#utility knives not included

[c---crow]

glamour shot

[brucewaynehater101]

Batfam Suicide Squad AU:

Villainous versions of all of the Bats are shoved into one universe together. Up until this point in the AU, they do not know each other well. They've maybe seen each other on the field (which probably ended in fights and held grudges), but they aren't family. They are practically strangers.

Amanda Waller just wants to kill them. However, somehow, there's a force that's even worse than these fuckers. She needs a team to take that down, even if the participants are unwilling.

Bruce Wayne:

A cunning villain who can naturally lead teams. He primarily works alone but has proven to be efficient with any person he has to work with. He can bring out their better attributes, but he's ruthless, wary, and an asshole. He has contingency plans to take down anyone and everyone

Dick Grayson:

Practically immortal half-Talon assassin for hire. His rumored mentors are other Talons, Deathstroke, Superman, and various Titans. His skills in combat are fierce, his abilities are enhanced by his state, and his early childhood acrobatics do wonders for his abilities to escape and fight. These pale in comparison to his natural charisma and ability to turn enemies into allies.

Barbara Gordon:

The best hacker on this side of the galaxy. While she mainly stays off of the field due to her being paralyzed from the waist down, she is a formidable opponent. A significant number of politicians worldwide owe her favors, heroes and villains work for her, she knows top secret information, employs a number of traps to protect herself, and understands the nuances in social structures.

Jason Todd:

A brutal enforcer who utilizes fear, power, and death in his territory to demand obedience to his rules. Extremely skilled in various weapons, hand-to-hand combat, bomb making, and demonstrations of force. His senses, healing speed, and reflexes are uniquely enhanced by his exposure to Lazarus Pits. Despite his persona of being quick to anger, he's a masterful tactian and manipulator.

Cass Cain:

The only candidate who does not kill. Her combat prowess exceeds all other candidates and is rarely defeated in battle. Her eerie silence, ability to read others far more accurately than even psychics, and her stealthiness lead her existence to being more of a feared rumor than a confirmed sighting.

Tim Drake:

While he can defeat a range of opponents in combat, his strength lie in the plots he enacts anonymously. He is skilled in plucking strings and dominoes to create the outcomes he desires. Other abilities include hacking, combat, stealth, disguises, and manipulation. For any battle he prepares for, he rarely loses. Only a small handful of his crimes can be proven to be caused by him.

Steph Brown:

She is skilled in deflection, disguises, social circumstances, combat, and observations. Brown utilizes a variety of personas to distract her victims and lead them astray. She's deadly, but hides this aspect well.

Duke Thomas:

A daring and charismatic leader of a meta rights movement. His group has committed various crimes in their pursuits. He is the only born meta of the group, extremely skilled in utilizing his powers, decisive in outcomes, skilled in combat, and ruthless to prejudice. He can be charming and is extremely emotionally intelligent, which is a skill he uses to subtly influence others.

Damian Al Ghul:

Due to his high kill count, special permission has been given to allow the sixteen year old to be entered into the program. He's exceptionally skilled in all weapon combat but primarily uses swords and knives. He's astute and can utilize his age as a finely tuned weapon to infiltrate, distract, or disappear. He has experience with leading, murder for hire, and complex missions.

Alfred Pennyworth:

A formidable marksman and retired serviceman for MI6. His skills with all styles of guns, acting abilities, unflappable manner, medic training, vehicle maneuverabilites, and sharp tongue aid him in any supportive role. Although he is unlikely to assist on field, he will provide necessary background aid.

Tim and Barbara, in this AU, have both grudges and respect for each other. Tim does not match Barbara's computer skills, but he's a far better foe to her than most. Usually, Tim has a policy to bow out when Barbara is involved or find a way to hide his involvement from her.

Bruce doesn't know Damian is his biological son. Damian hopes to keep him in the dark. Dick, due to his training with blood scents, is the first to know about their relationship. This only occurs after Bruce and Damian get injured on separate missions and Dick makes the connection.

Jason and Damian both have tried to kill Tim. Because Tim seemingly can't die to their attacks, the two have made a game out of trying to kill Tim whenever they see him. Jason and Damian do not know the other also does this. Jason refers to Tim as a "cockroach-like bastard."

One of the batkids jokingly refers to Bruce as "Dad" and Alfred as "Gramps" due to their older age. This catches on with the rest of the batkids until it becomes a regular and fond nickname for the older men.

Bruce had a plan to escape with the help of Kate. After seeing Damian (he doesn't know that's his son), Bruce decides he can't leave a kid. Then he becomes fond of the rest of the group and delays his escape plan again until he can escape with them.

Which of the Bats know each other from encounters in the field? Who holds grudges against each other? What led each Bat to become a villain?

As far as background shit, idk.

I might update with a criminal dossier for each bat later

(In case it wasn't clear, this is a batfam meet late forced found family AU)

@hisaribi helped me with this ^^

[serpentface]

Daily bloodletting materials

A selection of basic materials- a fig leaf, braided grass, two quality levels of bark paper, plant thorns, two bloodletting razors, and an oil lamp.

Bloodletting is an everyday occurrence used in prayer in the Wardi faith. This is understood as an offering of one’s living spirit to God as part of a wider cycle of death and rebirth that sustains the world, as well as sustaining God's connection, blessing, and protection to the individual and their kin. This is seen as a strict orthopraxic necessity and will typically be performed by all members of society.

For everyday prayers of laymen, orthopraxy focuses predominantly on the core mechanics of the offering rather than the exact materials used (material is of far greater significance in more specified rites, such as offerings to individual Faces of God or prayers with more specific purpose). 

The fundamental necessary materials are:

A tool to draw blood.

This can effectively be any sharp implement, but it is expected to be used exclusively for the purpose of bloodletting and to not be tainted by other uses. Most people will have at least one blade designated for this purpose. Specialized bloodletting knives are typically small, short blades kept very sharp. Thorns and plant spines likely had more specific ritual purpose in the early history of the faith, but this has largely been lost with these natural materials being instead a practical means of drawing blood in lieu of having a designated blade. Use of thorns in prayer is an acceptable practice, but heavily associated with poverty.

An object to hold the blood offering and be fed into flame.

Most traditionally, this is a braid of dried grass. This is a readily accessible material throughout the region, and some traditions maintain that this is the optimal material. The grass has significance in its material nature, being a prime signifier of the cycle of death and rebirth (the grasses die off in the height of the dry season and are reborn with the rain, anointing this material with blood reflects broader understandings of bloodshed and sustaining life and affecting seasonal change). Using grass braids is not expected orthopraxy by religious authorities, but is demanded by most hardline traditionalists. Dried leaves are a rarer material of choice, with this practice only being standard among the rural northeastern Wardi (and otherwise tending to be used pragmatically as a quick and easily accessible material that can perform the needed ritual functions). The fig leaf is most common throughout the region (as a highly valued crop), while the oak leaf has unique import the the folk traditions of some northeastern Wardi groups. The practice of using bark paper is a more historically recent development, initially adopted by the priesthoods (especially with its utility as a writing surface, which figures into more complex rites) and slowly disseminated into laymen. This material was historically inaccessible and reserved for rites and writing of official documents, but has become more widely available as it is extracted en-masse from the more wooded northeastern tributary regions.

A source of flame.

This flame source, if re-usable, is expected to be utilized only for prayers and offerings (using one's cooking hearth to light the flame is appropriate, offering into it is not (outside of specific rites)). Most households will have at least one oil lamp in their shrine used for this purpose. In lieu of this, any fire can do in a pinch (so long as it is not reused- lit at the start of the rites and extinguished at the end). Dry dung is the most common and accessible fuel source in the region, and the dung of cattle and khait (and no other animal) is considered ritually pure and appropriate for this task.

These daily offerings will usually occur at a shrine within the home. This shrine will consist of these core materials, as well as others used for additional rites- this will usually include object representations of each of the seven Faces of God (and often additional epithets) when one needs to pray to a specific Face. These are most traditionally carved/molded figurines and/or parts of animals. Of the highest value is parts of animals killed in right sacrifice, which have been transformed into the body of God at the moment of death and hold greater ritual power (one can perform binding oaths by laying hands upon them). Most shrines will ideally have at least eight offering bowls (one for each Face and one for general offerings and bloodletting). Animal sacrifice is only officially condoned to be performed by priests, and offerings by laymen are instead gifts of food, drink, incense, and precious materials.

Daily bloodletting rites occur at the end of the day, after one has bathed. The flame is lit at the start of the rite. One 'calls in' God to the flame with a sung invocation as they draw their blood. For daily offerings, this cut can be tiny- only a singular drop of blood is necessary. The blood is deposited on the flammable material with a second invocation, and given time to dry as the person performs their prayers. The core bloodletting rite is about maintaining a spiritual connection rather than receiving anything additional in return- if one is praying for something specific, other offerings are made at this time (generally food, grain, drink, as appropriate to the request). Upon completion of the prayers, a third invocation is sung and the blood offering is burnt in flames, with the ashes being allowed to fall into an offering bowl (these ashes are ritually purified and may be used in other rites). The extinguishing of the flame signals the end of the rite.

After this point, the blade must be cleansed on both physical and spiritual levels- wiped with water, vinegar, or a dry cloth, in tandem with the gesture against evil to dispel any minor impurities. If available, most families will have their offering materials blessed by a priest at least yearly to dispel any greater impurity. Physical and spiritual cleanliness is of great importance (and are not distinct concepts) within this worldview, and many curses or other forms of pollution will be ascribed to performing these rites while unclean.

[justherefortua]

finished the young blood book! Though it’s definitely YA rather than as mature, it gave me a lot of nostalgia for the post-S1 fics where people thought they were goin gto be ported to childhood, and I thought the little details and the way the characters were characterized was actually really good! I loved how many parallels there were to canon and the further elaboration on the day to day life of the Umbrella Academy (and Viktor)

I wouldn’t take the book as a 100% canon source, but here are some disconnected small details that I enjoyed: SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

- Twice trying to wrangle the hargreeves is referred to as “herding cats”, which is very accurate

- Grace custom sews their outfits and adjusts them for each member 🥺🥺🥺🥺 Luther gets a new one every time he grows, Diego has secret compartments for his knives, Ben has tentacle openings, Viktor’s looks a little too big on him

- I could definitely see how this Luther turns into S1 Luther but also he’s such a good guy. He just wants to help people and receive hugs

- Diego;;; my goodness. He loves his mom and also very much has a black and white view of justice. This is when he figures out he likes all black utility gear rather than the uniform

- Allison )::: allison )::: It’s so weird to see her feel out of place among other girls considering she grows up to be a famous actress but I think it was a good moment, as well as foreshadowing for her whole issues with the rumors

- Klaus is so vibrant here. He learned how to hotwire a car (They call Hargreeves’ car Hermes) at 12 from a ghost, regularly sneaks out of the house through the sewage system (the siblings refuse to do this) and is the life of the party

- Five was mentioned and acknowledged a couple times and every time it made me go ): The revelation that Ben had a daily check-in with Klaus asking about whether he could see Five or not and always believed Five was out there somewhere destroyed me. My crumbs ): oh ):

- Ben is my favorite character so I’m so glad he gets a POV here and an actual voice! He definitely has a good heart but also definitely doesn’t fall into the solely “shy and totally passive” stereotype <3 also im just happy for content of umbrella ben i miss him

- Viktor!!! He isn’t sure if Mom claps for his violin because of if he’s actually good or. He’s very lonely but the kids do include him a little bit which is lovely. Definitely some parallels to S1 canon. Also! Some Viktor trans moments where he ruminates on that for a little bit without knowing the actual cause, the mirror line has relevance here. I thought it was handled nicely but obviously I can’t speak on experiences that aren’t my own.

Other misc details:

- Ben gets calmer under high pressure situations and therefore becomes pretty good at pool despite never having played

- Klaus likes to jump from roofs for the fun of it and just thinks his body is extremely resilient to head trauma. Klaus. Klaus no. 😭

- Diego uses “Boy Scout” as a insult for Luther, who doesn’t mind because Boy Scouts are supposed to be dependable

- Diego has always been pretty good at dancing

- The Umbrella Academy never stick around to clean up after themselves on missions

- Ben and Viktor can fit together in the passenger seat

- Favorite meals: Ben likes PB+J and potato chips, Klaus likes bubblegum ice cream, Diego likes roast beef, Luther hamburger and fries, and a hot dog for Allison (though according to her it hasn’t been her fav food in years, and also she forgot Five’s favorite and Viktor’s favorite)

- Klaus listens to heavy metal (to drown out the ghosts), Allison likes pop music

- Viktor learned how to drive one year before this book, taught by Pogo. He has his license! Klaus knows how to drive too but he drives much more recklessly lol

- Allison once had a solo magazine cover and she can’t remember whether she rumored for it or not (foreshadowing)

- Ben has never told anyone that the tentacles hurt when they come out ())):) [BODY HORROR TW] They are also literally slithering under his ski, he can feel em with his organs, and the skin is tender where they come out

- Allison knows CPR. and uses it after one of the siblings has a near death experience 👍

[iconuk01]

Pouches - Who's to blame (Not entirely serious)

Now, we remember that the king of the super pouches is Cable, and for good reason... Since his intro in 1990 he has tended to be more than slightly... pouch intensive

This isn't even a spoof cover, it's an accurate representation of his costume at the time.

But did he START the trend?

I think not.

Leaving aside Batman from the 1966 series, who had hefty pouches in his belt...

Though still not remotely large enough for some of the stuff he randomly produced from it, even if it DOES fold up... sort of.

But I digress....

I did consider the Silver Age bat villain Cluemaster

But those are specifically "plastic-glass pellets" containing assorted chemical weapons, like explosives, gas, acids and the like, so not sure they count.

It's been suggested that one of the first in the modern era to develop this was Longshot in 1986, when he did indeed have pouches on his belt, because artist Art Adams thought he needed practically-sized pouches to carry things in.

But even then are there MANY pouches? His bandolier was to store his throwing knives for easy access, so weren't pouches per se.

So technically, the first X-Men character to really lay into the pouches side of things isn't Cable, not by a long shot... it's this guy, slightly later in 1986

So Doug Ramsey was leading the field of poucher-y in the X-Verse side of things.

Just look at that vest and belt, LOADED and lined with pouches, and we never even find out what's in them... Though I think it would include pens, pencils, notepaper, some money, spare keys to the Xavier school, first-aid kit, lock picks (because he's always wanted to carry lockpicks), string (Everyone should carry string), breath mints and other things a relatively sensible teenager would want to be sure he was carrying if he had the room in his outfit and wasn't given to cargo shorts!

And yet, there are other contenders, so let's work backwards...

Also from 1986, Batman (again) from "The Dark Knight Returns" where even his BELT looks to be on a course of serious steroids!

And in 1983 we got this stylish new costume retconned into the history of the Golden Age Tarantula in All-Star Squadron who, up until this point, wore a purple and yellow spandex outfit that was, oncufsingly, identical to the Golden Age Sandman's spandex costume outfit.

Notice that he has rings of pouches on both boots, where he keeps things like spare cash in case he needs to hire a taxi and probably some spare ammo for his wirepoon gun.

But I think I've found patient zero as, from 1981's New Teen Titans #3. we have the inventor and technologist par excellence, the man who would be known (Eventually) as Mikron O'Geneus, though he would, perhaps thankfully, becomes better known by his codename:

GIZMO!

Look, even his LOGO has pouches!

In fairness, given his speciality is creating techno-widgets and devices out of other technology, him carrying dozens of gadgets and components makes a lot of sense, to the extent that he even manages to carry MORE weapons than Robin's utility belt (Which is TARDIS like in and of itself)!

So I think we have a winner!

Gizmo started the modern pouch trend!

If anyone can find earlier/other contenders, then please feel free to add them!

[theoutcastrogue]

Sami knives, early 20th century

Duodji is a traditional Sámi handicraft, and knives are a big part of it. Handles and sheaths are typically made of reindeer bone and antlers, carved and/or painted, while the blades are sometimes borrowed from the Scandinavian knife industry – Swedish Mora and Finnish puukko blades are common. Decoration is sometimes geometric and sometimes representational: there are reindeer, dogs, bears, sledges, lavvus, landscapes, and people.

Puukko, the Finnish word for "knife", is often used in English to describe these knives, but the same term is also used for a Finnish hunting/utility knife, which has similarities with but is decidedly not a Sami knife, so that's confusing. In Swedish they're called sameknivar (in plural, and samekniv in singular), i.e. Sami knives, and they are made all over Sámi territories in Scandinavia.

These examples are dated from 1901 to 1929, and are mostly from Sweden. They include the work of two of the most celebrated artists of that period, Jon Pålsson Fankki (1880-1861) and Nils Nilsson Skum (1872-1951).

[havinganormalone]

Independent Sex Toy Creators

Since Etsy is being a little bitch and banning sex toys, I wanted to make a reference list of independent sex toy creators. This is by no means exhaustive- literally thousands of sellers are getting screwed by this nonsensical puritanical bullshit- this is merely creators that caught my eye as people I might want to spend money on at a future date. I will be avoiding Etsy for even sfw purchases in the future, since this policy is out of hand and is going to disproportionately impact queer, trans creators. Because that is the way these things always work. Anyways, here's a list of artisans I don't want to lose.

Fantasticocks: Makes monster dildos, ftm strokers, eggs, and other goodies. I have bought from here, and am always in love with the pours- offers UV reactive stuff. Ohio based.

Odyssey Toys: They make some THICK boys. Firm grinders you can strap to things, inflatable knots, plugs. A lot of tentacles and a more old school swords and sorcery feel. UK based.

Chillow Fantasy: Makers of the Penis Fly Trap. Silly, memey sex toys. Michigan based.

Kreature Toys: They sale dildos that have a suction hole for fuck machines. Monster dildos. Michigan based.

Kinky Kreatures: Monster dildos. Sells knot sheaths and grinder gloves, as well as more standard toys. Australia based.

Frisk Toys: Ejaculating dildos. UK based.

Love Smiths: Monster toys, from dildos to butt plugs, with a wide variety of creative strokers. France based.

Okova: Sells tail plugs, including things like devil tails, horse tails, fox tails, etc. A very white variety, from whimsical to realistic, with good quality fur. Ukraine based.

Where is Willy: Specialist shop for FTM packers/strokers. Has strap on harnesses. Also has a line of binders in the works. Poland based.

TranZWear: Packers and stand to pee devices, medial grade materials, an emphasis more on utility than sex. Also sells binders, boxers for packing, and pumps. California based.

Xenocat Artifacts: Alien inspired toys, like double knotted dildos or tentacles. Also has furry explicit body pillows. Bought from them at a furry convention and the person in the pup hood working the booth was helpful and actually bothered to ask my pronouns, something that almost never happens to me (people assume I am she/her).

Primal Hardwere: Has sheaths, inflating dildos, and molds for gelatin eggs. More old school leather culture feel. US based. They made my favorite toy, a glow in the dark knotted sheath.

Tails of Fantasy: Tail plugs on a branch that is designed to have a more realistic placement than your typical tail plug. Also sells collars and ears. New York based.

Naughty Indulgence: Cheaper end sex toys and glass toys. Veteran owned.

BonBDSM: Silicone tail plugs, hoods, furred harnesses, medical fetish play. Thailand based.

FetFashions: Sells clothing that says things like Breed Me, Daddy, Slut, etc. The sort of thing etsy is trying to ban, so it's good to know a place that will do this.

These might be safe under the new TOS, as they are non-insertable BDSM gear, but at this point avoid shopping on Etsy whenever possible.

LeatherBond: Floggers, whips, restraints, all boasting made from real leather.

The Latex Store: Sells latex penis sheaths as well as some inflatable gags and other latex clothing.

Wruff Stuff: Animal hoods- of the puphood variety, but with a much wider selection, including pig, dragon, fox. Made of a neoprene material. I own one, it is more breathable than leather, and the design draws the eye. UK based.

Creative Kink: Paddles, canes, knives- both dull and sharpened. Pennsylvanian based.

Once again, this list is by no means exhaustive, and is mostly meant for my own personal reference. However, if you have a sex toy creator and you want to promote their stuff, feel free to drop a reference in the reblogs.

[psielapki]

 little   softie   note   :   let   me   preface   by   saying   this   might   be   an   uncomfortable   read,   not   at   all   spicy   &   smutty,   please   keep   that   in   mind   and   please,   please,   please   proceed   with   caution   !!   big   mwah   mwahs   to   all   who   decided   to   stay   and   check   this   not   -   so   -   little   study,   &   big   mwah   mwahs   to   those   who   didn't.   ♡

 fate   is   panromantic   and   asexual.   gender   and   sex   mean   nothing   to   her   in   terms   of   her   romantic   or   sexual   partner(s).   she   can   enter   polyamorous   relationships   and   be   rather   comfortable   in   them,   though   she   would   rather   identify   as   monogamy   -   leaning.   this   right   there   is   her   only   real   preference.

 fate   has   a   very   unhealthy   relationship   with   her   body   —   caused   both   by   trauma   and   an   (   even   more   )   unhealthy   coping   mechanisms,   as   the   faster   and   easier   accessible   the   better   (   and   thus,   occasional   self   harm   ).   aside   from   her   face   blindness,   because   of   her   incredible   mind   &   unmatched   intellect,   she   feels   very   detached   from   her   physical   form,   caring   very   little   about   it.   though   if   it   can   be   used,   it   will.

 in   verses   in   which   fate   became   a   sexworker,   she's   disinterested   &   indifferent   to   intimacy,   treating   her   body   as   a   tool   and   weapon   —   utilized   to   gather   information,   obtain   money   and   gain   privileges.   at   first,   she   will   however   have   to   dull   her   mind   in   order   to   get   through   her   increasing   panic   caused   by   sexual   abuse   trauma,   thus   in   these   verses,   substance   abuse   and   her   line   of   work   go   hand   in   hand.  examples   of   such   verses   include   :   raccoon   city,   fantasy,   alice   in   borderland,   cyberpunk.

 in   verses   in   which   fate   has   not   became   a   sexworker,   she's   not   only   uninterested   but   also   afraid   of   any   intimate   acts.   staying   sober,   keeping   her   mind   sharp   at   all   times,   she's   having   a   hard   time   getting   through   any   sexual   situation   ;   suggestive   touches   will   make   her   spiral   into   panic   that   ends   with   extreme   aggression   or   extreme   fear   (   or,   worst   case   scenario,   both   ).   let   me   make   this   clear,   though   —   if   intimacy   is   something   her   loved   one   desires,   she   will   try   and   try   and   try   and   try   until   she   succeeds   (   which   may   cause   an   episode   of   short   -   term   hypersexuality,   which   later   turns   into   lack   of   any   sexual   needs   :   the   default   state   of   hers   ).  examples   of   such   verses   include   :   las   plagas,   naruto,   modern   warfare,   jujutsu   kaisen.

 no   matter   which   option   of   the   above   is   being   roleplayed,   the   fate   has   no   sexual   preferences   whatsoever.   she   can   top,   bottom,   dom,   sub,   play   any   role   that's   desired   (   that   applies   both   to   her   customers   &   her   partners   ).   she   can   also   indulge   in   all   sorts   of   kinks   —   be   it   sadism,   masochism,   bondage   (   in   which   she's   excellent,   by   the   way   ),   knives,   guns,   all   that.

 if   she   were   to   dig   deep,   deep   into   her   mind,   she   could   find   certain   scenarios   arousing   —   all   of   them   being   on   the   spectrum   of   extreme   life   or   death   situations   with   her   having   little   to   say   against   the   dangers   she   encounters.

 fate   doesn't   have   a   safe   word   and   refuses   to   set   one   as   she   believes   that   despite   eventual   mutual   trust   that   has   been   built   with   someone   who   might   ask   about   said   safe   word,   they   will   not   respect   it,   so   why   set   the   boundary   at   all.

[vigilvntes]

A Little Company – Adrian Chase x Reader

A/N: this is a prequel to I got so fucking romantic, I apologise (which you can find on my masterlist!!) like this is quite literally just a fic of how vigilante and shadow from that fic met. you don't have to read the other fic, like at all! it's totally optional! but vigilante!reader x adrian is my favourite thing, and i have SO many ideas for this concept, including a direct follow on from this fic so if you want it?! let me know?!

feel free to send me fic/headcanon requests !!!

likes and rbs are appreciated <3

W/C: 4k+

Warnings: language, violence (use of knives, guns etc), mentions of kidnapping, vigilante being a Weird Little Guy™️

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“Hey, what're you doing?”

You don't panic. Instead, you drop your sniper from your shoulder quickly, cringing slightly when it hits the concrete of the rooftop. You stand up and twist your body, stepping away from the edge of the rooftop to press a gun up to the masked forehead of your interruptor. It seems he had the same idea, as his gun is firmly pressed against the black leather of your mask before you can even blink.

“Who the fuck are you?” You hiss.

“Who the fuck are you?!”

“I asked first, motherfucker! I swear you better tell me who you are and why the fuck you're here or I won't hesitate to pull the trigger.” You threaten, gripping your gun tighter. Your finger brushes over the trigger. A warning.

“Maybe I won't hesitate either.” He retorts.

“Then. Don't.”

The two of you stare at each other for a few moments. Well, you assume he's staring right back at you, the red visor covering his eyes makes it hard to tell. Eventually, he lets out a quiet sigh, “Fuck. Fine.” He raises his gun-free hand, showing you that he's somewhat surrendered. “You're fuckin’ hardcore.”

“Tell me who you are.” You demand. He may have relented pretty quickly, but he has one last chance to explain who he is before you decide it's not worth the trouble and blow his brains out.

“Vigilante.”

“Vigilante?” You scoff. It has to be the most stupid, on the nose name you've ever heard.

“Yeah.” He shrugs. “My friends call me Vig. But we're not friends, so you can't call me that.”

Yeah, no shit, you think.

“And let me guess, you're a vigilante?” You mock, fighting back the urge to laugh with all of your strength. You feel slightly bad when you notice his shoulders sink. But then you remember that he interrupted your mission, and then you feel slightly less bad about it.

‘Vigilante’ drops the gun from your forehead. “Yeah, and what about it? I bet your name isn't any better!” He sounds genuinely offended.

You return the favour and drop your arm. “Really? Because I don't think it can get any worse than ‘Vigilante’. I mean, that's so uncreative, man. And it's a shame, because I'm actually really digging the suit.”

He visibly tenses, “Oh. You like my suit?” His hands pat at the utility belt sitting on his waist and the coloured stripes on his chest. “I made it myself.” He tells you, sounding almost shy about it. You can hear the smile in his voice, though.

“Yeah. It's really cool, actually. I like the visor. Does it… do anything?”

Vigilante tucks his gun back into his belt, swaying on his heels slightly. “Nah. I mean, I wear glasses so… it's a prescription visor. That's all it does. Helps me see.”

You can't fight off the giggle that escapes from your throat, so you allow it. Just this once. “Your visor is prescription?! Dude, you have to be shitting me.”

He breathes out a laugh, “Yeah. It was a pain in the ass to get a hold of. I almost exposed my secret identity, like, three times.”

You nod, somewhat sympathetic to his situation. “Yeah, I can imagine.” You know all about almost exposing your secret identity. Having multiple black leather masks delivered to your house every month is probably a cause for concern. You're sure your delivery service, and even your neighbours, either think you're a murderer (which isn't exactly untrue) or a dominatrix.

“Uh, your suit is cool, too. It's… fitting. Not in that way, though. I just mean that… It suits you! Not that I would really know since I haven't seen your face and we've only just met. It's also fitting in the other way, just in case you were wondering. It hugs your body just right.” He nods once, an affirmation of his words before he awkwardly folds his arms across his chest. You just stare at him for a few moments.

You're not sure why you're talking to him, or why you're allowing him to overstay his welcome like this (not that you'd given him a warm welcome anyway). Anyone else would have been dead at your feet within minutes if they pulled a gun on you like he did. But Vigilante is… surprisingly charming. There's an awkwardness about him, but the charm is definitely there. Not to mention he's made you laugh. Sure, you were laughing at him more than with him, but it's still a point in his favour.

You shake your head, stopping your own thoughts before they wander any further. You still have a mission to complete. “Well, it's been nice talking to you. I have to, uh… Get back to it.” You tell him, using your thumb to gesture over your shoulder.

“Yeah. Yeah. Cool.” Vigilante nods at you, giving you a thumbs up before nervously scratching at the back of his neck.

“Cool…” You say under your breath. You turn your attention away from him and pick up your sniper, hoisting it back over your shoulder again. You hear no footsteps, but you assume he's gone. Maybe he's just light on his feet.

So, you kneel down at the edge of the rooftop and look through the scope. A wave of relief rushes through your body when you see that the men you had been tailing through Evergreen all night, the bastards who currently have a young woman tied up in the trunk of their car, are still standing outside of the abandoned building across the street. They're still waiting for their contact to arrive. They're still an easy target. If you shot one of them right now, and the other ran, you're confident in your ability to take him down before he could even make it halfway down the street. You take a deep breath to steady yourself and set your sights perfectly, just two seconds away from pulling the trigger. And then—

“So what are we doing?”

You drop your rifle for the second time tonight, your shot once again ruined by fucking Vigilante. When you turn your head, you see him knelt down beside you, observing the scene. Shaking your head incredulously, you scoff, “We are not doing anything. I— Why are you still here?” He's well and truly overstayed his welcome, and you're getting pissed off.

“I don't know. Figured I could help.” He mumbles, shrugging his shoulders casually.

“I don't need your help.” You spit back.

“In my defence, I never said you needed my help. Maybe I just wanna help? I can be your backup. Not— Not that you need backup. I'm sure you can handle it on your own. But those guys look tough— Not that you're not tough, either. I just don't really have anything to do tonight. My buddy’s banging a girl he met at a bar last night and—...”

A harsh sigh from you cuts him off. “Those guys have a woman in the trunk of their car. I don't know who she is, but I can only assume they're planning to sell her or kill her. I found out about their plans earlier tonight from a contact of mine but I couldn't stop them from taking her in time. So I’m stopping them now. Satisfied?” You give him a pointed look.

He nods, and your gaze lingers on him for a moment longer before you go back to looking down the scope, lining up your aim.

“Hey, you never told me your name.”

“Vigilante…” Your voice is low. A warning. This is a race against time and you can't allow yourself to be distracted like this for much longer. If the girl was taken inside, your job would get a whole lot harder. You want to avoid that, if possible.

A quiet, “Sorry.”

Sighing for what feels like the hundredth time, you mumble, “Shadow. You can call me Shadow.”

“Shadow?!” He exclaims suddenly, making you jump slightly. You can only hope he didn't catch that.

“Yeah…?”

“You ripped on me for Vigilante and your name is Shadow?!”

You look over at him, your mouth agape, “Are you kidding me?! Shadow is a fucking cool name! It's simple and effective!”

It's Vigilante’s turn to laugh now, and boy is he rubbing it in. He leans back on his heels, his hands clutching at his stomach. “And let me guess, you're called Shadow because you kill in the shadows?” He mocks, throwing his head back as he laughs.

“Oh, I'll be killing you in the shadows if you don't shut the fuck up.” You threaten. If looks could kill, Vigilante would be dead ten times over. Oh, how you wish looks could kill.

“I just don't understand how you could possibly think that ‘Shadow’ is a cooler name than Vigilante.”

You roll your eyes, glancing back down the scope, “I don't understand why you th– Fuck.”

“What is it?”

The men are gone. The car is, to your relief, still parked up outside of the building. You can only assume the woman is in there with them, and their contact has arrived. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fucking FUCK. The last thing you wanted was for them to move their business inside.

Your job just got a lot harder.

You stand up quickly (your sniper hitting the ground for the third time), sheathing your knife and pointing it at Vigilante. He lets out an ‘oh fuck’ as he scrambles backwards, away from the knife that's currently a mere ten centimetres away from his face.

“I could fucking kill you. Right here, right now.” You hiss, venom laced into your tone. You're seeing red. It's tempting to just plunge the knife right into his skull.

“Me?! Why me?!” He squeaks out, looking up at you from the ground.

“Because you fucking distracted me! If you weren't here then I could've had this whole thing finished by now!” You want to scream in frustration. This is just one of the many reasons why you always work alone. Why you don't see the point or the appeal in having a partner anymore. Alone, you're completely in control. You don't have to look out for anyone else, and there's less opportunity for distraction. “I should've killed you the minute I saw you, because now I'm paying the price for being nice. I should kill you right now…” You pause, your breathing heavy and angry, nostrils flaring as you curse yourself internally for what you're about to say. “But I won't. Because I could use some help.”

He's silent for a moment, then he carefully asks, “You… You want me to help you?”

You roll your eyes and shove your knife back into its holster, “Yes.”

“Y–You need my help?” He stutters over his words, and if you were in any other situation, you might have found it kind of cute. Unfortunately for both of you, you're not.

“I don't need your help. I can handle myself. What I said is that I could use your help. It'd be useful to me.” You pat your body down quickly, accounting for all of your weapons. Gun number one? Check. Gun number two? Check. Knives? Check. Extra ammo? Check. You'll come back for the sniper. “And if you ask me to repeat myself for a third time, I'm gonna change my mind.” And I might just kick you right off the rooftop.

You don't even give him a chance to ask again, because you're already halfway across the rooftop, making your way to the shaky ladders you climbed to get up there earlier in the night. It's only when you turn your body and carefully place your foot on the top step, hands gripping the rusty bars, that you realise he isn't following you. He's just staring at you from where you left him on the hard concrete. “Well? Are you coming?” You demand a final answer.

“Fuck yeah, I am.” He mumbles, picking up his gun before scrambling to his feet and following you.

You both scale down the ladder, quickly descending until your feet hit the ground. That's when you start to panic, just a little bit. You prefer to be on higher ground, to have some kind of territorial advantage over your targets. It's not that you're bad at ground work, you just like to keep your hands as clean as possible. Literally.

Vigilante joins you on the ground, and the two of you get moving. You make your way around the building you'd been perched on only minutes ago, pressing your body against the wall on the corner when you reach the street, hiding yourselves in the shadows.

It's quiet. Buzzing streetlights and Vigilante’s quiet breathing is the only thing you can hear. Your own racing heartbeat, too. But you want to forget about the anxiety that's burrowed itself into the pit of your stomach. You can see the abandoned building. It's directly across the street from you, and the door is closed. You'll have to find your own way in. A window that you can shimmy through or another door around the back with a lock you can quietly pick at. Then you'll have to figure out how to not cause a commotion. You'll have to be stealthy, making a point to not—

“This kinda feels like a date.” Vigilante’s voice throws you off, ruins your concentration. You take your eyes off of the building and glance up at him with narrowed eyes, brows furrowed under your mask. He continues, “The more I think about it, this kinda is a date.”

“How is this a date?” You ask, bewildered because never in your life would you take rescuing a girl from a group of kidnappers to be a date.

“I don't know. I mean, this whole situation is kinda romantic, if you think about it. It could be classed as a date.” He shrugs.

"Romantic? Really?"

"Yeah. When you pulled the knife on me it was, like, the hottest thing I've ever seen. I honestly thought you were gonna kill me, but you didn't. And now I get to think about that moment forever. That's romance."

Vigilante has stunned you into silence. You can only stare up at him, mouth agape as he looks down at you. You're hoping he'll burst into laughter, and tell you that his warped idea of romance is just a joke. That he's just playing around. But he doesn't, so you just tell him, "This is not a date. I don't even know who you are.”

“Uh, yeah. You do. I’m Vigilante.” He tells you, sounding ever so slightly offended that you might have forgotten his name in the twenty minutes you've known him.

“That's not what I meant. I don't know who you really are. And you don't know who I am.”

Vigilante scoffs, “That's so irrelevant. Our alter-egos know each other and they could totally date. Like in those spy movies. The ones where the main characters hate each other but they're forced to work together under their alter-egos and eventually they fall madly in love.” He lets out a sigh that almost sounds… dreamy. As if he believes that this scenario is going to play out exactly that way.

You're hellbent on telling him otherwise. “This isn't a date. There's gonna be no falling madly in love, or whatever. You ruined my plan, and now you're helping me. And when we're finished here, we go our separate ways. That's the end of this story.”

Unfortunately, you and Vigilante make a pretty good team.

You were so hoping he'd be useless. That you had an excuse to never want to see him again after tonight. But you soon found out that he's smart, strategic. Capable. As soon as the two of you entered the building, he was focused and driven. That quirky persona he had before was no more. Vigilante was more than happy to take the lead for you; he snuck up behind the fuckers who kidnapped the woman and drove his knife into their skulls with precision and an alarming amount of stealth, holding his hand over their mouths until he was sure they weren't breathing anymore.

You didn't mind this arrangement, the less literal blood on your hands, the better.

Eventually, the two of you come to a halt outside of a small room right at the back of the building. You press your ear up against the wooden door, cursing when you hear a male voice coming from inside followed by muffled whimpers and cries.

“She's in there. With the contact.” You whisper to Vigilante. The guys you'd been tailing through Evergreen are already dead, lying in a puddle of their own blood near the entrance. You can only assume the fucker they were planning to sell the girl to is the owner of the voice.

“Want me to go in and fuck him up?” He whispers back.

You think about it for a moment. These guys have been pissing you off all night. You've been through a lot of trouble to save this girl. Of course, you don't mind. If it means she's safe, that's all that matters to you. But you would like to get the final blow. So, you reply, “No. I got this.”

Slowly, you take your knife out of your holster, and before you can even think about talking yourself out of it, you kick the door. It swings open violently, hitting the wall with a loud crash and you're sure you broke at least one of the hinges. Who cares? It's not like the building’s going to be used for anything other than criminal activity.

The man inside lets out a loud and confused ‘what the fuc–', but you move too quickly for him. You kick in his knees before he can even think about turning around or creating his own plan of attack. He's on his knees, wide-eyed and panicked, and you have one arm wrapped around his neck to hold him in place while the other holds your knife, pressing against the tender, stubbly skin of his neck.

He's younger than you expected him to be. When you heard the woman was being sold to a contact, you expected him to be some sick freak in his mid 50s. But no, he's probably younger than you; and given the way he's thrashing around in your hold, he's probably more inexperienced than you.

He's working for someone, and you'll find a way to get it out of him.

The woman is in the corner, watching the scene with wide eyes and muffled screams coming from her duct taped mouth. You give her a slow nod, trying to reassure her that you're not here to kill her. That you're on her side and you will get her out of here. She seems to calm down ever so slightly.

“Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. P–Please don't kill me. I–I’ll do anything. Anything you want. You can have the girl. You can have whatever you want. Money? Do you want money? I–I can pay you! Please I— I have kids.” The man begs, his voice shaking.

“Ew. Why would we want your kids?” Vigilante asks from behind you, and the sudden appearance of a second voice only makes him panic more.

You can't help but roll your eyes at his squirming and pleading. “Why did you take her?” You ask.

“I– I don't know. I don't know anything. I swear!” He tells you.

Of course you don't believe that, so you press your knife against his neck harder, nicking at the skin, making sure you draw some blood. He lets out a sob, and in response Vigilante lets out a quiet laugh. “I don't believe you. Why did you take her?” You ask again.

“I– I don't know. I– I was just told to collect her. I think she– She tried to sell us out. Boss wanted to–”

“Boss?” You ask slowly. So he is working for someone.

“Oh fuck. I'm fucking dead. He's gonna kill me. He's gonna fucking KILL ME.”

Vigilante approaches now, kneeling down in front of the man. He places a hand on his shoulder, a reassuring gesture. “Buddy, no. He's not gonna kill you. You don't have to worry about that.” For a moment you're confused. You didn't take Vigilante to be the sympathetic type. But then he says, “Because we're gonna kill you first.”

Ah. That makes more sense.

“Who are you working for?” You tighten your grip on his neck, your knife pressing into his skin harder. If you have to kill him before you find anything out, you will; you'd just prefer to get at least something from him. He stays quiet, only whimpering and sobbing quietly to himself. “Look, you're as good as dead anyway. You might as well tell me which asshole you're working for.”

A moment more of silence. You're just about to drag your knife across his throat when he shouts, “Scorpion! I'm working for Scorpion! The girl– She– The girl was gonna sell us out! She has information on us– I don't– I don't know how she got it! Fuck, I don't even know who she is!”

“Fuck.” You hiss. Of course it's Scorpion.

“Scorpion? Who the fuck is Scorpion?” Vigilante asks, glancing up at you.

You just shake your head and screw your eyes shut, slashing at the man’s throat quickly. It's a deep cut, and the blood flows from the wound like a waterfall. He lets out a strangled yell, gurgling and choking on his own blood before you push his body to the floor. He stills after a few moments.

“Check the body.” You tell Vigilante, and he obliges, reaching into the pockets of the man you just killed. You make your way over to the woman quickly, shoving your knife back into its holster.

She panics as you approach her, pressing her back against the wall. She whimpers and writhes in her restraints, and you can't blame her. If you were a witness to what she just saw, you'd probably be afraid of yourself too. But you kneel down in front of her, and tell her gently, “You're gonna be okay. You're safe now.” You take out your pocket knife slowly, and her eyes widen. “I'm just gonna use this to cut your restraints, okay? Then we’ll get you out of here.”

She seems to calm down a little, and you take the opportunity to cut the duct tape around her mouth, peeling it carefully until she takes a deep, frantic breath through her mouth.

“Hey, Shadow?” Vigilante calls from behind you, and you glance over your shoulder at him as he stands over the body, inspecting the wallet he found. “This guy’s name was Robert Robertson. How fucking lame is that? You know, I think we did him a favour. Who wants to live with a name like Robert Robertson?”

“Oh, his parents hated him.”

You go back to cutting the rope restraints around the her wrists and ankles as she watches you, breathing shakily everytime the metal brushes against her skin. You offer her quiet apologies. Eventually, she's free, and you stand up, offering her a hand.

She doesn't take it. Instead, she asks you in a small, scared voice, “You're not gonna kill me, right?”

“No. Of course not.” You reassure her.

She's not convinced by your words. She looks at you with pleading eyes, and then her gaze flicks behind you, prompting you to turn around. You see Vigilante standing just a few metres away from you, flipping his knife in the air and catching it. You scoff, “Dude, can you put that thing away? You're freaking her out.”

“Sorry.” He mumbled, tucking his knife back into its holster, kicking his feet like a scolded puppy dog.

“We're not gonna kill you. I promise.” You tell her, offering your hand again. This time, she takes it, allowing you to pull her up to her feet. She stumbles almost instantly in her exhaustion, every muscle in her body aching and sore; you catch her, calling out to Vigilante.

He picks her up, and the three of you make your way out of the building and into the street.

It doesn't take long for your contact, Erica, to arrive. The woman is reluctant to leave you, insisting that you should come with her for protection. It takes around ten minutes for you to convince her that she'll be safe without you; that you trust Erica and she'll be taken somewhere safe.

You wave her off, and not long after you find yourself back on the rooftop with Vigilante.

“So… Scorpion. Who's that?” He asks, sitting down beside you as you pack your rifle and other miscellaneous weapons into your grey duffel bag.

“How long have you been doing… this? Like, how long have you been Vigilante?”

He shrugs, “Maybe five or six years.”

“And you've never had any run-ins with Scorpion or his men?” You ask, and he shakes his head in response. Lucky bastard. “He runs the biggest underground black market for illegal weapons in Washington. He chose Evergreen as his base for operations because it's relatively quiet. I mean, who would expect something like that to be happening here? He's been on my radar for… a while. And I’m on his.”

“You've met him?”

You take a deep breath, a few moments decide your course of action. You could tell the truth, or you could lie. Lying seems like to be the most appealing option. "No. I haven't met him. But I've made sure to be a pain in his ass, for sure. He probably knows about me."

You stand up and sling your bag over your shoulder before he can respond, making it clear that you're not interested in carrying on this conversation. You barely know him, and you don't feel it's necessary to reveal everything to him. “Anyway. Thanks for tonight. For helping me out. Even though it was kinda your fault that I needed help. It was… fun. I guess.” Fun? Did you seriously just say that?”

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” He apologises, sheepish. "I had fun too. Just in case you were wondering."

A silence falls over the two of you, allowing some time for you to collect your thoughts. You meant it when you said that it'd be fun, and that freaks you out. It's been a while since you've spent time with anyone outside of your workplace. Having friends means having baggage, something that others can use as leverage; that's something you can't really afford to have.

“So… Is there any way that I could, like… contact you?” He asks, kicking his leg back and forth nervously, his shoe scuffing against the concrete.

“You… You want to contact me?”

Vigilante shrugs, “Yeah. I don't know about you, but I think we made a pretty good team. Unless you disagree. Then I think it was awful and we should go our separate ways and never do it again.”

“N-no. I think… Yeah. I agree.” You stutter. You fucking STUTTERED. How dare your voice betray you like this? You want to grab your own shoulders and shake yourself. Scream ‘THIS ISN’T YOU’. You've proven to yourself time and time again that you're ruthless. That you don't need anyone's help, or anyone to look out for you. Yet here you are, agreeing that you and Vigilante did make a pretty awesome team, and that maybe you'd be open to meeting with him again. What the fuck is wrong with you? You're truly fucked.

Still, you pull out your burner phone and hand it over to Vigilante, “You can just… y’know, put your number into there.”

So he does just that, handing your phone back to you. “So, you'll text me? Or.. call me? Whichever you prefer. I know some people prefer to text because it's less pressure–...”

“I'll text you.” You assure him, giving him a quick nod before making your way to the ladders, wondering what the fuck just happened and when you'd decided to start being friendly with random Vigilante’s. Especially Vigilante’s that are literally called Vigilante.

You still think it's a dumb name, but that does nothing to wipe the stupid grin off your lips as you make your way home.

[contest-winning-pest]

I'll try and ask next time, but I was understandably close-mouthed the last time we had a conversation.

The open-air market is... Interesting. I do, however, have a question:

[PHOTO ID: A fucking Alakazamite.]

Who left a Mega Stone in the market!?

[carvalhais]

Most of our passions and frustrations, personal bonds and enmities, responsibilities and addictions, are now concentrated into our digital screens, along with our mundane work and daily errands, our bill-paying and our income tax spreadsheets. It is not just that we have a device that is capable of doing several things we used to do and transformed these things into various instances of that device’s universal imposition of itself: utility has crossed over into compulsoriness. Our networked computers and mobile devices are not, or are no longer, analogous to Swiss army knives that include a few blades, scissors, a file, a small magnifying glass. That may have been the goal of some technologists as they sought ways to absorb the CD player, the book, the telephone, the camera, the daily calendar, the clock, etc., into a single universal device. But all this absorption has brought us to a transformation not just in the nature of our tool use, but in the contours of social reality. Justin E. H. Smith. 2022. The Internet is Not What You Think It Is: A History, A Philosophy, A Warning. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

[akiragatr]

Anywho, I had jury duty yesterday for the first time and asked family members if they had any tips but they just shook their heads. HOWEVER, after having gone, I have some good tips for people who've never gone (this is US-centric, and things may very from state to state).

You might end up being dismissed without needing to be present for a trial, but be prepared to be there the full time listed.

The time listed on your summons is usually when the doors are OPENED to jurors, not the cutoff time. You might be waiting outside the door, so bundle up according to the weather.

Business casual is what is expected of you, but PLEASE wear your comfy shoes.

There's likely to be a lot of waiting, so bring something quiet to entertain yourself with. A book, headphones for your phone, etc.

There are items which are not allowed on the premises, which may include things like utility knives and phone cords. If you have any of those on you, you will have to go back to your car to stow them away and might have to stand in line again to get inside.

Bring a snack and/or bottle of water or a coffee with you. They'll have you break for lunch, but it's gonna be on you to pay for food.

If you have something that makes it difficult to attend jury duty, like college classes, small kids, or something like a disability, call them as soon as you get your summons to see if you can get either a postponement or dismissal. The sooner the better.

You get compensation for going to jury duty, but it is ridiculously small. Be aware of your financial position, and call them to see if you can get a dismissal if you are extremely tight on funds and can't afford to take time off work.

The first day of jury duty is probably not gonna include actually being present for trial. It's the screening process of selecting jury members. If you do not end up being dismissed, that is a whole separate amount of days that you will need to be present at court for a trial.

Best of luck, homies.

[cutecuttlefish]

The sword of the day is the bolo.

The term “bolo” refers to a wide variety of short blades from the Philippines. As you can see from the picture, bolo blades displayed a wide variety of profiles, many more than are seen here, but all share a single, curved edge, well-suited for slashing. The word “Bolo” is a very general term, almost akin to the word “sword.” It is a symbol of several revolutionary groups in the country, including the Katipunan, who resisted Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century. Apart from their use as weapons, like most Filipino blades, they served as general-purpose utility knives and agricultural tools, similar to a machete.

Thank you to @kathanglangit for helping me write this one! If anyone reading happens to know about weapons, especially African or Chinese weapons, please let me know!

[dailycharacteroption]

Juggler (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)

(art by Dmitri Burmak on Artstation, featured in Magic the Gathering)

There are plenty of characters and options for them in rpgs that are based around agility and dexterity, about demonstrating incredible reflexes and hand-eye coordination, from acrobats to finesse combatants, but it’s sometimes easy to forget one of the best demonstrations of hand-eye coordination that we have, and that is juggling.

Perhaps it’s because it’s considered a small-time trick (until you see someone VERY good at it), or that it’s “Circus Fare” (and therefore, low art), but the art of keeping multiple objects in the air, often more than one has hands, is an impressive feat on its own.

While it doesn’t happen often, there are characters across fiction that utilize juggling as part of their skill set, and often add in the related art of weapon throwing to the mix. After all, the motion of juggling can draw the eye and leave a foe open when one of those juggled knives suddenly is delivered to their vital points.

It should come as no surprise, then, that an archetype for juggling showed up in the Extinction Curse Adventure Path, which among it’s other themes (troglodyte invasion, dinosaur attacks, Aroden’s legacy of causing problems for others) is also circus-themed! It only makes sense that this archetype would be among those that let the heroes use their skills in both adventuring and on the stage.

It’s also worth noting that this is also an archetype that made the jump from First to Second Edition, where it started out as a bard archetype, but is now available to all sorts of classes.

The base dedication for this archetype grants skill at performance and also the ability to juggle, allowing them to effectively have more items “in hand” than they have hands to hold them as long as they maintain it, though naturally they can tire out eventually. Also, most of the feats for this archetype also increase the total items they can keep aloft.

Another feat allows them to maintain their juggle as a free action, freeing them up to utilize these items with more of their normal actions.

Many also learn to add more items to their juggle at once, allowing them to replenish as they lose items much faster.

They can even catch falling items or thrown weapons that would miss them and add them to their juggle as well.

With a high lob, some can toss a juggled thrown weapon at an arc that surprises foes and leaves them open to it.

Some master jugglers can even reflexively throw one of their juggled items at targets at close range, punishing them for leaving themselves open.

If you’re planning on doing a thrown weapon build, this archetype is extremely tempting, allowing you to have your arsenal of thrown weaponry at your disposal without having to spend as many actions to draw them. As such, this works very well with bomb-focused alchemists, rogues, bards, swashbucklers, and even magi, though I’m sure most any class that wants to play with throwing weapons might find it useful. Alternatively, if you’re not going for thrown weapons, juggling could also be used to have multiple potions or other magic items ready at the same time.

While some may consider a few archetypes that are introduced in certain APs, including Extinction Curse to be awfully specific and gimmicky (Lumberjack? Really?), this archetype makes perfect sense for the adventure it’s introduced in, is general enough to be used by any dexterous performer, and even pays nice homage to the original version!

On the note of roleplay, consider reading up on how performers use not just their acts, but their behavior to establish showmanship and keep eyes on them. How does the character act on stage, or off the stage?

The circus is in town, and one of the performers is a hobgoblin juggler and clown named Progg. What most don’t know is that he was once a sergeant in the army of the hobgoblin nation of Vekus, where he retired due to an injury. However, the local authorities recognize him from the war, and wonder if old habits die hard. They might not wait long enough to prove he is a spy before they make their move.

What should have been a routine performance has turned to murder when a knife-catching trick turns deadly. A minor cut from catching one of the knives she used in her performance rapidly turned into a deadly complication due to poison on the blade… poison sourced from the selection of poisonous spear frogs that the carnival keeps on display in their menagerie.

A street performance turns into a deadly ambush when the party is ambushed by a group of mercenaries that double as street performers, with juggled and thrown knives, illusions that turn into very real hostile magic, and the like. After the party survives the attack, they have to figure out exactly who ordered the hit on them and why.

[fantasticalbiology]

The Amazing Digital Battle Circus: The Combatants

Context: The Amazing Digital Battle Circus au

Caine: Welcome back to the Amazing Digital Battle Circus the greatest digital blood sport in the world. I think it be nice to recap who each of our combatants are. One thing about all our combatant is that their all able to recruit npcs to fight along side them

Pomni- Our up and coming star… Nope could not say that with a straight face. From what I’ve seen of the little jester she excel at running and pulling random objects out of her pockets. 

Notable fight: Ragatha vs Pomni

Npc allies: The alligator bandits of Gummigoo, Max and Chad

W: 0 L: 5 D: 1

Gangle the ribbon wrangler and possible champion- The closest thing the Amazing Digital Battle Circus has to a champion, the ribbon wrangler herself Gangle. When not fighting Gangle is a rather nice gal who doesn’t take kindly to bullies which is why she and Jax get along like a wooden house on fire and Jax is the wooden house. This kindness extent to her fighting style as she tries to end things quickly- unless its Jax then she make him suffer-with constricting or crushing attacks.

W: 50 L: 2 D: 29

Kinger the broken veteran king- One of the oldest combatants of the ADBC and is damaged because of it, Kinger is an absolute master strategist. Kinger is one the few combatants to utilize npc in rather clever ways, that the boys at C&A have to adapt in real time for. But don’t think that Kinger sits back and let npc do the talking because Kinger has a mean flurry of blows in his own right. But its sad to think he’s only dangerous half the time due to how crazy he is due to his “break” in sanity. 

W: 25 L: 10 D: 5

Ragatha the ragged ruffian- One of the more simple fighter, Ragatha is the third most dangerous combatant in the ADBC. Ragatha utilize her speed as well as knives, like a lot of them, some would say she has knives for days. She tops this speed and knives off with her signature Cloth cutter the comically large meat cleaver which she was rewarded with from the adventure Cooking Carnage 

Npc Ally: Not by Ragatha's choice princess Loolilalu

W:30 L: 20 D: 0

Jax The absolute heel- The eternal loser of the ADBC, takes up the role of an absolute heel. Utilizing short range teleportation through doors and the summoning of bugs (mostly centipedes), Jax is still a strong fighter when not fighting those above.

W:19 L:49 D:1

Zooble- What exactly do you want me to say about Zooble, that they can detach body parts to attack because that’s all they can do. Zooble is only here because they are the “dying” relative of someone working at C&A, nepotism I tell you straight nepotism.

W: Who cares L: Many D: IDK

Manny the Manaquin- A fellow of few words Manny is rather dangerous. So dangerous in fact everyone including Gangle and Kinger at his sanest forfeits if they see his name in the brackets.

The abstracted- A curious case of beyond madness, those who have lost themselves to abstraction are no more then feral beast (some more then others) with a similar drive for violence as your truly. The boys at C&A don’t know why abstraction happens. One thing that is for certain though when your put into a ring with one, it’s absolute digital blood bath.

The Hound, the circus beast- One of the abstracted who have completely lost themselves, the hound is an absolute beast. Even before their abstraction they were voracious, ready to attack with teeth and claws flying. Now that they are abstracted, its more of the same, but even more deadly

Kaufmo the killer clown comedian- As the host and commentaor of the ADBC I must stay neutral, but if I can say one thing about Kaumo, is was one the best before his abstraction. Kaufmo attacks with puns bringing them to life with every word. He’d toss fruit at you then literally punch you or he say “your a cut above the rest” then you’d end up in two. I  have to say of the combatants that entered the ADBC I miss Kaufmo the most, because now there is no humor in his fights only words that sound like puns but aren’t.

Queenie the brutal queen- The brutal queen of the arena, who knows no equal and the brawn to Kinger brains. In all the history of the ADBC Queenie has never lost a fight I mean she has tied with Kinger and Gangle a few times but never lost to anyone else. It is a shame that she abstracted, she put true beauty in strength

Slinks the deadly slitherer - Before the one side rivalry between Jax and Gangle, Slinks the worm was our ribbon wrangler greatest adversary, to much greater effect. What they lack in arms they made up for in speed and maneuverability. Now a day due to abstracting they use that speed to bowl you over with reckless abandon  

Big Eye the big guy- The most simple combatant to ever enter the ring, Big Eye was one of the more physically imposing. Of course physicality can only get you so far in the ADBC so Big Eye also had an eye laser. Nothing really changed with his abstraction

[r3dsh1ft]

꧁ᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇʀᴠᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ʙʀᴀɪᴅᴇᴅ꧂

♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎𓃠♕︎

𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 ˳ᐟ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝒖𝒔 ˳

you've likely stumbled upon this blog via shared information, but maybe you found it by accident.

we are a larger collective of consciousness. we work together to keep things moving, but respect each other's autonomy and inherent individualism. (this is the way it makes sense to us, even if it may not make sense to you.)

with the recent closure of the only app we felt comfortable being ourself on, this is will be where we dwell instead. each of us has different interests, enjoying the things life has to offer in our own ways.

𖤍 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𖤍

we utilize the emoji system. it just makes sense. interests will be put in the comments of this post, as well as other details, to keep this...somewhat...short...

💥 — rue / raz — it / he

> current host, introject.

> yall probably know me well

🗡 — ezekiel / knives — they / he

> often co-con with rue, introject. not very

social. borderline agoraphobic. very

formal typer. emotional regulation center

✨️ — laika / eden — they / she

> refers to themself with plural pronouns

only. hypothetically one entity, but that

has yet to be seen. friendly, but slightly

overbearing. quick to love (strictly platonic)

🪼 — ghost — it / none

> somewhat "haunts" the system. kind,

but fragile. unlikely to reach out, but is

𖤍 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𖤍

not opposed to conversation

◇note: none of us can read tone well over text.

we encourage the use of tone tags, but

they arent required. we may

misinterpret or misunderstand things

sometimes—please feel free to clarify if

it could help avoid that.

anything that warrants tagging will be tagged accordingly, but we will list frequent warnings below for your knowledge regardless. they are censored to navigate around flagging this post, as we see it important to know what you're in for. we do share a fascination with the morbid.

☼︎ bl00d : includes implications as well

☼︎ g0r3 / vi0lence : never irl ; generally artistic

☼︎ anatomy : anatomical structures

☼︎ r3ligion : generally only imagery

☼︎ vultur3 culture : bones ; stages of decay

☼︎ d3realization : things found in "weird core"

or "dream core" tags

☼︎ diss0ciation : similar to above

☀︎︎ the difference usually resides in our state

of mind

☼︎ w3apons : blad3s, occasionally g-ns if they

look cool or have unique function

☼︎ p0litics : unfortunately we live in the u . s .