#hubris is my middle name

[mephestopheles]

I feel like I am some weird combination of Sisyphus and Icarus this year. I have decided to make as many gifts as I can and I'm also planning on giving folks I normally don't gift something. On the whole these are small items, taken together I'm becoming slightly terrified.

I'm flying close to the sun here but I have a rock that needs moving and I can't stop now.

In no particular order this is what I'm making

10 Tote bags (heat transfer designs for both sides of the characters names and the campaigns my dnd group is in)

11 dnd themed 24oz reusable cups

10 health potions (I got a pack of 60 d4s I just need to pick up the bottles)

10 fantasy themed bookmark sets (four paper laminated bookmarks per)

10 adventure campaign journals

10 hex grid journals

10 dungeon pack accessory cards

14 cups for family

24 book marks (acrylic)

Gift tags

The rest of mom's gift

10 sets Dnd stickers

2-4 sets of kid friendly stickers sets

12 stockings (already completed)

I did a test print and cut on the paper bookmarks with great success. I need to print the rest of them from pdfs I've set up and then I'll cut them out all at once. I've started cutting and weeding the dnd tote bags only to figure out that my Hubris is beyond compare and the design in the centre is too complicated and fiddly and is losing cohesion during weeding.

That also doesn't even cover the fact that I've ruined two-ish yards of htv by cutting too deep and then the new (cheap) blade started gouging after the fifth mat (granted I think the smart vinyl might have been the thing that really killed it). Thought I fixed it and ended up putting the htv on upside down and the whole cut looks great but it's on the carrier sheet.

I am going to go back through the designs and get rid of the complicated middle design and simplify how they're cut so make the last half easier.

Also my two big mats are losing their stickiness and I have more mats on the way but they're still not here yet, and the acrylic bookmarks are in the package as well.... I'm fine.....

[leonleonhart]

me, already tired: i will drink my sleepytime tea and log in to have a thaleia run before bed c:

[such-expensive-mistakes]

halfa!Steph AU (part 1)

I'm still working on the Superpham AU but I couldn't stop thinking about this idea.

-----

Once upon a time, there was a girl who thought she could be a hero. And then she died. She died slowly and painfully and steeped in guilt over having accidentally set off a gang war that destroyed the city. It's a neat little story about hubris and knowing your place and why Batman is always right.

Except she didn't. Die, that is. She flatlined on the operating table and Leslie faked her death. And when that girl came back, she put on a costume again and became the third Batgirl. It's a heartwarming story about stubbornness and learning to rely on others and proving Batman wrong.

The truth, Stephanie thinks, is somewhere in between.

When she talks about having died, people treat as— not as a joke, the pain is still too raw for that, but as an exaggeration. Dramatic license.

Sometimes Steph thinks that's all it is.  But she feels like she died.  She dreams about it sometimes.  Not just Black Mask, although he does haunt far too many of her dreams, but something else.  Something in-between.

It's probably just the trauma.  That's what Leslie says, when Stephanie finally asks her.

Stephanie doesn't ask Leslie about her newfound strength, or about how sharp her senses have become.  

You can't go through something like Stephanie did and come out unchanged.  That's what Babs says, and she would know.  Steph doesn't think they're thinking about the same kind of changes, though.

-----

Stephanie lands on a rooftop and looks down at the white van parked below.  It's not a particularly notable vehicle, except for the occupants.  

"What are they doing?" Steph asks.

"I don't know."  Babs sounds frustrated, and no wonder.  There aren't many people who can keep Oracle out of their systems, and Steph wouldn't have judged these guys to be among their ranks.  "I'll keep trying to get through their firewalls, but I'm flying blind here.  Keep an eye on them, but be careful."

"You know me," Steph says.  "Careful is my middle name."

Babs doesn't even bother to muster up a sarcastic response to that, which is how Steph knows she's preoccupied.

These guys have been running all over Gotham for the past few weeks.  They're dressed in immaculate white suits and carrying unfamiliar weapons, and they seem to be taking some kind of readings on unfamiliar instruments.  None of that is a crime, but it's suspicious, and Oracle's inability to find out any more about them is even more suspicious.

And that means they're officially Steph's problem.

The men are doing the same thing they've been doing the last few times Steph has watched them.  It's not particularly exciting.  

"Batgirl," Oracle says.

"Please tell me there's a robbery or something that needs my attention," Steph replies.  "These guys are so boring."

"Sorry.  Do you think you can get one of their gadgets for me?  I want a better look."

"Can do, boss."  

Stephanie carefully climbs down to street level, staying out of sight.  She's gotten a lot sneakier since her not-death.  She tells herself it's all of her training and practice, finally paying off, but regardless of the cause, the guys in white have no chance of spotting her.  

They're standing near the front of the van, arguing about something.

"The apparition was spotted here last night," one says.

"That doesn't mean it's going to return!" another responds. 

Sounds like they're looking for something in particular.  Which Steph and Babs had already guessed, but it's nice to have confirmation.

Steph slips toward the back of the van, which is wide open.  Not smart, especially in Gotham, but she's got a feeling these guys aren't from Gotham.  

The inside of their van reminds her of a sci-fi movie; everything is blindingly white and chrome, with glowing green accents.  And lots and lots of those weapons.  Whoever they are, they clearly have a nice sized budget.

Steph grabs one of the guns and a handheld instrument like the one the guys outside are waving around, but as soon as she does, all the instruments the guys in front of the van are holding start going wild.  

"There it is!" one of them yells.  They all start shooting at her, which is how Steph learns that they're using some kind of fancy laser guns.  Because regular guns just aren't space age enough for these guys.

That's Steph's cue to get out.  She grapples back to the rooftop, just barely avoiding getting hit by the laser guns.

It’s easy enough to lose them from the rooftops.  At Oracle’s direction, she makes her way back to Firewall.  She tugs her mask off and hands the stolen tech over to Babs.

“The’re looking for something,” she says.  “An apparition.”

Babs hums in acknowledgment.  “Hopefully these will have some answers.”  She switches on the— scanner?  Steph’s pretty sure that’s its function, anyway.  It starts beeping wildly.

Steph jumps back, startled.  The beeping stops.

“Well,” Babs says.  “I think we have an idea what they were looking for.”

[tumbleweed-run]

Hello! I love your writing <3 May I ask, do you have any headcanons for Gale? I have a few (eg: his mother raised him alone - he's an only child - as much as he enjoys homecooked meals he's very well known in Waterdeep's fine dining establishments) I'm interested in hearing what you imagine about Gale outside what the game tells us!

Lighter stuff

I agree with you on pretty much all points

Gale might appreciate wine but he strikes me as a fancy whiskey boy. It's a vibe I get

His mother hates the beard, which is why he didn't grow it out until the hermit stage

He loves all books. Magical tomes, history of Faerun, tawdry bodice rippers. And he has a system to his library but it makes no sense to anyone who is not Gale

Personally, I think he's well-known in all Waterdeep's dining establishments. He's in the Yawning Portal at some point as an adult but I also feel like he visits the finer restaurants- probably with his mother

he was raised wealthy, I know he like "oh I haven't dabbled in wealth" but my dear boy was Top Teir middle class at best. I don't think they were 'own the world wealthy' but I believe he grew up with more than just a housekeeper, not having to worry about money. Mama's got Sea Ward money

And of course (because I pointed out his 'tower' is in the Dock Ward) I think as an adult Gale moved to the "rough and tumble" part of town to prove himself. (which is probably why they know him in the poorer establishments )

His tower is a freaking row home, maybe its like two floors taller. But it is a house. Gale is just a fanciful man. Or he's manifesting that shit, idk

I also think he goes home to mama in the sea ward at least 2x a week

Gale is a sorcerer

Gale is 300% a sorcerer whose mother(not magic) was fed up with her shit being set on fire, so she sent him to train in magics the way she was most familiar - Wizard Apprenticing

Less Light Stuff

Gale mentions 'parents' once (I think during the I was denied a kitten speech) I think his father was there at first and then left. Maybe he couldn't handle Gale, or he was just a shitty guy. I think that was the road to Gales "I'm not enough, I must prove I'm enough" syndrome.

I also believe he first encountered Mystra in the Sea Ward at the 'House of Wonder' which is a temple devoted to her. I believe he was young like 13/14 but my guess is she was aware of him from a younger age. (Most wizards apprentice starting at 13... and usually have no spellcasting abilities which is...)

I don't think his favorite color is purple. I think it was Mystra's color and therefor it became his favorite (which is why I like dying all his clothes NOT Purple). Judging by the only room we saw, it's red/maroon/burgundy- but he doesn't know that

I think some of his stunts at Blackstaff were not just his own hubris though he sees it that way, but also at "hey mystra look at me" thing. Which I think she encouraged

I also believe that he was a young adult when the muse-to-lover transition took place. Maybe a few years after he left his apprenticeship, he was old enough to be a 'man' but it was definitely a product of grooming.

I don't think he was ever truly her Chosen. Most gods bestow cool powers (look at the dead 3) or at least protections. She just... screwed him? Taunted him with stuff she knew was going to keep him hooked on her?

When he saw Mystra's interest waning he panicked because he didn't have very many friends (his only named or mentioned friend is Elminster who has the most messed up history with Mystra) and he'd certainly not taken a lover once she 'chose' him. And I assume this was years before the netherese orb disaster. He probably did increasingly dangerous things/adventures to keep her attention, just like he did as a boy.

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Since a lot of people enjoyed the "Legolas bluescreening" joke in my Boromir post, have some further Fun Elf Lore from the books:

Even aside from the reality-bending stuff Galadriel and Elrond can do with their rings, elves casually disregard the laws of physics all the time. Legolas stands (and runs!) without sinking in snow that's chest-deep for Aragorn and Boromir. Elves can also sleep -or at least, gain the same benefits- while walking upright, an ability Legolas taps into several times while chasing the orcs that kidnapped Merry and Pippin.

Middle Earth used to be flat: you could sail west from the coast by the Shire and eventually hit the Undying Lands. Due to a long story of hubris, the gods got pissed and said "Fuck this, *unflats your earth*" and made the world a globe. Elves, however, were broadly exempted from this rule, which is both why they can still sail to the Undying Lands when no one else can and why they have such incredibly keen vision: they can ignore petty human concerns like "there's a horizon in the way" when sighting in on something.

The distinction between elf groups is broadly a matter of academic degree. Middle Earth was created via a Very Large Choir, which foretold the coming of Elves and Men (not dwarves: I'll get to that in a minute) but left the gods with a terribly long wait time until things actually happened. When Elves did finally show up, the gods were ecstatic and invited them all to hang out. The elves that went to the Undying Lands learned magic and wonders beyond mortal comprehension at the feet of Valar, which makes them automatically wiser and more powerful than the elves who loved Middle Earth more and never left. Basically, they went to Elf Uni and got a diploma while everyone else stayed home.

Galadriel was born and raised in the Undying Lands, and Elrond has a doctorate by descent, as does Arwen. No one from Mirkwood ever went to Elf Uni, which may partially explain why Thranduil is Like That.

"Wait why are the smart elves back in Middle Earth if they moved overseas?" A) Not all of them did come back and B) those that left the Undying Lands did so because Feanor involved them in a property dispute so big the Simarillion got named after it.

Who is Feanor, you ask? Feanor was an elf from the Undying Lands who made the shiniest bangingest blinging-est jewels to ever exist, and when they got stolen by Sauron's precursor/old boss Morgoth, he swore an oath to bind his entire line to the act of dire vengeance and dragged half the elven population of the Undying Lands back to Middle Earth after him in search of said gems. Morgoth also killed Feanor's dad on the way out after robbing him, but the patricide is mostly an afterthought to He Stole My Rocks!!!

If the elves of Middle Earth are involved with a non-Sauron-based conflict (and sometimes even when they are) there is a 98% chance that it is somehow, ancestrally, indirectly, the fault of Feanor and That Goddamn Oath. Except Mirkwood's beef with the Lonely Mountain -that's one of the sole outliers.

One of the first Elf-Men encounters was Galadriel's brother Finrod deciding that the best way to greet this new race was by sneaking into a warcamp full of sleeping humans and playing a harp solo to assure them of his harmlessness. This is objectively batshit, but it did in fact work, so Nat 20 for him I guess. He later died after being captured by Sauron; he was mortally wounded while fighting a werewolf in defense of a friend, which he managed to kill naked and weaponless. Another Nat 20, RIP.

Dwarves and elves tend to dislike each other due to Ancestral Curse of Thinking You Have Bad Vibes. Back during the long wait for sentient beings to show up, the smith god Mahal (Aulë to the elves) got impatient and made the seven dwarf lords. When Eru politely if frigidly asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, Mahal humbly explained that the wait was taking forever and he craved people to infodump at teach who shared his love of crafting. Eru felt that that was fair enough and accepted dwarves into the universal family, but added in admonition that "Since they're adopted, they and my eldest aren't going to get along. Also you have to put them back in a hole and wait for the elves to show up because you can't just jump the queue like that."

[astrangertomykin]

I'm as idolisitic as the next but there is no way Essek "hubris is my middle name" Thelyss is sitting the solstice on his coat tails watching the green beans grow or waiting for Caleb to come home. That man is scheming something I just know it.

[thedrarrylibrarian]

Halloween Spooks!

I focused on creatures last year, so I wanted to give my attention to everything else horrific this year. Enjoy these scary and suspenseful recs! 👻

100 Words of Horror by @moonstruckwytch (3,100 words total, rated M)

A collection of Fear Fest Works. Each chapter is 100 words.

*I especially recommend chapters 5, 9, 10, 17, 20, 21, & 22

What is lost stays lost by @cavendishbutterfly (456 words, rated T)

Sometimes Harry leaves the castle in the middle of the night, and Draco follows him.

The Manor by @kittycargo (1,405 words, rated T)

There was something wrong with the Manor.

The mimic by @steampunkserpent27 (797 words, rated T)

Harry hears Draco (who he presumes dead) calling for help outside of his cabin one night. Only, something isn't quite right.

iterum by @moonstruckwytch (2,127 words, rated M)

dark magic keeps draco malfoy alive, even when he shouldn't be. unfortunately, to stay that way he's going to have to give something up—something important.

the tedious work of soothing grief with love by luminae (2,363 words, rated M)

Ginny doesn't like working as a medium. Never has, probably never will. The grief-stricken make for bad company and Harry, while handsome and kind, is no exception.

Cruel Blade by @wheezykat (2,572 words, rated E)

Drowning in his grief after the murder of his husband, Draco will do anything to bring him back.

But this is not Harry. This is something else entirely.

The Willing Flesh by @corvuscrowned (2,763 words, rated E)

Draco shows Harry how to do blood magic. Harry shows Draco just how powerful The Chosen One can become.

at the end of his tether by @helle-bored (4,280 words, rated M)

There's a worn page folded in an inner pocket of Harry's robes with a single underlined paragraph.

Discrete magical signatures have been observed after the destruction of a Dementor. Some scholars believe this implies that the souls of its victims persist as captives within its form, as opposed to undergoing immediate obliteration, and therefore serve the purpose of providing the creature with sustenance over a prolonged period of time.

Harry has carried it for nearly two years.

when god closes a door by luminae (4,400 words, rated T)

Harry usually cares far less about so-called haunted houses and ghosts. They aren't real, after all. Except when they ruin his evening.

Saltwater Stain by @the-starryknight (9,000 words, rated E)

Seven days stuck on a boat investigating a rogue ghost wouldn't be so bad if Harry didn't want Draco so much. Draco has his rules and Harry's content to follow them, but the air feels different away from the shore. Is it possible that the sea could offer Harry something impossible on land?

*be sure to check out last week’s Happy Hour Rec of this fic by @wolfpants as well!

Time and Time Again by @rainbees (16,316 words, rated T)

Draco doesn't know why he keeps stepping into his own future, nor why it involves a hallway covered in Harry Potter's blood.

it is not a house by luminae (43,388 words, rated E)

There are many stories that can happen in a forgotten house, in the middle of the Arctic. Heart-warming tales about human connection and finding the essence of the self. Epic love stories that defy reason. Warnings about the hubris of human explorations. This is both none of the above and a bit of all. This is a horror story.

Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis by @vukovich (49,999 words, rated E)

Harry's assignment was simple. Close out Draco Malfoy's missing persons case so he can be declared dead.

But who's making withdrawals from Malfoy's vaults? How is a death omen-turned-Unspeakable involved? Is an organization known as the Moirai to blame?

Harry brushes it off until he can't. Until The Prophet is flooded with sightings of dead people. Until Robards throws himself on his sword. Until Ron turns on his own family. Until Harry scarcely trusts his own reflection in the mirror and trusts the stranger in his bed even less.

Until all that stands between war and peace is Harry, a name plate, a stadium of murderers, and Draco Malfoy.

God save the Ministry.

Yours is the Earth (Hold On, Hold On) by chickenlivesinpumpkin (127,167 words, rated E)

After a serious accident in the Forbidden Forest, Draco's personality begins to undergo subtle changes. At first, Harry credits this to a new enthusiasm for life. But as the days pass and Draco's behavior becomes more and more mysterious, Harry begins to suspect that something bigger--and darker--is at work.

If you are looking for more Halloween thrills, please check out my Card Catalog! There I have Vampires, Werewolves, Darker Themes, and previous years rec lists for Halloween!

Trick or Treat!

❤️ As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️

[daitranscripts]

Frequently Asked Questions

Update: 8/29/2024

I would like to remind everyone that I am just another fan, and this is a fan project. I have no control over character dialogue.

Remember to be kind in my ask box and notes. I cannot explain why some character lines were chosen to be cut from the game, nor is this the place to start character discourse. I am also not a machine - I am a person with feelings and other hobbies. I love to take dialogue requests, but asks that demand certain quests or are rude will be swiftly deleted. Repeat offenders, or especially rude anons, will be blocked.

Please be courteous! This is something I enjoy doing, and I ask that you keep the experience enjoyable for myself and your fellow fans.

What is this project?

DAI Transcripts is my endeavor to document and format all of the dialogue in Dragon Age: Inquisition (I hope that's obvious, otherwise I might be doing a pretty bad job). I started this project in 2019 as a spiritual successor to the discontinued @dragonagetranscripts. ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ

Why are you doing this?

Because god has punished me for my hubris and my work is never done. 

jk it’s actually because I was sick of watching bad let’s plays while trying to work on my longfic so I took matters into my own hands.  ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ

How do you know you're using accurate dialogue? Where are you finding the deleted lines?

I type the transcripts by hand side-by-side with the game files, a plot flag editor, numerous youtube playthroughs, and my own game open. I also keep a number of handwritten notes on plot flag strings. I have played DA:I over 30 times, and crowd-source from the communities I'm in.

I do occasionally miss things or can't figure out exactly how a piece of dialogue fits, but I always note this within the transcripts. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Where did you learn to read the files?

I used to create my own mods for DA:I - There are a tutorials online that cover dialogue file editing you can find on the nexus. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Can you share the audio files?

Unfortunately, this isn't something I'm willing to take on right now. Each line must be extracted one at a time and renamed as you go, or every line within a dialogue file will try to export with the same name (some files have hundreds of lines). They are not logically named and it is a lot of trial and error. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Why do you use "PC" instead of "Inquisitor" or "Herald"?

The game files use "Hero," and to save myself the trouble of trying to differentiate between conversations that can happen before or after reaching Skyhold I decided to use the neutral "Player Character," or "PC". ㅤㅤ ㅤ

You typo'd/did a thing wrong/you’re missing race/class specific dialogue!

Please let me know in an ask - I hope to have a very accurate account of all the dialogue, so don’t be afraid to let me know if I’m missing something or have any egregious typos.

Please note: since this project has been ongoing for nearly 5 years, I bridged over the change in text editors. Additionally, I only started referring to the text files around 2022.

Posts made before April 2022 (around the middle of In Your Heart Shall Burn) may be missing dialogue.

Posts made before March 2023 (around the beginning of Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts) may have formatting errors due to the change from old to new text editor. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Will you do -insert quest-?

Short answer: Hopefully, yes!

Long Answer: I intend on working through the game from start to finish, first main quests, then secondary/companion quests, and then romances. DLC, location, and side-quest dialogue are on the list as well.

If you want to see something specific, just drop me an ask! I don't mind it at all, and sometimes it's a refreshing little break. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Who are you anyway?

I'm Plisuu in disguise :) I am a high school teacher, artist, and writer. You can find me on all social media under the same name, though I'm only really active on tumblr these days. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Please take my money! How can I support you?

I have a Ko-fi, but honestly, the kind messages and tags I get on my posts are more than enough! The best way to support me is by sharing this resource :)

Feel free to share your fics with me as well, I love seeing how different folks use the dialogue given to us and spin such unique and varied stories.

Remember, my ask box and messages are always open!

[king-nyx]

TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE LORE IN THE NEW MERCH DROP

Okay! First of all, Apollo Olympic and Laurel.

Laurel, we can safely assume, is Apollo's most popular song in universe.

He has a music video for it and everything.

Now, the significance of Laurels is that one) Daphne turned into a Laurel tree and two) Laurels represent victory and/or achievement. Do I think Apollo wrote a song about a girl who turned to a tree just to avoid him? No. No, I think this song is about Hyacinthus and Dionysus.

A major defining thing in Apollo's relationship with Dionysus is that Apollo saw Hyacinthus in Dionysus. To Apollo, Hyacinthus and Dionysus are interlinked. I think Laurel is about seeing Hyacinthus as a winner/winning side while Dionysus was the major fall or the "losing side". I think this song would be similar to Joji's "Glimpse of Us" and it would subtly and very unconsciously (reflecting Apollo's state of mind) be uplifting Hyacinthus as this great love and greater loss while pushing Dionysus down and, again unconsciously, stating that Dionysus was the loss. Dionysus was the love that could've been as great but just wasn't.

Now! Dionysus and Cheaper than Therapy

The new merch isn't a look at what the songs of Pour Taste are. No, this is a new album "Hubris". We'll take a look at Hubris in a second, for now, let's try to put Pour Taste together.

Pour Taste is the first album that they wrote and toured with. It was done without a drummer (Ares). Some of the songs have been described as "responses to Apollo's songs"

And, at one point, CTT use the Laurel melody in their song (which reaffirms my theory that Laurel is about Dionysus)

OKAY SO! What are the songs? For names, we have gotten

-Blue

-Not my God

and that's it.

There aren't enough context clues to try and guess what Blue might be about, but maybe (because blue is associated with sadness) Blue is about addiction and that sort of thing.

Not my God on the other hand is a response to Laurel. It's the first one we see that people outright recognise as a response song. It could very well be a call out song about Apollo though with 20x more subtlety.

If we assume that Laurel is about how Dionysus is the lesser version of Hyacinthus, this song could very well be about how Dionysus magnified Apollo and his relationship with Apollo to impossible heights only for Apollo to pull the rug from underneath his feet and show his true colors. How Dionysus tried his best for Apollo and how Apollo betrayed him. This song can very well be, a big 3-minute middle finger to Apollo with a big sign saying "I WISH YOU WERE HOW I IMAGINED"

On to Hubris!

OOF! It's a power move that Dionysus released a song called Hyacinthus. AND WE HAVE PUNCH DRUNK REFRANCE!!

Again, unfortunately, for Hubris we don't have much context clues. But, Hubris was done with Ares and we can guess at a few songs.

This album is called "Hubris" and I think that was done with intentionality. I think that is the theme of this album.

Lose Thyself could very well be about the "mania" that comes with being consistently high and drunk.

Hubris is the title track which could be the start of the discussion of the theme i.e. thinking you're so powerful and big only to be brought down by the power of others (Apollo hints mayhaps). This song makes me think about how good Dionysus must have felt right before the breakup only to be brought down by Apollo.

Pour Decisions is probably a song from Pour Taste that didn't make it to Pour Taste. The only reason I think this is because of the use of "pour" instead of "poor". Pour Decisions, Poor Decisions. Pour Taste, Poor Taste. We get the gist. It could also be a reference or expansion on the themes of Pour Taste.

Narcissus could very well be about the narcisssim that Dionysus sees in Apollo and the Olympians. The narcisssim in every god that Dionysus has met. I honestly am blindly throwing darts at a dart board with this one.

Punch Drunk! Because this album was made with Ares, I personally like to think that Dionysus made the song especially with Ares in mind. Another thing with is that before on a silly Instagram post we got this from Georgie

So....I'm right.

Laurel cover which is...a wild decision if my thoughts on Laurel are correct.

I'm not going to discuss Five Way or Baby, Don't Hurt Me because I can't even begin to think what they could possibly be about. Literally the only thing going on in my head when I see those is "baby don't hurt me no more. no more." I think this song would be a lot sadder than that though. I think it could be about how Apollo saved Dionysus even when Dionysus never asked to be saved.

IXII and Hyacinthus, I think go together. IXII is 911. It's an emergency number and....

(Apollo's number is the one saved for emergencies. In case of emergency [ICE]) Also, I'm pretty sure you call 911 for all emergencies (don't come at me, I'm not American) so this song being about Apollo just makes sense in my head. I think it's about calling that one person you can always rely on in an emergency and them always being there despite everything....it's Apollo. Apollo is the one who fulfills that role in Dio's life.

The last song, Hyacinthus.

Again, I think this goes hand in hand with IXII. I think that while IXII talks about Apollo being there, Hyacinthus is the one that talks about never being enough (for Apollo). The song "Hyacinthus", in my opinion, is about someone who've you've always idolised not being happy with you because you're not exactly like the person they idolised.

...I think it's a very fitting theme for SunDrunk.

And, that's it!

[messianicfigure]

i haven’t read the oddysey since when i first read it in middle(?) school so anything i say related to it might be silly, but one thing i LOVE about epic that i don’t see folks talking about (which is largely on the tiktoks, i don’t spend much time here whoops) is how ALL of his problems specifically stem from his hubris and the consequences rippling out from that, but he wrongly attributes the consequences of his actions to his compassion, which then causes him to create new and worse problems for himself.

specifically, his choice to defy athena and spare polyphemus was GOOD and would have genuinely served as a good lesson, but then my man got cocky and told him his fucking name, allowing the god of the sea to exact vengeance as HE IS TRYING TO SAIL BACK HOME!!! and notably, before ody decides compassion is weakness, he is REWARDED for his compassion!! as i write this, i suppose you could also blame many of his problems on athena’s decision to abandon him and/or the costs of trying to respond to prophecy, but i feel like the former is more so meant to characterize her than to be a high level subject of blame, and the latter is more of a trope than a lesson since prophecy isn’t really something we have to worry about.

will reiterate here i am upwards of 15 years since last reading the source material, so this is maybe (probably) basic ass takes. i just like epic a lot and think it’s neat.

[burningdarkfire]

nearly just hit the unfollow button instead of the ask button . N, R, & U?

awww thank you for the ask (and not unfollowing!) 💕

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

N really is my lucky letter because i've gotten it three times thus far so your theme is going to be really specific wants i have about my little guy caleb widogast:

moooore blumendrei; the wizards definitely do have a small and loyal fanbase that i am very happy to be a part of, and also this fanbase is always welcoming new blood 🤗 i think caleb as a character is haunted so much by his past, it's odd to me that so many of his fans don't contend much with it directly

caleb actually being a middle-aged man and everything that entails; i don't think the fandom is really that bad about randomly twink-ifying him or anything, but i do feel like we could often be a little more specific in describing his body, and also i feel like hardly anybody ever deals with what it must feel like to finally have a life again for the first time since you were 17 and now you're like 34. i mean happens to all of us but i do want to read more of it

shadowgast breakup taken seriously; this is very specific because i was spinning ideas for it today but i really do want to read a fic where caleb and essek break up on purpose and it is not actually a grand misunderstanding where if only they had clarified that they still love each other it would all be fixed!

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

my hobby is staying up late blurring the already non-existent line between platonic/romantic/sexual relationships so i don't have a real answer for this! and tbh the more i think about it, the more i realize that there are very few "strictly platonic" relationships in critrole that compel me - it's often the mess that makes them attractive

outside critrole my default answer would probably be campal from the locked tomb series, but i would go on record saying that they're the ideal platonic relationship and i think they become very slightly more interesting if we assume there was a sexual component involved

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites

well we all know who number one is going to be

caleb widogast; you were not born with venom in your veins, you learned it!! you learned it!!!!! it's actually almost ridiculous to look back in time at the person i was four years ago before i knew that this fictional character was going to save me. i was a shitty teenager and i hurt a lot of people and i'm going to carry that with me forever! but also maybe there is still a life for me even after all of that! and also he has beautiful hair and unmatched hubris

iron man; i've been casually dipping back into the mcu so thinking about him again and unsurprisingly i'm also here for the unrelenting guilt and incalculable hubris (with bonus daddy issues!) but part of what i like about tony stark so much is that he takes all of his personal problems and makes it the whole world's problems. the whole universe's problems. and i just think that's fascinating

cersei lannister; every single hotd thought i've had this year has inched me ever so slightly closer to reading got again, because sometimes i'm reading fic about women in horrible situationships and thinking about how i could just be reading about cersei instead. like unfortunately tywin lannister's trueborn son and heir was born a girl and she proceeded to make that everybody else's problem as well, and in this way, we are sisters

(send me an alphabet fandom ask!)

[vespertin-y]

thots on cotl so far (i'm pretty sure i already know everything that happens, but just in case don't tell me spoilers ok?)

-confused about the amount of agency the lamb has in the opening scene. i know it's just to teach controls, but story-wise why do they walk and kneel to be sacrificed on their own? is it just that they don't want to be dragged? have they given up? do they know on some level where they're going after?

-narinder saying 'go start a cult in my name' and us promptly starting The Cult Of The Lamb is hilarious. baby your hubris

-i'm surprised you don't get to name your lamb in game, i thought you did! i suppose they don't need one anymore because there's no other lambs to differentiate, but to be referred to only as your species is still sad...i'm calling them Mercy in my head.

-the concept of the first follower is so funny on its face. how on earth did the lamb sell this to them. imagine a guy saves your life, tells you to join their religion, and then when you do there just isn't one. there's not even a church. it's just the two of you in matching outfits in the middle of the woods. how do you cope

[windvexer]

Hi, have you ever heard of this entity?

https://www.scarystudies.com/midnight-man-game/

Would a witch be able to summon it outside of this context and what kind of entity is this? Also, using your own name and dropping blood onto paper what does actually entail?

Easy link to URL

Midnight Man is an urban legend. I suppose that if such an entity does exist, it could be classified as a pop cultural spirit, or perhaps an egrigore.

There is no way for us to know if it is possible to summon Midnight Man outside of this elaborate summoning ritual, until we do the necessary research. When lore dictates that a certain ritual is the correct one to use to summon an entity, it's hubris to assume we can conjure the same spirit using our own, unrelated summoning rituals.

And until you let Midnight Man try to murder you until 3:33 am, then how would you know you conjured the same spookypasta spirit if you used another format? Just because you summon a spooky spirit who promises to kill you doesn't mean you've summoned the actual Midnight Man, if such a creature does actually exist.

Also, you don't even get anything for surviving the ordeal with Midnight Man. You just don't die. This seems like a terrible deal. There are lots of urban legend summoning stories. Have you considered Three Kings, or perhaps the Man in the Fields? Either of those urban legends at least suggests that if you don't die or go permanently insane you'll get wishes, or something.

I mean, even if we're approaching this from a pop-culture witchcraft context, Midnight Man explicitly doesn't like or help people at all, unlike Man in the Fields. So it's hard for me to see this going anywhere even if you want to take the urban legend and transplant him into your personal magical practice.

I'm not sure I understand your question about using your own name. The instructions you linked seem quite clear:

1. Write down your name on a piece of paper. First, middle, and last name. Then put a drop of your blood on the same paper. Let the blood soak in to the paper. 2. Then turn off the lights. All of them. Go to the wooden door and put the piece of paper with your name in front of it. Then light the candle and put it in on top of the piece of paper.

I do sometimes use my blood in rituals. To obtain blood for this purpose, I use sterile diabetic lancets which can be purchased at any pharmacy.

Also, if your aim is to summon a demon who's only goal is to eviscerate you, please let me recommend a more fire-safe option for the setup: Use a candle with a low profile, like a tea light, and place both the paper and the candle in a large, fire-safe cooking pot.

Being hunted by a suspected demon seems like a great setup to kick a real candle and actually burn down your apartment, and doubtless the insurance company would not attempt to subrogate against the Midnight Man.

Best of luck working with creepypasta spirits!

[pennamenotfound]

Hi my name is Ludinus Da’leth Wizard Hubris Ruidusborn and I caused the corruption of the Savalirwood through my wizard hubris (that’s how I got my name) and I have long silver hair that reaches my mid-back and icy silver eyes like limpid tears and I really want to contact Laerryn Coramar-Seelie (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). I’m not actually Ruidusborn but I wish I was because the gods are major fucking losers. I’m an elf so you would think that since I was around Pre-Calamity I would be dead by now but I’ve actually managed to extend my lifespan by eating fairies. I have pale white skin. I’m also the Martinet, and I run a magic council called the Cerberus Assembly in Wildemount where I’m the Archmage of Domestic Protection (but I’m actually way older than the empire). I’m a wizard (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly robes. I hate clerics because they got handed their magic and but for some reason I work with sorcerers. For example today I was working with Liliana Temult to do a little ritual to free the god-eater Predathos who I actually don’t know that much about but think it would be fun to control. I chained up Caleb Widogast and Beauregard Lionett, and I orbed the champion of the Raven Queen, which I was very happy about. A lot of god-worshipers stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

[malcolmschmitz]

Hi 👋🏾 what was it like the first time you realized you wanted to write and publish, and did it seem like a daunting undertaking or did you know easily how you’d make it happen?

Hi, Jay, thanks for the ask!

So... hm. I always hate answering questions like this, because My Experiences Are Not Universal. Specifically:

I am a creature of supreme hubris. If you tell me that something is hard to do, my first reaction is "well, I don't know how to do this, but I'm gay, so how hard can it be?"

The first time I realized I wanted to write and publish was when I was, like, ten years old. It was the aftermath to realizing that being a Muppeteer/movie director required you to interact with people, but being an author meant you could do your own thing.

This means that, at the time, I didn't get daunted, because at the age of ten I was the kind of kid I like to write about- smart and brave enough to try for the hard thing, and dumb enough to not realize how hard it is until I backed myself into a corner.

I published my first short story when I was 14, under a pen name, in a tiny online SF magazine that does not seem to have survived. It was an absolutely terrible, maudlin little piece - time travel to cure the main character's disabilities. This particular SF magazine had a section of "discussion questions" under each story, and they ripped me a new one in the questions- asking a bunch of questions about why the time travel didn't work and why the main characters talked like autistic robots.

I was, again, undaunted by this- though maybe I should have learned a little more daunt here- and swore up down left right and sideways that I was going to publish again, in a way that no one would make fun of me for this time! And, well, here I am, with a handful of traditionally published short stories and a book on sub. :)

So, this is not particularly helpful advice for anyone who didn't start writing when they were a middle grade protagonist. But I can give a few tips, as someone who's older, wiser, more anxious, and actually capable of feeling fear:

Learn everything you can. The unknown is always scarier than the known. If publishing looks like a big black box to you, you're going to have a lot more fear of the process than if you know most of what's probably happening. @literaticat on Tumblr, and QueryShark's blog archive, are both great resources for discussing querying and trade publishing; I've also heard good things about the Absolute Write forums. @thebibliosphere on Tumblr talks a lot about self-publishing, specifically through Draft2Digital and Amazon KDP.

Don't stress the statistics. Yes, it's a bad time to be a writer. It's a really bad time to be a professional writer. But if you dwell on the numbers- who's getting published and how and when, and the money you might make or not -- you're going to drive yourself insane. Someone has to make it, and if you keep pushing, that someone might be you.

Cultivate community. Having writer friends to share your successes with- and commisserate about your drawbacks with- takes the sting out of the daunting parts of writing, a lot. Egg each other on! Yes-and each other! Critique each other's work!

Celebrate failure. When I'm submitting a story- short or long- I have a goal for each one- a goal of how many rejections I want to get. I keep track of my rejections and treat each one as a step towards a larger goal. (I think THE CROWNKNAPPERS, my middle grade fantasy-heisty-politicky thing, is up to 3 at this point; To Clear The Air got 3-4, and I was lucky enough to get Hazard Pay through on the first try.

Hope this helps!

[tehnakki]

In the middle of warping the loom and I fully regret my logic behind cutting 8m warp instead of 4m warp 😭 hubris, thy name is fiber crafts