#serpent mage

[deathgatesideblog]

Thinking about how Grundle (and Sabia) probably met Alake when she was a baby.... Screaming crying throwing up

[throughtrialbyfire]

Be that as it may in this antiquated way it's saying something other than it did back in it's day

happy birthday (19th Sun's Dawn) to the mage ever, Wyndrelis Femer! i've always associated him with the moon Masser, and him being a mage, it seemed a natural fit to draw him with the Staff of Magnus <3

read the fic he's in here, if you want, and be sure to click on the image to see the details on this piece!

[klinckfoster]

Serpent Priestess "Folk say she's a witch but I've heard she's some kind of pagan priestess, worshipping ancient snake gods and such. Says absurd things - there is no god's truth, all roads end in one place or it's all just one road, that our temples are her altars too and so on"

[the-flying-serpent]

More graphic novel art tests, this time with Taiba using magik. It looks... a little boring. Need to figure that out.

But, yes this this is the basic idea of how magik looks in JotFS, a circle created by the hand of a Mage created to do a particular spell (perhaps this is a very low level fireball, which is why it looks like that).

[cosmik-homo]

Running here to say someone JUST told me they will read death gate, so the pyramid scheme is working :)

I'm really glad I read it, I had a lot of fun! The final books didn't quite hit the mark for me but as a whole it was a really nice series :) what are your favorite parts if you don't mind me asking?

Yayyyy my empire grows!

I've been really rotating in my mind how to answer this, for basically the whole day. There's very much a case here of "the thing you latch on to as a 12 year old is gonna stay with you forever", and this series helped me unlock a lot of things that have become central to my life, from grappling with sexuality and gender in my tweens and teens to. Very actively opening the door to question the Zionist assumptions I grew up with.

And I do think that despite certain pitfalls (looking at you pryan) the politics of the series are pretty cool, for a fantasy shlock- the validation of rage and vengence instincts on the side of the opressed as real and human (as opposed to bestial or barbaric) while also being unconstructive to creating actually better futures to any sides involved, and the necessity of solidarity and empathy and models of shared life and whatnot are all kind of relevant to what I believe and do with local circles.

But more than that, I really love the character dynamics. Haplo's arc is just a really good examination and deconstruction of fantasy masculinity tropes, and its beautiful and cool and explains how toxic masculinity as we refer to it today functions very well for something written before the phrase was coined.

And Alfred...

Ok, I am entirely incapable of being impartial about Alfred "dopamine creator in chief" Montbank but before I go down that rabbithole, i think what I really want to say here is I often feel the way i recommend or advocate for the death gate cycle in itself kind of ruins for others one of the things I like about it the best and the most and find delightful, which is the entire Bait And Switch ordeal.

It's unique, it's fun, it manages Layers, and it's so interesting in it's meaning.

AUTHORS NOTE: I am going to literally physically cut off the incoming alfred rant when it reaches 300 words. i will let myself write it as much as i want cuz god knows i need the serotonin, this is my version of chasing my own tail, and then just cut it at that cuff.

~~~

What Alfred means and represents and does and is in the books is so cool, and it's another thing that being fixated on dgc changed for me. I used to enjoy star wars the way a normal person would, once upon a time. It was Alfred-Majoring that made me c3po crazy. cuz its like, what kind of people are important to a story, what kind of abilities and attitudes and emotions and symptoms are "normal" and "good" to have on screen or page, as opposed to how we as people react to traumatizing or difficult situations in real life? He's an active expriment in discomfort with the pathetic in yourself and in others, in empathy, in being allowed to exist and be loved and meaningful Ugly and Weird. yeah in some ways its just an ugly duckling but. the whole swan/dragon side coming to the foorefront doesnt make the duck not there, hes just an extremly wonderful and powerful ugly, neurotic swan and its awesome.

The fact that being outside a system because youre too weak or odd to belong or manage to fit in it brings you unique opportunity to question if it's necessary or good.

I read a lot of margaret weis interviews and she never directly talked about writing alfred but she does often mention she doesnt read a lot of sf/f- her favorite authors are actually dickens and austen, and between that and the prufrock connection tm I wouldn't be surprised if alfred was purposefully designed to be a Literary character dropped into a SF/F story- and its sooo interesting in how it interacts with the genre convetions of power/magic/masculinity/trauma/danger etc.

~~~

OK that 278 words but I'm gonna cut it off now, I finished my entire coffee and then some crackers. normal behavior ensues-

On a less Analytical viewpoint of "favorite parts" I will say that the plot, dynamic and Imagery of fire sea is the one I find myself returning to most on a sf/f level - being reminded of it whenever necromantic societies come up, or Life Changing Enemies To Working Together Field Trips, or whatnot- Serpent Mage is i think the best constructed and I am often thinking about the social dynamics Alfred experiences there, and I have a deep and unbridled affection and obsession to the iconic mess of a jumble of a novel that is seventh gate because. sometimes, you just need dragontorture/ xars murderous paternal bedwarding / ghost handhold/ psychicthreesome/ dog based ressurection / closing the gate/ epilogue with children serotonin in life. that was balls to the walls the entire way through. and it rocked.

As i recently explained to a very cool person who ran a lecture on deathgate in a local convention: "When i was thirteen i was like oh i love basing my identity on dragonlance lets go for a fun ride. ooh its kinda slashy yayy. and then the existential teenage conditions hit and i started appreciating the Mental Health Representation, and then the panic attack representation looked me in the eye and said Become Leftist. NOW. we were not joking about the opening your worldview arc it isnt a metaphor this is directly about you. YOU need to fight the horrors in a radical kindness and peace way, even though you have crippling fear, right now. and then i did".

AND there's dogs, and dragons, and gay people devotion. so,

[dndcreaturesinfo]

Spell Serpent

[nimazu]

[sidhedust]

I'm redesigning some Arc I folks! Calisto is my second victim, since I think I could do better with showing off his eagle/jaguar duality with Yolotli.

Calisto much prefers the word "wizard" to "nahual/nahualtin/nagual" since he doesn't use dream-based magic like them, instead using tools and his outfit, which is meant to help him do acrobatics, to get the job done in battle. I like how it's turning out, but I want to tighten the design a little more so to give the outfit a bit more plausibility in battle. I also want it to be a tad more vibrant...maybe a dark green is a better base for the feathers instead of the red-brown?

Extra worldbuilding stuff under the cut!

In Lucero, some mages carry on the tradition of indigenous warriors of ages past: they receive feathers based on magic prowess, and are allowed/encouraged to incorporate eagle/jaguar motifs into their clothing. It's also common to incorporate the deities Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca's many forms in their clothing too, as seen in his goggles/hairpiece mix and his belt.

[saramarus]

Oh so Xar’s homophobic good to know

[mistninja]

me @ myself: nooo dont get into another niche fantasy series ha ha your so sexy

[chocolateteapotthinksfanfic]

Fandom Bingo: Challenge Mode Treasure Hunt

I didn't quite find the time to complete the Expert mode of the Fandom Bingo from @thehighfiveproject​ as I only found out about it at the end of December. But I got pretty close!

I really loved some of the stories that I commented, and my favourites are have a recommendation in the notes. This is very much a personal opinion and should not be taken to mean that the other stories are in any way bad - they absolutely are not - but it’s natural to have favourites.

Old Fic Orisons by historymiss The second fic on Ao3 for the Locked Tomb fandom, and I already reviewed the oldest. Heartbreaking and recommended

<1000 hits / <100 kudos A birthday present for Gideon by barit0wned A Locked Tomb drabble that had 30 hits and 5 kudos when I commented.

Fandom Classic Hearts and Their Consumption by setepenre_set The fic with the most kudo in the Howl's Moving Castle fandom Recommended

Underdog Trope Horse Sense by lizardnightclub A Locked Tomb Horsegirl AU. No power, modern AUs aren't really my thing, but sometimes they are really fun. Like this one. Recommended

Rare Character/Pairing Like a Flower of the Field by Morvidra Stars Ben Sullivan - a minor character in the book version of Howl's Moving Castle. Recommended

Free Square a mortal hunger by LuckyDiceKirby A delightfully messy relationship story for the Serpent Gates series. A hilarious heartcrime starring Zinandour, Shuthmili and Csorwe. Super recommended!

AO3 Archive Warnings Did They Tell You I'm The Devil by Val_Creative A Howl's Moving Castle Story in which the Which the Witch of the Wastes rapes Sophie Hatter.

<1000 words AITA? by catharsis_in_a_bottle A Locked Tomb Reddit post by God.

New (To You) Author The sky shall open, and I shall drink my fill by rogue_treantess A Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri fanfic with a compelling look at Gaian society from the perspective of Lindly (the worm handler). Recommended

>10000 Words We Don't Need No Education by EarthScorpion A character from the default protagonist faction is captured by the Technocracy in this Mage the Ascension fanfic. The Technocracy shows her their nicest side. (A guy is forcibly cyborgised on alternate days of the week.) Recommended

New Fic Hissing Shadows by SmugBigfoot A Mage: the Ascension fanfic where a Technocracy agent confronts a Yig cultist.

Underdog Character/Pairing white carnations by miilkweed420 A Howl's Moving Castle fanfic where Howl is serious about someone who is not Sophie.

Outside Your Fandom A World Elsewhere by DannyBarefoot The Rookies from Goblin Slayer (which I am not familiar with), have adventures in settings based on other canons, which I am again not familar with.

1st/2nd Person POV Almost Absolution (Anonymous Author) A First/Second Person POV fic for the Locked Tomb fandom. Intensely written, it's Alecto/Harrowhark, where Alecto is the narrator and Harrow is the you. Recommended

Underrated Fave The Nameless Assassins by arianedartagnan A Blades in the Dark RPG chronicle. I understand why it doesn't get the attention it deserves - a long, OC centric piece floating about fanfiction.net's "Misc Games" section doesn't have the best prerequisites to become an instant classic, particularly as "based on a roleplay" is in my experience often a warning sign. However, the writing is very good, with the tone successfully swinging between the serious and the very funny. The character interaction is absolutely fantastic and the plot revelations are really interesting. Recommended

[deathgatesideblog]

Last round and then we can do other polls again, I PROMISE. The winners of the previous three polls will now be pit against each other. May the most insane bit win!

Before you vote, feel free to refresh yourself on the options under the read more.

The circle between the two was truly forged, truly complete. And Alfred knew, with a feeling of overwhelming sadness, that Haplo would never forgive him.

The feet that could not take ten steps without falling over themselves were suddenly executing intricate steps with extraordinary grace and delicacy. His face was grave and solemn, wholly absorbed in the music. He accompanied himself with a grave and solemn song. Hands wove the runes in the air, his feet replicated the pattern on the floor. Haplo watched until he discovered some wayward part of himself feeling touched and entranced by the beauty.

“You know what’ll happen to you in the Nexus.” Haplo didn’t look at him when he spoke, he kept his gaze on the dog. “You know what my Lord will do to you.” “Yes,” Alfred answered. Haplo hesitated a moment, either deciding on his next words or deciding whether or not to say them. When he made his decision, his voice was hard and sharp, cutting through some barrier within himself. “Then, if I were you, I wouldn’t be around when I woke up.” Haplo closed his eyes. Alfred stared in amazement, then smiled gently. “I understand. Thank you, Haplo.”

“I ask you to put the animal outside, Brother.” Alfred sighed, shook his head. “He’ll just come right back in. But I don’t think you need worry about him spying on us for his master. He’s lost his master. That’s why he’s here.” “He wants you to look for his master, for a Patryn?” “I believe so,” said Alfred meekly. Samah’s frown darkened. “And this doesn’t seem strange to you? A dog belonging to a Patryn, coming to you, a Sartan, for help?” “Well, no,” said Alfred, after a moment’s reflection. “Not considering what the dog is. That is, what I think it might be.” He was somewhat flustered.

“Farewell, my friend,” he said. “Thank you for bringing me back to life. Haplo took Alfred’s hand, then embraced the startled and embarrassed Sartan. “Thank you,” Haplo said, his voice gruff, “for giving me life. Farewell, my friend.” Alfred was extremely red. He patted Haplo’s back awkwardly, then turned away, wiping his eyes and nose with his coat sleeve.

"Haplo! I need your help!" Alfred quavered. "Are you mad? Patryn magic and Sartan magic can't work together!" "How do we know?" Alfred returned desperately. "Just because it's never been done, at least that we're aware of. Who knows but that somewhere, sometime in the past--" "All right! All right! Shutting Death's Gate. That's it? That's what we've got to do?" [...] Alfred sucked in a deep breath, began to sing. To his astonishment, Haplo joined him. The Patryn's baritone slid in under, lifted, and supported Alfred's high-pitched tenor.

[throughtrialbyfire]

i started on wyndrelis' backstory fic and i'm building a few characters for it, but one of them is a dunmer who constantly says "lord, mother, and wizard" especially when stressed (which is always)

[dndsettingsinfo]

The Ol' Silver Serpent Saloon

[Part 1 of 2]

[the-flying-serpent]

A quick explanation of Mages and how to identify them

[cosmik-homo]

Thinking of ways of having Orla survive the vortex in ways that makes Into The Labyrinth more interesting and doesn't distract from anything it has going on and.

My batrery is really low but my brain is whirlinngggg

I *like* that Alfred has some avoidance mental health regressions in the vortex and has to Dragged out. Idk how to not change thst but.

I think Orla is still more struggling politically with Discovering the labyrinth is this bad and Patryn Are People and the like, I think she's more emotionally upset, for instance, at that kind of tension while Alfred is more adept with it, and maybe also a little awkward and complicated with his level of struggle in the labyrinth physically- into the labyrinth has some great disabled Alfred moments imo, and. Having another Sartan around to a) see him b) be able to do it Normal, highlighting how exactly some of his shit isn't Being A Dainty Sartan / Privilege Inexperience but. Something Wrong With Him. Would be fascinating.

And relationships!!! Into the labyrinth is so about Haplo and Marit- and how despite everything between them going so distant and their opposed ideas at the start they find each other again and love each other for who they are and.

Having Alfred and Orla- so similar in so many ways, p much on the same page to some various degrees, last time we see them, and their relationship is somewhere between squeaking and crumbling, depending how you play it.... the pairs could be fascinating foils.

(Idk exactly how to resolve this aspect well- or, well, I do to my own Shipping preferences but even there I can see a myriad of ways to do it.)

Regardless I think Alfred would still tell Haplo his name First. The cultural context of it is so heavy.... And doesn't that add an insane tension?

Same with Alfred and Vasu's revelation. Alfred reacting to the knowledge of patryn and sartan mingling socially with awe and recognition and connection while Orla first and mainly finding relief she did not damn these people she's so guilty and afraid of becoming to demise.... (maybe Vasu would question that judgement- being put in the labyrinth is still pretty fucking bad)- but also that means, yknow, the weight of that unity having been possible to achieve within her generation???? Insane. Delicious. Also I do think she'd freak a little at the Racial aspect.

I keep feeling bad for trying to cast Orla as more conservative to Alfred but she. Is that's part of the whole thing.

The bit where Haplo decides to translate Alfred and Hugh both as Mensch to the patryn to not out him as Sartan could be another FASCINATING thing to see Orla grapple with. It's familiar and normal to Alfred, but something she actively Pities him for...

And again, Marit and her can foil for each other in interesting ways, to balance Haplo and Alfred who've both grown much more comofrtable and confident in their ideas and their connection.

And IDK I think it would require v much complicating things all the time but. I think she can stay with Kari and the battle at the final gate so Seventh Gate can stay as is and it would be a cool and fascinating example of cooperation and then gives an opportunity to play various political concepts ive always wanted to play with but would be too ooc or miserable for alfred- like telling Ramu that since allegedly the purpose of the labyrinth was a reforming challenge and she made it out, done her sentence, she can be back in society, right. Otherwise are you admitting it's not really what we meant. In our hearts.

And Ramu will always have some ears his way when talking against Alfred- the Outsider, The Faggot, the Traitor- but as much as "if you think you can talk to your mother like that you've been noticing how I've been subtly degrading her for years" dot the onion dot com applies here I still think this being, for a new occasion in Sartan political life, a PUBLICLY OBSERVABLE forum, any way he'll talk to his mother is gonna have much more weight.

I understand why it would have made the already large and complex novel too large and complex but!!!! ORLA IN INTO THE LABYRINTH! MUCH TO THINK ABOUT!