#FINALLY... A CANONICALLY LITERATE TALON.....

[mercless]

i have no lore or other content but dw im already cooking

[chow0w]

Hey, can u do Tsunami?!

Of course I can! Here's my Tsunami redesign:

I don't often do these and question whether or not I've finally strayed so far off canon that the character is unrecognizable, but Tsunami's redesign is so crazy I'm actually scared for my life. I have a lot of explaining to do.

First and foremost, all of the dominant colors have been changed: Tsunami now rocks green undertones (inherited from Gill) (R.I.P) and some orange scales, which she would have received from (redesigned) Queen Coral who has coral colors in my head. In an effort to make these contrasting colors work, I lightened them a lot and made her main scale color a deep navy! The parental similarities don't stop there: Tsunami has coral-shaped horns and extra webs on her talons and tail, along with some big frills on her spine. I also moved her glowing scales to be predominately on her underbelly + forearms/webs, as I thought it was more harmonious with those lighter colors. And I gave her the chubbiness she deserves: her build now reflects her strength as a fighter!

Finally, Tsunami's dominant patterns are swirls and waves, meant to resemble a literal Tsunami or curl of a wave. I think this design suits her much more, and gives her a first impression that truly matches her character.

--

Here's my current waitlist for designs: Sunny, Clearsight, Luna, Freedom, Bigtail, Cricket, Clay, Blaze, Queen Thorn, Starflight, Darkstalker, Snowfall, Grandeur, Sky, Lynx, Queen Oasis, Queen Wasp, Dusky, Sundew, Whiteout, Squid, Bumblebee, Sky, Winter and Kinkajou!

And for new readers, here's who I've already designed! You can find these guys further up in my blog: Lady Jewel, Blue, Moon, Typhoon, Albatross, Glory, Peril, and Turtle!

As always, thank you so much for all of your support! Seeing this series grow truly is the coolest thing, and I hope I can continue to put out good designs! If you don't see your favorite on either of those lists, feel free to stop by my askbox - same as if you've got any general questions or comments!

later ( ◡‿�� )♡

[momo-yandere-writings]

Hi I really LOVE your works literally so much😭, I just wanted to request, it may be weird, what about a witch reader who has social anxiety or just don't interacts with people, so when she would feel lonely she would bring her daily objects to life for company and turn them back into normal again, but one day one object manages to hide so reader isn't able to turn him back, and this object just feel absolute devotion to reader, bcs reader quite literally owns him

I haven’t really done a request in forever, but I absolutely adore this idea! Adore adore adore. Thank you so much, anon ❤️❤️

Yandere Head Canon: Prized Posession

Yandere Gargoyle x Fem Witch Reader

TW: Yandere content. You should know by now the content I write

You were often lonely in your cabin tucked away deep in the mountains. Your only living company was the animals that lived in the forest. Life was easier this way.

Humans terrified you due to their unpredictable and chaotic behavior. You appeared human for the most part, but you were a witch. And you never knew if they burn you at the stake if they found out, so you decided to live as far away from civilization as possible.

It did not help that you were incredibly, socially anxious, so you’d likely hiccup and reveal your identity anyways. So you decided stay in this forest in this old, abandoned gothic manor for the rest of your days.

You often wondered if the old master of this house with some kind of nobleman or maybe even a vampire. Regardless, this place was yours, and you could do with it whatever you pleased.

Yet, you were lonely. Painfully lonely. So you often used your magic to re-animate objects around your house for company.

It started off innocently. You would bring the teapot and the tea cups to life and they would be a happy little family as I talk with you about their mundane lives. You never realized how objects can hold memories… each object sharing memories with you until you ultimately returned them to their original form.

You began to grow bolder and bolder with the objects you brought to life until you finally stumbled across to gargoyle above the front door. It’s monstrous form crouched, menacingly above the manor to keep trespassers away. It’s large bat like wings spread out intimidatingly.

You decided to bring him to life. Your eyes widened when he flew down to stand before you. He was almost 7 feet tall and pure muscle. He was somewhat humanoid, but still obviously a monster. He stood on two legs his fingers and toes had sharp talons. His face elongated into the snout of a vampire bat.

His voice was deep, masculine, and gravely, like he had been a smoker for most of his life. Yet the gargoyle was very polite.

Out of all of the objects you brought to life, the gargoyle was the best company. He reminded you of those gentlemen written in romance novels with his manners and patient demeanor. It was only his monstrous appearance that startled you.

He would sit with you and stare at you with those piercing gray eyes, almost as if he was studying you like a specimen. He would hang on your every word, as if you were the most interesting creature in the world.

You weren’t used to such attention, especially not from the opposite gender. Yet he always made you feel special. Like a lady…

He would pull your chair out for you before he poured your tea, and then he would sweeten it exactly the way you preferred. You were both flattered and a bit frightened with how much knowledge he had of your habits…

The gargoyle would also dance with you under the moonlight, his hands were cold stone. Sometimes his hand would sneak around your waist and he’d pull you closer like you were his lover. A chuckle would always escape his lips when you’d gasp.

“ I want a name.” He whispered in your ear as he sat beside you as you read a book next to him in your study,

“A name?” You softly asked him. “Hmm… what about Grim?”

His face turned up into the slightest of smiles. His clawed hand took yours.

“Grim… my name is Grim.” He planted a kiss on the back of your hand. A shiver rolled up your spine from how cold he was. 

Since that day, Grim wouldn’t let you turn him back into a lifeless gargoyle. He would hide from you every time they broke.

“You’ll be lonely during the day if you don’t have somebody.” He would insist. Yet you couldn’t help the feeling that bubbled in your gut that something wasn’t right with him. Why was Grim so insistent on being by your side? Weren’t gargoyles always meant to be silent watchers over the home?

Sometimes, when you wake up from sleep, he would look through your spell books. Yet he didn’t even feel shame when you caught him. He would just give you that signature ghost of a smile as he held the book close to his chest.

“Good morning, mistress. I’m just studying these pages to see if I can find something to further deepen our bond.”

You hated confrontation, so you didn’t correct his behavior. A mistake that would haunt you.

A week later, and he became more and more animated. It began to scare you since he was no longer cold to the touch like a sculpture… no. He was warm like a body. He felt like a living creature.

You gulped when you felt a pulse. He wasn’t supposed to have one of those… this is why your instructors back in a day always warned you to never leave an object alive for too long. Objects could learn sentence and eventually become their own being… and now you had the full attention of a century old gargoyle. One that would never let you go.

He began to spin your body around in the daily waltz you always danced with him. His snout borrowed into the crook of your neck as he inhaled your scent greedily.

“I’m so happy I can finally smell your sweet scent, mistress. I was so lonely for a century in this manor. But you brought me to life. You listen to me and talk with me… I want to always be with you. Please… won’t you be mine as I am yours?”

You felt his bat like wings pull your body closer to his as he pressed his lips to the top of your head like a lover would. “I wish to be your one and only, mistress. I want to be your prize possession and you be mine. So won’t you stay with me?”

You sighed and wrapped your arms around him. It was not as if you had a choice. You had a responsibility now, and it was to keep this creature content. Even if you had to be his prized possession.

[mohntilyet]

literally cannot remember if this is already a post you made but do u think about if illario was a companion character and lucanis wasnt (maybe still rescued from the ossuary, maybe not). would he even be a viable companion character. etc.

i think i've mentioned it in tags but god yeah i've been thinking about companion illario. through bias and visions i think he could have made a really great companion!!!! i just don’t think we had enough who lie to/betray you in veilguard and i was like illario would love to do this <3 or at least TRY to do this and find that he can’t, because the betrayal-according-to-approval mechanic would return in this concept. this assumes a lot of things that i consider to be canon, including that illario’s a genuinely good assassin (YMMV on this i think. i look upon him with rose tinted glasses) but we’re introduced to illario as the second-best option who accompanied lucanis on various mage-killing quests.

he’s recruited in minrathous and not treviso because he’s been killing venatori like a man crazed. i forget who made the post but the one about how veilguard recruitment quests feel forced because you are recruiting, when stumbling on the right people could have felt more organic and a lot less formulated. he’s been operating in minrathous as the ‘demon of vyrantium’, which he admits to rook that he’s not the original. the original was lucanis, who was captured and killed by the venatori, and in his grief, has been trying to kill the magister (zara) that killed his cousin. he’s actually very nice and fun for an assassin, but players get the feeling that the charm is practiced, and there are glimpses into the “something rotten” under the surface.

what the players also do not know is that his hatred for the venatori is definitely projecting his guilt, because even in this au, illario is the guy who originally betrayed his brother and his complexes (slash pos slash hot slash i often picture him on his knees) remain. anyways. plot breakdown under the cut because its so fucking long and please take with a grain of salt because this was workshopped on a call with fie, who ‘yes and’s everything i say, so it might not be the greatest plot ever. nor very coherent. however, this is my blog and i can say whatever i want

act one recruitment: hunting down and killing zara. there’s foreshadowing here or something where she definitely recognises him and the facial animation leans towards “betrayal”. like zara saying “you?” in a way that can be mistaken for fear, when it’s recognition and betrayal + illario killing her before she can reveal anything else. they find evidence that lucanis is still alive and you see how excited he is, but also very conflicted. illario finally returns to treviso, and you immediately see the favoritism when he informs caterina that lucanis could still be out there. caterina delights in the idea of her favorite weapon back in her possession, and illario swears to bring him back.

in between: there’s a venatori leak! the magisters send some back up to weisshaupt which makes things a lot harder for the veilguard (miniboss before ghil?), and it contributes to failing to strike at ghilanain. but who could it be? everyone is a bit wary of each other, and causes friction.

act two: the ossuary <3 inexplicably, illario has found where lucanis is. the veilguard fights their way in and out, escaping with lucanis and destroying the vial of blood. they also find out lucanis is possessed, and when they return to treviso, after the shock and relief leaves, there’s a gleam in caterina’s eyes. illario is moved up in line of succession because caterina can’t see an abomination becoming talon (canon not discussing that he’s fucking possessed pisses me off so bad btw), and she’s obviously envisioning a world where lucanis’ leash is passed onto the grandson she’d seen as lesser, but has recently proved himself better than she had previously judged. suddenly, illario has everything he’s ever wanted, but not in the way he’s wanted it. he’s never wanted to necessarily be greater than, and doesn’t want to lose him. illario is very uncomfortable about becoming a new caterina to lucanis, but can’t express himself or explain it because he’s deeply repressed and he’s trying to be happy because, isn’t this what he wants?

in between: illario’s acting super weird. a high approval illario is a lot more awkward and doesn’t seem to know what to say, which is a first for him. he’s obviously putting on a brave/pretty face on, and hesitates to say something— but finally just thanks rook for helping him get lucanis back. a low approval illario is actually much happier, smiling and laughing and delighted by the way things have gone, with rook/the player none the wiser about what’s happened. (kind of like… bull’s reaction to the chargers in the dreadnought quest being positive either way, but the repercussions come later)

if you are in a romance, a low approval illario will trigger a sex scene, a high approval illario does the dellamorte branded “lean in for a kiss but he can’t bring himself to actually follow through and leaves rook awkwardly”. the differences in reaction would ideally confuse and interest players :)

act three: hinges on approval rating. illario plotted to trade rook’s life for lucanis’. the venatori at weisshaupt was supposed to be their shot to kill them, but failed to do so, and now they’re forcing him to make good on his deal. there’s a cutscene where the party is led into a trap and a high ranking venatori magister— the one who actually experimented on lucanis (because zara is like a middle man. she wants the blood but isn’t the evil mage scientist who did all the experiments)— shows himself and reveals everything illario has done. he was the one behind lucanis’ initial ‘death’. how the venatori leak was him. illario is desperately trying to keep the venatori’s mouth shut, but the magister is tricking him with magic as he tries harder and harder to keep his cover. a fun, trippy kind of sequence where there are illusions and mindfucky magic as illario stabs at the magister and finds out he’s attacking air, and the party keeps getting attacked with magic that they can’t figure out is real or not until it hits them, in this hall of mirrors type freakshow. it splits into two different paths:

low approval: the deal to save lucanis over rook was made early on, and nothing they have done has made illario think differently. he’s scripted to be more defensive and try to stop the magister from speaking, ignoring the party and thinking only about how he can keep his secrets but failing to. he’s angry that his plans have fallen down around him, and attacks both the party and venatori, determined to keep his failures from reaching anyone else (god forbid it reach caterina). the party are forced to kill him when he turns on them, willing to work with the venatori to keep the power he has before it slips away from him again.

high approval: everything they have done has made illario think differently and he’s spent ages regretting and trying to find a way out of the deal (see: the distress he feels right after becoming first talon, interesting codexes, etc). he’s scripted to defend rook from magic, at cost to himself, physically protecting his friends/rook from the magister and getting in the way of spells. he admits what he’s done and pleads with them to help him, despite having no reason to trust him. after the party fights the magister off together, illario begs for forgiveness, explaining himself, how regret couldn’t make up for what he’s done but he’s still tried to change things, change himself. but how could you ignore the feeling that, as with everything else in his life, that this is another lie? you get the choice to trust him and forgive him, or kill him for betraying the veilguard. i think this can hit harder if he’s romanced and you forgive him. the image of him pleading literally on his knees is about to get me to black out, followed by a rook who gets down on the ground and lowers themselves to his level just to kiss him before pulling them both up onto their feet again…. its like a ‘i fear to stain your hands with blood’ moment <3

completed companion quest: faced with compassion that he’s basically never extended to anyone, illario is inspired. he admits this guilt to lucanis, wanting to make him talon and leave everything behind, and while lucanis initially is obviously both angry and distressed, he later seeks out illario by himself, and their reconciliation happens off screen. i’d love for rook to be there so i could this but i honestly do not think its their place like can we leave the dellamortes to do this by themselves. in private its just a very “you went through hell to get me back. i think i need to give you a chance” + a slow rebuilding of the trust they had. and also lucanis has not even gotten the same outside support system as illario has taken his place and i think it’s good to note that. well. illario is about the most positive his relationships get and the only other person he would potentially have is caterina, who is also a more intense and outwardly scheming in this au. so not to be like “lucanis has no choice” but he kinda has no choice LOL. the point is: lucanis decides to protect him, and says that this betrayal is something they have to keep secret together as long as it safeguards illario, which safeguards himself. like what would the crows think of 1) illario trying to usurp power using an outside source (infighting/betrayal is okay. bringing a third party into crow business is not), 2) illario losing the idgaf war and desperately bringing lucanis back, 3) lucanis being possessed, 4) lucanis forgiving illario despite it all because they’re so codependent they can’t even bring themselves to leave the other. house dellamorte so weak that they can’t snuff out the weakness in each other? oh fucking brother. they can’t let anyone know how dire this situation is, and need to present a united front. also the terrible fact that they love each other deeply remains. mentioned in banter probably? eg:

“So… what do the Crows think?” // “The Crows don’t know.” // “…What? But your brother, and you—“ // “Are keeping it to ourselves. We’ve discussed this. House Dellamorte can’t afford to look divided, not right now.” // “So, what, he just forgave you?! You’re moving on? From trying to kill him?” // “'Forgave' is such a strong word, but maybe someday, yes. And we’re not just family, we’re Antivan Crows. You should know by now that we’re odd like this.”

“Illario. How long do you think you can keep that secret?” // “Considering only us, Lucanis and I know about it, hopefully forever. He insists that no one else has to know. Or should I be afraid that you’re going to go tell on me?” // “No! It’s just… Lucanis doesn’t, I don’t know, want vengeance?” // “Ha! He is the vengeancey one. But no. No, he’s… between the two of us, he’s always been the good one.” // “Lucky you.”

i also picture a lot of post revelations blackwall type banters and maybe something like davrin going “I have to believe you can be better, that you’ve changed. Half the Wardens are like that.” and once again i have to grieve varric because if there’s anyone that would understand lying their ass off and having mixed feelings about their brother, IT’S HIM LOOLLL. i think harding would treat him quite harshly, and neve loses a lot of respect because why would you ever even think about working with the venatori. but there’s a recognition over how he’s changed for the better. i think bellara is the surprise sympathiser, with everything she feels about cyrian. (“For a second, listening to Anaris to be with my brother again was worth it. So… yeah. I get it.” // “You weren’t foolish enough to fall for it. I did.” // “But you’re fixing it, aren’t you?” // “I’m trying.” // “Cyrian tried too. And if I can still forgive him, I can forgive you too.” // “…Thank you.” )

i also think a serious talk about being talon happens, where lucanis doesn't think he should be talon (possessed so his self worth is at an all time low. and also he's always thought illario should be talon anyway) and asks illario to keep the title. which is... weird because suddenly illario realises he doesn't necessarily want to be talon anymore. sure he can, sure he finally has caterina's approval, but he's got a new chance in life and he's not sure he wants to spend his life running an organisation that doesn't even care about him, would betray him first chance they got and remind him of the way he used to be, or see who he is the way the veilguard/lucanis has. his bitterness towards caterina also trumps his envy of lucanis, and the idea of lucanis resenting him as much as he resents caterina is something he'd like to avoid, which is another reason he's uncomfortable with being expected to tug at the leash. indecisive, illario can't quite fully commit himself to the crows, but is nervous about what leaving them would mean.

endgame: he would take lucanis’ place as a magekiller in this ofc, so he’s the guy killing ghil, and (for now….) first talon leading the crows to fight in minrathous (illario: “one of us should probably say something. remind the crows in whose name this fight is to be fought. we are emotional beings after all, and rhetoric is the fuel that feeds the fire—“ viago: “maker’s sake just give your speech”) i’ve also implied romance throughout this ask while not discussing it properly (ask me about it later. i need time to think on the whole romance arc and beats i know it exists but i refuse to give out half baked illario thoughts.) and i think the endgame post-fade prison talk would be very sweet and so intensely genuine/sincere and illario’s half struggling with being this truthful but pushes through because he wants to say “i love you” and really mean it. almost losing rook has put his priorities in order, and rook is at the top of this order, which has made him reevaluate everything else in his life and realise, "i don't think i can live without you. please don't make me". it’s fun for me that lucanis’ romance is a first in many different ways, but for illario it would be the first time experiencing actual romantic feelings for someone that he’s not faking, so you can imagine the damage its wrecking on his crow-psyche. sometime here i think there’d also be a decision where he’d ask to leave the crows and be with rook, tho i also think if given the chance to develop he could actually find something he cares more about than being first talon. genuine affection might kill him, reciprocated affection would probably be the nail in that “fuck the crows actually i just found out i like life outside of treviso” coffin.

but this is kind of leaning towards “illario only leaves the crows if you romance him” which i don’t like the sound of. he should be able to do that without a romantic relationship. i think narratively the best way to end this arc is for illario to leave the crows after having found alternatives to what he believed his life should amount to (as i think lucanis should have in veilguard), but i also don’t exactly know how to end it. i do want house dellamorte to be defunct, like an ‘illario leaves, and so does lucanis’ thing, where even lucanis gets the chance to grow out of believing “death is his calling”. i also like the idea that illario, ever the extrovert, gets real friends and is like “LUCANIS. you gotta fucking experience this” LMFAO. i’m thinking maybe the companion you spend most time with illario in the party after his act 3 quest starts to suggest things, so neve being like “you made a pretty great demon of vyrantium. consider making venatori-killing your full time job, you were good at it, despite all the traitor stuff.” or taash going “you know, you wouldn’t be the first lord of fortune to make mind numbingly stupid mistakes. drop by sometime. you and isabela can bond over it.” and they’re half joking but it makes the cogs in illario’s mind turn where he’s like “whoa. i could just. stay with the people who like me!” and where he goes is mentioned in the epilogue. a romanced illario would potentially just join the faction rook is a part of, tho a de riva would probably be unique in choosing if they want to remain a crow.

HOWEVER. i honestly don’t know if this is in character. fie and i convinced ourselves it was but i’ve had some time to really chew on it and idk if he’d want to give his ambitions up?? if someone has managed to read on this far, feel free to suggest things if you like i am always stumped because i don’t actually want to crows to stop being an assassin house, and there’s ofc no way to really make them ‘softer’ without taking away the bite that makes them interesting to play with. but extricating the dellamorte cousins from this WHILE feeling true to dragon age writing is difficult lol. just let me think. i’ll be back with some results hopefully.

side note: if illario is killed, lucanis takes his place with some difficulty (spite getting in the way, and no relationship building as he would get in canon) especially because despite his incredibly complicated feelings about his cousin trying to kill him, all of his anger is directed at rook for actually killing him. it doesn’t matter if lucanis would/could have never forgiven him, or otherwise, rook has taken that chance of hashing it out with illario from him completely, and lucanis won’t forgive them for it.

anyways the potential endings and first talons:

lucanis defaults into first talon if illario is killed as the only remaining heir, and struggles in this role alone, though the fact he is an abomination helps keep the crows in control for a while #cycles #snakethateatsitsowntail #housedellamorteissocooked

illario can remain first talon if encouraged to stay during the endgame, or if romanced by a rook de riva that also chooses to stay with the crows. depending on how the crow missions were complete, his direction with the crows either hardens/softens the organisation.

teia becomes first talon if illario decides to leave the crows, and rook has made choices that lean towards ‘softening’ the crows, eg. sparing ivenci to humiliate him, helping the crow-venatori loves run away, being kind towards jacobus, etc. the crows gain a reputation for coercion and can once in a while be found targeting, killing or exposing corrupt officials.

viago becomes first talon if illario decides to leave the crows, and rook has made choices that lean towards ‘hardening’ the crows, eg. killing ivenci to humiliate him, turning in the crow-venatori lovers, being harsh with jacobus, etc. the crows gain a reputation for efficient, quick assassinations that tip the scales towards anyone who can pay for their services.

if missions were not complete, the antivan crows’ reputation falls as they get sloppier, unable to recover from their losses and struggling to keep ahold of their power. there’s a reshuffling of talons, but the crows are in such disarray that it takes a decade for them to recover and gain back the effeciency they used to be infamous for.

ANYWAYS. sorry for that it is actually getting away from me and i don’t know how much of this is clear and how much of it is just my wishful thinking. i think there’s enough good things here to publish as an answer tho i’m aware this plot is kind of dollar store zevran LOL. maybe the best way to describe it is that i’ve accidentally combined blackwall, bull, and zevran’s arcs into this. hope this is at least a bit compelling for you anon!!!!!

[dr-spectre]

I heard about how in Bancala Walker there was a short story about Marina and Acht and their time in the domes. And I'm gonna be 100% honest with you. It kinda makes me mad, and it really highlights a massive problem with Splatoon as a whole, and that's how it treats its stories.

(Yep I'm rambling about Splatoon's storytelling for the 500th time, welcome to my blog.)

Since Splatoon 2, the series has had a weird relationship with its storytelling, the main stories of each campaign are very simplistic and are very video game like plots. "Go get the Great Zapfish back and save Captain Cuttlefish. Go get the Great Zapfish again and find Callie. Find the thangs and get out. GO GET THE ZAPFISH AGAIN AND SAVE CAPTAIN CUTTLEFISH AGAIN!!! Climb up the tower." Splatoon 1 got away with this because it's clearly the most "tutorial" mode out of any of the single player campaigns and it doesn't really try to say any deeper messages or express a character arc.

Now, obviously video game stories must have goals for the player to work towards, I'm not complaining about that, you gotta have that stuff in games to motivate the player, however, what really drives me up a wall is when they decide to add depth and interesting things relating to the characters and world, yet they intentionally throw away that same depth and chuck it to the side. Hell they sometimes retcon the optional hard to find lore or make it more confusing just because!! If you're gonna add depth and something else to these stories, you HAVE to actually explore it and expand upon it WITHIN THE STORY! You cannot add it as "extra lore" when it's stuff that should have been in the main storyline to begin with. It's like not adding seasoning to chicken and that you boiled the fucking chicken and wrapped it in lettuce and mayonnaise.

I could obviously talk about the elephant in the room... you know... this little goober right here. This freak.

And I'm going to.

From the concept art we were given, we know that Callie was originally gonna have more exploration into her troubling mental health issues as seen by her being in the shadows and being comforted by Octarians. It's a significantly different tone compared to the final product.

However in the final game, they tossed MOST of this shit away and say in the game as well as in official media, "naw she was kidnapped and brainwashed forcefully because she's a dumb clutz lmao." They tried to backtrack with an obscure relationship chart, the sunken scrolls and Squid Sisters web prequel series, but then they backtracked AGAIN with the Splatoon 3 artbook that states that she was "brainwashed." It's an incredibly simplified and frankly insulting version of events that are TECHNICALLY canon but Nintendo and others don't treat it as such and i don't know why. I dont know why they treat Callie like this. Is it because she's silly?

Wouldn't it be more interesting and more powerful as a story if they made Callie had more control and awareness of her actions? That she was truly acting upon her mental illness and isolation? Putting DJ Octavio, the fucking funny octopus guy on the same level as Talon from Overwatch and Hydra from Marvel, the literal nazis who damaged Bucky Barnes' brain and removed all of his memories, making him into the Winter Solider, is fucking psychotic and actually insane of Nintendo to do.

There is also Acht and how they were shown between Octo Expansion and Side Order.

Some of the most powerful stories in media have strong character arcs and characters overcoming their struggles and pain. It is inspirating and incredibly real to see a loved one reach out to a person that they care about who have lost their way, either from mental illness or drugs. Trying to bring them back and help them go through their pain together. When someone is under distress and mental health troubles, they can act like a completely different person and the fact that Nintendo half assed serious topics like this and made shit WAY WORSE boils my blood to no end.

In Octo Expansion, we were told that they went under Sanitization willingly in order to remove doubts in their mind and put their all into music. Now due to the unknowns of Sanitization at the time, this made for a really interesting character and brought up a lot of interesting questions as to why they would do this and who they are.

However, in Side Order when they explained Sanitization further and told us that Acht lost all of their free will and were FORCED to make music for Tartar, it kinda damaged their story a little bit. Like sure, Acht still probably wanted to go under Sanitization to clear their doubts and remove emotion, but the added information kinda goes against the interesting story they were trying to tell with Acht. Acht doesn't even mention why they went under Sanitization in Side Order and their reasoning is only found IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POST BACK IN 2018!!! THEY DON'T RESTATE IT AT ALL WHEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPORTANT TO DO SO! They kinda tell us via their letters, but guess when you get those, IN THE POST GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This leads me to another big talking point, most of the lore is hidden and hard to find. You have to go out of your way to find most of the shit Splatoon has to offer. Sunken Scrolls are hidden collectables and most people don't wanna go through the effort of finding them all in the stages, the chat logs in Octo Expansion are completely optional due to entries being tied to specific stations and you can choose to easily skip them, the dev diaries are locked behind lockers and some people may complete Side Order in a manner where they can get to the final boss and be done with the main campaign before seeing most of the entries. Now I'm not saying that there cannot be extra lore tidbits for players to find, hell no, i love extra stuff like that, i think Splatoon 1 and 3's hero modes did a really job of that. BUT WHEN YOU HIDE AWAY IMPORTANT DETAILS LIKE CALLIE'S MOTIVATION IN SPLATOON 2 AND MARINA'S AND PEARL'S BACKSTORIES!?!? YEAH I GOT A FUCKING PROBLEM RIGHT THERE!

In other games, these would be cutscenes or a bunch of mandatory dialogue, BUT NOPE! THEY ARE IN HARD TO FIND SPOTS!

Some of the other lore details are found on social media posts and some of them are YEARS old or on Splatoon's dead Tumblr account. Most people would rather go to Inkipedia and even they can sometimes make vital mistakes or have wording that gives people the wrong idea on what happened in particular events, which heavily impacts the community and discussion. When i talk about my perspective on what happened to Callie in Splatoon 2, I've seen people say to me "wait really? Huh?! I didn't know that." The amount of research you gotta do to go into these characters is an absolute nightmare, AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE SPLATBANDS!!! Their lore is literally locked behind Japanese exclusive expensive artbooks!!! WHY?!?!

I really do wanna stress again, is it cool to get cool lore outside of the games and as collectables?! ABSOLUTELY! You know how awesome it was to read the Alterna logs for the first time? The smile on my face seeing Pearl and Marina back in the Final Fest in Side Order. But when the main stories suffer because of important information being tossed to the side and not applied to the main games... I dont know man, it just becomes incredibly frustrating to me personally. Especially with all the misconceptions and other things that occur within the community, the fandom has an information problem and honestly, it's Nintendo's fault. Imagine if Side Order had flashbacks to a younger Marina and Acht, it would have helped with the middle chunk of the story being so... nothing.

[celaenaeiln]

I just finished Forever Evil and I think it’s insane how this man who even though is a parallel for Batman is still not Bruce and yet he shares the same codependency to his Dick, just like Bruce is lmao 😂 I’m starting to think that Damian is the only Wayne who have a healthy relationship with Dick, and that’s because it’s Dick himself who mentors & takes care of him 😂

YES YES YES!!!

I'm so glad you noticed!!

Dick isn't just made for Bruce okay, he was made for the Wayne family.

Like this is actually canon!!

Telos - the AI who was the one who used his powers to cause the convergence of the multiverses in Convergence - says this

Convergence Issue #4

"Your Batman. He died protecting you. Or trying to. The bond between you and Bruce Wayne echoes in every reality."

And he's right. Well, almost.

Convergence Issue #4

THOMAS WAYNE LITERALLY WENT FROM "I don't care if you die" to "I'M BLOWING MYSELF UP TO SAVE YOU. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR LAST NAME IS, IT'S WAYNE NOW BISH" in two seconds flat.

Convergence Issue #2

And the thing is Bruce's dad and Dick didn't even know each other until like an hour ago but instantly Thomas Wayne was taken by him.

Ofcourse you have Bruce's brother too who also loves Dick

Justice League (2011) Issue #25

"In another world, you called me the brother you never had. And you were the brother I always hoped for."

Which is a pretty big thing given what he did to Bruce:

Justice League (2011) Issue #25

But does it end there? Is Thomas Wayne Jr's twisted desire to have Dick by his side again the finale of the show? NO BECAUSE IT ISN'T EVEN THE CLIMAX

He murdered Dick's parents just so he could have Dick bond with him. He crossed to a whole another world because he was driven mad with grief at not having Dick by his side

Justice League (2011) Issue #25

You know what this means? If Bruce hadn't reached Dick in time, then Dick would be Talon on Owlman's earth again. His intent here isn't just fixing his earth as he claims to Dick. No, his real intent is the unspoken thoughts in the Owlman text.

But you know what's kinda freaky? Bruce on another world has done the exact same thing as Owlman. Owlman has watched Dick for a long time and then killed Dick's parents. This Bruce Wayne didn't kill Dick's parents but -

The All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder Issue #1

"Yeah, I've had my eye on him for awhile."

Bruce, can you make it sound any creepier and stalkery?

Aside from the general creepiness of observing Dick, they do have the same codependency issues. Now that you bring it up, Thomas Wayne Jr's mental state relied on Dick's happiness and exitence and Bruce's does too -

Detective Comics (2016) Issue #1074

When Bruce gets possessed by a demon, in the safety of his mind, he goes back to two memories he cherishes dearly, two memories where he uses as pillars of strength his dad and the Dick.

When Dick is killed by the monster in his mind, the light in Bruce's head literally goes out. He then goes to the worst place and time in his mind - his parents' death. I seriously cannot overstate the importance of Dick to him.

He and Dick are connected in every universe.

Damian undoubtedly has the healthiest codependency relationship with Dick. Unlike Thomas who died for him, Thomas Wayne Jr who killed for him, Bruce who lives off him, Damian needs him in a way that doesn't drive Dick crazy lol. For now.

In the future if Dick dies though,

Batman (1940) Issue #666

So....

the entire Wayne family's kinda crazy about Dick.

[cybershock24601]

Something something embarassing Illario in front of all the important houses is the equivalent to an assassination by Nevarra standards so Illgellvar is more or less satisfied. Lucanis complains about some guy who he can't have killed for whatever reason and his darling wife (whos is, idk, fidgiting with skeletal hand) causally suggesting ruining his reputation instead.

Personally my Rook advocated for Illario's imprisonment because they were hyperfocusing on what the political ramification of Lucanis, literally just promoted to First Talon, letting his cousin off with just a slap on the wrist for what essentially amounted for treason in front of the rest of the Talons would be. In short, it would be the wrong message to send to the other Talons as it would imply that Lucanis was weak and wouldn't take appropriate measures to deal with troublemakers which might get people thinking they could take him out to steal his spot as First Talon. I also think my Rook would suggest letting Illario join the final battle and suggest ways to reintegrate him into the crows post canon so Illario isn't stuck on house arrest for the rest of his life. (This is part of the reason that Illario and Rook's in law relationship is so complicated because Rook has fucked him over but has also done a lot to help him)

However that second statement is totally accurate to my headcanons as my Watcher Rook moves herself into Lucanis' office post canon while she works on her thesis (the watch is pretty split on whether to promote Rook to a senior watcher because on one hand she did kill two gods but on the other the more conservative watchers are still pissed about her stunt during the war of the banners so don't want to allow her promotion so Rook decides to become a Senior Watcher the traditional way which is basically writing the mourn watch equivalent to a doctoral thesis so that a) no one can question her qualifications and b) she doesn't have to necessarily be at the Necropolis to do that so she can move in with Lucanis while she works on it) so that the two of them can spend time together while they work. Lucanis is having a meeting with Teia and Viago on how to deal with a troublesome Antivan noble they can't outright kill without causing more problems and Rook who's just sitting in the corner annotating a tome on necromancy and half listening to the conversation just causally throws out the most devious idea to completely ruin the guy so he can never show his face in public again and gets all three Talons looking at her like she has a second head.

When Rook looks up from her reading she wants to know why they're all staring at her like that and they're just all curious on how Rook who is usually very aloof to politics came up with a plan like that to completely destroy this random guy. Rook explains that they used to be apprenticed to a very politically active Mortalitasi in the Mourn Watch (who may or may not be Henzenkoss' ex gf) and just got used to coming up with creative ways to eliminate her mentor's rivals without killing them because murder is not super effective in within Mortalitasi social circles.

[xhollowfaerie]

Lavanda

a/n: ahhhh i reallyyy like how this came out, with the exception of me being a sleep deprived idiot and literally forgetting that Zara is already dead by the time Lucanis is First Talon (ik im a fucking dumbass) so ignore that part, but i liked the dialogue too much to scrap it, it is what it is. sung this song for hours while writing, pls listen if u can it's one of my favs and it adds so much to the atmosphere, it's very Rookanis to me <3 pps the elvhen destroyed my brain. i learned too many things. forbidden knowledge. enjoy💜 tags: demi4demi Rookanis, hurt/comfort, fluff, these little idiots are so in love, almost kiss, Rook runs Lucanis a bath, the smallest hint of spice (yes the concept art-inspired bath smut is on the way, i promise), Lucanis covered in scars is canon to me, body hair + happy trail Lucanis hehehe, dadbod-ish(?) Lucanis🤤, I overuse "mierda" but I like it too much

Rook was happily humming a bard song as her fingers danced along the pool of water, watching the ripples with a smile.

“She would always like to say,

Why change the past when you can own this day…”

Her pointed ears twitched as they picked up a familiar rhythm of steps approaching, causing her to bite her lip and smile even wider, tilting her head to the side.

“My, I was beginning to think the Crows had stolen you away again, Master Dellamorte…” Kore giggled, turning to face Lucanis.

Just as she had hoped, a blush dusted his cheeks.

“Don’t call me that, Rook” Lucanis blurted curtly, before clearing his throat. He was still the First Talon, it seemed, ready to give orders. “...please. It’s too formal.”

She covered her lips sheepishly, as she always did after her flirting and teasing.

“I’m sorry.” 

He hummed shortly. “Why don’t I believe you?”

The elf glanced away, trying to contain the flush of her own features as she gestured towards the steaming pool.

“Well… I ran you a nice, warm bath! Lavender and honey… to help you relax. You deserve it.” He took a deep breath of the scent into his lungs, sending a shiver down his spine.

Her voice softened, and her smile felt like a warm hug.

“You’ve been working so much, tending to your duties as First Talon. I can't imagine how stressful it must be.” Lucanis found himself at a loss around Rook again; they had gotten much closer, and she was always showering him with affection; with her attention, with her allure. 

Lavender was calming. Of course; the most popular remedy for trouble sleeping; but it was quite ironic that Spite had whispered that exact word into his ear at Pietra as he looked at her lips. Lucanis had begun to associate it with a more exciting feeling. The feeling Rook gave him every time they were together.

‘KISS. HER. LUCANIS! FIRST KISS. LAVENDER AND HONEY. SO MANY TIMES, SHE BRINGS IT UP. KISS HER, KISS HER!’

The Crow flushed a deeper shade of red, averting his eyes.

‘REMEMBER! COFFEE DATE. FIRST KISS! REMIND ROOK.’

Kore had… omitted the truth. In her desperation to flirt, she had pretended as if she had ever had a first kiss. Much like Lucanis, she could only suspect what it would taste like. In his mind, she was more experienced - sweet, relaxed, flirty, and, not to mention, breathtaking. He had seen the way Viper looked at her. His mind had filled in the rest. Albeit… inaccurately. 

Running him a bath… cooking together, for each other, making coffee… grocery trips, reading, comparing daggers… The domesticity that had grown so beautifully between them wrapped its hands around his neck, cutting his oxygen off.

He didn't want to ruin it. Everything. Her. What they had. He didn't know what to call it, but that couldn't matter any less. He knew he was her assassin. Her God Killer. He would be anything she ever needed. It was all he needed. To be useful to her. To be what she needs.

“How was Treviso?”

As her voice caressed his hearing, his shoulders slouched. The assassin let out a sigh, guard finally lowering; for just a split second, he unravelled his facade and visibly winced. It was so easy to forget himself around her, to allow himself to grow comfortable. Too comfortable. 

“It was-”

“Lucanis!”

She stood up and rushed to his side, looking up at him with doe-like eyes.

“You're hurt!”

His heart was bursting at the expression of concern on her face. He smiled in an attempt to console her. “I assure you, I'll live” he chuckled, but she furrowed her brows and puffed her cheek as she always did when she was frustrated with him. He tried again. “No pasa nada. I promise, Rook, it's nothing.”

“Mientes” she mumbled, reaching a hand up to straighten his collar. His eyes widened. The Antivan leaving her lips always took him by surprise. He stared at her dumbfounded as she pressed on.

“Does it hurt? Can I see?”

He blushed again, and took a moment to remember how to string words together.

“My… ribs.”

Her hands rested on his chest, and he felt her touch burning a fire inside of it through his clothes.

“Rook-”

“Please, Lucanis. Let me help you.”

Mierda, her eyes. How could he ever say no to them?

“You always take care of me… Let me do the same.”

He could feel the heat extending to his neck and ears, wishing desperately that she would be a lot worse at allowing him to open up, for once - it was getting considerably harder to stay away from her, to maintain a safe distance between them, especially as her hands ran down his chest with that look on her face that he couldn’t quite pin down.

‘Rook. Loves you. Loves Spite, loves us!’ Spite helped, inching closer to her. She briefly glanced at him, giggling as he grinned in her direction. Lucanis narrowed his eyes in confusion, but she quickly caught onto it and, scrambling to shift his attention, lifted a hand up to cup his face, her own catching on fire.

“Can you… open your shirt for me, please?”

The dryness in his throat physically hurt as he tried his best to gulp it down, feeling himself unable to move, or speak, or do anything other than admire her with what he knew was unbridled affection and… something else that he really hated himself for.

“L-Lucanis?” “Yes.”

His answer was immediate, breathless. None of them spoke any further or moved. They stared into each-other; she lovingly studied the sharp angles of his face as he delighted in the roundness of hers, wishing more than anything that his arms could wrap around her figure and hold her to his chest.

The simple dress she was wearing fit her so beautifully - he didn’t have the courage to mention he’d just bought her the one she mentioned she loved the last time they went to Treviso together. Had they met under different circumstances, he would have been convinced she was royalty; a Princess, a Goddess. The intricate elven markings on her face, the trails of lightning… he wanted to press his lips down the length of them, no matter how far they went - he would let them guide his mouth over her skin while he worshipped her for days.

“U-Um… s-should I…?” Kore finally broke the silence between them, feeling the intensity of his gaze crumbling her composure; his eyes were one of his sharpest tools, but they had never regarded her with anything other than delicate softness - well, that, and… w-whatever had filled them just now, making her skin tingle under the fabric of her dress.

As if she’d shocked him, Lucanis finally snapped out of it, idly clearing his throat and taking a step back as her hand fell from his face, scratching the side of his neck. “Y-N-No, I, uh, I can manage... Thank you, Kore.”

Kore pursed her lips, trying to suppress a smile. Her enchanted eye followed Spite as he circled around her, brushing the tips of their fingers together. When her green orb landed on Lucanis again, his dexterous hands were unbuttoning his vest, eyes following their motions. He shrugged it off effortlessly before removing his crow pin, untying and pulling his cravat off with one swift motion, causing Kore to almost lose her balance for a second, hand rushing to cover the gasp that left her mouth. He glanced at her with the same look from earlier, a natural charm and… almost… she was inclined to say hunger, but that thought made her want to scream into a pillow. He was about to say something, but Spite clamped his hand over his mouth, making Lucanis scowl for a moment.

‘SHUT. UP! She’s enjoying it! KEEP. GOING.’

Desperately shoving the embarrassment creeping inside him back down, Lucanis tore his gaze away from her again, focusing on his buttons, dextrous fingers twisting them out of their eyelets with cold precision. The elf felt her lips parting enough for her knuckle to peek through, sinking her teeth into her skin as she watched him breathlessly. Slowly, his large hands moved lower and lower, allowing her a glimpse of his body beneath the expensive, dark purple fabric; her heartbeat picked up as her eyes shyly explored the shape of his chest, his sun-kissed skin riddled with scars. 

When he reached the final button, he straightened himself awkwardly, feeling the fabric part as it exposed his abdomen to her. She shamelessly trailed the length of his dark hairs lower and lower, trying her absolute best to not get distracted by the enticing mix of muscle and softness. A large bruise bloomed the span of his ribs, right across a large, visibly newer scar. 

Her eyes widened, feeling the tears already welling up; instinctively, she stepped closer, lightly reaching to ghost her fingers over it. Oh, Maker, Maker, why, why did she have to look at him with such devotion, something he could never deserve, especially not from her.

“Oh, Lucanis…” Kore whispered, riddled with dejection. She glanced up at him, silently asking for his consent; he simply gave her a shy nod, nervously bracing himself for her touch.

When the soft tips of her fingers ran down his scar, he shuddered from head to toe, accompanied by the smallest grunt of pain. 

Exhilarating, just as he’d always imagined.

She tore her hand away, feeling the overwhelming guilt stab right through her heart; he immediately mourned its loss.

“Ir abelas, I’m so sorry-!” 

With a shaky hand, he reached to gently wrap his fingers around hers and brought her hand back to his abdomen, reassuringly pressing atop hers. His ears buzzed, feeling himself falling into a stupor of her touch.

“Don’t be.”

A tiny sigh of relief left her, but the heat in her face only worsened; her hand felt like it might catch on fire any second.

“It’s not your fault. Just a pesky wound that refuses to fully heal” he grumbled, glancing at Spite, who peeked out from behind Kore, lovingly twirling a strand of her pink hair, scowling. She couldn’t quite hear him yet, but he was much clearer to her now, making it easier to read his lips. The intensity of his emotions reached her through the Veil - the hatred, that burning desire for revenge.

‘Nnnnnrgh! Zara! Calivan! Spite remembers.’

Her jaw clenched, feeling the familiar rage bubbling inside her from the day they freed Lucanis, multiplied tenfold by her growing affection for him since. Lucanis saw her eyes flicker, the way they did when she used her magic to slam Venatori into the dirt, the rawness when she slit their throats. It was such a stark contrast to her usual sweetness, but he adored it all the same.

Maybe a little too much.

The hand dangling by her side sparked for just a split second before she grasped onto the skirt of her pink dress, shaking relentlessly. She stared up at him, and Lucanis felt a part of him shrink as another threatened to swell. He knew much too well what she was capable of - how terrifying she could be, how powerful of a mage, more powerful than she even realized.

A mage. And he was her mage-killer, sworn to her service for the rest of his days. Enthralled, but no, not by blood magic, not like before.

It took every ounce of his self-control to hold back from kissing her.

The way her fox-like eyes narrowed dangerously, feeling her hand heat up over his skin; Lucanis felt like he couldn’t breathe, and then she spoke in a low voice, almost reducing him to a trembling mess.

“We’ll find her, Lucanis, I swear it. And when we do? We will make her wish she was dead. She’ll pay for every. single. thing she’s ever done to you, if it is the last thing I do.”

Spite dragged a groan of arousal out of his throat before eyeing her hungrily, breaking into a chuckle. ‘Rooooooook! Sooo. Protective. Lucanisssss. Want to? Get on your knees. For her.’

The Crow let out a strangled noise, shaking - he couldn’t tell if her mouthing ‘shhh, I’m here, I’m right here, Lucanis’ as her fingers lovingly traced his scar as she punctuated every word made his shivers much better or much, much worse.

La sangre del Hacedor. It was too late. Far too late.

She was nested so deeply inside his heart that tearing her out would kill the only part of himself that made it possible to get up every morning, to pick up his daggers, to not give up on himself, to not despise the abomination in the mirror.

“Kore Mercar” he found her full name spilling from his lips, daring to inch in closer as her eyes watched him so adoringly, a sentiment mirrored into his own. She felt her knees grow weak, hearing her name laced with his irresistible accent, uttered with such fondness, it made her wonder if she was dreaming of him again. They shared a thought which remained unspoken; the words themselves served only to hold the meaning that everything between them all but screamed already.

I think I’m in love with you.

“You are something else… unlike anything I have ever known” he shakily breathed instead, delighting in the flustered expression on her face as she broke into a smile.

“Says the scary mage-killer who makes me coffee every morning…” 

Her honeyed voice alone was enough to drive him absolutely insane, to make him come undone from just the thought of it (as it had already…). It made him so vulnerable, especially when she whispered to him with those alluring, mismatched eyes, the twinkling specks of glitter on her eyelids, the length of her lashes. The fullness of her heart-shaped lips.

She was absolutely divine, and there was no deity, no Maker or whatever else, that could ever earn his undying conviction the way Rook had.

Her kissable lips pursed, preceding the coziest warmth that he’d ever felt enveloping the throbbing pain surrounding his ribs, calming it. He glanced down to see her hand light up, shaken to his core by the absolute adoration painted on her face - adoration, and… neediness.

A need to be helpful. To be careful with him. To praise him, to shelter him, to make him see just how much he meant to her. How he had saved her life.

But… she was hesitant. Scared. He felt her hand tremble and, as his was still steadied atop, he tentatively gave it a light squeeze -it seemed that was all she needed in order to feel safe, to allow herself to open up to him. 

“I-I’m… not very good at this” Kore admitted. “I only cause destruction, only bring death.” She averted her gaze, shining with tears. “Or so I’ve been told. But, it turns out, they were right.”

“Over my dead body” Lucanis suppressed a growl, worried he might scare her with the murderous instinct taking over him. The swirls of pink around her face bounced so beautifully as she looked at him again, unsure if she had heard him right.

“Anyone who wishes to ever speak to you like that again may do so over my dead body.”

Her free hand reached to hide her own face as he heard a small whimper, but he - urged by Spite - lovingly pried it away.

“Please, never hide from me. Your presence has already healed me in ways I never thought possible. You hold me- this team, together, you soothe our aches, you aid our every endeavour, believe in us when we have been wrought of every drop of faith in ourselves. Everyone - myself especially - would not be here without you.”

“Lucanis… I…”

Maybe he was just too intoxicated by her scent, by the rosemary oil in her hair, by the vanilla of her perfume, by the steam of lavender surrounding them, but he finally dared to face the dread inside of him as he slowly closed his eyes, moving his fingers towards her face, almost, almost holding that sacred space of softness between her jaw and neck into his palm, to bring her into him, finally finally, finally, be brave, for once -

“Hey, Rook? Taash told me you might be in here, do you still need more lavender flowe- aaah- oh!”

Their steps were quick and almost soundless as they both pulled apart in the blink of an eye; Kore tucked a stray lock of pink behind her ear as she flushed and Lucanis cleared his throat, timidly pulling on his collar to close the gap in the fabric over his chest.

“O-Oooh…!” Lace winced, making a face as the realization immediately hit her. “Sorry…! Don’t mind me! I was never here!”

Harding apologetically set the basket of lavender flowers down with a grin, tilting her head towards Kore with a nod of encouragement before she rushed off.

They both exhaled in sync, looked at each-other in surprise, then looked away again.

“I-I should, um, let you enjoy your bath, before it gets cold-”“Sí, I, it would be a waste for it to get cold-”

Their hurried voices overlapped before a dull silence settled.

She was the first to giggle, followed by a faint rumble from his chest. They finally faced each-other again, bright. Light. Beguiled.

“Gracias, Rook.” “De nada, Señor Dellamorte.” 

He shot her a scolding glance in an attempt to mask his bashfulness, met with a beaming smile as she brought the basket over to the side of the pool, kneeling down to scatter a few more lavender flowers into the water, glistening with whimsy. Her words were soft and song-like, tenderly infusing it with her magic.

“Sul ladaral i nehn, sul lanun'ven'ur'alas. Sur on'ala sal'shiral…sul…sul lath.”

(For healing and happiness, for good luck. For a wonderful/long life. For…for love.)

He had no idea what the Elvhen rolling off her tongue meant, but it made his heart sing all the same as she gave him a small bow and a sweet ‘ma serannas’ (thank you), leaving him to bask in the relaxing scent. He took another deep breath into his lungs, feeling his eyes roll back, feeling the warmth of her healing still engulf him so lovingly, feeling the memory of her delicate hand on his scar. He exhaled, unbuttoning the hems of his sleeves, letting the shirt slip off his shoulders. Two fingers reached for his forehead as he closed his eyes. He flushed a few shades deeper still, bringing more fingers to cover his face in embarrassment.

“Mierda.”

Spite huffed in annoyance, his patience with Lucanis running thinner by the day. He sat on the edge of the pool, swinging his feet into the water with a grumpy pout. ‘Want to. Take bath. With Rook. Take. Rook. Undress her. Wash her. Pretty hair.’

Lucanis finished undressing and sunk into the warm, periwinkle water, letting out a sigh of exhilaration as he imagined Rook against him. He pictured her dainty, loving hands soaping his body with utmost care; he wanted to caress her breathtaking shapes, feel every inch of her, every curve fitting perfectly in the palm of his hands; he wistfully pretended he could bury his face into her pink locks, inhaling her scent; imagined the damp, silken sensation of her wet hair between his digits as he shampooed it, holding it in deep devotion as she recited his name. He rested against one of the walls and rolled his head back, feeling the dull ache in his abdomen lessening, allowing his exhaustion to finally rob him of his consciousness as he dozed off, mumbling quietly.

“Spite?” “Yes?” “Cállate.”

[dustdeepsea]

vishakanya for the ask game, please!

[collected WIPs for this round here]

Viago de Riva practices mithridatism, and lots of fans' head canons have him doing the same to Crow Rooks to train them as well.

Vishakanya (literally, "poison maidens") were young women reportedly used as assassins against powerful enemies, during the times of Ancient India. Their blood and bodily fluids were poisonous to other humans; there are myths that say a vishakanya can cause instant death with just a touch, or even a look.

This is a idea I've been toying with for a Rook or Crow OC background, depending on the story.

Of course, Rook doesn't even need to actually be able to kill with a poison touch, but only be very good at their contracts—just the consequence of such a rumour would be enough to give House de Riva plenty of soft power. What does it do to Rook and their personality, to be so isolated? Pairing them with a more forward love interest like Taash or Davrin in this scenario would be an interesting exploration.

In the more literal intepretation of the myth—if I can get over the fact that Viago/Teia is my OTP—unrequited Rook/Viago would be a delicious "we can make each other so much worse" story.

Imagine Viago discovering her on the streets, eating food that should have killed her. Taking her in, raising her; poisoning her, nursing her back to health when he miscalculates the dose. Him being the only person who can have contact with her, gloves off, without getting hurt. Him never wanting to touch anyone, least of all her.

They said she would die a widow. It was written in her stars, so it was no pain at all for her to spare this person she would never meet from their fate.

"This is what you made me for. So use me."

Her mentor sits across from her like a scarecrow: Black shirt, black trousers, all finely cut; black boots, polished to a soft shine; black gloves, even after all this time. Everything in her room is tainted. He will need to burn them after.

"The Butcher is not an ordinary man. No ordinary qunari even. We don't know how your poison will work against him."

"He'll die, like they all do. And if it doesn't work, I have my knife." She lifted one shoulder, let it fall gracefully.

"He's twice the size of a normal Antaam." His voice is flat. "He'll tear you from limb to limb."

"Only after I get to touch him. After that, it is only a matter of time. And if he sickens, it will be easier for one of the others to finish the work."

He shakes his head. "No, this is too much. I will not send you on a suicide mission. It is blatant waste of house resources."

"Then when will it not be a waste?" Anger flares bright in her chest. "I sit in this room, day after day, year after year. One day, I will wake up and I will be too old for anyone to want to even look at me," she hisses.

She is five and twenty; she has lived fifteen years in this cage—more years than the Maker saw fit to grant her in another life. She will never kiss her bridegroom. She will never light his pyre.

"The bloom is off the rose, as they say, Viago. What use is a vishakanya who cannot get close to her target? My days were numbered when you found me. Let me be of use. Let me die with some purpose."

He hates it when she reminds him of their places; their history and their bargain. Something savage and tender passes across his face, but it is gone before she can name it, pin it down. "No," he says, again, and it is soft and final. "You will stay."

She leans back into the cushions. They are so plush, she could turn her face, relax and suffocate in them.

"You are my Talon, and your word is law," she replies. It is both the right answer and the wrong one. When he leaves, he doesn't even slam the door, only closes it quietly. The click of the handle echoes in the large room.

[whatswrongwithblue]

The Fire in The Sin

Chapter 4 - Terminally Dispelled

Word count: 4,205. Read on AO3. Series Masterlist. <- Previous Chapter.

Summary: Mina's arrival in Hell. TW: canon typical violence and language. Use of a racial slur. Cannibalism. Mentions of opioid addiction.

Series Summary:

In the 1950's, Alastor met the woman he would eventually marry but unfortunately his Radio Demon persona went for her soul rather than her hand. He has to learn what it means to love, and cherish, without possessing and he does. Their relationship is beautiful, strong, unbreakable . . . but he carries a dark secret through their marriage for decades until eventually he has to face the consequences of that secret and leave her, without warning, for seven years. He returns, finding her at the Hazbin Hotel, and has to convince her to forgive him, while being literally bound to secrecy, unable to tell her any of things he now is desperate to explain to her.

(This is a duel timeline fic, timestamps will be a the top of every chapter.)

Chapter 4 - Terminally Dispelled

Part 2 – Terminally Dispelled

October 4th, 1917

Pentagram City

She was falling.

Falling . . .

Falling

F A L L I N G –

Mina opened her eyes and sat up, gasping for air.

She had jerked awake, having felt that familiar feeling of suddenly crashing in a dream at the very beginning stages of sleep, except this time it had taken much longer than usual for her body to respond to the surreal sensation of falling.

Only she wasn’t in her bed, which should have been expected. She was sitting on her hind end in a completely disheveled manner, on a street corner in a city she was sure she’d never seen before.

As everything came into focus around her, she looked on with rapidly growing horror. 

There were buildings and a paved street like in any normal city but the carriages were being pulled by all manner of beast, none of which were natural. And even the creatures that were walking upright like humans were mutated monstrosities with very little human qualities about them.

She scrambled to her feet as one particularly large, scaled creature brought a carriage towards the corner she was occupying. She backed away without looking behind her until she was abruptly met with resistance.

“Hey, look where you’re going!” a deep voice rumbled and she turned around to see a towering, half-bear, half-man demon looming over her.

The scream that tore from her throat was feral and she took off, running blindly down the street. She was completely lost to her panic and every turn she made just exposed more horrors.

After what felt like a mile, she found what looked like an empty alleyway and collapsed with exhaustion. She clutched at her chest with one hand while the other pressed against the brick wall and fell to her knees.

It took her a minute to catch her breath but when she finally did she realized . . . she could breath. Really, properly breathe.  

The hand that was against the wall let go and she pressed it to her temple instead.

She could think.

For the first time in two years, she wasn’t foggy from drugs and her lungs were clear rather than riddled with disease. She felt so alive. Only later would she reflect on this moment and laugh at the irony. Right now, she was just confused. How could she feel so clear headed and not remember how she got here or where “here” even was.

Mina closed her eyes and counted to ten, taking deep and calming breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she took in her surroundings without letting herself panic.

The first thing she examined were her hands.

She felt like herself, only healthy, but these were not the pale, delicate hands she knew to be her own. The skin was dark brown and her nails were far sharper and thicker than her own. At the nail beds they were a translucent shade of black but they turned into opaque talons as they extended out past the tips of her fingers. She pushed her sleeve up and found that oddly enough, the dark brown faded back into her usual Caucasian complexion at the elbows. Lifting her skirts, she saw the same transformation in skin color at her shin and kneecaps.

She had a pointed coloration to her now almost like . . . like a cat.

Mina touched at her face, desperate for a mirror, and hoped her face didn’t have similar markings. She was relieved to find no whiskers but as she explored further up, she felt what were undeniably ears. Two large, cat-like ears sat atop the crown of her head and the human ones she once loved to adorn with earrings were gone from behind her jawline.

Her fingers combed through her hair, which now felt much thicker than before and was a rich black instead of the strawberry blonde that had been a trademark of her Irish heritage.

There was an odd feeling, like an extension of her spine, that she could feel moving behind her, and she reached back and grabbed at it, jumping as her hand made contact.

A tail. She had a fucking tail coming out from a perfectly place hole in her skirts and it was very much attached to the base of her spine.

She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate again, so she forced herself to calm down before vertigo took hold of her.

What was the last thing she could remember?

The ocean.

A rainy day.

A voice . . .

Jonathan.

Blood.

He had stabbed her.

She had killed him.

The beach.

The rain.

The world was spinning . . .

The leopard.

Mina’s hand went to her neck as the memory became clearer. She could still feel it ripping her throat out and the odd lack of pain that came with it, just the strange feeling of release and then . . . falling.

She was dead.

It sounded outrageous to her own atheistic mind. She had denounced her family’s Catholic beliefs and everything that came with it years ago. She believed in no higher authority and certainly didn’t believe in an afterlife.

Well, the joke was on her now, because as it turned out, her little sister had been correct during their last conversation.

Mina had landed herself in Hell.

__

She wandered the streets for the rest of the late afternoon and well into the darkest hours of the evening. This city never seemed to sleep and there was no shortage of beasts out and about, though almost none of them took any notice of her. It would certainly seem that she belonged here as her own part-animal form was far from the most horrific she was witness to that night. In fact, it appeared she was downright ordinary looking to the residents of Hell, having kept at least the majority of her human appearance. Once, she had passed what appeared to be a human body with a mucous covered octopus for a head and she began to feel grateful at how well her soul had fared in the vanity department.

Eventually, she found herself away from what she guessed to be the city center or at least a bustling business district, and came upon some more residential areas.

And then blessedly, what looked to be a park.

Although most of the plant life was snarled and half-dead looking, there was the occasional blood red rose or deep black pansy. There was even a large lake, though it gave off a putrid, sulfuric smell. It was still by far the most pleasant and quiet place she had come across in hours of walking and she approached the lake, less put off by the smell than she would have thought.

The surface was like a black mirror and she saw her reflection for the first time and sighed with relief. Her face was still more or less her own. No changes in complexion or markings besides her eyes and teeth. Her dentition was exactly that of a cat, small, pointed incisors and dramatically larger canines. Even her back molars were serrated and deadly sharp. Gone were the bright blue eyes of her human years; replaced by the large eyes she had last looked upon before she had been devoured. Green and gold irises around large, vertical black pupils. She titled her head, watching her ears as they twitched in response to her consideration of her new look and found she was quite fine with the changes she could see.

Feeling like there wasn’t much else to do at this point but give into her exhaustion, Mina left the lakeside and found a bench and curled up in a fetal position, quickly falling asleep.

What passed for dawn in Hell came a few short hours later but the same strange red hue still lingered in the sky above. Mina guessed it was just the way the atmosphere looked and felt a pang of regret when she realized she would never see another clear blue seaside sky again.

Well, Hell wasn’t meant to be pleasant. She supposed it was fitting that the thing she had loved most about the living world would be taken from her here in this wretched place.

She sat up and rubbed sleep from her eyes and realized she could hear birds singing.

Tiny black shapes darted around from the twisted tree branches above her bench. A couple of them landed on the ground near her and though they looked like horrible combinations of bird, bat, and scorpion, and were fighting over what appeared to be a human eye, she found their whistling song to be very pleasant; not unlike the sparrows that had lived in her hedge as a child.

Mina was cold, and starving, but she had nowhere to go and had no idea what to do about any of those issues, so she reclined back into her bench and began humming along with the Hellish bird song.

A couple walked past her, arm in arm. They were horrible to look at; the man had gills and gigantic webbed hands and the woman was dressed in a bloodied nurse’s gown with rotten flesh hanging from her face. But they smiled and laughed, clearly in love and enjoying their morning. The fish-man was holding a basket and it smelled heavenly to Mina’s hungry senses.

She hated them on site.

Perhaps it was a new instinct instilled into her demon form; like how a human baby simply knows to hold its breath under water. Or perhaps it was sheer luck, a coincidence that she had always found singing to herself to be a soothing act when one of her dark moods came upon her. Either way, the end result was the same.

Mina began singing and got a taste of what she was really capable of.

The Dawning of the Day was one of the few songs she knew how to sing completely in the native language of her homeland. Irish Gaelic wasn’t allowed to be spoken in her parents’ home, or at school, but her grandmother had done what she could to teach her and Mina had sung it as often as she could in her youth, mainly out of spite of her oppressive Catholic upbringing.

Maidin moch do ghabhas amach,

Ar bruachaibh Locha Léin;

An Samhradh ‘g teacht a’s an chraobh len’ ais,

Is lonrach te ón ngréin,

Ar thaisteal dom trí bhailte poirt

Is bánta míne réidhe,

Cé do gheobhainn lem ais ach an chúileann deas,

Le fainne geal an lae.

As she sang, Mina kept her eyes on the couple, focusing all her envy on them. If only they would just drop that basket, she could at least satisfy her hunger. Clearly, they were easily able to obtain food of their own, where she was going to have to beg or steal if she wanted even scraps of a meal.

The man dropped the basket and carried on.

Mina stopped singing, watching in disbelieving shock.

Had she done that?

She wanted to run and grab the food before they noticed but didn’t want a confrontation in case she drew attention to herself. It would be two against one and she had no weapons on her.

If she had caused them to drop the food basket, maybe she could push it even farther and get rid of them all together.

She started singing again.

Ní raibh bróg ná stoca, caidhp ná clóc;

Arm o stóirin óg ón spéir,

Ach an folt fionn órga síos go troigh,

Ag fás go barr an fhéir.

Bhí calán crúite aici ina glaic,

A’s ar dhrúcht ba dheas a scéimh,

Do rug barra gean ar Bhéineas dheas,

Le fainne geal an lae.

Although she hadn’t anything specific in mind, Mina focused her intention on the couple simply being gone and as soon as she had sung the first song, the couple turned from the path and headed directly for the lake.

It wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, but it was now clear to Mina that her song was affecting the couple. She continued with her verse as she watched in fascination as the couple waded into the water, blank stares on their faces, and the water began to steam around them.

The water was either acidic or hot, but either way, it was burning them, and yet they remained stone faced, continuing their decent into the lake.

Mina continued singing, even as the couple was submerged up to their waists, when a large tentacle reached out of the black water, wrapped itself around the couple in one swoop, and dragged them under.

They never even screamed.

Mina stood, processing what she had just done, and smiled.

Walking over to the basket, she went through the contents and was even more pleased with herself. It was real food, not some trick or poison. She had half expected spoiled vegetables or rotten meat but instead it was warm bread, soft cheese, and wonderfully cured salami.

She ate her fill sitting right there on the pathway, not even bothering returning to the bench.

If anyone bothered her, she would simply start singing again.

(English translation of The Dawning of the Day)

One morning early I went out

On the shore of Lough Leinn

The leafy trees of summertime,

And the warm rays of the sun,

As I wandered through the townlands,

And the luscious grassy plains,

Who should I meet but a beautiful maid,

At the dawning of the day.

No cap or cloak this maiden wore

Her neck and feet were bare

Down to the grass in ringlets fell

Her glossy golden hair

A milking pail was in her hand

She was lovely, young and gay

Her beauty excelled even Helen of Troy

At the dawning of the day.

On a mossy bank I sat me down

With the maiden by my side

With gentle words I courted her

And asked her to be my bride

She turned and said, “Please go away.”

Then went on down the way

And the morning light was shining bright

At the dawning of the day.

­­

__

By the evening’s end, Mina had acquired housing and by the week’s end, she was finding it easier and easier to get whatever luxuries she desired – if she was careful.

She didn’t always have to kill for them; usually she could get people to just give her things or leave their possessions behind. With a few short lines of a song, most Sinners who stood between her and what she wanted were putty in her hands.

The couple at the park had been an accident, though it was interesting to see how easily she had been able to off them without even intending to. But she wasn’t a monster, and she didn’t kill or maim just for fun, only if it really benefitted her. Mina wasn’t so short on empathy that she couldn’t realize that every other Sinner here in Hell was similar to her in that they were just trying to get by. She was just lucky enough to have a power that gave her a step up in this world.

The only hang up that seemed to come with her gift was that she couldn’t just direct it at whoever she wanted. Anyone within ear shot was subject to her will when she sung. She found that out when she had tried to get a street vendor to walk away from their booth of food and the entire city block had vacated the area.

The strength of her power was daunting, and she had come to two concerning conclusions in her first weeks in Hell. One, she had an alarming lack of control over her magic and sometimes it scared her a bit. Two, there were beings in Hell far more powerful than herself and she could easily draw unwanted attention to herself with the wrong display of her power at the wrong time.

Siren abilities were not unique to just her. It was what Lillith herself was well known for. And there were several Overlords with a variety of hypnotic tricks that were far stronger than her own. However, she seemed to be the strongest average Sinner she came across, and she knew that would paint a target on her back for all those even more powerful than herself, so she did everything she could to keep a low profile.

Meaning, she mostly kept to herself and only used her siren abilities when alone with the person she wanted to manipulate.

Mina did try and find honest work, so she didn’t always have to steal money or goods, but it seemed there was a shortage of normal employers in Pentagram City. One could find a job that paid but with the steep stipulation that the person that paid you got to own part of your soul. Or just own it outright, depending on who you were dealing with.

As dangerous as living independently in Hell was, Mina was not about to give up her newfound freedom. She would rather cease to exist completely than be under someone else’s control ever again.

On the night that everything changed, she was making her way back to her place from the only bookstore she could find within walking distance of her new home. The owner was a lower-level Overlord and they had started an easy sort of acquaintance over a shared love of Shakespeare. Though he had offered a deal for her soul for 50 years of guaranteed employment and the promise of introducing her to the bard himself. The book seller was surprised when she took offense at his offer, and it had nearly stopped her from returning all together. But there wasn’t much else to do to pass the time in Hell besides read and though she was fairly certain she had sworn off men forever, it was nice to have someone to talk to, and the Overlord hadn’t propositioned her again when she eventually returned.

Arms full of her latest purchase, she ambled down the street, unaware when she caught the eye of a Sinner she had passed by that then began to follow her.

After a few more paces, he called out her name.

Mina froze there, right in the middle of the busy sidewalk, and felt the first real icy fingers of fear since that first day of her afterlife.

Her memory of her death was still fuzzy from the opium she had been on, but she was able to recall the exact way Johnathan had said her name from behind her before he attacked.

Was this going to be her eternal punishment? Having him come after her, again, and again, and again?

She took a steadying breath and turned to face him, almost surprised that he didn’t look the same as the last time she had seen him. But, of course, he was no longer any more human than she was. In fact, she wasn’t even sure it was him at first because the demon before her was more pig than man.

Forty years later she would read of the upright walking swine in Orwell’s novella Animal Farm and laugh for that was exactly what her ex-lover had looked like the night she finally ended him for good.

“It is you,” he said, and she realized he also hadn’t been certain of her identity, until she had stopped in response to his voice.

She laughed out loud to cover up her anxiety. “Oh, love, death really doesn’t look good on you.”

“You’re the one who did this to me!” he spat. “I wasn’t even trying to kill you, you stupid mick, why did you have to go at me with that knife?”

Mina didn’t bother justifying that question with an answer. Instead, she looked around her, trying to find a way out. The street was crowded, far too crowded to use her power in any way that wouldn’t cause a massive slaughter, which would undoubtedly cause more problems for her in the long run.

She felt her ears pin back and she hissed as he drew nearer. Despite the crowded street, she knew she could expect no help from any passersby. This was Hell, after all, and she had herself been a bystander to many assaults. Violence was simply part of life here.

But a strange thing happened as he got closer; her stomach rumbled, and she noticed he smelled good.

Not in an attractive kind of way, like a man freshly showered and perfumed. No, Johnathan smelled like a salted and honeyed roast set out for supper.

Something else Mina would read years later was that cats of several species have a remarkably fast reaction time, as quick as 20 milliseconds. Much faster than the average predator and certainly quicker than a slobbering pig.

That night, however, was the first time she got to experience just how much agility and a set of sharp teeth could win over brute strength and size.

The last time Johnathan had lunged for her, Mina had run. This time, she dropped her books and jumped first to the side to let him clumsily run past her, and then onto his large, round back.

She let her instincts take over and her strange new body responded in kind. Mina felt her face morph, her mouth and teeth growing larger, and her vision tunneled to the pulsing source of blood in the short stout neck exposed before her.

It was over in seconds.

First, she ripped out the side of his throat, holding onto his shoulders even as he stood and tried to buck her off. Her extended claws dug deeply into his flesh, and she bit down again, growling in pleasure as more hot blood filled her mouth.

Johnathan rammed his body backwards into the building beside them, crushing her and knocking the wind out of her so that she did finally let go. But she was only momentarily dazed and as he spun around to face her, offering her the more delicate front half of his body, she lashed out with her claws. She eviscerated what was left of his neck and he fell back as she pounced on him. Not a heartbeat after his back hit the ground, she was gutting him alive.

On lookers barely glanced at her as she split open his rib cage with her bare hands, clawed out his heart, and ate it.

__

Feeling full and very satisfied with herself, Mina finished her journey home, her gore covered hands happily holding onto her books she was still looking forward to reading.

She could feel the sticky blood drying on her face and could see that it was staining her blouse, skirt, and even the precious books but it was no matter. It could all be cleaned later. For now, she let herself revel in the confidence it gave her to walk safely home and not be bothered by anyone she passed by.

If only she had been able to bask in the blood lust of killing her husband years before, rather than quickly cleaning herself up and fleeing the scene.

This feeling of strength and power, that no man would ever again be able to touch her against her will, was truly invigorating. She approached the doorway to her building, feeling unstoppable, undeniably free, on top of the world-

A shadow fell upon the doorstep before her, far taller than one her own body could cast. She felt a shudder run through her as the shadow sprouted six appendages, three wing-like shapes on either side. A rush of hot air hit her back and tickled her hair against the back of her neck.

Then as suddenly as it was there, the heat and the shadow retreated, turning itself into a perfectly average height and shape.

“Forgive me if I frightened you,” a soft voice said from behind, “my kind is known for our dramatics, even when we’re not trying.”

Mina turned around slowly, expecting to see the worst nightmare Hell had offered her yet, but instead saw the closest thing to human she had seen in weeks.

It seemed to be man, but their features were more feminine than most, making her unsure. Their blonde hair was cut short and fashioned like a man’s would be, but they wore a dusting of gold eyeshadow, a fair amount of blush, and a long golden earing hung from the lobe of one ear. The voice that had spoken didn’t give anything away as far as gender went, either. They wore black trousers but the white dress blouse adorning their torso was much more like what a woman would wear.

“Who- I’m sorry, what, are you?” Mina asked, trying with all her might not to seem even half as terrified as she was.

The being smiled, showing almost perfectly normal, pearly white teeth, although the canines were just a little more pointed than a human’s would be.

“My name is Abaddon,” they said, “I’ve been watching you, Margaret Gallagher. And I’m here to make a deal I don’t think you’ll refuse."

Next Chapter ->

[elcor-thespian]

What's your Rooks favourite place to be? Like either in the lighthouse or adventuring. Do they throw everything to the side to go to Arlathan Forrest any chance they get? Do they prefer the music room to the library?

Ok when I tell you that I am generally so touched somebody asked me a question in response to my most recent post. I have been on this site for 10+ years and no one really ever interacts with me. And this is such a great question! Please answer it too and tag me so I can read it!

Answering below because this is going to be long

My canon Rook is Nephele Mercer, and my first thought in response to this was the the market in Traviso. Nephele had a pretty horrific childhood, and once she ran away from home she's been sort of building the bridge out in front of her to make ends meet. Even with the Shadow Dragons she never really felt safe or like she could relax. She is also fascinated by luxury because she's never had anything nice.

It's hard to explain but some combination of the purple lanterns and the warm night air makes her feel like she can finally slow down. It feels homey in a way she doesn't know how to describe. The first time she saw it when they were rushing past with Teia all she wanted to do was stay behind and look around. And the second she got to go back she visited every single stall and talked to everyone she could. Probably also bought more than she could afford.

And fast forward to her being the wife of the First Talon, she absolutely refuses any discounts anyone tries to give her. She pays people what they're worth, and then some.

Now I also have 6 other OCs that while they aren't the protagonist of the game, they are all also present a the Lighthouse and are associates of Varrics. They also all have bird code names because I think I'm cute.

Nasreen "Raven" Aldwir: I actually think that Nasreen's bedroom is the music room. She likes to be alone, and she likes small dark quiet places, so it's a great place for her to hide out in. She also is a musician (a huge inspiration for her character was the elven instrument that you can have in Rook's bedroom). At the beginning of the game she would borrow stacks of books from Emmrich and hide out in her room for hours, occasionally going back to ask questions. Eventually she got more comfortable staying in Emmrich's office and reading on the couch.

Aleksei "Magpie" Laidir: This boy must be near to water at all times. He grew up on an island and now he's a sailor. But literally any body of water will do. Lake in Arlathan, beaches of Rivain, canals of Treviso. He's like a duck.

Konstantin "Wren" Ingellvar: I don't know that Konstantin has ever felt comfortable anywhere, bless him. He probably feels most comfortable in the halls of the Necropolis because at least he understands the rules there, and he can spend a lot of time alone without questions. His life's goal is to not to be noticed, but he's a 7'2" Qunari built like a brick shit house. I think after a few weeks his favorite place to be is the library, because that's where the most people who are happy to see him are likely to be (I'm sobbing. I love him)

Paloma "Dove": Paloma is also a Shadow Dragon (There's 6 backgrounds but 7 romances, so someone's got to be the bonus Jonas). Paloma and Elspeth (below) are the two I've played the least so I don't have them as fleshed out. I think she likes to be around people, but struggles to talk to them. Paloma is an escaped Sarebaas, and she's still not used to talking or other people expecting her to say something. She likes people watching, either in the Shadow Dragon hide out, at bars, marketplaces, or at the docks. She feels very protective of Minrathous, the place that took her in when she needed a place to go, so part of her people watching is being ready to shut shit down if she sees trouble starting.

Elspeth "Crow" de Riva: My first instinct is to say "wherever Harding is", because she is Lace's self elected body guard, but that feels too easy. She's definitely a city kid, and growing up as a Crow means she's a night owl. I actually think she spends a lot of time at home. Or wherever Viago is so that she can annoy him. I wonder what it says about them that I can best describe them in their relationship to other people?

Brenna "Kestral" Thorne: For a long time Brenna would have considered anywhere with a high concentration of Wardens to be her favorite place. Being a Warden means she is constantly shuffled around, so she doesn't get attached to places easily. 6 months after the events of the game, she gets permission to go watch over the griffons in Arlathan, essentially on mental health leave. She ends every day watching the sunset with the griffons on the hillside where she and Davrin had their picnic.

So yeah this was really fun! Would love to answer some more if anyone is interested.

[green-crow]

For your character ask post;

Viggo, 1,2 and 5!

"1.- Why do you like or dislike this character?"

Oh boy, where do I even begin... Well, first of all, I'm a sucker for intelligent characters, and he is no exception. I would love to play maces and talons with Viggo, to talk about literally anything, to dissect his mind and every little thought that passes through it. The way he carries himself is also a favourite of mine, dangerous in a way most Vikings aren't used to, feared for his mind games and manipulation rather than his strength, yet the fact that he is still strong and capable enough to stand his ground in a fight is just so good! He is a Viking, and he knows that even if his mind is his greatest tool he must be fit and strong to survive, so he doesn't shy away from fights.

I also love the way his post-volcano story arc was handled. After losing everything he had, his family, his people, his empire, even part of himself with his scarring and blind eye... He was so lost. He had nothing and no one, so it's no wonder he agreed to help Krogan and Johann when they went searching for him. Maybe he thought it would help him get back on his feet, maybe visions of a new empire reassured him and convinced him to get back into that fight. But now he's experienced. He sees things differently, through the lenses of failure and, for the first time, of the one who wasn't in power. I believe having him be just a tool rather than the boss for once really helped Viggo realize what they were doing was maaaybe not the best. After being just another victim of his own plans, I feel like he saw all those sacrifices and losses as more than numbers on paper or minor setbacks. And of course, once he gets trapped in the cave with the monstrous nightmare, he finally sees to reason. I wish we could have had more of good guy Viggo, I really really do; getting to see him explore this new side of himself, making new allies, maybe seeing first-hand just how much pain he had caused and learning to live with the consequences of it all... But, at the same time, I adore his ruthlessness, his desire to win the sick game he played with the riders, and the lengths he was willing to go to just for a victory, like in the episode of the Buffalord. He has a goal and he is not scared to put everything in the line to get it.

And last but not least, I love his emotions. He knows people and their feelings, he predicts them in order to play and toy with them, and while he is usually calm and serene even in moments of crisis, while he knows how to get a hold of his emotions way better than say, Dagur or Ryker, he also loses it sometimes, and I love when that happens. Throwing tantrums when things don't go his way, yelling at Ryker and Dagur in that one scene (forgot what ep it is but early ones) and basically telling them they are nothing but tools to him, the raw emotion on his face when he was about to fall into the volcano and called for Hiccup... It's just, mwuah. I love when he loses his shit, be it in anger, sorrow, fear, anything. I love catching a glimpse of the turmoil inside him and having him break that perfect, suave and intimidating vision of a man he projects onto others.

I probably forgot something but this is enough rambling for the guy. (Btw didn't mention his looks and voice but those are a given I absolutely love them both)

"2.- Favourite canon thing about this character?"

Not a big surprise to say his intelligence. That on its own is amazing, but paired with his cocky attitude? Excellent. He is a smart bitch and he knows it. He will beat you at any strategy game you play against him. He knows so much shit and I wish to hear his perfect voice tell me absolutely everything inside that brilliant mind of his. "5.- What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?"

Probably a bit corny, but "for the dancing and the dreaming" has to be it. I'm not too good at assigning characters songs or music since my music taste is... Something for sure, so "for the dancing and the dreaming" is one of the few I do think about when Viggo shows up; even more so now that my friend drew my oc and him dancing to the song in the style of Race to the edge ending (pic in my banner)! It makes me think of a redeemed Viggo, someone who sees love not as a tool to control others but as a reason to live. A Viggo who hasn't quite forgiven himself for his crimes, but is willing to keep moving forward. A once evil, powerful, and greedy man who now only wishes for peace and to remain by his loved one's side.

Be it Hiccup, his skrill, or someone's OC, I don't care, but I love seeing post-redemption Viggo feel love for someone and treasure it, and this song always makes me think of this.

Thanks for the ask! <3

[skyfallscotland]

AMY WHAT THE FUCK WAS CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR -?/!/?-??-!—9-$/!-!?- i’m freaking the fuck out

this was the best christmas gift i’ve ever received omg. THEY GOT MARRIED… MARRIED !!!!! also is xaden gonna wear a ring? because i thought remi would remind him but she didn’t ☹️. anyways… are sloane and bodhi gonna happen?? because i thought you shipped sloane and dain (in the canon world at least).

i’m still in shock. i was literally waiting for something bad to happen when they got married but nothing!!!!!!! ugh i’m so happy.

anyways im glad remi finally beat xaden 🎉🎉 great chapter, loved it as always!! <3 happy holidays and happy new years

MY BABIES!! MARRIED!! 🥹

Xaden isn’t going to wear a ring, no. In my headcanon rings are a Morraine thing, Tyrrish culture is the binding tattoo which is sacred, it’s explained more next chapter but binding is a step above marriage—irrevocable, so he has that on display for everyone to see 🥹

I ship Sloane with so many people! She’s so shippable! I went into Truth & Talon with a whole story idea for Sloane/Bodhi, so that’s what we’re running with, but I also like Dain and Cam for her…for them? 👀 who knows!

I can promise nothing awful is going to happen for…at least a scene… 🤣

No but nothing’s happening to our married lovers just yet, don’t worry 🥹🖤

Happy holidays!

[autobotgal2567]

~Detail I Noticed In An Earthspark Episode That I must Yap About~

(Yep, that's the title now. :>)

Just as a heads up before reading! Topic of discussion below contains:

☆Spoilers for Transformers: Earthspark

(Episode: Fire and Ice)

(Two Images, only warning for them is episode spoiler.)

☆Spoilers for Transformers (2007 Movie)

☆ Discussion of Canonical Character Death

(Three Images. Warnings are for spoilers and a character dying on screen. Technically it doesn't count as robo gore, I believe? Correct me if I'm wrong about that though. And I know for some the scene itself as a whole can still be pretty upsetting. Take care of yourselves 'kay?)

Actual yapping is below the line break. Please mind the warnings! And enjoy my brain hyper focusing on yet Another Oddly Specific Thing!

So, I've finally managed to catch up with the newest parts of Earthspark! Can safely say that while it's easy to notice where the writing had it's uh...stumbles, I still enjoyed it fairly well. Was bemused by the different plot lines, nodding along to the usual Malto Family shenanigans. Cheering when a certain Enforcer got his debut moment.

And then this episode pops up. Fire and Ice.

My eyebrows were doing jumping jacks so much during this one, I'll tell yah. Between the easter eggs/references and just genuinely surprising moments. But in a good way. I like that this show still gets me feeling so many Emotions.

One bit of dialog in particular is never going to escape me now though. The fact that I still had the urge to jump online and Yap about it even hours later made that very obvious.

What would that be?

VVV This. This moment right here. VVV

(Turned on Subtitles to verify dialog.)

...

You could definitely see the loading icon pop up above my head when I first heard that little tidbit. The type of trying to remember something mode that completely zones you out. Two seconds later, my silly little self gets BLASTED straight back down memory lane as I processed where I'd heard something similar before.

"Oh right, I remember now-"

...

"...ohh no I remember now."

VVV . . . VVV

(*...insert silently sitting in tears here.* This scene shocked me stunned when I first watched it. And nearing 18 years later it still gets me watery eyed.)

When I tell y'all I SCREECHED as the pieces clicked, I mean that so genuinely. Had to pause the episode and Contemplate Implications and everything. All while my cat padded over to sit and give me The Look for scaring her. (She was sitting on my blanket covered legs when said Incident occurred. Sorry Kitty :<)

So, here's where the main majority of my yapping comes in. Because now I absolutely must speak about this matter so my brain will stop running around it in circles.

So for starters, anyone who doesn't know what that scene directly above is or what's happening. That's the Bayverse/Live Action versions of Megatron and Jazz...interacting during one of the battle scenes in Mission City.

Megatron is the big bad scary looking one perching on that building like the world's most terrifying gargoyle. (It is most definitely perching by the by. His feet kind of act like talons in this scene and his 'wings' even tuck up against his back a moment before that shot.)

Jazz is the poor bot pinned by his legs under the big guy's foot before proceeding to get grabbed. Dunno what else Megatron might have been planning to do here. But once Jazz starts snarking and snarling at him before finally taking a few shots it quickly devolved into the moment shown above.

Megatron gets his 'two pieces' very literally and viciously swift. By tearing Jazz in two at the mech's waistline.

(Still haven't forgiven Bay for this particular character death mind you. Even as a kid I already loved Jazz during the little moments of screen time he did get. And now that I'm older I still wonder about what he could have added to the movies. ...then again considering the movie immediately after this one and how things continued to drop after they forced the trilogy to continue... eh, might have dodged a bullet there.)

Getting back on topic though. With those two scenes firmly in mind, I have proceeded to over analyze and over think whatever I could. And I wanted to share it with all of you! (Please do feel free to add on in tags/reblogs. I love to hear different takes on this kind of stuff.)

Firstly, characters in scene. What struck me the hardest was that the enraged jabs in the Earthspark scene are between Bumblebee and Prowl. Two bots who are commonly at least friends if not pretty close with Jazz across various Transformers continuites when shown together.

(The fighting that happens in this episode and especially the various arguments/words exchanged under the influence of The Rage Virus are a whole other essay I could write about. But not in this one.)

That factor of association because of other stories, shows ect lead my mind onto the second big thing I noticed during the exchange. The same question asked gets two very similar yet also drastically different responses. And also the detail of which bot is saying what.

Whereas in the movie the answer from Bay!Megatron is: "No. I want two."

In TFE, Prowl responded with: "No. I want the whole thing."

I don't know if I'm just reaching here or if one of those beautiful bastards on the writing team for that episode of TFE decided to give a nod with that line. But something in my brain definitely perked up and caught on because of that and is refusing to let go without giving it a thorough thinking on.

Just... The almost mirrored responses. The way Prowl's answer sounded just a little oddly worded until you Know what happened after the original. The tense situations, were one mech is pinned down under the other's foot. The fact that they swapped/changed that particular part of the answer. And that it's PROWL saying it??

ARGH-

Welp. That's all for now. Brain is running out of word steam. (Can you tell? 😅) But I hope I got my general rant across. Let me know what y'all think! I might expand on this more later!

[thesummerstorms]

Okay so this is the 5th time I've reworked this timeline and the Antaam are still screwing with the end bits.

But I did finally say fuck it and make Teia and Viago 6 years apart instead of 4, make Arsinoë 30, which is the youngest I really want to play her, and make her "up and coming" as in she's beginning to be recognized as a senior or important member of the house. Like, maybe they anticipate she'll make Master or be recognized somehow, and instead the whole Antaam thing blows up.

Like the description for Rook de Riva is:

When the invaders of Treviso took people captive, Rook was determined to free the prisoners at any cost.

A talented new Crow recently promoted to full membership, Rook chafed at the cautions of her/his/their commanders, especially with her/his/their city occupied by brutal soldiers known as the Antaam. When Rook saw a patrol herding along captives one night, s/he(/they) leaped into action. Despite saving lives, however,  Rook had unknowingly compromised a larger Crow operation against the Antaam. Rook's superiors were incensed. Sidelined for her/his/their actions, the young assassin searched for new ways to prove herself/himself/themself.”

That really locks in an "intended age" in a way literally none of the other backgrounds do. The closest we get is "a rising Lord of Fortune", which is still not age limited so much as status limited.

But... I literally tracked down the canon dates for everything else... and I turned 30 this year. I would like to play a character who is at least 30. Especially when several of the companions are at least that old? Like, I know the game files have some outdated stuff or inaccurate from previous drafts, but if we go by those, Lucanis is 36, Neve is 30, and Harding is 29? Which makes sense character wise.

Both of Arsinoë's LI's are then at least 30. Let her be 30. I followed the dates for almost everything else.

As for Viago, I wanted him to become Talon around the end of Inquisition. Teia was 28 in Three Little Talons, so she can't be 28 in game, but the game files give her and Viago as 28 & 32.

If Viago was 32 when she was 28, he would have had to become Talon in the last year or so in order for it to stand out that Teia made Talon at 28. (29 & 30 are too close, sorry.)

I wanted him as Talon right after Corypheus or so (thereby motivating Arsinoë not to run off). So if he's 33 there, he needs to be 34 at the youngest in Three Little Talons. 🤷‍♀️

(It also has the advantage of making Lucanis 5-6 years younger than Viago but 6 older than Arsinoë so he's right in dating range for either of them, even though Arsinoë and Viago would see someone the other's age as too old/young to date.)

[nitewrighter]

Hi! I'm very new to the overwatch Fandom and am currently obsessing over your fan kids (specifically Seye bc I don't see a lot of doom content and I love him) ANYWAY, doomfist does die, right? If so, who is it that kills him, and how do Seye and his mother react? I did read the post about Seye eventually destroying the doomfist with some help, but am super curious about some of what happens in between and after :>

Wow! Asks that make me dig through my ancient 'Marsey' tag.

To be honest, I used to be SUPER protective and vague when it came to stuff at this stage of the story I wanted to tell with my fankids, and was also being sadly dangled along by Blizzard's breadcrumbs of lore---I was in a dance with Blizzard where, I did have a very strong idea of how I wanted the story to end, but I was also dependent on Blizzard for canon lore so that I could make my ending the most accurate, the most satisfying. But seeing as there's basically only lore drops now because Blizzard no longer gives a shit about continuity or quality, and basically the cast has expanded so much since I initially plotted it out that I'll probably have to reconfigure this ending in some capacity anyway, I can talk about it now.

Basically there were two avenues I could have taken with Doomfist, the first one, that actually had those Marsey fics, where it was basically a 'continuation' of the Doomfist cycle, that is, some guy challenges Doomfist for the gauntlet and is able to kill him and take the gauntlet, which obviously puts Seye into a lurch as Doomfist's son and the previously assumed successor. I literally didn't have a name for this would-be killer, and in a way, it didn't really matter because you as the reader weren't supposed to see Doomfist's killer as the rightful bearer of the mantle and Seye's whole arc would be defeating this guy (with Marti's help) and then basically shutting down the weird Metal Gear-esque war cult that's risen around the Doomfist gauntlet as a symbol.

The other option was that Doomfist would be killed in the Final Battle™ at Nepal by... drumroll... Junkrat and Roadhog. NOW BEFORE YOU YELL AT ME, Junkrat and Roadhog would also die in this fight. Roadhog would die before Junkrat, but Junkrat would basically be talking to a very clearly bled-out-past-the-point-of-no-return-and-unconscious Roadie like, "It's okay, Roadie, you can take a nap. I can wrap this up," Before pulling all of the pins on all the grenades on his little chest harness while clinging onto Doomfist. Okay you can yell at me more now. But mostly I loved the combination of dramatic irony of Doomfist being consumed in these fires of chaos, and of the ~Junkers~ of all people going out in a blaze of glory against one of Overwatch's Final Bosses. I had this in my brain for years before Junkrat even got his "I killed the Doomfist!!" elimination line, btw. Doomfist views conflict as its own sort of order, but ends up getting killed by the wacky Mad Max randos who have kind of been the comic relief this whole time. Basically the fact that the Doomfist gauntlet itself would also be destroyed in this kind of fight would aslo be the thing that ends the cycle. That was also the battle that was vaguely referenced in this fic.

In both potential deaths for Doomfist, Seye becomes disillusioned enough with Talon as an organization to basically split off and form his own splinter mercenary organization (I was going to use my Talon Goon OC's as his starting lineup, haha), and he also attempts to create his own mantle as "Earthshaker" but he's still deeply affected by Doomfist's death because that's so much of his identity and he's had this enormous fear of irrelevance all of his life. Like this isn't just the grief of losing a father, this is the threat of oblivion that he's dreaded his entire life. As for Seye's mother, Tejuka, it's less of a blow to her--she more or less came to terms with the fact that Doomfist really doesn't have the philosophy or lifestyle to "go peacefully in his sleep," and that's one of the reasons why they divorced and she put so much effort into grooming Seye to actually be the successor of Ogundimu Prosthetics. Dying is easy, living's harder, etc, etc.