#thread: irving

[likes-words-and-shrimp]

Colette loses her life at the Tower of Salvation.

I am just always thinking about Colette's psyche and how much she internalized her worth as only a commodity to save the world since she was a child, and how almost literally everyone enabled this thinking to such a damaging point, that she goes through with her sacrifice. Even Lloyd does this to some degree, that the Chosen will save the world, until he realizes what that actually means. (This got kinda long so the rest is under a cut).

Colette, at one point refers to herself as a creature, and that she wasn't even considered human. She's the offspring of an angel, and her role is to go save the world when she reaches a suitable age, to never be seen again. Almost everyone believed this, including herself.

She's been told time and time again that the world would be better once she's gone, and she believes that too. Because no one in her family, in her church, or in her village tells her otherwise. People cared about her, but for many, their belief in that she needed to fulfill the role she was born for superseded anything else.

Raine is her teacher and protects her, but she's essentially walking her to her death, and feels guilt as she does so. Genis accepts this too, and even tries to stop Lloyd from going to Colette, saying what else could they do? Lloyd is the only one to counter this, once he starts to understand just what being an angel does to her. And he tries so hard to, but he doesn't save her.

Maybe to some people it seems like she made the choice to go to the tower? But it's motivated by years of conditioning, of people telling her she's not human, that she has no other role than this. It’s not really a choice if you feel there isn’t any other choice at all.

Lloyd begging her to not go is him trying to break through over a decade of that conditioning, of that internalization that she’s not meant to keep living. He tries, and he fails. He may have rescued her body afterwards? But he failed in actually saving Colette herself.

Colette does want to save the world, but it's at the cost of losing herself. Selfish to think that, selfish to want there to be another way. Even when Lloyd is the only voice to tell her it's okay to want to live, it doesn't get through to her. The damage done to her is too much.

And even after she comes back, that decade of conditioning, of not seeing herself as human still shadows her. Her body gets covered in crystal, and she think it's a punishment, that it's a symbol of the weakness in her. She can't even say out loud yet that she wants to stay living.

Lloyd is the only voice, at least at the beginning, to tell her that it is okay for her to feel otherwise. It takes so long to break through her, she goes through so much struggle over it until the reveal of her shame and failure makes her collapse. She finally breaks down.

And Lloyd still going to her and saying that the crystal on her skin isn't ugly is what sends her into such disbelief. The only person to keep seeing her, to keep wanting her around. But that's the moment when it changes to how much she can say she wants to live.

Like when she's kidnapped by Zelos and calls out to Lloyd? She's finally letting herself do so, letting herself be selfish and call out to the one person who has been supporting her time and again. She no longer feels she has no choice but to die.

Her trauma is something that can be easily missed, because of her constant need to keep up a positive attitude, brushing off any hurt she sustains. But the people of Sylvarant called her a failure and blamed her for Palmacosta’s destruction, (even shown in Dawn of the New World). I really believe Colette is one of the most deeply traumatized characters in Symphonia, who loses her life at the tower, and Lloyd never gets to save her from that moment.

But the ending with her and Lloyd at the Tree, at the prospect of new life, and that she witnesses the birth of a name, really shows hope not only for the world, but for her as well. She’s seeing the growth of life before her, and she is able to do so without needing to die. Like the tree, she needed love and admiration from another to thrive.

[brokehorrorfan]

Terror Threads has released two Carrie shirts designed by Sam Coyne and Toto6. Priced at $30, they’ll ship by March 18.

[plantfeed]

status: open

location: fannies

              the bar was quiet in the kind of way that the coast felt just before a storm ; apprehensive, on the cusp of something. bitterly windy outside and just shy of eight thirty on a tuesday, she’d come from one of the worst sales pitches of her life. so she went to the place where any sane resident of the town would go after a rough, strenuous day when all they really needed was to let loose, chug a tequila, and dance until they felt seasick enough to skinny dip ; fannies, where she was anonymous, standoffish enough for the regulars ignore her yet frequent enough for the bartender to know her drink order as soon as she neared the bar.  quiz night was wrapping up, a younger crowd than usual. the median age was probably thirty-six, and for the first time natalya felt too old for a place in her pin striped trousers and her pussybow blouse. she'd decided to just bra and blazer it in an attempt to fit in  ( that was vogue, right ? )  popping the buttons of her blouse undone to pull it off and stuff it into her purse as she waited for her drinks ( a large glass of merlot and a shot of café patron ). shrugging her blazer on, she rolled up the sleeves, a pop of red lace visible beneath her suit that felt both slutty and empowering. suddenly self-aware, she reapplied her eyeliner in the reflective screen of her phone, dragging out the wing, smudging black into her waterline. standing back to look at herself, she noticed another patron in the reflection of her phone, and with a reluctant sigh, announced. “ do you want a shot ? i ordered one and now i don’t want it, but i’d feel like a cunt to say no when they’ve poured it. ” she reapplied her lipstick — pillarbox red, like the lace frill of her bra, the heel of her stillettos and the strap of her bag ( she loves an accent colour )  — and sunk down onto the bar stool next to the other patron. “ honestly you’d be doing me a favour. saves me from looking like a washed-up forty-something drinking alone. ” her laugh was curt and acidic, like the squirt of lime that followed a tequila shot.     

[vastwinterskies]

if the characters of the terror were like internet personalities (streamers, youtubers, podcasters etc) what do you think everyone would do and what would their viral moment be (for better or for worse)

oh that is an incredible question actually. let me think.

James "Walking Podcast" Fitzjames has it all of course. Instagram, youtube, personal website, ridiculously embellished linkedin, 2-3 podcasts, etc etc. Goes viral for various things, unfortunately mostly entitled shenanigans (Selfies cuddling the cheetah that hopped into your jeep aren't cool, James)

Goodsir, predictably, has a small professional twit or similar that he posts on occasionally. Goes viral for an enthusiastic 5am ramble reply to a shitpost.

Jopson moonlights with an ASMR account that politely and unapologetically straddles the line between niche subject and thinly veiled fetish content. "ASMR Personal attention: your valet helps you get dressed for the day"

Little has a rather anonymous internet presence. That's for the better, because he spends way too much time on rule34, furaffinity, and reddit.

Collins is a top notch gamer. Uploads walkthroughs and speedruns with commentary. The kind of guy who loses a 2 hour run to a frame perfect skip, simply goes "ah, yea that is hard to get", resets and keeps going.

Sol Tozer has a medium size twitch following. Goes viral for casually mentioning "brojobs" on stream, and again after people discover his personal hornyposting twit where he's been posting hole and pup play content

James Clark Ross has charismatic host energy. Idk what he does tho. Seems like the guy who would narrate speedruns on Games Done Quick, or do educational and creative projects. "We built a historically accurate tea clipper in my backyard" type videos.

Hodgson runs a cryptic music meme page. "Biblically accurate Tschaikovsky" type stuff. Goes viral for a Kunstlied based on loss.png

Irving's got a popular facebook page creating those graphic-design-is-my-passion type images boomers love to send on messenger apps. You know the ones. Noone knows how many of his followers are following the page ironically.

When Crozier is feeling grouchy he replies to questions on forums by linking a vaguely related question from 3 years ago and closing the thread.

[pizza-scrybe]

For those of you playing the home game here, the plot we've been running around in the RP is still going strong! this one's just the latest starter image I made for it. :D

Threads can be found here (Office visit with Irving) and here (Aftermath)!

[lesbianaang]

something really intriguing to me as i’ve been researching queer victorian literature is the long-running thread between bram stoker and oscar wilde. although it’s not clear exactly when stoker started writing dracula, many historians place it about a month after the end of the wilde trials.

stoker never said anything explicitly about the outcome of the trials or wilde and his works himself, which is interesting as they both a.) grew up in prominent families in ireland, where their families often attended one another’s parties; b.) went to the same college at the same time, and were in some of the same clubs; c.) courted the same woman, whom stoker eventually married, although wilde continued to be a presence in her life; and d.) moved to england around the same time and became writer contemporaries, running in the same circles in the literary world, as well as in the theater world! this is especially notable as most of stoker’s closest friends DID comment on the wilde trials at the time, often expressing how upset they were with the outcome and sharing support for wilde when most of london despised him.

it’s also notable that stoker likely spent at least some time in victorian queer spaces, as there’s plenty of evidence of his deep, loving relationships with hall caine (whom dracula is dedicated to) and henry irving (the often cited inspiration for dracula himself). not to mention his love letters to walt whitman, which seem to depict stoker fighting against his own repressed emotions and his admiration for whitman’s relatively unshackled freedom with his sexuality. at the same time, however, years later stoker also published articles on the importance of censorship in fiction and stage plays, specifically citing “deviancy” and “indecency” (code for queer sexuality) as topics which should not be addressed in proper society.

i think most literature-enjoyers these days are aware of the reading of dracula/vampire literature as a metaphor for queer sexuality, but i think this specific context of the wilde trials, where wilde’s (for the time) fairly flamboyant, unabashed approach to his queer sexuality was met with public humiliation and exile, adds a lot to this context. if wilde represents the “new homosexual,” where engaging in queer acts now has implications on fundamentally WHO you are, then stoker in contrast is the queer old guard, where he is fully closeted, not drawing attention to his sexuality, and keeping the act of gay sex/attraction separate from his fundamental identity.

in other words, i think dracula the novel could be read as dracula, a monstrous creature with great powers that are relegated to the shadows and shunned by christian society, feeding upon and transforming others into demonic beings such as himself, being hunted down by ABRAHAM van helsing, who himself is widowed but with great admiration and love for the men around him. dracula, who evokes in van helsing awe of his abilities, disgust of what he does to others, and pity over who he is, is the semi-out victorian homosexual that must be eradicated from this world by the virtuous (and closeted) van helsing.

[chicinsilk]

US Vogue September 1, 1964

Wilhelmina Cooper wears a small coat, chamois on the outside, navy blue on the inside, in double-faced wool. Piped seams, very light on the body, with a navy blue leather leash threaded high on the waist, handfuls of pearls on the throat. By and at Hattie Carnegie, of Garigue fabric. The necklace of Pakula. Gloves of Kislav. Hat Lilly Daché.

Wilhelmina Cooper porte un petit manteau chamois à l’extérieur, bleu marine à l'intérieur, en laine double face. Coutures passepoilées, très légères sur le corps, avec une laisse de cuir bleu marine enfilée haut sur la taille, des poignées de perles sur la gorge. Par et chez Hattie Carnegie, de tissu Garigue. Le collier de Pakula. Gants de Kislav. Chapeau Lilly Daché.

Photo Irving Penn vogue archive

[princehendir]

I'm going to say this here because I know you all know where I'm coming from and that I take COVID seriously and I mask indoors etc etc but I think it's crazy how many threads of examples of "COVID safe activities" made on twitter in an attempt to beat the "so basically no one should ever have fun again" accusations are just identical to the list of activities suggested by Lt. Irving to Mr. Hickey to help stave off his homosexual desires.

[eucanthos]

Irving Penn (US, 1917 - 2009)

Beauty in Our Time, US Vogue May 1961 editorial by Alexander Liberman

thnx fayegonnaslay

https://forums.thefashionspot.com/threads/us-vogue-may-1961-sophia-loren-anne-st-marie-collage.403567/#post-30813670

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Plays: An Experienced Woman Gives Advice (1995)

I haven't done a thread on any of David's plays in a while, so I had some time yesterday to rustle one up about his 1995 play, An Experienced Woman Gives Advice. It premiered 28 years ago yesterday (which was why I chose to do a deeper dive about it) so let's get into it! An Experienced Woman Gives Advice (I'll use EW to refer to the play from here on out because what a long title!) would be David's first time performing onstage at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Prior to winning his role in EW, the last play David had done was What The Butler Saw as Nicholas Beckett, a role he was warmly praised for. What The Butler Saw ran for two months at five different venues around England before closing its run at the Nottingham Theatre Royal in late May 1995.

EW's playwright, Iain Heggie, had seen phenomenal success with his 1987 tour-de-force, A Wholly Healthy Glasgow. But in the years afterwards, Heggie had produced only a few more plays before deciding he'd rather go back to teaching and let his writing commence at its own pace.

Originally written as a miniature sex comedy, EW was long in development, and received further script development workshops at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow in 1992, and at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1993.

Its world premiere would see Heggie's return to the stage.

Initially, it might have seemed odd that EW - with its Glasgow setting, Scottish writer, and fully Scottish cast - didn't make its debut in Scotland. But because Heggie and the Royal Exchange had similar actor-centered outlooks and many of the artistic directors in Scotland preferred a more visual style, Heggie chose to work with the Royal Exchange (who liked his work anyway) and the play made its debut in Manchester.

Previews for EW began at the Royal Exchange Manchester on 21 November 1995, with an opening day of 23 November 1995. It had a small cast of five: Siobhan Redmond as Bella, David Tennant as Kenny, Jenny McCrindle as Nancy, Alastair Galbraith as Irving, and Alexander Morton as Stick. It was directed by Matthew Lloyd, and its assistant director was Marianne Elliott.

The set, which was designed by Laurie Dennett, was quite sparse - a communal back garden and garden shed of a block of Glasgow tenement flats. The music was composed by Paddy Cunneen, who fans will recognize from many other projects he did with David, some of which I've previously done deep dives into (like Sunburst Finish, The Pillowman and Bite).

The three-act play had a runtime of 3 hours and 20 minutes, with two intervals - one 15 minutes in length, the other 10 minutes in length. It closed its run on 16 December 1995. Tickets were priced from £5.50 to £18, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The action takes place on two Sunday mornings and opens with Bella, who's a 39 year old teacher, gardening in her back garden. We learn she's in a three-year long relationship with a live-in toyboy lover, Kenny (DT) who's a former pupil and 15 years younger than her. And that he didn't come home the previous night.

Bella calls Kenny her "charming, fallible boy", and she treats him like one. Former lovers say he's "tall, kind of blond, with a lovely lean build" and "incredibly rich brown eyes." There’s "just no resisting him,” and he's "bastardly good looking.”

David in rehearsals as Kenny (from program of An Experienced Woman Gives Advice)

In a series of interruptions from people passing into the garden, Bella (Redmond) dispenses advice to the inquiring strangers Nancy and Irving (Galbraith), and learns Kenny spent the night with another woman...from the woman herself, Nancy (McCrindle), who doesn't realize who she's told. What Bella does with this information - and how her meticulously cultivated freedom of choice lifestyle shatters, especially given her first love, Stick (Morton) lives nearby - is what the rest of the play explores. We see love, lust, and lies play out as Bella makes her choices.

And there's a scene with Bella and Kenny...and sex behind the doors of a rocking, exploding garden shed!

I haven't been able to locate a production script of the play to see whether this scene was enacted onstage, but Heggie's published script book says this scene, where Bella strips Kenny of his clothes piece by piece before they go into the shed to have sex offstage, had some brief nudity. None of the play reviews I've been able to find mention any nudity, though one article about the play does state that due to "strong language and the sexual nature of the story, the play is not suitable for children under 15." (I don't know how much weight I should give this particular article, however, because it also calls the lead character "Maggie" rather than "Bella"!) Anyway, if this scene was included in the play, it would be the second known instance (the first being that now-infamous What The Butler Saw full frontal nude photograph) where DT was onstage in the buff!

Speaking of reviews, they were wildly different - some found it hilariously funny with barbed, sharp dialogue, while others found it fatiguing. David's "able portrayal" as Kenny was praised as part of an extremely talented cast, and his was called a "great performance".

David and Siobhan Redmond earned Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards (MENTA) nominations - Redmond for Best Actress, and David for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. They also earned British Regional Theatre Awards nominations; Redmond for Best Actress and David for Best Actor. The play itself was also awarded a MENTA nomination for Best New Play. Redmond won both her nominations; David and the play didn't.

Photos from the play are almost nonexistent. I haven't located any images housed in any archives anywhere...so far. That doesn't mean they're not out there, mind you, just I haven't found them yet! I did manage to find a few of horrible quality while digging around in newspaper archives (I'll refrain from venting here about the quality aspects of digitizing newspapers, as that's a rant for another day) but it's a damned shame. I mean, in one of these, David just looks like a David-shaped black hole with floating arms! Nevertheless, I'll leave them here.

Something else I found fascinating during my research was that, like many venues, the Royal Exchange had a tradition of scheduling at least one informal discussion with the director and members of the company for each of their productions. While I didn't find any information on whether a discussion of this sort occurred during EW's run, I have to assume it did. Ah, to be a fly on the wall for that!

And that, my friends, is pretty much the story of An Experienced Woman Gives Advice! I wish I knew much more about this play, but like many parts of David's theatre career, wide gaps in our knowledge remain. But I keep on looking.

Thanks for reading!

[umbry-fic]

Myosotis

Summary:

With a single lie, she painted a hoax from the love they held dear.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia

Characters: Colette Brunel, Lloyd Irving

Relationships: Colette Brunel/Lloyd Irving

Rating: G

Word Count: 1641

Mirror Link: AO3

Original Post Date: 12/06/2024

Notes:

An emotional hurt no comfort fic inspired by Myosotis by M2U. (My favourite among the trilogy from Deemo.)

~~~

“Is this alright?” Lloyd asked, turning to Colette with a nervous smile. There was dirt stuck under his fingernails from planting seeds that would one day bloom into forget-me-nots, and sweat running down his face from the vicious rays of the sun, his face flushed from the exertion.

She thought that there was nothing more beautiful - always, he would catch her off guard and make her lose her train of thought as she tried to remember how to breathe. It felt like there was a thread tied around her heart that led to him, pulled taut and tugging her ever closer. She wanted to take his hand and press their palms together, she wanted, she wanted…

And she ignored the yearning that burned deep in her soul, having learned to live with it beating just under the surface of her skin. It was not something she could ever allow herself to act upon - there was nothing but a shattered heart waiting at the end of that path. Yet another lie, atop a staggering pile of them.

“It’s perfect,” she beamed, clapping her hands together. “Thanks for helping me out today.”

His smile grew until it was practically blinding, his hand reaching up and tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

She froze in place as he averted his gaze, mumbling a hurried goodbye as he scrambled to his feet and made his escape. Not a word entered her ears, the thundering sound of her racing heartbeat drowning it all out, terror freezing in her veins.

He couldn’t.

She wouldn’t let him.

~~~

The signs were everywhere, now that she was looking. The pale red dusting his cheeks when he offered her the latest charm he’d carved out of wood. His hand seeking hers out, his fingers interlacing with hers and holding on tight. His face lighting up when he spotted her coming out of the temple after a long day of praying, ready to pull her into yet another adventure.

She did her best to slowly push away his budding feelings - turning down his invitations, arranging her face into a neutral expression as she accepted his gifts, even as her heart cried out in joy - hoping beyond hope that he would simply give up.

She should have known that he wouldn’t do so easily. There had never been anyone more stubborn than him, always persistently pushing forward. It was how he’d befriended her in the first place, refusing to keep his distance from her like the adults had insisted he should. Why would this be any different?

“Colette?”

As he stepped out of the shade of the trees and approached her, cradling a single forget-me-not in trembling hands that betrayed his nerves, she wanted nothing more than to let her sorrow spill out of her. She did not want to be the one who had to cruelly break his heart. But it was better this way. Better that she should shatter his heart now so that he could pick up the pieces and swiftly move on. It mattered not that the shards of her own heart would remain trampled in his path as he left her behind. It mattered not what she felt at all.

So she prepared a perfect mask and waited by the river, hands clasped serenely before her, readying bitter words on her tongue.

“I… I, um…” He stumbled over the words clumsily leaving his mouth, ears flushed adorably red and only making the affection in her heart swell painfully, unable to be freed. “I think I…”

“Lloyd.” She stared into his russet eyes, the hope in them slowly dying as he absorbed her expression. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

I don’t feel the same way. That was what she should have said to twist the knife as much as she could in the vulnerable heart he had readily offered her, but she found that she couldn’t stomach it. The words that had left her already sliced at her throat, leaving her to paint lie after lie, dripping in blood.

She watched as his expression crumpled, as that hope died like a star’s light blinking out, leaving behind nothing but a dim flicker. He said not a word. There was no reproachful protest, no angry yell. Just a single breath shared between them in the centre of the grove, his hand tucking her favourite flower behind her ear, touch light as a ghost, before he fled into the shadows.

Leaving her to shatter, the sobs she’d been holding in breaking through the walls she’d erected like an unstoppable wave. Crouching down, she retrieved the flower he’d left behind and clutched it close to her chest, her grief swallowed by the heavy air of the forest and the jagged shards of her heart lost to the swirling river.

That night, she added him to his prayers, begging that the Goddess might watch over him, even once she had completed her sacrifice. Surely, the heavy price she had to pay would be enough to ensure that he would be saved in the new, prospering world that would be ushered in by the breaking of the final seal.

Maybe one day, he could forgive her.

~~~

“Colette?”

She should have heard him coming, but she’d been too focused on the calming patter of the rain against the stony cliffs of Hima, the noise dominating her enhanced hearing. So much so that she whirled and nearly lost her balance, his hands readily reaching out to steady her before she accidentally slipped off the cliff.

“Careful!” Lloyd chided, his brows furrowing. He didn’t remove his hands from her shoulders, and though she could no longer feel his touch anymore, it felt like she could somehow feel his warmth, slowly seeping into her.

Strands of unruly hair, drenched from the rain, fell into his face. Under the moon that hung high in the sky this late at night, he was stunning, cast in liquid silver and highlighting each water droplet that clung to his eyelashes. She ached to run her fingers through his hair, to seek comfort in his arms and never leave. She did nothing at all, remaining still as he watched her, something unknown flitting across his face before disappearing.

It had been a mistake, to leave a single forget-me-not flower on his table the night before she left, knowing he wouldn’t discover it until morning came and it was far too late. It had been a moment of weakness, brought on by her own selfish desires.

She simply hadn’t wanted to be forgotten.

When he and Genis had caught up to them, she’d wondered if she was lucky enough for him not to have found it. While he never brought it up, something had changed once more, their interactions charged with a strange energy. He was watching, watching, always watching, like he was endlessly looking for something he couldn’t find. It had taken them months to get back to a facsimile of the comfortable closeness they’d enjoyed before, and she’d thrown it all into disarray again.

Couldn’t sleep? She traced the question into his arm, finally snapping from her motionless state.

“No.” He stepped closer, making her breath catch in her throat. “You shouldn’t be out here in the rain, Colette. Even if you can’t sleep, you should be getting as much rest as you can. Tomorrow…”

His voice trailed off as he turned to look at the ivory Tower that all paths led to, its tip breaking into the Heavens. Tomorrow, she planned to venture there alone, and bring an end to this journey once and for all.

He was close enough that she could lean forward and seal his lips with hers, stealing a single breath together so painful that it would surely cause her lungs to rust. Even if she could no longer feel the warmth of his breath, could only feel the weight of her choices and the bitterness of regret, she could perhaps fool herself, for an instant, into believing that she was a normal girl, free from a web of lies that strangled her with each turn.

All she did was throw her arms around him, letting her ear rest on his chest, right above where his heart beat. The stutter of his breath and the skip of his heart both went ignored by her, who chose to hold him close. Face hidden in his clothes, she could let her true feelings show, for just this small moment in time.

She wondered if he knew, that each hug she gave him all meant goodbye. They always had. Each time she hugged him after an afternoon playing on the rolling hills, the both of them sweaty but grinning like idiots. Each time she hugged him before she left for the temple for her next session of prayers. The hug she gave him on his balcony, the light of the stars glittering above them. They were all goodbyes. But this time, there would be no see-you-again.

Go back to bed, Lloyd. I’ll go in soon. The words are written with a steady hand on his palm, her expression once more betraying nothing as she pulled away, familiar mask fixed in place.

He seemed to hesitate, something sticking to the tip of his tongue before he swallowed it, nodding. “Alright. Be sure to get some rest.” Turning on his heel, he left in the direction of the inn, his back becoming smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a red speck that eventually vanished.

Alone, she turned her face to the night sky, letting the raindrops slide down her face. She had no tears left to cry. But if she closed her eyes, she could imagine that the rain was her tears - all the love she could never give, falling from the very Heavens itself.

[favouritefi]

john irving is my fave blorbo and your fem version looks just like me!!! i wasn't expecting to feel so seen today, but i also have a larger chest and i've always felt kind of uncomfy with it, and ik this art is just a fun joke for fun but the fact that your girl irving (girlving? femving?) is in the same situation made me very very happy and I wanted you to know that! i love her so much and i am giving her some extra needle and thread to fix her buttons with and commiserating with her on always having to wear button downs for uniforms.....thank u <3

This is such a sweet message and not the outcome I expected when I started drawing self indulgent cold girls yuri but I’m so glad it has made you feel seen!!!

[brassandblue]

Who are your muses best friends?

Arthur's best friends are: @bertievi's George VI; @admiraltyspride's Lord Nelson; @ageofxail's Daniel/America (husband!!!), Noel/England & Royal Navy; my Jack/London; & @xbasilrp's Toni/Spain (spicy boyfriend).

Not quite besties but very close platonically (unless otherwise noted) are @terrorcaptain's Crozier (very father-son tbh); Thera at @therapardalis; Mycroft at @governmentofficial (also husband!); @hope-on-hope-ever's John Franklin (friends/colleagues in general but also estranged father and bastard son in THAT ONE AU); endearingly fond of @imprvdente's Fish; & Pris at @herstoriies

@honorhearted gets an honorable (ha!) mention because of how complicated Ben and Art's relationship is. Arthur admires Ben but also wants to punch him in the nose. Arthur enjoys punching things though, so take that with a whole spoon of salt. He genuinely wants the Americans to win and believes Ben to be a properly good man--part of the reason he razzes Ben like he does is because there's really no other way (in Art's opinion) to try and shake Ben out of seeing the war as a largely black and white problem. He sees a lot of himself in Ben--they are both educated, stubborn, hot-headed, and courageous in stupid ways, and they both have a heart. Arthur doesn't want to see America get its start as a country with all of the kindness burned out of all its founders. They are... complicated.

I don't like to go godmode people, but Art's "default" is that he is besties with Portugal, France, India, U.S. America. However, I handle that on a case-by-case basis because, again, it would be shitty of me to force that decision on other writers.

Goodsir's besties are: The Henry Collins that lives in my head; @tooxldtorememxer's John Irving; @herstoriies' Priscilla (big fat crush on her too tbh!!!!!); @therapardalis; @terrorcaptain; Silna at @tatteredxsails; @bertievi of course; he's also pretty close with @ageofxail's Noel; & @imprvdente's Fish; & he has........ complicated feelings about @honorhearted's Ben.

Thomas Blanky's besties are: @wantsusdead's Francis (I mean we just started threading but LISTEN-); oh also @terrorcaptain's Francis (+ husband); he's also super fond of @admiraltyspride too; can't forget about the Sidebear, thank u @tatteredxsails; & if I get my way he's going to continue to 'Dad' at @imprvdente!!!!!

The Railroad Man has no besties because he's an abject piece of sh oh wow, Moriarty actually!! @multipleoccupancy

[hexblooddruid]

does amaya surana know that i love her 👉👈 how does she feel about jowan? about duncan? irving? leaving the circle for the first time? what kind of student is she? what school of magic does she specialize in? would she and luc be friends?

Ahhhh thank you!!!! This came out long and rambley, so I apologize in advance.

How does she feel about Jowan?

Oh her bestie, her baby boy (that's older than her). When they went down into the repository to look for his phylactery, they were equipped with matching Charm of Still Waters necklaces. After finding out that he was actually a blood mage, she was mainly upset about him lying to her. At the end of the Magi origin, she feels betrayed but understands why he did what he did. It just furthers her disillusionment at this point. She can't trust the institution she was raised in and she can't trust the people she care about there.

Irving?

By the end of the magi origin, Amaya has complicated feelings about Irving. He was her mentor and she knows by introducing her to he was trying to get her out. But him being complicit in what happened with Jowan, at everything else that happens at the Circle, she was frustrated with him even after finding out Jowan lied, and lashed out him. She tried going to him before getting the rod of fire, to figure out why Jowan's Harrowing was delayed, and he basically pats her on the head and says it's above her concern. But when it was finally time to leave, she couldn't find it in her heart to stay mad at him.

Duncan?

She took an immediate liking to him. He didn't shy away when she badgered him with questions after escorting him to his room and when she saw him again in the library, he even asked about her opinion which is something she's not used to. Then after being discovered by Greagoir and Irving, she was so scared, so sure she'd be made tranquil, and he swooped in and saved her life in her eyes; saying everything she was going to be punished for was actually something he admired. When they arrive at Ostagar, he's straight up with her (from her perspective) about the Archdemon and his opinion of Cailan. It's the first time an authoriy figure spoke to her like she's an adult. She's determined not to let him down (still has to be teacher's pet).

Leaving the circle for the first time?

She's just arrived at Ostagar and she's still in shock. It's not sinking in that she won't be waking up in the apprentice dormitory the next morning. But after everything that happened with Jowan, she was more than ready to leave. Leaving was the only way she'd have a chance at a life. And she's always known this. Her whole life was putting her head down, behaving, and working hard so she can prove she can trusted with a little bit of freedom. Once the shock wears off she'll be scared but relieved, like she can actually breathe for the first time.

What kind of student is she?

Very studious, takes her studies very seriously. Overachiever (you have to be the be the unspoken protege of the First Enchanter). Part of that comes from that mentality of "if I'm good at this I'll be trusted. Part of it is also genuine passion for not just the academic study of magic but also the love of magic as a craft.

What school of magic does she specialize in?

She dips into creation for the healing and support spells but she primarily focuses on spirit, as a precursor to her Spirit Healer training. She loves attuning herself to the threads of the Fade that surround her but are invisible to most people.

Would she and Luc be friends?

Yes, I think so! I'm just imagining them side by side in the circle, people so thrown off to see them together. The angry outspoken one and the teacher's pet, people pleaser. But she always supports him. If you pissed off Luc, that's a you problem.

Do you think they would be friends?

[vigilskeep]

Is there a concentrated lore post for Parsifal?

THIS is the parsifal lore post. there is... very little because he is a new baby oc just five minutes old

son of elven servants to a seafaring rivaini merchant, he remembers nothing of his life before the circle but the sound and smell of the sea and the distant memory of deep smile lines in a face much like his own

his defining trait is kindness. earnestly compassionate, always reaching out to others, always his first instinct is to offer a helping hand. he can be so selfless it's almost grating, especially as he's one of the more talented mages which inspires envy, but generally he's very well-liked. it's hard not to like him. ten thousand watt smile. he has many friends, and he's friendly to the point of stubborn determination, dragging jowan into being his bestie when he was one of the quieter kids who'd faded into the corners

not much sense of personal space bc he’s used to everything being shared space and knowing everyone well, not with the intensity of keir’s physical affection because i don’t think circle mages do all that out in the open, but definitely a casual-arm-around-ur-shoulders and steals-ur-food-off-ur-plate and grabs-ur-hand-to-hold without really thinking abt it type of guy

accidentally calls irving dad five times a day

initially irving thought his skill with people might make him a good senior or even first enchanter, which is why he took a particular interest in mentoring him. but now he thinks—fondly, but with serious worry—that parsifal's too soft-hearted to make it in a role like that, to make the kind of sacrifices that irving has. that's why he starts considering offering him to the grey wardens... on the assumption that there would be many more wardens and parsifal would be definitively in the back

a Nerd. always has a book under his arm, is always scribbling in his grimoire on the road. he has a knack for the school of spirit, which some have hazarded a guess might be inherited from rivaini seer ancestors, but he takes a particular joy in the controlled finesse and intensive study of the creation school. his own plan was to go into spirit healing after his harrowing if he could get senior enchanter wynne's approval. he wanted to do something unambiguously good with his magic and very much never wanted to be in any kind of combat at all :(

i used my clearance for one (1) fantasy character with stereotypical purple eyes on him because with black sclera i couldn't get a natural colour to look good. purple is his defining colour in my head, i like to imagine his magic that colour, and he wears it too. grey warden blue with a thread of red mixed in for... reasons. and silver jewellery!! that's important. he is intended first and foremost to be the moon-coded guy in a sun and moon pairing

a home of sexual 🏳️‍🌈 you can tell because he’s always sitting on random surfaces

quite young (18-20 i'd say?) and it shows; he's inexperienced and nervous, he hasn't got a clear agenda of his own, he's never been in a formal leadership position before. zero muscle, a little tall for an elf, and that's new on him after a final late growth spurt, a bit more skinny limb that he's learned what to do with

a Hopeless Romantic and lover of beauty

terrified of blood magic... For Now

[da2supremacy]

You mentioned DA roleplaying and I have to ask, how is that done? Do you use your characters from games? Make up a less important oc? Self insert?

So back in the day I was on three different invionsfree forums that were more or less ran and populated by the same core of people. A couple people were on one that weren't on another but the main players were all present on each one. Honestly, I might still follow some of them on my main tumblr but it's been so many years and so many url changes that I do not know who any of them are anymore lmao. Shout out it's Dylvon here, ya'll.

Anyway the subject of the RP changed based on the forum. Picking up a canon character or Warden Origin was done with an application. It was generally first come first serve. To play an OC you just made the character and ran with it. The beauty of forums meant that many threads could be going on at once and simply placed in a time line. This could all be meticulously organized so it really ended up feeling like you were one of many moving pieces in a puzzle. You could have NPCs that weren't yet in the story actually playing out what we knew them to be doing at the time of XYZ event in the game. Like on Reckoning while the Warden group was in Redcliff we were playing out Uldred's rebellion in a thread called, so very cleverly, "Breaking Circle". The three forums were as follows.

Reckoning: A re imagining of Origins with every origin surviving and every character from the franchise somehow in Ferelden to stop the blight. It was a mix of OCs and canon characters. I played Neria Surana. There was also a Solona Amell. We split the origin between us. Neria was the one that ratted Jowan out to my boy Irving. Solona was the one that actually liked Jowan. I believe we had Solona go to Ostagar with Wynne while Neria was excused from her business with Jowan bc the timeline shifted it closer to Uldred's nonsense. I was around for the start of this one and while Tabris is and shall always be my main Warden Surana is close to my heart simply bc I enjoyed being *this* Surana. Somnium: An Au. I went to college around the time this one was starting so I actually don't remember it's premise very well. It had something to do with the fade. I was Lyna Mahariel for all of probably four posts.

I forgot what we called the forum for DA2, but it was a standard playthrough of DA2 + some OCs. I played an OC named Elain who was the inspiration for the Inquisitor that was the liveblog at the beginning to this blog . A dalish elf who was taken away from her clan by a group of handsome apostates who she quickly realized would be the death of her. Admittedly, I do not think Elain was my best work in retrospect. Inquisition improved what was a poor character to begin with. A lot of contrived paper thin justifications for why she shared my opinions about various things that by all means she should not have shared. I was also in the middle of my Conservative Deprogramming so the takes were not hot. I was the designated "unpleasant character enjoyer" and therefore the only one that could play Petrice and Marethari straight. I understand Petrice. She is abhorrent but I understand her. Defending Marethari as a fool but maybe not the devil incarnate prepared me for being a Solas enjoyer.

If I were to make one now the premise I'd probably go with is "Inquisition agents doing the war table missions" with the honored Canon character positions being Sutherland and his posse, any named Inquisition agent in a war table briefing and any given member of The Chargers. Special mentions for Rylen, Charter and whoever the hell ran the base you can take in the other Orlesian map.

As for how people RP DA NOW?

Fuck if I know man. This was all happening in 2011. I've been out of the creating things part of the fandom for years. If anyone still RPs in DA give me a call and the low down.