#the very popular one (bast)

[sol-ulfr]

Merytmwtheryt -> Sölulfr

For reasons that I will be keeping personal for the most part, I will be leaving the Kemetic Pagan path and moving to a more Norse-centered one. This means I won't be posting Kemetic-related things anymore. I'm very sorry if that's what you primarily follow me for! But for me it's time to move on to something else.

I will be adding all of my Kemetic tags to this post so you can see things about specific Kemetic deities or topics if you would like to.

Thank you to everyone who has joined me on my journey so far! It's been a pleasure, and I hope you stick around 💕

[brekk3red]

Not sure if this fandom still exists, but I found an old notebook from grade 5 that has the translations for these symbols in Artemis Fowl books. I originally thought they were for decorative purposes but it turned out that they weren't, so younger me had a ball decoding these.

For those interested, here are all the ones I've done:

Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident

One of the strangest creatures on the Earth, or more accurately below it, is the common stinkworm. Stinkworms can only survive below the Earth's crust and so have never been seen by humans. The stinkworm can grow to a length of fifteen centimetres and a diameter of up to eight centimetres. The bigger a stinkworm is, the more meat there is in its soft boned skeleton and the more valuable it is to a merchant. Stinkworms are big business in the fairy world and have been for thousands of years. They are very versatile creatures and can be boiled, fried, baked, or even eaten raw though this sushi approach can be difficult to swallow as the stink associated with the worms does not disappear until they are cooked. The current favourite way to eat the stinkworm is in a dish similar to bolognese substituting stinkworms spaghetti. Deep fried on a skewer is popular among the younger generation. What makes the stinkworm so delicious is its juices. When the worm is heated in a pan or oven it bastes itself in a delicious spicy juice which even the best chefs have failed to reproduce. This juice is in fact earwax from the hundreds of ears that cover each worm's body. Some more sensitive fairies cannot forget that they are eating earwax and do not enjoy eating stinkworms, but most are entranced by the flavour that they are quite prepared to ignore where it comes from. Goblins in particular love stink worms and are constantly inventing new ways to consume them. The rarest and most prized stinkworm dish is a stir-fried bowl of stinkworm ears. The ears are shaved from the worm's body, rolled in flour and then lightly fried. This dish takes hours to prepare and costs a fortune. Goblins believe that if you eat a bowl of worm ears then you absorb the worm's memories of the places they have visited. This is not an appealing thought when you consider that a stinkworm's favourite environment is fresh troll dung.

---

Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code

One of the fairy people's most popular pastimes is a card game called Bottoms Up. This game is almost the direct opposite of the human card game Poker. In Bottoms Up, the objective is to end up with the least valuable hand possible. There are four suits: Acorns, Toads, a weird shape known as Splats which is thought to be based on the shape of a stinkworm would make if it were stepped on by a troll, and of course, Bottoms, which gives the game its name. Historians tell us that the curved 'w' shapes which represent Bottoms are actually supposed to represent ocean waves but gamblers prefer to call them Bottoms and now the name has stuck. If a player realises that he is in danger of assembling a good hand, which is bad, he must trick his opponent into taking his valuable cards. The most valuable cards are a golden Acorn, a king Toad, an eight-pointed Splat, and a mega Bottom. There is also a hologrammed wild card which can be anything the holding player wishes it to be. If you are tricked into taking a wild card then you must get rid of it in the next two rounds or it freezes at its current value. When playing Bottoms Up, it is very important to hide any behaviour which might betray nervousness or glee. These behaviours are called 'tells'. An elf's 'tell' is to toy with his pointy ears, sprits sometimes flap their wings causing a downdraught which is never a good idea in a card game, gnomes eat anything they can reach including insects and pieces of furniture, and dwarves lose control of their internal gases. Once these gases build up past a certain point, it becomes almost impossible to hold them up. So if you see a dwarf with a red face, it is a good bet that he has a very bad card, which is good.

---

Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception

There has never been a regulated scientific study of a dwarf's special abilities; what we know about them is based on folklore and hearsay. The most famous of these abilities is the dwarf tunnelling method by which they eat dirt and air before expelling them out the other end. Though the actual force of this expulsive have never been measured, several witnesses have reported windows breaking more than twenty metres away. It is said that a master recycler than finetune his gas emissions so that instead of a widespread blast of flatulence, he shoots out a concentrated column of wind. Legend has it that one such master recycler, a certain Blurt Diggums, was so accurate with these columns that he could turn on a light switch from the other side of the room. Dwarfs themselves use casual terms to refer to strength of their gas emissions. A shirt-flapper is a gentle emission that would barely inflate a child's balloon, a pants-ripper is a sturdier blast and would certainly blow a hole in even the sturdiest material, a nought-to-sixty is a sight whopper and could accelerate whoever dropped it to dangerous speeds, a strap-yourself-down is about as strong as it gets and could help a dwarf achieve flight, and finally, the legendary dark-side. If released in a mountaintop it could put a dwarf into orbit. there is no evidence that a dark-side is anything more than a myth. All the same if you see a dwarf on a mountain with a red face, take cover. You can't be too careful around dwarf wind.

---

Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony

The demon scrolls tell of a warlock that will come to save our people but I couldn't rely too much on the scrolls. They also say that rabbits are supreme beings and that the best cure for a sore throat is a poultice of dung and old socks. Hence trust the scrolls at your peril. There are however a few basic tips for survival in a demon tribe that might be helpful if you were a human and had never actually met a demon before, which is unlikely to say the least. If you were a human, you wouldn't be able to read this in the first place. So, demon survival tips. First, never stab a demon with his own sword. This is the ultimate insult and will result in a vendetta that could go on for generations. It is fine to stab a demon with your sword, he will congratulate you for managing that but only poor warlocks lose their swords and then get stabbed with them. If the opportunity arises, give it a miss. Demons have a pretty comprehensive system of sign language ... (I couldn't find the rest unfortunately)

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Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox

From the collective correspondence of Opal Koboi, a series of letter between Koboi inmate number [cannot be identified], Atlantis maximum penitentiary, and Wing Commander, Vinyaya, Haven Council.

Koboi: "My dear Wing Commander, while I realise that my first probation hearing is not due for four hundred years, I feel that it would be in the people's best interests to release me before then. After all, the humans are becoming more sophisticated daily and a genius such as myself will be needed to ensure that fairy technology remains superior to human technology."

Vinyaya: "Dream on, Koboi."

Koboi: "I am sensing negative vibrations from you, Wing Commander. Do not be so quick to judge, people can change, surely you can accept that. I admit that once, I found the idea of being the planet's supreme power an attractive one, but who hasn't secretly nurtured the dream of wiping out humanity and utterly dominating one's own peers? I see now that this dream might be unacceptable to some narrow-minded fairies and I am prepared to swear on my pixie honour that should I be released I would not attempt to take over the world again."

Vinyaya: "On your pixie honour. Wow, I'll send the transfer shuttle right over."

Koboi: "I see now, Wing Commander, that you never had any intention of sending the transfer shuttle right over. In fact, you were being sarcastic. Mocking me from the safety of police plaza before i realised that the shuttle was not coming for me. I packed by belongings so that I could be ready, including my collection of model seahorses which I fashioned form chewed cardboard. My favourite seahorses, Twinky and Goodboy, were broken in the process. Twinky cries every night over her severed tail and Goodboy does not look so dashing without his head. Your callousness leaves me no alternative but to place you in my revenge list. When I am finally free of this horrible place and elevated to my rightful position as Queen of the world, you will take my place in this cell and I will send you troll minions to issue daily beatings with batons fashioned from seahorse tails. A fitting punishment, I am sure you agree."

Vinyaya: "See you in four hundred years."

[sonicattos]

*inhales*

i have a theory that sonic and shadow have connections to chao and by extension the ancients

BIG RAMBLE:

this started as a crack theory, but it became more sensible the more i thought about it.

the ancients and the black arms are not only aliens, but are very simalar in design, specifically their bipedal stature, their head shape, lack of a mouth, eyes, 3 fingers and 2 toes

chao actually have a similar mutation, which would be neutral to dark

like chao and their hero/dark favoritism system, shadow the hedgehog absorbs dark and hero energy, you get dark energy by doing bad things in his namesake game, that includes hurting humans, which is simalar to the fact that the black arms feed off of human souls.

reasoning for the black arms, more specifically black doom to be evil? idk. maybe he disagreed with something. maybe he was a victim of “the end”s laser bast. maybe he’s vengeful to humans for whatever reason.

during the “project shadow” development prof. gerald created “chaos drives” which is crystalized chaos energy to transfer to living tissue, this was used for the creation of the ultimate lifeform. these can also be used on chao. these drives have different power types; one of them being running.

here’s fully grown run/run type neutral and dark chao:

these chao don’t look like sonic and shadow, it’s the other way around.

why a hedgehog as the ultimate lifeform?

there IS a popular theory since it’s implied gerald visited angel island and did research, since he has replicas of chaos and a replica of the master emerald shrine, that he may have based the both of the designs off of these prophetic murals (possibly created by the ancients):

perhaps he used hedgehog dna? or maybe he just looks like a hedgehog because that’s how chao can look when they evolve. who knows?

as for sonic we have no clue on his current in-game backstory, so we don’t know HOW this could have been done so i’ll just shoot some ideas and similarities:

sonic and shadow have the same abilities, despite having “nothing” to do with each other

the ancients have green eyes like sonic’s and tendrils that curve downwards like sonic’s quills

like the default neutral chao, he’s blue (plus the yellow gradient on the arms could be similar to sonic’s arms if ur feeling reachy) (the reason why i mention this is because shadow and dark chao)

one of his biggest gimmicks is absorbing chaos emeralds and mutating which is what chaos does. yeah others can do this (supposedly) but whatever

neutral chao always have a curved tendril (?) and a dark chao always has an angular tendril simalar to sonic and shadow’s quills.

edited:

not really a similarity but sonic has been described to neutralize the chaos emeralds when he has them (sonic rush). his ability to withstand a super form is also much greater and drains less energy from him (narratively speaking). it’s a little weird how connected he is to the emeralds when they’re not from his world. although, it’s the same case with the master emerald as well.

before i edited this ended it off with a joke saying i think they’re chao. no i really don’t. with this theory in mind shadow would at least be related genetically speaking.

i know sonic has been described with origins in the past, but they’re all outdated and never mentioned in games.

i do believe wholeheartedly he has connections with the ancients somehow, since it is a little weird that he does look like a chaos energy mutant chao.. i don’t think his origins would’ve been like shadow’s though. i think it would be funny i think since sonic can’t swim but he’s related to water people.

this was not really to be taken seriously, 100% because it is only a theory. i don’t actually think this word for word wholeheartedly, just something i found weird and wanted to info dump about. i also just love the idea of sonic having weird out of the ordinary origins. okay bye.

edit:

the dark chaos chao (devil chao) can get horns…….you know who else—

the black arms own ancient temples on earth that closely resemble the ones on angel island and the starfall islands. (built by the ancients, well angel island is implied to be) they homed replicas of the master emerald.

shadow the hedgehog (2005) is actually the first game to display cyberspace. it was owned by the united federation, but i have a couple theories. one: that it originally belonged to gerald as an attempt to replicate the ancient’s cyberspace, since he did visit angel island for research. two: it’s mentioned in frontiers that g.u.n had visited the sf islands before eggman did. this could be where cyberspace was found by the gov. you could also probably combine the two theories.

[catulhu333]

Sharess was originally a good aspect of Shar *and* Lolth?

...and perhaps the fragment of remaining goodness from both evil goddesses, with all three being possibly originally the same entity? (At least in late 1st and early 2nd edition AD&D lore)

Depictions (from left to right) of Shar, Sharess and Lolth, from 2003's Faiths and Pantheons

It might be a bit obscure, but rather than Bast merging with/absorbing the goddesses Felidae and Zandilar the Dancer; Sharess was originally intended to be a Chaotic Good aspect of Shar, as seen in her very first description in the original 1987 "Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting": "Sharess, a CG aspect of Shar worshipped in Calimshan, Waterdeep, and by idle rich or decadents all over the Realms. Sharess is a goddess of lust, free love, and sensual fulfillment, and is worshipped in prolonged fests with scented baths, music, good food, dancing, and other gratifications."

This when asking one of the writers/editors, Matt Sernett about this, he confirmed that Sharess was actually meant to be a benevolent aspect of Shar, and this not being a misdirection as presented later in lore.

This was basically repeated in 1988's "Empires of the Sands", as well as in the 1993 2nd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, though the latter further suggesting Sharess' benevolent nature might be an act, or that Sharess became a separate being from Shar by this point: "The true nature and identity of Sharess is unrevealed. She may he a direct part of the evil Shar, preparing her following for despair and loss. Or she may be a new thing entirely: a goddess of excess."

This starts to become even more interesting with 1991's "Drow of the Underdark", in the section with the short dictionary of Drow language. There "valsharess" is explained as meaning "Queen", and "Quarvalsharess" "(the) Goddess" in Drow language, specifically and only meaning Lolth (other goddesses are are written as quar'valsharess, and not starting with a capital letter).

The same sourcebook, details the syncretic She-Spider cult - who seemingly consider Lolth and Shar to be the same goddess. The cult was opposed by both goddesses, which is curious, seeing Shar's eagerness to subsume other deities. Though Lolth did latter possibly send her priestess (Malabeth Tr'rudena) to infiltrate the cult.

A card from TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Trading Cards, depicting Malabeth.

This is a proof (along with the mention Shar worship is relatively popular among Drow), of such syncretic cults between the two goddesses existing, as well as one of the hints Shar and Lolth are or were to a degree aspects of each other. Similarly how Sehanine Moonbow in both 2nd edition and 4th edition, was stated to be aspect of Shar's sister, Selûne, most notably first in the above mentioned 2nd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting: "Sehanine: Sehanine is an intermediate power among the elves of the Realms, for they refer to her as an elven version of Selûne, the mortal goddess of the moon."

Indeed, Sharess herself might had been a hint at the connection between Lolth and Shar.

There appeared more hints overtime, like similar antagonism between the 2 pairs, Shar and Lolth becoming both connected to the New Moon, and even more in late 3.5 edition and 4th edition/Nerath lore. For example, it was stated at the very end of 3.5th edition that the god Mask is Shar's son, mirroring Vhaeraun being the son of Lolth. The two gods are very similar, both being gods of thievery connected to shadows, as well as Vhaeraun being called the "Masked Lord", "Masked Mage", "Masked God of the Night". Furthermore, both gods share near identical titles - Vhaeraun being called the "Lord of Shadow" and "Shadow Lord"; Mask being known as the "Lord of Shadows" and "Shadowlord". Both having a similar to near identical symbols. With there being theories, and hints before this reveal, Mask and Vhaeraun might be connected, maybe even aspects of each other, Mask even kinda hinting in one novel (1998's "Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad" by Troy Denning) he is the same as Vhaeraun.

Symbols of Vhaeraun (left, from 1998's "Demihuman Deities") and Mask (right, from 1996's "Faiths and Avatars")

Pictures of Vhaeraun battling his son, Selvetarm (left, from 2004's "Player's Guide to Faerun"), and of Mask (right, from 2003's "Faiths and Pantheons") On Nerath, in turn Lolth and Sehanine are described as sisters, like Shar and Selûne are. So the (at least initial) opposition to the She-Spider cult from both, being possibly from not wanting for their connection to be revealed; or alternately be merged back by the power of belief.

Though to be clear, this could work either way if Shar and Lolth are or were aspects of each other, or not. As Sharess, in her original lore, possibly sprung into existence from the worship of the syncreticism of Shar and Lolth, that arose among drow, and then spread to other races/species, possibly originally named "Quarvalsharess"; before the name became shortened/corrupted among non-drow into just "Sharess". Or even started out named already Sharess among even drow, shortening from Quarvalsharess, to emphasize the "Shar" part.

It's probable Shar at least had more control over the Sharess aspect than Lolth (seeing Sharess was directly stated to be connected to her), and possibly the new goddess, in part absorbing or mirroring whatever benevolent aspects the two goddesses had, became an independent being. This quite probably being at least in part also caused by "Time of Troubles", when gods were forced into singular avatars, this event would have cut-off Sharess from both Shar and Lolth. Especially seeing the possibility of Sharess being an independent entity, was first mentioned not long after the Time of Troubles (ie when 2nd edition Forgotten Realms setting was set).

Depiction of Sharess, from 1995's Polyhedron #109

Soon though, Sharess was given a different origin (first in 1995's “Forgotten Deities: Sharess” in Polyhedron #109, then further developed with some changes in 1997's "Powers and Pantheons" and 1998's "Demihuman Deities") , if still being connected to Shar, and (more indirectly) to drow, and being an amalgamation of aspects of multiple goddesses (but different ones); it's still though an interesting possibility/alternate origin for home campaigns.

Or perhaps even theorizing some part of Shar or even Lolth did get into the divine merger that was Sharess. ("Was", as in 5th edition lore, Sharess was basically split back into Bast and Zandilar).

[mask131]

Egyptians gods: Bastet

Bastet is without a doubt one of the most famous goddesses of Ancient Egypt today.

Everybody heard of the cult and worship Ancient Egyptians dedicated to cats. Cats were sacred animals for them. Originally domesticated around two thousand years before our current era, they were loved due to their habit of hunting, killing and eating rats. When you had cats around, plagues were less likely to break out AND the harvest and fields were safe! Through time, this love took on a religious and sacred aspect, and cats became honored, respected and pampered members of every household. When a pet cat died, the humans that lived in its house had to shave their eyebrows to signify their grief. When the cat of a temple died, the entire town mourned. Each pharaoh had a personal cat, dressed in jewelry and that shared their master’s meal. Cats were mummified, just like humans, and were placed inside a necropolis – showing how important they were for Ancient Egyptians. Egyptians even had a firm belief that when a fire broke out somewhere, cats would just jump in the flames and stop the fire by their sheer power! Cats were a BIG deal in Ancient Egypt.

And the goddess of all cats, the cat-goddess, was Bastet (or Bast), the goddess of the city of Bubastis (a name that means “the house of Bastet”, Per-Bastet in proper Egyptian), in the Delta. However, originally Bastet wasn’t a cat goddess: in her oldest incarnations, Bastet appeared as a woman with the head of a lioness, usually wearing the ankh and a scepter. It was only later that she became a cat – somewhere around the Third Intermediate Period. Sometimes a full cat, wearing jewels or nursing her kittens, other times a cat-headed woman holding a sistrum.

Bastet was, just like several other goddesses (Maat, Hathor, Sekhmet, Tefnut), considered one of the “daughters of Ra” – which meant more than just her having the god as her father. The daughters of Ra were goddesses that embodied the power of the sun, each one reflecting a different side of the sun’s light. Each of them was another identity of the “Eye of Ra”, whose function was to help create and re-create life on Earth, by bringing light and by fighting off the darkness. While sometimes merely depicted as sisters, for many others Bastet and Sekhmet were actually one and the same: a same feline goddess, that when angered or triggered, became the furious lioness embodying the destructive and killing aspect of the sun, while Bastet was rather the benevolent and kind side of the solar light. It was for example written in some texts that Bastet became Sekhmet for the night, to protect ferociously Ra during his journey throughout the dangerous and demon-filled underworld, only to return to being Bastet in the morning. Starting in 2500 BCE, many lioness statues were replaced by cat statues in Sekhmet temples, which with time became Bastet temples. [It is theorized that maybe Sekhmet and Bastet began as one same entity, which was later split into two]

But who was Bastet, by herself, on her own? Bastet was, as I said, the kind and benevolent aspect of the light of the sun. Bastet was the embodiment of sweetness, gentleness and tenderness. People depicted her as calm, peaceful and loving. She was a benevolent and very popular deity associated, just like Hathor, with music and dancing – her rites in Bubastis included musical ceremonies, religious dances and ritualized sex. The festivals of Bastet also included a LOT of alcohol – which was justified by the need to prevent Bastet from becoming Sekhmet, putting the burning lioness to sleep by making her drunk. Bastet also embodied maternal love: she was often depicted taking care of kittens, either breast-feeding them, or keeping them in a basket. She was a goddess prayed to at every birth, so that she would protect the newborn. In fact, Egyptians had the habit of making a small cut in the inside of the elbow of the baby, and place in it a few drops of cat blood – this was to make sure the child would attract the favors of Bastet. Keeper of peace, protectress of the house, Bastet was also believed to prevent the spreading of contagious diseases, and to protect humans from evil spirits. No need to say that her cult was practiced more intensely by women, since Bast was the goddess that helped them give birth and take care of the home.

A fun fact: when the Greeks established a correspondence between their gods and the Egyptian ones, they decided that the goddess corresponding to Bast would be… Artemis! It might be surprising to choose the goddess of the hunt and the wilderness for a goddess of peace, maternity and home, but this is actually easily explained by Bast’s “primitive” form as a lioness goddess, which made the Greeks confuse her with another lion-goddess, Tefnut (who they also identified with Artemis).

[randoimago]

Jumping on the last train! Hello! May I request Franky for 3,000 Follower Celebration Friends to Lovers, Confessing Feelings? Btw, I've recently read Spy x Family novel "Family Portrait" and maaaan... Franky's unlucky again with love life *sigh* I wish for him to have a girlfriend or even a wife (!), he deserves to be happy!

Shared Secret

Fandom: Spy x Family

Character(s): Franky Franklin

Type of Request: 3,000 Follower Event

Note(s): Ooh I didn't know there was a spin off. I mean, with how popular it's getting, I'm not surprised, but now I need to read it (I have been keeping caught up with the manga and Franky needs happiness)

Franky knows he had to be hitting some kind of limit with asking Loid for favors. But these favors are small time for the famous spy so Franky didn't think they're too bad. Especially because it's to make you happy!

Yeah, he's friends with you and he's talked in depth with you about things you like and your dreams and aspirations and all that hopeful stuff. But Franky didn't really talk to you about things like if you have a date lined up for the night or if you have a crush on someone because he's afraid of the answer. Not that he'd ever admit to being afraid.

But Franky took to asking Loid to just keep an eye or ear out if you might be seeing someone secretly or whatnot. Loid, of course, tells Franky to talk to you like a normal person, but he still returns with information for Franky.

But Franky has finally runned Loid's patience dry and the favors regarding you are done. Franky just hasn't realized that until he sees you the next time you visit his stall.

He greets you like normal and you give a "hello" back. Franky is your friend - and also secretly in love with you - so he notices something seems to be up with you and he's nervous. Are you finally dating someone else? At least, that's what he thinks at first, but Loid hasn't said anything about it. So, being a good friend, Franky asks you what's wrong.

You're a tad nervous as you hesitate and it causes Franky to feel nervous too. And then you finally say what's been on your mind. “So according to Loid, you’re in love with me, too?”

Franky's selective hearing kicks in at the wrong part of your question. His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. How the hell could Loid betray his trust like that?!

“Oh, that fucking bast—" Franky pauses as his ears finally catch up with his brain. "Wait, did you just say too?” His eyes are wide and he knows he's heating up as his heart is pounding in his chest. There's no way he heard you correctly. You had to be just kidding... Unless?

A smile displays on your lips as you were very much enjoying Franky's momentary panic. "Yeah, I'm in love with you. I didn't say anything because I didn't think you were interested," you admit to him and his jaw drops.

"Of course I'm interested in you! I thought you weren't interested in me!" He explains and his voice is louder than he meant it to be. But he doesn't care. Hell, he hopes people are listening so they know that you're going to be his partner and no one else's.

It's laughter between you two next as you realize how dumb you each were as you plan an actual date. Not a hangout like usual, but a real date.

Meanwhile, Loid is disguised on a nearby bench and breathes a sigh of relief that he can stop looking into both of your love life's for the other. The man is tired.

[utilitycaster]

re: your actual play post, apart from critrole are there other actual plays that are doing the whole "bad guys/neutral but not up to the mark" that you mentioned?

for cr, it's interesting and i guess kind of inevitable that we've gone from traditional heros -> reluctant heros -> neutral heros(?) caught up in the storm

i don't watch a lot of actual plays other than the popular ones, but it is very interesting to see the general trajectory the actual play space is moving in

I feel like the Mighty Nein are not really part of this trend - they're not as publicly acknowledged as Vox Machina, and they do take an unorthodox "not up to the task" (or more accurately "too traumatized right now for the task, we need to work through some shit first") route for a while, but they are pretty unambiguously working towards a heroic cause by the midlevels (and VM started off pretty scrappy too; we just didn't see them until they got respectable). Bells Hells do feel a little closer to this, though still leaning heavily towards the heroic. I think it's possible for them to decide to pull the ripcord, as they said, after their current mission; but I doubt they will, so they flirt with the theme but I don't think will go all the way. Which to be clear is the norm.

I mentioned a few things in my tags, so:

Candela Obscura chapters 2 and 3 flirt with this. In 2 the circle other than Sean is imo heroic, but also working a little outside the lines. Sean does make a turn that I don't think makes him the bad guy - it's pretty clear it's an act of misery and desperation - but does position him in a place that a lot of TTRPGs won't go. Chapter 3 is complicated because to be honest we don't really see the logic of Candela's actions in the final episode and some don't entirely follow for me, but Rajan and Elsie's discussions do cover this territory: as monsters, what side are they on? I think Candela Obscura is a game that really supports this should someone wish to push it there.

Trinyvale (side campaign for NADDPod) explores this in that the characters eventually develop into absolutely toxic assholes while still saving the world; however, this is a very very silly campaign in general so it's played for the humor.

Similarly, in Burnt Cookbook Party (spoilers - I'm not totally caught up but this spoils a pretty major aspect of the show that comes up pretty early), two of the characters go fully evil and the party fractures. HOWEVER, this campaign is set in a time loop, and so the consequences are lessened since we know the results aren't permanent (and indeed the big PvP moment is when the time loop restarts).

I feel this is something that Burrow's End (D20) sort of wanted to explore, but Last Bast was so obviously a police state that it was pretty clear the characters' desire to disrupt an existing stable society was in fact good.

This is all really speculative on my part - I watch/listen to a lot of actual play but there are plenty of major shows and infinite minor ones I don't follow at all or even know about. Obviously Critical Role or D20 are going to have more a footprint here than, say, BCBP. But I think people are trying to tell stories that interrogate whether, just because you met in a tavern or whatever, you should be tasked with saving the world, either because you're not actually that great of people or because you're not sufficiently competent in this particular situation, and that's really interesting to me. I think the reason I don't have any terribly clear answers is because it's really hard to do this and then find what that party should do instead.

[huskyremix]

Let’s talk about the Farm Animals of the land! For most of your animal care, goods, and know-how, stop by the Kneady Kritter’s Ranch run by our dear Forneus. However, you won’t find all matter of barnyard friends here, as there are ones that are a rarity to own let alone see even amongst the most experience of ranchers.

Animal List!

Sunspot Dairy Cow

A sweet, docile cow that enjoys basking in the sun all day

Berryspot Dairy Cow

Dairy cow that produces strawberry milk, energetic and a bit high maintenance

Chocospot Dairy Cow

Dairy cow that produces chocolate milk, smart and a little timid

All cows love to be groomed and given plenty of affection!

Silver Coat Alpaca

Loved for their soft, easily dye-able wool and easy going demeanor. Their horns are used for scattering hay and scratching on trees. Grooming competitions featuring them have been growing in popularity lately

Baapher’s Goat

Despite their scary looking appearance, these goats are prone to anxiety when not around other animals or people. Their horns are used for showing off and fighting over mates. The cheese made from their milk is considered a delicacy amongst the most famous gourmets. 

Snake-Eyes Chickens

Hen

Typically with brown feathers and black leather-y wings, the wings have the marking of an eye in order to scare away predators. Able to fly, but only for a short time. Non fertile eggs have a yellowish hue, while fertile eggs are more orange

Rooster

White feather coating with green leather-y wings, their wings have a more stand-out eye pattern than the hens. Have a tendency to try and start beef with other animals that get too close to their flock, but can easily be distracted with a snack

Red Crested Duck

The females are white in color with a red crest on their chest, while the males are green and gray with a similar red crest. Fairly small in size, but known to produce large eggs

Tea Worms

Little bush worms that grow herbs and flowers on their back that are used for making tea and medicines. The kind of herbs/flowers they grow are dependent on their diet, as well as the climate.

Lover’s Pig

Sassy and vain, these pigs are popular amongst the rich and gourmets. They use their sensitive snouts and shovel-like hooves to dig up wild plants, commonly used to sniff out rare variety of mushrooms

Fire-Spark Coat Sheep

There’s a myth that these sheep were originally birthed from sparks that came out of a forge of a God. Despite their name, they’re not very fond of being out in the heat for too long.

Cosmos Coat Sheep

Ethereal and a rare sight, these sheep are similar to their Fire-Spark counterparts but with a blue and violet coat. Anything made from their wool will fetch quite a high price.

Wulvoo Herding Dog

A hybrid species of dog and wolf, these large and overly fluffy canines make great companions and farm workers. They will make a deep, roaring bark to alert those of trouble.

Baste Cat

Considered to be good luck amongst farmers, they are natural hunters and will keep any pest at bay. They have also been known to be very motherly to other animals, being seen to knead and comforting expecting mothers.

Carousel Runaway Pony

Legend says that a witch cast a spell on an ordinary horse carousel once, bringing life into the inanimate ponies stationed to the ride.

[persephoneggsy]

decided to be cringe and made a marvel OC to ship with Miguel (bc i’m not really vibing with his more popular ships)

her name is Celenia Bast, she goes by “Cel”, and she works as a low-level engineer at Alchemax. She’ll occasionally cross paths with Miguel O’Hara, a smug coworker that she fucking hates. 

She works two other jobs due to having to support her two younger sisters and an infirmed grandfather, and had to give up on her dreams of owning her own workshop. One day, buried under stress and bills, she snaps and decides to start a crime spree. Inspired by the Heroic Era’s Black Cat, she prowls the rich neighborhoods of Nueva York to take what she pleases. She’s far from a Robin Hood-esque hero, however; all her ill-gotten gains go towards just herself and her family - she cares very little about anyone else.

Well, except for Spider-Man; Cel is absolutely infatuated with the wall-crawler, delighting in making him fluster and chase her (that he’s also ripped probably helps). She really wants to know who’s under that mask... obviously, once she finds out, she’s in for a rude awakening.

[rj-drive-in]

The Powers-That-Be Department:

There are always those who profit from pandemonium.

CHAOS CRAWLS BACK © 2024 by Rick Hutchins

“Please sit down, Deacon Chappel,” said Bishop Knight. “Here you go. Your profile says you like your coffee black.”

“Thank you, Your Grace. You’re very kind.”

The lighting in the office was subdued. There were no windows, but there was a second door in a dark corner next to one of the bookcases. A couple of rubber tree plants added a little color. Bishop Knight sat down slowly behind his large mahogany desk.

“So you are interested in the position of Public Relations Director?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“And you think you can do better than Deacon Smith.”

“Ever so much, Your Grace.”

“You’re very young,” observed the Bishop. “Deacon Smith has much more experience.”

“I have new ideas, Your Grace.”

Knight steepled his fingers and frowned thoughtfully. “But Deacon Smith seems to have done a very good job these past few years. Our polling is better than it’s ever been. We are well represented on several popular TV shows. Several of our political candidates have performed favorably in Boston and Presque Isle.”

Chappel did not quite pound his fist on the Bishop’s desk. “It is not enough!” he said firmly. “For too many centuries has the House of Bast been lumped in with the Unspeakable Cults. We are more accepted now because we strive to be inoffensive, yet the late-night comedy shows still make offensive jokes at our expense. We must not beg, we must demand. Demand justice for our lost generations.”

“But in doing so, do we not risk alienating the very people who have supported us?”

“They are not innocent, Your Grace. They carry the guilt of their forefathers just as we carry the pain of ours. They should be made uncomfortable. They should not be absolved. They owe us and they must pay!”

Bishop Knight sighed thoughtfully and nodded. “You have given me much to consider. But I do have other candidates that I must interview, my son. I will be in touch with you when I have made my decision.”

Standing quickly, Deacon Chappel bowed. “Yes, Your Grace,” he said. “Have a most pleasant day.” The office door clicked softly behind him as he departed.

For several moments, the office was silent save for the ticking of a clock somewhere among the shelves. Then the door in the back corner opened. A black silhouette, very tall and angular, stepped through but remained cloaked in the shadows.

“Your opinion, Bishop?” it asked, in a voice as deep as it was penetrating.

“His ideas will fail,” the Bishop replied without hesitation. “His approach is counterproductive. He has not the slightest understanding of how to nurture our fragile relationship with mainstream culture.”

“Agreed,” said the dark figure.

“All the progress we have made will be lost,” continued the Bishop. “There will be division and conflict, and all the old prejudices and hatreds will return with a vengeance. There will be bloodshed, sir. Decades of bloodshed.”

“Agreed,” repeated Nyarlathotep. “Let us then proceed.”

[tinknevertalks]

Omfg, I'm on a computer and can copy things easily! Let's do this!! XD

@chartreuseian tagged me in this game and I'm finally able to do it. :)

1. How many fics do you have on AO3?

241. Send help?

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

295,404 words. I write many drabbles.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sanctuary mostly, although I do wander over to rogue simulant country Stargate SG1.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Ghost of the Machine - 160 - Stargate SG1

Brothers - 157 - Lucifer

Acceptance - 89 - Stargate SG1

A Missed Birthday (But We'll Always Have Cake) - 85 - Stargate SG1

Beer Basted Omelettes - 84 - Stargate SG1

And yet I mostly write Sanctuary fic? Shows popularity of fandom and ship counts a lot. (Lucifer was still fairly popular when I wrote that, and we all know how the Sam/Jack shippers are. XD)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yaaaaas! I love it! Except for 19 edits. It's a big part of the fannish community - how else are we all meant to squee together?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhm... *Thinks in 241 fics* Maybe Fed is Best? It's certainly not a happy ending, anyways.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of them, really? Words Don't Come Easily and Of Sequins and Scalpels are proper happy ever after ends.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't get hate. I have had someone ranting about my choices but I just blocked that convo after saying, "Thank you. I don't agree. Have a good day." I do this for fun, I haven't time for negative vibes.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yus. What kind? Kinda romantic, but also featuring many different walls (if I have a vampire who can hold someone up no problem I am going to use that to my advantage, lol!).

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've done a few crossovers, and a few fusions. Craziest crossover? It isn't that crazy (yet) but Sanctuary/Ted Lasso. Fusion? Sanctuary/Pokémon. I love the idea of Helen as a Pokémon trainer. Oh, but Helen as The Arrow from DC has a special place too.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Someone wanted to translate one of my smutty fics to Russian but I never heard anything from them again, so I assume nothing.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes! With samsg1 when she came over to visit a few years back. We started planning it in my living room as our kids played Mario Kart then wrote it over GDocs together. Die Hard Isn't a Christmas Movie. It was fun, but brought up some residual feelings I had at school that I thought I had got through. Didn't tell her, because I didn't want to bring her down (because she is *so* so cool and I adore her). We do wanna write together again but we're both super busy (and I'm more a Sanctuary girlie at heart).

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Helen/Nikola. They bring me joy.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Comedic timing? I'm not sure tbh. Oh! I can write a bonzer last line. You need a great last line when you write drabbles.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Length. I cannot write long fic on the regular to save my life. Like, I know I got OSaS done, and I'm slowly getting to the denouement of In The Nice Part of Town (very slowly), but it's haaaaaard. I want the flash bang dopamine fix posting oneshots give me.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

If it's a language I know well (aka Cymraeg) then I'm filling that dialogue up. If it's a language I have a tiny bit of passing knowledge on, or I can ask someone, "Omg, how do I say [xyz] in [language]?", I'll use a bit of it. If it's a language I know not, and I don't want to go looking stuff up, I don't use it. XD If someone else wants to do it, more power to them. :)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Voyager? Yeah, pretty sure it was Voyager.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

This is called cruelty. Today? Waves - Teslen, AU, everybody's human (kinda). It's rushed in places but I love that universe.

Tagging (if they wanna play): @drewsaturday, @cookie-sheet-toboggan, @ladyelysandra, @electricrogue, @zebsfloppyears and anyone else who wants to join in. XD

[dontexpecttomakesense]

I don't know why I'm making this post, because I'm 100% that if it bring in anything, it will be problems, but whatever.

So like, why did the boycott against Hogwarts Legacy fail?

Because it was on twitter. Believe it or not, in spite of being one of, if not the most, popular social media, less than 10% of the world's population has an account that is active at least once per month. That means that any protest that is not targeting something that is already inside the twitter ecosystem itself, has a ridiculously low reach.

Furthermore, by twitters own admission, 90% of the content comes from the top 10% accounts, which again, it means the content that is being creatd on twitter has very low reach beyond twitter itself and similar minded chambers.

The boycott against Hogwarts Legacy didn't fail because sudently everyone is transphobic and agress with JK Rowling, it failed because the bast majority of people that was going to buy the game probably doesn't have a twitter and doesn't know about they boycott or about Rowling's views on trangender issues.

[thelastofthebookworms]

This could very well be the last poll in this category but I'll take character's suggestions if you have them.

I've made polls with other characters that you'll find in my 'gaiman's female characters' tag on this post. If you're looking for a popular one (ahem, Death, Anathema, Wanda, Delirium etc), it's likely in one of them.

[20dollarlolita]

I really enjoyed reading about your latest embroidery exploit. My mom and I recently bought an embroidery machine together. We've been on the fence about getting a magnetic hoop. I'm assuming your endless hoop is magnetic. Do you think it's worth the money to get a magnetic hoop? It seems to make repositioning easier when multi hooping. We're also having issues with hoop burn. Fortunately I'll only have to pay for half if we do get one. I'm here for all the overly detailed embroidery talk.

The mega endless hoop is a clamp hoop, but this would have worked a whole lot better if it was a magnet.

You can see how I had to fold the fabric and stabilizer to get it under the hoop here. It was quite a pain. This is because the mega endless hoop is intended for doing borders, and I'm using it at a 90 degree angle from how it's intended to be orientated.

Magnet hoops are great, because the whole issue of where you put the clamp doesn't exist. The clamp just stays on with a magnet, so no clamp needed. However, some magnetic hoops (like the ones Viking makes) assume that you're using them for quilting. They don't have enough grip to grab something thin like quilt calico, and assume you're putting a whole batting sandwich in there. If you can find one that works well with thick and thin fabric, snap it up. The DIME snap hoop monster seems to be popular at my store, because the magnets go all the way around the whole edge. On other magnetic hoops, the magnets are often several separate pieces. While this is a lot easier to hoop for endless and edge-to-edge pieces, sometimes it doesn't grip thin fabrics as well.

That said, the mega endless ALSO doesn't grip thin fabrics too well. I decided to handle this just by stacking stabilizer onto the back of the project until it decided to behave.

As for hoop burn, in almost every project except for endless, I float the fabric on top of the hoop. Most machines have a program to automatically run a line of basting stitches outside the design. So, I hoop stabilizer, then lay the fabric on the stabilizer, and then baste it down.

If the line of basting will leave holes in the fabric when it's removed, I'll break out the sticky stabilizer. This is some silk noil on top of some offbrand Wet'n'(not quite)Gone (sorta)Tacky. No hoop burn, because the hoop isn't holding the fabric. I'd like to say that the number of times that I've had to break out the sticky stabilizer instead of just using the basting line is very small.

I also do this floating method with the basting line because it really reduces puckering. It's also a lot easier to get things on straight. If I'm matching some stitching lines, I can hoop the stabilizer and then turn the fabric around all that I want, before basting it down. It's a lot easier to match stripes or something when you can freely move the fabric independently of the hoop.

Other advantages of basting line is that you can easily use a piece of fabric that's smaller than your hoop, or use something that's hard to hoop like a t-shirt. Also, running the basting line works like a corner check to ensure that the hoop won't hit anything. It gives you a preview of where the design is going to go, so you can also fix position issues before you actually commit to stitching.

I do use sticky or fusible stabilizer for endless/repositionable projects, because you have to move the hoop and the fabric together. It's such an annoyance, but I don't think re-hooped projects are meant to be anything other than annoying. If you want to save a bunch of money, you can always baste regular non-sticky stabilizer to your endless projects.

If your machine has auto presser foot up/down, it probably has a function like this where it'll sew a single basting stitch when you tap the foot pedal. If your machine has a knee lift, you can also set it to a wide zig zag and just tap the foot control a couple of times before raising the foot control and moving it.

So, if you don't want to spend $84 on real Wet'n'Gone Tacky, you can get some regular Wet'n'Gone for $19 and then spend some quality time with your machine to baste it down.

Or you can go bother your friend with a machine with a free-motion stitch regulator (mostly the Berninas with BSR), set it for 1-2 stitches per inch, and then just pull the fabric through the machine as smoothly as possible. The machine will sew big stitches across the fabric and you'll save yourself a ton of time. I'm not about to buy a Bernina just for this function, but I'll definitely borrow one at work for this function.

So yeah, the short version of that is that, if you want to do multi-hooping projects, you probably want to invest in some kind of hoop that makes adjusting the fabric easier than re-hooping over and over. If you're having hoop burn or trouble orienting a single-hoop project, try to avoid putting the fabric in the hoop.

Thanks for listening to my machine embroidery ramblings! :)

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW! I want to know about the clothes in your world! What is a typical outfit for your OC(s)? Are clothes usually made from a single type of fabric, or is there a variety? If so, does the availability of these fabrics vary by location or social class?

~tabswrites

Hi Tess! Happy WBW💜

Ooh, my favourite topic. Read: the one I over-think. I'll answer for both the Sunblessed Realm and The Fulcrum.

For Days of Dusk:

I've covered fashion quite extensively in this post, but I don't think I touched on fabrics. Since we're at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing fabrics is still labour-intensive, and they aren't as smooth as what we're used to now.

They're made primarily of natural fibres - wool and linen, but also imported cotton, and for the few that can afford it, silk. Furs are also very common, since winters can get pretty cold in most parts of the Sunblessed Realm.

One detail I'd like to highlight is that ballgowns and other very fancy outfits are often embroidered with metallic threads - silver, copper, and bronze, but NEVER gold. Gold is reserved for the Sun King. And yes, they're heavy as hell.

By The Truth Teller times, since it's an urban fantasy set in the equivalent of mid-20th century, the clothes are close to real world, except the current fashion dictates baggy jumpers and oversized pouch-like pockets on jackets. Shades of brown are popular, no bright or garish colours. Especially the main cast, most of whom are Knacked, don't want to stand out in the crowd, so they'll wear dun coats, flatcaps, simple skirts and blazers, etc.

For The Fulcrum:

In the holy city, outfits very much indicate an avian's caste. Here are some examples: ... wears either tunics or loincloths, depending on the weather - note that avians have somewhat different standards of modesty. The fabrics are primarily made of baste fibres. Leather is very rare and brought in by caravans every couple of years. It's reserved for the Peacemakers' armour. Administrators wear grey robes with vibrant blue, green, or teal trims, and strings of pearls around their necks.

Finally, the Priests, the highest caste, wear robes that are dyed in gradients of reds, purples, and indigo - and the dyes are the rarest elements of their outfits. Aside from that, they also wear jingling headdresses so that avians of lower castes know when they approach - it's a mercy, since if a Soulless looks upon a Priest, they will loose an eye.

[aetheltrythh]

How I got into the Dreamling ship

When I first saw The Sandman, I thought, 'Cool, cool, it's good that Dream has a friend' because I know all too well what is it to be lonely. But I didn't read anything more into it. Then, when I started searching for fanfics, I was like 'Why on earth are there so many Dream/Hob fics?' But I ignored them and went on to search for the F/M ones. Well, there weren't that many that were good😄 (don't know what's the situation now, hopefully better). So, out of curiosity, I read Moorishflower's That I Should Wedded Be and MonstrousRegiment's The Uses of Adversity (I don't remember in which order), and I was sold :D. I just couldn't go back to looking at Dream and Hob the same way I did before. But still, it wasn't my immediate go-to when I gathered the courage to start writing smut. My first explicit fic was Dream/Calliope (awful, won't link it), my second one was Dream/Bast, and only my third was Dream/Hob. I never went back after that :D. The latest one has 23,5k words of soft-kink goodness. Funny. If you told me a year ago that I would write M/M smut... or any smut, I would be rather disbelieving (although, is it even M/M when Dream has no gender and is merely male-presenting... mostly, unless he decides for other forms...). Anyway, fuck terminology, it's easier to write than F/M, which should supposedly be closer to me, except it isn't. And when it comes to Dream, M/M feels more right to me. Dreamling is great fun, has a big potential for hurt/comfort and angst, and Hob being so old gives it so many topics to explore. I love them.

Regarding why Dreamling is so popular after the Netflix show, this post is a very good answer.