#plus hes related to vex

[fruchtgummii]

im shit at sonas bc of my did so i cant make my own but I've grown so attached to Turver that my boy can be my sona

[blackjackkent]

@astreamofstars suggested my next dive into the parsed dialogue files should be looking at the various Vicious Mockery lines available for player characters, and the ways the different companion character VAs speak them. This turned out to be quite challenging, as there are a LOT of them!

There are a total of 97 unique Vicious Mockery lines, each of which was recorded by all ten companion character VAs PLUS all twelve custom character VAs, for a total of 2,134 recorded lines, which is wild. (This is not including Ethel's 60 unique Vicious Mockery lines as well, which brings the total to 2,194.)

In this video, I've collected all 97 VM lines across all ten companion VAs, along with notes (where applicable) on things like

references to Shakespeare (or other pieces of media)

places where BG3 continues a time-honored tradition of the series by butchering archaic English grammar

interesting inconsistencies between the VAs or with the written dialogue

(If you notice any references I missed, please let me know and I might edit the video! :D )

In making this video, I ended up listening to all these lines a LOT, and I do love that some definite patterns emerge which are very on-brand for the characters in question.

Astarion often sounds deeply disdainful and at times almost bored. He barrels through some of the lines as if he doesn't think the recipient of his insult is even worth his time. (Also him calling someone a "parchment-pallored villain" is a bit rich, don't you think? :P )

Gale is deeply pleased with his own cleverness and laughs at his own jokes.

In my opinion, Dave Jones by far most Understood The Assignment; Halsin bellows out the lines like a Shakespearean actor playing to the back row and really relishes the language.

Jaheira is in full mother-tiger voice and clearly ready to kick ass and take names; she's not messing around. (With one exception - I have been laughing over Tracy Wiles's reading of "Mouthier than an arse, twice as full o' shite" for the entire duration of this project, because solely for that line she sounds like she's been possessed by some unknown force and is utterly baffled by the words coming out of her own mouth.)

Karlach reads most of these lines as either battle-cry or schoolyard taunt and seems utterly delighted in both cases. I enjoy that she adds a fun roll on her r's to sound all mockingly fancy.

Lae'zel generally sounds like she's about to rip someone's throat out and often seems completely oblivious to the humor involved, even on lines like the delightful pun, "As the leg, you'll end in defeat."

Minsc definitely doesn't know what most of these words mean but he makes up for it in enthusiasm. I enjoy that "Mouthier than an arse" becomes "mouthier than a butt" only for him. XD

Minthara, like Lae'zel, is mostly not coming at this from a place of amusement; she's MAD. She sounds like a judge handing down sentence in the most disdainful manner possible. (That said, she has my favorite deliveries on some of the lines with timing-related humor: "Thou art saucy... as gruel," "Thine eyes! Pools of tepid piss," "Like a summer's day... thou art sweaty," etc.)

Shadowheart just sounds deeply offended that her target is existing anywhere near her. She's practically spitting on all her plosive consonants and it's delightful.

Wyll sounds remarkably fierce given how nice a dude he is, but a lot of his lines have some righteous indignation (appropriate for a former noble and the Blade of Frontiers) - or he just sounds like he pities his opponent. His reading of "It vexes me to know of you" is my favorite of the whole cast; he just sounds so disbelieving of his target's stupidity.

Overall I think my favorite of these lines is towards the end: "Your body's a temple - to an idiot god!" All ten companions really stick the landing on that one. :D

Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoy.

(Got requests for other investigations into BG3 dialogue? Drop me an ask and let me know! )

[chaussetteblanche]

Could you write a boyfriend!Kit Connor headcannon? Like what it's like to date kit? I just thought that would be rlly cute (^·^)

thanks so much for requesting !! kinda went off, don’t know how long this is :)

boyfriend!Kit headcannon

- right so i just think that kit would be so boyfriend

- like big sweaters

- gives amazing hugs, where you enter a soft, warm and safe world of clean cotton and sweet kisses

- would hug you so tight every time, wouldn’t ever want to let go

- definitely makes stupid jokes like

- “babe what’s this sweater made of ?”

- “i dunno, cotton ?”

- “no, it’s made of boyfriend material, babe,”

- you’d always laugh, of course

- and he’s just to caring and attentive

- had a bad day ? he’s at your door with take out, ready to spend the evening cuddling and listening to you rant

- period-related cramps ? man is RUNNING, i’m talking Usain Bolt shit, to the pharmacy and buying half the stock of pain killers, pads, tampons before getting you anything you crave

- sick ? he’s got a day off work before you know it, will not let you get out of bed, will spoon-feed you chicken broth and won’t leave your side

- he’s not afraid of you getting him sick, he’s almost never sick

- immune system is UP

- he’ll definitely get you to help him rehearse his lines for any upcoming movies or shows

- loves watching you change voices and facial expressions when you help him

- if you two live together, he’s not taking ANY of the gender roles shit

- man is cleaning up after himself and after you, everything is fair in your household

- he respects your boundaries, your work or your studies

- loves cooking with you but when you don’t, you take turns cooking and cleaning

- ain’t no way IN HELL he’s leaving you to do all the housework

- plus he thinks he looks damn good in that pink apron you have lying around in your closet

- if you’re not living together, he’s still helping out as much as he can

- he’s definitely a little scared of bugs but if you are too, he’ll take it upon himself to get them out of the house

- will NEVER kill a bug

- like sure they’re ugly and you don’t want them inside but that’s not a reason to kill then

- “you can’t just go about offing people just ‘cause they’re ugly can you ? same with bugs, innit ?”

- if you’re not scared of bugs, he’s happily hopping on a chair and waiting for you to get it out

- there have been multiple times where you both spotted a very big spider and just collectively agreed to leave the apartment and come back a few hours later, hoping it would be out of sight

- loves sleeping besides you

- will hog the covers

- like will roll up in them like a burrito

- you have to put blood, sweat and tears into every single inch of duvet you get after he’s rolled up, it’s a real struggle because my man is ASLEEP

- def snores a bit

- not like a loud, grizzly bear snore

- but more like a slightly heavy breathing

- but you don’t mind, it lulls you to sleep

- he fckin loooves the rain and the wind and the snow

- just lives for winter

- as much as he loves the summer (cause you’ll wear less clothes) his favourite is definitely the winter

- you’ll spend most of your time together laughing

- like he’s so funny and unhinged sometimes

- loooves to tease you

- about anything really

- expect anything that he notices you get insecure or vexed about, he’s really sensitive as to not hurt you in any way

- but if you mispronounce a word once, it’s coming up in every single conversation for days

- if he’s taller than you he’ll tease you about your height and will purposefully stand close to you to make you feel smaller

- if he’s smaller than you, he’ll definitely use you as something to lean on

- loves touching you all the time

- a hand on the thigh is usually his go to

- but when you’re walking maybe he’ll have his hand in your back pocket or around your shoulders

- loves kissing you, everywhere

- lips and forehead are his go to, but your temples and your nose he also likes to kiss

- he’s not too big on PDA, but will make sure people know you’re together by, as stated above, touching you in some way

- gives the most intoxicating kisses

- like you need a second to gather yourself after most of his kisses

- neck kisses omggg

- you know that scene in heartstopper when he’s “recharging” on charlie

- def does that every time he sees you + neck kisses

- doesn’t really get jealous because he trusts you more than anyone but will definitely get annoyed if someone isn’t taking the hint

- let’s say someone’s hitting on you at the bar, and you’re been very that you aren’t interested but they’re still insisting, he will come up to you, wrap his arms around you and give you the loudest, sloppiest and dirtiest kiss ever right in front of that person

- will then strike up a conversation, completely ignoring the other person, and will wait for them to leave

- is so invested in your life like everything you do is so interesting to him

- you learnt something in school ? tell him about it. you saw someone you hadn’t seen in a while ? tell him about it. started a new show or a new book ? tell him about it.

- man wants to know EVERYTHING there is to know about you

- he definitely remembers every single you thing you tell him in detail

- you’ll tell him about your favourite kind of salad one day and literal months later, he’ll come back with groceries and will have bought that specific kind of salad

- “i didn’t know you liked this kind of salad,”

- “never had it before, but it’s your favourite, so i bought it,”

- GAH melting

- also communication KING

- like we see in heartstopper, he says all the important shit and i feel like he’d be the same in real life

- you’ve been acting distant ? he’s gently asking you about it, has he done something ? he notices you’ve been stressed, are there any reasons ? he notices you’re not eating much ? is anything troubling you ? frowning at yourself in the mirror ? he’s making sure your alright and feeling beautiful

- overall i just think he’d be so sweet and attentive

- just the best boyfriend ever

- so kit if you read this and wanna correct me on anything, i’d gladly spend a few weeks (months, years, lifetimes) as your girlfriend to write a more realistic version

- i’m serious

- call me

- please

[wszczebrzyszynie]

why did scar burn down the ranch in the space mining au? did he think jimmy had something to do with grian's disappearance?

In short: it was for revenge. He knew well Jimmy had nothing to do with anything that happened to Cub or Grian, but Tango did, and at that point in time Tango fully moved in with Jim. Scar just treated him like collateral damage. Cubs corruption (which was a consequence of both his and Tangos actions) happened at that time, and Grian disappeared (caught by Martyn) leaving Scar alone. And Scar doesnt really... handle being alone well

A very... long version is under the cut. And i do mean it, its long, but explains exactly why Scar burned down the ranch, with all the events leading up to it and with some Cub characterisation in it

Best way to start all of this is to say a bit about Cub in this au. Even though he and Scar arent related, theyre very... brotherly-like, as theyre both second generation vexes raised together. Except while Scar went into the very bootlicking job of official bounty hunting, Cub was always against everything govnerment related. Never an outright criminal, but always hanging out in these circles. He supported Scar to an extent while making sure Scar knows what he thinks about all of this. And also that, ultimately, he knows he can count on him if something goes wrong. Even if Cubs going to be annoying about it

Cub is smart. Cub has insane amounts of knowledge about an insane amounts of topics. So much so that he was able to (with help of Mumbo, i suppose) design a complete new type of mobility aid specifically made for Scars new crime job. He is also, to a fault, interested in space mining. Hes a bit younger than Tango, but was already an adult when sculk was discovered to be a dead, alien lifeform. And the thing about sculk is that its the most important discovery in modern human history that everyone wanted to know more about, Cub included. Its what truly started his... adventure, with space mining. Its what got him close to Tango in the first place

Cubs sculk corruption happened almost acidentially. Ive mentioned before that Jims ranch is on a planet in the middle of nowhere, which also happens to be a living sculk planet; sculk planets and moons arent common, but they exist (one of them being callisto) and are pretty well known, plus its possible to find sculk in smaller amounts on planets and asteroids that wouldnt be considered "sculk planets" (as in, sculk isnt the main thing to be found there). Living sculk planets on the other hand are so rare that theyre more of a theory than a real thing, at least at first*. While sculk found in most places is long dead, Jimmy, with correct tools, could have access to its living form. And this is how Tango gets a sculk sample as a gift for Cub; so small it fit in his pocket. So that Cub could continue his research on his own, without having to spend ungodly amounts of money. And Cub does so, and experiments with it, and reanimates it, leading to his infection. And, unlike what Tango experienced at callisto before it got blown up and Tango became a wanted terrorist, it actually felt good for him. Being a vex comes with so many health complications that having a parasite (especially one Cubs been fascinated about for so long) that completly dulls it is something he was okay with. Neither Scar or Tango agreed with him here, Tango knowing everything sculk does first hand, and both of them made the decision to save Cubs life, whether he likes it or not (Cub didnt exactly... believe that sculk could kill him). Sculk is sensitive to sound and light, thriving in dark, wet and quiet environments, and its extreme sensitivity to sound is what Tango learned while helping Zed. The exact logistics of it and timeline of events are not set yet (rip) but what matters is that Tango and Scar succeed, saving Cub, who goes unconcious for a while

Now that the backstory is over, the reason Scar burned the ranch down is because not only Tango got Cub infected in the first place, but also because he... broke Cub, in Scars eyes. Cub cannot forgive Tango for saving him because he doesnt believe he needed to he saved. He thinks that Tango acted out of self righteousness, setting back his research (needless to say Cub didnt exactly think straight while corrupted and after the coma, kind of like with his original sculk corruption durning the crossover). He holds similar feelings towards Scar; more complicated, sure, because he loves Scar, but he also believes that Scar hurt him and tore out something he needed to really feel alive. Scar cannot forgive him specifically because the corruption changed Cub and his relationship with him, and the fact that Grian, a vital part of Scars already small close support system, wasnt around, it made Scar act rasher and with more hate than he would normally. He didnt go there to burn it, exactly, as probably simple murder was on his mind, but he activated one of Tangos paranoia-filled security measures (...traps), one thing led to another, an explosion happened, and scar decided to burn it all to the ground. Like a normal person

For more info as to why Tango was living with Jimmy at that time, im sure i mentioned it somewhere here? Ill just add that to protect both of them and their home Tango trapped it. And like most of his traps, they backfired.

Put some old art here to better demonstrate what im talking about

* the funny thing about Jimmy here is that he tends to find sculk... a lot. The reason he had to move from one place to another time and time again is that all the mining sites he used to work on got either closed down or fired people en masse because of sculk; while mining sculk is extremely profitable, its also hard and requires a lot of special machinery, including mechs, which wouldnt be used for things like coal. And when he got divorced and stopped being a miner, he moves to a planet, breaks his helmet in an accident believing he would die, only to realise that the planet had breathable air all along because of sculk under the surface. This is the closest space mining gets to the canary curse because i dont really like the curse as it is now, but its so heavily mining related i had to tie it somehow in a way that would satisfy me. Very offtopic but i think i should mention it

[gorgynei]

Unfortunately for you I really really really like death gods and need to hear about your piece about the raven queen pls pls pls pls

great news for you last night i was in the trenches and diagrammed about it

the entire piece is mainly themed around vax's death at the end of c1 but i was also thinking a LOT about the champion's relationship with his own mortal roots as well as the RQ's relationship with hers. thats mostly what the blood is getting at. the idea that each of them despair their own mortality but for different reasons (the raven queen hates that she was mortal once and that it's still part of her, and the champion grieves that he had to sacrifice his mortality to serve her). not sure how well i communicated that part though

the vex and vax ravens at the top are part of that too wrt to how their story sort of represents that entire internal struggle that both of them experience. plus the twins generally are just very easy to parallel with everything related to the raven queen.

i gave the raven queen a mask like a barn owl because... birds are cool.. .. and the champion's look is just a combination of various vax depictions

[pennamenotfound]

I feel like one of the reasons that the Bells Hells are so interesting and compelling to me is that they’re all so angry. Anger is so interesting to me because of its volatility. The way it can, more than any other emotion, be twisted. Think of how much more volatile Percy was in campaign one because of his revenge boner than Caleb in campaign two with his deepset guilt and grief.  

And like, sure, we had anger before in the other campaigns.

Like Percy was super angry obviously, and Vex had her rage, and Scanlan had his moment (what’s my mother’s name) in Campaign one, and you could probably pull moments for the rest of Vox Machina. Grog’s a barbarian, he rages all the time. Plus with his herd. Okay, sure. Vax certainly had his moments. Keyleth at Raishan. (I don’t think Pike realy had any real anger moments in her arc.) But their stories don’t rely on their anger as much as Percy and Vex, and not nearly as much as Bells Hells. 

In the Mighty Nein, there’s Beau who is super angry at the world, justifiably so, but the rest of the party not so much. Caleb and Yasha are guilt and grief. Cad’s faith. Jester definitely had her problems with emotion, but anger wasn’t really part of it so much as learning to let herself feel something other than happy. Fjord’s journey to Melora was much more about introspection, Veth’s journey back to herself was certainly emotionally taxing for her, but it’s back to greif and loss for her. Kingsley is all about discovery, and Essek was about finding friendship. 

But Bells Hells. They’re all so angry. With maybe the exception of Chetney, but he’s also a werewolf which is its own sort of instability. 

Ashton’s a given---Tal’s so good at anger in his characters. Perfect punk, angry at the world, angry at their situation. *chef’s kiss* perfect barbarian

Imogen has such rage bubbling. “We’re gonna sunder you, Delilah Briarwood” for one, but also, with her mother. With her powers. 

Fearne with her parents. The way she was discovering her anger had so much potential, and I really wanted to see her actually throw some fireballs or something.

Orym. I saw the look on Liam’s face when he had that insight check whisper from Tuldus. Dude, Otohan and the Ruby Vanguard killed his husband and his dad (I know, father in law, but Orym says dad.) He’s the nice one, he’s said it before himself, but... under the surface, i think he’s got some rage in him. 

FCG. Oh, FCG, with their unpredictable rage mode. Trying so desperately to be the caretaker when they don’t even know what they are. The professor in Yios gave him a lot of good information, but there’s a lot they don’t know. 

For me, with FCG and Orym both, it’s a lot of aren’t you tired of being nice? Don’t you want to go apeshit?

And then Laudna. Laudna, with the most to be angry about. She was murdered by the Briarwoods, and spent the next thirty years with her murderer in her head. Looking like a corpse. Not knowing if she was dead or alive. Being chased out of towns all over Tal’Dorei until she ran all the way to Marquet. No friends, even before she died, before Imogen. And she’s really the most interesting to me. Because we don’t see a lot of rage with her. Even with Percy in Whitestone, it’s forgiveness. It’s understanding. The only time I remember in the campaign her really being angry was when FCG turned on the party that time, and that was related to Delilah’s manipulations. 

Orym said once something like she had the worst thing out of all of them happen, and yet she’s the happiest, and how is that? And she goes, well, because the worst thing that’s happened to me already happened. 

And it’s so interesting to me because we could, in another universe, have another Ashton in Laudna. Because, really, very similar things happened to them. Both died. Both put back together not quite right, not quite in control of their situation. Feared, even. 

But she’s so loving, caring, and not wrathful, and honestly, I’d kind of love to see some anger from her. And I think we might see it if Imogen gets hurt.

Anyway i’m unhinged about bells hells. I love vox machina and mighty nein but I’ve connected most to bells hells because I’ve been watching CR since CR3 started, and I love my angy bois. 

[someoneintheshadow456]

FUCK THAT MECHANICAL BASTARD IS2G I HAD TO CHANGE THE DIFFICULTY TO EASY BECAUSE OF YOU-

Anyway moving on…

Pour one out for Vex and her Driver who loves chocolate as much as I do. I gave her to Morag because that’s going to be her and Brigid in 50 years.

Torna’s grievances to how Blades get their memories wiped are valid. Wanting to destroy all living beings? Not so much. And they seem to be two steps ahead of Shulk and Co because they’ve already got their sights on killing the Architect.

Seriously Amalthus you sus af. I just KNOW all that pretending to be sorry about Malos is an act. Plus the sheer irony my Desi ass sees in the sus character being BLUE.

Jin used to be a good guy but sided with Malos. It can’t be because of Lora because he adopted her before Malos showed up (although how she was adopted probably did NOT help). And everyone is also pointing out “he convinced me” isn’t the whole story. I did say that the only one missing is a gay couple before. And Malos from what I see has shown no interest in women. So MAYBE…

(Diversity win? The rogue blade trying to destroy humanity is gay?)

The most interesting part of XC2 is the geopolitics. XC1’s world didn’t feel fleshed out at all. I know the Mechon destroyed most of it, but you don’t get a sense of where every place is and how they relate together. I also love how each titan has its own type of people.

Nia why the ever loving fuck did you not work your magic with Vandame?! Also I was very VERY right to wonder if there’s more to Nia than meets the eye considering she used to be with Torna.

And now it looks like I’m starting to change my mind about Zeke. In fact I’m beginning to feel very sorry for the guy. Especially now that we’re visiting his Daddy Dearest…

[pink-lightsabre]

c3 105 thoughts dump

when... are we getting new opening titles... please i wanna see more of dorian in the beginning credits...

IMOGEN GIRL WHY ARE YOU NOT INSIGHT CHECKING THIS CONVERSATION. WHY ARE YOU TAKING THIS AT FACE VALUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oooooooooooooh she's gonna broadcast downfall. "it'll harm everyone." while that is true. i dont think yall can hoard that information. personally.

we really didn't do any check about that. wow. that feels ill advised!!!!!!!!

a mass poisoning???????? perhaps a little like molaesmyr?????

it could be a trap! that's true! which is why IMOGEN NEEDED TO DO A CHECK ABOUT IT!!!!!!

do not. try to bargain with fearne's bio dad. please.

oooooooooh what IS ira doing. that's a great question.

"i thought we would have A plan and now it seems like we have A LOT of plans." dorian that's so relatable

man i wish the silken squall was at this meeting. i understand that theyre not bc they're very isolationist but. i want to see dorian interacting with his parents SO bad

the judicators are still so fucking creepy. and the fact that aeor had their own arcane version FUCKS me up.

"it's pretty low... 24." LMAO

i hope someone gave vex advanced warning that dragons were gonna be there. otherwise her favored enemy ranger sense gotta be going BANANAS.

braius flirting with dorian. absolutely hilarious. 12/10 sam i love it.

"i've got my faith in you. and my finger." // "it's a pretty big finger." // "dont underestimate me." ROBBIE

RARY'S TELEPATHIC BOND!!!!!! THE GROUPCHAT!!!!!!

pie dice!!!!!!!! i love that.

oooooooooooooooooooh who is there. WHO IS THERE!!!!!!

fearne being poly is so special to me. i love it.

robbie cosplaying as dorian with the deep necklines of his shirts. is chefs kiss.

braius sticking his nose EVERYWHERE. way to go sam.

HELLO MATTHEW WHAT THE FUCK

DORIAN'S DAD IS THERE?????????????????????????

APPARENTLY I WAS WRONG AND THEY ARE THAT ISOLATIONIST. OH MY MCFUCKING GOD.

i need to run laps around my house. i cant handle this.

oh no cyrus looked like their mom. D;

"i'll shake it off."

DRAGONS!!!!!!!

FIRE ASHARI!!!!!!!!!! robbie gets to know the feeling of a character he voiced being there! i love this for him.

related to that. i cannot w a i t for the robbie daymond c4 permanent cast member announcement.

zone of truth cast by a fucking dragon!!!!!!!! my god that's so cool. but jesus christ what is the DC on that. 20 apparently!

robbie calling himself the rizzler. hate that. LMAO.

it's not bolo. and that is a TRAGEDY. LONG LIVE BOLO.

VOX MACHINA TO THE MALLEUS KEY. LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

people being upset that vm gets to take down the malleus key and m9 gets to take down the weave mind while bh takes down ludinus. understandable i suppose but COULD NOT be me. i love how interconnected c3 is to everything and i love the other heroes getting to take other shit down.

"time is short." // "and so am i."

"ash. just for a few minutes. lock it up." THAT'S RIGHT DORIAN.

ashton i swear to god... do not blow this...

PHEW thank god braius can lie. my god. SPECTACULAR work braius. way to fucking go.

PLUS FOURTEEN!!!!

saint graham... sam what the hell

travis peer pressuring his wife into using her abilities. i fucken love it.

LOVE the contingent from the matron's temple supporting laudna. absolutely wonderful.

i want. the first thing. that dorian's father says to him. to be about dorian wearing gold.

ashton going to talk and EVERYONE going "no no nonononono!!!!!" hugely relatable

okay okay that wasn't bad actually!!!! way to go ash!

magical girl fearne in her titan transformation. amazing.

a bard with performance anxiety! truly i love that so much. robbie ur mind. absolutely genius.

orym can you step up and talk about all dorian has to offer

ROBBIE YOUR MIND. ABSOLUTELY GENIUS.

F I N D G R E A T E R S T E E D

"orym totally blue screens" oh so relatable. a HUGE mood. i've also been that horny.

chetney reminding everyone that he's old... old as balls...

all the speeches were so good. i am. of course. absolutely biased towards dorian's.

OH THESE TITLES F U C K

does chetney have A KID

liam GLARING at matt while he's playing dorian's dad. EXTREMELY relatable.

"word of cyrus's passing has reached us." O U G H E "we wanted to make sure you were properly aware." excuse me whilst i sob on the floor.

oh no. oh no this is not how i thought this was gonna go. oh no i'm gonna cry. dorian "locks up with physical affection" storm. my favorite for a reason.

OH NO SAM WEARING THE FRIDA HOODIE. I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE. frida still doesn't know what happened to fcg....

NOT DORIAN CRYING IN HIS FATHER'S ARMS

aaaaaaaaaaand there's the other shoe dropping! "those willing and capable" because you think dorian ISN'T?

y e a h this is more how i thought this was gonna go. oughe my heart.

there's dorian's anger! oh it is so precious to me.

i'm gonna throw up dude. oh my god. matt and robbie i love you. IS THE ZONE OF TRUTH UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a deeply revealing question!

A CEREMONIAL BLADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"a smile and a look in his eyes you've been chasing your entire life. pride." O U G H E

"you made my favorite toys growing up." HAHA I KNEW IT.

THE C-POPPERS!!!!!!! chetney has a fan club this is so great.

"can i get a painty." m a t t h e w

chet calling imogen his assistant. what a throw back to dorian and imogen at the masque in jrusar.

braius you silver tongued motherfucker.... god that's so good

PIKE!!!!!!!!

THIS IS TRUTHBEARER. LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

that's so funny. oh my god.

HOW MUCH HE LOVES DORIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! liam obrien i am kissing you on the mouth

LIAM OBRIEN I AM KISSING YOU ON THE MOUTH

dorian and orym having so many conversations AROUND how much they love each other. never actually saying it. or talking to each other about it directly. makes me want to chew concrete.

oh ashton....................... i love u. i really do.

"i think what she said was trustworthy" AGAIN YOU WOULD HAVE A BETTER IDEA IF YOU DID A CHECK ABOUT IT

imogen and keyleth... kiki saying imogen reminds her of a younger her... saying she's gonna need to convince the rest of vm to do this malleus key mission... oh i am sick

matthew.......... why the random d20 roll

oh if we're going back to nana morri does that mean SOMEONE will FINALLY ask orym about his not new anymore magic and how/why/where it came from. or if there's a conversation between orym and nana morri about the state of his deal since fcg died.

chetney you dumbass. that was NEVER gonna happen. HER CALLING HIM A YOUNGIN. amazing.

the BQILF lmao

y'all simply HAVE to be more careful with ashton and the worshippers of the luxon. this is how people get kidnapped and experimented on in underground layers.

oh the tragedy of ashton only getting to be okay and not in pain when he's in the titan form. ugh that makes me so sad.

god i love callowmoore so much!!!

ASHTON BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE CAAAAAAAAAAAAAREEEEEEEEEEFUL

chetney is so excited about having a fan. i love this for travis so much LMAO.

NOT WHISPERS ABOUT WAYLOND

"he made me a beautiful toy boat! i gave it to a street urchin." LMAO

THANK YOU MARISHA FOR CALLING OUT DEALS MADE WITH NANA MORRI

this is truly so funny. i relate to this man so much.

"this is the room you're gonna die in." // "i'm okay with that."

[inviberu]

fallen

In which Faust goes through the process of realizing that he does, in fact, like you.

— Faust x Sage!Reader

i. denial

People often saw Faust as a straightforward wizard; a no-nonsense type of guy. When it came to love, many assumed that he wasn't the type to beat around the bush. It would be a lie to say that their claims were false but there was a little misconception—getting to that point is an entirely different story.

Today, Heath noticed something different with Faust. Perhaps it was a little mean to admit this but he couldn’t help but nudge Chloe and whisper to his ear after sparing his mentor a glance. “Doesn’t he seem… a little different today? He’s smiling.”

“Eh? Really?” Chloe tried to be discreet and turned his head to glance at Faust but Heath was quick to grab his head and turn it back to the way it was facing before.

“Too obvious!” He had a panicked expression on his face, silently exclaiming and hoping that Faust didn’t hear or see anything that might prompt him to come closer. Chloe muttered a small apology and tried to get back into his normal demeanour. Heathcliff let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived when all of a sudden—

“I can hear you two, you know?”

“F-Faust-sensei…” Caught red-handed. Heath averted his gaze quickly and Chloe started fiddling with his fingers nervously. “We weren’t doing anything bad, really!”

“Relax. I’m not accusing you two of anything.” A warm smile followed by a chuckle. The two young wizards stared at him blankly, trying to comprehend the sight in front of them. They looked at him and then at each other—their expressions were saying: Huh?

Heath decided to bite. His curiosity getting the better of him, he just hoped that the question wouldn’t be answered with hostility from his end. “Faust-sensei, you’re smiling a lot today. Did something happen?”

“Huh… Do I need a reason to smile?”

“I suppose not but… It’s a little unusual if it’s you.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” His tone was annoyed but his expression was anything but that. He still had a grin on his face, a little reminiscent of a friend teasing another. That made Heath and Chloe even more baffled—that was one rare expression.

Chloe decided to bite next. His curiosity also got the better of him. However, this time, his question was more straightforward than the last and definitely something Faust wasn’t expecting. “Is it related to the Sage?”

“... Huh?” His expression immediately fell as he cleared his throat.

Oh, bullseye. The two thought.

“What nonsense. I wonder what gave you that idea in the first place.” Truth be told, Chloe only overheard such information when he was hanging around Shylock’s bar. It was the twins who started blabbering about Faust’s love life, saying stuff like: Oh…! Faust is so hopelessly smitten with the Sage!

Chloe thought that Faust didn’t need to know so he kept his mouth shut and thought of another excuse instead.

“You seem really close. Plus, you always look happy whenever you’re with them!” Heath nodded along even though it was the first time he had heard of such a thing. He was doing a really good job hiding his surprise—he’d have to pester Chloe for more details later.

Faust just shook his head, denying the claims with a vexed expression. “You must be imagining it, there’s no such thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Heath. Don’t jump in.”

Heath let out a nervous laugh. Faust’s tone was stern but there was something underneath that made him want to prod into the matter more. “Are you sure you aren’t just in denial?”

There was a prolonged pause from Faust.

Oh, he definitely is—the two of them thought.

“... There’s no way.” The two of them fought the urge to say something in response after seeing his troubled expression.

ii. anger and bargaining

Anger wasn’t the right word. Distraught—yes, maybe, that’s a better word to describe the way he was feeling. After that little interaction he had with Heathcliff and Chloe the other day, he’s been thinking about it nonstop.

He never thought of himself as the reckless type (after a certain point) but right now, he was considering doing something as reckless as turning back time. He shook his head—even if he wanted to, there was no way he could so he was left lingering and pondering over his own feelings.

“It can’t be like that—there’s simply no way.” He tried reasoning with himself. If anyone saw himself talking to himself in the courtyard right now, they would think that he’d finally lost it after all those years of solitude.

“Hey, hey! Whatcha doin’ out here?” Faust froze. Then a groan escaped his lips. Of all the wizards that could’ve walked in on him while he was having his dilemma, it just had to be one of the most annoying in the bunch.

“... It’s nothing.” He cleared his throat and tried to iron out his scarf just to seem like he was doing something else rather than talking to himself. “I should be asking you the same question.”

As usual, Murr ignored his question and continued talking much to Faust’s displeasure. “Is it love problems?”

He cursed under his breath, how did this wizard always manage to hit all the sore spots? He looked away, his mind searching for an excuse to throw at him but what came out was a meek and pathetic attempt to deny it.

“No. It’s not love—it’s definitely not love.” Faust insisted. Murr wasn’t even talking anymore but he just kept going as if he was going back to the time he was talking to himself. “It’s gratitude. It must be something platonic. It’s highly unlikely that it’s romantic.”

“Now you’re just trying to convince yourself.” Murr giggled, wrapping an arm around the Eastern wizard’s shoulders. Faust shuddered at the sudden contact but didn’t do anything to stop him anyway. He continued, “Why make things even more complicated than they are?”

“It’s not so simple that I can just—”

“It’s love! Everyone, Faust is in lo— Mmf!?” Faust had never moved so fast before. The panic that overtook him eventually settled after he slapped his hand over Murr’s mouth. He hated the way he could tell that the insufferable wizard was smiling underneath.

“Don’t announce that! What if someone hears you!?” Slowly, he inhaled and removed his hand from his face.

“Ehh? If it really wasn’t true, you wouldn’t be as frantic as you are right now. You could just easily clear it up later if someone misunderstands!” That smirk on his face was as infuriating as everyone else described it to be. “It must be true if you don’t want anyone else to know!”

“What sort of logic is that?”

“Dunno, but it makes sense to me.” He laughed. “C’mon, don’t be shy! The sooner you accept it, the sooner you’ll feel better about it.”

Faust couldn’t believe he was about to take love advice from Murr of all people.

iii. depression

“Faust, it’s been a few days. The Sage is getting worried.” Faust got up from his bed groggily. He could barely recognize that voice with the way his mind was still clouded from his sleep.

“... Cain?” He’d stop responding if he turned out to be wrong.

“Yes, it’s me. Are you alright?”

“Argh… Yes. You can tell the Sage I’m fine.” He pushed back his bangs and let out a sigh before putting his glasses back on. If he was being honest, he’d been sleeping a little bit too much for the past few days.

“You sure? The Sage wants to see you, you know?” If he was being honest, again, they were the last person Faust wanted to think about. Ever since he had that conversation with Murr, he was so distraught to the point that he shut himself inside his room and started overthinking everything.

After a long pause, he responded to Cain. “Tell them I’ll see them soon.”

Of course, that was a lie. He was just going to spend more time wallowing on his own before he could finally reach the final stage—acceptance. He heard footsteps walk away from his doorstep and he breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking that he could finally go back to lying down.

That is until he heard a loud thud outside.

“Ow, ow, ow… That’s one sturdy door you got there.” Faust jumped up and opened the door immediately after hearing Cain’s pained voice. There was no way the reliable Central Knight would try to break down his door by running towards it, right?

Unfortunately, he was met with Cain kneeling down on one knee and clutching his arm. The single thought that went through his head was none other than: What the hell?

“Of course it is. I put a curse on it so that it couldn’t be opened—actually, no, that’s not the point. What possessed you to run into the door!?”

“The Sage told me to bring you over at all costs. I’m just following what they said.” There was no way the Sage would issue that command, there was no reason for them to make such a demand. Of course, unless—

“Uh, Faust? You’re kinda spacing out.”

He didn’t know anything for sure yet. Though the thought—the possibility—that it’s the exact same case that he thought of was enough to make him feel warm. He hasn’t even answered Cain yet but he was already drifting away with his thoughts.

“Faust?”

“...”

“Faust…?”

“...”

“Faust!”

“H-Huh!?” He snapped out of it. A light hue of pink dusted his cheeks as he pinned his gaze away—was he so engrossed in his thoughts to the point that he couldn’t hear Cain calling out for him?

Oh, this is bad.

Really, really bad.

There was really no use denying it at this point. The answer was painfully clear.

This is—

iv. acceptance

“Sage, did you want to see me?” They turned their head towards his direction as soon as they heard his voice. Faust felt his heart beat a little faster. From nervousness or anticipation—he didn’t know. He couldn’t be bothered to think about the little details right now. He had much more pressing matters to attend to.

Such as how he was going to deal with the Sage.

“I did! You’ve locked yourself away in your room for a few days, I couldn’t help but get worried.” It was concerning how happy Faust felt when he heard them say that they were worried for him.

Seriously, I should get a grip on myself. He couldn’t afford to get distracted—he had to let it out before it consumed him whole. He shook his head and tried to put on a normal expression but the corners of his lips kept curling into a small smile.

“So you sent Cain to break down my door?”

“That wasn’t intentional! In the first place, I wasn’t the one who told him to bring you over—it was Murr who gave him the idea.” Inside his head, Faust was groaning. Outside, he couldn’t help but grin.

“Really? So you didn’t want to see me?”

Ah, was that too forward?

“It’s nothing like that. I do want to see you—” His brain stopped listening from that point on. He really couldn’t stop the way his eyes lit up and the familiar pink dusted his cheeks once more.

He took a step closer as he tried to ignore the way his heart was about to leap from his ribcage. Maybe it was reckless, maybe it was too straightforward but nobody ever said he was the type to beat around the bush after he came to terms with the fact that he’s fallen.

“In that case,” his face was close, “I’ll make sure to not stray too far from your sight.”

“You don’t have to go that far…”

“It’s what I want.” He admitted. “Don’t think that I decided all of this just for you. It’s for me, too.”

“Huh?”

“I want you to look at me.”

Maybe he’ll regret acting like this later on, or maybe he won’t. Though all he was certain of was the way he wanted them to go through the same cycle as he did before they would end up with the very same conclusion: I’ve fallen.

[critter-genfic-events]

This week, we have eight fics that deal with grieving. Check them out under the cut, and comment and kudos if you like them!

Falling Stars by Crewe (3897,Teen) Warnings: A thoughtful, heartfelt look at the way grief can fall on you like a ton of bricks and also wait around the corner to whack you in the teeth with a rock when you're not prepared - but it ends in warmth and broken things on the path to mending. Pairings: Scanlan Shorthalt & Vax'ildanScanlan, Shorthalt & Vex'ahlia

Scanlan has a plan to save Vax. He doesn't. Now he has to say good-bye.

Reccer says: I liked it

A Conspiracy of Ravens by Senor_Sparklefingers (77384,Teen) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings: Keyleth/Vax'ildan, Shaun Gilmore & Keyleth, background Percy/Vex, background Derrig/Nell

Keyleth grives for Vax and tries to put her life back together, while hiding her unexpected pregnancy from the rest of Vox Machina. Written before the Vilya reveal, so also touches upon the impact of her death on her loved ones, as well as how Vax's death effects Gilmore and his relationship with Kiki.

Reccer says: I liked it

miss you indefinite by gayvincreel (1618,Teen) Warnings: past character death Pairings: Essek Thelyss & Keyleth, mentions of vaxleth and shadowgast

Keyleth meets Essek at Kima's funeral, and they talk about all their loved ones who have passed away.

Reccer says: cross-campaign fics are always fun. i really like the dialogue in this one and how it really puts into perspective the pain that can come from being longer-lived than your friends

what the promised land would promise me by grayintogreen (3169,Teen) Warnings: Pairings: Lucien & The Tombtakers

The Intuit Charge Massacre from the other side.

Reccer says: Harsh and fitting view of how Lucien and Cree dealt with the Mighty Nein's ambush in the ruins of Aeor.

Eyes of the Grave by ThatHCWriter (1427,Teen) Warnings: past character death Pairings: Caduceus & The Mighty Nein, minor Yasha/Zuala and Yeza/Veth

Caduceus can see ghosts. He uses this ability to comfort the M9 members who have lost loved ones.

Reccer says: it's a very cool concept, and i love that he can also use the absence of a ghost to confirm that someone is still alive. this fic has a sort of gentle angst to it and then catharsis with every conversation caduceus has with the others.

in the dream we are always posthumous by hanap (4219,Teen) Warnings: Grief, Angst, Sharing a Body Pairings: Kingsley & Mollymauk & Lucien

In which Kingsley wakes up and discovers that he isn't his body's only occupant.

Reccer says: Kingsley learns to be his own person while he reconciles with the fact that his body used to belong to two other people who still whisper to him. He resents it at first, then realizes the voices are beginning to fade.

The Doom of Gelvaan by Tangent101 (5520,Not Rated) Warnings: None Pairings:

Imogen was only six years old when her father died. The town turned against her, believing her cursed. And then a stranger appeared at the edge of town...

Reccer says: I liked it

Setting Up Stones On a High Hill Side by Senor_Sparklefingers (11140,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

In the aftermath of the release of Uk'otoa, Kingsley loses a friend, makes a visit to the Blooming Grove, and says goodbye.

Reccer 1 says: This is part of an ongoing series about Kingsley in the aftermath of the CR2 finale but you don't need to have read the first to enjoy this one. I love stories that commit to the fact that Kingsley is just as much Lucien as he is Molly and Lucien's side of things has a lot to grieve. Reccer 2 says: There's a lot of stories that touch on Kingsley dealing with things from Molly's past or struggling with memories inherited from Molly, but not that many that deal with things related to Lucien, so it's a nice change to see that. Plus, anything that touches on the Cad and King friendship is nice.

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. Want to make your own recs? Check out use this form to submit!

Next Monday, we have a Pike Trickfoot themed rec list!

After that, it'll be mysteries, monsters, and then humor

If you're looking for some more, check out some fics written in the critter genfic bingo tag, or the older rec lists! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

[fairytail-whathesays]

I can't tell whether you're intrigued in a positive way or completely vexed, so I'll just apologize just in case before going in depth. I also apologize for the length. I'm so sorry dude, this got out of hand enough to break it in two parts. Btw, I'm using Raijinshuu to refer to Laxus too, as clarification.

So. To begin with, I think Oracion Seis and the Raijinshuu would get along well for a myriad of reasons. For starters, Erik would definitely like Laxus, and respect both him and the Raijinshuu in terms of the way they're wary, and you have to earn their trust, because they're protective. They want to make sure the people they care about are safe above all else. And that's something he can also relate to on a personal level. But anyway, you *know* your way around those two so.

Plus the overlap of daddy issues between Laxus, Erik and Macbeth. Trusting blindly (and ending up with slight trust issues). Wanting to please someone who would never love you to earn their approval, bending yourself backwards for that purpose, finding out the hard way that no matter how much you believe you can do it, it'll never happen (He's not someone to trust, he'll stab you in the back despite saying he saved you and loved you. No matter how strong you are, you're still a pawn, and you don't share his vision deep down. He'll abandon you if you don't excel at every turn, and you know it). Having a father who's willing to implant a whole magical device on you to make you stronger, and a father who would sooner throw you away than have you be weak. Having to live with the things you did for that approval. Having to pick yourself together and move forward after someone who was supposed to protect you was the one to hurt you.

On top of that, having one of them approve of someone is grounds for the others to be open to meet that someone (and not just to make sure that they're not in bad company). They would also massively respect Laxus for calling Jellal out on his bs.

The loyalty to a guild you consider family is something the other's would also understand on a personal level, even if Brain's manipulation and betrayal leaves a bitter taste sometimes, without him, they become even closer, and more fiercely protective of each other.

There's also the Bickslow factor. Bickslow, who can see the very souls of people, who knew about Loke but expertly kept his mouth shut and asked "what? Like it's hard?". I don't know, I feel that discretion and respect for their privacy would go a long way. He's also a raging, confident extrovert. Meaning, there's someone who would easily take the first step.

You have the more or less distinct groups of quiet (Laxus, Freed, Macbeth and Erik), and loud (Bickslow, Ever, Sawyer, Sorano when she swings by), with the subgroup of "please don't murder anyone" that the girls would make. Those two would hate each other on principle. They would love each other. They would go shopping together and find the best dresses in town. They would plan a murder together. They could get away with said murder. They could puppy-eye their way into making the boys do whatever they wanted or get away with scolding them. They would wipe the floor with Gray and Natsu in terms of competitiveness. They would be iconic. And a headache half of the time. The boys could bond over the "I want to strangle her, but if someone dares look at her the wrong way...". That's not to say, of course, that the Loud Ones and the Quiet Ones wouldn't get along, clearly. The quiet talks? The moments when they all join in the fun? The moments when it's neither, and both, chatting all together on a nice afternoon? Yeah.

There's the bonding over taking bad decisions (although some a little worse). And being willing to do what it takes (Erik killing Brain, what happened with Rustyrose (did they kill him? Did they not? It was really unclear)). And being accepted after massive fuck ups by the people they directly affected and how unnerving it can be. Being able to understand each other's shitty pasts despite all the differences too.

Not to mention, I believe that they would be pretty comfortable in Fairy Tail if Laxus was master/The Raijinshuu would make them feel far more comfortable in the middle of the raging chaos.

OS not batting an eye when the Raijin decide on doing something morally questionable because ah, yes, sounds reasonable. The Raijinshuu not judging them for the things they're still atoning for, nor the initial conclusions they reach both in course of action (that they have to stop themselves from carrying out sometimes) or the conclusions they draw after interacting with someone sometimes.

Of course, Richard very much approves of this new development. Even if he only swings by every now and then to visit, focusing on traveling with his brother first, he makes sure to check everything is going smoothly, and quietly thanks Laxus for giving them this chance, whether it's to be in the guild at all or just for the company.

On a more specific note, the safety Laxus exudes? That would be grounding, just to pick one word among the many. Knowing that he can actually sleep and know that no one would disturb him because Laxus would make sure no one plays a prank or throws something on the direction of someone who's not only defenseless by product of being asleep, but also hasn't given that type of liberty to anyone outside his inner circle in a pretty clear way. With his siblings/guildmates (not 100% sure which one you prefer), sure, whatever, after so many years he might as well return the favor while at it, they know each other's limits. But someone he doesn't know? While also not knowing how to conduct himself in regular society? (slavery + dark guild + jail + Crime Sorciere do not prepare you for just how much you can chew out a guy for trying to doodle on your face, does it?) Not a good combo. And how that would increase the closer they are? Being able to rest calmly at the guild? Without feeling the need to remain at least slightly vigilant and maintain a magic shield (except on bad days)? The massive show of trust it would be to let himself fall asleep instead of waiting to pass out from exhaustion to avoid the intrusive thoughts and, hopefully, the nightmares.

Figuring out that he can return the favor by bending the sound waves away and creating a little barrier for Laxus before the noise of 50+ people in the same place overstimulates him? Keeping an eye out or making sure that Laxus cab still hear the muffled sounds in case he needs to step in. Finding the small ways he can return the favor, like shielding them all from view when the reporters come knocking if they don't want to be disturbed. If they ever ride a train together, he would go as far as to try and find a way to ground Laxus, and ease the nausea, both to prove he can and to give back some of what Laxus unknowingly gave him.

Being left alone and finding that they do, in fact, get along really well and can hold long conversations even without someone else to function as a bridge, or comfortable silences that feel adequately like hanging out instead of just existing in the same space.

Watching Macbeth and Freed go over stashes of papers and research that Brain had hidden away for hours on end vs watching Laxus and Erik throw hands while sparring.

The mutual respect slowly building through small gestures, displays of power on missions and the way they care for those around them, so different yet so similar. Laxus seeing different sides of Macbeth when he manages to call off Sorano from acting like a jealous older sister about him hanging out with Laxus of Freed before she even gets started, or shutting Sawyer up before he tries to argue in favor of doing something stupid. Being allowed to see the lowest moments, when he's almost neurotic about how he could have done so much more for the others if he hadn't been so self absorbed, how guilty he feels about not sharing what he knew, not so deep down, about Brain, about being the one who led them to do a lot of awful things, how he was supposed to lead and protect them due to being the unspoken second in command and did the opposite. Laxus even sharing some night what happened at festival and how, even if they did it out of their free will, he almost convinced his best friends to follow him down a darker path than they were already walking on.

They would be the punk-ish conservatory kid that usually doesn't even share what non-classical music he listens to because he's too afraid of being punished for it + the confident guy who would rock his world without even trying, by just being himself, and that breaks the shield enough to bring forth the conservatory kid's full, inhibited charm, because confidence looks oddly sexy on him. I went through old asks because this is admittedly a recently developed ship for me, and I struggle a bit with Laxus' characterization, but let me bring up the Ivan debate and comment: Macbeth would understand that feeling to a T. Even if he was more aware that Brain was Like That, he still has conflicted feelings. He still wanted to earn that love up until the last minute and had to be all but forced to let go. Even if he agreed with Erik on getting rid of the man, he still looks sorrowful, and looks back at the corpse when everyone else has accepted Erik's word and moved on (and stashed the entire even on the "to process later" bottle). I feel like I'm leaving a thousand things out, but... This is what I have to offer at the moment.

I'm glad I asked, this is a lot different than what I was imagining. I had very specific ideas about Midnight/Macbeth and how he'd love and if it would even be possible.

Answering these requests may take me some time since I'm working so late the next few days, but rest assured I'm working on them.

[fearsgod]

SHE TAKES A MOMENT TO CONSIDER HER REPLY; his lack of understanding her intentions somewhat ENDEARING as much as it was VEXING . Being an ASSASSIAN herself - she related to the inability to trust , every dark corner an immediate THREAT rather than a simple reason to be wary , yet finding these similarities in him was one of the main elements that caught her attention in the first place ; that plus the undeniably SKILLFULL way in which he went about his duties .

❝     -- Keen observation .    ❞ is all she can mutter , eyes averted as crimson heat paints her pale cheeks RED .

⤷ ⸢ A CONTINUATION FOR @tacetferrum​ from HERE ⸣

[runawaymun]

Harvest?

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?

is it weird to say Bean from Ender's Shadow?

To be fair I always identify with weird little kids in stories, like Sara in Little Princess, Anne in Anne of Green Gables, etc. But Bean has this extra layer of being weird and alien, but hyper analyzing everybody around him that the other two characters don't have. Anne & Sara tend not to understand why the people around them do the things they do. Bean understands wayyyyy too much and I relate. Plus he's little (ain't worth a bean), and Orson Scott Card does an amazing job as an author when he employs this as a character trait. IDK if I'm making sense, but being abnormally little is not something that I see in media very often, portrayed as something more than a passing character trait. Like we get little kids. We get skinny kids. Etc. But it's usually not like, portrayed as this huge life-defining trait. As a kid where growing up (and as an adult) -- that was all anybody really had to say about me, and boy it's vexing. It's like that for Bean in the book, too. I can't really think of any other media, actually, that does this at all to the level that Orson Scott Card does with Bean. So I guess, both as a kid reading Ender's Shadow and still as an adult, it's something that I always connected to and liked to see represented with a main character. And yeah just the way he reads people and he experiences childhood was something that I instantly connected to when I read the book. Loved it. 10/10.

I also gotta say Shallan, from Stormlight Archive, but again she's on the list of-- okay she's not a kid--- but she was definitely a weird little kid and she's a weird adult lol. There's a reason Words of Radiance is my favorite of the series so far. I always am so excited to read Shallan chapters and I track with her and the way she interacts with the world so, so much. I haven't finished Rhythm of War yet but I definitely am most invested in her plot so far (go figure lol).

I have to admit there's not an LOTR or Silm character that I can look at and go 'that's me' lol. I think I see pieces of myself in various characters, but there has never been an LOTR character who I have really identified with, which I suppose is a bit strange considering how many of them are my blorbos lol.

ask game

[leithillustration]

Tarot Suits and the Gangsey

Does anyone have thoughts on which of the four minor arcana suits match which characters in the Gangsey? This is something I’ve been wondering about since I want to make some illustrations referencing the qualities of each suit in order to help me in my tarot readings. Obvs being a big Raven Cycle and Dreamer Trilogy nerd, I cannot possibly consider doing these illustrations without including my good boyos in the background!

Here’s what I have so far (below the cut)… sorry it’s such an essay… but also not sorry. CW: Spoilers?

💙Blue of Cups

Obviously Cups has to be Blue, right? It’s referenced so much in the books. Cups is all about togetherness, family, creativity, love, feelings, how we express emotions and connect to others. It feels right that this is Blue, with her connections to her family at 300 Fox Way. The way she communicates with Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah and loves them all for different reasons. Blue is creative and the element of water seems to fit her well - she reflects others potential while having hidden depths of her own, and holds her dreams close to her heart. Blue is also fiery enough to be wands, especially with her ambitions to travel and her creativity, but I’m not sure it fits her as well as Cups. I think there is still space within Cups for her to be her wonderful passionate feminist self.

Here are my first sketches for this piece.

🗡️Gansey of Swords..?

I feel Gansey is a good fit for representing Swords as it’s about intellect, logic, reasoning, knowledge, ideas, taking action. The imagery of Gansey with a sword is very kingly, and through TRC he’s constantly striving for knowledge and applying his own brand of Welsh King obsessed logic to everything (Gansey truly is the king of neurodivergent hyperfixation/adhd deep dives and I love him for it). Conflict is a part of swords too, and Gansey has a lot of that going on with Adam and Ronan as well as his family.. BUT here’s where I start to question things. Swords could just as easily apply to Adam. He’s arguably wrapped up in more conflict than Gansey (his father, his view of himself and what he wants, his ambitions constantly butting up against his background etc) and he’s an equal driving force for action throughout TRC. He’s intelligent and logical too. So who is a greater representation of Swords energy? Gansey could also represent Pentacles for his wealth and his connection to Glendower being very earthy.

🔥Ronan of Wands.. or Pentacles.. or Cups!?

Before I go on to apply Adam to every other tarot suit too, let’s give Ronan some attention. Wands is a great fit for Ronan (despite the magician imagery that obviously suits Adam- oops, I said I’d move on). Wands has fire energy, and Ronan is burning throughout TRC and The Dreamer Trilogy (thank you so so much Maggie for giving us this amazing spin off which gives me LIFE). He’s active and passionate, creative and everything is sexually charged with him. He can be aggressive and argumentative, and he grows so so much throughout all the books. But then, perhaps because if that growth, Ronan fits with so much earth energy too, which is encompassed by Pentacles. He dreams of / is partly a fantastical forest (all the best people are). His dreams are all about sensation, he is grounded in nature at the barns and he has strong values… which also relates to Cups! Ronan’s love and fierce loyalty for his family and friends, the way he loves is so cups! He’s instinctive. He wears his heart on his sleeve (I know there is a quote about this somewhere in the Dreamer Trilogy but I have no idea where). Cups is about dreams and family. Ronan is definitely Wands throughout TRC, but he’s also very Cups too in TDT imo. Of course, there’s also the conflict aspect of Swords that is Ronan all over- the punk is made of conflict - plus Ronan makes Vexed to Nightmare so he literally has a sword.. but the rest of the Sword suit doesn’t really fit with him as he’s far more about feelings and instinct than logic and reasoning.

🌱Adam of Pentacles… but also everything else too.

I originally cringed at applying Pentacles to Adam (I feel like he’d be mad at me because this suit has so much to do with finance) but having thought about it more, I think it fits him quite well. Pentacles has earth energy, which is so Adam Parish it’s ridiculous. I will be your hands, I will be your eyes etc. Despite all the turmoil in TRC, Adam remains grounded. He’s sure of where he wants to get to. He’s probably the most practical of the group too, next to Blue, and is very aware of his environment and his financial instability. He strives for financial security and seeks opportunities where he can. Throughout and especially by the end of the Dreamer trilogy, he’s a real grounding force for Ronan (fuck, Greywarren did things to me. Is it too much to stick my favourite Adam / Ronan chapters to my walls?!) and his connection to Cabeswater in TRC is all very earthy.. but it’s also very mystical and Cuppy?? Cups encompasses psychic energy which Adam has in spades. He also has the intellectual prowess and logic for Swords, and the fiery stubbornness and ambition of Wands.

Ultimately I think it’s really interesting how all the characters overlap in some areas, just like the tarot suits do. I’m very excited to make some art based on it all!

PS- Noah’s suit is Major Arcana. Henry’s suit is a toga.

PPS- If you read this far, thank you for sticking with my ramblings! Have a cute little ghost 👻

[ogdoadfates]

Between these lines: Chapter #4

Here it is! The long awaited fourth chapter of ‘Between these lines’ which unless I write the fight scene is the last chapter! If you haven’t read the previous chapters I’d recommend reading them! Here is the link to the story! [ Link ]

The coffee shop Vex and Percy decided to meet up at luckily wasn’t that crowded which meant the two of them plus Trinket were able to acquire one of the outside tables. Currently Vex was leaning back, relaxing and sipping from her coffee while Percy was checking his phone.

“Keyleth has successfully made it to you and your brother's apartment it seems.” He says putting his phone down, finally giving Trinket the pets he’s been begging for. Vex makes a hum of acknowledgment as she puts her drink down onto the table. She just watches him interact with Trinket for a while. 

Today is quite the contrast to last night, instead of gloomy rain and drought with anxiety it’s sunny with a light breeze and a rather calming atmosphere. She’s rather glad they didn’t cancel this, not to mention it means she doesn’t have to deal with her brother moping about thinking he’s ruined things with Keyleth. Like he could even accomplish that, the girl is as sweet on him as he is for her. She’ll joke and gag but she does genuinely believe the two would be good for each other, if only they’d get their heads out of their asses that is.

“How long do you think it’s going to take them to realize that they both like each other?” Vex says aloud, Percy slows down his petting, much to Trinket’s chagrin, to look up and ponder her question with a hum.

“With those two? It’s hard to say, Keyleth is rather perceptive until it involves herself and knowing she has her own reservations. If she figured it out first I doubt she’d do anything about it and just continue to wallow.” His answer slightly surprises Vex, her eyebrows going up a bit, she tilts her head, resting it on her hand as she looks at him with a confused expression.

“Reservations?” Vex says watching Percy finally return to his own drink, Trinket the poor dog giving up and just laying down at their feet. He gives off an affirmative humm and he takes a sip from his drink.

“It’s not really my place to say but Keyleth’s views on family and romantic relations are a bit, for the lack of a better word, tainted.” With those few words Vex suddenly remembers one of the first conversations her and her brother had with Keyleth, they’d be in a bar, all of them a bit tipsy and just a smidge truth drunk when Keyleth revealed her mother had up and left her and her father when she was young. Well that would do it, I suppose. Vex nods in understanding as she takes another sip from her coffee.

“That’s going to be fun to deal with.” She grumbles, hearing Percy grunt in begrudging agreement. “But besides my brother and your best friend’s antics, how’ve you been?” At this he perks up.

And with that they spend the time chatting away, at some point getting their food and letting Trinket steal a few bites here and there. Afternoon leads to night, the long since abandoned the coffee shop and now taking a stroll when Percy gets a text.

“It appears Keyleth is staying at your guys’ place.” He says with slight surprise which Vex reflects.

“Mind then if I and Trinket crash at yours? Though I doubt they’d get up to anything, I’d rather not chance it.” Vex says with a shudder. Yeah she’d rather think of anything else other than her twin and Keyleth-Yup nope, she’s going to keep her thoughts on Percy and Trinket, thank you very much. Percy’s chuckles.

“Of course.” He says, now directing their walk towards his and Keyleth’s apartment building. It’s a comfortable and enjoyable silence as they make their way there and once inside Vex couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

Now no one in their group of friends is really all that tidy but there is something always bizarre yet endearing about how haphazard Percival and Keyleth’s apartment looks whenever she visits. Plant pots brimming with life and random tools and gears all strung about the place, an occasional book misplaced in a truly odd place, like the one on top of the fridge that she could only just barely make out was about some sort of train engine.

It’s strange, odd, bizarre and a whole other list of related words but yet it was also oddly homely. If you’d ask Vex who of her and her friends have truly made themselves at home in this city she’d be able to answer with Percy and Keyleth in a heartbeat.

They end up sitting on the sofa, watching some odd show that she’s never heard of but when one scene makes Percy full on belly laugh, she decides to keep the show in mind. It takes her a little while to notice she’s completely stopped watching the show and instead is watching Percival himself, she blushes a bit but doesn’t take her gaze off of him. It’s rare to see him so relaxed, in fact she could probably count the times he’s been this relaxed on one hand.

It takes her a minute to register Percy’s talking to her, causing the blush already on her face to darken which thankfully Percy doesn’t comment on other than a slight chuckle and a blush of his own.

“I believe it’s time for bed. If you want, I doubt Keyleth would mind you using her bed.” He says to which she nods. Percy helps Vex up and leads her over to Keyleth’s room which Vex realizes would be the first time she’s actually seen Keyleth’s room. The two tell each other goodnight before he walks over and enters his own room.

Vex takes a moment to stare at Keyleth’s bedroom door and couldn’t help but chuckle a little under her breath at the childlike glow up stars placed all over the door. Opening the door and looking into Keyleth’s bedroom though, she wasn’t prepared to be enamored by Keyleth’s decor. Tapestries of all sorts of wildlife strung upon the walls, plants in every odd corner, suncatchers, and all sorts of soft colors. It’s a pleasant mixture of maturity and childhood like nostalgia, the kind that you can’t place yet recognize.  Walking through the room though, the thing that quickly caught her eye then left her mind blank and a slow crawling warmth started to take over her chest.

There on the wall right next to Keyleth’s desk and a photo of Keyleth and her dad is a picture of all of them, to be precise there are three pictures, one of the whole group but the other two were of Keyleth, Percy, Vax and herself.

She brings up her hand to lightly touch one of the pictures. Vex could guess from the very day she met Keyleth that the woman was very sentimental but Vex could have never guessed that a picture of her and her brother, two of them at that, would find its way onto someone's wall other than her and her brother’s late mother.

She lets her arm drop and softly smiles, her brother better start to step up to the plate and confess to this woman and if Keyleth needs help to make the jump? Well Vex is sure Percy would be willing to join Vex in helping her.

[the-light-finds-its-way]

Courtship of the Heart

Kahun's ship landed upon Neomuna's tower landing bay. Opening up, the gigantic Cabal walked down the stairwell, onto the balcony, where Nimbus's eyes widened as they focused a single shot upon him.

"Don't come any closer, Shadow Legion!" they said.

Kahun threw his arms up, his Ghost hovering at his side. "I'm not Shadow Legion!! I'm Zavala and Caiatl's son!!" he hastily said.

Nimbus's jaw dropped to the ground. "Zavala has a son? And he's with Caiatl?!"

"I'm adopted, I know," Kahun explained. He dropped his arms. "Can I come out please?"

"Uhh... let me just confirm with-"

"Allow my son safe passage. I am certain you two will get along well," Caiatl's voice rang out as her heavy footsteps came forth. There, she made her way to Kahun's ship, offering a single hand.

Kahun took it, and bowed. "Thank you, Mother." Standing upright, he let go, and walked toward Nimbus, who, despite their height, still didn't quite reach that of Kahun, who stood at least a few inches taller. Not as tall as his mother, though. Nonetheless, the Cabal grinned, and bowed to Nimbus, too. "I've... heard about the Cloudstriders. And what they can do. I'm impressed," he said.

Nimbus waved their arms. "No need to bow to me. I'm just a rookie!" they insisted.

Nodding, Kahun righted himself once more, and smiled obviously beneath the rebreather. "Well. There's clearly a war going on here, and I gotta shoot some shit. So point me in the right direction, and I'll get firing!"

Caiatl sighed, shaking her head. "You're brash, Kahun. Remember, headlong into war will only lead to your demise."

The Cabal sighed, nodding. "Sorry, Mother."

"Apologize not to me, but to yourself, and your Ghost. He will have to resurrect you when you die repeatedly," she explained.

"I'm a Guardian. Dying is what I do best." Kahun chuckled, and looked to Nimbus, putting one hand awkwardly behind his head. "I'm... sorry... about my mom. She's just trying to protect me..."

"I get it! I really do!" Nimbus said. "Rohan tries to do the same thing to me."

Kahun chuckled a little. "He sounds like a great guy, then, just as my mother's an incredible woman."

"Oh, he's the best! I hope to be as good as him one day."

"You seem pretty great already!" Kahun said enthusiastically. "You're the tallest person I've met who isn't Cabal! That's a plus. Do you know how hard it is to lean over and talk to my dad all the time? Hah."

Nimbus chuckled now, too, albeit nervously. "You know, I never thought I'd be conversing with another Cabal on even terms. I knew we had allies in you, but not you specifically."

"Yeah. It's... gotta be hard... to see us as on your side during a time like this. I'm... sorry..."

"Sorry for what? You've done nothing wrong!"

"I'm just used to apologizing, I guess." Kahun hung his head. "Well... let me not hold you up any longer. Where're the Vex, and what are they up to? I'll get on destroying them for your guys' sake."

"Maybe I can come with?" Nimbus asked.

Now, Kahun's eyes widened. "You want to come with me?"

"Yeah! Why not? You seem like a cool guy!"

Kahun grinned beneath the rebreather, and rammed a fist against his chest. "Alright! Let's go, then! Kahun Tu'mak, pleasure to meet you!"

Nimbus bowed. "You must be the Archduke of Cabal, then. Right? I'm Nimbus, milord. Pleasure to meet you."

"Well... I don't have a formal title yet, but Mom's training me for sure! So no need to bow to me," Kahun told them.

Nodding, Nimbus stood, smiling. "Alright! Let's get shootin' some Vex!" Getting on their board, they surfed off into the sky, as Kahun jumped down the air current leading to the ground below.

And upon the balcony, Caiatl crossed her arms contentedly, nodding. "Perhaps they'll get along too well. Maybe it's for the best. Kahun needs someone to relate to," she said to herself. Pressing the comm on her helmet, she spoke again. "Zavala, he's safe. In good hands. Should we keep an eye on that Nimbus? Make sure they do not... court... our son?"

"If they do, let it be," Zavala said. "Kahun's earned their courtship of heart if he does choose to. And I'm certain Nimbus will have earned his all the same."