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foulserpent · 4 years

Text

chap1

4000 words - xikeel and ned enter a gate to oblivion, and find it already occupied by some troubled new owners. ned meets an old friend. xikeel flirts with someone who just threatened to throw her into lava. wat will happen next

"This is... Different." Ned stated needlessly.

Xikeel blinked. "Yes, a bit."

They stood just inside a gate to the Deadlands, the volcanic plane of Mehrunes Dagon. This was hardly unusual for the two of them. They had been named the "Heroes of Kvatch" after all, and could barely go anywhere together without the town guard recognizing them and demanding their assistence. As a team, the argonian and bosmer had an almost preternatural talent for navigating this realm while skillfully not dying. It had been a few months since the sack of Kvatch, and this alien plane had already lost its novelty.

What was unusual was the lifelessness of this island . And the piles of dead dremora soldiers placed in methodical stacks on the rocks nearby, all of their heads severed and dripping black blood down the stakes that ran through their mouths. And the fact that Xikeel and Ned two were standing waist deep in lily pad laden swamp water.

Before finding themselves in an unexpected wetland, the “Heroes of Kvatch” had been on their way back to Bruma from a stressful and ultimately fruitless weeklong errand to the Imperial City. Xikeel had been taking on her morning chore of feeding Shadowmere scraps of meat that the lazy horse had grown too spoiled to scavenge for herself. She had last seen Ned lying in a patch of sun, smoking something that left a pleasant, earthy scent on the nose, and just the slightest hint of sweet burned meat on the tongue.

She didn't rush him. In fact, she meant to join his basking as soon as she finished packing. It would be another three day's ride to Bruma, and the two were in no particular hurry to return to their friend with tidings of "the Mages Guild's library and every book seller in the city was cleaned out of most books on Daedric ritual runes, the only ones we got from your list were Glories and Laments and that one on alchemical uses for every organ in a clannfear, which we're guessing was more for light reading than anything else. Ned got a new sword though!"

Xikeel had just returned the sack of meat into Shadowmere's saddlebag when she found herself frozen. The background melody of insects and frogs had ceased as if they'd been wiped out of existence in the space of a heartbeat. She dimly processed that something was deeply wrong just as air then closed a heavy hand around her, hot and thick in a manner alien from the already oppressive humidity of central Cyrodiil’s jungle. Each breath was a gulp of something horrid that dripped into her lungs with an overwhelming taste of blood and ozone. She felt herself lagging a few inches behind her body. She felt each moment as an age.

The world seemed to take a breath. Tensed itself. Then, something instinctive in Xikeel became aware that time had resumed its normal function, just as the air split with a thunderous crack. A blast of energy knocked her off her feet and into the bush, leaving her stunned and gasping for breath, only dimly registering the colossal splashing noise that followed.

A high pitched whine filled the air. The soft morning light bled red. A gate to oblivion had just opened almost directly on top of their camp.

"Holy FUCK!" Ned yelled.

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Now, they stood just within the gate, soaked and half coated in pond-scum. The water and the corpses of the realms inhabitants were unusual, but now that Xikeel had time to look at this island, so was its layout. They were in a great chasm between two parallel rows of towers, all connected by bridges and almost entirely shattered. At the center was a recognizable sigil keep, but it keeled to the side at an angle that should not have been possible to sustain. Rubble hung suspended mid-fall. Most strangely of all, its top was cleaved off entirely, with the sigil stone and its column of fire visible even at this great distance.

"You think we should even do this?" Ned sniffed. "I mean, what the hell even happened here?"

Xikeel scented the air. Blood, ozone, the smell of dead immortals, swamp. And underneath it all- "Ned, there were argonians here. I am smelling us everywhere!" She looked around in excitement. She began to sniff the air furiously, taking several steps forward.

"Hang on ‘Eel, this isn't right." Ned splashed up behind her.

"Well I am not smelling the smell of hostility, so I'm going to-" the words caught in her throat as her bare foot came down on something fleshy. Something that gave a start. Something that turned on a dime and plowed away through the water with just one swing of a massive tail.

"Ah. Someone is here." Xikeel said simply. The bosmer groaned behind her, beginning to draw his sword as Xikeel continued to stare ahead excitedly.

All was still for a moment. Subtly, the tip of a snout broke the dark water, followed by a pair of hooked horns. Two eyes blinked up at them, glowing dimly with reflective light. No one moved.

The water surged away as a massive form hoisted itself from beneath. A bulky, green argonian man now loomed before the two of them, squinting through the dim light as he set down an equally hefty spear in the muck. He had wide red eyes, crowned with a rather small pair of horns resembling those of a bull. He flicked his forked tongue at the pair. Xikeel flicked back. He was not difficult to read. Big, but out of his element. Perhaps even scared- his gills flared outwards and eyes were held wide. He held the spear in an unpracticed grip, rather like one would hold a fighting staff. Oh!- she thought. He's just as confused as I am.

The strange man began to form the sound of speech deep in his throat, when his eyes narrowed on Xikeel's companion. He froze. A lily pad dropped from his shoulder into the murk with a fat plop. She heard Ned inhale sharply, before feeling his hand clumsily grasp at her shoulder and then lean as if he'd lost his balance. She stumbled under his weight, shooting him a questioning look, but his gaze was locked tightly ahead. Ned had the unmistakable look of a man seeing a ghost. Well, Xikeel had questions and no time for concerns of this man's corporeality.

"Hello, why are you h-"

Before Xikeel could speak another word, the water boiled and surged all around them. Dozens of argonians were rising from the murk and bearing down on the interlopers. The alien waters of the deadlands had been hiding an entire troupe of armed soldiers.

Every one of them appeared to hail from more deep-marsh tribes than Xikeel could count. They were scaled, scaleless, even feathered, all wearing little armor and many fresh wounds. The foremost soldiers crowded in, spear-tips lowered towards the interlopers. There was great murmuring, yet no one moved, as the troop seemed to await a signal.

How could she have been so stupid? This was a textbook ambush setup. They had probably walked directly over the hidden soldiers, staying perfectly still at the bottom of the water until their prey was surrounded. To be fair - she supposed, the deadlands of Mehrunes Dagon were not a textbook ambush location for a group of deep-marsh argonian soldiers. She stayed quiet as she observed, ignoring Ned's hand dug tightly into her shoulder. Something was off. Most of them bore the same look of confusion that had tugged at the first man's features. Their hands shook and their feet shifted. She sniffed. These were not trained soldiers.

The mass of soldiers rippled and awkwardly parted with sheepish expressions as a muscular and substantially smaller woman pushed through the front line. She was an unusual looking sarpa. And, Xikeel noted, she really was quite handsome. Her iridescent black feathers shed water like those of a waterfowl, yet she possessed the same fishlike gills as Xikeel's more reptilian stock. Unlike the other soldiers, she was fully armored in what appeared to be wamasu hide, treated for water and embroidered with beads. Even more unlike the other soldiers, her entire body radiated poise. Her feathery crest flagged erect, held almost as high as her spiked chin. With a grunt, she thrust her spear into the muck, and strode forward. The claws on her left hand were filed to the quick, hovering over a cruel looking dagger.

The green argonian saw this and let out a distressed chirp, drawing stares from those around him. A spiky companion glared and elbowed him, but the man let out a sharp hiss and stepped out of line towards his superior. She turned to glare at him. expectantly. He grasped at words, opening and closing his wide jaw soundlessly until they caught on his tongue and sputtered out.

“(General, Ma’am, this - I know the bosmer. Uh, respectfully, he's not a, um. He's-")

His superior's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

("Go on, soldier.") ("Sorry, he's- Please don’t hurt him).” He finally spat out in increasing panic.

They were speaking Jel! Xikeel was not sure why this surprised her. Had it been that long since she'd even heard her native tongue?

The handsome woman turned, crest low to her nape, and spoke in a deep voice.

“(You know them?)” She jerked the corner of her snout towards the two, eyes narrow. This man far outclassed her in bulk, but looked tiny under her piercing red gaze.

“(The… the bosmer is a friend of mine. He kept me safe, when I was in the imperial’s arena. I don’t know why he’s here, but he can be trusted.)” He replied, using the familiar “he” pronoun to drive in his point.

“(And the saxhleel?)” The man with quill-like spines growled.

“(Ah... yeah, I... dont know her. But please...)” He trailed off.

“(I see.)” The woman’s slick feathers glimmered in the red light as she turned to stare the two interlopers down. “(But you don't give the orders here, Shap-Mota. I have half a mind to throw this mammal-licker and dryskin into the lava.)”

Shap-Mota let out another fearful chirp, looking between the woman and Ned in horror. His teeth were bared, gills held out far enough to show the pink flesh underneath. The general returned the gesture, half his size but bearing down with a practiced confidence that would have said otherwise. The crowd awkwardly waded back away from the two argonians. There would be a fight. Or, judging by how terrified Shap-Mota looked, a thrashing.

Xikeel barely noticed the drama escalating around her, or the heavy breathing of her friend in the midst of an episode, and had instead been listening in silence and bristling with insult. These people had wrongly clocked her as an ojel, an outsider. Assimilated and incapable of understanding the language.

“(Ah, excuse me. But you’re speaking my birth tongue, marsh-sister)” Xikeel interjected.

Shap-Mota and the general both whirled around, aggression nipped at the roots. The woman’s twitching crest betrayed a moment of surprise.

“(Interesting. It’s very rare to see a true egg-sibling in Imperial country.)” She mused. Some of the tension drained out of her taut frame, but her fingers still kissed the edge of her dagger. She paced back towards Xikeel and Ned. “(What is your business here?)”

Xikeel hesitated. Telling this woman that she was a shadowscale would easily have her rank most of the argonians present, perhaps even this general herself. However, if her story was later investigated and it was found that Xikeel the shadowscale was alive - and therefore had abandoned her order- the results would be catastrophic. Scales couldn't kill other scales, but deserters almost always wound up dead one way or another.

“(I am on an assignment of absolute secrecy,)” Xikeel bullshitted. "(I close these gates on this assignment, and this one just has appeared before me, as if fated...)" She paused for effect, and began to pace around, dragging Ned limply behind her. "(Yes, it pains me to say, but I cannot give more information, or the consequences may be dire. But I swear on the Hist of my birth that we are on the same side.")

A larger woman with a fishlike face snorted and flared her gills. “(Oh that's just rich. An ‘assignment of absolute secrecy?’ with that?”) She tossed her snout in Ned’s direction. Xikeel dared a nervous glance back at her friend. He still stood with the same dazed expression, eyes glazed and breathing slightly ragged. He was somewhere far away from here. Perfect.

Xikeel hissed dismissively. “(Please. In my field, having dumb muscle around cannot hurt)” she said with a practiced poker face. This seemed to satisfy most of the crowd. However, the large green man glared at Xikeel with a gaze that said he wanted to rip her in half, and a physique that said he very much could.

He opened his mouth and took a step towards Xikeel. "(You-)"

“(ENOUGH about the stupid elf! And get back to your fucking position!)" The dark-feathered woman took a frustrated swing in his direction him, feathers raised in irritation. He bowed back, continuing to glare from under his horns.

The general let out a groan of frustration and closed the gap between herself and Xikeel. She hooking a claw from her untrimmed right hand under Xikeel's chin, tilting it up slightly.

"(If you are on our side, your business is not secret from a general of the An-Xileel.)”

Xikeel swallowed and flared her gills. “(Fine.)” She did not look at Ned, but prayed his attention would be captured enough to pick up on the ruse. “My name is Thux-Ha” Xikeel announced to the crowd in Cyrodiilic, then in Jel. She stretched out her neck and stood tall, as if to give credence to the name "Snake-Throat". She leaned towards the general, speaking quietly now.

"(I am under service of the King of the Black Marsh.)" she spoke in the old innuendo. "(I assume that will suffice.)"

The argonians close enough to hear rippled in surprise. Most outsiders still lingered under the assumption that the Black Marsh had a king, as if one saxhleel could ever represent the rainbow myriad of tribes that populated the land. To "Serve under the king" was merely to serve Sithis as Its scales, and Its scales were to be respected.

The general's eyes narrowed. She flicked her tongue. Xikeel flicked back. The larger woman huffed, leaning in until their muzzles nearly touched as the two took each other's scent in rapid succession.

Satisfied that "Thux-Ha" did not have the scent of a liar, the general leaned back.

"(She speaks truth)" She announced to the crowd. "(This is a kinsman. You will treat her with the same respect as myself. Believe it or not, this little snake ranks all of you)". She pulled her spear out of the murk, gesturing broadly.

"(Return to your positions. I'll finish dealing with our guests.)"

The crowd muttered amongst themselves, glancing back at the small argonian and elf in their midst, but did not object. They lowered themselves into the water, and began to kick off towards their separate posts. Xikeel counted the tails churning the algae. About fifteen to twenty saxhleel in total. Not counting herself, the general, and this "Shap-Mota" who remained staring at her friend with his hands clenched tight around his spear.

"(You too, soldier.)" The general addressed Shap-Mota. He gave a rather pathetic look at the still dazed bosmer before awkwardly flopping back into the murk.

The general remained standing before Xikeel, watching with narrowed eyes and a wrinkled nose as her troupe finished melting back into the water. Once it looked like they were never there, her piercing eyes returned to Xikeel.

"(Thux-Ha.)" She said, an odd quaver pulling at the edge of her voice.

"(Yeah?)"

The general looked around again, rotating her neck to scan the full perimeter. Then whipped back and dropped her face to Xikeel's level. In one moment, all of her previous poise rolled from her feathers like water.

"(We need help. Badly. Do you have a couple days?)"

Xikeel could barely keep herself from startling. She played off the motion into a shift of the feet, squinting in a smile.

"(Ahh, as I said, I have an assignment of great importance. I am unsure I can make time in my schedule... What is it you need?)"

The general drooped even lower, crest held tight against her neck.

"(Every. Single. Person alive here is a civilian soldier. The other two troupes all got FRIED by the damned stupid sigil rock, and I am the only damned STUPID fucking ranking soldier left!)"

"(Oh, wow, that's-)"

"(We have one of our mages left trying to get us back to the marsh, and now that it's just me and my fucking auxiliary troupe of unpracticed nobodies left, we've got the GODDAMN dremora harassing us every other day and she can't get anything done!)" The general raved.

Xikeel searched for a response, but was distracted by the sound of splashing. Ned had wandered a few meters away, searching the water where the green argonian had been. He hissed a name. She shook her head and returned her attention to the general.

"(Uh, the gate is right there? You could always leave. Y-")

"(No the hell we can't! This is life or death for more people than you can possibly imagine!)". The general threw out her arms in exasperation, a few downy feathers flying like confetti. She remained in that position, eyes begging the woman's response.

"Shap? Shap-Mota?" Ned was several feet away, whispering at the water. The two argonian's eyes flicked to him, then back to each other. "(Well, what exactly are you wanting me to do? Because I am not sure what you are wanting from me.)" Xikeel said, putting her hands on her hips.

"(Just- Just come have a look at the sigil stone thing. See if you can help our mage. I know you came here to take it, shadowscale, but I believe our assignments here differ.)"

"Frog?" Ned called louder, flapping his hand around in the water as if to summon the man. The general whipped her neck towards him, then back at Xikeel. Her red eyes narrowed in exasperation as she brought her claws to her face yet again.

"(Can you PLEASE tell your elf to shut up?)"

"Ned, the general wants you to please shut up." Xikeel called over her shoulder.

Ned spun around and gestured wildly at her, mouthing something that was probably a curse. Xikeel smiled back at him, winking and giving the "okay" signal.

Xikeel turned away before she could see his response. "(I've told him. But I will need to confer with him first, let him know what is going on, yes)?"

The general's body melted with her sigh. "(So you will help?)"

"(I will see what I can do.)" Xikeel said casually, checking at her filed claws. "(Though, I would feel much better about taking this time off my assignment if I were to know your name, friend.)"

The general startled slightly, looking a little sheepish.

"(Ah, yes I - Ah - suppose we're of the same rank. It's Kot-Veesk.)"

"(Pleased to be working with you, Kot-Veesk.)" Xikeel smiled.

Kot-Veesk stiffened back into her military poise, hands clasped behind her back.

“(You'll be doing a great service to me, and to the Marsh. Meet me by the spire as soon as you're finished)” The general said. Without another word, she strode collected her spear and vanished into the water.

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Ned finally seemed to have come back to reality as he cautiously approached. "Um, hey Thux-Ha." he said quietly. "Could you tell me what's going on?"

"The general here requests our assistance, and it’s probably pretty much what we were here to do anyway. Maybe. And I expect you to be polite and careful with what you say. A lot of these saxhleel likely understand your tongue and we do not need you insulting them, or compromising our assignment."

"Right." He said plainly, looking awkward.

The fact that Ned did not sass back seemed to indicate his understanding of the underlying message - "I had to lie to them, we’re probably still surrounded, please in Sithis' name do not say ANYTHING that could come back to bite us"

"Listen, where did that one we saw first go? He was-he was just here a second ago."

"Ah, the green one? He said to them that he knew you. Who-"

They were interrupted by the man himself emerging yet again from the murk, looking around nervously as if he expected the general to descend upon him with the wrath of a god at any moment. Satisfied at her absence, he turned his gaze to Ned with an intensity that burned the air between them more than the open flame of the deadlands already had. Finally, he spoke in near-perfect Cyrodiilic.

“Nedirael? That is you, isn’t it?"

Xikeel turned to her friend in a whole new type of confusion, dropping her arms into the universal gesture for "what the hell is going on?". It was to no avail, as Ned continued to stare past her with a face twisted into a crossroads of relief and absolute agony.

"Hi, Frog.” He responded in a wavering voice.

“’Nedirael’???” Xikeel hissed.

‘Frog’ dropped his spear and practically lunged for the shell-shocked bosmer. Xikeel instinctively reached for her knife, only to be stopped by a sight more unexpected than some long delayed enactment of revenge.

Shap-Mota had bent down and pulled the bosmer into a gentle embrace, emitting a pleased rumble as he eagerly pressed his forehead against Ned’s. He then rubbed the bridge of his snout against the other man's face, slow and savoring, in a gesture Xikeel knew well as an affectionate greeting. A very, very affectionate greeting. Ned seemed to know this as well, as he shakily returned the gesture, eyes still wide. The only sound was the two men’s horns awkwardly clacking against each other.

Shap-Mota finally pulled back, still holding a slightly limp Ned by his shoulders.

“It is so good to see you, old friend!"

"It's. Yeah it's.." Ned trailed off, his yellow eyes starting to look bloodshot.

"Are.. you okay?" Frog cocked his head. Ned had suddenly become very interested in the murky water still lapping at his own legs. His eyes locked downward, lips trembling.

“I thought you died.” Ned said flatly.

Shap-Mota recoiled slightly, hissing faintly in confusion.

"Wha- How?"

"Are you kidd-You were being dragged off the killing floor the last time I saw you, I-" Ned's voice caught in his throat. Shap waved at the air with his hands as if grasping for words. "I... I was released! They carried me out after that... I, ah, know I was not allowed to say goodbye, but I figured at least one of the guards might have told you?"

Ned shook his head, looking like he'd just been kicked in the stomach. He laughed without humor. "Uh, no. I asked for you and they always just said they didn't know, didn't care. You... You know how they were."

The argonian was silent for a moment.

“They just released me after my last match. Said my sentence was up. I wanted to stay and wait for you, but... Well, I'm sure your argonian friend has told you about how the Hist started calling our people back." He spat the word 'friend' like venom, glaring at Xikeel. She was about to say something, when he shook his head and continued. "I... I'm so glad they freed you, too. I wish I could have stayed to see it.”

"Yeah, uh. So do I." Ned murmured, half to himself.

The two stood in a morose silence, bridged by Shap-Mota's now limp arms still grasping Ned's shoulders. Ned finally stepped back out of the man's grip, rubbing at his eyes a little too hard. His knuckles were coming away wet.

Xikeel made up her mind as his breathing began to hitch. This was probably none of her business.

"Stay where I can find you, old man." She said to Ned, walking off towards the spire and not waiting for a response.

#my stuff #my writing #well here you go

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felassan · 4 years

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Hello! I want to ask you smthing bc i am new to the fandom and i am trying to get it. Solas wants to take down the veil to bring back his people but bc of the veil his people started to get old and die and it has been more than 1000 years since be did that. So, arent his people dead? And the ones alive now are their descendats? I mean the evanuris are his people but he hates them. I know some are still alive, like abelas but the others are dead. I dont understand, what people can he bring back?

Hello, welcome to the fandom! Good question. Let’s see! There are several aspects to this. I don’t know if you’ve read Tevinter Nights, so I put this answer under a cut as some of it pertains to that.

First, there’s a bit of a distinction. Rather than “to bring back his people”, like just bringing back specific people or groups of people, the overarching goal is to save his people, his race. Save the elven people as an entity. This is more of a concept, like an idea? An idea that could take several forms, or entail several things, depending on who’s perspective we’re looking at, as is the case for many things (example: my Inquisitor’s conception of what “saving the People” means is radically different to his). “Saving humanity” in Battlestar Galactica involved only a small fraction of the human race escaping the fall of the Twelve Colonies on a fleet in space. In The 100, saving humanity in the in-universe history was a fraction of humanity escaping to live on an orbital space station after nuclear apocalypse. It’s not pleasant, but only a fraction of the whole, a (relative) few ‘seeds’, is truly required. (And not to get weird, but given the way elf genetics work when they reproduce with other races in modern Thedas, who’s to say how the genetics or genetic-analogues of ancient elves work? Is inbreeding weakness even a thing that can even happen to them? who knows. I just mean that their biology apparently works radically differently to ours in some ways)

It’s also that he intends to restore the world of his time, the world the elves of old lived in and the parameters of it. This is about two things: 1) reshaping reality and restoring it to the way it used to be metaphysically-speaking in pre-Veil times. Making it the way it used to be - a world where imagination defined reality, where spirits enter freely, when the Fade wasn’t a place one went but a state of nature like the wind, the countless marvels of architecture and similar things which were intrinsically tied to and whose existence depended on the Fade, the whole empire that used to be - once again. And 2) changing and restoring the higher state of being the elves once had, their prior form of existence. This means restoring to them things like their immortality, their inherent magic, their inherent connection to the Fade (in most elves this is now blocked, except in the case of mages) - everything “themselves” once meant. It’s about changing the laws of physics and [re]upgrading a downgrade in part of their.. intrinsic or original personhood? (not sure how else to phrase this). He wants to bring back what was once theirs, and restore the things about them that were “their glory”. And who knows, when he’s brought things back to a state when his or anyone’s imagination can change reality, who knows what can be done in such a world…? Can he then will all those who died when Elvhenan fell back to life? Can he will that the Fall never even happened? Can he will what essentially amounts to pressing a giant reset button on the world? There is even examples of time magic in the setting (even we as Inquisitor encounter time-altering magic in DAI in the Redcliffe arc, Ameridan was preserved for a while, etc).

But who will inherit this new world in the case of no literal resetting or rezzing? Yes, many of the ancients have died. But also well, as you say, some are still alive. Abelas and the Temple of Mythal Sentinels are an obvious example. It stands to reason there are other Sentinels and other ancient elves in similar positions to them in other ancient elven temples and similar sites dotted around the place. Felassan is another example. He’s clearly an ancient elf and he must have come from somewhere! He can’t have been the only ancient agent of Fen’Harel. In fact he definitely isn’t. In TN one of the agents speaks in a sort-of Dalish accent, only more formal, like he’s reading poetry - given what we know of how the ancient elven language is, with rhythms and meanings, it stands to reason this dude is also an ancient, just one Solas removed the markings of, which we know from Trespasser that he did for his followers who wished it during his first rebellion. Solas also refers to other awake or periodically awake ancients in his conversation with Abelas - “there are other duties”. You can’t do duties while asleep. Yet other enclaves of ancients are further hinted at elsewhere. For example, the elves in the Tirashan sure sound hella mysterious and different and might be ancients (I’d prefer they weren’t and prefer the idea that they’re descendants who have evolved in complete isolation from the Dalish-Dalish all this time and basically therefore have their own traits and own culture, but that’s another subject - like compare the Chasind with the Agadi). Sometimes I wonder if the elves who sent the Inquisitor the red hart mount were ancient. For another, it seems very likely to me that there are still surviving ancient elves in uthenera. The highest dreamers who “perfected” themselves were able to sleep indefinitely without needing any sort of sustenance or caretaking done to their bodies. In the Deep Roads in Trespasser we find a whole roomfull of coffins. Ok, those coffins were most likely actually coffin-shaped caskets full of mined lyrium going by companion comments at the time, but it definitely put me in the mind of a secret ‘ark’ type place somewhere with a bunch of hidden sleeping ancients. You know like in Mass Effect 3 where Javik came from? Just without all the power gradually shutting down. Some of the highest might have gone to sleep in places which were hidden or known to only few, or otherwise managed to escape by sheer luck the murders of their sleeping bodies by resentful lower class servants that took place in the latter days of Elvhenan. Others - specifically thinking followers of Fen’Harel’s first rebellion - might have gone to sleep in like a warded and protected place in preparation for what was to come. Like maybe he gave them advance warning of his Veil-creating plans and ushered them into what effectively was meant to function as a time capsule before he cast his magic. Like get on the ark everybody, the earth is going to flood. Cole also alludes to beings sleeping “masked in a mirror, and to wake them -” when he reads Solas’ mind. that could either refer to sleeping jailed Evanuris/Titans etc or a cache of sleeping ancients. The point is that there are more ancient elves left than we think, both awake/periodically awake and sleeping still, both in other places in main-world Thedas akin to the ToM, and in places in the Crossroads network. I fully am convinced of that. “Your people yet linger.” They’re out there, lingering somehow.

The modern elves are indeed descendants of the ancients. Sometimes he refers to them as his people and sometimes he doesn’t. The modern elves are an additional, potential factor. There’s debate about this - from what he says in Trespasser it’s not 100% clear, even the way he phrases his words about this subject to Charter in TN is really weird imo and so therefore also still not 100% clear - but some people do believe that the modern elves are included when he says “save the People/my people”, and that modern elves would survive the change, be changed/restored like the ancients, and get to live in the new world. So that’s a possible thing/element too.

There’s a further thing going on: he genuinely seems to believe that what he’s doing will straight up save the entire world as we know it. Not everyone in it, but the very world itself. There’s debate about this and it’s not clear, but some people think that it seems like he has knowledge of some looming massive cataclysm, and that this notion of a looming cataclysm is seeded in various places in the lore - that some terrible disaster is going to befall Thedas soon, or that some terrible thing is currently gradually happening to Thedas as we speak, like something to do with the very fabrics of the world unraveling or similar.

Hope this makes sense and helped out! Lmk if you’re still wondering about stuff or if this post flags up any additional thoughts/queries for you.

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foolgobi65 · 6 years

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What’s the deal with padmavati?

this is going to be a long long post im so sorry in advance.... to start off with, im a diaspora kid raised in a dominant caste hindu family, and i just finished watching this movie in hindi which is not a language i understand well so if i didnt catch some things im so sorry and please feel free to add more.

im basically going to separate the movie from the news event, and go further into why its both a bad movie and a bigoted one. the rest of this is under the cut

ok! padmavati/padmaavat (they had to change the name) as a movie and as a general News Item is .... a fucking disaster.

in terms of the news, the karni sena which is a hindu nationalist (terrorist) group decided that this movie was an affront to their ancestors and dishonored their “queen” padmavati. Padmavati is the character in a Sufi poem called the Padmavat, and thus did not actually exist. There was talk of some dream sequence where she got with Khilji, the antagonist but most people are pretty sure it doesnt exist. The Karni Sena and their ilk has turned to rioting since the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the movie should be allowed to play, and their latest act of Rajput Valor has been attacking schoolchildren to show India the true glory of their caste. Before the movie came out there was a bounty on Deepika Padukone’s nose, her head, the director Bhansali’s head, and threats by Rajput women to commit jauhar (burn themselves alive).

All of this, notably, without a great deal of interference and sometimes the tacit encouragement of the BJP government in power both within the provinces that are affected as well nationally.

This mess meant that the movie released about 2 months after it was supposed to, and created this idea that to watch it was to support free speech.

padmavaavat as a MOVIE is also a giant fucking mess.

it’s got a ridiculously regressive worldview, and the movie so far is casteist, sexist, islamophobic and homophobic. it is also a poorly written, plotted, and edited movie.

casteist: it glorifies the dominant rajput caste, does not include anyone from outside that caste at all, will not fucking shut up about rajput valor when its clear in the present that rajput valor and values has led to a lot of shitty things. within the movie the rajputs basically constantly lose yet are still somehow portrayed as winners. their biggest victory comes from padmavati, who is from Singhal (sri lanka) and uses her intelligence instead of just fronting about her “rajput values.” Also historically the rajputs didnt become winners until they surrendered to the mughals and became commanders of the mughal army. they’re huge losers who are trying to rewrite history because theyre a pathetic martial caste known for hundreds of their women burning themselves alive when the men lose a batttle.

sexist: the whole concept of jauhar is based on the idea that a woman’s chastity is more important than their life. 11 year old girls, pregnant women, it doesnt matter. A rajput woman cannot be allowed to live if there is even a glimmer of doubt that she may be touched by a man. Within this, she doesn’t even have the dignity to choose to die, and must ask permission beforehand from her husband. Are there women who might have wanted to live? Who knows? They’re all dead now, coerced into burning themselves alive. I’d also like to add that the movie never addresses the fate of the /non/ rajput women, which highlights a huge issue of caste and how it affects gender dynamics of hindu women. Dominant caste women are considered pure, and so they must die to preserve this purity. Other women are ignored -- if they are taken as slaves, it doesnt matter because the real victory is that khilji couldnt take the Rajput women.

Islamophobic: the entire movie exists to highlight the differences between the “perverse” “dark” “dank” “dirty” “insane” “cheating” “evil” Muslim, and the “clean” “light” “honorable” “pure” Hindu. The colors, the scenery, the food, and of course the characters themselves, all serve this insidious idea that Muslims are the savage invader, in India to plunder everything beautiful about it, especially its dominant caste women. By all nominal accounts, Khilji was a conqueror, and he acted like many conquerors did -- including, I might add, many “hindu” conquerors. If he was crueler than other conquerors, that is of course because of who he was as a person and not because of his religion. Khilji’s wife played by Aditi Rao hydari might have been the only actually good muslim character and even then she’s portrayed as the islamophobic victim muslim wife, trapped in a horrific marriage with a savage. There’s more to be said but like ... the foundation of this movie is the idea of a primordial culture clash which of course doesnt actually exist

homophobic: malik kafur is khilji’s eunuch slave general and he’s portrayed as being in love with khilji. its one sided, and theres one homophobic comment by the rajputs at some point. khilji maybe could be seen as reciprocating a little but tbh its all just to further this idea that khilji and co are savage, foreign (muslim) perversions. a few scenes directly contrast malik and khilji v padmavati and ratan and clearly, the hindu heterosexual couple is meant to be the good, pure, holy one. i will say malik/khilji was the only pair i was really rooting for, and this was an almost 3 hour movie meant to center on padmavati/ratan.

bhansali also lowkey exotified sri lanka and made it seem as like .. some foreign place with lots of buddha statues and like ... shes this strange jungle princess??? i appreciate the mention of buddhism in sri lanka/south india but i dont think she was shown to be buddhist so .... yikes. also it was 7 minutes but it was weird. he cant do anything right.

special shoutout to the absolutely horrific jauhar scene for valorizing and glorifying hundreds of dominant caste women killing themselves because their king is too incompetent to win in single combat. the way khilji wins is btw a pathetic attempt by bhansali to make his victory actually ratan’s victory even tho ratan is a huge loser who cheats on his first wife, drones on about his honor to the point where i want to kill him myself, has the military sense of a guppy fish, and is visibly proud that the love of his life wants to burn herself alive for him.

also SPECIAL shoutout to the end positioning of the battle between the rajputs and khilji as a “dharma yudh” or a war of righteousness. it is compared to rama v ravana, and the kurkshetra war and khilji v rajput is said to be the third war of righteousness, akin to these religious struggles. khilji is directly compared to ravana. its ridiculous. its dangerous. its horrific. of course the victory of truth in this instance is that the women khilji covets (only the dominant caste ones ofc) are burned to death. to position khilji (whose army carries flags that look EXactly like the pakistani flag) as the essence of pure evil, and the fight against him a righteous war of religion in this especially islamophobic time is disgusting. the writers should be ashamed.

As a movie, the dialogues which i admit i didnt fully understand are apparently overwrought, sappy and ridiculous.

the plot was too much, there were a bunch of plot points that could have been cut to make a better movie.

i was never convinced of the central love pair because there really wasnt anything about them that made me feel the other was worth being their one and only love. the falling in love process was rushed to the point that i think it should have been cut out altogether and the movie should have started with padmavati established as his queen.

the treatment of ratan’s first wife was horrific -- shes basically sidelined and is jealous a few times and then kills herself along with everyone in the fire. just ... bad writing all around.

the editing overall was bad. the editing of ghoomar to make the karni sena happy was atrocious.

i hated ratan, i liked padmavati for like 30 minutes maybe when she’s in charge of the kingdom and is smart, i liked khilji despite the ways he was villanized, i liked aditi rao hydari as khilji’s wife, i liked malik kafur. the visuals were fine but the battles looked weird.

overall its a shitty bigoted movie that people are watching because the movie itself is like ... soft bigotry and portrays a bigoted worldview but the karni sena hindu rajput terrorists are stupid and decided to throw a fit and stone schoolchildren. it became some free speech victory to go watch a movie that espouses the same worldview as the ones trying to shut it down bc 2018 sucks.

sorry for the long rambly reply, if you have any more questions feel free to ask! if anyone has more to add please do -- like i said theres stuff that i might not have caught given my privileged worldview

#padmaavat #padmavati #bollywood #crypticlance

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libidomechanica · 2 years

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Cynthia with lowering Spring-time Sons

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vitalmindandbody · 7 years

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How To Overcome Your Deepest Fear, Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Fear, the wicked beast that shackles you with worry, luring you to your hearts desires only to yank you back to square one with feverish delight. It is the state of mind that is so destructive, yet so human that we are unable to detach ourselves completely from it. Fear clouds our minds with illusion, engulfing us with an obscurity that only the Muses can chuckle over as we weave our own fate, blindly.

Ive never been one to wave the white flag without a fight.

All humans contain an inner magic, an endless power cell of purity, a penetrating life force. This of course, comes from The Sun, and its position in the sky when you were born, blessing you with sacred powers that just need to be harnessed.

Yes, I mean your Sun Sign or Zodiac Sign. Once you tap into this energy, you will discover the root of your conscious mind. Is that a peaceful oasis, a sacred pool of vitality, or an awe-inspiring volcanic eruption of glory?

Lets get to fighting.

Aries

With feisty Mars as your ruling planet, you will always be blessed with initiative courage. Fear may leave you moody, confused, and kicking your feet at the dirt asking, What is the point? Sweet Aries, your power comes from the charge, the battle, and the passion. Recognize that you are an inextinguishable flame a force to be reckoned with. Only then will you discover that defeating fear is just a straight charge away.

Taurus

My lovely Earthly beauty, with a pride for your stubbornness and grounding energy, you may only want to move when prodded. Center yourself in Nature, and hold the dirt in your hands. You will realize that the Earth is constantly moving, active with new life. Sweet Taurus, my answer for you is to not allow Fear to stand upon the same Earth that you do every single day. You control the landscapes. You control the ebb and flow of the world.

Gemini

With Mercury as your ruling planet, and Air as your element, you are truly the only sign able to transit from Heaven to Hell with ease. With a knack for higher though and discovery, sometimes its necessary to recruit evil, to defeat evil itself. Your adaptability is unmatched. Rationalize the fear, and then deliver a finishing blow with a sly smirk.

Cancer

Ruled by the Moon, you are the tides. Known to be one of the most emotionally potent signs of the Zodiac, you are able to persevere through any emotional strife. Fear has never had a friend, or a warm meal. Fear has never seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Its up to you to persuade Fear that it has no place in your tender heart. A bit abstract? Your determination is a deluge to wipe away the worry.

Leo

You are ruled by The Sun, the same energy that holds your hidden power. How can you truly identify your fears to defeat them if you never walk outside during the moonlight? Your creative and cheerful vibe will be able to demolish your fear once you walk away from your palace. Your shine isnt just bright it can be subtle too.

Virgo

Fear uses the dirty details to attempt to destroy you. Your purity and practicality is your unwavering friend. With Mercury in your court, you must realize that taking care of your fear is just as important as taking care of anything, or anyone else. Once you channel your unmatched, dynamic loyalty, the fear will dissipate.

Libra

My dear Venusian beauty, the ultimate power of perspective is your strength. You are the divine law of the land and the harmonious peacekeeper. Is it fair that Fear gets so much air time? I didnt think so. Get out your gavel, and play devils advocate until Fear retreats. Your beauty will shine in the land for eternity.

Scorpio

My Plutonian powerhouse. My magnetic mirage. You have the power to shift landscapes with a single word, and control lovers with a single kiss. How have you allowed Fear to stay with you for so long? Recognize that you have the power to transform the universe. You must shed your skin to regenerate and rest. To let go of past pain.

Sagittarius

With lady luck always smiling upon you, no other sign can match your expansive nature. You are the true adventurer. With a clever sense of humor and ideas that can carry you over mountains, the key to defeating Fear is realizing that a quest takes time. This doesnt mean you cant have a good time along the way.

Capricorn

My beautiful, self-controlled game master. The ball is always in your court. After all, you made all the rules. With structured Saturn as your divine ruler, you have difficulties freeing yourself from the responsibilities of the universe which weigh heavily on your shoulders. In order to oust fear, you must surrender yourself to it. Only then will it be close enough to you to destroy.

Aquarius

My stunning humanitarian and independent extraordinaire, you love to fight for a good cause for the betterment of everyone. Fear tries to lace you in emotional expression, to which youve dodged again and again. You are the progressive energy of the Zodiac, raising our overall consciousness to transcend Fear in all fields of existence. You must be your own best friend. You must fight for yourself.

Pisces

My Neptunian void, you are the release point of all of the energy in the universe. It may burden you at times and make you feel Fear in its extremes, but please know – there is nothing more powerful, there is nothing more gentle, there is nothing more wholesome, than love. Due to the universal laws, Fear has no choice but to dissipate in your energy. Let Fear, be your power.

I dont want to live a life being afraid.

Good luck, fear sucks.

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