#i am a chronic yapper

[harbingersglory]

Thoughts on transfem Ningguang with a fem!reader whose her bodyguard? Fem!reader whose like a loyal, protective dog out in the world when they're out and about together, but an utter submissive puppy behind closed doors for the Tianquan?

literally shaking like a chihuahua oh what i'd do to be the Tianquan's lap dog..mean femmes are so attractive its like putting my brain in a blender.

It's not surprising the Tianquan has a bodyguard. She's a key political figure in Liyue and anyone aiming to dismantle the carefully curated hierarchy has her at the top of the list. To the public, your just muscle to intimidate the lesser crooks from even thinking about it and deal with those who get too bold.

Behind closed doors, though? Your nothing but the Tianquan's lap dog at her beck and call.

She isn't fond of public displays, but she does like hiding it in public just for the thrill. Knowing you wear your collar under your uniform so you'll always remember who holds your leash is a thrill she can't beat.

She's a bit mean and sadistic, really, but she's the Tianquan. She has the money to spoil you like a good puppy afterwards..so long as you behave and exceed expectations. Whether you lean more dominant or submissive doesn't matter, since you'll probably be subbing whether your top or bottom. It's a different kind of thrill to make you sit on her lap, stuffed full of her cock, while she works. That or she has you under her desk, one hand fisted in your hair while she uses your mouth instead.

She has to be at the top of her game, after all, and her position is a stressful one. What better way to de-stress then to put her little puppy to good use? You're just so pliant when she orders you on your knees.

She keeps it tame if thats more your thing, but if you give her the go ahead she will buy you muzzles. Some just the standard muzzle, others with gags, plenty of collars and leashes for all sorts of occasions..she might even get you faux ears and a tail just for a little finishing touch.

She's just as big on aftercare, though. She puts her money to good use spoiling you, partially because she knows she can get a little rough with you. That and as much as she likes to call you her puppy, she won't have you smelling like a wet dog. Get in the bath.

You won't stay clean for long, especially because she absolutely goes all out on her tub so it's more then big enough for some extra activities, but it's better then nothing.

Sometimes, though, she just needs to be pampered herself. She adores body worship after a particularly stressful day. Just lounging in half tied silk while you worship every inch of her.

And if anyone notices you limping the morning after..they say nothing. They just chalk it up to a fight with some assassin or similar. And if they do know, they know better then to bring it up.

Bonus for being shared with Beidou when she drops by Liyue harbor. Nothing like a rowdy pirate to shake things up and make a mess of you on the Tianquan's bed while she watches.

[platonicallylovesick]

"Sorry man I have to go so-" "My Hero Academia?"

30 minutes of yapping later....

[rosethevoid]

Kimi Ni Todoke is one of the best romance anime ever. I love it so much.

It truly left an impression on me as a teenager. It has the sweetest romance ever but it's also the only anime I've ever seen to depict what it's like to have an impossible crush on an older guy. He's a genuinely good guy who has no gross evil intentions, but he still cares and wants to show her that. The heartbreak of dealing with that as a teenage girl and getting the closure to move on. It's wonderful and fascinating. It's such a stark contrast from most other anime with their disgusting hugely problematic themes. It's refreshing. It's realistic. It's all part of growing up.

[partfae]

the sinners score & the filí remmick theory

in the opening number (“filídh, fire keepers, and griots”), the music that plays under annie’s narration changes slightly as she introduces each of the three oral mystic traditions: for the fire keepers, there’s a brief sample that sounds similar to precolonial choctaw music and even postcolonial hymns. for the griots, there’s a soft humming similar in tone to much of the gospel and blues music in the score. neither of these lines are reprised later, at least that i caught (also—if anyone can identify those two songs please let me know!!). but the refrain associated with the filídh? it’s remmick singing rocky road to dublin.

this might indicate remmick’s longing for the skill of a filí, hence his draw to sammie. it could be a simple parallel between them. it could just be there because it’s a historically significant song. it could mean nothing! but in a score that was assembled so intentionally, i’m so fascinated by the choice to specifically use his singing there.

if he were a filí, his singing of a comparatively more modern song instead of a dán direach could illustrate the loss of pre-christian gaelic storytelling traditions due to colonialism. that they used a famine-era song is also interesting, both for the obvious anti-colonialist narrative and because the great famine saw the birth of the friendship between ireland and the choctaw nation—his direct conflict with the choctaw vampire hunters becomes another metaphor for assimilation and cultural loss.

there’s much more to this i’m certain, but the theory sits nicely with the existing story and opens the door to some interesting analysis, especially of how song and religious recitations are used by members of two diasporas whose oral traditions were quelled by colonialism.

[ripeindecember]

ASKING ABOUT YOUR MINOR GODS AU!!!!!!! please tell me your three favourite details

-mediumgayitalian

aaaaaAAAAAA okay. okay so. this au has been in my brain and on so many google docs and pintrest boards and stuff. but.

Will's existence is A Secret. His birth wasn't really a birth at all. Blood got mixed with godtears and fate laughed and said "Sure, I'll take that as an offering." and baby Will squirmed out of a flowerbed. It terrifies Apollo that Olympus might try to use Will as any kind of leverage against him, so he was hidden in Epidaurus and raised by Asclepius in secret. He's a very powerful god of healing, and he is a ghost.

Nico is the reclusive second child of Hades and Persephone. But he's also his father's right-hand man, as well as the Prince. Hades trusts him more than his advisors and servants. Hades needs him to investigate something on the surface and well, Nico is a recluse. None of the other Olympians (besides Hermes) know what he looks like.

Will disguises himself as a cowherd and hangs out in the pastures outside of Epidaurus pretty often. The cattle are gentle and they like him. It also makes it easy for him to spot any sick coming in to petition Asclepius, so he can guide them on their way, (and maybe he helps those who won't make the whole journey.) That's how he meets the really pallid looking jewelry merchant coming into the city for the first time.

[sharkmcchef515]

Trumpet and jazz hands: it’s Viking!reiner!!

Notes under the cut

1) @oxygenbefore1775 your au takes up so much space in my brain I have a mind to charge you rent (kidding I love this)

2) absolutely applauding you for those tattoos because holy smokes drawing that took years off my life- and it doesn’t even look that good sad face

3) I added a lot of my own touches and just.. made up stuff for this I hope that’s okay (´∀｀*)

4) I feel like reiner’s padawan braid should be mentioned- it just felt right

5) i still feel like I should be making Reiner’s back more scarred and depict the battles he been through, ya’know? But I was feeling uh- - lazy, so I didn’t

6) is it historically inaccurate for zeke to have glasses? Probably. Do I care? No.

Clearly I could keep going, but I’ll cut it here for now. This au and many of these designs (notably Reiner’s clothes and tattoo) were created by oxygenbefore1975, who you should definitely go check out if you want more. You can also find the fanfiction, bridging tongues, on ao3 (link below)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58278790/chapters/148412407

[oldworldghost]

How do you think P would react over finding out Reader likes to sing? Is a duet incoming in the walls of Hotel Krat?

P with a lover who's a singer! ☆

↳ Anon this is adorable! I'm tempted to write a fic about something along these lines at a different time, but for now have some hcs :]

➸ Pinocchio finds out you sing on one of his return trips to the hotel. His attention is first grabbed by the sound of the piano, its' notes greeting him upon his entrance, and being the artistically inclined man that P is, he naturally follows it. His attention is secondly grabbed by the faint sound of a voice, half hidden by the keys and only to be properly made out that's yours when he's standing in the doorway of the library. He makes eye contact with Antonia, who sends him a smile before turning back to you, who either hasn't noticed that he's there or simply doesn't care. He supposes it to be the former, too engrossed in what you're doing to pay attention to the outside world.

➸ He, very quickly, ends up the same. Dead glass eyes watch intently as your hands glide over the keys, something akin to life sparking in them as he listens to your voice dance with the music. Pinocchios' initial reaction is that you sound beautiful, look beautiful. Though it would be more accurate, I suppose, to say that he thinks you both look and sound incredibly human. P has never heard anyone sing outside of Vinyls, at least not for long, so being able to not only listen in person but watch as you engage in the act of something as human as music has his gears speeding up. Something in them has changed, he's sure of it.

➸ It should come as no surprise to say that Pinocchio is immensely curious about [and attracted to, in your case] things he perceives as human. This is partially due to the fact that he sees them as a goal, something to work towards and obtain, a barrier to be broken between himself and humanity as a whole. And of course this extends to music and is one of the reasons his vinyl collection is ever growing, why he always finds himself returning to the piano. It is a little hard to tell whether Ps' appreciation of art is something inherent to him or if it merely exists because he thinks it has to. In all honesty it's probably both.

➸ Now, to grow less introspective about it all, Pinocchio also just really loves listening to you sing because it's, well, you. He is undoubtably your number one fan, though he's subtle about it. Gemini is the hype man, much to the embarrassment of P and the amusement of Everyone Else. Honestly it's not even really embarrassment on Ps' part, more of an annoyed "wow I wish you would shut the fuck up!" because Gemini has the talent of being able to bring you into every conversation and you being a singer just adds more fuel to a fire that really does not need it [Pinocchio would one hundred percent do the same though if he was more, you know, talkative].

➸ One of Pinocchios' main love languages is quality time, and honestly you being a singer is perfect for that. Most of his time at the hotel is spent just sitting and listening and watching. Something about your voice makes him feel safe, as weird as that may sound. Maybe it's the affection in it when you sing for him alone, or just how intimate the atmosphere ends up being. He's not even sure if he's capable of feeling comfort, but he wouldn't change whatever's in his chest for the world.

➸ In regards to duets, I think Pinocchio would actually be rather open to the idea. Now, contrary to popular belief he can in fact speak, though he seldom ever does it without prompting. He doesn't really see the point in it if we're being honest, yes speaking is human but his voice is so flat and honestly he just doesn't have a lot to say about things. So it's fairly safe to say P has never sung before, hell he's not even sure if his voicebox can function like that, but nonetheless when you bring up the idea of a duet he's not only willing but somewhat eager about the whole thing. There's really no rhyme or reason for it either, Pinocchio just likes the idea of doing something human with someone who makes it easy to forget he's a puppet.

➸ Now Pinocchios' singing voice is actually rather nice! Though it is, of course, undeniably mechanical. There's something off about it, at times sounding like a crude mimicry of a human, a constant stiffness and roughness to it. It falls into a sort of uncanny valley, however there is also something undeniably endearing about it, something human about how much you can tell he wants to express anything in it. As for sound outside of puppetry, Ps' voice is fairly deep but retains a certain gentleness to it, a smoothness that contradicts the stiffness in a really lovely way. And yes, Pinocchio has a sense of rhythm.

➸ Pinocchio has a strong preference for keeping your duets private. The best way to do that, in his opinion, is when you're both out in the gardens dancing together. Under the stars while everyone else is inside, chest against chest and voices in sync, the gentle twirls and turns as you both slip into your own little world. If you couldn't tell how much he values your duets before, you certainly can now. Kiss him after the song is done, won't you?

[diphowell]

G, L, and R for the ask game? 👀👀

G- Glass Closet; What pre-coming out moments most made you go 👀🏳️‍🌈? (either at the time or looking back now if you weren't there at the time)

Love this question 'cause oh my god what moments DIDN'T make me go 👀🏳️‍🌈 but i'm gonna have to go with either the boncas moment or "can phil lester have an opinion" because both of those moments feel so beyond what you'd do for a friend. like phil sharing a moment awarding his work with dan and the way he looked toward him in the audience. the way dan so sternly interjected to say hey you need to listen to phil. in so many ways it's bigger than flirting or even anything on the gaming channel because they both were dealing with other people/live public events.

L- Liars; What's been the funniest lie Dan and Phil have told over the years?

I did answer this in my last ask but i'm gonna take this opportunity to say what my first thought was when i got it which is that they're not so so down bad for each other but know i say this in jest knowing that this is a thicc ass iceberg and the ice is traumaaaaaa.

R- Rebrand; What is your ultimate dream for what the rebrand will be?

Oh man... I don't even know. I guess I really just want to see them do what interests them and makes them happy, whatever that looks like. And I do think no matter what, that's what we're going to get to see and I'm so excited. Actually as typing this I did think about how I'd like to see some videos similar to story time sketches they've done in the past. and they did comment on how they know we like hearing stories from them, so who knows!

[vigilskept]

1, 2, 5, 9, 11, 12, 17, 19, 21, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38 and 39 for diya (mia) because every time i see her mentioned she fascinates me!

1. What is the Warden's name? Does it have a meaning behind it? How do they feel about their name?

answered over here!

2. How would you describe the Warden's personality before and after the prologue? Did it change much or did they remain the same?

during the prologue, her whole personality is a front. she knows she's being watched, so she tries to present an image of herself (pious, dutiful, meek) that's really far from what she's actually like (analytical, dry, a little mean, passionate abt selective interests & people she cares about). once she clocks how badly they need mages down at ostagar, she dials it up even further. "please don't conscript me duncan, i should rly face the consequences of my actions :(" *

on the other hand even if she is putting up a front here, her choosing to help jowan & knowingly putting herself at risk is the first step towards that pious girl scout mask falling away for good.

*idk if everyone's tried this particular dialogue yet, so i just need to let u know that if you do, knight commander greagoir says he's "glad you still know your place" killing the kinloch templars with hammers :))

putting the rest under the cut bc this is a LONG post

5. What are their thoughts on Duncan? How did they feel about his actions during the Joining?

she can't get a read on him which stresses her out.

she clocks that he's eyeing her as a recruit, but she's not actually interested in becoming a warden until jowan shares his plans with her and she realises she'll need a way out of the circle asap. duncan plays into her hands more or less, mostly because it also works for him. he needs a mage. he definitely picks up on what's going on towards the end though, and i think in this worldstate diya probably isn't entirely wrong that duncan has alistair watching over her to keep his shady new warden mage under templar supervision....

as for the joining, she thinks killing jory was pretty brutal and feels like there probably was a way of talking the guy into it. he didn't seem overly bright. she does make a note of duncan being pretty ruthless, but it moreso raises the question for her of if he got the position of warden-commander because he was ruthless, or became that ruthless because of the position. she never really gets to find out!

9. If the Warden was trapped in a nightmare, what would it be like?

getting trapped in a nightmare is a regular occurrence for diya, rip. i talked about this a bit here, but thus is the fate of somniari.

pre-blight, the worst of her recurring nightmares features a demon of rage that often takes the shape of an elven woman, burning in the fires of the alienage purge she witnessed as a child. post-broken circle most of her non-warden nightmares feature her friend qadir amell, turned into an abomination despite his tranquility. post-blight, most of her nightmares feature alistair & the archdemon :)))

really evil, because demons ultimately pull from your own memories. you can remind yourself you're not there anymore, but you can't always defend yourself by telling yourself it isn't real.

11. How did the Warden react to the truth of the werewolf curse?

she's devastated tbh...... but she also gets it. she's not sure she wouldn't have done the same, if not worse. she's honestly a little impressed at how skillfully he's crafted the curse, given her recent experiences in the circle. uldred was a good blood mage. zathrian is clearly much better.

12. Did the warden end Zathrian's curse?

she did. she's kind of gutted, because she'd honestly rather have had his mentorship than lose him to end the curse. she just can't justify it when the curse already has and inevitably will effect more than its intended targets. he could probably have talked her around on it if it were, but it's not a shems-only curse.... sorry zathrian :(

17. What was the Warden's reaction to seeing [insert character] in the Temple of Sacred Ashes?

i bent canon on this one. mostly to make it worse, but also because diya had already conscripted jowan. he's right there at the temple with her, and actually arguing they shouldn't fuck with the ashes (he is still sad abt lily....)

instead, she sees qadir at this temple, who is dead at this point. it fucks her up bad when he tells her she should forgive herself for what happened to him and that he'd forgiven her a long time ago. she does not take this advice :)

the whole thing is really upsetting to her, and it doesn't feel like a spiritual experience at all. it's the exact same feeling as when demons or spirits take the shapes of certain loved ones either to mess with her or to help. whatever their intent, it's intrusive and painful to have those memories dredged up.

19. Who are the people in camp that the Warden is closest with and why?

she's closest with gavin cousland bc out of everyone he's the most empathetic towards her when it comes out that she's been lying the whole time. as an apostate.... he knows something abt what that's like :) this could also have been the case with leliana, but diya's been so hurt by the chantry that leliana sharing her own religious experience (without any intent to influence her) feels hostile to her. this doesn't change until they see each other again during the events of inquisition.

she's actually pretty wary of morrigan at the start bc she thinks she's out to manipulate gavin (and she kind of is.... at first). their relationship warms up later on as she clocks morrigan's whole "oh shit what if i actually like him" mental breakdown.

she gets along swimmingly with zev right from the jump :) she thinks he's really funny, and the two of them are (recreationally) flirting with each other constantly. they're having the time of their lives exhausting their arsenal of pickup lines against eachother. zevran almost sounds like he means it, but diya's just deadpan the whole time which baffles everyone. morrigan's even more alarmed when gavin decides to get in on this bit.

alistair's understandably pretty wary of her for a while after the mask falls. i mean. she blackmails his uncle to pull a maleficar (who poisoned his other uncle!) out of prison. she bribes & pulls backroom deals with unscrupulous templars!!! then it turns out she's a blood mage herself!!!!!! it's really after the brecilian forest where he actually gets to see her real personality come out that he gradually stops seeing her as a dangerous unknown and starts actually liking her.

it's similar on her end with her starting off really wary of her "supervising templar" only to warm up to him as she stops seeing him as a danger to herself and starts seeing him as just... some guy. who's kinda funny. who she might be fond of. but like. just a little. it's not serious or anything.

21. Did the Warden romance anyone from their group? If so, what attracted them to their partner?

well. i don't know that you could call it a romance, with alistair. they were never together. they did both know the feelings were mutual though, i think.

diya never acts on them bc she knows he wouldn't be open to anything not serious & she doesn't think getting involved in sth serious makes sense when either of them could die soon. + what future could they even manage to have if they do manage to live?? she's had devastating crushes on straight girls and survived, she can get over this too. (alistair on the other hand just has the kingship that he's already sort-of accepted he'll have to step up to looming over him. why start something he knows he can't see through?)

they kiss exactly once, atop fort drakon.

that might be a little unfair on alistair's part, but he's about to die. dying men are allowed to be a little selfish, aren't they?

27. How does the Warden feel about what is happening in the Alienage? How do they feel about how elves are treated?

mad doesn't really cover it. she's from the alienage in denerim and had to live through a purge that still haunts her before she got taken to the circle. walking through the alienage when the gates are finally open again is like stepping into an old, familiar nightmare that's no less painful now than it was the first time.

she tears the slavers to shreds, and would have done the same to loghain if she knew it wouldn't have gotten the wardens banned from ferelden for good.

28. During the Landsmeet, who did the Warden choose to rule Ferelden and why? How did they come to that decision?

alistair, because she genuinely does think he'd try to do right by ferelden (elves and mages included). she can't say the same for anora. she knows he'll probably be miserable as king, but she's hoping that she & gavin would be able to support him through it.

she does try to broker a marriage between him and anora, but when it comes time to pick someone to duel loghain, she has to pick alistair. it's the best way to make his case for the crown, and the rest of them are either foreigners or mages. there's no way that wouldn't undermine his rule down the line. after alistair kills loghain, that agreement is dust, and selfishly (stupidly) she's a little glad for it.

31. How does the Warden feel about being a Grey Warden and the sacrifices that entails?

she'd take it over being in the tower, any day. she does see this is a sigh of how bad things are for mages that a slow death sentence is preferable to their normal state of existence though. it's part of what motivates her to leverage her status at the end of the blight to have anora declare the fereldan circle's independence. as for the sacrifices... more on that later.

32. If they could leave the Wardens, would they?

no. never. she wouldn't accept a cure for the calling, even if you handed it to her on a silver platter. she will see this through to the end, even if it means a miserable, ugly death in the deep roads.

33. Who killed the Archdemon and are they still alive?

alistair insisted on being the one to do it because he felt it was his duty to the wardens he outlived, to ferelden, and because he wouldn't have been able to live with it being either diya or gavin instead........ and no, he is not alive.

34. How does the Warden feel about becoming the Hero of Ferelden?

feels sick to her stomach every time someone calls her that. the response is always the same: "the only one who deserves that title died killing the archdemon."

she doesn't like to talk about the blight, not even to reminisce about the better days of it with old friends.

35. How is the Warden's personality like after the events of DAO? Did they change or are they still the same?

it's pretty drastic. she's a hollow shell of a person for the next few months, it's really bad. she stays in denerim for the funeral, the coronation and the arrival of the orlesian wardens, but she can barely take care of herself.

everyone has a little chat about how the hell they're meant to help her, and in the end they decide she should probably get out of ferelden for a while. and it does help! a little! she's never the same and that grief always stays with her, but she's able to function with a little distance from ferelden & the wardens where the reminders were constant.

it's a lot harder when she returns, and her coping mechanisms aren't necessarily the healthiest. one of them does happen to be overworking herself though, and she gets a hell of a lot done. lots of people and places are better off for it, even if she isn't :')

37. Is the Warden still in contact with anyone after the game's events? Are they still with their love interest, if they have one?

ough. well she's not with alistair, unless u count the various spirits and demons taking his shape, either to make it better or worse :(

she does stay in contact with many of the others though. with wynne it's only the occasional letter or two, but gavin's a regular pen-pal. they write as often as they can, and diya tries to plan ahead with leaving him addresses he'll be able to to reach her (and he returns the favour by leaving some hints on how to reach him & morrigan after he goes AWOL from the wardens)

her first trip out of ferelden is to antiva with zevran, partially because it's the closest, but also because everyone thinks having a goal will be good for her. and it is :) killing crows is a great reason to get out of bed :)

after they've done a pretty terrific job of cleaning house in antiva, she finally accepts sten's invitation to come see seheron. she's a little wary of qunari still, but she can't really resist the temptation to see her parents birthplace, and anyway she misses her friend. she ends up finding seheron really interesting (albeit stressful to exist in as a bas-saarebas). it takes her months before she can get any kind of response from her parents' clan after reaching out (because they think she's ben hassrath...) but she does eventually succeed at that too!

leliana and her don't contact each other at all between the temple of sacred ashes & the events of inquisition but diya does surprise her by responding to her missive to the fereldan wardens by showing up there herself. it's a bit wary on both sides to begin with, but they do manage to mend fences while she's there. i don't know if that helps or make things worse when diya does choose to stay in the fade to buy time for the inquisitor.

38. Is there any decision that the Warden regrets? If so, which is it and why? How would they change it?

answered here! to add onto that though, i think she does come to regret killing genitivi a little bit. she let bitterness drive her a bit when it came to the ashes, but with genitivi she was really just trying to stop him from getting the word out. evidently, that didn't work :/

39. Do the events of the Fifth Blight haunt the Warden or have they moved past it completely?

also answered here! (she will be haunted forever)

[serafphim]

if anyone wants to chat btw i am a chronic discord user. my username is serafphim. you guys are all really cool and i dont have many friends with similar interests as me so it would be cool to make friends........... i also dont check tumblr very often or know how it works super well JSJDBEKEKEK

[yawnzshit]

everything everywhere all at once AAAAND bts??? can we be best friends??? also who’s ur bias?!? 🤭

HI HI HI SORRY I'm replying late because currently not free from exam prison ( ONE MORE LEFTTTT IN A FEW HOURS ILL BE FREE!!!) but YES EEAAO REWATCH PARTY SOON thank you for reminding me lol I love that movie and sooo many movies in general I just love art to be honest. 😭😭 AND YES BANGTAN. MY BOYS. I LOVE THEM WITH MY WHOLE HEART. I MISS THEM SO SO SO MUCH. MY BIAS IS JOON <3 FOREVER MY NUMBER ONE TO EVER EXIST ( man I miss him sm too 😭) WHOS YOUR BIAS???

[chaos-potat]

I forgot how fun commissions are

[newsies-united]

i feel like a baby duck rn and i will not be elaborating

[midnightwind]

Quick Question again

If you Rook was a dog, then what breed? And what about the type of bird? Aaand maybe cat breed? 👁️👁️

Spite said that coffee smelled like Lucanis in one of the cutscenes, sooo What does Rook smell like to him?

What is favorite companion quest for your Rook?

*cracks knuckles* let's get this bread

Dog Breed: something very energetic and intelligent, clever and loyal, like an Australian Shepard! (or a husky for the simply image of Viago bringing a stray puppy home and then having to live with the fact that she can scream like a person and she does it all the time for fun) but Renn hates sitting still and needles Viago for a contract all the time when she's left to her own devices for more than a few days lol

Bird Species: some kind of corvid is the easy answer, like a Jackdaw! taking anything and everything shiny does match up with Renn looting every location the gang visits for an extra coin lmao but if we're going more for a pet bird, then something in the parrot family I think. like uhh, a yellow-naped amazon! they're social and vocal, but moody which lines up with Renn swapping from very easy going and nice to burying a dagger in your heart without warning!

Cat Breed: similar to the dog breed, so something like a bengal perhaps! it's another high energy breed, it's good at adapting, and it loves to climb which matches Renn very well~ I haven't gotten to write about that habit much, but if you can't find Renn she's either out on a run or you haven't started looking up enough

Spite Smells: First and foremost is her perfume! Red Berries and Jasmine is quite a sweet scent, not as bright as a citrus perfume but it's up there. Underneath that, though, it starts depending on Renn's mood. Sometimes she smells more metallic, like blood and blades, or that sharp burn of the ozone before a storm when she's using her magic a lot, or the sour decay of the poisons she keeps hidden in her gear. And of course, the usual Crow scents of leather and blade oil! Renn comes across as very sweet to him, with complex, sharp scents lying underneath for him to untangle.

Favorite Companion Quest: She's a fondness for Lucanis' quests simply because she loves having the excuse to return to the Crows and bother Viago, but with how dire and depressing the actual content of those quests are, she's not having fun with it. So, I think she actually has a lot more fun with Emmrich's quests. It's a whole new culture and approach to magic and, after finding Lucanis has a +1 in Spite, she kind of takes her previous fear and hesitation for necromancy and spirit calling and drops it over a cliff. She wants to learn more about spirits so she can understand Spite better! And she found a kind of solace in visiting the Memorial Gardens with the Professor and taking part in the Rites. Renn has a complicated relationship with her past before the Crows, but she never really dealt with what happened (or her father's death when she was little), she just pushed it all aside and threw herself into training and work. So I think that specific quest helped her find a way to let it go, to "put it to rest" in a sense.

thank you for more questions!!!

[diyasgarden]

hiii, i hope you’re having a lovely day/evening!!

kinda random but what’s your comfort show & why?

hi!! even as someone who constantly goes back to rewatch the same shows over and over again, i really had to sit with this question. i think it'd have to say fleabag, specifically season one. phoebe waller bridge's writing is simultaneously humorous, depraved, and melancholic in a way that feels so raw to the human experience. regardless of what i'm feeling, fleabag has felt the same, and there's comfort in that fact to me.

like i said earlier i am a devout rewatcher, so here some other things i circle back to often: ghosts bbc, derry girls, skam + remakes, the durrells, my lady jane, and crashing

how about you all? i'm always looking for more shows to add to my watch list hehe

i saw this when it came in and have been pondering it since then! although, i took sometime to get to this because finals season is screwing me over. regardless i hope you're having a lovely day/evening too anon <3

[throughtrialbyfire]

HEEHOO GET ⭐⭐⭐

HEHEHEHHEE OKAY since u sent three i'll pick three scenes bc i love. rambling. okay.

this one is going to be a slight continuation of the answer here, as this scene is from chapter 16 and relates directly back! this got long (like, REALLY long), so i'm gonna put it under a readmore. i'll be putting my notes between the paragraphs of the scene!

He narrowed his gaze down at them. Athenath shrunk back. Looked away. Every word that fled from the Bosmer's lips burned their ears. His voice, low, sturdy as an oak, varnished by years of what must have been an adventurous life, to have such a charisma to his words, to himself, no matter who he spoke to or where he went- It made Athenath realize just how small their own life was in comparison.

[Athenath is the youngest of the trio, and Emeros is the eldest. this creates an interesting dynamic between them when they get into spats like this one, over something fairly serious and fairly personal. athenath feels small in this moment because after the fight (and athenath was left to cool off a bit), emeros came to check on them and directly asked them what was wrong, and told them that he needs to know what set them off since they're gonna be traveling together. the fact someone he fought with sought him out after and checked in, was calm, considerate, and still stern… it's not something athenath is used to, to put it lightly.]

A beat passed, maybe two. People milled about in the market square, and Heimskr cawed on with his sermon, a bird hopping around a bear trap and daring it to snap shut on him. [you know. talos worship and the white-gold concordat and all that *waves hand*] "Maybe."

Emeros hesitated, leaning back against the bench, the sun-warmed wood meeting his spine through his clothes. "I suppose that's a fair answer. Perhaps I'm just surprised, is all." "You shouldn't be," Athenath snorted, the tinge of a sneer against their mouth, "one of the first things we did after that dragon bullshit is go up to those stones. I chose Thief, remember?" "Is that what you are, then? A thief?" If they said yes, then what would he think? And if they said no, then would it be worse to lie? Would it be easier to swallow the concept of a one-off impulse, or to see him and what he was? To lay bare the fact of their less honorable profession, Bravil's dirt-caked streets a bittersweet memory that gave them these quick hands, this sharp tongue? Athenath didn't look to the other Mer, instead drawing their focus somewhere on the horizon as they said, "yeah. Sort of."

[athenath has never mentioned having been to, or spent lots of time in, bravil. he's always told his friends he's from anvil and leyawiin, because they KNOW what reputation the city of bravil has, and that he spent a good few years there and learned how to be a better thief… it's a lot. and it would be a lot to admit to all of this, especially in the middle of this whole situation. also, not being able to stand looking directly at emeros. to face the fact they hid something they stole in his belongings. that they did something wrong and wronged someone he's starting to care about. AUGH………….]

Emeros pulled his ankle over his knee and drummed his fingers along the side of his boot. He sat a moment, eyes avoiding the other now, as well, his breaths slow. Steady. Controlled. "Well." "Well." Athenath repeated. "I'm going to presume that this isn't a recent development?" "Nope." "Then why," he leaned forward, worry etched into the lines of his mouth, dimpling at his cheeks, "why did you hide this? If we had known, we could… We could have-" "What, stopped me?" Athenath scrunched up their face. "It's not like this was some random urge. I did this 'cause I wanted to, y'know." The further admissions of guilt alarmed both of them, in a way. Emeros tugged his cowl from his head, letting it drape loosely over his strong shoulders. He set his jaw, as though he were struggling with a potion he'd only been taught once many years ago by a mentor he'd rather ignore than heed, the evident confusion melting into his features, the lowering of his brow and the tension in his jaw and the burden of concern in his eyes. He shifted his torso to face the bard further. "While not an impulse, it was still dreadfully impulsive, Athenath. And hiding it among my belongings, I assure you, will not earn you any favor with me. Quite the opposite, in fact."

[haha, the conse's are quencing.]

Athenath grit their own jaw and rolled their eyes in a wide arc. Emeros caught every inch of the expressions they made. The Altmer was on a ledge in their mind, balling their fists. The smallest fragments of places, people, actions long-taken, long-gone, all of it bled into him now, here, worn and tired from the tension. The bard bounced his leg, boot making tiny tapping noises against the stone as he avoided Emeros' gaze. Wouldn't even look him in the face. "He sold it to a Justiciar. If I can keep even one thing out of the Dominion's hands, I'll do it." "You didn't know who the customer was when you stole it, though." "And? Now that I know-" "Athenath." "Emeros." They shot each other's names out like darts. They sat, staring into one another's faces, both searching for an answer that wasn't there.

[i want to expand on this whole scene one day but for now this snippet gives a good overview of the situation - athenath made a mistake that is also a habit/profession. they did something wrong, and hid the evidence in the belongings of someone he's traveling with. who's to say the guards wouldn't have searched emeros' belongings? or wyndrelis'? who's to say if they hid it in wyndrelis' belongings, that the mage would even be mad? i mean, he wouldn't be happy, but he doesn't have the same hatred of the thalmor (on a deeper level than just thinking they suck) that emeros and athenath have, so it wasn't a random decision for me to make athenath hide stolen goods in emeros' bag.

now, emeros is confronting them on that mistake. he's setting boundaries and saying he won't tolerate that, and the fact that he's being stern but still trying to be friendly, trying to not let it show how betrayed he feels (he defended athenath from belethors accusations, after all) and still trying to make it all work even when athenath seems like he's pushing him away… it says a hell of a lot about emeros, i think. and it says a hell of a lot about athenath, too, that after this, he apologizes and makes a joke and finally looks emeros in the face. AUGH.]

oh that was a lot of typing im so sorry HAHAJKHGDFKJGHFDHG

i've focused a lot on these two, but we GOTTA give everyone's favorite anxious mage some love!! so i'm gonna focus on wyndrelis here >:3c this is from chapter 21!!

It bothered him, how much space this occupied. Not the image of someone bloodied and in need of help, that much he could handle. No, it was the nagging suspicion of something wrong. Someone pulling a trick, sleight of hand like a jester in the streets of the Imperial City, deceiving himself and his companions. That moment the scraggly Altmer had made the tiniest flick of a weakened wrist - the smallest thing that Wyndrelis seemed to be the only one to notice - the sour taste of metal latched to his tongue. Magic cast when someone was desperate. A spell from a mage without much left to give. And when he'd held a hand near the other, his own magicka had been met with a repelling force like the Dwemeri magnets he'd studied once with an old colleague. The ends opposing. A force meeting force, an uncomfortable sensation that pushed back against his hand. And what had he said about Illusion magic?

[this scene… ough. it's fair to say wyndrelis doesn't think highly of himself, which will show up later. but right now, let's focus on the magic: it's a tangible thing, it's an intangible thing. to me, magic is like the mycelium of energy - it extends outwards towards sources, it bumps into other sources, it changes course. when it's used, it can be felt by others proficient in the craft. hell, it can be tasted, smelled, and touched, depending on what the caster has done with it. and this scene is wyndrelis mulling over the events of chapter 19, the injured person they found off the road, and the fact that not all was what it seemed with that man. i think magicka can touch other magicka, and either be pulled in, muddled together, or repelled. and in this case, wyndrelis is wondering why there was such a strong, repelling force.]

The thick, dark clouds lowered into their slow graves in the hills, ground marshy and squelching under the boots of the farmers who checked now on their animals and their crops, returned to duties put off for the weather. Wyndrelis preferred to stay in the trio's room for the day, the sight of the hearth so near to him making his palms shake. He laid there in the dim, a book left behind by a former patron of the inn propped against a bent knee, reading silently as he struggled to distract from his unease. The sun sloped into the inn's high windows, or the half-alive vestiges of it, the light weak against the forces of the torches and hearthlight. Footsteps interrupted his thoughts, but he kept his eyes locked on the book, turning a page quietly.

[the trio had, only days prior, dealt with the fight at the western watchtower. and then wyndrelis and farengar's attempt at figuring out a staff in chapter 17 went wrong and caught the floor on fire. and of course, wyndrelis' personal history with fire is not a good one, so it's safe to say he's enjoying being away from the hearth and just… trying to relax.]

"You okay?" Athenath asked, leaning casually against the doorframe. Their arms folded over their chest and dark eyes locked on him, the Altmer gave the mage a quizzical look as he faced them momentarily before his gaze once more landed on the pages before him. "Yes." Athenath looked to be suppressing the momentary twitch of a frown. "You sure?" The Dunmer waited a moment before pushing himself up out of his recline, shoving his fingers through his dark hair until it was tousled and feathery. Explaining to the younger elf the situation seemed like an effort not worth taking. He doubted they would understand why he was concerned. The sights of the bodies, the putrid stench of death, all of it had jostled their nerves enough, no use telling them anything else, let alone that they may have sent something awful Whiteruns way with a handwritten note and a wave.

[this is a recurring theme of the other two elves underestimating athenath, frankly. it's both to do with their age - he's 24, which is still an adult to elves, but its also an age lacking a shitton of life experience among them - and their personality, where athenath tends to act very youthful, light-hearted, and cheery.

all of this congeals into the other two's underestimations of their bard friend. wyndrelis, being the middle of the trio, still falls into this trap himself despite not being that old compared to most elves. he's probably in his 50s-60s, chronologically. in a way, wyndrelis does want to protect both of his companions. he's actively healed them in dangerous situations before healing himself (bleak falls barrow, for example) and defended them with wards. but here, that protection also carries the weight of underestimation, which wyndrelis falls into subconsciously.]

He combed the strands into place with his hands. He couldn't find anything to occupy his attention other than the questions that burned holes in his ears no matter how hard he struggled. Could he even begin to explain the thoughts worming through his mind, burrowing deep into the subconscious parts, eating their fill on his suspicions? He couldn't. He rubbed at his shoulder. He shut his eyes and breathed in the warm air. His mind stagnated on the idea, how to explain, what to say. He wondered if Emeros held the same discomfort in his chest about the blond elf.

[a LOT of the imagery i use for wyndrelis has to do with things like death, decay, bones, ravens/crows, and etc. i love just pointing that out because it's a hell of a lot of fun. all three of them have their unique themes in imagery (emeros gets a lot of hawk/wolf imagery, and athenath gets a lot of cat imagery, for example), and this is a great example of it. and a continuation of his thoughts on the previous day, and his inability to just ask emeros or athenath if either of them have the same feeling. to say wyndrelis has low self-esteem is putting it lightly, and fears a negative response and a "what are you talking about? it's nothing" reply to his concerns.]

"It's a long story." He settled on his reply, words dripping out from his lips on the trail of a long exhale, Athenath traipsing easily over and plopping down into one of the creaking chairs in their room. Slinging their arms on the rests, he craned his posture lightly forward, intrigue in the knit of his brow. "Wanna get into it?" The offer could have been genuine, but the Dunmer had no faith in it. Mostly, he had no faith that they would even listen, or be interested. Wyndrelis shook his head. "No, no thank you."

[POINTS AT MY PRIOR POINT. wyndrelis' low self-esteem is a huge issue for him that he'll need to work through for the good of all three of them. he's an incredible mage, but that's all he feels competent with. and even when someone offers to hear him out, he rejects it, and even redirects the conversation after this.]

and now, this scene from chapter 6, which is hilarious and very telling, and relates back to the scenes i've commented on above in a way. its very light-hearted overall, so its a good piece to end on!

"I'm just glad we're not traveling during the Great War. Horrible time to be on the road, that was." "Really?" Wyndrelis arched a brow as he shut his bag and set it under his seat. "I wasn't traveling then." "You weren't?" The Dunmer shook his head again as Emeros leaned back in his chair, an arm slung over the back. "What were you doing during that time?" "I was still at home, working on my studies." Wyndrelis waved the admission away with an absent hand. "Gods, it was a mess. Every opportunistic bandit in all of Tamriel set upon some of those truly isolated roads. Not to mention, having to skirt battlefields and navigate around all of that… Well, I'm just glad that whole affair is done with." After a long pause, all eyes landed on Athenath, who shrunk back. "What were you doing during the Great War? Gallavanting about with your tambourine?" He teased, light-hearted in his tone.

[emeros spent most of his younger years traveling. he left home at 16, and traversed Valenwood until he decided his call to alchemy - difficult to practice with the green pact, y'know - was more important, and he went to cyrodiil for a while. then hammerfell, high rock, cyrodiil again, and now skyrim. he's got a hell of a lot of experience on the roads, and was actively traveling during the great war!

meanwhile, wyndrelis was working on his studies to join the synod one day. he is the only mage in his family for various reasons, and he was discouraged from pursuing magic. however, he still did, and he taught himself the basics at home. then he wound up in the college of whispers for other reasons, and there, he excelled. during the great war, he was studying, though.]

Athenath sat there, quiet. "Well, no, not exactly." The Altmer sat on the bed, the shaggy cut of their hair more apparent now that it was no longer neatly combed, curls running past their shoulders. His dark eyes were round and curious, but now, they tried not to look directly in the faces of either of his companions, flitting between the other two's hands or torsos, chin tucking to their neck. Emeros narrowed his gaze, his intrigue clearly piqued by the awkwardly mumbled statement. "What do you mean, 'no, not exactly'?" The alchemist questioned slowly. Athenath dragged their palms down their face, as though he'd been dreading this. Wyndrelis carefully observed as the bard heaved a loud, dramatic sigh, fiddling with a corner of their vest. He mumbled something the other two couldn't hear. "What?" Wyndrelis asked. Athenath looked up, frown creasing the edge of his lips. "I'm twenty-four. I was born a few years after the Great War." They uttered the admission with a level of embarrassment, and Wyndrelis understood why. An elven childhood lasted about the same length as any humans, the shortest period of their lifespans and often marked with celebrations, then their lives slowed, all things eased to a stroll as they grew older. This placed Athenath squarely in adulthood, but among other Mer, a young adult was treated as naive and lacking in the knowledge of their peers. Among humans or Khajiit or Argonians, this was grown out of quickly as responsibilities and families cropped up in those years, but among Mer, this was a particularly scathing presumption, treated less like capable adults and more like overgrown children, weeds among oaks.

[THIS okay this is what i was talking about earlier. okay. so the point made here is that while for non-elven people, these years would be marked by already having children, marriages, careers, or being in their studies and having sufficient experience in at least some fields (apprenticeships in early life, for example), among elves, this is seen as the time period where you're off to your studies/starting apprenticeships or getting out into the world. this is the time period where elves are expected to be quiet and learn their shit. athenath had a pretty rough start to being out on his own at 16, so they've had to figure things out and do their best, and he's encountered a lot of other elves who, upon learning they're not even in their 70s yet, discredit everything he says and brush away their opinions as those of a young lad who still has too much to learn to be taken seriously. and it gets to athenath a lot, and they don't like bringing up that he was born after the great war.]

"What?" Emeros' eyes widened, laughter brimming in his voice as he cupped his hands over his mouth. "My gods, I figured you looked a little young, but-" "Oh, shut up," Athenath plucked a coin from his own pocket and tossed it feebly at Emeros' shoulder, watching the glittering septim bounce off his form, the Bosmer laughing. Wyndrelis considered stepping in, but there was a humorous grin at the edge of the bard's mouth. Emeros picked the coin up off the floor, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. "Aw, is the infant feeling fussy?" He cooed in a mocking-sweet tone as he linked his fingers together, Wyndrelis stifling his own laughter. Athenath heaved a monumentally dramatic sigh, throwing their head against the mattress of the shared bed. Emeros chided, "none of that, now, you don't want to injure your soft spot." After the Altmer gave a strangled groan of frustration, Wyndrelis couldn't fight his urge to follow in the teasing. "Do you need a nap?" The Dunmer managed through his own tittering. Athenath's eyes locked on him and he plucked another coin in a slow, menacing manner. Wyndrelis held up his arms in defense, prepared for the gold to be tossed his way. Athenath plopped the coin back into his pocket with a sigh.

[this scene is so much fun for so many reasons. athenath expected the other two to treat them as lesser, but instead, they've taken that presumption all the way to its extreme for a joke. the trio JUST went through helgen and bleak falls barrow together, the respect for one another is already solidifying, and while this will have an impact that bites them all in the asses later, right now it's all jokes because how could they really see athenath as incapable of handling himself when they all JUST fought draugr and solved ancient puzzles together??]

"Come on, you don't even look much older than me. Weren't you a kid during the Great War, Wyndrelis?" Wyndrelis ticked his tongue. "I was in my twenties." Athenath pressed his face into their hands. The look he gave Wyndrelis through his fingers was a pouting plea for the other to help him out here, a little. "And I was already in my thirties when it ended," Emeros tutted, "so you can do the maths on that." Punctuating with a wink, he leaned back in his chair comfortably, the bard's grin sprawling wider.

[this scene still feels clumsy to me every time i read back, but i wanted to clearly establish all of this because it is important to how the trio react to events down the line. emeros will obviously, due to his own age and life experiences, have different reactions to situations than wyndrelis and athenath. the same can be said of the other two. and when those events happen, and when things get either hilarious or intense, they will have their own reasons for reacting the ways they do. after all, the experiences of someone on the road during the great war, vs someone studying at home, vs someone who wasnt born until like 6 years after are vastly different, and i felt the need to establish all of this. well, it still feels clumsy, but i'm not rewriting it again, damn it HAHJKHGJKF]

Linking their fingers together under his chin, he batted his lashes and put on a saccharine smile, coated in barely-concealed mischief. "Aw, then how was the Oblivion Crisis, pa?" Emeros sputtered and coughed, head jerked wildly at the question. "I'm not that o-"

[dont dish out what you cant take, emeros!! HAHAH]

"Terrible, Mannimarco was a nightmare for Mages' Guild recruitments," the mage replied dryly, pushing his glasses up his straight nose. The sound of Sven tuning his lute rummaged under the door, Orgnar making a droning comment somewhere in the middle of it all. Wyndrelis stood and stretched, the sound of the Altmer's laughter died out moments ago. "Let's have a look around town, then we can plan for tomorrow."

[i love throwing in a little mages guild reference. mannimarco my beloved <3 and its fun because, well, of course a mage would bring up the mages guild as a reference to the time of the oblivion crisis.]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK TEN MILLION YEARS. but i hope you did enjoy skimming through the commentary on these, i have a billion notes on all of these scenes and getting any chance to infodump about them will always leave me thinking things over for hours. thank you so much for sending the asks and i hope you enjoyed this absolute wiki article of an answer AAAAAAHKHDKJSHGF

director's commentary