#gem heads

[eydilily]

red flags!

[tubbytarchia]

Shark toothed mermaid didn't know how to kiss her sailor crush

[boobilby]

Being even more cringe than usual

Featuring my friends drawing of Joel, who I’m pretty sure they don’t even know, @dustystripe is the friend

[lycoristyx]

I got to actually do something for Idia's birthday this year (entirely because I did said "something" 3 weeks in advance)…!! Happy Idia day 😌

Regardless he made me reach 100 pull pity for his new card. Thanks Idia 👎👎👎👎

[aulerean]

In honour of season 10, had to give gem a proper fishing outfit

[sparrowlucero]

this is the iconic dinosaur horror jurassic park wishes it was

[heavyhandedhex]

sending an army to the end

[aashiyancha]

Domestic shiguang 4-panel

[vegley]

gemgem!

(rbs > likes <3)

[star--nymph]

Vivienne's fear being 'becoming irrelevant' isn't something that's linked explicitly to her pride, no matter what Solas says about her (and the irony of Mr.Pride himself saying that should not be lost on you), it reveals what and who Vivienne truly is.

She's a survivalist.

Because we don't spend as much time in the Free Marches or Orlesian circles, we don't get to experience what being a mage is in these cultures. In Ferelden and Kirkwall, a mage is a lesser being without freedom no matter what they do--but in the Free Marches and Orlais specifically, mages are commodities that are given freedom so long as they play an entertaining enough role. They can explore the world if they have a noble patron, if they catch the right person's eye. They are, in a way, two sides of the same coin--refusing mages agency and forcing them to relay on higher powers. Vivienne lucked out, as sad as it is, when Bastion fell in love with her; she found someone who was contrarian enough to recognize her as a full person and also someone with power that could help her rise through the ranks. This is not to say that Vivienne on her own wasn't an exceedingly talented and intelligent individual--by nineteen she was already the youngest full fledged mage in Circle history and she was skilled enough to make herself an enchanter. But, I can not emphasize this enough, none of that matters if she didn't also play the Game and impress enough people.

Vivienne could have been the most brilliant mage in the history of Thedas and it means nothing if she was overlooked by nobility.

So when Bastion made her his mistress, she gained not just a lover but also a means to an end. Now she can use her magic to protect herself. Now she can roam where she wants and not be question for it because she's Madame Vivienne. Now, she can walk into the Orlasian court and belong there.

And what happens? Celene notices her and makes her the Court Enchanter, a position that has always been the equivalent of a jester. Vivienne took that title, ignored that it was essentially a glorified insult to who she is, and made it a position of power. She made the Court Enchanter into an advisor, a political rank. She had done the impossible and made mages an actual political entity in the Orlasian Court, something that wasn't seen outside of Tervinter (not counting what players can do under very specific conditions if they made mages in DAO and DA2).

All that, however, only continues as long as the court recognizes her as something worth their attention. Vivienne needs to maintain her act as Madame De Fer, The Lady of Iron, the Court Enchanter, The Jewel of the High Court, because the second she just becomes Vivienne, it's over for her. The assassins coming raining in, her name gets devoured by rumors and gossip, and she'll be found dead at bottom of the stair case with a dagger in her back if she's lucky.

So of course when the Circles fall apart during the Rebellion, she clings to that Loyalist Mages to maintain that structure--of course she moves her pieces to the Inquisition, knowing that if the Circle DOES fall, she at least as another place for herself and mages latch onto--of course when she hears that Celene replaced her with a new Court Enchanter that appeared out of no where, she grows to resent Morrigan.

Like, Morrigan literally pops up out of thin air, makes herself invaluable to Celene, and then plants herself in the place Vivienne had to claw her way up to and create so she could survive. Would you not be resentful when your life's work is usurped by some random witch of the wilds because she happened to charm the Empress? Everything Vivienne strived for all whisked away because the court find a gem who glimmers ever so slightly more than Vivienne.

So yes, Vivienne fears becoming irrelevant because the world has made it so that irrelevance for an Orlesian mage means death.

[heartorbit]

always by your side

[blueiscoool]

1,800-Year-Old Roman Carved Head and Gem Discovered at Hadrian's Wall

Archaeologists excavating a site near Hadrian's Wall have discovered a wealth of Roman artefacts including carved heads, gems and mysterious ritual platforms.

Archaeologists have found several exciting millennia-old Roman artefacts near Hadrian’s Wall in Scotland.

The findings, which are estimated as being around 1,800 years old, include an exquisite gem that depicts Silvanus, God of the countryside, and a meticulously crafted ring with an inset gem depicting a rat munching merrily on a poppy seed.

A team of volunteer archaeologists in England have unearthed the intricately carved head of a statue believed to depict an ancient Roman empress. The discovery was made at the site of a Roman bathhouse, the largest known building on Hadrian’s Wall, located near Carlisle Cricket Club.

The head, measuring 18cm by 13cm, is remarkably detailed and finely crafted, surpassing the quality of two larger monument heads discovered at the same site earlier this year. Experts believe the head, which depicts a woman wearing a headdress resembling those favored by Empress Julia Domna, dates back to the same period as the bathhouse.

“It refers more to the Classical Roman style of sculpture,” said lead archaeologist Frank Giecco. While the identity of the woman depicted remains unconfirmed, the headdress offers a tantalizing clue. Julia Domna, wife of Emperor Septimius Severus, popularized this particular style of headdress during her reign.

This latest find adds to the impressive collection of over 4,000 artifacts recovered since excavations began in 2021. The site, initially thought to be solely a bathhouse, has revealed itself to be a multifaceted complex.

“It looks like thermal baths, a collection of disparate offices, religious and social spaces, recreational spaces and administrative spaces,” said Giecco, who expressed amazement at the volume and value of the discoveries.

[keyslox]

little headcanon that the glitchy vision thing that happened to Pix during the dragon fight is a reoccurrence afterwards and sometime the episodes last a couple hours/days/ect…

[ethosiab]

some fox etho sketches courtesy of a friends request

[spkyart]

Peak 90s fashion

[ghost-teapiika]

stardew valley au w/ scarian and gempearl... thoughts?