#elves in quarantine

[lidoshka]

Reports

ME: *suddenly remembers I have this au and I haven’t posted anything about it in a while* hey! so have I told you that in Caranthir’s current hospital Morwen is one of the nurses working with him???

feanorian pandemic!au again! this time featuring Caranthir and Morwen!

[skylilac]

i CANNOT do this

[kaldurrr]

if i remember correctly, i hadn’t finished origins when inquisition came out so i was trying to find a world state where alistair and hawke could live, leaving me to go back and recruit loghain just to see what that experience was like only to end up sparing loghain in inquisition and forevermore leaving hawke in the fade

[m4rs-ex3]

so naturally i was up at 1am the other night watching tdp related youtube videos and i figured i'd watch the 2020 comic con panel since it'd been a while and oh my god some of this shit

(also just me talking about how much i love this cast)

"IT IS I, DARK_MAGE_DAD420" i cannot believe that is real

aaravos: "if i want to do a screen call, i must perform a cosmic blood ritual. with a mortar and pestle. AND FLOATING KNIVES" you are fucking kidding me (edit: i realize that pertains to what he did in s2 but still like "cosmic" "ritual" "knives"? cmon)

jason simpson playing the ukulele. that's all.

jack: *talking about how he had a baby in quarantine* eric: i've been doing a lot of gardening... uh i haven't had a baby, but you never know! i mean if it's possible through social distancing aaron: if anybody can make that happen through social distancing it's aaravos you are F U C K I N G KIDDING ME

racquel: some fun things i did- i uhh died my own hair and burned my scalp and i would like to inform you all it's finally healed and we're good to go, i'm ready to do it again! i'm obsessed with the fact that racquel is quite literally claudia irl

the ttm read is awesome. jack came with the Rayla Voice fucking PREPARED oh my god

i don't think i've ever actually talked about the dnd sketch but it is one of my favorite things in the entire world

rayllum in this sketch is amazing particularly callum he is SO down bad like "my character is a mysterious elf assassin with two beautiful blades to match my two beautiful eyes~~ ✨" like hello that's canon idc if it's a sketch that is canon

"my character cannot help but look at her. he locks eyes with rayla's mage" "....there will be time for roleplaying later" HELLO THATS GOLD

viren in this skit is genuinely one of the funniest things i've ever seen. i cannot emphasize enough this is comedy

necromancer ezran. i think about him daily.

s: "i start swinging my sword at, uhh, idk, rayla's mage" r: "WAIT WHAT" c: "uh wait wait i take it back MY SWORDS GLEAM INTO THE LIGHT AS I LEAP TO THE DEFENCE OF THE BEAUTIFUL MAGE!" s: "hey no takebacks!" sibling ass fight i love them

"LIKE WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY DO?"

i rolled a 1 😐

i loot their corpses for blood >:D

"do elves have four toes?" "i always assumed that they would have 6 so they could learn how to count to 20" paula my love

someone get sasha some hamantaschen

i don't need arc 3 actually i just need the beta script including as many guns n roses references as possible

racquel: ok call me crazy, call me crazy... jesse: you're crazy, racquel racquel: THANK YOU FINALLY they are literally just them

"I WILL NOT BE POSTING A SINGLE THING ABOUT ICE, FOR I AM JULIA" (okay but.... venous frigoris anyone?)

paula: ugh, no one likes soren jesse: well no one likes rayla racquel: you two should fight 😈

long hard sigh

bonus: jason: literally no one likes viren so let's move on

"how old is bait?" "sasha, how old do you think bait is?" "3."

"is-is a glow toad kinda like a toad?" "................kind of"

i fucking love sasha have i ever mentioned that i fucking love sasha

"i think that he's 56." "either 3 or 56 only, apparently"

the saga announcement is great i love how everyone's is so excited they don't even know all of their characters are about to be destroyed physically and emotionally

the way aaron says it so fucking funny "is there gonna be a season 4?" "uh so i think it's really important to emphasize: yes-"

"i too want to cry" "just cry, just-" "IT'S A PANDEMIC. NO TEARS. THERE'S NO CRYING IN A PANDEMIC." "...where is this rule coming from?"

and finally there were a handful of moments that i could not do justice by transcribing in a post so here is a masterfully edited compilation i made

[sleepyangelkami]

COLD HANDS e.williams

 ☆ WORD COUNT - 2K

ELLIE WILLIAMS X FEM!READER

 ☆ SUMMARY - a drabble of the wintery christmas' spent with you and your girlfriend, ellie williams, in jackson.

 ☆ WARNINGS - none, pure fluff :) (that felt weird to say) petnames, intended lower case, nothing i write is ever proofread 🩷

"for god sake, angel." ellie tutted as she cupped your hands in hers, ignoring the light tone she used with her almost harsh words. "what have i told you about wearing your gloves?"

you smiled, a ditzy, dumb smile at her as you tilted your head. she rolled her eyes and yet her lips curved up. it was hard not to grin at you when you smiled at her like that. but you couldn't help it either, she was so sweet when she fussed over you, it made your heart melt and your knees almost give out.

it was mid-december and jackson was covered in snow and frost. you adored winter and everything about it. even when it was just rain, no snow, you couldn't help but absolutely adore cuddling up in front of the fire with your lover, making hot coco that you had found on a run and using one of the old dvd players to watch some sappy christmas movie that again you and ellie went scowering for on a run.

you remembered blissfully, the very first one you had found.

it was merely approaching november, but you were a christmas finatic so naturally, you were already humming little christmas jingles that joel had showed you and ellie on the guitar. you dreamed of a normal christmas, without the apocalypse, with a santa clause and elves, with everyone dressed in red and green with little santa hats on their heads. you dreamed of putting up a christmas tree that you had bought, then again, you did adore the pine trees tommy and joel always found for the community of jackson, just as you adored putting it up with ellie in your shared living room.

upon seeing everyone elses christmas trees, you realised you and ellie had sort of failed the task. everyone chose set colours, whether it be red, or silver, maybe even black and gold whereas yours and ellie's tree was covered from head to toe in many different coloured baubles, green, purple, pink, red, yellow, you name it, it was stuck on the tree. along with the beeds and tinsel you had both found together, wrapping it all nicely. and of course, ellie always lifted you to put the star on the tree because she adored your excited giggle just as much as you adored christmas.

while you didn't have a santa clause, you still heard stories of the old saint nicholas from joel miller. sure, you knew he wasn't real in the real world anyway, but the thought of parents struggling to pretend to be a make-believe man in the sky just so they could see the happy smiles on their childrens faces, it was beyond admirable, the thought too made your heart swoon.

ellie never understood your fixation with the big fat man who fell down chimney's, but she always shared stories with you on what her friends used to tell her when she was younger, the older people of the boston quarantine zone would tell her all kinds of folklore and fairytails of the man, so of course she just had to share them with you too.

you were both on patrol, searching the area when you came across an old dvd store, so, of course, you both dived in as fast as you could. you were always one for movies. "careful." ellie muttered, lifting a large branch out of your way so you could enter the run down building. it looked desperate from the outside, as though it was merely remains of what a dvd store used to be. but upon entering, you and ellie both realised that the only damage was to the outside, for the inside was... ethereal, unlike anything you had ever seen before.

it was massive, so large that when you glanced up, you almost felt queasy of how high the building was. your eyes as big as saucers, your mouth hanging open, ellie just had to chuckle at your face. but you paid no mind, turning to grasp her hand. "c'mon, let's look!" tugging her along as she shook her head, still chuckling.

"okay, baby, just calm down." though, she knew you would indefinitely not calm down any time soon, and she didn't really want you to, for that pretty look on your face was enough to make her own heart melt, eyes boring into your face, gazing at you with eyes filled with so much love and acclamation, she truly wished to spend a million more days, a thousand more christmas', she wished to spend the rest of her future with you and she would. one day, she'd ask the question, one day. but you were both still young then, as you were now. so she'd wait, because she knew you would too.

it didn't take long for you both to become engrosed in the dvd's, flicking through as many as you could find. you had a pile, ones in which you would bring home today. of course, the dvd store was beyond huge, you surely wouldn't look through everything within a month, let alone a day. "oh my god!" ellie turned, brows knitted together at your loud yell. "look, ellie, look!" shoving a dvd in her face.

"what is it?" she laughed at you, taking it into her hands so she could push it down, away from her face and gaze at the cover. the title read 'the muppet christmas carol.' you and ellie had watched a number of the muppets, never had you thought there was a christmas version. the cover showed a picture of cermet the frog, another little frog sitting on his shoulder and standing next to them was miss piggy along with gonzo, swinging from a pole, all covered in snow.

she lowered the dvd to see your face, big bright eyes staring up at her. "Isn't it amazing!" you were over the moon. "can we watch it tonight?!"

ellie chuckled once more, hand reaching out to tuck some hair behind your ear, she loved when you were excited, so much so that it made her beyond dumb. "of course we can." she'd just about agree to anything you asked. pressing a chaste kiss to the top of your head, watching as your face heated up in a pink blush. "now c'mon, we need to get back before maria thinks we're doing something else." wriggling her brows. that didn't just make you go pink, you went an insane red colour.

and that very suddenly became you and ellie's 'thing.' you'd constantly be looking for dvd stores on your patrols, always circling back to that one, taking a dig at boxes upon boxes. sure, you were both looking for any kind of dvd, but you knew it had been a good day when you found a christmas dvd. and very suddenly, your supply closet was overflowing with boxes.

however, not all days of december were filled with such joy.

"you need to listen to me more often." the girl stated as she kicked the front door closed, dropping her bags so she could cup your hands again, rubbing her own off yours so she could heat them up with friction.

"you need to listen to me more often." the girl stated as she kicked the front door closed, dropping her bags so she could cup your hands again, rubbing her own off yours so she could heat them up with friction.

"i do listen to you." you claimed and ellie couldn't help but purse her lips for she knew you did listen to her but sometimes that warm and fuzzy feeling inside of you when she told you what to do simply got too much for you to handle and you found yourself listening but not listening. "jus forgot."

a blanket of snow had fallen upon jackson at this time of year, so the cold nipped just a little harder, and the sicknesses bit a little rougher. she knew how prone you were to sicknesses, just as you were to accidents due to you being just so clumsy. she told you this morning to wear gloves and yet you left your gloves, hat and scarf at home, the only thing you actually showed up to the stables with that would help was a long jacket. she kept one enlarged hand over your two small ones, the other coming up to tuck hair behind your ear, thumb tracing the line of your jaw. she loved you but oh, how you'd be the death of her. "you go upstairs and get on some fluffy pijama's okay, i'm gonna light the fire 'n i'll be right up, alright?"

"okay, ellie." big grin on your face as you reached your face up, pressing a kiss to her soft lips. it wasn't a long sensual one, a small peck and yet so much passion was pushed into the little way your lips pressed against her own. her hand smacked your bum on your way causing you to turn and playfully glare, hands coming to cover your behind as you made your way up the stairs, ellie could only laugh.

the girl knew you took downright forever to get ready so she didn't have a care in the world as she found herself placing sticks into the fire, loading it up with coal and so on. by the time she was finished, you still weren't down so she made her way up to the shared bedroom of yours. she could hear you getting dressed in the bathroom, so while you were busy, she too decided to get into comfortable clothes. a grey baggy-ish sweatpants along with a white long tee, sort of tight but loose enough. she rolled her eyes with a smirk when you still were not ready. no matter how many times she told you hurry, you never did, always getting distracted by the little things, whether it be the little droplets of condensation on the mirror, or tying something on your top. your thoughts ran too fast, you'd get distracted, fail at tying it. stop, try again, think too fast, fail, stop, try again and again and again until finally, you yelled ellie's name and asked for her help. but she never got mad at you, on the contrary, she simply smiled and laughed while you stared up at her with big puppy eyes.

you found yourself ready soon after ellie headed back downstairs. you were in, as told, a fluffy pijamas. tommy miller had gifted it to you one chirstmas, it was a grey pijamas with three polar bears sitting on the front of the jumper. you loved the clothing dearly, always slipping it on in december, you loved the feeling of being cozy in the cold. it was one of the many reasons why you'd pick winter over summer over and over again until your last breath.

when you came down from the stairs, you spotted ellie sitting in front of the dvd player, between the now lighting fire and the coffee table in which two mugs of hot coco was sitting upon. you couldn't help the way your face lit up, that massive grin on your face as your eyes began to crinkle. the girl turned around, controller in her hand as she too matched your smile. "took your time." she joked, a soft look etched to her face. "can you grab the blanket, baby?"

you nodded your head, muttering a small 'okay' before making your way towards the couch and picking up the checkered brown and green blanket that reminded you of how close christmas was.

it didn't take long for the movie to start. ellie decided on the muppets christmas carol again, just as she always had, stating it was her favourite. you too loved it, so who were you to deny? ellie wrapped the blanket around her back, sitting up against the lit fire as you sat between her legs, your back to her stomach as her arms enveloped you, wrapping the blanket around you too.

the feeling made you drousy, the room was supposed to be dark, however, the lit fire, the tv playing the movie and the little christmas lights that danced on the trees made it hard not to alluminate the entire room. however, with your head falling on ellie's shoulder from behind, the taste of hot chocolate in your mouth and the feeling of her arms, enveloping you as if you were a baby.

well, you couldn't help the way your eyes began to close, your lips pushed together into a pretty pout as you slowly succumbed to sleep in the embrace of your lover.

main masterlist/ellie's masterlist

[purpledemonlilyposting]

Anyway back to Lily. She has helpfully given me another opportunity to give you a preview of what the Dragon Age stream will be like. Finish Inquisition and make your terrible 3rd video already Lily. I finished it in a month doing only 2 streams a week, including The Descent and Trespasser DLCs (and most of Hakkon, I never beat that dragon tho lol.)

[Lily's Post]

Dragon Age: Origins - Lily you played the City Elf origin. You got extra elf ghetto content. Did you miss the entire main story subplot of Loghain allowing Tevinter slavers to kidnap elves from Denerim's alienage under the guise of quarantining people due to a plague? Were you and your wife too busy talking about pointless bullshit over cutscenes to pay attention? Or did you just spacebar hammer your way through? Did you even finish the game?

Dragon Age 2 - Lily you managed to play almost the entire series without realizing the Templars are an arm of the Chantry. That they're a monastic-like order that people are typically recruited into as children. That the Chantry keeps control of them with the lyrium dust that also fuels their magic cancelling powers and will eventually addle their senses like mercury poisoning.

If you think Tranquility is "brainwashing" then... you REALLY weren't paying attention. Making mages that have passed their Harrowing into a Tranquil is actually against Chantry law. Kirkwall's Circle was doing it illegally because it's one of the worst Circles in one of the most violent cities and their Knight-Commander was going insane under the influence of red lyrium. That's not every Circle in the world. No matter what Anders says.

Speaking of Anders... you did finish the game right? You seem to be completely ignoring what was the inciting incident for the conflict boiling over at the end. Don't make me cheat and peek at your video ahead of time, I like reacting to videos blind.

Dragon Age: Inquisition - What the fuck are you even talking about? If you mean the Exalted March on Halamshiral that happened centuries ago in canon. In fact there's so many elves in Halamshiral its more like the entire city is an alienage and the humans wall themselves off.

Or else you're talking about devout Andrastians like Cassandra poking at a Dalish elf about believing in the Maker? Cause only the Dalish aren't Andrastian you know. Most City Elves are. Skill issue either way, my very fiercely Dalish Inquisitor made friends with her. My Quiz didn't even let her stupid egg boyfriend remove her vallaslin.

You haven't even finished the game yet. Of course that hasn't stopped you from writing your script as you go along. And you're clearly not paying attention to the plot if that's your only take away.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Yeah Lily every single critic and fan is complaining about the sanitization of the world in Veilguard because it was cobbled from a disastrous idea of making an MMO out of the series after they cancelled development of a fourth game twice already. It's a miracle we got fucking anything.

I won't pretend I didn't enjoy having every single one of my lore theories validated. And being surprised by a few lore reveals I didn't even see coming. I still enjoyed seeing cities in the north of Thedas we'd only ever heard of. I was very happy to see the Grand Necropolis. Also Emmrich is best girl, best new character in the entire series, 10/10 no complaints, I love Mr. Rogers Vincent Prince.

Dat combat system is still amazing though. Too bad it came at the expense of the writing this time.

[thesfromhms]

KOTLC INFECTION AU I MADE EARLIER THIS YEAR (i think)

HISTORY/SUMMARY + NOTES:

The infection started with an experiment gone wrong in Kelsers lab. He is the first one to get infected. In hopes to not infect and hurt his family, he ran away into the Wandering Woods. He goes missing for several months. After a bit, someone visited the woods and happened to come by Kelser. But... He wasn't Kelser anymore. He was a hungry and contorted monster. And he's starving... That's how the infection spreads. As said in the canon, most minds break of they commit some form of violence. A lot of elves come and gone just from defending themselves, but some elves (such as The Neverseen, Fitz, and Tam) have a stronger will and are used to violence, hence their minds being harder to shatter. They can fight back easily with their strong minds. The other elves are stronger than the others, and their guilty mind set slower (though, these sorts of elves aren't stronger than the previously mentioned ones). The council, despite the many pleas, are completely silent. They aren't responding or acting out on the situation. This is leading some people to join the Neverseen, just so they can have protection. Though, the Neverseen only take a few people. The Black Swan has been silent as well. No one is answering their imparters. The abilities are useless against the infected, no matter how rare or powerful your ability may be. The infected aren't affected by any ability. Note, Mysterium is currently under quarantine, the only decision the council has made that the public now about. All of the people there are infected. You see, the explosion from the chemicals released into the whole of Mysterium. The virus is technically airborne, but since Mysterium has been under confinement, the virus can only be spread through biting. All of the people in Mysterium are in stage 4, the bubble trapping the gas inside Mysterium is keeping them from rotting. This just makes them more hostile and hungry. Alden and Elwin are assigned to observe and study them, though, they find it hard, considering they cannot come inside without becoming infected or eaten.

Stage one:

—Bloody nose

—Weaker immune system

—Nausea

—Exposed wound not easily fixed with any elixirs or potions

—Shock

—Panic

—Sudden pang of hunger

—Abilities getting weaker

Patient will experience the symptoms the moment they're bitten by an infected one. If they aren't eaten, of course. An infected one usually takes a single bite out of an elf, tearing of their flesh (stage 3-4), but, if you catch them in the early stages, it'll only be a bite mark. They will start getting hungry, despite if they already ate. Normal elvin food should keep them at bay. For now at least

(Duration 1 week)

Stage 2:

—Getting sicker more

—Vomits often

—Snaps a bit easily

—Hunger really starts seeping in.

—Though hungry, they WILL still try to control themselves

—Starts to get a bit more aggressive, but not much

—Paler skin

—Less vibrant eyes

—Panic attacks

—Less energetic

—Wound starts to itch and become more bruised and bloody

—Ability almost useless

In stage 2, noticeable differences can be made. The infected elf will get more and more sickly ad the days go by. You can still approach the elf at this stage, but they'll most likely already be a little violent at this stage. Normal food still tastes the same, but they can't get full.

(Duration: 1 week)

Stage 3:

—More hostile

—More distant towards friends and family

—Can and will bitr your face off

—Almost gray iris, Bloodshot sclera

—Body part where the infected took a bite will start to contort

—Hungry constantly. Starting to crave meat

—Vision starts to blur

—Cannot think straight most of the time

—Ability not workingp

At this stage, their hunger is starting to become stronger. Their starting to become desperate for food. Their sanity is lowering, but they still have enough to distance themsleves from their loved ones. It is recommended to isolate the elf if they are in this stage, as if they're an elf who gets mad easily, they WILL not hesitate to jump at you.

STAGE 4:

—Now very hostile

—Blindness

—Starving

—Will eat itself if not fed

—Wound opens up, revealing bare bone

—Acidic saliva (can infect)

—No sanity, Mind shattered

—Ability gone

—Cannibalism

—Increased stamina and agility

In stage 4, their ability/abilities are completely gone and they will attack literally anyone they see and come in contact in. Their wound starts to open, revealing their bone. These are no longer your loved ones. They're gone. This isn't them anymore. RUN.

A note to telepaths and empaths!!

During stage one, their mind and emotions are a bit haywires. If you probe their mind, it'll be panicked and they'll be craving something to eat a lot. If you sense their emotions, it'll be anxious and shock.

During stage two, their mind starts to get foggy and blurry. Their emotions start to become stronger. If you read their mind, you'll see their cravings start to show. If you sense their emotions, you'll feel the anxiousness and the aggressiveness.

During stage three... You are no longer able to probe their mind. Empaths will become weak within 10 feet of an infected one. They'll become overwhelmed with how much aggression can be sensed. Telepaths are no longer able to read and probe their minds. They're too aggresive. You will die if you approach. If you ARE able to push through the barriers, you'll be overwhelmed. There is nothing to be saved. Get out of their minds

During stage four... Don't. Just don't.

( @imobsessed123 @thishumanformislimiting @multi-fandom-lunatic @siennamakeschaos @innereverblaze @iguessthisismymainnow @kale-of-the-forbidden-cities @myfairkatiecat @ham-cheese-toastie )

[alleyskitchit]

Here’s an updated version of my troll OC Samuel Tempura from Homestuck! He hasn’t changed much since I created him during quarantine, but I really like the design. I also came up with two other designs for his ancestor.

A bit more about Samuel: he’s a paranoid, anxiety-ridden clean freak with mustard blood. He’s a huge fan of science fiction and thinks fantasy elements like wizards and elves are utterly ridiculous! While he craves relationships and friendships, he struggles to form them and is quite the opposite of social. He rarely leaves his hive, only doing so when absolutely necessary. His Lucis is a mole rat, which has taught him that it’s safer underground and that venturing out can be dangerous. As a result, his hive features a secret underground area reminiscent of Invader Zim. Overall, Samuel is a unique character with layers that make him both intriguing and relatable!

[3months2mordor]

On Hobbits and Existential Dread

or Why “The Scouring of the Shire” is the True Climax of The Lord of the Rings

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Or more accurately, there lived a human who had been in hard COVID quarantine for six months and certainly felt like a hobbit, what with all the staying inside and eating second breakfast and trying her best to ignore the world, which seemed in the summer of 2020 to be spiraling towards something unknown. And she, well I, was packing for college. On an impulse that I cannot explain except to say that I had previously binge watched all the movies in my seemingly infinite quaran-time, I packed a large red volume of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings with the intention to read it over the course of the semester.

What began as a simple personal challenge to read a chapter a night instead of doom scrolling on Twitter became a profound experience not only in terms of discovering that my parents were right in saying the book was actually really good, but also in realizing that the Hobbits, in their edenic Shire perched on the edge of a world about to enter catastrophe, were more like me, more like a lot of us, than Aragorn or the Elves or Dwarves or Men who people Middle Earth. And here is why the chapter at the very end of the last book where the Shire is nearly destroyed is so very, very important.

Tolkien takes careful time in his books to establish the attitudes and habits of his hobbits who live in pastoral harmony in near complete isolation from the rest of the world. They are content with what they have and don’t have the greed that drives Dwarves to dig, or the ambition that drives Men to war, or even the worship of nature that drives Elves deep into their forests to protect them. They build their hobbit holes, smoke what is definitely pot, and eat and drink heartily. They care little for news of the outside world and tend their fields instead. That’s it.

But the world does not cease to exist just because they want it to. It never does.

As Gandalf warns in Rivendale, “We are sitting in a fortress. Outside it is growing dark.” (Part 1 Book 2 Chapter 1).

Regardless of how much the hobbits might ignore the coming of the Dark Lord Sauron and the existential threat that is his attempt to control the world, it will not go away. They will not be safe from the darkness just because they want to be and they have a supply of candles in the cupboard. And so, at the start of the story, evil comes to the Shire in the form of the Black Riders and Frodo, our hero, must leave to keep the Shire safe from the forces of darkness. Still Frodo is just a hobbit, albeit a brave one. So he laments to Gandalf, “I wish it need not have happened in my time” and Gandalf replies “So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (Part 1 Book 1 Chapter 2).

I feel this quote more deeply every year. A deep childish wish for things to exist as we expected them to be, but a solemn and more mature knowledge that Gandalf is right. That our time has already been given to us. All that we have left is what we do to make that time matter.

But back to Frodo, who takes a good seventeen years to heed this advice, but eventually sets off on an adventure to save the Shire which, spoiler alert, ultimately saves the world. Along the way people despair and seem to lose hope. Theoden, recovering from a spell that robbed him of agency and clearsightedness, cries “Alas! That these evil days should be mine, and should come in my old age instead of that peace which I have earned” (Part 2 Book 3 Chapter 6). Even Sam, in his darkest hour thinking he has lost Frodo for good, groans “I wish I wasn’t the last. I wish old Gandalf was here, or somebody. What am I left all alone to make up my mind? I’m sure to go wrong” (Part 2 Book 4 Chapter 10).

Yet despite it all the One Ring is destroyed and the King returns and good wins. Everything is set right and our heroes get a chance to rebuild the world rather than watch it crumble. They get to go home.

Now this is a fine story and one I desperately needed amongst all of the *everything* going on in 2020. However it is not the ending that stuck with me. For you see once Frodo and his companions return home, the Shire is not the same place they left it.

The Shire, in their year long absence, has descended into a despotic police state run by a wealthy, privileged hobbit who stays in his hole rather than try to help his people as Men, who tower over the hobbits, and are specifically and on multiple occasions called bullies, abuse their power. They use their strength to take food and (let’s face it) weed from the hobbits, desecrate their land with deforestation and pollution, and create a state of fear and paranoia that anyone could be taken at any moment to prison without trial after only a mere whiff of seditious behavior. The world has come to the hobbits and they are so paralyzed with fear that they are unable to do anything other than sit in their hobbit holes and keep their heads down, hoping that they and their families will make it through.

Now, Frodo and his companions, having seen the change that can be wrought from people who stand up to bullies and fight to make a difference, see the state of their home and immediately understand the despair their friends and neighbors have fallen into because they too have felt it. These are the hobbits who faced thousands of orcs and rode in battle and walked to Mount Doom with only each other to lean on and they know how deeply despair of impossible odds can affect someone. But they have also learned that that despair is not inevitable. They saw the Ents on their last march when Treebeard said it was “likely enough that we are going to our doom… But if we stayed at home and did nothing the doom would find us anyway, sooner or later. That thought has been long growing in our hearts; and that is why we are marching now” (Part 2 Book 3 Chapter 4). They saw the Rohirrim ride to battle against impossible odds because it was the right thing to do. They saw even the most pitiful Gollum play his part in saving the world. And they saw the Eagles fly in to help carry the day.

There’s always hope if there’s something worth fighting for.

And so, back in the Shire which was not the Shire they knew but still the one they love, the four heroic hobbits do what had once seemed impossible: they get the hobbits, in their apathy and terror and existential despair, to stand up and fight. And it’s hard, and people die, and it gets worse before it gets better, but in the end the bullies are run off and the hobbits are victorious and they begin to rebuild, not just their homes but their forests and their relationships with each other too.

The hobbits, and me really, wanted to curl up in their holes and hope the world would go away. And sometimes, God, that seems like it’s the only thing you can do when darkness is spreading far on the horizon and it keeps creeping closer but isn’t here yet. But Sauron is not the scariest thing in this book. Tolkien’s real villain was the fear and despair that can paralyze you to stay in your hole until the Shire is burning around you. Yet even the most comfortable and secure hobbits have to stand up and face the world because if we don't, no one else will.

There is a reason Frodo is able to see the mission to the end. And it’s not that he’s exceptional in the way other heroes are. No. In fact it is because he is unexceptional and unambitious and also uncompromising that the deed is able to be done. He, like the hobbits he helps at the end of the series, has to get up and work to fight the evil that hurts people every day. And Frodo doesn’t save the hobbits of the Shire; they save themselves. Then they rebuild. They grow things again, not better, not the same, but they have to go on living. And, I don’t know, I needed to realize that.

We aren’t Aragorn with a throne and a legendary sword and a destiny to be king, we aren’t the Elves with their centuries of knowledge and skills, we aren’t the Dwarves with their mountain holds to hide in. Heck, we’re not even Frodo, or at least I’m not. There’s no way I could handle a walk that long. We’re the hobbits. We see the existential wave of dread and terror that is coming and our instinct to hide from it, to hold it off as long as we can and then silently accept it when it comes. Because what can one little halfling do against a thing like that?

But even the hobbits of the Shire stand up eventually. Even hobbits can take that dread for a bleak future and turn around and create new life. There’s a reason why the symbol of the Shire returning to peace and throwing off the yolk of oppression is a tree. The bullies cut down Bilbo’s old one and it can’t come back. But Sam plants a new one anyway and hopes it will grow.

I’m reading the Lord of the Rings again before this election as I did last time. But this time I’m not alone. I’m reading it with friends. I marked passages like the ones above that made me think but also ones that made me laugh because there is joy in amongst the shadows and if we cannot find those moments it’s hard to keep looking for the light. In rewatching The Two Towers film the other day I was struck, as I usually am, by Sam’s speech at the end of the movie, based on one he gives in “The Stairs of Cirith Ungol.” I think it bears quoting in full.

Sam: It’s all wrong By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

Hobbits are remarkable people, Tolkien says, and I hope we are too. I hope we can get through this by raising up our own Shires full of hobbit warriors to face the world and not lie down and give up. Because if everyone did that there would still be a One Ring and Sauron would rule forever.

But we have to save the Shire. It’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. We have to believe that. I have to. I will do my part to make sure it does, but first I have to believe it’s possible. We have to take that existential terror and turn it into righteous fury because we have seen what a shadow can do and we cannot let it spread again. We have been there. But we will not go back again.

[toskarin]

So elves are angels?

if you're going off my description, which I largely lifted from tolkien, the answer is "not especially"

tolkien style elves are beholden to the concepts of fate and prophecy, but that's not a trait unique to them. they're just kind of especially fateful guys

as a fair warning, you've triggered a fantasy infodump here and I've quarantined it below the readmore

this is all going off of like... loose memories of a time where I was more fresh off of reading tolkien when I was younger, so I'm abridging a lot here. don't cite me to anyone or you'll probably be wrong. also how literally this is intended to be understood depends on whether you take the elves' word for how the elves came into being.

which you might.

men* and elves are the children of ilúvatar, more properly eru ilúvatar, who you can here understand as the closest thing in the legendarium to the christian god

*: understood to mean humans, including hobbits for the sake of this explanation, although that's left a bit vague because hobbits are thematically the most normal guys possible. they don't even feel much of a drive to give themselves a creation myth

elves were given immortality, ethereal beauty, really good memory, and incredible talents for creation. they were the first type of incarnate, from the time when the stars were coming into being

men didn't come around for a while after that. men are mortal, but will inherit the earth and can break away from prophecy and fate, specifically as it pertains to the music of the ainur, which is kind of hard to summarise without just saying "it's the scheme of how things unfold that was laid out from the moment everything was created, destiny itself"

to skip over a bunch of more complicated details, this means that elves are a union of body and soul, like men. they're intimately bound to the workings of the world, but most things that aren't men are also bound to it, and being bound to it doesn't necessarily mean you're aligned with it

there are entities that directly serve the god figure on a few different tiers. the god figure's first spirit creations were ainur*, and then the ainur who descended into the song of creation became lower forms of divinity called the valar and maiar, with the maiar being the lower-ranked spirits that assisted the valar

*: same ones mentioned in the context of the song of the ainur, since they wove the world more or less as proxies for ilúvatar

the valar take the roles of sort-of-proxy gods, while the maiar work to assist them and occasionally incarnate into mortal form when something needs REALLY fine tuning. the valar and maiar are much closer to what you're looking for, as far as angels go! (assuming I understood the question correctly of course, which I might not have lmao)

elves and men are two different kinds of incarnate, with dwarves being a third. in some way, they all contain echoes of divinity, and while some are more beholden to the framework of its designs than others, everything in tolkien's writing is echoing out from divinity, carrying divinity within itself

[lasatfat]

Artifacts of Thedas: A plaque denoting the Hero of Ferelden’s birthplace (Eireann Surana & Zevran) ~@lordgoretash

artefacts of Thedas | @dadrunkwriting | @lordgoretash

I don't have a title for this one yet. Help me out!

When she was crowned Queen of Ferelden, one of Anora Mac Tir’s many promises was to rebuild the city of Denerim, with new techniques and sturdier materials. So much of it needed to be rebuilt anyway, and it made sense to do so in ways that would have the city last for centuries to come. The city’s elves assumed that they would be left to their own devices – the crown has showed little care for them in the past. How strange it was, then, for human construction crews to arrive in their alienage. The sewers were properly covered, and cast iron water pumps were installed in the square. Many of the old, ramshackle houses were deemed unsafe for habitation, and pulled down one by one to be replaced by apartments with sturdy foundations and fire-resistant materials.

One little hovel remains. Zevran has been here before, and so has the woman beside him. She’d been carrying the little girl then, too, but in her womb, rather than in her arms. There’s a plinth to the left of the door now, built of stacked stones and mortar, and bearing a bronze plaque.

This plaque was erected to mark the birthplace of EIREANN SURANA Hero of Ferelden Vanquisher of the Archdemon Urthemiel Born on the seventh of Harvestmere, 9:12 Dragon

“I didn’t know I was born here,” Eireann says, absently.

Zevran frowns. “Is that so?”

“I should have,” she continues. “I should have, I don’t know…worked it out.”

It does seem an obvious assumption, but obvious assumptions are often wrong. He would say so, but Eireann isn’t finished. “No, no, I should have known. I should have been able to learn it. Why does the kingdom of Ferelden know more about me than I do?”

Zevran folds his arms, and stares at the offending plaque. No doubt it was placed in good faith, with an intention to honour a truly remarkable woman, but it has also served as a reminder of a childhood lost. Or rather, a childhood stolen. He might be able to relate to that, but he’s not so sure he ever had one to steal.

Little Farah must pick up on her mother’s distress. She lets out a worried little whimper, and hugs Eireann around the neck, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder. She may be the luckiest of them, in more ways than just material.

“To think you, solecito, were born in a castle! Quite the change, no?” As he speaks, Farah lifts her head to look at him. Zevran tickles the babe’s cheek, and she chortles heartily – she might be the cheeriest baby he’s ever met, though admittedly that’s a very small pool. He lays a hand on her mother’s free shoulder, and squeezes firmly. “You must teach her everything you wished to know about yourself. She will know the stories of what you have done, but she must know where you started.”

Eireann kisses her daughter’s head, and smiles at him. “Thanks, Zevran.” She looks over to her mother’s new house, made of stone and mortar, warmer and safer than anywhere her mother may have lived before. “Mamae is making extra leek and potato soup. There will be more than enough for you.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” he replies, and Eireann rolls her eyes.

“Come on. You know she loves you. I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to adopt you yet.”

They both laugh, and Farah giggles too, as if she understands completely. Perhaps she does. Zevran wouldn’t know.

“Alright, potato and leek soup it is,” he agrees, “as long as she hasn’t added any Denerim rabbit.”

Eireann looks scandalised. “Would my mother ever?”

“She did when we were last here!” he argues.

“Oh, you mean when the alienage was quarantined?” Eireann retorts. “I wonder why she had trouble getting to market for ingredients.”

Their playful argument echoes well off the new stone walls and freshly cobbled streets.

[dawnholde-if]

INFO / PLACES OF INTEREST

Sparia (Spare-ee-uh) - Your homeland, a highly traditional kingdom. Ruled by a monarch, with you as the heir to the throne. Magic is expected to be used only in ceremonial settings, and most citizens have never left the island. This is your old home.

Sacred Sea - A sea of legend, the Sacred Sea has perpetually calm waters. Rumor has it that when the waves stir up, disaster is about to befall the neighboring lands.

Solador - Notable locations: Dawnholde Institute for the Arcane. The land is constantly under a solar eclipse for an unknown reason. Very little flora can grow here.

Ormrgrad (Or-mer-grad) - Home to many dragonkin and ruled by the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor presides over the north, and the Empress, the south. Notable locations: Ormrgrad City, the capital. On the border of the north and south regions. Caidrith was born in the city to the royal family.

Northern Ormrgrad - Snowy and mountainous, few dragonkin make their home here, but the ones who do are very resilient. Many true dragons live in the far north.

Southern Ormrgrad - The desert region of Ormrgrad. Most dragonkin live here, as well as ground-dwelling dragons. Oases with settlements are scattered throughout.

Leodosan Wilds (Leo-doe-san) - A sparsely inhabited area with few cities, the Leodosan Wilds are home to most earth and water elementals. The few fae that reside outside the Fae Wilds are mainly benevolent, however, the farther south you travel, the more hostile the inhabitants become. Cere lived here prior to coming to Dawnholde.

Entrance to the Hells - The cave that leads to the first layer of the Hells. Many lesser infernals live in the tunnel network.

Fae Wilds - Birthplace of all fae creatures, though not all choose to stay there. The land is brimming with magic and the capital city is Islahaer.

Islahaer (Ee-la-hair) - The capital of the Fae Wilds. Many elves also live here, in addition to the few remaining humans from the Lost City of Echoport. Desily hails from here.

The Tainted Lands - Notable Locations: The Lost City of Echoport. An old, plague-ridden human kingdom. Few creatures live here now, and most of those who do are in constant quarantine. Rycharde was training to be a knight before the city closed its gates.

Lake of Lucidity - The lake in which all rivers in the area flow to.

Defiant Deep - The northern sea, filled with ancient monsters and deep sea merfolk. Few ships that set sail here reach their destination.

Ocean of Benevolence - Notable Locations: Merdae (Mer-day). The warmer, southern ocean that many civilized merfolk call home. Includes the royal capital, Merdae. Most merfolk in the capital are very rich, but the farther away from the capital they live, the less they have. Merrick comes from a small town 10 miles from the city.

NOT ON THE MAP

Aiszuth (Ice-zooth) - A run-of-the-mill human city with a thriving criminal underworld. The governor may appear to maintain power, but the true power belongs to the necromancers of the Undercity. Finch comes from the most renowned lineage of necromancers.

[elodiedreams]

Sometimes I am the devastation wagon. I was just thinking of the name because of the devastation around here. 

Rabbit recently uncovered the truth about Old St. Nick.  A week or two ago, we were shopping at the bookstore and he had his eye on something that I suggested he buy.  He protested that it was “expensive”. I joked back to him that I wasn’t asking him the price, I was asking if he wanted to bring it home with us and that I’d spent many thousands of dollars on him over the years and it’s just not an issue. Flippant remark, stupid flippant remark. Out of seemingly nowhere he said, Do you mean you bought the new gaming computer, mama????? (the one that was left under the tree for him this past Christmas).  And in that moment, knowing Rabbit, knowing he’s 11, knowing he will be starting middle school in the fall, and assuming that the question was BECAUSE he knew the answer… I just answered honestly.  Yes, I did.  

And he was aghast. How were there sooty footprints all over the house leading out of the fireplace every year.  How did we have that footage of the reindeer in our actual house in front of our actual fireplace? (incredible AR that was so realistic it could have fooled anyone) Who built the train set that first year? And then wired up the covered bridge a couple years ago? How did the carrots get so shredded and left all over the floor around the plate we leave out every year. what about the time the elves came into MY room while I was sleeping and left me my own tree all dressed with decorations? Who wrote all those long letters to me that Santa leaves every year.  They’re not in your handwriting, mama. You made it all up?  

And then, The easter bunny, too?  The tooth fairy?  The leprechaun? 

But the devastation, I’ve come to realise, is Eino.  Eino is our Finnish nisse.  He started coming around during Covid.  When we discovered a youtube channel for a children’s puppet theatre group in Great Britain that started putting their productions up on YouTube during quarantine.  That first December, 2020, they made a series of Advent Videos called The Christmas Nisse.  Come back every single day in December and watch the unfolding of this perfectly charming story about a boy, his single mother and the nisse that comes into their lives.  We’ve watched it every day of December for 4 years now.

He was charmed, so enchanted by this whole thing and so, I added it to the repertoire of magical things in his life. I wrote these miniscule notes in Finnish (me and the translate app writing in letters so small I had to buy a special ultra fine tipped pen just to make them) and left them to be found in out of the way places… and then translated them for Rabbit, who was always elated by these tiny missives. Eino would leave crumbs and spilt milk, evidencing his visits.  He would leave little trinkets and we knew he took things when we couldn’t find things sometimes. He told us the story of his life and adventures, he was 400 years olde and very wise.  Rabbit took to writing notes back to Eino. Eino would randomly come and go, never a seasonal nisse, he was just the nisse who came.

When Covid began, Rabbit had just turned 7. I see, now, that his notes to Eino were mainly about his fears and worries.  He wanted to be sure Eino was keeping an eye on us and that we would be safe.  Eino kept his word and kept us safe from Covid and from most everything during all the time he has existed for us.  

And with my flippant impulse, my decision for the first time not to turn the question back around to Rabbit “what do you think?” I destroyed Eino in one fell swoop.  Oh, but we fuck things up as parents. How careless. Eino gave him more comfort than I properly understood, and was perhaps more important to him than even Santa Claus himself. Maybe Rabbit had an inkling about the magic of Christmas being inside your heart, but he was not ready to fully let go of the idea of real magic in the world just yet.

And it was only tonight, when Rabbit asked if Strider was allowed to sleep in his room at night, instead of mine, that I realized.  He said he gets worried at night and can’t sleep sometimes now because he always knew Eino was keeping an eye on him. Even when Eino wasn’t leaving notes and stealing oatmeal, he knew Eino was keeping us safe. Now he knows Eino is not real, so can Strider please sleep with him now? (and yes, Strider is alongside his bed now).

These are the days.  Just, heavy heavy boots days.

[dragonagekeeper]

Disclaimer: This is not recorded in the keep.

Denerim Polls

Dragon Age Origins Polls

See quest and choice descriptions from Dragon Age Wiki/Keep below

After rescuing the queen from Howe, Anora informs the Warden that something is wrong in The Alienage. She believes that her father is behind it and she expects the Warden to find proof in order to erode Loghain's support in the Landsmeet.

After entering the Tevinter Warehouse, you will be met by Devera, a Tevinter elf involved in the slave trade. Regardless of how you deal with her, you will end up meeting with the boss slaver, Caladrius in the northern room who will recognize the Warden's identity as well as Alistair's, if he is in the party. If patient, you can learn something about how the slavers have been operating; in particular, Caladrius will confirm Loghain's tacit involvement in their schemes.

In the slums, the elves are suffering from an apparently blight-related sickness. Those identified as ill are quarantined at a Hospice by members of the Tevinter Imperium. However, it turns out that none of the sick have been seen and many elves, led by Shianni, are questioning the Tevinter healers: Veras and Saritor.

If the slaves are not freed:

Slave trade not stopped

“Amongst the city-born elves of Denerim, things remained as they always had. The rumors of slave traders working secretly in the shadows persisted until riots in the Alienage forced the throne to intervene. The slavers were shut down, but not without the loss of many elven lives.”

Accepted his offer to buy the documents and let him go [slaves are not freed]

Allow him to make an offer wherein the Warden will pay him 100 gold, allow him to leave with his slaves, and get the evidence confirming Loghain's involvement.

2. Fought and spared him, and accepted the blood ritual [slaves are sacrificed]

Allow him to surrender and accept his offer of a constitution +1 boost; this kills all remaining elven slaves.

If the Warden accepts the Blood Ritual

Most companions disapprove.

Alarith will not trade unless the Warden is a city elf. 

If the slaves are freed:

Slave trade stopped:

Alistair is king

“With the slavers shut down in the Alienage, the lot of the city-born elves improved for a time. The new king even named the local elder to his personal court--a scandal amongst the humans, but a sign of new hope to the elves.”

Alistair is not king

“With the slavers shut down in the Alienage, the lot of the city-born elves improved for a time. A food shortage years later forced Queen Anora to come down hard on elven rioters, an act not quickly forgiven and a sign that tensions between the elves and humans were far from resolved.”

3. Fought and spared him, allowing him to flee [slaves are freed]

Accepting his surrender, he will turn over the evidence confirming Loghain's involvement and flee without the slaves.

4. Killed him [slaves are freed]

The Warden refused Caladrius' Blood Ritual

City Elf Wardens can return to their home, where Cyrion will give them the Fang dagger that belonged to their mother.

Other Wardens can speak with Valendrian at his home, who gives them the Gift of the Grey dagger that was wielded by Duncan.

The party can trade with Alarith.

[opinated-user]

Lily in one of her videos decrying redemption arcs: "Villain fuckers will excuse anything!"

Lily in her video on Kuvira: "She looks and sounds more reasonable than everyone in the room. You could, in theory, have a perfectly benevolent dictator."

Setting aside her ongoing insistence that her haters, her fans, people who like varying tropes, people who like different ship dynamics, and the AI child of her own OCs wants to fuck constantly and fuck everything, she realizes she salivated over a woman who made Weapons Of Mass Destruction, had reeducation camps and who was in everything but name a fascist dictator, right?

Eh, who am I kidding? She had her black OC be whipped by a sexy white lady and raceplays as a sexy skimpily clad Native woman while accusing others of raceplay. At this point everything she's so lacking in self-awareness that telling on herself is practically her bread and butter.

the real question then with LO is not when she's projection but when she isn't. don't forget too that at this point LO has defended dictators (pushing for "benevolent dictator", a term made up to justify colonialism), written way too many dictators who explicitely commit genocide for never a good enough reason (Lord Ryder because someone from Earth offended him, alaina because of a made up disease that could have been quarantined and treated before genocided), justified slavery (Pokemadhouse, the house elves) and treat black people as nothing else but props to defends herself against her own racism ("i can't be racist, i dated a black woman"). "villain fuckers" know and fully own that their fave has done evil things for whatever reason. LO does her character do the most heinous acts known to mankind and be treated as heroes. which one sounds more abhorrent?

[wherenightmaresroost]

blind guardian just release an entire album of literary reference songs???? did they spend the quarantine period of the pandemic binge-reading

american gods and blood of elves were obvious from the titles.

violent shadows made me go

one of the song's based on a play?? no idea how to go about seeing that. im adding the rest to my to-read pile tho.