#Not the most creative prompt but I think it has some potential

[notedgyanymore]

DP x DC soulmate au

Ghosts can see the red string of fate and can feel how close they are to their soulmate, Danny, now 21 decides that's time to finally let his core guide him, so he can find his soulmate, after a lot of city hopping he arrives at his final destination Gotham city, there he meets his match the anti-hero vigilant Jason Todd, they quickly fall in love and develop a connection that neither of them has ever felt before.

Okay, so far so good, so what's the problem exactly? Well, Jason has never fully healed from what happened to him, he wants to get better and reconnect with his family, but he can't, not when the man who has killed him is still on the streets completely unpunished.

Jason cannot comprehend why his father hasn't tried to avenge him, or why he seems so eager to defend Joker when Jason tries to end his life. Unfortunately for Jason, Danny knows the truth since ghosts always know who the soulmates of the people around them are, that being said Danny feels conflicted after all how is he supposed to explain to Jason that Batman's soulmate is, in fact, the Joker?

[egoarc4de]

.

[tj-dragonblade]

[FIC] Past the Wit of Man (or, Bottom's Dream)

Fandom: The Sandman Pairing: Dreamling Rated: M Word Count: 3657 Tags: comedy, attempted comedy, comedy devolving into feels, identity reveal, sex worker Hob Gadling, advancing my Men In Lingerie agenda, long-haired Hob Gadling agenda, stretching timelines like taffy, Desire and Dream get along AU, but Desire is not actively in this, Dead Boy Detectives comic spoilers mentioned, miscommunication, Dream of the Endless finally uses his words, happy ending

Notes: Kudos props and huge thanks to everyone in the Mr Sadman discord who creatively interpreted a snippet I posted of something else and launched the whole idea of Hob working for a supernatural escort service; this would not exist without y'all and your beautiful brainstorming. ❤️

This fills the August monthly @dreamlingbingo prompt Identity Reveal, replacing square A2 (creature: Veela) on my bingo card

Summary: Hob is nicely settled in a new career and a new identity and does not expect to see his Stranger until 2089. The universe, apparently, has other ideas.

On AO3

~ "Your client is Dream of the Endless. He is extremely ancient and extremely powerful, an underpinning concept of the universe. Absolutely terrible about loosening up and letting himself relax."

"Don't think I'd be much good at relaxing if I was an underpinning concept of the universe either," Hob jokes, opening the profile that the Agency rep has just airdropped to his phone and thumbing through it.

The rep, a foppish vampire with curly white hair and impeccable fashion sense, arches one elegant eyebrow at him. "Apparently his most recent girlfriend dumped him quite harshly and his sibling has arranged this booking on his behalf; he's—and I am quoting here—'absolutely incompetent at managing his own happiness'."

"He knows he's been booked though, right? I'm not gonna catch the fallout because no one told him what kind of appointment this is?" It's only happened once, a prank played on a shy ace nixie by her well-meaning but ill-informed friends; all the same, Hob does not care to repeat the experience—particularly with someone potentially more dangerous.

"He is very much aware and in agreement, yes. We promised him our top companion." The rep dimples at Hob, a smile of saccharine sincerity that shows only the barest hint of fang. "And that's you, sweet Nick."

"And that's me," Hob agrees matter-of-factly, frowning at his phone, then turning it to show his guest. "No photo?"

The rep glances at the screen and makes a commiserative noise. "Oh, yes. Unfortunate, that. Cameras have a very hard time with this fellow, something to do with his general relationship to reality." His tone takes on a simpering air of great melodrama. "We were forced to use an artist's rendition instead! Tragic, really; it doesn't do him justice."

"Huh," Hob says, turning his phone back and studying the cartoony hand-drawn image. Guy looks like he's got some sort of steampunk insect for a head, dark and bolt-laden and bug-eyed, with a trunk that's strongly reminiscent of a disembodied spine. "Dream of the Endless, you said? Looks more like a bloody nightmare."

The rep gives an exaggerated roll of his shoulders, as if shrugging off his delivery duty now that it's done, and turns to leave. "Well whatever the case, an Endless is far above the average client, darling. Give him your best."

"'Course." Hob grins. "That's why you brought the assignment to me, after all."

"Just so." The Agency rep gives a lazy wave in parting and Hob closes the door, still scrolling through the profile as he makes his way to the kitchen.

"Dozens of titles and names", he murmurs, glancing through the list of them. "King of Dreams and Nightmares, alright. Contains the entire collective unconscious of every living being in. Every…universe…?" He shakes his head. "Has never taken a vacation ever. Bested Lucifer Morningstar and oversaw the reassignment of Hell—okay, wow. Billions of years old." He whistles, a long sound of awed disbelief. "Maybe I throw in a free massage for this guy; sounds like he could use it."

He shakes his head again, pockets his phone, carries on with getting breakfast together.

Bug-headed workaholic foundational concept of the universe. Won't be the weirdest client he's ever serviced.

~

It's been ten years since his stranger showed up late for their meeting and smiled so openly and named him friend. That had been their longest meeting yet, lasting all afternoon and on into the evening and it wasn't until the Inn had started closing up for the night that they wound down. His stranger had spoken briefly of the missed appointment in 1989, making clear that something at least mildly traumatic had kept him away and also that he did not wish to elaborate, and Hob had let it go. There was so much to tell of his own century past, his friend remarking with interest on a great many of his stories, and it was enough. His stranger, his friend, had come back, and they'd had a lovely long meeting. Perhaps in 2089 he would be comfortable sharing more of his own story, but even if not, Hob didn't mind. He was confident once more in the friendship he'd declared back in 1889 and willing to coax it out bit by bit, meeting by meeting. He had all the time in the world, after all.

Within a year of that meeting he'd wrapped up his teaching career, arranged for ownership of the New Inn to transfer to a 'relative' in the States who'd keep it running the next few decades, and started searching for a new career for his next identity.

He stumbled quite by accident into the broader supernatural world after being stalked by two dead teenagers helping that de Rais creep who wanted to steal his immortality. It all turned out fine in the end but opened Hob's eyes to exactly how much the supernatural had integrated into the modern world around him. And once old Hettie clued him in to the existence of a certain Service Agency catering to supernatural clients, his next career path was all but decided. What was he going to do, not seize the opportunity for fantastical sexual exploration when presented with it? Life was for living! Werewolves, vampires, sirens and fae and merfolk, the occasional ghost and even an extra-terrestrial or two; scales, feathers, tentacles, knots—Hob's shown them all a good time and earned a stellar reputation among the Agency's clientele. He doesn't plan to do it forever, but he enjoys exploring new avenues and stretching his limits and 'Nick Bottom' is the perfect persona to let him do so.

And now sweet high-priced in-demand Nick has been booked to rebound-fuck an uptight concept in humanoid form who looks like something straight out of a nightmare.

Hob can't wait to completely take this guy apart one orgasm at a time until he's a boneless puddle of satiation and send him home afterwards a brand new man.

Concept. Entity. Whatever.

~

The booking is scheduled for the following day and when the time comes, Hob is fresh and clean and set up in the Agency's most lavish suite. He's let his hair grow the last few years, sports a proper Hozier-like mane at this point, is wearing it down for this appointment. His beard is several weeks old, trimmed to artfully-scruffy perfection and well-groomed. He's lounging on the bed in a short open silk robe and a pair of lace panties that hug his hips and leave most of both arse cheeks exposed, a popular outfit in his repertoire sure to please the classiest of clients with the most discerning taste. Both pieces are a matching vibrant cobalt blue that complements his skin tone beautifully. He's wondering what fucking a concept is like, idly massaging his dick now and then to keep it primed, when finally there's a peculiar displacement of air and then a figure in dark robes with a weird spine-trunked bug-eyed head is standing in the middle of the suite. He's taller than Hob and inhumanly rail-thin; the robes plunge deep from the neckline, displaying milk-white skin without a hint of chest hair and clavicles that beg to be nibbled on. He's in profile, angled slightly away, and Hob has the distinct sense that this is a deliberate pose meant to make an impression, to instill awe and possibly fear in him.

So Dream of the Endless has a flair for drama, got it.

"Hello," Hob greets in his best breathless-and-sultry tone, rising from the bed to approach his client. He layers in a suitable amount of awe, pitching his voice toward 'smitten' with a subtle ring of sincerity to support it. "Oh, wow. You must be Dream of the Endless; I'm so delighted to get to meet you! I'll be taking care of you today; you can call me Nick."

The guy, the concept, Dream of the Endless, he goes stock-still as Hob speaks, and it's like the air in the room pauses with him. He turns, slowly, until Hob is face to face with his…oh, possibly that's a mask, then; the bug-eyed lenses are somewhat translucent in the light though Hob still can't see beneath them.

"There has been some mistake." The voice is deep and distorted through the helmet-mask, bone-rattling in an almost-pleasant way and, somehow, somewhat…familiar? "I was meant to be meeting with 'Nick Bottom'." The quotes around the name are audible.

"That's me!" Hob says, raking a hand back through his hair and shaking it to settle around his shoulders attractively, flashing his most charming smile. "At your service, love, whatever you need. I'm here to make sure you have a very good time, and—"

"Hob Gadling."

That draws him up short. He's currently Robyn Gadrin for tax-paying purposes in the outside world, but the Agency wouldn't give out his current identity let alone his true name, so how—

Hob's brain is babbling insistently about the note of familiarity in that voice and he finally lights on why as Dream of the Endless reaches up to remove his helmet.

Hob finds himself staring at the slightly-more-than-human-but-still-very-familiar face of his Stranger, his centennial touchstone, his friend.

Everything about his reality tips a little bit sideways, dominoes crashing one after the other in his brain until all that's left is that awful ringing alarm tone that features in emergency broadcast alerts on American telly.

Between them, the silence stretches awkwardly, until finally Hob breaks it, the first thing that comes to his tongue spilling out while his poor brain is still rebooting.

"Six-hundred some-odd bloody years, and this is how I learn your name?!"

~

It is five minutes later. Hob is sitting on the side of the plush bed in his short silk robe and lace panties, clutching a bottled water and seriously considering availing himself of the bar in the next room because his emotions are all over the place. His Stranger—Dream of the Endless, apparently—is seated next to him. His eyes are not the blue that Hob is used to, are fully black with actual stars winking in and out of them; it's gorgeous but uncanny. He's currently not looking at Hob, has got the weird bug-spine helmet gripped tightly in both hands. Which are still so pretty, Hob can't help noticing, his fingers longer and more spindly than normal, splayed wide around the curve of the helm, nails painted black. Or maybe not painted, maybe they just are black.

Pretty, regardless.

Not a helpful thought at this juncture.

It's not like he'd thought his Stranger was actually human, obviously, and okay yes the possibility of meeting up with him via this particular career choice had crossed his mind once or twice, might've featured in a private fantasy or two; but also he'd never seriously imagined it because it felt so entirely implausible that his prim and lofty Stranger would ever engage in something so mundane. So casual.

Apparently, Hob was wrong about that.

He's not sure how to feel about it, either.

The smooth inhumanly-pale chest on display in the plunging vee of those artfully-draped robes is also not helping anything.

His Stranger—Dream— moves slightly, glances at him with those starry eyes, flexes those pretty fingers on the helmet. "I will. Arrange. For another. To take your place, Hob, you need not—"

"Now hold on a minute," Hob interrupts, sudden direction presenting itself for his floundering emotions to flow. "What do you mean, 'arrange for another'? What's wrong with me?"

Dream, his name is Dream of the Endless, Dream looks perplexed. "Our. History—"

"Oh yes, our illustrious storied history wherein we have met all of seven times before now and, may I remind you, you took offense to my suggestion that we might be friends until you'd had time to digest it properly, yes."

"Eight."

"Eight?"

"I visited your dream, before undertaking a daunting journey from my realm to another. We shared wine. You gave a most thoughtful toast."

"I. Okay." He remembers that dream, yes; he remembers the wine that followed him out of it, and now with the knowledge that his Stranger is apparently King of all dreams and nightmares suddenly it all makes brand new sense. But he will process that later. "Eight. Still not a factor in my ability to do my job."

Mostly. It is his Stranger, after all, and it's not like he hasn't ever wanted—

"Sex would be. Awkward," Dream insists, and Hob loses it, never mind he'd half-thought the same thing until a second ago; Dream saying it makes him refute the assertion with everything he's got.

"You dare," he says, setting aside his water.

Dream boggles at him, cosmic eyes wide, mouth slightly parted.

"You. DARE. To disdain my professional services just because we know each other?!"

"Hob— "

"No. No, your booking was very clear that you were to have the very best, and that. Is. Me. So you will not be re-booking with another companion on the grounds that our acquaintance makes it 'awkward'; if you mean to partake of the services you've hired you will partake of them with me."

"My sibling."

"What."

"My sibling hired your services. Did they know—" He's half talking to himself and Hob sighs, forcefully pulling the conversation back on track.

"Yes, right; your sibling booked you and here you are. Did you want to get laid today?"

"You need not be so crude about it."

"Forgive me. Of course. Did you come here hoping to have a sensual skillful sexual experience with a stranger intent on your pleasure with no judgments or expectations placed upon you in return?" He makes a valiant effort to rein in his sarcasm. "Because I can still provide that. Minus the bit where we're not strangers."

Dream looks positively miserable, a sodden wet cat of a man in sex-appeal robes hunched on the edge of the decadently-plush bed, and there is certainly an understandable element of embarrassment to the situation but Dream is taking it so seriously. Hob is not surprised, exactly, but christ—he's more than willing to follow through never mind any feelings he may or may not want to admit to, and Dream is the one who'd agreed to the booking in the first place. You'd think he could handle this hiccup with a little more grace.

"It was my intent to. Do, as you say," Dream says at last, and Hob sighs.

"Is that still what you want, then? I promise I'll take good care of you." He's actually really warming up to the idea, not that he was cold to it to begin with. It's his Stranger after all. He's been willing to say yes for centuries. "They really did book you the best, and I would love to show you how well-earned my reputation is—"

"Hob—" Dream sounds pained, gives an artfully-dramatic shake of his head. "My wants are. Manageable. If no one else is available. I cannot simply engage with you so frivolously—"

Hob leaps up from the bed, stalks a frustrated few steps away and whirls back, spreads his arms. "Am I not appealing to you, Dream of the Endless?" He tosses his head, shakes his hair back, gestures at the blue silk and lace that he knows looks absolutely spectacular on him. "Would you like me to change clothes? I have a dozen more ensembles I'd be happy to put on if you'd rather peel me out of one of those. Would the Prince of Stories prefer roleplay? Golden-age pirate, biker bad boy, Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth, cowboy, librarian, Starfleet officer—I'll dress however you like." He's fired up, he's…it feels like anger but it's more like alarm; he is absolutely not about to let a colleague fuck HIS Stranger if Dream's looking to unwind. Not with all the thoughts he's entertained the last couple centuries, not when Dream is looking so entirely miserable about the whole experience. Hob wiggles his bare toes in the plush carpet, forcing a deep breath; he is jealous and possessive and protective all at once and has no idea how to safely navigate this storm to get Dream what he wants without pissing him off.

"Your…clothing becomes you greatly, Hob." He's sneaking a glance as he says it, like he's not allowed to look but can't help it. "Your clothing is not at issue."

"Then what is?" Hob rakes a hand back through his hair, frustration fizzling, careening toward concern. "If you're truly that put off by me, I'll let it go. But you're here, for sex, which you did say you wanted; this is my job and I'm good at it and you clearly need—" Someone to take care of you, he'd nearly said, and while Dream has been giving him so much leeway in this conversation he thinks that might be one straw too much for this particular camel's back.

Nice to know he appreciates Hob's hairy chest and his dick in blue lace, though.

Dream levels him with a look that almost puts him right back to 1889, and Hob has half a second to start panicking before Dream closes his eyes, draws himself up, sets his bloody weird helmet on the bedside table with a soft leathery clunk. When he opens his eyes again, they are resolute, resigned, the eyes of a man headed for the gallows despite the stars winking hopelessly in their depths.

"I do not wish to be intimate with you. When you view it as simply a job. I. Would like—but not. If it is a transaction. If I am merely a client."

Oh. Oh.

Oh shit, really?

Impossible.

Really?

"You want. You want it to mean something?" Hob is embarassed at how small his voice comes out.

Dream closes his eyes, something like shame written all over his beautiful otherworldly-pale face. "I had thought. At our fifth meeting. That perhaps there was the possibility of. Attraction, between us." He opens his night-sky eyes again, meets Hob's resolutely. "Had we not been interrupted…" He shakes his head. "I pondered the idea until next we met, anticipating the possibility of. Seeing, where we might have come to. But you named what was between us friendship, you named me lonely; I perceived your words as mockery and acted accordingly. I spent the next century with a surplus of time to wander my own thoughts. They turned to you, Hob Gadling, with regularity. As I expressed when last we met, I regret leaving our previous meeting so abruptly, so harshly. Your friendship is of great value to me. I am content to let it remain friendship, in the interest of keeping it. But I am unwilling to engage with you, who named me 'friend', as I would a lover when I have yet to fully bury the wish. That you might have been my lover in truth."

Hob is desperately trying to keep from bluescreening again and while he's focused on that, his mouth runs along without him. "You never even gave me a name, but you wanted us to be lovers?"

"I am. Aware, of how foolish my wishes—"

"No, oh no. Dream. Love." He absolutely cannot let him think that. "All you ever had to do was ask."

Dream looks at him, starry eyes full of misery with the faintest spark of hope underneath, glimmering with unshed tears. "I. Could not—"

"That was then. Water under the bridge. What about now."

Dream shivers, his more-than-human face wary and pleading and resigned all at once and the last of the fight drains out of Hob. He approaches gently, until he is directly in front of Dream on the edge of the bed again; he half straddles Dream's lap with one foot still on the floor and a bare knee sunk on the mattress beside him, threads both hands into Dream's hair behind his lovely ears, tips his pale face up.

"Ask me now. Please."

Dream's hand settles above his bent knee, a gentle, tentative touch; his eyelashes flutter, and the sound that leaves him steals Hob's breath. That hand travels softly around to grip the back of Hob's thigh, slides hesitantly higher, and then it's Hob making the helpless noise as Dream's fingertips card beautifully through his leg hair, run up beneath the short robe. Dream's spindly black-nailed hand caresses up over his exposed arse cheek, squeezes, and all the while Dream's beguiling uncanny eyes are fixed on him, wet and wondering, full of blossoming hope.

"Hob Gadling." His voice is hushed, almost reverent. "I should like to have you, as my lover. If you are amenable." His face is tipped up, so close between Hob's hands, and Hob.

Hob's shaking. He's actually trembling, pent up, a little scared; daring, as he leans down and his hair falls around them both, hoping—

He brushes his lips to Dream's.

He kisses his Stranger, his friend, his touchstone.

And Dream of the Endless, who is all of those things, kisses him back.

It's nothing like he might have imagined, and ten times as wonderful, and over before he realizes he's ended it.

"Do you mean it." His voice is breathless, the words spoken directly against Dream's mouth. It's a stupid question, in light of the entire conversation gone before and the hand still on his arse, but he can't help asking. This entire turn of events is just too good to be true.

"Yes."

But true it is, apparently, and Hob's heart soars.

"Then. Dream of the Endless. My Stranger. My friend." He presses soft kisses to those plush pink lips between each moniker, dizzy that he's allowed. "Let me add another title to the list, darling. Take me to bed; the suite is ours 'til tomorrow. Let me learn how you would have me. Let me show you how I would treat you. And let me, at long last, name you mine."

= Started: 8/21/24 Drafted: 8/27/24 Posted: 8/30/24

If you're looking for a spicier take on this concept, @delta-pavonis has you covered: Dossier 54392 - please, give it a read, it's delicious.

(and here, have a post-script-y epilogue-exchange of sorts that did not quite fit:)

= "You chose to name yourself Nick Bottom?"

"What better name for a callboy to the supernatural than the bloke who got unwittingly embroiled in a fae lovers' spat and ultimately survived the entire encounter unscathed? Feels pretty relevant to me. Empowering, a bit?"

"Nick Bottom was less 'empowered' than simply lucky, perhaps."

"Perhaps. I'll not turn my nose up at good luck, either. But a name like Bottom in this business is also too good a pun to pass up, and I figure old Shaxberd would approve."

"I believe he would, indeed."

"The irony being that fully half of my clients want me to top them, heh."

"I do not wish to speak of your clients while you are in bed with me."

"Got better uses for my mouth, have you?"

"Other sounds I would prefer to hear from it, yes."

"Fair enough. Why don't you tell me what you want, Mr. Sandman, and see if I can make your dreams come true."

"Must you be so cliché?"

"You love my clich—mmph—"

"Stop. Talking."

"Yes love."

(Dream will tell him about commissioning A Midsummer Night's Dream at some other time 💖)

= Nick Bottom's lines from A Midsummer Night's Dream that lent themselves to the title: I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was and also The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this dream: it shall be called Bottom's Dream

[tallerthantale]

Neil and Amanda's Fake Therapist

I originally gathered information relating to Neil's fake therapist in a bit of a messy hyperfocus flurry that included some initial errors, followed by various erratic updates, so I wanted to put the main points together into one coherent place. Some of what I'm putting together here was found by others on the subreddit post.

I once again find myself skirting the edges of my typical rules for myself about analyzing public figures, so disclaimer: this is personal opinion, I'm not scientifically or clinically evaluating anyone based off public appearances / statements, I am commenting on what personal impression I am getting off things, and leaving most speculation about internal states out.

Man does this guy make it hard to stick to that though.

The person I'm talking about here is the supposed 'therapist' that Scarlett interacted with while Neil was (allegedly) pressuring her to say the allegations weren't true. His behavior there (with a paper trail according to Tortoise), and what I was able to gather from Amanda Palmer's podcast made it clear to me that he was not operating within the acceptable behaviour of a therapist, so I decided to see if I could prompt a review of his license. All indications at this time are that he does not have one. But it gets worse.

He claims to be a minister, but like the therapist claim cites no qualifications or organizations in his website's bio. This combination of therapist who isn't a therapist and minister who isn't a minister potentially creates a legal nightmare scenario. I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, but I'm going to give you my best estimate of the situation, which has involved looking up the law and reading some cases.

As long as he isn't claiming to be a mental health professional, he may be protected in calling himself a nonspecific 'therapist.' He can probably argue it as some kind of spiritual therapy. But because he isn't actually a mental health care provider, he is not subject to mandatory reporting. Generally therapists have a legal obligation to proactively report when someone is a danger to themselves or others. He does not have that requirement. He isn't bound by professional ethics, since he is not a member of any organizations and has no licenses. Moreover, it seems to be the case in New Mexico that if a person reasonably believes you to be a minister, that kicks in clergy-penitent privilege whether or not you actually are a minister.

The origin concept of clergy-penitent privilege is that the law cannot force a priest to reveal what was said to them in confession. The First Amendment means all religions get it equally and it doesn't have to be part of a specific Catholic ritual. In New Mexico, it covers anything that was not said publicly or intended to be passed on regardless of the surrounding context. That means anything said to or by this guy that is not said in public or explicitly intended to be forwarded cannot be used by the legal system for any purpose, no matter how documented or incriminating it is to the client or to him personally. There is no mechanism to remove that privilege form him for being misused because it is derived from his representation of himself as a minister, not his actual status.

According to his linkdin he received a Bachelors degree in creative writing from the University of Rochester, in New York. He then got a Masters degree in Divinity in Organizations from Harvard Divinity School, 1982-1985. These are the only points of education claimed anywhere we have seen. He lists no psychology or mental health qualification anywhere, and is most known as an author. His bookselling success might be due to a claimed promotional appearance on Oprah.

His personal webpage has a long 'client list' or list of 'collaborators' who have hosted speaking engagements. This list was last updated in 2012. The events on his calendar page have no year. I think I recall seeing a section of his website that was only accessible to those who were 'fully committed,' or something like that, but it doesn't seem to be there now. It's possible I'm misremembering, it's possible it got taken down when the reddit thread got popular, I don't have the right skillset to check. He won an award from the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which looks to be engaging in pseudo scientific spirituality in a manner similar to Scientology.

From what I can gather from the video's I've watched, the advice he 'preaches' is a mish mash of bits and pieces of metaphors and perspectives from a variety of religions and philosophies that he probably didn't fully understand. (My speculation.) There are pieces of genuine insight that are lifted from others and that can give the impression he knows what he is talking about to vulnerable people even if he doesn't really understand them himself. He doesn't seem to have any genuine religious beliefs or connections to any religious congregation or organizations. It is unclear if he is or is not technically ordained, but that is something anyone can just do online, and he doesn't even claim it.

Particularly noticeable in his talks are traces of Jungian psychoanalysis (which is the nonsense Jordan Peterson seems to have got caught up in, and it has antisemitic and fascist origins) some Buddhist resilience concepts that have been misused by westerners a lot, and Christian (I think) concepts about universal love and togetherness. They end up mashed together into a message that I believe will influence most victims who hear it to blame themselves and remain in toxic situations, while making perpetrators feel better about continuing to perpetrate. Not saying that was the goal, but if a person had that goal, this patchwork philosophy is what you would put together to achieve it. I'm not going to be specific because I don't want to be like, putting out a guide for people on how to do this.

Amanda says she met the guy before she had a child, but after she was married. That is somewhere between 2011 and 2015. Amanda says she met him at something resembling a TED conference, where all sorts of people got together to do various (rich people nonsense.) She had a mental breakdown in a horse paddock, and the fake therapist was the guy with the horse, teaching about horse whispering.

"And since then, he’s been my therapist, and he’s also become a true friend, to me, and to my family, and to many other people in my life that he’s taken on, and helped out, in some of their darkest hours of need, and he is my emergency phone call. And in a way, he sort of picked up where Anthony, my old mentor, left off, and I don’t find it a coincidence that Wayne walked into my life right around the time Anthony walked out. "

This is not what a therapist does, this is cult leader behaviour. This is pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if Neil might have known him first and orchestrated their meeting. He is an author with connections to an organization similar to Scientology. It might actually not be a coincidence. Again, pure speculation.

Amanda describes seeking advice from him whenever she was having trouble with Neil, and that talking to him would make her feel like everything was fine again. "Even just to have someone to talk to, to remind me what I’m struggling with, what’s going on, what is home, why does this feel so disorienting, what am I doing? And I can say right now, when I shifted my internal feeling within myself, within my relationship with Neil, around where I was, my feeling in my own house transformed. Because I went, oh, right, none of this fucking matters."

In June 2019 Amanda Palmer has the Portland, OR incident where she tells her fans they need to forgive their r@#ists.

In 2019 the fake therapist did a series of webcasts with The Santa Fe Center for Spiritual Healing over a few months. At times he is titled "Rvrd", and at times he is titled "Dr." there is no reason to believe he is either. In the first one, the host reads a bio she found online, that she says he asked her not to read (she appears to think he was being humble.) This version of the bio claims that he was a Senior Scholar at the Fetzer Institute. When he comes on after she read it, he makes odd comments about whoever might be watching the video online and appears very shaken. The Fetzer Institute has no mention of him on their website. That connection is not listed in his current bio.

In his last video for the Santa Fe Center he claims to be working on an upcoming project in D.C. with a co-facilitator who was famous for brokering a truce between the crips and bloods. He also comes across like he has been asked to stop working with the center and is being super passive aggressive about it. (My speculation.)

His appearance on Amanda Palmer's podcast is recorded in July 2019, about a month after the last Santa Fe Center webcast, in upstate New York. In the descriptor she says it was recorded after a week long retreat with him she set up for 60 of her Patrion supporters. There is a nearly two year gap between the recording and posting, which is not explained. She describes him as a minister, therapist, leadership mentor, and her personal therapist. In the episode itself, she also describes him as her and Neil's relationship therapist. In the description she promotes his books and his website, and says he is still readily contactable there, but to be patient right now because he is mid move. (The description was posted when the podcast was posted, in 2021. As mentioned earlier, there are features of his website that have not been updated since 2012.)

The fake therapist tweeted about Neil being a 'dear friend' in late 2020. He has under 100 followers, not really what you would expect for a best selling author / therapist / minister / community leader / mentor / horse whisper. While I make references to cult leader behaviour, a genuine cult leader would probably have a larger following. But somehow I don't think he lacks for money. I expect there is a market for pseudo-therapists you can freely talk to about the crimes you are actively committing. You can even involve him in the crime, and it still privileged.

The events of Scarlett's allegations date to 2022, about a year after Amanda posted the podcast episode. Sometime in March is when Neil manipulates Scarlett into saying the allegations are false with what is essentially a su!c!de threat, then asks her to repeat her assurances that it was consensual to the fake therapist. Amanda had recently received a scorching message from one of Scarlett's friends about what was done to her. It seems like Neil is doing this to win a fight with Amanda in their "relationship therapy." Scarlett gets a message from the fake therapist.

Tortoise describes it as him "saying he'd be happy to speak to her in complete confidence because he had heard that she found herself in his words 'in the midst of relationships, stories and narratives, not alas necessarily of your own making. Sadly, this is not a surprise. Two creative dynamic people can easily draw others into their orbit unaware of how powerfully the magnetic pull of their influences can have on others.'"

My perception of this message is that it plants the suggestion to Scarlett that her friends are brainwashing her to think she was r@ped by pulling her into 'narratives not of her own making.' I could see how people might interpret the later lines regarding magnetic pull as being about accidental power dynamics abuse, but I read it more as him saying Scarlett's friends are opportunistic manipulators looking to make a name for themselves by taking down a famous person.

Either way, there are a considerable number of things happening there that an actual therapist would not ever do, for a variety of very good reasons. Tortoise's attempt to call him to ask for comment was thwarted by the fact that his phone has been specifically programed not to accept voicemails. Not like, the voicemail box was full or something, he went out of his way to do that. Which means Tortoise can't quite claim that he didn't respond to requests to comment, because they couldn't leave a message. Other organizations probably run into similar difficulties establishing evidence that they have contacted him. It's not a smoking gun, but I don't like it.

A year later Amanda Palmer makes her post on the Russel Brand allegations, where she argues the solution to serial predatory behaviour is to try to get them to stop doing "stupid shit" by trying to heal their lacking and fear with love and compassion and forgiveness, because that the ONLY cause / motivation for abusive behavior. And some unarticulated hope for non-specific accountability vibes.

This post looks to me like the perspective of a person who has been continuously exploited, and manipulated into thinking it is their personal responsibility to heal people who have no interest in being healed. It reads to me like a person who has been justifying staying in a toxic situation to themself so long it has warped their entire worldview. It reads to me like the inevitable end result of this fake therapists preaching.

I don't think that absolves her of what ever her role has been in facilitating access to victims, or actively promoting these views to her audience, but it is something to keep in mind.

There is a broad rage of possibilities for what is going on with this guy. The spectrum runs from deeply misguided fool to deliberately exploitative criminal. Either way it looks like he is charging people money for the service of turning them into the "this is fine" dog. This is not fine. This is not ok. Unfortunately it probably is legal.

[leandra-winchester]

On Oliver's social media behavior regarding Bucktommy vs. Buddie

Kind of in line with many of the good points raised by @bbbuckaroo in this ask response, but I wanted to make my own post about it.

I, too, have seen posts that prompted this ask - from more well-meaning people remarking that Oliver could/should maybe say something against the toxic Buddie shippers and promote Bucktommy more, to more critical voices saying he's essentially ship-baiting with Buddie because he keeps posting about them.

As the referenced post says, Oliver "knows how important and pivotal the Buddie FRIENDSHIP is".

So let's look at that from Oliver's (and in connection also Ryan's) point of view for a moment here.

You're an actor who's been playing one half of what is one of the most integral relationships on a very successful show. That relationship has textually always been a friendship, but with elements that make it richer and deeper than most regular friendships; it's a sort of family dynamic.

It could be read as having a potential for romance, and you're open to that, should the writers ever decide that's the direction they want to take it. You have said so multiple times, not just to appease a large group of fans, but because you genuinely mean it. You're open to it, but you don't know if it's ever going to happen, nor do you have any power over it.

You do love the way fans are celebrating this relationship though - whether they highlight the canonical platonic aspects or take it a step further. You "love the love" (as Ryan has put it). It's great, it's heartwarming, it's moving because the potential of that romance and your character figuring out he's bisexual means so much to queer fans who are looking for good queer representation (which your show already has, but there could always be a bit more, right?). You see and want to acknowledge all the creativity people pour into it.

But you're careful after a while, because, so far, that relationship has only textually been platonic, and some fans are accusing both the writers and you of queerbaiting.

So you take a step back, do less social media for a while. You don't want them to think you're confirming anything just because you see value in certain fictional interpretations of the text.

But then you are told that your character is supposed to come out as bisexual; he'll have a romance with a background character they're bringing back for a couple of episodes. While that's not exactly the relationship many of the fans hoped to get, it's still amazing. It's the right representation of bisexual characters that is very rarely done right, and it'll confirm that they always read your character correctly as bisexual. It'll be so validating to the fans to know they didn't misinterpret that, and you're very happy about that.

But you still love the family-like, platonic relationship you've built with the other character for 5 whole seasons before this. And you love the relationship your character has with his son, too. (In a way, Buck is to Christopher what Bobby is to Buck - a father figure).

You want to keep celebrating that because your new romantic relationship doesn't replace the year-long friendship with Eddie. You want to show fans that 'hey, even though this isn't exactly what you hoped for, it's still great; it's important. Eddie and Chris are still and always will be a huge part of Buck's life. Don't worry. Buck will not abandon them. I still see you and acknowledge you, but let's focus on the textual friendship and platonic love here. Which is also very, very important, and very dear to me personally."

And there isn't that much to share about a romantic relationship that's just begun yet anyway, especially with the season being so short and packed with multiple story arcs around the main characters. It's all still at the start, and while it's great, exciting and has the potential to become something lasting, nothing's set in stone yet. You probably also don't want to have people get their hopes up that Bucktommy is 'confirmed' as endgame; and you don't want to put a main character who has his own, very complex story arc going on this season on the backburner.

You've obviously 'done it wrong'. But no matter how else you could have done it, it would have been wrong as well. You probably know this by now, because no matter what you did in the past, there were always people who interpreted your actions and words in bad faith to confirm their own agenda.

So what the hell are you supposed to do other than what feels good to you while applying a little bit of caution?

---

Oliver CANNOT get it right. It's simply impossible. If he didn't post at all, some fans would be mad that he doesn't say anything. If he only or primarily promoted Bucktommy, they'd be mad that he ignores Eddie and Chris entirely. If he only promoted Buddie (platonic) and Chris, they'd be mad that he's ship baiting. And if he goes for the balance of putting his character's 6-year history with Eddie+Chris and the newly developing romance with Tommy in perspective, i.e. what he's doing right now, they're still mad.

In any potential scenario, the loud and obnoxiously entitled portion of the fandom would find a reason to criticize. It really does not matter what he does.

So, where does that leave us? Personally, I'd say leave the man alone. Let him post and say what he feels is best, and don't try to look at it under any 'bad faith' lens. He's probably given it sufficient thought and does what he thinks is best and feels right.

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

@buckysleftarm replied to your post:

After reading this, I happened across this video: https://youtube.com/shorts/-X5l5GFeg1k?si=H2lrsmx0pv60wn1h They're not in our camp anymore and I wouldn't know how to view the non companions anyway on PS5, but it feels like she definitely is taking some time off from Selune without breaking her oath full?

I sure did use this reply as an excuse to mash out a giant post! Hope you don't mind.

I do actually love that you've brought this up, because I keep seeing variants of it around and have been wanting to comment on it, if for nothing else than to make me feel better. The gist of it goes something like this: after killing Lorroakan, Aylin's "Child of the Moonmaiden" ability no longer shows up when you examine her character sheet, meaning her immortality has been taken away, she is being punished by her mother, has broken her paladin oath, or is feuding with her in some other way. Now... people in the comments of that video sure have takes on Selûne and on Aylin and on paladin oaths and aasimar abilities in general that make giant question marks spawn above my head. 

Personally? I dislike it immensely and think it makes zero sense for a variety of reasons, both in-universe and out! To be fair, as with most headcanons and theories, I'd genuinely love to see someone get creative and do something interesting with it. But I have this knee-jerk reaction to it because so far I've only seen it in the context of people parroting it completely uncritically, just regurgitating it on endless reddit or forum or discord threads and what have you, and actually shutting down or completely derailing Aylin-related discussion. Which frustrates me, obviously, because I want cool, detailed, thought-out takes on my fave, always, and - to be really petty for a moment - since my fave isn't the fandom darling, I only get crumbs to start with! It grinds my gears because so very often I'll want to read this potentially interesting thread about a character I love, but nope, instead here's a dozen comments how "nah man she broke her oath and there's special oathbreaker paladin dialogue with her about it" - no there isn't. That's a very easily verifiable fact, my guy. You made that up, my dude. How dare you just go and make things up on the internet. 

A ton of BG3 discussion has been flooded with a weird wave of statements that are just put there as well-known fact but in reality read like "I heard from a friend whose uncle works at the Nintendo Larian department and he told him Halsin went on a special mission and killed Isobel a century ago because he wanted to emotionally compromise Ketheric but then playtesters reacted badly to it and Wizards made them take it out but it's still hinted in the game, and also if you use an Elixir of Hill Giant Strength and do an unarmed attack on the cart at the entrance of the Emerald Grove you can get Mew" and I find it so grating. And then people waste time debunking this and arguing in the same circles and nobody ever moves on to more interesting stuff. I say this, as if I haven't been an active participant of internet fandom for decades and have literally anyone but myself to blame here, hah.

For instance, the way you phrased it here, as Aylin herself taking a break or trying to step away instead of the "being abandoned and punished by her mother" angle from the video and the comments? That's something I think has potential and something I want to rotate in my mind - would she do it? Could she do it? What would this entail and what would it mean for her? What would actually be enough to prompt her to even try? And it's cool that a little gameplay mechanic thingy prompted that! However - and I'm keeping it kinda vague because I don't want to spoil you on things that happen after the point you seem to be at - if we're talking purely established canon things and not brainstorming an AU or a post-game trajectory for this character, there is nothing actually in the game to indicate Aylin is taking a break from Selûne or her duties, especially not to the extent of having any of her abilities suspended. Quite the contrary, in fact. Everything we get from her and Isobel after the Lorroakan situation is handled shows she is, for better or worse, very much resolved to be her old self and very righteously angry and smiting evil in her mother's name as the Sword of Selûne and actively engaged in protecting Selûnites Realms-wide, and she has her full set of powers and blessings while doing so.

In this essay I will In the rest of this post I will try to be less cranky and I'm going to get a bit technical to try to actually explain what is going on with the "Child of the Moonmaiden" ability.

TL;DR: the buff is disabled as soon as Aylin enters the wizard tower, before any fight or backbreaking or feelings of loss and sadness, likely for the purpose of you being able to win or lose the fight no matter if you side with Aylin or betray her. It is a purely mechanical contrivance and has no narrative meaning, nor is its presence or absence mentioned or reflected in the narrative at all.

Here's Aylin in camp just before being told about the wizard:

Here she is at the start of the fight, when she is sided with:

And here she is, when you side against her:

The above is an oversimplification, however, because the actual implementation of Aylin's immortality is a bit of a mess.

There are two implementations of her resurrection active in the game, and both are implemented as a Status: "GLO_NIGHTSONGRESURRECTION" and "GLO_NIGHTSONG_RESURRECTION". Now, I don't know what was going on there and I'm certainly not a Larian dev, but that underscore situation there is... weird. I also don't know enough about BG3-specific scripting yet to come up with an explanation on why there would be two variants of it at all - if anyone does, please let me know! I'm very curious. However, these two implementations of her resurrection ability work very differently, and you can see the effects of both of them in-game. 

The first one, GLO_NIGHTSONGRESURRECTION, is named "Moonmaiden's Reconstitution" and is tied to the "Child of the Moonmaiden" Passive (itself called SHA_NightsongResurrection, side note: GLO is the "global" prefix and SHA is a prefix that signifies the Gauntlet of Shar area in Act 2). This ability makes Aylin auto-stabilise when downed instead of rolling death saves, go into the kneeling stabilised animation where she can be helped up or healed just like your party members - you know the one, with the little asterisk hovering above them. Then on the start of her next turn she heals for exactly 1HP (unless she's under a healing-disabling effect, such as Bone Chill, which is why people have trouble with her in the Myrkul fight) and she has only her Bonus Action, the same as any other previously downed character.

Mechanically, it applies the "GLO_NIGHTSONGRESURRECTION_DOWNED" Status to her which modifies what happens when she is Downed to implement the above non-standard behaviour, and also does stuff like turn off her Moonbeam if she had it active.

The "Moonmaiden's Reconstitution" Status itself is completely invisible in-game: it has properties such as "DisableOverhead;DisableCombatlog;DisablePortraitIndicator" aka doesn't show up as that little text popup above the character, doesn't show up in the combat log, and doesn't have a visible indicator icon anywhere.

The description for "Child of the Moonmaiden" is:

"Blessed with the favour of a goddess, Nightsong cannot be permanently killed. When unconscious, [at] the start of her turn she recovers 1 hit point."

The second one, GLO_NIGHTSONG_RESURRECTION with the extra underscore, is a Status called "Nightsong Soars Eternal", and that one doesn't have any other Statuses or Passives tied to it, it simply resurrects her immediately when she dies, and at full health. When it triggers, you can actually see her portrait drop out of the initiative tracker at the top of the screen as if she completely died, and then she gets put in again. This one is active even when the first one isn't, so you can see it in places like camp after she comes back from Lorroakan, and after she comes back for the finale all the way until the end of the game - and by "see it" I mean since it doesn't have any Passive ability connected to it, you have to actually get Aylin killed to see it trigger (I'm so sorry Aylin, it was important for the post, I swear).

The description for "Nightsong Soars Eternal" is:

"Nightsong will be resurrected by the powers of Selûne whenever she dies."

In Lorroakan's tower, BOTH of these are disabled, and if downed, Aylin will just lie there as if she died for real with the little red skull and the "Dead" status until she gets rezzed for a cutscene after the fight or, if betrayed, you go to long rest and then come back to see Lorroakan's progress, at which point she will be up and in the cage with a total of 1HP and that "Soul Caged" status instead. 

Note again that she visibly has "Child of the Moonmaiden" disabled as soon as she enters the wizard tower area, betrayed or not, before she does anything to anyone. It's a way of making sure the Lorroakan fight is actually winnable/loseable/concludable without her getting stuck in that revive with 1HP at the start of her turn loop. "Nightsong Soars Eternal" also obviously doesn't trigger. Instead she says her "I will rise again!" line and stays down. She has every other ability and buff active normally, even ones that explicitly mention coming from Selûne, like her iconic following Moonbeam, for example, or her fancy unique Smite.

Again, significantly: she does not have her immortality buffs if you fight against her, either, betraying her and causing Selûne's wrath and desire to protect her daughter to manifest physically in the room, including empowering Aylin herself with buffs that are called things like "Moonmother's Embrace". See what I'm getting at?

Interestingly, she also doesn't have it when you first meet her:

What does this all mean? Well, I'd say that if we took every gameplay/implementation thing about this game as in-universe gospel, Aylin herself would look a lot different and be far more scaly, for one.

(Makes me chuckle every time.)

In all seriousness, though, if something as big as this happened to a side but still fairly prominent character, the game would tell us about it. Or at least make a bigger deal of it than the deactivation of a passive ability visible on the Examine screen that many people sadly don't really tend to look at and read.

And here's the best thing: nobody has to take my word for any of this, you can see for yourself, without actually knowing how to unpack game files or having my frankly ridiculous amount of hard saves! I think this is super helpful in general, especially for people playing on console:

Here's a link to a truly amazing and consistently updated resource - every bit of dialogue in the game, nicely parsed and laid out and super readable (as well as some additional tools to play around with). 

Here's a website where you can search inside BG3 scripts and other files and take a look at a lot of the nitty-gritty implementation stuff in a convenient way.

I recognise that I go way too deep into things and overstuff my brain with minutiae, but that's just how I work. I take forever to post anything anywhere on the internet because I just physically cannot click a post button without triple-checking everything and quoting and screenshotting things, even if it's the same thing for the twentieth time, and that's certainly a me problem. I very much don't expect people to do things my way, but I also find the games of telephone these things so rapidly become really frustrating, you know?

But my biggest problem with this particular Aylin thing - beyond the annoying preponderance of it, as I've already whined - is that in-universe it just makes no sense and I, an aasimar paladin enjoyer, personally dislike it.

Oath of Vengeance paladins abide by the following tenets: Fight the Greater Evil. Exerting your wisdom, identify the higher morality in any given instance, and fight for it. No Mercy for the Wicked. Chasten those who dole out their villainy by wiping their blight from the world forever.

Putting the rest of this post under a cut because it's long and ranty and you didn't actually ask for it.

My first problem: the common argument that Aylin is in the wrong for killing Lorroakan like she did because he has "done nothing to her yet", and that she breaks her Oath of Vengeance because she attacked him preemptively.

The man put a price on her head and sent violent mercs to beat her up and kidnap her. He tries to (temporarily) kill her and imprison her as soon as she refuses to cooperate by… demurely waltzing into the prison and putting the chains on herself? He knows exactly who she is, what has been done to her, and he wants to do it again - no, doesn't want to, he is actively doing it again. The fact that (if you side with Aylin) he fails mid-attempt doesn't make him innocent of it. He refuses to stop and, if denied, gets violent and murderous. 

Player: Have it your way. I'll bring her here. Lorroakan: Good. I was growing scared for you. The last person who disappointed me is suffering for it still. Do not return without my prize. Do you hear me? Good day.

Player: I'll think about it. Lorroakan: You aren't the only one who knows what's on offer for the Nightsong's retrieval. Consider carefully whether you'd like to see your fortune in someone else's hands. Someone who might slip into your camp at any moment, or harry you through street and inn until you're run ragged and surrender. The choice is yours: fortune or imminent death. I know you'll choose wisely.

Mark my words: the Nightsong is mine. With or without your help, she will ascend to her grand fate here, in this tower.

Player: You heard me. The answer is no. Lorroakan: Pity. Then again, perhaps word of your agonising death will draw your little friend to me. Myrmidons - imperatum!

He is fully equipped for it and has set up a whole magical trap and is just waiting for her to show up to trigger it, or for someone to drag her there against her will. He says she will go into the cage "kicking and screaming" and really, this is who she is wrong for "picking a fight with" and "attacking preemptively"? Surely nobody actually thinks that Aylin is at fault here or that she actually overreacted by killing him? I don't really want to go into some people's really, really shitty attitudes towards Aylin for sadly entirely predictable reasons but… man. She went over there and threatened him with violence, demanding an explanation after he sent cronies to attack her in her sleep? Wow, what a weird thing to do. Also, he literally is the one to attack first! She is there threatening and goading him, doing her little "face me charlatan" bit, but he is the one who sics the myrmidons on her (or the player) and actually starts the fight, every time. To be clear, I don't think this is very relevant at all, but people do seem to love bringing it up.

Is Aylin brash and reckless and clearly struggling after her captivity, dealing with rapidly flaring up anger and outbursts of violence - only ever, may I emphasise, towards actually horrid people, and she is really rather shockingly forgiving and tolerant of the player character messing with her? Yes! Does she seem to have that classical aspect of "she might go too far one day" or "she might lose herself in the anger and vengeance if she focuses on it exclusively"? Absolutely! Do I think she could have been, say, a Devotion paladin before her imprisonment and it might have been the betrayal and century in the Shadowfell that made her change to Vengeance instead? I love that idea! I also think it's likely she has just always been a very zealous, very smitey and offence-oriented Vengeance paladin, called Selûne's sword for a very good reason, fulfilling a very important role in the ongoing struggle against Shar.

And the whole problem is… Lorroakan will, as we've seen, not stop trying, and people like him will always be around and never stop coming after her especially now that the cat's apparently out of the bag after Balthazar, and Aylin needs to live with this, forever. That is why she is so messed up about this one rando wizard she's never met before. That is why this specific incident is so triggering for her. She has just escaped torment on a timescale that's not something the normal human mind can really grasp. "In this moment, I want for nothing." ended up lasting, indeed, barely a moment! Her mum is a powerful god and right now it seems that what Aylin actually gets from it is having a target painted on her back and, to quote Isobel, she can be hurt just like anyone else, she just gets to suffer longer! She keeps being dealt these shit hands and, yeah, it'd make anyone go… why? Seems unfair, right? What exactly is the point of this? 

The various dialogue options you have while warning her about Lorroakan's intentions and which include trying to convince her to just leave him be include her being so, so frustrated, and so understandably, it makes me feel horrible for her. 

She always ultimately goes to confront him, because she has no other real choice. He will keep coming after her, he will keep sending people after her, and she will never, ever get a bit of rest, and she's, what, supposed to go live in hiding somewhere if you convince him she's dead? Until the jig is inevitably up or this guy dies by someone else's hand? And there's also the element Aylin herself will point out if you keep her in the dark about the plot and Aradin and his cronies come to attack your camp: how long until someone hurts Isobel during one of these attempts or actively goes after her as a bargaining chip?

I guess I just genuinely do not understand the arguments about this guy who has been deliberately constructed to be a horrible, hateful piece of shit with exactly zero redeeming qualities, to an almost comical extent. He beats his apprentice and uses his assistant for target practice! He's a sick, sick asshole! His life's dream rests on kidnapping and enslavement! The guy is conspiring and trying to ally with Ketheric and Balthazar of all people: 

Lorroakan,

I have responded out of respect to my counsellor, Balthazar, who advises me that you may prove a loyal ally in the coming fight. I understand you wish to know about the soul cage which binds the Nightsong to me. Details, I cannot and will not provide. But the magic itself is necromantic in nature, designed by my aforementioned counsellor. I hope your curiosity is satisfied.

General Ketheric Thorm

This is who people think a vengeance pally will break her oath over? Over what, a technicality of who struck first? "Desecrating a corpse"? No, it was Ketheric she did that to, and nothing happened. She just finished this guy off in a violent and dramatic fashion. 

While you can play a paladin yourself and kill so many people in so many ways without anything happening, this is more of a consideration if you play Oath of Devotion or Ancients. It's also one that makes parts of the game harder - comically evil cultists torturing and executing prisoners cannot simply be attacked out of nowhere, and instead you need to announce your challenge first. You need to walk up to them and start talking, establish their villainy, and then fight "fairly". This is also partially an issue arising from the implementation of hostility flags and game logic, by the way. However, Oath of Vengeance gives precious few fucks about this and is a really hard oath to break. In fact, in a very similar situation to the wizard tower, in the House of Grief, you break the Oath of Vengeance if you spare Viconia - at that point lying on the floor soundly defeated and bleeding out much the same way Lorroakan was. Viconia who, may I note, never "did anything to you" but did harm a friend of yours.

Also, and this is a whole separate discussion, but... it's a FR DnD game. You kill bad guys in it. You kill vaguely morally grey, or even good guys in it. You and your friends kill so many people before this point. Multi-act quest arcs conclude with "go to place and kill someone". You mete out "justice" personally, repeatedly, and can harp on that fact, especially if you're playing a paladin. You don't exactly call the guards on people instead, even in the middle of the city. Ludo-narrative dissonance or no, why would this one wizard suddenly be different, and why would this one woman be singled out for a thus far completely typical approach and set of actions? 

My second problem: a great big "Selûne wouldn't do that". I understand Forgotten Realms "lore" is a giant unwieldy self-contradicting mess of a beast and I'm not saying people should be scholars of it to participate in the discussion, far from it, but I would like them to engage with what is presented in the game itself at least.

For the most succinct possible example, look at what Selûne does when Aylin is betrayed. She buffs her in order to enable her to violently and zealously win that fight. Literally empowers Aylin to smack her enemies around more and with greater strength and also burn them alive in holy fire. Not after she's imprisoned and well and truly "wronged", but during this fabulously absolving "mere attempt" on Lorroakan's part.

Also, may I point out the sweet little shielding- and healing-focused cleric of the same goddess is actively disappointed that you and Aylin won't let her come with to hit the guy a few times herself! This goes for the entire party of assorted weirdos, goody-good or otherwise, who firmly believe Aylin should just obliterate that guy. Like, c'mon, my man Wyll! (Super sad and touching exception: Karlach, if you've killed Gortash already. When she begs you not to tell Aylin about any of it at all and go deal with the wizard yourselves, just so Aylin can have a bit more peace and keep her sword sheathed for just a little while longer. Ow, my heart.)

In summary, basically, my twofold beef:

"Selûne punishing and abandoning her daughter for over-zealously defending herself" - nonsensical and uninteresting. Stops people from actually delving into and discussing the complexities of that relationship.

"OoV paladin broke her oath by killing an evil wizard who is actively trying to do horrible things to her and attacks her" - nonsensical and uninteresting. Let's instead actually engage with the material and discuss Aylin's trauma and how she might deal or not deal with it in good or bad ways. What would recovery even look like, for her. How does the way she intrinsically ties her entire being into being a smite-happy moon-magic knight play into it. Let's actually consider the weight and role of duty in her life and the wombo-combo of being an aasimar paladin, an existence with a very "purpose-made" aspect to it. You know, the good ol' Being A Sword thing, including being born into it. Combined with being rather suddenly rather intensely humanised by a loving relationship with a mortal woman, with all sorts of ticking clocks, unique challenges, and both past and pending tragedy there.

Or let's talk about the dissonance present in Aylin's cool and badass scenes of smiting deserving evil. Scenes that go into very violent and very over the top territory, that make you both cheer and cringe, that make a point of showing the other characters reacting in shock. Because I genuinely feel so bad for her and deeply worried for her, all while my silly little brain goes fuck yeah smite him shiny lady! Ooooh look, a flashy Aylin scene, ripping a deserving villain to pieces! But at what cost to herself? Feels so good to have someone deliver some justice! But if I think about it for 5 seconds I don't actually want her to - no, no, I do. I don't want her to have to, is the thing. (It's kind of like that one Gundam meme.)

I will conclude this mess by doing a salty little yeah. It's fine, this is fine, this is sadly pretty much part of the standard experience of liking a female character in fandom. God forbid women do anything indeed. Outside of a few select, narrow and highly dedicated circles, half the (scarce) posts about her are something that's either flat-out wrong, or just assumes the absolute worst of her and reduces her to two and a half shitty stereotypes, and half the fics tagged with her are actually about fandom's favourite two dudes and barely feature her at all.

And on that note, I'm off to actually be a positive force and poke at my own fic some more.

[percahliaweek]

FAQ '24

What tag should I use?

#percahliaweek is our designated tag - you can @ us @percahliaweek so we can reblog your contribution on the corresponding day.

Where are the prompts?

Ah, seems this has escaped containment then. You can find them HERE!

Will you be doing anything on Twitter/other social media?

We considered it! However, as other social media sites have proven unreliable (especially lately), we'll be hosting the event only on Tumblr. However, you're welcome to post your work wherever you like! Just understand that without a Tumblr post we can't exactly RB your entry.

Can I do _ for the event?

Yes. Yep. That too. Seriously, so long as it focuses on Perc'ahlia (and is appropriately tagged to avoid spoiling people), you can do it. Cosplay, inspired recipes, beadwork, podfic, go wild! Well, with the caveat that no hateful content will be permitted - don't use a joyous event to rain on someone else's parade or promote hatespeech, alright?

Is NSFW content allowed?

Given the ship in question and just how canonically horny they are for eachother - yes! However, we request that you tag this content as #nsfw and use the appropriate content filter on it. If posting in the Discord server, keep it to the 18+ chat. Be mindful of potential minors in fandom space + people browsing content in public.

I want to participate but haven't watched Campaign 1!

We welcome fans of The Legend of Vox Machina with open arms. As a result, it's requested that campaign fans do their best to avoid spoiling show fans for anything beyond what Season 2 has shown (Umbrasyl's defeat). That means late Campaign 1, the oneshots and any mention of them in other campaigns should be tagged as #cr1 spoilers (using just this tag for simplicity). Show fans, if you want to remain unspoiled, I recommend you block this on Tumblr and mute spoilery channels in the server.

Wait - what might get spoiled for me here?

The #cr1 spoilers tag should broadly cover anything TLOVM hasn't yet, but do note that Percival and Vex'ahlia pop up in Campaign 3 and so some fics might contain mild spoilers for the events of that campaign and the decades between their epilogue and now.

Is there an AO3 collection for the fanfics?

Yes! HERE it is, ready and waiting for your fics! If interested in last year's fics (which definitely deserve some love), you can find them over HERE!

Does my submission have to fit one of the prompts?

That would be ideal, yes! Anything freeform should be posted on Day 5 for Free/Random prompts. But fitting the prompt can be very loose - maybe you just use the word as a motif, or you take it in an entirely unexpected direction. We want to encourage creativity and fun more than anything else.

I don't know what to do for the Free/Random day!

We have a few recommendations (we are unaffiliated with the websites linked): Random page of the Encyclopedia Exandria Random word generator OTP prompt generator AU generator Ghost’s Spell prompts [roll 2d20?] Wild Magic Surge table Life events table If you've made prompt lists and would not mind them being featured here, reach out!

How did you choose the prompts?

Prompts were selected by a combination of admin discussion and voting in our Discord server to try and ensure a good mix of evocative prompts (we see y'all voting disproportionately for the Scars prompt! We see it!).

Where can I find last year's prompts?

You can find the list and links to individual tags HERE. Given last year was our first year, we unfortunately didn't think to tag Day 1 until after the fact (we'll need to go and clean that up).

Why late September?

On September 29th, 2016, the Critical Role episode 'Passed Through Fire' aired, which features an iconic Perc'ahlia moment (no spoilers for show fans!). Following Burr's poll last year on which scene is most iconic for the pairing, we decided to have the week celebrate the anniversary of that episode. And, with TLOVM S3 airing the next week, who knows - we might get the animated version to go with it soon! ;3

Is it okay if I only do one prompt?

This event is intended to be relaxed and fun - one entry, or seven, or fourteen, however many you want! We've tried to announce the event earlier this year, to allow for more time for everyone to work on their entries, so please don't feel pressured to do them all the week of. And if you can't finish on time, there's no pressure: late submissions will still be RB'd and added to the AO3 collection. Mind you, after a month or two we might stop checking the blog and tag regularly, so your best bet is to @ us or post in the Discord server!

A Discord server?

We have set up a little server for this event on Discord, mostly to hang out with other Perc'ahlia fans and motivate eachother to work on our respective projects. The current link is HERE - let us know if it's not working!

Who is hosting this?

At the moment the users running this blog are @burr-ell, @blorbologist, @crithaus, @essayofthoughts and @rightpastnowhere! If you have any questions or concerns (i.e. we didn't see your post and missed RBing it :c) please let us know!

Any more questions? Feel free to send in an ask and we'll do our best to answer in a timely manner!

[agentplutonium]

you know what?

^ This comment from Lexi Sun (@autisticempathydaemon) is sticking itself into my brain (/pos). Here’s a short one shot with how i think this would go down (while taking some creative liberties with the ‘prompt’)

Prime Milo/Sweetheart & Asher (/Babe), Milo and Sweetheart have an adopted kid (this kid was abandoned after one of Sweethearts missions), there is gonna be no drama in this i can’t take it when there’s a kid around

(continued under the cut)

From day one, Asher was calling the kid little ghostie.

He knew this wasn’t Sweetheart and Milo’s biological son, but he couldn’t help it. The kid looks just like Sweetheart, he swears! Not to mention all the times he had pulled the slip on Asher and Babe while they were babysitting. Then, once he was found, the little menace would laugh at them for being worried. It was a game to the baby, and Asher has brought up this fact before.

“I think he’s just a toddler,” Milo would respond in a playful tone while packing up the kids things.

“I’m telling you!” Asher insisted. “He comes from two empowered, and while we don’t know much I’m betting that one of them was a stealth.”

“Uh huh,” Milo said, noncommittally. He motioned for Asher to hand over the baby.

“Hey, say what you want,” Asher said, finally handing the kid over, who was already reaching for Milo and cooing away, “I’m calling it.”

Milo gave his quiet hellos, kissing the side of his son’s head before turning back to Asher. “And I expect that, if you’re right, you’ll never let us live it down.”

“Damn right,” Asher said, smiling.

Milo chuckled. “Well, I better get him back before Sweetheart asks if I got him yet. Again,” he said fondly. “They just got home a bit before I got off and wants to see him. Thank you for watching him.”

“It was no problem,” Asher said sincerely. “If you need a babysitter don’t be afraid to hit us up. Babe has cancelled date nights before for the little ghostie. It’s always fun having him over.”

“Yeah, well, I think David’s mate would kill me if I gave you guys another chance before I gave them a chance,” Milo said. “I should probably also let Ma take him soon. It’s been a while.”

“A while,” Asher repeated, amused, “didn’t she have him the day of the last pack meeting? Two weeks ago?”

“Irrelevant,” Milo said with a smile.

Babe poked their head around the kitchen wall, nodding when they saw Milo. “Yeah I figured.” They leaned against the wall as they typed something into their phone.

“Figure what?” Milo asked after sharing a look with Asher.

“That you’re still here. Sweetheart is asking about you,” They teased.

Milo rolled his eyes, but Milo saw the way he smiled. “Yeah, yeah, tell them I’m heading out now,” Milo said with an amused huff. “I’m gonna go,” he told Asher. “I’ll catch you around.”

—

As they years passed, the less they were sure the kid even had powers. He wasn’t exhibiting the usual signs of an elemental, and he wasn’t a wolf. There was a chance that he was something else, but they all thought they would feel their core forming by now. Sweetheart was the most worried. Most of their friends at this point where kids from the pack, and it would be unfair to ask them to keep a secret like this, but they weren’t sure if the kid could get informed unempowered status at this point. The department would want to make sure that they weren’t empowered to avoid the paperwork. That could take ages.

It wasn’t until the kid was fourteen did they figure anything out.

Sweetheart had been home with him while he was sick, and Milo was on office duty for the day. Sweetheart was in the middle of making lunch for them both when they heard him cry out to them in fear.

Sweetheart was at his doorway in what felt like seconds, potentially phasing through a few walls to get there so fast but no one was around to confirm this. The kid was say bolt upright in his bed, eyes wide.

“My arm is gone,” he told them, panic rising in his voice.

“What?” Sweetheart asked, taking a few steps in.

He held up his right arm, which was in fact missing from the elbow down. He looked more freaked out the longer he processed it, tears forming in his eyes. Sweetheart’s eyes went wide, finally understanding what’s going on.

“Oh, honey,” they said, coming forward to sit on their bed. “It’s not gone. Can I touch you?”

He nodded, eyes not leaving Sweetheart.

“Look,” Sweetheart said, reaching out to touch where his arm would be, wrapping their hand his wrist. The second their skin made contact Sweetheart was able to tell exactly what the problem was. His powers manifested.

Their son was a stealth. Sweetheart tried not to be elated. He was freaking out and they need him to calm down.

“It’s still there,” Sweetheart assured.

“What is happening to me?”

Sweetheart’s chest aches at the fear that laced the kids voice. “I will explain everything, but I want to see if you can get your arm visible again,” they said gently. “Can you take a few deep breaths with me? It’s a lot easier to control it when you’re calmer.”

“So, I’m okay?” He whispered, sniffling.

“Perfectly so,” Sweetheart assured. “It’s even normal. For people like us, at least.”

“Like… us?”

Sweetheart gave a small smile, holding up their own arm and making their arm disappear just like his. Their son’s eyes blew wide at it, but there was a bit of relief behind his eyes.

“You can do it to!” He exclaimed.

“I can make a lot more than my arm disappear,” Sweetheart said, but we can worry about that later.” They took both his hands in theirs, and they breathed together a few times. As they sat there, Sweetheart couldn’t help but be relieved they were with him during this. It was a similar to their manifestation, and they knew how freaked out they were during that. After a few minutes of this, with nothing said between them, their son’s arm phased back. He looked very relieved to see it again.

“That was weird,” he said quietly. “Is… why did this happen to me?”

“This is going to sound insane,” Sweetheart said, “but you just manifested your powers. You’re like me.”

“Powers? Like… like Miles Morales?”

Sweetheart chuckled, “kinda like him, yeah.”

“Does,” he started, voice quieting when he went to speak again, “does dad know about your powers?”

Sweetheart tried not to laugh at that question. “Yes, he does. There’s a whole community of people just like us. It’s bigger than you think, too. Your dad, his friends, and your friends are all magical too.”

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?” He demanded.

“Because it would have been breaking the law,” Sweetheart said truthfully.

“Oh.”

Sweetheart smiled, smoothing down his hair as the spoke. “Tell you what,” they said, “I’m going to go finish lunch and then we can go into more detail then. How does that sound?”

Their son nodded. “Can I come out and help?”

“If you’re feeling up to it. You might wanna take a shower first though.”

Their son nodded, getting up. Sweetheart squeezed his shoulder on the way out of his room.

They were pulling up Milo’s contact before they were fully down the hall. He picked up on the first ring.

“That was quick,” Sweetheart commented.

“It’s you,” Milo said. “I’d drop everything for you. Besides, I’ve got most of the things done. I’ve mostly been sitting here with Asher.”

“Good, so you might be able to come home early?” Sweetheart asked.

“Depends on the reason,” Milo said, and Sweetheart could see the shrug he have them. “David is pretty big on having someone here, just in case.”

“Well he might understand this time,” Sweetheart said, “your son’s powers just manifested.”

“No fucking way,” Milo said, louder than he needed to. “Really? Did you get a read of what they were?”

Sweetheart laughed as they heard Asher perk up in the background. They waited until Milo explained what was happening. Milo put his phone on speaker after that, so Asher could hear too.

“Hi sneaks,” Asher said.

“Hi Asher.”

“So I heard that your son’s power manifested.”

“They did,” Sweetheart said, chuckling.

“Soooo…” Asher trailed off. “You gonna tell us?”

“He’s a stealth,” Sweetheart said.

“I told you!” Asher yelled. “I have been telling you since day one!”

“You have,” Milo responded, a smile in his voice.

“Sneaks he looks so proud right now,” Asher told them, “he’s basically glowing.”

“Shut up!”

Sweetheart laughed at the two’s squabbling. They enjoyed hearing their arguments, mainly because they were entertaining.

“Listen, I have to get back to this food for him. I’ll talk to you both soon,” they said.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can, Sweetheart,” Milo told them. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Tell little ghostie that uncle Asher had it right this whole time but his parents didn’t believe me,” Asher called.

Sweetheart laughed, “sure, Asher.”

[nephriteknight]

Thoughts on Daggerheart!!

I'll admit I haven't really been following it until today, but after watching the videos released today I got very excited and ended up building a character and reading a lot of the book, as I am wont to do (might post about them later lol).

Now, full disclosure, I wouldn't say I'm all that familiar with the TTRPG space outside of D&D, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. That said, I've played D&D, Wanderhome, Alice is Missing, and the fan-made Hollow Knight TTRPG, and I've watched some AP of Kids on Bikes, Call of Cthulhu, Monsterhearts, and Candela Obscura, which is a longer list than I was expecting. Huh. Anyways, my thoughts!

I really like the duality dice! It's such an interesting way to do mixed success that incorporates story/character into mechanics, which is great.

Related to that, I also like Hope as a fluid resource, and I think that Fear is a nice way to both prompt GM action and to just create a fun sense of dread as the GM takes more tokens

The lack of turn order/action economy is... cool, and a really interesting idea, but my thoughts on this are complicated. As we're seeing in the oneshot right now, it really helps to keep combat as part of the story and give the players and GM room for creativity. (For example, Bunnie describing a counterstrike as part of her dodge, and being able to take it as soon as the GM's turn is over, as well as the tag team feature, which is very cool.) That said, I think this mechanic might not work so well with less experienced or less confident players, who might have trouble taking the initiative (heh) to act in combat (I know I certainly would if I wasn't playing with close friends). That's not really a criticism though -- this is a collaborative storytelling game, and part of playing it is making big moves and taking turns guiding the story. If that's not for you, then you might prefer a different system, which is fine! I think this mechanic has the potential to be really, really dope, but I also think it's the bit that has the most potential to go poorly in my eyes.

The art, design, and general aesthetic feel of this game are so unbelievably up my alley. I love it. That's all.

I'm excited to see that they're working on mechanics for playing disabled characters, but since they aren't out yet I can't really comment. (I did notice that the character in the bard art is in a wheelchair, which is dope.) Also, as others have noted, Daggerheart uses "heritage" and "ancestry" rather than "race", which is a small but good choice.

Personally, I also really like the choice to move away from precise measurements of distance and gold. This one is very much a personal preference, and I know some people will rightfully disagree, but I like it! As a DM, trying to determine the appropriate costs and rewards for things has always been a headache, and this seems much easier to manage; measuring distances with convenient and tangible measurements like the short side of a playing card or the length of a piece of paper also feels much easier to use.

The downtime mechanics are great! Each of the activities you can take prompts you to describe how you heal yourself or another, destress, repair armor, or prepare yourself for what's ahead, which really encourages quieter character moments both introspectively and with others. I'm a big fan of this. This combining of role play and mechanics is also present in other features, such as one of the major level 1 healing abilities, which is more effective if you spend the time it takes to cast learning something new about the person you're healing or sharing something about yourself.

I didn't look at this too closely because I was just making a character for fun and don't have a party to play with, but as part of character creation you're given questions about your relationships to your party members to answer. Wanderhome also has these, and they were MASSIVELY successful in creating depth and meaningful connections between players -- after our table's session zero I was already so invested in all our characters, and when we actually played them they really came to life. I haven't looked to closely at Daggerhearts version of this, but I'm very excited to see them.

The experience mechanic seems really fun and creative, and I especially like the idea of using a phrase rather than something specific. That said, when I played the Hollow Knight TTRPG, which also lets players create their own skills, the open endedness of it was more confusing than inspiring, and there was a lot of potential for a usefulness disparity between players. I do think Daggerheart explains it better, though, and limiting the use of experience with a Hope cost helps to counteract any choices that might be too broad, so hopefully it will work better

I probably have more thoughts, but it getting late and I have a headache, so that's all I'm saying for now :D

Overall, Daggerheart has combined a lot of things I've liked in other games with promising mechanics I haven't seen before, and I'm very excited to try it out. I'm now realizing that I just made a list of things I like without any negative feedback, which isn't what I wanted to do, but I'm not really sure what to criticize without having played it myself.

I'm most curious to see how the non-initiative mechanic works; it has the potential to be a really excellent solve for a major problem in D&D (plenty of people have talked about how initiative limits teamwork, can be boring when its not your turn, etc, so I won't get into it here), but I don't think it's a solution that will work for everyone. Of course, games can't work for everyone, and shouldn't try to. It's working really well on CR's oneshot as I write this, but making choices and sharing spotlight in TTRPGs is literally their job, so I'm not surprised this works for them. I could see this going really well with some tables I've played with, and really poorly with others. I'm still really optimistic, though; it seems like the kind of thing that with the right table could be really excellent.

[louiswilliamtomlinsons]

2023 writing gif-making round up

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about.

tagged by @victoriaspriing thank you!!!

2024 is just around the corner, so unbelievable to me. it feels like no time has passed since the beginning of 2023. i was thinking, hm it doesn’t feel like i’ve made many gifs this year, but then i went looking back at all my favorite gifsets i made and i was pleasantly surprised to see quite a significant amount. my goal for 2024 is to create more gifsets, to share with the fandom and most importantly to let the creativity flow. okay, but i’m here to reflect on my gifsets from this year, so let’s get into that shall we? i’ll share some fun statistics and then my top 5 gifsets from this year, and totally copying joana here but i’ll also give a shoutout to my favorite creators who not only inspire me but make this fandom wonderful with their creations <3

fun statistics

in total i made 188 gifsets in 2023

99 are about louis (*pretends to be shocked*)

50 are about harry

10 are larry

4 are ot5

1 about samia

1 about soyoon

the rest are 911 lone star, stranger things, only friends and first kill

28 (!!!) are elaborate gifsets

44 are or include purple

4 are about faith in the future

top 5 gifsets (in no particular order)

louis birthday gifset this has to be my favorite gifset i’ve made this year. i had so much fun making it, from trying a different color i’m not used to, to using new effects i hadn’t had the chance to try. everything came out as i had envisioned and it makes me so happy. i gotta say by the end of it i was tired. i think i spent a total of 10 hours on it, but it was so worth it

faith in the future anniversary gifset okay so this one was originally going to be blue and yellow, but the first gif (the one with the tv) wasn’t looking good, so i just did what i do best, make it purple and yellow. i’m glad i did, because not only do i love that combo, but i think it looks great. i had this vague concept of what i wanted to do. i knew i definitely wanted to include the spotify template. from there i just did what i felt in the moment. the edit with the tracklist was originally going to be in the form of a google search, but it looked so bad, so i just went for something more simple, which ended up looking so much better. the last edit was the second to last one. i was thinking, how can i include fitfwt into it? that’s when i realized i had a combination of one gifset, one edit, one gifset and one gifset, so i added one edit in the middle of the last two gifsets to create that pattern. i took my favorite louis picture from tour and just did a quick edit. with this one, less was better, and i’m very proud of how it came out

hlholidayexchange gifset i absolutely adore this one. the prompt was anything with 2014 larry. i had a very clear concept for this one. polaroids showing them together. while looking for videos i just gravitated towards their night changes performance, especially the prince and little one with the cheekbones, so that’s what i did. i was apprehensive about the blending, as it’s something i struggle with, but personally i think i did good. there’s always room for improvement, but i’m satisfied with it. the colors came to me right at the end, a combination of some of my favorite colors that are close together in the color wheel, so they look good together. it’s simple, but effective :)

louis tomlinson tinder this one was so fun to make. i especially loved coming up with hobbies and activities that describe louis. i knew i wanted to include numerology because this boy is obsessed with numbers and you can’t tell me he isn’t into numerology. as for the matches, i included his husband people who he’s potentially had a crush on based on interactions and interviews. i also love how the colors came out, i think it looks very pretty

harry’s house anniversary i love this one so much. i had a very clear concept of what i wanted to do. the cutout of the pictures plus the lyrics looked so much fun and i had a great time putting it together, and i just love the spotify template. i think everything about it is very pretty. the colors, the scenes, all of it. the only thing that makes me sad is how the video for daylight came out way later so i couldn’t include it, but other than that i love it so so much

bonus!!! this is louis tomlinson a very fun, very pleasant edit. i remember just wanting to do a gifset highlighting some aspects of louis and his career. i wanted something semi simple and visually appealing, so i did the google search overlay and from there just basic layouts. i had a lot of fun making it

shoutout to my faves!!!

@delicatepointofview @heroeddiemunson @wylanvannecks @505louis @anxiouspunk @ricky-olson @vinmauro @raypakorn @victoriaspriing @birthdaysentiment @robin-buckleys @perrieedwards @margarethcarter @neil-patrick @bobbiedebruyn @braverytattoos @justthinkingaboutlouis @loustyles @kiwikiwiandkiwi @finexbright @zourried @seatawinans @mcbride @jdeanmorgan @morgana-pendragon @niccolofares @sci-fi @benoitblanc @saw-x @binariesuns @oliviairodrigo @annacoleman @aliecenthightower @nelsonnicholas @curlyhairedprince @padme-amidala

sorry if i’m forgetting anyone. if you’re a gifmaker assume i love your gifs. tagging the people above and anyone else who happens to see this and wants to do it. no pressure!!!

[v3nusxsky]

Hello, do you still take requests?

If yes, I would like to request of Lady Lesso x reader, where reader is a teacher in the school for good and a retired knight (I have a thing for that kind of stuff sorry (TwT') ). If it possible, in that scenario, Lesso and reader were childhood friends and are now lovers. Lesso and reader are sharing an intimate moment and reader is ashamed of their body full of scars, thinking they are fat and Lesso just reassuring them, praising them.

I absolutely love your writing and I also find comfort in them. And I would love if you could write about that, as finding yourself beautiful is a difficult task sometimes.😓

P.S: You're doing an amazing job, and once again, I love your work! ❤️❤️

Hello my darling, I am most certainly taking requests and instantly fell in love with this prompt. So thank you for sending it in <3 I’m glad you enjoy my writing I tried my best to capture the insecurities r would face as I’m no stranger to those insecurities myself. Thank you for your kinda words. Remember darlings you’re all so uniquely beautiful <3

My beautiful knight

*Authors note~ loving these prompts guys it's giving me so much creative freedom and it's all down to your ideas. The motivation you guys give me is crazy. Helps that lesso is amazing to write for. All of the support is so touching and I'm so glad to have you all here with me for these. Read on doves*

Trigger warnings~ scars

Prompt~ see the ask &lt;3

Lady Leonora Lesso. The Dean of the very school she went to. You couldn't be prouder of the women she has become. After all, you were the only constant person in her life, the one that stayed through everything and more. You saw Lesso go through the whole Rafal thing, the trauma of her past life in Gavaldon and some of the harshest punishments imaginable. You'd been there for it all. Despite the fact you were in different sides. Good and Evil. A perfect miss match of harmony. You quickly became the best of friends, supporting each other in anyway possible. She was actually the one who encouraged you with your dream of becoming a white night. After all she saw your potential, they form you had the strict way you would conduct yourself all screamed out "knight" and that is why when the opportunity came she encouraged you to take it with a heavy heart.

You were due to leave a week after graduation, to be a knight for Queen Athena, and personal guard for her daughter Isadora Saige. Although you knew you were extremely fortunate to be granted such an amazing opportunity you couldn't help but feel the sadness at leaving her. See Nora, only you were given the privilege to call her this, had been offered a job as the new dean of evil. Obviously she had to take it, it was a dream she had since arriving here and you couldn't be prouder of her. Your crush on her had only grown with the years you had spent building friendship despite your differences.

That is why before you left for Queen Athena's dark palace, you had planned a special trip for yourself and Nora. You readily set up a basket of all the favourite foods you knew she loved and some of your own, laying a blanket down just outside the gardens overlooking the fountain. You even had a few decorative pillows to make it look pretty. Then you had instructed Lesso to meet you here just before sundown. Now the time was approaching you nerves were growing. Why had you waited so long to tell her? What if she hated you after? What if she didn't even feel the same for you? What if she did? God this was so hard.

You saw her fiery mane rounding the corner to meet you at the exact destination you had planned. The nervous bubbled away within as you carefully watched her reactions. The smile that graced her gorgeous lips was worth every moment of stress. She quickly schooled that into a face of indifference. You knew that she would succeed in her new role and couldn't wait to see her grow into the amazing women you knew she was. You decided to ask her to be yours as the sun was setting. Nervously you rambled out a little speech about how much she means to you and how long you've loved her from afar. You knew this would be difficult but you wanted her to be yours. You knew Evers and Nevers shouldn't be together but what is life without a little shade of grey? You shared your first kiss under the moonlight surrounded by the shining stars in the sky. It was perfect and everything you had ever dreamed of and more.

The day you left had been hard, you saw how it broke her heart despite the facade she put on. You promised to write, and you promised to love her forever and always. With a lingering kiss to her lips you set off on your journey to be the knight she knew you could be. You did write. And so did she. Those letters were your everything. Everyone at the palace, even the Queen, knew those were important and should be passed on to you immediately. You saved every single one, keeping them for the bad days. You drew strength from her words, loving hearing that she was flourishing at her job. Just as you knew she would. You missed one another terribly but all you could do is wish to reunite soon. You had pledged your services to Queen Athena and as a knight you had to honour your word. So the day she released you due to an injury on the battlefield, you could've sobbed with happiness. Being a knight has been everything you ever dreamed it could be. But your heart craved your home. The women who you'd missed terribly for years.

Immediately you reached out to your old friend Clarissa, who just so happened to be your loves counterpart. You explained the situation and asked to become the teacher for defence, which Lesso had informed you had opened up. Clarissa jumped at the chance to accept your offer, immediately arranging for your return. She followed every thing you said including hiding your arrival from your lover. You received letters from Lesso explaining her frustration at the secrecy being displayed. You couldn't help but giggle at her frustration, still the same Nora you left all those years ago.

You were escorted by the Queen and Princess themselves as a thank you for all your service over the years. You couldn't help but feel nervous at returning to the school, seeing your old friends but also Nora. Although you wrote letters you hadn't seen her in years, what if she doesn't like you now you had seen true combat? The things you experienced scaring you in multiple ways, what if Nora decides your too much? Not perfect enough? What Ever is covered in scars?

Queen Athena and Dora as you had been allowed to call her decided on a tour of the school grounds, one that Clarissa happily provided. You immediately set off to find your girlfriend with the blessing of the royals. Dovey started the tour on the side for Evers giving you some time to reunite with your lover. Effortlessly, you climbed the stairs to your lovers office and peaked around her door. It was unsurprising to you that she was working diligently on paper work with her cane resting against the desk. Of course Lesso had told you about the incident that had her now using the cane. Naturally she didn't see the serious sides of it only stating the cane looked badass and added to be evil vibe.

She was so engrossed with her work you easily slipped into the room and behind her chair. You reached your hands around to hug her causing a very irritated huff to fall from her lips as she turned to reprimand this action. All threats dying in her throat when she laid eyes on you, in your active knight attire that was your amour. After all you still had her to be released from your oath. That was all it took for the women to drop her cane and throw herself into your awaiting embrace, practically knocking the wind from your lungs. "Hey you" you whispered your hot breath tickling her forehead as you held her swaying lightly. She was quick to hide her face in your neck breathing in the scent she had missed so much and you would be lying if you said you hadn't missed holding her in your arms. A happy sigh filling the room at the thought, this was life now.

You held her in your arms for a few minutes before your private moment was interrupted by Dovey and the royals. A gasp leaving Dora as she took in the sight of your lover. Queen Athena stood with her regal poise and signature smirk, taking in the scene in front of her. You really were her prized knight, her very best and to see you with your love truly warmed her blackened heart. After all the way you described the women was similar to how the queen saw herself. After a few interactions and praises of what a good knight you were, the queen released you of all duties and the oath you had taken all those years ago, in front of Dovey and Lesso so they would know you were no longer sworn in. This was actually something you'd requested for Athena to do. Isadora sobbed into her mothers shoulder as the carriage was driven away. As much as they would hold a place in your heart you were glad to be home. Not the school but the fiery red headed women stood gripping your arm as if you'd disappear.

An immediate assembly was called and you were introduced as the new professor of defensive arts. Your classes would be joined as we most these days. The students seemed to be fascinated by the fact they'd have a retired knight for a professor. Some even daring to ask questions about the Queen you served for. Obviously you answered the best you could while remaining carful of Athena's reputation but trying to remain truthful. Truthfully Queen Athena wasn't awful at all, in fact you enjoyed the privilege to serve her. But now all you wished was to be on your lovers arms.

When the assembly ended, Lesso lead you to her sleeping quarters happy to see your stuff had been placed in there. As soon as the door was shut she was scolding you for not telling her, you could tell she had actually loved her surprise this was just for a show of dominance. One thing Lesso didn't count on is how willing you'd be to submit to her. In fact you had her sit on the bed and knelt before her, swearing in an oath to always love support and cherish her.  That was what choked up the dean with tears and she pulled you into a bone crushing hug forgetting her leg until the amour clunked against it causing a pained whimper. Apologies were flowing freely, you haven't meant to hurt her you just wished for a cuddle.

You began to strip the armour off piece by piece gently placing it against the ground until you were left in just underwear. You could feel the gaze raking over your body, taking in every mark and scar. There were loads of them in different stages of healing. You kept your gaze downcast, embarrassed and waiting for a response at seeing just how hideous you believed yourself to be. You continued to wait as Lesso greedily drank in your form, eyes roaming over every inch of skin on display. Unbeknownst to you she longed to trace the scars with her fingers and eventually her tongue, feeling the rough edges. The longer it went on the more anxious you became, your own mind convincing you that Nora was disgusted by you. It was the only logical explanation for her long pause while she took you in.

To say you were startled when she threw herself at you once more hands instantly tracing the scaring lips attacking yours with a passion that caused you to moan into her mouth. Soon enough you had made your way to her bed where she laid you down and made sure to kiss every scar no matter how big or small and remind you that you were safe with her and she loved you no matter what.  You were and always would be her big brave white knight. You were still breathtakingly gorgeous no amount of scaring could change that, especially the beauty within.

Only when lesso had lavished you with kisses and kind words for every scar did she pull back up to full height, feeling the burn in her leg and noticing the tears streaming silently down your cheeks. "Oh my love? What's wrong?" She hummed concerned gathering you in her arms whilst wrapping you in a blanket to keep you warm. You just broke there in her arms, and she held you as you cried. Only when you had calmed down were you able to thank her. For encouraging you to follow your dream and waiting for you to come home to her. Never to leave her side again.

Word count ~ 2210

[psychhound]

ttrpgs in the classroom (part 2)

hello yall im back with part two!! this one isnt a ttrpg we played (most of these probably wont be ones we've played) but was a class discussion!

the game:

this week we listened to the village witch part 2 episode of alone at the table by @ladytabletop - a solo ttrpg actual play podcast. this was a playthrough of village witch by kestrel eliot

in the episode, the witch anathema has traveled to a new town, a wild west-esque town in the desert with a household ghost, living trains, and some potential new friends

the goal:

we listened to this episode to demonstrate how a playthrough of a solo journaling game might go, and the control you have over storytelling while keeping in line with the mechanics of the game. i wanted to show the students the difference in narrative autonomy compared to games they were more familiar with, namely video games

the methods:

they listened to the episode for homework, and then in class first wrote down the answers to the following questions on their own, then broke into small groups to discuss their answers, then we came together as a class to all talk about the episode

the questions were:

What did you find most interesting about the game or the story being told with it?

What about listening to this playthrough surprised you?

In what ways does this game fit into or defy expectations of a typical Wild West story?

How do you think the story that was told was influenced by the fact that it’s a game?

If you had to write a personal narrative essay in relation to this story, what would you write?

the results:

there were definitely some students who didn't "get it" but overall a lot of engagement with this assignment!! the kids were pretty split on whether it fit into a typical wild west genre and we had an interesting conversation on the "a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town" storytelling dichotomy, but they thought it was cool the witch got to be a good guy. they really connected to the concept of moving to a new place and trying to decide if it's your home as incoming freshman, most of whom have left home for the first time to come to college. we had some interesting answers on how the story was influenced by it being a game, but the general consensus was having the prompts and limitations forced it to be more creative than if it was just written as a short story. one student even asked to do her first essay on this game!! a win overall :D

[kimbap-r0ll]

Could I possibly request scenarios where the dorm leaders (separately)are in love with reader but unfortunately she’s already dating someone. The twist being that the person reader’s dating is like Heimdall from God of War Ragnarok. If you’ve never seen it before, basically Heimdall is the god of foresight and he can see the future and read minds. He’s also rude, arrogant, cruel to others, especially outsiders. But despite this, he’s extremely loyal and respectful to those he genuinely cares about. (In this case the person he cares about is reader-)

I imagine maybe they overhear Grim asking reader what she sees in such a jerk but she just smiles and responds by telling Grim that her partner has a hard time making friends since to he is only able to see the worst on people due to his mind-reading abilities. And that reader was the first person that genuinely cared about his well being. And that’s why he fell in love with reader. (Yeah it’s a female reader with a male lover-)

As I’m rereading this I’m realizing how demanding and weird this is- Sorry😞

Hi, thank you for the ask! It's alright, honestly the more creative the asks are the more I have fun writing for them so no worries. Sadly I haven't seen God of War Ragnarok so I'll try my best with the prompt.

Dorm leaders with a reader who is already in an unexpected relationship (Heimdall from God of War Ragnarok)

Riddle

He's similar to Grim, thinking that someone as sweet as you doesn't seem right to be next to someone like, well, so arrogant. Sure opposites can attract but it's so unexpected

He won't really stop you from dating him, it's not his business anyways. However, he may tell you that if you ever need help he's still there to help

Honestly he's really chill with the whole thing, he might curse himself a bit for falling for someone so easily without realizing they were already in a relationship, but he won't show it to you

Leona

Similar to Riddle except he's a bit more direct about his suspicions around your bf (who could be toxic???)

Leona might approach you and Grim when he overhears, though he won't say he was eavesdropping. He might just say "hey, what are you two up to?" and then ask if you have been feeling alright. If he senses that you don't seem to be hiding anything from him, he won't say anything

There may be some light teasing from Ruggie to Leona because the hyena probably knew about Leona's crush on you. However Leona makes sure you never know about his small crush on you

Azul

He's a bit more heartbroken than the others. Of course, you already have someone who is most likely stronger than he is. He might be a bit toxic and try to woo you nonetheless haha

When he overhears your conversation with Grim, he won't talk to you directly, though he mutters to himself that you might be too naive. Azul's just stubborn

He won't let you know about his crush, though you may hear some jests from Jade and Floyd about Azul's feelings for you. But the dorm leader will stay silent, teling the tweels to stop spewing nonsense, when in reality Azul was a bit upset about the news

Kalim

He might be surprised, but that doesn't mean he doesn't approve of your relationship. He might be the best at handling the situation since he would fully support your decision, no matter how heartbroken he may be that his crush didn't really go anywhere

Overhearing Grim and your conversation, he nods and just tries to mind his business. However, if it seems like Grim is arguing, Kalim might approach you two and tell Grim "no it's y/n's decision don't worry about it"

You won't suspect a thing about his feelings for you. He's so good at hiding it, however you might still catch him staring at you in class

Vil

He's more upset with you than himself. He's a bit on the vain side, thinking he can't do much wrong. However, for you, he thinks that you might be too naive and not know the potential harm in dating someone like your Heimdall-esque bf

He won't tell you how he feels, but expect to get some cold stares every now and then either to your bf or you.

Grim's conversation doesn't get interrupted either, mainly because Vil doesn't see the point in arguing. However, he's a bit relieved that at least you seem to be happy

Idia

His self-esteem lowkey plummets for a few days. He had a crush on you, and that felt like a silly dream. So, to calm down he might just lock himself in his room and watch som romcom animes for a few days :/

He won't argue with Grim or you, he'll try his best to support you if you need anything. In fact, Idia's still happy that you are happy, to him seeing you smile from a distance is enough

Ortho might have asked you about your relationship once, but you won't know it's because of Idia's crush on you haha

Malleus

Goes over it quickly. He's been alive for a long time, and relationships or people go by quickly, he's not new to this concept.

However, he might be a little worried that you might be getting yourself in a toxic relationship. When he hears you and Grim talking, he listens in to make sure you're okay, but hearing how happy you are at the moment makes him relieved

He will still visit every now and then to Ramshackle, mainly to say hello and still see you smiling.

[catgrassplantdad]

tagged by @creepkinginc @sleepyheadgallavich @energievie @sgtmickeyslaughter for some tag game wednesday thursday action. thanks guys!

favourite nickname someone gave you: my mom called me jessie bug growing up, and my husband sometimes calls me lil bug among all the other dumb things he calls me.

favourite thing in your room/house: my favorite room is the library. i'm always looking for ways to improve it/make it cozier and it has the potential to be even better still

your favourite thing about a friend/partner/family member: my husband is the most supportive person i know. it's really nice to be able to go through life knowing that there's someone in my corner one hundred percent of the time.

what is something you’re grateful for today? ah, today? so far today i am grateful for this fruit and yogurt that i'm having for breakfast.

what’s your favourite thing about this fandom? i met my best friends here and it changed my life in immeasurable ways 💚

if one song could describe your day today, what would it be? i haaaaate trying to apply songs to real-life scenarios, i find it impossible

finally let’s spread some love - pick one of your pocket pals and tell them something you admire about them: i'm gonna shout out @callivich whose endless creativity and love for this space inspires me. calli, you're so talented, and sometimes you really feel like the backbone of this community. your prompts lists got me writing fic in the first place three years ago, which is just wild to think about now. you hype everybody up like it's your job, and i hope you get back the love you give. i just think you're amazing.

tags below the cut!

@howlinchickhowl @whatwouldmickeydo @heymrspatel @whatthebodygraspsnot @gardenerian

@gallawitchxx @mmmichyyy @crossmydna @deedala @michellemisfit

@suzy-queued @thisdivorce @rereadanon @too-schoolforcool @softmick

@wehangout @sam-loves-seb if you guys feel like playing 🖤

[dreadfutures]

Fics for Blue

I’ve been honored to receive so many gift works since joining the Dragon Age fandom. Some are from Exchanges (more about Dragon Age Fanwork Exchanges), some are from discord community server events, some have just spawned out of shared headcanons gone wild, like the Mirrorverse.

In general, feel free to make fanart, podfics, and derivative works of my fics, art, and characters, as long as a heads-up & credit is given. I always appreciate the creativity of this community. See my full use statement here.

Banner credit.

In addition to reading the fics I've been gifted, please check out the rest of the writers' works - they are all so talented!

General Gifts

Dawn in Antiva - [delawana | @the-rebel-archivist]. Oneshot.

Rating: T. (Andarateia Cantori/Viago de Riva) | In the wake of the Qunari occupation of Treviso, Viago de Riva is disgruntled that Antiva carried on with its festivals. Andarateia Cantori gives him a new perspective on another way to fight their enemies.

I love the descriptions of the setting, how it perfectly fit the vibes of the moodboard that inspired it, and the push and pull of Viago's inner gloom and the light that Teia brings.

A Snowflake Distinct Among Snowflakes - [Missjlh]. Multichap. Complete.

Rating: T. (Solas & Dorian Pavus) | Solas is a mystery to Dorian and he finds himself looking for the man's approval. In a bid to get to know him better, Dorian offers to share his research notes, but in the end, it's Solas' advice regarding how to free the slaves of Tevinter that leaves its mark, even years later, after the truth of who Solas is has come to light.

I love, love, love the progression of Dorian and Solas' interactions. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024 that tracks Solas & Dorian from the Inquisition to what happens after.

Strawberries and Lace - [@enigmalae]

Rating: T. (Solas/Lace Harding) | A chance encounter in skyhold leads to the start of something more.

Dancing, flirting, and a first kiss. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024.

Provenance - [@kiastirling-fanfic]

Rating: G. (Solas & Dorian Pavus) | “Do you always throw misbehaving tomes on the heads of unassuming passerby?” Dorian's disregard for the Inquisition's questionable literature leads to a discussion with the resident apostate.

A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024. When I see "magical academia" my heart sings - and the bickering truly lives up to it.

Impeccable Timing - [@RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas/Josephine Montilyet) | Josephine Montilyet intimately understands the Game, even under such circumstances found at the Winter Palace. What surprises her, however, is that an elven mage navigates it just as surely as she.

I love the inside peek into Josie's mind, the hints at being a little too attentive to Solas while remaining unflappable just as she always is. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024.

Power lies with thos who grasp it - [Toshi_Nama]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Briala & Skinner)

From my prompt: maybe Skinner is secretly one of Briala’s own agents, even while she is a member of Bull’s Chargers. Or maybe Skinner thinks Briala’s a poser. Maybe both. I think there’s interesting potential for conflict, contrast, or highlighting–Skinner could be a way to push Briala to change in certain ways, or to prove herself, or encourage her to continue on as she has. Maybe they have some secret history. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2023.

the world would crmble to dust before you ran out of ills to fight - [@RosellaWrites]. _Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas/Lace Harding) | Scout Lace Harding retraces Solas's footsteps alongside Varric in a race to stop him… or change his mind. Lace remembers her time with the so-called apostate along the way.

A gift from @arlathanxchange 2023.

The Firefall - [Dragon_Sage]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Solas/F!Lavellan). Post-Trespasser. | Solas is camped in the ruins of Mythal's most cherished palace, plagued by Regret and guilt around the circumstances of her murder. He would leave, but he desperately requires what he suspects his old friend may have hidden there. Unfortunately, the final obstacle in his path is a door that only one person in Thedas can open: Ellana Lavellan.

This is a beautiful and cinematic adventure fic with a bittersweet twist! Just my kind of gift. I would love for everyone to read it and join me in imagining this beautiful, mysterious palace that Dragon Sage created as a backdrop!

Shadows in the Glass - [@silvanils | KnightDawn] Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Marquis of Serault & Marquise of Serault) | “The eyes were all wrong. I should know. I see the right ones every morning.”Something strange is happening in Serault. What else is new?

A mirrorverse of sorts for the Marquis(e) of Serault! Several heroes from different universes reach out to each other in dreamlike, beautiful quality.

Comrades in Arms, Brothers in Broken Chains - [@rosella-writes]. PODFIC.

Rosella BEAUTIFULLY read a piece I wrote out loud as a podfic!

The Seven Halla - [Ciella]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Solas/F!Lavellan) | A Dragon Age version of the German fairy tale, The Six Swans.

A perfect gift from the @solavellanhellexchange

Homecoming - [@queenaeducan-writes]. Two chapters. Complete.

Rating: T. (Genfic) | Charter and Harding know that Fen'Harel seeks something in the vaults of a Tevinter Magister. It's a race to gain access to this mysterious artifact, and to keep it out of enemy hands. Until it isn't.

This fic--an adventure, an intrigue, a world-building exploration, an action piece, and so much more--grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. Gift from the @arlathanxchange

Bright Days of Halcyon - [@darethshirl]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas & Keeper Hawen) | Solas joins Hawen’s clan for a slice of life and celebration. He finds traces of the familiar, fragments of the past, and welcome.

This fic actually drove me to tears, it was nostalgic, poignant, and touching. It is both full of joy and full of tragedy. Gift from the @arlathanxchange.

oily marks appear on walls (where pleasure moments hung before) - [@rosella-writes] Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Solas/Felassan) | As an Evanuris, Solas has no vallaslin. He would lay claim to no one. Not even the man he loves.

Just an absolutely gorgeous piece highlighting a tension between Solas and Felassan, yet another problem entirely of Solas's own making. Gift from the @arlathanxchange.

What Pride Had Wrought - [@rosella-writes ]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas & Mythal) | Mythal through the ages, with Pride at her side.

Gift fic from the Beyond The Veil Discord Server’s Masked Satinalia holiday exchange!

Pride’s Hope - [@rosella-writes]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas/Felassan) | Solas may have always been Pride, but Felassan was not always Felassan. Once he chafed under the mantle of another name.

Rosella wrote a deliciously angsty Solas (Pride)/Felassan (Hope) fic <3

grab hold of the earth’s four corners - [@rosella-writes]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: E. (Female Lavellan/Krem) | The Chargers survived their Venatori encounter at the Storm Coast. Virelan and Krem celebrate together behind the Herald's Rest.

Gift from Rosella furthering the Lavellan/Krem agenda!

Gifts about Ixchel Lavellan

Lead Her Through the Darkness - [BECandCall | @warpedlegacy]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Solo: Female Lavellan) | This is THE story of how Ixchel found her name. BECandCall aka DuchessofSwoll wrote this gift for me during the Dragon Age Fanfiction discord server’s OC swap month.

The Day the Dread Wolf Wed the Brave Guide - [exalted_dawn | @exalted-dawn-drabbles] Ongoing.

Rating: T. (Female Lavellan/Solas, Female Lavellan & Dalish OCs) | My beautiful friend and dear Beta, Ed, decided to write how her Dalish OC Talenna convinced and orchestrated Ixchel to do a bonding ceremony with Solas, at the Arlathvhen, after Corypheus’s defeat. It’s beautiful and I adore it.

Finding Hope in Ruins - [BlueWren]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan/Solas) | A gift from the 2022 April OC Swap for the DAFF Discord Server, where Solas and Ixchel talk about hope together.

The Inexorable Tide - [kittynomsdeplume]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Dirthame/Female Lavellan) | Ixchel appeared in Elvhenan in an explosion that leveled Falon’Din’s temple. Dirthamen takes her in, for she wears his vallaslin, and slowly teaches her the Elvhen language…and they fall in love.

A BEAUTIFUL GIFT from the 2021 Beyond The Veil Discord Server Satinalia Exchange

Champion- [Fenrevas | @rakshadow]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan & Female Hawke) | Rak wrote this lovely interaction for a Discord server event <3 A Boxing Club au where Ash Hawke meets Ixchel Lavellan, her new boxing instructor.

Alas’nira - [thebrain_urchin | @dalishkadan]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: E (Female Lavellan/Solas) The Dalish warn their children to watch out, lest the Dread Wolf catch them. They never speak on what it would be like for the Dread Wolf to be caught instead.

Fade-Touched - [ @rosella-writes]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Dirthamen/Female Lavellan) | Dirthamen learns from his Champion to set aside study. Dirthamen (yes that one) and Ixchel bang in a magical orchard with aphrodisiac peaches.

A gift from 2022's Beyond the Veil Discord server's Masked Satinalia.

Gifts about my other OCs.

to be seen feeling - [@inquisimer] Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Mahariel/Morrigan, Mahariel, Others. Genfic!) | Duty pulls Halevune from his fragile family and the home they’ve carved in the Crossroads. In which Mahariel navigates his relationship with Morrigan, fatherhood, and the politics of the Wardens and being an elven Teryn.

The Stories We Tell - [@about2dance]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan & Dalish Male OC). Terinelan Lavellan, the First of the Lavellan Clan, explores a ruin that the Inquisitor discovered. She has worried that she's not Dalish enough, so he tells her the story of how the Clan came to accept her.

A gift from the Dragon Age FanFic server's 2024 OC Swap.

Mari Enasal - [@RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Kieran & Male Mahariel, Male Mahariel & Merrill). Halevune shares a spooky Dalish tale with his son. Kieran has heard this one so many times that it's no longer scary.

A gift from the Dragon Age FanFic server's 2023 holiday exchange.

The Mirrorverse.

The Dragon Age Fanfic Writers Discord Server anniversary (Aug 2021) generated a bunch of crossover-type gift fis and introduced the idea of a multiverse connected by eluvians. Thus, the Mirrorverse was born.

The Bar at the End of the Multiverse - [CrackingLamb]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T | Multiple Inquisitor Lavellans wander through mysterious eluvians and find themselves at a bar for some bonding time.

The one that started it all!

i want to share your mouthful - [RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: E. (Female Lavellan/Female Lavellan, past Female Lavellan/Solas) | Virelan Lavellan post-Trespasser struggles to let go of the weight of her responsibilities as Inquisitor and mother. Ixchel helps with sparring, bathing, and some sex.

to call for hands of above (to lean on) - [RosellaWrites]. Ongoing.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan/Solas) | Virelan Lavellan and Solas have reunited, and now their son Tulin is coming of age. Tulin wants to take the vallaslin, knowing what it represents--but he wants Solas and Virelan to help in the ritual. Virelan doesn’t know how to ask Solas such a favor, and turns to Ixchel for some hope.

tell me if i drown - [Lalaen]. Oneshot.Complete.

Rating: M. (Male Lavellan & Female Lavellan) | Gethrael Lavellan, reeling after a horrific experience in Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts, goes to the Bar at the End of the Multiverse and runs into Ixchel.

The Brave Guide’s Friend - [@ExaltedDawn].

Rating: M. (Female Lavellan & Female Dalish OC) | When the Eluvian had appeared before her, Ixchel could have never suspected that it would lead to the loss of a friend. But when Talenna stumbled through the glass, bloodied and afraid and clutching two young children, Ixchel is forced to come to terms with the fact that she will yet again have to say goodbye to someone she loves. And in doing so, will finally repay a favor long owed.

to all who feel rain - [@inquisimer]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan/Female Lavellan). Neria and Ixchel share a warm drink and a moment of peace.

a butchered tongue still singing - [@RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Male Mahariel/Morrigan, Female Mahariel/Zevran, Female Mahariel & Male Mahariel) | An eluvian connects Rhiannon Mahariel to the life of another like herself, who was also tainted by a cursed mirror.

[maiji]

Fortune Lenormand oracle/art deck - new edition + limited time free readings!

I'm excited to announce my Fortune Lenormand oracle/art deck is available again in a new edition (the biggest change: it now has a custom box!) yay!!

To celebrate, I thought it'd be fun to offer some free readings, the kind I used to do back when I was tabling at events! I personally find the 36-card Lenormand system accessible and enjoyable for both personal and creative prompt-type purposes. These readings will use the 2-card spread, which is easy to do!

How this works

To submit a request for a free reading, send it through my ask box between now (Fri Oct 27) and Sun October 29, 2023 midnight EST.

Optional: Along with your request, include your question and two numbers of your choice from 1-36.

I'll do as many readings as I can before the end of October. 

One question per person please!

I am not taking anonymous requests and these readings will be posted publicly. So don't share anything you're not comfortable with strangers on the Internet seeing!

I reserve the right to turn down a reading for any reason (the most likely reasons are if a question is rude/tasteless/inappropriate etc. or if I get too busy and can't do all the requests I get).

Asking your question

Your question must be an open-ended one, and not a question that can be answered with "yes" or "no".

Ironically, even though this deck is called "Fortune", I use them as tools for self-reflection and creative stuff, not fortune telling. It is an opportunity to open a dialogue with your self/subconscious!

For example, instead of "Should I [go to this event, do this thing, ___" or "Am I/Is someone/something else going to ___, try something like "What should I consider if I were to ___?" "Why do I want ___?" "What am I afraid of/hopeful for with regards to ___?" "How might I approach ___?" and so on.

You can learn more about this philosophy, and also get ideas for phrasing your question, on my site - check out the section that starts with "Framing your question" and up to/including "Reading Examples".

Also, you can have fun! Ask a question for your OC or a character you're writing! Ask questions for creative prompts! "I'm stuck in a fanfic I'm writing about X, Y and Z doing [whatever they're doing] and need an idea!" "I'm designing a new character, what could I incorporate into their personality or backstory?" "I want to draw a picture of my OTP and would like a prompt for inspiration!" and so on.

Decide what your question is before you make your request and don't forget what it is!

Seems obvious, but I'm reiterating this because you don't have to tell me your question when you make your request.

If you do tell me your question, it may help me give you more specific suggestions for how you can interpret the cards. If you're asking a creative prompt question, having details means I can suggest more relevant ideas for you to use as jumping off points.

If you don't tell me your question, please write it down somewhere or do something so that you don't forget it by the time I get around to your reading.

Obviously this is an honour system thing, but it doesn't really matter because if you sneak-change your answer, the only person it really affects (and potentially confuses) is yourself, haha.

If you wish to reveal what your question was afterwards, feel free to do so on the reading post!

Readings completed so far!

delphina2k: Creative prompt-type reading regarding Sydney from the webcomic Sombulus

lucylyall: Personal reading on changing habits/automatic ways of thinking

and-his-hands-were-24-crows: mystery reading!

blue-moonlight-sirens: Personal reading on what is coming in general

rootandbranchcomic: Personal reading on surviving a huge change

rawwrr04-blog: mystery reading!

crabbng: Creative prompt-type reading regarding Hana from the webcomic Kings of Sorts

supreme-sauteer: Personal reading on what's stopping me from putting myself out there

ancient-trees: Personal reading on sparking creative energy