#ie. one armor set/one look

[heavenbled]

a collection of my fave nighthawk screenies <3 <3

NEPTUNE ANDAR

SAO TAE

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Oct 6th

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1. Hello. I’m hoping you can help me find a fic. In it Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are poisoned at Jinlintai and fake their deaths. Their bodies are brought back to the ancestral hall at cloud recesses and they escape and live away from the cultivation world for many years. Theres two parts and in the second part the sect leaders come to their mountain thinking immortals live there and asking for help dealing with problems they can’t solve. (Ie The Lan sect is dealing with resentful ghost). Thanks!! @vegdawn

FOUND? To live with no regrets Series by Lyna_Mei (E, 96k, WIP, WangXian, Fix-It of Sorts, Canon Divergence, Angst, Self-Esteem Issues, Golden Core Reveal, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Developing Relationship, non-consensual marriage, CQL-Verse, Case Fic, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Cultivation Sect Politics, Cultivation World Critical, Not JGY Friendly, Family Feels, Found Family, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Top/Bottom Versatile | Switch WangXian)

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2. hi this is for the fic finder! i’m looking for a fic i read which i’m pretty sure is completed. it should be wangxian, modern au, and i think wwx was living alone (maybe estranged from the jiangs?) and i think mo xuanyu and xue yang were kid brothers who lived in his building that came to hang out with him sometimes? and he was sorta like a big brother to them? this wasn’t a major plot point but it was definitely there. and a-yuan may or may not have been there, either living with wwx or the wens in the same building. does anyone know what this is?

FOUND? Visitations by Vir_Abelasan (M, 18k, WIP, WangXian, past XiYao, Modern AU, Corporate Espionage, Post-Divorce, Reconciliation, Father-Son Relationship, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Custody Arrangements, Not a revenge fic, Past Abuse)

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3. Looking for a highly specific fic where WWX is forced to wear scantily clad armour that only covers his nipples and man-bits as a punishment by Madam Yu. Wangxian encounter each other in a night-hunt sort of thing, but its not set in the jianghu but an AU where its more fantasy magic with warlocks, that sort of thing? There is a specific scene where WWX has to go change the armor and it hurts alot and makes LWJ very sad and angry at madam yu?? GOSH HELP its been stuck in my head foreverr thank u

FOUND? 🔒 His Knight in Shining Armour by celerydragon (E, 23k, WangXian, dead dove do not eat, Curses, Sexual Abuse, Child Abuse, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Slut Shaming, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, yu furen sucks, protective lwj, Hurt/Comfort, Anal Sex, Dirty Talk, mild dirty talk, Biting, Outdoor Sex)

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4. Hello, I am looking for an AO3 Fix it Fic where all the sects bring gifts to the Burial Mounds to compete showing who is the most generous. @hopefulbeardface-blog

FOUND? The Untamed: A Dinner to Remember by YenGirl (Not Rated, 33k, WangXian, XuanLi, post sunshot, Indulgent Fic, Feed WY & the Wen survivors, Some angst, Some humour, Dinner is about family and love, Some Fluff, Soft Boys, Manly Tears, JGS is still greedy, Possible OOC-ness, No hundred holes curse, Unreliable Narrator, accidental heroes, Some violence and gore in Chap 9, Redeemed JGY, Redeemed SS)

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5. HI!!!this is for a fic finder, it had madam yu as a super toxic parent idrm bt maybe she was also abusive, she sends wwx to this school owned by the lans and i think theres 2 divisions, 1 for the smart kids and one for the delinquents

the school is super weird and strict , lqr is especially mean to wwx and all the staff is aswell and they do horrible things to him and in the end i think lxc exposes his uncles school?? wwx and lzh get tg to.

Thankyou!! @jnxi839

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6. Hi! For FicFinder

The fic I'm looking for is canon divergence, I believe. I can't remember if it had time travel or not, but Wei Ying left the Jangs before the war. I think there was focus on his inventions. The only clear details I can remember are the Jins giving him multiple chests full of gold, and them sending him someone to his rooms in the night. The person gets caught in an array at the door. Also, there were two Lans assigned to help Wei Ying. Thanks in advance! @rens-shadow

FOUND? Just go forward like you mean it by tawaen (M, 101k, WangXian, WWX & WN &WQ, WWX & JYL, NHS & WWX, Canon Divergence, WWx does not attend the Wen indoctrination, WWX saves Lotus Pier, Inventor WWX, No Golden Core Transfer, Sect Leader JYL, JC Has No Golden Core, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Not JC Friendly, but he gets a happier ending than canon so don’t look here for bashing)

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7. Fic finder please!🙏

A wlw wangxian where LWJ was self conscious about her body bc LQR wasn’t really helpful when she was going through puberty and bought her too small bras and stuff and then she meets wwx, much later on who encourages her to wear what she likes and love her body. There’s a scene with them on the couch cuddling and idk how it ends bc ao3 went down and I lost my tab!! 😭😭😭

FOUND? your lips, my lips, apocalypse by lily_winterwood (E, 12k, WangXian, Modern, Fashion & Models, College/University, Lingerie, Burlesque, Rule 63, partial genderswap, Not Everyone is Cisswapped, Nonbinary Character, Trans Male Character, Female LWJ, Female WWX, Trans LXC, References to conservative Chinese family values, Mild Transphobia, Body Dysphoria, Self-Esteem Issues, Brief reference to eating disorders, Sexism, Pining, Filial Piety, Masturbation, Cunnilingus, Gender Changes)

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8. fic finder help! there is a modern fic where lan zhan and Wei ying are best friends and the fic starts off with Wei ying asking lan zhan to call off work to play hooky for the day. eventually we find out Wei ying quit his job (he's working with the jiangs). it was part of a series I think. @the-marathon-continues-nip

FOUND! in good time by magicianprince (T, 11k, WangXian, Slice of Life, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Modern AU, modern with cultivation (pretty background tho), lwj has a cat, and some unresolved feelings! oh boy, "in good time" by magicianprince [Podfic] by The_Grynne)

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9. Looking for a fic where lan xichen and possibly lan qiren? go into a meeting with the elders, who have been giving Wei wuxian a hard time, and they hand out lists of rules that the elders have each individually have broken @lonelyreverances-corner

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10. hi i have a request: i want to find fanfic which included older lan wangji (i think he was older by 7 years) who meets wei wuxian in yiling and it is their first meeting. he and lan xichen are twins and it is mostly focused on lwj visiting burial mounds and wy and lz have a sex not long after they meet first time. i think it counted from 20 to 30 (or 35) chapters and it also had 18+ fanarts

FOUND? Awaiting Your Return by Karmiya (E, 126k, WangXian, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, the opposite of slow burn, Found Family, Canon Divergence, Age Difference, discussions of wwx's canonical abusive childhood)

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11. Hi! I'm looking for a fic (I think it may be a series of fics) where Wei Wuxian was accused of spying on Lan Corp. I think this is one where Lan Wangji believes in him the entire time and leaves his family over the accusations. I don't remember if he served any time or not, but the truth comes out that he was innocent (thanks in part to NHS). WWX and LWJ live with Wens, started a company with them, and live in the same building with them.

FOUND?🔒 moonlight falls Series by RoseThorne (T, 19k, WangXian, Modern, Found Family, Corporate Espionage, Bunnies, Adoption, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, References to Depression, Anxiety, Blind Character, POV Third Person, POV WWX, Confrontations, Bad Parent LQR, Dissociation, Mental Health Issues, Anniversary, Food, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Emotional Constipation, Communication Failure, JC is Bad at Feelings, JC is Trying, WWX Needs a Hug, Implied/Referenced Sex, Food Sex, Friendship, Reconciliation, Psychological Trauma)

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12. hi! i am looking for a fic that is a juniors time-travel fix it. i know they go back in time to right before jin zixuan gets killed and save him, the juniors reveal that wangxian are married in the future, and then also there is a scene where jin zixuan and jiang yanli tell older jin ling that he is their son, too, even though baby jin ling is there. thank you so much! @whenstarsignite

FOUND! ❤️ Tragedy is Not the End by Hobbsy3 (T, 358k, wangxian, Time Travel, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal, Canon Divergence from Qiongqi Pass, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Yunmeng sibling bonding, good dad wwx, good dad lwj, JZX Lives, JYL Lives, Junior Quartet Dynamics)

NOT FOUND! Time, Time, Time by skeletonofaplant (G, 44k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, LSZ & WWX, JYL & JL & JZX, LJY & LSZ, Time Travel Fix-It, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, Angst, Fluff, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Time Travelling Junior Ensemble, Junior Ensemble Shenanigans, Humor)

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13. Hi! I'm looking for two fics. I think I initially saw B on this page, but I can't find it anywhere

A) A meteor crashed near college student WWX’s house, where he finds a shape-shifting bunny/toddler alien A-Yuan. LWJ is also a different kind of alien.

B) I think it takes place in a camp after defeating the Wen. JGY spikes the Lan's tea with alcohol. LWJ and WWX spend the night together, but by morning the Jiang siblings think it was noncon. Eventually JGY confesses that it was JGS's idea to serve alcohol.

13A)

FOUND! Lost and Found by diamondbruise (E, 52k, WangXian, Modern AU, Aliens, Slow Burn, Alien LWJ, Crack Treated Seriously, Soulmates, Kid Fic…..kind of, i use that tag very loosely, Masturbation, Rough Sex, canon typical cnc elements, Happy Ending)

13B)

FOUND! The Teapot Plot by ToxicAngel13 (M, 52k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, Misunderstandings, Plots, protective Jiang siblings, Golden Core Reveal, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Idiots in Love, Damn Jins, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Pre-Burial Mounds, Potential for M-Preg, Fix-It, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Idiots Everywhere, LWJ ’s Biting Kink, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Protective LWJ, Protective WQ, JGS is his own warning, Protective JYL)

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14. hiya! for the fic finder, i'm struggling to find a fic i read a few months ago - not sure if it's been deleted or not. i am fairly certain it was an a/b/o au where wwx was carrying lwj's kid by the time he ended up in the burial mounds and basically he kept control of the spirits by asking the female ghosts to help him protect him unborn baby. wen qing also refused to take his golden core because of the baby and jiang cheng ended up with wen ning's core instead going into the sunshot campaign. the wen siblings and the wen remnants live in this au and help wwx raise his daughter after she's born. somewhere along the way wwx tells his siblings and lwj about his daughter too.

second fic i've been looking for, but not as much of a priority to me as the first one, all i remember about this one was lwj found out about wwx giving up his core almost immediately after it happened and wwx lets lwj help him sooner. one scene i remember was wwx and jiang cheng were arguing and jiang cheng uses zidian on wwx and mortally wounds him and stops wwx heart (i think?)

thank you for your help in advance! <3

14A)

FOUND! 🧡 Don’t Wanna Fall by nekojita (M, 111k, WangXian, Mpreg, A/B/O, Fix-it, Lots of pining, Angst with a happy ending, Canon Divergence, Child thief WN)

14B)

FOUND! these colours fade for you only by doodlebutt (T, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, …eventually, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, bed sharing, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Sunshot Campaign)

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15. Hi! This is for fic finder. There are 2 fic that i want to read

A) It short fic. JYL and WWX likes to play the "xianxian is 3 years old". I dont remember how but NMJ knows and ask to join with NHS. JYL give them permission, thinking it was like a play between her and WWX. Then they (JYL and WWX) found out it was different. Between JYL and WWX is like a play pretend but between NMJ and NHS is different in a way that NHS transform into a 3 years old child

B) The story is between yunmeng trio and nie sibs. JGY wants to make the nies and jiangs enemy. He then found out that NHS didnt have a single blood of nie. In the discussion conference, he invite nhs blood aunt that thinking nhs deserve better than become the second young master of the nie and revealed that nhs is jfm child not the former nie's sect leader. I only remember that

Thanks

15A)

FOUND? Little by nirejseki (T, 3k, NHS & JC & WWX & NMJ, Age Regression/De-Aging, Non-Sexual Age Play, Misunderstandings)

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16. I'm hoping you guys can help me find a fic I vaguely remember. It was fox!wwx and I think he was in an arranged marriage to lwj, but before he left he cut off a tail and left it as a present for JC to find (I think) when he got back to Lotus Pier.

I think I've read #16, was the Jiangs doing a silk/cloth dyeing business and JYL was super sick, and Wei ying was conscripted to be part of the search for a mate for prince ? I'll try to find it if it is

FOUND! #16 reminds me of the deleted "Bleeding Bones, Aching Hearts " by scarletmoontears. Do you remember if Wei Ying was a war general of Yunmeng Jiang and was sent as a warprize to the Lans?

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17. Hi!! I'm looking for a fic. This is a Modern AU where WWX fakes his death (I think because of Madam Yu) and LWJ sends him voice and text messages during his grieving process. Everything changes when WWX accidentally answers one of those messages and LWJ finds out he's not dead. I don't recall more. Thank you so much for your help!! @fantasiacoral-blog

FOUND? Love Don’t Belong To Me by airinshaw (E, 28k, WangXian, Modern, Getting Together, Kissing, Intercrural Sex, Light Angst, Happy Ending, PTSD, Panic Attack, WWX’s canonical self-esteem issues, Canonical Child Abuse, not as dark as the tags imply, Past Relationships mention)

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18. Hello! This if for a fic finder

A) mo xuanyu is a ghost that stays with wwx i think he and wwx can both be concious in the body? Idrm much but it was wwx/mxy/lwj

B) this was a modern au lan jingyi came out to his parents or something like that and they gor abusive , jiangcheng ends up adopting jingyi or smth like that they tale him to a doctor too I remember jiangcheng and lan xichen were dating

18A)

FOUND? Serrated by InkSplatterM and MrMissMrsRandom (E, 194k, WangXianYu, Slow Burn, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Gore, Past Abuse, Canon Divergence, MXY Lives, spirit possession, 2/3 men are virgin idiots, WWX is an emotional dunce, MXY is gay and tired, LWJ finds his heart is very large, Discussions of Suicide, Suicide Attempt, victim self-blame, Panic Attacks, mentions of past sexual abuse, PTSD, Past Rape/Non-con, Masturbation, Voyeurism, Outdoor Sex, Exhibitionism, light cum play, Praise Kink, gentle dirty talk, D/s elements, Under-negotiated Kink, Dom MXY, Sub LWJ)

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19. Hello! I'm looking for a modern au fic wherein i think lwj and wwx are roommates. wwx is writing a paper on the effect of spanking on children and asks lwj to spank him to experience it firsthand. i think there's a couple of instances where wwx forgets to clear out the sink and stuff and gets spanked for it and then gets aftercare??? i think there's some dialogue that goes like "my hand. no french. over the couch" idk?? I cannot seem to find it

FOUND! "The Efficacy of Spanking on Behavioural Change" by redscudery (E, 15k, WangXian, SL/WWX, Platonic BDSM, Oblivious WWX, Spanking, we all know this is not platonic, With One Exception, Bisexual Disaster WWX, Light Dom/sub, not a single brain cell was consulted, Boys Kissing, Boys In Love, Getting Together, First Time, Lube Shenanigans, mild alcohol and marijuana use, Non-graphic vomiting, big bisexual awakenings r us, Love Confessions, Modern, Canada)

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20. Hi I would like to ask if you know the title of the story in ao3 that I read back then. It’s like burial mound setting, they made a village inside the Burial Mounds but it’s hidden in the rock and no one can enter but then they invited Lan Xichen in their home. Thank you have a nice day ahead!

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[descendantofthesparrow]

Art Commission info-2024 updated

Sketches start at $20, going up $5 from headshot to full body. so $20 headshot, $25 hips up, and $30 full body sketch. +$10 per extra character.

Examples

Lineart starts at $30, with the same $5 upscale depending on what is being drawn. so headshot $30, hips up $35, and full body $40. +$10 per extra character.

Examples.

Coloring- Base price(ie; $20 sketch headshot) + $10 for flats and +$20 for full shading.

examples-two flats(top) and two full shading(bottom)

+$20 for backgrounds. +$10 per extra character.

Character/outfit design; base price(torso up, hips up, full body) + $20(plus $10 per outfit, plus $10 per character)

Some examples

for more-in one place info-you may look below the cut

full body sketch - $30 | hips up sketch - $25 | torso up sketch - $20

full body lineart - $40 | hips up lineart -$35  | torso up lineart - $30

Color-base price + Flats- $10 or +full shading/rendering- +$20.

+ Per extra character + $10

+Background + $20

INFO

I keep the right to decline a commission if I don’t feel comfortable doing it.

I keep the right to post your commission on my social medias

You’re not allowed to modify and/or resell your commission.

What can I draw?

Alot, armor, weapons, people, half humans, mostly people, magic, getting better at backgrounds,

What will I not draw?

Porn(still practicing, ill let yall know when nsfw commissions are open lol) Mecha style stuff, i have no clue how to draw that, Animals are a big if/maybe for me, im not good at drawing animals. furries, no hate, just no clue how to draw in that particular style lol

How to commission me?

Just hit me up on here, Discord, and or on my email at sketchgirl15@gmail.com and ill get to you as soon as possible.

Tell me what you want, with references and key info about your character and or whatever you want drawn, and ill get started as soon as i can.

After that I’ll tell you if it’s okay with me and I’ll make some concepts. I show you the concept sketches, you choose one and I’ll wait until I get your payment. Then I’ll go back to your commission. When the flat colors will be set on your drawing, I’ll send it to you so you can check if it’s okay. If it is, I’ll go back to it and I’ll finish it!

!IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THE PAYMENT!

Payments are done through Paypal, Cashapp, and Venmo. However, don’t send me the payment as a gift. Wait until I send you a bill. That way, Paypal can’t be a bitch to you nor me. Paypal takes taxes but i wont include any extra billing in my invoices, so dont worry about it.

If you have other questions regarding my commissions, you can send me a note or an e-mail at sketchgirl15@gmail.com .

That’ll be it. Thank you for reading!

[krembruleed]

alright, the other day i loosely implied that i would make a behind the scenes/tutorial type of thing. momma didn't raise no liar, so here goes nothing i guess!

step 1) rough sketch

honestly i skip this entirely if have a really concrete idea of what i want to do. sometimes compositions are just beamed into my brain from On High and a sketch is unnecessary.

step 2) 3d ref

this is where i refine the composition, lighting, camera angles, props, etc. i use DAZ studio for model posing and blender for almost everything else (props, horns, lighting, rendering).

here's a 10 minute video on how to pose models in DAZ if you're interested in doing something like this! it's not very hard! basic posing requires almost no technical know-how.

i've heard magicposer and virt-a-mate are also good for model posing, but i don't have any experience with either program.

after i'm done posing, i transfer the models to blender so i can work on props, environment, and lighting because doing it in DAZ is ass. you can see that i went overboard on the ref for the paladin i worked on last year by modelling armor.

step 3) lineart

at this stage i'm synthesizing my 3d models, reference images, and style choices into lines.

the 3d likeness of my models is poor because I don't have time for that shit, so this is where my humongous folder full of bg3 screenshots comes into play.

for example: looking at my screenshots, astarion's forehead tilts back towards the back of his skull, much more so than my reference model. his chin and jaw are sharper and longer, and the transition between his brow ridge and nose is almost a straight line. if i combine the information from my 3d model and astarion's face, i get something like this:

3d models aren't fleshy (ie, tummy rolls, wrinkles, muscle deformations, butt squish) unless one puts in A LOT of effort like absolute madman chris jones.

you guys know bernini, right? he has a couple great examples of this. see how hades' hands press in on persephone's leg?

this is what we want to add in the lineart because it's too much effort for 3d. laziness is king.

i guess i draw clothes at this stage too, but for some reason there aren't many in this image. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

step 4) base color

i have a little color picked palette that i use for everybody so i get their skintones right before i start messing with colored lighting. i'll use overlay and hard/soft light layers clipped to the base layer during the shading step later.

step 5) shading

if you thought we were done with the 3d part, guess again! i posterize my 3d reference so i can see the shapes of the shadows and highlights better. if i'm not feeling it, i can go back to 3d and change the lighting really easily.

could I make a cel shader for this? yes. am I going to? No. custom shaders are for people with intelligence and I am fresh out. posterization it is.

from there, i do a pretty standard cel shading deal that i usually blur and set to low opacity. (for this image i stuck to no blur because i had been looking at a lot of morebird's art and was really feeling the hard edges)

photoshop is what i use for final rendering because it has bangin tools. the brush customization alone make ps worth it, but i also particularly abuse puppet warp, noise generation, the camera raw filter, and layer styles.

step 6) background

i put the least effort possible into a background and then i blur it into oblivion so you can't fathom the depths of my ineptitude.

and then i have a finished image! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

[redstonedust]

wait im confused what is this kerilson lore you mentioned im apprently missing out on? Who/what is kerilson??

ok i'm gonna recap literally everything i can remember about kerilson because i'm not sure how much context you have. SO. INCOMING INFODUMP:

if you've been following the rest of hermitcraft season 9 you'd know that the majority of the active hermits went through the rift and got trapped on empires smp for a month. one of the only hermits left behind was xb, and he handled this... interestingly (badly)

so after showing footage of the hermits going through the rift via a security camera he apparently has set up in grians base, and then trying to claim the entire shopping district as his property (off to a good start) he opens his next episode proudly declaring that he's actually NOT alone, he has a friend, and that friend knows how to open the rift again!

enter kerilson:

i should clarify that kerilson is, first and foremost, a reference to the movie castaway. like. in that movie the protagonist is stuck on an island with nobody to talk to but a volleyball he's named wilson. so theres already precedent for kerilson being just xb going kind of stir crazy without his friends (especially keralis).

so according to xb, kerilson demands a diamond throne (which also includes concrete slabs, the first sign that something weird is going on) and then they reopen the rift. except the rift sends xb to previous hermitcraft seasons instead of empires, where kerilson is distracted by wanting to look at past keralis builds instead of helping xb find his friends. eventually xb DOES end up on empires, but its season 1, and he's completely alone.

he wanders through the server, finds the ocean, spends several days at sea, gets picked up by a flying kerilson themed boat, the scenery warps back into his base, he gets back into bed, and then is woken up by beef, who seems disturbed by the fact xb is even IN bed. bc, y'know, hermitcraft, sleep should be instant.

he concludes the whole thing was a dream, tho that doesnt explain how he's able to accurately dream of empires s1, but gem's empires lore establishes sleep based world hopping so...... put a pin in that.

anyways two episodes later kerilson can be spotted watching xb in the background of his base, but isnt acknoweldged. xb continues to be Totally Normal about his missing friends by building a giant keralis statue, except every time he looks back at it its head is replaced with kerilsons head. so he blows it up.

several months pass with v few kerilson hints, until xb starts teasing a makeship plushie of him and kerilson. in this weirdest way possible. ie. while building his base he mentions he's started hearing noises, and a low joepacity kerilson flashes on screen with scrambled keralis dialog in the background. (side note: xb heard similarly scrambled keralis dialog when keralis was coming back through the rift. unclear if this is related.)

aaand bringing it to now, xb gets a book inviting him to a TCG match, which turns out to be against kerilson. who is apparently real and able to hold TCG matches. except during the animation of the match kerilson never moves and keralis is shown to be helping him behind the scenes, implying kerilson was just an armor stand all along-- except for, you know, the whole established dream demon aspect.

and now he's a marketable plushie! :D

so yeah TLDR: he's an armor stand who has been simultaniously implied to be a figment of xb's imagination, a regular armor stand xb thinks is alive, a regular armor stand controlled by keralis, some kind of fragment of keralis, and an independent, dream controlling being. and also keralis has little to no involvement in any of these episodes.

and as a fun side note, this isnt the first time we've seen some kind of logic defying facsimile of keralis appear in somebody elses episode. when tango went to space to try and stop the moon crashing in season 8, he ran into keralis, who stated he'd been there for months, even tho this is not true in keralis' episodes.

both of these are also scenarios where the enviroment is implied to not be real (a dream / a simulation) and the keralis-a-like appears to help them as they try to leave the server. coincidence? absolutely. but i love to make lore out of nothing!

[twinterrors29]

Cody was about 6 (physically 12) when he and his batchmates started looking up Jedi they might be assigned to on the holonet, ostensibly gathering intel on preferred tactics and planning maneuvers that play to the different Jedi's strengths

Cody, of course, saw some footage of Obi-Wan, looks up his profile, and immediately said 'that one, he's it'

Wolffe told him that he's insane, that there's no way he can know who he'll be assigned to work with when the time comes, and also that Kenobi wouldn't care in the slightest anyway

Cody, of course, replied simply: 'Challenge Accepted'

he snagged Obi-Wan's space-email address and sets himself up as a penpal

again, Cody was Baby, but he'd already started training to write like a Commander of the GAR

Obi-Wan, for his part, was initially very confused about this stranger emailing him and their very confusing way of speaking, combining intense military jargon applied to all areas of life with very childlike topics and focus

then he concluded that this stranger is an older teenager, ie an 18 year old, who just graduated from a military academy and into service, looking for someone to talk to with shared life experience

and well, he'd been feeling a little isolated, spending most of his time with only an increasingly moody Anakin for company away on missions, so he responded, and continued responding

they became friends, and as Cody grew older, he definitely developed a bit of crush on the cute older guy who was giving him positive attention

he expressed this affection primarily through stronger exhortations for Obi-Wan to wear armor on his missions, and suffered a lot of teasing from his batchmates for blushing while checking his messages

when Obi-Wan was assigned to the Padme protection mission, he told his penpal just enough detail that Cody was able to figure out who it is Obi-Wan was after

and he had just seen Prime's ship landing...

so Cody messaged Obi-Wan back immediately, over voice for the first time, telling him to stay put on Coruscant because he had a lead to offer

then staged a minor coup, captured Jango, and brought him to Coruscant to present to Obi-Wan as a gift

Obi-Wan, meeting the seemingly-early-20's Cody in his armor, had all of his assumptions about his penpal apparently validated: clearly, the man he'd been talking to for the past four years was about 18 at the start, and had grown into a confident and attractive young man

so he decided to flirt a little

Cody had never been so tongue tied in his life

however, he managed to rally, focusing on handling off Jango as the suspect in Obi-Wan's investigation

Jango, of course, immediately refused to give away any useful information, only opening his mouth to call Cody a traitor, which gave Obi-Wan the further wrong impression about Cody and Jango's previous connection, suggesting that they were members of the same military organization (their armor looks Mandalorian? or Mandalorian inspired? Satine was always fretting about some terror cell or other, and the Journeyman Protectors on Concord Dawn did still wear armor he recalled)

Cody agreed to be taken out on a sort-of-date while Judicial started processing Jango, and they both had a great time and expressed a desire to continue this relationship

but then Sidious insisted on getting his plan back on track, the whole clone-army thing came to light right as the war started, and Cody turned to Obi-Wan and asked if he can be assigned to his battalion

Obi-Wan agreed despite his concerns about conflict of interest; after all, he's still assigned to work with his Padawan all the time

Cody was very smug at having finally fully proven Wolffe wrong

and then, of course, Obi-Wan heard about the double aging, did some hurried mental math, and had a completely different set of moral crises to fret over

[jupiterswasphouse]

WASP REVIEW - WASPMON, FUNBEEMON, AND CANNONBEEMON (DIGIMON)

[Image IDs: Three official renders of the listed Digimon, those being Waspmon, FunBeemon, and CannonBeemon /End IDs.]

Well, this will be interesting as someone whose only experience with the Digimon franchise is whatever Karina from Drawfee has explained about the franchise. But I'm gonna try my best to understand what we've got going on here, which shouldn't be too difficult! Let's just hop into the deep end here! (Apologies in advance to the Digimon enjoyers)

Starting with Waspmon, this Digimon is very clearly at least mostly mechanical, which I suppose makes my job here a little bit easier, as it's clear they were not going for accuracy. Even still, I do have to point out some things. It seemingly only has one pair of improperly segmented legs (unless those rib-like parts around its mesosoma are legs too), with more human-like hands, and these big armored shoulder plates (supposedly propellers?) that are perhaps only comparable to the large tibiae of shield-handed wasps. They also seem to have only one set of wings but I can't say for sure. The head seems accurate enough, with even the right number of eyes, in the right positions! That's pretty rare! The antennae are a bit too straight, not segmented enough, with feathered ends I've never really seen in a wasp, although they do remind me of some notably different featherings on certain species, such as a number of members of the genus Dendrocerus. There are other things I could point out, like the abdominal spines and laser stinger, but given its mechanical nature, I'll leave it at the fact that the abdomen is too big, with perhaps the closest example I can give in relation to the roundness of the gaster being that of gall wasps!

[Image Sources: bugguide.net, Jim Moore, Wikimedia Commons, S.E. Thorpe, and Flickr, Judy Gallagher | Image IDs: Three photos, one of a black and yellow shield-handed wasp on a white surface, the next of a black specimen of the genus Dendrocerus in front of a white background, the last one of a black and red Cynipid gall wasp on a brown wooden surface /End IDs.]

As for FunBeemon, this one seems a lot more natural on nature, with a very clear inspiration too. Body's properly segmented, the color could stand to be a tiny bit darker though. The correct number of wings, legs, and eyes. But the eyes that are supposed to be compound are these glassy, mammalian eyes, and the legs aren't quite colored or segmented right, with too few claws on most legs as well. The antennae seem to be segmented properly though! Even with little lines that seem to imply the presence of the flagellomeres, not quite clear on that though. The mandibles shouldn't be grey like that, and the head in general is a bit too wide and round. It has the same strange abdominal spines as Waspmon, which shouldn't be there, as I don't believe any species of bee has those. But they did get the "serrated" (barbed) stinger right, even if it is far too thick!

[Image Sources: Jupiter's Wasp House, ie Myself, and Cambridge University | Image IDs: A photo of a black and yellow honey bee on a human hand, followed by four images of a honey bee's stinger viewed on an extremely close up scale /End IDs.]

Finally, when it comes to CannonBeemon... What's going on here? Don't get me wrong here, it's awesome, but it does also look like Polistes dominula got freaky with a FusionFall Shattergun. All bits aside, this Digimon does fall into essentially the same category as Waspmon, it's too mechanical to really bother with the details, this one even moreso. Everything I said about Waspmon's general head area still applies. It has the right wing count, though they are thin for something as heavy as this thing has to be (the Wiki says 38g but I'm not sure about that for something so big and metallic, not gonna lie). It has only four, very short legs, with little grabby hands at the end, which while incorrect is actually pretty cute. The shape is too abnormal to compare to any real wasp, though I do quite like the use of hexagonal cell shapes here in reference to real social bees' and wasps' hive structures. That's about it for that, though.

Now, what about their behaviors? Well, as one might expect, Waspmon is the defensive soldier type, patrolling the viscinity of the hive, being aggressive enough to divebomb Digimon that get too close. Now, I won't deny that wasps do divebomb as an offensive move against potential hive invaders, but they act on far more than distance to the hive, their reaction to an individual's presence is based on a multitude of factors, such as movement/body language, their level of familiarity with the threat, and of course, actual actions taken by the potential threat to harm the hive, among other things. That said, these Digimon do seem to be quite intelligent, as the wiki states "The antenna-parts on its head have high reconnaissance ability", IE they are able to gather information essentially at the level of a special operative. A real wasp can remember quite a lot, though it definitely takes in more than just what it can detect through smell.

CannonBeemon is also a line of defense for the hive, though being much more powerful, both of these Digimon use lasers instead of venom, as you could've probably guessed from their mechanical structures, which is, of course, not true for actual wasps. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that wasps don't fire lasers though. Whether or not these two soldiers hunt for or feed on anything is unclear.

As for FunBeemon, it also doesn't seem to be out gathering food either, but it does gather some materials, those being bits of "home data", to build up the hive the same way many social Hymenopterans would gather wood, dirt, or the material needed to make wax. This Digimon gets along well with plant Digimon, which should probably be the case for all the rest of them too but whatever. These ones, too, also attack... With projectiles, they fire off their stingers like arrows. This is a surprisingly common thing amongst representations of stinging Hymenopterans in media? strange... They also have a second ability to summon allies, which is unfortunately, for whatever reason, referred to as "88 Call". Apparently this is because 8 in Japanese can be read as "Hachi", which is also a word that refers to eusocial Hymenopterans, like honey bees, but of course, two eights can also be read in a far, far worse way. Different potential connotations aside, the description of this move says that FunBeemon summons allies with its antennae, which, as far as I know, the alarm pheromones of bees are not produced in or near the antennae.

Back to the material gathering and building of the hive though! It turns out that FunBeemon isn't the only one who helps to build the hive, as it's aided by-

HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER! - FORGEBEEMON

[Image ID: The official render of ForgeBeemon /End IDs.]

This guy! Not much to say here in terms of accuracy, as I don't think they're really trying for that here. But I do really love that they accounted for its ocelli in the mask design! Coulda used a bit more space around the compound eyes though. It's got antennae, which aren't segmented right, but they're present, and bend in the right place. It also has wings that are even tinier than CannonBeemon! Its two moves are also defense by way of offense, with a saw-like stinger, and two extra robotic arms that can produce a powerful electric discharge.

It's not called a "Forge" for nothing, either, as these bees are the ones that take materials and bond them together with an adhesive called "Honey Glue" (Don't think that's how that works, but oh well) that's produced in its abdomen, much like how honey bees produce wax!

[Image Source: Hive And Honey Apiary | Image ID: A photo of a black and yellow honey bee producing wax from its abdominal glands /End IDs.]

But, if they have a hive, and live in the same eusocial manner as some real honey bees and vespid wasps, then they must have a Queen! I wonder what it looks like-

HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER! - QUEENBEEMON

[Image ID: The official render of QueenBeemon /End IDs.]

... That's just a human woman in a costume... Are y'all sure this is a Digimon?... Well, I mean, it still has absolute power over the hive, so I guess yeah, that's their queen, but... Huh.

Well QueenBeemon gets a badass army and a badass mech chair with venom shot arms and laser turrets at least. Surely that's the end of them and that's all that needs to be s-

HERE COMES A- OK JUST GET IT OVER WITH - VESPAMON AND TIGER VESPAMON

[Image IDs: The official renders of Vespamon and Tiger Vespamon /End IDs.]

Alright, more guys in suits. Human status is less clear given the fact they have no skin showing, but they're definitely humanoid... I can at least comment on the fact they seem to be designed to be male, which, if they're meant to be soldiers/workers too (Where are the drones??) that wouldn't be the case, as the vast majority of male social wasps (including bees) do not have defensive capabilities and don't leave the hive nearly as often as the females.

But that HAS to be it? Right? RIGH-

OH COME ON - HONEYBEEMON, FLYBEEMON, JEWELBEEMON, AND DINOBEEMON

[Image IDs: The official renders of HoneyBeemon, FlyBeemon, JewelBeemon, and DinoBeemon /End IDs.]

... I'm not even gonna bother.

-

WaspBeemon and FunBeemon (Ranked on accuracy): 6.5/10

CannonBeemon and ForgeBeemon (Accuracy not considered, ranked on design): 5/10 - 6/10

Everyone Else: [DISQUALIFIED]

-

Leave your wasp review suggestion in the replies, tags, or askbox!

[rainpelt25]

Okay so what if I told you I did a really silly thing and made a Star Trek tos medival fantasy AU.......

More info under the cut smirk

OKAY SOOOO 😍 basically I had this image of kirk in a suit of armor but that kind of half armor where the other half is a dress and thag kinda spawned everything else

The AU doesn't exactly stick to the typical medival fantasy world, I had an idea about vulcan/elves and humans not coexisting very well. And vulcans can do the typical magic spells so humans have to make manmade magic (ie. That big thing on scottys back and all of mcoy and chapels potions)

ANZYWAY here are some facts about them in the order they are presenteddd bc ik it's kind of a random set to start with lol I'll post more later

Kirk-

A knight from a kingdom (starfleet) that worships stars (?) Hes a captain and got separated from his troops. He looks a little grumpy in the image hes very sweet very himbo I was just concentrating on his outfit drawing that so I didn't think of the pose lol. Also! The way I og imagined him was with those two painted on dots, it could be a religious thing from the kingdom or something idk but I just rlly wanted them to stick so yeah!!

Scotty-

A blacksmith and all around inventor!! He specializes in man made magic, something very powerful and dangerous in the wrong hands but he just finds it useful to power his machines while he's on the go :) so of course he just pretty much PERFECTS IT IMMEDIETLY because he's scotty!! This probably got him attention from the wrong crowd and his moving from place to place life style becomes more of a on-the-run thing. Oops!

Mccoy-

OK I KNOW THIS IS A LITTLE WIERD IN A FANTASY but this was around the time I was leaning more medival than fantasy (because I love history) and was thinking- what did medival doctors do? Medival times was kind of the plague era.....riiiiighhttt..?? Anywaayy there's some magical plague going around in the background probably more near where Chapel and Mccoy are from. He travels the lands in search for people to help! He specializes in potions- thought not his favorite medicine but the only thing that can combat the sickness. He's just a very tired old man that wants to help people <3

Chapel-

OK SO UM THIS ONES VERY MEDIVAL BUT WHATEVER WERE ALREADY DOING IT!! Chapel lived in the same area as Mccoy, living as a nun (secrets out I don't care about history I just love nuns) Among the many nun things her favorite was helping the local doctor out as a nurse. She grew very knowledgeable about medicine, and with her previous knowledge of magic as a nun they both came up with a (sort of) cure to the plague. But oops! Blasfamy! As the church decided the plague was actually an act of God! So with the help from the doctor they both ran away, searching for people that needed (more like wanted) their help!

It's a little wierd but I hope atleast somone found this intresting!! It's all I could think about for days lol😭 if anyone wants to talk about it or just their own ST AUs I would be SO open for that PLS

[mon-the-lemur]

Thoughts on the new DA:The Veilguard trailer

Here are some thoughts that my friends @hug4tim and @slecnaztemnot and I had watching the trailer in detail.

Black City

I believe this is Rook inside the Black city. It is a ruined version of the Arlathan place from the gameplay reveal trailer. And while that place was golden and relatively untouched, this place is obviously ruined, completely devoid of colour and there are vines growing through it, which look like lyrium veins, presumably blighted.

Teleportation magic

Here we see Elghar'nan jumping out from a void bubble and appearing out of nowhere in front of Ghilan'nain. There was no teleportation magic in the previous games for lore reasons. I believe that now when the veil is torn, we will be seing more previously impossible feats of magic.

Underwater level(s?)

This place is obviously an elven ruin that is now underwater. Most probably the sea and I expect it perhaps off shore from Rivain. Maybe we will also get to swim?

Lyrium mines + Titan eathshaping magic

Here we see an entrance to the inside of a mountain. Based on the doors and the architecture around, it was originally dwarven, but perhaps now used by other peoples (ie dwarven pully systems tend to use way less wood).

Just after this we see the inside of the mine, with lyrium veins running through the cavern.

Following that we get to see Harding petrifying darkspawn.

In my opinion this will be one of Harding's major quests. As far as I know, Harding hasn't really been in the deep roads much. Perhaps when she goes to the lyrium mine, a titan once again stirs due to the torn veil and connects with Harding, giving her stone creating and shaping abilities. She can petrify creatures and it seems also create rock formations:

Morrigan

Our with girl finally changed her wardrobe :D

The crown is obviously the same design as Flemeths. I believe that Morrigan has indeed inherrited Mythal's soul from Flemeth, as was theorized.

Also, as you can see her magic is now much stronger and visually very similar to the elvhen gods' that we have seen.

I also think, that from Morrigan's side it does not matter who drank from the Well, she will have those abilities either way through Mythal herself. In my opinion it will only have consequences for the Inquisitor, who could have some bonuses and issues depending on either choice with the Well in DA:I.

Manfred the walking backpack

Adding this just cause... I mean look at him, he's adorable.

Multiple elvhen gods

This image follows the screenshot with Manfred in the trailer.

It seems to be set in Nevarra's necropolis. And it also looks like there might be a little bit of a cult situation going on.

This image is accompanied by Bellara saying "Our gods are back". That and the "cult" lead me to believe we may be looking at Falon'din.

The armor design looks very similar to Solas' from the prologue. The skeleton has horns on it head, and as per Solas' words on Falon'din, he was vain and loved gaining followers. That to me tracks with what we seem to be shown in the image above.

Also what is up with Ghilan'nain here????

Taash

The person lying down in the sand (?) seems to have horns, one of them made from green crystal. That screams to me that it is Taash. Perhaps this is how we get to meet her. If so, the poor baby always has bad angles in trailers :D

Anderfels

Lucanis' personal quest?

Neve's personal quest?

The man with red lyrium looks like he is wearing similar outfit to Neve, so perhaps a shadow dragon, or maybe even family member.

Irellin and Strife (?)

[greentrickster]

(walks up to the microphone and leans in): Okay, so, I’ve seen a lot of Ghost King Danny (which, let’s be fair, is a fun concept, I totally get it), but I’ll see you that and raise you this: Fright Knight Vlad. The current Fright Knight himself is the Spirit of Halloween, but what if it’s like how, while Pariah Dark was the Ghost King, certain circumstances being met can make someone else the Ghost King. And this applies to members of the Ghost King’s court as well, including the Fright Knight.

And let’s say that the Fright Knight, the Ghost King’s right-hand spook, isn’t a battle-based position, but one based on what the current Ghost King most needs from a right-hand spook upon their ascension to the throne. Pariah Dark was a conqueror, so his Fright Knight was a powerful ghost skilled in battle, the Spirit of Halloween. But Danny’s not a conqueror, he doesn’t even typically seek out fights unless there’s a reason he has to. What he’d likely need most is someone who’s really good at politics, has the respect/fear of a decent amount of the Ghost Zone, and who could maybe give him some pointers on how to go about all this. Maybe teach him how to handle his powers better or something while they’re at it.

Which leads to Vlad waking up one morning and the Fright Knight’s sword (the Soul Shredder) is just… hovering over him. He doesn’t know why, his research into ghosts tends to be in regards to ways to gain power, not culture and traditions. Not to mention, he has no idea that Danny finally cracked and accepted his status as Ghost King the night before. He’s got no way (that he’s actually bothered to look at) of knowing that taking the sword is a binding agreement to accept the position and a declaration of fealty to the new monarch until such a time as he’s released from this oath.

Cue the Ghost Zone getting to watch in a combination of amusement and deep concern as their new king and what’s supposed to be his staunchest ally proceed to try and beat the stuffing out of each other in a swathe of chaos spanning Amity Park, Wisconsin, and a good chunk of the Ghost Zone. This is an unprecedented occurrence, no one’s ever accepted the position of Fright Knight without at least a vague idea of what they’re doing, and it’s certainly never been someone who’s enemies with the new monarch. The Fright Knight physically can’t try and overthrow the King, it’s part of the binding agreement accepting the sword entails, so no one who’s planning to attempt just that has ever been dumb enough to try it. Especially because it’s a job you’re stuck with either until there’s a new monarch, or the current monarch’s needs change so drastically that you’re no longer qualified for the job.

Congratulations, Vlad, you’re going to go down in history for this one.

Also, just worth noting, I do not see this going in a shippy way or anything like that. This would be a set-up for enemies-to-friends, with maybe a culmination of some good Badger Cereal (ie, platonic Danny and Vlad bonding, friendship/mentory stuff, maybe some found family if you’re feeling wild). No mental compulsions or anything going on with Vlad for this, either, it’s more along the lines of getting whacked with the Spector Deflector if he tries to use his new position against his king, and possibly it forces him to pull his punches somewhat if he gets into a physical brawl with Danny unless Danny specifically tells him to go all-out. I dunno, I don’t have all the details, I just think it would be funny as heck for Vlad to get himself stuck in a position like this and also that he’d look good in armor.

Also also, I’m a sucker for forced bonding leading to friendships and found family and stuff. And enemies-to-friends. And Badger Cereal and mentor!Vlad and Vlad being forced to be a responsible adult and domestication arcs for villains. And Vlad gaining the power he wants but in a way with all these strings attached and also he’s not actually in charge. I want this horrible man looking fine as hell as he’s dragged kicking and screaming into becoming a better person.

Oh wait, no! It’s not so much a physical compulsion or shock collar or anything like that that’s keeping Vlad in line, it’s learning that, while the Fright Knight technically could betray the Ghost King, it’s one of those actions that generally gets you hunted down by the majority of the Ghost Zone unless they really hate the monarch you’re betraying. And the denizens of the Ghost Zone may not be the biggest fans of Danny, but they like him so, so much better than Pariah Dark, and the twerp’s somehow got Clockwork backing him, so it’s probably worth keeping him around for a bit, at least for a century or two, see how things work out. So Vlad’s landed himself in a position that he can’t relinquish, it can only be taken from him in a few certain circumstances, and if he tries to overthrow or betray Danny, it’s good odds the majority of the Ghost Zone will unify to hunt him down.

Getting strong-armed into being Danny’s staunch ally on pain of ectoplasmic retribution was not how he saw this Thursday going, but b’golly if it hasn’t happened anyway. Maybe- maybe he’ll just call off work today, go grab a bottle of wine to drink while cuddling Maddie-the-Cat, staring into the distance, and asking what he, an angel, ever did to deserve this.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Wait you have Lilia listed as one of the interact-able family members. Do you intend to have Lilia show up as Silver’s father in disguise like wearing a mustache or perhaps being in a different form? I’ve seen people say something about a “true form”, but so far in-game (english server and im stuck at the sectors of book 6) I haven’t seen anything that suggests Lilia has altered his form to blend in? May I ask how you plan to do Silver’s father requests?

[Referencing this blog event!]

I believe "true form” Lilia is a popular fandom headcanon. It’s not explicitly said that he has a different form, it’s something fans have speculated about due to various lines dropped by Diasomnia (ie Malleus says in one of his chats that Lilia is in a history book yet no one recognizes him but Malleus, Sebek and Silver imply during one of the Halloween events that back in the Briar Valley Lilia was most terrifying for the holiday, etc). Some fans also think that Lilia has purposefully changed his appearance to “fit in” better as a high school student while at NRC, and/or due to a plot point brought up in episode 7 (no spoilers though).

Rather than outright say how I'm going to present Lilia for NRC Family Day, I think it'd be more fun to explain via creative writing ^^ so enjoy the pre-Family Day preparations in Diasomnia~

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

Silver leaned against the door frame, his sight set on the cluttered bedroom of his vice dorm leader. Tonight, it was even messier than usual, with outfits, accessories, and bottles of nail polish strewn on the desk and floor. Instruments and antiques were knocked over, drawers and chests open and their contents splayed out. It looked as though a storm had torn through the area--but no, this was the calm before the storm.

Lilia practically had the entire upper half of his body shoved deep into the abyss that was his closet, fishing around with his hands to retrieve more lost treasures from within. He popped out with two hangers, one bearing a sharp suit and the other, a neon graphic T-shirt.

"What do you think, Silver? Do you prefer the formal look, or do you think casual wear will do?" Lilia's deep ruby eyes were absolutely effervescent, gleaming like starlight. "Or perhaps I could dust off the old battle armor for this occasion!”

Silver gathered his courage and started. "Father—”

“No, you’re right. It may be too much cuteness for their poor little hearts to take!” He set down both sets of clothing on his bed and paused. “Do you think security will at least let me bring in my cleaver? It could make for a good icebreaker with the other parents."

“I don’t think so. But more importantly, father—”

“Ah, how disappointing. There’s no help for it, I suppose.

"I know!” Lilia suddenly brought a fist down into an open palm. His teeth peeked out from behind his growing smile. “I could bake a little something to pass out to the others in attendance.”

He bounced over to Silver, clasping his hands in his own. The aura radiating from Lilia was like that of a coiled spring, packed with energy waiting to be let loose. “I'm so excited for Family Day, aren't you? There’s still so much left to do.”

Silver’s voice came firm, the strike of a blade against a shield.

“Father.”

“… Oh dear.” Lilia frowned, peering up into his son’s face. “Have I said something to upset you?”

Regret set in. Silver let the fierceness in his gaze fade. “No, not at all. I’m happy to see you so eager.”

“Then whatever is the matter?” Lilia playfully nudged him on the arm. “Come, you can confide in your old man.”

“I would like nothing more than for you to be at my side for Family Day. It’s just…” A hesitation. “It will be difficult for you to pass as my father without the other students also recognizing you as their classmate. That may put you in a compromising position—and I don't wish to trouble you for my own sake.

Before Lilia could respond, a thunderous shout cut in. A young man, broad-shouldered and hulking, muscled into the doorway.

"WHAT'S THIS NOW?!" Sebek bellowed. "I cannot believe you, Silver!! You have the gall to barr Lilia-sama from attending a school function?!"

"My, Sebek. How kind of you to join us," Lilia raised his brows in an exaggerated manner, "though I didn't take you for an eavesdropper."

The first year's expression fell. He sheepishly fumbled for the right words. "M-My sincerest apologies!! I was doing my usual round of evening patrols and happened to overhear... I-I could not help but cry out against such an injustice...!! I-It will not happen again, sir!!"

The ancient fae chuckled. "I kid. You're fine, Sebek. However, I believe that Silver is right to be concerned. It will make matters challenging to say the least if I have to play both the role of father and high school student.

"Even so, it is a guardian's job is to be there for his child. I shan't let another year pass where I sit on the sidelines twiddling my thumbs while Silver is left on his lonesome."

"Another year?" Sebek cast his fellow knight a curious look.

"You weren't enrolled at NRC yet, so you wouldn't know." Silver deadpanned, a sigh escaping him. "Father also insisted he would attend Family Day then. He attempted to sneak into the event while wearing a pair of gag glasses... and was promptly ejected from the premises. It was mistaken as an ill-mannered prank by staff and students alike."

"Why, the NERVE of them!! They should be honored that a decorated general and advisor to the queen would humble himself by attending their gathering!!"

"I don't think that was the issue."

"It won’t happen again. I must put together a cleverer disguise this time!" Lilia glanced at the items scattered around his room. "Hmm, maybe I should start by recoloring my hair to match Silver's. A trim may also be in order."

"Wh-What?! Grrr... What luck you have, Silver!! What I'd give to have a matching head of hair with Lilia-sama!!" Sebek clenched a fist to contain his frustration.

"Your family is also visiting Sage's Island for Family Day, aren't they?" Silver smiled softly, his tone reassuring. "You won't be left out of anything."

"Hnngh... That's exactly what I'm afraid of!!" Sebek cradled his head in his hands. "I'd be less inclined to protest were it only my mother and my grandfather in attendance, but I don't know how to act around that man!! Worse yet, when I think of that man making his presence known to the other humans...!!"

He shuddered, unable to complete his sentence.

Silver raised a brow. "... You mean your father?"

"STOP, DON'T SPEAK THE THOUGHT INTO EXISTENCE!!"

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. He’s family.”

“WHO SAID I WAS EMBARRASSED?! I-I’M NOTHING OF THE SORT!! DON’T BE SO PRESUMPTUOUS, SILVER!!”

Lilia laughed, shaking his head. "Lighten up, boys! It'll be a fun time, you'll see. I'm looking forward to catching up with Baul and the others myself."

“Will you really be able to blend in so easily? You have a very distinctive appearance. It would be hard to change you into someone entirely new and then change you back before the next day.”

“Th-That’s right!!” Sebek quickly added relieved to change the topic. “Lilia-sama oozes charm from every pore in his body! It would take considerable effort to conceal his handsomeness!!”

“... I see. So that's what this is about."

A sudden chill descended upon the room. Even the green flames that lit up the space seemed to quiver and shrink in the oppressive cold.

"Malleus," Lilia said with ease.

"Lilia." Their liege nodded coolly as he slipped out of the darkness and into view. "Silver, Sebek. It seems I wasn't invited to this lively little discussion. Please, don't stop on my account. Continue."

The sarcasm of his words was tinged with the subtly bitter pang of jealousy. A half joke, and also a half truth.

The trio fell back and parted, granting space to him. Sebek looked positively mortified—the second time that night.

“Y-Young master!! We had no intention of leaving you out of… Th-This was completely impromptu!! I beg of you, please forgive this Sebek for his impudence!!!”

“Did we disturb your sleep, sir?” Silver asked. He was as steady and soft as a lullaby, a contrast to his partner.

Malleus raised a hand—a silent command to them to stand down, to be at ease. “I only sought to investigate the tumult coming from this area. Sound has a way of traveling in these halls, and it makes a fairy curious.”

“Don’t mind us, we’re all riled up for tomorrow. Scheming for it, you know.” Lilia beamed. “That reminds me! Maleficia herself will be in attendance this year. I made certain the message got to her. Can’t risk the invite getting lost in the mail again!

“It’s a once-in-a-blue-moon event—it’s not every day when the stars align and those stuffy advisors grant her leeway in her duties. You must be just as excited as we are.”

Malleus smiled with his eyes more than with his mouth. They shone with wonder and quiet reverence. “It will be a joy to host grandmother at Night Raven College.”

“It will be a most wonderful reunion!” Lilia agreed. “Oh, idea: what if I wore something dark and atmospheric in honor of the royal family? I know I have a spiked choker and boots lying somewhere around here…“

Malleus blinked. “Grandmother may appreciate that—but attire alone will not help you pass for Family Day to the others.”

“I’ve been trying to tell him that.”

Beside Silver, Sebek stubbornly harrumphed. “Lilia-sama shouldn’t have to conform to the expectations of mere humans!!”

“There’s still time to sort out a solution,” Lilia pointed out cheerfully. “Come hell or high water, I want to be there for my family.”

“Yes, your resolve is crystal clear. It would be a shame if you could not attend.”

Malleus ran a hand along an open drawer. It was filled with knick-knacks, from beaded jewelry to talismans. Tucked between a sizable glass orb and a carving of a gingerbread man was a furry tuft. “Pray tell, what did you wear for entry last time?”

“It was a pair of those gag glasses! It had a big nose and these fluffy fake eyebrows and mustache. Why do you ask?”

Malleus hooked a finger on the furry tuft and lifted. With it came a bulbous blob of rubber attached to thick frames.

“This?”

Malleus produced thick frames from the drawer. They were every bit as ridiculous off of a face as it was on one. Strange—the glasses seemed to glow an eerie green, but when Silver rubbed his eyes and looked again, they were normal.

“Exactly those!!” Lilia reached for the spectacles with a droll laugh. “Learned the hard way that they aren’t much use for covert operations. Still, I’ll always have a soft spot for these.”

“Who is to say that it will stay that way forever?”

“Huh?”

The trio stared at their prince. Malleus answered them with a mysterious smile.

“Who is to say,” he said with a mischievous flash of teeth, “that you cannot become whomsoever you desire?”

“Malleus… You didn’t…” Lilia squinted at the glasses. “Did you cast an enchantment on these just now?”

“The glow,” Silver realized. “I didn’t just daydream it.”

“Then that was…!”

“I wove a temporary illusion spell and cloaking magic into them. So long as you wear those glasses, you will appear as if like a dream in the eyes of those who look upon you. Your face, your hair—they’re altered, the details are scrambled and made challenging to pin down. In other words, you will not be recognized as ‘Lilia Vanrouge’.”

“OOOH!!” Sebek glowed with awe. “The young master has bestowed a blessing to you, Lilia-sama!! What an honor!!”

“Congratulations, father. That’s great news.”

“Malleus…” Lilia stopped, and tried again. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, but are you sure it’s alright for you to hand me such a handy item?”

“It only lasts until the stroke of midnight tomorrow.” The warning was casual, yet not unkind. “Go to Family Day, Lilia. Enjoy yourself. Spend time with those you love most—”

Malleus was tackled halfway through his speech. The wind in him sailed out as small arms wrapped around him, then tugged Silver and Sebek close too.

“Silly thing, you’re one of them,” Lilia tutted. “All of you are. Where would I be without my family here in Diasomnia?”

[nanuk-dain]

Generation Kill Research Results

We all know that there's really specific stuff in GK that only those who were there would know, much of which we get in the books Generation Kill (Evan Wright) and One Bullet Away (Nate Fick).

I needed some more intel for my fics, so I went hunting for all the things RL Ray said about GK relevant topics on reddit. The result is a list of all his comments, from radio frequencies to how exactly he got burnt by Rudy's stove to the MRE components and the truth about the Zeus attack and what colour the PT shorts of Recon guys were.

The list has been vetted by @bookishdea to make sure that there's no personal info about the RL guys in there.

It's sorted by topic: weapons/equipment, radios/comms, beanies/uniforms, officers in Recon, Humvees, MREs, Humvee arrangement/Reporter, Zeus attack, explosion of Rudy's stove, Captain America's name, invasion, Recon training/conditions of OIF, Ripped Fuel, First Recon, Afghanistan/Ray's Marine Corps career, characters/people career background, paddles, GK production, float tapes.

I hope you find interesting stuff in there. I originally made it for myself, but since the effort went in already anyway, I figured I could share it with those who don't want to risk coming across RL Marines infos, but who might still profit from the GK-specific infos.

- all intel are responses of RL Ray (plasmata) on reddit in various subreddits, collected 23. Nov. 2023

- Q = question asked on reddit, A = Ray's answer. There's not always a question supplied, just where it's necessary to understand his answer

weapons/equipment

- At the time most of the Marine Corps was still using the M16s and M249 (SAW). Recon units were one of the first ones to get M4's and Para-SAWs (carbine versions of the M249). So, folks like officers and regular support folks were still carrying their standard M16, while 0321 Recon Marines were carrying M4s.

- Q: I was rewatching GK (again) and I think it was episode 2 when Rudy and Pappy took out the RPG team. I don’t know what the sniper rifle caliber is called I would think it’s a .338 laupa because that was standard sniper rifle of the Marine Corps.

A: No. It was an M40 A3 which shoots a 7.62x51mm NATO round. It is essentially the same thing as a .308 They are based on a Remington 700 and modified by USMC armorers. Anyone that went to sniper school would shoot that rifle. Recon marines go to sniper school. Those who didnt would still crosstrain on range so they werent totally ignorant to the weapon.

- Q: Why do some of the men in the 1st Recon Battalion have no attachments on their M4 ie Q-Tip, Christenson, and Ray, while others like Brad, Fick, Fruity Rudy had optics and grips?

A: Because some people think that having that shit on your weapon makes you look cooler. It is all personal preference.

- Q: I've always wondered if the real Brad rocked that PVS-17 the whole time like his character did.

A: He sure did. It is an easy way to always have NV handy without having to have something strapped to your fucking head all the time (PVS-7's).

radios/comms

-Q: In ep 2, right after the ambush scene when there is a radio check, whatdo the "up" numbers mean? (up 120 and up, up 700 and up, up 200 and up..etc)

A: It is a short way to indicate status. "Up" means we are all good and no one is injured or dead. IIRC the number indicates rounds of ammo left.

- Q: In the ep 2 episode intro somebody says: "All Hitman Victors, be advised, we are rolling freaks to TAC 1-1-9 at 1400 Zulu. How copy?" I understand everything expect "rolling freaks". Any ideas?

A: It does mean "rolling freqs" which is shorthand for "Changing radio Frequencies."

As you have seen in the series, the military communicates using radio's. As a security measure, everyone changes to a different radio frequency at the same time at set intervals. Lets say that the enemy was able to steal/capture a US radio. Then they would be able to listen in on all our radio conversations...this is bad. So, just in case that happens we all change frequencies (along with crypto fills and other things) so that radio only has value for a very limited time.

This is definitely also combined with crystallographic signature changes as well as something known as frequency hopping (SINGARS) for additional security.

- Q: So how would the teams be able to keep up with the new radio frequencies? Are they passed by runner or is a CYZ used?

A: They are typically pre-planned in a "comm plan" (communications plan). If a radio were to come up missing then they would change the comm plan and distribute however they could.

If you look at the HMMWV windshield next to Brad Colbert in the series you will see a clear acetate with something printed on it. That is a cheat sheet of the comm plan.

- Different types of radios are capable of different radio bands. Most of what you hear in GK is all VHF (ground plane) band radio traffic. The vehicle radios and the handheld ones do VHF. Different groups have different "freqs" (pronounced like freaks) or frequencies that they use. Just like the FM radio in your car, you can tune into different radio stations by changing the frequency. Bravo 1 is on 95.7 Hot Country....and Bravo 2 is on 103.3 Smooth Jazz. You are always switching between the different freqs to talk to who you are supposed to be talking to. So, my personal radio may be set to be on Bravo 1's channel, but the vehicle may be set to Bravo 3 and then another guy may have his set to the Alpha channel. Just like setting the presets in your car, you can do that on these radios as well...so you can quickly switch between them.

The reason you also hear pilots in some of them is that some radios are UHF (line of sight) band to talk to pilots. The small handheld radios were both VHF and UHF radios so we could do things like call for fire missions and give the pilots our 9 lines.

Com plans utilize multiple channels across different spectrums (HF, VHF, UHF, Satellite) and many types of radios that have different spectrum capabilities.

Dude, have you never played with walkie-talkies as a kid...hahaha. You know someone is talking on your freq because you hear them. Only one person can talk at a time on any radio channel. You can only be "tuned" to a single frequency at a time. There is a very rigid etiquette when using radios to keep things clear and efficient.

We switched from the 77's to the AN/PRC-135 in 2002 (1st Recon Bn).

The 135's would do HF freq hopping, auto antenna tuning, and directly take crypto fills. But, the best part was they had a detachable face with an extension cord; so you could seal up the radio in your ruck (waterproofing and all). Then you would have the radio face in your front deuce gear to control the radio if you needed to switch freqs or something.

Edit: I just realized that I was talking about the 104's not the 77's. Yeah, late 90's the 77's were replaced by 119's.

beanies/uniforms

- Part of it is real (the black beanie's) and the rest is done by David Simon. The real part is that we all wore black beanies. It wasn't breaking any rules as they were allowed, but most other units frowned on wearing them unless in private. We did all wear them everywhere and it kind of became a “thing” that the recon guys are the ones in beanies.

The David Simon/ Ed Burns part is the rest of the scene. I think they were trying to explain to the audience who Recon Marines were and used Trombley/Espera to do that. It was a wise choice as neither Trombley nor Espera were Recon Marines at that point…which he mentions in that scene.

It followed the PT uniforms we wore also. The Marine Corps wears “green on green” shirt/shorts. Recon’s official PT uniform is “black on black”…so if you see guys PTing in black you know they are Recon Bubbas.

officers in Recon

- A little late to the party, but there is no such thing as a recon officer. The "Reconnaissance Man" MOS is 0321 and is only for enlisted marines. Godfather was not a recon marine...no officers are.

1st Recon is comprised of many that are not recon marines; support personnel like motor T, communications, navy corpsmen, intel, etc. Officers that are platoon/ company/ battalion commanders are typically Intelligence or Infantry officers.

- Q: Not trying to correct you as you were there, I definitely wasn't... but Fick mentioned he went through BRC in his book. I guess maybe some officers go thru BRC but retain their MOS whether infantry/intel/whatever?

A: Rarely, some officers do go through BRC/ARS; but even if they do they still never are recon marines and are never in a recon team.

- Platoon commanders for Recon are kind of in the rear with the gear...they don't go out with teams. They typically command a ROC (Recon Operation Center) and provide support and are a liaison between the team and higher-ups. They feed the teams direction (via radio comms) and take intel and generate reports (again via radio comms)...but they aren't with the teams.

Humvees

- Q: If I may ask...were you guys ever told why you weren't given closed-top humvees (except of course the lead vehicle).

A: Because we didnt' have them. The HMMWV's we got were Army surplus ones we scavenged.

- You don't go to war with what you want, you go with what you have. Everything has to be adapted on the fly...which is what happened. Everything in war is a calculated risk with a margin for "acceptable losses". Were we lucky? Sure.

MREs

- Q: In ep 5, when Ray is making MRE cookies, would that actually work? If so, how good could those actually be?

A: Yes it actually works. The sugar will melt and crystalize in the creamer which makes it solid and like a cookie. When you haven't eaten anything other than MREs for months straight they are good.

PS2: Ray seems like a good guy to have drinks with in a bar.

I agree...but I am a little biased.

- Point of clarification: These aren't really MRE's, they are just components of an MRE that can come in different MREs.

Personally my favorite MRE was the Beef Stew. It came with a pouch of Beef Stew, Jalapeno Cheese, pack of two crackers, and something like Skittles. It also came with a little packet with things like Folgers Crystals Coffee packets, creamer, salt/pepper, wet wipe, etc.

There were 24 different MREs in a 12 pack "A" or "B" case. Each had a different main meal and then accessory packets that included things like Peanut Butter, Regular Cheese, Jalapeno Cheese, Crackers, "Bread Slice", Charms, Skittles, Lorna Doone Cookies, M&M Cookies ("Cookies with Pan Coated Chocolate Disks"), Nature Valley Granola Bar, Strawberry Milkshake, Pound cake, Hot Cocoa Mix, etc, etc, etc.

The GK time generation of MREs were fairly new at the time and included new meals like "Bean Burrito", "Cheese Burger", etc. There were quite a few that were in the previous generation like "Beef Stew" and "Minestrone Soup". Probably the absolute worst one was "Pork Slice in Jamaican Style Sauce".

- It was a common tradition in Brad and my old platoon to stash fun things to share amongst the team at fun times. Like when your team is all wet and cold and hasnt really slept for weeks then you bust something fun out to share…it is a great pick-me-up. My favorite thing to do were king size snickers bars.

Humvee arrangement / Reporter

- Q: Who sat in the passenger side rear seat before the reporter came along?

A: No one. We determined who was in what vehicle right before the invasion..so we knew we had to fit Evan in somewhere. He really wanted to be with Brad and me...so there he went.

- Q: Why?

A: Because we're awesome. Honestly it was because he was told we would be the go-to team (because of Brad and me) for any special fun missions and he didn't want to miss out on those. That and I think he liked our dynamic as "characters".

- Short answer is because that is where he chose to be. For this war the US did something interesting in allowing for journalists to be embedded with the military units for the invasion. There were a ton of journalists that came and got a briefing on different unit types so the journalists could pick where they wanted to be. There were three journalists that after hearing what Recon was and that we would be a combat unit (so you may get shot at if you go with them) picked to be embedded with 1st Recon.

The three journalists then came to where we were staged in Kuwait and met with the BN Commander (Godfather) and were then briefed more specifically on who we were and what our role would be during the invasion. After that briefing two of the three journalists decided they didn't want to kick it with us...pussies. I do remember one of them was some guy with Men's Journal.

Evan then started hanging around us and learned that our team would likely see the most action and be at the front the most...so that is where he wanted to be. After a few nights in the tents hanging out with us he decided that he wanted to be in our vehicle as he liked our "characters" for his story.

Evan, in retrospect, would frequently say he's not sure whether he was more brave or stupid/naive to embed with us for the invasion. After each firefight/ambush he would say that he was going to leave...then we would tell him to stop being a huge pussy...so he kept going.

Zeus attack

- Q: Was Trombley actually just sitting there observing like he did in the film? [note: about Zeus attack]

A: Yes and no. Lots of people were kind of looking. I was the one that jumped up and observed the gun firing to find its location. I then called Walt up to the MK-19 to walk him in on target while calling in CAS via rotary wing at the same time. I got a Navy Achievement Metal with Combat V for that action. Interesting the series got it wrong on that.

explosion of Rudy's stove

- I didn't set my face on fire, Rudy set my face on fire…hahaha. That was all healed in just a few weeks like it never happened…I heal fast. It is a common joke amongst my friends that i am Wolverine because of my rapid healing.

- Rudy was heating water for coffee. It didn't explode. To use diesel fuel in those stoves we would preheat the fuel tube with a hexamite tab. Hexamite tabs turn to gel when they burn. Rudy was carrying the stove outside and some diesel on the outside of the stove caught fire in his hands. He then dropped it and the hexamite splattered off it all over my face. Burning gel all over my face

Captain America's name

- Yeah. A little into the invasion he went running into these mud huts with a fixed bayonet. I was sitting in my HMMWV with my team watching him run in and made the comment “This guy thinks he is Captain America!” We all started calling him that afterwards. To not embarrass the guy publicly they used it in the book and film instead of his real name.

invasion

- Q: Given the might of US military and Nato forces, could the invasion have been planned better? Maybe take more time to get there instead of the confusion and rush?

A: There was a plan and it worked pretty well. Our unit was only one small part of a much larger machine so you don't get to see the overarching thinking behind the entire invasion, you just see a tiny tiny part of it. Two quips that sum it up nicely are "Speed is far more effective than a plan" and "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"

- Q: Why weren't tanks and armor part of your group specially when entering hostile town?

A: Because they were needed elsewhere and we were essentially probing the battlefield so the commanders would know where best to direct the invading force...including armored units.

Recon training/conditions of OIF

-Q: How do you cope with the constant dangers and lack of sleep, food and hygiene. Most people would operate at lower levels under these circumstances and make mistakes. Was there something you guys did that made things better?

A: You fight how you train. We were used to little sleep, food, and hygiene because that is how we always trained. So, when it came to war we were already very comfortable and used to operating in that condition. Same shit, different day.

- All Recon Marines have the same MOS...0321. There are team roles such as Pointman, Navigator, Slackman, RTO, Assistant RTO, Assistant Team Leader, and Team Leader. Every Recon Marine is expected to have held each role to be well rounded. You may be the RTO in one team and then a Navigator in another.

All Marines (not just Recon Marines) are marksman and have to qualify just the same. This is independent of their MOS. Every Marine is a Rifleman.

Nearly all Recon Marines have gone through Sniper School...this is nothing super special.

- Q: Though I did do underwater football with a few of the Recon guys for PT a few times. That was a pretty brutal game. Put a plastic chair in either side of the deep end of the pool (12'+ at Flores) and put an underwater weight between the chairs in the middle of the pool. Line up 5 guys on either side. Dive in on the mark and try to get the weight into the seat of the chair opposite of your side. Tap if you need air, usually you get released pretty quickly... After a second or two. And that was about the only rule. Underwater everything was game. Grabbing, choking, ripping off masks...and it was a brutal workout. You'd be sucking wind after a few goals.

A: When I was in we played a lot of "Underwater Soccer" which is basically the same thing just without the chairs. Two team on either side of the pool and a weight (either a 25lb bar weight or dumbbell) in the middle on the bottom. Your team gets a point when you touch the opposing teams wall with the weight in hand.

The other game I used to love was the "Whistle Game." In this game a metal whistle was thrown into the middle of the pool. It was every man for himself. You had to grab the whistle from the bottom of the pool and rise to the surface and successfully blow it. If you did then you got to get out of the pool. Everyone else keeps going. It was one of the "Pays to be a winner" games.

- Another fun side note: We used to play a game called "Tap-Out Pass-Out" in which we would ground fight (think Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and the only rules were no eye gouging. The game was only over when someone would pass out or tap out. While Rudy is/was an amazing standing fighter, he wasn't great on the ground. I am very good on the ground and would always beat him, much to Rudy's chagrin. Because of that Rudy began to diligently practice and improve his ground fighting, so I don't know if you should mess with him on the ground now.

Ripped Fuel

- Q: Ray, how much Ripped Fuel have you had?

A: Believe it or not I only had 2 the entire time. Two were issued to each marine as part of a med kit. The rest was just swallowing Folgers Coffee Crystals that came in the MREs.

First Recon

- Former B Co, 1st Recon Bn 0321 (1999-2003) checking in. 1st Recon was a Battalion in 1990? It was a Company when I first got there (I was in 2nd Platoon - 1st Recon Co)...then it changed into a Battalion a year or two later.

Afghanistan / Ray's Marine Corps career

- Question: Were you on this float? What did you do before joining 1st recon? Did you go to Afghanistan?

Answer: Yes. I was a pipeliner, so I was always always at 1st. I did go to Afghanistan. I was in 1st Recon Company, 2nd platoon on this float. It is the same platoon as Brad Colbert but I was in a different team.

- You can petition to "try out" for recon. If you pass a screening (run by Recon Marines) then you typically go to a "RIP" platoon (Recon Indoctrination Platoon or something like that) to be weeded out if you aren't able to hang. From there you go to a Recon MOS producing school (ARS or BRC) and if you pass that course then you become a "Roper" until you pass the unit Indoc. It isn't just jump right in.

- Q: I guess that means you went fleet grunt first then tested into recon yeah?

I enlisted 03XX then got 0311 out of SOI, then was picked up by recon at the graduation of SOI.

A: I am a fellow pipeliner. When i went in, 0321 was a secondary MOS (circa 2000)…so I was an 0311 with the secondary of 0321.

- Q: What year did you graduate boot camp? Company? Platoon?

A: January 2000, San Diego, Mike Co., Plt 3014

- Q: The 9/11 attacks solidified my choice in enlisting. At the time, I was a Sophomore in HS. 3rd period Geometry. Where were you?

A: Sitting in a pub in Darwin Australia (it was night time there) on libo. Shore Patrol comes running into the pub screaming for everyone to get back to ship (15th MEU on the USS Dubuque). Get back to ship just in time to see the second tower fall on tv. Go to drunken sleep as we set sail for Pakistan (Bravo Platoon, 1st Recon Company).

- He [note: Ray talking about himself] picked up Sgt. before he got out through. Fellow B Co 1st Recon alum. Yut Yut.

characters/people career background

- First Recon Bn is not just Recon Marines...it includes all the support personnel that are needed for a unit as well; like Armorers, Motor T, Intel, Supply, Communications, Admin, etc.

Jeff wasn't a Recon Marine; his MOS was Motor T. He was a Motor T Marine assigned to First Recon. We loved Jeff because he was super pessimistic and hateful. When Darnold was shot and medevac'd out, Jeff filled the vacancy in Kocher's team.

- Capt. Eric Dill was our Recon Platoon Commander during Afghanistan and can be seen in Part-8 @ 11:42. His/my platoon is the one that he handed over to Fick after we got back stateside.

- One thing to note is that Fick wasn't with Recon during Afghanistan...he was an Infantry Platoon commander. Afghanistan is where Fick became buddies with our current Recon Platoon commander, Eric Dill. Dill convinced Fick to come over to 1st Recon after getting back from Afghanistan. This is also where we "found" Garza, Leon, etc and convinced them to come over from the infantry to become Recon Marines.

- The first casualty was Darnold in Eric Kocher's team. He was shot in the forearm when we drove through an ambush. This is the scene where Walt was possibly tangled in the electrical wires and I believe it shows a HMMWV monster-trucking a car. Dirty Earl (Jeff Carizalez) then took over for Darnold in Eric's team.

paddles

- Paddles aren't just a Recon thing...they are generally a boat team thing...which Recon guys are amongst. Honestly, it varies as to who would get one. Some think that only other Recon Marines should get them...others think that support guys should too.

Typically the size of the paddle matters. The bigger the paddle the more senior/experience/loved the guy was. When I was in the small novelty paddles were for thank-you's to folks. Regular 4 foot paddles were for solid Recon Marines that were liked. Large 6 foot paddles were reserved for guys that had been there a while and were exceptional.

GK production

- David Simon (the guy that did Gen Kill) was really the instrumental piece to making it what it was. Early on HBO was going to have someone else do it...and it was straight up fucking Michael Bay style. David wanted real Marines to be able to watch the series and see not a single thing wrong with it; from the dialog, equipment/uniforms, actor body types, mannerisms, etc. He gave us a hell of a ton of leeway to just "be ourselves" so he could have that in the series.

I got involved early on when they were working on the scripts to make sure the slang and jargon added was Marine Corps specific and current. Even the radio chatter in all scenes was written by real Marines...all the pilot sides of radio chatter (like when calling CAS) was recorded by a real FAC.

All the actors were put through a two week "How to be a Marine" course. From how to wear their uniforms, how to carry their weapons, hazing motivational physical exercises, etc. One of the biggest problems was all the actors wanting to do exactly what Rudy Reyes did on set; and Rudy lives in a comic book so it wasn't all exactly accurate.

In one of the episodes, the Oscar Award winning Director (different episodes had different directors) was going to have guys flying when shot like you see in the typical movies. After the Marines on set (Eric Kocher and Jeff Carizalez) told her that was not real and she did it anyways; Eric and Jeff started just making comments like "This episode is going to fail fucking miserably", "Wow, this episode is going to suck balls", "This is the worst fucking thing I have ever seen"...as you already noticed, those scenes were redone.

float tapes

- About the Float Tapes: OMG!...these videos are gold. Watching through them now. I have already seen Gabe Garza (Part-3 @ 1:04 far right) Tony Espera (Part-3 @ 7:50) as they were both with that infantry unit at the time.

- I had never seen these so it is fun to relive this float. In Part 4 when they are doing the "Steel Beach Party" he has a part where he films guys playing hacky-sack with "Black Shirts = Cool AF" on screen. The black shirts are Recon guys (everyone else has to wear green). In that shot are Eric Kocher (in the green flight suit) and Larry Shawn Patrick (tall guy with sunglasses on) along with some other brothers. There were 22 Recon guys total on that float in 4 teams. I haven't seen me or anyone from my team in the videos yet.

- Part 36 @ 3:17 is Rudy Reyes, a guy i forgot his name right now in the SERE shirt, the blond guy to his right (James Klepel /was on my team), and the guy that walks in behind Espera (Luke Meister / also on my team).

Real Evan Wright intel (twitter) about GK

camera

- Reporter's camera was a Leica m6 50mm, analogue (film, not digital)

Manimal

- Anthony "Manimal" Jacks usually wore his teeth and was a serious person who spoke to me a lot about his family & his concerns about doing right, if we crossed the border. Being "Manimal" was sort of a character he played to amuse people

MRE crates

- As is clear in this photo, Holsey, too, could scarcely contain his joy that I was taking his picture. Note: he's seated on an MRE crate. Those are like general propose chairs and tables in the field, like "apple boxes" in the film industry.

[packratrs]

Hey! My name is Rat. I've been playing OSRS on and off since I was a kid. Between watching content and enjoying my main account, I've been thinking about logging and talking about my journey through a few snowflake accounts I've had the idea of creating. For people who don't know, a snowflake account is an account where you set up specific restrictions to the account you're playing on. Some people decide to restrict their account to a specific portion of the map, some restrict their account to only getting items by certain means and some people restrict their account to only one combat style. I'll link some of my favorite snowflake accounts down below so anyone who doesn't know so they can see an example of what it looks like. While I work on some ideas and figure out my game plan with the main account I want to work on I've decided to create this account. Meet FreeHRT.

FreeHRT is a Magic only UIM. This means I will not be able to gain any experience in Attack, Strength and Range. I am able to train my defense as long as it is through magic defensive autocast. This restriction will hopefully create an enjoyable and unique account where I have to come up with creative solutions to problems and challenges I will have to face. This is my first UIM and first snowflake account so this account will be about the journey and discovery. With project rebalance for Magic (an update where specific monsters now have elemental weaknesses based on what type of spell is used against them ie: Air, Water, Earth, Fire) there's no better time to start my magic only series. I have some goals in mind and items I want to work towards in the future.

So far in my journey I've done a little bit of runecrafting, woodcutting, firemaking, and combat training while I was still a free to play account. I did these activities while playing my main account. I used the runes and resources I gained to kill moss giants in Varrok Sewers. This let me train my magic and prayer. Nothing crazy just getting used to not having a bank and figuring out a gameplan for the future. After getting membership, I messed around with a few other skills why teaching my partner how to play and just walking around the world. Agility has been my go to training as of right now.

For my goals this week, There are two things I really want to accomplish...

Get enough marks of grace to buy every graceful piece except for the cape.

Complete the Ardougne Easy Diary and get the Ardy Cloak 1

I know a lot of early UIMs skip graceful until they're able to store it in their POH. Since my account is locked to using only magic, I'm still going to be going for graceful early. This is an easy grind I can turn my brain off while I plan ahead. Also for most early monsters I will be safe spotting so my armor won't matter much until I'm realistically able to get the upgrades that will really help my account. Before that graceful will make the quality of life of this account much better since I'm still figuring out exactly what I want to do and make traveling and questing so much easier. Same goes for the Ardy Cloak 1 and since I'm magic only this will be the only Ardougne Achievement Diary I'll be able to complete so let's just get it done.

Moving forward a few items I have my eyes set on are...

Tome of Fire

Tome of Water

Infinity Outfit and Master Wand

Anti-dragon Shield

I hope you enjoyed this post and hopefully I'll find the motivation to post more. Please feel free to leave any helpful tips for UIM as well as ask any questions. Like I said, I'm still figuring out a lot of this myself and have a lot to learn but I'm excited for the journey ahead of me. Thanks! (:

A few Youtube snowflake accounts I enjoy...

Impling Only UIM

Verf's Zeah Restricted Account

Frosty Bard's Edgeville Chunk Account

Grubfoot's Ranged and Magic only Ironmen Accounts

[pluralsword]

Sci-Fi Rounded/Curved Armor References

we know we usually post transformers writing stuff but as we navigate digital art, and for descriptions as a writer, we found ourselves seeking armor references for hard scifi future armor that is more rounded and curvy, and moreover not designed around human androcentric stereotype body norms. A lot of the entries in this photo may seem odd but that's because visually hard scifi set further in the future tends to assume that armor will be blocky and flat, half copying the modern military standards (even though rounded armor is a thing that heavier infantry armor right now tends to have), so we had to turn to settings that are not as realistic and whose in lore capabilities (such as energy shielding) are not either.

Fiction aside said norms are an actual problem soldiers of various militaries have complained about and that has also meant that gals whether cis or transfemmes who want to say, find a suit of recreated medieval plate armor often end up using armor accounting for modern engineering principles to actually account for comfort in the chest and having a variety of different curvatures (which of course men also have which is why we said androcentric stereotypes) apart from the fact that usually that's custom fit rather than standardized as modern military armor tends to be. Something we want to note off the bat is that some of the flaws in the armors presented above is the general lack of armor for the groin for lighter armor variants and favoring shin armor instead first, even though getting hit in the groin is painful for nearly everybody, and even if you've had a nullification surgery having your ability to go to the bathroom be impeded by injury is extremely inconvenient to say the least

So- we dug around from stuff we remembered for a variety of art references from official and/or in-game art from comics, videogames and shows that works on those principles while usually at least somewhat reflecting the current trajectory of offensive-defensive technology development, or in other words what armor in the future could look like assuming some radically new physics/chemical processes or changes in weaponry don't cause shifts. Some of the examples here are basically medieval armor redone as a spacesuit but that is a cool look. E.G. the Huntress of in-game RoR2 and RoR Returns art is actually not underarmored from a medieval perspective, a lot of professional infantry such as halberdiers and pikemen did not use leg armor much or at all in order to have higher mobility, and that is something that some tactical / special ops units today with skin tight clothing underneath somewhat reflect. for an archer, her space cuirass with arm bracers and ?leather/scifi material equivalent? banded tassets (the sideskirt armor over the cloth side skirts, tassets can also be at the front of the thigh) would actually be quite good for medieval times for the kind of combat she does.

Risk of Rain is not the only science fantasy influence we looked to, specific armors from Star Wars, Metroid, Halo, Mass Effect, XCOM 2, Half Life, (listed in order approaching realism) and Transformers (the odd one out as an inherently iterative franchise that can range from high fantasy isekai to superhero fantasy to to science fantasy to social scifi to hard scifi, Verity's armor is decidedly from a continuity that is 3 out of 5 of those genres) were also considered, along with the more hard scifi Expanse, Mars Tactics, and Selaco. The funny thing about armor design in scifi is that artists who want to make realistic considerations appear across all the different subgenres because that is something that helps with the scifi feel. We did our best to find stuff that uses convex armor principles, ie, curves outward and thus helps deflect or lesson blows away from say, one's heart or lungs. Rather than concave, which curves inward, which is why boobplate that goes past the extent of being realistically useful to the point of carving out breast shapes, which historically have only been used for ceremonial purposes or by people not expected to be in the fighting, such as commanders who hung back rather than leading from the front, because the problem with such armor is that a blow over either breast can more easily slip into into the middle and chip away or pierce into a vital area.

This is true whether for pecs or tits it doesn't matter it's a bad idea. There is, from a point of view of ritual or fashion, nothing wrong with segmented boobplate, but for combat armor it is a terrible idea, unlike concave boobplate (which frankly is what a variety of historical armor designed for men look like which is yet another point for the appearance of the body is shaped by clothing showing how much of gender is a construct tally), cavalry heels (and as far as street brawls go as compared to muddy warfare if you're good at balance in high heels those things deliver quite the sharp kick, but there's a reason soldiers don't usually go past 1-inch in terms of heeled boots), battle skirts (again, tassets, such as the heavier scale mail ones used by ancient scythian men and women, and then you have stuff like hoplite battle skirts where the leather flaps would usually have an actual cloth skirt underneath, and then you have the lengthier scythian, assyrian, celtic, and persian skirts that with the scythians could be out of leather, banded, or scale mail. these are among many other societies who have a history of combat with skirted clothing), and so on.

We went for a mix of light, medium, and heavy armor on purpose, because different amounts are preferred based on needs regarding mobility and stealth, amount of combat where enemies landing a blow is expected and what kind of weapons are being used (and thus how to approach deescalation if possible), amount of other equipment being carried or that may need to be carried or carrying injured personnel, and availability.

Note- this is not a criticism of preparing for combat *without* armor that isn't just a kevlar weave or flame resistant material or something or less than that- some situations call for forgoing armor usage either because of needing to be able to move as fast as possible or get through very tight places, or because the setting is one where armor is a bad idea. For a different example, when you look at flight suits for pilots of aircraft and spacecraft, they often don't have much armor (of course, astronauts irl are not supposed to have to worry about combat in space and we hope things stay that way even though things around satellites are getting a bit heated), and even during World War II the downside of wearing flak vests on a big plane is it slows you down and if you need to get somewhere fast say to do repairs or grab a parachute or apply first aid, and technology later changed to make them much lighter.

For a different comparison, an almost absurd Catch-22 one, from scifi, in Battletech, mech pilots ideally use cooling suits to reduce chances of heat fatigue. But when that technology was lost to most societies after several rounds of galactic nuclear wars and key industrial assassinations, most pilots typically were practically down to their underwear. Given all this, it does make sense in a way that Samus's layers under her armor is basically a jumpsuit because of the amount of heat her armor could produce (with that said, we do want to eventually try drawing her with some light armor and flight suit stylization on top of that). We do fully intend to reblog this post with futuristic scifi flight and stealth getups that we took a liking to, eventually

A friend also recommended this linked thread on people going over armor designs as something to look at starting from the most recent and trawling backwards, it has been useful!

anyway, people probably want the names of these things in the image so they can look them up, so without further ado:

-top left: Security Chief Dawn's armor (which you actually equip within gameplay iirc) from the game Selaco

-in red and white with forearm armor integrated blaster cannons: Verity Simone Carlo's armor, which first appeared, iirc, in Last Stand of the Wreckers by Nick Roche for the IDW1/IDW 2005 Transformers continuity

-the two Mass Effect armors present nearby are the N7 Defender Armor worn by MShep (couldn't find an image of canon FemShep with it on and didn't feel like booting up ME3 to photo, but this one is great because Shepard is still effectively wearing mostly convex boobplate that actually looks realistic apart from the underboob indents lmao, and the suit really accentuates curves for both versions of Shepard) Hahne-Kedar armor, and that one is sourced by the art models posted by ME3 artist Rion Swanson

-with a similar color scheme and less obtrusive shoulder armor is the Martian Marine power suit armor worn by Bobbie Draper as depicted by the amazing actor Frankie Adams in the show The Expanse (we are not in any way ready or looking to discuss the plot of the show at the moment we just wanted to bring up the armor. only so many spoons). Her armor also features a forearm sized integrated minigun

-the five armors from the Halo series present are: ODST battle dress uniform,Gen 2 MJOLNIR/V - EVA, Halo 5 MJOLNIR/R - Recon, MJOLNIR/K - Commando, and MJOLNIR/B - B-class

-we chose a photo of the Laborers from Mars Tactics specifically because they are very much on the light side of armor, only having space cloth/polymer, an astronaut helmet, greaved boots, and a remote unit/life support pack that is basically a chest cuirass ie the most bra-like realistic boobplate can get

-the armor chosen from XCOM 2 is the W.A.R. suit, which in what seems to be a running theme has a heavy forearm blaster weapon mounted on.

-from the Risk of Rain series, the default armors of the Risk of Rain 2 Commando, Loader, and Huntress are shown, along with Risk of Rains Returns art of the Huntress and Mercenary.

-the cover art of Half-Life Decay depicting player character scientists Colette Green and Gina Cross wearing the signature HEV suit (Hazardous Environment Suit) typical of Black Mesa scientists prepared for dealing with said environments, including forays to the border dimension world of Xen, and famously worn by Half Life protagonist Gordon Freeman. while not quite what hazardous material suits or bomb suit armor looks like currently irl the design is undeniably slick and didn't break any of the rules we posed for our search except the avoiding concave armor in that the mid-riff area has a remote unit indent. ah well, given that the suit is literally something you power up to reduce damage to your person, it has (within the lore) first aid capacities to administer morphine when wounded, this suit doesn't play by normal modern armor rules.

-two versions of Samus Aran's armor from the Metroid series are shown, one is her partially organic technology power suit as it appears in Metroid Dread and the other is her gravity suit as it appears in the Metroid Prime trilogy. The power suit is definitely on the lighter side, while the gravity suit is easily some of the heaviest armor shown here. the size of her pauldrons on the gravity suit is of course absurd and irl her armor would be difficult to move around in unless it's an exosuit with it's own locomotion

-lastly, Star Wars The Old Republic's Shae Vizla's armor as leader of the Mandalorian people, Mandalore the Avenger. she's sometimes shown with closer to breast tight boobplate but thats not the case for this art here

Also just want to say it's very funny to us how armor plate carriers (which are commonly used currently) are not as prevalent in scifi the further in the future of a timeline one goes

[eri-pl]

Silm reread interlude: I read Lay of Leithian (1)

First: the title: a lot of times in the text something is freed and released and we get the text focusing on it, because of course that's why I gave it this title, look it's perfectly normal: of course Sauron's prisoners, but also Luthien from her imprisonment, Beren (and iirc others) many times from emotional paralysis + (in alternate text said clearly) the poor Silmaril from the crown of hatered and yet our Oath-bound blorbos are not maybe because their two brothers decided to be creeps.

Also putting something as your title and than mentioning it in relation to many things is totally normal and not funny and not because I am doing it myself sometimes.

OK, anyway, let's start.

TWs…. hmm. Suicidality, a lot of Morgoth and he is evil but in a cool way, wonky metaphysics of the early Silm.

Canto 1

Thinglo has a silver crown. And his armors are scale mail.

Again, Luthien with Elrond's poetic coloring. But in alternate version she had gold hair and blue eyes, Earendil-style.

Canto 2

Morgoth is called king! And the text respects him way more than in the Silm. Sure, he's evil. But also "stronger than the stone the world is built of, than the fire that burns within it more fierce and dire" – come one tell me that does not sound cool. Also "thoughts profound were in his heart". huh? Unless "profound" means something like "gloomy" here, not like "deep and wise".

Also he's evil and terrible and his army stinks.

And he is often referred to as "King Morgoth". With capital "K". He would like that.

Gorlim is much more intentional in his betrayal. And talks with Morgoth himself, not with Sauron.

Another line about Morgoth: "that cruel heart wherein no truth had ever part". So the profound thoughts are profound but untrue I guess.

And it's so dark: "Thus Gorlim died a bitter death, and cursed himself with dying breath[...] and all good deeds were made in vain". Who wrote that, Daeron?

Also, the hidout of Beren and his father and their band is referred to as "secret tryst". Tolkien, as often, uses words as he pleases.

Beren curses the name of Morgoth, thrice. In this story, we will see a lot of people cursing various things and people.

The orcs want to steal the ring of Barahir, ie not report it to Morgoth, just keep it.

Beren is suicidal: "he longed for knofe, or shaft, or sword, to end his pain[...] Danger he sought and death pursued" — huh. Very un-Silm-like. In the Silm only tragic characters are like this.

He befriends animals, and stone spirits(!), I prefer this early version where we have lesser Maiar(?)/spirits/whatever.

Big Dipper as named Burnng Briar, but still it's basicall a "Morgoth, we'll get you" sign from Varda.

Canto 3

Melian didn't go to Beleriand on a mission or purpose: "She had wayward wandered on a time from gardens of the Gods".

Also, the text is written as if Valinor did make its inhabitants immortal: "where earth and sky together flow, and none shall die". I guess Ar-Pharazon read this version. ;) (minus the parts that make Sauron look stupid)

Melian and Thingol. For him the years of looking in her eyes seem like an hour, which makes sense.

Aaand we get first (unless I missed something) title reference! And it's the oddest one possible: "when Morgoth first, fleeing the Gods, their bondage burst, and on the mortal lands set feet".

Also, all Men are his thralls (sans Bere&co obviously), no mention of the Edain.

It seems like elves are not immortal??? "Thingol and deathless Melian" + some more lines like that. maybe it's about her not being possible to kill (dfw would disagree).

"Dairon the dark" so I guess Daeron has black hair. Or face. Or both. Again, he is mightier as a minstrel than Maglor (whose voice is like the sea, and the sea is not a tenor) but they have a third contestant, Tinfang, later deleted.

B&L meet, her magic dazes him and whatnot, I'm not a fan, anyway we get one of my favorite lines:

And now his heart was healed and slain with a new life and with new pain

This point-on describes one very particular emotional experience that does not have a name, but sometimes occur when an emotional (or spiritual) issue is resolved an a sudden and rather surprising moment of insight.

[That's one of the best feelings and I wish you all to have it often enough. <3 ]

…Let's end this on this good note and not on my feelings about the romance part of the canto.

[kaidanworkshop]

Kaidan Revoiced: Community Expansion Content Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for more information about the Kaidan Workshop as a whole? Check here first!

What will be included in the Kaidan Revoiced: Community Expansion mod?

To list every small addition and fix would make this FAQ unbearably long, but here are the key highlights:

Remastered and rebuilt from the ground up! Every single line of code, every asset, and every script has been overhauled – our new follower framework eliminates long-standing bugs and quality of life issues that plagued the original mod

All new voice acting of Kaidan by the talented Paul Warren

Many new QOL features for Kaidan such as:

Wardrobe management

Pronoun selection

Combat damage adjustment

Immersive settings system through dialogue

Audio restoration and engineering on supporting characters from Kaidan 1 sources

Reviewed and updated quest commentary conditions - you may hear lines from the original script that you’ve never had the chance to hear before!

Customize your playthrough by choosing a nickname that Kaidan can use for you - or ask to not be called by a nickname (ie. "Dragonborn")

Players can now obtain the custom home Autumnwatch without marrying Kaidan if they so choose, or via the original romance route

New high poly and HD assets while preserving LivTempleton’s original mod aesthetic

Do I need the original LivTempleton Kaidan 2 mod?

No, Kaidan Revoiced: Community Expansion mod is standalone, and has no other mod requirements. It is not compatible with the original Kaidan 2 mod.

Can I use KR:CE with [insert Kaidan replacer]/[insert Kaidan patch]?

KR:CE will not be compatible out of the box with ANY existing Kaidan replacers, patches, or extensions. KR:CE uses a new framework that current visual replacers and compatibility patches simply will not work with; however, converting existing replacers and creating new compatibility patches for other mods (such as Legacy of The Dragonborn) is a relatively easy process we are more than happy to assist in.

Besides that, we have incorporated many different Kaidan fixes that have made several of his old patches and mods obsolete. Below is a non-exhaustive list of the fixes and mods included in KR:CE.

Extensive dialogue tweaks & subtitle fixes

Stat & combat balancing

Follower distance adjustments

HD Armor Retexture

Shackles Fix

Select parts of Kaidan’s Armory and Kaidan’s Arsenal

Dwarven Mail CC conflict patch

Immersive Start (pending current Community Poll)

Kaidan Refreshed 

Additionally, Axarien’s Animations, as well as Kaidan Silvered, have been updated and will publish concurrently with KR:CE.

Patches and modules that will need to be converted &/or patched for compatibility include, but aren’t limited to:

All existing visual replacers 

All existing Autumnwatch replacers

Legacy of the Dragonborn followers patch

Hjertesten

Blackthorn

MCO animation folders

Custom DAR/OAR animations 

Can I use KR:CE with a follower manager mod, such as NFF or AFF?

No, KR:CE’s custom follower framework will break if you import Kaidan into any such mod. As we have rebuilt it from the ground up, any requested features that the community wishes to have implemented can be investigated and integrated relatively seamlessly; these can always be suggested via any of our socials for consideration.

Will Kaidan still have his interactions with Lucien?

Unfortunately, we are unable to coordinate the revoicing effort of the Lucien-Kaidan interactions for our initial 1.0 launch – it is something that we are very interested in pursuing once schedules permit.

Will Kaidan still curse/drink in KR:CE?

The short answer: Yes. Our design policy with regards to any changes we make to Kaidan is one that aims to be lore friendly, as well as keeping his characterization as close as possible to his original depiction. 

The long answer, as per our Writing Team: 

-- Please note the response below contains NSFW language -- 

"Kaidan's cursing and drinking is something our community has definitely weighed in on, spurring an entire section of exposition in our style guide to address it. Our main concern is that some of his language is anachronistic, and we want to address that. 

In the base Skyrim script, mild language such as damn, piss, and bastard are used throughout the world, while other words like bitch, whore, sex, and ass are used less frequently. It was clearly LivTempleton's intent to have Kaidan be someone who is unafraid to let a foul word slip here and there, but not so much that he's swearing like a sailor. Hell and fuck are both used by Kaidan, and despite not being strictly “lore friendly,” both swears are canonically used within The Elder Scrolls world. Similarly with regards to drinking, Kaidan’s base script contains several lines that clearly show he enjoys having a drink here and there, but not so much that he’s a drunken mess.

We are considering replacements for the anachronistic swears with something more lore friendly in future Workshop Original content, but we don't have any specific plans to expand the amount of swearing or drinking lines he has by any significant amount at this time. Ultimately, sometimes less is more."

Can I use KR:CE with Extended Edition?

No, KR:CE will not be compatible out of the box with ANY existing Kaidan replacers, patches, or extensions. Further, as Extended Edition has the original Kaidan 2 as a mod requirement, it is unfortunately incompatible with our expansion.

Will KR:CE be ported to Xbox/Playstation/Switch?

For Xbox - Yes, we have plans to do so (and have been building KR:CE with console compatibility in mind), but in the event that we are unable to do so in house, we would be more than happy to coordinate with a knowledgeable member of the community to port KR:CE.

For Playstation & Switch - Unfortunately due to the limitations of modding on this particular console, we cannot release KR:CE on either of these platforms.

Can I use KR:CE with Skyrim VR?

Yes, KR:CE should be compatible out of the box.

Will KR:CE be backported to Skyrim: Legendary Edition?

We currently have no plans to backport KR:CE to LE. However, we would be more than happy to coordinate with a knowledgeable member of the community to port KR:CE.

Is the Workshop planning on creating interactions with [insert your favorite custom voiced follower]?

Interactions with other custom voiced followers has always been a goal of ours! Right now we are focused primarily on releasing the 1.0 version of KR:CE, and creating an entirely new script with another content creator will add too much production time to our current workflow. However, once we begin transitioning towards Workshop Original Script production post-launch, we will be revisiting this topic in full force.

Can I make a compatibility patch for [insert your favorite mod]?

In general, yes! Link us to the content you wish to make a patch for, so we can ensure it does not violate our Terms of Use Policy (see below). Besides that, all we ask is that you please credit us as The Kaidan Workshop, as well as crediting LivTempleton for providing her assets to the community. 

Dragonborn Voice Over/AI Voice Generation Policy

The Kaidan Workshop, as well as our VA Paul Warren, have a strict policy against the utilization of AI Voice Generation. We do NOT consent to the use of Kaidan’s new lines by Mr. Warren in any mod &/or media content that uses AI Voice Generation as a permanent fixture of its content, nor do we consent to the utilization of any of our content in helping to train AI Voice Generators. Mods that use AI voices as placeholders while official lines are being recorded will be evaluated on a case by case basis. In the case of the popular Dragonborn Voice Over mod, only a voice from a human voice actor who has consented to their voice and its likeness being used for AI Voice Generation will be considered for a compatibility patch. Otherwise, the above no-tolerance policy stands.

NSFW Patch Policy

The Workshop, as well as our VA Paul Warren has a strict policy against the utilization of KR:CE in NSFW content. The only exception to this rule are nude body replacers for mods such as HIMBO or SOS.

Help! My question isn't on this FAQ page!

No problem! Come swing by our Discord, or leave a message in our inbox.