#first genn greymane now this

[fatedroses]

I simply offer the dusty old man emet content that nobody asks for lmao (aka, I share the forbidden knowledge I learn when drawing character faces with the FF community, my ye old tradition)

[blue-eyed-banshee]

Sylvanas liked ground coffee from a unique land within azeroth in life.

In her undeath she preferred dark coffee, obviously.

This was all before she married Jaina. She now prefers Kul'tirian coffee, which she tried on their honeymoon in Tiragarde, and she fell in love with it!

They get their brand of Kul'tirian coffee shipped from their favorite coffee place in Boralus (for free, of course) since Cyrus offered to pay for their shipment while they enjoyed their time together as newlyweds.

When Alleria and Vereesa would come to visit, the two newlyweds always gave her coffee if Syl's sisters had to travel far to meet them. The youngest Windrunner isn't a fan of their coffee at first, but she grew to like it while Alleria fell in love with it instantly.

As per agreement to expand Boralus' shipping and travel; Quel'thalas would occasionally exchange goods with the fine people of Kul'tirias to show how much they see Jaina as one of their own people.

Lor'thermar always sneaks in an extra something within each crate of weekly shipment of goods as a token of his favor and respect Kul'tirias as a nation.

Kathrine would occasionally write to the two while they were away, as would Derek and Tandred. This goes double for when Sylvanas and Jaina sail together after the birth of their first child, Daelin Windrunner, which Jaina had decided to take Sylvanas' last name when they married.

Sylvanas would occasionally be welcomed in stormwind as an honor guest to Anduin, who had long since took the throne from her brother-in-law, who offered him his throne back upon Anduin officially returning his to self imposed exile after what happened in shadowlands.

When Sylvanas first visited Stormwind with Jaina, she initially got cold looks and the occasionally shout of unwelcome threats from its citizens which she gotten used to since the very same thing happened when she ventured to Kul'tirias so Jaina could announce her engagement to Sylvanas properly.

She was met the occasional death threat from both times within the two cities, but she couldn't blame them. After all, she did almost destroy both cities as Warchief as well as gotten Varian killed (as stormwind views it).

With enough time, Sylvanas proved herself to both lands that she had truly changed. But Genn was still occasionally glaring at her with such hatred within the union as well as banquets held to welcome Jaina and Sylvanas.

When the old wolf would privately threatened her away from the ears of Anduin and Jaina, she would all but take the words that he spat at her with sterness as well as watching her tongue (for once in her undead life..) if Anduin or Jaina came towards them, Greymane would act as if he was having a friendly conversation with her. Jaina, having felt Sylvanas emotions from a distance via necklace she had proposed to her with, she would know better when Syl tried to brush it off.

Upon learning what had transpired , Jaina was going to leave to put Greymane in his place, but Sylvanas would always lovingly hold her hand while whispering not to cause a scene.

The two would touch foreheads and speak in Thalassian to each other, which Jaina already knew how to speak fluently.

[damien-ward]

What are your thoughts on Horde/Forsaken inclusion in that reclaiming Gilneas preview?

Stupid. I hate it.

Now, I am not going to fully judge it yet, we only have 4 more days to see it for ourselves that is when I will fully judge it. But for right now? My first impression is disappointment.

It feels like one giant slap in the face to worgen players because the Forsaken got to reclaim their land and fix it by themselves, but the worgen can't? They need help from the Forsaken, WHO WERE THE REASON THE GILNEANS HAD TO LEAVE GILNEAS, just to fight some lame ass Scarlets?

Oh! And on top of that the Forsaken are just using Blight and dropping it on the city... again. You're telling Genn Greymane is going to agree to that? There's no fucking way, and if he does then I just don't even know what to say except that the writers for WoW have truly become hacks who don't know the lore and characters.

At the end of the day the Gilneas reclamation should have been ONLY Gilneans/worgen reclaiming their home they need a win and something good to make them look badass. They shouldn't need help from anyone else, especially not the Forsaken who are the ones responsible for kicking the Gilneans out to begin with. It just makes the Gilneans look weak as hell.

Also, fuck Calia. I am tired of her.

[veresiine]

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s)

Oh goodness, this is a bit of a difficult one, since I am so very multi-ship; it's less of "one true pairing" and more of "this vast ecosystem of hypothetical relationships is neat". And when I write I do tend to focus more on platonic relationships, which is an entirely different ecosystem existing in parallel.

But today I am going to focus on romantic and/or sexual relationships that have made my brain go brr recently:

>Leon/Raihan (Pokemon. I was neutral on it at first and preferred platonic but somewhere around the 5,000th post I scrolled through on twitter I was like 'yeah they're boyfriends' and joined the multitude. Though I do also enjoy some Leon/Milo content, it's significantly harder to find. I might have to go write a oneshot now to pay my fandom rent and meet my own needs but I am pretty deep in fucked-up hurt/comfort fics right now and don't feel like posting those publicly)

>Grom/Kargath (Warcraft, and thank you for that bit of dopamine. I keep meaning to look more into it because I had fun chewing on that post and discussing it with a discord friend. The vibes are incredible!)

>Moira/Mercy (Overwatch. I don't actually play overwatch. I just saw science/medicine character foils, and saw Moira's design and drank up everything about her (and their interactions) that I could find. Unfortunately I can't go into the tag much because there are frequently untagged triggers but I DO have it bookmarked)

>Phantom/Luminous/Mercedes (Maplestory. I appreciate how in isolation they are 3 dignified, put-together characters, but as soon as they're in a room together, they all go completely feral, either at each other or at a common enemy. I don't really go here anymore but that was a fun few years)

>Maiev/Illidan (Warcraft. For all my deeply toxic and compelling relationship needs! In the words of a discord friend, 'it's not romantic, it's not platonic, it's a problem for however many therapists to burn through'. Also Maiev/Anyone, really. She's fun!)

>Jaina/Anyone But Kalec (Warcraft. I just think she's neat! I just had the misfortune of reading the War Crimes novel and that put me off Jaina/Kalec so much that it is the only non-incest non-underage warcraft pairing on my NOTP list. Also, dunking on Kalec is a time-honored tradition of mine. Still, I enjoy shipping her with pretty much everyone else the fandom pairs her with! I also once wrote a Jaina/Abathur (Starcraft) crackfic with an RP buddy!)

Thank you for the ask! That was fun. Honorable mentions to all the potential Suramar polycules, and to Mia/Genn Greymane, and to... well, some of my own OC pairings, but that's a whole other post.

[knightphobeus]

Review: Wolfheart

So I finished a World of Warcraft book! I'm still working on the comics, and no, I will NOT be playing the game, due to *points to Blizzard* whatever the fuck THAT is!

Does it matter what the fuck? NO.

Basic: 3/5 - it took me way to long to finish it, even without knowing half the people in made me interested in some of the story, but I did yell 'get on with it!' a few times.

The Best: The mystery of the dead High Elves, Varian being a hot mess, Varian being a Badass, the few Horde parts

The Meh: Everything Else with the Night Elves, the early attacks by the Horde vs Night Elves (I didn't quite believe they were a downgrade but...), Genn Greymane.

The Bad: I must read too much courtly romance and the like, but just...everything else around the summit. I get Warcraft is game first, story later, and so the story is not exactly primary, but PLEASE...I managed through more of Supernatural in shorter time than this book!

So yeah, it's ok if you don't know the story, the build-up of the "new Horde" under Garrosh shows itself to be very interesting, I now understand more of the annoyance at Genn Greymane and Malfurion & Tyrande, but I do wish the story had not been so difficult at times.

Next up (hopefully soon): The Tides of War.

[thasdorah]

‘  some  people  are  born  with  a  piece  of  night  inside,  and  that  hollow  place  can  never  be  filled.  ’

send memes ♡

— @whsperwind

In a land untouched by winter, where summer and spring reigned eternal, so distant now as to seem a different life, it would have seemed to her impossible for one to possess that hollowness inherently. In part, Alleria thinks, it still isn't right. The emptiness is built over time, each piece carved and left empty with a new loss, sorrow, grief, and hurt taking and taking until nothing can fill those spaces anymore.

She doesn't think of herself when considering it. No, her thoughts are of her sister. Lady Moon, Alleria had nicknamed her when they were still girls, not truly because of her demeanor, only a reflection of the silvery hair Sylvanas had always possessed. Her sister had flaws, as any of them had. She had been arrogant and vain and prone to act as if always in the right. They had competed fiercely, fought ferociously, and trusted each other with the things they would trust no one else. Sylvanas was stubborn and relentless, but that had manifested in her manner of loving, too. There was nothing hollow about the sister she left on Azeroth; nothing, except perhaps for that first wound, the loss that has lodged itself so deeply in Alleria's chest that life had become an endless sea of red, blood spilled the only thing that seemed to soothe the ache of grief.

It didn't, in truth. She had wanted to die fighting the enemies that took their parents and brother, as she had not been able to do in their defense. Sylvanas had been left with the harder task; to lead, and rebuild, and shoulder the responsibility Alleria shunned. She was made to be Ranger-General, the eldest Windrunner had thought, on the rare occasion the Light had blessed her with a vision of her sister when she was worlds away. She had been so proud.

There is no reconciling the sister of her memories with the one known as the Banshee Queen, the one responsible for Tyrande Whisperwind and her people's loss of so much. All she went through may have made Sylvanas hollow, but she wasn't born like that. The endless night came later, as had been the case for Alleria herself. As was the case with Tyrande, if what she had heard say of the leader of the kaldorei was true.

"Life seems to be more often the case for that than a condition from birth," She replies, honest though not without discomfort, body tense as a bowstring close to snapping. Did Tyrande, like Genn Greymane, look at her and see the resemblance with the Banshee Queen? Even if she did not, Alleria was well aware most of the Alliance was skeptical of her sincere opposition to Sylvanas. Or perhaps they merely awaited her turn, the great evil that would be ushered by her hands, after Vereesa's ruthless and bloody stand in the Purge of Dalaran, after Sylvanas attempted to wipe out an entire race in Teldrassil. That her tone maintains neutrality does not lessen the obvious signs, the defensive disquietness tied to the doubt of what exactly brings the leader of the Night Elves to speak to her now. "But the source makes no difference when one chooses to act on untold violence to try to fill that void. There is no justification for that."

[bengesko]

@tu-fira-eternally tagged me, sooo~

NAME: Nikolai

NICKNAMES: Nik, Babe (by my babe lol)

STAR SIGN: Pisces

HEIGHT: 5′1

FAVORITE COLOR(S): black, pale chartreuse, purple, phthalo green and blue

TIME RIGHT NOW: 0008

LAST THING I GOOGLED: deer thoracic anatomy

NUMBER OF BLANKETS I SLEEP WITH: Two- one weighted, one duvet

FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER(S): Too many, but main favs- Armitage Hux, Kylo Ren, Jorj Car'das, Thrawn, Loghain Mac Tir, First Enchanter Orsino, Garrus Vakarian, Kai Leng, Aria T'loak, Urdnot Wrex, Saren Arterius, Sylvanas Windrunner, Genn Greymane (FITE ME on them BOTH), Alduin, Elias Ainsworth.

FAVORITE BANDS/SINGERS: Brown Bird, Evanescence, Poets of the Fall, Hozier, Kavinsky, Lil Nas X, HIM, Placebo, Fleetwood Mac, GUNSHIP, The Birthday Massacre, Wardruna, Danheim, Heilung

DREAM JOB: Epidemiologist/Virologist or mortician/funeral director

WHAT I AM WEARING RIGHT NOW: Black pants, flip flops and a black star wars shirt

WHEN DID I CREATE MY BLOG: This one? 2016, but it's a remake. Made my first blog in 2010, and have moved multiple times because of a stalker in the Kylux fandom.

CURRENT AMOUNT OF FOLLOWERS: 130.

WHAT DO I POST ABOUT: Politics, deerkult, Bioware games, bones/skulls, science, things I think my friends will like, memes, music, art, disability, books, writing, and horror.

DO I HAVE ANY OTHER BLOGS: @brilliantdecay - flight rising, @emperorsvornskr - kylux; @rainsofarkanis - worldbuilding for Arkanis (star wars); @underwoodlegacy - aesthetics for my novel series

WHEN DID YOUR BLOG HIT ITS PEAK: Peak????

WHO IS YOUR MOST ACTIVE FOLLOWER: @avoskorm , @xannerz, @nebulousmistress, @pyr0clast, @corvahydnora, @puddleofchaos, @voidsteeth, @prophet-9, @tu-fira-eternally, @awwnutbunnies, @raverenn, @eldritch-crabbo

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GET A TUMBLR: It started as RP in 2010 lol- discovered tumblr by ACCIDENT when I was RP'ing Dragon Age with @prophet-9 and @avoskorm lol.

DO YOU GET ASKS ON A DAILY BASIS: Nah

WHY DID YOU CHOSE YOUR URL: Bengesko is a Kalderash term- it has multiple meanings, my favorite being "monster/monstrous." I often pair it with "Zhukel," which means "Dog, hound," so Bengesko Zhukel- monster hound. It's a term I use for my skull monsters, especially Silviu, the monster/hellhound in my novels!

TAG YOU’RE IT: -points to "Most active follower" question.

[esperanta-dragon]

I feel like there is a need to write down why so many people hate Sylvanas so much, me included. Maybe you can’t stand her too OR you love her and you don’t understand why the hell people can hate such an amazing character. Here is why. And I will try to write this down logically as possible. No “hur dur I hate her because she is a bitch!”. No, I will put down all things so you can understand. And one sad disclaimer... it’s not the character’s fault.

WHY WE STARTED TO LOVE HER

Sylvanas showed up in Warcraft III as a Ranger General of Quel’thalas. She was protecting her country for quite some time when Arthas attacked Eversong Woods in order to get to Sunwell and resurrect Kel’Thuzad as a lich. Sylvanas paid with her life and her soul to protect her people and her country. She was made banshee and was forced to do things against her will and serve the Scourge she hated. But she was still plotting her revenge, didn’t give up until the moment came and she took the chance. She reclaimed her body back and almost killed Arthas, and took over Lordaeron City. Then she took over the undead slowly freeing from the Lich King’s grasp and gave them a place where to stay, becoming their Queen. And since then, she was planning to kill the Lich King for good.

That’s why we loved her (I never did, I will explain that later why). She really kicked his ass. She slapped the Scourge in the face. She never gave up and was doing everything to achieve her goals, her revenge. There are not so many such strong female characters, so resolute. She was not good but also not evil, she was shady, she was not the boring good guy. So why the hell people hate her? She is perfect! Let’s go to what happened during and after WotLK... Because here it starts.

WRATH OF THE LICH KING

As I said, many people adore Sylvanas since Warcraft III. But they don’t understand the character is not the same. She was never good, she was an anti-hero, that’s the fact (the Ebon Blade are also anti-heroes and they are not bad, they just do necessary things to keep the Scourge in check). She was doing everything to take revenge on Arthas. And everything means that she had no problems walking over corpses of her allies. Causalities because of my fault? Pfft! No matter as long as the piece of trash sitting on the Frozen Throne will get what he deserves!

This was pretty much visible after Wrathgate when Varimathras and Putress tried to take over Undercity and Alliance and the Horde saw what she is doing inside the city. Still fine, it was in character, she was doing EVERYTHING to take revenge on Arthas. Everything. That’s why she existed, why she kept going. Even back then, I didn’t hate her. She was still a very well-written character. This is what a character in her position would do. 

But once everything was done, the Lich King was taken care of, she realized there is no point in her existence. She saw the Lich King was not destroyed. They only replaced him. So she threw herself from the Icecrown Citadel and fell on saronite spikes, the only thing that could definitely kill her.

And she ended up in a dark place. And the pain she felt was not like anything she felt before. It was the most horrible, the most inconsolable place. But val’kyras came down to her and sacrificed for her to get her back. Now we know what happened as we progress in the Shadowlands but... let’s say this was the beginning of the end for a good character Sylvanas once was. This was a start of cliché, inconsistency, and a great example that good characters should be allowed to go and leave so they can be remembered as a good characters.

WHAT CHANGED

Look, I came to WoW really late. I was playing on WotLK free servers as I could not afford to pay for official servers. But I knew the story in WotLK and I was still pretty ok with Sylvanas. I don’t remember hating her this much. She was well written.

It was Cataclysm Firelands patch when I finally could come to official servers. And Sylvanas was already doing pretty shady and disgusting stuff. I played Forsaken starting quest line so I know. Raising undead like the Lich King did? No problem for her. She even said she is like Arthas but she is working for the Horde (she never cared for them anyway, it was just more beneficial for her). What happened in Gilneas was not alright. Who gases the whole zone and making it inhabitable? Alright, let’s say Horde was expanding and Gilneas was next to Lordaeron. Alright. But back then, I finally dove deep into lore and I’ve noticed many people are really devoted to Sylvanas. It seemed almost like a cult. And every time I asked people, why they love this psyhopathic banshee, they were like: “She is my Queen! I love her, I would die for her! She is cool, she is taking care of us, she has a good heart!”

Something was amiss here... I couldn’t understand this. I couldn’t see what they saw. I saw a shady, ruthless and careless psychopath who is using her loyal subjects to save herself from something. And many people believed it even in BfA. Me and my friend had to show them excerpts from short stories where she say that “once they were arrows in her quiver, now they are bulwark against the darkness”. They couldn’t believe they loved Queen would not love them back!

But hey, still, I wanted to understand why people love her. I would understand if it would be still Warcraft III or WotLK, that’s fine. But Cata? Legion? BfA? Shadowlands? 

So I started reading all books, short stories where she was. Articles about her. I tried to catch the glimpse of why people loved her: the majority told me she is still good and has a good heart and she is an amazing person. But I didn’t see it. Maybe I am stupid and I don’t understand, I am missing something... So I kept studying, trying to see anything good in her, I was failing. I saw a character falling more down into a pit full of anger and hate. Her loyalists said she was an amazing creature, loving, caring.

And the more I was told by people that she is caring and she has a good heart, the more I was getting disgusted and angry because the more I was reading about her and the more her loyalists told me, the more I saw what Sylvanas is: inconsistent character.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH SYLVANAS

In one book she was written like this. In another book, she was written like that. In one quest it was like this, then it was like that. In one expansion she behaved this way, in the next expansion, it was that way. She was doing more and more twisted things and her loyalists kept telling me she has a good heart. My frustration was growing to the point I could not stand her. It felt like I’ve met the person I knew was torturing her friends but when I met them, they told me with bruises on their faces and definitely mentally abused that she is amazing and it’s not her fault, she is just misunderstood and I should love her too.

When she killed Liam Greymane, loyalists were like: “I have no clue why Genn hates her so much! That stupid dog should die!” Yeah right, somebody kills your son and destroys your home, you have no reason to be angry, it’s ok.

She burns down Teldrassil and they said: “Why Tyrande wants to kill her? I hope Sylvanas kills her first!” Sure, somebody burns down a city with thousands of innocent people, it’s fine, let them go, no hard feelings. And sometimes these people are able to justify her actions with: “But this is fantasy! There is different morale than in real world!” Please, guys, never ever write a story. Never touch it. You will end up like Steve Danuser making characters to behave like idiots and without emotions. Stay away. Please. Do world the favor.

I was trying really hard. Trying to figure out what kind of character she is. Find a pattern. Because you can write a chaotic character and still find a pattern and it can be still a consistent character. But Sylvanas? I felt more and more that not even Blizzard knows what to do with her, how to write her... she felt more and more inconsistent and out of place with every expansion. And you know what? That happens to characters which are kept in the story longer than they should. If character losts a meaning of their existence, there are only two options: you either let them go or you have to find them a new meaning. And in case of Sylvanas, the second option led to a narrative disaster.

We were told by Blizzard: “Don’t worry! Everything falls in place! It makes sense what she does!” But after the Sanctum of Domination finale? It was a big fat lie...

Before I come to the cinematic, let me tell you what made me hate her beyond every possible measure: her fandom.

HITLER HAD A GOOD HEART!

In Legion, she was doing shady stuff. But in BfA? She became a Hitler. She burned down Teldrassil because... IDK she snapped and wanted to show one elven archer that you can kill hope? And what kind of catapults she had has reach 20 km? What kind of catapults can burn down incredibly big tree SOAKED in water with thick bark. Was that azerite or... no, I am not gonna get angry. And I won’t even start with the b*shit Blizzard pulled: “Look, just because Sylvanas is right in front of Teldrassil doesn’t mean it was her who burned it down!” They had to lie to us to look that they can create a better story than what it actually is.

She destroyed Undercity so Forsaken lost their home. Is this how you take care of your subjects if you are loving and caring? I think not.

And with her actions, millions of souls from the whole cosmos are going right into the Maw for eternal suffering. And why? Because she was scared. Because instead of thinking about herself and trying to change, she rather schemed with the god of death... who was responsible for her misery. And even teamed with Kel’Thuzad, who was reason of her fate in the first place! And yet, after all this, after mass genocide, destroying souls, millions, maybe billions of souls are suffering because of her... and you can still tell me there is still good in her and she deserves redemption arch... And with love say: “She got us into this, she will get us out of this <3 ^_^” So somebody is making everybody suffer and some people are like “Ooooh it’s fine, I support her! I bet she will realize what she is doing and she will save us!” Would you say the same about Hitler? That he was misunderstood, he was trying to fix something that’s why he murdered millions of people? I am just asking what kind of people her loyalists are in real life.

I have a question... would you still love her if she was a man? Or decomposing undead? Or if she wouldn’t be sexy elf at all? If she would be ugly? I think we all know the answer (disclaimer, beautiful people are not always kind and nice, what a surprise). I bet she would be already killed or hated by majority of the community at least two expansions back. Why Garrosh had to stand trial for war crimes and Sylvanas doesn’t? To be honest, I never liked Garrosh, I hated him, but I never hated him as much I hate Sylvanas. He was at least consistent to his very last moment. But I am fed up by the fact that everybody keeps excusing what she does just because she is a sexy elf. This is not character I can respect. How can you say about such character that she is cool when you know she is commiting genocide? Let’s replace her with ugly elf and let’s see how many of you will still love her.

If you love her because she is a crazy homicidal maniac and you want her to do evil stuff, go ahead, nothing wrong with you, it’s fine. You love her because you think that she has a good heart and she is sending millions of souls into hell because she wants to help us? Take your pills and think twice before going on date with a manipulative person who will use you, beat you but will tell you they love you so much while cheating on you. Thanks.

If you are lying to yourself that she is good and has a good heart because you are afraid you wouldn’t like her anymore as a bad guy, then you love illusion you made around her, not the character itself. And you should seriously think if you really love the character if you need to change it that much in your mind to keep loving her.

GRAND FINALE

“If they are gonna give her redemption arch, I am gonna puke.” Many people told me, they would not. They are not gonna do it. She is beyond redemption, she is antagonist, period. Guess what, they did. The cheapest way possible.

Blizzard kept telling us everything will make sense in the end, why she did all these things. But it did not. And it only confirmed my greatest fear: Sylvanas is an inconsistent character since Cataclysm.

Sylvanas was afraid to go to the Maw. So she got an amazing idea. Let’s free the god of death, the malevolent creature trapped there because for sure he is suffering just like me, and injustice was done to him. He is the reason of my suffering because he made Helm of Domination and Frostmourne, that’s why I was killed and I am like this? I am sure he is a good guy, in the end, let’s remake reality so there is no life and death! That guy must be pretty ok. Oh wait his job is to torture souls? No, I don’t believe he is bad.

So when Jailer gets all he wanted, ofc he say that he will remake all reality and everybody will serve. And Sylvanas realizes: “Oh my, he is just like the Lich King! I didn’t want this! I will never serve!” Even she served him for the past few expansions. And suddenly she sees he is a bad guy. Suddenly.

And then, Jailer gives her half of her soul back... So... this is the explanation? She was doing all this because she was not whole? Is this an excuse for genocide? Now we will all feel sorry for her? Tell her it’s ok, you were not yourself?

I am saying this all the years and I will say it again: the Ebon Blade are order full of those with a fate like Sylvanas. The whole order. Multiple characters suffered under the Lich King like her, lost themselves, were made to kill their friends, their families. And they, too, took revenge on him. But instead of going crazy and trying to hurt everybody because they were hurt, they tried to help and protect people. Maybe they are missing part of their souls too. But are they running around, burning innocents, committing genocide? No. So please, the is no excuse, she was aware of what she was doing. I am not buying this and for sure this won’t make me feel sorry for her. It was her choice. You can be depressed and hurt into the very core and still decide not to be homicidal maniac.

Another annoying thing is, Blizzard kept telling us she is a master strategist and she is highly inteligent. Would a highly inteligent person try to help somebody responsible for her suffering? Being ok with them? There was not shown how come she is ok with the Jailer! Look I thought she is smart but after the cinematic, she does not look like that.

What was her plan anyway? Did she believe such creature won’t betray her, he won’t dump her? I was hoping he will dump her and kill her. That would be the only ending fitting for the character. I didn’t want another Kerrigan, I didn’t want redemption arch for her... I was hoping I will finally like her as a villain. Now I can’t... there is no way I will like her ever again because Blizzard probably can’t do just evil characters. There always must be something behind, some explanation why they are like this. “I was good this whole time!” And I am tired of this... Suddenly I like Garrosh because he was an asshole but he was consistent. He had a good ending. He “died” like a boss.

THEY SHOULD HAVE LET HER DIE

And I mean it. If they would let her go after WotLK, it would be a good ending for her. Tragic end for the tragic character. She fulfilled her purpose and she would be remembered as a good consistent character. But she is making a lot of money, many people love her (not anymore, even people who liked her hate her now and her fanbase is getting smaller) so Blizzard decided they have to milk her as much as possible.

I think everything good should come to an end. “You would either die as a hero or live long enough to become a villain.” In this case “You would either die as a good character or live long enough to become inconsistent and annoying character.” And it happened.

Remember how people were angry how Thrall is getting a lot of attention in Cata? Haha, good old times. How about Sylvanas in 3 expansion cinematics (and some side cinematics like Reckoning, etc) and 2 expansions fully focusing on her (and some other expansions where she is a lot too). How about the 15th figure in a row. And 4th Blizzcon art. And I can keep going.

Metzen had favorite characters... but they were never overused as much as Sylvanas. Vol’jin was warchief for 1 expansion where he did nothing and then he died so she could take lead in story. So many characters are forgotten, pushed down so she can be on the spotlight. And I am sick of it. This is not single player, this is MMORPG. The world feels ridiculously small thanks to this, we have more characters than Sylvanas + 5 characters they keep using and recycling all the time.

And keep using Sylvanas and putting her into the spotlight all the time did not help. You can start hating character you liked before just because you have enough of them and you want to see other characters. This world has a big potential. So many characters are unused because of Sylvanas. Because the lead narrative designer loves her so much that he had to make her the main character of WoW and doesn’t care there is a whole world to take care of. And he does the worst job possible. Because he tried to make her complicated and complex and in the end he was just trying to make it look like that but it didn’t work out. It was just inconsistent. It didn’t fall in place.

Her plot armor is so laughable and it’s the most annoying thing about Sylvanas. How characters around her are so stupid and dumb so they can let her do such stuff (hello Horde in BfA). The whole universe and Blizzard especially is protecting Sylvanas of any harm. How can you like such character when it behaves like Mary Sue? I didn’t want to see cinematic how she comes and beat up really powerful guy without any issues. You know how interesting would be if Four Horsemen managed to arrive earlier and they wouldn’t know if to fight the Lich King or Sylvanas? No, Blizzard wanted to show lady Sylvanas Plotarmor.

And the worst thing is, I feel like Shadowlands are my last expansion in WoW. This is where the story ends for me. And I know that many characters won’t get resolution, many story arcs will never close because they’ve put too much effort to work on Sylvanas and ignore other characters. So many characters could have met. Lore in Shadowlands could have been expanded about The Scourge, death knights, rune magic, etc... it did not. 

So no, Sylvanas is not one of the best characters created. If this is the best WoW can muster then there is nothing to be proud of. We would have good or better characters if Blizzard tried to work with more characters and give them space and a chance to develop. But we will never have them because Sylvanas took the spotlight.

Sylvanas for me is the character who will be put on guidelines on how to not use a character. This character will be perfect for DO NOT character development guidelines. And the whole story of WoW at least in BfA and Shadowlands is a great example of how to destroy the world with an amazing setting and characters. 

I hope I’ve made this clear why many people hate her. Because it’s much more complex problem. This character was misused, written horribly, overused, was given a poor and cheap story arch, made look stupid and it no longer makes sense. And on top of that, many characters will never get a resolution, many storylines won’t be finished because all story was focused on her and not on the world. World which was supposed to be “everybody’s story” was made story about Sylvanas. Just because she sells.

Good job Danuser, I hope you are happy.

Tl;Dr: Sylvanas is inconsistent since Cataclysm because Blizzard tried to make her complex character artificially and failed horribly. She should have died after WotLK and never made Warchief. They should have let her go so we can remember her as a good consistent character

P.S.: I am not native speaker, sorry for grammar errors.

[fitzefitcher]

Is it okay to ask about the human kingdoms in the AU? Specifically I am curious about the connection between Gilneas and Kul Tiras! You mentioned the solution is still "werewolves but more controlled" and that sounds like a fascinating concept! Also like Jaina growing up with Tess and Liam sounds great cause I saw the art of Tess and she looks like she needs more friends lakjsdfljdf

admittedly I'm still working on gilneas (hence my asking for asks because brain just Will Not let me work on things unless prompted by outside sources) but here is what I'm thinking for gilneas and kul tiras:

okay so kul tiras allegedly was originally a gilnean colony right? so we're leaning into that, and having them have a much closer relationship as countries and allies. kul tiras is still independant of gilneas, but with the other human kingdoms just kindof one by one turning on each other, that relationship quickly becomes very closed off and insular to any kingdom that isn't each other.

in that same vein, also borrowing @nighthaunting's headcanon that katherine and genn are siblings, making the alliance of kul tiras and gilneas all the closer, and this is how jaina is cousins w tess & liam

tess do have friends she's just not Straight Married (Baby Optional) to Nebulously Human Men like Calia and Andariall are, and is Highly Suspicious of them (rightly so tbfh)

When the gilneas werewolf apocalypse happens is still up for debate but On God I will give them their fucking werewolf apocalypse

ostensibly the werewolfening would still happen along the same lines, with genn directing court wizard arugal to figure out a solution to all this demon shit, because fuck if they accept help from Lordaeron, yogg or no yogg

anyway arugal does some research, finds some stuff about the scythe of elune, then employs the help of the harvest witches to find it (bc gilneas and kul tiras are wayyyyy less into the church of light than other human countries because they already have their own haunted shit going on re: oceans and dark woods druid shit), they bring it back, and because there are harvest witches involved, arugal goes in with a little more informed consent, talks to the greymanes about it, and they agree to have either genn or mia be patient zero to test it, because something something, some hogwash about genn actually being a decent human being and ruler instead of whatever the fuck is happening in canon rn

anyway, werewolf time

I think it would be fun for mia first, because genn would think that her moon-frenzied werewolf rampage is Very Sexy Of Her

idk if kul tiras does werewolf time, I think they're just going fully into Ocean Madness because atp the church of light can't be trusted At All bc it's been getting infested w demons this whole time

idk if they're still getting brain fuggled by azshara, I don't think I want that. maybe n'zoth but definitely not azshara. maybe it's Literally Just The Sea that's fuggling them

anyway! that's how more controlled werewolves, kind of. Now it's voluntary, and Maybe a little more Spooky Religious in nature lmao

[one-winged-dreams]

Ships: King and Lionheart (Varian x Adriel), Baby Lion Lost His Teeth (platonic/familial, Anduin & Adirel) Word Count: 997

In which Genn does not know how to deal with people angry crying.

I did this for Whumptober, actually. This is something I’ve been meaning to write out for a while now considering this is part of my canon in the “Varian is dead” timeline.

The death of a king was never a disjointed occurrence.

Whether good or bad, whether it be the salvation or damnation of a Kingdom or something in-between, it was a critical affair that immutably sent ripples of consequence via the hearts and minds of its people.

There was no question this fact would be just as true for Varian Wrynn.

Genn Greymane had never considered the fact that he would be making these sort of preparations. He was not alone in his understandably childish opinion that Varian was an unstoppable force, one that could never be faced with a challenge too great.

That was what made this responsibility exceedingly more difficult than it should have been.

Several others were present to discuss the memorial preparations. They somberly spoke amongst themselves, the grim task proving to be arduous for all involved.

A few essential individuals, however, were still absent.

"And what of Adriel?" Genn was hesitant to ask, but it was a necessary question all things considered.

Valeera sighed. "He hasn't left his room at all that I've seen. The door has been locked and he doesn't answer when I call out to him."

"Still?" Genn was not entirely surprised despite asking. "He's going to need to come out sometime," he shook his head, "He's High Priest, he's going to need to attend to his duties eventually. Anduin is grieving too, but even he understands the weight of his responsibility."

The mention of Anduin produced a grim silence that hung over the room like a shroud.

Not a single person there wanted to think about the loss of Varian, and less still, the struggles his son faced. Would continue to face.

Genn allowed the moment of sorrow for only a second.

"Alright, let's all get on wi-"

"GENN GREYMANE."

All present turned, Adriel already storming towards the King of Gilneas with a trajectory that was so deathly precise, not a one person dared to intervene.

"HOW DARE YOU.  How DARE YOU come back here," his voice was hoarse and guttural. A crashing tide of rage, of betrayal.

Of grief.

The High Priest's rage had always been a blade sheathed with the unyielding restraint of any proper warrior. Only ever drawn when his indignation turned to vindication. The same sort of vindication he once quelled for the person whose loss had now unsheathed that very blade.

"Adriel..." Genn began without knowing what would even be appropriate as a follow-up.

"You think you can show your face in this keep? You think you can just... Just come back!?"

He was close enough now. The tears that had been practically anticipated by all spilled down his face in full display of his fury.

"COME BACK WITHOUT HIM!?"

His face twisted into agonized exasperation, his teeth ground, eyebrows knitting together as he tried to keep his aggrieved expression from turning into something that would further reflect his torment.

Genn said nothing. Nothing he could say would change what the priest was feeling now.

Adriel reached him at last, almost making to strike him though Genn knew otherwise. He stumbled into his motion, being caught by Valeera, whose arms he immediately buckled into.

"How dare you...!" he wept, unwilling, unable to even look at him.

As Valeera attempted to console him, Genn looked on. He was now witnessing first-hand what sort of visceral outcome accompanied the loss of Varian. Stormwind had lost a king, but some had lost so much more. The reparations were not his to bear, but he could at least try to bring the facts to light.

"Adriel," he began, "You were there. You saw his resolve, you heard his intent. He gave his life so that we might survive. That you might survive. His death would have been meaningless if we had spurned the chance he had given us. Would you have had him despair that he could not save those he cared for the most?"

The priest didn't respond, continuing to sob into Valeera's embrace. She looked at Genn woefully, as if to urge him to say something else, something that would at least manage to subdue his sorrow-fueled rage.

"He loved you, Adriel. For his sake, you must-"

"Do you think this is just about ME?" Adriel finally looked up at him, his expression that of pure agony. "Do you think that's all I care about?! What about Anduin, Genn?" his voice broke and he began to sob to the point of near-incoherence.

All present froze, Genn now speechless.

"How do you think Anduin is feeling!? We left his father behind to DIE, Genn! We left him behind and Anduin... Anduin didn't even get to say goodbye!" Adriel broke down once more, choking back sobs as he tried in vain to keep himself composed long enough to present his point.

Genn balked for only a moment before mostly composing himself. "Anduin is-"

"Just a BOY, Genn! He's only 19 and he doesn't even have a moment to mourn his father because he has a whole Kingdom and its people to take care of! Have you even taken HIS feelings into consideration?!" the priest's taxed tone and agonized expression managed to cover most of the heat of his rage, but Genn could still feel the contempt in his words.

"Of course I have! Don't you think I've considered this? Anduin-"

As the two men continued their confrontation, the boy being spoken of lingered behind the door. Taking a deep breath, his head bowed despondently, he listened for only a few more moments.

Despite all he had lost, all he had suddenly had thrust upon him, he felt... fortunate.

Peopled cared about him, looked upon him with sympathy and compassion. They grieved for him, empathized with him, and made him feel like he was not alone in all this.

As he walked away, he could only pray that they could show each other the same kindness.

Not a single one of them would make it much further without it.

[weslynnegoldmeadow]

daisy : did your muse ever feel as though their innocence had been lost ? what moment in their life could be described as the end of their innocence ?

Crowley may have forgiven Genn Greymane out of necessity, but Weslynne Kirdrin would not.

Not yet... and the stabbing pain in her side -- where her wound had healed badly without proper care in prison -- was a constant reminder of why.

The holdouts, bolstered by Crowley's munitions, had managed to survive the worst of the outbreak, and escape the crumbling city. They'd survived long enough to find something resembling a cure for the afflicted... but they were still trapped behind the bloody Greymane Wall. 

The wall I'd gone to fucking Stoneward over. The wall I lost Faye and Charlee over.

Wes spit into the grass as the mere thought of it brought her anger boiling to the surface once again.

... at least Eckhardt Manor wasn't far, now.

Each footfall felt heavier than the last. It'd been years since she'd been home, and she hadn't seen her wife or daughter around any the survivor camps. Still, foolish as it might be, Wes had hope. The Eckhardts had lived well beyond the city limits, and their land was nestled up against the Blackwald. There was no one around for miles. Nobody except for the family, and the manor staff.

... but Weslynne's heart sank when she got close enough to see how badly the disrepair that plagued the manor had gotten. Everything was falling to pieces. There were broken windows. The horses were gone from the stable. The staff must've left long ago...

Faye's gardens were overgrown.

Wes felt as though her entire body had been plunged beneath the waves at Keel Harbor. Her wife had loved the garden. If it'd reached this point... well. She should've turned on her heel and left, but morbid curiosity was a hell of a thing.

She hadn't had a key with her when they'd scraped her off the cobble at Northgate, with a bloody hole in her guts, and a dead royalist's bayonet poking out her back... so she went in through a window.

...like a common bandit.

The inside of the Manor was much worse. Or perhaps the memory of how it should've been just made it seem so. There was water damage everywhere. Torn furniture, scattered papers, and splintered wood. The scent of mold and rot was so overpowering that she nearly retched. Wes's hand fell to the butt of her shotgun, and she rubbed the pad of her thumb along the black walnut stock. It had been her father-in-law's. A masterwork firearm. Quite frankly, it was a wonder it hadn't been "appropriated" from the arms lockup, but in this moment, it was of small comfort. A piece of her old life that reminded her that she had every right to be here. That this was her home, too.

Faye? Charlee? Aaron?

Wes didn't dare call out. Not that she truly thought she'd find either of them at this point, but-

There was a low, rumbling scrape in the room above her. In the drawing room... and it set the hairs on the back of her neck standing upright. She could feel her heart pounding against her eardrums. A deafening patter that sounded more like cannon fire than fear. With shaking hands, she slipped the shotgun free from the shoulder strap, and readied it.

Every cell in her body screamed for her to turn and run, but she remembered listening to an old rebel talk in the days before the alchemists had cracked the elixir. In his semi-lucid state, he'd spoke in hushed whispers. How, whenever the doctors -- and eventually hospice care -- would turn their backs, some forgotten instinct, buried in the pit of his chest would just scream with rage. She didn't dare turn hers. Not now.

If I heard it, then it definitely heard me...

The stock of that old gun was heavy, and hard as she ascended the stairs. The sensation of the smooth wood against her shoulder kept her anchored to the moment, despite every single step filling her with the pressing need to do otherwise.

... and then something hit her. Hard. The smell of acrid breath, and musty fur crashed over her a split second later. The first trigger gave way, and a brilliant muzzle flash lit up the hallway. Just long enough to leave dazzling spots in her vision, and an imprint of the mindless beast's snarling visage on her psyche.

It was like a spike of ice had been driven through her chest, and a heady concoction of abject terror and pure adrenaline shot through her. She brought the gun up -- to have anything between her face and the snapping jaws -- and ...

Indescribable pain. Claws ripped through her leather coat as if it were barely there, crushing the light, chain liner beneath the worgen's weighty paws until it, too, gave. Wes felt the warmth of blood, and a haze clouded her mind. The enraged beast batted her arms aside, and pain laced along her old wound. Not even the surge of adrenaline could help. Her grip on the gun gave.

I'm going to die.

It was the only thing that made it through the cacophony of fear, and nerves. The pounding of her heartbeat, and the ringing in her ears.

... but at least I'll die in her home.

Death never came. She waited, and waited... but when she opened her eyes, she saw the Worgen. Its jaws frozen mid-snap... with what could only be described as recognition in its eyes.

She could barely move the arm, but she could pull the trigger. The muzzle of the old shotgun flashed again. A blinding, purifying light. Wes barely heard the sound of the blast over the cannon fire that was her heartbeat... and then her arm went limp, and the worgen slumped atop her.

((Hey thanks for asking me this question @foxglovethings! This was a super fun moment to recreate.))

[nsr-scrapped-records]

*runs at you with malicious intent*

TLDR: ADHD made me realize how powerful Neon J was

- Flute Anon

Hello internet, welcome to game theory. So, Neon J huh? Cool cyborg with cool abilities and a cool voice, just a perfectly normal character in the colorful cast of NSR. Yeah, you know what this is gonna be about, at least I hope. I have a thing…for finding absolutely obscure characters and explaining why they could lead to an end of the world situation, I first did this with Genn Greymane from WoW, then Bill from Pokemon, and now, much more reasonably, I will provide the (almost) PERFECT explanation as to why Neon is the most powerful NSR character, and also being a testament to how fucking power ASI is.

Now, first off, what the hell Neon J is? He’s a cyborg, but how human or robot is he…? Well, the most agreed on bit is that he’s basically a bunch of organs in a robotic shell, and now that leads to the question: WHICH organs? Because skin, muscles, bone, those are all organs, and it doesn’t seem he has any of those. We can probably scratch off these certain organs as a start:

- Orifices (Nose, mouth, eyes, etc)

- Those…parts, considering he doesn’t seem to wear pants.

- Skins, muscles, bones (Probably besides something like the ribcage)

Now, considering that, we can probably say that Neon doesn’t have a GI tract either, along with the Urinary tract. So overall, this means that Neon has (PROBABLY) the circulatory, respiratory, immune, nervous, and possibly the endocrine system left. (And probably some bits of muscle and bone.) Now take the ‘nervous’ system with a grain of salt here, because I’m gonna bring up something: Neon’s brain probably isn’t fully organic. For the mechanical bits to work, there has to be something mechanical hooked up to his spinal cord or brain, like we see with prosthetics in the real world! We don’t know when Neon became a cyborg, but with what he says, it was most likely before or after the war. If that is the case, isn’t the most reasonable option is to enhance his mind mechanically…or just transfer his consciousness altogether? I mean, his brain can’t…fit into THAT screen, right?

Now we get into something more complex, so, before we begin with that, let’s talk about the types of AI. There’s ANI, AGI, and ASI. ANI, or artificial narrow intelligence, is an intelligence that is exceptionally well with one certain things…like a GPS system that tells you where to go, or an AI built for chess. Then there’s AGI, which is basically the human equivalent to an AI. Sorta? What that means is that it can do everything a human possibly could at a human level of talented, this is theoretical, as we seem to be nowhere near AGI. Then there’s ASI, the evil AI you see in movies, it can do everything a human can and more, this ranges from just being a little better to…being able to destroy the universe kinda better. AGI and ASI are far from our reach, but once we reach AGI, we could reach ASI in a matter of HOURS. Now, I bring this up, because Neon is probably some mix between an actual human mind and an AI. What I mean by this is that Neon’s mind has possibly been enhanced mechanically, which means he could probably learn the same way an AI can. That is…terrifying. Very, very, terrifying. Now, going back to going from AGI and ASI, unlike humans AI can rapidly improve themselves, and if we gave an AGI the abilities, they could become an ASI in a matter of hours. Now, what of these three labels could Neon be considered under…? Well, simply put, he’s already at ASI.

OKAY LOOK LOOK LOOK what I’m getting at here. Neon as far as we know is one hell of an intelligent bastard, he made 1010 and the Flying Factory. He probably made those shields as well. Now, we don’t exactly have proof of whether he made those by himself…but it’s somewhat safe to say that he maybe did. That’s the kicker is if a human can do that, given time, or not. We’re basically at a loose end here, as the time of when this happened between the Border Wars, and between Neon becoming a cyborg, is something we have absolutely no clue of. So, going on a limb here, let’s say he made the first models of 1010 after becoming a cyborg and after the Border Wars. NSR is around 20 years old, and the time it usually makes to make a robot from scratch is four months…sorta. If we used robots to make that robot from scratch, it would take around four months. So how long would it take with human hands, including all the complex coding for 1010’s AI, and the shields? We…really don’t know, whatever it is it would take a LONG as hell time. And let’s not even get STARTED on the Flying Factory. He’s probably able to make them in an actual factory with actual robots now, but imagine how long it would’ve taken to work on the original 1010 models. To program everything, if he was to do it in a quick time, that’s probably something only a mind GREATER than a human can do. So, even by that point there was no possible way for Neon to be some cyborg equivalent to an AGI.

SO, with the possibility of him being an ASI, or an AGI aside, why the hell did he leave B2J to win? I mean, he probably could’ve seen their attacks from like a mile away already, right? And not only that he probably should’ve thought that they would take over the city, and- Well, there’s two possibilities to this. 1. The game would be batshit hard if Neon acted like he was a cyborg equivalent to an ASI, and/or 2. He was playing weak. We…really don’t know the full extent of how powerful an ASI could be, we don’t know if they can find humans so predictable that they could see hundreds of years into the future from our supposed predictability. To keep his cover intact he deliberately got himself hurt, deliberately got himself to get his district claimed by B2J, just to hide his actual abilities. Cause I mean, be honest, if you knew there was an ASI who could potentially destroy the world, with motivations that could possibly be out of any human’s comprehension that’s uh…one pretty easy decision to kick them out. Also probably he’d seem WAY more valuable to potential hackers. (Even though it’d be highly unlikely to hack into him cause…still organic mind.)

Maybe I’m pulling things out of my ass here rn, which IS a possibility. But AU writers, do with this as you will,,,,just credit me…maybe?

But hey, that’s just a game theory, a game theory! Aaaaand cut. 

[ruffboijuliaburnsides]

First lines meme! I was tagged by @greaseonmymouth​ :)

rules: list the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). see if there are any patterns. choose your favorite opening line. then tag 10 of your favorite authors! 

I’m going to post them from oldest to newest (the last 4 are unpublished, I’m sorry, I’m not going back into my TAZ fics from 2017) with links when appropriate! Be sure to read tags if you follow the links. :)

1) When they’re little, Lorna and Liam’s parents always joke that they’re twins. Mia rocks Lorna to sleep and Darius changes Liam’s diapers and Genn walks the halls with one of them in each arm making faces at them while they scream with laughter.

(i love you, don’t you know, World of Warcraft, Lorna Crowley & Liam Greymane)

2) Vesemir was the first person to love Geralt, he thinks. He doesn’t remember if his mother loved him, and he has significant doubts about whether she did or not, since she left him to be raised as a witcher.

(Love’s Worth Running To, The Witcher, Geralt & his family)

3) "There's some sorta ghost hauntin' the spring," the village elder had told Eskel when he saw the witcher checking the tiny noticeboard outside the tavern. 

(Rosemary, Daisies, and Violets, The Witcher, Eskel & Jaskier)

4) There's some sort of "shadow monster", according to the man Geralt talked to, that's been appearing around one of the farming communities of eastern Kaedwen, bumped up right against the mountains. 

(your already cold mind, The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

5) “I did try to save it,” the barely-clothed sorceress says when she notices Jaskier’s awake. “I’m sorry, for what it’s worth. You’ll want to leave now.” 

(And Yet, Here We Are, The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

6) Julian should never have been taken to Kaer Morhen. 

(raised by wolves and voices, The Witcher, Jaskier/Lambert, Jaskier & Geralt & Eskel & Lambert)

7) The portal opened in the middle of the woods, and Ciri let out a sharp breath when she dropped the magic holding it open. 

(I’ll be with you all along, The Witcher, Ciri & Geralt, Jaskier/Lambert)

8) Jaskier really, really should’ve known better to stick around when Nilfgaardian soldiers showed up in town. 

(Shackled, The Witcher, Jaskier)

9) When Geralt leads his army into Tretogor, they expect most of what they find. 

(No More Monsters, The Witcher, Geralt & Jaskier)

10) It's too much. It's too much and as Jaskier's pulled apart again, again, as Ashwood pours magic into him, he wonders if this time he won't pull back together again.

(i’ve got so much left to say, The Witcher, Jaskier & Jaskier mostly - it’s universe hopping!)

11) Jaskier had, perhaps, been a bit too rash in storming down the mountain after the dragon hunt, effectively removing himself from Geralt’s life. 

(by god still am, The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

12) They needed a way to protect their homes. 

(why were you digging, what did you bury, The Witcher, Jaskier)

13) The winter solstice in Kaer Morhen was a noteworthy event. It would usually start and end solemnly, remembering those they'd lost since the last solstice in the evening as the light faded, and silently looking to the sunrise (and hope) as the dawn broke. 

(a beacon in the night, The Witcher, Geralt & Eskel)

14) Prince Julian of Kerack was bored out of his mind. 

(nights without sleep and days that burn, The Witcher, Jaskier & Wolves, Geralt/Jaskier)

15) There are Faeries in the Wood.That's what everyone said, at least, not that there was any solid proof.

(As Fast As Love Can Go, The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

16) Samantha Winchester was 16 years old, and she had a very big problem. 

(who broke down crying, naked and trembling, Supernatural, Sam & Dean, mind the tags on this one, very DD)

17) Julian Alfred Pankratz had a happy childhood. He liked to tell people that when he was at Oxenfurt because whenever they found out that the overenthusiastic, nearly desperately attentive underclassman was the son of the Count de Lettenhove in Kerack, they tended to assume that he didn't tell people his full name and rarely talked about home because he’d had a poor relationship with his family, because he was being forced into inheriting a title he didn’t want and was using Oxenfurt as a way to start a new life, free of that burden.

(make a refuge, The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier, unpublished)

18) "He's definitely your ancestor or something!" Maddie told Jaskier with a laugh as she snapped a picture of him posing in front of the large portrait in the Novigrad Art Museum. 

(untitled reincarnation AU, The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier, unpublished)

19) There were mages who wanted, more than anything else, to recreate the Trials, so they could create more witchers.

(untitled whumptober prompt, The Witcher, Jaskier, unpublished)

20) The thing was that mages were a notoriously touchy lot, and easy to piss off. The thing was that with the right tools and time for preparation, someone who was otherwise not that powerful could actually inflict a lot of damage. So, if you pissed off a sufficiently petty witch or wizard, you could find yourself in a few days or weeks in a situation that you had no way of expecting, planning for, or solving.

(untitled fic wherein Jaskier gets turned into a kitten, The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier, unpublished)

I’m not going to tag TEN people, but I’ll tag as many as I can think of immediately XD @inexplicifics @rawrkinjd @torynickles @jackironsides @handwrittenhello @eyesofshinigami

[vawianwynn]

Whumptober Day 9

Rumors Of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated presumed dead | (blind) rage | tears

Characters: Genn Greymane, Adriel Wrynn, Valeera Sanguinar, Anduin Wrynn, Varian Wrynn (ment.) Word Count: 997

In which Genn does not know how to deal with people angry crying.

This is actually something I’ve been meaning to write out for a while now considering this is part of Adriel’s canon in the “Varian is dead” timeline. 

The death of a king was never a disjointed occurrence. 

Whether good or bad, whether it be the salvation or damnation of a Kingdom or something in-between, it was a critical affair that immutably sent ripples of consequence via the hearts and minds of its people. 

There was no question this fact would be just as true for Varian Wrynn.

Genn Greymane had never considered the fact that he would be making these sort of preparations. He was not alone in his understandably childish opinion that Varian was an unstoppable force, one that could never be faced with a challenge too great.

That was what made this responsibility exceedingly more difficult than it should have been. 

Several others were present to discuss the memorial preparations. They somberly spoke amongst themselves, the grim task proving to be arduous for all involved. 

A few essential individuals, however, were still absent.

"And what of Adriel?" Genn was hesitant to ask, but it was a necessary question all things considered.

Valeera sighed. "He hasn't left his room at all that I've seen. The door has been locked and he doesn't answer when I call out to him."

"Still?" Genn was not entirely surprised despite asking. "He's going to need to come out sometime," he shook his head, "He's High Priest, he's going to need to attend to his duties eventually. Anduin is grieving too, but even he understands the weight of his responsibility." 

The mention of Anduin produced a grim silence that hung over the room like a shroud.

Not a single person there wanted to think about the loss of Varian, and less still, the struggles his son faced. Would continue to face. 

Genn allowed the moment of sorrow for only a second.

"Alright, let's all get on wi-"

"GENN GREYMANE."

All present turned, Adriel already storming towards the King of Gilneas with a trajectory that was so deathly precise, not a one person dared to intervene.

"HOW DARE YOU.  How DARE YOU come back here," his voice was hoarse and guttural. A crashing tide of rage, of betrayal. 

Of grief. 

The High Priest's rage had always been a blade sheathed with the unyielding restraint of any proper warrior. Only ever drawn when his indignation turned to vindication. The same sort of vindication he once quelled for the person whose loss had now unsheathed that very blade. 

"Adriel..." Genn began without knowing what would even be appropriate as a follow-up.

"You think you can show your face in this keep? You think you can just... Just come back!?"

He was close enough now. The tears that had been practically anticipated by all spilled down his face in full display of his fury.

"COME BACK WITHOUT HIM!?"

His face twisted into agonized exasperation, his teeth ground, eyebrows knitting together as he tried to keep his aggrieved expression from turning into something that would further reflect his torment. 

Genn said nothing. Nothing he could say would change what the priest was feeling now.

Adriel reached him at last, almost making to strike him though Genn knew otherwise. He stumbled into his motion, being caught by Valeera, whose arms he immediately buckled into. 

"How dare you...!" he wept, unwilling, unable to even look at him. 

As Valeera attempted to console him, Genn looked on. He was now witnessing first-hand what sort of visceral outcome accompanied the loss of Varian. Stormwind had lost a king, but some had lost so much more. The reparations were not his to bear, but he could at least try to bring the facts to light.

"Adriel," he began, "You were there. You saw his resolve, you heard his intent. He gave his life so that we might survive. That you might survive. His death would have been meaningless if we had spurned the chance he had given us. Would you have had him despair that he could not save those he cared for the most?"

The priest didn't respond, continuing to sob into Valeera's embrace. She looked at Genn woefully, as if to urge him to say something else, something that would at least manage to subdue his sorrow-fueled rage.

"He loved you, Adriel. For his sake, you must-"

"Do you think this is just about ME?" Adriel finally looked up at him, his expression that of pure agony. "Do you think that's all I care about?! What about Anduin, Genn?" his voice broke and he began to sob to the point of near-incoherence. 

All present froze, Genn now speechless.

"How do you think Anduin is feeling!? We left his father behind to DIE, Genn! We left him behind and Anduin... Anduin didn't even get to say goodbye!" Adriel broke down once more, choking back sobs as he tried in vain to keep himself composed long enough to present his point.

Genn balked for only a moment before mostly composing himself. "Anduin is-"

"Just a BOY, Genn! He's only 19 and he doesn't even have a moment to mourn his father because he has a whole Kingdom and its people to take care of! Have you even taken HIS feelings into consideration?!" the priest's taxed tone and agonized expression managed to cover most of the heat of his rage, but Genn could still feel the contempt in his words.

"Of course I have! Don't you think I've considered this? Anduin-"

As the two men continued their confrontation, the boy being spoken of lingered behind the door. Taking a deep breath, his head bowed despondently, he listened for only a few more moments. 

Despite all he had lost, all he had suddenly had thrust upon him, he felt... fortunate. 

Peopled cared about him, looked upon him with sympathy and compassion. They grieved for him, empathized with him, and made him feel like he was not alone in all this.

As he walked away, he could only pray that they could show each other the same kindness.

Not a single one of them would make it much further without it.

[queen-of-stoneharts]

Syndruin-series ch.10 FINALE

10. The Iron Crown

- Lady Stonehart, rise and shine!

- Mhhh, just five more minutes... pleeease... 

Lisy let out a loud snore. It seemed she's still in a deep sleep. The maid had enough. She pulled the blanket off Lisy.

- Lady Stonehart, i don't want to tell again, if you don't want to miss your wedding, hurry up!

 Then the warrior opened her eyes & jolted up. The day has come. Today she will be Lisyndra Wrynn, she will be the Queen of the Alliance, and she is ready to take responsibility

 She immediately took a warm bath, to freshen up, after ate the breakfast, what was already served.

 When she was done with, the maids brought her wedding dress & helped the warrior dress up, then her hair & the make-up was left.

An hour later she was finished, and observed herself in the mirror. Lisy couldn't believe her eyes, what she saw, that was spectacular, she even couldn't recognize herself.

'Okay, Lisy, you got this... the man, who've been you fought for in your entire life, just waiting for you down the cathedral, you can't mess up...', thought, then left her chamber.

She arrived in the throne room, where the main leaders of the Alliance - except Tyrande, but Shandris was present on her behalf - were assembled, even Meredith too.

- Oh my dear, you look magnificent! - hugged her daughter.

- Mum, please, just don't cry!

- I'm sorry... i just couldn't imagine, that i will ever see you getting married. I wonder, if Aiden would be here...

Suddenly Genn came to them.

- My apologies for the interruption... Lisyndra, i just want to ask you, have you decided, who shall you escort down the aisle?

 Lisy thought for a  moment. Since her father is out of the picture, maybe she'll do this alone, but on the other side Genn taught her everything, what she has to know, after this day. So she must return the favor.

- Yes... King Greymane... would you do the honor?

- Thank you, child. One more thing, please promise me only one thing!

- What is it?

- Just control yourself under important meetings, in the future! I know, you're a little hot-headed.

- Well, if only you will never harass us with the 'heir' thing!

- As you wish...

Then they left the Keep, the leaders went first, of course the bride comes last. When they arrived at the Cathedral Square, they had a few minutes, 'til the ceremony begins. Lisy excused herself, and headed to the cementery. There was something, she must do.

- Hello father... it's been a while... - then sat onto the bench in front of Aiden's grave. - You may be satisfied,... i became a lady, what you ever dreamt of. But let me tell you something about it... I never know, what was the main reason of this obsession, but it was my own choice. You didn't break me, that's why i'm here like this. You wanted a lady... but i chose to be a Queen. Shit... you really should be here, to see me with your eyes sparkling with pride... like... really...

Meanwhile the bells began to ring, meaning, the ceremony is about to begin. Lisy turned back for a last look, then hurried back, just in time. Genn waited for her at the entrance.

- Is everything alright?

- Just family matters... but i'm fine...

Now or never.

The attendants stood up in unison, as Lisy & Genn appeared. Anduin stood at the altar back to them. Lisy walked down with grace, smiling gently. She saw Lathya & Klooen in the first rows, smiling back at her. Her mother wept joyfully, as she saw her daughter again.

Finally they reached the altar, and Anduin finally took a look at his bride the first time.

- Wow, you are so beautiful, just like a goddess! - whispered. - You should be more like this.

- Better savor this moment, because this is the first & last time to see me in a fancy dress.

The priest did grind his throat, to speak up.

- Honored attendants, today, we are all gathered to witness a sacred union, between High King Anduin Wrynn & Lady Lisyndra Alayne Stonehart. Their decision to marry has been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other. The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as lover, companion, and friend. A good and balanced relationship is one in which neither person is overpowered nor absorbed by the other, one in which neither person is possessive of the other, one in which both give their love freely and without jealousy. Marriage, ideally, is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes, and dreams. It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times, and be loving and unselfish.

 The altar boy, who was currently the ringbearer, held a small pillow, with two rings & offered them.

- King Anduin Wrynn, do you take Lady Lisyndra Alayne Stonehart to be your wife, and your queen? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life?

- I do. - Anduin's voice echoed with determination, yet passion. The priest turned to Lisy then.

- Lady Lisyndra Alayne Stonehart, do you take King Anduin Wrynn to be your husband, and your king? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life?

- I do. - her voice trembled a little, but it was all just excitement. - I really do.

- Time for your vows. Lady Lisyndra, you may go first.

Lisy looked deeply into her lover's eyes. She knew already, what to tell.

- Anduin... the moment we met, back then, when i got lost in the Keep, i've never thought we were destined to meet that day. But as years passed i suddenly felt those sparks, and the overwhelming feeling, that we are bonded by Fate. It wasn't until i knew the true meaning of love at first sight. You are my anchor in the storm, keeping me steady, when things get rough, and making sure, never drift too far from who i am, and who i want to be. I solemly promise, that i'll always be there for you, and i'll support you, no matter what.

Anduin chuckled for a moment, a single teardrop appeared in his eyes. It was his turn.

- Oh, sorry, i'm just... ahem, Lisyndra, my dear. When i met you, i never thought, that one day we end up here. Before you, i was nothing, just a pawn in the adults's game, but when you stepped into my life, something changed me inside. You've made me see a side of myself, that i never realized i had. There were so many times i feared, that this moment, standing up here beside you, wouldn't happen. Or that our lives might be cut short. But you have a way of changing the odds... of making the impossible happen. Every moment with you feels with possibility. You challenge me, and nudge me in the right direction, when i need a little push. I promise to love you, to honor you, and cherish you. To support you, fight for you, and inspire you... as you have always done for me. No matter, what the future holds for us, i know, that together is where we're meant to be.

Some of the guests wiped tears from their cheek. Indeed, these vows were full of emotion & touchy. Then Anduin spoke up.

- Before we turn to the final part, there is something else i must do. - then signed to a guard, who brought in a silver-almost iron-colored crown with aquamarine gems with. Lisy knew, this was the moment, so she knelt for the coronation ceremony.

Anduin took the crown, and held above Lisy's head.

- Lisyndra Stonehart, do you pledge your loyalty & your devotion to the Alliance, from this day, until your last day?

- I do.

- Do you swear to your people, that you will always listen to their plea, and will you take it as your priority?

- I swear.

- And will you alway lead the Alliance with courage, with humility to glory?

- I will.

- From this moment, i will grant you the title: High Queen of the Alliance! - and placed the crown onto her head. - Wear this title with diginity & pride! You may rise now, Queen Lisyndra Wrynn!

She stood up, and held Anduin's hand. Finally the priest took back the part of the speech.

- In the name of the Holy Light, i will pronounce you husband & wife, King & Queen! Now, may this union be sealed with a kiss!

 Lisy couldn't hold herself back, she pulled her now-husband close & kissed him sweetly. The crowd erupted into applause. And it was just the beginning.

***

 It was indeed a lovely ceremony, but what's the wedding without a reception. It was held in the Keep's throne room, and the servants did their very best with the dinner. And drinks of course.

 And the opening dance. Secretly, Lisy put some seductive movements spontaneously, just to turn her husband on a little. But they amazed the crowd.

 They had a good time on the reception, after midnight, the guests went slow by slow.

 Finally, only the royal couple remained, they didn't feel exhausted, but still, they headed to their room. Together, not apart from now on.

- When did you re-decorate? It's kinda different again, since i was here last time.

- While you were busy with the education, i had my time to rearrange everything, to be ready for you.

- But can i still keep my private chamber, if we argue again?

- If you insist. - suddenly kissed her, then lead her to the fireplace. - Aren't you tired, are you?

- Nop... why?

- How about... exchange our wedding gifts, if you don't mind?

- Sure... shit, i forgot to bring down mine...

- Don't worry, the maids brought down in the noon.

They sat down the carpet. Lisy handed Anduin a packed item.

- I hope you'll like it, these are very rare & i think you can use them well in the future.

The king started to wrap out. It was an artifact for priests, plus a spell book.

- Lisy, these are rare indeed, where did you get them?

- Commander Harlow is an archeologist in her free time. I asked her, that she could find them.

- I promise i'll take a good care of them... okay, my turn. - then hands her a fine sword. - I heard yours were destroyed when you were in N'Yalotha. You couldn't even repair. - Lisy nodded. - I thought a lot about, and i made the decision. This sword belonged to my grandfather... Llane Wrynn... and i think it calls for a new wielder.

- No, i can't accept it! What if i cause damage on this? And it's a very valuable sword!

- I insist to take it! As my grandfather was a great warrior... and you are too, and you are worthy to wield it, please!

 Lisy hesitated for a moment, but took the weapon. If she will honors Llane's memory, so be it.

 She pulled Anduin into a deep, passionate kiss, now no one will disturb them ever. The king kissed her back, while slowly undid her dress at her back, and slowly undressed her. Lisy did the same, she didn't hold herself back again, they stripped the each other, until there was nothing on them. The warrior blushed at the sight, the king too, as observed his wife. Gently picked her up & put her onto the bed. The moon lit from a perfect angle, she was more attractive in the moonlight.

- I've waited for you for so long, and now you're mine... you're so beautiful... i could kiss all your scars, until all is gone.

- Hey, these scars made me who i am, or can i say... i am my scars? - joked. - Come on, and take me, i want you so bad!

- Say no more, my Queen! - then teased her gently.

His touches just turned her on better, he did his best to make her feel good. A moment later he placed himself between her legs. It hurt a little at first, tears flew down on the warrior's cheek, but still smiled at him. He smiled back at her, then started moving slowly in her, make her moan. They had a long journey to realize, they were bonded from the beginning. They are one now.

- Lisyndra...

- Anduin...

The End

[damien-ward]

Final Shadowlands Prediction

With Shadowlands dropping on Monday here are my final predictions for what I am expecting to come from Shadowlands!  This is just fun speculation for fun, but here are mine:

1) Anduin is going to come out of Shadowlands old, as we see in the Legion comic that came out. The Jailer will somehow age Anduin with his magic, stealing his lifeforce or something.

2) We will see Arthas again as part of a closure plot for Jaina. In that same vein I think Jaina will die in Shadowlands. She got closure with the Horde, she got closure with the stuff regarding her father, she fixed her relationship with her mother, all that is left is Arthas. She will get closure with Arthas and at some point die in Shadowlands.

3) Tyrande will die somehow, probably stopping the Jailer and Sylvanas.

4) We now know that the Arbiter can create new Death realms for unique cases with souls, which Blizzard says we will see… Well, you know what that means? Sylvanas’s soul definitely got split when Arthas killed her. The “good” part of her soul went to the Shadowlands (maybe taken by the Jailer and put in the Maw to use as a bargaining chip?) while the “bad” part of her soul is what became the current Sylvanas. We will end up killing the bad one or defeating her and her two soul pieces will merge and the Arbiter will create a special realm for Sylvanas. (I am thinking something with an updated Silvermoon, I’ll come back to this.)

5) At some point in a later patch we will get a quest to return to the Maw to meet a new soul who is a familiar face… Surprise! It is Genn Greymane, he will tell us Turalyon killed him. (this is setting up the Tyranny of Light plot for the expansion after Shadowlands where Turlayon is corrupted) Since Genn is dead and in the Shadowlands he will get closure with his son Liam as they will meet somehow.

6) Bolvar will become the new Jailer, and with the Helm of Domination reforged and used to close the veil to the Shadowlands Taelia Fordragon will become the first official Lich Queen to follow in her father’s footsteps and stay connected to him in the Shadowlands.

So yeah those are my predictions. Alliance will lose 3 leaders to appease the Horde players who have wanted that to be fair, while setting up Turalyon as a villain. Sylvanas will end up in her own afterlife. Bolvar is the new Jailer, and Taelia is the new Lich Queen.

This may be in the expansion AFTER Shadowlands, but: 

Also, currently Turalyon has comments in-game about wanting to capture old Alliance bastions… this makes me think Lordaeron, Gilneas, etc. So I am thinking he will move to Lordaeron and reclaim it especially with the new Scarlet presence we see there as of 8.3, you can find their pamphlets and books laying around… And with Genn Greymane dead, I think this will light a fire in Tess Greymane and she will rally the Gilneans, Lorna Crowley, and Darius Crowley and they will reclaim Gilneas and use it as a base of operations to take on Turalyon in Lordaeron, making Gilneas the Alliance hub.

Remember how I mentioned the updated Silvermoon in Sylvanas’ afterlife? Well I think that is the beginning of Blizzard actually updating Silvermoon on Azeroth. With Turaylon taking Lordaeron and what not, who is also a Light wielder? Lady Liadrin. I could see her either becoming corrupted or taking up the fight against Turalyon to stop his “misuse of the Light”, either way I could see this making Silvermoon updated to be the Horde hub for the following expansion, so after all these years we finally see it updated and brought to the current Azeroth map.