#my perception is that most people who like inquisition the most played it first

[npcanders]

i feel like i’ve seen so many people dunking on origins and it’s usually people who were introduced to da through inquisition. similarly there have been origin supremacists (me) saying inquisition is the worst game

that is to say, what dragon age game did you first play and which one is your favourite? i played da:o first and like it the best. (also play origins if you haven’t)

[fated-normal-767]

Okay see . He and Nifty are really similar to eachother in that “really intense and constantly smiling but get violent at the drop of a dime” kind of way but the only difference is Alastor doesn’t believe in his own facade . We see him be annoyed and petty but we don’t really see him have any more intense emotions than that, despite his obvious love for theatrics .

The times in which we see him be annoyed are during “Stayed Gone” when he sees Vox insulting him, when he has to film the advert on a modern camera, when he has to take care of Sir Pentious’s eggs and they keep being overly talkative and inquisitive, when sir Pentious rips his coat (though if I’m remembering correctly, that might’ve just been a way of fucking with the poor snake boy) and finally when Carmilla says she doesn’t care about Alastor’s reasoning for being gone for as long as he was .

His annoyance towards modern technology is probably to do with his need to be the center of attention, which is also why I believe he plays up his emotions despite trying to stay true to his “You’re never fully dressed without a smile!” Principles . It’s also why I’m a “he does actually care about Vox” Truther, it’s like !! Vox is literally his most attentive audience member and he revels in attention . (I’ll get to the ways in which I think they parallel eachother in a minute)

For now I’d also like to focus on his annoyance toward sir Pentious and his eggs, you’d think with the way he fished for a question with Carmilla he’d be delighted to have the egg’s attention but I think the issue with the egg’s questions was a lack of actual care . Questions for the sake of questions and all that . That and the fact the questions asked were mundane, not to his tastes as a certified theater kid . Plus, when he controls how people are intrigued about him, he controls his image . People who just go searching into him without him acting as a buffer might have a perception of him that would be… not preferable for him .

I think he dislikes the idea of any sort of vulnerability and that’s why he plays up his detached amusement and dangerousness . He literally burns the single scrap of cloth that sir Pentious managed to take off him, probably because he hates any reminders of him being hurt at all . He also seemingly ran away after a fight with Vox given that Vox calls him a coward . The songs in this show are all diabetic, contrary to what I thought at first, though so the fact that Vox doesn’t just say that he beat Alastor in a fight … it’s probably just cause it wouldn’t have worked with the beat or there was something more to the fight but Jm putting that in my staticradio thesis anyways because I think he did it out of affection and also because if that sort of vulnerability was known to the masses, Alastor was likely to go missing yet again . Maybe indefinitely this time !

It also plays into his aggressive “PEOPLE REMEMBER ME FROM MY RADIO SHOW” line . Yes it was just him being petty over being forced to interact with modern technology but to me it could also be his fear of being remembered for something else . Something worse for his own image .

Now ! For his parallels with Vox . They’re both theatre kids with things to hide, specifically things that seem to pertain to eachother and their shared past . They both put on overly cheerful acts, with the only differences being that Al is better at it and also that Al is threatening while Vox pretends to be protective over the denizens of hell .

Vox clearly admires Alastor and Al seems not to care for him, seems being the keyword . He seems to despise anything modern, yet the way he speaks is VERY modern with plenty of slang thrown in . In other words, it’s not modernity he despises, it’s something more specific .

TVs . I’m just saying, there’s really only one reason for that-

Okay well the actual reason is probably because they made him outdated but if that’s the case then why does he seem to have control over electronics ? Seemingly even moreso than Vox ? (If they are representations of their respective devices then is this because Vox’s feelings towards Alastor grant him power over him and in turn precedent over his domain?)

They’re also both media demons, obviously, so they must compete with eachother to attract people . Alastor is surely at least a bit jealous over how popular the Vs are given, once again, he enjoys having the spotlight, which makes me wonder why he doesn’t act directly against them ? At least, why he didn’t make the first move . He’s had a power boost, but I’m guessing it’s because he doesn’t actually have that much distaste for the other two Vs, since it’s not like he had much to say about Velvette when they met…..

Honestly, I wish we knew more about his motives and what he was doing for 7 years and his relationship with Vox but I guess knowing that would give away too much of the game …. Siiiiiiigh…..

OKAY I LOVE THIS SO MUCH I WILL ADD MORE TO THIS POST LATER !! BUT GOD YOU GET THEM THIS IS LITERALLY EVERYTHING!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[invinciblerodent]

Okay, I'm less annoyed about those posts now, and I feel like the reason why I'm so much less annoyed might bear saying, if only to get it out of my own head and have it written down for my own dang self.

I've already rambled on about my point that perception, deception, and unreliable narrators have been a core to the identity of the series from the very beginning of Origins, when you chose a paradigm through which to look at the whole world as the very first choice you made (which I'd argue is only reinforced further by the past choices of a previous protagonist down South not having much of an effect, if any, on the present up North), but now, I also have to occasionally remind myself of the very simple fact that... we are in the pre-release phase of a major AAA game.

One that is the fourth in a very popular, award-winning series, the last game of which came out a decade before now.

This milieu right now, with us, the people who are waiting anxiously to see it come out, and pulling apart every shred of information, getting excited or dismayed at the drop of a hat? It's not going to be reflective of what is coming in a month at all.

The most of us here blogging about Dragon Age on Tumblr in 2024 might be something of a "core" fanbase, but we are also a bespoke minority among the players who are going to pick up The Veilguard.

And the game, it will have been made with the intention to be playable by the majority, too.

I feel like we here posting about our plans cannot get so into our excitement that we forget that most people who are going to play the game are the people who are going to be returning to the series after a decade, barely remembering any of their choices, and people who plain did not play the other three games, simply because they were like all of a whopping 8 years old when Inquisition was at its height of popularity.

Like all the Dragon Age games that came before it, Veilguard will have a new protagonist. It, despite being a sequel, will center a new storyline, it will feature different characters, and it will need to be comprehensible, even if you have not thought about Thedas since you played Inquisition once in 2014, or if you have no idea who the fuck the characters (your own included) even are. It will need to make sense to both the 33 year old who played Origins at release, and 18 year old who was 3 years old then, and is picking up the series for the first time.

And you guys are going to need to be okay with the game being aware that it's both art, and a product trying to be sold to as many people as possible, and try not to let yourself get caught up in the interconnectedness (or the lack thereof) between the different entries in the series.

It would be nice if all past choices had an effect. It'd be nice if the game was tailor-made to honor everyone's perfect, shiny little headcanons.

It's not going to happen. That's fine.

Take a deep breath.

And... this is a bad example because that didn't even try to be part of a greater story and is following a 100 year timeskip, but maybe it'd be good for people to remind themselves that Baldur's Gate 2 came out in 2013, and how happily so many people are/were playing that particular kissing simulator while knowing (and giving) an absolute maggot-infested fuckall about its prequels.

People are going to be the same way about Veilguard, and we all just have to be normal about that.

Hitting the "not interested in this post" button over people's endless navel-gaze-y catastrophizing about how "discouraged" and "critical" they're feeling over Veilguard should be an Olympic sport, and brother, I'd bring home the gold

(thank you for the plethora of undodgeable, untagged spoilers btw, bunch of terminally pessimistic dicks)

[raeynbowboi]

How to Play as Link in DnD 5e (2.0)

With the release of both Mythic Odysseys of Theros and now the new big expansion in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, I figured now would be a good time to reexamine Link with the context of new subclasses, class features, and game mechanics that weren’t around the last time that I built him. While I won’t do this for every character I’ve built before, characters who have new options made available with these updates will get a new rebuild for 2021. If you want to compare and contrast this build to the original, I will link that build right [here].

The Spirit of the Hero

Link’s a Hylian and that’s just a fancy way of saying elf. His best racial options are either the High Elf, the Wood Elf, or the Half-Elf. Half-elf’s extra skills are tempting, but as Link is never given any parents or an ancestral family tree, we can’t really justify him as a half-elf. We’ll call him a Wood Elf for the extra +2 to his Dexterity and the +1 to his Wisdom as well as that woodsy vibe. But if you wanna go for a Half-Elf for the power build, I won’t tell anyone.

Link’s alignment is tricky. On the one hand, he is shown kneeling before the monarchy, defeating the forces of evil and darkness, and doing odd jobs to help the common people he comes across. However, he can also start forest fires, break into people’s houses, smash pots, steal people’s life savings or personal belongings, and attack the chicken population until they attack back. I’d wager he’s Neutral Good if for no other reason than his morality is highly dependent on the player.

My first choice for Link’s background would be the Folk Hero for Animal Handling and Survival. However, Link’s background is so inconsistent, it’s easier to just list out the skills he tends to have and tell you to pick a background that has those skills, or create your own: Animal Handling, Athletics, Investigation, Nature, Perception, or Survival. There’s a case to be made for other skills as well. Acrobatics works a little and his jumps did involve sick flips in Majora’s Mask, but Link doesn’t tend to balance or platform jump very often. Link can play instruments fine and danced in the Subrosian Dance Hall in Oracle of Seasons for Performance proficiency, but he’s usually playing instruments to activate effects, not to actually perform for a crowd. Link shows some Stealth skills in Breath of the Wild, but this hasn’t been a longstanding skill of his, so I didn’t lump it in with his main skill list.

Becoming a Hero

When it comes to his build, Link has made some use of spells in the past, but he’s nowhere near the spellcaster that Zelda and Ganondorf are. Link is definitely more of a martial fighter who augments himself with a wide arsenal of magical items. So when it comes to picking Link’s class, we have a few things to keep in mind.

BARD

Link is a talented young man, and he has had magical instruments in a few games over the years, as well as dancing in Subrosia, among other things. While I don’t subscribe to the idea of Link being a bard myself, I understand why people would come to this conclusion, as Link isn’t really bad at anything... except talking. And lying. And looking threatening. Or haggling. Yeah kind of hard to depict Link as a CHA caster who isn’t proficient in any CHA skill checks. 

Spirits (UA) This doesn’t fit for every Link, but especially for Breath of the Wild where Link gets help from the spirits of his fallen comrades, the flavor of calling on the dead works for Link. For a non-BotW example, maybe Link can tell stories of his past lives, and the memories he shares with each of them.

Valor This college has the downside of being built as a cheerleader, while Link really should be built for solo-combat since that’s how he approaches most fights. But Valor is better than Swords and also gives Link proficiency with martial weapons and shields, while Swords does not.

FIGHTER

While there are many martial classes, the Fighter differentiates itself by being the most down-to-earth option. It’s not beholden to rage, or smites, hunting, or sneaking. It is the simple skill of the blade, and this is a skill Link has in spades. From the earliest games, Link has been a master of the sword, the shield, and the bow.

Battle Master Link is a strategic fighter. He looks for weak spots, and he exploits them the best he can. Of all the fighter subclasses, none is more clever than the Battle Master. Its many maneuvers resembles the numerous sword techniques Link has learned especially in the later games. Even in Smash, Link showcases how clever he is by being able to combine his arrows with his bombs and shoot a bomb arrow. To my knowledge, none of the other characters can combine their abilities like this in Smash.

Cavalier The subclass is poorly named, and was better in its initial name as the Knight, as that is really what this subclass is. It is the idea of the knight in shining armor. They can also be flavored as bodyguards, a traveling sellsword, or castle guards. So Link does not have to be glued to Epona to make use of this subclass. The main reason to want this subclass is the Warding Maneuver, as giving Link the chance to either block or reduce all damage he takes is going to seriously improve how well he can tank a hit, and help keep him in a fight longer.

PALADIN

More than any other class, the Paladin actually stands for something. They fight for a value or a belief. They swear their life to a cause and are prepared to die fighting for it. Link works on a lore level as a Paladin. Especially when he’s dedicated multiple lifetimes to the same cause. Across every timeline and game over screen, Link has always returned and stood in defiance against whatever evil may come. 

Ancients This oath makes Link sworn to the forces of nature, such as the Great Fairy, and protecting the balance and harmony of the light, life, and love against death, decay, and darkness. The Ancients Paladin is all about protecting the balance in the world and valiantly opposing evil wherever it might arise. It also has a druidic or fey aspect, which kind of works for Link.

Crown With this vow, Link serves the Hyrulian Royal Family. This makes Link the princess’ personal knight, and an agent of lawfulness, order, and peacekeeping in the land. While 5e has backed away from typecasting Paladins as Lawful Good, this is probably the most Lawful subclass one could pick, as it places the authority of the royal family above all else.

Glory Instead of being sworn to the light or the law, the Glory Paladin is the harbinger of the goddesses. They are flavored as legendary heroes of destiny, possibly being demigods or the personal errand boys of the setting’s pantheon. This subclass is clearly focused on being a frontline warrior, and the features make Link a true force on the battlefield.

RANGER

Anyone who’s played Legend of Zelda knows that Link is very good at surviving. The games don’t tell you how to navigate the wilderness, Link just has to figure it out for himself. What’s more, Link may be willing to venture into the wilderness, but he’ll be hard-pressed to find many NPCs that far outside of settlements or cities. Yet what they fear, he thrives in. And it’s no wonder that this is the class most peole would assume for Link.

Hunter This conclave is the slayer of all things that threaten civilization. They can choose to be better at chipping away at one enemy, counter attack bigger monsters, or mow through hordes of minions with more ease by taking out multiple at a time. Especially at higher levels, this conclave excels at ripping apart Ganon’s forces with nary a golden curl out of place.

ROGUE

The rogue doesn’t need to be a wanted criminal on the lamb. They can be a clever fighter with a variety of skills and a knack for evasion. That speaks a lot more to Link’s skill set than one might assume at first glance. It’s not a perfect fit for Link, but it’s really not that inaccurate either.

Inquisitive This roguish archetype is defined by being clever in combat, looking for weak points to exploit. They’re also much more observant, making them better at discovering clues or secret passages, or telling when they’re being misled. At higher levels, their ability to look for weaknesses can even increase their sneak attack damage. This especially fits some of the older games where boss fights were focused on using items to exploit the dungeon boss’ weaknesses, rather than hacking away at their health bar. In these older titles, Link was less of a straight up warrior and more of a clever trickster pulling off strategic victories.

Scout The Scout Rogue has heavy Ranger vibes, as they get free expertise in Nature and Survival, enhanced mobility, the ability to disengage from fights more easily, and at higher levels become masters of ambushes. This fits well with Link’s sneakier sniper playstyle that can be done in Breath of the Wild, as Link can take out entire camps without ever being seen.

Thief While Link is not a standard cutpurse, Link is a treasure hunter, a dungeon delver, and the jokes about him robbing the people of Hyrule and breaking into people’s homes doesn’t exactly help. The thief also gets to use more magical items, allowing Link to use things such as enchanted instruments without being a bard.

WARLOCK

Link usually isn’t the hero of his own volition. He often starts his journey with Triforce of Courage, a source of power gifted by his patrons. It’s honestly a weak connection, but it loosely works, so I’m including it. 

Celestial While this subclass is geared toward serving something other than a god, I don’t see any reason why a Celestial Warlock couldn’t serve the Triple Goddesses of Hyrule or even Hylia/Zelda directly.

Hexblade The most obviously martial warlock option, this is a good choice if you want to incorporate Fi into your character.

Link’s Toy Chest

Hero’s Sword - Longsword (+1-3) Mirror Shield - Repulsion Shield Hero’s Bow - Oathbow Gale Boomerang - Storm Boomerang Fire Rod - Wand of Fireballs (requires spellcasting) Mastersword - Sword of Zariel, Holy Avenger Longsword* Hylian Shield - Shield of the Hidden Lord  Goddess Bow - Ephixis, Bow of Nylea Golden Gauntlets - Gauntlets of Ogre Power Zora Tunic - Cloak of the Manta Ray Pegasus Boots - Boots of Speed Hover Boots - Boots of Levitation Hook Shot - Rope of Climbing

SIDEKICKS

Sidekicks are a new edition from Tasha’s that let Link bring allies on his hero’s journey. Experts are skill monkeys who focus on Help actions, Spellcasters dip into the INT, WIS, or CHA spell lists, and Warriors are trained to fight and don’t have to talk, so they can be animals.

Epona - Defender Warrior Riding Horse Navi - Expert or Healer Spellcaster Sprite Sidon - Attacker Warrior Merfolk Sheik - Expert Noble (Elf) Wolf Link - Attacker Warrior Wolf

Theros Piety

The Piety System from Theros lets us be devout to a god and earn features from worshiping them. As far as I’m aware, this is an optional feature, and not every DM will make use of these, but if you’re able to, here’s a handy guide. These gods really stood out as the clear choices for Link to go with.

Iroas - God of Victory

Domains: War Virtues: Achieve a great victory, Overcome slim odds honorably, Defeat a foe in single combat, Perform a great feat of strength or skill Sins: Being a coward in battle, Beat an honorable foe through deceit, harm innocents Piety Bonus: +3 Learn Compelled Duel spell +10 Learn Crusader’s Mantle spell +25 For 1 minute, creatures cannot gain advantage on you +50 Increase STR or CHA by 2 to a max of 22

Keranos - God of Storms

Domains: Knowledge, Tempest Virtues: Solve a riddle or puzzle, defeat an unwise enemy, plan ahead for an upcoming challenge, build or restore a temple to Keranos Sins: Jeopardize others through foolishness, ignore a wise course of action, fail to plan for a challenge, give in to anger or self-destruction

Piety Bonus: +3 Add 1d6 lightning damage to melee attack up to INT mod turns. +10 Reroll a failed INT or WIS saving throw +25 Advantage on Initiative rolls +50 Increase INT or WIS by 2 to a max of 22

Nylea - Goddess of the Wild

Domains: Nature Virtues: Help any wild animal, stop those who hunt for sport or profit, win an archery competition, slay an aberration, fiend, or undead Sins: Kill an animal without reason, Dedicate a building to or make a sacrifice for any god (including Nylea), protect a city from a natural disaster

Piety Bonus: +3 Learn Hunter’s Mark +10 Learn Speak with Animals +25 Attacking creatures must pass DC 15 WIS save or change targets. +50 Increase DEX or WIS by 2 to a max of 22

Cunning Tactician

Battle Master Fighter (12) Inquisitive Rogue (8) Fighting Style: Dueling Maneuvers: Brace, Disarming Strike, Feinting Attack, Parry, Precision Attack, Riposte, Sweeping Attack Tools: Thieves’ Tools, Mason’s Tools

While Link is brave and strong, he is most defined by his clever mind and unorthodox solutions to boss fights. With this class split, Link has prioritized strategy and tactics over everything else. While it leaves him a little squishier, Link is still a very capable warrior. As a Battle Master, he got a free tool proficiency. Mason’s Tools allows Link to find secret passageways in stone walls, which most dungeons tend to be made of. On top of that, with his Feinting Attack, Link can give himself advantage, meaning he can use Sneak Attack even in a 1v1 fight, which fits his solo adventurer playstyle.

One-Man Army

Battle Master Fighter (12) Hunter Ranger (8) Fighting Style: Dueling, Archery Maneuvers: Brace, Disarming Strike, Feinting Attack, Parry, Precision Attack, Riposte, Sweeping Attack Hunter’s Prey: Colossus Slayer, Multiattack Defense Tools: Mason’s Tools

I used this build once in a level 10 campaign. 6 levels of Fighter, 4 levels of Ranger with a +2 Longsword, and let me tell you something. This build creamed the competition, which was the other PCs at the table, who were also built as level 10 characters. Link nearly defeated his first opponent in a single round, dealing around 70 damage between his four attacks. When I say this is Link’s “power��� build, I mean it. I didn’t even sweat when an adult blue dragon showed up after the tournament ended, that’s how much faith I had in Link’s ability to fight. I honestly forgot to even use Link’s battle maneuvers, he was just dealing so much damage that it slipped my mind. You could swap Battle Master for Cavalier, but for me, the Battle Master is more accurate to Link’s favor of techniques over basic hack-and-slash.

RANGER SPELLS

1 Absorb Elements, Ensnaring Strike, Hunter’s Mark 2 Cordon of Arrows, Healing Spirit

The Hero of Hyrule

Battle Master Fighter (12) Glory Paladin (8) Fighting Style: Archery, Dueling Maneuvers: Brace, Disarming Strike, Feinting Attack, Parry, Precision Attack, Riposte, Sweeping Attack Tools: Mason’s Tools

As a Glory Paladin, Link is driven by a desire to be a legendary hero, and at least in the UA version, the Glory Paladin served the gods, as Link does. Like the two builds above, Link balances the brute might of the Glory Paladin with the tactile diversity of the Battle Master.

PALADIN SPELLS

1 Cure Wounds, Divine Favor, Guiding Bolt, Heroism, Protection from Evil and Good, Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Wrathful Smite 2 Branding Smite, Enhance Ability, Find Steed, Magic Weapon, Warding Bond

Oaths and Promises

Glory Paladin (12) Celestial Warlock (8) Fighting Style: Dueling Pact: Blade Invocations: Eldritch Smite, Improved Pact Weapon, Maddening Hex, Relentless Hex

The builds from here on are more for the flavor than necessarily Link’s character. As a Blade Pact Paladock, Link becomes a CHA-focused martial with some extra spell slots that turn his smiting sword strikes into a bokoblin slurry machine. This build focuses Link more as a servant of the gods than anything else. Just make sure he has the Hex spell, but you can replace Maddening Hex with Agonizing Blast if you want to use the Master Sword laser beam at full potential.

PALADIN SPELLS

1 Divine Favor, Guiding Bolt, Heroism, Protection from Evil and Good, Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Wrathful Smite 2 Branding Smite, Enhance Ability, Find Steed, Magic Weapon, Warding Bond 3 Blinding Smite, Crusader’s Mantle, Elemental Weapon, Haste, Protection from Energy

WARLOCK SPELLS

C Blade Ward, Booming Blade, Sword Burst 1 Armor of Agathys, Cure Wounds, Hex 2 Lesser Restoration, Misty Step, Shatter 3 Spirit Shroud, Summon Fey 4 Galder’s Speedy Courier

To Serve and Protect

Battle Master Fighter (12) Crown Paladin (8) Fighting Style: Dueling, Interception Maneuvers:  Bait and Switch, Brace, Disarming Strike, Goading Strike, Parry, Riposte, Sweeping Attack Tools: Mason’s Tools

Link is Zelda’s knight, bodyguard, and servant. So this build prioritizes features that makes Link the loyal emissary of the Princess of Hyrule. As such, this build changes Link’s role to be more of a defender to the princess than a solo hero. This build assumes that the princess or someone else who needs to be protected is joining Link on his adventure.

PALADIN SPELLS

1 Command, Cure Wounds, Divine Favor, Heroism, Compelled Duel, Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Wrathful Smite 2 Branding Smite, Find Steed, Warding Bond, Zone of Truth

After all is said and done, I hope I gave everyone a lot to work with. Of course my suggestions are not law, and if nothing else, I hope it gives you an idea of how you want to build him. Last time I built Link, I gave one set build for him, but I still laid out other options. Recently though, I’ve been trying to show multiple builds at the end of my build posts to offer a wider idea of what building a character can look like. Happy 2021 everyone, and let’s hope this year goes smoother.

[morlock-holmes]

re: romances in rpgs should all be player-sexual, i think i mostly agree with you, but there are times when sexuality is, like, part of the character’s whole… thing?

like, there’s dorian pavus in dragon age: inquisition whose whole tragic backstory is the homophobia of his family and home culture, and gil brodie in mass effect: andromeda whose storyline is about how his homosexuality prevents him from procreating in a typical way, which, since he’s part of a settlement effort unable to receive reinforcements from home, is quite a pickle.

being able to romance them as a female character would just… be pointless (there are still mods that allow you to do that, and… i mean, sure, but why?) and mandating player-sexual romances mean these characters would never have existed, which would be quite a shame imo. idk, what’s your take on it?

There's an argument to be made there, certainly, and I haven't really caught up with all the major RPGs yet, but generally I find that they're written in a way where the PC is a black hole, bending all the rest of the characterization around them; people will tend to open up about personal problems or give them a great deal of trust at the drop of a hat just to keep the game moving and create a kind of power fantasy.

The story in these games generally treats the PC as a golden child who is one of the most important and trusted people to everyone around them and I think there's a bit of dissonance when sexual orientation is the only thing getting in the way.

If you have a story where the PC has a more naturalistic relationship with other characters I think it would work better.

If you go back to older RPGs especially, like from the 80s and 90s, one issue with building your character is that you don't know how the game works yet.

Like, in the original Fallout, there's a trait you can choose at character creation called "Night Person" which gives you reduced perception and charisma during the day in exchange for increased perception and charisma at night.

Unfortunately, all the NPCs, you know... Sleep at night.

If you took that trait in a tabletop RPG (And Fallout was originally based on the tabletop rpg GURPS) your GM would contrive to create situations where prowling around at night was beneficial to you. Unfortunately, in a computer game, the amount of game you can do at night is a fixed amount which, as a player, you don't know ahead of time.

It sticks in my head because I took that trait the first time I played and I remember the annoyance of slowly realizing that, like, 70% of the game takes place during the day.

One big issue is that for verisimilitude reasons, you usually can't change your character's gender once the game starts, so if, two hours in, you realize that the character you're most interested in isn't into people of the gender you chose, you're kind of out of luck; you can either start the game over or just accept it and try the other way on your next playthrough.

If you have a really compelling story reason then that might be a sacrifice worth making, it's just, in Mass Effect so far I don't really think it does anything except keep 2006 homophobes from getting too nervous.

Kaiden, the romance option for femshep, is so, so, so boring. He is the unflavored rice cake of love interests. I don't really know if it's the writing or the acting but there is just, like, 0% chemistry between him and Shepard.

Looking at wikis apparently you can romance him and Liara, and then suggest a poly thing only for him to turn it down, and my curiosity about how exactly they're going to have him go, "A threesome with you and your hot blue friend? No thank you ma'am I'm a good Christian boy" is literally the only interesting thing about him as a romance option.

Like, at least as a love interest Ashley has some energy, you know?

I hope Mass Effect 2 at least manages to give the ladies somebody interesting.

[s4ijoh]

the theory of love. matsukawa issei

MATSUKAWA ISSEI X GN! READER

GENRE: soulmate au; (implicit) college au; fluff; crack-ish?

WORD COUNT: 2.2k+

WARNINGS: (minor mention of) nudity

in which you have a beauty mark in each eyelid…

what an odd place to kiss someone for the first time.

you wonder. all different types of sweet yet awkward scenarios on how this meeting with your soulmate would play out begin to surface — more precisely, on how this first kiss with them would play out. out of all places...

why would they kiss your eyelids?

these are certainly not the answers you should be looking to answer during class, you reckon, yet, betrayed by your own inner voice who, against your own will decides to take the reins of your mind, you find yourself drifting away from reality and diving deep into your own head, swimming in thoughts of soulbound lovers and silly first kisses.

a giggle threatens to slip past your lips yet it dies in your throat before it has the chance to escape. it is hard to know when to stop the train of thought before it derails and, as always, the same old question comes back to haunt you.

what is taking them so long?

the question could be worse, you reckon, much worse. when you were just a child, barely old enough to understand the theory regarding love and soulmates, you remember hearing these frightening stories about people who were deemed loveless. they were bound to spend their entire lifetime wandering the face of earth in an infinite yet fruitless quest to find their other half. how cruel, you mused, for the universe to deprive someone of love.

you also recall, at the age of twelve, now old enough to decipher those were not just some bedtime tales, feeling terrified upon the realization that you could be one of the so called loveless ones. were you? although it’s not exactly one of your most treasured memories, it is still fairly vivid in the back of your head — your eyes urgently roaming every inch of skin on your body in a desperate attempt to dismiss that possibility, only for the answer to be mockingly hidden out of your sight.

for the longest time, your pitiful self dwelled on the reality that you weren’t worthy of love only for your faith to be restored when recently, whilst doing your make up, you found the two tiniest, barely perceptible dots laying on each of your eyelids, the symbol of hope itself adorning your skin — the evidence that you were not alone in this world and that some deity from above had blessed you with someone to share your love with.

although in retrospect, the scenario turned out to be a lot more optimistic than what you had first expected and for that you should be thrilled, with each passing day, the hollow in your chest grows darker as you have spent the last six years yearning for the day you’ll cross paths with your soulmate.

your heart longs for its missing piece and unfortunately there is no map to lead you to it.

what if you only meet them by the time you’re too old, too tired to have any love left to give?

it certainly gets lonely when you’re left dealing with the hole on your heart meanwhile everyone around you seems to have found their other half by now. just today, yet another girl in your friend group found her perfect match — or so she thinks, its easy to mistake some random boy for your soulmate when your beauty mark is located on your cheek.

at least you can rely on the fact that the placement of your beauty marks doesn’t leave much room for mistake, thats a given. maybe you weren’t that unfortunate, after all.

“movie night at my place tonight?” you tilt your head up to be met with issei’s figure towering over you. as you slowly bounce back to reality, you shift your eyes to the clock ticking on the wall. you figure you were too lost in thought to hear the lecturer call it a wrap.

“makki’s out of town so you can crash in his bed”

you met issei and takahiro at the beginning of this semester and it turned out that there was more to the two quiet laid back dudes who always sat in the back of the class than what first meets the eye. the chronic bored expressions they wear on their faces at all times are quite deceptive for they are anything but tedious and just happen to be quite easygoing and match your level of sarcasm. the three of you clicked almost instantly. movie nights on friday were a regular but a sleepover? now, that's a first.

(mainly because, besides the two beds on their shared room who were almost a size too small to fit their gigantic limbs, the next best surface on their apartment to sleep on would be the floor itself.)

“just admit that you’re afraid to sleep alone in your room, issei” you begin to gather your things but not without taking a peek at him through the corner of your eye to check the look of amusement growing on his face.

issei keeps his collected demeanor, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance while smiling down at you in a relaxed manner “if you start snoring the same way you always do halfway into a movie, it might actually be scarier to sleep in the same room with you”

you scoff at his merciless comeback although unamused. you knew better than to expect him to give in to your teasing remarks without a fight

“it’s always the guys who can’t even afford a couch who think they’re funny, huh?”

to be fair, you were aware they had just moved in together at the beginning of this semester and the house decor was still a work in progress.

he lets out a lighthearted laugh at your comeback, accepting his defeat and you follow suit, smiling brightly and softening your features “you’re lucky we don’t have one or else you’d be sleeping there tonight”

issei pats your head softly before he adjusts the strap of the backpack hanging off his shoulder and begins to walk away, turning on his heel when he is a few steps away from you, remembering he has to let you know the details for tonight.

when he turns his back on you and disappears into the distance a smile creeps its way into your lips almost instinctively. (what a lost cause. look at you so oblivious to how your heartbeat seems to echo a little louder inside your ribcage or how your heart rate seems to increase it’s tempo whenever you are around issei. you're not a naive little child anymore; you should’ve understood the theory of how love works by now.)

some days on campus are busier than others and you have learned it's easier to daydream your way through boring lectures and classes for time seems to go by faster yet there is no better way to unwind than to spend a friday night on the comfort of issei’s and makki’s tiny cozy apartment watching lame cartoon movies in the tiny screen of a computer. it’s part of your routine now and you find it's also easier to go through an intense week of work when you have these weekly movie sessions with them (him) to look forward to.

issei walks through the door and into the room, grabbing a blanket out of makki’s bed before taking a seat next to you on his bed so you can share the bowl of sweet and salty popcorn he just popped in the microwave. you notice his feet peeking from under the blanket at the end of the bed whereas he's busy searching for a movie to watch on the computer that’s sitting on his lap — you make a mental note to gift him a bigger blanket on christmas since it is just around the corner.

you manage to convince issei to watch the grinch “to get into the christmas spirit” however, as soon as he presses play, your thoughts start drifting away. it has recently come to your knowledge that issei, just like you, still hasn’t found his soulmate — although he seems to be handling the situation a lot more smoothly than you. ever since the day you became aware of it, there’s this question that has been persistently lingering in the back of your head yet you have been hesitating to ask. you are unsure whether it is too early in your friendship to put your nose into more intimate affairs but then you remember it’s just issei, the worst he could do would be to mock you for your nosiness.

“issei,” he hums in acknowledgment while munching on the small pile of popcorn on the palm of his hand with his eyes still glued to the screen. “where is your beauty mark?”

the inquisitive look on your face morphs into one of confusion when he takes a glance at you with mischief gleaming in his eyes. why is he smirking? he pauses the movie, tilting his head back to shove the handful of popcorn into his mouth and placing the computer on the mattress before he stands up, your frown only intensifying upon the sight of him undoing his belt.

“issei!” you exclaim through a fit of laughter at the realization that he just pulled his pants down to reveal his bare ass to your once expectant eyes, your expression contorting to one of terror as you screw your eyes wide shut at his inadequate (yet all too familiar) antics. and here you stood thinking you had predicted what the worst case scenario could possibly be.

the wicked chuckle that erupts from his chest echoes through the dark room and you can hear him fastening his belt back on signaling it is safe for you to stop hiding behind your hands (not before you sneak a peek through your fingers though, just to make sure.)

“my soulmate will have to kiss my ass so I know they’re the real deal” the bed dips as he slumps, in a slouchy manner, on the mattress next to you, taking a glance to notice your eyes widening when he hears the gasp of disbelief that escapes your lips following his words.

“its a joke. you would’ve known that if you had looked” he chuckles still talking in that nonchalant tone of his whilst putting the movie back on.

“yeah. i figured, asshole.” you try to play it cool, brushing off the sound of your heart palpitating furiously against your chest.

half way into the movie and a bowl of sweet and salty popcorn later, your head starts to feel heavy on issei’s shoulder. he glances down at you only for his suspicions to be proven right — you have fallen asleep; just like he knew you would. he takes notice of the way you scrunch up your face, wrinkles starting to form in the corner of your eyes as you force them shut. the brightness of the screen is probably bothering you.

whilst issei wouldn’t trade his sweet bed for the world, given your tired state (and clearly out of courtesy), he can’t find it in him to disturb you so he decides to let you crash in his bed, he will take makki’s for the night.

“‘m going to turn this off” he closes the computer shut while whispering the words in a weary voice as drowsiness has creeped it’s way into his system as well.

“mhm, night” you yawn weakly while lifting your head from his shoulder with your eyes still closed as you manage to give him a clumsy goodnight kiss that lands on his ear before you move to a lying position and pull the blankets over your body, falling into a quiet slumber almost instantly.

his eyes widen in surprise.

did you just kiss him?

during the span of your friendship, neither of you have been the affectionate type sticking to a few sporadic hugs, which were rare nonetheless, yet he is not opposed to this new display of affection. he figures you must get clingier when you’re tired and it might have slipped out of impulse. now that he notices, this is the first time he remembers you kissing him and there is this foreign feeling flaring in the pit of his stomach at the possibility you might kiss him again. he lifts his weight out of bed and suddenly he’s paralized staring at the empty wall ahead of him. wait...

did you just kiss him��� on his ear?

the world stops. his feet, although hesitant, are moving on their own as he feels a sudden magnetic pull to you and finds himself gravitating towards your sleeping figure lying on his bed. he crouches down next to you, silently admiring your features with mellow eyes and although his heart is a bit unsteady in his chest, he is overtaken with an inexplicable sense of tranquility. his heart can rest now, you finally found him.

that night you could’ve sworn you felt his lips lingering on your eyelids.

[a/n]: ayooo, just to let you all know that i finally made a google docs where you can sign up for my general taglist (even tho i post like once every two months but its wtvrrrrr, its wtvrr)

the amount of times i started writing this fic and deleted everything just to start all over again because i hated every single word of it… I WANTED TO WRITE SOMETHING NICE FOR MATTSUN !!1!!!😡 but ngl it was kinda worth the time because im sorta proud of it!

this is the v v v first time im writing for him, hopefully the characterization isnt off… n hopefully you enjoy!!!! ;)))

[romantichore-blog]

9, 21, 22, and 41 for the writing ask! :D

hi!! thank you so much for these! 💜

9. Current WIP

😳 so, so many. I've been dreaming of going through all my folders old and new to sort out everything and see what stays and what goes. hopefully soon when I get a break from work and college. then I'm working on the sequel to my Resident Evil fanfic that I somehow completed last year.

cheaty answer but to be quite honest the biggest WIP is working on my confidence to start posting things. I've always had trouble with the 'putting myself out there' part and it has limited me greatly over the years. lots of things I didn't write, lots of thing I gave up on because I was too scared to post and thus lost motivation. it's a slow process but we're making progress!

21. Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write?

this one is really difficult! I usually get attached to a character I find intriguing for a while, but it changes over time. my favorite part of writing any character is going deep in their emotions and motives though, and making them suffer tbh, so I tend to enjoy writing characters that are considered 'villainous', and characters that lack clear character development in canon. think Cullen and his bullshit 'redemption arc' in Inquisition. because of this I tend to enjoy writing original characters the most, seeing as there's so much to develop and it's so fun to do.

lately I've noticed that my thing is more improving what already exists rather than building something from the ground up, so I latch onto characters who need some extra love.

I used to feel like I needed to be very close to canon for my writing to be worthy, or at least very well explained, which is why I shied away from most Bethesda characters. a little too tabula rasa for me to improve upon, which means I've spent the last 10 years playing these games but never even tried to write much about the characters in them. another WIP haha

22. Who is/are your favourite pairing(s) to write?

listen I know we're starting to see a pattern here but I promise we're working on everything 🙃 up until very recently I never dared to write the pairings I enjoy the most out of fear I'd spoil it or not do it justice. which means I've neglected my favorite characters for years because of the feeling of not worthy, if I write it it's going to suck. which is absolute bullshit, I know.

I love, love, love writing OC x OC stuff, though. I love getting the fictional people together. or not, actually, because I much prefer writing pre-relationship shenanigans to established ones. give me slow burn or give me death.

41. Any advice for new/beginning/young writers?

I legit could write entire essays on this probably, and have been known to ramble, so bear with me for this one. I love talking about writing.

in practical terms, I'd say never forget that writing is a skill and it's not usually something we're encouraged to work upon. we usually write because we're obligated to and it becomes a chore more than anything. then when you finally do it for you, the first few times it's probably not what you expected, which can make you feel like you're just not suited for this. which is a lie.

which leads me to: writing is a great way to explore your own feelings, challenge your own perceptions, and ultimately learn about yourself. how you see the world, what brings you joy, things you'd rather avoid. it's also an observational skill, so it can help you understand others better - and empathy is always great to exercise. not to get too deep into discourse territory, but fiction, be it reading or writing, is a great, safe way to explore.

and for the last bit, my favorite writing advice actually came from Varric, in Dragon Age 2: "A good story you don't really write. It was always there. You just uncover it." so get out there and get to digging, learn what you can and record what you see the weird fictional people doing. they'll tell you.

[for-the-ninth]

I'm really curious about "The Boy Who Braids, He Dreams in Red" :D

@musetta3 wanted to know about the same one!

So my first DA game was Inquisition, and like a lot of folks who played that one first, I was charmed by Cullen's bumbling romance (esp after Solas smashed my stupid little heart). My last foray in creative writing had been elementary school, and I'd never written fanfic at ALL, but when I was rambling to a friend about how I wanted more of that romance, they suggested I try writing about it and I did!

The longfic I'm working on now actually had about 40 chapters of a completely different iteration already written. It was initially very soft and saccharine, and an outlet for the romance I craved in my own life at the time. I remember reading about Cullen's misdeeds not long after playing Inquisition, and feeling frustrated that others' perception of his character was so different from the character I knew in DAI. He struck me as a tortured soul, someone who wanted so badly to be good! When I read further and watched scenes from previous games, I knew I wanted to write a solid redemption arc for him, if for no other reason than to align the character in my head with the one on the page. Then that good ol' depression hit, and I stowed my story in a faraway folder and left it collecting virtual dust for almost two years.

I picked up where I left off and wrote a few more chapters, but something didn't feel right. The characters and their stories had time to marinate in my daydreams, and they'd grown more complex than what I'd written. Shielan wasn't a soft sweetie in search of romance, and Cullen wasn't able to earn her forgiveness as easily. My writing skills also improved, and when I went back to re-read those early chapters, I didn't feel they were reflective of what I'd learned. I tried editing and re-editing until something clicked, but eventually I realized the best option was for me to start fresh. Most peoples' eyes bug out of their head when I tell them I scrapped a 40 chapter fic but I'm so glad I did because my story is better for it (and I'm a better writer for it too!)

I'm glad y'all picked this one, because although I'm a wee bit sheepish about it's syrupy sweetness, it gave me the chance to see how much my writing has improved and to appreciate the complexity I've added to my characters since I first began. Anyway, thanks for reading my monologue! There's a snippet of the writing itself under the cut for anyone curious.

I'm very into the dark, brooding but good-of-heart archetype, and I leaned on this heavily in the first iteration of this fic. In this chapter, we have a classic bed-sharing scenario, and the also classic nightmare comfort scenario smushed into one.

***

Everything was steeped in crimson. The shapes, the people, the demons and their screams, all of it red. His throat felt tight and sore as though he were being choked, skin prickly and hot. The nightmares came regularly, but this one was particularly brutal. He shook in his sleep, mumbling and cursing under his breath. As the nightmare progressed his voice grew louder and drew the attention of a sleeping Shielan.

She sat up in bed and lit the candle next to her, taking a moment to let her eyes adjust. Once they'd focused she could see the commander shivering beneath his blanket. She reached for a tin of water nearby and felt around inside the bedside drawer for a piece of cloth to dampen. Cloth in one hand, candle in the other, she climbed down from bed and knelt beside him. His arms were making bigger gestures now, vocalizations becoming more frantic. Just as she moved to press the cold cloth against his forehead he shot up. One arm reached back for his blade but she caught it firmly.

"Cullen!" she barked.

His eyes flew open and he gripped her shoulders tightly, struggling to catch his breath. He willed himself to speak or move, but his body refused, paralyzed by fear. She spoke to him in hushed tones, told him he was safe and everything was alright.

"I've frightened you," he breathed. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she replied.

She found the cold, damp cloth and dabbed at the beads of sweat that had formed over his furrowed brows. Cullen took it from her hand and gave his face a rough scrub. He was still shaking, his chest heaving as it tried to take in even breaths. Shielan passed him the tin of water and he downed what was left in one smooth gulp. He turned to face the opposite wall, leaning against the bed and letting his head fall back, eyes closed.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he replied, massaging his temples. A splitting headache had begun to creep up through the back of his skull.

"You should try to go back to sleep, perhaps in your bed this time."

He nodded, and they climbed in, one after the other, rearranging pillows and blankets to suit their new shared space. His headache was getting worse, and he was exhausted, but too anxious to sleep. Shielan could feel the tension coming off him, the pain he was projecting onto the atmosphere. She pivoted to face him.

"I can help," she said, taking his face in her hands before he had the chance to protest.

It was cool and crisp this time, the current emanating from her fingertips. He closed his eyes and shivered as relief made its way through his bones, down his spine, settling into his chest. Breaths came and went a bit easier now and he started to feel more steady.

"Thank you," he said.

Although the spell had run its course, her hands had not yet left his face. He opened his eyes to meet her gaze, and her heartbeat quickened. Her own breaths had become ragged now, and her palms started to sweat. The urge to move closer to him was overwhelming, but she felt stuck.

Cullen wrapped his hands around her wrists, letting his thumbs caress the soft skin on the tops of her hands. A tentative smile spread across his face, cheeks red again. He pulled her hands from his face and held them in the air as she weaved her fingers between his, interlocking them in a gentle hold. She braced her shoulder against the headboard and he turned his body to face her, releasing one shaky hand and bringing it up to stroke her cheekbone. A sigh left her lips at his feather light touch. She leaned forward and he followed. They stopped when their foreheads touched, each feeling the other's breath tickle their face.

***

And yes, I am going to leave you hanging, because I still haven't written Shielan and Cullen's "real" first kiss yet, and that is the one I want you to see!

[numbaoneflaya]

Can I get a list of all ur ocs?

Well anon youve done it, you made me make a list of all my major OCS in one place. I hope your happy with yourself. Under the cut for obvious reasons, may link in my blog desc later.

Modern/BTD verse!!

Jilly- Ferret beastkin little creature, was recently turned into a werewolf by vincent as well so she's running around on full moons in a wereferret wolf hybrid creature form. Chaotic and friendly and wants to be everyone's bestie. She has the most energy in the world and is very kind hearted. Banned from most Claires for stealing and from one Home Depot for climbing the shelves. Prone to living life with rose colored glasses on and seeing the best in everything/everything even when there's nothing there. Socialization is a must for her and is why being basemented/kidnapped broke her psych so quickly and developed severe stockholm. Sometimes overly talkative/enthusiastic and can scare people off. Even if she sees someone shes decided shes friends with be noticeably 'evil', will convince herself it must be for some reason/her fault and ignore it.

Ciggy- Undead punk still learning to harness his powers to interact with the world as a ghost. Was sacrificed by a cult he joined for free concert tickets and to get laid. Likes to cause problems on purpose both pre and prior death and he's not above possessing someone once he learns how to. Was called Rooster in high school before he dropped out because he's loud, obnoxious and always screaming. And also has bright red dyed hair. Looking 4 ways to become less ghosty bcs he wants to be able to help raise his infant daughter, whom he died before he could meet. Bit annoying and in your face, likes poking at bruises, his or others. Kind of a sad heart seeking attention through volume and persistence.

Mike: Vampire loser! Sells drugs and lives at raves. Was turned when she was attacked by a coked out vampire (whom she supplied the product to) and has major scarring on her face and chest. Needs a somewhat constant influx of blood so shell sometimes take victims back to her place and chain them up, slowly draining them over time. Feels bad (ish) about it tho so it is possible to survive her if you are nice and or interesting enough. Kind of desperate for a friend and for love. Is a stalker. If she likes you enough/finds you interesting, she might just appear in your house one night and start rummaging through your fridge like nothing is wrong and youve been besties for years. Its best to indulge her and be friendly, otherwise she could turn violent quickly if her feelings are hurt.

Kilaine- Regular human woman, but fucked up. Born and raised by an elite waspy society she had an interest in the human body and pain tolerance since she was young. Quickly learned that these traits were socially unacceptable in most professions, so she became a doctor. The only family she cared about was her younger sister who she lost in a car accident, where they were flipped over and trapped inside while it was afire. While her sister burned up in front of her Kilaine only lost her left arm and had major burns on her body. This tipped her descent into sadism and she is now madly obsessed with bringing her sister back no matter the cost. Rude and offstandish, clinical.

Dragon age verse!

Thurwen- My main Hero of Ferelden with a bad temper and a heart of gold. City elf from the Denerim Alienage, 18 at the start of origins. She's a reaver warrior with a lot of pent up rage which sometimes scares others when she lets it out in battle. Over the years she's grown less moody as she's had to take the role of Commander. Crude sense of humor and violent impulses, very sensitive to the plights of others and tries often to help. Never seen crying in public but only cries to herself at night- major martyr and hanged man complex.

Caz- My circle mage elf inquisitor who was an apostate before the conclave. Blood magic, but make it sneaky. Wary of strangers and new faces, always dealing with the impulse to flee/find a high vantage point. Endless curiosity about the unknown/ the forbidden/ naughty, was supposed to be made tranquil for it but she escaped. Kind of a little creature as well, lived on her own for a while as an apostate in the woods, filed her teeth down to sharp ends to make herself look more intimidating (shes 5 ft tall) and less cute (her elf ears are huge and expressive, which shes embarrassed about)

Dag and Thagna- Carta twins! Professional lyrium smugglers since birth pretty much. Raised casteless in dust town and had to work their way up the chain of command by themselves. Dag is the brother, Thagna the sister. Their father traded them to the carta for drinking money and their mom died in childbirth so they have somewhat of a codependent relationship. Both charismatic and calculating, friendly and agreeable but won't hesitate to put a dagger in your back. Hard to pin down morally or physically, squirrelly bastards.

Reila: Dalish elf who works for the inquisition/ is the inquisitor in some aus. She has an extreme fixation on elvhen history and rebuilding what they have lost. Not a people person, prefers solitude. Takes some time to warm up to shemhlen as she has a hard history with them. Good friends with Caz, who recruited her in the first place. Doesn't understand very many social cues and finds societal expectations limiting and frustrating. Fondness for halla and hooved animals, which she finds graceful.

Elder scrolls verse!

Valkya: Near seven foot nord woman whos over a thousand years old by the events of skyrim. Tall and buff, two handed warrior and compulsive hero there to bask in the spotlight save the day. She was killed at the start of the events of Elder scrolls online and had her soul ripped out and sent to coldharbor and she's just been a pain in the ass about it since then. Her body can physically die and will not regrow pieces. Her soul however will escape and teleport to the nearest source of power where her body will regrow from an aetherial plasm until its whole again. Loud and brash, friendly and jovial. Actually pretty keen especially after centuries of life but prefers to play dumb as it makes people underestimate her. Plus, she really does enjoy mud wrestling and drinking contests and acting generally like a rambunctious frat boy. Ha developed a bit of a substance problem and a problem with acting out, as after being alive so long she would turn to anything to dull the ache inside of her that never goes away.

Espira- My Dragonborn! Redguard from Hammerfell who was briefly in the Ash’abah due to killing undead while protecting her parents water farm as a child. Ran away from them after years and went to Cyrodille, then to Skyrim and was caught crossing the border. Reserved, kind and soft spoken, she's a sword and shield warrior who's committed herself to doing good in the world by helping others. Dislikes killing and anything messy but believes it is often necessary in order to protect the weak. She blacksmiths often to save money on the upkeep of her own equipment, and takes up metal jewelry working as a hobby with the excess material. Prone to trusting others too much and giving too many second chances, as shes always looking for ways to make even the most hardened criminal a second look at life.

Riley- Espiras little brother who she locked in the wardrobe during the event of the water farm attack. In preventing him from doing violence against the undead she kept him from being conscripted into the Ash’abah. He's way more chaotic than his sister, and suffers from a case of little sibling syndrome in which he will often pester/poke at people just to get a rise out of them. Still kind hearted as his sister, he tries to hide it because he believes that the world is a cruel place and the cruel survive. Despite that belief he is often still unable to force himself to be cruel/careless, only making a show of it so that others leave him alone and don't see that he's very sensitive and emotional. Deaf in one ear due to a magic mishap in his youth, he trained and enchanted his most beloved rats to live for years and sit on his shoulder, alerting him to noises he would not otherwise notice.

Felria: Evil vamp :/ chaotic evil dunmer necromancer. Small and devilish and likes dead bodies too much. Manipulative and cunning, she loves acting. She's a trained assassin for the dark brotherhood and is the speaker. Likes dressing up for missions and wearing disguises like its all a play. Loves toying with people more than she loves killing them, will act in ways that cause as much trauma as possible for other people just for fun and she finds the reactions interesting. Considers herself too far removed from most people's perception of morality and of her so it's hard for her to trust someone or see them as worthy of knowing her. Finds the psychology of grief and fear to be interesting and wants to study them first hand. The hero of kvatch.

Herren: Fifty something year old rat woman looking for something to keep her going. Ran away from her wealthy family in her youth when they wanted her to take charge of the household, instead became an infamous jewel thief and swashbuckler. Spent most of her life traveling and stealing and double dealing. She's smarmy and sarcastic, a serial romancer of the highest caliber. Bit of a show off and a hedonist, always looking for the next good party or new product to snort. Her family died off due to the hard times she wasn't there for and she keeps looking for bigger and bigger heists to fill her appetite as she's chronically bored and lonely, though wont accept intimacy and will scoff at it out of the belief she doesn't deserve it. Irresponsible and selfish, lonely and terrified of any sort of commitment. Fun to party with though!

[infjparadox]

The types I know in real life - as an INFJ

The ISFJ father.  Growing up, he was a bit of a micro-manager, and both of us were so stubborn that our J clashed pretty hard, especially when he pushed me to complete scholarships and laborious things that would benefit my future.  He ALWAYS wanted to do some activity together (sports, outings, family gatherings, etc), and in my teen years, I just valued creative, independent pursuits (he didn’t understand the value in those hobbies at the time - now he’s my cheerleader).  Since graduating college, we’ve become good friends, although he still over-does and over-plans everything.  We share similar values regarding our interpersonal relationships and work, as well as a similar sense of humor, and I can get that intuitive conversation out of him by asking him to tell me stories about his childhood.   He’s a fantastic storyteller. 

The INFP mother.  My mother is a kind (but anxious) woman and a fantastic role model. She’s super creative, but also incredibly introverted.  I remember she’d often tell me to find a way to entertain myself growing up (probably driven mad by my intuitive inquisitions), and that led me to many of my independent hobbies, like drawing, music, and film. (And possibly resulted in a love language of quality time, lol I love attention).  As an adult, I can now claim her as my best friend.  We can talk for hours about the abstract, ideals, and emotions.  I tease her constantly, and we laugh ourselves to tears.  

The ENFJ sister.  Confident, idealistic, and a blogger type.  We don’t get along very well, but I blame it on her not being a very matured or healthy ENFJ (and she’s been diagnosed with OCD, so there’s that).  When she’s in a positive place, we joke that we have ESP because we always have similar thoughts / reactions to interactions (Ni) and we both enjoy a lot of the same hobbies and creative pursuits, but we value those experiences differently.  For example, she loves movies for the emotions and her ability to relate to the characters, while I love them for the storytelling, the script, the cinematography, the character arcs, etc.  She loves people and organizing parties / social events.  She’s also that person on Instagram sharing all the inspirational quotes.   

The ISFP boyfriend.  Charming, easygoing, and well-rounded. Appears as an extrovert to an outsider, but in reality, he just enjoys activities that engage the five senses and his close circle of friends. He’s the absolute best at living in the moment, and he knows how to pull me back to earth and to see the more rational, objective side of things.  Loves working with his hands, and has about 3 million hobbies, from skiing to biking to working on cars to making music to photography.  Sensitive to criticism, but loves playing the devil’s advocate.  Sometimes he can be incredibly impulsive, and other times, he’s hesitant to commit to future plans or big decisions (depends on what his Fi is telling him).  Values authenticity and independence above anything else.  Very capable of deep and stimulating conversation, but does better on lower rungs of the abstract ladder that are rooted in science, physics, conspiracy theories, politics, or something he can contribute facts and real world experience to.  Dislikes conflict and being put in a box.  Other than the INFP, the only other type who does not drain my energy tank.  I’m confident that we’ll be lifelong friends and soulmates, come what may.

The INFP friend.  We clicked instantly while studying abroad, and we were able to talk for hours about anything and everything, while respecting one another’s feelings.  Super easygoing.  He’s one of the best listeners I’ve ever met, and he always asks me questions that feed the conversation.  Musically inclined, authentic, and frustratingly neutral about some of the topics I care about so passionately.  He’s also one of the most aloof people I know -- and he absolutely sucks at communication.  But even though I haven’t talked to him in 7 months, I still consider him one of my platonic soulmates.  

The ENFP bff.  Another soulmate.  A total goofball, selfish at times, but also a martyr when it comes to those she loves.  She’s one of the few people who have truly attempted to understand everything about me and pry me open -- almost to the point that it’s uncomfortable.  Loves talking about emotions (extensively). Judges people based on their zodiac sign, but she’s also incredibly insightful, perceptive, and “street” wise (she learns a LOT from her experiences / mistakes).  She can be flighty though, and her goals change as swiftly as her attention span.  Gotta love her.

The ENTP bff.  A witty friend who will always offer me a stimulating conversation - whether it’s teaching me about historical fashion or exposing me to new concepts and ideas and political theories.  We can talk for three hours straight, but by then I’m incredibly brain-fried (and she could just keep going?!).  Up for a good natured debate whenever - less good natured when someone pisses her off.  I’m fairly certain I’m the only person she is completely honest with about her feelings (she struggles SO hard to open up).  She loves to travel and experience new things, as well as host parties and game nights.  She’s both a planner and a completely "in the spur of the moment” human being.  Hates willful ignorance and stupidity, and does not care about keeping the peace. I disliked her at first for her bluntness and arrogance, but now I love her to pieces.  Soulmate, for sure.

INTJ friend (long distance).  Very, very prickly to others, but warmed up to me instantly.  Arrogant, albeit extremely logical and intelligent.  Loves memes, biology, and good television.  Adores her girlfriend and gushes about her often (one of the rare instances where she’s a total fluff ball).  Kind of a dick, but also very funny and 100% there for companionable silence or intellectual conversation.  Enjoys being in a group of outcasts and detests most people.  We had a lot of weird things in common and joked about being long lost sisters, and I valued her promptness / dependability!  Her negativity kind of wore me out though (we were studying abroad, and she was homesick for most of it). 

The ENTJ boss.  I no longer work for her, but man, what a powerhouse.  Direct and blunt to a fault, but incredibly motivated and ambitious.  Will get things done, no matter what.  Big idea woman, not so great with the details and how her plans will actually (realistically) be implemented.  SO, so organized and anal, and yet somehow kind of a mess.  Surprises me when she’s emotionally vulnerable because she’s incredibly intimidating and intense.  Loves hosting parties and cooking for her coworkers / neighbors.  Those who are close to her know she has a good heart, but she can seem like a total b** to an outsider.

ISTP coworker.  She’s good at multitasking, and yet she runs late constantly.  Intelligent in the way she asks questions for clarity and a better understanding of a concept.  Calm, collected, and logical.  Creative and impressive in her projects (home remodel, upcycling crafts, etc).  Conversation is a bit surface-level at times and mostly centers around her day to day life experiences or family drama.  She’ll often ask me about my life and then tune me out because she quickly grows bored, as do many other sensors, rip T_T.  We’re a good team, though.

These are my personal experiences with / observations of particular individuals whose type I’m confident about, but they do not represent everyone of the same type.  If anything, I think this goes to show the range of personalities within a function stack.

[lewis-winters]

(gif by @lyselkatzfandomluvs)

oh? me? writing about single dad!lewis who is a disaster human being but a good dad to a precocious little girl named Bea who adores him but at the same time thinks her daddy is the silliest person to ever exist?

you bet your ASS i am.

anyway, here have this headcanon list:

Bea is Lew's little girl from a one night stand. her mom didn't want to abort, but she didn't want to keep her, either. Lew considered putting her up for adoption, but the second the doctors let him hold her he knew that that just wasn't an option.

at that point, Lew never really knew what love was. not really. but looking down at that lil bundle in his arms that resembled more a bean than human, he decided then and there that that is exactly what true love feels like.

Bea is AMAB and has always known she was a girl. Lew always indulged her, especially when she finally learned how to talk and walk and have opinions. if Bea said she wanted to wear a dress or play with dolls or grow out her hair, he'd let her and he'd sass down anybody that let her feel like she couldn't. bc of that, Bea never thought that she was anything but a girl for ages.

i mean, the only thing she truly hated was her name. bc it was a boy's name and was therefore very ugly.

when she was four, she told Lew and everybody that would listen that she wanted to be called Beatrix-with-an-X instead of the name they gave her. she heard it on tv one day and loved it so much, she just decided to use it and that was that.

I wouldn't say Lew didn't have his moments of crisis over it-- he had a whole paradigm shift, and he definitely had to read up some stuff and talk to people, but he never let Bea know it. that's his baby girl. and he loves her. he'd never forgive himself if he'd ever let her feel otherwise.

he calls her BumbleBea on a regular basis, but in his head and when referring to her to anybody else, he calls her Little Miss Nixon

occassionally Little Miss Hypochondriac if she's being particularly fussy that day

bc Bea is VERY fussy

she's under the belief that her daddy doesn't take care of himself very much. she is right. Lew does not like to admit it.

she prepares his vitamins and reminds him to drink water and eat his veggies

they take care of each other a lot

Lew makes sure Bea does her homework and is polite and gets dressed real nice and is making the right friends

Bea makes sure Lew remembers to brush his teeth or eat breakfast or drink water or dress up warm during the winter

their little mantra in the morning is--

Lew: Be good, but if you need to be bad--

Bea: Don't get caught!

Bea also understands sarcasm a bit too well for a baby child

Lew says it's the natural Nixon gene. Blanche says it's bc Bea spends way too much time with Lew.

Bea calls Lew two things: Daddy, on the regular, and Dada when she wants to be cuddled or carried or held or comforted

Lew has NO idea why she does, but every time he hears her call him Dada while holding out her arms in a silent request to be picked up, he melts into a puddle

George, Lew's old college buddy and Bea's godfather, and Blanche are her regular babysitters. she loves them both so much but she definitely loves Blanche more because when she's with Aunt Blanche she gets presents

George treats her like a mini adult, which just kinda reinforces why she's so fluent in sarcasm to begin with or why she's half as mischievous as she is.

Bea is a morning person. Lew is a night owl. when Bea was a baby, this was definitely a problem, bc she'd have Lew running to her side at 3 am, so much so that he just moved her bassinet to his room and then just little by little let her migrate to his bed and let her serve as his alarm clock.

but when she started to walk and talk and become big enough to do things on her own, they've come up with a system where she'd get up, try her best to make Lew coffee, then wake him up with kisses

the coffee is never good but Lew swallows it down anyway

Lew is very good at braiding hair for some reason

Bea always did say that her Daddy is fit to be a stay at home husband bc he keeps track of their household stuff better than his at work stuff

Lew doesnt work at the plant-- Stanhope didn't like the name Beatrix, let's just say. Lewis told him to go fuck himself. thankfully before doing that, he saved enough money to sustain him and Bea until he could find a job. also, he has a group of very good friends and an amazing sister who stuck by him and Bea, so really, leaving Nixon behind to get a fresh new start in New York with his baby girl was the best decision he has ever made

(Lew always says Bea saved him somehow-- taking care of another human being helped him learn, little by little, how to take care of himself. how to function. he wants to be a better man for Bea, wants to be able to be somebody she's proud of. and by wanting that and doing everything to be that, he's managed to heal himself. day by day. it hasn't been easy. but it has been worth it.)

(he still drinks, though. but never in front of Bea. and never more than a glass. he can't afford to go down that road right now. not with Bea.)

Bea meets Dick first. she's seven years old in a brand new school being run by her dad's college friend and her godmother, Kitty and Dick, fresh from his last tour in Iraq, is there to visit Kitty's boyfriend and fellow teacher, Harry, who is his old college buddy.

Bea likes Mr Winters very much and talks about him to Lew when she gets home

Dick, of course, is easily charmed by this precocious lil girl with an inquisitive nature and an oddly dry sense of humor. He's planning on getting a job in the school's administrative branch so he's there quite a lot. Bea always stops to talk to him, and he never fails to humor her. He rather enjoys her company.

Lew, otoh, is getting very jealous

all Bea can talk about is Mr Winters said this and Mr Winter said that and ooohhh did you know Mr Winters was a soldier? that's pretty cool

Lew has a 9-5 desk job. Bea doesn't think that's very cool.

bc of this, Lew does not like this Mr Winters on principle

All of Bea's godparents (George, Kitty, Lip, and Ron) and her Aunt Blanche think this is hilarious

Everytime Lew sees them, he grumbles about Mr Winters. This, of course, drives Kitty to find a way to introduce them.

so, during during the Parent Teacher Conference, Lew meets Dick. and he finds he does like Mr Winters after all. he likes Mr Winters a lot.

Dick, otoh, sees Bea light up and run into Lew's open arms, giggling when Lew peppers her face with kisses and raspberries, and immediately knows he is very much In Trouble.

Bea, being perceptive as she is, picks up on their mutual crushes on each other and thinks they're meant to be (she's right, of course) and immediately starts trying to push them together.

Bea: Mr Winters, do you like bad boys?

Dick, who most definitely has always had a thing for dark haired, rakish characters with hearts of gold and is also blushing very hard: Uh... sure I do

Bea: Great. Because my daddy is bad at everything.

it becomes Bea's mission to get her daddy and Mr Winters together

she doesn't have a plan for it. she just waits to throw them at each other at every opportunity until something happens.

she's very determined. Lew would stop and admire her ambition if only he wasn't busy fumbling into this new relationship with Dick while also doing his best to be a good dad.

and it's all very cute and fluffy and nothing bad ever happens ever bc this is my au, gdi, and i'm allowed to be as indulgent as i want, thank you.

[theharellan]

In Hushed Whispers

The information detailed in this post relate to Thora Cadash (also written by me over at @ourdawncomes) for convenience’s sake but can be easily transferred over to any other Heralds who choose to help the mages.

After the Herald’s disappearance Solas struggles against the Venatori reinforcements with other companions, but is eventually overcome and imprisoned. Many die in the attempt, but ultimately Solas is weaker than he ever has been in his life, and so is taken alongside the others.

It is eventually discovered that he played a role in saving the Herald’s life after they received the Anchor, and so he is taken in for interrogation. He divulges information that he believes is safe for him (believing the Herald dead) to reveal but is able to keep most information to himself, his saving grace being that the Venatori didn’t expect much from one of his apparent nature.

Second to Solas’ fear of dying alone is a fear of cages. He does not take his imprisonment lying down and spends his waking hours listening for information that will help in his escape. When he dreams, he searches for the Herald’s remaining companions (in Thora’s playthrough it’s Blackwall, but any companion besides Varric can be substituted).

While searching for them, he discovers the dreams of @theshirallen, a fellow captive held in the form of a wolf. The two end up falling in love, although due to their degrading dreams they are separated for several months prior to the Herald and Dorian’s reappearance.

When he finds the dreams of the other companion (again, excepting Varric who doesn’t dream) he devises a plan to escape, likely cloaked under the shadow of another outside assault on Redcliffe Castle. An escape attempt is eventually mounted, but thwarted by the Venatori. During this attempt he sustains injuries which never heal, his breathing is noticeably shallower throughout the journey through Redcliffe Castle.

At a certain point during his imprisonment Solas’ dreaming abilities are disrupted by the slow corruption of red lyrium. While he may still dream, they are clouded and perceiving anything becomes untenable.

His behaviour overall aligns with what we observe in games. He’s able to keep up with Dorian’s explanation of what happened better than other companions, having experience with the nebulous flow of time pre-Veil, that makes him an easy ally when it comes time to mount the charge against Alexius. His actions are overall more defined by regret, although he conceals what he can he is more sorrowful than the game is able to demonstrate prior to his final stand.

While exploring the hallway where Leliana is kept, the sound of a wolf causes Solas to prompt the party to search a nearby room containing a caged red wolf. He undoes the restraints binding the imprisoned wolf and sustains a bite for his troubles, but if allowed it earns the Herald an additional party member in form of Ian. The two are evidently involved in some capacity, given the circumstances of their meeting the nature of their relationship is ill-defined even for them.

For Thora this has an early affect on her perception of Solas, in her own words she sees how willing he is to bleed for the people he loves and the depths of his affections become obvious. And so this revelation may also affect how other Heralds and Dorian perceive my Solas. When Ian is recruited (in a universe where they have yet to meet) it will also obviously change the perception of their relationship, especially as it starts out slightly hostile.

Ian is a healer outside of this quest, but red lyrium stole the ability from him, so Solas carries the injury to his arm to his death.

Despite having a somewhat detached perspective when first rescued, it does become obvious that Solas is dreading dying, and through he does call attention to the likelihood that he was acquainted with the demons of Corypheus’ army before their corruption. The demon that eventually kills him was undoubtedly a friend, once.

This doesn’t have much to do with any headcanons about the unfolding of the quest, but I need to note that this future does not have anything in common with the future Solas wanted had he received the Anchor. I’ve seen people say that him wanting to go through with his plan having seen the future doesn’t make sense, somehow missing the fact that Solas was actively working to avert the future we see by helping the Inquisition close the Breach. The slow opening of the Breach and the rifts opening across the land weren’t what Solas had in mind, although it was going to be destructive in its own way.

Solas will confront Heralds who conscript the mages, especially if they promised that he would be safe among the Inquisition. Depending on their answer they might lock out his friendship even if they receive his personal quest.

He is unsure whether to believe what the Herald saw, at this point he does not trust Dorian nor does he entirely trust the Herald’s own perception even if they are beginning to become friends. If the Herald expresses some question about what they saw rather than believing it blindly. Over time he does come to accept that it did happen, as the Fade near Redcliffe is permanently changed from the experience, although he doesn’t experience the memories of his time there.

Solas doesn’t appear as he does prior to the one year timeskip. Red lyrium aside, he hasn’t had much in the way of baths or grooming in a year’s time. At this point he has a few inches of hair and his clothes are ragged and torn, and he has several new scars. The most noticeable would be scars on his throat from his own nails.

[sneakyneighboururchin]

Genuinely asking here bc maybe I've missed/forgotten some stuff but... when homo- and transphobic stuff is said in DA, it's addressed in game as being bad, isn't it? Like Dorian's first personal quest is about his dad acknowleding his homophobia and apologizing to Dorian. And with Krem, Krem and Bull both correct the Inquisitor pretty sternly if you misgender him, and Bull explains how gender identity is respected under the Qun. Not trying to fight you on this, nor do I think DA is by any means perfect, I just don't recall seeing homophobia or transphobia that isn't quickly shut down by the player or other characters. Don't feel pressured to answer tho, I know it's not your job to pull receipts for every shitty thing in a video game lol

Well first off thanks for being so polite and nice in this message, I appreciate it. I'm gonna try and cover the stuff that I've seen myself and have had pointed out to me by other people but keep in mind that I'm not trans, most of what I'll say here on the transphobia issue is me parroting other trans fans who've said this sort of thing before. I am gay though, so I guess we're clear on that front. It's also been a while since i played any of the games so if i get stuff wrong, I'm sorry. This is gonna be long so sorry for that in advance.

So homophobia and transphobia in our world. Why is it a thing? A combination of humanity hating and fearing what it doesn't understand (which Dragon Age also has) and religion, specifically in my experience Christianity (which Dragon Age does not have). Yes the Chantry and Andrastianism is heavily based off of Christianity and Catholicism but it doesn't have any of the bullshit about sexuality and gender that Christianity does. Neither in it's holy texts or it's teachings. The in universe writing about sexuality, a codex by Brother Genitivi, is also kinda homophobic and doesn't explain why this is a thing in Thedas at all. Queer relations and relationships are aparently viewed by most of Southern Thedas as 'peculiar' but no explanation is given as to why. Now I'm gonna go into specific instances. 

First off, let's look at some of the stuff you've mentioned. Dorian and his dad. Yeah that whole situation hit me pretty close to home as a queer person who's pretty much accepted at this point that my dad will never accept who I am and my mother died still not having accepted me. What Halward did is definitely portrayed as a bad thing, that is correct. The narrative kind of subtly pushing the reconciliation being the good option is a bit iffy. What Halward tried to do to Dorian is straight up abuse and I really don't like plotlines that push making nice with the abuser and forgiving them as a good resolution. This is kind of more personal feelings than straight from the script fact but I wanted to say it anyway. 

Second issue: Krem's treatment. So many trans people have talked about this before me, if you want some more in depth analysis of this you should go check out some of their stuff, it won't be hard to find. The basics though: Krem is voiced by a cis woman. This immediately sets a shitty precedent on the side of the devs lending proof to the theory that they don't care about uplifting trans people, just making money off them. Krem should have been voiced by a trans actor. In the actual conversation with Iron Bull you get the opportunity to be extremely transphobic. And if you do this you get told off, and that's kind of it. The fact that your character even has the option to do that is a) gross from an out of character writing perspective, and b) makes no sense in character. Why would your character have these views? There is no in lore reason for any of the potential groups your character comes from to be transphobic. Also, and this is just my opinion, but if you're transphobic to Krem (even though it makes no sense in universe) the Iron Bull's reaction shouldn't be a bit of disapproval, he should send you through the fucking wall. Seems more in character. Also, gender roles under the Qun also have a lot of potential to be transphobic, they are by no means an improvement on ours imo. Under the Qun your gender is essentially decided by your role. So if you're a fighter you're male. If you care for children you're female. Not only is that pretty hella sexist and reliant on our dumb ideas of gender roles (that again aren't supposed to be a thing in Thedas) it also has potential to be hell for trans people. Yes it would work for someone like Krem, but for someone who was AMAB and good at fighting but they were a woman? Being shoved into male gender roles and treated as a man would not be good. If the writer's intent was to create a society with an entirely different concept of and approach to gender they've done it wrong because of how much of it is reliant on the audience's perception of gender which (going by general gaming demographics) is pretty cis and het normative. 

Now I'm gonna talk about the transphobia that doesn't get challenged. Sera makes a couple transphobic comments throughout the game I believe, the one I can remember in detail is in the Winter Palace when she says someone presenting a certain way isn't actually that. And without any further context the only way the audience can really interpret that is that the writers decided to take a cheap shot at someone cross dressing in a bad attempt at comedy. 

Sera's writing in general is super homophobic because she was written by a homophobe. I'm not gonna go into all of that in this cos this is already too long and I could write essays about it. Other people already have! But basically, she's the only out and out lesbian romance we have in the series, and her writing in that respect is really not good. 

So how about the other games? Well. In origins you can hire sex workers at a brothel. The 'special' on offer is a very masc presenting dwarf in a poorly fitting dress. This was a very transphobic attempt at humour. Zevran, much as I love him dearly, is a walking bisexual stereotype, made worse by feeding into the 'sexy Latine' stereotype on top of that, which isn't an in universe problem so much as it is proof that the writers are guilty of prejudices whether they know it or not. I suspect there's more instances in origins but I can't remember right now. 

In Dragon Age 2 Seneschal Bran has a relationship of some kind with a sex worker named Serendipity, a feminine presenting elf with a very deep voice. This is played as something that Bran should be ashamed of. At least I think so, it could be that he's ashamed of having a relationship with a sex worker. Not that far fetched considering Aveline's weaponisation of the word 'whore' against Isabela. But this is also something that doesn't make sense honestly. Why is sex work taboo in thedas? Christianity isn't around to make it so and Andrastianism doesn't have purity culture going except for their clergy ( which also is never explained why and makes no sense.) Additionally, Uncle Gamlen is super homophobic. Why? There is no reason culturally or religiously for him to be that way? Yes he's an asshole but why is he an asshole in that manner? And you don't even get to challenge him on it! It's passive dialogue that you trigger when walking into his house and you don't immediately get the option to fucking fight him about it? Why put it in then?! 

A good amount of this is off topic from the actual question so sorry about that but TLDR there's a lot of in universe homophobia and transphobia, most of it is not handled well in or out of universe. I do believe that they're trying to do better in this respect, inquisition was a step up from previous games it just wasn't enough of one. 

If you want more stuff like this go check out @dalishious cos they have a ton of very good meta on subjects related to this.

[raeynbowboi]

How to Play as Joker in DnD 5e

I recently bought Persona 5 and just finished the first mind palace and my god is this game a metric fuck ton of awesome, colorful, and stylish. So, while i haven’t finished the game, I’m excited to figure out his DnD build. Normally, because Joker has a canon Persona, I would use Arsene to determine Joker’s magical abilities. But Arsene stops learning new abilities at a pitiful level 7. So, for everything else, we’ll have to look at his confidant abilities and try to make whatever connections that we can.

The Rebellious Spirit Within

Whether you address your dirty crime boy as Ren Amamiya or Akira Kusuru, it’s evident that he’s a human. However, not even other humans can do what Joker can do. So, he could absolutely be considered a Variant Human. As a Variant Human, we’ll pick up Dexterity and Charisma, along with Persuasion proficiency so you can convince your enemies to join your rag-tag group of plucky teen felons. So, what might you consider for his bonus feat as a Variant Human? Top picks would include: Dungeon Delver so you can run through mind palaces, avoid traps, and be a perceptive thief. Skulker so that you can hide in partial darkness and make ranged attacks without giving away your location. Lucky to give yourself some good old fashioned anime protagonist plot armor. Mobile so that you can outrun security and the consequences of your actions. Magic Initiate so that you can be even more of a thief by stealing from other spell lists. Inspiring Leader so that you can yell at your friends to git gud. Prodigy so you can become even more of a specialized skill monkey. And Skilled so that you can horde all the talent for yourself.

You fragrantly break the law and play the role as a Phantom Thief to take down corrupt authority figures. You are the definition of Chaotic Good.

Joker’s role as a thief of corrupt hearts lends itself to a few Background options. Urban Bounty Hunter fulfills the idea of Joker having a target that he hunts down. Criminal is an option if you want to lean into the Thief angle, plus the framing device of the story has Joker telling the story during a police interrogation, so clearly Criminal isn’t that far off the mark. Charlatan is a loose fit as it’s more of a con artist, but the Secret Identity feature works well as Joker is a second identity. The secret identity also appears for the Dimir Operative from the Guilds of Ravnica book, though while it is on DnDBeyond, that doesn’t guarantee that every DM will allow it, especially since this Background has built-in spells. The Urchin Background loosely fits as Joker’s family has given up on him and sent him off to be raised by someone who is an utter stranger, and finding your way around Shibuya and the mind palaces is kind of important. The Faceless background lets you throw your old life away and begin anew as someone else, and the Faction Agent makes you part of a secret society, such as the Phantom Thieves.

Arsene the Fool Arcana

Arsene, like all primary personas, first appears in a flash of blue flames. His only two damaging spells include Eiha which is a little bolt of dark flames that deals Curse damage, and Dream Needle, which deals psychic damage and has a chance of putting enemies to sleep. Arsene is seen with chains but doesn’t use them, and in Smash, having Arsene changes Joker’s up special from a grabbling hook to being launched by Arsene’s wings, which could allow Joker to learn Fly. Beyond that, everything else depends on Confidant abilities and the general magical damage types found in the game. 

Personas can deal Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Psychic, Nuclear, Bless, & Curse damage. Nuclear, Bless, and Curse are a little less clear, but I’d translate those to being Poison, Radiant, and Necrotic spells.

Collecting Your Jar of Hearts

BARD    Whispers: While Joker is not inherently a creative person, the bard’s ability to steal from other spell lists could be re-skinned as part of Joker’s interchangeable Personas. Whisper Bards also deal damage with psychic blades, which is fitting because all of Joker’s thievery is more metaphorical, and all the fighting happens in the minds and hearts of corrupted people. So, his blades dealing Psychic damage is rather fitting since he’s literally fighting the demons in people’s minds and hearts. Also, the Bard’s Jack of All Trades would do well to make you a Wunderkind that’s kind of great at everything. FIGHTER    Battle Master: While the Aid Spell is one of many that can do well for teamwork, there are some Maneuvers that actually focus on rallying allies to attack a single target or get into a formation, which is fitting for Joker as it’s often him who instigates the team’s ability to pull off an all-out attack. RANGER    Gloom Stalker: Change a crossbow into Joker’s toy guns that shoot placebo bullets, and take advantage of this subclass' ambush ability and you’re going to do really well copying Joker’s ability to ambush shadows in the game. Ranger also comes with a new feature option called Canny that lets you get another extra proficiency you don’t already have and turn it into an expertise. ROGUE    Assassin: Along with Gloom Stalker, these two subclasses combined will make ambushes way more effective when dealing with enemy shadows.    Inquisitive: You’re better at figuring out enemy weaknesses and then exploiting them. Provides a nice boost to Sneak Attack damage at higher levels.    Mastermind: This lets you Help an ally as a bonus action, and tells you when an enemy is too strong for you to fight.    Soul Knife:  Technically, you’re more of a thief in a metaphorical sense. You’re attacking people’s minds and hearts, so this subclass who is more focused on attacking people’s minds goes right along with that.    Thief: They’re called the Phantom THIEVES. It had to at least be considered. WARLOCK    Archfey: Since Demons are a specific kind of Persona, Archfey feels the most all-encompassing for this otherworldly pact. Whether you work it as the pact made with Igor or with Arsene himself, it’s obvious that Warlock had to be part of it, as the Phantom Thieves literally say that they make a pact with their Persona. It’s practically spelled out that Phantom Thieves are warlocks.

Stats and Proficiencies

You wouldn’t be a very good thief without a maxed out Dexterity. You’ll also need Charisma so you can manifest your feelings for magic and a decent Wisdom score so you can multi-class as a Ranger to optimize the use of your gun. Constitution will keep you from dying, Strength should be at least neutral, but if it gets left behind, pick up a proficiency with Athletics and it’ll be fine since you swing with Dexterity anyway. Even though Intelligence is a stat in Persona 5, it won’t really help you much here. So, it’s the dump stat for this build. You’re just a debonair ignorant pretty boy.

Acrobatics Athletics Insight Investigation Perception Persuasion Stealth Sleight of Hand

Name: Joker (Ren Amamiya or Akira Kusuru) Race: Variant Human Background: Urban Bounty Hunter Alignment: Chaotic Good Class: Assassin Rogue (8)             Archfey Warlock (4)             Gloomstalker Ranger (4)             Battle Master Fighter (4) Base Stats: Strength: 8 (-1) Dexterity: 20 (+5) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 8 (-1) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 18 (+4) Saving Throws: Strength: -1 Dexterity: +11 Constitution: +2 Intelligence:+5 Wisdom: +2 Charisma: +4 Combat Stats: HP: 151 AC: 16 Speed: 30 Initiative: +7 Proficiency Bonus: +6 Passive Perception: 24 Dark Vision: 60 feet Proficiencies and Expertise:    Acrobatics (Rogue)    Athletics (Ranger: Canny Feature)    Deception (Rogue)    Insight (Urban Bounty Hunter)    Investigation (Ranger)    Perception (Rogue)    Persuasion (Variant Human)    Sleight of Hand (Rogue)    Stealth (Urban Bounty Hunter) Skills: Acrobatics: +17                   Medicine: +2 Animal Handling: +2            Nature: -1 Arcana: -1                            Perception: +14 Athletics: +11                       Performance: +4 Deception: +4                      Persuasion: +10 History: -1                            Religion: -1 Insight: +8                           Sleight of Hand: +11 Intimidation: +4                   Stealth: +17 Investigation:+11                 Survival: +2

Spell Slots

1st (3) 2nd (2)

Joker’s Spellbook

Cantrips                          1st Level                          2ndLevel             Eldritch Blast                   Cure Wounds                 Phantasmal Force   Friends                            Detect Magic                  Shadow Blade   Mind Sliver                      Disguise Self                                           Expeditious Retreat                                           Hex                                           Hunter’s Mark                                           Sleep

Actions:

Action Surge: Take an extra action once per rest. Primeval Awareness: Spend X spell slot, find creature types within 1 mile for X minutes.

Bonus Actions:

Cunning Action: Aim, Dash, Disengage, or Hide once per turn. Second Wind: Regain 1d10 + 4 HP once per rest.

Reactions:

Uncanny Dodge: Reduce damage from enemies you can see that hit you.

Features:

Assassinate: You have advantage on slower foes, all hits are critical. Battle Maneuvers:  Commander’s Strike: Pass your turn to a friendly creature, add superiority die.  Maneuvering Attack: If you hit, an ally can move without provoking an attack.  Rally: Heal an ally by a superiority die + 4. Dread Ambusher: Make an extra attack on the first round, +1d8 damage on hit. Dungeon Delver: Add 2x your CON mod to healing, advantage on perception and investigation to find hidden doorways, advantage on saving throws against traps, resist trap damage, and search for traps at a walking pace. Ear To the Ground: You have a covert network of intelligence. Eldritch Invocations:  Agonizing Blast: +4 to Eldritch Blast damage.  Improved Pact Weapon: Your pact weapon deals +1 melee damage. Evasion: Take 0 damage on a successful DEX saving throw. Favored Enemy: Deal +2 damage to Fey, advantage on tracking Fey creatures. Fey Presence: Creatures within 10 ft are charmed or frightened for 1 turn. Fighting Style:     Archery: +2 on attack rolls with ranged weapons.     Dueling: +2 on damage rolls with one handed melee weapons. Natural Explorer:    Preferred Terrain: Underdark: Advantages in Underdark environments. Pact Boon:    Pact of the Blade: Summon a Pact Weapon. Sneak Attack: Deal 4d6 extra damage when advantaged. Thieves’ Cant: Conceal and decipher hidden meaning in casual conversation Umbral Sight: 60 feet Darkvision and hidden from creatures with Dark Vision.

This build was a ton of fun to make. How do you feel I did building Joker? Would you build him differently? Who’s your favorite Persona? And are you as upset as I am that you can’t date Ryuji? As always, I take requests, so send me your requests and I might just build yours next.

[tammyhybrid21]

Hybrid Screaming about Rats for an HOUR

(Ft. Bonus dog symbolism as well)

I mean, this is going to be about Mummy and Tad(and Jeff). Buuut I am honestly taking it as an excuse to scream about rats. And their symbolism.

I'll also probably have an aside about Jeff as well, but honestly... Since @shields-and-depthgauges-oh-my​ done her wonderful art-- And I am not over how happy Mummy is to see rats, among other little details. Let's get to analysing!

Sooooo--

First off, I'm going to talk about rats. Because here's the thing. I have fancies. And this is my TOPIC to scream about. No but seriously, back when I was writing WHMS/Winds Howl, Mountains Stand, I gathered an honestly ridiculous amount of symbolism and research for ratties. Which has ultimately kind of being left to the wayside, aside a small mention/use for my old Danny Phantom OC's revival.

Which yeah...

We're not here to talk about Snitch though. As much as I do want to talk about them, the only thing they're relevant for right now is "why rats?" Which-- is only turgently connected to this. Because let me talk about the symbolism and how that impacts how I feel about rats, along with why I think that they're telling in terms of how each character reacted to them when first seeing them in the movie. Beyond the obvious of that one comic's view on things-- how you treat the lowest but--

Which, I actually have some things to say about how Tad's less grossed out than one might think and his reaction is more to Tiffany's... but now is NOT the place.

Meanwhile Mummy's reaction-- yeah. "What's wrong with them anyway?". This is something that maybe would be better expanded on later, but-- that's the common associations at play. I'm sure if I just put down the word-- Rat a million negative things would race through your head.

Dirty, diseased, traitor, thief, liar, coward, spineless, bringer of death, disarray, destructive, vermin, pest, opportunistic-- etc.

BUT

Again, I own fancies. And I'm not alone in owning fancy rats. And if there is one truth I know that's probably universal. A rat's home is only as dirty as you let it be. And for a few of those prior descriptors-- they actually couldn't be further from the truth. Sure some are still certainly true-- but those are also not their problem as much as it's the issue of the world around and what it's given.

Rats are--

Some of the greatest little pets I've owned.

They are loving, curious, inquisitive, creative, almost too creative when you're trying to keep them out of something and they keep getting around your obstacles. Loyal-- rats do not abandon those who're family. They come back--

Rats are fertile, and considering their hoarding behaviour-- well, they stock up, they prepare, they can be symbols of wealth, ambition, expansion, intelligence and resourcefulness. The underground world(which how relevant is that one to Mummy)  And yeah-- but then they have some-- rather surprising symbolism that I just... wish I could find the old sites I got this all from. But most of them seem to have vanished into the nether...

But you know one of the big ones I have on my list that I just-- wish I could source back.

Divine Retribution

Which, probably has something to do with the Black Death/Plague-- but I don't know really. Still!

Rats-- NOW--

How does this all relate to Mummy and why did I want to mention that reaction? Circling back a little bit late but-- Misunderstandings.

And how that relates a bit to Autism, being on the spectrum, what we are-- how Mummy presents himself verses what his truth really is... Weeeell-- Rats actually have a lot of symbolism that I personally think is telling when we match Mummy up with them. Like-- he shows a lot of the same things that rats are associated with in terms of creativity, intelligence(although not in the same way that most people recognize, but the dead tongues, languages) And just generally-- there's a lot.

Like, I would also again, like to think about the loyalty Mummy shows and how he is. And there's something in the Sacrifice scene I'd love to grumble about here regarding that, and ever Tiffany there-- with how it looks like they've come closer in the interim-- not just Tad staying and I just--

But that's neither here nor there, because there's another main thing.

Secrets, Underground World, Stealth

Mummy. Also something about hiding in plain sight. I mean-- how often do you even get a glimpse-- of rats even when you know they're there. Or have an idea of it.

I mean, barring a few places... which as an aside, I want to talk back again to another rat role and place that I think we here in the West-English Countries don't appreciate or understand the MAGIC of quite enough-- India's Karni Mata Rat Temple.

Rats are reincarnations. They're part of that, life, death, rebirth. Rats have their own sacredness. And considering in movie 2 we see them as I guess-- guardians in a way of a temple-- well yeah. But all of this stuff is more of an aside really to the main point and reason I am just-- delighted that rats are Mummy's implied favourites. Because yeah-- they're very misunderstood creatures that live such a short time BUT--

Yeah-- impact and there is a lot of symbolism he shares with them when you bother to look at ALL of it and not just full stop at the dirty side of things. Rats are secret keepers and just-- good beans. Also survival.

NOW--

Let's talk another side of things. In terms of all the animal companions for a moment, but more specifically I want to talk a little bit about how Tad and Mummy look to relate to animals verses humans.

Which-- I know personally-- with my Autism-- yeah, animals are much, much easier to deal with than humans in MANY ways. You don't have to try and work out what someone means when they say something, or any of the other puzzles. It's all really straight forwards. And no need to mask yourself at all. Something I'm sure both Tad and Mummy can appreciate--

Even if it does appear that Mummy is an extrovert, I mean, look how eager he is to get out, interact with people. Which that verses masking-- wouldn't blame him for befriending rats in that case since they always come in a group. Large clans/families-- which yeah-- Ratatouille got that RIGHT.

Meanwhile we have... Tad who's... rather more complicated, but at the same time not and really gets me screaming at him-- because he needs to TRAIN THAT DOG!

LIKE HOW EXPENSIVE?!

I have-- a whole other rant on Jeff's poor to none training level. But-- it can actually be summed up in how Tad is with him in general. Which is... in terms of the psychology in his relationship with Jeff. Because listen here. I had dogs. I've had dogs, chickens, my rats. Befriended cats but never gotten the full honor of owning one.

But--

I actually have some things to say about this-- and it's almost a guilty admission really but... When it comes to dogs and training, I can almost kind of get it. Jeff's lack of training is probably twofold.

1) It's damn hard to train dogs when you can barely train yourself. And 2) it's got to do with how Tad seems to be with Jeff, seeing him as part of the family and as someone who gets him. Which as an oxymoron is a bit about respect--

Although, that's... well, also something to do with Autism and projecting and I should probably make a whole proper rant about that in its own time, along with the FULL "Train yer dog" rant. Which yeah... Sooo instead I'll tie this off with our favourite doggy symbolism and talk about that-- re Tadeo himself.

Let's be obvious here-- Dogs are-- very often associated with dumb loyalty. Loyal but stupid. I mean, at least in American media-- which... not entirely wrong sometimes. Dogs are incredibly loyal. But stupid-- NAH--

Dogs are not as stupid as people see to like to portray them as. It's usually the people around them who're stupid and not paying attention or really working with the dog. Which-- I want to talk a little about Tad in regards to that, but it's kind of hard, since I am... not quite as enthused about it as with the rat rant and Mummy.

BUT--

Protection is the key theme here. His promise-- which leads to his assistance, loyalty resourcefulness... but for all the traits that Tad does have-- I feel like arguably his dog relations are in those lessons he has yet to learn from our favourite "man's best friend"

Communication, obedience, community. Stuff that Tad could arguably improve in. Also I do feel like, there's also some of his big heartedness and the empathy that could be improved, but that's less a lack of as much as he's kind of pushing that down-- and well-- a whole other issue.

Which--

Almost circles back to the mess of Jeff's lack of training.

Which-- dogs are boundless and seek things to keep them occupied. And they also seek leadership, which-- interestingly there's how I watch and view Tad-- and his relationships and he's very much a lost puppy when you look at how he follows around Sara-- which I have deeper analysis on that but--

Tad's... not really a leader as much as he tries to fashion himself as one and play the Hero.

AS A QUICK ASIDE--

While I'm on dogs, I just want to quickly give a shout out to Freddy for making me think he really hits their high points in the small meaningful moments and hints to more beyond just "comic relief" ALSO, Shout out in general to these movies for allowing the "comic" to have their moments where you can glimpse more beyond just that.

Loyalty, protection, communication, sensory perception, assistance, resourcefulness--

In any case yeah!

BACK TO MY POINT--

...Animals are... much easier to relate to a lot of times in comparison to people... and we've repeatedly seen that Tadeo has issues with people. Which feels weird really when he's the protagonist. And while Mummy definitely speaks as an Extrovert.

Like-- He's so eager to get out and be himself--

Tad is... a lot more complicated. Like, I am really, really this close to going back into my usual MBTI analysis rant for him, but-- Tad very much doesn't seem to actively ever really go out and talk to people outside their circle unless necessary. Which heeeey--

Again... Dogs are there to help you with communication, talking to people. Which makes me wonder about the pets and movie 3--

Which-- aside possibly nods to some of the deeper lore with Anubis. Which, let's not forget that he(they?!), also tended to the scales where Ammut is but--

DOGS are all about communication. Which is Tad's BIG issue. And it's not just in regards to how I point out the potential of him just taking the promise seriously and not communicating that. But-- Tad's... not good at communicating clearly with anyone. And we're not just talking in terms of people communication, bad listening and not trusting what people say--

And let's be real, still has a bit of lying issues-- but well... who in the modern world doesn't--

BUT

More, I want to return to Jeff and think about how generally one of the rules in Dogs, canine behaviour issues is... Dogs naturally want to have a pecking order/leadership to follow. And if there isn't a clear one they dictate that they are thus the leader.

Which indicates that Tadeo-- isn't really communicating clearly with Jeff and proving himself a leader... Which heeeey-- kind of hope this becomes more of an issue in movie 3, I really, really want something that forces him to come to terms with at least some of his issues.

COMMUNICATE DAMNIT, TRUST YOUR COMPANIONS.

Mummy, Sara, reign in Jeff and see that he needs you to be steady just as much as you seem to need him. And Tad does need Jeff.

FUNNILY ENOUGH

There are three characters who've proven they can gain some of Jeff's "oh leader" vibes.

Belzoni-- who seems to be able to rally, or at least lead him around a bit, and is looked to by Jeff here-- like Jeff sticks by them...

WHERE JEFF IS ON THE TRAIN FEELS TELLING AS WELL.

Like really?! Why is he not by Tad? But instead, he's following Freddy around on the train. And, minutely following scenes, still following and looking to him a bit. Which interesting.

And most interestingly, from the Facebook shorts, teasers... I'd say for this, it's a walk that's starting "strong". Which indicates that Mummy is also slowly gaining ground with Jeff and communicating in terms of leadership(and no wonder, with his experience).

NOT THAT IT SURVIVED THE WHOLE WALK BUT--

Yeah.

Please let movie 3 have Tad coming to confront this. Please. USE THE SYMBOLS YOU HAVE!

[sigynpenniman]

Saving the Targ - A Lighthearted Little DS9 Adventure

Julian, Miles, and Garak combine their skills to repair one of Molly’s stuffed animals. Sweetness ensues.

what if, I wondered at 2 am, Garak, Julian, and Miles had to team up to repair one of Molly’s toys? And so, here we are.

A little over 2,000 words. Fluff/slice of life. Hints of Garashir? Also seeking to solve the UNFORGIVABLE fact that Molly and Julian never actually interact on the show. They’d have to be close, right?

“Daddy? Can you fix him?”

Chief Engineer Miles O’Brien looked up from his work to see his young daughter standing before him, holding a stuffed animal. No - it was what looked to be 2 identical stuffed animals.

“Oh, honey! What happened to him?”

Molly handed the stuffed items to her father. It was now obvious that she held not 2 identical stuffed animals, but a stuffed targ, and his right front leg, which was now a completely separate object.

“His leg came off!”

Miles O’Brien may have been an expert engineer, but he was not a seamstress. He was, in fact, fairly sure he had never picked up a needle and thread in his life. He was also a man who was physically incapable of disappointing his daughter. So against his better judgment, he took the injured toy from her with a dutifully serious expression.

“Oh no! Yes, of course daddy can fix it. Why don’t you go play with your other toys, and I’ll bring him back to you good as new in a little while.”

Molly leaned over and gave the stuffed toy a kiss and pat.

“See, I told you daddy would make you better.” She said to it, and ran off. Miles was sure he felt part of his heart breaking. If he didn’t have to fix this before, he absolutely did now. Where, on a space station, was he going to find someone who knew how to sew?

Right.

Miles scooped up the damaged targ and headed for the door.

“Miles!”

Keiko’s voice rang out from behind him. Miles turned to his wife.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“I’ve got to see a Cardassian about a targ.”

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“GARAK!”

Garak wondered if Miles knew how to say his name without sounding angry.

“And what can I do for you, Chief?”

Miles heard his own voice in a moment of self clarity and softened his tone.

“I need your help,” he said, much more kindly, producing the injured targ.

“Molly brought me this today. She was heartbroken over it. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a seamstress. I promised her that I could fix him but it’s not even something I can begin to do. I’ll give you whatever you want. You want plans for the power conduits on this entire station? I can get them. But only if you can fix the targ.”

Garak took the stuffed toy and studied it carefully, turning it over in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Chief.” He began. “Those plans do sound ever so tempting. But this is…a little out of my skillset. Altering clothes and attaching legs are two very different things. This is a very different kind of sewing. Sewing on something like this requires different skills. Fabric, you can see both sides of. This thing has…” Garak held up the targ’s leg demonstratively. “...thickness.”

Mile’s face fell. He could see Molly’s precious little face in his mind, a single tear running down her cheek. The image was unbearable.

“If you can’t help me I have no idea what I’m going to do. She was crushed. That targ was her favorite toy in the world.”

Garak smiled, mischief apparent in every inch of his face. He handed the injured toy back to Miles.

“Attaching legs isn’t really a tailor’s job, is it? For that kind of work, you’d need, at the very least, curved needles. Though…” Garak paused for effect. “They’re more often known as surgeon’s needles.”

Miles’ face betrayed a complete self disappointment in not having thought of it before.

“Julian!”

“Julian indeed. I do believe the dear doctor may be of more assistance to you than I ever could be. I think he has far more skill re-attaching legs than I do.” Garak thought, for a moment, about Kukalaka, sitting on a shelf in Julian’s quarters. He wanted to mention the bear, to provide the chief some hint of reassurance. Miles looked utterly panicked about the state of the small stuffed animal, and there was nothing Garak wanted more than to promise him that Julian was more than skilled at putting stuffed animals back together. Unfortunately, that meant concocting a way to mention this without inviting questions as to how he had any idea of anything that was in Julian’s quarters. That wasn’t a conversation he was in the mood to have – not with the Chief, and certainly not right now.

“In fact, I seem to remember the doctor mentioning once that his very first patient when he was a child was a stuffed bear. I’d wager our dear doctor has attached plenty of stuffed legs in his time.”

“I owe you one.”

Miles collected the injured toy and headed out of the shop in the general direction of his friend’s infirmary. He almost jumped when he felt a presence behind him and realized Garak was a half step behind.

“Did you need something else?” he asked, annoyance beginning to rise in his voice again. The tailor may have just been a help to him but no amount of gratitude was enough to change that his patience for Garak was always a little…thin.

“Forgive me, Chief. I always was a bit sentimental at heart. Observing the Doctor performing surgery on a stuffed animal is a sight I simply cannot pass up.”

Miles barely contained the urge to roll his eyes. He quietly rolled his soul instead. He couldn’t very well tell the tailor to go away, no matter how much of a frustration he sometimes was.

The two men stepped into the infirmary. Julian Bashir was leaning over a computer console, a trademark look of confusion on his face.

“Julian!”

Julian looked up from his work.

“Miles! …Garak?”

“In the flesh, doctor.”

Julian took an inquisitive step towards his visitors.

“I’m tempted to ask what the two of you are doing together, but I have a feeling I am about to get that question answered.” He said, amused.

“We have a patient for you, doctor.”

Julian looked the two men up and down. Neither looked injured, and he saw no sign of anyone else accompanying them. Miles presented the targ.

“Is this my patient?” Julian asked, taking the stuffed animal from his friend’s hands.

“I know it’s a bit…unorthodox. Molly accidentally tore the targ this morning and she was completely inconsolable. You know I can’t even begin to sew. I brought it to Garak for help, but he made the point that reattaching legs was more your speed than his.”

“And to be honest, doctor, I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch you in action.” Garak added.

Julian could not contain his smile.

“This has got to be the easiest patient I’ve had in months. Of course, Chief. I’ll be happy to help. I’ll need some time to perform the repairs, though. It’s been a long time since I picked up a needle and thread.”

“Take all the time you need.” Miles nodded. “I’ll be back for him later. I’ll warn you now, I’ll probably have Molly in tow.”

“Noted. I promise to present you with a 4-legged targ.”

Miles stepped away to return to his duties. Garak took a step forwards and studied the stuffed animal in Julian’s hands.

“Can you really fix that targ, or do you plan to employ a little…replicator magic? Neither Miles nor his daughter would be any the wiser.”

“Of course I intend to fix him!”

“May I ask why? You could scan that...thing with the replicator and have this problem solved in a few seconds with a few lines of code.”

Julian placed the targ on one of the examination tables and pawed through a drawer in search of a needle and thread.

“Because, Garak…it’s a little more complicated than that.” Julian tied a series of knots in the thread and began carefully attaching the stuffed animal’s leg. He continued to speak, or maybe ramble, as he focused on his sewing.

“Healing badly injured people is about speed and effectiveness. What’s the most effective treatment I can provide, the fastest, while causing the least pain. But that’s not all that medicine is. There’s a bit of theatre in it. With people who are only a slightly ill or injured, it’s as big of a part of my job to provide comfort and reassurance as it is to actually provide physical care. It’s not just about making people better, but about making those people feel safe, and building their confidence in you. It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes the fastest, most modern therapies do not seem like enough to the patient. They want something tactile, something they can see and feel.”

Garak listened intently.

“Sure, I can heal a cut arm with a dermal regenerator. And a Vulcan might find that a perfect solution. But some humans would really like a bandage, too. Even if there’s no need for one, it seems to pick up morale a bit to give people a little something to hold on to that helps them to feel cared for, even if it’s completely unnecessary to the actual treatment. This is especially true of children. I have never met a child whose problems were not almost completely solved by a pink band-aid. It doesn’t matter what other treatment I can provide: It’s not the actual healing that helps, it’s the perception of it.”

“And let me assure you, there’s nothing that’s more medical theatre than sewing up a stuffed animal. It’s the only reason to involve a doctor at all. You’re completely right that this issue could be fixed with a few lines of code in a replicator, or just as easily by a sewist who had experience making stuffed animals. Handing a stuffed animal to a doctor is really just a request for reassurance. So honestly, I have no business fixing this toy with a replicator. That is not my job.”

Garak paused to consider all the doctor had said. A mischievous smile spread across his face.

“Well, my dear doctor. If this is all about the theatre, I have some suggestions.”

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Miles stepped into the infirmary, with his daughter in tow. Molly walked carefully next to her father. She was never quite sure how she felt about this place. Julian turned to the two of them and smiled.

“Just in time! He’s just out of surgery.”

Miles raised a confused eyebrow. Julian winked at him and knelt down to the nervous little girl standing next to her father.

“Hello Molly.” He said softly. “Would you like to see your targ?”

Molly wavered. She was never quite sure how she felt about Julian, either, but her father seemed to trust him, which was generally enough for her.

“…His name is Tim” she said finally, stepping out from behind her father’s leg and inching towards Julian.

“Well then – let’s go see Tim” Julian said with a smile, scooping up the hesitant little girl. Molly’s concern faded as soon as she was in Julian’s arms, and she wrapped her arms affectionately around his neck.

“What are you plotting?” Miles asked. Julian simply nodded to him.

“Come on. You can both see.”

Miles followed his friend into the operating theatre. There, much to the shock of both Miles and Molly, they found Garak, hovering over the operating table.

“Ah! Come to retrieve the patient, have we?”

Molly reacted unsurely to the Cardassian’s presence.

“It’s alright.” Julian reassured her. “He was a big help in healing Tim. Who, by the way, is right as rain.”

Molly looked down on the operating table. Miles saw her face light up with amusement, and stepped forwards. He couldn’t help breaking out into a grin. The injured targ was placed gently in the middle of the operating table, a blanket pulled over it. There was an IV attached to one of its small legs, and a delta wave inducer carefully balanced on its forehead. Julian sat Molly on the edge of the operating table and removed the inducer from Tim’s forehead.

“You should be feeling much better now, little friend.” He said. He carefully detached the medical equipment from the targ. “He says he missed you” Julian added, and transferred him to Molly’s waiting arms. Molly grinned and hugged the stuffed animal. There were smiles all around the room.

“Thank you Daddy!” Molly exclaimed. She surveyed the other two men. “Thank you too, Uncle Julian.”

Julian ruffled her hair.  “Any time, sweetheart.” He said.

Molly turned behind her and looked at Garak. “Thank you, Mister Garak” she said, in her small, quiet voice. Garak, for all his carefully performed coldness, nearly melted on the spot.

“Of course, my dear.”

Molly hugged her targ and grinned. As far as she was concerned, she had no problems left in the world. She sat forwards a little and contemplated the distance to the floor, and quietly amended her list. She had one problem.

“…Uncle Julian?” she asked quietly.

“Yes?”

Molly looked down at the floor. “Help” she whispered. Julian laughed when he realized he had accidentally trapped the little girl on the table, and lifted her carefully to the floor. Molly paused to give her father’s leg a quick hug and took off out of the infirmary, targ in her arms. The whole room laughed.

“That was brilliant, Julian. The IVs? Thank you.” Miles said, turning to Julian.

Julian shook his head. “You’re very welcome, but you should know that a good part of that was Garak’s idea.”

Miles looked up at the Cardassian in shock.

“The good doctor was explaining the concept of medical theatre to me. I figured, why not take it all the way?” Garak answered the unspoken question.

“Well, whoever’s idea it all was, it was genius. She’ll be talking about this for days. Thank you both.”

“What are friends for, Chief?”

Miles smiled at both men. Friends, indeed.