#* ˚ ✦ your destiny awaits . — starter call .

[astroveritas]

*gives ur muse a sunflower 🌻*

[edenmemes]

assassin’s creed valhalla starters

words within ‘()’ are additional, optional choices! more maybe to be added at a later date. some n/sfw present. 

❝ you should see the other man. he got the worst of it. ❞   ❝ and who better to lead us to glory than me? ❞ ❝ i am most at home helping others. ❞       ❝ i’ve waited long enough for you, and you for me. ❞   ❝ thank you for not saying anything about my past. ❞       ❝ know that however far away, you’re always in my thoughts. ❞   ❝ when you see your god, tell them i sent you. ❞   ❝ what you make up in muscles, you’re lacking in spine. ❞   ❝ i almost envy you, to see the world through such a muddy glass and live with such petty concerns. ❞   ❝ i smell the stink of a dozen kingdoms in your beard. ❞   ❝ this feud is not yours, yet you fight it all the same. i find that strange. ❞   ❝ by the look on your face, you have lost your will to live. ❞   ❝ my arms are numb from battle. does it need any dressing?    do you think it is a serious wound? ❞   ❝ oh dear. this is not how i foresaw things. not at all! ❞   ❝ should we take this to your chamber? ❞   ❝ i want this. i want you. ❞   ❝ turn around, walk away, and you keep your insides inside. ❞   ❝ stay back! back! i will fight you! ❞   ❝ you look like reddened shit. what happened? ❞   ❝ i have always wanted to experience the world as you do. ❞   ❝ you come like a valkyrie out of a fog. but i have no dead to give you. ❞   ❝ all right, stay close and do as i do. ❞   ❝ home. or...it was home, once. now it is nothing but bone. ❞   ❝ i’ll have no qualms wiping clean your grin. ❞   ❝ just take care. such hatred can make you careless. ❞   ❝ away from your table for a day and you are already lusting for blood. ❞   ❝ if i did not know any better, i would say you are teasing me. ❞   ❝ the dream of new lands is a powerful lure. ❞   ❝ i love climbing up here. makes me feel as high as a raven. ❞   ❝ if i don’t find your horse, i will steal you a new one. ❞   ❝ i feel somewhat trapped. in this room, in this settlement, in this life. ❞   ❝ you are lost in a sea-storm of your own making. ❞   ❝ the poet in you sings once again. ❞   ❝ tonight, we will eat and drink like gods and wake in a kingdom made new. ❞   ❝ i wish i understood you better. for those i do not understand, i do not trust. (and i cannot stomach a lack of trust.) ❞ ❝ i’ve been called worse. ❞   ❝ you have nothing to fear from me. i bear you no ill will. ❞   ❝ you are a shadow of your father. weak and witless. ❞   ❝ what is this? is this...are we in hell? ❞   ❝ keep company with kings and you will soon have a crown of your own. ❞   ❝ a toothless cub may grow to be a dangerous wolf. ❞   ❝ you are far too young to speak so wise. ❞   ❝ i need clear, sound judgement. i need you. ❞   ❝ kind and courageous people live the best lives, but it can be a difficult path to keep. ❞ ❝ i want to say...i love you. and i have for some time. ❞ ❝ you smell that? the stink of jealousy. (of our budding friendship, i think). ❞   ❝ ah, while i have you, i’m reminded...i have this for you. ❞   ❝ your lies are just like you. big and bold. ❞   ❝ don’t excuse yourself. you enjoy this too much. ❞   ❝ you've come back. why are you wasting your time with me? ❞   ❝ care to sing a song? helps me pass the time. ❞   ❝ that is twice you have earned my admiration. ❞   ❝ you have only the setting sun to tell you when to stop. ❞   ❝ i want to know what you know. name your price. ❞   ❝ people like you deserve something worse than death. ❞   ❝ they called me a lout, a disgrace. they were right. ❞   ❝ i will have to get used to watching the sights of war from afar now. ❞   ❝ there’s no other way. fight or hide. it’s up to you. ❞   ❝ do not think me a coward. i am not afraid of war. ❞   ❝ friendships end. often at the point of a spear. ❞ ❝ i will make you beg as your father begged. ❞   ❝ (until that time,) it would be best to keep all discussions about...    about us to yourself. ❞ ❝ without you i would have lost my way a thousand times. ❞   ❝ you have no other friends. so tread lightly here. ❞   ❝ be it a blessing or a curse, family is always first. ❞   ❝ let’s not walk too far with that idea. i need you right where you are. ❞   ❝ you bested me. yet, i’m the one left standing. ❞   ❝ it’s a pleasure to meet you at least. ❞   ❝ you and your people here have done more for me than i could ever repay. ❞   ❝ you have my highest respect, regard, and trust. ❞   ❝ you’re not shy, are you? ❞   ❝ if we do this, you’ll earn the right to call me friend ten-thousand fold. ❞   ❝ does this have the stench of betrayal to you? ❞ ❝ today has meant so much. we rode, we fought, we drank, we laughed. (you showed me your world.) ❞       ❝ your end was written the moment you came for me. ❞   ❝ i am a sellsword. i ask what i please, and i take what i’m owed. ❞ ❝ you move and i will take your eyes. you hear me? ❞   ❝ i will leap first. on my word, you must follow. ❞   ❝ many times i wished to tell you. wished to say what was in my heart and what i desired. (but duty kept me from it.) ❞   ❝ these wounds will heal quickly. you’re lucky. ❞   ❝ anything to help you feel at home. ❞   ❝ our friendship is the best thing to come from this mess. ❞   ❝ you will be remembered for this, for years to come. ❞   ❝ i thought i had lost you. for good this time. ❞   ❝ you have shown me a great kindness. it is only fitting that i do the same. ❞   ❝ the mess you’re in...you don’t know the half of it. ❞   ❝ you have drawn a dark conclusion about me, haven’t you? (that is all well and good. i’ve drawn some about you as well.) ❞   ❝ you seem...strangely familiar. ❞   ❝ here i am, an upright man who never once learned how to bend the knee. and yet...i shall try. ❞ ❝ that’s a bread knife. do you mean to butter me? ❞   ❝ is that not something you worry over? ❞   ❝ a blind pursuit of vengeance has made you predictable. ❞   ❝ no matter where you are, or how far you travel, i will hunt you down. ❞   ❝ i came for you, looking for a friend and ally. ❞   ❝ people change.    it may be that you change with them, or you go your separate ways. ❞   ❝ i wish you whatever peace you may find in this new life you’ve found. ❞   ❝ i want your word: you will follow my orders. ❞   ❝ the day is new, and the air is bracing. are you ready for the fight ahead? ❞   ❝ er...good to meet you as well? ❞   ❝ what riches are worth so much misery, and the deaths of honorable men and women? ❞   ❝ my destiny is mine to weave. ❞   ❝ my road forward has been a muddy one. slick with blood and tears. (but we can reach its end together.) ❞   ❝ it is a wise leader who considers the needs of others. ❞   ❝ i think my mouth has gotten me in enough trouble today. ❞   ❝ at the end of all things, you will find yourself with nothing but your regrets. ❞   ❝ you saw fit to keep me guessing through your fits of madness. ❞   ❝ by all the gods, what was that? ❞   ❝ i was...restless. a quiet walk alone clears the head. ❞   ❝ when winter is past, summer will come and wind you in a flowered skirt, for you are beauty and shall not wither. ❞   ❝ ...unless you had a more interesting day planned for us? ❞   ❝ i do hope you see it now, for all you have done for me. ❞   ❝ your passion, your strength. i have never met such a burning soul. ❞   ❝ i have no guilt nor regret for what we have done, but we should be careful. ❞   ❝ i see before me a person full of passion, vigor, and a love for their people. ❞   ❝ if i wanted to hear you talk shit, i’d cut out your tongue and shove it up your ass. ❞   ❝ you! you look stronger than most of the others. ❞   ❝ your hatred for me burns bright. i could warm my balls on it. ❞   ❝ you’re quite like your arms: incredibly thick. ❞   ❝ i fought as i do, as hard as i do, to survive. (for i know what awaits us in the end. only darkness.) ❞   ❝ a shameful trick. you are your father’s child. ❞   ❝ you destroyed my life. i will take yours. ❞   ❝ you snore a little, like a wounded bear. ❞   ❝ that’s when i knew i would live and die for you. ❞   ❝ i’m going to pretend your last words were taken by the wind. ❞   ❝ i might still kill you yet, if your prattling doesn’t cease. ❞   ❝ you are weak like your father was weak. (you dance better than you fight.) ❞   ❝ have you ever seen muscles as massive as mine? ❞   ❝ i’m honored by your faith in me. and your confidence. ❞   ❝ after my missteps, i worry what you must think of me. ❞   ❝ with so much blood in the water and death in the air, i’d like to know your name and purpose. ❞ ❝ i have a good feeling about this place. ❞   ❝ you helped me reclaim what i had lost in myself. ❞       ❝ you speak of honor. where’s yours? ❞       ❝ you will throw away all reason to defend what you sworn to. ❞       ❝ you really are like a hero out of folk tales. ❞       ❝ how much would you sacrifice to be freed of fate’s shackles? (would you give your tongue, your hand, your sight?) ❞   ❝ there’s no power strong enough to do what you say. ❞       ❝ please, you must fight for me.    who knows what vile people might come to harm me? ❞   ❝ i have no need to count my kills. they number too many. ❞   ❝ i appreciate you for all of your qualities. ❞ ❝ not even the gods can change fate. ❞       ❝ i think it is time i take my leave. ❞ ❝ you really thought my life was in danger? (and you risked your own life...) ❞ ❝ the path ahead is bright, with glory at its end. ❞ ❝ it is easy to lose one's way on the road to glory. do not let false victories blind you to what is true. ❞ ❝ the act of leaving so beloved a home, there is a sadness to it. ❞       ❝ so there’s nowhere...you call home? ❞   ❝ all things end. ruins are not a warning, they are a testament. ❞   ❝ be nice to sleep in a real bed when this is over. ❞   ❝ in my sleep i dream. and in my dreams i see an end to the doom that will grip the earth once again. ❞   ❝ even when we win, we lose. ❞   ❝ i am as good with my lips, as i am with my tongue. ❞   ❝ is this your idea of a pleasant ride through the country? ❞   ❝ no whispering god brought me here. i brought myself. ❞   ❝ i would like very much to pass some time with you. ❞   ❝ ...and that’s how i got that scar. ❞   ❝ do i now haunt your dreams? ❞   ❝ it was never in their character to lead, it was always within yours. ❞   ❝ so easily wounded by words. imagine the ruin my axe would inflict on your flaccid ego. ❞   ❝ i have felt this way for some time now. i care for you. ❞   ❝ i have not felt safe since then. not really. ❞   ❝ how long have you been chasing me? seventeen winters? eighteen? ❞   ❝ you are not always to be trusted. your passions overcome you. ❞   ❝ i like you. you may help me here or step on me...and by the look of you i’d welcome either. ❞   ❝ it is good to have you in this fight. ❞   ❝ you need only know my impressive scale and flawless build. ❞   ❝ i am better than any man here. ❞   ❝ i can tell by looking at you, you are not a great warrior. (you know it too, there is no reason to deny this.) ❞   ❝ i am looking for honor, and have become lost as a result. ❞   ❝ many apologies. you are no child, simply a frail and fully-grown fool. ❞   ❝ i was stupid, selfish, reckless, blind, boneheaded, and i smell like blood and shit. ❞ ❝ anything to say for the mess you led us to? ❞   ❝ how was your...first kill? ❞   ❝ you squirm like that and my axe will miss your neck! unpleasant for both of us. ❞   ❝ i know you would defy me to the death, fighting for a glorious end.     that i will not allow. ❞   ❝ most men choose to be loud or stupid. impressive, that you managed both. ❞   ❝ you are a great warrior. conquerer of this land and that of your birth. ❞   ❝ you’re chasing shadows like a madman howling at the moon! ❞   ❝ quite a hit you took. how many were lost? ❞   ❝ well fought! even if your wits were somewhat rattled. ❞   ❝ we suffered no losses in this fight, and the men who humiliated us are dead. what is there to say? ❞   ❝ i would like to be close to you. ❞   ❝ if you are a warrior with honor running like sunlight in your veins, then you may help me fulfill my destiny. ❞ ❝ you are a long way from any warm hearth, warrior. Is this where you call home? ❞ ❝ am i to go the rest of my days without love or attention? i think not. ❞   ❝ the gods favor you. they always have. ❞   ❝ the others, they are like clubs. blunt and ungainly, you are nimble, like a knife. ❞   ❝ people with eyes that gleam like yours are always up to something more. ❞   ❝ only a fool stays awake all night worrying. you are tired when you get up, and the problem is still not solved. ❞   ❝ i liked you from the first. i saw something in you that captivated me. (as if a forgotten memory of an old friendship had suddenly resurfaced.) ❞   ❝ you've done nothing but give me your blind word! ❞   ❝ did you bring me any treasure? ❞ ❝ the woodsmoke from your firepit does sting the eyes. but the warmth is welcome. ❞ ❝ it is not something i can speak on. or wish to. ❞ ❝ i'm with you. only say the word. ❞ ❝ until we cut off this serpent's head, it will poison us, day by day, drop by drop. ❞ ❝ get some rest and return here at first light. ❞ ❝ i missed having you at my side. how i wished i could have taken you along on my travels. ❞ ❝ i do not like this, but i will not stop you. ❞ ❝ i have waited too many years for this day. when ___ stands before us, give me the final blow. ❞ ❝ why do you carry such a useless burden? let it go. ❞ ❝ i have waited years for this, but i will not risk losing it through rashness. ❞ ❝ i cannot fathom your game. you are either a young fool...or deceptively wise. ❞ ❝ your confidence blinds you to so much in plain sight. ❞   ❝ it’s good to be here, with you and your people. (i feel my life has found a new road.) ❞   ❝ there has always been war, even among the gods. ❞       ❝ my honor has been stained. until it's wiped clean, i want nothing else. ❞ ❝ i lack the patience for pole fishing. i would have better luck with my bow. ❞   ❝ if we tell all our stories, we’ll be here for a week. ❞ ❝ can you teach me the art of archery? ❞   ❝ bury the past. build the future. ❞       ❝ i missed you. your clear head and your courage. (we have not had enough of both in recent months.)   ❞   ❝ i have a good feeling this war is near its end. ❞ ❝ explain in plain words why you have willfully disobeyed my commands. (do you mock me?) ❞   ❝ the gods favor you. they always have. ❞   ❝ my love for you rises tall and strong, like the tree of life. ❞   ❝ the prize is some of my time. (a walk in nature, maybe more if that is where our conversation takes us.) ❞ ❝ together, we are unstoppable. ❞ ❝ it is natural to fear change. to resist it. (but all things change, and all things end.) ❞ ❝ you said nothing of this to me, not a word. ❞ ❝ so long as men and women fight to secure honor and freedom, their allegiance hardly matters to me. ❞ ❝ i care for you. i do not know how to say it any other way. ❞   ❝ love can burn brighter near death. ❞ ❝ i knew this would be difficult, but sometimes the weight bears down heavily. ❞ ❝ you are young and still foolish, so i will spare you your life. (but cross me again or harm anyone i cherish, and you will join your friends in hell.)   ❞ ❝ if you are as brave as you appear, you will come. ❞ ❝ this is not a natural quiet. it's as if a curse has befallen this place. ❞ ❝ there was a curse here long before i came along. ❞ ❝ we’ll forge a warrior from your softness, hammered on the anvil of war. ❞ ❝ you are different than the kind my flights of fancy attract. burdened, decorated and…delicate. ❞ ❝ i do not know what else to say. m-my memories are faint, hazy. ❞ ❝ how are you doing? you survived a serious blow. ❞   ❝ we’ll weave our sagas together, thread upon thread. ❞ ❝ i try to use my knowledge to help others. i am only a threat to those who fear the unknown. ❞   ❝ slap some moss on that gash and wrap it well. ❞   ❝ a knife to the back is a wound that never heals. ❞       ❝ with me you have wisdom! glory! power! what more do you need? ❞       ❝ if your hell is real, i’m glad you’ll get to see it. ❞   ❝ to fight beside such legends is an honor. (i've only heard tales of your conquests. now i get to live them.) ❞   ❝ i have tried to live well. it is enough that the gods know that. ❞ ❝ a cloud hangs over you. is something wrong? ❞   ❝ you have plunged my city into chaos. ❞   ❝ my sword is gore-greedy. i am ready to fight. ❞   ❝ accept your fate and die a coward, here before your people... and i will spare the rest. ❞   ❝ you would take the rescue for yourself, so the victory song is written about you? ❞   ❝ kneel, and i will spare your life. ❞   ❝ it has been some time. what brings you so far to see me? ❞

[fantamemes]

Somewhere Far Beyond  ::  Blind Guardian  ::  Sentence Starters

feel free to modify pronouns, phrasing, etc. as needed to fit.

“ Silence has broken the darkest truth. ”

“ The things she remembered had never been her own. ”

“ What do I see, what will I find? ” 

“ Know the answer inside, it's your last step. ”

“ Time, what is time? ”

“ I wish I knew how to tell you why it hurts to know ”

“ These dreams were never mine. ”

“ Who can say what's wrong or right? ”

“ His eyes had seen it all. ”

“ I know it's all a lie. ”

“ What did I see... What have I done? ”

“ Come, lock the door, don't let me in. ”

“ I am the one in your destiny. ”

“ Look into my eyes, feel the fear for just a while. ”

“ Is it all over now? ”

“ I'll leave, but I'm singing. ”

“ He saw it clearly, it's too late. ”

“ It does not heal, but it lets us forget. ”

“ We'll never know, so don't take care. ”

“ Should I forget the way I feel? ”

“ Many songs I've written about the things I saw. ”

“ My inner soul's a wasteland, I can't run away from here. ”

“ I try to find them, all the lost thoughts in my mind. ”

“ I woke up on a hill so many times before. ”

“ Yesterday seems like a dream no more. ”

“ Am I born to be a king, or a jester of the fools? ”

“ You're the mystical old bard on your journey through the dark. ”

“ I can't remember my name, I never knew how to find my home. ”

“ I'm the chosen one to perform all these things, but not for me. ”

“ Will I ever find myself? ”

“ The distance is growing. My hope has gone away. ”

“ Which part of me remains? ”

“ There's no way to turn back. ”

“ ‘In my hands it lies’, I thought. But I failed. ”

“ They all knew what it meant, but they couldn't change it. ”

“ It's all gone... What is left behind? ”

“ The children will love your singing. ”

“ The sea is calling, now we've to leave it. ”

“ All I left behind are my tears. ”

“ By the ruins he stands, and he's waiting for me. ”

“ His paths seem strange, but they're always planned. ”

“ On our quest we lose our way. ”

“ I know the answers, although they don't exist. ”

“ I must leave... To another life, to another world far beyond your dreams. ”

“ He's longing for a place where he can find himself. ”

“ Death awaits, knocking at the door. Leave him. ”

“ I am the one. The one who's calling. ”

“ Be sure that my voice will take you home. ”

“ He surrendered long ago, there was no real chance. ”

“ When hours have gone by I'll close my eyes. ”

“ In a world far away we may meet again. ” 

“ Now, hear my song. ”

“ Tomorrow will take us away, far from home. ”

“ No one will ever know our names, but the bards' songs will remain. ”

“ The fear of today will be gone, due to our magic songs. ”

“ There's only one song left in my mind, tales of a brave man who lived far from here... ”

“ Now the songs are over, and it's time to leave. ”

“ No one should ask you for the name of the one who tells the story. ”

“ You're not alone, so don't be afraid in the dark and cold. ”

“ The bards' songs will remain, they all will remain. ”

“ In my thoughts and in my dreams, they're always in my mind. ”

“ The treasure that I've found is more than enough. ”

“ Far to the hill we've to go, over the mountains and seas. ”

“ Ice and fire and forest we passed, and horror in the halls of stone. ”

“ I am trying to find a way, blind in the dark. ” 

“ I came from far beyond your reality. ”

“ I am the narrator; and now I'll tell you where I've been, and what I saw, and how it ends... ”

“ I'm so alone on my way, and I don't fear that dusty godforsaken path. ”

“ Look at my soul, there are some things I've to hide from you. ”

“ I'm losing control and I don't care. ”

“ I'm looking for those healing things to be prepared. ”

“ Will it be the end, or just a new quest, after all? ”

“ Look around and see, the world is turning fast. Faster, day by day. ”

“ I'll try to change it if I can. ”

“ There's only one chance, and it lies somewhere far beyond. ”

[anamneseverge]

to another year of knowing you.

The sun hangs low over the Agate Oasis and the sunset's reflection on the water drowns out everything else, highlighting a large balloon shaped like a cavii bear in the sky. The remainder of the day's heat doesn't seem to matter much to those around, with some setting up blankets for later and others helping a group of liddols attempting to help some pearlbelly penguins learn how to swim. They look like they’re having fun.

Despite the fast-approaching night, Agrado's Feast is still going strong. People are still handing out last minute gifts to each other, and there seems to be an ice sculpture contest that has... guildmasters participating?! Is that fair for the other participants?

The final sparks of the day pass, but the end of the festival hasn't quite arrived. 

The coming of night is as a curtain-call. A hush falls over the bustling bay, save the gentle lap of the water on the sands, and eyes turn skyward. The moon has taken center stage with the sun’s departure, casting down a beam on the parade floats. In the glittering eve, you watch the seams of the great floating cavii with which you’ve become acquainted visibly begin to strain, as something within bloats and hisses faintly. 

The seconds it lasts are a testament to the care and craftsmanship put towards its make, but it ultimately gives under the force of the ignition within, consumed in a fireball. In the next instant a miasma of colors cut across the black canvas of night with a crackle-pop, kite-tails of color spiralling up and out to create dazzling shapes. You spy a pygmy goat, an echoing firebird, a wooly ewe, a cavii bear— you watch as they run and leap and fly and dance, in pairs and together. No expense, magical or otherwise, has been spared to create this fireworks display. The cheer that carves through the city is a jubilant cacophony.

Minutes pass. The lights eventually begin to fade, the beasts disappearing amongst the glint of the stars. You realize with a start that the festival of gratitude has passed by under your nose. Even so, you find your heart is full. Your eyes shine with so many fading colors and, though all that remains are wisps of what once was quietly smouldering, the images of the days preceding this moment are clear in your mind. 

Some stall to begin cleaning efforts, while others return home for their first proper rest in days. Perhaps, in the quiet, you take advantage of this lull to reflect. Do you think of the Verge, its trials and tribulations, and what awaits you in the future? For some, even with an uncertain destiny looming, this celebration has served its purpose—as yet another stalwart reminder that the burdens you may bear are not yours to bear alone. Friends, family, and loved ones walk beside you.

Whatever you do, you'll walk forward—one step at a time.

Good afternoon, everyone!

Thank you all for joining us in Agrado's Feast. Remember that any threads involving activities from this event may have starters written them until 11:59 PM EST on SEPTEMBER 18TH! Our event prose channels will similarly remain open until threads have been wrapped up. Threads will continue to be worth +5 EXP, so long as they’re turned in before November's Activity Check. After that, they’ll be worth the normal amount of experience gained from bonding and exploration threads.

We look forward to seeing how you bloom within our setting in the future!

[saintsdeath]

THE    TEMPLE    BURNED    WITH    LIGHT                    inside  ,    the flames licked cruelly at the marbled pit  ,    hungry  ----    yearning    /    demanding of sacrifice                  (    what price are you willing to pay  ?    riches mean nothing   /    not gold nor jewels  .    for this you must pay with your heart    )                   PERHAPS    IT    WAS    ALWAYS    YOUR    DESTINY    TO    END    UP    HERE                  fate was not to be tested  ,    those three who hover above  ----    haggard faces with harpy screams  ,   laughing down at us  ,    watching as they cut our threads  .    anger  ,    it seemed  ,    was one thing all humans could agree on  .    and yet he still watched with something strange in his eyes  ,    his features haunted in the flickering lights    /    the shadows uneasy on his skin  ----    if revenge be thy answer  ,    then i would rather die before stand face to face with you                  (    perhaps your feelings have changed    /    perhaps you have seen too many open wounds  ,    too many broken spirits  ,    too many greedy men willing to sell their souls    )                   ❝  there are answers other than this  ❞                  PERSEPHONE    WITH    HER    FINGERS    GOUGED    INTO    THE    POMEGRANATE                  do you have no fear of what things await you  ?                  ❝  believe me  .    the gods do not often grant wishes in the way you hope they will  ❞  

@agamemnides​  ,     STARTER     CALL

[rp-grannies]

[Sentence Starters] Kung Fu Panda

Feel free to add context, change pronouns, names, jobs, and anything else you need to change to make these work for you! Have fun! ^-^

❝ There is no charge for awesomeness. Or attractiveness. ❞

❝ We should hang out. ❞

❝ Sorry doesn't make the noodles. ❞

❝ We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins. ❞

❝ When I was young and crazy, I thought about running away and learning how to make tofu. ❞

❝ Why must something be wrong for me to want to see my old friend? ❞

❝ Nothing is impossible. ❞

❝ One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it. ❞

❝ I've only seen paintings of that painting. ❞

❝ Don't stand that close, I can smell your breath. ❞

❝ You know the hardest part of this? The hardest part, is cleaning up afterwards. ❞

❝ What you got? You got nothing, 'cause I got it right here. ❞

❝ Look, you don't belong here.  ❞

❝ Upset? I'm not upset. What makes you think I'm upset? ❞

❝ There's a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present. ❞

❝ We're dead. So very, very dead. ❞

❝ I'd been worried I'd been forgotten. ❞

❝ The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones. ❞

❝ That was awesome! Let's go again! ❞

❝ The true path to victory is to find your opponent's weakness... and make him suffer for it. ❞

❝ I'm gonna need a lot more than dew and universe juice. ❞

❝ You knew I was trying to get rid of you, yet you stayed. ❞

❝ The mark of a true hero is humility. ❞

❝ I'm pretty scared. ❞

❝ Maybe this time we'll have a kitchen you can actually stand up in. ❞

❝ Forget everything else. Your destiny still awaits. ❞

❝ What are you gonna do, big guy? Sit on me? ❞

❝ You... can't defeat me. ❞

❝ I'm not dying, you idiot! ❞

❝ Want to get something to eat? ❞

[thetemporalduo]

Guess Who’s Back, Back Again! (LONG AWAITED UPDATE!)

((Heyo everybody! Guess who’s not dead! This girl! In all seriousness though, my summer vacation is finally here and I’m happy to report that the reboot of the Ghostly Ashes arc will continue on, along with progress on the EXE Destiny AU (finally I know... time hates me)! If you guys want any RPs for the arc lemme know and I’ll put up a starter call! I do have some existing threads to finish, so I’ll do those alongside the new threads! Thank you for your patience!)) 

((Also...since when did I get over 100 followers? Thank you guys so much! Seriously you guys are AMAZING and I’ll try and host a special little Q & A so you guys can ask me any questions whether they be about my characters, myself, the arc, or future ideas and projects! Ask away! :D Maybe I’ll host a special drawing livestream for you guys and draw some requests! Lemme know what you guys want! Thank you again for your patience and 100+ followers and rock on guys!))

[sage-nebula]

em-exceeds-change-zearu replied to your post: yoshi12370 replied to your post: ...

honestly i feel like a fun time travel plot with celebi and ho oh would have been like. beautiful? very beautiful. tiny me wanted that so much, you don’t understand. so i feel the visceral “uuuuUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH” in this post so much

IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO NEAT.

I do think that the Ho-Oh and GS Ball / Celebi subplots should have been kept separate. They were separate from the beginning; Ash and Pikachu saw Ho-Oh in the very first episode, long before the GS Ball was even conceptualized, and likewise, Ash’s reason for picking up the GS Ball and then taking it to Johto had nothing to do with how he saw Ho-Oh. Even when he learns more about Ho-Oh (and the prophecy) in Ecruteak City, that still doesn’t have very much to do with Celebi at all, particularly since Celebi’s shrine is on the Azalea Town end of Ilex Forest. So I don’t think that those two things should have been merged.

However, they both should have come to fruition. As far as Celebi is concerned, Celebi is a time traveler associated with nature. To be more specific, here are the things that we glean from Celebi’s pokédex entries in the game:

Celebi is a time traveler.

Wherever Celebi appears, forests and nature flourishes.

It is said that when Celebi appears, all who witness its arrival can be certain that “a bright and shining future” awaits them.

Celebi often leaves behind an egg it brought from the future.

If we take these four points into account---and especially if we consider the HGSS event (though it wasn’t created at the time) where Celebi warps the player character three years in the past so that they can see Johto Rival fight with Giovanni---then there are so many interesting things that could have been done with the GS Ball / Celebi plot to further develop Ash’s character.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

So, first thing’s first: In the original Gen II games (and I think in HGSS as well, though I’d have to double-check to make sure the event doesn’t play out differently), the player was supposed to take the GS Ball to Kurt, who would then notice something mysterious coming from Ilex Forest. The player then took the GS Ball to Celebi’s shrine, where Celebi would appear and be able to be captured. (Thinking on it now, I’m pretty sure the event still plays out mostly the same, it’s just that Celebi time travels the player after appearing so that you can witness the Johto Rival event.) This could have played out in much the same way in the anime. Perhaps Ash would leave the GS Ball with Kurt for a while, but then---nearer to the end of Johto---he could have received a call from Kurt saying that Kurt discovered something odd with the GS Ball, and wanted Ash to return to Azalea Town. Upon arriving back in Azalea Town, Kurt would say that the odd thing he discovered is that there seems to be a pokémon in the GS Ball, but he still can’t get it open. Cue Ash trying all manner of rambunctious things to try and open it (throwing it really hard at the wall, hitting it with a hammer, et cetera), but of course nothing would work, and Brock and Misty would stop him from getting too crazy with it. Either way, they would all be stumped, but that’s when Kurt would notice a strange feeling / breeze blowing from Ilex Forest. He’d say that Ash, Misty, and Brock should go investigate, and that Ash should take the GS Ball with him. More than used to carrying it around anyway, Ash would agree, and the trio would set off for Ilex Forest.

Now, here’s where some of Ash’s own intuition would come to play---or maybe it wouldn’t be his, but would instead be Pikachu’s, if Pikachu tapped into the same intuition we saw from him in The Power of One when he basically led Ash around Shamouti Islands so that Ash could fulfill the prophecy and save the world. This intuition, regardless of which one has it, would lead them to Celebi’s shrine. Pikachu would indicate that he thinks Ash should place the GS Ball in the shrine. Ash would feel that Pikachu was correct. And even if Brock and Misty had some doubts, Ash would place the GS Ball in the shrine, and that’s when it would finally open and reveal that Celebi was inside all along. Ash would try to use his Pokédex on Celebi, of course, but perhaps Dexter only gets about halfway through reciting the ‘dex entry (what little entry there is) before Celebi sends the entire squad careening through time.

And here’s where we have two options.

Perhaps Celebi sends Ash and the squad to the past, to witness some past event like in the games. Johto Rival doesn’t exist in the anime, so it would have to be something else. Maybe they would witness Jessie saying goodbye to her mother before her mother went off on that Mew expedition that resulted in her dying / disappearing forever (as a sort of parallel to Johto Rival’s fight with Giovanni), or maybe they’d still witness a Giovanni event from the past, just with another character. (I’d suggest Delia, but the Giovanni/Delia relationship only existed in the U.S. produced musical. =P) Or maybe it’s not anything to do with Team Rocket at all, but instead they see Ash’s parents back when they were still young and traveling, long before Ash was conceived (or maybe shortly after? Maybe we see pregnant Delia??). Or maybe we do have them meet young Sammy Oak, so that we can still have that stable time loop scenario where Professor Oak potentially lies to Ash about not having any standard starters left so that he can make sure Ash gets Pikachu as he’s supposed to. In any case, we could send them to the past to witness something, or to help with something. I’m not sure what, but that’s possibility.

Alternatively, remember how some of Celebi’s ‘dex entries say that it assures those who witness it that they will have a bright and shining future? Maybe Celebi sends them to the future. It takes them a while to realize what happened, to realize that they’ve time traveled, and hell, maybe they don’t even realize at first. Maybe they’re disoriented and confused and trying to figure out what’s going on, but that’s when they encounter this older trainer, somewhere in the seventeen – twenty range, who finds them and is slightly amused by how bewildered they are, but decides to help them anyway. And so they travel around with this guy (who calls himself Red, though it takes him a minute to fumble for that name, which is even more confusing) for a while, maybe even a few days, and toward the end of this little arc it’s revealed that this guy’s name isn’t Red at all, but is instead . . . Ash. He’s Ash, all grown up, having achieved his dream of being a pokémon master (well, kind of---his official title is Kanto Champion). And they see Brock and Misty all grown up and older as well, and we get a little moment where young!Misty looks at adult!Misty and asks her seriously, “Did he ever pay me back for my bike?”

“Misty, come on---” young!Ash says, but older!Misty just laughs.

“I think that’ll be more fun for you to discover on your own,” she says.

And it’s shortly after that that Celebi sends them all back to their proper time, back in Ilex Forest, and now they know---well, there’s still a lot they don’t know. Who knows what steps they have to take to get to the future they saw. But they know it’s a definite possibility---a likely one, even, and Ash has even more inspiration and drive to get there now. He has even more confidence in himself. He has seen himself, as a young adult, all grown up and a pokémon master, he can do it, he can do it, he can do it!!

Of course, before they leave the shrine, they discover that in place of the GS Ball, there’s an egg. And I’m not sure what pokémon would be in this egg (though maybe it’d be something from Hoenn, like how Togepi was from Johto?), but they’d take the egg with them, and hatch it, and it’d be a good time.

Anyway, that’s what we could have had with the Celebi plot, instead of the fourth movie, which was trash. WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLLLL . . .

As far as Ho-Oh goes, that should have been separate, but damn, imagine wrapping that up in the final OS movie instead of having Latios and Latias in not-Italy. (I mean, I like The Guardians of Alto Mare all right, it’s an okay movie, but it would have perhaps been better as the fourth movie, with a Ho-Oh movie as the fifth.) Ho-Oh appeared before Ash multiple times, and all of the lore surrounding Ho-Oh says that it flies around the globe constantly, waiting for a pure-hearted trainer to restore its faith in humanity after the fire in the Burned Tower. That pure-hearted trainer was very obviously meant to be Ash, he was supposed to fulfill some kind of destiny, and yet . . . and yet that never came to pass. We got nothing. And not even M20 delivered the way we all wanted it to, and . . .

I love the OS, I truly do, but at the same time it had so many set-ups for so many cool things and then just . . . didn’t deliver on them at all. Feels disappointing, man.

[gadgetsrevv]

Forget Barcelona and Real Madrid: Atletico have the look and feel of La Liga champions

ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol and Craig Burley discuss Alvaro Morata’s winning goal and Joao Felix’s first La Liga start for Atletico Madrid.

Alejandro Moreno weighs in on the hot takes from the weekend’s soccer action to see whether they are overreactions.

Sid Lowe examines Diego Simeone’s new look Atletico Madrid and suggests they can push Barcelona for the La Liga title.

Sometimes, especially when you’re trying to win just your third title in 42 years, you need things to go your way.

You need the crowd to, almost literally, become your 12th man. You need your substitutes to produce three goals in two games. You need a wonderkid. You need your greatest comeback in a decade. You need your richer, more powerful rivals to drop four or five points across three games. And sometimes you need to suffer a shock, something akin to waking up to find a scorpion in your pajamas. Oh, and a last-minute winner to go five points clear at the top of the table doesn’t hurt either.

– ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now! – Luck Index 2019: City unlucky? United worse than 6th? – Champions League group stage: All you need to know

Ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the mad, pulsating, but deeply promising world of Atletico Madrid — Spain’s sudden title favourites. Mind you, please whisper that phrase or Diego Simeone might take you by the shirt front and pin you to the wall. More of that later.

Let’s join all those dots, starting with the 12th man.

On Sunday night, as Simeone’s rather punch-drunk men tried to haul themselves back into their contest with Eibar after going 2-0 down inside 20 minutes before Joao Felix struck back, goalkeeper Jan Oblak began a move by rolling the ball out to his central defender, Jose Gimenez. Now, I don’t know for sure whether Gimenez was planning his postmatch meal or just taking a standing micro-nap, but he had his back turned. At that moment, he couldn’t have dreamt that an Atleti attacking move might be starting with him.

The ball rolled towards Gimenez, unbeknownst to him, and Eibar look poised to go 3-1 up at the Wanda Metropolitano. But at that crucial moment the 12th man, or rather 54,000 of them, roared to the rescue. Just before Gimenez’s position became fatally embarrassing, every man, woman, child and ball-boy in the stadium screamed at him to wake up and pay attention. No parental warning needed here because while there was language which would make anyone blush, I won’t repeat it here.

As soon as the Uruguayan was startled into turning around and gathering the ball, Atleti’s move for Vitolo’s goal that would draw them level at 2-2 began. The newspapers on Monday morning should have read: Assist: Lemar/Crowd. But they didn’t.

Remember the fears that leaving the now demolished Vicente Calderon stadium might be, for Atleti, like Samson getting a haircut? A huge drop in power? Forget it.

It’s early but Atletico Madrid already have a ‘team of destiny’ feel to them this season.

The subs? Well Vitolo now has two goals in two blistering second-half performances, each contributing to wins which looked like being a draw and a defeat respectively. Thomas Partey joined the party (do excuse me) with a 90th-minute winner despite having only been on the pitch just over 10 minutes.

Afterwards, Vitolo said: “I’ll keep on fighting in every training session, with every match minute I get to help the team and to try and force the coach into picking me.”

Thomas added: “Every one, starter and sub, feels equally important here. The work the team did from the moment Eibar went 2-0 up was absolutely phenomenal.”

The two of them followed the right actions with the right words. Everyone here sings from the same hymn sheet. Smells like 2013-14, doesn’t it?

Whatever else is going on, Simeone has all his back-up players pawing the ground with energy, resilience and determination rather than sulking. They seem to know that the biggest trophies are always won by an 18-man squad, not 11 men.

– Lowe: Jose Antonio Reyes’ death casts shadow over new season – Krichko: Inaki Williams blazes a trail at Athletic Club

While 19-year-old Rodrigo Riquelme didn’t turn the game on Sunday, his introduction as a sub means that Atleti‘s coach, unfairly branded as “conservative,” has now brought on seven homegrown kids for their debuts since April last year.

I don’t think it’s necessary to explain, again, what a dramatic impact Simeone has had on the club, the fanbase, the media, the training ground environment, the squad, the academy or the trophy cabinet (seven in just under eight years). But I’ll bet you didn’t know that not only was Sunday against Eibar the first time his team had conceded twice at home before the 20-minute mark, or that Atleti hadn’t fought back to win from 2-0 down since 2009?

Sunday’s fightback against Jose Luis Mendilibar’s Eibar represented just that for Atleti — calamitously shipping in one smash-and-grab goal, followed by a comedy second to give the impression that Barcelona drawing and the prospect of Real Madrid doing the same later on didn’t matter to them.

But they have this wonderkid, see?

Joao Felix has hit the ground running in Spain and looks to be every bit as good as the hype.

Joao Felix is not only special, he’s durable and oozes winning mentality. After hogging the entire European preseason with his performances, the Portuguese phenom, still just 19, has a goal, an assist and a penalty won through three games for the top-of-the-table and title favourites. His delightful piece of skill (the Spanish have begun to call such tricks “delicatessen” recently) near the halfway line to take a crisp pass, flick it past his marker and set Diego Costa off on a run which would end with Felix side-footing home Atleti‘s first to make it 2-1, brought a primeval roar of approval from the gullets of the red-and-white 54,000.

Yet when the Portuguese starlet tired, Simeone had the chutzpah to replace him with match-winner Partey. Normally a right-back, midfield enforcer or even a centre-back, here the Ghanaian was deployed as a second striker … and scored.

I liked the cut of Simeone’s jib postmatch. He said: “I saw that Joao was flagging and I knew that Thomas had the impetus to play off Diego Costa. I wanted speed, I wanted to attack Eibar.”

It brought drama, a third goal, postmatch questions about winning the title and three beautiful points but Simeone remained realistic.

“If you win 3-2 then you’ve committed some errors. But the point is the fight back and winning. We want to win, then win some more then win again and again…” was his payoff, an homage to Luis Aragones, his only challenger as Atleti’s most famous, most loved servant, and the ‘Wise Old Man of Hortaleza’s” historic phrase: “Ganar, y ganar y volver a ganar.“

Atleti are well stocked across their squad, trust their academy products, look fit, fast, renewed with the energy and competition that astute new signings can bring and, up front, they seem to ooze scoring power.

Here’s the rub. It’s not for nothing that they’ve only won the title twice since 1977. Madrid and Barcelona have often claimed La Liga with “moderate” performances where their deep resources are impossible for Atleti to emulate. This time Simeone has the resources, several special players, a throbbingly good home support and his principal rivals are, at best, flat-planing and, likely, regressing.

That leaves us with the fact that if they are to become Spanish champions it will be the first time in nearly half a century that they’ve done so starting as most people’s outright favourites. A burden.

Expect the “one game at a time,” “we aren’t thinking about that” and “if you mention the title one more time” to be growled out from Atleti‘s Majadahonda training ground and postmatch news conferences all the way to next May. When, on recent evidence, great things await.

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[rpgsandbox]

They say there have been eight worlds before ours. Eight times the people of this Earth, over vast millennia, built their civilizations, reaching heights we cannot even fully imagine now. They spoke to the stars, reshaped the creatures of the world, and mastered form and essence. They built cities and machines that have since crumbled to dust, leaving only their barest remnants.

This is the Ninth World. The people of the prior worlds are gone—scattered, disappeared, or transcended. But their works remain, in the places and devices that still contain some germ of their original function. Some call these magic, but the wise know that these are our legacy. They are our future. They are the...

Set a billion years in our future, Numenera is a tabletop roleplaying game about exploration and discovery. The people of the Ninth World suffer through a dark age, an era of isolation and struggle in the shadow of the ancient wonders crafted by advanced civilizations now millennia gone. But discovery awaits for those brave enough to seek out the works of the prior worlds. Those who uncover and master the numenera can unlock the powers and abilities of the ancients, and bring new light to a struggling world.

The original Numenera RPG was launched via a 2012 Kickstarter campaign that shattered every record (at the time) for tabletop RPGs. The corebook has seen four printings, and Numenera is enjoyed by tens of thousands of gamers in an active global community. We have published over 60 supplements and accessories, and released a terrific starter set for new players. The Ninth World has spawned a critically-acclaimed hit computer game, board games, an excellent short film, a line of novels, and other licensed items, and Numenera has been translated into many languages including French, Spanish, Italian, Korean, German, and Portuguese.

Numenera is a game in which player characters explore the ruins of aeons past to gather amazing treasures and help build a new future for a world struggling in darkness. Since the launch of Numenera in 2013, we have delivered well on the first part, but we’ve always wanted to do a more thorough job exploring that second part. That desire has led us to Numenera 2 and this Kickstarter campaign.

Through this Kickstarter we’re going to replace the existing corebook with two new corebooks. The first is called Numenera Discovery and the second Numenera Destiny.

Numenera Discovery will be a book that covers familiar territory; it is basically a revision of the original Numenera corebook. Next summer, we will allow the original corebook to go out of print, and Numenera Discovery will take its place. In Numenera Discovery, you’ll get some revisions to make things clearer and more fun, and to increase the options available to players. Nanos, Jacks, and Glaives will get an overhaul. Many foci and some of the descriptors might see some reworking. You’ll have more options, clearer rules, and perhaps a bit of expansion to the regions of the Steadfast and the Beyond that are covered in the existing corebook.

But Numenera Discovery is not a new edition. We will make virtually no changes to the way the game plays mechanically—and none of those changes affect the way NPCs, creatures, or items like cyphers or artifacts work. We also won’t be making changes to the setting. So if you already play Numenera, your bestiaries, adventures, card decks, character portfolios, and books like Into the Night, Technology Compendium, and Jade Colossus will not be affected by these changes. We will not issue any “second editions” of the existing supporting titles—and if you choose not to get Numenera Discovery, future Numenera supplements will work fine with your existing Numeneracorebook. Your ongoing campaign will flow smoothly through the change in corebooks. You will even be able to mix existing characters with those from Numenera Discovery into your game. In fact, the game can be played with both the existing corebook and Numenera Discoveryin use at the same game table!

(One small exception: Numenera Character Options and Numenera Character Options 2 will remain compatible, but will become substantially less relevant following the improvements to characters in Numenera Discovery. We will retire those titles.)

As excited as we are about Numenera Discovery, we may be even more excited about Numenera Destiny. This title will enable characters to truly become a part of the setting—to help shape the future of the Ninth World. The people of the Ninth World are locked in a medieval-like state, a world of struggle and danger and often suffering in the shadow of the prior worlds’ wonders. Numenera Destinyallows you to build adventures and campaigns in which players don’t just explore the wonders of the past—they utilize them to help lift the Ninth World out of darkness.

You can make the world a better place. Help a community defend itself from abhumans or the iron wind. Create centers of learning or trade. Innovate, build, and protect. Manage an entire community and help it prosper and grow—or simply create a cool base or vehicle for your adventuring group. Numenera Destiny will allow you to take what you discover and make your mark on history as someone who elevated the Ninth World into the future.

Adventuring—exploring the weird and wondrous remnants of the prior worlds—remains, of course, at the core of Numenera play. Numenera Destiny will give you new things to do with your discoveries, along with entirely new and epic ways to structure your campaigns. You’ll discover materials, power sources, and treasures that you can utilize in an entirely new, robust crafting and building system. And perhaps best of all, Numenera Destiny will offer three new character types and a number of new descriptors and foci geared toward this innovative style of play.

You can back this campaign to receive either Numenera Discovery or Numenera Destiny, but you’ll really want to get both books. When purchased in print as a set, they come in a beautiful and handy slipcase, giving them a truly deluxe feel.

We at Monte Cook Games have a long and successful history with Kickstarter, and one of the things we love most is that it allows us to build the products we’d really like to see and play. It’s often too risky to add unusual or expensive features to an RPG product if you’re just launching and selling it through normal channels. But through Kickstarter we can propose improvements and ideas through stretch goals, and if you fund them we can make them a reality.

We have some cool Kickstarter-exclusives as part of your rewards. But every upgrade to the new corebooks, the slipcase, or any additional titles unlocked through stretch goals will improve the product for everyone who plays the game—whether they back this campaign now, or purchase the book at a game store three years from now. In other words, the more we can accomplish through this campaign, the better we can make Numenera for every player, ever!

But speaking of those Kickstarter exclusives. . . .

A major focus of Numenera 2 involves helping and fostering the communities and people of the Ninth World—making the Ninth World a better, safer place for its inhabitants. So, throughout this Kickstarter campaign, together we’re going to build and grow a Ninth World community called Ellomyr. Your involvement will directly impact the story of Ellomyr as it (hopefully) grows and flourishes. And when the campaign is over, we’ll take Ellomyr’s story and make it into a sourcebook called The Trilling Shard. This is a Kickstarter-exclusive item not available anywhere else, and it’s included (in PDF, print, or both) in every backer level. Pay close attention to this campaign, read the updates, comment and vote and help pull in more backers, and you’ll contribute directly to the content of The Trilling Shard.

In addition, we’re also going to produce a short Discover Your Destiny ebook that every backer will get in PDF format. It will be delivered ahead of the release of Numenera Discovery and Numenera Destiny.

As a skilled adventurer, you have traveled more than most and seen your share of small, isolated communities in the Ninth World. But there’s something about the village of Ellomyr that has caught your attention. The folk welcomed you warmly when you arrived, sharing their food and their homes. These people clearly work hard to maintain a safe place to live and raise their families. Like so many little villages, it lies in the shadow of ancient ruins that no one completely understands. Among other weird relics of the prior world, Ellomyr’s central square is built around the infamous and immovable Trilling Shard, an ancient symbol-covered stone that quavers with sound at rare times.

But the Ninth World is a harsh, unforgiving place, filled with dangers arising from the prior worlds. Raiders and strange biomechanical beasts, weird radiation and mysterious technologies, terrible plagues and dangerous storms all threaten the people here. They need your help.

Over the course of this Kickstarter campaign, we’re going to track the development of Ellomyr and hopefully watch as it grows and flourishes. But it will only do so if brave and capable individuals such as yourself help the people there overcome dangers and deal with challenges. As threats or needs arise, you, the backers, will help the community face these challenges. The more you participate in the campaign, the more easily the challenges will be overcome and the more Ellomyr will thrive and grow as a community.

In other words, you will become a part of Ellomyr’s ongoing story. When The Trilling Shard is released, you’ll be able to recount how you participated in the events that shaped the community. Will it become a thriving city that offers a safe and bright future for Ninth World citizens or will it be lost to the darkness and dangers that threaten it? We’ll only know when this campaign is completed.

So please check back in and see the events of the story transpire as you follow along. Post snippets of your own character's story in Ellomyr in the comments, on social media, or on your blog (or all three). Where applicable, use the hashtag #Numenera2. If it's on social media or a blog, we might share it. While this is all in the spirit of a fun, joint experience, if we see something that really wows or entertains us, we might ask you if you'd like to contribute your snippet to The Trilling Shard sourcebook (and we pay our authors, of course). To begin, just introducing your character and stating that they're a part of helping Ellomyr is a great start. And if your favorite way to participate is art rather than writing, we'd love to see and share fan art of your character, of Ellomyr, or the events as they unfold. As always, if you want to share a link to this Kickstarter, that's sincerely appreciated.

Numenera Discovery and Numenera Destiny: Each of these titles is a 416-page, lavishly illustrated hardcover (that’s the same size as the existing Numenera corebook). When purchased together in print, they come in a sturdy, beautiful slipcase.

The Trilling Shard: A sourcebook on Ellomyr and its challenges, setbacks, opponents, solutions, and triumphs over the course of this campaign. The exact specs of this product remain to be determined (in part by your contributions to this campaign!) but at a minimum it will be a 32-page softcover.

Discover Your Destiny: This PDF product will come out early next year (before Numenera Discovery and Numenera Destiny). It uses story to introduce players to the Ninth World, and focuses on the narrative concepts behind Numenera 2. It leads players—both new and experienced—through creating a character using some of the brand new material from Numenera Destiny and highlights some of the changes people will see in the transition from Numenera to Numenera 2.

More products will be added to this section if we’re fortunate enough to unlock them via stretch goals.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Sat, October 28 2017 1:00 AM BST

Websites: [Monte Cook Games] [Numenera]

[astroveritas]

tag dump .

[secretsofanantisocial-blog]

Life With the YouTubers- Chapter 1

“Hey, wait up! Are you trying to lose me or something?” I shouted as my friends drifted away, leaving me behind at the luggage claim.

“Oh, no! She caught on to our plan! Hurry Amelia, run!” Damien joked, pretending to run away with his bags. “And it was such a great plan, flying all the way to California, just to ditch you and go to the convention alone.” Amelia laughed and shoved him playfully.

“What great friends I have, ditching me after I offer them free lodging at my new place,” I grumbled, struggling to hook as many small bags onto my wrist as I could. "I guess you'll have to pay for lodging so you can go see your favorite YouTubers on your own," I added, "without me. Would one of you beautiful people mind helping me with these or do I have to carry the luggage of three people on my own?" I questioned irritably, gesturing at the pile of luggage. "I mean, I know I’m strong, but I’m not the Hulk.”

Damien snorted. “I beg to differ. Remember that time you pulled a sink out of the wall? What did it ever do to you? The water may take a bit longer to warm up at home, but that seemed a little harsh.”

“Can we please let that go? It was one time, and I was only trying to turn on the water. It’s your own fault for having faucets that you pull instead of twist, like a normal person,” I shot back.

“Oh, my god!” Amelia burst in, “You guys, we’re going to miss our Uber if you two don’t hurry up. It’s already late, let’s just get back to Andi’s place, set up a few necessities, and crash for the night. Okay? Let’s go.” With that she hoisted the last remaining bags onto her shoulder and marched towards the door.

“Onward! Destiny awaits!” I shouted, waddling after Amelia as quickly as I could, considering all the extra weight from the bags. “Nerd,” I heard Damien mutter under his breath. “Yeah, keep talking, you’re helping this nerd move into her new apartment first thing in the morning,” I retorted.

Half an hour of speeding down the interstate later, we finally arrived at my new apartment. Amelia and I took my car with the bulk of the luggage, and Damien followed in the Uber with whatever boxes we couldn't cram into my car. It was nothing fancy, on the contrary actually. It was one story, with a master bedroom, guest room, one full bathroom, and a moderately sized kitchen looking into the living room. Overall a decent apartment, given I was the typical broke millennial. The floors squeaked like a haunted house with every step, the bathroom faucets dripped, and the walls were peeling, but that was to be expected with any starter apartment.

As soon as we unlocked the door and stumbled inside, we dropped our heavy bags and collapsed onto a couch left by the previous renter. We satquietly for a few moments before Damien broke the silence.

“You know, this place is pretty decent for the price. How did you afford it, anyway, Andi? Places this close to L.A., no matter how dingy, are bound to be expensive.”

I shrugged in response. “I actually don’t really know. I think someone was killed in the apartment downstairs, but that may just be a rumor. I’ve had every square inch of this place checked, and there’s nothing wrong with it. At least, not anything our of the ordinary for a city apartment, so that would explain the cheapness.” Damien shuddered at the idea of living near a murder scene, but Amelia seemed unfazed, either too indifferent or too tired to care.

“And on that happy note, we should probably go to bed. This couch folds out into a bed, according to my landlord, so one of you can sleep here while the other takes the guest room.”

Amelia and Damien looked at each other and shrugged. “That works with us.”

“Great. I’ll help you make the beds and leave you to decide who’s sleeping where.”

“That’s okay, I’m pretty sure we can manage making a couple beds,” Amelia responded. “I mean, I don’t know about Damien, but I’m not thatuseless.” Damien glared at her, then nodded, “We’ll be fine. We’re in our twenties, if we can’t make our own beds, it’s just natural selection at that point.”

“Okay, weirdos,” I shrugged, “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight Andi”, I heard Amelia call as I trudged down the hall to my new room. “Yeah, goodnight princess,” Damien soon followed. I quicklythrew some sheets onto the bed and bundled myself up. Well, I thought, I guess this is it. I’m an adult, living on my own in a foreign city. This will be interesting.

[itsfinancethings]

October 22, 2019 at 07:54AM

On the same night the NBA is taking a break from fighting China to tip off its 2019-2020 season, baseball begins the conclusion of its home-run-heavy, strikeout-tinged 2019 campaign with the first pitch of the Fall Classic.

The World Series starts in Houston on Tuesday, as the Houston Astros, who won the World Series two years ago and finished the regular season with 107 wins, host the Washington Nationals, a team that started the season 19-31 but rallied to win a Wild Card spot and now can’t seem to lose.

If we’re lucky, the World Series will end in as grand a fashion as the American League Championship Series, when Houston’s 5’6″ dynamo Jose Altuve ripped the heart out of New York Yankees fans with a Game 6 walk-off home run that clinched a pennant for the Astros.

In case you’ve spent most of this month keeping tabs on the NBA’s surprise geopolitical crisis, or fretting about your underperforming NFL team (there are plenty of them), here’s a quick guide to the 2019 World Series.

Arms Race

This World Series features a stunning collection of some of the decade’s finest starting pitchers. Washington’s Max Scherzer — the expected Game 1 starter — has struck out 2,452 batters between 2010-2019, tops in the majors, while Justin Verlander of Houston has 2,260 Ks over the span, good for second place.

Zack Greinke, also of Houston, ranks fifth in the decade in strikeouts (1,872), while Stephen Strasburg clocks in at No. 11 (1,695). Gerrit Cole of the Astros — Houston’s expected starter in the Series opener — has been dominant: in three postseason starts, Cole has a 0.40 ERA with 32 strikeouts. His 358 Ks entering the World Series are the most by any player in a single year since Randy Johnson in 2001 (419).

Anibal Sanchez of the Nationals is a former ERA champ who almost tossed a no-hitter in the NLCS; Washington’s Patrick Corbin is a two-time All-Star.

Expect low-scoring duels going into late innings. These games should be heavy on suspense, a pre-Halloween October treat.

Representing The Capital … And Canada?

Washington will witness a World Series for the first time since 1933, when FDR threw out the first pitch before Game 3, and the Washington Senators fell in five games to the New York Giants. Senate hearings on the stock market and shipping subsidies ended early so official Washington types could get to the game. Washington’s top pitcher, General Crowder, finished the season with a 24-15 record and 17 complete games. (In 2019, Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox, and Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians, tied for baseball’s complete games lead. They each finished with three.)

D.C. and baseball have had a largely tortured relationship. In 1904, the Senators’ woes inspired Charles Dryden to write, “Washington — first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.” Indeed, the Senators had regular appointments with the bottom of the AL standings until the team moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season and became the Twins. Washington was immediately awarded an expansion team; the new Senators finished with a single season winning record from 1961-1971, then decamped to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to become the Texas Rangers. The Montreal Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals in 2005; the Nats made the playoffs four times before this season, but couldn’t win a series.

Fifteen years after losing a franchise, Montreal has mixed feelings about Washington’s success. Michael Farber, a former hockey writer for Sports Illustrated and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, may have put it best:

The @Nationals are like your long-ago ex. You both moved on years ago. Wish 'em luck, but they really aren't @Montreal_Expos. Le Grand Orange, the Kid, Hawk, Rock, Cy, Pedro, El Presidente, Felipe … in 2019, those guys are the Expos.

— Michael Farber (@MichaelFarber3) October 21, 2019

A Win For Zim

When 20-year-old Ryan Zimmerman was called up to the Washington Nationals — then in their first season in D.C. — the team played its home games at RFK Stadium, an aging football facility. The late Hall of Famer Frank Robinson was the team’s manager. Zimmerman, fresh out of the University of Virginia, was the first draft pick in team history. The Nationals finished .500 in their DC debut — 14 games better than the franchise’s final season in Montreal — before spiraling into a slew of 90- and 100-loss seasons that ultimately set up the team for future success.

Washington was able to draft Strasburg and Bryce Harper first overall in back-to-back drafts (2009 and 2010). Winning seasons, and heartbreaking playoff exits, followed, and Zimmerman, now 35, saw all of it. The two-time All-Star and face of the franchise is likely in his last year with the Nationals; he’ll be a free agent this offseason. His years of loyalty could soon be rewarded with a long-awaited World Series win.

In The Tank

In 2019, for only the second time in baseball history, four teams lost more than 100 games: the Detroit Tigers (114 losses), Baltimore Orioles (108), Miami Marlins (105), and Kansas City Royals (103). They need not despair. Not that long ago, the Astros were regular 100-game losers; the team averaged 104 losses per season between 2011-2014. Houston’s rebuilding plan has become a sort of inspiration around sports: gut the house before rebuilding.

The problem with this model is that there seems to be more crappy teams than ever, which is painful for their paying customers, and threatens to devalue the overall product. Just ask the supporters of the these terrible baseball teams, plus fans of this year’s Miami Dolphins, which seem destined for an 0-16 finish, the 2017 Cleveland Browns (0-16), the 2016 Philadelphia 76ers (10-72), and so on. Losing big demoralizes.

Bottom line: another World Series win for the Astros counts as further validation for tankers the world over. Go Nats?

Dynasty vs. Destiny

On paper, Houston shouldn’t lose, to Washington or anyone else. An air of inevitability surrounds the Astros. Washington, on the other other hand, is red hot at the right time. The Nationals rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the eighth inning of the National League Wild Card game to eke by the Milwaukee Brewers. Then Washington upset the Los Angeles Dodgers, the top team in the National League, in five games in the Division Series before sweeping the Cardinals in the LCS.

The Nats have momentum and a fervent, bipartisan fanbase who’ve never experienced a World Series win. The ‘Stros have Cole and Altuve.

Anyone else sense a classic Fall Classic?

[theoldwayswitchery-blog]

#MorgensOfAvalon. #Morgana. #MorganLeFay. #SpellBox. #AltarSet. #Witchcraft. #Witch. #Samhain. #Halloween. #Crystals

Nine Morgens Of Avalon, Morgan Le Fay Crystal Spell Box / Altar Set / Witchcraft / Starter Kit. “Witches’ Sabbats / Wheel Of The Year.”

There is very little written about the Nine Crow Sisters Of Avalon, which only serves to make them all the more interesting! This set has been put together as a journey and will take you full circle (The Wheel Of The Year) and starts where it will end, Samhain; The Witches’ New Year. All but Morgan Le Fay belong to one of the eight sabbats; Sorceress, Shape shifter, Healer and Faerie Queen, Morgan le Fay encompasses all aspects and guises of the Goddess.

Powerful Enchantress, Wise Seer and Renowned Healer, it is Morgana herself that will take you on this journey, hear the call, reach for her out stretched hand and into Avalon we go.

Apple Wand - (Raw wood wand.) No oils used.

Wisdom, Healing, Love, Beauty, Youth, Rebirth and a favourite tree of Witches

Love spells, Opens the gateway into other realms, Doorway to the Fae, and Symbol of Avalon. Samhain is also known as “The Feast of Apples” due to the fruit of this tree being considered a food of the dead.

Amethyst - Morgan Le Fay

Magical stone of Divinity and Royalty with hues reminiscent of the mystical violet mists that swirl around the Isle of Avalon, Realm of the Fae.

“Connection to the Divine, Powerful Healing Tool, Protective Energy, Increases Psychic Ability, Promotes Peaceful Sleep and Prophetic Dreams, Spiritual Guidance, Crossing the Veil and a Stone of the Witch.”

Black Obsidian - Samhain, Morgen Mazoe

Firstly we encounter The Crone of Old Age & Death and the Festival is Samhain. Lady of Bones, Wild, Fierce and sharp of Tongue, Voice of our Ancestral Grandmothers, Wise, All Seeing and Knowing.

Use this stone to learn ‘The Old Ways’. Black Obsidian, like Mazoe herself is a Great Spiritual Teacher.

Bloodstone - Yule, Morgen Tyronoe

The Second Crone is waiting patiently for us and her Energy is Calm and Gentle for this is the Morgen Tyronoe. Snow glistens on our path as we have now reached the Winter Solstice and the Darkest Night. Words are not needed here, Silence, Stillness and Understanding. Stay a moment with this Wise Old lady for enlightenment is her lesson and you already know the answers.

Use Bloodstone for contemplation, prayer, meditation, Truth, Grounding and Guidance.

Moonstone - Imbolc, Morgen Thitis

As we step out of the darkness we meet with a welcome sight, our first Maiden on this journey; The Morgen Thitis and her Festival is Imbolc. INSPIRATION, Innocence, Laughter, Truth and Fire. Her message is AWAKEN and she directs us towards our Life’s Path, showing us the Talents, Gifts and Wonderful Opportunities that may lie ahead. A glimpse of what could be.

The Stone of New Beginnings, Moonstone opens up the mind to Hoping and Wishing, Inspiration and Impulse, Serendipity and Synchronicity. It brings flashes of Insight, keeping one from negatively banishing possibilities. The Wheel again turns and Morgen Thitis takes her leave; Knowing that for now her work here is done.

Rose Quartz - Ostara, Morgen Cliton

Enthused, Excited and brimming with potential we happen upon our second Maiden (The Morgen Cliton) who greets us with a Open Heart and Strong Will; She is Innocence, Beauty, Youth, Sensitivity and Blossoming Womanhood. We have reached the Spring Equinox, Ostara and it is here that we put our ideas

into motion. Regeneration, Transformation, Sensitivity and Mystery are her Lessons and as the land around us flourishes so do we. Rose Quartz is a truly wonderful and soothing stone that can gently guide us through life’s difficulties; Offering Comfort, Harmony, Love, Peace and Acceptance. Feeling Blessed and Cherished it is time to move on as our next Lady awaits us.

Tiger’s Eye - Beltane, Morgen Thetis

The time has come to meet with the last of our Maidens and this Morgen does not disappoint! The child is no more and before us stands Thetis; Lover, Warrior and Woman. Passion, Desire and Fierceness are her lessons; For Love is our biggest teacher and desire can bring about Power as well as Weakness. This is a Lady capable of Great Love and Protection, she takes us further along our journey to the Fire Festival Beltane and one of the three Spirit Nights of the Year. Tiger’s Eye is a Stone of Empowerment, physical Strength, Courage, Wealth, Luck and Passion! “Use your gifts Wisely” are her final words and we leave confident, radiant and strong.

Red Jasper - Litha, Gliten

The first of our Mothers greets us with a warm and knowing smile, for a Mother knows! The Element is Water, her lesson is Freedom and there is Wisdom in those shining eyes. Gliten urges us to let go of Expectation, the search for Perfection and speaks of a love without boundaries or reason. This Morgen is Nurturing, Mystical, Feminine, Abundant, Healing, A Granter of Wishes and Giver of Life. Red Jasper is known as ‘The Rain Bringer‘ and ‘The Blood of Mother Earth’. Let this powerful stone Protect and Ground you as we prepare to take our leave, for this is a Crystal that will always have your back.

Aventurine - Lammas, Glitonea

Deep into the forest we go and it is here that we meet with our second Mother, the Antlered Lady of the Woods. This Morgen is protectress of all wild animals and keeper of the ancient pathways. Elusive, Shimmering and a proficient Shape Shifter. The Festival is Lammas, the days are still long and there is warmth in the air, the woods are alive! Glitonea is the Green Lady and this is her time! Aventurine has a strong earth connection and enhances appreciation and understanding of the vibrations that emanate from nature and their soothing effects on both body and mind. Her lesson is a passionate plea and speaks of conservation and the welfare of all animals. The only way to truly connect with this wonderful lady is to tread the very same ancient pathways. Go outside and explore!

Lapis Lazuli - Mabon, Moronoe

The last of our Mothers is also the last Morgen on this journey, Moronoe, Goddess of Harvest, the Lady of Ripe Berries who shows us the fruits of our labour. A time for reflection and preparation, her energy spirals deep into the earth as she prepares for the turning of the seasons and tides. So here we stand, the days of heat and summer are behind us now and we turn to face the darker months, turn, turn, turn, the time has come to turn again. When it comes to spiritual enlightenment, it all starts with the self. Lapis Lazuli helps us go deep within our spirit to awaken our true destiny and divine purpose. Take a moment to surmise and follow Morgen Moronoe as she guides us towards the Autumn Equinox, Mabon.

Hawthorn Witch’s Bottle (Dried Leaves) -

The Faery Tree- wild and enchanted - wound about with powerful fairy magic from its slender thorns to its deepest roots.

Lavender and Rose Witch’s Bottle -

Healing, Divination, Dreamwork, Love and Faerie Magic!

Alder Cones -

Alder Trees are Gateways to the Faerie Realm.

Double Velvet Pentagram.

Black Crow Feather.

Smart, Sturdy Presentation, Storage Box. Dimensions. Large Organza Ribbon.

[kenbinru]

I Can’t Believe I Have the Girlfriend of My Dreams! (An Unromantic Love Comedy LN) Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I open my eyes to find that I’m back to my original world – World B. The Akane I know isn’t here in this world, instead it’s Yuki-san. With Akane’s help, I know that it shouldn’t be too difficult to make my dream become real here.

Or at least I hope so.

Today I’m going to visit that maid café across town, where Yuki-san apparently works at. I won’t be going alone though, so I hope that Daisuke is coming with me. The Yuki-san of this world is too scary!

He can be my wing-man of sorts. But I better get changed and go to school. I wouldn’t want to be late today.

 Today at school nothing notable happened. I asked Daisuke if he was willing to go with me to find Yuki-san after school at the maid café, and he said yes without any hesitation.

“Of course! I’d go anywhere with you dude. Besides, who doesn’t want to see the Ice Witch in a cute maid uniform?”

That knucklehead was a little too enthusiastic to want to go with me, but I’m glad he said yes. Also, I completely forgot that today was another tutoring session with Kaneko-san. I managed to leave a note though before I left with Daisuke.

“Off to do an errand. See you soon!”

Please forgive me today Kaneko-san, for destiny awaits me.

 “Hey you gonna say anything about that?”

Daisuke must be talking about Kaneko-san who was following behind us.

“Let’s just pretend that we haven’t seen her yet…”

Kaneko-san was tailing the both of us. She probably managed to see the note I left her and being the roadrunner, she caught up to us somehow.

“Those boys are up to no good!” she’s probably thinking.

The funny thing was she wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping a low-profile. But it doesn’t matter, we’re here to find Yuki-san, and somehow make my dreams a reality. Akane told us to look for a sign that has a cat logo. She said we won’t miss it unless we’re blind.

“Is this the place…?” as me and Daisuke manage to spot a giant cat logo, with the sign saying “The Purrfect Café.” As me and Daisuke enter (along with Kaneko-san a few minutes later trying to hold her embarrassment), we’re greeted by the big meow of a rather pudgy black cat wearing a red collar with a small bell. I muttered a small “meow” to the café’s mascot.  There was also a big sign indicating a Valentines’ Day couples special.

“Well, it’s just the two of us…not including roadrunner outside.” As he looks deeply into my eyes.

What was Daisuke implying?!?

We get seated at a small table for two, and it had pictures of cats and cat-girls galore.

“This is heaven Kaz…”

 Daisuke and I were absorbing the atmosphere of the café. It was a cat-themed café, where all the servers were girls dressed in maid outfits, but with a twist. All of them had cat ears or tails, or were also dressed with small animal features. Both of us were the only people here (and Kaneko-san trying to hide her face behind a menu at a table across from us), and it did not seem so busy.

“Daisuke, do you see Yuki-san anywhere?”

He and I were both scanning the café to find Yuki-san, until a server interrupts us.

“Hello master-nyan! Ho-“

Me and Daisuke (along with Kaneko-san) were in shock.

“I don’t believe it…” as Daisuke slowly pulled out his phone to snap a photo.

It was Yuki-san!

She looked absolutely cute in that frilly cat/maid outfit. Her pantyhose were covering her long legs, which led up to a small cat-shaped window of her black maid costume that wrapped all her curves in the right places. She even had a tail and cat ears on top of her long black flowing hair!

I need to make a mental image of this…

Yuki-san was visibly embarrassed, as our unexpected arrival cracked her cold exterior. But, she immediately put her guard back on, and recomposed herself back into a professional waitress of a maid café.

“What would you like masters-nyan?”

I could hear the slight cringe she had at the end of the sentence, and it didn’t help that her smile was more crooked than genuine.

“I’d like an omelet rice Akane-chan!”

Daisuke you idiot! He’s gonna ruin everything! I never should have brought him along with me if he was gonna be this casual with her. This is an investigation after all, in the pursuit to make Yuki-san become my girlfriend, not hate me!

“Ok! How about you…?” asked Yuki-san.

“I guess make it two omelet rice-nyan?” I tried to laugh it off but she didn’t.

Yuki-san left to go get our orders with her feet stomping away. Even the manager was eyeing the commotion at this lone table. One glance from Yuki-san and he turned into an ice sculpture.

Poor manager-san!

“Kaz, no matter where I go with you, it’s always entertaining!”

“Shut up you goof! Don’t try to ruin my chances with her!”

“C’mon dude, lighten up a little. Your hunch was right. We found the Ice Witch’s secret lair. That means you and her have a connection that no one else has. It’ll be a great conversation starter!”

Yeah, it’d be a great conversation starter, and life ender for me.

A few minutes later, our omelet rice came. Yuki-san being aggressive, plotted the plates on our table.

“Eat up.” As her cute charade was dropped.

“Wait! The menu said you could write something on our omelet rice!” said Daisuke with a cheeky grin on his face.

Yuki-san gave the heaviest sigh I’ve ever heard.

“Fine…master-nyan.” She grabbed the ketchup bottle and drew a Heart on Daisuke’s omelet rice with ease. Then, she did the same on mine, but also wrote characters indicating “death”. Yuki-san came close to my ear and whispered “Enjoy…Kaneshiro-san…” in a menacing tone. Goosebumps shot through my body.

If I’m gonna get out alive, I better hurry up and eat everything fast.

Daisuke however, was taking photos of me and him at this café. Unfortunately, the manager didn’t allow us to take photos of the maids, but that seemed more like Yuki-san’s doing than the nice manager. I’m too scared to death that I lost my appetite. It was unbelievable to think that Akane and Yuki-san were the same person.

I hope I never do something bad to Akane in the other world…

“We’ve had enough research for today, hurry up Daisuke!” He was sure taking his sweet time to tease me.

 I get ready to leave and pay the bill for both of us. Daisuke got an important call during the middle of eating and had to leave early. He probably forgot his wallet at home – again. Besides being scared to death, I’m also broke for the month. I head for the exit and say good-bye to the cat and Kaneko-san, Yuki-san suddenly exits the café.

“HEY YOU JERK!” She was breathing heavily and her face was filled with rage. Despite her malicious aura, she still looked amazingly cute and deadly at the same time. Even the people outside on the street were staring at this peculiar sight of a young woman’s wrath. I’m already in a runner’s position ready to take off at moment’s notice.

“DON’T TELL ANYONE WHAT YOU SAW TODAY!” as she pointed at me.

My instincts take over and I bow my head to her and apologize. Audible gasps from people passing by are heard, along with Yuki-san’s cold icy gaze directed at me.

“DON’T EVER COME BACK HERE IDIOT, AND THAT OTHER IDIOT TOO!” as she stormed off back into the café, with her tail wagging behind her legs.

If today could be summed up in a few words, it was one step forward, about a million steps backwards. This wasn’t as easy as I thought it was gonna be. I start to head back home, until another girl comes out screaming.

“WAIT FOR ME KAZUKI-KUN!” There was Kaneko-san, who managed to catch up to me quickly.

Kaneko-san was walking home besides me. Needless to say, Daisuke, Kaneko-san, and I were officially on Yuki-san’s list.

“I can’t believe that was the Ice Witch…” Kaneko-san looked at me intently.

“How did you find out about where she worked Kazuki-kun?”

There was no way I was gonna tell my secret, especially to a girl like Kaneko-san who endlessly teases me.

“I just had a hunch is all…” Kaneko-san gave me a suspicious look, but shrugged off and accepted my answer.

“You don’t give up do you Kazuki-kun?”

“Huh…?” I was confused about what her question was implying.

“What do you mean?” Kaneko-san stopped walking and stood in front of me.

“I mean any other guy would have quit, but it seems that you won’t give up on Yuki-san will you?”

She was right. I won’t quit on Yuki-san.

I will make her happy somehow!

I laugh for first time today. Kaneko-san laughs too. Somehow for a moment, the airheaded roadrunner looked graceful with her smile. It was until she started laughing harder.

“What an idiot!” And just like that whatever grace she had returned to being a dummy.

*Sigh*

She composes herself back to normal.

“I’m glad you have a sense of justice Kazuki…”

We both head our separate ways when we reach the split of the road.

“Hey Kazuki…uh you’re not doing anything for…AHHHHHHH!” and Kaneko-san runs off.

She stops after a few meters and runs back to me.

“You owe me a tutoring session idiot! Don’t forget it!” and she runs off fast enough that I can smell the rubber burning from the soles of her shoes.

What a weird person…

 “I’m home.”

I find my mother is sitting on the table reading and I notice my dad is back too.

“Hey son!”

My dad is the complete opposite of my mother. I honestly have no idea how they got together (nor want to know how), but it’s probably an interesting story. My dad has to travel a lot due to his work, and he’s more of a free spirit than my mother; a bit weird perhaps. I’ll admit though, that my father really did care for us. As a kid growing up, he would pretend to be the bad guy and I would try to finish him off with my signature move just like the show! My mother would say that he was looking like a fool, and my father would say “Join us!”

“Let me see your head!”

My father meticulously inspected my head by looking at every wrinkle and examining me like I was an object off an assembly line.

“Hmm…honey! Can you make him drink the special herbal tea I bought?”

“No! I’m fine dad really!”

Every trip back he always manages to find the weirdest and strangest things for me to try, and almost every single one was worse than the last somehow. Dad called off the herbal tea.

“I’ll find something better next time! Oh! I should mention that I’m leaving in the morning early. I have to go to the regional office for a few days. Apparently I need to train new recruits the basics.”

Mother sighed deeply. “But I’ll call every night dear…and I’ll be back before Valentines’ Day…”

My father was never the smooth talker he said he was. The two embrace, and I look away as soon as possible from the cringe.

 The three of us ate dinner together for the first time in a long time. I’m in bed now, staring at the ceiling. The next time I wake up, I will be in World A, where Akane and I are together.

I’m sure my dad would love to meet Akane.

They seem like two peas in a pod. I’m too excited to meet her that I can’t sleep.

Maybe I should do some exercise or something? I try to do ten push-ups, emphasis on try. After tiring myself out from those push-ups, I’m still not sleepy. I think to my thoughts. Today was sort of a disaster. Akane will probably make fun of me when I tell her my results of me trying to get close to Yuki-san. She’ll probably say something like “I bet I can seduce myself!” However, one pressing matter was Daisuke.

What was so important that he had to leave?

I tried calling him earlier but he wasn’t picking up. He messaged me later telling me he’ll see me tomorrow.

What secret could he be keeping from his best friend?

Also, I have to see Kaneko-san tomorrow too since she started spamming me LINE messages of our regularly scheduled tutoring.

“DON’T FORGET THIS TIME OR ELSE!!!” written in all capital letters. I drift off to sleep. Time to see the girl of my dreams again…

[pressography-blog1]

LinkedIn open resources Flashback, a tool for mocking net traffic

New Post has been published on https://pressography.org/linkedin-open-resources-flashback-a-tool-for-mocking-net-traffic/

LinkedIn open resources Flashback, a tool for mocking net traffic

LinkedIn, the social community for specialists that is now owned by means of Microsoft is making one of the gear that it has advanced in-residence for its personal paintings open to being used by way of others. The employer nowadays announced that it’d be open sourcing Flashback, a tool for mocking net site visitors for developer exams, underneath a BSD two-clause license.

                                            Net Traffic

Linkedin Jobs

In a blog submit, LinkedIn stated that it have been the usage of Flashback to test such things as reliability, scalability, and speed of new code before deploying it more extensively. You can see an example of ways it really works here.

Flashback becomes primarily based on Betamax — no longer the vintage video popular, however, some other device advanced to mock moves of net offerings and Relaxation APIs in developer assessments via “intercepting HTTP connections initiated by a web application, after which later replaying them.” (‘Betamax’ as it turned into inspired via any other tool, the VCR library for Ruby.)

The key distinction, write creators and LinkedIn engineers Shangshang Feng, Yabin Kang, and Dan Vinegrad in a weblog post, is that Flashback can paintings in a remote environment, whereas Betamax, like different proxies, calls for net connectivity to paintings Reality Crazy.

“Flashback is designed to mock HTTP and HTTPS resources, like web offerings and Relaxation APIs, for checking out purposes. It information HTTP/HTTPS requests and plays lower back a formerly recorded HTTP transaction—which we name a ‘scene’—so that no outside connection to the net is needed in order to finish trying out,” they write.

The reason for constructing a device that didn’t require a connection to the net become due to problems they encountered while the usage of Betamax. Those blanketed the fact that LinkedIn’s test surroundings do now not have net get right of entry to for safety motives; and the code had use instances that required authentication protocols like OAuth and OpenId, which required complicated HTTP-based totally interactions that didn’t paintings with Betamax replays.

This is not the first time that LinkedIn has outsourced some of the code that it, in the beginning, evolved for proprietary purposes. For instance, in 2015, it additionally outsourced FeatureFu, a toolkit for building gadget gaining knowledge of models.

The reason that LinkedIn open sourced FeatureFu become as it changed into now not visible as an “enterprise differentiator” for the enterprise. Which can have been the case here, too, however so became the fact that when LinkedIn offered the device publicly, they noticed requests from the developer network to use it for their very own projects.

Even as LinkedIn is open sourcing Flashback, it’s additionally going to keep to work on it to enlarge its capability — that can also factor to what LinkedIn itself can be running on down the street for its 465 million users.

“We’d want to see if we are able to support non-HTTP protocols, including FTP or JDBC, within the destiny,” they write, “and maybe even give users the power to inject their own customized protocol using the MITM proxy framework. We are able to retain improving the Flashback setup API to make it easier to aid non-Java languages.”

The way to Make the most of Your net site visitors To the Most Volume no longer too lengthy ago, putting in place your very own enterprise website became lots easier than it’s miles nowadays. Lamentably, today, there may be a lot more opposition numbering within the heaps of competing similar websites all vying to get a bigger piece of the equal cash pie. So, each form of scheme and means to boot your backside line might be maximum high quality.

Why Set up a business website? Admit it, maximum folks, if no longer all of us are in it for the money. I simply, in the end, why trouble making an investment our valuable time and effort in constructing a internet site all in favour of entertainments sake. We haven’t any goal of sitting there with our business websites all Installation and geared up to move awaiting hell to freeze over before seeing the earnings roll in. whereas a few who take their online corporations gently, there are constantly those people who conversely, would instead turn a income any day.

online site visitors is the Existence Blood of Any business website

Live Traffic Maps

As with all commercial enterprise, whether a physical brick-and-mortar storefront or an online internet site one, we as business owners generally realize the without traffic or traffic, we would now not have an enterprise for extremely lengthy. So if we don’t have any clients or site visitors, we do not get income. online site visitors represents all the folks that receive exposed on your provided merchandise. Consequently, the extra website visitors to your website there are the greater capability shoppers there could be.

everybody who sets up a business website actually expects to rake in earnings. For starters, we would really like to recoup our preliminary startup prices and costs. What we need is a steady traffic wait, so that we can then, as a minimum, have a honest shot of doing simply that. Therefore, so as to make the most of our online business, we have to make cash off of our internet visitors or through monetizing it.

Advertising Let you Make money So simply how can we make money from our internet visitors? Advertising, especially, has been demonstrated to be the nice and maximum a success method of changing our visitors into big greenbacks. As an instance, we can see that on-line business sales has generated hundreds of lots upon masses of heaps in profits day by day. maximum capability destiny E-trade internet site proprietors are searching for something, a bonus. While some of line customers sincerely attempting to find more information on earning profits online, others, a large percentage, are looking for something to fulfill their desires, a consumable product.

Again, Attracting net visitors is prime As a resource, the net provides a demonstrated way of tracking down that impossibly difficult to find the product for any customer or consumer. Fortuitously, a buyer’s job is made a whole lot extra handy, through making the arena a smaller international. As an example, as a vendor, You may advertise any product from the boondocks in Istanbul, Turkey, but a client from the coronary heart of Philadelphia can nonetheless tune down that item easily.

The way to boom website visitors is not a smooth mission. after all, we aren’t alone in our efforts as we must contend with many different competing business websites which are also out to get on-line visitors. But, as soon as we generate online traffic and make money from it, we’ve got unfolded the floodgates flood of opportunities. That is the gain of changing your net visitors into massive bucks.

So that you can reiterate once again, essentially, the middle of the problem is that the greater quantity of online visitors You can generate, the more likely your internet site is deemed as quite applicable, in that your web page readily converts a steady drift of visitors into cash. In quick, online traffic in your web page equals earnings. And Advertising and marketing are honestly the only sport in town for the ones of us who personal an enterprise internet site. And with a solid Advertising and marketing plan, You can maximize that traffic drift in your advantage.

Pay Consistent with Click is a cash Maker by using developing and preserving a constant drift of net site visitors, you will have an equally constant inflow of ability paying customers, who’re willing to put their dollars into your looking ahead to hands. Furthermore, These ability clients meanwhile, also can be redirected in your sponsored links where the one’s sponsors are eager to reimburse you for a hefty chunk of these clients or visitors which you have attracted.

mainly, this repayment method is called pay-In step with-Click on, in which with each mouse Click a vacationer in your website clicks on an marketed hyperlink or banner, you may get reimbursed. Consequently, the greater amount of incoming visitors or visitors you have, the more clicks You may acquire, in turn, translates into extra profits for your business.

What are Affiliate Packages? some other technique of having paid for on-line site visitors or site visitors are referred to as Affiliate Applications. You could be part of such Programs with the aid of signing up with other time confirmed a hit online companies with equally a success web sites which can convert your internet site visitors into profits from which you may get a percent of whilst you redirect online visitors out of your website to theirs.

right here is how it works, basically, any traffic generated with the aid of your website could be redirected to another distinctive internet site that contains a product on the market that you lack. And there are many software Packages available so that it will maintain music and report all of your commercial enterprise transactions. All of This is made feasible because of clickable links that join your website online with other sites.

Hughesnet

Affiliate Packages can offer many benefits to you as a business internet site owner who’s an Affiliate player. You get the bonuses of profiting off of your on-line site visitors while not having to personal a massive warehouse of merchandise nor having to actively promote it. For this reason, That is how These redirected website online traffic at the start from your website, ensuing in you getting a percentage of that product sale.