#the two-hander

[masterrainb0w]

Do Necromancers dream of Large women?

[pyrory]

sellbot cog redesigns!!!! :D thought process + extra design deets under the cut! (waning: its very long LOL)

cold caller: loosely based off of their tto trading card! rotary phone because uhhh. duh they call people, big pointy nose resembles icicle, elongated eyes / eye scopes? idk lol resemble allan. the shape of the receiver is supposed to resemble earmuffs almost? + little teefies

telemarketer: this is probably the most. vague design LOL but they're an auto-dialing machine! specifically based off of the one from the simpsons coz it.. felt fitting idk. i definitely took some liberties but they have a speaker mouth, an indicator bulb for a nose, and the cassette portion is their eye ^_^

name dropper: this was one of the harder names to translate into a design since it doesnt have any ties to any physical items / ideas? so i ended up just building upon their base design. the glasses and bun give them an uptight secretary vibe + gave them more droopy features such as a longer nose and hoop earrings to replace the old ones

glad hander: not much to say about this one. HAND!!!!! my original redesign for this had their eyes on their palm while the fingers sat on top but. idk. it felt more fitting for their hand to be in a fist while the eyes were on the fingers. it makes their middle finger look like a nose

mover & shaker: shaker -> salt & pepper shakers. ez pz. the lids look like little hats too

two face: this was a little tricky coz i like the double face look they originally had. but double talker already has that model and i think it fits them much more than it does two face. i cycled through a few different ideas but eventually ended up with this, inspired by the mayor from the nightmare before christmas & the way his head operates :P

mingler: nothing changed. literally perfect. mingler is peak cog design. just tweaked their colors and gave them a stronger head + hair shape that stands out against the others

mr. hollywood: same with name dropper & mingler, they have a vague name thats hard to interpret BUT the og design was already so good there wasn't much to change Anyways. i was subconsciously inspired by Something while designing them but i dont know what, i guess 50s celebrities? also inspired by ernesto de la cruz from coco!

as a general rule of thumb: i stuck to the same color palette for all of these designs (except for the blue in cold caller & two face. obviously) in order to communicate the fact that they're from the same department. for the more human cogs i tried to separate different parts of the head using color & lines (forehead, cheekbones, chin, nose, etc) in order to give them a subtle robotic look but you can't really see it lol... i tried to keep their GENERAL head shapes but some of them wandered a little far

+ i actually made palettes for all of the cog departments to work on if i ever want to make more redesigns! i'll stick them here since they're on topic

[narklos]

"BY FORMAL DECREE OF DIVINE VICTORIA: CIRCLE OF MAGI TO BE DISSOLVED."

And somewhere in Ferelden, two fugitive apostates rejoiced!

[druidonity2]

King

[thenorwalkagent]

Februabba day 17 - Universe Reset / Any Other AU

Cavalier Abbacchio and Necromancer Bucciarati, very loosely based on some of the setup in Gideon the Ninth (going further into the Locked Tomb series lore would have been too complicated for a one-off comic)

[b0tster]

So I've been playing BBPSX again and again instead of playing the other games I've been meaning to (I swear I'm playing Signalis after this run) and I was wondering what went into what weapons made the cut, especially with the new weapons. Some seem pretty self explanatory, like the axe and BoM are already in there, may as well make them usable. Although it is interesting that you moved the axe to after Gascoigne.

great question!

basically i wanted each stat to have at least one dedicated trick weapon for each stat so no one felt left out. this meant that i converted the saw spear to scale off of bloodtinge and why the tonitrus was added as well (for arcane users).

i made the axe a weapon u find in the game world instead of a starter weapon because theres only 6 weapons in the game, meaning that if there were 3 starter weapons that would be literally half the entire roster which felt imbalanced.

[tenojan-in-tevinter]

I think if Anders didn't talk about Justice like he's some crazed animal, a friend he once knew and never will again that turned evil, if he didn't discount Justice as still a person, if there was some kind of direct dialogue between them... Justice would be far more reasonable in the heat of the moment, and he would probably go Murder Mode less often and he and Anders would have co-control of their body instead of fighting each other for the wheel constantly. I think Hawke (in a romance with them) should help them figure this out. Especially a mage Hawke. Justice isn't just going to go away, Anders needs to accept that vengeance has always been a part of Justice, and there's never a time when it won't be. Like he himself says "Justice is righteous. Justice is hard."

[salsedinepicta]

"Not every haunting is for horror / sometimes it's just for company" (murmur - C. Barnett), or some kind of handers ghost AU, part 1/?

Notes and ramblings under the 'read more', cw: mention of suicide.

I'm humbly proposing Two Scenarios™, maybe?

- Hawke accidentally summons a ghost when he move into a house built over an old prison; could be related to canon or not, like some sort of AU piled over a canon divergence (Anders died during the year in solitary confinement).

- Hawke impulsively buys a flat to move away from his siblings; they are dealing better than him with their parents' death, and what's his use if he is not anymore the responsible older brother that hold everything together? The landlord didn't clean anything, so he inadvertently inherits all the memories things left behind by the previous owner, someone who committed suicide one year prior. Plus a cat that refuses to leave.

[nicollekidman]

https://x.com/variety/status/1787464572279861679?s=46&t=58Bsn0DKb8SReEqdkLBd2w could this be more abby core…..

oh. my god. oh my god.

[liltaireissocute]

[mactiir]

So you want to learn to swordfight.

The most common question I see in historical fencing forums and on social media is "how do you get into HEMA?"

If you're like "what's HEMA?" -- that's Historical European Martial Arts -- it's the study and recreation of historical martial arts through weapons manuals written at the time! Many people take a scholarly approach to it -- focused on reading and recreating martial systems -- but many take a sport approach, because martial techniques are designed to be used martially! This means we're fencing -- swordfighting! Think Olympic fencing with bigger swords and slightly different rules, and more colorful gear. In this post, I will be more focused on how to get into the sporty, competition-focused side of the hobby.

Historical Fencing is a martial art! This is a really common confusion from folks who are more familiar with more well-known sword-loving communities. It's not LARPING (though I love a good LARP) -- we aren't playing characters or scenarios, and we don't dress up (usually-- rapier fencers love poofy pants, lol). It's not stage combat or SCA (although there's some community overlap)-- most of us are less interested in recreating periods or aesthetics from history than we are in learning to fence, and compete, with our weapons of choice. Although LARPing, SCA, and stage combat are all cousin hobbies to WMA, the closest analogue to Historical Fencing as a hobby is... Modern Fencing! Kendo and blade-focused Eastern Martial arts, like Kenjutsu, are also much more like historical fencing than SCA is.

Whether you're considering starting longsword fencing because your favorite author uses it as a reference, rapier fencing because it's the coolest weapon in your favorite video game, or just because you think it'd be sick as hell (it is), here's a (noncomprehensive) FAQ for becoming your very own sword lesbian/broadsword bisexual/greatsword gay/spear queer.

I don't know if there are any classes near me, where do I look?

The best place to start is the Hema Alliance Club Finder. You can use it to look up classes and sparring groups in your immediate geographic area.

2. The Club closest to me doesn't offer the weapon I'm interested in. Should I still go?

Yes. Most clubs are "longsword" clubs, but it’s really rare to find a historical fencer that exclusively fences a single system or weapon. Even if nobody at the club fences the system you're interested in, you can 1) probably talk them into it and 2)fencing not-your-weapon will still make you better at your-weapon. My club is a "longsword" club, but we have fencers who regularly do saber, rapier, rapier and dagger, messer, messer and buckler, side sword and buckler, katana, broadsword, spear, and even montante (greatsword). Just ask!

3) The nearest club is too far away. Can I learn just by studying manuals online?

Yes and no. I don’t recommend doing lots of solo practice without having attended a class. It's a good way to engrain bad habits, as well as avoid fencing altogether ("i cant spar yet, my form isn't perfect/ive learned bad habits" or worse, "i don’t need to spar, i know all the manuals inside and out"). This is a really important point: LEARNING TO MOVE A SPECIFIC WEAPON IS LESS THAN 30% OF FENCING, and you will be moving through guards and forms like a pro with only a few months of intentional practice. Your cut form can be picture-perfect and you will still get wrecked in a bout if you don't have experience. Most of fencing is understanding timing, distance, your psychology and your opponent's, and knowing from experience which positions you can get to from what other positions. You can only learn to fence by... fencing. Now, if your thing is studying arms manuals and replicating them picture-perfect, which some people are into, more power to you! But it won't be winning you any tournaments, and I am writing this assuming you want to do the sporty/swordfighty side of things.

4) wait, there are books on swordfighting?

Yes. Check Wiktenauer. Most of them are free. My club does Joachim Meyer; Fiore and Lichtenauer are also fairly common for longsword.

5) I really can't get to classes, though. Am I just out of luck?

Is there an Olympic fencing group nearby? How about lightsaber fencing? No, seriously. Kendo? Boxing? All of these things train the exact skills that are difficult to learn in HEMA fencing -- distance, timing, reaction speed, fight psychology. Some of the best beginners I've ever sparred came from lightsaber, or kendo. If there is no group nearby at all, pick up a copy of Meyer's art of combat and a 12-inch length of steel pipe (it's the same weight as a longsword) to learn how to move the sword (do NOT hit people with this, oh my god), go to kendo for a few months, and you'll be in decent shape for WMA sparring when you can get to a group.

The reason HEMA is fun is because of the community! Even if it's a really intense commute, try to make it to class at least once or twice. You will enjoy it more, you will learn more, and you will fence better. Don't just do it all on your own! Most of the people in these groups have fallen into the common mistakes so YOU don't have to. Utilize them!

6) What do I do if there are no people to spar with nearby?

Why don't you start a group? Purpleheart armory sells foam swords for like $50 each. Get some friends, get everybody a mask and a boffer and get to it! This is how HEMA as a hobby started -- people messing around with foam trainers and a copy of a 16th century arms manual.

6.5) I'm sparring outside of a club -- should we use synthetics, wood, or steel?

Dude, just use foam until you can get a complete steel kit. Keep in mind: synthetics can be as dangerous as steel, wood is MORE dangerous than steel, and steel requires full safety kit for full speed sparring. Don't break your fingers because you wanted to look cool. These things HURT, and can cause serious injury unless used with intention.

7) should I buy a sword?

If you're with a HEMA school, they will have their own cadence for buying gear, and the sword is usually the last thing you get. You should only buy a federschwert (training sword) once you know your style and sword preference. If you're not following a club cadence or planning to attend a tournament, Do Not buy a steel weapon. A full steel spar kit costs like $800 dollars, and without a full safety kit all you have is a $300 wall ornament nobody can use.

And don't buy a blunt, please. Beginners love blunts because they look like "real swords". They also break bones. Federschwerts are standard in the community and nobody is going to think you’re cool for showing up with a weapon designed to snap someone's humerus in half. If you're that twisted about it, Sigi forge sells schiltless feders that look like "real" swords (a feder is a real sword, but I digress).

8) what safety gear should I buy?

Every club and tournament has its own recommendations. Look at the Mid-Continental HEMA Open rules for a very standard list of gear reqs for a reputable tournament. Generally, in this order, it's:

-mask (don't point a sword at anyone without one of these on)

-chest plastron (for preventing unfortunate accidents that might send shards through the lungs)

-gorget (rigid or semi-rigid)

-hardshell gloves (don't do lacrosse gloves or other soft gloves for longsword, you'll break your fingers)

-puncture-resistant jacket

-forearms/elbows

-shins/knees

-back of head protector (concussions bad)

-pants/skirt

-sword

I probably missed something but these are the most common questions-- fellow HEMAists or interested parties, lmk if I missed anything! Happy fencing!

[bigcatbulges]

Source - Chunie

(Artist's Patreon FurAffinity and Subscribestar)

[palmtreepalmtree]

Hacks consistently makes me laugh out loud more than any show in recent memory. Fucking love Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder.

[flekh]

my artistic journey

[sky-fire-forever]

I had a dream where slowly over the course of a day, Hawke realized that Anders was trapped in a time loop

And it was the day of the Chantry explosion

Anders kept reliving it over and over again. Only it didn't matter what choices he made, he'd still wake up the same morning no matter if he followed through on his plan or not. This day just haunted him and Hawke realized slowly that something was horribly wrong

[mayasaura]

I'm still playing Skyrim as Harrow, and I've somehow glitched the game so that all of my spells cost zero magic to cast, and I have approximately forty-one million magicka points to cast them with

Entering my lyctor era, I guess