#forgive my lore rambling XD

[anthurak]

Personally I'm of the theory that it's actually Prior of the Ice Barrier that we're seeing here. As in, what we're seeing is the FIRST time the three dragons were sealed away and the creation of the original Ice Barrier. Mostly because it frees up Ascalon to be the one to help Spirit of the Ice Barrier reseal the dragons later.

Dragunity Oubliette

It's Dragunity vs the Ice Barrier Dragons! Otherwise titled: The Ice Barrier Dragons got a little unruly and had to be put in permanent time out by our good friend Areadbhair and Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier. The framing of this card is genuinely interesting. While there technically isn't any visible "seal" being created over these three dragons, Areadbhair's body completely encircles them along the card border, giving the illusion of entrapment. There's so much color variation and detail work happening in the limited space that is the pit here that it's a little tough to pick out the three individual dragons (well, four if you count Areadbhair). But at least there's a nice action shot of Brionac angrily falling in while being blasted with some pretty intense looking flames. I think the light particle effects shooting upwards and out are a little much and make the outer edges of the art busy like the interior, so it probably would've been better if they were left out.

Rating: 8/10

[leftdestiny-posts]

My apologies for spamming your notifs lately but I randomly thought of this after messing up an egg recipe :’3

-

Whenever the Segments get mad at Cupcakettore, they try to sabotage his desserts. Once, a Segment snuck into his kitchen after the egg whites and yolks were separated. He then proceeded to pour all of the yolks into the bowl of egg whites, thereby wasting Cupcakettore’s earlier efforts. He even went as far as to poke the yolks to thoroughly mix them.

The next day, all of the Segments were served (poisoned) scrambled eggs for breakfast.

-

Also, ten-page ramblings, you say?? I shall make more room in my brain for Cupcakettore xD

Please, never apologize for giving me notifications!! It's a joy to see asks/messages from you :DD jkafnjkfn can you imagine my joy when I got this scenario for cupcakettore from you? While it's not quite ten pages, I definitely rambled for a while,,, so beware when you read this XD (note: I went really off topic but I added a doodle to compensate ^^;; forgive me XDD)

Before I'll drop the HCs, let me adore this scenario because <3 YES!!! (I have this lemon merengue cake recipe and I ALWAYS!! :(( mess up the eggs. I feel your (and cupcakettore's) frustration...)

Cupcakettore (quite literally) doesn't fit in the way he was designed to do, and while he is part of the hivemind, the others tend to make his life miserable whenever they can (granted, that is only possible by ruining his recipes lmao, hence situations like these).

Never before did the other segments (nor Zandik himself) understand his passion for baking (likely they never will). And while cupcakettore compares the kitchen to the other's lab and baking to experiments,,, the others just don't get it.

[Okay, I'll drop some HC's before I (hopefully) cycle back again to the scenario because cupcakettore (dubbed "DOTT" for simplicity,) has lots of lore in my head jsnldg]

• He was the first segment to be considered 'successful'. However, Dott remains far from resembling Zandik, as he is closer to becoming an 'individual' instead of a segment from the past. (let me explain;)

• While Kunikuzushi was created from wood, I imagine the current segments to be made from a combination of techniques from Ei's prototype puppet + Kharnri'ahn technology/Ruin guard parts. DOTT, instead, is a result of biotechnology --- a combination of innovative technology on human evolution + Ei's techniques for creating Scaramouche.

• ALSO!!! "Water holds memories", every segment carries a vial with blue fluid which connects them to the hivemind, and in extension, Zandik. These vials hold the memories that shape them, giving them personalities, and setting their traits fixed to a segment of "Dottore's"/"Zandik's" life (a.e. one of the 'younger' segments holds Zandik's memories of the Akademiya,, another of his first years in the Fatui,,, etc!! They all know what happened in the entire timeline [from Zandik's oldest memories to his recent ones], but if they're not in the vial, they haven't 'experienced' those memories; thus it doesn't shape their personality)

• But... Dott was only a prototype,, and thus hadn't been created with the 'vial' in mind. He was shaped to be a clone of Zandik; he got the same beliefs and ideas implanted in his mind ever since he first woke up; but without being a fixed part of the hivemind, he was able to drift into an individual (and while he's still very much a version of Dottore, he did gain some personal quirks that don't belong before he got added to the hivemind. Zandik suspects his unchained love for experiments (main_trait_1) and curiosity (main_trait_2) ended up being DOTT's downfall into a baker.)

• No one knows why this segment hasn't been deactivated (Pantalone sure questions it every time he gets a bill that consists of baker ingredients). --- Perhaps the first working prototype is a reminder of how far Zandik has come in his research, and perhaps he is there as cannon fodder, but at the end of the day, Dott does introduce a new perspective (even if most can't see that perspective).

• Everyone underestimates this segment until they remember that this segment is created in the image of the 2nd Harbinger.

• My guy created one of the most potent poisons on 'accident' (which he is currently banned from making again because of its effects). Dott also 'accidentally' created a truth serum that's now used for information gathering (although this ended up attracting a lot of rip-off serums on the market that didn't originate from DOTT. Pierro ended up having to ban this invention as well, since no one could differ a working truth serum from the cheap less-effective version of it (information intel became unreliable))

• He loves LOVES robots!!! Loves dissecting them, putting them back together, repeating, replacing parts, changing parts, and creating something new. He doesn't make many useful inventions in the field of machinery, but he remains incredibly intelligent and has a knack for remembering everything step by step, making ruin guard dissection and repairs his to go to job. (Though, if forced to choose between baking and robots... you know what he'll choose LMAO)

• One time he killed Zandik's favorite assistant on accident, but it's the assistent's fault, really!! After all, Dott did put a warning sign next to his fresh batch of cupcakes... Although, in hindsight he should've written the 'beware: poison' on a bigger piece of paper and not on a sticky note.

• He puts the most questionable things into his cupcakes. If it's not a new poison or serum, it'll likely be something worse (don't ask him)

• Once, a Fatuus was overheard laughing about the segment who baked in his free time. --- He ended up in the oven that same day, only for Dott to laugh in revenge.

• He shares his cupcakes, and while it's rude to decline them (he will turn you into his new red velvet batch), you can't be cautious enough with eating them.

• He ended up going into retirement once Zandik created enough segments. He was allowed to remain activated for as long as he delivered test subjects. So, he opened a bakery. The unsavory patrons that enter his shop end up getting delivered to his fellow kinship in the capital labs.

• His bakery is successful (to everyone's surprise)

• If you're polite (bonus points if you're a regular), you'll be safe. Contrary to normal belief, he does have a heart in the shape of curiosity and validation, so if you're a sweetheart breaking into his routine, you'll end up getting his special made cupcakes (he baked them just for you!) and the news of your annoying co-worker suddenly missing! (Tell Dott about it, he'll laugh. Just don't ask why he does)

OKAY SO!! I can 100% see (pre-bakery times) a new segment stealing one of his cupcakes (god forbid mess with his recipe and he's like;

Imagining a new(-ish) segment messing with his eggs after Dott spent HOURS on separating them (curse that Fontainian macaroon recipe,,,) --- DOTT will get revenge.

Fortunately, the segments are durable, else they would've died from that new poison he added.

[messinwitheddie]

mewr lore is the COOLEST THING EFUR and there is SO MUCH and i am VERY IMPURRESSED and i ADMIRE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

100000000 LOVE BEAMS ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

((i sent this bcs i was recently reading thru pepperoncinis tag and i felt like it needed 2 b said!))

Pepperoncini "High praise, indeed! The BEST kind of praise! From the bottom of my swelling heart, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you!

But I must extend the praise; I am only "mighty" because of the labor, loyalty and endless self-sacrifice of my drones. Every accomplishment listed in my stats was made possible because of the achievements of former tallests. My Empire is prosperous and vast because of the invaluable contributions from my allies. Bounty and fortune to them! My role is to utilize these assets to the upmost benefit for everyone involved-- to the best of my abilities.

PRAISE TO, well... all of that! HA...HA...HA!" *catches breath* "And praise to you. To the lounge! Revel with me, my generals and my staff. I would perform, but my coordinator has advised me against ascending the trapeze these days. Indulge and give me input. Input is crucial to my role."

[Tallest Pepperoncini was originally supposed to be a prop/ sidenote in my 18-years-later au, but his origin story just took off. He's such a big, sparkly ham, but kind-hearted. Glad other people found him as fun as I did fleshing out his character.

As for my lore, it's amazing what having no social life and a desperate need for escapism can accomplish. XD

But, seriously, I can't take all the credit. Much of my Irken fan lore is a collaboration of the imaginations, rp sessions, asks, and submissions of @narlowemcfarlowe , @a-wanderin-whirlybird , @krizaland @evrelai @monsoonceroom (and I'm sure I'm neglecting to mention someone; if I did, please forgive me. My memory is shit; long term and short term.)

No where near as social or active as I used to be; forgive me everyone! You're all awesome!

So sorry my content is all over the place. I feel like so many posts of mine get lost in tumblr oblivion and don't show up in tags; especially asks. You're a trooper to scroll through this mess.

Thank you and forgive me for rambling.

[lookbluesoup]

just read your AMAB focused NSFW headcanons but im curious, so in light of LGBT month of June, what about trans folk of the miqo/hroth/au'ra/viera races? Trans males, do they go into heat, perhaps not as intensely and/or as often if they're on some version of hormone replacement? I have my own personal headcanon for my AFAB trans guy but i was just curious on your take c:

Thanks for asking!! This ended up being a more general ramble about trans headcanons in Eitherys, hopefully that's ok xD I haven't done much lore digging for this stuff in actual canon, so forgive me if this conflicts with lore! (And feel free to share sources, I'm curious!)

I imagine “hormones” as a word isn't really a thing in Eitherys - or at least isn't widely known - and due to the magic and aetheric aspects of life here, the whole thing doesn’t function quite the same way as real life. --

Most folks are content with using glamours as a (relatively) cheap, accessible way to alter their presentation. --

In Eorzea, skilled alchemists can create potions which alter aether and essentially have the same effect as HRT. Alchemy is somewhat expensive and this particular concoction requires significant skill such as from the Guild - so this isn’t something your average farmer would have reliable access to. --

Garlemald has magitek and medical expertise to perform complex confirmation surgeries, especially thanks to studying Allagan technology like cloning and having an advanced understanding of magical genetics. --

Since Miqo’te and Hrothgar heats are caused by ovaries being ready to ovulate, transfems don’t experience heats naturally (the same way irl transfems don't get periods.) But alchemists have a fix for that too, and potion can be brewed to replicate the sensation of a heat with great accuracy. --

Fantasias… exist. But they’re either a lost art or extremely prohibitive to make, meaning almost nobody outside of like the Leveillieurs and the Emperor of Garlemald would have access to such a thing. --

Transgender acceptance varies significantly between races, city states, and cultures:

Groups like tradition-heavy Miqo'te tribes and Ishgard which push strict gender roles with heavy reproductive expectations attached tend to be less welcoming to the notion.

Viera... super duper chill with trans. They don't even know what sex they are until puberty. Even though their society is divided into gender roles, reproduction isn't a huge focus so there's no major cultural reason to be so opposed to the idea of it.

Will tentatively hc that Gridania is accepting. There's plenty of examples of nonbinary gender stuff in nature. (I could make a case for them being super bigoted and arrogant about "sex=gender, we're Spoken races not animals" or w/e but I'm mean enough to Gridania in my hcs so they can have this xD)

Garlemald is pretty much fine with it, too, but access to gender affirming medical care is, like so much else, dependent on merit.

Sharlayan acknowledges the existence of trans individuals and is verbally affirming, but there's so much academic debate and bureaucracy that it can actually be very hard to “qualify” for affirmative care.

In Ul'dah acceptance is about money. Like everything else lol

Au Ra have SO MANY cultures I feel it's impossible to place any generalizations on them. I imagine there's a huge spectrum of beliefs and whatnot depending on what group you're born to.

There's also just not enough Hrothgar lore out there for me to be too sure how I think they'd handle it. Since they also seem to have pretty strict gender roles, it'd be easy to say it's not accepted. But I also kinda like the idea of intersex traits being fairly common for Hroth, and maybe there's a lot of leeway in their traditions for at least transmasc/transfem individuals! --

The Ancients were very positive about it, especially given the role physical transformation has in their culture and the ease with which it could be done

While I personally like the variation in acceptance & access to care from an immersion and storytelling standpoint, I totally get that's not for everyone and have nothing against folks who hc a more widely accepting world in Eitherys!

[lumienyx]

I 100% want to know about both 'Hawke no' and the inquisitor hawke story because they both sound AMAZING

Yello there! answered about Hawke, No right here :3

And ahhhhh Reikah you asked about my favorite bb T_T Thank you so much💙💙💙 But can you forgive me if I ramble? Can you??? If not gosh just please ignore skhshsksk

The Inquisitor!Hawke fic is like years in the making... in my head lol. I’ve only recently started actually writing it now that I’ve got a passably decent writing style I’m satisfied with. It’s also a VERY self-indulgent fic, because:

1. FIRST AND FOREMOST I have yet to read an Inquisitor!Hawke/Anders AU where there’s copious amounts of porn interspersed with plot so I guess it’s up to ser thirsty ass over here to satisfy his own desires😔✊

2. I so would like to explore spirit lore & ancient elven lore and, uh, I do that a lot in this fic, which is why it gets downright... weird in places >.> Because I have yet to read a fic that goes with the theories I prefer soooo again it’s all up to me to write it, along with my own hcs thrown in XD To avoid spoilers, suffice it to say that Solas’ arc is pretty different in this story, and so is every spirit entity’s for that matter — from Justice to Cole and the Nightmare, and everyone in between👀 

3. Speaking of spirit entities, Justice is rightfully one of the three main characters in this one. It starts off with established Justhanders (because I can😤) (and they are very much in love🥰❤️), and Justice gets roughly the same amount of POV as Anders and Hawke, which is something that, again, I find lacking in other stories >:c also re: porn I MEAN JUSTICE AND HAWKE’S ANCHOR I MEAN THE POSSIBILITIES I ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

4. Samson (Anders’ long-time friend in this and I won’t pretend this wasn’t @rusted-pipe-of-wisdom​‘s influence) and Cullen are both in the Inquisition🙃 I considered switching their roles but couldn’t be bothered to develop Cullen as an antagonist. Considered ignoring his existence entirely or killing him off, but settled on exploring the hilarious shitfest of Cullen and Samson trying their best (or barely trying?) not to rip each other’s throats out while commanding the Inquisition’s forces😅 Their roles aren’t overlapping and there’s an in-story explanation of why they’re both there, but I’ll stop before I spoil.

Consequently, there’s Calpernia to deal with, but to further balance things out, I’ve gone and made the Cory much more of a threat in this story because the Clownypheus we get in Inquisition is just too much of a joke for me to bear😩 I mean fuck it. Give me danger. Give me High Stakes. Give me SACRIFICE AND DEAT—ooookay, maybe not death. Maybe🌚

5. RIP Hawke and Anders' anonymity very early in the story but for the little while they manage, their aliases are, respectively, Geralt of Rivain and Kyle Ren (short for Kyle Ferrenly) because the author is complete and utter dumbass ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sorry for rambling so much I’m just really excited about writing this but let’s face I'll prolly never finish it anyway ._. So if you are by any chance interested — have an excerpt (sorry it’s so unedited😥😥) from the beginning.

Scene from Chapter 1: Tragic Mark Upon Our Land

~

Hawke was dead.

No, Anders forcibly corrected his and Justice's shared thought. They couldn't afford such moments of weakness. Garrett wasn't dead. It couldn't be true.

Anders marched on, across the glaciers, through toppled trees and against the biting wind towards the little hints of civilization he could see among the mountains, the rocky landscape peppered with newfound rifts and rippling with demonic energy. The sky was torn apart, and he was too preoccupied to worry about the absolute disaster that this was as he normally would, because all that mattered was that—

Garrett was dead.

Anders shook his head, plowing through thick mounds of snow with an explosive burst of fire.

It couldn't be. His heart constricted in his chest. His stomach twisted in knots. Anders gritted his teeth, swiping away rapidly freezing tears and swallowing down the bile creeping up his throat, and walked on.

He drew strength from Justice, who brushed along his mind in comforting waves even as his very essence trembled with an echo of the fear that suffocated Anders' chest with an iron grip. Even so, he offered to take over. Anders refused. They could be spotted at any moment. Ambushed at any moment. Every piece of ice that broke under the weight of his foot could be a trap set by a mage, any particularly cold gush of wind the sign of a templar's aura nearby. They could not afford to be seen with Justice showing through. Anders was risking enough as it was, walking right into the Chantry's domain, like Hawke explicitly told him not to do, but now Hawke was fucking dead and—

It couldn't be.

Hawke wasn't dead and they needed to make sure of that, needed to feel Garrett's heart beat beneath his chest, to see the smile dancing on his lips, and so, with aching feet and an ever more aching heart, they trudged onwards.

Anders, the Grey Warden, possessed mage, the most wanted man in Thedas, wasn't the one supposed to outlive Hawke, whose only grave sin to date, really, was tying his life to Anders' in the first place.

Would this ever have happened if we'd never—

Justice, immortal as he was, would outlive both of them and that was a truth all three of them had to contend with...

We cannot allow him to die here—

...but not like this, never like this. It simply could not end this way. It wouldn't.

It was either a dream or a mistake.

An impossibility Anders and Justice wouldn't allow themselves to entertain in the slightest, because it was naught but farce.

Wasn't it?

Anders had to force himself to breathe at this point. Cold wind prickled in his lungs and yet the pain of it paled against the terror that flooded him whole.

Justice's power rushed through him again, muted and concealed but still invigorating, filling Anders' veins with the pure energy of the Fade that allowed him to take the next step. Then another. A jump down into a pile of snow, and yet another step, step, step, and there, finally, ramparts and makeshift ditches were visible ahead, placed along hastily trodden paths. The sound of distant voices reached Anders' ears even through the thrum of the staccato rhythm of his heart all but deafening him.

He tried to take deeper breaths. Only managed shallow near-sobs.

What if they couldn't find him? What if Garrett was—

It just couldn't be true. It couldn't, it couldn't, couldn't, could not. Justice had felt Hawke in the Fade, heard his cries for help, felt Hawke leave the realm, and they could only hope it was back to this world and not anywhere... beyond.

Anders bit back another wave of nausea.

Hawke wasn't dead.

He couldn't be dead.

Their love was waiting for them, in need of healing, maybe, wounded, probably, but alive. They needed to find him and they would, Maker damn the Conclave, the Chantry, and everything in between.

For now, they only found Varric.

~

sorry for making Anders suffer. Everything turns out fine! For the beginning at least... x)

[rangerslayer-97]

A Little Theorising to Keep You Busy - Discovery Ch 4 Teaser (Crisis on Infinite Galaxies)

So, I’m going to be radio silent for a bit, which means I won’t be updating for some time due to study for upcoming exams that will last a week. Discovery the first arc of Crisis on Infinite Earths won’t get an update till perhaps after Christmas (a rough gauging). I will try to work on the chapter behind the scenes, but academic writing has drained my motivation to write, also causing Writer’s Block to hit me more times and harder than normal. 

What makes it also frustrating is that I have the WHOLE chapter planned out in my head and I just can’t get it down on paper. My brain is currently in academic writing mode at the time being.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings, I will be kind enough to grace you with a teaser to mull over until I do find the time to actually drop the said chapter and allowing me to start the Intermissions.

****

“In this galaxy, a long time ago, I would have been your older sister and Luke’s... until my parents betrayed me!”

“She’s gone. Anakin and Padmé will never forgive me. Leia should never have been my Padawan in the first place.”

“The Alliance is not ready for all-out war, but we can offer you the best of the team to help rescue your Padawan, Ahsoka Tano.”

“I am Seggr Wren, the descendant of Brynjar Wren son of Sabine Wren of Clan Krownest. I offer my aid, Jetii, as well as avenging Mand’alore.”

“Are you... proud of me, Master?”

****

That’s the teaser. Oh, some translations as I gave a brief revelation to some of the Mando OCs, particularly for the Wren lineage. As some know, Véurr is the Old Norse word meaning Protector. Being a nerd for Old Norse and Norse Mythology, I sort of followed the theme. 

Seggr means Warrior, but recall I never mentioned the fate of the Darksaber, which might draw some hints. With his existence and being a direct descendent of Brynjar.

Brynjar Wren, who is Sabine’s son, the Mando who was last seen with the Darksaber a little over 4000 years ago on the hour of Sabine’s death in 56 ABY. His name translates to Warrior in Armour. 

Enough lore building for my Galaxy-38 AU and expanding Crisis on Infinite Galaxies. Happy theorising, for now, XD

[sky-scribbles]

You must have noticed by now that there quite a few of feral, hostile Senche tigers and lions in ESO (and there will be even more of those in, say, Valenwood or Alik'r). Do you have any headcanons about how Khasha and her family react to them?

A question about my new ESO characters, yusss! For those unaware (which is most of you, because I’ve only talked about them on DeviantArt so far), Khashani, Khasha for short, is my main ESO toon, a Khajiit nightblade who is joined on her travels by her younger siblings Zinathra and Dhejar, who are an Alfiq and Pahmar Khajiit respectively, and thus resemble a housecat and some kind of big cat. (What variety exactly will be decided if/when I buy enough Crowns to get Khasha a feline mount to be Dhejar.)

So, about the Senche-Cats! I haven’t actually run into any yet - Khasha has yet to leave Khenarthi’s Roost, because I keep dragging her into every single quest there. But she will be encountering them soon enough, I’m sure…

Forgive me here while I ramble about Khajiit lore. XD I think the important thing to bear in mind here is that while they’re called Senche, Senche-Lions and Senche-Tigers are not Senche Khajiit, but Senche-Cats; distant relatives of the Khajiit, but not sapient beings. They are hostile wildlife, and not members of the Khajiit race who have gone mad or who are being aggressive. My friend AedricDaedra on DeviantArt came up with a very interesting theory that ‘Senche’ might mean something like ‘fierce’ in Ta’agra, which is why they share a name with the most powerful form of Khajiit - if they had just been named after the Khajiit form they resembled, they should have been called Pahmar-Cats, since the Pahmar are the form of Khajiit which look like real-world big cats. (It could also be where the name of the town of Senchal comes from.)

Despite this, though, the gang will still be shaken up by having to fight them. Khasha and her siblings were raised in a city, so they probably wouldn’t have been around Senche-Cats very much, though they’d always know that such a thing existed. Once they get out into the great wide world, though, they’ll probably encounter a few tame ones who are used as labour on farms - and after a little confusion where they possibly mistake them for Pahmar Khajiit, they get used to it.

But having Senche-Cats attack them as they go about their travels is probably going to be a little rattling for all of them. First, whenever they see one, there’ll be a brief moment of panic while they try to work out whether this is a sentient Pahmar who’s just attacking out of cruelty, or a regular animal. Then there’s the fact that they need to fight and kill a creature that looks very like Dhejar. It would probably be like being attacked by a really primitive caveman - you know they’re not intelligent, but they look so much like you…

I think that the trio will avoid fighting Senche-Cats at all costs, just because it’s plain creepy, with Khasha and Zinny jumping on their little brother’s back and Dhejar getting them out of there as fast as he can. Dhejar will be the worst affected, because he’s the one who looks exactly like these critters, and he’s also the youngest - I think he’s about eighteen. He’ll be plagued with worry over it for a while - could he ever forget himself enough to become a mindless animal? Is he killing creatures that might someday evolve into intelligent Khajiit-like beings? But he’ll get through it, especially as their encounters with the Senche-Cats become more commonplace. Sisterly support does wonders. :)