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felassan · 1 year

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its that time again! 🍵

Thoughts/wonderings on Dragon Age: The Missing #4, under a cut due to spoilers for The Missing -

I'm probably becoming a lil unhealthily obsessed with this building. what do we think it is? the Archon's Palace is the highest building in Minrathous (tho I guess not, as it has sewers and this is floating). A Circle? it has a similar shape to the logo for the Circle of Magi. the meeting place for the Magisterium senate, lording over everyone below from high above? whatever it is it looks cool and it must be important to be featured on the map. I wanna go there (๑*ᗜ*)

I love Neve Gallus' design. it's fresh and cool, and she just looks so cute and neat okay. also full of detail - the snake pattern on the headpiece, shoulder 'scales' and scales elsewhere, collar & jacket like one of those hooded snakes, snake-'tailcapped' footwear (rather than steel toe-capped), the serpent belt and of course most of all the beautiful snake design of her prosthetic limb. 10/10 character/costume design

this page had me on my knees basically. my heart.

surely this panel is a new meme format hh? same goes for the one where Varric is saying "Then perhaps all this is linked" and Harding says "And we've led them here"

you walked into the wrong neighborhood bro

I also liked this pair of illustrations, they had a nice 'bookend' feel and reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings.

Other thoughts:

Minrathous looks kinda cyberpunk and (despite what Harding says in the opening panels) feels quite clean in this comic

Is that the person tailing them lurking in the doorway that Harding is catching sight of here?

These holes in Varric's ear seem to be new. What happened? Injury from the leopard attack?

confused a bit by the perspective flip in this issue. In issue 1, Varric was more like 'stop', and Harding was more like 'talk to him'. it's flipped around a bit here.

Varric smiled when he thought about Neve and then lit up when he saw her. she calls him an "old friend". I wonder how they met and how long they've known each other. something to do with varric's spy network?

This panel felt a bit meta hh.

When Neve says "Your friend is quite intense" is she referring to Solas or Harding?

Then we come to the two main things we learn in this issue:

We learn that Solas has been in Minrathous causing trouble. He's been attacking Venatori locations in the city, stealing artifacts from them and freeing elven slaves in the process, which has greatly angered the Venatori. The Venatori now want revenge and a "bunch of rebellious elves" are "causing trouble throughout the city, presumably in the name of the one who freed them". I wonder if the artifacts weaken the Veil, are connected to the idol somehow, or are simply sources of great power that Solas either needs for himself/his plans or that he simply thinks should be taken away from the Venatori so that they don't cause harm using them? Tevinter Nights showed agents of Fen'Harel seeking artifacts and referenced rumors of elven artifacts that strengthen the Veil, like the ones from DA:I. freeing folks also makes sense, "I am not a monster" and it's something he has a history of doing

In this issue we also learn that Neve works with a group called the Shadow Dragons, who have been trying to help the former slaves. indeed they're trying to help anyone who is held as slaves in Minrathous. this is our first time hearing about this new group. they make it their business to help those in need and Neve makes it her business to help them. I'm a bit ¿ about their name, just due to how it sounds, but it's exciting to learn about a new group/faction. Each issue of this DA:D prequel comic has shone a spotlight on a faction - Grey Wardens, Antivan Crows, the Veil Jumpers and the Shadow Dragons. two new, two old. it's a nice balance. and it brings to mind the common fan theory/speculation about the PC of DA:D having a different faction background depending on the player's choice. at the very least it feels like a way of saying 'these four groups [or characters from them] will feature in a significant way/be 'players on the board' in DA:D".

thinking about the Shadow Dragons' name in an in-world context, like thinking about why they may have chosen their name: dragons are emblematic of Tevinter. dragon imagery is everywhere there, dragons are a symbol of power and Tevinter heraldry shows a dragon. the Tevinter Imperium is a 'dragon', or several (metaphorically) - Magisters, ruling over the classes below. the "shadow dragons" feel like "the other side" of Tevinter, the side in shadow, the underside, the 'anti-Tevinter'. I'd guess that they are the "Tevinter you forgot", i.e. the Viper's faction. (and if you look at Tevinter heraldry, there is also a snake 'in opposition' to the dragon.) before Missing #4 I wondered if “the Tevinter you forgot” "means they are a group of folks who have fallen through the cracks in Tevinter society or who are the downtrodden in Tevinter society. is it some sort of uprising or anti-Magisterium movement?" - here we learn they're trying to help people Tevinter 'forgot' like slaves and former slaves. I also commented "from the story it sounds like the dark-clad card dealer is the Viper. the magister in the story is afraid of him and tries to claim that the Viper is just a tale, implying that the Viper’s name has become known as a sort of shadowy, stealthy urban legend in Minrathous and that it has a sort of bogeyman effect on magisters." Shadow indeed. Neve later comments that the Shadow Dragons are trying to "help anyone held as slaves in Minrathous". I think it was in the Dorian short story in Tevinter Nights that there's a reference to how there's now an anti-slavery movement in Tevinter. Is that the Shadow Dragons? you can see possible echoes of "the Tevinter you forgot" in later comic dialogue "The Shadow Dragons have vowed to help us restore our dignity. To get back the lives that were stolen from us by the Venatori. To make sure we don't have to scrabble in the dirt for food and warm", imo.

I wonder if Dorian, Mae and the Lucerni know anything about the Shadow Dragons? maybe they've done some work together?

and while the Viper/Viper's faction/the Shadow Dragons themselves didn't appear in issue 4, issue 4 still highlighted them, continuing the pattern I speculated about, of the DA Day short stories (Evka/Antoine/Wardens, Teia/Viago/Crows, Strife/Irelin/Veil Jumpers and Viper's faction/Shadow Dragons), one from each of those short stories per issue.

Varric is still having a bad time. also he was born in 9:1, and so if DA:D is set in 9:52, he's now over 50. from these comics, he's feeling old and tired. I don't expect that he'll be a companion in DA:D. more like an advisor (off-field), a contact or quest-giver, or the person that recruits us.

"But why? What did he get out of it? Surely, he wanted something in return" was an interesting line. because like on one hand "I am not a monster", he has a history of freeing people who were enslaved and he's shown as valuing freedom and not enjoying needless suffering. setting people free definitely is the only decent thing. but he's also smart and does things with purpose, always playing 4-D chess, and has been outwitting Varric and Harding at every turn throughout these comic issues, always one step ahead. it seems like a 'it's both' situation. like two birds, one stone. he would free people and it's the right thing to do, and he also gains from it strategically. Varric lampshades this in the final page: and it's three stones, actually. Solas freed people, dealt with the Venatori on his tail and slowed Varric/Harding down long enough to escape all in one move.

Also, at first I wondered if the brown-haired elf was sort've projecting his own perceptions on Solas (with the "his kin" lines). but look here. the leader of these Venatori has a pouch round their neck. the others don't, it's prominently placed and it's consistent on this Venatori in every panel they're in here. and where have we seen that before? around the neck of the Venatori stalker that saved Varric from the leopard in Issue 3. I think we're supposed to conclude that the ringleader of the Venatori that attack the elves in this issue is the Venatori person that's been tailing Varric and Harding all throughout these comic issues. the Venatori ringleader seems to recognize Varric in a later panel, with the "You!". They fight and Varric starts demanding answers from the Venatori leader. but then, just as he's about to get answers, the brown-haired elf intervenes and kills them at that very moment. they won't hurt their people anymore, and conveniently also (more than one purpose to things again..), now Varric and Harding won't get any answers. and also this:

another - not two, but - three stones. when the brown-haired elf kills the Venatori ringleader, A) preventing them from further harming his people and B) preventing them from giving any answers to Varric and Harding, C) the killing blow also cuts that pouch from their neck. a very specific thing to depict. presumably in the chaos of the Venatori leader's death (you can't see the elf's hands in the very next panel) the brown-haired elf has grabbed the pouch, and part of his goal all along was to take it. I think we're supposed to conclude that the pouch contained the crucious stone and that the brown-haired elf works for Solas. so the "You're too late, I already have the crucious stone" letter from issue 3 was a Solas fakeout, the Venatori at that point in time did in fact have the stone (having beaten Solas to the vault, and as-shown by the Venatori who saved Varric from the leopard having the pouch around their neck), and the events of issue 4 were part of Solas' plan to steal it/steal it back from them (and going by Neve's earlier dialogue, it's not the first artifact he's stolen from them). so two things here: one, Solas' 'three stones' are actually-actually four (free the slaves, deal with the Venatori on his tail, delay Varric/Harding long enough to escape, and steal the crucious stone artifact from the Venatori [my head hurts]). and two, the brown-haired elf was working for Solas after all. he'll give the pouch (and the contents, the stone) to Solas, "he set us, his kin, free" wasn't projection considering that he does work for him, and him being there in the alleyway when he was, with the information that he had, was part of Solas' plan to escape and get the stone. otherwise, it's pretty convenient that one of the former slaves at the place Neve's aware of where former slaves have been eating scraps, at the time when she takes Varric/Harding there, just happened to have helpful info about the meeting that Varric/Harding needed and also happened to kill the Venatori leader and in the process cut the pouch from their neck. idk if it means all the elves here were working for Solas or just the brownhaired one or the brownhaired one & the blond one, but yea. definitely the brownhaired elf is I think.

Neve fighting was cool: staff-less magic and then as a mage using a dagger or shortsword.

party combo-kill! ice spell + finishing blow - a comic depiction of Shattering :)

Brown-haired elf missing his elven ear here.

A cool panel. Also, you can't see his other hand..

just really liked these two panels :) also, they missed their chance, they missed this chance, in this, a comic called The Missing... is that why it's called that?

[clenches fist] vowing to protect Neve and her good heart at all costs

and he stole the crucious stone artifact from the Venatori.

I am not sure that I agree with the premise of this article that BioWare retweeted, that The Missing is required reading before DA:D. I enjoyed issues 2 & 3 a lot! I was hoping for a bit more from the end of issue 4, perhaps a small Solas appearance like at the end of Dark Fortress or just a bit more insight into his plans or things in/the setup for DA:D. finishing on the Dread Wolf mural from the DA:D TGA 2020 trailer as a reminder was neat but the highlight reveal from these comics as a whole was definitely the new mural depicted in issue 3.

"He knows us too well, we need to find/use people he doesn't know" is the same conclusion that was reached at the end of Trespasser (and Harding was present for that conversation). I guess the meta irl reasons for The Missing are: A] since it'll be almost 10 years irl between games, to refresh folks about that conclusion and the fact that it will be a new PC and why it has to be 'someone he doesn't know', since most new players to the franchise at DA:D aren't going to buy years old DA:I and DLC and play til it the end of Trespasser B] fill some irl time C] do some marketing/advertizing and D] highlight these four groups/factions and introduce the two new ones (Veil Jumpers and Shadow Dragons) in advance of DA:D, and possibly highlight these specific characters (Strife, Teia, Evka etc) the same way (though I speculate those characters are more like DA:D 'contact' cameos rather than that they will be companions themselves). Certainly if I was Varric at the moment when Harding asks "So who are you thinking?" at the end here, after the events I had experienced and people & groups I had met in recent weeks, with those being fresh in my mind, I would be thinking about the Grey Wardens, the Antivan Crows, the Veil Jumpers and the Shadow Dragons, both as groups and terms of the mental list of people that I had recently met who Solas doesn't know. again it makes you think about the popular speculation that the DA:D PC will have the background of being from one of these groups. also, those 4 groups aren't ones which were referenced in Tevinter Nights as keeping an eye on Solas/as Solas having some info on them in turn (unlike some other groups like the Mortalitasi, the Executors, the Ben-Hassrath etc).

#dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #dragon age: the missing #dragon age: the missing spoilers #bioware #video games #solas #late bc ive been working on other posts #long post #longpost #tevinter nights #strife

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general-yasur · 11 months

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correct me if im wrong but there was indeed a period of time wherein u were like "im not even that big of a lloyd fan but ive been posting a lot about him" or something, right? Im just curious bc I realized, I cannot recall the last time ive seen u post zane, but i can remember a bajillion lloyds lmao

Uhm actually I posted a Zane comic last week 🤓 /j

But you’re right *hands on knees* I was in denial.

Part of it is because I ship my oc with Lloyd so he is always in my mind rent free regardless if I talk about them or not. Secondly I am in the midst of writing a lloyd centered fic so all my thoughts have been him since.

Also, many of my Lloyd headcanons and opinions are not nearly as popular and generally the opposite of fanon, so I feel more compelled to share them. He is just really fun to break down and analyze because you realize he is literally nothing like the sweet baby angel that fanon depicts him as. Which is not only an injustice to his character imo but leads people to get frustrated by his character when does not behave like fanon

He is quiet and has a good heart— but he is GREMLIN and always has been, it’s just manifested in different ways (as in stealing candy is cute and taking out frustrations by pranking the ninja is acceptable but taking out frustrations on villainous goons is certainly not as tasteful and it’s INTERESTING to me)

To add, I just really enjoy exploring how being a leader from such a young age and how his families choices and opinions have affected him— it’s so accidentally complex and so underutilized

I was the same way with Zane. The Ice Emperor had me in clutches because it was an underutilized concept that was incredibly complex.

Like…if I can be completely honest? I have always wanted more Zane out of the show. My favorite episodes and seasons are ones that center around him or he has a compelling moment in them. I relate to him so much and the way the character has altered and grown means a lot to me.

Though I don’t talk about this because I understand it’s a very personal want of the show and not what the show is trying to do— which I always attempt to consume and analyze the show for what it is or trying to do and not necessarily what I want. But i’ve also accepted that I won’t get any more and will probably get even less of him now because of Dragons Rising which is a shame.

Moreover, the show has never centered around Zane. And the issue of him not getting enough attention is/was an issue with ALL off the ninja that aren’t Lloyd.

I know it’s hard to believe when I say Zane is my favorite, but when I watch the show, Zane is the character that makes me the happiest watching :)

#ninjago #lloyd garmadon #lloyd ninjago #zane julien #ninjago zane #ninjago lloyd #zane ninjago #yasurspeaks #ninjago dragons rising

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astoundingbeyondbelief · 1 year

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Kaiju Week in Review (March 19-25, 2023)

This week gave us a much better picture of Gamera Rebirth, thanks to its panel at Anime Japan: we got a synopsis, character descriptions, another opponent unveiled (Jiger!), some toys, and a trailer. I'm loving the redesigns for the kaiju, and am pretty intrigued by the extent to which the U.S. is battling them, but the animation for the humans doesn't look any better than the Polygon Godzilla trilogy. I guess I can bear it for Gamera's sake.

Actor Jiro Dan (middle) died on Wednesday at the age of 74. His claim to fame was playing Ultraman Jack's host, Hideki Go, in Return of Ultraman and many Ultraman series and films since; he was also G-Guard Commander Besuke Jinguji in Godzilla Island. May he rest in peace.

Just when I was starting to worry that IDW's second run of Godzilla comics was going to abruptly end in May, here's another five-issue miniseries. Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons chronicles a secret voyage of Sir Francis Drake in which he and his crew encountered the King of the Monsters and (naturally) other Toho creatures. Believe it or not, this is Drake's second meeting with Godzilla: the first was in Dark Horse's Godzilla, King of the Monsters #10. Can't say I'm a huge fan of Godzilla in pre-Atomic Age settings though. Frank Tieri is writing and Inaki Miranda is illustrating; first issue's in June.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS was the first Godzilla movie I saw in theaters (at the Pickwick, no less), so catching the Fathom Events showing on Wednesday was a nostalgic treat. Less nostalgic, but quite welcome: new subtitles! Well, new to us. @kyodaikino theorized that they're actually older than the dubtitles we've been forcibly acquainted with. None of the frame rate issues I heard Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla suffered from either. No idea why this was playing on a random weekday in March, but they should keep it up.

Every so often, The Asylum makes a giant monster movie that's a decent way to waste 90 minutes. Ape vs. Monster, their Godzilla vs. Kong mockbuster, was one such production, but I'm sorry to report that Ape vs. Mecha Ape (their... King Kong Escapes mockbuster?) is not. Indeed, it seems bent on entertaining the viewer as little as possible. Avoid at all costs.

youtube

Here's the trailer for Shinpei Hayashiya's next kaiju flick, War of the Ninja Monsters: Jaron vs. Goura. The bar is in hell after his last one, so qualities like "there are suits for both of the monsters" and "the frame isn't wallpapered with cheap CG effects" are notable.

Godzilla Battle Line introduced a new mode, and it's a pretty enjoyable one. Like free battles, challenge battles equalize the levels of all Battle Pieces in the match; you also have to follow certain restrictions when building your team, forcing strategies to shift significantly. The more you win, the faster your egg cracks open and yields rewards. I've only dropped one match so far, which is no surprise; as a trans Pokémon player, I have a lot of experience with egg-hatching.

#kaiju week in review #gamera #godzilla #jiro dan #war of the ninja monsters jaron vs goura #gamera rebirth #ape vs. mecha ape #godzilla here there be dragons #Youtube

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ziskandra · 11 months

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*cackles* 7, 10, 11, 13, and 24

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them? hate is probably too strong a word but i've developed a knee-jerk reaction to fellow anders fans over the years because of the subset that truly seem to think he can do no wrong and that all of his actions were entirely justified and had no negative consequences for anybody in kirkwall other than the templars. on one hand, i kinda get it, because i know anders fans have also gotten a lot of flack because... this fandom is incapable of being normal. on the other, i have a knee-jerk reaction towards anyone who assumes everyone plays these sort of games the exact same way as them (or indeed, the same way each time). i totally respect people doing whatever they want in their games and in their fanworks, but it's when it comes out in harassment of others or making bad faith assumptions about the character of actual living human beings that i'm like. no thank you. obviously there are fans of other characters who also engage in this behaviour, anders is just the one where my negative fandom experiences outweigh the positive ones, personally.

oh also, while i'm being salty (the name of the game i SUPPOSE), i fucking love f!handers but m!handers leaves me cold (especially in canon-verse fic, i don't mind it as much in like, modern AUs and the like?) idk i feel like them being the same gender changes their dynamic in a way i can't articulate--probably that hawke being female shifts the power dynamics a bit and. yeah. 10. worst part of fanon

again, 'worst' is probably a harsh word, but when it comes to pervasive fanon that i personally just don't like, it has to be visibly mixed-race alistair. i don't mind it as much when his ears have like, a subtle point to them or whatever, but speaking personally as someone who is visibly mixed, to the point that i have fielded complete strangers asking "what are you" on regular occasions, alistair's narrative would be. quite different if he wasn't human-passing. and while i get that some mixed-race people find solace in making their blorbos more representative of who they are and their identities not causing any issues, it leaves me cold. and again, i don't care what other people do, but it's when some people act like fellow fans who dare depict alistair as he appears in canon are being racist or what have you that i get annoyed. like, yeah, dragon age fandom does have problems with race, but like... this is imo not one of them, and it detracts from like. bringing awareness to actual issues. yeah yeah people can care about multiple things at once, but by the same token, people can only care about so many things at once, yknow? also this fandom in particular has a real problem with treating poc like we're all a monolith, and that includes both white people and poc. i find it especially frustrating that the dominant discourse centers north american race politics the most, but god forbid anyone try to address that directly .... but that's a rant for another time lmao. 11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered i have about 16 fandoms i'm not in filtered mostly bc they just turn up on my dash a lot, and a handful of characters/ships filtered for fandoms i am in! the one that has been consistently filtered the longest is reyes vidal. 13. worst blorbofication

oooh, this one i think is a toss up between alistair and varric. as someone who loves both these characters more for their flaws rather than their virtues, fandom can be. a difficult time! alistair often gets reduced to this...perfect prince charming, which i think is kind of disappointing considering there is so many different ways for his story to develop depending on the the outcomes of origins? varric, otoh, gets reduced to hawke's bestie a lot. and look. i get it. he is hawke's bestie. he is. very uncritical of hawke, which is not as much of a problem if hawke's a good person but. what if they're not? what if they're not, varric. god, what i would give for like. a fucking complicated characterisation-rich fic which explored like. hawke and varric's friendship and how they're like. codependent messes. (and i say this as someone who loves codependent messes lol). and i guess like.... everyone treats varric being viscount as a meme. and yeah, i get it, the dude is everything everywhere all at once. but i'd really love to see more content focused on like... his relationship with kirkwall, and his feelings regarding his friends and becoming viscount and yeah. anyway!! being a blorbo of mine is the worst because i enjoy pain and suffering. anyway, 24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

mage rights and also the chantry boom. i don't think i even have to elaborate on this do it 😭 🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

#thank you for the asks!!#this was more invigorating than i anticipated tbh #turns out i do have opinions even tho i don't voice them that often in the grand scheme of things oops #asha answers #poetikat #long post #fandom critical

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midorisudachi · 9 months

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"The Storyteller"

Here is the 3rd art piece for my “Countdown to Dragon Age Day” (which will be in December), where I plan on submitting artwork like this (for each playable character) every other Monday. If you could so kindly visit/view my previous Dragon Age fan arts, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, PLEASE let me know if you have done DA artwork as well, that way I can view it.

It's been a bit of a fun challenge to figure out what kind of background to create for each character. I am inspired by the DAI tarot artwork. Also, have you noticed I draw plants from DAI next to the names? With Inquisitor Bryony Trevelyan, it is Embrium. For Solas, it is Royal Elfroot. And for Varric, it is Dragonthorn!

I find Varric to be quite the intriguing character and he indeed brings comedic relief to the game (besides Iron Bull). I was so excited to see Varric the first time I played DAI, since I liked him in DA2. (I've played DAI twice!) His commentary is funny when using him in the battle party, especially the bantering between he and Cassandra:

Cassandra: How do you write as you do, Varric? I can never find the proper words.

Varric: You. Write. Really?

Cassandra: I've needed to describe events in reports. They always come off as...

Varric: Dry? Boring? Lifeless? Stale?

Cassandra: You... are an ass.

Varric: (Chuckling) Just... helping you find those words.

And one of the best between Varric & Iron Bull (which made me crack up):

Iron Bull: Hey, don't most dwarves have beards? Or at least mustaches or something?

Varric: I make up for it elsewhere.

And between Varric & Dorian:

Varric: I see you eyeing Bianca, Sparkler. Hands to yourself.

Dorian: I wouldn't worry, she's not my type.

Varric: Huh. And here I thought you're a man of refined taste.

Dorian: For fine wine and literature, Varric. Not for… whatever that contraption is.

Varric: Contraption!? Don't listen to him, sweetheart. His people are vilified for a reason.

Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens, then coloured in with a mix of Copic Markers & Ohuhu Markers. White accents, crossbow bolts, & lines were done with a gel pen. The gold is Golden Paint acrylics, Font & glowing effect around the red lyrium was done in Photoshop Elements.

Fan artwork © Jacqueline E. McNeese

Dragon Age Inquisition/Varric Tethras © Bioware & Electronic Arts

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wetcatspellcaster · 5 months

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Hi!!

I know you’re a Zevran girlie (and an expunged Cullen fan), but I’m curious to know who your other romances were in DA??

(I am an unfortunate Solas person. I have a framed print of his tarot in my room lmao)

Lol :')))))) I am indeed a Zevran girlie (and still a Cullen fan, just way more normal about it these days, I purged it from my system lol).

My dragon age romances are as follows:

Surana -> Zevran Arainai (Zevran was my first videogame boyfriend i love him so much)

F!Cousland -> Morrigan with a marriage of convenience to either Alistair or Anora (I know this isn't canon but in my heart it's canon.)

Brosca -> Alistair.

Mage!Hawke -> no one :IIIIIIII (I wanted Awakening characterisation Anders. He and my purple Hawke would've been in love if they'd met in the Circle and ran away together, and that's part of their tragedy. But he was too intense for her, and they were too different. I went with Fenris, but honestly although I love the characters and the game I feel like all of the romances in 2 aren't written to their fullest potential and as a result I couldn't shake off the feeling she should be dating Varric I swear to god)

Mage!Lavellan -> Cullen (I played Inquisition before I played DA2 and if I had my first run again with more context I'd probably have chosen differently. Unfortunately the chess scene gets me every time)

I see your Solas print. I was given a Cullen cushion for my study by my friends :)))))) I was very ill for a long time, even though he's a fantasy Tory :(

#asks #dragon age #zevran is my OG as my favourite fic I've ever written is about him

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bookoftheironfist · 2 years

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Hi! I was wondering why Danny isn't Iron fist anymore? I only read the Power Man and Iron Fist 2016 run, I mostly know him from crossover events. I know he's not Iron fist anymore because he says so in Devil's reign. Did he lose his power?

Hi! That's a great question, though also a point of frustration for Iron Fist fans right now so I'll try not to editorialize too much. The very short answer is: Yes, he did lose his power. More accurately, he gave it up. The long (very long-- sorry) answer is this:

Danny Rand has been Iron Fist since the tender age of nineteen, when he successfully bested the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying and passed the test of the Many and the One, etc. etc. yadda yadda yadda. His journey in that role has been tumultuous-- as is true of all superheroes, and indeed all Iron Fists. He has had many highs, many lows, many struggles with his identity and sense of self-worth. He has had the chi of Shou-Lao stolen from him a few times, he has been unable to prevent attacks on K'un-Lun, and these are all things that he has suffered through and that have allowed him to grow as an Immortal Weapon. They come with the territory, and part what has made Danny such a compelling character has been watching that growth over what is now almost 50 years of comics, from an angry, traumatized, murder-bent teenager into a (still flawed but) compassionate and powerful warrior-- a respected superhero on Earth and a champion for his people.

In 2017's Iron Fist volume 5 (which is excellent-- I highly recommend it), Danny went through a very difficult character arc. He found himself losing confidence in himself as the Iron Fist, which manifested in a weakening of his powers. This was terrifying for him. His entire identity was, and always had been, tied to that role.

Danny (caption): "If I'm no longer Iron Fist, champion of K'un-Lun...then who am I? ...Nothing." Iron Fist vol. 5 #1 by Ed Brisson, Mike Perkins, Andy Troy, and Travis Lanham

There was a reason for this insecurity. In his previous solo series, Iron Fist: The Living Weapon, Danny's longtime enemy Steel Serpent had recruited an invasion force to attack K'un-Lun, and while there he had murdered his own father, Lei Kung the Thunderer, who was also Danny's master and parental figure. Danny was on Earth, and by the time he knew what was happening in K'un-Lun, he was too late to stop it. That failure and loss took him to a very dark place, and while he was able to save the day by the end of the series, the grief of losing Lei Kung left its mark, resulting in his internal turmoil at the beginning of the 2017 series.

But this low point presented a wonderful narrative opportunity for growth, which was the creative team's goal. Over the course of that series, Danny's identity as the Iron Fist was challenged and attacked again and again by outside forces, placing him in situations where he was forced to prove himself. By the end of that journey, he was reborn-- secure in himself, with a supportive community around him in K'un-Lun and on Earth, eager to face the future as the Iron Fist.

Danny (caption): "I have friends relying on me. And like Orson Randall, I'd lay down my own life to ensure the safety of theirs. I'd allowed myself to become filled with doubt. About my place. My role. I'd lost touch with my chi. My identity. But no longer. I am Daniel Rand. The Iron Fist. A living weapon. Champion of K'un-Lun. And it feels great to be back." Iron Fist vol. 5 #80 by Ed Brisson, Damian Couceiro, Andy Troy, and Travis Lanham

The next Iron Fist solo comic was a mini-series called Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon. In it, Danny, the other Immortal Weapons, Luke Cage, and Danny's student/successor/basically daughter Pei (more on her later) had to battle creatures that were attacking the Capital Cities of Heaven. Pretty typical stuff, no big deal, a regular Tuesday for Danny and the gang. At the end of that series, after the day had been saved, Danny turned to his friends and said, "You know what? I'm a bad Iron Fist. I'm going to give the dragon chi back and quit." (I'm paraphrasing, obviously...but not much.)

On a story level, it came out of nowhere. There was no exploration of or set-up for it in the series, and as I mentioned, the previous run's entire purpose had been restoring Danny's faith in himself and making him a stronger, better, more confident and at peace Iron Fist. On an in-universe level it was equally jarring. Danny's predecessor, Orson Randall, had quit being the Iron Fist because he couldn't handle the violence anymore due to having PTSD from fighting on the front lines of World War I, and he was publicly disgraced and hunted for it. This is not like working at Walmart. You don't just casually quit being a champion of a Capital City of Heaven. It would be seen as intensely disrespectful to the title, the legacy, and to K'un-Lun-- a dereliction of duty-- and Danny would know that.

But I digress.

As I mentioned, Danny had (and still has) a protegée/adopted daughter, kind of, named Pei. She was introduced in Living Weapon, and is a child (her exact age is...a complicated topic) from K'un-Lun. In her introductory series, she ended up acquiring the chi of Shou-Lao in a bit of a freak accident (side note: Danny still had it at the time; multiple people can have it at once). Given the unusual circumstances of her gaining the power without going through the proper tests and preparation, she was sent to live with Danny so that he could give her the necessary training, with the understanding that when the time came, she would become the next Iron Fist. Pei is a very fun character. She was created to be essentially the opposite of Danny: while he was a kid from Earth who moved to K'un-Lun and needed to learn how to fight, Pei was a kid from K'un-Lun who moved Earth and needed to learn how not to fight.

Felicia: "You want to tell Kid Fist over there not to murder my associate?" Danny: "Oh, don't worry about her. She follows a strict path of restraint and balance." Janice: "AAGHH!" Felicia: "Sure, I believe that." Black Cat (2019) #8 by Jed MacKay, Dike Ruan, Annie Wu, Brian Reber, and Ferran Delgado

Pei was great, she was wonderful, she was compelling, she was badass, and she was a perfect future champion of K'un-Lun.

Earlier this year, Marvel announced the next Iron Fist comic: a mini-series, Iron Fist volume 6. Danny was no longer the Iron Fist, so it would not be about him. Logic suggested, then, that it would star Pei. She was his successor. Her time had come-- earlier than expected, but still exciting news.

Instead, the new Iron Fist was announced to be (and now, following the mini-series' conclusion, still is) Lin Lei, a.k.a. Sword Master, a relatively new Marvel character who was introduced in the Warriors of Three Sovereigns comic in 2018. He is a neat character, but a baffling choice for this role, especially over Pei, who had secured her spot as the next Iron Fist almost a decade earlier in Living Weapon. Lin doesn't have any personal connection to K'un-Lun at all, knows nothing about the Iron Fist identity or legacy, and acquired the chi of Shou-Lao because the dragon apparently decided to reach across dimensions and just give it to him, for reasons that have not yet been revealed. His story so far has had very little connection to the Iron Fist mythos and legacy beyond the title, costume, and a few cameos by Iron Fist-relevant characters, feeling instead like a continuation of his Sword Master journey with some dragon chi shenanigans thrown in. Again, Lin is a very cool character and I don't want to disparage him in any way. It's just an odd situation, and frustrating, because it is such a derailment of everything that was set up in the world of Iron Fist over the past decade. Lin most recently appeared in last week's A.X.E. event tie-in, and his future as the Iron Fist, Danny and Pei's future as former Iron Fists, and the future of the comic as a whole, is currently unclear-- though it does seem like Danny might train Lin, which could be fun.

Phew! That was longer than intended, but it should give you a sense of Danny's current situation and the events that led up to it.

#Long post #Iron Fist #Danny Rand #Pei #Messages #Adventures in Continuity

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embervoices · 1 year

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Questions for Fic Writers

from @clumsyclifford

(Note: All my fics are accessible to AO3 members only, sorry!)

What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?) Probably CHEESE! or Initial Summoning for Dragon Age and Good Omens, respectively.

Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits? Unsurprisingly: Self-Insert (12), Humor (10), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence (10), Fluff (8), There's also: Modern Girl in Thedas (12) but that's because 11 of them are from one series. I'm bemused that "Silly" only has 4 entries. It really should probably apply to almost all of them. To be honest, I think I'm spotty at best at tagging.

What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics? Religious themes, especially polytheism and spirit work. Unapologetic self-insert. Silly humor.

What detail in your fic are you really proud of? I'll have to think about it. I'm often surprised what lands well despite my thinking it would be horrible… The two things that come immediately to mind I don't think I've shared yet. First is that I experimented with writing the same paragraph of Solas' thoughts, first in prose, then Iambic Pentameter, and to scan with Leonard Cohen's Halleluia. That was because people were conflating the ballad meter of Halleluia with "Iambic Pentameter" because they noticed the Iambic part. But I just thought it was really pretty. I haven't had any reason to share it, though. Maybe on Tumblr now I'm back, I dunno. Second is in a self-indulgent fic I was writing with my co-writer Cowoline. If we ever get around to posting any of it remains to be seen, but there's one scene where one character is reading to another character some terrible purple prose, translating out of Orlesian on the fly. To get that text, I took some of my own romance scene writing from an earlier story and shoved it through at least French, and then back to English via Google Translate. The results were indeed appropriately terrible.

What do you wish someone would ask you about your fics? Answer it now! Nothing comes to mind. I am not sure I'm reticent enough for this to be a big problem. LOL

What’s one fact about the universe of The Canticle of Dreams that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself? EmberQuizzy isn't actually human. Her soul/spirit is made of Vanic material, not human material. She only appears human because it's what she expected to look like. Thus it's quite possible her and Solas' children will indeed have pointed ears.

Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of? Mostly whenever it catches me by surprise that some arbitrary decision early on actually clicks perfectly info place later.

What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)? I have a whole series of images in my head for making a Good Omens comic out of Ghost by the Indigo Girls, but I don't have the artistic chops, nor the patience to do it myself, and it's too much to commission another artist to do. So it'll have to wait until/unless I can find someone who will do it as a collaboration rather than a commission, which seems… unlikely, and possibly unfair. Mind you, if I had the spare money lying around, there are several GO Fan artists I'd commission to do it in a heartbeat!

How do you find new fic to read? Mostly, by filtering AO3 searches. Occasionally one or another fan group I'm in will post a rec that gets my attention, or a friend will ask me to read their thing.

How do you decide what to write? It attacks me in my sleep!

#interview #fic writers #questions for fic writers #part 1 #YOUR TURN

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real-sun-wukong-fan01 · 2 years

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Hello again, I love that your stories are based on JTTW. You make very interesting passive-aggressive-depressive Wukong) But what about SWAP Time AU. Family, enemies, friends, teacher and student are mentioned. But does anyone have a romantic relationship? Nezha and Ao Bing? Or Shadowpeach? Even if it is a one-sided crush. What about Red Son and Mei? Did they date while Mei was alive?

Welllll ships aren't my type so i never really thought of it?

But! There are a few people who are indeed dating.

For example DBK and PIF are actually dating, boyfriend and girlfriend trying to kill that one kid so DBK can make red son proud.

Chang'e and the god of the mood are also in a relationship, or were.

chang'e is still really in love with the god and same feeling goes to the immortal, is that the god of the moon is waiting for the right age so he can start dating again his love. (He does it every time.)

I'm probably not gonna put any fan ship in this, but I'll do put some actual canon ones, (both in LMK and JTTW)

I imagine red son actually adopting DBK, as red son never had a wife to get a biological kid, but did that stopped him from loving his son? No.

about nezha? i don't see him dating? Now i don't know if he does date in JTTW, if he does I'll look more into it so i can make it canon in the swap AU like i did with chang'e!

Wukong is one of those characters who completely hate dating, he's not gonna have a partner anytime soon, his brothers aren't interested either but they are surely not disgusted by the existence of dating like wukong.

I am planning on making Ao lie have a crush, but that will be secret.

Simply because Ao lie probably did have a lover to continue his whole generation until it came to mei in the original, so why not put it in the swap AU too?

Mei probably adopted, i imagine her as a lesbian (fun fact! In canon LMK red son is genderfluid, he can be still with Mei if you headcanon her as lesbian.)

And just adopted a kid, either also a dragon or a demon that hooked up with a dragon.

until it came to Ao lie (sadly got left behind by his original parents) and got a crush on a certain someone I won't say the name of. (Because in the original we don't know who it is.)

But yeah!

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #time swap au

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silvergifting · 1 year

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tagged by: both @dykerhaena and @sigaldry-of-thu; thank you, my darlings!! <3

favorite time of the year: autumn! it’s wonderful to see the seasons changing so vividly, and i love it when the weather cools down a bit. not to mention that chuseok and halloween exist, which are definitely contributing factors to my argument that autumn is, indeed, the superior season.

comfort food: mm, this is a hard one! my brother makes a spicy braised tofu that is indescribably good, but i’d say that my aunt’s fry bread and a good kale salad are also contenders for this one!

favorite drinks: GREEN TEA WITH LYCHEE / GRASS JELLY. if you haven’t tried it yet, you’re doing yourself a disservice. also, soju, chrysanthemum tea, hyssop tea, and some good old gunpowder green tea!

do you collect anything?: probably too much, honestly! i collect books, records, old mirrors, vintage books on art, and silver kitchenware (like tea services, goblets, et cetera). books are my favorite, though!! i have a combined collection with my boyfriends, and one of the rooms in our house is a Dedicated Library with organized sections and everything. it makes my heart very happy!

current song on repeat: because apparently i am a 70 year old hippie, last night i had the strangest dream by simon & garfunkel (though johnny cash’s version also slaps)

favorite fic: how do i even chooooooooooooose man this is so hard!!!! for the silm, an eternal fave is probably The Two Hunters by theeventualwinner (all old silm fans know the pain); but a few current non-silm faves are probably A Nuisance Though Thou Art by wedgetail & in that deepening evening by raisingcaiin!

favorite video game: dragon age origins :( but also majora’s mask, probably.

tagging: @sirdiana @honorabloodheadthewicked @dabookgoblin @teaearlgrayhot @masonmerger !!

#only if it interests you though!! no pressure! :)#ALSO LMAO TALIN i was going to tag you on this one and then i realized that you'd already tagged me!!!

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kayura-sanada · 2 years

Note

I'm curious what your thoughts on the Exiled Prince dlc? Do you think it's worth buying?

Okay. Okay, so you're talking to someone who played Dragon Age 2 all the way through before the DLC came out, then played it again afterward. So I'm actually going to compare some things here that anyone who came into the game with both at the same time might not know.

The first time I played DA2, I was completely thrown by what Anders did. I'd been in the mindset of 'something's going to happen to make me finally take Meredith down, because this is a video game,' and when that something happened, it happened in a way I didn't expect, and it threw me. I was in a state of shock when I first played the game, and I found myself having a sudden influx of reactions from the characters I'd grown to love, all of them demanding a response. Yet after they all spoke, I got to speak one-on-one with Anders. I got the chance to listen to him.

Yet I was in such shock that I honestly felt as if I'd missed crucial pieces of information. My ability to logic things out and think critically had taken a serious blow. (Yes, I sound ridiculous, but Dragon Age sucks me in completely, wholeheartedly, which is what I ask for from stories and what I will always positively respond to.)

So when the DLC came out and I realized I had something new to add to the story, I was hyped not only to see the new content, but to go back in and really think about what's happening in the world, not with the idea of the world being a video game but with the idea of it being real. And I did so hoping to really get to listen to Anders and hear everything he had to say to me.

And then. Sebastian.

He was the only thing added, by the way. A character who looked good - and indeed, that's mostly what I hear from his fans, that he's good-looking and a prince - but had a personality that immediately grinded on my last nerve.

Okay, so. Let me also say that I am an atheist, and I also was an admin on a Facebook page for some years, and I've dealt with a lot of proselytizing.

So here was a new character, the only one who romanced only one gender in the entire game, and the first thing I learn about him is that he wants to become a priest because he thinks that will affect more lives than him becoming king.

I just.

Unfortunately, the beginning of his story isn't strong, since he just asks you to clear out some groups of enemies and nothing really happens in the first act. In the second, we get a little bit more from him, and I pushed him into becoming king because obviously you can affect more lives that way!

But, uh. Hmm.

Anyway, he ignores me and says he's going to become a priest because he's gotten his revenge and doesn't want anything more, so gee, why even both asking, Sebastian.

But you know what? All of this didn't turn me off to him as a character. It was interesting to listen to his extremely anti-mage, proselytizing, sanctimonious drivel, because I like to learn the arguments of my enemies and again, I don't need the character to agree with me for me to see the worth in them as a character. (Though I'll admit, when I heard him say a child was murdered by a magister so Fenris could see it and want to stop it made me see red.) I consider him to be the voice of the Chantry, spouting off about helping others while also talking about how mages should all be killed.

But.

Man, when that Chantry blew up and Sebastian started wailing, I understood where he was coming from. This was the voice of the victim that I wanted to hear.

But damn. Not that much.

I went to Anders, looking forward to this above all else. He started talking to me, and I was all ears, wanting to understand.

But Sebastian. Would not. Stop screaming.

"I know what I did was wrong. There's nothing you can say to me that I haven't already said to myself."

"Why?!?! Why, Maker, why?!?! Elthina was a good person!! Why?!?!"

"I asked her to do something. I asked her to help-"

"Kill him! Kill him now! Stop talking to him! Why are you listening to him? He obviously deserves to die!"

"But she didn't listen. Meredith has gotten away with-"

"Stop talking to him! Kill him or I will! You will die for this, Anders! I'll become a king and send an army to Kirkwall (thus causing at least as much innocent death as I condemn you for causing)!"

Me at this point: Shut. UP!!!!

Anyway, there was a hilarious picture someone made that I sadly can't find anymore, in which Sebastian makes his "either kill him or I'll do it" quote, and their Hawke responds, "then I'll uninstall you.

"Stupid DLC."

And, uh. That's kind of my opinion on it, too.

(tl;dr: I didn't like the DLC, but I value anything I can get from Dragon Age and its worldbuilding, so I would say it's worth watching but probably not spending much money [or any money, preferably] on. It's brought up a few times in DA:I, and you might have some 'aha! That's a reference to Sebastian!' moments, but you can live without that. Trust me.)

#nonny #response #i know you asked about the DLC but this basically became my excuse to complain about Sebastian #lmfao #sebastian vael critical #dragon age #dragon age 2 #da2 #long post #VERY long post

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nightsidewrestling · 1 year

Text

D.U.D.E Part 22 - Just One of Dem Days (Set in 2021)

Note: This is set in a universe where Men VS Women / Intergender matches can happen.

Chapter 1: here Chapter 2: here Chapter 3: here Chapter 4: here Chapter 5: here Chapter 6: here Chapter 7: here Chapter 8: here Chapter 9: here Chapter 10: here Chapter 11: here Chapter 12: here Chapter 13: here Chapter 14: here Chapter 15: here Chapter 16: here Chapter 17: here Chapter 18: here Chapter 19: here Chapter 20: here Chapter 21: here

Tags: @piratewithvigor @tantamount-treason @thedollmaker16 @janetreader

Around 2000 Words. 18+ in places (those chapters will be marked as ‘Mature / sexual content’ just to be safe). Please inform me if you wish to be tagged or untagged from posts. If the text is in italics and orange it’s Kirby’s inner monologue. If the text is coloured but not in italics, it’s either dialogue or a P.O.V change (P.O.V changes will be in bold and translated dialogue will appear in square [ ] brackets), Key below. Quick note on Geia’s text colour: Yes I do know that as Greed she should be in yellow but I decided to colour the men’s dialogue yellow so Geia was changed to be pink like the other women in the story outside of the main 8.

The Main 8: Damo - Bio. Vi - Bio. Billie - Bio. Geia - Bio. Kirby - Bio. Honey - Bio. Eli - Bio. Sara - Bio.

Kirby's P.O.V:

Kirby's uncle Bran spends the night sleeping on the couch, waking up at 10 am, on Saturday the 3rd of September, to the smell of Kirby cooking breakfast.

“Good lord kid, ya oul dear taught ya well.” He yawns, scratching his stubble as he gets up, joining Kirby in the kitchen.

“You still take ya coffee with milk and two sugars, Uncail [Uncle]?” She smiles softly at him, looking up from the pan of bacon and eggs.

“Indeed I do, have ya been cryin’ banphrionsa [princess]?”

“Dhúisigh mé ó nightmare, Tá Eddie fós ina chodladh agus ní raibh mé ag iarraidh é a dhúiseacht. Mar sin, tá [I woke up from a nightmare, Eddie is still asleep and I didn't want to wake him. So, yes].” Kirby nods, her uncle pulls her into a gentle hug, stroking her hair.

“Ya Aintín [Aunt] will be here soon, as will ya col ceathracha [cousins]. Ceart go leor [okay]?”

“Aye [yes].” She whispers, leaving her uncle to finish making breakfast, when she gets a text from her cousin Branwen, Bran’s only daughter.

Kirby goes to the front door, seeing the taxi pull up with her Aunt Meinir and her cousins Mostyn, Darach and Branwen stepping out.

“Don’t panic,” Darach jokes, “We haven’t brought the kids to tire out Aintín fathach [Giant aunt].”

Darach, forever the jokester, married to a lovely German lass.

“Nor have we brought the wives, or Branwen’s hubbie.” Mostyn adds.

Mostyn, Moss, the brawn of the trio. His wife’s a beautiful Native Canadian lady.

“I’ll help you wit’ the twins, banphrionsa dragon [dragon princess].” Branwen smiles softly.

Branwen, the brains, now a McCormick, her husband a half-French half-Irish gent with a mean right hook.

“Get yer butts in there before the house gets cold.” Meinir, Bran’s Wife, scolds her three kids, hugging Kirby gently when she enters the house.

If ever a tornado was named something Welsh, it would be named after her. As her name would suggest via its meaning, she’s tall, slender and beautiful, even at 69.

“Before you ask, this place is rented, and the twins are asleep in the nursery, don’t wake my sons nor my husband. Ed’s a grump in the mornings, and I don’t need the New Yorker being a grump, right now.” Kirby explains, leading the tiny percentage of her family to the kitchen first.

She takes over making breakfast from her Uncle Bran, quickly serving the group up a hearty breakfast, bacon, eggs, toast, beans, all the things her and her family are used to. She even remembers how the group takes their coffee and tea. Bran, coffee, two sugars and a dash of milk. Meinir, tea, black as she cannot have milk. Moss, coffee, one sugar, no milk, strong and sweet. Darach, tea, milky and with two sugars. Branwen, water, not a fan of tea or coffee.

“Holy fuck!” Eddie yelps, nearly falling on his ass when he sees Kirby’s cousins.

“Oh, we should have sat down, Moss.” Darach murmurs as he sips his tea.

“Ya think? I know I’m tall, but you two are tall and broad.” Kirby shakes her head, kissing Eddie’s forehead.

Moss, 6’5”, and Darach, 6’3”, look down at the floor in shame. Their 5’4” sister chuckles as she looks at them.

“And these guys are?” Eddie asks, using Kirby as a shield, having not gotten dressed yet and still in just his rosaries, boxers and a tank-top.

“Ooh, Dara, Kirby married a real New Yorker, maybe a Catholic too?” Moss whispers.

“Eddie, you met my Uncle Bran last night, this is his wife, Meinir, and his kids, my cousins, Mostyn, Darach and Branwen. Consider yourself lucky that they didn’t bring their spouses, or kids, this place would be nearly full.”

“How many kids do you have?” Eddie asks them, a look of total confusion on his face.

“Me and Gen have six, our eldest is eighteen, youngest is three.” Mostyn answers first.

Darach follows his lead, “Myself and Gertie have five, our eldest is fifteen, youngest is also three.”

Branwen is the last to answer, “Me and My hubbie, Faron, have four, Taliesin, Samuel, Rainbow and Quintella.”

“Ooh, Moss, has Eadberht said anything about proposing to his girlfriend yet?” Kirby asks.

“Oh no, he hasn’t said anything about proposing to Nerida, I think he’s a bit scared.”

“Aww, I was looking forward to annoying him about that.”

“Don’t worry, Ker, ya still the baby of the family.” Darach chuckles.

Eddie watches, stunned into silence, as Kirby and her cousins talk back and forth in Irish and Welsh, mentioning name after name, the occasional English word being spoken.

“Eddie, you a’ight?” Kirby asks, gently wrapping her arms around his neck.

He wraps his arms around her waist instinctively, “I have no idea, what any of, what you said for the past ten minutes means.”

“Luckily for you, none of it was important. Me and Branwen are gonna feed the twins, okay?”

“A’ight, Ma, I love ya.” Eddie whispers, kissing her gently before letting her go.

From the nursery, Kirby and Branwen can hear Bran, Moss and Dara questioning Eddie.

“So, what are the kids' names?” Moss asks.

“Emir and Ethan.” Eddie answers confidently.

“No, no,” Dara chuckles, “their full names.”

“Oh fuck,” Eddie’s confidence drops, “Emyr Fah-lawn Peri-der Ariel Moore and Ethan Lore-can Gwin Joel Moore.”

“Pretty decent for a non-Irish speaking ‘Irishman’.” Bran announces his approval, making both of Kirby’s male cousins shut up.

“Kirby,” Branwen whispers, “Say their full names, go.”

Kirby chuckles softly, shaking her head before pronouncing her boys names perfectly, “Emyr Faolán Peredur Ariel Moore and Ethan Lorcán Gwin Joel Moore. There, Branwen, ya happy?”

She nods and chuckles softly as she finishes feeding Emyr, handing him to Kirby. Kirby carries both boys into the kitchen with her. Kirby smirks and shakes her head as she watches Eddie wrestle with his belt.

“Babe, help.” Eddie mouths when he sees her.

Kirby hands the twins to their father and fixes his belt buckle, “How the fuck did you bend the metal of this?”

When Eddie doesn’t answer she looks up at his face, his line of sight directly going to her rear.

“Edward.” She grumbles.

Moss and Dara chuckle softly.

“Sorry, Ma, what?” Eddie’s face goes pink from embarrassment.

“How did you bend the metal of the belt buckle?”

“I don’t know, fuckin’ wit’ it too much?” He shrugs.

“‘Fuckin’ wit’ it too much’?” She mockingly asks, teasing her husband.

“Fucked wit’ you too much, got these two as a result.” He teases back, sticking his tongue out at his wife.

Kirby copies his actions, “Doughboy.” she whispers.

“Doll.” Eddie murmurs.

“Wild Card.”

“Punk Rock Princess.”

“Papi.”

“Ma.”

“Bite me.” She smirks.

“Did ya take ya anxiety meds, and ya iron supplements?”

“Yes, as soon as I woke up.”

“You got any more family showin’ up?”

“Ya might wanna pray, ‘cause I don’t know.” Kirby whispers.

“Take one of the Princes then.”

Kirby takes Ethan from his father, letting Eddie use his rosaries to say a small prayer.

“Hey little guy,” Kirby starts baby-talking to her son when he opens his eyes, his blue eyes staring up at her own, “How’s my little dude doing? Huh, baby boy, how is you doing my love?”

“You’re so cute, Ma.” Eddie murmurs, making Kirby blush a bright pink.

“Sorry, I got a bit lost in my thoughts.”

“I wish I got that on video, I would have watched it over and over.”

“He looked at me, you know I gotta talk to him if he looks at me.”

“I know,” Eddie wraps his free arm around her waist, “I love you, Kirby.”

“I love you too, Eddie… my Edward, my King of Diamonds.”

“My Kirby, my Dragon Princess.” He smirks.

“Did you like last night?” She asks softly.

“If Jon and Renee weren’t there, it would have been perfect.”

“It’s the closest thing to actually being in either a nightclub, or strip club with me.”

“I know, it’s also much more private and personal.” He whispers, kissing her jawline and the scar on her cheek.

“What’s gotten you so affectionate this morning?”

“I guess it’s just one of them days.” He winks.

“Did you go through my music?”

“Yep. You left your ‘Moody’ playlist up.”

“Don’t blame that on me, blame it on Spotify.” She murmurs, sipping her can of decaf coffee.

Eddie grabs a can of Red Bull, and they both head to sit on the couch next to each other. Moss turns the tv on, flicking through the channels until he gets to the sport, putting on a game of Rugby, Ulster v Dragons.

“Why don’t you put on some wrestlin’?” Eddie asks.

“Because,” Kirby sips her coffee, “As a family who runs a wrestling promotion, if we want to watch wrestling, we will watch something from our archives.” She explains.

“How far do the archives go back?”

“Oh jeez… Uncail, how far do our archives go back, with the tapes?”

Kirby’s Uncle Bran steps back inside, holding his cigarette outside of the patio doors, “Our taped archives?”

“Yeah, not the written stuff but the filmed stuff.” Kirby nods.

“I would think back to when Naoise started wrestling, so nineteen-sixty, maybe nineteen-fifty-nine? I would have to check. But it’s somewhere around then.”

“Oh wow,” Eddie mumbles, “That’s a lot of footage.”

“Yeah, most of it’s been digitised now too, so we’ll be able to go back, and use the footage to teach generations ahead.” Bran explains before stepping outside to finish his cigarette.

“Hey Da, can I bum a smoke off ya?” Dara asks as he steps outside.

“Take one of ya sister’s.” Bran grumbles.

“Here, and don’t tell my husband, he thinks I’ve switched to the robot.” Branwen chuckles softly.

“Switched to the robot?” Eddie asks Kirby softly.

“Switched to an electronic cigarette or vape. It’s something that my Uncle Rhod came up with.” She murmurs, engrossed in the rugby game.

“Sweetheart.” Eddie puts his hand on her thigh, getting her attention off the tv.

“Yes, Eddie?”

“You gonna explain what’s goin’ on?”

“With what?”

Eddie gestures towards the tv, “I don’t watch this stuff, you know me, Knicks, Yankees, that kinda stuff I watch.”

“Oh,” She smiles softly, leaning back and keeping Ethan close to her chest, “So you have Ulster, northern Irish, and The Dragons, a Welsh team. Currently The Dragons, the team Moss and Dara will want to win, are beating the asses of Ulster. You know how you have leagues and stuff?”

“Yeah, this works the same?”

“Yep. U.R.C, United Rugby Championship, if The Dragons win, they go on to face Edinburgh or The Sharks, depending on who wins that game.”

“Okay, and who are the Sharks?”

“They’re a South African team.”

“And why don’t you guys support Ulster?”

“Divorce him.” Moss grumbles.

“He’s askin’ why we don’t support Ulster, Moss, nothin’ more.”

“We don’t support ‘em, ‘cause they fuck the British willingly.” Mostyn scoffs

“Jesus, Moss. Right, long story short, we don’t support Ulster ‘cause they’re northern Irish, our ancestry comes from the republic.”

“Oh…” The weight of Moss’ statement dawns on Eddie, “So if I were to support Ulster, your family would hate me?”

“Don’t even mention them by name.” She whispers.

Eddie nods, putting a finger to his lips, indicating that he’ll stay silent. Instead Eddie focuses on Emyr, both him and Kirby watching as his son, Emyr, yawns and opens his eyes. Green eyes meeting green eyes. Son staring up at his father, reaching for his face, or rather the blur that takes up most of Emyr’s vision. Eddie in his ‘I hope you suffer’ tank top and a pair of jeans, timbs on but unlaced, rosaries hidden between his white and black tank-tops. Emyr in a small ‘kiss me I’m Irish’ onesie, a gift from his maternal grandmother, Kirby’s Mam, Oda.

“I hope one day, you’ll grow up to find a woman, or hell, a man, who is as amazing as ya mother, Emyr.” Kingston whispers, kissing his eldest son on the head.

“Kingy, that has gotta be one of the sweetest things you’ve ever said.” Kirby whispers, receiving a gentle kiss on her cheek scar.

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