#...i may have reached my original reading goal for this once already

[daughterofhecata]

Stupid alien virus hoax, here I come!

[anesidore]

UPDATE 12/04: thank you so much for the support! i'll be closing donation channels now, as we have reached our goal. i really do appreciate the support!

i will be keeping the original post through a read more below for posterity.

hi everyone! i know i have a relatively small following but i wanted to take a chance to ask for help anyway.

my beloved cat alphinaud (alphy for short, alby if you're being cute) was a naughty boy and decided to go outside a few days ago (he's been an indoor cat all his life) and got into a fight with a stray, which led to a wound with an abscess above his right eye. on top of this, he has been struggling with urinary tract infection for the last year and the crystals in his bladder unfortunately flared up once more, so the vet recommended him to be confined at the clinic for the next few days as he undergoes testing.

so far our expenses has been PHP 23,600 (around USD 400) for all the tests he went through as well as the confinement fee, and i expect it to cost more as he stays in the vet for confinement. luckily i cobbled together enough money to pay for the 11.8k PHP downpayment for today, but i don't have any money left after that expense. i will be adding the receipt from the 50% downpayment under the read more below as proof of these expenses.

i hate to ask for help from strangers again, as i have already done so last year when his uti was first diagnosed. unfortunately i'm quite literally at the end of my rope here. i've recently lost my dad last month, which took quite a toll on me financially (and of course, emotionally) because of funeral expenses and the medical bill that we're still paying off.

my friends can attest that i don't really make a habit of asking for help even when i desperately need it, but i really can't lose another member of our family so soon after we lost my dad who i loved with all my heart. i hope whoever reads this finds it in their heart to understand where i'm coming from here, but thank you for reading up to this point despite how long it has gotten.

if you're willing to help, you can send donations at paypal.me/amunetis or if you are from the philippines like i am, you may send your donation through my gcash at 09175252352.

i will also be prepping a commissions post soon in case anyone is interested, if you need examples you can find it here in this link. i'll be updating this post when i'm done with preparations.

again, thank you so much for reading through this all. if you are unable to help financially, i would greatly appreciate sharing/spreading the word through reblogs or maybe even sharing this post through other sns like twitter or bsky.

^ 50% downpayment receipt that i paid today. i can also provide pictures of his test results and other things if needed as proof.

have another pic of alby as thanks for checking!

[apiswitchcraft]

greek astragalomancy

guess who found out about another ancient form of divination yall. first off, I would like to direct you to this post by @hellenic-reconstructionism that basically said all of this already. I'm not sourcing from them, however they have basically all the same info I have so I don't want it to seem like I'm copying them. much love <3

BACKGROUND:

Traditionally, astragalomancy was done with bones called astragaloi, knucklebones or tali (most commonly from sheep or goats). To be clear, the use of astragaloi has been traced back all the way to the Neolithic period, and is not solely Greek. We are just only talking about the Greek divination type, but just know these aren't the only interpretations out there.

For the game and divination technique, the four sides of the knucklebone would be marked as 1 (chion), 3 (hyption), 4 (pranes), or 6 (koon), with opposing sides adding up to 7.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans would also make replicas of astragaloi out of wood, glass, bronze, or ivory, and in a book I read they used a coin flip instead of a dice roll, so I'll include how to do that too

HOW TO:

Usually a full set of astragaloi would be five bones, but you can also use one bone and just roll it five times. In either case, hold your knucklebones in your hand and jiggle them (like you would with dice) while thinking of your question. Throw/drop them onto a soft surface like an altar cloth or mat and look at either all the downward or the upward facing numbers (depending on what you prefer, I use the upward facing). Make sure to keep track of all the individual numbers that you pulled, as each sum can have multiple different interpretations.

For another method, take a set of three coins of any shape, size, or origin. Flip these three all together at once, and see their correspondences below.

Chion: 3 Heads | Hyption: 1 Tail | 2 Heads | Pranes; 2 Tails, 1 Head | Koon: 3 Tails

Throw this set of three four more times. Each time you flip the three, correspond it to an astragalus value, so that you end up with five numbers.

Some deities that you may call upon that are mentioned in the interpretations are Athena, Hermes, Apollo, or Themis (among others that I could not be bothered to list in entirety).

INTERPRETATIONS:

there are, to my knowledge, two distinct interpretations for each number reading. one in "The Greek I Ching" by Kostas Dervenis (which he sources from somewhere else, I'm sure) and those from the inscriptions in Termessos, which are below. I did not include all of Dervenis' (I used a couple to fill in some blanks) because I would feel bad taking something I paid for and providing it for free on the internet.

Individual rolls | Sum | Title | Interpretation

11111 | 5 | Zeus Olympios | If you see only Chians: Zeus will give good thinking to your mind, stranger: he will grant happiness to your work, for which you will give thanks. But appease Aphrodite and the Son of Maia (Hermes).

11113 | 7 | Athena Areia | If four Chians and one three are cast, the god signals: By avoiding enmity and Animosity, you will reach your prize; you will arrive and the blue-eyed goddess Athena will save you. The activity that you have in mind will turn out as you wish it.

41111 | 8 | Moirai | If one four and four Chians in a row are cast: Don’t do the business that you are engaged in; it will not turn out well. It will be difficult and impossible around someone who tires himself out. But if you go abroad for some time, no harm will come from it.

33111 | 9 | Zeus’ Eagle | If two threes and three Chians are cast: A high flying eagle on the right-hand side of the traveler will be a good omen; with the help of Greatest Zeus (Zeus Megistos) you will achieve your goal; do not fear.

61111 | 10 | Daimôn Megistos | If one six and four Chians in a row; It will be better to fulfill whatever vow you made to the daimôn, if you intend to perform what you ponder in your mind. Demeter and Zeus will save you.

11143 | 10 | Caring Fortune | If three are Chians, one a four and the fifth a three, Do not do the business you are about to do; as for the very intention you have, the gods are restraining it, but they will free you from you toil and no harm will meet you.

33311 | 11 | Victory | If three threes are cast, and further two Chians; you will win; you will take what you wish, and you will achieve everything; the daimôn will make you honored, and you will overcome your enemies, the plan that you are about to realize will be according to your desire.

44111 | 11 | Joyful Victory | If two fours and three Chians in a row are cast; Do all your business because it will turn out well. The gods will save him who is ill from his bed; also the god announces that he who is in another country will return home.

41133 | 12 | Asklepios | If one four, two Chians and two threes are cast; A storm will come about your business, but it will turn out well; also the god announces that he will free the one who is ill from his suffering, and the gods will bring safely home the one who is abroad.

11163 | 12 | Steering Tyche | Three Chians, a six, and the fifth throw a three; Do not yet make haste to go; it is impossible to go, rather wait, if you set out to rush mindlessly, you will do great damage to yourself, but if you wait, blameless time will accomplish everything.

11164 | 13 | Aphrodite | Three Chians and a six and the fifth a four; Sail wherever you wish; you will return full of joy, for you have found and accomplished everything that you ponder in your mind; but pray to Aphrodite and the Son of Maia (Hermes).

13333 | 13 | Zeus and Athena | If one Chian and four threes are cast; You are fit for every business and ready for any undertaking. The gods will easily save him who is ill, and all will be well as to the other oracles.

11344 | 13 | The Melodious Muse | If one three falls, two ones, and two fours: You would do well to act. Good prospects, profits easily gained. It is better now to participate, rather than to try to create. Keep private, in order to succeed, the sweet verse of the Muse.

13334 | 14 | Triton | One Chion, three threes, and one four; The god announces: You kick against the goad, you struggle against the waves, you search for a fish in the sea: do not hasten to do business. It does not help you to force the gods at the wrong time.

61133 | 14 | Daimôn | One six, two Chians, and a pair of threes. Do not project terrible things, and do not pray for what is against the gods, thinking terrible thoughts. There will accrue no gain from it, and no reward will come from this path you are walking.

44411 | 14 | Agathos Daimôn | If three fours and two ones are cast: The daimôn will lead you on the way that you undertake, and the lover of smiling, Aphrodite, will lead you toward good things. You will return with rich fruit and an untroubled Fate.

13344 | 15 | Zeus Savior | One Chian, two threes, two fours being cast: Approach with courage the business that you set out to do; do it! You will win, since the gods have given you these favorable signs, and do not avoid them in your intention: nothing bad will come from it.

11166 | 15 | Zeus Ammon | If three ones and two sixes are cast: The god announces to you: Undertake with courage the way you set out in your mind, god will give you everything: you will accomplish whatever your mind tells you, and Zeus, thundering high, will be with you as your savior.

33333 | 15 | Tyche the Savior | If all the threes are cast together: The woman who has given birth to a child, had both breasts dry, but then she again flourished and has milk in abundance. Then you too will reap the fruits about which you ask me.

43611 | 15 | Zeus of Hosts and Guests (Xenios) | A four, a three, a six, and two Chians: Do not make haste with the business for which you set out, it is not yet time. The gods will easily save him who is ill, and the god announces that he will make an end to the travel of him who is in foreign land.

63331 | 16 | Herakles | One six, three threes, and a fifth a Chian: The moment has not yet arrived, you make too much hast. Do not act in vain, nor like the bitch that has borne a blind puppy. Deliberate calmly, and the god will lead you.

64411 | 16 | Ares | One six, two fours, and two Chians: Why do you hurry? Wait calmly, the moment has not yet come; if you hurry without sense and in vain, you pursue something that is not yet ready. I do not yet see the right moment, but you will have success when you wait a little while.

43333 | 16 | Kronos | One four is cast, the other four are threes: Scorpions stand in your way, do not hurry towards the business that you intend; wait, and what you wish will arrive later; neither to buy this nor to sell is better.

44413 | 16 | Delphic Apollo | Three fours, one Chian, and the fifth a three; Do not make haste, it will not be better to go; when you wish to rush mindlessly, you will damage yourself very much; but when you stay put, blameless time will perform everything.

66113 | 17 | Isis the Savior | A double six, two Chians and the fifth a three: Enter and receive the voice from the tripod! The time is also ripe for marriage; you will marry and return home. You will achieve whatever you want in your business, having found the thing about which you are anxious.

16634 | 17 | Hermes the Savior | A Chian, a six, two threes and the fifth a four: I do not see anything painful among the things about which you ask me; do not think small, go forward with courage; you will find everything you wish: your vow will be fulfilled, and there is a perfect occasion for you.

44333 | 17 | Sarapis | If two fours are cast and three threes: Take courage and fight, Zeus the Owner (Ktesios) is your helper. You will punish your opponent and have him under your fist, and he will give happiness to the works for which you thank him.

14444 | 17 | Revenge | When a single Chian is cast, and the others are four: Now the daimôn will fulfill everything for you and lead you the right way. You will perform everything according to your mind, do not wear yourself out anymore. You will achieve beautifully whatever you desire.

66114 | 18 | Adrasteia | If two sixes, two Chians, and the fifth a four: Do your business and undertake it; the time will be favorable. In the middle, difficulties and danger are waiting. As to the other oracles, things will turn out well for you.

16443 | 18 | Zeus of the Lightning | A Chian and a six, two fours and the fifth a three: What you plan will not turn out according to your liking, when you do it; it is not useful to travel to foreign lands. You will show no insight if you sell now, nor will it be useful.

44433 | 18 | The Greatest Daimôn | If there are three fours and two threes, he signifies this: I do not see this plan as safe for you; thus wait. You will do well, after this there will be luck; as for now remain calm, trust the gods and stay helpful.

63333 | 18 | Good Time | A six and four threes together; the oracle announces thus: Do not make haste, the daimôn is opposed to you, rather wait and do not act like a dog that gave birth to a blind litter. Take counsel calmly, and things will turn out happily for you.

66133 | 19 | Good Hope | Two sixes, a Chian and two threes; he signifies this: Everything about which you ask me is smooth riding for you and safe; do not be afraid, a daimôn will lead you toward everything; he will end the painful difficulties and you will disprove the suspicions.

44461 | 19 | Zeus of the Possessions | Three fours, one six, and the fifth a Chian: Proceed with courage, the oracle is about hope, stranger; it announces also that the sick person will be saved. If you need to consult an oracle, you will receive what you desire.

34444 | 19 | Hermes Who Brings Gain in Trade | If one three and four fours are cast: Zeus will give you a good plan to your mind, stranger; thus, all will be well, undertake what you desire; you will find whatever you ask the oracle for, and nothing will be bad for you.

33364 | 19 | Victory | Three threes, one six and the fifth a four: You pronounce a good oracle, stranger; one you have thought it through, you will do whatever you desire, and the god will be your helper; you will win, you will reap the fruits, and you will achieve everything.

44444 | 20 | The Inexorable Moirai | If all fours are cast together in the same way: the sun has gone down, and terrible night has come, everything has become dark. Interrupt the matter about which you ask me; it is neither better to buy nor to sell.

43661 | 20 | The Moon | A four and a three, two sixes, and the fifth a Chian: Do not undertake this business, stranger; it will not turn out well for you. The god announces that he will help the one who is ill; and if there is any fear, nothing bad will happen to you.

63344 | 20 | The Protecting Dioskouroi | Alone the six, two threes, the others fours: A man who makes haste does not achieve what opportunity offers. You have a profit, and there is fear everywhere because of evil; your business is ill-fated, and everything is painful; watch out!

66611 | 20 | Hephaistos | Three sixes and two Chians; he will tell the following: It is impossible to do business; do not toil in vain! And do not turn every stone, lest you chance upon a scorpion. Fussiness will not bring you luck, be on your guard for all sorts of misfortune!

66441 | 21 | Demeter | A pair of sixes, two fours, the fifth a Chian: Everything about which you ask me is on a smooth way for you and safe; do not be afraid, a daimôn will lead you toward everything; I see nothing that will bring you harm; take heart and go forward.

44463 | 21 | Helios, Bringer of Light | Three fours, one single six, and the fifth a three: You will achieve whatever you desire, and you will find whatever you worry about. Make an attempt, stranger, having taken heart; everything is ready; you will find what is invisible, you will come to the day of salvation.

33366 | 21 | Tyche Who Leads to Good Things | When three threes are cast and two sixes, he announces this: You matters are doing well; this oracle tells you to press forward; you will get away from difficult illness and master everything, and the god announces that he who is erring in a foreign land will return.

16663 | 22 | The Manifest Fates | One Chian, three sixes, the fifth being cast is a three: Do not put your hand into a wolf’s mouth, lest some harm happens to you; the matter about which you ask is difficult and delicate; but you stay quiet, avoiding travel and business transactions.

44446 | 22 | Poseidon | If all that are cast are fours, but the fifth is a six, he announces this: Throwing seeds and writing letters on the sea are both pointless and fruitless doing; since you are mortal, do not force a god to harm you.

43366 | 22 | Terrible Ares | Four and two threes, two sixes, and he announces this: Do not undertake the travel that you intend, stranger! Nobody will do it. A large fiery lion is about, against whom you have to be on your guard, a terrible one. The oracle is untractable, wait quietly.

16664 | 23 | Athena | One Chian, three sixes, and the fifth a four: Honor Pallas Athena, and you will get everything, whatever you wish, and everything which you are planning will turn out well; she will free from bonds and will save the sick person.

66443 | 23 | Happiness | If two sixes are cast and two fours, and the fifth is a three: Sail, wherever you want, you will return home again, having found and done everything according to your wish; you will achieve everything, and thus to buy and to trade is happiness.

66633 | 24 | Apollo Pythios | If three sixes and two threes are being cast, he signifies this: Stay put, do not act, obey Phoibos’ oracles. With time, you will find an occasion, but for now stay quiet. If you wait a short while you will achieve everything, whatever you desire.

44466 | 24 | Kronos the Child Eater | Three fours, two sixes; the god announces this to you: Stay at home with your possessions and do not go somewhere else, lest a terrible monster and a revengeful demon approach you. I do not see this business as reliable and safe.

46663 | 25 | Man Who Brings Light | One four being cast, three sixes and the fifth a three: Take courage; you have an opportunity; you will achieve what you desire, and you will come upon the right time to begin your travel; your toil will have its chance; is is good to engage in work, competitions and litigation.

66661 | 25 | Mother of the Gods | Four sixes, the fifth a Chian: he signifies this: As wolves overpower sheep and powerful lions overpower broad hoofed oxen, so you too will master all this, and everything about which you ask will be yours, with the help of Zeus’ son Hermes.

66644 | 26 | Subterranean Zeus | When three sixes and two fours, the oracle announces: The business has its obstacles, do not make hast, but wait; there is a road, painful, impossible and not to be approached; to buy is painful and to sell brings loss.

66663 | 27 | Heavenly Aphrodite | Four sixes, the three alone: he signifies this to you: The daughter of Uranus, Aphrodite, the mighty mistress of the Erotes, sends a good oracle, she will grant travel to you; you will escape from sickness and vainglorious thoughts.

66664 | 28 | Damage | Four sixes, a four: he signifies this: It is impossible to undertake something vain; do not in vain toil uselessly, lest you incur damage by pressing on. It is not good to begin traveling nor doing business.

66666 | 30 | Square Hermes | If all that are cast together are sixes: Do not go, wherever you intend to; it will be better for you to stay; I see something hostile to you, thus wait; afterwards, it will be possible, and (the god) will free you from fear and save you from toil.

[multiplicity-positivity]

uhh sorry if this message is a lil long but also hi!! hello!! hope you’re having a good morning, afternoon, evening, etc!! i also hope it’s okay if i request multiple things in one message -w-‘

one. i personally think its silly that on 8/8 you had made an update to the guidelines because thats my/the body’s birthday

two!!! was wondering if i could request some positivity for alters who don’t have a lot of memories about themself but want to? Sorry if that’s too specific, got a headmate I wanna get some positivity for (octive who doesn’t have a lot of memories of their home)

three, was wondering if you had any advice for a new polyfrag sys or knew where i could get some? we’re mixed origin but i don’t think we exist as a whole because of trauma, moreso we exist and then some guys exist because we also so happen to have problems and need comforting, if that makes any sense, and in a little under a month we’re at 131 alters total and it’s just… a lot. we’re keeping everyone written down to keep track, but it’s exhausting and i don’t know if one could prompt fusions this early to get the number down? because we’re mostly endo (at least i assume this is why), there’s a lot of people with no roles, most of which are people who front maybe once or make themselves known and then aren’t really heard from. it feels mean to want to get rid of them, for lack of a better term, but i as the host am struggling with this. we don’t have much of an innerworld to hold some sort of meeting, if that changes anything

thank you in advance for at the very least reading!!! —Rodger, the Crossover System ^w^

Hi, Rodger! Happy belated birthday to your collective! We do already have a post for introjects without source memories - would this work for y’all?

We aren’t polyfragmented, so we don’t really have any polyfrag-specific advice, sorry! Though we do feel like lots of things that are useful for other systems could be useful for polyfragmented systems! Any system could probably benefit from working on building trust and communication, though. Have y’all considered the possibility of making a spreadsheet or something similar to help manage your headmate count? We're sorry that this sort of work has been exhausting for you, but we hope that learning how to manage your headmate count will become easier with time!

We do know of the blog @polyfragcultureis which is an active culture blog for those who are polyfragmented! You could also check out the tags #polyfrag and #polyfragmented here on Tumblr for some more experiences by other polyfragmented folks.

Also, if y'all are interested in building a headspace/inner world of your own, we do have a post with some advice/resources which we'll link here! It could make things easier for y'all if you did eventually want to start having in-system meetings or interacting with each other in an internally visual way.

With regards to fusion, it’s not a bad thing whatsoever! And fusion doesn’t “kill” or "get rid of" headmates or make them disappear - they’ll still absolutely be there, just combined into another or new member! It's definitely okay (and dare we say, even healthy!) to have a goal for your system to one day reach a smaller, more manageable size. If you’re interested, we’ve written a post in the past on what fusion has looked like for our system, and we’ll include that here:

So sorry if this response is disjointed or all over the place - multiple parts worked on it over the span of a couple days. But we do hope something here will prove to be helpful for y'all!

One last thing we'd like to throw out there! If any polyfragmented system reads this and has some advice or resources for Rodger or the Crossover System, please feel free to share!

[wawamouse]

You're also doing the Fanfic Writer Questions yay! 4 and 26 when/if you feel like it? ☺️

4, Are there any writers that inspire you? My fellow Oz writers ;3 Honestly! I love seeing what others are interested in/how they're interpreting the characters. For example, I'd never have pursued writing M/C or fic for Oz if I hadn't read Dose by @merelyafigment! There hadn't quite been any other Oz pairings that were calling to me as a writer (I'd also originally watched the show years before and was sort of just idly returning to see what was up while having nothing else to read at the time—idr exactly). But then I decided to see if there were any Chico fics and I was astonished to find that there actually were some (several from just that year, 2023)! As well was Dose from 2004 <3 It made me want to try to write M/C.

Outside of fandom circles, though, I've actually been really bad at reading books, although I used to be an avid reader basically up until high school (AHGHGH). Last year, I watched like 400+ movies and this year my goal has been to read more (I've already reached my goal of 9 books in 2025 lol), so a lot of what I've been reading has crept its way into my writing? For example, I wrote The Death of Jaime Velez in such a strange voice because I had been listening to M.T Anderson's "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation" vol 1&2 on audiobook and it influenced my headspace in terms of voice, lol. (Although the Octavian Nothing books are MUCH more consistent with the voice and include a lot of interesting philosophy and thematic explorations).

Prior, I've always taken inspo from poetry like that of Carl Phillips, whose poems inspired the Speak Low series and For Nothing Tender About it (and probably another I'm forgetting). Or Richard Siken, who inspired So You Want a Deathbed Scene and Maybe Now He'll Leave You Alone.

26, Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

Hmmmm. I wouldn't say 'scared', but I would like to write more historical fiction AUs but in a way that would require much more research, because I'd want to get it right and make it an authentic adventure (or an attempt at one) rather than use the AU as an aesthetic… Like, I have an Oz Western AU that has been languishing in a gray area of somewhat abandonment for this reason. I'd also like to write a Pirate AU or something like it but I don't really know anything about the time period or setting I'd want to place it around, even if I were to make it vague. You know? It's not so much scared as… the idea is too ambitious based on my own standards/how much research I would want to do.

…But I am quite attached to the Western AU… Since I may never write it, tbh, the general premise is: (lifted direct from my "Oz Plots" notes app page lol):

Stagecoach robbers. Chico tracks Miguel north into the Americas to kill him after Miguel steals their posse’s gold, refuses to kill a rival (Rivera) and takes off into the night; almost catches up with Miguel in [historical territory]; finds his camp one night; Miguel gets the jump on him, and Carmen gets hard when they’re fighting; Miguel kisses him as distraction and then gets the upper hand. Ties him up and leaves him to die of exposure; he’s rescued by a caravan heading to a settlement in California; stiff church folk (include mousey Beecher family) who seem slightly put off to learn he’s catholic, although the padre seems to appease them; Chico doesn’t understand what the protestants are saying (english); he parts ways with caravan once they reach the next big town, a bustling settlement of fifteen thousand or so, with a relay station and a general store. Hears word of a Miguel ganging up with a mercenary by the name of Goodson Truman to defend some townsfolk (Mag7 plot reference); Carmen watches from afar as Miguel is shot. When the smoke clears, he rides into town and takes Miguel’s body, pointing his gun at the black cowboy when he tries to stop him; he rides away with Miguel, planning to nurse him back to health so they can face off for real. End with Miguel waking up (alive!) as Carmen tells him this.

...something like that.

[lemonbalmgirl]

Yay! I finished a queer book during Pride month! 🏳️‍🌈

This sapphic manga is so cute. It was originally an online comic on Pixiv, so I'm hoping there may be more chapters there since this was published?

Also, I've reached my reading goal for the year already (15 books). I'm now doubling that, though, since it's only June and I want to push myself.

I've been keeping my yearly goal pretty low, since a few years ago, I only read 12 books all year. Which was really disheartening to realize. Back in college, probably partially because I already had to do so much reading for school, I would easily hit 50 books a year (I have read more in high school, but I wasn't tracking back then).

Once I was done with school and my ADHD became more prominent, it became more and more difficult to focus on and finish books.

Since last year, I've been trying to be more intentional about reading and make it part of my daily routine, although I get some extra reading done when I'm donating plasma.

My daily routine for reading goes like this:

get up

take meds

set tea to brew

make sure the reading chair is clear

bring tea to reading chair

invite Toby to join me

wait 5 minutes while he finds a comfortable spot on my chest

set phone timer

and read!

[matchadobo]

have a oc that a part of the kid pirates rignt, tell me more a about her.

YES

first of all hi anon!

i haven't had the chance to actually elaborate more on her storyline, visuals, and characterizations bc of the shithole called school 🙁 i will try to get back on doing stuff for them but i doubt i'll be able to commit since we still have some work even on break 😩

but ANYWAYS

so margaret mulhall 🔫

PRE-MEMBER

i assumed you've already read her first post and their first meeting.

to provide more info, i based her character off of lucille mulhall. to put it simply, she's the first cowgirl originated from missouri. in this case, i made margaret's mother to be lucille. margaret made it her life goal to look for her mother, it is an irl canon event that lucille lives in st. louis so i made that margaret's destination.

margaret lives off as a ship hopper (is that a word) ever since she was of legal age. she's a mercenary who takes on jobs under a certain handler, it is an informal employment. i would cook some bullshit and say this employment is aided by someone who raised her. her father is... well... i haven't cooked up something for that yet 😩

she is scared of dogs LMAO that's why i made an art for it. i just find ppl scared of dogs really cute. most dogs are scared of new ppl too so they're just scared of each other it's the CUTEST thing 🥺.

in terms of personality, margaret is somewhat similar to robin hood. does crime for good? helps people but also breaks the law? a kindhearted criminal? she steals, knows her way around danger, very daring, may or may not have k1lled someone 🫣, slept around some places for certain conditions, and have SEEN some shit. her ideals are way too similar to a pirate tho, fuck the govt and celestial dragons kinda shit. she doesn't have a stigma against pirates, she have worked (mostly betrayed) with them side by side. she just hasn't really sat herself down to assess if she'll join one. she doesn't see the need for it (until she met kidd 🤧), she has a one track mind that is only set on reaching st. louis.

NOW-MEMBER

it'll be narrated in the comic that i'm hopefully planning to release, but here is the rough sketch of the next page that does not probably make sense

but i'm planning to have her join bc she saved kidd from the marines so there's some you-owe-me kinda stuff between them, she only saved kidd to let him have her on the ship and take her to st. louis. she'll only plan to stay on the ship until the victoria reaches the island and in the span of her stay, stuff will build up between margaret and kidd 🥰. once she leaves tho, kid'll begrudgingly ask her to be become part of the crew, chemistry is just too strong in this one😌. let's just say he'll miss her 😞. i'll do better explaining in the comic i'll make I SWEAR 🥺

you guys are free to send asks abt your thoughts on margaret's characterization or anything else that could help my oc! if it's some deets abt the story with her, it'd really help 🥺 i welcome your thoughts 🥰

[golddust-enby]

I wasn't really sure when I should post this, but I guess I may as well now, since I already went through the trouble of jotting down my notes. Here's another character spread, since I wanted to try this one for Martyr once I got in my Aquarian deck (the original printing of this deck was in the 70's, though I have a new deck, since it's still readily available).

I was thinking of putting this in comic form for fun, but I already have a fan comic going (just page 1 posted so far and I'll post as a batch over here later on) and I have other not asatt brainrot things I want to work on as well. Mostly, I thought it would be fun to post up this reading before a demo can release (less meta knowledge on my part this way and that can make speculating fun).

Anyway, here we go! Martyr is an original character by @quieteeks for the upcoming game, A Seat at the Table, so go check for actual lore over there if you're curious.

What is their strength?- 3 of Rods

Of course, Rods is an alternate name for the Wands suit (it's also sometimes called Staves).

This one's very interesting, at least to me. This is a card of creativity and opportunity. A foundation has been laid and it's time to take action. I assume the strength in regard to all of this is all of the work Martyr's put in to forming his congregation. He does come off like a thorough schemer.

What is their weakness?- V The Hierophant

This is another one I find to be a very interesting pull. A Hierophant is kind of a religious interpreter, so it's funny to get a card like this for his weakness.

In this case, I think the card is more about traditional structures, in terms of meaning. Martyr seems to pick and choose what it is he wants to use for his cult without strictly sticking to a specific denomination, in terms of Christian stuff, at least (not to mention the bigger picture that he's set up a cult with him as a christ-like figure). He doesn't seem to have much respect for the solemnity of church or stuff like that outside of appearance, so maybe his weakness is his kind of flippant attitude.

(From a meta perspective, Hierophant can mean that his weakness could be Prophet, which also makes a lot of sense. Maybe even moreso.)

What motivates them?- 10 of Pentacles

This card could make sense for just about anyone's motive, in a very general sense. It typically means material success, as well as having a connection to community and family. Basically, being able to have it all, you know?

In a technical sense, a lot of people would want a card this positive and I'm reminded of something Teeks once said in a response to an ask, but I couldn't actually find it, so oops. Without that to point to, I will say that I think what motivates Martyr most is making a life with Prophet.

What do they love?- XXI The World

So far, this reading is coming up roses for Martyr. The World is a card about completion and accomplishment. Basically, it's supposed to mean that the world is at your feet and your goal is reaching its conclusion. Sounds like everything is going according to keikaku for Martyr and he would love that. Feels like major ambition points to draw this card here.

What do they hate?- 9 of Swords

Don't we all? But seriously, the 9 of Swords does suck (and I keep pulling it when I do character spreads with different decks). It's all about anxiety, to the point where it can consume everything around it. Unsurprisingly, sometimes that anxiety may be over nothing, ultimately, and that can kind of make the whole ordeal worse.

On a quick meta note, I wonder if that means Martyr has more concerns than he lets on or if what he hates is if Prophet's anxieties take over.

How do they relate to friends?- 6 of Cups

Speaking from a meta perspective momentarily again, friends and family seem to be a weird subject for Martyr. We already know he has little regard for others outside of Prophet, but I'll just say what comes to mind for the cards I draw. Maybe if there's something positive, it could be a more neutral assessment or Prophet being considered as a friend or part of what family he accepts. Anyway, here we go.

Nostalgia and innocence tend to go with this card, and possibly a reunion with someone from the past. It's actually a pretty sweet card, in regards to friendship.

How do they relate to family?- 10 of Swords

What a card to pull. My thought when I saw it was "Oh, this is spicy!" This is the painful end of a cycle. On a positive note, it is the end, meaning that's the worst things can possibly get and the situation can only improve from there.

How do they relate to lovers?- XIII Death

This actually transitions pretty well from the 10 of Swords I just pulled. The Death card can mean death sometimes, but it's also a card of rebirth and transformation. Something's ended so that something else can begin in turn. I'd say that's not an inherently bad or good thing from the get-go; it's just something different. I find it to be very "it's what you make of it".

[ozma914]

Haunted by a Haunted Book Project

 Well, I finally finished the first draft of Haunted Noble County, Indiana, which is all well and good, but would be better if the whole thing was done.

Especially after a year. A whole year.

I love researching, and I love history. I'm not a big fan of doing interviews, being what they used to call shy, and then antisocial, and now call introverted. (I'm sure there are differences between the three, but I don't like asking people.) Still, the interviewing hasn't taken as long as I thought, and the researching has taken way longer, so I can't complain.

What I can complain about are the numerous delays in the project that had nothing to do with the project. Don't get me started on Covid.

This is the face of Covid. It's pretty much the same as my tired face, except with a fever.

Anyway, my goal was to be finished by April, and it's now June. I still haven't added photos, or even captioned the photos. I don't have the project finished enough for Emily to go through and show me all the mistakes I've made. I haven't heard back from some of the people I reached out to, which is understandable because they probably haven't heard back from me since August of last year.

As a result, sadly, once again, I have no one to blame but myself. And Covid. Hey, the Chinese planned this whole pandemic to delay my writing career!

No? No, I guess not.

History! Photographed by John A. Harkless, who was responsible for many now-historical Albion photos.

This is the part where I apologize to everyone--and yes, I mean you--who I may have forgotten to get back in touch with in the past year. If anyone reads this who had a story, photograph or other information for me and may have gotten lost along the way, please contact me here, or on the book of faces, or wherever discerning patrons of history may haunt. Yes, I am trying to wrap it up, but there's still time to throw in more information.

On a related note, for anyone I have talked to, please let me know if it's okay to use your name in the book (if you haven't already said). If I made contact with someone but didn't get consent to use their name, they'll go down in Noble County history as "anonymous". After that, if you sign anything you have to remember how to spell anonymous, and no one wants that.

Finally, yes, the project has been pushed back, almost certainly until next year. The traditional publishing industry is a lot of things, some good and some bad, but above all else the wheels grind slowly.

The original Ligonier City Jail. Very cool, especially if you got stuck there during winter.

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Remember: Ghost are always looking for new books to read over your shoulder.