#definitely a mage; one who practiced dark magic at that.

[girlfox]

i'm theorycrafting my dungeon meshi au for ahri and honestly it's kind of hilarious thinking about her in that world because. yeah, she'd eat everything and anything. absolutely zero qualms about consuming monsters. in fact, i think she loves it. no culinary innovation, either, just gobbling up dungeon creatures who roam into levels they shouldn't.

i think she inadvertently manages the ecosystem of some level really far down by doing this, while also caring for the monsters who stabilize things.

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: "What did [orcs] taste like?" {*distant sounds of tanoraqui going feral*}

I'm enjoying Chilchuck more in the manga because I notice him more, because he's less front-and-center talkative but in the background he's visibly thinking about things. I certainly noticed and enjoyed this moment in the anime, too, but it's a good example: Chilchuck is by far the best in this party at people, in terms of reading a room, understanding long-term group dynamics, and considering larger social questions like morality. His pattern recognition skills are obviously superb, and he applies them to dungeon navigation, trap- and monster-disarming, and social dynamics. He understands and gives practical advice on the relationships within a successful vs unsuccessful dungeon parties, and the skills of leaders thereof. He can often be seen eyeing the terrible new food consideringly before eating it. He's the one most often calling Laios out about No Eating Humanoids, including picking up on the fishmen eggs. When Laios complains that that's just based on a "feeling", Chilchuck does think about it - but still, when Marcille says of the dryads that maybe it doesn't matter if the plant is humanoid, Chilchuck says with concern, "Marcille..." He's the first to wonder how to make money from the dragon, but it's a practical concern, not greed. He's the only who realizes and convinces everyone that they have to turn back.

It all adds up to a guy who's never read a textbook of moral philosophy or the makings of a stable society in his life, but who could probably expound on them in layman's terms while drunk off his ass in a bar. He's responsible, including wanting to look out for his people, and very practical, and genuinely whip-smart. I'm not at ALL surprised to learn that he observed the systemic abuse of halffeet in the dungeon-delving trade and organized a union against it.

.

Shuro: Just say the highlights, alright?

Laios: We killed the red dragon, got Falin out of its stomach and resurrected her, but then we ran into the Mad Mage ad were separated.

Shuro and Kabru:

...actually, it's interesting how surprised I am, and was when I watched this, to see how...Normal Human Interaction Laios is in this moment? Upon request, he handily gave an efficient summary of exactly the highlights that needed to be shared - both what the others needed/would want to know, and not what they didn't need to know, lest Marcille be arrested for dark magic. Is he more relaxed around his usual crew, and thus acts "weirder"? Is this just a very specific circumstance, ie, it's reasonable to think the whole party has been considering exactly how to describe their adventures to others?

Maybe more notably, he left out monster-eating, which is also a cultural taboo but one that he's shown no sign of respecting so far. One must ask, for a moment: wait, does he respect that it's taboo in polite company? It's true that Marcille and Chilchuck, who'd both dungeoned with him for [mumblemumbletime], didn't know until the start of the story - he's clearly only just started unleashing all this culinary glee, even if he probably did already share infinite useful monster(-killing) factoids. Or is he aware and respectful of the fact that Shuro's definitely of "highlights" definitely only includes What Happened To Falin? This, too, is a level of character insight rarely if ever seen in Laios before.

.

Laios is like a deer in front of a lion... Yeah maybe I do want to watch Kabru flirt with him and Laios get completely flustered... Only if Laios turns it around by (later, after fleeing the initial scene) bluntly asking if Kabru wants to go on a date and/or have sex, and Kabru.exe stops functioning.

.

One must ask, for a moment: wait, does [Laios] respect that [eating monsters is] taboo in polite company? -my considerations 10 seconds ago in in-canon time

nvm, he's back on his bullshit! :) <3

Which! Indicates that his summary WAS intentionally geared toward Shuro's known preference, with maybe a dash of responsible dungeoneer team leader-to-team leader "fyi the Mage IS around"!

.

Ok now for the bit I'm particularly obsessed with...

Shown: man forcibly slamming down an impenetrable mental barrier called "Doing What I Must" in between Traumatic Memories & Moral Qualms and Words, Tone, Facial Expressions, Body Language & Anything Else Someone Else Could Sense:

Shown: Man with aforementioned barrier firmly in place [but still possibly seeing horrors on the backs of his eyelids]:

(Also shown: Man increasingly wishing that this is all some sort of elaborate hallucination brought on by sleep deprivation and stress:

.

Then this!

Until proven otherwise, I'm pretty certain that this last panel is the exact moment Kabru's brain started bouncing like a yo-yo wrt Laios. Because!

Kabru invited himself into this conversation as part of his overall quest: to look for a decent King for the dungeon. [ABBA playing faintly in the background] He's officially given up "finding" rather than "becoming", but he hasn't 100% ruled it out as an option - the goal is to get one.

Imagine that Kabru's brain includes a little hexagon like the food matrix, but for necessary aspects of the new King of the Golden Kingdom. In order, Laios goes...

- up several notches in "Likely Ability to Kill Mad Mage" by having defeated the red dragon and met the Mage

- down probably 1 notch in Trustworthiness/Honesty(/Readability to Kabru Specifically, who is prepared to Manage a mediocre candidate if that's what it takes)

- plunges down in the meta-category of Will Prevent Another Utaya by plummeting like a Boeing in the technically-not-on-the-chart category of Triggers Kabru's Trauma by admitting - bragging! delightedly! - that he eats monsters. Kabru's trauma is centered around monsters eating people. What sort of horror is a person who eats monsters? (Yet, perhaps already starting to yo-yo: if monsters eating people is the ultimate evil, what is this reversal...?)

Then Kabru asks a few innocuous, friendly questions about this Absolute Horror, because that's what Kabru does: he lies through his teeth about his own opinions and discomfort in order to put others at ease and (thus) achieve his goals. Laios gives innocuous, friendly answers.

THEN: ORCS. This whole comic, we've had the debate about whether it's okay to eat humanoid monsters, with Laios begrudgingly agreeing to his party's refusal. And orcs aren't even humanoid monsters, they're full-on demihumans! Second cousins of tallmen!

Kabru actually has to take a moment to process this new depth of depravity which he swiftly assumes Laios has sunk to. I imagine WWII air raid sirens are going off in his brain. Laios is But then he leaps this horrific chasm, too, itchy though his knife hand may be - interestingly, his face isn't shown in the comic, but in the show, Kabru retains the exact same friendly, eagerly interested tone of voice when he asks, "What did they taste like?"

- (Sidenote: truly, in all of this, I'm most obsessed with Kabru's ability, willingness and determination to seemingly-blithely hopskotch and/or outright running-jump over any moral qualm for long enough to get the other guy to dig their own grave and/or let down their guard. Who even are you under your infinitely shifting mask, sir. Do you even know? Because I think some of what we've seen that's more "real" is part of the mask you wear to be the Hero Who Will Be King.)

And Laios realizes what he'd implied and says, alarmed at the misunderstanding (though it's not clear if that's for moral reasons or social awkwardness) but still smiling with excited pride, "No no!! We didn't eat them! Due to circumstances, we're currently working with them!"

With them! Laios is yoinked out of, if not the depths, then at least the utmost depths - while also snapping unexpectedly upward in Alliance-Building (pref. Interspecies, Local-Centric). Laios had already rated a 2, maybe 3/5 for his party makeup, but given his known lack of people skills, I can't imagine Kabru expected him to go any higher than that - and with orcs! Orcs who are maligned by everyone else; for whom the Island Lord regular offers a bounty!

Now, this IS predicated on the assumption that Kabru considers orcs a people who should be treated with like a legitimate, well, people, rather than killed like vermin. But I think I'm on solid ground, considering a) Kuro the kobold being a (mostly) respected member of his party and their secret late-night study-friendship; b) Kabru's harshly learned skepticism of the stories Elves tell about themselves and other races, which is where we've seen the heart of anti-orc sentiment; and c) Kabru thinks the Island Lord is a moron.

Mind you, I think the yo-yo-ing is relatively subconscious at this point, and won't start reaching an audible fever pitch until Kabru learns about the black magic in, oh, another 5 minutes or so.

...but I really need to go to bed, so I'll see what overanalysis I make of that tomorrow!

[descendant-of-truth]

A Rudimentary Translation of: The Dark Mage, Schezo

(The video here is not mine, it's from the channel "The Madou Puyo Archivist." It's just here so you can follow along the translation with audio)

So, I was already considering doing something like this, since so many of these Puyo Drama CDs remain untranslated as far as I could find. But upon seeing this post from @douglasanondr, I ended up checking out this particular CD, and after deciding that it seemed doable, I got to work.

I'm definitely not fluent in Japanese yet, so some parts are missing with a summary of the general gist, and the phrasing isn't always the most accurate, but! This fandom needs all the translators it can get, so even if I'm not the "best" person for the job, I still wanted to contribute. I also included translator notes when applicable.

With the preamble out of the way, I hope you all enjoy it!

-The Dark Mage, Schezo-

Schezo: S-stop it! Don't lay a hand on him!

Witch: Aaaand… got it!

Schezo: Please, Witch! Stop!!

Witch: Now then, here we go! *cheerful effort sound*

Onion Pixie: *despair noises*

---

Witch: *giggles* I've gotten the magic skins from this big ol' onion!

Onion Pixie: *sad onion noises*

Schezo: O-Onion's skin…! YOU DEMON! VILLAINESS!!

Witch: What's the problem? I only took a single piece of it, it's fine!

Schezo: But he's so cute, don't you feel bad for him?!

Witch: …You…

Schezo: What?!

Witch: Somehow, it feels like you've grown soft.

Schezo: Huh?

Witch: Like, it feels as though even you're expression's gotten softer than before.

Schezo: Hmph! What nonsense are you speaking? I am the Dark Mage, Schezo. To say I'm soft--

Witch: Yeah, yeah. Well, it might just be a misunderstanding on my part. Now then, have a nice day!

---

Schezo: I've gotten soft, she says? Hmph! That can't be… but then again, it might be possible that I've been influenced by this place called Primp in some ways, lately. After all, it's peaceful and quiet here--

Amitie: Ah! It's Mr. Pervert! Heyoo~!

Sig: Pervert--!

Lidelle: H-hello!

Schezo: Who. are you. calling. A PERVERT?!

Amitie: Hahaha! Sorry, sorry! [something I can't make out] But honestly, what does "pervert" mean, anyway?

Sig: "Pervert…"

Sig: I'll explain! It is the process of a bug changing its shape, with the purpose of developing from a pupa into a proper insect.

Lidelle: So that's what it means…

Sig: Uh-huh.

Amitie: Impressive!

Schezo: Who are you talking about?!

Amitie: Hey, Mr. Pervert, when will you transform into one?

Schezo: I WON'T!

[Side note: this might be a play on the words "hentai" (pervert) and "henshin" (transform). Perhaps Sig got the second half of the words mixed up?]

Lidelle: Aah! I-I'm scared…

Amitie: Whoops, I guess we got him angry?

Schezo: Hmph! Do as you please! Farewell!

---

Schezo: The children here sure are carefree, and stupid, and full of it! [another thing I can't make out, he might be proclaiming himself a "stoic"] If I've gotten soft, then it's their fault! I need to look for a way back…!

*sounds of Raffina training*

Raffina: Not done yet! RAFFINA SPECIAL!

*boom!*

Schezo: Hey, you.

Raffina: KYAA!

Schezo: What are you doing?

Raffina: I-interrupting a lady's training, that's awfully rude of you!

Schezo: I see. Training, huh?

Raffina: Yes, pay attention! …If you would!

Schezo: But if you're training to be a mage, you shouldn't be practicing martial arts, but spells… hm?

Raffina: Shut up, if you please! That's my choice, isn't it?!

Schezo: I see, you're similar to Rulue, then.

Raffina: Huh?

Schezo: You're not very good at spells, so you use martial arts, isn't that right?

Raffina: H-how… how do you know about that?

Schezo: I understand power when I see it.

Raffina: Ah, is that so? Well, that's enough. Get going along to somewhere else. I need to continue my training. …Hey, wait!

Schezo: Hgk! What with this?! It's quite heavy…

Raffina: Don't just randomly try to pick up one of my dumbbells!

Schezo: Well, I'm somewhat interested in it. However, I think it's a little too heavy for a "lady"--

Raffina: It's not "a little too" anything! If I'm going to aim for the top of my school, then I'm going to need strong muscles!

Schezo: Hmm.

Raffina: Wh-what?

Schezo: Why do you work so hard for that?

Raffina: Huh?

Schezo: This "Primp" place is quiet and peaceful. You don't need to be strong to live here. Even the magic school's students are peaceful simpletons. I don't think it's necessary for you to go to so much trouble for it.

Raffina: I don't understand what you're babbling about!

Schezo: Like I said…

Raffina: I'm doing all of this to reach my ideal self. Whether it's peaceful or not, I don't care in the slightest! O~hohohoho!

Schezo: Ahh! I see… Heh. I get it now.

Raffina: Huh?

Schezo: It's nothing. I just think you have the right idea.

Raffina: Well, I'm not really sure what you mean, but alright. That aside, you mentioned the other students from the magic school earlier, right?

Schezo: That I did.

Raffina: They're… t-they're, they're sort of my friends, so I would rather you didn't make fun of them.

Schezo: Hm?

Raffina: It's true that they're awfully carefree, but at the same time… well, at least to some extent, they're working hard, too.

Schezo: Oh?

Raffina: That's why, I've decided that I'm going to shine the most out of all of them!

Schezo: Hm.

Raffina: So… um, so that's… hm? AAAH, I FOUND HIM!

Schezo: AAH, what's this, all of a sudden?!

Raffina: It's him, it's him! It's that guy I've been seeing that guy a lot around here lately!

Schezo: Hm? That's… Satan?!

Raffina: [can't quite make out what she says here, but basically she plans to challenge him to a Puyo Battle]

Schezo: Wait, no, he's--!

Raffina: Hold it! You there!

Satan: Hm? And the reason this person is interrupting the Demon King's lovely stroll would be…?

Raffina: You're pretty strong, aren't you? [Another thing I can't quite make out, she's making an offer of some kind but it doesn't immediately sound like it has the word "battle" in it]

Satan: Hmph. How interesting… to approach the great Satan, you must be strong yourself, no?

Raffina: *giggles*

Satan: I won't treat anyone who comes at me differently, even if they're a girl. Let's go!

Schezo: W-wait!

Raffina: O~hohoho! That's exactly how I want it!

*puyos go bloop bloop*

Satan: Ohh? It seems you're actually pretty good. However, it's too bad; nobody else can match the great Satan! Let's go, Catastrophe!

Raffina: H-he's fast! There's no way I can keep up! My chain isn't enough, it's going to collapse!

[I couldn't make out if she actually said "collapse" or not but it was the closest thing that made sense]

Schezo: Hm! Dunamis!

Raffina: Eh? I've… been protected?

Schezo: This battle… is on me.

Raffina: Don't underestimate me! Even without your help, I--!

Schezo: Don't get the wrong idea. This geezer is still too much for you.

Schezo: Besides…

Satan: Oh? The Dark Mage, huh? What's wrong? You've got a good expression on your face today.

Schezo: Besides! For some reason, I've suddenly felt like competing in battle.

Satan: HAHAHAHAHA! It's been a while since we've had a serious competition. Come at me, Schezo!

Schezo: I was thinking the same thing! Let's go, Satan!

Raffina: Urrgh, even though this was MY battle…!

Schezo: Just as Witch said, I may have gotten a little softer. But no matter where I go, no matter who I meet, it doesn't matter. I strive for my ideal, regardless of where I am. I'm the most spectacular Dark Mage, Schezo!

-The End-

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

hii! using the same prompt as the "farmer as a walking dead (part 2)" could i possibly get magnus' reaction to seeing his spouse like that? (aka magnus reacting to the farmer being able to control themselves despite being practically dead)

if your requests aren't open then i am SO sorry, i saw that the status was set to open and just assuned they were

Hello, dear anon! 👋

You read that right - my askbox is open again, so welcome and don't be shy to ask something again! Thanks for the ask btw (mmm, angst and pain, my favorite 🥲) and enjoy!

"It was all my fault..."

_________________________________________

The Farmer was lucky that it was Camilla who first discovered them, as other mages and adventurers would have simply destroyed the already not quite alive youth without even looking into it. The head witch of the Castle Village was able to hide the frightened and confused Farmer, who had been missing for about a month, and help them figure out what had happened. It didn't take long to figure it out, because outwardly Farmer was no different from empty shells, shadows of those former adventurers who had fallen victim to the dark ancient magic of the cursed deserts. Except that unlike all of them, Farmer retained their mind and memory.

It was a shock to everyone, and it was naturally that it was a huge shock to Magnus, who rushed into the room where everyone was standing, along with Camilla and Farmer.

The witch had already wanted to punish the one who had blabbed to Magnus about Farmer before his due date. The fact that Farmer was alive, but not quite, was definitely a huge blow to Magnus, and the Castle Village witch wanted to try to soften the blow, for the sake of her old friend.

Confused, angry, hurt, exhausted by sleepless nights and the immense guilt over the death of his most beloved person, Magnus walked up to the Farmer, despite the others' best efforts to stop the wizard.

Some expected a great tirade, some even expected Magnus to start a fight with someone out of an overabundance of emotion. But all the wizard did was to hug the Farmer, who couldn't even say anything in his defense.

All the Farmer's clothes were covered in blood and dirt, they themselves smelled of death, their hearts didn't beat.... And yet, it was them. It was the same Farmer who had smiled their snow-white smile at Magnus that last time they had headed into the Crimson Badlands. It was them...

And Magnus had let them go, let them die...

"Magnus, it's not your fault."

It was all his fault...

"Magnus."

It's all his fault, and he knows it...

"Magnus, look at me."

And he did. He raised his head and directed the look of his moist eyes at Farmer's face.

Even though Farmer's pupils had turned scarlet as rubies and the whites of their eyes were dark as void, it was still the same Farmer.

[raayllum]

by the end of s5, what do you think separates claudia and callum (if anything) from being a villain vs a hero?

Oh, there's plenty that differentiates them! This may not be as articulate as I want it to be as I've spent most of the past 3+ years pointing out / trying to convince people of Callum's similarities to Claudia and Viren (which S5 finally cinched for me, beautifully) than having to describe their differences, but I'll do my best!

Callum very much has both the best and worst of Viren and Claudia when it comes to dark magic, where he kind of borrows from each of them in distinct ways to be the most.... reasonable 'dark mage' in a lot of ways, due to 1) his views on dark magic and 2) his motivations for using it. So let's dig into it.

1) Views on dark magic

Unlike Claudia, to Callum dark magic isn't something frivolous (hi dark magic pancakes) or something to aspire after. He's far more like Viren (and even then I don't think Callum would ever consider dark magic "brilliant and clever" even if it is very much practical) in terms of seeing dark magic solely as a last resort since, as I've laid out before, Callum knows it's wrong. That it's a dangerous, slippery slope, for him in particular. Callum is also just willing to do something he Knows is wrong and see it to fruition anyway.

(Now, this also plays into the series' theme of how it's always Easier to play into / perpetuate the Cycle than it is to take the harder path of breaking it, but post for another day.)

Claudia has come closer to this viewpoint in some ways in S4 (crying as she explains what she had to do to bring Viren back) but ultimately, she doesn't think/see/know Aaravos is 'evil'. She doesn't think she's doing anything Wrong But Justified because she doesn't see anything wrong with what she's doing in the first place ("Humans were born with nothing, but we still found a way to do amazing things. That's what dark magic is really all about" / "The elves and the dragons did nothing. They judged us. They pitied us" / "All through history dragons have had the power while humans lived in fear. Well times are changing"). Callum is not that, at all, hence the guilt (even if I think more of it stems now in S4/S5 from what he knows dark magic allows - Aaravos' possession that then in turn also puts his immediate loved ones in danger).

Therefore, Callum's views on dark magic are far more akin to Viren's - powerful, dangerous, a necessity that chips away at you and you alone if you do it right, if you can successfully spare other people. Viren's comfort with dark magic goes further than that, and Callum's comfort with it is lesser than that, but they are more similar I think in their views of dark magic than either of their views are to Claudia's.

Like, regardless, Callum fundamentally disagrees with dark magic - he doesn't like or want to hurt innocent people/creatures if he can help it (again, big difference between him and other two mages, even if there are definitely areas where who Callum views as 'innocent' could be improved). It's a Last Resort, but it's a Resort. His aversion, those reservations, those lines, those morals? They exist (which is a distinction) but ultimately do not matter when Ezran or Rayla are threatened.

Which is, I suppose, as good a time as any to talk about

2) Motivations

Viren's hierarchy is the 1) the world (which his family is a part of), 2) himself, usually (because he believes he is uniquely positioned to be able to help the world & make the right choices) and 3) his family. We see this hierarchy play out pretty succinctly in 1x02-1x03 with Harrow, almost beat for beat. As Viren says there (and in S5) Harrow is his family and means everything to him... but Viren is not willing to reveal or relinquish the dragon egg in hopes of stopping the assassination, because he would rather have himself or Harrow die rather than put a weapon into Xadia's hands. This is also why he's willing to warp Soren into a cinder beast in 3x07. Not only is he personally pretty far gone at that point, but he is willing to sacrifice his family (gaslighting Soren to keep Claudia tethered in 3x03, for example + "I would've asked you to choose the egg over my own life, if it came to it"). In some ways, S5 is showing that he lost that part of himself and is now reclaiming it, making it true in ways it hasn't always been. Love is what made him Lose Himself but also how he ultimately Found Himself again (which bodes very well for Callum's S6 arc, but anyway...)

Alternatively... Callum says "I value those close to me more than Anyone or Anything" (Tales of Xadia bio) and he unequivocally means it.

Callum loves Harrow dearly, but he still knows the safest place for Ezran in 1x03 is to get the fuck away from the castle, so he goes. He breaks the primal stone after watching Rayla and Ezran mutually cry and console each other as Rayla blames herself for Zym's imminent death. As discussed, he'll do dark magic in 2x07 even though he knows it's wrong because it's Rayla's life on the line. He'll jump off the mountain for her. He'll threaten and demand answers from Soren before and after learning that Ez could be in danger, and run right into a trap. He'll do literally everything he did in 5x08 for Rayla, as we know.

In this way, he is very similar to Claudia, who would likewise Do Anything for her family and always mean it, particularly her father (after all, Soren 'walked out' on her, not the other way around; she was still trying to keep them all together). It is worth noting now, though, that Viren has now circled back, so arguably all three of them are sharing in this Motivation, and prime for Aaravos' manipulation if Viren still has a further role to play (although his curtain may have closed lmao). After all:

But yeah, Callum and Claudia are two characters who have always had a steady flow of parallels and a particularly brutal slant toward each other (because their selective loyalty is not and never has been to each other) and the easiest way to have an audience still remain sympathetic to an antagonist is to draw parallels between them and a protagonist, so...

Obviously in TDP there are 'good' guys and 'bad' guys but I don't think the series is that interested in a pure black-white good vs evil dichotomy. Almost every antagonist character is still sympathetic, developed, interesting, and we can understand where they're coming from. The protagonists make plenty of mistakes and have plenty of their own biases and contradictions; it's what makes them interesting too! People aren't necessarily Villains or Heroes so much as they are people stuck in cycles of grief and violence, and the series being an exploration of how and where and why they do or don't (or can't) break those cycles. At least, that's what I find is most useful from a meta perspective.

I think ultimately what differentiates Callum and Claudia in my head is, as mentioned, the different ways they view dark magic even if they have exceedingly similar motivations for using it, as well as Callum striking me more as the type to fight so hard to save his loved ones while they're still alive, but not quite as inclined to go as far as Claudia did and follow through on a resurrection spell the way she did. He's better at emotionally processing (although it's a low bar to clear for her) and better at letting things go, and more respectful of his loved ones' wants (most of the time). If Ez and Rayla both died in tragic/traumatic ways, I think that could (understandably) really warp him to something close to Claudia, but so long as one lived, I think they could keep him from going off the rails.

Claudia left the train station a Long time ago.

More metas that may be of interest (written before S4 and S5):

How Viren and Callum stack up flaws wise (S1-S4, screencap S5 update)

How Callum's initial view of Zym differs from Ez and Rayla (S1-S3)

Callum's morality (S1-S4)

TDP's Perpetual Trolley Problem, or How the Show Frames / Deals with Sacrifice and Exchange (S1-S4)

The Interlocking of the Cycle's Wheel with Viren, Claudia, Callum, and Rayla (S1-S4)

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fantasy Books Bracket: Preliminary Round

Book summaries below:

Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender (Infinity Alchemist series)

For Ash Woods, practicing alchemy is a crime. Only an elite few are legally permitted to study the science of magic―so when Ash is rejected by the Lancaster Mage’s College, he takes a job as the school’s groundskeeper instead, forced to learn alchemy in secret. When he’s discovered by the condescending and brilliant apprentice Ramsay Thorne, Ash is sure he's about to be arrested―but instead of calling the reds, Ramsay surprises Ash by making him an offer: Ramsay will keep Ash's secret if he helps her find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its reader extraordinary power. As Ash and Ramsay work together and their feelings for each other grow, Ash discovers their mission is more dangerous than he imagined, pitting them against influential and powerful alchemists―Ash’s estranged father included. Ash’s journey takes him through the cities and wilds across New Anglia, forcing him to discover his own definition of true power and how far he and other alchemists will go to seize it. Featuring trans, queer, and polyamorous characters of color, Infinity Alchemist is the hugely anticipated young adult fantasy debut from the extraordinary author of Felix Ever After, King and the Dragonflies, Queen of the Conquered and more. Fantasy, young adult, magic, romance

Godfell: The Complete Series by Christopher Sebela, Ben Hennessy (Illustrator), Vittorio Astone (Colorist), Triona Farrell (Colorist), Jim Campbell (Letterer)

God is dead. Who’s next? One sunny day in the land of Kerethim, God falls dead from the sky. The impact sends out shockwaves that draw in royal families at war, shadowy creatures of the dark, and armies of the dispossessed, all coming to lay claim to parts of God's body. Into this power struggle wanders Zanzi Vuiline, a soldier and berserker trying to get home from a years-long war. Forced to fight her way through the strange landscapes in and on God's corpse, from the soles of its feet through the top of its head, Zanzi will acquire a mysterious traveling companion on her own pilgrimage. The Complete Series tells the story of a fierce warrior woman tired of war and her traveling companion with her own reasons for war weariness – and revenge. These two forces of nature are on a journey to find their way back home – and to themselves. Graphic novel, fantasy, secondary world

[reivun]

Given the lack of participation (or general clarity), what is Ivan after? What's his purpose in opening Raven Tail?

This is a great question!

Canon never gives us any reason of why Ivan was excommunicated, how his relationship with Makarov was before, how the guildmaster/mage relationship affected their father/son relationship. All we know is that they definitely do not get along by the time in canon, Makarov is lowkey obsessed with what Ivan is up to (as much as Ivan is lowkey obsessed with what Makarov is up to) but doesn't know. Ivan apparently has some secrets he doesn't reveal, but somehow knows. And I think if we look at what we do know through Laxus' POV and the relationship with Makaorv and Laxus, the one with Makarov and Ivan must have been somehow even worse. I think, for Makarov, he's trying to learn from his mistakes with Ivan re: Laxus but he ends up excommunicating Laxus anyway! Which, I think punishment was needed, but for some reason excommunication means...banishment from the city? From your support system? (Which imo, Laxus needed post-Fantasia.) Why does being fired from your job mean leaving the city you were born and raised in? Anyway. There are all these little bits and pieces that are mentioned but never brought up again.

I think that, like canon states, Ivan made Raven Tail to get at Makarov. I don't think his overall grudge is with the Fairy Tail members (def not at his own child or other children) but it is focused on Makarov and Makarov is so attached to Fairy Tail. Makarov is the son of one of the founders, we know his mom died when Makarov was young and that his dad died as well. So his attachment to the guild on a deeply personal level was set up from the time he was very young. Ivan would know this. Ivan lived this. I do think, just like it affected Makarov&Laxus, it affected Makarov&Ivan. So going after the thing Makarov cares the most about — Fairy Tail — is the correct move. Ivan wants to destroy everything Makarov cares about as punishment for his bad decisions re: Ivan and also, in my canon, he holds Makarov responsible as GM for the death of his wife, Leona. Ivan is driven by vengeance and well, hatred for Makarov and that poisons other connections to Fairy Tail, like Laxus.

However, what it ends up becoming is a guild filled with people who are negatively affected by society in some way. Flare was an outcast by virtue of have one of the most unique life experiences of growing up in a hidden village of Giants. Sadly, she's the only RT member we get a full backstory on, but I don't think she's the only one in the guild to have a life like that. Look at Nullpudding. He is clearly Not fully human, neither is Obra. And we see in other arcs how Others are treated (Galuna arc, they assumed the curse turned them into Demons, when the curse turned them into humans but they're happier in their Demonic form!) Honestly, I think this part of it goes back to Zeref and his hmm. Actions. And how it shaped the magical population's reputation in the sea of non magical people. But that's a sidebar of this conversation.

Raven Tail, in practice, becomes a place for Others to gather. As a dark guild, what did they accomplish, lmao? They weren't apart of the Dark Guild alliance, they didn't terrorize people of Fiore. It was really easy for them to become legitimate in canon because it happened three months before the GMG. In a hilarious way, they are like an edgier Fairy Tail.

I would also like to point out the fact that in chapter....2 of the manga, I beleive, Makarov scolds a bunch of members (Natsu, Cana, Gray etc) for their destruction before burning up the council paperwork. And like...I think if they're causing That much destruction...there probably are Raven Tail members who dislike Fairy Tail because they may have been negatively impacted by their destructive tendencies. And some of that cannot be canon div'd away because its a core canon aspect of the guild. So, the members are a mixed lot!

Overall, I jokingly call Raven Tail "Daddy Issues But Make It a Guild" and this is parts of the reason for that.

edit: im just now realizing that hilariously, Phantom Lord does worse things to Fairy Tail in canon and Phantom Lord was a legitimate guild!

[nirikeehan]

"aftersome adj. astonished to think back on the bizarre sequence of accidents that brought you to where you are today — which makes your long and winding path feel fated from the start, yet so unlikely as to be virtually impossible." for Thaliaaaa perhaps?

Okay, listen. This one is weird, but maybe I'm planning a Dragon Age/Curse of Strahd crossover and sometimes you just wanna smush two blorbos from two different pieces of media together and see what they do. Like introducing cats.

For @dadrunkwriting

WC: 1202

Metrion belongs to the incredible Curse of Strahd: Twice Bitten podcast which, as far as I can tell, has absolutely no fanfic to its name. Until now I guess 🤷‍♀️

---

 “Sit, and we can make you presentable, yeah?” 

Thalia sits. The cottage is ramshackle and abandoned, one of many in this desolate Nevarran backwoods, the misty, wild place known as Barovia. 

“If he knows you by the tattoo,” the man says, “we can take away the tattoo, easy peasy.”

He’s a strange man, the one whose company she has found herself in. Young like her, she thinks, with tan skin and dark hair. He used an affected posh accent she saw through right away, which he has since dropped. What remains — a cockney reminiscent of Free Marcher peasants, is more authentic. He speaks in a nervous mumble almost always. There are times she thinks him selfish — when they fought wolves together on the road he dove for the bushes and shot timidly with a crossbow — but others, like now, she detects a hint of what could be compassion. 

“Did you always want to be a magician?” Thalia asks, eying the array of stage makeup he sets out on a rotting table. 

He shrugs, not looking at her. “You do what you’re good at, right?”

“I suppose.” Thalia chews her lip. “But what I do and what you do seem a little different. I could never just travel around, doing magic tricks for entertainment.” 

Metrion smirks. “Why not? Cause you’re a highborn lady?��� The posh accent is back, mocking her own inflection. He reaches out, takes her chin. “Here, look this way, love.” 

His fingers are long and thin, hands covered by black gloves that must be needed in this constant damp chill. She frowns at an odd patch of magenta poking out between sleeve and glove on his wrist. Thalia is forced to look away, staring deep into his unsettling yellow eyes. 

“It’s not that,” she says as he scrutinizes her complexion. “In my neck of the woods, real mages weren’t allowed to roam free at all.” 

“You sayin’ I’m not a real mage?” Metrion shoots back, feigning hurt. 

Thalia tries not to roll her eyes. “You’re an actor, that’s clear as day.”

“Can it only be one or the other?” A twitchy smile. He has long incisors; one is inlaid with gold and seems to wink at her in the dim light. 

“Are you inviting me to join your act?” Thalia asks playfully.

“Yeah. Definitely. We can be Metrion the Magnificent and Thalia the— the—”

“Thrilling?” she supplies. 

“Yeah. I like that.” He frowns at his makeup kit. “Right. You’re paler’n me, so I’m gonna have to do some blending, but I should be able to manage it. Gonna need you to hold real still, though.” 

Apprehension threads through Thalia. She remembers the day, many years ago, she had to sit very still for another man, one who had needles and ink instead of sponges and pigment. “—Won’t hurt you,” Metrion adds quickly, as if sensing her discomfort. “I’m a real pro with this stuff, I promise.”

“Yes. Of course.” Thalia shifts in her seat, wringing her hands. Her palms begin to sweat. She thinks of the long series of bizarre events that led her to this moment, in the hands of someone who should, by all accounts, be a charlatan. Yet the touches on her cheekbone and brow are light and practiced, and against her will she relaxes. 

“It’s quite a piece of art, this ink,” he murmurs, perhaps to put her further at ease, but Thalia only tenses. He blinks. “Sorry. Meant it as a compliment.” 

“I know,” Thalia breathes. “It’s not you.”

“I’m a bit of an amateur tattooist myself, but ah, never did nothing like this.” 

With each swipe of his sponge, Thalia imagines the tattoo disappearing from her face, leaving her right eye unmarred for the first time in a decade. “I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter.”

Metrion’s hand freezes. “Seriously?”

“I mentioned that in my neck of the woods, mages couldn’t just roam free.” She chews her lip. “We were confined to a place called a Circle of Magi. This was the security measure in mine, to make sure we didn’t escape.” 

“Shit.” A long silence. “You really ought to come to the Sword Coast, we don’t have nothing like that there.” 

Thalia lets out a slow breath. “It’s all right. Things have changed there, somewhat. Mages have more freedom now, though there’s always reminders of the old ways.” 

“Yeah. I get that.” Metrion continues dabbing and swiping at her face, brow furrowed with a troubled line between them. “And I know a thing or two, about things done to you against your will.” 

“Do you?” Thalia says skeptically. “You don’t… strike me as a man who would stick around for that sort of punishment.” She pauses. “No offense.” 

Metrion bows his head over the makeup kit, eyes obscured by the hair falling into his face. Peeking out from the headband he wears are wisps of hair that shine white in the torchlight. He’s awfully young to be going grey, she thinks, but then again, she can’t speak to the life he’s lived, no more so than he can for her. 

“’S that a polite way of calling me a coward?” The hurt in his voice, this time, is real. 

Thalia tries to protest, but he cuts her off. “No, no, maybe you’re right, a little bit. Or a lot. I dunno. Fuck. I never wanted to be in this place. It’ll wear you down, break you, faster’n you can run. We been told the devil knows our every move, that it’s all a game to him. That we’ll stay alive as long as we keep things interesting. But I dunno if painting your face would make much of a difference in the long run, if he’s got an eye on ya.” 

Metrion sounds mournful, apologetic, as if trying to break bad news as gently as he can. Thalia reaches out, with a pang of sympathy, and touches his elbow through his long overcoat. He freezes, dares to meet her gaze only briefly before averting it again. 

“He must have a weakness,” Thalia says. “Everyone does.” How can she explain to him that she once stood down a man who would be god? What’s one more vampiric tyrant, in the face of someone like Corypheus? 

“Dunno about him,” Metrion mumbles, sighing. 

“Still,” Thalia insists, trying to smile, “I appreciate that you’re trying.” 

“Yeah. Yeah. ’S all we can do, I guess, in the long run. Lie down and die, or try to live.” He shakes his head as if to clear it and snaps shut his makeup kit. “On that cheery note — you’re all set, love.” 

“Thank you,” Thalia says softly. “Have you got a looking glass I can borrow? I’m… curious.” 

He gives her a small hand mirror caked with layers of dust and pigment. Thalia squints past it, to the pallid face beyond. Her cheeks look gaunter than she remembers, her eyes a ghostly blue. But the tattoo has vanished as if it never existed, and she turns her face this way and that in wonder. 

“Maybe you are a real magician after all,” she whispers, and he looks at her with eyes so raw she worries he might cry.

[sukimas]

What Fire Emblem classes do you think the PCB touhous would be?

Fire Emblem usually has special classes for monsters so practically speaking those, probably. I can't see a lot of them wielding normal weaponry...

Oh, Yuyuko would definitely be a Thracia-style dark mage, though. Staves + poison + HP to 1.

And Youmu is incredibly obvious. Sword.

Letty'd end up being a wind mage due to the you know...

Alice would probably be a ballistician or similar (or puppeteer if you want to go with Fates classes, gross).

Everyone else (except Lily White, who would be a civilian) kind of just does some sort of unique magic, so it's not that interesting to slot them into normal classes. Yukari tends to attack a lot more physically than the average mage, but she does that through magic and at range most of the time (Home is Where One Lays One's Head, etc.), so she also doesn't really fit into a normal class.

[psycheprincess]

To Bring a Bit of Warmth your Way

I just finished @saint-garden 's Twisted Winter Wonderland gift! I really hope you like it!

@twisted-winter-wonderland

Word count: 900 Type: Fanfiction Characters: Kalim Al-Asim, Riddle Rosehearts, Jamil Viper (Ment.)

Summary: When a blizzard rolls around, Kalim decides to do something to make everyone feel better

First the dark mirror disappeared. Then a blizzard swept over Sage’s Island. Night Raven College’s students would have to stay on campus for the Summer Break.

No one had been happy about it, but what was there to be done? 

Students tried to stay in their dorm, but found it impossible. People would have to leave to get supplies from the student store, which had turned into a general supply, but few people had the proper clothes to go. It was far colder than it would ever get on campus during the winter. As a result, people kept getting sick.

When Jamil returned with food one morning as a miserable heap, Kalim made a plan.

He scoured his storage rooms, searching for something— anything warm to wear, and eventually found the perfect clothes to wear. Dire-sheep wool was extremely rare, but his family had received a whole outfit made of it as an act of goodwill. It was a bit big on him, but for this, it’d do.

He set off at noon, sneaking out of the dorm and down to Tarry Town. It seemed the blizzard hadn’t hit them quite as hard, which made sense, but it had still been bad enough to halt travel, and he couldn’t risk the carpet freezing up. That meant a lot of walking… 

… But Kalim didn’t mind. If this is what it’d take to bring everyone happiness, then he’d do it.

“I’m off,” he whispered as he slipped through the gate, making the trek down the mountain. 

It was a bit surprising just how good his chosen outfit was at keeping him warm, but it wasn’t enough to completely block out the cold, and while he could use fire magic to keep himself warm, that’d just make him even more exhausted, so he had to keep walking.

He’d walked off worse than just a little chill, so he was used to it.

Eventually he started seeing something come into view— smoke. Puffs of it floating up in the distance. It had to be Tarry Town! He didn’t realize he could speed up until he did, heading towards the buildings that were coming into view.

It was quiet, but people were working even so. The streets were plowed, and despite the weather, there was plenty of food fresh in the store windows.

He first went to the snow plow’s driver, who was on his phone in his plow– something the blizzard hadn’t allowed for at NRC, and requested his help.

“All th’ way up there?” The driver asked, frowning a bit. “It’s a pretty hefty drive, and don’tcha mages have magic to melt it all or sumthin’?”

“It’s… a bit more complicated than that,” Kalim admitted, wincing. “There’s no way we could melt it all, y’know? We’d accumulate a ton of blot if we tried.”

“It’s always something, isn’t it…” The driver sighed. “I’m sorry, kid, but as much as I want to help you, there’s no way I’m driving up there. I’ve got kids to feed, and–”

“But I can pay you!” Kalim suddenly exclaimed. He got his magic pen out and waved it. 

Practicing a summoning spell hadn’t been the best use of his time in some people’s eyes, but Kalim knew what he’d been doing. A portal opened up, spewing a small-ish pile of gold out. The driver was taken aback as he counted it up.

“That’s… Isn’t this much worth a thousand marks?!”

“Oh– is it not enough?” Kalim asked. “I have a lot stored at the dorm, so I can–”

“There’s no need for that!” The man exclaimed, shaking his head. “This… this is definitely enough.”

“Really?” Kalim gasped. “That’s perfect! Is it okay if you wait here for me?”

“‘Course, but…” The man frowned. “... What  exactly are you doing, kid?”

“Huh? Oh!” Kalim smiled a bit. “I just want to make things a bit warmer for everyone!”

After that, Kalim went from store to store, purposefully overpaying for food and warm clothes, asking anyone willing to help for enough marks to wait by the snow plow with a car and some food. He was even able to get the local bus on board.

Once everything was ready, the supplies Kalim bought packed safely in the cars, they drove up the mountain in a parade, the plow going first to clear the path.

By evening, they’d reached NRC. Everyone was willing to help, but in the end, the magic barrier kept them from entering, so Kalim had to bring it all to the mirror hall himself.

The rest of the student body didn’t discover what had happened until dawn, when Riddle went out to get food.

Each pile of clothes and food was labeled by dorm, with Kalim bringing in the last few loads left.

“Kalim?” He asked, approaching. “What… is all this?”

“Riddle!” Kalim grinned. “Actually, can you tell all the dorms to come here?”

“I don’t…” Riddle blinked. “How did you–?”

“It was no biggie, really!” Kalim laughed a bit. “I just… had to help.”

Soon enough, everything was in the hall, and the dorms were all out, gaping at the amount of supplies they’d have.

Surely, it’d be enough to help them through the cold, right?

And even as Kalim shivered and got scolded later on, he couldn’t help but simple.

After all, everyone had sworn it felt a little bit warmer after that morning.

[mogai-sunflowers]

The intersections between magic and gender that you mentioned and the rulers who want to gatekeep them made me wonder. Does your world have a religion? Several religions? Maybe a dominant religion and some smaller ones? Anything that would influence culture, politics, and the way people see magic and gender?

there are definitely elements of that! for example, the Sun is the source of magic in Luxia and the Moon is the source of magic in Nyxia, and the Sun (a goddess named Xemea), is worshipped in Luxia. they have festivals and holidays for her, and every day, every Luxian lights a candle before going to bed to preserve her light throughout the dark of night. she is very cherished in Luxia, and the monarchs view her designation of magic as the law of the land, so they believe gender non-conformity is against Xemea's magical order (even though Xemea is very magnanimous and doesn't want magic to be confined to just one set of rules).

for the Moon (Mesea), the Nyxians revere her as well! She is the source of their magic and every Nyxian wears a moonstone necklace near to their heart at all times, and if it is lost, it is considered to be a grave tragedy. Moonstone mages are the most revered in all of Nyxia because moonstone is a very powerful stone there. In Nyxia, gender non-conformity is more accepted because the rest of the world already views their dark magic as "evil magic" (even though it is far from evil), so they're... kind of more used to having to fight for the right to express their magic in the first place. that's not to say that gender non-conforming Nyxians don't experience issues, but there is more precedence for acceptance there, although the monarch still believes that magic should be contained to a specific set of rules.

while Luxia and Nyxia have overall cultures in regard to Xemea and Mesea (who are married btw), each of the four realms within the two kingdoms also have their own subcultures and different goddesses they work with.

but one thing is that there are differences between a harmony mage practicing as a life mage, and a harmony mage practicing as a chaos mage, because the first two are both realms within light magic, whereas the latter two are light and dark realms. the latter is much more frowned upon because, due to a rewriting of history by Luxia's first monarch, the Luxians believe the Nyxians' magic is corrupt, and the Nyxians believe that the Luxians' magic is too utopian and not real enough. so one of the most potent forms of suppression is that light mages who practice dark magic, and vice versa, are believed to be enemies of the monarchs, and often have to hide for their safety, which is a key theme throughout the story: Evermore has to hide their power from both of the monarchs because if they found out about their abilities, they would have a huge target on their back.

there isn't really cross-cultural clash between religious traditions though- overall, with the exception being the monarchs and their nobles, the Luxians still revere the Moon and the Nyxians still revere the Sun and respect each others practices. in fact, the most sacred festivals from both Kingdoms, run in tandem with each other. The Sunstar festival is a weeklong festival honoring Xemea, and it culminates with the Sun dancing with the Moon in the sky and giving her a magic kiss, signaling the start of the Moonrise festival, a weeklong festival honoring Mesea! so cultural traditions are entertwined, but there are still political differences and the more "higher-up" people in society are the major suppressors of gnc people!

[soytts]

Funky little smut fic for my dnd character and his man.

Uh. Idk who would want to read this but y’know

Word count: 3476

Content included: fucking in a room with 6 other people, inappropriate use of mage hand (or is it), bondage, the silence spell not the same as by book because my dm said so, oral (both ways), definite over use of the pet name dear, subtle jabs at one characters past relationship, unprotected sex (wrap your damn Willy), an entire paragraph about one of the characters hands, so much praise, voice kink, I feel I need to preface this again they would have been seen if another character didn’t cast a form of darkness around them, light bending not the spell darkness it’s different.

The end is so rushed because I suck at writing actual fucking. Anyway. Enjoy if you’re reading this!

I’m sorry I don’t know how to do the read more thing in mobile. You gotts to scroll

——————————————————————

“- That kiss was pretty good..” Ray’s eyes moved in between Anubis’s eyes and lips “but, it could get better don’t you say..”

“Practice does make perfect,” Anubis scooted ever so closer to Ray. “I wouldn’t mind practicing again…”

“I mean. It’ll take a long time to get to perfect, not that I mind,” Ray’s hand slid softly against the mixed blood's side. “We could add a few other things to it. Things I enjoy, things you enjoy,” Ray paused searching for a reaction on Anubis’s face. Seeing the bright red blush deepening he continued, “if that’s what you’d want that is.”

“I’d enjoy that, a lot actually,” Anubis placed a hand on Ray’s chest. Anubis’s mind slightly wandered back to his time with Kane, would it be similar, no, probably not. They’re very different men. Ray seems softer than Kane could ever be, more deliberate movements, he knows what he wants and so does Anubis.

Their next kiss was not as good as the first one with the magic no longer at play and the desperation and slight jealousy from Anubis less in the picture but it was still very enjoyable for both parties. During the kiss Ray had pushed Anubis down into the bed getting on top of him, it seemed like he was wasting no time getting to what he wanted.

Ray pulled away from the kiss to cast a silence bubble around the two of them. Anubis, thinking straight for a second, pushed himself up from the bed.

“Wait, we’re in a room with 6 other people. I’m gonna be a hypocrite for how much I harp on Jason and Sam…”

“Don’t worry, they won’t be able to hear us,” Ray got his knee in between Anubis legs pushing a light amount of pressure where he wanted it most.

Anubis’s thighs twitched at the idea of someone seeing. Still slightly worried about the others he looked between the rest of the room and Ray.

“We can stop if you aren’t comfortable with this,” almost on cue cypress seemed to notice what was about to go down and bent a darkness around the silence bubble. Letting out a sigh of relief Anubis laid back down.

“Sorry about that. We can continue”

“No need to apologize, boundaries are boundaries”

“Hah, right. Now come here, my lips are getting a little cold here,” Ray smirked, his hands sliding up Anubis’s sides stopping finally at the tie seated neatly around his neck. Starting to undo the navy tie he went back into a kiss. Anubis wrapped his arms around Ray’s neck deepening the kiss in the process.

Ray broke away from the kiss for a second, “may I call you dear? If you do so oblige,” Anubis’s heart skipped a beat, pet names, oh how he loved them, always wanting to be called one but never having the nerve to ask. Always felt like he’d be belittled by his fuck buddies for asking it, it felt so intimate, like you can only get one in the right circumstances.

“Oh gods, you can call me that all the fucking time, it sounds so good coming from you.” Ray laughed a bit, “well dear, I’ll be sure to call you that often,” before Anubis could respond, Ray pressed his lips back on Anubis’s.

Ray pressed his knee more into Anubis’s crotch causing the smaller man to slightly tighten his grip on Ray for a moment. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he pulled away from the kiss, taking the tie with him as he moved back. Placing it in reach on the bed he then started to unbutton Anubis’s shirt following each undone button with a light kiss to his exposed skin. Adept hands pulling off the shirt, he grabbed the tie sitting on the side and motioned for Anubis to give him his wrists.

“Hands. Unless this is a no from you,” Anubis smiled, giving him his wrists to seemingly tie them up. God did Ray's hands feel good in Anubis’s. Slightly calloused but still soft somehow. Whenever Anubis had been bold enough to grab his hand he always noted how they felt, how his grip tightened when something bad was said or done. He’d most likely never admit it out loud but he spent a large amount of time looking at Ray's hands, he was doing it now. Watching him work, his movements were so smooth and careful. Less rough and forced. He made quick work of Anubis’s wrists, pulling slightly on the restraints to make sure they weren’t too tight.

“Are they feeling okay?”

“Uh- perfect, yeah,” Ray smiled and pushed Anubis’s arms above his head, “perfect, you’re perfect…” Ray's hand slid lower, fingers brushing along the waistband of Anubis’s pants. Anubis’s face warmed at the praise and he hid his face in the crevice of his arm.

“Tisk tisk, no no, we can’t have that,” Ray cooed, grabbing Anubis’s chin “look into my eyes dear,” eye contact, Ray likes eye contact, forcing his eyes to meet with the purple ones looking at him. “Ahem, sorry. Uh, I just get uhm embarrassed with eye contact in these situations,” the soft laugh that left Ray’s lips made Anubis blush more if that was possible, everything about Ray was attractive to Anubis very much including his voice, it’s so nice, and smooth in a way. Everything about him is smooth.

“Don’t worry, I find it adorable. But I do prefer to see the look in your eyes when you’re experiencing pleasure”

“Hah I do enjoy looking at those eyes, they’re very beautiful so I’ll try. For you.” Anubis smiled and winked. Ray, not expecting the sudden boldness from Anubis flushed, it was hard to tell sometimes but in this moment Anubis knew.

Anubis, getting antsy with the no movement of the knee settled in between his legs, started to grind slightly. The layers of fabric not giving him enough stimulation to satisfy the need crawling up him.

“Please, I need more.”

“Can’t be too greedy dear. Good things come to those who can wait patiently, hm, you can do that for me can’t you,” he was teasing him, just as Anubis enjoyed. With one look Ray somehow knew what Anubis wants in bed, or they could just like the same things. A whine left his lips clenching his thighs around Ray’s leg. A hand soothed over his thigh, running softly up and down. He chuckled lightly, thinking about the things he could do to the man writhing impatiently underneath him. Most would have to wait for another time, hopefully there would be another time. He wanted to do much more than he had planned but for the sake of the others in the room he decided not to. The thought of them possibly seeing still adding that bit of risk that makes Ray excited.

Anubis was moving those tied up hands too much for Ray’s liking, tisking he casts mage hand. It’s only going to be for a bit but Ray does need both hands at the moment, as much as he would want to hold Anubis down by himself.

“Be a dear and stay still, I don’t want to keep casting mage hand every minute. I will, but you’re a spell caster, you know how annoying it can be.” A whine coming from the smaller man was what he got in response. Anubis was so interesting in his mind. This very charming and bold man in the streets who gets flustered at simple compliments and gets shy when someone else takes control. He then felt it, a knee pushing against the very noticeable bulge in his pants. He let out a low groan, Anubis’s thighs clenched at the sound as he let out a small moan of his own. Ray then realizes his voice's effect on Anubis. The mixed blood did say he found it hot, he didn’t know that just the sound of his voice would make him moan himself.

Ray did note for the future that Anubis is impatient and will use any part of his body to get it moving along. Ray smiled thinking of an idea that would make the brunette go wild. He leaned down, mouth level with his ear and started rutting against Anubis’s knee. Breathy moans filled the air and Anubis in his desperation started grinding against Ray’s knee again.

Ray tisked. Using his free hands to halt the movement of Anubis’s hips.

“If you can’t stay still dear I’m gonna- ah, make you watch me pleasure myself and only myself while you sit there and watch. You don’t want that do you?” Anubis shook his head, “thought so, you wanna be played with hm, if you’re good for me and stop moving I’ll take my shirt off, I saw you looking I know what you want to see. And if you’re really good I’ll even pay some attention to your desperate little hole,” Ray lightly bit at Anubis’s earlobe while waiting for an answer.

Anubis moaned at the thought, “yes please! I want that so bad, I’ll be good. I swear,” Anubis was jealous of how in control Ray was, he could keep his voice so stable and still make Anubis flustered while he was basically humping his leg.

For the first time while Ray was removing his shirt Anubis looked down at his cock that was so obviously looking for attention, he could tell from the bulge he was a bit over average for size, perfect, that’s all someone needs if they know how to use it, and from what Anubis is experiencing currently Ray most definitely knows how to use it. Anubis shivered in excitement, as much as he wants his aching pussy to be touched not being covered up by layers of clothing he really wants to pleasure Ray and show he isn’t just a pillow prince. Also, if he’s sucking his dick he’ll be able to hear more of Ray’s moans and groans so it’s a win-win situation.

“Ray,” Anubis pushed himself up from the bed. Ray raised an eyebrow at the other’s movements and hummed a response. “Can I- uh,”

“Spit it out dear,” Anubis’s eyes moved in between Ray’s bulge and his eyes thinking of a more proper way to say what he wanted to. Ray, seeming to notice what Anubis wanted smirked, but he made no move to start it. He wanted Anubis to either say it or initiate it. Anubis decided to give up on trying to say it in a romantic way.

“Can I suck you off?” Ray laughed a bit “oh my, no better way to say it dear?”

“Probably, but would it really have the Anubis charm if I didn’t say it in the most crass way possible”

“Hm, I do love that about you. Well, if you so wish you should be getting to work, my cock won’t suck itself dear,” Anubis, surprised by the ‘vulgar’ wording from Ray, hesitated for a second. “Are you okay?” Ray’s eyes filled with a small bit of worry.

“Oh, ahah, yeah I just wasn’t expecting such a refined gentleman to say something like that, you are right though, your cock won’t suck itself,” Anubis smiled and got to work. Using his still tied hands to unbutton Ray’s pants he was then stopped.

“Ah- ah- ah- no hands dear,”

“Wha- how am I supposed to-“

“You have a perfectly skilled mouth don't you, why don’t you use that,”

Anubis squinted at Ray and thought for a second, he did guess that it would be pretty hot to watch. He sighed and lowered his hands. He bit his lip, wracking his brain on how to possibly do this. Deciding that nothing will get done if he doesn’t move he lowered his head and grabbed a hold of the fabric with his teeth. Looking back up to Ray he was met with purple eyes staring down at him. His mouth slightly agape, cheeks flushed, eyebrows furrowed, his hair, as messy as it was in this moment, framed his face perfectly. God did Anubis wish he could take a picture of Ray in this moment, everything about this man was perfect to him, he’s so elegant and Anubis loves it.

He pulled at the fabric, the buttons popped out of their fabric holders from the tension. He was now faced with another issue, how could he get his cock out from his underwear without hurting him with his teeth. Ray, realizing why Anubis is hesitating, stood up and removed the remaining clothes in the way.

Ray’s cock could only be described as pretty, 6 inches standing proud, it curved up slightly, at the base was a neatly trimmed patch of hair that went up into the happy trail that Anubis snuck glances at when Ray was shirtless. It twitched at the cold air of the room, a little dollop of pre-cum cumulating at the tip. Anubis started with an experimental lick, testing the waters, he put the tip into his mouth, sucking slightly while his tongue ran along the underside. Ray’s hips twitched forward at the stimulation on his sensitive tip, letting out a breathy moan that only encouraged Anubis to take in more.

Anubis’s fingers twitched. He could so easily give himself some stimulation, he decided not to, to keep his hands neatly folded in his lap as Ray used his mouth. He bobbed his head, taking him in deeper. The tip hitting the back of his throat he had to suppress a gag, his throat constricting around the tip which made Ray thrust in farther. This time he couldn’t control the gag, Ray quickly pulled out.

“Are you okay? I didn’t force you too far did I?” Anubis coughed on the saliva stuck in his throat. “No, no, you’re fine, don't worry. My throat has been fucked before one gag isn’t game over for me,” Anubis winked as he so attractively wiped the spit off his mouth. He went back in, and in one breath his nose was touching his pelvis. One of Ray’s hands tangled itself into Anubis’s hair, pushing down holding the man in the position for a second before using it to control his movements. Anubis couldn’t keep his eyes open as Ray bruised the back of his throat. His moans filling the bubble causing Anubis to moan around his cock, the vibrations only encouraging him more.

“Fuck..” Ray moaned as his cock twitched, “I’m- close, where do you want it,” he loosened his grip on his hair letting Anubis move where he wanted. He looked back up at Ray and then continued bobbing his head.

“Shit- you’re… so good to me- so beautiful… fuck-“ he grabbed Anubis’s hair again and forced him to take him fully as he came. He twitched as cum made its way down Anubis’s throat, pulling off he swallowed most of what he could keep in his mouth before coughing up some, he looked up, Ray looked picture perfect. Chest heaving as he recovered.

“That- was amazing, dear. I think you deserve a little attention down there don’t you think,” he pulled him into a kiss, the taste of his cum on the others lips. He picked Anubis up and placed him on the bed once again,

“Hands above your head,” Anubis sighed and complied, getting his arms in a comfortable position, he shivered in excitement. Ray wasted no time removing the remaining clothes.

“My my, who could have possibly gotten you this excited, love?” His fingers run through the folds collecting some of his wetness. He raised it to his lips and put his fingers in his mouth, tasting his essence. He groaned at the taste, removing his fingers to go down for more. He licked a stripe collecting the wetness ending at his clit. He sucked on it as his fingers prodded at the entrance. They entered and Anubis’s thighs clenched around Ray’s head. His fingers scissored inside to stretch him out. In the process one of the fingers brushed over a spot that made Anubis’s body twitch forward. Ray smiled knowing he found what he was looking for, his fingers attacking the spot.

Anubis’s orgasm approached quicker than he’d like it to, it was just too good and he’d been holding off for so long.

“Ah- fuck fuck, Rayyyyy…. I’m so close, keep going fuck,” Ray looked up at him, his eyes clenched shut, eyebrows upturned in pleasure. The knot in his stomach snapped when Ray thrusted his fingers in once again. His whole body convulsed as the orgasm took over him. Ray continued his actions, riding him through the orgasm and more slightly overstimulating his sensitive clit.

“Ah- stop, stop, too much,” Anubis scooted away from the stimulation and closed his legs, “ah, sorry my dearest, I may have gotten a little distracted.” Another kiss, Ray seemed to like kissing after oral, maybe so they could taste each other. Anubis didn’t know but he was glad he wasn’t one of those people who would not kiss after you sucked them off. Those people always gave Anubis the ick, the same people who would let you suck them off but wouldn’t even think of eating you out. Anubis was glad Ray enjoyed oral as much as he did, he did get hard again from eating him out.

Ray positioned himself between Anubis’s legs and started to rut himself into him. His hands run along Anubis’s sides, tracing the discoloration and scars that litter his body.

“You’re beautiful, so beautiful,” Anubis wrapped his arms around Ray’s neck looking into his eyes, his fingers touching the remnants of his horns. “Everything about you. Is so perfect,” Anubis didn’t know if he was told that often but he knows from experience it’s always good to hear it from the ones you care about. It’s so easy for Anubis to not lie to Ray, so right, he can’t find a reason to like when he was with kane. It's so nice. No other people for him to look at the same way he looks at Anubis. It felt so good.

“Oh.. thank you dear,” judging from the reacting he didn’t get told that often, he did flush every time Anubis would compliment him, natural response but from what Anubis knows about how he used to think about himself he feels he needs to hear it more, just as Anubis knows he needs to hear some things.

Ray thrusting inside snapped him out of his thoughts, letting out a surprised moan as Ray sighed at the feeling.

“Sorry for surprising you there, I couldn’t wait much longer,” he started at a study slow pace, his thrusts still having a good power to them, shaking the bed with each of them.

Anubis’s moans filled the bubble, as much as Ray did enjoy Anubis’s voice he did need to focus. Pushing two fingers past his lips. “Suck, keep your mouth busy, I do love the sound of your voice but seeing you sucking on my fingers is very enjoyable.” Anubis’s tongue swirled around the fingers in his mouth, his eyes going half lidded looking into Ray’s, pleading, for something. He didn’t know what he was pleading for, it just felt right.

Casting mage hand again Ray moved it to focus in on Anubis’s clit while his other hands were busy, his body twitching, close, still sensitive from his previous orgasm. Ray was hitting all the right places while the mage hand abused his clit forcing the rising orgasm to approach quicker.

A muffled moan coming out around his fingers, words that Ray could barely pick up on. He assumed it was something along the lines of “I’m cumming” as a muffled scream ripped through Anubis as he came from all the stimulation. His body convulsing, his cunt clenching around Ray in the right ways, sucking him in.

Ray was close, so very close when he pulled out and jerked off furiously above Anubis’s slack body. He came with a low groan, painting his chest with white.

He flopped down beside the other man, catching his breath before going to unite Anubis. Placing a small kiss to the bruises forming, casting prestidigitation to clean the two of them. He pulled the smaller man into his chest, holding him there.

There was no need for words in this moment, the silence comforting as they both caught their breath from the mind blowing sex that just had happened,

“My,” Ray was the first to speak, his voice rough, “that was amazing.”

“Hah. Yeah, you sure know what you’re doing,”

“As do you,” Ray smiled and started playing with Anubis’s hair, brushing it out of the way and kissing his forehead.

“I wouldn’t mind doing that another time.”

Anubis giggled, “I don’t think I could let you run away after that.”

[avatarvyakara]

So I was talking with @nerdasaurus1200 about continuing Disney stories, and it reminded me that I had some world-building I tried to do for The Dragon Prince at one point. Relatively early stuff, round about Season 2, and most of it has been rendered almost definitely non-canon. But I do rather think I almost prefer certain elements. Might even see about recycling some of them for my own work, if I can.

Some key points:

The corruption from Dark Magic isn't from evil—it's from self-maintenance. When a Mage absorbs magic from another creature, it's not per se that they become twisted versions of themselves. Instead, as the soul of the animal passes through their body and its energy is released into a spell, elements of its consciousness—its mental attitude, the personality both of the individual and its species—become embedded in the Mage. The Mage is no longer human, not fully; if they use a full tiger, then the part of their mind that best maps to tigers is amplified, and the tiger's memories become their own. When Viren used up the Magma Titan, certain key traits (disregard for others, an explosive temper, etc.) became much more prominent—and certain memories (like being killed by Queen Sarai, among others) stuck in the mind as well.

Elves might not drink blood, but they are, technically, soulless. Or, more precisely—the Primal Sources are powers far older than humanity, but they manifest in the world both as spells and as creatures as well as their more ephemeral forms. They create copies of plants and animals, imbued with their abilities in some manner or another. The Dragons were born of this, animals with full sentience. And when humans arrived on the continent, the Elves were made—in the image, as it were, of Man. As a copy of the peculiar settlers, who might learn from and improve on their arts. And the Arcanum that sits in the heart of every Elf is a conduit for that power; it literally keeps them alive. An Elf might well live for centuries, even millennia, using Primal Magic as easily as breathing, while non-magical humans usually crumble after less than a hundred years…but when a human dies its soul remains, watching over the living and sometimes interacting with them. When an Elf dies, or when a Dragon dies, everything they were, all the memories and experiences, will fade back into the Primal Source through their Arcanum and be forgotten, become mere energy to use in spells or to power other living beings. When an Elf dies, they're gone. All gone. (Rayla is linked to the Moon. And now Callum has an Arcanum of his own.)

The Primal Stones are calcified magic, yes—and they are also labours of love. Humans have wielded Primal Magic, but through the destruction of smaller stones (Moon Opals, Sun Sapphires, Earth Emeralds, and the like)—sometimes in the service of creating new ones. Like breeds like. A Primal Stone takes years of practice and study to weave the spells for, and it must be done without touching Dark Magic for as long as that takes. A period of abstention, if you will, before joining with the holiest of holies. Viren did make that Stone, a long time ago…having come across a treasure trove of Sky Amber, and scaled Mount Kalek, and traced multiple glyphs in the air while reciting a hymn to the heavens. It came in handy. Not just for him.

The people of the Pentarchy do not follow the Primal Sources, but the Paragons of Virtue instead. Truth, Lady Justice, Dignity, Radiance, Honour, Restraint, Freedom, Love, Charity, Mercy, Courage, Care…and Wisdom. They do not promise to provide powers to their supplicants. But they will provide guidance, and protection in the afterlife, so that they will be at peace. More to the point, they are celebrations of human traits; they are not bound to some mystical idea of nature, but gladly demonstrate to all humans what they may be. Still, sometimes they appear in dreams, bearing their ceremonial objects. Lady Justice, for example, may appear different depending on which Kingdom you hail from, or even your personal preferences, but she will always bear her Sword, her Scales, and her Blindfold. Wisdom is the only one of the Paragons who has no set portfolio; the symbol of Wisdom is a mirror, and the Mages' Caravans that travel from kingdom to kingdom are never without them, because Wisdom is the key to the Seventh Path…what those who benefit from it disparagingly call Dark Magic. And Wisdom appears as yourself, and yourself alone, from the future you have the choice to follow. (It was Wisdom, tall and proud and broken, who appeared to Callum when he did Dark Magic for the first time. It was Freedom, chained and blind and crowned with feathers, that he chose instead. Opeli, who commands the Chapel that oversees the Virtuous in Katolis, is a follower of Justice as well, like Harrow was. Viren prefers to speak to Wisdom in the mirror. Aanya is the epitome of Dignity.)

There is, in fact, more, but that's it for now.

Thoughts?

[zoneofsmites]

1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 16, 20

Questions from here. Thank you for the ask Alex 🧡.

1. What was the first Dragon Age game you played?

That would be Inquisition, got it on a sale for ps4 at a local game store and tried it out. Never finished that run actually, got to roughly Skyhold before I stopped.

It wasn't until a friend of mine @ college was playing it and I asked about it, cuz it looked familiar. 30 minutes of our class wasted and a couple bucks lighter I was installing origins on my laptop.

3. Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass?

The majority mages (2/3 mages) in my worldstate would suggest that I usually play as a mage. Which isn't wrong - I am likewise also planning on playing a mage first.

My hawke was a rogue for the longest time though, adored playing as that in da2. I don't even touch the gameplay in origins so i really can't make a judgement there. And frankly i cannot for my own sanity play as anything but a mage in inquisition.

Order of enjoyment is Mage -> Rogue -> Warrior.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

Dane Tabris (rogue), officially no-romance, was the one to do the dark ritual, put alistair on the throne, and killed the architect.

Ambrose Hawke (mage), andersmance, carver joined the wardens, fought the arishok, sided with the mages and refused to kill anders.

Mirevan Lavellan (mage), dorianmance, sided with free mages, celene on the throne w/ briala, vowed to redeem solas and disbanded the inquisition. (drinking from the well is still a toss up, we'll see)

6. Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

I know I'll likely play a mage, and that I want to finally play a full Qunari run. The backstory I am still unsure about, it depends.

Either I'll go full original, and make Rook their own guy, or i'll go the direction of using my Hawke's kid.

Saar Hawke (last name likely changing cuz backgrounds lmao), is a qunari mage who was left to fend for himself during the mage/templar war. He's one of a few mage kids Ambrose and Anders adopt and take care of. Saar would be roughly 26~ during veilguard, and has decent reasons to be part of a few of the backgrounds. It also adds an interesting layer between him and Varric - a man who is practically his godfather.

Most likely backgrounds for Saar are the Grey Wardens trough uncle Carver. The Veiljumpers/Lords of Fortune for his general interest in magic and desire for adventure (or fame), not unlike his fathers. And likewise a Qunari shadowdragon is also deeply interesting to me, and trying to free slaves is definitely a possible virtue instilled into him by my Hawke.

9. Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first?

My eyes are set on Davrin, but i'll see we're my Rook takes me.

16. What's one crack theory you subscribe to (yours or someone else's)?

My interests lie in the Lucanis is possessed by a spirit (either fully more like Cole or more meemaw Wynne style), and the Varric is SO deadly fucked theory.

20. Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[raayllum]

not sure if you've been asked this before, but do you think callum will do dark magic a third time or more? do you think his arc is in any way building towards him coming to terms with it as a concept or will he continue to reject it on principle?

I've talked a little bit about S6 specific predictions and I do think there will be something along the lines of Callum reconciling his dark magic use with his identity (aka that those things don't have to be opposing, as long as those aspects feel/become understood to him) but...

I think the tricky thing is that there's a lot of elements at play all wrapped up in each other. A few things to get out of the way:

Dark magic has two main purposes in the story. The first is as a literal magic source (practical, usable, more unlimited in comparison to primal magic in some ways). The second is what it represents theme wise (desperation, short term power and agency vs long term lack of agency and subsequent powerlessness, destruction and vulnerability).

For most of his life, all Viren saw was the short term power and gain. Obviously we know he did something awful to save Soren, but we don't get the indication that sort of thing happened... More? We see from Claudia that there's lots of casual uses for dark magic and that Viren likely did so as well (needing to use his butterflies on a semi-regular basis for spells off screen). The next time we see a "dark magic to save a personal loved one" is the soul switching gimmick for Harrow, which is part of why Harrow, I think, shows up in Viren's dreams:

But as Viren says, going to sacrifice himself for King Harrow is his attempts at returning to form, to "I need to be the man he once believed I was." A Viren who was more selfless if not also as idealistic as a dark mage can be. Because in the years since healing Soren, Viren steadily lost himself and lost sight of protecting his children ("You're going to be okay now, that's all that matters" / "But Dad, Soren could've died!" "That doesn't matter!"). That's not to say he was morally irrefutable before, but he genuinely cared for his children and prioritized them. Finding his way back in S5 is what his journey is all, ultimately, about. Coining Kpp'Ar and getting his job ("His death creates opportunity for you") was the inciting incident - seemingly? arguably? - that set him on the "I always knew you'd go far, but I didn't know how far you'd go to get there. [...] You made the same choice you always made: the one that gives you power." Because power, not family, is what poisoned Viren's head — and why only by removing it does it have clarity; only by choosing powerlessness does he have freedom from Aaravos (at least in theory).

V: My whole life I've been chasing after things I didn't have. Status, influence, power. Maybe I should stop.

While Viren rejecting dark magic is ultimately a good for him, I do wonder what he would've done if faced with "kill Sir Sparklepuff to spare Claudia's life" > "kill Sir Sparklepuff to save yourself". He may have indeed made the same choice, now being more cognizant and also fearful of the bloodprice Harrow had spoken of, how dark magic always tends to inevitably have Consequences no matter how delayed, but it definitely would've been a different sort of choice.

With that in mind, I say all this to outline that Callum is starting from a fundamentally different place with dark magic and his loved ones. Like Viren he has pride, but Callum overall has very little ego. He doesn't crave notions of status (if anything he's typically uncomfortable with it) nor is just 'power' a desire for him. If he desires power, if he desires magic, then he does so out of a desire of agency, not self-importance or recognition. Callum doesn't want to be admired in an attempt to feedback-loop prove that he subsequently has worth. He wants to be tangibly useful; he wants to helpful.

One of the confines/constraints of the way arc 2 is structured is that we don't get much of Callum's feelings about dark magic use pre-the reveal it allows Aaravos to possess him. While he rejects it and mandates that it's wrong in S2, of course, he is still tempted by it and the potential 'good' it could do. He rejects being a Dark Mage™️ and refuses to have that as his primary form of magic > primal magic, but — as I've said before — that's different than ever rejecting doing dark magic ever again. That's different than swearing off this would ever be an option you turn to. I

A life with no dark magic is undeniably Callum's canonical preference, as far as usage and existence goes. That's clear to surmise even post-S2. But still, as soon as he used it, I always figured that if put into that kind of situation again — Ezran or Rayla's life on the line, and this was the only way to keep them safe — he'd do it. And then he does (5x08).

However, 5x08 does add important context to Callum's feelings about dark magic. Although I think he probably would've said everything he said to Finnegrin in 5x08 even without the possession bomb ("I'm not a dark mage. I don't do dark magic!" and his refusal even under torture), it's undeniable that learning his dark magic use allows Aaravos to possess him has rattled him. It's not clear how much of his staunch aversion is because now he knows the full consequences, compared to how he might behave if he didn't know it leaves him open to Aaravos, but I think the knowledge here, accordingly, is a burden and just makes all of it worse for him.

In 2x07, Callum didn't know the full potential consequences of his actions, if in fearful imagination and nothing else. But because of 4x04, he does:

C: I'm not afraid that he'll hurt me. I'm afraid that he'll use me to do awful things, or hurt people I care about. [...] I'm afraid, Rayla. What if I'm on a path of darkness?

(We'll return to the "path of darkness" concern in a moment, but pin in it for now.)

The tricky thing, though, is that if you have a character say they'll Never do something, and then they do it (and for a good reason), it's very hard to convince the audience that they'll really never do it again. There are ways to — Rayla said she'd never abandon or kill for her family (Bloodmoon Huntress), then she did abandon Callum (for an understandable but not a good reason, though, I might add), and now we're working on being convinced (painstakingly slowly) that she can learn how to stay — and this could be the route they take with Callum. But unlike Viren, I don't think Callum has as much of a lesson to learn surrounding dark magic because he's always used it for genuinely good reasons and with full awareness of his actions. He doesn't lie to himself over it (he doesn't have Viren's greater good schtick nor interest in it) and it was in literal life-or-death situations.

Viren needed to change because his dark magic use escalated in the de-prioritization of his kingdom but — more importantly to his interpersonal development — his immediate relationships and family bonds. Thus far, Callum's shown no hint of that, and I'm not sure that he will, given that interpersonal relationships — not glory or the greater good — are his primary motivations in all things, usually, but especially when it comes to dark magic.

Therefore, I don't think Callum's issue (as it stands now; S6 could make him start to go on a Viren "I can sacrifice my loved ones path by proxy of paranoia") is as much "I have to reject dark magic and subsequently de-prioritize my personal relationships" because... Him loving less is not the solution, to me. He should be prioritizing his personal relationships. Even, unfortunately, to these current extremes.

When Callum states he's scared that he's on a path of darkness in 4x07, it is a little odd, mostly because at that point there's not much to indicate — at least not as much interpersonally (because as an audience member I was screaming crying throwing up) with the knowledge we had at the time — as to why. He was obsessed with the mirror and Soren warned him not to be like his dad ("My father was obsessed with it. Callum, I know you love magic, but be careful. Cause it can change people") over it, but his primary concern seems to be from what Aaravos has told him: "Already tainted by darkness, and destined to play right into my hands." Those are all external forces/warnings, and they worry him. S5, specifically 5x08 I think, is when we see the big internal shift there.

But I do think the "What if I'm on a path of darkness" and his doubt when Rayla reaffirms otherwise is important, because it plays into his tendency to tunnel vision. He's afraid of the dark because in that moment, and in some ways in 5x08, it feels like it's all he can see.

With that in mind, I think Callum's arc will maybe not be a Relinquishing of dark magic entirely, but dismantling the systems/circumstances in place (through acquirement of more primal magic) so that he has less need of it, and a reminder that he Also has Light inside him, too. Dark and light reconciled — for worse and for better.

[lunaria--annua]

The Mentor.