#storm mage cas

[frosthexe]

Storm and Sentinel - tiamatv - Supernatural [Archive of Our Own]

Dean doesn’t care if Castiel is the most powerful storm-mage ever seen. They’ve known each other since they were kids. They slept with Sam in a pile against the eldritch storms that turn people black-eyed and mean, or burn whole villages to the ground with scarlet lightning. He was there when Cas’s powers Awoke; he was there when Cas got adopted by the Archmagus of the Magisterium. He’s been there to hold Cas when the nightmares are so bad that Cas’s silver-blue aura goes dark and stained.

It doesn’t matter that Castiel’s going on this insane quest to challenge the Dark God, Dean’s still his best friend and his Sentinel. If Cas is gonna go do something fucking stupid, well… Dean’s going to be right there doing something fucking stupid alongside him.

It’d be nice if Dean weren’t in love with the asshole, though.

[zaahvi]

first concept of my rook!! his name is faolan and he's a dalish crow :))

backstory and lore tidbits under the cut bc it's alot 👇

fal was part of a dalish clan roaming northeastern thedas, and had been first to the keeper since his magic manifested (around 8 yrs old). he was quite troublesome, impatient, and had a temper. one day when he was 15, he stormed off in a fit of anger mid-lesson with the keeper, disappearing into the forest on his own for several hours until he'd calmed down. when he came back, his clan were all dead, and whoever was responsible was long gone.

after pulling himself together, he packed his things and left in search of another clan. there was one nearby, he knew, but when he reached them, they refused to take him in; they already had too many mages, they said. faolan knew this wasn't true, and instead suspected that his well-known poor character was the reason he was turned away, but for once he said nothing and just turned away. it was time for a different path, it seemed.

his journey took him to the nearby city of treviso, where upon learning of the antivan crows he practically begged to be let in. after all that happened, all he wanted was to kill, and to find whoever murdered his clan, and kill them too. after some time and trials, he was accepted in, and his training began.

after officially killing his first mark at 18, he paid another visit to the nearby dalish clan, for nothing else but to ask for his vallaslin. he wasn't a first anymore, but he had become a hunter, in a way, and thought he'd earned his markings. the clan's keeper begrudgingly agreed, and faolan got his vallaslin: the twisted branches which symbolised elgar'nan, the god of vengeance, for that is the path he'd taken when they'd turned him away.

over the next few years, the antivan crows began to receive more and more contracts on members of the venatori. during this time, faolan discovered that they were behind the murder of his clan: they had been searching for information on elven lore, and had chosen the violent path with his clan. fal was lucky enough to swipe a few contracts on the specific members that were involved and kill them personally; but when it was all over, he felt nothing. it seemed that getting vengeance wasn't as gratifying as he thought it'd be. in the end, his clan were still dead, they weren't coming back, nothing was going to be like it used to be... he had a new life now, one filled with plots and murder, and he really hadn't been in the headspace to process how permanent that'd be.

so that's faolan and where he is now. he's about 25 now and he feels kinda stuck in life, his past is still weighing on him and he's constantly just trying to distract himself with work. i think the solas job & then the forming of the veilguard is the first time that things start to feel a little different for him? like he's actually doing something important for once... and he finally gets friends yay :)

some tidbits:

as a kid he got into fights all the time. ALL the time. this continued on until he got into the crows and started losing

^^ he never used magic while fighting btw. that's cheating.

personality wise nowadays he's more guarded and doesn't really like to socialise, it's not that he's "socially awkward" it's just that he'd rather keep to himself. i think the veilguard is the first time he kinda comes out of his shell so to speak

that being said he will still absolutely kick your ass if provoked.

he's the kind of guy you see at the bar sitting at a solo table in the corner staring at everybody who comes in

his eyes both used to be that goldenish colour; his left eye turned silver when his magic manifested

doesn't know any healing magic. he hasn't bothered to use it since his clan died, and has forgotten how to do it

the tips of his ears get hot when someone casts magic nearby

takes shots at veilguard team meetings

hates any and all weather, honestly how he managed to survive 15 years in a dalish clan is beyond me

can be very charming and really good at flirting when he wants to be, but is an absolute disaster when it comes to showing genuine affection

has whatever the deity equivalent of daddy issues is with elgar'nan

okay i'm all done but on a related note for that last point here's a lazy meme as a gift for scrolling this far:

[kilfeur]

Du mal à dormir (Having trouble to sleep)

Elle se souvient de ses deux ans de traque, elle a eu du mal à trouver le sommeil. Toujours à rester en alerter, ne dormir qu'un seul oeil au cas où quelqu'un s'approche d'elle durant son sommeil. Ses deux ans seule, trouver Stella a été une source de réconfort, lui permettant de tenir le coup. Pourtant quand elle lève les yeux vers le ciel, elle pense à Callum et à Ezran. Ils lui manquent terriblement, elle aimerait tant les revoir ! Mais elle doit retrouver Viren, il le faut, elle a besoin de réponses concernant sa famille. Pendant ces deux ans, cette quête de le traquer, finit par devenir une obsession. Ce n'est qu'une fois, qu'elle est arrivée à Port Racaille après avoir agressé un mage noire, qu'elle en a assez ! Elle aura beau le chercher partout, elle pourra jamais le trouver !

Et puis qui lui dit qu'il est encore vivant ?! Il est tombé depuis la montagne de la flèche de tempête. Comment pourrait-t-il être encore vivant ?! Elle soupire et est retourné à Katolis, chez elle ! Les retrouvailles ont été mouvementés et compliqués et ça le frustrait un peu, elle semble comprendre mais ne semble pas vouloir jusqu'à quel point elle avait blessé celui qu'elle aime. Ezran était content de la revoir, Soren ne semble pas comprendre pourquoi elle agit ainsi. Or ce n'est que plus tard, qu'elle finit par comprendre et qu'elle sent qu'elle peut devenir plus forte non pas toute seule mais ensemble.

Un soir, elle se réveille, il fait encore nuit mais étonnamment, elle a jamais aussi bien dormi. Elle regarde à côté d'elle, Callum dort paisiblement dans son lit. Elle lui sourit avant de caresser tendrement ses cheveux et se rendormir. Elle peut enfin dormir car enfin depuis longtemps, elle se sent en sécurité.

___________________________________

She remembers her two years of tracking, finding it hard to sleep. Always on the alert, sleeping with one eye open in case anyone came near her while she was asleep. Her two years alone, finding Stella has been a source of comfort, keeping her going. Yet when she looks up to the sky, she thinks of Callum and Ezran. She misses them terribly and would love to see them again! But she must find Viren, she has to, she needs answers about her family. During these two years, this quest to track him down becomes an obsession. It's not until she arrives in Port Racaille after assaulting a dark mage that she's had enough! No matter how hard she looks, she'll never find him!

And who's to say he's still alive?! He fell from the mountain of the storm spire. How could he still be alive?! She sighed and returned home to Katolis! The reunion had been hectic and complicated and it frustrated her a little, she seemed to understand but didn't seem to want how much she'd hurt the one she loved. Ezran was happy to see her again, Soren doesn't seem to understand why she's acting this way. But it's only later that she finally understands and feels that she can become stronger, not alone, but together.

One evening, she wakes up; it's still dark, but surprisingly, she's slept better than ever. She looks beside her, Callum sleeping peacefully in his bed. She smiles at him before tenderly stroking his hair and drifting back to sleep. At last she can sleep, because at last, after a long time, she feels safe.

[awritingcaitlin]

I posted 1,270 times in 2022

That's 1,270 more posts than 2021!

277 posts created (22%)

993 posts reblogged (78%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pinespittinink

@muddshadow

@baroquesse

@forevermagik

@circa-specturgia

I tagged 1,079 of my posts in 2022

Only 15% of my posts had no tags

#my writing - 227 posts

#writing community - 163 posts

#writeblr - 163 posts

#writeblr community - 161 posts

#rinnie - 143 posts

#writing reference - 95 posts

#writing - 89 posts

#killian - 82 posts

#my characters - 81 posts

#cure the queen - 79 posts

Longest Tag: 130 characters

#now that we're turning it into a book he has just as much creative input as i do even though i'm the one putting words on the page

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

they are girls and it is night

Rinnie shivered in her inefficient coat. It was better than nothing but the last hour had not done wonders for her body temperature in general.

“This is somehow colder than it was when we were walking to Trotsberg,” Riela mused. “And we were basically in a blizzard then.”

“Probably because it’s night,” Rinnie replied.

Riela shuddered. “That was not fun,” she said. “There was so much snow and we knew that if the storm picked back up again, we were dead.”

Rinnie pursed her lips. Naturally, she remembered none of this.

“At least we’re not camping out in the open tonight,” she said.

Riela let out a short, barking laugh. “You’re right, thank goodness. And we’d have to stop soon just to get some rest.”

Rinnie looked around at all of the injured. “There’s no way these people could push themselves more than a mile or two.”

“Don’t forget to include yourself in that,” Riela pointed out. “You’ve been casting left and right.”

“You sound like Nathaniel,” Rinnie told her.

Riela shrugged. “Honestly, you’re the most powerful mage I’ve associated myself with ever. I’ve seen you do some amazing shit, but I’ve also seen you passed out for half a day afterwards so.”

Rinnie smiled wryly. She’d heard Riela’s careful choice of words. Rinnie wasn’t the most powerful mage Riela had ever met. But neither of them wanted to be talking about Nidtrin priestesses right about then.

- for @nosebleedclub‘s writing prompt vi.

8 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

#4

May Prompt #8 Alarm

Recognized: Captain Killian McCormack.

Reinstate last user settings?

“Yes.”

Initializing.

“Disable alarm.”

Disabling.

“Send distress signal to Lieutenant Colonel Lakelaw.”

Which distress signal?

@nosebleedclub

8 notes - Posted May 9, 2022

#3

You Deserve to...

“Uh huh, sure you’re not an airship nerd,” Killian heckled.

Rin took a long pull of her vaper and blew the smoke in Killian’s face. Cherry. “Okay, so maybe I think they’re cool. There’s a part of me that’s always wanted to go from my hometown to Berthingtonn in five days.”

Killian grinned more. “Maybe I can convince the crew to take you as far as the Islands. You won’t make it in exactly five because we’ll have to stop in Himmelmauer, but it would be close.”

Rin gasped. “You know what that means?”

“What?”

“I can make it to my parents’ ceremonies,” she said.

“Then I’ll definitely see if I can extend that favor,” Killian said. “You deserve to go to that.”

Rin made an excited noise and offered her vaper to Killian. She didn’t let go of it, however. He rolled his eyes and put his mouth to the mouthpiece. He felt her spark of power and inhaled. Definitely cherry. Good though.

- for @nosebleedclub‘s september writing prompt xxi.

9 notes - Posted September 21, 2022

#2

👀find the word tag👀

@muddshadow was tagging passersby with the words clear, cold, crisp, crush, carry and I really love doing these so here we go:

These are all from Cure the Queen (Book 3) since that’s where I could find the word CRISP anywhere. Also, CtQ has better cold vibes.

CLEAR

Rinnie jabbed herself with the glucose shot and followed it with one of Mica’s Go serums. She was forcing her body to do more than it was ever designed to do. This might be more than she’d ever asked it to do ever. Including med school.

If she wasn’t careful, she was going to burn herself out. But also she couldn’t stop either. They were too close. There was too much at stake.

But she couldn’t burn out either.

The mages who weren’t also theramancers were starting to get bruises on their arms where they were jabbing themselves. Rinnie noted that even one of the corpsman had a few bruises on his arms that weren’t healing yet. Her own skin was still clear. For now.

COLD

Rinnie made her way to where the washroom was at the front of the car, since economy only had the one, not two like first class did.

It was vacant when she got there, so she let herself in and did a double-take in the mirror. She’d seen her hair pulled back before, but the braids were something else. They made her look, somehow, younger. Her ears were incredibly prominent with her hair pulled away. But she relished the compliments that she’d looked nice, and like her father’s daughter.

You have no idea what the blood can do that runs in your veins…

The voice left chills rolling down her spine and Rinnie was quick to turn on the sink and splash cold water on her face. All things considered, that was not the worst thing the voice could have said. It was cryptic and made her think.

But she didn’t want the voice in her head anymore either.

You have been blessed, child. Come to accept that.

Rinnie fought the sudden desire to punch the mirror. It was time to get back to everyone else before she went bonkers by herself. She pulled out her hemp vaper and took a long pull to calm what she could of her nerves.

CRISP

Her telestone pulsed, interrupting her from reading a time-bending plot that she was hoping wasn’t going to be too predictable.

She was surprised to find that it was Cael calling, rather than Mistress Thea.

“And to what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked as she answered.

“There’s something wrong with Thea,” Cael answered.

“Skipping the pleasantries, I see,” Miera mused.

More importantly, however, she noticed how his voice sounded raspy. And his collar was sitting weird. She narrowed her eyes.

“What, exactly, is wrong with our Mistress?” Miera asked.

“I don’t have an answer to that yet, which is why I’m calling you back for help.”

“What happened to your voice?”

“Training accident.”

The words were too crisp, too practiced. It was the cover up for what really happened. Miera pressed her tongue up against the backs of her front teeth, thinking.

“I take it that you mean this isn’t some physical malady then,” Miera said.

CRUSH

See the full post

9 notes - Posted June 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

If there was an escape room based on my WIPs, the premise would be:

“You’re in a tavern far away from home. You can get an infinite amount of clues as to how to get out, but each clue comes with a "drink." Each drink means the room gets more disorienting and subsequent clues make less sense.”

Or something like that!

10 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[tibalt-the-fineblooded]

Okay so I sent the obligatory Bloomburrow ask around, asking what woodland creature your oc would turn into on the plane. This time I want to try something more esoteric. Let's say something went wrong with the magic of Bloomburrow and instead of turning into a critter, your oc became a calamity beast! What large woodland creature/predator and force of nature/disaster would you combined to represent your oc's calamity beast?

Given theres some overlap with the available animals I'll be using some of my previous answers for this one and leaning into animals of home planes.

Ceral- Lightning Storm Tiger. He's got Raz, a Kaldeshi dragon and he's a storm mage. It fits

Laan- Volcano Terastodon. Given his ability to change size, a larger creature native to Zendikar seemed a good choice, and it merges well with his earth magics

Except- Overgrown Shapeshifter. Plant based disguises instead of animals but everywhere she goes is choked with too much plant life.

Y'lona- Blight Cat. Similar to Except with verdant growth, plant life thrives before she arrives only to wither within a certain range

Zoya- Drought Bear. Her main thing is being a blacksmith and reenforcing stuff. This form would be making things brittle

Atlan- Wildfire Falcon. Honestly Pyreswipe Hawk but burn instead of artifacts would be a neat way to go about it.

Sturn- Skeletal Fog Fish. The fog is just for spooky purposes but could have a -/- effect, functionally killing most weaker creatures. Think Vaal Hazak from MonHunWorld

Samuel- Natural Predation Bat. Similar to Ygra potentially in ability, but possibly life gain instead of +/+ counters.

Kitai- Sunburn Hawk. Just the idea of too much sun light. Not to the point of drought but more UV exposure.

Aseri- Plague Goat. A large goat that brings with it swarms of lesser creatures. Occasionally trailed by a different calamity.

Cas- The Calm Wolf. Signifies the calm before the storm. Rolls though areas and all forms of natural activity halt. Making the impact of the next calamity that much worse.

[profoundbondfanfic]

Second day of showcasing all the favorite fics you guys sent us. Here’s another bunch.

PART 2:

Dirty Laundry by vipjuly [Explicit, 28k words]

Perhaps intelligence comes with its own dose of insanity. Dr. Castiel James Novak is a leading name in the mental health community. When Dean Winchester, self-proclaimed Golden Gardens killer, lies down on his couch for the first time, Castiel feels it. Dean Winchester is exactly who he says he is. Castiel Novak is exactly who Dean makes him out to be.

Don't by tricia_16 [Explicit, 97k words]

After nine days of radio silence from both Jack and Cas, Cas returns to the bunker without Jack but with black fur, four paws, a tail, and an obvious preference for Dean's company. With no idea how to turn Cas back or how he got turned into a cat in the first place, Dean has to learn to live with Cas quite literally underfoot all the damn time. Nobody could have guessed that having his best friend in cat form would end up being the catalyst for a huge shift in their relationship, but looking back, he's pretty sure it all started with an annoyingly stubborn ball of fur...

Four Letter Word For Intercourse by bendingsignpost [Explicit, 194k words]

As a grease monkey turned college freshman, Dean's constantly three seconds away from being stressed out of his mind. It hardly helps that he's finally figuring out his sexuality in his thirties. What might help with that stress is a little phone number (and a big credit card bill). If he can't figure out how to be bisexual in person, he can at least give it a go over the phone, right? (It's probably a bad idea, but he really can't help himself.)

Fragments by FieryAngel [Explicit, 40k words]

Dean Winchester works with fragments, pieces of cut glass that he uses to create shining, translucent works of art. When he is commissioned to work on a large piece for a local church, he enlists the help of Castiel Novak, a third year art student who is eager to create and find his place in the world. As the artists spend a summer living together and creating art out of fragments, will they come together to learn that they are two parts of a larger whole themselves?

Galveston by lunarriviera [Explicit, 56k words]

It’s been almost four years since Castiel left Kansas; he'd eventually settled in an island town where he has a job, a house, and a life without the Winchesters. Every winter, Dean drives down to the coast to see him. “I shoot guns. I beat up monsters. I fix cars, Cas.” “I guess I should have done something worse to yours than hide the distributor cap, then.”

Gas-N-Sip 'verse by zation [Explicit, 48k words]

Dean is a kinda lovesick teenager and Cas is an oblivious Gas-N-Sip employee. Or, The one where Dean can’t keep his trap shut (which might not be such a bad thing).

Green Corners by rustling_pages [Teen, 72k words]

After the death of his son, there is nothing left for Dean other than his garden market. His days are tough, the nights are tougher, but at least there's a reason to get up in the morning. And with the new boom on do-it-yourself garden magic, his business is going okay. Amidst the passing of time, there is only one thing that distracts him from functioning like a normal human being: Diagonally across the street, in the display window of that traditional Herb and Potion shop, plants are dying in masses. Storming in to confront the owner goes differently than he imagined, though. Castiel Novak may be the kind of guy who wears old-fashioned mage robes and keeps his shop in sweltering heat, but he's also a talented herbalist, the kindest soul Dean has ever met, and utterly beautiful. Not that Dean is ready for anything other than friendship. (Not that Cas doesn’t get sick a bit too often.)

He Wouldn't Be Gone by turningthepages [Mature, 10k words]

Dean knew Cas left him the night before he was going to propose because Cas didn't want to marry him. He knew by the way that Cas went completely MIA that Dean hadn't been the best partner he could have been. And now he was about to see Cas, nearly a year after their breakup at a wedding nonetheless. It hurt like hell but Dean was going to get through the night... probably with the help of alcohol. Maybe if Dean would have been better during their relationship Cas wouldn't be gone.

[part 1] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5]

[acid-vanir]

Ok, Theory

Ok so in the webcomic Aurora, the “main” character Kendal is an entirely new uncategoriseable entity, a god’s incarnation that survived the god leaving it and developed its own mind and personality. 

Now the god that this happens to is the hero god of the city Vash and, like the Ancient Greek Eros or Nike is named after his domain. So what we know about Vash is that he cut his teeth in this god business by defending his city from and defeating the storm god Tynan, the way he does this is explained here with an in universe telling of the story. What we know is that an alien metal and jewel was worked into an incarnation of Vash at a thematically appropriate moment and became an extremely effective power up, enabling Vash to defeat the hitherto undefeated Tynan. 

Now how this works in the world built magic system of Aurora is really interesting. So in Aurora it appears they're are two (or eight depending on how you count it) fundamental substances of magic, the elements and soul energy, now we know where elemental magic comes from as a central piece of lore in the main storyline so far has been about the ancient war between the elementals and a Void Dragon and how the elementals died defeating this Void Dragon and their bodies meshed together supplying the materials as the world, but the elements still count, and can be persuaded to act, as one body essentially unique to the other elements and so because they belonged to a living entity with a soul can exist in two states, the material element and a sort of potential/soul element held in other materials or channeled by mages to enact elemental effects.

 Now soul energy is something very different and despite the excessive amount of time I've spent explaining the elements, is what we’re focusing on here. Soul  energy is what living things are “made of” being literally the material of souls, now I could be wrong but from I can figure out everything alive contains and in someway uses soul energy, and soul energy has a connection with other soul constructs allowing for an in any capacity uniform group of living things to develop a larger social soul that becomes a god. Vash for instance is a city of people and so through the interaction of their soul energy, construction of early incarnations, and people assigning these incarnations personality or motivations became the hero god the city imagined, as the god itself is made up of the whole cities population who once saw incarnation interpreted them a certain way and influenced some of their aspect. Basically, because the god is their domain how they are viewed by the creatures in their domain effects their personality and most comfortable form. 

So what does this really have to do with Kendal. Well if Vash’s sword was constructed from an alien metal, a solid substance, which issomething almost impossible to make without an elemental, after Vash worked his soul energy into like soul shaper monks do with human prosthetics, which would more than likely work some of this starmetal soul energy into his own soul lattice. Then its likely that Kendal’s soul is made of what little of soul star metal was in the solid material of the meteor. And it’s not just background lore magic systems backing this up.

In the series of pages telling the mythical story of Vash’s Sword we find out that it’s being told through the framing device of the smith god who forged it, to a similar style god to Vash of the Fire influenced race of Ignans. Now while why they're talking and what this incredibly effective smith who uses the arcs and emotional journeys of the wielders of his weapons in his smithing process is doing with a god of fire and fire people directly related to one of our adventuring party is incredibly plot important and personally intriguing, there is something else I wanted to focus on here.

In these panels Tahraim appears to be talking about Dainix, a character Kendal is currently imprisoned with and who are jelling suspiciously well. Now we can see that Tahraim is using his Xanatos gambit forging technique of social engineering to forge out a weapon and fighter for Caliban (probably to fight the fire demon from Dainix’s backstory (who is probably another elemental emissary for Fire (like two other characters currently being heavily associated star metal soul Kendall (I see you Red, with each subsequent layer of brackets I get closer to the truth, witness as my bracketry grows)))) and describing some of the forging fires he’s using fo this weapon (who is probably Dainix, if not definitely)calls one of them “the divine blade”, referring to Vash’s starmetal sword currently held by Kendal, but the blade its self is isnt world shaking, its been around for millennia and everyone is very familiar with its power and prowess as a sword because Vash is an incredibly well known god. But that’s only as a sword, and we know Kendal is world shaking after his discussion with Ilia here where he is told explicitly that the gods fear what he represents but respect the fact that he is an incredibly powerful being with all the strength and ability of a godly incarnation but with no responsibilities of upholding a domain or the limits of staying within they’re domains range. And so the theoretical soul that is Kendal in this incarnation must be made of whatever remainder of star metal soul is left from the solid  star metal in the sword. That had been given the shape and properties of a human/incarnation soul by being weaved into and by Vash and then had the Vash soul ripped apart from they’re shared incarnation leaving the star metal soul to have to develop as its own being in this body

And if all you wanted is proof of this theory you can honestly stop reading here. So far this is dense and a lot and I wanna run through some stuff with this head cannon to nerd out. So if you don't wanna have to read anymore, my argument for this theory is basically through

Kendal being the star metal soul can provide a reason for, guess plot dent instead of plot hole? when Vash takes Kendal to where he is being held by the Collector. The reason this could be a plot dent is that one of the working theories for why Kendal exists can be found in the Sentinels. Essentially building sized stone statues animated by a god semi incarnating in them, its hard to explain so if your interested read here (Also read the comic, it’s really, really good. Like really good. If you get into the extra lore on the website and then scroll through Red’s Aurora Tumblr answers you get to appreciate how truly spectacular her worldbuilding and magic systems are. I mean clearly they’re cohesive and well thought out enough that just off of the magic system you could make a (if I don't say so myself) well reasoned prediction for a major character reveal.) the theory being that because these Sentinels can develop these echoes after being un-possessed by a god over time, the unique way Vash was taken out of his incarnation without dis-corporating it that the body developed a similar echo and is now ambient soul energy drawn into the empty body. However, this wouldn't make sense with Vash taking Kendal to the Collector’s hideaway in his sleep, as if Kendal is made of ambient soul energy he has no actual connection with Vash’s soul and so Vash shouldn't be able to bring him to the crystal he is being held in. But, if Kendal is in fact the star metal soul then he would still have that connection with Vash, as they are the same soul but different parts made of different materials, and so ca operate separately whilst still being so intricately connected.

On one final note, there is one character that already seems to know all this, Tahraim. That Kendal in everyway is the weapon he forged, that they're is a capacity for new elements and therefore different soul energies, that Erin has been possessed by the Void Dragon, and that the Collector has revived life, who has taken Alinua as an emissary, and is using this information not for his own divine or dastardly machinations but on commission. Which is A) a potential threat if Tahraim turns out to be a tad more amoral than he first appears, working as effectively for the next customer instead of esoterically guiding events for the cause of good and B) show cases an incredible mesh of world building and character work with gods being influenced by how their perceived and a god perceived and heralded as an unachievably proficient smith knowing more than any other character or entity we’ve ever seen before and doing exactly what is necessary to forge his commissioned weapons into the most powerful and effective instruments they can be almost only because of how in the magic system some gods are made from ideals and interpretations instead of groups of living things and actually fits the way they are most commonly perceived

[elsanna-shenanigans]

August Contest Submission #7: The path of the rose

Words: ca. 3,500 Setting: Canon Lemon: no CW: None

The path of the rose

The climb was steep; it was slippery, the narrow - barely threaded path, treacherous and unforgiving. Elsa’s hands were bandaged in bloodied rags, same as her feet, but the aching from the blisters had dulled days ago. When she finished climbing the side of the sharp ridge, she stood alone on the edge - almost defiantly - overlooking the great misty valley ahead; the whiskers of fur around her neck fluttered at the wild wind’s mercy, mirroring the few short locks of hair that framed her sunburned cheeks. 

Her pale lips were chapped, her arms bruised and cut, but her determination was stronger. Only the last step remained; only one final test to overcome.

Before she descended into the white unknown of the mists, she took out the small silver locket that hung from her neck and stared at the tiny, hand painted portrait of a copper-haired, care-free smiling girl. 

‘I will be home soon.’ Elsa thought; her image was the only warmth she needed deep into the mountains.

-ooo-

As each blast crossed the air, they all bursted into sparkling droplets, like diamonds shining under the gentle winter’s sun.

Anna watched - wide-eyed and riveted, as the girl danced in the middle of the forest’s small clearing.

Each movement brought another glimmering streak of pure white ice; as she moved, as her body twisted and her feet shifted elegantly, waves and pillars and spirals rose and fell on the whims of her hands’ motions and the determined gaze in her blue eyes. 

Badly hidden as she was - alongside the bushes that covered the edge of the forest’s clearing, it didn’t take long for the other girl to notice her. Those same crystal-blue eyes peered at the blushing redhead curiously, tilting her head as if she was looking at some harmless, cute critter.

Anna had seen those clothes before, if only in the few times her father had allowed her to accompany him to the northern market. The round strips of fabric falling on the sides of the skirt, knotted at the small of the girl’s back, the sleeveless, blue and brown shirt and the strange, spiral-shaped bracers that covered her forearms, only the Magi - the outsiders - wore such refined clothing. 

Once she noticed those exotic, sky-colored clothes, her hands immediately pulled at her dirty apron and plain long skirt, her feet shifting around shyly.

“Hello.” The girl’s voice was crisp and clear when she came closer, standing right underneath the trees’ shadows; small dots of light coming from the foliage peppered her face and shining, white hair. “Who are you?”

“Anna!” She squeaked. The Magi girl nodded, and after a few awkward seconds, Anna offered her hand, which the other shook, a soft smile pulling at her lips.

“I’m Elsa. Elsa Northwind.”

-ooo-

No matter how much her mother tried, Anna refused to be caged in the peaceful but boring rhythm of life in her small village. Sneaking out into the woods became a form of art for her: sometimes, all she needed was for Iduna to turn her head as they went about their business at the market for Anna to slip out of sight.

Anna’s teen years passed in a mixture of the smell of freshly-baked bread at her family’s tavern and the almost minty smell of pine needles from her excursions into the forest, accompanied always by Elsa. They would see each other in town as well every now and then, whenever Elsa’s people travelled down the mountains to trade with the villagers, but the harsh gaze of her mother kept them apart; at least, whenever she was around. Anna didn’t care about her parent’s prejudice, of course. Elsa’s magic was marvelous, a miracle that should be cherished and admired. It held great power, great dangers too, yes, but also, so much beauty that words sometimes failed her to describe it.

As time went by, Elsa’s powers grew stronger, and more intricate. She gave Anna small trinkets of ice that never melted: small delicate snowflakes, small mounted-knights like the stories the redhead found so fascinating and that soon littered the wooden desk on Anna’s room, and when the redhead’s fifteenth birthday arrived, a blushing Elsa travelled on her own all the way to the edge of town. Hidden behind a barnyard, her trembling hands put a pair of earrings and a simple but shining necklace on Anna’s hands.

“Thank you…” Anna whispered as she put the earrings, feeling her heart swell and expand, as it always did whenever her friend was around. 

“It was nothing,” Elsa smiled shyly, and then, her eyes went wide as Anna kissed her cheek, grinning brightly at her while her hands pulled nervously at her twintails.

It was a smile as bright as summer, Elsa felt. She had begun to understand what those feelings were, the ones that swirled and slow-danced in her belly any time she was alone with Anna. Unbeknownst to her, Anna too had begun to understand.

-ooo-

Small ripples broke the calm surface of the lake as Anna’s bare feet rested at its edge, mirroring Elsa’s. 

The world had stilled around them; the setting sun at their back enlarged the pine’s shadows, and the birds called their farewells for the day in casual chirpings. It was a feign calm, however, an illusion of peace like the lake’s surface, for underneath feelings stirred and moved around like wildlife.

Anna’s hand covered Elsa’s, and when she turned to look at the blonde, as naturally as a leaf’s fall, they leaned closer to one another, until their lips met shyly. Aged 17, Anna had her first kiss. Aged 17, she kissed her best friend for the first time.

It was as soft of a touch as she had imagined.

She cupped Elsa’s cheek as their kiss held strong, the sudden rupture of a years long-tension lifting her with the warmest of feelings. When they finally separated - the orange tinge of dusk blazing on Anna’s hair, Elsa’s smile was shy but sincere; her pale hand played with a curly lock of copper hair, the other raising to caress a freckled cheek with her thumb.

“Just like that…” She whispered, making Anna smirk at her.

“Yes…” she leaned forward again, whispering into Elsa’s lips. “Just like that…”

Their second, and their third kiss were even more sweet. A shared dream, finally made true; a joining of hearts, a bridge being built between two souls.

They held a small ceremony a few months later, not in the traditional ways of Anna’s people - whom would never bless their union - but in the Magi way, in the aftermath of a sleepless night, both sitting in front of a small fire, holding hands with a long shawl draped around both their shoulders.

Anna’s hair was braided, same as Elsa’s, with small red and blue ribbons, each one taking the other’s colours.

Neither of them had wanted to wait. It was clear there would never be someone else; Elsa’s soul reflected on Anna’s eyes, and vice versa, as the oldest of the Magi pronounced them soulmates, bound by the will of the land and the ancestors of their two bloods.

-ooo-

The first time Anna visited the Magi campament had been during the harshest winter in recent memory. Caught under the heavy storm - the snow hail thick and inclement, Elsa had insisted they went back towards her home instead of risking the travel through the forest and into Arendelle’s lands. Barely protected by Elsa’s magic, they managed to arrive before Anna had passed out. Her wavering consciousness, however, registered a few things as they dragged her towards what she presumed was Elsa’s tent: the weird cone-shape of the stone and wood structures and the curious gazes of the mages they came across.

Once inside, she was put in a bundle of furs - the same colours, she noticed, as the ones on Elsa’s winter coat - and momentarily left alone in front of a small fire. After she managed to regain some body heat so she could stop shaking, she looked around. Her love’s home was sparse, but that didn’t surprise her: she knew how little Elsa cared about wealth or status. There were a few things of note, of course: she saw some of her childhood paintings hanging above the floor-levelled bed, as well as the bead necklace she had made her after their… Anna blushed, thankful it would most likely go unnoticed given her whole face must’ve been red from cold exposure and the tent’s fire.

Finally, Elsa came back, holding in her hand some herbs that she quickly threw into the pot above the fire. After she sat down next to Anna, she hugged her, taking a few wet strands of auburn hair out the way before kissing her temple.

Now inside the safe confines of Elsa’s tent, Anna finally relaxed, leaning into her love’s embrace.

After a while, as sleepiness began to dampen her thoughts, she turned to gaze at the small assortment of trinkets close to the bed, and the blonde’s eyes followed her curiously.

“Do you know…?” Anna asked shyly, looking at the bead necklace. Elsa’s smile turned into a smirk, and that told Anna that she, in fact, knew its true meaning.

Each bead on it was meant to signify each year of her life before a couple consummated their marriage. It was an old tradition that her village still carried around and that she had wanted to preserve herself.

“Of course I do.” Elsa said, leaning forward and giving her a long, drawn out kiss that tasted of longing. Anna could understand why. They could never be together, as her mother and father were. They could never walk around town hand in hand, nor would they live the joys of motherhood… but it was something she had made her peace with, same as Elsa.

They had each other, and that was enough. For her, their marriage was real, as real as the stars in the night sky, as the snowy mountains and the glimmers of light from the morning dew.

Before both shed their clothes and shared Elsa’s bed, long hours passed, full of gentle kisses and whispered words, filling the humble dwelling with warmth. Anna knew of what lay ahead, but for the moment all she could do was to embrace her lover’s naked form, holding on to her and praying for the future to be gentle, to spare them of heartbreak and loss.

-ooo-

“You shouldn’t be here!” Anna hissed - yet unable to stop her smile. Elsa only smirked at her, her hands precariously hanging to the wooden frame of her wife’s sill. Thankful that the window didn’t creak too loudly, she fully opened it, allowing the cloaked blonde inside.

Elsa pulled down her hood, letting her waist-long hair fall down her back freely; it sparkled under the single candlelight that humbly lit the room.

“What if someone saw you?” Anna asked, trying to keep her tone down and putting her hands on her hips while her brow furrowed (and yet, still smiling). The young mage rolled her eyes playfully, waving her hand airily as ice tendrils encircled her fingers, turning black at the end.

“Mist spell,” she stated matter-of-factly. Nonetheless, seeing that Anna’s frown was still in place, she leaned forward, planting a quick peck on her lips, gently putting her hands on her freckled arms and gently rubbing her thumbs over her work-tanned skin.

Anna finally cracked, joining their foreheads and softly sighing while her hand caressed Elsa’s cheek.

“You should be preparing…” she muttered.

“Hush…” Elsa put a finger on those rosy, enticing lips, gazing into her wife’s worried eyes. Gently, she touched the small blue ribbon that hung from a small braid on Anna’s auburn hair.

“I brought you something.”

From her satchel, Elsa produced a single, red rose, of a shade not crimson but rather hanging in between the color of dusk and of blood. Before she gave it to Anna, she used her magic to envelope it in ice, the kind that had taken her years to master - if only to make her friend happy that her gifts would not melt.

Anna’s retort never came, much to Elsa’s joy. She fully knew that if she had allowed Anna’s questions to continue, both of them would cry. Elsa didn’t want that; she wanted her last memory of Anna before she began her journey to be one where her beloved smiled, where her light reached her eyes and her cheeks came alive, highlighting the freckles she had come to adore.

Suddenly, Anna embraced her, pulling her face against the crook of her neck.

“When do you leave?” Anna muttered, her voice thick and constrained. Her embrace tightened, a gesture that Elsa reciprocated fiercely.

“Tomorrow.” 

“Promise me…” The brokenness of Anna’s voice carried such a heavy weight Elsa’s heart could barely withstand it. Elsa nodded for a response. 

Her efforts had been for naught; the first tears began to fall from her eyes, soon followed by Anna.

The quiet summer night witnessed the two lovers say their farewells and claim their last, desperate kisses before Elsa vanished into the darkness. She did not tell her wife a small fact, one she wanted to keep a secret until she came back. She had gotten the rose from the same small clearing where they first met, more than a decade ago.

-ooo-

Each Magi - born of a unique element - knew of the trials that awaited for them the moment they came of age. Elsa had anticipated - and dreaded in equal measure - that moment.

A lonesome travel towards the white heart of the world, Ahtohallan, where her worth would be tested. Even with her magic, it would take her months to arrive there while sorting all kinds of danger: the great beasts of the North, immune to magic, and outcasts and renegade mages who had failed in their own paths.

The few ones who came back became full members of her tribe, wielders of power beyond belief.

She had prepared her whole life for it, and when the time arrived, she began her journey, armed with only her small satchel and her wits.

Then, when she finally reached the white valley - full of barren twig trees and ice-shards coming out the ground, taller than a man and so pure they contained every color imaginable, her resolve was tested.

This final trial, however, she failed.

-ooo-

Anna, aged 24, remained stubbornly single as the years rolled by - as it was the nature of time in such a small village - much to the chagrin of her mother and the enjoyment of the gossiping matrons. She didn’t care about the rumors, of course, and she didn’t give explanations to her mannered but firm rejections of the few men who had tried to court her.

None of them had seen her as she looked longingly into the night’s sky from her room’s window. None of them knew of the tears she shed when alone, of the shattered dreams and the broken illusions; none of them knew of the flower patterned she had kept, or the new one she had knitted for her - meant as a humble gift for when she returned, both resting in the depths of a wooden chest below her bed.

Elsa had not come back. Every gift she had given her had melted; even her parting rose had, but the flower - unfrozen and weak - had not died.

In the two years that had gone by since she left, Anna had turned to her everyday life, not in search of solace but in search of purpose. Her night’s at her family’s tavern were busy, and she had tried to share the simple joys of her people; she had tried to see past her grief, but a part of her never could. The moments of loneliness that remained were all filled with gleaming memories - full of the pale color of Elsa’s hair and eyes, full of the memory of her smell, of her lopsided, teasing smiles and the feeling of her skin, her hands and her lips.

She never allowed bitterness to rot inside her. Instead, she tried to smile when she remembered her, to honor her memory by living as fully as she could, as fully as someone who had lost half her soul and all her love could.

Outside the tavern, in the small backyard, Elsa’s rose now lay amongst many others, bushes and many kinds of flowers arranged into a vibrant garden that Anna took care of.

She didn’t care about the future. All she had was her own life, and those memories she had bowed to keep alive. It was all she could do, for now she knew miracles did not happen, and life’s cruelness left nothing behind.

And still, she kept on living, and remembering, each and every single day.

-ooo-

Anna yelped, pulling her pricked finger into her mouth. Stopping herself from cursing, she quickly dismissed the injury and continued her work, trimming the small branches of the flowers in her garden, careful not to touch the one that remained in the center, the one whose color resembled the tone of her own hair.

She continued to work under the heavy summer’s sun, pulling weeds, nursing the dirt and watering her small kingdom of color. Unconsciously, she whipped the back of her hand over the white cloth over her head, leaving some dirt marks on it.

From behind her ear, hung a small braid with a blue ribbon on it.

After a while, the pain from kneeling became too uncomfortable; after all, waiting tables at the tavern all night was hard on the small of her back. It was only when she stood up that she saw the cloaked figure standing right next to her garden, and Anna yelped once again, taking a step back while clutching her chest with her hand before her eyes properly looked at the lean person standing just there, who looked back at her with clear-blue eyes.

Anna’s teal eyes widened; the small shovel on her gloved hands fell with a soft thud.

The cloaked figure took off her hood, revealing a woman of delicate features: prominent cheekbones that complimented the small, badly cut locks of pale-white hair.

Anna thought herself mad; surely, the summer’s heat had made the apparitions of her dreams come to life. But if so, why did Elsa look so weary? Why were her arms covered in soiled rags, and why were her feet bare and dirty?

More than that, why was her beloved’s - her wife’s - face covered in scars, her cheeks sunburned?

But perhaps it was a feverish dream, she reasoned as her breath failed her, for Elsa’s eyes remained the same: gentle and caring, shining with a light of their own, the light that had made her fall in love for her as the years of her childhood went away and her feelings grew as they both did. 

Elsa stepped inside her backyard, kneeling in front of the roses. Her index finger graced the petals of the red rose, and when she turned to face Anna again, a long path of tears had already made its way down her cheeks. Unsurprisingly, Anna sniffed loudly, the hard beatings of her heart drumming against her ears.

“You kept it…” Elsa said, her voice failing her after that single sentence.

If this was truly madness, Anna was glad she could give away her sanity just for the chance of this moment to continue. Whatever was the case, she couldn’t wait; she had waited long enough.

Anna raced the few steps that separated them, practically jumping into Elsa’s open arms.

“Ouch!” Elsa whined a little, even if her smile was as big as Anna had ever seen it.

Anna peppered kisses all over her, all over the bruises and scars that marred the perfect skin of Elsa’s cheeks; her hands clutched her face, not willing to ever let go as they exchanged kiss after kiss, laughing and crying all the same.

She didn’t care about the astonished glances of the few onlookers. Whatever the world held, it didn’t matter to either of them anymore.

Anna would gladly live her life as an outcast, would rather go back to Elsa’s tribe and begin anew than to be swayed by people who didn’t matter. What could matter more than to have Elsa miraculously in her arms again, to feel her warmth and the intensity of her ocean-like gaze, full of love and full of life.

She had so many questions, but those were for later. As Elsa happily cried, murmuring muffled words of devotion, Anna knew the path that brought her back also didn’t matter; what mattered was this instant, made happen by the will of her wife, who had come back to her, never a moment late.

-ooo-

After she reached the heart of the world, the heart of winter, Ahtohallan, Elsa had been given a choice; to give up her heart, her memories, to share the power and might lay dormant in her blood.

She knew that choice was no choice at all. The ancient presence had not cared nor passed judgment when she made her decision; after a brief flash of light she found herself laying in the ground, staring at the clear blue sky. Deep in the wilderness of the northern mountains, she knew the path back home would take her a long time; her chances of survival - being stripped of all her magic - little to none.

All she could do was persevere, and so she did, travelling back through an entire continent, just to keep her promise. After all, it was to Anna to whom she had promised.

[giantladywithtitsicles]

Introducing my Lavellan brothers;

Fenrir Maliel - Assassin Blades Rogue (the oldest & a shameless self insert) - 27-31

Lin Maliel - Two Handed Reaver Warrior (the middle child, and the Official Inquisitor) - 25-29

Sandu Thevael - Necromancer Mage (the youngest, the “black sheep” that isn’t actually the black sheep: the red herring if you will) - 18-24

Fenrir and Lin were originally of Clan Maliel, which was massacred in an event the elder brothers refer to exclusively as “The Trample”. Clan Maliel was caught in the crossfire between two human settlements, both of which decided to take a shortcut through Clan Maliel’s campsite. The brothers, as young as 4-7 years of age, hid during the duration of the battle. They emerged after the ground was razed, and the fires were long cold.

They were fortunate to have survived the month long journey they took to find safety, picking up scraps as they went. After that period of time, they encountered a trail Clan Lavellan left: freshly put out bonfires, Halla tracks, indents from footsteps and wagon wheels. Tired and hungry, they stumbled into the open, and were caught by one of the healers.

Fenrir is blind in his right eye, Lin has an unnamed heart condition and the tip of one ear is cut off, they both manage. They gain inspiration from the other elves in Clan Lavellan, who have lost much more than an eye or an ear.

They were adopted into the clan as full blooded members, and nobody questioned why neither of them looked or acted quite like the other elves. They trained with the masters, and became an integral part of their community.

Five years later, they go out as a junior party to scout the Emerald Graves, where they encounter another site of a wrecked elven clan. They determine a demon outbreak to be the cause. Sifting through the rubble they find records of this clan: formerly known as Clan Thevael, sister clan of Clan Maliel. They pack as many intact journals and scrolls as possible, and as they were about to leave, encountered a young Sandu. It was clear to them they were taking this child in. The Clan Lavellan healers determined that Sandu was left alone for some time, and that there was no easy way to tell his age due to malnourishment.

Sandu turned out to be a proficient mage, but he was one too many in the clan. Fenrir and Lin begged Keeper Istimaethoriel to keep Sandu around, and somehow convinced her. Sandu is timid, and does not take up more space than he feels he absolutely needs. Keeper Istimaethoriel, though careful around him, tries to make him feel welcome. It’s a work in progress.

Around the time Lin was pulled into the Inquisition, Fenrir investigated the files they found in Clan Thevael’s ruins. He read letters exchanged between his mother and a friend of hers, talking about their origins, how their clan was shunned by others. A few years after Lin’s emergence as Inquisitor, Fenrir arranged a meeting between his two brothers to discuss exactly who they were.

This meeting between the brothers enlightens Lin on many things, and when the time comes to confront Fen’Harel, he is able to put the pieces together as to his original clan’s history. Fenrir discovers why his peers hesitate when saying his name. Sandu has the closest relation to Fen’Harel, but his clan buried these records deep within their stories to protect themselves from scorn, and his exact ancestry is unrecoverable.

They do know that Sandu is more precisely Fenrir and Lin’s nephew, but they treat him as a brother anyway. Fenrir is three years older than Lin. They don’t know exactly how much younger Sandu is, but they estimate the difference to be as little as two years to as much as eleven years to Lin. Sandu’s stunted growth made it a difficult task.

If Fenrir were the Inquisitor, he would have married Cassandra (Vivienne as Divine), and travelled between his estate in Kirkwall and where the new generation of Seekers train. He abandoned the elven gods and adopted Andrastian faith, and became somewhat of a religious zealot. While running errands in Kirkwall, a masked assassin targeted him, and Fenrir was afflicted with a deadly poison. He died within days, and though Varric sent for Cassandra as soon as he could, she was barely too late to make it before Fenrir passed. They had a single child, who Cassandra named “Maliel”, after his lost clan, even though their child was not elven.

Otherwise, Fenrir remained within Clan Lavellan. He became an elder, who was tasked with training their non-mages. He was well-loved and respected, but clan members were always wary of him, as he had an edge to him that unnerved them at times. He recognized that his past experiences would always have made him cynical. Fenrir connected with one of the mages, a woman named Ghili, and they had twin daughters: Juna and Fenwe.

Lin became partners with Iron Bull, and vied to rebuild everything he could. He did not want for anyone to be unreasonably vulnerable, and so he remained meticulous in how he influenced Thedas. He gained favor from Fen’Harel because of the care he put into his actions, though he was always spiteful of the betrayal. After the conclusion of the events in Trespasser, Lin joined the Chargers, and became quite a hit. His arm, amputated from the elbow down, was a roadblock for him. He switched from two handed weapons to a sword and a shield. The shield, specifically tailored to him, acted as a prosthetic arm. Iron Bull jokes that it’s more of a boon than anything else, as its massive size is akin to an impenetrable wall. Lin encounters a small child during a job, and nearly dies protecting it. They are a human toddler, simply nicknamed “Finn”.

As the years go by, Lin’s health declines, and eventually he retires from fighting for good. Iron Bull and Lin retreat to the Storm Coast, bringing Finn along with them. The mantle of leader of the Chargers passes to Krem. Finn learns to fight the Reaver style, and alters Lin’s shield to be useful to them. Finn joins the Chargers, and makes a name for themself as the Lightning Bolt of the Chargers, “Finn the Bolt”, for short. They all find it to be a funny title.

If Lin is not the Inquisitor, he joins Fenrir in the search for their heritage, and becomes an elder as well. Lin teaches healing and non-violence, diplomacy, and culture. He becomes a father through surrogacy, and has a child who they call “Denmirr”.

Or he stays with Clan Lavellan and searches for elven orphans, adopting a bit of a clan of his own. Because of how many children he adopts, Clan Lavellan sends him away with extra members to revive Clan Maliel. Most of the children are not related by blood, but it becomes somewhat of a family of its own.

He himself develops a flirtatious relationship with one of the male warriors, Naris. Fenrir teases him often, but means well.

Sandu, as the Inquisitor, had to learn how to insert himself as the dominant party. He observed Vivienne and found her to be his greatest confidant. Not only did she teach him much about magic, she taught him confidence and that his image didn’t need to reflect who he is completely. She didn’t approve of his choice to establish Leliana as the Divine, but she respected his decision and his reasoning. Sandu felt foolish when he faced Solas for the last time: wondered how he could have missed the signs. After he disbanded the Inquisition, he returned to Clan Lavellan. He remained accessible for Cassandra to summon him when needed, but became Keeper after some time passed, and his connection to the clan became strong again. He never assumed the name Lavellan, but was referred to as that, similarly to a title.

He otherwise would become a tradesman for the clan. He sent to towns and cities to be a spokesman, and learned to deal with ruffians after being abused into a bad situation on a few occasions. In one far trip to the Anderfels, he met a surface Dwarf named Jekard (ym/yr [yim•yer]), and formed a brother-like bond with ym. They exchanged insight and advantages with each other, and both Clan Lavellan and Jekard’s guild benefitted. He met Krem once, and looks up to him like an idol. Sandu never fell in love, and really had no interest to, but took a group of apprentices who aspired to learn from their Keeper. Imposter’s Syndrome hit him hard for a very long time, before he realized he was right where he belonged.

If none of the brothers became Inquisitor, all three stayed together, and functioned as a single mind. They dedicated their lives to Clan Lavellan out of gratitude, and the clan evolved into one of the strongest outposts in all of southern Ferelden and Orlais. They all had different roles, but the future generations of the clan benefitted greatly from their presence.

If all three brothers became influential members of the Inquisition, their power would likely have gone uncontested. Their strengths would allow them to spread farther than if only one of them were Inquisitor. The Inquisition would be an empire, and almost definitely considered a threat to even Par Vollen. Fenrir and Lin would take it different directions, and the possibility of a schism turned great. Sandu would side with Lin for the sole reason that he found Fenrir’s ideologies to be extreme. The Inquisition would be built up by the brothers, and torn down by the brothers.

In that scenario, a civil war would erupt between Fenrir’s loyalists (the Fenedhis), and Lin’s loyalists (the Athim). Fenrir would slay Lin, but Sandu would defeat Fenrir. Sandu would dismiss all soldiers and scatter the army, and soon after would disappear without a trace. He wasn’t dead though- his presence was tangible even though he could not be seen.

While this doesn’t encompass all that these characters are, I thought it was a nice overview of these brothers I’ve had in my mind for a while. The inspiration came from my realization that most of my DA:I characters are elves and Qunari. I might do more in-depth timelines for each brother later. This is completely separate from Dragon Age canon, clearly, and is just a fun little thing I put together. I may revise it if there are details I want to alter.

[allen-kunekune]

August 30: Storm/Thunder

August 30: Storm/Thunder

La journée avait été assez mauvaise. Il n’arrêtait pas de pleuvoir, noyant la ville sous d’épais nuages gris foncer et un temps si horrible que la guilde fut vide une bonne partie de la journée. Cela laissait le hall presque sinistre, mais Cana avait un désagréable sentiment de vide que même l’alcool ne pouvait chasser qui semblait élargir un trou en elle.

Elle avait tenté en vain de l’ignorer, discutant avec Mirajane ou Lucy une bonne partie de la journée.  Tout semblant empirer quand quelques nuages noirs se glissèrent entre le gris de la journée, l’orage grondant et menaçant quiconque d’assez fou pour être dehors. La plupart des mages partirent , comprenant que le temps était une invitation à rester chez eux, au sec et dans le confort de lit ou de canapé.

Cana hésitait à partir elle aussi, observant accouder au mur le temps dégénéré dehors. Sa chope de bière était vide depuis un moment quand le premier éclaire tomba, brisant le silence de la pluie et agitant le ciel d’un immense flash. Cana frissonna, se rendant compte qu’elle n’était pas assez couverte pour être dehors en plein orage.

Pourtant elle ne trouvait pas la force de partir, car chaque éclaire qui tomber dans un bruit assourdissant lui serrait la poitrine. Elle ne serait jamais cru aussi sentimentaliste. Elle en rit, souriant à personne mise à part à l’orage et les éclaires qui éclairé le ciel. Peut être qu’elle avait l’alcool triste aujourd’hui ?

Il lui manqué, mais ce n’était pourtant pas la première fois qu’il partait en mission. Luxus aimait les longues missions, et Cana ne quitté pratiquement jamais le hall de la guilde. C’était voué à l’échec selon certain, pour d’autre cela ne serait pas forcement facile. Cana avait tenu bon pendant presque un mois. Mais il semblait qu’aujourd’hui la brune était d’humeur maussade, observant le ciel recouvert de nuage.

Peut être que la journée et son temps morne lui avait rendu l’alcool triste. Dans tout les cas elle ne pouvait qu’attendre son retours.

[mittensmorgul]

Hi Mittens, I’m the anon who asked about Christo. I’m sorry to cause any confusion. One example is how they treated Abbadon. Dean specifically outlines how they are going to make sure she’s dead by dismemberment and burying the pieces in concrete. They even repeat that scene in the episode previouslies where Abbadon comes back. So why didn’t they dispose of her like they proclaimed? Then they both leave the room to take the phone call and she escapes. 1 of 2.

2/2 It reminded me of them leaving the Styne brother alone in the dungeon and he escaped. Shouldn’t they know to lock the bad guys down more securely? Your anon who mentioned President Rooney reminded me of that strange situation with the golden egg. Why were they hanging around in the hotel room just to get caught by the feds? Shouldn’t they have freed him and ran? I feel they should be shown to be smarter. So is the writing face value for their characters or is the writing inconsistent?

Hi there! and thank you for writing back! It’s not a problem at all! I love answering questions if I can, and you’re lucky I have some answers to this one that you will hopefully find satisfying. :)

(note that I would put this under a cut, but tumblr has been breaking them lately, so I’m not gonna risk that... apologies for the very long post)

Let’s start with Abaddon, since that one is incredibly easy. They 100% did do exactly what they said they were gonna do to her. They very much did hack her up and bury her under concrete in/after 8.12. They thought they could use her as the demon for the cure in 8.22, though. They’d been trying to capture a demon, but Crowley had ordered all his demons to stay away from them.  Here, from the transcript of 8.22

DEAN: Could we take this hoodoo on a test drive?

SAM: Um, I mean, I have the exorcism right here. All we need is the blood, consecrated ground, and a demon. So, what? We summon a demon, trap it –

DEAN: Or – or we use one that we've already tagged. Do we still have dad's old army field surgeon's kit?

SAM: It's in the trunk. Why?

DEAN: Yeah, I think it's time we put humpty dumpty back together again.

*

They dug her up and stitched her back together (sans hands), and were intending to use her to perform the Third Trial. Hence the stitches holding her head on:

Agreed they were kinda dense leaving her alone, even without her hands attached, when their phone rang... Crowley was calling to blackmail them and it gave Abaddon time to escape. Which is why they ended up capturing and using Crowley for the Third Trial. 

Then in 8.23, when she shows up to tell Crowley that she’ll be taking over Hell now, Sam douses her with holy oil and lights her up. We don’t know definitively what happened to her or her remains after that point because A LOT happened at the end of 8.23, and “making sure abaddon was really dead-dead” was not at the top of Dean’s priority list, you know? Which is the state from which she was resurrected in 9.02...

But in between, she absolutely did spend half a season chopped up under concrete. This is not “bad writing” or incoherent continuity.

They didn’t really have a way to definitively “kill” her, you know? the best they could do was to trap her and bury her, but their own desperation to get the doors of hell slammed shut (which, if you know me you know I think is the biggest act of hubris the Winchesters have ever attempted to carry out) they didn’t really stop to think “hey maybe this is the worst idea.”

I also don’t think they knew that Abaddon had the power to command her hands to do her bidding when they were literally in a box on a table across the room from her... I mean, I would’ve been OVERLY cautious about that sort of thing just because, but I’ll forgive them because they were distracted, stressed, and overwhelmed. Sam was experiencing massive Trial Sickness, Dean was worried about him AND Cas, and then if that wasn’t enough, Crowley called to tell them he was methodically gonna kill everyone they ever saved until they gave in to his demands.

They were kinda distracted... ?

Okay, moving on to the next one: Eldon Styne and the Half-Assed Handcuff. Let’s start by remembering a few details about this Dumbass Scene.

1. It was Bucklemming... something in me always wonders if the crew deliberately fucks around with stuff in their episodes, like the ridiculously ill-fitting handcuff. because

2. this was 10.21, aka the most infamous and egregious example of that one square on the bucklemming bingo card: characters being dumb for plot. Or something like that. I don’t remember the exact wording, but basically having characters at entirely stupid because they need them to do A Plot Thing and can’t think of a better way to accomplish that.

3. this was 10.21, in which the cast, crew, and a good number of the other writers were essentially working under protest, because pretty much EVERYONE other than Carver, Singer, and Bucklemming objected to Charlie’s death.

4. Knowing point 3, please refer back to point 1.

But also, The Styne Family was possibly the STUPIDEST thing the show has ever done, as a whole. The derailing of s10′s overarching plot because whoopsie they were renewed, and Carver wouldn’t be ending the series at the end of s10 like he’d been planning, and oh no they’d come WAY too close to the end of some of their major character arcs and that couldn’t be allowed if the show was continuing, but... double whoopsie Carver was already in development on a new series that he’d obligated himself to, so mad scramble to pull SOMETHING out of his squid-shaped hat and for whatever reason they settled on freaking cartoonish supervillains the Frankenstein Family who had to be both terrifying up front (to pose a serious enough risk to take seriously at all) and then fold like cheap suits when confronted by one (1) MoC-Fueled Dean.

They were scary in 10.18, thanks to Robbie Thompson. It was that final reveal in that episode that let me know we were headed, though. The Styne Family Crest? Yeah, stolen from Young Frankenstein:

(image from the superwiki)

If you’ve never seen Young Frankenstein, please do. It’s freaking HILARIOUS. But it let me know that these were not the terrifying Big Bads we were expecting, they were a parody. They were set up to be Terrible People the rest of the writers could mock. They we were saddled with the atrocity that was 10.21. And Dabb finished them off in Badass Dean Style in 10.22. And that was it, never to be heard from again.

Disclaimer: I have written a whole heck of a lot about this (and about how this was possibly my least favorite thing the show has ever done). the back half of s10 is a hot mess, the Stynes were the worst villains ever (boring, stupid, easily defeated, etc.), and 10.21 in particular hits all the lows even for bucklemming... so I honestly won’t even attempt to defend this one. This was Bad Writing.

And finally, President Rooney... in 12.08, why did Sam and Dean stick around after Cas and Kelly fled? I’ll start this out by reminding everyone that this... surprise... was bucklemming again. Remember that bingo card I mentioned?

(lol I went and found it, credit for this one goes to @messier51 back in the olden days... https://messier51.tumblr.com/post/68535147632/buckleming-bingo  is the original post, from 2013)

and there it is, lower left corner, “Sam/Dean makes a decision that makes no sense.” This is a pattern for them, where they knew the end of the episode must have Sam and Dean being carted off to Black Ops Prison, and this was the best they could think of to get them there.

I’ve said before that I am willing to handwave a lot about this episode because of everything it will give to us down the line (12.09, Jack, it’s basically building the stage on which the rest of s12 is set). And I’ve previously offered the theory that they were Concerned For The President and making sure that he would live/suffer no repercussions of his possession by Lucifer. But I mean, the secret service dudes were literally on the other side of the door and would’ve been able to tend to him just as well, if not better. I think Sam and Dean may have-- in Bucklemming’s minds-- believed that they would be fine. They were only really worried about Kelly being caught there. They thought they would be viewed as “heroes who helped save the president�� and not “dangerous threats attempting to kill the president.”

Agreed, it was a stupid thing to thing, especially since Rooney apparently didn’t remember his possession, and is never heard from again in-show. He couldn’t corroborate Sam and Dean’s story. I mean, they could’ve said they were staying in the room next door (it was an adjoining room, because Cas and Kelly sneaked out that door after the secret service guys stormed into the president’s room), and they could’ve just said they heard a ruckus, someone calling for help, and simply found him like that. But they didn’t know that one secret service agent had already been warned about them specifically by “President Lucifer.” That’s absolutely something they should’ve considered would happen, but uh... they didn’t, because bucklemming.

But yeah, that’s... a thing with these writers in particular... we try to acrobat our way around these sorts of things as best we can, and move on :’D

If you have any other questions, please let me know! Otherwise, please check out my tags for these specific episodes. I think I got them all on this post... 

[inventors-fair]

Mechanical Commentary: All across the spectrum

People went pretty far with this one, honestly. There were a lot of overlapping mechanics and ideas that were related, but across the board, there was a mix of flavor and pure gameplay that came together in an interesting way. 

I think that if I had to give advice for doing this contest again, I would encourage everyone to keep it SIMPLE in their card submission choices. What is the best example of your mechanic, not your card? What’s the best choice for how this mechanic can work and be grokable? Contests like this aren’t about showing off the coolest thing or the most radical notion. No, they’re about proof of concept, presenting that concept, and creating clarity above all else. Unless we’re asking for a contest in which you make a confusing card, clarity is pivotal in all things.

@cas-420 — Flayed Alive

This card by itself is very good, probably an uncommon but very good. My main concern with the mechanic is that it can either only exist on reactive instants OR be in a set where life loss is a key concept. That’s what I’m not a fan of. Losing life during your own turn doesn’t come naturally to Magic. Some mechanics require support and certain environments, like, say, modular, or constellation, but “having artifact creatures” and “playing enchantment cards” are things that more or less happen in the game already. So, I would consider this a cool one-off card, but Agonize as a mechanic feels too narrow.

@dabudder​ — Drownyard Crawler

This is the reason why Ikoria introduced ability counters, besides being a design experiment. Memory issues with this card are crazy hard. If you have multiple copies of the same creature, and one of them is viral, how do you know? Swap places like magic cups, and it becomes impossible. Conceptually and flavorfully, this ability is fine. I won’t call it reinventing the wheel, but I don’t dislike it. There are a couple wording issues. I would change “to a creature” to “to another creature,” and I would have it say “Creatures with viral have skulk and “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.”” in quotes. I like how this makes combat more complex.

@dancepatternalpha​ — Arkelas, Ruler of the Lost

I don’t really understand what ephemeral’s place as a mechanic is, but I think I’m seeing the set you’re trying to build around. I imagine there are a few cards that would also interact with exile? And as the game went on, the more cards exiled created more powerful effects? I can see it. Ephemeral doesn’t make me tingle with excitement, but I can’t be harsh with it. I think I understand where you’re coming from, and I feel that a common or uncommon submission might have been more favorable.

@deafeningsandwichpeach​ — Bursting Beetle

FEWER, NOT LESS. Ahem. Sorry, that was harsh. But there are a couple wording issues. “Swarm X (When this creature enters the battlefield, if you control fewer creatures than each opponent, create three tapped 1/1 green Insect creature tokens.)” Fewer words, easier to grok. Not a bad mechanic. Feels reactive, though, less of a choice and more of a “I’m gonna hold onto this card because it’s a little useless otherwise.” It’s worth tweaking, though. I love token mechanics. Maybe this card could have been five or six mana.

@demimonde-semigoddess​ — Blood Remora

Ey, a fishy! Ooh, an evil fishy. An evil fishy with one big issue: if it deals combat damage to an opponent and there are no other targets, it has to target itself. And that’s my main issue. “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to an opponent, you may attach it to target creature that player controls. It can’t attack or block as long as it’s attached this way” could work? Might have a couple memory issues, but that’s not a major issue. You can just move cards around. It’s not a bad mechanic, but it’s a little hard to parse at first glance.

@dimestoretajic​ — Strike From Above

So, this is the conflict between “simple” and “exciting.” Everything about this card is more or less exactly understandable. But the name, the mechanic name, and the flavor text don’t feel as inspired as they should be. I don’t get a sense of quality from them. It’s an intangible aspect, and I’m sorry because I know that sounds like a real jerk way of putting this, but: for future cards, consider the world, the story, and what the card would look like once you open it up. I don’t get a sense of MTG from this card yet. Instead, it feels like a concept. That’s fine for personal reasons, but as a submission, I’m not excited. Airstrike itself I wouldn’t keyword as a mechanic. This card would be better without that aspect.

@emmypupcake — Aftermarket Additions

 Great name, great flavor text, great ability name... Super limiting. The as-fan of artifact creatures in this theoretical set would have to be hella huge, like Mirrodin-block big, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe you could batch it into “charge, haste or +1/+1 counter”s so it could interact with noncreature artifacts? Wait, this also works for vehicles. Man, this is probably a cooler mechanic than I thought originally. Call it a B- for relying on a specific sub-category of cards. A+ for badass bikers.

@fractured-infinity​ — Thunder Hammer

This mechanic was real close to being a runner-up. Quickdraw would need a bit of flash interaction to really make it worthwhile, though, and a strong equipment/aura theme as well. Could it work with auras? Would it make sense, or are you going for a wild-west-ish theme? Kind of? The card itself is good limited fodder and equipment tribal goodstuff for commander, I suppose. Not a fan of the name or flavor text personally, but it’s simple enough to make sense. Green and “thunder” don’t always go together, y’know. In my opinion. Which is not always a good one.

@ghost31415926535 — Storm Fleet Rapscallion

Plunder: a fine mechanic. I like the artifact synergy. Now, let’s go over the wording issues.

You forgot a card type in your submission. That’s a big one.

“When” should be capitalized.

“Treasure” should be capitalized.

“Tap” should have just been a symbol T followed by a comma. Was this what you meant? It wasn’t entirely clear.

There should be a period and an end-quote at the end before the paren.

@gollumni​ — Nayan Cataloguers

I kept reading this as “cartographers.” My fault, not yours. Anyway. So, I can see this is based off explore. Honestly, it doesn’t really...feel as good? Partially because it’s similar in both mechanic AND flavor, and partially because you’re forced to put the card on the bottom of your library. I would also have it say “Reveal the top card of your library. If that card’s converted mana cost is greater than this card’s, put it into your hand.” I think that groks? 

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ — Dragons’ Secrets

I would not have made this spell modal. Honestly, I would have picked a simpler submission in general, but I don’t dislike this card. It feels a little cheap and it’s an insane storm enabler. What if the modes were together for both of them, and the mana echoes did the same? DM me if that doesn’t make sense. In general, mana echoes isn’t a bad ability. This card is wordy and cluttered. I like how you went for “converted mana cost.” Makes sense, good in limited, I think.

@ignorantturtlegaming​ — Underground Network

Too much. I would much rather you have submitted just a common Wurm with burrow and some flavor text instead of this card, and even then, I’m not a fan of burrow as a mechanic. Why the alternate cost, plus the counters, plus the upkeep, plus the status effect? It’s all grokable individually but together it’s too much to keep track of for one mechanic. And what does “during each player’s end step” mean? Can you do it at instant-speed? Should it be a trigger? Why is it each player’s end step instead of just yours? There are a lot of questions this card raises that I don’t think it answers satisfactorily. 

@juggernaut-is-a-metalhead — Embercoil Serpent

So out of the two cards you submitted, I felt that this one was the best designed. There are a couple questions I have. One, should mono-red be able to have this? Yes, I know it’s hybrid, but if a mono-red deck could play it, would it? It’s a pretty powerful ability, a la Scrying Sheets. Two, I assume that the number after Dig refers to the number of untapped lands you have to sacrifice, and I think that it’s pretty cool in the late game, but why not just have it be “you may cast this spell from your graveyard by sacrificing an untapped land in addition to its other costs” instead of a number? I feel it could have worked better that way. Also, Udon is adorable!

@kavinika​ — Iron Guardian

That’s a cool character asset. They should put that in a game! So, I would have made this a keyword action ability word instead of a keyword ability, personally. Like, “Craft — You may pay (4) and sacrifice an artifact and a basic land rather than pay this spell’s mana cost.” Would that have made the last ability weird? I don’t know, I don’t think so, but. Wait, no, it wouldn’t have, they had clash things in Lorwyn that worked the same way. Not a bad concept. Pretty flavorful for artifact creatures and other artifacts. 

@koth-of-the-hammerpants — Wanderwood Warden

I love alliterative names. I don’t love angels without flying, but that’s a “me” issue. So, for this card, I like obscure, but I don’t like the darkness counters. I think that the face-down stuff works well on its own. And I would change “obscured cards” to “face-down exiled cards” so it could work with other cards from Magic’s past. I do like the gist of your flavor text, and I like this card and I like obscure. I wouldn’t call this one a stellar example, and I would have submitted a more straightforward card, but that’s just me being pedantic. Speaking of pedantic, “its owner’s,” not “it’s.”

@misterstingyjack​ — Time Mage’s Teachings

I’m going to be pedantic again, yay. My issue with this card for this contest is that, well, it’s not a new mechanic. Technically, everything on this card could exist within Magic’s rules text as-is and wouldn’t add anything new to the rules. We were looking for a new NAMED mechanic. I thought that was evident, but I suppose not. This card’s great, so keep it around for that, but it technically is not eligible. Personally, I would have also made it uncommon for limited purposes.

@nicolbolas96​ — Gitaxian Surgeon

Combining Phyrexian mana, permanent control, AND infect onto a single card, two of which exist within the same mechanic? Let’s take a step back. Phyresis, besides already existing as a card, is a cool concept to bring to the table. As a mechanic, permanent control of any creature, including your own, turning it into a 5/5 with infect, is bonkers. If this existed with any number, then 1) it would be useless half the time considering it has to target things with specific mana costs and 2) it would be busted beyond belief. I think that this card would be fine with the exile cost as a singular card. I don’t think Phyresis is a mechanic worth exploring for the time being.

@nine-effing-hells​ — Phlogiston Burst

Good on you for making me look up a word I didn’t know! This card is... Definitely uncommon, that’s for sure. But hm. I don’t DISLIKE Overchannel. So, in theory, you can exile three random cards and two red cards to cast it for free? Okay, maybe it’s common, forget my previous rambling. It’s an interesting take on Delve that isn’t broken, and this one was pretty close to being a runner-up. I worry about free stuff, but the hand isn’t an infinite resource. It’s probably fine. I’ll give this card and mechanic kudos. A rare one might break a format, but remains to be seen, y’know?

@nvijork​ — Grenzo, Fist of the Queen

I love the fact that you did your own art for this! So, locks are interesting. They’re a little bit of a non-issue in the late game, but I’d have to really play with them to see just how frustrating they are. I think there’s plenty of room for exploration and I think that this card (which IMO should be rare) is a...fine example? Not blowing my socks off, and you could have shown an example of something that happened when you had multiple locks or that triggers based on locks or something. Keep this mechanic around. I like it. Bad news: in the story, Marchesa actually fired Grenzo. So is this an alternate universe, or do I have to get out my Story Correction Rod of Spanking?

@partytimesdeluxe​ — Stringplayer

Like kavinika’s crafting, this is a mechanic that definitely needed to be a keyword action ability word. “Crescendo — Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if it has the greatest power among creatures you control, gain control of target creature.” The mechanic is probably fine, I’d love to see it played in limited, and the potential play with multiple crescendo triggers would be so much fun. Not bad, but the wording on this specific card as presented could use work.

@real-aspen-hours​ — Drag Away // Umbral Kidnapper

If your MSE is acting up, feel free to message me on Discord or Tumblr and tell me so we can help you out. So, my main concern with this card is that I’m not sure if you’re submitting abduction counters as your new mechanic, or if you’re submitting Twist as your new mechanic; I’m going with Twist. It’s not bad! Someone’s going to correct me, but I think that in this instance you would use “return” instead of “put.” Again, correct me if I’m wrong. I think that it’s a cool way to turn instants and sorceries into permanents. I won’t call it the most flavorful or mind-blowing mechanic in the world, but I like it. I don’t see why you can’t put the exile clause on the flip side instead of on Twist where it won’t really be remembered. Also, the second side should have “those spells” — see Haldan, Avid Arcanist.

@reaperfromtheabyss​ — Dark Reprise

I think it should be “This spell costs” instead of the name, but aside from that and a period at the end of the sentence, it’s fine enough. There really isn’t much to say about this card. It’s a fine example and I like how the name creates flavor without flavor text. The mechanic and card don’t excite me enough to give it a place, but I mean, this is probably the safest example you could have gone for, and you know what, I can respect it.

@shandylamb​ — Fidi, Alluring Lamia

I love the uncommon legend, heh. As a mechanic, I don’t really like siphon. I don’t like how there’s a number attached instead of just “exile it and gain 2 life.” And I don’t like how it’s only cards from a graveyard. Why can’t you siphon cards from player’s hands and libraries and the battlefield as well? It would be so cool to, like, have powerful cards that suck away hidden power and turn the world into your vampyric victims. Instead, there’s...this. It gave me inspiration, but I wouldn’t call this one a slam-dunk.

@teaxch​ — Vyne Rowe Vagrant

You know, this mechanic is making me think of Adamant, except...different. And I’m leaning a little more towards Adamant, although I can see this card’s properties. The problem that comes up is that this card doesn’t feel tailored to a limited environment, nor does it feel tailored to Commander. Dedicated feels like a mechanic based solely around constructed environments, and I don’t know if I like that? It’s a build-around-me card without the big payoff. As a card, and as a concept, again, I don’t...dislike anything about it. But the mechanical feel is off. It’s not something that I feel like I’m attaining or that I’m synergizing with. I’m not sure exactly how to explain myself here, and I’m sorry about that, but I hope that the contrast is enough to make some sense.

@tmstage​ — Precise Pikeman

Handsome feller. Lol, and he fells indeed. I think this should be a replacement effect, like, “If this would deal damage to a creature with toughness 6 or greater, it deals double that damage instead.” I’m gonna side with your own personal feelings as you submitted this one. It’s not a fantastic mechanic, because it’s just so crazy limiting in what it requires to work. I think that as a single card without Tankbuster it would be fine.

@walker-of-the-yellow-path​ — Grand Annex of Elesh Norn // Elesh Norn, Voice of New Phyrexia

Technically, and I say this being a giant ass, this isn’t a new ‘mechanic.’ It’s a new card type and it would add things to the comprehensive rules, but it’s not a mechanic. Doesn’t matter, it’s worth commenting on anyway. I don’t hate it! Every part of this card by itself is pretty cool. I personally don’t like how it only requires one creature to attack, and I don’t like how the vault abilities aren’t static like a changing enchantment could be. Y’know? It feels like a saga more than it does an artifact. Again, this card is cool and would be great in a custom cube, but I would make some changes before adding vaults to a set.

~

Thank you all for your entries! New contest tomorrow. Spooky. Or not.

[tibalt-the-fineblooded]

What kind of magic do all your characters use?

Thank you, this tells me how much more I really need to talk about them.... Ceral is a storm mage. He uses lightning, fire, ice and wind magic Laan uses geomancy and self growth magic Except specializes in healing and shapeshifting magic Y'lona does use magic but is afflicted by 2 counter acting contract/curses Zoya can imbue weapons with minor enchantments Atlan mostly uses fist magic but does have varying types of pyromancy Sturn is a psuedolich that commands his dead crewmates Samuel dabbles in necromancy but specifically control over spirits Kitai, while a knight, can manipulate glass Aseri summons monsters via blood infused tattoos scattered over her body Cas slings minor fire magic and some reinforcement magic

[thetamrieliclibrary]

Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: Cyrodiil

Cyrodilic history truly begins by the middle of the Alessian Reformation (see sidebar, Alessian Order), when civilisation and cultivation had allowed the region to emerge as a discernible Tamrielic power. Its culture and military strength centred in the sacred Nibenay Valley, a grassland expanse with a vast lake at its heart. Several small islands rose from this lake, and the capital city sprawled across them, crisscrossed with bridges and gondola ferries. Rivers connected the city-state to both its profitable outlying territories and the friendly inland ports of Skyrim and Pelletine. Rice and textiles were its main exports, along with more esoteric treasure-goods, such as hide armour, Moon sugar, and ancestor-silk. The sheer size of Cyrodiil's physical theatre, and frequent intervals of Elven tyranny, made its unification as a while a slow and oft-interrupted process. At the height of Alessian influence, its western arm enjoyed a brief autonomy as the Colovian Estates, a demarcation that still colours an outsider's view of the Empire today; often, Cyrodiil has two faces, East and West, and any discussion of its later social history must first be tempered with a summary of this early divergence.

Traditionally, the East is regarded as the region's soul: magnanimous, tolerant, and administrative. It was in the rain forests of the Nibenay Valley that the original Cyro-Nordic tribes, the Nibenese, learned a self-reliance that separated them culturally and economically from Skyrim. The Elven harassment of the First Empire gave rise to an elite form of support troop for the Valley armies, the battlemage.[1] By the time the Alessian Doctrines filtered down from the north along the river trade ways, these mages had become the ruling aristocracy. They were quickly superseded by the Alessian priesthood, whose inexplicably charismatic religion found purchase in the lower classes. The traditional Nordic pantheon of Eight Divines was replaced by a baroque of veneration of ancestor spirits and god-animals, practices encouraged by the mutable-yet-monotheistic doctrines of the Alessian faith. The doctrines eventually codified nearly every aspect of Eastern culture. Restrictions against certain kings of meat-eating, coupled with the sentiments of the blossoming animal cults, soon made agriculture and husbandry nearly impossible. Thus, many of the Eastern Cyrodiils were forced to become merchants, which, over time, allowed the Nibenay Valley to become the wealthiest city-state in the region. Yet, under Alessian rule, no matter how rich or powerful the merchant class became it was still a tenanted citizenry, and the tithes they were forced to pay the priesthood were constant reminders of the state's true masters.

The West is respected as Cyrodiil's iron hand: firm, unwavering, and ever-vigilant. The Cyro-Nords that settled it had relinquished the fertile Nibenay Valley long ago, determined to conquer the frontier. Their primitive ferocity was disinclined to magic or the need for industry, preferring bloody engagement and plunder instead. After they had captured the Nedic port-cities of the Strident coast, the Westerners embarked on a mastery of the sea. Their earliest voyages took them as far as the Iliac Bay and the Cape of the Blue Divide, whose ports they annually raided until the (then) superior Yokudan navies arrived, ca. 1E819. By the time of the Alessian Reformation, the Westerners were firmly in a position, both geographically and socially, to resist its doctrines. Hammerfell, its northern border state, was now protected by its own holy-avenging order, the Ra Gada, whose bloody intolerance for foreigners acted as West Cyrodiil's buffer against the Alessian priesthood. The pantheon of Eight Divines, therefore, survived unchecked in Western Cyrodiil, and relations with the increasingly Alessian East became strained. Ultimately, the West isolated itself from the theocratic hegemony of the Nibenay Valley, establishing an autonomous government, the Colovian Estates.

Things persisted in this vein until the Thrassian Plague of 1E2200 (see free Region - Thras), which decimated more than half of Tamriel's population, particularly the western coastlands closest to Thras. After Bendu Olo, the Colovian king of Anvil, led the All Flags Navy to victory over the slugfolk of Thras, the glory of the Cyrodilic people became known throughout the world. The Colovian Estates began to overshadow the richer, more populous East then, which eventually lead to the War of Righteousness that ended Alessian rule. Control of the Nibenay Valley reverted to a mercantile-magocracy that was still far too arcane for Western tastes to entertain a reunification of Cyrodiil. Four hundred years would pass before that would happen, when Reman I, another proud son of the West, rallied the Valley's army to join his own and fight the Akaviri Invasion of 1E2703. The Cyrodilic forces engaged the Akaviri in every region of the north, eliciting their surrender at last in the Pale Pass of Skyrim. By war's end, the Cyrodiils found themselves not only united as a nation, but, too, responsible for the further protection of the northern human kingdoms at large. When the Elves of the Summerset Isles took umbrage at what they perceived as a renewed human imperialism, Reman was forced to prove them right. In order to prevent the Elves from attacking[2] the already weakened northern kingdoms, he offered the captive Akaviri Horde amnesty in his future dominions if they would serve as the nucleus of the Army of the Second Empire of Men. Reman's own dynasty lasted for two hundred years, and in that span it conquered all the kingdoms of Tamriel except for Morrowind. Indeed, the Dark Elven Morag Tong were the doom of Reman's heirs, and the death of last true Cyrodilic Emperor heralded the beginning of the Common Era.

The Cyrodilic Empire endured for another four hundred years under the auspices of the Akaviri Potentate (see sidebar, The Second Empire), fell, and suffered a similar span of years in the insurrections, misrules, and loss of power known as the Interregnum. Yet, the remnants of the Cyrodilic Empire refuse to die, even though East and West had become fragmented beyond measure. A petty king of the Colovian Estates, Cuhlecain, came to power and appointed an Atmoran as General of his legions. General Talos had studied in Skyrim, and used the thu'um. He could rout armies with his battle-cry and shout lesser men off their feet. A year later more than half of the Cyrodilic Empire was reclaimed or consolidated, and Cuhlecain saw fit to move into the Nibenay Valley, capture the capital city, and proclaim himself Emperor. By this point, High Rock and Skyrim, which bitterly opposed a return to Cyrodilic rule, gathered their armies for a joint invasion of the Colovian West. Talos met them on the field of Sancre Tor. The Nords that had come to cripple the Empire soon joined the General's forces, for when they heard his thu'um they realised he was Skyrim's son and the Heir to the Empires of Men. The Bretons were sent back to High Rock with tales of Cuhlecain's new General, where they decided to combat the Emperor's sorcery with their own. In CE854, a nightblade from the Western Reach made his way to the Imperial Palace at Nibenay. There, the Witchman assassinated the emperor, caught the Palace on fire, and slit the throat of General Talos. "But from the smouldering ruin he came, one hand to his neck and with Cuhlecain's Crown in the other. The legions wept at the sight. His Northern magic had saved him, but the voice that led them would be more silent from that night on. His word could no longer rout an army with a roar, but he could still command one with a whisper. He took for himself a Cyrodilic name, Tiber Septim[3], and the Nordic Name of Kings, Ysmir, the Dragon of the North. And with those names he took, too, the Red Diamond Crown of the Cyrodiils, and became their True Emperor." Thus was born the Third Empire of Men.

Cyrodiil in the Third Empire is the young, viral embodiment of its ancient heritage. Internally, it has undergone an incredible restoration--reconstruction of the ruined sections of the Imperial City is nearly complete, roads and cities destroyed in the Interregnum have been rebuilt, East and West are unified for the first time in four centuries. Cyrodiil's present stability and strength have not been seen since the Reman Dynasty; indeed, they were born under similar circumstances--a Westerner winning the Eastern throne, forging them both into the greatest power in Tamriel. And now, in but twenty years time, Tiber Septim has secured Imperial authority in High Rock, Skyrim, and Hammerfell. Every human region stands with him against the Elven menace.[4] The Emperor has gracefully attributed his success to his peoples, the Colovians and the Nibenese, whose cultures we shall now treat in their current incarnation.

The Colovians[5] today still possess much of the frontier spirit of their ancestors. They are uncomplicated, self-sufficient, hearty, and extremely loyal to one another. Whenever the East would tremble under the weakness of a leader, the Colovians would withdraw unto themselves, always believing they were keeping the national spirit sage until the storm passed. They realise that the Nibenay Valley is the heart of the Empire and the cultural centre of its civilisation, but it is a fragile centre that can only be held together by the strength of character of its Emperor. When he falters, so do the Colovians. Yet when he is mighty, like Tiber Septim, they are his legions. Today, West Cyrodiils make up the majority of the soldiers in the Ruby Ranks. The Colovian nobility, all officers of the Imperial Legions or its West Navy, do not allow themselves the great expenditure of courtly life as is seen in the capital city. They prefer immaculate uniforms and stark standards hanging from the ceiling of their austere cliff-fortresses; to this day, they become a little perplexed[6] when they must visit the grandly decorated assault of colour that is the Emperor's Palace. 

[TRAVELER: "Colovian officers have traditionally been appointed as provincial governors to the human regions of the Empire, as these often need the most forthright of the Emperor's men."]

By contrast, the Eastern people of Cyrodiil relish in garish costumes, bizarre tapestries, tattoos, brandings, and elaborate ceremony. Closer to the wellspring of civilisation, they are more given to philosophy and the evolution of ancient traditions. The Nibenese find the numinous in everything around them, and their different cults are too numerous to mention (the most famous are the Cult of the Ancestor-Moth, the Cult of Heroes, the Cult of Tiber Septim, and the Cult of Emperor Zero). To the Colovians, the ancestor worship and esoteric customs of the East can often be bizarre. Akaviri dragon-motifs are found in all quarters, from the high minaret bridges of the Imperial City to the paper hako skiffs that villagers use to wing their dead down the rivers. Thousands of workers ply the rice fields after the floodings, or clear the foliage of the surrounding jungle in the alternate seasons. Above them are the merchant-nobility, the temple priests and cult leaders, and the age-old aristocracy of the battlemages. The Emperor watches over them all from the towers of the Imperial City, as dragons circle overhead.

Alessian Order

This monotheistic religion was once very popular, but today only remnants of its faith remain. It started in the coastal jungle of what is now the Colovian west, where a prophet named Marukh, who had spoken to the "Enlightened One," Saint Alessia, began to question the validity of Elven rule. These sentiments led to an increasingly abstract and unknowable depiction of a Single God. The Alessians were wise enough to realise that they had to incorporate the ancient polytheistic elements into their new religion for it to find a wide acceptance. The divine aspects worshipped by the various humans and Aldmeri were recognisable in the guise of the myriad saints and spirits of the evolving Alessian canon. It wasn't long before the Order was the Authority on every religion in Tamriel, and their power grew to earthshaking proportions.  Nearly a third of the First Era passed under their theocratic rule. When its priesthood had become too widespread to support itself, the Order began to fight among itself. With the severance of the territories of West Cyrodiil from the Empire, too much money and land had been lost. The War of Righteousness broke out, and the Order which had almost ruled the world undid itself in a ten year span.

The Second Empire

The Second Empire is divided into two stages: the Reman Dynasty and the Akaviri Potentate. As mentioned in the text, after the Akaviri raiders had been defeated, Reman recruited many of them into his service. Later Cyrodiils traditionally kept a House Guard of Akaviri, and the Emperor's chief advisor, the Potentate, was usually of Akaviri descent. Other Akaviri slaves played a significant part in establishing the administrative structures of the Second Empire, as well as in the training of its military. The restructured Imperial legions, which learned an unparalleled measure of coherence, logistics, and discipline from the Akaviri, began to easily overwhelm the other regional armies; soon every region in Tamriel belonged to Cyrodiil except for Morrowind. After the assassination of Reman's last heir by the Dark Elven Morag Tong during the disastrous Four Score War, control of the Empire reverted to the Akaviri Potentate. They have left a visible mark on the Empire of today. The high crafts of daikatanas and dragonscale armour came from the Akavir, as did the banners and military dress of Septim's shock troops, the Blades. The Red Dragons that have come to represent the Empire and the Imperial City were originally Akaviri war mounts. Akaviri surnames are rare and prized possessions among the Cyrodilic citizenry of today, and there are trace facial features of the Akaviri in many distinguished Cyrodilic families. Some colonies of "true Akaviri" still exist in both the Empire and its border regions, but they are named so only for their practices and customs than for the purity of their blood.

The Song of Tiber Septim[7]

From the Odes:

"He was born in Atmora as Talos, 'Stormcrown' in the language of the ancient Elhnofey, and it was from that shore he sailed. He spent his youth in Skyrim among the Nords. There he learned much from the Tongues and their chieftains and their ways of war. At twenty he led the invasion of Old Hrol'dan, taking it back from the Witchmen of High Rock and their kinsmen.

"Soon the Greybeards made known that they were restless. Already the storms had begun from their murmurs. The Greybeards were going to Speak. The surrounding villages were abandoned as the people fled the coming blast.

"The villagers warned Talos to turn back, for he was marching to the mountain where the Greybeards dwelt.

"Inside he went, and on seeing him they removed their gags. When they spoke his name the World shook.

"The Tongues of Skyrim told the son of Atmora that he had come to rule Tamriel and that he must travel south to do so.

"And it is true that Talos did come to Cyrodiil shortly after the Battle of Old Hrol'dan.

"And it is true that a great storm preceded his arrival."

The Cult of the Ancestor-Moth

For long the Cyro-Nordics had exported ancestor-silks to other regions, simple yet exotic shawls woven from the silks of an indigenous gypsy moth and inscribed with the requisite genealogy of its buyer. Under the Cult, however, ancestor and moth became synonymous: the singing and hymnal spirits of one's forebears are caught in a special silk-gathering ritual, the resource of which is used to create any manner of vestment or costume. The swishing of this material during normal movement reproduces the resplendent ancestral chorus contained therein--it quickly became a sacred custom among the early Nibenese, which has persisted to the present day. Monks of the higher orders of the Cult of the Ancestor-Moth are able to forego the magical ritual needed to enchant this fabric, and, indeed, prefer instead to wear the moths about the neck and face. They are able to attract the ancestor-moths through the application of finely ground bark-dust gathered from the gypsy moth's favourite tree, and through the sub-vocalisation of certain mantras. They must chant the mantras constantly to maintain skin contact with the ancestor-moths, a discipline that they endure for the sake of some cosmic balance. When a monk interrupts these mantras, in conversation for example, the moths burst from him in glorious fashion every time he speaks, only to light back upon his skin when he resumes the inaudible chant.

The Cult of Emperor Zero

This cult, started by Tiber Septim himself, was established in the honour of Cuhlecain, the Emperor Zero. Though Cuhlecain did not technically recapture all of Cyrodiil's holdings during this time, he is worthy of worship for the wisdom he showed in appointing Talos as his General, and the bravery he showed when retaking the Imperial City, two events that were crucial in restoring the glory of the new Cyrodilic Empire. He is therefore to be remembered in our prayers. The topiary-mages have begun to shape his aspect in the Palace gardens, where in the future Cuhlecain may share his insights with Tiber Septim in the same manner as the rest of the blessed hedgery heads of Green Emperor Road.

Places of Note

Indeed, if the history of the Nords is the history of humans on Tamriel, then Cyrodiil is the throne from which they will decide their destiny. It is the largest region of the continent, and most is endless jungle. Its centre, the grassland of the Nibenay Valley, is enclosed by an equatorial rain forest and broken up by rivers. As one travels south along these rivers, the more subtropical it becomes, until finally the land gives way to the swamps of Argonia and the placid waters of the Topal Bay.

The elevation rises gradually to the west and sharply to the north. Between its western coast and its central valley there are all manners of deciduous forest and mangroves, becoming sparser towards the ocean. The western coast is a wet-dry area, and from Rihad border to Anvil to the northernmost Valenwood villages forest fires are common in summer. There are a few major roads to the west, river paths to the north, and even a canopy tunnel to the Velothi Mountains, but most of Cyrodiil is a river-based society surrounded by jungle.

The Imperial City[8]

Refayj's famous declaration, "There is but one city in the Imperial Province,--" may strike the citizens of the Colovian west as mildly insulting, until perhaps they hear the rest of the remark, which continues, "--but in one city in Tamriel, but one city in the World; that, my brothers, is the city of the Cyrodiils." From the shore it is hard to tell what is city and what is Palace, for it all rises from the islands of the lake towards the sky in a stretch of gold. Whole neighbourhoods rest on the jewelled bridges that connect the islands together. Gondolas and river-ships sail along the watery avenues of its flooded lower dwellings. Moth-priests walk by in a cloud of ancestors; House Guards hold exceptionally long daikatanas crossed at intersections, adorned with ribbons and dragon-flags; and the newly arrived Western legionnaires sweat in the humid air. The river mouth is tainted red from the tinmi soil of the shore, and river dragons rust their hides in its waters. Across the lake the Imperial City continues, merging into the villages of the southern red river and ruins left from the Interregnum.

The Emperor's Palace is a crown of sun rays, surrounded by his magical gardens. One garden path is known as Green Emperor Road--here, topiaries of the heads of past Emperors have been shaped by sorcery and can speak. When one must advise Tiber Septim, birds are drawn to the hedgery head, using their songs as its voice and moving its branches for the needed expressions.

Annotations

Annotations by YR:

"Our old students forget themselves."

"Ha!"

"Even those humans who revile Talos as a traitor, oathbreaker, and scoundrel pay homage to his skill in obtaining his ends  without resort to warfare."

"Truly, a doubtful statement."

"An observation: Colovians feel superior to Nibenese as a people, yet, because the East is the Empire's "heart", the Westerners are often neglected in Cyrodiil ~ Even though the throne is taken continually by Kings from the West, the Nibenese quickly assimilate them into their ranks."

"Author oddly sympathetic to the West--a Colovian scribe, perhaps?"

"It is certain that the tale of Talos' conquest of the Cyrodiil through use of his voice is not literally true--that kind of thu'um is now forbidden. This is all obviously a poetic reference, crafted to satisfy the popular human lust for blood and magic. This young myth is perhaps inspired by Talos' reputation for shrewd diplomacy, attested by even his greatest critics, which permitted him to scheme and bargain his way into the capital city--which he lacked the armies or funds to conquer by dint of force."

"Of course no mention of the Aldmeri Citadel the capital city was built upon--or the crimes perpetrated there in the previous era..."

~ Follow for more books, journals, and notes from the Elder Scrolls series ~ Updates daily ~

[vanguardofparadox]

S[Es]sion [No]t[Es]:

I’ve been o[U]t here a while exploring beyond [Th]e F[U]r[Th][Es]t Ring, [Th]e endl[Es]s [No][Th]ingn[Es]s of [Pa][Ra]dox S[Pa]ce between different S[Es]sion’s Medi[U]ms, [Th][At] I sometim[Es] don’t [Th]ink abo[U]t my own S[Es]sion for Wip[Es] [At] a time. It’s been [At] least 413 days since I last visited it, so I fig[U]red [No]w is as good a time as any for me to recap where I c[Am]e [Fr]om.

My n[Am]e is Hrisch Seprex, and I [Am] [Th]e Chief Explorer of Alternia’s Inter-Dimensional [Th]re[At] Ass[Es]sment te[Am]. When [Th]e Alternian Empire learned of [Th]e existence of [Pa][Ra]dox S[Pa]ce, Her Imperial Cond[Es]cension herself decided [Th][At] it m[U]st be inv[Es]tig[At]ed and f[U]lly [U]nderstood to find o[U]t if it was a new [Fr]ontier for Alternia to conq[U]er, or a new b[At]tle[Fr]ont [Th][At] m[U]st be defended against [At] all costs.

[Th][At] was over 612 Sweeps ago. Fo[U]r trolls [U]sed a piece of software masq[U]e[Ra]ding as a g[Am]e to gain acc[Es]s to [Pa][Ra]dox S[Pa]ce, ca[U]sing a massive meteor storm in [Th]e proc[Es]s. Fort[U]n[At]ely, [Th]e Planetary Defense Grid saved [Th]e planet [Fr]om [Th]is fiery s[Pa]ce-born c[At]aclysm, and [Th]e Cond[Es]ce’s military managed to stop [Th]e “G[Am]e” before all fo[U]r trolls co[U]ld enter.

[Th]is g[Am]e expr[Es]sed itself in [Th]e form of an inter-dimensional s[Pa]ce called [Th]e Medi[U]m. It was a planetary system wi[Th] seve[Ra]l planets all inhabited by fantastical alien [Ra]c[Es]. As [Th][Es]e fo[U]r rebel trolls fo[U]nd [Th]eir plans for dimensional crossing being [Th]warted by HIC’s troops, [Th]eir te[Am] coh[Es]ion snapped, and [Th]e goldblooded mastermind behind [Th]e g[Am]e code released a ~ATH vir[U]s [Th][At] killed every[Th]ing in [Th]eir Medi[U]m and [Pa]rtially c[Ra]shed [Th]eir S[Es]sion.

J[U]mping ahead to [Th]e pr[Es]ent, I was recr[U]ited for [Th]e Inter-Dimensional [Th]re[At] Ass[Es]sment te[Am] after discovering a robot [Th][At] had origin[At]ed [Fr]om [Pa][Ra]dox S[Pa]ce. I was told [Th][At] I wo[U]ld be modifying [Th]e g[Am]e code to r[Es]tart [Th]e failed S[Es]sion. On [Th]e orders of [Th]e Cond[Es]ce herself, I wo[U]ld [Th]en have to enter as a player along wi[Th] [Th]e Jadeblooded Hemophage [Fr]om [Th]e original fo[U]r (her Rebellio[U]s Dre[Am]s somewh[At] c[U]rbed after spending h[U]ndreds of Sweeps as a [Po]litical prisoner).

Over all [Th]ose sweeps, o[Th]er trolls had managed to [Pu]rge [Th]e ~ATH vir[U]s [Fr]om [Th]e S[Es]sion and even mapped o[U]t [Th]e Medi[U]m by expeditions [Th][At] made [U]se of a device called a t[Ra]ns[Po]rtalizer [Th][At] had been fo[U]nd in [Th]e r[U]ins of a temple near [Th]e hive of one of [Th]e rebels. [Th]ey were also able to g[At]her all [Th]e b[U]ilding m[At]erials released by [Th]is mass extinction event.

We also fo[U]nd o[U]t [Th][At] [Th]is g[Am]e had been played in m[U]ltiple timelin[Es], and we were somehow considered to be an offshoot b[Ra]nch of wh[At] was considered to be [Th]e “Alpha Timeline”. Except [Th][At] all divergent b[Ra]nch[Es] were s[U]p[Po]sed to wi[Th]er off and die o[U]t, and somehow o[U]rs hadn’t.

We didn’t have e[No][U]gh players to properly r[Es]tart [Th]e s[Es]sion however. [Th]e g[Am]e, which had to be modified to even consider me to be a candid[At]e for being a player, had classepected me as a Rog[U]e of Doom. [Th]e Hemophage prisoner who was to accom[Pa]ny me had originally been classpected as a Maid of Blood, b[U]t after my modific[At]ions, [Th]e g[Am]e was tre[At]ing her as a Knight of S[Pa]ce.

(Nei[Th]er of [Th][Es]e m[At]ched [Th]e classpect of her co[U]nter[Pa]rt in [Th]e “Alpha Timelime”. In fact, [No]ne of [Th]e fo[U]r players did. [Th]is co[U]ld be beca[U]se o[U]r Alternia was so vastly divergent [Fr]om [Th]e o[Th]er [Th]ey were effectively different trolls entirely. [Fr]om wh[At] I [U]nderstand, in [Th]e o[Th]er timeline [Th][At] we have d[At]a on, [Th]ey had a dozen players, instead of o[U]r q[U]artet of rebels.)

[Th]e Cond[Es]ce had forbidden anyone else b[U]t me and [Th]e Rebel Dre[Am]er of a Jadeblood [Fr]om being players in [Th]e r[Es]tart S[Es]sion, so I had to get cre[At]ive. [Th]ro[U]gh some shenanigans involving Time T[Ra]vel and Ectobiology, I was able to make a [Pa][Ra]dox Clone of myself whom [Th]e g[Am]e assigned [Th]e classpect of Prince of Time, giving o[U]r r[Es]tarted S[Es]sion a Time player to go along wi[Th] o[U]r S[Pa]ce player.

One [Th]ing I didn’t co[U]nt on wo[U]ld be my Prince of Time [Pa][Ra]dox Clone [Th]en [U]sing time t[Ra]vel to go back in time and set [U]p all [Th]e divergenc[Es] of o[U]r timeline [Fr]om [Th]e s[U]p[Po]sed “Alpha”, before ret[U]rning to join [Th]e S[Es]sion wi[Th] [U]s. A second [Th]ing I hadn’t seen coming was [Th]e fact [Th][At] [Th]e Ectobiology eq[U]ipment wo[U]ld a[U]tom[At]ically make a second [Pa][Ra]dox Clone, who ended [U]p being classpected as a Seer of Void.

[Th][At] backstory o[U]t of [Th]e way, let me get to [Th]e act[U]al d[Es]cription of my Medi[U]m. As I said, [Th]e Alternian Military had intervened before [Th]e original g[Am]e S[Es]sion was completely started, and all life in [Th]e Medi[U]m was wiped o[U]t.

[Th]e first player to enter was [Th]e goldblooded “Mastermind” behind [Th]e g[Am]e. His split personality manif[Es]ted into two different dre[Am]selv[Es] wi[Th] differing classpects, Heir of Mind and [Pa]ge of [Ra]ge. His planet was [Th]e Land of Flare and Calcite, comprised of clear crystals [Th][At] do[U]ble-re[Fr]act any light. He prototyped his Kernalsprite wi[Th] a dead serverhive. [Th]is had [Th]e effect of making [Th]e [U]nderlings and King and Q[U]een [No]n-mobile, b[U]t if yo[U] got too close to [Th]em yo[U] co[U]ld still be st[U]ng by be[Es].

He was followed by [Th]e rebels’ “M[Es]siah” fig[U]re, a m[U]tant-blooded Mage of Heart. His planet was [Th]e Land of Cherri[Es] and Longing, which s[Po]rted for[Es]ts of cherry-blossom tre[Es]. He prototyped his Kernalsprite wi[Th] [Th]e Blood of his similarly rebellio[U]s Anc[Es]tor, a s[Am]ple of which had been reverse-alchemitized by [Th]e “Mastermind” o[U]t of [Th]e inexplicably tall [Pa]ir of [Pa]nts [Th]e heretical seer of an Anc[Es]tor been wearing [At] his exec[U]tion. Re[Po]rtedly [Th]e plan was to try to [U]se [Th][At] blood to be able to acc[Es]s [Th]ose seer [Po]wers in some way.

[Th]e [Th]ird and final entry of [Th]e original S[Es]sion was [Th]e rebels’ leader, an Oliveblood whom styled herself as “[Th]e Lion[Es]s”. Her classpect was Witch of Bre[At]h, and in an [U]n[U]s[U]al de[Pa]rt[U]re [Fr]om [Th]e p[At]tern for Bre[At]h players, her planet was [Th]e Land of Rivers and Savannah. ([Th]e prevailing [Th]eory [Fr]om [Th]e analysis te[Am] is [Th][At] [Th]e Rivers are standing in for [Th]e [U]s[U]al meteorological phe[No]me[No]n, beca[U]se [Th]ey’re still a close metaphor for Bre[At]h’s [U]nrelenting drive and direction of [Pu]r[Po]se.) She prototyped her Kernalsprite wi[Th] a “Magic C[U]e Ball”, an artifact associ[At]ed wi[Th] [Th]e Green Moonman’s failed rebellion, [Th]e one r[Es][Po]nsible for HIC banning ad[U]lts [Fr]om [Th]e Alternain Homeworld.

Many aspects of [Th]e SGR[U]B Rebellion tried to borrow historical weight [Fr]om [Th]e t[Ra]itors [Th][At] had come before. In addition to [Th]e m[U]tant-blood anc[Es]tor mentioned above, and [Th]eir ti[Es] to [Th]e Green Moonman fig[U]re, [Th]e fact [Th][At] [Th]ere were fo[U]r core conspir[At]ors was an echo of [Th]e Tet[Ra]rchs’ Rebellion [Th][At] had immedi[At]ely preceded [Th]em.

As I had mentioned, [Th]e fo[U]r[Th] player was stopped before she co[U]ld enter. Had my Rebel Dre[Am]er com[Pa]nion, who [At] [Th]e time called herself “[Th]e Primagen” entered, [Th]ere were plans to [U]se a dead M[At]riorb for her Kernalsprite’s prototyping.

When I r[Es]tarted [Th]e S[Es]sion after modifying [Th]e g[Am]e’s code, my initial entry as [Th]e Rog[U]e of Doom gave me [Th]e Land of F[U]sion and Enigmas, a planet littered wi[Th] c[Ra]zy [Am]alg[Am]s of items [Th][At] have been haphazardly combined via [Pu]nchcard alchemy. [Th]is land is also [No]table for [Th]e n[U]mero[U]s faeri[Es] darting [Th]ro[U]gh [Th]e air.

My Jadeblood Rebel Dre[Am]er of a [Pa]rtner was given [Th]e Land of Cobbl[Es]ton[Es] and Pen[U]mb[Ra], an a[Es][Th]etic [Th][At] I feel might better have s[U]ited [Th]e Maid of Blood classpect [Th][At] she’d been originally assigned. As a S[Pa]ce Player, she sho[U]ld have had a land wi[Th] [Fr]ogs instead; [Th]is was [Th]e first evidence [Th][At] my g[Am]e modding had beg[U]n to ca[U]se glitch[Es] in [Th]e g[Am]e’s systems.

For my [Pa][Ra]dox Clone, [Th]e Prince of Time, his planet was [Th]e Land of M[U]shrooms and Perc[U]ssion, a landscape of tree-sized m[U]shrooms, inters[Pa]ced wi[Th] b[U]ilding-sized dr[U]ms, cymbals, and be[At]box[Es] of all kinds, incl[U]ding a snare dr[U]m [Th]e size of a small city. [Th]is is a [Pa]rtic[U]larly hostile planet, as hidden in [Th]e crown of each of [Th]ose giant m[U]shrooms is an explosive [At]omic device, and sho[U]ld a tree topple [Fr]om [Th]e vibr[At]ions of nearby dr[U]mming, [Th]e device deton[At][Es]. Even so, [Th]is Land gave my mission vital inform[At]ion for o[U]r initial navig[At]ion beyond [Th]e F[U]r[Th][Es]t Ring.

As for [Th]e second [Pa][Ra]dox Clone, [Th]e Seer of Void, [Th]e g[Am]e glitched o[U]t entirely when trying to gener[At]e [Th]e planet for his entry, likely [Th]e r[Es][U]lt of all my t[Am]pering wi[Th] [Th]e codebase. Instead of a proper land, he was given a planet-sized Perfectly Generic C[U]be, which [Th]e g[Am]e labelled as [Th]e Land of Perfection and Genericisim.

Yo[U]’ll [No]tice [Th][At] I haven’t mentioned wh[At] prototyp[Es] we gave any of o[U]r Kernelsprit[Es]. [Th][At]’s beca[U]se we waited [U]ntil [Po]st-entry for [Th]e prototyping proc[Es]s. Everyone was in agreement [Th][At] [Th]ree Seprex[Es] were two too many, and we [U]sed a chain of self-prototyping shenanigans to fix [Th][At] problem:

1. All of Seprex’s Dre[Am]selv[Es] were killed. 2. Two of [Th]e Dre[Am]selv[Es] were [U]sed to prototype [Th]e Jadeblood’s Sprite, and [Th]e remaining Dre[Am]self was [U]sed as [Th]e first tier prototype on one of [Th]e Seprex[Es]’ Kernelsprit[Es]. 3. [Th]e Jadeblood’s f[U]lly prototyped Sprite^2 was [Th]en [U]sed as [Th]e second tier prototyping on Seprex’s Sprite, merging all [Th]ree dre[Am]selv[Es] into a com[Po]site Sprite^3. 4. [Th]e Rog[U]e of Doom, Prince of Time, and Seer of Void all were allowed to achieve God Tier, merging wi[Th] [Th]eir dre[Am]selv[Es] into one re[U]nified persona (Yo[U]rs tr[U]ly.)

[Th]is still left two [U][Np]rototyped Kernelsprit[Es]. [Th]e dead singly-prototyped Sprit[Es] [Fr]om [Th]e first s[Es]sion were collected. [Th]e Serverhive Sprite and Magic C[U]e Ball Sprite were prototyped on one of Seprex’s remaining Kernelsprit[Es], reviving [Th]em, incl[U]ding [Th]e fact [Th][At] [Th]ey each had tier two prototyping slots open. [Th]ose two open slots were [Th]en [U]sed to prototype a f[U]lly [U]pg[Ra]ded “[U]ltim[At]e” Alchimeter (wi[Th] integr[At]ed t[Ra]ns[Po]rtalizer & ectobiology f[U]nctions) in [Th]e first slot, and in [Th]e second, [Th]e hardware for AI-DARA (Artificially Intelligent D[At]a Analysis Rec[U]rsive Algori[Th]m) v.2.35, [Th]e Artificial Intelligence reverse engineered [Fr]om two identical robots, one fo[U]nd by [Th]e original SGR[U]B rebels and [Th]en capt[U]red by [Th]e Cond[Es]ce’s troops, and [Th]e o[Th]er one [Th][At] I had fo[U]nd prior to being recr[U]ited.

As for [Th]e final Kernalsprite, it remains [U]n-prototyped back on LOPAG. RD has been promised [Th][At] for her co-oper[At]ion on [Th]e mission, when it is complete, [Th][At] final sprite will be prototyped wi[Th] [Th]e dead sprite belonging to “[Th]e M[Es]siah” of her original player gro[U]p, as well as [Th]e dead m[At]riorb [Th][At] she’d originally wanted to [U]se. It hasn’t yet been decided wh[At] she will be allowed to [Pu]t into [Th]e final prototyping slot [Th][At] will be open. AI-DARA has s[U]gg[Es]ted [Th][At] her newly [U]pg[Ra]ded Sprite form wo[U]ld be [Th]e optimal choice, b[U]t as wi[Th] many [Th]ings abo[U]t my exploring com[Pa]nion, [Th][At]’s [No]t a decision I’m a[U][Th]orized to make.

By ab[U]sing [Th]e prototyping mechanic as we have, we’ve managed to achieve seve[Ra]l [U]sef[U]l benefits. As I [Am] technically RD’s Sprite, she can s[U]mmon me wi[Th] her Sprite Pendant. Similarly, as AI-DARA is technically my sprite, she can be be stored in My Sprite Pendant, giving me [U]lt[Ra]-[Po]rtable acc[Es]s to bo[Th] her k[No]wledge base and predictive f[U]nctions, as well as a whole Phernalia Registry’s wor[Th] of eq[U]ipment.

One o[Th]er c[U]rio[U]s property abo[U]t my home Medi[U]m: While [Th]ere are 7 Planets total in [Th]e system, [No]t co[U]nting Derse and Prospit, [Th]ey are s[Pa]ced in [Th]eir orbits between Skaia and Veil as if [Th]ere were 8. RD has taken [Th]is as a sign [Th][At] o[U]r s[Es]sion was meant to have a Land of {something} and [Fr]ogs, b[U]t we have to find one and bring it back. I do [No]t disco[U][Ra]ge her independent search for [Th]is, as s[U]ch activity still aligns wi[Th] o[U]r mission.

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2019 Day 21: Hurt/Comfort (and Whump) 

Lie To Me | @castielslostwings Rating: Explicit Word Count: 27476 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate season 14, canon divergent at s13e23 “let the good times roll”, angst with a happy ending, Michael!Dean, fix-it, pining, temporary MCD, human castiel, casturbation, top Cas/bottom Dean, Sam & Cas brother moments, alcohol as a coping mechanism, Chuck Ex Machina, hurt/comfort, Castiel whump, Dean whump Summary: Castiel and Sam's plan to expel Michael from Dean's body backfires in a big way, leaving them with an unexpectedly human archangel and the horrifying possibility that Dean's soul is gone forever. Can they bring Dean home from wherever he's gone? What will become of a human Michael trapped in Dean's body? How will Castiel survive losing the love of his life, just when things were starting to fall together?

Worlds Away | @hefellfordean Rating: Mature Word Count: 4240 Main Tags and Warnings: Multiple Universes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Interdimensional Travel, Getting Together, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: "In all the infinite, incalculable number of worlds, you don’t love me. But what’s worse, is that I didn’t need to ask to know that I love you in any world, unconditionally – and unrequited.”, Cas says, pulling away from Dean. Castiel is sent to a place between worlds, with infinite doorways through which he must travel to return home. All of the worlds he visits have something in common: Dean doesn't love him. His world is the same - or is it?

Angel Whisperer | @noiproksa Rating: General Word Count: 2767 Main Tags and Warnings: Hurt Castiel, Concussions Summary: Taking care of a concussed angel is a lot harder than anticipated. Dean might be out of his depth, but that doesn’t mean he won’t do everything he can to make his angel feel better. (Intended as gen, but can be read as Destiel pre-slash.)

Anti-Cuddle Curse | @noiproksa Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 5155 Main Tags and Warnings: Hurt Castiel, Cuddling & Snuggling, Witch Curses, Hurt/Comfort Summary: When a witch curses Team Free Will, Dean realizes how much being able to touch Cas really means to him. (Intended as gen, but can be read as Destiel pre-slash.)

Touch Deprived | @noiproksa Rating: General Word Count: 4132 Main Tags and Warnings: Hurt Castiel, Angel Healing, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Confused by all the human rules for personal space and touching, Cas has to come up with excuses in order to be able to touch Dean and Sam. Or is it the other way around? (Intended as gen, but can be read as Destiel pre-slash.)

longing for grapefruit | @reallyelegantsharkfish Rating: Explicit Word Count: 1686 Main Tags and Warnings: Friends to Lovers, Recreational Drug Use, Marijuana, Oral Sex, Mental Health Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Shotgunning, Demisexual Castiel Summary: Dean lights up and takes the first hit, but instead of exhaling, he leans over towards Cas. It’s not a proper kiss, breathing in Dean’s air, but it’s intimate, and they take turns sharing hits in between kisses. Cas is flying. Cas can feel everything, Cas is out of his body. “Baby,” Dean says, soft in between them. “Let me make you feel good.”

Green Corners | @rustling-pages Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 72533 Main Tags and Warnings: Elemental Magic AU, (Threat of) Main Character Death, (Past) Child Death, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn Summary: After the death of his son, there is nothing left for Dean other than his garden market. His days are tough, the nights are tougher, but at least there's a reason to get up in the morning. And with the new boom on do-it-yourself garden magic, his business is going okay. Amidst the passing of time, there is only one thing that distracts him from functioning like a normal human being: Diagonally across the street, in the display window of that traditional Herb and Potion shop, plants are dying in masses. Storming in to confront the owner goes differently than he imagined, though. Castiel Novak may be the kind of guy who wears old-fashioned mage robes and keeps his shop in sweltering heat, but he's also a talented herbalist, the kindest soul Dean has ever met, and utterly beautiful. Not that Dean is ready for anything other than friendship. (Not that Cas doesn’t get sick a bit too often.)

The Bone Eater (WIP) | @rachelhaimowitz Rating: Explicit Word Count: 111259 Main Tags and Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester/Original Male Character(s), Castiel/Original Male Character(s), Hurt/Comfort, Prisoner Dean, Monsters, Dean Whump, Season/Series 09, Set somewhere between Bad Boys and Holy Terror, Size Kink, Non-Consensual Bondage, Violent Sex, Manhandling, Torture, Castiel Whump, Forced Orgasm, Prisoner Castiel, Possessive Behavior Summary: When Dean wakes in a strange prison cell, he quickly realizes he's become another victim of the mystery monster he and Sam have been hunting: a creature who sucks the marrow right out of people's bones. There are years--sometimes decades--between the killings, and no connection between them but men who were big, strong, and healthy when they disappeared. Dean learns right up close and personal why the monster picks who he picks. Unfortunately, stuck behind bars, consistently outmatched, and growing weaker by the day, he's having a tough time putting that information to good use. But Cas can't hear his prayers anymore (and doesn't owe him shit anyway, the way he left the guy), and Zeke might or might not have his ears on (and might or might not let Sam do anything about it even if he did), and Dean ain't no damsel in distress besides. He's gonna get out of there no matter what it takes, and he's damn well gonna make sure this monster never hurts anyone again--especially not the guy he finally finds the courage to admit he loves.

Fighting My Way Back | @deans-jiggly-pudding Rating: Explicit Word Count: 81740 Main Tags and Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, major character death, canon compliant up to S13, Slow Burn, PTSD Summary: Sam, Cas, and Mary are trying and failing to break Dean out of Michael’s stronghold. Jack is exploring his potential while slowly recovering his power. He has the ability to create, but until his grace is at full strength, his creation must be made out of something already existing. Our favorite nephilim has a plan to use his newfound power to snap Dean out of Michael's control, but what will become of Dean after the ejection? And can Team Free Will 2.0 stop Michael before he destroys the world?

don't leave me | @breathingdestiel Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1016 Main Tags and Warnings: au, established relationship, angst with a happy ending Summary: Dean is a mess after Cas leaves him. And it's all his fault.

Angeleech | @noiproksa Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 14457 Main Tags and Warnings: hurt/comfort, hurt castiel, case fic, platonic cuddling, sharing a bed, team free will Summary: It was supposed to be an easy hunt, but then everything goes sideways. Dean and Sam have to take care of an injured Cas and find out what is going on with the angel before it is too late.

Keeper of the Garden | @pherryt Rating: Mature Word Count: 5672 Main Tags and Warnings: Perceived MCD but not really, Season 13 Finale Coda, possessed!dean, Michael!Dean, Hurt/Comfort, Saving Dean, Recovering Dean, Angst, Hope, Hopeful Ending, Caretakers Sam and Cas (but mostly Cas), Gardening Dean, Canon, until next season starts anyway, broken!dean, Crazy!Dean, Hurt!Cas, Confessions Summary: Michael backed out of their deal and now Dean's stuck, trapped in his own mind with a crazy Archangel who keeps showing him Cas's death over and over again, keeps making Dean kill Cas over and over again... till he really does and Dean snaps... Finally free of Michael but not of his own sins, Dean is slow to recover from the possession, and is convinced Cas is dead at his own hands. Dean has done a lot of things, both good and bad, but there's nothing that will ever make up for that.

Any Other Day (WIP) | @peanutbutterjelly-pie Rating: Mature Word Count: 21679  Main Tags and Warnings: Canon Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers Summary: Victor just wants to finally enjoy his weekend. But when weird reports of a man in a trench coat having been arrested for murder in some small town in Colorado are coming in and the names of the Winchester brothers are all of a sudden mentioned for the very first time in almost a decade inside the FBI building, Victor needs to kiss his free time goodbye. So instead of spending his days on the couch, eating all the takeout he can find and watching crappy movies, he all at once sees himself confronted with an unstable angel, incapable of controlling his powers, a hunter missing from the scene, nowhere to be found, and the other one worried out of his mind about his family. Yeah, that's not the quiet weekend Victor had been hoping for. At all.

You are my home | @DesiraeLovesDestiel Rating: Explicit Word Count: 4774 Main Tags and Warnings: canon verse, bunker fic, post season 11, Castiel whump, love confessions, profound bond, smut, angst Summary: “Cas? Hey buddy, wake up.” Castiel blinked his eyes open slowly, looking up at Dean owlishly before jolting up, nearly clipping Dean’s jaw on the way. “Hey, hey,” Dean said, concern lacing his tone. “You okay, man?” Castiel cleared his throat. “Yes. My apologies, Dean.” “S’okay. You wanna tell me why you’re sleeping in Baby?” Things have settled down since rescuing Sam. Mary is bonding with her sons, and Castiel is nearly back to full capacity, just needing a little sleep here and there. When Dean discovers Cas' unusual resting spot, what starts as a series confessions leads to the emotional healing they both needed.

If This Is To End In Fire | @reaperlove77 Rating: Explicit Word Count: 16279 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Dean Winchester Whump, Supernatural Elements, Smut, Anal Sex, Temporary Character Death, Happy Ending, Past Abuse, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Dean-Centric, Haunted Houses, Domestic Violence (not Dean/Cas), BAMF Castiel, Panic Attacks, Minor Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Slurs, Bottom Dean, Top Castiel, Gothic Elements Summary: Dean Winchester doesn't trust easy, not after everything he's been through. When he finds a new home and a new job in Kelvin's Point, he's almost ready to believe he also found happiness for the first time in his life. But what does he really know about this Castiel and is their love enough to keep the ghosts from the past away for good?

When Angels Cry | @sweetdaydreamsblog Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1068 Main Tags and Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Mentions of Suicide, Happy Ending, Hurt Dean Winchester, Emotionally Hurt Castiel Summary: Castiel remembers the events that transpired during Dean's last night on Earth, as well as what happened after.

Eyes Shut | @galaxystiel Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1493 Main Tags and Warnings: AU, Human!Castiel, alcoholism, drunk driving, supernatural elements, angst with a happy ending Summary: Dean learns a lesson about the dangers of drink-driving, and in the process learns a few things about his future.

And I swear | @notfunnydean Rating: Explicit Word Count: 4413 Main Tags and Warnings: abusive relationship, Dean dates Arthur Ketch at first, hurt!Dean, break up between Arthur and Dean, first time, first kiss, bottom!Dean, top!Cas, crying Dean, Cas saves Dean Summary: Dean knows that Arthur is treating him badly, but he had worse in his life and besides, it’s not like the person he really loves wants him back.

I'm a sucker for you | @notfunnydean Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 3148 Main Tags and Warnings: Drunk!Dean, hurt!Cas Summary: Dean knows he and Castiel are a good team, but he only talks about his feelings for Castiel when he’s drunk and doesn’t remember their kisses in the morning. Someday Castiel has enough.

Event Horizon | @cas-lost-grace Rating: Mature Word Count: 6442 Main Tags and Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts, Suicidal Dean, Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Past Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst,Texting, Sharing a Bed, Happy Ending, Veteran Dean, Doctor Dean, Writer Castiel Summary: Castiel couldn't have helped his sister. That's why being offered a chance to help somebody else dealing with suicidal thoughts he took it without hesitation. When he gets the first text from someone who needs his help, nothing goes as he expected.

Finding You, in Pieces of Me | @lunastories Rating: Mature Word Count: 21263 Main Tags and Warnings: Trueform Castiel, Angst with a happy ending, Post Sam's fall into the pit Summary: Dean is jaded after the loss of his brother and left with little to no hope in humanity. Castiel decides to show the world and humanity from his perspective so that Dean can regain the spark that he’s lost. They visit seven locations that have significance to Castiel. From the Cave of Crystals inhabited by an ancient eel spirit, to the Atacama Desert haunted by a heartbroken woman, Dean goes through a journey of self discovery. Slowly, Dean falls for Castiel and the world the angel sees.

Love me to Death | @lunastories Rating: Mature Word Count: 9219 Main Tags and Warnings: Death!Dean, Temporary Character Death, Reincarnation, Angst, Self harm Summary: There once was a man who feared Death. He feared him so much he tried to seek immortality, but his efforts were in vain. Eventually, he learned to love Death and everything he represented. This is the story of a mortal and a god and their love for one another.

Mixtapes (WIP) | silverstar2419 (Wattpad) Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 8407 Main Tags and Warnings: Depression, dealing with depression, mentions of attempted suicide Summary: Two years ago Dean tried to kill himself but Bobby stepped in and saved his life. Now he deals with his unwanted life the same he used to, strippers and beer. What happens when he finds out the person he loves as more than a friend (or brother for that matter) has the same feelings? Let's find out.

What We Ache For | @almaasi Rating: Explicit Word Count: 93115 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Sex Work, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Fluff, Consent, Sex Worker Castiel, Demisexual Castiel, Police Officer Dean, Affectionate Dean, Dean bottoms for the first time, Making Love, Cuddling and Snuggling, Injury Recovery, Temporary Amnesia, Supportive Sam, Castiel loves dogs, Domestic Fluff Summary: Working as a prostitute (that’s ‘sex worker’ to the decent folks), Castiel has heard more than his fair share of odd requests. When he’s paid to spend a night with Dean Winchester (handsome, dork of all dorks, has a nice car... secretly a cop), the last thing Castiel expects to hear are the words “I wanna make love.” That's the one thing he’s never done before – so Dean is going to show him how to do it. But then, barely a month after that night is over, Castiel finds himself in a difficult situation, and Dean is mistakenly summoned to help. They begin to share again: Dean’s apartment, the spare bed, their deepest secrets. Over time, with the support of Dean’s brother Sam, a mystery dog, and lots of cuddles, kisses, comfort, and tea, maybe Cas can finally be loved the way he deserves.

Lost Night | @almaasi Rating: General Word Count: 2608 Main Tags and Warnings: Canon Universe, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Brief Angst, Pre-Slash, Best Friends, Holding Hands, Dreams, Dreamwalking, Lucid Dreaming, Angel Castiel, Sad Dean, Mutual Pining Summary: Dean is so afraid of losing his best friend that he dreams Cas is floating away. His longing is great enough that the real-life Castiel is summoned, dreamwalking into Dean's subconscious – and, as The Beatles once said: "the minute you let him under your skin... then you begin to make it better..."

Unconditional | @almaasi Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2676 Main Tags and Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Unconditional Love, Human Castiel, Injured Castiel, Caring Dean, Abused Dean, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Abusive John Winchester Summary: Over the years, Dean's learned a lot about himself, and the way he loves those around him. Now Cas is back from the dead, and he came back human - and hurt. As Dean soothes Cas' wounds in the front seat of the Impala, an ache in his heart drives him to find words to explain.

Mostly in Silence | @almaasi Rating: General Word Count: 4216 Main Tags and Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Romance, Depression, Executive Dysfunction, Mental Health Issues, Self Care, Fallen Angel Castiel, Human Castiel, Castiel in the Bunker, Depressed Castiel, Sick Castiel, Caring Dean, Stargazing, Stars, Holding Hands, First Kiss, Poetic, No Spoilers, Always Keep Fighting, You are not alone Summary: Dean returns home to the bunker, only to find Castiel is lost in a deep depression. Taking their cues from the night sky (perhaps holding hands, perhaps sharing their first kiss), Dean helps Castiel rediscover a small but shining sense of hope.

Delirium and Doctor Sexy | @almaasi Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 9388 Main Tags and Warnings: Crack, Comfort, Fluff, Pre-Slash, Doctor Sexy M.D., Hunt Gone Wrong, Dean Hallucinates, Age Regression/De-Aging (mentally only), Bisexual Dean, Closeted Dean, Innocent Dean, Character Analysis, Dean Projects His Insecurities, Dean in Panties, Magic Made Them Do It, Sexual References, No Sex, Unresolved Romantic Tension Summary: Dean got hit by a wave of magical gas while protecting Sam, and now he's curled up in a motel bed, watching comfort TV on his laptop and hallucinating. Cas hangs around to look after him. But Dean thinks the friendly angel at his bedside is actually his favourite fictional beefcake, Dr. Sexy, M.D.. With all inhibitions on standby, Dean might admit a few things about himself he never dared to tell anyone before.

Dean, 2 pm | @sternchencas Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1464 Main Tags and Warnings: suicidal thoughts, emotional hurt/comfort Summary: Cas is done with his life. He's ready to end it all. The only thing that might be able to change his mind is one little note in his calendar that says 'Dean, 2 pm'.

Patch Me Up | @babybluecas Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1426 Main Tags and Warnings: canon universe, fallen!Cas, minor injury Summary: When Dean gets injured on a hunt, it's Cas's turn to take care of him.

Oh Death, Bring Him Back | @envydean Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 3984 Main Tags and Warnings: Modern AU, accountant!Cas, mechanic!Dean, hurt!Dean, Temporary Character Death, two-sided unrequited love, Pining, Major Character Injury, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Fluff, First Kiss, Supernatural but Dean and Cas don't know about it, So much begging Summary: Dean is badly hurt after a bar fight and Castiel goes to see him only to find out that the news isn't good. However, supernatural forces are on their side. Castiel follows the doctor quickly, barely a pace behind him. It's as bad as he feared. What if he doesn't get the chance to tell Dean that he loves him. Even if Dean doesn't love him back. The room is reminiscent of a war zone. Several people are crowded around Dean's body. There's blood everywhere, machines going haywire and doctors barking orders. Castiel is frozen to the spot.

Don't Let Go | @envydean Rating: Mature Word Count: 28578 Main Tags and Warnings: EMT!Castiel, mechanic!Dean, alcoholic!Dean, Alcoholism, Car Accidents ,Hospitals, Recovery, PTSD, Descriptions of Injury, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Trying to fall in love Summary: Dean Winchester’s life is a mess. Ever since his father’s death, a downward spiral has seen his occasional beer become something of a crutch. Then, a revelation has him going to see his brother in California—except he doesn’t make it and ends up in a nasty accident, destroying the Impala. Air rescue paramedic, Castiel, and his partner Benny are the ones to pull him out of the wreck and that’s just the start of it. He forms a tentative friendship with Dean and manages to convince him he needs help and that he can be there for Dean. It should have been all uphill from there—because getting sober is easy, right?—except it isn’t and their relationship is thrown into turmoil at the wrong time. Slowly, they learn to accept each other once again.

Like Sands Through The Hourglass | BiP (AO3) Rating: General Word Count: 1643 Main Tags and Warnings: illness Summary: It's always Florida, and it's always witches.

Battle of Mind and Body | @light-in-my-darkness Rating: Explicit Word Count: 164466 Main Tags and Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Sexual Content, PTSD, Whump, Slow Build, Additional Warnings in Notes Summary: A confession. A car accident. A coma. The results of which lead Castiel and Dean on a destructive path. Their family and friends fight to alter that path, but without knowing the truth of that fateful night, they fear their efforts will fail. Determined to box up the pain and humiliation, Castiel falls into depression and self-harm. In the aftermath of that night, Dean confronts his own demons. Both the angel and the hunter struggle to repair the broken pieces of themselves. As they try, will the dark nature of their world stay at bay long enough for them to heal or will it shatter any progress they made?

Taker of Souls | jscribbles (AO3) Rating: Explicit Word Count: 128664 Main Tags and Warnings: temporary major character death, Minor Character Death, Pining, Slow Burn, non-con, dub-con, Blood, Gore, Body mutilation, Self Harm, zombie-type characters, Hallucinations, Nightmares, horror-imagery, shameless use of horror movie tropes, offensive language/insults, spoilers for The Witch ,the boys cry, Sickness, Sweat ,Mud, Possession, canon-calibre discussions of religion, the evil dead 2013 Crossover, Inspired By, Smut, minor prescription drug use, Vomiting, Summary: The angels have fallen. Castiel is human, Sam is recovering from the trials, and Dean doesn’t want to expose them to the world as it’s crumbling outside the bunker doors. To pass time in their solitude, Dean discovers a hidden room in the bunker full of dangerous magical artifacts and accidentally exposes his friends and family to an ancient horror. If Castiel thought adjusting to humanity was already a terror in itself, he experiences a world of pain when the ancient spirit Dean released chooses him as a vessel to fulfill its evil prophecy. Castiel begins to change as voices call out to him in the night and take the form of the one righteous man he desires, temptation drawing him to complete a ritual that will allow one of Hell’s most feared ancient entities to occupy his vessel. Before Sam, Dean, Kevin and Crowley know what is happening, they are thrown into a lockdown, unable to escape the bunker as the cruel, twisted monster inside of Castiel prowls the hallways, hunting them, thirsty for their blood, hungry for their souls.