#blackmoon design

[linuxgamenews]

Experience Endless Space with CosmoPirates Card Battler

CosmoPirates deck building, card battling game launches on Linux and Windows PC. All the fun is brought to you by the talented team at BlackMoon Design. Available now on Steam with 100% Positive reviews. CosmoPirates is taking card battling and deck building to the final frontier with a mix of strategy and cartoonish comedy in endless, colorful space. Imagine exploring the galaxy, picking your battles, building up your crew, and crafting the perfect deck to challenge the mighty Overlord. That's also your mission, and it’s an epic one, on Linux. Every time you play, you get a brand-new galaxy to explore, due to launch into the game's procedurally generated universe. This means each run is full of fresh bounty, danger, quirky characters, and loads of high adventure. You get to choose your path, taking on challenges and quests in the order that suits your strategy. Whether you play it safe or go all out deck building in CosmoPirates, your crew is counting on you to lead them to victory! In this title, gadgets, weapons, gambits, and strategies are all at your fingertips. Each card you collect can turn the tide of battle. Find them during your travels, buy them from traders, win them in combat – whatever it takes to build your ultimate deck. You’ll also need to master combos and synergies to stay ahead. Will you lick a battery for extra power or read comic books to gain action points? The choice is yours.

CosmoPirates deck building Trailer

Your destiny in CosmoPirates deck building is to rise through the ranks and take down the dreaded pirate overlord. This villain has been ruling with an iron fist, and it's up to you to end their reign of terror. Once you defeat the overlord, you take their place, which wraps up your run. But here's the twist: the next time you play, you'll face off against your previous character, complete with all the power and abilities they acquired. CosmoPirates was created by two passionate developers who are dedicated to making the deck building game as fun and engaging as possible. They want to hear from you! Your feedback, ideas, and any issues you encounter are crucial in helping them make the game even better. So, jump into the action, share your thoughts on Discord, and help shape the future of the title. Whether you’re a seasoned card battler or new to the deck building genre, CosmoPirates offers an exciting and fresh experience. So gear up, rally your crew, and dive into the vibrant chaos of space adventures. Priced at $9.59 USD / £7.99 / 9,43€ with the 20% launch discount on Steam. Along with support for Linux and Windows PC.

[dawns-beauty]

hey there! i wanted to ask you some more mod questions :) do you have any go-to mods you prefer for character customization? not necessarily ones for the same playthrough. this could be skin textures or cool presets or racemenu things. hope you’re having a wonderful day <3

Hi! Oh-h-h man, I use a TON of these mods for NPC design alone

Get ready for a big 'ol list of as many links as I can post XD Hopefully some of it is new or interesting to you!

First off, some QoL RaceMenu things:

Another Race Menu Rotation Mod - you spin me right 'round, baby, right 'round, like a record, baby...

Stand Still in RaceMenu (OAR) - mostly useful if you open RM after initial character creation, like me. Stops your character from moving, though it takes a little bit to happen for me

RaceMenu Overlays (my beloveds)

Freckle Mania 2 (works fine for Skyrim SE)

Lamenthia's Marks of Beauty

Skin Feature Overlays

Vanilla Warpaints Absolution

Koralina's Freckles and Moles

Koralina has also done some nice makeup mods, and Makeup Mods - Male Support has some invaluable patches for them and more

RM Sliders

Another type of mod I use from practically everything is Expressive Facegen Morphs. I tend to use the version packed into High Poly Heads most of the time, but if you just use the default heads the original mod is worth it. The amount of nice, subtle face sliders it adds are just *chef's kiss*

ECE Ear Shape Sliders for RaceMenu is a new one to me, but I am never going without it. It allows for waaaay more (and better!) ear shape variations than RM alone.

More Scars Slider adds a nifty way to layer different scar types. I highly recommend the Northborn Scars patch.

Hair

Mild Hair Colors is a nice replacement for vanilla hair colors.

I feel like I use every non-SMP hair mod in existence, and only like bits and pieces of each lol.

High Poly Vanilla Hairs was my standard default hair replacer (and I still think it is unmatched on braided styles) but I'm also using Vanilla Hair Remake more and more.

Beards

I like vanilla mashups more than completely new stuff like Beards of Power, so really just use Beards, SV Beards, The Art of the Beard, and Blackbeerd's Beards.

Brows

Kalilies Brows - offers some less perfectly plucked options

Blackmoon's Brows

LM's Eyebrows SSE

Body Textures

Right now for body textures I'm using Tempered Skins for Males, due to the fact it has an option without insane muscles (even has a smooth, ab-less abdomen!)

For the ladies, I'm using Reverie - Skin. I think the body textures are a little on the smooth side (pore/wrinkle-wise) for my preferences, but the elf face textures preserve the brow ridge, which I LOVE. With it, I also like Female Bosmer Normal Map Fix.

For race-specific stuff:

Khajiit

For Khajiit, I use Lioness Look (textures only) and Khajiit Male Lion Textures.

LM's Beast Teeth - excellent teeth for Khajiit and Argonians

3D Khajiit Brows

I like to use Khajiit Overhaul heads, though the default male head is pretty funky, so I use this preset as a base.

Separated Khajiit Earrings for Character Creation lets you add earrings to any Khajiit hairstyle

K.C.C.E Khajiit Character Creation Extended - like EFM for Khajiit: offers a whole lot of sliders

Orcs

For Orcs, I like Closed Mouths for Orcs, but if you like the bigger teeth default look, I recommend Orcodontist.

I also made a mod for making orc horns horn-colored and more.

Bosmer

For Bosmer, you can't beat Cuyi's Bosmeri Antlers (and perhaps Sharpened Teeth.)

Argonians

Probably my fave Argonian hair mod is Hott Argonians with Argonian Feather Hair (Hairstyles only.) It has awesome unique feather textures. I also like to use my whole series of Argonian mods XD

Argonian Creation Extension is like K.C.C.E. but for Argonians. Good stuff!

Color Matching Feathers for Argonian Tails

Kabu's Argonian Fins

Argonian Face Horns

Dunmer

Dunmer Scarification - I have some hesitation about recommending it, because right now the compatibility with different skin types isn't great. But! love the idea and hope to work with it in the future.

Bodies (nudity warning)

YMMV, I haven't tried all these in game, but I want a spot to save them anyways. I would like to set up the mod (AutoBody?) that uses presets to add variety to NPC body types at some point.

Tested and approved:

Argonians Are Not Mammals

Female Hands Redone

The Common Guy

Realistic Body Presets - CBBE

CBBE Barbarian

Untested:

Himbo Fat Preset

CBBE - Hefty Mama

CBBE Bodyslide Preset - Warrior Woman

CBBE Rugged

(If you know of any other good body presets for variety (especially male ones), lmk)

[yzeltia]

Year of the Drake: WOLFMAN FOREVER

May: Dark Knights of Steel Characters: U'rahn Nuhn, @driftward 's Nyx Blackmoon and Zoissette Vauban, @mintibunny 's Minti Chocolate, Y'shtola Rhul, @erickgage 's Erick Gage, @autumnslance 's Dark Autumn, @ladyofvoss 's Ibara Voss, Y'zel Tia, @saesama 's Klynt Gothawyn, and @xiuhteena 's Mayo'tta Rating: T for Tia Notes: So, since YOTP is from Batman stuff my mind went Dark Knight = Batman and Steel = Garlemald

Moving day had come for Gage Acquisitions. It had been a rather difficult move for U'rahn, finding himself a bit farther from his family than he would have liked; however, it provided the opportunity for him to suggest cohabitation to Nyx.

In his usual U'rahn way he'd fumbled with the question rather than being direct, resulting in Dark assigning him to inventory duty along with Y'zel. Lesson learned, his next attempt was far more direct, and therefore, successful.

This of course meant enrichment for their resident interior designer to accommodate the new living situation leaving U'rahn to bum it around headquarters. Having been given a box of Garlean comics by Jullus, he sequestered himself upstairs in the reading nook and curled up and was enraptured in the pages of a particularly worn set. By the time Nyx had located him, he had gone through them all.

"Rahn, Gage has requested you not use this space to rest while our new quarters are being prepared. He finds your natural odor unpleasant and worries about the new furniture smelling like you."

U'rahn's ears perked a bit before he turned his head to sniff at himself, tail standing on end for a moment before looking up to Nyx as she looked at the scattered comics.

"What is a 'Wolfman'," she asked, looking back up to him. 

"Only the greatest Garlean hero ever," U'rahn said with a beam, getting on his knees to clean up.

"Do you mean the Black Wolf?"

"Huh? No, not the old man. Wolfman is uh…well…," he started, crossing his arms before thinking a moment then beaming wide, "Like I said, the greatest herrro of Garlemald! By day he's gillionare B'rhance nan Wane, and by night the Defender of Justice, Wolfman!"

"Understood. I do not recall such a person. I am to understand this is a storytale then?"

"Yeah yeah!"

"Then you may tell me about Wolfman while you clean up."

"Can't I just tell you now?"

"I have been instructed to use our new power washer on you if you decline to clean up in a timely manner."

"Right! To the showers then!"

With that, he carefully set the box of comics aside then led Nyx to the baths, tail flicking about. "Right…so, a Wolfman story…To start, you gotta know his backstory. See, when Wolfman was a boy his parents were well respected in the Garlean court, even favored by the Emporer himself! They focused a lot on philanthropy with their money, helping territories that had been taken over by Garlemald get medical supplies and necessities. There's a lot of different versions, but the most popular one is that he watched his parents get mugged in an alley after an opera. Some said it was a hit put out by the Garlean aristocracy that used mobsters that didn't like the Wane family. Traumatized by the incident, he grew up wanting to protect the people from mobsters and those who would use their power to make life hard for all citizens of Garlemald, especially those who had found themselves relocated due to Garlemald's colonialism of their homes. Criminals grew to fear the symbol of the Wolfman. He was the symbol of night. He was the symbol of justice. He was the Dark Knight! But y'know, not like the combaty kind."

"Acknowledged."

U'rahn nodded as he discarded his clothing. "In his time getting hero cred, Wolfman eventually finds a sidekick! A Miqo'te that lost all her family in a tragic acrobatic stunt, sabotaged by a member of a mob to send a message, Dyx Greymoon. AKA Starling. And together they patrolled the streets of the capital, fighting crime and saving lives.”

“Violence befitting most Garlemald picture books,” Nyx answered, watching U’rahn carefully as he paraded around the baths before his tail shot up.

"They're not picture books! They're graphic novels," he corrected before sitting down on a stool to fill a bucket with water, "Anyroad, my favourite story so far went a little like this."

[Alert. Alert. Robbery in progress. Alert. Alert. Robbery in progress.]

These words echoed through The Wolf Den as the two caped crusaders rapidly suited up into their crime fighting costumes. Looking to one another, they gave a nod of approval before Wolfman stepped forward. "Wolf Computer. Brief us on the situation."

[Right away Wolfman. Pulling up live footage from the museum where the robbery is taking progress. It seems a masked villain known as Ser Freeze is stealing ancient ice crystals from the Garlemald World Heritage Museum.]

"Great Solus's Ghost, Starling! The villain must be trying to summon on Eikon right here in our fair Garlemald! We cannot let that happen," Wolfman exclaimed, hurrying to the Wolfhanger 

"Affirmative, Wolfman," his sidekick answered, following.

"To the Wolfwagon!"

The two hurried over to the large black car, both jumping into the front seat before Wolfman flipped the switch and jetted them off toward the city.

“Rahn. I understand you do not like to be interrupted; however, for my understanding of the story, I wish to know what you mean by ‘flipped the switch’.”

U’rahn blinked as he climbed over to get into a tub. “Y’know….the on switch to the car? To make them go.”

“Garlemald models would use a key that would be used to close the ignition circuit. This delivers power to the starter motor so that the engine can create sparks and mobilize the entire vehicle through small combustions.”

"Oh. Huh…Well. He did that then. Ah. Um. Would you wash my ears?" U'rahn asked, leaning his head back on the tub.

"Yes."

U'rahn let out a little purr as he felt the tips of his ears be firmly seized by his girlfriend. "Rrright…so they got to the scene of the crime…"

"Halt there villain! Those crystals belong to the good citizens of Garlemald," Wolfman called out as he and Starling descended down from the ceiling.

The Elezen scientist turned, her frosty stare narrowing through her goggles as she held up her frost blaster. "They were taken from Eorzea! Garlemald has no use for them other than a glorious trophy from our Emperor's invasion. I shall use them for a greater purpose…and I think you mean Freeze!"

The woman aimed her gun at the two. Taking evasive action, the two began to box step as the ray hit them, working out to keep their body warm so as to not succumb to the blast .

"Nice footwork Starling!"

"Acknowledged Wolfman."

"Curse you both," Ser Freeze huffed, charging another blast.

"Not so fast! Wolferang," the masked vigilante called out, tossing a wolf shaped shuriken at the villain's hand while Starling ran up and retrieved the gun. 

Wolfman soon rushed Ser Freeze, grappling and punching at one another until the wolf swept his tail under her feet and knocked her back.

"You fool!? How will I save my beloved research partner now? I was on the verge of a cure for Voidsickness!"

"Golly. Gee. Wolfman, that is the deadliest illness in the world. Do you think she is being accurate and peer reviewed?"

"There's one way to find out! Ser Freeze! By the mercy of our Emperor, I will take you to their research facility where you can research under the careful watch of His Majesty's top chirurgeons."

"You'd make an exception for mercy," the scientist asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Sometimes justice is best…soft served."

U'rahn let out a little purr as he let his feet float up onto the water's surface, enjoying the ear rubs.

"Wolfman contains a lot of propaganda," Nyx commented.

"Just a little. Therrre's a good message there. Wolfman listened and didn't just send the bad guy to jail! He found her a place that would help her!"

"Ser Freeze would be under strict watch and once her project was completed, and be forced to do more research or banished to a more remote location to be imprisoned for life."

"Rrreally? Aw…Well…what about this one?"

The streets filled with people screaming as Wolfman and Starling arrived at the Garlemald Menagerie. Animals scattered about with them, most small herbivores, fleeing as vines and overgrowth started to climb up and over the walls.

"Solus's All Seeing Eye, Starling! What on Etheirys is happening here!?"

"The Wolfcomputer stated that a Viera known as Poison Minti has taken over the Menagerie using her power over plants. Please refrain from getting too close. Her kisses are poison."

"Not to worry Starling. My heart belongs only to Lady Garlemald and her people…and a certain sidekick."

"Your patriotism is noted. As is your clumsy flirtation. You should engage the enemy. I will subdue any dangerous animals non-lethally."

Wolfman nodded then hurried inside with Starling at his side. Animals scattered everywhere, running free and confused. The acrobat soon flipped away, using bolas to ensnare the larger beasts while Wolfman hurried into the gardens, avoiding snapping vines. Inside, he found the deadly beauty crossing over a bridge, turning to him as he approached.

"Seems I'm a little late. You wouldn't be-leaf the traffic getting here," Wolfman chuckled.

The woman raised her brow then flicked her wrists. Two great trees soon slammed down toward Wolfman as the hero nimbly jumping up and over then to join her on the bridge.

"Apologies puppy, but I don't have time for you…though, perhaps a kiss," Poison Minti hummed before smooching her hand and blowing it toward him.

Wolfman blinked then flushed, finding a sweetness wash over him. He chuckled then fumbled forward, face hot as he stared at the woman's lips, letting her cup his cheek as he drew in close.

"Golly. Gee. Wolfman. I warned you about her kiss," Starling's voice called out, "A cold bath is recommended."

Swooping down on a vine, the sidekick booted Wolfman out of the way and into the water before taking a fighting pose. Poison Minti shook her head then moved in defense.

"Couldn't stand to see his love blossom for someone else," the Viera asked.

"I do not experience jealousy; however, I know he would not enjoy your embrace. No mint is permitted to grow in this garden. I shall enjoy experiencing this."

With that, the two began to strike one another while Wolfman surfaced and shook out the water in his ears. By the time he got back on the bridge, Starling had subdued Poison Minti and had her over her shoulder.

"Good work Starling! Now, what should we do with our unlucky rabbit here?"

"Put me down! I must liberate the animals," Poison screamed.

"If we did that, then they'd die in the cold landscape of Garlemald. Here they can have a nice life in an enclosed space and be loved by all the citizens of Garlemald!"

"That is not enough! This is not their natural home!"

Wolfman thought for a moment then snapped his fingers. "Yet you could make it so, correct? Your powers of planting could make this place a real paradise!"

"...They could."

"Then it is settled! Instead of going to jail, you can stay here and create perfect biomes! Not only would the animals be happier, but you will enrich the education of our great citizens! What do you say?"

"I suppose that will be amenable. But my work is not done. There are still-"

"We did it again Starling! We've saved Garlemald and have made it a better place for all!"

"Rahn. This continues to be propaganda," Nyx said plainly.

U'rahn sighed, cheeks red as Nyx continued to lather his ears, resisting the urge to give them a twitch.

"He saved the day though. He's a grrreat herrro!"

"Starling saved the day. Wolfman was shown to be incompetent by not listening to Starling's warnings. I believe she should be in charge."

"Ah. Maybe I'm just not telling a good story arc…I guess there's…"

Terror had struck the heart of Garlemald once more. The Wolfman symbol high in the sky. The daring duo soon found themselves at the source of the commotion, The First Credit Union of Garlemald. Running up the steps, Wolfman and Starling soon found themselves jumping away from one another as a safe came flying out at them.

Laughter that sounded much like quacking echoed through the street as Apkallu and Paine emerged from the doors of the bank. The golden haired villain smirked as he held his beanbag gun umbrella against his shoulder.

"You're too late Wolfman and Starling! Me and my new partner have already seized control of all the banks in the area! Now everyone will be forced to leave their money under my care so I can invest as I please!"

"Solus's Bountiful Beard, Starling! The Apkallu is going to make unwise investments and drain the good citizens of Garlemald's hard earned money from their accounts! We cannot let this happen!"

"A robbery is in progress, Wolfman. The protection of the citizens and members of the union are a priority."

"Well said Starling! Wolferang! Go!"

With that, the hero pulled out his carved shuriken and chucked it at The Apkallu, knocking the umbrella from his hand while Starling did a bunch of flips up the stairs ending in a flying kick into Paine. A great battle ensued, the heroic duo clashing with the greedy Gil stealer and the masked beauty. 

"Wolfman," Starling said plainly, but loudly as she was lifted up over Paine's head before quickly being brought down toward Paine's lifted knee.

"Starling! No! Wolfmallow! Go!"

In a heroic dive, the masked crusader tossed a white wolf shaped treat at Paine's knee. On impact, it expanded into a large fluffy marshmallow, cushioning Starling's blow. The weight of the gelatin caused Paine to topple over onto Apkallu, trapping them both as the foamy treat enveloped them.

"Thank you Wolfman," Starling stated, brushing off the mess on her back.

"All in a day's work my dear! Now then! What to do with these two?"

"Apkallu's greed seems to have gotten the better of him. Our reports state that Arick Cobblestone, self-proclaimed Deadliest Gentleman of Crime. Faced with losing his family's wealth after bad foreign investments, he sought out crime to fill his coffers. Paine, a dear friend of the family, followed him on his spree out of loyalty."

"I see! Then perhaps instead of jail, a financial literacy class at one of Garlemald's prestigious night schools might help him handle his finances better in the future and prevent future defaults. Remember this well when investing, Apkallu: Garlemald Grown and Grinded is Great!"

"...Is this guy for real," the villain asked to Paine, getting a shrug.

"As for Paine. Loyalty to one's comrades is truly respectable. I'm nothing without my partner. Right, Starling," Wolfman asked.

"Affirmative."

"There will be no punishment aside from helping rebuild the Credit Union you've damaged, restoring it to the great feat of Garlemald beauty it was before."

"Rahn. These storytales are very blatantly propaganda with product placement. The villains are also increasingly becoming more aware of Wolfman's incompetence as a hero. His placating methods will result in their inevitable return to crime."

"Well, if they didn't come back now and then there wouldn't be any reason for him to help fight crime."

"There would be reduced crime if he eliminated his targets."

"His hero code prevents him from killing! No exceptions!"

"His code is inadequate for his intentions."

U'rahn puffed his cheeks out a bit as Nyx let go of his ears. "Are we having our first argument?"

"I am stating objective facts, Rahn."

The warrior dipped under water then moved to sit across from the other. "There's other sides of Wolfman too aside from the goofy crusader! He's got some suaveness. Like the time he…"

Wane Manor glowed and with opulence as people inside danced and made merry for the annual Emperor's Day celebration. B'rhance had given his speech and managed to find a spot on the Ballroom floor where he could be seen if needed but left alone by passerbyers. Dyx was otherwise occupied, chatting with Ibarba ban Gordon, the third member of their Terrific Trrio. AKA: Wolfgirl.

Something was afoot though. While everyone danced and glided about around him, one masked pink-haired Miqo'te seemed to not as gay as he should be. The suspect seemed to flit about from partner to partner, and Wolfman's careful gaze noticed the once glittering arms with watches and bracelets become bare after each exchange. The little thief sauntering off the floor, B'rhance made his move following the Miqo'te up and into his library, find the other flipping through books.

"If you're looking for free knowledge, the Garlean Public library will be more than happy to issue you a library card. My tomes; however, will not find themselves leaving the grounds," B'rhance hummed, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

The masked Miqo'te let out a little click of his tongue before shutting the book and returning it to the shelf. "Don't you have hosting duties to tend to Mr. Wane?"

"What kind of host would I be if one of my guests sought to read rather than join the crowd? Not to mention without their belongings that I'm sure they intended to leave with."

The pink haired Miqo'te hummed, moving in close to stroke the other's tie in his palm. "Oh I'm sure many of them won't notice, blinded by their wealth and all. I doubt even you would have noticed that little ol' manuscript misplaced should I have had the chance to abscond with it."

"I don't recall having added a thief to my guest list."

"Though you hired wait staff. You really should check rrreferences," the other Miqo'te purred.

"Going forward I'll put in the effort…Er…"

The Miqo'te smirked, lifting his mask to show off his round Keeper eyes.

"Zelen'a Kyhle," he hummed.

"Bold to give me your name. How do you know I won't just track you down? There's also Wolfman."

Zelen'a tilted his head back and forth a moment, humming, "I'll worry about the Masked Mutt when he crosses my path. As for you, Rhance, you'll just have to come find me."

With that Zelen'a lifted up, kissing B'rhance softly before kicking back his foot to send an antique lamp into the air. The thief did a backflip as Wolfman's gaze followed the lamp, hand outstretched to catch it.

"Nice moves, playboy. Thanks for the parting gift," the Keeper laughed, taking back the book before falling backward out a window.

B'rhance rushed after, looking out as the thief drove away on a motorcycle. "Great Solus's Gemstones," the hero whispered before shaking out his head. "Such a villain! I am devoted to my Dyx! I-"

"Rahn. I do not require embellishment to prove your fidelity. You are a Miqo'te and it is a storytale about a gentry class hero."

"Well, yeah…but he loves Dyx the most…just sayin'," U'rahn mumbled, folding his ears with a sheepish smile.

"Acknowledged. However, that story did nothing to add to your argument of Wolfman being an efficient hero. He let the thief go free."

"Okay, okay. The best for last then. His nemesis…the ultimate bad guy and his own best gal. The Chuckler and Hardy Flint!"

Cackling…malicious cackling…or rather…sinister chucking chuckling. It echoed through the Capital as bomb after bomb began to erupt. Atop the capitol building's steps, the Mummer Heir of Crime, the Chuckler descended down, arms wide while Hardly Flint followed behind.

"C'mon mutt! I've got your darling Emperor and the city in my grasp! The hour of your reckoning is at hahaha-hand!"

"Yeah! C'mon mutt," Hardly echoed, pulling on a chain and pulling out Lord Varis in cuffs, having allowed himself to be taken in a noble gesture to protect his citizens.

The Wolfjet flew low to the ground, letting Wolfman, Starling, and Wolfgirl drop down before the steps.

"Great Solus's Grandson! Literally! Unhand our glorious Emperor right now you fiend," Wolfman cried out, "Wolfgirl, to the citizens! Starling, with me!"

"I'm on it," Wolfgirl called out, springing into action, dashing off to put out fires with her Wolfray.

Howls echoed through the streets as the sound waves blew out the flames, letting citizens pour out of their buildings and run off toward safety.

"Acknowledged," Starling answered in turn, springing into action to engage Hardly in combat, freeing the Emperor from her grasp for now.

The two exchanged blows around the building, Hardly swinging her hammer wildly while Starling nimbly dodged and ducked.

"You can't dodge me forever! I'm gonna clip your wings little bird and give them to my darlin' Chuckleflan as a gift!'

"I do not have wings; however, I do have on steel boots," Starling responded cooly.

"Huh?"

As Hardly paused, Starling kicked high, catching the Roe's jaw and sending her onto her back in a daze.

Meanwhile, Wolfman and The Chuckler exchanged blows before the chained Emperor. The fiendish Miqo'te laughed with every blow, even as blood dripped off his chin.

"How dare you chain our Emperor and harm out glorious city! I've just about had enough of your insanity!"

"The party is only beginning, you hahahalfwit! Your eyes are on the wrong prize," the villain cried out before lifting a rifle to his right and firing it into Starling.

The sidekick dropped down and then fell down steps just in time for Wolfgirl to swoop in and pick her up. B'rahnce let out a wail then lost control, punching and kicking the Chuckler backward until the laughing mad man fell back, letting the gun fall from his grasp. Wolfman quickly picked it up while the villain rose back up to his feet, hands in the air.

"Hey now! You don't use guns! You gotta stick to your code," the Chuckler breathed out.

"I never said I don't use guns. I just don't use them on people," Wolfman growled before firing a round.

The sound of metal breaking echoed through the empty streets. The Chuckler opened an eye then looked around before bellowing with laughter. "Hahahaha. You missed-"

The Miqo'te was cut off he was suddenly scuffed from behind. Towering over him Varis stood, freed from his shackles. The Great Emperor tossed the Chuckler like a rag-doll down the steps and into the street, metal heroically clanging as he followed.

"I'll take it from here Wolfman. You tend to Starling," the gracious leader said before turning forward to pummel the evil Miqo'te.

Wolfman jumped down to Wolfgirl and Starling, pulling her into his arms. "Starling! Say something!"

"You are inflicting further injury to my shoulder by holding me so tight."

"Sorry. I thought…I thought I lost you. I don't know what I would have done."

"My wound will heal," Starling answered before looking to Wolfgirl then back to Wolfman to lean up and give him a kiss on the nose, "My hero."

Wolfman blushed under his mask then nodded before lifting her up carefully, letting Wolfgirl summon the Wolfcopter. Lord Varus of course brought the Chuckler to justice, locking him in the deepest of dungeons.

"Your story continues to be propaganda and given the many vehicles, a means to sell toys."

U'rahn flattened his ears, story seeming to fall flat. Nyx moved into the water with the vexed Miqo'te, sitting on his thighs.

"I may not always enjoy the content of your storytales; however, I do enjoy you telling them."

U'rahn flushed a bit then chucked a bit, reclining a little to scoot Nyx forward on his lap, hand trailing up her back. "I would preferrr to tell stories you enjoy. I'll keep trying."

"Acknowledged. I look forward to your next attempt."

[vanesaguarino]

☾ T A T T O O #tattoo #moon #blackmoon #cosmic #galaxy #art #digital #tattoomoon #blackandwhite #design #graphicdesign #space #spacetattoo https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwrs0dZAPMo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14a08bro42xnf

[gustavoadriancano]

"Al ver tus ojos de miel las horas se me van... Pierdo la noción del tiempo y giro... Eres mi protección mi mundo exterior, no me engañes, no me digas que te vas..." 🐤 #bird #moon #spear #red #drawing #illustration #tattodesign #Flowers #bees #ribbon #circle #ink #sketchbook #redflower #littlebird #tori #鳥 #blackmoon #月 #leafs #design #gustavoadriancanotumblrcom #drawings

[driftward]

Title: Why do we hurt Characters: Zoissette Vauban, Klynt Gohtawyn Rating: Teen Summary: The Witness comes to All Saint’s Wake, and shows the Vanguard of Light that which they hide away Notes: A collaboration, written alongside @saesama. Inspired by this uquiz

It was All Saint’s Wake in Revenant’s Toll, and Zoissette was enjoying the festivities, for the most part. The holiday passed quite a bit differently than how she remembered it being observed in Ishgard. In Ishgard, it was a celebratory affair, with feats and speeches and fêtes to be certain, but it centered around the Saints from the history of the Holy See.

Less so, here in the South. The Saints were recognized, to be sure, but the celebration also seemed to be of treats and costumes, with a mythos of tricking voidsent and much about the thinning of the veil between what was and what was not. It was fascinating, in a way, and she had tried to learn what she could of it, and considered entertaining what it might mean for aetheric experiments during this time of year.

But that was of little matter right this moment. She had not fully considered that the thinning of the veil might be a real phenomenon, and had not prepared for it. So this year she had barely had time to set up some instruments to take measurements, but hopefully that would help to inform some experiments next year. For now, she idly walked past food booths and tchotchke stands, and watched the Doman children run past, celebrating this new and unusual tradition from a culture more foreign to them than it was to her.

She smiled faintly at them, and stepped quietly to one side, deciding to celebrate the event in her own way, if only for a moment. She bowed her head low and closed her eyes, and clasped her hand shut a few ilms from her face, and offered up a silent prayer to Saint Thea.

When she opened her eyes again, she was startled to see a black Miqo’te standing a few fulms away.

“Fury -,” she began, but then let her breath out as she looked closer at the person. They looked eerily familiar. “Blackmoon? Is that you? What happened to your eye?”

Nyx looked at her, and she assumed it was Nyx Blackmoon, with their characteristic blank expression. However, normally they had one eye that was silver, and the other eye dark. What was unusual right now was that both eyes were dark, and Nyx had shown up without the white warpaint that typically made up the half of their face on the same side as the eye that was dark. Actually, until just that moment, Zoissette hadn’t actually been sure it was warpaint and not just an interesting design choice on the part of whoever had made them.

“Vauban. Follow me,” said Nyx, and now Zoissette was certain it was definitely Nyx, nobody had quite her vocal affect. Nyx turned, and immediately began walking away.

“Wait - what - okay, uhm, sure,” said Zoissette, bemused, hurrying after them. “Is something the matter? Hippogryph attack? Garlean patrol spotted?”

Nyx did not answer her, but instead just walked quickly through the crowds, somehow avoiding touching anyone while not breaking stride. Zoissette was light on her feet, but quite a lot larger, and not nearly so willing to be as rude as she thought Nyx was being, so she smiled and nodded quickly to people as she passed them.

At last, they found themselves in the back of a small group of tents that had been set up in a corner of Revenant’s Toll. They were housing a traveling mummer’s troupe of some sort, as far as Zoissette was aware. Nyx stopped in front of one tent in particular, and Zoissette found it quite peculiar. She was not sure how she had noticed when she had wandered through here earlier. The other tents were made of a light cream-colored cloth of some sort, but this one’s coloration was more of a dusky gray, and as she looked at it, she saw faint geometric patterns painted on its cloth that flowed across it like constellations in a night sky.

It was quite the impressive piece of art, as well as being a place of lodging.

Nyx pulled back a tent flap, and gestured inside. “Talk to her,” they said.

Zoissette looked at Nyx, giving her an odd look, but after a moment ducked inside. She did trust Nyx, after all, and Nyx had their odd little ways about them. This was probably just their way of trying to show her something that they had found interesting, and Zoissette was inclined to oblige.

It was brightly lit in the tent, and the enchantments on her glasses dimmed her view a bit so her eyes would have time to adjust. The tent seemed oddly larger on the inside, but not by very much. Enough to make space for four oil lamps on top of four pedestals. There was a round table in the middle of the room, and atop the middle of that table was a black tablecloth, and on top of the tablecloth was an orb in its holder. The orb appeared to have some sort of dark liquid in it, swirling with a fine silvery glittering material.

There were two chairs on either side of the table. One was closer to her, and was empty. The other was on the opposite side of the table, and in it sat a pale gray Miqo’te, with black freckles across her cheeks that looked perhaps like they were a way of dark stars across her face. Her hair was silver, and as Zoissette walked closer, she could see the slits of her purple eyes that identified her as a Seeker of the Sun. Her pupils had the cloudy gray of cataracts, but she must have still been able to see, as her eyes locked onto Zoissette’s face and did not leave from there.

“Zoissette Vauban, Inheritor of Atlas, Foreseer of Light,” the Miqo’te intoned, and her voice was gravelly and deep. And, blessedly, strangely in this strange land, she actually pronounced her name correctly, Swah-set, unlike the common habit of the locals to pronounce it Zoey-say.

Zoissette smiled warmly at her. “I take it you have spent time in Ishgard. But, uhm, if you please, it is just Zoissette. Foreseer is just an honorary rank they keep for me back at Maelstrom Command. And… I’ve no idea who or what Atlas is. But, uhm, I am glad to meet you, lady…?”

“I am the Witness,” she said, simply. “Take a seat.”

Zoissette looked to the seat, and sat down in it slowly, feeling cautious. She noted the feeling, and turned it in her mind, thinking it odd. She was in no danger here, and surely the Witness did not feel threatened by her in turn.

“You are here for a reading,” the Witness said. It was not a question.

“...sure,” said Zoissette, deciding to play along. “How much?”

The Witness smiled at her thinly. “The cost is not in gil. But do not worry, I know what you mean. No charge. This is merely a service I am providing for your star.”

Zoissette was not sure what to make of that, but just nodded, as the Witness waved a hand over the orb. The fluids in it seemed to shift, and the Witness settled into her seat, and began to shuffle a thin deck of cards. "Sing yourself a song, child."

“Pardon?” asked Zoissette.

The cards slipped from hand to table like silk, doled out in a neat line. "You need not tell me the words. But sing yourself a song to fight to. To take your life into your own hands." Her smoky eyes crinkled into the faintest smile. "To prove you'll be fine, if only to yourself."

For once, Zoissette was at a complete loss for words. The Witness did not notice her bafflement, or, more likely, meant for it. “Read the cards,” the Witness said. “Imagine that you can only keep one. The rest, you will never have again.”

Zoissette frowned at her, but scooted forward in her seat, and looked over the cards. They had simple labels. Love, courage, reliability, sensation, freedom. She picked up freedom, and turned it over, curiously.

On the back, a single sentence. A day where it doesn't feel like drowning anymore.

She looked up and over at the Witness, but found their expression unreadable. She looked down at the card again for a moment, before turning it back over and setting it back down.

Well, her days were not all that bad, but the ones that were, she had endured well enough. She could endure them forever more, she thought.

She looked to love, and her hand reached out to it, and hovered over it. Love, she thought, and she closed her eyes, and let out a slow breath. To love and be loved.

It was a nice thought.

She moved on, and reached for the card labeled courage, and flipped it over.

Courage when you need it the most, to look what you are afraid of in the eye, it read.

She closed her eyes again, and thought of the challenges she had faced thus far, and the ones she would face in the future. She had been brave enough, it was true, but should that ever falter, should she ever fall short, well.

She opened her eyes, and looked across the table, deliberately locking her gaze with that of the Witness as she placed the card in front of the other woman.

The Witness simply nodded, and took the card, tucking it away before also taking the others and whispering them out of sight elsewhere.

The witness set out a new set of cards, each one looking like a stained glass window that would not be out of place in one of the holy sites of Coerthas. The first showed a beam of sunlight, cast in yellow and gold, streaming from the clouds. Another showed roaring flames, in red and orange glass, rimmed with black. There was one that was all shades of blue, with a single brilliant sapphire in the middle, held in silver. The next, each glass piece formed part of a puzzle, and the puzzle was of myriad colors, forming no picture at all. The last one looked rather like a leve token, showing a farmer’s plow in shades of brown representing the earth, and a dark gray pane for sky, with little pale blue panels for rain.

“Choose,” the Witness said.

Zoissette almost reached for the one that looked to be a jigsaw puzzle in glass relief, but stopped. She liked puzzles, to be sure, but the ones she was interested in often showed something for the effort. And, in a way, was not all stained glass a kind of puzzle, made of pieces that comprised the whole? Changing her mind, she picked up the one that looked like streaming sunlight, and as she turned it towards her, it was as though it came to life. It suddenly looked not like a card, but rather like she was actually holding a complete stained glass window in miniature. She turned it, and watched as light played through it and around it. It was no heavier than she would expect a card to be despite that, and she looked up at the Witness questioningly.

The Witness simply nodded, however, and reached out and took the card from her, and as it passed hands, it suddenly was just a card again. It and the rest were quickly shuffled out of sight.

Zoissette marveled at her for a moment, but then sat back and laughed nervously. “I thought these sorts of things were supposed to be talking to the ghosts of relatives, or, you know, answering questions about one’s love interests.”

The Witness threw her head back and laughed, and Zoissette was surprised to hear not a hollow mocking, but instead warmth, and also, somehow, an edge of sadness that she wasn’t quite sure how she had identified as such.

“Ah, love, to be sure,” she said. “You will have to learn acceptance, first, before you will let yourself find love.” Zoissette looked around the tent, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Uhm. I like to think I am pretty accepting,” she said.

“Are you?” said the Witness, standing up and reaching across the table to thump her in the middle of her chest with a finger. “Are you truly?”

Zoissette leaned back and rubbed at where she’d been hit. “Uhm. Well. Same as everything else, I guess it is just… something else I will need to work on.”

The Witness sighed, and sat back down in her chair.

“Well. A lesson you will have to learn the hard way, I suppose,” she said.

Zoissette shifted in her seat uncomfortably, trying to think of who or what the woman could be talking about.

“I suppose,” said Zoissette, reluctantly.

“Let us continue on,” the Witness said. “You are onboard an airship. There are four other passengers with you, and you know nought of any of them; five people onboard in total. There are only four parachutes. A malfunction has occurred, and if you stay onboard, you will surely die. What do you do?” Zoissette felt a bit off balance with the tone and way the evening was going. “I would attempt to save the airship, which would keep all of us aboard safe. And if any were not confident in my ability to do so, well, then, they could take a parachute.”

The Witness nodded. “Eager to keep your fellow man safe, even at substantial personal risk,” she said.

“...someone should be,” said Zoissette. “I am someone.”

“Very well then. Someone asks you for help. By any and all tests you could possibly devise, they deserve the help, and they will need help from somewhere. What do you do?” “Well, I help them, of course,” said Zoissette. “Is this even a question?”

The Witness smiled thinly. “You would be surprised.”

Zoissette grimaced at that, but shrugged again. “I think you might be surprised yourself.”

“Ah, such boundless faith in your fellow man,” said the Witness.

“It hasn’t let me down yet,” said Zoissette. “...much.”

The Witness laughed, and Zoissette smiled wanly at her. After a moment, though, the Witness sobered.

“Keep in mind your fellow man, and think of the people of your home as you do so,” she said. “And consider my words carefully. Are you more afraid of being a reflection, or a mirror? Are you them, or are they you?”

Zoissette frowned. She clasped her hands in front of her, and shivered, feeling suddenly cold. It was dimming in the tent, she noticed, but she ignored that for the moment in favour of pondering the question. She looked down at the tablecloth, and thought of the Holy See. Of the unfortunates in the Brume. Of the Temple Ward. Of the common soldiers, who fought and bled for Ishgard. Of the High Houses and their lesser cousins.

Of the Inquisition.

And of the power she herself could wield.

“Reflection,” she said quietly. “I am afraid I reflect their values. That I - I am no better than them. Imposing my will through force of arms. A petty tyrant with a pretty title and a cold sword to my name.”

The Witness reached across the table, and patted her hands. “You are more shield than sword,” she said, “But I suspect you know that already. Here. We are nearly done. One more.”

Zoissette nodded, and she looked up, and she was startled by what she saw. The ceiling and walls of the tent seemed to have grown thin, somehow. It was as though she could just barely see beyond them, if she tried, but outside of its cover was not the comforting stone walls of Revenant’s Toll, but instead, the swirl of hidden geometries and void. Or perhaps the patterns of the aetherial sea itself.

“Focus,” said the Witness, and Zoissette blinked, and looked back to her, to see she had laid out three cards, each one with the same back, unlabelled.

“Show me what your dreams are about,” the Witness said, gesturing a hand over the cards.

Zoissette glanced between them and her, and then looked upwards again. The ceiling of the tent was still there, but it was much the same as the walls, thin and seemingly translucent. The Witness cleared her throat, and Zoissette turned her attention back to the cards, before reaching for one and flipping it over.

Less, it said on its back, and she frowned at it, not understanding. She gave the Witness a questioning glance, but if there was an answer there, it was not forthcoming as the Witness took her card from her, and the two others beside, and quickly placed them all out of sight.

“I am ready to tell you why you hurt,” said the Witness, her voice hoarse, and barely a whisper. The tent seemed to grow even colder, and the walls thinner, and it was all Zoissette could do to not look around wildly, to try to ascertain the exact nature of the space she had found herself in.

“But before I do, would you like to hear my advice?”

Zoissette nodded, dumbly.

“Build yourself as beautiful as you want your world to be. Wrap yourself in light then give yourself away with your heart, your brush, your march, your art, your poetry, your play. And for every day you paint the war, take a week and paint the beauty, the color, the shape of the landscape you’re marching towards. Everyone knows what you’re against; show them what you’re for.

“...are you ready?”

“...yes,” said Zoissette quietly.

“Then touch the orb,” the Witness said.

Zoissette looked at her, and then at the orb, and carefully reached a hand out towards it, before placing her hand solidly on top of it. The tent seemed to vanish, and around her swirled colors and patterns and shapes, and she closed her eyes as she heard a voice, that she somehow just knew to be impossibly old, echo around her.

“You are choking on how much you have to try. You have tried. You have carried the weight of the world on your shoulders and accepted more responsibilities than you have ever wanted, even intended to gain. It isn't crushing - you are strong enough to hold it - but you are choking. You don't know what to do with it. You don't know where it goes, how to move this weight everyone knows you can hold onto, and do you even want to get rid of it? Never. You would not give this to - force this on - anyone else. But you can’t. But you are choking on it. Your body will hold it up even when you lose all the air in your lungs, and your footing, and your courage. It does not mind choking you. It seems almost designed to do so. If you weren't wrung out you wouldn't be doing this thing properly.”

Zoissette’s eyes snapped open as the voice finished, and she pulled her hand back sharply from the orb, holding it to her chest and looking around herself, her eyes wild and her heart racing.

She was back in the tent. There were four pillars with four oil lamps on top of them, and the inside was well lit. The walls and ceiling of the tent were solid again, and the table was where she had left it, and she was seated where she had started at, sitting in a chair across from a gray-skinned Miqo’te with cataracts in her eyes and silver in her fur.

It was warm in the tent once more.

The Miqo’te simply sighed, and settled into her chair, her head coming down to rest against her chest.

“...I am so sorry,” she said, quietly. “I am afraid it will be much the same for your compatriot, but perhaps you will find comfort in knowing you do not hurt alone.”

“What just happened?” asked Zoissette, feeling dazed and disoriented.

“You will find out, in the sennights and moons and summers to come,” said the Witness. “But that is all I have for you tonight. You will need to find your own way from here, Foreseer of Light.” She pointed a finger behind Zoissette, at the way she had come in. “And now you must go. The pirate will find me next, I presume. Good night and good luck to you.”

Zoissette nodded dumbly, and she stood up from the chair slowly, looking around. She was certain of what she had seen and what she had heard, but none of it made sense. She opened up the flap to the tent, and stumbled outside.

Nyx was standing there waiting for her when she got outside, and took her hand as she came out of the tent.

“Come with me,” said Nyx, who began to lead her, and Zoissette was too flummoxed by the experience to protest as she was dragged through Revenant’s Toll, past the food booths and tchotchke stands and children and crowds, until she was led up the stairs to one of the parapets that surrounded the city.

“I believe it will help if you stand here and watch the stars for a while,” said Nyx, her voice as monotonal as always. “I need to find Gohtawyn. I suspect she will be here shortly to keep you company.” And without further explanation, Nyx let go of her hand, and spirited away back into the depths of the city.

Zoissette watched her go for a bit, bewildered, and then turned away and faced outward, looking out over the wilds around the city, the corrupted crystals sprouting out of the ground at irregular intervals, out over the wreckage of Garlean war machines and twisted landscape.

And then she heeded Nyx’s words, and looked up, up, at the stars.

-*-

"Pushy, tonight," Klynt teased, as Nyx led her through the crowded festival. "You got plans later, Blackmoon?"

"Yes," Nyx said, not even looking back at Klynt's exaggerated pout.

"You're no fun," Klynt groused. "Alw- is that Zo?"

Zoissette stood atop one of the sections of the wall, hugging her elbows close as she craned her neck to watch the stars. Klynt slowed, alarum in her throat because Zoissette was a good distance away but every line in the elezen's frame screamed of her discomfort. Nyx had to stop before Klynt lost her. "After," she said, looking back at Klynt. "She needs to be alone, now."

"What? Is she okay?" Klynt demanded, already eyeballing the distance to the top of the wall, calculating if a single jump could get her there.

"She's fine," Nyx intoned. "She has to think. You have to learn. Keep moving."

Klynt scowled but started after Nyx again. "This better be good," she grumbled, as Nyx led them towards the tents where the traveling troupes were staying.

"This one," Nyx said, opening a low-slung tent. "Be polite."

"Aren't I always?" Klynt shot back, ducking through the opening.

"Klynt Gohtawyn," hummed the miqo'te sitting at the table inside the dim tent. "Come, sit."

"Really, Nyx?" Klynt called out to through the tent flap. Nothing answered and she blew out an irritable huff. "Sorry, ma'am," she said. "I'll pay whatever fee is supposed to cover your time but my friend is-"

"-Is dealing with what she learned from me, yes," the miqo'te said. "Ser Vauban will be fine, Inheritor of Ceto."

Klynt felt her hackles rise. "And what did you teach her?" she asked, cool bordering on cold.

The woman smiled, thin and equally cool. "That is for her to tell you," she said. "I am to give you a reading. Sit."

Klynt curled her lip. "You can't keep me here,” she pointed out.

The miqo'te laughed, deep and genuine and rolling like thunder in the hills. "You wish for your freedom, child?" she asked. "Take it! The star entire shall live or die by the choices you and yours are free to make." She leaned forward, so much like one of the créchemothers that Klynt felt eight years old again. "But take it true, Pirate of Light; make your choices from your heart, not your spite. Your friend shall need long moments to regain herself, and the kit will take you to her when we are done here."

Klynt could leave. But the will of a créchemother was hard to ignore. "Fine," she said, dropping into the other chair.

The miqo'te busied herself with flattening a piece of silk on the table, so Klynt took a moment to look around. Low, smoky whale-oil lamps hung in each corner of the space, casting a dim, flickering light over the dull blue tent walls. It was an interesting effect, almost like being in a sea cave, and Klynt gave the miqo'te an odd look. "Are you a créchemother?" she asked.

"I am the Witness," she replied, then patted the silk. "Place your nhalisman here, child. I'll not touch it."

Klynt squinted suspiciously but pulled her nhalisman from its little pouch and spiraled it down on the silk. The influence beads rolled away from their heavier anchors, fanning out like a sketch of a nautilus shell, cleaner than if Klynt had done it on purpose.

The Witness traced her hand in the air a few ilms above the spiral of beads. "Pick an anchor, child," she said. "Imagine one strand, you may keep; the rest you can never see again. Which anchor do you chose?"

Klynt blinked and looked down at the collection of stones and silk. Each anchor was a different topic of interest, such as the Scions or the Empire, and each had its own individual influences dangling from it, but to limit herself to one? To never see, or hear from, or deal with the others again? Some, like the Empire, would be a relief, but to never see any of the Scions again?

As her eyes tripped from bead to bead, she realized there was only one real choice. "Primals," she said, tapping the rich malachite anchor.

The Witness raised a brow. "A bold choice," she pointed out.

"The only choice," Klynt countered. "The Alliance can handle the Empire. I like the Scions but they don't need me, nor I them. But as of right now, there's only a small few who can stand up to a Primal, and I'm one of them." She pressed her lips together into a thin line. "If I have to face them alone, so be it. But I'd do it."

"A brave choice, then," the Witness amended. "Think, then, of all of the Primals you know of; those you have fought, those you have here in your nhalisman as potential fights, those you only know legends of. You must give yourself over to one so that many may be spared. Which?"

Klynt huffed a short laugh. An easier choice, this one. "Leviathan," she said, tapping the tiny piece of coral strung beneath the malachite anchor. "If I'm to be enthralled, I'd rather spend the rest of my days in the ocean instead of the mountains or desert."

"I suppose with your heritage, that is to be expected," the Witness hummed. "A fire has broken out on your ship, many malms from land. There are not lifeboats enou-"

"I save the ship," Klynt interrupted. "Or I die trying."

The Witness huffed irritably. "You should let me finish my questions first," she groused. "How can you know what your options were?"

"If that wasn't an option, I'd make it an option," Klynt said. "A lifeboat is a coinflip chance at survival. A ship, even a crippled one, is a better shot for every soul on board."

"You are a very combative young woman," the Witness said. "It does not behoove one to make such decisions without knowing all of the information."

Klynt grinned. "Never been much of a thinker, you know? S'why I stick with people like Zo or Minfilia or even little Alphinaud."

"And if they were not around?" The Witness leaned forward, her hands on the table on either side of Klynt's nhalisman. "If my first query came true? What would you do, then?"

Klynt crossed her arms and looked away. The lamps must have started to burn low, as the walls were darker. And the wind must have picked up, because they were rippling. The tent had gone from a sea cave at low tide to a filled cavern at high tide. "I'd do my best," she spat. "I'd do what I could to keep moving forward, to keep helping people, as best I could."

"You wouldn't go back to sea? You've spoken more than enough about your love for the water."

Klynt drew in a slow breath and met those cloudy eyes again. "No," she said evenly. "Two seasons ago, maybe I would have. But not since Titan. There's too many people who need help, and I've too many gifts to not offer it."

"And your water-borne brethren do not approve of such charity," the Witness said, sitting back. It wasn't meant cruelly but Klynt flinched anyway. "Tell me, child, which do you fear more? That you carry their values out into the world, or that they have had your values all along? Are you them or are they you?"

"Swive me," Klynt groaned, dragging her hand over her face. "No wonder Zo is crying on top of a wall."

"She interrupted me much less," the Witness said primly.

Klynt couldn't help a sharp laugh. But this was another easy one, in its own horrid way; it was difficult to fear that which didn't exist, and had her sisters carried her values all along, she wouldn't be in gods-be-damned Mor Dhona of all places. "That I'm them," she said. "I joke about the whole 'Pirate of Light' thing, but I worry that I'm too much pirate, not enough Light."

"Another reason, perhaps, that you follow ser Vauban?" the Witness offered, doling three cards out onto the table. Klynt snorted but didn't answer, and the Witness waved her hand over the cards. "Show me what your dreams are about."

Klynt laughed again, though it felt like salt in her mouth, and didn't reach for a card. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "They're about drowning."

The walls of the tent crashed in, waves that slammed Klynt into the grotto walls. She tried to right herself, to find the surface but riptides tore at her weight and dragged at her clothes, and she opened her mouth and sobbed around brine. 

The Witness remained in her seat, unaffected by the currents Klynt desperately swam through. She was speaking, calm and collected, and Klynt tried to swim closer, tried to hear her words. "Picture a wave, child," she said, past the benthic roar in her ears. "In the ocean. You can see it, measure it. Picture its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through. And it is there. You can see it. You know what it is. It is a wave." She smiled, so achingly gentle. "And then it crashes in the shore and it is gone."

Klynt slammed back into her chair, coughing up brine that didn't exist. She clutched the tabletop, her eyes squinched shut, and she started badly when knobby hands covered her own but she flipped her palms around to hold the Witness's hands. Créchemother hands, grandmother hands, hands that had done a lifetime of work and now held her like the lost child she was, her knobbly thumbs rubbing soothing circles into the backs of Klynt's calloused, murderous fingers.

"Impatient girl," the Witness murmured, without rancor. "You will hurt yourself, reaching for the answer before you are ready."

"Never been patient, either," Klynt croaked, earning a soft laugh.

Finally, with a deep breath that tasted of seaweed, Klynt released the Witness's hands and sat back, taking her nhalisman as she went. "I take it I wasn't supposed to drown until after you gave me my fortune, then? she asked.

"It is a dangerous thing," the Witness said, picking her cards back up, "looking at your own soul. ‘Tis easy to lose yourself. Or perhaps drown in the weight of the pain you carry."

"Little heavy for an All Saints mummer, isn't it?" Klynt pointed out as she stowed her nhalisman. "What's my fortune, then?"

"Combative child," the Witness smiled. "I am to tell you how you hurt."

Klynt froze. "Not 'why'?" The Witness nodded and Klynt sighed, sagging in her chair. "Fine. Let's hear it."

"You have always hurt." The Witness's voice was low and thrumming, deep-sea whalesong notes, and Klynt wondered how Zoissette had perceived the being. "You hold it carefully, and twist in such a way that other people don't have to see it. You don't choke on it. You don't drown. You just have it, the way some people have freckles, this is a thing that lives in your bones. You fold instead of fighting because you know how to make yourself small, tuck away the places where they have clawed at, swallow the bruises so you seem clean. Nobody needs to see it. You will live through this on your own. You know what you need, and relief isn't it. This doesn't mean you cannot reach out - it means it is not in your nature to do so." A smile, in the depths. "You should. Hiding does not mean you won't be seen."

Klynt held that ancient, ancient gaze for a long moment, then let out her breath in a slow sigh. The tent walls rippled but stayed in place.

"Go to your friend," the Witness said, eternity echoing behind her words. "Sit, and speak, and convince yourselves that the kit has played a wild trick on you this eve. And in the moons ahead, look to each other, and help each other stay strong. Ask for the help you offer so freely. Good luck, Pirate of Light." She leaned forward and squeezed Klynt's hand again. "And for what it is worth, I am sorry."

Klynt gently squeezed her fingers back and stood from her chair. Nyx - was it Nyx? What happened to their eye? - met her outside the tent and took her by the hand without a word. Klynt let herself be led along until they were climbing one of the stairs behind the city wall and Zoissette was blinking owlishly at them as they came up over the edge.

"...Klynt? Did you-" Zoissette started, then stopped.

"Yeah," Klynt said. "Shite, Nyx, was that necessary?"

"Yes," Nyx said simply, pressing an All Saints cookie into each of their hands. "Watching the stars will help. But more, you two know each other well enough.

“I will be going now. Trust one another.”

She turned, and went back towards the staircase, not sparing a glance back for either of them.

Zoissette stood and just sort of looked at Klynt for several long seconds. Klynt looked at the cookie in her hand, and shoved the entire thing in her mouth.

Zoissette’s eyes darted back and forth, watching Klynt’s face, carefully. She stepped closer, and placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“Swive both of us, and Nyx too,” muttered Klynt.

“...are you okay?” asked Zoissette.

"Are you?" Klynt countered. "You haven't even eaten your cookie yet."

Zoissette looked down at the cookie in her hand, and, lifting it to her mouth with both hands, took a slow bite, and chewed on it thoughtfully. She looked at Klynt over the top of her glasses as she did so, quietly eating.

Klynt sighed and leaned on the parapet wall. "No," she admitted. "Not quite. And I don't think you are either, cookie or no." She huffed through her nose and leaned her head back, to look at the arching vault above. "...The stars do help, though."

Zoissette turned and looked up at the stars once more, and slowly finished her cookie, dusting its crumbs off her hands onto her pants when she was done.

“You are correct,” she said, quietly. “I am not. And… I do not think I have been for quite some time.” She looked down, and fidgeted with her glasses a bit. “What do you think any of it meant?”

"Hells if I know," said Klynt, with a frown.

Zoissette was quiet for a long moment, before she too turned to look up.

The lights in the sky shone brightly, and the two watched them for some time. If the stars had answers, however, they kept them to themselves.

[ruakichan]

So Rood got revealed and he looks so young! Lol. Didn't expect that or what his design looks like to be honest (blue/gold motif or blond/blue eyed). Misty is 34 and looks more older/ageless so now I'm like "oh, he likes older women heh" but he's probably about her age anyway and just looks so young cause they gave him Zeon's face.

ngl his design looks like it came out of elsword

Getting Misty was painful so I already know the game is gonna make it extra painful trying to get Rood... Last Dragon Knight I want to get is Rothbruk (if his design is also cool) since I'm not interested in the others (maaaaaybe Blackmoon), so at least I should be able to save the other knights' tickets for Rothbruk.

[vampryn]

colourpop literally broke my heart on cyber monday when i went to get my usual stockpile of 5-6 of their “Friday” lipsticks and it had been entirely taken from their website. no sign of any black lipstick at all. what am i supposed to do now?? i used that lipstick for literally everything, liner, lips, brows, designs.. does anybody know if elf’s black liquid lip is comparable?? i dont want to go to blackmoon or anything like that because im not a rich cunt. colourpop’s was perfect bc it was like $6 and was so fuckin good. im fr considering writing an email to them bc this lipstick meant that much to me. i was close to crying when i went online looking for it and couldnt find it. black lipstick is one of my makeup staples and colourpop out here tryna make it that much harder for me. i was gonna buy some other palettes but when i saw there was no black lipstick i was like why bother though.

[poverojerk]

smells like home ~ yes, i’m at home. ☕️🍁🐼🍊 . . . . . . #vscocam #vsco #home #design #coffee #friends #break #stayhome #420 #whale #whaledesign #wood #minimal #orangejuice #colorful #blackmoon #awkward #weird #homsweethome #homedesign #minimalist #minimalint #minimalistic #relax #chillin #chilling https://www.instagram.com/p/BtMudvtA8F5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8bze19qt0n13

[theonyxpath]

Now available in advance PDF via DriveThruRPG: Distant Worlds for Trinity Continuum: Æon!

New Mysteries, New Worlds, New Aliens, and Alien Heroes!

Distant Worlds expands the setting of Trinity Continuum: Æon with new worlds, new alien mysteries, and rules for playing actual aliens, the secretive telepathic Qin.

Distant Worlds requires both Trinity Continuum: Æon and the Trinity Continuum Corebook to play. Inside, you will find:

Further information about the eight extrasolar worlds described in Trinity Continuum: Æon, including new dangers and new opportunities for adventure.

Detailed write-ups of 10 new planets, including one that is home to a recently contacted intelligent alien species.

New technologies for interstellar travel and colonization, as well as a wealth of new devices created by aliens, and new Edges and Paths specifically for interstellar explorers and settlers.

The secrets of humanity’s alien allies, the mysterious Qin. This section includes descriptions of four Qin interstellar colonies as well as rules for creating and playing Qin characters and for designing and using custom-made Qin biosuits.

Sales

DriveThruRPG’s massive GM’s Day Sale is now running! Deep discounts on thousands of products site-wide, including hundreds of products from your favorite publisher*!

Sales include Mage: The Ascension, Exalted, Scion, Chronicles of Darkness, Trinity Continuum: Æon, Pugmire, and much more!

*Assuming that it’s Onyx Path

Scarred Lands products for Pathfinder (the Scarred Lands Players Guide and The Wise & The Wicked 2nd Edition) are upwards of 90% off from Indie Press Revolution! Both products are an incredible $5 each!

Kickstarter Update

We have only one day remaining in the Kickstarter for Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition! We reached our $25,000 funding goal in under three hours, and are currently at $94,085, or 376%! Our thanks to the 1,870 backers!

We’ve reached the following stretch goals so far:

Hunter Storyteller Screen

Tending the Flame: Cells: A chapter on navigating Tier One hunter society. Compacts: A chapter on navigating Tier Two hunter society. Conspiracies: Eight expanded Tier Three hunter writeups.

The Ascending Ones archive: A bundle of Hunter 1e products, including Night Stalkers, Blood Drive, Dark Eras: Fallen Blossoms

Malleus Maleficarum scrolls: A bundle of Hunter 1e products, including Spirit Slayers, Bad Night at Blackmoon Farm, Under the Skin

Records of the Lucifuge: A bundle of Hunter 1e products, including Mortal Remains, Block by Bloody Block, and Tooth and Nail

Council of Bones Transcripts: A bundle of Hunter 1e products, including Witch Finders, Spearfinger, and Dark Eras: Doubting Souls

At-cost Backer T-shirt

Digital wallpaper

Did you miss one of our previous Kickstarters? The following Kickstarted products are still open for preorders via BackerKit:

Scarred Lands: Creature Collection 5e

They Came from Beneath the Sea!: They Came from Beneath the Sea! rulebook

Trinity Continuum: Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

Realms of Pugmire: Pirates of Pugmire

Exalted: Lunars: Fangs at the Gate

Chronicles of Darkness: Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras 2

Chronicles of Darkness: The Contagion Chronicle

Chronicles of Darkness: Deviant: The Renegades

Chronicles of Darkness: Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition

Community Spotlight

The following community-created content for Scarred Lands has been added to the Slarecian Vault in the last week:

The Serpent Amphora 5e Quickstart

Your product could be here! Have you considered creating your own to sell?

The following community-created content for Realms of Pugmire has been added to Canis Minor in the last week:

Your product could be here! Have you considered creating your own to sell?

The Storypath Nexus is now open to Trinity Continuum and Æon products! The following community-created content for Storypath has been added to the Storypath Nexus in the last week:

Scion: Combat: Dancing

Scion: Enondeara, the gods of the Tupi-Guarani

Scion: Supernatural Path: Vigilante

Your product could be here! Have you considered creating your own to sell?

[linuxgamenews]

Take on Fun Challenges and Crackup Hilarity in CosmoPirates

CosmoPirates comedy deckbuilder roguelike game now has a Demo for Linux and Windows PC. Thanks to BlackMoon Design for their imaginative work in bringing players such innovative and engaging design. Available to try out on Steam. I recently dove into the demo of CosmoPirates, a quirky mix of sci-fi and comedy, meshed into a deckbuilder roguelike experience. It's crafted by the folks at BlackMoon Design, and let me tell you, it's shaping up to be quite the adventure. You're out in space, and it's not just any ordinary expanse. It's also a vibrant, cartoonish cosmos, bursting with color and humor. Your mission? To build the mightiest deck ever and take down the CosmoPirates Overlord. But it's not just about reaching the top; it's about the hilarity and challenges you'll face in CosmoPirates along the way. The Linux demo gives us a look into the introductory map, but it's just a taste of the vast universe they're planning. Since the developer is eager for feedback, which is always a great sign.

CosmoPirates Reveal Trailer

Now, let's talk about the mechanics. Each time you embark on a journey, you're greeted with a fresh, procedurally-generated galaxy. It's a smorgasbord of danger, bounty, and some really weird characters. You're free to roam and take on quests in whatever order suits your fancy. Play it safe or go all out – the choice is yours, and your crew's depending on your wit and strategy. The real kicker? The cards, the CosmoPirates cards! They range from gadgets and weapons to gambits and strategies. Since every card can turn the tables in battle. You'll find these treasures through exploration, purchases, and victories in combat. You've got to figure out the best combinations and synergies. And the creativity here is off the charts – would you ever think licking a battery for extra power or reading comic books for more action points would be a thing? In CosmoPirates, it certainly is. But it's not just about conquering battles. You're on a grand quest to overthrow the pirate overlord and claim their throne. And here's the twist – once you succeed, your next playthrough pits you against your previous character, decked out with all their acquired might. CosmoPirates is promising to be a rollicking, strategic, and humor-filled ride through the cosmos. A lot of thought and creativity is going into making this not just a game, but an experience. Can't wait to see how it evolves into the Linux and Windows PC launch. You can try the comedy deckbuilder roguelike and also Wishlist the game on Steam. Due to launch in Q2 2024.

[scion-of-silversheen]

Character Traits: Vellanaris

full name.  Vellanaris Silversheen pronunciation. Vell-ah-nar-iss nicknames. Vella, Dragonhawk height. 5′3″ age. Young Adult zodiac. Leo languages. Common, Thalassian, Orcish, Some Darnassian

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair colour. Sandy Blonde eye colour.  Fel green flecked with hints of gold skin tone. Ashen pale body type. Fit, lithe accent. Over formal, slightly stilted when not speaking Thalassian dominant hand. Right posture. Straight, formal, noble upbringing. scars. Puncture scar just above left butt cheek tattoos. None. most noticeable features. Her eyes, her collar.  A leather collar designed like a pair of dragonhawk wings wrapping around her neck, with the claws hooking into a heart ring at her throat.

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth. Silvermoon City hometown. Silversheen Estate, Eversong Wood birth weight/height. Tiny manner of birth. Natural first words. Bird siblings. Lirialdra Silversheen (Missing); Lyrenessa Silversheen (Sister); Var’ta Silversheen (Brother) parents.   Vexis Silversheen (Father); Sentallia Silversheen (Mother) parental involvement. Largely raised by nurses and caretakers, parental focus on older siblings more likely to inherit family holdings.

ADULT LIFE

Occupation. Lady of Silversheen Estate, overseeing the household staff and the keeping of the family’s grounds.  Spellbreaker in training. Current residence. Silversheen Estate, Eversong Woods.  The Lace Lounge more nights than she’s willing to admit. Close friends. None.  Being the youngest of a Noble Family, she has been fairly isolated, she has acquaintances, but no one she could confidently call a friend. relationship status. Dating Alysri Blackmoon ( @alysri-blackmoon ) financial status. Wealthy vices. Alcohol, sex, bloodthistle cigars.

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation. Lesbian romantic orientation. Lesbian preferred emotional role.  submissive | dominant | switch  |  unsure preferred sexual role.  submissive  | dominant  |  switch |  sex repulsed libido. High turn ons. Tall women, muscles, form fitting dresses, blindfolds, thunderstorms turn offs. Meek personalities, drunkenness love language. Small touches, hair brushing, shared baths relationship tendencies. Still learning what her tendencies are.  She hasn’t been in many serious relationships.

MISCELLANEOUS.

hobbies to pass the time. Sparring/training, sewing, tending Dragonhawks mental illnesses. None physical illnesses. None, Naturally highly resistant to magic due to rituals and training? left or right brained. Left fears. Leaving home, the outcome of the current war, ghosts self confidence level. Relatively good, fairly self confident in her abilities, and her connections and role in the world.  Some worry about what having feelings for a Kaldorei might do to her status among her people. vulnerabilities. Eversong Woods, animals she cares about, her role in the War, allergic to bees.

[ Tagged by @dardillien-ward ]

[ Tagging @alexkestavin; @eliceynbirch ]

[illustratedjai-art]

Blacksun, Blackmoon and Blackstar - Impact LARP Art @lucid-moon-ashworth is always doing art for other players out of the goodness of her heart, so I decided she needed some art of her characters. The Sovereign Soulfeast Sisters are some of my favourite characters in Impact, and their designs are just fab. (They're crystal ladies who are all one person but also different people!)

[3wickedandlovely3]

New Moon Ring antique design, now available in our Etsy store * #newmoonjewelry #newmoonring #blackmoon #blackonyxring #blackcrystal #vintagering #gothicring #gothicjewelry #witchring #witchy #pagan #wiccan #witchesofinstagram #roundring #crystaljeweley #wicked #darkjewelry #etsy #wickedandlovelystore https://www.instagram.com/p/BqAZ55xArhH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hk0lr0pepm2b

[driftward]

Nyx Blackmoon is not, as many assume, some Allagan biomechanical weapon dug up and activated by the Garlean empire.

They are a glorified gascan. That’s why they’re Miqo’te shaped, because the Allagans used Miqo’te as a servant race. Nyx Blackmoon, as designed, is meant to transfer, transport, and convert aether in prodigious quantities.

Tumblr mutuals, strangers, scoundrels, Warriors of Light, villains, gpose addicts, RPers, friends, Domans, countrymen:

I desire to know, what is one headcanon about an OC of yours that you want to talk about, but there's never the good opportunity to?

I'll start:

Amis is asexual and aromantic.

Please RB with your own!

[driftward]

Silver Lining

Title - FFXIV Write 2021 - 25. Silver Lining Characters - Cato mal Praetatus; Kyb mal Donos, Nyx Blackmoon  Rating - Teen Summary - Backstory parts for Nyx Blackmoon. I should really revisit the names for literally every Garlean I’ve ever made up Notes - Originally posted here on 2021-09-26

Cato mal Praetatus walked slowly into his new quarters in the Castrum, casting his gaze around the room. Well, ‘his’. In truth, he felt, they properly belonged to Kyb mal Donos.

His mentor.

His friend.

A brilliant mind, a rising star in the Garlean empire.

Now dead.

Half the staff stationed to the Castrum had been lost. Another tenth had been turned, ‘tempered’ by one of the horrible Eikons summoned up by the savages. The central core areas of the Castrum had come out unscathed, constructed as they were in the remains of some ancient Allagan facility. It had been designed to keep the things made there in, in case of an accident.

They worked just as well at keeping things out. It had been a fortunate thing. The staff that had survived had done so by fleeing to the core, to the labs, to the inner sanctums of the facility.

Kyb mal Donos had not been so fortunate. He had been out with subordinates, and gotten lost in the confusion.

And was now gone.

Cato brushed his fingers along the desk of his mentor.

“You promised me that I would have a desk like this one day,” he murmured. “… my own lab, my own works. But not like this.”

He swept his gaze around the room, ending to be fixed upon the soldier who was still waiting in the doorway for his lord’s first orders. He pointed at them.

“I am given to understand that there were those who were with mal Donos the day of the attack. I want their reports on my desk immediately.”

The soldier saluted. “Yes, my lord!”

Cato sat heavily down at ‘his’ desk as the soldier ran off to carry out his order.

There was much to be done. The Castrum would need to be abandoned, its contents gutted, its equipment moved elsewhere. He had the authority of a Tribunus - for now. But only to retire the Castrum and its projects. The actual Tribunus was busy putting down the last embers of rebellion.

There was so much to do.

But first, he would mourn his friend, in his own way.

He settled into the chair, feeling himself sink down into it, and stared at the floor.

~~~

He’d started early, and had stayed late.

What had started as a grieving process had grown.

He’d read the reports. Of course he had. He had been ready for a lot of things. He had been prepared for grief. He had been prepared to be angry. He had been prepared to read about how his mentor had been somehow betrayed by his lackeys. Or perhaps to read a story of incompetence edging on maliciousness that had lead to his mentor’s death.

He had been prepared to have just been useless, and sad, and overwhelmed.

What he had not been prepared for was to read an unexpected tale.

He had known of mal Donos’ difficulties with the Allagan technology, of course. They had spoken at length. So many experiments, and all of them varying degrees of failure. Oh, sure, the Castrum had produced a promising piece of magitek or a useful turn of aethertech, it was true. True enough that the Castrum was allowed to continue operating.

But what mal Donos was after had eluded his grasp… or so he had thought.

One of his experiments - the only successful one in its line - had apparently blossomed in the fire.

It had been witnessed protecting others from the dread tempering of the Eikon, through means not understood.

It had been shown to be capable of aetheric manipulation, so similar to that which the savages practiced.

Oh, sure, it had gotten damaged, and even now it was apparently ‘recuperating’ - what ridiculousness - but two of mal Donos’ senior researchers had managed to recover it from the field despite the difficulties of the ongoing battle neither of them were trained for.

In fact, it seemed that the experiment had been instrumental to their survival.

Cato mal Praetatus was now surrounded, not just by the reports from mal Donos’ last moments, but more than that. Reports on the experiments. Readings. Data.

The death of his mentor was a tragedy, unnecessary - but there was a silver lining to its cause, it seemed.

He might not have his mentor anymore.

But his mentor still had him.

And he would show the empire what they had found.