#aram live stream

[pcgamer]

League Of Legends - Howling Abyss - Aram Gameplay Day 2

[fy-wonwoo]

[230809] Your friendly neighborhood GAM3 BO1 is here

WONWOO and SEVENTEEN show what makes gaming truly fun

As he progressed through Sue’s Cooking Game on a May 6 stream, Weverse Live viewers saw an awkward, almost embarrassed smile take over WONWOO’s face. “How did you know I like washing dishes?” It was an unexpected response from the SEVENTEEN member to the game over message (“Just wash the dishes”) after he failed the goal of clicking around the screen to cook ramyeon within the time limit. WONWOO isn’t terribly familiar with such simple games—he’s much more versed in games like League of Legends and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS that demand a combination of skilled reflexes and strategy, as his fans know. And his line about the dishes drew an affectionate laugh from them. “If you don’t know [the game], you can look at my face,” he joked (but there’s no joking about how seriously handsome he is). And his sincerity was evident when he brushed off a loss with a simple, “That’s unfortunate,” only to give it another go—all spoken in the same calm voice, and with his same signature upright posture, that he maintains as he talks through the games. And that’s how WONWOO’s GAM3 BO1 series got its start.

WONWOO’s always been a gamer. “When I was a trainee, gaming was my only hobby,” he said. Three years ago, he could be seen streaming his PUBG gameplay on the Chinese site Huya Live. When he played Crazy Arcade in the “GSVT E-Triathlon Championship 2022” episode of the group’s original series GOING SEVENTEEN last year, “you could tell he’s a real pro based on the username he chose and the way he plays,” according to Yi Yunju, leader of the PLEDIS New Media Part. WONWOO’s gaming caught the attention of not only fans but the wider public as well. When he played Stray, a game set in a dystopian future where the player takes control of a cat, he was quick to understand the overall structure of the game, immediately distinguishing those quests he felt were required to progress versus those that weren’t very important and skipping over the latter. He also made sure to show off to viewers how cute the feline protagonist could be.

The first episode of GAM3 BO1 was born out of WONWOO’s longstanding interest in and opinions on gaming. “WONWOO spoke up about wanting to start doing Lives about gaming,” lead professional Yeom Ji Been, with the HYBE Artist Content 4 Studio, said, “so we ended up putting together a team to get all the equipment ready and help film the videos.” The name of the series derives from the SEVENTEEN song “GAM3 BO1”—a hip hop unit song that features WONWOO—and was only decided in the middle of the first episode. In the two months since and up to July 28, seven episodes have been broadcast live, averaging a whopping 3.3 hours each. Yeom said it was also WONWOO who came up with the ultimate format for the show, starting with the second episode where he opened with a simple Flash game similar to Sue’s Cooking Game and warmed up with the League of Legends map Howling Abyss for ARAM play (“all random, all mid,” one of League’s gameplay modes) before moving onto the main game of the episode. “Fans were really into seeing Flash games like the Sue series,” Yeom added. Flash games were popular in the early 2000s and mainly provided through web portals, where it was easy for kids to come across and play them. These games stir up old memories for CARAT and also encourage communication between them and WONWOO as they give him tips in the chat. Viewers looking for a more complex gaming experience get to enjoy WONWOO warming up as he plays League’s Howling Abyss, followed by the main game of each broadcast, which lasts longer than the other segments. Between the games’ engaging visuals and stories, and the process involved in completing different quests, the streams become totally immersive for those watching, with no previous knowledge of the games necessary. It’s like a gift basket of goodies whether you’re into gaming or not. When WONWOO plays live, hashtags about him start trending on Twitter. He’s even brought other members of SEVENTEEN on to play with him. In all aspects, he’s just like any pro streamer.

Keep reading!

[dustedmagazine]

Jeph Jerman, Aram Yardumian — Listen — Jeph Jerman in Conversation With Aram Yardumian  (Errant Bodies Press)

The new Errant Bodies Press publication, Listen — Jeph Jerman in Conversation With Aram Yardumian, aims at excavating the enigmatic work of American experimental musician Jeph Jerman. As an anthropologist, Aram Yarduminian would seem particularly well-suited to unearthing the 40-year history of Jerman's work and his thinking behind it, interviewing Jerman on everything from his early sound experiments to his lesser-known visual work. Extensive photo documentation of Jeph in concert with various projects or solo, his room installations, self-made sound objects and work with text add a welcome visual context to the interviews.

Born in 1959 while his father was stationed on a U.S. Air Force base in Guam, Jerman moved around a lot as a child and learned drums early on. After leaving home, he spent time living in various towns around The Four Corner states, all the while playing guitar, bass or drums in various outfits as diverse as reggae groups, cover bands, freak-out noise projects and free-improvising ensembles. Parallel to all this, Jerman delved into his own experiments with concrete sound, starting in 1981 with his Early Recordings that included, among other things, a recording of a swamp cooler and a fast food stand outside of Albuquerque.

Work of this sort would prove to be more of what Jerman would turn his focus to as the 1980's wore on. Not just environmental recordings themselves, but altering and processing these with reel-to-reel machines, samplers, four-track cassette recorders and various electronic treatments found their audience in the home taping and electronic music scenes, with Jerman releasing scores of cassettes through the 1980's and coming into contact with artists like John Hudak, Eric Lunde, G.X. Jupitter-Larsen and Dan Burke.

Much of the sound sources for Jerman's work involved detritus he'd find while out exploring in the field near places where he was living at the time. Sometimes this junk would be recorded as is, interacting with the natural environment, and other times Jerman would play the refuse he came across, trying to draw out the acoustical qualities of the most mundane, discarded objects. Jerman also spent much time recording the natural sound environments while he searched for these objects. With access to various radio stations where Jerman was working as a presenter in the early 1980s, he was able to use their studio facilities to make his first experiments composing with these different sounds, working with them as a kind of malleable concrete material.

With time Jerman became, in his words, more interested in the sounds themselves, than in trying to figure out what they 'mean' or how they fit in to some larger context. And this is perhaps where the interviews become most interesting, as Aram Yardumian probes into the thinking behind Jerman's approach to listening. It becomes apparent at some point in the course of the talks that Jerman himself cannot put a finger on what his approach is other than, The experience is essential. In a nutshell this distills Jerman's practice down to its very essence and what he's trying to bring to the listener —an awareness of their own focus (or lack thereof) through Jerman's use of sound as a point of departure towards a realm where all that matters is a way into the present moment, of being one with a particular sound.

In the end, aside from a brief rundown of Jerman's history and evolution as an artist, Listen — Jeph Jerman in Conversation With Aram Yardumian might not really bring the reader that much closer to understanding Jerman's work, which seems to be too elusive for any kind of formal anaylsis. It's kind of like saying, explain the wind, what does the sound of the running stream mean? But what does arise throughout the book is a fascinating look in to what it means to listen. How do we listen? Why do we listen? What is listening about? How can we approach the space of listening?

For Jerman, all these questions would most likely seem completely superfluous to the very act of listening itself, which should need no explanation. Anyone can pursue this, it's just a matter of focusing on the sounds around us. Jerman's insights throughout the book explain why this form of pure listening is today more important than ever, bombarded as we are with near-constant input from our phones and computers, a perpetual intrusion into a private space which has now somehow become completely public.

Listen — Jeph Jerman in Conversation With Aram Yardumian will prove useful as an introduction to Jerman's work. But like the Sonoran Desert — in Spanish, the sounding desert — not far from where Jerman now lives, we will need to go out and find our own sounds to truly understand what it means to listen.

Jason Kahn

[madameclaws]

today we're gonna be doing some arams, but tomorrow we're going to start a really fun drawing activity where i spin a wheel and draw that pokemon from memory! sunday is our usual slop

LIVE NOW: https://www.twitch.tv/madameclaws

also, i'll be changing my schedule up next week, so stay tuned for the new days i'll be streaming (:

[playgameshealkids]

It’s that time of year again to Play Games and Heal Kids!

This is my (Sollitaire) 7th year participating in Extra Life - a gaming focused charity that supports Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. You can read all about who I am and why I do it on my Extra Life participant page. I will use this space here to update people about our (this is a family affair) times and schedule of events so people can keep track and join us if they want. So please be sure to save this blog so you can keep up with our shenanigans!

This year, given the official release of World of Warcraft: The War Within is next week (early access begins today!), we will be commencing this momentous occasion that is followed by a nice holiday weekend with a half day marathon going from 2pm CST on Saturday August 31st to 2am CST (at minimum) Sunday September 1st. During this time I’ll be playing the new WoW expansion (and maybe even some D4 seasonal content to spice it up) live on Twitch where I will be encouraging donations and doing giveaways. A full schedule of what we will be doing and when will be posted here by August 30th.

For those who are familiar with our marathons, we will also be doing our 12am CST Heroes of the Storm 5v5 ARAM as usual. Even if you don’t play, it’s pretty funny to watch 10 people try to murder each other while also yelling at each other over discord all streamed live on Twitch. 🤪

Of note, our full 24 marathon will be on Game Day November 2nd starting at 12pm CST. More details will be provided about that once we get closer to the date!

Giveaway Details:

For those who are wiling and able to donate, you can *donate different amounts from $5 USD to $100 USD or more to qualify for a wide range giveaways such as WoW Game time, Digital copies of both WoW: The War Within and Diablo 4, Battle.net Balance, and one lucky winner will be able to win a physical WoW Collectors edition with the 20 year anniversary statue (winner must pay shipping). For those who are unable to donate, sharing this post, the Extra Life participant page, or my Twitch stream is a huge help!

Specified donation amounts are required for different prize categories. You must donate to win. Only one prize can be awarded per donation. Not all donors are winners. While you can donate in different denominations only the USD equivalent will qualify you for entry. Donation does not equal automatic giveaway entry.

To be entered into drawings to win, please fill out the form via the link provided on my Extra Life participant page page after you donate so you can select the items you’d like to be entered into drawings for. Don’t forget this step!

[letterstojori]

9.24

Dear Jori,

I finally played with Pgod.

Okay but what is this stacked lobby lol. Casper and riot iniko AND soji what the heck I went eif lol.

I think I was slightly influenced from what I heard on Pgods stream and I pivoted from jinx reroll into noxus and I bled too much early. I think I was actually strong but I got destroyed by the rogue matchup.

I should be grading stuff but I’m playing TFT lol.

I saw the other day that you did play some league games. A few in August right before I left. And one ARAM game earlier this month. But I was on PBE so I wouldn’t have been on.

I wonder what you’ve been up to. If you’ve gotten into any new hobbies? Started any new work? Made any steps toward your acting career or going back to school? I hope whatever it is you’re doing, you’re thriving and living life.

-bearbear

[frontproofmedia]

Mikaela Mayer-Silvia Bortot Confirmed for Liam Smith-Chris Eubank Jr. II Undercard

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Follow @Frontproofmedia!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id))(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

Published: August 25, 2023

September 2: Mikaela Mayer-Silvia Bortot Confirmed for Liam Smith-Chris Eubank Jr. II Undercard at AO Arena in Manchester LIVE on ESPN+

Former unified junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer returns in a 10-round junior welterweight battle against Italian contender Silvia Bortot on Saturday, Sept. 2 at AO Arena in Manchester, England.   Mayer-Bortot will take place on the undercard of the highly anticipated middleweight rematch between bitter rivals Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr.   Promoted by BOXXER, Smith-Eubank II, Mayer-Bortot, and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Sky Sports Box Office will broadcast the event in the UK and Ireland.   Mayer (18-1, 5 KOs), a 2016 U.S. Olympian, signed with Top Rank in 2017 and captured the WBO junior lightweight world title by defeating Ewa Brodnicka in October 2020. The following year, the Los Angeles native unified the WBO and IBF titles in an action-packed slugfest against Maiva Hamadouche. In October 2022, she suffered a razor-thin split decision loss to Alycia Baumgardner in an undisputed world title showdown at London’s O2 Arena. Mayer then moved up to lightweight and scored a unanimous decision win over Lucy Wildheart in April. She now prepares to make her third consecutive appearance in London.

Smith-Eubank II, Mayer-Bortot and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT

Mayer said, "It's my sixth year as a pro, but I've never felt better. My run at 130 was a ton of fun and something I'm proud of, but it's time for a new chapter. It's time to combine my experience with my size and see what I can accomplish. This fight is at 142 pounds, but 147 is the next hot division in women's boxing, and that's where I'm headed."   Bortot (11-2-1, 3 KOs) debuted in the pro ranks in 2016 and captured the European junior welterweight title in 2019 with a fourth-round TKO win over Marie Helene Meron. She suffered her first loss via ninth-round TKO in April 2022 but bounced back that year with three victories. In her last outing, she lost to undefeated standout Flora Pili via a 10-round decision in May.   Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) captured the WBO junior middleweight title with a seventh-round TKO win over Apollo Thompson in 2015. He defended the title twice before losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2016. Smith remained a division mainstay during the following five years, earning wins over the likes of Liam Williams, Anthony Fowler, and Jessie Vargas. In September 2022, he made his middleweight debut with a stoppage win over Hassan Mwakinyo before upsetting Eubank via fourth-round TKO in their first encounter.   Eubank (32-3, 23 KOs) began his pro career in 2011 and went 18-0 before losing to Billy Joe Saunders in 2014. In 2017, he moved up to super middleweight and beat former two-division world champion Arthur Abraham and then-unbeaten contender Avni Yildirim. In his first world title shot, he suffered a unanimous decision loss to George Groves in February 2018. Eubank returned with wins against JJ McDonagh and former world champion James DeGale before returning to middleweight, where he was 4-0 before the first Smith showdown.   In other streaming action from Manchester:

Junior welterweight standout Adam Azim (8-0, 6 KOs) takes on Ukraine’s Aram Fanyan (23-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-round clash.  

Unbeaten heavyweight Frazer Clarke (7-0, 5 KOs), a British Olympic bronze medalist, will lock horns with David Allen (21-5-2, 18 KOs) in a 10-rounder.  

British super middleweight champion Mark Heffron (29-2-1, 23 KOs) will defend his title against former English middleweight champion Jack Cullen (21-4-1, 9 KO) in a 12-rounder.  

Unbeaten Albanian southpaw Florian Marku (12-0-1, 7 KOs) will take on Ireland’s Dylan Moran (18-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight tilt. 

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

1 And after this the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me. And David sent word through his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. 3 But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Do you really think that David is honoring your father just because he sent some men to you to comfort you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to search out the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it? 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half their beards and cut away half their garments at the buttocks, and he sent them away. 5 Now when they told this to David, he sent some to meet them, for the men were very ashamed. And the king said, Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, then return. 6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of mighty men. 8 And the children of Ammon went forth and set the battle in array at the entrance of the gate; but the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and of Maacah were alone in the field. 9 Now when Joab saw that there were battle lines against him before and behind, he chose some of the choice men in Israel and set them in array against the Syrians. 10 And the rest of the people he put under the charge of Abishai his brother and set them in array against the children of Ammon. 11 And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; and if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. 12 Be strong and let us be bold for the sake of our people and for the sake of the cities of our God, and may Jehovah do what seems good in His sight. 13 So Joab and the people who were with him approached the battle against the Syrians, and the Syrians fled before him. 14 And the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians fled, and they fled from before Abishai and entered the city. And Joab returned from the children of Ammon and entered Jerusalem. 15 Now when the Syrians saw that they had been routed before Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent word and brought forth the Syrians who were beyond the River. And they came to Helem, and Shobach the captain of the army of Hadadezer was before them. 17 And it was told David, and he gathered all Israel together and passed over the Jordan and came to Helem. And the Syrians set themselves in array to meet David, and they fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel. And David slew seven hundred charioteers of the Syrians and forty thousand horsemen; and he struck Shobach the captain of their army, and he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the children of Ammon anymore. — 2 Samuel 10 | Recovery Version (REC) The Recovery Version of the Holy Bible © 2009 Living Stream Ministry. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 34:30; Genesis 42:9; Genesis 42:16; Exodus 5:21; Judges 11:3; Judges 11:5; 1 Samuel 11:1; 2 Samuel 8:3; 2 Samuel 8:5-6; 2 Samuel 8:12; 2 Samuel 11:1; 2 Samuel 17:27; 2 Samuel 23:18; 1 Kings 11:23-24; 1 Kings 20:13; 1 Chronicles 19:16; 1 Chronicles 19:18; Isaiah 15:2; Isaiah 20:4; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Hebrews 11:33-34

[monstersandmaw]

Wheel of Time Episode Three musings.

Decidedly less overall screeching and heavy breathing this time, but I’m still on board with the series as a whole. This was all written in a live-tweet/’stream of consciousess’ while I watched it, so it’s all my reaction as it unfolded... Just bear that in mind!

No major/significant spoilers, but I do mention small plot happenings.

Nynaeve being dragged along by the symbol of her strength - her braid. Then the way she rallied as she ran on that road through the dark... This woman is UNBREAKABLE and I love that they’re showing it like this.

Practical effects trolloc practical effects trolloc practical effects trolloc

Nynaeve fucking HUNTING him in the water. Then the flame of Tar Valon in the blood oh my god.

The braid swing. The camera angle. The light in her face. Chills.

The titles again. I’m gonna watch them every time. Skipping is for Light-blinded fools.

Lan with a blade at his throat, looking at her. The crackling chemistry. Oh my god. Oh the step forward. The raised hand.

“You actually tried to kill me.” (impressed). The ensuing scrap between them!!! Gahahahha flailing.

Rand is an idiot and a moron, so that’s true to the books I guess? The ta’veren have one brain cell between them and it’s currently residing in Perrin. Probably.

Perrin ‘Caretaker’ Aybara. I’m weeping.

The friendship in this is so wholesome.

Hahahahhaha Lan literally had to tie her up and gag her to win. Hahahahahahhaahahahahahahhaa *wheezing*

“It’s not a demand. It’s a threat.” *intense eye contact* Lan ‘Lord of the Seven Towers’ Mandragoran backs down under her gaze.

Nynaeve and her herbs. The attention to detail. Lan watching. The atmospheric mist. The music. That look!! He’s already falling and we can all see it.

Pouty boy Lan is impressed and can’t work her out. And we love that.

The affection between Lan and Moiraine is tangible. His cautious relief, his fear, his gratitude, his hope. In that one look.

Oh my god Perrin’s dream! That’s not how I remember that going… Also not a fan of this threatening buildup. I get it, but… it’s annoying.

Mat looks like he’s wearing pjs and a scruffy dressing gown.

Rand’s fuckoff-big two rivers longbow is everything. I’m so glad it’s a feature.

Wtf is with this mining town? Give me Baerlon. The horse in the background before they enter the hall is a shaggy horse. That one should be playing Bela. Sorry. I’m not letting that go.

Oh. A gleeman you say?

Oh. It’s a guitar. Ish. Well, what an intro though.

Where’s his cloak?

Why does he sound like he smokes three packs a day? Cringe. I’m cringing so hard I hurt my jaw. My whole face. I had to fast forward. This whole scene is awful. I hate it. I hate it all. I hate it so much. Thom is supposed to be refined, if a little snooty. He looks rough and is rude. Maybe he’ll improve later but I do not like this.

Can I just say I love Perrin’s clothes. Very reminiscent of an oiled leather apron a blacksmith uses. The clasps look hand-made - showing he’s capable of great delicacy as well as strength.

Wolves being helpful. Cute. I still want Elyas though. He’s such a great character, and it’s a shame if they leave him out altogether.

Tracks. Tinkers? Ooh I hope it’s the Tinkers.

Mat’s character changing subtly. I like it.

Ok I’m wrong. The business with him and Dana made me cringe too. I don’t like.

A warder’s first priority is the safety of his Aes Sedai. And oh look. He’s left her with Nynaeve. He trusts her. *cheering*

“It’s not your fault…” Oh Perrin, don’t carry this all on your own.

TINKERS! Ah, I miss Elyas though. Aram is as cute and annoying as he should be. All is well again.

Haha Dana thinks he and Mat are what?! That’s hilarious. Nice worldbuilding inclusion to say it’s fine though.

Nynaeve being genuinely upset that she can’t help shows who she is.

Moiraine murmuring Siuan’s name.

The cringy western twang when Thom appears makes me want to curl up and shrivel away. The Aiel bit is… odd. I get that they wanted to introduce them as a people, and their hair colour though...

Oh look, world building by awkward exposition dialogue - mention of places and people that will come in later. Maybe it’s because I’m ace and I get cringey with sexy times on screen anyway, but the scene with Dana and Rand… is weird and clunky. Slows the pace after the rather frantic two episodes.

Oh. Oh Dana is a Darkfriend. Didn’t see that coming, though I should have done. She’s the one with the creepy knife in the books? I forgot her name.

Thom saying “…hanging…” *shivers…*

Oooh the doorway… it’s not lightning but… we know now, right? Non-book fans know…?

Logain’s entrance! What a cliffie!

___

Well... the pace and atmosphere has sagged somewhat, but I’m keen to see where it goes with the next episode release. What did you think? What did I miss? (I bet there was loads!!)

[nelllraiser]

dreamwaker | bex & nell

PREVIOUSLY: dreamstalker (bex solo). LOCATION: the dreamscape. PARTIES: @inbextween & @nelllraiser. SUMMARY: bex crashes nell’s nightmare. TRIGGERS: sibling death, torture mention.

Nell’s house was completely empty, save for all the decorations that usually hung on the walls. They seemed almost...slightly off. As if someone had taken them all off the walls and moved them one inch to the left. Somehow, the fog was inside the house, too. The little birdy from outside had followed her in, fluttering around the house. Bex watched it for a moment, before it zoomed off towards the back of the house. “Wait!” she called out, following after as best she could. The house felt too eerie, too strange. The emptiness of it was making Bex’s skin crawl. The bird led her to a door, fluttering just outside out of. It knocked its beak against the door. “Is this--” Tentatively, Bex reached for the door and opened it. It creaked loudly and she peered inside. The bedroom was empty save for its decorations, but somehow she just knew, this was Nell’s room. 

The little bird zoomed inside and nestled into the bed. Bex blinked and in the next moment, Nell was sleeping in the bed. “Nell?” her eyes perked up. “Nell, you’re he--” she started, but her voice was cut short, as something pulled at her insides. That familiar feeling she always tried to ignore. “Wait, no, stop, I don’t want to--” but it was too late. Her hand touched Nell’s head and she tumbled through darkness. 

Her back hit the ground in a sudden rush, but it didn’t hurt. When Bex was brave enough to open her eyes next, she was in a dank room, dripping with moldy water. She could smell rusted iron and stale water and blood. She sat up quickly, the liquid splashing around her. Someone was crying. She turned in circles, squinting through the dark, and saw a figure inside a cage, hands reaching through towards someone, something. Her voice was familiar. “Nell?” she stuttered, began crawling towards her. Yes, it was her. She knew it, it had to be! Bex broke into a sprint, slamming into the side of the cage, tears of joy, relief, streaming down her face. “Nell, I found you! I found you! I’m here, you’re here! You’re--” but something wasn’t right. Nell was crying, too, but not out of joy. She was caged behind bars, and when Bex followed her line of sight, a sense of dread began to fill her up. Blood pooled in the water, and the source-- someone chained to the wall, chopped and bloody. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth as she fought off the sudden nausea. “Nell, who is that?” she muttered, “Wh-what’s going on?”

It was happening again. Ever since that fateful day in late spring of last year- the day she’d watched her sister fall apart before her very eyes— Nell’s sleep had been plagued by frequent nightmares. They were enough to make her dread sleep, and seemed to only grow worse whenever Bea wasn’t sleeping in the Vural home with her sisters. Without her presence there...it felt far too similar to the month following her death, an emptiness in the eldest daughter’s room making for a matching vacancy in Nell’s sleep patterns. Beyond her usual nighttime terrors, Nell had been avoiding sleep after hearing of the increasing pattern of unwilling sleepers, unwilling to fall into the same pattern that seemed to be gripping the town in its claws. If she fell asleep and didn’t wake up, who would make sure the demon cult didn’t eat Adam alive? And who would ensure that Bex didn’t stay in her state of unconsciousness for the rest of her life? 

Nell couldn’t fail Bex. It’d been so long since the witch had someone relying on her in the way the younger girl did. Come to think of it- had she ever had someone rely on her in such a way? It felt nice to be needed in the way Bex needed her, and Nell wasn’t going to let the girl fall. She’d do most anything to protect Bex from even half the things White Crest had thrown her way. These were the thoughts that had run through her tired mind while sleep took her. It was unplanned, and brought about by the simple inability to stay awake after refusing to sleep for so long. Unfortunately this was how she also found herself without the only defense she had against nightmares such as these, her bottle of Aram forgotten on her bedside table.

How long had Nell been watching the ever shifting figure of a twisted Montgomery and Jax hybrid torturing her sisters against the wall, forcing her to bear witness from the confines of her cramped cage? Her breaths were coming far too fast, and she couldn’t tell whether it was from the feeling of the cage closing in on her, or the blood trailing down the necks of her sisters. But then...something changed. Another presence that didn’t match the energy around her. It wasn’t a calm in the night, but it was certainly less worrying than the murderer standing before her. That voice. She knew that voice. The cloudy panic of her eyes cleared for a moment as she looked over to her student in magic, confusion finding her before frantic concern quickly replaced it. “Bex? Bex! You can’t be here- you have to get out of here before he hurts you too!” 

“Hurt me? What? Nell, I-I don’t understand, what’s going on? Where are we?” Bex looked around again, before settling her eyes back on Nell. “Who are those people?” They looked oddly familiar, but Bex couldn’t quite place their faces. Either way, all she knew was that she needed to get Nell out of this cage. She started yanking at them, searching around for a door, a lock, anything. It felt as if out of nowhere a lock appeared as Bex’s hands grazed over some of the bars, the world shifting and manipulating around them. She plucked a bobby pin from her hair and set to work. “Here!” The door swung open and she reached a hand in for Nell. “C’mon, w-we gotta get out of here.” Wherever here was. Bex didn’t like the feel of it. A shadow crept up behind her and she turned to look but there was no one there. “Nell, what’s going on?”

Nell couldn’t take her eyes from her sisters, pain carved into every crease of her face as she watched their lives drain away into nothingness. She’d brought Bea back. She’d brought Bea back only for her to die again. She’d raise her again. She’d raise her sisters however many times it took for them to be by her side. One without the other two was incomplete, a set that no longer matched. But Bex shouldn’t be here. She’d only get herself hurt, and Nell didn’t know if she’d be allowed to bring Bex back. “You have to go, Bex!” Nell began desperately, her hands clutching the bars of her cage until the knuckles of them turned white. A lock appeared before her very eyes, and bewilderment was once again claiming Nell’s face. “How’d you do that? I didn’t teach you to do that.” Making a lock appear from nothing may have been instinctual magic, but it was more detailed and finite than Nell would have guessed to be possible at a time like this. But Nell was free. Immediately she stepped from the confines of the cage, her lungs filling with to the brim for what felt like the first time in years as she stood. “My sisters- I can’t leave them-” she continued, already reaching for their bodies. “But you- you need to go, Bex!!” A machete came down before her fingers, narrowly missing its mark. Nell turned to look into the vacant eyes of the patchwork man wielding it, eyes ablaze. “I’ll fucking kill you- I’ll kill you, and then I’ll send your soul to rot in fucking hell.”

“Do what?” Bex asked, blinking in confusion. Nell darted from the cage and started rambling about needing to get out and killing and-- “Nell, stop! Wait!” But when she turned, there was a disjointed figure swinging at them. Bex screamed and leapt out of the way as Nell turned towards the figure, poised to attack. “Nell, who is that? What-- what’s happening!?” Something flickered in her outburst. The world around them distorted for just a moment, and Bex could see out back into Nell’s room, as if looking at it through a telescope. She was thrust back into this place quickly and she stumbled, blinking again. Her head was spinning and she tumbled over, splashing in the murky waters. “What…” but when she looked up again, the shadowy figure was still there and so was Nell. Anxiety began building up inside of her again. She hated this place. She hated whatever was going on. Why was she here? Why had the bird led her here if Nell wasn’t going to help? “Nell, I--” she started, but suddenly the figure turned and it was bearing down on her. It was the darkness again, staring down at her with two beady eyes. “Nell! Help me!”

Nell had barely opened her mouth to answer Bex’s questions before the world shifted around her, the familiar sights of her bedroom momentarily stunning her into silence. What the hell? The moment was over as quickly as it had come, leaving Nell dazed in its absence. But she didn’t have time to process what it was she had seen before the darkness was upon Bex, and instinct washed away rational thought as she ran for the shadowed figure, attacking it from behind as it loomed over Bex, a violent yell tearing its way from Nell’s throat. “Don’t you dare hurt her!” Nell screeched in a fit of rage, hands searching the places on her body where her knives were usually hidden. The multifaceted man turned to face Nell with a sharp grin as she barreled towards him. After all- he was her nightmare, not Bex’s. The thought came without warning, and suddenly things began to click into place. The flickering of the bedroom, the reason she couldn’t remember how she and her sister had gotten her in the first place, how Bex had seemed to materialize out of nothing...she was dreaming, wasn’t she? None of this was real despite the way it made Nell’s stomach turn in fear. Standing tall, she glared down the men who dared to terrorize her sleeping hours, trying her best to ignore the still frantic cries of her sisters. The sound of them made her want to vomit, just as she had when she’d woke up next to Bea’s body. It’s a dream, she desperately tried to remind herself. “It’s okay, Bex. It’s okay- none of it’s real. We gotta- we gotta get out of here somehow. Go someone else. Somewhere better.” But dream walking had never been Nell’s forte, and she hadn’t the slightest idea of how to escape her own mental hell.

Nell’s yell of anger startled Bex and she scrambled away as the shadowed figure turned back towards the other girl. Her back hit the wall and she curled her legs up to herself, but suddenly the mood around everything began to change. Even the whimpering cries of the two women tied to the walls began to dissipate and Nell’s eyes turned sharp as Bex watched her. The shadowed figure was melting away, fading back into the darkness that it came from. “Yeah, no shit!” Bex said, hands tight around her knees. “But from what I’ve figured out, it’s not a normal dream!” At least, out there it wasn’t. Was this the same as out there? She didn’t know. She hated all of this. It was so confusing and scary and she just wanted to go home. No, not home...somewhere safe. She wanted to be somewhere safe. Her mind zeroed in on the first place she thought of. The dream flickered around them again, but this time, instead of Nell’s room, it was a house full of plants. The garden. Nell’s garden. A shadow crept towards her again, loud voices, angry whispers. Bex stood up quickly, scrabbling against the wall. “Why is this happening? Nell, what do I do? How do I make it stop?” Her voice wavered, full of fear. “Make it stop!” Louder now, the world shifting again. “Make it STOP!” 

And suddenly, everything was quiet. A bird chirped somewhere, and she heard distant crickets. Bex opened her eyes slowly, and found herself pressed between two bushes. “N-Nell?” she stuttered, glancing around. “Nell?”

Surprise flickered over Nell’s features as Bex proclaimed that she’d already known it was a dream. From what she’d experienced figments of a nightmare weren’t usually so self-aware. At least- they usually weren’t in her nightmares. Despite the misunderstanding of thinking Bex to still be a part of the older witch’s dream-world, Nell instinctively reached out to Bex as she began to fall apart, trying to grab the girl’s hand in her own to give it a calming squeeze. “It’s alright- it’s okay,” she tried to comfort fervently. She hated seeing Bex in distress, even if it was simply a dream Bex. But as her garden came into view it was, once again, Nell’s turn to look around in surprise and vague confusion. “How did…?” Shifting her dreams wasn’t something Nell was adept at, not being much of a lucid dreamer magical or otherwise. After taking in the serene surroundings of her backyard, and her treasured flowers, her gaze finally landed back on her young student. “Bex?” she asked tentatively, trying not to be too hopeful that this was the actual consciousness of the girl, and not a structure of her dream world. “That’s really you? And you-” fixed my dream? There was a brief moment of eagerness, excitement, and pride that flashed over Nell’s face. Bex was a dreamwalker! If she was doing all of this so instinctively, surely that meant she had a natural proclivity for mental magic and dream magic! Oh, she couldn’t wait to tell Morgan that they’d found the young witch’s specialty. Unfortunately the enthusiasm was quick to wane as she remembered that Bex had been trapped in the dream world for quite some time now, and showing no sign of waking. “Oh Bex- I’m so happy to see you. How have you been doing? Are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?” People didn’t really get injured in the dream world, right? But perhaps the strange magic keeping everyone asleep played by different rules. 

Through the quiet, Bex heard Nell and felt her hands on her arms-- like actually felt. Not that strange, there but not feeling one usually had in a dream. It was solid and real and visceral and Bex immediately felt herself wanting to break down into tears. How long had it been since she’d felt that? How long had she been stuck here? She’d lost track of time so easily. She collapsed into Nell’s arms, relief flooding through her body like the breaking of a dam. “It’s me,” she said, “it’s me, it’s really me. I’m real. I’m the real me.” At least, she hoped it was the real her. The rational part of her knew it was, but the part of her that wanted to keep denying all this told her that it wasn’t possible, that this had to be some sort of very bad, very vivid dream. She’d been having vivid dreams and night terrors since she was a child, after all, this wasn’t any different than that, right? “I-- I’m not hurt, no. I just-- I don’t understand what’s going on. Is this a dream? How am I here? How are you here? What is-- what was that just now?” 

As Bex crumbled in on herself, Nell steadied her legs to support the taller girl’s weight, wrapping her arms around the other witch as if she were trying to make sure she didn’t break apart into little pieces just like the pot had done at the Vural home. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Nell sighed with relief, feeling some of the tension that had been living in her shoulders for the last few weeks dissipate. “I uh- well you’ve been asleep for so long now, and I’m trying to find a way to wake you up- but I’m just glad to see you. To talk to you.” Even if Bex wasn’t in the waking world, at least Nell had confirmation that she was still alive inside her mind. “There’s a lot of people asleep in town right now. And they won’t wake up, just like you. But don’t worry, alright? I’m working on figuring things out, and trying to get you awake.” Nevermind that Nell hadn’t made any promising progress on the matter. Why did mental magic have to be her absolute worst discipline? “Yeah- it’s my dream. I think you...brought yourself here.” That was the best Nel could do as an explanation when she wasn’t mentioning magic or anything of that like. Still- she couldn’t help but feel another blossom of pride as she thought of how Bex had done this on her own. If she was so naturally gifted- who was to tell how well she’d do once she was trained? The stiffness of her shoulders returned as Bex asked about the nightmare, Nell almost embarrassed that her friend and student had seen such a dark piece of her mind. “Ah- a nightmare. It’s fine, though. I’m used to it.”

Bex let herself enjoy the feeling of someone solid holding onto her as she held onto Nell, the feeling so foreign at this point she’d wondered if she’d ever get to feel it again. But she was here, she was really here, and so was Nell, and that meant that she was going to be okay. Nell would help her, she would save her. She’d said she would fight for her, even when Bex couldn’t fight for herself, and she really needed Nell to fight for her right now. Not that she’d ever admit that out loud. Needing other people wasn’t what she was taught to do, to know. She pulled away enough to look around, taking in the garden-- it was just like she last remembered it. “H-how long have I been asleep? How many people? So it’s not just-- it’s not just me? How come I can’t find anybody else in here then?” Words and questions tumbled out of her mouth before she could contemplate them herself, but it didn’t matter. She was safe here, she could feel it. “How did we get in your garden? I-- I don’t know how I brought myself here if I did. I was just following this little bird and it led me to your house, but your house was empty, so I was looking around for you and I texted you but I couldn’t understand what you were saying, a-and then I went to your room and the bird was there again and you were sleeping in your bed and then I touched your arm to try and wake you up and now I’m here.” Did people not need to breathe in dreams? She inhaled sharply. “Sorry. That was a lot, sorry. That-- nightmare. You-- who were those women? And that man? Who was he? Why did he want to hurt you? Are you in danger?”

While Bex stepped away, Nell held onto the tips of her fingers, keeping her hand wrapped around the other girl’s as if she were trying to anchor Bex to herself. “It’s been a few weeks,” Nell answered quietly, knowing the truth would most likely give Bex a nasty shock. No doubt time in the place she was trapped passed strangely. “Where have you been? Just in...other people’s dreams? I don’t know the exact count- but it’s at least a couple hundred or so. There’s more every day so it’s hard to completely keep track.” Nell waited patiently for Bex to finish her sentence, endeared all over again as she talked far too long and fast. It’d been so long since she'd gotten to hear one of Bex’s barely breathing tangents, and she’d begun to think that she might neve get to hear one again. But she’d take all the train of thought word vomits from the girl in front of her she could get while she was able to. “You don’t have to apologize,” Nell waved Bex’s words away, the slightest of grins on her lips. “It’s good to hear your voice. But I’m pretty sure you’re the one that brought us here- like I said.” From what Bex said, there was no doubt in Nell’s mind that she truly was gifted when it came to dreams and mental magic. “It’s sort of like the pot you fixed. Maybe...some part of you wanted to see me? So then you let yourself have it, and you brought yourself here. What did the bird look like?” Nell asked curiously, uncertain what a bird might mean. Maybe it was a spirit guide of some sort. As the conversation turned back to the nightmare, Nell’s answers were short. “It’s fine,” was her knee-jerk response. “They’re my sisters. Bea and Luce. The man was...a combination of people who hurt me. But it’s okay- I’m not in danger from either of them.” Not since Remmy had killed Jax, and Nell and her sisters had made sure to give Montgomery his long and tortuous penance.

“A few wee--” Bex started, but the word caught in her throat. She felt suddenly dizzy. “Week-weeks. Weeks?” Oh god, her parents were going to absolutely kill her. Her heart seized and she subconsciously squeezed Nell’s hand extra tight. “Where have I-- oh. Um...I don’t...I don’t know. Maybe? I’m not sure. This place is-- well out there it’s like White Crest, but not. Everything is strange or twisted or messed up. And there’s something-- I think there’s something following me. Or chasing me, or something. It’s just-- dark. All the time. When I stop moving it catches up and I can’t get out. Well, mostly. The-- the bird helped. It helps me get out of wherever that place is. It um-- kinda looks like a little falcon? It’s got really sharp claws, and a tiny beak. It’s kinda cute, actually.” She scratched the back of her neck. “I’m-- I mean, maybe? I just...this place is frightening and I feel so out of control and you’re always so nice to me and you’re teaching me control and I just thought, if anyone knew how to help me, it would be you.” Bex might not have been the most intelligent with intrapersonal emotions, but she understood that Nell didn’t like talking about her nightmares. Bex understood-- she wouldn’t want anyone to know about hers, either. “I-- sorry. I’m sorry you...see that.” She held on a little tighter and stepped a little closer, glancing around. “So how-- how do we get out of here? I wanna go home, Nell. I wanna wake up.”

“It’s alright!” Nell assured hastily, even though she was certain the words would have little effect when it came to actually calming Bex. Still- she couldn’t just standby and watch Bex have a potential meltdown. “I’m gonna find a way to wake you up- I promise,” the witch said fervently, echoing the words she’d sent to Bex online that had never been properly delivered in their entirety. “Shit- I’m sorry Bex.” The dreamscape that Bex was trapped in seemed just eerie enough to set a person on constant edge, no way to relax with a literal shadow watching over your shoulder at all times. “I think you have more power here than you realize, though.” If she could convince Bex that she wasn’t entirely a victim to the dreamworld due to her abilities- maybe she’d stand a better chance fighting back. “You can take control just like I taught you.” With that she gave Bex’s hand another reassuring squeeze. “And...I’m glad you thought of me.” These words were softer, a little more bashful than Nell’s usual and brazen way of speaking. She’d always been lackluster when it came to speaking in softer and more sincere tones. “It’s okay.” It seemed that Bex had gotten the hint that Nell wasn’t all that fond of speaking about her night terrors, or even acknowledging them in the first place. “It just is what it is.” Now...how to get out of here. For Nell, the answer was clear- she just needed to wake up, and then she’d be back in the real world granted the same mysterious sleep that had trapped Bex hadn’t taken hold of her too. But what about Bex? Nell still didn’t have a way to get her out. If anything, Bex probably stood a better chance of getting herself out with a proclivity for dream magic. “I think you could be the key, Bex. You brought yourself to me. And then you brought us to my garden. I think you could maybe bring us back into my room, too.”

“Don’t-- you shouldn’t say that,” Bex said quickly, shaking her head. “Deirdre and Morgan and Mina all said you shouldn’t make promises. They’re dangerous.” She shook her head again, trying to not let everything that had happened bare too much on her. She didn’t want to have a breakdown again, in front of Nell. All she did was breakdown in front of Nell. “It’s fine. I’m kind of used to being alone, anyway.” And it had made her prepared for situations like this, hadn’t it? Not that she’d ever noticed that. In fact, Bex often only felt weak, small, easy to control. She rarely had control, instead allowing others to take control of herself. It was one of the things she hated most about herself. “Me? Oh, n-no, I don’t--” she started, then stopped. “I’m not-- I don’t have power. I just happen to blow things up from time to time.” Well, at least she could openly admit that now. She looked away, shame sculpting her face. “I’m not anything.” But Nell’s soft words made her heart unclench, just a little, and she gathered enough courage to look up at Nell again. “I’m still sorry,” she mumbled back quietly. The sounds of the garden penetrated the silence for a moment before Bex spoke up again. “Wha-- me? No. I didn’t-- it was the bird. I can’t do anything. I’m not-- There’s no way I did this. I can’t do something like this.” 

Despite the inconvenience of the situation, Nell couldn’t help the dry half-smile that came over her as she realized White Crest was already teaching Bex the smaller ins-and-outs of the supernatural world. It was good that they’d taught her to avoid promises, and even better that Bex heeded that warning. “Don’t worry- I know what they’re talking about. It’s okay if I say them to you. You’re smart not to make your own promises, though.” The mention of loneliness made Nell’s grin turned to slightly pursed lips, already knowing as much from conversations with Bex, but still finding no joy in the truth of her situation. “That doesn’t make it okay,” Nell replied softly before taking Bex’s other hand into her’s, giving both of them a squeeze of reassurance. “Isn’t that power?” Nell pushed ever so slightly, perhaps a little more than she would have had circumstances been different. But desperate times often called for desperate measures, and if Bex had dream magic- there was a possibility she could get herself out of here. “That’s not true,” Nell began fiercely in a protective tone, hating that Bex thought herself to be anything less than a person who could take control of her life. “I know it’s scary for you. All the strange things that happen. And I know you wish it would go away. But taking responsibility for your successes like the bird...and the pot, and anything else you’ve accomplished with your control is something you deserve. You deserve recognition for the good you do. And you deserve to have the faith in yourself that you can get us out of here. I would do it for you if I could but- this is something only you can do. And I know you can do it.”

“People keep telling me that, too,” Bex frowned, but she supposed this wasn’t the time to have that discussion, was it? She didn’t know all the rules around saying those words, only what Mina and Morgan and Deirdre had told her about them. She looked down when Nell took her other hand and felt another wave of relief go through her. Feeling someone solid, someone real, gave her true hope that she’d be able to get out of here, that she’d be able to wake up somehow. “I-- I mean, technically, sure, yeah, I guess, but I-- it’s not a good power. It’s not like-- I’m not like--” she stopped talking, though, because she didn’t know what she was arguing for, or what she was trying to say. Nell’s words were sticking to her and making her skin prickle. Why did Nell believe in her so much? What had she done to deserve this sort of compassion from her? She had to look away, tears forming in her eyes. “But how-- how do I do that? I don’t know the first thing about any of this, I don’t-- I’m not like you, Nell. I’m not good at whatever this is. I’m not--” magic. She didn’t want to say it. Even here, she couldn’t admit it. The pain tore through her like a knife and she screwed her eyes shut. “I don’t know how I did any of that. I just-- when I got here I was lost and scared and all I wanted to do was find you because I knew you would help me. And now I did, and I--” she opened her eyes to look at Nell again, wet with her restraint. “Tell me what to do. I-- I wanna help you. I wanna get out of here.”

Nell waited patiently for Bex to find her words, knowing that this had to be entirely overwhelming for the young witch who had barely even scratched the surface of understanding her abilities. “It’s okay, Bex,” she comforted again, using the sleeve of her nightshirt to wipe away some of the moisture from Bex’s eyes. “I know you can do it. And even if it doesn’t work- I promise I’m not gonna be disappointed or anything like that. You’re already come so far in such a short amount of time, and it’s not fair that you have to do something like this so soon. But what’s important is that you try. And then if it doesn’t work we can figure something else out. Just the fact that you’d take the first step is the most important part. From there anything else is just a plus.” Nell took a deep breath that filled the entirety of her lungs before slowly letting it out, as if signaling to Bex to do the same. “You know what to do. Like I said- you wanted to see me, and you probably put some intention behind it, and then you found your way here. It’s the same formula we’ve used for everything. Want it. Envision it. Let it build up in you. Guide it. Release. And then you have it. Follow the little piece of you that knew how to get here in the first place, a part of you that feels like home but also new all at once.” Not for the first time, and feeling for certain that it wouldn’t be the last— Nell wished Bex could see herself through the summoner’s eyes. The fact that Bex had already begun to use magic intentionally was astounding to say the least, a feat that wasn’t easily managed, and something any mage wielder should be proud of. “We can get out of here. Together. And I can help with powering us out- you just have to be the one to guide it. 

“Try,” Bex repeated quietly, nodding. “I-- I can do that. I can try.” Cause this was all just a dream after all, right? And in dreams, you could accomplish anything. Right? She squeezed Nell’s hands tighter and followed suit, breathing in deep and letting the air sit in her lungs before letting go of the breath. She felt her entire body relaxing as she did so, something buzzing inside of her. It was the feeling that often came with her anxiety, came with broken windows and headaches and nosebleeds and cracked sidewalks. But this time, it felt different. It felt soft. It felt...safe. Holding onto Nell made her feel safe. As she listened to Nell’s words, her instructions, she let her eyes close, let the energy of the world around her fill her up. Her faith hadn’t given her much, but it had taught her how to connect to the world around her, to spirits and the energies that flowed through the earth. She let those feelings guide her and she picture Nell’s bedroom, clear as day. Suddenly, another energy began to mix with her own. At first, it scared her, but without even opening her eyes, she realized it was Nell. It just...felt like Nell. She squeezed her hands tighter and tethered herself to the other girl. Let her energy guide her. Let her words guide her. Together. They could get out of here together. The garden began to melt away, Bex could feel something pulling but-- it wasn’t pulling her. The garden was phasing between Nell’s bedroom and something else. “Is-- is it working?” she asked shakily, her voice wavering. “Nell?”

Nell let her magic flow through her, rebounding back and forth between herself and Bex as she did her best to power Bex’s natural gifts. It was always special to channel magic together with someone new, the melding of energies in a way that could never be put into words or explained no matter how hard one might try. It was two mixing and melding, working towards one united purpose in a dance of intentions and magic. She still wished it could have been under different circumstances- that this didn’t have to be Bex’s first experience with the intimacy of joining one another’s innate abilities. But this was simply how it had to be. As the magic worked and swirled within them, the details of Nell’s room began to take place, and she could see her body somewhere beneath her as she began to descend upon it. “It’s working!” Nell exclaimed in the pure joy that could only be garnered by a hopeless situation suddenly finding new life. “I knew you could do it, Bex! You can see it right? My room? I knew you’d be able to-”

Nell looked up to the other girl, suddenly realizing that she was floating away from the other witch. “Bex?” Her exuberance was quickly turned to concern. Something was wrong. She could see it in the way that Bex seemed to be fading before her very eyes as Nell grew closer to the real world. She could feel it as their magics began to pull apart, unable to stay aligned while they began to exist in different realms. “Bex!” Nell called out to the girl, a hand reaching as high as it could go to try and grab for her. There wasn’t much time left. Nell could feel the link of their abilities growing weaker by the second. “I’ll come back! I’ll come back, and you can find me again- and we’ll try again, okay?” She wanted to tell Bex that she’d done amazing. That even as the fear of losing Bex gripped Nell’s chest in a vice-like grip that there was another sensation buried beneath that worry. The blossoming pride of a job well done, of a teacher- a friend watching their companion succeed. “I’m not leaving you, Bex! I’m gonna find you a way out. I promise!” I promise. Nell heard the last two words echo against the walls of her room as she jolted awake in her bed, the last of her vow to Bex ripped away from the pair of them as the waking world greeted a dreamer back into its grip.

“It’s working!” Bex exclaimed with Nell, her eyes lighting up. She could feel the energies around them pulling them together, mixing, and shooting back out. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was the same energy that always burst from her when she worried or got too anxious or too upset or too angry-- but this time it was hopefulness, and excitement, and something peaceful. Even as the world whipped around them and started to flicker in and out, nothing felt terrible or scary or frightening. But then Bex began to feel Nell slipping away from her. Her hands faded straight through Bex’s and the world around her began to change again. It wasn’t Nell’s room, it was an empty field. “Nell?” She began to feel that panic again, and the energy inside of her slipped. She felt the world tilt sideways, she could barely see Nell anymore, floating below her, falling away from her. “Nell!” she called out, tears already forming in her eyes again. “Nell, don’t leave me! Nell, please! I don’t wanna be alone anymore! Nell!” She reached for her back as well, fingers close, so close. If she could just reach a little farther, then she could--

The world slammed her down and she landed hard on her back. Bex wheezed. She hadn’t felt pain in this place before, but it was there. Dark circles pricked at the edges of her vision as she looked up at the sky, around the enclosure, but Nell wasn’t there. She was gone and Bex was alone again. Find me again. Bex rolled onto her side and curled up. “Come back, Nell,” she muttered, “please come back for me.”

[ryqoshay]

Tri-Arame: Study All Night?

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Words: ~2k Rating: G Time Frame: The end of their first week of college Story Arc: Setsu’s Ceaseless Study Session Study All Day? Study All Night? A Nap a Day

----------

Author’s Note: I’m hoping this all makes sense. My outline got a little disjointed as I patched together my main ideas, cut out excessive Endless Eight stuff and padded back in new - or old, in some cases - ideas along the way.

----------

Ayumu opened her eyes and was immediately greeted by the welcome sight of Yuu’s adorable sleeping face, barely a dozen centimeters away. Apparently, the routine had resumed last night as she remembered her childhood friend sliding in next to her after once again staying up with Setsuna.

So, did that mean the overly studious Setsuna had gone back to collapsing across the kotatsu? Ayumu hoped that wasn’t the case. Even cuddling next to Yuu on the floor was at least a better sleeping position than hunched over the table.

Ayumu sat up and found the raven-haired girl staring at her laptop. Wait, did she stay up all night?

“Good morning, Setsuna-chan.” Ayumu called quietly to avoid rousing Yuu.

“Good morning, Ayumu-san.” Setsuna replied before her breath hitched. “Morning?” Like the new day itself, the prospect dawned on her. She glanced frantically at the window where sunlight was streaming in, over at Ayumu and back at her screen where she leaned in, likely to ensure she was seeing the time correctly. Upon confirmation that it was indeed morning, she whined plaintively.

“Setsuna-chan…” Ayumu started.

“I’m sorry!” Setsuna interrupted. “I didn’t mean to! I just lost track of time. I just really wanted to finish another module, and… and…”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” Ayumu said as she climbed over Yuu to the side of the bed. “Apologize to yourself. You look exhausted.” She wondered if she should point out the dark, puffy patches under the other girl’s eyes. “You should at least take a nap before going to the studio.”

“I, uhm… have the day off…” Setsuna explained. “It’s the weekend, so everyone is focused on Lives, and as this is my first week of classes, I am not participating.”

“Ah, well in a way that might be better for you.” Ayumu smiled gently. “Now, come over here and take my spot.” She patted the mattress, noting idly that she had previously been on the other side.

“Eh?” Setsuna seemed confused by the offer. “I-in your bed?”

“Mm.” Ayumu confirmed with a nod. “That way I can keep an eye on you.”

Pink started to dust Setsuna’s cheeks.

Ayumu chuckled at the adorable reaction. “Even if I make you leave your laptop here and send you back to your own room, I’m worried you’ll try to get in ‘one more module’ on your phone.”

“…” Setsuna’s expression made it clear that the thought had indeed crossed her mind.

Ayumu sighed. “What am I going to do with you…”

“I’m sorry…”

“ You don’t need to apologize. You’re not making me do anything.” Ayumu assured. “I’m doing this because I want to. You’re a very important, irreplaceable person in my life, Setsuna-chan.”

Setsuna drew in a quick breath as she recognized her own words being spoken back to her.

“And as such, your health and happiness are important to me as well.” Ayumu continued. “And you know, I’ve been keeping an eye on Yuu-chan for a while now; you’ve seen how bad she can be.”

Setsuna nodded.

“And it was easy because she lived next door. I wanted to do more for you when I started recognizing traits you shared with Yuu-chan, but until last week, you lived a couple stations away.” Ayumu smiled. “But now you also live next door, so I can do more.”

“But you shouldn’t have to… I should learn to take better care of myself...”

“Yes, but like I said, I want to help. Now, I know I can’t help you study, but I can cook meals. I can help with laundry. I can keep you company and maybe do a better job reminding you to take breaks.”

Setsuna scoffed ruefully at the last point. “You have studying to do as well.” She pointed out. “And you have dreams and goals just like me.”

“I do. And you and Yuu-chan have been incredibly supportive of me as I work toward them.”

“I don’t want to inconvenience you…”

“You’re not, I promise.” Ayumu shook her head. “But I want to support you two as well. And I’m only going for an associate degree and thus far, it has been fairly easy.” She explained. “I’m confident I will be done inside a year. But you and Yuu-chan are both going for bachelor’s degrees, which means a lot more work. And on top of that, you’re a professional idol now, which is amazing. Your dedication is truly awe inspiring, Setsuna-chan.”

Setsuna offered a small smile in response.

“But I’m worried you’ll burn yourself out at this rate. So, another thing I can help you with is maintaining a proper sleep schedule, but only if you let me.”

“You’re too kind to me, Ayumu-san.”

“Not at all. Now come on, before you collapse across the table, again.”

Setsuna blushed adorably but nonetheless, pushed herself out from under the kotatsu.

“You’ll have more room on the wall side, so you’ll have to climb over Yuu-chan.”

“Uhm, do you think Yuu-san will mind…?” She asked as she made her way over.

“She’ll be fine.��� At least she was the other night…

“Alright…” Setsuna carefully crawled over the sleeping girl before turning so she could slip under the duvet.

“I’m going to go wash up, and I’ll make breakfast when I get back.” Ayumu explained. “I’ll put your portion in the fridge so you can reheat it when you wake up later.”

“Thank you, Ayumu-san.” Setsuna said, closing her eyes.

“Sleep well, Setsuna-chan.”

“…”

Wow, is she out already? Ayumu wondered. Heh, just like Yuu-chan. Idly, she reached over to brush a stray strand of hair out of Setsuna’s face. Immediately, Setsuna turned her head up towards Ayumu’s fingers. Wait, is she awake? Ayumu withdrew her hand and the other girl settled back down as though nothing had happened.

Out of curiosity, as well as a desire to see that adorable reaction again, Ayumu reached out a second time. This time, she ran her hand gently across the top of Setsuna’s head. Again, the response was immediate and Setsuna pushed up into her palm.

Cute. Too cute. It’s like petting a cat. Ayumu thought to herself as she patted more while Setsuna let out a content murmur.

“Mmm… Ayumu?” A sleepy voice came from under her.

Ayumu froze.

“What are you…” Yuu trailed off with a lazy chuckle as she apparently noticed what was going on.

“I-i-i-it’s not what you think!” Ayumu protested, trying to keep her voice down to not wake Setsuna, who she assumed was actually asleep.

“Setsunyan’s being spoiled by Ayumu… Nyo fair… Yuunyan wants to be spoiled too.”

Ayumu felt her chest tighten. Even though she knew Yuu was intentionally playing things up, she found the act absolutely adorable. And despite also knowing her face was burning, she moved her other hand to Yuu’s head.

Yuu hummed her approval and pushed up into Ayumu’s palm in a similar manner to how Setsuna had reacted moments ago.

It was a little awkward, leaning over the two girls, but Ayumu decided she could maintain it for a little while longer. After all, seeing their cute expressions far outweighed any discomfort the position posed. Ayumu smiled to herself and continued petting Yuu and Setsuna affectionately.

----------

Setsuna jerked her head back up after it had started to lull forward. She shook her head briefly and blinked a few times in an effort to stave off a growing fatigue.

“Ready to turn in, Setsuna-chan?”

“Mm?” Setsuna’s attention was drawn to the other girl sitting kitty-corner to her.

“I’m about ready.” Yuu continued. “We should go to bed and get a good night’s rest.” She started to push herself out from under the table. “C’mon…” She motioned toward Ayumu’s bed where the redhead as already sleeping.

What? Was Yuu inviting her to join them? Setsuna felt her pulse quicken. But…

“I, uhm… let me finish this module, first.”

Yuu raised an eyebrow. “Alright, but don’t take too much longer.” She pulled up the duvet and started to slide under. “I’ll leave room for you.”

Setsuna’s heart continued to pound against her chest. Sharing a bed with Ayumu and Yuu… It was like that classic manga trope, There Is Only One Bed, except unlike the trope, nobody involved was unwilling.

Or were they?

Ayumu had invited, or rather instructed, Setsuna to sleep in her bed earlier that day… or yesterday, technically, she corrected as she realized the time. And Yuu had already been there, but Ayumu herself hadn’t joined them. Sure, she had to get ready for class, but, wait, no it was Saturday, she didn’t have class. She could have slept in. Did she not want to join them?

Did Ayumu not want Setsuna to join her and Yuu tonight… this morning?

Ayumu would be fine with it, right…? Maybe? But what if she wasn’t?

Setsuna couldn’t ask Ayumu for her permission as she was already asleep and there was no way she was going to inconvenience her by waking her up just for that.

She found herself gazing longingly at the bed where her two best friends, no, the two girls she loved, slept. She wanted to join them. And Yuu had even offered. And yet…

The seeds of doubt had been sown well over a year ago and had thus developed stubborn roots. She had managed to cut them down when they sprouted, sometimes even with their help. But she lacked the courage to address the roots, worried that in doing so, she would potentially prove that she was indeed coming between Ayumu and Yuu.

Over the last two years, Setsuna had grown close to Yuu and Ayumu, far closer than one would reasonably expect for a normal friendship. Nothing had been declared officially among them, but Yuu, and just recently Ayumu, had repeated her own words back to her, claiming her to be a very important, irreplaceable person in their lives.

For all practical purposes, their triangle seemed different than those so often portrayed in anime, and Setsuna desperately wanted to believe it to be true. However, she was too afraid to find out for sure. And if there was any grain of truth to the anime series, Setsuna would be the one to succeed in winning over one or the other, while their childhood friend was left behind. But she knew she couldn’t do that, not to them. She would rather let them be happy together while she moved on.

Setsuna closed her laptop and pushed herself out from under the kotasu. Then, with one last glance toward the sleeping couple, she quietly made her way to the door and slipped out, hoping the light from the hallway wouldn’t wake them.

She trudged the few steps down the hall to her own room, unlocked the door and stepped in. Her legs felt like they had weights attached to them as she moved toward her bed. Ayumu was right, she really needed to get her sleep schedule under control.

Collapsing into her bed, Setsuna was immediately aware of the clean scent, or rather the lack there of. Of course, she had cleaned everything last weekend, but she hadn’t actually slept here since. She remembered growing up thinking freshly washed bedding was the best but now it felt different, almost… sterile? Was that the right word? Whatever the correct description, her bed stood in stark contrast to Ayumu’s.

This wasn’t to imply that Ayumu’s bed was unsanitary by any means. Setsuna was aware that the other girl washed everything as often as necessary; Ayumu was quite skilled at housekeeping chores and keeping track of that sort of thing. But her bed smelled like her and Yuu. It was warm, cozy and felt lived-in… or slept-in as the case was. It basically just felt better.

Perhaps… maybe she had chosen wrong in not accepting Yuu’s offer.

But she couldn’t go back now, even if she wanted to. Not only would she risk waking them, but she lacked the energy. She could barely muster the strength to pull her blanket over herself.

With a sigh, Setsuna closed her eyes and let herself slip into a deep slumber.

----------

Author’s Notes Continued in Followup Post

[animecat33]

Nothing confuses me more than people who are super toxic in game and then link their twitch stream link in the post game chat like???

So you were making an ass of yourself in front of a live audience? And you think we wanna watch too??

Not to mention i mostly play aram, which is the most chill game mode possible. I don’t get how y’all can be toxic in aram, it’s literally a game mode where you’re assigned a champion at random, you’re not supposed to go in expecting perfection

[lacrimaeadastra]

Were You?

A happy vicar I might have been Two hundred years ago To preach upon eternal doom And watch my walnuts grow;

But born, alas, in an evil time, I missed that pleasant haven, For the hair has grown on my upper lip And the clergy are all clean-shaven.

And later still the times were good, We were so easy to please, We rocked our troubled thoughts to sleep On the bosoms of the trees.

All ignorant we dared to own The joys we now dissemble; The greenfinch on the apple bough Could make my enemies tremble.

But girl's bellies and apricots, Roach in a shaded stream, Horses, ducks in flight at dawn, All these are a dream.

It is forbidden to dream again; We maim our joys or hide them: Horses are made of chromium steel And little fat men shall ride them.

I am the worm who never turned, The eunuch without a harem; Between the priest and the commissar I walk like Eugene Aram;

And the commissar is telling my fortune While the radio plays, But the priest has promised an Austin Seven, For Duggie always pays.

I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls, And woke to find it true; I wasn't born for an age like this; Was Smith? Was Jones? Were you?

- a poem by George Orwell on how the time periods we live in shape us as people

[tigerkirby215]

5e Volibear the Relentless Storm build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games)

Voli unironically makes me think weird thoughts.

As hyped as I was for the Fiddlesticks rework new Volibear is really something else. Meme about the “reveal” stream and call me a furry as much as you want but seeing this titan that would make Galio blush walk up to the ARAM bridge was downright impressive.

Shame that he’s going to be like 4 feet taller than Teemo in-game but still.

GOALS

Sky Splitter - You can’t be a thunderous demigod of war without a little thunder and lightning.

Thundering Smash - You don’t get the title of “Thousand-Pierced Bear” with nothing but punches and bites. Well, you’re still going to be punching and biting, but it’ll do a little more.

Storm Bringer - Voli isn’t going to reach Tarrasque size in-game or with this build, but we can still be a big boy.

RACE

Want to play a furry? Shifter. All Shifters have 60 feet of Darkvision and can activate their Shifting feature with a Bonus Action, which lets them get Temporary hitpoints equal to their level plus their Constitution modifier and an additional effect based on their subrace.

For your subrace Beasthide are tied to the spirit of the bear. You get +1 to your Strength and +2 to your Constitution, proficiency in the Athletics skill, and when you shift you get an extra d6 of temporary hitpoints and along with a +1 to your Armor Class.

Longtooth can also work if you want to do more damage while shifted with a bonus action d6 unarmed bite.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - I’ve spent enough time on FurAffinity to know that Volibear has a lot of Charisma, and CHA is a requirement for a lot of funky multiclassing stuff.

14; WISDOM - You’ve lived for countless eons as a demigod; you know your way around life.

13; STRENGTH - A bit lower than I’d like but it’s good enough for its intended purpose.

12; CONSTITUTION - You’re a bulky brawler who can fight toe-to-toe with your brother Ornn.

10; DEXTERITY - A little on the lower end but you’re a big guy, and aren’t exactly known for being quick on your feet.

8; INTELLIGENCE - You’re about as crazy as Riot were when they decided that you were some sort of Eldritch demihorror. Like, seriously; Volibear is an Eldritch Horror?

BACKGROUND

Unfortunately there’s no background for Frejlordian Bear Demigod of War, so I’d suggest building your own background with proficiency in Arcana and History, since you’ve been around long enough to see all sorts of magic blossom. Call it the “Spirit of The Great Bear” background.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - FIGHTER 1

Starting off as a Fighter for their saving throws among other things, but as far as your skill proficencies go take Intimidation and Survival to fulfill the spirit of the bear.

As a Fighter you get a choice of Fighting Style, and while Unarmed Fighting is an option from the Class Feature Variants UA there isn’t much need for us to fight with our bear hands (hah puns) so we’ll instead be going for Great Weapon Fighting. I think you can reflavor a Greataxe or Greatsword as great claws cutting through your foes. Oh and if you haven’t picked up yet this build is going for a Runeguard Volibear motif, so grab some Chainmail with your starting Fighter equipment.

As a Fighter you also get access to Second Wind, letting you heal yourself for a d10 + your fighter level as a Bonus Action. You can do this once per short rest which does correspond to a 120 second cool-down. I just want to point out that this was the old icon for Volibear’s passive: 

LEVEL 2 - CLERIC 1

Naturally the Thunder’s Roar needs a little bit of Thunder and the Tempest Domain is filled with the electric wrath of the gods! Tempest Clerics get Wrath of the Storm to “thunderously rebuke attackers” as written in the ability’s description. When a creature within 5 feet of you which you can see hits you, you can use your reaction to force the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. They take 2d8 damage of either thunder or lightning (your choice) on a failed save, or half as much on a success. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Of course a Cleric can do more than hit enemies that touch them with empowered static. Clerics gain access to Spellcasting! You can have three Cantrips from the Cleric list: Thaumaturgy will let you channel some of your inner godly powers to make thunder boom along with your voice, or you can create some norther Light to help the Frejlordian mortals and give them Guidance. Boom two cantrips in the same sentence!

As a Tempest Cleric you always have the Fog Cloud and Thunderwave spells prepared to let loose a storm. For your spells of choice Bless will let you bless your allies with the spirit of battle, letting them add a d4 to their attack rolls or saving throws. Detect Evil and Good will let the spirit of the hawk guide you through danger. And Inflict Wounds is a far more brutal spell for far more violent attacks on your enemies. But of course Clerics are prepared spellcasters so be sure to swap out your loadout for what the team needs. Volibear might not heal in-game, but everyone can appreciate a Cure Wounds.

LEVEL 3

Now’s the point that things get a little funky. It’s easy enough to program a melee range stun or melee range lifesteal ability into a video game but it’s far harder to implement into a D&D build. Hard melee range CC is a rarity in 5e and is almost exclusively reserved for Monks, and healing with harm is even harder to come across. I could probably put levels into Monk or Paladin or even Wizard to get these abilities but it would require quite a heavy investment in a lot of classes just to recreate a few abilities. But there is one class that gets all the abilities I would want for Volibear with the fewest levels possible.

WARLOCK 1?

How’s this for something out of left field, eh? But in a way it makes sense that the Thousand-Pierced Bear gets some Eldritch power, and what better for a spirit of battle than a sentient weapon? While most of your power is self-contained the Hexblade patron can lend you strength in a number of ways: you can choose a weapon that you’re proficient in which lacks the two-handed property to be your Hex Warrior weapon, allowing you to attack with Charisma instead of Strength or Dexterity. But seeing as your Charisma modifier is equal to your Strength currently and you’d be better off using a two-handed weapon I’d recommend sticking to regular weapons for now.

But regardless of what you use to fight you can still apply a Hexblade’s Curse with a Bonus Action to a creature within 30 feet once per Short Rest. The curse lasts for a minute but it ends early if either of you die or if you’re incapacitated. Until the curse ends you gain the following benefits against the target:

You gain a bonus to damage rolls equal to your proficiency bonus.

Any attack roll you make against the target will crit on a 19 or 20.

If the cursed target dies, you regain hit points equal to your Warlock level + your Charisma modifier.

Turn on all your items and abilities when getting into a proper brawl with the enemy top laner; lock down the biggest enemy in a fight with your ultimate while the rest of your team deals with the rabble. Or just dive the shit out of the enemy ADC.

And of course as a Warlock you get access to Pact Magic. Your Eldritch roots give you two cantrips and two spells: Thunderclap will let you cleave through your enemies with Titanic Hydra, and Prestidigitation will give you access to more minor thunder magic.

If you want more of an early damage boost Booming Blade is very in-flavor for you, and of course as a Warlock Eldritch Blast is always an option.

For your spells of choice Hexblades can learn the Shield spell, and to channel the power of the Frejlord for some more retributive damage and a bit of added tankiness take Armor of Agathys for an icy chill against anyone that tries to hit you.

Before I go deeper into the build I should explain how multiclassing Warlock with other spellcasters works: in essence your total number of spell slots doesn’t increase, but you get your Warlock slots which come back on a short rest. This means that you can use your Cleric slots to cast your Warlock spells, or use your Warlock slots to cast Cleric spells. The ability score you use to cast is based on what class you get the spell from, but your spell slots are static.

LEVEL 4 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks get access to Eldritch Invocations and even though we didn’t take Eldritch Blast we’re still going to have to hold onto most of our Invocations for some stuff at later levels, so for now take Eldritch Sight to let your godly sight Detect Magic for you.

Speaking of Magic you get another spell and hey: Witch Bolt does Lightning damage! I mean, it’s bad, and you have considerably better options. But it does do Lightning damage! Truthfully we’re going to be swapping a lot of stuff out at later levels.

LEVEL 5 - WARLOCK 3

Third level Warlocks can choose their Pact Boon and as a Hexblade of course you want Pact of the Blade to always have your “claws” at the ready. Pact of the Blade will let you summon a weapon into your hands as an action, and your Hex Warrior feature will work on this weapon too. So woo two-handed Hex Warrior weapons! There is more to the Pact of the Blade but this is all that’s important for now: I suggest reading the rest of the feature over if you’re curious what else it does.

But now that we have our Pact you may as well grab the Improved Pact Weapon invocation for a free +1 to your “claws” among other things. And you get access to second level spells like Misty Step, because you always to be packing Flash.

LEVEL 6 - WARLOCK 4

4th level Warlocks get an Ability Score Improvement, so increase your Charisma and your Strength by 1. Why the uneven Strength score? Because you can now wear Platemail; you’re welcome.

As for your spells? We’ll be holding off on that for now.

LEVEL 7 - WARLOCK 5

The 5th level of Warlock is what we working towards. First of all more Invocations, and we’ll finally grab Thundering Smash thanks to Eldritch Smite. If you hit an enemy with your Pact Weapon you can channel one of your Warlock slots into the attack to do 4d8 damage Force damage and knock the enemy prone if it is Huge or smaller. Remember that melee attacks against prone enemies automatically have Advantage, so more chances to crit with your claws! But also remember that Eldritch Smite only works with your Warlock slots, which are heavily limited.

There are several other invocations that can be good grabs if you want to swap out your existing invocations. Cloak of Flies will let you get some more damage out with Sunfire Cape (and will also help you be a terrifying Eldritch bear boi), Mire the Mind will let you keep enemies close and away from their towers, and if you have a DM who’ll let you swap the invocation out later Thirsting Blade will give you access to an extra attack a little earlier than normal.

As for your spells? Here’s where the investment in Hexblade pays off:

Elemental Weapon from the Hexblade list will let you channel the Relentless Storm, giving your weapon +1 to hit and letting you deal an extra d4 of Lightning damage (or acid, cold, fire, or thunder) on hit.

Vampiric Touch will let you drop the weapon for a Frenzied Maul, doing 3d6 necrotic damage and healing you for half the amount of necrotic damage dealt. The spell takes you Concentration for up to a minute so you can keep biting and clawing when low to get your health back.

And if you’re willing to drop Armor of Agathys and Witch Bolt:

Spirit Shroud from the recent spells Unearthed Arcana will let you keep enemies close with Randuin's Omen while also making them unable to heal with Deep Wounds.

A Majestic Roar will let you Fear enemies in front of you, forcing them to dash and flee from you. And yes I want to point out that Voli’s old E was called “Majestic Roar” and had an icon that looked like this:

Oh and you can take another cantrip. I mean you may as well grab Eldritch Blast by this point?

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 8 - FIGHTER 2

Second level Fighters get Action Surge, allowing them to take one additional action on their turn. The great thing about this on a caster is that you can use this extra action to cast a spell, so if you desired you could cleave through a crowd with Thunderwave and then pounce your main enemy with your blade claws!

LEVEL 9 - FIGHTER 3

#BigBoyHours. Third level Fighters can invoke the power of the world runes as a Rune Knight Unearthed Arcana. Rune Knights get Bonus Proficiencies in Smith’s Tools and the Giant language but that’s the least of your concerns:

Rune Knights have access to Rune Magic. You learn two runes which you can inscribe onto your weapon or armor. Each rune has a passive benefit as well as an active one which can be invoked in combat. You regain the ability to invoke the runes after a short or long rest.

The Hill Rune (Huag) gives you Advantage on Saving Throws against being poisoned, and resistance to poison damage. It can also be invoked as a Bonus Action to give you resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage for 1 minute.

The Frost Rune (Ise) gives you advantage on Animal Handling and Intimidation checks, so you can communicate with the Ursine and scare off those unworthy. In addition you can invoke the rune as a Bonus Action to increase your Strength by 2 for 10 minutes. This isn’t as useful for you since you’re using Charisma to attack, but it’s still good for skill checks and saving throws, and you can put the rune on an ally’s equipment to let them reap the benefits.

But most importantly Rune Knights get Giant’s Might; you can activate the ability as a Bonus Action to gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

Your weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage.

Most importantly if you’re not already Large you become Large for some #BigBoyHours! This doesn’t work if you don’t have the space to grow but when fighting outside you can double your height (which is on average about 5 feet for a Shifter) and then if an ally casts Enlarge / Reduce on you can become Huge, being four times bigger than you originally were! 20 foot tall bear; show that bridge who’s boss!

I’d consider invoking Giant’s Might and the Hill Rune as a sort of “knock-off Rage”, as it gives you a lot of the benefits that Barbarians get while Raging but still allows you to cast spells. Oh and you get #BigBoyHours as you tower over your foes!

LEVEL 10 - FIGHTER 4

4th level Fighters get an Ability Score Improvement: increase your Charisma for more powerful strikes with your Hexblade.

LEVEL 11 - FIGHTER 5

5th level Fighters get an Extra Attack, letting them attack twice with the attack action. If you took the Thirsting Blade invocation from Warlock I suggest you get rid of it since it doesn’t stack.

If you don’t think you’ll be reaching max level or want more Ability Score Improvements an extra level in Fighter will grant you that, but for the sake of this build the last 9 levels will be in Cleric.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 12 - CLERIC 2

You know what I love about these builds? How we can level our abilities first, then our ultimate, and then finish off with the passive. Regardless second level Tempest Clerics can Channel Divinity. All Clerics can Turn Undead to force it to make a Wisdom saving throw or run away, but Tempest Clerics can channel Destructive Wrath to do max damage with any Lightning or Thunder spells. Currently you don’t have many of those, but that will change soon.

LEVEL 13 - CLERIC 3

At third level Clerics get access to second level spells, which means you have second level slots for your Misty Steps. With the Tempest Domain you have Gust of Wind and Shatter innately prepared; while Gust of Wind isn’t too useful (especially at this level) Shatter will give you more AoE options to get value out of Destructive Wrath.

For your prepared spells Hold Person will let you stun paralyze a foe from a little further away, and Aid will let you buff up your health with some rubies. Aid in particular is great with Warlock slots because you don’t even lose a spell slot for the day!

LEVEL 14 - CLERIC 4

Fourth level Clerics get an Ability Score Improvement so max out your Charisma modifier for maximum damage and godly growls.

You can also learn one more cantrip and prepare one more spell: Mending will let you compensate for some of your thunderous wrath, and a Knight’s Vow with a Warding Bond will let you help your teammates.

LEVEL 15 - CLERIC 5

At fifth level Clerics can Destroy Undead with their Channel Divinity, but it’s only up to CR 1/2 so it’s a little weak at this level.

You also get access to third level spells: Tempest Clerics have Call Lightning and Sleet Storm innately prepared, so you can cast both the storms and the blizzards of the Frejlord! In addition Spirit Guardians will let you channel the spirit of the Ursine to defend yourself and your allies.

LEVEL 16 - CLERIC 6

6th level Clerics can Channel Divinity twice per short rest, but in addition they get their domain feature and Tempest Clerics can use Thunderbolt Strike to push enemies 10 feet away if they’re Large or smaller. This has great synergy with Elemental Weapon, allowing you to push enemies away whenever you attack them!

LEVEL 17 - CLERIC 7

7th level Clerics get access to 4th level spells. Tempest Clerics have Control Water and Ice Storm innately prepared; I really suggest looking at Control Water because it’s a rather insane spell despite the simple name.

But you can also prepare some more spells: Death Ward will give you a Guardian Angel for protection, and Freedom of Movement will give you some much-needed Tenacity.

LEVEL 18 - CLERIC 8

8th level for Cleric has a lot of features: firstly your Destroy Undead feature now works on Undead of CR 1 or lower, but as a Tempest Cleric get a Divine Strike that does a d8 of Thunder damage. And finally you get an Ability Score Improvement for more Wisdom now that your Charisma is maxed out.

And for your spells? Honestly none of these are really in-flavor so I’d suggest getting some lower level spells. I can’t tell you everything to do, especially as a prepared spellcaster.

LEVEL 19 - CLERIC 9

9th level Clerics get a 5th level spell slot for spells like Destructive Wave or Insect Plague. Yeah Insect Plague is odd, but Destructive Wave is a perfect capstone of thunderous force!

You can also prepare spells like Flame Strike, for a thunderous strike that’s a bit more Radiant, or Dawn to let a light through the thunderclouds to guide you ahead. Hey is that Pantheon falling from the sky?

LEVEL 20 - CLERIC 10

Our capstone is the 10th level of Cleric for Divine Intervention. You can attempt to channel your godly powers as an action; when you do you must roll on a percentile die and if the percentage is equal to or less than your current level then your desires will come true. If this fails you can only try again after a long rest, and if it succeeds you can’t use the ability for 7 days. Since it’s only a 1/10 chance of this happening I suggest you just roll a d10 instead of a d100.

And finally you get one last spell and one last cantrip: Holy Weapon is a great capstone to make your claws do as much damage as possible. And for your cantrip? I dunno Clerics get way too many cantrips.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

By Freljord's might - While you don’t have the biggest healthbar you are incredibly sustainable with runes to give you resistances and plenty of abilities to keep you in the fight with more health and AC.

Tremble at my roar! - You can be useful in all aspects of a fight, be it big bursts or DPS, AoE or single target. And if anyone tries to hit you Wrath of the Storm will hit them back!

Battle is in my blood - Most of your abilities come back on a short rest; while your more impressive stunts are tied to long rests you’re still able to rip and tear with only a light snack to keep you up.

CONS

Strength and wisdom guide me - This build is rather bloated with a high Charisma, Wisdom, decent Constitution, and a requirement for Strength and Platemail. If your initial stats are a little higher you can put some more into Wisdom.

A fool and his head are easily parted - You have two weak points that are fairly important: Dexterity determines Initiative among many other things, and there are plenty of powerful spells that force Intelligence saving throws.

Let the storm follow in my wake - Truth be told the levels in Tempest Cleric are done more for flavor than actual utility. You’d be far better off multiclassing into a Charisma caster (this build would honestly be really good with levels in Paladin) or just continuing down Fighter and Warlock. 

But when the only thing stopping you is the will of the dice gods there’s little to hold back the thunder! You’re no enchanter, and a few weak spells won’t stop your claws; slice through your enemies and destroy everything in your wake! Thunder’s more of a nice after-touch.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

[steamworksandshadows]

Extremely Large Pile of Halloween Music Recs!

Many of these are retro-futuristic (or just retro), but I figured there’d be at least a few appreciators of electronica among my followers as well. All of these links go to YouTube to make them easy to add to your playlists, but it’s not difficult to find them on pretty much any other streaming or purchasing platform. Enjoy!

Classical

Come Little Children - Erutan (ethereal classical)

Transylvanian Lullaby - Erutan (ethereal classical)

Transylvanian Lullaby - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (orchestral classical)

A History of Horror (album) - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Double Trouble - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (classical)

Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium - Camille Saint-Saens (eerie classical)

Danse Macabre - Camille Saint Saens (dark classical ballet)

Uranus, the Magician - Gustav Holst (orchestral classical)

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice - Paul Dukas (orchestral classical)

Night on Bald Mountain - Modest Mussorgsky (orchestral classical about witches)

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg (classical)

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Apocalyptica (Metal cellos. Cello metal?)

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Duke Ellington (jazz)

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Portsmouth Sinfonia (experimental orchestra from the ‘70s - google them, you absolutely will not regret it)

Dies Irae - Mozart (threatening choral/orchestral classical)

Don Giovanni, a cenar teco - Mozart (growly baritone/bass opera - the bit where Don Giovanni gets dragged to hell, both in the supernatural religious sense and in the modern internet slang sense)

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - Bach (classical pipe organ)

Flowering Vines - Unwoman (ominous cello waltz)

The Carny of Mr Dark - Deathwatch Beetle Repairman (goth pipe organ)

This Is Halloween - Vitamin String Quartet (classical string quartet)

Vitamin String Quartet Performs The Nightmare Before Christmas (album)

The Vampire Masquerade - Peter Gundry (classical)

Waltz of the Bone King - Peter Gundry (classical)

Masquerade Suite: Waltz - Aram Khatchaturian (dark classical waltz)

The Comedians, Op. 26: Waltz - Kabalevsky (uneasy waltz)

Rock, alternative, rockabilly

 Haunted - Ashcan Orchid (folk rock)

The Last Steampunk Waltz - Ghostfire (rock waltz)

Shoot The Zombies - Andrew Huang / Songs To Wear Pants To (sing-along folk)

Shoot The Zombies (Pink Fluffy Unicorns Remix) - Andrew Huang (happy pop)

Something Wicked That Way Went - Vernian Process (circus rock)

Dark Carnivale - Frenchy and the Punk (indie rock)

Come Alive (War Of The Roses) - Janelle Monae (rock)

Gallows - Coco Rosie (goth indie/alternative)

The Devil Wears a Suit - Kate Miller-Heidke (alternative)

Toxic - Yael Naim (neo-folk)

Crazy For You - Venus de Vilo (indie rock)

Haunted - Frantic Flintstones (rockabilly)

Freaked Out and Psyched Out - Frantic Flintstones (album)

Zombie Riot - Batmobile (rockabilly)

Alice in psycholand - Nekromantix (rockabilly)

She's My Witch - The Radiacs (rockabilly)

Werewolf - Southern Culture on the Skids (rockabilly)

Circus punk, dark cabaret

Charmed, I'm Sure - Circus Contraption (dark circus cabaret)

We're All Mad - Circus Contraption (dark circus cabaret)

The Last Waltz - The Magnificent Seven (dark cabaret waltz)

Tango de la Muerte - The Magnificent Seven (rock tango)

Bloody Bones - Beats Antique (dark circus waltz)

Monster Tango - Mucca Pazza (circus punk marching band)

Rumanian Dance No. 1 - Mucca Pazza (circus punk marching band)

Mr. Spider Goes Home to Spiderland - Mucca Pazza (circus punk marching band)

The Trouble - Birdeatsbaby (dark cabaret)

Theatre Noir - Robyn Cage (dark cabaret) (music video)

Jekyll and Hyde - Theoretics (hip-hop)

Lament for a Toy Factory - Dr. Steel (circus rock)

Bogeyman Boogie - Dr. Steel (circus rock)

Circus Apocalypse - Vermillion Lies (dark cabaret)

When You're Evil - Voltaire (dark cabaret)

BRAINS! - Voltaire (dark cabaret)

Americana, bluegrass, blues, soul, funk

In Hell I'll Be In Good Company - The Dead South (Americana)

Stranger - The Devil Makes Three (Americana)

Ghosts of Mississippi - The Steeldrivers (bluegrass)

7 Devils - The Goddamn Gallows (bluegrass, rock)

Old devils - William Elliot Whitmore (bluegrass)

Death Come Creeping - Stefan Grossman (bluegrass)

The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie - Colter Wall (Americana)

Voodoo Woman - Koko Taylor (blues)

Your Hoodoo Man - Studebaker John & The Hawks (blues)

Voodoo - The Neville Brothers (New Orleans soul)

Voodoo - Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons (soul, funk)

The Witch Queen of New Orleans - Redbone (funk)

I Put a Spell on You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins (rock 'n roll)

I Put a Spell on You - Nina Simone (slow jazz)

I Put a Spell on You - Morgan James (slow jazz)

I Put a Spell on You (no movie dialogue) - Winifred Sanderson (pop musical)

Jazz, swing

Old Devil Moon - Frank Sinatra (jazz)

Black Magic Woman - Janice Hagan and Kenny Vehkavaara (jazz)

I'd Rather Be Burned As A Witch - Eartha Kitt (jazz)

Thriller (1930s Jazz Cover) ft. Wayne Brady - Postmodern Jukebox (swing) (alternate link)

The Devil With The Devil - Larry Clinton Orchestra (swing)

Swingin' at the Seance - Glenn Miller (big band swing)

Spooks - Louis Armstrong (swing)

The Headless Horseman - Bing Crosby (swing)

Skeleton Jangle - Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jass Band (swing)

Resurrection Waltz - Lee Presson and the Nails (big band waltz)

Spooky - Puppini Sisters (Andrews Sisters-style swing)

Headless Horseman - Kay Starr (swing)

Hell (Remastered 2016) - Squirrel Nut Zippers (swing)

Ghost of Stephen Foster - Squirrel Nut Zippers (swing)

Memphis Exorcism (Remastered 2016) - Squirrel Nut Zippers (swing)

Boogie Man - Lee Presson and the Nails (swing)

Rattlin' Bones - Preservation Hall Jazz Band (New Orleans swing)

Save My Soul - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (New Orleans swing)

Skeletons in the Closet - Louis Armstrong

Skeletons in the Closet - The Moon-Rays (swing)

The Mack - Beat Circus (swing - doesn’t seem very Halloween at first, until the tuba player gets murdered in the middle of the song)

Balrog Boogie - Diablo Swing Orchestra (swing)

Voodoo Mon Amour - Diablo Swing Orchestra (swing)

Electro-swing

Fear & Delight - The Correspondents (electro-swing)

Midnight - Caravan Palace (electro-swing) (alternate link)

Midnight - Swingrowers (different electro-swing)

Old House - Dirty Honkers (electro-swing)

Devil’s Samba - Sim Gretina (Latin-flavored electro-swing)

Cuphead: Railroad Wrath (Electro-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (electro-swing)

Cuphead: One Hell of a Time (Electro-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (electro-swing)

Bendy and the Ink Machine: The Devil's Swing - Fandroid (electro-swing)

Bendy and the Ink Machine: The Devil's Swing (Glitch-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (glitch-swing)

Undertale: Spider Dance (Glitch-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (glitch-swing)

Undertale: Spider Dance (Sim Gretina Remix) - Sim Gretina (funk/glitch/chiptune)

Luigi's Mansion (Remix) - Qumu Music (chiptune, electro-swing)

Undertale: Ghost Fight & Dummy (Peggy Suave Swing Remix) - Sim Gretina (electro-swing)

Electronica, EDM

Backstreet Bones: Everycorpse - Sim Gretina (uhhh...spoopy Halloween EDM remix of Backstreet Boys? If you click on nothing else, click on this one. It's very worth it, I promise.)

Macabre Rotting Girl Feat. Kathy-chan - Sim Gretina (adorable electro)

Sim Gretina feat. Kathy chan: Let The Monsters Free (µThunder Remix) - µThunder (EDM)

Grim Grinning Ghost (Remix) - The Living Tombstone (EDM)

Undertale: Megalovania (Sim Gretina Remix) - Sim Gretina (EDM)

Undertale: Spooktune (Sim Gretina Remix) - Sim Gretina (EDM)

Spooky Scary Skeletons (Remix) - The Living Tombstone (EDM)

Warren Zevon: Werewolves of London (Daheen Rmx) - Daheen (psytrance)

Interlude: Limbo - Yoshimasu Kamiya (ambient horror)

Halloween Funtime REMIXMONSTRousMASHup - Pretty Lights (EDM)

HALLOWEEN Theme Song (DJ Deville Trap Remix) - DJ Deville (trap)

The Oogie Boogie (Man) - Duke Skellington (glitch-hop)

Stranger Things Theme Song (Michael Jobity & The Foreign Machine Remix) - Michael Jobity, The Foreign Machine (synthwave - my personal favorite remix of this theme)

Stranger Things Theme Song (C418 REMIX) - C418 (synthwave)

Stranger Things (Louis Futon Flip) - Louis Futon (chillstep)

Stranger Things Theme (Slicey Remix) - Slicey (trap)

Ghostbusters (Kill Paris Remix) - Kill Paris (EDM, future funk - by far my favorite remix of the Ghostbusters theme)

The Ghostbusters Theme (Remix) - The Living Tombstone (EDM)

Ghostbusters Remix - Matheo (EDM)

Gangnam Busters - FAROFF (Ghostbusters/Gangnam Style mashup - annoyingly, it works far better than you think it will)

Lady Gaga: Monster (Starfuckers Remix) - Starfuckers (EDM)

Lady Gaga: Monster (Chew Fu Remix) - Chew Fu (electro-house)

Michael Jackson: Thriller (James Egbert Remix) - James Egbert (electro-house)

Michael Jackson - Thriller [The Reflex Halloween Disco Edit] - The Reflex (moody, indescribable IDM(?))

Beetlejuice (Dubstep Mix) - Figure (dubstep)

The Addams Family (Figure Remix) - Figure (dubstep)

Hedwig's Theme (KE KRA's Trap Remix) - KE KRA (trap)

Things I thought were funny

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah - 30 Rock (parody novelty record)

A Hard Days Night of the Living Dead - The Zombeatles (zombie rock)

[iheartmoosiq]

Synth laden nostalgia abounds as we delve into a new one from Aire Atlantica. The New York production talent bucks those tired future bass trends by fusing retro synthwave, electronica, and R&B pop on Red Love, featuring Greg Aram. Talented producers have been delighting us by exploring genre-bending sounds on their latest releases. Aire Atlantica offers a prime example of this on his fluorescent stirring ballad. Of the single, Aire Atlantica states:”red love is my new single, written with greg aram and my longtime friend and collaborator remy gautreau. it was one of the first songs i wrote in my new apartment in queens since i moved here a few months ago - i feel that changes in my life, especially location, always reflect in my music. my last release was my ep, etiquette, and that was written during my time living in california which even though it was less than a year ago was a totally different time in my life. red love presents a new perspective and interpretation of where my personal life is at for the top of 2019- and also presents a new sound as far as my songs go. greg and remy did an amazing job of bringing this one to life with me and im so excited to present my first single of the year.“ Stream via Spotify or Apple Music, here.