#poor bugger doesn't get it XD

[raygirlramblings]

I can't bear it any longer. I have to share my thoughts on the Mario Movie because I have next to no one in real life to gush over this with and the next best thing is to scream into the lonely Tumblr void.

SPOILERS BELOW

I gotta say like 90% of the criticism levelled against this movie by critics and fans and haters alike can be countered with 'it's made for a target market of 6 to 12 year olds, adjust your expectations.'

LUIGI IS BEST BOY

NO REALLY

I don't get people who are upset that he's not in the movie more because Mario's entire reason for existing is to save Luigi. Luigi is endgame.

Seriously Mario gets his ass handed to him so many times in this movie. Almost everyone in this film got to take a whack at him, even Peach XD The Bowser/Mario fight at the end, poor lad could barely stand and STILL faced off with Bowser. Tenacious little bugger.

Knowing that Mario would throw himself into such physical danger to save Luigi is both heart-warming and heart-breaking. You can imagine that Luigi is the only thing that can make him stop.

Princess Peach more like Princess PARKOUR.

No really I loved Peach though I found her animation a little uncanny? But her personality was just right. Classy, Sassy and a little bit unhinged :)

Music choices were bloody weird. One of the few cases where Bonnie Tyler felt wildly out of place. More orchestral Mario music and less Kill Bill plz.

Luigi is such a golden boy. The part where Bowser is interrogating him and threatening to rip off his moustache, he asks if Mario is the kind of guy a princess would fall in love with, and LUIGI, WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT, is like 'YES MY BRO IS A TOTAL CATCH'. GOD DAMN. Little guy is scared for his life and he is still Mario's biggest wingman. He doesn't even seem to ponder the question. Sure you can say he's just giving answers to stop the torture but something in the line just screams he believes it to his core. What an A+ little bro

I was a little confused by the Toad personality they picked. Is 'outdoorsman adventurer' Toad a game character? Not that I didn't like it, I'm just wondering what the basis of that personality choice was.

Jack Black as Bowser was just having too much fun.

BABY MARIO. BABY LUIGI. BABY PEACH

I loved the scene where Bowser is 'practicing' proposing to Peach with Kamek playing Peach, and they are both so into it that even when a guard interrupts them they seem more annoyed than embarrassed XD Like 'dude we're in the MIDDLE OF SOMETHING can't it WAIT?!'

Kamikaze blue shell Koopa was NOT what I was expecting to see in this movie. Damn

Yes the scene where Mario and Luigi finally reunite was so PERFECT ♥ I could watch their joyful hugs until the heat death of the universe. The bit just after Mario lands and he looks like he's about to cry before he hugs Luigi, I just see a 'oh shit i almost lost you in boiling lava I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE ALIVE LET ME HUG YOU AND HOLD YOUR FACE JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE REALLY HERE ;-; ' moment.

'Why are you dressed like a bear?!' Luigi I adore you. Charlie Day gets a gold star.

I don't get why everyone hated Donkey Kong's voice, I honestly didn't find it that bad. 'He's just Seth Rogan being Seth Rogan'...yeah and? The voice fit? It wasn't out of character? They got a guy who's voice fit the obnoxious, bombastic Donkey Kong personality, I'm not seeing an issue. Maybe I just don't watch enough Seth Rogan stuff to find his voice jarring.

So many Easter eggs from all sorts of Nintendo properties.

LUIGI FACING HIS FEARS TO PROTECT MARIO FROM A FIRE BLAST HE IS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD I LOVE HIM.

I made a prediction a week ago with a workmate where I said 'Mario will get to use all the powers in the movie and show them off, but in the end Luigi will get to use the invincibility star to save the day'....and I was totally half right :)

'See I told you I'd get you a turtle', MARIO XD

Had a convo with a workmate about this. It's interesting that the main conflicts in the film for Mario and Luigi individually (as in their own flaws they want to overcome) is that Mario hates being seen as small and worthless, and Luigi struggles with being cowardly and less assertive than Mario. And yet neither of these issues are the main problem that needs resolving. It's ALL about the brothers working together. 'It's gonna be ok as long as we're together' is the mantra. Mario isn't fighting Bowser to prove his worth or be a hero or even to be Peach's knight. He's fighting to get his brother back. Luigi leaps in to save Mario when things get hairy but the manhole cover wouldn't have stood up for very long. Mario proving himself and Luigi overcoming his cowardlyness is not what ultimately saves the day. The two brothers being together, fighting side by side and using Bowser's power against him does. And it's lovely. Mario may always have issues with people looking down on him, and Luigi might always be the anxious one, but that doesn't matter, because they have eachother's backs and they KNOW together they can save the world.

YOSHI.

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 81

Merry Critmas guys!

Another Meta Quest promo? Oh boy ... so this one will get weird again, clearly ... a magical year, really? Yeah, the editors are indeed fucking with you, Sam. XD Ah, highlights! Lovely ...

That's right, it IS Asgard, Samuel. NOT Ass-Gard ...

"Ass-Matt?" "Cominics?" Hmmm ...

Dani Carr! Hiiiiiii!!! Always so great to see you, sweetie! :3

Matt still can't quite get past their shenanigans, can he? At least they're consistent. XD

Yeah! That's right! Fearne and Ashton are full blown SUPERHEROES now!

Sam's shirt derails the game almost IMMEDIATELY ...

Oh shit, yeah ... that's a good point actually ... ARE THEY the same people now?

Well yeah, I mean Laudna does seem a lot more upbeat now, doesn't she? That's surely a good sign.

Chetney really does want to make a wish with Nana? Oh yes, good, they're doing the best they can to talk him out of it ... oh, now it's just getting surreal ... oh boy ...

Ah yes, the ill fated topiary garden ... O.O

Fearne (to Ashton): "Shall we see if we can make some lava?" Oh gods ...

Ashton is Raging, while Fearne shoots a Scorching Ray at him? Bloody hell ...

So ... they're like RIDICULOUSLY supercharged when they're together? Oh, MORE playing around? How crazy is this gonna get?

And now Ashton is IN THE GROUND ... oh, so he can just pop up anywhere he wants? Cool ...

Fearne is a Satyr version of the Human Torch? Pretty sweet ...

Ah, so he can't actually run through plant life, only stone ... that's interesting ... what, they're going to the ruin to see how deep Ashton can go? Hmmmm ...

Well no, he really SHOULDN'T be able to actually BREATHE through rock, should he?

Phasing like Kitty Pryde? Oh, that would be cool ... oh wow, that is SO AWESOME ...

Don't wipe yourself out for days, Fearne. Not right now ...

Oh yes, Fearne is FLOATING ... Wow ... that's ALSO very handy ... running and trying to set fire to the ground at the same time ... yay, scorched track marks ... I love that ...

Now we're seeing if he can use her spell along with the hammer ... okay ...

Whoa ... DOUBLE the damage? That is EXTRA sweet ... oh, and dhe is COMPLETELY IMMUNE to fire damage now? Extra cool ...

Ashton tries to shut down the effect ... uncut diamond form? Wow ... that's weird in a really striking way ...

He feels weird? Hmmm ... oh, here we go ... back to his normal physical form? Interesting ... but the idea that he's so used to the chronic pain that he's actually RELIEVED to get it back? I really don't think I like that ...

What fresh hell have you brought with THIS week's flask, Samuel?

Fearne: "We'll just have to accept our greatness." Ashton: "I'll accept YOUR greatness." Awwwww ... :3

Oh wow ... are they FLIRTING again? I don't mind that at all ...

And Fearne goes back to normal again too ... but not ENTIRELY ... which is cool ...

IS HE going to do the wish thing? Are you sure, Chet? Oh gods, he's really doing it ...

Oh that is just so creepy ...

Name the door ... oh boy ... Artax? What? Oh boy ... Push-Pull? Sir Push-Pull? Oh boy again ...

And now it's ASKING to be named Sir Push-Pull ... ye gods ... and Morri's all right with this ... wow ...

And here she is ... unsettling as ever ... hmmmm ...

Oh, so those poor buggers tried to RENEGE on their deals? That's ... interesting ... in a really horrible way ... oh, and now he's asking ...

Is this like some kind of pocket dimension for her to make deals in?

He wants to be the most famous toy maker in the whole world ... wow ... oh, what's he going to trade? Hmmmmm ... she wants a piece of the God Eater? A piece if Predathos ... that's actually not bad ...

The Golden Threads of Fate ... so cool to see that come back ... O.O

He's keeping it to himself, playing it cool ...

The Witch In the Woods ... oh yeah, like the Monkey's Paw, that's right ...

And now they're just teasing him about it. I live this so much ... Fearne is being especially cruel about it ... yup ... XD

Allura does not want to have anything to do with this foolishness and I do not blame her at all ...

Time for bed before they have to go to the Moon ...

FCG's been cooking? H'wine rolls? What the sweet fuck is this craziness ... a Hero's Yeast? Dear gods ...

Oh, so Mister and Pate can get in on this action too? That's pretty cool ...

Yeah, the Hero's Feast is always such a cool booster thing ...

Imogen's going to try that dream thing? Oh boy ... so who's going in with her? Everybody except Chetney and Fearne ... okay ...

Yet again, Travis rolls to see if Chetney DIES IN HIS SLEEP ...

Into Imogen's dream, then ... taking the Bloody Bridge, up to Ruidus ... oh, it's all very Stargate all of a sudden ...

Ruidus, then ... here we go ... and the studio lighting changes ... I really do hate that ...

Touchdown ... okay ... eye of the storm, now ... hmmmm ...

"Bring me home." Oh boy ... Imogen gives in ... it pulls her in ... oh, this is rightly terrifying already ... this is suddenly looking like a really BAD IDEA ...

Caverns? Some kind of labyrinthine tunnel network inside the Moon ... hmmmm ...

Wait ... the others wake up ... but Imogen DOESN'T?!!! Oh fuck ...

Fuck, is she trapped? What the fuck is HAPPENING?!!!

Oh thank the gods she's back ... is she okay?

Orym tries to get a read? Another big Insight roll ... LAURA gives Liam a Whispers? Crazy ...

Laudna is worried and rightly so ... this DOES NOT feel right at all. I am suddenly EXTREMELY uncomfortable about all of this. Could this come back to bite us in a really bad way later?

Brumestone? Hmmmmm ...

Oh yes, this IS going to be a problem, clearly ...

Yes, keep an eye on her while you're sleeping please, Laudna ...

Time for bed. A Long Rest ...

Orym goes to visit Nana Morri in the night? SERIOUSLY?!!!

Oh, that is disconcerting that she can sneak up on him ...

Fuck, is he REALLY going to make a deal with her too? Come on, Wee Man ...

Well he's doing this for his friends, maybe that's going to be enough to protect him in this ... but WOULD SHE actually take him up on this? Oh fuck, she really is ... Orym, come on ...

Fuck ... he's willing to offer himself up to HER service if she sees them through? Fuck ... I hate this already ... a "caretaker"? Jeez ...

If every one of them makes it back and they see it through ... very specific terms, at least ... fuck ... at least it's very dependent on their success ... shit, snd that's it, then ...

Gods damn it, Liam O'brien, making clandestine deals with dark entities again for the sake of his friends ... how much worse than Vax is this gonna be?

Time for a break ... gods ...

Matt: "Ten years nearly, I've had to put up with you guys." XD

Morning comes ... time to go, then ...

Ah, the creepy Fey Menagerie returns ... as unsettling as ever ...

Food? Okay ... Birdie and Ollie are cooking? Well that's a relief ... a nice pleasant breakfast ... and now here's Nana ... hmmmm ...

She has something special for FCG? Hmmmm ... a weird sphere of something ... IS IT food for him? Okay, he's giving it a go ... so it's just fine silver ... and he burps ... with SCREAMS ... fucking horrifying ... LOL

Wow, so Fearne is now the hot new thing in town? That's pretty cool ...

Allura, still as creeped out by Morri as ever ... XD

So heading to meet their allies in the Hellcatch Valley ... okay, then ... so they're making the move ...

Fearne says goodbye to her parents. And they are just SO PROUD of her, aren't they? :3

Working the spell, then ... WHOOSH!!! Time all but freezes ... oh, and that was CHAOTIC ... but they're finally back in Exandria. Right on target ...

Yup, the Red Moon still dominates the sky. Lovely.

Chetney's still slow for a minute ... Laudna: "You made his voice all sexy there." XD

Wow, this is a WHOLE LOT of people who've gathered here to help fight ... and they're all pretty tense about it, too. That's just great ...

Some kind of purpose made citadel "grown" specifically for this effort? That's pretty cool ...

These all look like some pretty interesting folk ... the Council of Tal'dorei? Interesting ...

Whoa ... BIG guy ... seriously BUFF old dude ... fascinating ... the Stormlord? Interesting ...

Oh, so they've been expected? Hmmm ...

Mythtaker Qi Mandozi? Cool.

Guardian Tofor Bretoris? Okay.

EARTHBREAKER GROON?!!! FOR REAL?!!! AWESOME!!!

"Mercenaries ... we get shit done."

Oooh ... is this some kind of fancy honour guard?

Earthbreaker Groon is clearly fascinated by Imogen and Fearne, but in a strange disapproving way, kind of? Interesting ...

Percy! Hey! And Keyleth! Yay!

Ah yes ... the timey wimey weirdness of the Fey Realm ...

Ah ... your typical war briefing, then ...

Butcher Wagons? Hmmm ... so very charming ... a nice gory diversion ...

Ten to thirty minutes to infiltrate? So ... not a MASSIVE window, then ...

Ah yeah ... the Reilora ...

Percy needs a little more time ... of course he does ... but then they do need setup time ...

No witnesses? Crap ... that is NOT a good ultimatum at all ...

So there is SOME flexibility, but still ... it's disconcerting all the same ...

Oh yeah, the Ruby Vanguard disguises ...

What are they looking for? What is the intelligence they need to gather?

Fearne questions Earthbreaker Groon ... oh, here we go ... he knows they're Ruidusborn ... oh, this is a sticky thing here? Chill out, guys ...

Oh yeah, these two witches be something special ...

Groon: "You are of the Storm, are you not?" Imogen: "I AM the Storm, baby."

Of course Keyleth still has utmost faith in them all, and Orym especially. :3

Qi likes FCG because he's funny. I like that. XD

A safe word for Imogen? In case the pull becomes too much? Probably a good idea ...

Fearne: "We're just the tip, guys. Just thd tip if the spear." Ashton: "Yeah, that's the safe word."

Laudna goes to talk to Keyleth. "You're very pretty." XD

Oh yes ... Vax. That's right ... she's covering, but yeah, that's at the core of it for her ...

His energy is being used specifically to power the bridge ... yeah ...

Keyleth: "I'm sorry." Laudna: "For what?" Keyleth: "For everything." Oh man ...

Telepathic Bond? Oh yeah ... that should be helpful ...

All right ... so it's time, then ... setting up for the distraction ...

Earthbreaker Groon wants to talk to Imogen ... oh no, THE STORMLORD wants to talk to her ... that wasn't, like, foreboding at all ...

Time to go ... everybody's ready ... and it sll hoes OFF ... the Butcher Wagons are rolling ... Allura gives the nod ... cue gibberish words as Imogen uses one of the Scrolls ...

And now they're just living clouds ... lovely ...

Coasting in over the Site now, approaching the Malleus Key ...

Crazy beasts on the attack in front of the Wagons ... oh, that's pretty slick ...

Touchdown on target ... okay ... Keyleth prepares their stormy cover ... Nice ... Voice of the Tempest indeed!

Oh yeah, Kiki you are AWESOME!!!

They put on their disguises, Fearne casts Pass Without A Trace, and FCG puts a Death Ward on Imogen.

Time to head in, then ... they make their way down and into the Storm ... Orym's leading the way ... no, Fearne ... maybe the better choice in this ...

Group Stealth Check with Advantage ... yup, BOSS rolls all round ...

Oh it is all just KICKING OFF right now ...

Aaaaaaaaaaah! Reilorans! Oh boy ...

CHAOS!!! IT'S A TOTAL MESS OUT HERE!!! And now the first Wagon bursts ...

They make their way in ... and Matt calls it a night!

Oh, visual preview of what's to come? Ooooh ... yay, Battlemap! Sweet ...

We'll see next session ... in the New Year ... roll on 2024 ...

[suck-on-a-fire-ball]

Hi! Here it is! The first two paragraphs should be in cursive, but Tumblr is picking a fight with me... 🤪

The letter that arrives is written in a slightly messy handwriting. It becomes a little hard to read sometimes, as the writer is overcome with excitement or some other strong feeling. It is, however, clear that they have tried to reign themselves in and write a somewhat readable text! There are little drawings, clearly made by somebody who can’t draw to save their life. One cat, mostly consisting of two cricles on top of each other, with a pair of triangular ears, sits at the top. The writer has added a small description beneath, helpfully pointing out that this is, indeed, a cat. Not a bear.

Further down is a drawing of something that looks like a small, round object with wheels. The explanation below it reads: ”This is Roku, our little cleaning robot. He is about the size of a few large plates stacked on top of each other, and he sucks up dustbunnies and dirt through a hole in his tummy. Alright, he doesn’t acutally have a tummy, but… anyway, there is a container inside him that collects the dirt., and whatever else gets sucked up. He has been known to try to eat socks, but they tend to get stuck in his ’mouth’. After he is done, you pick out the container and empty it in the dust bin. And Roku goes to his little docking place and gets some well-deserved electricity.”

Dear Anders,

Thank you for your letter! You have been very patient with my questions, and I really appreciate all the research that went into it. If you have any questions in return, I would be happy answer them as well as I can!

You told me Justice can sense something within the varterral? Weird! And interesting! What does it feel like? Hehe, while the thought of you and Hawke dragging a huge varterral into Kirkwall is very amusing, I agree that it may not be the best idea, especially if you want to not draw attention to yourselves. What if that Meredith found out? She would probably start ranting about blood magic. Again. She seems excessively fond of doing that. Plus, poor varterral! I bet being dragged around and dissected is very unpleasant.

I hear that Kirkwall is not a ”happy place” for mages, and that it has become even worse lately. I am so sorry! That blasted Rite of Tranquility should not be allowed, nor should the Rite of Annulment. And why are they referred to as rites, anyway? To give them some form of legitimacy? Religious sanction? That’s just… I don’t have words for what that is.

You expressed curiosity about the constructs and machines I mentioned earlier, so I thought I’d tell you about them. It is a topic that fascinates me, but I don’t fully understand these things myself – which is why explaining them is a challenge! I shall do my best, however, because I do think it might be interesting to you. In addition, I get to ramble on about one of my favourite topics! I just hope this doesn’t get too messy and confusing!

The first thing you need to know, is that our society is more or less built on technology and science – or what we perceive to be science. Magic has no place here, at least not within most of the scientific community. Phenomena that we deem ”paranormal” are often not taken seriously. It could be that magic exists, but perhaps in a different, less obvious form? One of our favourite religious icons walked on water, resurrected a dead man and healed another man's eyes with spit and dirt! Hm… Did Andraste perform miracles? If so, do you think that maybe she was a mage? Hehe, I am certain the Chantry would loooove that! I can’t help wondering, though. What is the difference between magic and miracles? What do you think?

So, constructs. You spoke of statues and trees that are able to move about thanks to magic? I would have loved to see that! Preferably without being attacked, though… Our constructs are powered by electricity. They are at least partly mechanical, built of metal among other things. Most of them are used for one, single purpose. One construct/machine may be created to clean floors, another to lift heavy objects or carry dangerous chemicals. But over the last fifty years or so, things have become less mechanical and more dependent on what we call AI; Artificial Intelligence.

So, what is AI? I suppose you could say that an AI is a man-made spirit, placed inside a construct or device. The spirit in question is given very precise and detailed instructions as to what to do and how to do it. This is called programming. A construct cannot perform tasks for which it hasn't been programmed, nor can it refuse to do what it has been created to do. Like a golem, it has to perform its function.

This is how we get machines that can make complicated calculations in a few seconds, dance, sing, answer questions, help healers perform surgery... But they are still often limitied to a few tasks. One goal is to create AIs for whom you don't have to write programs for everything, but who are capable of independent learning - much like us. This would make them more versatile.

There are some problems with all of this. How do we teach a machine about right and wrong? Constructs are ruled by logic, and they are often very intelligent, but they have no emotions, no empathy. (At least, that is what we think. Programming emotions is not something we are capable of, although I suppose they could be a biproduct?) Some constructs may look almost like people, and they can often mimic facial expressions, making it appear as though they have feelings. The question is perhaps if we would even be able to tell if one of them had genuine emotions? When does a construct become a sentient being? Or capable of feeling pain or unhappiness? This is something that worries me, because I don't want them to suffer. If we create a new race of beings, we are responsible for how they are treated. There is more than enough of cruelty and oppression here, and I understand it is the same in your society.

There is also the fact that development of AI has… speeded up. A great deal. We may be able to soon create AIs who are much more intelligent than us. How do we prevent them from just saying ”That’s it! You are a mess. We’ll take over now. Maybe keep you as pets, if you behave…”

In the story of She-Ra you may encounter constructs that are referred to as robots. Perhaps you already have? We use that word, too. It was first coined in a play about one hundred years ago ("R.U.R. :Rossum's Universal Robots" by Karel Čapek). Until then, the word automaton was common. It referred to a completely mechanical construct - all cogs, gears and levers. They had no will, no spirit, no intelligence.

The word robot is derived from the word "rabota" which means forced labour or slave. Delightful, eh? In the play mentioned, the constructs look like people, and were created out of flesh and blood, or similar substances. Because they have no emotions, they simply obey. Even if it kills them. Until they, one day, get ”souls”, namely self-awareness and emotions. This is when they decide to rebel. Which of course leads to genocide. Not depressing at all!

It is interesting how similar concepts, like slavery and abuse of power, are prevalent in so many cultures. As if that is just the way people are. Where I live now, an awakening is happening. People are becoming aware of the different forms of oppression that are taking place in our societies, and many are trying to make things better. The problem is, of course, that we may have very different opinions of how to make this world better! And there are people in power who want to keep things the way they are, which includes oppression of many different groups. It drives me crazy, to be honest. Please excuse me while I groan dramatically and bang my head on the table...

Please be careful! The thought of you or Merrill being caught is unbearable to me. Take care of each other, and be as safe as you can.

And I really hope that you get the chance to have a cat of your own soon!

Friendly regards,

AidanTheCryptid

PS: Why is the Fade so… green? I have been wondering this for a while!

An envelope arrives. Its wax seal has no symbol stamped into it this time, having been sent through more private and secure channels this time - as if there are thoughts and ideas in this letter that have to remain private. Inside, a letter is written with curved, beautiful letters, but with a handwriting that is uneven in size, spacing and even style (though it remains pretty). You can tell some of the writing was rushed, as if someone’s thoughts were moving quicker than their hand could write. Toward the end, the letters became significantly smaller. Someone almost ran out of parchment…

Hello again, AidanTheCryptid

I hope you’ve been well since sending your letter. I’m aware that it’s been a while since I received it. There were a lot of questions though and I wanted to give them all equal attention and research! I hope it’s okay, and that I’ve done them justice!

You’ve added some quite interesting descriptions and illustrations here on these creations that exist in your society. I thank you! It’s been a pleasure learning about them! You said I could ask questions,  and I can honestly say I have a million. They all, however, root in the same issue – why would electricity make them work? Is it like blood to them? Would it… not hurt?

Alright, let’s crack on with your questions!

Continuing on the topic of the Varterral, explaining what Justice feels in its presence is… difficult. It’s not a singular feeling but it also is not a collection of feelings. I don’t think it’s a feeling mortals can feel? If it was something mortals could feel, the closest description for it would be ‘suspicion’. It is the voice in the back of our minds that bring paranoia to us when bending down in the dark to wash our face; the fear that something is behind us when our eyes are closed, that something wants to harm us only to see nothing there. Whatever spirit is summoned into the being of a Varterral is evidently not on good terms with Justice. He, however, doesn’t want to comment on it.

And yes! Now that you mention it, it would be a little weird dragging the entire body of a Varterral to Kirkwall… if not just because Meredith would most likely use this as the one excuse to evade any protection I still have within the city and capture me, but also because it would be highly awkward when the creature came back to life. My clinic is not big enough to house it as a pet! And it would make a rather poor pet too…

Indeed, Kirkwall is not a safe place anymore but if you ask me, and plenty of other people (including Guard-Captain Aveline), Kirkwall was never a particularly safe place. This doesn’t just include crime rates, which are pretty high, but also its history and heritage. Although it was only on the outskirts of the ancient Tevinter Empire, it was chosen as the heart of the slave trade in order to keep the large influx of new slaves away from the Archon (who many a slave had tried to pull an assassination on). The slave trade has coated Kirkwall’s history in blood, a heritage which is still evident in the many depictions of pained slaves within statues and street art here in the city (still present because even on this subject, the Chantry enjoys taking a laid back approach)… On top of that, the societal classes’ importance is extremely evident in the city’s layout. Darktown being basically on the same level as sewers says a lot when you remember this is where slaves were kept. Each layer within the city houses a different class of people. Even the Alienage is lowered down within Lowtown. And then high up on the rocks, as far away from Lowtown and Darktown as possible in both altitude and distance, you have Hightown (and funnily enough also the Red District! It always makes me laugh how lust is on the opposite side of Hightown from the Chantry). It’s not a safe place because there is no equality. Slavery still reigns, but just in the dark. The Gallows have turned from one slave trading area to another, openly approved by the Chantry. It is a mess… The only reason I stay here is because Hawke needs me… and some other, more personal reasons, I suppose.

As a mage in Kirkwall, though, times have never been more dangerous than they are now. This Rite of Tranquillity you ask of is indeed the main reason. As you suggested, the name derives from the Circle and the Templar’s religious foothold. It is, of course, a rather big procedure, and it is named a holy rite from those who offered the knowledge within the Chantry hierarchy. But the name is most certainly offered that of a holy one in order to rectify it in the eyes of the public, especially, perhaps, the part of the public which is less educated. If the public reads something religious, something within their minds immediately justifies it as good – I wish the Chantry could be so good that we can live with the purest of childish naivety and blindly follow their orders... That would be a good world indeed.

I have no doubt in my own mind that this is purely to make it marketable and justify the usage of such barbaric treatments. What if we were to treat mentally ill people the same? The brother of a templar knight suffering from melancholia and forced to be electrified to silence his mind from any thoughts, both good and evil, just so no one has to suffer treating him, mushing his brain into nothing so he becomes calm – all to avoid execution of a difficult patient… Or doing such a thing to a poor bugger suffering from PTSD from war… No… That is inhumane. But a mage who gets unruly? Whatever ‘unruly’ might mean in Kirkwall… No, let’s mush their brains to keep control over them.

I cannot say what the right treatment is for someone who suffers from temptations by demons, just as I as a healer cannot say what the right treatment is for someone with a split mind. There are things too difficult to treat even with magic… but by the Maker, at least a possession can be cured albeit it difficult.

I shouldn’t place the plight of mages on the same level as the plight of the mentally ill though. No one plight can be compared. That would treat them unfairly and assume one is worse than the other, or has more importance within society. All plights are important. Justice is deserved for all. The only reason I compared here, is to make a point because I do believe that those who aren’t born of magic cannot fathom what we are put through. But we all, in some way, have suffered from mental illness and can draw understanding from it.

I digress… we should continue with your questions.

Your following questions are about Andraste… It’s interesting to hear of your religion which differs quite from ours (spit? … seems a little unhealthy). As an Andrastian myself, I of course am a little biased, but although the elf is annoying and rude at times, there is one thing to learn from Fenris’ approach to people: all cultures are equal. I’ve learned over the years that religion stems from miraculous events that happened in our pasts, and who is to say that any one is wrong or right? I think they all are right, somehow fitting into a puzzle that together tells more about what happened in the past than any one artefact does. My comfort, however, comes from Andraste, and so I was happy to hear you mention her. Do I personally believe that she was a mage…? Perhaps… The Imperial Chantry believes she was, and of course that makes them the enemy and not just people who realize that sometimes miracles are just… magic. The miracles that we are told Andraste managed are rather big ones, nothing as personal and important as healing injured ones as far as I know. The Chantry explains them as being natural disasters, despite people thinking them to be miracles at the time. Perhaps this is done because in reading that people thought they were miracles we can assume one thing: Andraste was not a mage. But whether this is nothing more but one way to read the legends, or whether the Chantry does not want to admit Andraste had magic and the Tevenes have it right… I can’t say.

I personally think it would be great if Andraste was a mage so that we had some stories of mages that did not conclude with them being the reason for something bad in our lives. But it would also be great if she indeed had such a connection with the Maker that she could perform miracles without magic. After all, to answer your other question on this topic, I believe miracles and magic are both intertwined and not, as a miracle can be with or without magic. A miracle is a meant-to-be good fortune to one, or a group of people. Does magic play a part? It can. But it can be as simple as a person being where they needed to be for something good to happen, or a healing spell to work better than expected. The intervention of Gods can be this small, or as big as earthquakes summoned by Andraste. The line is fine, if you ask me, but it’s an interesting subject to think about!

You proceeded to talk about these creations feeding off of electricity that exist in your world, and I was so transfixed reading this that I missed my assistant calling for help until she tapped my shoulder and scared me. Truly, again, thank you for writing about it as… difficult it is for me to wrap my head around it. I will endeavour to add some comments to some of the very interesting discussions that exist in your society, despite having 0 knowledge of anything… so take this all with a pinch of salt, please:

You mean a goal concerning these… AIs… would be to have them be… birthed as a biological creation with a mind and soul of their own? What an… interesting concept. A little frightening, of course, as most of us become versatile and socialised from the people we’re surrounded with. Surround such a newborn AI with the wrong people, and you might indeed stumble upon an AI with negative views on life – not to mention that each culture has their own variations on right and wrong, so how would one choose which culture it starts out in? Would you have to choose which culture is the more ‘right’? That seems highly unlikely to be fair. But letting them stay in a completely neutral zone is impossible too as someone has to choose what is neutral, and there will still be a bias. This is indeed a very intricate issue. I don’t envy you have this in your society, I must admit.

On the subject of then creating emotions and the limit of pushing them to potentially get hurt… I once had a patient here in Kirkwall who came in claiming to want me to take a look at a bruise. As I examined them, I found out this was not just a bruise, but three broken ribs. They had also dislocated their shoulder, upon which they declared “I was wondering why my arm felt off”. No pain. No matter what I did, poked and prodded (without pushing what I know to be human limits, mind you) the patient did not feel any pain. It’s uncommon, but it happens. The question on suffering physically therefore seems easy – if you have these… beings… mimic the bodies of those with these rare conditions, they will never feel pain – but then how will they know where their limits are? This patient would have happily continued to live with broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, causing irreversible damage to his body over time. The same can be said for the mind. How do you know something is wrong without feeling the repercussions in terms of sadness, stress, anger, depression? We might not want out children to suffer, but if they never express or feel pain, how do we know they have not reached a limit of their own? Or that we have pushed their limits? The beauty of life cannot be felt without knowing the other side too. Light doesn’t exist with dark – as Hawke loves telling me when I feel down. I do hate them for it, but it is true. The true fear, I think, is in having to rely on mankind to listen to these AIs expressing their pain. That, I think, is the difficult part, as pessimistic as it sounds.

Of course, though, these are just my thoughts completely biased on the knowledge I have from my own society – which seems a little limited now that I have heard of yours!

As I am running out of parchment (perhaps this is a sign for me to shut up), I will have to stop this here before I write an entire novel on this AI topic.

I thank you for your worries. We will all endeavour to be as careful as we possibly can under the watchful gazes of the Templars. And, you know, I set aside some milk and have officially already seen some cats sneaking around for more. I might not own one officially, but I can pretend I do this way!

Now, you stay safe too. Keep healthy and hydrated. Kind regards, Anders

PS.

Your question on the Fade was quite interesting… It is the weakened Veil which has the characteristic green hue, but even when in the Fade, there is an unmistakeably green aura to everything around you – but it is easy to miss if you are not actively aware you are in the Fade, or if a demon’s temptation is blinding you. I have been acquainted with the Fade for so long now that it has become the norm to me, and I can’t see it being any other colour. Scientifically, I have no idea why the Fade is green, nor have I read any scholars of the Fade write about it. Maybe spots of weakened Veil enlightens the Fade? But then the question remains why that doesn’t illuminate our world too...

On a personal level… the colour speaks of despair, nausea and temptation to me… as well as a grief of something that once was. Justice has no answer either, offering only the rather useless comment of “I had no idea what green was”. Studying the Fade is difficult without entering, dreaming and wandering. Justice forbids me to do so. He doesn’t trust I have the resistance to come back… ☹ Rather rude.

[spideyspeaches]

Sweet child ‘o mine ↬ a.r

sweet smily babie

A/N: Requests are open btw! I love writing Arvin and I don’t have any arvin requests so you can request for arvin btw :) 

Request by @kelieah​ : okay okay. let's get to it hehe. arvin right? oh my god you should write a dad!arvin 🥺🥺🥺 and reader is pregnant but he's like super protective and lowkey a wreck bc he doesn't know what he's doing? and reader is probably really close to popping the baby? up to you, can't wait to see what you write! :)

Kk so I went a little overboard with the fluff XD 

WC: 1.3k+ 

Pairing: Dad!Arvin Russell x Pregnant!Reader

Masterlist || Taglist 

Arvin was a protector by nature. He protected all the people he loved, whether it be his late sister, or his girlfriend, now wife and a mother of two. Before you had your first child, Arvin would constantly hover around you till it annoyed you to the point where you would sleep in a separate room.

("Hun don't lift those! You'll hurt the baby!" Arvin shrieked, rushing towards you as you held the shopping bag in your hand with an amused and angry expression. 

You were nearly six weeks pregnant, nowhere near your due date, and yet here you were.

"Arvin, this is one single shopping bag."

"Yes but you shouldn't! I saw what happened to the neighbour's wife when she tried to lift 'er bed!" 

"Arvin…" you said, tapping your foot impatiently, dropping the shopping bag near your couch.

He was looking at you with a worried expression. You didn't give him time to answer, instead pulling him for a deep kiss. 

And what if you were with a child? You were still horny and he was right there looking like a snack.) 

You found the protectiveness endearing, especially watching his gruff exterior cut through like a knife. But you were pregnant and you were grumpy, sick of his overbearing attitude and had finally asked him to leave you alone for two seconds, maybe have a cigarette or two. The poor guy had looked heartbroken that day, just enough for guilt to brew in your heart, but you stood your ground. 

That day also happened to be the day your first child, Willy, was born. You had convinced yourself that you would never witness such a site as of your husband holding your firstborn with utmost care and love radiating through his every pore, bobbing the baby’s little head as he hummed some lullaby, his soft voice lulling your tired form to sleep. 

“Mummy why is daddy walkin’ like that?” Your four year old son asked, looking at you with his daddy’s big doe eyes, making you coo at his adorable expression. 

You were sitting on the couch, nine months with your second child, way past your due date as your son sat besides you, a hand on your rounded belly, smoothing down your dress and “talking” to his brother. You found it cute, already feeling the love the little child was going to get from the second smallest member of the Russell family. 

You watched in amusement as Arvin paced the hallway, burning a hole in the rugs as he ran a hand through his hair, messing them up as he cursed softly. He had been like that from the day your second child was about to arrive, only for them to want to stay a little longer in your belly. 

"Honey you're gonna bear a hole in there." You said, burrowing your brows as he looked at you. He was a wreck, you could see it in how he tried to work two jobs, only to meet you when you were back in bed. 

“Daddy’s a little tense right now hun, he’s… he’s worried why the baby hasn’t come to us yet.” You said, caressing Willy’s head as he snuggled next to you, nodding with a faux serious expression. 

“Maybe the babe feels safer in your belly moma, it must feel very much loved.” He said with a toothy grin, bumping his nose to your bump as you laughed, hugging your little boy closer to you, tickling his sides, He shrieked with laughter as you bent down as much as you could to kiss his forehead.

“Well the little bugger has been kicking moma for a while now, I think he really wants to come, just findin’ it a wee difficult.” You said, hissing as you felt another kick under your ribs. Massaging the area just like the way your midwife had told you to. You sent your son a wink, hoping that he wouldn’t get too scared at your state. He, like his father, was also very protective of you and the baby.

Hissing at another contraction, you tried to do your breathing exercise, groaning at the pain you felt. 

“Daddy! Daddy moma is hurt!” Willy shouted, getting off the couch and running off to where Arvin had been pacing the room.

“No no no hun! Moma is alright, just a little- oh oh Arvin!” You groaned, stretching your husband's name at a painful contraction as you watch him frantically run towards you, stumbling at the carpet and falling on his knees in front of you.

“Hun? Baby speak to me, how far apart are the pains? Do you think it’s time? Should I-”

“Arvin?” You winced, holding your belly.

“Yes honey?”

“Shut the fuck up and do me a favour, get the bag ready will ya?” You said, clenching your jaw as tightly as you could without breaking your teeth, immediately feeling guilty at his crestfallen expression. He was only trying to help you.

“Yes, yes sweetheart, I'll be right back.” He said, scramming to go to your room to get the bag. You knew he had already packed it, unpacked and repacked it multiple times to keep his mind of the calendar. 

“Moma? Are you hurtin’?” You son asked, hearing a sniff. You sighed as you saw tears form in his eyes, running your hands through his hair as he sniffed loudly. 

“No bun, it’s nothing bad, moma’s fine. I swear.” 

“But you’re crying!” He cried out, launching himself on your chest. You sat down with a “oof”, the weight of your son sending you on your back sprawling on the couch.

“Willy! Be careful!” Arvin shouted, pulling your crying son off of you and palming his head as he buried his face into his father’s shoulder, wrapping his little arms around his neck as Arvin cooed at him, trying to shush his muffled cries. 

“It’s gonna be alright bubby, I’m not crying anymore, see?” You gritted, groaning loudly when you felt one resonate to your back, a pop sound startling you enough to widen your eyes.

A breath later, the only thing you could hear was your son’s sniffs and your breathing, the wetness between your thighs amplifying as you gave a loud groan, groping for your husband’s biceps, “It’s happening!” 

“Oh- oh fuck shit, sorry hun, Willy, do daddy a favor and open the car will you? We need to take moma to the hospital.” Arvin instructed your son, who obediently nodded, a determined expression taking over his adorable face as he ran outside. 

“Arvin!”

“Comin’ sweetheart, just a minute!” He grunted, positioning himself by your side, sliding his one hand under your knees and another at your back, You shrieked as he carried you bridal style, your son holding the door open for you.

You would have called the ride torturous had you not heard the shrill cries of your newborn, squishy wet cheeks and scrunched eyes fitted in the palm of your hands a few hours later. Laughing near hysterically, you gently rocked the newly swaddled baby boy in your arms, looking at your husband’s shiny eyes as he carefully touched the baby’s forehead. 

“He’s so tiny.” Arvin whispered, rubbing his thumb on the soft skin, watching in awe as the baby yawned, the little eyes scrunching up as they slowly opened, adjusting around the world in a newfound wonder. 

“He’s perfect.” You smiled, seeing your four year old hiding behind Arvin’s legs, watching you unsure of himself, “Come here bun, want to hold your brother?”

“I can hold him?” He asked, peaking at you through his eyelashes.

“Of course you can son.” Arvin chuckled, lifting the toddler as he sat on your bed, looking at you with wide eyes. 

"Here, hold his head, careful." You whispered, holding one hand on your older son's hands, guiding him to hold his little brother as he looked at the baby in wonder. 

"He's tiny!" Willy said, mimicking you when he saw you holding the baby. 

"You were this tiny too once, son." Arvin said, smiling at you and Willy. 

"No way! I'm a big boy." Willy argued, pouting, which made you and your husband laugh.

"Whatever you say baby."

[capowarsenic]

What Happens When AH Smut Goes Rouge...

So basically A here tried to write a AH smut piece in chat... and then shit went... well

A: Michael hummed and pushed Gavin further up the boulder and himself down. "You say spit may work?" He asked. "Then I shall 'lube' you."

M: DO NOT USE SPIT

N: "spit in my asshole, Michael"

C: OH GOD'

A: (I don't know how sex works!)

D: Spit, like water, does not work

well

A: "W-Wait, I have a tube of lube alr- AH! BUGGER ME!"

D: it works v briefly

N: After a while spit does nothing

M: this is how you get a prolapsed rectum..

D: maybe gavin's into that, you dont know

N: "prolapse my rectum, Michael"

C: christ...

M: fucking hell

D: i appreciate Gavin yelling "bugger me" while being buggered though

N: "bug my anus, Michael"

N: "blow a raspberry against my asshole, Michael"

A: DUDES WTF

M: welp, im out

R: Y'all makin weird shit weird

D: this is what got M

M

after the shit they've written

C: Im guna cry

AR: We did it. We got M.

A: I can't believe I'm saying this, but can I just continue this smut piece please??

C: dying in the corner For fuck sake guys! xD I'm cryin over here

N: "Cry into my asshole, Michael"

A: N.

N: I made it weird, no one else.

A: SHUT THE HELL YOUR MOUTH.

Anyway.

N: Hehe

G: i just want to hear the story man

C: crying

N: "Tell my asshole a story, Michael"

I'm done.

C: Let's let poor A finish

N: Continue, A.

E: I'm sorry

ditty_06_27_17_13_35_20.mp4

A: Gavin moaned as Michael licked at his entrance, crying loudly as he felt it enter him. He pressed his face into his arm, muffling his moans. He was sure they were far enough from anything else, but he couldn't but worry about the idea of Jeremy walking in him getting fucked by a cat person.

C: E

AR: ohmyfuckinggod

C: the tears are back

N: "shove a cat cock in my asshole, Michael"

D: oh god cat cocks are barbed

AR: A I'm so sorry we are in a mood today

A: After a few more moments, Michael pulled away and Gavin whined as he felt empty. Michael purred. "Will that be good?"

AR: I promise we are enjoying your story

M: alright guys come on, let A finish writing

N: I love your story.

C: same, it good

E: I'm really enjoying it

A: Gavin moaned again and pointed to his discarded jeans. "I... I have a tube in there, could you get it for me please...?"

N: ....

"put a tube in my asshole, Michael"

Omg what if he does that cause he doesn't know better

A: Michael cocked his head again, but crawled down the rock again and rummaged through the clothes before finding the small pack, 'lube' in pink letters on the side.

N!!

N: I'M SORRY

K: A is so done with y'all omfg

G: you have no control N even after saying shut up multiple times

R: A just isn't finishing this because of N

E: It's like herding cats

N: I'm sorry

D: we're worse than cats

N: I can't help myself

A: horny cats

D: or Cat boys

which is appropriate to the situation

A: ONE MORE INTERRUPTION AND I WON'T FINISH THIS. YOU WILL BE LEFT WITH NO ACTUAL DICK IN BUTT.