#new hyperfixation alert? perhaps

[natjennie]

ookay fine yes maybe I saw a yonderland out of context video and watched the first episode what about it.

[masochist-marmot]

TMAGP Theory: Tria Prima

Spoiler alert/disclaimer: Written after The Magnus Protocol episode 34; also spoilers for The Magnus Archives

I don't know if this idea has been properly explored yet, but I have had a weeklong hyperfixation where I've delved into alchemy and tried to figure out the inner workings of TMAGP universe. This theory is half-boiled at best, and I apologise if I've misunderstood any of the basic concepts. It seems like even alchemists never fully agreed on them, so they're contradicting each other a lot. That being said, let's get into it.

Perspective Reset

First of all, I think we are collectively still too hung up on the Fears as entities or powers. It's very tempting to classify things with the same framework we're familiar with (and conditioned to), but I think it's preventing us from seeing the bigger picture. Prior to the end of TMA, it's possible that no entities ever even existed in this universe, but the incidents have been taking place for a long time. The creators have also explicitly said that they wanted to create a new rule set, and I doubt that they'd build it with the same blocks. Because of this, I set out to find a set of rules that has nothing to do with the fears.

Classical Elements (Very Briefly)

I will oversimplify this for my sanity and yours. We have the four classical elements: fire, air, water and earth. In the classical worldview, these make up everything on Earth. Each element has two corresponding properties, as you can see in the figure below (fire is hot and dry etc). The elements are in a constant process of circulating and flowing, breaking apart and coming together (sand into water, water into stone, stone into wood...), but fire and air are considered more active and volatile while water and earth are more passive and stable. The rest of the universe is filled with the fifth element, quintessence or aether. It is considered heavenly and perfect and completely unchangeable.

The Three Principles (Tria Prima)

Later alchemists made the addition of (first two and then) three principles that work on the elements and in conjunction with them. These principles were used to describe the alchemical process and its parts, but they also had more metaphysical implications. These are the foundation of my theory.

Salt 🜔: Aka. Corpus or The Body. Things that are solid and stable but also corruptible. The dust that's left behind after something is burned. Associated with earth, water and the property of coldness. In humans, associated with the physical body and therefore physical health. Salt is also associated with preservation and sometimes even rebirth. It's what's left behind after the alchemical stage of putrefication, and therefore what undergoes purification.

Mercury ��: Aka. Spiritus or The Mind. Things that are volatile and soluble. The alchemical solvent or the smoke that rises from a fire. Considered the perfect agent because it demonstrates properties of both a liquid and a solid. The principle of flowing freely between elements and perhaps even heaven and earth. Associated with air, water and the property of wetness. In humans, it's the mind, or the intellect, knowledge and rationality of a person. Some seem to consider it the universal, platonic idea of thought, as mercury wouldn't be restricted by an individual body.

Sulphur 🜍: Aka. Anima or The Soul. Things that combust, but also the principle of combustibility. The flame that manifests when something is burned. Associated with fire, air and the property of hotness. With fire and air being the most active elements, sulphur is also the catalyst for change. In humans, associated with the soul, or the consciousness that links the body to the mind. It's the emotions, ambitions and desires that animate the body.

Why have I given you the symbols? Because they're all there on the OIAR logo:

(I also circled aether because I thought I'd talk about it later but decided not to, so you're free to make your own conclusions)

I currently believe that these three principles are omnipresent in the Magnus Protocol universe. They're just part of the makeup of the universe, causing no one harm. At least, when they're in balance.

The Theory - It's All About Balance

There's been a lot of talk about balance by now.

"The institute, alchemy, all of it. "It’s all about balance. Dua prima, four elements, seven planets, it’s all the same. You’ve got to keep things balanced. And if something is missing, if someone is misplaced, the equation doesn’t balance… and that’s when things get bad…" (Celia, episode 30)

Here Celia mentions dua prima, which (as I alluded to before) is an earlier theory surrounding Sulphur and Mercury. Salt was proposed as the third principle in a later theory, but by now the tria prima seem to be more widely accepted.

"Not that anyone cares as long as it all balances, right? Not too much mercury or the world ends, not too much sulfur or we all go mad…" (Colin, episode 19)

Huh.

So, let me lay out the actual theory.

The principles usually strive for balance, because it's their natural state. However, sometimes the balance is skewed by human action or some other unexpected force. This imbalance can happen on an individual level or it can affect objects (which then become "cursed") or locations (which then become "poisoned"). In fact, the Magnus Institute calls such poisoned locations loci (singular "locus"). I also hypothesise that this is how the OIAR categorises their incidents (1. individuals - 2. locations - 3. objects).

When there is an imbalance, the affected person/area/object starts to display an unnatural amount or lack of one principle. For example, if there's an abundance of salt, we may see people or things slow down, become passive, even crystallise. Bodies preserved despite obvious corrosion, infections that putrefy and then purify flesh into a "perfect" form. The clearest example I can think of would be episode 3, where the character quite literally transmutes into a tree. Or episode 23 where a character inserts a piece of coral under her skin and begins to paralyse as it grows out of her. If you absolutely have to compare to TMA, I'd say a lot of Flesh, Corruption or Buried statements would fit under salt. It is associated with earth, water and literal bodies, after all.

Abundance in mercury would manifest as things getting a little weird, unstable and volatile, but in a subtle, flowy way. Changing architecture, people seeming odd, things dissolving into others, time or dimensions being unstable, perhaps the limits of a human psyche being broken. I'm thinking of the liminal spaces from episode 8 or the pier from episode 33. The fog is an especially fitting link, what with fog being a manifestation of air and water. I also think the entire Hill Top Centre has been affected. And now that I started, you could easily make connections to the Stranger, the Lonely, the Spiral and the Eye. Which brings an ironic twist to Colin's statement. Too much "mercury" already ended the world once.

Abundance of sulphur would bring out more abrupt changes, it would twist people's passions into unhealthy obsessions, drive people to anger and senseless bloodlust, give consciousness to the unconscious and animate the inanimate. In fact, in episode 19, the character says of Newton's dog: "such a creature must by all natural law lack that essential and ephemeral anima." Another case of an unexpectedly conscious thing would be Liverpool (episode 32), who is coincidentally also incredibly angry. I also think Ink5oul's tattoos have an element of sulphur, not only because their first stolen design (sun with a dot in the middle) evokes the alchemical symbol for sun. In TMA sulphur would probably be attributed to the Slaughter, the Hunt, the Desolation or the like.

I have noticed that a lot of TMAGP incidents involve an unhealthy desire, passion, obsession or (literal and metaphorical) hunger. It's also noticeable that the symbol for sulphur appears on the OIAR logo four times (once in each corner of the square representing the elements). I don't know if this is a stylistic choice or if it has deeper implications. But it's there. And as Colin implies, it could be bad.

The beautiful part about this framework is that it doesn't set any clear limits between the categories, because the balance can be disrupted in many ways. Lack of salt means abundance of sulphur and mercury, and their distribution may also vary greatly. I also don't know if the OIAR ranks their incidents in these terms. They probably have some needlessly complicated system that's practically undecipherable. (I took a long time trying to figure out the DPHW and I'm no closer to solving it.)

End note

I have some thoughts about what the goals of the OIAR and the Magnus Institute are based on this theory, but this post is too long now. May make a follow-up eventually. Or procrastinate until they just tell us.

[sinbinfamiliar]

(Theory-Anon) okAY I gotta ask if you fast-passed the most recent episode??? (lol np about the late response I totally get how much time a new hyperfixation can take up since I'm guilty about that myself) But on the subject of your response, I actually agree the more I think about it that Glad might not be a completely "failed" experiment. He may not have physical powers like the rest of the infected, but perhaps other things? Like, he can talk to his raven so idk if that's just him understanding her feelings or if they actually share an actual conversation when they communicate.

I'm definitely also curious as to how the whole "exchange" deal is gonna go with Rayne and Kenny.

And Oak was done dirty and I genuinely feel bad for the poor guy. He has so much emotional trauma on top of literally being eaten alive and just generally bullied by the gang lol. He literally said he doesn't do well in dark or enclosed spaces alone and what does Adon do? Throw him in a dark cell practically alone. I was just waiting for Gressil to say "welcome to the rebellion, tree-man" lol.

Honestly, I gotta say that Adon reminds me a little too much of Mateo. He is more than willing to punish his subordinates for a screw-up without batting an eye. He also has his eyes closed a lot which of course reminds me of Gressil, and then his face shape and color pallet is very similar to Rayne's past girlfriend (who is the only unnamed character of importance so far other than Adon's wife and the cancer patient in Rayne's flashback from Ep.5)

Apologies for the massive wall of text lol but I have a ton of character study stuff I wanted to rant about for a sec (for some reason tumblr had been glitching and giving me a word limit on my previous asks but I guess it's fixed now??)

Again if you've fp'd the most recent ep I'd love to exchange ideas about it whenever you have the time!! :D

AAAAH tumblr never ever let me know I was sent this omg!!! I am so so so so sorry ;-;

Some of this is obviously out of date now for the rely cause i never noticed this ask 😰 so I'll reply to what I can still that isn't completely out of date. But as always I'm ALWAYS fast passes to see the most recent stuff. It's the one thing I spend money on every week to make sure I can read it lol

But oof Oak. Yeah I actually feel really bad for him. The more I am seeing each chapter and how Adon acts the more I'm feeling worse for most of the others, but specifically Oak now. Honestly, I hope the poor guy gets out and gets to like, make his own choices. He deserves to be treated better. The trauma he seemingly went through has me feeling for him 😫

The more I have seen of Adon the more he does remind me of Raynes past girlfriends color scheme an awful lot actually I must agree. The dude is slowly trying to become worse then Mateo though with each new chapter I swear. As if trying to race past and be like "but I can be worse actually!" Like damn dude.

Seemingly tumblr has been glitching for both of us since I never was even alerted I had this. I think I'll try to look at my asks more frequently now incase this has happened ;-; sorry again anon

[violet-emi]

Self Aware Genshin

The self aware genshin au (SAGAU) is actually one of my favorite aus in the fandom,, but I never saw anyone writing about what I was specifically into:

A hyperfixation. What I commonly see is every single character getting loved equally or at the very worst, the reader/creator/player has a slight amount of favoritism. My idea of having a hyperfixation in the SAGAU is all about focusing on a single character and ignoring/mistreating the rest, whether it be reader irl talking to themselves or reader isekai’d to teyvat.

Example: Hyperfixation - Raiden Shogun

In a world where each of the inhabitants respected and loved you dearly for creating this world for them, whether it be by making an account or by logging in every day. It was a particularly ordinary world for them until you had first heard of the Raiden Shogun becoming a playable character- you needed her.

Everyone on your account knew you as a particularly apathetic god but loved you nonetheless because of the beauty you brought to their world- and then you started becoming more active. Daily commissions, battepass, welkin, anything to save up for the one who had caught your eye. Specifically, the other archons were alerted to your recent surge in activity- they were cautiously optimistic about their creator interacting with their world more lately, hearing you talk to yourself in your room about the Raiden Shogun. The other archons looked at her with pride, excited to hear that she was the reason to draw your divine presence to their world more often.

However, not everyone could stay happy about this new surge of activity because of the new comments they would find themselves hearing.

“I’m so sick of using these characters, I want Raiden to come home already.”

“Do I have all of her talent books? Mora? Materials- and enough resin for the new boss?”

“She’s so pretty. I’m pretty much only playing this game for her.”

Your team was getting sick of hearing you talk about the Electro archon in such a dreamy way- can’t you pay attention to them too? Baal this, Raiden Shogun that- everyone knows and is now starting to tell you about what she’s really like- a tyrant. About how she locks up all of Inazuma in a never ending storm, how she ruined lives, took away visions, killed people- a murderer, a cruel dictator. But your heart refused to waver- they’re just npcs! Kazuha’s friend was asking for it- she’s got reasons to what she’s doing!

It’s becoming a problem how your heart turned bitter to those who opposed the shogun- laughing at venti and zhongli for being inferior archons, sneering at Kazuha who dared to challenge your darling, ignoring everyone’s growing resentment for your favoritism of the Shogun. Even the traveler had fallen out of your gaze and grew jealous of your attention- and they were going to stop your silly little phase and get you back on track to loving everyone in teyvat, perhaps you would even praise them for snapping you out of your stupor. They began steering the story towards not just meeting the Raiden Shogun, but fighting her. It was the biggest mistake of their lives because of the moment you were forced to fight her, you panicked. Fight her? Hurt her?

Who would dare force you to hurt the only one you cared about- stupid traveler, stupid resistance, stupid everything-

And more because this was my personal feelings when I had to go toe to toe with Ei- I’m so glad that she’s an archon and kicked my ass regardless <3 stay safe cutie

TLDR: everyone in genshin gets sick of hearing you gush about Raiden and steer you to go fight her. Very generalized because it’s only focused on Raiden. Might post about inazumans (gorou, koko, ayaka, yoimiya, etc) personally feeling wronged by their dear creator’s choices and being responsible for steering traveler to force you to fight your beloved shogun :/

[stopeatingwhales]

second chance x damon albarn

i'm surprised i haven't written anything about dilf damon yet bc i've been so obsessed with him recently wtf. anyways enjoy x

i might do a second part to this, idk yet tho

Pairing: dilf damon x reader

Warnings: none :)

Word count: 2.786

Requested by anon <3

༉‧₊˚✧

“Do you want to come over?” I abruptly asked, the silence pouring through the line deafening my ears as my fingers toyed with the hem of my shirt. The desperation and moment that led to me ringing my ex-boyfriend at what was nearing eight in the evening seemed as though it was a fever dream, the words rolling off my tongue so delicately out of apprehension only a fragment of that trance. In all honesty, I had no idea as to why I rang Damon, or to what extent the string of thoughts guided me towards the action of calling - we had been broken up for around a year, and it came as a much larger shock that I was able to muster the amount of courage to tap his contact on my phone and attentively listen to the thunderous rings as the landlines attempted to connect, instead of quickly shutting the phone off before he was able to receive a missed call alert.

“Uh, um - are you sure?” he questioned, the stutter escaping his mouth insinuated that he was just as dazed at my sudden offer as me, the demeanour of his voice accentuating the idea that he was entirely finished with the ephemeral chapter of his life which had me intertwined inside as his partner; that he had gotten over me quicker than the momentary period our relationship lasted. My heart sank, realising how indigent I sounded, as if I had never gotten over him throughout our time apart - which I did, learning to live with myself was easier than I had thought it was going to be; the weeks leading up to the breakup stemming from the distance we shared apart due to Damon consistently being on tour and never providing enough time for me, for us, to consider one another as more than romantically acquainted, though that didn’t mean the gap in my heart had been sealed shut, it was simply brimmed with other, unspecial fragments of things which could only distract the thought of him for so long, until I’d discover myself adventuring for something else to hyperfixate my thoughts upon, though he always returned.

“Yeah…” My voice trailed off, so quiet that I struggled to sustain the volume. Though we had only just spoken, the trance that he had obtained over me for all those months we were with one accord, returned in an instant, having the same rush that a recollection of memories, pastimes that were once forgotten, crumbled to dust, had been reborn; ignited into a new bloom in the height of a harvest, resulting in the scolding of yourself upon how you granted the ability to forget such a thing. It seemed as if all those thoughts, ideations convinced to the point that I had gotten over him, were myriads of masks attempting to say it enough to believe it. Without a doubt, I had never overcome the strains of the acquaintance we shared - and I could only hope he felt the same way.

I heard his throat clear itself before his voice echoed through the telephone speakers once again. “Alright… I’ll be there in a bit.” he mumbled, those words bringing a soft, yet apprehensive grin to my lips. I had no idea what I was doing, or why, but it felt right.

It felt as if only the sum of a few minutes passed when I heard a distinguishable knock on the door; one that had not rang through my ears for an interminable amount of time, one that was able to send me months back in time to a period where he had significantly been a figurehead dictating the story. As I jolted up to answer the door, it felt as if things were normal again, back to how they used to be so many nights previous; me waiting for him to come home after he spent a long day at the recording studio, crafting what could only be assumed was the pure essence of talent, unlocking the door to allow my arms to envelop into an embrace cherished with affection and warmth, proving he longed to have my presence just as much as I craved his. Once my eyes met the sight of him, my heart dropped at the overwhelming feeling of my reminiscing about what once was, the nostalgia for a moment so authentically shaped with what could only be described as true love, my body yearning to relish in the sensation of his arms protectively wrapped around my body, a feeling which could only fulfill one’s heart with all that it desires. "Hi..." I trailed off, stunned by how similar, yet different his appearance was from when we last saw one another. His hair had the same shape, though it seemed a little shorter, his eyebags still prominent on his features, though it seemed as if they had sagged down slightly, posing the idea of whether he had been sleeping alright. His torso still adorned shirts with dark colours, amplified with one of his leather jackets which only made me more attracted to him. Widening the door, he set foot into the apartment, nodding his head lightly as a greeting. Although I was very elated to the fact that he was in my apartment, it felt eerie having him back here after so long, stepping foot into the space that was once served merely as a homely and secure space where we both could simply live and enjoy our time together, no distractions included.

Once I had followed him into the living space, he took a seat onto the couch facing the television. I attempted to make my footsteps omit as little noise as possible, as if to avoid damaging the awkward silence that had been shared between the pair of us. It went without saying that neither of us knew how to break the ice, or where this was going to head. One could only hope that the outcome of this meeting was positive. “Do you want something to drink?” I asked, ushering over to the cabinet adjacent to the television, supplied with all sorts of alcoholic beverages in which I had not touched, simply there as a point of manners to offer when somebody had come over. “White?” I offered, pulling out an almost-full bottle of white wine. I knew he hated it.

"You know I’ve always hated white." he mumbled, a small smile playing upon his lips. Something about that little grin plastered on his lips made my stomach flip and turn, welcoming a swarm of butterflies to accentuate the nervous pit that had formed within myself. The intense feelings reminded me of the same bewilderment your body undergoes during the first date; there is such a raw attraction to somebody that you know far too little about, but you are so hypnotised by their presence it is as if they’re the only thing in the world that matters, to the point that they obnoxiously overtake your mind, every little thought occupied with their name, wondering whether they may like such and such, like an infection spreading without you knowing such cure for it. The atmosphere was intense, carrying the same ambience of two strangers meeting for the first time in an isolated space, though there was also a refreshing element of familiarity that neither of us wanted to admit that we appreciated so deeply.

"Red?" I asked, snatching the half empty bottle as I placed the other wine bottle back in its designated place, turning my head back to fix my gaze onto Damon, raising my eyebrows as a form of derise for the drink. Nodding his head in response, I quickly took two glasses from the cabinet, brimming them both with the alcoholic liquid before slowly making my way to sit next to him on the sofa, handing him one of the glasses as he thanked me in response. The same devilish silence echoed in the room once again as we granted the situation to truly sink in - thankfully alcohol was present. As I took a sip of the beverage, I tried to gulp down as much liquid as possible before I spoke once again. "So... how have you been?"

"Good... Just came off tour actually. Was a really successful one." he replied, his voice laced with a slight tone of doubt, edging the regret of so eagerly returning back into a place that was once so attached to his occupancy. He carried on talking about how the tour had been, my head subconsciously nodding, attentive to what he was talking about. Each time he had told me about something new they had added, or something they had changed surrounding the live performance set-up, it never failed to blow me away. Him and Jamie together, working on such a creative idea and putting it to life on stage was truly something out of rare virtuosity, disregarding the lengthy old ramblings from Damon almost every night he had returned home about how much Jamie had pissed him off, having a petty argument as if it was a be or end all in their friendship. It was actually a good form of entertainment, seeing how riled up Damon had gotten simply because of something that Jamie joked in an interview.

Once he had finished talking, our eyes connected, uncertainty clouded in his eyes as he searched for the reason behind him needing to come over. "Y/N, why did you ask me to come over?" He said, abrupt, almost as if those words had been lingering at the back of his mind the entire time we had been in one another’s acquaintance; the ease of the sting of words rolling off his tongue softly implied that, perhaps a try to prevent the harshness of the asking from offending me in the slightest. "We haven't seen each other for a year, why now?"

Both gazes never dared to break contact as if we had attempted to communicate telepathically - the ideation of instigating a conversation as awkward as how this had become, the two of us simply wanting the ground to swallow us whole. His gaze had the ability to put me into a trance upon which I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else except for the utter magnificence that was birthed into his loving eyes. Inhaling sharply, I tried to collect the thoughts in my brain that had been travelling in all directions, searching for all sorts of different possibilities that the conversation could reach. "Can we give it a second chance?" I asked absentmindedly, the realisation of what had just rolled off my tongue not settling in my mind until his eyes widened, speechless and shocked at my sudden questioning.

Sighing, he cocked his head to the side. “Love, we didn't work out the first time..." he began, my heart dropping to my stomach as the thought of him breaking my heart again entered my mind. His expression quickly softened once he saw my face drain colour, explaining all that he needed to know about how I had coped since he had left the picture. "I don't want to hurt you again."

Breaking away from the stare, I gawked at the dark shades of red that had adorned the transparent glass clasped in my palm. Holding in my emotions wasn’t going to do me any justice, and since he was here, it would not make sense for me to stupidly avoid the whole reasoning behind me needing him inside my apartment after so long. “It’s been so hard trying to get over you,” I mumbled, my voice almost inaudible out of embarrassment, though I knew he could hear me. “I need you.”

What I didn’t see from my shameful gaze at the ground, was the miniscule beam that broke out across Damon’s features. What I was unaware of, my body encompassed in such a impotent state of pure isolation, was that Damon had been as dependent on hearing those words escaping my mouth before he could admit the same to himself. Though it had all been answered to me as he softly brought his arm to caress my arm, gently squeezing the skin as a form of reassurance, implying the notion that he understood, that he felt the same way, after all this time. We broke up not because we lost feelings, but because the emotions we carried for one another were too strong to handle, too intense to progress with, that when he was gone for those long hours it had left me in such a stupor of helplessness and melancholy that it was unbearable to handle without it tarnishing my health. Unsurprisingly, at this point we knew where the conversation was headed; my desires to be swathed in his arms once again that I had tried so hard to banish to the back of my mind, to the depths of my distant memories in which by reliving such a hug came flooding back, my body leaned into his touch almost instantaneously, a subconscious reflex that I had craved, such an embrace that no other person could give, the mere side hug from him was able to banish all the pain that I had tried so diligently to mask away for the past few months.

We sat there for a short while, taking in the moment as it had played throughout, our breathing syncing together as comfort relished in the atmosphere, our minds now finally at peace while all the conflict that had battled our minds over the time we weren’t together. "Let me come on tour with you." I said, my head resting against his shoulder.

A chuckle erupted out of his throat. “It’s not that easy love.”

"Why can't it be? You're literally the frontman!" I exclaimed, lifting my head off his shoulder to connect eyes with him. "Damon, it would be so fun!" I exclaimed, attempting to encourage him.

It was as if things had mended back together, all the cracks in the pavements had been glued together to mend the time lost, as if it had never occurred. Through all the hardship I had faced trying to find the remedy to my heartache, I was dumbfounded to realise that it had been sitting in front of me, at the top of my phone’s contact list, right in front of my eyes this entire time. His eyes were calling out to me, enveloping my heart in comfort and warmth, the hunger radiating out eager to the ideation of starting anew and preserving the time in which we had lost, building new memories, unfastening the lock on the clock dictating the length of the relationship, allowing it to elongate, carry on as long as we could. My heart brimmed with homeliness - the house I was inside finally feeling normal to me once again.

"I'll see what I can do," he grins, the beautiful sight causing a small smile to erupt on my face as my body melted back into his arms once again. "No promises though."

It felt nice to wake up next to someone again the next morning, on the mattress that once was a carcass of many tears of sadness and melancholy, authentically conveyed by the essence of nihilism embodied from isolation, the kind of philosophical beliefs one could only develop an understanding towards subsequent to irrational thinking as the hours fell still, leaving you sat there, reliving the last moments from your memory bank with the significant other you had soiled ends with, a person who had supported you from the very beginning, even when things formed a bitter congestion to the relationship devoured by both participants, perhaps from the acceleration of argumentation shared, or the distance that had started to weave its way between, leaving you both stranded to conclude, as if you were both on separate, desolate islands fighting against the starvation of progressing through your lives and starting anew, departing from the old knots and attachments formed once epitomising pure adoration and love, though over time spawning to be the offspring of the devil. A person whom you knew would make your bed every morning, cradle you in his arms at the darkest hours to baptise the negativity coiled in your brain, whispering what seems like sweet nothings, merely sounding like soft raspy groans due to them being exhausted out of their mind, but you knew they were saying something to you, you could hear it, acknowledge it in a language that nobody else was able to understand. I relished in concession that he who lay beside me was the one that bestowed and epitomised all the things that I once lacked a night before. A lover.

[ehnmi]

( Cont. @nailahbun ) — NAILAH REISS.

❛ Hear its whispers, think on their heroism, feel your own potential. ❜

She recalls the voice of a friend, her mentor and teacher in the esoterica of this star and wills the transformation from ebon scale to ivory steel, the change made instantaneous by the aether-soaked surround. She draws Aettir Lux as she leaps from the underbrush and bears it upon the chitinous hide of the Diresaur. It howls and thrashes, having been caught off-guard in the middle of feasting upon its recent kill. The creature's clubbed tail rears back, primed to crush her in one momentous swing.

She twists her body midair and raises a shieldless arm to block. She commands the aether into defense plates around her with a staggered clank sound. The club end resounds with the aetherplates and they shatter as glass, the fragments melting once again into the air. She spies an opening as her bulwark breaks and pivots. She touches earth for an upwards slash, nearly severing the tail from the Diresaur. It screams and fires spines from its hide at her. She buries Aettir Lux deep into the soil and crouches low, bracing for impact. The missiles converge on their target, kicking up dirt, low foliage and detritus.

A moment of silence, and then she leaps from the dust cloaked in sable once more as her magicked white wings crumble behind. She darts around the massive creature, sawing into its hide as it slashes furiously at her last position. Her manatrigger hums a steady dirge between punches of aetherpowder discharged from the barrel.

Slash. Crack. Slash. Bang. Barrel whirs, hisses. Two more powder cartridges. Click.

No mercy.

She raises her blade to the canopy and bears it upon the overgrown dragonkin's head. The forest shakes once as the blade connects with the earth, and again as the creature cleaved in twain from shoulder to haunch gurgles weakly and falls.

The only sounds disturbing the now deafening silence is her heavy panting as she struggles to regain her breath, grip still tight on her blade. The photocell in the hilt whines to a soft pause, the chamber spins to a stop, clicks, then releases. A deep breath, and she heaves serrated steel over her shoulder, knees bent, stance wide toward the underbrush. An intruder conceals his presence well, but few escape her notice — greatly heightened senses owed to her new appearance, borrowed from the People of the Wood. Yet something about this new challenger felt faintly familiar, a tug upon a barely-remembered sensation stirs in her breast.

         SUCH POISE for an act so macabre. Flesh rent and battered beneath steel, her blade continues its assault, sharp and controlled. One, two, it’s another steadied sweep to hide and flesh, naught but a moment passes before the brute buckles beneath the weight, death licking at its heels. The earth rumbles from its might, cries as it laps the aether to leak from its wounds. The Miqo’te lies in wait, silent, he finds no need to debate who was responsible for the provocation. But her corporal limitations —  namely the exhaustion heavy upon her breath — was a sign of worldly ties. She is no goddess among men, the realization brings but a modicum of comfort. A threat was a threat, and mortals dealt blows befitting of Rhalgr’s praise, too. Still, he knows naught of her origin ; surely this guise of a Viera serves as a ruse, binding a monster beneath bone and sinew ? Surely no mortal bleeds aether so profuse.

        Ignorance. He hated it.

        Of others’, of his own. A vast disadvantage stills any will to proceed. He’d observe first, glean what he could, but even those are tall orders — time was up. She’d been alerted to his presence.

       Musculature stiffens, but only slight. Ears pull backward. Fight or flight. My, does the fight ever burn bright within his chest. What is a monk without that drive ? To deny was to disown one’s identity. It is carried upon his soul, it is carried upon his breath. It is the sweat, the tears, the culmination of his training. That craving calls, unrelenting, for an opponent of his ilk — a vestige of his youth perhaps, so fiery and audacious, yet discipline claimed him in time ( Master Tuya had a knack for instilling his methods unto his protégé  ). Only his mentor or kin successfully delivered what he sought, what contracts he’d received as of late challenged his mettle in other ways. Many lacked the physicality ; he’d more brandished and swung a blade than a fist. Few were worth the latter. Yet here — it is here where that stagnant spell will be broken.

      Drawing a breath, steadying it, he’d begun consciously aligning his chakra as he emerged from his swathe of shadow. ‘ Condition yourself for the worst, boy. For victory is never certain. ’ Perhaps the old man’s prattle was worth committing to memory after all. Curiously, he’d always preferred the more . . . ‘diplomatic’ approach ( a.k.a preface a fight with a discussion ). But such luck is fickle in its desire to bestow him a shred of pity, he’s accustomed to the misfortune. But this time around, he deems it fruitless to expect its company.

      Mentally, he’d noted what weaponry was available on his person — a fallback, a cheap shot, but a lifeline nonetheless should he find himself in a less than ideal situation. Any disturbance in the ebb and flow of aether was a major concern, and should be treated appropriately. There was no time to shirk responsibilities onto governing bodies, or people more knowledgeable of the phenomenon. Its prickles and perversion of force and matter disrupted his concentration more often than he’d like to permit, prompting him to gravely hyperfixate. It’s a risk, yes, in how it may cause him to become shortsighted in his predictions. He’d rely on his other faculties to supplement his shortcomings. Circumstances necessitated such extremes — any break in his focus would unravel his own accumulation of aetherial energies, further contributing to the disruption ( assuming the imbued weaves within his gear didn’t kill him first ).

      There, he begun settling into the stance of his art, soil rolling, folding onto itself as boots glide atop the earth. Eyes remain trained yet at ease. For now they lack the hunter’s edge, a look of focused menace. He’d hoped to gauge his opponent first, carefully strafing with deliberate motions, confident on light cat’s feet.

     Again, there’s that fleeting wash of familiarity, and he shakes his head to dismiss it, attributing it to his presence in unstable aether. Had he not grown attuned to the rich abundance found in the Shroud, he may have gone mad. But now he understands just why Yeran had agreed to the contract. Few were so familiar with regulating aether as a monk was, a gift maturing tenfold with practice. Still, no matter of being was unaffected in high concentrations, and he’d need to wrap this up sooner than later.  

    ❛    I’ve gotta say, I expected something a lot ghastlier to be the source of these disturbances.   ❜

[thetruebadwolf]

notes to self:

definite signs i have ADHD:

1. hyperfixations. i dread getting into something new a little bit bc i know that i’ll only be able to think about that thing, be obsessed with that thing, and relate everything i think or do back to that thing for an age and a half and i know it annoys the people around me but i cant stop it aa

2. inattentiveness in class and a need for stimulation. i find it hard to focus unless i’m doodling, embroidering, etc and this is reflected in teacher comments

3. stimming, but sometimes.

4. rsd in like social situations? this one is part of why i am unsure bc i dont know if i have rsd or simply want to be liked

5. nervous habits - esp an oral fixation where i chewed my hair when i was young. i was told to stop so i chewed my pencils to hell and back (and also my bedframe a little that was weird) then when i stopped that i began biting my nails

6. i finish peoples sentences sometimes?? again not strangers tho so i think it’s more than normal but not abnormal

7. weird sleep schedule to the point where my friend (whos best friend is narcoleptic) asked me if i had a sleeping disorder. i fall asleep if i feel bored or uncomfortable in social situations and in class i get extremely tired from the getgo and feel very alert as soon as it ends

8. oh right and not being able to concentrate on classwork to the point of it’s very debilitating and i don’t know how to solve it.

reasons i might not have adhd

1. the big one is i can’t remember a time i hyperfocused to the extent people say where i ignore bodily needs for hours on end. yes i would obsessively read etc in elementary school and play civ and shit but those just kind of work like that for everyone.

2. don’t know about rsd. i dont experience feelings as physical sensations that people describe and i dont think i’m overly emotional

3. i like one on one conversations a lot and get very involved in them. perhaps this might be an example of hyperfocus bc i do neglect bodily functions to talk to people idk.

[simonjadis]

those of you who know me know that Dragon Age is my #1 hyperfixation

I’m aware of the DA4 “leaks” which may be real-yet-outdated but may also be someone’s ploy for attention by describing a plausible-sounding guess

unrelated to that, I’ve been wanting to do a “will this person show up” list and just talk about how likely certain companions and other popular characters are to make an appearance in DA4 and future games

I’m not going to try to guess what writers have planned, here; just which characters are and are not available

Alistair Theirin: can be dead, can be king, can have been stranded in the Fade; with this number of variables, I doubt that we will see Alistair in DA4 unless the Hawke/Alistair/Stroud/Loghain character appears and you have Alistair in that slot. you can likely expect for codexes or even dialogue to mention him if he’s king or died a hero. it’s likely that Alistair’s story has been told, so to speak [tl;dr probably not]

Morrigan: Morrigan is always alive and is a free agent and has possibly even been empowered with some portion of Flemeth’s power and perhaps even some of what Flemeth removed from Kieran, though that is speculation on my part; whether or not she drank from the Well, Morrigan could easily appear [tl;dr available]

Zevran: in worldstates where the Warden killed him instead of recruiting him or in worldstates where he betrayed the Warden to Taliesen in Denerim, Zevran is dead. iirc, Hawke has the option of turning Zevran over to the Crows in Kirkwall, though Zev could escape that. I would say that he will probably not appear in DA4, though there is a chance that popular demand (and the fact that he’s the only Origins romance who didn’t show up in Inquisition) could give him an appearance. He’s been tearing down the Crows. [tl;dr probably not, barring popular demand]

Leliana: she’s alive and an important fixture in canon, but since probably more than half of all worldstates (that’s a guess) have her as Divine Victoria, I wouldn’t expect to see her unless we meet the Divine. In fact, I’d say that chances are reasonably good that all three candidates for Divine are now retired from the game, though since Cassandra might lead the Seekers and Vivienne might lead the new Circle, they could show up. still, I feel like Leliana’s story has been told. [tl;dr probably not]

Wynne: she’s dead, jim [tl;dr not available]

Shale: Shale is wonderful, though a DLC companion and also potentially having been slain if brought to face Caridin by a Warden who sided with Bronca . . . but otherwise very likely still alive and active and, in the default worldstate of the novels, Shale was part of the initial Mage Rebellion at the White Spire. Shale’s one avenue for death could easily be written out [tl;dr available]

Sten: Sten could be dead (left to rot or if he tries to kill your Warden) but, if he didn’t die, he’s no longer Sten but now the Arishok. His chances of appearing in a future game are fairly high, though some worldstates might have a Stroud-like substitute as Arishok. [lt;dr available]

Oghren: the yosemite sam of Thedas is probably alive but I don’t expect to see him again and honestly I was shocked that he had enough fans that he came back in Awakening [tl;dr probably not]

Dog: the Warden’s mabari (whom my Surana named “Jowan”) is . . . well, old. We might see a descendant of the Warden’s dog, as it is canon that your mabari was personally involved in replenishing the Fereldan mabari population

DRAGON AGE II

Anders: an extremely well loved and also extremely reviled character; quite possibly the most controversial figure in the Dragon Age franchise (yes, more so than Loghain or Solas or Morrigan) who could potentially be dead in half of the playthroughs . . . no. we’re not seeing blondie again. [tl;dr not available]

Isabela: worst case scenario, Isabela was given to the Qunari at the end of Act II of DA2, presumably by the Worst Possible Hawke. that horrible fate could easily be written away, such as with an escape. they even put her in the DAI multiplayer. it would be hard to picture a game featuring naval forces or pirates where she isn’t at least a questgiver or something [tl;dr available]

Fenris: could be dead (if he sides with Meredith against Hawke and won’t switch back), could be traded away to Danarius by an absolute monster of a Hawke. though all signs point to Tevinter for the next location in the game, writers may feel like Fenris’ story has been told or that there are too many versions of him. [tl;dr maybe but probably not]

Merrill: sweet and beautiful and clever, Merrill seems like she’ll be getting increasingly relevant thanks to certain events shown in Trespasser, though I doubt that she’d be on board. That said, because she’s a potential romance for Hawke, and because she tends to not be pro-Annulment and thus can die fighting to protect mages from the slaughter, she’s not always alive or available. [tl;dr available but not likely]

Aveline: Aveline is busy being the main character on Law & Order: Kirkwall, thanks [tl;dr probably not]

Varric: spoiler alert but he’s the Viscount of Kirkwall so he’s very unlikely to show up as more than a cameo [ tl;dr probably not]

Carver/Bethany: the fact that I am writing about them both at once, because they are mutually exclusive characters, should tell you -- too many variables. either can be alive. either can be a Warden or a Circle Mage/Templar. [ tl;dr probably not]

Sebastian: hot but probably the least popular DA2 companion; he’s the Prince of Starkhaven and shows up in the comics but as a DLC companion, plenty of people never even met him also, he has a city to run. [ tl;dr probably not]

Dragon Age Inquisition

Cassandra: as I mentioned about Leliana, Cassandra may be Divine and therefore I feel that it’s unlikely that we’ll see her unless we happen to see the Divine or maybe unless we encounter the Seekers. [ tl;dr probably not]

Varric: as I said, he’s busy Viscounting in Kirkwall and can’t come to the phone right now [tl;dr probably not]

Solas: well he’s sure as frick not gonna be a companion again but I 100% expect to see him again [tl;dr available]

Iron Bull: he’s wonderful but potentially killable if your Inquisitor makes bad choices, so between that and the fact that his story feels like it’s been told -- despite his storytelling potential in Northern Thedas -- I’m gonna lean towards “no” [tl;dr probably not]

Krem: not a companion but relevant: Krem is killable if your Inquisitor makes the same bad choice that cost Bull his life; that said, Krem is overwhelmingly popular. the devs would have to balance out the popularity of letting us see our precious son again vs the uproar over retconning his death. considering that they refuse to let us see the Warden again because some people give Morrigan the finger instead of doing the sensible thing in Origins, I sadly don’t think that we’ll get to see our handsome boy [tl;dr probably not]

Sera: unless I’m totally missing something, the worst that you can do for Sera is not recuit her or kick her out of the Inquisition, which would be a shame because she’s a (chaotic) treasure. honestly if you avoid talking politics with her she’s darling, and perhaps the most enjoyable romance in the franchise (even if you’re not into women!), so while I don’t really expect to see her again, she’s definitely around, right? [ tl;dr available]

Vivienne: again, she could potentially be busy being the Fantasy Pope and, if not, she’s leading the new Circle [ tl;dr probably not]

Blackwall: his story is told and he’s already old af and some versions of him didn’t exactly get their happy ending, so I would be shocked if we saw him again [ tl;dr probably not]

Cole: our precious ghost son! this sweet, good boy has too many variables and may have even returned to the Fade, so [ tl;dr probably not]

Dorian Pavus: there is a very strong chance, in my estimation, that we’ll see Dorian again. not only was he a popular character (even with the Hets) and a beloved romance for many, but his story is tied to Tevinter. his variables, like his relationship with his father and whether or not he’s in love with the Inquisitor, can be handled via a few dialogue items and and are unlikely to make his character burdensome for the writers or the people doing cutscenes. [tl;dr available]

Cullen: he’s been in three games despite starting off as a one-off NPC and he was a romance in Inquisition; we are unlikely to see him again in game except perhaps to deliver a quick cameo line where appropriate somewhere in Southern Thedas [ tl;dr probably not]

Josephine: despite being only an advisor, I feel like Josephine’s odds of returning aren’t low. she’s young and she’s a master of the Game and she’s supposed to take over House Montilyet, an Antivan House. unlike Leliana and Cassandra, she’s not part of the Chantry. her only real variable is whether or not she’s hooking up with the Inquisitor, which is no obstacle (as with Dorian, dealt with in a few lines about a long-distance relationship). [tl;dr available]

anyway, those are my guesses