#we have a lot of story coming after this

[uldahstreetrat]

so, my non spoiler review for dawntrail:

I fucking loved it.

really and truly I think it built upon the exact themes I have loved so much from previous msq in ways that aligned perfectly for some very good symbolism and parallels. even to my own ocs! many new characters to this story reminded me of my own that I have written within this setting and I couldnt be happier about that. <3

[cowboy-robooty]

im not going to lie i have an illuminati type theory that fanfiction has gotten so fucking bad recently as yet another consequence of the pandemic

[welcometogrouchland]

I'm going to be so real I do not understand tim & steph shippers who feel that Steph dating Tim again would save her character. You can make an argument that giving Tim a more compelling love interest would be beneficial for him! And you can at least make an argument that the fujo mischaracterization of Steph would stop. However she'd still, inevitably, be treated as a prop character/extension for someone more popular 😭 it also wouldn't make her appear in more books! Tim doesn't have many frequent appearances at the moment either! You can just say you like the couple and want them back together without acting like you have some kind of moral stance

[asurrogateblog]

I genuinely honestly think however absurd is one of his saddest songs, between that and 'do not mock me when I say this is not a lie' and 'nothing is for keeps' like he was really going through it :(

Wait sidebar I just realized 'wide awake we go to sleep' isn't that what he did during his first trip with john??

REAL right??? like not only is it devastating (even just musically honestly the build-up at the end always Gets To Me) its also probably one of the most revealing of all his songs in terms of defining their relationship.... like "it's a funny thing, half-serious, with our hands on our ears" tells you SO much

I've always interpreted "wide awake we go to sleep" as similar, like "we know there's something here, but we have to close our eyes and pretend not to see it" but YAH now that you point it out, along with the previous line "living dreams with mouths ajar", its definitely reminding me of that particular incident between them.....hmmmmm

A line I fixate on is "when we made love the game was over", which I tend interpret as evidence that they only fucked for real once or a few times at most, and once it got that physical they were so far past the point of plausible deniability that they had to talk about it and their inability to actually do that eventually broke things. but I'd be interested to hear other thoughts on that line

but yah. what a song.

[witcheshollow]

I love that we have all collectively decided that Jeremys French tutor is going to be suspicious. We literally know nothing abt this person, but bc theyre Not Jean teaching Jeremy French they earned immediate suspicion

[burningcheese-merchant]

The relationship between Burning spice and Pepper Jack reminds me terribly of the relationship between CrowFeather and Breezepelt

of warrior cats

you just inspired by them?

Oh my God... Jesus, Mary and Joseph... Warrior Cats........ Got sent back in time like 15 years with this ask. I feel so old right now.... Live footage here

No actually, I wasn't thinking of Crowfeather and Breezepelt 😅😅😅 in all honesty I've been taking a lot of inspiration for Burning Spice and Pepper Jack's relationship from Kratos and Atreus from God of War (4 and 5). The sort of redemption arc/change of heart and post-redemption attitude/behavior I gave Spice in my canon bears a bit of resemblance to how Kratos behaves in GoW, and while I was imagining his relationship with Jack I remembered what Kratos goes through with his own son and realized I could maybe learn from that and see how I could make my version work with these two characters instead. Former mass-murdering, vengeful lunatic who's calmed down and realized the error of his ways and is just trying to carve out a decent life with his new family, having some issues connecting with his son because they're so different from each other in so many ways, and also because the father is hiding the truth of his dark past out of shame and fear of what the son will say and think. (Obviously I don't want to just straight up rip off GoW, just take inspiration haha. I think I've made my own take unique enough that I don't have to worry about it much)

I do want to draw Spice and Jack dressed up as Kratos and Atreus one of these days though :P maybe for Halloween or something. Gonna title it "God of Destruction" instead of God of War. It'll be cool I promise

... Chat, should I try to depict the family as cats from Warrior Cats now? I'm getting hit with nostalgia so fucking hard rn

[they-didnt-last]

anyone interested in talking about the iconic 2000's middle-grade-bordering-on-ya book series gallagher girls??

[twilightakiishi]

made that template for three :3 venchiya rundown!!! more in tags if u care

[vaguely-concerned]

I don't know what I love more, the fact that as rook you can make a statement in NO uncertain terms that you are NOT responsible one way or the other for the theological implications of the shit you're discovering in the 'regrets of the dread wolf' memories. not my jurisdiction. quite simply none of my business. not my chantry circus not my chantry monkeys. irrelevant to the matter at hand here we'll kill that god if we get to him he can get in line. or if the best thing about it is seeing the lone little 'lucanis approves' that pops up right after choosing it. corvid with a knife about to commit deicide keeping it real and sensibly, pragmatically, wilfully agnostic with me here in this magical lighthouse today

[pynkhues]

I think you explained something I've been pondering over for a while, namely why so many loustat fic writers hates lestat lol. Like I'm always taken aback by how often lestat is written as louis' sex toy who only exist to serve him and fulfill his (self-insert) fantasies or an evil patriarchal abuser who needs to be punished (or both). There's so many other ships they could pour ttheir energy into, if they truly see him as an evil racist abuser and louis as his helpess victim why even ship them. I'm actually fascinated by this fandom Christian-like obsession with punishment, paying for your sins, martydom and having an redemption arc. I find it interesting that people who consider themselves to be atheists and are anti-religion still succumb to this mentality. The prevalence of fics when louis needs to punish lestat (apparently killing him wasn't enough), make him suffer, lestat has to grovel at his feet, stop killing humans and only then he will deserve pure moral louis and then they will be "even". I find this attitude to be so immature, like this is not how relationships work irl, and yes it's a show about toxic vampires but, in my understanding it was never loustat dynamic to begin with. Something about moral purity in a show about vampires is just so funny to me.

Y'know, I actually think the main reason I've taken a big step back from reading fic and checking ao3 is because a few months ago, I opened two or three Lestat x Louis fics in a row that all had an author's note where the writer said that they hated Lestat. The concept of that alone honestly baffles me - not the hating Lestat part, I don't care what characters people do and don't engage with on the show - but the idea that you could write fic - and fic where Lestat is one half of a relationship - while hating the character is just wild to me. Why are you writing characters you don't like? Why are you shipping characters when you don't like one of them?

I just - - it really shocks me. As someone who's been writing fic for literally 20 years at this point, I can honestly say I've never written for a pairing where I haven't liked one of the characters, and it generates a lot of questions in me about the current state of fandom, the projection, the virtue signalling, the purity culture, and what that dictates about how people are willing to engage with stories.

But yeah, I guess more to your point, I don't disagree. I actually don't necessarily think it's unique to this fandom though? In the last fandom I was super active in - Good Girls - the main ship was a straight one between a gang leader (Rio) and a 'housewife' / mother of four (Beth) who'd resorted to a life of crime and found she had an aptitude for it after her husband lost their house, and there was an enormous sense of Beth needing to be punished sexually and otherwise in fic, especially after she shot Rio in the (admittedly underwritten) s2 finale.

It's kind of funny in that sense, because I have largely put the GG scenario down to internalised misogyny, especially given the volume of fans who watched the show exclusively for Rio, and who ended up feeling like Beth didn't 'deserve him', but it does feel different with IWTV. Not entirely maybe - I do think there's a sense of Lestat needing to 'earn' Louis back for instance which isn't necessarily tied to gender, but tied to a very shallow view of what relationships are, just as I think there is a cultural load and systemic connotations brought to scenes of violence, particularly intimate partner violence, when the person perpetrating is white (i.e. Beth shooting Rio, who is Latino, carries different weight than Rio shooting her white husband, and kidnapping her white sister, same with Lestat dropping Louis vs Louis slitting Lestat's throat + bashing a white man's head in after projecting Lestat's face onto him).

I think that's all important to talk about and to consider and reflect on, just as I think the insane amount of gender essentialism, TERF rhetoric, and feminisation in a gay ship is, but I agree that it feels married to a degree of moral purity and - I'd argue - it gets twisted up simultaneously with fetish, kink and fanon to make a bit of a melting pot of Stuff that feels difficult to reduce to any one thing.

I don't know if I think it's steeped in immaturity exactly - the people I know of writing some of the things that perpetuate a lot of these tropes and who have harrassed me and others I know are mostly in their late 20s and 30s - but I do wonder how much of it is tied to an isolated perspective of relationships and the world? I really do think you can tell when people don't often hear perspectives outside of their own in their day-to-day life, or, hell, I think people tell on themselves more than they realise in how they might phrase things, even on anon. I still joke with my sister about the doxxing attempt I got where one anon asked me if [my sister's first name] knew I wrote BDSM, which was meant as a clear threat, when my sister had literally sent me excerpts of the werewolf porn she was reading that day, lol. We also both talk about sex a lot, so like.

It wasn't an issue for me, but y'know, the sense I got was that the anon obviously thought I should be ashamed and my sister would be disgusted, and like - - I don't know. Most of my friends have read the smut I've written, man, and my sister doesn't care (my brother either now - given I told him what I wrote in the process of all of that, and he now finds it very funny to ask me loudly about my erotic fanfiction when we're on the train, so y'know, haha). It just felt very telling to me about how people like this think, how they feel about sex and smut, and also the relationships they have in their personal lives because, well, I guess from how they act, they wouldn't be talking to people in their real lives about any of this.

Is that Christian puritanicalism, is that immaturity, is that isolation, is that inexperience, is that something else, I don't know! It does feel wide spread in this fandom in particular right now, but I do think it's kind of everywhere, and I think the nature of this show having adapted this story as something both outright queer and diverse is pulling a lot of people towards it who might actually be more interested in the optics than the content.

[deus-ex-mona]

frusu is genuinely so funny to me~~ like, they have at least 1 legal adult on the team (riina), yet a literal high schooler (asuna) is the token responsible one of the squad

[rambles-on-dragon-age]

Varric doesn't give you the nickname Rook, your whole faction calls you Rook. It makes no sense to give you a faction specific last name and then your faction doesn't even use it, but yeah.

Hi hi!

This will be a bit of a ramble, sorry.

Varric, as a character, gives nicknames to those he's around for any length of time. (Solas is Chuckles, Merrill is Daisy, Vivi is Iron Lady, etc. Very few people in close contact with him will escape earning a moniker. I can go on about how I think it's one of his ways of telling people he sees them, but I digress.) The player character has been traveling with him for a year/the better part of a year. Varric would have definitely given them a nickname in that time. (Honestly it shocks me Harding doesn't have one by now but maybe he tried and she shut that down like Aveline once did lol) When you're putting out your things in the Lighthouse one of them is his shaving mirror and you have a moment of reflection about what he said when he hands it to you. There's also the whole time where he's giving you advice and guides you (IYKYK) and it's clear he means a lot to a Rook and they're close.

That is to say, no matter what faction you were with, you left in disgrace. You broke some code the higher ups held dear, messed up well laid plan, ignored orders to save people, etc. You didn't "fit the bill" for your faction and were summarily "adopted" by Varric to help in his hunt for Solas. Those things that made you a bad fit for your original faction? Made you perfect for what he's doing. A good person that doesn't let the potential costs stop them; they see what needs to happen to help people and will run head first into it and manage to figure a way through the most fucked up situations possible.

When you first meet Neve, you're introduced as Rook. "Like the chess piece?" Yes! One of the most powerful pieces on the board, "but tends to think in straight lines". Which becomes evident in all our shenanigans as Rook through the game. Rook's ability to claw their way through the worst situations and be flexible and creative means that Solas wouldn't be able to predict them or what they'll do. Which turns out to be right; he doesn't expect you to drop a statue on him in the middle of a massive ritual. Rook saw only "this ritual needs to stop NOW" and found a way, no matter the consequences.

I didn't hear that dialogue my first game, though, because I did my first run as a Shadow Dragon. Neve doesn't comment on the naming convention because instead Varric says you both do work with the Shadow Dragons and she just skims past the naming convention to say "Oh, what a coincidence." You are still introduced as Rook at first; it's not until later when you're in the Lighthouse where you can have the conversation that you've heard of each other even though you've never worked together.

Because even if I've worked in the group beside you under the same boss for 20 years, if you're introduced to me as "Rook" instead of "_____ Mercar" I'm not going to know who you are. It's not until later, probably while you're unconscious and she has a chance to speak to Harding, that she says she knows who you are. (Based on what Bellara says when you find her in the forest, you've been out cold for two or three days. Can you imagine what our detective figured out in two or three days?)

All that to say, if "Rook" was given to you by the Shadow Dragons, Neve would have said "Oh! I heard of a Rook." instead of just "Oh! What a coincidence we're both Shadow Dragons." She doesn't comment on who you are and what you've done until later when you have a chance to talk to her in the Lighthouse.

And throughout the game, you continue to be introduced as Rook. Even if you started as another faction, if you're written a letter about "Rook" and not your real name, why would anyone know who Rook is until they meet and go "Oh this lil shit right here. I know this asshole."

[20001541]

this line makes me wonder how long hori has had their backstory in mind, because in even in 193 afo states that yoichi was the only family he had left.

so I wonder if hori had their backstory in mind from the beginning or if he only had a vague idea of what their childhood looked like at this point.

I wouldn't be surprised if he did have their orphaned as babies backstory in mind here because the backstory explains so much of afo's behavior and the comic book they read was first mentioned here so he had to have some idea of how they stumbled across the comic that changed their lives at the very least ...

[aq2003]

i saw a post saying boom was good bc it feels like it could be done with any doctor/companion duo and honestly that was one of the things i felt was wrong with it

[keepthemacramesecret]

absently fantasizing about someone finding some unpublished ewh manuscript for a 4th raffles series. as one does. raffles' sister writes to bunny maybe, she never knew anything ofc and they never met but she was fond of her brother and she understands. so hes compelled to write up another 8 or 9 little adventures. maybe one is the ever hinted but never fully explained school-aged sneaking out. a few more from ham common now that some time has passed and theyre not open cases to be a risk for bunny to write about. it ends with a short structurally last-word-esque epilogue about raffles showing up on bunny's doorstep in 1908 or so because of course he survived and of course he couldnt come back right away but hes here now and wont bunny run away with him one more time?

[sonnenreich]

´004´     𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍     ⸻   𝔭𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔰,   𝔞𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰   &   𝔥𝔦𝔡𝔡𝔢𝔫   𝔭𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔞𝔩

𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖔:    ma    boy    is    currently    undergoing    a    soft hard   rework,    some    aspects    might    change    or    will    be    deepened    in    the    long    run.

Zeev   has   been   raised   as   a  witch   in   an   old fashioned   sense   and   as   such   I   like   him   best.   They   use   ingredients   to   change,   create,   manipulate   or   alter   an   object,   a   mental   state,   a   physical   condition   or   emotions.   Depending   on   the   intentions   though   it   is   either   seen   as   “wrong”   or   “right”. 

As   a   green   witch,   he's   very   versed   in   herbalism.   His   connection   to   nature   is  shown   in   his   versatile   knowledge   of   anything   that   has   to   do   with   earth.   He's   been   taught   to   heal   and   to   take   care   of   the   needs   of   the   earth,   animals   and   humans   alike.   If   in   need,   he   has   the   right   tools   to   help   unless   it   is   too   deep   of   a   sickness   (   genetic   ).

Any   human   he   spends   much   time   with   and   cares   for   will   be   less   sick   and   live   longer.

Since   youth,   Zeev   is   a   very   skillful   illusionist   (   hence   why   he's   able   to   hide   an   entire   house   within   the   woods   ).   They   are   usually   uphold   by   effigies,   hex   bags   or   spell   jars,   depending   on   intensity,   intention   and   aimed   longevity.   Later   in   life   he   makes   use   of   the   fairy   circles   who   twist   reality   in   their   own   way.

The   usage   of   dark   magic   in   itself   is   not   forbidden   as   it   is   as   natural   as   any   magic.   Enhanced   by   blood   it   is   strong   enough   to   manipulate   and   alter   reality   in   a   way   that   is   too   grand   of   an   intervention   in   the   natural   balance   of   the   earth's  law.   Every   magic   that   has   life   changing   influence   on   a   being's   mind   or   physicality   of   this   extent   (   like   appearance,   emotion,   memory,   genetic  illness   )   is   considered   dark   magic.   The   consequences   of   those   incantations   are   usually   too   vast   to   control.   With   this   in   mind,   dark   magic   can   be   considered   a   tool   to   do   potential   crimes—therefore   it   is   considered   forbidden.

𝐍𝐄𝐖  !  Zeev possesses an ability he calls Parheling (based on Parhelion), a power that allows him to leave behind temporary imprints of himself—echoes of past actions that linger for a short while before fading. These echoes are not conscious but rather fragments of his presence, repeating moments in a loop. Like the afterimage of looking into bright light. Sometimes, his presence tears reality, leaving behind a lingering aura—not just of himself, but of the emotion he felt at the time. If someone enters a place where one of his emotional imprints remains, they might experience a flash of that moment—like a whisper or false memory. Those accidents can lead to revealing truths he'd rather have kept hidden. All underlining his wish to be seen, being stuck to a place and followed by the past.

‧₊⚝   when   he's   happy,   content   and   feeling   safe,   he   practically   glows   (   maybe   a   great   nightlight?   ),   when   feeling   blue   he   seems   to   be   lacking   color

‧₊⚝  he  possesses  the  ability  to  gain  insight  into  a  question  or  situation  using  following  techniques:  heliomancy  (sun),  haruspicy  (entrails),  palmistry,  tasseomancy,  cartomancy

‧₊⚝  he's  very  versed  in  the  usage  of  dark  magic  and  despite  its  price  able  to  shift  the  consequences  for  the  most  part.  averting,  diverting  and  deflecting,  but  he's  still  not  unaffected.

‧₊⚝   his   body   heat   is   always   slighty—but   noticeable—above   average

‧₊⚝   able   to   summon   a   fairy   circle   unconsciously   at   times   of   tremendous   magical   discharge

‧₊⚝   knows   the   name   of   everyone   who   steps   into   the   ( Sundawn )   Woods   as   the   ancient   trees   speak   to   him

‧₊⚝   quite   the   useless   ability,   but   Zeev   wakes   the   second   the   sun   rises

‧₊⚝   when   angered   he   emits   an   uncanny   presence   that   will   be   noticed

‧₊⚝   he   is   (   like   every   witch   )   considered   alluringly   and   confusingly   attractive

𝐍𝐄𝐖  &  𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃  !   as   the   child   of   a   fae   prophecy   /   curse   he   is   the   closest   to   the   ancient   roots   of   his   family   (   witches   =   far  fae descendants   )   and   therefore   inherits   the   potential   of   fae   magic,   but   to   reach   that   potential   he   needs   to   accept   his   heritage   and   tend   to   a   wound   that   has   been   drawn   millennia   ago,   that   heritage   will   grant   him   the   ability   to   move   between   the   Otherworld   and   the   Realm   of   the   Humans,   healing   upon   touch,   increased nature   manipulation,   gift   of   foresight,  invocation.