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ofoceansandtombsanew · 11 months ago

Note

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "ofoceansandtombsanew "?

Oooh that's a fun one! Time to go diggin' though my favs because do I have some recs!

But first, I'll answer the easier of these two questions, the one about my url. Originally it was "ofoceansandtombstones" but some bs happened and my original blog accidentally got deleted. But it was still up for a few days afterwards miraculously so I couldn't actually use my old url for the new writing blog I made, so I went with "ofoceansandtombsanew" to represent that the evils of my clumsiness couldn't defeat me and that I was the same user as the OG account.

But as to why I have the oceans and tombs name in general, there are a few reasons. I'm a professional yapper, sorry in advance for this being long. (TLDR: I love selkies and banshees, I love the ocean & water in general and I have a lot of deep thoughts and philosophical wonders about death.)

Two of my favorite faeries in all of mythology and the selkie (a shapeshifting faerie that goes back and forth between human and seal by use of their seal coat) and the bansee (faerie women that herald death by wailing, screaming and keening). I like to jokingly call myself the love child of a selkie and a banshee as well.

I've loved the water and the ocean since I was a kid. To a point to where my moms both tell me that it was never a pain to get me in a bath, the pain was in trying to get me out of it (so they had to drain the tub first). And that they'd have to keep the bathroom door closed because if my brothers left it open and the toilet seat open... well to Kid Nyla, it was free real estate to play in water.

As a kid I also had a really reckless habit of jumping into the deep end of the pool.......... even though I couldn't swim. But I also taught myself how to swim (ironically I taught myself how to swim underwater, I never got the hang of overwater swimming). I was also that kid that just floated around in the water letting myself become 'one with it'. In the third grade I found this website called changeyourlifespells or some shit like that and spent a month trying to find a spell that would turn me into a mermaid if I touched water.

It's to the point that in any elemental magic system where water is an option, my IRLs stick that one on me. One of my IRLs in particular. Disney Fairies? (The books mostly but I do love the movies. I just wish Rani and Prilla were there too TAT. My girl Fira too.) I'd be a water-talent. I told her once one of my moms said I would have been a firebender and she deadass went "your mom is wrong. It's water. The only option has ever been water." She doesn't even play Genshin but when I talked about Dendro and Electro being possible options for me, she immediately shot that down too lmao to be honest she's right. I'd likely end up with a Hydro Vision and I wouldn't have been mad. She also told me to not be on some Children of the Sea shit and disappear into the ocean whenever I went to the beach.

But I'm also fairly comfortable around the subject of death. If you've read any of my fics on this blog that have a reader character that is a god of death or death incarnate or somehow death-adjacent, you'll have probably read my philosophies concerning death and its place in the cycle. I've been told by funeral directors that they thought I'd be really good in the profession whether as a mortician or a director of a funeral myself if I decided not to go into education.

And I have a blog on the side for this kind of thing but on one side of the family, Mom2's, experience with the supernatural runs in it so it's something I've dealt with since being a kid.

Either way, when I was trying to come up with a name for my writing blog, I ended up deciding to go into my self-proclaimed lovechild of a selkie and banshee-isms. It was supposed to be temporary honestly, until I found something that sounded more writing blog-y. But it stuck. To me there's nothing more beautiful than the ocean, the sound of the waves, the blue, the cry of the gulls and so on and so forth. But there's a beauty in death I think, if you look at it from a certain angle.

^o^ No one's ever asked about my url before, that was fun to talk about!

As for the second... oof that will take some thinking.

💧 = 18+

save your love by @cafedanslanuit 💧

Porco wasn’t surprised when you called him at three in the morning because you were too drunk to drive back to your place. He would always be there when you needed, both as your best friend and the guy who was completely head over heels for you. And both of them were sure Zeke Jaeger was cheating on you.

Written by one of homies on this hellsite. If you want your quality of Porco-related reader inserts, this is one I recommend fully. I really mean it when I say I go back to read this over from time to time.

Let This Bond Be Heard, Lover by @lychniis

he bore an irrefutable connection with you, tangled through their fingers. parts of you, guides to you and he finds himself so hopelessly smitten and scared...for love it was a beautiful, painful thing.

Aine speaks... and I listen. I don't even simp after Ayato and I was still hanging on every word. Goes to show what happens when the homies cook. A soulmate AU fic with lots of yearning and tension, all in a oneshot.

Nerve in my Bone by @hash-slinging-slasher-trash

Sometimes Satoru forgets how fragile you are. But in moments like these, the realization twists in his chest like a blade.

Another homie cooking up a storm on their blog for no reason, other than the fact that they can! I think this is really good if you love Gojo-related character exploration as well as bro bro being a dad to Megumi. The best of both worlds!

More Than Human by sbj

There is no way I can make this sound original, ever. My attempt to write a believable RrB/PpG in high school fic. Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. - Camus

The best PPG fic in the world, no questions asked. Each character feels extremely representative of what the girls and boys would be like at this age and the fandom around this fic? Love it. We literally all lose our minds whenever this fic updates. I've been following it since its days of being published on FFN and I look forward to reading the thrilling conclusion. Oh god just thinking about the quality of the ships just make me fjsnkjdnkdjfn

Three Months by kaotic321

When the girls get together, watch out! They're making lists and checking it twice. Are the guys in or out? Shika, Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke are now declared 'undateable' by the girls. Who does that leave?

A really fun what if fic about the Naruto girls we know and love deciding to try out dating someone they normally wouldn't. Sakura and Kiba, Hinata and Chouji, Ino and Gaara, Temari and Shino, Tenten and Kankurou. I loved this shit so much found it by accident when I was going through my KibaSaku phase (still love that ship btw). 50 chapters of goodness I still go back to read.

Vertigo by Cynchick💧

Sakura accepts the most critical and dangerous mission of her life, but the price of success may very well be her soul. When your entire world turns upside down, how do you keep from going under?

From my DeiSaku phase. Still love that ship very much btw ANYWAYS, oh my god this was so good. Basically it's an AU of 'what if Deidara didn't die after his explosion' where Sakura finds him and heals him without realizing he's a member of the Akatsuki. Chaos ensues from there years later when she needs to join the Akatsuki for an undercover mission.

Somewhere I've Never Traveled, Gladly Beyond by Wyntermute

Naruto had been bragging all day that his new jutsu was his best yet. Sakura and her new situation beg to differ. Post timeskip.

Another one from the DeiSaku phase lmao. Sakura and Deidara are stuck traveling with each other as they try to get back to the shinobi nations, somewhere in there, they fall in love. Hnnngh this is still so damn good all these years later! The amount of Naruto on here, my god fjdsnfkdsjnf sorry folks. I have read a lot of Naruto fic in my time.

sparkling, stammering, splendid by createandconstruct

He wanted to see her. He always did. He’d gotten used to waking up on time for school each morning because despite everything else, Mitsumi was there. But this feeling, this want, was new, or a revelation of what had always been. A culmination of everything he’d felt before.

ShimaMitsu for the soul, made after during the chapter 53 era when the entire sukirofa fandom was losing it after Sousuke realized he's been in love with Mitsumi for months. 11/10, always read again.

Crepuscular Rays by Axe_puff

It takes Shikamaru a little while to realise he's fallen in love. In comparison, it takes Naruto barely any time at all. But that's only after Shikamaru finds it in himself to confess in the first place.

A retelling of Naruto from Shikamaru's perspective, also he's been in love with him for ages. Onesided NaruHina and an unexpected ShikaHina bromance that fed my soul.

surrender to your peace by spiralpegasus

Sylvain and Felix have been in each other's lives for as long as they can both remember. As the years go by, their relationship grows and changes, but one thing stays the same: the way it feels to sleep beside each other. Or, five times circumstance makes Sylvain and Felix share a bed, and one time it's choice.

Quality Sylvix for the soul, you're welcome. I adore relationship it's lwk why I've never played Golden Deer or Crimson Rose. I have to experience those routes on youtube lmao. Anyways, sylvix is a ship I adore a lot (maybe I should make an addendum to that ship ask I got) and I love when the childhood aspect of their relationship is explored in writing.

#look she's answering #anon #fanfiction #fic recs #powerpuff girls #naruto #snk #genshin impact #skip & loafer #スキップとローファー #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe3h

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biscuits-of-bagend · 6 months ago

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DnDoc, The Loch o' the Lowes #1 - Motion Over Mind

I just changed my url but what clearer way to show it's me than a giant fanfic chapter set in Scotland :P

Previous stories: DnDoc, Coming Home DnDoc, Space Band DnDoc, A Man's a Man DnDoc, The God of Rock 'n' Roll

The opportunity to go swimming in the Loch o' the Lowes actually arose a few days after I started writing this chapter so that could have been a spooky coincidence, except it was so windy that there was absolutely no chance for ominous silence whilst I tried not to get whacked in the face by a wave. I did get some nice photos though so will be including some of those.

---

Rogue lay on his back, floating on the water. It was a kind of weightlessness, if you did it right. It was different even from lying on the ground. Even lying on a soft bed, you could still feel it under your back. You were still aware of all the atoms linking together to make the surface that your body weight pressed down upon. But in the water, you could forget about gravity, or at least forget that it was supposed to apply to you. Of course, this all presumed you were able to keep your whole body buoyant and not have to worry about the gravity of sinking. But all that had been covered in Rogue's training.

A wave of water splashing up the side of his head and into his eyes got his attention. He rolled onto his front then looked up at the paddle board. He'd drifted a few yards away from it, which was a good thing, otherwise he'd have been right in the middle of the spray as the board capsized. It couldn't have been easy to completely flip a flat inflatable board, but the Doctor and Ruby seemed to have managed it.

"What happened?" Rogue called, doggy-paddling across the short distance between them.

Ruby twisted around to face him and the Doctor, over the other side of the board, leaned to his right to see past her. Like Rogue, they were both clad in skin-tight black wetsuits - it would be foolishness to swim in the Scottish summer without one. Rogue had a dark blue swimming cap on to keep his curls out his eyes, but Ruby had opted just to tie her hair back with a bobble.

"Ruby was trying to get on to sit beside me," the Doctor called back. "But then physics happened and off we both tumbled. Did you know this paddle floated, by the way?"

The Doctor held up the one-paddled oar that had come with the paddleboard. Rogue was guessing it was a good thing it did float, otherwise it'd be on its way to the bottom of this considerable lake by now. Or loch, he was told, since they'd decided to give Scotland one more go.

Eventually, and very carefully, Ruby and the Doctor both got onto the board. Rogue held the board steady as best he could and passed up the paddle once they were steady.

"Do you wanna come up too?" the Doctor asked, though there was a wary note in his voice that suggested he wasn't desperate for a yes.

"Nah, I'll keep floating for a bit. I think the sun's about to come out from behind that cloud and there's no better way to sunbathe, really," said Rogue.

"I never would have thought of coming to Scotland to sunbathe," said Ruby. "But the wetsuit really makes it work."

"Neoprene adds at least five degrees," Rogue agreed.

"Yeah," said the Doctor, breaking into a smile as the sun did indeed poke its head out. "Glad you suggested this, Ruby. This is delightful."

The sun gave Rogue a new flutter of energy as its rays touched his face. "I'm gonna go for a swim, guys. Try not to drown while I'm away?"

"Pfft, we'll be fine," said the Doctor, waving away his concern.

Rogue flashed him a smile then pushed forward into the water, kicking hard to get his speed up. Once he was successfully off the mark, he relaxed and used long, gliding strokes to cut through the loch. The three of them had entered the water at the narrower east end of the loch, the Loch of the Lowes as it was apparently known. You could almost make out the faces of the sheep ambling around on the opposite side, in a field just up from the bank. To warm up their bodies after the shudderingly cold water - sun be damned, it was cold - had seeped into their suits, they had begun to swim across to the other side. But then after a few strokes Rogue had looked up and discovered he'd left the two of them in his dust, so he'd reeled himself in and gone at a more sedate pace with them. But now he unleashed himself and swam like a machine west towards the middle of the loch.

When he needed a rest, Rogue stretched out his muscles and lay on his back again. He had an inflatable float on a rope, which was then strapped round his waist. But floating took so little out of him that he barely needed it. Once he'd got his breath back, he rotated forwards so that he was upright and treading water. He spun around to get his bearings until he was looking back west towards the Doctor and Ruby. They seemed to be taking it in turns to jump from the board while the other tried not to get tipped off. Rogue grinned and took in the rest of the scene around him.

He'd gone too far west to be near any sheep, but given the tiny little stream of water that washed down their field into the south bank of the loch, he didn't necessarily mind that. The loch was framed to the north and south by high, rolling hills, creating such strong lines that they almost purposefully directed your view west. The sun was just creeping over the shoulder of the southern hills, but if they stayed out much later Rogue worried it might start to set. But it wasn't too big a deal, he remembered, since the TARDIS was currently floating on the water near the Doctor and Ruby. They weren't in a rush at all.

As he made to start swimming again, something about the silence tripped him up. He thought maybe it had started with the feeling that the hills were pointing consciously to the west, but he definitely had a thought in the back of his head that he was not alone.

Rogue had had this problem before, a lot. He'd always been a strong swimmer indoors, but when the academy had taken him outdoors, suddenly his limbs would freeze and his heartrate would skyrocket no matter how well he paced himself. If you'd asked him 'is there a sea monster in this loch?' he'd have said no, but that didn't stop the tight tingling sensation in his gut. And once it had started, it was really hard to kill it.

But he had developed a mantra over the course of his time at the academy. Mind over matter, motion over mind. He started swimming again, counting out the beats of the mantra with each stroke. 'Mind over matter' meant that you could push on when your body was screaming, but 'motion over mind' meant that you could keep swimming when your brain was trying to play a trick on you. Focusing on saying the mantra over and over again to himself was a good distraction too.

He pushed forward, internally whispering, until his arms started to tire. Then he flipped onto his back and floated again, trying to ignore the feeling of something looking up at his body from below.

Something touched his side. He spluttered and jerked back upright, whipping around to face where it had come from.

"Woah, sorry," said the Doctor. "You alright, babes?"

Rogue sighed, smiling as he closed his eyes. He blinked slowly a few times, then nodded and drew the Doctor close. "I'm okay, just got a fright."

"My bad," said the Doctor, giving him a cheesy grin.

"Oh, you are bad. You're a villain, a sea monster," murmured Rogue, kissing the Doctor. He relaxed as their lips pressed together and their arms wrapped around each other's backs. They bobbed up and down in the water, losing themselves in each other. But when it came time to swim back over to Ruby on the paddle board, Rogue found the feeling of an extra presence in the water come creeping back into his consciousness.

---

Part 2

@off-traveling-in-the-stars @casavanse @monster-donut @randomwholocker (let me know at any point if you no longer wish to be tagged in each post, especially since it's a new story)

#doctor who #fanfic #fanfiction #doctor who rogue #timerogue #scottish borders

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fountainpenguin · 10 months ago

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I've been experimenting with Firefox as a browser on the side (after using Chrome for many years), and while I'm going to try to keep using it because I know everyone says it's a better browser and that switching is easy, I want to make a few notes:

- Only 7 of my 23+ extensions had a Firefox parallel, so it's a learning curve to get used to things I no longer have. So far, I haven't found a working Xkit extension, making the Tumblr experience worse, but I'll keep trying. I miss my slider extension for adjusting screen brightness, which I have on Chrome. However, I'm grateful my password manager carried over.

- There's no Google Docs Offline extension. This isn't going to work for me, who does a ton of my work offline due to long carpooling trips, so even if I switch to using Firefox at home, I'd have to keep Chrome for this

-> Moving things between Word and Docs isn't super convenient for what I do, and I don't have Word on my laptop. Options such as wordcounter.com are an option in an emergency (I often open one such tab before a long car trip), but that's only useful for words, not working on formatting.

- I like Firefox's browser themes. One of them is an animated Spirited Away header that I really like because the URL bar is black and the top of the screen is dark. One of the problems I often have with Chrome is that I edit docs while in the dark, but extensions don't change the URL bar, which is blaringly white and distracting. I haven't tested Firefox in the dark, but I think I would like the dark bar.

-> Unfortunately, one common place I'm in the dark is on long carpool trips... and since there's no Edit Offline option, that's not as helpful as it could be. It may be helpful if I'm on a laptop in bed at night, but I haven't tested this yet.

- Was quite surprised that when I checked Firefox settings, all the "We track your data" toggles were flipped on? I thought that was the one thing Firefox was supposed to not do? (Or I'm not phrasing this properly since it may have been "We let websites use targeted ads by tracking data," or something like that).

And that's fine, I'm glad I could turn it off, but very surprising to me since all the Tumblr posts I've seen encouraging people to switch to Firefox talk about how it's so easy to move your extensions over, it does everything Chrome can do but better, and they never track your data, and so far my experience has been the opposite of this.

- I'm grateful I have a Google Doc bookmarked. All my bookmarks were easy and instant to migrate to Firefox, but because it's separate from Google (obviously), there's no easy way to access my files without having something like a bookmark.

So, instead of opening a new tab and clicking on the Google Apps menu (where I usually go to access docs or sheets), I instead access them by having one doc or sheet bookmarked, then clicking on the icon that takes you to those home pages.

I don't mind doing this because it's the same amount of clicks for me- I'm very used to having a doc, sheet, and gmail in my bookmarks bar and I recently added my calendar to bookmarks. However, if I hadn't bookmarked these before opening Firefox, I don't see any easy way to find them. I'm glad I'm tech-savvy enough to get there, but if I were not tech-savvy, I think this would be stressful for me.

- I'm not 100% sure what the point of a private Firefox browser is when people say that Firefox doesn't track your stuff. It looks like it's for cookies and history. One small (avoidable in the future) problem I had was thinking I was in the private browser when I was still in the regular browser because the colors are the same- there's just a small logo informing you if you're in the private browser.

So, if you're sharing a computer with housemates and trying to use Firefox's private browser, be careful not to get them mixed up. I think I made this mistake because the keyboard shortcut to open a new tab in Firefox is not the same as it is in Chrome, so I thought I'd opened the tab, glanced over at my second monitor, and missed the fact that it hadn't gone through.

- After I told Firefox to stop asking to be my default browser, the next time I opened it, it asked if I wanted Firefox to open my tabs for me. There wasn't a description of what this meant, such as if I'm in Chrome and right click a link to open it in a new tab, if it would open an entire Firefox browser instead of a new tab in my Chrome window.

I did not commit to this option due to me not understanding what it meant, but if that's what it would do, that would be super annoying right now. Also, that's really weird of it to basically ask to be default browser in different words (if that's what it was asking).

So, here's the main reason I wanted to make this post:

- I downloaded a new word counter because Word Counter Plus was not one of the extensions that had a Firefox parallel. I picked the 2nd most popular one (didn't see there was a more popular one 'til now).

Let me tell ya, there is nothing more horrifying than opening the draft you've been revising for weeks, highlighting, checking the word count, and seeing the number 2,940 when you're expecting 17k+ and you're in the AO3 editor box, so there's no way to recover history if I actually had deleted 14k words.

Image of my word counter extension on Firefox vs. my definitely more correct one from Google Chrome- same document, and I checked to confirm all the words were highlighted in Firefox.

Luckily, all my 17k words are still there. I'm just doing final revisions and will be done soon - trying to get from 17k words down to 15k - but I will definitely be doing this in my usual Chrome because Firefox is not up to this task.

... Okay, I just switched to using the more popular Word Count extension, and even though I followed the steps in the extension, nothing happened. I didn't get a pop-up.

-> After testing, it doesn't work correctly. I was able to open a new AO3 chapter and select a small section of text. However, it doesn't even try giving me a pop-up when I test it on the chapter with 17k words. Not a good sign that the only two word counter extensions with more than 1,000 people are unable to do this, even though the extension's page says "works for any length of text."

So far, I haven't had adblocker or captcha conflicts, though I do have to go through the usual annoyances of setting a new browser to my settings.

I also read somewhere that Firefox doesn't let you copy-paste / cut-paste because it protects your data by not saving things in your clipboard. So far, I have not encountered this problem. However, if I did, that would also be a deal-breaker because I need to highlight and move data between docs (and within my doc) on the regular.

I'm going to keep testing Firefox sometimes because I'd like to use it since people keep saying it's the best and that Google is changing stuff in June, so now's the time to switch.

Since I've only seen posts that enthuse about Firefox being easy and the best on my dash, I at least wanted to mention some of my struggles so my followers can go into Firefox with appropriate expectations if they're also hoping to do things like have an accurate word count or use Google Docs offline (especially if they're holding out to switch until June and might be caught off guard if the learning curve is harsher than expected).

So, imo:

- Chrome is still the best option for me as someone who keeps track of thousands of separate Google Docs and Sheets and likes them to be easily accessible

- My research suggests there is no possible way to edit Docs offline if using Firefox (Bad news for my multi-hour carpool life and a definite deal-breaker to switching permanently)

- The two most popular word counters were not able to handle the length of an average document (less than 60 pages in Google Docs)

-> I can continue using the Google Docs app on my phone to edit offline and then access those docs on Firefox when I'm back in Internet connection, but I'd rather use a laptop keyboard than a phone keyboard if I'm in a vehicle for 6 hours (which is a common experience in my life right now)

- I recommend testing extensions thoroughly in a practice setting before you try to use them for actual important work. I would have been SO embarrassed (and potentially fired) if I was checking a ton of articles for a client and some of them were off by 15,000 words, but I waved them through because I'd only tested the extension with small sections of words (where it seems accurate) and not long sections.

I also would have been embarrassed if I'd searched something I thought was private and then I wasn't in the private browser and it came up in my recent history.

So, I would say Firefox may not be the right browser for a writer unless they've found different tools that get around these problems, and if you want to use Firefox, take the time to get familiar with it before you do anything "serious" with it. If you have important documents to review for work, don't jump in assuming your tools will work correctly.

#99% true as far as we remember #Long post

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writermuses · 1 year ago

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Life Update | 📌 Post | Updated 7 January

Hello writers! I'm Natty (35, she/her) and welcome to my OC multi-muse/multi-verse indie RP blog. I am selective and slow to reply. There will be slice of life, modern royalty, crime, smut, and other triggering content on this blog, but I use "trigger tw" and "smut" for tags fairly consistently. This really isn't a fantasy or canon fandoms kind of writing experience beyond some of my OCs working in careers of my hyperfixations (F1, MotoGP, NHL, etc)... Nevertheless, I will not interact with writers, muses, or faceclaims under 21. Thank you in advance for being patient with me. Here are my rules:

My opens are open forever! I labeled any that I've archived as "no longer taking replies" because maybe muse for that character may come back some day. Threads with problematic fcs, anyone under 21 people, or posts in legacy will be ignored. However, I'm not typically bothered by what you write with other people and we don't kink shame. I only ask you keep things reasonable in a reply.

Do not reblog/like the musings unless I tagged you on the post. If you want to use a musing, then you can reblog from the source. If there’s no source linked then copy the image URL. If you’re not the @ and you're in my notifs, I will block you. New musings will be locked but the older musings this still applies.

My replies will be slow. Therefore, do not post more than 2 replies to me per day. This is supposed to be fun and my escape from my career and serious health issues. Some days off work I just need to rest physically and mentally. I'm mostly just a weekend writer. People that mass reply or insta-reply aren't don't really vibe with my high anxiety needs. If we're both online and we talk about it, that's a different case by case/thread by thread situation for a short period of time.

I will drop threads with writers that use me for my males. Whether that's you picking up a bunch of my guys and one girl or repeatedly replying to my male opens while letting my female threads go unreplied for months/until they hit the 2 month drop point. I'll block you for that so quick. I do also try to pair a male and female reply for each writer as I cycle through what I owe to keep it balanced. If you have a girl-only blog and only want a guy, we can have just the one thread. Be honest about it or leave because this isn't the blog for you.

I have severe physical and mental health issues and work insane hours 10 months of the year. I’ll write what I can, when I can, as the muse for a reply hits on the weekends, but I also have to acknowledge that I have a lot of threads and giant multi-paragraph replies stress me out and are not fair to the other writers, so they aren’t going to take priority and may be dropped. Thank you for understanding, especially those of you that tell me it’s okay to not to match length. If a reply hits 2 months I will assume you dropped it, no messaging needed.

Formatting: Cut your posts! Use small font and medium gifs or icons, reblog using the new editor - the usual. If you only have large gifs, static icons or animated graphics, or no gifs of your faceclaim, it's okay to not use gifs in your replies. Put the gif AT THE BOTTOM of your reply. I will not match over the top formatting and will drop a thread if your aesthetics supersede quality writing.

Replies: I ask that you move the plot forward in your reply. If you repeatedly instant-reply and aren't moving the plot anywhere, I'm going to lose interest and drop the thread. Rate and order of replies does not equate to interest in a thread. If you're stuck, do a time jump or wait to reply. You've got 2 months before I will assume you dropped the thread.

Be well + Be kind 💙 Natty

Rules . Muse List . Starters . Tracker . Musings

#ooc #pinned post

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moon--hotel · 2 years ago

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Building an RSS Feed for a Static Site

Lover's tree! Lover's tree! I have crafted an RSS feed for the first time! It was a pain in the ass, but I'm glad I learned how to do it.

This page was indispensable, but it doesn't have every part of what I learned, so I'll write my own tutorial below. Specifically, I used this with the Zonelets system, but it should work fine for most static sites.

First, make an .xml file. I just titled mine feed.xml and put it in the same directory as my blog.

Copy and paste the following into your xml file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <channel> </channel> </rss>

Between the <channel></channel> tags, we are going to do two things. First, we have to detail what our blog actually is.

<title>Title of your blog</title> <description>Description of your blog</description> <link>URL of blog</link> <atom:link href="URL of blog/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />

Change the stuff in pink to be what it's supposed to be.

Now, we are going to add a bunch of "items". Each item = a post in your blog. Copy and paste this template for each post:

<item> <title>Title of post</title> <link>link goes here</link> <guid>link goes here again</guid> <pubDate>Mon, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 EST</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[html of your post goes here]]></description> </item>

Change the stuff in pink to be what it's supposed to be. Keep to the structure as closely as possible, ESPECIALLY in the pubDate section. If you want to make sure your RSS feed works correctly, copy and paste the whole thing into the W3C Feed Validator and see if it gives you the OK.

Here is a (very condensed) version of what my RSS feed looks like, for comparison. The indents and colors are just for ease of viewing/understanding what every part is.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <channel> <title>moonblog</title> <description>Please enjoy.</description> <link>http://moon-hotel.neocities.org/blog</link> <atom:link href="http://moon-hotel.neocities.org/blog/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <item> <title>Hello World</title> <link>https://moon-hotel.neocities.org/blog/posts/2023-06-24-Hello-World.html</link> <guid>https://moon-hotel.neocities.org/blog/posts/2023-06-24-Hello-World.html</guid> <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jun 2023 19:07:25 EST</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[<p>Hey, testing out <a href="http://zonelets.net">Zonelets</a> as a new blog engine. Hopefully it'll be easier--well, not easier, but more full-featured--than the way I was doing it? I really just wanted a way to do a blog on Neocities while also supporting stuff like Commento, so we'll see if that works.</p>]]></description> </item> </channel> </rss>

#rss #diy #tutorial #html

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ignitesthestxrs · 2 years ago

Note

fuck yeah I'll come talk to you! my goodness. I've long been hesitant to send asks to blogs I don't know or consider popular.

I followed you for your pjo writing, so I was very surprised to find out that your url is from matthew stover's ROTS novelisation. two-ish years ago I watched star wars for the first time and fell in love with the prequels, it is probably still the fandom I most interact with on here.

I notice most (all?) of your star wars fics on ao3 are sequel things. I haven't seen the sequels yet because of general negative internet sentiment towards them. although this is bad logic because the internet feels negatively about a lot of great things, including ("great" is subjective I suppose) the prequels.

as someone who still mainly associates you with pjo, I guess I'm just curious about you and star wars in general. did you watch the movies when they first came out? or did you, like me, discover them later? and would you care to make a case for watching the sequels?

and as an aside - how do you feel about anon asks. do you prefer when people are non-anon?

truly genuinely i dont think i've ever met a person on this website, Popular Online or not, who has been upset about receiving genuine asks. LIKE as someone who prefers to be approached rather than to approach people i very understand the reticence to make contact, but if you ever have hesitance because your brain is like 'ooooh they aren't gonna want to talk to meeeeeee' i really truly think you can let that one go. esp because anon is an option - the worst thing that happens is that someone doesn't respond, which is also not personal and is usually related to brain death on the part of the person receiving the ask

BASICALLY i really think that most people making themselves available on the social media want to use the media to be social - if they didn't, they'd close their ask box.

MAN okok i love to talk about a personal fandom history LOL star wars is a weird one for me! i came into the fandom extremely sideways - while it turns out i had watched at least one of the prequels in theatres as a child, i had somehow wiped all memory of them from my mind, leaving only a residual obsession with padme amidala's lipstick lingering in my hindbrain

so my first Real Encounter with star wars as a fan concept was via Livejournal Role Play lolol, the premise of which is that you would roleplay as characters either in an AU setting, or an isekai-your-character-was-captured-from-their-home-world-somehow setting. so i was playing sakura from naruto in a harry potter/final fantasy fusion AU (there's a fun sentence) when someone joined the game with Jaina Solo from the star wars extended universe, and i just thought the character and player were the fucking coolest?

so that's how i ended up learning about like, the post-original Star Wars trilogy EU books first LMAO and then eventually i watched the original trilogy and re-watched the prequel trilogy (this was back in 2009/10 so sequel series were not on the horizon at all). i rp'd a bunch of star wars characters in a bunch of games (most notably middle aged Leia from the later EU books and a man called Kyp Durron who i refuse to believe was not the template and inspiration for kylo ren), and also played the Knights of the Old Republic games, and eventually helped create and moderate an rp based on those games. so my first star wars creative endeavors were very rp based, and kotor based, and any fic i was writing at the time was like, kyp durron and alyss from a ya novel adaptation of alice in wonderland are falling in love in the harry potter/final fantasy fusion setting where we also included pokemon so kyp has a shuckle for a pet because jaina gifted it to him as a gag. all that fic is littered around the internet - lj accounts and dreamwidth accounts and defunct aim group chats, where you'd write stuff for like the three people who were into your extremely, impossible to replicate cross canon ship instead of doing your stats homework, it was heady shit.

the username came about after i decided to abandon my old internet handle/identity of 'feilyn' lolol. basically i made up 'feilyn' as a name for myself when i was like 15 and used it everywhere, which resulted in most online friends i made at the time calling me 'fei', which in turn got cuteified into 'feibean', which is what i originally called this blog right up until someone sent me an ask going 'hey feibean' and i went oh NO i HATE that, and decided that i needed a username that was like, Poetic and Pretty

the funniest part to me is that i hadn't actually read the stover novelisation at that time? i just knew about the passage it came from because a friend had quoted it at me before and i was like oh that's Beautiful. so i did probably the most pretentious thing in the process of making a pretentious internet handle, which was to refer to a thing i hadn't actually read (i have since read the novelisation LOL and highly recommend it to anyone into star wars i general, but especially if you feel the prequels had Great Themes and Poor Execution - the book does a much better job at the execution part)

SO by the time the sequel movies were announced i had been into star wars for like, 5, 6 years? and it had been a staple part of not only my creative life but also my social and romantic life, so i was primed to be fucking obsessed. at that point i wasn't journal rping anymore, and most of my creative energy was split between fic (pjo and grisha at the time) and trying to make my original book idea work (it did not), and i had gotten into the groove of Writing Fic For An Audience.

and then the first sequel movie came out and i fucking loved it! like sure it was a little derivative, but it had so much of what i loved about star wars in it, and it especially helped that kylo ren really did seem like a kyp durron expy, and i was right in the middle of my weird heterosexual lesbianism phase where all i wanted to write was Overpowered Man Gets Stepped On By Brunette Teenager He Underestimated so reylo hit me like a fucking freight train.

i think in the first month after that movie came out i wrote like, 21 fics in he space of a month. i went to my first ever music festival and was just lying in the tent writing fic on the budget smart phone i had bought so my actual phone didn't get stolen. it was SUCH a flurry of creative energy for me, because star wars before that point had been not a dead fandom, but certainly not a fandom that had a lot of Fic-Centric Life in the spaces i was in, and the movie brought so much new blood and voices and interest and readers to the canon. so if i told people i felt like writing x thing and asked for prompts, i'd get like 10 or 12 requests at a time - more than i could fulfill, certainly, but also so many that it really fed the fire of my interest and determination to Provide Content

and then, you know, the Drama and the Discourse and the weird creation of shipping as identity where people became A Reylo instead of shipping reylo, and this formation of Antis as a thing, and on and on until fandom in general becomes this place of adversarial combat that is supposed to reflect on your ethics and moral as a person and Oh Man i do remember being exhausted by all of these arguments at the time (and now tbh, but these days i am not actively participating in them). eventually i dropped out of star wars as a fandom from like, creative and discourse burnout i think, and also my relationships with the friends i shared the fandom with were changing, and i was also changing as a person and then TROS came out and was really a death knell to any joy i'd gotten out of the fandom or canon from that point.

as for a case for watching the sequels - i think if you can watch them without needing them to Be Anything In Particular, you can have a good time with them. like, for example, i think TROS was an objectively bad fucking movie, but i had a lot of fun when i watched it because i went it with a baseline of curiosity about how or if abrams could pull this off, and the answer was 'by trying to split every fandom argument of the last 4 years down the exact middle' and 'no, he can't pull it off'. that shit isn't a movie, it's a video response to every star wars trending topic between 2015-2019. and at the time of viewing, this was very fucking funny to me. i had a ball.

SO if you can watch them with the contextual understanding of like, these are massive corporate enterprises created by committee, with different people at the helm of different movies who had very different understandings on what the point of this trilogy was, i genuinely think they can be a good time. there's pew pew lasers, there are some real affecting moments, and there is a lot of bewildered amusement to be had at nature of attempting to create Billion Dollar Art.

if you are looking for a story that is going to leave you feeling fulfilled and as though the creators had consideration and respect for either their viewers, their actors, or the story they were telling, then give them a pass. like i really really think there is a lot of fun and interest to be had in watching the sequels for both 'here is a space fantasy laser fun time' reasons and 'what does art look like when it's primary purpose is to create obscene amounts of wealth based off the nostalgia of nerds but also the concept of modernising a franchise for the 21st century' reasons, and these are both big reasons why i engage in any kind of media LOL

but i also understand the special place star wars holds in a lot of people's hearts, and not wanting to engage in material thatg feels like it has sucked a lot of the joy out of that special place is always legit. so like, if you are intrigued, give them a shot, and if you find yourself hating the experience then stop watching. trust ur heart babe

FINALLY i have no strong opinion on whether people are anon or signed in! it's all about your comfort level truly, i do not put emphasis on one mode or another. sometimes people will send me something signed in and ask me to respond privately, which i am always happy to do, and sometimes people will send messages anon, but identify themselves as like 'oh im the anon who asked about sunflowers, i'm sunflower anon'. SO YEAH whatever combination of identifiers is personally comfortable for the person sending the ask is how i prefer people to communicate.

THANK U for ur ask clearly i love to Talk & Engage and i appreciate u giving me the opportunity <3 <3

#hannah answers asks #hag history

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catboii · 1 year ago

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((just a "little" (ha) update I guess, nothing major, just a note that I'm sorry if I post alot this week with seemingly no regard for my/my muse's vast presence on the dash, or if I end up writing alot of short weird drabbles to vent.... if there's questionable stuff it'll be tagged like always <3

I understand if you need to unfollow me to keep your dash clear for other people if you're mobile etc. or if you need to blacklist my muse's url for a bit if it's overwhelming

After xmas everything may have settled and if you wanna refollow then I'd welcome you back and wouldn't ask any questions. your comfort (whatever that may classify as in the context) is my utmost priority!

normally I try not to clutter, and I try to keep general post reblogs minimal and just queue most of them. I'm just... not doing too good rn

then again it's a 50/50 that I'll be posting nothing at all, just making my muse's presence known if it wants to sorta wave at someone from the depths of my brain hell jail.

I'll still be checking in around xmas stuff bc this muse gives me v happy bubbly vibes whenever I write it and that's honestly what I need rn.

I'm sorry if your muse reblogs/replies to one of mine's posts or smth and I seemingly glance over it. I genuinely just didn't see it. I always try and respond to stuff, or if it doesn't know how to reply I at least acknowledge that my muse saw it by liking it. but I might not have the mental capacity to actually keep up w stuff

...

BASICALLY I'm either gonna be kinda quiet or rly hyperfixated on not being in my own head for the next week or so.

I'm obv stressed anyway bc I need to do xmas shopping still and it's a struggle bc online it probs won't come in time. we're going "late night shopping" on thursday though so hopefully we can get a bunch of stuff then

but mainly an old work friend of mine passed away today. He's been unwell for a few years, and I dunno if he knew what it was and was just keeping it quiet, or if they genuinely couldn't work it out. last I heard he was getting MRIs.

I had a complicated relationship w him (positive) bc he was either bipolar or had BPD like me (although he wasn't diagnosed with either, but it was obvious he at least had bipolar), and if you know anything abt BPD you know what an FP (favourite person) is, and we were sort of each other's when we were working together? I think. like I say he wasn't diagnosed, but it felt like that. we hit it off really quick and were both really comfortable with each other, and he was just the sweetest most supportive person. he was one of my FPs, which basically means my brain was cursed to be in intense friendlove with him. He would tell me that he loved me and appreciated my friendship, was always saying you need to tell people you love them, however you can, however you mean it, because you don't know if you'll ever get to tell them again

he always showed off the little things I made him and made sure everyone knew exactly where he got the silly little origami animals on his desk, or who made his juggling balls that were his favourite thing in the whole world bc I made them for him by hand, and picked the fabric out specifically for him.

One time around xmas, bc of covid, we had these big plastic screen dividers between our desks and I used posca paint pens to draw him a HUGE Robin in a scarf and santa hat (his name was Robin and people always got him little Robin themed things, he loved them) on the one by his manager desk, like a name tag, but Facilities told him he needed to clean it off and chastised him thinking he did it, and you're "not supposed to vandalise work equipment" even though they're literally washable and it was xmas. we were sticking decorations everywhere, how is it any different? but he played along but he was really mad. He didn;t wanna say it was me that did it, because he thought I might've gotten in trouble, but he also wanted to argue that I'd put alot of work into it. I hadn't put that much in, it was just for fun and I liked drawing it, and he got to see it! That was the important part. and I said so. but I cleaned it off and drew him a new Robin on a piece of paper and he kept it at his desk like a retired picket sign, and told the story to anyone who would be polite enough to listen

mostly though, he gendered me correctly (and he was in his 60s so being so passionate abt they/them pronouns was just really sweet, though he was clearly bi but still in the closet, so it was maybe a little projection, in a way, or just straight up quiet queer solidarity), and literally agressively made sure everyone else did too, when he realised I'd been just letting people at work use whatever pronouns, he got really proactive and made sure all my paperwork was marked as "them" officially (with my permission). if anyone misgenered me he would get visably annoyed or disgusted, and there were a couple people who "forgot" (every time) and he actually got angry at them about it and reported them for harassment, which might've been a little extreme, but I honestly felt so validated, and I'm tearing up thinking about it. I don't think anyone's ever fought that hard in my corner, especially after only knowing me for, at that point, less than a year.

We worked together in a couple different parts of the business for a couple years, until some stuff happened that I shouldn't say bc I need my rp blog(s) to stay far away from my professional life, but we were gonna be working together doing something else, but it wasn't his thing, it was stressful and there were other reasons, but he just lost it and walked out.

we had a little joke when we were training before he left, he had this soft toy robin that he let me borrow because I was really anxious, and I gave it a little notepad and pencil and wrote something silly on it for when he got it back each time. usually some out of context joke on what we learned that day, so we could both laugh about it. but when he left I still had it, and I messaged him saying I would get it back to him sometime, but he said to keep it to remind me of him.

I put it away to keep it safe, but I'm gonna have to go and find it, because it's one of the only physical things I have left of him.

#ooc post.#.vat file #rl illness ment-#rl death ment-#readmore.#I think I'm ok for now. I'm sorry about the stuff mentioned at the top but I'm not sorry this post is so long. for once.#you don't have to read it. but if you do? then hey. thanks. we're besties now.#I had a little rant about him and it's cathartic but I'm trying not to break down tbh #I think just expressing how much I loved him helps. he was just. so pure and wholesome in reality.#always showing how much he appreciated people...

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quillheel · 2 years ago

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spell out your url using song titles. then, tag as many people as there are letters in your url! ( repost don't reblog. )

:O !!! i've never done one of these before, neat!!! usually this is for a specific muse i THINK but bc i'm a multi i just wound up picking songs based on if i personally had a meaningful connection to them + they gelled with the vibe Quillheel tends to have with musing n themes!

Q ━━ Queen of Peace - Florence + the Machine ( Oh, the queen of peace / Always does her best to please / Is it any use? / Somebody's gotta lose )

U ━━ UNWELCOME GUESTS - The Narcissist Cookbook ( Like a hundred thousand unwelcome guests / Crammed into the narrow corridors / Of our dark hotel by the sea ; ... As I said, I don't believe in ghosts / But that doesn't matter really / I don't think you did either / I think I'm about to find out / What it actually feels like to be / Haunted )

I ━━ It Means Everything - OMORI

L ━━ Life - Mother Mother ( Oh, maybe I'm right (Feels wrong) / Where I'm supposed to be right (Damn right) / Where I'm supposed to be, this is my life (La-la-la-la-la-life) / This is my life (Stop) / Yeah, maybe I'm right )

L ━━ Love Love Love - the Mountain Goats ( Snakes in the grass beneath our feet, rain in the clouds above / Some moments last forever, but some flare out with love, love, love )

H ━━ Hymn of the Medical Oddity - The Weakerthans ( The sun will start late and clock out early / And I'll drive around and wait for it / Follow familiar roads / Emptied of every memory / Under a sheet of silence and unmarked snow )

E ━━ Eat Your Young - Hozier ( I'm starving, darling / Let me put my lips to something / Let me wrap my teeth around the world / Start carving, darling / I wanna smell the dinner cooking / I wanna feel the edges start to burn )

E ━━ Everything Stays - Adventure Time ( Everything stays right where you left it / Everything stays / But it still changes / Ever so slightly, daily and nightly / In little ways, when everything stays )

L ━━ Lullaby - American Murder Song ( Hush falls the evening / And tickles the bell / Love, close your eyes / There are stories to tell )

tagged by: @rceway !!! thank you sm!!!!!!!!!!!! tagging: @ofeggies @lcngdays @theaterrush @rdkii @flockrest @jfouler @z0mburger @nectaric @mightiestbanana aaand one extra @campblcd for when u return from The Tumblr Grave n prob make a multi bc musics fun as hell <3

#━ ♔ the world grows green again when you smile : games.#━ ♔ wanting like flesh knitting over a wound : xxx.#death //#violence //#suicide //#<- for specifically 'love love love'#medical //#cannibalism //#grief //#i dont usually tag grief but its so intense here bc grief is DEEPLY integral to a lot of this music AND this blog.#love means everything in my writing; it IS everything in my writing; everything draws back to it #and grief is love unable to keep loving because the beloved is gone. it only makes sense yk #insect //#bc of the image

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shark-myths · 2 years ago

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thanks for the tag, @just-about-nothing ! for what it's worth i am completely charmed by your url, especially knowing its origin.

are you named after anyone? no and i was supposed to have a different name, my father swooped in and changed it while my mom was still loopy. my middle name, by far the best part of the whole thing, is the name of my uncle who died before i was born

when was the last time you cried? wow i'm so happy about this, it was at my fall out boy concert! but i came very near tears at the end of the 'tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow' episode of strange new worlds that i watched last night due to unfair & malicious directorial choices

do you have kids? believe it or not i am a fully fledged stepparent, despite swearing up and down since age 3 i would never be a parent and not really ever measurably wavering in that conviction.

do you use sarcasm a lot? not online really! in person, yes. i also speak in what i have decided is my cat's voice more often than you'd find cute

what's the first thing you notice about a person? lmao everything. i am a very skilled noticer (e.g., nosy). but i find most salient how i feel around them / how they seem to make others feel.

what's your eye color? like @just-about-nothing, debated. blue green grey gold, depending. my license always said green but when i moved to michigan a decade ago they changed it into blue at the dmv, and that's stuck ever since

scary movie or happy ending? i don't like scary movies but i love a scary ending

any special talents? i make the best sauces and pretty good soups, i read quickly, and i'm good at speaking extemporaneously

where where you born? outside of chicago

what are your hobbies? reading, writing, running, knitting, the michael hobbes extended universe

do you have pets? you all know i have too many cats

what sports do you/have you played? HAH never, not even one, i have never been on a team in my damn life

how tall are you? 5'5.5"

favorite subject in school? the best classes i ever took were psychopharmacology and medical anthropology

dream job? yarn store or plant store or book store. have attained career and now just want to go back to cozy retail

bonus! url significance? you have heard this before, but years ago, before i failed at something major that sent permanent ripple effects through my entire sense of myself & my future, i used to think i was a myth about a shark. you know the one: if i stop swimming, i'll die. i have had to unlearn this myth--it's not even true about sharks, why would it work as a way for me to live? reader, i didn't even like taking showers; they were an unbearable waste of time. i was racing towards the outcome of my life so fast, i didn't enjoy any of it. i was a wind-up doll made of control. so now i am here, living better, living at all. remembering always that bullshit myth about a shark. maybe now my url can remind you too!

also, like. sharks are great

#sharks ARE great #about me #i've tagged too many people lately #do this if you want bbs #tag game #tag meme

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druidx · 1 year ago

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Find the Word Tag - Alexis Dalliance vs the Evil of Titan - Part 1

I have a lot of Find the Word tag games. So I decided to put them all together to make me edit the Alexis Dalliance vs the Evil of Titan, a NaNoWriMo novel from 2012 based on the first TTRPG campaign I participated in the Fighting Fantasy World of Titan setting.

There was a total of 145 words to find so I've split these into batches of ~50. I've not removed any duplicates, and where there's not an exact match I've used synonyms instead.

I've grouped the words by the original tagger - though some of these are old enough the tagger has changed URLs...

Fair warning before you click:

I have tried to keep the snips short, but at ~7000 words, this post is 'colour of the sky' long.

Well, if we're sitting comfortably, I'll begin.

➤ @aquadestinyswriting

Bother

The dragon tilted its head, red scales flashing like fire and blood as it looked at her from another angle. "Well, if that's all it was…" It said, in a descending tone. Alexis nodded fiercely. "Then I suppose I can let you off… But I want you to do something for me, first." "And what would that be?" Richard asked. "There is a Blackguard," the dragon said, "who has been making a nuisance of himself in my territory. I would like him killed.” The dragon sniffed the air, gaze landing back on Richard. “A job, I suspect, for you, holey one.” "Why should we fight your battles for you?" Richard asked. Alexis hissed at him, but the dragon just. chuckled. It crossed its paws, laying its chin down, considering. "Quite frankly," it said finally, "why should I? Why bother sullying my claws when you have appeared at the perfect opportunity to rid this pest for me?" Richard pursed his lips, then gave a sharp nod.

Kettle (Tea)

While Kassandra stoked up the fire and set water over to boil, David, Richard's brother-in-law, bustled around fetching plates and bread for the travellers crowded around his kitchen table. When all had a cup of nettle tea and a plate of bread and jam, David settled into his explanation. “They came a few weeks back,” he said. “They told the village elders they just wanted to practice their new religion in peace. The elders agreed and gave them land to build a chapel. After all, there’re so many gods already – what could one more hurt? “Of course folks are curious. They dropped in to see what this new god was about. And these new priests started converting them.” Bastet raised an eyebrow. “That’s the problem?” “Doesn’t sound like it does it?” David gave a bitter laugh. “But something happened to the folks they converted. Became mindless and mean about it. Our neighbour Sam – you remember, Rich? The fella with the lazy mouser? – he always let me borrow his post-holer, and I’d always let him use my ploughshare. But I went up to ask him for it and he threw me out on my rear, saying the new god didn’t approve of it.” He shook his head. “We never had much, but we had each other. We were a community, see? Now, we haven’t even that.”

Language (Accent)

CW Swearing

Alexis paused at an intersection with Bastet and Victor on her heels and looked around. She couldn’t make head or tail of the street signs, so she grabbed a passer-by. "Excuse me, I’m looking for the trade district," she said. The woman she had caught looked down her nose, brushing away a wave of well-coiffed hair, from where it had fallen at her sudden stop. "It would be over that way," she said, gesticulating to the east. "Thank you," Alexis said, but the woman was already walking away, brushing at her sleeve as though something nasty had landed on it. "Spoiled bitch," Alexis muttered, turning to stick out a tongue at the woman’s back. Bastet winked. As the snooty woman passed, she stuck her foot out, causing the woman to trip. "Oh, my. So sorry," Bastet said, in mimicry of the woman’s polished accent. "I didn’t see you there." The snooty woman spluttered from where she sat on the cobbled street, as Bastet and Victor walked on. Alexis let them catch up and smacked Bastet lightly on the arm, but she couldn’t help smirking at the woman’s comeuppance.

➤ @corkythewriteblr

Citizen

Loyal

"We need to leave," Bastet said. "We don’t know who’s loyal to Dire. These people have their hands full right now, but it won’t stay that way.” "She’s right," Richard said, unfolding from his crouch. "Come on." Mute, Alexis stood, trotting to keep up with the others as they made their way down the castle bailey and into the city, swerving through the chaos of screaming townsfolk to retrieve their mounts from the Inn.

Qualify

Sand (Blacksands)

"Sirs," Richard said with a sharp salute. "I can confirm that both Zharradan Marr and Balthus Dire are dead. We have liberated Troll Tooth Pass, and the city of Castle Dire." "Excellent," Hengar said, his tone relieved. "This is just what I needed, some good news to cheer me up." "Good news? You mean there’s been bad news?" Alexis asked. "Yes, sadly." Hengar sat back in his chair. "Master Yastromo, if you please?" Yastromo inclined his head, long white beard swaying with the motion. "Of course, Captain." The old wizard sighed. "I am sorry, my children, to send you straight out again. However whilst looking through Zagor’s effects, I discovered something disturbing." He held up an amulet depicting a stylized eye in a circle. "He’s still dead, right?" Alexis said with trepidation. Yastromo gave her a sad smile. "Yes. I’m afraid this could be much worse. It seems Zagor was part of a cult called the Eye of Myurr. I have also received word that this cult of Myurr is gaining traction in the town of Port Blacksands. We do not know their aims, but given they worship a demon prince from the Pit, it is surely not anything good." Yastromo glanced at Hengar and stepped back.

➤ @talesfromaurea

Cliff

Desert

CW: Blood, animal death

"Very well. Good luck," Nicodemus said, gesturing at Cee-Jay. "Apprentice?" The boy nodded. With a flash and a jolting motion, the group were surrounded by torch-lit sandstone walls and wailing lizardmen. Victor sent a ball of flame rolling through the crowd, Richard close behind, cleaving a path. Bastet and Jay ran, Victor and Alexis, covering their rush towards the portal. Richard had turned aside, making his way through the press of bodies flung against his sword, towards the lizardman elder whose blade was already slick with the blood of desert rodents, and a wavering chant could be heard through the scrum for fighting.

Ocean (waves)

"Bast!" Alexis shouted. "I need you. Richard’ll take care of Victor. I need help now!" Goregut lifted Bastet around, dropping her next to Alexis. The two of them hunkered down, Gorgut shifting splintered planks as Bastet and Alexis lashed them together as best they could with freezing fingers in the torrential rain. It was a small, pitiful thing, but better than not having anything at all. The three of them tied themselves on long halters to the raft, and then with a joint effort, launched themselves into the heaving waves.

Storm

As is often the case the morning after a storm, a blisteringly clear blue sky beat down upon the sandy shore, with only the merest breeze to ruffle the black braids of the shipwreck survivor. Alexis coughed out sand and rolled over, pawing at the salt crusting on her eyes. She dragged out her water skin and washed off her face of sand and salt before taking a long drink. When she felt slightly more alive – certain that the Great Ever After wouldn’t leave her with crusty eyes – she stood up and started to explore the island and see if she could find her friends.

➤ @whimsyqueen

Fascinate

Alexis clenched her free hand as he walked towards her and forced a smile across her lips. "Most feared Lord Dire," she said. "We have come from the Fort at Trolltooth Pass, sent by your brother in darkness, my Lord Marr, to bring you this gift." "Now, isn’t this a treat," Dire said, stepping around her and Three, his eyes feeling as though they lingered on her as much as the patchwork construct beside her. Dire stopped in front of them, taking a few steps backwards. "Please, show me what it can do," he asked, his silken voice and sickly sweet perfume writhing about her, like the snake of temptation in books of yore. Alexis stepped away and glanced at Richard. They hadn’t planned any of this out, and she wondered how long she could keep the charade up before Dire would know something was wrong. Richard dipped his head, his eyes skittering to where Bastet was signing at her in thieves' hand signals. It was a pattern, followed by the sign for someone getting flattened. Alexis cleared her throat, brushing her nose, signalling she understood. “Three,” Alexis said, addressing the construct. “We’re going to play a little game.” "Goody! I like games," he said. “Please take two steps backwards, and then four forwards for me.” “Okay,” he said, and, squinting at his feet, walked back then forwards, quietly counting his steps. Delighted, he looked back at Alexis. “Done it,” he said happily. “What’s next, ‘Lexis?” “One step right, one back, two forward.” “Okay!” Again, Three’s face scrunched in concentration as he counted his steps, stopping right in front of Dire. “Fascinating,” Dire said, staring up at Three. “You can control it even without it’s crystal.” Alexis glanced back at the others. Victor shrugged. Richard loosened his sword from its scabbard. “Yes,” he said, “it’s a new system my Lord Marr is trialling. Woodling, show him the final command.” Alexis murmured her assent. “Three? Smush!” she yelled.

Gentle

Breakfast finished, Alexis slipped outside with a plate of raw steaks and headed towards the stables. “Good morning, Three,” she called. “Hullo, ‘Lexis,” he said, giving her a wave. She knelt beside her riding dog, placing the plate of steak in front of him. Neisk’s tail beat back and forth as she peeled one steak off and passed it to Three. “Eat,” she commanded, ostensibly to the dog, but Three also devoured the steak as Neisk gave a chuff and settled down to eat. “How are you this morning, Three?” she asked as the construct licked his fingers. “I’m fine,” he said, giving her a big goofy smile. “Your doggy is cute.” “Yes. My to'mae is a very good boy.” Three gave Neisk a gentle pat as the dog was licking the plate. “Listen, Three,” Alexis said. “Me and the others have to go into the city, but we can’t take you. You, um, stand out, a bit. Are you okay staying here with Neisk?” “Oh,” Three’s face fell. “Okay ‘Lexis.” Guilt gripped Alexis’ heart, so she reached over and hugged his arm. “I’m sorry, honey. We’ve got some very important work to do in the city and it’s… difficult when you’re with us.” She looked up into his big, trusting, mismatched eyes. “It’s okay, ‘Lex. I understand.”

Holy

CW swearing

"Yeah… It's some kind of powerful magical item, for sure," he said. "It’s glowing bright blue, but I can’t work out what it’s been enchanted with. Give me a sec, I’ll cast Detect Alignment to find out if it’s evil." Once again the rest of them exchanged looks but kept silent as Victor wiggled his fingers in a slightly different pattern. "Revelux in denomination!" he commanded. The wind sighed. Sand scuttled. Victor screamed. He dropped the dagger, falling heavily into the sand, and covering his eyes. "Holy mother of fucksticks!" Bastet rushed over to him and Alexis swiped the dagger. "What happened?" Alexis said. "Are you okay?" Bastet said, cupping the wizard’s shoulders. "Vic, talk to me?"

Ritual (Rite)

Nicodemus raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." He gestured to the viewing mirror again. "As you can see these cultists are devoted and stubborn fellowes. They have almost finished clearing the temple and preparing for their heinous rite which will allow them to open a portal to the demon dimension, or as you might call it ‘the Pit’, bringing their foul lord Myurr through to wreak whatever havoc he wishes on our world. We can not let this happen. As such I am sending you back with this." He handed Richard a cylindrical device, then waved a hand to bring forth a man in pale robes. "This acolyte will transport you back to the temple, and assist you in sealing this portal forever."

➤ @eli-writes-sometimes

Heir (Prince)

"Are you okay?" Bastet said, cupping the wizard’s shoulders. "Vic, talk to me?" "I… I’m all right. I think," he said, his voice shaking. "So. Um. Yeah. That thing is pure evil. As evil as a prince of evil in the dimension specially reserved for really evil things." "What did you see?" Richard asked. "Red," Victor said. "Only red. That thing is giving off an aurora of evil so strong that I see nothing but the waves of light from it. Give me a moment – I must wait for the spell to wear off."

Humanity (Human)

"Richard!" came the delighted cry of a woman. The door flew open and out sailed a middle-aged woman, long braids of ashy-yellow hair streaming out behind her. "Kassy!" Richard cried as the woman threw herself into his arms. "Kassy, what’s wrong?" Her fingers dug into his shirt, her face pressed against his chest for a long moment, before she looked up with reddened, haunted eyes. "Oh Richard, it’s terrible," she said, tears in her voice. “What is? Kassy? What’s happened?” "Richard?” Sticking out from around the door was the head of a human male. His eyes were heavy and his thatch of dark hair was in disarray. With one flickering glance, he took stock of the mismatched adventurers on his doorstep. “Richard, are these people your friends?” “Yes. David, what-” The man pushed the door wider. “You need to get inside now. Hurry!”

Take

"Ho! Whoa. You hold up a moment there, lassy," the captain called. Alexis stopped and turned back, arms folded and head tilted with a glare. The captain grabbed a line, swinging from the ship to the dockside, and landed, silken waist sash fluttering in the breeze. He struck a pose, one hand on the hilt of his sword. "Are y'trying to suggest that I, Captain Dragan Bloodbeard, of the beautiful Oaken Rose, is not fit to take a couple of poncy humans over the seas to Khul?" The captain took a few, stalking, steps forward, glaring down. "Well, are ye?"

Tough

(Word edited out for better prose) CW: Slavery

Once all the women had eaten, the guards unlocked their cell. The slaves filed out and, one by one, were locked to a long chain. The chain was dragged by a guard down to dim pits where veins of opalescent stone ran through the rock. The chain was locked to a staple on the wall, and pickaxes handed out. The other slaves began to attack the rock face. With a glance at Bastet, Alexis followed suit, struggling to even lift the pickaxe.

➤ @thewriteflame

Erase (Remove)

Alexis must have slept at some point, as she woke in a dog pile of small children and blankets. The sun was burning its way through the hall’s high windows, promising a fine day; what little the weather cared for mortal tragedy… She lay back, staring at the wide-beamed ceiling, exhausted down to her bones. At least it would make assessing the damage easier than if they had to manage it in the rain. Her thoughts turned to Richard and Ithanor, passing buckets in the rain, and to Bastet who’d vanished into the dark, and to Victor, throwing magic and water around with only one care. She should, probably, go check on them. Alexis slithered out of the warm pile, pulling the blankets over those who were left shivering with her departure, watching the children with a fond smile as they snuggled together, filling the hole she’d left. She adjusted her armour – apparently never having managed to remove it the night before – and found her travel pack and weapons close by. On soft feet, she padded out of the Town Hall and into the courtyard.

Flight

"Thank you, so very much," said the dragon. "I’m afraid I was in over my head there. If you kind folks hadn’t come along when you did, I would have been dragon kebab for sure. Thank you again, for saving me, Kypris of the Copper Dragon Flight. Is there anything I can offer you for your excellent service? Alexis instinctively held out her hand. "It’s very nice to meet you, Kypris," she said. The dragon extended a talon and they shook "Why didn’t you use your acid breath attack?" Bastet asked. "My my, you’re very knowledgeable, aren’t you little drow. Well…” Kypris scuffed a foot into the sand. “I was taken by surprise and they tangled my mouth shut before I could use it. I sadly haven’t yet learnt the full way of magic. So I couldn’t do much against those wretched little creatures. Now, please! What can I do to repay your kindness?"

Sleep

CW smoking/ drug use

Slowly they all woke, grateful to find both their necks and belongings intact. “Usually I do not let people sleep here,” the barman said, taking a suck from a long pipe, huffing out a cloud of scented smoke. “But I see you are new here, with no place yet to rest your heads. For the service of keeping the braziers lit and protecting you through the long night.. Eh, I will give you a discount for your newness. Two silver bits each.” He waggled his eyebrows and held out a hand. “Thank you, good sir,” Richard said, passing over his money. “Your kindness in protecting us while we slept is greatly appreciated. You are a godly man.” Silently, Alexis passed over her money. As the coins slipped from her grip, she signed in Thieves Cant, ripoff. The barman grinned widely. With a little prodding, Victor and Bastet also parted, grumbling, with their coins. "Now we’re all friends," Alexis said, "perhaps you can help us further. We’re looking for a ruined temple, somewhere deep in the desert. It’s rumoured to contain a portal to other worlds. Have you heard of such a place?” The barman shook his head. “I have not. But there is a man who sells maps from the marketplace. His name is Hassan. Perhaps he can point you the right way.” “Thank-” Alexis began, but stopped when the barman held out a hand, rubbing his thumb against his forefingers. “The desert is cruel,” he said. “A silver bit.” Alexis scowled. “Two copper is all that direction is worth, and we both know it.” The barman grinned as the copper coins landed in his hand. “Assamarra go with you, tree-child.”

Sound (Hearing)

Before she could get her answer, Richard came pounding over the hilltop. "She shall give it up over my dead body!" he roared, launching into the midst of the cultists, blade flashing in the sun. Fire roared from overhead, arrows zipped through the azure sky. Alexis felt like she’d blinked, and all the cultists lay dead, bleeding into the sand. “Greg damnit!” Alexis snapped, rushing over. “Why in the Pit did you kill them all? We could have gotten information from them. Like why they only wanted the dagger!” Muttering she began to riffle through the bodies for clues. “They… They were cultists,” Richard said, shrinking down. He toyed with the hilt of his sword. “Evil-doers. They were trying to kill you. You’re so small, and you hurt easily. I was just trying to keep you safe.” Alexis looked up, hearing the upset in his voice, and gave a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Thank you, for saving me. I just don’t understand why they wanted the dagger. It’s a piece of junk. I only wanted it because…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just wanted it.”

Space

"Arts, I want you to show these lubbers to their quarters, then report back to deck. We’ll be setting the sails in half a turn of the clock." "Aye, Cap’n. Passengers, if ye’d follow me?" the First Mate said, leading the way below decks to show them to two cabins. "Ladies, ye’ll be in here," Arts said, pointing to one. "Gents, this'll be your cabin." He pointed to another. "I'll leave ye get settled. It’d be appreciated if ye could stay in your quarters till the Oaken Rose is underway. Dinner will be shortly after then." With a nod, he left them to their quarters.

"Well this is cosy," said Bastet, as she and Alexis arranged themselves in the cabin. It was indeed a tiny space, with narrow bunks on one side and a small tin sink, recessed into a dresser, on the other. Opposite the door was a porthole, letting in the smallest amount of light, over which hung a hurricane lamp. "Mm," Alexis agreed.

➤ @the-writing-rat

Boiling

"Yes!" she said. "We have been sent to rid your menace from the face of Titan." To her surprise, Zagor laughed. "Oh my," he said, wiping away mock tears of mirth. "What an adorable notion. Whilst you all look the part, I doubt you have the skill. So you are welcome to try, but do not think you will succeed." "We have might and right on our side!" proclaimed Richard, raising his sword. "We cannot fail!" At that signal, he and Ithanor made their charge The villain’s smirk dropped and his black eyes became those of death. He flicked out a hand and the last thing Alexis felt was the hissing and boiling of an orange inferno headed straight for her.

Charity (Offering)

"Excuse me, good sir," Victor called up to the pirate. "We are looking to secure the services of a boat and a captain to take us to the continent of Khul, the new land of adventure. Might your good self be available for this service?" "’Sir’?" the pirate looked around as if confused, and his crew laughed. "Ain’t no ‘sir’s here. Ain’t none but us brigands and rouges." Alexis ground her teeth. The seaweed under the hot sun was pungent, the lack of beer from the ridiculous rules of this cesspit pounded at her head. “Your h'excellency might be in the wrong place, eh lads?” “Enough!” Alexis snapped. “Brigands and rouges it is, if you can’t even see your way clear to not making fun of someone offering you good manners. C’mon Vic, these fools aren’t fit to take us up the street, let alone to Khul in this rickety old tub.” She turned on her heel, marching away when the laughter ceased.

Puzzled

She sat down next to the former barbarian, his hair and attire neater than she had ever seen it. "So what of you, old friend?" she asked. "Business booming for you too?" "Oh aye," Ithanor said. "As if I wasn't busy enough with the repairs and upgrades on the town, they've got me drafted in building a host of new homes. All these new bodies want places to live." "That's excellent news." "Oh and," Ithanor said with a shy smile. "Roderick’s not the only one with a new addition to his life." "Oh?" Alexis gave a puzzled smile. "Yeah. I, ah, managed to find myself a wife as well. Very soon after you left actually. Her name is Maeve, and we’re expecting a child, late spring of next year." Ithanor fiddled with his tankard. "I’ve got us a cottage close to the northeast wall, if you ever want to pop on over."

Succinct (Terse)

It wasn’t until evening chow when the winds picked up, large globs of rain hammering into the deck and soaking through anyone foolish enough to not have an oilcloth. When Richard stood to offer a hand, Bloodbeard held out a hand, saying, "I do thank ye for yer help, these past weeks, and by the end of the voyage we'll have made crewmen of you, I’m sure. But for now, let my boys work. Go down to yer cabins, and kindly stay until the all clear’s been given." With a terse nod, Richard led the way below, the First Mate's orders receding as they did.

Weather

Eventually, Bloodbeard came below, his hat drooping with the weight of water and his beard hanging in a sodden mess as he put his head around the door of the larger cabin which they’d stuffed themselves into. "Ah, you’re all here. Good, good. We seem to be having a wee bit of a storm, lads and lassies. But ‘tis nought to worry about – this ol’ girl’s weathered her share of rough seas.” He patted the bulkhead. “It’ll just get a bit bumpy at times. If you could remain here for the time being, that’d be grand. Can’t be having you lubbers out on deck, under me crew’s feet while they try to save her…” Bloodbeard’s eyes darted, and he forced out a chuckle. “Or risk ye being swept off to the briny deep, eh?”

➤ @sleepyowlwrites

Settle

The dragon clapped its paws again. "One moment then, please." It stood on its hind legs, squeezing its eyes tightly shut. The sand around it kicked up in a sudden twisting wind, knocking Alexis over as the others coughed and struggled to shield their faces. The wind died as suddenly as it came, dust settling around a handsome man with golden-tanned skin in the clothes of a travelling merchant. Alexis blinked and Kypris winked at her, his eyes – slitted like a cat – flashed with copper flecks. "Neat trick," said Victor appraisingly.

Sideways (Open-sided)

"Thank you," she said. "We should find someplace to sit and study this thing… Wait a sec." Alexis stopped, looking around with a frown. "Where the hell did Bastet and Victor go?" Richard glanced around, a hand shading his eyes. "There." He pointed to where a group of people congregated around a low table. On dusty cushions sat Victor on one side, his competitor – a dark-skinned elf – on the other. On the table were a set of bone tiles and a large stack of cash. Victor, in his bright robes, was frowning down at his hand, while Bastet stood behind him, hands on his shoulders, cheering him on. "They appear to be playing a game.” Alexis squinted up at Richard. “For money." "Yes, thank you. I know what gambling is. They can use their money however they wish." "They’re probably cheating." Richard pursed his lips and huffed. “Be that as it may, the fate of the world takes precedence over the immoral actions of our friends.” He gestured to an open-sided tent. “Let’s get something to eat while we look at the map.” They took a seat under the awning within sight of the gambling table, and a waitress brought them a tray of hard cheeses, nuts and cured meats. ”I assume you know how to use the map to find the temple?” Richard asked. “If the map is good, then yes, easily," Alexis said.

Sound

Outside, the day was warming up quickly. The four of them wandered through the tented village in search of a marketplace. It wasn’t hard, following the sounds of hawkers and hagglers, to reach the center of the oasis and the packed market. Narrow lanes bordered with awnings and tents, were filled with people and livestock, braying and hollering. Trestles covered in a dazzling array of food and goods, bright fabrics – soft, diaphanous, silky – dangling from racks, piles of skin and fleeces. The smell was incredible: sizzling meats, perfumed flowers, woody spices, offal and dung. Bright fruits alongside mounds of powders in umber and terracotta. Weapons and clothes and scents Alexis could never have dreamed of in a million years, sold by people of all creeds, their dialects and languages swarming into one joyous conglomeration. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before. Alexis trailed along behind the others, dipping fingers into pots of spice to smell the strange new smells, running her eyes over glittering treasures, laughing and playfully batting away the small children who thrust trinkets and flowers at her.

A lull in the tumult of sounds made her pause. Something like a whisper, a gut-feel, a tickle on the back of her neck made her look back at the stall she’d just passed. Under a lean-to awning of red and yellow were stacks of chests, some open with the papers inside spilling out. "Guys?" Up ahead Richard looked back to see Alexis wandering back to a stall of some wordsmith. “Victor, Bastet! Alexis has found something,” Richard called out, with a huff adding, “I suppose her ‘treasure sense’ is tingling.” Richard returned to her side, as Alexis was scanning the stall. Crackling stacks of papyrus, held down by painted stones, and rolls of parchment lay across the stall’s table. Idly, she picked up one of the rolls, peeking at its contents – a map, of some kind.

Spacious (Space)

Alexis reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, but Bastet shrugged her off. "It’s okay," Alexis said. “You tried, at least.” "When we get out of here," Bastet hissed at her. "That one is mine." Alexis backed away to give her some space and went to find the elven woman. "Nassurae," Alexis said “Yes, sá itil?” "I don’t know night from day down here, but I’m told you do. If my friends and I are to free everyone, I need to be awake three hours before the guards come to take us back down the mines. Do you think, if I sleep now, you’ll be able to wake me on time?" Nassurae looked thoughtfully at the other elven women in the cell. Each nodded, gripping hands, their eyes alight with hope. “Yes,” Nassurae said. "We can accomplish this. We will take shifts and wake you when it is time." “Thank you. I’ll rest now.” Alexis glanced at Bastet. “I would recommend leaving my companion for now. She’ll sleep when she’s able, and I’ll rouse her when it’s time.” "Quiet dreams, eshen," Nassurae said, as Alexis lay down and closed her eyes.

Supposedly

CW Racial slur - black american

A rustle came from behind them, causing the group to turn. Richard and Ithanor drew their blades as a human and a black-skinned elf emerged from the scrub. "Who are you?" Ithanor demanded, levelling his blade at the newcomers. "Umm, hi?" said the drow. "Well?" Nathardrin said. The human stepped forward, brushing down his shabby robes. "My name is Victor, with a monocle. It seems we both have had the same idea: to sneak into Firetop Mountain and destroy the evil Zagor who lurks within." "And what are you supposed to be?" asked Richard pointing at the drow. "Some kind of pointy-ear coon?" The drow straightened, shoulders pulling back as she looked down her nose at Richard. "My name is Bastet," she said coldly. "Despite your manners, I, and my comrade here, wish to assist you with your venture into the fortress to defeat Zagor." "Oh really?" Alexis said. "Yazty-" She turned back to where the wizard had been standing, only to find the patch of rocky grass empty. "Oh. Well, I hope one of you’s a spell-slinger." "Indeed, little one. I am the mighty Victor with a Monocle!" said Victor, swaying a little. "I will astound you with great acts of wizardry and maybe even set alight to some things." "And I am a fighter of great renown," said the drow. Those from the militia shared dubious looks. "Well, there’s not much point us standing around debating it," said Nathardrin. "We may as well get on with this."

Sweep

(edited the word out for better prose)

As the stablehand led their mounts out, Victor slipped him a silver. "We were never here, okay?" he said. Wide-eyed, the boy nodded, grasping his broom and vanishing into the stalls to send out little puffs of straw dust.

➤ @drabbleitout

Soon enough their packs were ready and armour had been donned, and now they stood in the blustery morning, the dirt of the courtyard underfoot. To one side their mounts stood patiently, as Hengar ran through the lists of evils they may face: Goblins, orcs. A bugbear, if they were unlucky. While Alexis listened with half an ear, she studied the mounts with concern, and when the captain was finished, raised her hand. "Yes?" asked Hengar. "Sorry, Captain. None of those mounts are short enough for me to ride." "Do not worry, little one," Yaztromo said, coming from the door of the Town Hall, tugging on riding gloves. "We shan’t make you walk. You’re to ride with me, if that’s acceptable?" "Oh." Alexis flushed and dipped her head. "I’d be honoured." Hengar tilted his head at Yaztromo, his eyebrows raised. Yaztromo replied with an allowing flourish of his hand.

Bark (growl)

"What did you find?" Ithanor asked. Quickly, Alexis outlined the layout of the fort, the two sets of stairs, and the pattern of the patrolling goblins. "We should take them out," Richard said. "Are you stupid?" Alexis growled. "What part of 'stealth reconnaissance' did you not understand?" Richard blinked. "Uhhh…" Alexis could see on his face that he didn’t understand, but before she could snap the answer, Ithanor beat her to it. "It means we go sneaky-sneaky-sneaky," he said, pantomiming a person stepping carefully. "We can’t take them out because it’ll make too much noise, and risk them raising the alarm. We just have to be like little mice, trying to steal grain." "Oooh," Richard said, in a rising tone of understanding.

Borrow (scrounge)

Alexis rose closer to noon than she would have liked, rolling out of bed with a series of groans. Her head felt ten times heavier than usual, and her mouth was as dry as pound cake. Aside from the snoring of the night watch, the barracks were empty. Victor, she supposed, was still in the pub, but where Bastet and Richard were she had no idea. By the neat folds, Richard would have risen early. Bastet, on the other hand, might have woken just before Alexis by the state of her bed, or been just as hungover. After dunking her head into the water ewer, Alexis wandered down to the mess hall to see if she could scrounge up something to eat.

Dry

CW Blood

Zagor was sitting in a chair by his desk on the far side of the room. He smirked at them as they entered and fanned out. "So. You’ve come back for more?" he asked, his voice the rasp of two dry sticks being rubbed together. Slowly the lich unfolded himself from his chair, as Victor darted around to fire off a Magic Missile. Zagor’s robe singed, but the creature inside remained unharmed. While Richard and Ithanor charged in, Alexis and Bastet took up flanking manoeuvres. The battle was arduous, but between the five of them, they whittled the lich down until finally, the pale creature lay deformed in a pool of its own black blood.

Fine

Slowly the group made their way down to the ground floor, exiting through the now open front gate and into the fort’s courtyard. "Yaszty!" Alexis cried, spotting the wizard perched on the back of a wagon. She hurried over to him, the others trailing behind. "I am fine, little one," he said, raising a tired hand. "I assume you were successful?" Alexis nodded. "Yep, we got that bastard and his phylactery. Is Lieutenant Nazaretian around? We should report our success to him." Yaztromo hung his head, letting his shoulders slump. "Sadly, the Lieutenant perished in the battle, taken out by an uncannily well-aimed goblin arrow. The men here have nearly finished their clean-up efforts, so I shall be returning with them to Toreguard soon. I shall convey our success to Captain Hengar on my return.” He cast an eye over the group, taking in their dented armour and bloody scars. “You should take some time to rest before returning. Now the Firetop is free, there is no rush.”

Large

"It doesn’t look like they managed to crack the combination," Marag said, running her hands over the outside of the vault. "Good ol’dwarven engineering, that. Everything inside should still be there, then." With that, she began to finagle the door mechanism, until, with a soft noise like a sigh, it opened. Marag pulled open the door, and Alexis’ jaw dropped. The walls of the vault were lined with gold and platinum ingots. The floor was filled with chests, weapons racks and armour stands, upon which hung the most beautiful items – plates of pale, glistening, silvery metal; bladed hilts crafted with tiny jewels; crossbows engraved with strange runes. Magar stepped into the room, gesturing for the group to follow her. With no regard for the horde of treasures, she went to a chest pressed against the left wall and threw open the lid. Inside, nestled in neat rows on trays, were hundreds of gemstones. Maga scooped up a handful, and moving through the group, doled out a large ruby to each. "I hope this will be compensation enough f’helping us. And as advanced payment for taking out that velskkus, feel free to choose an item that’ll help you in your coming fight."

Mercy

"And how much will this map and information cost us?" she said, squinting. "Ah ha! I see the little miss is shrewd, as well as beautiful," Hassan said with a wink, and without breaking stride, added, "Three hundred gold pieces." Alexis gave him a flat look. "Fifty" "Fifty! No no, I can not go lower than two hundred, seventy-five." "One hundred, and you throw in a compass." She cast her eyes over the pile of treasures. A beautiful curved dagger with a jewelled hilt caught her eye. "And this." "All for one hundred golden bits? No no! Lady, you are crazy. That dagger is five hundred gold alone. Two hundred and twenty-five, and that is like cutting my own throat." "Please," Alexis scoffed. "That dagger is thirty at most. You think I can’t spot coloured glass just because the sun’s brighter here? Two hundred and twenty-five for the map, information, the compass and dagger, and one misdirect should anyone ask about us or our destination. Agreed?" Hassan threw up his hands. "Gods have mercy on me! Beautiful, shrewd and cruel, tsh." He shook her hand. "It is agreed."

New

Twilight was falling, the sky banded with pastel rainbow shades, as Alexis returned from the market with her haul of fresh supplies. As she walked along the dirt track towards the pub chomping on a newly harvested apple, she passed a pair of elders gossiping over a fence about some scandal from a few villages over. She slowed down to listen in as one of them complained about the reign of terror from a monstrous elf who claimed to be a paladin. Back at the inn, Alexis knocked on the gent’s door. “Heads up,” Alexis said, tossing him an apple. Richard glanced up from where he was trying to buff out the dents in his armour and caught it with one hand. “Ah, we haven’t had apples in ages.” He sniffed the skin. “Makes me feel a little homesick. How was the market?” he asked, placing the apple aside and returning to his armour. “About that,” Alexis began. Richard’s head shot up. “No, not the market. The market was fine. I got everything we needed. I meant, um. The village you’re from. What was it called again?” “High Creek. Why?” Alexis bit her lip. “Um.” Richard’s brown eyes creased in concern and he set aside his work. “Alexis?”

Peel (skins)

"Hey," Bastet said, calling her back to reality. "I think there's someone in here." Alexis looked over to see Bastet peering through the bars of the cell door. "Hello?" Bastet called through them. From the other side of the door came a blistering string of curses in a harsh language. "Whaddaya dirty green-skins want with me now?" the voice said in common. "I think it is a dwarf," Bastet said, glancing at Alexis. "Whaddaya mean, ye think it be a dwarf?" asked the voice mockingly. "I most definitely am a dwarf, ye lousy stinkers." Alexis shrugged at Bastet. "Sounds like a dwarf, yeah." "You can pick locks, right?" Bastet asked. "Yes. You go get the others, and I will let the very angry dwarf out of his nasty cell." "'His'! I'm very much a ‘her’, ye cretin." Bastet tilted her head. Alexis nodded, making shooing motions. Baset shrugged. "That’s right," the angry female dwarf called, as Bastet hurried off to find their comrades. "You’d better run, ya mangey beskur!" "Hey, enough with the name-calling," Alexis said, looking up from her investigation of the lock. "You keep that up, and you can stay in there." "Och! Now I’ve heard everything. Yon gobbo thinks keeping me in here’s a threat!" "I’m not a gobbo. I’m eshen." "What’s that?" Alexis sighed, spitting the word. "A woodling." "A woodling? Tch! Can’t be. Woodlings never come out the Darkwood." "Well, this one did. Now will you please be quiet so I can concentrate."

Work

Tentatively, Ithanor moved forward, placing a hand on a tall warhammer. As if that was their signal, the others moved forward, selecting what they wanted. Richard selected a suit of plate mail, Nathardin a recurve bow, and new swords each for Bastet and Victor. "Excuse me," Alexis said as Marag was finishing up with Victor. "I don’t see anything smaller than dwarf-size…" "Ah, now, let’s see. What’re you after, hen? A weapon or armour?" "Armour, if possible?" Maga squinted thoughtfully. "Aye, aye. I’ve got just the thing for a quarter-pint. A masterwork project it is, and a bit of an experimentation for the crafter. I doubt he ever thought it’d be worn." Marag chuckled, pulling from a chest a beautiful set of supple black leather armour, studded with that pale, glimmering metal. "Aye, this should see you right well, hen." Quickly Alexis changed. The armour fit like it was made for her. She grinned at Marag. "Thank you."

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