#sorry this took ages to answer

[ritens]

do you have a Guy who, despite overwhelming proof, does steadfastly believe that a certain animal is NOT real and was in fact invented specifically to play a prank on Them

Thought long and hard about this and conclusion is that no I do not have such a character. The closest could be Lane who saw the floofs before he saw the actual animals that the floofs are made after. Whiplash. Never meet your idol. etc etc.

[wiedzmacienia]

Would you rather kill Simcoe or James if you could only kill one?

what the fuck kind of question was that?

how dare this person have the audacity to bring up those names? to delve into her personal history. oh she's sure somewhere in obscure records of division there were mentions of her ordeals with both men, however, what right did this person have to go looking? it makes her seethe, it makes her square her shoulders. it makes the room turn just a fraction darker as darkness seeps in from the walls. it makes the glare she gives the person almost enough to kill. it makes her angry at herself that she still has a visceral reaction to the memories of these two men. men she refused to give any power to, even in memory.

they'd both tortured her for information, over a century apart.

one had left lasting wounds in the raised scars across her body, in the brand on her back. she hadn't killed the first, sim.coe. she had killed james, hunting down every single one of his friends and order so that he knew she was coming. that the full weight of the order he so wanted to destroy was coming for him. she'd taken her time, allowed an unhinged kind of storm to be unleashed within her and out of her. and only then had she allowed him to die.

still...

katarzyna rather thinks she would have killed si.mcoe too if she'd had the chance. she doesn't think she'd have done it in the same way though. the man had tortured her but he had never lied to her or been anything other than himself with his own goals in the middle of a war and had all his worst traits brought further out by his turning into a strigoi. it had been a war and they had been on opposing sides. she hated sim.coe but she understood him too. a war or what he'd become didn't excuse his cruelty or willingness to unleash what he had upon her. but it had been a time where both sides had done horrible things. it had, in some ways, made monsters of them all even if there had been shreds of light, of goodness to be found in those same years.

there was no war afoot in her dealings with james. he had betrayed her in the worst possible way, making her a fool when she'd dared to fall for his façade. when she'd dared to care for him because he seemed such a good and honest person. when he seemed as if he loved her and she'd attempted to open her heart again, seeking some fraction of what she'd once had with her husband (@honorhearted) even if she knew she'd never feel for someone in the same way, with the same intensity. but she'd felt so alone a century on with so much loss behind her.

but james wasn't those things.

no, he'd thought her some vile creature, all magic evil and he'd only allowed his skin to touch hers for his greater good of using her to further his agendas and find others like her. he'd turned on her when she was vulnerable and he'd enjoyed unleashing pain onto her when his order had captured her. if anyone was a vile creature.. if anyone was to know hellfire, it was him.

so would she rather kill james or sim.coe?

"james. and i did." she has no way to know how he'd come back to haunt her once more soon enough for he had known hellfire and would use it for his revenge.

[undeadoracle]

Would love to hear your thoughts on Emmrich being autistic if you don’t mind sharing? I hadn’t really considered it myself but I’m curious

Sure! to be fair, emmrich being older means he’s had a lot of time to grow into himself, develop confidence, and cultivate his personality traits in ways that work for him in his environment. But here’s a few things that stuck out to me as rather neurodivergent of him:

-he’s typically very tidy and organized. we see that he keeps inventory of what he brings to the lighthouse, and does not like things messy, even though he as a LOT of stuff; Sylvia Feketekuty herself described him as “fastidious.” he gets upset about assan coming into his space, getting into things and making messes, he doesn’t want taash to use his bone tools, says he’s glad he doesn’t share an office with neve because she leaves paperwork everywhere, etc.

-deliberately precise use of language that he considers a point of pride. He tells rook, “I always choose my words carefully,��� and we see that to be true in the way he speaks to others, as well. Autistic folks often use language very meticulously because they want to be specific, and to avoid being misunderstood.

-he sometimes (perhaps even often) gets distracted at inappropriate times by things that are relevant to his interests and has to be guided back on track by rook/other members of the party.

- he’s is an extremely polite & courteous person, of course, but that’s not the same as being socially intuitive. In fact, autistic people often gravitate to being extremely polite because social conventions are rules that can be followed in order to ensure a Correct Social Interaction; they don’t require interpreting nuanced cues or reading between the lines. Emmrich often does not immediately pick up on the other companions teasing/poking fun at him; it takes a few exchanges back and forth for him to catch on, if he does at all. It’s not because he’s dumb or naive, he obviously isn’t, he just is inclined to take people at face value in a way that’s common for folks on the spectrum. See also: him getting tricked by the guy selling fake charms in tevinter. Even when he gets revenge for that, it’s less about being embarrassed on his own behalf and more a righteous indignation that someone would lie about something like that, it’s dangerous don’t you know!

- in the same vein, he’s totally bewildered and caught off guard by the flirting (at first), and wants to confirm it’s intentional and serious on rook’s part by communicating very clearly about it. Which is a good and mature thing, of course, but it’s also him clarifying that he’s interpreting rook’s overtures correctly.

- he simply cannot stop himself from constantly infodumping about necromancy and botany, his most dearly held interests. He will happily spend all day with these subjects, then talk about them some more, then read about them some more before bed. He never seems to get tired of absorbing more of them or talking about them. Most people, no matter how passionate about their work, don’t have that level of commitment in their off time. Even the fact that he wants to become a lich, which very few members of the mourn watch are willing to do, is indicative of how deeply he’s entrenched his life in necromancy. And when talking with someone who doesn’t care about either of those things, or actively dislikes them, he tends to flounder and cut the conversation short.

- furthermore, he doesn’t really know how to set people at ease with necromancy; he thinks if he just talks more and more about what he finds beautiful and valuable about it, eventually people will “get it,” even if they’re clearly uncomfortable. See especially: his conflicts with taash, some of his conversations with lucanis, etc. you could chalk this up to cultural differences, but I think most people in his position would approach the subject with a little more discretion when dealing with foreigners who definitely have different perspectives on the subject.

- he and bellara (who is deliberately neurodivergent coded) get along very harmoniously. he has no trouble keeping up with her, and they’re very much able to tap into each other’s wavelengths. Conversely, taash (also neurodivergent coded) has all the opposite traits: very unemotive, struggles to articulate themself aloud, special interests he doesn’t care about, etc., and they get on each others’ nerves without even trying. He can’t figure taash out because he can’t read between the lines of their behavior, but when it's finally made clear to him that taash is afraid of his necromancy he immediately switches gears, because he’s no longer trying to guess what he's done to offend them.

- being empathetic towards nonhuman creatures is a very common experience for autistic folks, and he’s deeply empathetic towards spirits, moreso even than other members of the mourn watch. He says they were his companions growing up, despite having other humans around that he could’ve turned to for comfort and companionship after his parents’ deaths, and he displays a degree of understanding and compassion for them that is really only on par with like, solas, as far as other characters of the franchise go.

- Sylvia also described him as “a man of large emotions,” which is a big mood, pardon the pun, for neurodivergent folk.

- obviously being homesick in and of itself isn’t unique to autism, nor is not being well traveled, but he clearly misses his personal routines; he’s thinking about how he misses his old norms and schedule when rook asks him about homesickness, and later when rook talks with him about his youth he says the repetitive rituals of the mourn watch were exactly what he needed to heal from the loss of his parents. Spending their entire life in the mourn watch could feel confining or limiting to many people, but emmrich gets away for the first time in a long time and immediately misses it. You could also link this desire to have consistency to his conflict with harding about camping; the idea of getting to see fereldan is exciting to him in theory, but having to change his regular routine (leaving behind his books, dressing gown, shaving kit etc.) upsets him. It’s not about being spoiled—he grew up poor, after all—it’s about having to give up his regular habits.

[peteytheparrot]

how to make. comic

Step one after coming up with a really epic idea (aka daydreaming for hours on end) write it down and doodle it really shitily in your notes

Step two forget about it for months on end before making it (I have so many random comic ideas unfinished) (this is why you write it down before hand)

Step three finally get your ass up and make the sketch 💞💞 Step four spend way too much time making the panels because they HAVE to be perfect for some reason (or else I’ll freak tf out and die /j)

Step five and six make the lineart and coloring, and then add the speech bubbles, this is where you can tweak the wording and or change where the speech bubbles go (mostly done so it flows better)

(Don’t be afraid to cover up your art with speech bubbles if needed, ik it kind of sucks but reading ability is very important in comics, and having your speech bubbles all wonky WILL turn off readers, no matter how good your art is)

step seven make a REALLY lazy background because you do NOT want to do shit this time!! (Pretend they don’t have lighting on them I merged the layers 💖)

Step eight spend too long on rendering aka lighting and shading!! Step nine add more epic effects aka final touches!! This is always nice to do because it makes it look a lot prettier (like adding overlays, gradient maps, blurs, and noise… idk)

Andddd you’re done, I usually work on multiple comics at once because I CANNOT sit on one thing only!! Nuh uh!! Comics take fucking ages and will ALWAYS take ages so if you don’t have the patience for it I’m sorry bro 💔 you will not handle it 💔

Although! When I started making mini comics they took me like? 10+ hours but the more I did them they now take around 3 hours at the shortest. This one took 5 hours.

This is just how I make comics btw, most comics I see don’t go fucking crazy on the rendering/lighting/shading (usually on comics I see there is none tbh! And it works for them!) I’m just insane and like to make my comics look really pretty or else I’ll explode for some reason.

Also 😇 if you wanna see more comics of these guys go here for places you can read them at 😇

[abyssal-ilk]

Hi! I'd love to know what your thoughts are on Viv as divine? Sorry if you've already covered this, I'm just excited to find someone who cares about her and I feel like you'd have a much better take than like. 90% of the people who talk about the divine options

Thanks for posting meta about her, she's one of my all-time faves!

hi!! so sorry this took me so long to answer, i have no excuse other than i saved it to my drafts a while back and it got absolutely buried. soo im brushing off the cobwebs on this thing and finally answering it

divine vivienne is, in my opinion, FUN. it's fun. her becoming divine is not canon in most of my wordstates but i love thinking about divine vivienne. the idea of having a mage on the sunburst throne is so GOOD. and not just a mage, but a mage who is 1) a free marcher 2) not white and 3) a master of the political orlais bullshit?? oh yeah. we're so back. we've never been more back.

vivienne as divine victoria is especially interesting to me in the case that she fails, though. which may be surprising because i am the mr vivienne enjoyer guy but. just imagine. she is ousted from her seat on the throne before she can cement her place as the divine. there is no recovering from that for her. any sort of political or social power she would have is GONE. a disgraced divine? a mage who dared to grasp for power in the wake of such death and destruction caused by magic, who wants to pull the strings of the pure and hopeful minds of the faithful to put more damned mages in control, so that southern thedas will be reformed into the likes of tevinter? none of that is true, obviously, but it would be what people would say about her. where would she go after that? where could she go? would she have any allies that have not forsaken her? any shelter that will not scorn her and set the templars upon her like dogs upon a starved stray cat just looking for scraps? hm. much to think about.

[savingsallow]

On the mantle, sitting behind a row of neatly hung stockings, Val spots it: a mandrake. Its expression is sour, its leaves drooping slightly. It hasn't screamed - but it's definitely not pleased.

"Stockings," it mutters, its voice bitter. "Everyone gets a stocking. Even the cat. But me? Nothing. I've been good too! Where's my fuzzy sock? My little treats? Or is the mandrake too much trouble to include in your holiday cheer?"

What does Val you do?

The bustling Herbology greenhouse is filled with the warm scent of fresh earth and a swirl of vibrant green plants, each thriving under the enchanted glass ceiling.

Val's pink hair glimmers in the sunlight as she wanders among the rows of magical plants, her eyes shining with curiosity and delight. Today’s lesson is all about mandrakes, and the Slytherin girl's excitement is palpable—though she knows the little sprigs can be a handful.

As Professor Garlick is demonstrating proper handling techniques, Val glances over at her assigned mandrake, nestled snugly in its pot. To her surprise, it's wearing a particularly disgruntled expression, its leaves drooping and a faint moan escaping its lips.

"Stockings," it mutters, its voice bitter. "Everyone gets a stocking. Even the cat. But me? Nothing. I've been good too! Where's my fuzzy sock? My little treats? Or is the mandrake too much trouble to include in your holiday cheer?"

Val bites her lip, holding back a laugh. “Aww c'mon, little buddy!” she calls out, her voice warm and playful. “I know things can feel a bit…rooted in monotony, but this is Herbology class! You’re literally the life of the party here!” She leans closer, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Besides, I think your sour attitude might just be your only real accessory,” she added with a wink.

The mandrake glares at her, unimpressed, but the girl continues, undeterred. “Look, I'm no plant expert but I think I have an idea.” With a flick of her wrist, she reaches into her bag, pulling out a shimmering purple flower. “This is a Belladonna Blossom—very rare and known for enhancing plant beauty! Just a little sprinkle of this on your leaves, and you’ll turn heads, my dearest Mandrake.”

The mandrake narrows its eyes but can’t resist a peek at the Belladonna. “You really think that would work? You’re not just buttering me up for a scream practice, are you?”

“Oh, please!” she chuckles, shaking her head. “Just imagine it: You’ll be the talk of the classroom. ‘Did you see the Mandrake with the glow?’ Everyone will be jealous, especially the cat! And don’t get me started on all the holiday parties you can crash once you’re looking fabulous.” She pauses dramatically, grinning. “Plus, if you scream, at least it’ll be more like a rock star entrance than a scary concert! Think of that as your holiday gift to the world!”

With a theatrical wave of her wand, she lightly dusts the Belladonna Blossom over the mandrake. Instantly, a spark of shimmering light surrounds it, and its leaves perk up, transforming from dull and grumpy to vibrant and cheerful.

“There! See? Much better!” She stands back and admires her handiwork, clapping her hands together like a proud artist. “Now you’ve got the festive look to match your spirited attitude! Now, who’s ready to spread some holiday cheer?”

The mandrake blinks in disbelief, then lets out a soft giggle that sounds surprisingly like a bark. “Okay, Val. Maybe you’re not so bad after all.”

“Just wait until you see what I have planned for you at the end of class—a little surprise treat! Nothing dark or murky, I promise!” she says, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Just a bit of holiday flavor for a plant who deserves it.”

As it adjusts to its newfound allure, the mandrake begins to sway, almost dancing with the rhythm of the lively classroom. "You know," it calls out teasingly, its voice bubbling with excitement, "I may have been a little too root-bound before! Who knew looking fabulous could feel so magical?"

With that, the mandrake launches into an impromptu performance, mimicking dance moves learned from watching the students. Its tiny arms wave in the air, and it spins around in its pot, exuberance washing over it as it basks in the attention.

Val grins wider, feeling a sense of triumph as she watches her little friend thrive in the spotlight. The other students, once wary of the mandrake’s notorious screaming, are now cheering and clapping, eager to join in the fun.

As the class progresses, it becomes clear that the belladonna has given the mandrake not just beauty, but confidence. It starts to bond with its peers, sharing jokes and playful banter, even poking fun at the stubborn cat who’s lazily perched outside the greenhouse, clearly feeling left out of the festivities.

By the end of the lesson, Val knows she’s made a friend for life. “Alright, time for your surprise!” she announces, producing small, colorful treats from her bag—little enchanted berries that shimmer with a hint of magic. “I call these ‘Jolly Jesters’! They’re sweet, festive, and sure to give you a little bounce!”

The mandrake’s eyes widen in delight, and as Val hands one over, it excitedly chomps into it, its expression lighting up with joy. “This is the best day ever! I can officially say I’m part of the holiday cheer now! Maybe stockings aren't such a bad idea after all—if they’re filled with goodies like these!”

As the bell rings and the students migrate out of the greenhouse, Val takes a moment to admire her handiwork. The mandrake, once sour and overlooked, is now a dazzling centerpiece of the classroom, ready to take on the world with a newfound zest for life.

After all, what’s the thrill of Herbology without a good dose of plants, puns, and a sprinkle of magic ✨

[oddsconvert]

what would your characters be like in crossover AUs between your stories? :>

I've surprisingly not considered much in the way of crossover AU's between my own series! I have, however considered one giant crack-fic piece before where all my whumpees are shoved into a basement together (Josh, Declan, Izaak & Henley) as the whumpers all have a little soiree upstairs (Felix, Vince & Ronan) 😈

Ronan would completely idolise Vince and look up to him for insight of how to break down a pet into a mindless subservient. Both Ronan & Vince would be weary and cautious of Felix...they'd be totally and utterly fucking creeped out by him. Felix would not stop rambling on about his perfect Joshy, his lover and soulmate...

Meanwhile, Declan (if not deep in the throes of persuasion) would be inconsolable and cowering. He'd keep deathly quiet, out of sight and out of harms way - he'd be petrified of anyone and everyone and wouldn't trust a soul. Izaak wouldn't help the matter, he'd be laughing and making cruel remarks about him. Josh and Henley would offer him security and friendship, and try to pull him out of his shell. They would all exchange stories of their captors, and even Izaak would be shaken to the core to discover that vampires are real, and how powerful they truly are...

I imagine Felix convincing Vince to use persuasion on Josh... just for a taste of it 👀 of complete and utter submission without question or thought. Felix tells Vince the command, and Vince relays it to Josh. Declan would plead for Josh at the first flicker of fear in his eyes. Henley and Izaak would exchange a panicked glance.

There would just be a lot of mix-n-match, connections and dynamics 👀 I'd love to think about it properly!

[walkingstackofbooks]

treat! (or trick >:3)

A week later and I'm finally getting round to the rest of these!

Have some hurt/comfort set during DBIP after Julian's told his parents he's going to resign.

(cw: self-harm, suicidal ideation - nothing graphic, but I'll put it under the cut.)

Shakily, he pressed his other hand to his combadge, and before his courage could desert him, quickly murmured, “Bashir to O’Brien”.

The reply was unexpectedly instant. “Miles here – what do you need?”

“Miles,” Julian choked out, hesitating over what to say. “Miles, I—I’ve hurt my hand.”

He could practically hear Miles’ frown. “Do you need me to call the infirmary?” Miles asked.

“No,” replied Julian. “No… I mean, I, uh—oh, fuck. Miles, I don’t want to be good to myself right now.”

“Oh,” said Miles, his voice suddenly low. “You don’t mean… You mean like I was, after Agra—”

“Yes,” whispered Julian. “Miles, I’m—I’m scared, I’m sorry, I—”

“Wait right there,” Miles ordered. “I’m coming right now, Julian, just—just wait, okay? Can you do that?”

“Yeah,” said Julian weakly. “Yeah, okay.”

“I’m coming,” Miles repeated, and the comm line shut off. Julian stayed frozen in place, standing next to his newly-dented wall, shivering. A few moments later, and the familiar light of a transporter beam appeared in his periphery, startling him; with hindsight, he should have realised that Miles might use the emergency transporter, but it hadn’t even occurred to him.

“What do you need?” asked Miles, his eyes glancing from Julian to the wall, then back to Julian. “What can I do?”

Julian looked at his friend wordlessly, trying and failing to find the right place to start. Every horrible, pent-up feeling was still there, but the weight on his chest was beginning to decrease as those feelings began to bubble up past his throat and turn into tears. The mere fact of Miles’ presence – steady, dependable Miles: his friend – had brought a feeling of safety back to the room, which hadn’t been present since… Well, since his parents had arrived on the station, he guessed. And Julian really wasn’t sure what to do with this new feeling.

“Let’s look at that hand, shall we?” asked Miles, ever practical, and Julian allowed himself to be guided to the sofa, shutting his eyes against the tears that were falling steadily now, the whirlwind of violent emotions twisting itself into something more fragile, worn out.

“Julian, I need you to tell me what to do with it though. I’m no medic, but it’s not looking pretty.”

It didn’t matter. The pain didn’t matter anymore, it could be fixed later. Miles was here, and he was good, and Julian could worry about everything else tomorrow.

[talxns]

I lOVE LOVE LOVE your brudick fics, I cannot stop reading them they are so delicious and addicting.

But I was wondering what got you into this amazing ship😌 and what is your favorite canon moment between them.

🖤💛🖤💙🖤

Thank you 🥹 I really appreciate it because I often struggle to see the worth in my own writing.

I had liked Batman from childhood but only got interested in brudick around 2016, not sure what it was exactly that opened my third eye to it, but I love toxic age gap yaoi so it was destined to happen lol there are several formative fics that I read at that time that really cemented my love for brudick, such as @holy-batmans story A Baptism of Fire, lacemonster’s Mirrors (currently privated and unavailable on the archive), & [orphaned account]’s You are forever in my mind.

As an adult I have a greater appreciation for adult Dick and Bruce’s relationship and the dynamics that form when they are older. But I still love any point of their relationship.

As for my favorite canon moment! That’s really difficult! What even is considered canon lol I’ll just share some particular moments in the comics that I really appreciate.

I love the scene in Robin Year 1 where Two-Face is beating Dick to death with a baseball bat and Bruce flies toward Harvey like a wraith

I love the embrace between Bruce and Dick in Robin & Batman after Dick saves Bruce from Killer Croc. Bruce’s horrifying realization that he’s trained Dick to kill himself to save others, not anticipating that it’d be his life Dick was willing to die for.

Bit of a throw back to the golden age (so maybe technically not canon), but I love when Dick gets beaten up so badly that Bruce is rushing him to a doctor’s house in the middle of the night for emergency treatment, and he threatens to kill the doctor with his bare hands if he doesn’t operate on him.

Also when Bruce goes out as Batman without Robin but keeps a portrait of Robin with him the whole time because he wanted to have him with him in spirit, are you kidding me???

Golden age Brudick is amazing. Also a huge fan of Bruce just. Giving up completely when he thinks Dick has died. He just goes limp and says “whatever guess i’ll die” . and this happens multiple times.

Literally any time Bruce thinks that Dick has died and either becomes brutally murderous about it or becomes a wreck. weeping for him like in Injustice or golden age comics. it really shows how integral Dick is to Bruce’s mental stability. How much he means to him!!!

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

Growing up in an extremely ultra religious, cult-like family was a mindfuck for multiple reasons but that doesn't stop unfortunately, even when you escape. For example, see: The overwhelming feeling of boiling hatred and shame for who you used to be.

The angry hatred for the past person I used to be, the version of myself that mindlessly parroted my family's beliefs and listened to their every command, constantly simmered under my skin and invaded my every thought. I was embarrassed of what I used to be- even as I made friends of different ethnicities and faiths, as I listened and explored new ideas and worlds that I never knew existed, as I started the first LGBTQ+ club at my school and volunteered with kids who deserved so much more- there was always a little voice in the back of my head.

"They would hate you if they knew what you were. They would hate the horrendous teachings that were seared into your mind, the things that you used to say and believe. You are nothing but a pretender."

And it is true that my beliefs were bigoted in all the worst ways. It is true that I believed truly heart-wrenching things without a second thought and judged others in such harsh and unfair ways. I told myself that there was no coming back from that, not really. There was nothing I could do to ever make up for it.

Then I remembered that the person who said those things wore velcro light up sneakers and collected finger puppets that the librarians handed out as awards for reading picture books. The person that held signs at pro-life rallies and anti-LGBTQ+ protests had a cherished sticker book and hunted minnows in the creek after school and adored their puffle on club penguin and was really into greek mythology and had skinned knees from climbing trees at recess and knew every Disney song by heart and was absolutely terrified of the dark.

That person was a child.

I was a child.

It took a really long time. Years and years of reflection and distance, but I've decided that I can't hate the past version of myself anymore. I feel pity and remorse, I feel anger- I feel so much fury and violent rage- at what my childhood was and I grieve what could- no, should- have been, but I no longer resent who I was.

I'm not ashamed.

I am so, so, so unbelievably proud of that little kid. For being brave enough to leave the comfort and safety of what I was told was right. For not being afraid to be wrong. For seeking out information and knowledge in a culture that praised ignorance. For questioning everything, relentlessly.

I am by no means a perfect person, I never have been and I never will, but I am proud of myself in every iteration that has ever existed because I know that I have never stopped trying to understand and learn and grow, and I never will.

If you have ever been in a similar situation and feel similar things, first of all: My condolences on your lost childhood. Second of all: Please be nice to that past version of yourself and recognize all the hard work they did to make you who you are today. That person was a survivor and an inspiration. They deserve nothing but love.

[gonzoclock]

when the weasleys in twiwsfw (i love how many w's there are in that acronym) get like kinda angry but not a ton do their eyes turn green? 'cause that would be kinda funny

I always imagined the gold growing over their eyes from the center, so if they were just sort of angry it would look like gold ringed in blue

That said it would be funny. Like someone's very presence just sort of annoys Molly so badly that whenever they're around her eyes are just. Green. And then said person is introduced to Harry specifically as like Molly's kid and they're like 'oh you have your mother's eyes!'

Anyways. Silly stuff

[housederiva]

Can I ask--what exactly (do you think) happened with Solas and Flemeth/Mythal at the end of DAI? I've always been confused about it.

I'm starting this with my favorite fun fact from the end scene which is that there's a wolf statue to the left of the eluvian that Solas goes through, and a dragon statue to the right which represent Solas and Flemeth/Mythal

At the beginning of this scene Flemeth puts a bit of wisp like magic into the eluvian and I think this is her storing part of herself away like she did in the beginning of DA2. She's not surprised about the meeting and I think Solas called her there and she answered or maybe it's the other way around

And after Solas' apology for what he's about to do it, looks like he's pulling the same essence from her that Flemeth (albeit on a much smaller scale) pulled from Kieran and I think this is Solas taking the majority of Flemeth's life force to gain the powers of Fen'Harel and her letting him do it

I think it was the first step of Solas' 10 year plan

[little-pup-pip]

can u do a babyre pastel moodboard? (fem leaning)

Absolutely!!

[b4kuch1n]

I actually for real feel like my phone's scanning quality has dropped monumentally while I was away on thing so that's a fun thing to figure out now. anyways

[ask-the-pearloftheorient]

Hey kuya, remember the battle of Yultong? How did it felt to be left behind by your team to deal with the enemy alone and outnumbered?

Ah I'm still so, so happy I didn't get pounded into dust even though we were outnumbered (Suck my Mindanao, putas—)

I definitely love it when my people have this reminder that we aren't always a pushover country and we can also fight for ourselves :)

[housewarningparty]

Bri we’re rewatching Buffy 4x15 & 4x16 and realized

Joyce doesn’t live to see Faith get better

The last real time Faith has with Joyce is when she’s in Buffy’s body, and it’s where Joyce insists to Faith that she can’t imagine what happened to make Faith that way. She tells Faith that she doesn’t believe she’s happy. Faith literally hears Joyce say, to her face (well, Buffy’s face) that she hopes Faith gets the help she needs.

Faith literally goes thru all of 15 & 16 then rushes off to the Angel set & goes on a rampage trying to get Angel to kill her. She finally breaks & then has to see Buffy too. Spends all these years in prison. Has to break out to safe Angel. Finally after all those years gets back to Sunnydale. Ends up at Joyce’s house.

Except it NOT Joyce’s house now, it’s Buffy’s house. Joyce is gone and omg the last thing she sees of Faith is her literally at her worst. She never gets to apologize. I’m blowing myself up BRI!

JOYCE TELLS HER TO HER FACE THAT SHE THINKS SHE NEEDS HELP AND DOESNT THINK FAITH LIKES BEING THE WAY SHE IS! FAITH GETS TO SEE THAT SOMEONE GENUINELY DOES NOT HATE HER OR SEE HER AS EVIL OR BAD! EVEN AFTER SHE HELD HER HOSTAGE! AND SHE NEVER GETS TO APOLOGIZE OR MAKE AMENDS OR DO BETTER BY JOYCE. IM SO UPSET

yeah dude......

Look, Faith's relationship with Joyce is a parallel of her relationship to Buffy, in a lot of ways. Joyce represents the life Buffy has that Faith wishes was hers. Their first meeting is that dinner at Buffy's house, it's Joyce sitting across from her and asking about her life, being visibly delighted by her answers. It's Joyce feeding her. The moment Joyce leaves the table, Faith turns to Buffy. "She's really cool, huh?"

It's only like a scene or two later that we get one of Faith's first and only comments about her family. "My dead mother hits harder than that!" after she's hit in the face by a vampire. Oof.

The nice house, the watcher, the mom that cares, the friends - all these things Buffy has, that Faith covets. All things that Faith eventually resents her for.

There's something unhinged and sad and desperate in the way Faith tries to appeal to Joyce, when she's holding her hostage in This Year's Girl. I mean, it's absurd and that typical Faith mixture of hilarious and pathetic, but pleading with Joyce, trying to earn her validation again - "Buffy dumped us." Maybe that scene would have been different, if Joyce agreed, if Faith could have been convinced they were both victims of a similar heartbreak. Probably not. But maybe.

And like you said, what comes after - Joyce's sympathy, her worry, defending Faith after being bound and threatened by her. It throws Faith so badly. It gets in her head.

By season 7, Faith has cultivated a lot of self-awareness and a lot of self restraint. Buffy's life, and Joyce in particular, has always been a sore spot between Buffy and Faith. She would know better than to make this about her.

But it would have to sting, being in that house with an apology in her throat for a woman who's never going to hear it.