#sad tortured monk man Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[musical-chick-13]

Do you ever think about. Seishin Muroi.

[blackjackkent]

VERY challenging fight among the mind flayer pods. I think this might be the first time Hector and Co. have actually fought mind flayers directly, and these fuckers are SCARY. They have an attack called Mind Blast which can (and did, on one occasion) stun the entire group out of their turns, and another called "Extract Brain" which didn't seem to do exactly what it said on the tin (thankfully) but did do an absolute shitton of damage. I had to restart the fight twice because Hector was unconscious for the subsequent conversation with Zevlor, which I wanted him to be awake for. XD

(I've realized recently that I completely fucked up redoing his build as an Open Hand monk and I need to redo it again, but I haven't been able to go back to camp since we went down the Flesh Slide. But for Act 3 hopefully he will be a little beefier. For right now I'm just pretending that he's doing more work than he's actually doing in combat. :P )

The thing I'm most worried about here is that we don't have the option of taking a long rest, and everyone is REALLY hurting and low on spell slots and there's got to be some enormous boss battle coming up. :/ But we'll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess.

Also, Zevlor and the two Flaming Fist who were also in the pods fucking KICKED ASS during this fight. I don't know if I buy the tieflings' story that he showed cowardice out in the shadow-cursed lands, because he was definitely not messing around against these mind flayers. My personal suspicion is that he tried to surrender because innocents were in danger of being hurt, and didn't realize that surrendering to the Absolute cult isn't like surrendering to sane people.

But I guess we'll find out because we can talk to him now!

"Hells. I didn't think I was going to make it... Thank you..."

Wyll chimes in before Hector can speak. "Zevlor."

Zevlor glances towards him - then does a double-take, registering the horns and mottled skin now gracing the man's face and head. "Watching gods... The Blade of Frontiers? Wyll? What happened?" he asks, startled.

Wyll smiles bitterly. "I paid the price of angering the wrong devil." His voice is surprisingly cool, cautious, despite having known Zevlor before. The tales they have heard of Zevlor's supposed cowardice have clearly bothered him more than he's let on; after all, he considers himself the protector of the common people.

Zevlor looks at him steadily for a moment. His own smile is sad, weary. "And shouldered the cost to spare someone else a worse fate, I'd wager," he murmurs. A pause; then he turns to look at Hector. "I... owe you an explanation," he says. "Much more than that. But first... please..." His glowing gold eyes narrow anxiously, betraying the placidity of the rest of his expression. "The others. The ambush... tell me they survived."

Hector nods slowly. He isn't really sure what to think of Zevlor at this point; the reports of his cowardice and surrender do not mesh with the image he has seen of the man himself. "They found refuge," he says cautiously. Well, most of them at least. "But what the hells happened out there, Zevlor?"

"You've heard some of it, I'm sure," Zevlor says flatly. "That I froze, or broke, or some other lie that is kinder than the truth." His gaze grows distant, lost in memory. "We were ambushed by cultists, yes. And then I heard... Her. Their false god, whispering promises in my mind. I would be a paladin again - with a god's purpose, a god's power. Everything I needed to protect my people." He swallows, squeezes his eyes shut, regret and shame written in every line of his face. "And all the while, the cult tortured them. They fought, and ran, and died around me, while I imagined myself their savior."

He scowls, opens his eyes again, though he can't seem to quite meet Hector's. "By the time I regained my senses, it was too late. I did not just surrender to the Absolute," he mutters. "For a moment, I welcomed it."

Oh, gods. Hector stares at him, unsure whether to feel sympathy or revulsion.

The great horror of the Absolute, he reflects, is not in all the death, or even in the eldritch transformation and absorption of the mind flayer hive mind. It's in the way that this enemy preys upon the deepest weaknesses and fears of those it consumes, stripping them bare, with no corner of safety or identity left to them.

He saw only a few minutes ago how Zevlor suffered during the aftermath of the Descent - a paladin of Elturel, attacked and exiled by his own people without cause, his faith shattered apart. Yet another flavor of that same lost emptiness that Hector has seen in Lae'zel, in Shadowheart, as they have seen a pillar of their life taken from under them. Is it any wonder that, given a vision of that certainty being returned to him, he should be tempted by it?

Hector could, no doubt, chastise Zevlor for the weakness - but what good would it do? It's obvious that Zevlor already feels more shame than he can bear for what he did, for the loss of control and the sacrifices that went with it.

Like Madeline, in the grip of He Who Was, grieving for those she turned over to the Justiciars. I cannot grant you forgiveness you deny to yourself - but I can tell you that I understand.

"It sounds like you were being enthralled," he says quietly. "It's not your fault.

"It would be nice to think so," Zevlor says; his shoulders relax just slightly at the expression of understanding but none of the tension leaves his eyes. "But whatever these monsters twist us into... I believe it begins in us." He lets out a heavy breath, steadies himself - the military mind taking over, although Hector sees in the moment something of his own rituals of calming and self-discipline.

"I won't make excuses," Zevlor continues, more briskly. "I can't make amends. But I know something of what you came to do - I want to help, if you'll let me." He glances past Hector down the slime-ridden corridor behind him. "Ketheric is below. He thinks you're no longer a menace. Descend and show him how wrong he is. If there are any more survivors to be found, I'll find them and lead them out of this place."

Hector nods slowly, impressed by the force of personality it is clearly taking for Zevlor to stand against his own shame and exhaustion. "I could use another blade in the fight to come," he points out.

Zevlor smiles without humor. "Only if you can trust it won't be buried in your back. The Absolute swayed me once before. I won't risk it happening again." He puts a hand against Hector's shoulder briefly. "Go, my friend. Please. Let me do this much."

He lets his hand fall, turns and walks away down the corridor.

----------

Hector watches him go, his eyebrows knitted together in a troubled frown. "Damn," he mutters. "What a mess." He sighs, rubs a hand down his face. "I'm glad we found him. He's a good man, in spite of... all of this."

Wyll raises one shoulder in a slight shrug. "I want to think you're right," he says. "But people died because of his moment of weakness. Innocent people. People who trusted him to protect them."

Hector glances sideways at him. "And who is to say what vulnerable spot of ours would not be dredged up to destroy us at this moment, if the Prism was not protecting us?" he points out. A rueful smile tugs his lips for a moment. "We all have our regrets. Things we would like the power to change. None of us are exempt from that."

Wyll tips his head to the side and returns the wry smile after a moment's pause. "I suppose I can't argue with you there."

[semi-imaginary-place]

ffxiv back to gyr abania

they're torturing krile?? That went dark.

oh so when i pointed out way back when that lyse had narrative potential (i personally doubt her actual potential) to lead, which would have been enhaced if they'd killed off conrad (which i would have been sad of) i was on to something.

ala mhigo is part of eorzea wonder why their aetherytes are different.

why is lakshimi so light colored. she better be hding like 8 snake tails under that skirt.

isn't it kind of dangerous to have the twins and lyse along, they dont have the echo. we never did come up with a good anti-tempering measure...

hmm i genuinely don't know if zenos is going to kill her or not. mmm wait on second thought her character arc and specifically her as a springboard for lyse's character arc isn't over.

interesting parallel set up between alisae and foldora who both seek power.

M tribe! ahhh i miss my red catboy...

i do not understand why the devs did not just open the door on velydona bridge and instead made 2 npcs to warp you from one side of the door to the other. there isn't even a loading zone i can fly right over

ah so this is where they kill off conrad. I'll miss the old man... yup conrad dies to further lyse's character growth as she is forced to step up as a leader where before she's been uncertain about her position in the ala mhigan resistance. she's felt overshadowed by her sister, her father, and those who lived through garlean occupation.

ugggg and they brought back estinien because he's a fan favorite. look he has a face model that they want to show off any everything. i hate it. the garleans took marksmanship classes from the starwars stormtroopers i see.

i love pipin. I see the 3 grand companies here and there are ishgardian knights around, but is the ishgardian leadership not represented here as well?

baut side story: I liked the point on how the garlean propaganda machine worked so hard to demonize the Resistance that even after meeting them, the people of Ala Ghiri are still in the mindset that the Resistance will be just as brutal as the Empire. At one point I got pretty worried that the story was going to go down the "each person can only be judged by their own actions, the past doesn't matter" which, like that does have several points but writing that story would also fail to account for systemic oppression and how baut even if he was nicer about it still furthered the goals of the garlean empire and thus the invasion, subjugation, and rule of garleans over their occupied territories with all the human rights violations from the forced labor camps to the murders, kidnappings, rape, demotion to second class citizen, or just straight out slavery, human experimentation and torture. that... that ending really took a hard left turn at least everyone else is also reeling at the whiplash.

castrum abania. garleans are just wannabe allegans knockoff discount human experimentation.

that you must run faster, fight harder, be better already proves how you are not equal and never will be in the garlean's eyes.

so illberd and raubahn are from the same tiny village (childhood friends?) oh they go back further than i thought. why else would illberd also be "sent home" to raubahn's village. interesting that its to the player character that lyse swears a death pact.

no fair lyse gets TWO new outfits. i do think her other outfits suit her better though. she got dancer gear as a monk. but its symbolic and in taking up a leadership postition lyse has in some ways become a symbol of ala mhigan independence.

gry abania seems a mix of middle east and indian with a dash of chinese and some scottish. I heard thavnair is also south asian/middle eastern inspired I wonder how the devs will differentiate the two areas.

aww it all happens offscreen. i would have been nice to be shown how the alliance took the loches. but maybe this is because i'm always hungering for military strategy and political drama.

lyse leading the resistance is great for her character arc and all but does she have any actual leadership skills and qualifications?? when has she demonstrated leadership, management, and organizational skills. she was hanging around the scions which are like free agents and then with the resistance but was mostly observing the Griffin

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sat., May, 22, 2021

 May 9(New cal.)/may22 ( old cal.)

The holy Prophet Isaiah (8th c. B.C.)

     The holy Prophet Isaiah lived 700 years before the Birth of Christ, and was descended of royal lineage. The father of Isaiah, Amos, raised his son in the fear of God and in the law of the Lord. Having attained the age of maturity, the Prophet Isaiah entered into marriage with a pious maiden-prophetess (Is. 8: 3) and had a son Jashub (Is. 8: 18).      Saint Isaiah was called to prophetic service during the reign of Oziah (Uzziah), king of Judea, and he prophesied for 60 years during the reign of kings Joatham, Achaz (Ahaz), Hezekiah and Manasseh. The start of his service was marked by the following vision: he beheld the Lord God, sitting in a majestic heavenly temple upon an high throne. Six-winged Seraphim encircled Him. With two wings they covered their faces, and with two wings – they covered their feet, and with two wings they flew about crying out one to another "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth art filled of His Glory!" The pillars of the heavenly temple did shake from their shouts, and in the temple swelled the smoke of incense. The prophet cried out in terror: "Oh, accursed a man am I, granted to behold the Lord Sabaoth, and having impure lips and living amidst an impure people!" Then was sent him one of the Seraphim, having in hand a red-hot coal, which he took with tongs from the altar of the Lord. He touched it to the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah and said: "Here, I have touched it to thine lips and the Lord doth do away with thine offences and doth cleanse thy sins". After this Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, directed towards him: "Whom shalt I send and who wilt go to the Jews, who wilt go for Us?" Isaiah answered: "Here am I, send me, Lord, and I shalt go" (Is. 6: 1ff). And the Lord sent him to the Jews to exhort them to turn from the ways of impiety and idol-worship and to offer repentance. To those that repent and turn to the True God, the Lord promised mercy and forgiveness, but punishment and the judgement of God are appointed the unrepentant. Then Isaiah asked the Lord, how long would the falling-away of the Jewish nation from God continue. The Lord answered: "Until that time, as they neglect the city, nor be there people in the houses and this land be made desolate. Just as when a tree be felled and from the stump come forth new shoots, so also from the destruction of the nation wilt remain an holy remnant, from which emergeth a new tribe".

     Isaiah left behind him a book of prophecy, in which he denounces the Jews for their unfaithfulness to the God of their fathers, and he predicts the captivity of the Jews and their return from captivity during the time of the emperor Cyrus, the destruction and renewal of Jerusalem and of the Temple. Together with this he predicts the historical fate also of the other nations bordering the Jews. But what is most important of all for us, the Prophet Isaiah with particular clearness and detail prophesies about the coming of the Messiah – Christ the Saviour. The prophet names the Messiah as God and Man, Teacher of all the nations, Founder of the Kingdom of Peace and Love. The prophet foretells the Birth of the Messiah from a Virgin, and with particular clearness he describes the Suffering of the Messiah for the sins of the world, he foresees His Resurrection and the universal spreading of His Church. By his clear foretelling about Christ the Saviour, the Prophet Isaiah merited being called an Old Testament Evangelist. To him belong the words: "This One beareth our sins and is smitten for us... He was wounded for our sins and tortured for our transgressions. The chastisement of our world was upon Him, and by His wounds we were healed..." (Is. 53: 4-5. Vide Book of Prophet Isaiah: 7: 14, 11: 1, 9: 6, 53: 4, 60: 13, etc.).      The holy Prophet Isaiah had also a gift of wonderworking. And thus so, when during the time of a siege of Jerusalem by enemies the besieged had become exhausted with thirst, he by his prayer drew out from beneathe Mount Sion a spring of water, which was called Siloam, i.e. "sent from God". It was to this spring afterwards that the Saviour sent the man blind from birth to wash, and for whom was restored sight by Him. By the prayer of the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord prolonged the life of Hezekiah for 15 years.      The Prophet Isaiah died a martyr's death. By order of the Jewish king Manasseh he was sawn through by a wood-saw. The prophet was buried not far from the Pool of Siloam. The relics of the holy Prophet Isaiah were afterwards transferred by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to Constantinople and installed in the church of Saint Lawrence at Blakhernai. At the present time part of the head of the Prophet Isaiah is preserved at Athos in the Khilendaria monastery.      About the times and the events which occurred during the life of the Prophet Isaiah, the 4th Book of Kings [alt. 2 Kings] speaks (Ch. 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, etc.), and likewise 2 Chronicles (Ch. 26-32).

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas, from Lycian- Myra to Bari in Italy 

     Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia – the Transfer of the Relics from Lycian Myra to Bari in Italy: The Vita about his life is located under the 6 December feastday.      In the XI Century the Byzantine Greek empire was living through some terrible times. The Turks put an end to its influence in Asia Minor, they destroyed cities and villages, the murdered the inhabitants, and they accompanied their cruel outrage with the desecration of churches, holy relics, icons and books. The Mussulmen attempted also to destroy the relics of Saint Nicholas, deeply venerated by all the Christian world.      In the year 792 the caliph Aaron Al'-Rashid sent Khumeid at the head of a fleet to pillage the island of Rhodes. Having lain waste this island, Khumeid set off to Lycian Myra with the intent to rob from the tomb of Saint Nicholas. But instead of it he robbed another, standing alongside the crypt of the saint. Just as they succeeded in committing this sacrilege, a terrible storm lifted upon the sea and almost all the ships were shattered into pieces. 

 The desecration of holy things shocked not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Christians in Italy were particularly apprehensive for the relics of Saint Nicholas, and among them were many Greeks. The inhabitants of the city of Bari, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of Saint Nicholas.

     In the year 1087 merchants from Bari and Venice set out to Antioch for trade. Both these and others also had proposed on the return trip to take up the relics of Saint Nicholas and transport them to Italy. In this plan the men of Bari commissioned the Venetians to land them at Myra. At first two men were sent in, who in returning reported that in the city – all was quiet, and in the church where rested the glorified relics, they encountered only four monks. Immediately 47 men, having armed themselves, set out for the church of Saint Nicholas. The monk-guards, suspecting nothing, showed them the raised platform, beneathe which was concealed the tomb of the saint, where by custom, they anointed foreigners with myrh from the relics of the saint. The monks told them during this about an appearance of Saint Nicholas that evening to a certain elder. In this vision Saint Nicholas ordered the cautious preserving of his relics. This account encouraged the barons, – they saw an avowal for them in this vision and as it were a decree from the saint. In order to facilitate their activity, they revealed their intent to the monks and offered them money – 300 gold coins. The monk-guards refused the money and wanted to warn the inhabitants about the misfortune threatening them. But the newcomers bound them and put their own guards at the doorway. They took apart the church platform beneathe which stood the tomb with the relics. In this effort the youth Matthew was excessive in his especial zeal, wanting to as quickly as possible to find the relics of Saint Nicholas. In his impatience he broke the cover and the barons saw, that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrh. The compatriots of the barons, the presbyters Luppus and Drogus, made a litany, after which the break of Matthew began to flow with myrh from the overflowing sarcophagus of the relics of the saint. This occurred on 20 April 1087.      Seeing the absence of a container chest, presbyter Drogus wrapped the relics in the cover cloth, and in the company of the barons he carried them to the ship. The monks – having been set free, alerted the city with the sad news about the abduction of the relics of the Wonderworker Nicholas by foreigners. A crowd of people gathered at the shore, but it was too late...      On 8 May the ships arrived in Bari, and soon the joyous news made the rounds of all the city. On the following day, 9 May 1087, they solemnly transported the relics of Saint Nicholas into the church of Saint Stephen, situated not far from the sea. The solemn bearing of the relics was accompanied by numerous healings of the sick, which inspired still greater reverence for the Saint of God. A year afterwards a church was built in the name of Saint Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.      This event, connected with the transfer of the relics of Saint Nicholas, evoked a particular veneration for the Wonderworker Nicholas and was marked by the establishing of a special feastday on 9 May. At first the Feastday of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas was observed only by the people of the city of Bari. In the other lands of the Christian East and West it was not adopted, despite the fact that the transfer of the relics was widely known about. This circumstance is to be explained by the custom in the Middle Ages of venerating primarily the relics of local saints. Moreover, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this remembrance, since for it the loss of the relics of Saint Nicholas was a sad event.      The Russian Orthodox Church celebration of the memory of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Lycian Myra to Bari in Italy on 9 May was established soon after the year 1087, on the basis of an already established veneration by the Russian people of the great Saint of God, brought over from Greece simultaneously with the acceptance of Christianity. The glorious accounts about the miracle-workings, done by the saint on both land and sea, were widely known to the Russian people. Their inexhaustible strength and abundance testify to the especially graced help of the great Saint of God for suffering mankind. The image of Saint Nicholas, a mighty Wonderworker and Benefactor, became especially dear to the heart of the Russian people, since it inspired deep faith and hope for his intercession. The faith of the Russian people in the abundant aid of the Saint of God was marked by numerous miracles.      A significant body of literature was compiled about him very early in Russian writings. Accounts about the miracles of Saint Nicholas done in the Russian land were recorded early on in deep antiquity. Soon after the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Lycian Myra to Bari, there appeared a Russian redaction of his Vita and an account about the Transfer of his holy relics, written by one contemporary to this event. Earlier still was written a laudation to the Wonderworker. And each week on Thursday, the Russian Orthodox Church honours his memory in particular.      In honour of Sainted Nicholas were erected numerous churches and monasteries, and with his name Russian people are wont to name their children at Baptism. In Russia are preserved numerous wonderworking icons of the saint. Most reknown among them are the images of Mozhaisk, Zaraisk, Volokolamsk, Ugreshsk and Ratny. There was neither house nor temple in the Russian land, in which there was not an image of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. The significance of the graced intercession of the great Saint of God is expressed by the ancient compiler of the Life-Vita, in the words of whom Sainted Nicholas "did work many glorious miracles both on land and on sea, aiding those downtrodden in misfortune and rescuing the drowning, carried to dry land from the depths of the sea, raising up others from corruption and bringing them home, liberating from chains and imprisonment, averting felling by the sword and freeing from death, and granting much healing to many: sight to the blind, walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute. He brought riches to many suffering in abject poverty and want, he provided the hungry food and for each in their need he appeared a ready helper, an avid defender and speedy intercessor and protector, and such as appeal to him he doth help and deliver from adversity. Both the East and the West know of this great Wonderworker, and all the ends of the earth know his miracle-working".

     Luke 6:17-23 

17And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

Hebrews 13:17-21

17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. 18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. 20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

[whatsyourcolor]

Psycho-Pass 3 - Episode 6 review [SPOILERS]

Mmm...where to start. Okay, my theory of two factions working against each other was disproven now that we know Torri is the son of the female dealer of Bifrost and the third Fox. 

Errrrbody at the church looking foxy. 

Now it’s become habitual that in each new episode, instead of solving a mystery, three additional mysteries appear. In this episode we have a eustress treatment that will leave you eternally white (and possibly a vegetable too), we have human, diamond and arms trafficking and then we have these weird ass dudes that look like Black Plague doctors: 

Oh, okay. That makes me feel so much safer to come to this church. Such a blessed place!

At this point, I highly doubt that they’ll bother explaining what the hell these people are doing by exporting bolts for AK-Alfas outside of Japan whilst they “help” immigrants inside. Why Arata insists on defending them as Division 1 finds: 1. the drone that inserted bombs on people. 2. The beds where said bomb people rested. 3. that the bombers are taking out people who were involved in the original plan. 4. immigrants living in horrendous conditions. 5. pieces of arms to be exported outside of Japan so people can keep warring. Now, one thing is to have detective instinct. One thing is to understand the mind of a criminal to the point where you understand his motivations, his creed, can profile him and figure out his MO. This is where Season 2 (yeah, THAT Season 2) surpasses Season 3. I know what Kamui was doing and why because Akane figured it out. Arata has only blind faith. In Karina, in Ma-Karina, in religious leaders with disreputable behaviors, in the nun, in the monk, in Kei, in this, in that. Come on, man. I was kinda relieved when Irie did this:

Irie: “I told you I’m dating Hinakawa now. No means no!” 

In other episodes we’ve seen how the SAD and the MWPSB are constantly stepping on each other’s toes. In this episode it seems more like a competition of egos than actual concern for a terrorist threat. At least I don’t get a sense of urgency. We learn that the SAD knows everything the MWPSB has been doing up to this point (they aren’t impressed) and that they want Zaharias (the guy that Kei’s pretending to be.) Arata tells Frederica that Zaharias is at church like the good boy he is and Frederica jumps back with “no, we want the real Zaharias.” Why the MWPSB would impersonate someone for a mission without detaining them and possibly keeping them inside Nona Tower for their own safety is beyond me. And then...  

Woopsiedy-woo. No Zaharias for you. 

As Division 1 is holding its fiftieth briefing of the day, Kei and Mao are getting tortured and Mai is getting kidnapped. However, there was one thing that I found interesting:

Looks like the MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is also trying to crash this little Fox gathering. Torri (as everyone else this season) snubs the MWPSB as the baby version of the badassery of MOFA. No wonder Kei has the need to kick everyone’s ass just to remind people who’s boss. Except this time he’s been caught, injected with something, and psychologically and physically tortured. I hope the MOFA come to save him. You remember Ginoza and Kogami? Yeah, it’d be cool if those two rescued Kei. 

Back at the analysis lab in the sixtieth briefing, Arata thinks that someoooone must want to indict Japan for the crimes it’s forced on immigrants. Does he mean the crimes people committed in order to avoid being institutionalized? (Honest question.) When they ask him who that would be, he says: 

That odd moment when Psycho-Pass parodies itself. 

Since that explanation somehow proves insufficient, Arata decides to go back to the hospital where the second bomb went off and performs a mental tracing. What he discovers is that the man they thought dead wasn’t dead. The perpetrators just cut his arm off and left it at the bombing scene. Now, I’m far from an expert on forensics, but somehow it seems like a very cheap trick to play on an elite force that carries a mind-reader with the power to obliterate robots and blow people up. 

So everyone is in peril by the end of the episode. The plot continues getting more and more convoluted. We’ll see what happens. 

[obsoletesystem]

D&D Ask Meme

@wisdom-fangs​ asked me to do all the questions of this D&D ask post. So I did. 1. A favorite character you have played. I really like playing monstrous characters. Currently in Adventurers League, I play Frattek Venvaris, bugbear rogue/barbarian, who is a delightfully goofy character. But I also miss playing Bajur Mashoir, a very charismatic lizardfolk "voodoo" shaman, whose catchphrase was: "As you can see, I am an alligator, sir..." spoken in a thick southern brawl. 2. Your favorite character that someone else has played. During a one shot the guy that played an evil halfling warlock sacrificed himself to blow up the big bad with a block of dynamite. The true MVP. 3. Your favorite side quest. Idk. 4. Your current campaign. I DM a homebrew campaign, in which the party is stuck between sides in a war between the local Jarl and a fey duchess who has taken over a part of the woods. I also participate as a player in a slight homebrewed Salt Marsh campaign, in which I play a tiefling cleric of Pelor. She's got a Sad Backstory. 5. Favorite NPC. The Loathesome Gribble, an NPC in the game I DM, who is a very small tiefling sorcerer with an immense knife collection and a four-armed aasimar monk girlfriend. He is found in the most of unlikely places and his signature spell is "Gribble's Hand of Sand", which may or may be not magical, as it blinds a creature with sand, but the material component is just a handfull of coarse sand. 6. Favorite death (monster, player character, NPC, etc). The druid in our home game charged into giant stag form at a huge burning construct (The Burning Man from Burning Man, but moving), missed his attack, upon which the Burning Man rolled nat 20's on BOTH ITS ATTACKS. No advantage, no nothing, just two straight 20's. He grabbed the stag by its antlers, turned its head 360 degrees, and dropped a flaming, mutilated dwarf to the ground. 7. Your favorite downtime activity. I always like to do something that tells a little bit about the culture of the creature I play. When I was on haitus because of school, I described how Frattek had spend some time with his little bugbear niece, and had just returned from a fun little war (seeing as bugbears love to fight). 8. Your favorite fight/encounter. We had to fight a vampire spawn in a dank, dark basement, but it was light outside, and Frattek is incredibly good at grappling creatures, so we dragged the vampire out from his basement into the sunlit street, and then made a run for it as we had broken into a house. 9. Your favorite thing about D&D. Coming together with friends and not drinking (a lot) or smoking weed. I like doing those things too, but it is also fun to just hang out and play games where heavy drinking is not really handy. 10. Your favorite enemy and the enemy you hate the most. Dragons are the best, spellcasters are the worst. Spellcasting Dragons are the bees knees. My players, however, are going to hate a certain spellcaster very much. Once they find out... 11. How often do you play and how often would you ideally like to play? Usually once a week, but I'd love to be able to balance twice a week. One day as player, one day as DM. 12. Your in game inside jokes/memes/catchphrases and where they came from. "Name and occupation, please" comes from when we played Pathfinder, and one of the characters died, but I didn't want to get rid of him yet or he was set up to be reincarnated or some shit idk. Anyway, his soul arrives in purgatory, which turns out to be this bureaucratic office, where he has to stand in line for a long, long time, before arriving at a booth/desk type situation, in which an Ophanim angel (one of them burning wheels full of eyes) floats that asks with a bored sigh "Name and occupation, please". The player answered, and was set up for reincarnation, which involved shooting his soul from a cannon/drop tube into the unborn baby of a local woman. The child grows up unnaturally quickly, and because it has the soul of a mature orc barbarian, it is more than a little trouble. Nephertheless, the "Name and occupation, please" gag remained forever. 13. Introduce your current party. My Homeboys, the Lords of Okab Volal, are Nazreen, a wood elf ranger who missed her wolf, played by @tabula-wasa​, Tophr Thanestone, the previously mentioned dwarf druid who was murdered by a giant flaming effigy and subsequently reincarnated/put into the body of a frost elf woman (something he hasn't come to terms with) played by our bearded friend Glenn, and Adelon Vrena, half-elf bard/cleric/divine soul sorcerer a.k.a. Healer Supreme, who is really righteous but not above torturing a captive githyanki, and played by Arnaud. The Schadestenen (meaning "Damage Stones", as in dice), which is the OG Adventurers League group in the Spellenhoorn in Hoorn, consist of Aiden Rainbowscale (Albino orphan wood-elf monk/barbarian), Fjorgyn (dwarven cleric of Moradin, who died last week and still suffered from the Death Curse. RIP.), Frattek Venvaris (Bugbear barbarian/arcane trickster and gladiator/luchador, played by me), Gideon Thornton (cowardly Half-Orc Hexblade), Grommash Hellscream (Stereotypical Half-Orc Barbarian. Great guy.), Ruldra (disgraced Hobgoblin undead-hunting Ranger), Cadence (Powerful but stupid Half-elf Grave Cleric/Divine Soul Sorcerer who never learned how to read), Ullr (Arnaud's Gloom Stalker and Human Machine Gun), and Darin (half-elf ranger and Master Of Backflip). The Peeps from Salt Marsh, DMed by the guy that plays Darin, in which Arnaud plays William Wisenose, The Awfully Lucky Halfling Build (halfling wizard/bard/whatever), Cadence's player plays Sylver Ravenstar (half-elf bard/hexblade/run away princess), her friend plays Samm Enoch (Aasimar Bard and Very Handsome Man), Aiden's player plays Ankis (Aasimar Celestial Warlock and very secretive about both these facts because Back Story), and his friend plays Vena Malum (Human Bloodhunter, who is really buff and does that swirly thing with her falchions, and oh my...), Grommash's player plays Morgain of Astora (human paladin of Pelor, and companion/boyfriend/substitute son to my character), and I play Paytsarra Avèry (winged tiefling cleric of Pelor). Praise the sun. 14. Introduce any other parties you have played in or DM-ed. We had one party consisting of a drider, a very evil dwarf, a fire genasi, a gnome psychic, and a kenku ninja at one point. When the evil dwarf died, and I introduced the guy's new drow "medic", I knew I lost all cohesion of the group. 15. Do you have snacks during game times? My players do. I don't like snacks that much. 16. Do you play online or in person? Which do you prefer? In person. I tried playing online, and I think I would do again, but only if I'd have a really good headset. 17. What are some house rules that your group has? In the Salt Marsh campaign you double the value of the dice on a crit, which I think is disappointing. I just wanna roll a lot of dice :( 18. Does your party keep any pets? @tabula-wasa​'s ranger has a dire wolf...somewhere...

19. Do you or your party have any dice superstitions? Not that I know of. I do know some of my dice seem to roll better than others. 20. How did you get into D&D? How long have you been playing? I found a d&d character creation app on the web ages ago, and that sparked my interest. Later I joined a warhammer fantasy role play group with a friend I had been rp-ing online with a lot, but this was the real deal, at Arnaud's house. He dmed number of campaigns for us, and later he joined my pathfinder group which turned into a D&D 5th edition group. 21. Have you ever regretted something your character has done? Yeah. Frattek decided to be a hero and tried to assassinate an ogre torturer. He failed his shot. We had to fucking run. 22. What color was your first dragon? The first dragon I fought as a character was a young Red Dragon. Even at 5th level, we whooped its ass. He found himself in a cave, surrounded by fools, and we beat him to pulp. The first dragon I put in front of my players was a young White Dragon. It kicked their asses. 23. Do you use premade modules or original campaigns? I usually homebrew my own campaigns, but I have dmed some AL sessions. 24. How much planning/preparation do you do for a game? Not an incredible amount, but for my home game I prepare ideas months, even years, in advance. For DMs 25. What have your players done that you never could have planned for? A lot. The most notable was casting Dispel Magic on the demiplane-item the cultists were in... and then opening the demiplane underwater. 26. What was your favorite scene to write and show your characters. I had these zombies that always repeated the last thing they said before they died, which was cool and creepy. But the thing I really wrote out was the description of how an Astral Ship warps space around itself, and what that looks like from the people on the deck of the ship. 27. Do you allow homebrew content? If it's well written, absolutely, but there is a lot of shit out there. 28. How often do you use NPCs in a party? When it makes sense, but I try not to do that too often. 29. Do you prefer RP heavy sessions or combat sessions? I prefer RP sessions, but I am leaning more toward combat. On the other hand, I don't think it completely excludes each other nor should it. I am of the opinion that 30. Are your players diplomatic or murder hobos? Rather diplomatic, but they can definitely kick ass. For Players 31. What is your favorite class? Favorite race? I like casters, and I will always have an affinity for wizards, but arcane tricksters and eldritch knights are cool too. I like elves, and I like monstrous races; goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears. I like things that are pretty and scary, or creepy and goofy. 32. What role do you like to play the most? (Tank/healer/etc?) I usually mix a bit of tank and dps. I don't like being very frail, but I do enjoy doing a lot of damage in one shot. 33. How do you write your backstory, or do you even write a backstory? I tend to write a character from a concept, and then build out the backstory. How did this person become the person they are today? Even if you have something of a bugbear, or a hobgoblin, or a yuan-ti. They have had a childhood, they have role models, they have culture. But what is that? What defines a character? What makes them they way they are? I don't like playing monstrous races that have been adopted by a "better, nobler race" like humans and elves and dwarves. I get the appeal, but I also think it is a little trite, and a little condenscending, almost. I think a lot about what defines a monstrous identity, and being a Cultural Anthropologist, I think a lot about the way culture shapes the values and morality and thus also behaviour of a creature. Do hobgoblins tell their children bedtime stories? What are they about? How will a bugbear struggle in regular humanoid society, where his violent urges -natural to him- are equally, or even more excessively violently repressed and punished? Is this just for bugbears? Will they then look for each other, and find each other in their shared cultural/natural tendencies? Are there goblinoid lawyers or activist groups, that seek to protect other goblinoids from unjust treatment under laws that aren't theirs? How will your life be if you are a second or third or even fourth generation inhuman creature in a human society? Do they dream of returning to a society that is 'theirs'? And is there even such a thing? And if there is, will they actually fit in, or forever be an outcast, neither hob nor man? I tend to poke at such questions with my character backstories. 34. Do you tend pick weapons/spells for being useful or for flavor? Everything is useful, since everything is always situational. If you plan only for situations in which you are going to kill every living thing, then you shouldn't pick something like Rope Trick, or Magic Circle. But you do you. I very much dislike decoupling "flavour" from functionality. This is a game of make-belief, so everything you do is flavour. The mechanics are an abstraction of a fantastic reality, and though inherently important to the working of the game (without rules, it would merely be improvisation, which is also a kind of game, but schwa), it is all flavour. People that brag about how much average damage they can do with this or that specific build tire me. 35. How much roleplay do you like to do? All of the roleplay! But please let me punt goblins into the garbage sometimes!

[raeliyah]

Exalted Secret Santa 2017 Character Journal

Three options this year! First, snippets, with full descriptions, reference pictures, and links under the cut. Anon-asks should be enabled so feel free to ask me anything if you need more info!

V’Neef Pyrrhus, called Lightbringer Zenith Caste Solar Exalt of the Blessed Isle; Lama of the Immaculate Order; Master of Path of the Arbiter Style; zen paladin of the Five Virtues; reluctant warrior; Oathbound; husband and father.  Caleb “Wraithshot” Raith Dawn Caste Solar Exalt of the South, longrider lawman, Righteous Devil, Badlands Gentleman, giant flirt Lysistrata Starborn, the Rising Cobra Chosen of Battles Sidereal Exalt, One of the Seven Scarlet Veils, bearer of the Tsunami of Leaping Stars and Monsoon Sunrise, shameless Chooser of the Slain who forges her own path.  ~Lys has no Art of her yet~

V’neef Pyrrhus, called Lightbringer

Zenith-Caste Solar Exalt, Martial Artist/Scholar

Gallery of Previous Art of Pyrrhus

Pinterest Inspiration Board

Physical Description:

Pyrrhus is taller, at 6′3″, broadly shouldered and well-muscled. He’s a superb martial artist and athlete; it shows in his build and posture. He can do stuff like This 

He’s in his late 40s/early 50s but looks about ten years younger, if not more, since he was Exalted in his late 30s.

He wears his white blond-to-gold-to-red hair in a mane-like style, shaved on both sides of his head but long in a wide stripe down the middle of his head from forehead to nape. It’s currently cut short, the longest strands just hitting the tops of his shoulders.

It’s either constrained in a Sokka-style ponytail at the back of his head or braided down to the nape of his neck. (If he’s having a really bad day it hangs loose and bedraggled). (See Pinterest Inspiration Board for more examples)

His eyes are medium-blue like bleached indigo.

Pyrrhus is from the Blessed Isle, and so has the olive-y southern Mediterranean complexion common there, with an undertone of ruddy bronze (it was expected he would exalt as a fire-aspect and they tend to very fiery complexions; he didn’t).

Here is a range of inspiration/examples from the Humanae project:

(7515-C) (71-4 C) (67-4 C) (64-5 C) (58-5 C)

I usually describe his face as a cross between Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister) and Collin Chou (the Seraph, Matrix series) - or Godfrey Gao.

Linked gallery, above, are the only drawings of him I’ve managed I’m partway happy with.

References for Godfrey Gao (img 1 - Google Image Search)

He’s got a Resting-Sad-Face, in that his neutral face looks pretty broody or sadly contemplative, mostly due to the natural curve of his eyelids and brows.

Pyrrhus has a set of orichalcum tattoos (actual metal embedded in his skin but is ‘living’ and moves with him) - a line of script in High Realm set between two enclosing lines (see here for script/lines reference) - looping from one shoulder, down his chest to the top of his sternum, up to the other shoulder, and across his back in the same fashion. It lays on him like a chain of office.

There’s an old burn scar/brand on his sternum just below the tattoo which looks like an eight rayed zierscheibe. His forearms and lower legs are covered in old, faded tiny white linear scars, nearly invisible. On his back, from knee to neck, are lash scars. They are criss-crossing wide white lines, faded but still visible, from old torture. The only reason any of the scars are even still visible is that they were inflicted with Necrotic-essence-fueled weapons 

Clothing:

Pyrrhus can usually be found wearing the layered undyed robes of an immaculate monk even though he’s on “Retreat”/sabbatical, with a red dragon-embroidered obi/sash knotted on one hip, and sturdy boots good for both walking and riding. When he is training, he goes barefoot and shirtless.

But really, have fun with clothing design! Make something up!  Anything that looks like it’s from Avatar:tLA (or LoK) or vaguely Jedi or Asian-themed is pretty good; he tends towards simpler styles and solid, muted colors. He does have to attend official and ceremonial functions however, so fancier clothing does exist in his wardrobe. His wife, Angeline, is much more fashion conscious than he is, and so also makes sure he has more elaborate garb as well.  

He can summon Arbiter armor made of Essence/hard light when he needs to; it is made following the pattern of scale maille, but looks closer to koi, snake, or dragon scales than true historical scale maille. It’s translucent and golden, and fits close to his skin and clothing. The plates of the armor are bigger where he doesn’t need as much flexibility, smaller on the joints. They’re sleek and clean-looking. Being magical, the armor doesn’t actually need to follow physical limitations or practicality concerns, but they’re made from Pyrrhus’ will and intentions, so they are as practical as he is. He can also summon a pair of Chinese-style slightly curved dao swords of the same translucent golden hard light.

Accessories:

He sometimes wears a dragon-headed torc of red & gold metal and/or a masculine-looking ear-cuff of orichalcum wire and fire agate. Both are magical artifacts.

The torc allows him to emulate a Fire-Aspect’s anima, both on demand and transmuting the lower overflows of his own anima. (Mechanically, anything up to 10-mote peripheral usage will transmute to a Fire-Aspect anima. Beyond that it’s regular Solar bonfires).

The ear-cuff was a gift from a fellow Solar, and allows subvocal communications with wearers of other linked ear-cuff artifacts within a short range (thirty miles). 

In non-magical accessories, he often has a set of stone mala prayer beads, usually looped around his wrist.

Anima:  

Pyrrhus’ anima banner is a charred, sooty, raggedy-plumaged phoenix, with fire showing underneath the black, like magma with a cooled broken crust. It shadows or echoes his movements, wing to arm, head to head, etc. Before he went into the Underworld the phoenix was brilliantly fire-colored and impeccably feathered. Both versions are translucent, ghostly gold-tinted.

Full Description Including Personality, History, Fanfic and Character Playlists Here.

Caleb “Wraithshot” Raith

Dawn Caste Solar Exalt

Caleb’s Pinterest Inspiration Board

Caleb’s easy. Think of every western trope and smash them all together. He’s a cowboy bounty hunter; a self-proclaimed lawman in a land where there is no law, riding circuit on a handful of towns in the South he considers his and protecting them from whatever evils lurk in the desert.

Physical Description:

Caleb stands at 5′11″ and is on the leaner side at ~185 lbs. He’s fit, like a brawler (been in significantly more than his fair share of bar fights) or a ranch hand - someone who works at hard physical labor most days.

Caleb looks like he’s in his early 30s

Being the son of Northern immigrants, Caleb’s complexion is mostly pale, a reddish-burned tan anywhere the sun would shine - arms to the elbows, back of the neck, face mostly.

He’s also freckly across his face, shoulders and upper back, mostly from sun.

His eyes are clear honey-colored brown, more gold towards the pupil from the influence of exaltation.

Hair is black at the roots, growing out into sun-streaked brownish blond. He usually keeps it cut pretty short but if it goes too long without a trim it gets curlier. He likes a clean-shaven face but given his lifestyle he’s pretty much always got a day or three of scruff.

Caleb… basically looks like Chris Pratt. 

He’s always got a smile of some stripe - warm, mischievous, leering, insincerely-wide - something.

He’s also very mouthy, and usually has something to chew on, whether it’s a piece of straw, a match, a toothpick, a cigarette (50% chance of it actually being lit), a twig - something. He’s never met a lollipop or chewing gum but he would love them.

Caleb dresses in layers - shirt sleeves, a vest/waistcoat, and either a faded blue or red serape tossed over his shoulders or a brown longcoat. Pants are either canvas or faded denim, and boots are less cowboy-style and more combat- or motorcycle style with a heel for riding. He does wear spurs, but they’re blunted. He’s usually covered in trail dust and sweat, sometimes blood, despite efforts at cleanliness. Feel free to embellish the standard Cowboy gear with arabesque/middle eastern ornamentation, because it is Exalted…

He always carries two modified flame pieces (six-shooters… he’s got six-shooters) on his hips, and the belt’s buckle is large and obnoxious, mostly because he keeps a couple extra rounds of ammunition within it. He also has an artifact rifle (based on a Winchester M1873; lever action, but otherwise unspecified) named Medicine Man that is either slung across his back or is in a sheath on his horse’s saddle. He makes his own ammo for all his weapons. He is a student of Righteous Devil Style, having mastered up to the form charms, but his sifu disappeared and he’s not found another, nor is he skilled enough to pick it up without tutelage.

He does own chaps but whether or not he wears them on any given day depends on how hot it is and how much hard riding he’s anticipating. He has a hat he’s rather fond of, but it’s not anything truly special. 

There may or may not be a bandana around his neck/on his person at any given moment, and he often wears a chip of blue crystal with an antelope petroglyph etched on it around his neck on a leather cord. It’s a token from his friend, a springs goddess named Rivela, and a reminder of a partner he lost.

He rides a buckskin warhorse named Dirt who he pretends not to be particularly attached to, but in fact he really really is. Dirt is his horse. Dirt adores him and is always trying to steal his hat. Dirt will also steal anyone else’s hat nearby, but he prefers Caleb’s.

Anima: Caleb’s anima banner is a hailstorm of bright burning metal, like large forge sparks, raining down on him and even appear to bounce off his skin and clothing. Golden smoke and flame rise from the ground at his feet wherever the sparks fall.

Full Description including Personality, History, Art, and links to Fic and Character Playlist Here.

Lysistrata Starborn, the Rising Cobra

Chosen of Battles, Sidereal Exalt

Lysistrata was one of the many Sidereals whose Exaltations slipped through the cracks, and began her career as a Chosen of Battles by engineering a successful slave revolt in a Firedust mine in the deep South. She subscribes to no factions, believing such nonsense to distract from the true job of Sidereals.

Lysistrata’s Pinterest Inspiration Board Lysistrata’s Character Playlist

Physical Description:

Lysistrata is slightly below average height and well-proportioned, at about 5'5" and 140lbs. She is an excellent martial artist (Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Stylist) and strong for her size. 

She is tanned but not dark, definitely lighter than most Southern natives, with shining black hair that reaches her ankles when left loose and arched brows. She could have walked straight from a bollywood film.

About that hair. She usually keeps it piled on her head in complicated braids and loops, secured by stiletto daggers and other small weapons that, coincidentally, look like beautiful hair sticks and ornaments. Her Fellowship jokes that one can tell how bad a fight was by how flat her hair is after, as she pulls more and more sharp things out of it.

Her eyes are a shade of red so dark they might as well be black, shining with scarlet highlights in bright light: like looking into a glass of merlot wine. She uses dramatic eyeshadow (see Pinterest board) and cosmetics.

Lysistrata is busty and curvy enough to attract any number of eyes, and uses her attractiveness as a weapon when it suits her. 

Lysistrata is known for wearing red silk gowns - always. Sometimes it’s in heavily brocaded Chinese style, sometimes in flowing saris, but always always scarlet. She loves jewelry and the finer things in life. 

She has a firesnake familiar - a cobra-like snake of clear living crystal- who helped her in the battle that granted her Exaltation. 

Lysistrata is, much like her Greek namesake, a calculating soul, using exalts and mortals alike as tools to further her (the Maidens’) goals. This is not to say that she is not passionless or devoid of emotion, merely that her priorities are a little skewed. She has her favored weapons in steel and Exalt alike (...like Caleb). 

She dons identities and emotions as easily as clothing and is an excellent actress. She is confident to the point of arrogance, shameless, and cares exactly nil for what other people think or expect of her, so long as the Maidens are pleased, and takes perverse pleasure in occasionally flustering people and flaunting societal expectations. 

She has two main “identities”. 

The first as the founder and one of the Scarlet Veils, a bower of very expensive, exclusive courtesans who cater to the military and other elite of the South. Lysistrata, along with six hand-picked mortal women who could be her twins (Nikostrata, Androstrata, Sophiastrata, Demostrata, Philostrata, and Xenostrata), use the group to influence the outcomes of battles and conflicts in the region by influencing the key players. Sometimes it’s by pampering and relaxing a general or soldier so they do their best, and sometimes it’s by seducing and bewitching a politician or warlord until they think of nothing but the Veils, bumbling their job and losing a conflict. 

The other Destiny, the Rising Cobra, is a mysterious figure who shows up as a harbinger of victory. Lysistrata used this Destiny the least, feeling it too conspicuous. As the Cobra, Lysistrata wears a set of red-enameled star metal Celestial Power Armor (Monsoon Sunrise) and wields a dual-bladed star metal artifact glaive (Tsunami of Leaping Stars), and fights directly in support of the side she wishes to win. Often just the sight of the armor is enough to turn the tide, as she’s turned the Cobra into something of a mythological figure in her domain.

Both these artifacts were made late in the Primordial War from the remains of forgotten gods who, hand in hand, sacrificed themselves in a bid to turn the tide of a battle. It worked, and the Sidereal who at the time bore Lysistrata’s exaltation, honored their memory by creating the artifacts to continue in their preservation of Creation. 

Image below is inspiration. 

[sigurdjarlson]

replies replies replies

thesseli said: His lips are gorgeous.

they really are though. oh lord they are..

demonhedgehog1 said: the pic quality makes the white floof look like a cryptid

CRYPTID SPOTTED

*mulder voice* SCuLLY YOURE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS

shadowphoenixrider said: I think he’ll live until Argus. Then we need be REALLY worried. (I know Velen’s gonna do something stupid because I’ve heard Khadgar go ‘VELEN WTF DUDE’ in the previous VO set.

fkdhdkfh I wouldnt be surprised after the whole “haha u killed ur own son” trick KJ pulled. i highly doubt he’s over that

dreamsaboutsky said: I hope they won’t. He is the only treasure

I will never forgive them if they take him from me boudiccandestruction said: khadgar is the best though he can’t die

RIGHT

skullkind said: lets all pray for the boy

prayer circle for khadgar everyone gather round

shadowphoenixrider said: But the dude’s already grey, how…??

his entire body just turns grey

skullkind said: we love you too <3

<33333 

ghoulghoulneighbor said: A cohesive timeline? In MY blizzard franchise? Too unrealistic, bullshit it with the rest of us.

fkhkdfh I pretty much am x)

shadowphoenixrider said: You want to know what’s really annoying? MONKS. Especially BC race monks. Which expansion do you use?

...that’s a really good question omg. damn it blizz

protectoralyndrah said: Just sign up for groups anyways. I was an 894 Healer and getting invited to groups regardless. Or look for guilds who need extras.

everybody wants them healers tho. im just a humble hunter </3

casterlycosplay said: Pugging for heroic gul'dan is a niiiightmaaaare and I want to die.

its pure torture

shadowphoenixrider said: I'mma take the Archmage, and I’m gonna hide him so Blizzard can’t find and hurt him. That’ll show ‘em.

protect the khadgar. love the khadgar..

slagnarok said: This is honestly the worst thing I’ve ever heard in my life and I love it.

medivh gotta feed his young trust *puking sounds*

shalar0s said: Swear to god, their relationship is my favourite in the whole show.

daryl and carol are the light of my life <3

eversongs said: Pleeeeease honestly I keep getting super sad over this. I’m not ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I’m going to be 75 sitting on a rocking chair muttering sadly under my breath about this poor cinnamon roll and my grandkids are gonna stoP VISITING ME BECAUSE GRANDMA IS WEIRD AND WONT STOP CRYING

SAME THOUGH? “WHO’S KHADGAR, GRANDMA. WHO IS HE” and im just sobbing

shadowphoenixrider said: I just did the WQ where he makes the imp puns and the thought I’d never heard his ridiculous jokes just…they’re gonna hurt our boy…

NONONONONo

unidentified-starman said: “As the prophecy foretold: only true love’s kiss can make Badgar Radgar (or Dadgar) again.”

send this to blizzard and tell them to make raventrust canon

anzareveange said: go to old dungeons with an alt, send all the gear to your enchanter, get lots of materials. o w o thats what i do.

anzareveange said: or find someone to give you carry to old dungeons.

thats actually what I’ve been doing :D

ghoulghoulneighbor said: level one tailor making level 100 gear 

excuse u ladelia is a level 54 mage making level 70 gear 

unidentified-starman said: me @ Blizzard : *ellen ripley voice* Get away from him you bitch

we should all fight blizzard

shadowphoenixrider said: My heart sank as soon as I saw those words, because that is EXACTLY what happened with Arluin in Suramar too! THEY TOOK VOL'JIN AND NOW KHADGAR?! FUCK. FUCK!

SCREAMS

eversongs said: Join @highpriestessbriyanna​ and I’s pledge to send Blizz a vial of our tears every single day for the rest of our heartbroken lives as punishment for taking Khady away from us.

I will drown them in my tears

highpriestessbriyanna said: So he went to Karazhan AFTER the duel? …. There might still be hope but… I’m just… I’m going to take it as read that Khadgar’s going to die. If I do that and he doesn’t, it will be better.

i believe so but i still think its a good possibility. if he’s desperate enough I can see him doing it 

“he will do anything.” 

aqu1lamarin said: The audio drama is before the animated short harbingers. There is was shown Khadgar won’t go to the legion

I hope not!

kouseki said: Wonder Woman was SO GOOD ( certain things could have been better but otherwise…) GOTG was also really good!! Run run run to them!!

Ahhhhh I want to, man but i don’t have anyone to go with </3

shadowphoenixrider said: The Kurken! Draggka has him too!

R E L E A S E      T H E        K U R K E N

lovesdaryl said: God, the number of times I’ve been asked if I am really a female player … *rolls eyes* “I CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE TRULY FOUND A FEMALE GAMER!!111!!”

I know right? 

its like..you never see them because the others ran away screaming before you could notice

anzareveange said: I do not like Sylvanas and of course I would love her to be the final boss of the expansion (so I could definitely kill her). But at this moment Jaina seems to me more directed to the evil, in spite of the selfish decisions of sylvanas, Jaina hates everything and everyone that oppose to her and very probably at the moment she is preparing something very bad.

kgfdkh SAME. I’d definitely be down with Sylvanas being the final boss.

jaina will break my heart but i think it’s more likely than not

highpriestessbriyanna said: …. ………… *shoves fic idea document under the rug*

I SEE THAT FIC IDEA

highpriestessbriyanna said: This is what I dread about getting Ballgar…

he constantly phases into her chest and its like...chill khadgar

highpriestessbriyanna said: Both. They’d crash into each other and argue over who gets to save him while Khadgar dies.

it’’s funny because its TRue

anzareveange said: lothar, because medivh sure cast a spells and send the bad guy out of the realm.

medivh would probably collapse in the middle of casting a spell askgdh. he tends to do that

shadowphoenixrider said: Medivh. I think there’s a term from Quake, what was it…‘tele-fragging’? That but with a Blink.

OH MY GOD.. 

KHADGAR PISSES HIMSELF

midnightfuckingmayor said: def medivh

No one hurts his young trust

shadowphoenixrider said: Smol chubby mage with tol kickass hunter. A++++

ahhhhhhh <333333 

shadowphoenixrider said: Did he run out of mops?

.....yes. Moroes is very creative

highpriestessbriyanna said: That description made NO sense to me. I love Christie dearly, but .. um. I was like “bluh?”

someone paste wings over khadgar’s brows

[nerdyskeleton]

Consider.... blackmadhi angst esp 5 14 & 15 :3c ALSO I WOKE UP AT 3AM LAST NIGHT AND ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS SIMON N NAHYUTA WATCHING TOY STORY 3 AND NAHYUTA CRYING AND SIMONS JUST LIKE ???¿¿¿?¿?¿¿???? HCHCHCHDCJDVS

I REFUSE to consider those it’s too sad

JK LET’S DO THIIIIIIIIS

5. “How funny. You thought I cared.”

The words taste foul. “How funny. You thought I cared.” There is nothing funny about this.Simon hates himself just that much more. But what he hates the most is the fact that Nahyuta’s expression doesn’t change after he says it. Nahyuta is staring at him, unblinking and unmoving. He finally backs off so that the tension leaves his body.

“Thank you for saying what we were both thinking,” Nahyuta finally murmurs. “I struggled to find the proper words to tell you that.” He sounds like when they first met during that theatrical turnabout.

One mighty shiver prickles like a hundred ants crawling on Simon’s skin. He doesn’t mean it, not for a moment - he hadn’t felt this way with someone in so long. Nahyuta seems to be telling the truth. though. Oh God. What is going on?

The monk moves away further. “This is the perfect opportunity, then, to air out my grievances. If we are admitting everything, I will tell you now I have never had any intention of letting this carry on as it has. But you were clingy and pitiful, and who was I to reject you, just as the last one did?”

Simon flinches. He was only rejected because the last one had been dead for years.

“I personally feel,” Nahyuta carries on, voice growing harder and steelier, “you have always been a rather fascinating experiment of mine. I had to know how far you, Simon Blackquill the Twisted Samurai, could be seduced, especially if you were so easy that first night. You’re so touch starved, Simon, even now you’re reaching out to me.”

He’s right - Simon’s hand was poised to cup at Nahyuta’s cheek, like he often did. Nahyuta’s gentle hand pushes away Simon’s, and he wonders if this will be the last time they touch.

But no, Nahyuta reaches to kiss him, soft yet devoid of any love or adoration he once poured into him. It is both the best and worst kiss of Simon Blackquill’s life. Nahyuta leaves the office, and Simon knows it’s over.

more angst under the cut!!!!

14. “You’re so determined to protect yourself and your feelings, but what about me?”

“You obviously only care about yourself! ”

The rosary snaps in a dazzling, slow motion flurry as it always does. The beads clatter to the floor, rolling to knock into Simon’s boots. He stands just a few feet away from Nahyuta, looking annoyed and almost desperate. Nahyuta wants to smack that look off of his face.

Simon takes a deep breath and tries again, “I did not mean…exactly that.”

Nahyuta tenses violently. “And what were you trying to say?”

“Only that…you struggle with-”

“I will stop you there, Simon,” he says as he takes his earrings out. He throws them across the room. It feels so good. “You will either apologize or this conversation will end.”

The man squares his big broad shoulders. “Pardon me?”

“You heard what I said. I would give you the option of obeying, but there is none.” He peels off his jacket, growing warm with wrath. “Who are you to speak to me like that?”

Without warning, Simon shouts, “You’re so determined to protect yourself and your feelings, but what about me?”

“What about you?” Nahyuta shoots back, just as loud. “Does being by my side for less than half a year give you some higher status?”

“Have you ever been in a relationship?” He’s looking at Nahyuta like he’s a moron, and Ga’ran used to give him the same look. He sees the same look in Rayfa’s face, and he doesn’t know how to tell her that.

“Of course I have.”

“You are too used to being worshiped it seems, Sad Monk. You cannot seriously ask ‘what about you,’ as if my…feelings do not matter.”

Nahyuta wants to salvage whatever is left of their strange relationship, so he refrains from saying that they don’t.

“You merely do not understand what I have been through, Simon. My despicable aunt has-”

“Ga’ran has been gone for months. You are barricading yourself into a fortress she vacated for the ability to say and do as you please. She gave you unimaginable power, and you want it back.”

“How dare you?”

“If you would perhaps like to work on both your shoddy communication and surprisingly terrible personality from when we next see each other, be my guest.” He turns his head, looking smug and awful. “Otherwise, we will not see each other again.”

15. “You betrayed me!”

(bless

@mesa-verde

for the idea for this holy shit)

Simon throws Nahyuta’s office door open. The monk braces himself for what is to come. He can tell that Simon is about ready to hurt someone.

Nahyuta is vaguely afraid. “I had to tell her.”

“And forfeit immediately all trust I had in you?” he growls.

“I cannot keep a secret like that. He tortured you, Simon. Athena had to know at some point. She would find out eventually.”

“As if the pity I see in your face wasn’t enough to have to stomach! And now every time Athena looks at me, what else can she think about?” he shouts, finally snapping. “Who else would you like to inform? Who else would like to know about the Phantom’s sadistic shock collar?” He slams the door shut, finally stepping into the room. Nahyuta tries to back away subtly.

“I have the collar. Did you know that? Would you like to see how it works on me, Nahyuta?”

“Do not suggest such a thing.”

“I merely ask as you are so set on harming me further!” Simon’s voice has risen by the time he reaches the end of his sentence. Shutting the door would do nothing for them in the end, as the whole prosecutor’s office would end up hearing this monster of a fight.

“I never meant to hurt you,” Nahyuta finally says as calmly as he can. “Athena is your best friend, and you tell each other everything, so-”

“You cannot possibly try to explain away your actions, Sad Monk. The damage is irreparable. You have broken your promise to remain silent, and I will not stand by as you try to gain it back with your Regent Voice.” He turns to leave.

“What did Athena say to you?”

Simon does not answer and pulls on the door handle.

“Blackquill!” Nahyuta barks, standing and throwing his pen to the desk. “Answer me.”

“I owe you nothing. I never have, and thanks to your thoughtless actions, I never will.”

okay so uh……glad I got that out of my system……I feel so sad now in the computer lab at school……..

SO THEY’RE WATCHING TOY STORY 3 RIGHT?? literally though Nahyuta is me I honestly cry at the mention of that movie. Maybe Athena was talking about her favorite kid movies (the first one would have been ancient by the time she was a child but whatever) and Nahyuta wants to know what everyone’s talking about, since he most of the time doesn’t? So they marathon all three, and it’s very late, and Nahyuta is still on a high from how great Toy Story 2 is, he was NOT EXPECTING to be so destroyed by the third one???

And you’re right Simon is so confused like “wait I knew Athena sobbed at this part but you as well????” He does his best to comfort him, but like when a grown ass king regent is sobbing about having giving away all of his childhood toys it’s pretty hard to find words of comfort. Especially for emotionally stunted Simon over here.

Hey thanks for sending these in though!! I hope you liked them!!! It hurt me a lot tbh!!!!

[dragonlizardjareth]

Jareth Reviews: Rouge One (With Spoilers)

So how does the first Star Wars Anthology Film stand up to the original 3?

What about the Prequels?

We don’t talk about the Prequels.

What about Force Awakes?

We’ll wait until the other two come out. But for now let’s see if this movie is even worthy of the title Star Wars.

The Story

Set shortly before the events of A New Hope. Rouge One tells the story of Jyn Erso, a young rebel who was separated from her father at a young age when he was recruited for a secret project for the Empire. After being rescued by the Rebel Alliance, Jyn learns that her father is apparently alive, having sent a defector to deliver her information about the project he’s working on, The Death Star.

Hoping to rescue her father, Jyn agrees to go meet with her former mentor Saw Gerrera, who captured the defector, on a moon called Jedha. She is joined by a Rebel Officer named Cassian Andor and his droid companion K-2SO. Let me just get this out of the way... K-2SO is one of THE BEST characters in this movie. He was way funnier then C-3PO ever was, thanks largely to the dark humor that comes out of him.

After arriving on Jedha, Jyn and Cassian are captured by Saw’s group after they launched an attack on Imperial Forces. They are also joined by a blind warrior monk named Chirrut Îmwe and his mercenary friend Baze Malbus, who are said to be former guardians of the local Jedi temple. The group is taken to Saw’s compound where the guys discover the defector, Bodhi Rook who was tortured by Saw for information.

Saw shows Jyn the hologram found on Bodhi, where Jyn’s father reveals he placed a critical flaw in the Death Star that would make it easy for the Rebellion to destroy it. However the group is unaware that said Death Star is now in orbit of Jedha, under the command of Director Orson Krennic, the man who kidnapped Jyn’s father. Krennic decides to test the Death Star in low power mode and fires on Jedha city, vaporizing it and causing the moon’s crust to slowly break apart.

Our heroes escape on Cassian’s U-Wing ship, but Saw stays behind to die, and unfortunately the hologram is also destroyed. However Jyn comes up with the brilliant plan of rescuing her father so he can reveal to them what the Death Star’s fatal flaw is. Meanwhile Krennic is congratulated for the Death Star success by non other then Grand Moff Tarkin, who is played by a different actor, only to have the original actor’s head CG’ed over his. And honestly, while I thought it was a good looking effect it would have been better just to recast the role (the guy who played Tarkin in a new hoped died over 20 years ago. 

Anyway, Tarkin not only congratulates Krennic, he also relieves him of command, revealing that the Defector, Bodhi Rook, originally worked at the laboratory where Jyn’s father works, stating that the security leaks are more then enough reason for Tarkin to take Krennic’s place. Suspecting the obvious, Krennic travels the stormy planet of Eadu to confront him, unaware the the rebels have crashed there, also searching fro Jyn’s father... or so it seems.

Turns out Cassian has been ordered to kill Jyn’s father, to prevent him from creating more weapons for the Empire, and while he ultimately is unable to go through with it, the rescue he called for includes rebel bombs that destroy the facility and fatally wound Jyn’s father. Before his death, he is able to tell Jyn that the Death Star plans for held on a world called Scarif. THe group then escape in a stolen Imperial Shuttle and return to the Reble Base with the information they gathered. 

The alliance refuses to launch an attack (gripped by the fear of the Death Star) and Jyn decides to go Rouge and collect the plans herself. Luckily she is joined by her fellow travelers along with a large team of rebels collected by Cassian, who feels guilty for some of the acts he’s committed in the name of the rebellion. Krennic also meets with Darth Vader to explain his mistakes, but Vader doesn’t want to hear his excuses, force chokes him for a moment before letting him go. At his point Krennic decides to travel to Scarif to look over the Death Star plans himself and discover anything Jyn’s father tried to hide from him.

The Rebels sneak down to Scarif in the stole imperial shuttle and infiltrate the imperial facility. Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO get inside while the others cause a distraction. Learning of the events on Scarif, a Rebel fleet arrives to aid them from orbit. One by one the Rebel team is killed off (very tragically, honestly this feels like a much darker Star Wars movie). But they are able to transmit the Plans to the rebel fleet, JUST AS the Death Star Arrives and fires on the facility, killing everyone. 

The Rebel command ship is intercepted by Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer, and we get to see Darth Vader IN HIS PRIME! He butchers Rebels which his light sabe, smashes their heads into the ceiling with the force, even force chokes someone during the fight! This seen is brutal and only makes me want to see a stand alone Darth Vader movie more! A group of rebels are able to escape with the plans onto a smaller ship which detaches, and turns out to be none other then Princess Leia’s ship from A New Hope. The plans are handed to the princess (CG’ed like Tarkin was) and the ship escapes into Hyperspace, leading straight into A New Hope.

Overall Thoughts

I liked Rouge One, while the beginning was a little slow and took way too much time to get to where it was going, the second half was full of action and felt like Star Wars. My only real problem with the film is, we aren't able to make a real connection with some of the major characters. They aren't really given enough time to developed and when they are inevitably killed off, I just don’t feel any great loss in their passing... EXCEPT in the cases of K-2SO, Chirrut, Baze and Rook. These characters, while also lacking much development, I was still for some reason able to establish a connection to them, and did indeed feel generally sad when they died. I’m not sure if it was the personalities they gave off or just the bit of backstory we had on them, but these characters were among my favorites.

When it comes to the CGI in the film, I will admit, for the most part the CGI looks good. K-2SO always seemed like he was there, The worlds looked believable and truly fascinating. The space battle at the end was fantastic, the ground battles were fantastic. Dispite the CG it felt like Star Wars. But the biggest complaint out of most people were the CG Human characters Tarkin and Leia. I’m not gonna lie, I’m mixed on it. In some cases it looked good, but in other ways it looked bad. That being said, I can’t scrap the idea of using it. By using it now in Rouge One it gives us the potential of seeing it done better later on. In the end, it still needs work, but THEY ARE getting there.

The music was... okay to me. It still felt like Star Wars music, but not nearly as Iconic as some of the John Williams stuff. It wasn’t bad, but wasn’t really good ether. Felt like something out of a Star Wars game rather then a movie.It could have defiantly used some of the classic music though.

In the end I would have to say the best element in this movie was none other then the Nostalgia. Any scene involving Darth Vader, Tie Fighters or X-Wings just felt soooooo good. It really gives me hope for future Anthology films. For future refrance, By classification of Star Wars films goes like this.

#1: Empire Strikes Back <= Best Film

#2: A New Hope

#3: Return of the Jedi

#4: Revenge of the Sith <= An average film, the bare minimum of what a Star Wars movie should be.

#5 Phantom Menace

#6: Attack of the Clones. <= Utter garbage, way too much CGI.

Where does Rouge one fit in for me? Just above Return of the Jedi. I know, shocking, but that’s how I felt about this movie.

Final Verdict on Rouge One

A decent Star Wars Movie, this is the way you do a prequel.

Final Score for Rouge One:

Story: 7/10: It was a decent story.

Characters: 6/10: Lack luster main characters, but rather good supporting ones 

Effects: 7/10: Good use of CGI in most places.

Music and Score: 5/10: It was okay, but doesn't feel nearly as large as the classic stuff.

Rewatch: 8/10: I want to see this again. Especially in theaters if I get a chance.

OVERALL SCORE: 7/10: Good movie, not great, but good.

[sunrisetune]

Aanother not-vaguepost that centers around the D&D liveshow/podcast I liveblog which will otherwise remain nameless! And affects me on a larger level, bc it hits on a difficulty I find in fandom in general and also real life

Quick breakdown if anyone cares: this Tuesday, on the show’s talkshow, the guy who plays Sad Wizard Man said that his character is a bit in love with Cheerful Cleric Lady which of course sent the tag to fucking bits, and not in a good way A lot of people were “disappointed” that Sad Wizard Man isn’t 100% in love with Drow Wizard Guy, or felt like he was “ruining” a sapphic ship between Cheerful Cleric Lady and Monk Woman Trying Her Best (which to be clear hasn’t happened in canon, yet; no one in the group has confessed romantic feelings to their intended. So how he could be ‘ruining’ it?? I don’t know either) Then of course my favourite, that Sad Wizard was queerbaiting by “pretending” to be attracted to Drow Wizard Torturer Guy and not being “actually” gay And that’s only in the posts I can even see, I have a number of people blocked already from that tag So I imagine that completely unfiltered it’s worse

The problems I have with this being, I mean first of all, not going to get into this fucking ‘what does queerbaiting actually mean’ debate again but that isn’t it

Secondly, this is an example in a recent string of them that no one reacting to media wants to say the ‘b’ word out loud, and I uhhhh hate that Like there've been three (3) other namedly-bisexual characters in the show so far, and other than Mollymauk (Fs), it feels like a struggle to get people to actually Call them bisexual. And Molly’s only an exception because he got a sexy massage from a man and a woman at the same time in a fancy hotel place, with the actual sexy part offscreen bc obviously, but still

It keeps feeling like people only “count” someone bisexual as being bisexual if they’ve been with people of different genders at the same time

Now, note: in real life, bi people who are poly and / or enjoy hooking up w/ multiple partners at once are not the problem. They’re not ~playing into bisexual stereotypes~, they’re valid and don’t need to justify themselves to anyone.

But this isn’t actual people, it’s media, and the fandom consistently judging characters on a scale of like, “straight Or gay, nothing else, unless you can Prove It”,,  is. As one entire bisexual myself, alienating as hell. It’s one of the most commonly called-out biphobic things other than flat-out refusing to acknowledgment we exist, and you might think that that would mean people do it less! But no!

I hate it. I’m real tired of it. I’m always tired but of this specifically.

[a-nerds-ponderings-blog]

This Week in Review

May 21 – June 4

 PARANORMAL

Lucifer

Season 2: Episode 17 – Sympathy for the Goddess

When the man who had the final piece of the Flaming Sword is murdered and the piece goes missing, Mom joins Chloe and Lucifer on the case to track down the killer. But when Lucifer gets sidelined, Maze recruits him to help save Dr. Linda's endangered career and confronts him about the secrets he's been keeping

It is interesting to see that Charlotte’s true identity has not been fully revealed to Lucifer. T would have made things so much easier if it had. However, Chloe hardly believes that Lucifer is who he says he is, so how would she believe that Charlotte is actually Lucifer’s mother, and God’s ex. The troubles they go through to get the final piece of the sword seemed to be plot points to prolong the season, but they were interesting ones, that enveloped the character of Charlotte, even before Lucifer’s mother took over her body. It will be interesting to see if they finally make it to Heaven in the season finale.

Season 2: Episode 18 – The Good the Bad and the Crispy

After Charlotte accidentally charbroils a man to death in self-defense, Lucifer must try and keep Chloe from figuring out the truth. Lucifer puts Maze in charge of finding Charlotte and Amenadiel, who have both gone missing in light of recent circumstances, while he finds a permanent solution for the ticking-time-bomb he calls Mom

This finale was a bit of a letdown. We could have done without Amenadiel’s conflict of duty since he found out he was the “father’s favorite”. Charlotte shows her true colors when she finally meets up with Chloe on the pier. While Lucifer tries to save Chloe from the hell that is his own mother, he forgets about the actual murder case, and the danger to them all. Maze finds Linda after Charlotte had tortured answers out of her. It took Amenadiel’s strength and power to help bring her back. Finally Lucifer convinces his mother to do the right thing and enter into another universe… what is with these season finales ending with alternate dimensions. First Supernatural and now Lucifer? Interesting. And then we had that final scene where Lucifer discovers himself with the wings. It will be interesting to see what they will do in season 3.

 IZombie

Season 3: Episode 8 - Eat a Kinevel

Liv shares the brain of a former daredevil with her new boyfriend, and the experience brings them closer. Blaine is back to his old ways. Meanwhile, Ravi makes progress in his new research. Finally, a discovery is made that could put Major in grave danger.

It was a lot of fun to see Liv as a thrill-seeking daredevil, pranking everyone in sight. It was a lot of fun to see the actress play against Clive’s very straight faced character. It must have been difficult not to crack a smile during some of the interrogation scenes. Major suddenly discovers that being human makes him not a part of the zombie crowd anymore, but in the human world, he is still named the Chaos Killer. He is in a kind of Limbo, and it seems difficult for him to cope. Ravi shows some bravery when he decides to go to the party and pose as a zombie-hating human, to get intel on the “enemy”. It will be interesting to see just what they are planning. I do enjoy that we get a half and half kind of story in this show. We get the crime investigation, but we also get the zombie stories. We also see the new owner of the zombie corporation… and he looks scary.

Season 3: Episode 9 – Twenty-Sided Die

When a Dungeon Master is killed, Liv and Clive discover he was up to more than just playing in his mother's basement. Meanwhile, Blaine's experiment does not go as planned. Lastly, Ravi finds stumbles across some new information that could prove deadly.

All the nerds of the world unite… how great was it to see Liv as a DM? It was interesting to see all the characters of the D&D group as they went through the investigation. I was glad that none of them were actually the killer. To be honest though, the actual investigation being taken over by the FBI was intriguing, but not as intriguing as the attempt at getting Liv to have a vision. When she got together with Ravi, Peyton, Clive and Major, the least interested person to play was Clive. But when they got into the game and Liv finally had the vision, it was Clive who was eager to finish the campaign. It just goes to show you that there is a hidden nerd in all of us. The discovery that Ravi found at the end of the episode is devastating indeed, and could mean the end of the secret of zombies in Seattle.

NEXT WEEK

Season 3 Episode 10 – Return of the Dead Guy

Peyton and Liv find themselves on a surprising wild goose chase. Ravi is terrified when the zombie truth hunters' plans are revealed. Elsewhere, Major finds comfort in an unexpected - and perhaps unwelcome - friend.

 SCI-FI

The 100

Season 4: Episode 13 – Praimfeya

It's a race against the end of the world as Praimfaya arrives forcing our heroes to make impossible decisions to ensure their survival.

It is sad that the show doesn’t really kick us in the feels because we expected deaths. We almost knew that Abby would sacrifice herself, and that Clarke would end up staying behind. And of course in true fashion of The 100, nothing goes according to plan. The crew was supposed to pick up Raven… they didn’t. They were supposed to get her back to the bunker … they didn’t. Instead they actually flew the rocket back to the Arc in space, in the hopes that they could live for 5 years. And then the twist at the end when Clarke sees that ship returning … but it is not the rocket that took her friends to the skies. Of course we leave on a cliff hanger, and we have to wait until season 5 to find out.

 Doctor Who

Season 10: Episode 7 – The Pyramid at the End of the World

An 'ancient' pyramid appears overnight. Every clock in the world begins counting down to the Earth's destruction. Three opposing armies lie ready to annihilate each other. An alien race stands ready to offer humanity a deal that could save them, but enslave them. It is a terrifying race against time to save the world. Will the Doctor be forced to accept their help?

How interesting it was of the alien race to give us the red herring of the three armies ready to fight. Making the Doctor, the world leaders, even the audience think that this was the way the world would end, when really it was something minute in a lab. We truly see the humane side of Bill when she finally gives into the Mons and accepts their help. But not for herself, not for humanity, but or the Doctor. This is a mistake she’ll have to pay for in time, but at least we found a way for the Doctor to get his sight back. But what was the cost to the world, to be enslaved by the alien race.

Season 10: Episode 8 – The Lie of the Land

Earth has been invaded and Bill is living alone, an isolated figure surviving in occupied Britain. The Doctor is imprisoned and appears to be on the side of the enemy, flooding the airwaves with fake news. Bill and Nardole must embark on a deadly mission to rescue the Doctor and lead the resistance against the new regime, whatever the cost.

How interesting it was to see the Doctor’s rescue from the Monks. There was one issue though. The Doctor has been known for his distaste for guns, and yet, pushes Bill to shoot him, in order to prove that she was not taken over by the Monks. This contradicts everything about the Doctor’s opinions about guns altogether. But because it helped the situation along, and the only way for him to be certain, I suppose it can slide this time. And we get a good conversation with Missy this time, the quirks of the character coming through beautifully. Such an interesting and malicious character, that I hope we get more and more of her. The idea that Bill’s imagined presence of her mother was enough to block the Monks’ signal getting through to the human race, was a little bit clichéd, but it worked for the episode. But how frightening was it when we actually thought the Doctor had given into the monks as well? It will be interesting to see what happens next.

NEXT WEEK

Season 10: Episode 9 – The Empress of Mars

Until Next Time...

Thanks for Watching

[honorthymunn]

The STAND...

                                              Poetry 3/20/17 - Divine Completion 5/2/17

The truly iconic portrait below (artist yet be known) shows a daughter, a friend and a mother. Courageous females’ faces show survived battles once slain, their eyes the sadness such loss brings...yet the portrait tells all;  although broken, humbled and small. The Stand...proves they still believe Goodness and Love will , in the end ...Conquer All

                         Picture ~ Seattle May Day Human Rights Protests            

~  Here I stand, a ghost...simply a shell of a once thriving, blissfully, adoring mother

~  Each of them, invoking...in their own unique ways, the healing of thy soul Oh, how I honored them, utter reverence! 

~  They like moonbeams shot across the skies, teaching me of family and love...what that truly was

~  My bones ached, working six to seven days a week, determined to render them all that I once hoped for as a child yet never received.

~  We were Light...shining even in chaos, a never surrendering flame, like the sun which burns brightly ...frightfully exposing "the lying ones"

~  Hate, why is it so?...I don't believe Ill ever understand why they plunged into our lives, like Indian arrowheads afire

~  They, without sufferings, no oppression nor chains, and no crimes against their humanity...Unwarranted them the feathered battle cry

~  Shattering lives, like a walk on a Sunday afternoon, without thought or even a conscious...pierced we were by fiery stakes

~  Running, we tried to trick ourselves into believing...we were surviving some how, some way

~ Yet...words were never spake of our inner torturous state

~  We stood the plight...attempting to fight, an evil we knew not, would tear apart our lives stitch by stitch, with every inch

~  Throwing us without armor...into a war against the most sacred structure of all creation ~                                Family...

~ Has no meaning to those, who enter our homes as snakes by nightfall, conspiring our demise

~At times, I ponder...why, why did we as beings, have to be so pure and free?

~  Perhaps, if our DNA suddenly disconnected, like the surge of a dusty electric cord...we could shut our the light shining within us

~  There was no alternative...We brought forth to give life to those in strife

~  We knew not of malicious chivalry, no demons in our eyes, never to dishonor...no breaking of righteous code

~  Tears, like tsunami's, swallowed us whole...drowning in innocence

~  Holding on, for dear life to some ancient phallic adornment fading thread by thread

~  We cried out, seeking justice...for the resurrected life we once so peaceably lived

~  Those lying ones, desired us dead...our presence ignited their nefarious ways, as darkness hides not in the light

~  We, played pretend, like as if we were once again whole...

~  While our light asunder-ed to a dim, worn down wick. White candles, which could not again be lit...

~  Plunged into darkness...we strayed, broken and alone, no brightness inside, not even a kind eye did we find

~  As slowly, we were torn apart, our souls having no choice...but to live in this night ever so dark

~  Where once...our eyes were watching God, faith evaporated with each unforgiving sulfurous night sky

~  The softness of thy soul...lost, hiding behind hopeless steel war torn shields

~  Our souls in many ways knelt to death...never again to be reclaimed

~  We were jaded as Japanese elephants, as they stripped the flicker from our eyes

~  Wandering without wishes...to a home we never returned

~  Spread across the lands...like the monks vikings stole, forcing godliness be enslaved by man

~  All around us, everything still running on...while we, paralyzed could only break with the slightest move

~  Whirlwinds...kept us on the floor, as our powers depleted, from this blood tainted war

~  Grooming us, like mules...they made us slaves in what other's claimed "be a free world"

~  No skeleton keys we found...keeping us bound, for want of love only family brings

~  Stripped of all comforts...no cloaks left us, as we wandered cold unknown roads

~  Blinded in darkness, a spark not even to appear

~  We Stand...Alive Still, but for, only the hopes of Our Tribe

~  Each One tortured...fragments of fortitude, relieve frail bones, that never lay rest to lost feelings of home

~  No blood flows through mystic veins, not a thought of failing umbrellas in the rain...leaving lanterns bereft aglow                                                       STILL... ~  We Stand...

~  To fight a little every day, each our own way, believing how great it be, when our tribe is finally set free

~  We all run, to each other...yet never a brush of touch

~  Like a record loops, again and over again, to each other, still...we run

~  As some small spark, hidden deep within our souls...keeps us standing

~  Galactic glimpses of hope... some a time filling our hearts holes

~ ~  What am I to say?...Still we believe someday...It'll Be Ok!  ~ ~

[path-to-the-salaf-2]

Islaam : Is it a religion of TERROR?

[From the ‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter, Issue 5, October 1998]

A bomb goes off in a marketplace in Jerusalem. A suicide bomber launches himself into a bus full of women and children in Tel Aviv. Foreign tourists get massacred at a holiday resort in Luxor, Egypt. Villages upon villages get annihilated in Algeria. The list of events worldwide which have come to symbolise the ‘Islamic terror’ are endless. From the times in the 70’s and 80’s when Pan Am and TWA aeroplanes would be highjacked, to the mid 80’s in war torn Lebanon where Americans and Europeans would be held as hostages for years; all such incidents have come to be identified with the religion of Islam. Such incidents from past and present have undoubtedly affected Muslims worldwide and more so in the West. Any Muslim, who wants to practice his/her religion and expresses the pious desire to live under the banner of Islam, is labelled a fundamentalist or extremist. Any Muslim man who walks down a busy street in London or Paris (and Paris moreso) with a beard and a scarf on his head, is looked upon as being a terrorist who’s probably got an AK47 stashed somewhere on his person. Muslim women who are veiled can’t go anywhere in the Western world without being taunted as being oppressed or being mad (for covering up). However, are such beliefs and opinions about Islam really justified?

Exploding the myth

One of the many short comings which has arisen in the West, is judging Islam by the conduct of a minority of its people. By doing this, segments of Western society have deliberately played off the desperate actions of many Muslims, and have given it the name of Islam. Such behaviour is clearly not objective and seeks to distort the reality of Islam. For if such a thing was done Judge a religion by the conduct of its people) then we too could say that all Christianity is about is child molesting and homosexuality [1] whilst Hinduism was all about looting and breaking up mosques [2]. Generalising in such a manner is not seen as being objective, yet we find that the Western world is foremost in propagating this outlook on Islam. So what is the reality of Islam? How does one dispel the myths which have been created and spread so viciously? The only way to examine Islam is to simply examine its belief system. Look at its sources, the Qur’an and Sunna, and see what they have to say. This is the way to find the truth about what Islam says about terror, terrorism and terrorists. One who is sincerely searching for the truth, will do it no other way. The very name Islam comes from the Arabic root word ‘salama’ which means peace. Islam is a religion which is based upon achieving peace through the submission to the will of Allaah. Thus, by this very simple linguistic definition, one can ascertain as to what the nature of this religion is. If such a religion is based on the notion of peace, then how is it that so many acts done by its adherents are contrary to peace? The answer is simple. Such actions, if not sanctioned by the religion, have no place with it. They are not Islamic and should not be thought of as Islamic.

Jihad

The word jihad sends shivers down the spines of many Westerners. They readily equate this term with violence and oppression. However, it must be said that the meaning of jihad, as a ‘holy war’, is something which is totally foreign and not from Islam. If anything, such a description belongs more so to Christianity and its adherents. It was terms like this which were used to justify the slaughter and pillage of towns and cities during the crusades by the Christians. By simply looking into the sources of Islam, one is able to know that the true meaning of jihad is to strive/make effort in the way of Allaah. Thus striving in the way of Allaah can be both peaceful and physical. The Prophet Muhammed (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “The best jihad is (by) the one who strives against his own self for Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic” [3]. In the Qur’an, Allaah also says:

“So obey not the disbelievers, but make a great jihad (effort) against them (by preaching) with it (the Qur’an)”

(Surah Al-Furqan 25:52).

By controlling and fighting against ones desires, the Muslims can then also physically exert themselves in the path of Allaah. It is this physical or combative jihad which receives so much criticism. Because of the sheer ignorance of this type of jihad Islam is regarded as terror, and Muslims are regarded as terrorists. However, the very purpose of this physical jihad is to raise the word of Allaah uppermost. By doing this, it liberates and emancipates all those who are crying out for freedom all over the world. If the likes of the pacifists of this world had their way, then the world would indeed be full of anarchy and mischief. The combative jihad seeks to correct this as Allaah says in the Qur’an:

“And if Allaah did not check one set of people by means of another, the Earth would be full of mischief. But Allaah is full of bounty to the worlds“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:251).

Such would be the corruption on this Earth if there had never been a combative jihad that Allaah says:

“For had it not been that Allaah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allaah is mentioned much, would surely have been pulled down. Indeed Allaah will help those who help His (cause). Truly Allaah is All strong, All mighty“

(Surah Al-Hajj 22:40).

This combative jihad being both defensive and offensive, is something which is commanded by Allaah upon the Muslims. Through this command the oppressed and weak are rescued from the tyranny of the world:

“And what is the matter with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allaah and for those weak, ill treated and oppressed among men, women and children whose only cry is; ‘Our Lord, rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors and raise for us from you one who will protect and raise for us from you one who will help“‘

(Surah An-Nisa 4:75).

Anyone who knows the early history of Islam, will know that all those nations and empires which came under the fold of Islam were indeed previously oppressed. When the companions of the Prophet Muhammed (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) went out for the offensive jihad against the Egyptians, the Persians and the Romans, we find that the people did not resist against them at all. Rather, they accepted Islam on such a scale, that it is inconceivable that the jihad of Islam could be anything other then a liberation for these people; a liberation from centuries of tyranny. In fact, with the Byzantine Egyptians and the people of Spain, the Muslims were even beckoned to come and liberate these lands from the oppression of their kings. This is the glorious track record of the Muslim jihad Compare this with the brutal track record of warfare in the Western world over the centuries. From the crusades against the Muslims to the days of colonial warfare, the Western world has killed, destroyed and plundered everything which has come in its way. Even today this merciless killing goes on by the Western nations. While claiming to be about world peace and security, Western nations are ready to bomb innocent civilians at the drop of a hat. The classic example of this is the recent bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan. Whilst claiming that Sudan and Afghanistan were havens for Islamic terrorists, the bombings of these two nations could not have come at a better time for the American president Bill Clinton. The destruction of innocent lives which were a result of these bombings clearly seem to have been an attempt by Clinton to avert attention away from his sexual misdemeanours; [4] something which he so often gets caught up in. Without doubt this was the reason for such terror from the American military upon innocent people. This is the same American military which claims to enter the worlds trouble spots under the guise of being peace keepers. But

“… when it is said to them; ‘Make not mischief on the Earth’, they say; ‘We are only peace makers’. Indeed they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive it not“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:11-12)

The hypocrisy of the West is indeed astounding.

By looking at the rules and regulations of this combative jihad it will be clear to any sincere person that this is indeed the religion of truth. When fighting an unjust enemy, no matter how unjust they are, it is forbidden by Islam that their retreating forces are mutilated, tortured or slaughtered. The treacherous violation of treaties and carrying out assassinations after a cease fire, are also prohibited. Allaah says in the Qur’an:

“And fight in the way of Allaah those who fight you. But do not transgress the limits. Truly Allaah loves not the transgressors“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:190).

Not transgressing the limits means not to kill women and children, for the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) “forbade the killing of women and children” [5]. Not transgressing the limits means that the elderly, the sick, monks, worshippers and hired labourers are not attacked. Not transgressing the limits means not killing animals wantonly, burning crops and vegetation, polluting waters and destroying homes, monasteries, churches and synagogues:

“Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion, nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allaah loves those who deal with equity“

(Surah Al-Mumtahinah 60:8).

After reading such passages from the Qur’an and knowing about what Islam commands and prohibits in jihad, the rules of warfare are given a new meaning; a meaning of justice. How sad it is then, that whilst Islam is condemned for striking terror into the hearts of the people, the likes of the Serbs, the Indian army in Kashmir and the Israeli soldiers in Palestine are left untarnished for the atrocities they have committed in the name of warfare.

So what about suicide bombing, is this too a part of jihad in Allaah’s path? From what has already been stated above, it can be deduced that this is not from the religion. However, unfortunately many Muslims have taken suicide bombing as being a virtuous act by which one receives reward. This could not be further from the truth. The Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “Those who go to extremes are destroyed” [6]. Suicide bombing is undoubtedly an extremity which has reached the ranks of the Muslims. In the rules of warfare, we find no sanction for such an act from the behaviour and words of the Prophet Muhammed (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) and his companions. Unfortunately, today (some misguided) Muslims believe that such acts are paving the way for an Islamic revival and a return to the rule of Islam’s glorious law. However, we fail to bear in mind that the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “Do not be delighted by the action of anyone, until you see how he ends up” [7]. So, for example what is the end of a suicide bomber in Palestine?, a leg here, an arm there. Massive retaliation by the Israeli’s in the West Bank and Gaza. More Muslims killed and persecuted. How can we be delighted with such an end? What really hammers the final nail in the coffin of this act, is that it is suicide; something which is clearly forbidden in Islam. The Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “He who kills himself with anything, Allaah will torment him with that in the fire of Hell” [8]. Some are under the misconception that by killing oneself for an Islamic cause, one commits an act which deserves Paradise. Once when a man killed himself, the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “He is a dweller of the Fire”. When the people were surprised at this, the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “A person performs the deeds which to the people appears to be the deeds befitting the dweller of Paradise, but he is in fact one of the dwellers of the Fire” [9]. The taking of ones life which Allaah has given as a trust to the human, is a great sin. Likewise the taking of other lives (which is so often the case with suicide bombing) is also forbidden, as human life is indeed precious:

“…If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind. And (likewise) if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind“

(Surah Al-Maaida 5:32).

Thus, all other types of extremities such as hostage taking, hijacking and planting bombs in public places, are clearly forbidden in Islam.

The Media

By going through the teachings of Islam, it is clear that such a religion has only come to benefit mankind -not to destroy it. So why is there so much hatred for this noble religion in the West? The answer is simple, the media. It is the Jewish influenced media of the West which has portrayed Islam to be something that it is not. During the 70’s and 80’s when the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) were carrying out daring highjacks on the worlds airways, the media in the West portrayed it as being Islamic. When the Shi’ite suicide bombers of the 80’s were causing so much havoc in the Lebanon and in the Gulf region, the media in the West portrayed it as a part of Islam. However, it is known by the heads of the media that the likes of the PLO were not an Islamic organisation, and that according to Islam, Shi’ites are outside the fold of Islam [10]. Yet such facts are never portrayed by a media which seeks to cover the truth of this religion. A number of years ago, when the Oklahoma City bomb went off, a headline in one of the newspapers, ‘The Today’ [11], summed up this attitude. With a picture of a fire fighter holding a dead child in his arms, the headline read: “In The Name of Islam” Time has of course proven that this bigoted assumption was incorrect, as Timothy McVeigh, a right wing radical now faces the death penalty for the crime [12]. Likewise the bombs which went off in the Paris metro in 1995, were also blamed on Muslim fanatics. It has now emerged that the Algerian secret service who having routinely bribed many European journalists and MPs, were actually behind it. The desire to throw a veil over Islam is immense by these people:

“They intend to put out the light of Allaah with their mouths, but Allaah will complete His light even though the disbelievers hate (it)”

(Surah As-Saff 61:8).

Whilst trying to destroy Islam through this instrument of the media, the Jews clearly try to portray an image of themselves as being the oppressed people. Every year, we are reminded as to how many Jews perished under the Nazis in World War II. We are made to feel sorry for these same people who have gone on to commit so many crimes upon the Palestinian people. Some may say that this is a racist and biased viewpoint. But we say; If this media was not run and orchestrated by the Jews and was truly neutral, then why are Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, two former Israeli prime ministers, not held aloft as being terrorists? Anyone who knows about the history of the Palestinian occupation will tell you that these two men were members of the Stem Gang and Irgun, two notorious Jewish terror groups who killed many innocent people [13]. If this media was truly impartial, then why does it not tell about the extent of the Israeli bombardment and illegal occupation of Southern Lebanon and its people? [14] And if this media really had nothing against the religion of Allaah, then why does it not inform the people that every day hundreds are entering the religion of Islam? Such things will never be highlighted in the Western media, simply because to do so would be against their very interests.

With such immense pressure against it, it is indeed a blessing from Allaah that Islam goes from strength to strength. It continues to grow faster then any other religion in the Western world, conquering the hearts and minds of thousands. All this should not even surprise us though, for Allaah has promised us that this religion will prevail:

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it victorious over all other religions, even though the disbelievers detest it“

(Surah As-Saff 61:9).

It is a must that humanity comes towards the religion of Islam. Without it, we will continue to slip down the road of inequity and darkness. With it we can establish a society of justice and peace. Religion of terror? … no. The way forward? … yes.

“There is no compulsion in religion. The right path has indeed become distinct from the wrong. So whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allaah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allaah is All Hearing, All Knowing“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256)

Footnotes

1 By using the many cases of child abuse and homosexuality by priests, Such a generalisation about Christianity could be made 2 By using the incident of the destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodya, India in December 1992 by Hindu zealots, such generalisations could be made about Hinduism 3 Authentic – Reported by At-Tabaranee 4 Years of sexual liaison with a White House aide, Monica Lewinski, has been proved against Mr Clinton. Since this time, a number of other women have also claimed that they have had affairs with the president. And this is the same man who propagates family values and to whom millions look up to! 5 Reported by Bukhari – Eng. Trans, Vol.4, p. 160, No. 258 6 Authentic – Reported by Ahmed 7 Authentic – Reported by Ahmed 8 Reported by Muslim – Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.62, No.203 9 Reported by Muslim – Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.64, No.206 10 The beliefs which are contained in the books of the Shi’ites places them outside of the fold of Islam generally. However, upon the individual Shi’ite, the proofs need to be established before one can say that helshe is a disbeliever 11 This newspaper no longer exists 12 It is strange indeed that whilst the Western media criticises Islamic law for being barbaric and harsh, not a word is said about the fact that McVeigh too will be executed just as someone would in an Islamic state 13 These two groups killed Arabs, Jews and the British. They are accredited with the massacre at the village of Deir Yassin, in which many innocent people were butchered 14 Despite the fact that the UN has even made a resolution against Israel for this illegal occupation, no ‘democratic peace loving nation’ (like the USA!!) has bothered to implement it.