#13th age level 7

[paperanddice]

Lamia and Leng Spider

Lamia are monstrous humanoids that have the upper body of a humanoid placed upon a bestial lower body. Most lamia have the bodies of lions, but ones with serpentine and even avian lower bodies have been sighted. All known lamias are female, though they can still produce offspring, laying small clutches of eggs. The majority of them are associated with demons and trickery, aligned with the Demonologist or the Prince of Shadows, utilizing magical manipulations to drive all manner of underhanded and predatory schemes. Legends say that lamia are the remains of a cursed civilization from a previous age, a legend that lamias will confirm and deny in equal measure. This curse may also be the source of the many lamia anti-theists, who try to rally people against the gods, rejecting their claims and calling for humanoids to live independent of their vicious oppression. This makes them enemies of the Priestess and the Crusader, even if they don't associate with demons, and so lamias are quite unwelcome in many of the Dragon Empire's cities. Lamia matriarchs are a special class of lamia, always having serpentine lower bodies and wielding much greater magic, taking leadership roles within lamia groups. They are also often much more cruel, a necessity to take control of her often fractious and fiercely independent lamia sisters.

Lamia 4th level spoiler [large beast/humanoid] Initiative: +6 Lion Claws +8 vs. AC – 10 damage. Pounce: If the lamia started its turn unengaged and moves to engage an enemy with a pounce, it deals an extra 5 damage with this attack. Lamia’s Touch +8 vs. PD – The target takes a cumulative -1 penalty to MD (save ends). Each time the target saves, it reduces the penalty to MD by 1. R: Suggestion +8 vs. MD (one nearby enemy) – 5 psychic damage. Natural Even Hit: The target is dazed (save ends). Natural Odd Hit: The target is stuck (save ends). Limited Use: 2/battle. Resist Psychic 14+. AC 19 PD 15 MD 18 HP 50 Alternate Attacks: Lamia with different lower bodies may replace their lion claws attack with one of the following attacks: Snake’s Constriction +8 vs. AC – 10 damage. Natural Even Hit: The lamia can grab the target if it doesn’t have any other creature grabbed. Hawk’s Talons +8 vs. AC – 10 damage. Natural 15+: The target also takes 5 ongoing damage.

Lamia Matriarch Double-strength 5th level caster [large beast/humanoid] Initiative: +8 Lashing Scimitar +9 vs. AC (2 attacks) – 16 damage. Natural Even Hit: The lamia matriarch can make a matriarch’s caress against the target as a free action (1/turn). Matriarch’s Caress +9 vs. PD – The target takes a cumulative -2 penalty to MD (save ends). Each time the target saves, it reduces the penalty to MD by 1. R: Daze +10 vs. MD (one nearby enemy) – 20 psychic damage. Natural 14+: The target is also dazed until the end of its next turn. Natural 18+: The target is dazed (save ends). R: Suggestion +10 vs. MD (one nearby enemy) – 10 psychic damage. Natural Even Hit: The target is weakened (save ends). Natural Odd Hit: The target pops free from any enemies and is stuck (save ends). Limited Use: 2/battle. Resist Psychic 16+. AC 21 PD 15 MD 20 HP 120

Leng spiders are massive inhabitants of the plateau of Leng in the Overworld. They have long battled with the other inhabitants of the plateau, in particular the more humanoid denizens of Leng. Their rivalry with these slavers unfortunately does not make them allies with the people of the world below, as they view themselves as beings who deserve authority over others and so if they could find their way down to the surface regularly they would likely open another war front against the Dragon Empire. Fortunately, they lack innate means of travelling this distance, and have not developed any technology to allow it as the denizens of Leng have. As such, those who find their way down are often solo, or rarely in pairs or triplets. The average leng spider is approximately eighteen feet in length, and nearly as tall. They always have an odd number of legs, usually 7 but up to 13 and occasionally as few as 5. One example of their high intelligence and technical skills are the web weapons they produce. Intricately balanced, they can lock a large block of stone or metal to a flail on one of their legs, or wrap several smaller weights together into a ranged bola. When given time, they can craft far more intricate objects from their webbing, studding their chosen lair with deadly traps and engineered platforms.

Leng Spider Double-Strength 7th level wrecker [huge beast] Initiative: +10 Poisonous Bite +12 vs. AC – 25 damage and 10 ongoing poison damage. First Failed Save: The ongoing damage increases to 20. Second Failed Save: The target is confused as long as it’s taking this ongoing damage. Web Weapon +12 vs. AC – 30 damage. Natural 1-5: The leng spider’s web weapon breaks. Quick Use: 1/round, as a quick action. R: Web Bola +12 vs. PD (one nearby enemy, or a far away enemy at -2 atk) – 20 damage and the target is hampered (save ends). The leng spider loses its web weapon when it makes this attack. Natural 12+: The target is stuck and hampered (save ends both). Quick Use: 1/round, as a quick action. C: Web Spray +12 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies in a group) – 15 damage and the target is dazed until the end of the leng spider’s next turn. Natural Even Hit: The target is also stuck until the end of the leng spider’s next turn. Wall Crawler. Web Weapon: As a standard action, the leng spider can craft a web weapon out of nearby rocks and its own webbing. It can make web weapon and web bola attacks until it loses this weapon. Resist Cold 16+. AC 24 PD 21 MD 16 HP 210

Inspired by the Pathfinder 1e Bestiary 2. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

[askthekoopsandjr]

Ludwig von Koopa (Head)canons

Cunning, conniving, and classy; this is the surface level of the pompous prodigy we all know and love... or hate. Here's everything you need to know about him to familiarize yourself with my story.

G͟e͟n͟e͟r͟a͟l͟ I͟n͟f͟o͟r͟m͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟

18 years old.

- Very important to note: Dragon Koopas do not age the same as humans. It is unknown how they age in equivalence to humans, but the adult age for dragon koopas is their early 30's. Dragon koopas can live for several centuries. The maximum years of life is unknown.

Transgender man, he/him. Gay, asexual, and amicusromantic.

-Transitioned after his 13th birthday. Chose the name Ludwig, loving the high end and fancy sound of it.

Is autistic and completely deaf. Uses hearing aids designed by Iggy to hear.

Ludwig has always been attracted to men, but after transitioning he went through a short period of "now being attracted to girls", because everyone has to be straight, right? Lmao it took a conversation with Kamek to clear that up.

- (P.S. Everyone in my story is asexual because "it"™ doesn't exist haha)

Eldest of the 7 koopalings

- All are biological siblings, born to the late Morton Koopa Sr. and Adaeh Koopa

Self proclaimed leader of the Koopalings. His siblings do not agree with this notion, reminding him that they're a team.

Adopted by Bowser, along with his siblings, at 12 years old

It is unkown exactly how his parents died, but he vividly remembers that fateful day.

- He has uncomplicated PTSD formed from this event. He doesn't currently receive therapy (yet)

Here's the whole story about that:

All creatures in the Mario world... the Underground whatever it's called have all the races/ethnicities of humans. Ludwig and his siblings are German and British from their father, and South African from their Mother.

C͟h͟a͟r͟a͟c͟t͟e͟r͟

Of course, Ludwig is a lil bitch at heart. He's snooty, snarky, sarcastic, stubborn, bossy and arrogant... You get it. Buuuuut! He's not completely terrible and unpleasant. He has a certain persona he puts on when in the face of the general public. He's the GREAT and POWERFUL Ludwig von Koopa, he has a reputation to uphold! However; those who get the rare chance to know him outside of work and royalties will notice he's actually much more lively. He's witty, likes to make bad puns, and LOOOOVES to gossip for hours (whether good or bad) on end.

He usually favors the sound of his own voice, but he's a good listener at times, too!

As you might already know, Ludwig is a total drama queen and lives for theatrics. This means he will show off at any given chance, and act super extra. Think of Rarity from MLP having one of her "moments".

As he stated in Bowser Jr.'s Journey, he never backs down from a fight or challenge. This is driven by his insatiable need to prove himself and pride.

He used to beat himself up pretty bad when losing a fight or challenge, but has gotten a lot better at accepting defeat or trying not to be too upset about it. Take his loss to Mario in Color Splash as an example of him humbling himself and accepting defeat- but also take his loss to Waluigi in the 2020 Olympic Games as how he can still get upset.

He knows he can't be the very best at everything... but that doesn't mean he can't be in the top 5, y'know? So even if he is humbled after losing and embarassing himself, that only means he'll work twice as hard to perfect his skills for next time. I'll get you next time, He-Man...

Speaking of perfection, Ludwig is very knowledgeable and has seemingly endless talents. He can play over 200 instruments, excels in acting, is a surprisingly good singer and painter, and is very well educated in general studies. While wanting to be the very best certainly plays a part in why he's so ambitious, the main reason is because he simply loves learning and doing.

- He owns Ludwig Painting as seen in Mario Kart. His company is in charge of giving each kart their exterior paint job.

Time for a secret... Ludwig has always been an eager student, but has intensified to who is today because of the loss of his parents. Being the oldest, he believed it was his sole responsibility to care for his siblings. He would not allow the destruction and death from before to ever happen again. Once being taken in by Bowser, he quickly introduced himself to the luxurious resources around him to begin a journey of scholarship that still continues to this day.

Kamek was the one who gave the 7 of them their wands. This was not the first time Ludwig was introduced to magic, however. His mother was a sort of "earthy" witch, knowing how to mix up various potions and natural remedies, which she taught Ludwig. To hold a staff of power capable of virtually anything he could dream of, Ludwig chose magic to be his "major". Kamek would personally teach Ludwig magic beyond what he would teach his siblings, since Ludwig was the one who insisted so badly.

- Ludwig might have the strongest magic of his siblings, but don't let that trick you into thinking he's the strongest of them all. Usually, his showboating leads to his downfall.

As his siblings grew older (and with the help of Kamek to talk some sense into him), Ludwig stopped thinking it was his sole responsibility to take care of them. They didn't really want/need that kind of help from him anymore, and it was a bit frustrating to get that through his head.

Beneath those tough scales, Ludwig really does have a heart. He can be kind, and he likes to show affection. It's actually a lot easier to get along with him than it seems, so long as you have patience and don't let his self-absorption bother you too much.

Speaking of affection, he's not ashamed or afraid to let others know that he cares for them. It won't really show when he's engaged in battle, but find him in the castle on an eventless day and you'd see him acting like a normal big brother.

You'd think he'd want to be ruler of the Dark Lands, but that's not actually the case. He deeply cares for Jr. and knows he has great potential- hence why he's always trying to teach and point him in the right direction.

- Let's talk more on what Ludwig likes to do for himself: -

Ludwig takes excellent care of himself. He has an intricate routine for keeping himself radiant every single day (like scale exfoliation, etc). Every night, he puts his hair in curlers and wears a purple silk bonnet. He loves feeling physically fulfilled and looking his best.

His hair is his greatest pride. It's thick, reverently fluffy and voluminous. It's beauty brings him great happiness.

- His hair is naturally curly. It gets that shape from the curls. If you ran your fingers through it, you could feel the texture.

He is more than happy to tell you all about hair care and give you a few tips

He loves frills, hence why he wears that jabot all the time.

He loves to paint outside in the sun. He isn't too good at drawing, so he usually paints scenery and other things that require abstract shapes. He never sketches on the canvas prior to the paint.

This is so obvious, but it should be said anyway; music is his driving force and passion. He only has 5 officially published original works, but has so, so many more unpublished. He creates at a rather fast pace, so he decides to hold back on releasing them until he "feels" it's the right time. He has published many covers of existing songs, though.

- It was his dad that taught him how to play music and his mom who taught him how to sing. The first instrument he ever played was the piano, hence why it's his favorite.

Ludwig experiments with his music. Yes, classical is his favorite and what he's best at, but his passion is music as a whole. He's even dipped his feet in some alternative genres! It's death metal, heavy metal and the stuff Larry listens to (hyperpop, gabba, speedcore etc) that he can't stand.

- Since meeting Suzuka, he's been trying to be more accepting of the rock genres that he loves. He won't want to listen to it, but will support Suzie's decisions and even help him write his music sometimes (as long as it's not the "heavy" parts)

Before meeting Suzie, Ludwig didn't write much poetry, but as it turns out, he's fairly good at it! He and Suzie like to leave suprise love poems lying around for the other to find.

- He may have or may not have left ominous riddle poems lying around to mess with his siblings...

Ludwig is a pretty good cook and baker. He doesn't normally make the meals, since Bowser has employees for that; but if the chefs were ever unavailable, he wouldn't be lost. He likes to joke that he could easily replace the chefs based on his experience of making food for all his siblings. He usually says that to the head chef, because it amuses him to get under their skin.

- The head chef usually gets pissed at this joke, attempting to throw spices and utensils at Ludwig to get him out of the kitchen.

Ludwig loves the theater. He will go to every new show in any kingdom, even if it's in the Mushroom Kingdom. He knows that Mario will be breathing down his neck, but he likes to annoy him and act like he's never done any wrong and act offended at Mario's accusations that he would try to sabotage the show.

- Lemmy usually tags along, as he loves theater too.

Quality time is a must for Ludwig. He likes to hang out with his siblings individually, then all together. As much as he would like to have one-on-one time with Jr., it nearly never happens because the heir is preoccupied with his dad, Kamek, school, and learning to be a prince. He did at least get to teach him to dance once, though. (end credits of Bowser Jr.'s Journey)

- Quality time with Suzie is a whole 'nother story. The two don't spend much time apart.

R͟e͟l͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟s͟h͟i͟p͟s͟

Ludwig loves all of his siblings equally. The ones he loves are the most important thing in the world to him. His deepest fear is losing his loved ones.

With Iggy: Ludwig often gets annoyed by Iggy's lack of seriousness and class, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy Iggy's company. They both share the insatiable hunger for knowledge, love of science and robotics. They get along very well because guess what? They're both cuckoo insane! I honestly think Lud is crazier than Iggy! Iggy knows how to make Ludwig laugh, no matter what kind of day he's had. Iggy is also a very touch affectionate koopa, so she'll often do this thing where he'll just stand behind Ludwig and rest her head on top of Lud's hair because it's funny. Iggy also manages to steal a hug at least once a day. And often pranks Ludwig with a joke very often. Hey Ludwig wanna get up dog what's up dog not much what's up with you

With Morton: Ludwig almost never gets mad or annoyed with Morton on his own. Morton likes to talk a lot when spoken to and is a very good listener, so Ludwig enjoys having long conversations with him. Ludwig likes to bake with Morton as well, since they both share the interest. He tried to teach Morton how to cook once, but never again after his hair was almost burned off. The two also share an interest in music, so Ludwig will use Morton as a critique when writing new pieces. Ludwig is also more than glad to serve as a listener to Morton when he wants to speak, and serve as feedback for Morton's very long fictional stories.

With Roy: Ludwig is very patient with Roy's short temper and aggressive nature- maybe because he simply doesn't want to get his ass kicked, or maybe he's just used to it by now. He's not often prone to being hit by Roy, given that he would get him back with a nasty magic trick. Roy usually picks on Ludwig verbally (the usual insults you hear about him. It's pretty funny). Regardless, he does not look down on Roy. When you're not looking, he'll smile at Roy's wisecracks and silly nature. Ever since Roy has taken his studies more seriously, Ludwig listens to him more often and ask for his opinion when on missions. Roy will actually ask Ludwig for homework help more often than you'd think. Ludwig is always more than willing, as teaching others is actually something Ludwig loves to do. Ludwig wishes he could show Roy a bit of affection, but we all know Roy's not a fan of that.

With Wendy: Ludwig and Wendy are the young and cunty Statlor and Waldorf. They have mad gossip and drama to share at all times, and confide in each other with their deepest secrets. Wendy actually transitioned shortly after Ludwig, which was the start of the closeness they still share today. They love giving each other make-overs and shopping together. Ludwig enjoys asking Wendy to put on a magic ring show for him, as he doesn't know how to use magical objects very well, such as her bracelets. He loves how graceful yet powerful she is. He considers asking Kamek to teach him how to do something like that at times. Ludwig is the one who taught Wendy how to style hair, despite having none of her own, so that he could ask her to do his. He secretly enjoys when others play with his hair, but trusts very few to actually touch it.

With Lemmy: Ludwig will act like he doesn't care for Lemmy's silly theatrics and clowny behavior, but actually very much enjoys it. He loves Lemmy's individuality and how he brings it forth to the spotlight wherever he is. As I mentioned before, Ludwig brings Lemmy along whenever he goes to the theater. Both enjoy sharing artistic ideas and even collaborating, whether it be on a stage-play or a painting. Ludwig wouldn't admit to this, but he is secretly awed by Lemmy's natural emotional maturity. He often thinks about asking Lemmy for advice or just having him as someone to talk to about his anxieties and fears, but never does because Lemmy is still rather young. He imagines confiding in his younger brother about these things one day, when he's older. (Here's another secret... Ludwig actually likes the circus.)

With Larry: Larry is the one Ludwig parents the most. Outside of missions for Bowser, Ludwig keeps a careful eye on his youngest sibling. That's a lot harder said than done, though; Larry is a hyper-energetic kid who's always wanting to do his own thing. Ludwig is constantly trying to teach Larry everything he can learn- which he's done a pretty good job with!- but keeps pushing Larry to do more and more, which frustrates and confuses the youngest. Ludwig just wants to ensure the youngest has everything he could ever need in life, but he comes off as though he's not proud of him sometimes. That is 100% not the case, but Ludwig is letting his fears and anxiety get the best of him. They do get along well, though. Larry enjoys playing with Ludwig, and typically succeeds in bringing out the elder's inner child. They have that special big-bro-little-bro bond.

💜 With Suzuka: Suzuka is Ludwig's one and only. He knew there was something special about him from the first time they met. They've been going steady for almost a year, and their love for one another just keeps growing. Ludwig will spend every second of his time with Suzie if he can help it. The two often indulge and collaborate on musical works and teach each other new things. Both koopas are well associated with the other's family, and frequent activities with them (such as dinner, helping out with chores, etc). Ludwig is usually the first to initiate physical affection, but both equally enjoy cuddling with each other at any time.

- Lore time... From the second time they met, he was drawn in even further after working together to help Iggy's stupid newest invention from destroying the jungle world (it's a long story). Suzie was smart, sweet and so unintentionally charismatic that Ludwig knew he had to forge a formal friendship with him. He thought it would be smooth sailing from there... But there was actually a small bump in the road. Ludwig was horrified that Suzie's favorite genre of music was metal (More specifically j-metal but to Ludwig it's all the same)! This actually upset Ludwig for a while, and he was not shy to share his opinions with Suzie. Suzie just went :3. He respected Ludwig's opinion, and it's not like he was unfamiliar with hatred towards rock genres as it was lol. Like the drama queen he is, Ludwig tried to distance himself, but Suzie just kept coming around... And played some classical on the piano to get him to come around. Which totally worked. And wooed Luddy for the first time. So Ludwig decided he would try to grow as a person (or Koopa??) for Suzie. He was way too special to ditch over something silly. The months would pass, the feelings would grow, and we end up at Christmas. With the holiday spirit in the air, Ludwig finds he can't keep it a secret anymore and confesses to Suzie. The two have been going steady ever since!

F͟u͟n͟ F͟a͟c͟t͟s͟

Ludwig is a big foodie, with a heavy preference for sweets. He would autistically explain to you the history behind a dish and how it should be made/served

He went completely deaf at some point when he was 14. No one is sure how or why. He used typical hearing aids for a while, until Iggy devised his own pair that Ludwig could wear 24/7 without causing discomfort. They are charged by geothermal energy. If Ludwig happens upon a place where the heat from the Earth cannot easily reach up to the surface (for example somewhere very cold), the hearing aids will go into manual charge mode and have 24 hours of battery.

While Ludwig didn't had a partner before Suzuka, he did go on some dates in the past. Maybe 5 or 6? [I'm undecided lmao] They were all boys of higher class or with some title to their name from neighboring kingdoms, with the exception of one who was a Koopa troop guard in training. Ludwig doesn't really talk to them anymore, but would say hello if running into them.

His tail will wag when he's feeling affection for someone. Hugging a sibling? Little tail wags. Snuggling Suzie? Big tail wags. You get it

Is a total romantic. Will do the corniest things but look good doing it because of his talents in music and acting. He enjoys showing pda, usually through hand holding or keeping his partner close to his side at all times.

His favorite play is probably The Phantom of the Opera

He resonates with victorian goth

Claims to be ruthless, but has anyone actually ever seen him display such intense behavior that went beyond words?

- Even so, he does get a bit cuckoo at times. It may be a result of neurosis.

He actually doesn't use hairspray or gel

Of the siblings with hair, he's been able to teach Larry and Lemmy how to do theirs

He's fairly easy to annoy. It makes for fun pranks and jokes to pull on him

As stated in Bowser Jr.'s Journey, he's quite good at lying, deceiving, and negotiating. You may wanna be cautious around him.

It's really not that hard to make friends with Ludwig. It's just very dependent on the circumstances under which you meet.

[whencyclopedia]

Medieval Knight

Knights were the most-feared and best-protected warriors on the medieval battlefield, while off it, they were amongst the most fashionably dressed and best-mannered members of society. To reach this elevated position, however, became more and more challenging as the Middle Ages wore on because the elite wished to maintain their exclusive status.

Requirements to become a knight included an aristocratic birth, training from childhood, money for weapons, horses and squires, and a knowledge of the rules of chivalry. Good looks, fine clothes, a striking coat of arms, and an ability to recite poetry and songs were optional but highly desirable extras if one wanted to rise to the very top of this elite level of medieval society.

How to Become a Knight

The process of becoming a knight started from early childhood. The typical starting point for a young lad of 7 to 10 years old was to become a page when he learned to handle horses, hunt, and use mock weapons while serving a knight proper. From age 14, the next step was to become a squire (or esquire), who had more responsibility than a page, learned to use real weapons, and started an education, especially the study of chivalry. Squires assisted knights in peace and war, holding their extra lances or shield, cleaning their armour, and looking after the several horses each knight owned. If all went well, the youth, by then around 18 years old, was made a knight in a ceremony known as a dubbing.

For a dubbing, a soon-to-be knight had a good bath and kept a church vigil overnight. On the day of the ceremony the squire was dressed by two knights with a white tunic and white belt to symbolise purity, black or brown stockings to represent the earth to which he will one day return, and a scarlet cloak for the blood he is now ready to spill for his baron, sovereign, and church. He was given his sword back, now blessed by a priest with the proviso he always protect the poor and weak. The blade had two cutting edges - one to represent justice, the other loyalty and chivalry.

The knight awarding the honour then might attach a spur or put the sword and belt on the squire, and give him a kiss on the cheek. The squire was then knighted by a simple tap on the shoulders or neck with the hand or sword, or even a heavy blow (colée or 'accolade') - meant to be the last one he should ever take without retaliating and to remind him of his obligations and moral duty not to disgrace the man who dealt the blow. Next, he was given his horse, and then his shield and banner, which might bear his family coat of arms. The ceremony was rounded off by a large feast.

Early knights could come from any background, all that was needed was courage and endeavour. Many early knights were given their title on the battlefield by a lord or monarch (often symbolically in the form of spurs, hence the expression 'to win one's spurs') typically after displaying particular valour and effectiveness in fighting the enemy. By the 13th century, though, most knights were sons of knights as the class sought to maintain its exclusivity in society.

Continue reading...

[getvalentined]

For the ask game:

Vincent: 5, 7, 9, and 50 (any or all!)

[For the Random Character Asks game.]

5. Best personality trait?

Vincent's best personality trait is probably his intense sense of responsibility, which comes with a peerless level of determination to do whatever it takes to set things right in whatever way he can. This is also his worst personality trait. It pushed him to leave Nibelheim and strike down Hojo for what he allowed Sephiroth to do, and also kept him in the coffin in the first place based on the assumption that everything he touched fell apart. It makes him reliable to a fault in some situations, and utterly useless in others.

It's both the driving force behind his entire existence, and the weighted chain around his neck that keeps him anchored in place, unable to move forward.

7. Age/height/weight headcanon?

We have a canon birthdate for Vincent, contrary to the contradictory Ultimanias' timelines, down to the day of the week based on the real-world calendar for the same date, so we have his canon age at any time and I align with that. Vincent Valentine was born on Friday, October 13th, 1950. He's fifty-seven years old in December of 2007, meaning he was born in 1950, and yes, October 13th of that year fell on a Friday.

He's also twenty-seven until the end of time, but I've written a whole fic about that.

Vincent believes he's 184cm tall, which puts him at just over 6' in Imperial, and this was correct at the time of his death; it is not correct anymore, although Vincent doesn't know that until sometime postcanon. I've talked about it before, but my Vincent had an issue where his skeleton didn't completely scale back down after his first traumatic transformation into Galian, so his arms and legs are disproportionately long (and he already had legs for days) and he's just slightly larger all around, putting him at 194cm or just shy of 6'4" in the present.

After the incident with Omega, he actually starts growing, albeit inconsistently and very slowly; little by little, Vincent is developing into a shape befitting the role into which he was cast when Chaos' consciousness returned to the Lifestream, because at that point Vincent isn't a vessel for the Weapon anymore, he is the Weapon unto himself. The original animal consciousness is gone forever, and the role now belongs entirely to Vincent. It takes a long time for him to pick up on the physiological changes, and everyone except Nanaki and Genesis are dead by the time it starts to become noticeable to anyone else, but he'll top out around 225cm/7'5" not counting the horns and wings.

Vincent's weight is a goddamn mystery because his bone and muscle density are all fucked up because of mako exposure, while he's simultaneously built like a goddamn reed and has the shoulder to waist ratio of a dorito. It also fluctuates slightly between transformations for a while due to incomplete or inconsistent reversion, although those issues eventually resolve. It's anyone's guess, really.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character?

I've kinda talked about this before, but basically I was super interested in Vincent from the moment I learned of his existence, and fell in love the first time I activated his limit break and realized I was dealing with someone with a much more complicated story than previously let on. I have only fallen deeper in love with the character since then—he's smart and snarky and socially awkward, with a specific sort of trauma, both previous and impending, that makes him compelling to me specifically for very personal reasons—and he remains my favorite fictional character of all time.

50. A memory they’ve blocked out?

Vincent canonically blocked out all the memories of Lucrecia's involvement in his seven-year stint as a victim of science, although most of those come back eventually. My Vincent actually has a staggeringly clear memory, to the point that he remembers being on the operating table while Hojo removed all his organs, at least during the term that Hojo was keeping him conscious for it, and is also pretty cognizant of what he does when transformed.

Postcanon, the things he has blocked out are very intentionally blocked out, can inadvertently be brought back at any time with the right trigger, and are mostly related to the experiments. There was a short term when Hojo was still working on Vincent that he would instigate a transformation and run him through the sim on the bottom level of the research facility to observe the monsters, or occasionally just throw Vincent in there once the mako enhancements finally "stuck" in order to get data for Project 0, and Vincent has blocked most of that out. He knows it happened, but the details are either a blur, or he's pushed them so far back that he might as well have naturally forgotten.

[rosaliehsu]

“'CAUSE I WAS RAISED BY A WOMEN WHO WAS HARD TO IMPRESS, AND I CARRY THAT SHIT REAL DEEP IN MY CHEST.”

FULL NAME: Rosalie Hsu NICKNAME(S): Ros BIRTH DATE: March 13th, 1992 AGE: 32 OCCUPATION: Teacher at TV Elementary + Nanny AFFILIATION: N/A TIME IN TV: 32 Years

GENDER: Cis Woman PRONOUNS: She/Her NATIONALITY: American ETHNICITY: Chinese-Taiwanese and White NEIGHBORDHOOD: Formerly Springate Crossing, currently Webster Village

BIRTH PLACE: Tonopah Valley, NV HOMETOWN: Tonopah Valley, NV SOCIAL CLASS:  lower class EDUCATION LEVEL:  Bachelors in Early Childhood Education

A B O U T:

Born and raised in Tonopah, Rosalie was always aware of the grey that the town resided in. And from a young age, she knew her family resided in it too. They might not be involved quite so directly as others, but she knew they definitely skirted around the organizations that loomed around the town, picking up scraps where they could.

Her parents pushed their three children hard, but Rosalie could never tell if it was out of a desire to see their children do better than they had, or if they hoped their children would be their ticket out of their circumstances. Her eldest siblings practically graduated high school and never looked back, both of them going on to good schools and successful careers.

Rosalie's father left her freshman year of high school and her mother's overbearing tendencies only became worse. They came to a head when she learned that Rosalie had decided to go to a state school to become a teacher. Her mother didn't speak to her for almost 3 years. And when she broke that silence it came with the weighty diagnoses of cancer.

The next decade of Rosalie's life was a tangled mess of finishing school, taking care of her mother, moving home, getting a job and bills, endless bills. The cancer would go into remission just to reappear, never giving them time to breathe.

Her mother passed 7 months ago, and between all the semantics that came with that, her job, having to sell the house, and again, the endless bills, Rosalie hasn't even had time to process the grief and extremely complicated feelings she held for her mother.

To at least take one thing off her plate, Rosalie made the not so smart decision to borrow money from some not so official places. And she's working her ass off nannying after school to try and make ends meet.

W A N T E D C O N N E C T I O N S:

Rosalie nannies after school and on weekends to try and make ends meet, so if you got a parent who needs some help, Ros is ya girl!

Someone she borrowed money from. If ya got someone in a organization and you think they'd be pulling some loan-sharky side hustle, hit a bitch up.

Considering she grew up in TV, i'm looking for any and all past connections, friends from school, former high school sweethearts (purely platonic now), people she didn't get along with, old neighbors from Springate Crossings, etc!

Anything n everything xoxoxox

FULL BIO HERE

[stringofjunkc0de]

BASICS

FULL NAME: Korean name: CHOI NA-GIL [ 최나길 ] / Russian name: LAVR CHOI

» MEANING: Choi [ Korean, 최 ; according to the clan’s oldest member, they are descendant of Choi Chiwon (857–10th century), a noted Korean scholar, philosopher, and poet of the late Unified Silla period (668–935). It was suggested that Choi Choong (최충, 崔沖, 984–1068) was given the surname 崔 during the reign of Goryeo king Mokjong.]; Na-gil [ 나길 ] native korean name meaning "my way.”]; Lavr [ Russian form of the Late Latin name Laurus, which meant "laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. ]

VERSE: City of Gods, Excess Baggage, The Game, and Le Château

NICKNAME(S): Lavr

AGE: 20-years old.

DATE OF BIRTH: 2001 February 13th [ Tuesday ]

PLACE OF BIRTH: Busan, South Korea.

GENDER: Cis male.

RELIGION: Raised Catholic; non-practicing.

SEXUALITY: Bisexual; Biromantic

OCCUPATION: Uni student; next in line to lead a large Russian-Korean mafia in Moscow. He also works for Martell when in Tokyo.

PERSONALITY

STRENGTHS: Loyal, Independent, Passionate, Humanitarian, Progressive.

WEAKNESSES: Aloof, Sarcastic, Emotional, Obnoxious, Uncompromising, Temperamental.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Vladislav Tyan/Vladislav Hoshin

HEIGHT: 5′10 ft. [179 cm.]

WEIGHT: 134 lbs. [61 kg.]

BUILD: Lean with muscles.

GAIT: TBA.

HAIR COLOR: Dark brown.

EYE COLOR: Brown.

BIRTHMARK: TBA

OVERVIEW: 

» SCARS: Several from minor accidents. 

» TATTOOS: Na-gil has a collection of art inked on his body from the waist up.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Busan, South Korea; Moscow, Russia.

RESIDENCES: Moscow, Russia, Seoul, South Korea, and sometimes, Tokyo, Japan.

NATIONALITY: Russian-Korean.

ETHNICITY: Asian.

FINANCIAL STATUS: Upper class.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Uni student.

DEGREES: Majoring in Business, not by choice.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Na-gil’s first language is hangukmal. He is fluent in Russian since he moved to Moscow to be with his family when he was 7-years old. Na-gil is fluent in English as well; he has a thick Russian accent when speaking the language. Interestingly enough, his Russian accent is barely noticeable when speaking hangukmal. He also speaks in Busan satoori [ dialect ] which is widely used in their household especially by his older brother. He understands a lot of Mandarin and can converse comfortably in Nihongo.

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Kim Da-som [m., out of the picture]; Choi Nam-sun [ f., deceased.]

SIBLINGS: An older brother, Na-mu; a younger sister, Na-young.

CHILDREN: None.

PETS: None.

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: » TBA.

FAMILY HISTORY: Na-gil was taken from his mother by his criminal father when he was 7-years old and was taken to Moscow to be raised with his older brother, Na-mu.

Their father was a prominent figure in a then growing Korean mafia gang affiliated with another large gang that was taking over the city of Moscow.

After many years of serving the gang, Old Choi finally was appointed as a leader but years later was assassinated by a rival group.

Na-mu, Na-gil’s older brother took over the business and succeeded.

Na-gil never approved of the life they had away from home and he protested many times especially when their younger sibling was brought into the picture.

Na-gil began training to be part of the gang at an early age but his heart was never in the business...

MORE TO BE ADDED.

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Na-gil had flings in the past but no serious relationships so far.

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Na-gil, by family connections, has been seen hanging out with one of the Im kids, Eon and sometimes Eon’s sister, Eunbin. 

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: “...”

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): None.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISEASE(S): ...

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): Alcoholism; Depression.

[digitalshrutijain]

7 BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR TEENAGERS: YOGA AWARENESS

The age from 13th to 19th year of life is referred to as teenage. Teenage is a developmental age where the child faces body image issues, confidence level checks, and constant study pressure on them. They must be trained to face adverse situations of life so that future life challenges will become easy for them. It is necessary that we should direct the capability of understanding and planning in a way that will be fruitful for them. If you allow your teenage child to expand, they will blossom into a potential human being, and yoga is the way to it achieve this slowly yet effectively.

Health benefits of yoga in teenage

The benefits of yoga on a teenager are far more different than yoga for kids and adults. Teenage is the age of hormones commanding the system in many ways. In yoga, you will discover asanas specially designed to deal with the hormonal balancing in the body. Yogic science is just not about twisting and turning of the body in different ways, it is the science, based on how the system would work at its full potential.

[scotianostra]

On April 10th 1988  Sandy Lyle became the first Scottish golfer to win the US Masters tournament.

It was lucky 7 for Sandy in his previous six attempts his best score was 3 under par in 1986 tied for 9th place behind the “Great White Shark” Greg Norman. In my opinion I don’t think he got the credit he deserved two years before when he won The Open  Sandwich, England.

Sandy Lyle made his 37th appearance in the Masters this week, where he celebrated the 30th anniversary of his historic success at Augusta National. Sandy went into the tournament in peak form in 1988 after winning the Greater Greensboro Open the previous week. I remember a friend put money on him winning the masters so I took more of a notice than normal, I think he was 33/1 to take the Green Jacket.

  Sandy led from the second round and in the final round the title looked in the bag  when he led by three after 10 holes on the Sunday, but he came unstuck a bogey at the 11th and a double bogey at the next, Mark Calcavecchia took the lead at the 13th and the Scot had to dig deep to remain in contention, he shot  three successive pars then a birdie at hole 16 to draw level. At the 18th we had given up hope of him winning when he hit a bunker but Sandy hit a brilliant shot from there and we were cheering as the ball landed on the green past the flag but started rolling back to within ten feet of the hole. He then drained the 10-foot birdie putt to claim victory and raised his arms in the air to celebrate before dancing a little jig and embracing his caddie, I think we woke the neighbours as we shouted and cheered him.

  I even remember the next year, tradition has it that the reigning champion chooses the Champions Dinner, which takes place each year on Tuesday night before teeing off the championship on Thursday, I don’t know how he got round the ban on it, but Sandy, donned the Kilt and chose Haggis as the starter that night,  Lyle told the Augusta Chronicle.

  "The older guys, like [Jack] Nicklaus, had been to Scotland and knew what haggis was. But the newer ones, guys like Lar­ry Mize, they weren’t too sure about that.”

I dug up another mention of Sandy’ meal from the CNN web page in which they describe haggis…..

“ – a dish of sheep innards minced with oatmeal and spices – not to everyone’s taste.  It doesn’t sound very nice in the first place,” the 1988 winner told CNN. “It’s a lot of barley, spices, blood, slightly sort of off cuts,” added Lyle, who admitted most of his fellow diners “just pushed it around their plate.” As Larry Mize put it:

“Well I guess I’ve had the dinner every year except Sandy Lyle’s year, I did not have the haggis, that was unique the haggis!

"Thank God it wasn’t the main course otherwise it would have been a disaster,” said Lyle in his defence.

Sandy, now 66, plays on the Seniors circuit nowadays, but as a former champion is entitled to an invitation to play The Masters each year, his best finish since his win has been tied 20th in 2009. This year he didn’t make the cut with a +12 after the first two rounds.

England didn’t have long to claim their first victory as Nick Faldo won the following year, as seen in the third pic., another tradition being the last years winner presents the winner with the customary green jacket.

Sandy said last year that this year would be his last Masters and he didn't have the best of tournaments.

Lyle 's farewell tour of the famous Augusta National course, did something he has never managed before at the age of 65. Sandy broke his first club at his final appearance at the Masters and joked: "And it wasn't even over my knee."

The former champion suffered a shocking start to his penultimate round here when he blocked his opening drive into trees – and then snapped his 8-iron on a root hitting a left-handed shot which struck another branch and a cameraman. Lyle, still scrambled a bogey on his way to nine-over par 81 in his 42nd appearance here.

The Scot said: "It's the first one I've broken here. Taken 40 years to do it, but it's happened. First hole, and it wasn't even over my knee! I nearly always pulled it off the 1st hole, and this time I actually hit the other shape.

At his final 18th green a day later Masters organisers were slated when they suspended play as fans gathered at the green to see the Scot attempt a 12 foot putt to finish his Masters career.

Despite protests from Kokrak and the other player in the group Talor Gooch – not to mention spectators who chanted “let them putt” – officials instructed Lyle to mark his ball. 

Next day when the horn sounded at 8 a.m. to signal the start of play and open the course to spectators Lyle took out a ceremonial golden putter a replica of the one he used in 1988, made for the occasion and two-putted for a double-bogey completing his final competitive round in front playing partners Jason Kokrak, Talor Gooch, their caddies and a few maintenance crew and officials. Robbed of the rousing sendoff accorded former champions.

Sandy commented afterwards

“I’ve had most of the night to think about it, I know that, I’ve had a few drinks, as well, through the night so it was a little bit cloudy this morning. It’s a shame we didn’t get the chance to finish yesterday, but that’s just the way it is. The rules are the rules. I needed about another 30 seconds for a chance to hit the putt.

“The emotions are pretty high. As you look back at it, it’s gone very quick since ‘88, but it’s never let me down. You really appreciate how big the Masters is. The memories and the way you’re treated as a past champion. I look forward to coming back and playing the Par 3 Course, and playing off the members’ tees will be quite nice.”

[beevean]

Top 5 best and/or worst Castlevania levels

A bit hard to judge "levels" in Metroidvanias, but I can't be bothered to separate the different styles :P

Best:

5) Cordova Town (Curse of Darkness): it's a gloomy zombie town, with the lore implying that it was affected by the titular Curse. The music sounds straight out of ShTH. You finally get the chance to punch Isaac. It hosts the mythical Chair Room. All in all, a highly atmospheric zone. If only it had colors other than grey…

4) Atlantis Shrine (Bloodlines): gorgeous graphics, early Michiru Yamane was already slaying, and interesting platforming. Great Classicvania right there :)

3) Underground Caverns (Symphony of the Night): look, it's just. it's just beautiful. I really love the entire stretch from here to the Catacombs.

2) Stage 2 (Adventure ReBirth): I played this game ages ago, but I remember loving it and finding its gimmicks memorable :) for some reason the watermills here impressed me.

13th Street (Portrait of Ruin): you stop an incoming train with the Superpower of Teamwork, to the notes of Iron Blue Intention. How isn't that the sickest shit ever? Also I just like the 1940s London setting, that it shares with City of Haze :)

Honorary mention to Dracula's Castle in Order of Ecclesia: too big to be considered a whole level, but it was such a welcome surprise after the main game <3

Worst:

5) Dracula's Castle (Curse of Darkness): 7 whole floors of nothing but the most annoying enemies in the game. How do you spell "rushed development"?

4) Argilla Swamp (Order of Ecclesia): I think these levels that are nothing but straight lines were made for those that want a challenge in Hard mode. I did not, and as I was expecting a more Metroidvania game, I found these levels very disappointing ngl. This one is even more annoying because of the titular swamps that slow you down.

3) Ghostly Theatre (Lament of Innocence): absolutely beautiful place, but some of the most annoying gimmicks in the game reside here. This is the point where I really, really, really lost my patience with the controls. Hello, dark room.

2) Block 9 (Castlevania 3): while I did like the game, I am not going to forget the sheer evil of this part. Especially at the streams. yeah yeah git gud, I know, but hey.

Level 3 (Castlevania: The Adventure): just... watch this, and try to understand my utter misery at this garbage piece of code.

[paperanddice]

Berstuc look like hulking, moss-haired humanoids, usually muscular but universally broad-shouldered and muscular. Their head is covered in moss, wrapping around in the appearance of hair, usually hanging down to almost its waist from both head and chin. Despite their great size and imposing looks, they have a serene, almost soothing presence, and are immediately loved by plants and animals. This is a cover for the fact that they are one of the most insidious and dangerous kinds of demons, stalking woodlands and jungles to lure victims to their deaths.

Often a berstuc will pose as a benevolent forest spirit, politely greeting travellers through the forest it has chosen to hunt and allowing itself to be persuaded into providing directions or even acting as a guide for them. It will suggest secret locations deep within the forest, or find rapid shortcuts through dangerous terrain, only to turn its victims around and get them hopelessly lost before betraying them. Some berstuc simply strike the instant they've led their prey deep enough, while others will disappear suddenly and stalk the now lost party with glee. Wildlife seem to bend to the berstuc's whim, attacking the outsiders at its direction and harrying foes while the false forest spirit prepares for its battle.

Inspired by the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Berstuc (Plant Demon) Creature 11 Large, Demon, Fiend, Plant, Unholy Perception +19; darkvision Languages Abyssal, Common, Sylvan, telepathy 100 feet, speak with animals, speak with plants Skills Athletics +23, Deception +21, Stealth +15 (+21 in forests), Survival +25 Str +6, Dex +0, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +4 Twisted Path (divine) The berstuc always gains the benefits of Cover Tracks in natural surroundings, even when moving at full speed. Creatures that travel with the berstuc for 1 hour become lost; for 24 hours, the DC for such creatures to Sense Direction is the berstuc's Survival DC if that's higher than the normal DC. AC 31; Fort +24, Ref +18, Will +21; +1 status to all saves vs. magic HP 232; Immunities poison; Weaknesses cold iron 10, holy 10 False Presence Animals and plants with an Intelligence below -3 do not attack the berstuc unless attacked first or ordered to by Command an Animal. Attempts to Command an Animal to attack the berstuc use the berstuc's Will DC instead of the animal's. Forest Survival Vulnerability A berstuc revels in allowing natural environments to kill travelers. If the berstuc ends its turn within 60 feet of a creature under the effects of the show the way spell or similar magic, or a creature within 60 feet of it succeeds on a Sense Direction or Command an Animal check, the berstuc takes 10d6 mental damage. Speed 35 feet, burrow 20 feet Melee claw +23 (magical, reach 10 feet, unholy), Damage 2d10+12 slashing plus Grab Divine Innate Spells DC 29, attack +21 ; 6th florishing flora, nature's pathway, tangling creepers; 5th dehydrate, translocate; 4th translocate (at will); 3rd putrefy food and drink (at will); 2nd entangling flora (at will), one with plants (at will), shape wood (at will); 1st lose the path (at will); cantrips (6th) tangle vine, timber Constant speak with animals, speak with plants Divine Rituals DC 29; demonic pact Swallow Whole [1 action] Medium 2d8+8 bludgeoning, Rupture 28

13th Age

Berstuc  Large 7th level blocker [demon]  Initiative: +9 Floral Fist +12 vs. AC (2 attacks) - 22 damage and the berstuc can grab the target. When the berstuc starts its turn grabbing an enemy, it can make an absorb attack against that target as a standard action that turn. [Special Trigger] Absorb +16 vs. PD (includes +4 grab bonus) - 45 damage and the berstuc absorbs the target into its body (hard save ends, 16+). While absorbed, it takes 4d8 damage at the start of its turn and is stuck, hampered, and unable to attack or effect anything outside of the berstuc (and vice-versa). If an absorbed creature deals at least 25 damage to the berstuc on its turn, it gains a +10 bonus to its save to escape. Burrower. False Presence: Nature icons cannot provide any assistance against the berstuc, as it can disguise itself from their gaze perfectly. Resist Lightning 16+. AC 24 PD 23 MD 17 HP 172

[pathfinderunlocked]

Timid Bedroom Assassin - CR7 Assassin

With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew.

Artwork by Ume (Illegal Bible) on Pixiv.

This NPC is an aasimar with lyrakien heritage, giving her butterfly wings, but that divine ancestry hasn't granted her any of an azata's morality, only its beauty and grace. Instead, she's an assassin who has virtually no physical combat capabilities, relying entirely on deception and charm to get close to her targets, discreetly seduce them, and kill them in secret behind closed doors. If possible, she does so in a way that causes her targets to seek discretion on their own, such as lying about her age to make them believe she's younger, or claiming to be another man's slave. Her hope, and experience, is that such lies will cause her targets to keep their meetings secret, and make her job easier.

I wanted to create a level 12 commoner and see what that actually looked like. Someone who was exceptionally competent, conceptually a powerful and important and high-level character, but who also had 12 HP. I ended up having to give her one level of assassin just for the poison use class feature, because apparently if you're a commoner with 6 Vit, poisoning a mid level character in their sleep is more likely to kill you than your target.

Anyway, this is a good example of the versatility of the challenge rating system. This is a CR 3 enemy at best in a "fair fight," but given the strategy she uses and the fact that she's almost guaranteed to get off a maximum of one attack, I instead calculated her CR as if she were a trap. That came out to CR 6, 7 or 8, depending on whether I used her Sleight of Hand, Bluff, or Disguise to calculate the equivalent of the Perception DC to notice the "trap" before it goes off. From those options, I picked the middle number.

Timid Bedroom Assassin - CR 7

The beautiful butterfly-winged woman crawls towards you on the bed, climbing on top of you. As you close your eyes in satisfaction, you feel what you can't see - the poisoned knife plunging into your throat.

XP 3,600 Azata-blooded aasimar commoner 12/assassin 1 LE Medium outsider (native) Init -1 Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11

DEFENSE

AC 9, touch 9, flat-footed 9 (-1 Dex) hp 20 (12d6+1d8-26) Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +8; +2 vs. mind reading and scrying

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft. Melee dagger +5 (1d4-2/19–20 plus drow poison) Special Attacks death attack (DC 13), sneak attack +1d6

Spell-like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +15)     1/day—glitterdust (DC 14)

STATISTICS

Str 6, Dex 8, Con 6, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14 Base Atk +6; CMB +4; CMD 13 Feats Alertness, Careful Speaker, Deceitful, Deft Hands, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Bluff, Sleight of Hand) Skills Bluff +25 (+27 to deceive or pass secret messages), Diplomacy +10, Disable Device +9 (+11 with concealable thieves' tools), Disguise +19, Knowledge (local, nobility) +8, Linguistics +7, Perception +19, Perform +4, Sense Motive +14, Sleight of Hand +15, Stealth +9; Racial Modifiers +2 Diplomacy, +2 Perception Languages Celestial, Common, Elven, Necril, Sylvan SQ poison use Gear mwk dagger, concealable thieves' tools, drow poison (2), deathblade poison (2), black lotus extract (1), wolfsbane (5)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Death Attack (Ex) If an assassin studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (assassin's choice). Studying the victim is a standard action. The death attack fails if the target detects the assassin or recognizes the assassin as an enemy (although the attack might still be a sneak attack if the target is denied his Dexterity bonus to his Armor Class or is flanked). If the victim of such a death attack fails a Fortitude save (typically DC 13) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the assassin. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the assassin has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. The save DC is Intelligence-based.

If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the assassin does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.

[drjacquescoulardeau]

LA CHAISE-DIEU MÉDIÉVALE & LA RÉVOLUTION BÉNÉDICTINE

On July 13, 2024, at La Chaise-Dieu, the European Network of Casadean Sites will present a public conference on the topic of the Benedictine Revolution in Livradois-Forez, led by the La Chaise-Dieu Abbaye, starting a bit earlier with the religious reform brought up by Charlemagne in the 9th century. The Abbaye was founded less than 200 years later. The conference will focus the discussion – and it has to be a discussion – on the consequences of the Carolingian religious reform, the agricultural revolution with the invention of the horse collar and the management of the land, the rotation of crops, cultivation, and fertilization. Then the proto-industrial revolution that will bring five types of watermills for grain, oil, tan, hemp (fiber and cloth), and slightly later paper. This will make Livradois-Forez an essential region producing hemp cables and hemp cloth for ships. The first result was 75 days without any work in the year, no work before and after morning and evening angelus, and a pause with midday angelus. The second result was better food and demographical expansion, up to the end of the 13th century.

Then things became darker. Overpopulation brought unrest and all sorts of contests and conflicts at the religious level itself (Crusades in the Middle East, but also against the Cathars in France. Then in 1346, the Black Death, a pandemic in Europe of the bubonic plague, caused a tremendous level of deaths. Then, the One Hundred Years War started in 1337. The resilience of the population enabled Europe in general to go through, and around 1450 the printing press was developed by Gutenberg enabling the printing of books for the highly-needed university training of great numbers of people to bring Europe back on its feet. The Renaissance was the result of this period, a tremendously positive and creative period, and at the same time, a highly-disturbed era with The Reformation, and the religious wars that concerned all countries at a time when nationalism was emerging.

Two speakers-debaters will present the five or six centuries concerned as fast as possible to let the audience debate questions like:

1-    The influence and impact of Charlemagne’s religious reform.

2-    The feudal system: land ownership and serfdom.

3-    The role of technology to produce energy, replace human work, and develop new products.

4-    Religious tensions with Avignon and Rome conformist Popes.

5-    The role of The Inquisition and religious justice.

6-    The fate of the cable industry when Omerin In Ambert is number one in Europe or the world for various high-security and high-technicity cables.

7-    The culture: architecture, music, painting, carving, theater, oratorio and opera, literature.

It will take place at LA CHAISE-DIEU – AUDITORIUM GEORGES CZIFFRA

SAMEDI 13 JUILLET 2024 – 14-17 HEURES 30.

The two main speakers so far are Dr Jacques COULARDEAU (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) and PhD Graduate Student Clément GOMY (Université Clermont Auvergne) with a direct contribution by Ludivine BOURDUGE and Xavier OMERIN on the adventure of the Omerin Family.

Make it a day visit with the Abbey church to visit, the choir tapestries in their new shrine, Lavaudieu’s Abbey church of the female branch of the order, and climbing to the top of what they call in La Chaise-Dieu the scaffoldings of the abbey church. You may also come across Saint Robert de Turlande in the cloister if you can meditate on and contemplate twelve centuries of human history in this heart of spirituality.

2024, Éditions La Dondaine, Medium.com

28 Pages

Feudalism and Lordship,  *  Charlemagne,  *  Middle Ages,  *  Catholic Church,  *  History of Serfdom

MEDIEVAL LA CHAISE-DIEU & THE BENEDICTINE REVOLUTION

Le 13 juillet 2024, à La Chaise-Dieu, le Réseau Européen des Sites Casadéens présentera une conférence publique sur le thème de la Révolution Bénédictine en Livradois-Forez, structurée par l'abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu, bien qu’elle eût commencé un peu plus tôt par la réforme religieuse élaborée par Charlemagne au 9ème siècle. L'Abbaye a été fondée moins de 200 ans plus tard. La conférence orientera la discussion – et cela doit être une vraie discussion – sur les conséquences de la réforme religieuse carolingienne, la révolution agricole avec l'invention du collier de cheval et la gestion des terres, la rotation des cultures, les méthodes agraires et la fertilisation. Puis la révolution proto-industrielle qui apportera cinq types de moulins à eau pour les céréales, l'huile, le tan, le chanvre (fibre et toile) et, un peu plus tard, le papier. Le Livradois-Forez deviendra ainsi une région incontournable pour la production de câbles et de toiles de chanvre pour la marine, marchande en un premier temps et royale au 17ème siècle. Le premier résultat a été 75 jours sans aucun travail dans l'année, aucun travail avant et après l'angélus du matin et du soir, et une pause avec l'angélus de midi. Le deuxième résultat fut une meilleure alimentation et une expansion démographique, jusqu'à la fin du 13ème siècle.

Puis les choses sont devenues plus sombres. La surpopulation a provoqué des troubles et toutes sortes de luttes et de conflits au niveau religieux lui-même (croisades au Moyen-Orient, mais aussi contre les Cathares en France). Puis en 1346, la peste noire, une pandémie de peste bubonique en Europe, a provoqué un terrible désastre. Puis, la guerre de Cent Ans éclata en 1337 et dura 120 ans. La résilience de la population permit à l'Europe en général de s'en sortir et vers 1450 l'imprimerie fut développée par Gutenberg permettant l'impression de livres pour les formations universitaires indispensables et l’éducation d'un grand nombre de personnes pour remettre l'Europe sur pied. La Renaissance est le résultat de cette période, une période extrêmement positive et créatrice, et en même temps, une époque très perturbée avec la Réforme Protestante et les guerres de religion qui ont concernée. tous les pays à une époque où le nationalisme émergeait.

Deux intervenants-débatteurs présenteront succinctement les cinq ou six siècles concernés pour permettre au public de débattre de questions telles que :

1- L’influence et l’impact de la réforme religieuse de Charlemagne.

2- Le système féodal : propriété foncière et servage.

3- Le rôle de la technologie pour produire de l'énergie, remplacer le travail humain et développer de nouveaux produits.

4- Tensions religieuses avec les papes conformistes d'Avignon et de Rome.

5- Le rôle de l'Inquisition et de la justice religieuse.

6- Le sort de l'industrie du câble, alors qu'Omerin à Ambert est numéro un en Europe ou dans le monde pour divers câbles de haute sécurité et de haute technicité.

7- La culture : architecture, musique, peinture, sculpture, théâtre, oratorio et opéra, littérature.

Elle aura lieu à LA CHAISE-DIEU – AUDITORIUM GEORGES CZIFFRA

SAMEDI 13 JUILLET 2024 – 14-17 HEURES 30.

Les deux principaux intervenants sont pour le moment le Docteur Jacques COULARDEAU (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) et le Doctorant Clément GOMY (Université Clermont Auvergne) avec une contribution de Ludivine BOURDUGE et Xavier OMERIN sur l’aventure de la Famille Omerin.

Faites-en une journée complète de visite avec l'église abbatiale qui vaut un coup d’œil, les tapisseries du chœur dans leur nouvelle châsse architecturale qui valent un deuxième coup d’œil, l'église abbatiale de Lavaudieu de la branche féminine de l'ordre, et la montée au sommet de ce qu'on appelle à La Chaise-Dieu l‘échafaudage de l'église abbatiale avec un casse-croûte tout en haut. Vous pourrez également croiser Saint Robert de Turlande dans le cloître si vous avez la patience de méditer et contempler douze siècles d'histoire humaine dans ce cœur vivant de spiritualité.

2024, Éditions La Dondaine, Medium.com

28 Pages

Feudalism and Lordship,  *  Charlemagne,  *  Middle Ages,  *  Catholic Church,  *  History of Serfdom

[michinmari]

Job hunting past 40

This is the first time I've ever been without a job since I joined the workforce when I was 21. I've always just resigned, but did the responsible thing by already having a job lined up BEFORE tendering my resignation.

So imagine my surprise (sort of, but I could already see the writing on the wall) when I got called in for a quick meeting BEFORE my shift started and was told that due to the restructuring that the company was doing, my position has now been made redundant.

Was I angry? No. Like I said, writing on the wall and all that. Was I resentful? Not at all.

And you know what made me not feel all of that? Certainly not because I'm an emotionally mature person. Because while I may have been a legal adult for now much longer than I was a child, emotionally maturity was never my forte. But that's a different topic for a different post.

Going back: It was because immediately after they told me I was going to lose my job, they also told me just how much I was going to receive for my severance pay.

Typically, at least in the Philippines, a severance pay consists of a month's pay for every year of service. If, at the time of your leaving your job through reasons that entitle you to a severance, you've been in service for 1 year and 6 months, then they'll count your service as 2 years therefore you are entitled to 2 months of severance pay.

I was with the company for 9 years and 2 months, so I should have received 9 months' worth of my salary. However, my company decided to give me my entire year's salary. And since the separation was through no fault of my own and was beyond my control, it's non-taxable. They also gave me what would have been my bonus for next year. I expected it to be pro-rated since I'd only worked until July 7, but they paid me the full bonus for the entire year, as well as my 13th month pay -- that was pro-rated.

They also gave me the cash amount of the medical insurance that they had already paid for me. And as the cherry on top of the icing, I was told that my last day would be June 7, the Friday of the week I was told. However, my official termination date was on July 7. And that I would still be paid for the entire month -- that I did not work. A month's vacation -- paid!

I'm not saying all of that to brag. I'm saying that to maybe underscore why I'm not upset that I'm jobless for the first time at 41.

But I'm also low-level terrified. I'm not good with changes. And this is a BIG change. A lot of things have... well, CHANGED since that last time I went job hunting. A lot of the jobs I'm seeing now are social media related. I don't know how to do that -- for other people. My social media activity over the last 3 years consists of lurking on TikTok while saving videos I like. I understand the words "analytics" but have never used it in practice.

So now I'm job hunting. The only saving grace I have is that I'm not on panic mode because A) I have money -- I have not gone insane with the spending and I'm quite proud of myself that I didn't blow through the entire thing -- and B) I've moved back home with my mom. Rent's pretty low here in Dumaguete and she told me I don't have to pay for anything but myself. So I pay my own bills and indulgences, and sometimes I pay for groceries. I've only been here less than two months, but I think our set up is working.

That's the other thing I was kind of apprehensive about -- living with my mother full time. You see, I went to university in Manila and only came home for the holidays. Sometimes I would stay in Manila for summer to either take summer classes or just go on vacation with my friends -- with parents' blessing and a bit of pocket money. So that meant that from age 17 to up until September 2023, I essentially lived alone.

Also, I'm an only child. I'm used to being alone. I LOVE being alone. I used to say that I have no gene for loneliness. I honestly don't know what being lonely feels like.

So now it's going to be a bit of an adjustment. But for now, it's all good.

Going back to what this is supposed to be about: job hunting at 41. It's been... challenging. Mostly because I no longer want to go back to an office set up. And through luck, my ability to really shine during interviews (it's a superpower) and a bit of smarts, I have reached a certain salary band that isn't exactly welcomed by employers here in the Philippines.

Before you say "Then find remote jobs based in the States!" You mean freelancing? Nothing against it, but I want the trappings of insurance, tax payments and all that other stuff to be done by another department. I don't want to have to DIY it. I can do it with arts & crafts, but not when it comes to money.

So here I am, pecking away at my keyboard, still job hunting and possibly lowering my salary expectations. I've been jobless for more than two months now, and I'm getting antsy. So antsy that I may have overextended myself by signing up for 3 language classes back to back on a Saturday and 2 graduate-level classes -- all online.

And that's where I currently am.

Or was. I started this post last year and after I put this draft away, I got a job — two months after I applied for it. The pay is HALF of what I used to receive, but I'm okay with that. It's enough for my bills (and the ones I volunteered to pay at my mom's house: electricity, water, internet and grocery twice a month) and my occasional online shopping.

It's also the kind of job I thought I would be good at and would never stress about: writing.

You see, my undergraduate degree was in Comparative Literature. I know, I know. Not a job that guarantees employment, but I knew I wouldn't be miserable. In fact, it was the one thing I knew I'd excel at: reading and writing about what I read.

You'd think this job would be a no-brainer for me. And most days, it is. Until you consider the fact that I write for an audience. This was never something I had to factor in when I used to write in school. I didn't even factor in what my thesis advisor thought.

But in the age of social media, the audience is key. And I don't think I'm getting through. I'm not very good with click-baity headlines — which I know are necessary to hook some readers' attention.

And I'm struggling. Not drowning, but just struggling.

This is a new feeling for me. I was in a management position for 9 years. The only thing I struggled with were people and meetings with people. But I quickly developed a work-around. And it was easy because I was the manager. All I needed to do was make sure people understood the expectations of the job, that we were all on the same page, they had the training to do the job and then get out of their way. I made sure they knew they could come to me if they had any questions.

Luckily, I hired very competent people. They only really asked for meetings when it comes to PTOs (paid time off). And as for meetings? There are also ways around that. If you ever worked a corporate job and had to attend meetings that really should have been emails, you know what those work-arounds are.

And I was paid really well. I had health insurance — which, luckily I never used for myself. My parents, though? My mother had two back-to-back surgeries that would have cost her about PhP1 million. Her out-of-pocket expenses? Almost zero, thanks to my insurance.

Now, that's gone. This is the first time I get nervous whenever I hear my mother complain about an ailment. Because I know I can't help much.

But we're straying way too far when it comes to the point that I originally was trying to make: job hunting in your 40s.

It's hard. There. That's it.

It's hard because you have the experience, but the positions and the salaries just don't match your expectations.

If you REALLY want a job, it's not a problem if you just get one that you know how to do just so you can have something to do and an income.

That's what I did. I didn't want a huge gap between the day I left my company and a new job.

Even though I have an okay-paying job now, I still applied on job portals every day. I mean that: every single day.

I've had a handful of interviews. Some have ghosted me — my first ever experience of that. Some have gotten back to me with such a low offer that it wasn't even worth pursuing any more.

Anyway, I'm just writing here with advice — if you want it.

First, try not to fall into a pit of despair. It won't be easy because as my friend Luis pointed out to me, I had made my job and my position (and my salary) a big part of my identity. It's hard not to do that since I had all that for 9 years.

Second, start dusting off your resume and log back in to all the job portals you can find.

Third, start searching. Then start applying.

Fourth, companies take their time now. Even if they do say "urgent hiring," there's still a lot of steps. Learn how to be patient.

Fifth, decide whether you want a job — any job just to tide you over — or a job you want. If you're lucky, like I was, you have a financial buffer. If you don't, then you have to decide whether the one being offered is worth it (financially or otherwise) or if you think you can wait for a better one to come.

I'm sorry if that's not helpful. But it's a difficult job market. If you're like me: in your 40s and stayed so long in one company and one position, and never bothered to learn new things like social media marketing (which is all the rage now), it's going to be even more difficult.

The job market has changed so drastically now, especially after the pandemic. Some companies seem to want you to audition now — complete with a video introducing yourself and why you want the job you're applying for.

At first that appealed to the delusional wanna-be celebrity in me. After, it was just exhausting. Before I left my previous job, I'd been working from home and never really wore make up and dressed up any more.

Now I had to make sure the lighting was right and that my script wasn't too formal nor too informal. It's like creating a YouTube video — which I tried, but only for personal stuff.

You'll need to learn how to do all these new things now. And don't get me started on AI. That's a whole 'nother topic.

BUT... there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I promise you. You WILL find a job. You WILL get a job.

Like I said, it's a matter of choice. Do you want a job? Any job that pays the bills? Or do you want a job you want?

The second one's trickier because you'll need to be financially secure because that's going to be quite a wait.

Right now, I'm still at my writing job. I enjoy it most days — especially if I don't think about the audience. Or my now-frequent use of the word 'bonkers.'

But I'm still applying. I get interviews once every two weeks. None have panned out yet. But I'm still hopeful.

[jrpneblog]

A point on the road that could have been three

North End and Millwall shared the spoils in this uninspiring encounter just has they had done earlier in the season. The same 1-1 draw didn`t really help either side but I guess it was a fair refection of the game. North End never came near the heights of the second half of the Bristol City game or of the first seventy minutes at Leeds last Sunday lunchtime. I think a performance anywhere near those standards would have been enough to win this affair but we never got close and in the end seemed happy to settle for a point. After being caught cold early on we gradually got back into the game, equalised and then totally dominated the last fifteen minutes of the first half. After the break it was more the home side looking for the win and the game petered out into one of those dull draws the Championship produces from time to time.

North End made two changes to the starting line at Elland Road with Freddie Woodman coming in to replace Dai Cornell and Ryan Ledson replacing Ali McCann, surprisingly in front of Alan Browne. North End were caught cold in the first five minutes when Zian Flemming headed home a cross from the Preston left to put the Lions into the lead. It was poor defending with Storey not getting in front of his man and Flemming had the simplest of chances. Whiteman had a long range effort go wide while at the other end Liam Lindsay got in an excellent block to spare North Ends blushes as the game moved from end to end. Just after the half hour mark North End drew level when Frokjaer put Potts through in the inside right position and the wing back fired home to put us level. We had all the play from that point up to the break but couldn`t make it count and we went in at half time level.

No changes for North End at the interval and the 874 travelling fans were hoping that North End would come out after the break in the same vein as they finished the first half. Unfortunately it was the home side who came out in the ascendancy. Im not sure what the North End manager said to the troops at half time but it wasn`t go out and carry like you finished the first half and if it was they did not carry out his instructions. North End repelled what the home side threw at them and with seventeen minutes to go Alan Browne entered the fray for his 400th North End appearance making him 13th in the all time list of appearances. The game had a couple of flash moments late on but the draw had looked inevitable from a long way out and so it proved to be that both sides had to settle for a point apiece.

I want to say, first of all, that I was appalled by the managers comments regarding Alan Browne at the end of the game. To make 400 appearances for any club is some landmark in this day and age and for Lowe to saw that yesterday was not all about Alan Browne was childish in the extreme. Perhaps we are seeing another Graham Alexander where the player made his 400th appearance on the Saturday and was sold on the Tuesday. Anyway the point on the road is something I suppose but it was two points lost for me against a Millwall side not as good as those we have seen in the last few seasons. 5 wins from the last 22 league games and just 20 points gained is a stat that is quoted often but it is a fact. The win ratio must improve but we seem to have been saying that for months. All in all quite depressing and with Ipswich up on Saturday it it won`t get easier anytime soon.

.

MILLWALL 1-1 PRESTON

.

WOODMAN 7

STOREY 5 LINDSAY 7 HUGHES 6

WHITEMAN 6

POTTS 7 LEDSON 5 FROKJAER 7 MILLAR 7

RIIS 6 KEANE 7

.

SUBS

BROWNE 7

OSMAJIC 6

BRADY 6

HOLMES 6

.

MOTM: Mads Frokjaer

Attendance 14,744

Preston Fans 874 (5.93%).

[curtiscroachblog]

Don't fear getting old (2)

Word for Today written by Bob and Debby Gass

Saturday 13th January 2024

'They shall still bear fruit in old age.' Psalm 92:14 NKJV

Does the thought of getting older depress you, make you anxious or make you fatalistic in your outlook? If so, read this: 'Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing' (Psalm 92:13-14 NKJV).

Here's how to stay 'fresh and flourishing' as you grow older: (1) Guard your health. Studies show that good health is the number-one factor in determining the level of happiness in old age. So eat healthy and exercise often if you can. Drink lots of water, take your daily vitamins and get regular medical check-ups. These efforts will not guarantee you more time, but they will help improve the quality of your time here on earth. (2) Look your best. Dress stylishly at every age, as your budget will allow. When you look good, you feel good - and inspired. But keep your quest for attractiveness in balance. Remember God's words to Samuel: 'The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart' (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT). Think twice, examine your motives, seek God's advice and do your homework before you submit to cosmetic procedures. Some can be costly and downright dangerous. (3) Look for someone to help. Mother Teresa said, 'We cannot do great things. We can only do little things with great love.' You will be amazed at the sense of strength, self-worth and satisfaction you feel when you meet the needs of others. An unknown poet wrote, 'It's loving and giving that makes life worth living!'

[ailtrahq]

As Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect time to delve into the eerie world of cryptocurrencies and explore some of the spookiest coins in existence. Beware! Friday The 13th! Let’s begin by understanding the significance of Friday the 13th. Known for its spooky reputation, Friday the 13th is a day that is believed to bring bad luck or misfortune by some. It is a day associated with darkness, fear, and scary tales.The significance of this date comes from various historical and cultural beliefs. Some associate it with the biblical event of the Last Supper, where 13 people were present, including Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. Others view the combination of Friday, which is considered an unlucky day in some traditions, and the number 13 as a double dose of bad luck. As a result, Friday the 13th has become associated with superstitions, fear, and negative events.'Some Spooky Coins: Today, we will focus on a selection of cryptocurrencies that are bound to send shivers down your spine but in a thrilling way, thanks to their captivating branding.Pirate Chain (ARRR): Why couldn’t the kids see the pirate movie? It was rated ARRR. Taking inspiration from this age-old pirate joke, Pirate Chain (ARRR) has adopted the pirate symbol as its own. This cryptocurrency has gained significant attention due to its vocal community and dedicated supporters. Pirate Chain focuses on privacy, utilizing zk-SNARKs encryption to ensure transactions remain private and untraceable. This project, driven by an anonymous team, is entirely decentralized and aims to provide the highest level of financial privacy. With fast transaction times and low fees, Pirate Chain is designed for untraceable payments and preserving your financial anonymity.At the time of writing, ARR was up 2% in the last 24 hours, trading at $0.16.Zombie Inu (ZINU): What do you call undead cheese? Zom-brie. And what would you call an undead meme coin? ZINU. According to its official website, ZINU has the potential to be commercialized in apparel, toys, and collectibles. While this coin may have a comical aspect to it, it also aims to provide cryptocurrency enthusiasts with an immersive and memorable experience, capturing the essence of Halloween all year round.ZINU was trading at 7% in the last 24 hours, trading at $0.0008336.SpookySwap (BOO): SpookySwap is an eerie-inspired decentralized exchange (DEX) and automated market-maker (AMM) built on the Fantom Opera network. This platform offers an environment for users to trade tokens without relying on intermediaries or requiring permission. BOO was up 0.25% in the last 24 hours, trading at $0.30.Will The SEC Finally Approve Long-Awaited Bitcoin Spot ETF? secure early bird discounted tickets now!A Stay At The Floating Palace From James Bond's ‘OctopussyHalloween Spooks And Thrills: As Halloween draws near, these three spooky tokens offer a thrill and a sense of adventure in the world of cryptocurrencies. While there are numerous cryptocurrencies out there, these Halloween-themed tokens stand out with their unique branding and purpose. So, embrace the spirit of the season and dive into the dark side of the crypto world, if you dare.Price Action: At the time of writing, apex crypto Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading at $26,787, down 0.56% in the last 24 hours, according to Benzinga Pro. Here’s How Much You Should Invest In Shiba Inu Today For A $1M Payday If SHIB Hits 1 Cent?