#fun fact when i was younger i was always a dragon but as i aged it became more realistic and now lizards are more like it

[katkalis-the-fanartist]

Kinda feeling lonely on this rn, so...if there are any other therians that see this post, can you like reassure me that I'm not alone on this? Any type of animal.

Would also be cool to meet other reptilian therians!! Bonus if you too have this urge to eat bugs and just love to bask in a warm sun and feel incapable of doing anything if you're too cold!!

[yourtoradorasextendedwarranty]

Anti's, Twitter Freaks, and Tumblr crazies seem to have this weird itch where they believe any women under 5'6" is "a literal child". And this shit has annoyed me for forever now. What's more this conversation always comes up in regards to Loli in anime and tall men with short women IRL. So here's a poll. And then more context.

Long story short, or rather as short as I can get it. I'm getting sick and tired of the idea that age somehow doesn't matter but, physical appearance of age does somehow matter instead. Especially when it comes with the context of anime. And even then more so I get frustrated at the fact that I have to talk with anyone about what is appropriate and not appropriate IRL.

The fact of the matter is and will remain that just because a girl looks like an adult does not in any way imply that it is okay to sleep with her unless you are also underage. (And I only make that caveat, because I know I can't stop young people from screwing around with one another.) But, when I see people whining about anime specifically I often end up with people who are fans of Ryoko from Kill La Kill or Kitagawa from My Dress Up Darling. Both of whom are minors. And if you like that, then you do you. Because I understand that with anime as an aesthetic they do have a tendency to look older or younger depending on how the people writing the story wanted them to come out.

However, a lot of people have a frustrating little quirk where if it looks like a character is too short, to flat chested, or has no back-end or thighs to speak of, they assess that that character is supposed to either be or look like a child (Ignoring they treat REAL women like this). Which also ignores this fun issue:

Because let's talk age of consent shall we. Sure, it's not universal across every country but it's pretty close among first world ones. But people make a big deal of characters that short with no bust, seek out people that like that character, and will literally treat that person as if they've harmed kids IRL. Yet are seemingly NEVER angry over the abuse of real kids. What's more they will claim something is pedophilia online, THEN SHARE IT saying something like "OMFG LOOK AT THIS EPSTEIN TIER ABUSER!", and I'm sitting here like, "I don't care how old you are if you're an adult you need to be punched in the throat and if your a minor, you and your parents need to be punches in the throat". (My reasoning here is simple. If you think something is CP why would you then share it to more people rather than just report it)

Epstein abused and trafficked MANY young girls and possibly young boys to a lesser extent. A person that likes this goblin?

Isn't even close to Epstein. Because:

This is a drawing

This drawing is humanoid but doesn't look like an actual human

This character is probably older than you are

This character is a dragon

This character is FICTIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My point for asking ladies heights is because I'm really sick of people more or less going, "as long as you look old enough it's fine" while not realizing they literally just made the argument that age is just a number and so long as you look of age you should be allowed to be sexually abused.

[lady-pug]

Written Between the Lines

Interlude - Meddling With Our Hearts

Summary: Five times someone interferes with yours and Aemond’s relationship and one time you decide to take the reins and shape your own fate.

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Reader

Word count: 6,9k

Warnings: canon-typical incest (uncle-niece)

Notes: Hello!! How have you all been? This one came out faster than I expected! Yay!

Okay, just to explain a few things, so this chapter is a bonus, non-chronological chapter in the story. It is separated into items, as it follows the ‘5+1 Things’ model, spanning across several years. In item 1, Reader and Aemond are very young, around 4 and 6 respectively (and Aegon is around 10), whereas items 2, 3, 4 and 5 are set after chapter 1 of this story (think episodes 6 and 7 of season 1). Lastly, the last item is set in the middle of chapter 2. 

I am having lots of fun writing for Aemond, so much so I have a few ideas for unrelated one-shots I plan on writing for him. Anyway, I really really hope you enjoy this!

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1. Aegon Targaryen

As young children, wherever Aemond Targaryen was you were never too far behind. As the eldest of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s children, you were often regarded as a possible successor of your mother’s to the title of the Realm’s Delight, being soft and sweet and so very beautiful even from such a young age. There was no shortage of people wanting to gaze upon you, spoil you with attention and possibly win over the favor of the heir to the Iron Throne after King Viserys I. But there was only ever one person whose attention you truly craved.

With the birth of your younger brother Jace and your mother’s pregnancy with yet another child, your parents’ attention was naturally split. It wasn’t to say they neglected you or favored your brother above you, oh no, but it was only natural that you were no longer their sole focus, even more fickle given their duties at court. Your father in particular, Ser Laenor, tried to give you as much attention as he possibly could, but even then that was restricted to specific times of the day, mostly at supper and after. It was an adjustment, for sure, and for a little while you resented your little brother, but you were quick to find another source of the attention you craved somewhere else: your uncle Aemond. You couldn’t possibly know why, nor had you ever thought about it, but you were drawn to him in ways you could not explain. And the feeling seemed to be mutual.

Aemond Targaryen, as the second son of King Viserys and his fourth child, was most often overlooked by many in court. He wasn’t Rhaenyra, who held their father’s unconditional love, or Aegon, who carried the title of his first male child, and matters were made worse by the fact that his dragon egg had yet to hatch, whereas Aegon’s had done so when he was still pretty young, and Helaena had quickly claimed Dreamfyre. Even his mother, who once doted on him like never before, had lessened her attention over him, as her fourth pregnancy progressed and her affection usually leaned more towards her only daughter. 

So when his little niece, barely old enough to attend lessons, had developed a fascination towards him and would often trail behind him wherever he went, he absolutely basked in the attention that was so freely given. You, who had no obligation to him other than to be cordial at best, gazing up at him with adoration in those innocent eyes made him cherish the moments you spend together.

It was only natural, then, that the two of you could often be found in each other’s presence. Whenever neither of you were having lessons and were left to your own devices, you seemed to always find each other, your tiny hand enveloped in Aemond’s not much bigger one as he pulled you behind him towards whatever destination he had in mind.

“Where we going, Aem?” your sweet voice, not yet able to properly speak his name, would often ask. The library, the dragonpit, the gardens, it didn’t truly matter as long as you were together.

Aem.

The nickname you had bestowed upon him was one of his deepest treasures. To everyone else he was either Aemond, son or brother, and two of these he had to share with other people, but to you, and to you alone, he was Aem. It was something so inherently his, something to share with you and only you. It reminded him of you, of the devotion and admiration you held for him, something no one else seemed to have for him, and he never wanted to let go of it.

But as he would be reminded time and time again he should never hope, nor should he wish for good things for himself, for they could be ripped from him at a moment’s notice.  

The day had started out like any other: after your lessons you had quickly scrambled out of your quarters to find Aemond and spend the day together. He had decided, then, to take you to the training grounds to watch some of the knights train.

“See that one over there?” he pointed to a man, just barely out of adolescence, training with Criston Cole “That is Ser Arryk. Or could he be Erryk? It matters not, either way, both of them are really good. Ser Criston is training them to be the newest members of the Kingsguard.”

“Wow.” you sounded from next to him, mesmerized by the clash of the swords.

“Impressive, hm?” he then pointed to another man who was supervising the training “Ser Criston, over there, he is the best knight in all the realms. I hope to train under him and be as good as he is one day.” 

He was eager to start training with the sword, like his older brother already did. His mother had promised him that he could start his own training after his next nameday, though it was still a few moons away, he was already eagerly waiting for that moment.

“You be amazing knight in future, Aem.” you turned towards him then, that look of pure reverence made warmth spread in his chest, for he felt your words were true.

“Aem?!” a familiar voice cackled behind the two of you, and Aemond could feel the cold dread seeping into his heart like it usually did when his brother decided to torment him.

Aegon marched over in your direction, almost an entire head taller than Aemond, and ruffled his younger brother’s hair with a tad more force than necessary.

“Oh, Aemy, you will be such an amazing knight one day.” he spoke in a poor imitation of your own voice, high pitched and overly sweet and dreamy. Your face was scrunched in anger and poorly contained humiliation, and had the two of you not been under scrutiny Aemond would have found it adorable.

“Aegon, stop it!” he tried defending the two of you but he couldn’t stop his own cheeks from lighting up in embarrassment.

“Aemy, oh, Aem. Perhaps our mothers will marry us off to one another and I can carry your children.” Aegon chuckled before flicking his brother on the forehead “You would surely want that, wouldn’t you, you twat?”

You couldn’t take it anymore. With a warcry unbefitting of a princess of the realm you delivered a sharp kick to Aegon’s shin, the only part of him you could really reach, before running off with tiny droplets streaming down your cheeks. Aemond tried going after you, holding your wrist, but you swatted his hand away and disappeared around the corner.

“She attacked me!” Aegon complained, voice strained from the intensity of the blow, utterly baffled at how something so small could carry so much strength.

“Oh, please!” Aemond pushed past his brother, annoyed, before stomping away towards his own quarters “It barely scratched. And you deserved it.”

For the next three days you ignored both of them, preferring to spend your days with Heleana. Whenever he asked about you, his mother would claim you didn’t wish for visitors and would rather stay in the company of your aunt. Aemond couldn’t deny that it stung, the only person he felt cared for him deeply, no longer wanting to spend time with him.

So he was overjoyed when, on the fourth day, you approached him as if nothing had ever happened, your expression light and smile bright as you held his hand.

“Where we going, uncle?” and his face fell, joy completely dissipating and giving way to sadness. 

You refused to call him by his previous nickname after that day, opting to refer to him only as ‘uncle’ going forward, and Aemond felt an overwhelming longing for things to go back to the way they were. He couldn’t help the resentment he felt towards Aegon for ruining what you had, for he felt it in his bones that things between the two of you would never truly be the same again.

2. Jason Lannister

You were bored out of your very mind at the moment. You had zoned out completely and could barely hear the incessant droning of Jason Lannister’s voice in the background as you reflected upon your life at the moment.

After that night in the bathtub where you shared your very first kiss with your uncle, you feared things between the two of you would change, and change for the worse. You didn’t want that, cherishing what you had with Aemond, even if it never went anywhere beyond friendship. But you needn’t have worried so much, for both of you seemed adamant in not ever speaking of that night ever again. It did sting a little if you were being honest with yourself, but you preferred that over ruining what you had.

So you were very much looking forward to spending a few hours with him before lunch when you were intercepted by Ser Jason Lannister.

“You look wonderful today, my princess.” the man had smiled down at you.

“Uh, thank you, my lord.” you answered, confused as to what he could possibly want.

“Why don’t you give me the pleasure of going on a stroll with me around the gardens?”

You didn’t know why he wanted to take a stroll with you of all people. And to be fair you didn’t want to spend more time than necessary in his presence. What you did want was to find Aemond and spend your day with him. But something, a strange sense of propriety and duty, held you back and you found yourself agreeing with his proposal.

That’s how you ended in the current situation, arm looped with his as he droned on and on and on about himself and his wealth and his castle and many other topics you couldn’t care less about. 

In your reverie you hadn’t even realized you had reached the training grounds until Aemond, who had just finished his training session with Ser Criston, smiled and waved at you as he was putting a wooden shield away. You were about to wave back when Ser Jason’s voice pulled your attention back to him once more.

“Well, princess, this is where we must part ways, unfortunately.” he gave a small bow of his head before letting go of your arm “The maesters say it is good to keep active, so I will go see if I can find a sparring partner.” 

You barely spared him a courtesy as Aemond was already by your side, ready to whisk you away.

“What was that all about?” he asked when you were already halfway to the library, a sense of unease pulling at his heartstrings once he remembered the way your arm was linked with the older lord.

“I do not know for sure.” you shrugged “I barely paid attention to what he was saying. Something about his riches I believe, we just went on a walk around the Keep.”

He laughed then, though it lacked any mirth, and his smile no longer reached his eyes.

“What is it?”

“You are so naïve, niece.” he explained.

“And why is that?” you questioned, feeling slightly offended.

“He wishes to court you.”

Your disgust at the thought must have been reflected very clearly upon your face, for he let out a full, genuine laugh this time.

“B-But- why?!” you tried collecting your thoughts, flabbergasted by such revelation “He is so…”

“Arrogant? Boring? Plain? All of the above?” Aemond completed for you, jesting at the situation.

“Old!” you whined and he laughed even harder at your expanse “I mean it! He is older than my own father!” you got closer to him to whisper conspiratorially at him “I heard he courted mother when she was looking for a husband, and he was already considered too old for her at the time.”

His laughter echoed around the halls, a few servants stopping to stare at the two of you, dumbfounded at the way you seemed to be able to bring the usually stoic prince out of his shell.

“But why does he wish to court me? Why not some other, older, lady?” you asked, still confused.

“Well, you are not just any lady, mandianna. You are a princess.” he explained, though his words seemed practiced, like they were reflections of not his own thoughts but those of other people “Any lord would jump at the opportunity to wed you. Chances are, in fact, that more suitors will start to flock around you for attention as you grow.”

“Ugh!” your shoulders slumped under the weight of your frustration “I do not wish to marry these lords!” you threw your hands up in exasperation “I just wish to spend my days with you and Helaena! Why can I not just marry you, then?!”

He felt a twinge too tight of happiness at the notion, but chose to ignore it and listen as you continued with your rant.

“If I were to marry one of these lords I would be miserable!”

His face softened in sympathy, remembering the conversation he overheard between his mother and grandsire regarding Aegon and Heleana’s betrothal. He felt pained for his sister, for he knew Aegon would not treat her how she deserved, and now he was seeing the same pattern with you.

“It is our duty, I fear, to find matches that best interest our House.” he spoke softly, but you turned towards him infuriated, and he feared he said the wrong thing.

“But I do not want to marry for duty!” his heart clenched in his chest as he noticed your eyes brimming with tears “I want a husband who loves and cares for me, like father and mother!”

He held back his tongue, knowing that speaking his mind about the kind of love between your parents, or lack thereof, would only upset you further. There was no denying that Ser Laenor cared deeply for Rhaenyra, just not in the way a husband should a wife.

The both of you stayed quiet for a moment, you simmering in your unsettled thoughts and him disappointed he couldn’t comfort you further, for this was something that was out of his hands.

“I would not mind, you know?” he heard you speak softly, turning his head to find you already looking at him.

“What?” 

“Marrying you.” you smiled softly at him “At least with you I would be content. I could see us being happy, even.”

Your words were a soothing balm over his heart, making it clench in his chest. He, too, did find the notion appealing, he could be happy with you, hells, you already made him happy.

“If it matters,” he spoke, trying to hide his true feelings behind a layer of nonchalance “I would not mind marrying you either.”

Your smile brightened then, and you bumped your shoulder with his.

“One can dream, right?” you giggled, before sighing once a servant came to fetch you to clean up before lunch, annoyed that your time with him had been cut short.

But as you walked away an idea formed in his mind, and with a determination he hadn’t felt in a really long time, he set off to find his half-sister.

3. Alicent Hightower

“No.” the Queen’s voice was harsh, and Aemond’s heart filled with dread as he peaked from his hiding place behind a pillar in her solar. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop but his traitorous heart was too anxious to wait.

“Come on, your grace.” Rhaenyra answered, clearly annoyed, a hand placed on her very pregnant stomach and another on her lower back, as if standing here arguing was bringing her physical discomfort “The boy came to me, begging for her hand in marriage, all that was left was for him to fall to his knees. She herself has asked about the possibility of marrying him once. They are the perfect match!”

After your conversation earlier that day, Aemond had set off to find Rhaenyra and ask, no, beg her to allow him to court and eventually marry you. She had laughed in his face, and he tried not to show how her dismissal wounded his pride, until her face softened once she realized he was serious. 

“Please, sister.” he had even stooped so low as to address their familial bond, no matter how sour the word tasted in his mouth “Allow me to marry her. As her husband, she would want for nothing, I would protect her with my very life. And I could even… make her happy.”

Rhaenyra’s face softened then, for the first time realizing how much her little brother truly cared for her daughter. She had known the two of you were close, but the depth of your feelings for one another was only now being revealed to her. So she promised him she would speak with his own mother, and if Alicent agreed, then so would she. Aemond’s heart had plummeted then, knowing it would be a lot harder getting through his mother. But he wouldn’t give up hope.

But hope, it seemed, was not enough.

“No, and my answer is final.” Alicent moved about, trying to get Rhaenyra to leave and go bother someone else.  

“Alicent,” even though she had her back towards him, Aemond could imagine the tick in his mother’s eye at the informal way Rhaenyra was addressing her “All I am asking is that you consider it.”

“Why do you even think they would be a good match for one another?”

“Oh, by the Gods, Alicent! Can you not see how much they care for each other? The amount of time they spend together? They are practically glued at the hip at this point!” Rhaenyra threw her hands up in exasperation, and Aemond could see yourself so perfectly in your mother’s image “I will just ask my father then.” 

“Do not entertain that idea even for a moment!” Alicent’s voice became shrill as she glared at her former friend “What is this even about, hm? Are you so afraid that child” and she pointed at Rhaneyra’s prominent bump “will be born sooner or later bearing a striking resemblance to a certain commander of the City Watch once more that you resort to this… this scheming? To secure your line of succession, is that it?”

Ouch. That was low, even for Alicent’s standards. 

Rhaenyra’s face hardened as she stepped closer to the Queen, and for a moment fear gripped Aemond’s heart that he was about to witness his mom get battered.

“My brother, your own son” she spat out, genuinely angry now “begged me to let him marry my daughter when they are older. He promised me he would be a good husband, and for once in my life I am inclined to believe him.” her face softened then, raising her hands as if to grab Alicent’s but let them drop, thinking better than to try and touch her “Please, your grace. If there is still any care left in your heart for the love we once held for one another, please let me do this for him.” 

Aemond waited with bated breath for his mother to say something, anything. For once in his life he allowed himself to hope; he’d give up everything, even his dream of having a dragon of his own, just so she’d say yes. But the longer she went without saying anything, the deeper the cracks in his heart became.

“I will not be able to change your mind, will I?” Rhaenyra asked, her face contorting in sympathy, and when Alicent shook her head, breaking his heart in a thousand tiny little pieces in the process, she sighed “Then I feel sorry for Aemond. For both of them.”

As Rhaenyra left the Queen’s solar, Aemond took his leave as well, his heart shattered and a weight heavy on his stomach, regretting even going to his half-sister in the first place. It seemed you and he could never be after all.

4. Rhaenyra Targaryen

Tears streamed down your face as you ran through the cold tunnels of Maegor’s Holdfast, not caring even for a moment that you were only dressed in a nightgown. The news you had just heard from your father regarding your mother’s decision weighed heavily in your heart, and you had to share them with your uncle immediately. It couldn’t wait until the morrow, because come first light you might be gone.

“Hells, niece, will you ever learn to knock?” Aemond had turned towards you once you barged inside his chambers through the secret door, freezing once he noticed the state you were in. He was in front of you in a second, holding your cheeks in his palms and forcing you to look at him “What happened?”

Even though his image was blurred by the tears that kept on rolling down your cheeks, barely noticing when he started collecting them with his thumbs, you could perfectly see the concern etched upon his features, and that was all it took for you to release the sobs you had been holding back, falling into his arms and hiccuping against his shoulder.

“Mandianna, what happened?!” he asked, holding your trembling figure in his arms and awkwardly trying to console you, running a gentle hand up and down your back. He had never seen you in such a state before, and he did not truly know how to help, much less without knowing the cause of your distress.

Once you had calmed down enough, your wails reduced to soft sniffles, you pulled back from him, running the back of your hand through your face to try and look more presentable.

“Mother has decided to move us to Dragonstone.”

Aemond’s breath hitched then.

“What?” he whispered, taking a step back from you.

“Father just told me. We are to leave King’s Landing come first light in the morrow.”

He felt his whole world crumbling before his very eyes then. He believed his heart could no longer face more damage, for it had already been broken when he overheard his mother and Rhaenyra’s conversation a sennight before, but he felt it shatter all over again at your words.

“C-Can you not stay behind?” With me?, he wanted to ask as his own eyes started filling with tears.

“I asked, but father says we are all to go. Me, Jace, Luke and baby Joffrey.”

His heart was beating widely in his chest, twisting painfully at the prospect of having to face everyday at court without you to keep him company, to keep him sane.

“We can write, of course, but-” you started, voice still trembling.

“It will not be the same.” he completed for you. 

It was true, wasn’t it? Things were about to change. On one hand he wouldn’t have to face the teasing from Jace and Luke, just Aegon, the main instigator. But on the other hand he would lose you, which was so much worse.

But then he noticed how your lower lip had started quivering again and realized he had put quite a lot of distance between the two of you. Not wanting you to jump to the wrong conclusions he crossed the space he had created and cupped your cheeks, looking sternly into your eyes.

“It does not change anything.” 

“Aemond-” you looked at him with sympathy and disbelief but he wasn’t having it.

“No. It does not change anything between us.” he spoke, determined “I will write to you every single day, and I expect a response every time. It will be like you never left. You can fly on dragonback and come visit. And when I get my dragon, I will visit you in return.”

Your smile, although tentative and still wobbly, returned to your face and he felt relief wash through him.

“You said so yourself, the lines promised me I will have a dragon.” he rejoiced at hearing you giggle “I have to make good use of them when time comes.”

A comfortable silence settled over the two of you. Something in your eye, glimmering with a blazing hope, compelled Aemond to lean forward, resting his forehead against yours, his eyes closing as he took everything in.

“We will still be the same.” he felt you move, nodding against his head, never once moving away “We will still be us.” 

And even though, or perhaps exactly because neither of you could prevent the events that would unfold in the following weeks, both of you believed it with every ounce of your souls.

5. Aemond Targaryen 

“Aemond.” you knocked once more, your knuckles red and starting to ache from their incessant contact with the hard wood “Qȳbor, please open the door.”

He hadn’t left his temporary chambers in days, and no one would let you see him. After the whole ordeal with Vhagar and the fight between your two mothers in the grand hall at Driftmark after the loss of his eye, Aemond was whisked away to the quarters he was stationed at during his stay so the maesters could work properly on his wound and for him to sleep off the copious amounts of milk of the poppy he had been given.

Having talked to your brothers and cousins and understood what had gone down, you started feeling a tad guilty for the way you reacted to it. Yes, you were still hurt over what he had said about your brothers and, by extension, you. But at the same time you had let him go when he was the most vulnerable, he had just lost an eye for the Gods’ sake. And yet, even though you were hurting, so was he, he needed you and yet you let go and ran from him.

So you had decided you needed to talk. Perhaps, if you apologized for Luke’s actions and your own behavior, he’d offer an apology of his own, for calling your brothers bastards and for not extending Rhaena the courtesy of trying to claim her late mother’s dragon before him. Then, having cleared the air, you could move past this and go back to the way things were, with exchanged letters and promises of visiting one another. 

But your attempts seemed futile. There was always a guard stationed in front of his door, denying you entrance every single time you asked. Even though they were stern, hardened by their training, you tried using your authority as princess to order them to let you through, but to no such luck.

“Apologies, princess.” they would say, a smidge of sympathy and annoyance in their tone “The prince is to receive no visitors. Orders from her grace, the Queen.”

Panic was starting to grip at your heart, for your time was running out. Eventually, as soon as Aemond was recovered enough to travel, King Viserys and his family would leave Driftmark and return to King’s Landing. By then it would be too late. If you didn’t speak to him now, you would lose Aemond forever. That is, if you hadn’t already lost him for good. You had to speak to him, and it had to be soon, otherwise he’d leave and you would lose the one person you cared most in the world, who understood you like no one else, and would be left to drown in your own loneliness.

So you started scheming. You waited around the corridor of his chambers, waiting for rotation of the guard so you could catch his door unattended. You almost managed once, but Queen Alicent opened the door to exit the room, stopping dead in her tracks once she came face to face with you, about to knock.

“Your grace!” you were quick to recompose yourself “I came to visit the prince. I wish to see if he is faring well.”

You winced, instantly regretting your choice of words once her face hardened. Of course he wasn’t faring well, he just lost his bloody eye! 

“Aemond is not receiving any visitors.” her voice was harsh, and dread overcame you as she started to walk away.

“Wait!” she stopped but didn’t turn around to face you as you pleaded “I just- I just want to see him.”

When she did turn her features were laced with a combination of disdain and pity. It stirred something so deep inside you you almost recoiled and ran, but you decided to endure.

“He doesn’t wish to see anyone, princess.” she spoke, her tone stern yet motherly. But the implications of her words were not lost on you.

He doesn’t wish to see you.

It hurt, tears brimming in your eyes as you turned around and headed for your chambers.  

Did he truly not wish to see you? Or did he just wish for solitude, away from everyone? Could your friendship still be mended after both of you had been hurt like this? 

It didn’t matter, afterall, for you were determined to try until the very end.

That’s how you found yourself in front of his door, finally alone with him, having waited patiently for the guard’s rotation and making sure his mother wasn’t around. It was his final night in Driftmark before he was set to return to the capitol, and so this was your last, final chance to talk to him before that. 

There was a light flickering inside his chambers, visible from under the door, so you knew he likely wasn’t asleep, and when you had knocked for the first time, you heard a thud coming from inside, like he had bumped into some furniture, so you believed he had listened to you. But no matter how many times you knocked, he wouldn’t open it, nor give any indication that he was listening. 

“Aemond, please.” you tried again “Please, let us talk.”

The longer you went without an answer, the tighter the knot that was forming in your throat became. Growing desperate, you laid your forehead on the cold, damp wood.

“Please.” you breathed out, not even sure he could hear you now “Talk to me, Aemond. Please.”

For a moment, a short, passing moment, you heard a flutter of movement from inside the room. Your breath hitched, a tiny flicker of unadulterated hope burning in your chest that he had heard you and was coming to talk. But it was quickly snuffed out when you heard nothing else follow.

A deep ache took over your chest, like something had dug its claws in your heart and squeezed. The inevitability of it all, the looming sense of grief over something so close yet impossibly far, out of your grasp completely, clouded your mind and had your ears ringing.

“I am sorry.” you said, taking a step back and turning around to leave “For everything.”

As you walked away you couldn’t help but feel like a part of you was missing. For you had just lost him for good. Perhaps forever.

+1

As you brushed off your skirts, having been sat on the grass by the weirwood tree, you set off to find your mother, determination written across your features.

You nearly ran into Luke as you walked briskly, sending a thankful look to Rhaena as she helped you steady him.

“Where are you off to in such a rush?” Jace asked as he came up behind your brother at the same time you bypassed him and Baela and continued on your way. 

“To secure myself a husband!” you shouted over your shoulder, not even turning back around to address them. Now all that was left was to find your mother.

And search for her you did. It was imperative that you found her quickly, for you wanted to make sure you did this tonight. It had to be tonight. No one knew how much longer the King would live, and the moment he drew his final breath, a war would break out within your family. A war that would ravage all of the Seven Kingdoms. So you had to make sure that didn’t happen while your grandire was still alive and lucid enough to give you his full support.

But Rhaenyra was nowhere to be found. The Keep was huge and there was a probability that you were both on the move and simply never crossing paths. You even stumbled upon Helaena during your search as she tended to her youngest son, Maelor.

“Have you seen my mother, aunt?” you asked after a brief and sweet exchange, though you did not hug her like you would Baela and Rhaena, for you knew she did not like to be touched.

“I have not, niece.” she bounced baby Maelor in her arms as he cooed up at her “Why are you in such a haste to find her, if I might ask?”

“I have something of utmost importance to discuss with her.” you smirked as you added next, and by the glimmer in her eyes she understood the hidden meaning of your words “I believe I have found myself a suitable husband and must ask her to arrange our betrothal as soon as possible.”

“Oh!” she smiled brightly then “So we might be celebrating tonight.”

To your surprise and confusion, her smile faltered just a bit, her eyes becoming unfocused, before she smiled brightly again.

“With a union forged in fire and blood, the dragon’s nest is put to rest.”

You dared not question her, for Helaena often spoke in riddles, even in your youth. Biding her farewell you went back to your task. You didn’t have to search long though, for you quite literally bumped into your mother and Daemon right as you were turning down the corridor from Helaena’s chambers.

“Mother!” you exclaimed as you helped Daemon steady a once again very pregnant Rhaenyra “There you are!”

“You were looking for me, darling?” she asked.

“Yes.” you cleared your throat, squaring your shoulders “I wish for a husband.”

That seemed to take both of them by surprise, their eyes widening.

“O-Oh!” she smiled then, still confused where this was coming from “And did you have someone in mind?”

“I wish to take Aemond as my husband.” 

“Darling.” her face softened in pity as Daemon scoffed “You know the Queen would never allow this union.”

“That’s not all, mother. I think I may have found a way neither she nor the Hand could refuse.”

Rhaenyra and Daemon exchanged a curious glance with one another.

“Let us hear it then.” your step-father encouraged.

“I want Aemond as my husband.” you took a steadying breath, knowing you’d have to argue the next part “And I want him to be King.”

“Absolutely not!” was Daemon’s reaction, while your mother just looked… betrayed. And it broke your heart. You knew what she was thinking, she had just reaffirmed you as her heir, had to fight for it, and you now want to pass that off to someone else entirely?

“Please allow me to explain.”

“Why would you suggest such a thing?! To that cunt, of all people!” Daemon kept on raging, but his words were abruptly cut short as Rhaenyra raised her hand.

“Let her speak.” her tone was firm, and you knew you had to choose your next words carefully to plead your case.

“Word has come to me of a… plot against you as King Viserys’ heir.” her face twitched in anger for just a moment “The Queen and the Hand will try to instate Aegon as King once grandsire passes.”

“What is new?” Daemon laughed, incredulous.

“And the noble houses would back his claim.” you explained “Many will not recognize you as the legitimate heir-”

“But-” your mother tried cutting you off but you continued over her.

“-regardless of the oath they swore years ago. Simply because Aegon has a cock and you do not.” you hated how crass you sounded, but you had to get the point across “And then a bloody civil war would break out, for you would not let this go unpunished, am I wrong?” 

Rhaenyra pondered for a moment before nodding, and you took that as a sign to continue.

“A war between us, dragonlords, would absolutely decimate not only our House but also the realm. But a marriage alliance between me, your heir and future Queen, and my uncle might just make them give up on this quest.”

“Otto would never settle for his blood being just consort.” Daemon argued.

“That is why he would not be consort.” you smirked, the catch you were waiting to reveal slipping from your lips.

“You shouldn’t give up your claim and be consort either!” your mother exclaimed.

“I would not do such a thing. I would be the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Both of them looked baffled.

“Now you have lost me.” she said.

“When the time comes, both me and Aemond would be crowned Queen and King, and we would rule together as equals. No consorts.”

Rhaenyra took a step back from surprise, and Daemon looked like he was told the realm’s funniest joke.

“You cannot be serious, tala!” he chuckled, but there was an undertone of disbelief to it.

“It could work.” your mother spoke to herself.

“Rhaenyra, you cannot be entertaining this ridiculous idea!” Daemon turned towards her then, wringing his hands as if to stop himself from grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking some sense into her “It is not tradition!”

“Fuck tradition!” you exclaimed a lot more harshly than you intended, and probably a lot harsher than it was appropriate. 

You took a deep breath, trying to calm down enough. 

“You being heir over Aegon already breaks tradition as it is. Like I said, many will not see you as legitimate. But even if they do, and you are able to rule, the same thing would happen to me and Jace. But will you make all the great houses swear another oath to you?” Rhaneyra understood where you were going with this “Having a husband to back me up as heir, to rule alongside me, would give me strength in my own claim. If you are already breaking traditions, what is one more, eh?”

“You might want to keep your voice down.” Daemon spoke lowly, and you noticed he was staring at someone “The walls have ears in this Keep.”

From the corner of your eye you saw a familiar figure, and in a moment of panic, grabbed your mother’s hand and pulled her towards the temporary chambers you were housed in. You did not want Aemond to overhear what you had to say, fearful that should anyone hear about this ahead of time it would all crumble to shambles. As Daemon joined you two, shortly after, you continued. 

“Please, please mother! Think about it. It might be the only way.”

Rhaenyra was silent. While Daemon looked vexed, but made no further complaints, she looked deep in thought. You knew she knew you were right. She just had to see it for herself.

“It would be easier to convince them if we had the King’s approval. That is why we need to do this tonight, at supper.”

Daemon bristled but didn’t say anything. Your mother on the other hand agreed, even if she believed this was all very rushed.

“Would you be happy though?” she then asked, and it was your turn to be surprised “Marrying Aemond? After everything that has happened?”

You looked between her and Daemon, and for once in your life you were certain of what you wanted.

“Aemond has always been kind to me. Or most of the time, at least.” you shrugged “I believe, with due time, we could put our differences aside and rebuild what we once had. Perhaps even learn to love each other.”

Again, you meant. Learn to love each other again. At least in your case.

“Then it is settled.” she looked determined “We will pitch this proposition tonight.”

A wave of relief washed over you. This could work, genuinely actually work. Perhaps it didn’t have to end in bloodshed like you believed it would. Maybe your family could be whole again. And all of that at the cost of marrying the one you had longed for deeply in your heart once.

“He asked for your hand once, you know.” Rhaenyra broke you out of your trance, a soft smile on her face and a far away look in her eyes, as if she was reminiscing on a fond memory. Daemon had left at some point, leaving you both alone to share this conversation, too deep and personal for anyone else to hear, in private “Right before we left for Dragonstone.”

Your heart clenched in your chest at the revelation. He had wished to marry you as well?

“He said he could make you happy. And I believed him.” she then looked at you, cupping your cheek as pride took over her smile “I believe it still.”

You grasped at her wrist, feeling warm at the love you could feel it emanating from her.

“If you believe you could be happy as well,” she continued “then you have my blessing. That is all I want.”

You nodded, blinking back tears.

“I do. I will be very happy.” 

She nodded then, pulling you into her arms. In the safety of your mother’s embrace, you finally let yourself relax. Your fate was yours to shape how you saw fit, and you intended to make the most of it.

And you would.

High Valyrian translations: - mandianna - niece (older sister’s son or daughter) - qȳbor - uncle (mother’s younger brother) - tala - daughter (meant here affectionately, not by blood, as there are no terms for step-relative in High Valyrian)

Tag List:

@callsignwidow

@sleephereicome

@bitchassgoose

@voguiing

@dibutw

@fruityvampslayer

@garden-in-the-rain

@queen-of-elves

[blueberrypancakesworld]

The Farewell before the war

Aegon x aunt!reader

warning : targaryen incest, no use of Y/n, mentioning/implied war and death, kiss, mentioned sex, minor hurt/comfort, some fluff, age gap (Aegon 20s and reader early 40s)

Summary : The war was about to begin and the dance of the dragons would begin as soon as both sides mounted their dragons and both sides raised their swords. The farewell they knew was one that would last forever...a farewell that broke the queer custom of family.

Info : So with season 2 coming up my own sanity and the trauma we all will be getting I have written this as a little something. Have fun reading ;)

ps : He looks so good in the gif

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Screams were the last to echo through the castle as the mood was still as exuberant as it could be. Aegon, crowned king after the death of his father, was the man the young king could say he was glad the Targaryen king had died...finally died.

The only thing he got from his father besides looks was ungratefulness, disgust and hopelessness. His father had never believed in him, never liked him, maybe there was a moment in his life when Aegon was still a helpless little baby that his father was proud of, proud to finally have a son, but that was almost two decades ago and it didn't matter anymore.

Not only did he now have the crown of Maegor on his head. The light-coloured hair that he really hated, which he had kept short a few years ago and was slowly beginning to see as a weapon.

Slowly beginning to see himself as a weapon. His people adored him, his mother was happy, Heleana his beloved sister wife for the first time did not flee reality but enjoyed her role as Queen with their children.

A fact that took guilt from his heart...even if he never wanted to marry her, at least there was this sense of responsibility towards himself, her and their soon to be three children.

His younger brother Aemond no longer simply saw him as that, he recognised him as the rightful dragon he could command and it seemed the respect between them was slowly building as he sat on the throne.

Wearing the colour green of his mother, the green he learned to love the green of his family and the gold of his father, the gold of his other side the gold of his aunt the youngest and only sister of the former king Viserys. The black one created among the golden dragons a firewyrm a dragon born without wings.

Her actual twin, Prince Aegon, died less than a year later. Daemon and Viserys have always secretly blamed her for the death of their mother because she caused the complications. Of course, only a woman could do this. But it was his aunt that the new and young king had adored for years.

She never saw him for what he was. A mistake a challenge for anyone. No, he was ,,My perfect dragon" as she had always called him ever since he could remember. Whether it was accompanying him to his chamber and looking after him when he was drunk on wine or milk of the poppy.

She was always there for him with open arms, encouraging him when it came to important adventures, taking care of his injuries at the hands of the king, the queen or his own grandfather. She was also the one who gave him something he had wanted from her for a long time.

Something he knew he would eventually have to share with his wife, but the mere thought of his own sister... no, it disgusted him, which is why the then prince came to his aunt in the chambers. Perhaps it was the wine, her evening dress that lay so light and airy on her body, the colour gold that caught his eye.

She never wore red or black, preferring gold instead. It was a few years ago that he could finally have her, he didn't care that she was older than his own mother. It didn't matter that they had the same blood, it didn't matter that they were princess and prince.

It didn't matter that when he kissed her, tasting the sweet fruit, he was almost trembling with rejection. Her gentle hands laid on his as she tried to push him away for a moment but he wouldn't let her. He deserved love and appreciation too, his teary grey blue eyes looking up at her violet ones.

It was those eyes they both couldn't get away from as she let her own nephew touch her again. He remembered his insecurity but was always reassured by her voice.

The wine that influenced his senses was taken away by her. The pain from the last blow faded as she kissed his cheek. Her warm, soft body beneath his, his hands touching hers came together and they held each other.

He felt safe, he was worth loving and she could give her love to someone. His lips on her body, kissing every part of her, watching her move beneath him. Surprised by his own almost clumsy noises when she soothed him with kisses.

He wasn't used to being treated so…gently and lovingly. She really showed him what it meant to be loved and not just a fuck with a whore. It was the night that not only he learnt what it meant to be a dragon it was the night he promised her that one day she would no longer be a firewyrm.

,,You will become a dragon one day, Princess...I promise," he had said to her as he lay beside her, but there was a determination in his gaze that seemed to burn like fire between them then. When he took her hand in a tender, almost gentle gesture, her fingers kissed his while she stroked his light-coloured, tousled hair.

His eyes met hers again, ,,You are so beautiful " he had murmured, almost amused at how easily he could make his aunt blush. ,,Aegon...you perfect naive dragon," she had replied and pulled him close, but he had sensed that she was trembling.

At the time he had thought it was from the act, but now he knew she had been crying silently. She had cried for him because she knew that the gods would punish him more severely than her. But now it had been years and had anything changed?

He had children with his own sisters, more princes and a princess, his three little dragons, his own flesh and blood that he guarded. His mother, the Queen Dowager, seemed to be suffering even more than usual after the aftermath that had taken over the entire court.

Aemond, his own brother, had killed their common nephew Lucerys Velaryon. ,,Our sister's second bastard is dead," he had muttered as he withdrew from the small council, a smile trying to steal onto his lips but unable to do so.

He couldn't not in the knowledge that the fire inside him was telling him it wasn't over yet. Oh how right he was to be as the banners were lowered to their respective sides and the weapons were forged. So it was his duty to go into battle, not on the throne but on his dragon Sunfyre.

But it was during this time when he was training with his brother and sworn sword Criston Cole that her golden dress became less and less visible. A sadness emanated from her when he saw her, his own naive anticipation only seemed to fuel her fear.

But no matter what he tried, no smile would appear on her lips until the day he stood alone in the dragon pit and the golden sun had not yet fully risen. His eyes were fixed with fascination on his dragon, the most beautiful dragon that ever existed, a pride he was only too happy to show.

He heard someone, footsteps come to him as Sunfyre gave an almost cheerful hiss and moved his head in the direction of the entrance. ,,A golden morning for two beautiful naive perfect dragons" he heard her voice after days if not weeks and stopped in front of his dragon as he just watched her.

She no longer wore the gold, on the contrary it was his own colour reflected in his eyes. A dress with armour elements in green and gold that Targaryen had turned green.

A warrior, a dragon rider without a dragon, a diplomat who would be dispatched with a sword if she had to. ,,Naive? The fire on the war we will win," he said faster than he thought and heard her cagey laugh, which was underlined by a roar from Sunfyre. Perhaps there was once a possibility of a connection between the two of them, but these were years away.

His princess aunt approached him and placed her hand on the dragon's muzzle, the warmth seeming to soothe them both before she placed her hand on her king's cheek. ,,You know the distribution of troops, the numbers...the dragons and yet Aegon you maintain the notion of victory...a future of fire" she began, looking back at the dragon who also watched her, the beast though as old as its rider seemed to know what it would mean once they flew away from Kingslanding.

It would mean a war in which the green were outnumbered, a war of force and violence, a war in which once again she could do nothing without a dragon of her own.

A thought that Aegon slowly seemed to understand as he placed his hand on hers, his armour rattling slightly but still maintaining his slight, almost cheeky grin. ,,A war yes, but I promised you a dragon...a dragon of iron you shall have" he said, seeing with pleasure her confusion as he took her hand and led her lightly to the entrance of the dragon pit.

Despite everything, he held her tightly, held her firmly, held her as a king should, held the woman he loved, held the thing that had given him what he had always needed. Love.

She could feel the gold of the morning sun shining on them both as his hand gently wrapped around her hip, a grin on his face as he pointed to the castle, directly to the site of the throne room. ,,A dragon of iron that you will rule in my absence... and my death if it comes," he said so lightly that she thought for a moment he had lost his mind, but no, when she turned to him she saw that he meant it.

That for a moment he didn't seem naive was not beside him. He truly seemed like a king who kept promises, like someone who also recognised and believed in her. ,,You promised," she whispered, feeling a weight lift from her, the tension, the fear, the lies that were in the face of her own brothers' hatred.

She was something, she was a dragon of iron...the true king had promised her and kept his promise. ,,Oh my dear Aegon," she said and only seconds later felt his lips on hers again, his hands holding her close then as now.

His scent of leather, metal and fire met her sweet smell of smoke. ,,A farewell to the true queen who will be now," he replied, pulling her a little tighter against him.

A kiss goodbye, a kiss with a promise of a goodbye as the sun rose over the city and Aegon with Sunfyre, Aemond set upon Vhagar and the troops.

A farewell they knew would be one of the last as she sat on the throne that was gold and green and the princess received her promise in the midst of a war of fire and blood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

[pebsterino]

Im a fan of Da since 2019, I've cherished all 3 games, my favorite one is DA2. I will not be persuaded by anyone that DA4 is a good DA game.

They have damned everything I loved about Dragon Age for... this???

This is no longer the dark fantasy I fell in love with; it's a game that feels more like a Disney movie, complete with writing intended for children. The way they treat YOU as a player suggests that you aren't capable of solving the easiest riddle in this world. The direction of the writing is baffling. The constant explanations for everything make my blood boil because I'm not a child, and I can think for myself. They claim this is an RPG, yet it lacks any meaningful RPG elements. You have no choice whatsoever; your character is scripted the way the developers wanted them to be. (By the way, I had no idea that no matter which option you choose, your character will always try to be funny in an unfunny way.)

As for the gameplay, I've never cared for the gameplay in any Dragon Age games, so I won’t dwell on it, but I’ll share my opinion nonetheless. I think it’s still an improvement from Inquisition, but that’s not hard to achieve. The game was designed to be played online, which is another insane thing to consider. Is a Dragon Age game supposed to be online??? It’s so ridiculous, and I have no idea how BioWare thought it would work when nobody showed any interest in the multiplayer mode in Inquisition.

The lack of choice and the absence of consequences for your actions are glaring issues. Not a single companion cares if you try to be "rude" to them because you simply can’t be. The fact that you cannot make any of your companions leave your party is ridiculous. You are forced to harden one of your companions (which happens in almost every title), and the only consequences of them being hardened are that they will refuse to heal you and their approval rating is slightly lowered. You can literally romance both of them as if nothing happened.

I'm tired of my companions constantly reminding me that they have issues and need to work through their trauma with my character. As someone who goes to therapy every week, I find this portrayal insulting and ridiculous. Therapy is neither fun nor pleasant. It isn’t something you resolve by completing two quests and reassuring a character that “it’s fine, we have each other, and I care about you; your feelings are valid.” It’s the most absurd echo chamber I’ve ever been in. The fact that none of my companions can stop making everything about themselves and get their shit together while a blight is swallowing the world is beyond me. Therapy takes months, even years, and it’s a deeply personal journey that friends cannot, and shouldn't, interfere with. The whole idea that my protagonist can choose what’s best for the companions is equally absurd. My companions should be making choices based on how I treated them throughout the game; it shouldn't be up to me to decide that. And the best part is that, in the end, it doesn't matter, because no choice in this game has any real weight. Honestly, it’s narcissistic of anyone to expect others to fix their mental health issues. This was a reality check for me when I was younger; it hurts, but it is what it is.

The writing of the characters is something I never thought possible, but here we are. Most characters are written as if they're afraid to offend anyone. My wise friend once said, "If you live your life trying to avoid offending everyone, you might as well not live at all," and that’s true. It’s probably another reason why I can’t take anything seriously in this game—because nothing is serious. Nobody talks like this ever. So much of this is self-indulgent writing, which is fine and valid if you do it for yourself, not for the masses who will play this game.

This is easily illustrated by the Commander of the Grey Wardens, who tries so hard to be the bad guy. He won’t listen to logic or reason; he’s just a children’s movie villain who is evil for the sake of being evil. Honestly, the dialogue speaks for itself.

[ribbononline]

Oh yeah! Since I have no clue if/when I'm ever finishing these and I've had them laying around for forever by now- here's the adult IT metaverse outfits I've made! They're all based on their ultimate personas and the concept of heros! Since these were made for an aged up p4 cast, these aren't quite what I'd put their during p4 time selves in- some changing more then others- but if you wanna follow me into design details, that'll all be under the cut!

First off to get em out of the way- Teddie is very largely the same as his p4 time metaverse outfit I made for him back here . The design is still meant to be inspired by magical girls, but the biggest change is that while the old one was meant to look like a magical girl protagonists outfit, this one I tried to lean a bit more into the older/more experienced cast member of the magical girl group type design. Overall a pretty minor change (and I will admit, largely because I'm still incredibly happy with that old design) but it felt fitting!

Chie and Yukiko were, as always when I work on them, designed to match. Their masks specifically mirror eachother with the opposites sides sticking out, and they both have a golden dragon pattern on their clothes as a reference to the twin dragons move! Chie was... honestly one where I had to sacrifice my goals a bit. Like mentioned before, these were meant specifically for an aged up cast. And while p4 era Chie I would absolutely imagine in a kung fu Chung-Li type outfit, we know what a more mature version of her action hero dreams look like; the police! And I.... really did not want to put her in a cop outfit, Ill be real. Instead I just tried focusing on making the outfit look more mature. Also tried to combine a practical and strong look with a more feminine aesthetic, since she struggles pretty badly with her femininity in p4 and I like to think she'd grow more comfortable with her own brand of it over time!

Yukiko is perhaps one of the most drastic one for changes compared to her younger self- if you asked me to design a p4 era outfit for her, it would look nothing like this, hah. Anyways, she's definitely inspired by onna-musha! Compared to Tomoe who was a full on commander of an army going out there, for Yukiko the idea was more the women taking up arms to protect their home when the battle comes their way. Fully having embraced the role she has as the next owner of the Amagi Inn and the responsibility and want to protect it, it's meant to be somewhat of an outing of that!

Fun fact: She has two color schemes! Because uhh I did not know what to go for at all. Her ultimate persona is like a single solid color and I kind of panicked and just ended up winging the colorscheme. One is more red since, y'know, thats her color! The other is more white gold to match her actual persona better. Included at the end of this post for the curious

Rise was based on a greek goddess- though not any particular one, moreso how they're commonly depicteed in art and old statues. Pretty, holy, someone you'd go to for advice and help (someone just out of reach from the general public) It just felt like a good combination of something she'd like to be seen as and percieved as as well. She gets two outfits- for scan and fight mode! Kouzeon has no canon fight mode, thats just for Himiko, but man it exists in my heart. The transistion between the two is literally just her throwing off the long overskirt, hah.

How does her mask work? Excellent question. The p5 idea of having it there when vibing but gone when the persona is out feels a little awkward when her persona's whole thing is putting a visor over her face. Quite frankly I have no idea. Sorry folks. Have all concept sketches for the outfits I've done as compensation with a bonus Noot in there that I never continued on and finished.

[skrittkicking]

I am also just curious about Lia, can you tell us about her? What's she got going on? (@commanderhorncleaver)

absolutely i can!

so, lia windwalker is a current-standing centurion for the blood legion. she’s cunning, sly, and enjoys getting under people’s skin. she wasn’t always this way – in her younger years, she was your standard patriotic charr, doing what was asked of her in the name of the legion without question. she was much more friendly, too, though she’s always been very inquisitive and intelligent. however, after losing a lot of the people around her and generally just suffering in legion life, lia became a lot more closed-off and keeps people at an arm's length; she’s still social and enjoys talking to people, but she’s much more secretive when it comes to herself. lia's patriotism and love for her legion has depleted, too, but she still takes pride in her heritage – just not as much as the did in her youth.

currently, lia’s spending her time in divinity’s reach, looking for a quiet place to settle and retire. retirement wasn’t her original plan for her life; ideally, as is with most charr, she’d have liked to die in some heroic battle maneuver, but she was just too good on the field to die in such  a way. if things were going lia’s way, she’d still be out fighting whatever nonsense the legions tossed her way, but.. things got complicated when iovitus – her cub – was expelled from the legions. her fellow centurions & the legionnaires that served under her were much more critical of lia’s behavior and questioned her skills, and the pressure was mounting for her to step down or retire. at her age (she’s in her late fifties/early sixties ish) she figured retirement was probably the easier of the two choices. lia also couldn’t bear the shame of stepping down from her post, and hoped retirement would look better on her records. 

iovitus and lia’s relationship is complicated at best. they were close when iovitus was younger – they were/are lia’s only surviving cub, and lia wanted to ensure their education was the best it could be. iovitus’ time spent in and out of the infirmary called lia to visit them often, and when that wasn’t an option, the two of them would exchange letters frequently. following iovitus’ expulsion from the legions, though, lia felt as though they personally had betrayed her, and they fell out hard. any attempt iovitus made to recoup their relationship usually earned them a sharply-worded letter detailing how much lia wishes she'd never had them. thanks, mom!

heres a few miscellaneous fun facts about our beloved meemaw:

the left side of lia’s body and her entire left arm were burned severely in a fight against flame legion loyalists (details pending). she can still use her arm, but its lost all its fur and moves very stiffly.

she likes to wear rings & decorate her horns with gold inlays. she doesn’t wear them out very often, as most of the time she’s wearing a set of heavy armor, but she does enjoy jewelry from time to time.

her surname, windwalker, was stolen from a httyd dragon…. sorry guys

after iovitus’ father died, she never took to another partner, losing all interest in romance. she did not have any cubs after iovitus, either

she’s short. taller than iovitus cause theyre like a little shrimp, but still short

bonus warm-up drawing featuring babyvitus ->

[kazisgirlfriend]

Snake Girl Rayla?

The TDP fandom has always had headcanons that didn't really work out (such as Soren rather than Claudia staying loyal to his father), but the idea of Callum being some sort of "Snake Boi" seems to have stuck around despite having basically no support in canon.

This isn't to discourage people who like the aesthetic. People who think it would be cool if Callum was That Way. By all means, keep writing those stories, making those fanarts! Many of them are downright inspired, and represents a really interesting direction the story could have taken.

But "could have taken" is the operative term here. The traits that are associated with "Snake Boi" Callum (listed below) barely represent what his defining traits really are:

Obsession

Ambition

Temper

Ruthlessness

Selective Loyalty

There are, of course, shades of the above that ring true with Callum, as they ring true for most of the main cast. But it seems odd to single out Callum as the one who most exhibits these traits. Other characters who better exhibit, say, selective loyalty (such as Sarai taking a stance against hunting the Titan but ultimately sides with Harrow), are never recognized as such, let alone singled out to the extent Callum is.

Or they're based on interpretations that are dubious at best (Callum "turning against" Viren, a man he's never shown a particular liking to), or false at worst (Callum being the only one to actually want to kill Aaravos, despite the fact that killing him was originally Rayla's idea). So given all this, it's curious as to why "Snake Boi" Callum as an actual theory of who Callum is stuck around for as long as it did.

Then it hit me: much of this is really a projection, because there is a character who does exhibit these traits far better than Callum - Rayla.

Obsession

Rayla's obsession brings out the best and worst in her. She would obsess over what the right thing to do is ("I hesitate, think too much, get confused about the right thing to do"), but then also become obsessed over specific goals, first over killing Viren, then over the coins.

Ambition

All of the main character display some forms of ambition from time to time, but Rayla seems to have dispalyed hers at a much younger age:

At an age when most of the other main characters were just having fun and getting to be children, Rayla already chose her path. She wanted to be trained day and night by her mentor, despite her parents wishing that she have fun and grow up. To set aside a normal childhood and deciding on a career at that age, that takes ambition.

Temper

It should go without saying that it doesn't take much to set Rayla off:

So whether it's being mistrusted, being lied to, being rejected, being called weak, or just plain hungry, Rayla has a history of getting pretty angry.

Ruthlessness

I mean, c'mon, look at that smirk...

Or that death glare...

If that's not enough, here is what Rayla was planning to do with Claudia and Soren at the Cursed Caldera according to the novelization:

Selective Loyalty

Last but not least - selective loyalty. I think this is best exhibited by Rayla being willing to scuttle a two-year mission to kill Viren by saving her family instead:

But also by her insistence that "we can't save anyone," typically hinting at the belief they have to look out for themselves and their in-group before others:

But this is also hinted at throughout the series. She goes to save Pyrrah from Soren and Claudia, but doesn't express similar empathy for the humans in the nearby town that the dragon burnt down. Evidently, the bonds of loyalty are a strong influence on her actions.

So much so that in ToX this is Rayla's defining trait:

So on the one hand it's curious that Rayla's "most important value" is often assigned to Callum in some headcanons, but on the other I do get it. People want Callum to be selectively loyal, because that would mean he is selecting Rayla. That he's more loyal to her than he is to any pesky moral principles, that she's his ultimate value. What's more romantic than that?

But this does have the uncomfortable nature of being wrong: the truth is Rayla is the more selectively loyal one. She ultimately chose Callum over her quest to find Viren - doesn't get more loyal than that.

Conclusion

I don't write this to disparage anyone's theories or beliefs, but merely to point out what I think should be clear by this point: every single trait Callum is thought of having - temper, obsession, ambition, and especially ruthlessness - better describe Rayla. I'm sure people don't mean to project Rayla's traits onto Callum. It does seem to be done so in order to let Rayla be an uncomplicated hero with no moral issues, but in doing so I think people unintentionally ignore Rayla's best side.

Her obsession lets her stay on task. Her ambition shaped her into a great warrior. Her temper means no one can run roughshod on her. Her ruthlessness means she has what it takes to get the job done. And her selective loyalty means that when she says...

...she means it.

[phannamime]

WARNING MAD LONG POST In which I ramble about my inquisitor- Mava Lavellan's backstory

Just so I can get it out of my head. TW (Emotional Abuse- Severe Burns)

TL;DR How does one person deal with shouldering the responsibility of a world saving semi-cult? Parentification

Dragon: Mava was first born to Hanina Lavallen and Ethlam Lavallen, in the year 9:09 dragon. Hanina was sister to Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel Lavellan and as such when Mava first showed signs of magic at 5 she was favored and chosen to be Deshanna’s First. Hanina was incredibly proud of that fact and made sure that her daughter knew her responsibility at a young age.

Cylus, her brother was born 9:11 Dragon. The two were inseparable and she adored him. In 9:14 Clan Lavellan was attacked by a group of humans, this almost resulted in the death of Cylus, and Hanina who was pregnant at the time, went into labor prematurely. Vela was born small and weak, and the event scarred Hanina. She grew protective of her children and kept a strong presence in their raising, atypical of the more communal raising of the Dalish.

Mava spent most of this time with Deshanna learning magic, or with her mother. She had little time with others her age besides her siblings. Her mage training and her mother’s expectations took all of her time. Mava didn’t mind, she loved learning about her clan and the gods. Still she wasn’t the quickest to pick up magic, and often struggled to do more than just the most basic of actions.

Hanina’s protectiveness developed into paranoia, worsened by Ethlam often being gone hunting. She placed her fears onto Mava, and told her that she was responsible for her siblings safety. If anything ever happened to Cylus or Vela it was Mava’s fault for failing to look after them.

The lectures didn’t happen often at first, Cylus was a chatty, and sweet child. He learned to placate his mother and soothe her worries. No the lectures grew much more frequent as Vela grew older. She was always a bit of a spit fire but she was her mother’s favorite. She was allowed much more freedoms then the older two. Her mother was even more proud of her when she showed magic at the age of 3. She was made second under her sister and quickly excelled in her studies. Magic came easily to her and as she was allowed to interact with others more, she also was much more comfortable with those her age.

Mava was happy her sister was doing well at first. When Vela did well her mother was happier, so it was a win-win. But as Vela hit her preteen years she began to pass her sister in magical abilities and chafe against her mother’s grasp. Hanina began to pit her daughter against each other. Often telling Mava that she should be more like her younger sister. Mava internalized this, but still saw her primary job to be protecting her siblings. It was only to make her better for her clan and family that yelled at her, Mava often said to herself. Hanna started fighting with Deshanna at this time, who could see how her sister was spiraling. This only made Hanina worse and harder to speak with rationally.

The two sisters got into a lot of fights usually over Vela’s tendency to wander from the clan, and not pay attention in studies. Even so Mava would never tell her mother about it, a part of her fearing the response. Cylus often got stuck in the middle of these fights, eternally the mediator. He studied under the Head Storyteller and thrived, weaving tales with songs. He was mostly forgot by his mother as he had no magic. The only time the three siblings got along and had fun were during clan dances. Mava and Vela were stand outs and in sync when dancing and Cylus loved singing and playing music.

In 9:30 during the blight, clan Lavellan was traveling past the border of Ferelden and was recruited into helping the Warden fight Darkspawn. Mava’s father Ethlam was killed helping in the battle. This was the breaking point for Hanina and her health deteriorated for the next several years. Mava stayed by her mother’s side the whole time and tried her best to keep the family together as her mother became more erratic.

In 9:35 she died. It was a mix of emotions for the siblings, but mostly guilt. She was supposed to protect her family, and why did it feel easier to breathe? She didn’t want to be keeper and now that her mother was dead she could almost admit that to herself. Vela and her stopped fighting for a few months, trying to process her passing. Mava came to one conclusion Vela another.

The eldest talked to her Keeper about making her sister the First over her. Vela was great at magic, charismatic, and comfortable taking charge. Her mother knew she was a better fit, she said so all the time, she was just too traditional to actually propose it! Deshanna tried to dissuade her student from the idea but Mava was determined. So she said if Vela agreed to it, she would allow it. So the two sisters met up outside camp to talk. It went about as well as the Keeper expected.

Horribly. Vela revealed that she was thinking of going to another clan, to get a fresh start. She had already talked to Cylus and Deshanna about it. That was fine, Mava argued, she could just become a First here if she wanted to be First. Vela refused, she didn’t want to stay. Mava argued that she should just stay and train to be First for a few more months to see it she liked it.

Vela shut it down, and blurted out that she wanted to leave the Dalish all together. This freaked Mava out completely, she became desperate, this was her mother’s worst fears come true. The escalated a conversation into a full blown fight, Mava terrified to go back into the role she was forced to be in all her life, and Vela wanting to have freedom in her life and choices. It got heated, literally. When Mava grabbed her sister’s arm, Vela let a burst of fire burning her.

Her left side was burnt badly, and Vela rushed her back to the clan. When asked about it Vela said human mages attacked them. This caused the clan to immediately start packing up to move while the Keeper stabilized Mava. When they started to move, Vela was gone.

Mava woke a month later, her burns still bad but better. She was nonverbal for the first week, her mind still in shock. Cylus was by her side as soon as she woke up. It. Was like when they were little, but reversed. Cylus would tell her everything happening in the clan. Stories, gossip, and all the interesting things in his life.

The clan settled for a while, Mava’s recovery meant that she couldn’t be far from the healers. And with them settled they welcomed more and more city elves into the clan. Mava refused to leave her tent for long, grappling with what she saw as her failure marked on her. She told no one the truth about how it happened, though she was sure her aunt suspected something.

One city elf that later joined the clan was Diya. She became a talented crafter and friends with Cylus. After much convincing he introduced the two, hoping that meeting others outside of the family would help her. He was right Diya was direct, honest, but still kind to Mava and the two got along super well. Mava got to passionately explain and educate the lore of the clan to Diya and Diya would bring gifts in return. She was a scholar of her craft in her own right, and the two enjoyed the other’s passion.

A year after the incident Mava began to return to some of her regular duties. Most of them were unrelated to magic. She was relieved, as after the argument Mava found she had trouble doing any kind of magic at all. It was the first time that Mava connected to many in her own clan. Her mother’s protective grasp prevented her from making more relationships. She had in her own time listened in when she could, an unquestionable eavesdrop. It made gauging how much she should know quite hard. She found that many of the clan saw her in a totally different light then she saw herself. Her own image warped by her mother’s parenting and harsh words.

In the years that followed she slowly gained confidence and tried to reconcile what exactly happened to her. She looked for her sister but no trace of her was ever found. No clan had seen her and no city elves had ever had a glance of her. In the meantime it turns out that Cylus and Diya had hit it off. Two years after they met, they were married, and Mava was thrilled for them. Soon after her niece Elgaris (Ellie) was born, and Mava was instantly smitten. She loved her and often took turns in taking care of her with her clan.

It was healing to see how the clan all gathered around the family and she couldn’t help but contrast it with how she was raised. At the age of 3 Ellie is discovered to have magic abilities. Mava pushes hard for her to remain with the other children her age, and only teaches her to control her power allowing her to learn on her own time.

In 9:41 Dragon Deshanna talks of giving Mava more serious duties, the first being attending the Exhalted Council in secret. She isn’t thrilled to leave her clan for so long, and still ill fit as a First but her Keeper assures her it will be a simple, but important task. And who is she to argue? It is her duty.

Then Inquisition happened.

[leothelionsaysgrrrr]

1, 6, 42, and 49 from the 50 Rook Q's?

Yay! Thanks! :)

1. How old is Rook?

He was born in Umbralis of 9:06 Dragon, so he’s 45-46 now. He’s the same age as Nicky Hawke, a fun fact of which Varric was quite fond of reminding him. Constantly. Rexus just rolled his eyes and reminded Varric right back that he and Hawke are still younger than he is, and Varric is the only one who looks his age.

6. What was the reason that brought Rook to Minrathous?

It’s home. He was born and raised there, in one of the wealthiest districts until his father kicked him out, lived on the streets and in an attic storeroom by the harbor in Dock Town for a decade, had his own favorite street vendors and dive bars and brothels and informants, knows all the secret ways into, out of, and around the city, neighborhoods rich and poor alike. He loves talking shit about Minrathous but hates having to live anywhere else. He’s had to leave twice, first in his late 20s after being framed by his brother for a mass assassination, and then after The Incident with the Shadow Dragons when he ended up hunting Solas with Varric. He’s had to keep a lower profile since he came back the first time so it isn’t that much of an “oh no not this asshole” situation when he walks into a room anymore - and believe me he is nostalgic for the days when it was - but it’s still home, and even though he still loves talking shit it’s a place he genuinely loves enough to do what he can to make it better.

42. Something Rook regrets:

A shorter list would be things he doesn’t regret. He was incredibly bitter and spiteful through his youth and said and did a lot of hurtful things to a lot of people in the name of trying to feel powerful. I think his biggest regret, though, is how he treated his brother. The kid was literally only born because their father couldn’t stomach the embarrassment of having a non-mage son, and their mother never made any effort to hide that she didn’t want to have him at all. Rexus tormented him as a child; he’d break his toys in front of him and pinch his toes when he was a baby to make him cry, and later he would do anything in his power to embarrass or discredit him, or give his brother’s name as his own while being a jerk or skipping out on a bill so he gets the blame later. He realized way too late that he should’ve been protecting his brother instead, been somewhere safe for him to escape their parents, the pressure to be perfect and the constant reminders of being unwanted. The kind of person his brother could have become if Rexus hadn’t been so bitter and spiteful about his own situation haunts him, as does the knowledge that it’s too late now to do anything about it.

49. What will always make them laugh?

Someone getting their comeuppance, like being a jerk about people getting in their way while walking and then they run straight into a pole or trip or something. Or, similarly, someone being overly confident they can do something and then failing miserably. People getting annoyed with him and giving him a certain kind of glare makes him giggle like a little girl.

50 Questions for Rook!

[theia-eos]

How old do you think the dragon laguz are?

I'd like to preface this answer by, an answer to this question will vary from person to person, as there is no hard set answer given and so the answer depends on how you want to interpret various canon and canon-adjacent facts (Canon facts being explicitly what is contained within the games and nothing more, canon-adjacent coming from artbooks or developer interviews and such things).

I've already explained in depth how I get to my interpretation here, but the basic gist is that the canon-adjacent chart that's commonly passed around as "canon aging" comes from pre-development of FE9 and it: contradicts canon facts; contradicts things the devs say in interviews post RD; and contradicts the hawks' designed ages in the same art book. Therefore, I mostly throw it out when I'm setting up how laguz age within my own interpretation of the age of various laguz and Branded within the games. That's not to say other people who use it, or people who came up with their own ideas, are wrong, but I have my own opinion and they have theirs and we can coexist.

But you asked me, and so I will provide my interpretation. The tl;dr for quick reference:

Dheginsea: 862 in FE9; 865 in FE10

Rajaion: 365 in FE9

Almedha: 304 in FE10

Kurthnaga: 103 in FE9; 106 in FE10

Ena: 233 in FE9; 236 in FE10

Nasir: 563 in FE9; 566 in FE10

Gareth: 451 in FE9; 454 in FE10

More info and details about how I arrived at these answers are below, but it is according to the detailed chart I provided here when going over how I think laguz likely age.

Dheginsea: Since the Pact with Ashera's heroes occurs in the year 131 BT ("Before Theocracy" which is a term being made up by me to function as BC/BCE does IRL), and the flood occurs in the year 155 BT, and the games occur during 645 BE ("Beginion Era" which is used by Almedha in RD) and 648 BE, and Dheginsea is designed to appear around 50 for a dragon, my best guess is that he was born around 217 BT, and therefore around 86 when the pact was formed and 862/865 in the games. (According to my timeframe of laguz aging, he was about the equivalent of 16 during the war against Yune. Young, sure, but Ike is 17 in FE9, so I'm chill with this).

Rajaion: Well, he was fun, because in his profile, he is designed to appear around 23, but Almedha, his younger sister, is designed to appear around 26, so one of those had to go, and it was Rajaion's designed age. With the freedom to pick my own age for him, I settled on a rough equivalent of 30, meaning that he was born around 280 BE and is around 365 years old in FE9, simply because I don't think dragons are having kids back to back to back seeing how long Ena is pregnant for (anywhere from ~4 to ~23 years, and I'm siding on the ~23 end of things).

Almedha: As stated above, Almedha is designed to be around 26, therefore I set her to being born around 344 BE, with an age of around 304 years old in FE10.

Kurthnaga: We do have, per canon, Kurthnaga is at least 100 years of age, so with him being designed to appear around 17 and the canon facts in mind, I see him being born around 542 BE with a rough age of 103/106 in the games, as it appears the Japanese description of his age is "roughly 100" (ああ見えて、ざっと１００年は生きているはずだ, and I am, as always, using Google Translate, so I am unsure of the accuracy of this translation), whereas the localization says "more than 100" and 103 is true on both counts.

Ena: While she was designed to appear around 18, that would only make her around 122, which just bothers me thinking about the fact that she and Rajaion were an item at least 20 years before the game, if not earlier (making her 16-17ish). Therefore, I decided that she was born around 412 BE, was around 233/236 years old in the games with an equivalent age of 23. It makes me feel better.

Nasir: He has a designed age of around 32, but that would only make him around 414 years old, or 181 years older than Ena, which is not grampa age (292 years older, while at least possible, is also not really grampa age for dragons, if I had stuck with the looking 18 thing for Ena). Therefore I set him to being born around 82 BE, giving him an age of 563/566 years of age in the games, and an equivalent age of 38, and he would be 330 years older than Ena which would allow him and his child to get to around 165 years old each before having a child (20-21ish) and not bothering me with how long dragon pregnancies seem to take.

Gareth: Thank Ashunera, we are finally no longer dealing with anyone who has to account for Rajaion and Ena's relationship. He has a designed age of around 35, so I set him to being born around 194 BE with an age of around 451/454 in the games.

[shinyshade8026]

Hmm… ooohh maybe the rouywae might interest you Finn? It’s like a whale-fish-dragon thing!

A “rouy” (pronounced rue-uh) is a group of dragon species that are (usually) smaller than other kinds of dragons, and unlike other dragons, rouys are classified into subtypes based on what kind of elemental magic they can use! Normal dragons can’t use magic, and it is unknown how rouys came to be! There are many kinds of Rouys, but I think you might like hearing about the Rouywae!

By the way, rouy is short for roucryeten in the ancient language which translates to “small creature” and “wae” translates to “water” in the ancient language, so if you put those together you’d get rouwaecryeten or “small water creature” but it gets shortened to “rouywae”. (Bonus fun fact, unlike Satyr Speak, the “ancient language” doesn’t and most likely will not ever have a translation document as it is meant to be a dead language that can’t be fully translated, but it was a language once spoken by all creatures who inhabited Mirazia. It’s not known why or how the language died, but it did, and due to the lack of well preserved information on it, it’s near impossible to translate ancient texts.)

Anyways I’m way off topic onto the part of Rouywaes!

A rouywae is an elegant looking creature whose scales vary in color in the “cool” color range (such as blue.) There have only been 2 recorded cases where a rouywae had scales of a warm color (such as red), and in both of these cases, that rouywae lived alone and died at the juvenile stage as a result. You see, rouywaes are very social creatures, and they live in large familial groups! If a rouywae is left behind by their family, it is extremely likely that it will die within a few years of being abandoned, as rouywaes simply can’t survive alone. They need their families as they hunt in groups, and they take turns sleeping, one staying awake for a few hours while the others sleep, and then that one sleeps while another stays up to keep guard.

Sometimes a young rouywae (usually male) is brave enough to venture beyond and leave their family behind in search of a mate, but it’s a risky thing to do. Once they choose to leave their family behind it’s very rare for them to be welcomed back. So, basically, when a rouywae leaves their family to find and establish a family of their own, they put themselves at risk and possibly cut their lifespan by close to 90%. They can live hundreds of years if they find the right environment, but they can’t live alone.

Sure, Rouywaes are the largest kind of rouy in terms of size, but they’re no predator. They are docile herbivores, they don’t have sharp teeth that can deal heavy damage to an attacker, and their only defense mechanism is honestly their magic, which they often use to mess with the water currents. They have fragile fins and gills, and if either of those are damaged by a predator it’s very unlikely the rouywae will survive the attack, and even if it does, it will struggle for the rest of its life.

On to their appearance though! They are, again, the largest kind of rouy, being able to grow large enough to not fit in your average pond, and their scale colors usually range from blues to greens to purples! They have long fins, and their tails are very similar to that of a whale. It’s not uncommon for rouywaes to have bioluminescent spots scattered around on their bodies. They sound a lot like whales, but they have a distinct difference, which is that a rouywae’s voice is almost always deeper than that of a whale. Personality wise they are rarely ever aggressive, usually only ever becoming agitated when something threatens the life of a younger rouywae in their group. They are known to have lighter colored underbellies, and their eye colors usually range between cool colors. The bioluminescent spots on their bodies are usually a different color than their scales, and it’s believed that they slowly gain more of these spots as they age, as it’s been noted that younger rouywaes have a significantly smaller amount of them than their elders, with baby rouywaes usually having none at all. Because of this, the bioluminescent spots are sometimes used as a way of calculating approximately what stage of life they are at (baby, adult, juvenile, etc). Their scales have a magical ability that helps them camouflage in open water. When in open water, it is almost impossible to tell if there’s a rouywae under the surface if you’re not underwater. It’s believed to be a magic ability they have, but this camouflage ability can be seen through if the water’s surface is disturbed.

Gonna stop here but like let me know if you wanna hear more and I apologize for rambling a bunch I love rouywaes they are very silly and we don’t talk about them enough

-Luminescence

oh!! very cool!!!

[ziskandra]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (if you’d like). Spread the self-love ♥️

Ahh, thank you for the ask! I always do love this meme. I think a couple of people sent me this one at some point last year as well, but I accidentally deleted the asks and couldn't remember who they were </3. It will be interesting to see how my answers have changed since the last time I did this! Under a cut because I got in my feelings with my Author's Commentary, but for those who might be interested, the list contains three Dragon Age fics, a Mass Effect: Andromeda one, and one from Ace Attorney.

1. Retrospect | Mass Effect: Andromeda | Alec/Ellen | 10,032 words

Written in the months following Andromeda's release for the Mass Effect Big Bang, this fic nonetheless remains to hold a very special place in my heart. Quite because it was the first time I actually finished a project that was more complicated than a one-shot consisting of a few linear scenes! Riffing off the concept that our lives flash before our eyes through the free association of memories, the story is told in Alec Ryder's dying moments through non-linear vignettes separated through five primary chapters (not counting the two appendices). Each chapter gets less and less descriptive as gets closer and closer to death. It was extremely satisfying to not only get several comments remarking that I'd made Alec and his family relationships seem more realistic and well-rounded, but I also received one of my favourite comments ever, which still lives rent-free in my mind, part of which reads: "the last 2 lines of this fic were such a beautiful and character-appropriate end that i have been sorely disappointed with the last lines of every other book i’ve read since." which. high praise but you know what I'LL TAKE IT 🥺😭 Fun fact: when I was writing this fic, I would remark to my beta that I totally head-cannoned Alec as autistic, but that I didn't want to state that explicitly as I didn't want to claim to represent any identities I didn't possess. Let's just say 2021 came for me hard and fast...!

2. Crescendo | Dragon Age | Meresino | 20,298 words

Holds second place in my heart, quite possibly for being the longest complete thing I've ever written in my life. Funnily enough, also written for a Big Bang! (The 2023 Dragon Age Big Bang.) Long story short, I'd written a couple of one-shots (most relevantly Precipice) set in a 'verse where Meredith and Orsino had been romantically involved in their younger days, causing them to fall into old patterns of intimacy when drawn into conflict when they were later in positions of power. But then I started thinking more about what that previous relationship would have actually looked like, and well, the plot of what would become Crescendo beamed itself into my head! Also, while I was brainstorming this fic, @sharksister made the very astute observation that both Meredith and Orsino had lost a loved one who'd locked themselves in a cupboard before meeting a fiery end, and I've just had to sit with that and be haunted by it ever since... but hey, what else to do with these feelings other than write about them!

3. with no place to go | Ace Attorney | Franziska von Karma | 700 words Compared to the previous two, a rec that's on the shorter side! I wrote this fic shortly before Christmas a couple of years ago when I was wallowing in family feelings. And as anybody who's familiar with Ace Attorney would know, Franziska has ample reason to possess Complex Feelings on Family, especially at Christmas. I think this one has a special place in my heart because it was the first fic I'd written for the sake of just writing in years, and because I'd always intended to follow it up with another Christmas fic tracing Franziska's recovery over the years. Oh well, maybe this Christmas! It would be kind of interesting to explore why despite being explicitly invited to Christmas celebrations in this fic, it takes Franziska several years to actually agree. And maybe I'll actually be able to play AAI2 properly in the interim, lol. 4. a celebration of being alive | Dragon Age | Female Cousland/Loghain Mac Tir | 2,967 words This fic had been an idea which had rattled around my brain for a while as I had always found the lore surrounding the required preparations for the Dark Ritual vague. I wanted to play around with what might happen if a pregnant Warden laid the killing blow on the archdemon. It's also incredibly funny to me that almost four years later I am yet again deep-diving on all soul related lore for an entirely different set of characters. (Well, I suppose poor Morrigan is the hinge of connection. Woman doesn't know where to quit!) This fic has a special place in my heart because I think I wrote it in one setting after coming off a 7+ days straight at work, including replaying the end of Origins to check the veracity of a couple of specific Loghain dialogue I wanted to reference (i.e., beginning the Dark Ritual discussion with Loghain then backing out can go: WARDEN: Loghain, we need to talk. LOGHAIN: I find that the direct approach usually works best. WARDEN: I don't think I can do this.) Of course, in this fic, they're already fucking, so Morrigan's just getting shut out of the process and Loghain is not learning the full truth of the matter >:) (The other dialogue Loghain dialogue referenced is when he's left at the city gates when the ritual is not undertaken: LOGHAIN: There is nothing I could say to dissuade you. WARDEN: No easy way out for you, Loghain. LOGHAIN: No. No easy way out for me.) 5. the morning after | Dragon Age | Cullen & Orsino | 2,143 words

This was written for a prompt fest where we were given a title to write a story around. I almost went for the obvious, but instead decided to rack my brain for something that was as far as removed from my initial instincts as possible.

Hence, a story set in the immediate aftermath of the end of DA2 where Orsino survives and is both terrified Cullen is going to call for more templar reinforcements and also struck by how terribly young he is.

[onethousandeyeslooking]

(In honor of Veilguard coming out in just over a month, I figured I should actually start posting about Dragon Age more. And, of course, that comes with speaking about the tragic heroes who dominate my canon world state. So, might as well start with the first.)

Senrian Tabris. Hero and Warden Commander of Ferelden.

Age (during DA:O): 19 (born 9:11 Dragon)

Origin: City Elf

Class: Warrior (Dual wield)

Romance: Alistair

People are often surprised when they see the Warden-Commander for the first time— the lauded Hero of Ferelden, much to their shock, is a short and slight elven man, his long face often pulled into a measured, polite smile. Upon first impressions, he can often come off as fairly unassuming. The only hint of a life of war is the fire that often stirs behind hazel eyes.

But if you stir his temper, though... then you'll see why the nobles in Denerim still regard him with some caution whenever he visits.

When I think about Senrian as a character, the first word that always comes to mind is "duty". He picks his causes, and he fully devotes himself to them. He's a very "lawful good" character, but in the sense that the laws in question are his own internal moral codes (as opposed to the exterior laws, which he often finds... disappointing, to say the least), he's serious, but in a less stern and more polite way. I find I really enjoy the dichotomy that he creates as a character, someone who (on a logical level), believes that he has to do certain things to keep those he loves safe, someone who's incredibly kind and polite, but underneath that also has this incredibly intense and fiery streak that can (for better or worse) sometimes override his rationality.

Despite his mental binds, Senrian is a character that feels. He feels so deeply and intensely. Oftentimes that comes out as anger. He holds his grudges close to his heart, and sometimes his loyalty to his family (both chosen and blood) can leave bodies in its wake if they're hurt. Before Origins, this was only really seen in his tendency to frequently lose servant jobs for arguing with employers over mistreatment of his co-workers. This reached a boiling point, though, in my interpretation of the city elf origin, wherein he doesn't just kill the arl's son, but also ends up burning down a not-insignificant portion of the estate itself.

He takes well to the Wardens. He enjoys the good purpose it gives him, and fighting the darkspawn becomes an easy outlet for less-desirable violent feelings.

He also takes well to the wardens because he almost always places the feelings and lives of others above his own. A lot of this obligation and duty all stems from when his mother died for him when he was younger (a childish mistake led to his mother getting into a fight with some city guards that resulted in her death). His older sister always somewhat blamed him as well, and ended up running away from home, leaving just him to look after his father. He internalized a lot of this guilt and blame.

This personality leads to him making decisions I don't always agree with as a player, but the repercussions of those actions often (in my own opinion) make for a significantly more interesting story.

(pardon my less than stellar art skill)

(fun fact! I went into Origins almost completely blind, and at the time I didn't know elven facial tattoos were mainly a dalish thing. So now Senrian has a face tattoo that I honestly don't have much of an explanation as to why he has. Eh, sometimes it can be something as simple as personal preference.)

Appearance-wise I don't have nearly as much to say about him. He's pretty short at 5'4" (162 cm), and is a pretty powerful warrior, despite his lighter build. I also designed him before I knew his mother had a canon appearance, so he just takes after his father more than anything else.

In my personal opinion, he's quite pretty, if that counts for anything, haha.

(templates from here. Please note that the relationships represented here are how Senrian feels about the characters in question, not myself. Also, the colors closest to Senrian's icon are first impressions/initial dynamics, while the further out the colors are, the further along in the story the dynamic change is.)

Now, getting this out of the way— why did I mod the game for a bi Alistair, instead of just romancing Zevran? (As that would've been the only canon option for him— Senrian is a gay man.) Well, funny story, I originally went into Senrian's run thinking it was just going to be a little side project to romance Zevran while my main save at the time (a different warden) would be my canon run. But I latched onto Senrian very fast, and knew I wanted to romance Alistair as soon as I spoke to the guy for the first time.

It turns out that I actually really ended up enjoying the dynamic the two wardens ended up having with eachother— and their story ended up being very sweet and very tragic. Senrian was the one who encouraged Alistair to take the crown, trusting him more as a possible ruler of his country than the daughter of a man who had just tried to sell his entire family into slavery. It ties back into his views on duty, and doing things you don't want to do for the sake of the greater good. Of course, this ended up biting him in the ass when Alistair being crowned as king ended up leading to their relationship ending. Senrian was mad, but he couldn't bring himself to be mad at anyone but himself. He'd kind of always been expecting something like this to happen anyways, at the back of his mind, ever since the possibility that he'd become king was on the horizon. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt, though.

They both still love eachother. I haven't actually decided if they eventually get back together or not, but I know the king has his regrets. There's a portrait of the Hero of Ferelden somewhere in the castle with a wedding ring that Senrian never had. There's also a rose garden he tends to himself.

(once again, this portrait was commissioned from kittyoperas here on tumblr.)

So, after getting broken up with, he still ended up doing the ritual with Morrigan because he felt that he couldn't just leave Ferelden with one warden standing after the blight, who already had enough to do as king (let alone knowing Alistair well enough to know what his death might do to the man). It was kind of a last bitter twist of the knife, as well, as Senrian had always wanted children. He loved the idea of being a father.

So! In light of Veilguard coming out soon, you might be wondering what he's doing nowadays. Me too! All I know is that he's in the deep roads, trying to fix another thing he thinks is his job to fix (for some reason. He really needs to give himself a break.) Oh! Also might be lightly possessed! But that's a story for another time.

But... yes. That's Senrian Tabris. If you're interested, here is his spotify playlist, and here is his pinterest board.

Oh, and because I didn't have anywhere else to put it, the only image I actually have of him and Alistair together (not counting in-game screenshots, which are travesties because I absolutely cannot get Senrian to look how he's supposed to in-game) is this really stupid modern au meme redraw. Have fun with that.

[dballzposting]

HI i had a horrible dragon ball thought and thought i should send it to you because i haven't done that in a long time :(

love stumbling across screenshots that remind me that akira toriyama doesn't give a shit about canonical heights EVER and just says numbers when asked and doesn't follow said numbers.

Like i was taking a peep at the manga because i want to learn how to replicate the art style (my most serious art has already been damaged by the dragon balls i draw and i say it like... damaged. but i don't mean that i think thats a good thing because thats what i want) and i find these bits from the 23rd tenkaichi budokai where Yamcha (6'0") and Tien (6'2") are both like a head taller than Goku (5'9") which... no they aren't lol. but it's fun to think that they are so I'll incorporate that into my belief system regardless.

And i also found this one picture from the end of the anime (equally inaccurate about numbers which i find delightful. i am incredibly amused by this.) where Goten (??) is like also a head shorter than Trunks (5'7"? probably, that's how tall future him was at that age idk man who fucking knows. not me.) which would probably put Goten at like... Vegeta height in terms of dragon ball inaccuracies because 17 year old Future Trunks was depicted as being considerably taller than his father in canon.

And that's generally insane because as far as i'm aware Goten is usually depicted to be vaguely taller than Trunks when they grow up to what should be their full heights in fan works? which is fair because Trunks is REALLY doing his best with what he has (Vegeta dna)

Also about Trunk's height- future Trunks (malnourished by saiyan standards... and probably earthling standards too) is really only 5 cm shorter than Goku?? which is not even much actually, Future Trunks is about as tall as LIONEL MESSI which, sure I'm Argentinian and that's my like referent for short men sue me... but that's hilarious because Goku is only 5 cm taller than that like what. and adult Gohan is only 6 cm taller than that! because he's only a single fucking centimeter taller than Goku! why is he only a fucking centimeter taller than his father. who even cares about that. him? probably not.

Also to expand onto the Vegeta Height Goten thing, that'd be so funny personally because i feel like the second neurotic ass SON OF VEGETA Trunks notices this he would tear his own hair out, i think he would resent that fact with everything he had. i don't even quite know why he would hate it yet, but i do know that he wouldn't be a fan of it.

But of course none of this fucking matters. because akira toriyama is a bitchass motherfucker and if i had a wife he would piss on her.

-Yui7 after getting back from talking about Dragon ball and how much he misses Goku for like a half a day.

Hi I forgot about this ask and it has sat in my inbox for 9 slutty slutty days.

IT'S TRUE!!!!!! THE HEIGHTS ARE A MESS!!!!!!

To be fair it must be hard to give a shit when you're depicting multiple characters in complex scenes and poses and angles all of the time.

BUT THEN WHY TRY TO DISCLOSE NUMBERS AT ALL !??!?!??!

I get the impression that he just draws characters as they feel. Even though Goku went through a growth spurt before the 23rd tenkaichi budokai, he's still younger than the others and he's still always been an aspiring young shoot, so Tenshinhan and Yamucha still need to be taller (and therefore more mature) than him.

That's why Vegeta steadily got taller as he gained wisdom and muscle mass.... he had to look more important.

Goten is kept shorter than Trunks consistently, except in GT I feel like they're allowed to be on-par. But they're both definitely taller than Vegeta I mean come on.

If the real meaning comes from visual impressions then I'll be on record as saying that watching Future Trunks on-screen you definitely see one TALL STACK of fresh organic non-GMO free-range Super Saiyan BEEF. Perhaps he should be shorter like his father. But when have animes cared about genetics

Trunks is always a tall bitch and Goku is always so tall and Gohan is always so tall and Goten even is so tall. They're all so tall. And then they keep making Vegeta taller too.

Krillin just has no chance

[thelawmaker]

Intro to Corban

Name: Corban Alasdair Yaxley Age & Birthday: May 25th 1950 Gender & Pronouns: Cis-male & he/him Sexuality: queer (deeply in closet and heavily in denial) Occupation: A quickly rising member of the department of magical law enforcement. Taking active role in hearings related to new laws and regulations, as well as often being one of the voting members when it comes to court procedings. Blood Status: Pureblood House: Slytherin Side: Death Eater Family: Yaxley family Residence: A flat near the entrance to the ministry hidden from muggles.

MAGICAL:

Boggart: n/a Patronus: Siamese cat Amortenia: New paper, barberries, expensive male colongue.

WAND:

11, Dragon heartstring, Cedar, unbending.

PERSONALITY: 

+ ambitious, patient & level-headed.

+ manipuative, detached & intolerant of any show of incompetency.

BIOGRAPHY: (brief mention of parental death)

An older brother to two sisters, younger than him by 12 and 14 years, Corban never got much peace and quiet around the house. His sisters were young and loud, so he often locked himself away in his own room. Trying to drawn out the noises of those two, who he often referred to as harpies in his mind, fondly of course. Such drastic age gap between him and them was caused by the fact that Corban's father had remarried a year after Corban's mother passed away due to some illness. The woman was nice in her own rights, gave Corban space and was focused on her own newly borns at the time. The male was grateful for such luck. He liked his sisters, loved them even. As much as one with his character can love another.

His days in hogwarts were hardly any special. He made friends, those who he now fought with in the dark, as comrades in arms to rid this world of filth that plauged it for ages. He enjoyed himself back in school, having the most middle ground of an experience. He went to games cheering for his team and even dated for a while. All in all, nothing much to write home about. If one asked him, the ex-slytherin would say his life truly started once he fully stepped into the ministry. Once he became an adult, independent and seperate entity from his father, even if his name, his last name would always hand around young man, he barely cared. It made him proud even. To a Yaxley was to be the one in control. So he has always known and he had no doubt it would stay this way. He joined the death eaters pretty quickly as well, however he had the outcome meassured in his mind, after all, treason as a goverment official would be hard to wiggle out of. Not impossible mind, just rather taxing on him and his connections.

The man was willing to risk it. The time passed quickly and with everything organised in his head and life, most of it was a routine now. With years of experience he rarely found much fun, unless he saw a cat.

All Corban currently wishes for is higher position, more power and victory.

Truly the sorting hat knew exactly where would be his home.

QUOTES: "Some men are alive only because it's illegal to kill them." "chaos was the law of nature, order was the dream of men." "And if I dictate so shall it be." "freedom dies in applause."