To the next horizon

My name is Erin. I'll sing you a song or spin you a story in exchange for a coin, a meal, a place to sleep. My name is Erin. Buy a drink at the bar and I'll sing you low and soft to fall in love with me, but only until the song's end. My name is Erin. With my stories and songs I earn the few things that allow me to chase the mysteries of this beautiful world of ours. (Independent OC Faceclaim Cana Alberona Mun is 18+, had this blog with this muse since 2015 Mouse over pic for Rules and About)

[rpmemes-galore]

send me "wrapped" for my muse (receiver's) to cocoon yours (sender's) in a blanket and hold them to help them calm down from a stressful event / nightmare / etc.

send "wrapped reverse" for the roles to be swapped

[inevitableking]

He noticed how Erin went quiet for a moment, but Alistair decided not to push her on it. He understood that kind of pause, when your mind went somewhere on its own and you didn't really have control of where or why. He'd had enough of those moments himself through the years.

"You're right," he answered eventually. "About listening. I think in general people are able to tell when you're genuinely interested in what you're saying instead of just being polite, and it makes it easier to share. It's impressive still that the Dalish were willing to share their stories. The encounters I have had have been… polite. Cordial. Which is not a word you want to use when dealing with them. But understandable since they're so cautious about outsiders."

He shifted to make himself more comfortable as he considered her next question. "I know the names you mentioned and… large parts of their stories - Mythal and the others I mean - but I'll admit that my knowledge stops pretty early. The Chantry is pretty tight lipped about anything that doesn't directly involve it, so I've had to get my information from other sources. I'd love to hear about the counterparts or… whatever you called them."

[driftingjazzbard]

"You have your own stories regarding them; the Dalish sending archers to aid in the Fifth Blight was a marvel to a lot of parts of the world that just considered them angry savages at best." At worst? Frankly words she didn't care to apply to sapient creatures. Cruelty was commonplace, sadly enough. This she knew, and it sent another spike of worry through her, though it was another reason the man she was speaking to was the correct man for the investigation they were on. Some Banns would decide the Dalish would for some reason attack a human settlement that wasn't bothering them and not listen to reason until after a massacre had worsened relations yet again.

She settled herself, checking the kettle she'd put on the fire to pour them both cups of tea. They were hardy, travel-worn cups, insulated metal for keeping beverages warm. They were dwarven made, expensive but worth the investment.

"I'm not surprised. They're literally named the Forgotten Ones; their names not just forbidden, but intentionally forgotten. The opposing faction to the the Elven pantheon, their domains malign; terror, pestilence, spite, malevolence. They sought to corrupt the elven people, as opposed to the gods who wished to guide them."

"They were barred from the world in the Great Betrayal, when Fen'Harel tricked both sides into being bound, but where the gods we're familiar with were bound in the Fade, the Forgotten Ones were bound in the abyss...whatever that means. But like the traditional pantheon, their power still creeps its way into the world...cults are said to hide in dark forests, occasionally an artifact holding their power is found."

[niiveusx]

@driftingjazzbard: "I hope you've been well besides. I know you're a busy fellow, but I'm always glad to see you. I'm doing quite well myself. I actually have another little niece now, my brother had another baby as well. Would you like to see a picture?"

A big and genuine smile sprouted upon his features. He loved meeting and talking to her as well. ❝ Another baby ? I want! I want to see it ❞

[driftingjazzbard]

"Well she's very, very little right now so she can't go very far from her mommy, but here." She opens a small folio with a picture taken of her younger brother, his wife, and their two small daughters. "See, that's Julie, who's old enough to play with you now, and there is little April." The picture held a man with brown hair, lighter than Erin's, but similarly colored violet eyes, and a woman with him that had dirty blonde hair and a friendly smile. Their girls had rich brown hair, one a slightly older child just barely into toddlerhood, and the new infant had her blanket pulled back so her face was visible.

"I'll have to bring my nieces and nephews to play again soon, won't I?"

[doitforthememe]

Send me ♕ to bump into my muse at a masquerade ball

[anotherrpmemeblog]

Send "Morning After" for our muses to wake up after a one night stand.

Note: It doesn’t have to happen while our muses are drunk! One night stands can happen from sudden moments of passion.

[leneemusing]

just more misc memes

“  it’s not something i usually talk about,  because it’s not something most people can understand.  ” 

“  i don’t need to be understood.  i just want to be accepted.  ”

“  the harder you fight against the paths life puts you on,  the steeper the climb becomes,  the worse the falls.  ”

“  i’ve always been honest about what sort of person i am.  there’s few indignities worse than lying to oneself.  ”

“  the sooner you accept what you are,  the sooner you can embrace the strengths that come with it.  ”

“  i find there are two sorts of people.  those who talk too much and think too little.  and those with too many thoughts and not enough words.  ”  

“  it’s not so much that letting someone know who i really am scares me.  it just seems tedious to spend all that time pulling back the layers and asking to be understood,  when there’s that chance they’ll leave anyway.  ”

“  i don’t like how you looked at me then.  i don’t ever want to see that in your eyes again when i’m reflected in them.  ”

“  there’s a lot of people in this world just existing.  going from one thing to the next in an endless cycle until they die.  ”  

“  it’s not shallow confidence when i tell you i’m not the sort of person you want to go making an enemy out of.  trust my experience.  careful how you tread. ”  

“  i can’t walk this path with you.  but i can be there when you reach the end of it.  ”

“  you want to tell me something—  i can see it.  so you might as well speak.  ”  

“  the unfortunate truth is,  i think i’d forgive any flaw in a person if they loved me enough.  ” 

“  is there really nothing i could do that would scare you away from me?  ”

“  why did you think i wouldn’t notice you?  ”

“  why didn’t you come to me for help?  why wouldn’t i have helped?  ” 

“  do you think my love for you is so little that you hurting me would make a difference in showing up when you need me?  ”

“  what was that— you got this look in your eyes just now and then pushed it back down.  tell me what you were thinking.  ”

“  i don’t need anything from you.  i’m here because i want to be.  ”

“  i won’t reject your help.  but you must know none of this will be easy.  ”

“  i’m already involved.  so tell me the truth.  and let us figure it out together.  ”

“  don’t you try and treat me like i’m just anyone else in a crowded room.  i know you.  ”  

“  you swallow your words and bury your thoughts so often.  i would love to see the day it all comes barreling out.  ”

“  i think there’s more inside you than everyone else would believe.  and i think that’s how you want it.  you like to be underestimated.  ”

“  i find comfort in being misunderstood.  ”

“  one day,  you’re going to snap.  and i would pay millions to be there to see it.  ”

“  what i wouldn’t give to know all the secrets hiding behind those eyes.  ”

“  love is a knife.  we either cut ourselves in the process of falling,  or slice the arteries of the one we adore.  ” 

“  nothing is worth your self destruction.  ”

[on-dragons-wings]

@driftingjazzbard replied to your post “"...I think pirates are cool..."”:

"Darling. Story pirates are cool. Real pirates...not so much."

​"But... Aren't they warriors of freedom...?"

[driftingjazzbard]

"...Oh honey."

[on-dragons-wings]

"How am I weird?!"

[driftingjazzbard]

"Trying to commandeer tea."

[on-dragons-wings]

"Can I have some?"

[driftingjazzbard]

"Which blend, you freaking weirdo."

[on-dragons-wings]

@driftingjazzbard replied to your post “"All tea should be smuggled directly into my...”:

"Leave my tea stash alone."

​"But I want some!"

[driftingjazzbard]

"Just ask!"

[inevitableking]

For a long while Alistair has to sit with the compliment. It leaves something warm but uncomfortably, her assessment about his worthiness to be wearing the crown. He rarely considers who should be wearing the crown much less whether or not that person is him - every time it comes up he becomes less confident. But this - this helps.

"Thank you. Truthfully, thank you for that," he eventually manages, and even manages to mean it. But he doesn't know what else to say and so when she tells him the pipes are his, he gladly takes the distraction to give them a quick blow. The sound that comes out isn't quite music, more of an experimental toot than a knowledged tune - off key and terrible but it still elicits a pleased laugh out of Alistair.

"Yes, I can see how that might annoy them," he admits. "They're absolutely perfect, thanks."

Before he can annoy the two of them, he lays the pipes to the side and gets comfortable again with his arms over his knees. He considers her offer, head tilting as he thinks about what he wants.

"Dalish stories, I think," he answers. "I don't think I've heard many of those. And if you've managed to get elders to share them with you, then you must be very, very good at telling them."

[driftingjazzbard]

Normally when she gave pipes like that to children they didn't precisely have enough wind in them to make that kind of sound, but they'd pleased him and so she was smiling now as well. A man who enjoyed simple things...some people weren't made for noble courts, they really weren't. She wondered if he could actually sleep on decadent feather beds, or if they were too soft to be comfortable, silken sheets too smooth and cold.

But right now he could just be Warden Alistair, sleeping on the ground, going to some horrid mystery where his talents were to be properly used. Huzzah for silver linings. She just hoped the ending of this particular adventure was...worth it.

Faces flashed before her mind, making her feel guilty for enjoying herself now, then stupid. If anyone in the world understood finding small joys in the journey, it was a pack of former troubadours.

And now she'd been quiet too long.

"Ah...beg pardon. But really, elders of any stripe are happy to share stories with someone they think is genuinely willing to listen. I may be a shemlen, but I'm also a lone traveler with no notable name. Passing stories along however they can be passed is sometimes the only way you can keep them alive. But regardless."

"How familiar are you with the Elven pantheon? Mythal, Elgar'nan, their children Andruil,  Falon'Din, Dirthamen, Sylaise and June. I'm sure you're aware of the existence of the Elven gods at any rate, that's common knowledge, but have you ever heard of their counterparts?"

[on-dragons-wings]

"Yeah, Ryan was kind of a shitty person who manipulated the systems on purpose... No offense I know he's like your almost boyfriend... But he did help Vagrand for the better. He's an example of what we're discussing isn't he? How complicated the world can be. How someone pretty awful can do good... Still, that's not the kind of person I want to be. I want to be a good man."

[driftingjazzbard]

"Can we stop bringing that up please? I already feel like a moron in regards to that, he was going to let Trinity dice me so he could giggle about it. Honestly I shouldn't even be surprised, he couldn't get his ass together enough to actually...say anything. But yes...he did very good things for pretty awful reasons. But they were still...good things. With ultimately good effects, far reaching ones if Novis doesn't ruin it. He ended generational wars, blended cultures."

"If you want to think of it a different way, if a guy like that can do good things just for the sake of his reputation, you can damn well do them for any reason you like. The ultimate effects are the same, and at the end of the day the only person you have anything to prove to is you."

[inevitableking]

@driftingjazzbard sent: "You're wasted on court life, if I may say so. You can't pretend not to be clever around people who are used to deceiving one another, it just confuses the poor things." Unprompted | Always Accepting

He let out a startled laugh, completely surprised by her insistence. "Wasted - that's one way to put it," he answered with a slight chuckle, though there was an unease to the sound over how easily she'd read him. Most of the people around him, after all, only saw the crown or the fool's mask, not that actual man who wore either.

"This thing is," he continued, glancing around them and thinking about the courtiers who seemed to be constantly planning something tedious, "pretending to be dumb is exhausting. You'd think it would be easier than actually being clever, but it's not at all. There's an entire performance to it - having to know exactly how much to miss, which conversations have to be fumbled through, when you need to look confused. And it does work to confuse people but… at what cost?"

He met her eyes and sighed, leaning on his knees as he twined his fingers together. Was he wasted? Or was he putting a skill he'd never wanted to good use to do something helpful? "I don't think it's wasted, then. I can get a lot done, I'm just…" He paused, looking for the right words. "Surviving it. Differently than anybody else does."

[driftingjazzbard]

She was teasing him, but it's clear her words hit a great deal harder than she meant them to and now her expression melts into something softer. If the Maker truly influenced life in Thedas then for some reason the bastard had it in for this poor man. Granted talking to a rather lovely peasant woman about the difficulties of appearing to be stupid in one's own defense was a bit...redundant, but he was clearly struggling with something.

"...Dear Alistair, life should never be about just surviving. And I'm aware it is...a defense. If people don't expect much of you, then you've got certain advantages, especially in a toxic mire like politicking. But...you needn't limit yourself. And you shouldn't. If there's anyone who has the full capability to spread his wings, as it were, it's you. A secretly clever king might be able to fool conspirators, but an openly wise and kind one can inspire his people."

"Not to mention if you actually do wield that charming wit of yours, you'll own half of Orlais within a year. Those poor little sons and daughters of noble houses are absolutely desperate for anything of substance to sink their teeth into, given their fellow Game players frequently are so tied up in convoluted schemes they can't say anything at all."

[on-dragons-wings]

"Maybe. It's just... A weird feeling. I used to look at my brother in the news. Hear everyone call him a hero. And I wanted that for myself. I wanted that title. I thought it would prove everyone wrong about me. That I deserve so much more than being some psychos property. And now I have it. Because I did a genuinely good thing. But... I'm being celebrated by people I fucking despise. That I know want the wrong things, see the world in such a wrong way. Talk about a monkey's paw effect."

[driftingjazzbard]

"Hon, they don't matter any more now than they did when they were calling you a dangerous criminal. They don't know you. They don't matter. We've got work to do, real work, and they don't factor in beyond this new reputation maybe making it a little easier to get people on our side."

"...But after all this is over, because of that? You might have the power to push them a little bit. Even if they want the wrong things, even if they're awful people, you can influence the world in good ways. Like you said, a lot of Ryan's reputation is propaganda, but if the ways in which he improves his reputation make people's lives better...well. Life is complicated. Not always clean, or nice. But it's...life."

[on-dragons-wings]

"I know I did the right thing by saving Shi. I know it. She was scared and alone and a victim of the most terrible tragedy a person can ever experience and my only regret is I couldn't save more refugees. And yet..." He took a breath, brows furrowed. "The jargon is so familiar... I'm being talked about in the same way people I KNOW were evil and it... I don't know... It's just got me feeling bad, I guess..."

[driftingjazzbard]

"You can't control what people say or what people are going to think. You can only control your actions. You know who you are, and what you've done. And we do too..." She sighed. Honestly, for all that Ryan personally was definitely no hero, his actions were beneficial to people in the long run. History was going to see him as an innovator, an empire builder, a cultural philanthropist. Hell, by the literal definitions of the terms they wouldn't even be wrong.

...Hell, he might've done better by this conversation, strangely enough.

"...The world will never not be complicated. We might try to do good things and they wind up with terrible consequences, and people might do awful things that ultimately improve the world. We can't know. We can just...try our best. Try to do what good we can. Other people can think what they want."

[on-dragons-wings]

"I used to think being a hero, having that title was something important. Something that meant something. Until the events at Luxia. I'm a hero for bringing Shi out of the wreckage and making sure she survived. But the way people talk about those events is... Peculiar. I'm not a hero for saving the life of a young girl against an actual genocide. I'm a hero for saving the princess. For saving the crown. For saving a kingdom, not the people of it, and there certainly is a difference. I think back to Vagrand and how Ryan was celebrated by his people as the hero who guided them out of the Darkwood's madness. A fact I know from being around him in an environment where he could go mask off is purely a propaganda tool. I think about Shizawa where the samurai paraded around as heroes are the ones who put me in chains. And... I start to see a pattern. The ones called heroes are not the ones who benefit the people, but a reward for benefitting the state. I used to want to be called hero, but being seen as that by people who care more about preserving an empty throne than helping refugees genuinely makes me feel sick. Am I like Ryan? Am I like my slavers? Is that who I call my company now?"

[driftingjazzbard]

Well at the very least something that can pull Erin out of her own self deprecation is curing someone else's.

"History is told by the victors. The word 'hero', and frankly all terms like it, get a lot more complicated when you look at the detail level, the nuts and bolts of how people actually were affected by anything that happened."

"...That being said, people who are calling you 'hero' because you served the state? They're thinking of the state as an institution that serves at least the status quo, which has some safety in it. Removing the government entirely brings anarchy, and nobody's safe in an anarchic state. Not to mention the idea you saved the princess of Luxia brings some hope to the refugees, because it means one day there might be a country of Luxia again. They might get to go home, not just make a new home, but to their home. That sounds like a victory against Novis, that he tried to smash everything they were and he failed. And to everyone else...it sounds like healing is possible. That there will be an 'after' with Novis."

"Like it or not, get enough people into a big group living together and there need to be some rules to manage them...on a large enough scale that becomes a government. And then some asshole gets into it and starts breaking it and so on and so forth...but ultimately all you can do is what you feel is right. Think about what you want to do and who it affects and what the outcomes might be, sure, but if you start trying to imagine how everyone will perceive it and how people might spin it and all the things you can't really control, you'll never do anything."

[driftingjazzbard]

"Oh, now it has been too long since I've seen ya and heard all your songs! Erin!!"

@intotheopenblue

"Jin! Too busy with the rest of the sky to stop by my little patch of it, hm?" Not that she could blame him; given how she chased the horizon from the ground, she could only imagine how she'd be if she could fly. Highest mountains to deepest valleys, watching the sunset from the middle of the ocean...

Meeting cute redheads.

"I imagine you've got some stories to share too! I'll trade songs for them, dear."