#and I still use underhand serve

[ifeelfreewithoutmyshoes]

Oh I forgot I wanted to keep a tally of this but I managed to get one (1) overhand serve over the net this Monday!

[gemmahale]

Okay, I'm home, I've been on the road for the better part of 4 hours today due to a miscommunication and a cancelled event, and I've had this rant brewing.

Being Anti-Military and Pro-Veteran are stances that can mutually exist.

Games like CoD and whatever other FPS/Military Simulation game is out there is propaganda. It’s meant to make you want to sign up or support military action.

The military (I’m speaking specifically to the US, as I am most familiar with them by proxy) uses some incredibly underhanded techniques to ensure they have the warm bodies soldiers they need to keep the system working as intended.

This includes but is not limited to: promises of paying for education, aspirations of “seeing the world”, provision of job security, access to healthcare, a stable job and housing, etc. They use things like “patriotism” and “glory” and “security” to lure people in.

And then, when that person is wholly and completely reliant on the military - for a paycheck, housing, healthcare, you name it - they spit them back out into the world with a "thanks a lot and good fucking luck."

Into a world where:

Financial support for care has been axed and axed and axed again under "budget cuts"

Care is secured with red tape so thick you can tightrope walk across it

Care is denied for things the military caused (by saying "it didn't happen while you were serving".) *Yes, that's a direct quote from a doctor to one of Kallen's peers. When assessing a life-altering injury sustained while they were in country overseas, it was deemed as "non-service related injury”.

In comparison to civilians:

Veterans are ~40% more likely to be homeless.

Veterans are ~80% more likely to suffer from untreated mental and physical health issues - PTSD, hearing loss, nerve damage, etc.

Veterans are ~60% more likely to turn to addictive substances - alcohol, drugs, etc.

Veterans are ~70% more likely to commit suicide.

This isn’t limited to combat vets. Logistics specialists, administrative specialists, IT specialists all get screwed when they leave.

Ask just about any veteran that has served, they are incredibly likely to be staunchly anti-military.

The military causes a tremendous amount of damage to every person involved, even if they aren't aware of it at the time.

It’s a cult, it’s an abusive relationship, it’s predatory. Treat it as such.

Support veterans, advocate for their care. They made choices you may not agree with, but they made them because of what they thought the military was offering to them. Many thought they were doing the right thing for their country - that was the lie they were fed from 9/11 on (in the US). Then they were chewed up, spit out, and left for dead by the same people that made all those promises to them.

Here are some US-based, apolitical Veteran Support groups (many have International chapters/members):

22 Until None - 501-C3 that provides support to veterans by veterans. There are local chapters on Facebook that are all active and are listed on the website

Disabled American Veteran - Veteran help association; involved in legislation and local assistance, connections to VA advocates to help navigate the VA

Wounded Warrior Project - 501-C3 charity supporting disabled veterans.

Note: I am absolutely not doing the "not all servicemembers" thing here. I'm saying "veterans are living with their choices, and still deserve access to care."

[ch4mpagnedrought]

friendly game

[full series]

mdni ! art, tashi, patrick

summary: pinning two of the greatest tennis players of our future will not work with you and tashi, in fact, you’ve learnt to share your prizes.

deep breaths. you take deep breaths when taking your racket out of its bag, all five fingers wrapping around the grip tightly, that is so intensely watched by two pairs of curious eyes from above in the stands, inaudibly gawking at the way your black tennis dress, sporting a small nike logo above your left breast, flourishes from around your thighs to expose the surfaces of your skin that don’t see the sun very often.

maybe the single most important game at the 2006 US open, between two upcoming tennis prodigies that also happen to be best friends. an oxymoron on the court really, tashi’s in white, you in black, her in adidas, you in nike, her hair in a tight braid, yours slicked into a low bun. eyes are torn completely apart as the both of you travel across the court, rebutting every single one of each others moves like a choreographed dance, the jaws of your audience slacked open. everybody remains paralysed, leaving the squeaks of your shoes and the heavy grunts of your labour to echo across the stands—until hands grip onto neighbouring knees and the final shot is swung.

“yes!” you shriek, throwing your racket to the ground in ecstasy, letting it bounce back behind you and the strings to shrivel from the force. from across the court, tashi heaves with squinted eyes, watching your celebration with parted lips and stepping closer to the net where you meet her—your arms wrapping around each others glistening shoulders and chests pressing firmly against one another, “good game” she tilts her head to whisper her appraisals and you hum a sweet note, flashing her a smile while the two men blink down at you. their minds completely empty apart from a state of euphoria, seeing two of the most beautiful women they had ever laid their eyes on embrace after a game that was essentially life or death. already replaying the erotic extensions of your legs at every side step, hips swivelling and slender arms extending to shape an image from within the deepest depths of their minds.

the same way that they stood completely still and fixated onto the images of you at the celebratory party hosted for you and tashi. the blonde haired boy taking sips of his drink between all the thoughts that expel from the image of you, mid underhand serve, and run through his mind. while the other faces an image of tashi, mid overhead, and tries not to make it obvious that his gaze slips into imagining anything other than what is underneath those clothes she endorses.

even when you notice their toying eyes, approaching you sat knee-to-knee with tashi at a table having just spent the last twenty minutes dancing with one another that hadn’t gone unnoticed by them either, “art donaldson and patrick zweig, right?” their eyes are momentary frozen wide before art exhales an exasperated breath, choking up on nothing. “in the flesh” patrick mumbles, fidgeting with the rim of his coke bottle. your eyes dart from one boy to another, left to right, both of their shoulders tensing as they watch tashi’s lips uncurl from the pink straw of her orange drink, guiding the bottle towards your own lips, pressing the straw into your mouth nonchalantly to share a sip of the beverage, and the sweetness of her lip gloss.

“that, that game…it was seriously breathtaking” art chokes out to the both of you, looking down admirably at you and noticing the small freckles the sun has peppered on your nose that hadn’t been visible from the top of the stands. tashi thanks him, putting the straw back into her own mouth and projecting a mental image of you and her swapping more than saliva into patrick’s mind.

his feet shuffle on the spot, shaking away the thought, “you dealt with the loss much better than i would’ve.” lightheartedly he jokes, gesturing towards tashi and sending her a small smile, “how do you two stay friends?”

“we’ve been friends since childhood,” tashi takes a glance at you, but you’re already looking back, “there’s no bad blood, we learn from eachother.” the palm of her hand flattens on your thigh momentarily, leaning back further into the couch. patrick and art huff, elbowing one another, “just like us.”

they flatter the two of you, showering you with compliments, all while trying to make it seem as if they hadn’t been discussing what exactly they would say to you for the past couple hours, until you and tashi were standing in front of their hotel room door, silently leaning closer to hear whatever was going on inside. “they don’t have time to come here” a muffled voice speaks from behind the door, and another groans loudly.

you and tashi share a small smirk, holding back laughter when she knocks on the door to hear a sudden ruckus.

“hi” “hey” they sing simultaneously, mouths agape like two little dogs, panting at the sight of a treat, or drooling at the ring of a bell. neither you nor tashi even have the time to greet them, patrick opening the door a little wider and beckoning you inside, coming together on the floor of the questionably coloured carpet with a single can of beer in the middle.

patrick leans back onto his hands. “so, when did you two become friends?” tashi points a finger between the two, wrapping her arms around her knees and tilting her head in curiosity. “we’ve been bunkmates since we were twelve” he answers, and art glances down at his crossed legs with a nervous smile. you nod your head, whispering a small “cute” under your breath and brushing patrick’s wrist with your fingers when taking the beer he offers, making the hairs on his arms stand upright. the beer is warm and bitter, and you pass the can to tashi after leaving a wet imprint of your lips that art would try to discreetly swipe his tongue over only moments later.

“you share girls often?” you ask and patrick’s brows quirk up, corner of his mouth tilting upwards. “this is our first time.” art says, pinkish blush spreading across his nose and the apples of his cheeks that implies his mind is drifting somewhere else. “why? are we not your type?” tashi laughs, leaning over towards art and tucking her hair behind her ears, his eyes following her closely, “aren’t you two everybody’s type?”

the boys shift in their positions, patrick lifting his hips up into the air briefly to get a little more comfortable and art pressing his hands into his knees, sharing a glance between them. all of the breath you exhale meshes into a palpable energy, and your gaze switches between art and patrick in a way they’ve already grown to love, their faces twitching with an eager awkwardness, “are you each other’s type?”

art chuckles out, “no…no.” he denies with a head shake, patrick peering over his shoulder at him silently, “no, we’ve never done anything like that.”

your’s and tashi’s eyes meet briefly, lips turning up into a smile.

“well…” patrick begins and art immediately jerks his head towards him, hoping that he wasn’t about to say the one thing he didn’t want to share, “i mean…”

“patrick, no.”

“don’t be shy, you have to tell us now” you tempt, a playful glint in the glance you give art.

patrick clears his throat, “you know, i just, taught art how to jerk off” he explains casually art’s right of passage while he holds his head in shame, painting an image of him being covered in his own ejaculation, over his stomach and legs like he had just “spilled milk” all over himself.

“that was a really adorable story” tashi hums, placing a hand on your shoulder to hoist herself up from the floor, and reaching out to help you up too. two pairs of eyes follow you around intently, admiring the tips of your fingers that swipe over various objects in their hotel room and feeling a little embarrassed about how obvious it is that they cleaned it only around 10 minutes ago. random pairs of boxers making an appearance from underneath the two single beds that they had pushed together, and an alarming amount of cigarette ash on the surface of the drawers.

tashi’s hand finds your wrist and guides you onto their bed where you take a seat patiently, criss-crossed, waiting for one of the boys to catch on and join you, while they are utterly immersed in the idea that the two of you are real and really in their bed.

silently, you usher them towards you with a tilt of the head, both of them jumping to their feet, basically leaping onto the bed so all four of you make a square, knees very slightly brushing against one another. theres a silent anticipation, tension weaving around all of you and luring your bodies closer. you take a quick look at each of their faces, their dilated pupils and irregular breaths, and move your lips closer to art’s, watching him inhale deeply like he wants to take all the air from your lungs for himself. then patrick, that selfishly attempts to lean his face closer before you can pull away.

you look towards tashi, who inches her face closer to yours, lips parted slightly and meeting in the middle for a kiss. in your peripheral vision, it’s hard not the notice the way that art and patrick are restraining themselves from punching a fist into the air out of joy, loud and shallow breaths caressing your cheeks. your mouth opens wider, leaning in deeper to consume every part of tashi’s lips in a hungry craze while her hand reaches into your hair to pull you closer. the two other men that keenly wait had slipped out of mind, still staring with a captivated stillness when you pull away from one another.

all you have to do is lean back onto your hands for art to pounce onto the side of your neck that becomes exposed, while patrick leans in to plant a kiss onto tashi’s jaw. on the surface their lips travel across the curve of your necks, heads fallen back, suctioning until they can taste the flavour of your perfume that lingers on your skin, while your hands exchange messily beneath; art’s touch feathering on your arm and reaching for tashi’s shoulder, and patricks arms intertwining with art’s to extend and touch your’s and tashi’s thighs.

patrick nuzzles his lips into divot the beneath tashi’s ear, journeying across her shoulder and onto your own in one smooth line, nearly head-butting with art when he shuffles to grace tashi with the same tender attention.

your hands scrunch into patrick’s dark hair, body involuntarily aching until you draw him closer to your face by the chin to connect with his lips. he balances himself in front of you, planting his hands at your sides to allow him to move even closer to you all while tashi hums into art’s gently mingling lips.

pulling back from patrick, you move onto art’s swollen mouth that glistens with lip gloss, tasting the remnants of tashi and yourself on them. all four of your faces coming together in the middle, so close that there is a dangerous lack of oxygen.

tongues pressing flat on top of another, swiping over bottom lips to feel every ridge and an accumulation of hot air. you become lightheaded at the different hands that grope over your figure, being pulled in by the back of your neck. there’s a contrast in the way each one of them kisses; tashi’s lips are familiar and firm, patrick’s are similar in their starved manner, and art’s yearn to take every molecule you are made of and ingest it.

tashi catches on immediately to the way that your left hand squeezes hers and pulls back to leave only art and patrick breathlessly grasping onto the others torso, noses pressing against each other at every tilt of the head and tongues slipping astray. the moment is only short, you and tashi glancing at one another, unbothered at whether they have noticed that you’re gone or secretly fulfilling a guilty hankering.

“okay.” tashi says, slapping her palms across her legs and sending a smile at the two boys. bottom lips slicked with one another’s saliva they remain frozen, only inches apart.

“goodnight, we have an early morning tomorrow.” you buzz, patrick and art separating only to let you slide past them on the bed, tashi following close behind and you wrapping your arms around her bicep absentmindedly.

neither one of them are able to make a sound, mouthing a “goodnight” that isn’t audible, admiring the way both of your curly brown hair sways behind you, walking out in the matching shorts they wonder if you ever swap.

they look at one another, then at the imprints in the floral blanket that your bodies left, scrunches where exactly you sat that they are both ready to smush their faces into. all while you and tashi stand outside of their hotel room once again, tuning in to the muffled dialogue about art’s grandmother before scurrying down the hotel hallway—hand in hand.

[genericpuff]

Scamlords is at it again.

A few nights ago, there was a sudden blow-up in the /r/webtoons server showing a new announcement from Snailords -

For anyone unaware, Death : Rescheduled has been on mid-season hiatus since October. And it's now, and only now, that Snailords has suddenly decided the comic is ending after it returns, but readers can get an extra 20 episodes... if they fork over $1k in merch sales.

Now, this could be a lot worse. They could be threatening not to return to the series at all unless their readers hand over money. But considering it's practically just one degree away from that, it's still pretty nasty. Not to mention, the further they divulged in their reasoning around this "idea", the more confusing it got.

They also even revived their @snailordsrant account on IG which, for those of you who were there and can recall, was the same account they used to put one of their own fans on blast over some very mild criticism.

None of this makes any actual sense, for several reasons:

1.) I literally fail to see how getting $1k in less than 24 hours is worth shoving in an extra mini arc of 10 episodes if you don't even have it planned out. Why do that to your audience or to yourself? Why drag things out just to scrounge up an emergency $1k? Why not just be honest with your audience and run a GoFundMe or just say , "Hey everyone, I've run into some financial troubles, I would really appreciate it if you could FastPass my newest episodes or donate to my Patreon or buy some merch so I can cover the costs". It's really telling that this shithead doesn't have enough confidence in themselves or their audience that practically worships them that they have to resort to this kind of underhanded shit to get the money they need. I wanna make it clear that this is NOT like a Kickstarter stretch goal or anything that incentivizes readers to support their work, they're instead holding the length and future of their series over their audiences' head (which they've done before) for money. That's not an incentive, it's an ultimatum.

2.) Maybe I'm misreading / being stupid (someone pls explain if I'm missing something here) but I literally don't see how their comment about working 50 hours a week explains why they're suddenly getting their fans to pay out $1k worth of merch in less than 24 hours. For anyone who doesn't know, $1k per episode is an example Webtoons uses in its post discussing how they pay out creators (this came after the platform got called out 2 years ago for paying creators too little, there are undoubtedly creators getting paid less). And yet for some reason $1k is apparently the difference between 10 episodes and 20? How does that add up? And is the bit about them wanting to buy boba supposed to be a joke? Where's the punchline here?

3.) They say they have writer's block and they want to use the money to "motivate them", but then just a few slides later they say 10-15 episodes is what would make them the "happiest" so which is it? Do they want to write 10 episodes or do they want people to pay them to write 20 episodes so they can draw the fluff scenes that they apparently want to draw? If you have an ending planned out, why rush it or drag it out depending on how this "fundraiser" goes? Why not just write the ending you want to write that will serve your story best? Why shove in an extra mini arc that you don't even have full confidence in writing and then try to compare it to a "super expensive cake"? What are you doing? Speaking as someone who's had trouble getting motivated in the past, suddenly getting a month's rent worth of money to do it doesn't necessarily solve that, it just turns up the pressure, and if you're not someone who deals with pressure well, then you're more likely to wind up just burning out entirely rather than fulfilling that goal.

4.) The fact that they did, in fact, hit their goal just makes it all the shittier to think about because their audience is mostly made up of teenagers who worship the ground that they walk on. It's horrifying that they keep pulling these stunts with their audience, and getting away with it to boot - and Webtoons, as a company, keeps enabling it by allowing it to happen by hosting and promoting people like this.

Anyways, there's already a lot going on here that's sketchy, but then... they went and deleted their posts. At the time of this happening (as I was there to witness it all play out in real time) I assumed this meant that they had hit their $1k goal - especially as they had been showing their progress on their IG and they were already at $900 after just a couple hours - but it gave me a sinking feeling seeing them delete it because they had also been called out by some brave readers telling them that it wasn't exactly a good look to essentially blackmail their audience through their own content into giving them money.

Snailords deleting it gave me a stronger impression of "burying the evidence", especially now that they had the money. By all accounts, they could do whatever they wanted now.

So what did they decide to do?

. . . Huh?

Okay, take a second to actually think about what Snailords has done here. Because I know some of you will go "oh, it was for charity all along! that was nice of them!" but . . . I don't know about the legalities of collecting donation funds under false pretenses, but morally speaking, it's a really shitty thing to do. They stripped away the choices - limiting them to three - of what their readers could donate to, and what I think their readers don't understand - due to being mostly teenagers - is that they're tax-exempt individuals and they just unknowingly gave Snailords an easy $1k tax write-off. You really, really shouldn't collect donation funds like this without being honest, it's just a shitty thing to do, especially after you've already collected the money. It mostly just comes across as damage control on Snailords' part to make it seem like they were always planning to donate to charity, when in reality, if they wanted to donate to charity, they would have been honest about that at the start. Again, even if they wanted to do that from the start, it goes to show how little confidence they have in themselves or their audience that they have to stoop to methods like these instead of just doing it honestly.

And do you really think Snailords will actually do those extra episodes? Or donate that money? This is the same asshole who has manipulated their readers for money not once but twice, and now seems intent on doing it a third time just for the charm. This is the same person who practically sabotaged their own comic, Freaking Romance, because they apparently didn't like the romance genre and may as well have only done it for clout / views / etc.

What was especially odd - and I found this out from folks who actually read Death : Rescheduled (I do not) - was finding out that it wouldn't make sense for D : R to end in as many as 25 episodes, because apparently, the plot has basically just gotten going.

So it does seem like this is foreshadowing that D : R will wind up just like Freaking Romance, rushed into an ending that wasn't expected. And this, of course, has the people who read their work confused because D : R was supposed to be Snailords' passion project, their magnum opus, the project they wanted to do. So them holding the timing of an ending that shouldn't even be happening yet for ransom contradicts that original intention. Really, it just goes to show that Snailords has no passion, they're just in it purely for the money, to a degree that I can't even cheer them on for being a hustler because it's missing the honesty and integrity.

And of course, every single time Snailords finds a way to backpedal and take his audience for a ride, they hop right in without a single thought for themselves.

And no, none of this is to hate on the readers directly, I hold Snailords entirely responsible for this - they have an audience of impressionable, naive, gullible teenagers, and they know it, and take advantage of it every chance they get. It's why they weren't just honest about wanting to collect money for charity from the start. It's why they resorted to basically holding their own comic's progression for ransom during its midseason hiatus. It's why the deadline was 24 hours and why the posts are now gone.

Thankfully the Internet does what it does - any evidence that Snailords was trying to bury is now all over reddit, and hey, just for good measure, here's a post on Tumblr that's been sitting in my drafts for days now, days after people have already seemingly stopped talking about it. Don't let anyone bury or forget about the stunts Snailords is pulling on their audience, with a platform that they've been consistently given by Webtoons, because that's what they want you to do.

[irishmammonagenda]

omswd chars i think i could take in a fight

disclaimer: i took reach for the stars too literally and am now reaching so far this has no basis in reality. also im eepy.

warning: this is nonsense, grammar has left me and im waiting for it to return, im going back to my roots so i can fall back inlove with writing again.

i would not win any of these fights.

LUKE im 170cm he's 5 foot something. idk what that is in cm but i do know it sure as fuck isnt 170cm, also im a human so i feel like he'd have moral issues abt fighting me. but also if simeon or barbs found out i fought him i think id be found dead. but thats after the fight so it doesnt count.

BEEL if and only if i switch his food out with solomon's cooking so he's basically rendered useless. otherwise im dying.

MAMMON (in a dog voice) who wants the money? do you want the money? yes you do! now walk away and i'll give you it! or just throwing grimm into the air and making a run for it, then hoping to god he doesnt catch me. (if he does im cooked)

LUCIFER i feel like i could maybe make him really uncomfortable and possibly make him stop in his tracks if i got down on my knees and started praying. especially if its a prayer to Saint Michael <3. but that also serves the risk of making him angrier and i would possibly die a painful death, so this is a matter of his reaction to it. there is no way i'm winning but there is a way i could possibly distract him to run away.

LEVIATHAN idk bro, probably attempt to distract him by going, "omg this is just like a fight scene in mha!" or some bullshit like that. i think i would successfully be able to distract him from the fight and possibly talk about human world anime. he would still call me a normie tho.

RAPHAEL i could possibly maybe beat Raphael in a fight using the master tactic of getting down on my knees praying to both Saint Michael AND Archangel Raphael (aka Saint Raphael)

i believe this would work because (a) he respects michael even if he thinks the guy's a socially inept weirdo, and (b) imagine you get into a fight with someone and they start praying TO YOU. at the very least, it would catch you off guard.

anyway, that's everyone i believe i could take in a fight, and then derail that fight (if i use extremely underhand tactics) either way i wouldn't win, but its all a matter of perspective, if i didnt die, technically i win.

[exhausted-archivist]

All Lore from the Dragon Age: Official Cookbook: Taste of Thedas

This is going to be a long post with all the lore from the cookbook collected in one post. This is only going to be counting the lore in the "blurbs" so to speak as the actual recipes themselves, which are not meant to be set in-world.

Additionally, it should be noted that I am unable to say one way or the other if the props used in the photos or the etching art shown on some recipes are to be taken as reflecting the canon the cookbook narrator is in. For the sake of completeness, I have included the less conclusive elements.

Shoving everything below the cut for length as well as to help people avoid spoilers. Think I got everything... There is a lot in this book honestly.

Cookbook Lore

World State

Cassandra is Divine.

The Hero of Ferelden is a Cousland Warden.

The Warden gave Leliana Schmooples.

Hawke is a non-mage, as Varric knows Bethany.

Hawke is diplomatic in personality.

Bull's Chargers, Krem, and Bull are all alive.

Cullen stayed off lyrium.

Celene is empress; Briala and Gaspard are still alive.

Alistair is king.

Varric is viscount.

Uncertain aspects of the world state:

The suggested lore based on the art, props used in photos, and vague wording in blurbs. These are not for certain this is the canon.

Briala is described as a spymaster and lover, implying she was possibly reunited with Celene.

Celene, Briala, and Gaspard are possibly working together in the truce. But the wording is vague it could simply be Celene ruling alone while Briala and Gaspard live.

Cole was encouraged to be more human and is traveling with Maryden Halewell.

Cullen got his mabari.

Josephine was romanced by the Inquisitor.

Morrigan has Keiran.

The Hero of Ferelden romanced King Alistair.

Food Lore

Lentils and onions are common ingredients to find in pantries across Thedas.

Ferelden has reliable access to tomatoes that allows them to use them regularly in their food.

Fereldans are known for their love of soups, stews, pickled eggs, and turnips that it is regularly joked about and seen as a stereotype. Devon regularly comments on the known expectations.

Turnip and Mutton Pie is a classic Fereldan dish served in taverns across the nation.

Nevarra food culture holds that food is suppose to be a feast for the eyes and mouth. Leading to their plating to be dazzling and seen as works of art.

The Jade Ham, is a smoked Anderfels ham with a particular glaze made from wildflowers and turns the ham as hard as jade.

The Anderfels are hostile and often considered inhospitible in certain areas. But despite the harsh environment, pigs farm well there and as a result are much larger than elsewhere in Thedas.

There are custard connoisseurs across Thedas.

Lichen ale is toxic, though most dwarves are able to handle it. However, non-dwarves can only tolerate a few sips of the drink.

Isabela has a drinking game based on how many enemies you have, it has killed at least one person.

The Rivaini tea blend is said to have healing properties such as helping alleviate headaches.

Dwarves underground raise giant spiders like people on the surface raise cattle and goats.

Orzammar has a contest where one is crowned as Orzammar's Best Sauce, the competition is so fierce people get underhanded in their attempts to acquire recipes. This has led to eateries, and in general people of Orzammar, to guard their recipes from others.

Orzammar also farms various mushrooms for eating.

Rice is commonly found in Antiva and Rivain, however it is not a large export for Antiva so it is a rare grain for folks in Ferelden. Due to it not being exported, rice is a cheap food item in Antiva and is very common in the more mundane foods of commoners.

Wyvern, like phoenix, can become deadly poisonous if eaten when they aren't prepared properly.

A jam maker lives in Orzammar, importing individual ingredients so they can make the jam themselves and hopefully sell it cheaper than imported jam.

Fauna

Mentioned through out the cookbook, not necessarily as ingredients themselves but sources for other food items.

Ayesleigh gulabi goat - Rivain

Cattle

Cave Beetles - Underground

Chicken

Crab

Cuttlefish

Dracolisk

Giant

Giant Spider

Goat

Gurgut

Halla

Lamprey

Lurker

Mackerel

Mussel

Nug

Pig

Prawn

Quillback

Sheep

Shrimp

Snail

Turkey

Wyvern

Additional Lore

The golden nug statues do exist in Thedas, Devon mentions seeing one in Haven and hearing rumors of there being more.

Fereldans who worked for the Inquisition would leave Commander Cullen pickled eggs on his desk while he was going through the worst of his lyrium withdrawal symptoms.

Spring time is gurgut mating season, and travelers are advised to keep their distance.

Starkhaven is oval in shape, shaped by rings of tall, grey stone walls, is filled with lavish estates, fountains, and sits on the Minanter River.

Makes reference to the ambient events of where Cole dumped a bushel of turnips onto a fire.

Food: Dishes, Ingredients, and More

Foods/Dishes

These are mentioned, referenced, and/or introduced in the cookbook description of the food, these aren't including the ingredients or foods mentioned in the recipes.

If the item is marked with **, it means there are multiple cultures with the same dish but the cookbook is offering specifically that as the reference point.

Apple Grenade - Antiva

Bark Bread - suggested alternative to black lichen

Biscuit

Biscuit, sweets

Black Lichen Bread - Orzammar

Blancmange - a white pudding dish from Orlais

Blood Orange Salad - Nevarra

Boiled Turnip

Bun

Bun, sweet - a pastry served as dessert

Cabbage Soup - Ferelden

Cacio e Pepe

Cherry Sauce

Cherry Cupcakes - Tevinter

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cream

Cinnamon Rolls

Couscous Salad - Rivain

Crab Cakes - Kirkwall

Croissant - Orlais

Crow Feed - Antiva

Custard

Dark Bread

Eggs à la Val Foret - Orlais

Fish Chowder - Antiva

Fish Wraps/Fish Pockets - Seheron

Flat Bread - Nevarra

Fluffy Mackerel Pudding - Ferelden

Forest Fruit Cobbler - Dalish

Found Cake - Ferelden

Fried Crab Legs - a substitute version of fried young giant spiders

Fried Young Giant Spiders - Orzammar

Gnocchi - Antiva

Goat Custard - Rivain **

Grilled Poussin - Chasind

Gurgut Roast with Lowlander Spices and Mushroom Sauce - Avvar

Hearth Cakes - Dalish

Hearty Scones - Ferelden

Honey Carrots - Orlais **

Jade Ham - More suited for a weapon, stated to not be suited for eating.

Lamprey Cake - not made of real lamprey, just a cake modeled after it.

Lentil Soup - City Elf **

Llomerryn Red - Rivain

Mashed Turnip

Merrill's Blood Soup - Dalish

Mushroom Sauce

Nettle Soup - origins unclear

Nug Bacon and Egg Pie - Ferelden

Paella - Antiva

Pastry Pockets - recipe originates with the Grey Wardens, cookbook provides the Orlesian Grey Warden variation **

Peasant Bread - Orlais

Pickled Eggs - Ferelden

Pickled Lamprey - Free Marches

Poached Egg

Poison Stings - Chocolate-coated orange peels from Tevinter

Potato and Leek Soup - Ferelden

Pumpkin Bread - Tevinter

Red Grape Compote

Rice Pudding - Tevinter

Roasted Fig

Roasted Cave Beetles - Orzammar

Roasted Prawns - a substitute prawns for cave beetles

Roasted Turnip

Roll, pastry

Snail and Watercress Salad - Avvar

Sour Cherries in Cream - Orlais

Spiced Jerky - Dalish

Steamed Turnip

Stir-fried Turnip

Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler - Ferelden

Stuffed Cabbage - Ferelden

Stuffed Deep Mushrooms - Orzammar

Stuffed Vine Leaves - Tevinter

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup - Ferelden

Toasted Almonds

Traviso Energy Balls - Antiva

Tzatziki - Tevinter

Turnip and Mutton Pie - Ferelden

Unidentified Meat - a common tavern food in Tevinter

Yogurt Dip - Nevarra

Drinks

Chasind Sack Mead

Chasind Wildwine

The Emerald Valley

The Golden Nug

The Hissing Drake

Hot Chocolate

Lichen Ale

Pomegranate Juice

Rivaini Tea Blend

West Hill Brandy

White Seleney wine

Ingredients

These are only listed in the lore entries and not the actual recipes themselves as whether or not they are canon is questionable as the recipes recommend store bought items as well as ingredients that have unique Thedosian counterpart names.

Almond

Antivan Pasta

Apple

Apricot

Bacon

Bacon, Nug

Bark

Barley

Beef

Beetroot

Bell Pepper, red

Bitter Greens - this is a class of salad greens known for their bitter flavor.

Black Lichen - Underground

Blood Orange - Nevarra

Butter

Butter, Halla

Cabbage

Cave Beetles

Celery

Cinammon

Cheese

Cherry

Cherry, black

Cherry, sweet

Chicken

Chickpea - Rivain

Chocolate

Cocoa Powder

Corn, yellow

Corn, checkered

Couscous - Rivain

Crab

Cranberry

Currant

Deep Mushroom, various varieties

Dracolisk - The narrator suggests it being a potential meat in a recipe in Tevinter.

Dried Fruit

Eggs

Fig

Flour, semolina - Rivain

Giant - Suggested that Tevinter might serve giant

Giant Spiders - Underground

Goat

Grape, red

Grape Leaves/Vine Leaves

Grease

Guimauves - Orlesian

Gurgut - Avvar

Heavy Cream

Honey

Jasmine

Mackerel

Mango

Mint

Mussel

Mutton

Lamb

Lamprey

Leek

Lemon

Lemon Juice

Lemon Verbena

Lentil

Lichen

Licorice Root

Lurker - Avvar

Oat

Oil

Onion

Oregano

Pastry Dough

Peanut

Peanut Butter

Peppers, Hot

Peppermint

Plum

Pork

Potato

Prawn - said to have the same texture and flavor as cave beetles.

Puff Pastry - Orlais

Pumpkin

Quillback

Raisin

Raspberry

Rhubarb

Rice - Antiva and Rivain

Salt

Semolina Flour - Rivain

Shrimp

Snail - Avvar

Spinach

Strawberry

Sugar

Tomato

Turkey

Turnip

Watercress - Avvar

Wheat

Whipped Cream

White Chocolate

Wildflowers

Wyvern - Avvar, Orlais

Charts and Stats

Because I love a good visual rep of data, I collected some stats of the types of food, how many recipes are from where, and the amount of time a character was mentioned.

Types of Food

I did percentages for the course of food as well as the portion of options that are vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, meat based, and alcoholic.

Food Types Stats

These charts show the ingredient percentage in the actual recipes and not the lore blurbs themselves. This is out of 72 recipes with the amount they were used in (-) after their percentage.

Left Hand Chart

Alcohol: 14.6% (27)

Dairy-free: 15.7% (29)

Egg-free: 25.4% (47)

Meat based: 16.2% (30)

Nuts: 3.1% (6)

Shellfish: 2.6% (5)

Vegan: 4.2% (8)

Vegetarian: 20.4% (39)

Top Right Chart

Alcohol: 37.5% (27)

Alcohol-free: 62.5% (45)

Bottom Right Chart

Beef: 11.4% (4)

Chicken: 17.1% (6)

Fish: 17.1% (6)

Lamb: 5.7% (2)

Pork: 28.6% (10)

Shellfish: 14.3% (5)

Turkey: 5.7% (2)

Percentage of Recipe Origins

Anderfels: 1.4%

Antiva: 11%

Avvar: 6.8%

Chasind: 2.7%

City Elves: 2.7%

Dalish: 6.8%

Ferelden: 15.1%

Free Marches: 5.5% Kirkwall: 2.7% Starkhaven: 2.7%

Grey Wardens: 1.4%

Nevarra: 2.7%

Orlais: 13.7%

Orzammar: 9.6%

Rivain: 4.1%

Seheron: 1.4%

Tevinter: 9.6%

Character Mentions

I organized the chart by game and the characters in alphabetical order.

DAO Alistair: 2 Dog: 2 Hero of Ferelden (Cousland): 6 Leliana: 1 Loghain: 1 Morrigan: 1 Sten: 1 Zevran Arainai: 2

DA2 Anders: 2 Bethany: 1 Fenris: 3 Hawke: 1 Isabela: 1 Merrill: 2 Sebastian Vael: 1 Varric: 3

DAI Briala: 1 Bull's Chargers: 2 Cassandra: 2 Celene Valmont: 1 Cole: 2 Cullen: 3 Dorian: 2 Friends of Red Jenny: 1 Gaspard: 1 Josephine: 3 Krem: 2 Sera: 1 Solas: 4 The Iron Bull: 4 Vivienne: 2

Food Courses

I thought it would be interesting to see how the recipe groups totaled out in how much of the book they made.

Drinks: 12.5%

Baked Goods: 13.9%

Sweets: 11.1%

Sides: 5.6%

Starters and Refreshments: 12.5%

Travel Food: 13.9%

Soup and Stew: 11.1%

Main Course: 19.4%

Wanna support this blog? You can check out my ko-fi.

[teecupangel]

So... There is this one (01) Winterfell guard canonically named Desmond. No last name. No more information other than him being a house guard for House Stark. I don't even remember if he has lines in the book, and he isn't even mentioned in the series.

I'll just leave this information here and let you cook it, Cup.

Xoxo Madu 😽

Man, letting me cook with all these fresh ingredients is always a toss up XD

Anyway…

Here’s a “Desmond sorta adopts Dany and Vis” idea.

Here’s a “Desmond turns into a White Dragon during HOTD” idea and the continuation.

And here’s the AC characters live in ASOIAF idea.

According to the awoiaf wiki, Desmond’s pretty much a minor character who served as one of Eddard’s main guards.

So in this one, Desmond awakens north of Westeros after using the device and became a guard because of… certain circumstances that pretty much ended with him feeling indebted to Eddard Stark.

Eddard personally believe Desmond to be a commoner who is unfamiliar with the whole world, probably from one of the small close-off village that has been wiped out by certain… evil doers that come and go on the North.

Desmond leaned onto it and used his Bleed of Ratonhnhaké:ton to make it believable.

Also, the best way to get information is to stay close to one in power.

He’s mostly known as a chill dude who is easy to talk to. Arya likes him because he never tries to make her act more lady-like. If anything, he’s a secret enabler, giving Arya secret lessons of the best way to kill someone two times her size.

Eddard knows about this and Desmond admitted Arya reminds her of his little sister that he could no longer see. Eddard assumes he means that said sister is dead like the rest of his village and not… well… Desmond using his Bleed of Ezio to talk about Claudia who is the real person that Arya reminds him of.

He’s also close to Jon Snow because he has no problem with illegitimate children and he can see how lonely Jon is at times.

To House Stark, he’s a reliable loyal guard who is faster than anyone and seems to prefer underhanded techniques that knights would have frowned upon.

He becomes part of the guard detail that goes to the South and Eddard knew that Desmond plans to leave House Stark’s employ sooner or later, especially now that Desmond could see the abuse of power and corruption plaguing King’s Landing.

Hell, he even started creating a sorta information network with the use of orphans that he’s trying to keep alive.

He’s not with Eddard when he was arrested but he was ambushed with the rest of the guards that remained in their lodgings that day. Because he was there, the ambush ended with the Winterfell guards alive (some of them anyway).

Unfortunately, they were branded as traitors soon enough and Desmond takes control of what remains of the guards. Some of the more honorable ones split soon after because they do not agree with Desmond’s methods of slinking into the shadows but Desmond doesn’t give a shit about that, he’s more worried about the Starks in the capital.

Arya actually finds him and his band of ‘traitors’ and he takes her to their hideout before rushing to save Eddard.

Eddard is an honorable man though who refuses to leave because he sees it as an admission of guilt and it’s up to you if you want Desmond to find a way for Eddard to agree to leave or not.

No matter what happens to Eddard, Desmond finds a way to save Sansa and take her away from the castle by making her pretend to be a maid.

If Eddard isn’t saved, Sansa and Desmond watches his execution with Desmond trying to shield Sansa’s eyes but failing and they leave the capital with Arya and what remains of the Winterfell guards.

The Lanisters definitely hide the fact that Sansa and Arya escaped and this leads to Rob declaring war as canon as House Stark believed that Sansa and Arya are still held captive in the capital.

[azalawa-scroggs]

I'm gonna ride the wave here and talk about Rise from the Ashes and why, even though I think it's a good retcon and doesn't involve any contradiction either factual or thematic, I believe it is still undeniably a retcon.

The crux of the matter, I think, is the definition of retcon. Here's what Merriam-Webster has to say about it:

the act, practice, or result of changing an existing fictional narrative by introducing new information in a later work that recontextualizes previously established events, characters, etc.

It has to change the narrative, not the events of the story themselves. It has to recontextualise the events in question. And I'd argue the case does those exact two things by establishing that Miles Edgeworth not only never willfully forged evidence, but was morally against it in the first place, even though the contrary had been implied in the four first cases of the game.

Here's how Miles Edgeworth is introduced in Turnabout Sisters, in the first conversation we have about him with Gumshoe. There are two dialogue options, one where you can say that yes, you do know him, or one where you say that no, you don't.

Here's what Phoenix has to say about Edgeworth if you pick "I know him":

I know him. He's a feared prosecutor. He doesn't feel pain, he doesn't feel remorse. He won't stop until he gets his "guilty" verdict.

And here's what he has to say if you pick "I don't know him:"

(Of course I know him... I was just playing dumb. He's a cold, heartless machine who'll do anything to get a "guilty" verdict! There are rumors of back-alley deals and forged evidence...)

The words "forged evidence" appear only in one of the two options. They're only rumours; there's nothing established. However this is the first discussion of his character; this is the first impression we get of him. The idea we are supposed to get from him is someone ruthless and without scruples, who "hates crime with an abnormal passion."

Later on there is of course the case of the updated autopsy report. The new report is entirely legitimate and treated as such. However it is presented by the narrative as an underhanded trick, with Phoenix exclaiming against it, and further establishes Edgeworth's lack of limits in his prosecuting ethics set up by the conversation with Gumshoe - confirming our bias. We're still talking about narrative intent here, not merely the facts of the story. The updated autopsy report is not an instance of Edgeworth forging evidence, however it showcases his ruthlessness, which by extension serves to corroborate the rumours Phoenix was talking about with Gumshoe - making you believe Edgeworth would indeed tamper with proof without showing him doing so. Edgeworth coaching the witness's testimony and withholding the wiretap has the same effect.

Right before the second trial day, we get to talk with Edgeworth himself, who has come to warn us that even though he knows Phoenix, Phoenix shouldn't expect any mercy from him. Here's what he has to say:

Edgeworth: [...] whatever Mr. White says today, it will be the "absolute truth." No matter how you try to attack his testimony... If I raise an objection, I have it on good faith that the judge will listen to me. Phoenix: (What, does White have the judge in his pocket, too!?) So... you're saying I'm going to be guilty. End of story? Edgeworth: ... I will do anything to get my verdict, Mr. Wright. Anything. Maya: Why... Why!? How can you torment an innocent person like this!? Edgeworth: "Innocent"...? How can we know that? The guilty will always lie, to avoid being found out. There's no way to tell who is guilty and who is innocent! All that I can hope to do is get every defendant declared "guilty"! So I make that my policy.

There is also the climax of the case, where Edgeworth tries to request the trial to be extended one more day:

Edgeworth: Ergo! I would like to request one more day before Phoenix Wright is granted his freedom. I need time to make one more inquiry into this matter. Judge: Hmm...! Phoenix: (Another inquiry...!? This isn't going to be another one of those "updated autopsy reports"! This guy just makes up evidence as he pleases! This is bad...!)

This heightens the stakes and creates tension as Phoenix puts his foot down and requires for the trial to come to an end on that day - and it does thanks to Mia's intervention. Once more Edgeworth forging evidence isn't shown, but is implied in a way that we are meant to take as fact.

So that is the image we have of Edgeworth by the end of case 1-2, our first confrontation with him. Someone ruthless, someone who will do "anything" to get his guilty verdict - even if that involves shady dealings (such as, but not limited to, tampering with evidence). Someone without limits.

Then 1-3 happens, where in the course of the trial Edgeworth realises Will Powers is innocent and helps us corner Dee Vasquez into confessing to being the true killer, therefore throwing his trial and helping us win against him. This is a big deal. This is a cornerstone of the arc of game 1, of Edgeworth's redemption arc. After that we get the infamous "unnecessary feelings" scene, where Edgeworth confirms it: he was shaken by the events of this trial and his first loss in the previous one. This is something new for him.

And afterwards of course is 1-4, where we get to the bottom of Edgeworth's vitriolic hatred for criminals and discover his backstory. We get to meet his mentor von Karma, "twenty times as ruthless as him," and witness him pull all the stops to prevent us winning and making our life really difficult. Interestingly he, too, skirts the line of forging evidence, but that fact pales in comparison to everything he does do: orchestrating a murder and framing Edgeworth for it, destroying the letter that incriminated him, hiding the evidence of DL-6 so that Phoenix cannot have access to anything to solve the case.

(On a side note: von Karma using "faulty evidence" against Gregory Edgeworth is actually an established fact, and I think the way AAI-2 retconned that to introduce Blaise was quite clever, but maybe I'll make a similar post about Manfred after the AAI Collection comes out in September)

So that's Edgeworth's arc, where he is confronted to a world where getting a "guilty verdict" isn't always the morally correct choice to make, and where his worldview is entirely deconstructed to allow him a redemption arc. His return in 2-4 continues that arc with his new motto of the "truth" being the most important thing (implying that hadn't always been at the centre of his considerations).

Now compares this with what he says in 1-5.

Edgeworth: Of course not! I didn't touch the evidence. Yes, I will do anything in my power to win a trial. However... I do have a code, and I follow it faithfully.

This is the first time we hear of Edgeworth having a moral code. This is the first time we hear of Edgeworth having limits to what he allows himself to do to earn his guilty verdicts. Up until now all we heard was "anything," as well as justifications as to why defendants deserve and need to be punished - "anything," by essence, implies not having limits.

It's not a contradiction. But it's a recontextualisation, and therefore a retcon.

I'm not going to give quotes or we'll be here the whole day, but we all know what 1-5 then does; SL-9, the Joe Darke killings, Gant's involvement.

By giving the rumours of forged evidence about Edgeworth a tangible starting point, the case reframes them, from something that he was previously implied to do routinely to a single event, one that was orchestrated behind his back and that he had no bearing on or even any idea it was happening. By establishing that Edgeworth does follow a moral code, his image of fearless prosecutor is deconstructed even further; where in 1-4 we were given a reason for his actions, now we are actually being told his actions weren't as severe as hearsay (and Phoenix's bias) led us to believe.

The case also introduces the idea of "working with the defence" and the search of the truth to Edgeworth, which plants the seed for his eventual return in 2-4 and deepens his character arc a little more.

Thematically, I personally think 1-5 inserts itself very well into the larger narrative. It plays with both themes and facts established by game 1 and teases themes and facts that will come in the next games (2-4, all of game 4). However it does recontextualise Edgeworth's arc by establishing he never willfully forged evidence, contrarily to what was previously implied, and giving him a retroactive caveat to his policy of "anything to achieve his guilty verdict" that hadn't existed before. Therefore, it is a retcon, albeit one that works, in my opinion, well within the larger arc of the games and with Edgeworth's character.

[ninjakk]

wait can you please speak more on WWX qi deviating after the LP confrontation with JC? I've always wondered what that sudden sickness was.

Hi anon 👋🏻

Of course! I think this detail is often missed because of the rest of the drama and overall poignancy of the scene. It's also never outright stated as a "qi deviation", but MXTX expects us to use the information she gave us in prior chapters to arrive at such a conclusion ourselves - as she so often does.

Not long before the scene in question, WWX and LWJ were a major part of the driving force that saved everyone from an onslaught of fierce corpses intent on attacking them all at the burial mounds. He was exhausted from that and even though he claims to have been exaggerating to "trick" LWJ into looking after him while on the boat to LP, he was still feeling the effects of the past few days catching up with him. After all, he was stabbed a few days prior to them travelling to Yiling as well.

All of the above, alongside the heightened emotions of the past few days; realising his feelings for LWJ, how deeply he feels them, if LWJ feels the same way, coming back to LP after such a long and traumatic time, living through a second siege of the burial mounds and facing his trauma head on at the very place he died - all quite an emotional rollercoaster for our beloved WWX.

Then the altercation with JC, where he is being verbally abusive, just pushes all those overwhelming emotions over the edge and causes WWX to have a minor qi deviation. That being said, it could have been fatal, as qi deviations often can be. Which is why some fans find JCs unwillingness to stop attacking WX (both verbally and physically) and refusing to let them leave when WWX was showing signs of his health deteriorating, all rather underhand. It's also why LWJ lost his cool a little and WN served him a verbal bitch-slap to shut him up and finally make JC understand just how much WWX has done to pay back his "debt" to the Jiang sect.

WWX was under great emotional stress at the time, feeling attacked for not only being in love with LWJ, but being once again wrongfully blamed for everything that happened at LP - which even JC admits is simply not true.

Qi deviations can occur for many reasons. I won't go into it too much right now, but one such reason (in the MDZS universe) is being greatly affected by emotions or becoming emotionally unstable. WWX is so overcome with all those strong emotions he begins to bleed from "the seven apertures" and even starts to faint, finally losing consciousness - which are signs of a qi deviation. We see examples of this earlier on in the novel with LQR and the cultivator who escaped the Mingshi for help once they all began bleeding from the apertures and essentially qi deviating. And again when LQR wakes up to shout at WWX and qi deviates once more - which is hilarious 🤣Obviously NMJ, and his father before him, both suffered similar symptoms before qi deviating and eventually succumbing to gruesome deaths as a result as well.

So there you have it anon ☺️ that's my understanding of qi deviations (in the MDZS universe, as the term/cause/effect can differ from one fiction to another) and my reading of the novel. I hope it helps to answer your question to some extent!

[adorablebanite]

Were your Durge/Tavs inspired by characters from other movies/shows/literature?

Lilla's neither; she's more of a "side character," but here are her biggest inspirations!

Judge Anderson (DREDD): Lilla is a Knowledge domain cleric - supported by her Patron Bane (introduced by Gortash, of course). Anderson can read minds, and Knowledge clerics have the same ability, as well as other Banite-adjacent abilities like Command, and Dominate Person. She's obviously going to be different than the other Banite cleric NPC's in game, as her job is to specifically protect Gortash (she protecc but also attacc).

I wanted her to be bookish, prim(in public👀), and an over achiever - essentially a prime example of professionalism, as the boss is trying to be a politician 😈

I really like Judge Anderson's innocent competence, so I wanted to keep that Lilla's front-facing demeanor; even when her arc does stray away from the good moral alignment after being hired on by Gort - in which her moral alignment clearly gets influenced by him, but she realizes later it's literally just in her blood to be a Banite!

---

Lee (Secretary) -I love the innocent-to-confident character arc, (as you can probably see by the Judge Anderson arc as well,) but let's be real, Lilla was originally created for a smut so I could waggle my brainworms, and the Secretary holds a special place in my heart.

The movie greatly inspired Awaiting Further Instruction, and I really enjoyed having Lilla go through an adventure of finding her nature, with the help of Gortash, of course. You've got the pathetic Dom, and the pathetic Sub, and while they're both actually pathetic, they find a security in each other's world that even though it's unconventional and twisted, it brings them comfort.

---

GoGo (Kill Bill): obviously vastly different from Anderson, so you can kind of see how the arc goes - and while I don't make Lilla nearly as sadistic as GoGo, she still does have a little streak of it when it comes to anyone who is threatening, insulting, or impeding Gortash in whatever way.

Lilla's demeanor can quickly switch from prim/professional/sweet, to taking personal pleasure in dispatching a rival for Gortash, depending on the level of the crime. Like him, she has a personal perception of justice that greatly aligns with his, and if she has been sicced on someone who has wronged him, she will sentence them accordingly. This can range from playful banter/underhanded threats and blackmail, to abruptly decapitating a goblin mid-sentence because he said something uncouth about Gortash.

My vision for her was the "loyal sidekick of the mob boss," and I find it extremely fun giving her a more interesting role than "yes master, no master," specifically for smut purposes.

---

Scleritas Fel (BG3) : LOL Yes, my initial idea was: "Why can't Gortash have a little minion like Scleritas Fel?" And here we are 😅🫣

I didn't want to rip off the concept of Scleritas directly, but Lilla is still intrinsically tied to Bane because he made her - not like Bhaal made Durge - but more of a "secret, experimental ritual commissioned by Bane, conducted in the outskirts of Calimport where some Banites conceived a person designed to seek out and serve his Chosen, but she ended up being too loveable and the Banites couldn't stand treating her like Banites should, so they wiped her memory, sent her to an orphanage, and offed themselves in shame," kind of way.

Obviously Bane was also ashamed by his botched experiment, so they have a shaky relationship, but that's all been settled in the fic 😇

Ultimately I wanted to write something fun for Gortash - and give him something nice! Lilla is very nice, and likes him very much (bordering on obsession), and is actually very useful in many ways beyond smutty silliness! She does a lot of research, spies, transcribes, organises dossiers/blackmail material, and pretty much oversees his political campaign and businesses (legal and otherwise) while he does the big-boy-chosen work.

I'll do one about Destri (Durge) soon too 🥰

Now that I've prattled on, I'd love to hear about other people's inspiration for their OCs, if they have them!!

@melvinthedepressedrobot

@kaava

@obuoliukai

@walkerdraws

@ennissg

@beecreeper

@newtia

@sankttealeaf

(I have to rush now but I want to hear about everyone so please tag me if you end up doing this and you're not already tagged so I can see it!! 🙏🙏🙏)

[meguminne]

a harbinger’s love , ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

their immense loyalty and love are second to none for the tsaritsa, including his. how unfortunate, ( for you. ) pantalone x reader presented by meguminne. [june 29, 2023]

loving a harbinger has never been easy, nor has anyone claimed it to be that. you know about their underhanded tactics and unshakable resolve to serve the tsaritsa, but there was something — or rather someone — that drew you closer towards the fatui.

it wasn’t his incredibly dashing good looks ( though you can argue it was a contributing factor ) nor his outstanding wealth that you think could rival the qixing’s, but it was his gentlest of smile and touch directed towards you, and only you.

what makes you special? you wonder.

he has an ulterior motive, he can’t possibly have one when you’re just you.

he sees some use out of you, that can’t be practical since you’re an average civilian.

you must remind him of someone else, you can’t prove that thought right or wrong. truth be told, despite the countless of hours and minutes you’ve spent with this man, you could never understand nor even grasp what’s brewing in his mind. you barely know him but you feel like he’s everything to you.

“darling?” gloved hands reach out to touch your hand, the rich snezhnayan fabric did little to muffle his frigid touch. as someone who's so warm towards you, you do find him rather cold; even in warmer climates. as though he was still distant despite how he acts. �� “are you alright?” his voice is like honey, sweet and far too alluring to even consider the fact he was being deceitful with his worry.

“i’m fine, my love.” you smile in return, holding onto his hand, interlocking your fingers together with his.

“do not be like that, i can tell something’s bothering you.” he laughs in return; squeezing your hand softly and the sting of the cold metals around his fingers slightly burn your skin.

‘is there a reason why you love me?’ you let those words die on your lips as letting them slip might just ruin everything, destroy the illusion of a perfect life he has built for you. — you’re only ruining it with your constant worrying, why not just accept it as it is and not think about it?

no, no, you cannot just accept it! it has been two years and seven months since he first proclaimed his love for you after visiting your humble shop again and again, it has been a year and six months since you moved into his luxurious mansion and it has been only seven months since the world came to know you as the regrator’s wife. — and despite all the time that has passed, you still haven’t figured out why on earth he’s so in-love with you! there must be a reason, it cannot be chalked up to mere love at first sight.

you were swept away by his allure, his handsome face; his elegant disposition and the way he treats you and you were drunken with his love yet whenever you sober up, you can’t help but wonder. a torturous cycle of highs and lows! you can’t help but think you will be used as a sacrificial pawn in this game of chess the fatui is playing with the rest of the world!

“the fair lady’s death has me a bit shaken up,” you lie through your teeth; as someone who is married to one of the fatui’s higher-up’s, you’ve grown fluent in deceit as well. “that traveler proves to be a threat towards your goal.”

“our goal,” he says softly. “but you are correct, i must admit that that outlander’s meddling has thwarted our original plans but fear not, signora’s death was a necessary sacrifice towards teyvat’s better future.”

you nod, “of course. i have no doubt that the fatui will turn out to be victorious, not a single shadow of doubt. i am simply worried for your wellbeing, please be careful my love.” — despite what it seems, you truly do care about his wellbeing, for even though you doubt his intentions with loving you is pure, you can admit that you have fallen for the harbinger.

the regrator chuckles, amused at your concern, as he leans in to press a soft chaste kiss by the corner of your lips, “you worry enough for the both of us, fear not. i’ll be alright, i have a wife to return to, after all.”

it does little to ease your worries, his smile was stasis on his face and you can’t tell what he was planning or even thinking but the reflection of your figure in his lenses makes you think that it involved you.

[mia-does-nonsense]

Walkis headcanons b/c my brain won't shut up:

At first glance, their fancy uniforms are simultaneously cool and stupid. Like, those guys are probably dying during the summer (except for Kenny).

But from the brief shot we got in the manga of their school, I think Walkis is situated in a gloomy, cold-ass mountain area, and a good distance away from civilization like any emo school. Cloudy all the damn time and probably rains a lot too. The uniforms would at least have some practical use to keep the students from getting chilly.

Most, if not all, of the Walkis student body and faculty come from nobility and wealth, so it's kind of impossible to not have a reputation while attending. Like, "That's so-and-so from x family who does y at the Bureau of Magic" and whatnot, which will either make somone's life at Walkis a lot smoother or a lot harder.

The rigorous academics and competitiveness between dorms, years, individual students, new money vs old money, etc makes the shit that goes down at Easton look tame. Students like Finn and Lemon - who are average in academics and/or who come from lower/middle class families - will absolutely not survive there in the metaphorical sense...

...and likely also in the literal sense. Walkis is dangerous. When your parents are politicians, nobles, and just powerful people in general, school rules and even the law itself are merely suggestions. At Easton, the Magia Lupus kidnapped students, nearly stole Lemon's magic permanently, and didn't care about heavily injuring people, and then there's Carpaccio who was stabbing people left and right at the DV exam. Now multiply that by 10, and you'll have an idea what Walkis is like.

A good portion of the students are double-liners, and it's not uncommon to resort to underhanded tactics to get by, not to mention classes are highly advanced and deal with dangerous magic spells, potions, creatures, and such. If you're strong and influential enough to get away with it, you will almost certainly get away with it. If you don't, it's probably only because there was someone stronger than you to put you in your place.

Power is everything in Walkis, after all. And it got worse once Levis and Domina enrolled...

Of course, faculty tries their damn best to keep some semblance of order in the school, because 1. Walkis needs to maintain its prestigious reputation, and 2. These are the kids of the most important people in the magic realm, it would be very bad if something happened to them.

Then again, we know most noble families are shit when it comes to their children (Ex: the Crowns, Madls, Razors, and Rosequartzs) so I wouldn't be surprised if many parents don't care that much if their kid gets sent to the hospital or even straight-up dies. They probably just glanced at the school waiver when enrolling their kids about potential injury and death and were like, "If something happens to them, that's because they're weak blah blah blah" and signed it without a second thought.

The manga says that the majority of the Divine Visionaries in all of history came from Walkis - a whopping 85 compared to Easton's 11 and St. Ars' 4, if I remember correctly. It would be a stretch to assume that not all DVs in the magic realm's history were benevolent. Matter of fact, the current DV lineup was probably the best since Wahlberg and Adam Jobs' time, in terms of not just power but ethics and morality.

I mean, obviously there was still the whole situation with Mash (looking at especially you, Orter), but it would be interesting if some previous DVs throughout history were very self-serving and corrupt, because the ratio of candidates from Walkis and the other schools is crazy and *gestures vaguely at Walkis' aforementioned values regarding power and magic ability, leading to class differences, nepotism, etc, etc.* This was also why Adam Jobs' legacy became so warped after his death, with his beliefs regarding noblesse oblige being largely forgotten or misinterpreted.

[thelunarfairy]

A very long post about JSHK

I'm going to include a few photos so that it doesn't end up being 3 times longer than it should be hahaha, I'm going to rely on your memory on this one.

Then I had a sudden epiphany, and I've been thinking about JSHK's main timeline. You know, a summary of how the main story (without the branches) is developing.

If I were to summarize the story I would say it goes like this:

"An ordinary school with a tendency towards supernatural events and home to 7 mysteries. Each mystery protects a passage and each of them has two stories. One false (rumored) and one true. If you can uncover all the true stories, something will happen."

At the moment, there are only 3 stories left to be discovered, mystery number 1, number 3 and number 7. Considering that Hanako is one of the protagonists, he will probably be the last (even if it is not certain).

Now, we're in arc number 1, he seems to have a direct connection with the twins, especially Tsukasa, and that's who I want to talk about. Come with me and see how this boy's genius works.

So it doesn't get too long, I'll summarize.

Yashiro starts the story by invoking Hanako, Yashiro later reveals that the person who spoke about Hanako's rumor was Aoi, and we know that all the rumors she hears are from her best friend, so the person who spread the rumor about Hanako was probably Tsukasa (that's a hypothesis)

After they create the bond, she starts to be able to see the supernatural and becomes a piece on the board. Yousei was the result of a change in mokke rumors, his story served to show us how even creatures as cute as mokkes can turn into something monstrous like that. Remember that the one spreading the rumors is Tsukasa.

Tsukasa hand hahaha

After that, we have the arc of number 2. First we have the false story, what the rumors were talking about and Yako transformed into a new person, even though her essence is still there. His story came to further reinforce the power of rumors regarding the supernatural (whether mysteries or not) and how yorishiros, those who keep the true story, work. Remembering once again that the one who is spreading the rumors is Tsukasa.

Let's go ahead, right after the arch in number 2, we have the confession tree. A rumor that Aoi told Yashiro. This tree was extraordinarily peculiar because it didn't fit well into any context that linked to the main story, my mistake. Because it was because of this tree that Hanako made the false confession, Yashiro cried, and he apologized to her. Okay, but how does this fit in? It turns out that Hanako's gesture caught Yashiro's attention and made her interested in Hanako's past. Remembering once again that the one who is spreading the rumors is Tsukasa.

We have the exorcists arc, this arc talks more about Kou's development and the way he and Teru judge supernaturals. It is worth remembering that this is important in the future so that Kou can or cannot help Hanako, in addition to, of course, arousing distrust in us not only about Teru's attitude, but also how Hanako does not accept his own sin, finding it unjustifiable. (And to show us how underhanded Hanako is)

So moving forward, while Yashiro goes to the library to research Hanako-san, Sakura is there and talks about the Tsuchigomori library. I don't need to talk about Tsukasa here, right? The arc of number 5, it is simple and without much action, but it is important. In it we learn that you can only change the future in some circumstances and that Tsuchigomori has this ability that can be used at some point. Besides, of course, he lets Nene peek a little into the true story of number 7. This part of his story is important, I don't need to say, it's short but it reveals to us that there was something wrong in Hanako's life.

We follow Yashiro's dilemma about whether or not to continue alongside the bathroom ghost, when Kou convinces her to continue (do you realize the importance of the exorcists arc now? Kou judged that Hanako wasn't a bad ghost, but became suspicious because of what Teru and Hanako said, so he still didn't know what to think about him) If Kou hadn't had this conversation with her (he invited her to make the donuts with the intention of understanding why Yashiro was distant from Hanako) Yashiro would have left away from Hanako.

She and Hanako have a heart-to-heart on the roof when Tsukasa finally appears. His appearance happened right after Yashiro said that he likes Hanako, this could have several meanings, either because Hanako was falling in love and was failing his duty, or another specific objective of Tsukasa. Sakura had ordered the mokke to put the black crane in the donut bag, meaning Tsukasa already knew this was going to happen and chose to reveal himself at that moment.

While Hanako was in internal conflict because of Tsukasa's appearance, we entered the mermaid arc. Yashiro is tempted to definitively become a servant of the mermaid and break the bond with Hanako. Something that didn't happen because he heard her conversation with Tsuchigomori. He "fished" her right away. In this arc we see Yashiro and Hanako's relationship evolve, he asks her for patience because he is not ready to talk about his own past, and she accepts. This arc is important so as not to make us think "why doesn't he just say it?" XD The bond of trust between them grows here. We later see that Tsukasa kills one of the fish and the Mermaid starts to fear the world of the living and gives up on Yashiro (at least for now) so the arc also served to show that the mermaid will no longer disturb her.

So, we meet Mitsuba for the first time. Initially as an ordinary ghost he reveals to us a small part of his past (so that we can quickly empathize with him) then, when he befriends Kou, Tsukasa appears angry and destroys him (he apparently already had this intention) perhaps because Mitsuba had to do something that Tsukasa wants but the "real" Mitsuba wasn't living up to his expectations. And why am I saying this? Mitsuba is a frequent character, he has a connection with the protagonists and has a lot of screen time, in addition to that Tsukasa is always around him, and he was not discarded after being destroyed, that is, he is an important character who will have a key moment in the plot in the future. Knowing this, I imagine that Tsukasa wanted to remake Mitsuba so that he would have no memories and thus not interfere with Tsukasa's plans. (whatever it is)

Moving on, we go straight to the tea party, where Yashiro was purposely kidnapped by Tsukasa. You already know what the point of this arc was. Tsukasa wanted to send Yashiro nowhere, and she went with Natsuhiko to make sure she went to the right door. Natsuhiko conveniently gets pulled by one of Tsukasa's toys (I already talked about it here and here) so that Nene is alone and goes back to the past to get Amane's key.

Could Tsukasa have used his Kokujoudai to take her there? He could, but apparently he doesn't use them when he doesn't want to attract Hanako's attention. I don't know if you noticed but… Let me give you an example, when Tsukasa attacked Mitsuba he used the joudais, at the same time Hanako's Hakujoudai alerted him about Tsukasa. So, there may be a connection (it's a hypothesis) Tsukasa didn't want Hanako to get in the way so he didn't send her using the joudais

Following this, we have the first arc of the clock where we meet Mirai and discover that Akane is one of the seven. This arc is important not only for that, but to show us that in the future the school will be destroyed (given its state when Mirai moves a few rooms forward into the future) and that Yashiro will die. Hanako was forced to reveal this. We later see that Hanako realizes that her time is running out and begins to think about possibilities to save her. I've been wondering, who released Mirai from the boundary?

Ahead we have the arc of number 3, the return of Mitsuba. This arc showed us how strong Tsukasa is and that even though he has this strength he is unable to remove Yorishiro's seal. Then we see Mitsuba transform into the new number 3. It's important to know this, it was revealed to us that supernaturals can eat each other to become stronger and that the Mystery Seats can be acquired this way, in addition to of course, we reveal that Tsukasa is happy to see that Yashiro is alive and shows us that he has bigger plans for Mitsuba.

It's worth remembering that in this arc we see Yako talking about how rumors can change the form of the supernatural, but even so they continue to have the same essence as the original. Hanako runs his finger over his own seal, which could mean that he identified himself and that he probably went through this previously.

So let's move on to the festival arc where Yashiro meets young Amane. It wasn't very clear if it was actually a dream or if she managed to return to the past (I imagine it's the second option because Amane writes that he wants to see her in the future and little Tsukasa in the red house says he wants to go to that festival with Amane) Yashiro was probably taken to his past because they were holding hands when she was hit. In this arc we have this small interaction between them, and I imagine that this affected Amane more than Yashiro (since she believed it was a dream) and he changed his initial request, he was to be an astronaut and he wished to see Nene again. In other words, changing the future.

Moving on, we have the comedic zombie chapter. Initially we have the naive feeling that he doesn't have a direct connection with previous events, but he does. This entire chapter served to show us that Yashiro has a unique ability to purify, she did this to all the students in the school at once. Remembering that in Tsukasa's first appearance she hurts him when she throws the juice (?) from her bottle at him. In other words, as Teru had said, Yashiro is a special girl.

So, after all this fuss is over, let's move on to arc number 4. The perfect world created at Tsukasa's behest. His initial goal (apparently) was to force Yashiro to kill Amane and Kou to kill Mitsuba, but let's face it Tsukasa was just waiting for an opportunity to force a wish on Shijima and for Yashiro to remove her yorishiro. Did you realize that Hanako didn't tell her to remove yorishiro from number 4? Suddenly Tsukasa appears and says that she will fulfill Shijima's wish, and he sends Yashiro along. After all, he managed to get Yashiro to take off the seal and earned payment for the wish. He probably asked Shijima to make those flyers Sakura was wearing at the festival with petals that go into the eye (it's a hypothesis) Tsukasa was doing that while we were focused on how Hanako wanted to save Yashiro's life.

Let's go to the next arc, here we have a dispute between Teru and Akane about who will get the best grade, I don't need to say that he did this to force Akane to do what he wants, right? He asked that if Kou asked him for a favor in the future, he would do it. It means Teru has something in mind.

The arc of number 6… This arc is so long hahaha but it was important to show us about a part of the Minamoto's past (and to show us that they are not as good as they seem) in addition to the life of one of the young women who they were sacrificed in the name of God. Ah, yes of course, this "God". The arc of number 6 has an important connection with the past, about the village, about families, about Kannagis, about how human cruelty can be bigger than that of supernaturals. Furthermore, we clearly see Tsukasa taking advantage of this, as Natsuhiko stayed with Kou while Tsukasa and Sakura planned for Yashiro to remove the seal from number 6. It's worth remembering that they took the opportunity to show Nene what happens when you don't remove the seal, so we have the revelation that Tsukasa is Hanako's yorishiro. So in short, if Yashiro doesn't remove Tsukasa's seal, Hanako will have to destroy him.

Sumire and Hakubo's arc is very important, it reveals important pieces for the future and how things happened in the past. Their relationship reveals to us that the love between a human and a supernatural may not be the way we expect. Because if a supernatural loves a human, his way of showing love is by devouring her? I'm not going to go into depth about this because this post is already too long, the important thing is that you understand the reasoning.

So we have separation. Something planned by Hanako. He apparently made a request to God to grant Yashiro's wish since he needed a sacrifice (Aoi) number 6 was actually performing the ceremony with her (same as in the village). We don't know if that's actually the case, but that's what everything indicates since Hanako doesn't have that power. The most interesting thing during the entire time when the doors of the supernatural were all (almost) closed is how Teru was committed to making everything return to "normal".

Don't you think it's strange that soon he who hates supernaturals was committed to making everything go back to the way it was? Ah, it was because of Aoi…. Tell me, do you honestly believe that Teru likes her? Isn't it a bit…sudden? A silly excuse to distract Akane and the others from revealing what he really wants? Then. Teru makes his art at this moment, which leads us to

Red house, remember that we are still in the arc of number 6. Well this part clearly exists to show us not only a small snippet about the twins' past but also about Mitsuba's connection with the house and Tsukasa (since they found the photo from the red house at Mitsuba's house) We have many revelations here, most of them explicit, that is, I don't need to mention it, but the most important revelation is that Tsukasa can float through the flow of time and that he was working together with the creature. In addition to, of course, the great possibility that Yashiro and Kou have changed the twins' fate. Everything in this part is extremely important, even the house's fear of fire, as the house disappeared in flames (which indicates that on the day/night of the twins' death the fire was present).

Then, the reunion of Nene and Hanako (still in the arc of number 6). Here we see Tsukasa's impatience, he appears (on purpose) after the two kiss and sends Yashiro to remove the seal from number 6. We've already talked about this, haven't we? Then we have the moment when Sakura reveals some things to Yashiro to gain his trust (at least a little), and also about Tsukasa, while talking to Sakura he says that Amane was irritated but that in the end he would do the job. Hanako didn't go to the boundary of number 6, he sent Hakujoudai, which means he was doing something elsewhere and therefore couldn't go get Yashiro himself, that is, he was obeying Tsukasa.

So, we have the end of the arc of number 6 with him leaving after the destruction of his boundary and we enter the redemption chapters. You know, those calmer, calmer chapters where the characters make up or discuss something from the past. It's the fireworks chapter. Where Kou makes peace with Teru and Yashiro with Aoi, and of course, Nene and Kou have a shallow and quick conversation with Hanako about how wrong what he did was (although he doesn't think so and doesn't guarantee he won't do it again) .

In the midst of all this, we have Mitsuba and Kou's reunion. Do you know why these chapters were important? Here we discover that Mitsuba is a "cannibal" since he is a supernatural and he usually eats similar ones. He is in the acceptance process, but has made it clear that this bothers him. Not only that, but it shows us that Kou is quite compassionate and that he will not follow his family's principles, after all he is protecting and taking care of a supernatural (Mitsuba) let's add that in the arc of number 6 there were some moments that were not shown to us between the two and Natsuhiko, who talks about how a human can become a supernatural. Even Kou's absence in that arc had a basis, but I won't delve into that.

Finally (for now) the current arc, the arc of number 1 this time more related to his yorishiro. I'm not going to go into depth on this one because it's in development and we have little information.

In any case, after the arc of number 1, there will be 3 and 7 left, as I said previously, or, one of the hypotheses is that the three can develop together because they are both connected. Did you notice Tsukasa's great influence on most of the events and on all his genius in connecting things? It's spectacular. It's like he's weaving every moment between his fingers. I was particularly amazed by this boy's intellectual capacity.

If that's the case, sure, but that's what everything indicates. I know there are important points that I didn't mention, but this post is too long. In short, Tsukasa is committed to showing us the true story of the school's mysteries, despite him being responsible for spreading the false ones, and each mystery has its own particular way of showing us. Maybe the story of number 7 will still take a while to arrive, in addition to numbers 1 and 3, we have the story of the minamoto, Yashiro's family, Natsuhiko and Sakura….. Ahhh it's going to be a long journey and I'm going to love following it .

If you read this far you are a warrior, thank you for that because this post gave me a lot of work to do hahahaha a lot of text to write what my little head was thinking x_x hahaha

Anyway, I hope you liked it.

[haikyuu-and-more-haikyuu]

Volleyball update!!!

I have completely forgotten about updating my progress! Just came to think about it today and though I give a word from myself.

So volleyball is still fun. A lot of fun. I always look so much forwards to practice. It's so fun for me and our new coach is also very engaged with the team.

In last update, I think I told you guys that I had moved teams and got to play setter. Well, I have the infamous knee problems that comes with volley and needed to step down on the practice amount...so no official setter on the team here haha. Like, I struggled up the stairs in the worst of it. Felt like an old woman, so I had to cut down on practice and needed to stat building the strength and stability up again. But now, they are much better and doesn't hurt too much. Of course, I get the pain her ache here and there, but at least I can function normally.

But I still love playing setter. It's an hard position to learn, but it's a very rewarding thing at the same time. My backwards sets are also very accurate now. I still struggle with knowing exactly the height and position like I do with regular sets-...but the only way to get better at it, is just pass backwards sets.

Since I'm a lot more comfortable on the court now, I get to play around a lot. I can dump, I can set back or forwards or I can run up and pretend that I'm setting; only to spike it over the net in the same jump. It's a lot of fun.

It' very fun when I manages to fool the other team, but it's very fun when my team also get tricked by me just playing around. It's also very fun that I can try out new things and it doesn't affect my team negatively. Like we are only practicing, but just the feel of confidence on the court is world changing for me. Like, I'm not scared to try out new things just for the heck of it.

When we just play normal rotation, I have become a lot more comfortable with feints too and can read the block better to work my way around it. I have even managed to time my attack too, so I don't spike when the block is at the highest reach! I'm also getting better at a spike in the back (before the three meter mark). But when I'm not playing setter or we only play with normal rotation- the others aren't too comfortable setting to the back, so I don't get to do it too often.

Also, not to sound like the biggest weeb here (but I run a HQ blog so...) but I do kind of understand Kyotani in S2 when he said he got restless when he didn't get to spike the ball. I get like that too when I haven't touched the ball for a few rallies and then when it comes my way- I get so excited and just wants it it and I often mess up. I'm such a kid really.

I do still want to increase my vertical jump, so I can get better at both hitting but also blocking. That is a department I'm lacking. It's like I have all the technique down, I just lack the vertical reach I want.

I can also get better at pancake and digs. Sometimes I time it perfectly, but I'm often a little bit to late. So I do want to get a lot better at it, since even as a setter- you can get hard passes that just needs to get up.

My servers are very stable now. When I fail a serve, I always know the reason. Either I didn't throw it high enough or I didn't hit it correctly. I can always managed to fix it when it's my turn again. I want to try the jump serve or even a floater. Fun fact; I did actually managed float serve with underhand serve when I could only do that. I was known for my underhand serves for a while there in competition. Don't let anyone tell you that they can't be useful and cool.

There was also one time, we played mix and I was going to set the ball- and I came under the ball wrong and like all of my bones just cracked. They stopped the game and wondered if I broke something. I didn't, but they were sprained. Nothing that some sports tape can't fix. Seriously though, they were messed up for a few months because I still played. So take care of ya bones, peeps. Message from me <3

My team is mixed with a few people that have some experience and some that have been a few years out of the sport. So we focus a lot on getting the team dynamic down, but to be completely honest- the team is not that close. Some players have quit and new ones have come. And the feeling of the team is a little more detached (in a way). It's kind of sad, since we were such a close group before. I try to be a positive source, but it's hard when the team itself doesn't really come along like we have in the past. There have recently started a new girl, and the two of us play together well and it's nice with someone fresh that also just want to enjoy practice and doesn't freeze people out.

I did try some beach volley in the summer. We have a lot of beach courts in my city. Once even just five minutes away. I'm still not used to it. I keep thinking on digging the ball, but I can't slide and I just knock the breath out of my system. I'm a little scared to do the spike approach, because I have a weak left ankle after breaking it too times and uneven surfaces are my enemy. Not preferred, but it's a lot of fun still. I do still learn a lot from it. Really, I can understand why the sand volleyball players (and hinata) becomes so good at receives. Because, with sand volley- you do need to be where the ball is to make it easier for you and your partner.

Anyway, that was that. I still love the sport and if it was up to me- I would play it every day. Like, I played volleyball for like five or six hours once (no wonder I have knee problems) but I can go on forever I people want to play with me.

(me when my volleyball mates doesn't want to play for another three hours)

[beevean]

This image! God this image! Mrs. Kojima really cooked here. I love and adore prelude to revenge so much! This scene and what happens subsequently there after could have no dialogue and it would still be perfectly understood with how well the emotions are conveyed in her illustrations.

Also Isaac looks phenomenal. Have I mentioned that I love prelude to revenge? What are some of your favorites?

BRO

you come to me and you give me the chance to gush about Prelude to Revenge, the best thing that came out of the Castlevania franchise?????

(i'm going to get assassinated for that lol)

i, ugh. i. i love how Kojima here handled the Hector/Isaac fight! It's from Isaac's POV, not Hector's - we're seeing the events from the POV of the antagonist. We already root for Hector and his will to run away from Dracula's insanity by this point. We are made to at least try to sympathize with the other guy, who so far proudly declared to be a weapon for destruction.

Hector uses a underhanded tactic to win: he slashes Isaac's thighs. He also breaks part of his armor, symbolically being the reason of Isaac's sanity slipping. He's about to deliver the coup de grâce...

"I still… can’t follow you? Have I lost…?"

(Hector's eye! Icy cold! Beautiful!)

... but instead, he humiliates his former friend further: he breaks his sword, and he forces him to live, while he himself crawls away to die far away. Hector refuses to share that moment of weakness with Isaac.

"Is this the arrogance... of the winner?!"

(actually, 優れる means "to surpass, to outstrip, to excel". Hector didn't just win: he's the one who always excels over Isaac. the resentment here <3)

And what's Isaac to do? He, too, limps back home, knowing full well what is going to await him: a disappointed Lord. A Lord who always favored Hector, because he's better than Isaac. And he proved him right. And it eats at him inside.

"You don’t answer even if I call... Ha... Did he even cut off my power?

Take a look at this pathetic sight, my Lord, my broken sword used as a cane My body is the proof of Your expectations for him Please ridicule me, scold me Next time I will do whatever it takes."

PtR doesn't go into detail about Isaac's inferiority complex, unlike the MF manga - but the way it conveys it it's just. argh. this man.

And then he reaches the castle... or what is left of it.

This is a masterpiece of a page. You can almost hear the howling wind. If this was an anime, it would have no music at all. Isaac is drawn at his most detailed and his most handsome as his face is washed in horror. You don't need anything to get hit with the realization that Isaac didn't just lost a fight, he lost his entire life: he has no home that would allow him to live, no Lord to serve, no friend to fight with, and even his magic has been cut out. He has nothing left, through no direct fault of his own.

Isaac wasn't there to protect his Lord. Because of Hector.

"I won't let you say that your rebellion has nothing to do with this! Had you cut off my head as well, I would not have seen this... Hector...!"

And as the real heroes of the story stand in the dawn to admire their hard-earned victory against evil, a broken man vows revenge for being forced to live on.

And man, will he take his revenge.

this is fucking peak man i can't stop eating my own hands it's so good it's so GOOD

I feel bad for Isaac! This simping asshole who will go then to kill an innocent woman and torment his former friend with! This piece of shit who wanted to happily exterminate mankind is genuinely pitiable in these circumstances! But the story doesn't hold your hand to make you feel sorry for him - it respects your intelligence enough to understand the facts and draw your own conclusions

Kojima is not only an artist out of this world, but an excellent writer.

urgh but it would take me too long to talk about my favorite scenes from this short manga! I made a lot of posts about it! It's so packed with scenes, beautiful quotes, poignant character moments, symbolism...

Ah, it sure deserved to be adapted :')

(also yes Isaac can be very good-looking when he wants to. He has honestly one of my favorite designs in the series precisely because his face has unique features. highly underrated <3)

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Streets Mystery (Oracle Mystery)

(art by Maxa-art on DeviantArt)

The bustle of the market square, the unique cuisine forged from multiple cultures coming together, the local dialect in all it’s charming idiosyncrasies… Truly it is the people that make a city, giving it the unique character that spawns forth the architectural styles and other wonders that others might think of when they think of city culture.

And with the divine being so numerous and diverse in Pathfinder, it should be no surprise that there would be deities of civilization that focus on the more urbane aspects, both the public and shady underside. These aren’t your lofty high-minded civilization deities like Abadar, but rather the gods that really get in there and know beating heart of the people, be they Cayden Cailean, Milani, or even Norgorber and more.

And so when these deities decide to bless a mortal as an oracle that feels the people and city the way they do, it is often the Streets mystery that results.

As we’ll soon see, this mystery has aspects of being streetwise, stealthy, and sometimes underhanded. After all, it’s often a rough life in the streets, but how it is used is still up to the oracle themselves, either as a street-savvy protector of the people, or as a fearful shadow within it.

The magic of this mystery includes illusions, not just to hide their own appearance, but also to create false walls, as well as create and obscure areas from remote viewing. Beyond such illusions, mind reading is also among them, as is creating magical wards and teleporting themselves and others away from harm to a safe place. The more powerful among them can create extravagant extradimensional housing and even create cloned bodies to revive from after death.

Many of these oracles always seem to find the right tool for the job hidden away in the refuse. Whether these tattered mundane items were always there or were conjured is a matter of debate, but they always prove useful.

Some learn to conjure a phantom rat, pigeon, or other small urban vermin to serve as their eyes. Later on, they can summon large numbers of them at once, giving them lots of coverage.

A crowd can be perfect for those who do not wish to be seen, and the more stealthy of these oracles have a knack for disappearing into the crowd.

Additionally, many learn to use every available piece of terrain as cover, especially against destructive areas of effect.

Some can draw upon  supernatural knowledge of weak points to attack with the training of cutthroats and brigands for quick takedowns on occasion.

The city can be hard to maneuver through, but some street oracles can navigate bustling crowds, construction sites, and other situations that would impede their movements with ease.

Cities have many secrets, and those that utilize divination magic can invoke the rumor mills and whispered conversations to double the effective range of such information-gathering magic through the power of association.

When it becomes necessary to move in disguise, some are able to enshroud themselves and others in a veil, blending in with those that are supposed to be there.

Calling upon the spirit of the city itself, some of these mystics are able to subtly help their allies in various tasks… a brick juts out to provide a handhold, a convenient sign points the way, a series of minor events puts someone in a good mood, more amenable to diplomacy, and so on.

The most powerful among them become truly in tune with the urban landscape. They are able to learn if a particular individual is in a city, as well as ask questions of the city directly, the way a druid might commune with the terrain.

If you ever wanted a very rogue-ish divine caster, a street oracle could definitely fill that role quite well. The illusions and information-gathering provide lots of utility, and if you spec for stealth and melee you can even enjoy being a good flanker that can even sneak attack a few times. I personally recommend building with stealth, divination, and a variety of other tools in mind so you can really take advantage of the urban environment. That being said, plenty of their utility is lost when you leave behind the cities for the wilds and dungeons.

As mentioned before, a lot of the revelations tied to this mystery involve being quite sneaky and underhanded. While this does lend itself to villainy, consider also the antihero that uses such tactics because of how harsh life can be in the slums and lower-class areas of civilization. And also recall that there are also abilities that are less clandestine as well, allowing one to play a more benevolent keeper of the city and its people.

A lover of architecture, Pilob the gnome could spend years exploring the ins and outs of every city he visits, and he often does, wandering them for as long as they hold his interest. The fact that this fascination often ends up with him discovering the secret byways of the criminal underbelly does not bother him though, for his divine calling is also to put a stop to such activities wherever he can.

Tallstep is so named because the mountainous city was originally settled and built for giants. However, since then it has expanded it’s infrastructure to accommodate peoples of a smaller stature, with roads and stairs having lanes for the smaller folk to move with ease without being trampled. One of the oldest human residents, an oracle named Tagi, knows almost everything there is to know about the city, including ancient burial grounds where the clay-shod bodies of giants are comsumed by corrosive worm-filled oozes, creating the guardians known as benaioh.

For now Third-Eye Tolkan is nothing more than a lesser gang leader, but he has an expansive vision, desiring to rule the city from the shadows, and to do that he’ll leverage his prophetic power in the name of the Shadow God to absorb and destroy all opposition in the city’s underworld.