week 3 curfew

[sacredpath]

Comments

[sacredpath]

[absolutely none of us chose this. i'm imagining some of you were walking to a good location with shadowheart but we just opened the door and got yeeted here 2 minutes before curfew.]

Oh no.

[spiritbalm]

[ this isn't the basement! ]

Maker's Breathe-- No one think anything! Don't look in any mirrors! Hands to yourselves.

[gutterbound]

[Puts a hand on his shoulder.]

[spiritbalm]

[ JUMPSCARED. ]

Why!

[gutterbound]

I'm showing my support!

[spiritbalm]

Think about yourself! Don't think about me!

[gutterbound]

I can't help it though. You're just always on my mind, Andy, day and night, rain or shine. I just can't quit you baby! I've tried! Believe me, I have!

[spiritbalm]

[ :flushed: ]

I know I'm irresistible but try to control yourself, Richie, we're in mixed company.

[gutterbound]

Gracious me, I'll try.

[Winks and blows him a kiss.]

[spiritbalm]

Careful, I could be about to confess my undying love any moment.

[gutterbound]

[Richie as the straight male gamer pressing anders' heart dialogue options]

Don't be a tease...

[Anyway elbows him]

I'll do my best to think positive. Just for you, Andy.

[sacredpath]

Unless I just try to think of your memories so we see those.

[spiritbalm]

[ okay enjoy a memory.

It's an hour long montage of following hawke around all of kirkwall while he digs through every broken barrel and trash can on every square city block and hoarding broken bits of jewelry, rusty shivs, and single boots and then selling them to traders for two copper each and then doing it all over again. ]

[sacredpath]

[memshares back walking back and forth from camp to a single druid trader with four loads of goblin scimitars and blood soaked helmets and using the money to buy dye to make all of her outfits more purple-y]

[spiritbalm]

Living the dream ...

[sacredpath]

You just never know when a barrel full of rotten fruit will happen to have a priceless magical ring...

[hawke is right.]

[spiritbalm]

Eugh.

[ hawke is right, actually. ]

It made sense when he wasn't nobility, but after ...

[sacredpath]

It can't ever hurt to be frugal.

[memshares stripping minthara's body of her cool weapons and armor and then noticing the outfit she was wearing underneath is kind of a serve and taking that too to wear around camp later.]

[spiritbalm]

[ doesn't know how he feels about this one ]

[sacredpath]

[okay but look at it]

[spiritbalm]

[ yeah its boots ]

Waste not, want not.

[gutterbound]

[is this a red flag or a green flag]

[sacredpath]

If it helps, she wanted to massacre a grove filled with helpless refugee children.

[that still doesn't explain why she needed to steal her outfit though]

[gutterbound]

I suppose corpse looting is a kind of recycling...you're saving the earth.

[sacredpath]

Yes, precisely.

[whats recycling. whats earth.]

[gutterbound]

...Something to be said for frugality here.

[spiritbalm]

Kirkwall is made entirely of stairs.

[gutterbound]

Something also to be said for buns of steel.

[peripheries]

[Still holding onto the back Anders' jacket like there's no way that statement could apply to him!]

[spiritbalm]

[ it actually doesn't apply to kaworu, yeah. ]

Just think of happy memories only. Good times in your life. Do you have those?

[sacredpath]

[looks around at everybody who is here.]

Maybe Wis'adel has happy memories.

[spiritbalm]

[ looking at wis'adel

we're in for such a bad time ]

[sarkazm]

Oh, sure. I've got plenty!

[I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE STORY READER IN THIS CON LINE THOUGH SO HOLD ON.]

[sarkazm]

[yeah here you go.

if you want the followup it's here, just scroll down a little to w and kal'tsit.]

[peripheries]

[Special little rat boy!]

Not particularly.

[spiritbalm]

Somehow I didn't think so.

[ your life is SO sad, rat boy. ]

[peripheries]

[even sadder when some of his happier memories are hanging out with Anders.]

I know you have happy memories... why don't we concentrate on yours?

[gutterbound]

Oh wonderful! I can finally finish moving in here permanently!

[Since we can never fucking leave it for good]

[sacredpath]

Yes! What a beautiful place to rest for the night. I hope you like your worst moments!

[gutterbound]

They do set the mood. I can't fall asleep without them, honestly.

[sacredpath]

[here except it's shadowheart instead of tav getting called maidenless by a skeleton man]

I still do not see how that was any of his business.

[spiritbalm]

[ haha ]

That corpse just called you single.

[sacredpath]

It isn't my fault. The only one who is even slightly appealing will set you on fire if you touch her.

[spiritbalm]

Sounds like something you could work through.

Why, exactly, does it care so much anyway?

[sacredpath]

I really couldn't tell you. We accidentally freed him from an ancient crypt and he started following us around and speaking vaguely about fate.

He is rather friendly, though. If you do have to pay him to bring someone back to life, he pretends not to notice if you pickpocket him after.

[gutterbound]

[where were his big naturals?]

I can't believe the nerve on that zombie.

[sacredpath]

He's not there to criticize my love life, he's there for us to pay him to come back to life if we die. And also... summon souls to fight for us? I was never clear on that part.

[gutterbound]

And yet he still did.

Or was it your love life he was trying to resurrect?

[sacredpath]

I do hope not. He is more involved in my life than I am currently comfortable with, considering he is simply a skeleton we found in a crypt.

[gutterbound]

Rather an unlikely addition to the entourage, yeah.

At least you're making friends!

[sacredpath]

I have friends! Sort of! I like some of them, even.

[memshares this, 9:53 to 11:07, tav is not there.]

[spiritbalm]

[ haha. yeah! ]

Oh. I have friends like that too.

[sacredpath]

[nodding! you always understand bestie]

Once she stopped being so annoying about trying to kill me for the artefact all the time, we got along just fine.

[spiritbalm]

[ two minutes of anders and fenris bickering. yay! ]

Oh. I didn't. I hated him forever.

[sacredpath]

[god.]

But you didn't kill each other. A success story.

[spiritbalm]

[ okay sorry one more just for funsies 1:43 to 2:26 but all their banter ... so stupid ... ]

Why couldn't he be dead too ...

[sacredpath]

[jesus. kids could you lighten up a little...

she pats him soothingly]

Maybe he's just in hell?

[spiritbalm]

[ anders, fenris and merrill in a party is just endlessly This. constant bitching at one another. shut the fuck up. kill some fucking baby dragons. ]

If there is a Maker, he will be.

[gutterbound]

[WELL OKAY.]

Jesus.

[sacredpath]

[well, okay.]

She wanted to duel me for it at dawn. I'm decent enough in a fight, but I'm not a brawler.

[she was only trying to kill her in the dead of night so she wouldn't be killed in broad daylight the next morning.]

[gutterbound]

True, that is the smart move.

[Somewhat uncertain now...]

And how did it finish?

[sacredpath]

The others woke and settled things down...

[she didn't murder lae'zel. sigh. so boring.]

I'd say we're actually friendly enough now. Although she is still one of the most frustrating people I've ever known.

[memshares making out with lae'zel at the tiefling party, no this is a joke, or is it...]

[sarkazm]

[is it one, siz]

[sacredpath]

[i wish it was true because i love them but if you play too hard to get with lae'zel she gets mad and fucks wyll instead and then tells you about it in detail and i think that's probably more accurate to what happened here.]

[spiritbalm]

[ memshares her memsharing this so its real ]

[gutterbound]

[it's not a joke i'm godmodding you, he's watching them kiss RIGHT NOW]

I see. [HM.] Well. Sometimes friendship's more fun with a little friction. Just maybe not the physical kind.

[unless???]

[sacredpath]

Unless...

[whether or not it happened the vibe is definitely like that.]

[gutterbound]

Unless...

[Takes her hand, deadly serious.]

Shadowheart, can I be your friend?

[sacredpath]

[...laughing at this.]

Are you asking me to attempt to cut your throat in the night?

[gutterbound]

I could think of worse ways to wake up.

[smokeandglasses]

[Oh no.]

Well, it might not be so bad. We could all somehow spontaneously go blind for this night only.

[Hopeful thinking.]

[sacredpath]

I could knock you out, if you like?

[just offering!]

[smokeandglasses]

I'll pass, but thank you for the kind offer.

[gutterbound]

[Inevitably, a memory is shared

Richie puts his face in his hand.]

[spiritbalm]

The corpse that was judgmental of Shadowheart would be very proud of you.

[gutterbound]

I'm so thrilled to hear it! And all at eleven years old....

[smokeandglasses]

[Man and he felt bad for everyone seeing that his lover ate the flowers he gave him.]

[gutterbound]

[AT LEAST HE HAS AN EXCUSE FOR BEING LAME HE WAS A BABY]

[sacredpath]

[i'm sorry but this is just cute.]

My... such valor.

[gutterbound]

Enough to charm her, and so enough for me.

[Beverly never had dokis for him once.]

[sacredpath]

Mm, yes. It all seemed very calculated.

[almost cold, working that hard to be smooth.]

[gutterbound]

Yes, as you can tell I had all planned out from the jump. In fact, I haven't changed my strategy one bit.

[sacredpath]

Is that how you managed to get the various husbands and wives...

[this is so unfair she's aware of one ex-wife. and one ex-husband, mizu.]

[gutterbound]

Ha, very funny. I've never been married. Only the various curses and blessings of death has granted me such a boon.

I had am almost, but you know. Her career was going East Coast, mine going was West Coast, I had to be a chauvanist pig to drag my heels about following after her....

[He shrugs. In another life, canon-chan.]

[sacredpath]

[are those places far apart. she just doesn't know.]

Ah, yes, the classic tale.

[spiritbalm]

[ okay sure he accidentally tried not to think about broodmothers and started thinking about one

cw: giant spider, boobs. just so many boobs. please understand there are too many boobs. ]

Aauuugh!

[sacredpath]

Oh. I've met one of those.

[here cw for a nasty spider guy with so many eyes]

[spiritbalm]

Mine's bigger. And the breasts make it so much worse.

[sacredpath]

Well... I do concede that I don't like the breasts.

[since when is it a competition!!!!]

[spiritbalm]

They give birth to thousands of Darkspawn ...

[ its a competition and hes WINNING. ]

[gutterbound]

[Full recoil from this one my god.]

Man, come on!

[smokeandglasses]

[Memory time!]

Ali is dressed in something other than a suit for once in his life, as he has chosen a t-shirt and jeans for the laborious task of weeding the flower bed. He could use his fire if he did it in small, contained blasts right at the weeds, but the neighbors are around and he would rather they didn't start asking questions. So, by hand it is.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Ali pauses in his work to glance up to a young boy, maybe 5 or 6. This boy has white hair and light green eyes, and yet despite looking nothing alike Ali smiles warmly at the boy.

"Weeding the flowers. Your papa normally handles it, but he's not feeling well today so I'm doing it."

The boy looks a little confused as he says, "Isn't fire faster?"

"Well yes, it would be," Ali says, speaking a bit quieter now so only the boy hears, "But we're trying to act like humans, remember?"

This seems to make sense to the boy, so he smiles widely and says in return, "And humans don't have magic!"

"Exactly. Now, do you want to help me here? Or would you like to keep playing?"

"Can I have the little shovel?"

Ali smiles a little and picks up the trowel, which he hands over to the boy, who is making grabbyhands for it. "Just fill in any holes you dig, okay?"

"'kay!" And then the boy takes the trowel and runs off to the backyard without another word.

This does not bother Ali in the slightest, and he just returns to his weeding. After about ten minutes though, he starts to hear some strange dragging noises, followed by a soft thump. This happens four times, with a few minutes of quiet in between, before Ali finally gets up to investigate. "Chance?"

He has to walk around the side of the house and towards the backyard before he finds his answer: four tall sunflowers are standing up against the wooden fence, facing the house. The boy- Chance- is now in the act of dragging the fifth over. Ali still seems unbothered by this, and in fact he just chuckles lightly. Leave it to Concord's kid to do things the hard way instead of asking for help. "Are the sunflowers ready for picking?"

Chance sounds a little out of breath as he speaks. "Yeah! Gonna put them right here. " With that, he tips up the fifth sunflower and plops it against the fence like the rest. Then he stands up, looking to Ali excitedly. "And I did no magic!"

Ali smiles warmly. "You did a good job too. Now we can cut off the heads and take them inside then-"

"Not yet!" Chance points to the window on the second floor, the one that goes to Ali and Concord's bedroom. "Now Papa can see!"

Oh, how Ali's heart melts when he hears those words. What a thoughtful child. So young, and he's already thinking of others. Ali just scoops up Chance in a hug, praising Chance while he giggles. "You're the most thoughtful person I know, my little sunflower. How about we go make your papa some lunch?"

"'kay!"

[spiritbalm]

[ awwww. this is such a sweet memory.

anders is FROWNING. ]

Humans have magic.

[smokeandglasses]

They don't in my world, I should specify.

[spiritbalm]

Why not? What did you do to them?

[smokeandglasses]

Nothing? They just don't exist. The closest thing are the mages, but they're not strictly human as they can live for centuries.

Plus, Chance was 5. The goal there was to keep him from growing a forest in the backyard with his magic, not to teach the nuance of humans versus mages.

[spiritbalm]

[ mages aren't human ... ? mages aren't human? mages aren't human ... !

sorry did you think anders was a sane or reasonable person who is willing to accept the different facts of different worlds at face value because no. he is an insane person. ]

Of course the mages are human! To call them anything else, to call them other, only allows the Chantry to further excuse their crimes. To brand us monster. If we are not human, they can maim our minds and put us to the sword like any other livestock, and those who stand on the outside will justify it as reasonable! They simply aren't human! What does it matter?!

[ if he could be glowing right now. he would. ]

[sacredpath]

[oh my god. trying to shove anders away from this conversation.]

His world is just different, you lunatic. Also, sorry, did you just say non-humans are livestock?

[spiritbalm]

[ SHOVED.

LOUDLY: ]

I wasn't talking about the elves!

[sacredpath]

So you say, so you say...

[spiritbalm]

I wasn't! I grew up with elves!

[ I have elf friends!]

They imprison them in the Circle the same as anyone else!

[sacredpath]

[you seem to have an acrimonious relationship with every elf you know just saying man just saying.

but also she's just busting his chops. she's not even an elf she's a half-elf.]

Next time don't be so quick to act like not being "human" is such an insult.

[spiritbalm]

[ name one person he doesn't have an acrimonious relationship with ]

[gutterbound]

[pretend i've been present the whole time

Watching this slapfight ensue. To Shadowheart:]

Are we really letting this happen in a narrow maze full of glass?

[sacredpath]

Some people can only be improved with punching. I'll step in if it gets worse than that.

1/2

[smokeandglasses]

[Boy he sure opened a can of worms, didn't he?]

2/2

[smokeandglasses]

[Clears his throat.]

So I guess that means dragons are livestock in your worldview?

[He should not be enabling this argument, and yet.]

[spiritbalm]

[ AAAAAAUUGUGGGHH. ]

How did anything I said relate at all to dragons?!

[ memshares this. You don't have to watch it its just Hawke fighting and killing a high dragon and it involves anders blasting magic to murder dozens and dozens of dragon babies. ]

[smokeandglasses]

[Hawke had told him about this, but honestly seeing it is a thousand times worse and triggers a memory of his own.

A memory of Ali, meeting his sister in a mountainside town. Of warning her that the cave she built her nest in is too close to a town.

Of his sister, Ria, telling him that the father of her eggs is already dead, and that she needs his help making sure they hatch safely.

Of a group of teenagers, looking for a place to go camping and stumbling across a nest of eggs and a protective dragon.

Of Ali trying to stop her, telling her they can move the eggs, but his words don't reach her and she flies out of the nest to go 'handle the problem'. Her instincts to protect her next being too strong to be overcome.

Of Ali trying to move the eggs as quickly as possible, but only being able to move one at a time due to their size, and he ends up only having time to move one before some adult humans come around and smash the rest of the eggs in the nest.

Of Ria struggling to fight back as humans damage her wings and knock her to the ground.

Of the way Ria cries out "Leave my babies alone!" in a language only Ali can understand.

Of how, in the end, Ali watches his own sister get decapitated. And how he can't even cry, because any emotion would make the humans notice that he's not human as well.

And finally, of how, decades later, Ali returned to that same town and found his sister's dead body stuffed and preserved in a museum about the glory of humans who protect the world from dragons.

He probably would have been fine without seeing Anders' memory, but now? Now he's trying to punch Anders in the face.]

[spiritbalm]

[ listen its called a dragon age game you gotta slaughter some dragons man

anyway he's not Justice-ing out and hes a mage so yeah? he just gets punched in the face? IT HURTS? ]

Quit it!

[ he has no staff, so just. trying to slap fight him off. ]

[sarkazm]

[watching this happen like. lmao. so this is how it is when she's not the one getting in fights...]

[smokeandglasses]

[Yeah it's just a really unfortunate set of circumstances here.

But at least after that punch he'll turn to slap fighting in return.]

How dare you kill children like that?!

[spiritbalm]

[ this is pathetic ......... twink fight ... ]

I didn't start the fight! They were attacking the Bone Pit!

[smokeandglasses]

[This is what it's like when two magic-users have to fistfight.]

Well you sure ended it! Do you kill other kinds of children too?!

[spiritbalm]

[ well that comment makes him angry enough that his voice drops, and he starts fighting back for real in that Cat At The Vet way he had at Hawke's trial. ]

You will not accuse me of injustice!

[sacredpath]

[okay well. no. she will physically grab him to drag him off.]

Stop. Not tonight.

[smokeandglasses]

[Man he really wants to punch Anders again, but since Shadowheart is stepping in he'll step back and let her handle it.]

[sacredpath]

Sorry. A fair fight to pick, but not one for a Thursday.

[no hard feelings, beat the shit out of him any other night and it's all good.]

[smokeandglasses]

...that's fair, yes.

[Yeah. A brawl on a Thursday night isn't going to look good no matter what.]

I was going to tell him that mages are respected for their wisdom and capabilities in my world, but...

[sacredpath]

[as she's literally holding him.]

Honestly, he'll find some way to be offended by that, too. I wouldn't worry.

[smokeandglasses]

Probably, yeah.

[He runs a hand through his hair and sighs.]

Apologies. I don't normally lose control like that.

[sacredpath]

It's really all right.

[like, what an unfortunate memory. she doesn't blame him for getting upset.]

For what it's worth, I think this is another thing that's different in his world. [she doesn't think he's out there killing sentient dragon babies.] But it can't have been pleasant to see.

[smokeandglasses]

[He nods.]

...my daughter always knew I was actually her uncle by blood, but trying to explain the full truth to her when she was a teenager- while also trying to keep her from developing a deep-seated hatred of all humans- was challenging.

[sarkazm]

Hey, see if smacking him still works!

[sacredpath]

It's fine as is.

[he has twink strength she can just. hold him.]

[sarkazm]

Oh, fiiiine.

[spiritbalm]

[ in his normal voice: ]

I'm fine, stop suggesting hitting me on a Thursday night!

[sarkazm]

[she just whaps him with her tail instead, then.]

[spiritbalm]

[ put in spirit time out ]

[peripheries]

[Pats his arm.]

Not always.

[spiritbalm]

[ oh! my god maker! ]

Of course we do! I'm a mage, you little idiot!

[peripheries]

Magic doesn't even exist where I'm from. Therefore, not all humans can have magic.

[Q.E.D. Checkmate Mage!]

[sacredpath]

[what a sweet memory. extremely adorable. shadowheart is smiling.]

I agree with you, humans don't have magic.

[spiritbalm]

[ GLARING ABSOLUTE DAGGERS AT HER.

DIE. ]

[smokeandglasses]

[He is going to be put in the middle of an argument here isn't he?]

You know, Chance is an adult now, but he's still just as kind and thoughtful.

[Ali is so proud. Both of his kids are the best.]

[sacredpath]

[she is definitely trying to stoke one on purpose, yeah. but this is cute, so she smiles anyway.]

Well, it's a very sweet memory. Is it rude if I ask what you are, if not human?

[unlike some weirdos she doesn't just assume everyone is a human but he seems to have such human-y ears.]

[smokeandglasses]

[He do because it's the perfect disguise.]

Ah, well. Chance and his father Concord are unicorns, and my daughter Ava and myself are...dragons.

[He seems a bit hesitant to answer but what's the worse than can happen right?]

The kids call both of us dad but that's the biological relationships at least.

[sacredpath]

Oh! A dragon, really? I've never met one before. Well, as far as I know.

[since some do have the ability to appear human where she's from, too.]

[smokeandglasses]

[Looks at how he's not the only dragon here. He decides not to doxx others.]

Yeah, dragons either live up in the mountains or live among humans in a human form. I got lucky, the only visible sign of my dragon heritage is my red eyes. Some dragons can't control their form well and have scales on their face or arms.

[sacredpath]

[oh well he doxxed that on the mingle it's fine i'm sure]

...Aren't those just dragonborn? Hardly the same thing?

[that's racist...]

[smokeandglasses]

I have to be honest, I have never heard the term 'dragonborn' before.

[sacredpath]

Oh. They're people with draconic lineage? They tend to have draconic features, but they're mortal and more, um, to scale?

[human sized.]

[smokeandglasses]

Huh...From the stories I've heard, making children with humans in this form just makes human children. And I really don't think there's any human who wants to copulate with a dragon in dragon form.

[sacredpath]

[lmao...]

There are fantasy novels that would beg to differ...

[smokeandglasses]

[Oh my god]

Fantasy novels are fantasy! It's not happening in real life.

[sacredpath]

You didn't say happening, you just said wants to...

[smokeandglasses]

I've wanted humans to accept dragons for the longest time, but this isn't quite what I meant...

[sacredpath]

No, I don't imagine so! I simply wouldn't underestimate human ingenuity.

[peripheries]

[Well unlike everyone else! Kaworu is the one transfixed by this memory.

Wow... family... a loving dad... not single one in the whole damn canon.]

[smokeandglasses]

[Yeah. Yeah...RIP all of EVA's good dads.]

[sarkazm]

Huh. Guess that's what that's like.

[she'll say it out loud fuck it]

[smokeandglasses]

[How many of you guys need loving parents?]

[peripheries]

[No content warnings just the OG Ramiel doing its thing.]

[sacredpath]

Very square.

[peripheries]

Technically, it's an octahedron. But yes, that's one of my kin.

[sacredpath]

Oh, really? A cousin? What's the relation?

[peripheries]

We have the same progenitor, Adam... So something like a distant sibling?

[That's not a thing.]

[sacredpath]

I'm a bit jealous of anyone who has siblings. It seems very nice.

[this shape...]

[peripheries]

Well. I've never actually most of them. When I met one, we were forced to fight each other. So I don't know what siblings are truly like either.

[gutterbound]

[Just perceiving hostile geometry. Okay. Cool.]

[spiritbalm]

[ calming down in the naughty spirit timeout corner by watching this Shape ]

[peripheries]

[Comes over to stand by him, just hands in his pockets, chilling! Roommate solidarity. He's the best at this.]

[smokeandglasses]

[Huh. Attack triangular antiprism.]