#which honestly also says a lot about the specialists like they really are the you cant sit with us squad

[eats-the-stars]

love my coworkers but i’m convinced that 1-3 of them could possibly be part fish, maybe even some kind of freshwater mer-guy(s) because how else can three guys spend an entire 8-hour shift talking about fishing conditions. they were talking about the rain, the mud at the bottom of the lake, fish anatomy that was completely foreign to me, their latest fishing blunders/successes, one involving failure to catch a snapper, something about hiding treats IN the lake, no idea if they meant for fish feeding or their own consumption or how the hell that works, and then some complaints about other fishermen/fishmen in their favorite fishing places/potential living spaces.

[felassan]

From Game Informer:

Solas plays an important role in the game as a central figure and significant character, but the game is not about Solas, hence the title change

Rather than focusing on a specific individual, the focus and centerpiece of the game is Rook's team, stopping the end of the world with this group of specialists

"I think you could argue [these companions] are the best the franchise has ever seen". We will have the opportunity to interact with them in a way that both shapes their story and also influences the main story, including having the opportunity to impact their fate

"Arguably, this game has kind of, in a way, been called Dreadwolf to some degree since its earlier days"

Excerpt:

"When I ask about Solas' role in the story after I learn his namesake is no longer in the game title, Darrah says Veilguard is still taking the Elven God's narrative in a good direction. He adds, "It allows us to, hopefully, give a good conclusion to all the varied attitudes toward Solas that are going to be coming from people who love Solas, who agree with Solas, who hate Solas, people who want to kick Solas off of a building – I think that we give you the opportunity to bring that to a close, but then tell a greater story about The Veilguard and about the world as a whole." Talking to Epler, I learn more about how Solas isn't exactly the big bad I expected before seeing the opening hours of Veilguard. There's a lot more nuance to everyone's favorite bald elf.  "The most interesting villains to myself, and honestly most people, are not just straight up, 'I want to end the world.' To them, they are the heroes of the story, and Solas is no exception," Epler tells me. "Solas always feels that he is a tragic hero but a hero nonetheless, so he's coming into this believing firmly that what he did, that which you stopped him from doing, was the right thing – that you made a mistake. But now he's trapped and can't reach out and actively affect [Thedas], so he needs to work with you. "That allows us to provide a lot of nuance to that relationship," Epler says."

Solas is literally trapped in the Fade after the game's prologue. Rook and co stop his attempt to destroy the Veil. Rook passes out and wakes up in a dream-like landscape to Solas' voice. He explains that he was trying to move Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain to a new prison because the old one wasn't containing them properly anymore. The two blighted gods are now free and roaming Thedas. Rook has to stop them, but it seems that they will have to work with Solas ("or at least listen to his guidance and advice") to do so

Excerpt:

""So one of the principles we took to when we were building the story of The Veilguard early on was we wanted the beginning of the game to feel like the final chapter of an earlier story and you're coming in right at the end, you're coming in as if you've been chasing Solas – the [Solas at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition's Trespasser DLC] who said he was going to end the world and tear down the Veil," Epler adds.  Epler says players will see early on (and as the narrative develops across Veilguard) that Solas sees much of himself in you, the player-controlled Rook, especially "the parts that maybe he doesn't like to face." As a result, there's an interesting push and pull between Solas and Rook. He says players can define the relationship between these two characters with their choices in dialogue.  "You can continue to be suspicious and hostile towards him, or you can start to see him and find that common ground, that connection between the two of you, and really develop a different relationship over the course of the story," Epler says."

[source]

[arkanis-englishupdates]

SUMMARY OF ALL ARKANIS POVs

DAY 28 — 30/09/2024

The day at Valigma starts calm and peaceful, with new art being displayed in the gallery!

Pac shows Alice's memorial completely done, with a message for the deceased secretary made by all the specialists inside a book.

Choke and Tucupi also visit the place with Bankeiro Zé Silva and leave a message in the book.

Zé Silva starts talking to the trio, asking them if, after everything, they wouldn't build a bunker to protect themselves. He says he has a bunker too but he doesn't trust them to show it.

After that, Quel arrives at the place and joins the conversation. (It is said by Pac that Bira traveled to Pedra da Gávea and that's why he's missing) Zé Silva take the opportunity to do a mini quiz about Bira, asking the group when the bar opened (The answer is 1982).

After that, the group splits up and everyone goes their separate ways.

In a conversation with Choke after they met earlier, Quel discovers that in order to get wood without making Arkanya upset, she must not use electrical objects such as the chainsaw that she use previously. Choke asks the bear to stop using the chainsaw and Quel thanks her for the warning, agreeing to stop.

After that, Quel meets with Maethe and the duo go to Pac's house, where Febatista, JVNQ, Guhzera, Milo and Guaxinim met with the owner of the house, Mayor Jota is also at the place.

Jota says he saw the memorial they made for Alice and his heart sank, which is why he came to talk. JVNQ tells the mayor that this is not the time to mourn, but rather to act against Araldo before something happens again.

Jota also reveals that he argued with Araldo, which left him even more helpless and ashamed, as he felt he had no control ("It felt like I was just a puppet"). The group then begins to talk about their suspicions about the Mayor and that they didn't trust him enough. Jota asks what he could be hiding and Quel tells the Mayor that if he is really trustworthy, he should answer some questions.

Here is the transcript of all the questions asked:

JVNQ: Did you already know Bia before she had magic?

Jota: Ever since I met Bia, she has always been the way she is.

Quel: Mayor, now honestly, did you, somewhere in your conscience, know that this could be a consequence of what Araldo planned?

Jota: What did he have planned, guys? I was surprised as much as you by what happened.

Quel: So you know that Araldo manipulates Arkanya?

Jota: No, I discovered it together with you all.

Quel: And do you know how to manipulate Arkanya?

Jota: Me?

Quel: Yes.

Jota: I... [makes sounds nervously] I've studied... I've studied a good part of my life.

Quel: With Bia?

Jota: With Bia... But that's the past. Okay?

Jota says he used to use Arkanya but doesn't do it anymore and Febatista asks if he would use it again if Valigma was in danger. Jota is amazed by Febatista's speech and asks if they want him to use Arkanya again. Who says not necessarily and Jota responds by revealing that he was never a prodigal, then asking if everyone had spoken to Bia.

Transcript of an important question asked by Quel:

Quel: One question before we answer this question for you, sir. Could you tell me what happened to make you stop wanting to manipulate Arkanya?

Jota: A tragedy. Isn't it the truth you want? I was Bia's apprentice. She recruited me while I was little, but that didn't last long. She has known me since I was little, she taught me everything she could teach, but I was a child. And children shouldn't learn everything I learned in record time. I was overwhelmed... I don't know what happened, because I only paid for two years of therapy and I think I would need four more to understand what happened to me. But I carry a lot of guilt, and maybe that's why I want my city to triumph again. Here has been the scene of so many things, and knowing that I caused one of those things is a nightmare to this day. But I want the best for this city. And you all have every right not to trust me, but I do everything I can do.

Guaxi comments that it was difficult to believe him since Jota knew Arkanya and its consequences, and that Jota didn't know about Araldo manipulating Arkanya. The mayor, nervous, says that there was never a demonstration by Arkanya on Araldo's part and that there was no way for him to know. Jota says he couldn't blame himself for what Araldo did to him and continues to do.

JVNQ says mistakes have already been made and will continue to be made if they do nothing. Pac proposes to Jota that the factory be deactivated and Araldo be sent away from the city, and Jota asks how they would do something like that.

Quel finally answers Jota's question, saying what Bia said about him being her apprentice, and asks the Mayor to tell them in more detail about what happened.

Jota asks for their trust to tell them what happened and Gabe, Denix and Coreano arrive and join the conversation.

Transcript of the Mayor's response to Quel's request:

Jota: I learned a lot about Arkanya. About how Arkanya communicates, how people managed to manipulate Arkanya, how she flows, how she passes through everyone, how she is born, all of that. And I learned so much from Bia that maybe I went too far. Part of my trauma in wanting to see this city prosper again is largely because of what I caused in the past. And it is a guilt that I will carry until the end of my life. And until I not bring glory to the city again, I will always be this irreparable wreck of a human being...

Jota: When this city was at rock bottom, I tried to make it flourish again. But I was a child. Bia has never been so clear to me about consequences. I stole one of Bia's Lankyas. I tried to let the minerals in my city flourish again so the people would be happy, have money and rebuild their lives and not leave like they were doing.

Jota: I used Lankya [starts crying] and it was all over... Why do you think I've been in therapy all this time? I know I'm guilty, it hurts me as much as it hurts the families... The families of everyone who died. Half the city died. Everyone fell into the abyss I created. And no one knows that I did this, only Bia. I was just a kid...

After Jota's vent, Quel and everyone present hug Jota as a sign of empathy.

Jota reveals that he wants to correct the mistake he made in the past, and that everything got worse as a child because Bia just completely blamed him, without even helping or comforting him. He says that Bia always did that, never treated him well, and that's also why he hates her. He reveals that Bia had promised to kill Jota, and he had to run away.

Quel adds that Bia also never treated her and Maethe very well after they failed in training.

Jota says he never wants to get involved with Arkanya and Bia again, even if it would cause his death. (Jota also reveals that after manipulating a Lankya like Araldo manipulated, the person becomes weak and needs time to recover).

Pac comments on how he had seen Jota very vulnerable after Alice's death and that he was without his mask, crying. Jota also says that when he met Araldo, he had asked for money, even after everything that happened. He adds that he will try to send an email to Hugo to try to help them (He explains that Hugo works in the government, and that he could help with some bureaucracy to remove Araldo from Valigma).

After the big conversation full of revelations, everyone leaves for their homes and/or bases.

While all this was happening, Araldo calls Wuant to talk and says he can bring Alice back if he wants to see her. Araldo also tells lies to Wuant (saying that Alice's death was an accident and that it shouldn't have happened), leaving him very undecided about his words. They say goodbye at the end of the conversation.

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Health Update

First, I want to say thank you to everyone who reached out or commented on the latest installment of Where's Mommy? to wish me good health. I am so grateful for all of you 💚

However, the health issue I'm currently dealing with isn't due to a virus or bacteria, and there's a possibility it won't get better.

A little history.

Back in 2022, there was a two week period where I felt like my blood sugar was dropping, and I was very symptomatic. There was a moment where I slumped down a wall at work because of it, and they had to dump sugar packets from the break room into my mouth to rouse me. It was a very scary time.

After those two weeks, I went to my Primary Care Physician who ordered blood tests and had me purchase a glucometer to test my blood sugar several times a day. However, during the two weeks she had me do this, I never got a reading below 70, and the same symptoms did not develop as they did prior. My blood work came back clean, and without a reading lower than 70, my PCP dismissed it and told me I was having anxiety attacks, lol. She told me to come back if the symptoms came back, and they never did.

Backing up a couple more years.

Without revealing too much of my medical history, I have a chronic illness called POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). It's a dysautonomia or a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, the system that controls all of the automatic functions of the body. It was caused by my battle with Lyme Disease in 2010 and is currently incurable. I was diagnosed with POTS in 2018, after being told for 6 years that I had anxiety, lol.

POTS is not a very well-known illness, but it's getting more attention these days. It garners a host of different symptoms, including tachycardia, chronic fatigue, brain fog, orthostatic intolerance, migraines, gut issues, syncope, dehydration, blood pooling, etc. Everyone's POTS presents differently, and most people with a POTS diagnosis live on disability. I made the choice not to.

Fast forward to 2024.

Fast forward again to this past Wednesday.

Well, I finally was able to get a POTS specialist in my state this year. A huge win! When I had my initial consultation, I had mentioned the low blood sugar episodes in 2022 and asked if it could be related to POTS. The doctor told me that they don't see POTS patients having low blood sugar issues, but we're concerned enough to refer me to an endocrinologist. Another big win!

I had my consultation with the endocrinologist, and he ordered more blood tests, some of the same tests as before, and some different (y'all, they took like 20 vials from me). He also gave me a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) to wear for 14 days so they can track my highs and lows to see if they can catch anything.

Well, the next night, my blood sugar dropped below 70, 20 times, and 55, 9 times. Which means I was woken up 9 times throughout the night. I got only about 2 hours of sleep, and still had to go to work the next morning. But, once again, it went back up by itself without any intervention from me.

Y'all, it caught A LOT in just the first day, actually night. My blood sugar dropped below 70, 11 times, and below 55, 4 times while I was sleeping. Now, because anything below 55 is considered critical and could be fatal, there is an alarm that cannot be overridden and will sound. It sounds like a smoke alarm. So, I was awoken 4 times.

The odd thing is that my blood sugar dropped, then went back up on its own. I didn't eat or drink anything. Blood sugar doesn't really do that, so I thought it was odd. This also begs the question: If I'm asymptomatic at 53, then what level was I at in 2022 when I had symptoms? Honestly, I don't want to know.

Here is a nifty graph!

All of the red is considered low blood sugar, below 70, and anything close to that 50 line is considered critical low blood sugar. And again, I did not eat anything during the night.

There are four major anomalies with my low blood sugar occurences:

Most cases of hypoglycemia are seen in diabetics, I am not diabetic

Most cases of hypoglycemia seen in non-diabetics are sporadic, mine are consistent

Hypoglycemia is normally corrected by consuming sugar, mine auto-corrects

When blood sugar drops, it creates symptoms, I do not get symptoms

There are only a handful of things that can cause hypoglycemia in a non-diabetic and even less consistently at night time. The doctor has already ruled out insulinoma (insulin producing tumors in the pancreas), so that leaves even less, and also the good old "we don't know what's wrong with you".

I'm not going to lie. This whole thing terrifies me. There's no telling how long my blood sugar has been doing this, and it only takes one dip below 50 for me to slip into a coma and die in my sleep. Luckily, my blood sugar does this crazy autocorrect thing, and I haven't died yet! Humor makes this easier.

Right now, I'm emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. Adding this on top of my already difficult life with POTS has been hard to cope with, and I'm crying a lot.

Hopefully, I'll get results soon, and my endocrinologist can figure out why this is happening and how to manage/fix it if it can be managed/fixed. Maybe I've got a completely new illness, and you'll find me in a medical journal! Wouldn't that be something.

Anyway, thanks for the continued support. I have a lot of IRL support from friends and family, but while I go through this process, I may seem distant, my posting might be sporadic, I may not keep my fic posting schedule, etc. And when I have an update, I promise to let y'all know!

Much love 💚💚💚

Steph

[battlemaiden13]

I gotta do another self-indulgent ask

How would the guys react to finding out S/O is chronically ill? Let’s say S/O printed out all of their medical records from the past few years and accidentally left them on the table. It reveals multiple health conditions, medications, procedures they’ve had, specialists etc and before this the guys had no idea?

Happy disability pride month!!

Sans -He’s concerned and confused but asks you about it right away. You two talk about it for a bit and then Sans will do his own research. He becomes much more involved in your treatment and although he does do things to help you out more now and is more conscious of not over exerting yourself not a whole lot changes. He trusts you to know your body better than he does but now he’s just someone you can talk to about. He likes talking and researching new and old treatments or even just ideas to help manage pain but if you tell him to shut up he will. This is how he shows his love although he know sometimes it can be a lot. 

Papyrus -He’s confused and asks you directly about it as soon as you come home. The two of you sit down to have a serious talk and hash things out pretty quickly. Papyrus has some questions and the two of you talk about how things might change going forward. It’s a serious conversation that opens communication between you two but somehow with Papyrus it’s easy. He’s not judgemental, he’s not angry, he’s curious and respectful and not for the first time you feel as if everything comes easy with him. 

Red -He’s angry and upset that you hid this. He’s angry that he didn’t notice and he’s angry that he’s angry at you. You can’t help that you're sick but why would you hide it? He thought that you of all people would have thought better of him, he thought you trusted him and this just breaks his heart. It’s such a big part of yourself to hide and he could have been helping, he could have been supporting you but you didn’t trust him to do that. He might need some time to process this. He still loves you but he’s hurt that you thought so little of him, he can’t say he’s surprised though. Everyone else thinks just as much of him. 

Edge -You enter the room to find Edge meticulously studying the doctor's notes before his gaze slowly turns on you. He gently places down the piece of paper and pulls you into a tight hug asking if you're ok and if he can do anything to help. He doesn’t change much after hearing this news but he will occasionally ask if you are ok or offer to help with doctors or things around the house but other than that he doesn’t do anything differently. The two of you are more open with each other now though. 

Blue -He feels so guilty. That he didn’t notice and that you didn’t trust him enough to tell him. Being as energetic as he is, most activities you two do together are strenuous and thinking back after you hang out you always seem exhausted. He feels so bad that he may have caused flair ups and just wants to apologize to you about everything he’s done that may have made you feel worse. 

Orange - He confronts you about it. He knew that you were hiding something from him but he hoped you’d just come forward about it sooner or later so he ignored that nagging feeling telling him something was wrong. But this is huge, you are really ill and he had no idea and he hates that he had no idea. He doesn’t want to treat you differently, which is why he assumes you didn’t tell him, but he does want to look after you and this is such a big part of yourself to hide from him. He’s honestly hurt by it. 

Berry -He ignores it. Mainly because he thinks if you really want him to know you will tell him. He’s not going to push you about it and he believes that if you need him to change something to accommodate yourself you’ll tell him. This is big and Berry understands that but he also knows that there has to be a reason you haven’t explicitly told him about it so he’ll pretend he didn’t see it until you're ready to tell him. 

Syrup - I mean if you're dating already he knows this. The second he thought he could be a tiny bit interested in you he researched every single thing about you. He’s already seen all these medical records. He will always plan dates with your illness in mind, as in nothing too strenuous and he’s always happy to stay home with you on more difficult days. He helps in subtle ways, doing chores for you, picking easier activities, making you food. It is sweet in a way that doesn’t make you feel like something is wrong. Seeing these papers doesn’t change that.

[homosociallyyours]

This is a post for one of my best friends who's been going through a lot for the past few years. I'll go into more details below, but here's the heart of the matter: My friend has a serious auto-immune condition resulting from the long term after effects of cancer treatments (worsened now by the addition of long COVID to her long list of diagnoses). Over the past few years, she's gotten sicker and sicker and has been forced to change her diet from a vegetarian anti-cancer diet (she's a breast cancer survivor, and fought HARD for her health) to one that's become more and more limited as her body becomes allergic to every food one by one. She's now reached a point where one of the last 2 foods that she was able to eat safely, chicken, is causing an allergic reaction; she has to eat it anyway to survive, so is now very sick all the time.

What can you do?

One of the last hopes that she has to turn things around is something called a fecal microbiome transplant, which has worked miracles for other people with similar issues, but cannot currently be accessed through medical channels in the US for any but one (unrelated) condition. It's really easy to do as a DIY treatment though, it's just hard to find a donor: so we are putting it out there to see if one of you might be able and willing to be that person, or know someone who could do it.

Here is what she has to say about the ask:

Finding the right person to do this is difficult, but actually doing the helping is extremely easy and quick if someone was that person! If you live in the continental US and are fortunate enough to have both physical and mental good health (or know someone or have a child who fit the criteria) and are willing, you might be able to change my life! Please consider clicking through to read more and maybe even come aboard...  (For clarity: this isn't a medical procedure or anything, it is literally just donating poop, there are a few specifics but it is very much from the comfort of your home on your own time.)

You can click here to fill out a google form to see if you might be able to be a donor. The questionaire is detailed: fecal transplant is a bizarre and magical thing in which the patient sometimes can even end up acquiring personal preferences from the donor- the gut microbiome (sometimes called the second brain) is incredible! But this means that any illness, chronic issues, or risk factors you carry may also be transferred to the recipient so while it may feel invasive, getting detailed info in very necessary; I am just too sick already to take on any more problems.

A note- yes, it is possible to buy screened and processed treatments even in the US: unfortunately the cost (~$2k per round of treatment) is way outside my reach, particularly given that it isn't really any better than just getting poop directly from a good candidate (proven via studies), and that often it takes trying a couple donors/ rounds to find a match that gets results. If anyone wants to just buy me that stuff, I sure wouldn't say no to that, but given the severity of my situation (medical and financial; I cannot work due to disability) it is likely I will need to do medical fundraising at some point and I am trying to save that for an even worse point. Also if you have that kind of money to help out honestly it would be better spent on specialists or my astronomical food costs. I will cover all costs associated with this process if I find someone though, of course!

Thank you for reading/boosting/etc, please consider sending the link to possible healthy friends or family who might be a fit, or consider whether you have a child fitting the bill you might be willing to enlist- young microbiomes are the best ones, as children's systems have had less time to be ravaged by the effects of the modern world or the simple deterioration of age.

[animentality]

I'm planning out an Honour mode run(which will also be origin Astarion run) and I was wondering if you have any tips for it? All my characters will be multiclassers and I'm planning which weapons and armor to use, but I'm just curious what someone with probably one thousand hours in the game thinks could help

Ironically, I just this week beat the Honor Mode with a friend of mine, hee hee.

Alright, so here goes!

My Personal Team Comp

Paladin/Fighter (My buddy)

Paladin/Fighter (Astarion at first, Minthara later)

Storm Sorcerer (Karlach for me but it could be anyone, really, I was just trying to get the dating achievement- Karlach is actually a terrible Sorcerer because her race gives her smite spells...which she can't use effectively, as a staff user...)

Ranger/ Rogue/ Fighter (Me)

Reasoning:

Two frontliners is always good, to keep the aggro off of the squishier half of the party. Plus, the melee classes get to hit multiple times, which is just, insanely good, and lets you destroy targets. Paladin is obviously the most broken class, but a Paladin Fighter is a great multi class for Action Surge and Battle Maneuvers! Make sure to grab Disarming Attack and prioritize stealing weapons so enemies can't hit you very hard anymore!

You might want to have some kind of Rogue, for sneak attack, and disengage potential as well! Good for long range picks, and quick killing of high priority targets. Plus, two frontliners make it so you always have advantage.

And you of course need an AOE spellcaster of some kind. I think the Warlock is pretty powerful, mostly because of Eldritch Blast and Hunger of Hadar cheese, but the Sorcerer is the strongest magic caster with all their excellent Metamagic passives. They can also regain a lot of spell slots and have a ridiculous DPS output. But Hunger of Hadar is an excellent spell; it is without question the BEST AOE spell in the game.

The key to beating BG3 in any mode is to make distance.

Force your enemies through tight choke points stuffed with magical obstacles and just pick them off as they try to get through.

Hunger of Hadar is broken because not only are they blind, but they're also SLOWED and you get ADVANTAGE on them when they're in it, AND it does damage, AND as I mentioned before, you can throw them back INTO it when they try to get out with Eldritch Blast, which is also just excellent for throwing enemies away from you.

So Sorcerer or Warlock are excellent choices, but I personally have more of an affinity for Sorcerer.

Now.

Why Storm Sorceror specifically?

Because they get the best passives. People say Draco Sorcerers are the best, but their passive is only helpful early on. The Storm Sorcerer passive lets you cast FLY as a bonus action every time you use a level 1 or higher spell! The disengage potential is critical for Honor Mode, plus it's great for just repositioning whenever you want. Plus you get excellent passives like Heart of the Storm, AND you get immunity to multiple damage types, instead of just one!

Why the Ranger/Rogue/Fighter?

Check out this guy's comp, which I used. It is insanely powerful.

You can dual wield two one handed crossbows, and just SHRED everything you come across.

I was literally playing with two paladins and I WAS HITTING HARDER THAN THEM.

Ranger gives you dread ambusher, then you can hit TWICE as a melee class, which the Rogue doesn't get, and then you can get Action Surge, and do it all over again, PLUS as a thief subclass, you have two bonus actions, for your offhand attacks!

It's honestly broken as fuck, and it's perfect for the long range, disengage potential.

Now you have my suggested comp. Keep in mind that you can have just about anything you want, but remember, two frontliners, at least one magic caster with dps potential, and then the fourth should ideally be a long range specialist.

Now then...

I recommend you pick the Dark Urge.

Why?

For a million reasons.

It is MUCH easier to 1v1 Orin in the end rather than kill the whole Temple and deal with her bullshit Unstoppable nonsense.

You want the deathstalker mantle, which is insanely good for rogues, and everything in general

You WANT To kill Isobel so you can have the Slayer Form, which will get you out of tight spots, plus it makes Orin even easier to deal with.

You also want access to Bhaalist armor for accepting Bhaal as your master.

Also, you want to accept Bhaal so you can get Power Word Kill, a very useful one time use ability, which can uh, hint hint, be used on the Netherbrain to end the game very quickly

You also want to have the Bhaalist buff, which helps you crit more during the final battle.

But this now segues into...

Equipment

Now, if you're the Dark Urge...do not kill Alfira.

Knock her out every day in Act 1 until Quil Grootslang takes her place!

You want the robe Alfira will give you in Act 2 for saving the tieflings from Moonrise! It's called the Potent Robe and it's GREAT for sorcerers! But you can have both it AND the Deathstalker mantle so long as you're vigilant and knock her out every day!

Just be careful, because Arron will kill you if he catches you! So try to knock her out in one hit, if you can. Put the game in turn based mode, if you must! Or use sneak attack.

Other equipment:

Spellsparkler! Insanely broken for Sorcerers and magic missile users. You can use it till the end of the game.

Make sure to get the staff Lorroakan is hoarding inside Sorcerous Sundries! It gives you Kereshka's Favor, which is excellent for Storm Sorcerers.

Also make sure your final feat as a Sorcerer is Dual Wielding, because if you dual wield that staff AND Cazador's staff, you get the abilities of both staffs! You can also use something other than Cazador's staff, and use Arcane Battery twice! So you can cast something ridiculous like, say, Disintegrate, more times than should be allowed! Also, there are like, two amulets and one staff that will allow you to regain spell slots! Make sure to gather as many as you can. Sorry I can't name them off the top of my head... I know one is a pearl necklace that you can buy from Omeluum, one is Caitlin's staff, and the other one you can get from the Warden in Moonrise...make sure to grab them so you can restore spell slots. Oh, also, if you do the House of Hope...you can grab the staff that's in his secret treasure room! Which is also great.

Make sure to buy the Risky Ring from Araj! It gives you advantage on EVERY attack, it just also gives you disadvantage on all saving throws...but if you give it to a rogue, and they have the deathstalker mantle, then they don't have to worrry about being hit ever, lol, plus they have sneak attack ALWAYS. no allies next to enemies required!!! it's a broken item, so definitely grab it from Araj in Act 2!

If you have two heavy armor wearers, use the mold from the Grymforge Heavy Scale mail twice. Make sure to then replace one of them with Ketheric armor later on.

You also want the aformentioned Bhaalist equipment. The Bhaalist amulet is great, as is the Bhaalist armor you can buy from the dragon seller in Sarevok's chamber.

Speaking of Sarevok, kill his ass! You want his excellent sword and helmet.

If you're feeling brave, kill Ansur too, because his helmet is awesome, as is his sword, but be careful! That lightning bitch is an honor mode run killer! I've almost lost two runs to him.

Even though he's hard, I do recommend killing Raphael! The Constitution amulet, the gauntlets of hill giant strength, and the staff in his treasure room are really worth it.

And uh.

Yeah!

Good luck!

Let me know if you have any more specific questions, and trust me.

I know...way too much about this game.

But this is just my starting guide!!

I had a blast in Honor Mode, I bet you will too!

Oh.

And don't kill Gortash. Not because he's my boyfriend or anything, but because, he's not really worth fighting, especially not for the loot he gives you!

If you must kill him, do it at the Morphic Pool instead of Wyrm's Rock!!!

[jaydenix]

How to fix season 1 Bloom part 1

...out of 1000, because everything wrong with S1 goes back to Bloom getting too much screen time and one post can't possibly fix such a mammoth problem

So season 1, Bloom's in this brand new crazy world filled with crazy things. There are fairies at Alfea, witches at Cloud Tower, and the boyfriend factory- I mean Red Fountain's got specialists. To Bloom, it's more or less everything she could have wanted right? In episode 1 we see she was reading a book about fairies until late into the night indicating she's holding onto her childhood aspirations well beyond the conventional age (which honestly: good on her I love her for that). And in episode 2 she says "I've always wanted to be a fairy with all my heart".

It's clear from this that Bloom has had a lifelong obsession with fairies and so discovering she is one should be unimaginably incredible to her (as it would be to most people). And so I ask: why didn't they delve into this more? After episode 2 we don't really see anything to reflect this aspiration of hers, which is disappointing because after I gave it some thought they could've fleshed this out and added more to her character. How I think it should've been done is have the odd moment beyond episode 2 to just have Bloom genuinely express how cool it is to be a fairy. Specifically in big moments like the first time she does a spell and ESPECIALLY the first time she transforms, like imagine how cool that would feel to anyone? It'd be awesome! Who wouldn't be gloating about it afterwards especially in Bloom's shoes as she didn't know even anything remotely like this was possible not long ago and because of the aforementioned interest in fairies. We just need an occasion like this sprinkled in where Bloom is filled with childlike wonder at the world she has found herself in, that would've been so good. For some comparison: in Miraculous Ladybug, remember the first time Alya became Rena Rouge? She was *so* excited to be fighting bad guys alongside Ladybug and Cat Noir. I want something similar to that for Bloom. Though alongside this it could've offered a bit of cynicism for Bloom, when things get tough she begins to express what she doesn't like about the new world with new pressures and threats, everything was so simple back home but this whole world is so much bigger than anything she could've expected and begins to doubt herself thinking maybe she hasn't got it in her to be a fairy. These doubts could have been what contributed to her leaving Magix to go back home in episode 17. And then when she loses the power of the dragonflame, she should've been completely distraught at what had happened, scared she may never get her powers back and wishing she didn't doubt herself. And once they're back in her hands she feels rejuvenated with life ready to take the down the Trix.

They didn't need this in season 2 and beyond. By that point it's mostly old news for the most part to her and she's more or less on the same level as everyone else. But it would've been such a nice way to humanise Bloom and make her more relatable. It would also contextualise her arc in season 1. Rather than just making her the omnipresent focus of the season, she's a curious young woman in a brand new world whose discovering who she really is whilst other characters get fleshed out enough.

Those are my thoughts for today, thank you for reading.

P.S: I really need to rewatch S2 honestly but I've got still got a lot to analyse and discuss from S1 so we'll see.

[yrfemmehusband]

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I'm thinking a lot about my own role in my medical treatment and how I've definitely aided in my own prolonged diagnosis. Yes, lots of doctors gaslight, and lots of doctors are starkly rude and unhelpful. But it's hard to deny I've also played a role in not getting what I need from appointments and Drs.

My severe medical trauma makes it really difficult to explain what exactly I want to say. It makes it hard to say anything. And while that's hard to overcome when you keep getting traumatized, it's something I really need to do. Not being able to fully articulate to my doctors what's going on with me has severely negatively impacted my care.

It is also up to the patient to redirect their care if it isn't going in the direction they feel it needs to go. I have known this whole time I need to go up a neurologist but on some level I have allowed myself to be yanked from specialist to specialist to not find anything wrong. Investigating issues that might be a problem but don't fit all my symptoms, especially the most important ones. I should have emphasized which symptoms were affecting me most and I should have displayed more of my knowledge about where I think their origin could be.

All of this was hard to do for multiple reasons. These things have been more or less out of my control, it was hard to recognize what I needed to do. Part of the issue is fear of doctors and the medical system as a whole. Listing off all of my symptoms is difficult because they are so widespread. Ive had so many gaslight me that it's easier to pick a few most impactful symptoms and leave out the rest.

Another reason is because of my illness itself. Doing anything has been extremely difficult for two years now. It's hard to make art, to post, to organize my symptoms let alone keep track of them. Ive wanted to make a folder of my symptoms, diagnoses, a timeline and pictures. I want to, just feel like it's not within my grasp to do it at all. It's difficult to pick up new habits or learn new things at home and at work. Everything is difficult for me. Add medical trauma on top of this and I was nearly mute in so many of my doctors appointments. Even now it's simply hard to articulate everything and remember everything I want to say.

Honestly I don't blame myself, this isn't my fault. The medical system and doctors should put in more effort and safeguards for people who have issues articulating their issues, and a patient advocate did not help me either, it wasn't even his fault to be honest.

This time I'm setting aside time to write everything down. I already have a chart and timeline of my symptoms and diagnoses I made with my therapist and now I'm going to draft a script for my appointment tomorrow. Pls wish me luck and if anyone has any advice that is welcomed thanks if u read my rant lol

[forestshadow-wolf]

Of you could have a dragon from httyd what one would you choose and what one would you choose for others?

Ooh good question!

I think if I could have any dragon from HTTYD it would be a Deadly Nadder 🤔 they're loyal, fierce, and quick (also I may or may not have had a crush on Astrid when I was a kid)

For the others

Price: I think something big and robust would be good for him because (my interpretation of him) he's very self-assured in his decisions, he's usually not too quick to anger, but if somebody wrongs him or the people he cares about, well...

So definitely a Boulder class dragon, like a Crimson Goregutter, or a Hot Burple, or a Gronkle

Ghost: in my current HTTYD au (Perched Unlikely) I have him with Stoker class dragon, the Hobblegrunt

I'm aware that Stoker class is meant to be hot headed or whatever, and Ghost doesn't seem like he's hot headed, but hear me out; fandom wiki says it's main abilities are A) camouflage and B) the large frill at the back of its head that allows it to sense the environment around it, as well as other dragons and their emotions

Now tell me that doesn't fit The Ghost, right?

Soap: in my au I currently have him planned as having a Sharp class dragon, the Speed Stinger

To explain, first of all they're pack dragons, and I headcanon soap with a big family so that just makes sense to me. They're very loyal to the leader, who id the protector of the pack. Then onto their abilities they're fast for one thing, and well soap is the youngest to make it into the sas. They're smart and accurate, soap has to be smart and accurate to be demolition specialist and a sergent. And then the stinger, honestly how much fire do you really need if you alredy play with bombs, definitely wouldn't want to accidentally set of a bomb too early, and you need to be able to get in and out quickly to place bombs.

Gaz: for Gaz I have him with a Mystery Class dragon, the Changewing, and no it's not because people keep forgetting/replacing him :( (don't do that he is literally the only one in the 141 in with a braincell they will fall apart without him)

Anyway changewings have a the best camouflage of any dragon, and idk if anyone has noticed in the games but there aren't not time qhen Gaz has to take down a target in more public areas, so being able to lot get spotted for as long as possible feel Important (to me at least). They also have acid spitting attacks instead of fire abilities, which is much more discreet, and has the capability to melt through many materials including metal.

That's for the 141! Feel free to ask about other characters if you're interested

[hotchs-big-hands]

I just gotta vent abt smth cuz I think abt it all the time and tbh it’s getting detrimental to my wellbeing and stuff. This is medical related so if you’re not okay with medical stuff in general/PCOS/chronic pain/fatphobia then please do scroll 💖

I have always been fat, except for the years of my childhood where I was taking several different medications daily whilst I was sick. Even then I was still chubby though. I’ve also always dealt with a lot of chronic back pain my whole life (and my father has a curved spine like a hunch, which I’m certain I do as well) worsened by an injury to my shoulder that has never rly healed. I also have weak ankles which roll under themselves all the time and I’ve had a few really bad falls because of it. I also have been diagnosed with PCOS and then undiagnosed by someone who told the biggest crock of shit lies to my face. Ain’t even to mention the mental health stuff and IBS as well.

My health conditions are definitely getting worse, and I know I should go to the doctor about them all. I can barely do much with my back pain, I’m in pain every day and some days it flares up so bad I can’t get out of bed. But I’m fucking scared and don’t trust doctors. Because I know the second I walk into their office they’ve already diagnosed me without even doing an exam or asking questions. I’m just stuck and I don’t really know what to do anymore. There’s a lot I just can’t do and honestly getting harder to manage it all. Idk if to just suck it up and try going to a doctor again or just try dealing with it.

I haven’t been to a doctor for anything except my ear health and mental health since 2018 and this was for my PCOS. I’ve had scans done a few times and they all show that I have PCOS. And then I go to this “specialist” and she says that no, I’m just fat and in fact my fatness is causing my PCOS and that excess body hair only grows in fat bodies. There is no correlation between fatness being the cause of PCOS or for there to be excess body hair growth being caused by being fat. She prescribed me medication to induce periods (I don’t have them) and all it did was give me one period and destroyed my mental health to the point where to this day I do not feel like myself still. And I do not have periods still after that except for one last year after a traumatic event.

Idk why I’m still writing or talking abt this. I guess I just needed to get it out or smth cuz it’s all I can think abt most of the time cuz I’m in pain pretty much all the time. Anyway if yu read this far thank you 💖

[kingedmundsroyalmurder]

Blue Castle Book Club Catch-up Post 2

"because she wanted to make one foolish, extravagant purchase in her life"

Okay, I see what Valancy is going for, but I do feel compelled to point out that her whole marriage has kind of been a series of foolish, extravagant purchases. She has bought herself many treats. Which, genuinely not judging -- I think Valancy should get all the treats she wants, and I love me a pair of cute shoes. It just also very much reminds me of when I want fancy coffee and go, 'I should get nice things once in a while too!' while deliberately not thinking about how I literally just got fancy coffee last week.

"Valancy always had a sense of stepping from one world to another—from reality to fairyland—when she went out of Port Lawrence and in a twinkling found it shut off behind her by the armies of the pines."

The fairyland motif reappears!

"She looked at Barney, hunched up beside her. His silence was very eloquent. Had the same thought occurred to him? Did he suddenly find himself confronted by the appalling suspicion that he was married, not for a few months or a year, but for good and all to a woman he did not love and who had foisted herself upon him by some trick or lie?"

I know Valancy is anxiety-spiraling here, and LMM is very good at portraying her mind running away with her with no regard for reason or logic, but I desperately wish that she had one friend she could confide in. Because literally anyone would look at what just happened and go, "Valancy, he likes you and he was worried you were going to die in a very upsetting and dramatic way. Yeah, he's shaken up about it. This is the silence of a man who is much more likely to be going 'oh God my wife almost got run over by a train' not 'Curse my wife, that lying hussy, tricking me into the marriage bed through fiendish deception!'"

But Valancy's one friend is dead, and she has no one else. So when her one social connection goes silent (and thank you to whoever it was -- @akallabeth-joie maybe? [ETA: found it! It was @purple-crayoner]-- who pointed out that the silent treatment was Mrs. Stirling's weapon of choice when she was mad at Valancy) she immediately assumes the worst and doom spirals.

A progression: "They had gone around the lake one June evening in their disappearing propeller" becomes "In silence Barney steered his boat into the sunset miracle that was Mistawis." Valancy is already writing herself out of their life.

And Barney, who has apparently never developed a coping mechanism in his entire life other than 'go silent and run away' (honestly: mood)... goes silent and then runs away. Honestly, my man could have left a note. A short "Gone out, don't wait for me to eat, may not be back until tomorrow' probably wouldn't have convinced Valancy that he still wants her around, but it is the considerate thing to do for a housemate, whether you love them or not.

I'm honestly finding myself running out of patience for Valancy's doom spiraling about Barney, but that's a me problem. I have spent a lot of time and mental energy teaching myself to believe people when they tell me things, largely because I have been on the receiving end of a couple, 'you don't really like me, you're just pretending to like me, I know you're just looking for an excuse to leave!' relationships. It's honestly kind of exhausting to manage. Again, I wish Valancy had just, like, one friend who could let her sleep over and be a sounding board.

But instead she goes to see Dr. Trent, who doesn't cover himself with any glory but makes some fairly understandable assumptions. You probably shouldn't call patients idiots to their faces though. Especially when it's you who made the mistake.

(Also, this is the USian in me speaking, but it makes sense that she wouldn't have sought a second opinion? Doctors are expensive and he was the specialist. This isn't a GP saying go see an expert, this is the expert saying 'here is my diagnosis.' Especially because the other available doctor, Dr. Marsh, isn't a heart specialist.)

[justajsworkshop]

i’ve had this realization for awhile, but everything in my life, everything i’ve experienced was my doing. everything i’ve wanted— committed or just unserious, silly desires, i’ve gotten. the good and the bad. and yet i doubt myself now??! every kind of person i longed to be ive blossomed into. every experience, friend, terror, i’ve received wholly. wtffrf😭 how do i deal with this crippling fact that i’ve gotten everything i’ve desired?! honestly i’d wish to divulge but i’m shy, and i would just be listing off my entire life anywayy. have you also gotten everything you’ve (once) desired? kinda spooky!! happy november <3

you know, now that you phrase it this way, yes. I’ve gotten everything i’ve chosen for myself; i’ll put it that way—for better or for worse.

i was thinking about how i used to be so healthy, and that took a nose dive in the past couple of years, and it’s only because i started perceiving myself in ill health. i’ve made massive improvements since discovering the law though.

one interesting manifestation i’ve noticed recently is that my teeth are fully aligned again. i had heinous tmj, and went to a specialist (before i discovered the law), and they got me almost aligned, but it was gonna cost me so much more to get my teeth fully straightened out, and i just went with good enough is good enough. but i just noticed last night how much better my teeth are?? and i affirm whenever i remember that they’re perfect and great and so is my jaw. it feels like it kinda came out of no where though. 😂 the less i try, the easier and faster i manifest. that’s the truth i’m working on fully accepting and living by rn.

another one in the less than favorable direction is when i heard someone talking about quitting their job on the spot, i said to myself internally “god i wish i could do that.” and this was me KNOWING about the law. well, lo and behold, days later, an innocuous call on my calendar with my “boss” (client, i was a contractor) turned into 2 hours of him berating me and basically telling me im worthless lmao. and i knew instantly i manifested it because id been dying to get out of there anyway. yikes, was not how i wanted to go about it though. i aaalmost quit on the spot, but ended up leaving a week later.

it was literally one thought lmao. but that’s when “forgive them, father. they do not know what they do” made sense because i couldn’t even be mad at the guy for being such an asshole since i decided thats who he would become, the type of person who would make me want to quit on the spot.

but yes, i def get what you’re saying. it can feel like a lot at times, but it’s also really freeing to see how much control you have. so it’s not like you have fight for it. you just have to increase your awareness of that which is already yours, total autonomy over the reality you create and experience.

[thepixelelf]

this is definitely a stretch but a slightly off kilter dimension 20: mentopolis au where, consider Jeon Wonwoo, "junior researcher at Gobstopper Industries, a retro-futurist conglomerate, working on all sorts of amazing art deco technology in a gilded, non descript, past-like past..." ("gah, he paints a picture with his words!" 03:12) who works in the neuroscience department, kind of a loner, always focused on his research. Often closed off because he is led by his logic and ambition. Pushed down his sense of conscience years ago because of an incident involving an ice skate to the face but he doesn't like to talk about that or frankly even think about it so... work it is.

Anyway, one day Mr Big Boss Guy walks into Wonwoo's office/lab with you, and he introduces you to him as a specialist in projectiles. You two are going to be working on the new Psychometer project together. Wonwoo just nods, shakes your hand, and registers your sweet nice to meet you smile too late because he's already turned back to his calculations and now it would be too awkward to say nice to meet you too and damn it, why is he so damn awkward?

You don't pay it much mind— you've met plenty of awkward, shy nerds at Gobstopper Industries and while Wonwoo is maybe one of the nicer looking ones, you're no stranger to clipped greetings and noses buried in research. You yourself are quite the nerd, anyway, so it's no skin off your back.

[warning: fake science ahead! also cw for guns!]

For a while you two just work on your own things— him with his weird neuro something something tech, and you with your projectile prototypes. You're signed on as a temporary contract, so Mr Big Boss Guy never really told you what kind of thing you're making the projectiles for. But it does occur to you at some point... why would you put a projectiles guy and a neuro guy on the same project? What the heck are you even building?

So you ask him. "Hey, Jeon. Can I call you Jeon?"

He seems a bit jumpy at the sudden appearance of your voice, which is fair since you guys haven't really talked in the days since you started working together, but he turns to look at you and eventually nods.

"What is it exactly that you're researching?"

"Well... it's— it's... uh..." And it takes him a couple seconds to get his bearings, but then he goes on about brain waves and electrons and oxytocin and aromatherapy and a lot of other stuff that you honestly don't understand much of, but the more he speaks, the more you realize he's very much into all this research he's done. "It'll be a pioneer in mental health, this machine. If we can go into the mind and find exactly what's wrong— just imagine what that can do for the world."

You try to. You think about how the whole "mental health" thing is just starting to get on the public's radar, and what it would mean if doctors could just... look in there and then tweak the undesirable bits. Huh.

"That's fascinating," you tell him, not seeing the way his eyes practically light up at your, albeit monotone, interest. "And... why am I making it into a gun?"

At that, Wonwoo just blinks. "I... don't know. I think the decision came from marketing? Perhaps they think it will be more valuable if the machine is portable."

"Portable, huh," you mumble, but you don't say anything else. Wonwoo goes silent too because he literally cannot carry a conversation (esp with someone he finds smart and attractive) unless he is answering questions. So, you both just go on with your work.

Until another day, after you dropped off the latest prototype on the boss' desk, when you ask Wonwoo, "Hey, Jeon, with your mind reader thingy—"

"It's not a 'thingy'," he interrupts with an almost imperceptible pout, but you catch it and smile at how oddly cute your fellow researcher is.

"Okay, your Psychometer..."

(His eyes light up again. They keep doing that.)

"...is it only for looking?"

He frowns, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

You tilt your head to the side, tapping your sharpened pencil on your desk. "I mean... can you use it to do anything about the stuff it sees?"

"Tampering with the brain is an extremely dangerous endeavour. There's no telling what could happen if the Psychometer were used to manipulate emotions or desires—"

"Wait, so it can be used like that?"

Wonwoo's frown deepens, he scoots to the edge of his chair towards you, one hand on his knee. "No. The technology could potentially be altered to manipulate the brain, yes, but the result could be disastrous—"

You jolt up onto your feet. "It's a mind control device???"

"I don't think you understand—"

But you're not listening to him anymore. You lean over your workspace, eyes darting over all your blueprints and scrap metal prototypes. "Holy shit," you mutter to yourself. "And I designed it into a weapon..."

You didn't always know there was something off about Big Boss Guy, but after meeting and getting to know Wonwoo and his research, you thought it was a little strange. Big tech industries like Gobstopper don't care about the good of the people like Wonwoo does... they care about money. And Big Boss Guy always seemed so smug when you updated him on the Psychometer project... yeah, a patent for a brain scanner would probably make him millions... but a mind control device? He could move to fucking Mars if he sold it to the right people.

Or used it on the right people.

In a frenzied panic, you begin swiping your hands over your desk to try and collect all of your research into a pile, while Wonwoo watches you with his confusion mounting.

"What are you—"

"Wonwoo," you breathe out, heart beating much faster than healthy. "Can I call you Wonwoo?" You don't wait for his answer; you're not even looking at him. "You need to get all your shit on a hard drive, and then you need to delete it from every Gobstopper computer—"

"What? Why would I—"

You walk straight up to him and put both your hands on his arms. If he wasn't confused and defensive right now, he'd probably be flustered.

"We made a fucking mind control gun, Wonwoo. Do you know what that means?"

Who is he kidding? He's flustered. He shakes his head.

You close your eyes as you let out a sigh. "We made a weapon. A very dangerous weapon. And the only way to stop it from going to the wrong people is if—"

Wonwoo watches you stop, and it's not like when he can't continue speaking because he doesn't know the answer, or when you pause because you thought of something funny, like you often do, but you actually freeze. Your mouth stays slightly open, caught in whatever you were going to say next, and your arms go stiff. Wonwoo is about to speak when he hears his boss' voice from the entryway.

"The wrong people?" he says, calm as ever as he lowers the Psychometer prototype he'd just had pointed in your direction. "C'mon, Jeon. You know I'd never put this in the wrong hands." He admires the machine in his hand. "It's much better off with me, don't you think?"

It's not that Wonwoo has no idea what the fuck is going on. In fact, thanks to you and your recent revelation, he finally actually knows what the fuck is going on.

It's just that he has no idea what the fuck to do now.

"You can't— this—" He looks at you, who have never been so close to him for so long, and right now it's completely against your will. He hates that thought. "Whatever you did with the Psychometer, turn it off! Reverse it, just— let them go!"

His boss shows off a mocking pout. "But they were saying such mean lies, Jeon. I told you: this machine is going to change the world. Don't you want that?"

"Not like this!"

"Tell you what, Jeon," his boss says, unfazed. "How about you finish doing your job like you were asked, and I make your little projectile friend fall in love with you, eh? You'd like that, wouldn't you? I see the way you look at them when you think no one's watching."

Bile threatens to rise up Wonwoo's throat. To make you like him— no, he never wanted that.

"Don't," he growls.

"Alright, alright. Then I guess I'll just have to offer a slightly worse deal. You make me my fully functional Psychometer, and I don't go through all the steps up to making their death look like an accident." He pulls out a sleek, silver gun and points it straight at you.

"Fine— fine!" Wonwoo holds out a hand, the other one now holding onto your arm. "I'll build it, but..." He bites the inside of his lip. He hasn't taken anything close to risk in years. "...but I need their help."

His boss raises a brow. "I don't think they're gonna want to be helpful."

"I'll make sure the comply," Wonwoo assures him, although he's not that confident in his ability to convince you.

He just needs you back to normal.

His boss clicks his tongue and tucks away his gun. A long time ago, he told Wonwoo he liked him because he listens well to authority. "Alright, Jeon, but make sure they do, and fast. Otherwise, I'll have to find somebody else for the job."

Wonwoo doesn't miss the thinly veiled threat, but he pays no attention to it. His boss points the Psychometer at you once again, and with a gasping breath, you fall to your knees. Wonwoo immediately joins you at your side, not hugging you like he kind of wants to, but patting your back as you cough.

Faintly, he hears his boss ordering people to barricade both exits from the lab.

"Holy..." You gag, and cough, and almost throw up, but don't. "...shit."

"Are you alright?" Wonwoo asks.

You whip your head to glare at him. "Am I alri— Wonwoo, do you know what you just agreed to?!"

So you heard everything, huh.

(It's not what he should think about first, he knows that, but Wonwoo feels heat on his face knowing that you heard his boss talking about the way he looks at you.)

"It was the only way for him to unfreeze you..."

At that, your panic and anger soften. You sigh. "I... Thank you."

"You're welcome," he says automatically, then cringes at how the words sound.

"You know I'm not helping you make that thing, right?"

Wonwoo nods. "I don't want to make it either."

"Good, then..." You stand up, Wonwoo keeping his hands hovered only inches away in case you're unsteady on your feet, and you reach into one the the inner pockets of your labcoat.

From which you pull out a grappling hook.

Wonwoo's eyes widen, and he has half the mind to ask you if you keep one of those on you at all times (???), but you stride past him to look out the floor to ceiling windows of the lab— which is four floors off the ground.

You turn to him with a sickeningly sly grin. "You ever looked at a window and asked yourself if you could break it with a good ol' shove?"

Wonwoo shakes his head, incredulous. "No!"

"Well." You shrug, going to grab as much of his and your paperwork as you can and stuffing it into your bag. "It's either the window, or mister 'I'm gonna rule the world' out there."

Wonwoo weighs his options. On the one hand, you're...

Well, you're there.

And, okay, on the other is a guy with two different guns, so...

Wonwoo goes over to his computer, taps at a fews keys, and initiates a total manual reset.

Once he turns back around, you've already started tying rope around yourself. "Get over here," you grunt.

And so Wonwoo lets you literally tie him to you, and then he jumps out of a god damn fucking window.

and that's all for this episode of diMEN—

[living-d3ad-gh0ul]

Monday 7th October 2024, 2:17am

Hey E.. 

I know it’s been a while since I last wrote to you.. and for that I am so sorry. I’ve just… well I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve been going through a really hard time mentally. A lot has happened in a short period of time. I’ve just been really struggling to talk to anyone. Hence why I haven’t wrote to you in a while. I really hope you’re doing okay and you can forgive me for it being so long since I last wrote to you. I really am so sorry.

I want to start this off by talking about you though. I re-read your last post (and the other ones you’ve wrote me) quite a few times. I’m so glad that your specialist has given you the all clear. You’ve no idea how happy I was to read that. I really hope that you’ve been doing well with all that and continuing to recover, even if it’s been slow, it’s still progress. And you are doing amazingly, you always have done through any tough battles you’ve had. I really hope you’ve been getting the physio that you need to help the stiffness/pain you’ve been having, I hope that’s been going well too. I also hope you’ve managed to kinda fix your sleep too. I know you’d been struggling with that. 

I also hope you got a nice new coat. I really wish I could see it. I actually got a new coat too recently. It’s long and black and has like a faux fur trim around the collar and cuffs, it’s cool and will keep me warm in the winter but also still goth enough. I hope the new keyboard is treating you well too. I should probably look at getting a new keyboard myself, but any ones I see are so expensive. I’m really particular about the keys and how it looks lmao. It has to be a mechanical keyboard too, I just love the sound of them. 

London was good. I had a great time. My surprise was that my best friends got me VIP tickets for the Stranger Things play in the West End. It was.. honestly amazing. The visual effects and everything were mind blowing. The cast were phenomenal too, I honestly couldn’t have picked better people to play all the characters. They also bought me a really cool Hellfire Club loungefly bag too, which I adore. They’d known I wanted it as soon as I saw it, it had only just come out as well. But they all bought me it and I was really happy. After the show on the Saturday, we also went out for a night out. We had a blast and I actually met a guy from Perth at the club we were at! He’d come out on a night out himself, so we were all like “well just join us if you like!” Because we didn’t want him to be hanging around himself haha. So we all made a new friend for the night, he was pretty cool. He’d told us he was just here on a spontaneous trip and he’d be going back to Australia the week or two after, he wasn’t sure yet. All my mates kept telling me he fancied me and I was just like lol no he doesn’t, he’s just being friendly because he kept chatting to me and bought me a couple drinks. Turns out, they were right lmfao. He apparently only asked me for my number at the end of the night and didn’t ask anyone else. He’s text me a couple times since then but uh.. the last time he did he was a little too.. forward shall we say, that’s what confirmed to me that my friends were right. I also just told him what my friends were saying and he was like “oh yeah no I definitely liked you”.. but then he was trying to like.. idk how to word it, just being very sexual with me suddenly? It ended up getting a tad creepy and made me uncomfortable and I basically told him I wasn’t interested. We haven’t spoke since lol. So… that was weird. I was just happy to make a new friend lmao I didn’t want any of that. But in general, London was cool, I really enjoyed it and had a good time. I’ll put some pictures of everything on this post so you can see it. 

Since then though.. shits just.. kinda fallen apart. My best friend and I aren’t really talking anymore unfortunately. She just.. got a little jealous of me and reacted in a way I had never seen her before. It really upset me and she said some really hurtful things to me. We ended up having to take a few days space from each other, because of what she said to me. And even then, she wouldn’t give me that space. She kept messaging me things that were really guilt trippy and emotionally manipulative and I really didn’t like it. It was a side of her I hadn’t seen before at all. She started being really mean and horrible to me for absolutely no reason at all. Eventually, she did give me the space I needed. We’ve started talking again now but.. I don’t think it’s going to ever be the same. It can’t be after what she said and did. She knows she’s going to have to rebuild my trust and stuff again. And I’ve set clear boundaries now. Because the friendship was getting really unhealthy and co-dependent and I really couldn’t cope with it any more. It’s still quite upsetting, considering everything that happened and why it happened. 

Some other stuff has been going on too, but I really don’t want to go into detail about it, because I just really don’t want to talk to anyone about it. It’s too hard and it’s too upsetting. All I’ll say is that someone else really hurt me too at the same time this was all going on with my best friend. They’ve started reminding me of someone from my past who caused me a lot of trauma. And I really don’t know how to handle it. It’s tough and it’s been triggering me to hell, in all honesty. It’s been bringing back a lot of panic attacks and PTSD and such for me. I’m just really mentally fragile right now from everything that’s been going on. 

There’s no updates on Gran really. Other than her chemo is done and her tumour marker levels were at 5000, when they were supposed to be at 30.. so.. that’s REALLY bad. But they couldn’t find anything new on her scans and stuff when they last had an appointment with her. They did tell her she wouldn’t be getting any more chemo however, because “it would only give her a couple more months”.. which I think was a really shitty way of them telling us her prognosis in all honesty. We’re still just hoping and waiting though, that something can be done and we can move forward with some more treatment or something. At the moment, we’re just kinda in limbo. She has to have another appointment with her specialist I think at the end of this month? And another scan and some blood tests before that. So… we’re back to just.. waiting. 

I was also sick this past 2 weeks. I’ve had a really bad chest infection and I was off work for the last week too. I felt like absolute shit, in all honesty. But the cough is finally lifting and I’m hoping to be back at work on Wednesday. I’m off tomorrow (Monday, I’m writing this at like 2am so.. it’s still Sunday to me lol) and Tuesday. The day is because.. well it’s my dad’s birthday. 8th October. He’d have been 62. It’s going to be a tough day. I was supposed to have plans with a friend to try and distract me and take my mind off things but.. unfortunately they have let me down. And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time, I think. It sucks when you really care for someone and then they go and do something like that to you and make you feel like you’re absolutely nothing to them. Like you don’t matter at all and like everyone else is more important than you. 

I’ve been struggling a lot with that recently. Feeling insignificant and unimportant and like I’m not good enough. I just don’t get it. Why does everyone I care about or love leave me? Why are they always snatched away from me or walk out the door, sometimes without so much as a goodbye? It hurts so bad. I really honestly feel so alone right now. I don’t feel like I have many people who care about me or want to make me a priority or who want to even listen. I’m really not sure how much more loss and heartache I can take, in all honesty. I just.. really feel like sometimes no one would miss me if I weren’t around. And that is a hard thought to process in itself. 

I’m so sorry that most of this has been negative and heavy. I’m just.. not having a great time at all right now. I’m trying my best to stay positive and hope for better days soon and hope that things will resolve themselves and I can pick myself up and move on again. But I’m just.. still trying to process everything. Still just going through all the emotions that are coming to me and dealing with them. It’s hard when things are triggering past things too. Because it makes me feel like I’m back there. Like I’m reliving it all again. And I wish I wasn’t. 

I really hope you’re doing much better than I am. I really am so sorry it’s taken me so long to write back to you and I really do apologise that I don’t have much good news for you here. I’m mentally trying to prepare myself as best as I can for dad’s birthday tomorrow. I just know it’s going to be tough. I’m just hoping I can cope. 

I really hope to hear from you soon. I’ve missed your “letters”. I’ve missed writing them to you too. I hope Chonky is doing well too, please give her pets from me and tell her I said that she’s a good girl. 

Speak soon, E. I really hope you’re doing well. I really hope to have some good news for you soon. 

N x

“I’m falling apart over a memory.. and the weight in my heart is getting too heavy” 

P.S all the pics are from my London trip, apart from the last one.. I just wanted to show you my new hair I got done a few weeks ago. It’s red AND black now. Something different, but I think it’s cool as fuck. I think I might keep it like this for a bit.

[heir-less]

How do you know that William doesn’t have therapy? He seems like a good communicator so he probably just talks to Kate and his family! I don’t believe the anger issues for one second because the only time we have seen him angry is the paparazzi video from a couple of years ago and that was on behalf of his family! It’s actually disgusting that the media are trying to portray him as this because he is only ever gentle with Kate and their children! If he was like this you would notice the aggressiveness in their children whereas they are so loving/caring

I know this because William has said it himself, Harry has said it himself, and it has been confirmed that William has never been to therapy and he was open about it during Heads Together with Kate and William stating that they didn't "need" it as opposed to Harry. It's not a private thing that he doesn't say and it's left ambiguous, he has said that he's never been, the furthest thing he's done is be sort of introspective and talk about his experiences working in the military and losing his mother.

In one of the best interviews he's ever done (I'm being genuine here, it's really good) he said this to British GQ:

No I have not talked to a specialist or anyone clinical, but I have friends who are good listeners, and, on grief, I find talking about my mother and keeping her memory alive very important. I find it therapeutic to talk about her, and to talk about how I feel. SOURCE

It should be noted that I am not talking about grief. If William finds himself more content to talk with friends and family over a therapist, that is his prerogative. What I'm talking about is his alleged anger issues, which could be a symptom of his grief. However, the two are different, grief is a very normal and natural emotion.

Having anger issues and being violent and verbally aggressive with people is not normal and it actual professional intervention. These are all assumptions I'm making based on how the palace and other entities like the media portray William. I'm not diagnosing him with anything, but at some point, you gotta call a spade a spade.

I honestly believe that if William were a celebrity and not a royal people would be more concerned about his well-being. especially when juxtaposed with Harry's own experiences. A lot of the trauma Harry has is shared with William.

Also, I know I harp on it, but Kate is not a mental health professional. Will can communicate and talk to her, which is obviously awesome and good, but that doesn't compensate for professional help. I don't know why Kate is always assigned the role of William's carer in the media. What about her mental health? Why should William rely on Kate so much when the media is stirring things up about this dynamic and writing shitty articles about how it's caused them to get into fights? We know that royals are swayed enough by the media to cut people off and become distrustful of others.

TW ABUSE AND SA UNDER THE CUT

Also, I don't think William abuses his children or something, but the "we would be able to tell" line of thinking is very narrow.

There are plenty of abusers who were known to be gentle/charismatic/nice in public. That's usually how they convince people to not believe their victims. Take someone like Bill Cosby, who was portrayed as very a very straight-laced, father-figure for decades while being a serial rapist and abuser. Again, I am not calling William Bill Cosby, I'm just making a point about how abusers usually don't come across as pieces of shit on the surface.