#we usually only get LITTLE-little mofs

[absul]

[ID: four images of a small moth. it's mostly white, with black feathery antennae and orange markings on it's face, legs, and body. end ID.]

i saved a little guy from the kitchen!!! <::]

[pigeon-behavior]

What are some things to look for with accounts that post a lot about their pet pigeon? Like what can I look for to be sure the pigeon is being treated properly and not being abused/stressed for views? What are common questionable things you see accounts like those doing?

That is a REALLY good question, thanks for asking!

My take here probably won't be comprehensive, but I will at least try to give you a starting point to go off of.

Here are some red flags in pigeon social media content:

1. They have cross species content. A pigeon should not be interacting with any other species besides people on video. Nor in real life, honestly, but we're talking social media crimes. No other birds- not even ringnecks- and CERTAINLY no mammals. It's dangerous.

2. This can be a little tricky for the less experienced, but watching how someone interacts with their pigeon is key. Do they force interaction? Do they respect their bird? Is this light-hearted teasing that the bird doesn't mind, or are you looking at a freaked out animal? Or a freeze response? If you're not sure, ask around for opinions you trust on behavior. Sometimes it is the only way to make learning leaps.

3. Stupid decision making. You will probably know it when you see it. Bringing a pigeon outside with no harness. Talking about the freedom of birds and how they need to free fly outside. If it Seems like hawk bait, it probably is. (I don't mean that they do this on purpose, they don't. They are are in utter denial about deaths by hawk and their ability to prevent them by simply keeping their birds contained)

4. This one depends, but if you ever see content of a pigeon being held so that the general public can pet it without it being able to get away - usually a bad sign. I saw this connected to a very small rescue once and it was pretty appalling. These are touch adverse animals - you can't do that. And on that note-

5. Any form of advocating for 'struggle-cuddling', or holding the animal still until it stops fighting you, is a HUGE no. It is one of the fastest ways to learned helplessness, and also for some reason rampant advice in this fucking community. I'm bitter about it, obviously.

6. They shit on all breeding. It's not necessarily a sign of neglect but trust me, these are not people you want to be around.

Now, some GOOD things to look out for:

1. Excellent housing. You want to see a wider-than-tall space with a lot of solid perches not caked in 3 inches of gray-green cemented poop. Poop happens. They are birds. It gets dirty. But the cement is neglect. That took time.

2. They interact with their birds respectfully. Even if they might get a little silly with them, you won't see these birds getting squirrely and shying away. Consent does matter here.

3. They have primarily ethical breeds. The range of ethical is pretty wide here. But something like an extreme modena or extreme MOF (modern old frill, NOT the same as the classic old frill) might still show up in a regular loft, and that's okay. They need a home.

4. If they breed, they have some kind of plan. You might not even see it, but occasionally breeders will talk about what they want to do with their breeding project. And their plan shouldn't be fucking stupid. TRLs plan? Stupid. That isn't how breeding Works. So, someone with a brain in their head about this stuff.

5. Someone who is willing to euthanize an animal. Making a creature continue suffering through amputations or other surgeries that are too extreme for it... It isn't ethical. A pigeon can't survive long term with only one leg. We know this. Anyone who is trying to pretend differently is perpetuating suffering.

6. Someone who socializes any baby pigeons properly. That means no hand-raising, no people imprinting. Parent raising. Socialization techniques vary and most are valid.

7. Care more about the bird than the content they make. The bird shouldn't be a toy they force into situations for views.

Generally, just try to pay attention. Don't be afraid to ask someone you trust about what they think of an account. It can be hard to break out of the little echo chambers that start to form, but thinking critically about stuff like that will absolutely help you in the long term. Exposing yourself to better information and cutting off the bad stuff will advance you a lot farther.

A real quick body language lesson for you, on how to tell if a pigeon is comfortable.

A pigeon frozen in place, refusing to move, is not a happy pigeon. Their eyes may get wide and tight, their posture may be slightly tucked in and hunched. It can be easy to mistake them as a little sleepy if you don't know what to look for.

Sleepy don't look like that. Sleepy is loose posture, puffy feathers, squinty eyes, fluffy forehead, raised foot. Some or all of these.

Another sign of discomfort is more active defense. It might look like display dancing, but this bird is telling you to fuck off. They tend to dance and hop around more trying to avoid you, their necks will be stretched out really tall, their heads will dart around, they will interrupt themselves mid-coo to run away.

These are birds who are confident enough to tell you to go away, but still freaked out. I saw a video from a prominent rescue last week of such behavior where someone was "playing" with this poor guy who was totally boxed into his rescue crate with nowhere to go.

Pigeons need an exit route during intense interactions with us. You can't box them into a corner so they have nowhere to go.

A pigeon that WANTS to wrestle or what have you will not flinch away from you like this, or freeze like a rabbit. If you are wrestling and you pull your hand away, the pigeon should run up to your hand again if you offer it from a distance. If you are petting the pigeon, the pigeon should lean their head down, or groan, or nesty grunt, or puff their feathers up, or try to preen you!

This got a little long, but I genuinely hope that was helpful to you. And again, great question.

If you like my posts, please consider tipping me on ko-fi!

[jules-van-hering]

I was tagged by the lovely @nxposure and actually liked most of the 17 questions that were asked, so let's go! (And thank you, Mof!)

Nickname: Bean, but only one person is allowed to call me by that term of endearment and it's so fucking weird when she calls me by my real name that I immediately get anxious. In another context I have recently been called Bubbles a lot, referring to the powerpuff girl, and I love my Buttercup and Blossom so much. We're fighting the good fight together ✊🏼

Sign: cancer sun, virgo moon, sagittarius rising. Looked that up for funsies once, but don't think about it a lot.

Height: 174cm. No clue what that is in feet.

Last thing I googled: the university degree that I would like to apply for and start next year. It's a psychology program with a focus on society which is exactly the shit I love and also great for wanting to work in political education and campaigning.

Song stuck in my head:

The gay lampshade cowboy gets stuck in my head a lot. I love the pathos, I love the queerness, I love his voice.

Number of followers: 220 apparently. Two more would be a nice milestone :D

Amount of sleep: Seven hours I guess, but it wasn't really refreshing as I fell asleep after crying a lot and then woke up with a headache of course.

Lucky number: Four. It's been my favourite ever since I was little. I was born on a forth and my name starts with the same letter as the number (in my native tongue at least). Two excellent arguments as a kid.

Wearing: layers! Two pairs of socks, a coat, all the shebang. It's snowing!

Movies/books that summarize me: Michael Ende's Momo. It's an awesome children's book that can basically be handed out as anti-capitalist propaganda. My copy always lays beside my bed.

Favourite song:

I can't even put into words what this songs means to me. This is one of my forever favourites and it also is a litmus test for my mental health. When I can't bring myself to sing along with Nina anymore, then I must be doing really bad.

Favourite instrument: the saxophone. In my teens I played the alto-sax and now it's collecting dust in a corner of my room. But you just gotta love the sax's unmatched versatility: it can make you dance, it can make you cry, it can make you horny, the full range of human emotions.

Asthetic: comfy, casual, bright smiles. Quite classic and basic, I guess. Sometimes with a maritime or botanical touch if that makes sense.

Favourite author: I really like Carlos Ruiz Zafón's writing style. Also Naomi Alderman.

Favourite animal noise: the cawing of the crows that we regularly feed peanuts out of our window. It's them telling us we're here and we're hungry and obviously we run at their command

Random: my nails are currently painted black with a glitter top coat. Buttercup brought all his polishes and wanted me to try. Looks cool, but doesn't feel like me, as I usually only wear red

I would like to tag only @tambourineophelia @jentlemansreturn @sweetbibabe and am wishing I could tag Siavash. Instead I'll just think fondly of him and the Iranian revolutionaries and wish for their freedom and wellbeing ❤️

[julemmaes]

“I think I’m in love with you, and that scares the crap out of me” for Rowaelin please? Bonus points if Rowan says it🤭

She Was Fine Too - October 11th

Rowan Whitethorn x Aelin Galathynius

A/N: GUYS I FINALLY DID IT. THIS WAS THE SHITTY LITTLE THING THAT STOPPED ME FOR CONTINUING TH MOF AND I THINK IT TURNED OUT PRETTY WELL CONSIDERING MY MIXED FEELINGS FOR THIS PROMPT

ANYWAY, I’m just gonna go and apologize for being late as usual, I don’t even care if y’all don’t want me to. I’m so so so so sorry if I couldn’t post it last month, but again, I wasn’t feeling it at. all.

I hope you enjoy!:)

Word count: 1,278

Aelin was ready to enter Rowan's house and find him naked on the couch. Or if not naked, at least to find him without his shirt, while he was getting ready to spend the night with her.

She certainly did not expect to enter his apartment and find him utterly and hopelessly drunk on the kitchen floor, crying in despair.

She also hurriedly got into the shower and shaved every inch of her body until her skin was silky smooth and she dressed provocatively to tease him.

When your almost four-month-old boyfriend wrote 'I need you now, come as soon as possible' you didn't think he meant he was having an existential crisis on his kitchen tiles. Especially when it wasn't the first time he texted you to let you know that he wanted to have sex at such an unusual hour.

It didn't bother Aelin at all that he called her just to get laid sometimes. They already spent enough time together without feeling the need to have sex and there had been nights when she had called him because she was too aroused to please herself. After all, they had met in the bathroom of a pub and enjoyed themselves several times before deciding to start a relationship together. It was no wonder that now they found themselves calling each other exclusively for that sometimes.

As soon as she set foot in the kitchen, getting a real sense of what was going on, her stomach twitched.

Rowan, the big, stoic Rowan, who she had only ever seen acting tough all the time, was crying so loudly that his body was repeatedly shaken.

When he saw her, his expression totally changed and, if possible, he seemed to start crying even louder. So loud that the girl wondered how he was able to say her name, "Aelin."

She threw herself on the floor on her knees, putting her things on the table and reaching out her hand to his face, "Rowan, what happened?" worry lacing every word.

"I got drunk." he sobbed, falling to the side and pouring some wine on the floor. Aelin moved quickly to take the bottle out of his hand before he emptied it on the ground, then pulled his head up and with a grunt tried to pull him back up to sit down.

She was going to approach the subject in another way, "Why did you get drunk?"

Rowan sprang to his feet and nearly fell over Aelin when he swung forward. She pulled herself up and put her arms around his waist to support him, grimacing when Rowan leaned totally on her.

"Couch," he muttered. Aelin did her best to keep him from crashing into every single surface present, but it was difficult when Rowan broke free from her grip and started swinging left and right on his own, chasing away her hands trying to catch him.

"Please sit down, you might hurt yourself," she begged him with her heart beating like crazy.

It was little that they were together and she had never seen him so upset before. She had never seen anyone so upset in her life, in fact.

When Rowan threw himself on the couch, with wet red cheeks and sweaty t-shirt, Aelin stopped for a second to look at him, standing at his feet. He was still crying, now more quietly, but the whining he let go sometimes made her take a deep breath.

She walked to the other side of the sofa and sat down, raising Rowan's head and placing it on her legs. The man let go a particularly loud sob and Aelin put her hand on his cheek. Finally Rowan looked her in the eyes and those bright green pools looked at her as if she could break at any moment.

His face curled into a grieving expression and burst into tears even louder.

"Ro," her voice a faint sound as a knot formed in her throat, "you have to tell me what's going on." she whispered to him, bending down so that her forehead pushed against his, "You have to tell me what happened." she repeated more quietly, as she felt the tears appear in her eyes as well.

Rowan's breathing became more irregular and when he let go of a trembling sigh, Aelin pulled herself up, always holding her hand over his face. Her thumb caressed his cheek. The other hand was combing his hair.

"I think I'm in love with you, and that scares the crap out of me."

She would have laughed in other circumstances - always so stubborn about not swearing -  but it didn't seem appropriate. The situation must have clouded her mind, because it took her a while to grasp what he had just said. She didn't say anything while metabolizing his words.

"I'm scared Aelin," he let go a trembling breath, "I'm scared."

It seemed that the fact that she hadn't reciprocated didn't touch him at all.

Perhaps he hadn't even noticed that he had told her 'I love you' for the first time while he was drunk as a skunk and lying on top of her crying like his life had just ended.

"Rowan..." she murmured.

He frightened her when he snapped up, almost hitting her in the face and sitting next to her. He took her hand and looked into her eyes, struggling to breathe, "You don't understand."

Aelin tried to smile encouragingly at him, but it had to look more like a grimace, "Then help me understand." she prompted him, coming closer so that their legs touched.

Rowan let go of a breath and the stench of alcohol flooded her nostrils.

"This is not a game for me." he waved his hand between the two of them, as if to indicate their relationship.

Aelin shook her head, "It's not for me either." she started, "I know we didn't get off to a perfect start -" she stopped, thinking that their first night together had been the best night of her life, "in the traditional way." she corrected herself, "I know we met in a stupid club toilet, but I want to be with you, Rowan. You make me feel good."

He didn't seem to have heard a word she said and when he leaned against the back of the couch and turned towards her, more tears made their way down his cheeks.

"The last time I fell in love, Lyria died."

Aelin held her breath.

He was still looking at her and finally understood what had triggered him that way.

Doing a quick mental calculation, she realized that today was supposed to be the anniversary of the girl's death. The girl Rowan had just married and who had been pregnant with his child.

She squeezed his hand and got closer, closing her eyes and placing her cheek against his chest. Rowan's arm wrapped around her shoulders and in an instant she found herself sitting on his lap.

"I'm not Lyria, I'm fine," she whispered against his shirt, "I'm here."

"I can't lose you too." he sobbed.

Aelin's heart was broken for the man she had learned to love in just a few months and who had turned her life upside down.

"You will not lose me. I promise." he circled her chest with his slender arms and then Rowan lifted up her face, one hand under her chin and looked into her eyes before he leaned forward and kissed her. Just a rubbing of lips, light, full of meaning.

Noses touching, Rowan whispered, "She was fine too."

Aelin sighed, slightly detaching herself from him and putting her hand on his face, "Tell me."

tog taglist (if you wanna be added or removed just send me an ask or dm me)

@tottenhamboys20 @maastrash @ireallyshouldsleeprn @sleeping-and-books @ladywitchling @thegoddessofyou

[terrainofheartfelt]

Author Self-Interview

Beloveds @rainathorpe & @strideofpride & @mysteriesofloves mentioned me when they did it and I was flattered & inspired (I’m a Leo I love talking about myself)

Fandoms: gossip girl is the only fandom I’ve ever written for...but I have been an avid fic reader in: a song of ice and fire/game of thrones; harry potter; once upon a time; the shadowhunter chronicles; grey’s anatomy; the lizzie bennet diaries; gilmore girls; poldark; and downton abbey (there’s probs more, I’m just going off my faved tags on ao3).

Most popular multi-chapter fic: gladly beyond any experience in my series Mouthful of Forevers, which still mockingly has “? chapters”...

Favorite story you’ve written so far: ohhhh all of them but that’s a cheat answer so I’ll say: Little Women AU my beloved. It came together so quickly and marvelously, and it was the first sort of thing I shared that I was writing for more than just myself? If that makes sense? Like I was working on it and thinking “ohohohoho my mutuals are gonna love this!” and while I am still of the I Write for Me philosophy, that is a pretty fun feeling.

Fic you were nervous to post: I’m gonna go with “And this is why my eyes are closed” because it’s a fluffy s4 au...but I really wanted to do justice to what Jenny & Blair went through at the hands of chip whiskers and not minimize that damage, but also have the story still be about them reconciling and about Nate and Dan being adorable supportive boyfriends.

How do you choose your titles: mostly song lyrics, and mostly of songs that I listen to that I think are relevant to the characters. I also like finding a relevant line of poetry if I’m searching for a particular vibe, or I write some things with a line of poetry in mind, like Mouthful of Forevers, for instance, or Point B.

Do you outline: oh yeah. I usually start a fic with like, a long continuous stream of consciousness bullet pointing, which snowballs into writing dialogue, which morphs into a scene, and then I end up with this ungodly mish mash of outline & draft. It’s sheer chaos in these google docs friends.

Complete: Love how we all just. have zero idea what this is asking. It’s a free form question! Here’s my answer: no story world I post is ever complete. The fics? Sure. The universe? Never. Even series that I say are complete on ao3: I’m lying. I still have ideas for those aus, they’re just not a writing priority.

Do you accept prompts: no. I got too many unhinged prompts rattling round in my brain. And I don’t - I don’t think I’d be very good at prompt writing? Maybe one day that’ll change and I’ll give it a try, but for now, nah.

Upcoming story you’re most excited to write about: I just dipped back into my big Milo au today, and it feels good! I’ve been sort of...unofficially holding myself to be a consistent poster, and try to post something once a week-ish, and I think I’ve hit a wall with that. But I still want to write! I think I may take an ao3 posting hiatus, and hold myself to it, so that I give myself time to actually write the stories I want to write on even if I can’t churn ‘em out as quickly as I have been (like I have 33 works on ao3??? I’m insane!!!) So, back to the question: yes, Dair & Milo au (the blouis meta I think actually helped me get in the zone for that so ty tumblr!); continuing MoF; I have sketched the beginnings of a Jenny-pov at Dan & Nate’s wedding weekend (does she hook up with a certain someone? maybeso.gif), and a Dan/Nate kidfic based off those headcanons I wrote up a couple weeks ago.

Stories you’re most excited to read: SO MANY BOOKMARKED okay here goes: The River in Egypt by bookglue who wrote one of my all time favorite Dair fics years ago and just posted this new gem and I’m so excited! that love and am beloved by @vanderwoodlings bc Milofic. Duh. I’ve just been putting off reading bc I know that it shall wreck me. And speaking of fics that I know will wreck me upon reading: i'd know yesterday (was over) by @rainathorpe

No pressure tags: if anyone is so inspired, please do!

[norwes]

MoF AU Existential;Experimental

AU: Existential;Experimental. This is an AU where the gods are akin to Super AI now. The Gods adapted to the new age. Magic has been highly studied and thanks to technological and scientific advancement- nanites help make magic more effective/is the new way to use magic. It’s still called magic sometimes though. Set in a future society. 

   Alistair looked his window, the neonic glow of the cityscape of Blue Harbor illuminating the night sky and creating a warped image in the murky waters that it resides by. Brown eyes roamed the streets taking in the details of the now less busy but still very active night life. He easily spot his, well, Bane’s faithful patrolling the streets- collecting payments and keeping the proper order of things. 

   Pride swelled for a moment in Alistair’s normally dead heart, he and Kalryder truly have done the world a great favor. Keeping Bane, the rightful ruler of the world, strong and returning his presence and influence to these lost and chaotic lands. Keeping Torm’s faithful from eradicating them, like some bad line of code. Getting vengeance for that terrible holiday of theirs.

   Just thinking of his Master’s rival AI caused the nanites that reside in his body began to active. His left hand twitching and tensing, begging to summon his weapon. Begging for blood to be spilt, to bring glory to Bane’s name. With a deep breath in, closing his eyes- he let his mind wonder. If he worked himself up now, there was no way he would be able to sleep. 

   Ignoring the buzzing to fight, kill and smite, he drifted. Thinking of traveling to a place he feels calm. Opening his eyes, he glances past the skyline, gazing deep into the country side. Past the mountains, past the farms and residential areas. Across roads and highways, alongside streams and rivers. There, nestled away in the swamp lands, there... His shoulders hiked up and tense began to slack.There he could see the illusions of her dancing in his eyes. 

   Her and that damned village she resides by. The morning fog that never truly leaves the swampy lands. Waking up next to his... his... waking up next to her. The sweet homey scent of that place, the fire place, the weary but friendly neighbors. Smirks and smiles. Long days, longer nights. Watching her master her experimental magic, being an unwilling but obligated tester. Laugher... joy... screams... Bringing new life into the world. One, then two and then the third. 

   The sound of his door opening caused the Paladin to be pulled out of his fantasies, his childish musings. He looked over his shoulder, only Kalryder would enter his room so rudely. 

“Still up then, Ardar?” The blue Dragonborne teased, fangs flashing with a good natured smile. One that so many saw in their last moments. 

“But of course. When else can I get some sort of peace?” Alistair retorted, going back to watching the nightlife of Blue Harbor. Mentally chiding himself for getting swept up in thinking of... 

   The Cleric strolled up next to his spiritual brother. Tail swaying as he closed the distance. “I suppose you're right, it feels like everyday we have to micromanage them more and more. Something is always-”

“Not going according to plan?” Alistair interrupted with a smirk.

   Kalryder snorts, “Yes well... It would easier if you wouldn’t up and disappear every winter, little brother.” Alistair frowned at that, already getting a feeling of where this conversation was going to go. 

“Your more than capable to run this without me for the winter months. No one in their right mind wages any raids or wars during that season. That’s just begging for defeat. I’m not necessary and it doesn’t affect anything.” Kalryder sighed, the human always falling back to such points. 

“Your wrong on that Alistair- It can be seen as a weakness to our position for you to just up and leave, to Bane knows where. Annually. You could be training the new Paladins, creating war plans with our generals. Helping the Cult’s expanse so more follow the right God and put an end to the weak ones. It makes our authority look like a joke. We are all uniform servants under Bane. Shadows are darkest together after all. But when one of the head shadows just up and leaves-” 

   Alistair narrowed his eyes, growling in Abyssal, “We’ve been fine with this for years, Kalryder. Why is it an issue now? Just tell anyone who asks some lie, make it up. Kill those who doubt it.” 

   Kalryder tilted his head, apprising his brother. Clearly displeased with being interrupted but choosing to let it go. “Calm down, I can hardly understand you when you get like this. Would you just listen to me?” 

   Alistair glared down at the streets, taking in a sharp breath before letting it out. Keeping silent, sparing Kalryder a quick glance he awaited his older brother’s words.

   Pleased to at least earn Alistair’s ear than his temper for now, the dragonborne continued, “As I was saying before... We are Bane’s Shadow’s. We lead the rest and you can’t just leave during the winter because you feel like it. We have a greater responsibility as leaders. As Bane’s reach expands, our duties increase. We are to be the pinnacle, the example for the rest to mimic and strive for. You doubly so, given your oath... 

   This winter, you won’t be going to where ever you normally do. It ends now Alistair. But, you won’t be trapped here in the city with me. I know it’d drive you insane. So I propose, because I care about you, that you be a trailblazer for our mission to reach out to other continents. You can explore and find good places for our members to settle. What do you say to that?”

   Alistair gazed blankly out, “Using my oath against me is a low blow.”

“I know. Would you rather me directly order you?”

“Isn’t that what you just did? Ordering me off to a foreign land?” He turned to look up at Kalryder, face emotionless. 

“No, at least not yet. I asked you what you though of my idea for what you could be doing this winter- which shows actual results for the cult. Before you even start, I know you come back with new plans and the like for the rest of the year but this lets you do both. Don’t pretend you don’t want to explore new places, I’ve been dealing with your wanderlust for years.”

“What of Lilith? She still needs schooling and training, you’d have me leave her for an unknown amount of time?”

   Kalryder paused, he forgot about Lilith for a moment. A little embarrassing to forget about one’s goddaughter. “Well, like you already tend to do... Why not take her along?” He stated a little unsure.

   Alistair hummed, with a look of contemplation. “And Magnus?”

   Kalryder smirked, “Magnus will be fine. Not like anyone can keep a bead on him anyway. For Bane’s sake, kid is worse than you were at that age but far more capable.” He teased which cause Alistair to break out into a grin.

“I guess you’re right. Honestly, not even sure where Magus is at the moment. Probably some where close... Can I have this last winter? Give me a bit of time to plan of how to do this. Select people to come along or who is best to earn favor. Find a place for Lilith to learn from while I faithfully serve the church.”

   The Dragoborne hummed, tilting his head. Wanting confirmation before giving an answer. “Where do you even go?” The question hanging in the air for a moment. Kalryder then continued trying to confirm a suspicion, “Do you really return to that place every year? Didn’t the contract end between you two? Both having gained heir and all that...”

   Alistair nodded, “Yeah, the contract did end. Both did- technically. But going and visiting keeps our alliance strong. She’s a good ally to have Kalryder. I’m the only one from the cult she lets in, besides Lilith and Magnus.” 

   He stared at Alistair, “Is that the only place you visit doing the winter?” Tone carrying a hint of... worry, appertain? 

“No, of course not. Why would that be the only place I go? I check up on a great many to insure they stay... loyal to our master. Don’t even try to paint this as something else Kal. It’s to keep our business relations strong. Nothing more, nothing less. 

   Bringing the children is an emotional ploy on my part that earns me, and there for the church, good favor. Mothers like seeing their children after all. Not to mention, women get attached easily- especially when they’re alone more most of the time. You know better than me how effective it is to play the part of a caring person. She, like anyone else, would be terminated on the spot should you or Bane ask of it.” Alistair grumbled, annoyed. Trying to stop any ideas of him having sentimental feeling of any sort for someone out side of the church. 

   He didn’t have feelings, she was useful, useful tools are to be tended too. Not loved, not hated but taken care of. He only loves his god and his cultists that work under him. 

“I see.” Kalryder, turned to leave. He could feel Alistair’s eyes watching him. “You’ll get this winter. I’m sure the Witch might become... irritated should you and the kids not show up this time around, with no clear reason or word. Last thing we need is a Witch coming at us. Come spring though, I’ll expect you to have a full fledged plan for this and to be ready to ship off. As well as your usual plans. Do what ever you need to do to make this an easy transition.” 

“Of course. I’ll see it done.” Alistair called out.

   Kalryder grinned looking over his shoulder, fondness in his voice. “I know you will, Wardien. You always do. Enjoy this up coming winter. Its only weeks away after all.” Kalryder opened the door, slipping into the hallway. Just as he was closing it, Alistair approached.

“Wait,” the paladin muttered, “Where are we planing to create our first settlement out side of Tarn?”

“I’m not all too sure yet. We can work it out and get some ideas going between us.” 

   Alistair nods with a slight grin, eyes alight with the possibilities. “Sounds good. Goodnight Kal.”

   He grinned back, “Goodnight Ali, do get some rest. We have a lot on the agenda tomorrow.”

“Don’t we always?” Alistair said, with fake exasperation. Causing Kalryder to laugh and ruffle his hair before walking away. More than likely headed off to his own room.

   Alistair closed the door. Lost in though as he walked back into the depths of his room. Letting his eyes linger on the city once more before he closed the blinds. The room now shrouded in total darkness. Taking blind but confident steps he moved to were his bed rests. 

   Climbing into bed he laid down, pulling to covers close. Only there was a weight to them, an unusual weight. With an exasperated sigh, Alistair leaned towards his bedside table, flicking on the lamp to see what, who, was in his bed.

   The light cause the small form to hiss and blink tiredly, “Dad, turn that off- I was sleeping” Alistair’s youngest whined. 

“Magnus, you have your own room. Why-” 

“Cause, your bed is better...” 

   Alistair stared at his son for a moment, knowing his son was content sleeping on rocks and tree branches. Clearly unamused that he was being lied too.

   Magnus, sensing his father’s growing ire chimed, slightly ashamed, “I got scared and Lilith keeps her door locked and I could’t get in. So I came in here and fell asleep. You were at your desk and I didn’t want to bug you... so I...” He trailed off, looking away. 

  Alistair sighed, eyes softening, “What scared you bad enough to come to me? Little scares my brave warrior.” His hand cupping the side of Magnus’s face, thumb brushing over the scar that goes up and through his eye. Scooting a little closer and turning Magnus’s head to look at him.

“It... I... I don’t really want to talk about it. Are you going to kick me out?” Magnus’s whimpered, his blinded eye closed and his good one half closed. 

“That’s fine and no, I’m not going to kick you out. Come here. Let’s get some rest. You’ll always be safe with me.” Magnus grinned sleepily moving closer and curled up to his dad’s chest. His father’s strong and steady heartbeat luring him to sleep. Knowing nothing would dare, not even the nightmares, torment him in his dad’s presence.  

   Alistair sighed, leaning and flicking off the light once more. He rested a hand on Magnus before pulling the covers over the both of them. Slowly drifted asleep, entering a deep dreamless slumber. 

        Well this is were I’ll end it for here. I feel like my writing has been improving. I don’t know, feels like this is an actual part of a story. I’m proud of it and I think the concept would be a really cool DnD campaign and world to play in. 

[crystalelemental]

A bit of talk about my favorite casts overall in Touhou, because I'm kinda fixated on it today:

MoF: My favorite cast.  Sanae, Kanako, and Suwako would carry this team on their own, but then you get Aya who is great, the Aki sisters who I really love despite them not having a ton going on, Hina who is interesting to me, and even Nitori who I've come around to liking through repeated exposure.  The only real detriment to the team is Momiji, who hasn't done anything wrong, I'm just constantly pissed at how unreasonably popular she is.  How the hell did this character with no dialogue ever manage to break top 20?  How did people decide she was a top favorite, much less a stronger character than Kanako and Suwako?   To each their own opinions, and I'm not about to fight anyone over it, but this is the single most confusing thing about fan perceptions to me.

SA: If anyone were to say that my pick for best cast is dumb and that it's obviously the SA crew, I'd probably concede immediately.  I can't think of a character in this game that isn't great.  Chireiden is especially fantastic, bringing in some of my favorites overall.  Half the cast typically places around top 20 for me, and I think that alone shows how great they are.  The only truly low-ranking one is Kisume, who just...doesn't have anything to work with, really.

TD: I love the TD cast.  I wish I could fully articulate why, I just appreciate them. Seiga is delightfully wicked, Miko is awesome, Futo is a lot of fun, and even Tojiko has just enough presence that I want to know more about what her deal is.  Yoshika and Kyouko are a bit lower for me, but are still solid enough characters.  Then there's Mamizou, my third favorite character overall.  In the game, she seems pretty good, but it's another situation where the more I see of her, the more I love her character.  It's a shame the extra stage is so frustrating to me.   If I sat down and actually applied myself, I might be able to clear it...

PCB: Prismrivers are A+ characters, I don't care what anyone else says!  This game also brought in Alice, who is top-tier, as well as general fan-favorites in Yukari, Yuyuko, and Youmu.  This is one situation, at least, where I agree with fan perceptions.  All of these characters are great.  The only one I don't have strong opinions on is Letty, which is a shame because she's a Yuki-Onna, and those are awesome creatures.  I guess they can't all be winners.

LoLK: I just feel like this is where they should go.  I love Junko, Clownpiece is great (especially in the manga), Sagume and Hecatia are fascinating, and I really like Doremy.  If anything really holds them back, it's the game itself, with its kind of awkward resource collection system, and the ridiculous difficulty set up by the PointDevice mode (which I really dislike).  There are some really great characters floating around, but I just can't get as attached to them.  Maybe it's because they mostly will never show up again.  Maybe it's because the game is such a pain that I can't be asked to experience the characters again by playing it.  Whatever the case, I think "above average" is a decent designation for the cast as a whole.

HSiFS: Tentatively putting them here.  May wind up going above PCB, but I'd be surprised if I wind up feeling that positively toward the whole cast.   Really, I think this is where they'd belong.  Close to average, but a little above, largely based on the few standouts and some personal attachments.  Eternity and Narumi are the two big standouts, while Satono and Mai are the ones I have personal attachment to, for reasons involving wanting to see more of their history.  Okina's also incredibly lore-significant, which is hard to ignore, even if I'm not her biggest fan right now.  They're a good cast.

UFO: And now we come to by benchmark average.  UFO is not a cast I am particularly enamored with.  I really like Kogasa, and despite never directly meeting her in-game, I love Nue's concept.  Byakuren and Nazrin are also particularly good, but the mid-game cast of Ichirin, Murasa, and Shou don't really appeal to me much.  They kind of all even out to a solid average cast.  By contrast...

IN: this cast is mostly just average.  There's really only two standouts, but both are standouts because of subsequent games and manga.  Those two being Kaguya and Mokou.  I feel almost nothing toward the rest of this cast.  Kaguya manages to be one of my overall favorites, based on her presentation largely in Inaba of the Moon/Earth, and Mokou jumped significantly based on her interactions with Futo and Sumireko in ULiL.  Reisen is also growing on me, though I wouldn't call her a favorite.  I think what keeps this one below UFO is just that the majority of the cast feels very bland to me.

EoSD: "Steve, you fucking hypocrite, they're not even last place."  Look buddy, I have only ever stated dislike for this cast based on my inherent contrarianism, and I think we all know this.  So, to kinda make my case, we're going to factor out fanon, because I could complain about fanon interpretations of this crew being the absolute worst for literal hours.  I'm serious, I've done it before. Anyway, on their own, the cast is not bad, I just have virtually no interest in them. Flandre, by all accounts, should be one of my favorites.  I love that archetype. But for some reason, she just doesn't resonate as much with me as she ought to, and I often wonder if that's because I can't separate out my contempt for fanon interpretations coupled with how high-ranked she always is.  Patchouli is excellent, and I largely adore her because of her association with elemental magic, which is a favorite of mine, though she still ranks below other magicians because she's kinda plain in that regard (Alice's dolls are way more interesting conceptually, and Marisa is far more organic in her application of magic).  And that's where the positives stop.  Remilia and Sakuya can have some good moments, but I ultimately don't appreciate them as much.  Cirno is a character I have long not liked, who is only recently starting to be appreciated with manga appearances (as a side character) and her role in HSiFS.  The rest of the cast ranges from complete disinterest to disdain.  Meiling and Rumia just aren't interesting, Koakuma gets a few points entirely because Koishi's Heart-Throbbing Adventure made her best villain, and Daiyousei is in eternal contempt for doing nothing ever yet outranking excellent characters like Kanako and Mamizou somehow.  They're a mix of disinterest, dislike, and not as interesting as they should be, which leads to a particularly low ranking.

DDC: Of course, if we're being fair, the EoSD cast is not my least-favorite. Fanon certainly makes them the group I complain about the hardest, but my most disinterested feelings go to DDC.  I struggle to think of a single character in this game that stands out at all.  Let's get this out of the way: Seija is a fascinating character, but I don't like her.  I mentioned this with Okina in another post, but I can find a lot of characters interesting while still disliking how they are.  And that's the big issue.  Seija's usually the one that would pull this team for people, and she has, hysterically, the opposite effect on me.  Sukuna is similarly not that engaging, and unlike most characters added to the fighting games, her presence in ULiL did nothing for me.  The first three stage bosses are all just smallfry who show up ready to fight with the social upheaval thing going on, but ultimately fail to have particularly unique traits, and...honestly, a mermaid and werewolf are a bit too western for me?  I have the same kind of issue with EoSD, where the western stuff feels a bit too familiar, so I can't appreciate the novelty of a character's species if there's nothing else to go off of.   Which means that the Tsukumos kinda get the favorites spot (I told you about the contrarianism). They're associated with music and storms, and you fight them in the middle of a thunderstorm.  As far as coolness factor goes, they win, hands down.  I also just like their designs best.  I know everyone else in the world seems to like them least, but I think they're the strongest entries.  You know, despite still being somewhat bland overall.  They're no Prismrivers, that's for sure.

[nostalgic-blood]

Three boxes labelled “Fragile”, two damaged, one with a giant hole. I found some sort of clear sheet that said this was found like so on the conveyor belt, and for me to file a claim on their website or to call them, but when I checked that, well.. You have to be the sender for that kind of stuff.

So I emailed them, but anyway... I was looking at the damaged figure online and realized maybe this wasn’t as broken as I thought!

See look! Perfectly fine. 

Well no. Turns out I can stick the red string thing into her hat, but it can fall out quite easily. I put some force on the other one and it wouldn’t come out, so I don’t think it’s meant to be detachable... I did read a review that said they were detachable, but then how come I couldn’t pull the other one off? HOW COME!?!?!? MYSTERIES ABOUND.

But I guess, if I don’t play with it or whatever and just display it, it’s fine? I despise posing nendos anyway. Still, this was a like-new Aya and broken hat is not like new.

Though the experiment did work in a way. Sanae has much looser joints than Aya aside from her right arm >_>, the beginning of sticky plastic syndrome in the back of her face plates and Youmu’s base! Yes. Whoever sold this the first time around did not provide the proper base. I don’t know if it’s more likely they had this figure as a figure collector and not as a Touhou fan or if they were so careless as to send off the wrong base. They are similar colours I guess, but Sanae is not affiliated with ghosts in any way, so...

Also every accessory I wasn’t using went into the figma sandwich bags. As if I could reuse their boxes as containers. >_>

You know, I had many options where to buy this damn dragon. There was a cheaper one, where it was used and had no box. I chose not to buy it because I wanted the box. I thought this would have the box. I was lied to. There was no reason to spend those extra few dollars to not get a box. Bah.

Ah well, from now on I’m probably just going to buy the whole box sets anyway unless I only like one monster and despise the rest. Here’s Azure Rathalos compared to its similar brethren!

These are ultimately trading figures, and since I’ve jumped up a tier recently buying more display-type figures like scales and nendos, these really seem tiny in comparison. When the oft-mentioned tiny figmas are taller than you, that is a problem. That’s why the most beautiful fauna in my shelf bestiary is still good ol’ Brachydios.

I hope I have something that can join you soon. 8D

Guess what was in the other damaged box?

Those mail carriers really were having it at Aya... Kill every trash bird before its destination! An admirable goal, but I only feel 10% shame at spending too much money on Aya figures which are all ridiculously overpriced in the aftermarket. SHE’S EXPENSIVE. ALL OF HER. But I relented, I caved, here be the Aya.

True to Griffon Enterprises’ infamous quality, Aya looks weird next to my other Touhou scales. See, Alice looks downwards. Keine faces forwards and is pretty level, Aya... unless she’s leaning and I got a very. very old figure, she’s sort of pushing her chest out and leaning back a slight. It really makes the three of them look completely off compared to one another. 

Not really noticeable when you’re looking from the front though. I need a bigger makeshift shooting studio if I wanna fit in Alice. Oh and if I for some reason wanna display Aya without the puffballs attached to her hat (which I usually associate more with Momiji anyway) there is actually an option!

It’s so small and loseable. 

Actually she came wearing this first, but since I associated her MoF outfit with the puffballs, well... the more annoying hat was put on instead!

The pegs on these bases are decided on a whim. I can see Aya's geta needing these plastic holders to put in the slot, but why does Alice need them?

In fact she's on her tiptoes making her leaning ever more forward with her gaze downwards all the more obvious. Plus they're located at rather random spots. Why is Aya further back? Look at all the space in front of her! I should put a party of figumates and petit nendos on these bases too with all the space they take up. About the only thing I like about these bases are the shiny metal plates with their names etched into them.

Finally we have Sayaka! So a little bit of background, the screen on the iPad in my first story post is fake. I got her on Mandarake along with the wrong order I haven't opened and used EMS (one of the faster shipping options) on. So Sayaka and co. were one of my latest orders. I intended to buy her new off AmiAmi but waited too long and missed the preorders. (She's was re-released) So I ended up getting a so-called used one and Sayaka was completely unopened! Far better conditions than Sanae, though that's to be expected. We may never know what Aya's original condition was. :( 

This could have been a super neat and tidy box stack...

Nothing much to say about Sayaka. Her skirt is less flexible than Kyouko's and her cape further impedes movement so as a figma that docks marks. She can't even sit down like Kyouko can. She does have way too many cool swords though. They aren’t especially sturdy inside their individual stands, so I chose not to display her that way. Her all PVC cape is super cool too but even more unwieldy so I left her cotton one on. 

Bootleg Aya can now take pics underneath Aya this time around, as per canon!!

Since AyaSana have taken the OTP spot where Kyousaya were, they've now reclaimed their position atop my computer case. Why does the Sayaka nendo keep falling over even while sitting without their ugly base? They’re SITTING. Even if their heads are too big and heavy for nendos to realistically stand up, at least make their SITTING be viable! Sayaka is barely sitting upright thanks to both Kyouko and the tealight behind her supporting her (which coincidentally is the one with the Mercy charm on it P:). It’s like a metaphor for her entire character or something! In fact I just looked up and she fell over again!! Goddamnit Sayaka! Even in plastic toy form you frustrate me! Stupid overly dense head!! Inferior nendoroid and inferior figma! This paragraph was supposed to outline my Madoka figures’ great Canadian pride but thanks to Sayaka I had to spend all the space ranting about her! 

Here we have Azure Rathalos who should really turn around and set aflame those Negima mangas behind him. Once I get more figures all those books and such are being moved. I don’t even care about Marvel and for some reason I have a dozen Wolverine books too...

So here’s how it looks so far. As you can clearly tell all my lesser figures are down below, as they should be. I really have nothing against ponies. They’re just really low quality toys and not nearly in the same category as the figures above. I don’t really have enough interest in MLP these days to get the more expensive vinyl figures or other cool things. Maybe the movie or season seven will change that? I dunno. I highly doubt it.

Yes that’s a b-daman. And there’s a beyblade in front of it too. And yes that is a plane. And yes that is a Burger King Krillin. These are the toys of my childhood, and the pink multicoloured horses are the toys of my adulthood. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life either.

With all my harping over posing nendoroids for some reason they are by far the most photogenic of any of my figures. If only they weren’t so frustrating! I had to use one of my spare base stands for Aya because the one she came with was so loose a mere breeze would send her upside-down crashing into Sanae and throwing her off my shelf down below. Listen I know her box got absolutely mullered but those issues are actually common with the figure itself. The fact that she doesn’t have a customized base like all the other Touhou figures (I think), has loose joints, a hat that can break super easily, and a stupid meme face that replaced one of her three faces are all usually minuses for a figure’s rating, BUT CONSIDERING I HAVE TWO OTHER AYAS THAT WASN’T STOPPING ME FROM BUYING IT. God, it’s like this nendo is a metaphor for her character too.

Also this shot looks like Aya just photobombed Sanae’s selfie or something. Like Aya is so blindingly fast she can take a pic and be in it at the same time!! With her camera in her hand still! That’s one impressive camera. Only very recently did I come to realize Sanae’s distress face has a blush on it too, and now I wish Aya had a similar face as well. She’s usually making that face in this rareTP anyway...