#Exarc

[durotrigan]

A lovely weekend at Dorset’s Ancient Technology Centre for a fantastic Heritage Textiles course hosted by Castle Hill Heritage! We looked at textiles and their production methods from the Palaeolithic to the Industrial Revolution!

[storiearcheostorie]

Rivivere l'età del Bronzo nella Terramara di Montale: il Parco Archeologico compie vent'anni

ARCHEOLOGIA Rivivere l'età del Bronzo nella Terramara di Montale: il Parco Archeologico compie vent'anni

Redazione Il Parco archeologico della Terramara di Montale, nel Modenese, compie vent’anni e per l’occasione si veste a festa proponendo al pubblico nuove emozionanti installazioni per rievocare l’età del bronzo, esperienze di archeologia sperimentale riunite in un festival, degustazioni di panini gourmet e altre sorprese. Inaugurato nell’aprile 2004 come settore “open air” del Museo Civico di…

[garaksapprentice]

Yep. Although it does change depending on the type of loom, length of warp, and threading pattern that you're using (if applicable). A continuously warped inkle band is miles faster than warping the exact same length and number of threads for tablet weaving, for instance.

EXARC (I think, been a while since I read it) has a fascinating study on the relative warp-to-weave time ratios between warp-weighted and horizontal looms. They were trying to find the overall time saving in weaving the same length of cloth on each loom type, to work out how, why and when weavers might have switched from vertical to horizontal looms. In the process they discovered that while using the vertical loom took more time overall, the warp-to-weave ratio was smaller than for the horizontal loom. Since most weavers tend to think of the weaving as the actually-fun part, and warping as the necessary-to-get-to-the-fun-part part, this probably impacted the time it took to switch from one loom type to the other.

As a new weaver i find that warp speed is in fact not very fast

[fieryraptorcreative]

Just sent the first edit of my rewrite of this story to an editor on Monday, and for the first time in some weeks I feel like I have a bit of breathing room to do art, or just nap.

🪶

For those unfamiliar, this writing project/wip novel of mine is a superhero second-chance family story about a fired superhero dad trying to save three kids from an evil scientist, better explained below:

🪶

Sorin Jayson's a superhero, so being a dad should be easy.

Sorin's wife and daughter both died in a superhero mission gone wrong. Then the ExHuman Academy and Research Center fired him for actions he can’t remember committing.

Now, he’s just a guy with some holes in his memory and a suspicion that EXARC fired him to hide something.

But how's he going to say no when a beautiful woman plops two superhero kids on Sorin’s doorstep and demands he protect them from the organization that ruined his life?

Sure, his old rival has reappeared out of the shadows, his daughter haunts his thoughts, and half his memory is missing, but as long as Sorin can keep the kids out of EXARC’s hands, that’s what matters.

The hard part is…they’re dang hard to keep safe.

[qrowxiii]

8. What is one of their biggest regrets? Has it had an effect on how they act moving forward, for better or worse?

Trusting Laurentius AGAIN. What a stupid thing to do. Once a traitor always a traitor. He doesn't respect or give the time of the day to what he can't trust anymore, doesn't have the patience for the Exarc or Urianger treating him like a baby that can't handle a truth, he's got better things to do with his time than deal with that bullshit, which has distanced him quite a bit from a few Scions.

Presenting: An Absurdly, Stupidly Long and Wordy Warrior of Light-based Questionnaire, or as my bestie dubbed it:

30 WoL Think Thonkers

Less an ask prompt, more of a daily prompt, (though you can use it as an ask prompt if you prefer!) Answer the questions however you want: straight-forward, with stories or screens, or a mix of all.

Get any of your little brainworms out. Wax poetic, ramble off into several digressions, challenge yourself to answer in the least amount of words possible, whatever you're vibing with! (If you want to tag them #wolthinkthonkers feel free!)

This is very Warrior of Light and MSQ based. It's set from a Post-Endwalker mindframe, so there are some minor/vaguely worded spoilers.

----------------------- WARM-UP QUESTIONS

I. Where is your Warrior of Light from? What was their home like growing up and what set them out on their journey?

2. What city-state did your WoL start in? How did they feel about it then, and how do they feel about it now? (ie, did their experiences sour their perception, or make them appreciate it more?)

3. How do they feel about being Hydaelyn's chosen? (Feel free to break it down from ARR's "Champion of Eorzea" all the way to "The Savior of Etheirys" as much as you like. Have those feelings changed, or just grown more complex?)

4. What do they do in their down time? Do they have any hobbies outside of Primal-slaying and world-saving? Are these lifelong hobbies or recent interests?

5. How do they feel now that "it's all over" (the story of Hydaelyn and Zodiark)? What do they plan to do next? Or is their story finished - and if you're retiring them, what does retirement look like for them? Do you have someone else taking the stage going forward?

6. Who was their Azem? What were they like, and were they different from your WoL? Who were their family, friends? Or, if you don't care for the Azem angle or went in your own direction for their past self, how so? How does your WoL feel about their Ancient identity?

----------------------- CHANGES

7. Have they gone through any physical changes? What scars have they collected, and how do they feel about them? Did they sprout horns or other features as a result of spells or pacts gone wrong? How did light corruption impact them? Or have they walked away miraculously unscathed? Are they more peculiar for how eerily unmarred they are?

8. What is one of their biggest regrets? Has it had an effect on how they act moving forward, for better or worse?

9. The Warrior of Light has been through quite a lot, but what is a moment, big or small, that bolstered and renewed their spirit? Was it a cup of hot cocoa or a lovingly crafted sandwich? Did someone give them a few words or a gesture at just the right time that meant the world to them? (Of course, this can be a canon event or headcanon!)

10. What does home look like for them now? Do they still return to the home where they started, and if so has it changed at all? Or have they found or forged a new home? Who do they live with, if anyone? What sort of things do they keep in their personal space?

11. Despite everything, is it still you? Has the core of who they are as a person remained true through everything, or have they been changed by what they've experienced and learned, for better or worse?

13. Is there a canon moment you've drastically (or not-so-drastically) rewritten? A character death, or something that just really did not fit your WoL's character. Or just some alterations and personal touches you've added? Has that had any long-term changes on the wider story?

----------------------- STORY

12. Which canon moments shaped your Warrior of Light and impacted them the most?

14. Do you have any headcanons for what happened post-Ultima Thule? What kind of injuries did they suffer, or did they walk it off like a boss? Did they take a lengthy vacation, did you shove a time skip in there before 6.1 hit? Or was it quickly off to the next adventure?

15. What were their thoughts and feelings on the events of Myths of the Realm? How did they regard the Twelve prior, and how did the revelations impact them? Was meeting their patron particularly special to them, or not really?

16. What were their thoughts and feelings delving into Pandaemonium? How did they feel working alongside Themis and Lahabrea, after all their history? What did they think about how things ended?

17. Taking a step away from "canon", do you have any wholly unique side quests and adventures your Warrior of Light has gotten caught up in? Did they chase down ghosts of their own past, get married, open a bakery, or fix an ancient blood curse on their family line? Have they reunited with loved ones or buried old hatchets? If there's some unique story behind your character, how does it show up and how did it play out?

----------------------- COMBAT & ABILITIES

18. How do they feel about the work they do? As the Warrior of Light they're tasked with quite a lot of violence, is it something that comes naturally to them or do they resist it? Are they merciless, do they try to spare as many lives as they can, or do they fall somewhere in between?

19. While many fights are dramatic or have high stakes, are there any especially memorable or difficult fights they encountered? Outside scripted battles, were there conflicts that you thought felt better if they were tweaked for narrative or lore-based reasons, ie their first time fighting a primal? Or perhaps a more meta "You the player had a hard time so it translated into headcanon for them".

20. Are there any unique abilities that they possess outside of what's in-game? Are they actually a dragon, or do they see visions of the future? Or, is there a special way that their Echo manifests?

21. Jobs! What job is your character and why is that the route they chose? Is your WoL a Jack-of-all-Trades, or just have one (or a few) specialties? Did they start with one job and change to another? Have you 'homebrewed' their job at all, adding any unique twists or details to it?

----------------------- RELATIONSHIPS & THE WORLD

22. What are their feelings on the Scions? Who are some of their closest allies and dearest friends? Are they more of a loner, or closer to people outside the Scions? Have they kindled any romances or partnerships?

23. How do they feel about getting pulled into politics? Are they adept at navigating political intricacies, or does it go over their head? Do they appreciate getting asked to do more than punch their enemies, or would they really rather just punch their enemies? Are there any areas they like to be particularly involved in?

24. How do they feel about Hydaelyn? What was their perception of the Mothercrystal in the beginning, and how did that change by the end, if at all?

25. Do they have any particular enemies that stand out to them? Someone who inspired a lasting grudge? Our beloved and beloathed antagonists give us plenty of reasons to despise them, but are there any that particularly rubbed your WoL the wrong way? On the other hand, are there villains they can't help but sympathize with, even if it's at odds with the narrative or their allies?

26. What are their thoughts on the Ancients, their way of life, and the world they lived in? Did they sympathize at all with the Ascians, or did learning the truth not influence them in that way?

27. How well known are they? Does everyone know their name as the Warrior of Light, or have they managed to maintain some level of anonymity? Do they prefer it that way, and do they have any struggles resulting from it? (Getting stopped on street corners VS awkwardly avoiding questions.)

----------------------- WHAT'S NEXT

28. What's something they look forward to? Exploring the stars, more of a place we've already been, or somewhere we haven't? Or do they look forward to retirement, starting a business with their craft of choice, or any other little old thing?

29. How do they feel heading into Dawntrail? Excited? Exhausted? What do they think of the promises of adventure to come, and their role to play? If you're using a new character, do you have any idea how they'll end up on this path, and where is their headspace starting out?

30. What are they going to be doing while waiting for the ship to Tural?

[skalidris]

recently i read an exarc article about european medieval spinning that i am still mad about for various reasons but one of them was calling suspended spindles (like, with a hook and a whorl and a shaft, so they swing in the air) 'modern'

... i found one in the met from thebes that cannot be later than 7th century

[scalochac]

Posted @withregram • @cockatrice.magazine Some previews from the next issue of Cockatrice, Lochac's arts+sciences journal. Available free from February 1st at cockatrice.lochac.sca.org. #mysca #artsandcrafts #artsandscience #making #learning #medieval #exarc #lochac #losttrades #lostarts #reenactment #darkages #vikings #costume #textiles #woodworking #metalwork #cooking #fibreart https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ppPJKnCtu/?igshid=zh9a8tupgiob

[thearchaeologiststeacup]

Upcoming online event! . Next weekend it's the European Archaeology Days, and to celebrate both them and the release of our twentieth #FinallyFriday podcast episode, I'll be going live with my fellow host Phoebe Baker on Sunday afternoon (4pm CEST) to talk about all things archaeology. We'll be discussing the topics of all the episodes so far, as well as chatting about our own thoughts and experiences as archaeologists. If you have any burning questions left unanswered after having listened to the podcast episodes, or just fancy listening in, you can join our live chat on Instagram and Facebook. . For those who can't make it that day, the recording will also be released as a podcast episode. But hopefully we'll see you there! . #EuropeanArchaeologyDays #EXARC #experimentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeologist #archaeologylife #podcast #LiveEvent #scicomm #ScienceCommunication https://www.instagram.com/p/CetKAgrLJZK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dawntread]

i was going to make a collection of responses to some of the tags i've gotten but then i wrote a whole damn essay about your tags so whoops! it needs its own post! anyway!

#I am wondering how their relationship is atp? bc im pretty sure they are together right? but I'm not sure when it happens but still this one #hurts so much. I'm just like. maybe. famously (for myself) known to adore in from the cold content.#I adored it when I played (hating zenos) and I adore it even more now (?? whatever I feel abt zenos now idk LMAO) #but my fav thing abt it is seeing ppl's special view and hcs abt it and let me tell you when I saw this and the text bellow the cut #i jumped from my seat like I just saw some feast#i still need to read ur paralells post but from this alone I'm already just SO into the idea #i love just the idea of how kind raha is but that genuinely makes us forget sometimes just how insane he is #like power wise but also just such a crazy little cat. I always love body autonomy discussion around this quest #but funny how my brain works bc im wolcred pilled I always imagined his reaction to it (for the same reason) #but now seeing graha and the whole mention of the exarch summoning them like. insane to me.

to answer your question about their relationship: it's complicated! even in my head i've been skirting around the question of "okay, but when do they kiss" not least because just about every relationship i write has my aromantic hands all over it. meaning there's rarely a linear progression to When Things Happen and the heteronormative/amatonormative Relationship Milestones are out of order, remixed, or just not even there. which is a really pretentious way of saying that typically speaking i intentionally don't write normative romantic relationships. it's all weird!

all of that to say, yroh'a and g'raha are romantically involved at some point. maybe even in this photoset. because what constitutes "romantically involved" is subjective and there's no clear boundaries to anything. but, of course, i'm still not answering the question of what they are like, at this point. to answer that though, we'll have to scroll back to 5.0.

yroh'a did not put it together right away that the crystal exarch and g'raha were one in the same (what with alternate universes and all, it made complete sense to her that the crystal tower in the first wasn't the same as the one in the source, therefore it also made sense, even if it was disappointing, that g'raha was absent). however, she did put two and two together before The Reveal - when exactly that happened, i'll have to replay SHB to answer properly.

the point is, she was slow to trust the exarch purely on the basis that, although it was accidental, he pulled most of her friends from the source and into the first and endangered them and the source by doing so. and it makes her nervous, that all of that was done for her specifically. there's really only one other person who has gone to such extreme lengths to get her to do what they want (and this is why i said IFTC is as much about the exarch as it is about zenos)

but it didn't take long for the exarch to earn it back. even putting aside the implacable deja vu, he proved himself to not even be in the same category as zenos. and as more is revealed, it makes sense to her why she was singled out. urianger's vision also does a lot to placate yroh'a's suspicions.

even when the light corruption becomes more noticeable, and yroh'a realizes that there's more risk than she thought, she's very willing to accept it and doesn't put the blame on the exarch. because, truthfully, if she knew from the beginning it wouldn't have changed anything. there might've been more resentment and initial reticence, she still would do it. what is the worth of her single life (her life that she already, for those paying attention, doesn't think is worth much if anything) against the lives and happiness of two worlds?

and then she puts two and two together that the exarch is g'raha, and then the exarch reveals his plan all along was to use yroh'a as the Container for all of the lightwardens and then, just as it became too much for her to hold, he'd take all of it until himself and travel into the rift to die. aka, that insane catboy was planning this entire time to kill himself so that she, the first, and the source would live. and even 100 years or so to make this plan and then put it into action, he never changed his mind. and we can and should argue that this is part of the enduring themes of the WoL as a Weapon or Tool, that this is because the WoL is unique in their capabilities to be atlas, and it isn't just enough to save the first and the source, the WoL has to live too. and, i think it is also that g'raha did not want to lose them. he saw what a world without his dear friend looks like. that is not a future he wants to see come to fruition.

so, anyway, to make a long story short: g'raha trying to sacrifice himself so that yroh'a would live kind of explodes all that self-worth shit to smithereens. it still endures after, obviously, but it's - how can yroh'a try to genuinely argue she doesn't mean anything and has no worth without it being a massive slap in the face to everything the exarch/g'raha did so that she could live.

and the other consequence of that is: if the exarch put that much faith in them, trusted them that much, and would go that far out of faith for them? yroh'a has to return that. they have to. so what went from a tense, strained, and wary relationship goes very quickly to absolute, unconditional trust. because they demonstrated to the other that they were more than worth it.

so! finally! we come back to IFTC, and why this is about the exarch and it's about zenos. because the lead up to SHB was genuinely the worst time for yroh'a mentally since the bloody banquet/haurchefant's death. in a way, it was even worse, because the supports they had last time were taken too. it's also in the wake of a period of upward growth where she was genuinely starting to feel okay. it also comes on the heels of zenos.

you'd think fighting gods would've scared the pants off of yroh'a, or dying in prae and getting revived by Actual God, and, like, it did, she's been scared before. but zenos not only went to lengths never foreseen, he did it only for her. to fight her. because he projected all of his feelings about the world onto her. he could see no worth in it, feel no excitement or drive, except for her. and being on the receiving end of that kind of single-minded, reciprocated obsession is horrifying in a way that nothing else was.

the exarch also went to great lengths to summon yroh'a to the first for his own ends. much different and more morally sympathetic ends, but his own ends nonetheless. and in the process, like zenos, people very nearly got hurt. she got hurt. the exarch almost stealing her to the first at the wrong time actually nearly killed her.

it was also done because the exarch was looking for his memories of who yroh'a was from that summer in mor dhona, which - while yroh'a did relax her WoL mask a little, it didn't completely come off, not to mention she was a very different person then versus now - and he was looking for the WoL as remembered in legend and folklore in a nearly-dead, forsaken world (the eighth umbral calamity timeline). at first, at least, it was about Yroh'a The Representation and not yroh'a, the breathing living person he actually summoned.

except, the difference between zenos and the exarch is that the exarch did see the person. if it was just about Yroh'a, The Warrior of Light, his sacrifice would not have been so personal. and the exarch regrets the collateral damage of his summoning. and he will see to it that she has a happy ending to this story even if it costs him his life.

BUT!!!!!! trauma is not a simple or rational thing and IFTC hits the particular button combo of bodily autonomy (almost turning into a lightwarden, and zenos' bodynapping and nearly hurting her friends), agency and lack thereof (zenos' continued efforts to provoke yroh'a into fighting him and taking on his perspective; the exarch summoning her to the first and using deception to get her cooperation/not telling her or anyone else except urianger the full story, even if it was ultimately to save her), and feeling that she is ultimately only worth what people Want to see in her, not who she is (zenos projecting All of That onto her; everything i said two paragraphs ago about the exarch; the whole fucking plot up until now)

it isn' that IFTC actually damages yroh'a's trust in g'raha. far from it. g'raha was the first person to realize that "yroh'a" was not yroh'a. furthermore, if there's anyone who she thinks would genuinely stand a chance against stopping or at least *stalling* zenos, it'd be g'raha. but what it does is bring up a lot that has largely gone unspoken or left in the margins. and so that makes it hard to accept comfort from anyone, including g'raha. but it also means that g'raha likely understands more than anyone else how this is affecting her. which, because yroh'a is yroh'a, that isn't reassuring. it makes it harder, actually.

never again shall i know a body that was only my body. this body has born monsters.

— VIERAPRIL, DAY 8: Weakness

(CW: brief discussion of SA under the cut)

caption was gonna be longer but then i couldn't find a way to explain everything that's going on here and in the caption in a way that made a whole lot of sense but, like, yes this is "in from the cold" angst because how could i not but this is also light corruption angst. because the body musical chairs and nearly turning into an uncontrollable monster are very similar traumas and kind of compound each other. because if a game has stuff about bodily agency (possession, bodynapping, etc.) then not only will i absolutely take advantage of its presence, i will also do a sexual violence/abuse metaphor about it if it makes sense to do so. which i have a hard time thinking of "in from the cold" as anything but because it is very hard for me to not see zenos and my wol as anything other than "stalker guy who will absolutely not take the hint that his enemy (love interest) isn't into him and doesn't want to rip out his throat and dig around in his intestines (have sex with him), and so will go to increasing lengths to pressure them into doing what he wants them to because he will not take no for an answer" i totally respect other readings it just does not work with My Guy in particular because there is no universe out there where she was anything other than deeply honestly terrified of him.

but this isn't just about zenos and the bodynapping, this is also about the light corruption, and so this is also about g'raha. to be clear, g'raha is absolutely Not Like That. and, as i talked about in my crystal exarch/hydaelyn parallels post: the exarch is kind of the instrument for the wol going through ARR 2: electric boogaloo, but with eating lightwardens instead of killing gods and collecting crystals. and if the g'raha to crystal exarch transition is a form of apotheosis, the wol being brought to the first because someone needs to hold all the corrupted light (until the exarch can take it upon himself and hop into the rift and go die) is like, jesus christ, or whatever /lh.

all of that to say is that although it is done with the aim of saving her life, the exarch is part of a process where yroh'a nearly loses all of herself to this Thing that's been growing in and through her. because his plan doesn't go through.

so anyway. that's why g'raha is here in this scene rather than someone like thancred who has a bit more experience with the possession stuff (and killing someone you care about while going through that, too). because it's about him as much as it's about zenos and he knows that.

throws up hands. anyway. go my scarabs.

[dellebecque]

A new chapter of Fragments of Time is available!

As the time for crossing draws near G'raha receives the third needful thing. 

Check it out on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19982245/chapters/73352736

And if you like what you read, consider dropping me a ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/stormcalled

[linelpisffxiv]

Tomorrow and Tomorrow: Part 11 (He is Darkness)

I’m very writing this shit out of order based on where my inspiration strikes, but here, have the expanded version of the ending. Once called “Three kisses” for the fact that at three points I said “There’s a kiss here” but there’s... many more than three now. Plus a bunch of other teeth-rotting fluff.

He can’t help himself. His name on her lips, relief in her crimson eyes. G’raha’s eyes fill with tears. He tries to look away, but just rubs one eye free. “Tis good to be awa—”

Before he can finish, Lin rushes the few yalms between them, her arms wrap around his chest, and lips cover his. The kiss in Kholusia had been something that he had hoped, at the time, to not be repeated, but now, he’s happy that it has. His hopes are for more. More kisses, more words like what she’s just said.

G’raha lets one of his hands find her ear, rubbing the place where it meets her head. He can almost feel her purr against his lips.

“A-hem.”

Alphinaud’s voice. He had forgotten, in the moment, that Lin is not alone.

“I am quite pleased as well that you survived whatever Emet-Selch threw at you, but this is no time for distractions. We are still malms from the coast, and must needs find a way to return.”

Alisaie laughs. “Please, it’s not that far of a swim, I bet. Assuming the current works with us, I’m sure we can reach Kholusia in a bell or two.”

“Swim?”

“Whilst I like not such an idea, I see we have little choice. Who knows whenforth the sea will swallow this platform again?”

Lin pulls away, her hand sliding along his back until it reaches the level of his crystal one. Her fingers lace with his. “Urianger makes a good point. We should swim, if only for the reason we don’t have a choice.” She smiles and looks to him. “You can swim right?”

G’raha nods his head. “I haven’t done it in a few epochs, but I doubt I could forget. It’s like firing a bow, no?”

“We’ll test that later,” she says. She pecks his nose before she lets go of her hand. “Ah, which way is east?”

Ryne pulls out a compass and gives her the direction.

Lin jumps in the water with a dive like a dolphin. “It’s cold,” she says. “But I bet we’ll warm up soon enough.”

Alisaie and Thancred jump in after her. Ryne joins soon enough.

Y’shtola pushes Urianger in, and G’raha jumps in after. The salt of the ocean bites at his wounds, but there’s little he can do about that.

“Let’s race!” Lin says once they are all in. She pushes herself back and starts swimming. “Last one there’s a dodo egg!”

With a quick turn, she’s off.

He hasn’t seen her so happy since… well, since he locked himself in the tower all those years ago. Even when she started to find herself again, she was lost.

Despite Alisaie’s hopes, it feels like it takes more than a few hours. There was a long fight with most of them, and he may have slept to some degree, but it was not restful, and he’s still exhausted.

However, he’s fourth to shore, after Lin herself and the twins. He can hear shouts, cheers.

All the people who helped them with the large talos are there, pleased they’re all safe. Even him.

He barely stands up before Lin picks him up as if he’s nothing. “Don’t need to run from this place any time soon. And if they’re watching, might as well give a show.”

G’raha begins the kiss that time, nibbling her lip. His toes find the ground below him, but he needs to rely on Lin for the support.

While she seems to have had all the struggles of Ishgard, Dravania, Gyr Abania, and Doma washed away, G’raha realized he feels as young as her. He had given in to all the loss time had forced upon him, but now he was a hopeful twenty-something again. Wanting the Tower to be a beacon of hope — knowing it had done just that, in at least one world.

Lin guides him deeper, and while he hears mentions of potential celebrations and rest, moving can wait. He felt lost when he noticed the sparks of infatuation form again. G’raha felt too old for her, no matter her own weariness. Yet after all this, she returns that affection. For all his plans, he lives, lives to see a clear sky over Kholusia. Daytime, but so different from the Everlasting Light which plagued them.

Graha curls a strand of her hair around his fingers. He can hear the Scions around them talk about their safety. The Chais and the other Eulmorans gush over the sky or the saviors. He hadn’t expected he would end up as one of the Warriors of Darkness, once everyone started using that term for whoever brought about the change in the sky. But it fits him. He wanted to stand tall like Lin, and here he was sharing this new title with her.

“Are you hungry?” someone shouts. “Need to dry up? We can get you all back to the Crystarium once we clean up one of the airships.”

“Yes please,” Y’shtola says. “That would be much appreciated.”

Lin pulls away. “Food? I feel like I haven’t eaten in a long time, as if I was subsisting on the corrupted aether within me. And you?”

He nods his head, food would be delightful.

Together, they walk to the shipyard, and let the celebration commence.

They spend several bells in Eulmore. It is more than what was offered on the shores. When food is mentioned, G’raha expects a light snack, and just enough time to dry from bells of swimming.

Instead, they stay through the sunset, every fine food and drink given freely. He has to reject wines older than him and meads made of the finest honey more than once. Lin smiles and feeds him the various sweets she’s been given, refusing to leave his side since their clothes dried. 

The looks as the sky darkens are the same as he saw in the Crystarium. Wonder, beauty. A promise that the world’s end has been forestalled.

With that promise fulfilled, someone ushers them to one of Vauthry’s old airships and flies across the Divide to the Crystarium.

He fidgets and starts to cover his face with his hood as they draw near.

Lin stops him. ‘Don’t. Please. I always had a suspicion you were a Myst— Miqo’te. I understand why you hid the truth from me, and perhaps the Scions, but never your people.”

“Some of the oldest inhabitants know,” he says. “I began to feel old, disgusted that I stayed so young, so I dressed in ancient styles and hid my face. If any of them told stories of the young Exarch and his face, it never reached my ears.”

“Nor mine,” she says. “I would have known the truth sooner had someone mentioned your hair and eyes.”

Very well. Perhaps it is time to let the Exarch’s face be known again. He seeks Lin’s hand as they walk along the Launch together, leading the Scions.

No one blinks at the truth. He is just as welcome as the others, perhaps more.

Someone starts cheering for all of them, and he finds himself at another impromptu celebration.

Everyone ends up at the Wandering Stair, and he starts to notice more than the people of the Crystarium arrived. Mord and Miners from Ahm Areng, the Night’s Blessed, even some Fae and another airship’s worth of Eulmorans, eager to continue the celebration here.

The Scions spread around with those they’ve gotten to know, but Lin stays by his side.

A’lin smiles at him and her hands hold his. After some time, she speaks up. “Dance with me, Raha.”

“Dance?” G’raha isn’t one to say no, but hearing his name on her lips makes his heart flutter. And dancing with her. That was not something he ever hoped for. Too much focus on the mission. But with everything in the past, perhaps he could.

“Please, I think it is quite obvious where our hearts belong. I know at least a few people who already asked when our marriage would be. I have no plans for going so far yet, but I think we should dance.”

“It has been years since I last danced, let alone with a partner.”

Lin pulls him close. She holds one of his hands away from their bodies, while the other rests on her back. “I’ll lead then, if you are so nervous.”

His hand goes to her shoulder as she listens to the music, finds the right point, and starts. It’s not quite a formal waltz like their position would indicate, but she had structure in her mind.

She modifies steps and while she leads, it’s backwards. “I must keep saying it, but I was so glad to see you safe back then. I was scared he kept you in some other lair, far from the places he let me wander.”

“Tis true, I suppose. I was in that building. The one he set up that illusion of destruction in. He had me restrained. Tried to use sweet words, but I tried to escape. Then he wanted to break my spirit so I would tell him how I breached the gap between the source and a shard, travelled through time. While there was a clear decision to not kill me, he made it clear that anything non-life threatening would be an acceptable way to make me share.” He continues to tell her everything. From his own journey through the recollections of an ancient, to what he saw when he reached the end of the path laid forward. “Most of the wounds came from that. Though the one on my cheek was his doing.”

She kisses the barest hint of a scar that remains. It will be gone in the morning. “What did he—?”

“Threatened to remove my eye. Since he claimed I had no right to have two scarlet eyes.”

“You’re safe and mostly unharmed. A calamity has been forestalled, hopefully even fully stopped, and I am not going to be its harbinger. Everything that matters is safe.” She laughs. “Thing, I say, In truth, I speak of a person. At least first and foremost. Though he doesn’t know it, I have every reason to kiss him agai—”

He saves her the trouble of what she plans. Pressing his lips against hers. Far from the first time that day, but it had been a few too many bells since the last. With time, the need will fall, but he’s resisted every chance he had the past two months as he fell in love with her a third time. Her fingers tug at his braid as she responds in kind.

How long has she loved him? If he’s honest, the absolute latest was the last time they were in the Wandering Stair together, when she and another bounty hunter celebrated a victory. What he once thought of as drink must have just been truth.

Lin never leaves his side. She orders him the tea from before when she gets thirsty. Two pints. She dances to more songs with him. Once on a table as she sings and plays along. He joins his voice with hers.

As the celebration draws to a close, he watches how Lin can hardly keep her eyes open, even with her own tail still swishing from the excitement of the night. None of the Scions remain. They are the ones who close the event.

“I should probably sleep for a day or two now,” she says. “I deserve it.”

G’raha nods his head. “You do indeed. If you need help, I will be glad to lead you back to your room in the Pendants.”

She frowns at that. “Where do you sleep, G’raha?” She chuckles. “And don’t say you don’t. I’ve seen you do it. Clearly there are times you at least can choose to, even if you don’t need to.”

How can he deny Lin an answer to that question. After everything, she deserves every answer. “While you are right in that I normally have no need for rest, after stronger Sin Eater attacks, or times I was needed elsewhere, I generally lose myself in the Umbilicus. I lack a proper bed, but there is a mattress and quilt I use. It is rare I need even that, so I generally have them rolled tight between two tables.” And behind several piles of books.

She nods. “Twould make sense. Didn’t see one there when I went in, and echoed you planning to kill yourself with Urianger.”

Oh, so she had seen that moment. While he suspected in the event of his death, if she went there, her echo would share a memory of him, but he expected some other memory. Any other memory. Something about how he learned his summoning spell, perhaps.

“Can we unroll them?” She gives a wide smile. “You need to balance yourself with the tower or something, and I don’t want to leave you. Not tonight. Not when I thought I could have lost you right after I could love again. Love you for the first time.” He sees her eyes water.

He takes one of her hands with his left hand, and uses the right to dry the tears. “I must warn you it is not large, and as I said, I only have mattress, not a bed. However, it is one you can lose yourself in with how soft it is.”

He pulls her through the gates. Even if she knows the path to the tower, the steps up to the Ocular, and even the spot where the Umbilicus is, there’s a surge of youth. Even sleeping by her side is playfully intimate.

Lin teases him while he tries to find put the books aside and pull the mattress from his spot. He hadn’t needed it in years, not since he summoned Urianger and Y’shtola almost at once. She undoes her jacket and trousers, revealing her smallclothes underneath. Along with two very notable scars along her back. A star-shaped scar, easily ten points on it, on her left shoulder, and a long scratch on her right side, from some beast. A behemoth perhaps, or a dragon.

The last time this had happened, he was too caught up with everything that he had to look away. This time, despite her sleepy demeanor, she fakes the shyness from the last time they were in such a situation. Lets him watch as she looks over her shoulder.

Nothing more than sleep is in his plan. Not yet. Sleep, snuggling, and kisses.

“You got anything under those robes, Raha?”

He undoes the sashes, and takes off the chiton. There’s only a pair of loose-fitting cloth smallclothes that fall to his knees. A hint of modesty. Sharing his chest, as covered with crystal on the right side as the matching arm, is quite intimate. Even were he alone, he rarely spends long in such a state of undress. “This is all for now.”

She miles as she studies him. She traces the line between crystal and flesh. “I need not more tonight. We have all the time in Norvrandt ahead of us."

G’raha pulls her close, kisses her nose. “Now we should sleep.”

It’s quite tight on the bed, even with her arms wrapped around his chest, but they fit all the same. Sleep comes to Lin easy, her breath fluttering against his jaw and shoulder. Her tail twines itself around his, sleep making every part of him hers, as if she needed to do any more than ask for him to give this to her. Her leg extends past his, her feet leaving a small opening in the quilt. A bit of a chill enters, but it’s as welcome.

Sleep comes harder for him, but that has been the case for a long time, but once he finds the rest, for the first time since he locked himself in the Tower, he does not have memories, but dreams.

When he wakes up, Lin is still in his arms. Her eyes are open sooner than his, though still heavy with sleep.

“Morning,” she says. She curls a finger in his hair, kisses his nose.

“And good morning to you as well,” he says. “Assuming it is, of course.”

She shrugs. “Whatever time it is, it’s good to see you awake again, Raha.”

“And as before, Tis most good to be awake. I suppose we should get dressed and find out how long we slept.”

It’s with reluctance that he frees her from the embrace he had in his sleep.

“You were most right, by the way,” She says as she stands up. “You have a mattress that is most easy to sink into. However long it was, it was the best rest I had in months. And I don’t think it was the company alone who allowed it.”

He watches her as she gets dressed. The color of her skin seems just as rich as it was when she came, the pallor he saw before Kholusia gone. It must have been the light.

“Epochs for me,” he says. “But I must say in my case it’s a combination of no longer worrying about the threat of a large scale attack and a partner who makes me feel as young as my body looks.”

She chuckles to herself as she buttons up her jacket. “You mean a partner that reminds you that your heart needn’t age with the mind, Raha. I can hardly imagine what you went through. Not the Eighth Umbral Era. Not a century of constant attacks and aging faces. But if you need someone, know that you can always call on me.”

He smiles. “I shall have to remember that, now, breakfast?”

“Only if you eat.”

When they go to the markets for some fruit, it turns out Lin managed her wish of sleeping for over a day. They had missed the first sunrise all of Norvrandt shared. And the second, though that one by half a bell.

After their wanderings around the Crystarium, he sighs. “I suppose I should send you back now.”

“I’ll return,” she says. “My aether may have a trail back to the source, but I know I can follow it back here should Norvrandt need me. Or should I wish to return. I would like to say goodbye to everyone for now.”

He nods his head. “Of course.” It would give him a chance to apologize to the Scions as well.

While the gathering starts with all of them talking about the celebrations from their eyes, it turns to him, and he talks about what he planned, and his guilt. It’s surprising what each has to say. Not now. Not without a farewell. They have all made connections and while it is not their home, they would rather know in advance what would come.

With a warning to summon A’lin to the Ocular (and only A’lin, and no lakes), they leave.

“My turn now, I suppose,” she says. “Though I shall be heading the other direction.”

He nods his head. “While I said that time was near equivalent when you returned, a day in, I saw it contract. I know you have been here two moons, but on, perhaps two weeks must have passed on the Source.”

She shakes her head. “I had feared such would be the case. While it means the war would not have gotten too far without me, I would rather be by your side, whenever I can manage.”

“I will be honored to have the Warrior of Darkness assist in the reconstruction efforts.” G’raha walks to the portal and opens it for her. He offers her a hand up the step.

Lin takes the hand, but once she’s on the platform, she kisses him. “The reconstruction efforts are nice, but I’ll be Lin of the Dusk for that, not the Warrior of Darkness. That isn’t my reason.”

He pretends he doesn’t understand the implication. “Of course, the Scions. You want to give status reports on them to those on the sour—”

She kisses him. Soft, hardly against his lips. “Them too, but I also want to check on you. Remember, I’ll always be here to listen.”

She pulls away. “I’ll see you soon, I promise, G’raha.” Lin steps through the portal. He reaches out, only for it to remain a mirror for him.

Soon will come. The world has had its first sunrises and sunsets, in a century but there is more to come in the future. He’ll make sure of it.

[nature-played-a-trick-on-me]

*heavy breathing*

Kind of want to see if I can find an affordable clasped spindle I could maybe ask for my bday after I saw a mesmerising demonstration of a clasped spindle + distaff.......

[xionbooty]

Winnipeg Ai-kon 2017 - Voltron Legendary Defender! (more pics here!!!)

LOOK AT ME AND MY RAD CREW!! Me as Allura, @idrawtoomuch​ as Shiro, and @ex-arcs​ as Pidge!! Joy (ex-arcs) did a fantastic job on my Allura dress while I and Kasey (Shiro) worked on both armours (for the first time!!) and we’re sooo so frickin’ proud of how everything turned out (despite not finishing until the day OF the con LOL). 

So here are most of the voltron pics I took at the con~ All of us are just a bunch of memers omg

Allura - me | Paladin Shiro - @idrawtoomuch​ | Paladin Pidge - @ex-arcs​ Paladin Keith - sashafae04 on insta Casual Lance - @shuckedfaceshank​ + their insta Pajama Lance - caseychristine on insta Casual Keith - kitcatkitty20 on insta Casual Shiro - universalblips on insta

[kepesktribe]

Happy Valentione's day part 1

In order:

Ziven, Sasaraka, Janlenoux, Darceloix (enjoying chocolate from his roommate on duty), Kiet, Irisvir (sharing with Exarc <3), and female Sybil. Bonus Sybil looking snazzy in the new map top.

[auressea]

@dubiousculturalartifact

[the-nettle-knight]

Have you seen the big carding/threshing frames? They're really cool! I probably know about as much as you but I'd really recommend that you check out EXARC (the journal of experimental archaeology). It's got lots of papers that are totally free to read online! They've even got a podcast!

Are you still looking for information on flax processing?

Sure! I more or less know the process (I've read about it and seen videos) but I can always learn something new :)