#the ancients r v special to me

[lockedtombmemesandreferences]

A highly unthorough and lacking compilation of memes and references in Gideon the Ninth

I've seen plenty of compilations of memes and references in HTN, but very few compilations for GTN. And so, behold! I hath created this. Enjoy! (All page numbers are from my paperback copy. I shall include citations for people who found various things when applicable).

Act One

p. 53: "Oh, nonsense!" said Harrow languorously. "She’s a genius. With the proper motivation, Griddle could wield two swords in each hand and one in her mouth. While we were developing common sense, she studied the blade. Am I right, Griddle?"

This is a reference to a meme dating from 2016, "I studied the blade." https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-studied-the-blade

p. 69 (nice!): Gideon realised that Harrow was trembling; little licks of hole-black hair were pasted to her pale-grey forehead with sweat, threatening to dissolve the paint. Gideon realised with a start that she was trembling and sweating in concert. They looked at each other with a wild surmise, and then started dabbing at their faces with the insides of their sleeves.

This is a reference to John Keats' poem, "On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer," from 1816.

"...He star'd at the Pacific—and all his men Look'd at each other with a wild surmise— Silent, upon a peak in Darien..." (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44481/on-first-looking-into-chapmans-homer)

Special thanks to Locked Tomb References, who found this one! (https://lockedtombreferences.tumblr.com/post/616309681665736704/embed)

Also p.69: Gideon winked at her increasingly agitated companion. She said, sotto voce: “But then you couldn’t have admired … these,” and whipped on the glasses she’d unearthed back home. They were ancient smoked-glass sunglasses, with thin black frames and big mirrored lenses, and they greyed out Harrow’s expression of incredulous horror as she adjusted them on her nose.

Badasses wearing sunglasses is a common staple in fiction, but I have a source as reliable as Herodotus's (which is to say I saw a guy say they read somewhere that Muir said that) these sunglasses are a reference to Dave Strider's sunglasses from Homestuck. (https://mspaintadventures.fandom.com/wiki/Sunglasses)

Act Two:

p. 94: “Nooo Magnus! Don’t say we’re overcome!” moaned the nasty girl, sotto voce.

This is also a bit of a stretch, similar to the one above, but the speaking patterns of Jeannemary and Isaac may be a reference to the eponymous character in Charlie the Unicorn's speaking patterns. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKd_2vqPrmU&pp=ygUUY2hhcmxpZSB0aGUgdW5pZmNvcm4%3D)

p. 131: "Fiat lux!" If you want to talk about being improbable, let's talk about this"--a scrape of stone on stone--"being three thousand and some years older than this." A heavy clunk.

"Fiat lux" is Latin for "Let there be light," and is a reference to Genesis 1:3. (https://www.drbo.org/chapter/01001.htm)

Act Three:

p. 222 “Let me make my business plain. I have no interest in Septimus’s woes,” Harrow said. “The Seventh House is not our friend. You’re making yourself an utter fool over Dulcinea. And I dislike her cavalier even more—” (“Massive slam on Protesilaus out of nowhere,” said Gideon.)

This is a reference to Mystery Science Theatre 3000's viewing of the trashy 1983 SF film, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIBBbI-55fQ)

Special thanks to u/Leoriste, who found this one! (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/comments/14vsoxp/meme_reference/)

p.230 Gideon mumbled, "Harrow, you can't just ask someone why they want to be a Lyctor," but was roundly ignored.

This is a reference to the Mean Girls quote, "Oh my god Karen, you can’t just ask people why they’re white." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8wrqe72YG4)

Act Four:

p. 318: Silas took an infuriatingly long drink of water. The pallid column of his throat moved. “They died on the way back to their home planet,” he said, wiping his mouth. “Their shuttle exploded. Curious, considering it was a perfectly good Cohort shuttle with an experienced pilot. This was the shuttle you had intended to commandeer, was it not?”

This might be a stretch, but could also be a reference to The Simpsons season 8, episode 14, "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show," which includes the line, "Poochie died on the way back to his home planet."

Special thanks to u/CowgirlSmut for finding this one! (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/comments/14vsoxp/meme_reference/)

p. 412: Half a dozen tendrils came after her. They would have given her an interesting array of new airholes for speed, but a skeleton staggered out of the darkness and took most of the blows, jawbone crushed into powder as a tendril lashed open its skull.

This is a reference to The Simpsons, season 6 episode 15, "Homie the Clown," in which someone tries selling Homer a car with bulletholes, "for speed." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whnms4CLJys)

Special thanks to u/altacc2020 for finding this one! (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/comments/lodjro/comment/go6ac2u/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)

Act Five:

"The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee," said Gideon.

This is a direct quotation from Ruth 1:17. (https://www.drbo.org/chapter/08001.htm)

And that's everything I've got so far! If you've got references to suggest or I snagged something you think you found first without due credit, let me know! Thanks, everyone!

[connectionxterminated]

PICREW

Tagging ;; @gmilfwhore , @cupid-beatricereden , @hellishbitee

Meet Cross!

He is a self insert / persona of mine!

His pronouns are He/They!

He also goes by other names such as: Vincent & Salem!

He has a cat named Toast. Super important. To me.

He has a very excitable and caring personality! He's super friendly and really social, despite my actual self being anti social! That's the fun in making a self insert!

He is a Transgender / Non-Binary male!

Panromantic, Asexual, Polyamorous!!

He loves insects of all kinds, cats, and cheese cake! (Especially raspberry cheese cake!)

His favourite colours mostly consist of lighter shades of green!

He really enjoys 80s and country music!

Absolutely adores those cheesy romance movies! He has a whole collection of VHS tapes specifically for that genre! Not one VHS tape gets unwatched. And I mean not even one.

He is neurodivergent! (AUDHD)

He has a huge special interest in human voices and how they work! He just thinks it's neat!

He also has many many pins, take one step into his house and you will see them e v e r y w h e r e.

His age ranges from 17 to about 25, depending on the ship, roleplay, or whatever else it may be!

He's Irish & Scottish! When he's angry, or upset you might end up hearing a little bit of an accent! Also with a few select words here and there!

He collects plushies! His room is full of em!

He is an author!

His walls are never empty! They always have some sort of photo, poster or drawing hanging up on them!!! They're always full!!

He is mainly used for my self shipping purposes!!! But he can also be shipped with my lovely partners Self Inserts or OCs in general!!!

He's very very gentle and incredibly loving! However, he does tend to snap and b3eak very easily, so be careful with him!

He's like a sopping wet kitten. Nope, I will not be elaborating on that thank you.

He really really enjoys studying astrology, astronomy, and Greek gods & goddesses!!

He loves reading about ancient history, legends and myths!

He refuses to talk to his family at all. Afterall, why should he if all they're going to do is put him down and make him feel worthless.

Cross also always wears a ring which appears to have stars carved into it. It was given to him by a man he once met in his dreams who went by the name of Virtue. This ring reminds him to keep going and to never give up no matter how hard things get. He wears it with pride. It's also a spinny ring :3

[nightcolorz]

Tell me about the vampire living rent free in your head

Oooo I’d be happy to! *drops ancient heavy book in front of me titled “oc lore” and blows a thick covering of dust off of it* wooooo ok. His name is Lucian, but to me he is Lucy 🫶. Lucy I came up with when I was a preteen maybe, very long ago, before I was very familiar with vampires or had read any of tvc. So any similarities with canon characters r just edgy tween me and Anne Rice having similar taste lol. 

Lucy was turned into a vampire in medieval Europe, he was a peasant and son of a priest growing up. He was turned by his secret gay lover who was subsequently burned at the stake Salem witch style, and Lucy fucked off and ate deer and shit in the forest for a couple centuries until he was roused into the real world by a child in the 1970s. He’s v gentle and loving, just has a very nurturing personality. He likes planting + gardening and caring for animals to prove to himself that he’s capable of being good and caring u know as a vampire. He’s got some v bad ocd and has had his entire life severe compulsions about being a good person and not harming others. Not the best mental health issue for a vampire to have. I strongly associate him with fire, bcus fire destroys vampires, so he identifies with fire and utilizes it a lot bcus representation of how he rejects vampirism and also is v self destructive and ?? Religious trauma ?? Hell?? Yeah he’s got a lot going on uh. His dead bf called him Lily bcus lilies symbolize purity/innocence and his bf had this philosophy that Lucy was one of the few “pure” ppl out there bcus despite his technical sins his priority was kindness and empathy which isn’t a priority for many religious ppl who shame others for being impure. Yeah but then he died whoops.

As you can probably guess Lucian also has a funky relationship with gender, since I’ve been calling him Lucy this entire time lol. Yeah he’s not trans or Transfem, I don’t think he’d identify with or understand the lgbtq community or labels or anything. He considers himself a man but also admires and loves the soft and gentle aspects of femininity and identifies with those more than any traditional forms of masculinity. He also has autism and v big autism creature eyes, strawberry blonde hair and cute lil freckles, and a tendency to slip into old English occasionally if he’s not paying attention. He’s my special lil guy but idk what to do with him lol. Thank you for asking lol I haven’t talked about Lucy in so long!

[amoravitoria]

As I am insane for think that?

That's what you get, to be a witch:

A special discount, that made the game come out for 190,00 for you.

Log in and see in the store a set called Celestial Court.

(The sorcerers of the Court practice an ancient magic reinforced by the moon and the stars. Adorned in opulence, they shine like the stars themselves, and move as if their whole being danced in the light. During solstices and equinoxes, the Court Magi gather to perform rituals of cosmic power.

Guided by the magical light of the moon, the Court Magi arrive quickly and unequivocally at their destinations, mounted on ravens apparently made of stellar dust engraved with cosmic geometries. This ability to travel quickly allows members of the Court to travel far and far.)

Any sensible person would think, "For what?!"

Well, I don't know either, I just know that this is the visual identity I want to adopt for my sorcerer while I play this game and I find it very difficult for Blizzard/Activision/King/Microsoft to take more money from me, besides R$373.00, I thought it, wouldn't be beyond 190...

It was very strange, very strange. Why this discount?! Anyway kkkk :3 there's the explanation: they knew how to make a witch spend her galleons!

BUT ENOUGH!

It doesn't even run on my notebook, just because I bought the game and the skins, I'll have to change my notebook, ='( it's obvious by the quality of the screen prints D=

(here a youtube video in 4k:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEkLYycJLyg&ab_channel=TheDiabloArchives )

Tell me, what did you think? :3 🤭

I'm crazy, right? Kkkk 😂

I buyed all things for this set, horse, head back thing, 2 additional armoured for the horse…

I buyed because I’m a witch, and it’s all filled of references to the moon, to the ancient magic practiced by ancient witches, and it’s very representative, for all person who refer to yourself as witch, how this cosmetic made our sorcerers more next to ouselv, and more close to our identity of witches as we are, so, this is, in my no so humility opinion, why they made those set.

For me, as a witch is a powerfully artefact cosmetic in the most playable franchise and this is enough to me, to have this binded in my account.

And it's quite obvious that, as a witch, I couldn't let Mother's Guidance pass either, right? I had to show my support for the mother of Sanctuary in some way. In other words, Lilith is the first woman to stand against man’s in all representation of her! That’s enough to support, the goddess of feminism!

🤓

[theartisttrash]

So this is an AU that my friends and I have been brainstorming to seem fitting for both Ultrakill and Block Tales the best we can.

To my friends in question, hi, I'm yapping about this here scared/silly

Anyways-

Keep in mind, this is what we got to make the AU work. It's still in the work in progress and is made for fun.

What's the Party of this AU?

So we have the beginning, not sure what Tutorial Terry's role be. Probably the same like in Block Tales. For the lore: The New Peace happened, mankind isn't dead, humans and machines co-exist, humans still discovered Hell and will explore there for research, the Swords banished to Hell to stop the war because of its power, the Swords are causing trouble in Hell.

Meet Gabriel and the V Twins

Gabriel, a priest and scientist who took upon manufacturing machines. A colleague of Shedletsky, who specializes in machines and ancient history of the SFOTH. He was called in by Shedletsky to gather up the Swords that were banished from Hell, would gladly join along with Gabriel in the adventure to gather all the swords. Gabriel is the supporter of the party.

V1, the first V Model that was meant for war, but was recoded after the New Peace. Now meant to protect humans like their younger sibling V2, but V1 is more violent and impulsive than V2. V1 is the heavyhitter of the party.

V2, a V Model that was made after V1 and during the New Peace, was programmed to protect humans and is built to be more durable. Standing along side their older brother V1, they are more calm and collective than V1. V2 is the tank of the party.

You may be asking: "Why is Gabriel a human instead of an Archangel?"

Answer: Someone has already taken Gabriel's role, you'll see soon

So here are the Sword locations in Hell

Me and my friend struggled for a bit on the Swords' location until we both agree to keep the order, and since there's more Layers of Hell than the swords here's what we got so far;

Prelude - None

Limbo - None

Lust - Icedagger

Gluttony - Venomshank

Greed - Ghostwalker

Wrath - Firebrand

Heresy - Windforce

Violence - Darkheart

Fraud - Darkheart(Someone else stole it and moved to the Fraud Layer)

Treachery - Illuminus

Now for the Layers of Hell;

Prelude

Gabriel and Co, along with Shedletsky, going down into Hell to gather up the Swords since it's cause a bit of trouble. Unfortunately, Shedletsky went on ahead even if Gabriel told him to stay close. Shedletsky was ambushed by two mini Swordsmachines named R-3D(Red Noob) and B-LU(Blue Noob).

(It was theorized that Swordsmachine's height is 10ft, so I decided that 5ft will be the height of a mini version.)

With Shedletsky being injured, Gabriel and the V Twins jumped in and fought the two Swordsmachines, the two fled deeper in Hell. With Shedletsky unable to continue, he stayed back while Gabriel have to look after the V Models and collect the swords himself. Later, they encounter Cerberus. They have to defeat them before entering Hell.

Limbo

Gabriel and Co managed to reach the first layer of Hell, still chasing after the Swordsmachine Twins. They also met with Mayor Monty and his wife Kamila in Limbo, worried about a Streetcleaner named Jim. The party was given a task to look for him. Mayor Monty will give them access to the Lust Layer, where the Icedagger reside in, if they find Streetcleaner Jim and return him safely. Once reaching to the end of Limbo, they encounter R-3D and B-LU again. But this time, they brought their boss/uncle NB-D0R(Noobador), who is a heavily modified Swordsmachine.

(He throw hands.)

After defeating NB-D0R and the two mini Swordsmachines, the party managed to find Streetcleaner Jim stuck under a debris at the blocked entrance to the Lust Layer. They helped him out of there. Unfortunately, his flamethrower was heavily damaged and unusable. But he returned to Limbo alive, Mayor Monty expressedhis gratitude and granted them access to the Lust Layer.

Lust

As they entered the Lust Layer, Gabriel and Co saw a giant corpse of a husk in the distance. Later soon found out that the giant corpse was the late king of lust and former Judge of Hell, the Cruel King. A king who has lost his mind after taking the Icedagger. After a certain Angel came down and killed him, the Icedagger took control of the corpse and destroys everything the Cruel King had built.

Assuming that the Icedagger is in his castle, they went deeper into the Lust Layer. Gabriel somehow noticed that the corpse was getting closer, later realized that the corpse knows the party is here. After reaching the castle, the Icedagger wasn't in the castle the whole time. Rumbling happened as the ceiling collapsed, revealing the giant corpse.

Gabriel learned that the Icedagger was stuck to the corpse the whole time, controlling it. Battling against the Corpse of Cruel King, they pulled the Icedagger out, which made the corpse no longer move. Giving access to the Gluttony Layer, where the Venomshank resides in.

Extra: Deep in the Gluttony Layer is the Flesh Prison that holds a Prime Soul known as Cruel King Prime.

Gluttony

The trio reached the next location of the Sword, the Venomshank, they continued on their adventure. However, the Judge of Hell caught wind of what’s going on, with the voices in his head telling him that a small group are gathering the Swords. The Swords that Telamon banished to Hell to keep the peace on mankind. During the trio's mission, they heard a voice from above.

"H3Y PUNKS! TURN B4CK N0W! Y0U THR33 D0N'T B3L0NG 1N TH1S PL4C3! 1F Y0U KN0W WH4T'S G00D F0R Y4!"

Gabriel had second thoughts about this, but V1 and V2 went on ahead, making Gabriel chase after them. Once they reached where the Venomshank was at, the Archangel and Judge of Hell appeared before them. The one known as Archangel Griefer, with the holy spear and Venomshank in hand.

Y'all may be asking: "Why Griefer as Gabriel??? That's not like him at all???"

Answer: "Archangel Griefer was once Heaven's nuisance rebel angel to a well-respected Archangel and new Judge of Hell. He was going to cause problems in Hell, only to accidentally gain respect with the Holy Councils by killing the one who rebelled against Heaven Cruel King.". He accidentally gains respect, which set his pride and ego high, gain him the rank of an Archangel.

Gabriel was overjoyed to see an actual angel in front of him but soon realized that the angel in question was a total brat. After defeating Griefer and him cussing them out, he returned back to Heaven with the Venomshank. It was unfortunate news to Shedletsky, but he reassured that they'll find a way to get it back. For now, they have to continue forward with the mission.

Act 1 Epilouge

Unfortunate for Archangel Griefer, he was called to the Holy Councils for a meeting. Many are disappointed in his failure to stop the people collecting the Swords, which resulted him getting punished by having the Holy father’s light stripped from his body and getting cursed. Holy Council Thaniyel, Griefer's father, was highly against it and tried to reason with the Holy Councils. But they shot his words down, saying he got no right to go against a punishment on someone who failed to represent the holy father’s light. Holy Council Thaniyel begged for them, pleading to spare his son from such punishment. But it was already done, with the light being stripped while being blighted by a cursed plague, Griefer have 24 hours until the embers died down and the plague consumes him. Once the meeting was over, Griefer was overcome with hate. The voices in his head are now louder than ever, as the Venomshank now have Griefer in its grasp.

Moving on to the next layer!

Greed

Gabriel and Co entered the Greed Layer where the Ghostwalker resides, they ended up meeting with Kitchen Mindflayer again(just imagine a male Mindflayer with a makeshift wizard hat and apron). The first time they met, the V Models blew up the kitchen back in the Lust Layer. After the incident with the Corpse of Cruel King, Kitchen Mindflayer went on traveling around Hell. Gabriel explained why they are in Hell in the first place, Kitchen Mindflayer understood and willing to help obtain the Ghostwalker. Many sinners tried to get their hands on it but died after trying to steal it. The Ghostwalker has a grim history with those who tried to unsheathe it, only those who are still alive are worthy to wield it. Another information is that only those who are pure of heart can avoid such tragedies. As the group thinks of a plan, they got sidetracked by NB-D0R, who is pacing worried. After taking to the Swordsmachine, even though he doesn't trust the group since Limbo, they got a side quest to look for R-3D and B-LU.

The group was heading up to the place where the Ghostwalker is at, but they were stopped by the Slasher Insurrection. Guarding the Ghostwalker from sinners, many failed to get past it. After fighting against it, they entered the pyramid. They traversed through the dark crypts, passing by the many skeletal corpse scattered around. When they reached to where the Ghostwalker is at, they saw R-3D and B-LU being cornered by their parents PR-PL and GR-3N.

PR-PL is a heavily modified Swordsmachine that is meant for faster melee attacks, GR-3N was modified to be a heavyhitter which is why he's a bit bigger than an average Swordsmachine. So they help R-3D and B-LU get away, but GR-3N hit Gabriel to the Ghostwalker. He tried to get up but accidentally touched it, he "died" and woke up in a "dream realm".

To Be continued in part 2

(Because I can't have more than 10 images in one post UDHCUDFHDB)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 3.22

Holidays

Age Is Just A Number Day

Arab League Day

Army Day (Philippines)

As Young As You Feel Day

Banned in Boston Day

Bihar Day (India)

Cornstarch Day

Daffodil Day

Day of the People’s Party (Laos)

Earth Day [Original Date]

Emancipation Day (a.k.a. Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud; Puerto Rico)

Festival of Immortality

Gryffindor Pride Day

International Day of the Seal

International Goof-Off Day (a.k.a. National Goof-Off Day)

International Gurjar Day

International Taxi Driver Day (Russia)

John Magufuli Day (Tanzania)

Labour Day (Christmas Island)

Laser Day

Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day

National Badminton Day [also 3.30]

National Day of the Podenco (Spain)

National Day of Work-Integrated Learning Day (Canada)

National Donald Day

National Rehabilitation Counselors Appreciation Day

National Sing-Out Day

National 3-D Day

National West Virginia Day

Nowruz (New Year) [Day 3, Around Spring Equinox] (a.k.a. ... 

Dita e Nevruzit (Albania)

Nary Meyramy (Kazakhstan)

Navruz (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)

Nooroz (Iran)

Novruz (Azerbaijan)

Resident Evil Anniversary Day

Stanley Cup Day

Sun-Earth Day

Talk Like William Shatner Day

Tuskegee Airmen Day

World Cloud Security Day

World Day of Metta!

World Doula Day

World Mime Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bavarian Crepes Day

Coq au Vin Day

We Love Broccoli Day

World Water Day (a.k.a. World Day for Water; UN)

4th Wednesday in March

American Red Cross Giving Day [4th Wednesday]

International Data Center Day [4th Wednesday]

Independence Days

Bihar (State founded; India; 1912)

Malus (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Anthony Van Dyck (Artology; Saint)

Basil of Ancyra (Christian; Saint)

Catharine of Sweden (Christian; Saint)

Clemens August Graf von Galen (Christian; Saint)

Darerca of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Deogratias, Bishop of Carthage (Christian; Saint)

Epaphroditus (Christian; Saint)

Festival of Cybele (Attis’ self-mutilation; Ancient Rome)

Hola Mohalla (Sikh)

Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)

Justin (Positivist; Saint)

Keep Richards Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lea of Rome (Christian; Saint)

Nicholas Owen (Christian; Saint)

Paul of Narbonne (Christian; Saint)

Pretend to Be Sober Day (Pastafarian)

Quinquatria, Day 4: Poet’s Day (Pagan)

Rosh Chodesh Nisan (Judaism) [1 Nisan]

Slightly Silly Day (Pastafarian)

Toothbrush (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

All Shook Up, by Elvis Presley (Song; 1957)

Apostrophe (‘), by Frank Zappa (Album; 1974)

The Bible, printed by Johannes Gutenberg (Book; 1457)

Bringing It All Back Home, by Bob Dylan (Album; 1965)

The Clock (Film; 1945)

The Croods (Animated Film; 2013)

D-I-V-O-R-C-E, recorded by Tammy Wynette (Song; 1968)

Far Beyond Driven, by Pantera (Album; 1994)

Fist of Fury (Film; 1972)

The Golden Touch (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

Mr. Wonderful (Broadway Musical; 1956)

Olympus Has Fallen (Film; 2013)

On the Border, by The Eagles (Album; 1974)

Please Please Me by The Beatles (Album; 1963)

Power to the People, by John Lennon (Song; 1971)

The Rules: All You Need Is Cash (TV Rockumentary Special; 1978)

Sing Smokey, by The Temptation (Album; 1965)

Spring Breakers (Film; 2013)

Station 19 (TV Series; 2018)

Us (Film; 2019)

Today’s Name Days

Clemens, Elmar, Klemens, Lea (Austria)

Rosen, Rositsa (Bulgaria)

Lea, Leonarda, Oktavijan (Croatia)

Leona (Czech Republic)

Paulus (Denmark)

Viktor, Viktoria (Estonia)

Vihtori, Viktor (Finland)

Léa (France)

Elmar, Lea, Reinhilde (Germany)

Drosos, Drosoula (Greece)

Beáta, Izolda (Hungary)

Benevenuto, Caterina, Lavinia, Lea, Muzio, Onofrio, Nilda, Nilde (Italy)

Dziedra, Giedra, Ralfs, Tamāra (Latvia)

Gedgaudas, Gedgaudė, Kotryna (Lithuania)

Paula, Pauline (Norway)

Bazylissa, Bogusław, Godzisław, Katarzyna, Kazimierz, Paweł (Poland)

Drosida, Vasile (Romania)

Beňadik (Slovakia)

Bienvenido, Lea (Spain)

Kennet, Kent, Viktor (Sweden)

Lea, Leah, Lee, Leigh, Leighton, Parker (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 81 of 2023; 284 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 12 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Fearn (Alder) [Day 4 of 28]

Chinese: Second Month 2 (Gui-Mao), Day 1 (Ji-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 29 Adar 5783

Islamic: 29 Sha’ban 1444

J Cal: 20 Ver; Sixday [20 of 30]

Julian: 9 March 2023

Moon: 1.5%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 25 Aristotle (3rd Month) [Justin]

Runic Half Month: Beore (Birch Tree) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 3 of 90)

Zodiac: Aries (Day 2 of 30)

Calendar Changes

桃月 [Táoyuè] (Chinese Lunisolar Calendar) [Month 3 of 12] (Peach Month)

[brookston]

Holidays 3.22

Holidays

Age Is Just A Number Day

Arab League Day

Army Day (Philippines)

As Young As You Feel Day

Banned in Boston Day

Bihar Day (India)

Cornstarch Day

Daffodil Day

Day of the People’s Party (Laos)

Earth Day [Original Date]

Emancipation Day (a.k.a. Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud; Puerto Rico)

Festival of Immortality

Gryffindor Pride Day

International Day of the Seal

International Goof-Off Day (a.k.a. National Goof-Off Day)

International Gurjar Day

International Taxi Driver Day (Russia)

John Magufuli Day (Tanzania)

Labour Day (Christmas Island)

Laser Day

Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day

National Badminton Day [also 3.30]

National Day of the Podenco (Spain)

National Day of Work-Integrated Learning Day (Canada)

National Donald Day

National Rehabilitation Counselors Appreciation Day

National Sing-Out Day

National 3-D Day

National West Virginia Day

Nowruz (New Year) [Day 3, Around Spring Equinox] (a.k.a. ... 

Dita e Nevruzit (Albania)

Nary Meyramy (Kazakhstan)

Navruz (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)

Nooroz (Iran)

Novruz (Azerbaijan)

Resident Evil Anniversary Day

Stanley Cup Day

Sun-Earth Day

Talk Like William Shatner Day

Tuskegee Airmen Day

World Cloud Security Day

World Day of Metta!

World Doula Day

World Mime Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bavarian Crepes Day

Coq au Vin Day

We Love Broccoli Day

World Water Day (a.k.a. World Day for Water; UN)

4th Wednesday in March

American Red Cross Giving Day [4th Wednesday]

International Data Center Day [4th Wednesday]

Independence Days

Bihar (State founded; India; 1912)

Malus (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Anthony Van Dyck (Artology; Saint)

Basil of Ancyra (Christian; Saint)

Catharine of Sweden (Christian; Saint)

Clemens August Graf von Galen (Christian; Saint)

Darerca of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Deogratias, Bishop of Carthage (Christian; Saint)

Epaphroditus (Christian; Saint)

Festival of Cybele (Attis’ self-mutilation; Ancient Rome)

Hola Mohalla (Sikh)

Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)

Justin (Positivist; Saint)

Keep Richards Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lea of Rome (Christian; Saint)

Nicholas Owen (Christian; Saint)

Paul of Narbonne (Christian; Saint)

Pretend to Be Sober Day (Pastafarian)

Quinquatria, Day 4: Poet’s Day (Pagan)

Rosh Chodesh Nisan (Judaism) [1 Nisan]

Slightly Silly Day (Pastafarian)

Toothbrush (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

All Shook Up, by Elvis Presley (Song; 1957)

Apostrophe (‘), by Frank Zappa (Album; 1974)

The Bible, printed by Johannes Gutenberg (Book; 1457)

Bringing It All Back Home, by Bob Dylan (Album; 1965)

The Clock (Film; 1945)

The Croods (Animated Film; 2013)

D-I-V-O-R-C-E, recorded by Tammy Wynette (Song; 1968)

Far Beyond Driven, by Pantera (Album; 1994)

Fist of Fury (Film; 1972)

The Golden Touch (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

Mr. Wonderful (Broadway Musical; 1956)

Olympus Has Fallen (Film; 2013)

On the Border, by The Eagles (Album; 1974)

Please Please Me by The Beatles (Album; 1963)

Power to the People, by John Lennon (Song; 1971)

The Rules: All You Need Is Cash (TV Rockumentary Special; 1978)

Sing Smokey, by The Temptation (Album; 1965)

Spring Breakers (Film; 2013)

Station 19 (TV Series; 2018)

Us (Film; 2019)

Today’s Name Days

Clemens, Elmar, Klemens, Lea (Austria)

Rosen, Rositsa (Bulgaria)

Lea, Leonarda, Oktavijan (Croatia)

Leona (Czech Republic)

Paulus (Denmark)

Viktor, Viktoria (Estonia)

Vihtori, Viktor (Finland)

Léa (France)

Elmar, Lea, Reinhilde (Germany)

Drosos, Drosoula (Greece)

Beáta, Izolda (Hungary)

Benevenuto, Caterina, Lavinia, Lea, Muzio, Onofrio, Nilda, Nilde (Italy)

Dziedra, Giedra, Ralfs, Tamāra (Latvia)

Gedgaudas, Gedgaudė, Kotryna (Lithuania)

Paula, Pauline (Norway)

Bazylissa, Bogusław, Godzisław, Katarzyna, Kazimierz, Paweł (Poland)

Drosida, Vasile (Romania)

Beňadik (Slovakia)

Bienvenido, Lea (Spain)

Kennet, Kent, Viktor (Sweden)

Lea, Leah, Lee, Leigh, Leighton, Parker (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 81 of 2023; 284 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 12 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Fearn (Alder) [Day 4 of 28]

Chinese: Second Month 2 (Gui-Mao), Day 1 (Ji-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 29 Adar 5783

Islamic: 29 Sha’ban 1444

J Cal: 20 Ver; Sixday [20 of 30]

Julian: 9 March 2023

Moon: 1.5%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 25 Aristotle (3rd Month) [Justin]

Runic Half Month: Beore (Birch Tree) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 3 of 90)

Zodiac: Aries (Day 2 of 30)

Calendar Changes

桃月 [Táoyuè] (Chinese Lunisolar Calendar) [Month 3 of 12] (Peach Month)

[noxtivagus]

neath dark waters

[qqueenofhades]

Oh darling fandom grandma, do you have any current recs for some good fiction books? Something kind of like Tamora Pierce's tortall books? (sorry if you haven't read those books, was the only series that I could think of to reference)

Perhaps surprisingly, I have never actually read any Tamora Pierce books, but I am going to categorize this request, hopefully not inaccurately, as "imaginative, diverse, feminist/female-centered fantasy." In which case, you are in luck, because that is also My Jam, and I have the following enthusiastic recs, many of which are doorstopper-size and should keep you busy for a while:

The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty (City of Brass, Kingdom of Copper, Empire of Gold). Set in both 18th-century Egypt and the magical djinn kingdom of Daevabad; complex and morally grey female main characters; lots of garbage men; all characters are people of color; political intrigue, magic, sass, adventure out the wazoo, and Muntadhir al-Qahtani my most beloved, I NEED MORE PEOPLE TO READ THESE BOOKS

The Rook and Rose trilogy by M.A. Carrick (only the first two books are out: The Mask of Mirrors and The Liar's Knot). A lush Venetian-inspired fantasy setting, a con-artist female main character, family intrigue, political manipulation, complicated plots, exploration of colonization and cultural appropriation; MORE PEOPLE LIKEWISE NEED TO JOIN ME IN SHIPPING REN/VARGO/GREY;

The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon (The Bone Season, The Mime Order, The Song Rising, The Mask Falling): set in an alternate-history future England with sci-fi, telekinetics, fallen angels, a ruined Oxford, underground resistance groups in London, a badass female main character; generally one of the most imaginative spec-fic series I have ever read;

The Priory of the Orange Tree, also by Samantha Shannon; I recommended this book in a separate post recently because I love it. Tons of historically-inspired settings, lots of female, queer, POC characters; ASOIAF-style political intrigue and dragons without the Male Author grossness;

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud (The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate, plus prequel The Ring of Solomon). This series was formative for me as a teenager, all right. F O R M A T I V E. If you have not read it you need to do so right away, and I don't care how old you are. Stroud absolutely rips the British Empire to pieces, dismantles the Special White Boy fantasy trope, explores slavery and imperialism and cultural genocide, and is also both incredibly funny and incredibly heartbreaking in the course of three YA books.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri; lush female-led epic fantasy set in a fantasy world based on ancient India; supposed to be the first one of a series so there are more to come;

Uprooted and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik; retellings of fairytales with a cast of diverse female characters, especially Spinning Silver which is a reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin in an Imperial Russian-inspired world with a Jewish main character;

The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger (Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, Timeless); set in steampunk Victorian London with vampires and werewolves; badass female main character; Absolutely Everyone Is Queer; like Jane Austen crossed with P.G. Wodehouse;

Anyway, there are possibly more that I could think of, but these are what came to mind after an initial perusal of my own bookshelves, and should be enough to get you started. Happy reading. :)

[sentistrange]

Conlang Tips & Info

@typotripprr asked about this, but it would be way too long to comment (lol).

Some Basic Notes

I think the first thing you should ask yourself is this : will it be for a fictional world or for the modern day?

This is important because if it's used for a nation/group in a fictional setting, you need to think about what sounds speakers can make (pitch for rodent-inspired characters, clicks for aliens, etc.). And if you are solely using this language for specific scenes, then you really only need to create words for those moments. You’d need words specific for that world, probably without a direct translation for extra realism.

If you're using this for the modern world and everyday use, then you'll need to add words we use day-to-day in the present (car, computer, soda, etc.). However, you can make combo words to make something new or the same words with multiple meanings.

You can also take inspiration from a lot of languages, but don't clutter them. My first conlang, Sukoig Nohaas (lit. Star Sound/Language) has been described as sounding like Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Polish, and quite a few others, but I actually didn't take inspiration from any of them. But it is a language that can be used IRL.

The Letters & Sounds

This is something you should start with, as it's the foundation of your words.

You can start with these kinds of charts :

But personally, they're too complex and complicated for me, so I stick with basic, "a = ah, e = eh, i = ee, etc." which works fine.

Think about the sounds letters make. In English, "c" can be "k" or "s", but in Indonesian, "c" is "ch", and in Chinese, "c" is a mix of "s" and "z" (but that depends on dialect). You can choose to have certain letters with the same sound, but how the word is spelt changes which one is used. Or you can remove one entirely. In Gaelic, there is no "k", and they always use "c" for that sound.

If you can't decide what letters you want, you can do a couple things. If you have Scrabble, grab a random bunch of pieces and use those letters or find random letter generators/assign numbers to letters and use a random number generator. You can also choose words/names and take those letters. My second conlang, Kikke Molmi (lit. Name Language), only uses the letters in my full name : a, e, i, o, u, j, k, l, m, r, s.

Also, we have letters that make different sounds when put together. In Gaelic, "bh" makes a "v" sound. In Sukoig Nohaas, "sg" makes "sh", "vg" makes "th", and "gh" makes "ch".

But if you're making your own alphabet or using a non-Latin real script, you can have separate letters for the sounds. In Japanese, "し" is "shi" and "ち" is "chi".

While it doesn’t have special letters, this is Kikke Molmi’s script (based on things I like) :

Letter Order

This can be important or it can’t matter at all. Having a specific formula for letter order helps the language stay congruent, but your language doesn't need to be.

For making new words with a specific order, there is a website called Awkwords that a lot of people use. Using Kikke Molmi as an example, it looks like this :

(Note : V = Vowel, C = Consonant, N = Nasal, but you can add/remove.)

And by doing this, you can choose words in that order or random.

Some people just make up random orders. Using Sukoig Nohaas as an example :

Stet angha nen biirn'mius nen. Gholu stet haram sgapa ferharma nen yaun opur sgri (lyrics from a cover I made of a song called Still (Piano Ver.) by Rua feat. K. It's 1:15-1:25).

Grammar, Pt. 1

Okay, this part's a bit tricky.

You'll see examples using "S", "O", and "V", which means "Subject", "Object", "Verb". They'll be in the form of SVO, SOV, OVS, etc.

Examples :

English, SVO : The woman plays the piano.

Japanese, SOV : 私は猫が好きです。(lit. I cat like. Means, "I like cats".)

Ancient Middle Egyptian, VSO (some are supposed to stack) :  𓇋𓅱𓅠𓅓𓈖𓀀𓋴𓏭𓏞𓀀 (lit. Found the scribe her. Means, "The scribe found her".)

Sukoig Nohaas uses OVS and Kikke Molmi uses VOS.

Additionally, if you're using a new alphabet, which way do you write it? Latin sentences are left-to-right, up-to-down, but Chinese sentences are (traditionally) up-to-down, right-to-left. Sukoig Nohaas is written in Latin order, but Kikke Molmi is written left-to-right, down, right-to-left, down, and so on. This was inspired by Atlantean from Atlantis: The Lost Empire (my favorite Disney movie).

(This is the sentence shown in Grammar Pt. 2.)

Grammar, Pt. 2

Next, you need to think about when things like time/tense, adjectives, prepositions, and amounts. Using Kikke Molmi as an example, the full order is :

Time - Location - Verb - Amount (+1, +2)  - Adjective - Object - Amount - Adjective - Subject.

So a full sentence would be :

Liklu osura rasja orki aska askok ku (lit. Lunchtime eat dead dog happy cat. Means, “During lunchtime, the happy cat eats the dead dog”).

But are you going to form these things? Maybe you don't need adjectives or tenses or pronouns. Kikke Molmi has no tense (as you may have noticed) nor pronouns, as it uses names only and a term for the "unknown person" if the name is unknown. So no I/you/us/he/she/they/it.

As opposed to Sukoig Nohaas, which depends on root words and affixes.

For example, the root word "zusiefaur" means "romantic love", so "le'zusiefaur" is "lover" (le' is a person), "me'zusiefaur" is "to love" (me' is a verb marker, and then uses a suffix for tense) and ner’zusiefaur means “romantically lovable” (ner’ is an adjective marker). So these two languages are very different when it comes to that.

Also, Kikke Molmi’s number system are in the form of +1, +2, +3, but use symbols with 1 stroke for +1, 2 strokes for +2, etc., which can be confusing

Creating a Lexicon

When creating your lexicon, think about *what* it's for. In fantasy/sci-fi languages, focus on specific scenes and terminology. As for everyday use, I personally make words as I need them or find a list of words and fill them all out. You should definitely keep them on an online document or notebook and if you want to use it IRL, it's a good idea to make flashcards/quizzes to memorize.

Slang is a good thing to add. English uses “fruity” in reference to being gay, while Spanish uses, “Tener pluma.”

An example of Sukoig Nohaas slang is, “ner’nemmia ner’nuun fomaasg,” which means, “a dusty old book.” This is slang for someone who is outdated and shuns modern technology-- basically a boomer.

Actually Writing Things

You can easily look up "conlang exercises" and poems, but if you want a *real* challenge, translate a book.

As I showed before, you can also make song covers. Keeping the same amount of syllables is hard, though, so I separate each syllable, count them, and find my own words that match and share the meaning. It's tricky, though, and you'll need a decent amount of words to do so. Sometimes you need to make new words to fit it.

It's tough at the beginning, but it definitely gets easier the more you practice.

Prompts

Here are some prompts to get you started :

Pick 3 random vowels and 8 random consonants.

Choose 5 random or your favorite Pokémon and use those letters.

Start every syllable with a vowel and end it with 2 consonants (same or different).

Take real words and invert/scramble for a new word.

Use the first 2 letters of 6 people you know.

Only use the letters of your full name. (Credit : @/conlangprompts)

Find three random items and use those letters for a word.

And prompts for scripts :

Use your favorite things as letters.

Make every letter have a swirl.

Only use boxes and circles.

Draw shapes with your eyes closed and use those as letters.

Helpful Sources for Info, Prompts & Help

(YouTube) Biblaridion

(YouTube) Artifexian (Inspired Sukoig Nohaas)

(Tumblr) conlangprompts (Inspired Kikke Molmi)

(Site) Awkwords

(Site) Ogden's Basic English

(Site) Arth(aey)

r/conlangs

Conclusion

Making a conlang seems daunting and intimidating at first, but it's super fun! I came up with Kikke Molmi in less than 10 minutes. Creating a language for a fictional world can be a lot harder because you need to obey certain rules, but Awkwords really helps with that! Don't stress and work at your own pace. Let your creativity flow, even if you don't see yourself as creative.

I hope this helps. And remember, don't stress and have fun!

[blindedwings]

I'll leave this up to you, how about a male reader who's the quiet/I'm not interested unless you try to talk to me often type? Which cookie (or cookies) would make the commitment?

PURE VANILLA COOKIE ✯ He finds you really interesting actually! He likes how calm you are even in the worst situations and decided to talk to you ✯ Thank god he did because that's basically how everything started between you two ✯ He understood that it would take some time for you to adjust to him and he respected that and gave you space ✯ He studies with you a lot ✯ Your aura is really calming (well that's what he says) ✯ He was the first one to catch feelings hehehe ✯ Both of you never expected that chatting would lead you to be married and have kids on your own so..

𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗖𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗘

❥︎ Shocking isn't it? NOT IN MY PAGE ITS NOT ❥︎ You met through pure vanilla ❥︎ He first saw you in the library at blueberry yogurt academy and his face began heating up and his heart just went jsjsjsjsindjdjejdbjdhwitcheshelpmethatfaceistoobeatifultobeseenbysomebodyohwitchesohwitches ❥︎The ancients tease him A LOT ❥︎ It took so long for him to confess but hey,he did it ❥︎ Everytime you smile he just falls 10x harder

𝗟𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗖 𝗖𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗘 ✿ Okay okay I'll stop adding these kinds of cookies..or will I? ✿ He loves being around you because you're quiet to the point it started to turn into a daily thing for y'all ✿ This sneaky bitch always appears behind you and slithers his arm around your body till the point it reaches you hips ✿ Gets jealous really easy so be careful ✿ Yogurt teases him and lilac doesn't even try to deny it

𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗚𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗘 ⸙ You're also a tbd special agent but you're talked about a lot and he decided to see what all the commotion was about and when he saw you.. : *thud* his legs gave up on him ⸙ ' HOW CAN SOMEONE BE THIS HANDSOME SBSJKSNS !?' ⸙ He loves kissing you (not in public because neither of you like pda) ⸙ When croissant sees him staring she'll just look at him like :

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ⸙ o v e r p r o t e c t i v e

This post belongs to @yourlocal-trans.

Do not steal.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Gavin’s R&S - Minor’s Memos

🍒This R&S (韩野的备忘录) is part of the Dream Heart Lake event which has not been released in EN🍒

More r&s from the event: 

> minor’s memos ♡

> tilted time

> little bro’s self-cultivatiion

> ashes

[ Chapter 1 ]

The First Memo

I was beaten up.

This morning, I was especially courageous and pasted a "Evil Spirit Begone" challenge letter on the school bully’s lunchbox. But I didn’t stop myself and pasted too many. The other party brought five people and cornered me in a small alley. I straightened my back, but felt a chill. What happened in the end were the four words I started off with... I was beaten up. With a bloody nose and a swollen face, I suddenly felt that there truly weren’t any heroes in this era... Even an ardent youth like me had to face such tribulation...

Suddenly, a pair of white sneakers stood before my eyes. Lifting my red and swollen eyes with difficulty, all I saw was an icy outline. He reached out to grab the neck of one of the school bullies, and had a sharp look in his eyes!

Oh my... It was actually Se! Nior! Ga! Vin!

Today, I finally witnessed what was a true 1 v 5 looked like. Gavin blew the dust off his hands, lowering his eyes and giving me a glance before leaving. Quick-wittedly, I tugged on the bottom of his trouser leg.

Senior turned out to be just as cold and indifferent as the legends said. During the entire process, he only said one word - “Scram”.

He’s such a MAN!

Hence, there’s a small goal in my heart. I want to learn the supreme feat of Senior’s 1 v 5!

-

The Second Memo

I looked for Senior many times, but was mercilessly ignored by him... He was either wholly absorbed in drinking water, or wholly absorbed in sleeping... I decided that I had to take the initiative! So, I came up with a plan to perfectly understand Senior.

Cough cough.

With this, I started embarking on the dull and dry life of “tracking” Senior. At 7.30am, Senior would appear at the school gate punctually, carrying a flat schoolbag. I don’t know if there are any books in it... Forget it, is that the main point? Nope!

After Senior reaches school, the first thing he does is head to the small kiosk in the north to! Buy! Breakfast! Does he actually lead such an ordinary life too? I even thought an existence like Senior’s should be above worldly affairs, and that he wouldn’t eat the food of common mortals! Hey hey hey! It seems that Senior really likes to eat fishballs? He’s been eating them for three consecutive days!!! Isn’t it good to change it to something else?!!!

During class, I deliberately went around the upper levels where the Year 3 seniors were, pretentiously passing by Senior’s window. Of course, Senior typically wouldn’t appear in the classroom at all. But!!! He was here today!!!!

As expected, he was assigned to sit in the last row, and was sleeping without restraint...

Did nobody care?! Wait, why am I feeling envious?

After school, Senior walked around, and I had no idea where he was headed to. Finally, he walked into the library. I couldn’t help but think - Senior really lives life as he pleases...

Huh? Hang on! Why would the Underworld Senior go to the library?!

He not only went to the library, but the thing which startled me even more till my jaw dropped was - I saw Senior helping the prettiest girl in class retrieve a book from the shelf!

He even... s-smiled...

Had my vision gone blurry? This was the Underworld Senior who’s said to be cold, unruly, and scares girls away?!

-

[ Chapter 2 ]

The Third Memo

I was beaten up again...  Writing these words is truly lamentable... Why did I have to rescue that stupid, unsophisticated and immoral four-eyed boy? But isn’t that what a hero does? What this era needs is a hero like me!

...this era might also not need such a weak hero like me...

That’s what I thought when I was pressed against the ground and punched by a school bully. My conviction was about to collapse. All of a sudden, I recalled the sharp look in Senior Gavin’s eyes. It’d have been nice if he were around...

Perhaps God happened to hear my wish, and Senior descended from the sky! With a dashing left uppercut, the other party lay on the ground, and I was moved to tears. 

Senior asked, why do you keep causing trouble for yourself? I very righteously said that it’s because I wanted to be a hero, and couldn’t stand to see school bullies targeting the weak. Senior then said, don’t you know that they call me a school bully?

In my heart, I responded that I knew. But I shook my head very firmly. The look he was giving me suddenly had a hint of bewilderment added to it... like he was looking at a... hm? An idiot? ...

Senior is very difficult to understand. He even told me about what true heroism was, which went beyond the words I recognised from Senior. He actually said two sentences! I’ll note them down, I’ll note them down...

Who cares about him! From what I see, heroism is about rushing to the rescue when one sees injustice!

-

The Fourth Memo

Today, I! Was! A! Hero!

I was following Senior around secretly today, though I don’t know how many days it’s been, and encountered Senior being ambushed! Those guys were the school bullies who beat me up the last time! A total of ten people were there! Terrible! Tyranny of the majority! How could I, Minor, allow such a situation to happen!

Without much thought, I rushed forward to help Senior! Of course, I was beaten up yet again... but I discovered one of Senior’s nuclear abilities-

1 v 10! Too dashing, too dashing. I don’t think Superman, X-Men or Iron Man are as dashing! Senior is a god in my eyes!

But Senior was very cold. He said two words to me which left me utterly heartbroken: courting death.

Feeling wronged, I told him that I wasn’t courting death. This was what heroism meant to me. 

Senior scoffed, then told me not to follow him around sneakily in the future, because it was annoying.

What what what? Was my perfect “Understanding Plan” exposed since a long time ago?!

For some reason, I spoke up at this moment. “Senior, I saw you handing a book to the prettiest girl in class... Are you...”

Senior coughed, then covered his mouth with a hand... W-was he actually blushing!!!!? Oh my goodness - did I discover something disgraceful? Senior actually blushed! If I say it out loud, would I get silenced?!!

-

[ Chapter 3 ]

The Fifth Memo

On the first day of becoming Senior’s, oh wait - Bro Gavin’s little brother, hehe, made me feel like I was suddenly floating. Today, I finally walked beside him in broad daylight, and felt as if a gust of wind was blowing past while walking hahahaha! I saw people looking me with that gaze! That~ Gaze~

But I never expected Bro Gavin to be so strict... All I did was mention casually that someone gave the prettiest girl in class a love letter again, and Bro Gavin suddenly got angry, and asked me to grab those people over.

Catching people is really tiring. I had to run to several classrooms, and it was really annoying to move personnel. In the future, I definitely wouldn’t do such work.

Bro Gavin glanced at them and didn’t say anything. Was I supposed to save the show?? After recalling how teachers typically lecture me, I copied them wholesale and gave them a lecture: At this young age, they should concentrate on their studies instead of fooling around.

[Note] I translated “copied them wholesale” from “原封不动”, which literally translated to “not touching the original envelope”. This is a beautiful choice of idiom because that’s exactly what Minor did later on LOL T^T

Seeing the fear and trepidation in their eyes, I became even more excited.

While I was lecturing them happily, Bro Gavin walked over and only said one thing: Get the love letters back. If you scare her, don’t blame me for being difficult.

Wow, Bro Gavin is so cool! Come to think of it, did I discover a little secret that I shouldn’t be aware of? For example, that Bro Gavin’s feelings towards the prettiest girl in class are actually..

-

The Sixth Memo

I think Bro Gavin is most likely, indeed, and definitely in love. Recently, I became Bro Gavin’s private detective, specialising in focusing on the prettiest girl in class. Maybe next time, I should change the way I address the prettiest girl in class to “Sis-in-law”... Well, since the ancient times, heroes have always loved beauties!

As of now, Bro Gavin isn’t really Bro Gavin anymore -

He hangs out in the library every day. If you want to know where Bro Gavin is, all you have to do is ask where the prettiest girl in class is... He no longer fights, no longer goes to the sports field, and no longer plays ball games anymore. He’s like a salted fish which has lost its dreams. And he actually started reading “5 Years of College Examinations and 3 Years of Sample Questions”... I just want to cry.

[Note] “5 Years of College Examinations and 3 Years of Sample Questions” (”5年高考3年模拟”) is a supplementary book for college entrance examinations used in China!

At noon, we had a PE class together, and I excitedly told Bro Gavin that Sis-in-law had chosen basketball! I initially thought Bro Gavin would snatch up a territory to play basketball. In the end, Bro Gavin hauled me over to the nearby volleyball court...

He said that it was a good place.

Good? What’s good about it? My basketball... I still wanted to display my coolness!

Afterwards, I found out that, tsk tsk, Bro Gavin was truly very sly...

The volleyball court was actually even closer to Sis-in-law’s location as compared to other basketball courts!

When I almost accidentally smashed the ball on Sis-in-law’s head, it was blocked by Bro Gavin, who was far away... How did Bro Gavin do it?!

He actually ran diagonally across the volleyball court so quickly?!!! Does he have some special ability? Will it appear!

But Bro Gavin isn’t attuned to flirtatious expressions at all...

[Note] I translated “flirtatious expressions” from the term “风情”, which literally translates to “information about the wind”

When Sis-in-law thanked him, his face was even colder than when he’s facing me... And when I “accidentally” pushed Sis-in-law onto Bro Gavin! He actually gave me a merciless killer glare. Just thinking about it makes my heart feel pained...

He didn’t recognise my good intentions, sob sob sob sob.

-

[ Chapter 4 ]

The Seventh Memo

Today, I saw another side of Bro Gavin! That is - the Bro Gavin at the sports meet! He’s such a MAN!!!

In the ten-lap long-distance race in the sports field, Bro Gavin won the first place, leaving the second place runner far behind him by three laps. He didn’t even pant!

What kind of supreme feat is this? Before, I used to think that he was only super capable in fighting. Looks like there are many other things I have to learn from Bro Gavin!

It was only today when I realised that although Bro Gavin is so fierce and is always called an Underworld Senior, he seems to be really popular, based on how the female students looked as if they were about to glue their eyes onto Bro Gavin’s body -

Ah, I just want to “tsk tsk”.

Bro Gavin seemed to be in a good mood, but when I asked him to teach me 1 v 10, he assigned me to work as a private detective again...

He was very concerned about Sis-in-law’s sprint. Perhaps he’s a tsundere or something, so he didn’t go himself, and insisted that I went instead. He even tossed his phone to me.

What’s that supposed to mean? His phone? Did he mean that I should sneak pictures? Am I, Minor, such a person?

I called out to Sis-in-law. She turned her head, and I managed to secretly photograph an utterly beautiful side profile. It looked really good. This time, Bro Gavin would definitely teach me 1 v 10, right?

In the end, he! Did! Not!

Bro Gavin is someone who values a lover more than his little bro!

What can I say? I had no choice but to squat at the side and watch Bro Gavin staring at the picture on his phone, occasionally revealing an unusual smile... 

Oh my, Bro Gavin smiled again!!!! It makes me feel frightened!!!!

Love makes people lose their minds!!!

-

[ Chapter 5 ]

The Eighth Memo

Bro Gavin looks very low-spirited recently. If he was a salted fish with no dreams before, then I reckon that right now, he’s not even a salted fish... He seems to have fallen in love with being in a daze lately.

After being in a daze in the piano room, he’d be in a daze in the library, continuously staring at the empty seat where Sis-in-law used to sit, and I have no idea what he’s thinking about. 

But I really didn't expect a person who sleeps in class to be in a daze in the library for an entire afternoon... Did Bro Gavin and Sis-in-law have a fight recently?

Very curious, I asked around, and found out that for some reason, Sis-in-law has been hurrying off after school, and no longer goes to the library nor the piano room. I also heard that she’s been doing her revision for exams at home... Could it be that she’s hiding from Bro Gavin?

Oh my god, why don’t I write an eight o'clock soap opera with such an imagination? It might even become popular!

Returning to the original topic... should I tell Bro Gavin about this? If Bro Gavin also thinks that Sis-in-law is hiding from him, he might be heartbroken.

I’m worried...

-

The Ninth Memo

Bro Gavin disappeared for quite a long time, and finally returned today! But he brought with him a body full of injuries, and it’s very worrying because I didn’t know what happened! He also stuffed a letter to me, saying that it was for Sis-in-law. Even though the envelope was flat and smooth, it had a lot of blood stains.

Did Bro Gavin do something dangerous? He bled so much! I asked him to go to the hospital but he refused... Bro Gavin is truly too wilful!

But he is really different today. Why do I feel like I’m handling funeral arrangements? Touch wood!

He also said that he’d teach me 1 v 10 when he we meet again... Wow! If Bro Gavin wasn’t hurt, I’d have wanted to pounce on him and give him a peck! Bro Gavin is the most dashing! Bro Gavin is the coolest!

Come to think of it, Bro Gavin is about to take the college entrance examinations, and the seniors from the graduating classes have been pretty sad recently. The next meeting Bro Gavin mentioned was probably summer vacation? Hehe, I’m looking forward to it a little!

In that case, while Bro Gavin isn’t around, I’ll be the one to help Sis-in-law block off all the rotten apples!

Other men, don’t even think of approaching my Sis-in-law!

She! Is! Bro! Gavin’s!

-

The Final Memo

During the entire summer vacation... I didn't see Bro Gavin...

More from the Dream Heart Lake event: here

[avintagekiss24-masterlists]

→ o t h e r | p a i r i n g s

last updated: july 7th 2021 | dividers by @firefly-graphics​

all reader inserts are black!reader

* - smut | ✝︎ - 1k+ notes

→ s a m s t e v e b u c k y

\\ * pipers creek (complete) | sam wilson is a simple man. he likes to do simple things, like going   fishing on a warm summer day. little does sam know, this fishing trip   will not only lead him to his soulmate, but into a world of ancient folklore

\\ * the art of the deal (complete) | it’s sam and steve’s tenth anniversary. perfect time to add a third

→ c a p k o y e (steve rogers x okoye)

\\ * vip | steve returns home to find that okoye has received a special package

\\ the captain and the general | steve and okoye have a secret

\\ * the captain and the general part 2 | steve and okoye get the night to themselves 

\\ home | steve comes home

\\ * born on the 4th of july | okoye and steve celebrate his birthday

→ s a m b u c k y

\\ * 8pm | sam and bucky are enjoying life after all of the chaos of thanos finally dies down

\\ catch and release | sam gets acquainted with his new accessory

\\ * all work and no play... (social media au) | sam is home from work early. bucky isn’t. sam is bored. bucky isn’t. sam is horny. bucky isn’t. sam sets out to change that

→ b u c k y  b a r n e s  x  t ‘ c h a l l a

\\ * hate me (in the morning) | there’s a thin line between love and hate that t’challa knows all too well.

→ 1 . 3 k f o l l o w e r s

capkoye (steve rogers x okoye)

#19: one person stopping a kiss to ask “do you want to do this?”, only to have the other person answer with a deeper, more passionate kiss.

#32: a kiss so passionate, so perfect - that after they part, neither person can open their eyes for a few moments afterwards.

#33: an unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.

#40: a gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them.

#42: distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop the other person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead.

buckoye (bucky barnes x okoye)

#33: an unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it

natasha romanov

#27: kisses exchanged while one person sits on the other’s lap.

#11: morning kisses that are exchanged before either person opens their eyes, kissing blindly until their lips meet in a blissful encounter.

* #3: a breathy demand: “kiss me” - and what the other person does to respond. (featuring okoye)

peter parker x shuri

#8: laying a gentle kiss to the back of the other’s hand.

sambucky

#44: tentative kisses given in the dark

→ 2. 7 k f o l l o w e r s

capkoye (steve rogers x okoye)

* risky

sambucky 

* taste

→ k i n k t o b e r 2 0 1 9

capkoye (steve rogers x okoye)

* taste, touch, feel

sambucky

* tipsy

natasha romanov x reader x okoye

* sweet

samsteve

country

[tinyshe]

Ember Days: The 1st Wednesday, Friday & Saturday after ‘Lucy, Ashes, Dove and Cross’

The term ‘Ember Days‘ find its origin in the Latin Quatuor Tempora (‘four times’). Ember Days are observed  on the successive Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at the beginning of the four seasons of the year and are an ancient practise instituted by the Church to thank God for blessings received and to implore further graces for the season ahead. They are intended to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation and to assist those in need.

Ember Days are days of fasting and abstinence and fall annually after “Lucy, Ashes, Dove, and Cross“:

• December 13 (St. Lucia, V.M.) • Ash Wednesday • Whitsunday (Pentecost) • September 14 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

From Blessed be God: A Complete Catholic Prayer Book (pp.234-5): “Wednesday, Friday and Saturday were days of particular devotion in the early Church: Wednesday as recalling the betrayal of our Lord, and Friday in memory of His Passion, Saturday was later added to these days of prayer and penance as a continuation of Friday, and as far back as the second century they were set apart as Stational days, that is, as days of special religious service and fasting.”

The origins of Ember Days date from the ancient Church (at least the fifth century) and the modern format was arranged and prescribed by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085).

As the dismantling, deconstruction and open disregard for the practise of the authentic, orthodox Catholic Faith took hold after Vatican II, veiled in stratagems of ambiguity and seeded generationally, the observance of Ember and Rogation Days were among the early casualties.

And on that note, and bearing in mind that God sends His people the priests that they deserve – some say on a personal, rather than purely societal, basis – following the extract from Jeremiah 3: 14-15 below, are some prayers for Ember Days.

“Return, O ye revolting children, saith the Lord: for I am your husband: and I will take you, one of a city, and two of a kindred, … I will give you pastors according to my own heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and doctrine.” (Jeremiah 3: 14-15)

Ember Day Prayers

ANT. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done for thee.

V/. Lord, Thou hast been our refuge. R/. From generation to generation.

Let us pray. GRANT, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that as year by year we devoutly keep these holy observances, we may be pleasing to Thee both in body and soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Honour of Christ’s Betrayal and Passion

O GOD, Who to redeem the world didst vouchsafe to be born amongst men, to be circumcised, rejected by the Jews, betrayed by the traitor Judas with a kiss, to be bound with cords, and as an innocent lamb to be led to the slaughter; Who didst suffer Thyself to be shamelessly exposed to the gaze of Annas, Caiphus, Pilate and Herod; to be accused by false witnesses, tormented by scourges and insults, crowned with thorns, smitten with blows, defiled with spittings, to have Thy divine countenance covered, to be struck with a reed, to be stripped of Thy clothes, nailed to and raised high upon a Cross between two thieves, to be given gall and vinegar to drink, and then pierced with a lance; do Thou, O LORD, by these most sacred sufferings, which I, unworthy as I am, yet dare to contemplate, by Thy holy Cross and by Thy bitter Death, free me from the pains of hell, and vouchsafe to bring me to Paradise, whither Thou didst lead the thief who was crucified with Thee, my Jesus, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest, God forever and ever. Amen.

5x Pater Noster … Ave Maria … Gloria Patri … (Pre-1968 Indulgence of 3 years)

Prayer for God’s Blessing on Our Labours

O LORD, graciously look down upon Thy servants and upon the work of their hands, and do Thou, Who givest food to every creature, bless and preserve the fruits of the earth, that the needy may be filled with good things and that all may praise the glory of Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Vocations to the Priesthood

ANT. Why stand ye all the day idle, go ye into my vineyard.

V/. Ask the Lord of the harvest. R/. That He send labourers into His vineyard.

Let us pray. GOD, Who willest not the death of the sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; grant, by the intercession of blessed Mary Ever-Virgin and of all the saints, labourers for Thy Church, fellow labourers with Christ, to spend and consume themselves for souls. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. (Pre-1968 Indulgence of 3 years)

•••••••

Psalm 102

Benedic, anima. Thanksgiving to God for His mercies. [1] FOR DAVID himself.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and let all that is within me bless his holy name. [2] Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all he hath done for thee. [3] Who forgiveth all thy iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases. [4] Who redeemeth thy life from destruction: who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion. [5] Who satisfieth thy desire with good things: thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle’s.

.[6] The Lord doth mercies, and judgment for all that suffer wrong. [7] He hath made his ways known to Moses: his wills to the children of Israel. [8] The Lord is compassionate and merciful: longsuffering and plenteous in mercy. [9] He will not always be angry: nor will he threaten for ever. [10] He hath not dealt with us according to our sins: nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

.[11] For according to the height of the heaven above the earth: he hath strengthened his mercy towards them that fear him. [12] As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us. [13] As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him: [14] For he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are dust: [15] Man’s days are as grass, as the flower of the field so shall he flourish.

.[16] For the spirit shall pass in him, and he shall not be: and he shall know his place no more. [17] But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity upon them that fear him: And his justice unto children’s children, [18] To such as keep his covenant, And are mindful of his commandments to do them. [19] The Lord hath prepared his throne in heaven: and his kingdom shall rule over all. [20] Bless the Lord, all ye his angels: you that are mighty in strength, and execute his word, hearkening to the voice of his orders.

.[21] Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts: you ministers of his that do his will. [22] Bless the Lord, all his works: in every place of his dominion, O my soul, bless thou the Lord.

Gloria Patri …  

•••••••

Litany of the Saints

Lord, have mercy on us. (Lord have mercy on us.) Christ, have mercy on us. (Christ have mercy on us.) Lord, have mercy on us. (Lord, have mercy on us.)

Christ, hear us. (Christ, hear us.) Christ, graciously hear us. (Christ, graciously hear us.)

God the Father of heaven, (have mercy on us.) God the Son, Redeemer of the world, (have mercy on us.) God the Holy Ghost, (have mercy on us.) Holy Trinity, one God, (have mercy on us.)

Holy Mary, (* pray for us) Holy Mother of God, (*) Holy Virgin of virgins, (*)

St. Michael, (*) St. Gabriel, (*) St. Raphael, (*) All ye holy Angels and Archangels, (*) All ye holy orders of blessed Spirits, (*)

St. John the Baptist, (*) St. Joseph, (*) All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets, (*)

St. Peter, (*) St. Paul, (*) St. Andrew, (*) St. James, (*) St. John, (*) St. Thomas, (*) St. James, (*) St. Philip, (*) St. Bartholomew, (*) St. Matthew, (*) St. Simon, (*) St. Thaddeus, (*) St. Matthias, (*) St. Barnabas, (*) St. Luke, (*) St. Mark, (*) All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, (*) All ye holy Disciples of the Lord, (*)

All ye holy Innocents, (*) St. Stephen, (*) St. Lawrence, (*) St. Vincent, (*) SS. Fabian and Sebastian, (*) SS. John and Paul, (*) SS. Cosmas and Damian, (*) SS. Gervase and Protase, (*) All ye holy Martyrs, (*)

St. Sylvester, (*) St. Gregory, (*) St. Ambrose, (*) St. Augustine, (*) St. Jerome, (*) St. Martin, (*) St. Nicholas, (*) All ye holy Bishops and Confessors, (*) All ye holy Doctors, (*)

St. Anthony, (*) St. Benedict, (*) St. Bernard, (*) St. Dominic, (*) St. Francis, (*) All ye holy Priests and Levites, (*) All ye holy Monks and Hermits, (*)

St. Mary Magdalen, (*) St. Agatha, (*) St. Lucy, (*) St. Agnes, (*) St. Cecilia, (*) St. Catherine, (*) St. Anastasia, (*) All ye holy Virgins and Widows, (*) [Other Saints may be added]

All ye holy Saints of God, (Make intercession for us.) Be merciful, (Spare us, O Lord.) Be merciful, (Graciously hear us, O Lord.)

From all evil, (^ O Lord, deliver us) From all sin, (^) From Thy wrath, (^) From sudden and unlooked for death, (^) From the snares of the devil, (^) From anger, and hatred, and every evil will, (^) From the spirit of fornication, (^) From lightning and tempest, (^) From the scourge of earthquakes, (^) From plague, famine and war, (^) From everlasting death, (^) Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, (^) Through Thy Coming, (^) Through Thy Birth, (^) Through Thy Baptism and holy Fasting, (^) Through Thy Cross and Passion, (^) Through Thy Death and Burial, (^) Through Thy holy Resurrection, (^) Through Thine admirable Ascension, (^) Through the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete. (^) In the day of judgment. (^)

We sinners, (~ we beseech Thee, hear us) That Thou wouldst spare us, (~) That Thou wouldst pardon us, (~) That Thou wouldst bring us to true penance, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to govern and preserve Thy holy Church, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic Prelate, and all orders of the Church in holy religion, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the enemies of holy Church, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant peace and unity to the whole Christian world, (~) That Thou wouldst call back to the unity of the Church all who have strayed from her fold, and to guide all unbelievers into the light of the Gospel, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us in Thy holy service, (~) That Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires, (~) That Thou wouldst render eternal blessings to all our benefactors, (~) That Thou wouldst deliver our souls, and the souls of our brethren, relations, and benefactors, from eternal damnation, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed, (~) That Thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to hear us, (~) Son of God, (~)

Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, (spare us, O Lord.) Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, (graciously hear us, O Lord.) Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, (have mercy on us.)

Christ, (hear us.) Christ, (graciously hear us.) Lord, have mercy, (Lord, have mercy.) Christ, have mercy, (Christ, have mercy.) Lord, have mercy, (Lord, have mercy.) . [Our Father, inaudibly until] … And lead us not into temptation (but deliver us from evil. Amen.)

(Partial Indulgence, 1968; taken from Fisheaters.com)

~~~ +++++++ ~~~ Rogation Day Prayer

All we can do is worth nothing Unless God blesses the deed; Vainly we hope for the harvest-tide Till God gives life to the seed; Yet nearer and nearer draws the time, The time that shall surely be When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God As the waters cover the sea.

(source)

[paperanddice]

Despite the common perception of the, elementals are completely artificial creations. Elemental spirits have no form or goal, and it is only when they are bound by an external force to a substance that they form into the commonly known elemental forms. It is simply that magic to bind them is widely spread and spoken of that elementals are thought of as natural beings.

Ruin elementals are an exclusive creation of the ruin chanters, rare fey that haunt the remnants of ancient civilization. They are composed of this ancient debris, formed into rough humanoid or bestial forms as best suits the specific material the elemental spirit is bound to. Portions of statues, columns, fallen walls and crumbled buildings, all collected together and shifting as the creature moves.

As every ruin elemental is the creation of a ruin chanter, they exist for a specific purpose as decided by their creator. Most are guardians of ancient sites, hording ancient curios to prevent them from being looted by treasure hunters or archaeologists alike, and stopping attempts at resettling the ruins. Those who merely come to observe the ruins, taking in and understanding the history that remains and the weight of the ages settled upon it may be observed but are left alone.

Originally from the 3.5 Monster Manual V. The ruin chanter will follow this in my next update, but the ruin elemental can function fine on its own if you wish to adjust the flavor for them. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as a spot on the Paper and Dice Discord server, consider backing me there!

5th Edition

Ruin Elemental Large elemental, unaligned Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 175 (14d10 + 98) Speed 40 ft. Str 23 (+6) Dex 10 (+0) Con 24 (+7) Int 9 (-1) Wis 15 (+2) Cha 7 (-2) Damage Immunities poison Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks not made with adamantine weapons Damage Vulnerabilities thunder Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious Senses darkvision 60 ft. passive Perception 12 Languages Terran Challenge 7 (2900 XP) Earth Walk. Difficult terrain composed of earth or stone doesn't cost the elemental extra movement, and it doesn't take damage from hazards and obstacles composed of earth or stone, such as from the spike growth spell. Siege Monster. The elemental deals double damage to objects and structures. Actions Multiattack. The elemental makes two slam attacks and can use Shock Wave if it is available. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8+6) bludgeoning damage. Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6+6) bludgeoning damage. Shock Wave (Recharge 5-6). Each creature within 20 feet of the elemental must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be pushed 5 feet directly away from the elemental and knocked prone.

13th Age

Despite what you might think, ruin elementals are not bound to the High Druid at all. They do not care for modern civilizations and structures, but neither do they hate them in any capacity, and while they prevent resettlement in the ruins they patrol they also prevent outright destruction of them. Attempts to encourage rapid collapse or to forcibly reintroduce the wild to the ruins are met with resistance just as much as civilization's attempt to return.

Many Icons are well aware of ruin elementals and their creators, and few actually appreciate the sentiment of the creatures. Even those who may be sympathetic, such as the Priestess or the Great Gold Wyrm usually wish for something to come of the ruins beyond simply looking at them. Ancient temples should be refurbished and brought back to life, not left to crumble for decades.

Ruin Elemental 7th level Spoiler [elemental] Initiative: +8 Vulnerability: Thunder History’s Haymaker +16 vs. AC - 25 damage Natural Even Hit: The ruin elemental can make a shock wave attack as a free action. Critical Hit: The target loses 5 points from its initiative count. Miss: 10 damage. [Special Trigger] C: Shock Wave +14 vs. PD (all nearby enemies) - The target pops free of the ruin elemental and loses 5 points from its initiative count. R: Ancient Debris +14 vs. AC (1d3 nearby enemies) - 12 damage Stuck in the Past: The ruin elemental subtracts the escalation die from its attacks. Weight of Ages: A creature reduced to 0 initiative or lower while in a battle with one or more ruin elementals begins fossilizing as history accumulates on it. The target must start making last gasp saves. On the fourth failed save, the target turns to stone. After saving, the target rerolls its initiative. AC 23 PD 21 MD 17 HP 100

[anistrange]

A MYTHOLOGICAL ESSAY (TITANS)

Like many here, I love Greek mythology with its unlimited catalogue of gods and fantastic creatures. However, I've always had a problem adapting these stories. Beyond the writing of these figures which is an object of discussion in forums like these, I want to focus on a more A E S T H E T I C aspect.

Specially, about the Titans

NOW WHO ARE THE TITANS?

In Greek Mythology, the titans are the second generation of the gods (theoi) that ruled the cosmos, Cronus is the youngest of the titans when he overthrew his father, the primordial Uranus to later rule the heavens together with Rhea. To this point we know the famous story of Zeus against his father when he freed his brothers from the cage (A.K.A the belly) of Cronus and managed to defeat him and then he was sent to Tartarus.

Now my problem lies beyond its writing and symbolism, the design of this second generation of gods is a problem for me, especially in modern adaptations for the big screen and videogames. How many times have we not seen an adaptation and its design is completely "strange" to say the least?

BEHOLD THE TITANS

- God of War III (2010) -

WOW, I didn't know Thanos signed with Santa Barbara Studios to work as a stuntman for these people.

- Wrath of the Titans (2012) -

- Thank you Hollywood for making us believe that Kronos = Surtr (does not compute)

- Immortals (2011) -

TRIVIA: Did you know that the titans had a strange kink with reinforcing bars :D (seriously, why grey?)

- Disney’s Hercules (1998-1999) - 

Ahhh...

BACK TO THE TOPIC

i mean, we can argue all day long that they as a representation of natural forces is normal to possess supernatural forms in comparison to their descendants the Olympians who represent the human elements of society.

H O W E V E R

I find it too convenient that only these figures have an over the top design compared to their younger generation, (Even the Primordial Gods who are the pure elements of the universe and at the same time the parents of the Titans, they don’t have this monstrous aspect, just look at Nyx and Gaia from Marvel Comics) or we have even seen sometimes how some Titans have human form (Special case, Rhea, Helios and Eos from the God of War saga)

- Gaia and Nyx from Marvel Comics -

My primordial queens look better than their children... How is that possible?

- Helios, Rhea and Eos from the God of War saga - 

See? Designing characters like this is way better and more interesting than turning them into a generic foe as if they were taken from a Lord of the Rings bestiary.

Now, I can understand that this mistaken interpretation of these figures is due to the confusion of the Titans with the Giants (both groups are sons of Gaea who fought a war against the Olympic gods) So it’s kinda understandable that the confusion is palpable.

With all this covered there's someone who's wondering.

Is there any evidence of how the ancient greeks saw the Titans?

Fortunately the answer is YES . There is enough evidence to understand how this second generation of gods were seen by the ancient inhabitants of Greece, especially in two areas, sculpture and painting.

STATUES OF THE TITANS

- Farnese Atlas (150 B.C) -

- Piece of an altar with Selene the moon titaness with either Phosphoros and Hesperus or the Dioscuri - 

- Themis, the titaness of justice ( Chairestratos, c. 300 BCE) - 

First of all, even if the former statues represent either titaness and a second generation titan (Atlas) We found no indication that these figures could be represented in a more exaggerated context.

But the most interesting part is the portraying of the titans in the old greek vase-paintings. WHY? Because the painting compared to the sculpture shows a more human focus on the gods, respecting their authority and power but implementing the qualities and defects that any mortal possesses. And the titans were not the exception when they were portrayed in this spectrum of the art.

AND THIS ARE THE PAINTINGS

- Atlas and Prometheus  ( ca. 530 B.C.) - 

- Oceanus and Tethys (ca. 580 - 570 B.C.) -

But for me, without a doubt, the most representative painting of the titans is this one.

-  Cronus and Rhea (ca. 460 – 450 B.C.) -

If one day I was asked about how the Titans looked like? I will show them this image.

The first time you see this painting, the first thing you can imagine is the portrait of a normal greek family, but once you know who they really are, your perspective about this couple changes, there are no elements so over the top as a giant and monstrous Cronus and a normal stature Rhea that sometimes can generate confusion in people. Perhaps in a way the ancient Greeks wanted their mythological figures not to be too far removed from human nature, so that the people could identify with their deities in the most humane way possible even if the titans were not such adored figures compared to their descendants, the point still stands.

IN CONCLUSION

Lately the stories of Greek mythology have taken a more intimate approach to the relationships with the Greek gods, the fantastic elements are still present, but that is not the main value of these stories. How these figures relate to each other on a daily basis is perhaps an example of how the Greeks saw their gods. Beyond the powers, the titles, they saw people with qualities and defects.

So, if one day there is an adaptation to the screen about mythology and the titans make their appearance, I wish they were less over the top and with more human appearances and relationships, obviously keeping their corresponding power. Just a little thought :)

Thanks for reading my post :D peace  ✌️ ✌️