#Thornwood Falls

[madcat-world]

Tales of Middle Earth works: Thornwood Falls (1 of 3) - YigitKoroglu

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Thornwood Falls

Deep in Eldraine's wilds, strange eyelike appendages twined among the vines and faerie lights.

Artist: Roman Kuteynikov TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[violetasteracademic]

Velaris Memorial Hospital

A Grey's Anatomy x TTPD inspired Three Brothers and Three Sisters Three Part Fanfiction

Hey. Life is horrible and scary. I want to share a teaser for a project I have been pouring my heart and soul into that I hope some of you might find some joy and reprieve in.

These stories are tightly woven together and designed to be read in order. Fesyand, Nessian, and Elriel's journey's will be posted individually and chronologically, and occur on an overlapping but staggered timeline. However, there are incredibly heavy themes and topics that may not be suitable for all readers. I will do my best to ensure each individual story can be enjoyed on its own if there are topics you would rather avoid. Please read the content warning for all three stories and take care of yourself first. This collection is coming soon if I can pull myself out of this black hole, but here is a synopsis of each story ahead!

Part One:

Feyre Archeron is an art therapist for the children's cancer wing at Velaris Memorial Hospital. After leaving her abusive fiancé and moving back in with her sisters, her plans to heal and move on with peace and privacy go up in flames when women begin to come forward with sexual harassment allegations against her ex, Tamlin Thornwood.

If she doesn't come forward with her own story of abuse and testify against the man who harmed her and so many other women, he stands a chance at winning his countersuit for defamation and wrongful termination. Terrified of what her patient's families will think of her if they find out the truth, struggling to forgive herself, and suprised to be falling for the absolute wrong man, Feyre has to dig deeper than she ever has before to find her strength.

Rhysand Noctis is the owner and CEO of Eventide Enterprises. After losing his mother to cancer, he has felt adrift. No amount of money and acclaim has been able to give him the sense of home and belonging he has lost.

When an old family rival, Tamlin Thornwood, is tangled up in a scandal and lawsuits, Rhysand learns that Velaris Memorial Hospital is in trouble. The only non-profit hospital in Velaris and the place that cared for his mother has lost all of their donors and board members. Rhys decides to purchase the hospital and dedicate his time to restoring its reputation and making it a safe place for women and the community of Velaris to work and receive affordable care.

A chance encounter sends Feyre and Rhys colliding towards each other before they realize how inextricably their personal and professional lives are already intertwined.

CW: Domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, child death, trauma, mental health, explicit sexual content.

*Additional note: I don't typically like to use the term "anti" in this fandom, but it is best to be exceptionally clear that this is an abundantly anti-Tamlin piece. If seeing this character portrayed as a serial abuser makes you feel upset or uncomfortable in any way, please protect yourself (and me) by skipping this one.

Part Two:

Nesta Archeron doesn't need anyone to take care of her. After losing both her parents at age eighteen and becoming legal guardian to her two younger sisters, she gave up her dreams of going to law school and worked her way up from from an assistant with nothing more than a high school diploma and unmatched grit to become the head of public relations at Velaris Memorial Hospital.

When her younger sisters ex-fiancé scandalizes the hospital and leaves them without funding or a board of directors, she has to work closely with the new ownership, Eventide Enterprises, to save the hospital and prevent it from becoming for-profit like SkyView, their rival hospital in the financial district. She has full confidence in herself and her plan. However, Eris Vanserra, the head of PR and legacy staff at SkyView, is out for blood after Nesta won over the youngest Vanserra to Velaris Memorial and got an op ed published on the negative outcomes associated with for-profit care. That, and she now has to answer to Cassian- a man she has already sworn to hate before learning who he was, and is making her job- and life- an absolute pain in the ass.

Cassian is the lead financial strategist and project manager after Eventide Enterprises purchased Velaris Memorial Hospital. After having to drop out of college before sophomore year to deal with the death of his mother, he struggles to overcome the chip on his shoulder being in an industry where name, money, and education is everything. Restoring the reputation and the financial security of Velaris Memorial Hospital is not only personal, but professionally the largest responsibility he has had in his career thus far. Everything is on the line.

Complicating matters is his reliance on Nesta Archeron, the steely and fiery PR director working side by side with him to ensure the Starfall Ball is a massive success and wins back the hospitals donors. There is no denying that the difficulty maintaining their professional lines is fueled by both hate and attraction. But as they continue to work closely together, the layers peel back and they learn that they have more in common than they thought. Family secrets, generational trauma, and their deepest shames are somehow safe in each other's hands. However, lines are crossed that might be impossible to come back from.

CW: Extortion, blackmail, discussions of suicide, trauma, mental health, explicit sexual content.

Part Three:

Elain Archeron has always strived for perfection. After competing in pageants her entire childhood and teen years, she shocked everyone by using her scholarship to relentlessly pursue a career in the medical field as a labor and delivery nurse instead of fulfilling her mothers dream to go on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.

She spent her early twenties working instead of dating, but her plan to get married and start a family is back on track now that has the "perfect" fiancé, Graysen Nolan.

However- the grueling hours, cracks in her relationship, and anxiety over what her life will look like when she becomes a Nolan begins to sink in. It's not easy for Elain to change her plans or take a leap, but when a tragic accident sends her life into a tailspin, she is forced to pick apart the shattered pieces of her soul and learn what unrealized dreams are truly hers and what belongs to the ghosts of her past.

Azriel Singer is an award winning photojournalist who has spent his life travelling the world. He has lived for the thrill of never knowing what comes next, being on the front lines of danger and history in the making. He is used to going to sleep in one city and waking up with a contract on the other side of the world, not knowing if he'll be headed into a war zone or march for justice.

When his brother Rhysand hires him for a six month corporate contract as the photographer on retainer for Velaris Memorial Hospital as they rebuild their image, his path crosses with Elain Archeron. In so many ways, she is his opposite. She has always wanted to travel, but has never left Velaris. She has always wanted to start a family, a thought that has only ever given Azriel night sweats. And she is engaged.

Azriel and Elain wind up forming a deep friendship, creating bets with each other to help push them outside of their respective comfort zones. The more they get to know each other more deeply than anyone has before, the more they question who they are. No amount of planning and on-paper perfection could have prepared them for a connection that pushes them both beyond the narratives they've written for themselves before meeting someone who can challenge them in all the most terrifying and most fulfilling ways.

CW: Fertility issues, child abuse, infant death, parent death, medical trauma associated with car accidents, birth, and premature birth, explicit sexual content.

This is my first time writing modern AU and contemporary romance. Thank you so much to @nikachansstuff and @rosanna-writer for offering to beta!

I truly hope I do it justice. I also want to reiterate that these are dark and very emotionally heavy stories. The characters will be dealing with issues that are deeply personal to me. They will sometimes be hard to understand and harder to love.

While I am not a mental health professional, I am a huge mental health advocate and that will come through in a blend of my own personal experiences and research, but mental health is extremely personal and not one size fits all. Nothing should be taken as mental health advice. Please reach out for professional help if you need, and don't give up.

This is by far the most terrifying but meaningful work I have done, and I am scared shitless and deeply excited to share it with you. This will not be for everyone, but I hope it will find where it is meant to go.

[the-bi-library]

Happy February! Here are bisexual books out in February!

Books listed:

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson Mewing by Chloe Spencer Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair by Laura Piper Lee The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett You Had Me at Merlot by Melissa Brayden Sunbringer (Fallen Gods, #2) by Hannah Kaner Signals Volume 2 by Nika (can be read online on Tapas too) A Vicious Game (The Halfling Saga, #3) by Melissa Blair Breaks Volume 1 by Emma Vieceli, Malin Rydén Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean Letters to Her Love by Katherine Grant Projections by S.E. Porter Truthfully, Yours by Caden Armstrong Rupture in Total Eclipse (Sun & Moon Duet Book 2) by Sem Thornwood It's Ours to Write by Blanche Maze The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett Big Date Energy by Bethany Rutter Tune Me Up (Bisexual Sing Team Book 3) by Renée Dahlia Snowed In With Summer by Tiana Warner Witch Boyfriend Wanted by Colette Rivera The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat by Camille Gomera-Tavarez King Cheer (Arden High) by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Jamie Green Prove It by Stephanie Hoyt Falling For You by Mariah Ankenman Disciples of Chaos (Seven Faceless Saints, #2) by M.K. Lobb Wine Ghost Goes to Hell by Sage Coffey In Plain Sight: A Summit Springs Novel by Siobhan Muir Who We Are in Real Life by Victoria Koops Fathomfolk (Drowned World, #1) by Eliza Chan The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

Please me know if I missed any books 💖

[balkanradfem]

Tell me more about trees 🌳 💚

They're very warm inside, they like the wind a lot!

When trees fall, if there's a percentage of roots still in the ground, they're not dead, they can keep living. If in theory we had one giant human who just went around picking trees up and burying them back down, they would all recover and be fine. I was going to put that in my story when I wrote a continuation of Thornwood! I just think it would be very cool.

Some trees still go on living even when fallen down, they just adapt so their branches become the new trunk and they grow up form there.

The reason trees lose their leaves in the fall is related to the hours of light we have in the day, more so than the cold. Trees do a little calculation, and when there's less than ideal light in the day, they go 'well, this is not worth keeping leaves', and they let the leaves fall off, because it's not worth the effort for that little amount of light. Then in the spring, when they notice the light hours getting better, they start making new leaves, because now it's worth keeping all that greenery in order to receive nutrients! But trees are definitely not 'dead', or 'sleeping' during the winter, they're very much alive and calculating their next move. If you look at a tree in January or February, you'll be able to see them already forming lots of little buds and preparing to grow flowers, they're very much active! And I imagine they're enjoying how saturated the ground is with water, growing the roots down and taking in all they can.

If anyone can think of more tree knowledge on the spot, add to this post!

[ash-doll]

*a bit of dusting here, a bit of sweeping there*

*It scurries to and fro throughout the day without rest, the sound of its clockwork and clockwork alone echoing throughout the empty halls, nothing but the next task on its mind*

*The witch smiles a wry smile as she watches, enjoying her loyal doll busying herself*

*She thinks about how her doll came to be, not crafted the traditional way, but moulded and transformed*

*Ever since she was driven out of Thornwood she had been alone, forced to fend for herself, though in her travels she had found a ley line and settled down around it*

*By the first winter she had made a small cabin for herself, just enough to hide from the elements, though it wasn't particularly comfortable, with many shivering, lonely nights*

*By the next, she had created a veritable paradise- multiple rooms, thatch insulation to keep her warm, and most importantly of all, a proper workshop to practice, and all it cost was the remnants of her soul. A minor cost in the end-*

*Her lack of practice is what had gotten her into trouble in the first place after all, and now she could hone her craft- no more escaped dolls. No more improper dolls roaming in the streets late at night while she was sleeping. It took her a while to make the first. She was rather out of practice after all, but it still took nights upon nights of tinkering to get it to function perfectly until finally- a living thing was born.*

*Not in the biological sense, mind you, but in a philosophical sense. It can feel, it can think, it could converse, and it could make tea*

*How it loved tea. They all do*

*The witch laughed to herself, attracting the attention of the doll in front of her*

"Does Miss need anything from this one?"

"Did it do something errant"

Of course not dear

*The witch smiles gently*

Your work is exceptional as always~

I have just been thinking to myself, pay no mind to me

*The little doll makes a noise of delight, almost human-like in quality as she starts to sort through the witch's bookshelf, reordering them from the witch's late night frantic reading session trying to counteract a particularly overactive potion*

*The witch falls back into her thoughts as she sips on her tea*

*The next few dolls came easier than the first, now that her skills were in action again, and soon her halls and rooms were filled with the sounds of clockwork hearts and dolls scurrying to and fro, and for the longest time, she had peace*

*She sighs*

*But of course, as people tend to do, they stick their noses where they don't belong and meddle*

*A young girl stumbled across her manor late one night while the witch was out picking ingredients*

*The witch had errantly left their door open, after all, who would be out at 3am*

*Really anyone out at 3am had it coming*

*Someone who broke into her house would have it coming, especially if that person were to see all the dolls and the witch's face*

*Regrettable things happen when people are cornered*

*The witch frowns and looks down towards to the maid quarters*

*Another doll joined them that night...*

*But the witch didn't know that the girl wasn't alone, and soon enough, rumours spread*

*Naturally the girl was written off as crazy- there's no way that a witch would have an entire manor in the woods. People can't become dolls, what a silly girl*

*People aren't logical creatures however, and soon enough the legend spread throughout Thornwood*

*She eventually had to get used to visitors throughout the summer and fall months, mostly just bored kids, easily scared off with a little magic*

*Having a visitor during the winter months, that was strange, and the visitor was stranger still*

*The visitor, who's name the with has long since forgotten knew exactly what the witch was, and what she did, and she didn't care*

*She begged the witch to take her in, though not as an apprentice, but a doll*

*The witch, naturally, said no, but the visitor didn't leave.*

*She prostrated herself before the witch and begged again with tears in her eyes*

*The witch, though her heartstrings, which she had long since forgot she had, were pulled and compelled to grant her wish, but she denied once more*

*The visitor finally lifted up her shirt and showed off the scars that covered her back and arms, and regaled the witch with the story of her life and travels...and this time the witch agreed and brought her inside*

*The visitor followed her and hugged her close, sobbing into the witch's shoulder like an old friend, obediently following the witch's orders for the spell, assisting her in any way possible until finally…the tea was ready*

*As she raised the cup to her lips the witch grabbed her hand and stopped her, telling her exactly what would happen to her. Her organs would slow down and stop, choking her out as her body turned to porcelain, her blood boiling away in her veins until she was left as an empty hollow shell, forced to obey every word that came out of the witch's mouth, unable to feel properly ever again*

*As the witch finally finished the girl did nothing but smile, gulping down the liquid and taking the witch's hand, speaking a small thanks until she let out a small gasping sound*

*The witch looked at her with a small frown as her body stiffened up, her eyes becoming glazed and distant as the witch's sweet words echoed in her ears, coming up behind her and squeezing her shoulder. As the porcelain started spreading around her body, making her unable to move, the witch picked her up and held her close to her chest, stroking her cheek and giving her forehead a gentle kiss, whispering that she promised to never let any harm come to it again- a promise she intended to keep.*

*Throughout the next months, the doll worked diligently around the manor, working harder than any other doll to please its witch, making sure the halls of the manor were spotless, remembering the witch’s favourite books and meals, leaving them out for her, sometimes following her around like a lost dog*

*The witch doesn't mind however, she enjoyed the companionship, more than she ever imagined. Her heart had grown cold and pragmatic with the years, but the doll reminded her of a life she had long since left behind, a life with friends and family, a time where her work was appreciated by more than just her dolls*

*She began to let the doll into her life more and more, letting her dress her in the morning, make her bed at night, make her meals and tea, until eventually…she wasn't just a doll, but a partner. One day after the witch had a rather large glass of wine she grabbed the doll and brought it to bed with her, much to its flustered protests, snuggling her close and listening to the sound of its heart, falling asleep wrapped around her*

*This became a habit, with the witch falling asleep in her doll's embrace at night, the doll deactivating nestled close to its mistress, wrapped in each other's embrace, the witch falling asleep to the sound of her doll's clockwork heart…until one night it gently shook the witch back awake, speaking in a small, shy voice*

*It asked one simple request: to forget. Forget everything from before it had become a doll*

*The witch was shocked and taken aback, pulling the doll close to her and shaking her head, muttering some half-hearted excuse to why she could never*

*In truth she knew she could, she was just afraid of losing the companionship she had grown to love so dearly, but as she saw her doll look down as the doll's voicebox let out a faint mimicry of human sobs she hugged it close, giving it a gentle kiss and sobbing how she was so sorry as she muttered a small spell*

*The witch wipes away her tears as she turn to her doll, taking another sip of her tea*

*But she hadn't lost her, had she?*

*She still had her loyal, dedicated doll, one that she still cherished with all her heart*

Rose, love, come here

*The doll quickly comes over to her, standing in front of her, fidgeting*

“Did this one do something wrong?”

No, no, of course not

I just wish to inspect my handiwork, that's all

*The doll’s clockwork makes a small sound as doll makes a small flustered noise*

“of course not miss, it is just surprised at the suddenness of the order”

*She shrugs*

I have no control over the matters of my heart

*She reaches up and gently traces her hands down the doll's side, holding its hip for a moment before grabbing its hand and pulling it into her lap, causing it to let out a rapid series of flustered protests*

“This one protests and would like to emphasise the impropriety of this”

Are you questioning your witch?

*Its voicebox audibly skips*

“Of-of-of course not miss”

Good.

Now sit still

*She gives it a gentle kiss on its cheek as she nuzzles it, reaching into her bag and producing a small key*

“Yes miss”

*It continues to let out small noises as it holds still, idly tapping its hand on its thigh as it lets its witch do as she pleases*

*The witch stays nuzzled up to it for a while before gently lifting up the back of its uniform, caressing her hand down its back, eventually reaching the small of it and fingering over a small keyhole, stopping, placing the key inside*

Make sure not to squirm too much, I just have to make sure that you're still operating in peak efficiency

*She lies blatantly, knowing that Rose will squirm and make those adorable little noises. As the witch turns the key around the first rotation the doll twitches slightly and straightens up, though manages to keep itself silent, much to the witch’s surprise*

This one always manages to impress me~

*She giggles and kisses its cheek before quickly turning the key more, causing the doll to make many small noises of surprise and frustration, wriggling in its witches lap*

**But I can always be better~**

*She gives it one last kiss before patting its thigh*

Now run along~

*The doll quickly stands up, clockwork still skipping as it turns to face the witch, giving the witch its best attempt at an austere pout, though she just smiles and takes a sip of her tea, waving it off*

“This one requests that miss doesn't do that, it interferes with this one's thoughts”

Shame.

Now I ordered you to clean, not pout, didn't I?

“Yes miss, apologies miss”

*It hurries back over and grabs its broom, sweeping the floor quickly, though after a moment it stops and turns to the witch, speaking quietly*

“This one loves miss.”

*The witch blushes softly and quickly picks up her tea to cover her face, trying to maintain her image before just putting it down and smiling at Rose*

I love you too dear, always~

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💙💜💖 Bi Books Coming Out February 2024

💖💜💙 Do you know what we could always use a little more of? Bi books! Here are a few coming out in February that would make fabulous additions to your never-ending TBR! Happy reading!

💖 In Plain Sight by Siobhan Muir 💜 Big Date Energy by Bethany Rutter 💙 Wine Ghost Goes to Hell by Sage Coffey 💖 Disciples of Chaos by M.K. Lobb 💜 Who We Are in Real Life by Victoria Koops 💙 Rupture in Total Eclipse by Sem Thornwood 💖 King Cheer by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Jamie Green 💜 Master and Favorite by Rachel Cherry 💙 Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair by Laura Piper Lee 💖 A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair 💜 It's Ours to Write by Blanche Maze 💙 Projections by S.E. Porter 💖 The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat by Camille Gomera-Tavarez 💜 Witch Boyfriend Wanted by Colette Rivera 💙 Tune Me Up by Renée Dahlia 💖 Cloti's Song by Dani Finn 💜 Prove It by Stephanie Hoyt 💙 Mewing by Chloe Spencer 💖 Snowed In With Summer by Tiana Warner 💜 Green Dot by Madeline Gray 💙 Falling For You by Mariah Ankenman 💖 Breaks by Emma Vieceli, Malin Rydén 💜 Signals by Nika 💙 Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean 💖 Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner 💜 The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 💙 An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson 💖 Truthfully, Yours by Caden Armstrong 💜 The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton 💙 The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett 💖 Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos 💜 Letters to Her Love by Katherine Grant 💙 We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller 💖 Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan 💜 You Had Me at Merlot by Melissa Brayden 💙 Redsight by Meredith Mooring

[theuntoaster]

writing patterns + six sentences.=

I've been tagged by @ladysawblay

-

1st rule: share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns!

(I haven't published anything so these are from my last ten WIPs)

▪︎

1. Crow sat at the poker table, watching her opponents closely, tuning out the sounds of the casino around her. ("As the Crow Flies")

2. "Are you almost ready to go?" Aaron Fletcher asked. ("Falling")

3. Aaron Fletcher gripped his sword as he crept forward. (Untitled work)

4. Kristen Tomlin finished sewing the last eye onto the stuffed hare. ("Soulseer")

5. Eliza Thornwood skipped through the forest, enjoying the warm evening sun trickling through the leaves as she took a deep breath of fresh air. ("Beast")

6. “They got Tritch with poison,” Lindell growled, throwing the report onto the table. (Untitled AU of my own work)

7. Once upon a time, there were seven kingdoms ruled by a benevolent ruler called the King of all Kings. ("Advisors and Adversaries")

8. Ace Spade strut into the casino, chips in hand. ("Strings of Fate")

9. Prosper Northcott checked his watch. ("Peacekeepers and Wild Ones")

10. "The sun's almost up! Is my ship ready to sail?" Fitzroy Merton, son of Fishel Merton, esteemed fish merchant, shouted at the two buffoons he'd hired to help him. ("Fickle Noble Shadows")

-> pattern: I most commonly start with a relatively mundane statement introducing the full first name of the main/a major character doing some action, or I start with dialogue.

-

2nd rule: Write the last six sentences you wrote and tag your mutuals to do the same!

(Oops, I'm only three lines into a scene right now)

Still, as Ace and Eight were leaving, Joker grabbed Ace’s hand and pulled him back for one quick kiss. Ace would be back in a few hours. So why did Joker feel like that was a kiss goodbye?

[Chapter break]

Ace was, of course, welcome in Spade manor whenever he chose. He was a Spade. And a High Card on top of that. So, of course he was always welcome home. And that is why he kept his head held high as he passed through the Spade Manor gates.

▪︎

tagging (optional if you want!!): @magicaltimelady44, and any of my mutuals who write!

[zozoistireds-blog]

my rwby fanfic bookmarks that include taiyang xiao long for @thornsofrosesdumps

Take Root by Renabe

Oneirophobia by TeamIceFlower

The Bloody Raven Flies by TimbreJack

A Very Merry Dustmas by WungusWrites

It's Peaceday Somewhere by SwagWizardSupreme

" You're not Teens…you're traumatized kids " by Sleepy001

Save Me (from the one that hunts me) by mysweetbelovedbees

Painful Sorrows by Chromedx

We Got Your Back (Now and Forevermore) by MageWriterSola

The treasure of my life (is being by your side) by cherryw_blossom

Is my heart still beating? (someone please tell me) by Moxy125

Midnight Menagerie by Kaelidascope

brighter than the desert sky by h4lcyonism

When Gods Reign by EchoSpirit

Scar Tissue by najio

Too Little Too Late by BunniesofDoom

Come Back by AmesBlake16

The idiotic teacher and his idiotic students:Post Fall by That1plaguedoctor

Ideation by digimaniac33

At the end of the tunnel, where is the light? by Moxy125

Not this time… by Power_Taco for erros429, Winter1112,

Family reunion by Renshin_impact

Wolfcreations21

What Remains by najio

The Mother She Never Was by Set_WingedWarrior

The Boy Who Leapt Through Time… (Or, More Like Was Pushed) by qlover

A New Day in the Desert by 7theDisasterDyke for 1shotwriter

Dragon's Heart and the Broken Rose - RWBY STRQ by 1shotwriter

Recovery by The_Penitent

you're an artifact by sevensevan

ROSES MADE OF IRON by HamiltonMarbleHornetsTWD

Flowers in the Sidewalk Cracks by thetruewanderer

Ruby: The Linchpin by The C in MJCK (Writersblock159)

A not so innocent Rose by Vendetta543

Revealed by Mirrored Eyes by AerisLei

Remnant: New age by Mythic_Robyn

Red, Lilac, and Blue by 7theDisasterDyke

Bad Behavior by Remnant_Writer

Firebird Fledgling by wo_class

If I Had You by ExoticBuns

Noah’s Arc by CoaxysArc

Texts From Home by Thornwood

A Meeting of Parents at Shade Academy by Thornwood

Even if a Rose Has Her Thorns She Will Love Her by Saptwo

the delirious desert by slaythepainaway

RWBY: Judgement by LunaPendragon96

A Family by Loriela, midnight_echoes

Happy Father's Day, Remnant by Late

RWBY Adventures in Vacuo by Axle007

Carry On by LonelySpaceAce

Everything After by LonelySpaceAce

to live without a lifeline by wlwrwby

RWBY Mother's Day 2020 by dinosaurs_last_day

(i couldn't add links but there all on ao3)

[cosmo-sol]

Are there any other 'mons that are worth mentioning that you and your team have met?

Let's see...

There are a couple of other guild members... Ileana's a Misdreavus, she's the quartermaster that manages all the rooms and bookkeeping for the guild. She recently got an assistant, a Poochyena, I think his name was Dye or something. There's also Oliver, he's a Terrakion, basically like some really buff and fancy looking Tauros, he's the Guildmaster.

There's also Evelin, a Flareon-Serperior who was apparently a human that's been here for a looooong time. Sorbet's this weird long Sneasel that we rescued recently in Thornwood Falls...

Fakhri's a regular Lucario that apparently runs an incense shop and something about Links, though I haven't been yet... There's Lulu, she's got the big diner in town I've mentioned a few times...

Apparently there are three other Tapu that we haven't met, too.

[claire-starsword]

Shining Force Pre Release Coverage

yes i have made a post about this before but i was a baby with one magazine. Now i’m a big 90s kid who has gone through the entirety of the Beep Megadrive archives from 1991-1994, as one does. Get ready for what might be my biggest post ever, I don’t wanna break it into parts for the timeline vibe.

To contextualize the following dates: the game came out in Japan on March 1992.

October 1991

More cool sword animations for Max. Also it took me way too long to realize this background is also not anywhere in the final game, though the final Gate of the Ancients bg does take a lot from it. Apparently it was once meant to be an indoor location with torches.

Here are screenshots of the map itself. Icons were completely different, and Gort and Mae are there. Obviously this could be just the use of debug features to test the characters, but I suspect their story roles were actually changed and they were meant to be starting characters. More on that later.

there’s also a screenshot of Guardiana with a slightly different layout. There are centaur NPCs in town as opposed to only in the castle, the old man sprite is different, and the little girls are normal as opposed to dragging cats around. In the final version, this little girl sprite is only for Karin, Krin and Koron, the important little girl trio. The bed sprites are also different and kinda failing at perspective.

Besides screenshots, we also get a synopsis.

Centuries before Mephisto’s uprising in Shining in the Darkness... In the continent of Rune, far to the east of Thornwood, many countries big and small lived in endless days of peace. However, the great nation of Rune Faust, wanting to take over all of Rune, plotted to get its hands on the “Legacy of the Gods” inherited by the country of Guardiana since ancient times.

The Legacy of the Gods is said to be both a superweapon and a frightening beast. Whoever attains it can become a god or a devil... But even though the Rune Faust army has invaded Guardiana and ravaged the country for its plans of domination, it hasn’t succeed in finding the legacy...

Meanwhile, the soldiers of Guardiana, forced into a life of wandering after the fall of their country, have risen to the task of defeating Rune Faust. And as they resist against the unknown evil power controlling Rune Faust, people have come to call them “the forces of light”, Shining Force...

The grassy plains of Guardiana, mountains full of precipices, jungles, deadly deserts, rivers where piranhas live, those and other stages await our heroes.

After all, who is the one controlling the powers of darkness? And what is the truth behind the Legacy of the Gods? Hiding many mysteries, a new legend begins now!!

Very basic stuff, but while it might just the drama vibes, it does feel that Guardiana was supposed to get more wrecked, or get wrecked earlier, which would explain Mae and Gort joining earlier as well. Simone narrating the king’s last wishes right in the intro supports that idea as well.

Lastly, we get some character art and info:

(i know it’s hard to see the og text with this resize but hey, that’s why I linked the magazine collection before)

These are the forces of light, “Shining Force”!

“I’m the swordsman protagonist, Max!”

The protagonist of this story, Max. He’s human, but is an expert with the sword and can also use magic. He roams across the continent, leading the Shining Force in its way to defeat Runefaust.

One more for the “Max was meant to have magic” pile.

Archer - Hans

An elf who used to work at Guardiana’s palace. His skill with the bow is first-class.

Very nitpicky detail: Hans’ class is written with kanji here, when it’s written in katakana in the final version.

Knight - Mae

A young centaur warrior. Daughter of the late Knight Captain.

Priest - Lowe

A dwarf who’s a great friend of Max. Currently training at magic.

Shining in the Darkness already had a hobbit priest so i wonder if there’s some miscommunication here. The hobbit discourse is even older than I’d imagined.

Warrior - Gort

A hotblooded dwarf old man and Mae’s servant.

Told you there were changes on these two. There’s no indication of any connection between the two in the final version, especially since centaurs tend to be arrogant towards other races, a fact that does not come up here at all, nor does Mae’s tough personality. Even more evidence will come up later that those things were added late in development.

Knight - Ken

A centaur in knight who admires Max.

The enemies don’t get descriptions and all have their final names except the Rune Knight, who is only Centaur Knight at this point.

November 1991

This is a big one. The beta title screen is the least interesting thing about it.

We see more of Guardiana, and the centaur NPC was actually Varios all along, meaning the intro was really different.

Max and Mae get to smile! Given the story is kinda obvious why this was changed, but I always did find it weird that their artwork had different expressions to begin with.

Plenty of screenshots of a field battle with completely different graphics. More on this later.

Also a different and apparently pretty big shop.

But now for the part that really rocked my socks, a whole beta map:

Here’s the final map so you can compare the geography yourself. This map doesn’t label pretty much any town and instead brings up a bunch of new names for the natural areas.

The Gate of the Ancients, or what I suppose is it, it’s not labelled, sits atop the Mountain of Guidance, which seems to be a single mountain as opposed to the big mass that stretches up to Rindo in the final version. The gate also seems drawn like a little castle, which would explain the indoor bgs shown so far.

Alterone is to the northwest of Guardiana as opposed to the northeast. It is also right next to the Beagle Mountain Mass, which, makes A Lot More Sense with how much we hear it is a mining town. I’ve been wondering where their mines were in the final map. They must have mined too much though, because in the final version this mountain mass is largely gone.

Further to the north is Rindo Harbor, and you, english speaker, might think, “oh yes Rindo that’s the final name” but nope, in the JP version the town’s name is Rindorindo, for some reason, so that’s a difference. A difference that matters to no one.

There’s no river near Rindo, and Manarina and Shade are not labelled, though its concepts seem to be around. Manarina also seems to be surrounded by a lot more forest than in the final version, which might explain its guide book entry.

The forest near Manarina has a name that deserves its own post, Kaien, in katakana so that it is harder to discerning its meaning of course (and intentionally allow double meanings). Possible interpretations are the start of a performance (開演), the opening of a park or garden or banquet (開園 and 開宴), a superb performance (快演), or an eerie yet fascinating performance (怪演). I’d say the last one is the most fitting for Manarina, but localizing it is still a pain in the ass, the english staff dodged a bullet here. Right now most I can think of is Enthralling Forest, but you still miss some charm.

I also have to wonder if Mishaela was conceived as a boss for this place. Puppet performance and all that. She also ends up having a forest stage in Shining Soul.

All the white mass on the north is Pao Plains, no sign of the bridge or the forests of Bustoke, although there is a town in the mountains. Was this a Shining Force without Zylo? Inconceivable. But might confirm something I’ve been suspecting due to my debug mode escapades. In the battle test mode, egress usually takes you to the last church you’re supposed to access in that chapter. Yet for chapter 2 battles, it takes you to Bustoke, which is on Chapter 3. The editor also shows Bustoke as one of the first map in the data, between Rindo and Shade. It is likely that Bustoke was meant for Chapter 2.

In fact the reasoning for going to Shade Abbey is very shaky, you can see in the final map that there’s a lot more mountains between Shade and Bustoke than from Manarina. I guess the point is that guides work there, but in that ase they should work somewhere else. I’m not complaining though since Shade Abbey is one of the most iconic parts of the game.

The Pao Plains are surrounded by the Boho Mountain Range. Boho is short for bohemian, the romanticized view of nomadic/alternative lifestyles, so it’s very fitting for Pao.

Waral was a single island instead of an archipelago, and the ocean between the two sides of Rune is Cypro Ocean, a name that eventually made its way to the guide book. The region in the center of East Rune is Conga Basin, which we’ve also seen in another book, and Dragonia is to the north already. Finally, the Crescent Mountain Range is the bunch of mountains to the east of Runefaust.

Note also the big isolated structure south of Runefaust. Perhaps the Castle of the Ancients has not always been under the ocean. I also see no sign of Prompt, while all other towns are in (except Waral but Waral isn’t even in the final map, it’s tiny). This might explain why Chapter 7 is cursed on debug mode, frequently failing to load an egress point.

All this rambling was just for the map itself. There’s more written about it, I’ll just translate things directly because I’m a bit tired of taking screenshots.

This is the Rune Continent where Shining Force will take place

There’s no comparison between the world of Shining Force with that of Shining in the Darkness, it is far larger. There are mountain ranges, towns, large coasts, and even islands as well. The adventure starts at Guardiana to the south of West Rune, and the you’ll move clockwise to north, and then to the eastern part of continent, shrouded in mystery. That region to the south of East Rune, could it be Runefaust...?

East Rune and West Rune

The two continents and the Cypro Ocean between them are all referred to as the Rune continent, and are far to the east of the land where one day Thornwood, the kingdom where SitD takes place, will be built.

Guardiana, where the journey begins, is on West Rune. West Rune, compared to the eastern side, is more developed, with many countries living in peace and abundance.

In the eastern side, it is said an ancient civilization once lived there, but currently there are no countries other than Runefaust, and a wide spread of steep mountains and eerie forests.

Because of that and Runefaust itself, the people of West Rune regard the east as a dark land full of mystery.

They’ve thankfully chilled a bit on the “light side versus dark side” in the final game, possibly because they needed churches/HQs/shops to welcome the heroes gameplay-wise. I do see something drawn in the map here where Rudo should be, so perhaps other settlements in the east were already in the cards, just not very developed.

The country of Alterone

A neighboring country of Guardiana. It was originally a mining town built to extract rare and magical minerals from the Beagle Mountain Range around it, and then developed into a country. With the minerals excavated, Alterone amassed a lot of money, which was used for its own development. The common citizens began to live in luxury, and even despite other countries. Of course the royal family too has filled the castle with loads of luxury items and art, and the army is small and lacks zeal despite its extravagant equipment. The cultural level of these people with not much history, is not very great. A rising rich country. One could argue it’s a bit like today’s Japan with its excessive liquidity, or maybe not?

oh i am unequipped in so many ways to understand that jab

The country of Guardiana

A country that prides itself in having the deepest history in all of West Rune. It is said this country was built by people who inherited the duty of protecting the “Legacy of the Gods”. Because of that they’ve grow a tradition of respect for the military arts, and the royal family believes in maintaining a humble lifestyle, so the castle has no ornaments or luxurious items. However the long time of peace has weakened these traditions and the people, and they could not defend themselves from Runefaust’s ambitions, being destroyed...

Being a small country, it has little stock of weapons and such, but it is blessed with fertile land and the agricultural production is plentiful. The story of the Shining Force will somehow begin around this country.

Nothing I hadn’t seen in guide books already, but I’m somewhat surprised the worldbuilding was all already there and not refined for the guide books only. I guess it just didn’t find its place in game.

Speaking of that, here’s a long interview with the devs and I don’t have the energy to translate it all. Here’s the summary:

Unsurprisingly, the game’s biggest challenge was data size. Without compression it was around 30MB, around 15x the size of its final ROM, and definitely not fitting a Mega Drive cartridge. The interview only talks about compression but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had to cut things as well.

It’s brought up that they could have solved that problem by making a CD game instead, but they wanted to reach a wider audience.

Lots of comparisons with SitD, how the game was bigger and more complex, requiring more work and graphics and maps and everything basically. Again it is said that the story happen centuries before SitD.

When asked if there's a connection with the SitD, Masaki Wachi (writer for SF and the GBA remake) enthusiastically replies “Yes! Oops, I said it (laughs)”. He then elaborates that there were big clues about it, but that he wouldn’t comment on the connection with Mephisto and the ending of SitD.

Kenji Orimo (director and writer) does add though that if it was meant to be a direct sequel, it would just be called Darkness II. He also mentions seeing more potential in expanding the Shining World from Force than from Darkness.

Yoshitaka Tamaki (character designer, art director) mentions SitD characters having more of a fairy tale vibe, while SF characters were more grounded, with some pretty scary enemies in the late game, with more of a “war spectacle” vibe.

Lots of hyping up the battle animations.

Also hyping up the unique spin on tactical games, where characters and enemies all have their own agility instead of just alternating between an ally and an enemy phase. I don’t know anything about tactical games to comment on this.

December 1991

We get a better scan of Mae’s old portrait :)

Max on the other hand has already changed to his final one. Character description are largely the same as October with a few more tidbits on personalities such as Ken being a super honest boy. Gort is still referred to as Mae’s old servant, Lowe is still listed as dwarf, and no mention of Mae’s tough personality yet. Max’s class is also listed as warrior, but he was mentioned as swordsman on October so I assume it’s just a mistake.

We do get more characters this time though.

Tao Class: Mage Species: Forest Elf

A mage in training, but her talent is huge. Has a close relationship with Anri, the princess of Guardiana.

The forest elf thing is very curious since Hans and Diane are not listed as such. I have seen the term float around for Nigel of Landstalker, but I didn’t play that yet so no comment.

Diane Class: Archer Species: Elf

A wild girl who lives in Bustoke. Being raised in the mountains, she’s vigorous in battle. Scary.

Zylo Class: Werewolf Species: Beastman

Leader of Bustoke, the mountain nation. Focused in hand-to-hand combat, he does not equip weapons, and instead fights with his sharp claws.

Guntz Class: Steam Knight Species: Beastman

A knight of heavy power who wears an armor powered by a steam engine. Well known through the world as a mercenary specialized in castle assaults.

Well, that’s not my chill guy. Seems his personality wasn’t nailed down yet, which surprises me as his artwork very much implies the gentle guy we know now. Worth mentioning though, Guntz does join the team right as you’re going to assault the fort, and the GBA version even elaborates a bit on that invasion by requiring you pick a bomb from Crock, though Guntz isn’t involved in any of that. Perhaps this sequence was intended to be a bit more elaborate from the start.

Khris Class: Priest Species: Cantaul

A priest who used to work in Alterone. Despite being both priests, she’s stronger than Lowe in battle. Let’s see who is the best at magic.

Kokichi Class: Wing Knight Species: Human

An old gramps from a noble lineage of knights. Entranced by the dream of flying, he spent fifty years researching flying machines.

We then get a bunch of monster art i won’t even try to fit in a screenshot, and more description than they ever got in guide books as far as I’ve seen.

Dwarves

Skilled at close combat due to their strong body, but has low defense. Their lethal axes are menacing.

Dark Priests

Runefaust priests, wearing white masks as per the army’s regulations. Working on an attack with focused magic.

rip dark priests you did not learn blast in time if that’s what they’re implying here

Also, they’re called Dark Priests here, Priests in the final game, and Dark Priests in the english localization. I don’t know why I bother paying attention to that.

Snipers

With superior footwork, they attack from a long range with bows. The double team kind, working as pairs with the Rune Knights.

Puppets

Evil marionettes, it’s unknown if they have consciousness. Part of the Monster Corps, they attack swinging swords.

Except they don’t in the final game. They don’t even have swords in the art either, so I’m unsure if that’s a change or an idea that never made it in.

Hell Pierrot

It seems they are not really pierrot, just disguise as such. Those who are fooled and approach them carelessly end up hurt.

That’s the final JP name for the Dire Clown as well.

Gargoyles

They are statues, but had temporary life breathed into them by magic. Seems not all of them turned into flesh, some parts remain stone.

Cerberos

Guard dogs of hell into a deep sleep in the caves under Alterone. Trained by the Runefaust army.

Worms

Giant mutant earthworms dozens of meters long. Don’t have any senses other than touch.

Dullahans

Headless ghost knights who used to be Rune Knights. No comparison between their power though.

And now a special boy that does get to be screenshotted:

Mimics

Transform immediately as you open them thinking it’s a chest. Their lids grow sharp fangs, and they sprout legs to move.

It’s worth noting that while these guys didn’t make it to any classic game, SF2 does have a mechanic of monsters spawning from chests, we just don’t get to see because the search in battle option was removed in the english version.

To finish the parade of weird creatures, Yogurt is here.

What is this Yogurt creature, after all?

Yogurt, a mysterious characters that shows up around Guardiana and toys with the enemies. No clue if he’s an enemy or an ally, but he certainly has a likeable vibe, you could even call him cute. He’s not docile enough to be raised as a pet, and seems prone to quick mood swings. Does a lot of weird things as he pops up in the adventure. You could say he’s kind of a versatile performer.

Yogurt’s Data

He’s 80 cm tall, weights 10 kg, walks on two feet, while the front paws have atrophied and become small. His main food seems to be berries, but he’s omnivorous. From what’s been observed, he can swim, is fast and has strong jumps. It’s unknown when he started wearing the helmet on his head. No one has seen him take it off either.

Insides:

Tail - Uses it to balance while walking in two feet.

Feet - Way better for jumping than for walking.

Head - On par with humans. Seems to be very intelligent.

Hands - Cannot use tools

Belly - Quite fat but he’s still agile.

There are also doodles of his secret appearances which I’m not gonna translate now. They’re very much just describing his antics.

January 1992

Pink haired Simone appears. Sadly there’s no dialogue screenshots.

Guardiana is already pretty much the final version, only the entrance still seems unfinished, some NPCs are different.

Remember that field battle with different graphics? There’s more of it here, including the map.

It’s horrifyingly large.

Finally, there’s some talk of critical hits being capable of special effects like one-hit KO, but it’s very vague so it might be the magazine staff not knowing this was attached to a specific weapon.

February 1992

Pink Simone is still around, and so are unfinished weapon animations and the old knight battle sprites. Max still shows up with zero MP. Guardiana and the starting maps seems mostly finished with a couple odd spots.

Guardiana castle is full of chickens, and has a gate.

The king’s room has a couple more flags in it.

The Gate of the Ancients now looks like the final version, though battle screenshots still show the indoor background. The starting team is also the final one, with Mae and Gort no longer there.

The Alterone battle shows enemies inside the shops.

The article ends with a recipe for yogurt.

March 1992

The game is released, and I too am released from this long ass post. From here on, every article, ad and official material I’ve seen uses only screenshots from the final version of the game. If that sounds obvious to you, wait for the SF2 post.

Update: ??? 1992 

Joke’s on me, I was not free from the post. I found some old footage, sadly i don’t know which date it is from, but it shouldn’t be too early in production. Simone already has brown hair, the Gate of the Ancients is already outdoors. 

There are still things to note though. Simone still talks of the king of Guardiana in her intro as opposed to the final one. The intro to Chapter 1 is a placeholder text.

Anri’s dad does not have a unique portrait and uses the default king one. Also, the castle still do not have centaur knights, even though their sprite already exists. In the place are not chickens though, and instead some weird placeholders you can see at the top right corner here.

Unlike every other battle scene in this post, the final sword sprites are in, but their animation for Max is still unfinished. Also, having footage we can hear some audio, and while Simone’s theme and the field map theme are in, the town and battle scenes use placeholders from SitD

More importantly,

cat.

Their sprite isn’t exactly the same as the unused ones in the ROM though, as those have the tail up like a properly happy cat. This means these sprites still got further polish before being ultimately scrapped anyway :(

[tumblhurgoyf]

Sultai Poison Spells

New list. Still a little janky but definitely more consistent and robust.

4x Whisper of the Dross 3x Thirsting Roots 3x Bring the Ending 4x Prologue to Phyresis 3x Drown in Ichor 3x Mesmerizing Dose 2x Hero’s Downfall 3x Infectious Inquiry 3x Malicious Malfunction 3x Vraska’s Fall 4x Viral Spawning 2x Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting 2x Island 3x Swamp 2x Forest 4x Dismal Backwater 2x Shipwreck Marsh 2x Deathcap Glade 2x Jungle Hollow 1x Dreamroot Cascade 3x Thornwood Falls 2x Mirrex

[violetasteracademic]

Master List

Violetasteracademic found here on AO3!

Elriel:

Rated: Explicit

Status: In Progress Multi-Chapter

Summary:

After nearly losing both her sisters once again, Elain Archeron decides to take the growth of her powers into her own hands. Things may not be going as she would have hoped, but when the Crown is stolen, it is finally time for Elain to serve her court and show her family what she can do. The search for the Crown winds up being a job for the seer and the shadowsinger, the male she has fallen for but barely spoken to after an unrequited wish for a kiss. Azriel has been careful to stay away from Elain, trying his best to follow his High Lord's orders. But as they are forced to work together to protect their court, his resolve begins fading more quickly than he can manage. As they search for the Crown, they become trapped in a castle of treachery, vengeance, and twisted fates. If they cannot find their way out of it, they risk becoming lost there forever, or killed. And if they can't keep their hands off each other, they might finally have to face the mountain of obstacles standing in their way at the home that awaits them.

Click here to read on AO3

Click here for the chapter list

Rated: Explicit. Please read the warning tags on Ao3 before diving in!

Status: Completed Multi-Chapter

Summary:

Elain Archeron has been split into pieces. After falling for Azriel, the broody and mysterious Illyrian male, they steal a quiet moment late in the night on Solstice. She was certain their feelings were mutual, but his rejection sends her into a tailspin. Lost, heartbroken, and confused, Elain wonders if she has truly gone mad once again. With the pressure of her mating bond, threats looming over the Inner Circle's shoulder, and the weight of her visions on her shoulders, Elain struggles to keep her spirits up. Little does she know that Azriel, after being ordered by his High Lord to stay away from her, has been concocting a secret plan to change the tides and give them a chance at happiness. If he can find what he is looking for, it will change everything.

Click here to read on AO3

Click here for the chapter list

Feysand:

Rated: Explicit. Please read the warning tags on AO3!

Status: In Progress Multi-Chapter

Summary:

Feyre Archeron is an art therapist for the children's cancer wing at Velaris Memorial Hospital. After leaving her abusive fiancé and moving back in with her sisters, her plans to heal and move on with peace and privacy go up in flames when women begin to come forward with sexual harassment allegations against her ex, Tamlin Thornwood. Rhysand Noctis is the owner and CEO of Eventide Enterprises. After losing his mother to cancer, he has felt adrift. No amount of money and acclaim has been able to give him the sense of home and belonging he has lost. When an old family rival, Tamlin Thornwood, is tangled up in a scandal and lawsuits, Rhysand learns that Velaris Memorial Hospital is in trouble. The only non-profit hospital in Velaris, which cared for his mother, has lost all its donors and board members. Rhys decides to purchase the hospital and dedicate his time to restoring its reputation and making it a safe place for women and the community of Velaris to work and receive affordable care. A chance encounter sends Feyre and Rhys colliding with each other before they realize how inextricably their personal and professional lives are already intertwined.

*This is part one of a three part, three brothers and three sisters series

Click here to read on AO3

Nessian:

Rated: Explicit. Please read the warning tags on AO3!

Status: In Progress Multi-Chapter

Summary:

Nesta Archeron doesn't need anyone to take care of her. After losing both her parents at age eighteen, she gave up her dreams of going to law school and worked her way up with nothing more than a high school diploma and unmatched grit to become the head of public relations at Velaris Memorial Hospital. When Tamlin Thornwood scandalizes VMH, she has to work closely with new ownership to save it. She has full confidence in herself and her plan. However, Eris Vanserra, her rival at SkyView, is out for blood after Nesta won over the youngest Vanserra to VMH. And she now has to answer to Cassian- a man she has already sworn to hate before learning his name. Cassian has a chip on his shoulder in an industry where name, money, and education is everything. And restoring the reputation and the financial security of VMH is personal to him. Complicating matters is Nesta Archeron, the fiery PR director working side by side with him to ensure the Starfall Ball is a massive success. Difficulty maintaining their professional lines is fueled by both hate and attraction. But as layers peel back, they learn that they have more in common than they thought. But lines are crossed that might be impossible to come back from.

Click here to read on AO3

*This is part two of a three part, three brothers and three sisters series

Short Form (poetry, drabble, one-shots):

In Time: @elainarcheronweek 2024

Read poem here

A Rainy Day in Velaris: Elain Aecheron inbox request

Read drabble here

Art/Collaborations:

Elain Archeron Portrait: @elainarcheronweek 2024

View here

[ndumie-1]

Evaluating UKZN’s OT Curriculum: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Community Practice.

The journey  of being an occupational therapy student at UKZN has been a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical experiences, all aimed at shaping  us as student to be competent occupational therapists. However, as I currently find myself in the community  block  at Mariann ridge and Thornwood, the reality of our curriculum’s effectiveness comes into sharp focus. Was I truly  prepared for the challenges of community and primary healthcare (PHC) practice? In this  blog  I will dive deeper and examine the UKZN OT curriculum, arguing that while it lays a solid theoretical foundation, it falls short  of preparing students for real-world community engagement  up until they reach fourth year, We will look at pros and cons of the curriculumn.

Upon reflecting on my own experience in the UKZN OT program,  I have identified both strengths and limitations that have impacted my preparation for practice. On one hand, the curriculum has provided a solid foundation in occupational therapy principles and theories, for instance, courses such as Anatomy and Introduction to Psychology offered in the first year gave us a deep understanding of the human body and mind. This foundational knowledge is important for any healthcare professional, as it improves  our understanding of how physical and mental health interact and impact daily functioning (UKZN, 2021).Furthermore, the OT Fundamentals modules   went deeper  into core occupational therapy concepts,  such as the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model, which is frequently used in practice. This model helps us understand how various factors influence a person's ability to perform and engage in meaningful activities. Learning about such models has been in shaping my  approach to assessment and intervention (Smith & Jones, 2022).  The OT module has been helpful in actually  teaching about assistive devices in first year, especially about different devices for different conditions.

Additionally, the course  module such as  Psychosocial Theory and Fieldwork and OT Therapeutic Media. These modules  have been particularly beneficial in providing insights into different areas of OT practice, such as mental health and the use of therapeutic activities to support client goals. For example, through these modules, we have learned how to  assess and do  interventions that address both the psychological and social aspects of a client's well-being, which is essential for holistic and client centeredness (Brown et al., 2021) especially when you are looking at the client who has MVA and CVA. furthermore, opportunities for practical application through fieldwork placements,  has allowed me to "apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts."

However, one would encounter areas where the curriculum "falls short," leaving me feeling "underprepared for the complexities of community rehab at the PHC level” the overwhelming emphasis on theoretical learning, especially in the first year, can be a double-edged sword. During the pandemic, the shift to online learning forced us to cram amounts of information, particularly in anatomy, to pass exams. This made us student to have little knowledge and  understanding rather than deep, meaningful learning. Practical application of this knowledge in  community practice, was severely lacking.  For instance , In the community studies module we  missed an opportunity to go into the community and see the lived experiences of the clients  ,  we were not exposed to this part of our field.  

The absence of hands-on experiences, especially in community settings, left us unprepared for the realities of fieldwork. During the past three years, our practical training was primarily hospital-based. However, this year we were given the opportunity to work within communities at the primary healthcare level. It was our first experience working in a peri urban areas and I discovered just how limited the occupational choices and activities are for people living there. This situation is even more challenging for individuals with disabilities. In our final year of studies, we’ve increased  our focus beyond the medical model to include the  betterment of people through activities and occupations.

Occupational therapy education should prepare students to work in a variety of settings, including community and PHC settings." (Doe, 2023). Throughout our training in the UKZN OT program, a big  gaps exist in key areas, especially in paediatric occupational therapy and hand therapy. Despite the importance of paediatric practice, we received minimal exposure in our second and third years, with an overwhelming influx  of content only in our final year. This sudden concentration of paediatric information makes it challenging to grasp and apply effectively, highlighting the need for earlier and more consistent integration of paediatric training especially in third year .

Similarly, our hand therapy training is  limited, with only brief exposures to splinting in the third and fourth year . This limited  hands-on experience leaves many of us  feeling unprepared and lacking confidence by the fourth year. While our lectures  are dedicated, these gaps in the curriculum suggest a need for restructuring to provide continuous and  effective training in both paediatric and hand therapy throughout the program, ensuring students are adequately prepared for real-world practice.

In addition to the gaps ,our third-year practical experiences also lacked depth. During this period, we were  visiting homes rather than going to the  actual communities. This  failed to provide a deeper  understanding of the community's struggles. Currently, in Marian ridge and Thornwood, I encounter children with visual perceptual and sensory problems, issues that are deeply rooted in their living environments and adults who live in unfavourable conditions . Seeing these challenges firsthand during our earlier years of study would have been invaluable.

Real-world community exposure from the start would have better prepared us for developing effective, contextually relevant interventions.Engagement with different stakeholders  in the community is a critical component of our training. It taught me  the importance of collaboration and interprofessional relationships. In Marian ridge and MCC, we interacted with di stakeholders, creating programs and conducting health talks, which is a valuable learning experience.

Doing this work has really made us aware and to think twice about recommendations we make as occupational therapists. You experience the people’s way of life, getting close to them and the context of the challenges they face.  Nombuso(OT student)  once said  “You see the person rather than just a patient and want to build them up so that they can reach their full potential and have a fair chance at various opportunities”(Dlamini, 2023) .

 In conclusion reflecting on the UKZN OT curriculum, becomes evident that while it offers a strong theoretical foundation and hospital based practical , it lacks in preparing students for community and primary healthcare (PHC) practice. Limited exposure to paediatric and hand therapy training, combined with insufficient community  practical experiences, leaves students underprepared for real-world challenges. To address these gaps, the curriculum should be restructured to include continuous training throughout the course and prioritize early, community-based experiences.

reference list

Adams, P. (2023). Practical application of health promotion strategies. Journal of Community Health, 45(3), 112-119.

Brown, T., Lee, M., & Williams, J. (2021). Interprofessional education and its impact on community health outcomes. Healthcare Education Journal, 38(2), 98-105.

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[dravidious]

This card is so fucking stupid. It's allegedly a signpost for the green-blue plot archetype, but if you see this card and think "wow I should build a plot deck around this" then you clearly must be missing the part where it lets you cast any spell you want for free. Put this fucker in a ramp deck with enough high-drops and you'll be casting 6- or 7-drops for free.

"But the spell costs 5 mana! And you can whiff!" Clearly, hypothetical reader, you're forgetting the fact that the other cards go into your hand. The worst case scenario for this card is spending 5 mana to draw 3 cards, which is not great, but certainly isn't bad. And again, ramp deck; spending 5 mana to draw 3 cards is great when you have a lot of mana and need things to spend it on. But even if you don't hit something big, you still save mana by plotting! The only way to whiff with this is to hit 3 lands, or 1-drops or something.

With all that in mind, here's my decklist for a standard deck with no rares that's built around this card:

Deck 3 Troyan, Gutsy Explorer (WOE) 217 11 Island (MH3) 313 3 Make Your Own Luck (OTJ) 218 11 Forest (LCI) 400 2 Thornwood Falls (MOM) 274 4 Stormkeld Prowler (WOE) 71 4 Cenote Scout (LCI) 178 3 Colossal Skyturtle (NEO) 216 2 Fading Hope (MID) 51 2 Behold the Unspeakable (NEO) 48 3 Beluna's Gatekeeper (WOE) 43 4 Bitter Chill (WOE) 44 3 Armored Scrapgorger (ONE) 158 4 Greater Tanuki (NEO) 189 1 Bramble Wurm (VOW) 189

To summarize, the deck has 10 ramp cards to help cast Make Your Own Luck on turn 4, and has 13 cards (plus 3 copies of MYOL itself) that cost 5+ mana to give a high chance for MYOL to pay for itself. The deck also uses cards from Eldraine's 5+ mana archetype, which are a perfect fit. 4 copies of 1-drop explorer Cenote Scout help the deck make its land drops and find its ramp or high-drops.

It's got plenty of blue control cards to help it survive until it can take over with value; 6 bounce effects to slow down aggressive decks and 4 permanent tap-down auras to remove larger threats. Chapter 1 of Behold the Unspeakable also helps stop aggro, and also gives extra card draw in case the deck runs out of gas. The Vision of the Unspeakable isn't likely to be a big deal because the deck is good at playing its hand, but idk, it never came up in my limited testing against Sparky.

In conclusion: wtf WotC don't let players cast free spells haven't you learned your lesson!?

[i-am-nickelbolt]

Bronze to Mythic: Khans of Tarkir, draft #7

Trophy! We back, baby!

Pack 1, pick 1, Sandsteppe Citadel in a weak pack. 3-color lands are pretty decent first picks, they give you a lot of options. Pick 2, Debilitating Injury over Jungle Hollow. If it were a land that I didn't already have, I might have taken the land in this spot. Pick 3, Mardu Skullhunter over Monastery Swiftspear and Jeskai Windscout. No reason to get off black when I don't have the lands for them. Pick 4, another Skullhunter over Winterflame and Scoured Barrens. Again, no reason to get off black. Pick 5, Abomination of Gudul over Thornwood Falls. Maybe should have taken the land, but off-color morphs are fine. Got rewarded with pick 6 Dismal Backwater. Pick 7 Blossoming Sands. Pick 8 Sultai Scavenger. Picked up Disowned Ancestor and Hooting Mandrills on the wheel. Not a bad pack 1.

Pack 2, pick 1, Icefeather Aven over Rattleclaw Mystic. Pick 2, Debilitating Injury over second Sandsteppe Citadel and Highspire Mantis. If it were a different 3-color land, I probably would have taken it. Mantis is a little too far to splash right now. Pick 3, second Icefeather Aven, nice! Pick 4, third Debilitating Injury! Pick 5 Abomination of Gudul. Pick 6 Rugged Highlands over Mardu Hordechief. I think the splash speculation is better. Rewarded pick 7 with Ponyback Brigade. Pick 8 Thornwood Falls over 3rd Mardu Skullhunter. Set Adrift, Mardu Warshrieker, and Dismal Backwater on the wheel. I'm really happy with my deck.

Pack 3, pick 1, Mardu Heart-Piercer, a perfectly powerful card to splash! Pick 2, a disappointing Disowned Ancestor, but I already have several delve spells so Sultai Scavenger is a no, and Mardu Hateblade on the splash doesn't give me the same Raid guarantee Ancestor does. Pick 3 Snowhorn Rider over Crackling Doom and Dismal Backwater. Pick 4 Bloodstained Mire, helps with the red splash *and* fuels Delve. Pick 5, Sultai Soothsayer in a really good pack for me, but Soothsayer is perfect. Serviceable body with card selection that fuels Delve? Yes, please! Pick 6 was a brick, but pick 7 Treasure Cruise? This looks like a great Treasure Cruise deck! Finished off with a 13th pick Ponyback Brigade, and this deck looks sweet!

My only loss was to a Mardu deck that had turn 4 and turn 5 Saddleback Brutes plus a trick to blow out my double-block. That's just too much beef too fast for me.

Otherwise this deck was great. 7 wins is always nice, and I'm really feeling my confidence come back. Let's keep this rolling!