#stravi

[mycrappyrpsideblog]

"Oh wow! How pretty! You're so pretty Ma'am! You're outfit is so fluffy and wooshy and cute. It must be so nice to wear. Does your bow ever get in your way? Or perhaps caught on things? If I were to attempt to wear something so cute I'd be worried it would get snagged on things all the time."

Judgement meme 2: Electricboogaloo!

This time with mystery judgers. So send any one of your wheels and I'll spin a lil wheel and do a judgement with whichever of my trolls it lands on. Some of my trolls don't have sprites tho so that'll be a mixed bag. Just to be safer, please keep your trolls to 18+ just in case. (Let's start with 2 reblogs per person to start with)

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

Stravi Vignette

Countless Beats, First Words

There's buzzing in his nerves. The good kind, the fuzzy vibration just before the show. Those final anxious breaths to focus. Focus. Focus and...

One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.. faster. Higher. Take them higher. Looser, let them feel. Synchronize, heart to drum. Beat for beat. The drum beat is the heart beat.

There's a whistle and rambunctious cheers. He finds his own voice shouting above them. Increase the tempo. The dancers will match. They feel it, they know it.

His hands have gone numb with each hit. Onlookers are keeping the time. Reach them. Mix in their mirth. Let their chorus erupt with the dancers cheer.

A flourish of pink flowers bloom at his feet. His gaze lifts to see familiar ivy hair. At his signal, the beats slow. Bring the dancers down and take a breath. Feel each blade of grass, the steady cool of the earth. Take in the crisp air.

Sweat drips from his brow. His own shirt sticks to his skin in the summer sun. Softer beats, a lull in the storm. Let the heat touch their soul, and the soil rejuvenate.

He's staring at the newcomer. Giving a high whistle, he breaks the calm moment like lightning cracking the sky. Fluid motions, focus. Faster. Make them move. They want to, no they yearn for it. Give each dancer their escape. Grant them the togetherness that only comes from this moment. This song. Each repetitive beat is their hearts as one. A high only for this fleeting time. A storm of his own making. Each drum, each string, and every call.

Piercing amber eyes lock into him. He should call for an end. The itch of knowing his dancers will drop is challenged. He's seen this dancer before, always a fleeting shadow in his vision. A skittish little rabbit his song finally caught.

The numbness in his hands grows fuzzy, a bit of red staining his drum. The beats blur in his ears, his focus now on the fluid movements in front of him. Each beat now pounds in his chest. It fills his ears, narrowing his vision.

A nudge from the teen next to him jolts him back to himself.

"Stravi, wrap it up!"

"Sorry," Stravi mumbles before raising his voice to the rest of his musicians. Their tension and exhaustion finally registers at the rumbling end. Euphoric cheers from the gathered crowd blend with whistles and applause. There's not enough air in his lungs. He can barely yell, "thank you, dancers!"

The returned gratitude is hardly finished when he forces his legs to move. Those challenging eyes are all he sees. Their playful bite is fading. Stravi's legs feel like a newborn foal as he gets closer. He looks them over. Hair of a forest canopy, pointed ears.

"Hey- whoah, please wait," he's quick to step in front of the small figure, "are.. you thirsty?"

Stravi waits, searching those now cautious eyes. Small flecks of red glimmer in them. He's holding his breath. Silently, he hopes this is the one time the fae in front of him stays.

"And.. if I am," the fae tilts their head.

"Then I'd offer water, perhaps a bit of company?"

"I see..." the young fae seems to think, "does my company have a name?"

Stravi grins, "only if you do, too."

There's silence between them. A small, playful smile lights the fae's features.

"You may call me Vern."

"It's a pleasure, Vern," he gives an exaggerated bow, "Stravi, lead musician, at your service. You are quite gracious to not run this time."

A small giggle like budding flowers bursts from Vern. The sprite seems quick to stifle it. Capture that, commit to memory. There's a song there Stravi's itching to play.

Composing himself, Vern follows Stravi for some water, "perhaps I will linger more often?"

"I always welcome an audience," Stravi hums, "especially that of friends."

A fragile concoction of longing and joy sparkles in Vern's gaze. "I.. will keep that in mind."

Ooc// ask and ye shall receive!! Here's some more Stravi and Vern content. From Stravi's pov because Vern, stop running from guys who just want to get to know you!!!!

Stained glass divider will be for Stravi content

Divider from @/saradika-graphics

Taglist, for those who like Stravi (or are haunted by him.. you know who you are): @nrcbookclub @night-raven-miscellany @diasomnias-flower

[squirrelno2]

I did mention having a longer dragon age piece, yes? have the intro to it! brought to you by the incessant feeling of "this is going to take so long to be a complete fic but i'm so proud of this opening i want to share it NOW" coupled with the fact that i'm going to finish typing this and then turn around and open up da2 again. not to play the hawke mentioned here but still. he is Always On My Mind

He needed to move on. No one had found him yet, and Varric's last letter had said that anyone left with their own mind to fight and kill for the Chantry has bigger things to worry about, in case he hadn't figured that out himself, but -

Varric's last letter had contained worse news. And Anders needed to move on.

He sat on his bedroll, in the haphazard shelter that was only meant to last until Hawke came back. They were planning on going north next. Tevinter was... An option. Maybe Rivain.

I hear Isabela's set up shop on the high seas, Varric's letter just before the Conclave had read. And she's trying to do things different. Not that I'm stupid enough to suggest you bury a hatchet.

Anders could move on. It was Hawke who'd argued with Isabela at every turn. She'd never minded Anders, even when he needed to press and needle, looking for some sense of outrage. He didn't know how she felt about the Chantry. Maybe, he hoped selfishly, she still didn't know that had been him.

He couldn't consider the Inquisition, he knew that. Varric's last letter had included a sly, oblique offer. A memorial, where no one would ask questions of any shady hooded figures who showed up to mourn. The Inquisitor knows the value of a good secret, he'd said. But there was still, always, Justice in Anders. And Vengeance. And the anger in them wanted to blame the Inquisitor for it all, for dragging Hawke back in, and the part of them clinging with scraped fingertips to a solemn sense of duty knew that the only one to blame was the thing the Inquisitor was fighting. So he'd better leave that to Varric, rather than find out the hard way which aspect of his spirit won out.

He needed to move on. The world was crumbling, innocent people dying, and this was just self-pity.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

The last thing Anders had expected was to be surprised out of his inaction. He shot to his feet, grabbing for his staff, only to freeze at the familiar face peeking through the leaves hiding his shelter from the world.

"Anders!" Merrill said with bright relief, as though it were six years ago and she'd been lost in Darktown until she found him. "Can we come in?"

[tabris-esque]

Stravis Hawke (the big brother)

(a little irony before we begin: i said very recently on a different blog created entirely for me to talk about video game ocs that I was done with character intros for a while. clearly that. only applied there. what have i done)

Anyway I have to introduce Stravis Hawke before like any of my ramblings about DA2 make any sense! He is in many ways my masterpiece, a character I made on a whim with no idea what was in store for him/me in the game itself who then turned out to be perfectly calibrated to have The Worst Most Narratively Interesting Time. the reason why is in the title above: his entire sense of identity revolves around his family, and specifically his siblings.

Sometimes one creates a Hawke with a personality in mind for the dialogue choices, but with Stravis I really just had one singular goal in mind for every choice he made: will this protect my family? This means he oscillated wildly between diplomatic and aggressive choices, mostly ending up a red Hawke by the third act but in such a way where him backing down wasn't unheard of. the main difference between the two always came down to if Bethany was in the party and if he thought the person he might piss off had the power to hurt her or his mother (or later Anders and/or Merrill). Luckily, his overprotective nature led him to keep Bethany out of the Deep Roads, though he certainly felt like he failed when he came back to see Templars taking her away. (unluckily for me the first time through I straight up missed recruiting Fenris because Bethany was in the party and Stravis thought the quest giver was too shady to be trusted.)

He does not expand his definition of family easily. At first, it's his parents and Carver and Bethany, whittled down by life and death of course, and reluctantly he includes Gamlen just because that's his mom's family therefore his. (He'd throw Gamlen under the Thedas equivalent of a bus in a heartbeat if it saved Bethany, though. Priorities.) People like Aveline and Varric are permitted into a very rare and new for him circle of closeness called "friendship" which is where he would do a lot of dangerous and stupid things for you and protect you almost like family, up until something you do or say comes into conflict with protecting his family in which case he throws you out the nearest window. The third tier of closeness is best described as "people he likes but thinks may be a threat." This is, at first, Isabela and Fenris and Merrill and Anders. Anders shifts to friend status quickly as Stravis realises his attraction to him; Merrill lingers at "potential threat" and then gets an incredibly rapid turnaround once Bethany is taken to the Circle. Everyone knows why, but no one admits it: he's replacing his sister with a new one. Once Bethany is gone from Stravis' life, his singleminded devotion shifts to Merrill and Anders above all, making him even more forceful about mage rights than he might have been with just Bethany.

He never does trust Isabela enough for her to trust him, though he's never cold enough to her that he'd have called her an enemy up until the end. The same goes for Fenris, who by act three has tentatively reached "friend" status with Aveline and Varric in Stravis' mind, only to turn against him because of his devotion to the mages in his life. Like I said, Stravis will kill a friend to protect his family - it haunts him for the rest of his life, but he does it without hesitation. I think everyone around him knows exactly who they are to him and what level of devotion they'd receive, and there's almost a sense of "if I could just get through to him maybe i'd be part of his innermost circle, too" among them. He has his moments of kindness and altruism, rarely turning down a chance to help someone in need, but on an interpersonal level Stravis is an incredibly toxic person to be around, because there is a level of love you can pour into him and never get back and most people can never get past that place.

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

..... I can um... at least defend myself and others, but ummm... attacking is not a strength of mine.

It's quite alright if combat is not for you, Casimir. I'm a umm... third year, and a fae, but ummm... I've accepted that my skills are best used outside of battle

*He runs a simple scan over Yuna and takes out a small potion. This one is a pastel green? Looks can be deceiving, it tastes a bit like pears*

Hmm... you seem fine, physically.... but I um... still want you to take this, to be safe.

[ping!]

[alert to: Diasomnia students. Increased levels of blot detected in the downstairs area. Please collect your belongings and vacate to a safe area. Blotted student has not been identified, and so far has not made any threat to the student body. Please avoid doorways with ink in the corners, and do not listen to any crying/sobbing sounds coming from the basement.]

Casimir instinctively sat up at his desk when he heard the pinging.

"...huh? Vacate-"

His thoughts were interrupted by an almost immediate message from Yuna, to which he seemed surprised by.

'Overblot in your dorm? You need a place to hang for a bit?'

He narrowed his eyes as he thought.

No... He wasn't going to immediately rely on Yuna this time for help. He was going to investigate this time, and dammit, he was going to make himself useful.

'Rest assured that I shall be fine, my dearest vassal. Unless this situation gets far out of hand, I shall not need to leave these premises, no matter how dark the aura of this place may be.'

He promptly closed his phone and put it into his pocket before grabbing his pen and clipping it to his blazer.

"I shouldn't leave until I know the others are safe..." He murmured, stepping out into the hallways to look for his roommates and/or his friends in the dorm.

( @diasomnias-flower )

[amoguseniya]

tohle se uprimne bojim dat na Reddit, protoze tam by se mi v komentarich najednou objevila cela populace Krestanu a homofobu v Cesku, ale ja to fakt nechapu.

proc mame KURVA od pristiho roku tuhle dementni legalizovanou diskriminaci jmenem "PARTNERSTVI". jako fakt dik. odendali jste tu "registrovanou" cast, coz pusobi jako registrace na nejakym rejstriku Untermenschu, a pridali par prav, ktera v tom mela byt odjakziva. ale ne a ne tomu rict MANZELSTVI (protoze neco neco tradice, JSME ATEISTICKY STAT VY DEBILOVE, PROC SE MUSIME PODROBIT KRESTANUM) a povolit spolecnou adopci deti (TO CO CHTELI LIDI NEJVIC).

nenavidim vsechny konzervativce a panbickare, jejichz ochrana "tradicni rodiny" primo zpusobuje, ze vic deti stravi detstvi v decacich, protoze to, ze by mely dve maminky nebo dva tatinky je podle nich horsi????????

homosexualove v Cesku maji byt spokojeni s tim, co dostavaji? maji vetsinu prav, tak je to v pohode?

co kdyby se to aplikovalo jinde? co kdyby existovalo "volebni pravo" a "volebni pravo pro zeny", kde muzi by mohli volit vsude, a zeny take, jen by nemohly volit prezidenta. je to fer? prece volebni pravo je tradicne jen pro muze. ale je to spatne, protoze je to diskriminace na zaklade pohlavi. na zaklade toho taky diskriminuje tahle saskarna jmenen "partnerstvi".

je to MANZELSTVI. NIC MIN NENI ROVNOPRAVNOST. BIBLE JE FIKTIVNI DILO A INSPIROVAT JIM JAKOUKOLIV LEGISLATIVU JE SILENSTVI. JE MI JEDNO, ZE TO DOSLOVNE NEVYCHAZI Z BIBLE. DISKRIMINACI PODPORUJE TA ODPORNA KRESTANSKA STRANA, VIME, ODKUD TO POCHAZI, I KDYZ TO EXPLICITNE NERIKATE.

[gremlin-box]

Fun Fact:

Stravi once proposed to Vern and got turned down

[ourskiesaboveus]

Hi (: tell me about gods play

okay! it's the project with paya's blessing / the curse

the bulk of the lore was done three years ago and was recorded on a video that now has no audio, so. i'm only going over what i actually solidly have (this is going to be long oops)

there's a world called peripetasmata. kind of. most call it mata, more pious or older folk call it magnam stravi tapetibus pictis (but that's a mouthful and a half). it's a universe that contains countless dimensions within itself, but there are four main dimensions.

simplex timor - basically the tutorial level where everyone starts out. all powers are limited. once you reach a certain level of power, you can leave, but it's harder to return the more powerful you are. even finding it from the outside is difficult, but there have been a few people who have gotten lost who ended up in simplex. it's not actually an independent dimension (it's a part of a larger one), but it's separate and significant enough to be considered one of the main four. there are natural sources of food and water here, but they are scarce.

naturae timor - the larger dimension that simplex is a part of. it's the most populated one, as the people there usually either don't want to bother with leaving or can't navigate between dimensions. it looks like another overgrown Earth, but all naturally growing plants are poisonous. there are ruins of a vague ancient civilization covered in vines. there are patches of fertile land and many pocket realms that hold blessed lands, but it’s a whole dimension so they’re hard to find and often claimed.

ars timor - basically just hell. the dimension with the least people, with a thriving population of firebrands (more on that later) and wild animals with various deadly modifications. most of the dimension is made up of scorched wasteland or glass, with various seemingly man-made structures fused into the ground at an angle. there are settlements and false groves that have sources of food and water.

abyssi timor - a dimension that consists of many floating islands. it is sky and sea in one-- if you fall enough, the air turns thick and cold, and if you swim up enough, the water lightens and warms. it is the most bountiful of the four dimensions, but there are consequently deadlier things that inhabit it. monstrous guardians patrol the void and guard particularly choice islands. there are many temples and religious-looking structures that seem to have been abandoned millennia ago-- many groups end up inhabiting these for the convenience.

so in mata there are powers and magic and all that fancy stuff. the origin of all that are the "gods" of the universe. i am saying "gods" in quotation marks because they are... complicated. not all of them are quite the same thing.

they are called "patrons". why? well, because they grant power to "protégés" in order to increase their own powers. a combination of faith, story, and literal fuel (physical or magical) keeps them running and growing. the proportions vary based on the patron.

there are quite a few, but i'll go over some more plot-relevant or interesting ones

patriarch yaamin / "paya" - a humanoid patron that vaguely resembles an angel, if angels had no eyes and were fully covered in golden ring-like marks.

his followers (who call themselves "the living") view him as a god. this is strange, as no other faction views patrons as true gods-- most are split between seeing them as spirits or as particularly advanced creatures, still as mortal as the rest. the only other patron with a following that views him as god-like intentionally cultivates his image to be so, and even then he can't achieve the level of piety that paya invokes. it's a combination of his gold and white angel imagery along with the fact that he really doesn't interact with humans much

also his didn't cultivate his following on purpose. reverie (another patron, not relevant) did it on a whim, partially as a favor. he could not care less about the living, but he won't actively do anything about them, as they do help him out through their faith.

his protégés don't get any higher level of regard either. in fact, he doesn't even choose them. instead, he plants "shrines" around mata that designate the first person to encounter them as his protégé.

here are the requirements to be paya's protégé:

not already a protégé or sought after by someone else

see above

the reason that this method works out for him is because of his unorthodox way of granting powers to his protégés. while most other patrons see their patronage as some sort of investment in the person, paya doesn't care about the people he grants power to because they aren't supposed to be particularly long lived.

instead of indirectly granting powers via something like a contract, he directly fuses a fragment of his essence with his protégés. this leads to stronger magic overall, but the human body isn't meant to contain that type of power. it takes time to fully process the fragment and completely realize your potential. however, that comes with drawbacks. since paya is obviously stronger than a normal human, as you gain more access to his power, his power gains access to you. your body morphs to become more like his-- gold rings spread across your body starting from your left or right hand (it depends on what you used to touch the shrine, doesn't necessarily need to be the hand) and your eyes lose function and twist. as the process goes on, you experience personality changes, memory loss, decline of finer motor skills. eventually, you become fully taken over and become a mindless beast. they're referred to as "blessed spirits" by the living and "golden" by most other people. they're basically wandering boss monsters that attack anything that doesn't hold part of paya's power and that doesn't visibly outclass them. their presence warps the world, spreading paya's influence and infecting plants and animals with his golden rings. when they die, paya gets that bit of essence back and starts the process over again. paya benefits twofold from this-- he siphons energy from the souls they release and he gains power from his infection being spread.

how powerful the golden are depends on their compatibility with paya's essence. their behaviour depends on mostly the mental strength/state of the person who was infected. they can range to completely bestial and mindless to humanoid with some memories and free will. being golden only means that you've fully adapted to paya's essence-- you're at the peak of your power. the state is variable to an extent. if you keep your mind when you turn golden, you can still lose everything if you stop fighting. you can't get better, only maintain your state or worsen.

paya's protégés often try to isolate themselves from others for obvious reasons, especially later on. there is, however, one group of late-stage protégés (the sunmarked) that band together to protect themselves and others. there are two measures they take to do so.

there is a certain kind of gemstone-- "oryxian gems"-- that delay the adaptation process. (they're part of the influence of another patron.) without them, the process takes about a month to complete, but with them, the process can be slowed by up to five years, depending on when they're first used.

they've developed a technology that kills people as soon as they fully turn golden. there are collars that the sunmarked wear in their final weeks that siphon paya's essence from them and converts it to usable form as soon as it's fully expressed. this kills them, as at this point in the process, their soul and body are too connected to the essence to survive without it. typically, sunmarked go out with a bang by fulfilling a particularly hard task with the enormous amount of power they have before they die

the sunmarked are lead by darren annin, a sunmarked perpetually frozen at the final stage of development. he claims that he found a particular flower that saved him from falling. (in reality, he's completely golden, just with enough mental strength and an anchor to keep his free will. he doesn't tell anyone else because he doesn't want to risk others trying to save themselves and fail-- few people are aware that golden can keep any part of their minds at all)

the angel's blessing (paya's patronage) grants the afflicted with a great variety of powers that increase as time goes on. varying levels of invulnerability, night vision, holy and nature magic, and more!

RIOT - a demon-esque patron that kind of looks like hoopla? like the pokémon? he's made up of several floating parts-- a one-eyed, horned head, many limbs, and a screen in the place of a torso. each of his limbs has an eye on them

RIOT is not an infection like paya-- he feeds off of strong negative emotions. things like shock, fear, anger, et cetera.

he is the patron that interacts with humans the most. while other patrons inhabit their own locked dimensions and mostly descend in incarnations or visions, RIOT mostly hangs out in ars timor and often ventures out into the other three main dimensions to wreak havoc. people try their best to avoid him.

RIOT usually sets up elaborate spectacles in order to horrify people. if you see a random circus or theatre where there hadn't been one before, probably don't go there! he delights in specialized torment served to a wide audience, like one of those death games with your personal secrets up for grabs. he's a riot.

his relationship with his protégés is more standard-- a contract signed. he grants them magic and the ability to feed as he does in exchange for a certain amount of power a month. it's like they're renting

if they can't pay up, he takes the payment directly from them. if it ends up being a reoccurring thing, he destroys the contract and his former protégé.

his protégés are called "firebrands" (see, it did come back up) and usually work alone. particularly successful firebrands can become almost as powerful as the sunmarked! his only standards for decision are "look fun", but to be fair, he eliminates everyone who doesn't meet his expectations, so he doesn't need to be that discerning with the process.

firebrands get: extra limbs (optional), limited tracking (enhanced awareness of emotion around you), dark and illusion magic, limited mind reading

the untitled - just humanoid. this man is a normal guy. there are times when he looks like a biblical seraphim, but that's just a guise to intimidate

he goes by the untitled and doesn't reveal his name under normal circumstances but i'm not going to write it out every time sorry. his name is heun. (he thinks it is, anyway.)

heun is a transmigrator, a sad victim of truck-kun. he was an ordinary office worker who read trash webnovels before getting distracted in the road and getting run over by a truck. fortunately, mata's creator understood how tropes work and shuttled him over to mata with a system like the ones in the webnovels he read!

he's the weakest of the patrons and the others mostly look down on him, but his system protects him enough that no one outright tries to get rid of him.

his protégés are the strongest. no question. though they start out relatively weak, he keeps a personal eye on them and they're able to grow pretty quickly. he only invests in one protégé at a time, and always a low number (i'll get into that later), so though he's the weakest, he's able to put everything he's got into his heroes.

heun mostly subsists off of the legends of his heroes past and rewards from his system when his current hero achieves certain goals.

he has a decent following that see him as a sort of god-- they await his prophecies and follow his hero whenever they are designated. though they view him as god-like, they see the other patrons as nothing more than spirits, in contrast to the living who see all other patrons as gods, though fallen ones.

his following is cultivated by his system. to be perfectly honest, he'd be nothing without it, but where's the fun in that?

he's extremely lax with his protégés. he's like a dad who strives to be your best friend above all else

his heroes can eventually get partial invulnerability, any magic affinity, summoning abilities, flight, shapeshifting, the works. he's experimented with martial arts and standard wuxia leveling as well.

alright this is getting too long. i only got through the men i'm so sorry women and cool guys i'll get you next time. paya why do i have so much on you i even omitted some stuff for time reasons.

okay! more about the actual story itself and related tidbits

alright so what was i talking about with the low number thing? well, mata, believe it or not, has a rather high death rate. and it has a rather small population of humans, as least for the space they have. and mata never came with humans pre-stocked, as it were.

enter the sacrifices !!

100 of them a year are imported directly to mata in groups of 10. (1000 in the first year.) the reason why they are sacrificed is. complicated but long story short they're from a post-apocalyptic world and it's part of an agreement to sustain their communities.

each person in a group of ten gets a number from 1-10. this number is pretty much random, and everyone gets their own number. numbers obviously repeat across groups, but that doesn't matter.

this number shows the order you will die in. 10 is the first to go, 1 is the last. this is why heun chooses low numbers for his chosen ones.

the count in one group does not affect others-- it isn't the case that all 10s must go before 9s can die.

obviously, knowing the order in which you die is helpful. in the early stages, groups protect their higher numbers and sent out lower numbers to do riskier jobs. the person designated with the number 10 is not often allowed to do much. it doesn't guarantee safety, as you could easily be stuck in a near-death state, waiting for all higher numbers to die before you are released from your suffering, but it's better than nothing.

there are a couple cases where higher numbers are captured and forcibly kept alive in order to preserve a lower number from their group, but those cases are pretty rare.

numbers cannot be fully concealed using things like gloves or long sleeves. they must be open enough to be recognizable as their numeral and no other. if they are not, the number can and will show through clothing.

you cannot tell when higher numbers in your group die, so it's common for numbers close to each other to stay in contact even if they split up. it's just polite. of course, as time goes by, fewer people remember to do so, as they blend into new communities and become detached from their original group. who cares if you can die or not? you should live the same either way, and the end will catch up eventually, so keep the mystery as you would in the original world.

no force can counteract the numbers. it's just not done. there have been patrons that have tried, but to no avail.

y'know what this is too long. i'll keep this post to just these bits of worldbuilding and maybe have another post with story and the actual characters in the story. oops

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

Oh for... OW!!!

I THINK!!! YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR EYES UP AND POSTURE STRAIGHT!

.... it's a four-square. WHY do you keep FALLING OVER!?

@hello-from-nrc-infirmary

Ooc// Have antics with Stravi for the laughs

...narcolepsy.

I'M TRYING NOT TO STEP ON YOU WHAT DO YOU THI-

[norveblue]

mighty hunter

Flatcolor commission for Stravi Vee of a feral Esix.

pls support my work: https://patreon.com/ratte https://ko-fi.com/ratte

[kralovna-ne-stesti]

Neděle

Probudila jsem se s tím, že: ano, můžu, dokážu to. Což bylo asi největší překvapení posledních... let? A hned jsem (na tom) začala pracovat. Ta energie byla opravdu svěží a příjemná a ten rozdíl, když věci přestanete dělat bez tlaku, k nezaplacení.

Že mluvit mluvit mluvit o věcech je základ už víme a včera mi to přineslo hodně. Svěřit se s nápadem změnit a přeorganizovat pracovní časový rozložení jsem si nosila v hlavě už dlouho, ale nechtěla jsem to vytahovat, protože to byla jenom myšlenka. Jenže on mi dal ještě jeden náhled, jednu variantu, v podstatě nevědomky přišel na to, jak vyřešit můj problém. Jen tak, já něco řekla, a on na to: tak to udělej takhle. (Teď ještě, aby to šlo i v praxi realizovat.)

Taky jsem odpálila nejdřív prodlužovačku a pak i celou varnou konev. (Asi hodně energie, jinak nevím.)

Moje hledání toho, co mi způsobuje bolesti žaludku a zvracení pokračují, ale tak nějak tuším, že plná vina není v kafi, doplňcích stravy a jídle, ale hlavně ve stresu a podmíněných spouštěčích, kdy pravděpodobně nevědomě hledám cestu pryč a jinak, než že mě od práce odtáhne zdraví, nereaguju, ale pokračuju v hledání/zkoumání.

Ráno jsem klasicky, jako každou neděli, seděla u finančního plánu a platila účty. Už mě to tak nestresuje, aspoň mám přehled, ale i tak to není nic příjemnýho.

Odškrtala-udělala jsem spoustu úkolů ze seznamu. Taky jich tam dost zapsala. A dost jich zbylo. Ale hodně i vyřídila.

Odpočinek jsem místo válení a zíráním na tiktok strávila cestou pro ty zapomenutý vajíčka... aspoň jsem se prošla.

A taky jsem povlíkla čerstvě postel, což je jedno z mých malých velkých potěšení, takže lehnout si potom po celým dni do ní bylo hotový blaho.

[poeticlicense12345]

ZAMIŠLJENA PUTOVANJA

Može li se putovati, a ne kretati se? I zašto putovanje nužno podrazumeva kretanje? Meni je, upravo, najizazovnije putovanje putevima mog unutrašnjeg bića, sa puno raskrsnica od kojih je svaka iskušenje, razotkrivanje mnogih tajni, laži koje smo preobukli u istinu, obilaženje mesta koje smo želeli da vidimo, a nikad nismo, snova koje smo ostvarili samo u dubinama svog bića. Zato je meni književnost blisk, jer omogućava magična putovanja u predele i vremena, koja su nam, inače, nedostupna.

Kad Hamlet kaže da bi mogao biti zatvoren u orahovoj ljusci i osećati se kao kralj beskrajnog prostora, on kao da prenosi Šekspirova osećanja koji je najduže rastojanje u životu prešao od Stratforda do Londona i tu stao, zamišljajući druge evropske zemlje, pre svega Italiju, u nekoj svojoj sasvim slobodnoj shvaćenoj geografiji.

Džejn Ostin je putovala u svojoj dnevnoj sobi, kao i američka pesnikinja Emili Dikenson, kojoj nije nedostajao široki svet, jer ga je imala u sebi.Sestre Bronte, čiji je dar probio barijere malograđanskog života u engleskoj pustari, pisale su knjige o strasti, stravi i mistici, koje nikad nisu proživele, ali su umele da zamisle.

Čini se da su pesnici veći zagovornici života u sopstvenom univerzumu, kao grčki pesnik Konstantin Kavafi, koji je, od jednog malog trga na koji je izlazila njegova ulica, stvorio samodovoljni svet u kome je odlučio da provede život, dok je u svojim pesmama opisivao daleka putovanja prema Itaki, na koju će stići, opet u mislima.

Sputane obićajima da se žena ne pomera, bile su i naše književnice, Milica Stojadinović Srpkinja, koja je od Fruške gore stvorila svoj lični Parnas, Isidora Sekulić, koja se u mladosti ostvarila kao putnik i putopisac, zatvorila sva vrata prema svetu koji ju je izdao, kao i naša prva žena akademik,Ksenija Atanasijević, koja se iz istih razloga, povukla u svet svog doma iz koga je mogla da dosegne filozofske visine.

Ipak teško je zamisliti pisca bez radoznalosti da vidi druga podneblja, druge narode i “druge boje”.Verujem da je književnost pisana iz sopstvenog sveta, bežanje od nemoći da se svet učini boljim i udobnijim, kao i mogućnost da putujemo, dok čekamo ili se sećamo.

text author: Tanja Petrović Krivokapić

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

Valentine's Bonus Special: Stravi's Journal

tw & cw: mentions of death

This will be bittersweet... normally I'd have a divider here but I maxed them below (oops)

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Pg. 1

My Sunlit Ivy,

You have been asleep for a week now and your soft laughter haunts my dreams. I find myself thinking of everything I should have said and things I wish to tell you.

At Cliff's recommendation, I'm writing in this journal for you, like all the letters and postcards I've sent. That way, when you wake, you can catch up on everything you missed! I'm sure how I addressed you at the top will come as a shock, but I believe it to be correct and mean it fondly.

Today, Cliff visited and informed me that a medical mage from Port O' Bliss has been sent for. Everyone is hoping she can help. Victor stopped by to bring groceries and to check in, I'm grateful for his short visits. I also appreciate Folia for taking Shirley on daily walks. I will take that time to write.

Your rosebud, Stravi

Pg. 2

My Sunlit Ivy,

The medical mage from Port O' Bliss arrived late last night. She's an interesting woman I recall from when a few in my former troupe needed assistance. She told us that your body has forced you into Deep Sleep to try and regenerate itself. However, she's not sure when you will wake, or even if you have enough magic to repair the damage and sustain yourself. She's given you two years at most to wake up.

I know my magic is weak next to yours but I'll do what it can. I don't know if you can hear them, but hopefully my songs will help supplement your magic, even just a fraction.

I'm sure you're wondering why I said my former troupe. Well, I promised I would stay, didn't I? I can hear your thousand and one protests even as I write. I know names mean a lot to you, so I swear to you on my name, that I have no regrets.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Nov. XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

The first winter storm has settled in. How did you manage with the cold? I'm doing my best to use the firewood sparingly, just in case, and am following the instructions Cliff gave me. I hope you can't feel the bite of winter like this. I also pray you'll forgive me for sharing the blankets to keep us both from freezing.

Folia has taken Shirley in for these cold months, promising to watch over her Deep Sleep. They told me you would already be asleep at this time. Hibernation is foreign to me.. Are your dreams spun of sugar? I hope they are peaceful. You deserve that.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Jan. XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

The sun was out today and it deceived me. I always thought that would mean a warm day, and here I am still a icepop. I went to town while I could for more supplies and Cliff's family gave me some spare firewood. The day is short, and they know it better than I do. I would have chopped the wood myself, otherwise. I appreciate their assistance.

Everyone was asking about you, they're all concerned. Do you realize how many people care for you? The children wanted me to give you some pictures to make you feel better. I'll put them on the wall for you to see when you wake.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Feb. XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

My grasp on what it means to go stir crazy is made clearer. I saw Victor today, he wanted to know if you showed any signs of improvement. Which, there is none. Your pulse is still terrifyingly low, though I was informed that is expected.

I'm not sure what to do. My entries grow short with the season, as I don't see many people because of the harsh weather this year. Victor tells me it's because these mountains are crying out for you. They are yours to care for, afterall.

I can't hear the same as you or the other sprites. You can hear my songs like this, right? Your hair is still gray, I hope it becomes green with the spring

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Mar. 20

Happy Birthday, My Sunlit Ivy,

Today is supposed to be the first day of Spring. However, it seems Victor and Shirley managed to whip up a blizzard. While comical, it makes my heart ache. This should be a joyful time of year, yet I find myself struggling to feel any mirth.

Little Peter wanted to give you his winter project. He worked very hard and I can see the time he spent in the details, I believe Franz assisted. I placed the figure over the mantel.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

April. XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

I wish I had better news for today. It seems, the blizzard lasted longer than expected. The town is still working to dig itself out. It seems Gin's luck finally ran out on him. I say this in an attempt to ease my own grief.

The details make my belly churn, so I will only leave the summary. It seems he didn't make it back to town in time when the blizzard set in. They believe he consumed too much giggle water and lost his balance, falling into the river.

He deserved better than that. They let me keep his deck of cards, they're drying by the fire. I worry I neglected the relationship he and I had. Everything feels as though it was my fault and...

I can almost hear you telling me it was out of my hands. I wish you could be the one to comfort me, but I will bear this for you.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Oct XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

Today, you scared me. I know it's normal for your heart rate to be reduced in Deep Sleep and yet... yours stopped for a full minute.

It has been a full year now and I find myself thinking about what ifs. What if you never wake? What will I do then?

I dare not breathe these thoughts into the air in fear they will come true. Yet, I will admit in these pages that I would stay here. I will keep the promise our lips sealed even if you never wake.

You were the first to see me as more than a pretty face, more than my unique hair and strange eyes. The songs I wrote for you bring me the most joy. I swear to sing them for you for eternity, if you'll have me.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Dec. XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

The winter has been ruthless. Snow has blocked the door, it's almost to the roof. I hear there's illness spreading in town and many fear it's because you have yet to awake. Perhaps this land is cursed without you? I should not entertain that. Forgive me, it seems this sense of gloom has gripped my heart tightly.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Jan. XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

Today, I have more unfortunate news. While there has been a break in the near constant blizzards, it seems a number in town have perished. Our dear friends Sasha, Franz, and their youngest among them. They say little Peter was found crying for them, he is not doing well. Fever has consumed him and they're doing what they can.

The nature here is truly... well, there's a majesty to how insignificant it makes me feel.

Your Rosebud, Stravi

Feb. XX

My Sunlit Ivy,

The snow has let up, the sun is finally trying to show a glimmer of good fortune. Your hair has become green again. I can't help but feel I will hear your voice again soon, perhaps even see sunlight shimmer in your eyes. If I could, I would trade anything to have your soft laughter fill my ears again. The memory of it has faded and my heart aches for the joy of it.

I plan to visit Cliff, Shirley, Folia, and Victor to inform them of your improvement. I'm sure they will all be overjoyed at the news

Your Rosebud, Stravi

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Tagging: @night-raven-miscellany @nrcbookclub I know you wanted to read this!

[squirrelno2]

My brain is doing the "oooh you wanna make a dragon age sideblog so baaaad" dance again and I haven't even properly da-posted lately. Well. Back to workshopping urls I guess!

[zlutyzakaznik]

První dojmy 122: Soul Bistro v2, Royale Brno a No Gluten No Problem

(7. 4. 2025) Převážně rebrandy.

Ztraceno v polepu aneb Prvotní uvítání Royale Brno...

Trvalo to docela dlouho, ale nakonec se podařilo. Soul Bistro se na konci března objevilo ve své druhé verzi v příčné uličce Jakubská, hned vedle brněnské pobočky Pikoly a já to tam po deváté večer cestou z divadla zašel omrknout – přesně v duchu pobídky na Instagramu.

Prostor je skoro nudle členěná do několika částí, přičemž centrální tabule prezentuje hlavní nabídku jídel, která je očekávatelně fancy fancy, ale nic strašného; podnik prostě cílí na stále stejnou skupinu (dav skoro třicátníků).

V duchu jsem zaúpěl při spatření fish and chips za 289 Kč a vybavil si extra mastnou verzi, ze které jsem se vzpamatovával dalešickou 13° v Eře. Točený Bernard 11° je servírován do 0,4l skla a v záloze je i lahvová Plzeň, což mi přijde zbytečné. Ale znáte můj názor na toto prémiové europivo.

Papírové menu zahrnuje kávu, nápoje a nějaké ty drinky a je velmi stručné, což je v pořádku. Z espressa (F64 + Vibiemme) konečně vyškrtli Attibassi a nahradili jej, pokud jsem správně porozumněl dívce za barem, jinou značkou s 90% podílem arabiky.

Co se týče prezentace, přijde mi škoda, že webové stránky působí tak archaicky a podnik stále nemá vlastní doménu druhého řádu. A i když je fajn, že menu na Facebooku dostalo podobu strojopisu, adresa se v angličtině píše se dvěma „d“, email je barva a čárka má bezprostředně přiléhat k názvu instagramového účtu.

Sushi HUB, Poke Hub nebo Royale Brno? Prostě rebrand!

Royale Brno není nic jiného než bývalý SushiHub Brno v E-Pasáži na Josefské, přičemž podle informace na Facebooku má jít o rebrand, tedy přejmenování podniku s inovací nabídky a zachováním majitele. Pokud ano, jde o pravděpodobně nejhorší refresh, na jaký jsem v Brně v posledních letech narazil.

Pokud má jít o revitalizaci, jeden by čekal, že se změní především vizuální identita provozu, ale už při příchodu k eskalátorům vedoucím do prvního patra je něco špatně. Důvěrně známá letáčková olezlina s původním názvem i logem pokračuje v 1. patře a poslední sobotu v 15 hodin tu bylo nejen totálně prázdno (dívčí obsluha sedící u stolu), ale především jsem pociťoval lhostejnost a zmar plynoucí z bordelu za barem (přetékající a velmi viditelný koš + lítačky otevřené do zázemí a vyjevující nepořádek a chaos).

Na Facebooku jsou chyby (v datech příspěvků čteme 8 Agustus nebo 31 Juli 2024, 31 Maret pukul) a i angličtině nebo češtině tu a tam něco schází (domů k telce = home to the TV; Honem na to, jsme na boltu, woltu i foodore; Oblíbené ,,street food,,). Ach jo.

No Gluten No Problem je rebrand Low Carb na Zámečnické v centru města (ulička s Netboxem vedoucí na Dominikánské náměstí) a klidně přiznám, že mě zneklidňuje nejen nepřítomnost lepku, ale také dalších dobrých věcí, jež jsou uvedeny v hlavičce instagramového účtu.

Podnik, který má přes sedm tisíc sledujících na Facebooku, nebude úplně opominutelný a přesto tu, kdykoli jdu kolem, skoro nikoho nevidím. Nutně si tak kladu otázku, kdo spotřebovává nemalou nabídku chladicích vitrín a chodí sem na údajně moderní českou zdravou kuchyni bez lepku, cukru a laktózy. (Pokud stojí například bezlepkový větrník 110 Kč, nebude to rozhodně dostupné každému.)

Spíš pro formu jsem přehlédl kávový koutek a co se týče hardwaru, i po změně názvu se tu nic nezměnilo (kávovar, mlýnek i šálky otočené dnem vzhůru). A denní nabídka? Ano, už přes rok a půl se považuji za částečného zajatce školní a velmi dotované stravy, ale šest hlavních jídel v rozmezí 225 až 245 Kč mi nepřijde jako záležitost pro každého. Ale pokud to tu dokáží i po rebrandu utáhnout, úplně jim to přeji, protože nejde o nic snadného.

Vím, že obrázky jsou dnes trochu monotematické. Nepřestává mě ale fascinovat podoba rebrandu-totálního fiaska. Štěstí, že jsou tu i dvě orientující šipky...

[tabris-esque]

I boot up da2 because I never actually got any screenshots of Stravis, my very first and most beloved Hawke, and then accidentally launch my current playthrough instead of an old save for Stravis, and I am reminded of two things: one, I left off with Conrad in the deep roads, and two, I left off because I know exactly what's about to happen to Bethany down here and i feel bad about it. Whoops.