#Chamber Mage

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2023-11-06

It was Bandcamp Friday so I'll open with a rundown.

Listening: One song per album let's go

Do The Hate by MiSLeD, off TERRORTORIES, a deeply uncomfortable sounding song.

I originally picked up MiSLeD's acoustic album a few Fridays ago and took a while to come around on their unbelievably blunt and hyperlocal style. A sledgehammer through Johannesburg concrete, I have come to love 'em. Do the Hate has an aggressive chant that makes it genuinely kind of uncomfortable to listen to and also extremely fun to yell along with.

The Length of the Chain by Chamber Mage, off their 2022 demo tape and thus far their only album release unless you go see them live.

I picked these guys up off I think the Topic Lords podcast? Solid reliable heavy metal. Can't wait to see their first full album, they're from Denver so if you're from that part of the world definitely find out if they're playing.

All On Fire by Double Sun, from the album of the same name, Pretoria boys playing bluesy punk.

One of the last bands I saw in Johannesburg before I moved. I had the three-part Dead Wreck Beach stuck in my head for a good long while. I'm still not sure what it is about Gauteng that produces so many psychedelic punk bands but I'm not complaining.

Two Jack de Quidt albums, soundtracks from Friends at the Table which I have been getting really into.

First up, The Tower, As Built By The Divine Candidate Chital, from the soundtrack for COUNTER/weight, meditative track to match the meditative and still incomplete two-player game The Tower.

Apperances of The Tower in F@TT games are always great. It's a game that the GM and composer have been working on forever and they get really, really into it.

Next, gotta be Marielda, from the season of the same name. The clarinet from this is so memorable.

The intro tracks to every game are obviously the ones you hear the most, and they're all bangers.

All Through the Night [Patrick's Version], from the Titus Andronicus demotape for their most recent album The Will to Live. Rough cuts from studio sessions.

I adore The Will to Live, when I'm honest I really don't care much for most of Titus Andronicus's work other than The Monitor and now The Will to Live. These are good at capturing what I like about live performances: performers going ham and not necessarily performing well but definitely performing the most.

And lastly, Threshold from sungazer, off the album Perihelion. This was an experimental piece combining rhythms at both extremes of human perception, with the overall rhythm of the song being as slow as possible with individual bars being impossibly fast.

There's a whole Adam Neely video on it, because he's one part of sungazer.

Alright on to the rest of the show:

Reading: Back into The Count of Monte Cristo, rapidly seeing the roots of many other stories I've read crystalize into this genre, most notable Eoin Colfer's Airman.

Watching: The various Hackaday talks that have been uploaded over the past week, some good ones lately like A Hacker's Guide to Audio and Video Formats.

Playing: on Saturday evening I finished making dinner and sat down to play Titanfall 2 from the start because for some reason my save was incomplete and I figured I'd just start over. And then it was two in the morning and I had beaten Titanfall 2. Great game.

Making: Abortive attempts at designing some adapters for my vacuum cleaner because I realized I took my reference images wrong and had to start over, fortunately before I wasted any filament.

Also Hack Week at work, so I'm working on some original code with two much, much more experienced python developers, which if nothing else is a good learning experience.

Tools and Equipment: Modern text editor configuration systems can be rigged to almost completely bootstrap themselves if given an internet connection. You should use this to your advantage. I use lazy.nvim in bootstrap mode now and it's so easy.

Side note, nvim's lua configuration mode is real nice, major improvement over vimscript when you want to do anything complicated. Sorry Tim Pope.

[thenwothm]

INTERVIEW: CHAMBER MAGE

Check out thenwothm.com's latest interview with Colorado springs very own Chamber Mage

These guys only formed in 2021 and with a handful demos out there, Chamber Mage are already progressing fast! Securing a slot on the Frozen in Time bill with the likes of Haunt and readying their debut album for release, Chamber Mage are ready to cause a storm! THE NWOTHM: Hey there Chamber Mage! Can you start by introducing us to the band, who the members are and where you are from? Avery…

[khoirkid]

Heart Open - IsArt Sketches in collaboration with @amethystfairy1

[dualcastimpact]

Ran dragonskin maps solo as BLU to clear the Ultimog Challenge and man, Peat Pelt + Deep Clean is absolutely my favourite solo dungeon spell combo right now. Hitting a mob with Peat Pelt and then maxing out your Spick-and-span stacks for HP regen? So great for soloing mobs, I'm such a fan. And with such short cooldowns and casting times too!

[magebutts]

someone tell the veilguard/ea apologists that other people being vocal abt their issues with the game really shouldnt be affecting their enjoyment as much as it does if they really love it and dont see any flaws with its writing like they keep saying they do. like whats wrong? if you look to closely at it you'll realize its not what you wanted it to be? and thats my problem how? 💀

[shittymurderparty]

Officer Trevor: Did you feel that? Detective Chambers: What? Officer Trevor: A great disturbance in the Order. As if millions of voices cried out to say "Oh shit!"

Doll Ghosts: ... (Source: 8-Bit Theater)

[la-scree]

Jack of Trades

[oopsallmabari]

me: oh i should write a flashback scene in ostwick circle that'd be a good thing to explore

me, 5 minutes later: i need to diagram the entirety of ostwick circle in my mind with floorplans

[dndsettingsinfo]

Sorcerer's Retreat [40×30] by Nerdy Maps

[dr-dendritic-trees]

This is a very good point I had forgotten about

tortall was really like “yeah we have a box that makes people live out their worst fears. no we have no idea why. we put teenagers in it”

[adler-obsessed]

god. Vivienne really is just. that character. She is taken to the circle so young she does not remember what her parents even looked like and someone had to tell her. She wouldn’t even know if they were telling the truth. She is ruthless, the terror and nightmare of the Orlesian court. She almost weeps when you find the Tranquil skulls in Redcliffe. She hates drop waists. She is harrowed younger than any other mage in living memory. She teaches Bull the steps to the dance of the six candles. He likens her to a Qunari dreadnought that has half the enemies on the ground before he’s even reached the front line. Her accent’s not Orlesian. No Free Marcher can tell where she is from either. Is her original voice another part of herself she cut off? She enchanted a duke within one meeting and they scandalised even Orlesian society. She was good friends with his wife. They possibly fucked too. No can control her. She’s been owned since the moment she was first brought to the Circle. She belongs to no people. There are a dozen leashes around her neck claiming otherwise. She makes fun of an elven god for setting his coattails on fire.  She is on the verge of banishing Cole back to the Fade all the time. She can’t help but grow to care for him at the end despite her best efforts to pretend otherwise. She hates herself for it. She thinks caring makes you weak. During the first conversation you have with her unmasked as a Trevelyan, she begs to know if you also cared about her childhood friend, Lydia. She tries to import illegal fur into Skyhold. Did she kill everything soft within her soul herself or did the Chantry sisters do it for her? She is impossible to prank. Some might say she’s even better than Sera at pranking. She was pulled into the game by the time she was nineteen. She’d faced worse things since she could first remember her dreams. Life has never been fair. One merely needs to be hard enough to survive. The blade at her neck when she lay on the floor of the harrowing chamber was no different from the hunger in her belly as child, a necessary pain that only drove her forward. Maker, was there ever any chance that she did not see cruelty as simply another word for life? Is there any version of her that does not end up surrounded by moral filth? 

[thenwothm]

CHECK OUT THE LINEUP FOR STORMBRINGER METAL FESTIVAL - IT'S PRETTY DARN GOOD!

Get on down to WORCESTER MA on JULY the 14th-15 2023 for Stormbringer festival! They have already announced a stellar lineup of bands so far that will will get you excited! The bands so far that have been announced include: Traveler, Adamantis, DESTRUCTOR, Ryghär, Solicitor, BastardCröss, Stygian Crown, Concilium, Savage Master, Shadowland NYC, Chamber Mage, Legendry, Knight and Gallow and Throne…

[rubys-domain]

so this is as far as i'm able to get with my lineup

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Twisted Wonderland Lore Compilations + Resources Masterlist

Family

Family members and relationships

Mage and non-mage family members

Najma and Jamil relationship lore

Shroud family hair

Anippola lore

Magic/Skills

How magic works

How overblotting works

Unique magic (of main cast)

Potions

Who can play an instrument?

Schooling (NRC-centric)

When they wear the Ceremonial Robes

Dorm leader + vice dorm leader duties and powers

How the current dorm leaders came into power

Methods to become dorm leader

Pocket dimensions (Mirror Chamber vs Hall of Mirrors)

Divus Crewel as a student

Final Masterchef groupings

NRC, NBC, RSA: co-ed or not?

NRC scheduling and general schooling

Subjects at NRC

How Idia’s tablet works

Magic for Flight and Potionology

Ingredients for potions

Lab safety violations

World + Population

Kinds of fae

Land boot camp for merpeople

Ghost lore

Transportation

Island of Woe

Other

TWST Valentines Gifts + Messages (2021-2023)

TWST Valentines Gifts + Messages (2024)

Character heights

Character ages

Popularity ranking among yumejoshis

NRC characters’ fashion sense

Food

Food culture and lore of the world: part 1 / part 2

Food likes/dislikes and why

[scealaiscoite]

fantasy setting prompts ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🕊️ ꒱

¹⁾ a darkened apothecary illuminated only by the light somehow being emitted by the many bottles and jars lining the walls

²⁾ the banquet hall of a nobleman’s sprawling estate, in the throes of a lavish ball attended by everyone in the townland

³⁾ at a healer’s cabin in the dead of night, overwhelmed by adrenaline and the scent of countless tinctures and remedies as they’re applied

⁴⁾ the last imperial guardpost before crossing into enemy lands

⁵⁾ a run-down inn in the middle of nowhere, half reclaimed by the woodlands around it

⁶⁾ a lake set deep into the mountains with something sinister lurking beneath the surface

⁷⁾ the first port in a new land after weeks at sea trying to get there

⁸⁾ the highest turret in the royal family’s castle on a wintery morning

⁹⁾ the war council’s planning room, the morning after a bloody defeat

¹⁰⁾ an alchemist’s workshop

¹¹⁾ the stables just before daybreak

¹²⁾ the impromptu camp that the leader of the journey had to be begged into allowing after everyone else grew exhausted from being on the road all day

¹³⁾ the army barracks before a battle

¹⁴⁾ the last altar of a dying god’s religion

¹⁵⁾ the empress’s chambers, trussed up in nothing more than silken bedsheets and the morning sunshine

¹⁶⁾ the bedside of an old mentor, right before the end

¹⁷⁾ on the wrong end of a traitor’s sword

¹⁸⁾ a beast’s underground lair, alone and unarmed

¹⁹⁾ the thick of the enemy’s encampment, shackled and unrepentant

²⁰⁾ the mage’s quarters, having seen something there’s no worldly explanation for

²¹⁾ the armoury in the late hours of the night, stinking of polish and tears

²²⁾ in the throne room of the imperial citadel with an ulterior motive

²³⁾ by the scholar’s side in the library, eager for a little more than knowledge

²⁴⁾ an alehouse in the dead countryside, hoping not to be found

²⁵⁾ the executioner’s platform seeking for just one face in the crowd

[spilledartery]

ANGST FEED US ANGST PLEASE

to conceive . . . ( kunikuzushi )

[ male reader, kingdom ! au, angst, trans ! kunikuzushi, infertility, sex. fujoshis, mlm fetishizers, dni. ]

he’s broken, he concluded. kunikuzushi felt tears well in his eyes, his hand instinctively going to his flat belly – a harsh truth that it will forever be that way. the mage, who broke the news to him, gave him an empathetic look.

what would you say? will you be mad? no, no, he knows you won’t be. you’re the kindest emperor ever. it was why he felt such a failure that you, a king, chose him, a mere commoner before you made him your consort, but he failed giving you an heir.

he won’t be pleased, he will hold a grudge against me, kunikuzushi’s mind kept slipping in the dark as he heads back to your shared chambers. he will find someone else—

he sits on the bed. it was only now that he noticed his shoulders were shaking violently as he sobs. he’s failed his sole purpose in life, of giving you an heir. he felt so undeserving of his title as your consort – you put him on such high regard, defend him whenever other nobles gets too rowdy with their mouths, and yet he can’t even pay you back by bearing a child.

that night, kunikuzushi laid on his side of bed, far away from you. he would usually be buzzing with excitement whenever he sees you at the door, but now...

“beloved,” you whispered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “has something happened? come, please, love. talk to me.”

your soft, reassuring tone made him crumble. for the umpteenth time that day, he cried. he gripped the sheets tight that his knuckles turned white. he sniffled.

“oh, love.” the next thing kunikuzushi knew, he was sitting on your lap; your arms were around his waist protectively. you gazed up at him with nothing but deep love and admiration. he doesn’t deserve you, you deserve someone better than keeping being wed to someone broken as him. “why do you cry?” you asked.

“i – i...”

kunikuzushi lets himself be selfish and clung onto you, putting his arms around your neck and sobbing against your shoulders. he grips your robes tight, afraid that you’ll slip away – but he knows you aren’t like that.

in the dim moonlight illuminating your chambers, you held him as he cried. you didn’t pry after his stammering, you just let him cry and cry, until he felt like there are no more tears coming out of him. he sniffled, steeling himself. he still holds you tight. “i w-went to the mage, earlier,” he hiccups, and you run your hands up and down his back gently, letting him know that you’re listening. “and... and i’m...” he felt tears again – it seems like there are more. “i cannot conceive. i-i’m broken! i’m infertile, i cannot give you an heir! i’m so sorry, your majesty, i am so sorry – please, forgive me — ”

through his mantra of “you deserve someone better, someone who can give you a child,” you console him by cupping his cheeks gently in your hands. “you are not broken, my love. it’s... it’s okay. there are plenty other ways of getting a child, yes?”

no. no. he knows how much you value tradition. surely you can’t just adopt a child, not of your bloodline, and raise them to rule the kingdom for the future. he knows you are only saying this to make him feel better, and he wants to slap you for it.

“hush, now, darling,” you said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “it’s okay.” then, you kissed him, chaste and soft. in spite of himself, he leaned into the kiss. he’s so selfish for allowing himself be in your presence further.

when you pull away, he’s already gripping the collar of your robes tight and pulling you back against his lips. he kissed you so earnestly and demandingly, as if wanting to prove something. please, don’t replace me. i can still be a good spouse, please...

you obliged with his advances. pushing your tongue in his mouth, he can’t help but moan, one which was muffled against your lips.

you laid him on the bed, and, without breaking the heated kiss, you began undressing him while he’s already slipping your robes off your shoulders. he was urgent, while you took your time.

you kissed down to his jaw, neck, to his soft, small mounds of breasts, taking a nipple into your mouth while your hand massages the other – kunikuzushi moans, arching up to you.

in the back of his mind, a cruel voice keeps whispering that he doesn’t deserve this; your mouth, your fingers that are pushing into him, your sweet, sweet words in his ear – none of this he deserves, but he’s selfish, always has been. and so, he indulges.

he cried as you pushed into him, and you were no better, breathing heavily against the crook of his neck. kunikuzushi wraps his legs around your waist, the action made you go deeper, and his eyes rolled back at the sensation.

you’ve set a steady pace as to not overwhelm him, but he just wants you go harder and faster, to be rough, as his punishment for being a failure and being infertile. his nails clawed at your back, and you groaned, biting his neck in retaliation.

the warm feeling of your cum pooling in his belly was a cruel reminder for kunikuzushi that it will not take. again, he cried.

some time later, you and him were at the massive table, with only the two of you eating. time and time again, you’d reassured him that it is okay that he cannot conceive, that you still love him no matter what, and he was starting to believe it until your advisor opened his damned mouth: “your majesty, if his highness kunikuzushi continues to fail giving you an heir”—you can’t help but scowl at the words he’d chosen—“isn’t it, perhaps, the time to look for concubines?”

you saw kunikuzushi tense. though before he hears your answer ( you’ve got no plans of agreeing, however ), he’d already hastily stood up and ran away, tears in his eyes. your heart breaks for him.