#low-mana mages make do

[askfordoodles]

Mages when they run out of mana 🤣

[crows-of-buckets]

Calling my current Ena build "two hits and I fucking die"

[thegnomelord]

Ripping the sheets at the thought of prompt #25 with Draconic Price with Mage!reader who can't handle alcohol that well ❤️‍🩹

Sure thing anon, sorry it took so long getting to your prompt 😅 Play the game HERE

Prompt: Drunken confessions

CW: SFW, GN reader, Monster AU, Gn Reader, Dragon Price drinking, drunk confessions, fluff.

To say you're a lightweight is to say the sky's blue. It's an endless source of amusement to the lads; all they have to do is sit back after a stressful mission, give you booze, and watch the fireworks — literally, when your magic sparks across the bar, little sparks crackling along the ceiling, growing wilder with each shot you take down.

Price smirks behind the rim of his beer as he watches you and Soap knock back shots of liquor in a drinking game, not even trying to understand the slurred tangent you're on; mages are nerds at heart, and the booze has melted your tough guy act and leaving you rambling on about the intricacies of magic. It's one of the things he likes about you, how passionate you are; a good treasure to keep in his hoard.

But Price figures it's time for you to go when you nearly set a trashcan on fire in the corner, your vision long since doubling, the alcohol burning in your mind so strongly a bit of your original eye color peeks out beneath the unnatural glow of mana in your eyes.

"Come on you muppet," He signs, tugging you up by the back of your clothing like you're a wet kitten. You whine and attempt to struggle, but his draconic strength far surpasses yours. "It's far past your bed time." He adds, a little rumble in the back of his throat making liquid heat pool in your belly.

"But captain-" You grumble, the world spinning like a kaleidoscope as Price pulls you out of the bar, enough sense in your brain to throw a middle finger at the rest of your team when they wolf whistle and holler.

"Not a pipe out of you." Price sighs, wing stretching out like a shroud around your back, trying not to pay attention to the way his draconic blood sings when you lean in close; trying not to think how well you fit against him, like a treasure he can hoard. "C'mon, I'll drive you home."

You mumble a few curses under your breath as he helps you into the passenger seat of his car, your inhibitions so lowered so that when he leans over to buckle your seatbelt you tilt your head, burying your nose into his neck and taking in his scent, the smell of musk and cigar smoke filling your senses. Price does his best to reign in his draconic blood, a flash flood of desire burning in his head.

"Easy there mage," He huffs and shakes his head, pushes you back into a seat with an amused snort, settling into the car. The drive back to base is like a blur to you, spent rambling about something even you can't remember as Price just hums in acknowledgement, occasionally having to swat away your wandering hands trying to grope his thigh.

Price has to carry you to your room as you're so drunk you can't stand straight, head nodding as you slowly fall asleep in the car before you even reach the gates. Price tries not to think of how well you fit in his arms as he hoists you up, holding you close to his chest. You head ends up laying on his chest, face buried in his neck.

"Hey cap?" You mumble against his skin, squirming a bit as he carries you.

"Yes?" He asks, heart beating just a little faster as you clumsily wrap your arms around his neck. You mumble something into skin, so soft and low even his advanced hearing can't pick it up, making his ears strain to hear you as he enters your room. "You need to speak up there, mage."

"I love you cap." You slur, so honest and loving, and Price nearly topples over, feet catching on a random piece of junk you've got strewn around your room. But you choose that exact moment to squirm and he ends up tossing you onto your bed, your hangs clutching him tight and pulling him down too.

"Fuck-you bloody muppet!" Price grows, shifting to put the tension off his wing from how awkwardly he'd landed. He attempts to get up, but you're stronger than you look when you want to be, clinging to him like a little koala with your arms and legs wrapped around him.

"Nooo-" You whine, burying your head into his chest, squeezing your arms when you feel his skin is as warm as yours, your mana and dragon fire so similar it's like there's no barrier between your chests. "Mhm, love you John," You say again, making his head short circuit for a few moments, draconic instincts sparking up, wing and tail wrapping around you.

"You-" He sighs as he catches himself, embarrassment blooming in his chest at how he's acting like a young welp. By the time he's calmed down, you've already fallen asleep and using his pecs like a pillow, snoring lightly as you drool over his chest.

"You. . ." Price hums, a small smile tugging on his lips. He shuffles in an attempt to get comfortable, your bed isn't made to house two people but you're cuddled up to him so closely it's like you two are one person. "Bloody mage." He huffs under his breath, his clawed hands carding through your hair, sharp fingers scratching your scalp.

A happy little rumble leaves his chest when you nuzzle closer, your body so warm thanks to the mana in your system. It feels. . . nice, more than nice, his draconic ancestry purrs in his ears and he pulls you closer so your head rests buried in his neck, your and his scents mixing together.

Chances are you won't remember any of this. Chances are you'll deny your words, say it was just belligerent nonsense. But for now you love him, and he leans in to nuzzle his cheek against your hair, big burly arms wrapping around your middle, whispering lowly in your ear— a statement. "Love you too, you muppet."

[vibingncrying]

Okay, okay, hear me out: lavender marriage au

(Rosalyn & Alberu)

Warning: a lot of yapping

This could work with all kinds of ships, main idea is:

What if Rosalyn's parents were just a bit less supportive of her becoming a mage and she decided marrying was better than running off

Alberu and Rosalyn were both crown prince/princess, from all the characters they're some of the most well versed in politics even after Rosalyn throws away her title

The two of them work well together, both are very stubborn tho, especially Rosalyn

Btw this could also work in a way that they agree to pretend to be ready for marriage but make it so Alberu becomes king faster than they'd have to go through with it

Rosalyn as far I've seen didn't show much romantic interest and Alberu would've only married as a political move from the beginning, so what if they end up doing just that with this arrangement?

Rosalyn looking for husband material:

should be reasonable,

should not try to do bad type of funny business,

should let her do research in peace,

preferably near the Breck kingdom,

capable to run things even when she's unavailable,

approves of mages

preferably around her age

Mogoru Empire:

Adin -> big NO, corrupt and an a$$hole

Caro Kingdom:

Valentino -> good(?) guy but absolutely incapable to do anything kingdom related

Whipper Kingdom:

-> bit farther away but not too much

-> they got a pretty cool magic tower, civil war is about to break out tho and they got rid of royals

-> good because she wouldn't have as much influence and responability

-> bad because they're slaughtering the mages and hate anything magic related

Askosan:

-> the Gorge of Death makes it pretty hard to visit family later or just the Breck Kingdom in general

Nordlan and Paerun Kingdom:

-> they're too far in the North, away from everything

-> who is even there to marry? cold duke of the north - part time lunatic - Clopeh Sekka is kinda the only one we know

Jungle:

-> nice one but already got a queen

-> also a bit far

Roan Kingdom:

-> a neighboring kingdom with low expectations to it, average at everything

Alberu -> one year age difference, can be left to his own devices and would allow her to be, can be trusted with politics, has no known disdain for mages

When you look at it like this, ignoring all the no name small kingdoms that her parents would probably not even let her marry into unless it's the one true love of the century, also not counting the Eastern Continent because it's so far away, then it's not all that hard to see what she'd choose

I'd like to mention that yes, it would be her coming up with this idea, I cannot see Alberu doing so, he was too paranoid at the start of story

Pros to this marriage in general:

Rosalyn's brother can be the King in the Breck Kingdom just like he wanted to since she'll be queen elsewhere

She'll be in a neighboring kingdom, not far

It would be beneficial for both kingdoms to have a good support system because of the Mogoru Empire at both of their borders

Alberu would have 1/3 maybe even 2/3 of the backing necessary for him just from this, the current Queen wouldn't be able to mess with him much

Alberu and Rosalyn would make one hell of a duo >;)

They both met before this whole arrangement since in story Alberu could recognize Rosalyn even with dye magic (that also could be from just seeing information on her beforehand)

-> so, let's just say they met in some royal gathering first

Rosalyn was called the sun and rose of her kingdom (it's funny roses are said to be delicate and then there's Rosalyn), guess what Alberu is trying to become, the sun/moon of his kingdom so matchy matchy

Both of them can control a form of mana, Rosalyn only finds out later about it but they basically exchange informations about that

They make a deal that Rosalyn can research whatever she wants to but only if it's not dangerous to the kingdom, must share breakthroughs, Alberu takes care of the paperwork necessary on both their parts

Some ideas for the au:

they would still establish the mage brigade

Rosalyn would have a blast blasting stuff with royal money, would definitely have access to all the magic stones she needs to keep up the good relationship between the kingdoms or smth xd

the marriage would take place before the assassination attempt on her and her group, that's probably why'd she choose this option instead of going away

they can both have someone on the side if they want, just needs to tell the other about it so it's not a surprise

they would sorta just do their own things but act the needed amount of lovey-dovey in front of the public

at the start there wouldn't be much trust between each other since this is just a deal to benefit them both

-> Alberu would have her tailed with some dark elf guards

-> Rosalyn would sense most of them cuz she's just cool like that

gradually, after scheming about stuff like this and working together for a longer time, they come to trust each other with things, still not telling each other everything because we've seen how secretive Alberu can be even with his closest allies but entrust one another with information they wouldn't have otherwise

I feel like Rosalyn would still find a way to befriend Choi han one way or another, Lock as well, but it would probably take longer for them to become so close

if we have a Krs! Cale Henituse in this then Rosalyn would also be made aware of Alberu's dark elf blood, otherwise she'd just suspect stuff

-> in this scenario she'd definitely become one of Cale's number one scheming partners ofc

-> he'd probably even be told about their arrangement after a while, let's be real he kinda sucks at figuring out relationships so that's why he'd be told instead of figuring it out on his own (not like he'd be all that interested in it tbh)

Rosalyn would still want to be a magic tower master, so the plan is something like:

they push off having their wedding till Alberu gets coronated -> after the wars no one dares question their decision on the matter (Alberu and Cale would still need to become sworn brothers tho so he'd have some backing) -> Rosalyn goes her merry way to become tower master (how they'd deal with the public's opinion on the matter? Idk ask them)

an other option is that they marry and Rosalyn just hangs out at the magic tower using a different name or persona, not everyone needs to know what the tower master looks like anyway -> she can just dye her hair and stuff but that's not really her style since she'd want to show off a bit but at the same time the magic tower wouldn't be in a 'free city' if the crown was there now would it -> so if they married she'd be investing in a 'side project' (a lie, it'd be a full time thing) or simply have someone act like the real tower master when in reality it's very much her

it could also be that they marry and they both gather enough influence after the war(s) that they can divorce without political issues -> they can prove that Roslayn is better off as the cool firey mage she is and Alberu is capable enough to run the kingdom on his own, so it should work out probably without as much backslash

not that important but Alberu and Rosalyn would have a rose themed wedding (in case they do go through with it)

-> the color theme would be red and gold, sunset vibes

-> roses would become their marriage's symbol, that or maybe another flower too with some cool meaning that I can't think up rn

-> there'd be a bunch of roses in the garden as well :D

Not connected much but the royal mages would totally envy Rosalyn or look up to her, no in between

Oh, also- imagine Ohn wants to learn ballroom dancing so the whole family just shows up at the royal duo's places that hiiiiii, you guys should know how this works, show us :)

I might expand on this last idea more later on idk

[chaoticstarlightwonderland]

Danganronpa Characters as the Dungeon Meshi races

Makoto - Half-foot/human hybrid because he is forever short and baby-faced. It's been confirmed in side material that tall-man are able to produce children with halflings and gnomes and the offspring can reproduce (unlike half-elves) so I think it makes sense to have Makoto connected to the most underestimated races. In an adventuring party, he does a lot of the halfling jobs like looking for and dismantling traps. I also think because of his caring nature and how accident-prone he is Makoto learned some healing spells from his party's mage. He has low mana thought (2/5) so it's really in case of emergencies or as a simple first aid until real help can come.

Nagito - A half-elf. I think it would suit his brand of luck; born with a natural lifespan of 1000 years but has to watch anyone and everyone he loves pass away. Because he still has his luck cycles, everyone is sure is some kind of curse but no mage can do anything about it, let alone even understand it. He probably would go through a lot, losing his parents, being discriminated against, being sold off into illegal slavery, and probably a bunch of health problems. But Nagito is still Nagito, he just keeps kicking away.

Hajime - A normal tall-man who was frustrated with the fact that he was never particularly special in anything. I think when he found out he had even a hint of magic he begged his parents to send him to a magic boarding school they could barely afford, only to find out first-hand how lacklustre his magic was compared to the kids. Hajime pushed himself to continue studying, which lead him down a path of dungeon hunting, and of demons. He made a deal which backfired on him, turning into a Lord of the Dungeon and slowly becoming "Izuru Kamukura-ised". If/when he gets out of the demon's thrall, his case is a lot like Mithrun's. Although he does have more skills outside of wanting to hunt demons, that was because of the initial deal he made. Hajime lost the ability to enjoy his talents or get satisfaction from being skilled. He is more talented than ever but he is incapable of enjoying it.

Junko and Mukuro - Demons. Junko is a demon that helps people achieve their hopes and desires and feeds on their happiness. This makes people think she is the nicer sister but that just means she enjoys giving people what they want and watching their despair as they lose the capacity to enjoy it. Mukuro is described as a 'war demon' because she grants humans their wishes with violence and feeds off their rage and the resulting bloodbath. However, over time she actually grew to love the humans (at least more than Junko) because it was so shocking to see the kindness that mortal beings can show each other, especially when she has seen first-hand the cruelty they are capable of.

Now for the shorter ideas that I still think are interesting:

Fuyuhiko - A half-foot that is the heir to a shockingly powerful crime/loan shark family. His family flew under the radar for a long while because the Elves and Gnomes kept underestimating them until they become so powerful they couldn't be handled.

Peko - A tall-man who was abandoned by her parents when she was young and was brought by Fuyuhiko's family to be his servant and bodyguard.

Chihiro - A Gnome mage who is very talented in communicating with spirits. He has one such spirit that he has raised all by himself that is this reality's 'Alter Ego'.

A minor thing, in a side comic it was said that the races consider music to be the thing that Tallmen are known for, so I think all the characters who have interest in music are Tallmen. That includes Kaede, Sayaka, Ibuki, Hiyoko, and Leon.

I'd love to hear people's thoughts and suggestions!!

[raviollies]

Also since what happened in the timeskip was left entirely ambiguous I get to write my own stuff:

> Daee's mental health was already suffering by the end of inquisition due to feeling betrayed by Blackwall, Clan Lavellan being killed, Dorians departure for Tevinter and the shaky situation of Inquisition. By the end of Tresspasser he is at his lowest due to the revelation of the Elven gods and Solas, losing a limb, losing access to magic due to the anchor destabilizing his mana flow, corrupt nature of Inquisition and Dorians possible departure. There were points where he contemplated ending it.

He was forced to spend several weeks on bed rest due to the injury, which led to deconditioning and weight loss due to mostly sleeping, leading to needing physio therapy to aid with walking.

Due to this Dorian postponed his return to Tevinter to aid in his recovery. It was a fairly unpleasant process for both; Daee feeling profoundly ashamed of needing help with basic tasks (bathing, walking, brushing his hair) and feeling like a burden on the bright Magister who could be changing things and is instead playing caretaker, and Dorian for seeing a loved one so self hating and physically ill. The recovery takes a long time, but they do make it through, but it's a bumpy ride. Eventually Daee does get to a more stable place mentally but he certainly isn't the same as he was before, and holds a deep grudge against Solas, because it's easier to place blame all on one person. Daee cannot thank Dorian enough for all that he did.

Once his body stabilized he regains the ability to cast. Because of Well of Sorrows, his mana regains much faster, and his aging is slowed considerably but neither notice it yet.

> Once Dorian departs for Tevinter, Daee travels the south to explore old Elven ruins to gleam any information on the gods and Solas and hunting any Venatori he finds along the way, gaining the moniker of "Demon of the South". Dorian is immensely proud and though he can't say who he's in a relationship with he swaggers a bit past Venatori in Minrathous.

> They visit each other frequently through an Eluvian. Dorian works hard at the magisterium to one day be able to show Daee Minrathous proper at his side. While visiting Daee sticks to his estate due to the danger being outside poses, as both the Inquisitor and a young elf. On occasion Dorian and him will take a walk at night in low traffic areas, with Daee wearing a cloak to conceal his ears, particularly to watch fireworks on Holidays. Dorian hopes he's alive long enough to see a free Tevinter and they can enjoy festivals together. No one knows of their relationship, not even Mae or the Shadow dragons, though that's to avoid of getting a target painted on them, as they are safer the less they know. Only people aware are Varric and Vivienne.

> They did have a brief vacation to Antiva as a sort of "honeymoon" though for obvious reasons they are not officially married. They hope to return for the 10 year anniversary.

> Dorian does attempt to learn Elvhen but obviously struggles. It brings Daee great joy never the less. After meeting Mae and some of the Shadow dragons, Daee attempts to learn some Tevene, though with equal fumbling. The first things Dorian teaches him are swear words (but technically the first word he learned is "Amatus")

> Dorian commissioned a fancy prosthetic for Daee with full articulation. Though it requires Daee to use magic consistently for it to properly work, it is designed with a mage in mind, and is not a dramatic drain on mana. It is properly fitted with measurements to be that of his right arm. Though he cannot cast with that arm, Daee had been teaching himself to cast with his right arm, and carry the staff in his left.

> They decided that if they're both alive after the events of Veilguard, to find a quaint place in the woods, far from others and adopt (an Elven child, ideally from an Alienage or Tevinter.) Dorian feels as though he's imparted a lot to the Shadow dragons and they can handle themselves, and can work with the Magisterium from a distance, and using Eluvians to travel.

[kayr0ss]

Cognizance

[Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon, Farcille, Fluff, Library Fluff, holding hands, Falin is a little useless, bless her] AO3 Link

Summary: Farcille fluff where Falin rapidly realizes her feelings after spending an afternoon with Marcille in the library.

I.

“—it’s because mana is inherently dynamic!” Marcille said with wonder in her eyes. Her voice was barely over a whisper but it was enough to carry the melody of excitement dancing in her words. “Sinusoidal functions are the best way to represent them. When we modulate the output of our spells,” she pointed to a diagram on the heavy tome between them, “it’s almost like selecting which frequencies of our mana we want to call on. The dwarven inventors understood this mathematically.”

“Mhm?” Falin hummed to keep her going. Marcille was going to anyway, pushing aside books and half-opened rolls of parchment to make space for yet another (how many was it now?) tome. It was thick and bound in dark, sturdy leather.

“The math, of course, isn’t a perfect representation of mana’s unpredictability. Just a close estimate, but sometimes it’s enough. For example—"

Falin watched, enraptured, as Marcille ran her finger across the fore edge of the tome, stopping a quarter ways up before opening it. Marcille was satisfied to see that she had opened at the right chapter by sheer memory of touch.

She’s probably read this book a thousand times.

“—you notice how in dungeons our spells grow stronger? Almost as if the environment is a modifier of those mana waves? If we didn’t understand these changes, our spells could go very, very, wrong. So we try to think about mana in terms of the width of its ripples—in frequency domain, you could say—”

Marcille was practically waving around her hands by now, straining to keep her voice low (as though the kingdom’s court mage was afraid of the librarian chastising her).

“—which is why it was so important to learn Fourier transforms back in school. It helped us visualize—uh. Falin?” Marcille tilted her head “What’s funny?”.

Oh. She was smiling.  

“I wasn’t laughing.” It was true. Falin looked at the parchment in front of her, noticing (with some embarrassment) that she forgot to keep writing and left a blotchy mess of ink on her notes. She was supposed to be researching too. “I just think you look good.”

This made Marcille blink. Then it made her laugh, an amused puff of air out her nose. “Hunched over dusty books?”

“Yup,” Falin said earnestly with a sweet smile. Marcille really was. She looked in her element—happy and content amongst troves of knowledge waiting to be unearthed. She looked happy, with stray locks of hair falling along the side of her face, coming undone from the braid Chilchuck made this morning. She loved the way Marcille picked at the corners of pages while she read—as if she couldn’t wait to turn them. She loved the little gasp of incredulity whenever Marcille discovered something preposterous and new. She had an insatiable appetite for finding out more, and more, and more and Falin found herself utterly captivated by it.

Marcille—a little red in the face—thanked her.

--

II.

Ha! There it was! An hour into their trip to the library, Falin finally found something. A thin chapter on magical vectors, containing a table of coefficients they might need. “Marcille!” Falin excitedly whispered, folding the corner of the page into a little dog ear (inwardly apologizing to the girl across her).

“I found an—uh—I—”

Falin sputtered.

Marcille was looking at her with round, excited eyes. “What did you find?”

She forgot was she was going to say. Completely. Except the realization that she’s just seen the most beautiful shade of green she ever had seen in her life. And Falin didn’t really know what else to do with that fact so—

“Marcille,” Falin knit her eyebrows, looking between her book and feeling a little shy and confused. “Your eyes are pretty.”

--

III.

Research had turned into a hopeless case.

For Falin, at least, because Marcille had dipped into a whole other world in her books despite sitting an arm’s length across from her.

Falin allowed herself the luxury of simply watching.

She was self-aware enough to realize that Marcille was the likely cause of her diminishing focus. But why? And when did it start? It isn’t like thinking Marcille was pretty was anything knew. She’d known that the whole time they’d been friends.

But today she felt like a hooked fished, unsuspectingly ensnared and slowly being reeled into… something.

Marcille let out a thoughtful hum—probably puzzling pieces together in her head. She had one hand fiddling with the corner of her book, and her chin resting on the back of her other.

Falin didn’t even realize that she was holding her breath. Her stomach felt weird in the prettiest way.

She decided they could use a break, maybe invite her brother for some afternoon snacks before finishing up for the day—hunger was bubbling in her stomach.

“Would you like to take a break with me?”

“Mmm,” Marcille hummed, eyes still glued to the pages. “Ten more minutes?”

“Turns into to forty and then some,” Falin teased.

“I mean!” Marcille was flustered. She finally tore her eyes away to look up at Falin. “Okay, it might. But if you’re hungry we should take a break. I plan to come back anyway.”

“I’m not hungry,” which may not have been true, per se, but Falin always struggled with saying no and it didn’t bother her all that much.  

Marcille squinted at her. “Are you sure?”

Falin flushed a little. “Don’t worry about—”

“You’re hungry.” Marcille crossed her arms. “We can compromise, I promise to wrap it up in twenty minutes?”

“Thanks,” Falin said in a small, sheepish voice. Marcille Donato and ‘compromise’ is no small feat.

--

IV.

Eating didn’t really help her focus. If anything, it just made her a little sleepy.

They were back from a break that went by too fast—but at least they were full, and it was nice to see her brother.

At this point in the afternoon Falin had given up all pretense of working. She had a book on gardening opened in front of her (she wanted to cultivate mandrakes for cake—Laios was ecstatic, Marcille horrified). She didn’t know how Marcille could do it, powering through hours of reading for entire afternoons. She stretched, pulling her arms upwards while she yawned.

Marcille watched her quietly.

“I feel like I’m keeping you here,” she pouted.

As soon as Falin had set her arms down on the table, Marcille reached out to gently touch her elbow. She liked to do that, Falin noticed, to run her fingers along the feathers of her arms. It felt nice, so she always let her.

“Mm-mm,” Falin shook her head. “You’re not.”

“You’ll tell me when you want to go?”

“I will.”

“Mmkay,” This seems to have satisfied Marcille who looked back towards her work. Her hand, however, lingered, only moving to loosely tangle her fingers around Falin’s. It’s not a novel action—a habit from when they were younger—but today was a confusing day for Falin and all she could do was stare at their hands.

There was a prickling heat that traveled up her neck—a foreign and curious feeling.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Marcille’s dissatisfied grunt. Something was frustrating her—her brows were knit and her green eyes narrowed. Then she bit her lip, perfect and pink and soft.

Falin was barely aware of how hard she had swallowed.

--

V.

Finally, once the hour of sunset arrived, Marcille looked ready to go.

Falin was flushed and may have felt delirious.

Marcille didn’t let go for an entire hour—going back and forth between her fingers and the soft feathers of her arms. She did it as though it soothed her, flipping through pages like Falin wasn’t burning red in the ears two feet away from her. Falin had been pretending to write but ended up drawing comical doodles along the margins of her parchment just to distract herself, but even that wasn’t working anymore.

“I know it’s a little selfish,” Marcille looked to the side with puffed cheeks. “But I didn’t want you to go.”

“It isn’t selfish. I wanted to stay,” Falin reassured her.

“You just didn’t seem very comfortable,” Marcille stared at her a little too hard. “You’re all red and—” She put her palm up to Falin’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

Falin’s mouth felt dry. “Yeah,” She said breathlessly. “It’s just—” She tried to string together an explanation but found that it was difficult when she was still looking for one herself. Interestingly, when backed up into a corner, Falin’s flight or fight response often resulted in unfiltered candidness. “You look beautiful.”

“Uhm,” Marcille looked pleasantly confused. “Thank you?”

“I—”

She didn’t really know… she what, exactly?  

“Falin?”

Marcille looked concerned but reluctant to push the issue. She pulled back, throwing her hair behind her shoulders. Falin recognized it. It was something she did whenever she started thinking too hard. Falin’s gaze followed the motion—the smooth flick of her wrist to throw her curtain of lovely golden hair back. Little strands came loose and were left behind, small slivers of gold falling forward on her shoulders, above the shape of Marcille’s perfectly sculpted collarbones and—

Falin’s quill had snapped in her hand.

It surprised them both.

“Oh.”

It finally clicked. She blinked at Marcille—disheveled from an afternoon of work and looking absolutely perfect.

“Oh, wow.”

--

fin

--

A/N:

the way i left my job early for "something urgent at home" and then just wrote this :-) I haven't written fanfic in a very long time so I feel like I no longer know how to, but Farcille just re-wired the circuit boards in my brain and I had to do this. I gift this to my friends: toasty, tato, and icarus for letting me scream in their general direction about these two. Love y'all!

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

Prompt #3: Tempest

-----

( guest-starring @saesama 's Klynt)

-----

Even with Klynt at the topmast and the storm-shielding in place, it took the ship another two hours to clear the sudden tempest. When they finally were free of the storm, Reinhardt carried Klynt back inside to the small area the Dominants were using for sleeping. Mathye was already there, armed and ready with his medical kit.

“Fucking hells, she looks like shite.” He breathed. Reinhardt set her down on the travel-mattress, taking the mana potion Halone’s Second Dominant was holding out. Without ceramony, he held it to the roe's lips.

“Drink.” He ordered. To his relief and anxiety, Klynt obeyed, not putting up a fight as how she normally would. Once the bottle was dry, Mathye handed over another one.

“What’s it like topside?” He asked.

“If you’re asking if the sailors are going to throw us in chains or overboard, the answer is no. They’re more concerned about their own and her.” Reinhardt watched as Klynt greedily downed the second mana potion. Her color had improved, and as he reached for a third bottle, she reached out for his wrist.

“I’m alright.” She rasped. “Susano is too. We’re just tired. Sleep’ll fix us.” Reinhardt looked at Mathye, who was checking Klynt’s pulse. The white mage looked back at him, nodding.

“Sleep and food.” He directed. “Ship’s cook has some stew going that’s not actually half-bad. Let’s get some—” He trailed off as Klynt’s free hand moved, Susano’s strength now gripping him. Reinhardt blinked as the same vice-like grip locked around his hand as well.

“Klynt?!"

“What the—” Klynt pulled, making both men loom over her. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.

“That storm was not natural!” She whispered. “We heard a voice on the wind, commanding it!” Susano’s wine-dark tones crept into her last words, and she let go of the pair. Reinhardt and Mathye shared a shocked glance.

“Someone was commanding the storm?” Mathye was the first to recover, while Reinhardt rocked back on his heels and scanned the room. For the moment, they were the only ones present.

“A power like ours, behind it.” Klynt swallowed again. “Strong as us. Maybe stronger. It took everything we had to keep the worst at bay.”

A power like...wait a minute! “An Eikon?!” Reinhardt hissed. Zurvan immediately surged to the forefront of his mind, and he was certain Halone was doing the same.

“Don’t know.” Klynt replied. Mathye turned and poured a glass of water, holding it to the pirate queen’s lips. Klynt greedily drained it dry, and Mathye refilled the glass.

“Are you certain about what you two sensed?” He asked, his voice low. Klynt nodded.

“I don’t know if it was a primal, god, or Eikon, but that storm was not natural. It was summoned by someone, and being controlled by them.” Reinhardt shared a look with Mathye, and in the aether Zurvan and Halone were doing the same.

Wuk Lamat spoke of creatures called turaal vidraal that she likened to us. Halone ventured. Could this be one of them?

[glasratz]

The Three Mages of Demonworld's Dark Elves. (15mm miniatures)

None of the three wizards you get in the Dark Elf army list is capable of commanding the army, which is a bit of a disatvantage to other races.

Interestingly, the mounted wizard is the intermediate choice and the weakest mage is the best in close combat.

The magic system in Demonworld only ranks magic users by their amount of mana points. They can all use the same spells, but some of them are so likely to fail that you have to use extra mana points to make them "easier". This way, a low level mage is unlikely to be able to do a very powerful spell.

[ecargmura]

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Episode 27 Review - The Third Test

Wow, it’s already the penultimate episode! I’m going to miss this show once it ends. I do like how after all the action-packed magic fights, this episode lays low on the action as it’s just the party and the mages taking a respite and then the mages take the third test proctored by Serie.

Fern is mad once again, but this time, she’s angered over the fact that her broken staff had been treated lightly by Frieren. While it’s ideal to get a new staff, Fern is attached to the one she uses because it’s what Heiter gave to her. It’s practically what she has left of Heiter. I think it’s sweet that she always cherishes items that people she cares about give to her like the staff from Heiter, the hair clip from Frieren and the bracelet from Stark. She seems to be someone who keeps things for sentimental value. It was nice to see Fern and Stark hanging out again. Frieren means no harm as she’s just awkward. She still does take the broken staff to get it fixed at Richter’s magic shop. It’s nice to see how much Fern means to Frieren in her own Frieren way.

The third exam is just Serie passing and failing those that deserve it. She may seem like she’s being strict, but she’s not. She did mention to the other proctors that it was mainly because of Frieren that so many mages were able to pass the second portion—even those that weren’t deserving of it. It makes sense as Kanne is too weak-willed to be a first-class mage. Dunste is weak and managed to pass due to Frieren. Scharf and Ehre failed, which makes sense because they’re practically carried by Wirbel. She failed Frieren due to personal bias. Serie seems like those conservatives that do not like change while Frieren doesn’t mind change. Despite her disdain for human mages, Serie finds an interest in Fern who was able to detect the fluctuations in her mana that the other First-Class mages could not. Fern has been around Frieren for a majority of her life, so she can detect these sort of things. Also, it’s obvious that Fern will pass because what’s the point of this arc if she doesn’t pass?

In addition to Serie and Frieren being the antithesis of each other, the way they view magic differs too. Flamme and Frieren’s favorite magic was the flower field magic while Serie finds it boring. Flamme finds the flowers beautiful. Frieren likes it for the same reason, but for another one too: Himmel told her that she once showed the magic to him when he was a small boy lost in the woods and that was when he found magic to be beautiful for the first time. Since Himmel made such an impact in Frieren’s life, it makes sense that she’d love this spell too.

To be honest, I’m going to miss the small interactions from the other mages once this show ends. The way Denken treats Laufen and Richter like his granddaughter and son was way too cute. The way Kanne and Lawine have a frenemy relationship was hilarious but also sweet when the violence is toned down. Wirbel carrying around Ehre and Scharf was hilarious and cute. The unexpected tension between Ubel and Land was interesting to see. I do wonder if they’ll show up again in the future. It also makes me wonder if there will be a Season 2 for this show; I hope so!

Who else do you think will pass and become First-Class mages? What are your thoughts on this episode?

[silentnewtbark]

Reflections in the Dreamscape (part 2)

Part 1 <

"Javier, stay close to me," Lloyd's voice cut through the chaos, but there was an unsettling calmness to his tone. As the hooded figures drew nearer, their dark magic crackled in the air.

With a nod, Javier positioned himself in front of Lloyd. The dark mages unleashed a torrent of spells carving chaos into the crowd of bystanders.

Javier summoned an aura sword, cutting through the darkness without even a slash. Yet, for every spell he deflected, two more appeared in its place.

In the midst of the chaos, Javier's keen eyes tracked a single spell diverging from its path. A faint? He gauged its trajectory. It was heading straight for the civilians!

Lloyd sprang into action, positioning himself between the spell and a family huddled in fear. The dark magic collided with him with a thunderous explosion, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Javier’s heart sank as he watched his master take the full brunt of the attack, his body crumpling under the impact.

Lloyd lay on the ground, unmoving, his Coat charred and smoldering from the impact of the spell.

—------------

The dark mages lay defeated, scattered across the battlefield. Javier hurried to Lloyd’s side. The aftermath of the battle left a chilling silence, punctuated only by the distant cries of those emerging from hiding.

Javier gently lifted Lloyd, his voice resolved. "We need to get you out of here."

With Lloyd’s battered form cradled in his arms, Javier navigated through the wreckage of the once chaotic scene.

The journey back was somber, the weight of the day’s events pressing heavily on Javier’s shoulders. As they approached their doorstep, Javier felt a mix of concern and weariness. He carefully carried Lloyd inside and settled him on the bed.

Looking down he was frustrated at the familiar scene “ … we are doing this again, My Lord?”

Wait a moment. He noticed the brooch Lloyd was wearing—a mana stone, though its original purpose was unclear. Javier could tell that the stone was actively resisting the dark magic surrounding it. However, the dark magic seemed to be overpowering the stone and having a significant impact on Lloyd's condition.

Before he could call for medical assistance, physicians arrived, accompanied by a royal messenger from Her Majesty Queen Alicia. Javier felt a surge of relief; he knew Her Majesty would be deeply invested in Lord Frontera’s well-being.

“The dark magic’s still lingering. We need a magician immediately. Whatever resistance this stone has, it won’t be enough to dispel this curse.”

The messenger nodded. “I’ve been instructed to take Lord Frontera to the castle if the situation requires more than just medical treatment. We’ll make the arrangements.”

And he remembered Julian studying at the academy in the capital. Javier hoped that with the Queen's intervention, they would find a way to resolve Lloyd’s condition without adding to the Fronteras family's distress as he did in Cremo.

—----------------

In the castle, the mages worked tirelessly around Lloyd’s unconscious form. The room was filled with the low hum of arcane energies and the tense atmosphere of focused concentration. The heavy door creaked open, and Queen Alicia entered, her presence commanding immediate attention.

"Report," Her Majesty’s voice was calm but firm as she approached the circle of mages.

The lead mage, looking weary and troubled, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the situation is more complex than we anticipated. The Aegis of Reverie was meant to offer protection, but its enchantments have been compromised."

The Queen’s eyes turned toward Javier, who stood aside, his expression tense. The lead mage continued, addressing the Queen with urgency. "The curse placed on Lord Frontera is the cause. The dark magic affecting him has caused his mental state to deteriorate rapidly, and the Aegis has begun to use its full effect."

Queen Alicia’s gaze was fixed on the lead mage. "Explain further. What exactly is happening?"

The mage nodded and took a deep breath. "The Aegis of Reverie was originally crafted to stabilize the wearer’s mental state under distress. However, when it activates due to extreme emotional turmoil, it induces a dream state. This was intended to help the wearer sort out their mental conflicts. Unfortunately, due to the curse, this dream state has become highly unstable and distorted."

Another mage, adding to the explanation, said, "The curse causes the wearer’s memories to become fragmented and their perception of reality to blur. The dream state initiated by the Aegis is a sort of prison; once activated, the wearer cannot exit the dream until the mental state has stabilized."

Javier, standing by, finally spoke up with a concerned tone. "So, the dream state is meant to resolve the wearer’s inner conflicts, but due to the severity of the curse … ?"

The lead mage responded, "The dream state has become a complex labyrinth of distorted realities. The wearer must confront and resolve these inner conflicts to regain control; however, The curse has made this process exceedingly difficult."

The Queen interjected, "Given this situation, what course of action do you recommend?" The lead mage glanced at Javier before answering, "Javier’s familiarity with Lord Frontera, coupled with his deep understanding of his master’s personality, makes him uniquely qualified to assist.”

The Queen and Javier looked confused.

“We believe he should enter the dream to guide Lord Frontera through the distortions and help him resolve his conflicts."

Queen Alicia’s gaze returned to Javier. "... Javier, do you agree with this assessment?"

Javier nodded firmly. "Yes, Your Majesty. If it is possible … I will do everything in my power to help Lord Frontera."

The Queen nodded in agreement. "Then proceed. We will ensure you have the support you need."

As the mages began preparations for the ritual that would allow Javier to enter Lloyd’s dream, Queen Alicia observed with a mixture of concern and resolve. Javier took his place at the center of the circle, ready to delve into the dream world and aid Lloyd.

—-------------

As Javier prepared to enter Lloyd’s dream, the ritual’s energy surged around him, creating a dazzling vortex of swirling light and shadow. The air crackled with raw magical power, and the world around him seemed to fracture and disintegrate into a maelstrom of colors and fragments.

Shattered memories of Lloyd’s past flickered through the void—fleeting glimpses of the capital, Cremo, and other scenes of emotional weight.

Javier's vision blurred with the tumultuous swirl of imagery. He saw himself crying amidst the chaos. Flames consumed the covered bodies of the baronies' residents, their forms a haunting reminder of devastation. Were these nightmares conjured by the curse?

Among the fragmented scenes, Javier glimpsed Arcos Frontera apologizing to his son with an expression of sorrow. Yet something about him seemed different—his hair was darker, his features sharper. The image was unsettling and surreal.

In another flash, Lloyd practiced what appeared to be sword fighting with his signature shovel. But the shovel looked odd, almost like a speer, and had a crossbow handle instead of a regular grip.

Amidst this tumultuous swirl, the scene suddenly crystallized. The swirling lights dimmed, and the chaotic imagery faded away, leaving behind an unfamiliar, mundane setting. Javier found himself enveloped in darkness, but through the small amount of light, he could make out a figure before him.

—----------

Lloyd found himself Lying on a small bed in a small, sparsely furnished room—an ordinary goshiwon. The room was a stark contrast to the chaos he had just experienced. It was late, and the only sound was a quiet hum of a small, old-fashioned heater.

A voice broke the silence. "It's late. Time to get up, My Lord."

Lloyd blinked, disoriented. The voice seemed real, and the room, although dark, felt oddly familiar. He tried to move, but his body was stiff as if he had been lying there for an extended period. As he scanned the room, he noticed that everything was exactly as he remembered—a small bed, a tiny desk cluttered with textbooks, and a window revealing the dark cityscape outside.

Confused and on edge, Lloyd’s eyes darted around the room. The voice, although it seemed to come from right beside him, was now only a haunting echo in the quiet room. “How?” he muttered to himself. He always locked the door to this room, but there was no one else in sight.

With apprehension, Lloyd carefully squinted through the dark, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Despite the familiarity, a sense of unease lingered. He took a deep breath, attempting to steady his racing thoughts, and slowly got up from the bed.

[Note: Obligatory Cremo Ref]

[dr-docktor]

Local Docktor thinks its a fantastic idea to crossover his two biggest interests at the moment.

First for some context (don't worry, I'll keep it brief). One of my best friends has been working on a table-top RPG since like high school called Percentile. And its the main game that the group plays for our campaigns. Thus, it never leaves my head.

You know what else doesn't leave my head? Spies are Forever.

So here I am. Planning out what theoretical character sheets would look like for Owen and Curt. I'm so normal. I swear. Below the cut includes my insane ramblings on this topic.

I will also be playing a little fast and loose with some of the rules here because making character sheets in this game, while fun, is LENGTHY. And I'm insane but I'm not THAT insane

Ok so I want to start with Owen because I'm making him a mage and I LOVE building mages.

For the sake of simplicity I'm gonna keep 'em both human. (boring I know. but the list of ancestries is so long it almost overwhelms me for this)

To quickly explain the percentages: That is basically your rate of success on any given skill/action. So the higher the number, the more likely they are to succeed!

Owen's Stats

Power represents magic. POW is just another word for mana. And size mainly only impacts things like how easy you are to tackle/grapple and what spaces you can squeeze into.

So he's got 10 HP

14 POW

2 Soak (armor, it takes 2 points off of whatever damage they were hit with)

+28 initiative bonus (initiative dictates who goes first in combat. The higher your number, the more likely you are to go first)

and can move 5 squares per turn (turns last 6 seconds), or 6 if he runs.

All fairly standard for a human mage. The interesting stuff starts with choosing his spells.

In Percentile, the standard mage can have a few collections of spells called Spell Schools. They can only have one spell from each school prepared at once but can spend 6 hours a day switching them out safely (or do it within seconds if you wanna feel the consequences)

So here's the spell schools I think he'd have

BLAST -> its in the name, you get several spells that are just different types of blasts. So magical bullets, lasers, etc.

CHANGE -> He'd probably use this spell school mainly for his DMA disguise but instead of a mask he can physically change his appearance for several hours a day.

VISION -> Great for espionage and detective work. Spells include making you really good at looking for stuff, being able to see events that transpired previously within a room, and gathering information.

WOUNDING -> Gives him access to several magical bladed weapons. Good for Torture and homosexually sword fighting your ex lover.

really good... ouch.

Skills/knowledges are another story and are one of my least favorite parts of character building so I'll briefly go over it.

High intimidation, spot hidden (looking for stuff. almost every percentile character needs a decent spot hidden), move quietly, resist, and rapine (rapine is like sleight of hand, pickpocketing, handling small and/or delicate things)

Middling physical skills like jumping, climbing, etc. first aid, hide, and survival

Low grapple.

His knowledges would include

High performance (haha actor man), espionage, and literacy

Middling lore

Low cooking. and everything else. He can cook its just all post WWII British food which I think should qualify for being bad at it.

OK NOW FOR MY FAVORITE PART: Traits and Scars.

SCARS

his scars include more physical stuff like reduced hearing and chronic pain (player would roll a dice to see how bad the pain is that day to see if he needs to use a mobility device). But also include

Untrusting - CHAR INT based - compelled to roll an idea check to see if someone is lying every time he starts a new interaction with someone. On a fail he believes they are lying no matter what

POSSIBLE TRAITS

Magic Hair, for my long-haired Owen fans. Basically he has hair that's so cool it makes him more charismatic.

Strong Promises. Whenever the character makes a promise, they get a bonus to whatever stat that will help them achieve that promise.

Plotting. Whenever characters with this trait record or speak out a plan, it functions as if they practiced it for an additional day. Perfect for villain monologues.

Pull At Soul. Characters with this trait declare a goal during each level up. These goals can be something like “plan with everyone in the party about the mission & use that plan”, it can be “avenge my fathers killer” “seek out & find the sage” or more abstract things, “Die & be born anew in the eyes of my community” or “See the moon as it truly is”. They cannot tell any other characters about this goal. Once they achieve this goal as determined by them & the GM, anytime they are at 1 HP they can choose to level up.

Buddies! -> Select another character. Decide on a secret handshake, set of gestures, or exchange. It does not have to be uniform, but does have to be meaningful. Anytime you perform this with them, and one of you gains exhaustion, instantly both of you gain 1d3 to a stat. They do not have to be the same stat, select them when you take the maneuver. If the other dies, this trait is removed, granting the character back the trait points, and the character gains a -1d3 to that stat forever.  (THE FUCKING HANDSHAKE)

I think that's all for Owen!!

It's Curt's turn!

God I was SO tempted to make him a Ragamuffin for this. But I'm sticking with humans. I don't even know why. I just think it would be funny. Something fun about the 'brute' being made of fabric and fluff.

Anyway. Stats!!

12 HP

8 POW (not important given he's a fighter and not a mage)

3 soak

+27 Initiative bonus

and can move 4 squares per turn, 6 squares if he's running.

Instead of spells, fighters get weapon proficiencies and maneuvers! Maneuvers are basically fancy fighting styles and actions.

Possible weapon options: Short sword (what they fight with in the show), a gun, and fisticuffs. Mages also get a weapon or two and tbh these could all apply to Owen too.

Possible maneuvers:

Taunt -> It is what it says on the tin, mock your opponent to try and make them get sloppy and target you instead of your allies.

Reckless Strike Back -> When dodging an attack, you can take one extra damage to attempt to hit your opponent back. If you fail you take extra damage.

Induced Sloppiness -> Make yourself unpredictable! on a success you get bonuses to damage and to land hits. Those attacks are really difficult to parry and dodge. On a fail your opponent gets a bonus to parrying and dodging.

Dodging into My Blade -> you must have this maneuver readied. If you opponent dodges your or your allies attack while this is readied, you can basically say "Lmaoooo" and attack them again

Skills!

High physical stuff like jumping and climbing, resist, move quietly, hide

Middling intimidation, spot hidden, repine, and grapple

Low first aid (scared of own blood) and listen.

Knowledges!

High linguistics, cooking, and espionage

Middling riding arts (for cars and stuff)

Low almost everything else (doesn't mean he's dumb. Fighters just aren't built for having a ton of knowledges)

Possible Scars!

Alcoholic - CON based - Roll a withstand check upon the GM's orders to see if you feel the urge to take a drink. On a fail you either take a swig or suffer withdrawal

Bad With Magic - POW and CON based - Anytime characters with this scar roll a check involving power expenditure, the GM describes it as if they are deeply unsettled by it, that it seems strange, random and scary, and that they are somehow making a mistake, regardless of what the magic does, how it functions, or if they succeeded or not. 

Possible Traits!

Buddies! -> Select another character. Decide on a secret handshake, set of gestures, or exchange. It does not have to be uniform, but does have to be meaningful. Anytime you perform this with them, and one of you gains exhaustion, instantly both of you gain 1d3 to a stat. They do not have to be the same stat, select them when you take the maneuver. If the other dies, this trait is removed, granting the character back the trait points, and the character gains a -1d3 to that stat forever.  (THE FUCKING HANDSHAKE AGAIN)

Poison Blood -> Anyone eating characters with this trait takes 1d6 necrotic damage per SIZ consumed, and the character can take 1 HP from themselves to coat weapons in their blood, which deals 1d4 necrotic damage or stuns the enemy for 1d4-1 turns. It will add this effect to 1 attack until it dries in 3d6+CON turns. (something something alcohol-poisoned blood)

Sturdy ->  While at max HP characters with this trait cannot be reduced below 1 HP in one hit.

Natural Jester -> Anytime characters with this trait crit fail any check, anyone who witnesses it must roll a withstand check or be stunned for 1 turn. 

Fast to The Fight -> Add +3 to initiative rolls (can be taken more than once)

There's actually a TON of traits that could fit Curt but I'm capping it off here because I will go overboard.

Anyway thanks for reading! Sorry if any of this is incomprehensible.

[mage-witha-glock]

Consider: Zorian is a ninja

Characteristics of a ninja:

Zen-like calm - Zorian is rarely caught flat footed and he goes about his plans efficiently. He believes in his friends abilities and, more importantly, his craft so when enemy mages attack him? Yeah he isn't scared to put himself in a vulnerable position to summon a bunch of angels because Daimen is covering him and he has a nigh indestructible defense.

Ruthlessness - Zorian has killed a lot of people and generally doesn't really show remorse for it. He's handy with guns and knives and whips and spells and literally cut off a dudes arms once. He's not scared to mind rape people or puppeteer their bodies. He is willing to do what needs to be done. Alanic himself compliments him on this: "I can't believe I ever said you're not ruthless enough"

Weapon-savvy - He loves his guns and his knives. And his grenades, plus other alchemy.

Stealth and camouflage - He was sneaking around the whole city graffiti-ing scripts and spell formula for like a month. He's good at sneaking up behind enemies, or attacking them out of nowhere (when he was ambushing the cultists he got very good at this). He is able to scout places out, personally or via mind magic. He definitely learned camouflage because it's just a helpful thing to know.

Unorthodoxy - Fighting with guns and knives as a mage. You don't see it often and other mages are usually incredulous when he first uses them but then they learn that Zorian has spent a lot of time on these skills and he's actually as, if not more, dangerous in these areas as at combat magic

Agility - He is able to win hand to hand combat. Knife fights/close quarters combat in general isn't easy without agility. He's probably good at parkour seeing as he likes to ambush cultists and hunt wolves in the forests. After the time loop he definitely worked more in this area, working out his body and going through training to be able to be more efficient in the ability to: rapidly change body direction, accelerate, or decelerate. Which is all influenced by balance, strength, coordination, and skill level.

He also has astounding mental agility of course, in general but especially with his mental enhancements. He's good at thinking on his feet and thinking quickly and clearly.

Mindfulness - He learns this. He opens himself up to his sister's situation. He forgives Daimen (for the most part) over his childhood and isn't leery of asking him for help. He becomes a friendlier and generally more open person as he matures. And he's a mind mage so he knows a lot but usually doesn't judge on anything.

Preparedness - Zorian is always prepared. For everything. Plans, plan a plan b. You do something (release wraiths into Cyoria)? He already thought of it and placed contingencies (a wraith well). He knows he has low mana reserves? He's armed to the teeth with guns, knives and bombs. He is a golem maker that makes golem bodyguards that can literally wack spells out of the air in order to protect him.

In conclusion: Zorian is a ninja

[teine-mallaichte]

I mis-read a @dadrunkwriting prompt 😂 this is what happens when you try to fill them too quickly I think... Anyway as it's written now I'm sharing it anyway:

Coughing up blood (Anders)

For the record I came SOOOOOO CLOSE to killing Anders here... but I couldn't brong myself to do it.

Now I am off to fill the actual ask :P

The sun dipped low, casting long shadows over the rugged terrain of the Wounded Coast. Jagged rocks and steep cliffs framed the desolate landscape, where the sound of crashing waves echoed in the distance. Amidst this harsh beauty, Anders stumbled, his breath labored and ragged.

He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the sharp pain that had been gnawing at him since the battle. Blood seeped through his fingers, warm and sticky. With every cough, he tasted iron and felt a searing burn in his throat. He knew the signs all too well—his internal injuries were far worse than he had feared.

Anders collapsed against a boulder, his legs giving way beneath him. He coughed again, the sound harsh and wet, and a spray of crimson stained the ground.

“Maker’s breath,” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing the blood across his cheek. Panic flickered at the edges of his consciousness, but he forced it down, focusing on the rhythmic crashing of the waves. He had to stay calm. He had to survive.

In the distance, he could hear voices—faint but growing closer. Friends or foes, he couldn’t be sure. The recent battle with slavers had left him and his companions scattered across the coastline. If help was coming, he needed to hold on until they arrived.

Anders struggled to his feet, using the boulder for support. Each movement sent a fresh wave of pain through his body, but he gritted his teeth and took a step forward. Then another. The salty breeze stung his eyes, blurring his vision. He felt another cough building and clenched his jaw, trying to suppress it. When it came, it doubled him over, and more blood splattered the rocky ground.

“Damn it,” he cursed softly, the taste of blood thick in his mouth. He couldn’t keep this up. He needed healing, he needed mana, lyrium, something.

Anders stumbled again, the world around him spinning. The Wounded Coast, with its unforgiving landscape, seemed to mock his efforts to stay upright. Each step was a battle, and each breath a reminder of his fragility. He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to channel what little mana he had left into a healing spell, but it was like trying to catch water with a sieve. His reserves were nearly depleted, and the spell fizzled out before it could take hold.

Desperation clawed at him. He was a healer, a mage who had saved countless lives, yet here he was, unable to save his own. The irony was bitter. He had to keep moving, had to find his friends. Hawke, Varric, Merrill—anyone who could help him.

Another cough wracked his body, and he sank to his knees, retching. Blood spattered the ground once more, and he groaned, his vision darkening at the edges. He couldn’t die here, not like this. Not after everything he had fought for.

The voices grew louder, clearer. He could make out individual words now, the familiar cadence of Hawke’s commanding tone. Hope flickered in his chest, fragile but bright. With a supreme effort, Anders pushed himself upright, leaning heavily on the boulder. He raised his head and tried to call out, but his voice was a broken rasp.

“Over here,” he managed, before his legs gave out and he edges of his vision began to fade.

“Anders! Where are you?” Hawke’s voice rang out, tinged with worry.

He tried to respond, his boive failing him. He forced himself to raise a hand, weakly waving it in a desperate attempt to catch their attention. Every breath was a struggle, every movement an agony, butbut he refused to die here, not yet.

"Over here!" he tried again, his voice a mere croak.

Through the blur of pain and exhaustion, he saw figures moving toward him. His heart leaped—Hawke, Varric, and Merrill were closing the distance, their expressions painted with worry and urgency. Relief washed over him, as his consciousness finally faded.

[martiancake]

Mourn Watch Rook has finished

What a delightful playthrough. I've never been into the Necromage skills in the previous games, but oh lordy they were fun in this one. As much as I loved the Void Blade, I will be hard-pressed not to go the necro route any time I play a mage from here on out.

A Death Caller build is basically a "never need potions, never die" build. Low health? Just slap an enemy with Spirit Bomb to top off and do some explosive damage. Every enemy can be Spirit Bombed. EVERY. ENEMY. Need mana? Channeled thoughts will fill you up. I'd Frost Nova the ground around me and then fill up my mana bar while my companions executed some combos. And yes, you can add passives that let you use health when mana is low, just in case you're really missing the old Blood Mage style.

I usually play on Default difficulty and after a while, it felt like Storyteller. Death Caller is definitely in the top position for class when/if I do a Nightmare run. The only problem is you're pretty squishy till getting Spirit Bomb.

As for background, Mourn Watch gets a lot of extra dialogue and flavor, which was fun. Romancing Emmrich was an utter delight. I made a certain choice regarding his life's dream, and it turned out far more romantic than I thought it would. I am tempted to just romance him again and make the other choice because he was so lovely! His personal questline was also fantastic with great environments and an amazing villain. And he could teach Lucanis a thing or two about romantic dates.

Davrin will be next, with a Warden Rook. I think I'll step outside my mage love and try rogue?

[niuttuc]

New budget Commander cards: Lost Caverns of Ixalan: White

You know these by now, we’ll go color by color, mixing main set and commander set. Reprints can be included if they brought the price down under our bar or are otherwise notable. All the cards presented here are under $2 at time of writing. Cards will be evaluated as part of the 99, not as commanders.

Let's start with three cards for the price of one, three one-drops to keep your curve lean and clean, with useful effects in some decks. Helping Hand is solid recursive value but will need specific decks that are running a toolbox of cheap creatures.

The reliquary is a very serviceable removal if your deck will reliably have stuff to throw away to cast it, adding Ward to an O-Ring makes it a bit less likely for it to be removed. Being a one-mana artifact also means you can find it, a removal for any creature or artifact, off of a Trinket Mage if you need to, which could be clutch.

The Gnome will basically shield you from early aggression then be cashed in as a cantrip later, particularly in decks that can sac it themself. With a reliquary, for example!

I don't know how long this will stay in the budget, but Karnstructs are strong. This represents two artifacts by itself, can be blinked or reused, and even without a board it's not hard to flip it with a few equipments or artifacts lying around and start pumping out more Karnstructs every turn. Consider it in token decks, in artifact decks, in artifact token decks...

Abuelo's Awakening is not great reanimation in any form, but four mana to bring back any powerful enchantment or artifact is pretty much the cheapest we've seen this effect... Just don't be banking on that artifact or enchantment surviving too long. And you need to know what you want to be doing to be playing this, it won't just go in any deck.

A sun titan for 4 is an interesting offer, and one that will do work in pretty much any deck. We're not replacing Sun Titan here (nor Guardian Scalelord) though, Coven requires you to have at least three creatures around, which makes this significantly worse at redeploying after a board wipe and will be much more of a feels bad when you just don't have coven when you need it, and attacking with a 3/3 on the ground can be tricky to trigger it later. I'll stick to my existing options for the time being, but if I ever run a deck that wants 4 different Sun Titan effects and has plenty of creatures, this likely would make the cut.

This is a good removal. White has a plethora of good options for removal, but have another here that's both versatile and efficient, your middle-point between a Swords to Plowshares and a Generous Gift on versatility vs cost.

Grasp of Fate on a body for just one more mana! Of course, that means it'll die much more easily, but that's why the activated ability is there to munch on things... Which will end up costing you a lot more than four mana to get rid of stuff permanently. If your pod can expect a creature to survive a turn cycle though, might still have some places to play this, particularly if you can hold up mana and threaten munching on stuff at instant speed if they point something in your foragers' direction.

This is a two-mana mana rock for artifact decks, that also happens to loop artifacts once or twice. Play it in all your artifact decks with white. Exiling your own stuff means you're less likely to go infinite with it than the average artifact, but if it merely brings back your other infinite pieces while also being a rock, it's good enough.

If you want your board wipes to be artifacts, you now have one more option in white. With a lot of artifact support pieces being creatures with low power (did you know all the Urzas have power 2 or less?), and you picking for all players, this should allow you to keep your best cheap enabler while leaving the opponents with hopefully less impactful dorks. Beyond that, the flip side is a pretty great windborn muse: who would skip their turn of casting spells just to attack you? And you get a 5/3 flier, which isn't too shabby either.

It's a new flying Pridemate, and one with quite an upside when your opponent finally removes her or wipes the board. Beyond the classic souls' attendant style decks, she will also make her way into aristocrat decks, where every blood artist turns every creature sacrificed before her into more creatures when you run out, allowing relatively easy aristocrat combo wins.

Reanimating every turn is nice when you start on the first turn, though the six mana are pretty steep here, you'll want to make sure what you're reanimating is impactful every turn. A card for angels, dragons, demons and such, but in those decks, the top of your curve tends to be filled with creatures of that type, so you might not find room for this.