#we do actually have distilled water though

[livefromtheyard]

i’m sorry about your sinuses :( have you tried a netipot? i’m prone to sinus infections and it’s a life saver -📏

💞 we have a neti pot but i am afraid of it so 💔 i've just been taking painkillers to make my sinuses calm down and it kind of worked 🙇‍♂️ and i've been drinking an insane amount of water. really my sinuses are only a problem at night so as long as i can keep the sun from setting i'm good

[burnorgetburned]

okay. OKAY. I JUST WANT TO SAY.

NEW MUSIC STYLE. NEW ART STYLE. NEW MAGIC SYSTEM, NEW GIRLS, MORE CLARA DOLLS, MORE HOMURA OUTFITS, MORE EVERYONE OUTFITS, and AAHAHAHAHSGH.

Homura wins by style points alone.

Anyway. Choice screenshots and my thoughts on them. Plus a few wild theories. Replies, tags, and your own reactions are VERY welcome.

(You're doing great, sweetie!)

First of all, I’ve already said this, but Homura has usurped Kyubey. She is the contractor in this new system. She calls magical girls and asks them if they can bear the responsibility of fighting (LEAGUES better than Kyubey's misleading BE A HERO language), using a magical lizard phone. She knows better than anyone else how heavy this is.

And she looks amazing while doing it. Look at that outfit! Look at her steampunk-esque aesthetic! Her throne. Which, notably, has glowing magenta eyes and her wings as a backrest.

The moon is either actually, physically repurposed, or she’s made something that looks like it. Not only that, but the pins going into the moon are exactly like the pins that went into her soul gem when she was being experimented upon in Rebellion. Those pins, according to the artbook, are for draining her gem of grief to keep her just before the point of witching.

Well, here’s my first wild speculation: Homura has not only taken over Kyubey’s job as a contractor but also its job of disposing of grief. That moon steampunk device is maybe for collecting, concentrating, and distilling grief into energy - hence the strange tesla coils connected to red liquid in the second screenshot above. She's doing what Kyubey says it's doing - turning the grief of people into energy to prolong the universe's lifespan.

I for one support her reality-warping shenanigans.

Here are some voices over a phone, sometimes speaking over each other, sometimes together. They call Homura “Akuma-sama” (!!!) which is a distinct upgrade from calling her Good-For-Nothing. They say “Just bring hope” like a mission statement. Are these her contracted girls? Or her Clara Dolls? They seem to show her a lot of respect.

I’ve also said this, but I strongly feel that this and the girl shown later are some of Homura’s new contractees. Their magic is darker. It warps the world around them, even. Their outfits incorporate black a lot more, too, though that might be the lighting.

Look at the little sigil on the top left-middle! Looks a lot like Homura’s lizard sigil shown when she was consuming the universe, just with a longer lizard.

And, of course, the image of Madoka throwing herself off of a building. “Wraith” and “Legend of Bestie” (lmao) show up here. I’ve actually been really looking forward to seeing what they’ll do with Madoka’s… self-sacrificial tendencies, so this might be part of that. Or, because of “Wraith”, it’s… well, I’ll get to that later.

On the other hand, it might not be Madoka. It might be the girl who the speaker in the phone call calls her "best friend", jumping to her death because of a wraith, and Homura saving her to fulfill a wish.

So glad that the insane architecture from Rebellion is making a comeback. Love what you’ve done with the place, Homura. Look at all those cranes!

The outfit changes are very cool to me. I honestly don’t have speculation for why Sayaka is covered in bandages, but I do have speculation for the changes!: they’re older. Years have passed. Since they’ve changed and grown, their outfits have changed, too. I don't have proof of this - I just like the idea.

Light shines down on Madoka. Petals fall towards her as flowers bloom above. Behold, Homura's extremely subtle and inscrutable feelings. (Sorry for the blurry Madoka, but I am not going through the ordeal of uploading screenshots to my computer again because Tumblr does not like mobile users).

Homura is apparently waiting for Madoka here. She's standing right in the fountain's water and holding a Victorian umbrella like a vampire. Right now we can see that the visuals of this movie will not miss.

Is this a routine thing for them or is Homura just showing up to greet them this one time, for some reason? No clue. Madoka's expression as she notices Homura could indicate either.

Eagle-eyed people on Twitter noticed this, but in these shots, Sayaka already has her bandages.

Aside from the multiple and/or teleporting Homuras, there's also a Clara Doll in a ballerina dress and a cute Clara Doll peering over the side of the tower like a little kid.

The tower is interesting. It appears to be made of books or pages, and there's chains throughout it. More notably, it's in the shape of a helix - infinity symbols on top of each other.

Please appreciate these Clara Dolls. I'm sure they're working hard.

But seriously, those Clara Dolls' details. One has a witch's hat. One has an apple on its head. And the one with a teacup appears to have not only a lizard's tail but a replica of Homura's Devil outfit. Appreciate them!

Here is Homura(?), lounging or trapped on a chair filled with even more of those pins. Look at her closely. She's wearing a strange combination of her magical girl outfit and her Devil outfit - her shoulders are bare, and she has... feathers? She's sitting on a bunch of nails. But she also has two soul gems - one in her hand, and one hanging from her neck.

Is she cleansing them? Eating them? Holding people hostage? I don't know, but I support her completely.

She looks so tired.

So: here's some of what I think might be going on.

Homura is using wraiths to repress her worst memories. We know already that wraiths take memories and emotions from their victims. Well, there's no reason it can't be used as extremely terrible coping! Homura actually does this in the Wraith Arc, too - she lets a wraith take her feelings for Madoka.

If it is Madoka, it explains the shot with Madoka throwing herself off a builing - what if Homura has seen this happen in the loops, and out of pain lets a wraith pull it right out of her? The shot says "WRAITH" and billows with smoke. A wraith could have taken Madoka's form to act out this memory. And it doesn't need to be a memory - it could also represent Madoka's self-sacrifice and almost suicidal tendencies. This, too, would explain the multiple Homuras. All wraiths using her form.

This puts forward powerful enemies for the plot, as well as an interesting point of literally fighting Homura's demons. Most importantly, this lets everyone see Homura's pain.

Other wild dartboard speculations:

Homura will try and present herself as a villain. This is, honestly, kind of guaranteed, but it bears mentioning that her magical girls will be very likely to try to defend her.

Kyubey may appear to try and turn the girls against Homura.

Homura made the new magical girl who is drawing a bow. She has a lot of design choices from the Quintet, and people have already noticed how much she looks like Madoka. This new girl plays a role of the hero to Homura's pretend-villain, eliminating the risk that her friends will get seriously hurt.

The new magical girl is actually Madoka. Or the Law of Cycles. Or Kriemhild Gretchen.

The girl who jumps from the tower is a contractee being asked to take a leap of faith. She does so, and Homura rewards her with magic.

[deedala]

✨ weekly tag wednesday ✨

thanks for the fun and wild game @mybrainismelted and for tagging me!! + @energievie @lingy910y @spookygingerr @burninface !! 💖💖💖

Name:  deanna

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (or you):  i am in ohio 🌽

Ok, so this week we are going to snoop into your google search.  Type in each phrase and tell us what the first suggestion is that google gives you!

What is the best way to….  lose weight?  ex fucking scuse me?? i have never in my life googled this fuck off (body liberation you fuckers!!!)

Where can I…. watch quiet on set?  i dont even know what that is

How old is…. reba mcentire? loool cannot say i have ever really wondered this but i did watch a couple episodes of Reba last week-ish when i saw they added it to netflix??

How long does it take… to get a passport?  it is possible i googled this after realizing mine expired??

How many… weeks in a year?  this is definitely something i would google as i am awful at remembering numbers in the correct order

Who set the record for…. The highest jump.  yeah same i have never even wondered this let alone googled this lol

When did…. covid start?  i do not need to google this i actually remember it QUITE CLEARLY THANKS

What does it feel like to… pass a kidney stone?  lol YIKES, i have no really wondered about this nor needed to google it i feel like its pretty common knowledge that its fuckin painful

Can you… drink distilled water?  it tastes so gross though lol

When you… wish upon a star lyrics.  🤨 (just gonna keep kats commentary on that one cuz same lol)

Why do… cats knead?  so cute thanks google!! i've never googled it but it was a cute little result to look at thanks lmao

Is there a way… to save karlach?  what even is this i have no idea

How old do you have to be… to rent a car?  never googled that and dont need to know but ok

Where do the… pacers play?  is that a sportsball team?

What is the best time to… post on instagram? uhhmm not information i care about lol 

And to finish us off…. What comes up when you type in Shameless?  Shameless season 5 -- i mean yeah ok thats a good season i probably googled for it at some point for some reason lol

and now i shall hand out cookies 🍪 and also feel free to play if you want!! @michellemisfit @too-schoolforcool @darlingian @heymacy @heymrspatel @thepupperino @lee-ow @mmmichyyy @wehangout @metalheadmickey @whatwouldmickeydo @gardenerian @mickeysgaymom @gallawitchxx @callivich @vintagelacerosette @the-rat-wins @sam-loves-seb @blue-disco-lights @sickness-health-all-that-shit @samantitheos @loftec @iansw0rld @transmickey @tsuga-of-mars @ardent-fox @rereadanon @palepinkgoat @themarchg1rl @sleepyfacetoughguy @spoonfulstar @captainjowl @gallapiech @thisdivorce

[the-tharns-speak]

On the topic of ruins and loot, what was/is the standard policy regarding artifacts looted/acquired (either while adventuring or wartime), and what are some of the more noteworthy artifacts you and the other Companions have come across (aside from the Amulet of Kings, of course)? (And on that note, may I be so bold as to inquire what sort of family artifacts the Tharn family has/had?)

It's seen as a common courtesy to leave behind some dort of information about the relic you've taken: What it was, how you found it, vague outline of your plans with it, where to find you in case the person who came here next needs to contact you about it. Write in standard Cyrodillic, or if you have a brush and the time and will, in Daedric alphabet if you feel it is appropriate.

If the artifact is obviously cursed, it's nice to leave behind some blood splatters as a warning. It does not have to be your blood. If you are raiding into a Dwemer ruin, flip the switches and turn the valves back the way they were on your way out. You don't want that hot steam that was spewing into the corridor to build up somewhere deeper beneath in a boiler and blow the place up.

When it comes to handling the looted found relics, it's mostly case-by-case custom approach. I like to wash what I've found first, cold water, a bit of distilled alcohol to disinfect it. Not advisable for some crystals and most fine Dwemer machinery, though. Cleaning is a good step, though, it let's you see the details beneath the grime, and significantly lowers your chance of contracting some nasty disease when you cut yourself on it.

(Not so fun story, shortly I was estabilished as the Imperial Battlemage, the Guardians of the Vault brought to me a cursed crescent, the foul hex on it had already killed three of them in a a rather ugly and painful manner. After we cleansed it of rust, I gave the remaining five a very long talk about tetanus prevention and since then the only other curse that befell the Battlespire was from a werebat. The curse was rabies.)

As a rule of thumb, do not eat your artifact. Don't put it in your mouth either. If it is a drinking vessel, don't drink from it. If it is a cooking utensil or a piece fo silverware, contact a Daedric expert (an actual expert, not just self-proclaimed); almost all of us know the Haskill This Is An Emergecy message spell.

As for the artifacts and relics out family has obtained over the course of the years vast majority of them has been... Well, I suppose the polite term would be "repossessed". Not that long after the Soulburst I was netly shooed off the main stage and my less sensible relatives and progeny managed to missplace a lot of the family's posession.

Still, what remains and is of note

A set of daedric crescents. Honestly, I am still dumbstruck as to why Mannimarco let me keep them on my person during my stay in the Castle of the Worm. The staff is unparalleled. I've managed to fit it with a new handle, since the last one just shattered in my face a couple of years ago, and by the Eight, how did I manage to go without it for so long?

The Spoon of Repulsion. From Sheogorath's domain, I don't know if he already had it or if I am that special, but it was entrusted to my care to propel bad anons out of this blog's very inbox at high velocity. Not much goot as an actuall spoon, since it throws your meal across the room and through the wall.

A couple of Azura's crystals. Some of them are full, and I forgot with hwom and I am not eager to find out.

A blood-drinking longsword that melts with the wielder's flash if used for long enough. Probably the artifact that's been in our posession for the longest... and one that's seen the least use.

Mallion-Canae, a ring made of petrified flame. Not sure what it's good for besides as a pocket warmer.

Three sets of armor made of dragon bone. I am not sure if it counts as an artifact, since they are extremely new. Apparently the Rimmen Armory is running out of space, and since I caused it in the first place...

Two Tablets of Silk, the devices that allow access to the internet.

The Fang of Barbas, which to my knowledge does not actually come from Barbas, and while held it does not allow you to speak a lie. Less helpful than it sounds. Banned from the courts of Cyrodill.

A vial of what's supposed to be Namira's blood, although it has the physical properties of oil rather than blood. A viscous substance with no known antivenom. So toxic that looking at it with unshielded eyes kills.

[toxiclizardwrites]

YOU JUST REMINDED ME TO DO THIS. For the WIP game, you KNOW I gotta hear about Tattoo. Pleeaasseeeee and thanks. :)

Your wish is my command! It is a WIP, but here is an excerpt:

Delgado and I walked into the room, and I immediately took a seat on the raised black leather chair in the center.

“There's even an actual tattoo chair, impressive,”

Delgado chuckled. “It was here when we found this starstation. I guess the UC has an affinity for tattoos as well.”

His eyes scanned my body carefully, like an artist surveying their canvas, taking in every detail and making mental notes about every curve and imperfection. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I knew he was just trying to see where I would get my tattoo, but there’s just something about those amber eyes that melts your composure.

“Where do you want it?” the question pulled me back into reality.

“I was thinking on my side,” I said, pointing to the area just beside my right breast and slightly under my arm.

His lips curled into a mischievous grin. “It’ll be hidden, are you sure?”

I nodded and focused on his eyes. “It won't be hidden from everyone.”

His grin widened. “Sure, if that's what you want, let's get started.” he took of his jacket and placed it on a countertop, revealing a black fitted t-shirt underneath.

I slowly lifted my shirt off my body, and placed it at the end of the chair. I leaned back and shifted my weight to get comfortable.

“You’ll have to take your bra off as well,”

I hesitated. It was difficult enough being in front of Delgado with just my bra and pretending it was no big deal, but completely topless? My face turned red. “Can't you just move the side of it?” I asked.

“No, it's too tight against your body, I need a clear space to work or it's going to look like shit,” he replied, busying himself with the ink, cloths, and other supplies that he would need to complete the tattoo.

“Ok, fine,” I said, trying not to make it sound like I cared.

I reached back to unhook the clasp at the back, arching my chest forward to make it easier to reach. Delgado didn't seem like he was paying attention, still fussing with the supplies on a nearby table with his back turned to me.

Holding the cups in place, I leaned back. “That should be good, right?”

He turned to see me laying on the chair. His eyes scanned me for a moment.

“It’ll do,” Delgado said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He sat down on a wheeled stool and scooted it close to me, pulling along an old surgical tray with him that also had wheels. On top of the tray was the tattoo gun, some cloths, and a bottle with some distilled water in it. He was close now, his chest inches away from my bare skin. I could smell his earthy Cologne and feel the heat emanating from his body on my own.

He turned to get a cloth, and used a bottle to wet it. He brought the cloth to the side of my body, the cold liquid causing goosebumps to appear on my skin. He wiped the area gently and purposefully, his fingers gently brushing the side of my breast. The feel of the cloth and the pressure of his fingers against my skin sent a sudden jolt of pleasure though my body, one that took everything in me to not show. I swallowed.

“Are you ready?”

I nodded.

[dark-falz]

So instead of looking into the Falz seal I whipped up this Algolian seal but took an alchemic approach to it. Almost looks like an upside down Philosopher’s Stone. This was mostly free-handed in Photoshop if you can tell by the line width inconsistency, but it was much easier than on paper. The Marquee and I aren’t BFF’s as you can see my text is even a lil wonky, so I just draw a big dot then erase the middle with a slightly smaller dot!

I also stuck with the PSO font because I already write my magic in it so its fitting in all ways. Here’s a breakdown of it if you’re curious but I mostly just wanted to share the design cause it was fun to come up with :3 

This is a prosperity spell based on the middlemost circle of text. The outside circle reads “And why may you multiply this medicine”, the inner circle reads “So you have more than you need to spend”. These quotes are from George Ripley’s “The Twelve Gates” or “The compound of Alchemy” regarding the multiplication process in alchemy. Changing the outer circle of text would change the process, and changing the middle text would change its intent.

The planets chosen; Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury were picked in my best attempt to follow the “Body, Mind, Spirit” / “Salt, Mercury, Sulfur” concept in Alchemy, as well as best representing prosperity. The names of the Zodiac they rule over are across from them, where the photon blasts would go, followed by their symbols in the space below. I’m fortunate the planets I picked all ruled over 2 Zodiacs otherwise I’d have much more trouble writing this lol. In attempt to keep the rule of 3′s, I added the symbols for the metals/minerals in correlation with the Zodiacs and the planets that rule them. I did have to cheat a bit though. Non metals are present such as Salt and “Crystal”. I’ll get into the messy bit in a sec. Here’s the breakdown;

♃ Jupiter: Metal- Tin ♃ | Zodiacs- Sagittarius ♐︎, Pisces ♓︎ | Zodiac “Metals”- ♐︎ Salt 🜔 & Tin ♃ , ♓︎ Neptunium ♆ & Silca (used symbol for crystal which is n/a)

☿ Mercury: Metal- Mercury ☿  | Zodiacs- Gemini ♊︎, Virgo ♍︎ | Zodiac “Metals”- ♊︎ Brass(n/a) & Mercury ☿, ♍︎ Copper ♀ & Phosphorus (n/a)

♄ Saturn: Metals- Lead ♄, Iron ♂, Steel (n/a) | Mineral- Sulfur 🜍 | Zodiacs- Capricorn ♑︎, Aquarius ♒︎ | Zodiac Metal:- ♑︎ Platinum(n/a)

So with everything laid out, we can see Saturn has a few metals in association whereas Mercury and Jupiter only have 1 main one. So some things had to be filled in, where Saturn I had to pick and choose from.

With Jupiter’s lacking of fitting metals and minerals, since salt is a direct association with prosperity as is Jupiter, and a necessity in the formula, it got placed here. We also have Neptunium which I know completely different planet but is all Pisces had for me to work with. Silca is a mineral in association with Jupiter but there isn’t a symbol for that to my knowledge so I used “crystal” instead.

Mercury is as close to normal as it can get but prolly don’t fuck with actual phosphorus less you’re doing actual alchemy/chemistry, its there cause its a mineral directly linked with the planet Mercury and Mercury only has one obvious metal to it. (incorporate phosphate minerals, such as turquoise)

Saturn is a fucking mess and can be chaotic to work with. Fortunately it has a bunch of metals its associated with as do both Aquarius and Capricorn. So I picked and chose from what is most stable. Sulfur is thrown in to follow the formula and a mineral associated with Saturn.

The energies work as Jupiter generates, Mercury directs or “communicates”, Saturn contains, stabilizes and prolongs.

I’d also like to mention the alchemy processes the Zodiac signs represent;

♊︎  Fixation, ♍︎ Distillation, ♐︎ Ceration, ♑︎ Fermentation, ♒︎ Multiplication, ♓︎ Projection.

Briefing this from a non spiritual standpoint; Fixation: A liquid or gas to a solid. Distillation: To seperate & purify. Creation: Addition of water through absorption. Fermentation: To cook over time. Multiplication: To increase potency Projection: Transmute / Change anything into anything (ultimate goal) However we know alchemy is chemistry now, so most people of this era when talking about alchemy are talking about spiritual alchemy.

The symbols inside the 3 circles pointing at the planet symbols are the alchemy symbol for “essense”, the tridents coming off of the circles toward the text use the planets to create the alchemy symbol for “compose”. Here is my reference sheet of Alchemy symbols in PSO lettering, I circled the symbols used. (There are a variety of symbols for some of the same thing out there, this is what I’ve compiled so far with keeping the symbols simple)

[mappingthemoon]

We bought our new/used car on August 28 and the seller included this, like, piece of fabric to lay over the dashboard (made to match our shape of car, with holes pre-cut out to match the positioning of air vents, etc.) because the dashboard plastic had become kinda gross and sticky due to, I guess, melting in the sun or whatever over the years? Anyway here is a comprehensive list of reasons why it took me nearly four months to complete the task of actually installing this thing:

Step one was to iron the cloth to smooth out the fold lines. Since we use our iron maaaybe once a year, I keep it stored in the back of a closet on the top shelf, so that was probably a couple weeks of just not wanting to deal with dragging a chair over and pulling things out of the closet and putting them all back.

Eventually, I get the iron down from the closet and I put it on my desk to remind me about this task.

I ignore the iron.

I move the iron to other annoying spots in my house in an attempt to catch myself in a moment of Project Inspiration.

I keep avoiding the iron and feeling like a loser even though I am exhausted and burnt out all the time and the thought of starting any kind of project after I get home from work makes me want to walk into the ocean. (Sept.?)

One day, I get fed up with myself and take the iron out of its box. LET'S DO THIS Y'ALL. But as usual, I did not read the entire instruction sheet for the fabric, only the first line. It actually specifically says not to lay flat and iron, but to hang the piece and use a clothes steamer instead. I do not own a steamer, but Pete thinks he has one somewhere in the basement. (Oct.?)

He can't find the steamer but wants to keep looking. Probably like a month passes. (Nov.?)

I get the brilliant idea to buy a steamer at Target! (Dec. 1)

(Pete finds his steamer in the basement. It doesn't work.)

I put the new steamer on my desk to remind me to do this task.

Time passes. (Dec. 15)

Okay, now I have two weeks off for Christmas vacation and it is PROJECT TIME. I unbox the steamer. I am ready. LET'S DO THIS!!! I read the whole instruction sheet LIKE A BOSS.

The steamer requires distilled water, which we do not have at home. Dejected, I add it to the shopping list.

We go grocery shopping and I remember to get the distilled water :) (Dec. 21)

Today (Dec. 22): I steamed the fabric, lined it up real good on the dash, and secured it with velcro strips. This probably took less than an hour.

[convexicalcrow]

Cub musing about various methods to induce memory loss, as well as memory recovery, as well as thoughts on masks, possession, and his own experience with memory loss and how that feels.

I am tempted to do a follow-up with Scar and some Area 77 stuff bc they also had memory wiping tech, but idk if he'd actually commit any of that to paper, especially if it was something Cub could access. But idk, I'll think about it.

Transcript below so you don't need to read my chicken scrawl. :D

Methods for Inducing Memory Loss A potion of water-breathing corrupted with magma cream, and then with the sap of weeping vines, creates the most reliable amnesia potion. This combination took me a long time to discover, as it wasn't particularly instinctive in terms of finding the right combination to produce the desired effect.

My initial experiments with night vision potions and ink sacs ended up creating some very effective blindness potions, which I was then able to refine into other options to disguise movement, weapon fire, footsteps, voices with a ghast tear and ice crystals, lots of different uses. Nothing like what I was looking for, but all still useful nonetheless.

Even when I did stumble upon the right formula for amnesia, it's still taken many months to work out the dosages and how they actually work on memory. Scar and I are used to memory loss due to Vex possession, and it's mostly discrete blocks of time that get cut. We remember things if They allow it, but mostly They do not.

We do need to be wearing our masks, though, for the possession to work. The Vex have never said why this is necessary for unlocking the transformations They require, but masks have been used for possession in many cultures for thousands of years, so it makes sense that the Vex are tapping into similar magics.

Memory loss is common with these possessive magics too, thoughnot all possession does need masks. The memory loss was a surprise and a shock at first when Scar and I first got the Vex masks. I remember Scar spending hours trying to create potions to recover his memories. It did panic him at first, but the Vex soon manages to soothe him. Now he doesn't care.

For myself, I find it, well. I notice things floating into my dreams that feel like memories, even if I can't verify them. But I got used to the memory gaps because it's the price I pay for what the Vex have given me.

I will admit that I have, at times, dabbled in memory recovery potions. Just out of curiosity. Just to see if it can be done. That also took a while, but combining honey, milk, and gunpowder to night vision potions did seem to be the most reliable. Of course, I tested these on someone other than me or Scar. Scxar did offer, but I just felt the Vex would be mad if I used the potions on ourselves.

I'll have to write up these recipes later, because they require some quite difficult brewing. I needed to modify a brewing stand to get the concentrations I needed. Distillation is super important and has to be done with precision or the potions won't work. Memories are super sensitive to tampering, and an incorrectly brewed amnesia potion can remove far more than you intend, and a memory recovery potion that's too strong can recover things you may not wish to remember.

They are not potions to use trivially, and with little care. In many cases, there are reasons to simply let the memories be lost, rather than risk recovering or forgetting too much or too little.

Sometimes Scar and I stay up all night, thining about when we first got the masks. Remembering what we can about that time. The Vex, of course, have memories of all the pranks, and we're allowed to remember the final forms, but everything else is lost to us. Sometimes we revisit them, too. Not for any reason, just to- sometimes, it's nice to reassure ourselves they really happened. We did those things.

Last time we did that, Scar asked me if False remembers anything. I'm not really sure. She's never realy talked to us about it. I do sometimes feel Vex magic coming from her, but something always tells me not to pry. If the Vex still have business with her, that's for Them to deal with. We'll know if it's important to know. Until then, False is her own person. Can't say I don't think about it. She did wear a mask, even for a short time, and surely that has to have had some kind of effect. Maybe one day I'll ask her about it.

[targon-comic]

I actually really like how you characterize Leona.. I think the new lore favors Diana bc she got the better quality story. A bit of a rant but I would’ve loved the new lore if they didn’t make Leona so one dimensional, there’s so much potential with the lunari solari religious aspects of the story, the fanaticism, and it just feels like they did a watered down Christian reformation plot lol.

~~~~~~~~

Thank you VERY much!

You're right - after retcons, Riot flipped many characterisations between "connected" characters; I'd use Morgana and Kayle as an additional example - while Kayle did use to be a rigid judge, she was reasonable and clearly had internal conflict between justice and the mercy she wanted to grant, while Morgana did dabble in dark arts. Retcon happened, and suddenly Kayle's hysterical and trigger-happy while Morgana is merciful and endures pain.

There was nothing exactly written about the solari-lunari conflict in old lore because it didn't even reach that part beyond Diana's introduction. But new lore definitely did a distilled "good vs bad" religious conflict which pushes the conclusion "somehow (we don't know how though), everything will end in balance between powers" non-position. Most likely because this is considered most easily marketable to the widest audience. Easiest to understand. Imagine convincing a gigantic MOBA company to invest in a complex plot and complex unravelling of the story haha.

But they very clearly did basically delete Leona's character. There's a reason why so many new League players consider her now bland. Here's a comparison of her old lore judgment bits:

~~ And these are just cutouts, the Judgment is much longer.

Now let's compare to how much Leona has "screen time" for herself, before she's inevitably shoved into a relationship with Diana in new lore:

This is it. She is not allowed a paragraph more to have a personality or something other than her devotion to solari. Her colour story is just a description of carnage in a battle. Do I have to explain that characters are only interesting if they exist as their own people before they enter relationships with other characters?

Original lore Leona wasn't actually so devoted to solari. She wasn't part of the religious order until 16, and even after that in the Judgment it's clear she only feels indebted to the Sun itself, no matter how much solari try to convince her that she is owed awe by everyone.

So, because I felt the potential in this huge area of League's old story and because I like the characters, I decided to develop it into a comic!

[bike42]

Saturday September 16, 2023

Another sunny day - we’re sure blessed with good weather so far on this trip. I’d booked an all day “Outlander” tour through Viator, and our driver, Jim picked us up at our cottage at 9am for our private tour.

He was quite chatty, and had a large new van. We sat up front with him so we could get better views. It took us awhile to understand that this wasn’t strictly an “Outlander” tour … in fact, Jim knew little about the Outlander series only having watched one episode in his life. That was probably even better though and we just relaxed into historical and beautiful sites surrounding Inverness, which was wonderful on such a beautiful day.

We started with a beautiful drive to the little spa village of Strathpeffer - kind of dated now, but you can see that it was once a fantastic destination. From there, we drove down a little lane where we got a glimpse of the beautiful Castle Leod, which had been owned by Clan McKenzie. We got to talking about whisky, and Jim decided we should do a tasting, but first we detoured to Robertsons Farm, where they have animals on display that they’ve adopted - two Hairy Cows, three alpacas and three very fat goats! We bought a few things from their shop and had a good chat with owner, Karen.

Then we were on to Singleton distillery. We skipped the distillery tour and went right on to the tasting. At this location, Muir Of Ord, they distill and bottle only for consumption here in Scotland and for export to Japan. They have another location, “Singleton of Glendullan” that exports to the US so we’ll have to look for that. We each had a flight of the 12 year old whisky, and it was fantastic. Their tasting technique was a bit different than what we’d learned from Eugene a few nights ago - they encouraged smelling it, and adding two drops of water.

Our next stop was in Beauly, the home of the real Jamie Fraser (many by that name actually, from the Fraser’s of Lovat). We toured the ruins of a Priory from the 1500’s. It was in amazingly fantastic shape, missing the roof which was taken off to put on another church in the 1800’s! Amazing tomb markers there, all very old and you could just make out the writing. My favorite had Gaelic writing and symbols, with moss growing in the etched out areas.

Next we drove along Loch Ness - with two stops to get out and take in the view. Then back through the city of Inverness and to the Culloden battlefield. Quite honestly, my first knowledge of this battle came from the Outlander series, but I have read more about it and the Jacobite Rising since then. On April 16, 1746, nearly 2000 Jacobites were killed here in a battle that lasted only an hour. I found it odd that the other side was labeled as “government,” but I guess they were the British soldiers! The lost only 300 in the lopsided battle. In the aftermath, much of what made the Highlands unique was outlawed: Clans and their tartans, bagpipes, many supporters lost their land.

From there, we drove to Balnuaran of Clava - a Stone Age memorial site not unlike the tombs we’ve seen in Ireland. This was also the site of the “standing stones” that play a big part in the Outlander series, but the setting is very different than that shown in the series. I didn’t feel any major powers at the stones, and I’m ok with that!

It was late in the day, but we stopped by Fort George on our way back to the city. It would have been interesting to go in if we’d had more time, and also there was a Highlander Games taking part inside which would have been fun to see.

Jim dropped us off and we chilled at the cottage before walking to the main drag for an early meal of tapas at a cocktail bar. A very young and rowdy crowd out on this Saturday night! Back to the cottage for some cribbage and to watch Ireland win another rugby match in the World Cup contest (it’s starting to make more sense to us now)!

[cuisinecravings]

Boiling Sea Moss

Boiling Sea Moss? Do you want to boil some sea moss? In that case, you are in the right place. You can boil sea moss, though most people prefer to cold soak it. Join me as I walk you through the process of boiling sea moss to create sea moss gel in today's post.

Boiling Sea Moss

Is Sea Moss Safe in Hot Water?

Of course you can. Throughout actuality, sea moss is typically consumed this way in the Caribbean. However, there are also more recent approaches that people use, such as soaking and combining sea moss. People frequently believe that boiling Irish sea moss will reduce its nutritional content, which is one of the problems with doing so. Anything that is boiled can have advantages (such eradicating bacteria), yet some items lose nutritional value when they are boiled. This is why many people worry that although while the most traditional process of making raw sea moss gel involves boiling, it might not be the most nutritious choice for individuals hoping to profit from sea moss consumption. Is Sea Moss Boiling Harmful? The question of whether or not you should eat boiling sea moss is still up for dispute. Furthermore, most of what is thought regarding boiling sea moss is up for discussion because there don't seem to be any significant studies or discoveries on the subject. It's plausible, given what we already know about boiling foods, that soaking sea moss would be more advantageous than boiling it. It's possible that heating it to such a high degree will cause healthy nutrients to be lost that wouldn't otherwise. Should Sea Moss Be Boiling? I'm going to conclude that boiling sea moss is probably safe after all. We cannot conclusively demonstrate that the boiling procedure causes nutritional loss. Also keep in mind that the conventional process for making sea moss gel for many years has been boiling. They are aware that there is a chance that nutrients will be lost during the boiling process, but they are unsure. Also be aware that cooking raw sea moss for a shorter period of time—say, 15 minutes as opposed to an hour—can help retain vitamins and minerals. You might be using the wrong recipe if you see instructions that say to boil your sea moss in a slow cooker or put it in a pressure cooker. While utilising these techniques can appear simpler in some situations, the truth is that they increase the likelihood that the health advantages of sea moss will be lost. To get the job done without significantly reducing the health advantages of your sea moss gel, stick to boiling sea moss for 15 minutes. Related Articles:- Heat Corn Tortillas in Air Fryer? Is it Good or Bad? Whataburger Chicken Strips What to Serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches? Brief Guide What Goes with Collard Greens? What Actually is Collard Greens? What to Serve with Taco Salad? Complete Guide About Salad

What Takes Place When Sea Moss Is Boiling?

Keep in mind that boiling sea moss—especially for an extended period of time—could change the nutritional composition of the plant. More nutrients will likely be destroyed the longer you cook it. Not aware of the advantages of boiling sea moss? Let us tell you, please! Some of the benefits of using sea moss and sea moss gel include the ones listed below: - plenty with antioxidants - wonderful for the skin - Vitamin A and Vitamin C are present. - Omega fatty acids are present. - can assist in clearing your body of extra mucus - 92 of the 102 minerals that our bodies require to function correctly are present. - Sea moss is boiled to make gel.

Ingredients

- Raw, dried sea moss, 1 ounce (29 grammes weighed) - 1-2 cups of spring or distilled water, excluding the water used to soak and rinse the sea moss - Spirulina or any other delectable and nutritious additives to your sea moss are optional.

Instructions

- Start by placing your raw, dried Irish sea moss in a basin that can accommodate the entire amount. - Add water to the sea moss. You can loosen some of the tangled detritus by massaging the sea moss with your hands. - Repeat this procedure as necessary. Continue cleaning the sea moss until it is free of all visible dirt and debris. Note: Regular tap water can be used for these procedures. Spring water is not necessary to utilise during this stage. - Put the sea moss once it has been rinsed in a sizable, clean basin and fill it with spring water. Make sure there is enough water when you cover your sea moss so that every piece is submerged. - Depending on how much time you have, let your sea moss soak this manner for 12–24 hours at room temperature. - It's time to start boiling your sea moss after you've given it a good soak. - Clean out the marine moss. Then pour water and sea moss into a saucepan. The sea moss should be completely submerged in water, about half an inch deep. - High heat should be used to bring the pot to a boil before lowering it. Sea moss should be simmered gradually while being constantly stirred. - You can take the sea moss off the heat after it starts to crumble to the consistency you want. Small clumps are OK. Usually, this may be completed in 15 minutes, but it might take longer depending on how much sea moss you use. - Drain the water from your sea moss and set it aside. Put it in a blender that can withstand heat and cover it with the remaining water from the pot. When the water is half an inch above the sea moss, cover it (you may need to add extra spring water). - Until smooth, blend. - Optional: Add spirulina powder or any additional additives at this point that you deem appropriate. You have an option whether or not to utilise bladderwrack. If adding these components, blend once more until thoroughly combined. - Sea moss should be kept in a mason jar at room temperature with the lid open for about 30 minutes or until it has somewhat chilled. - Sea moss should be preserved in an airtight jar for up to three months in the freezer or refrigerator. - Add a few teaspoons of this to your soup, coffee, tea, jam, or anything else you want!

Sea moss Boiling Temperature

Your sea moss should be heated until it boils (212 degrees F). You shouldn't leave it that way for too long, though. As was already indicated, it might be preferable to avoid boiling your sea moss at all to get the most out of it. However, I believe that heating your sea moss to boiling is probably fine because no significant studies seem to suggest that boiled sea moss is devoid of nutrients. Just watch out not to go overboard. Turn down the heat to a simmer after the sea moss reaches the boiling point. You want the sea moss to be hot enough to decompose. However, you don't want to boil it for too long or the nutrients will be destroyed. Keep in mind that sea moss does not respond well to "low and slow" cooking techniques. Even at a low temperature, the longer you cook something, the greater the chance that its nutritional value will be lost. Therefore, it is best to quickly bring the Irish moss and water to a boil. After that, reduce the heat and let it simmer for just 10 to 15 minutes, or until the Irish sea moss starts to disintegrate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI9o-Tzo63Y

How long should sea moss be boiled?

Just boil the sea moss for 10 to 15 minutes at most. Although this has never been proven, boiling it for an excessively long time may cause it to lose some of its nutritional value. However, I wouldn't suggest putting the sea moss in a pressure cooker or crock pot. Instead, it is much better to quickly bring your sea moss to a boil before taking it off the heat as it begins to decompose. As mentioned above, combine the remaining ingredients in a blender, and then wait for the sea moss gel to cool completely before using it. Read the full article

[aesethewitch]

The Pickled Pickle Hex

I believe that the best defense is a good offense. When someone has done us wrong, and continues to do us wrong, we must forcefully put a stop to it for our own good. This blog is hex positive, because sometimes, I need to put an asshole in their place. And sometimes, the first step to protecting our energy is to purge the things that are hurting us - without hesitation.

This was the first hex I ever performed. Designed to punish a cheating and abusive ex, my goal was to curse a specific man with perpetually terrible sex and to ruin his prospects of ever attracting someone else into his web of lies. Although I created this with one cis man in mind, I’ve cast this hex for friends and have found this hex to be useful against shitty partners of all genders.

(Plus, dill pickles are delicious.)

Ingredients & Materials:

1 Cucumber (or a handful of pickling cucumbers of your choice)

3 to 4 sprigs of Fresh Dill (or 2 teaspoons of Dried Dill)

3 to 4 cloves of Garlic

1 cup Water

1 cup Distilled White Vinegar

2 tablespoons Salt (pickling salt is best, but kosher salt also works)

2 teaspoons Peppercorns (ground black pepper also works)

Mason Jar with Lid

Optional additions for extra oomph and suffering include: hot peppers (jalapenos and habaneros are my go-tos), red chili flakes, and onions

Instructions:

Think about the person you’re hexing. Consider all the things they’ve done, and the consequences you are putting in place. Whether it’s an abstract image of their sex life and relationships or a specific image of their actual “bits,” know that they are the cucumber. This is a very important step, so take your time getting properly vindictive. Feel free to shit-talk the cucumber - it might feel silly, but trust me when I say that it makes the next step very satisfying. Take a moment also to cast any protections, circles, etc., that you like.

Once you’re ready, with a very sharp knife, slice your cucumber into rounds (or spears if using pickling cucumbers). Really take out your frustrations here, but be careful not to cut your fingers. The rounds should be as thick as you want; I usually go for about a quarter of an inch. Add the cucumber slices to the jar.

Crush the cloves of garlic and discard the skins. Add the garlic to the jar. These are the aspect of the spell that will repel partners. Imagine their aura (or, again, their actual bits) radiating a pungent garlic odor. Not very sexy, huh? That’s the spirit.

Add your peppercorns, which are another banishing ingredient meant to condemn the target to loneliness, and the dill to the jar. Dill is most typically used for love, luck, and breaking curses. So why use it in this hex? When combined with the peppercorns, garlic, and eventually the vinegar, the meaning reverses. You are specifically repelling luck in love and relationships, and it has the added benefit of making this hex very difficult to break out of.

If you are adding extra ingredients, put them in the jar now. Peppers are especially good if you are wishing for - ahem - intimate discomfort. Be advised, a friend of mine requested very hot peppers in their jar (for taste and oomph), and their target contracted a painful, non-fatal UTI. Effective, though not what I expected.

Heat your water, vinegar, and salt in a saucepan. Let it infuse until the salt is dissolved, which will take about a minute. Since this is the preservative mixture, this is what will make the hex last. Set your duration while stirring the mixture; or don’t! You could also create a set of conditions under which they could free themselves, such as apologizing or suffering in a specific way. See my note below on what happens if you don’t set a duration or freeing condition for the hex.

Let the mixture cool slightly before pouring it over the cucumbers. Feel free to put all your anger into this - imagine the liquid scalding their psyche, already taking effect. Let the jar cool to room temperature before putting the lid on and storing it in the fridge.

Let the cucumbers pickle for 7 days. This time is crucial, both for flavor and for the spell. As the vinegar penetrates the cucumbers, the spell takes hold. Let the spell do its work. Ignore all calls and messages from the target. Know that the consequences are taking shape.

After 7 days, you can enjoy the pickles. They’re effective and delicious! As you eat them, enjoy the taste of their suffering and regret. They’ll keep in the fridge for several weeks.

Note: To make the spell mostly-permanent, don’t include a duration or freedom condition in step 6. Instead, be sure to eat every single pickle. Now, once the pickles are gone, they could break out of the spell with enough concentrated effort, and the spell will naturally wear away over time. If you don’t include a duration but decide that your target has suffered enough before all pickles are gone, you can voluntarily free them by burying the last pickle(s). Be sure to do so far away from your home.

Anytime I cast a hex or other baneful working, I take some time for myself. Enjoy your favorite drink and snack, have a cleansing bath or shower, and relax with your favorite movie. You deserve peace - that’s the whole point.

If you make this recipe and/or cast this spell, let me know your thoughts!

Safe Hexing, Witches!

[astaroth1357]

The Obey Me Cast on a Camping Trip (Part One: Brothers)

Hey guys, thank you sooo much for getting me to 2,000 followers!! I honestly don’t know what to say... I never dreamed that this little hobby of mine would reach so many eyes, and I can’t be more grateful. At a time in my life where things feel so chaotic and uncertain, being a part of this community and sharing my weird ideas has been what’s kept me going. It’s been such a rewarding experience all around, so thank you. From the bottom of my heart. 😊

I pulled out all the stops for this post. I even brought out one of my favorite songs of all time: Ao to Natsu by Mrs. GREEN APPLE to get the feel juuust right. I hope you all enjoy it!

This post is split in two due to length (I had too much fun again...) For the Undateables, please click HERE!

Intro:

Another day, another team building activity between the demons and the exchange students. It was Diavolo’s idea to go on a camping trip to the human world (because of course it was), and there were very… mixed responses. That sentiment wasn’t helped when he refused Lucifer’s insistent pleas to just purchase cabins for everyone to stay in. Oh no, the Demon Lord wanted to rough it out in the wilderness, and now everyone else was getting dragged along with him…

Wonder how that turned out?

Lucifer

Really, really, really tried to push Diavolo to just rent out cabins in but noooo, he wasn’t having it... So he ended up driving a van crammed with his brothers, the MC, and a butt-ton of camping equipment into the Alaskan wilderness… 

The car ride itself was insufferable… We’re talking, “I SWEAR I WILL TURN THIS CAR AROUND!!” level of antics every 10 miles or so (mostly from Mammon)…

Setting up camp was even more of a nightmare because about half of his brothers were utterly useless. The other half (save Satan) were completely clueless… Had it not been for Barbatos and Satan he probably would have just resigned himself to the mercy of the river’s currents and let it take him away…

He couldn’t even wear his usual clothes because of the situation… For the first time in who knows how many centuries, he was stuck wearing jeans… Diavolo even bought him several plaid shirts... (which he was not happy with btw because his brother wouldn’t stop making fun of the “new” him)

He had his own tent of decent-size, enough to move around in but nothing to write home about. The very fact he didn’t have to share was a luxury in itself, so he took it for what it was worth...

He spent a good portion of the trip focused on two things: keeping Diavolo happy and everybody else alive. He rarely left camp unless forced to; he just wanted to get it all over with as soon as possible…

If he did leave, it was because Diavolo would drag him along to fish or hike. He was... less than pleased to be called out of his tent at the crack of dawn or well past dusk to sit on a little rented fishing boat with Diavolo… but he didn’t exactly pick his friends so...

He rates the trip Too Much Trouble/10. Let’s never do it again.

Mammon

Wasn’t a massive fan of being stuck out in the wild, but Satan told him some made-up bullshit about buried treasure out in the forest and got him HOOKED. He even borrowed stole a whole bunch of mining/digging equipment just for the occasion!

He spent most of the car ride asking, “Are we there yet??” like a child. The MC had to step in to keep Lucifer from leaving him on the side of the road at multiple points during the journey... 

He was one of the utterly useless ones when it came to setting up camp. Someone charged him with putting up the twin’s tent, and he spent thirty minutes reading (then re-reading) the instructions while shouting expletives. Poor Simeon had to shield Luke from the vulgarity…

He has to share a tent with Levi, which neither of them liked. Mammon mainly because of Levi’s “old fish stink” and Levi because he feared catching “Mammon’s stupid.”

He was all jazzed up to go digging from Day One, though. He’d have breakfast, grab his shovel, then wander out into the middle of nowhere to go dig holes in the ground…

He also got completely lost on Day One, and it took the MC summoning him with their pact to return him to the group... By that time, he was filthy and somehow looked like he had been castaway for days (even though he was gone for like, three hours?)

When he stubbornly refused to stop digging, Lucifer resorted to just tying a rope around his ankle and letting him loose. It was up to Mammon to get back to camp before dinner, or else Lucifer would yank him back like he was on a leash.

Satan waited until the last day to finally tell Mammon the treasure was bullshit, and he was PISSED. He even threw Satan into the river, which resulted in the rest of the brothers joining in for a swim while the two tried to “playfully” drown each other.

He’d rate this trip 0/10 because he didn’t get any buried treasure. What a ripoff…

Leviathan

Hated the idea with a burning, seething passion. There’s no internet, cable, electricity, or phone signal out in the middle of nowhere! How the heck is an otaku supposed to survive?!

He clung to his electronics during the car ride until either they ran out of signal or their battery died, then he didn’t know what to do with himself… He resorted to reading several volumes of the manga he stuffed into his bag and clung to the MC for emotional support…

Yet another useless soul trying to put the camp together. He was in charge of his and Mammon’s tent but ended up almost crying in frustration… How the hell do humans do this all on their own?? Wasn’t he supposed to be the third strongest?! Why is he so pathetic?!? 😫

Hates sharing a tent with Mammon because he always wakes up to the second born encroaching on his space somehow… Poor baby is pretty much directly against the tent wall and STILL has to deal with legs and elbows in his side... 😰

Spends the majority of the trip moping in the tent... If he goes out there, he has to deal with the sun, bugs, and people… No thanks. He only leaves for meals and occasionally to go swimming. 

When he found out part of the way through that Barbs brought portable solar panels and a battery pack for Diavolo and Lucifer’s phones, he was livid. He demanded access to the power source, which Lucifer refused because “It would defeat the purpose of this trip.”

He’d have summoned Lotan right then and there, deadass in the middle of the forest, if the MC hadn’t intervened. He then went back to moping, but now at the bottom of the lake and it took a lot of coaxing to get him back out…

On the final day, he was packing up the camp before anyone else even woke up. He wanted OUT and back to civilization ASAP. Bedroom here he comes!

Satan

You wouldn’t think of Satan as an outdoorsy guy. Still, he has shades of a survivalist in him (mostly because he’s read a lot of guides and was looking for an excuse to use them for a loooong time).

He read for the majority of the ride. He was squished between Asmo and Levi, which was reasonably peaceful. But he did end up shouting at Mammon quite a bit towards the end because “NO, we’re not there yet, peabrain!!”

He actually wasn’t a waste of space when setting up the camp, and between him, Barbs, and Lucifer, they were able to get a lot of stuff set up before sundown. He did have to bark a few orders to the others here and there, but overall competency won out in the end.

He shared a tent with Asmo, and the two made it work well enough… Except when Asmo did things like spraying his perfumes and dry shampoos, making it practically impossible to breathe in for a few minutes…

Spent a lot of the first few days reinforcing the camp to a ridiculous degree.

Did he have to collect large branches to build an exterior fence around the campsite? No. But he did.

Did he have to set up a water distillation system using some of the materials Barbs had lying around the “kitchen?” No. But he did.

Did he have to weave a series of fishing nets to catch them lunch from the lake and river? I think you get the point by now.

Only once he built pretty much every contraption or improvement he could think of, did he go back to just reading and relaxing by the fire.

By the time the group was ready to leave, Satan had somehow managed to craft them a veritable, self-sustaining fortress in the middle of the Alaskan wilds…

Overall he would rate the trip as… meh. Next time give him a challenge like a deserted island or an actual desert, and then he’ll really see what he can do.

Asmodeus

Was about as unhappy with the idea as Levi was… It wasn’t that he disliked the outdoors per se, it was just that no one, NO ONE, pulls off looking flawless after several days stuck in a tent!

He chatted the entire car ride from start to finish. He never stopped talking. It made for decent background noise at least…

Was one of the more clueless ones when trying to set up camp and pretty just did what he was ordered. The second he was left to try and figure something out on his own, he went to Lucifer or Satan for help because NOPE. Human equipment is needlessly complicated sometimes…

He had to share a tent with Satan, which in theory shouldn’t have been that bad, but Satan was out basically all day in the sun doing who knows what and would always come back sweaty and gross! At some points, he had to chase his brother out of the tent until he dunked himself in the river or something. No way was Asmo sleeping next to that. 😤

Asmo took the second-longest to get up and get ready in the morning. Sometimes he wouldn’t even leave the tent until well past breakfast just in an attempt to salvage his hair and skin… He only got grouchier about it as the trip went on… 😥

A more… earthy looking Asmo is kind of a bizarre sight. He’s still attractive, no doubt, but it’s less like polished glamour and more like Hollywood humble. He spent the majority of the trip looking like a somewhat dirtied movie-star (which he still insisted was the worst he’s ever looked in ages).

Aside from salvaging his looks, he actually enjoyed taking pictures of their surroundings or of the group (but not himself). He sometimes forgot how genuinely breathtaking the human world could be…

….but his patience for the place wore out quickly once he started noticing his hair getting greasy. He was right next to Levi, packing up the site once it was finally time to leave. At least those two finally found something they could agree on, let’s get the fuck out already! 

Beelzebub

He was really curious about trying camping food and pretty excited that Barbatos was coming, too (because that meant great food in general).

Unfortunately, Lucifer had to stop the van at basically every gas station they passed for Beel could refill on snacks… Belphie ended up getting buried in wrappers pretty often, but he was asleep, so it didn’t matter much.

Beel did a lot of the heavy lifting when setting the camp up, but the finer details were left up to everybody else. He had his hands full getting stuff off the cars as is…

Of course, he shared a tent with Belphie, and there wasn’t much complaint between them. Honestly, there would have been more drama if they were split, so this was the better option.

After the MC told Beel about fishing and how it could net him more food, if he did it right, he knew exactly what he wanted to do during the trip.

… But no one told him how long and slow the process would be. There were points he’d get so hungry he’d consider eating the bait himself…

That was until about Day Three of the trip when they passed by a river full of grizzly bears… He was about to ask the MC why the bears were all standing in the water, but then he saw a fish practically leap directly into one’s mouth…

Beel had discovered his true calling.

Of course, the grizzlies didn’t take too kindly to a demon suddenly sprinting into the water with them. They tried to fight him off, but Beel just tossed most of them downstream without any issue until they realized who the apex predator really was…

After forming a shaky truce with the bears, Beel would stand in the water for hours then come back with whole baskets full of salmon… There were far more fish than Barbatos knew what to do with, so he’d just confiscate a few then let Beel eat the rest...

The MC shuddered to think about what Beel had done to the local salmon population… But he was full and happy for most of the trip, so he had a great time!

Belphegor

Sleep for him isn’t too contingent on location, so the idea of camping wasn’t terrible. It did sound like a lot of hassle for no good reason, though…

He spent the entire car ride asleep, head and cow pillow pressed up against the window and everything. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience, but he’d dealt with worse.

He was utterly useless when putting up the camp by choice, thank you. He had more than enough sense to get things put together; he just didn’t want to. If he wasn’t asked to do something by Beel or the MC, he’d just lay back in the grass and smugly watch everybody else struggle…

Again, he and Beel are in the same tent, and you wouldn’t hear any complaints out of him. He did start to have some second thoughts when Beel began getting a fishy smell, though, so he tried to bunk with the MC in their tent for a while.

Like Levi, Belphie didn’t leave the tent much during the daylight hours, but that was because he was still asleep… There was no good way to wake him with no alarms available, so he’d sleep in past lunch easily.

When he was awake, he didn’t leave camp very much except to walk with the MC or watch Beel fishing grizzly-style.

Eventually, Asmo and Diavolo got sick of him dodging their photos, so they’d started posing him Weekend at Bernie’s style around the camp (always conveniently propped up by something and with sunglasses on)

Something Belphie did like, however, was the nighttime. Since there were no lights around, he could practically see everything the sky had to offer. He could spend hours laying on his back long after everyone else had gone to bed just admiring the stars.

All in all, not a terrible trip. Anything that could give him that view like that was well worth it. 6/10, would sleep again.

Click HERE for Part Two. Check out my Masterlist for more!

[milkweedman]

Hello! I just saw your dyeing guide and I was wondering if you had any more information about mordants? I’ve looked around, but I haven’t been able to find much

hi ! I have some information for you, but I only use mordants that I can make or that I already have lying around anyway, so I definitely don't have a comprehensive guide for you, and I'm writing almost entirely from my own experience and research.

WHY WE MORDANT THINGS

A mordant is, first and foremost, a fixative, meaning that it adheres the dye to wool/yarn/cloth/whatever. You can dye things without mordant, but you'll get a fairly pale color and it will generally wash out or fade back to its original color eventually. There are some exceptions--black walnut hulls famously don't need a mordant to get a rich dark brown or black that will stay, and in my early dyeing experiments I managed to get a wheat-yellow with yellow onions skins that hasn't faded in the several years since. But for the most part, you're gonna want a mordant. [Readmore because this ended up really really long]

The mordants that I use are distilled white vinegar (which I always keep around for cooking and cleaning anyway), iron mordant (homemade), and copper mordant (also homemade).

Mordants can also affect the color, not just the intensity. Copper tends to make your colors greener, and iron tends to make them darker (also called "saddening"). Vinegar, lemon juice, and citric acid can all make colors brighter or lighter, but I find their effect to be more subtle than iron or copper. Many other mordants change dyebath colors as well--aluminum also makes things brighter, baking soda and baking powder tend to shift the colors around in ways that I find unpredictable, though I haven't really done much with any of those, so I don't have a ton of info there.

As an example: I use a lot of yellow onion skin as a dye (since I cook with a lot of yellow onions) and have gotten a wide range of colors over the years, all from that one material. Please excuse the bad pictures.

top picture: These were all unmordanted wool dyed with yellow onion skin. They were a sort of soft pink-yellow. The leftmost piece had been soaked in water before dyeing, while the other two had just gone right in the dye pot while totally dry. You can see that the left one is a little bit more saturated, but not much at all.

bottom picture: These were both mordanted. Left was vinegar, which was still a little pink but far more saturated. Right is baking soda, which was a deep gold.

Then we have this:

This was also yellow onion skin, but mordanted with a mixture of copper and iron instead. It's a dark olive green.

And lastly this:

Again yellow onion skin, but mordanted solely with copper to get an orangey-brown.

So as you can see, by utilizing different mordants you can get a fairly wide range of colors even if you only have one dye.

It's also important to note that the materials you use can affect your result as well. For example, copper doesn't really do much to adhere non-plant dyes (food coloring, for example, won't stick well with a copper mordant), nor will it really modify their color. A copper mordant and yellow onion skin dye will lead to different colors on wool, linen, cotton, silk, or what have you.

HOW TO USE A MORDANT

There's several ways to use a mordant, once you have one.

PRE MORDANTING (SOAKING)

The easiest way to mordant is simply to soak your wool/cloth/yarn/whatever in a bowl of cool water mixed with mordant. For some mordants (vinegar, for example) longer is better. For others (iron for example) you want to limit the soaking time to about 10 minutes, because they'll damage the material over time. Always make sure to wear gloves or use tongs when you do this--the milder mordants will only dry out your hands, but the harsher ones can damage your skin if exposed long enough.

Copper, vinegar: Dissolve your mordant in cool water. Add your wool/cloth/yarn. Let sit for an hour. Drain water. Proceed to actual dyeing.

Baking soda, baking powder: Dissolve your mordant in cool water. Add your wool/cloth/yarn. Let sit for an hour. Drain water. Rinse wool/cloth/yarn thoroughly. Proceed to actual dyeing.

Iron: Dissolve your mordant in cool water. Add your wool/cloth/yarn. Let sit for ten minutes. Drain water. Rinse wool/cloth/yarn thoroughly. Proceed to actual dyeing.

The amounts of mordant you should use vary depending on which type you're using and how much material you're dyeing. I'm sure there's specific formulae for it, but I kind of just do it by eye. It's hard to use too much vinegar, baking soda, or baking powder. For homemade copper I usually use about 1 tablespoon per ounce of material. For homemade iron I usually use 1 teaspoon per ounce of material. You should experiment and see what works best for you.

This method is generally what's used for any type of dyeing that doesn't involve cooking in a dyepot, such as solar dyeing, wool painting, or cold dyeing.

PRE MORDANTING (SIMMERING)

This method involves cooking the wool/cloth/yarn with the mordant, usually for around an hour, but the time can vary. I don't recommend it with iron, as I've found it will harsh the wool.

It's the same process no matter what you're using: Dissolve your mordant in hot water. Add your wool/cloth/yarn. Cook on medium low heat for around an hour, making sure the water never boils. After an hour, gently drain the mordant bath. If you used something like baking soda that can clump up, rinse with hot water and drain again. Add dyestuff and proceed with actual dyeing.

(A/N a few years later: I've found alum to prefer this method, and found absolutely no point in doing it with copper. Different mordants definitely take to different methods)

DYEPOT MORDANTING

This method is generally the quickest, and involves simply mixing mordant with the dye and adding the wool/yarn/cloth to that, and then heating the dyepot with everything in it. I'd recommend making sure your wool/yarn/cloth is thoroughly wet before putting it in the dyepot, as with this method in particular, there is a possibility of a patchy dyejob. I don't recommend doing this with iron, as, again, it will likely harsh the wool.

POST MORDANTING

This method typically results in less saturation than pre-mordant simmering or dyepot mordanting, and thus is often used solely to modify color, with a different mordant being applied earlier in the dyeing process. It's often also called "modifying" instead of mordanting, because of that.

To post mordant, dissolve the mordant in water the same temperature as the wool/yarn/cloth. Lift the wool/yarn/cloth out of the dyepot and place it in the mordant, moving it around gently to ensure all of the material is affected. You should see the color change within a minute or two at most (some may take longer, but all the ones I've used changed color very quickly). Remove the wool/yarn/cloth from the mordant and rinse it in water the same temperature as the mordant bath.

HOW TO ACQUIRE MORDANTS

Pretty much every mordant can be bought either in a hardware store, supermarket, or online. If you're broke, however, there are two mordants in particular that you can make yourself, either for very cheap or for free.

COPPER MORDANT

This is the best candidate for making at home, and it's very simple. You need a large jug of distilled white vinegar (not white wine vinegar, or any other type of vinegar) and something made of copper. In my case, I use copper pipes I got at the hardware store. If the vinegar jug isn't full, you can just fill it up with cold water--as long as there's at least 50% vinegar, it'll work fine. Add the copper, put the lid back on, label it CLEARLY, shake vigorously, and place somewhere cool and dark. It should be usable within a week, but the longer it sits the more copper will dissolve into it, and the stronger your mordant will be. You can top up the jug after every use with more vinegar. If the copper dissolves entirely, you can just add some more. The mordant should be clear and blue. Use gloves when handling anything soaked in this mordant.

IRON MORDANT

I'd advise slightly more caution with this one, both because if you use too much you WILL damage your wool, and because if used improperly it can damage pretty much anything made of metal that it comes into contact with.

To make an iron mordant, take some clean nails (you can scrub some rusty ones or just use new ones) and put them in a jug full of distilled white vinegar. Label clearly and place in a cool dark place until it turns orange. (Don't shake it ! The nails can puncture or shatter the vessel, which would obviously be extremely bad. Instead, gently swill it in circles). Use very sparingly when mordanting, and only expose your material to the iron mordant for ten minutes or less, unless you know what you're doing. Only use glass or plastic vessels with iron mordant (and don't store the iron mordant in a glass jar, as it WILL rust the lid). Use gloves when handling anything soaked in this mordant. If you have money to spare, I'd recommend just buying powdered iron mordant if you can, as it's a lot easier to get a precise measurement in powder form.

OTHER CHEAP AND READILY AVAILABLE MORDANTS

Distilled white vinegar

Baking soda (bicarb soda)

Baking powder

Alum (with Cream of Tartar, as an optional but effective modifier)

Lemon juice

Citric Acid

Wood Ash (this can be obtained for free, by burning things)

Lastly, if you have a copper or iron pot, you can cook your wool/yarn/cloth in them with only a little vinegar as a mordant, and you can get the modifiers of copper or iron that way.

HOW TO USE MORDANTS SAFELY

Some mordants will cause no harm to your skin or environment, but others need a lot more caution.

When mordanting and dyeing, always use a dedicated set of bowls/spoons/tongs/etc that will not be used for food. A thrift store is a good place to pick these up.

A general rule of thumb is that the safest mordants are ones that are used in cooking or baking--these can be used in your kitchen with the windows shut and the fan off. Anything that you can't cook with, however, should ideally be done outside. If that's not possible, open the windows and turn the fan on.

Always google how to properly dispose of your mordant--it shouldn't just be tipped down the sink without a second thought. Some can just be tipped down the sink, but like. Check, first.

DISCLAIMER

As I said previously, I'm speaking from my own experience here, which is limited by the fact that I've only ever used natural dyes (and very occasional food dye). Things work differently with acid dyes and other commercial dyes. It's best to experiment for yourself and see what works for you and what doesn't.

OTHER RESOURCES

There's quite a few sites online that talk about mordants and dyeing, although there's a lot of conflicting information, and sometimes you won't get a definitive answer until you try it yourself.

Here are a few sites that I've visited for information:

http://griffindyeworks.com/understanding-mordants/

https://www.suzannedekel.com/post/mordants-and-tannins-assists-and-modifiers

https://kbaxterpackwood.com/natural-dyeing-notes

http://www.wildcolours.co.uk/html/wool.html

https://www.earthguild.com/products/riff/rmordant.htm

[simonalkenmayer]

Pop rocks ask got me thinking: tumblr makes a lot of jokes about a single dorito being able to kill a peasant but like. What modern thing do you think would actually make a medieval peasant lose their shit?

Doritos would have been the stuff of royal banquets. They would have absolutely lost their minds for such a rich flavor. The truth is that probably anything we have now would have been popular back then too since your bodies haven’t changed, just your concepts about food safety and management, and the availability of other types of food from other cultures. But these are things that would have made deep impressions, and some of them are just post colonial things they didn’t have and went mad about them once they did:

Fried anything

Gelatin powder and all the things made with it

Soda or soda syrups

Canned meat

Liquid cheese

Pasta

Chinese food specifically

Ramen

Hot pockets

Gourmet cupcakes

Any alcohol we make these days at all. I will say though that because of when distilling was invented, depending on how far back you went, you could bring that technology with you and change the world.

Bottled putrefied water

Any candy we make but specifically red hots, skittles, gummy anything, licorice

Barbecue sauce but really any sauce like ketchup, hoi sin, sweet and sour

Turkey

Any kind of chip

Potatoes

Chocolate

Tea/coffee these things weren’t found unti

Citrus

Pineapple

Maple syrup

Corn syrup

[borkthemork]

think you can do a drabble based around maddie and marcy? maybe set after season 3 with the two just bonding over sorcery in peace afterall that tragedy. i mainly just wanna see more of the former in fanfiction 'cause she's way too interesting a character not ti have a ton of wriitng based around her.

"We need a cup of grounded Baphomet root."

"You got it!"

"And don't forget to grind it very well," Maddie instructed, tapping her chin as she looked through the book’s contents. “If we don’t do this correctly then we’ll bewitch the entire forest and I really don't want to be grounded for the rest of my life."

Taking the mortar and pestle Marcy smiled, letting out a light scoff. "I think we'll be fine. We've been doing this for months, and you're talking to a guaranteed perfectionist over here.”

That was true, but Maddie still ogled the ingredients in front of her. Everything looked in place. There was a distiller, jars of various contents they scrounged up from the forest, and the whiff of sulfur from the newly-churned pot reassured Maddie enough that yes, they should be on the right track.

The only worry came to exact measurements, or that aforementioned bewitching if they messed up. With the amount of potions and hexes she made during the Battle of Newtopia, Maddie could say that she leveled up enough to handle this rank of magic, but best to be prepared regardless.

Especially now that Marcy was back in one piece...and it would be awful if she had to endure another stressful situation just from a simple mistake in the calculations.

“Hey, Teach.” Marcy walked toward her. Looking down, Maddie was pleased to see that the roots had been grounded to a fine powder. A fine powder full of death and bad choices. “If we grind all of this together, do you think we have enough time for a potion? I was thinking...something spicy.”

“Spicy?” Maddie arched an eyebrow. “If you’re talking about fire potions, we don’t got any ingredients to—”

“No, no. Not like that.”

Okay, so no fire potions. But Marcy wasn’t making any sense at the moment, or at least giving Maddie a straight answer. “Then what are you implying? We’ve done protective seals, bond material, and cursed nutritional dirt. Potions take longer.” Not to mention that they spent an entire day with dark magic. They were practically going to be out past her curfew, which was a massive no in her book. “So what’s the rush?”

“Weelll,” Marcy pursed her lips. She was skipping around the subject again, but before Maddie could say anything else, Marcy grabbed the book and started flipping through. “I took a gander at your book a few hours ago, and I recalled seeing this chapter that talked about advanced healing.”

“Uhuh.”

“And I wanted to see if there’s a way to heal deep scarring, 'cause trying to get treatment back home isn’t uhh—” Marcy rubbed the back of her neck. “—working so good.”

Oh.

Maddie fumbled with her hands for a moment. “Right, Earth doesn’t have magic.”

“We know how to remove scars, but yeah can’t do much with big pharma these days. Well, I can go to Finland, but that’s long-term planning.” Marcy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter anyway. Since I’m here I wanted to research the idea. Doesn’t hurt to try.”

With that, Marcy turned the book. The page she was on displayed numerous pictures and lists about growth and skin development, and sounded like something that could transition Maddie to a Level Four Witch if she and Marcy had the time to fulfill it.

“Okay, I can definitely work with this,” Maddie mumbled. “I’ve never healed scarring before, so I wouldn’t mind practicing if you’re up for that.”

“Totally!” Marcy tapped a finger at her shirt’s center. “Test away. After all, it’s the only way to check out a hypothesis.”

Maddie understood that well, but that wasn’t what she was worried about.

Few nights would pass as the two started their newest project. Advanced healing needed a lot of ethereal products; thankfully, Joe Sparrow and a few messages to-and-from Newtopia had allowed them to gather the materials from the farthest corners of the continent.

Some pinches of obsidian rock salt. Jugs of spider milk. A cache of ticks, axolotl slime, and a whole load of bio-luminescent mushrooms. Everything they gathered were at their purest form, but what surprised the two most of all was that when the book ‘needed ethereal products’ they didn’t expect it to take practically a full month to cover their bases.

Or that Marcy would grow more and more tense with the oncoming passing of days.

Marcy had been chipper about the whole concept — enthusiastic too because who wouldn’t want to be enthusiastic about cheating the natural cycle of body decay? But still, actually hearing mention of what happened months prior was still awkward to partake in.

Maddie wasn’t dense. Observation was a key skill for a witch to have. If one didn’t watch simmered milk then that milk would eventually froth and explode. If one didn’t check the accuracy in volume then consider yourself cursed for all eternity. Observing ingredients was akin to observing people, of how their facial expressions twitched and stretched even when it was hard to see inside their thick skulls.

For Marcy, they were friends. It wasn’t that hard to know when she had something on her mind. Being the enthusiastic assistant she was, any stress that piled on to the work led to the typical signs: Marcy’s voice would get strained in higher pitch, less focused with the work at hand, and trying to get a forward answer from her became straight-up impossible.

So on a day like this, where the blood moon peeked through the canopies and bathed them in light, Maddie had to ask the question:

“Are you alright?”

Marcy glanced at her. Her arms were occupied, stripping the last of the conifer leaves into the bowl below her. “I’m good. Pretty fine if I do say so myself.”

“I think you’re lying.”

Her assistant widened her eyes, but when Maddie stared more Marcy didn’t seem to be that surprised. She just laughed. “Aw c’mon, Maddie. Give me a good reason as to why I’d be lying right now.”

“Well, you’re an inch away from putting the conifers into the Bunsen burner.”

“Wait, I am?”

“And now they’re on fire.” For the fifth time.

Marcy shoved the tinder into the water pot beside her, mumbling a string of ‘Ow’s under her breath. When the smoke fizzled out, Marcy’s shoulders slumped. “Okay, you've got a point. I am pretty out of it today.”

“You want to talk about it?”

"Well," Marcy set her instruments down, and bore wearily at the table's surface. "I just really want this to work. Back on Earth there's a potential guarantee that the scar will heal, but there's still that pesky margin of error, regardless. And even if I get the treatment I need, it'll never remove it.”

"In Amphibia, I've witnessed the miracle of revival and resuscitation,” she continued, starting to gesticulate. “These are things unexplainable to my world's current rules, anything’s possible. So...I just want to make sure this potion doesn’t fail.”

Maddie furrowed her eyebrows. "Why though?"

"Huh?"

"I get it. You want to heal your scar, but what's so bad about having one?" Maddie asked. "It shows you survived, and surviving isn't a bad thing."

Marcy's expression grew illegible.

Maddie stopped. "If it's really personal, I'll just get back to making the—"

"No, no, it's okay." Marcy's lips twitched. She looked exhausted now, and Maddie wondered if she crossed some line in their friendship that should never be crossed. But before she could say anything, Marcy continued. "I'm gonna be honest for a second. Is it okay to spill something dark? Are you okay with that?"

"We're all about dark things here."

Marcy giggled. She stared more into the pot, brewing the concoction to a creamy mush. They both remained like that for a while, until the mush coagulated into clots.

"I don't want to see the mistakes I made."

Maddie glanced at her. The jade pot glow held the outline of her face, accentuating the curve of her brow, the grimace on her lips.

“I don’t want to think it’s selfish, but I have to look at that scar in the mirror everyday,” she said. “It drives me nuts sometimes, can you believe it?” She chuckled. “I wake up everyday and think ‘wow, I cannot believe this happened, and that I trusted a jerk like him’.”

Marcy sprinkled something into the gunk.

“And sometimes, even when I’m trying to be mindful of my causes, then the scar’s association switches from guilt of betraying everyone I love to the guilt of being duped so easily. I can’t win. Pretty dang weird.”

For a moment, Maddie remained silent, not knowing what to say. She had never seen Marcy so downtrodden before. During the Battle of Newtopia, she had only seen a few glimpses of her face during the rescue, and when they returned to Wartwood, any appearance of Marcy grew lesser so due to the stress of oncoming war.

But now, Marcy was showing vulnerability, and it was the first time Maddie grew stunned to no response.

Before Maddie could say anything else, Marcy laughed. She lifted her spoon from the pot contents, and showed off the goop melded to its surface, shiny in the eery light. “Look at that! You know we’re almost finished when it smells like rotten oatmeal! We just need to let it ferment for a while and then the potion should be ready.”

“Hey, Marcy.”

Her assistant paused, a quizzical look on her feature. “Yeah?”

“You know I respect you.” Maddie held her scrutiny. “And the fact you’re very much into dark stuff as much as me.”

“Of course, who doesn’t love eldritch concepts?”

“A lot of people,” Maddie said. The words were stuck in her throat. After all, what was the correct way to say condolences? Either way, she went for it. Marcy needed the support. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that if this potion is really important to you, I’m going to make sure it works. No mess-ups. No unneeded side-effects. As long as it makes daily life easier for you, then I’ll take the chances. And even if it doesn’t work, perhaps there’s another way. Whatever happens, my book’s always open.”

Maddie recognized the beaming expression on Marcy’s face. It practically lit the entire forest. “Hey, has anyone told you that you’re the best teacher an assistant can ever have?”

Nope. But it was great to be told the first time.