#the time mage ; in disguise

[atimelesslullaby]

Now go home, @wolfvirago Regain your lost time! Home... Where you are supposed to be... The way you are supposed to be...

Carefully, the cloaked woman gathers ingredients. On her left arm, was a basket. In her right hand, a book. Given that the princess in disguise was still learning how to brew potions, she needed the extra knowledge from a witch's own handwriting to understand the effects of what an ingredient may or may not do.

It certainly was more work than she'd originally anticipated. But there was so much good to be done, by learning how to brew potions.

Though this was the Lost Woods, she could hear the spirits singing. That was why she didn't truly get lost. Saria had done well to teach her about navigating what could turn into a dangerous situation of being completely lost in a maze of trees. Blue cloak waving in the breeze, 'Elizabeth' is on the move again.

Never did she expect to see anyone else here. She near never did, other than the small spirits that sang to those who listened for them. What a bad time to be caught without her scepter. Though she could summon it at will, her hands were kind of full right now, and no way she was putting down the rare mushrooms she had found during this endeavor.

"Are you lost?"

The last she could do was be courteous. She sounded much lower pitched than the princess. A magical ability only granted by her piece of the Triforce. Without that piece, she'd never have such a magic.

"This can be a dangerous forest. It may be best you allow me to guide you back towards that which is more open. I am certain you know how friendly the Kokiri can be."

[hyperions-light]

what even is Dorian Pavus’ life lmao THE most improbable man in Thedas. He:

> helped invent viable time travel magic in college

> left home bc his dad tried to turn him straight

> joined the Southern organization that took down an ancient Tevinter Magister trying to achieve godhood

> returned home to claim a seat in the Magisterium

> found out the Magisterium was a bunch of bs politics and helped found an underground resistance movement to end slavery in Tevinter

> which was then joined by. The Pope in disguise???

> lived through the sky opening and dumping demons on everyone a SECOND time

> lived through a blighted dragon attacking Minrathous

> lived through an incredibly powerful ancient elven mage calling himself a god attacking the city, killing thousands of people, and turning it all into a fucked up blighted mass

> became the ARCHON OF TEVINTER

like damn. truly the guy that Everything Happens So Much to. hope he catches a break soon

[meglosthegreat]

I see a lot of posts on here talking about the Solas/Elgar'nan segment in Blood of Arlathan and how it's one of the best scenes in the game, and they'd be right, but I don't see enough people talking about how comically the whole thing is undercut by quite possibly the most poorly-conceived, terribly-implemented looney-tunes-ass sequence in gaming history that surrounds it.

Like you show up with your friends to this Venatori party, and you're like great, we're sneaking in! Time for disguises. How convenient that these Venatori guys all wear hoods, right? Should be a piece of cake if we're all, you know, wearing hoods that would helpfully hide our identities. But no. We all go waltzing in with our whole-ass faces exposed, you know, the group of guys that have been murdering Venatori left and right and who Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain have definitely all seen in person before. Oh, and don't worry about walking into this notoriously racist elf-sacrificing cult if you happen to be an elf! You're only here in disguise so that you can rescue a GROUP OF ELVES THEY'RE GOING TO SACRIFICE but it's ok because you're dressed as a mercenary and not a dalish so it's all good don't worry about it :) :)

Then you get into this fucking party and oh my fucking god it's like they decided to take all of the most comically over-the-top stereotypes of villainy and put them on display. Because why not! The Venatori are all sickos anyway so of course they'd be out here doing sicko things! There's some guys pulling a halla apart with blood magic! There's other guys using slaves as benches! They're all laughing and joking about how EVIL they are, hahaha, how cool is that? The fucking guy from D'Meta's Crossing is here if you don't let him die, because he's a fucked up evil sicko too! You're supposed to be shocked at this hideous display; recoil in horror, even!

And who do you bring with you to help get through this crowd of absolute lunatics? NEVE FUCKING GALLUS. You know, the person so well-known in Minrathous that a Dalish elf living in Arlathan KNEW HER BY REPUTATION. Yup, Neve Gallus with her INTENSELY RECOGNIZABLE PROSTHETIC just waltzes up to some guy and he just lets her in. Because being EVIL also makes you incapable of coherent thought, apparently.

And then. AND THEN. You walk across the bridge where Elgar'nan makes his thought-sounds at you, and YOUR ENTIRE FUCKING PARTY is already there, just hanging out nbd. Also not wearing hoods or any kind of disguises that couldn't instantly be seen through by a five-year-old with amnesia but ok, cool. Why did we bother walking through all those sickos then when we could've just taken the secret back entrance like the rest of them, idk.

But just when you think you've reached peak stupidity, it keeps going. You're now standing there, at the front of a crowd of about twelve people, approximately five feet away from Elgar'nan himself, inexplicably blending in, when the big guy puts the mind control whammy on everyone. Oh no, you think. We've been found out! Here's the part in the plan where things begin to go wrong! NO. Your mage friends SECRETLY PERFORM MAGICAL GESTURES to block the mind control, and then you LITERALLY FUCKING SIDLE OFF STAGE LEFT without ANYONE NOTICING. I should reiterate that at this point, you are still about FIVE FEET AWAY FROM ELGAR'NAN and his fucking ARCHDEMON.

And to conclude this absolute comedy of idiocy, as soon as you enter back into combat mode, you immediately ditch all of your disguises. And of course then, ONLY THEN, Elgar'nan notices you've been there. Cut to the end of the actual good sequence, this dramatic conversation performed by excellent voice actors and written miles better than most other things in this game, and you reach your final prize: about six guys trapped in a little cube. Cool, you tell yourself. This was definitely worth it. You take your fade-to-black teleporter back to the Lighthouse and they're never heard from again.

This was the quest that broke me. This was the moment that all hope for Veilguard finally snapped. I consider myself to be a very resilient person in the face of camp and goofy writing, but this was too much disbelief for my brain to suspend. The mental gymnastics necessary to make this whole sequence make any kind of sense were simply beyond me. Even Solas's dulcet tones could not salvage it for me after that.

[avelera]

"A face and look that is immediately rage-inducing for much of the population"

what did s1 jayce do to all these people lol. i wasn't in the fandom at the time an this seems insane to me, he was always cute and earnest!!

I think it was a combination of people ascribing League Jayce “Giopara” personality to Jayce (unfairly) and the fact that Arcane Jayce is sort of set up to seem like a privileged douchebag who ignores Viktor and falls in love with the power and prestige of politics.

It’s all one big fake out, a subverted corruption story. But the plot of Arcane does a lot of sleight of hand with Jayce to make him seem like a jerk and then flips it on you in S2 when he dodges his corruption arc and becomes totally focused on Viktor, whereas Viktor ends up headlong into a true corruption arc that’s disguised as looking like a good thing at first (with the healing and the cult I mean).

I’ve said many times that Jayce is one of the most fascinating characters in Arcane because he’s the ONLY one whose character design contradicts his inner life. Everyone else looks like who they are. Vi looks tough and she is tough. Silco looks like a villain and he is a villain. Viktor looks like a consumptive Victorian scientist and he IS a consumptive Victorian scientist.

But Jayce looks like a football player. He looks like Prince Charming crossed over with Superman. He is upsettingly handsome and upsettingly muscular and he gets in front of a crowd and gives a big flashy speech that betrays his ideals and his partner and then he appears to soak up the audiences applause after. He plays the corruption game and he gets manipulated into attacking the Undercity, where a kid dies, and he’s got the kind of face that reminds you of every popular guy who ever beat you up in school, or the magazine model who you could only hopelessly compare yourself to who made you feel small.

But that’s not who Jayce is and it’s so WILD how much his appearance is a contradiction. He the opposite of the skinny kid who wants to be an athlete. He’s built like an athlete but wants to be a nerd taken seriously for his research. He’s not a jock, he’s a blacksmith, a tinkerer who happens to tinker with things that build muscle. He’s more at home in the lab and Viktor is the center of his whole life and he just wants to help people the way a mage once helped him and he gets dragged around by more powerful forces while trying to do that. He’s ready to kill himself when he shames his family and has his life’s work, his ability to help others, taken away from him. He’s ready to sacrifice his whole career when Hextech puts people in danger if it means protecting Viktor. He’s ready to literally OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT if it means saving Viktor’s life and he tells a bunch of rich asshole councilors to fuck off when they think they can keep exploiting Zaun while also ignoring it.

He’s such a wild contradiction and S2 really brings it into focus, though the hints are there in S1. I’m obsessed with him.

[pippin-katz]

Edwin’s Magic

Alright, this has been on my mind since I watched the show over a month ago. Why the fuck doesn't Edwin actually use magic??

I'm not including mirror hopping or the disguises because that's something both he and Charles do. I'm not talking about the alchemy he does either. I'm referring to spells and incantations.

The reason it drives me crazy is because the show sets Edwin up to be a magic user, but he really isn't. I can count the number of times he uses magic on one hand.

Ep. 1: fire spell, magic lasso Ep. 2: nothing Ep. 3: nothing Ep. 4: nothing Ep. 5: nothing Ep. 6: nothing Ep. 7: nothing Ep. 8: magic lasso

During the boxing scene, Edwin asks when he'll need to hit someone. Charles specifically lays out a scenario where there's a murderous ghost that he needs to save a client from, but specifically says: "and your magic doesn't work". That phrase implies that Edwin regularly uses magic as his go-to skill during cases. In fanfics, Edwin uses magic constantly, because people got the same impression, yet we barely see him actually doing magic!

Give me Edwin the Sorcerer! Or the Wizard, or Mage or whatever title he wants, just let him use magic!!

(ko-fi)

[yuri-is-online]

Daytime TV Dreaming (A Fyuuture Kid AU Drabble ft. Heartsabyul, Savanaclaw, and Octavinelle)

While camping in the mountains during Camp Vargas, you encounter a monster exactly like the one you fought off with Ace and Deuce at the beginning of the year. While trying to fight it off again, a strange portal opens up in the mine and a person jumps out of it to your rescue. He says he doesn't remember much, but it's clear when you bring him to Crowley that this boy is also from your world, despite being a mage, and until the headmage can think of a better solution, he assigns "Yutu" to your dorm.

Something a certain someone has an opinion about.

notes: When I was re-working my masterlist I deleted a fic that I meant to be the start of a series where Yuu’s child travels back in time to try and prevent the destruction of Twisted Wonderland and their parent's untimely death. For some reason I wrote that child as having been born after Yuu was forced to leave Twisted Wonderland with modified memories, so he doesn't actually know that much about his dad until he gets iseakaid just like Yuu did to attend Night Raven in a much more dystopian setting. Anyway if I ever go back to that concept I'll probably re work it, but I thought it would be fun to share my notes about the guys reaction to this newcomer who gets sorted into Ramshackle Dorm. They/them used for Yuu as always but they are implied to be afab, "Yutu" is not meant to be the child's real name, and he is meant to be wearing a disguise to make his identity less obvious. Actual fic can be found on my masterlist.

Heartsabyul

Ace- is legitimately worried about the intentions of this weird newcomer but it comes off as him being a jealous brat so no one takes him seriously. Look, something just doesn't feel right about this! Your world doesn't have any mages but now one shows up? And he's weirdly familiar with you? Cmon someone other than him start asking some questions please! Tries to have "a talk" with Yutu, who is trying really hard to understand what his parent saw in his dad and... just not getting it at all. RiP Ace you have been assigned cringe before the kid has even been born.

Deuce- only concerned with making a good impression because if this person is from Yuu's world then they might value his opinion on.... things. Also an honor student would try to win over his crush on his own merit and not by intimidating potential competition. Actually ends up befriending Yutu and really liking his vibes, which gives the boy a lot of guilt because he knows his dad would probably feel very guilty if he knew what his son's life has been like.

Trey- he is slightly worried about how Yuu will handle having to take care of an actual person and not just a monster, but he also feels like it is none of his business so he doesn't pay too much attention. But then Yuu mentions that Yutu is a pretty talented baker and that's why they haven't been bugging him for sweets as much. Well isn't that just ADORABLE??? Trey isn't upset about this at all nope, not one bit. He's extremely upset and Yutu is stirring the pot because he thinks making his dad angry is funny.

Cater- oh look, another person who won't be a part of his life eventually. He doesn't get any weird vibes from Yutu so he doesn't worry about what his appearance might mean too much, but there is something about the way the newbie insists on trying to be his friend that reminds him a lot of Yuu and isn't helping with this whole "denial of the crush" thing he is trying to do. If he didn't know any better he would think Yutu was doing it on purpose.

Riddle- immediately starts butting into Yuu's life more to give them advice about being a proper housewarden. Not that he didn't already see them as one, it's just disciplining a human student and disciplining Grim are a bit different and no he is not using this as an excuse to spy on the Prefect how dare this brat suggest his intentions are impure?!?! (Ah but you see Riddle you can't just take Yutu's head off in front of their Prefect because you want them to liiiike you and he is so going to use that against you.)

Savanaclaw

Leona- understands that something is not quite right as Yutu's explanation of who he is doesn't quite pass the sniff test. Literally, the brat smells like Yuu with his magic and since Leona was one of the people who got a good look at the portal Yutu came through he pieces things together pretty quickly. Not that he immediately goes and pulls a Vader on the kid, he just makes it clear he knows there is some time travel involved and demands to know what his goals are. He can leave the family shit for after he's secured the kid's existence.

Ruggie and Jack- while they have different opinions on the new kid, Leona's sense of smell still tells him Yutu's identity and as their dormleader he feels the need to take them aside and mention what he knows... sort of. He tells them that he's pretty sure time travel is involved and that Yutu is related to Yuu, but he neglects to mention the whole bit about who he thinks the father is... which drives them insane in completely different ways.

Ruggie thinks that since you clearly have a thing for beastmen anyway he would be stupid not to shoot his shot. He doesn't give two shits about whether or not Yutu is his kid, time isn't real so he can just rewrite it a bit.

Jack is determined to treat Yutu fairly and protect him since you are his friend and that's what friends do for each other's kids. Has a full blown panic over whether or not this might give the kid an identity crisis and takes him aside to reassure him he doesn't want to replace his real father, and that he will be happy as long as Yuu is happy. que the world's most awkward conversation

Octavinelle

Azul- Oh? Ramshackle has a new dorm member? And he's a mysterious mage... allegedly from the same world as Yuu... something doesn't make sense here but while he is figuring that out. Capitalism ho! This is a great money making opportunity he is observing and scheming and thinking about the perfect contract to get Yutu to spill all his secrets. Unfortunately, Yutu seems to be afraid of him for some reason? Not Floyd or Jade, just him. He can't say he dislikes it... but it is a bit odd, at least it gives him something to talk about with you???

Floyd- Also saw the portal that Yutu came through and thinks something must be up with how close the guppy seems to want to be with Yuu. Starts calling him baby shrimpy as a joke because of how clingy he is to you, but he really really hates it. He can't fight baby shrimpy because that will make you not like him, and he can't scare baby shrimpy off with a deal because he's weirdly smart with those sort of things. He also seems to really look up to Floyd... like that one spiderverse meme, and Floyd hates it! he already had a hard enough time getting Yuu alone when Grim was around he doesn't need a second baby unless it's actually his >:CCC

Jade- a new mage? How delightfully unpredictable. He's probably the only one genuinely happy Yutu is around because of how funny the story of his arrival is. The only upsetting thing about this is that he wasn't able to go camping with Yuu himself. Like Azul he senses something is wrong with Yutu's story, but he doesn't intend to press him until he has the new kid's trust. He's just here to help after all, there's nothing to be afraid of so long as there is no need for him to be jealous.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Adventure: Grasping for Answers

Throughout their early adventures the party come into conflict with the agents of the mysterious mage known only as "The Ravelling Hand", a villain of uncertain identity who seems to have lots of schemes and no qualms using violence, trickery, and unexpected magic to get what they want.

Adventure Hooks:

The party first become entangled with the hand's minions when they're asked by an innocuous travelling merchant to deliver a small wrapped parcel to the wizard living one town over. The wizard isn't open to receiving guests, and after sneaking or charming their way in, the party will find out why: her apprentice has been kidnapped, the parcel contains both of the boy's index fingers as well as a note explaining that she can have the rest of him back in exchange for several dangerous texts in her collection, delivered by the party to the same intermediary who hired them. A brawl is likely to ensue as the wizard suspects the party is in on the blackmail, but if they can talk her down maybe they can figure out a way to work together to get the boy back before any more harm comes to him.

Most thieves know better than to try and rob a magic item shop, but most thieves aren't armed with dispel magic infused salt grenades to neutralize the shop's ubiquitous defences. A rash of these attacks across the duchy has shopkeepers worried, and one hires the party to stake out their store for the night when they suspect someone is casing it. Do the party trail the robbers back to their hideout, or interrupt them mid heist only for combat to delay them long enough for those indiscriminate defences to start turning back on?

Spoiler Alert: The mage is in fact an arcanely gifted lesser kraken by the name of Dlexx who seeks to avail itself of all the magical knowledge amassed on land. Sure the deep has its own mysteries but there's a thriving trade in spellscrolls and arcane tomes that don't make it below the waves. Using an old lighthouse as a disguise for its massive form while on land, it uses telepathy and sendings to direct its minions without ever revealing its true nature. Imagine the party's surprise when they roll up to the villain's lair expecting to bully some crusty nerd with a ratty beard and instead the lair sprouts tentacles that drag them into the crashing surf.

Challenges & Consequences

Finding Dlexx is an adventure in and of itself. When questioned, most of the mage's minions admit to never having met their employer, and those high ranking enough to have been summoned to a place called "saltbite tower" in dreams only to later have their memories muddled. Careful interrogation and study of local maps will have the party realize that the tower is infact an abandoned lighthouse, which will narrow their search as they comb the costline for their enemy's lair.

Actually defeating the Ravelling Hand might prove too much for early level adventurers, as in addition to being a powerful mage the kraken is literally in its element, able to breathe and move while the heroes flounder. Dlexx will toy with them, throwing unconscious foes out of the water the way a fisherman throws back a catch that is too small. When the battle is over and it's proved it's point the kraken will collapse the tower and leave into the wide ocean, telepathically taunting them with their inability to follow.

Though the Ravelling Hand will not resurface for some time, the destruction of the tower and Dlexx's retreat into the deep is partially a bluff. The kraken chose that particular lighthouse because it was a short distance away from the coral reef into which it scribed its arcane learning the way a wizard records spells in a book, coiling arms etching formulae into hundreds of yards of living stone. Dlexx must periodically return to the reef to add spells to it, and sightings by locals (or the occasional fish manifesting with magical talent) might clue the party into the reef's existence.

A pair of merfolk siblings named Crashing-Tide and Arcing-Mirror serve the Ravelling Hand as apprentices and scribes, having promised seven years of utmost loyalty in exchange for the chance to bring the arcane knowledge of the surface back to their community. They tend to the reef, and allow the Kraken to borrow their eyes from afar so that it might study the spells scribed there. Several years into their pledge, Crash (the sister) has come to idolize Dlexx and the power it wields above and below the waves, wishing that the whole of their shoal to come into its service. Mirror (the brother) is skeptical, well aware of the kraken's manipulations and distantly suspicious of the conflict that it invokes. Perhaps if the party can intercede with these two they can learn more about their enemy's plans, though doing so will take some careful diplomacy.

Artist

[hs-transfusion]

> NEPETA LEIJON

HEMO: Violet (#6A006A) TROLLTAG: aquaticCatfish [AC] SIGN: Aquale, Sign of the Relaxed STRIFE: macekind MODUS: Bubble LUNAR SWAY: Prospit MYTH. ROLE: Mage of Life LAND: Land of Lilypads and Xs

AC: 83 < bubblubblubBLUUUHHHH cant i dew that some time tominnow???

Nepeta is all about the easy life. The easy life, coincidentally, is quite easy to achieve when you're a SEA DWELLER and all of society practically bends over backwards to accommodate you. She loves LOUNGING AROUND, purchasing COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF STUFFED ANIMALS and basically doing as little in life as physically possible.

She enjoys ROLEPLAYING ON THE INTERNET, particularly adopting a lowblood persona (either out of a sense of morbid curiosity or as a very elaborate bit). Unfortunately, she has since formed a SERIOUS MOIRALLEGIANCE with Equius, who believes she's an OLIVEBLOOD. It's gone on too long for her to bear to spill the beans now.

Nepeta's BUBBLE Fetch Modus allows for effortless depositing and retrieval of items... But there's only SO MUCH ROOM in her sylladex. If the bubble bursts, her ENTIRE INVENTORY WILL BE DROPPED.

Nepeta's lusus is classified as the LUMINOUS SINKSAC; an anglerfish-catfish hybrid that lurks DEEP BENEATH THE SURFACE and lures in prey with its ATTRACTIVE BULB. Like most things in her life, her lusus SPOILS HER ROTTEN with treats.

The Land of LILYPADS AND XS is a primarily aquatic planet full to the brim with TREASURE CHESTS along the seafloor. Retrieving them is no problem IF YOU CAN SWIM... unless you consider the VICIOUS UNDERWATER SERPENTS a problem. HEMERA doesn't seem to wait to bother with those that STOP AT THE FIRST OBSTACLE.

Nepeta's ancestor is known as HUNTRESS MASCHERA, a devious bounty hunter with a KNACK FOR DISGUISE. She's amassed a VAST FORTUNE from killing for the highest bidder, occasionally HUNTING ANIMALS FOR SPORT as a hobby. An anonymous bidder hired her to execute The HIVEMIND undetected.

[thedemonofcat]

Jaskier had endured his fair share of kidnappings, each for wildly different reasons. Some sought to ransom him to his noble parents; others were misguided admirers trying to win his affection. Most, however, were simply looking to use him as bait to get to Geralt. That last reason was particularly irritating now, considering Jaskier hadn’t seen the Witcher since their falling out on the mountain.

This time, though, his abduction stemmed from something entirely new—a Mage’s ridiculous misunderstanding. Upon hearing Jaskier’s enchanting voice, the Mage leapt to the conclusion that the bard was, in fact, a siren in disguise.

Driven by this absurd belief, the Mage devised an outlandish experiment. His goal? To “unlock” Jaskier’s supposed siren nature and harness its power.

Months later, Geralt and Ciri arrived in a quiet village, only to hear rumors of eerie, mesmerizing singing that filled the nights. Geralt was promptly hired to uncover the source of the mysterious melody.

[mentalpolaroids]

Wolf's Home

(Part I)

Geralt of Rivia x female!Reader

Summary: Geralt takes Ciri to Kaer Morhen and reunites not only with his family of witchers, but also with the person that makes him feel at home the most

a/n: this is sort of rewrite of S02E02. Sorry for the use of (y/n) but couldn't really think of a name for the reader. Also, this is my first try at writing for The Witcher so be nice to me please!!

.................................................................................

She woke up that morning expecting to face another routine-repeating day, possibly with an occasional healing of one of the witchers coming back to Kaer Morhen from a hunt, or coming up with a new excuse as to why she didn’t want to eat whatever crap Lambert cooked for them. His turn on food duty was always a dreadful one.

Her days were never too adventurous, not since Vasemir had insisted on a more permanent stay at the keep two years ago, when she was dragged through the Blue Mountains by a silver haired witcher, both injured, after fighting and killing a monster together. An encounter she still couldn’t really understand to this day, how they happened to be in the same place, at the same time, looking for the same creature, but she knew better than to question Destiny. 

Even with her own wounds to take care of, she still healed Geralt of Rivia first, who fell under her natural charm like a trap. He wondered if it was a spell, the way he so easily was put at ease in her presence. She was a mage after all. But as the days passed, he concluded that there was no spell besides the one used to close the gash on his abdomen. That woman was simply a caretaker by heart, one that somehow remained open and pure even knowing of the existence of nasty beings out there in the Continent. Everyone else in the Fortress seemed to be as mesmerized, and so, she was welcomed with open arms to stay, and heal, and fight with the witchers. 

The ropes were starting to burn the palm of her hands from all the knots she had conquered in the last hour, but she definitely didn’t mind because it was at least keeping her hands warm as she stood outside, light snow falling over the already white ground. 

One of the few advantages of the icy weather was that they could hear when someone was approaching, the crunch of the footsteps over the snow being hard to disguise. She heard those in the distance, but it was of a horse. (y/n) dropped the rope and grabbed her sword, preparing herself for the sight of the intruder before making her own known. But, the sight wasn’t at all what she expected. She didn’t know what to expect at all, but it sure wasn’t a familiar brown horse carrying Geralt of Rivia accompanied by a blonde girl, who (y/n) quickly convinced herself must’ve been a princess, if not for her looks, for her posture. She looked like she didn’t belong there, nor next to someone with the nickname The Butcher of Blaviken. 

The girl got down from Roach and looked around curiously. Her dress blended with the snow, from afar, (y/n) wondered if she was even real. Her gaze didn’t last long on the girl when Geralt got down from his horse too, the mere sight of his face barely visible under his dark cloak sent a shiver of excitement to her stomach. He had always had that effect on her, but it seemed the longer she went without seeing him, the stronger the sensation got after meeting again. 

The witcher and the princess shared words (y/n) couldn’t really hear from where she was still in the hiding, and as they started to walk towards the main entrance of the Fortress, the mage put down her sword and walked towards them. 

“You sure we’re safe here?” the princess asked Geralt, who walked in front of her. (y/n) was not close enough to hear the question, not yet to be noticed. 

“Safer than out there.” 

Her voice seemed to echo in the silence of their footsteps coming to a stop, both turning their heads to their right, finally acknowledging her. Geralt’s lips curved into a brief smile, his yellow eyes softening when they locked with hers. (y/n) smiled back, the shiver in her stomach was now climbing to her chest and for a moment she forgot he could probably feel her heart beating faster. Good thing she didn’t mind him knowing how she felt around him. 

Three steps away from coming face to face with the witcher, she slowed her pace, planning to walk past them. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my dearest friend in all the Continent.”

“It’s great to see you.” 

“Oh I’m afraid I was speaking to my best girl here.” (y/n) approached Roach, caressing the horse over her nose and planting a light kiss on her short fur, “But it’s great to see you too, Wolf.” she walked towards him again, for a second forgetting it wasn’t just the two of them there. The way Geralt followed every step of hers, his gaze warm even in the middle of a Winter day. (y/n) opened her arms to him, “Welcome home.”

The man embraced her tightly against him and it felt like getting drowned in memories of his days with her. He had forgotten how much he cherished her affection, and holding her reminded him how nice it was to let his guard down for a brief moment. It all felt like he had never left. 

“I missed you.” he murmured, unrecognizably self-conscious. He surely didn’t enjoy showing this vulnerable side of him, especially in front of someone else.

“I’m sure you did.” (y/n) let go of him, casting him a warm, welcoming smile, before looking to the girl standing behind him, now more curious about the pair’s dynamic than the Fortress, “And who’s this poor thing having to deal with your company?” 

“This is Ciri.” 

“Ciri.” (y/n) tried the name on her lips. She walked towards her with the same welcoming smile, but a different fondness in her eyes, “It’s nice to meet you, Ciri.” she said as she extended her hand to the girl, “I’m (y/n).”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” she spoke softly, clearly wary of meeting a new face, but the shadow of a smiling curve on her lips showed potential trust as she accepted the handshake. After all, the woman was obviously someone dear to Geralt, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Is that so?” (y/n) smirked, hoping the cold outside cooled the warmth spreading across her face. She turned to Geralt, who watched the two girls interact, but the words were directed to Ciri, “I’m sure I have a lot to hear about you, too.” It was a warning to the witcher: an endless night of chatting was to come, questions needed to be answered, stories to be told and his whereabouts to be known. 

As if reading Ciri’s mind, (y/n) squeezed her shoulder and tilted her head towards the entrance, “Don’t worry, you are safe here.” 

“Keep up.” Geralt told the girl, and both followed (y/n). 

They both pushed the heavy wooden doors and walked into the main room of the Fortress that was occupied with chatty men and the smell of burning wood and ale. (y/n)’s words echoing through the wide space caught their attention. 

“Look what the snow dragged in, boys.”

All eyes turned to the mage and the murmur came to a stop when everybody noticed the figure standing behind her. Her attention turned to Geralt as well, in time to see him remove the hood of his cloak and finally getting a decent view of the face she missed so much. She also checked on Ciri, who looked uneasier than before, standing in the middle of a room full of men. (y/n) winked at her, hoping to reassure her everything was alright. Geralt noticed, and he too turned to the girl and nodded at her before moving to stand beside (y/n) as Lambert stood from his seat and walked towards them. 

“Where the fuck have you been?” 

“We thought you got lost.” Coën followed Lambert, “Or killed.” 

(y/n) rolled her eyes. Geralt smiled tenderly.

“Not yet. Sorry.”  

The mage elbowed his side. She had always hated when he implied the possibility of his death at any moment, considering what he was and he did, in reality it wasn’t a massive impossibility. Still, even a simple joke triggered a non-existent grief that resided in her chest everytime she had to see the witcher leave and go long periods of time without hearing a single word from or about him. In his presence, (y/n) pretended he would stay forever, and if he didn’t stay, he would come back. Everytime. 

Geralt caressed her back and brought her in for the embrace Lambert had already initiated. He then went on greeting and hugging the other witchers and, more than ever, Kaer Morhen felt like a real home. The family was back together. 

“I guess I’m back to being second favorite now that you’re back.” Lambert complained to Geralt, referring to (y/n).

“Who said you were even a favorite in the first place?” 

Geralt laughed. 

“I hope you’ve all been treating her right.”

“We do, but she’s a mean one. Lucky for her, we don’t dislike her cooking.” 

The banter was interrupted by Vasemir, who entered the room already smiling at the sight of the silver haired witcher. 

“Wolf. You’re home.” the elder joined the commotion, “Finally.”

Ciri, still feeling out of place, placed herself visibly between Geralt and (y/n).

“Yeah. I had to make a few stops.” the witcher replied, referring to the princess next to him. 

“He’s home!” 

Once again, the commotion grew around Geralt as they kept celebrating his return. Ciri smiled shyly watching the content interactions.

“Come on,” (y/n) extended her hand for the princess to take, “I’m going to introduce you to everybody.”

When everybody settled enough for the mage to be able to order everyone to be nice to Ciri, the men were somewhat curious about the unexpected guest. The girl seemed less vigilant as she was offered a seat and cup and conversation started flowing as if both her and Geralt had always been there. 

(y/n) stood next to him, a sigh leaving her nostrils as she crossed her arms and discreetly nudged the man’s broad figure. 

“Yeah, I know. I have a lot to tell.”

“Yeah. You do.” 

Geralt looked down at her to meet her eyes and, with a soft motion of his hand, uncrossed her arms. He smiled, in a way she knew he was promising to stay for a while. She couldn’t tell what he thought her eyes were saying, but whatever it was, he felt the need to hold her hand, hidden behind his cloak, caressing the cold skin of her knuckles with his thumb. 

“I’m home.” his hoarse voice, along with the softness of his touch and stare, nearly warmed her up on the spot. 

In the back of her mind, there was a voice telling her he would eventually leave again, but for once, she shut it down. 

.................................................................................

Part II soon!

[atimelesslullaby]

Now go home, @truly-quirkless! Regain your lost time! Home... Where you are supposed to be... The way you are supposed to be...

"I hope your travels are safe."

In both hands, held at rest, was her golden scepter. She'd remain on guard for now, she wasn't sure about this person. But it was important that she watch out for those in Hyrule, even when she was disguised as Elizabeth. It didn't matter if they were travelers, citizens, or otherworldly beings. As long as they weren't causing trouble, it wasn't her place to step in.

A master of time magic was best to understand that you weren't to mess with the time stream unless as last resort.

The blue clothed woman, whose near entire face was covered in shadow, held a gentle frown. It was mostly all she said, her voice much lower pitched than the princess. She used magic to change the tone of her voice, otherwise she'd be immediately discovered by anyone who had met Princess Zelda.

"Monsters roam the fields. I find myself battling often, but it's nothing I can't handle. Do you need an ally, or can you handle the monsters as well?"

[bethanythebogwitch]

My favorite magic system from a game I haven't actually played is from Mage: the Ascension. It kind of fits as both a hard magic system and a soft magic system at the same time because there are some hard rules, but its mostly very open. To become a mage you have to realize that reality is not what it seems. In MtA, reality is whatever the majority of people believe it is, known as the consensus. The consensus in modern days is pretty uniform everywhere, with small variations based on where you are, but it used to be wildly different based on the cultural beliefs of the local people. A mage is a person who realizes that the consensus isn't true reality and gains to power to act outside of its rules. Any given mage's abilities come from their own personal view of reality, known as their paradigm. A mage's magic can do basically anything, as long as it is accounted for in their paradigm. So a mage who's paradigm includes the classic Aristotelian elements can perform magic based on that, but if their paradigm doesn't include animistic spirits then they can't commune with those spirits even though other mages could based on their own paradigm. The problem with this is that the consensus doesn't like it when you go around breaking its rules and will punish mages by slapping them with an effect called paradox. Paradox can be anything from a spell failing to getting shunted into your own personal pocket universe. Nothing generates paradox like being seen doing magic by sleepers (people who are not mages and still live fully within the consensus). Most mages either only use magic around other mages or, if they need to cast around sleepers, will disguise their magic as a mundane effect. Someone throwing a fireball from their hands will generate major paradox because the consensus is that people can't do that. However if a mage holds a lighter up to a spraycan before casting their fireball, the sleepers can rationalize it as something that exists within the consensus and not as much paradox will be generated.

In the dark ages, magic was part of the consensus and mages could openly rule over the sleepers because everyone believed in magic and therefore magic was part of the consensus. In response to the tyranny of the mages, a group was formed called the League of Reason, who wanted to introduce a new form of magic to the consensus that everyone could use. This form of magic was based on logic and reason and was called science. This led to the ascension war, where the League of reason sought to remove magic and superstition from the consensus and a very loose coalition of mages called the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions want to keep magic in the consensus. And the League of Reason won. A mostly rationalistic, scientific worldview has become the consensus worldwide, forcing the Council into operating underground. The League of Reason has become the Technocracy, a worldwide secret organization ruling the world from the shadows and trying to stamp out magic and any other form of "reality deviants" to keep humanity safe, even if they have to suppress basic human imagination to do so. Notably, the earliest books for the game very much said "Traditions good, Technocracy bad", but later books went for a much more grey approach to the conflict between them, making it clear that both sides really are doing what they think is in humanity's best interest even if their ideas for how to do so are fundamentally incompatible.

What's really interesting is that science and technology really are a form of magic and technocrats are mages, even if the Technocracy would vehemently deny this. Technology is a form of magic that everyone can use because its part of the consensus and science doesn't discover new facts about the world, It creates those facts and applies them to the world. The Technocracy's super-advanced technology creates paradox just as much as magic does because personal anti-gravity suits and mass-produced clones violate the consensus just like throwing around fireballs and conjuring demons does.

Mage: the Ascension is a super fun setting because just about any fantasy or sci-fi trope can exist here. Classic pointy hat and wand wizards can battle cyborgs armed with self-replicating nanotechnology. Anti-authoritarian punks can hack your wallpaper to spy on you because they believe all reality is part of a unified mathematical whole that the internet gives us access to. A group of spacefarers can ride the luminiferous aether to mars only to encounter Aztec shamans who asked the spirits to carry them there thousands of years ago. A powerful mage can create a time loop by convincing their younger self to obtain enlightenment through the power of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Two people can have an argument over whether the guy they just met was an alien from Alpha Centauri or an elf from the Norse nine realms and both of them can be right. Animistic spirit-callers can upload themselves to the internet to combat spirits of malware. And an angry mage might just teleport you into the sun because they believe distance is just an illusion and therefore have the power to make anything go anywhere with a thought. It's a wild ride.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Since Riot Forge has been offed by management, what other characters and storylines would you want a game about?

Honestly, not even necessarily champions. You know what would be cool? An honest to god Stardew Valley style farm simulator where you're, like, trying to run a farm in the Demacian hinterlands. All the usual mechanics: growing crops, mining, crafting, maybe some light combat, lots of dateable NPCs, your grandad's ghost appears and judges you if you haven't gotten laid by the end of year 4, all the usual normal stuff.

But then also there's a mage or two who lives in town, one of the villagers who helps you out, that hot NPC you're trying to date. Maybe the kid you'll eventually have with your spouse could be a mage. And the Mageseekers come around every few years looking, and asking questions, and taking people away from your community, and you need to make some decisions about what you're going to do about that. Do you sell your fellow villagers out to the authorities, in return for rewards, or do you find a way to resist?

Like, that kind of a thing. Or a 4x or Total War style game where you play as a Noxian commander trying to expand and colonize the Valoran continent, pushing against the borders of Demacia and the Freljord. Crusader Kings-like set in Shurima where Azir is trying to unite his new empire.

Heartless Frostpunk-style management game where your goal is to help your Freljord tribe survive an especially harsh winter. Tavern management game set in Bilgewater where you're trying not to run afoul of pirate gang politics. Visual novel where you play as a tormented soul on the Shadow Isles trying to escape from Ruination by finding the Hallowed Mist manor from Legends of Runeterra.

This is one of the things that frustrated me about Forge, that it was still stuck in this "THE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS CHAMPIONS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR UNIVERSE!" framework that League of Legends itself is stuck to, rather than trying to profile and expand the universe itself as an interesting setting that people might love all on its own, the way people love Middle Earth whether or not Aragorn happens to be there, or the Star Trek universe regardless of who's captaining the Enterprise that day.

Oh, also, dating sim set in Piltover and Zaun where none of the dateable options is a champion, but every playthrough, one of them is randomly selected to actually be Evelynn in disguise, and if you can't see through her act in time, she kills you in agonizing (horny) ways.

[the-northern-continent]

I am smoking up Skyhold’s entire elfroot supply with this one, but:

Are the Executors… save-scumming?

To be clear, I’m not convinced true time travel is possible in Thedas. I tend to think In Hushed Whispers was the illusion of time travel rather than real time travel. The Fade has access to everyone’s dreams, it could create a pretty detailed prediction of the future (or rendering of the past) from all that information.

But for now, let’s polish up our shiniest tinfoil hats and assume IHW was real time travel. That would sort of imply that you could just… do that, prior to the Veil’s creation. If so, why wasn’t it happening constantly? For example, why fight the titans rather than reversing the action that pissed them off?

Presumably, the ritual to perform a large time reversal would be long, difficult and easy to interrupt. Maybe things are kept mostly stable because multiple powerful mages can cancel each other out. The evanuris seem to have benefited from the war with the titans, so they’d be actively canceling out any attempts to reverse it.

Until they got imprisoned. At which point, someone who regretted the war might eventually attempt a rewind. Except that the magic went wild and the Veil extended to cover the whole world, conveniently blocking that from happening. If the Executors also had access to time magic pre-Veil (+ post-Veil if it gets torn down in the future), they could adjust their actions such that they’re never directly interfering with people’s choices, but by a string of “coincidences” they get exactly the result they want. Reloading the timeline until the butterfly flaps its wings at exactly the right moment. A complex ritual, already prone to going wrong, would be a good place to disguise that kind of influence.

Anyway I keep thinking about that lore drop that Solas knows more about the executors than any other living being, and he’s crossed paths with them prior to Tevinter Nights. Why has he, specifically, seen more of them than the other evanuris have?

And since he knows they’re watching, is he doing anything to try to trick them in Veilguard? Are we sure we know the motivation behind all his choices, or is some of it a performance aimed at fooling the Executors?

Also, why is it so interesting to him that Sera experiences déjà vu?

[phangneh]

Voice in the Abyss

[ CHAPTER Ⅱ]

✨Manhwa : Into The Light Once Again

✨Elmir royal family x Fem!Reader

✨Warning : princess!reader, lost memory, yandere elements (both platonic and romantic), protect, ... (will add more)

📌Note: this is just a fanfic, there are many details unrelated to the original story line. English is not my native language, if I make grammatical mistakes or use incorrect words, please forgive me.

🎭Summary : You have a voice that is said to change the world, when you sing, your sweet voice makes people happy and all things flourish. One day, your kingdom was destroyed, you had to live with the pain of losing your family and being severely mistreated. But it seems that you will die in misery, there will be people who will come and take you out of the abyss.

[ Introduce ]

[ Chapter 2 ]

"Garibel von Alamask, do you have anything else to say?"

The vanquished knelt on the ground, panting in disheveled form. Garibel von Alamask, the new emperor of the Alamask Empire, after ascending the throne, launched war, conquering the kingdom (K/n) in the East. Taking advantage of (K/n)'s time of poor security and defense, they attacked (K/n) in the night, causing the kingdom already filled with joy to be drowned out by screams. The whole festival, which was born to pray for a prosperous new year, ended in blood.

That's the tragedy.

 With a strong military bloc and formidable forces at his back, Garibel von Alamask led an army towards the Elmir Empire following a two-year monopoly (K/n).

However, their ambitions fail completely under the sword of Elmir's Emperor.

"Hah..." Seemingly unrepentant, Garibel glanced up into his deadly blue eyes. His lips twisted into a twisted, mocking smile.

"Just one more moment..." He whispered, recalling why he was doing these things, "Perhaps my plan will come to pass." He had not felt guilty up until now. A twisted, irreparably insane soul who takes genocide for pleasure. Garibel killed his siblings and the previous Emperor to inherit the throne.

He was a demon in human disguise.

"Even now, you still maintain that bottomless greed. As expected, nothing has changed, right?" Emperor Tyrion frowned, his eyes showing contempt and hatred.

The space fell silent again, and the surrounding knights couldn't help but feel tense in the gloomy atmosphere.

"Your presence in the world is an impurity, an insult to the Creator God." The harsh words were slowly uttered in an even tone, but it was still not enough to move the sinner.

"(Y/n) (L/n), that girl... Vocals can change the world." 

"?"

"Finally, it's time to get close to death... I still can't get that weapon to work as I please... I wonder what it is, after all?"

"What are you talking about?"

Garibel looked up at the Emperor standing in front of him, his deep eyes gleaming with frenzy.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?"

"Dad, what do you think he meant?" The handsome young man spoke with a puzzled expression; Garibel's words stuck in his head. Unfortunately, there is no satisfactory explanation for that statement.

Because Garibel is dead. A sudden death was something no one at the scene could have expected. He screamed in pain, his whole body emitting a jet black aura, as if... being drained of the soul from the body. When he stopped, he himself was like a dried corpse. Emperor Tyrion frowned at his son's question; indeed, he couldn't help but feel puzzled, his words, his death, none of them had an explanation.

"About that... I don't know. Let's wait for the results of the mages on his death."

The Crown Prince hummed, but inside he couldn't stop thinking. The girl named (Y/n) they find in the dungeon is actually the princess of the kingdom (K/n), who is also the last surviving person of that kingdom. There had to be some reason why Garibel kept her like that.

"Weapons...?" Prince Isis muttered, thinking about the word; maybe it was the focus they needed to think about.

"Tomorrow we will return to Elmir... As for the remnants of the kingdom (K/n) are temporarily left there, the princess of (K/n) is still alive; we must not touch what is left of this Kingdom arbitrarily." 

"(Y/n) is asleep."

Aisha whispered to Empress Iris. The Empress smiled lightly, Looking down at the little girl who was sleeping, indescribable emotions rose up in her heart. It was perhaps a mixture of concern and pity, as well as an affectionate concern.

"I'm glad she's getting better."

Aisha nodded. Everyone in the palace is excited to see you get better. Compared to the previous situation, it is really different. Although she was happy, the little princess still had things still in her heart.

One thing that makes her think for a long time, when you are brought back to Elmir, they invited a high priest to treat you. With such magic, you should have woken up earlier, but it took you almost a month to wake up. Even Aisha tried to directly heal you with her magic but there was no progress, which made Aisha doubt herself. But no, it's not... After many magical treatments, priests realize that your body receives very little of their magic. It's only a matter of time before you wake up from sleep, which is why your injuries, scars, and physical strength recover so poorly despite a lot of treatment. In order to avoid damaging their magic, Empress Iris decides to switch to the usual medicine treatment option and combine it with the healing magic of the priests.

"The royal doctor said her vocal cords had recovered by now... But Y/n hasn't said anything yet..." Aisha said worriedly, looking at your slender hand.

"Maybe now isn't the time... If she wanted to, she would say it."

Her eyes were filled with sadness. When Aisha learned that you were imprisoned in the underground dungeon of your own kingdom, she immediately remembered what she had experienced in her previous life, those dark memories, which she still cannot forget now.

Aisha, in her previous life, was the fourth princess of the Edenberg Empire, at that time the Edenberg Empire rivaled Elmir. Her name used to be Alisa; although she was a princess, it was always discussed, it was not worthy of the title of princess at all. Her raven-black hair and gloomy blue eyes were different from those of her sister Marianne, the fifth princess of Edenberg, who were likened to jewels. how much she loved Mari, in the end it was the little brother she loved with all her heart that staged her manslaughter of her, leaving her imprisoned in a dungeon, subject to scorn from her own family. And then, Alisa was sentenced to death for something she didn't do.

Alisa died like that. Wrongful death, pain, and anguish. No one believed her. And to this day, Aisha could not understand: Why did Marianne do this to her?

But now she is Aisha de Elmir, Elmir's only princess, Elmer's one and only star. There will be no more days of suffering like that.

Aisha pursed her lips; she understood what it was like to be locked in a dark, moldy prison. Very lonely and sad. Every time she remembered it, it gave her chills. How extraordinary you are to persist until now. Despite all that trauma, you have lived there for 2 years and waited for the day to be freed... Even though you're alone now.

Take your hand. Aisha wants to protect you, which is what she wants after knowing everything you've been through. Your situation is like an invisible but extremely sure thread that connects to her heart. Aisha really wants to protect you at all costs.

As if seeing her gaze on you, Iris said softly, "I remember Aisha as a child..."

Her mother's voice caught her attention, and the princess looked up at her mother and then met her affectionate amethyst eyes.

"Everyone in the palace is worried because Aisha hasn't said a word, I myself am also very worried… hm, but I still believe that one day you'll say, no matter how far away, I'm willing to wait."

It reminds Aisha of her past experiences when she was raised from the dead to become Elmir's princess. Because she was obsessed with what she had experienced in Edenberg, she rebuffed and avoided everyone around her... even though she was an infant at the time.

"Then finally, on your 1st birthday, you spoke first," Empress Iris paused, recalling the moment her little girl called out "mom" for the first time. It would be perhaps the most memorable moment of her life. The moment when all her anticipation paid off was bursting with overflowing happiness.

"I'm so happy, Aisha. And surely your father and Isis feel the same way." Iris looked up at Aisha, smiling.

"Maybe (Y/n) too; one day, she'll say... so let's wait together, Aisha?"

Aisha's heart fluttered, instantly enveloped by warmth and happiness. Being reborn in the love of her family is the happiest and luckiest thing in her life, something Aisha didn't feel when she was Alisa del Edenberg. The gods gave her a chance to live in the light of love. Princess Aisha looked down at you again, her hand still holding yours...

If so, will you ever feel happiness like she did in the future?

You are just an innocent person living in pain—the pain of losing your family and the destruction of your kingdom. If God has eyes, he will surely give you a chance to live happily, which you deserve after all your suffering. Then your beautiful eyes will no longer be sad...

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, sounding like a servant. After obtaining the consent of Queen Iris, the servant entered, accompanied by an announcement.

"Your Highness, there is an announcement from Emperor: tomorrow His Majesty the Emperor, Crown Prince, and the knights will return to Elmir from (K/n)."

"Ah, dad and brother Isis will return tomorrow ?" Aisha's eyes lit up when she heard the news, which was good news. 

Aisha of course couldn't help but be happy, her father and brother finally returned after a long time away. Even though they corresponded with each other, wouldn't it be much better to meet face to face and be together. Princess Aisha began to feel nervous and excited when she thought she could hug her brother in her arms after not seeing each other for a long time.

The return of the Emperor and Crown Prince will certainly bring relevant information about you.

...

"..."

"You gave me a spring full of desire.”

“A fresh spring full of light everywhere..."

Singing?

Someone is singing; you hear it.

"You brought youth to this land.”

“Echoing singing contains the love of life."

It's nice.

You wonder who's singing; her voice is so soft and sweet that you don't know what words to use to describe that voice.

But... It's strange; it makes you feel familiar, both vocally and with this song, as if you've met it somewhere. How familiar it is—when did you hear it?—you can't remember.

In your sleep, that mysterious voice makes you feel at peace.

"The darkness receded, and the birds sang joyfully."

“And then, from here, the sunshine shines a new life.”

“Following in your footsteps, I see a bright future.”

Who? Who's that?

"(Y/n)..."

"(Y/n)"

"Come on, let's go home..."

Awake. Your dreamy eyes caught sight of someone's figure standing next to your bed. The boy looked like he was smiled. You couldn't see his face well with your foggy thoughts.

"Sister, let's go home together!"

"Our parents and everyone are waiting for you!"

A boy's little voice is always ringing in your ears, reminding you to return home. The boy's words ignited something within of you. You came to the realization that you had been missing something crucial the entire time. It is so significant that when it vanishes from your memory, you feel empty and depressed.

Your home.

Maybe that's it. Have you forgotten it?

“Why don't I remember anything?" You ask yourself.

Somewhere, the voice keeps ringing, piques your interest. Right now your body feels weirdly heavy, your eyes are constantly shutting, and you are immobile.

"Sister, let's go home."

…

In the end, you continued to fall asleep with the pleasant sound of singing wafting in your ears.

Continue to [ Chapter 3 ]

[elspethdekarios]

Okay we all know about the Solas/Varric banter with the man on the island, but I was listening to DAI banter earlier (as one does) and now that we know about the titans/lyrium bodies/the blight there are several others that are SO GOOD and worth talking about so here goes. I might not be saying anything new here but I needed to get it out of my brain.

Trickster Figures in Dwarven Literature

Solas: By the end of Hard in Hightown, almost every character is revealed as a spy or a traitor. Varric: Wait, you read my book? Solas: It was in the Inquisition library. Everyone but Donnen turned out to be in disguise. Is that common? Varric: Are we still talking about books or are you asking if everyone I know is a secret agent? Solas: Are there many tricksters in dwarven literature? Varric: A handful, but they're the exception. Mostly they're just honoring the ancestors. It's very dull stuff. Human literature? Now there's where you'll find the tricky, clever, really deceptive types. Solas: Curious. Varric: Not really. Dwarves write how they want things to be. Humans write to figure out how things are.

So it's obvious in hindsight that Solas is asking about trickster figures because he is one himself, but now that we know what we know, I think it's incredibly poignant that he's specifically asking about trickster figures in dwarven literature. It makes me wonder if he's not only asking out of curiosity but because he wants to know if the dwarves write about him. Is he a trickster figure in their legends too? Now that so much time has passed since ancient Arlathan, do the dwarves have some twisted memory of the Evanuris like the Dalish do? Do they have a tale about Fen'Harel who tranquilized the Titans and severed the dwarves' ties to their ancestry?

I don't quite know what to think of Varric's last line: "Dwarves write how they want things to be. Humans write to figure out how things age." I wonder, though, if this eases Solas's concern about appearing in their mythology. If dwarven writing is idealistic/optimistic, there's probably a slim chance the truth will be revealed that way. Maybe the fact that humans write "to figure out how things are" gives him pause - but I think humans aren't concerned enough about the elves to write themselves into discovering his secrets, so I don't think Solas really has a reason to concern himself with trickster figures in human literature.

The Lyrium Trade

Solas: Is it true that the entire dwarven economy relies upon lyrium? Varric: Mostly. We've got the nug market cornered as well. Solas: And the dwarves of Orzammar have never studied lyrium? Varric: If they have, they certainly haven't shared anything up here. Why? Solas: It is the source of all magic, save that which mages bring themselves. Solas: Dwarves alone have the ability to mine it safely. I wondered if they had sought to learn more. Varric: The folks back in Orzammar don't care much about anything but tradition.

And here we have yet another attempt by Solas to see what the dwarves know about him without giving himself away. He wants to know if they're aware of what lyrium actually is, and, by extension, if they know about the history of the Titans and the Evanuris. There are several banters between these two where Solas is incredibly curious about Orzammar. Varric is like "wtf man, stop asking me about Orzammar, I'm a surface dwarf" and Solas gets frustrated that Varric isn't interested in his ancestry at all. This is partially because Solas places so much importance on ancestry in general, but part of his frustration has to be because Varric can't tell him what he wants to know. Also, imagine waking up after however many years and the dwarves are sustaining their economy almost completely on the literal blood of their ancestors - the ancestors you destroyed. That has to be horrifying. Harding brings this up at the end of her personal questline in Veilguard, when you return to Kal-Sharok and interact with the carvings on the wall. It's different for her, of course, because those are her own people, but the sentiment is the same, and the question is the same: would the dwarves sustain themselves on the lyrium trade if they knew the truth?

In the same lyrium vein:

Solas: I find the fall of the dwarven lands confusing. Varric: What's so confusing about endless darkspawn? Solas: A great deal, although that is a different matter. Dwarves control the flow of lyrium. They could tighten their grip on it. Varric: It's hard to get the attention of the humans when the darkspawn aren't up here messing with their stuff. Solas: You're active in the Carta. You know your people could tug the purse strings. You could claim sovereign land on the surface, or demand help restoring the dwarven kingdom, but you don't. Varric: You're not saying anything I haven't said myself, Chuckles. Orzammar is what it is.

I think this is Solas trying to ease his guilt by offering solutions. Is it a little egotistical of him to assume the carta/dwarves/Varric haven't already thought of this? Yeah, but he's Solas AKA Pride Personified. Anyway, I think this is Solas's way of assuaging his guilt just a little bit.

A Once Mighty Hero

Solas: I am sorry to have bothered you with my questions about your people Varric. I see so much of this world in dreams. Humans, my own people, even qunari. Dwarves alone were lost to me, save scattered fragments of memory where some spirit cared to watch. Now I know why I see so little. Varric: And why is that? Solas: Dwarves are the severed arm of a once mighty hero, lying in a pool of blood. Undirected. Whatever skill of arms it had, gone forever. Although it might twitch to give the appearance of life, it will never dream. Varric: I'd avoid mentioning that to any Carta, Chuckles. They might not take it the right way.

Okay, Solas is definitely doing his twisting-the-truth thing in the first lines. He knows why dwarves have little to no presence in the Fade, because he is the reason, but he's so close to revealing the truth here. Not about him, and not about how, but about why. The image he paints of the once mighty hero in a pool of blood sounds metaphorical, but it isn't. The dwarves - so reliant on the lyrium trade, living where lyrium grows, mining it, their livelihoods revolving around it - are quite literally lying in a pool of their own blood.

Solas sees what the dwarves are now compared to what they could have been. They're an imitation of their once-great ancestors. And it's his fault (and Mythal's, but this ain't about her). In this particular banter, Solas seems to pity the dwarves, hence Varric's warning, but he's the only one alive who knows the truth. The dwarves don't pity themselves: in another banter where Solas asks Varric if he misses the stone, Varric responds with "How could I miss what I never had?" - and that applies here as well. The dwarves may "twitch to give the appearance of life" to Solas, but that's his guilt talking. Varric isn't insulted (as far as we know) because he doesn't place much importance on his heritage and he understands that Solas isn't trying to be demeaning, but he hears the pity in his statements - he wouldn't warn him about speaking to the Carta otherwise.

Anyway this was a lot of rambling and I'd love to hear anyone else's interpretation of these or other lines too!