#The Bearers of Unity

[estellardreams]

Out of Context LMK AUs

AUs Featured:

Mine:

Fusion Traffic Light Trio

The Bearers of Unity (@tbouau)

Rapunzel Wukong (by proxy Moonstone Macaque)

Prisoner Trio

Charcoal Bone King

Moon Prince

Kirin Wukong

@winterpower98

Cursed AU

@enka-antix

Rewind Monkey King

Mortal Monkey King

Band AU

Eclipsed Monkey King

@purble-turble

Prisoner MK

Prince Red

Red Boy

Time Travel Red

Demon King Red

@saphstories

Bright Moon AU

@chonggen

Eclipse Regressed

@oddogoblino

Streamer AU

@cassidyisnowdrawing

Swap Light - Yellow

Swap Light - Red

@quesocheeso

Sunset AU

@artepti

Lovingly Led to Ruin

@kyri45

Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU

@dynamicsimp

Eyeshot AU

Headshot AU

[phantomandknight]

How would an interaction between Phantom with Mr. Mission Not-possible go??

ask #3: is this your "mr. mission-not-possible"? i only read a few wiki pages for this. ill admit i dont know much (if at all) about assassin's creed, so im sorry if this isnt too accurate 😭 i tried tho, so i hope that i at least managed to draw arno somewhat-accurately

ALSO ALSO TO ALL MY FELLOW TORCHBEARER FANS GO ON TWITTER AND SEARCH 聖火の人 BECAUSE THE JAPANESE ARTISTS ARE WHERE ALL THE FANARTS ARE AT!!!! (pls im literally fangirling so hard rn)

[spacebobastories]

Sleeping Positions PT. 1

This has been on my mind for a while and I don’t think I’ve seen a lot of people do this! But this is how I imagine the Assassin’s and Templar’s sleep with their significant other! Enjoy :3

Part 2

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

I feel like Altaïr wouldn’t really be all that cuddly when sleeping. I imagine he would be a very light sleeper and maybe even sleeps on his back. But he would still bring you close, wrapping an arm around your waist. Even when he is awake, he isn’t clingy or cuddly. He’s very reserved so I see him showing you more affection behind closed doors.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Ezio would most definitely be a cuddler. I imagine he would be extremely warm and wouldn’t want to let you go. Bringing you close and trapping you in his arms. He would be in the middle of a light sleeper and heavy sleeper. I can imagine him in many different positions, but two come to mind. You on your side with his arms around your waist. Or you sleeping on top of him. Ezio in his younger years wouldn’t care about people seeing him being open to showing you affection but in his older years, I see him more reserved. But he would still give you kisses and hugs, just a little more reserved to be careful. He doesn’t want to lose you :(

Ratonhnhaké:ton or Connor

Connor the love of my life! I am totally not biased when it comes to him. 😂 but, I can definitely see him more as the teddy bear type. *very* warm and super cuddly. I see him holding you close, tight enough where it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. After him losing his mother and some of his village and getting his homestead attacked, I feel like he would be clingy. But not suffocating clingy, just afraid of letting you go. He would be reserved in public, maybe a little awkward to showing affection. But I see him showing affection through actions more than words.

Haytham Kenway

Oh Haytham the man that you are. Okay, I might be a little biased when it comes to the Kenway bloodline. They’re gorgeous okay? But like with Connor, I see Haytham also being very reserved. But not unlike Connor, he wouldn’t be awkward in his affections (in private anyway). Sleeping I imagine he would also be on his back, but holding you close. If you had fallen asleep first, I imagine he would be slowly running his hand up and down your back while reading reports or even a book. But when he finally goes to sleep, he’ll pull you close, so you’re laying on top of him, his arm still around your waist. Your face tucked into his neck.

Edward Kenway

This man sleeps hard as a rock, no, a log. That man is not moving for anything. I imagine he would be sleeping so hard because he’s on a ship most of the time, so he’s gotten used to the rocking of the ship. In good and bad weather. If he turns over, he’s bringing you with him. If you have to get up to go use the bathroom, he’s getting up and standing next to the door, half asleep waiting to bring you back to bed. He is holding you close, keeping you against him. I imagine he is a soft snorer, but if he’s really tired? Loud. He’s very warm so there’s no need for a lot of blankets on the bed. He also doesn’t care if people see him kiss you or show you affection. And if they say something? He will give them a look or kiss you harder. He does not care.

Shay Patrick Cormac

….look, I am also very biased when it comes to Shay. This man is beautiful, sassy, smart, talented! 😩 but I see him also having nightmares from seeing all those people die in Lisbon. He blames himself heavily for all those deaths, so I can see him waking up from nightmares and checking to make sure you’re still with him. He isn’t a real heavy sleeper or a light one. Just in the middle. He’s holding you close, almost clutching you so you don’t leave him alone. 100% is into PDA. Especially when he has something to drink. I feel like he would want to show you off! But he is most definitely a cuddler and a hugger. Loves to hold you close and give you smooches. (When he isn’t on the job or in the presence of Haytham)

Arno Victor Dorian

This man is such a flirt. And a ladies man, he loves women. But also wants to protect them, keep them safe. For you? Oh he *loves* you. Also one who loves to show others how he feels about you. This man is a light sleeper, always making sure that you’re okay. This man is holding you close, but I see him sleeping on his stomach with his arm across your back or stomach if you’re a back sleeper. He also has nightmares from his dad getting killed as well as being locked up in prison. He is 100% a cuddler in and out of the bedroom.

Jacob Frye

This man is so cocky and prideful it’s like putting a damn spotlight on him. Oh how he loves to make sure everyone around him knows he’s there. He’s loud, brash, not afraid of anything! He isn’t afraid to show you how he feels. He’s a lot of fun to have around, but can become tiring for you if you’re more introverted. If you’re extroverted, you feed off of each other’s energy. I imagine he also would be a very hard sleeper. Very loud snoring to the point where you would have to wake him up. But he holds you close, or even throws his legs over you, keeping you trapped in his arms.

Okay. So I have more characters to go through, but Tumblr on the phone only lets me put like ten pictures. I think it’s different on the pc tho lol. Anyway, I’ll make a part two with Haytham’s inner circle and the rest of the assassin’s! I hope you guys enjoyed this! I loved making this 🙂‍↕️ tell me what other ideas you want me to write out!

Oh and the beautiful divider I have in the beginning is made by @enchanthings

https://www.tumblr.com/enchanthings/769821565477126144/animated-moon-stars-dividers-requested

[abagofmagictrix]

I will defend AC Odyssey until my dying breath

[cippicat]

Arno is back

Arno is back with the Spear of Leonidas

[primal-s-h-a-n-e]

ASSASSINS CREED FAN GOING WILD OVER TORCH BEARER. AAAARRGHHH

[tomicscomics]

05/09/2025

Happy (almost) American Mother's Day!

___

JOKE-OGRAPHY:

1. Christians call Mary the "Mother of God" or "Theotokos" (Greek for "God-bearer" or "one who gives birth to One Who is God"). The reason we call her this is to confess that Jesus was a single Person -- God the Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity -- Who possessed both a divine and a human nature at the moment of His conception in the mystery of the Incarnation. In that mystery, He was not divided, overwritten, possessed, diluted, or otherwise imperfect in either His God-ness or His human-ness. He was both God and man in one Person, and He was born of Mary. God the Son became Mary's Son, and she became His mother. Understanding this defends us from several theological misunderstandings, like thinking Jesus was just a spirit in a human-shaped hologram, or that He was a normal human until He was adopted and controlled by God.

2. As Matt Fradd put it in one video, "We confidently declare that Mary is called the 'Mother of God' because she gave birth to Jesus Christ, Who is both true God and true man. This title is not meant to suggest that Mary is the mother of the Trinity or created the divine nature of Jesus. Instead, it acknowledges her role in the mystery of the Incarnation, where God the Son took on human flesh. By giving birth to Jesus, Mary truly becomes the mother of God according to His human nature. We believe this title reflects the reality of Who Jesus is, and safeguards the understanding of the unity of His divine and human natures."

3. In this cartoon, we find Mary making some food. The narrator, Boethius Clunderwink (a storied stage name), explains her Greek title, "Theotokos," then asks what she's cooking. When Mary reveals that she's making a rough first-century Jewish equivalent of tacos, Jesus and Joseph excitedly screech into frame calling the food "Theo-TACOS," a play on Mary's title of "Theo-TOKOS." This is not only rapturously funny, but also highly logical. You see, moms make great tacos. Mary was Jesus's mom. Ergo, Mary must've made great tacos.

[sleepingdiaryzzz]

Yandere young Justice x villain reader

The night was alive with tension, shadows dancing in the flickering glow of streetlights, as Young Justice faced you once more. You were the storm they could never predict, the haunting melody that lingered long after the music stopped. Their nemesis since the team’s inception, you had become something far more dangerous—a fixation, a flaw in the armor of their resolve.

“Give it up,” Robin growled, his staff twirling with precision. He stood at the center of the team, their ever-stoic leader, though his sharp eyes betrayed a storm brewing beneath the surface. “We end this tonight.”

Your laugh spilled into the air like silk, smooth and dangerous. “End it?” you echoed, stepping forward with a lazy grace. “My dear, we’ve barely begun.”

Every word dripped with a taunting charm, a velvet dagger aimed straight at their hearts. Robin’s jaw tightened, his composure threatening to crack. You weren’t just an enemy. You were his enemy—the one he couldn’t quite unravel, couldn’t quite forget.

Superboy lunged, his movements raw and forceful, like a hurricane desperate to prove its strength. “Stop talking,” he snapped, his fists swinging with earth-shattering power.

But you sidestepped him with a predator’s ease, your fingertips grazing his arm as you passed. “Oh, Kon,” you purred, your voice as sweet as it was venomous. “So quick to anger. What’s the matter? Afraid of how much you want me to keep talking?”

The growl that tore from his throat was animalistic, but it didn’t mask the flush creeping up his neck.

Above, Miss Martian hovered, her hands glowing with psychic energy, her voice soft and imploring. “You don’t have to do this,” she said, her words brushing against your mind like a fragile promise. “There’s still good in you. I can feel it.”

You turned your gaze upward, your eyes catching hers with a look that felt like a snare. “Feel it, do you?” you asked, your voice lilting like a melody that didn’t belong in the battlefield. “Or is that just wishful thinking, Megan? Tell me—” you stepped closer, your tone softening to a whisper that somehow felt louder than the chaos around you—“do you want to save me, or do you just want me?”

Her power faltered, her focus breaking as she stumbled back to the ground.

“You’re insufferable,” Artemis hissed, her bowstring taut as she loosed an arrow aimed directly at you.

You caught the movement out of the corner of your eye and dodged, the arrow slicing through the air where you had just been. “Ah, Artemis,” you said with a sly grin. “Always so sharp. But tell me, is it hatred I see in those eyes... or something else entirely?”

She fired another arrow in response, her hands trembling even as her aim stayed true.

Kid Flash zipped around you, a blur of speed and frustration. “Why don’t you ever shut up?” he asked, though his words lacked their usual bite.

You chuckled, spinning just in time to trip him with a precise kick. He tumbled to the ground, groaning as you crouched beside him. “Oh, Wally,” you murmured, your voice low and warm. “If I stopped, you’d miss me too much.”

He didn’t respond, his face red as he scrambled to his feet, but the way his gaze lingered on you for a heartbeat too long said enough.

“Enough!” Aqualad’s voice rang out, his water-bearers crackling with energy. He stepped forward, the anchor of their team, his every movement deliberate. “This ends now.”

You tilted your head, your smirk softening into something almost wistful. “You always think you’re in control, don’t you, Kaldur?” you said, your voice quieter now, almost tender. “But tell me—what do you do when the tides turn against you?”

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond, his silence betraying the weight of your words.

The battle raged on, but it was clear you weren’t just fighting them—you were unmaking them. Every word, every taunt, was a thread pulled loose from the fabric of their unity.

“You’re all so predictable,” you said as you danced through their attacks, your movements like liquid poetry. “So desperate to catch me. But tell me—” you paused, your gaze sweeping over them, a glint of mischief in your eyes—“do you want justice? Or do you just want me?”

The silence that followed was deafening, your words cutting deeper than any blade.

Robin stepped forward, his shoulders tense, his voice low and dangerous. “We’re going to stop you,” he said, though his words sounded more like a promise to himself than to you.

You took a step closer, closing the distance between you, your voice dropping to a whisper meant only for him. “Oh, little bird,” you murmured, your smirk curling into something sharper. “You’ve already lost. The moment you let me in, you lost.”

For a moment, neither of you moved, the world around you blurring into nothingness. Then, with a final glance at the team, you stepped back into the shadows, your voice carrying through the stillness like a haunting melody.

“Until next time, my darlings. Don’t miss me too much.”

And just like that, you were gone.

The team stood in the aftermath, battered and breathless, their thoughts filled not with the fight but with you. You were their nemesis, their obsession, the fault line that fractured them.

And in the silence that followed, they all thought the same thing:

They hated you.

They wanted you.

And they would destroy anyone who tried to take you from them.

(A/n: hey send request 😿)

[estellardreams]

I remember debating about this with a friend in Discord and personally it went like:

Tl;Dr Demon King Red would most likely solo all three of them.

I don't quite know the exact power levels of Demon King Red, but if he did accept a battle between "The Bearers of Unity" traffic light trio, how do you think it would go?

Character power listing's here by the way:

I don’t usually like to comment on other peoples’ characters and AUs because I worry about getting things wrong or upsetting people (its a social anxiety thing, nothing I can do about it :U) ..I can say about Demon King Red, though, that he’s much stronger than the average Red Son, and so always has an easy time defeating them in the Battle Nexus. He also can take on most versions of Mei (except versions that have some control over water because he very much avoids them), but he takes particular pleasure in defeating Red Sons due to the whole self-hatred disguised as superiority he’s got going on. It’s impossible to know if he’s actually stronger than the MKs, though, because he won’t fight them earnestly.

[estellardreams]

Did some fanart of time travel red from @purble-turble's AU of the same name! :D

Genuinely it's one of my favorites along with their Prisoner MK and Demon Red AUs and I'm excited to see where this goes!

My thought process on the piece accidentally snapped to multiverse travel because technically time travel is spawning alternate universes where he shows up and by proxy those alternate timelines count as unique streams in alternate worlds/futures.

So... Yeah. TT Red accidentally turned into Multiverse Red for me lol

Bonus: TT Red meets the Red Son's from my only two lmk AUs so far

Ft. Demon King Red

TBoU featured at @tbouau (one of my side Tumblrs)

[beautiful-basque-country]

Initiative launched in Paris to have the spelling of names like Aña and Eñaut accepted

Like Breton, other languages such as Basque, use "diacritical marks" on various names that do not exist in the French language. In fact, parents who choose names like Eñaut or Aña for their children will face the same obstacles as the Breton parents who named their son Fañch.

According to a complaint sent on July 23, 2014 by the civil registers of north EH, they cannot correctly write a name that has a mark that is foreign to the French language. At most, parents can officially register their children by making a spelling error like Inaki, Enaut or Ana.

Continuing the battle that began in Breizh, the tilde in the name Fañch has been the protagonist of a long legal battle. Several judges believe that this diacritical sign would call into question two values ​​of the French Republic: unity and equality.

The deputy Iñaki Echaniz, who is a bearer of a name with a tilde, registered the proposal for debate in the National Assembly of Paris last February.

As he recalled in his project, in some cases the registration of names with the tilde has been approved, but in others it has not. In order to put an end to this confusion, Echaniz has asked for the approval of a law that "will allow the appropriate and respectful application of traditions when the tilde or any other special diacritical sign is used, taking into account the Breton language, Basque, Catalan and other languages". He added that this legislative proposal's aim is "to guarantee to every citizen the transmission of their cultural heritage through their name".

Colette Capdevielle and Peio Dufau, two other Basque deputies, have joined the legislative project, which has the signatures of a total of 52 deputies.

[x]

France as a nation sure is hanging by a thread if a simple tilde can threaten its unity and equality, gods.

[thecultoflexithewulf]

Kwanzaa:

Kwanzaa, an annual holiday celebrated primarily in the United States from December 26 to January 1, emphasizes the importance of pan-African family and social values. It was devised in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, Inspired by Africa’s harvest celebrations, he decided to develop a nonreligious holiday that would stress the importance of family and community while giving African Americans an opportunity to explore their African identities. Kwanzaa arose from the black nationalist movement of the 1960s and was created to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage. The holiday honors African American people, their struggles in the United States, their heritage, and their culture. Kwanzaa's practices and symbolism are deeply rooted in African traditions and emphasize community, family, and cultural pride. It's a time for reflection, celebration, and the nurturing of cultural identity within the African American community.

Kwanzaa is a blend of various African cultures, reflecting the experience of many African Americans who cannot trace their exact origins; thus, it is not specific to any one African culture or region. The inclusiveness of Kwanzaa allows for a broader celebration of African heritage and identity.

Karenga created Kwanzaa during the aftermath of the Watts riots as a non-Christian, specifically African-American, holiday. His goal was to give black people an alternative to Christmas and an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than imitating the practices of the dominant society. The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," meaning "first fruits," and is based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa. The holiday was first celebrated in 1966.

Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the seven principles (Nguzo Saba), which are central values of African culture that contribute to building and reinforcing community among African Americans. These principles include Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but Celebrations often include songs, dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry readings, and a large traditional meal. The holiday concludes with a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the sixth day​​​​.

Kwanzaa is more than just a celebration; it's a spiritual journey to heal, explore, and learn from African heritage. The holiday emphasizes the importance of community and the role of children, who are considered seed bearers of cultural values and practices for the next generation. Kwanzaa is not just a holiday; it's a period of introspection and celebration of African-American identity and culture, allowing for a deeper understanding and appreciation of ancestral roots. This celebration is a testament to the resilience and enduring spirit of the African-American community.

"Kwanzaa," Encyclopaedia Britannica, last modified December 23, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kwanzaa.

"Kwanzaa - Meaning, Candles & Principles," HISTORY, accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/kwanzaa-history.

"Kwanzaa," Wikipedia, last modified December 25, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa.

"Kwanzaa," National Museum of African American History and Culture, accessed December 25, 2023, https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/kwanzaa.

"The First Kwanzaa," HISTORY.com, accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-kwanzaa.

My Daily Kwanzaa, blog, accessed December 25, 2023, https://mydailykwanzaa.wordpress.com.

Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (Los Angeles, CA: University of Sankore Press, 1998), ISBN 0-943412-21-8.

"Kente Cloth," African Journey, Project Exploration, accessed December 25, 2023, https://projectexploration.org.

Expert Village, "Kwanzaa Traditions & Customs: Kwanzaa Symbols," YouTube video, accessed December 25, 2023, [Link to the specific YouTube video]. (Note: The exact URL for the YouTube video is needed for a complete citation).

"Official Kwanzaa Website," accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.html.

Michelle, Lavanda. "Let's Talk Kwanzaa: Unwrapping the Good Vibes." Lavanda Michelle, December 13, 2023. https://lavandamichelle.com/2023/12/13/lets-talk-kwanzaa-unwrapping-the-good-vibes/.

[estellardreams]

:3

[goodqueenaly]

Hi! I was wondering, similar to Balerion's death simbolising Viserys I's reign bringing on the dying of the dragons, could there be some simbolism tied to the loss of the various crowns over the Targaryen reign?

I don’t know if I see Balerion’s death in the same way, but here’s what I think about the loss of various Targaryen crowns.

The first crown to be lost in the history of the Targaryen dynasty was the crown of Jaehaerys I: according to Gyldayn, “Rhaenyra was forced to sell her crown to raise the coin to buy passage on a Braavosi merchantman” that would take her to Dragonstone. While Rhaenyra had not exactly enjoyed the luxury of choice with respect to what crown she would wear as would-be queen - it had been Steffon Darklyn who had slipped away from King’s Landing with crown in hand - this crown may nevertheless have felt appropriate for Rhaenyra. This was the crown of her father, himself acclaimed as the heir of Jaehaerys the Conciliator, and as Viserys had proclaimed Rhaenyra herself as his heir in 105 AC, so Rhaenyra I think may have felt this physical crown represented the continuity of royal succession - that is, from Jaehaerys I, to Viserys I, to herself.

Rhaenyra’s sale of this crown to buy herself passage across the Narrow Sea, in turn, reflected how far the Dance had taken the realm, and the dynasty, from Jaehaerys’ idealized reign. The crown of the king publicly remembered for his long reign of peace and prosperity had become the last remaining object of wealth for his would-be heiress, her final attempt to fund her part in the continued civil war between herself and her half-brother. Likewise, the crown which had symbolized a new era of unity following the division and civil war of his father’s and uncle’s reigns - seven gems for the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and newly recognized protector of the Faith of the Seven - had, in being sold, come to represent the politico-dynastic rupture of the Dance: this crown, in all likelihood, would be broken up and resold for its component value in gold and gems, just as Seven Kingdoms had been broken and despoiled by the ravages of the war. Yet there was also an irony in this moment, rooted in the origins of this crown with Jaehaerys I: the king who had so vehemently, indeed violently resisted female succession and, more generally, the agency of women outside his patriarchal worldview would see his great-granddaughter literally sell his legacy in a last, desperate bid to secure her own royal power. 

(I think GRRM also wants us to see a parallel  as well as a contrast between Rhaenyra and Daenerys. In her extremity, at the tail end of the Dance, Rhaenyra had had to sell her last  piece of royal regalia to have any chance of living and fighting another day. Similarly, in their extremity, the young Targaryens in exile, Viserys and Daenerys, had had to sell their mother Rhaella’s crown to stay fed and continue to claim the Iron Throne, however much they could. It is explicitly the memory, indeed shameful memory, of selling her mother’s crown which Dany

The next Targaryen crown to disappear (though perhaps not permanently) was that of Aegon the Conqueror, worn by Aegon I himself, his sons (though Aenys was relatively quickly presented the crown more often associated with him), Aegon II (and briefly his brother Aemond as self-appointed regent), and finally Daeron I. For most of its bearers, the Conqueror’s crown symbolized the fundamentally martial power of Aegon I: literally constructed from the same legendary Valyrian steel from which the best blades in the world were forged, simple enough as a circlet to be worn by an active warrior-king, this crown underlined the Targaryen kingdom’s origins in war and conquest. Yet in its inextricable association with Aegon the Conqueror, this crown also conferred a particular legacy on its bearers, a direct link to the founder of the the dynasty. By claiming this crown, Targaryen kings could present themselves as the “true” heirs of the patriarch of the dynasty 

Therefore, Daeron I’s loss of the crown with his assassination in Dorne marked an end to Aegon the Conqueror’s original goal - that is, a Westeros united through conquest under the rule of House Targaryen. The Conqueror had tried, without lasting success, to conquer Dorne through draconic (as well as more traditionally Westerosi) military strength; even after the ultimate failure, for the Targaryens, of the First Dornish War, and the short-lived perpetual peace pledged by King Aegon to the Princess of Dorne, the Targaryen monarchs continued, Plantagenet-like, to style themselves “King of the Rhoynar” in strident (if hollow) commitment to their claims of sovereignty. Daeron the Young Dragon had most eagerly and explicitly assumed the mantle of his great-great-great-great-grandfather, openly stating his ambition to “complete the Conquest” and donning the Conqueror’s crown. The Young Dragon’s assassination, and with it the loss of that physical crown, provided the bookend for King Aegon’s attempted conquest of Dorne: after four eponymous wars with Dorne and a dedicated invasion and campaign led by the king on the Iron Throne, House Targaryen would never again fight a war against the Princes and Princesses of Dorne (not counting Aegon IV’s risible, abortive attempts to do so, which never so much as touched Dornish soil). The martial solution to the question of bringing Dorne into the Iron Throne’s kingdom had disappeared into the sands along with Aegon’s crown, both unrecoverable to future generations of the Targaryen monarchy. 

(Of course, whether any individuals or factions within Dorne may still have the crown is an intriguing possibility.)

The last Targaryen crown to have been specifically lost or destroyed was the crown of Aegon III, worn by the Dragonbane himself, his brother Viserys II, and finally King Aegon V. The simplicity of this crown reflected not only the sober and solemn king who first wore it, but also the era in which he ruled. Just as the Targaryens had ceased to be Exceptional (capital E) with the decline and extinction of the dragons, so the crown of this new king was deliberately unremarkable; this was a crown for a soon-to-be dragonless age, the representation of a monarchy which had shifted its focus to the reestablishment of peace, justice, and stability. The crown was chosen by those kings who committed themselves (or at least appeared to commit themselves) to the welfare of the realm rather than the personal satisfaction or glorification of the monarch himself. 

Yet it was that lingering draconic legacy that  would ultimately prove the destruction not only of the last of those kings, but this crown as well. Aegon V had never given up on the draconic dream - not as a boy boasting of his dragon egg inheritance or confidently reporting the eventual return of the dragons, and not as an adult king frustrated by the lack of teeth (literal as well as figurative) he could put behind his reforms. No matter how much King Aegon may have embraced the dutiful simplicity of the reigns of Aegon III and Viserys II, the king believed, increasingly so through his reign, that he needed dragons to ensure compliance with his ideas. This ideological clash - the post-Dance royal brothers, who sought to restore lasting order in the name of a newly de-powered dynasty, versus Viserys’ fourth-generation descendant, who sought to radically redefine what that order meant by reclaiming that lost power - erupted violently at Summerhall, with Aegon V losing not simply his life (and the lives of his eldest son and any number of other attendees) but that same crown as well. In his attempt to obtain the power he needed, so he believed, to better the lives of his subjects, Aegon V had unintentionally loosed that fiery devastation which had so scarred Aegon III, and from which the remaining sons of Rhaenyra had tried to rebuild their divided, ravaged kingdom. With Aegon V dead, and his crown lost both the hope of dragons (at least for the immediate future) and a focus on the country’s small folk rather than merely its aristocrats; it would be for his son and grandson to determine the future in what they could not have known would be the last decades for the royal dynasty.

[loredrinker]

No Path Leads Home: Frodo & The Inquisitor

Growing up in a household that loves Tolkien, it’s easy to see echos of his world in other works of fantasy.   

I’ve been most fascinated with Frodo Baggins - his journey and the themes of friendship, forgiveness, endurance and sacrifice.  

As I continue writing the story of my Inquisitor in my Dragon Age world state, I keep returning to Frodo. I can’t help but see parallels of burdens and losses between Frodo and the Inquisitor. That even after the battle is won – some wounds never heal.  

The Burden Not Meant for Them 

For Frodo, his burden is the Ring. For the Inquisitor, the Anchor.  Neither sought these burdens but they carry them, thrust into leadership positions in world altering events due to circumstances beyond their control.  These burdens make them essential to the world they live in, yet these burdens cause them both harm and make them targets for evil.

The Physical Cost 

Both wear visible marks of their trials. As the story unfolds, the Ring’s strain on Frodo becomes clear, but he also suffers the Morgul blade’s stab, which never fully heals.  Similarly, the Inquisitor carries the Anchor, a force of ancient elven magic in their body that is slowly killing them. Their body cannot sustain such power and, in the end, they must sacrifice their arm to survive.  Their burdens leave lasting scars, etched on their bodies.  

The Burden of Duty  

Frodo, as the Ring-Bearer, holds a title that few in Middle-earth share - “to bear a Ring of Power is to be alone” - to suffer. Likewise, the Inquisitor, named the Herald of Andraste, is thrust into a role they never sought. Both are marked by fate, not by choice. 

Bilbo passed the Ring to Frodo, binding him to its fate; Solas’s Anchor was forced upon the Inquisitor, binding them to the fate of Thedas, shaping them into a messiah the world demanded. Neither was meant to carry these burdens – yet no one else can carry it for them. 

Fellowship  

The best fantasies have a fellowship – a group bound by purpose, strangers at first usually, but forced to come together to get to their journey’s end.  Frodo begins with a fellowship of eight, each member playing a role in guiding and protecting him.  But the fellowship fractures as time goes by, companions pulled into their own battles. In the end, only 3 stand at the end of Mount Doom – Sam, Frodo and Gollum.   

The Inquisitor, begins with nine companions, their strength coming from the unity of their cause.  By the end of Trespasser, the Inquisition itself dissolves or is taken over control by the Chantry, and many in the Inquisition move on, some to rebuild, some to fight elsewhere, some to disappear entirely. In the Atonement ending of Veilguard, only 3 stand to face Solas – the Inquisitor, Rook and Morrigan (representing Mythal). 

The Trickster’s Influence 

Frodo is guided by Gollum, a creature twisted by his past and obsession with the Ring - a trickster in his own right. The Inquisitor, too, has a Trickster amongst their companions – Solas, a figure of wisdom and pride - yet warped by his regrets.  Gollum leads Frodo to Mount Doom only to take the Ring from him at the final moment. In Trespasser the Inquisitor follows a mystery through the Crossroads, leading to Solas, where he then removes the Anchor. Both tricksters serve as guides, yet their guidance isn’t salvation though their lives might be saved – it's revelation, loss and transformation. 

No Burden Carried Alone 

Frodo cannot destroy the Ring alone. When he falters, Sam carries him, and in the end Gollum’s intervention is necessary. Though Frodo bears the burden, others must step in to see it through.  Likewise, the Inquisitor cannot stop Solas alone – bringing him to his final moment in the atonement ending requires the efforts of many such as Varric, Rook and their companions and Morrigan. Just as Gollum tears the Ring from Frodo’s grasp, it is Mythal’s voice that finally wrenches Solas’ guilt from his hands.  

Both these ‘endings’ reflect the same truth: it is not just about strength or will, it is about the hands that carry you when you fall – no one can bear these burdens alone.  

You Can’t Go Home Again 

The rest of this post is where I move into headcanon, as I’ve spent a long time thinking about my canon Inquisitor and her journey – there and back again. And ultimately – there is no going back again.

“How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep.”  ~Tolkien

There are some wounds that time cannot heal.  Some burdens that, once carried, never truly leave.  Can time restore what was lost? Certainly not for Frodo, and not for my Inquisitor Lavellan. 

Both Frodo and the Inquisitor are swept up into something grander than themselves, their identities consumed by the roles thrust upon them.  They become ghosts of their former selves, shaped by suffering that others cannot see.  It does not mean they can't find connection or love their friends any less, it just means the world in which they exist is forever altered.

That's the story I've chosen to tell for that character.

The Fellowship returns home – but Frodo cannot.  The people of Thedas move on, but the Inquisitor remains trapped. Ever the Herald of Andraste, her role diminished but the burden still heavy. Whether the Inquisition is disbanded or not, she is called back into war. 

And for a Lavellan who loved Solas? There is another pain, carried alongside memory and loss – because the only person in the world who can truly understand what was taken from her...is the one who took it.  Just as Gollum was the only one who could truly understand Frodo’s suffering.  

Departure into another World 

In my world state – Lavellan, like Frodo, leaves. 

Frodo sails with the Elves to the Undying Lands, seeking healing beyond the shores of Middle-earth.  Lavellan, steps beyond the known world, passing through the Veil with Solas into the Fade, leaving Thedas behind.   

She does not leave just for love, but because mending the greater wound will mend her as well. In walking this path with Solas, they become each other’s fellowship, a reminder that even at the end of the road, neither must walk alone. Through restoring what was broken, Lavellan hopes to find her own healing as much as she seeks to help Solas find his. A journey that will ultimately lead to something greater - the healing of the Blight, the Titans.

Frodo and Lavellan’s stories do not end in defeat, nor do they end in returning to the lives they once know. They both end in transformation – a truth that to have loved, fought and suffered for something greater than oneself is to be forever changed.

Another thank you to @lotsofthinkythoughts for our Tolkien and DA chats.

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Sly Stone

Funk and soul musician whose band, Sly and the Family Stone, had a profound effect on US music in the 1960s and 70s

Between 1968 and 1973 Sly Stone, who has died aged 82, changed the direction of African-American popular music not once but twice. Initially promoting a utopian vision of racial and sexual unity with catchy, imaginative and anthemic songs, he then morphed into a shadowy, stoned figure whose downbeat music mirrored the disenchantment of the early 1970s.

It was in 1968 that his band, Sly and the Family Stone, released the single Everyday People, an appeal to unity that topped both the US pop and R&B charts for four weeks in early 1969. Everyday People’s catchphrases – “different strokes for different folks”, “we got to live together” – reflected an optimistic, racially inclusive America and ensured that Sly, with his bright smile and brighter threads, became an iconic figure to many. He and his band had a huge US following, their energy and optimism making them flag bearers for the nascent hippie movement, while appealing to both black and white audiences.

In 1969 the band released the adventurous album Stand!, which opened with the title track urging listeners to stand against injustice, and was followed by the dissonant Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey. By now the likes of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye were studying Sly: he was an icon of black power and arguably the most influential talent in popular music.

The band’s powerful performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 – with Sly driving the audience into a frenzy as he chanted I Want to Take You Higher – provided one of the highlights of the Woodstock feature film, and magnified their fame. Then the band relocated to Los Angeles in late 1969, releasing Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), a propulsive funk number that topped the charts in 1970.

Sly then began to shut himself away in a Bel Air mansion, consuming huge quantities of cocaine and angel dust (the hallucinogen PCP). The album There’s a Riot Goin’ On took almost two years to emerge – a lifetime in pop music. It was a Sly Stone solo effort in all but name and its sound was no longer bright and bold but sombre and low-fi, recorded with an early drum machine and a few close friends (the guitarist Bobby Womack, the organist Billy Preston) sitting in and getting high.

Sly’s record company, Epic, was aghast, fearing it would alienate his audience. But once again Sly proved himself ahead of the pack: Family Affair, the first single to be released from the album, was a US No 1 and has since gone on to become a contemporary music standard.

Nothing else on There’s a Riot Goin’ On possessed the commercial potential of Family Affair, but the album was a murky, compelling insight into Sly’s weary but creative mind – and its drug-induced mood of ennui and cynicism appeared to match that of many Americans experiencing a comedown after the excitement and hopes of the 60s. Riot topped the US album charts and effected a profound influence on African-American music. It is now regarded by many as a masterpiece.

Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, Sly grew up in Vallejo, California. His mother, Alpha, sang and played guitar at a local church, and his father, known as KC, served as a deacon. With his siblings, Sly sang in the Stewart Four, a gospel group that played in churches and even cut a 78 record.

He taught himself to play the guitar and soon mastered the organ, harmonica and a number of other instruments, becoming lead vocalist of the Viscaynes, a doo wop group with whom he released two singles in 1960. After studying musical theory and composition at Vallejo Junior College in Fairfield, California, he was hired by Autumn Records, producing pop hits for the Beau Brummels and Bobby Freeman (and writing Freeman’s C’mon and Swim).

Sly maintained a hectic schedule during the mid-60s: leading his own band, the Stoners, and working as a DJ at the KSOL radio station in San Francisco, then at KDIA in Oakland, at both of which he was a pioneer in playing contemporary rock music alongside R&B. He formed Sly and the Family Stone in 1966 with his brother Freddie on guitar, Larry Graham on bass, Cynthia Robinson on trumpet, Jerry Martini on saxophone and Greg Errico on drums. His sister Rose joined on electric piano after the release of the group’s little-noticed 1967 debut album, A Whole New Thing. Sly wrote all the material, played guitar and keyboards, and sang, too.

Sly and the Family Stone were a radical proposition from the start: a multiracial, mixed sex band who blended elements of contemporary rock with a James Brown-influenced dance groove. Their afros and long hair, and fashionable clothes, stood outside the R&B mainstream, in which matching suits and processed hair remained the norm. With their harmonising, their habit of using different members to sing individual lines, and Graham’s popping bass technique that would come to be the signature sound of funk, they had a unique feel.

Only three months after their second album, Dance to the Music, which contained their first hit single (a Top 10 success in the US and the UK) with the track of the same name, they released Life, an unremarkable collection of songs that produced minor hits with the title track and M’Lady.

A year later came Stand!, and then, as Epic grew frustrated at receiving no new material, a Greatest Hits collection was put out in 1970. It reached No 2 in the US charts and has since gone on to sell more than 5m copies. With Sly working for two years on his next album, Epic’s president, Clive Davis, froze his royalties to force him to get a move on. When Davis finally received There’s a Riot Goin’ On he was shocked by its contents.

Although his worries about the album’s unsaleability proved to be ill-founded, Davis did, however, have genuine cause for concern in the years after Riot. Sly’s drug intake escalated, and he became increasingly paranoid and isolated, regularly refusing to perform at concerts (leading to riots by furious audiences) and surrounding himself with thuggish bodyguards. Their threatening behaviour led Errico and Graham to leave the band and the 1973 album, Fresh, although it contained the Top 20 US single If You Want Me to Stay, was not a great commercial success.

The following year the album Small Talk proved a critical and commercial failure, and 90% of tickets for a 1975 concert in New York were left unsold. The Family Stone dissolved and Sly attempted a solo career, but subsequent albums failed to sell. In 1977 Epic released him from his contract.

For more than four decades he created little. Rarely performing or recording – his last album, Ain’t But the One Way, came out in 1982 – he generally made the news only when arrested for cocaine possession, in court for not having paid tax or fighting with various managers over royalties. A comeback was mooted in 2007 when a European tour was booked, but Sly’s reluctance to perform for more than 20 minutes, plus his new band’s ineptness, meant the performances were widely ridiculed. After that he existed for many years as little more than a ghost, often reported to be living in his van, still a superstar in his own mind.

In 2023 his autobiography Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again), written with Ben Greenman, was published and Stone gave interviews in which he claimed to be free of his drug addictions. Seemingly, his daughter Sylvette and a new manager, Arlene Hirschkowitz, had combined their efforts to ensure drug dealers no longer had access to Stone. A feature documentary, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), directed by the musician Questlove, was released in 2024.

The popularity of the music he created between 1968 and 1973 had never faded – Prince, D’Angelo and Lenny Kravitz were among the many musicians influenced by him. Indeed, the US critic Joel Selvin wrote that “There are two types of black music: before Sly Stone and after Sly Stone.”

He is survived by three children: Sylvester, from his marriage to Kathy Silva, which ended in divorce; Sylvette, from a relationship with his fellow band member Robinson, and Novena, from another relationship.

🔔 Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart), musician, born 15 March 1943; died 9 June 2025

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