#atow

[divinemanicstate]

quarjake au with my fankid for them

he was a gift from eywa so there's some magic tree stuff over here

[eeveethehyenafrog]

Lucy goose doodle for the first time in months!

guys tlos is starting to drag me back helppppp

[miavk]

Guys who read a tale of sorcery, you probably remember that at a certain point alchemists appeared there and convened a council with all the rulers (at the moment). And so, at the end of the book they promised that they would now help the fairy tale the world, and also took with them the immortal and Seven.

And after all their actions, after reading the rest of the land of stories, I personally had one question: Where. Did. They. Go. Alchemists. They literally disappeared and there is no information about them after their disappearance. Naturally, all the books of the land of stories were written BEFORE a tale of magic, a tale of witchcraft and a tale of sorcery, but the questions still don’t go away and aren’t resolved... Therefore, I want to offer my options that could possibly close these plot holes:

1.Option one — alchemists simply died out. It was said that very few of them were born anyway, so what could have happened to them after the birth rate dropped in the age of dragons? Naturally, the chances of their appearance alchemists declined and at some point they simply disappeared, and those who knew about the alchemists' palace did not have time to find the next ones and tell them.

2. Option two — they simply forgot about their duties or something happened to them... It is not known what happened to Semer and the Immortal!

I would also like to hear your versions of what could have happened to this place and these people. I also want to remind you about the island of dragons, which also appears in the plot.

[odekfulv]

[unaside]

I LOVE HER AHHH BRYSTAL IS SO AWESOME

[lostharvest]

Architect Abdelwahed El-Wakil

[cugareal]

skip lore

[arianna-in-the-land-of-costumes]

CHRIS COLFER'S BIRTHDAY VIDEO 2023!

Hi! With great joy I'm ready to launch, hopefully with your help and participation, Chris Colfer's 2023 birthday video, "From then to now"

I've started thinking about all the years we've been knowing Chris and following his amazing career, his projects and achievements. Related to this, I focused on the fact that since last year we've been celebrating the anniversaries of his book's publications and on how proud he is of being an author... and that's when the inspiration for the video came! We will be going down the memory lane, thinking back to when we first knew him, up until now!

Here are the instructions to participate in this year's project, if you're doing the video you can send just one, if you take pics you'll have to send two, one for each part!

I want you to share:

➡�� the first memory you have of Chris, how you got to know him, the first moment you thought how amazing he is

➡️AND then your favorite quote from his books! Plus wish him a Happy Birthday!

You can either:

-🎥 record a video of yourself telling about the first memory you have of him + then reading or telling your fave quote from his books+ WISH HIM HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Video lenght: max 20 seconds + the quote (make it possibly no more than 30 seconds in total)

OR

-📸 send two pics: one pic of the cardboard where you wrote down the memory (with yourself in the pic if you want). The second pic of the cardboard where you wrote down the quote (you can be in the pic if you want) +INCLUDE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISH!Pic: max 3 lines sentence about the memory+ the quote + Happy Birthday

->the video can be of yourself talking and not appearing if you're camera shy, or you can film a video showing just the cardboards

->the pic can be of yourself with the writing, or just the writing

->include the book where the quote comes from in the pic/vid!

TIPS! Write in BIG letters, take the pic/video in good lighting!

Send everything to: mylifeisathread@gmail.com and add your NAME and COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

⚠️Deadline is May 22nd!!!⚠️

I will post a youtube link of the video on Twitter on May 26th -the day before his bday! I would really appreciate if you could spread the word, share, repost! He loved watching the videos these past years and I'd love to involve more and more people! Thank you!

[daniellesreadingnook]

Today I talk about a prequel trilogy to "The Land of Stories" by Chris Colfer. The "A Tale of Magic" trilogy is about the formation of the Fairy Council from "The Land of Stories" and what went down to make each of the members of the council who they are/were in "The Land of Stories." Hope you enjoy!! Happy Reading!!

[theroseofconnaught]

EMPIRES AFLAME

Just as a preamble; This is going to be far from completely comprehensive. I'm just hoping to provide a broad-strokes look at the adventure. The PDF is available for free on Catalyst's store. https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-adventures-empires-aflame-pdf

Fiction

The book opens with a short piece of fiction from the perspective of Deputy Commanding General of the SLDF, Aaron DeChavalier. He's speaking with Aleksandr Kerensky regarding his plan to leave the Inner Sphere. Despite his personal distaste for the plan DeChavalier reaffirms his support for Kerensky. As they leave for Kerensky to announce the exodus to the gathered SLDF troops Kerensky is suddenly shot and killed.

World Profile

Next up is some world building specifically about the Republic of the Sphere circa ~3095 and its 'Material Redemption Program'. In short private owners of military materiel,primarily BattleMechs, are offered Republic citizenship,landholds and noble titles in exchange for their property. This is all part of a larger policy of disarmament across the Inner Sphere. The MRP has hit merc groups hardest of all and many after trading in their own materiel then sign on with the Republic's 'Department of Replacement and Requisition' basically as repo men.

There's also this big red excerpt about misjumps. Odd place to put that.

Persons of Interest

The 'POI' section lays out some guidelines for creating and adjusting the PC party for the adventure. It recommends that they work for the Republic either directly or as mercenaries,own no vehicles,be majority Mechwarriors,Pilots or combat vehicle commanders. At least two should have Technician skills with nothing further on what types would be helpful.

This last bit about requiring the players to have Clan technology becomes important later.

One last note about how to get the players into the adventure. The idea is that they've been hired by the Republic for a routine repo job, the sort thing they've done a dozen times before. If the party's been constructed as advised there's no reason they wouldn't accept. Lastly we have two NPC profiles for the captains of the party's DropShip,the E.F Marie, and JumpShip, the Celeste. Captain John Bean grew up in the Republic and is hoping to earn his citizenship through this work. Captain Leonardo Jackson is your stereotypical spacer, completely devoted to his crew,ship and nothing else. I like that the write-up mentions that he suffers from the effects of long term low gravity including significant skeletal damage.

Adventure Tracks

The book recommends that before running this adventure to have the PCs perform a few routine repo jobs basically so they don't expect anything unusual to happen on this job. This seems a bit hard to set up as you'd need a play group interested not only in playing the Republic era at all but also interested in participating in the MRP. Maybe have these Republic jobs be played between more ordinary mercenary work. Or maybe the unit is so down and out that trading their Mechs for cash and steady work is the best option they have.

Track 1: CRITICAL FAILURE!

So big surprise the Celeste misjumps. Right away all characters have to pass a BOD attribute check or suffer the effects of Transit Disorientation Syndrome. Characters with TDS suffer automatically. Main power is out on both ships and the GM randomly determines how many of the ~73 crew aboard are injured and how severely. The injuries range from minor cuts and bruises caused by shorted panels and conduit ruptures, to "bone disintegration and limb vitrification"!

The main gameplay here is putting things back together after the misjump, either tending to the wounded or making repairs. Then they report to the bridge to get a clearer picture of what's going on. They have in fact jumped to their destination, Rigil Kentarus but clearly things are not going as planned. Chiefly there's the issue of the Black Lion-class WarShip busy scrambling fighters towards the Celeste. The aggressors identify themselves as belonging to the "Terran Supremacy"

This bit is pretty on rails. The ship is going to be boarded and everyone arrested. The PCs can't do anything about it. Eventually they all end up aboard the TSS Michael Norman in the brig. Over time any high-ranking,>Lt., PCs or NPCs will be taken for interviews with TSDF Marine Major Gregory Cobb. During these interviews both parties are trying to pump the other for as much info as possible. After all the interviews the prisoners will be transferred planet-side.

Sourcebook

Now's a good time to skip to the back of the book for information on this alternate reality the PCs have found themselves in.

Changes

Divergence - After the death of Kerensky, DeChevalier fights to restore the Terran hegemony by force. While he managed to claim the worlds closest to Terra the Great Houses united against him and their own version of the Succession Wars went on for centuries.

Consequences - Obviously no Clans. Also no ComStar meaning no C-Bills, no MRBC or Holy Shroud. Major characters like Nicholas Kerensky, Conrad Toyama,Devlin Stone and David Lear still exist just in positions appropriate to the new setting. The book hand-waves aside issues like the Steiner-Davion line no longer existing,Devlin Stone being explicitly a constructed identity,etc.

Side Effects - Among myriad changes to borders, the removal of minor factions like Circinus and the Marians, the mercenary trade is heavily diminished. With lower demand and no governing body, mercenary units never reach regimental-scale.

Factions

Draconis Combine - Hilariously the Combine is explicitly almost exactly the same as canon. They did manage to capture New Avalon during the Fifth Succession War.

Confederated Suns - Somehow Michael Hasek-Davion managed to broker an alliance with the Capellans in 3025 with Hanse's tacit approval. In the 3030's they invade the Free Worlds League but their success is cut short by the Combine conquering New Avalon. The ruling family is relocated to Sian. Basically St. Ives writ large. I think the idea could be workable but the alliance needed to happen earlier in the timeline,probably before the Federated Suns invasion of Capella. But the writer's are obsessed with the 3025 cast so everything important needs to involve them.

Free Worlds League - This timeline hates the FWL. First the assassination attempt in 3035 killed Thomas Marik this time, leaving Duncan Marik in charge. The Suns and Terrans carve pieces from their League borders. In 3069 Andurien and Oriente led a vote of No Confidence in the Marik family, removing Duchess Alys Marik from power, replacing her with Sherryl Halas as Interim Captain-General. This has effectively split the League in half between supporters of either Marik or Halas GMs should familarize themselves with this material as the FWL plays a major role in this adventure.

Lyran Commonwealth - The Lyrans have been losing territory to their rivals for centuries. They even had to cede territory to a resurgent Rim Federation. Other smaller changes are present but don't matter much. GMs should take note of the Commonwealth's political situation as the LC is the other major player in the plot.

Magistracy of Taurus - An interesting note is that in this timeline the Terran Supremacy has been providing technical and military support to the Periphery to keep them a credible threat to the Great Houses. Besides that, this faction is just further proof that Catalyst's writers think mashing two factions together is a great idea regardless of how stupid the result is.

Outworlds Pact - TLDR the Outworlds had a civil war in the 3070's and completely restructured their government.

Rim Federation - A successor to the Rim Worlds Republic. Does not feature in the adventure.

Track 2: WELCOME TO THE TERRAN SUPREMACY...

The party spends the next few days being interrogated further. The objective during this phase is to convince the Terrans that the PCs are really from an alternate timeline. The Clan technology the adventure requires the players to have is suggested as compelling evidence. A bit of chatting and History checks can also help the PCs establish the exact divegence point of this timeline. A fun complication that the book suggests is the idea of one or two players having their own "doppelgangers" in this universe.

After convincing their captors of their story, the PCs will be remanded to what is effectively house arrest on the base. TSDF personnel will occasionally stop by because the PCs are a novelty more or less. After about three weeks of this prison life we move to the next track.

Track 3: JAILBREAK!

The PCs are visited by the Free Worlds League's Special Emissary for the Captain-General in Exile, Mary Durant.

She tells the PCs that they're in great danger and if they want to stay alive they'll follow her and break out. As things stand she's their best chance at escaping the prison and their only chance at getting off-world. The plan is to smuggle the PCs out of their quarters,through the spaceport and on to Durant's K-1 DropShuttle Durant has obtained assistance from at least four TSDF soldiers on the base, one of which will provide the PCs with technicians coveralls,PPE and badges as rudimentary disguises. At the spaceport gate Durant and her associates will attempt to keep the guards distracted enough to allow the PCs through with just flashing their technicians��� badges, but the PCs will need to make either an Acting Skill roll or CHA Attribute Check to get through. If the PCs make it to the shuttle without alerting any of the nearby guards or 'Mechs they'll then need to hide themselves in the ship's "smuggler's compartments" so that the routine pre-takeoff search doesn't find them. Once that's over and they've left Rigil Kentarus' atmosphere it's a smooth six-day ride out to a waiting JumpShip bound for Graham IV.

Track 4: YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN...

When they reach Graham IV things get even more complicated. Durant reveals that she is not an emissary from the FWL but actually works for Loki, the Lyran Commonwealth's state terrorism department. Most of what she had told the party is true. The Captain-General is "fascinated by tales of the fantastic: alien visitors, spiritual beings, hyperspace monsters" and really does wish to meet the party. Durant however is planning to use this meeting as an opportunity to assassinate Alys Marik. Apparently both Alys Marik and Katherine Steiner II are courting the recently widowed First Lord Ezekiel DeChavalier and Katherine has decided to make herself the only option.

It's made quite clear that refusing to help is practically a death sentence. Durant (Agent Avitue to her Loki colleagues) doesn't even need to do anything. If she just doesn't complete the escape the PCs are doomed. Assuming the players agree to help, they'll make the jump to Graham IV then jump to Castor. While prepping to jump to Castor Durant will run them through the bare bones of the plan. Alys Marik has a private estate in a pleasant, lightly populated bit of countryside on Castor. As a guest of the Supremacy she has been granted not only asylum, but her own pick of security detail. As a result, TSDF presence in the vicinity of the target is light but an ample retinue of personal bodyguards and servants remain in place. Durant has access to some M-11J sneak suits for smuggling weapons for the hit. The M-11J in addition to baffling most sensor systems also foils manual pat-downs by compressing its contents and disguising them as part of the wearer's musculature or body fat. This is fairly uncomfortable for the wearer and imposes a significant penalty to draw the concealed weapon.

Whether the PCs go through with the assassination, turn on Durant, or just make a break for it, the written adventure ends here.

Debriefing

The last bit of the book serves as a bit of an epilogue for the various potential paths the PCs may have taken and offers some potential future adventures.

The Captain-General in Exile If the players kill Alys Marik it's made quite clear that despite the obvious immediate rewards that Katherine Steiner II may quickly decide that the PCs knowledge of the plot is too dangerous. Unless the PCs are firmly and openly in the camp of House Steiner they may find themselves on the other end of the same operation they completed.

If Marik is rescued things turn out a bit more hopeful. She'll leverage her diplomatic status with the Terrans to shield the PCs from the legal consequences of their jailbreak and offer them a place in the FWL, or at least the portion she still controls.

Closing Remarks

The book offers no potential for the PCs to return to their own timeline and plenty of information for continuing to play in the new one. Your enjoyment of this adventure will heavily depend on how interested you are in exploring this new setting. It works fairly well as a curveball one-shot but if you're interested in a longer campaign in the Empires Aflame-timeline you could try using the provided information to convert other adventures to the setting. Otherwise you'll have to write everything yourself.

[eeveethehyenafrog]

OMG OMG OMG OMG

I'M GOING CRAZY /POS

CRAZY? I WAS CRAZY ONCE. THEY LOCKED ME IN A ROOM-

I

I

I

AAAAAAAAAAAA

I LOVE IT SO MUCH

I LOVE YOUR SPIN ON HER DESIGN SM

AND SHE DEF WOULD WEAR COMBAT BOOTS

Lucy.

SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG EEVEE I WAS LIKE BURNT OUT ON ART FOR A HOT SECOND THERE BUT I'M BACK AND I'VE DONE IT YEEEEEEHAAWWWWWWWW.

Here you go, Lucy Goose, fresh from my drawing program. I took some liberties with the design (as I always do) and I just couldn't resist making Lucy have combat boots because. Listen. Tell me she doesn't.

Also, that limp wrist is just for you Eevee u_u. Idk, I imagine her saying something like "Yeah, we knew you were kinda" *limp wrists* "y'know? Y'know." And idk Xanthous is just there like :sobbing_emoji:.

ALSO, I TRIED TO DO FEATHER HAIR??? DIDN'T WORK. IT'S SO DIFFICULT. NO ONE TOLD ME IT WOULD BE THIS DIFFICULT. LIKE HUH??? HAIR??? FEATHERS??? Anyway, now it's a weird combination of feather hair. And looks kinda wonky. Sorry 'bout that.

But yeah! Yeehawwww. Oh, also, a P.S. to like everyone who has made an art request:

I'm going to be doing all the TLOS/ATOM-related ones FIRST! So if you have requested anything unrelated to The Land of Stories or A Tale of Magic, it might be a while before I get to them, just as a heads up!

[divinemanicstate]

rda base shenanigans when ardmore's not around

[eeveethehyenafrog]

Violetta Vee appreciation post

[sl-walker]

Orphans.

A snippet from the next chapter:

The thought that Scotty needed to get them a bigger bed was one Len had been more and more sure of as time went on.

Part of that was sex; two fully grown men, even if they weren’t the largest their species had to offer, didn’t have a whole lot of room to roll around on a mattress mostly made for one person.  And part of it was because Len actually tended to sleep hot, at least onboard ship, with either a light covering or none at all, while Scotty pretty much always wanted at least one blanket to go with his collection of really nice non-regulation pillows.  Having more space would mean they could seek their respective preferences on those nights when they couldn’t settle into a compromise on it.

But the big reason was just how hard sleeping seemed to sometimes be for Scotty.

Unless he was exhausted or they’d just gotten done having a romp, he didn’t get there anything like easily; Len could close his eyes and be gone in five minutes or so, but his boyfriend was far more likely to be laying awake for a half-hour or more.  So, on that front, having a bigger bed meant Scotty could move around if he felt like it, seeking whatever position he could get comfortable in, and wouldn’t do what he currently did, which was hold still so he wasn’t disturbing Len.

Earlier on, Len thought maybe it was just that Scotty had a hard time getting his mind to stop running -- he’d told Len that on a prior posting, he’d get some idea and go to work in his shorts and socks when he should have been sleeping -- but that didn’t count for all of it.

Because, as Len found out one night, Scotty had nightmares.

Bad nightmares.

They didn’t seem to be quite to the level of what Len would diagnose as a parasomnia -- mostly because they didn’t seem to really disrupt Scotty’s day-to-day much -- but definitely bad enough to rattle Len some.

Coming up out of a dead sleep only to find his boyfriend off the bed, on the floor, backed up to the wall with wild eyes had been a revelation; just how long it took for Scotty to wake up properly after was downright concerning.

And he was quiet; if not for the sound of his body hitting the floor, Len wouldn’t have even known he’d moved.

And then once he did manage to get himself reoriented, he was painfully apologetic about it.  As if somehow a nightmare was something he’d gone courting and was inflicting on Len, and not something he’d been suffering.

Being apologized to for that was enough to jerk on Len’s heart and protective instincts both; he blinked off his own startle and held out his arms. “It’s fine, there’s nothin’ to apologize for.  But I’d sure like to hold you, if you’re willing.”

It took probably a good minute more before Scotty climbed back into bed; even up against Len, he was still shivering for awhile, though eventually the cuddling and petting seemed to take the edges off enough for him to get back to sleep.  Len lay awake for awhile after, just-- thinking about things.

He was glad he could help, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t be the last time his boyfriend came up out of a nightmare in motion.

And, it wasn’t.

[arynneva]

I've finished planning out Act I on my semi-detailed outline for "A Tangle of Wires" which may not be that far into the story but it is farther than I used to be so progress!

[sporesgalaxy]

My latest Pierre retcon is changing why he was in the Grand Line when he first ended up accidentally atowing away on Buggy's ship

presumably he's talking to Buggy here but realistically he would extremely not mention this to pirates lol

honestly his Socioeconomic Situation has always been this in my head but I just haven't thought of a way to REALLY bring it into his story arc yet, besides his suspiciously easy time dodging piracy charges and so on during the timeskip