#You know they have EARTHSHAKING great deals

[ohnoitspheo]

Nobody: Me: *Designs one million fictional brands for my webcomic because I can!*

My Nocturn species may be lizard monsters, but capitalism is still alive and well in their society- which leaves SO MUCH room for parodies and jokes!

🦎 Descriptions of all the fictional companies below the cut! 🦎

Hexburger: Monster mcKie Ds. Get your edgy ink black hexagon-shaped food here! Inspired by modern day burger joints.

EVOPARK: My favorite location in the story. A wildly dangerous monster theme park with no safety precautions and mysterious claims of making you stronger. 

The X-treme Coaster: My riff on the popular ride X2 in Six Flags Magic Mountain. It’s at least 200% more insane… 

PREDATR: Alpha male, hyper-masculine brand (Haxx’s fave) 

neøphyte: Cute little clothes for your little baby hatchling nightmare. Also, eggs. 

EXOBREED: Futuristic Bio Techwear (Nova’s fave) 

Epicenter: Department store with earthquaking good deals. Totally not a rip-off of Target.

ANOMALY: Sexy lizard clothing for all genders.

Bands & Stripes: Skin and scale care. Exfoliate that stuck shed… 

Cupid Crash: “Edgy” Nocturn clothes aren’t black, they’re pastel goth and poke fun at cherubs. Angel-themed.

Generik.: Black and grey shirts for the normies. Based on the most generic logo of all time.

byotic: A medicine/biotech company 

<HEXEL>: Tasty Shapes. Salty hexagon-shaped snack available in a vending machine near you! Somewhere between a Ritz cracker and Pocky. 

What store would you want to visit? I’d hit up Cupid Crash tbh. Angellic Hot topic for Lizards? I’m sold. 😂

[hxneydreamers]

Hello, could u share your journey in the law of assumption and how u started and what progress you've made till now, what you had trouble with at first and how you resolved them, and finally what concepts made everything click for you and made manifestinf super easy like being on a roll for you? And thank you for starting this cool blog 😊

Hey! I'd love to!

I'll first point out that I am still learning and whilst I am here to help people manifest, I am learning alongside you! I want you to know that I am very well educated on the law of assumption, and I am also currently manifesting an SP. I have manifested lots of things in the past (like traveling, meeting a celebrity crush, as well as multiple specific people including my current SP), but I never really pushed through because I never properly tried. I was always on and off my game for a number of reasons, so I would receive my manifestations, but not in full, and this was all because of my self-doubt and self-concept.

I first discovered manifesting with the Law Of Attraction a few years ago after watching the documentary 'The Secret'. I had NEVER EVEN HEARD about manifesting before, and I felt like it was a bit far fetched.

For a very long time, I was extremely non-religious, I didn't believe in God or magic, the afterlife, spirits, fate, NOTHING! I was the biggest non-believer out there. When I watched 'The Secret' I tried to simply change my attitude to be positive as much as I could so I would only attract positive things in my life, and I noticed it worked for a little while, but it wasn't anything significant. I pretty much forgot all about manifesting very quickly, because I never took it seriously.

The next year one of my friends was obsessed with the law of attraction and twin flames and all that spiritual stuff, and she was trying to convert me a bit. I was intrigued by the concept, but I didn't really believe in any of it at all. I just liked making vision boards with her for fun. I never took any of it seriously.

My friend made me go to a psychic with her for fun one day and I resisted and said no, but I eventually gave in because I got curious. Seeing this psychic was extremely earthshaking. I won't go into detail about my experience with her, but some things happened that pretty much changed my view of life and way of thinking. I was much more open to the possibility of things like manifesting.

A year ago, 2 people close to me sadly passed away. I felt very lost and I spent many nights awake and I stumbled across 'Sammy Ingram' on youtube and discovered the Law Of Assumption. I began to binge watch her videos and I did sooooooo much research about the law. I was immediately obsessed.

I started manifesting text messages and instant replies and dates so easily because I was so excited about it and felt no doubt that it would work.

I had success manifesting an internship, consistent shifts at work/consistent money flow and other money manifestations, I manifested dating a specific person (but I ended it for natural reasons), I manifested another specific person literally within a night, just to see if I could do it, and I manifested my current specific person as well (we have a past).

After these successes, I ended up having to deal with some personal issues with my grief for a while, as well as finish my studies, AND my internship, which took my mind off manifesting, and as a result, I manifested negative circumstances in many areas of my life, because I let myself spiral.

I won't tell you the old story too much, because I don't want to revisit it, but basically, for years I had been stuck in a cycle of being abandoned. I felt unlovable and my self-esteem was quite low. All of these beliefs were reflected in many ways, and I was constantly worrying about everything. My internship became toxic and I wanted to leave, my relationship also ended temporarily, and my self-concept was very very very bad!

I felt like I was obsessing over everything in my life going wrong and I wanted to manifest my SP because I thought that he would fix everything, but by putting him on the pedestal I was stalling.

As soon as all this happened, I was of course upset, HOWEVER, I had suffered so much loss at that point that I was determined to make sure that I turned my life around. So I decided to manifest ending my internship naturally, rather than me leaving or being dismissed.

I started visualizing a conversation with my superior where they told me that something came up and we would have to pause the internship.

Literally, two weeks later, he met up with me and told me this exactly, and he said that the decision was ultimately up to me if I wanted to continue later or not. So I said that the timing would not work with my studies, and I successfully manifested leaving the internship naturally.

Next, my SP.

- I literally went to sleep every single night repeating my affirmations.

- I affirmed every single day, I affirmed through tears and I affirmed with my friends. EVERY CHANCE I GOT!

- I started affirming from a place of peace, indifference, faith, and trust that it would work out

A week later we were back together again.

My struggles with the law were mostly that:

- I KEPT CHANGING MY AFFIRMATIONS

- I was on and off my mental diet

- I kept looking for confirmation in the 3D

- I kept repeating the old story

- I focused too much on my SP and not enough on me

About 2 months ago, I had a breakthrough where I decided I needed to completely change everything in my life to put myself in control.

- I started listening to music that made me feel extremely happy and would watch movies and shows that put me in a great mood

- I decided to pick my affirmations and stick with them NO MATTER WHAT!

- I started having a better mental diet, and I noticed results immediately

- I started being able to say 'I don't care what I see, I'm getting my manifestation, and genuinely feeling relaxed and peaceful about it

Once I shifted the focus onto myself and even took some space from my SP, I felt amazing 24/7 and my mental diet was practically perfect.

He has started implying that we are a couple, I don't feel needy, and don't even text him much anymore, he is the one chasing me and constantly blowing up my phone. He is constantly asking to see me, begging me even. He initiates ALL CONTACT NOW! Finally, the whole tone of our relationship has changed and our interactions have been extremely amazing! I have never felt so confident in myself and I can see it reflected in how he treats me.

I manifested him in steps to build our relationship to this point, and I didn't want to begin manifesting commitment until I felt my self-concept was perfect, as I want a healthy relationship with him. Now I am finally beginning to manifest the final stage: official commitment, and I am certain that I will get it!

My biggest tip based on my own experience is to:

- Persist in the same affirmations.

- Do not affirm from a place of desperation and lack

- Keep yourself busy and prioritize yourself and your life, they must reflect this and prioritize you as well

- Trust that it is done and don't check the 3D for confirmation

- If you started having negative thoughts, PERSIST! Do not be discouraged!

- If you know that you have been doing everything right, but suddenly everything feels wrong and your negative thoughts are coming out all at once and/or the 3D looks like shit, you could be in a transition period. THIS JUST MEANS THAT YOU ARE FINALLY GETTING RID OF THE OLD BELIEFS AND YOUR MANIFESTATION IS REALLY CLOSE! SO PERSIST THROUGH THIS!

So for whoever is reading this, please remember that I am here to help you, AND I am on this journey with you! We are all human and none of us is perfect!

I'll share updates on future manifestations in the future, but this is my story so far and my current manifestation in progress!

I will probably make a post in the future about past manifestations such as celebrity crush and travel etc.

[ofyorkshire]

Hey, Nonnie. I apologize; I kneejerk deleted your ask because it was very squicky for me personally, and I don’t like when people send me gossip about people, regardless of whether or not they’re an average joe or a celebrity. But then I decided that if your message is a concern to anyone following me, I should address it: 

I don’t know much about D.avid B.ow.ie and only recently began listening to some of his music to better understand Barry James, who canonically is a huge fan of B.owie, and who found a lot of empowerment, hope, and comfort in his music and persona as a young queer man in the 1970s. It’s a repeated motif both in the novels and their film adaptations and poignant enough to his character that to erase it would be erasing a huge part of BJ’s identity. That might sound extreme, but its importance is undeniably canon.

I can’t say anything about this accusation toward B.owi.e (though, with a quick search, I cannot find anything to support it that doesn’t come from tabloids or sites known for pushing gossip for outrage, all of which were published only after his death), and... honestly I really am not all that interested in digging into a celebrity’s possible dirty laundry. 

BJ is a fictional character, and he is a character that I find a great deal of personal comfort in, and while I want to make sure I am respectful and everyone is comfortable, I want to write him as true to his canon as possible. I think, too, that it is important to consider the culture of the 1970s, and how earthshaking someone like B.ow.ie is and was to the LG.B.TQ+ community then. 

I’m sure you meant well and I appreciate that, but please do not send me unprompted gossip about celebrities again. If me reblogging B.owi.e lyrics, aesthetics, or talking about his importance to BJ is upsetting to you, I won’t be offended if you unfollow or hard block me. I want my followers feel that they can curate their dashes to feel safe and comfortable, and if my blog can’t be part of that safe environment, then I fully understand. ♥

I know this is a long reply to something that could have had a short answer, but no TL;DR because I think this is important to read in full. 

[thebibliomancer]

Tides of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 18

Tides of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because HEY PERISS WHATS THE BIG DEAL?

Last times on book: Amri and co are on a quest to unite all the Gelfling clans against the Skeksis. They’ve crossed Maudra Ethri and the Sifa off the list and have headed into the desert to meet the Dousan clan at the Wellspring gathering place. After spending some time at a lake and eating some melon and stressing about a storm that’s not supposed to be hitting the Wellspring at all, the gang is further alarmed when their guide Periss takes Kylan hostage and forces them to come with him.

Chapter 18

Quest Log updated: Save a tree

Periss directs the team to a cave in the cliff wall. There’s a bunch of astrological carvings on the cliff face but Amri doesn’t have time to look at it. What with the storm. And the hostage crisis.

The cave is large enough to hold several dozen Gelfling and yet its just Periss and his captive audience. Which raises some questions from Amri.

“What were they doing back there?” he cried. “I saw them -- the Dousan, all just... just sitting around the lake! While the storm destroyed the Wellspring! Why?”

“Because that’s how they are.”

I’m still seeing why Periss was at odds with Dousan culture.

Periss lights a torch letting all the people without darkvision (everyone who isn’t Amri) to see how nice this cave is.

On the walls, reaching up about as high as a Gelfling stood, were carved and etched illustrations. They showed Gelfling with shaved heads and tattoos, bearing incense, all standing in a line in sets of three. The row of Gelfling ended facing a beautifully articulated tree, with long gnarled roots surrounding by a pool of water. The tree branches and leaves spread wide and tall over the heads of the Gelfling. Above the canopy were the jagged depictions of lightning and storms, and at the tree’s base sat a long-backed creature with a heavy tail. Four big arms and a mane tied in knots and braids.

“A Mystic,” Naia gasped. “The ancient sage?”

Ooookay. The puzzle pieces are starting to come together now.

If an urRu was the sage who taught the Dousan their rituals and traditions, no wonder the clan is passive and stagnant!

Kylan asks about the tree in the picture since there was no such tree at the Wellspring, although there were a lot of roots.

Periss tells him that the songs say that the tree was once so tall that it could be seen from any part of the desert. But the tree - and the lake which once filled the entire valley - started to shrink. And the tree was just a dried up old trunk eventually felled by a summer wind by the time Periss was a child.

Amri assumes that the tree died but Periss firmly denies it. But that’s what the rest of the Dousan think too.

They gathered the dried up branches and burned them.

But Periss knows that the tree is still alive because if it weren’t the lake would have dried up. He’s sure that the tree is the source of the water.

“Maudra Seethi was the first person I went to. She told me I had to let go. That clinging to things that have passed on will only chain me to an effigy of the past. She even gave me a part of it to burn. Can you believe it? A pyre for a tree that lives! That is the ritual taught by the sage, from hundreds of trine ago. But she wouldn’t understand that rituals must change with time, and circumstance.”

This still does sound like the kind of sidequest you’d get when rolling into town in an rpg.

Heck, I think fixing a tree IS a quest you get when rolling into Whiterun in Skyrim.

Can you imagine though going ‘you just need to let things go’ ABOUT THE DEATH OF ONE OF THE GREAT TREES? Because that’s what I’m assuming this is. A tree big enough to be seen through an entire desert? That’s pretty great. And the Dousan just shrugged and went ‘i guess it’ll die.’

(At this point since the group is listening to him and engaging and not having to be threatened, Periss puts away the knife. Good call, Periss.)

So Periss left the Dousan in anger, traveled the world for a solution, found some of those exposition petals, recognized the group in Cera-Na and thought ‘these protagonists will definitely be able to fix the tree.’

I mean, good call there, honestly.

But specifically its because of how Kylan dream-stitched the petals and how Naia healed the Cradle Tree in the first book. An event that was included in the exposition petals.

I love how Kylan’s quest concluding at the end of the second book has driven so much of this book. He shotgunned a bunch of petals out into the world and it keeps paying narrative dividends.

Periss also gives Kylan back the firca. Yay, best boy has his magic instrument again!

Naia agrees that the tree is probably alive based on what she sensed about the lake waters but she’s not sure that this is within their power to solve. The Wellspring tree is in a whole lot worse shape than the Cradle Tree.

“Well, we might as well try.” Onica stood near where the cave opened back into the valley. The storm outside was so dense, it was like the fabric of a Skeksis robe. “If we don’t, this storm will destroy everything. The Dousan, the Crystal Skimmers, the Wellspring. Even if we survive the storm itself, we may be trapped in this cave.”

“Caves aren’t really that bad, but I get what you mean,” Amri said under his breath.

HAH!

With the fate of the entire clan and maybe them on the line, Amri steps into the silence.

“Onica is right. We have no choice but to try. But let’s make one thing clear” -- Amri faced Periss and held out his hand -- “we’re doing this as friends. Not as hostages. Got it?”

The Dousan boy hesitated, but one glance out at the storm sealed his resolution. From the strength of his grip, Amri wondered if he would have preferred it this way from the beginning.

I KNEW IT! WELCOME TO THE TEAM PERISS.

There’s coffee in the waiting room when you’re not in the active party and you can order a team jacket through HR.

Amri is a cave boy so he’s the one who finds a direction in Naia and Kylan’s doubts.

I guess that Amri has rock sense? I mean, there’s been bits where he’s talked about hearing the voice of sand but I didn’t remember whether that was something he had been doing before. But if so, cool, another clan specific ability for anyone wanting to make an trpg or something. Grottan have rock sense.

Amri feels that there’s water under the cave floor and deduces that the water streams to the cave from the Wellspring.

He tells Kylan and Onica to stay in the cave while he, Naia, and Periss head back out to the lake where the tree was.

“The firca definitely won’t be heard by the tree all the way from this cave!” Kylan protested. Amri put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Mountain water is full of minerals. You tasted them in the Wellspring. The minerals will have formed crystals around the underground rivers. Minerals like that will carry sound just fine. The clearer the better. That’s how the Grottan speak when we’re spread out among the caves.”

“But I don’t know if I can -- I’m not a Grottan --”

“That doesn’t matter. I believe in you!”

Aw frens.

And another Grottan power maybe?

But Amri tells Kylan to find a spot with good acoustics and play the song of life. Find the life still in the tree and awaken it so maybe Naia can heal it.

When Amri (with special guest Tavra), Naia, and Periss go back out into the storm, its gotten even worse. And it was already pretty bad!

They reach the lake with all the Dousan sitting around it not reacting to the storm or to them really.

Except for Erimon who asks them what the heck they’re doing.

“Could ask you the same thing!” Amri cried. “I thought you said the storm wouldn’t come here!”

Erimon grimaced. “Where are you going?”

“Into the lake. We’re going to revive the tree,” Periss said, pulling Erimon away in defiance. “And you’re not going to stop them.”

“No!” Erimon shouted. He faced his brother. “Periss, listen to me! For once, just listen! The tree is dead. You have to let it go. This is out of our hands. There’s nothing more we can do except surrender to Thra’s will. Why can’t you understand this?”

“You may not be able to hear its song, but I do. I hear it in my dreams and in my nightmares. My own clan won’t believe me, so I brought someone who would!”

Oof. No wonder Periss is so prickly.

Erimon tries to convince Naia and Amri that diving into a lake could kill them.

“You could die down there, and for nothing.”

“If we stay up here, we’ll die anyway,” Amri said.

OH DANG!

Heh.

Anyway, Naia and Amri dive into the lake.

Its a very important two-person operation. Naia can breath underwater. Amri can see. They need both things.

And there’s a third thing that needs doing too.

Amri remembers from the last book that Kylan’s firca had driven off the spiders even before being refined into a firca. And Tavra is a spider. Amri can’t hear the song underwater because there’s water in his ears but Tavra can.

Glad you are with us, he thought to the Silverling.

Perhaps this spider body can be put to use, after all.

Frens.

But also, its pretty cool how Amri thought of a plan that used all of the skills the group has. Except Onica but she’s done her part.

Also, Amri, Naia, and Tavra are dreamfasting to communicate underwater without blubbing bubbles at each other.

Its been a minute so woo another cool application for dreamfasting.

Also also, Naia can swim FAST with her wings which are not nonadjacent to a fish’s fins.

Amri held his breath as Naia pumped her wings and plunged, powerfully driving them into the murky deep. When his lungs screamed for air, Naia breathed life into him, gills open like lace around her neck. Tavra caught a bubble, holding it under her legs like a smooth, clear opal.

The lake seemed endless. It had been dark above, but as they dived, the lightning of the storm dimmed to a dull flicker. The sounds of the storm, the drumming, earthshaking thunder, died away, and as it did, Amri heard the sound of a flute. Through the underground streams and water it sounded like the eerie song of a ghost -- transcendent and unending, calling out to something that might no longer be strong enough to hear. Surrounded by the song, it was as if they were floating through a dream.

This sequence would have been very hard to do for the show but how I would have liked to see it.

They reach the lake bottom where Amri starts digging through the mud with his feet trying to find any sign of life. And he does.

Something “ringing, softly moaning in answer to Kylan’s song” under think layers of mud, there’s a spot of green among the decomposing roots of the once-Great Tree.

A stubborn tree. Still alive even in just one part of the roots. Amazing.

No wonder the Dousan thought it dead. They can’t breath underwater so they couldn’t check this deep. And they don’t have healers like Naia so what could they do even if they had found the sign of life?

Good thing a diverse group of trouble-solving protagonists rolled into town.

Naia gets on that spot of green and tries healing the tree but runs into a complication.

It’s calling for someone else. I can’t do this alone.

You mean me? Can I help?

No, it’s...

Naia closed her eyes, focusing. She had a gift; he’d seen it before. To hear the songs of Thra, to dreamfast with creatures other than Gelfling. He put his hand on her shoulder, lungs aching for his next breath.

It’s asking for the Dousan, she said finally. She looked up at him. Its people. Periss, Erimon. We need them here, now, or this tree will die, and the storm will kill us all.

Aw, dang.

Anyone know where we can rustle up more Drenchen on short notice? Or does someone want to invent scuba gear like yesterday?

[cromwellharvests]

to make a long story short, it had been one hell of a day. what had started weeks ago as an investigation into illicit business dealings at the edge of the city finally culminated in a hastily-planned and... imperfectly executed confrontation. she’d gotten pulled into the plot because, apparently, the ringleader was indulging in some illegal alchemic practices, and they had to have an ‘expert’ on their side to match; and considering just how out-of-hand things ended up, it was probably for the best after all.

nobody ended up seriously injured, after all. were the whole lot of them roughed up? absolutely. and did they all (for the most part) get an earful about it? double absolutely. not in the least from the second lieutenant himself— though she got the sense that tearing Havoc a new asshole (as some of the unlucky sergeants assigned to the impromptu task force) was something of a hobby for him, even when things went mostly alright. and why not? he was awfully good at it.

she was saved from the full force of his wrath, (be it thanks to her rank, nature, or the fact she was nursing a possible concussion; who knows), but that didn’t mean he was without a few choice words to spare the alchemist. ‘this ‘s why I can’t stand you people, get an alchemist involved and all the shit gets blown out of proportion’, ‘you know, you had the authority to keep the rest of those numbskulls in line, but noOooo—’ and so-on, and so-forth... she just nodded, agreed with indulgent hums and few words. 

similar fussing from Nolan had trained her well, listening just enough to satisfy with replies, while silently musing to herself about how, curiously, he’d kept up the chiding, scolding, and scoffing long enough to clear all the remaining medical hoops she’d had to jump through. 

even upon settling into silence, he was still there, sat on the same bench as the earthshaker— her left arm in a sling (to keep the shoulder from dislocating again) and bandages peeking over the tops of long knit socks— making sure she didn’t get in the way of any more trouble until her promised ride arrived to take her home... 

it was enough to keep her smiling to herself the whole way through. 

not that she was going to read too much into it, or anything. no, no, of course not— heaven forbid she accuse him of something as terrible as caring, when went to such great lengths not to show it. she would never dream of defacing his aloof, grouchy image!

well, not anymore so than she already did, anyways– having relaxed in the quiet enough to sink back in her seat and slowly drop her head to his shoulder. for the first few moments she laid lightly, ready to lean away if she felt him tense too much under her cheek... but aside from a little jolt to start, there was nothing of the sort. 

he settled, and so did she. letting the real weight of her head lay deeper against him while finally shedding a bit of the day’s emotional weight. and she hoped— as he drew and released a long, steady breath— that he could do the same.

@must-hate-dogs |  (◡‿◡✿) sof characters resting their head on the stoic character’s shoulder — from this.

[ryder616]

One last game of Tag? Agents of Shield #PartingShot

With this tag game, I want to know the answers to these five (5) questions and then tag 5 or more mutuals. Wasn’t tagged but want to join? Join in ! Everyone is an essential part of this fandom! Name from @ agent.of.shield_ on Instagram ( @agents-of-fangirling ) who had a great idea to post a picture of yourself with a drink (or just a drink) and tag it #partingshot as a finale goodbye to the show (which I also am going to post tomorrow on IG).  

I was tagged by the lovely @daisylincs thank you

Where were you in life when you first started watching AoS?

I had just moved out to study abroad so it was an exciting time but also a bit scary. First time feeling like an adult (I’m very much over it now 😁) but also totally not one. AoS was both familiar - as a Marvel property and a Mutant Enemy show, since I had become obsessed with Buffy and Firefly a few years earlier - and new, so I kinda latched on it as my comfort show. It was also the first time I was becoming super invested in a show in “real time”, as my other tv hyperfixations at the time were all binged years after they had been off the air. It all contributed to make AoS feel quite special.

I didn’t seek out the fandom until much later, though, and I silently lurked for quite a while before fully diving in. Sometimes I regret that I didn’t join from the start and sometimes I regret that I did it at all because watching the show in my own happy bubble was... peaceful. LOL.

Where are you now?

In a bit of a holding pattern due to the pandemic shenanigans but it’s a reasonably comfortable pattern so I can’t complain. Older but definitely not wiser. And I don’t mind that one bit.

What character development arc (or storyline in general) did you love the most?

The Earthshaking Wonder, of course. She became my favorite from her very first scene and it has only intensified from there. I don���t think I could be more attached if she were flesh and blood, really. I’ll miss her tremendously. 

What will you miss the most?

Watching new episodes, reading everyone’s theories and metas (I’m sure there’ll be ton of new metas coming in the next few weeks but it won’t be the same as when there was still more story to look forward to), daydreaming of storylines and far-fetched twists.

Favourite quote?

I imagined you perfect. You’re way more interesting than that. Because it summarizes perfectly why Daisy and the rest of the characters are awesome.

With great power comes... a ton of weird crap you are not prepared to deal with (although I feel "a ton of misery” would have been more accurate).

Tagging: @acerobbiereyes @azhamdrety @fitzsimmonkeys  @queen-of-love-and-beauty @valentinaonthemoon

[writersblockandapotoftea]

Worldbuilding Post

DWARVES

Dwarves are an agender and asexual humanoid species that frequent the caves and mountains on both continents of Unitien. They are divided into two species, modern and elder. While elder dwarves are largely thought to be extinct, modern dwarves ascribe many of their culture and lifestyles to them, including their love of trap making, forging and their luscious beards.

Now, before delving into Dwarves and their culture, one must learn about Dostine, the goddess of dwarves, tricksters and blacksmiths. She is known by dwarves as All-Creator and creates the dwarves in a secret ceremony that follows the specifications of this poem.

One dwarf is forged of gold, Two are of molten steel and bronze Three from the bones of old The last four are the best, Made from silver and all the rest.

Dostine loves all of her children dearly and the ceremony is preformed every fifty years or so, meaning that there are twenty new dwarves every century. No human, elf or dragon has ever seen it. She also gifted the dwarves with the four massive interconnecting tunnels that allow them to go to whichever part of the world they so please, meaning there are modern dwarves on both continents and in the southern straights, all with their own unique quirks.

Straitien Dwarves ride jewelled spiders, which are blue and white spiders that allow them to climb all over the cliffs and avoid predators. There's even a contest where they joust across the canyon on a massive spiderweb. They also are less likely to wear heavy clothing as they live in a jungle, so it's not unexpected to see a dwarf wearing nothing but a loin cloth around humans, then nothing in the jungle. 

Eastern Dwarves are the dwarves who occupy the Barliosian Empire. They are more adapted to cold weather and take great pride in their workmanship as where they live is full of iron and other ores. 

Western Dwarves don't live underground, rather in massive pyramids built overtop of over-mined quarries. They have darker skin and coarser hair to deal with the sand in their local environment. They like roasting camels over massive fires for food.

Modern dwarves are a welcome and frequent sight in the human cities and towns wherever they are found, acting as blacksmiths, miners, and small business owners. Dwarves are easily differentiated from normal humans by their thick beards, small stature, unique forging abilities and ability to consume anything poisonous with no repercussions.

No one quite knows why modern dwarves and humans get along so well, as elder dwarves and humans often fought bitterly, but where there are dwarves in a community, they are well beloved. Even in the dwarven settlements deep in the mountains, there is usually at least one human. This is because of the dwarven tendency to adopt children from other races, as they cannot have their own. These adopted children are well cared for and are given the nickname of switchers, as the dwarves often rescue them from unhappy homes, leaving cursed jewels in the crib of the adopted child. Other switchers are left at the doors of Mountain keeps to be found by dwarves in times of famine. While many humans view them all as male due to their beards,  all dwarves have no notion of gender in the sense that humans and elves do. They view everyone as equals and organize their society in terms of what needs to happen for everyone to thrive.

Domas: This rank means parent and can be held by anyone with a youngling. They raise and protect their youngling or switcher and teach them the tools of their trade and when the youngling is old enough; they send them to find their own cave, usually nearby so they can maintain their lifelong bond.

Trapmasters: These are the masters of the forge. They craft armour so light that it feels like a woollen coat and shields so strong they protect you from a dragon's breath. Every dwarf practices for years hoping to become a trapmaster. However, as they can only be appointed by Dostine, the goddess of dwarves, there are only two remaining in the world.

Carvers: These fine folk spend their days in pursuit of the true beauty of stone and crystals. They polish, whittle and crack these into beautiful works of art and sculptures. The most talented of them can turn jewels into windows that never crack and reflect light in a thousand different patterns. They tend to never become domas, instead recruiting younglings from larger families. Forgers: These are the dwarves that go out into the larger world. They are talented, hardworking and make things of a much higher quality than human smiths could ever dream. These dwarves are accompanied by switchers because it is an innate dwarven instinct to see a child in need and adopte them.

Miners: These are the ones who are pulled down, down, down into the darkness by some unknown voice. They dig and dig and they have no idea of what they're about to find. They come up with gold and jewels and iron and go back down again. They are probably the strongest of dwarves and are also the warrior class of modern dwarves.

Prayerhands; These are the holy and scholars people of modern dwarves! They are also in charge of dwarven funds, acting as treasurers and conducting official business with human officials. They dress in all grey and shave their beards in reverence to Dostine, who has no beard and are frequently referred to as women by humans. Do not do this. Please ask what their preferred pronouns are. Your head will remain in place for much longer if you do.

Humans and modern dwarves have fairly stable relations, with the humans exchanging gold and silver for various services. However, some concepts that humans have are completely alien to dwarves. These include the concept of drunkenness, as dwarves cannot get drunk as their livers process alcohol inhumanly fast. Other concepts include the idea of marriage, sexual attraction and gender; however, they do understand aesthetic attractions.

If you have stuck with me for this long, congratulations, you have more patience than my younger brother.

We're finally entering the mysterious world of the Elder Dwarves; strange creatures with six arms, thick beards and more talent for forging than all the trapmasters combined. Elder dwarves are currently thought to be extinct, although some trolls claim to have seen them in the deepest caverns.

Thought to be greedy, always hungry and quite mean, Elder Dwarves were considered monsters by trolls, humans and elves, and frequently clashed with them in territorial disputes before sealing off their caves and tunnels for nine centuries, before modern dwarves appeared and began to make ammends. (Modern dwarves argue this point quite fiercely, pointing to the evidence that Elder dwarves had closely knit communities and largely fungus-based diets, like their own) They had their own language, the ability to stick to walls and were terrifyingly quick on their feet. The things they created that were found by humans gave rise to energy-storing crystals, zeppelins, clocks, ballistas, and even the system Epidamnos uses to keep the ocean from destroying it every stormy season.

The few Elder Dwarven caverns that are accessible by modern dwarves are called Pitches and are filled with bones, artifacts that glow with malicious energies and lava pools. Many Prayerhands believe that Elder dwarves bathed in the lava and it was actually an important part of their forging process, as the writings that are translated describe them being friends with a mostly extinct species of dragon, the Earthshaker dragons, who spewed lava so hot that even the gods were fearful of angering one. How the Elder Dwarves managed this, no one is sure. One theory thinks that they watched over the hatchlings, keeping them safe from hungry demons and greedy monster hunters that came from the surface looking for an easy kill. Earthshaker dragons are blind until they reach adolescence so having the dwarves to protect them while providing them with the lava they needed would form an inevitable  symbiotic relationship that benefited both parties.

It is unknown why elder dwarves had six arms and modern dwarves only have two. Humans assume it's because dwarves needed to assimilate better to human culture or risk extinction, but dwarves aren't sure, as some dwarves are born with four arms to this day. They tend to become miners, as the extra limbs make it much easier to fight and mine at the same time. Some believe that Dostine merely decided that she didn't like making the extra bones and gradually shifted. Others think that as the dwarves moved back to the surface, the terrain became easier and there were less demons to fight,  they simply didn't need them anymore, and so Dostine removed them.

Another key difference between Elder and Modern Dwarves is that while Modern Dwarves are agender and asexual, Elder Dwarves enjoyed representing themselves in various genders unrecognizable to humans and made a wild array of jewelry and combs. The jewelry currently found is mostly bracelets that jangle in a pleasing way. With all their arms decorated, they would have been able to compose entire rhythms with their bracelets. Certain bracelets seemed to be reserved for certain people, with one half of all bones found wearing bracelets of pure ruby, with the other half wearing bracelets of amethyst.

However, bones from Elders are incredibly rare because, as stated in the poem above, Dostine enjoys recycling and most of what is known about Elder Dwarves is patched together from paintings, frescos and a few pieces of jewelry found in Pitches. Perhaps if modern dwarves dig deep enough, they will find their answers, and maybe even some old friends.

[babyybitchhh]

What comes first... Talking Senku into having sex with someone? Or him making sex toys for someone? Because I know for a fact he'd probably make toys before ever having sex. I don't know. That's what I feel like he'd do.

🤔

Personally I think that depends on the environment and how much of a workload he’s got on his plate at the time. This is a valid question so I’m going to give it a two part answer, hope you don’t mind. Lol

In a modern setting I do think Senkuu would probably feel more comfortable working his way up to having full blown sex in a very methodical and experimental manner. If you can pique his interest, he’d want to know all the ins and outs of not only sexuality itself but also what that means to you. His approach might very well come off as impersonal but he’d definitely want to find out what makes you tick before jumping in so I think once the subject was broached, his first question would be “why”.

“Because I like you, you stupid genius. Do you want me to spell it out for you?”

His next question would probably be “what do you expect out of this?” Now, that’s a pretty hard question to answer, especially if you’re not so sure yourself. Not to worry though. Senkuu is a resourceful man who would welcome open dialogue about this topic and I can easily see him encouraging you to show him examples of what you’d like to experience. He’s not the sort to willingly go in without a plan, after all. So if that leads to you sending him porn clips at two in the morning when you’re too worked up to sleep ... then so be it.

He’d look at everything with a discerning eye, easily picking out the parts that you like and distancing them from what you tell him you don’t like. Once hes gathered enough data to feel like he has a solid grasp on your sexual interests, he’d be ready to start the experiment phase. Depending on what you’re comfortable with, that could mean simply making out and fondling (let me just throw it out there that he’d pick up on kissing soooo fast 😩) listening to you touch yourself over the phone while you narrate everything for him or even some mutual masturbation sessions in his room. The point is, he knows what you like when it’s someone else on the receiving end so now he’s putting together a solid case for what YOUR body responds to.

And when I say he’d remember every little detail ... y’all. The way your breath catches in your throat when you’re getting close. The soft sighs of pleasure when you tweak your nipple just so. The speed and intensity at which you rub your cute little pussy. It’s all so fascinating to him and Senkuu would find that he actually greatly enjoys taking what gets your brain going in theory (the porn) and figuring out how to apply that in practice. It’s one of the most exciting equations he’s ever worked with.

But now comes the hands on portion of this little experiment. Rest assured, after compiling all that data he would master the art of tuning your body like a goddamn fiddle in record time. I have no doubt he’d make you cum on his first attempt and he’d consider that a resounding success. He’s not the sort who’d give up anyway but with all the knowledge you’ve given him, it’s not hard to figure out how you like to have your clit stroked when he’s the one doing it. If it’s stimulation of the g-spot that gets you off, don’t worry. Him and those long, spindly digits have got you, baby girl. If you need a finger in the butt to experience an earthshaking orgasm then that’s fine too. He’s not scared. Each new discovery would be neatly filed away for later use, every little reaction he pulls from you stored away in that big sexy brain of his.

And once he’s confident that his fingers have experienced everything your body has to offer, it’s time to repeat the process with his mouth. Titties? Sucked. (A lot, because I’m convinced he’s a boob man) Pussy? Ate until you’re a whimpering, twitching mess. Booty? If you’re into that, he WILL go to town (but only after you’re fresh out the shower because he’s too smart not to know about harmful bacteria lol)

After that, he’d definitely switch to toys instead of taking the plunge himself. I mean, there’s so many different kinds on the market and he’d want to know exactly how you respond to each one. Bullet vibes, silicone dildos, realistic and otherwise, vibrators that can be inserted, vibrators with beads in them that roll around when you turn it on, g-spot vibes, clit stimulators, remote controlled vibes, anal beads, butt plugs, vibrating butt plugs, nipple suckers, nipple clamps. Even something as seemingly mundane as a clothespin can and WILL be used on you and I see absolutely no reason why he’d shy away from experimenting with a vegetable or two if you were up for it. 💀 I can also really see him being into some light D/s play, nothing too crazy but his sadistic demon lord side is not all for show and he’d love to tie your wrists to the headboard so he can tease you for an hour or two.

Let me pause for one minute here to mention that Senkuu is a Capricorn and, generally speaking, they tend to find a great deal of satisfaction in physical pleasures. I think he’d end up really enjoying sex but the hurdle is actually getting him to stop thinking about science long enough to realize he has someone right in front of him who is not only willing but also WANTS to explore that avenue with him. He’s a little too one track minded to realize on his own so you’d definitely need to be the one who does the nudging here. He’s only going to have eyes for chemistry unless you grab his face and MAKE him look at you.

After that though? It’s a fucking wrap.

Now ... if we’re talking the stone world? Senkuu is very dedicated to his goal of restoring civilization to its former greatness so he really just does not have the time for all this. I can see either one of two things happening.

A: you tell him you’re down to clown and, while shocked flattered, he tells you that now is just not a good time. He has so much work to do, so many different things to focus on. He’s nothing if not an open minded individual though and if you persist on this topic, he’d offer to make you some sort of toy to get by with.

“If I build it myself, it’ll kind of be like I’m the one making you feel good, right?”

Or B: you’re adamant enough that Senkuu just can’t appease you with a blithe imitation of what you really want that he has no other option BUT to give in. Without having any previous experience to go off of, he’d be soooo out of his element and much less confident in his approach than he would be in the modern setting scenario. Lots of fumbling and awkward moments, uncertainty. But he’d just have to fast track through the experimental phase and figure out what you like vs what you don’t with a straight up hands on approach. Luckily for us he enjoys a good challenge. 😏

Of course then you have the galaxy brain option C which is accepting the sex toy he makes for you and then continuing to ask for sex like a pitiable orphan in a Charles Dickens novel until he agrees. Have your cake and eat it too, Queen!

TL;DR: Senkuu would prefer to take things slow by building up to it with toys and lots of information gathering but if you’re a hardheaded little thing then he will absolutely rise to the occasion. And I do mean that literally.

[lindwur-fr]

Soft(??) Deity headcanons

Let’s do this eh? Just some passing thoughts about Small Things that the Eleven may do

The Earthshaker: His Exalted and himself often sit around in grand crystaline caverns, discussing the formation of various gemstones. Sometimes he’ll hide geodes in hatchlings’ nests for them to crack open, revealing stunning gemstones that often are coloured similarly to the hatchling in question

The Flamecaller: She never lets one of her own go cold. If a Fire Dragon is far from her territory, their soul still resonates with their Deity. They never succumb to the cold, fore when they feel themselves start to give in, a sudden, healing warmth flows over them and revitalizes them.

The Tidelord: I’m sorry my guys I miss my Prophecy Dad too, I’m proudly part Water Flight. 100% don’t know what to put here D:

The Windsinger: Like his name suggests, The Windsinger sings! A very light, singsong voice sometimes echoes out over his Flight’s territory, carried by the winds, soothing hatchlings and putting weary souls at ease with tales of the wonder of Sorineth and the love he has for all in his thrall.

The Lightweaver: She sometimes scatters a special type of firefly over her Flight’s territory, and these fireflies guide lost souls to her, where she can watch over them, and heal them. This is done in tribute to her sister, The Shadowbinder, as a hopeful gesture of kindness, longing for her sibling’s affection.

The Shadowbinder: Like her sister, The Lightweaver, The Shadowbinder also uses fireflies as a means of guiding those lost in the inky darkness of her Flight. She knows that while many don’t understand the comforts of her darkness, she doesn’t turn those away who have yet to appreciate the soft veil of shadows that she embraces her children with. No matter where you are in the Shadow Flight, you’ll always have sweet dreams and a deep sleep if you are of The Shadowbinder’s make.

The Stormcatcher: Surprisingly, when he’s not full-volume yelling, he does care a great deal for his workers. Should one die on the job, he personally informs the family, and will extend his deepest regrets for allowing such harm to come to one of his children. He’ll support the family thereafter. Some Hatchlings who have lost a parent find a fatherly comfort in The Stormcatcher, who often busies himself writing letters to any Hatchling he’s felt he has wronged by taking away one of their parents by accident.

The Icewarden: Though distant, The Icewarden isn’t without a bit of charity in his heart. His gift to his children- the Tundras- are small oasis-like spots of greenery that peek up through the heavy snow. These areas are often surrounded by large fir trees, and once you enter the circle, the snow turns from harsh and driving to a light feathery down. No matter what the snow is like outside of these oasis, inside of one, the picturesque, fat snowflakes are always present, and don’t pile high, leaving the healthy greenery exposed on the ground.

The Gladekeeper: She sometimes goes out into the Viridian Labyrinth, coming down from The Behemoth and leaving gardens in her wake, composed of soft-petaled flowers and medicinal herbs. Rarely, she’ll meet a dragon personally, and will provide them with food. She knows how harsh her wilderness can be, but she isn’t cruel. If life has played unfair to the dragon she reveals herself to, one will discover how understanding she is. She doesn’t wish suffering upon anyone. Nature takes its course on all, in the end. But to assist those who have been abused or treated unfairly- nature will heal them and shelter them.

The Plaguebringer: Amazingly, she too is a being of charity. After all, she was born of The Gladekeeper’s dead. She holds the memories of millions of beings- dragon and nondragon- who were left to rot, shunned by The Gladekeeper. She holds no grudge against those who opt to leave her wastelands. She understands that they are leaving for their survival, to persist in realms elsewhere that they can handle. Leaving her territory isn’t giving up- it’s smart. She doesn’t wish for those who cannot live in her harsh lands to suffer. She sends crows, and other flying carrion-eaters out into the wastes, to guide travelers out of her realm and to a safer place. After that, their survival is in their own claws.

The Arcanist: Surprisingly, he celebrates birthdays quite often. When new Hatchlings are born, parent dragons look to the skies for the brightest stars over their nest. The stars that shine the brightest, or appear suddenly, are being made visible by The Arcanist himself, bringing forth the light from distant suns to bless those born in his Flight. Every hatchling in The Arcane Flight has a star, somewhere in the sky. Even if they can’t see it, they take comfort knowing their Deity showed that star to them, and it is out there, somewhere.

[clanhaven]

How Niscita feels about the Eleven

The basic rule with her is this: If she refers to you as anything other than just your name she has some sort of strong feeling, either good or bad. Earthshaker - He is either “Sir” or “RockGrampa” and she hopes to meet him someday. She hears he is....sad. Flamecaller - Also known to her as “Lady Flame” or “Great Aunt Burn,” scary but 11/10 would like to say hi but doesn’t think it will ever happen. She’s impressed by her and hears she is a good mother to her flight while also being very efficient in her work. Also pretty sure she could send someone to the burn unit with just words~ Don’t tell anyone but she also finds her pretty. Windsinger - “Favorite Uncle” Freakin AWESOME duuuuude, (Surfer Voice) yeah he’s cool, she loves his realm, and his ideals, she would also love to meet him. If she hasn’t already? If she has, yes please again! Flying on the winds of a freakin hurricane yas! The fact he kinda just disappears sometimes scares her though, but she understands why. At least he comes back.  Tidelord - Where even is he? (She hopes he’s not dead somehow, if that’s even possible.)  Icewarden - respects him but is also T E R R I F I E D of him no thanks, too much ice, too much cold, too many stories about prisons. And his eyes are creepy. Stormcatcher - “Bossdad” she loves and admires him greatly and not just because she was born in his Flight. The constant yelling and sounds of thunder oddly enough do not bother her, in fact on her journeys away from it she’s had to get used to the silence with some discomfort. Others in her clan feel very differently however. She does believe in his ideals of efficiency, moving forward, hard work- but all things need to come in balance and this is not something she sees at all in the Shifting Expanse. She still wishes she could meet him but...despite living there, out of everyone she detects exactly 0 possibility of that ever happening. Will never EVER admit it but finds him extremely handsome, the thought of anyone knowing that mortifies her. Lightweaver - Has a rather virulent dislike of her, that’s putting it ‘lightly’ tbh. Her opinion was neutral until she heard what she said about the Imperials. Seeing as she knows what it’s like to be told by your mother (Her birth mother, not her adopted parents) that you were a mistake- she’s earned the name “Winemom” which is literally the worst thing Niscita ever calls anyone because her own mother was (Is still actually) a drunk. As far as she’s concerned “Bitch” is a compliment here. She would happily express this openly if she did not fear for the safety of her Clan. You would have never seen something so small shred the self image of something so large without using a single cuss. Unless she’s an actual sociopath in which case...wasted breath. Shadowbinder - “Lady Shadow” Respects her a great deal, little scared of her but...in a good way? If that makes sense? She admires her for also being a good mother without discrimination, even more so for being the only one of her kind not to start fighting immediately after coming into existence. Therefore she sees her as possessing the most wisdom. Her trickster ways and love for games interest her, being something rather foreign but attractive. She would love to meet her, but like with most does not think a nobody like her will ever get the chance. She also finds her incredibly beautiful and she would curl into a ball of shame if ever called on it. Plaguebringer - “Lady Plague” Respects and admires her and her ideals and is also pretty sure a certain someone is not dead because she had mercy. Or maybe Tundras just have really good immune systems? She really doesn’t believe that seeing as neither she nor Anak have gotten sick from anything since. Niscita may never know, but with all that she’s heard from the myriad of Plague members in her Clan she thinks she’s a good mom, leader and creator, despite what others may say. Her ways may be harsh, as survival often it is, but creating the strongest life is something she can stand behind 100%. She also likes her bony face and despite the pustules finds her weirdly attractive, pretty sure she had a dream once that involved ‘booping the snoot.’ Gladekeeper: - Having never been to her realm and only having one Nature Born dragon in her clan (Who happens to be nuts and thinks he’s a Mith) she really doesn’t know much about her other than basic history and ideals. Which to her on the surface do not seem so different from her sister in anything but their methods. She doesn’t understand why they dislike each other so but knows there must be a reason other than being opposite sides of the same coin- right? P.S. this is basically how she felt about Lightweaver until she opened her unnaturally large mouth. XD  Arcanist - “SpaceDad” seeing as he created her species she’s always had an affinity for him. He is also the youngest of his kind...a thing she can appreciate, as well as how he came to be and the isolation he suffered thereafter.  To her it is all too obvious why he is the way he is, especially after falling prey to madness so early in life and the damage that caused. How could he have known better? With no one to teach him anything... She admires his curiosity but fears his obsessive nature could be damaging to him or others. Still...she would hug him if she could and he is probably the only Deity she will happily say is beautiful without the slightest shyness.  She hopes he knows too.

[thesevenseraphs]

Bungie Weekly Update - 1/11/19

This week at Bungie, the fourth forge was unlocked.  

But not in the way we intended. Sometimes at Bungie we try new things. On many occasions in the past, we have enjoyed watching as the community worked together to solve puzzles. That was the idea behind Niobe Labs. As the puzzle hunt started to drag on for too long, Guardians watched from the sidelines, eager to forge some new weapons. The feedback was clear: Puzzles are fun, but not when they gate content you were expecting to play. We’re flexible enough to change a plan when it’s not playing out as we had hoped, so we decided to give Annual Pass owners access to the Bergusia Forge. The final forge is open now!

Niobe Labs is still waiting to be solved. Some of the clues in the Niobe Labs puzzle are not as clear as we intended. Our designers are looking into this and will have a clarifying update at 6pm PST. If you are still interested in helping solve it, keep an eye on our forum. We’ll share the link from @Bungie as well. We will be applying what we learned from this activity to experiences we’re creating for future releases.

Thanks for playing.

Over 9000

Before the holidays, we mentioned some sandbox changes coming up at the end of this month. We’re excited to shake things up a little bit, specifically with how your most powerful abilities spread destruction. Here is Designer Dan Gniady with some designer commentary on the changes we have planned.

Dan: Hello Super Aficionados! It’s DanG here to tell you about upcoming changes to subclasses. In the 2.1.4 update, you will experience fresh changes to most of the Supers and a couple goodies here and there for the subclasses at large. If you want just the quick takeaway: damage was increased for most Supers (and slightly reduced for Blade Barrage and Nova Warp), and we’ve injected a couple new tricks into some of the older subclass paths. Keep reading for a more detailed look.

Josh Hamrick recently touched on our upcoming plans for Sandbox, and we wanted to expand on our intentions a bit further. These are some of the goals guiding us:

As frequently as possible, continue to shift the combat meta with Sandbox updates to keep Destiny fresh

Investigate and improve outliers—underperformers in terms of popularity or effectiveness—to keep all of your given Sandbox options feeling like relevant and effective choices

Address major Quality of Life Sandbox issues reported by the community to maintain a smooth and consistent gameplay experience in Destiny

In this specific update, our goal was to look at Supers holistically across the board, bringing up damage where they underperform, fixing some major pain points, and adding new functionality where inspiration struck. To accomplish this, we did the following:

Compiled community feedback

Looked at data, both usage rates and effectiveness

Playtested changes and continued adjusting

So, specifically which Supers got a bump?

Damage Increases:

Golden Gun (three-shot and six-shooter)

Shadowshot (Moebius Quiver)

Arc Staff

Burning Maul

Hammer of Sol (Code of the Siegebreaker)

Fist of Havoc

Sentinel Shield

Nova Bomb (Cataclysm and Vortex)

Daybreak

Small Damage Decrease:

Blade Barrage

Nova Warp

This is the beginning of a process. We believe we’ve found a good place around which to balance the subclasses. This means a few outliers will come down a bit, but most will be brought up. It will involve changes to Super damage, tuning numbers on perks to make them more effective, or even wholesale replacing them when they aren’t performing.

Below you will find the very start of these changes. If you don’t see a particular improvement you were hoping for, know that there will be more to come. And please continue to let us know what you think as we make changes. We appreciate your feedback and share in your passion.

Hunter

Gunslinger

Changes:

Golden Gun

Six-Shooter kills return a bullet

Practice Makes Perfect Super regen increased

Blade Barrage 

The damage is now heavily weighted on the delayed explosion instead of the knife impact

Now deals self-damage if the knives explode too close

Fixed a bug where the knives would track allies

Notes: This Golden Gun change brings increased uptime with your Super. For the Way of the Outlaw, this means a skill-based mechanic to extend it. For Way of the Sharpshooter, it’s the ability to earn your Super more quickly.

Nightstalker

Changes

Moebius Quiver

Entire damage bonus is applied on the first hit instead of stacking and multiplying

Increased tether radius and lifetime

Made it easier to fire successive tethers

Spectral Blades

Damage resistance in stealth decreased

Duration of Super while invisible slightly decreased

Notes: This is step one for Shadowshot, and we intend to keep improving the way it works. For this pass, we focused on Moebius Quiver quality of life.

Arcstrider

Changes:

Super damage is now more heavily weighted toward the heavy palm strike attack

No attack damage was reduced, but much of the added damage for this Super went into the heavy attack

Lethal Current bonus damage increased

Titan

Sunbreaker

Changes:

Sunspots

Doubled the damage of the burn on enemies

Sun Warrior

Buff length increased from 3 seconds to 5 seconds

Now increases ALL outgoing damage

Burning Maul

Slam radius increased

Slam fire tornado improved homing

Sentinel

Changes:

Super damage is more heavily weighted on the heavy shield charge attack.

No attack damage was reduced, but much of the added damage for this Super went into the heavy attack

Striker

Changes:

Terminal Velocity

There are now three tiers of hang time

The amount of hang time for each tier has been reworked

Each tier of hang time now causes four damaging shocks instead of three

The damage for the hang time bonuses has been increased significantly

Trample

The light shoulder attack Super cost has been reduced by ~85%

Trample can now trigger every 0.5 seconds, up from every 1 second

Notes: For Code of the Earthshaker, the change to Terminal Velocity should make it more engaging. The first tier is now easier to achieve. For the second tier, you’ll probably want some high ground, but if all you have is flat land, a directional slam near the peak of your lift can proc it. Finally, there’s a new third tier that will require some serious height to activate. On top of that, you’ll not only need to land your hang time slams, but also do it quickly enough to get in all four possible to maximize damage.

With Code of the Juggernaut, if you play it right, you can extend your Super for minutes (in PvE). I know this sounds crazy, but it takes foresight and strategic choices. The light shoulder attack is almost a movement mode with the new cheaper cost. With the increased mobility, you should be able to lay some shoulder on bigger targets and then go on a run for little guys to rebuild your Super energy.

Warlock

Dawnblade

Changes:

Super duration increased

Voidwalker

Changes:

Cataclysm

Increased detonation radius

Cluster damage increased

Improved cluster bomb homing to make it more consistent against single targets

Cluster bombs no longer detonate one another

Vortex

Linger damage increased significantly

Nova Warp

Slower movement while charging

Charging costs more energy and overall duration is reduced

Damage resistance reduced very slightly

PvP damage reduction

Charged detonation will no longer be able to one shot another player in their Super, provided it has damage resistance

Notes: Summed up: “Nova Bomb, now not just for large groups.”

The Nova Warp changes above are all small, but we think together they will help bring it down into a good place—a place similar to the Supers that we're raising up.

Stormcaller

Changes:

Stormtrance

Increased number of targets for chain lightning by 1

Well, my part of this TWAB is Super over. But hey, thanks for reading! We’re genuinely excited to get these changes in your hands and look forward to hearing what you think when you put hands to controllers/keyboards and mice.

This is the current plan, but things could change in the next few weeks. The official patch notes will ship with the update which is currently slated for January 29.

Making Matches

Next week, we will adjust matchmaking settings in Competitive. This change is scheduled to take effect on January 15 at 10 AM PST. The World Systems Team has been gathering feedback and using it in conjunction with player data to make the next change for how we match opponents in the Competitive playlist.

We will be changing the matchmaking parameters so that opponents you find in Competitive matchmaking will be closer to your Glory rank. While the imbalanced match can still happen, we believe this change will reduce the number of occurrences dramatically. Players may experience longer matchmaking times as we will try to ensure a good Glory rank match before opening up the search criteria. Thank you so much for your feedback, and please keep it coming. We’re always improving the game and your feedback helps steer the conversation.

Fe

Saladin is making his regular visit to the Tower next week for the first Iron Banner of 2019. He brings with him weapons and armor to be earned by Guardians who chose to face off in the great tournament.

Iron Banner and Valor Bonus

Begins: January 15, 2019

Ends: January 22, 2019

Where Are My Keys?

Player Support has your back out there in the wild.

This is their report.

Shredding GUITARS

Shortly after the launch of Destiny 2: Forsaken, Destiny Player Support began monitoring player reports describing intermittent GUITAR errors in the final encounters of the “Last Wish” raid. These errors have been especially impactful to players attempting the “Petra’s Run” Triumph, which requires fireteams to complete the “Last Wish” raid in a single session with no deaths.

After comprehensive investigation, we currently believe that “Last Wish” GUITAR errors occur when players hit the limit on the number of server-controlled objects within a single area. This issue is exacerbated during the final encounter in “Last Wish,” when encounter-specific objects are left over from the Riven fight. Reaching this limit causes the server to crash, resulting in GUITAR errors for all players.

Our teams are working to identify this issue’s root cause, and are currently testing solutions to resolve these elevated errors. While no strict timeline can be guaranteed, possible solutions are being tested with the intent of shipping in Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 in March. When more information is available, we’ll be sure to sound off.

Season of the Forge Vital Information and Known Issues

In addition to the items listed above, Destiny Player Support would like to remind players of the currently tracked vital information and known issues which players should be aware of in Destiny 2.

Obsidian Accelerator: We are investigating an issue with the Obsidian Accelerator in which the item is DISCARDED when players select the “Use” button. Players should turn this item in to Ada-1 instead of selecting the “Use” option on the item.

Key Mold and the Mysterious Box: We are investigating player reports regarding the Black Armory Key Mold only becoming available on the first character it is received on.

Forge Key Issues: Investigations are ongoing regarding an issue where forge keys may not be counting toward the Mysterious Box, and players aren't able to obtain another key.

Master Smith Triumph: We are investigating an issue where the "Master Smith" Triumph doesn't count Rare research frames in its total.

Le Monarque "Poison Arrows" Perk: We are investigating an issue where the "Poison Arrows" perk on the Le Monarque Exotic bow is inconsistent over long distances.

Forged in Fire Triumph: We are investigating an issue where the “Forged in Fire" Triumph can't be claimed after players complete their “Forged in Fire” Badge in their Collections.

For the latest known issues as soon as they are available, players should visit our Destiny 2 Known Issues and Vital Information knowledge base article.

[warsofasoiaf]

We're tomorrow I believe, so I shall repeat the question, as requested : what are your thoughts on Graven Ashe, the Great General of the Disfavored in Obsidian Entertainment and Paradox's Tyranny?

Graven Ashe is a well-done villain, but the writing of him as a general suffers a bit. In some ways this is a good thing, a flawed general whose flaws logically derive from the character makes sense, and some of those flaws are a natural part of Graven Ashe’s character progression from capable rebel general to where we see him at the start of the Tiers campaign, as well as an exploration of the setting of Terratus. Under a cut because spoilers.

Ashe as a rebel general is every bit the heroic mythos of a rebel commander. Outnumbered by Kyros’s hordes, unwilling to surrender, Ashe took to the mountains, where he fought an impressive campaign. The rough mountain terrain reduces the force multiplier of large numbers by preventing those numbers from being deployed effectively, reducing or eliminating the ability for flank attacks in warfare techinques that are as ancient as they are timeless. Similarly, Ashe using terrain that he and his forces knew by heart gave them a tremendous tactical advantage, local knowledge has been one way that insurgency forces from Persian rebels to modern jihadists have attacked numerically and technologically superior foes. Ashe used pragmatic tactics shaped by natural talent and cunning (he was illiterate before his magical awakening) and his campaign is really nothing short of brilliant from what little we understand of it. Ashe is capable of adapting quickly to the various magics that the Archons arrayed against him. When the Archon of Entropy used magic to destroy Ashe’s weapons and armor, his forces used wooden weapons and other natural tools to continue the fight. When the Archon of Sorrow tried to break the morale of Ashe’s troops, they countered using Northern honor songs and other methods of espirit de corps to maintain unit cohesion. 

These victories awakened Ashe’s own unique exarch powers: his troops fought harder, stayed on the march longer, and fought with a unity of purpose that made them, pound for pound, one of the greatest fighting forces of that era. Ashe credited his legion and his legion credited Ashe, and in the world of Tyranny, that collective belief becomes a magical force. First Ashe simply shoulders the doubts of his men, and they fight harder knowing they can believe in their general. This belief strengthened his soldiers to the point where they began to fight past the point of other types of failure, including physical. This feedback loop gave Ashe the ability to shoulder the burdens of his troops from battle fatigue to actual chest wounds, sustaining his campaign far longer than any thought possible and certainly longer than any other had resisted the armies of Kyros. Ashe’s magic is a compassionate one, his regard for his men allows them to fight. 

Ultimately though, the resources that Kyros could provide outweighed even Ashe’s dogged resistance, an often overlooked facet of warfare is that the ability to sustain a campaign often can be a bigger determinant than battlefield victory, despite the allure of the latter over the former as discussed in Cathal Nolan’s The Allure of Battle. Ashe was able to delay every action that Blood Ruin, then the Archon of War, could muster, even defeating him in combat and slaying him, taking the mantle for his own. Every loss that Ashe’s army took couldn’t be replaced, and even a legion magically protected by an Archon’s power became too much. Ashe could nearly obliterate the Scarlet Chorus, but even he ended up in chains, and there Ashe elected to serve Kyros over the deaths of he and his legion. Kyros took the Northern pride by co-opting the legion and removing their name, marking them as the Disfavored and sending them into the field to win the favor of their cruel Overlord.

Here we see Ashe start to be corrupted from his heroic ideal to a dark mirror. Ashe’s regard for his troops meant that he was unwilling to sacrifice them to prove a point. This in itself is a reflection of his pragmatism that he emphasized from the early days fighting in the mountains, but other aspects of himself darkened as he became the next new tool for Kyros. Regard for his men and a love of their culture through their songs which shepherded them through magical sorrow grew the foul fruit of outright bigotry and supremacism, Ashe and the Disfavored are unapologetic in their assertion that their superior breeding, training, and culture make them inherently elite in every conceivable sense, and they relish taking to the field to ‘prove’ that supremacy against all those who would oppose them. Kyros, throughout the game, routinely disregards the Disfavored despite their elite self-conception. When the Disfavored do not conquer the Unbroken quickly enough, the Edict of Storms is dropped upon them for their inability to subject Stalwart quickly enough to suit the whims of the Overlord. When the bickering of the Voices of Nerat and Graven Ashe hamper putting down the Apex rebellion, Kyros drops the Edict of Swords on the entire valley, killing them all. Ashe’s magics are compassionate but that compassion is used in an engine of great cruelty. 

Ashe in the game, however, is far from the great general that he was in his origin story. Equipped with the rings that the Empire can provide, with a cabal of Earthshaker mages at his back, and the strength of his Aegis only mightier, Graven Ashe might be completely unstoppable, but he isn’t. The Vendrian Guard outfight him much the same way he outfought Blood Ruin. Part of it is the disunity between the Scarlet Chorus and the Disfavored, and the Voices of Nerat is actively hostile, aiding the enemy to hamper the Disfavored and devouring Ashe’s son to discover a weakness is unquestionably going to hamper their effectiveness, but Ashe himself acts in bad faith for the coalition, refusing to work with Chorus. After the Tiers would be subdued, Ashe would no longer have any wars to fight, mere rebellions at best, and the Disfavored would never have the chance to earn back their legion insignia and moniker. 

Sometimes the mistakes made are simply too much, too impractical to make much sense from an outside perspective. Starving Azure, sending Cairne to Edgering, all of it is Ashe serving himself, and through that believing he serves Kyros. That too, is part of the themes of the game. Kyros’s lieutenants have such differing visions that they are drawn to, increasingly, open hostility over their differences of what Kyros’s will and Kyros’s Peace mean.At times, Ashe picks tactics with nothing short of Odysseus-level hubris rather than pragmatism, the self-regard of his legion dulls the tactical mind he used to have at a razor’s edge him to deploy suboptimally, such as his inability to take Duskwatch. He listens to his councilors, but even so at times he makes poor decisions. Even his compassion for his men becomes secondary to his desire to prove himself victorious, he marches on Sentinel Stand even though the Edict of Storms was imminent. If this was Ashe simply changing, trading regard for his men for obedience to Kyros, this would be one thing, but that isn’t backed by the game’s internal logic. Ashe disobeys Kyros regularly for personal gain, sending scouts into the forbidden Oldwalls, making unsanctioned peace deals to secure his son in a transfer, and so on. Similarly, the player character becomes an Archon over the course of the game but never becomes slavish to Kyros’s will, even raising a flag in rebellion if that’s what the player wants to do. 

Perhaps some of it is a natural reaction to the story of Ashe’s myth over time. One of the central themes of magic in the world of Tyranny is that legends grow over time, the Edicts being a prime example as illustrated by Lantry. Ashe’s own victories over Kyros might have been exaggerated just as his Aegis was. His origin story is romantic, the real Ashe may have made his own set of mistakes, but Blood Ruin still had to die and the other Archons still had to expend a lot of effort; those may have been exaggerated so those events still had to happen. 

Muddling things somewhat is the nature of the medium. Video games require the protagonist to be capable in a fashion that NPC’s cannot be, in order to give the player something to do. It’s not simply a power fantasy of being the only competent person surrounded by fools, even if plenty of games default to this as a means of easy (read: lazy) writing, it’s a reality of the medium. Ashe must be incapable of some things otherwise the player has no reason to be there. Giving the protagonist room in the story is not a mistake, but I think I would have liked to see more tactical brilliance shown instead to told. Perhaps part of that is the limitations of the isometric storytelling grid. That setup is better suited to telling the actions and exploits of a single hero or party of heroes instead of a full army. The Conquest mechanic is another one it must emphasize Ashe’s mistakes in order to allow the player to favor or oppose him in chargen.

It’s the campaign in Azure that ends up clinching it for Ashe. Ashe wants to use blight Azure, the breadbasket of the Tiers, to starve out the survivors and the Scarlet Chorus both. From a military perspective, it’s exacerbates the occupation of the Tiers. It seems almost excessive for Ashe, but it is logical from his perspective where his Disfavored count for almost everything. He has a logistical slave corps that can move materials in, it will affect only those who are lesser beings in his eyes. It’s also a logical progression in the game’s structure, where when you ally with the Disfavored you slowly commit atrocities with a larger and larger scope over the second Act, killing the infant ruler of Stalwart all the way to a forced famine. Capitulating to a tyrant in order to save yourself was what Ashe did for his men, and so the Disfavored path of the game has to doing much the same, capitulating to Kyros and to Ashe to earn favor and regard.

So, I like the character and the setting even if the military mistakes sometimes become a nuisance. Evil healers are one of the favorite sorts of character dichotomies, and the mistakes are logical even if sometimes I feel that they are over-egging the pudding.

Thanks for the question, Toad.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[bearpillowmonster]

Kingdom Hearts 30 Challenge

Day 6: Favorite boss

I've dreaded this one coming up...because I don't know. KH bosses are great but I never hold a ranking in my head, some have special memories for no real reason, Earthshaker (Ground Shaker) from KH2's Pride Lands for example, I can't say it's a perfect boss but I enjoy it despite a lot of people disliking it. In terms of best 'designed', I have to give props to Yozora, as difficult as he may be, you have to acknowledge the amount of work put into him and the patterns he has, he's a process to get over in a more complex way than anything previous. I really like Riku Ansem in KH1, I have a ball every time I fight him. I really like Xemnas' first stage in KH2, same deal, I just don't hold one above the rest.

[fallout4holmes]

Journal 10

The Personal Journal of Mr. S. Holmes

Diamond City, The Commonwealth, 2288

We made good time to Sanctuary, arriving just as the day started to dim. Preston met us at the bridge. “Good to see you, General!”

“Preston!” We shook hands, “I see things have been going well. Some of the houses look practically whole, and there are a few faces I don’t recognize.”

“Things are going great, General. I’ll give you the grand tour in a bit. Hello, Shaun, Nick - hey, boy!” He knelt down to give Dogmeat a scratch along his neck, sending the dog’s tail wagging furiously.

“Do I have to call you Colonel?” Shaun asked.

Preston chuckled, “You can call me Preston. Oh, before I forget, General. Curie will want to see you. She’s been hard at work on some sort of discovery involving mutfruit and stimpaks -”

“Monsieur Holmes!” Curie’s voice rang out over Sanctuary. She was more excited than I’d ever seen her, running up to take my hand, “I am so glad to see you! I have done it! This great experiment, I have felt inspiration! Come, let me show you!”

“I’ll meet you at the training grounds!” Preston called as I managed to disengage, following her.

Her breakthrough truly was impressive, improving the restorative properties of stimpaks. Not earthshaking, perhaps, but a promising start. Most importantly, it was a clear demonstration that independent inspiration is something she can feel and process, despite starting her existence as a robot. She thanked me, a thousand times over, for making it possible.

Curie started to walk with me, but was called away by Sturges, deep in conversation with Shaun. I imagine the topic of discussion was Shaun’s desire to ‘fix’ Valentine. I continued on my own to the training ground, still unfinished, but clearly in use. Half a dozen men and women in Minutemen uniform stood at attention in an open area on the western side of town, the trees just recently cleared. Danse stood before them, every bit the officer before his troops.

“I’m impressed,” he said. “You’ve gone above and beyond my expectations for your performance these past few weeks,” he walked down the line, pausing at the last soldier for dramatic effect, “which means I’m clearly not training you hard enough.” To their credit, not a single soldier reacted. Danse resumed his position front and center, “General. I was just about to dismiss them for the evening.”

“By all means, Lt. Col. I’m here for a few days, there will be plenty of time for you to show me what they can do.”

If I hadn’t been watching for it, I would have missed his grin. “Yes, sir. You are dismissed.”

All six recruits instantly relaxed with a sigh of relief and made their way into town, acknowledging me with a quick greeting as they passed. Danse followed. “Garvey told me you were coming. You made good time.”

“Yes, it was uneventful… where is Preston, he said to meet him here.”

“He was distracted by your son.”

I turned and saw them approaching. Shaun’s pace increased as they got closer, “Danse! I mean, lieutenant colonel, I guess. I asked Preston and he said you should be the one to help with something but it’s for my dad and he can’t know what it is.”

I chuckled at the sight of a ten year old boy eagerly attempting to be conspiratorial with a soldier in power armor. Danse’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand what you’re asking, but if it’s something your father can’t know about, we probably shouldn’t try to talk about it in his presence.”

“Well, he knows I’m working on a surprise, but he doesn’t know what it is.”

“Let’s keep it that way. Explain it to me tomorrow.”

Preston laughed, “Come on, Shaun, let’s get you some supper. One of the new settlers turned out to be a heck of a cook.”

Danse and I followed at a slower pace. “You seem in your element,” I said.

“The situation has improved since you were last here. I wasn’t sure anyone would accept me as any sort of authority,” he admitted, “but I think I’ve established a solid foundation with the recruits. The settlers are at least welcoming, for the most part. Polite, if not friendly, which is far more than I expected. The Minutemen cause is a noble one. As long as it doesn’t fall into disorganization and becoming too charitable for its own good, there’s a decent chance it will succeed.”

“I’m glad to hear it. How are you getting along with the Colonel?”

“Garvey is bearable.” At my skeptical expression, he sighed. “Garvey is a capable soldier, and a skilled commander in combat. He took control during the last raider attack with ease and efficiency. The raiders didn’t stand a chance. However, he completely lacks the sort of authoritative discipline I expect from a commanding officer.”

“Your last one did rely a great deal on charismatic speeches and glowering.”

He laughed, sudden and surprised. “Yes. It’s strange to take orders from a man who speaks softly and expects his order to be challenged, rather than obeyed.”

“That’s part of the reason I asked you to do this, Danse. Preston needs someone to support his command, and someone he can turn to for honest advice.”

“I don’t think there’s much chance of him coming to me for advice.”

“Give it time.”

We found the settlement’s residents gathered at a recently constructed restaurant, of a sort. More of a mess hall, fitting with Sanctuary’s new military purpose, but open to everyone. Valentine stood outside it.

“Garvey mentioned you were bringing the family,” Danse said, leaving his question unspoken.

It was a question I had been asking myself of late. “Honestly, a family trip was Valentine’s idea. Codsworth elected to remain behind, though that reminds me to invite Sturges to tea on his behalf.”

Danse frowned, processing the fact that I’d just indirectly claimed Valentine as a part of the family. Well, why shouldn’t I? I expected some sort of comment or protest or at the very least a question of clarification, but my third in command surprised me. “Tea?”

I smiled, strangely proud. “It’s a joke between them - Valentine, do you know where -”

“Shaun’s already inside with Sturges, Preston, and Curie, trying to figure out a way to fix my face,” he said with a smile. “Futile effort, but I appreciate the sentiment. Danse.”

Valentine’s greeting was laced with its usual polite wariness, but this time Danse’s was simple acknowledgement. “Valentine.”

I gestured we go inside and join the rest. The remainder of the evening was simple camaraderie. Shaun was full of questions for everyone, and the Minutemen and settlers had questions of their own for the General, and the detectives. Publick Occurrences has even made its way up here. Piper will be pleased.

Now Shaun sleeps in his childhood room, and I sit on the sofa in what used to be my living room. Valentine is seeing to the maintenance of his right hand beside me. I’m almost convinced it doesn’t actually need fixing, but is more of a meditative habit than anything else. Then again, it is exposed, while the left hand is not, and thus likely suffers more daily wear and tear. Likely a bit of both, then.

I’m starting to ramble, clearly I need sleep.

[officialleehadan]

Wannabe Wannabes

The hostage was too difficult to handle.

+++

The Earthshakers was completely befuddled.

It wasn’t exactly that the barista was dangerous. She was about as dangerous as a cupcake, with no fighting ability whatsoever.

It wasn’t that she was a genius. Although, after tasting her coffee, there was some hot debate about that.

It wasn’t even that she was particularly well-armed. Of course, hot coffee was pretty unpleasant when dumped over someone’s head.

No. No, it was that she was just as sweet as her cupcakes, and, upon being kidnapped, immediately began asking, very concerned, if they were really sure they wanted to do this.

Also, kidnapping became ‘kidnapping’ in a hurry, when she pointed out just who she was close friends with, and how quickly they would show up if she were seriously threatened.

No one wanted to be on Summoner’s bad side. He was creative and deadly.

Doctor Rimehart didn’t have a bad side to get on. He just killed the people who annoyed him enough.

So kidnapping their favorite barista seemed like a good idea at first, and a very poor one in retrospect. After about twenty minutes of argument, they brought her back to her coffee shop, and untied her.

“Now tell me just why you wanted to kidnap me,” Sara said serenely to the five, heavily-armed minor villains sitting at her counter. After hearing their argument, she had decided that they all needed coffee, and maybe cookies. “This cafe is a Safe Place- good idea to grab me out at the market by the way- so you’re safe here.”

She was also far too concerened about them for their own good. They all felt bad about grabbing her.

And she made Very Good coffee.

“We need money,” Rumble said shyly. He had ordered a black coffee, and gotten a mug of honey-chamomile tea instead. “Ransom is an established villain tradition for small groups to make some.”

“We’re trying to move into the Big Leagues,” Brickwall added. He got the latte he ordered, but was also presented with a Christmas tree sugar cookie that glittered with green sugar and little metallic pearls. “But we need capital.”

“And kidnapping me seemed like the best plan? Sara asked, busily doing SOMETHING behind her espresso machine. “I mean, it was a very good kidnapping. It was smart to take my panic button but not block it. Summoner checks on me.”

“We know,” Quake said uncomfortably. “It’s just, we figured it would get us noticed, and we need the attention.”

“Doctor Rimehart killed Bloodmaster for trying the same thing. Is that the kind of attention you want?”

There was a great deal of nervous shifting, and Sara presented Quake with a hot chocolate piled high with whipped cream and sprinkles.

“We didn’t threaten you at all,” Tectonic protested, and shrank down when the barista turned her eye on him. He was working his way through a stack of tiny macarons that dyed his fingertips and tongue bright purple. “We followed the rules. Avoided Safe Places- and we never kill anyone.”

“Probably a good choice,” Sara allowed and handed him a steaming mug of tea, decorated with a pretty foam pattern. “As kidnappers, you weren’t all that scary, honestly.”

“I told you!” Rumble punched Tectonic in the shoulder. “How are we supposed to make our mark if we can’t even scare one civilian?”

“To be fair, I’m hard to rattle,” Sara told him soothingly and slid a mug of black coffee down the bar to Faultline. “Not much scares me after Bloodmaster.”

“Bloodmaster was really scary,” Faultline admitted with a sigh. “Serious power, loose cannon, creepy theme.”

“And it got him killed,” Sara said pointedly. “Drink your coffee. I’ll be right back- I have scones in the back.”

She vanished into the kitchen and Rumble looked over his teammates, and the. Down at his tea. It was very good tea, and just the thing to settle his stomach.

“How did she know what we like?” He asked, completely mystified. “With the drinks, and the cookies.”

“I always know,” Sara returned with a blueberry scone on a white plate. “I know you like cranberry better but they aren’t done yet.”

Faultline stared at the scone, and then the barista, and obediently drank his coffee.

Villains fed, Sara began making another coffee- this order comfortably familiar.

“Now,” she said casually. “You say you need capital, and to join the big leagues. What if you could join the BIGGEST league?”

“What do you mean?” Rumble asked cautiously. He was- nominally- their leader, and the strongest of their earth-related Powers. “We freelance sometimes but the heavy hitters don’t even know we exist.”

“I assure you, Summoner is very much aware of you,” Sara smiled, and the odd necklace she wore caught the light. “If he had work for you, would you be interested? It seems like you would be a good fit.”

“Doesn’t Summoner work with Doctor Rimehart?” Brickwall said carefully, like speaking the villain’s name would make him appear. “It was all over the Powered community. Everyone knows when someone joins Him.”

Doctor Rimehart. Boogeyman to the biggest and baddest of the Powered community.

Also a big fan of vanilla coffee with a little milk.

“He made me an offer, and I accepted.”

Speaking of Summoner...

Aiden stepped trough the door just in time for Sara to proffer his monstrosity of an over-caffeinated, cinnamon-infused, vente coffee.

He blinked, but took the cup.

“Everything alright?” He addressed Sara first, and she smiled reassuringly at him. “You know these guys?”

“They kidnapped me earlier,” Sara told him cheerfully and looped her arm through his before he could do more than glower menacingly at the cowering villains. “They also brought me right back and apologized nicely. They’re looking for your sort of work.”

“...what?” Aiden blinked twice, and took a very defensive sip of his coffee. Sara’s sense of people was usually spot-on, and he examined the younger villains with an experienced eye. They tried their best to vanish into Their seats. “I suppose I could arrange an interview, if you think they would be a good fit.”

“I think they’re good kids who planned a very clever kidnapping,” Sara said peaceably with a half-shrug. “They’re all earth-themed.”

“Security, probably,” Aiden muttered to himself. He looked very polished next to the armored-up villains. Only his villain-sigil tie-pin gave away his other persona. “Alright gentlemen. Since my coffee goddess likes you, I expect you in my office at twelve next Wednesday. If you impress me, we will discuss job opportunities.”

The Earthshakers’ thanks tumbled over each other. Sara only smiled and leaned against Aiden’s side.

And people thought it was hard to introduce the right people to one another.

+++

Doctor Rimeheart (Supervillain Coffee Shop)

Power Rests in the Eye

Nuclear Option

Incidental Villain

Even Supervillains run from Fangirls

The Blackest Coffee

Deal with the Devil

Fear and Coffeegrounds

Personal Space

Broken Countertops

Christmas Cookies

Revealed

Wannabe Wannabes

Home Life

Shadows Unleashed

[callunawrites]

By the grace of the fire and the flames You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins

Heather’s Top 25 38 Songs of 2017!

saturn — sleeping at last // run baby run — the rigs // the brothel (lidolido remix) — susanne sundfør // can’t pretend — tom odell // capsize — frenship // undiscovered first — feist // feeling good (bassnectar remix) — nina simone // kings — tribe society // river — bishop // human — rag’n’bone man // believer — imagine dragons // feel it still — portugal. the man // girl, you’ll be a woman soon — rafferty // wise enough — lamb // say you’ll be there — MØ // holiest — glass animals // the greatest — sia // bogeyman — johnny hollow // to be human — sia // strangers — halsey // cities in dust — everlove // history — monakr // messiah — prides // i shall rise — karen o // in the sea — ingrid michaelson // i put a spell on you — annie lennox //  personal yeezus — chambaland // gold — imagine dragons // which witch — florence & the machine // thunder — imagine dragons // take me to church — hozier // trouble — valerie broussard // pure feeling — florence & the machine // battle royale — apashe // i may fall — casey williams // not today — bts // is this love — the governors //  sweet dreams — mark hadley ft. dresage

short version | long version

So, the thing is, this mix was originally a whopping 262 songs. That’s 17 hours of delving into my headspace. I know this because the mix in full can be found on spotify, for those adventurous enough. By the end of the year, there may even be more!

The original 200+ can also be found in month format, for those that don’t feel like dealing with... all that. I’m actually a little sad that I don’t get to talk about every single one of them, though I’m sure it would have gotten tedious in the end.

i. saturn || sleeping at last I’d give anything to hear You say it one more time, That the universe was made Just to be seen by my eyes.

This was, according to my last.fm data, my second most played song of 2017. Well, third if we count the song that racked up 10,000 plays because I left it looping on my computer for a week. Whoops. These first four songs on this mix are my Mcshep songs. But also, Sleeping At Last is lovely. There’s several other songs by them on the full mix, but this one is by far my favorite. ii. run baby run || the rigs So wait, keep your heart inside  My hands won't keep it safe I'll just feed on dreams & smile as hope slowly dies. 

And here we have my most played song of 2017, which I’ve basically been listening to nonstop ever since I discovered @randommindtime‘s Mcshep fanvid. It is absolutely earthshaking, entirely haunting, and just all around a beautiful song that describes John Sheppard and all of his issues to a T. 

iii. the brothel (lidolido remix) || susanne sundfør We are ruins within ruins On every corner a gladiator is begging for another century

I’m not sure why this is such a Mcshep song in my mind since I first discovered it as part of a really ridiculously awesome X-Files vid, but my guess is it got thrown into a playlist between two Mcshep songs and was forever that in my head. Fun fact, I only recently, when making the spotify version of this playlist, listened to the original version of the song.  iv. can’t pretend || tom odell Oh, feel our bodies grow, And our souls they blend. This song is the only song that has made it onto all three of my year-in-review mixes. I originally found it in 2015 as part of a Bioshock vid and then last year I rediscovered it in the form of @randommindtime‘s other amazing Mcshep vid. And honestly? I haven’t stopped listening to it since. I have no doubt that it’ll be on 2018′s mix as well. v. capsize || frenship Capsize, I'm first in the water Too close to the bottom I'm right back where I started Said I'm fine I found this song through either a Stydia or a Sterek gifset. I’m like... 90% sure that it was Stydia, because it was around the time that season... 6? came out? Whichever one that Stiles is taken in, and thematically it works pretty well for it. But, I’m equally sure I’ve seen a Sterek gifset for the same song. Whatever. It’s pretty and I like it. vi. undiscovered first || feist The height and the breadth, is it wrong to want more?

Gosh. Okay. So, Legion. Mindfuckery of a show that can basically be summed up in words like “acid trip” and “dance numbers?” and “omg aubrey plaza.” It was brilliant and horrifying and really, really cool. But what’s more, it had the best fucking music. The 8tracks version of the mix only has two songs from the show, but the full mix on spotify has six or seven.  vii. feeling good (bassnectar remix) || nina simone It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me And I'm feelin' good

This was the second song that I found through Legion. I mean, I’d heard the song before, but holy fucking shit. Like, I knew that I was attracted to Aubrey Plaza, but there’s every other character she’s ever played, and then there’s this role.

viii. kings || tribe society Lost in the world full of nonbelievers Searching for smoke in a stillwater pond A nothing king, they called a dreamer This is my life and I call it a song This and the next song I actually found because I had queued up feeling good on youtube while driving home from my friend’s house after watching that particular episode of legion, and youtube did that thing where it automatically queued up music afterwards? Only I lucked out that night, because the next six or seven songs were absolutely amazing. This was my favorite of those songs and quickly became my Horizon Zero Dawn theme song. ix. river || bishop Can't change the way we are One kiss away from killing

Another of the songs that I found that night! This one also got a lot of play while playing Horizon Zero Dawn.  x. human || rag’n’bone man 'Cause I'm no prophet or messiah You should go looking somewhere higher This song I’d originally found through the Mass Effect Andromeda trailer but it quickly became a favorite of mine.  xi. believer || imagine dragons By the grace of the fire and the flames You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins Even though this song has been in basically every fanvid since it came out, this was also solidly a Mass Effect Andromeda song for me, since I listened to it a bunch when I was playing the game. It’s one of the songs that I actually don’t mind coming on at work. xii. feel it still || portugal. the man Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now I been feeling it since 1966, now

I actually found this song before it got popular! The first time that it played at work/on the radio I was blown away, but I think the first time I’d heard it was on American Gods? At least I found it when I was watching the show. xiii. girl, you’ll be a woman soon || rafferty Well, I finally found what I've been looking for But if they get a chance they'll end it for sure Okay, so for anyone who is paying attention to this who lives in Columbus, I get my hair done at Virtue Salon, which is basically the best salon in the entire world. Even if you don’t live in Columbus, click on that link. Look at those pictures and tell me that isn’t the most adorable salon in the entire world. They have the best playlists every time I go in, and though I am not super fond of some of the lyrics to this song, I really love the slow croonyness to it. That was a really great day. xiv. wise enough || lamb I had a dream that all of time was running dry And life was like a comet falling from the sky I woke so frightened in the dawning, oh, so clear How precious is the time we have here

I first heard this song on the second season of Sense8 and I was struck by just how damn beautiful it is. It almost didn’t make this final list, but in the end I couldn’t count it out. xv. say you’ll be there || mo Any fool can see they're falling, gotta make you understand I'll give you everything on this I swear Just promise you'll always be there

I don’t actually remember what fanmix I originally found this on, but I remember that I was at the intersection of Clime and Harrisburg-Pike just outside the fire station when I realized that it was a gentle, gorgeous cover of a Spice Girls song and basically fell immediately in love.  xvi. holiest || glass animals Yeah, you're the holiest, holiest thing I know This song I found as part of this mix, which is basically a young holy lovers mix and just. has so much quality music. But this song was the first that really made me start looking at Glass Animals. I’d heard some of their stuff before, but never when I was paying attention, not enough for me to decide if I liked them or not. Up until the last month or so, this was my top played track. xvii. the greatest || sia Don't give up, I won't give up Don't give up, no no no

Yeah, there’s no story here. I just really like Sia. xviii. bogeyman || johnny hollow And now I'm dancing for the doomed and the damned And I'm advancing unassumed with dirty hands

Someone I follow on tumblr had reblogged this song back in the spring-summer months when I was feeling very aggressively reylo, and I just. I really like that fairytale where the innocent girl grows up and eats the monster. It’s a favorite of mine and part of the reason that I like pairings like reylo and darklina. xix. to be human || sia And what's the point of knowin' it If you can't change it?

This song came on at the end of Wonder Woman and I made my friend Alex wait until I’d listened to it before I let him leave the theater. I fell pretty rapidly in love with it. xx. strangers || halsey We're not lovers, we're just strangers With the same damn hunger To be touched, to be loved, to feel anything at all I won’t say that this is my favorite song off of Halsey’s new album, because that goes to Mourning, but it is the song that I listened to most. I’ve been toying with the idea of an original novel since around the time the album came out, and this song came on while I was plotting some of it out in my head. I really hope I end up writing it. xxi. cities in dust || everlove Your former glories and all the stories Dragged and washed with eager hands But oh, your city lies in dust, my friend  I think the first time that I heard this cover it was when I discovered this mix back in 2015. It was a mix for Holland from the Darker Shade of Magic series, but I ended up going back and listening to the mix again while I was reading the third book in the series. While driving to work one day, I realized how utterly perfect it was for Dishonored, and basically compiled my mix, the salt water sting, over the course of that day.

xxii. history || monakr Oh… when they write of us in history  lauded only for our victory  They don't never tell, never fail to tell They don't ever tell Oh…. other side in history 

So, back in the summer I read Hermione Granger's Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run, and it was absolutely fantastic. But in my humble opinion, the soundtrack that I discovered was somehow even better. I had to limit myself to only two songs from it on here, but a good half of them are on the spotify version.

xxiii. messiah || prides You don't have to lock the door I don't live there anymore.

This is the second song that I chose from that playlist, mostly because it ended up being the lucky track that had an extra play. 

xxiv. i shall rise || karen o They'll know my name When they've forgotten all about you 

I found this song well before I actually started regularly listening to it, and it ended up getting played around the time that I was mining for Dishonored songs for that mix, and those lyrics just called to me. Also, y’know, it’s a really great song. xxv. in the sea || ingrid michaelson No no don't rescue me I like the salt water sting

Another Dishonored song, this was obviously the song - and line - that gave me the title for the mix itself. I think I’d originally heard it as part of a Jaspis mix. xxvi. i put a spell on you || annie lennox I put a spell on you Because you're mine Okay, but this song in Annie Lennox’s smokey gorgeous voice just made me think of gay woodland witches and it was one of the best discoveries of 2017. xxvii. personal yeezus || chambaland Baby we livin' in the moment I've been a menace for the longest But I ain't finished, I'm devoted And you know it, and you know it 

Okay, so let’s talk about Atomic Blonde. It wasn’t the best movie I’ve seen this year, but it appealed to a very visceral, gay part of me and ever since I saw this trailer I was basically in love. I’m sorry, but if you weren’t at least a little gay before watching Charlize Theron have a torrid love affair with Sofia Boutella while simultaneously kicking ass and taking names... you will be.

xxviii. gold | imagine dragons Statues and empires are all at your hands, Water to wine and the finest of sands. When all that you have's turning stale and it's cold, Oh, you'll no longer feel when your heart's turned to gold. I... don’t remember when I first listened to this. I think it was at work? But I saw some really good fanvids, and honestly? I should probably just admit at this point that I just love everything that Imagine Dragons comes out with.

xxix. which witch | florence & the machine Who's a heretic, child? Can you make it stick, now that I'm on trial

I am like 500% sure that I fell in love with this song because @kaikamahine said something about it, because I first started listening to it around the time that I realized Fantastic Beasts had a fandom.

xxx. thunder | imagine dragons Just a young gun with a quick fuse I was uptight, wanna let loose I was dreaming of bigger things And wanna leave my old life behind

Yeah, I just liked it. Also, there have been some really awesome Thor vids to this since Ragnarok came out.

xxxi. take me to church | hozier Offer me that deathless death Good God, let me give you my life

I wasn’t actually sure that I still listened to this often enough to add it, but last.fm tells me that it’s my fourth most played song. I mean, it’s a great song, and you can be damn sure that if in a twist of fate Hozier releases an album next year, every single one of those songs will be on the 2018 mix, but it has been a bit.

xxxii. trouble | valerie broussard Dangerously having the time of our lives These boys are just poisonous thorns in our sides Starting fires wherever we go Watching em gamble everything they own I’m just going to direct you to this animation and wail about Six of Crows a lot. Weirdly enough, I think I actually prefer the unfinished version of it. Some bits hadn’t been added yet, but I really love the grittiness of it.

xxxiii. pure feeling | florence & the machine Those strangers carry me I'm lost; they're finding me I... don’t actually remember where I found this one. It probably has to do with @kaikamahine. Either way, I have listened to it A LOT.

xxxiv. battle royale | apashe Work on 'em put a little work on 'em Trigger finger in the air I put a little dirt on 'em

This song is stupid awesome to blare while driving home from work a little fast at 2 in the morning. Also, y’know, it’s just great in general. See, Steve Rogers agrees. Also, oh my gosh, there’s a new Black Panther one.

xxxv. i may fall | casey williams There's a place where we'll stand outnumbered Where the wolves and the soulless will rise In the time of our final moments Every dream dies

So, sometime in the last few months I let my roommate talk me into watching RWBY. I’ve been less than interested in the past because I’m an animation snob and I just... couldn’t. But I marathoned the whole series in like a week. There were three songs that stood out to me, but this song is actually the one that made me finally break down and give it a chance.

xxxvi. not today | bts All the underdogs in the world A day may come when we lose But it is not today Today we fight!

SCREECHING NOISES. MORE SCREECHING NOISES. I’m sorry, but it has to have become apparent by now that my musical tastes are influenced almost entirely by fandom, but fanvids in particular. This song is the BEST pump up song that I’ve found in years.

xxxvii. is this love | the governors Did you think this was love Is love a future of your kind Don't you think I would mind If I would wasted all my time I can't love if you lie This song. Made my year. It’s dark and sexy and a little fucked up, and came around when I was in the middle of reading the Grisha Trilogy and struggling with just how hard Darklina was hitting on every single one of my kinks.

xxxviii. sweet dreams | mark hadley ft. dresage I travel the world And the seven seas, Everybody's looking for something. 

This cover came out as part of the Wrinkle In Time trailer and I fell really, stupidly in love. This was actually a last minute addition, because I couldn’t stand it not being on here.