ends and Surprise Visits

by FanficAndFanficAccessories A meeting has been called and Danny knows Clockwork is just giving him the silent treatment. At least the other members of his council will help bring him easy. Tim is hitting so many deadends he might go crazy Words: 2472, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 3 of GalacticPhantom Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Other Characters: Danny Fenton, Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Frostbite (Danny Phantom), Dorathea "Dora" (Danny Phantom), Pandora (Danny Phantom), Ghost Writer (Danny Phantom), Tim Drake (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Harleen Quinzel, Duke Thomas Additional Tags: Youtube AU, danny is a shit poster, danny phantom - Freeform, danny is tims fav tuber time thought it was all fake, wes id cursed, cassandra ass bitch, DP X DC, Dp/Dc, Ghost Council, Knightly wes, Clockwork acting innocent, he aint been innocent a day in his mfing life via https://ift.tt/URAVxSj

[catharsy-archived]

AN ASSORTMENT - HEADCANONS: REGENCY AU.

percy (subject to change with other cassandras) a polymath, scientist and inventor who is currently making his way up the social ladder as he accompanies his sister, also known as one of the debutantes: cassandra. he’s a bit of an eccentric man, showing no particular interest in the going ons of the ton apart from his sister’s experiences. his head is commonly buried in a book or his latest thesis for the improvements of firearms... however, would he be able to resist the thrall of love and scandal in the ton- and what happens when catastrophe distracts him from who he truly desires? 

cassandra (subject to change with other percys) the ton is curiously intrigued by all of the debutantes of this social season- and cassandra johanna klossowski de rolo is no exception. she claims to hail from the quiet and meek kingdom of whitestone, in poland- and her personality seems to match. but what she lacks in loquatiousness, she makes up for her quick wit, down-to-earth nature and her empathy.

scanlan a travelling bard who sings fantastical tales and tells heartwarming stories. although he may be a working-class citizen, he’s wooed many of the ton with his magnificent voice and louder-than-life nature- and now enjoys playing for occasional balls and gatherings. scanlan shorthalt is a charismatic entertainer with a long list of stories: those he has made in his head and those he has lived through. if one listens to his tales closely, one may notice scathing similarities between reality and his poetry...

not many know the truth of who he is: he was a simple man who’d wooed a beautiful noble woman with his words and song alone- but because he was unable to dedicate his life to her, he shamefully left her to raise his daughter along.

beauregard there are families of aristocrats appearing left and right, and the lionetts are no exception. our person of interest is the lionetts only daughter- the future heiress to the family’s exceptional winemaking business. officially, she is known as lady lionett, the less-than-enthusiastic debutante who is known for her awkwardly standoffish nature and her reluctance to interact...

on the other side of the coin, nobles and commonfolk alike have taken note of a dashing deb’s delight named beauregard. the true epitome of a gentleman: beauregard is charming, well-read and a great fighter, to boot- and he seems to have sparked interest for many current debutantes- who eagerly chat about his noble status... or lack of.

astrid (subject to change with other eadwulfs and calebs) one of two bodyguards for trent ikithon- a royal scholar well known for his research. not much is known about this lovely lady, but her polite and knightly nature endears her to many who know of ikithon.

[carewyncromwell]

🖊 for Jackson and Erik? <3

🖊 Jackson Knightly

The first time Jackson used magic in front of his Muggle father John Eglinton -- and the incident that prompted his mother Cassandra to tell both Jackson and John about his budding magic as well as her own -- was when Jackson fell out of an apple tree and then managed to levitate himself back down to the ground to protect himself from injury. That tree had been not far from the Eglinton home and had actually been Jackson's "special tree" when he was a kid: a place he went to when he wanted to be by himself, primarily to read and daydream. He picked it because of how beautiful the apple blossoms were in the summer, though he also liked being able to snag an apple or two to eat while he was reading in the fall. By the time Jackson returned to the UK after his father had kidnapped him and spirited him away to New York, that tree had sadly been cut down. Upon Cassandra explaining Jackson's melancholy to her father Everard, however, the elderly gentleman decided to plant a small apple tree at the Knightly estate as a "going off to school" present for his grandson, so that it'd be all covered in blossoms by the time he returned home for the summer holidays. Jackson was understandably incredibly touched, and the two caring for the tree together over the course of the next few years really cemented the affectionate relationship between grandfather and grandson.

🖊 Erik Apollo

Erik is a huge Star Wars fan, and trust me, he has strong opinions about it. His favorite character hands-down is Leia Organa (she was also one of his first fictional crushes), but his least favorite character -- introduced in the Star Wars prequels that Erik actually begged Carewyn to take him to see -- is Jar Jar Binks. Erik ranted angrily to Carewyn after seeing the film for almost a half hour just about how irritating and pointless of a character he was and how there had been no reason whatsoever to keep him in the story once he took Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn to the Gungan City. The uncomfortable racial elements of his portrayal, which he got more once he was older, makes Erik loathe the character all the more. As an adult, he takes cynical enjoyment in the theory that Jar Jar was the real Sith Lord all the way along, though he only indulges it in mockingly -- "I guess it's true in all universes: evil, murder, straight-up fascism -- meh, we can overlook that, if it's dressed well...but being clingy, obnoxious, and annoying beyond reason? Unforgivable."

Send me a "🖊+an OC" and I will talk about that OC!

[thereinafter]

[letter for Femslashex 2022]

Thanks for considering making something for me! Feel free to mix and match my prompt ideas or take inspiration from something else on my art/fic likes list if you want: https://thereinafter.tumblr.com/exchange-likes. I’m flexible and happy with any rating of thing you’re inclined to make for these requests.

Dragon Age

Leliana/Cassandra: I’m perpetually fascinated with their history together before DAI and how they might have started working together/learned each other’s capabilities. Or, could they have run into each other at some point in Val Royeaux while Leliana was working for Marjolaine? Or, I’m always here for them finding moments of solace or fun or escape together during the timeline of DAI, or mutually pining while being highly competent and busy with serious things. (For art, also always here for leaning into the left hand/right hand or bard/knight aspects of them.)

Cassandra/Inquisitor: Whichever Inquisitor you care to write/draw, I am always into them finding their way into love with each other, ways to be together, mutual discoveries. Whether that’s awkward flirting or dramatic saving each other from deadly peril or having cute slice of life experiences together or more sexy discoveries or literally anything on my likes list, it is good. (for art, similarly, I will never say no to Cassandra doing knightly things or receiving romantic gestures.)

Leliana/Cassandra/Josephine, Leliana/Cassandra/Vivienne, Leliana/Cassandra/Inquisitor: A lot of what I said above could also work here: Josie also has a past with Leliana at least, it’s possible Vivienne could have met them both, and the Inquisitor could fall for them together. Or this is also making me think about scenarios where two team up to comfort or rescue the other and there are feelings (huddling for warmth after Haven? sandstorm in the desert? someone gets captured or lost? someone out of her depth in Val Royeaux society? Cassandra dealing with her family? the Inquisitor losing her hand? or someone just having a bad day and the other two improving it).

I'm fine with however you want to picture/characterize the Inquisitor if you include her; also fine with whatever world state and time frame in Thedas you want. Random bonus prompt: I also find the Deep Roads, Adamant, the Fade, Nevarra, Serault, and the abandoned chateaux in the Emerald Graves particularly interesting, if you feel inspired to stick these pairings/trios into one of those places somehow.

DNW: noncon, hatesex, daddy/mommy kink, pregnancy, setting AUs for fic, permanent death of requested characters

Star Wars (Obi-Wan Kenobi)

I was very fond of Tala and wish there was so much more of her, especially in an f/f context (whether that’s fic, or art, or if you’re inspired to make a vid, that would be cool as well). And if you feel like including NED-B and/or her platonic relationship with Leia somehow, I also loved their interactions.

Reva Sevander/Tala Durith So, they’re both secretly working against the Empire for kind of opposite reasons, and they had some tension in that scene where they meet on the base, and I’d like something exploring that or where they interact more (have they run into each other previously? if Tala doesn’t die in the explosion might she find Reva after Vader stabs her? might their paths cross in the future post-show? might she help Reva turn away from the dark side?)

Tala Durith/OFC Alternatively, I’d like to see Tala get to be happy with someone, whether that’s sometime pre-canon (someone else she helped on the Path? someone from further in her past? someone who left NED-B with her?) or in a fix-it situation where she gets to carry on her resistance work instead of sacrificing herself.

DNW: noncon, hatesex (Reva/Tala angry or emotionally complicated sex is okay, but I like rivals/enemies to also have some kind of mutual respect and appreciation), pregnancy, setting AUs, permanent death of requested characters

Doctor Who (Torchwood)

Suzie Costello/Alex (Moving Target)

Moving Target is a Big Finish audio drama set pre-Torchwood where all of Earth is frozen in time except Suzie and this other woman Alex, who is the random target of a group of alien sport hunters, and Suzie ends up helping her fight them off one at a time for an indefinite period while the world stays frozen and a robot referee taunts them. It can be found here: https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/torchwood-moving-target-1392  I was delighted by how the premise combines a bunch of tropes I’m into (forced circumstantial intimacy, grumpy one/cheerful one, bodyguarding, weird timey-wimey shit, postapocalyptic-ish survival), and it had Suzie trying to be a hero for a while, and this all had me shipping them, up until the ending, at which I was very “nooo!”

Therefore, I would love some fic where they get together (at some point during this or instead of the canon ending?) and either things get resolved another way, or it’s suggested they might find another way out.

DNW: noncon, hatesex, setting AUs, permanent death of requested characters

Original Work

Village Witch/Neighboring Village Witch She’s Heard Talk About for Years Unlucky Knight/Oracle Who Dispenses Quests Retired Bodyguard Carrying a Torch/Lady She Once Served in Trouble Virginal Queen/Loyal Guardswoman who has long longed to make love to her Repressed Queen/Pining Knight/Sympathetic Arranged Bride Artist/Longtime Collaborator/Rakish New Patroness Absent-Minded Curator/Museum Ghost with a Crush Water Witch/Woman Who Enjoys Baths Spirit in a Bottle/Woman Who Releases Her Fairy Queen Undercover in Real World/Her Human Bodyguard

I’m interested in however you want to interpret any of these as fic or art. Also, while most of them could obviously be fantasy, SF or modern/urban fantasy or historical settings would be interesting as well.

DNW: noncon, hatesex, underage sex, pregnancy of requested characters, daddy/mommy kink, incest, permanent death of requested characters aside from the ghost

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Dead-ends and Surprise Visits

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wimQY2y by FanficAndFanficAccessories A meeting has been called and Danny knows Clockwork is just giving him the silent treatment. At least the other members of his council will help bring him easy. Tim is hitting so many deadends he might go crazy Words: 2472, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 3 of GalacticPhantom Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Other Characters: Danny Fenton, Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Frostbite (Danny Phantom), Dorathea "Dora" (Danny Phantom), Pandora (Danny Phantom), Ghost Writer (Danny Phantom), Tim Drake (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Harleen Quinzel, Duke Thomas Additional Tags: Youtube AU, danny is a shit poster, danny phantom - Freeform, danny is tims fav tuber time thought it was all fake, wes id cursed, cassandra ass bitch, DP X DC, Dp/Dc, Ghost Council, Knightly wes, Clockwork acting innocent, he aint been innocent a day in his mfing life read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wimQY2y

[bestworstcase]

cassunzel?

this thing

my reading of cassandra in s1-s2 tilts hard towards her having a crush on rapunzel that kind of decays over time into this painful servile devotion and then shatters in the shell house, and i’m. let’s just say not particularly fond of requited cassunzel as anything but an AU, and even then i am picky because i feel like a lot of AU cassunzel fics recreate the exact interpersonal dynamic that puts me off cassunzel in canon except it’s explicitly being framed as romantic now and. no thank you.

(i used to be more ambivalent about requited cassunzel but frankly the way cass is written and read in heavily cassunzel circles lately has soured me hard on the ship in general. it’s very knightly devotion and self-sacrifice turned up to eleven because folks are deep into the princess/knight dynamic, and cassandra being all dour and emotionally constipated so that rapunzel can crack through her walls and fix help her, and generally glossing over the pain and anger cassandra expresses in s3 as a direct result of those two dynamics because it gets waved away as just, like, things zhan tiri planted in her head or like a façade for cassandra actually pining for rapunzel but shoving her away because blah blah abandonment issues. i cannot emphasize enough how much i loathe this.)

i wrote a post a while back breaking down the toxicity i see in the friendship between cassandra and rapunzel, which can be summed up as ‘cassandra repeatedly and consistently states her boundaries or feelings, and rapunzel repeatedly and consistently runs roughshod over them and never apologizes, and because rapunzel has so much social and political power over cassandra, cass has no recourse and no way to get rapunzel to stop doing this other than by blowing up and leaving the relationship altogether.’ THEN, in s3, after she takes the moonstone and forcibly removes herself from this relationship, cassandra is narratively stripped of agency - her villain arc is, from beginning to end, cassandra being moved across the playing board by zhan tiri - whose ultimate function in the narrative is to erase rapunzel’s culpability in destroying her relationship with cassandra, to shoulder the blame for cassandra’s violent breakdown, and to facilitate a redemption without rapunzel needing to learn anything by being so awful that the status quo established in s2 looks better by comparison.

like, s3 ends with cassandra brokenly sobbing and pleading for forgiveness from the same friend who literally maimed her and then blamed her for it, and prior to that treated her so poorly that cassandra ended up apologizing for being upset about it. and the most rapunzel apologizes for is being an obnoxious “flower child” cass had to babysit in the early days of their relationship. gbfjdbfk like ?? god.

and of course there’s no problem with like - if a post-series fic wants to examine that and treat cassandra’s problems seriously and fairly, and explore rapunzel realizing her mistakes and growing as a person and recovering from the trauma that led her to act that way, and over the course of that they fall in love? i have no problem with that. (that seems to be the trajectory this fic is following, and i am enjoying it immensely. likewise @erazonpo3’s CTA au, which is tonally quite different but dealing with similar themes of healing / growth / eventual reunion and rebuilding.) and i also have no problem with cassunzel aus like untangled or burn a broken effigy that either set up circumstances where cassunzel happens without the fucked up power imbalance and toxicity or where the fucked up power imbalance and toxicity are seen and tackled by the characters and rapunzel gets the character growth she was denied in TTS itself. but… like. i feel like it is way way way harder than it should be to find this kind of cassunzel content versus cassunzel content where cass barely seems to exist outside of being rapunzel’s slavishly devoted protector and moody fixer upper and that has burnt me out hard on the ship in general.

[blarrghe]

ooo could you do “Can we make cake? I like cake.”

@midnightprelude also sent me this prompt, approximately a year ago now lol, and I've been dwelling on it for sooo long. Anyway I just woke up and decided to fill this very cute prompt with some Lavellan Fam and I think there’s a sequel brewing. ft. @serphena ‘s Theo and Kiara! -- Taren used to be good with kids. He used to spend his weekend mornings teaching the children of the clan traditional dances, he used to light up holiday nights with bursts of magic whisps that made them ooh and ahh, he used to tell the littlest ones, the scared ones whose parents were away, or just gone, the same old stories that had been told to him, when he'd needed them. In his heart of hearts, he always wanted kids. A family. A home. He never really talked about that. He still never really talks about that.

There are five kids at Skyhold. Five is nothing compared to the number of scampering, laughing, rambunctious children he used to sometimes be put in charge of supervising as a First, back when Keeper Deshanna thought he’d needed practice at responsible. He isn’t in charge of supervising any of the children in the fortress. He’s had more than enough practice at responsible. But they’re well taken care of, the children of this strange new clan. The baker’s daughter has her mother still, the merchant’s three children come and go, and Kiara... Kiara is just like her father, independent. And when she isn’t being independent, she’s stuck to the legs of Theo, and when Theo is away, Cassandra. He tries not to be offended by the fact that his brother’s daughter doesn’t seem to like him very much. If he were her, he wouldn’t either.

It’s a good thing, really, that there are other people to supervise the children. The Inquisitor has enough on his plate without having to worry about things like mediating fights over building blocks or soothing nightmares, and in this chaotic world with it’s green, gaping sky filled with literal demons, there have been a lot of nightmares. Now, he is the story parents tell their children when the bad dreams come at night: the Inquisitor will fix it. He has a magic hand and he’ll heal the whole sky, patch it right up.

He tries not to hear the stories, but his brother’s daughter looks at him like he’s one part mythic hero, one part imminent threat to everything she has ever loved.

She’s no stranger to danger, even though she’s barely five. Theo told him about how they used to live, running from place to place, threat to threat. Even with the gaping green hole in the sky, this is better. Skyhold feels safe. Sometimes, Skyhold feels like the only safe place in the world.

Which is why she doesn’t like Taren very much. Because every so often, when the gaping green hole is being particularly nasty, spitting out its demons and smaller tears of awful and green into the world, Taren sends her papa away. Really, Theo volunteers to go. Taren never asked for his help, he just showed up and offered it. He’s always been the kind of person who could never just stand by, they have that in common. And by the looks of things so will Kiara, one day, but right now she just misses her papa, and worries about the demons she knows are out there, and looks at Taren like he’s responsible.

And he can’t blame her. He is.

Which makes being put in charge of supervising her while both Cassandra and Theo are away exceedingly difficult. He volunteered to do it, of course. Promised Theo it would be fine, fun, even. Reminded him of how good he has always been with kids, told him he’d be grateful for the opportunity to get to know his little niece. And now she’s huffing at his every suggestion, and running away from him when he offers her dinner at the end of the long days, and hiding in her room with a doll Krem made her while refusing bedtime stories at night. Krem, who is a great, scary mercenary from a band of great, scary mercenaries, who lives in the tavern making lewd jokes and telling gory stories with Bull, is better loved by Skyhold’s children, by his own brother’s child, than he is.

Of course, he understands it. If he was a child, he’d like Krem better too. Krem makes little nug dolls with wings on them, and it’s hard to compete with that.

Still, it’s not just a jealousy thing. It’s not just a want of family or a desire to see enthusiastic appreciation for his skills at story-telling and whisp-making again. It’s not even just that he’s missed so much of his brother’s life, that he found out about Kiara when she was already four years old, and that Theo’s story about that life they had on the run sank into his heart cold. Those are all good reasons to feel a sense of determination about this, to want to prove that he is a fun, funny, warm and welcoming uncle. To want to be there for her even when her papa can’t be. To want to be considered as family. But it’s more than just love, he’ll love his brother’s child even if she does nothing but throw tantrums and slam doors the entire time Theo is away. What he really wants, selfishly, is a break.

He still knows how to make colourful whisps, but it’s been years since anyone’s needed his magic to do anything other than hurt. He still knows all the old stories, but it’s been years since anyone wanted to talk about Elvhenan as anything other than a puzzle to solve. He still knows the traditional dances, but the only dancing he’s done in years took him in stiff steps over marble floors, analyzing the threats hidden behind glittering masks, until finally, at the end of the night, someone tried to kill him. He’s just tired. He just wants to have some fun. 

So he decides, after four days of enduring a five-year-old’s brooding, that today they will have fun, whether Kiara wants to or not. They clearly both need it.

“Hey Kiara Kiddo,” he calls out to her where she’s picking dandelions from the courtyard green. She looks up at him with a sour expression, but she doesn’t get up or abandon the chain of flowers she’s connecting, which is a promising start. He sits next to her on the grass.

“Why do you always call me Kiara Kiddo?” she asks, stubborn, huffy, eyes narrowing to a squint. She doesn’t have Theo’s distinctive eye colours -- one blue, one green -- hers come from someone neither of them have ever met, and they’re deep and endlessly brown, but they squint just like her father’s. Taren leans back in the grass, and squints back at her.

“Because you’re a kiddo,” he says, “and it starts with the same letter.”

“I’m not a kiddo!” she huffs, “I’m a knight! Like Cassandra!”

Taren stifles a chuckle. Yesterday, she proved her skill with a practice sword by hitting him with it when he tried to tell her it was bedtime, which wasn’t very knightly, but her sword skills are rather good for a five year old, and now he has a bruise on his knee.

“Ok,” he says, “I’m sorry, Knight Kiara. That starts with the same letter too.”

Kiara considers this for a moment. “No it doesn’t.” she determines, “Knight starts with ‘nnnn’.”

“There’s a ‘K’ there first, you just don’t say it aloud.” Taren explains, “do you want help with your crown, Knight Kiara?”

“No.” she says, as she returns her attention to the linkage of yellow flowers, “why are there so many letters you don’t say?”

“What do you mean?”

“Laugh has a ‘guh’ at the end you don’t say, and know has a ‘K’ before the ‘nnn’ too.” she says, squinting down at her chain, “and Uncle Dori says that lots of big words sound smaller once you learn them.” Dorian is teaching Kiara to read. Dorian, who is probably the last person anyone would ever expect to even go near a child, never mind being the one to tell one stories, has earned himself a nickname and several flower crowns. Taren is head-over-heels in love with Dorian, though neither of them has said as much, and seeing him with a flower crown on his head about stopped his heart, the first time. But that doesn’t keep the jealousy from rising in his throat right now, when Dorian gets to be “Uncle” and he’s still spending his days feeling like he’s more title than person. More title than person to everyone, not just to Kiara, but not getting to be anyone’s uncle, that’s where it stings the most.

But if Kiara wants to be a knight, then he can be the all-important Inquisitor.

“He’s right about that,” Taren agrees, “do you want to go find a story about knights? I can help you read it.”

“No.” says Kiara.

“Or you could teach me sword fighting,” he suggests. Kiara simply shakes her head.

Taren is determined. He has an arsenal of kid-friendly activities at the ready to suggest. Colouring and stories and games and imaginative adventures they could go on around Skyhold, since he holds all the keys. She could sit up in his throne or they could visit Leliana’s birds, they could steal Cullen’s chess board or borrow Solas’ paints. He suggests a few of these things, and Kiara continues to say no, and squint at the grass.

Taren sighs. “Well I don’t know, Knight Kiara, what should we do?”

“Nothing.” she says.

Taren frowns. “That doesn’t sound like much fun,” he picks a few dandelions of his own, and fiddles with their stems, “I told your papa that me and you would have lots of fun while he’s gone,” he tries, “what are we going to tell him when he comes back?”

Kiara looks at him, fire in her warm brown eyes. “I don’t want to play with you until papa comes back. I just want papa to come back.”

“I know, kiddo.”

Her frown deepens, her eyes blaze.

“Sorry, knight,” Taren sighs again, “he’ll come back soon.” he promises.

“Why did you make him go?”

“I --” Taren pauses. His defence is not what Kiara wants to hear, not what she needs to hear. She’s already asked that question of him a hundred times, and she knows what his answer is. She asked Theo the same question a hundred times before he left, too, and Theo’s answer was the same. “I miss him too.” he says instead, “I’m worried about him too.”

“Then why don’t you make him come back.” it doesn’t sound anything like a question.

“I can’t,” he says, and it’s an honest answer, then he smiles, “no one can ever make your papa do anything, and no one will be able to stop him coming back to you.” that’s true too, mostly. Kiara is silent, she picks at the petals of one of her flowers.

“Do you want to see where he went?” Taren offers. She’s seen the maps before, Theo outlined the whole route and showed her the maps he’d be taking with him, and she’s gone over all the place names so many times that now she can recite them from memory, but sometimes it helps. “We can go look at the big map in the war room,” Taren offers, knowing she’s always been curious about what goes on in there, “or we can climb to the tallest tower of the castle and look out, if we face the right way and look really hard, we might see their fires.” That’s less true. Some scout fires can be seen from Skyhold’s peaks at night, but none of those are where Theo is. 

Kiara considers, then she shakes her head.

“We could write him a letter,” Taren offers next, “and take it to Leliana’s birds.” That helps too. He knew it would, so he suggested it to Dorian, and now they do that almost every day. Kiara gives him a startled look, like she’s surprised that he knows about the power of writing an absent parent letters, but then she shakes her head again.

The stem of one of Kiara’s flowers snaps when she tries to tie it, and she drops the whole thing with a disappointed groan. Taren picks it up. “Here,” he says, delicately taking the thing from the ground and waving a hand over its broken end until the stem grows out. He magics them together, pulls on the fade until it the stem is long and sturdy and then gives it reinforcing vines of magically grown plant matter to bind it, tying the whole thing together, “all better, see?” It’s an easy thing to do, sprouting a bit of green. Easier than calling on the spirits of the dead to fight after they fall, or summoning a rift he still doesn’t really understand to isolate his enemies, much easier than flinging bolts of electricity or even putting up a barrier. Kiara’s eyes go wide while she watches him.

“Do you have green magic because of your green hand?” she asks, for the moment more curious than she is upset with him, which is something.

“No,” he answers, “well I do, but not that kind of green magic. That’s a trick our Keeper taught me, when me and your papa were both young.”

“Papa can’t do magic.” Kiara frowns, “you have two kinds but all papa has is a bow.”

“Your papa doesn’t need magic,” Taren says, but Kiara looks unconvinced, “we learned together, you know, your papa with his bow while I was learning magic, and every time we fought he’d win.”

“Why did you fight?”

“Just for fun, just for practice. Like you and Cass.” he says, “we used to have fun together all the time, me and your papa.”

Kiara looks at him, her big brown eyes taking in his face, on which he’s projected an honest, if somewhat sad, smile. Then her eyes travel down to the flower chain, to the hand he waved over it and then to the hand he didn’t, that glows green.

“Papa won?“

“Always.” Taren says, “I don’t think even The Iron Bull could beat him.”

Kiara nods seriously.

“Did your papa ever tell you about when he was little?”

Kiara shrugs, “papa didn’t have a mama either, and he didn’t even have a papa, but you took care of him. That’s why I have to listen to you while he’s gone.” she recites, not like she knows it, but like she’s been told. Taren frowns.

“We had each other,” he says, “we had the whole clan, like a big, big family, but...” he pauses. He doesn’t want to make her sadder than she already is, “I didn’t have a mama or a papa either, so we took care of each other.”

“Were you sad?” her eyes travel back down to the ground, and she picks up the crown again, admiring the mended flower stem; it’s seamless. 

“Sometimes,” Taren shrugs, “we both were, sometimes.”

“Did you help papa when he was sad?”

“Of course.”

“How?”

Taren thinks. Stories, games, helping to get them into mischief some days and to keep Theo out of trouble on others.

“Once, we got some cake from a merchant, and ate so much we got sick.” he suggests, “and I did this, and told him stories,” Taren waves his hand, the ordinary one, up into the air, and colourful whisps begin to dance about. Kiara watches a blue one flit around her flower crown, and a corner of her lip almost makes it up to a smile.

“Can we make cake?” she asks, “I like cake.”

“Good idea, Knight Kiara,” Taren smiles, “but I bet to make a cake we’ll need supplies. Are you ready for your first quest?”

Kiara smiles a little more, and nods. “Here,” she says, offering the flower crown she’s just finished out to him, “if I am the knight then you have to be the princess.”

“Got it,” Taren agrees, and places the crown on his head.

[mageglory]

Dragon Age Redemption (of a Plot) Part 2

And here we go with the continuation, folks. I still tag @dalishious since I started this after a rewatch organized by her blog before disappearing in the world of exams. Part 3, the last part, is already done and will arrive for the end of the day. Are we done? Let's go.

-After Josmael heals his wound and accuses Tallis of stabbing him, Tallis does her "I've proven a point by stabbing you" bit and Josmael, who's kind but not going to validate this, says "and this was the best way?" but ultimately follows them because he wants to help his clan.

-Cairn does his "I'm not working with an apostate they are evil" bit but when he says "my job is to lock them up or exterminate them" Josmael points up his hypocrisy (and also points up that tecnically he is NOT an Apostate, he's part of a different religion. He's a First) Cairn obviously ignores him/tells him to shut up, then Tallis goes "well you two will have to keep an eye on the other and follow me them" because she's so neutral and wise /s

-"We hoped the elder of our clan Yeven escaped the Chantry" "nobody escapes the Templars" "The Sarebaas did" brings out the "The Chantry killed him?!?" "No he was being examined" piece and in answer Josmael tells that humans sometimes attack dalish who wander too far away from the clan and torture them (like we see the templars do in da2 and in many other occasions). Cairn takes offence and Josmael answers that "examined" is just torture so he has no right to talk. Tallis points out the Sarebaas involvement and tells Cairn to keep up and Josmael gives Cairn a silent sideye.

-They still have the conversation when Cairn tells Josmael that it's better his loved ones died when he was young "feels less painful this way". Josmael starts answering coldly, but he's immediatey interrupted by Tallis qun wisdom before he can tell anything. Josmael answers, angrily, that love doesn't makes people selfish but it's what matters in the world and to help the casual DA fan to get who's right the conversation mirrors the romancing Warden and Wynne dialogue from Origins, with Tallis saying duty is all that matters and Josmael saying it's better to love and loose that not love at all. But we skip the Cairn x Tallis bit yes? yes. He just say love matters and that they are old. The duo laughs at that and say they are half the age of the dalish elders, and Josmael looks at them and says "I did not meant age. You are old inside".

-We skip the "Templars aren't allowed to marry bit" because WHAT IS SER WEASLEY THEN BIOWARE.

-The gang ambushes Sarebaas in the cave, still busy doing his "magic is unknown even to mages and what is a little blood for a lot of power" bit. That was a bit cliche but cool, a classic villain monologue and I can appreciate the classics.

-The battle starts and I laugh at the special effects used for magic, but basically it goes as in canon there, with Nyree the Reaver defeating Cairn and breaking the philactery. The mask of Fen'Harel activates. Also the scene where Tallis shows Sarebaas his collar and his "never again" stays, because it's cool, but Sarebaas is shown recoil on instinctive fear at it because we are gonna point out that he's the main villain but his hate of the Qun is justified. The bad guys get away and the "good" guys (lmao Josmael is the only good one there) + Nyree are trapped in the cave.

-The new episode opens up with Josmael being the only one to clear the rabble because "responsable" for them being trapped (which is a ridicolous argument but w/) while Cairn interrogates Nyree. When Nyree says that as mercenary she does not talk and Cairn hits her, Nyree laughs and asks Cairn if that's what he does to mages and if so he should put more energy in it because he's pathetic. When Cairn attacks again he's stopped by Tallis that tells him that Nyree is a reaver and it was a trap to make him angrier since she gets more powerful with more pain. And also because I like to think that Nyree like Zevran is a decent person so while she was totally provoking him the dab at the Templars was honest. #MageRights

-Cairn says to Tallis that the philactery is now broken and the two have a fight that deranges in something that can be summed up as "what kind of chantry fool lets our best way to get our Sarebaas back be destroyed" "shutup knife ears" and Nyree laughs at them and say she knows what the Sarebaas is going to do. Tallis pays handsomely Nyree to side with them and shamelessy confess to have stolen from the Keeper wagon. Josmael retorts, in a baffled/horripilates tone, that those money belong to the clan and should br used to help them all and she had no right to it.

-Tallis answers that capturing Sarebaas will help them all and basically ignores all of Josmael rightful anger. Cairn yells at the apostate that he would have totally killed Sarebaas if not for Josmael incompetence.

-Nyree proves that Cairn was basically torturing mages, remembering him from the prison. Josmael, still angry, sides with Nyree but Cairn is unrepentant. Tallis cuts off the discussion and the gang discovers that Sarebaas is going to Sundermount. Josmael rightfull is in anxiety at the idea of the woman he loves being killed for a blood magic sacrifice.

-Josmael looks at them broodingly/angrily in silence while they talk but then sighs and tells them of the shortcut.

-"What you know of this ruins?" "It's an ancient place of power from our people time" and Tallis goes with her "not our, yours". I shake my fist angrily at Bioware dividing elves but let it pass since honestly Tallis they are better without you get off that high horse.

-Lmao I forgot Nyree asks if Sarebaas could destroy qunari and chantry using the mask to call an army of demons. That's kinda of one my Tevinter ocs plan *toasts a drink to my gloriously evil woman*

-Nyree rightfully points out that Sarebaas was hurt and enslaved all his life and wants revenge but instead of saying "he's pissed at the world" she more openly says that the Qun made this. Tallis answers the usual propaganda of the qun piece of Sarebaas needing control and that's the only piece where I allow some Tallis x Cairn and only in a sarcastic sense. Nyree looks at them and tells Tallis she's no better than the Templars, even if she thinks she is and sarcastically adds "you two would make a great couple, killing kids together for their magic"

-They reach the conveniently placed carboard of an inn in the middle of nowhere instead that near abitations of roads. I'm sure they make great buisness.

-They talk while eating and Nyree informs them and us that she's from Nevarra, which explains why she is more open to magic than many others. If you are a casual DA fan don't worry, because Cairn will try to take a dab at the Mortalitasi, calling them "wicked necromancers" and trying to insult Nyree which gives our favourite woman in the group the occasion to shut him up and also briefly talk about the mortalitasi and say "the grip of the Chantry is weaker there".

-Then they talk about the Reavers abilities and at least there everyone is like "wow cool" because yes reavers are great and we should have knightly orders of reavers instead of chevaliers.

-Obbligatory Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena mention (<3) that part stays the same because I hate how Tallis tries to get in Nyree head but Nyree is perfectly capable to shut her up without my help.

-Josmael asks about Tallis mission, Tallis talks about qunari titles and how she was demoted and how she killed an orlesian slaver. Literally the only vaguely bonding part of the gang, if we ignore the Cairn and Tallis romance subplot (and we do, it doesn't exist. He still compliments her but not in a romancey way)

-For clarity Tallis still can/does vaguely flirt with Cairn in this scene but it is the typical spy flirt she does with Hawke too since the start and it is obvious both to Cairn and the audience than theres no romance and it's just part of Tallis personality (and as long as she doesn't stab mages Tallis can do what she wants)

-The "do you have to flirt all the time?" "no but I like it" bit is useful to make Nyree joke about the other two members of the group to Josmael. Because their friendship is amazing and I love them more than Cairn and Tallis.

-Then we got to the fighty part in the inn and both me and Galria Brosca cry of happiness at the existance of such a (Cailain voice) GLORIOUS rubber-made warhammer.