#i will post some clips later!

[mar64ds]

Finally watched Konya Sukiyaki Dayo!!!!! It feels so good to watch another show with amazing aromantic representation. Love how the show discussed marriage and amatonormativity and how it affects alloromantic people as well. I was really surprised by the direction of the show (an imporant event happens way earlier than i anticipated!) and really happy with how they handled it, i have not seen many stories do what they did here. Really great show that i will rewatch for the rest of my life from now on, this show made me feel very warm and i felt really connected with the aromantic perspective of the whole show

And of course, the onigiri scene made me bawl my eyes out, incredible perfomance by Triendl Reina

Anyway, if you are aro go watch this show right now

[laddertek]

@countthelions (tumblr ate this when I tried to save my answer as a draft, so we improvise 🙃)

This one? :D

This whole stream was delightful. What a way to return 🤗

Tango was so happy energetic.

And from Tango calling Etho's storage system cute and Etho in gamechat going "CUTE?!" (00:41:07). To the razzing (and laughing) over shops (00:49:00 and 01:03:49). Etho taking Tango's head twice, and it all being so playful (00:58:11). Etho using Tango's catchphrases 🥹🥹🥹 It gets me every time! "porkchop power" "flee with extra flee!" And the way he said it was the cutest, and Tango's giggle about it too (01:00:59). Etho offering to give the tour Tango wanted. More mail talk and laughing guilt and planning and razzing and teaching Etho to do the stamps. Tango complimenting the path (and that Etho showed it to him when he first came back when Etho came to say hi) (01:15:41). They still plan on doing their sand-collection-off (01:35:06).

And of course the whole TNTificating with Etho's new "boom boom tech" (01:39:43--02:15:17) was just…the most fun. They are having the most fun together...it's an absolute joy. (And it's also them collaborating on how to figure out a redstone thing together which is just so satisfying.) Just...TOO MANY (!!!) (so many) fun moments in that whole TNT section that I can't even start on highlighting them all 😭 I'd need another mammoth paragraph...

Honestly??? Still smiling. Great great great stream 🥹

Timestamps are for YouTube not Twitch because Tango was so fast on getting the VOD up lmao

[shikai-the-storyteller]

I've been thinking a lot about Leonarda's not-death ever since it happened back in April.

("What death?" you might ask, to which I say: "EXACTLY!")

Back in mid-April, Vegetta and Leonarda were mining together in a one-block wide tunnel. A mob (a Petriman) got between the two of them, and Vegetta told Leonarda to step back while he took care of it. At this point, they'd spent enough time together that he trusted Leo to listen to him.

Instead, she was killed by the same sweeping edge bug that killed her siblings.

-

Vegetta's reaction here is what's really interesting to me. Unlike most other parents on the Island, there are no shouts or tears – only a very brief "Hmm" and then silence. He very quietly takes stock of the situation, saying "Vegetta, no" and wondering aloud why Leo didn't defend herself. In chat, Foolish says "It was a bug, right? LAG" to which Vegetta slowly responds "Yes, lag. Bug." (Despite this, Foolish still asks "WHAT HAPPENED" in chat, though Vegetta doesn't reply).

Instead, he creates a slightly wider space in the tunnel where Leo's body is. He continues quietly taking stock of the situation, wondering why Leo didn't defend herself (which is what necessitated his intervention). She'd been lagging a lot that day, and he figures that must be the cause, and eventually when Leo re-appears out of thin air in the middle of the cave and collects her stuff, she confirms that the lag got to her and that's why she didn't fight the mob.

Now here's where things get interesting:

Vegetta checks the tab list. Online, it's just him, Leonarda, Roier, and Foolish. He quietly tells Leonarda "The body has already disappeared, and without a body, there is no crime. Nothing is happening. Did you die?" Leo shakes her head, and Vegetta shakes his head too, and in the kind voice he uses sometimes with Leo, he says: "I believe you have not died. Where is the body? It isn't anywhere, no mija. If it was a mistake, it was a mistake."

Leo says: "I saw Diosito (God) pa, and I was scared. God, what am I doing here?" and Vegetta laughs, telling her it's alright. Leo says "No pasa nada (don't worry / nothing happened)" and Vegetta says: "And the people who are watching us have not seen it either." To Foolish and Roier, he messages: "Secreto."

And the funniest thing about this is it worked.

Not a single person spoke about it. I saw this entire event go down live and I didn't see a WHISPER of what transpired among fans. I can't even remember if the QSMP official accounts talked about it (they sure didn't mention it in Vegetta's recap of the day). We could discuss this in meta terms of course– Leo was having known lag issues that day, Vegetta's beloved by the admins so of course they're willing to turn a blind eye rather than slap a "?" over Leonarda's life on the Eggstatistics, but meta talk isn't what I'm interested in here.

I'm interested in q!Vegetta, the weird "god-adjacent" aura he's got, and the way the universe bends to his will.

Before he took a break from the server, Rubius seemed to be a caretaker for the Eggs who died (for example, he was present when Maxo, Quackity, and Mariana & Slime said their final goodbyes to Trumpet, Tilin, and JuanaFlippa). Because of his role as an "angel" and some of his dialogue during the early days of the server, it's not a stretch to say he probably came to collect any Egg who lost a life. I can imagine he did the same when he saw Leonarda die – that is, until Vegetta said "And the people who are watching us have not seen it either." Realistically, we know Vegetta was saying this to Chat (and possibly the admins as well), but again, we're looking at this from an "in-universe" perspective.

I wonder if Vegetta was aware of Rubius' role, and this was his way of telling Rubius "No. I won't allow that to happen." We know Rubius has a soft-spot for Vegetta (and we also know that Rubius was cast out of heaven several months later) so it makes me wonder if these two instances are connected.

Either way, this isn't the first time the laws of the QSMP universe have bent for Vegetta, and I certainly don't think it'll be the last.

Rubius or no, Leo didn't die that day.

Vegetta made sure of it.

[royalarchivist]

SmallFryz: NONONO– Fit, Fit, Fit– Listen, listen– We can talk this out, we can talk this out! 😨

Fit: See, that's the fighting spirit! There we go! Mano a mano!

SmallFryz: Fit– Fit, we're like brothers, man! How could you do this to me?

"There's no lore on JoeSMP" Maybe not, but there sure is drama! 🍿

[brooklynnsart]

Completed my rewatch of the simpsons treehouse of horror episodes for the halloween season. The raven one has a special place in my heart 🐦‍⬛ 🩷

[cementcornfield]

man just watched that ja'marr presser with the biggest grin on my face :')

[expelliarmus]

[ofbardsandmen]

nothing ever excites me more than a spontaneous genshin, or more particularly, mondstadt discovery. i sat diluc upon the barbatos statue as a nice spot to go afk on without being interrupted by repetitive idle animations and voicelines (sorry diluc, this is nothing personal). my volume was turned up more than regularly by accident, and my in-game music was off despite how much i like the original game soundtrack. aNYHOW- i was about to go afk when i heard some strange noises that i didn't recall hearing in mondt before. it made me pause and turn my volume up even more. in the video above, it's kind of hard to discern the brief sounds over the noise of the wind up on the statue and in mondstadt in general, but when the wind dies down a little, you can distinctly hear voices of people, and what shocked me the most – neighs of horses. i have no clue whether it is just me discovering this only now, after 4 years of playing this godforsaken game and clearly not having paid enough attention to mondstadt's sfx before, but i still felt the need to share this terribly interesting tidbit in case there's other clueless mondstadt enthusiasts like me.

[biillys]

hi au where billy and max are child stars

neil auditioning billy for a (soon-to-be) beloved family sitcom as a baby, very mary-kate and ashley vibes, maybe billy getting the role for being the only baby not to cry during the auditions, and then putting him to work from basically day dot.

his mom doing her best to run interference and make sure he gets treated right, only letting him be on set for a few hours a week and making sure either herself or neil is always with him, but the older he grows and the more screen time he gets, the more the show runners and neil try and weasel their way for more time with him.

him turning five and the show airing it's fourth season, his parents marriage being over. his mom handing neil the divorce papers and walking out, then dipping her hand into his earnings (that neil has tied up in his own name) to try and buy them a future, trying to get full custody.

the divorce being messy and drawn out and public, neil having made her out to be the villain, the fans and magazines tearing her to shreds and writing headlines trying to shame her, saying she's a heartless bitch for trying to end her own child's career just as it's starting to take off.

billy getting caught in the middle, the separation and custody battle drawing out for years, him struggling to handle the fall out of his home life coming apart at the same time as the sitcom he grew up on comes to an end.

his life being a fucking mess by the time he turns eight.

having a little bit of free time then, technically being jobless. starting to explore other hobbies and interests now that he has some time and getting more into music and sports, begging for a guitar and a surfboard for his birthday, asking neil if he can join little league.

neil promising him one better, and instead, getting him auditions for disney, telling him the only thing better than playing the guitar, is playing the guitar for disney.

turning ten and being a series regular on an already airing disney show, but the execs and directors being so impressed by him that there's talks of him getting his own show.

part of him being excited, proud, but a bigger part of him being terrified.

being so scared to tell his mom cos he knows she'll cry. she used to run her fingers through his hair to lull him to sleep, hug him close and whisper about how she never wanted this life for him, how she's so sorry.

it becoming official and him getting his own show on disney.

him getting the news exactly one week after his mom walks out for good, his dad having finally won full custody, no visitation allowed.

him feeling sick to his stomach. he never thought she'd actually leave.

he never even got to tell her his news.

it not taking long for the shine of having his own show to wear off, the few things he was excited about starting to become a hassle.

starting to resent it.

hating it.

hating the lights and the cameras and the scripts and the running lines. the early mornings and the make up and the flights and the night shoots and the interviews and the press. hating the way he's always surrounded by adults, never having had an actual friend his own age in his entire life. that all the other kids he knows are pitted to him like rivals, there being always talk about ratings and viewers and timeslots. him not knowing what a friend without it being tied up in publicity and pr.

hating the fact that he has a sister on the show, but his dad and her mom end up getting close, and suddenly he's getting a step-sister in real life.

hating the way max only has to film for x amount of hours a day because she's a kid, but he has to film for longer, and thats on top of everything else he's gotta do, very miley cyrus sharing her schedule during her hannah montana years vibes.

him becoming a household name in his younger years from the sitcom, but disney cementing his fame, him being known by what feels like the entire world by the time he's in his teens.

growing up and getting into shit, experimenting with drugs and alcohol and sex, trying to find any and every escape he can. him and max always being on the outs in private, but being the picture perfect family in public.

neil being a controlling fucker, a true momager, has kris jenner on speed dial.

rebelling in every way he can, not giving a fuck what stories or pictures of him get leaked anymore, the press and public turning against him as he gets older.

his show ending and him expecting to finally feel free, except just becos the shows over, doesn't mean anything else is. suddenly the pressure starts feeling heavier, everyone asking him what he's got lined up next, if he's gonna straighten himself out, if he's gonna finally take his career seriously.

neil riding him, telling him to forget about whatever he wants to do, and do what he tells him to do instead. him having various commitments and auditions lined up for billy already, and billy being ready to end it all.

emancipating himself at age seventeen, cutting off contact with everyone.

going off the rails and living his worst life. catching the headlines and updates of maxine mayfield: now managed by neil hargrove, and shoving down the urge to call her and tell her to run, knows she won't listen to a thing he says any way. he was nothing but an asshole and a spoilt brat no good fuck up in her eyes anyway, neil making sure they never got close.

doing his best to go down the music route, feeling physically ill at the thought of acting again, but thinking maybe music could be the answer. he always liked it better. felt more comfortable with a guitar in his hands or a piano under his fingers than cameras and lights in his face.

the music industry being just as harsh and ruthless as the entertainment industry, him not getting taken seriously by anyone he needs to be taken seriously by, everyones expectations of him being so fucking high that he knows he'll never be able to meet them.

deciding he doesn't give a fuck about anything anymore, his life's never been his own to control or have any say over anyway. signing a five year contract with a well-known label, not writing a single song of his own or playing a single instrument aside from when they want him to trot out an acoustic set, and instead singing words richer people than him wrote and performing show after show after show, flying from country to country to country, barely fucking existing. the songs becoming chart toppers, like they were written to be, and selling out stadiums.

hitting rock bottom.

getting a wake up call from max of all people, her ringing to check he's still alive. him pulling the phone away to check this is an actual call and not a hallucination. putting the phone back up to his ear, asking why she's calling.

her saying happy birthday and billy realising he's turning twenty today.

them sitting in silence for a while before max finally cracks.

her telling him his dad's an asshole. billy laughing. no shit.

them hanging up, but max calling again, a month later, then again, a few weeks after that.

billy being hungover as fuck and having no idea what country he's in, but max is in a new movie, out in cinemas now, and it's a serious drama, it's fucking emmy nominated, so he calls the front desk of whatever hotel he's staying at and asks for directions to the closest cinema and before he knows it, he's going incognito, hoodie on, and watching her on the big screen, and she's so much better at acting than he ever was.

neil must be so goddamn pleased with himself.

too bad max sounds completely miserable everytime they talk on the phone.

he calls her instead of her calling him for the first time, opening the conversation with saw your movie, how much fucking overtime did you get for all those night-shoots?

before or after your dad took his cut?

billy laughs. he can't remember the last time he laughed.

ANYWAY. i was listening to robot by miley cyrus on repeat and!!!! child stars au!!!! them both being worked to the bone!!! hating each other becos they barely know each other cos they barely know themselves!!!! getting through their childhoods battered and bruised, billy coming out the other side first, max finally catching up to him a few years later. them both, one by one, cutting their parents out!!!! max taking the big screen by storm when she grows up, neil frothing at the mouth that he can't touch her money when she cuts him out!!!! billy never signing another contract again after his record deal ends, disappearing off the face off the earth!!!! slight the lucky one by tswift vibes!!!! idk!!!!!

[midnightwind]

Clipped Wings

Summary: Bringing home the Demon of Vyrantium was supposed to be a moment of triumph, but with the Cantori Diamond in shambles and the First Talon likely dead, the victory is bittersweet. Recruiting her fellow Crow was not supposed to go like this…

Word Count: 4845

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Chapter 5: Blood on the Doorstep

Getting back to the boat had been… interesting to say the least. Renn had gently flailed in the water upon finding herself spat out a few strokes from the vessel, giving the Crow that was holding out an oar to her a dark look as the woman suppressed a laugh poorly. The trio spilled into their seats, soaked, but Bellara and Renn were all smiles as they set off. All things considered, it had been the smoothest any of their jobs had been so far. No random monsters, sudden dire collapse of the location, or unexpected twists. The mage was actually looking forward to giving her report for once. The job didn’t go off the rails so Viago couldn’t yell at her for the next hour about it.

She had turned to start asking Lucanis more questions, but the words seemed to die on her tongue. His gaze was fixed on the city drawing closer. There was a mix of disbelief and joy, trepidation and hope, in his eyes. She imagined he must feel a lot like how she did on her return. A year away from home without knowing what to expect when you got back… So she stayed quiet, busying herself with wringing her leathers and hair out over the edge of the boat. When they bumped to a stop in the canal, she stepped off quickly and turned to help Bellara out. Lucanis was a bit slower and she offered her hand to him as well. 

He stared down at it for a breath before taking it, letting her haul him to solid ground. She gave the Crow mage a brief word of thanks before waving, leading them into Treviso proper. As they climbed back to the rooftops, she wondered if it all felt the same for him. Occupation aside, had the city changed much? She started trying to follow where his gaze fixed along the route, to identify if he was finding old haunts or favorite stalls still running. What would Treviso look like through his eyes? What secrets would only someone who was raised in its streets know?

As they approached the Cantori Diamond, she was a half second too late to move her gaze away from him. Caught, she offered up a sheepish grin and he surprisingly met it with his own small smile. There was a note of genuine hope in that look and it made her heart flutter. Stripped of the awful events, the political mess, their standing as Crows, he was just a man finally coming home. If he decided he didn’t want to take on the contract for the Evanuris, she wouldn’t even be mad. If nothing else, this was good. She had done a good thing today.

That warmth in her chest almost distracted her enough to miss how empty the Diamond was as her feet touched down. She took three hesitating steps away from the zipline before her mageknife was pulled from its sheath. Something was wrong. With a hand held behind her in warning to Bellara, she crept silently up the stairs. Lucanis was a dark shadow behind her, his daggers glinting in the light. She had made it one step through the doorway before a flash of silver had her lunging forward. Every instinct told her to avoid that blade no matter what and she tumbled into the room. The clash of metal rang out behind her and she spun on her heel to see Viago crossing daggers with Lucanis. Both looked surprised and she let out an annoyed groan.

“Maker’s breath, Vi, what the fuck?” She snapped. “Why do you give the worst welcomes-”

She stopped short as she took in the rest of the Diamond. The collection of tables and chairs that had hosted countless Crows mere hours ago were in disarray. Upended, knocked over, smashed to pieces, the floor was littered with debris. The little sitting room where the First Talon had given her a contract was the worst, signs of a struggle evident. Several bodies still remained, the telltale robes of the Venatori obvious. Teia and Illario were righting a table just for the latter to brace himself against its surface afterwards.

“We hosted some unwelcome guests, as you can see.” Viago answered stiffly, eyes glaring at Lucanis as the two slowly sheathed their weapons.

“How did they get in?” She breathed, stepping further inside to survey the damage.

Teia piped up for that one, a fury simmering in her voice. “We’ve known there are traitors in our midst, but this… this was bold, even for them.”

“It was a message.” Illario's quiet voice slipped along after the Seventh Talon's words, like a knife lovingly placed between the ribs before he slammed a fist against the table, anger igniting. “From Zara Renata.”

That… that didn't feel right and she glanced quizzically at Lucanis. “For the break out..?” But even as she voiced the thought, she knew it was wrong. They'd barely been out for an hour, the attack was too recent for the news to have reached the magister. To hear about the jailbreak, plan the attack, and manage the raid? There simply hadn't been enough time.

Illario finally turned to face the group and as he caught sight of his cousin, she watched a flurry of emotion wash over him. “Lucanis,” he breathed, disbelief plain as a smile pulled at his lips, “you're home.”

He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on the Mage Killer's shoulders, seemingly a moment away from pulling him into a hug before the other man furrowed his brow. “Where's Caterina?”

“The Venatori,” Teia started with a wobbling voice, “they got her in the confusion.”

Illario scowled. “I get one of you back just to lose the other.”

Renn swayed on her feet, seemingly kept upright by Bellara's steadying hand on her arm alone. The First Talon was dead? She'd been back in Treviso for a handful of hours and they'd suffered a heavy blow. For a single moment, the dark worry that somehow this was her fault came unbidden to her. Her gaze flicked to Lucanis, watching the grief wash over him in a cold wave. He shut his eyes before he squared his shoulders, a sharp edge to voice.

“I need to work.” He ground out.

“Are you sure?” Teia's voice was so soft in comparison.

“You just got back.” Illario added, an almost pleading note to the words. “And already you want to leave?”

“Caterina gave me a contract.” Lucanis wavered and he blinked a few times as if fighting off tears before the steel was back in his voice. “I'm not breaking the last deal Caterina ever made. Once my contract with Rook is finished, I'll come back.”

Renn forced a bright smile to her lips. “I'll try to make it a quick job.”

“Cousin…” Illario started, but Lucanis held a hand up to stop him.

“Zara won't get away with this. I'll make sure she pays.”

Viago seemed to bristle at that. “We can't hunt down a rogue Magister while the Antaam occupy the city. We need you here-”

“No.” Teia cut him off sharply, fury bright in her eyes. “Zara came into my House. She took Caterina from my House. You find her, Lucanis, and you cut out her heart.”

Illario gave them both a sharp smile. “I'll start looking for her trail while you hunt the gods, Cousin. When I find her, though, I want, no… need to be there when you kill her.”

Lucanis seemed to sigh ever so slightly. “Illario…”

He held his hands up in a placating manner. “She took from us both. I want to help on this one, okay?”

“I'm not sure how helpful your way of doing things will be.” The Crow muttered, but he didn't outright turn down the other man and that seemed good enough for him.

“Teia, could you perhaps catch Lucanis up on what he's missed in his year away?” The smile that Illario had been wearing seemed to disappear as he grew somber. “I… I need to deal with the House now that…”

“Of course.” Teia placed a hand gently on his arm before beckoning the other assassin away.

Renn gave him a reassuring smile as Illario made himself scarce before she glanced at her own Talon. Viago jerked his head, the minute motion summoning her to one of the many alcoves. Her shoulders slumped as she cast Teia a begging look. The Seventh Talon merely shrugged. Resigned to her fate, she trudged after her Talon, leaving Lucanis and Bellara to the mercy of Teia. Viago waited for her with his usual cold glare, not moving an inch until she slotted herself into the corner. He boxed her in, voice low.

“What happened.”

She almost groaned. All the theatrics for a simple report. What was a world shattering attack on their inner sanctum and the loss of their head Talon compared to a boring report?  “Broke into the prison, killed a bunch of blood mages and demons, freed Dellamorte, killed his target, came here. Perfect mission. Do I get a gold star?”

He raised a single brow, eyes looking down with purpose. She followed the gaze, unable to school the grimace that leapt to her lips. He had a dagger pressed flush to her hand, blood beading at the edge. She didn't feel it.

“You used too much magic. Again.” He snapped, flicking the dagger out of sight. “I could see it in how you walked. Steps too heavy, too slow. Renn, you can't keep-”

“What do you want me to do? Retire?” It was her turn to snap, voice hissing and angry. “I do good work, Vi, better than a lot of Crows. You can't afford to sideline me, and I wouldn't listen anyways. I need to keep moving. I can either do that under your direction or my own, but I can't do nothing.”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “Mirenna…” For a moment, a deep weariness cut through his usual sharp edges. He looked exhausted. “I need you to take care of yourself. This isn't a normal job, you're chasing gods.”

“Ancient mages.” She offered unhelpfully, guilt twisting her stomach. “Which is why I have Lucanis now.”

“You have the Mage Killer and it feels like you're forgetting you are a mage.” His paranoia was twisting his words half an octave higher.

She gestured vaguely back the way they came. “Weren't you guys, like, friends? Or whatever approaches a friend for you. And unless someone takes a hit out on me, I don't see Mr. Model Assassin doing anything to me.”

Viago's gaze flickered to where the other Crow was standing. Lucanis seemed almost lost, staring at the upended tables and chairs. He absently pushed debris away with a boot, as if the shards of wood and dust were hiding answers. He was a shadow of the man who had left on ‘just another contract.’ It didn't fill the Fifth Talon with confidence.

“He did good work. But that was a year ago.” He shook his head, rounding back on the elf. “His family is trouble, has always been trouble. The First Talon lost almost her whole family to a raid. Then she lost her favored grandchild a year ago. Now, she's lost her life. Who's to say Lucanis and Illario are not next? You could get dragged into that mess if you bring him on.”

She narrowed her eyes, tucking away the information. “Is that why you never wanted to bring me along when you had work here? Were you scared I'd get embroiled in, what, a family curse?”

His concern melted into bland annoyance. “No, I didn't want you to pick up their bad habits. You have enough of your own already.”

She blinked in surprise, trying to stifle the laugh that bubbled up. She failed. “Again, Mr. Model Assassin. I'd have thought you'd want me to pick up some habits from the First Talon's prodigy.”

Viago scoffed. “I saw the actual reports from his jobs. I didn't need you gaining an extra layer of absolute chaos or a softer heart than you already have. And I absolutely did not want you within a mile of the other Dellamorte.”

Her head tilted in curiosity. Soft heart? That didn't seem to fully track with what she'd seen from Lucanis, but Crows weren't always the same when off the job. Another little note she tucked away for later. “Illario? Lucanis said he has a similar style to Teia…”

“Hence why I left you in Salle.” He pressed a hand to his temple, massaging it and sighing. “Tell me about the Ossuary.” She hesitated, a faltering in her breath he didn't miss. “Renn,” his voice had a scolding edge, “what were they doing in there? What did they do to him?”

She chewed her lip, gaze skittering to the side. “Nothing good.” She finally said. “He's had a rough year.”

His voice was low, quiet and sharp. “Is he a danger?”

She stared at Lucanis as the man nodded numbly along with whatever Teia was saying. “No more than any other Crow.”

“Trouble.” He muttered.

“That's the job.” She shrugged. “It'd be better to ask him for details. We found him mid escape. Took out five mages without any help, so I think he's still perfectly capable.”

“Why does it sound like you're covering for him?” There was a dark note in his voice, a concern she hadn't heard since she was a teenager.

She rolled her eyes. “It's not like that, Vi. The place was already a mess when I got there. I can hazard a guess at what was being done, but Lucanis would actually know.”

“Give me your guess.”

She rubbed her hands over her face, letting out an exhausted sigh. “The Venatori were fighting a bunch of demons. The place was falling apart and overrun. Could have been the usual blood rituals, demonic research, or they looked too deep into an Elven Ruin. I don't know. Ask him for his report.”

Viago's stare was sharp and judging, but she just met it with her own bored look. She wasn’t exactly lying to him, but she was withholding information and that sat uneasily on her shoulders. It just… felt wrong to talk about Spite without Lucanis knowing. If she learned more, something substantial, then she would tell Viago. They stood like that for a long minute before he broke, a frustrated sigh escaping. His hand disappeared into his pocket, pulling out a tightly wrapped parcel. He offered it to her with two fingers, pulling it back sharply as she reached for it.

“These are potent, Renn. Use a light touch. If anyone at your little base steps out of line…” The threat hung in the air.

She snatched the gift and stowed it safely away. “You made me a care package, that's so sweet. I'm not poisoning my team, though.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she just grinned up at him. “Five second warning.”

All the concern and annoyance was replaced with alarm in an instant. He managed to take two rapid steps backwards before she surged forward, a crackle announcing her magic boosting her. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a crushing hug. He was stiff at the contact, as usual, all discomfort and unease. It caused a suffocating wave of homesickness to wash through her.

“I missed you, Vi.” She whispered.

He was quiet for a long moment before the ghost of a touch brushed against her back. “You survive this, Renn. You come home.”

“Or you'll come after me in the Fade yourself.” She laughed, finally releasing him. “Keep me updated on things here and let me know if you need help, okay?”

“Your current contract-”

“Has long periods of waiting for information. I can do sanctioned work here in the meantime, if you let me know.”

It was his turn to rub at his eyes. “Fine. But no hero business this time.”

She slipped past him, a skip in her step. “Haven't you heard? It's all hero business now.”

The look of pure exasperation he cast after her put a wide grin on her lips. She and Teia exchanged a quick hug, hands trailing in a lingering embrace as she hummed her way back to her party, the Talon sidling up next to Viago. Lucanis was casting her a curious look as she led the duo back towards the mirror.

“I don't think I've ever seen anyone touch Viago without falling to the ground convulsing afterwards.” There was a note of almost awe in his voice.

“No one else can call him big brother without getting a knife to the gut, too, if you want to keep being amazed.” She tossed a grin over her shoulder to him. “It does help that I was raised on his best concoctions, though.”

She massaged her jaw as a phantom ache shot through it, but the motion was lost as she stepped through the eluvian. The Fade dragged lazy fingers through her soul before she popped out into the Crossroads. The rush of raw magic that filled the place chased away the pins and needles from her fingers and she flexed them gratefully. Moving to the side, she waited for the assassin to step through, trying to smother the wide grin of anticipation pulling at the corners of her mouth. She saw his gloved hand poke through, the tentative first touch against the glass, before the rest of him followed. The Fade trailed after him with a ghostly purple hue, like tendrils of smoke spiraling off him. He shook his head, brow furrowed, before he ran a calculated gaze around the collection of mirrors. Check every corner and do it fast. She almost laughed. Crow training at its finest.

Bellara was a step behind him, bouncing through happily and extending a hand in front of herself. “Welcome to the Crossroads! A sort of safe space for us mortals.”

“Sort of?” He questioned softly, a hand resting on a dagger hilt.

Renn did grin at that. “The Evanuris are trying to break in, so sometimes we have to deal with their goons. We cleared out this section a while ago. There’s even a market up ahead, though only one of the spirits accepts gold.”

“Oh, speaking of,” Bellara turned pleading eyes on her, “can I do a little shopping before we head back?”

“For a few minutes.” She laughed, tossing over the little bag of the curious green substance that passed for currency in the Fade. “Try not to buy anything too weird.”

“Thanks Rook!”

And then the elf was gone, leaving the two Crows alone. Renn folded her hands behind her back, all smiles as Lucanis simply took in the area. She watched him do a little circle around the mirror to Treviso before he glanced at the other towering mirrors.

“So, all of these…?” He trailed off, blinking in fascination.

“All potential doors! They’re not always open, we have to sometimes find the connections before they work. There are other islands like this one with more eluvians. Sort of divided up by area. Like, this island has mirrors for Treviso, Minrathous, and Nevarra.” She counted each location off on a finger. “The neighboring island leads to Arlathan and… somewhere else! Haven’t figured out where yet. There are still parts of the Crossroad we haven’t explored either.” A note of frustration entered her voice at that. “The Caretaker thinks it’s too dangerous or unstable for us.” He cast her a questioning look. “Oh, they’re a spirit. They look after the Lighthouse and Crossroads, a relic from Solas. Seems friendly enough. You’ll meet them soon.”

“Alright…” He cast one last look around the area before falling in step at her side. “Wish I had a network like this for my contracts.”

She grinned as she led him towards the market. “Maybe the Caretaker will let us use it after we save the world.”

He hummed a little laugh before falling silent. When next he spoke, his voice was quiet. “You didn't tell the Crows about… about Spite.”

“Were you eavesdropping?” There was no malice in her tone, no accusation.

A heavy sigh caused his shoulders to sag. “I was trying not to, Spite had other plans.”

“The Diamond was built to carry sound.” She waved off his worry. “But it’s not my secret to spill. I’d be a hypocrite, I think…”

That caused him to miss a step, almost like he wanted to put distance between them suddenly. She didn’t miss how his hands twitched near his weapons and it caused her to laugh. There was barely a note of earnest amusement in the noise, a cold edge that hung between them. She was all smiles.

“Lucanis, dear, I’m not an abomination.” She placed a hand to her chest, dipping her head for a moment. “I’ve nothing against them, where it concerns present company, I simply have a situation that borders upon the same idea. When we interrupted Solas’ ritual and he got stuck in the Fade, he made an annoying little connection with me. So now he gets to whine and complain in my dreams whenever he wants. I wasn’t going to tell Viago any of that, so why would I mention Spite to him? The man already yells at me enough as is.”

“You’re not worried?”

“I’m worried about a lot of things, but you and Spite? Low on the list. That’s kind of the thing about Crows. If you were going to kill me, I wouldn’t have made it out of the Ossuary. We could have a fun game of trying to kill each other once we reach the Lighthouse, but you don’t strike me as a man who plays pointless games like that. You said it yourself, you prefer the direct approach.” She shrugged, pressing herself up against the archway’s pillar to watch Bellara flit among the stalls.

“You trust me.” The weight held by that single word could press diamonds into shape. “But you're ignoring the demon.”

A little whine escaped her as she folded her arms across her chest. “I mean, sure. Maybe Spite is a problem, but they seem fine right now? I don't know, I'm not an expert on spirits and demons. We have a Tevinter mage back at base, maybe Neve will have a better understanding about what they did to you. But in the meantime? So long as you don't explode into a demon, we're good. Okay?”

She could feel the stare he turned on her and she shrank ever so slightly from it. An abomination did make her uncomfortable, she was a mage. They were a boogeyman trotted out any time someone got spooked by a spell. But freaking out or blaming the assassin wasn't going to fix it. It helped that he was a Maker damned legend to her, but it was also the decent way to act. She wasn't going to give up whatever scraps of humanity she had left.

When she did finally tip her gaze back towards him, he had mirrored her somewhat on the other pillar. His arms were crossed, head tilted slightly. He fixed his dark eyes on her, brow furrowed, and his mouth had a slant to it as he thought. She shivered, almost withering as the silence stretched between them. This was a tactic that Viago had weaponized against her countless times: simply waited for her to incriminate herself in a panic just to hear a noise. She still wasn't very good at not doing exactly that. Facing it twice in one day felt unfair and she almost let out a cry of gratitude when he broke the silence for her.

“I imagine you have questions.” There was a deep apprehension nestled in the words.

She barely contained the relieved wheeze that tried to jump free, turning it into a breathless laugh instead. “Oh, loads! But more about your time as the Demon of Vyrantium and less about the actual demon.” She shook her head, holding a hand up. “But for another day. You've had… I mean, calling it a rough day is an understatement. You didn't get to really agree to this contract, so are you okay? With hunting some elven gods?”

He shrugged. “When your Talon gives you a job, you do the job. Especially when your Talon is Caterina.” A weak laugh shook his shoulders before the smile fell.

That almost made her wince. “They’ll suffer for it, Lucanis.” She promised darkly, her usual warm features turning sharp. “However I can help, you'll have it.”

“She wasn't even your Talon.” He offered up quietly, confusion obvious.

“Being a Crow is cut throat, but only another Crow gets to cut that specific throat.” Her hand flexed into a fist. “Zara just turned the whole flock on herself and we have just enough Crows to make it a murder.”

He huffed a laugh. “We only have two.”

“You weren't in the Ossuary by choice. Was Spite?” She cast him a sharp grin.

“We are not making him an honorary Crow.” He snipped dryly.

She sighed heavily. “Fine, we at least have Teia back home. Not as fun, though.”

“Why would you want a demon-”

“Maybe the demon is fun! I don't know, I've never met a demon that couldn't possess me if they wanted to.” She pressed a hand to her temple, flustered suddenly. “I’m trying to find silver linings here. Spite wanting Zara dead too seemed like a good starting point.” A growing sense of mortification was dawning on her. Why was this how she spent the first 24 hours with her assassin idol? “I- Listen, shit’s weird for everyone. Gods are running around blighting everything, Venatori are popping up everywhere, what's one little demon in all that?”

“But you invited the demon home.”

“I invited you home-” The thought ended in a little squeak, her cheeks flushing. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “I hired,” her voice shook slightly, “the Mage Killer to kill some ancient mages. Demon or no, I do need you.”

“I’ll honor the contract.” If his voice had a hint of laughter, she tried to ignore it.

“Good!” She offered brightly, just a touch too loud as she took a bounding step into the market. “Great, awesome. Let's grab Bellara and get you settled into the Lighthouse.”

If Bellara noticed how red her face was when the Crow latched onto her arm, she didn't say. The Jumper was happy to be led away, holding up her finds for Rook to nod or “ooh” at. She tried not to prickle at the stare boring into her back, tried to ignore how it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, to smother the shiver it sent crawling up her spine. Instead she poured her focus into staring at the weird crystals Bellara was holding up to the light, letting the assassin watch her with dark eyes as they walked home.

~◇~

Observation Log 1

The elves appear happy enough, considering the circumstances. Neither seem upset by Spite, just wary. The dwarf is more hostile about her feelings. The Tevinter mage… is hard to read.

Bellara

Veil Jumper (look into more)

Investigate elven ruins (explains the scent Spite found)

Very happy to talk about the Jumpers

Seems nervous all the time?

Lot of energy, easily baited into talking

Hard to direct subject once she starts (relics and elven lore are her favorite)

Asks a lot of questions about assassination…

Seems genuine, a bit blunt, excitable

Keeps looking at me with pity

Does most of the cooking

Ask about the party meals so far

Mage? (Uses a bow…)

Harding

Ties to the disbanded Inquisition

Still working for them?

Functioned as a scout

Actively hostile about Spite (finally one person makes sense)

Has an arrow just for me now (see above)

Seems fairly skilled with a bow (watch back)

Otherwise friendly and genial

Do not let her cook, apparently (?)

Do Not Let Her Cook

Archer

Neve

Tevinter mage

Not a magister, claims not a Venatori

Don't sense blood magic (be wary)

Has dealt with Venatori a lot

Might know about the Ossuary?

Likes to prod

Asks a lot of question

Bellara says she's a famous detective (Be Wary)

Doesn't seem hostile

Might have ties to the Threads or Shadow Dragons

Hoping it's the Dragons

Mage

Rook

Actual name: Mirenna de Riva

Trained directly under Viago

Watch food and drink carefully

Teasing and bright (how are she and Viago related…)

Likely a front, seems to drop it suddenly when work comes up

Unnerved by Spite but hiding it

Plotting or genuine?

Asks a lot about previous jobs

Probably just Crow fascination

Has Dalish markings, but talks about growing up with Viago

Look into clan, if possible

Watch her carefully

Traveled with Varric Tethras for a year

Was chasing Solas, elven apostate turned elven god

Mage (close quarters)

Requested Tags: @weaponizedvirtue

[gingermintpepper]

Meet-Cute

Days that pass like sand,  blowing idly by  in the summer wind

he dreams of snakes,  long-fanged, like vexed bees, stinging at his scalp “Purify yourself,”  but he has not sinned

…he does not protest

The river is green-blue. Alive. He feels its heart beating beneath the slick rock of its banks.  Old river. Gorgeous thing. Bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook, flowing but tame A nursery for fresh-born nymphs too young to stand the ocean’s tide-pulls  or maybe a reprieve from rough Summer’s overbearing heat 

He slips his robe from his shoulders. Unbinds the curls of his hair.  There is almost regret in his heart. Almost tragedy. Almost pain.  Each ritual bath is a spectre of the first, blood sinking deep into his flesh,  poison that will never stop burning. He empties his lungs of air and steps

Light-footed, like air down the forest path she goes a-walking

she’s dreamt of violets since summer’s first dawn a maiden possess’d

“Purify yourself,” that’s what father said

...This is how they meet

(Gold  like sun slicing through the clouds  like full-grown barley begging to be picked  She’s gold and slim and gorgeous  bathing in the river

The nymph is new  like speckled flowers blooming on a rose bush  she calls to be admired  and Evadne cannot resist her allure)

-Extracts from 'The Greenhouse Floor'.

[lumiereandcogsworth]

country boyyyy i love youuuuuu! blah🤠

[royalarchivist]

Richarlyson has been found! The Goddess Mine has been taking care of him. 😊

(Mike and Mine are having lots of fun with Richarlyson in Canada)

[sea-buns]

i wanna say it was in episode 3 after the boxing match when i was struck with the intense need to savor every second of mentopolis.

the mental image of a conrad driving with so much reckless abandon that the car is like half off the ground as it speeds away, hunch and dan bumping around in the backseat on either side of ivana who in comparison looks bolted down to the seats, money flying out and trailing behind them as justin hangs his head out the window...

all i could think was "oh this is the best." like the best. and while i do agree that 6 episodes is a perfect length for the season, what with them running at the speed of thought and all, i could also fully see them working with a 15-20 ep season just as smoothly.

and i don't just mean that as "this season would have been better with more eps" cuz tbh i don't think it would have been better, so much as it just would have been different. they could never make anything more and i'd still be satisfied. what i'm saying is that i think it'd make a great length as a second season.

which would be a great opportunity for brennan to flesh out the world elias lives in, while also allowing for more in-depth character development from the pcs.

this first season could act as a prologue to the world of mentopolis. and then the second season immediately kicks off with elias dealing with the aftermath in some way. maybe witness protection wasn't enough and now he's on the run from gobstopper industries. or maybe it was but now he has to learn how to adjust to living as a person with needs again after being alone and overworked for so long.

and as he navigates this new relationship, the attention from the press, the looming question of what now what next— we get to see how our prefrontal pis are doing as their lives were also flipped upside-down by this change in elias' life. cuz regardless of how positive and welcome a change may be, there is still a rather difficult adjustment period as you attempt to decipher where your place is in this new-normal.

[lesbianwyllravengard]

I just got the duelling for Josephine scene (I SHRIEKED ALOUD. LITERALLY EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WANTED IN A ROMANCE.) and now I need to write a fic about my Inquisitor roping Cullen into helping her set up this duel the literal day after he said he thinks nobles' romances are frivolous

[simpleapparition]

"I'm not a fuckin nerd bitchass camera fuckin dickhead"