#blizzard on pier

[willoftrees]

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Severe Snowstorm in Edmonds, Washington Winter 2021 (part II)

Edmonds Fishing Pier, taken by me

[hellenhighwater]

The weather is changing, and I am dreaming of Superior again.

It's not always; not even often. But enough that the dreams linger through the day. And it's not the same dream, either, it's different in little ways. Sometimes the beaches are rough pale sand with the treeline far away, retreating from the surf; sometimes it's wave-tumbled round stone, sometimes it's foliated shale, the rocky lakebed teeth chewing up the driftwood;and sometimes there's no beach at all, just the abrupt cessation of forest where the water begins. Always, I am at the shore, and the world is going wrong.

The sky is low and grey and green and roiling, but I don't look up, because there is always something closer, more desperate, that must be dealt with first. Years ago, it was a creaking grey wooden house, warping in the wind and sparking suddenly with fire. Did you know that house fires are loud? They're deafening, like something roaring with hunger, never stopping to inhale. Sometimes the burning house is Vermilion Station; sometimes it's just a twisting old thing that I cannot find the doors to. Usually I am not alone, and I am trying to get someone else out. Sometimes it's a stranger; sometimes it is someone long dead in the waking world.

Sometimes there's a pier, slick wet concrete or smooth-worn wood, old enough that the grain is worn into grooves. The pier juts like a spine out into the lake, and I am running down, yelling into the wind at a ship tossing in the dark waves, unheard over the storm. The ship is sometimes a steel mammoth full of cargo, sometimes a billow of white sails. Always it is just at the edge of capsizing, far beyond my reach. Often, the storm overhead begins reaching down, turning and turning into a tornado, into blinding flare of lightning, into a white curtain of blizzard. Sometimes, over the howling storm, I hear a different rush of water, like some flood is crashing down the Porcupines, heading towards the shore.

And the water is always black and endless, which is how I know it's Superior. Jagged white-capped waves, icy wind and no hint of salt in the air; spray that touches your face like sleet. The dreams are often long, often confusing, always hurried, but they always end the same way.

I am at the edge of the water, looking north, and the horizon begins to bow upwards, as whatever is in the deep water begins to rise, lifting the lake on its back, bigger than a ship, bigger than a city, displacing water but moving so quickly that the whole surface of Superior is bulging upwards, breaking closer and closer to the surface--

(watching on the shoreline, I am not afraid. Fear is what came before this. Now that it is coming, I am only waiting. I am only a witness to whatever comes next)

--and always, before it breaches, I wake.

It is October, and Superior is calling.

[your-resident-boat-person]

what are some underrated boats that you dont think get enough love or appreciation and why?

sincerely,

#1 sailboat fan ⛵

For me, I'd say White Star Lines SS Germanic. She was 455 feet long and 5,008 Gross Registered Tons. She was delivered to the White Star Line in 1875 as the sister of the SS Britannic. These ships were largely considered to be a scaled up version of the Oceanic class from 1870, but her career is what makes her interesting to me. She had 1 propeller powered by compound steam engines, and a service speed of 16 knots (30 km/h, or 18 mph). At this speed, she and her sister won back the Blue Ribband for the White Star Line. Like the Oceanic class, she was rigged as a barque with sails in case of emergency, which came in handy when in January of 1883 her propeller shaft sheared at sea, and she had to make the rest of the journey by sail. She was the last White Star liner to be constructed primarily out of iron. After her, all of their ships were made from steel. In April of 1885, she encountered a rogue wave, which struck her and caused substantial damage. Six lifeboats had been torn away, the skylights to her engine rooms were smashed, and her pilot house was crushed. Water flooded into the boiler and engine rooms, a hole was torn into the side of the reading room, which quickly flooded (followed by the saloon and staterooms), and 13 people were injured, with one sailor being washed overboard. On 13th of February 1899, she was caught in a massive blizzard at her pier in New York. An estimated 1,800 Tons of snow and ice fell atop her superstructure. This added weight was enough to make her list enough that water could enter her open Coaling ports. She sank at her pier. She was refloated, repaired, and resumed service three months later. Starting around 1904, she changed hands numerous times, until finally landing in the Ottoman empire, and being renamed Gul Djemal / Gülcemal. She served as a troop transport until 1920, when she became a passenger ship again. She was retired from service in 1937, but wasn't scrapped until 1950. There were plans to convert her into a floating hotel (like the Queen Mary would be in 1970) but this never came to fruition. Having been in service for 75 years, she is the second longest serving ocean liner, behind Cunard Line's SS Parthia. She survived both World Wars (even though she played no part in the second World War). Her sister ship Britannic was scrapped in 1904, after serving in the Second Boer War as a troop ship.

[tieflingkisser]

More Aid Was Going to Gaza BEFORE the Aid Pier Was Built

What has Biden's $320M Gaza aid pier accomplished?

The U.S. military’s third-of-a-billion dollar aid pier in Gaza is now finished but are the Palestinian civilians caught in the warzone any better off? This weekend, I set out to answer this seemingly basic question and quickly got lost in a blizzard of context-free facts and figures advanced by governments, aid agencies and news outlets. “More than 569 tons of aid delivered across floating pier into Gaza, says US CENTCOM,” a Reuters headline blared last Tuesday, dutifully repeating the Pentagon’s talking point. So many tons sounds like a lot of aid, but absent from the article was any context for the figure: how much of the aid passing through the pier ultimately reached Gazans, how much aid Gazans require, what was the nature of the aid (food, water, medicine, tents, etc.), and what was the timeframe.  One of the few attempts to contextualize this figure that I could find came, from all places, the U.S. government. During a press conference on humanitarian aid to Gaza last Thursday, USAID made a startling admission: less aid is reaching Gaza since the pier was constructed than before. “In terms of how that compares to what had been getting in prior to the recent military activities in Rafah governate [sic]” the Director of USAID's Levant Response Management Team, Daniel Dieckhaus, said, “the amount of assistance that had been getting in was higher in April than it is now,” noting that the amount that the U.N. agencies have been able to collect from border points was down, especially as the access points have declined in number. So, broadly speaking, the aid situation has actually worsened despite the existence of the pier. Dieckhaus called the decline “logical” due to “recent military activities” — a tactful allusion to Israel’s slowing of aid deliveries into Gaza and the increasingly complex concentration in Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are crammed into a small area while fighting goes on all around them. 

[keep reading]

[the-lilac-inn]

Nancy Drew Game Aesthetic #32. Sea of Darkness

The green glow of the Northern Lights. Footsteps crunching across snowy paths. Salt air. Rusted metal. Barnacles on the light house walls. Thick wool sweaters. Twinkling Christmas lights. A loneliness that cuts to the bone. Icebergs. Icicles. Heavy ropes. A hearty meal by a crackling fire. Breath fogging in the freezing night. A coat that's never warm enough. The hum of a motorboat skimming through water. Waves lapping against the deserted pier. A warm cabin with cozy blankets. Curling up while a blizzard rages. Love letters written with shivering hands, tucked inside your pocket to keep you warm. The crinkling of a newspaper. The buzz of a snowmobile. Local legends recounted in hushed tones. Buried treasure. Icy caves. Love and loss in equal measure.

[jugsjules]

I love learning about the kind of niche, hyper-location-specific things we all learn as kids that become mostly useless when you move anywhere else. I have so much knowledge about the undertow current that runs along the west michigan lakeshore and how to not get pulled into it and how to safely swim back to shore if you drift too far out and the dangers of lake ice and pier jumping and what to do in case of hypothermia. I know how to minimize heating costs in a blizzard thru hanging blankets and wrapping windows. When swan nesting season is and how no amount of running will save you if you didn’t notice the big angry yet very stealthy bird in time.

Then I moved to NYC and suddenly there was a tornado watch and i was like “oh wait i didn’t really learn about those bc they bounce over the dunes, do people here take those seriously????” Turns out they don’t, but it is good to know the signs that a manhole might explode.

Then the canadian wildfires happened and the smoke cloud descended and we were all asking our california friends “hey wtf do we do?” and they were like “take a spare hepa filter you have lying around and tape it to a box fan” and we were like “who the fuck has spare filters lying around???”

[volskayadottxt]

okay so like this is just my Train Of Thought but im not as shaken up by todays news as i thought id be. for a few reasons, i think:

im a different person than i was in 2019

i have a better understanding of how games are made

story mode is still in tact which is what i wanted

i have my phd to finish lol

as far as seasonal content goes im p happy w the game

i play the game more competitively now and ive noticed it changed my relationship w pve

it mostly just sucks to think abt all the contradictions that lead up to this. i think we all agree ow2 was announced way too early in a confusing and unclear way, and i blame abk corpos for that. but i also cant help but feel jeff kaplans vision was doomed from the start. in hindsight, talent trees for every new hero means 40+ new abilities every 4 months. that scope isnt possible without an army.

hero missions were also rly poorly defined from the start. it seems like they wanted to make 100s of handcrafted non-canon missions to grind out progression, which again, huge scope problem. even under the BEST conditions (which we all know isnt the case at blizzard--again abk corpos) that would be a pipe dream. thats just... a decade worth of work.

then kaplan takes off, and so does a lot of senior leadership w him. new team 4 leadership were given a shitty situation and had to pick up the pieces. if anything, im most upset abt all the stuff being vaulted, years of work gone bc of mismanagement on the directorial and executive level. as dumb as it sounds idk if we would have even had an ow2 with kaplan in the drivers seat.

i suppose there are lessons to be taken from this, but idk if the ppl who theyre most relevant for will take them. kaplans team tried to make titan not once but twice, and if the rumors ive heard are true its possible theyre trying a third time at a secret startup studio. maybe the best thing to do is to just let it go. koticks a ceo hes fucking clueless and should take a long walk off a short pier.

that being said: ill always be a little sad for what we couldve had, but im also excited for what we are getting and im a lot happier w current leadership on team 4. really excited abt the lore codex, shorts, new (peruvian) support, the tank who is probably mauga, dndwatch, hero mastery systems, etc etc. sad that stuff got overshadowed today.

[roamingbadger]

Calling all writers and fanartists! We need your help to get to 100 works in the Declan Fraser/Alison Heywood (Sanditon) tag on AO3.

Full description of how you can participate beneath the cut, along with the transcribed list of words.

Join our Fralison Quest for 100!

The game is simple: roll a 100-sided die or use a random number generator to pull as many words as you like from the list of 100. The resulting numbers correspond to the words that make up your prompt. Repeat as many times as you like! Our goal is to reach 100 fanworks in the ship tag by December 31st, 2023. As of this posting, we have 69 (nice).

The words below were suggested by our diehard Declan and Alison shippers in our All Things Fralison discord server. If you love these two and you are looking for a tight-knit group of fellow fans, please join us! We'd love to have you, and I promise we don't bite.

Word list below:

Thunderstorm

Sabbatical

Subway

Bonfire

Babysitter

Breakfast

Date

Postman

Sympathy

Saturdays

Rollerblading

Supermarket

Crossword

Coffee

College

Waterpark

Athlete

Festival

Park

Farm

Bookstore

Guitar

Mystery

Claddagh

Library

Adoption

Goat

Night

Ranger

Combat

Principal

Frosty

Unplugged

Heatwave

Piano

Nightmare

Sun

Reading

Caregiver

Detective

Summer

Zoo

Parents

Lifeguard

Kennel

Camping

Island

Lies

Harmonica

Pimpernel

Pumpkin

Lake

Navy

Singing

Castle

Secretary

Aperitif

ComicCon

Plane

Pier

Lost

Travel

Mist

Surf

Jealousy

Sunflowers

Counting

Uber

Medieval

Cream

TRX

Telescope

Holiday

Desert

Stadium

Hostel

Christmas in July

Avalanche

Grandmother

Backpacking

Thames

Blizzard

Boat

Class

Pregnancy

Acting

Office

Appointment

Oasis

Sea

Waves

Cottage

Rugby

Barbecue

Train

Letters

House-exchange

Fired

Parade

Newborn

[ravenveenova97]

Meet the girls of the Pokémon world

I’m a new Fanfic writer and been working on 4 Pokémon fanfics, disclaimer everyone is aged up in these as in real life we all get older and so do they, so let me introduce you to the girls of the world of Pokémon

Raven

Age: 22

Zodiac: Pisces

Birthday: 26th Feb

Hight: 5.3

Partner Pokémon: Zoroark

Trainer type: Dark

Romantic partner: Jacq and Arven

Gender romance preference: Male/Female 

She once lived in Paldea with her perants and her little sister a year younger then her, she had a close friend growing up and that was Jacq, things were not going well with her mum and dad after he lost he’s job resorting him to get depressed and turn to drinking soon after he became violent and the mum had to deside to leave him to keep her kids safe, Raven left Paldea at age 10 saying fairwell to Jacq but she made a promise she will return one day, Raven family moved to Galar and she made friends with Piers, Raihan, Leon and Sonia, she grew up in Gala for 10 years and soon she returned to Paldea accompanied by her sister Kio and her Pokémon she got in Galar a Zoroark with unbelievable abilities and a strange white mark in he’s fur.

Fang

Age: 26

Zodiac: Aries

Birthday: April 19th

Hight: 5.6

Partner Pokémon: Absol

Trainer type: mix 

Romantic partner: Leon and Hop

Gender romance preference:Male/Female 

Fang is a spunky Trainer full of confidence and pride, she grew up in Galar with her close friend Sonia and hung with her all the time, when she was old enough she started her journey and along the way Sonia introduced Fang to everyone Piers,Raihan,Leon,Hop and Marnie.

Fang is short tempered and hates to lose so when Piers defeated her in the champion cup she was angry and upset with her self as she let her Pokémon down.

Fang left the stadium without watching the rest of her friends go threw the cup, as soon as she got home she left Galar and erased all contact from everyone but Sonia.

Fang trained in Alola and became a member of Team Skull she lived with them for 16 years and once she turned 18 she started dating their leader Guzma 

Fang became Alola champion and she soon returned to Galar and hides her hair and face to take on the Galar star torniment with her Partner Raihan

Crystal

Age: 19

Zodiac: Aquarius 

Birthday: January 20th

Hight: 5.1 

Partner Pokémon: Lycanrock midnight form

Trainer type: mix/cyberpunk 

Romantic partner: Guzma

Gender romance preference: Male

Crystal is the 3rd in command leader of Team Skull, she has a very strong will and fowl mouthed you often see her picking a fight with Guzma as soon as they come in contact of each other, insults are herled around and members of Team skull sometimes have to brake up a fight between them.

Crystal is very good friends with Plum and with good reason, Plum saved Crystals life when she was disowned by her parents because she was albino she was tould to cover up and don’t let anyone see your skin or hair, she was a big disappointment to them and as soon as she hit 18 she was throw to the streets to survive on her own by stealing and picking pockets.

Plum and Crystal shear a special bond like sisters would have and Plum is always there to put Guzma in he’s place.

But one thing happens with Crystal and Guzma that no one thought would happen as they both hated each others guts and all it took was a drinking game and one night.

Seraphine

Age:20

Zodiac: Scorpio

Birthday: 15th November

Hight: 5.10

Partner Pokémon: Dacopult 

Trainer type: Dragon/Ghost

Romantic partner: N

Gender romance preference: Male

Seraphine is a dedicated Pokémon researcher from Galar she a gental soul with a heart that could melt any frozen heart, she has a big fondness of Dragon and Ghost type Pokémon, her home town is in the crown tundra a small village wrapped in mystery, when she was just a little girl she got lost in a blizzard and fell pray to the harsh environment or so she thought for when she awoke she saw a majestic Pokémon with a black body and a long purple main walk out of an old ruin after saving her, she is currently in Unova researching Pokémon that habit that area and looking for the meany legendary Pokémon that have shown up there.

[dlnorton]

(As I write this, the Tropical Storm Hilary has yet to land its full force into the Southern California region.. but its 24 hours away and coming in..)

Here’s the thing about the hurricane Hilary coming in to give Southern California a huge, and potentially, a much needed bath.. it’s the irony.. (btw..Southern California really needs the water after a horrendous two to three year drought) Southern California has had it’s share of natural disasters.. namely brush fires and earthquakes.

I currently live in the Denver, CO region along the Front Range, but my hometown is Riverside, CA. I’ve also lived in Los Angeles in various communities during my younger days as a starving artist.

Living in SoCal since 1970, I lived through 3 major earthquakes and countless brush fires. Brush fires so bad, at one time in the early to mid 1990s fire seasons, I could see all of those fires (1993-94?) 360° around me in the mountains and foothills. It was a crazy time.

Growing up, I also lived in two states, Florida and Texas. I don’t even remember severe weather back in those days. I don’t even remember hurricane Gladys in 1968 hitting the Florida panhandle where we lived when I was 6 years old. Hell, I barely remember any tornado that came in. Of course today, here in the Denver area, I’m connected 24/7 to all tornado and weather alerts.. and I won’t mention the crazy snow storms and blizzards..

But hurricane Hilary is a conundrum to me. It’s like a cartoon.. it’s there, but it’s two dimensional. I have family and friends that are right now bracing for this potential disaster, what with the possibility of catastrophic flooding and wind damage.

The last event equal to this was around 1937-38. Massive flooding due to run off that the hard SoCal ground can’t absorb, and the ground is still like this today, from the deserts to the sea.. pancake hard. I know the Los Angeles River and the Santa Ana River are the main concourses that will have to take the brunt of this deluge that will be coming. I can only imagine.

The majority of the storm is currently hitting the east from Palm Springs to all points eastward. Arizona and Nevada will surely get a drenching.. and probably within a week, we’ll start to see remnants coming into Colorado.

But something like this has never happened to the southwest U.S. in over 85 years.. or what has been referred to as the 100 year flood event. It’s bound to happen but not as a Tropical Storm.. “Pshhh! This happens to Florida, the Caribbean and the Eastern Seaboard.. not the west coast..!!” SoCal did have a horrendous Pacific storm in the late 1980’s that tore up a good chunk of the L.A. and Orange County beaches.. tore off a pier or two. I do remember that one. Rained for days..

So here I am.. getting ready to watch my old stomping grounds get tested by the storm of the century.. seems unreal, but there it is.. in all it’s wet sloppy glory.

Go easy on them Hilary.. it’s their first time..

..and..

huh?

What?

Southern California really dodged a bullet..?

Oh fuck me..

[willoftrees]

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Severe Snowstorm in Edmonds, Washington Winter 2021

Edmonds Fishing Pier, taken by me

[gnomeyflamingo]

✮ A Kind of Successful Party ✮

It’s Atreo’s birthday today! I thought I’d use the Copperdale Pier to celebrate but the snowfall is just too heavy, so the birthday party is happening in this little dilapidated factory.

Atreo: “I’m excited, even though the snow is kinda ruining my party."

Acco: “Are you going to hate and blame snow forever now?"

Alejandro: “Acco-”

Acco: "What? He does this!”

Atreo: "Acco’s just jealous. And who can blame him? I have so much more going for me."

Nadia: “Hello everyone! Please someone talk to my child.”

Kiry: “Hi Atreo, happy birthday! I was in the midst of engaging my mum in a conversation regarding the victims in Olive Specter’s graveyard.”

Atreo: “That sounds pretty cool, tell me more about it.”

Nadia: “Phew."

Kiry: Knut Futa has the most corrupted file in the Sims 2 and when you resurrect him, he’ll act like a baby- Oh but I’m rambling. Here. I have a present for you.”

Atreo: “A nightlight, thanks!”

Kiry: “Oh we hug now? Uhm okay.”

Atreo: “Omw I’m so happy you could make it!”

Asmara: “No blizzard is going to stop me. Is Aldo here?”

Atreo: “Sorry no, he couldn’t come. He came down with a serious case of not invited.”

Atreo: “Come on, you guys should let me win, it’s my birthday!”

Acco: “I am actually trying but you’re just too bad at this!”

Kiry: “I regret to say that Acco is correct.”

Asmara: "We could put our controllers down?"

(for app) >> Next Page >> Previous Page

❧ Back to the Legacy Archive

[ezamevolni]

Distinctions between Cute and Sus

I guess this is common sense but in the shipping realm, common sense is often MIA.

I'm deep into shipping so I've been around these waters quite a bit now and have noticed most so-called 'my ship is real' moments are just very, very cute. But definitively romantic? Nope.

Cute moments are totally ship-worthy but they are not significant as proof the two people are involved in a special relationship.

Exercise #1

The members are close to each other's families.

Jimin called out "Eommoni~" to Jk's mom and Jk's mom told Jimin "I love you!".

RM and Jin's family got together to watch Bangbangcon. RM and Jin's dads are great friends who hang out daily.

Jk often imitates Suga's dad and Suga said that his dad calls Jk gentle/softie.

Are Jikook, Namjin, Yoonkook in romantic relationships because their families are close?

Ans: Seventeen is in a polygamous marriage. Hoshi says 'hi' while eating galbi with Joshua's mom in LA.

Exercise #2

The members often hang out together in private.

Jikook and their Tokyo trip. Nuff said. Only two who went on a long distance trip together so far.

Vmin used to do long walks on the pier when they couldn't sleep during their Japan tours.

Taekook and their recent outings skiing, bowling, watching a musical.

Vope who went on a candlelit rooftop dinner date.

Sin who went biking and fishing during their long break in 2019.

Were Jikook, Vmin, Taekook, Vope, Sin all on romantic dates?

Ans: Let's just pretend for a second that friendly hangouts are a thing. Yes, even between two men. I know this can come as a shock to some but deep breathes, it's alright.

Exercise #3

The members love skinship.

[Insert X amount of hugs, kisses, massages, butt slaps.]

Are [all 21 BTS ship names] in a secret relationship?

Ans: Right, because the 21-ships orgy fan fictions you read on ao3 is but a glimpse into their open-mindedness and deviance.

To think I wrote the answer part before finding the example...and was spoon fed confirmation down in the comments thread 😭

Exercise #4

The members know private details about each other.

Jin knew when Jk took English or drum lessons.

V loved to show off Jhope's sleeping habits on variety shows.

RM knew Suga was going to see the dermatologist the next day after filming.

Jk knew V recently went to get nail care.

[insert X amount of instances they showed certain members their solo work before release.]

Are Jinkook, Vope, Namgi and Taekook (and more) accidentally revealing how much attention they pay to their partners?

Ans: Contrary to popular belief, the members still talk to each other after the cameras are cut.

Exercise #5

They look great together. In the group photo, the two of them stand out as 'that couple'.

[What's this? Top tier all-male group hides three couples and loner Sunshine cried asking 'Where's my other half?'] Read p9 for the full story

Are Vmin, Yoonkook, Namjin, Jikook, Taekook, Jihope, Jinkook, Minimoni using the chance to show off their relationships?

Ans: This is the very reason why tabloid mags and clickbait articles still have readers.

When you see your OTP interacting, that excitement and happiness is from the same place in your brain that activates when you get a sip of hot cocoa after coming inside from a raging blizzard. You find them cute, lovely, more of that please! But it's just that. Those moments show the chemistry, rapport or good relations between the two. It doesn't automatically support them as 'boyfriends/girlfriends'. It does not Define the relationship.

Jinkook have plenty of cute moments. Plenty. But those don't say 'They're dating'. I can show my friend a video of them hugging, smiling at each other, playing around, but I can't stop the video and ask "Now do you see how in love they are??" My non-army friend will think I've finally gone bananas from the internet. Lots of moments that I find cute about Jinkook fizzle to bits once I lift them out of the shipping realm. Very very squeal-inducing, but does not define them as a couple.

I gave so many counterexamples of what not to consider when trying to ship a 'real' couple. So what're the correct things to look for? Ha, if I had solid examples, I wouldn't still be floundering here on the internet. In the realm of shipping, the correct answer is: no single moment can prove that a ship is real. Shipping is fun but if you want to be serious about it and actually consider if the two people are dating irl secretly, guess what, it's detective time. If you don't have a recorded confession, well it's time to get down to the nitty gritty, start theorizing, find evidence and make your stand. It's work and effort now, not just appreciating the cute moments as they appear on your tl. Unfortunate I know.

Legend says there exists another kind that is more thought-provoking and nuanced. After seeing such instances, the correct reaction should contain a little bit of self-doubt, discomfort and a pinch of 'Let me rewind'. And the next thought following should be 'that can't be. I'm reading too much into it. They're just brothers.' And then somewhere down the line you might join me here. These are moments you spotted in the wild and not in a shipper edit. The moment has to be organic.

Of course, that goes for any ship at all about any two people on the planet. Who's to say whose instincts are right? ☺️

[kats-chaotic-wonderland]

So, trying to put this Sylvanas cottagecore fic together has given me some brain rot.

Rambling complaining below.

Like, I haven't looked at any wow lore since burning legion, and just trying to get the streamlined version of what has happened to Sylvanas since the teldrasil issue is a pain in my ass. (I know teldrasil wasn't BL it was BFA I think, but last time I gave a shit about wow was BL) like, I shouldn't need a 4+ hour lore video to tell me she went from A to B, to C, then the Saurfang thing happened, then the jailer, now she's here. Like can one of you lore nerds be concise? I don't need to know the background of everyone and everything, just give me the bullet points. And no the Wiki doesn't help it's a mess of information and links that my tism does not like trying to sift through. And no, I will not be playing the game. Ever. All I will ever give that game is that I want Sylvanas to step on me and Illidan is perfect for cuddles. That's it. Blizzard doesn't deserve my money. And the current writing team can jump off a pier.

[davidbaunach]

SolarMonk and the Wonderverse

I had a 6 hour drive yesterday, and all that boredom contributed to some creativity.

Myself and a friend had been discussing the possibility of making a fully copyright-free-open-source-whatever literary universe. This gets around a lot of the problems people typically have with fan art or fan fics or any other attempts to make art inspired by something that's locked down by corporate interests. And then of course you have stuff like the Lord of the Rings and all of CS Lewis' stuff that is locked down by his family, and again, becomes something unusable due to corporate greed.

We discussed various starting points that were already in the public domain: King Arthur, The Odyssey, E. Nesbit's stories. But all of them felt a little too confining.

Then inspiration struck: Alice in Wonderland.

It's so insane, it allows for anything to branch off from it.

One particular literary universe that always frustrated me with how tightly it's overlords controlled it is Warhammer 40K.

But that whole universe could easily be accessed via Wonderland: Alice wanders off into the woods, and the next thing she knows she's surrounded by giant iron warriors fighting bugs from space, and Games Workshop can take a long walk off a short pier.

And on top of all that, there's already a lively community around Wonderland, with movies and tv shows and anime and fan fics stretching out the Wonderverse in all directions.

Anyway, back to the 6 hour drive.

I came up with a simple game, set in the Wonderverse, that could be played with pen and paper and a D6, though I also threw together a spreadsheet since I wanted to test it a bunch and see if it was varied enough to provide interesting results, and so far it is.

I put together a repo with the rules and the spreadsheet here: https://github.com/davidbaunach/solarmonk/tree/main

But here it is if you don't want to click through:

SolarMonk

Alice and Cheshire Cat stumble upon a monastery of Benedictine monks as they walk through a forest clearing. They do not know the way to the garden, but they are fascinated by its description, and plan to build their own one day. After a pleasant meal, Alice and Cheshire Cat continue on their way, and the monks continue their life of prayer and sustainable living. How long will they survive?

Begin with: 50 monks 50 food

Each year: +2D6 food +D6 new monk(s) joining -D6 monk(s) dying of old age/accident

Role D6 for each aspect of the year:

Earth

Earthquake (-10 food, -1 monk)

Sinkhole (-1 food, -1 monk)

Calm (+1 food)

Sleepy (no change)

Tranquil (+1 food)

Fruitful (+5 food)

Air

Thunderstorms (-5 food)

Blizzards (-1 monk)

Tornado (-5 food, -1 monk)

Wildfires (-5 food, -1 monk)

Pleasant Breezes (+5 food)

Balmy (+5 food, +1 monk)

Water

Gentle rains (+5 food)

Heavy rains (-5 food)

Flooding (-15 food)

Drought (-10 food)

Healthy rains (+5 food, +1 monk)

Average rains (+1 food)

Fire

Extreme heat (-5 food, -1 monk)

Cool temperatures (no change)

Comfortable (+1 food)

Temperate (+5 food)

Mild (no change)

Extreme humidity (-1 food, -1 monk)

Ether

Miracles (+10 food, +10 monks)

War (-10 food, -5 monks)

Plague (-10 food, -10 monks)

Malaise (-3 food, -1 monk)

Neutral (no change)

Satisfaction (+3 food, +3 monks)

5 extra food may be given to the poor for +1 monk before next year begins

The game ends when you want it to, or when food or monks reaches 0.

[ashitomarisu]

CROSSCANONS: I did not ask for double. (Love Live x Precure)

[Kanan attempts to confuse the Yes!Pre gang with a game of doppleganger].

During a random fight in Numazu against a revived Hoshina, Mint and Rouge pause to witness the absence of Aqua. Thinking she went to protect the aquarium nearby, they resume. However...

???: Sapphire Arrow!! *multiple rapid-fire water projectiles hit the Hoshina from side*

Standing on the pier seems to be Cure Aqua, but something was off.

Dream: Aqua?

Rouge: How did she...

Mint: *taking a closer look* It can't be. Her ponytail is too short, or even fanned out like the real one.

Rouge: WHO ARE YOU?!

????: *treading forward; acting ambitious* You can't tell? I'm Cure Aqours.

Mint: Cure...

Dream: Aqours?

Aqours: Of course! Milky Rose, you believe me, right?

Milky Rose: *dead stare* Not even close. You sound like that one idol, Naho Kawak--

Aqua: *shuts her comrade up* WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT. Anyways, what in the world kind of imposter is this?!

Aqours: More like what's with that cosplay?

Aqua: *dead stare* YOU DARE MOCK THE ORIGINAL CURE AQUA?!

[She draws her arrows back for a direct shot].

Aqours: Really? Is that really the best you got?

Aqua: You have the count of three to reveal yourself.

???: Kanan, just stop this foolish stunt.

[Emerging from her house, Chika runs over to stop the fight.]

Kanan: Chika...

Chika: *bows on the sand* I'm terribly sorry. Kanan has been staying with Dia, watching too many random anime. She was just so excited to see you here and wanted to play along.

Dream: *in her usual aloofness* That's so cool! You know about us?!

Rouge: This is no time for games.

Aqua: She's right. This is a dangerous area to be around at the moment.

[In the background, the Hoshina is pummelling the heck out of Lemonade and Mint tries to assist in rescuing. Milky Rose uses her signature Metal Blizzard to stop in its tracks].

Kanan: ...but, I really wanted to help out.

Chika: Come on, we should leave them to finish their job.

[The two retreat back inside the ryokan, when Aqua stops them for a moment].

Aqua: ..by the way, how were you able to perform that attack?

Kanan:...

(screen cuts to black)

Yohane....