#its shorter than i expected but

[opens-up-4-nobody]

Shout out to waking up at 6am and giving yourself an absolutely jacked haircut lol

[zyttore]

" Excuse me. "

And the dulcet tones of someone quite foreign to this land, the one glowing with lights and glittering with the life pulsing through each footstep and echo of voices. Truly, something significant to each attendee of this little festival...

Including himself.

But ah, he wasn't here to sample the newest dishes from Wanmin Resturant, or watch the Xiao lanterns glide across the surface of the ocean upon the docks like all the rest.

He was not like the rest.

After all, with the way his stride widens with each step taken towards the unexpecting exorcist, lying in wait (as expected) by the statement hardly uttered, there's a backstep of confidence there. Vial clipped onto the slightly tanned lobe of the Doctor's ear glimmering in the light of the swinging luminesce, blue glint catching with the same tint of the younger exorcist's hair.

" Are you the exorcist I've heard oh so much about? "

There's almost a note of genuine curiosity creeping along the edges of his voice. As if he truly wanted to know just about another ritual to cleanse, to clear the hallowed ground like that of the slopes of Wuwang hill.

No, not quite.

Instead, to cleanse yang energy from a certain.. location. For his own interests.

@cryoexorciist liked for a starter...

Quite surprising to him, frankly. The sorts of people that Teyvat gifted him with, and him alone.

With the sort of power in his hands, gods beloathed and power pressed into the gaze sweeping across the glowing lanterns bobbing along the dock, dotting the night sky, it quite surprised the Doctor himself that he'd ended up in the nation of Geo just in time for one of their defining festivals.

Lantern Rite.

Crowds of people humming and buzzing around the man walking through the city, quiet and masked with a new sort of design over his features.

Rather than the avian one he so typically wore, a navy blue mask clung to his mouth and lower face instead, engraved and gilded with bronze along the edges and curves. Fitting for the occasion, he assumes, almost grimacing at the thoughts of anything akin to fashion crossing his mind.

Before he runs directly into a much smaller figure crashing into his torso, making the Doctor stumble back. Casting a bold red gaze toward the figure below- two details he instantly notes.

One, that his figure was dressed like that of the exorcists he'd heard so reverently of, around the peaks of nearby range. Young features so innocuous to betray the true age of the one who lied beneath, truly one skilled in his experience.

But that wasn't what the Second noted.

Instead, the incredible energy pouring from him.

Certainly unlike elemental energy he'd encountered before, something quite different; yet all the same for the utter purity and ability contained within it. Something he'd read on with his extensive time (cut short) at the Akademiya. How his list of experimental energies expanded at the very thoughts of it...

Pure yang. Something he'd heard that spirit of the exorcists clan to possess- ah, yes, Chongyun.

How very interesting. Lantern Rite was a time of prosperity and wealth, and it provided even a tainted soul like himself with a new source of knowledge.

[dallonwrites]

THINK i am halfway through this chapter it just Feels Right, though based on what i know needs to happen i feel like the second half will be longer and the first half is 4.5k so like, laugh out loud !

[aria0fgold]

A spell for warmth, a spell for comfort, a blanket for silence.

Morgana paced about the room, he's all alone again. Well, that's to be expected when Ren is now going about his usual schedule of hanging out with other people after school, it's always a good thing to deepen his bond with others. And quite frankly, Morgana prefers that right now, to be alone. It helps, the silence, allowing his thoughts to be loud enough for him to think everything through properly. Though now'd he think about it, even with Ren around the silence still lingers, considering how he isn't much of a talker, yet despite that, it was warm. Silence blanketing him in a warmth just by the presence of someone else he trusts and care for as a friend. One of the first friends that Morgana even had ever since he woke up in… this form. A cat… How useless.

They defeated Okumura, accomplished their mission and now all they have to do is wait, like always. But the feelings of self-doubt doesn't vanish just as easily as that, the feelings of uselessness that lingers even though a day or two had passed. He mostly had been pushing such feelings at the back of his mind the past couple of days, the air around them is still somewhat tense, with the public believing in the Phantom Thieves more and more. It isn't just them waiting on Okumura's change of heart now, but the majority of the public too. Not to mention having a new addition to the team means some readjustments in strategies and training so that Haru could get used to it all. There just hasn't been time for Morgana to focus on his feelings at all. Was there even a reason to?

He'll get over this in the future anyway. Right, he can prove to everyone just how helpful and useful he can be in the future! There will be more opportunities then! So there's really no need to linger on it… Really…

Morgana huffed, in the end, he still feels a bit heavy.

He then heard the sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs, that might be Ren, so Morgana stood still, shaking his head and took a deep breath to compose himself. It'll be fine, he shouldn't worry Ren about this.

“You're bac—”

Ah. It's just Kaito.

Kaito laughed, “Whoa, I never thought I'd see a cat quickly shift expressions from excited to disappointed in seconds!”

Morgana sighed, though it only came out as a huff. Well, at least this time he didn't mimic Ren's voice.

“Heeey~ Cat got your tongue?” Kaito teased.

Ugh, Morgana doesn't have the time nor the energy to deal with this. Kaito can't even understand him so what's the point in speaking? It'll only come out as meows so Morgana can't even just tell him to shut up or leave him alone. This is the worst, he'd rather talk to Ryuji instead.

With another huff, Morgana tried his best to glare at Kaito before turning around to lay on the cough, curling his body into a ball and putting a paw on his ears, he knows it's useless with how sensitive cat's ears are but muffling even just some of Kaito's voice is enough for him and maybe, just maybe, it'll come off as a clear message that Morgana doesn't wanna listen to him at all.

Seconds pass in silence.

A moment, and then another. And yet… Morgana can still feel someone's gaze on him.

UGH! SERIOUSLY JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!

Morgana stood and quickly turned to face Kaito with the intent to hiss and bare his teeth, much like an annoyed cat would, it'd be obvious then, right?

But… he stopped midway.

Kaito still stood by the stairs, a serious expression on his face, it was rare for him to have such an expression when he's always smiles and tricks. His eyes were focused on Morgana, scanning his body from top to bottom, what is he looking for exactly?

“You—” Though Morgana knew only a meow would reach Kaito's ears, he couldn't help but try to speak anyway.

“Are you upset about something?” An attempt that was cut-off by Kaito's sudden question.

What… What is he—

Kaito's lips curled into a small smile, one that strangely feels genuine, not unlike the others he had which only felt like… a mask, “Eheheh, I don't know. It just feels like it. You're a smart kitty so I thought that maybe… … Say, can I sit next to you?”

. . .

Morgana doesn't really know what's happening anymore. Kaito is enshrouded in one too many mysteries, possibly even more than that Detective Prince. How can he figure that out when he can't even understand what Morgana's saying in the first place? Just from body language? Of a CAT? …Aren't all cats supposed to be easily irritated and annoyed?

. . .

Morgana huffed, he moved over to the other end of the couch, allowing space for Kaito to sit down on.

“Thanks!” Kaito sat down, seemingly making sure to leave out enough space between them.

“So… Hmm…” Kaito put a hand on his chin, deep in thought, most likely figuring out on how to cheer up a cat.

Morgana can't help but feel slightly moved by that.

“Uhh… I don't really know how to cheer up a cat. I don't even know what you're upset about.” He chuckled, “I doubt I can even figure that one out!”

A beat of silence pass, though strangely it wasn't as cold as before.

“How about…” He grinned, flicking his hand, a red rose appeared seemingly out of thin air, “some magic tricks?”

Morgana huffed, in his head he wore a smirk, such an expression not quite easily done on a cat's face, “What other magic tricks are there anyway?”

After all, Kaito has done at least a number of it already whenever he's around them. He seems to really enjoy doing it.

“Oh? Is that possibly doubt towards the many tricks up my sleeves?” Kaito wagged his finger while clicking his tongue, “Never doubt a magician's tricks, smart feline!”

And with a toothy grin, Kaito stood up, opening his arms wide as he announced, “Welcome to Kaito's special magic show! I'll be sure to make you smile, my furry friend.”

Morgana huffed, in a friendly mocking tone, as a means to take up Kaito's challenge, and another as a way to say “Cat's can't smile, dumbass.”

“Ehehehe! Keep your eyes peeled now! You don't wanna miss a second of this after all!”

Frankly, Morgana's problems still lingers, something he'd have to deal with in the future. But despite that, he didn't feel as heavy as before. In the comfort of the couch, Morgana watched a magician weaved spells in the form of tricks, all to cheer up a mere cat. And maybe, that's all Morgana needed today.

[birb--birb]

Savrin de Riva, spellblade crow and certified Short King

[zapsoda]

i understand how peeta got so jacked from baking bread

[get-more-bald]

the thing about X6 is that he's essentially a slave given to the Sole Survivor by the Institute. and I think that the fandom's treatment of him would be different if the game addressed it or even just said it

[moipale]

(covered in blood, shaking, clutching its side) i finished a full draft of none forward chapter 2

[abimee]

ruyan wont admit she has a type but she does which is either short fat guys with facial hair (short is relative to her, any guy whos head sits below her nose is short) and high sex drive women with soft hair. this is why haurchefant is the best of both worlds

[cjgladback]

For the first time in a long while, I got to go to a white elephant gift exchange this December! We had a low price ceiling and my practically wins out over any practical joke sensibilities every time, so on the designated shopping day I left my local overstock store with a nice chopstick set, some fancy (not at all mess-free) popcorn, and a dream.

When I was growing up, my mom was an intrepid homeschooling parent who loved event planning, valued cultural exploration, and had married into a Japanese family. Multiple times - sometimes in the setting of a multicultural fair, at least once as a kind of class party (with celebratory takeout at the end) - she faced teaching large groups of children how to use chopsticks quickly and with as little cost and cleanup as possible.

Her answer was popcorn! It's edible, so you get the full motion down, and lightweight but large enough for less coordinated sticks to pinch. It has tons of nubbins to grab and widely varied shapes to experiment with. Specifically, we used air-popped kernels, without oil or toppings, so when it gets overzealously crushed or bounces away and gets missed by a broom, it's basically biodegradable styrofoam.

What I'm saying is, this is my mom's fault. Other than the choice to draw so many hands in one afternoon on the same day as the party, while also baking a snack. That's all me. This primer was delivered in the format of a tiny booklet (if you look up an "eight page zine" that's also a method I learned from my mom, to turn single-sided misprints into notepads), with fewer jokes and tips than I'd have liked because I simply did not have time to transcribe a hashi rest fold or hairstyle. But reformatted (for Mastodon) it looks fairly respectable.

Lengthy image descriptions and full poster format under the cut.

[ID: A title page reads "How to Use Chopsticks" in all caps. The words "without too much mess" are between two straight, orange lines, which start with round points at the left, evoking chopsticks, and end in flared shapes of a silhouetted splash on the right. Below the lower line are the words "by CJ Gladback." All the text is in black, the background is white but appears light orange due to a repeating geometric watermark pattern of CJ's logo in orange overlaid on the whole image; her handle on most sites is included once on each of the following spreads: @cjgladback​

Next is the first spread of four illustrations with their instructions. On the left half of page are two line drawings of a right hand holding one and then two chopsticks, with the text, "The first stick rests on the side of your ring finger's nail and the flesh between your thumb and index finger. Your middle finger's pad holds it securely while it can slide against your thumb as your hand changes posture in use. The second stick is held between the knuckle of your thumb and the middle section of your index finger. This is the one you move to change angles; it may touch but doesn't really rest on the middle finger's tip." In orange, two arrows indicate the rest points for the first stick while small hashes emanate from the points pressed on the middle and ring fingertips and under the thumb's joint holding the top stick. On the right upper quadrant of the page is the text "Hold them close to parallel to scoop." A hand holds two sticks poked into a bowl of rice between the viewer and the palm; a series of parallel orange lines emphasize the space between the sticks. The remaining quadrant's text reads, "Press with your index finger to pinch firmly." This hand is holding an indistinct rounded shape in its chopsticks, with an orange arrow indicating the rotation of the index finger's tip to press the top stick's point toward the bottom's.

Next is the final spread of the pamphlet. The upper right text reads, "Practice with something medium sized and low mess like (air-popped) popcorn." A single piece of popcorn is held in disembodied chopsticks above a full popcorn bowl, with several kernels fallen to the surface below it. Text below reads, "Pick up your dishes to bring close to your mouth to scoop the harder to grab foods." An implied tilted bowl of food (fried rice or porridge with diced pieces) protrudes off the page, covering only the lower left corner. Close-up chopsticks have their points buried in the food and their lines fade out toward the right. The final black text, underlined by two orange chopstick shapes, reads, "but most of all, do what feels comfortable and eat well!" In orange in the lower right corner, the parenthetical "(and maybe knit a scarf)" is followed by a small orange drawing of a steaming bowl of noodles and sliced egg with a noodle line trailing toward two upward angled sticks with loopy hashes indicating knit fabric hanging from them.

The final image is the full booklet in its web format, with the three previous images from this post stacked vertically. Some orange lines have been added between what were pages in the print booklet, to aid reading flow. /end ID]

[teamdays]

i got a haircut everyone masc till the roach starts flying.jpg

[gu6chan]

Was feeling a little sickly kinda miserable today but now i just saw i DID get my "I told you so" moment with yuri on ice and remembered that shitty nier gacha game is shutting down in less than two weeks and I'm negl i actually feel so much better now i just went from rotting in my bed like "i wanna do something but everything feels so frustrating........ what will i do" to suddenly jerking up looking like this

[sistersorrow]

Due to nearly daily power outages and dropping out of college, I've had a lot more free time this year, so I decided I'd read more this year, and here's a list of the things I read either partly or to completion (I'm including ttrpg sourcebooks, comics, and fanfics cause I feel like it)

Jerusalem by Alan Moore

The Fifth Science by Exurb1a

Horus Rising by Dan Abnett

False Gods by Graham McNeill

Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter

Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow

Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon

The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

Lost at Sea by Jon Ronson

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C Yee

The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C Yee

The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C Yee

The Legacy of Yangchn by F.C Yee

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Dreadnought by April Daniels

Sovereign by April Daniels

The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean

The Corpus Hermeticum

RWBY: Scars by Doneesses

The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien

The Prague Cemetery by Eco Umber

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

The Bible Repairman by Tim Powers

Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

The Gods of Pegana by Lord Dunsany

Time and the Gods by Lord Dunsany

Welcome to the NHK by Tasuhiko Takimoto

What If? by Randall Munroe

TTRPGs I read books for:

Eclipse Phase

Exalted (2e and 3e)

Lancer

Nobilis (2e and 3e)

Numenera

Ponyfinder

Unknown Armies (1e, 2e, and 3e)

World of Darkness (Old and Chronicles)

Continuum, Roleplaying in the Yet

Broken Worlds

Comics and Manga I read this year:

A Study Emerald by Rafael Scavone, Rafael Albuquerque, and Dave Stewart

Alters by Paul Jenkins and Leila Leiz

All the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra comics

Black Hole by Charles Burns

Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, Max Sarin, and Julia Madrigal

The Unbelievable Gwenpool by Christopher Hastings, Gurihiru, Danilo Beyruth, Iren Strychalski, Myisha Haynes, and Alti Firmansyah

Gwenpool Strikes Back by Leah Williams and David Baldeon

I Hate Fairyland by Skottie Young

Irredeemable by Mark Waid, Peter Krause, Diego Barreto, and Eduardo Barreto

Jem and the Holograms by Kelly Thompson, Sophie Campbell, Emma Vieceli, and Corin Howell

Judas by Jeff Loveness and Jakub Rebelka

Kill 6 Billion Demons by Tom Bloom

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

The Woods by James Tynion V and Michael Dialynas

The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jaime McKelvie

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Craped Crusader by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Fraiser and Val Wise

Okko by Hub

Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Goodbye, Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Inside Mari Shuzo Oshimi

[basilpaste]

i amn sooo close,,,,,

[stevethehairington]

book 2 of the year = finished!!!

[zhuhongs]

many thots on body image and the way i present myself in light of going to pr and my cousin from belize coming to live with us and. sighsss. Btw i dont want any opinions. im just Thinking