#there's so much truth in one post/meme XD

[lacunafiction]

R’s cat can be supportive of R-mancers and an ally against Ms. V. 😼

A united front of annoying Ms Verner and adoring R.

@lacunafiction

[punkpandapatrixk]

Slow Mornings~♪

Hello lovely peeps. I'm popping in to say that I'm so sorry I haven't been as productive as I’d hoped. I had all of these plans, and literally 3 years’ worth of content ideas, but my body has not been able to catch up! I’m now behind on all of the readings I’d scheduled for the entirety of October XD

The truth of the matter is a little bit convoluted but I’ve been both experiencing a series of burnout—autistic burnout, which I didn’t even know was a speciality thing—as well as being in this healing phase where my body simply wants to catch up on sleep, after years and years and very long years of being on edge. There was a meme I forgot to save that says something to this effect:

'Your body is healing from years of trauma; you’re not lazy. You deserve this peace.’

Actually, the above could as well be a mash of two—or three—separate memes LOL Here’s another good one from a sub maker that I feel captures just thee vibe I’m feeling right now:

‘Maybe you're simply perceiving how a lovely sensation of closure & calm gently fills the air around you, feeling a little sleepier than usual. Or maybe you can sense how a massively positive change is coming, seemingly eager to go with it and that's great as well.’ – The Witch of Drown Shadows

I believe many of you reading this could relate as well. A new beginning is on the horizon for sooo many of us who’ve been on a soul-search to liberate ourselves from the chains of the toxic Matrix. I hope you're doing well, and excited for what's to come before the year even ends ^o^v

Forget the grind, leave behind soul-sucking deadlines, and enjoy the slow mornings~♪

Naturally, I’m going to be more productive again once I’m done stabilising myself—all mind body and spirit aligned. I’m not saying this out of a sense of ‘obligation’; that all people ideally must be a productive member of society. No, not that. I really want to get productive on this blog because I’ve a shit ton of good content in the works XD

I’ve so much new content on career, luck, character glow-up, soulmate friendships!!!, celebrity life, life purpose and other esoteric shit I’m eager to put out \^-^/ Not to mention the fiction that’ll go on Wattpad. I’m making progress on Punk Panda Stories but slow…very slow XD

For now, I’m aiming to post one PAC every week without fail. I’m just going to expect this much from me in the meantime, so as not to burn myself out on the psychology level just yet. When you expect too much from yourself, the stress could deter any progress instead, right?

This is especially true for those who don’t necessarily have a deadline. But that’s the thing, I don’t wanna strangle myself with deadlines anymore. So I’m not gonna work like that anymore. This ain’t 9-5 corporate, girl. Stop thinking like that! Is what I’ve been telling myself. Gotta change the whole way I approach my soul-work~♪

Until the end of the year, I’m teaching myself to enjoy slow mornings™️ I’ve been starting my day with just cleaning myself and my room; having a breakfast of lemon tea w/ a dollop of strawberry jam + a CVS croissant; playing a game on my dusty-but-trusty old PSP when I’ve got the time; and reading a few chapters of an actual book.

In the afternoon, I’ve been back on teaching myself ballet and strengthening my vocals. It’s nice. I feel very healthy and like myself again, but better <3 We were born into this world to enjoy our hobbies and hopefully, ideally make money alongside those hobbies <3

Never forget that, girlies. Hard work doesn’t suit us <3

How the Boredom Epidemic Ruined Hobbies by Nicole Rudolph

[factual-fantasy]

28 ASKS!! THANK YOU!! :DD

@nerdyskullcap

WAAAA THANK YTOIU SIO MUCH!! I WILL EAT THIS ASK WIRTH A SIDE OF RANCH AND CHERIGH IT FOREVERRR 💖💖✨💖😭😭

@foxythefox711

I do intend to get back around to my FNAF AU soon. Rn I'm just going through it™ and don't feel like dealing with all the work and effort it takes to draw those big comics.. I'd just rather draw simple ocs and random memes for now.

That's a good question.. I'd like to think that normally they would. But with Calico Jack loosing his leg maybe he's not as stable as he once was.. I can see the both of them jumping off of something and Kwazii sticks the landing but Jack falls flat due to his peg leg 💔

@khoiazo (Post in question)

Oh yeah I got Bonnet. :0 But thank you for the reminder! I almost forgot her too the first time around <XD

@neo-metalscottic (Post in question)

AAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THEM!! :DD And I'm glad you liked Coconut especially! I wasn't super sure of her design so this is nice to hear! :}}

As for the koopalings, they are in my Mario AU, I just never got around to properly drawing them for it-

Its intended that they live in Bowsers secret castle somewhere. Guarded by Kamek, Kammy and the entire Blue paratroopa population. :0

@ravenslog

Oh sure! No problem with that :00 Thank you so much for asking first! It means the world to me <:}}}

@citrusfruitman (Post in question)

:DD Thank you!!! And I'm glad I got the tags right <XDD

As for the Octonauts, Kwazii probably wouldn't be surprised at all XDD But everyone else would freak out. "Talking cookies???"

@minnesotamedic186

I know,, I know, I'm ashamed <XD

Making him look like Davy Jones was only way I could capture the personality I wanted for him 💔 My only defense is that he doesn't have a beard like Davy-

TH.... THANK YOUUU,,, SOO MUCH!!! 💖💖😭💖

:D Thank you!! I'm glad you liked it!! :}}}

AAAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :DDDD 💖💖💖

Thank you so much! :D And maybe someday I'll return to transformers :00

@thedorkyidiot

Hmm.. I'd say maybe some of the game environments? Like the Minecraft title screen :0

@kaiserdarken

By default I feel like Funtime Foxy would be the better "performer". Foxy is a little closer to a Daycare attendant than he is to a stage performer. :0

@itsumikorokotoyomonoko

:D Thank you! I'm honored :)) ALSO NOO DON'T CRY IM SORRY-- <XDD

@ocinstituterep

I basically completely threw out 60% of it, heavily rewrote 35% and kept 5% relatively the same XD

Ohhh I see :0

(Post in question)

XDD I'm glad you liked it!

@luna-purple454

The idea is that Papyrus didn't kill anyone. But Seam doesn't know that.

What happened is.. something.. swept through the underground and killed everyone. It wasn't a human or a monster. It wasn't even really a person.. It was just.. something.

Maybe it was a sound, a song? And everyone stepped outside to hear it. Only to be obliterated all at once..

Papyrus for some reason wasn't killed. And he was left all alone. The event left him so traumatized that he.. didn't really truly process it? Papyrus just goes through his usual daily routine as if nothing is wrong.

The land around Papyrus started to deteriorate though. With no one to run the core and regulate the temperatures.. Hotlands cooled down and Snowdin warmed up. All the snow melted, the trees and grass became dehydrated and died.

There was no new food being grown or made so everything expired. Papyrus was left with just soup cans and non perishables. With Sans "not being around" to patch his battle body.. it started to develop tears and busted seams overtime..

This AU is horrible. And Papyrus has basically completely lost his mind. And he had nothing to do with it.. it just.. happened. They all just.. died. And anything else he had in his life started to decay overtime too..

Its a shame that this situation ended up making Papyrus look like the villain. If Seam had known the truth, maybe things would have been different..

@skywillow28022

In my AU there are not multiple chain chomps. There is only 1 chain chomp. And he is this huge disgusting pile of molten metal and teeth, whos very spine is bolted to the castles basement floor. Its this absolutely horrible creature, whos as big as a 2 story house. It makes horrible inhuman sounds.. and it always hungry..

Due to it being locked away in Bowsers basement, the bros have never encountered it thankfully. But if they ever did, it would probably try to eat them.. And the only power ups that could really damage the chain chomp would be the super star. Which is very rare and the bros haven't exactly learned how to control it yet..

@danman22ful

Thank you so much! :D And its not going to be Circus Baby's entertainment and rentals or Circus babys pizza world. And its not connected to Fazbear Entertainemnt.

I'm thinking that its a classical styled circus. Tents and all. They travel from place to place like old timey circus's did. :0

@patatalota

Its always a shame to hear when people found me through pinterest.. but I'm glad you're at the source now and you like what you see! :}}

I feel like maybe DJ, DA and Freddy might participate in their "birthdays". But Chica, Monty and Roxy?.. Theyyyy probably wouldn't be interested.. :(

@ghfhgkfngjvfnvfnvmfkf

I got plans for Lolbit don't worry XD

After looking it up on YouTube, it appears to be an ice skating act..? Its beautiful! But none of the Circus members are ice skaters.. :(

(Post in question)

XD Oh yeah for sure. Circus Baby and Freddy definitely manhandled him through it-

@beryl-shade

Huh, what a combo! I'm not sure what that would look like :00

Sorry, I don't take requests!

[greypetrel]

RULES: post a 24-hour poll containing two truths and one lie about your oc. Have your followers try to guess which is the lie.

Thank you for the tag, @shivunin (you're tagged back if you want!) ! I already did these for everyone months ago and I was doubtful on whom to use. In the end, I don't think Max has much following here, so I'll go with DadWolf!Aisling. Aka the DreadPup or Pikachu. If you wante someone else I'm open to requests tho, this meme was fun xD

Tagging: @salsedinepicta @ndostairlyrium @vitaeplaysda @dungeons-and-dragon-age @heniareth

@jtownnn @zencetera @rowanisawriter @theluckywizard @cao-the-dreamer and YOU!

[blackjackkent]

NSFW Alphabet - Hector Carlisle and Karlach Cliffgate

Tagged by @bardic-inspo - thank you! c:

NSFW Alphabet

Honestly I don't know which of my mutuals who I normally tag in OC stuff do and don't feel comfortable with this sort of thing, so I'm gonna do an open tag! If you're reading this and want to do this meme, do it! And tag me in your answers. :)

18+ nsfw content under the cut for obvious reasons. XD

Hector and Karlach!

(Almost did this for Rasaad and Jaheira because they've been rotating in my head a lot lately but maybe that will be another post if there's interest. XD )

Some of this is new for me to think about, but a lot of it is based on things that happen in Prayers and Hellfire and Quiet Zone.

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Massive snugglefest. XD Karlach does take a mildly dominant role most of the time but it's always a v soft vibe between them so the drop is minimal, but both of them are always very high on the endorphins and very much wanting to be close. (This is the case always, really, though - being able to touch each other at all always feels like a tremendous gift under the circumstances.)

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

I haven't written about this yet (it's on the never-ending to-do list) but Hector comes to be both entertained and fascinated by Karlach's tail - especially when he discovers that it is very sensitive on the underside right at the base.

Karlach, if asked this question, would immediately joke that she likes hs ass and his tongue, but the truth is she finds his eyes mesmerizing.

C = Cum (Where does your muse prefer to cum/have someone cum?)

Almost always inside. Hector definitely likes this best as it feels very intense and intimate and lets him give up any sense of his usual discipline, but he would change it up if Karlach asked him to. Luckily, though, she feels the same way, and after her raunchy adventures in her youth in Baldur's Gate she's very familiar with cleric services available to make sure nothing comes of it.

(This does mean she ends up bugging Shadowheart a lot until they get to the city. Shadowheart grumbles a lot about this.)

D = Dirty secret (Pretty self explanatory: a dirty secret of theirs)

Honestly, I don't think the two of them have many secrets between them? Hector is fairly reserved but Karlach could tell him she wants basically anything and he would be ready to give it a go.

They did basically pine excessively for each other in secret all the way up until Act 2 bc Hector never got Karlach's Act 1 romance scene. :P

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Hector has never had sex before his first time with Karlach. Karlach has a tremendous amount of experience from her youth but is ten years out of practice.

Consequently, Karlach definitely knows what she's doing in a physical sense and is not shy about telling him exactly what she wants - and he is happy for the guidance. But even for her, their relationship is new ground in a lot of ways; she's never had a long-term relationship before, or one where the sex was so grounded in love.

So in that sense they're both equally inexperienced and the whole thing is very much a learning process. (I should make a note to write fic at some point about some bit of miscommunication or something that eventually happens because there's no way it's smooth sailing all the way through. XD )

F = Favorite position (This goes without saying)

"I want to ride you till you see stars," as Karlach says. She's often on top, which Hector enjoys; he likes feeling the intensity of her weight on him. (He's fully aware that she could snap him in half and he's only human and definitely finds that part of the appeal. XD )

Sometimes, though (as in Prayers and Hellfire), Karlach just really wants Hector to take control and blow her back out, and then they'll usually go for missionary. Hector likes this too - basically he prefers any position where he can look in her eyes during the whole experience.

Karlach also very much enjoys being fucked up against a wall, although their relative heights make this a little challenging sometimes. Once they're staying at the House of Hope during their Avernus campaign post-game, they find a lovely little corner of one of the bedrooms that has a molding lip at about Karlach's waist height, allowing her to lean against it to comfortably get a little lower and let Hector work her over, and it becomes their favorite part of the whole place.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment? Are they humorous? etc.)

It's not by accident that in Prayers and Hellfire their first time coming together is marked by laughter. :) (And basically all of Quiet Zone is marked by humor on some level.)

Hector is not a very goofy person by nature, and he does see sex (and sex with her specifically) as a sort of sacred act of connection, caring, service. But Karlach is a goofy person, and he enjoys that aspect of her very much - and she brings it out in him more than most people, too. So laughter and teasing are definitely a big part of their intimate moments together in almost all cases.

I think there are definitely individual times when it is more serious, however. There's certainly more than one time in their post-game Avernus adventures where the sex is coming in the aftermath of one of them having been in danger/injured. And probably there are times when Hector's comforting Karlach away from bad memories of her ten-year conscription and the loneliness it entailed - times when the act itself is a lot more emotional.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

I'm with those who headcanon that Karlach doesn't bother shaving anywhere. Maybe she did back in the city, but certainly not in Avernus - why would she? - and the habit definitely never came back. Hector is not bothered by this; it's fully something he never had any occasion to give any thought to prior to knowing her, and he doesn't intend to start now. I don't think she has super thick body hair (I don't really see tieflings as having it in general), but what she does have is dark like her head hair.

Hector has lived a very disciplined lifestyle and as such takes pretty rigorous care of himself in terms of cleanliness and personal grooming. He has a medium amount of body hair, also very dark and speckled with grey like his beard and head.

Not quite the intention of the question but Karlach also really enjoys his beard. She likes to fidget with it and feel the texture of it when they're lying around snuggling. c:

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment? The romantic aspect)

They are such enormous saps for each other it's not even funny. XD And given the way their relationships started, the whole thing is VERY about touch, even more than it would be for most people. No matter what position they're in it's always about being pressed very closely together so as much of them is touching as possible. As mentioned above, Hector really likes being able to look into her eyes and feel as connected as he can during the whole experience.

J = Jack off (Masturbation headcanon)

Masturbation was Hector's only sexual release for his whole life before he met Karlach and it was always something that had to be pretty furtive and secret. He doesn't really have much occasion to do it once they're together, given Karlach's libido, but a few times he does end up pleasuring himself in their tent on nights when she's too tired/injured from some adventure to really participate.

The first time this happens, she notices it - and also notices the fact that he's trying to be subtle/quiet/unnoticed, out of habit from how he would do it in the monastery. And, even though she's too wrecked to actually get involved, she nudges him to not be secretive about it and let her watch and it ends up being a surprisingly intense moment for both of them.

...This would make a really good ficlet. [scribbles notes]

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

This feels weird to say given how horndog Karlach is, but I actually don't see either of them as being particularly kinky? I don't think either of them has quite the imagination for coming up with real off-the-wall approaches to sex. XD Karlach describes her earlier sexual escapades as "if it moves, climb aboard", which doesn't suggest a very nuanced and varied approach, and Hector knows basically nothing and is operating primarily on instinct.

Consequently I think the closest they get to kinky stuff is the sort of soft-dom-Karlach dynamic they fall into right from the get-go, though occasionally they do end up experimenting with reversing the roles.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

Anywhere? Karlach's not particularly picky, certainly. XD

Between camp life and post-game Avernus adventures, they definitely learn to be kind of undiscerning in what constitutes ideal conditions for sex. However - moments like the Act 3 romance scene, where they're actually able to get true privacy and take their time, consequently become very important to both of them. It's not really about exactly where they are, but about having that situation of being entirely to themselves for a while and not having to think about anything else.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going?)

They're both pretty good at getting each other excited simply by existing. XD Some turn-ons though:

Post-battle adrenaline (especially anything where one of them caught the other being a badass)

As mentioned in Quiet Zone, Karlach finds it really hot when Hector gets into super focused thinky mode. (She would have jumped his bones after the Ansur chess puzzle if the circumstances had allowed.)

Also based on Quiet Zone, I think Hector quite enjoys being distracted by her when he's in the middle of something (as long as it's not something critically important). Something about having his life of cerebral pursuits interrupted by emotion letting himself get swept up in her raw physical power over him. This pairs well with Karlach who loves watching him try (and fail) to keep control of himself in these situations.

(Hm. Maybe I'm changing my answer slightly on the "kink" section; I feel like maybe they'd enjoy one of those situations where he's trying to work on something and she's under the desk. XD )

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Given Karlach's history with being conscripted and trapped, I don't think either of them would ever even think about anything involving restraints, degradation, humiliation. It's all very much about being excited and supportive and safe with each other. (I do have a fic in mind involving Hector taking charge and giving her orders in a sort of military vein, but it would be very much about removing that bad situation's power over her and making it a safe thing between them, and never about any real power play.)

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

As evidenced in Prayers and Hellfire, Hector is an ENTHUSIASTIC giver right from the get-go. It's a big moment for him in that fic when he realizes that sex is powerful because it's a way that he can make the woman he loves feel incredibly good, and he absolutely loves to lose himself in that "sacred duty" in every way possible.

Karlach enjoys returning the favor but Hector is on another level with it. XD I don't think he's extraordinarily skilled at first (things go so well in Prayers and Hellfire less because he knows what he's doing and more because they're madly in love and Karlach is so excited to be getting anything after ten years), but he's a fast learner and takes direction very well.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Really depends on the night. Sometimes when they're both worn out or feeling particularly sentimental, it'll be a slow, drowsy, exploratory sort of process. But probably more often they're pretty intense; I'm not sure "rough" is quite the right word, but... "fierce"? Generally they just want each other real bad and don't see any point in holding back. :D

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Once they're together in Act 2, they are definitely having sex a LOT when the occasion permits - but most of it is in camp and consequently has to be somewhat furtive. So they have no shortage of quick romps when a brief window of time emerges. :P As mentioned above, they both prefer when they can really get some privacy and take their time - but circumstances often don't permit that to be the case, so quickies are very much on the menu in between.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? etc.)

Game? Yes. Do they? Not really. Again, as mentioned above, I don't see either of them as being incredibly imaginative in this regard. It's about the closeness in any form and they're less concerned about specifics.

(But Karlach literally just has to say the word on any idea she has and Hector is there for it. :D )

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for? How long do they last?)

Hehehe. Hector is a monk. XD His body is his weapon and his tool and he grew up in an enviroment dedicated to self-denial, self-control, discipline, and physical training. This man's stamina is legendary.

Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, most of the time they don't really have time to take full advantage of this since their time is usually a bit limited. But on the occasions when they can - such as the Act 3 sex scene - Hector definitely takes her for enough rounds that she's walking funny the next day. XD Karlach is suitably impressed, because her libido is such that it takes some doing to make her feel fully spent.

T = Toys (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Hm.

As I discovered by accident while flycamming the Act 3 sex scene, Hector does enjoy butt stuff. XD So he might actually be down to get pegged. That said, whether it actually happens much, I don't know. I don't think I see them as using toys all that much, to be honest - not out of unwillingness but just because it doesn't come up.

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

Karlach likes teasing Hector a lot (as evidenced in Quiet Zone) because she likes seeing him get worked up and struggling to keep composure - and how fierce and intense he gets when it becomes too much to bear.

Hector is a little more direct, I think. When he's giving her pleasure, that's his primary focus and he's like a guided missile.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

As mentioned, a lot of their adventures are in camp, so there's a certain amount of emphasis on having to stay quiet. (It always amuses me when I read fics with secret trysts in camp where there's lots of moaning and crying out happening. That is no longer a secret tryst; those tents are canvas which is not known for its soundproofing capabilities. XD )

Hector is better at the quiet than Karlach is. He tends to get very focused and internalized during the whole experience and everything comes out in little intense whimpers rather than real loud noises most of the time. Karlach is much more vocal and has to put a significant amount of effort into not screaming loud enough to wake everyone up; she does a pretty good job most of the time but nevertheless everyone is fully aware of what is happening.

Post-game in Avernus Hector takes a few more levels in cleric and gets hold of the Silence spell which helps the situation. XD

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Following on from the above - there is a potential monk line which the player can get when sleeping with the drow prostitutes in Sharess's Caress: [MONK] "I stop breathing sometimes when I'm focused. Don't disrupt me, I'm in control."

This definitely happens to Hector at some points - sometimes when he's pleasuring Karlach or they're fucking, but most often when she's focusing on him for the moment. There's a hint of this in Quiet Zone:

It doesn’t take long before he’s hard as a rock in her hand, the heat of his skin against hers rivaling the sweltering Avernus air around them. The rest of his body, still trapped between her and the bookshelf, has gone limp; his weight sags back into her, his head rolling into the crook of her neck. His eyes are closed, lips slightly parted, focusing on her touch with absolute, intense concentration.

He doesn't quite reach the no-breathing point in that fic but in similar scenarios it can definitely happen, and it scares the shit out of Karlach the first time she notices it. (Hector doesn't think to warn her because I don't think he realizes it could happen. XD )

There'll be a fic about this at some point.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Both of them are supremely fit people, although in different ways. Hector's body is all lean muscle, slender and quick, and he's considerably smaller than Karlach in bulk as well as in height. He starts the game in a lot of ways pretty unblemished; there are a few scars from his training but not many. However, he starts aquiring more as the game goes on, particularly a very heavy scar across his shoulder from the Myrkul fight which the bone chill effect prevented Shadowheart from healing before the scarring could take root.

He's well enough endowed but not dramatically so; everything about him is a testament to the phrase, "It's all about how you use it."

Karlach, by comparison, is much bigger and more visibly muscular, and her whole body is covered in scarring, tattoos, and the marks of the engine's functioning in her body. THe most striking thing about her when she's naked is that her whole body has the same subtle glowing effect that her visible chest does in game; her breasts and stomach and "intimate areas" all glow with the same effect that you get when putting your fingers over a flashlight.

Hector hates the engine being the reason for it but does think it makes her look even more beautiful.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Karlach's is higher than Hector's definitely. Hector is almost always willing because his desire for her specifically is always present, but left to his own devices he could go long periods of time without really thinking about sex at all. He'll initiate sometimes but it's Karlach's drive that sets their pace more often.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

See the aforementioned snugglefest. Usually they tend to wear each other out pretty hard so the post-game is just curling up very tight together and falling asleep in one of several positions - sometimes Hector gets spooned up against her, sometimes he falls asleep on her chest, or sometimes she'll roll over on top of him and go to sleep on him like a big warm blanket. XD

[katyspersonal]

Surprise 3 AM headcanons post! I know I like joking that the anti-Rom character is Simon conceptually, but in fact, Karel/Caryll is probably more fitting for the role!

Simon's thing is unveiling the corruption and the crime that is already there, and Rom (antagonistic) parallel only works under pushing her concealment as protecting Micolash's crimes particularly! But 1) Brador already exists for the archetype and 2) lore focuses rather on Rom concealing Eldrich Truth in general, because what Byrgenwerth unleashed is too much for the low-insights, and Mensis could just take advantage of it!

I already talked in my other post how Caryll seems to be free of all bias, since his runes include Kin and Beast ones, Church and Vileblood ones even? But that's basically what he is...? Consider: he disregards restrictions of both the institutions and the ethics of infodumping the "unprepared" people with the knowledge they might be not even able to use for good! Whether they will be responsible or succumb to hubris, his job is to deliver the information. I love to think Byrgenwerth + Church were the ones to prohibit some runes (like Beast), and that Caryll believed in teaching Runes language to everyone whereas Byrgenwerth, and then Healing Church wanted to gatekeep them only to their brightest (like Ludwig and Adeline who could see their own Runes). Rom though? Under assumption that she even understands what she is doing, her barrier is only penetrable for those with high Insight, so only for those who are "ready"!

Maria, too, is close enough, but she seems to be disappointed in the concept of learning too much altogether. I just think this is funny to think that all most important Byrgenwerth scholars had very unique and clashing position. Caryll standing by revealing the information with a disregard for whether people are ready, Rom sparing people the horrors unless they are ready, Laurence choosing FOR others what they should know feeling qualified, Micolash believing in providing truth in its most horrifying form but only to people he deems worthy..... and then Patches, Yurie and Willem simply learning with the help of the Great Ones while preserving whatever humanity they can like normal people vjhcjgjvng

But yeah, the best scholars are basically like those memes where several people point guns at each other xD Especially those three.. Rom seems like the only "nice" one, the most detached from the concept of deciding for others 🤔👀

[divineprank]

I accidentally opinion’d all over myself, and I quickly ran out of character space to respond. I didn’t want to have to type like eight comments because I wasn’t sure if you’d get pinged with a bunch of notifications you don’t want, so I decided to just post it all as one big post if that’s okay!  Maybe it's just because I'm far too invested in my own muse and therefore struggle to release the image I have of him in my head. xD But that voice, to me, sounds really off for the character its portraying. It sounds like a cheap anime dub: like it was just someone hired to get the job done quickly. It was very generic, very ‘monster-of-the-week’; something we might have seen back in the days of the FOXBox or Kids WB. To me there was just no real depth to the sound of his voice. Ganondorf is thunderous, he's grandiose -- he's BIG! Granted, we only got a small sample, but the emotion projected through his vocals was just very weak, too. It was as if the actor wasn’t at all invested in the character he’s reading for. When Ganondorf talks about Hyrule, we should be able to hear the seething hatred drip off of his tongue as if speaking the very name “Hyrule” is like poison in his mouth. This is a Hyrule that has literally driven him to know nothing else but rage and hatred and malice: this is a Hyrule that has stolen his very people away from him. The Gerudo turned their back on their own king and as a result have aligned themselves with Hyrule. This is the ultimate knife in the heart, we as fans have an opportunity to hear a glimpse of how much pain Ganondorf should be in regarding Urbosa and Riju’s very deliberate defiance of their own king and their people’s bloody history... The performance we get, for some reason, invokes images of that “while you were partying I studied the blade” meme. Like, he sounds like some edgy senior in high school that took himself too seriously and suffered a temper tantrum in the middle of the gymnasium because he feels disrespected by the other kids, or something. Like, yeah I’m being a little funny here, but what I mean is the performance is underplayed: like he’s acting with restraint, he’s holding himself back. Whether it’s because of Nintendo’s direction, or he’s a newer voice talent, or he genuinely doesn’t know the character well enough to know better -- I don’t know... And I’ll be totally real: my personal impression of this interpretation of Ganondorf could very well just be confirmation bias. I don’t think so, but I’ll acknowledge that it COULD be. I made a crude remark about how Ganondorf has been neutered by this presentation we got -- which I should be fair and acknowledge the fact that there ARE fans out there who have mentioned how they like the casting, voice, and performance -- but the truth of the matter is, Ganondorf has been in some really bad shape since Skyward Sword. Skyward Sword made some huge retcons to existing Zelda lore by introducing us to Hylia and Demise. Now, I like to write and study and analyze characters, but one doesn’t really need to be any kind of writing genius to understand how Demise’s existence and his actions by the end of the game completely rob Ganondorf of his agency and undermines the guy by overly-simplifying his motivations and by breaking down any dimension he previously had as a man, a leader, and a human. Ganondorf used to be such an interesting character: he wanted so much for the people he ruled over, cared about, and loved. Him and his mothers and his sisters experienced pain every day and saw that not far from their desert was a country protected and thriving off of a fair wind. His heart motivated him. His people motivated him. Pain motivated him. Wind Waker made it clear that his intentions were beautiful before Ganondorf had fallen to his own humanity. He took a knee to his own greed, and power was a seductive mistress.  The reason why the character Ganon eventually took the shape of Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time in the first place was so they could write stories that had a more human element and could thus encourage the player to consider that while the Triforce might represent black-and-white principles, the world itself is much more complicated than that and tends to be much more difficult to navigate which gives rise to more interesting adventures for Link to go on, and morally and emotionally complex challenges to face. But now that Demise’s stupid curse has stripped Ganondorf of any kind of meaningful nuance, Ganondorf has been tragically reduced to a character that’s feeling around in the dark: his culture and history has since turned its back on him so now his feet walk with no meaning. So, to compensate, Breath of the Wild saw the stakes raise and they went the route of the Oracle games where they re-introduced the idea where Ganon is now an evil that is just SOOO EVIL that it literally couldn’t fathom anything else EXCEPT rage and hate, as well as inflicting pain and suffering by lashing out in blind desperation to cause hurt and spread chaos. But then Nintendo went and struck that down just as fast as they re-introduced the concept in Breath of the Wild. So now we’re are quite literally left with a corpse: an empty husk of a really important character that once knew how to impact you with his time on the screen. This nearly unrecognizable shadow of Ganondorf demands that his followers “leave no survivors”, which is particularly disappointing to hear because it’s indicative of the underlying problem that’s been haunting this character since 2011. 

(These three screenshots demonstrate a very important facet of Ganondorf’s character that Nintendo seems to have gotten wrong right off the bat in that trailer. He doesn’t want to destroy everything and leave no survivors. He wants to dominate and take what he feels rightfully belongs to him.)

But I really don’t mean to get into this huge whine-fest about Ganondorf, I’m just... I am just really bummed out because it’s the first time that we’ve seen Ganondorf (NOT Ganon) in a mainline Zelda game in almost seventeen years and it’s hard to see his return take this kind of shape. I love this character to death, I have so much adoration for Ganondorf in my heart and I know for a fact that this is gonna be a great game; I know Nintendo will absolutely not waste our times with Tears of the Kingdom, I know I’m gonna have a total fuckin’ blast playing the game and being able to come face-to-face with Ganondorf for the first time since I was eleven years old will definitely be a thrill of a lifetime.  But it sure as hell won’t be the same.

[thisbluespirit]

Meme: Top 10 AO3 works vs Personal Top 10

I was tagged by @captain-aralias Thank you @captain-aralias! <3

Rules: List your "top 10" (or up to 10 if you haven't written that many) fics ranked by kudos on AO3. Are you surprised by what's most popular to your readers? Then, under a cut, provide your ranking of your personal top 10 fics (with explanations if you want!), and then tag a few fellow writers!

AO3 top 10 by kudos:

The Spirit of St Mary Mead (Miss Marple)

So We Meet at Last (Miss Marple/Dracula 1968)

it's the rain that will strengthen your soul (Star Wars Prequels)

Five Times the Doctor Got in the Way of Captain Janeway (and One Time They Got Along Just Fine) (DW/Star Trek: Voyager)

By the Book (Original)

Observation (Miss Marple)

We'll Burn That Barn When We Come To It (Hist RPF)

Not Bad For a First Attempt (Georgette Heyer)

Some With Arrows, Some With Traps (SW Prequels)

Dodging a Bullet (Doctor Who)

My own top 10.

A lot of these are fine as top stories, I think! Even if I think something is good, I don't trust that it is, if other people haven't said so. I mean, proof of the pudding is in the eating and all that. That said, there are definitely some random things that have got into this list.

(Dodging a Bullet has been pretty well unloved for YEARS, but looking at it it seems like maybe someone recced it last year somewhere or something? It suddenly had a bunch of bookmarks and has pushed out other things. Plus all the Star Wars ones have moved positions again.)

If I sort by comments, I think those are much better, so in no particular order:

The Spirit of St Mary Mead (Miss Marple yuletide fic, where Miss Marple is a Genius Loci, but it's still just canon. It was a great prompt, I think I wrote it fine, and it's top of my works by every measure, and there's no ship effect, so... who am I to argue?)

We'll Burn That Barn When We Come To It (William of Normandy/Harold AU in which the Battle of Hastings involves a lot more sheep and bees and a lot less people being killed. It's 'found texts' type fic, another Yuletide one, it was huge fun to write and it got a great response, so again, I'm not going to disagree!)

By the Book - I am SO happy and amazed this is on both lists. It was original fic written for Het Exchange (the tiniest exchange, lol!! XD) a few years back, for the prompt of Librarian/Demon she accidentally summoned. I got to use all my rl library knowledge and it, er, sort of stormed the exchange (it was VERY tiny, did I say?), and I would place it in my top ten, yes. I don't know how people still keep finding it, but I'm so delighted that they do, and they still like it.

it's the rain that will strengthen your soul - again, yes. This is a five times Padme Lives Obidala AU where they go on the run with the twins post RotS. It was another for an exchange (Space Swap, I think). I wrote it in mid lockdown, I buried myself in the Wookieepedia, and I was pleased with this one, and it's gradually got more love as the time has gone on, and I think it is a good fic; a very gentle story of healing that was probably a lot due to the times.

Okay, but there we diverge, because I think all of these are that bit better than the others in that list (which include at least 2 pieces of flash fic, one of which was written to cover a wrangling error I made long ago). Mind you, I think in some cases, it's because I Did The Research Dammit Appreciate This People, or because I plotted harder than usual, but most of these are or have been in top ten positions on AO3 as well:

(5) movements of the mind (Twelfth Night) - I wrote Shakespeare fic for Yuletide (about Feste & Olivia), and pulled it off. I had to watch TN a lot and then got 16th C jokes off the internet.

(6) Truth and Compromise (Discworld) - so old I hesitated a while over it, but I think I genuinely got the tone right (which is never easy for something like this) and I occasionally still read it myself if I want something to follow up The Truth with Wiliam/Sacharissa.

(7) Cul-de-Sac (No hawkers, traders, cold callers, canvassers or purveyors of religious knowledge) (Sapphire & Steel) - I've written a lot of S&S I'm really pleased with. It was hard to choose one (I do think I've done some good and unusual things for it), but this stands up and was very well liked.

(8) One Step Forward (Two Steps Back) (Jonathan Creek) It's very timey-wimey and I had to write accurate Maddy and Jonathan and be funny, and I do think I achieved all of the above, even if it took quite a while.

(9) Salt of the Earth (DW) I always include this one in my self-recs, but there's a reason. I still think it's good. It's about a very minor character, but it was one I'd wanted to write ever since I first watched Image of the Fendahl.

(10) i love the rose both red and white (Shadow of the Tower) Maybe this is another 'i did the research' one, but it's very obscure and still has done pretty well in my stats, so I don't think it's just me. But I did do the research, and I tried to push myself as to style for it as well, I think.

I do like Some With Arrows, Some With Traps, but it's another SW Obidala exchange fic, and it is very surprising that it's as high in kudos because it has never got many comments, and I just thought it wasn't much liked. But it has an OC droid and was as much 'SW fun adventure but Obidala canon divergence' as I could make it. (Still, I it's a short story that clearly in my head should have been 80k and never ever will be, so I think it's fair to swap it out for variety.)

I do not know what is with the Miss Marple thing. It just happened. (Those are pretty much my only Miss Marple stories! It's a rare fandom! It is a mystery.) It's pretty funny, though, and I will be sad if one day the ships beat Miss Marple from the lists!

Tagging (if wanted/not already tagged): @maryellencarter @pers-books @lurking-latinist @herawell @scarletmanuka @human-nxture @bunn1cula @foreignobjecticus @jurijurijurious

[rockturbot]

for the ask meme: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 22, 26, 29! (a lot, but i'm curious XD)

9 and 29 answered here.

4. Fav character/subject that’s a bitch to draw I love Manfred's suit jacket but man are the lapels annoying to draw. I've tried making custom brushes to save time but never got them to look right )x I'll have to keep drawing them manually.

5. Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself I think I post maybe 5% of what I draw. Lots of stuff never makes it past the sketch stage, there's doodles for fandoms I don't think anyone here cares about, or just drawings where I get into some kind of perfectionist loop where when I improve one thing I think the rest of the drawing now looks super bad, so I improve those things, now the other things look bad ... etc. Some are also technically finished drawings I either just don't feel good enough about to post or that would need like 25 layers of headcanons explained to make sense.

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn’t supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it) Every time I rewatch the first two or three seasons of the Detective Conan anime I notice small things that make me go, oh, that's where I learned how to draw that?

8. What’s an old project idea that you’ve lost interest in I don't really lose interest in ideas like that. I just have a very long and continuously growing list of stuff I'd like to do, and which of these things feel the most urgent depends on what I'm obsessed with at the moment plus what skills I'd need to do the idea justice vs. what level my skills currently are.

I guess one thing I've postponed indefinitely because I think it's still going to take a while until my art is good enough is rewriting the episodes of The Professionals into one coherent plot and then drawing that as a comic, just for myself. That show is one of my special interests and every time I finish a rewatch I just feel so sad and empty because it just ends. There is no more! :( And I think maybe I'll feel a little less sad if I tell myself a version of the story that's ... well, an actual story, with an actual plot and emotional resolution and stuff where an ending actually makes sense to my brain, instead of episodes with no overarching plot that eventually just run out.

13. A creator who you admire but whose work isn’t your thing Can't think of any. I mean, I admire creators because their work is my thing, so ...

22. What physical exercises do you do before drawing, if any None (':

26. What’s a piece that got a wildly different interpretation from what you intended There's a painting I made in 20...12? 2013? of a scene in an original story I was working on at the time. My mother, who knows nothing about the story except that it exists and that this painting is connected to it, is convinced one of the characters is supposed to be me and is trying to get me to admit it to this day. Her ironclad logic? The character is wearing green :) No matter how much I tell her that doesn't mean anything, she just. Won't believe me. Maybe she would if I showed her the story, but I don't think I'm going to do that. Her interpretation of what's even going on in the painting is already so wildly different from what's actually happening, I think revealing the truth would just be super awkward. She says she thinks it's a prayer circle of some kind or something. It's, uh. It's supposed to be a public execution. Whoops.

Ask meme

[the-blackest-spider]

The Angst Meme

Accepting | Open

@agentjjkelly left a message:

👿: What are your muse(s)’ fatal flaws? Any wishlists to do with them?

😁: So, the muse(s)… do they deserve the angst?

👿:

One of Natasha's fatal flaws is her believing she's expendable.

In the MCU/Marvel this belief comes from the Red Room and the fact all Red Room operatives were treated as weapons, and weapons could be replaced, they could be remade, and they could be fixed if damaged. She learned from an early age that her life was not her own, it belonged to the Red Room, to Mother Russia. In some ways, she did unlearn this, at least to the extreme, but she still believed she owed SHIELD, Nick Fury, Clint Barton, and the other Avengers, to name a few, that she would easily, and gladly lay her life down for and ultimately did end up doing, for the entire universe.

Natasha's fear of losing the people she cares about is also a fatal flaw, which works in tandem with her belief of being expendable. She lost so much in her life already that the sheer idea of losing anyone else, anything else important to her or that matters is unbearable. It's why she made the sacrifice she did, and she would do it again, however many times necessary to ensure that what needs to be protected is.

These beliefs also extend into her Final Fantasy VII Turk verse, where her loss of memories and the work she does for Shinra makes her feel she doesn't have much to lose as far as herself, if something happens to her, it happens, but she refuses to let anything happen to those she's come to care about in that verse. Unfortunately, as with the MCU/Marvel she's had to go through losses that had profound effects on her, the disappearance of her mentor, the Before Crisis incident and that fallout (if I'm writing her post that), and depending on when I'm writing her when she learns the truth about how she came into Shinra's employment, which tends to fall into anything post Dirge of Cerebus.

In her Star Wars verses, this also carries; in her Imperial Assassin verse she lives and exists according to Palpatine's whims, and she's lost a great deal beyond her life not being her own, and in her Outcast Jedi verse, she's lost and trying to find her place in the galaxy, and has nothing to lose if she has to give her life protecting others who cannot protect themselves as a Jedi would do.

On the flip side of her expendability, loyalty, and fear of losing important people to her, is the fact she is willing to do what needs to be done, even if it kills a part of her to do it. I also feel like this is a fatal flaw, her being so dedicated to doing what she feels is right, even if it means having to take down someone she cares about because they've given her no other choice. Doing so means she's making herself experience one of her worst fears, and having to deal with the aftermath of what that will do to her.

The ultimate fatal flaw, which is the cornerstone of all of these things is her stubbornness. Being stubborn can be a good thing or a bad one depending, and she's very much about sticking to her principles and her own code of ethics and morals, very stubbornly so. Once she's made her mind up, good luck getting her to change it, and she's deceptive, you won't know she's made the decision she has until she springs it on you, and she will fight to see it through (i.e. Vormir in Endgame).

As for a wishlist? Look I've been dying to do something with Natasha's current situation in the MCU (my Nat's anyways) and have her get killed only to come back to life. Also, more stuff to deal with the truth about her in her FFVII Turk verse, and similar stuff with her Star Wars verses, her doing something to save someone she cares about, but maaaaybe let it end happily somehow. XD

---------------------------

😁:

I'm going to be bluntly honest with this and say yes. Sometimes she absolutely brings the angst on herself tho. It's very rare for Natasha to do anything without thinking it over first, analyzing it, and pretty much going through it with a fine toothed comb, she's known as a master tactician for a reason because she can understand what will get the best, and most needed results in a situation. So, she knows exactly what she's doing, and what the plausible and most likely outcome will be in the end. She can be ten steps ahead of you and you have no idea. For example, in Endgame, when Nebula is talking about Vormir and that Thanos came back with the Soul Stone without Gamora, Natasha instantly clued into what it was going to take to get that stone. So, before she and Clint even talked to Red Skull, she already had her game plan and knew what needed to be done, and what she ultimately needed to do.

But sometimes, no she doesn't deserve the angst. As much as I enjoy angst, I also very much enjoy Natasha getting to be happy and have nice things and be able to hold onto all of that and not have to constantly look over her shoulder to make sure her happiness is safe.

[spurious-result]

For the Fanfic Writer Ask Meme: B, E, N, R :D

Thanks very much for the ask!

B:  What was the first fandom you read fic in?  Which was the first you wrote fic for?

Oh man, I'm going to date myself here. xD My very first fic-reading fandom was The X-Files, way back in the day. The first fandom I ever wrote anything for was Sherlock Holmes (I'm sorry, I'm an incredible nerd!), but of course it's just MGS nowadays.

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

Ah, in the MGS world I'd have to go with Otacon - I imagine he's a popular choice, lol. I suspect most of us have a little "stammering, insecure scientist who happens to be in love with the big beefy jock" somewhere deep down inside.

In all seriousness, though, I've always found Otacon to be one of the more heroic characters in the series, in his own quiet way. He overcomes a lot of personal baggage, and his own fear/insecurity issues, and always manages to Get Shit Done when push comes to shove. He doesn't do the flashy, 'blowing-things-up' part of the job, but he's consistently shown to be very competent at what he does. And when he has to do something that's very much NOT in his wheelhouse (like dragging his half-dead partner out of a river during a manhunt, or flying a helicopter full of hostages to safety right after watching his sister die), he steps up to the plate and does what needs doing.

In terms of fic, I'd say probably Taught By Thirst?? I am a huge sucker for Otacon being a terrified-but-competent badass in the immediate post-tanker aftermath, and that's a huge part of what that particular fic is about. He's the biggest unsung hero of the series, truly. ❤

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share?

So many, lol! My problem is that I'm an *incredibly* slow, plodding writer, so it takes a long time to actually get anything to fruition.

Currently, I'm working on finishing up the last chapter of Or Else The Light... which is coming along nicely but DEAR GOD, it's going to be long. 😫 Hoping to have it done and posted sometime in the next couple of weeks or so.

Once that's finished, I do have several other ideas on the docket. In no particular order, they include:

Another longish, multi-chapter fic in the same series as Taught By Thirst, Everything That Rises, and Or Else The Light - set in the time period between MGS2 and 4, and dealing with their acquisition of Sunny and the start of Snake's accelerated aging issues.

A smutty 'sneaking suit sex' one-shot, because God knows I like PWPs as much as the next person and I have *thoughts* about how this might go down.

A "five times this happened" kind of thing with several loosely-related vignettes taking place at different times in the series, centered around scenarios where Snake runs into trouble in the field and Otacon has to deal with the aftermath - featuring different moods (awkward, funny/cute, angsty, etc.) depending on the details. Would likely include some bits from very early Philanthropy era, MGS4 era, and everything in between... kind of, tracing the evolution of their partnership (and, ahem... *partnership*, if you catch my drift) over time, through that lens.

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing?

OH MAN, that's a tough one. I honestly think I take a little something away from almost everything I read, whether it's related to phrasing, word choice, character development, plotting, etc.

Because the truth is - writing any kind of fiction is fucking HARD, y'all. Much harder than I would have guessed, before I'd ever tried it myself. (How the fuck do people do this for a living??? Hats off, for real.) So nowadays, I like to pay attention to the mechanics of how the author is doing things when I read.

In terms of fanfic, when I was pretty heavily involved in the SH fandom, there was an absolutely amazing writer I still remember - she was very prolific, and her stuff was absolutely S-tier in every way. Beautiful prose, beautiful dialogue, story structure/theme that just got better the more you analyzed it, etc. Reading her stuff felt like reading a really excellent, beautifully-written published novel, and that was the first time it really struck me that fanfic could be... *that*, you know?

Don't get me wrong - I also like quick little character studies, and fun trashy smut, and everything in between! I also love that writing fanfic is something that literally anyone can try their hand at, and no one is necessarily expecting that you're going to sound like James Joyce. There is very little pressure to be "good", however one might try to define that - kind of like singing karaoke, in a bar. 😂 We're all just here to have fun, first and foremost.

BUT - I still remember the impression that made on me. And I still think about her now, when I write.

In the real world of published writing, there are SO MANY wonderful authors whose stuff I've loved. But in terms of... writing style, I guess? Word choice and phrasing, and the way a story is constructed - probably the two biggest standouts for me are Margaret Atwood and Tana French. I admire both of them tremendously.

[emerald-amidst-gold]

OC Interview: Fane Lavellan

Thank you for the tag @dungeons-and-dragon-age! I’ve been eyeing up this meme for a while actually, so this was perfect timing! X3

This takes place Post-Trespasser, about a month or two after, in fact. Solas brought the idea forward, and of course, Fane refused. But after some coaxing, some explanation as to why, and the promise of a whole cake, Fane agreed to humor the request. 

*THERE BE BIG THINGS REGARDING FANE HERE* 

I got carried awaaaaaay! XD

Introduction

Can you introduce yourself?

“I can, but it’s a lengthy list,” He sighs, “...Those who are close to me, who see as but an elf, call me Fane. Those who wish to meet cobble, call me Lavellan or Herald. Those who are blinded by reverence call me ‘He Who Flew Above’. Denizens of the Fade refer to me as, ‘Devotion’ or ‘Tenacity’. However, my true name is..” He sighs again, “...Aterian. I rarely go by it, but the truth won’t be ignored. It never can be.”

What is your gender identity, orientation and relationship status?

“Male. Elvhen. Dragon.” He huffs through his nose, shifting his gaze off to the side, “That’s all I’ll say on that. As for orientation, I’m...emotionally driven. If you asked me to look at another and tell you what’s attractive about them I would say, ‘Nothing.’ I don’t know them, so I feel nothing for them.“ He shrugs, turning his gaze back, but brandishes a glare, “There’s only one person who defies that response, and that’s because he knows me, without and within. More than that, is none of your business.”

Where and when were you born?

He lifts a hand, massaging a temple, “The ‘where’ is simple; Elvhenan. Specifics are lost to me, however, so you’ll have to be content with that response.” He shifts his gaze downwards, slowly crossing his arms, “As to when?” He sighs heavily, “...I have no answer for that other than: I’m roughly the same age, if not older, as Solas. Does it matter, honestly? Numbers fall through the cracks after a specific threshold is crossed.” What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

He unravels a crossed arm and guides his hand downwards, tapping the pommel of a sword he has fastened to his waist, “Sword. I use either long swords, short swords, or great swords.” He raises an eyebrow as a question is forwarded, “Shields?” He sneers a bit. “I don’t use shields. They get in the way, and anyways,” He raises his hand once more, the expanse steadily beginning to glow blue and silver before a spectral coating of scales cover the entirety, “this is better than any shield. I prefer the front lines, the place I can make sure no one breaches, and the lingering memory of what I once was makes sure I can do just that.” He dispels the scales and shakes out his hand before returning it to his crossed counterpart, “It takes energy to maintain, but I’m getting better at holding it for longer.”  Lastly, are you happy?

He blinks before his entire expression softens, two toned eyes shining with primary gold as they shift downwards, “...If you had asked that of me over twelve years ago I would have spat in your face and said, ‘Happiness doesn’t exist in this world’. But now..” He trails off, casting a sidelong glance towards one of the fortress’s entryways; a familiar voice sounding, firm, but soft, as if reprimanding a child, “...I understand what happiness is, and it’s in every corner if you allow yourself to see it.” His eyes shift back, holding a far away look and voice coming forward in a murmur, “I only wish we all could be happy; together.”

Family and Friends

What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

His face holds a conflicted look, as if the memory is painful before speaking, “Complicated,” he says before beginning to tap a finger against his bicep, “I had a mother. She died when I was fifteen from a wasting disease, but she was the picture of serenity. Calm, guiding, measured. Hair like moonlight. Eyes like a clear autumn day. She was--” Unbranded features twist with a look of grief, eyes going dark as his voice drops, “...I’d rather not speak of her. It still hurts to. It hurts to speak of any of them,” His eyes narrow, grief stricken expression turning somewhat bitter, “...Especially those who throw all you did for them back into your face because they refused to listen when you needed them to most. Even so, I still wish for her happiness. Cullen better be treating her right,” That bitter turns outright malicious, dark eyes going darker as another question is meekly asked, “Father? I have no father. I only had a monster that haunted my childhood, tore my token of devotion apart, and then stalked me in my dreams. So, no. I have nothing to say about that concept.”

Have you ever ran away from home?

He chuckles, “Many, many times,” He throws most of his weight into one side, tilting his head back as if thinking, counting, “I can’t even remember the amount of times I fled into the forests, to be honest. All I know is that it happened weekly, maybe even daily,” He brings his head back, snowy hair moving with the action to brush the tops of his cheekbones, “Why do you look so surprised?” he asks, snorting a bit at the meek response of, ‘Why so often?’, “Because I refused to endure being treated like a beast every hour of the day merely because I believed differently, or rather, not at all.” He sighs within the next moment, “...I wasn’t any better than the Dalish, though. I lashed out, I spat in their face, dragged their heritage through the dirt, inflicted harm from the smallest of things...” He squeezes his arms, eyes narrowing into a glare, but seeming to see through everything, “...The past repeats. An infernal spiral that will never slow.” Would you consider marriage or having children?

“Marriage? Children?” He blinks, pale visage suddenly going flush before he snarls, “Why do I need to answer those questions?!” The blush deepens and he responds despite his displeased expression, muttering and biting the inside of his cheek, “...Damned keen eyed elves. They know, don’t they? I swear if Abelas fucking ran that mouth of his, I’ll--” He sighs heavily, letting his head fall limp a bit in defeat, “...Yes. To both. The latter is already taken care of, as everyone situated in the Crossroads knows, but...” Pointed ears are now a deep shade of red, “...marriage is...on hold. War time isn’t an ideal summer wedding.” His voice drops, eyes shimmering as if he was before the person his heart yearned for, “...The sky deserves a venue better than a garden of death and deceit.” Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

“There were those in the Inquisition who I didn’t exactly see eye to eye with,” he started before shaking his head, “but I didn’t hate anyone. Everyone is entitled to their own views and what they find important.” He scowls a bit, tapping his bicep once again with a finger, “...Even if they didn’t extend the same kindness to me in the beginning. ‘Do you believe in the Maker?’ ‘Do you believe you’re chosen?’ ‘You need to use the people’s faith. It gives them hope.’” He mocks before snorting harshly, “No. No, I don’t. Oh, that suddenly makes me trash? Ohhh. How terrible.” He scoffs. “Disgusting.” Which friend knows everything about you?

“Solas,” He says within a heart beat before clearing his throat, shifting his gaze away sheepishly, “He knows me without and within.” Emerald and gold blaze as the orbs go wide, the blush of roses coming back in full force, “Wait, wait, wait! I didn’t mean--! Fuck! You better wipe that shit eating grin off your face, elf, or I swear I’ll do it for you!” He growls in frustation, throwing his hands in the air, “Why did I agree to this? What fucking dragon entertains an interview!? This is worst than the courts in Arlathan used to be! And that’s saying something!”

Asked by Fans

Are you literate? Have you been to school?

”I am literate. Sometimes to a fault, in fact,” He smiles a bit, “Poetry is my niche; a lingering memory of my mother. So, I speak cryptically at times,” He snorts, amused, “Although, I guess that isn’t much of a surprise since the Elvhen language is riddled in verse rather than practical application. Still, even some of the ancients left have a hard time deciphering my words,” He shrugs, smile turning into a smirk, “They never expected a dragon to be able to talk, I guess. Well, ta-dah.”  The eeriest prediction you made that later came true?

A somber expression flits across his visage and eyes, “...That, eventually, I would hurt the one person I never wanted to.” The corner of his mouth twitches, holding both bitterness and grief; a painful duo, “...And retribution came just as swiftly, but it--” He sighs, shaking his head in defeat before muttering under his breath, “Observe and accept. Observe that what came to pass was uncontrollable, and accept that it had to happen for your path to continue, for your soul to be complete.” What is something you were embarrassingly late to realize?

His face blanks, mouth going into a hard line before a sigh exits through his nose slowly, “...That I don’t have tail.” He snarls, blank expression twisting in warning, “Laugh, elf. Do it.” He nods in the next second when no sounds of amusement come forth, expression going stoic once more, “That’s what I thought. You try living centuries in one form and then transitioning. See what happens.” Do you have mental health or physical issues?

He nods, sighing tiredly. “Like my names, I have a lot.” A hand motions to his body lazily, “My entire body is littered in scars, inflicted through crude experiments by an abomination that sought power like so many others,” He expression sours, jaw working back a forth, “They’ve calmed over the years, but the memories are not so kind.” He sighs, trying to calm himself and lifts his left hand; the Anchor glowing faintly and his eyes watch it, “I have an illness, or rather, sensitivity to any Fade born essence. That, too, has calmed and I’m grateful for that. As for my mind..” He trails off, grimacing a bit as if suddenly in pain, “...Visualize the Void, and there’s your answer. Black walls with crimson torches, seats empty, but somehow wanting for memories to take their seats. However, those occupants never come, burnt to ash by fury’s flame. That’s my mind in a nutshell.” What is your current main goal?

He raises his eyebrows, pursing his lips, “Mm, as of right now, I’m busy helping Solas unlock the eluvians that he couldn’t while I was away,” He flexes his marked hand, watching it with a look of determination in his eyes, “That’ll take time, but after, my people, my kin will have their skies back. I won’t let this power be squandered, and I won’t let the key that I’ve been entrusted with fall into the wrong hands.” His face hardens further, “For if that key rusts, the locks break and the sky will blacken as surely as the earth will redden.”

Choices

Drink or food?

“Drinks.” He says with ease, shrugging, “Food is comforting, especially sweets, but a glass of rum or ale, or a cup of chamomile tea really pounds the word ‘relaxation’ into my head.” Cats or dogs?

He smiles, warmth caressing its edges, “You’ve seen Nislean wandering about the halls, laying on the window sills and curling up in front of the fire,” He hums suddenly, crossing his arms again, “Which reminds me, I need to go out of the Crossroads for milk. I’ll be getting more than five bottles this time.” Optimist or pessimist?

“Depends on who you ask,” He shrugs, seeming unbothered, “I’m neither from a personal standpoint. I try to see the bright spots, but shadows can be very persistent.”   Sassy or sarcastic?

He snorts, “Ask Fen’harel,” his voice is light upon the title, playfully mocking in its deepness, “He knows all about that side. Although, he would label it, ‘insufferable’. I would call myself dryly sarcastic, though.”

Have You Ever

Been caught sneaking out?

He purses his lips, “Hmm. Not that I can recall,” he says slowly before his brows jumped and his eyes lit up with memory, “Oh! Wait. There was that one time where I was with Solas and Mythal in a...courtyard, I think?” He shrugs before shrugging, “Doesn’t matter. But, I tried to slip away, tail and all, and I...may have shattered one or two or three eluvians trying to get to the balcony.” He somewhat wistfully, smirking, “Elgar’nan got fucking stuck in a far off settlement for a week, though. Completely worth getting my horn chewed off by a wolf.” Broken a bone?

“Surprisingly, no.” He huffs in amusement, “Wonder of wonders, truthfully.” Received flowers?

“I have,” He scowls, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disgust, “but I always throw them into the fire. Most are from suitors, those who don’t know what the fuck ‘taken’ means.” Ghosted someone?

His face tightens, completely deadpan, “...No?”, he says, voice raising in question a bit, “At least I don’t believe so. But, then again...oh.” He blanks further, “...Oh. I understand the term now. You mortals are forever twisting the languages, aren’t you? I can’t keep up, but the answer is still no.” Pretended to laugh at a joke you didn’t get?

“Maybe once or twice, but I don’t ‘laugh’ per say.” He huffs through his nose deliberately, “I do that; a puff of air. Some habits are never truly able to be broken. No matter the form.”

Tagging: @oxygenforthewicked @blueheaded @little-lightning-lavellan @noire-pandora @the-dreadful-canine and anyone else that’d like to play! (no pressure, of course!)

[katyspersonal]

8, 9, 12, 13!!! World peace wooo yeahhh!

ALSO SILENCE MORTAL YOU ARE STILL THE ROM PERSON IDC LIKE SHE MATTERS TO ME THANKS TO YOU 🕸️🕷️

Ah, really though?? I am so flattered to hear this! There is just... so much lore about her that is told visually and via use of other gameplay elements rather than verbally, and THIS type of lore is easier for me to decipher! Well, Bloody Crow matters for me thanks to YOU, so we are even! xD

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

8) common fandom opinion that everyone is right about and should say it

Hmmm, well! Opinion that Gehrman is, in fact, not a "misogynist creep" or whatever but rather a complicated, nuanced character with multilayered vibe of grieving, who is not necessarily a good person but made a Doll in such image somewhere on the range from 'Maria herself HAD a gentle, even feminine side that was ruined and he blames himself' to 'He trapped her image in that femininity as last ditch mental effort to pretend she is "safe"'. That's right - in recent couple of years, this opinion on Gehrman became common! I remember how it started in Summer 2021 with my post ( x ) shedding light on some mistranslated lines and missed possibilities, that changed opinion of a few or his haters and shaped opinion of some that never cared for him, but now? Now every popular blog has a nuanced take on Mister Doomer that goes viral in less than a week every time! Moreover, the MOST viral of these takes basically make a peace between "she is legit masculine" and "Gehrman is certainly not a misogynist" takes; basically no one is left unsatisfied and everything is compromised on. I am glad to announce that takes like this count as COMMON! We did it, fandom!

9) best part of canon

Damn, you guys really think there is such thing as "canon" in From's games? xD Okay, okay, I will be serious. My favourite part is how there is a complex affiliation with the Eldrich Truth! There are 'Stars', and the 'Paleblood Moon' boldly hinted to be behind it, and the latter also can be associated with Bloodmoon, that is itself is more the state of being 'nourished' and descending to "bless" the humans, but also Flora does seem to be in charge, and there is the 'Sea' from which Kos presumably came, but 'Sea' seems to lead to the 'Stars', and there are some weird and cursed Kin like Amygdala and maybe Wet Nurse. There are Kin that are each of these and Kin that are both, and Rom is all three affiliations- meanwhile some beasts show signs of Kin, and some Kin show signs of beasts! I dissected the complexity in my Kin headcanons post ( x ) to my best ability, but the variety of the material to work with is pretty much canon, even if the way to go about it is up for the lorediggers. But this is ENJOYABLE. I LOVED connecting these dots!

12) the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I'll say Forgotten Madman! Honestly, find a character that lives up to their name more... He is implied to have been a member of the Choir - dude uses A Call Beyond, that is a secret weapon of the Choir! Also, the only NPC to use Empty Phantasm Shell. Also, the fact that obtaining Cosmic Watcher badge lets you buy poisonous knives, and he happens to be fought in the Hintertomb, a location notorious for being very venomous- Like, what if he came up with those knives? What if he sets his Ludwig's Holy Blade in arcane mist in attempt to recreate the conditions which made Ludwig have his revelation? After all, the 'Madmen' prospectors were ones who went insane trying to gain more Insight in the dungeons, and wrapped husks of phantasms around themselves like lucky charms. He also has very unusual face, and pink skin. Also, whereas all the remaining prospectors seem to be solitary, he has an escort! You know, unusually so, like... a noble man having a butler? Or he needed assistance for other reason? But there is an implication of a tie between Hemwick and Hintertomb (more on the topic in this ( x ) post), and Hemwick is an underling of Cainhurst, and Cainhurst IS nobles, and-

Okay, you see what I am saying. This wholeass character, and his escort by effect, are like a Lego set from which you can craft really interesting stuff! Most of Soulsborne characters will have little to no lore, just 'material to work with', so I don't really see why not craft something with him too! ...or at least include him in the Choir gang. Yeah I know everyone hates his hairstyle, but that IS why they agreed to not take hats off ever again, come on dsnfgsdfd xD

13) best blorboficiation

Hmmmm... Tricky question, because the concept itself has negative implication *thinking emoji* I think maybe Djura? Blorbofication I've seen used in a synonymous concept as idealisation or something. Like, striping character off the flaws, complexity and wrongdoings, and making it all about their good side (sometimes exagerrating it either). Djura must have taken part in burning of the Old Yharnam, seems to have hunted a lot and viciously from how worn his clothes are and how two of Powder Keg weapons straight up celebrate EXCEPTIONAL hatred for the beasts, and there is still some layer of hypocrisy to him (source: analyze all his interaction/questline with the player very hard) and dark implication about defending the beasts like he does... I can go on. But like... I am yet to see the "harm" (if you could call it that?) of blorbifying him to being the cool beasts' dad and liking his redemption arc to the point of forgetting what he redeemed himself FROM...? He is just such a good character that I've grown to like it when people are blinded by his good traits xd There are also some characters with whom 'blind love' opens the gate for controversy and even attacking other characters and/or fans, but 'blind love' towards Djura doesn't... really cause anything bad? There is nothing but wholesome stuff, like... no one gets hurt? besides the Paleblood Hunter lolololol

Thank you for the ask!

[ectogeo-art]

omg i want to hear about romulan embassy siskarak

WIP ask meme

Omg, yes, thank you for asking, I’m so excited about this one!!!! :D The fic idea appeared to me fully formed as soon as I saw this post by @the-last-dillards about how in a scene cut from “The Wire”, Sisko mentions that he and Curzon were at an embassy on Romulus when Sisko was about Julian's age, and dillards speculated that it would be funny if Sisko and Curzon happened to be there at the same time as Garak was on Romulus posing as a gardener. Most everyone else who saw that post was like "lmao Curzon/Garak <3" and while that is extremely funny too, the Sisko/Garak implications are soooo much more interesting to me personally.

I think Sisko would be an interesting parallel-but-not-quite to Julian. I feel like young Sisko would be similarly bright and passionate and idealistic, which we KNOW is a type Garak is attracted to, but unlike Julian, Sisko would NOT put up with Garak’s bullshit mindgames, he would NOT find Garak inherently charming.

And then there’s Garak, still young, on top of his game, feeling confident and powerful and indestructible (but ultimately just Tain’s pawn... he’s been indoctrinated to love Cardassia unconditionally and hasn’t really had that challenged in any way yet).

They would both find each other extremely grating. Sisko embodies everything Garak hates about the Federation, so Garak would want to take him down a peg, make him sink to Garak’s level. Sisko would be infuriated by Garak’s duplicitous and condescending nature, but maybe Garak also keeps saying things that are juuuust provocative enough that Sisko can’t seem to help arguing back against his points (and Sisko really doesn’t get how that’s somehow turning both of them on...).

So that’s the gist why I’m obsessed with the potential for this pairing during pre-canon in general. Now onto the fic itself! Juuuust in case I never get around to actually writing this, here’s my detailed plan for the romulan embassy siskarak fic:

Sisko and Curzon are on assignment at the Federation embassy on Romulus. The Federation embassy is holding an open house next week. Sisko offers to help cook the food for the event, because he has an idea to incorporate ingredients from other cultures into his jambalaya recipe to Symbolize how cultural exchange can lead to amazing new technological advances and/or art and/or political alliances (or idk, whatever overwrought metaphor an excited young Sisko decides is galaxy brain levels of diplomacy). Curzon's just like “hell yeah, sounds great, kid! go for it!”

So Ensign Sisko (or whatever his rank is at that point idk) asks around at the other embassies nearby for ingredients native to their homeworlds. They give him some recommendations, but he’d have to replicate or import the ingredients. But then he gets to the Cardassian embassy and they have this beeeeautiful garden, overflowing with native Cardassian produce. Sisko asks the gardener there (Garak) if he can possibly use some of the vegetables for his jambalaya of interplanetary diplomacy.

Garak is instantly annoyed by how performative and insipid Sisko’s project is... but Garak knows he has to play nice and hand over the vegetables. He also knows how much he doesn't want sisko rendering these vegetables he's been diligently tending into tasteless inedible garbage that an unrefined Federation or Romulan palate couldn’t possibly even appreciate... So he smiles politely, and offers to show him the proper way to cook it. Tonight. In Sisko’s quarters.

Garak internally justifies this unnecessary dinner date by deciding that it will be a good opportunity to scope out the inside of the Federation embassy. And so what if he’s also getting a little riled up thinking about all the delicious arguments he might have with this headstrong and attractive Starfleet officer? So what if he kind of wants to figure out what he has to say in order break Sisko’s composure? What he can say that would make Sisko, despite his self-satisfied demeanor of peace and acceptance and understanding, angrily slam Garak into the wall hard enough to trigger the pleasurable rush of the implant...?

Meanwhile back in sisko POV... Sisko gladly accepts, actually quite eager to learn more about cooking, and a little curious about this strange Cardassian gardener who seems a little bit interested in him. (He’s not annoyed by Garak yet, because all he’s seen is his mask, his poker face.) Curzon’s taught Sisko everything about diplomacy and how to be a Starfleet officer and how to be a person, and sisko looks up to him in a bit of an unhealthy way. Sisko knows that the easiest way to impress Curzon is to score with an alien. Sisko’s maybe a little curious to see if that’s what Garak is interested in, so that Sisko will have something to brag about with Curzon.

[sidenote: idk where Jennifer is in this timeline (but also the canon timeline of when Curzon and Sisko were off on adventures that included banging twin alien chicks and getting falling-down-drunk together seems inconsistent with the canon timeline of when Sisko and Jennifer met lolll)... anyway, maybe bennifer are on a break bc of the long-distance while he’s on Romulus, and/or bc she maybe doesn’t particularly like the influence Curzon has had on him and they very recently got in a fight about it.]

Okay, so now it’s that night in Sisko’s quarters. For now let’s just gloss right over the (presumably horny as hell) scene about the chopping and stewing and seasoning of the vegetables—during which the arguments (and resulting tensions) between them build and build, from little things like vegetable chopping techniques to the fundamental paradigms of their worldviews and senses of morality—and let’s fast forward directly into the middle of their fight about whether the federation sucks more than the cardassian empire: Garak out of nowhere just starts undoing his shirt while saying something inflammatory questioning the federation’s true commitment to cultural exchange... Garak basically implies that Sisko is a hypocrite who has been arguing for ideals he doesn’t believe in if he doesn’t want to bang Garak RIGHT NOW...

And then they bang, And it’s a mess, and they HATE each other, and it’s really hot. Or at least, that’s the idea. ( @delicatetrashstranger volunteered to help write the E-rated part, for which I am very grateful, lol.) In the end, the weird space jambalaya burns while they are going at it, and everything is ruined and smells terrible, and Sisko doesn’t even WANT to brag about this one to Curzon, because he is not proud of how he let Garak get under his skin. Garak maybe experiences A Consequence of some kind that makes him realize he can’t recklessly throw himself at Federation hotties (like... maybe something Sisko says makes him question a Truth he was certain of, or maybe this fling has jeopardized his assassination plans somehow, or maybe there is a close call where he almost reveals something personal about himself, or almost accidentally leaves behind his underwear, which is where he keeps some of his sci fi Spy Gadgets, lol idk).

The end!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this summary of my fic... I hope I actually write it one day XD (If anyone feels inspired by any aspect of this and wants to run with it, PLEASE DO! Also, if, like me, you desperately Need this fic to exist, feel free to let me know that you’re excited about it! My brain is all garashir all the time, so any WIP that’s not garashir sometimes needs to be helped along by external motivation lol.)

[heniareth]

For the OC ask meme: What does your character like in other people?, What was your OC's favorite toy/item as a child?, Under what circumstances do they find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?, How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?, In what situation was your OC the most calm they’ve ever been?, What is your favorite thing about your OC? for your Astala :) I chose one from every category. I hope that's alright. Don't feel pressed to answer all of them if it's too much :)

Heyy!! Thank you so much for the ask, this'll be fun XD Until I play the other games, it's once again time to talk about Astala Tabris.

What does your character like in other people?

On the top of the list is definitely loyalty. There's a special place in Astala's heart for loyal and dedicated people, people she can trust and rely on (almost) no matter what.

Apart from that, she likes people who are compassionate, people who are able to smile in the face of danger, people who can take a joke and fire one right back, and people who are truthful to who they are and stand up for it. If we're talking about looks, she tends to notice smiles. Somebody with a bright smile will almost never not be beautiful to her.

What was your OC’s favorite toy/item as a child?

She had a stuffed mabari that I’ve talked about here (and you’ve probably already read it, so I’m not going to repeat it). But that was her favorit toy, so there’s still a favourite item left XD

On one occasion her mother brought home a very nice pair of red boots for little Astala. They had some spots and smelled strongly of salt and algae, but they were red and warm and to die for. She was only ever allowed to wear them inside the alienage, never when they went to the market or the docks or any other place frequented by humans. Astala understood that her boots were a secret to be kept. She assumed that they’d be taken away from her if the humans saw her running around with something so nice. This made the boots all the more special, like her family’s own little rebellion. The real reason for hiding the boots, of course, was to avoid raising suspicions as to her mother’s illegal dealings. Astala wore them proudly until she outgrew them, at which point they passed on to the kid of a friend of her father’s.

Under what circumstances do they find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?

For Astala, killing is acceptable under the following circumstances: the person is actively attacking her and/or a friend and/or somebody who’s defenseless; they don’t back down or flee when given the chance to; and/or they have done something terrible to her or to a loved one. In this last case, the word isn’t exactly “it’s acceptable” for her and more “they deserved it”. Vaughan Urien, who’s the bad guy in the city elf’s backstory, is somebody Astala has killed (partly) out of vengeance. If a person surrenders, however, or if she beats them, she’ll almost always spare them. There are a few exceptions to this, one of them being if the person in question is a parent, which... complicates the matter very much. I’m very much looking forward to what she’ll do with Loghain. On one hand, he’s made a pact with slavers and allowed them to take her people to fund his war. On the other hand, he’s Anora’s father, Anora is right there... and he has surrendered. I really don’t know what will win in this case, her outrage over the injustice done to her people or the memory of how it felt losing her mother.

How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?

She definitely has one, although I don’t quite know how to describe it. So I’m just going to show you a bit:

"Why don't we take a moment to introduce ourselves properly? I'll start." Astala sat down cross-legged, straightened her back and affixed a smile to her face. "Hi! I'm Astala Tabris. I come from the Denerim Alienage and I've been a Grey Warden for a grand total of… For how long was I out again?"

"A night and a day," the witch, Morrigan, answered.

"I've been a Grey Warden for four days, then. I like flowers and plum-filled cakes with milk and honey, and I dislike itchy clothing and working at taverns. Alistair? Your turn." She gave him a pointed look over her smile.

Alistair pulled a face. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, you do," Astala nodded emphatically. "What else are you gonna bond over if not my terrific style of leadership?"

Alistair sighed, but shifted into a more upright position. "Right. I'm Alistair. I've been a Grey Warden for a year and a bit. I was trained as a templar before that."

"Wonderful,” Astala said, cheerful smile still plastered on her face. “Likes and dislikes?"

"Cheese and… and darkspawn? What do you want me to say?" Alistair threw the stick he had been breaking to tiny pieces into the campfire. "Where did you get this 'bonding activity' from anyway?"

Astala’s smile grew into a grin. "Why, the Chantry-run education program for us poor alienage kids, of course.”

That’s her sense of humor. It probably carries a good dose of mischief and general tomfoolery. She likes to mess around.

In what situation was your OC the most calm they’ve ever been?

At first, I was thinking about this in terms of “in what stressful situation was your OC the most calm”. And while Astala may appear calm outwardly, it’s a mask nine times out of ten.

The most calm she’s ever been is probably a few days after defeating the Archdemon. She’s still in that kind of post-battle haze where she wants to do nothing but lie around, maybe sleep for a while, maybe eat something, and this time she actually doesn’t have to do anything but lie around (Wynne expicitly told her so). The smoke clouds over Denerim have finally vanished, she’s home, her family is safe, her companions are alive and unharmed or have been healed, the Blight is over, Zevran is there... The future is a mystery and she doesn’t know what she’ll do next with her life, but that can wait. Right now, she has a chance to rest, and she grabs it with both hands.

What is your favorite thing about your OC?

I’m very attached with her reluctance to leave anybody behind and her fear of death. It’s something I can relate to and they make for good storytelling; at one point she’ll have to decide which of the two she’d rather do >:) . I also recently decided that if she’d ever have a symbol associated to her, it’s the sea and particularly the waves crashing against a rocky cliff, tunneling through the stone and dragging gravel in and out of the tunnels in an ever-thundering cacophony of sounds. The waves just have something relentless and unstoppable about them, and they smooth out even the hardest and roughest stone. I haven’t worked out yet if Astala is the stone or the waves; probably a bit of both. But I like this piece of symbolism.

---

Thank you so much for the ask!! These questions really are a ton of fun (and I got to share some writing! Yey! :D). It’s also amazing how much they can help to flesh out characters, or to reveal things that I knew but didn’t know I knew, if that makes sense. Anyways, I had a lot of fun with this and I hope you had fun reading it as well ^^

[alternativemiraculous]

Rambling about Zoé's character and how I'd write her. This is a long post trying to make Zoé more interesting FOR ME to write.

I'm a ML fic writer, I've been so since 2016 (if some of you speak Spanish I can send you some, I still write for this show but don't post it online anymore). I must admit I acknowledge most of the characters I write are ooc-ish, I try to stay true to their canon selves but I just cannot prevent myself from adding my personal touch. That and I don't want anything related to canon!Adrien. So for example I tend to make Marinette an introvert (she's still got amazing speech skills and loves her friends), in the "I like being alone as much as I like being with my adored friends, sometimes I need to recharge", or make Adrien more shy than he actually is (he being perfect and social doesn't make sense to me dhejhdjdkskw); based on Marinette having not many childhood friends, being good at keeping things to herself and Adrien being homeschooled and sometimes implied to be socially awkward.

So I've been thinking, what can I do with Zoé to make her more interesting but not, you know, an entire different character?

Canon-wise, she is sweeeet, very sweet, so good, sacrifices herself, loves her oh-so-awful sister no matter what, knows a lot about social interactions and acting and well, is amazingly good at acting (the way she switched her personality to piss off Banana), and was bullied.

What I dislike is how this along with the Chloé character arc, makes her a Mary Sue, or something similar. And, overall, she doesn't seem fun to write. Marinette and Lila, for example, are very fun characters to write, with Marinette being so creative and having amazing leadership skills in contrast to her overall clumsyness (and being anxious, which is something I relate to); and Lila being a colorful character with an interesting thought process (if written correctly and not in the canon way xd). Whereas Zoé's personality is "good Chloé with some good Lila".

Her acting part is the most interesting thing but it can clash with Lila's lying (and the fact that many of us already headcanon her as getting interested in acting). Imagine writing Lila, Zoé and Fei, three characters associated with lying/acting, in the same fic lmao. They're basically the chaotic, neutral, lawful meme.

I'd keep the acting thing and the "believes in Chloé" thing, to have someone contrast with Marinette (RIGHTFULLY) giving up with some people.

What I'd probably do is make her scared of making new friends because all the people she's had liked her for being a people pleaser, so having her be scared of this happening again kind of makes sense to me. So she's a good person but doesn't open up as fast and instead acts as a foil to Lila's making lots of friends fast but in a fake way. She would definitely not trust people that easily and we'd have to wait some more for Vesperia to appear. Because idk, it's just so weird having Marinette give a Miraculous to someone so new.

However, I do love the idea of her being more on the rebellious side, being the black sheep of the family. Her making Chloé believe she's a mean girl while doing the actual opposite is canon so it doesn't feel too ooc. Perhaps having a mother who'd like her to be this mean person while probably neglecting her, made her the total opposite?

A good-hearted rebellious girl who has two clashing wishes: one, to be a people pleaser (because of wanting Audrey's love) and two, to not give a fuck (because everyone turned against her the moment she was sincere). This would let us see some character growth (Zoé understanding her family is toxic, that she doesn't need to try and please them, and that there are healthy people she can be with).

So yeah, I'd make her hate her parents in secret, but not Chloé because she acknowledges she's abused too and has a somewhat soft spot for her. She'd feel the need to coddle her tho, and I feel it'd be interesting having her understand Chloé needs to be helped and called out at the same time. So we could still have the "I love you Chloé" but not give off the message that you must love your family even when they're toxic. Zoé really wants Chloé to become better but she'd have to understand that Chloé needs to be called out too. Idk I think it would be an interesting dynamic. Sometimes you want someone to become better and it becomes unhealthy for you too.

The difference with Lila would be that Lila lies for fun, to have attention, to have people love her; whereas Zoé doesn't outright lie, she totally acts and is more on the "I omit the truth, I don't create a new truth" side. Lila doesn't actually care if someone hates her as long as it's just one person who doesn't screw up her stories, whereas Zoé is a people pleaser by nature —she wants to be liked too, but not because she needs attention, and she feels bad when someone dislikes her. This way we'd have two characters showing us different sides of the "I want to be liked" trope.

And maybe the "I'm a rich kid who hates being rich and would rather not be rich/give the money to something important" can work with her too, but idk I don't really like writing rich people whjfjfhdjdw.