#you are literally selling me less clothing since its cropped

[510amy5]

Also they need to stop making everything "cropped". Sure make some clothes in this style for the people who like that but I hate it! They don't fit right on my body leaving me feeling cold and and self conscious.

On top of that clothing has become so expensive for such poor quality that it starts falling apart in no time and its extremely difficult to be able to afford to replace it.

I get cold easily so I'm constantly trying to buy warm clothes and they just don't sell them any more. I should be able to be warm in a hoodie and pants without having to double up on pants and put on a winter jacket designed for camping. Stop selling this thin gauze to us and pretending it's clothing.

[levisgirll]

what would life with levi be like post 139?

𝐀𝐎𝐓 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 - 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧(𝟐)

𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣 ♡♡♡

warning: mention of some spoilers about levi but not major ones as I wont be going in depth about ch 139.

A lot of really cute fluff that I’m sure will warm your heart-

Thanks for sending a question! I'm glad I got another one and ngl this is actually fun to discuss and share my thoughts and ideas with you all :,) I am guessing you are asking about what life y/n would be with Levi after the war and ch. 139 correct?

To be honest, the first thing that comes to mind is that Levi would be actually more relaxed, soft, and happier especially if he is with y/n. After losing some of his comrades, y/n there being by his side would literally make him sometimes during night go emotional and get really clingy to you and he would be extra affectionate and loving. He wants to feel your presence, wants to know you are still there during the night, and wants to definitely hold you. So y/n living with Levi, expect to have some emotional midnights with him and I feel like it would be really deep and he would share his thoughts or maybe talk it out and then he would go on and say he is thankful you are here, by his side and that he would say "Just remember, you mean a lot to me, Y/N. Don't forget that." He has a hard time trying to find the right words to express how much you mean to him but you would get the message either way from his actions and body language. Also, during those nights, he would want a shoulder to cry on and probably just hold on to you and sob a bit on your shoulder (covering his face) because after the war and he has finished serving his duty, he would think about the past and all the people he cared about and his old close comrades and friends, and since Levi is emotional he would just would want y/n to remind him that you are here and you would make him feel so special just by being by his side! hugging him, letting him speak what is in his mind, accept what has happened, and especially showing him love since this man is a bit hesitant and he would want you to do it.

Another thing I think would be like for y/n living with Levi is that to expect a lot of, sight seeing, exploring new places, he would definitely wake you up so damn early to go for this nice café and that they sell fresh baked pastries and he would get bread with you on the way back, holding your hand and keeping you really close to him. When his legs heals, expect also walking in big open green fields, and even hiking! He would only do this with y/n and if they are there and when you both went there, you realized he was really loving to you, and cared for you through his actions asking if you were okay, if you were having a good time with him and....if you were even happy with him! "Are you....happy staying with someone like me?". It breaks Y/N to hear this from him and I think after the war and everything, he would sometimes look down on himself and probably feel self conscious about his scars on his face and he thinks he is 'uglier'. You are now the one who would shut him up even if he says negative things about himself. "Do you think I-" before he even tried to finish his sentence, y/n would go and cover his mouth with their hand. "If you say it one more time, I'm going to smooch your whole face to shut you up." He would then actually laugh every time you do that and finds you adorable, and proceeds to kiss you on the lips, "I love you." He would say that so sweetly, deep and full of emotions while his eyes looking at you filled with love and lust and he would just say that so suddenly and he has been doing that quite often after you started living your life with Levi after the war and it makes you get butterflies every time (also you both are blushing like hell!) He would ask you when he is self conscious if he still looked attractive to you (this is usually when you recently got close with the other neighbors and they loved you and Levi and he would look at the young man talking to his partner, and seeing his face with no scars. He would think that y/n deserved a more better looking guy sometimes) and he would say that he wished he had his other eye to see you more clearly because you become even more beautiful to him and wants to grasp every time he looks at you really clearly, so when you go out he still thinks of you.

He would have a car and he would be pretty good at driving and he would want to take you to the places he would search up and he would literally plan the day the next day without you knowing. so expect surprise trips too! But, he wouldn't want to use his car to be honest and instead using the train for long rides! That's because, he would want his partner to be near him, let them lay on his shoulder or even lap, prepare some sandwiches for y/n and gives it to them just to see them eating the sandwich happily and he finds it really cute. Basically, he wants every interaction with you no matter what.

It would be a simple, but such a loving, warm-hearted, affectionate and basic romantic life that you both would be sooo loved and really happy together <3 he would want to make you laugh every time and he would start laughing too, would take care of you a lot, mentally, physically too even though you always told him you would do some chores instead but he insists "No love, you did enough. Just rest up for today. let me do it okay? And after this I'm taking you out." Also, he would still worry about you a lot and be protective. SO when you go out, he would still message you and wait for you and he get sad when he can't tag along. Once he didn't reply for 30 mins and he was ready to interrogate everyone to find his partner.

I feel like Levi would brag about you quite often to people he would see and talk to, such as you and Levi's neighbors and he would see them in the supermarket early morning (in some mornings you wont be with him cause you were so tired and he gave up and let you sleep in and went instead). He would be buying a bouquet of flowers (he does that every once a while) for you to surprise you when he is back and he would see his neighbors and he would literally talk so highly of y/n, and say such loving things. "Oh Levi, you actually really love Y/N. They are lucky to have you!" and he would stay slight and think. "It's me who is lucky. my whole life I have been unlucky after everything I went through, but meeting y/n. they changed my life and turned it to a better way. they understand me and love me. I love them so much....I don't want them to leave yet." He would say to them and they would encourage him to say it to you but he is kind of shy. SO! he decided to write it in a letter he was secretly hiding it from you and giving it to you for your next anniversary <3 Would defiantly learn how to bake for you, cook new things every week, buy new books that reminds him of you and read it and then he would talk to you about it for hours while drinking tea with him, would take you to shopping and buy you clothes that you would like. and behind closed doors, he wont miss a chance not to show you love, he would hug your waist from behind for soo long (its his favorite) and keeps his head on your shoulder and breathe in your beautiful scent and kiss your skin gently. "Y/N. please, just stay here for another 5 minutes." That 5 minutes was half an hour of smooching and cuddling in the coach and with some hickeys he would leave you on your shoulder (and he lowkey would want you to give him one too- and he would just give you that look saying as if he would want one right now or he wont let you go. so like I said before, clingy soft man? yes. defiantly after everything and since nothing is in his way he would do this and now you can clearly see his loving and soft side that he gives you daily.) Following that, you both would spend the evening, at the balcony, stargazing and he would look at you instead of the stars, while giving a small smile and placing his hand on the side of his cheek. That's because he really thought you were the star, sunlight and bright flower that blooms beautifully which is filled with love and happiness.

Finally, I feel like he would probably be less grumpy and not showing much of his usual stoic expression but instead, his expression would show he is finally relaxed, calm and actually happy inside because living his life with y/n after the war really helped him and made him realize that this. this is how love and life felt like, living with your true soulmate, the connection, emotions you both would share, feelings understood without being explained much, such strong emotional attraction and you were the perfect person to him. this is what changes him and makes him the most soft man out there that if the people from the survey crops where alive such as Erwin and etc. they would be shocked but extremely proud and happy of him because he really deserves it.

I hope this answered your question and this is what I would guess! Anyways, this really warmed my heart answering this and ahhh just imagine this all like, how beautiful and amazing that is? I just wish we all could give Levi a hug. He really is a great man. please feel free to send another question or anyone out there who has one! I hope you and everyone has a good day and let me know if you liked this by leaving a message anywhere, like or a reblog 🥺 ♡ ♡

[realcube]

BNHA shopping headcanons pt.2

part 1 here! (momo x reader, todoroki x reader, iida x reader)

Uraraka x Reader

Bakugo x Reader

Kaminari x Reader

tw// cussing, irresponsible moeny-spending 😳

Ochako Uraraka

if you have ever watched mha you should know that Uraraka is  canonically dirt poor

well maybe not dirt poor as from what i know, she isn’t homeless but..

it’d be a fair assumption that she is an extreme cheapskate

she really is that bitch at the cinema who deadass walks in lookin built like manatee from the neck down but her skinny face really doesn’t sell the act

and she smells like off-brand skittles and soda from a mile away but box office clerk pretends not to see shit because they are too underpaid to deal with an determined, skint bubble girl first thing in the morning

oh and did i mention she exclusively takes you to early bird specials for the huge discount

so, needless to say, when you want Uraraka to come see a movie with you in the afternoon, you have to pay for her ticket

now, with that in mind, why would she ever want to go shopping as a date? shopping!

the whole premise of ‘shopping’ is spending money - something she is very much against

so, obviously you thought it was a prank when she texted you to ask you on a date to the local mall

none the less, on the day you showed up - with a pocket knife in your purse, just in case - and to your pleasant surprise, Ochako was standing there outside your favourite jewellery shop with a cheesy grin on her face

“(Y/N)!” She called out, skipping up to you and throwing herself into your arms. “Guess what?!���

You giggled, delighted to see her so happy but confused as to why - as usually she gets upset when she is surrounded by so many expensive things. “What, bubbles?”

She pulled out from the hug to reach into her pocket, grab her hand-me-down wallet from her dad and unzip it to show you the many notes she had cramped inside there. “Look! Remember when I told you I couldn’t come on dates on weekends with you anymore because workloads at the UA were increasing? Well, truth is, I couldn’t see you because I’ve been holding down a secret job at a dessert place for the last few months - and look! I’m rich!”

You felt your cheeks heat up and your eyes become glossy for some reason, it just made you emotional seeing Uraraka so happy and excited, despite the fact you noticed that the money in the purse was definitely no more than ¥5500/£40/$53 - so either she had already started spending or she had been severely underpaid for 4 months of work.

“Ochako..” You croaked, sticking out your bottom lip and doing nothing to resist the tears that came rushing down your cheeks. “I’m so proud of you.”

Uraraka shook her head rapidly, “No!” She whined, shielding her eyes with her wallet, “Please don’t cry, (Y/N)! Then I’ll start crying too!”

You nodded, wiping away your tears with your thumb, “Okay, bubbles.” You mumbled, feeling the spark of emotion inside you die down, “So, where shall we go first?”

“Um..” Uraraka hummed in thought before pointing to your favourite jewellery shop which stood behind her, “There! I’m gonna buy you a necklace; to make up for last year when you got a me a really pretty bracelet for valentines’ day and all I could afford to get you was a candy necklace.” She mumbled the last part before taking your hand and dragging you into the shop.

She didn’t even spare a second so you weren’t able to explain to her how you actually really liked the candy necklace - it was delicious! 

Also, while she shifted through all the pretty necklaces looking for one that would ‘compliment your gorgeous eyes’, you realised something - she definitely wasn’t built to be poor.

I mean, yeah, she is very stingy when it comes to shopping for herself

but when it came to buying you a necklace, she was ready to take a mortgage if it meant you’d be satisfied with your gift

or maybe you could call that reckless spending-]

Katsuki Bakugo

when y’all go on dates it’s usually to one of your houses or maybe an abandoned park or something

but because you said you had a way better aim than him - he challenged you to a game of laser tag! and since it was just you and him, he said you could consider it a date

however, when you both arrived at the laser tag arena, it was closed 

neither of y’all checked the opening times on the website so how were you supposed to know that it was closed on Mondays?

after a long while of bickering between the two of you, y’all just decided to spend the rest of the day at the mall next door

and when i tell you bakugo should be on bargain fkn hunters

he is also very clueless when it comes to giving gifts so he takes this as an opportunity to figure out what you want for your birthday/valentine’s time

you show him a crop top you think is cute and he is like ‘i literally do not give a fuck’

he says he is just following you around the shop bc he doesn’t want you to get kidnapped 

but in reality, you see him out of the corner of your eye typing in his notes app ‘black crop top’ as soon as you turn away to hang it back up on the rack

he refuses to shop for himself because ‘all the shit in these shops are ugly and overpriced’ 

as if that is a good enough excuse to hide the real reason why he won’t look for clothes in these shops; which is that he exclusively shops in Hot Topic and ASOS

he gets butterflies whenever you show him any article of clothing and say it’d look good on him, despite the fact his response it usually something along the lines of 

‘fuck off, that shirt is so ugly! why would i want to wear that?!’ or

‘of course i’d look hot in that - its a fucking tank top! don’t be stupid, (Y/N).’

and mentally he does the same for you whenever he sees a cute shirt or a cool pair of shoes but he stays silent, wanting to keep up his ‘i don’t give a fuck’ façade.

in fact, the whole time y’all were shopping the only thing he recommended to you was a revealing piece of lingerie that a mannequin was displaying in the window of a Victoria’s Secret 

“hey, that’d look good on you, (Y/N)!” he chuckled, pointing at the set from across the hall

you rolled your eyes, punching his shoulder without missing a beat, “Of course i’d look good in that - it’s fucking lingerie! don’t be stupid, bakugo.”

“HEY YOU CAN’T USE MY OWN LINE AGAINST ME!”

Denki Kaminari 

y’all hang out at the mall quite a lot but mostly for the food court

by now y’all have probably eaten at every single chain in that bitch at least twice so obviously you go there quite a lot

after you eat, y’all stroll through the mall window-shopping since you probably spend all your money on food 

however, after Kaminari’s birthday he was pretty loaded so he was finally able to walk around the mall and actually buy something other than food! crazy, i know. 

you both were so hyped to buy shit - you forgot how to act

anyway, kaminari hadn’t decided what he was going to spend his ¥7000/£50/$66 on

‘clothes?’ you suggested

‘what’s wrong with my clothes?’ he replied defensively.

‘body spray?’

‘are you saying i stink?’

‘hair product?’

‘i have more than enough, heh.’

‘phone case?’

‘i have one..’

‘toiletries?’

‘that’s a funny word-WAIT!’ he yelled, shock running through his body as the ‘best idea of all ideas’ dawned on him. ‘wait here, (Y/N). I’ll be right back.’ 

with that Denki ran off, leaving you outside Sephora with no money 

It took him a while to come back but once he did, a foolishly wide grin painted his features, “(Y/N)! Look!” He yelled, motioning to his huge white bag.

He opened it to show you what was inside, “A yellow blanket?” You asked, cocking your head to the side.

“Yes! It’s 5x5 feet because you said the blanket home that we cuddle in is too small.” 

You blushed, rubbing the back of your neck, feeling kind of bad that Denki spent him birthday money to make you happy. “Oh, well, I didn’t mean that-” 

“And feel it! It’s so fluffy and soft!” 

You nodded, reaching down and stroking the blanket, “Oh my-” 

“It feels like heaven!” he finished your sentence

[clownmoontoon]

I'm interested in watching Osomatsu-san, but I have a few questions, if that's ok. 1. Sub or dub? 2. How do I know who's who? I already know some of the easy ones, thanks to you. Thank you in advance! (P.s. Thanks for telling me about BNHA!)

ITS A REALLY GREAT ANIME AND IT HAS SOME OF THE BEST CHARACTER WRITING I HAVE EVER SEEN. IT IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF MY TOP FAVE ANIMES EVER

HOWEVER

idk how old you are (or the age of anyone possibly reading this) so i feel i should say Osomatsu-san has a lot of mature themes and is CLEARLY meant for a more mature audience of the adult/college age/MAYBE later teen variety

all the main and most important side characters in the show are at least in their 20′s.

im not recommending this show to kids is what im saying haha

its nowhere near as wholesome as hero aca

ANYWAY ONTO YOUR QUESTIONS

1. Sub or Dub?

as of right now there is no dub Viz Media, who most recently did the redub of sailor moon (AND ITS FANTASTIC BTW SO IT GIVES ME HIGH HOPES FOR MATSUS), had sent out a tweet saying that the dub was going to be released some time in October of this year but …nothing happened?? my buddy @arr-jim-lad even contacted them about it, and they responded that there were no updates to mention. ://///SO right now sub is all we got haha

ITS REALLY GOOD THO SO ITS NOT LIKE A NEGATIVE OR ANYTHING BC THESE VOICE ACTORS ARE AMAZINGdef my fave voice actors of any sub ive watched (and ive watched quite a few)

2. How do I know who’s who? I already know some of the easy ones, thanks to you.

one of my fave aspects of this show is that after a few eps, despite them all having the same face, it becomes VERY EASY to tell them apart haha this is part of why the character writing is so strong imo!

but here’s a few tips and tricks to look for just in case you cant tell right away!

🌈COLORS!!!🌈

❤️Osomatsu -  the eldest of the sextuplets and the show’s namesake - RED

💙Karamatsu - 2nd eldest - BLUE

💚Choromatsu - 3rd eldest - GREEN

💜Ichimatsu - 4th brother - PURPLE

💛Jyushimatsu - 5th brother - YELLOW

💖Todomatsu - 6th and youngest brother - PINK

the easiest thing to get the hang of first when it comes to noticing the matsus is def their designated colors! Even when theyre not in their trademark hoodies they can usually be seen wearing their colors somewhere on themselves so if you cant tell who’s who right away LOOK FOR THE COLORS!!

if theyre all wearing matching outfits you can look at their hair shinies bc they’ll usually be their color when nothing else is! (tho those are a bit more subtle in coloring bc ..well..shinies haha)

😄EXPRESSIONS and QUIRKS😎

each of the bros has a standard neutral expression, and some of them have fun quirks that make it very easy to tell who’s who! lets start backwards this time \(ouo)/ (mostly bc from the start the youngest bros are def easiest to recognize…besides karamatsu ofc)

this got quite long so check under the cut for all the bro details and fun collages i made for each bro bc i love this show too much! \(>u

💖Todomatsu (pinky boi)💖

he’s the designated “cute” boy, and the worst/best self-centered millennial stereotype. actually a total mean girl in disguise, and (according to his bros) a “vile monster”. i love him and he’s a cute demon. not the worst bro but pretty darn close.

neutral expression: :3voice: highest pitch of the bros and often whiny quirks: - can usually be seen w his smartphone - acts the most feminine (covers his chest if naked or topless)- always has eye shinies - two hairs sticking out on the top of his head - calls all his bros “niisan” since he’s the youngest

next up MY BOOOYYYYY

💛Jyushimatsu (YELLOW SUNSHINE LIGHT OF MY LIFE)💛

the hyper-active, forever smiling, incredibly powerful, baseball boy! if something weird and crazy is going on jyushimatsu is either directly involved or about to be. he’s always laughing, smiling and making weird jokes/noises. a very sweet boy who is entirely too powerful. He often dresses as animals, and is used as an “attack dog” to torture whichever brother he’s commanded to (usually oso). A very unpredictable boy to say the least. Its hard to imagine an ooc version of him bc there isnt much he would not do or say.HE IS MY FAVE BEST SUNSHINE BOY

neutral expression: 8Dvoice: lowest pitch of the bros but also the loudest, often making weird/nonsensical sounds/noises such as: BBBBOEHBA!! 8Dquirks: - often goes cross eyed - is incredibly strong, can lift and throw his adult brothers like nbd - never has eye shinies in the anime unless he’s about to cry - wears shorts when everyone else is wearing pants, also some times wears a traffic cone on his head- wiggly arms and sleeves too long (even when its not the hoodie, usually his sleeves are always too long haha)- only one hair sticking out on the top of his head

((MANY THANKS TO @arr-jim-lad​ FOR THE TILTED PIC IDEA ITS ADORABLE))

next up my second fave, NEKOMATSU

💜Ichimatsu (purple cat man)💜

the designated darkmatsu, ichi is the slow moving, constantly slouching, quietest boy who thinks cats are way better than people. the least motivated matsu, even going out to do fun things (like drinking or gambling) is some times too much trouble. for him a good time is laying on the floor and thinking about death (and also cats). a fan of torture, if the situation calls for causing trauma he’s suddenly very talkative and plays w his voice a lot. he is the second brother (after my boy jyushi) that is often called upon when one of the other brothers (or anyone) needs to be tortured. i love this boy and he is good to my fave boy god bless suujimatsu

neutral expression: B(voice: usually very low, slow and monotone quirks: - eyes always half lidded, no shinies - always slouched- messy hair (some times w cat ears)- only bro to wear track pants (w the line on the side)- has a diff cat in his lap almost every ep, but does not actually own one- two hairs sticking out on the top of his head

up next everyone’s fave otaku,

💚Choromatsu (green frog weeb man)💚

the resident brother mom and a total idol otaku, choromatsu isnt concerned w much else besides his idol obsession and proving he’s way more responsible than his brothers. he often walks todomatsu to the bathroom at night and waits for him to finish since youngest bro is scared of the dark (reminder theyre both grown men in their 20′s). he thinks he’s better suited to be the oldest brother and leader rather than osomatsu and even points it out once, with agreements from both todomatsu and ichimatsu.if anything crazy happens choro is the first to scream about it not being ok. he’s got the strongest will of all the brothers and can never be persuaded to change his mind about a situation. he’s not a fighter at all and usually chooses to stay on the sidelines even if he agrees w whatever the bros are fighting about (killing god for instance).he’s under constant stress bc he’s pretending to do his best while his brothers are terrible i love him give this poor green man a vacation

neutral expression: :voice: higher pitched, not as high as todo but still higher among the bros, and usually using it to yell @ brosquirks: - smallest pupils, no shinies (in the anime)- usually has a worried expression- wears plaid a lot- is irritated almost all the time - wont look for a job bc he’s determined to be an idol manager- no hairs sticking out on top of his head

AND NEXT MY THIRD FAVE AND EASILY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MATSU

💙 KARAMATSU 💙

LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL MAN, THIS PAINFUL ADONIS OF MATSUS!! IS THAT A GLITTER CROP TOP THAT DOESNT COVER THE CHEST?? IT SURE IS!! ARE THOSE JEAN BOOTY SHORTS?? YOURE DAMN RIGHT THEY ARE!!!

karamatsu is EASILY the most recognizable matsu. w those amazing eyebrows, constant use and abuse of anime eyes, wild variety of glittery, revealing, and leather clothing its no wonder he’s called painful oh my god i love this man DID I MENTION HE SPEAKS RANDOM ENGLISH FOR NO REASON AND ITS GREATalso he’s probably the most caring brother who genuinely wants his brothers to be happy and know theyre loved very much by him ;;

if you cant immediately spot this matsu i dont know what to say to you tbqh

neutral expression: >:Dvoice: he makes his voice deep to sound cool p much all the time but its actually higher pitched than it seems quirks: - wears sunglasses, skulls, a leather jacket, sparkly everything, and p much anything he thinks is “cool”- easily the most expressive matsu just look for those eyebrows haha- puts his finger under his chin a lot - “BURAZAHS” - "heh!”- two hairs sticking out on the top of his head

and now on to the final, the oldest, and arguably the worst matsu

💔Osomatsu💔

THERE HE IS!!!! THE TRASH KING BROTHER!!!!i kid, i kid sort ofimplying that the matsus are not all trash boys is just a joke tbqhfor me osomatsu was absolutely the hardest bro to recognize when i first watched the show, and i think the biggest tip i can give for him is just to look for the red boy scratching under his nose. also the boy who looks like he would buy and sell you. he’s a pretty brilliant con man and a good fighter too, but his laziness outweighs anything that he could possibly achieve in. he’s absolute trash but in a way still lovable?? OH ACTUALLY if youre familiar w the anime Lupin the Third just look for the brother that makes the most Lupin-esque faces he’s got that classic-anime-comedy-male-lead look more than any of the other bros so that might help you recognize him!

could literally be lupin’s little bro haha

neutral expression: its like a stretched version of this :3 w teeth showingvoice: higher pitched, he plays w his voice almost as much as jyushimatsu, very playful and teasing, hardly ever serious sounding quirks: - scratching under his noise- obsessed w money and women (and never has either)- the most addicted to gambling of all the bros (this is sounding less like quirks and more like serious problems omg), favors horse races and pachinko- the “leader”, usually the one telling the others what to do (even if they rarely listen)- calls no one “niisan” since he’s the oldest - two hairs sticking out on top of his head

WOW THIS CAME OUT MUCH LONGER THAN I MEANT IT TO!! if im not careful people might think i love these trash neets or smth oh no

but ye! i hope this helps! or was at least an entertaining read haha❤️💙��💜💛💖

[vorthosthewillis]

Stand in the Rain

    Finn wasn’t a huge fan of Kel Tol. The biggest reason was that the port town laid on the eastern side of the Stawthese region known as Sashev, whereas his home was on the western edge of Sashev, right near Lib’s home region of Khedive. Long story short, that meant to reach it was a three day travel by both boat and feet… one way. Why do a six day round trip when he could planeswalk for a minute or two and be in Kaladesh with Ansari, or Ravnica with Saria, Lucion (when he was there), and a few other walkers that Finn was slowly meeting, like Maris and Theren. Besides, he always felt uncomfortable at Kel Tol in his jacket and mask, as the humidity was killer… like seriously, maybe nostalgia was kicking in, but the quicksilver sea definitely did not have the humidity of Kel Tol. It was like he could taste the bloody air sometimes! But he did go sometimes, like when he was feeling extra curious and wanted to learn more about this backwater plane.

    Or like now, when Libs asked for Finn to go with him.

    Libs planned on going whether or not Finn came along because for some reason Finn couldn’t fathom, Libs volunteered to be the goblin representative to some annual meeting going on in Kel Tol. Finn recognized that it was an incredible feat that the people of this world (or really any world) were willing to even think that the goblins of Khedive deserved a representative, but why anyone would volunteer to do it was beyond Finn. He certainly never wanted to be the representative of anything. But, Libs did it, and there was no way Finn was letting him go without him. Libs put on a brave face, but he was still recovering from the ambush that nearly killed him three months back, and Finn rarely let Libs out of his sight for more than an hour or two since. He left the plane once, just long enough to tell Saria he would be gone for a few months.

     His thoughts were interrupted when the boat rocked as it passed through some small rapids. He glanced up at the sky before focusing his attention around the boat. It was a small river boat, with a crew of no more than three people, along with Libs and Finn. Libs was offered bodyguards to go with him, but he refused, claiming between his pyromancy and Finn’s defensive spells he would be safe, and though Finn agreed, it still warmed his heart a little to hear such a high opinion from his friend. Libs was standing in the front of the boat, staring down the rapids like he always did, like he did the day he tricked Finn into watching a volcano explode. Finn smiled and appreciated  his attitude, something that Finn before becoming a walker would have called stupid. He understood it a bit better now. Facing down his demons was a bit of a speciality nowadays.

    The boat’s captain called out to one of his men as the boat turned a corner and the port city of Kel Tol appeared.

    The first thing Finn always noticed was the giant, moss-marked stone walls around the city that somehow hadn’t sunk into the marsh. Supposedly they were the remnant of some bygone age, but seeing as an invading force could just swim around or fly over the dang things, frankly Finn figured whoever designed them was compensating. The marshland surrounding the city was littered with farms, huts, and raised boardwalks connecting them all either to the city or small docks in the deeper sections of water. In reality the entire area was almost a barely underwater island, with the Sashev River arriving from the west and the Wurin River from the east mixing here seconds before reaching the ocean.

    As the Sashev River melted into the marsh, the boat carefully maneuvered through to the ocean. Finn watched as Libs ran around the boat, and was reminded that this was Libs’s first time this far from his home, and he smiled. He wished he could show Libs all the various worlds out there, Libs would soak it all in like a sponge… Finn paused. Like a sponge? Ew, Ravnica was rubbing off on him.

    It took nearly another 40 minutes through the marsh before they reached the ocean, but then only 15 to reach the docks. Behind the ancient stone walls was a large trade city, potentially the biggest city in all of Stawthese. Built in an enclosed space and on flat marshland, the city evolved as far as it could out at first,  and then began its way up over time. Nowadays, the city was built in three different levels, with the sun only hitting the bottom levels in the evening when the sun fell in the southwest. The top level was where the actual residents of the city lived, the bottom where all the trading in the entire region occurred, and the middle where most everything else happened. Though there was a set of main stairs from each level to the next, most people utilized a host of ladders hidden throughout the three levels. It was all held together by a series of support beams, both anchored into the ground and also to the wall. If the wall fell, the city would quite literally fall with it.

    Hectic for someone like Libs, who Finn noticed was bug-eyed from a mixture of surprise and excitement, but after both Ravnica and Kaladesh an environment like this was nothing special to Finn.

    After darting past the numerous house boats used by those who didn’t live here but set up shop in the lowest level, the captain of the tiny boat finally brought them into the docks. The boat lurched as it was anchored, and Finn nearly stumbled as he leaped off. Turning around, he paid the captain, said, “Thanks for the ride Blaine, even if it’s a shitty boat,” and promptly walked down the dock, putting up a forcefield right before Blaine flung some metal ship part at him. Libs looked at him with concern. “Isn’t he our ride home? Do you really want to antagonize him?” Finn turned to him and smiled, even though Libs couldn’t see it through the facemask. “Libs, do you know who you’re talking to? At this point if I don’t antagonize them they start to get suspicious.” Libs’s laugh was infectious.

    The booths and stores began even on the docks, but Libs and Finn continued to move forward, into the belly of the beast. The bottom level, as the sunlight faded, was lit with lanterns as the chance of a candle falling over and lighting the support beams was too great of a risk.  Finn could tell Libs was excited, as the goblin could barely stop himself from running around to explore. Kel Tol was the trading hub of Stawthese, and the vast variety of shops and goods here was solid evidence of that. Almost all the major races of Stawthese could be found here; the dark skinned humans, both the hawk-like avens and the flightless, ostrich-like avens of Wurin forest, small groups of the dark-skinned elves (those both Finn and Libs avoided), and even a delegation of dwarves selling rare metals from the Bacctoc Mountains far to the north.

    The two of them walked down the crowded streets to the main stone-sculpted staircase that ascended to the next level, where a group of four armed guards were blocking people from moving forward. “The folks here are a paranoid lot,” Finn began as he put a hand on Libs’s shoulder to slow him down, “You can only go up if you actually live here or have business beyond simple trade. You brought the papers of invite, right?” Libs pulled a roll of paper out of a little pouch on his hip, nodded, and walked forward towards the guards. “‘ello! Libs Quickhands here, goblin delegate to the annual Kel Tol summit, with my guard Finn. Here’s my papers!” The nearest guard took the roll out of Libs’s hands and looked it over agonizingly slow. Finn bit his lip to resist the urge to make a sarcastic comment on the guard’s apparent weakness to reading, and right as the urge was about to overwhelm him the guard finally handed the paper back and wordlessly moved to the left to let Libs and Finn pass. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, a dark skinned human with dark eyes and short cropped brown hair but a full beard, in what looked to be modified blacksmithing clothes, was waiting for them.

    “Welcome to Kel Tol, Master Quickhands!” The bearded man said in a deep, booming voice. Libs cracked a smiled, and jogged up the last few steps to grab the man’s outstretched hands. “Hey! Nice to meet you sir! Just call me Libs, and this is my close friend and guardian Finn,” Libs blurted out quickly, ending by pointing over to Finn. Finn waved politely, but otherwise stayed silent; this was Libs’s story, and there was no way Finn would overshadow his friend at this critical moment. The bearded man waved back and let go of Libs’s hand before responding, “Very well Libs. In that case, call me Titus. Titus Soie, governor of Kel Tol and the representative of the Sashev region this afternoon at the summit. Normally I would give you a tour, but your vessel got here late. The meet begins in less than an hour, so let me get you to your rooms for tonight and then get Libs to the town hall.” Libs nodded, and Finn followed their lead as they took off down one of the wooden roads.

    The first thing Finn noticed each time he came up to the higher floors (allowed or otherwise) was how much more light flooded the two higher levels, namely the middle level. While the floor of the second level was pure wood or stone, the floor of the top level included grates scattered throughout, small enough to not trap anyone’s feet or really anything other than small coins but large enough for sunlight and water to get through. It lit up the middle level surprisingly well, and even enough that small gardens were common throughout the level. It was much calmer and cleaner up here, with not only less people but also the people that were here seemingly focused on whatever they were doing. Much more tolerable, in Finn’s opinion.

    Titus led Libs and Finn down several streets before going up to the top level. Here, it was bright and sunny, though almost immediately Titus turned South and frowned. “Here is hoping our meeting goes quickly and smoothly, Libs. A storm is moving in from the south, should be here by midnight.” Finn turned to him surprised, and asked, “How can you tell?” Titus raised an eyebrow before answering, “30 years on a boat taught me a lot of things, Mr. Finn. Including that men in masks usually are hiding something.” Finn chuckled, and briefly replied, “Well, you ain’t wrong, that’s for sure. Anyway, our rooms? I have to take off this jacket before it melts onto me.” Titus nodded and pointed to a nearby building. “Right here, gentlemen. Our guest buildings are all right by the stairs for easy access back down to the mid level.”

    Libs and Finn entered the small building and walked into a common room, with a bathroom located in the far wall and two smaller rooms on each side. It was small and simple, but Libs still began jumping around, amazed. Finn simply smiled at his friend’s enjoyment as he placed the bags into each of the rooms, as well as his jacket. As they walked back out Titus was waiting for them, leaning against another building talking in whispers to himself. A quick but careful glimpse into Titus’s mind confirmed it: Titus didn’t have magic, but the member of his circle in charge of defense had simple mind magic. Enough to communicate with the team, but not enough to notice Finn listening in. Apparently, according to defense man, “Guin’s gang was at it again, those bastards”. Finn mentally noted the location before sneaking back out of Titus’s head. A second later the slight frown on Titus’s face vanished as he smiled at Libs and said, “It’s time we head down, Libs. Mr. Finn, I apologize, but you are not allowed in the meeting. Feel free to explore all levels, but be back here in 3 hours when hopefully we are all done.” Libs looked like he was going to argue, but Finn quickly cut him off and answered “No worries, always wondered what was up here. I can pass the time.” He gave Libs a wave and walked down a random road. Once he was certain Titus didn’t have anyone following him, he turned and headed towards the direction of “Guin’s gang”.

~*~

    It was near the north side of the wall. Here the wooden buildings were kind of squished together, but small sections of gardens and the walkways created little open spots for people to congregate. It was in one of those spots that Finn first heard the commotion, shouting and arguing. Guards blocked off each way forward, probably to stop the chaos from growing, so Finn went invisible and slipped between two of them. He turned a corner, and the scene became crystal clear: a large gang of the ostrich-like avens surrounded two individuals, who he could only see above their shoulders. One was clearly one of the dark skinned elves, a woman with hair tied back, fierce look in her eyes, and a hand-crossbow raised to shoulder level in each hand. The other was a… fair skinned human woman? She turned, and Finn for a moment saw her eyes. Nope, not fair skinned; the woman was albino.  

    Finn moved slowly and as silently as possible through the crowd, all the while listening to what was going on around him, skimming minds to fill in the holes. Guin was another member of Titus’s circle, the one in charge of food, though not by Titus’s choice. He appeared to be a racist ass. Guin and his “gang”  sprouted up six or seven months ago, took control of the food monopoly, and because of that Titus had little choice but to look the other way when the racist part of Guin popped up and decided to… “evict” certain members of the community. This particular “eviction” was locked in a standstill, and the group at large seemed to be waiting for Guin to arrived. Finn figured it was best to cut this short before that happened.

    As soon as Finn was out of the crowd and near the two women, he dropped the invisibility spell, threw up a hexproof bubble around the three of them, and cheerfully said, “Thanks for coming folks, but show’s over. Head home, kiddos!” It was hard to tell who was more surprised, Guin’s gang or the two women behind him. Finn smiled, but inwardly realized he forgot one important detail: less than a quarter of this gang could use magic, and if even one physical attacker rushed the shield, they would pass right through it. Less than a second later, a magic used launched a strength  spell at an aven in the front right as it charged. Finn threw a redirection spell, capturing the spell and flinging it into himself. He felt the rush of power and as the charging aven reached the shield Finn reached through and punched the aven in the face. It flew back in the crowd, slamming into three others. Finn turned and saw a second racing towards him, only for an arrow bolt to appear in its head as it fell to the ground. Finn stood up and yelled, “Like I said, show’s over! If you don’t want to end up like these guys, better get going!” This time, the crowd began to disperse, but Finn waited until the final few were leaving before Finn turned towards the two women.

    Now that his attention was undivided, Finn took a look at the two in front of him. The albino women was actually a teenager by the looks of it, with long, wild hair and tattered, old clothes. Her demeanor was scared and confused, but… she had the eyes of one who lived and seen too much. He tried to glimpse in her mind, but it was locked up tight, as if she had practice guarding her mind. Curious. The elf woman, on the other hand, was obviously not used to mind mages. She was exhausted and… somewhat annoyed? Lovely. She was in leather armor, obviously Sashev made. That, plus the hand-crossbows and the scar on her left cheek clearly put her in the “fighter” category.

    “You alright?” he asked both, and not surprisingly the elf frowned. “If anything, you doomed us both,” she said, and Finn realized she believed she was telling the truth. “Looked like you were pretty doomed when I arrived,” he responded, “I figured I would try to help. How are you two in danger?” The elf sighed, and walked the quiet teenager to a nearby bench. “I didn’t mean us as in this girl and myself. They were teasing her as I was walking home after my guard shift, and it looked like it could get serious.  I stepped in, and it began to escalate. I finally got it down to a stand still until you showed up, mister…” “Finn”, Finn said, and the elf nodded. “Maya,” she replied, “Anyway, what I meant is I was resigned to having to deal with Guin, the man’s a racist bully. But now? He’s going to come after you too.”

~*~

   Maya and Finn walked the teenage girl to what Maya called a “guard safe house”. Almost the entire time the girl was silent, but did speak twice. When Finn asked her name, she stammered “K… K… Kia, sir,” before becoming mute once more, and then right before they left the bench Maya asked where the girl’s family was. That time the girl simply teared up and replied, “gone.” Finn was concerned that the girl had probably been through some great trauma… it explained everything he witnessed so far. He understood that pain, and treated her as gently as possible as they walked through the top level.

    Maya and Finn talked a few times during the walk. The first time was the most awkward one; they had scarcely walked a block before Maya turned to him and asked, almost completely deadpan, “You’re one of those people that hate us elves, aren’t you.” Finn turned to her, surprised, but she continued, “Before you ask, it’s a general thing, no specific tell you do. I’ve lived in this town all my life, only met a handful elves not related to me. I know most of my race is crap, but not all of us, understand?” Finn took a breath, and answered slowly. “No, I don’t hate you, or your race,” he began, “My friend Libs, the goblin at that fancy summit thing, he has beef with them, and for good reason. The elves living below the earth have terrorised the goblins for a long time. If I seem hesitant or even hostile, it’s because Libs was attacked and almost killed by an elf, and I… went to a dark place after that. Something I learned over time though was that with you can’t blame one person for the sins of others, even if they are the same race. Hate is a dark cycle, and should be reserved for only the darkest of beings.” He realized what he was starting to say and stopped. “What I meant to say is that though Libs might take awhile to warm over, it doesn’t bother me. Call me out if I act weird, ‘k?” Maya nodded, though he could tell she wasn’t entirely convinced. At least he made a crack in her opinion of him.

    When they reached the safe house, Maya thanked Finn for the help, and he nodded. He turned to leave, and heard Maya say, “I wasn’t joking before, by the way. Watch your back and leave town as soon as possible. Guin is a brute of a Clipped, and plays dirty.” Finn raised a hand in acknowledgment as he headed back to Libs and his lodging. He thought for a bit on this Guin. Maybe he was dangerous, but as terrifying as the horrors of New Phyrexia? As the silence and despair of Denicomus? Still, couldn’t hurt to put an alarm spell on the front door tonight, just to be safe.

    When Libs and Titus returned from their fancy meeting, Finn was laying on a bench outside their rooms staring up at the sky.  To the far, far south was some dark clouds, so Titus might be right… he turned as Libs got close. “Have fun with your big important-people meeting? Discussed the end of the world?” he asked, and Libs rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth, but Titus answered first, saying “Sadly Mr. Finn we can not talk about that with anyone not in the meeting, though I can assure you that the world will not be ending by our hands today. What have you been up to, sir?” he added on a tone that basically meant he knew exactly what Finn was up to. Finn rolled his eyes in annoyance and sarcastically answered, “Oh, you know, saving the world from folks like you politicians.” Titus didn’t answer for a minute, but then said, “Very well, sir. I’ll leave you and Libs alone then, and will meet up tomorrow to finish our business. Libs, please remember you cannot share any of what we discussed.” “Gotcha Titus!” Libs answered, though from his face Finn could tell it was a painful promise to extract from the overexcited goblin. Titus walked away, and Libs turned to his friend, his trademark smile on his face. “There is an amazing seafood place on the midlevel I heard the others talking about.  Best part, because I am the goblin delegate I can get us in for free! Come on man, I’m starving!” Before Finn could reply, Libs was already heading back for the stairs. Finn laughed, put Guin out of his mind for now, and went to eat dinner with Libs.

~*~

    The alarm spell Finn put on the building before going to bed was a simple one tied to Finn’s mind in a way that if it went off it would wake him up. When Finn awoke suddenly in the middle of the night, he was surprised to realize it never went off; the spell just didn’t exist anymore.

    After a second, that surprise turned into realization. Something was coming, and it had the power to dissolve magic.

    Finn leaped out of bed, throwing on his clothes and facemask. He heard the front door break open as he reached for his coat and gloves. Almost immediately it felt like someone threw a heavy run over Finn, and the spell letting him see through the facemask died. He swore slightly as he lifted the mask up so he could see normally, and then he heard Libs yell.

Libs.

HE FORGOT TO WARN LIBS

    All thoughts of plans and how to attack vanished, and a toxic mixture of terror and rage filled Finn. He slammed into his door, smacking it open and punching the first aven he could reach. He turned to attack another and someone smacked him hard in the back of the head. His final thoughts before falling unconscious were only on finding Libs, praying to Rhonas that he was ok. His last was, “Who the hell is Rhonas?”

~*~

    Water soaking his clothes woke Finn up. Oh, and what he assumed was a fat, flightless aven kicking him in the abdomen several times helped too. The heavy blanket feeling was still there and it was too dark, meaning either his facemask fell back into his face when he fell or they literally did blind him. His face didn’t feel wet, so he leaned towards facemask. A groan escaped his lips, and the kicking stopped, replaced with chuckling. “My my, that took some time,” came a deep voice above Finn, “Is your stomach made of metal or something, boy?” It was Finn’s turn to smile. “Something.” He whispered, and struggled to stand up. Surprisingly, the aven didn’t try to stop him. Once he was up, he lifted his facemask up to see around him.

    The first thing he noticed was that they were on top of Kel Tol’s wall. There was some sort of light behind him, illuminating the wall. It was roughly three meters wide, but the stones were completely flat with nothing on the edges of the wall to block someone from falling. It clearly was not designed for late night parties. He turned slightly, and saw behind him… he skipped a breath. Libs was laying there, alive but unconscious. Beside him was Kia and Maya, both awake and tied up; Kia looked in pain but Maya’s face was stone, even when she looked at the shadows from the facemask obscuring his face. Two avens stood behind the three, one of which was holding a lantern. Before he could speak to them, a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, revealing it’s owner to be another aven.

    Like most of the “Clipped”, the aven’s wings were shorter and stunted, unable to carry him anywhere. In contrast though, the aven was large and fat, and it’s legs were thick and powerful looking. No wonder he was surprised how long it took to wake Finn up. The aven wore a farmer’s outfit, and a brimmed hat which frankly looked somewhat stupid on an aven, regardless whether or not they could fly. The aven’s eyes were cold and hard, and he was looking critically at Finn, as if trying to build a puzzle. After a moment the aven spoke.

    “So you’re this mysterious Finn that rode into town today and proceeded to act like he knew better than me and my folks.” “So you’re the fat rat called Guin,” Finn replied, doing his best to imitate Guin’s accent. The aven’s eyes narrowed, and spoke slowly, “Don’t screw with me boy, I’m here to offer you a way out of the problem you created.” Finn took a step back and reached his arms up to stretch while answering, “Created the problem? Funny, I remember fixing it, but hey, let’s agree to disagree on that one. Your offer?” If Guin was fazed by that one, he was able to hide it, and almost right away began to speak.

    “You see here boy, nature has a pretty solid balance, where the weak are driven out by the strong. I admire that, and strive to follow that in my daily life. Everyday, my folks and I work hard in the fields and in this town to make it the greatest it can be. If we find weak, useless members of our society who aren’t contributing, we ask them to leave. That’s what you and that guardswoman interrupted today. Now, the guardswoman behind you, she knows better, and now she has to pay the price. You on the other hand, you’re new here, you don’t know the rules. Same time though, can’t let you walk away either, that ain’t proper. So, here’s the deal. You and me fight, the first to fall down and then surrender loses. You win, you and your goblin friend walk free. I win, and you walk free, but we learn if goblins can fly.”

    It didn’t take a mind reader to tell Guin was confident he would win. He knew the terrain, and that speech flowed naturally, like he was used to saying something similar. Letting Finn walk away was a lie; if Finn was already on the ground, kicking him off the edge would be simple. Especially without his magic, this was an unfair fight, one Finn wasn’t confident he could win.

    But this bastard just threatened Libs.

    “Add both Kia and Maya to the deal, and I’ll do it,” Finn responded. Guin raised an eyebrow, but otherwise laughed and said, “You know what? I like you, let’s do that. Still, the first to fall and be unable to get back up loses.” Guin raised a claw to shake, and Finn took it. Guin leaned in close, and whispered “I’m gonna enjoy this.” Finn was about to be sarcastic right back, but as soon as he was done talking, Guin tightened his grip and kicked Finn hard in the stomach.

    Guin released his hand and Finn almost fell right there, but struggled to stay in his feet. Another sharp kick propelled him back several meters. This time the slippery rock proved too much, and Finn collapsed to the ground.

    Get up get up get up

    Finn pushed himself up and ran at the aven, fists raised. The aven ducked and clocked Finn in the back of the head. He went down like a brick.

    Get up get up get up

    Finn rolled as Guin moved to kick him again,  grabbed the leg, and pulled. Guin spun, throwing Finn in the air. Guin slammed him in the back with his leg and pain exploded through Finn. He dropped again.

    Get up get up get up

    He struggled to rise, and Guin grabbed his jacket, pulling him up. “Heh, thought you were stronger.” Finn smiled and head-butted the aven. Guin dropped him, but this time Finn kept his footing and threw his jacket in Guin’s face. He took a step back and then started pounding Guin in the stomach. Guin flung the coat off and wiped the blood from his mouth, all the while smiling as if Finn was tickling him. Guin reached forward, grabbing Finn by his headwrap. Finn tried to escape as Guin tried to drag him forward, and with a ripping sound the headwrap broke, the front and facemask in Guin’s hand.  

    All at once everything seemed to stop, and the only thing Finn could hear was the heavy pattering of rain. The light of the lantern was nearly blinding, and it took a second for his eyes to adjust, but as they did he became aware why the fight stopped. Guin, the other aven, Kia,  and Maya were all staring at his face. His real face, green skin, living copper around his left eye, the scar cutting deep into his right cheek. “What are you?” Guin asked, the question undoubtedly on everyone’s mind. Finn simply stared back for a moment, and then rushed Guin. Guin dodged and slammed Finn in the knees with another kick. Finn’s legs gave out and he collapsed.

    Get up get up get up

    Guin placed a foot on Finn’s back, pushing him into the cool, wet rock. “Gonna give you one more chance to answer my question before I kick you off this ledge,” Guin stated with a cold certainty, “What are you? You got the ears of an elf, but green skin and metal? You  some sort of elemental or something?” Finn couldn’t look up, so he looked forward at Maya and Kia. Kia was the one with the stone face now, though the hint of pain still existed, but Maya was gaping, seemingly stunned at Finn’s true form. Being a planeswalker was a secret he kept from everyone on this plane, even Libs, since he first arrived. The entire existence of other worlds could cause catastrophic change and damage to this one. Every logical bone in his body was screaming not to say anything, or to lie.

    Eh, screw it. He had a crazy plan.

    “My name is Finnegan Olleg, and I sure as hell am not an elemental,” he grunted, “But you get no more unless you let me up.” For a second Finn was convinced Guin was going to kick him off the edge anyway, but the the pressure on his back faded and Finn struggled to his feet. Guin grabbed him by the shoulder hard and stared at Finn. “I’m an elf, alright,” Finn started, “But not from this world. My world was called Mirrodin. ‘Was’ being the word because now… now it’s a wasteland ruled by monsters your little mind can’t even begun to comprehend. I fought there for years, then fought the survivor’s guilt for years too. I have traveled through so many different worlds, fought so many monsters. But none compare to the ones who tore my friends, my family, my entire world from me! Not even you!” Finn was screaming by the end and then jumped backward over the edge of the wall, dragging Guin with him.

~*~

    It was a funny feeling, free falling, but Finn didn’t have time to analyze it. He immediately kicked Guin hard towards the wall before Guin could even comprehend the fact he was falling. Finn watched as Guin’s head slammed into Kel Tol’s wall and caved in, blood squirting out like the guts of a broken watermelon. Okay, part one of the plan complete. Now he just had to wait long enough to get out of the range of that magic suppressor spell. He figured that either  Guin himself (less likely) or an underling of his (more likely, given how Libs and him were captured) was utilizing some sort of spell to stop his magic; get far enough away, or kill the user, and he would be able to planeswalk out.

     The ground was quickly approaching, and the closer it got, the more Finn became worried. The heavy blanket feeling never left despite how far he fell, and Finn realized he miscalculated; there was one more possibility on how that spell could be activated. If it was attached to an object, and that object was on Guin… he looked at the dead body, falling near him. There wasn’t enough time to move the body and then walk away. He was going to die.

    It was yet another  funny thing, really. Finn fighting so long and hard to survive, especially fighting to not kill himself, only to die because he jumped off a wall. There was a time, not even that long ago, that a dark little voice in the back of his head would have convinced him to jump and not even try to survive. Saria, Lucion, and all the others would never know what happened… none even knew where this plane was. At least there was -

    Something slammed painfully hard into Finn’s side, and he knew no more.

~*~

    Pain woke Finn this time, pain throughout his body. Literally everything hurt, especially his right side for some reason, and just opening his eyes was an ordeal.  He was…

    alive. That was a positive.

    And apparently in some sort of cave?

    Yup, it was definitely a cave of some kind. There was decent humidity and he thought he could hear the ocean, so he wasn’t too far underground. He could also hear a voice. He weakly croaked out, “If I’m dead, can I at least have my mask back? Very sentimental about that piece.” The voices stopped, and dimly he could see a figure walk around the corner. He used a bit of mind magic (in his head it connected that his magic was back, and if he wasn’t have dead he would be jumping for joy) and identified the person as Maya right as she began speaking. “You’re not dead, Finn. You might feel like it though, with the beating Guin gave you. Not to mention that Kia said she wasn’t as gentle as she hoped to be when she caught you.” Finn was confused by the last sentence, but assumed he misheard it. He slowly and carefully sat up, and noticed with alarm that his shirt and pants were off. “Sorry,” Maya whispered, “Couldn’t fix you up otherwise. If I may ask a question… how did that copper metal become attached to your skin?” Finn considered a sarcastic comment, but he was too hurt and besides, it wasn’t like he was keeping any secrets at this point. “It never became attached,” he started, “I was born with it and it grew with me. My world was a world of metal, everything was metal.” He pointed to his ribs, at a large patch of living copper. “This is why his kicks to my stomach didn’t hurt as much as other locations. I call it ‘living copper’, by the way.” Maya nodded, and then hastily turned away. Finn felt a little self conscious, and he quickly  (well, as quickly as he could move in his condition) put on his clothes and then shakingly stood up. He tried to take a step and his left leg gave out. He involuntarily cried out as he began to collapse,  but before he fell Maya grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up. “Easy there, you’re not even half way healed yet. You’ve been asleep for nearly two days now.���

    Finn stayed silent but continued to lean on Maya while the two walked around the corner into another cavern. Finn’s sight was still adjusting, so he used his sight spell and immediately realized just how gigantic this one was, with a small pond to the side and a large hole letting in sunlight above. Water fell from a corner of the hole into the pond below, creating a waterfall that glittered in the speckled sunlight. Kinda beautiful, he thought. “Agreed” Maya replied, and Finn realized he actually spoke out loud. “So… is it just us, or is anyone else around? Is Libs ok?” he asked as Maya led him to a rock. As he sat down, Maya responded, “You really care about that goblin, eh? He’s ok, and back at Kel Tol with Titus. When you jumped with Guin, Guin’s men were distracted so Kia and I took them out. They fell too, but it was unfortunately a necessary sacrifice to keep all of us safe. Kia snuck out for a minute, but should be back any second.” Finn glanced around, but couldn’t see an entrance other than the hole in the ceiling. “She’s secretly an aven, isn’t she? And not one of those ostrich types either,” he said, and Maya cocked her head in confusion. “Not exactly an aven, no… unless she is an ostrich. What’s an ostrich?” Finn began to chuckle, but a sound above distracted him. Looking up, he watched in surprise and horror as a solid white dragon dived down through the hole and landed in the middle of the cavern, a cow in its mouth and a crate in one of its arms.

    “Aw, there she is,” Maya said.

    Finn turned to look at Maya and exclaimed, “I knew dragons of Stawthese could shapeshift into a human form, but dragons went extinct on this world after the Great War!” Maya smiled, and answered, “I thought so too. Guess you weren’t the only one keeping a secret.” Finn turned back just in time to see Kia finish cooking the cow with her fire breath. She was stunning, the white scales glowing in the sun. She looked somewhat similar to a typical Ravnica dragon, but with significantly more spikes on her back and tail, a slimmer head and snout, and her wings seemed to be able to fold in on themselves, allowing her to easily maneuver in the cavern. She turned towards Maya and Finn and began to shimmer. She glowed for a second, and then Kia the human began walking over to them. “You’re awake, Finnegan. Glad to see it, I was concerned. I accidentally pierced your side when trying to grab you,” she said in a calm, clear voice, and Finn smiled and replied, “Heck, glad to be alive. Gotta say, you’re quite the actress, had no clue.” Kia smiled and answered, “Three hundred years, give or take twenty, gives you lots of practice. Now  I’m sure we all have questions for one another, and you still have lots of healing to do. But you have one pressing issue. Libs doesn’t know, so now that we know, are you going to tell him?”

    Finn took a breath, and thought. On the wall that night, he surrendered his secret in order to save Libs’s life. It was stupid and foolish and now that it was out could screw over this world if Finn couldn’t contain it. Could he trust these two people he barely knew? Probably better than he could trust Libs. Libs was impulsive, always looking for the next adventure, and wasn’t the best keeper of secrets.

    But he was his friend.

    …

    Eh, screw it. He was going to planeswalker hell anyway. --- All the Stawthese characters belong to me, but the planeswalkers Finn mentions in the beginning belong to the following people: Ansari: @erybia

Saria: @nantukohunk

Lucion: @gigaguessmtg Maris: @actualborossoldier

Theren: @thetalesofthereneverwood This tale was surprisingly hard to write for multiple reasons. The first was simply I have been extremely busy the past week or two, as working two jobs will do that to you at times. But then I also had two other issues. The first was just how much of Stawthese I wanted to talk about in this story, and in the end I went with more rather than less, hope you like it. Also I must have written that dang ending a dozen times, and still am not 100% happy with it. Probably because it is kind of a cliffhanger and leaves more questions then answers. Eh, screw it. I’m going to planeswalker fanfiction hell anyway. 

If you guys like these characters and Stawthese, let me know and I will write more tales there, and vice versa! If you want added to this list or taken off let me know. Good night folks!

@actualborossoldier, @baldore-of-the-boros, @foilmountain, @confused-phyrexian, @nantukohunk, @the-foxwolf, @gigaguessmtg, @erybia, @triumviratethree, @ anyone I forgot

[eastithoughtyousaidweest]

Malaysian Persuasion

7/17

Today was my first full day in Malaysia, and it was probably almost perfect.

First of all, it was so chill. Amalen also had just gotten home from a trip to China, so he just wanted to chill out, which was ok with me because I’ve been waking up at 6 or 7am to either work on my doc or travel for the past 3 weeks. So I woke up at 10am without an alarm (after drinking with him and his roommate until 3:30, to be fair), and it was really nice.

We spent the morning just hanging, just like a bunch of guys might do in the U.S. We slowly worked up the motivation to drive down the street to get some breakfast around 11:30am, and got some rice with fried pork and chicken called char suey. Pretty delish, despite being a bit heavier than my usual breakfast. I also found a dude selling buns out of his truck, and he had a bunch of flavors they didn’t have in China; I tried one with this coconut sugary paste inside called kaya, which was less coconut than I expected, but the bready bun was still floofy, which is really all I’m looking for.

We whittled away a few hours eating, chilling and watching the first new episode of Game of Thrones, which I was totally fine with, even though usual me would’ve been like “Why the fuck am I sitting around watching TV while I’m in Malaysia???” But honestly, I saw value in just building a relationship with Amalen and his roommate Kelvin, and didn’t see a need to force anything, especially when they were my hosts.

Anyway, around 2pm, Amalen and I started driving out to this waterfall in the jungle he’d been promising me all day. It was an hour and 20 min drive, but we just caught up and talked the whole way, so it was actually really nice. Before entering the jungle, we stopped and got a bunch of fried snacks from this stand in a parking lot, Amalen chatting up the older Muslim woman selling us the treats as if they were besties. People here at stores seem to really like chatting, and Amalen’s a pro at playing that social game.

To get to where we were going, Amalen had to drive his thankfully tiny white car down a skinny asphalt road, riddled with treacherous potholes, through an indigenous village with homes made of wood and tin roofs, and finally to a barrier where we parked. He comes to that spot a lot, and knew some of the indigenous people there, and he actually spoke in Malay to a few people we saw to make sure it was still ok to enter, so I knew we weren’t being disrespectful or something by entering this land.

And I’m so glad we were able to enter, because it was mind-blowing. Thick, lush, green rainforest all around me, buzzing and chirping with bug and bird hums, crinkling with the panicked retreats of tiny lizards, speckled with the sun sneakily glimmering its way through the cracks. It was sticky and humid, but not too hot. As we went, Amalen pointed plants out to me and showed me signs on the trail of wild boar having been there the previous night. Wild boar are super overpopulated in that area of Malaysia, destroying trails and crops, so Amalen told me hunting them, like deer culling in the U.S., was usually ok. And he broke out a pocket knife he’d sharpen before we came out to the jungle, so I knew if anything, we were at least pseudo-safe.

Luckily, no boar hunting went down. What did go down is that we finally arrived at this amazing waterfall Amalen called his secret waterfall. It flow down along grey boulders, white and frothing, pouring out into a rocky-bottomed pool deep enough to stand in. When we walked up to the waterfall itself, we could face away from it and just let the water work the tension out like a natural massage. The water was not too cold, and the area was totally isolated. We sat on a rock, ate fried plantains and egg rolls and doughnuts from the stand, swam and got waterfall massages, and just relaxed. After weeks of running, it was exactly what I needed. And I was so grateful to Amalen for taking me to such an amazing place I literally never could’ve even accessed on my own.

Only downside? Leeches. It sounds freakier than it is, but essentially, they were tiny, slug-like things, smaller than the top part of my pinky, who would latch onto our feet or legs after we walked through certain areas. Amalen helped me, teaching me how to use a pocketknife to scrape them off after they latched. They left me with tiny little circular cuts, which actually bled for a while because apparently their saliva is anti-coagulant. But they didn’t hurt, and really, it’s not different than a mosquito or something, just a bit more graphic.

Anyway, that didn’t take away from anything. Afterwards, we met up with Amaeln’s friend Ryan at a food court, where I tried satay (chicken on skewers with peanut sauce to dip in), coconut rice with spicy sauce, anchovies and egg, and panak (a sort of sushi roll but in a wheat wrap, with crunchy vegetables and some sort of tempura inside). We also bought ourselves three more-than-half-liter bottles of Tiger Beer from Singapore. We had just finished them, and I was feeling a solid buzz, when Ryan’s dad showed up out of nowhere and ordered us three more bottles. So we were obligated to get way drunker than any of us anticipated, but hey, we swapped stories about our countries, joked around a bunch, and really has an awesome greasy, drinky night.

I pre-screened my doc to Amalen and Kelvin tonight too. It was really cool to see how Amalen got so excited about certain parts, and how much discussion it generated afterwards about COP and Amalen’s NGO, even between two people who are in it. I’m really pumped to see how more people like it, and really happy to see the impact it’s making for those in it.

Exploring KL tomorrow with Kelvin. Night night.

<3Scaht

7/18

Damn. So much socializing today. Like 11 hours of it. But it was great.

Started off by heading into KL with Kelvin, who grew up here. He took me to get a really good outdoor food stall court, which there are a bunch of here, in Chinatown. There was food everywhere, but I trusted him to know what was good, so I let him order this spicy red coconut curry for us, brimming with crispy fried pork skin, oysters, green vegetables and eggplant. It was so delish, until I bit into a pork skin saturated with curry and it burst straight into my throat like a juicy grape full of spicy fire. Totally burned the shit out of my throat, but luckily dessert was a cup of shaved ice (really finely ground ice covered in coconut milk and supplemented with various jellies and red bean), so I was soothed soon enough.

We then spent like 5 hours walking all over KL. He took me to the Independence Square where a lot of protests have happened, to the looming, corn-cob-looking Petronas Twin Towers, to some fancy-shmancy malls, to a fruit stand where we drank some coconut water straight outta the coconut, and to Little India. On the way, he told me SO much about Malaysia, from its history as a British colony to the politics and issues with election rigging to the school he went to and what it was like, and so much more. He was a really great tour guide, and since he’s around my age and we have similar interests, he was able to provide me much history into the politics and social issues I’m always interested in learning about.

One thing he told me that really stood out is that he loves just taking people around the city, and that if someone asked him for directions, he’d usually be happy to just walk them there. He said that was actually a pretty common thing to do here. Also, when I tried to pay him back for the food, he told me to not worry about the money. He said that really in Malaysia, they like to treat their guests, and they try not to let money be a big deal between friends, so it’s a big part of their culture to do that. These two things really struck me because they’re just so much friendlier and communal ways of supporting one another than in the U.S., where most people don’t wanna talk to you at all in the city, much less walk you somewhere, and where even $0.25 is often Venmo’ed between friends. I wanna bring back some of that hospitality to my own practices, because it definitely reflects the way I’d like people to interact.

Next, I met with Jolene, one of the Malaysians who was part of my film, for dinner in a hipster part of town called Bangsar. It 3 or 4 hilly streets were lined with international cuisines, fancy bakeries and cafes, boutique clothes, and bars trying very hard to look chill and/or refined. We actually got a really good dinner at a Nyonya restaurant, which combines Malay and Chinese styles; a whole fried fish and these smoky, fishy sautéed greens, plus fancy cocktails. We chatted about life and joked around, and I really enjoyed just getting to know her better. Of course, she treated me, which was super nice cause these were no street food prices.

Last, she texted her friend Sidney to meet up with us, an awesome guy who actually filmed some follow-up interviews for the film for me here in Malaysia since I wasn’t here. I hadn’t met him in person until then, but he was really great. Deep thinker, really open about things like mental health and insecurities, and really into films. We nerded out over cameras and film editing and our favorite movies, and he actually ended up coming with me to this huge food street called Jalan Alor, which was lined for about 2 city blocks with restaurants and stalls selling Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malaysia, coconut ice cream, dim sum, and a whole lotta stanky durian. If you don’t know, durian is a huge spiky fruit, like the size of a football or bigger, which smells kind of like fart or rotten eggs or a combo thereof. Kelvin, who loves it, actually told me he wouldn’t consider it a fruit, but just its own food group: Durian. He also told me that if you eat it within 8 hours or so of drinking alcohol, it’ll fuck up your stomach. So I haven’t tried it yet, but I want to for sure.

Anyway, it was really special to explore the city with all of these people and build up my relationships here. I’m so grateful for the guidance and the hospitality, and I REALLY hope they can all make it to the States one day so I can return the favor.

<3Scaht

7/19-7/20

It has come to an end. These were my final 2 days in not just Malaysia, but of my trip overall. And I think it couldn’t have been more fulfilling and shitshow-y.

Wednesday I wandered around the city on my own, hitting up the National Museum where I learned a whole lot about the history of the Malay Empires and how Malaysia was a key trading midpoint between China and the Middle East and the history of colonialism in Malaysia and all sorts of other cool stuff. As any U.S. citizen would know, we just don’t really learn that stuff in our schools, and it was super cool to gain all this knowledge about a totally different part of the world.

One thing it made me think about was the idea of cultural appropriation, because the museum talked a lot about how in the 14th and 15th centuries, as people from different regions met up and traded goods and skills and ideas, many cultures adopted parts of other cultures. This meant anything from parts of their dress to artistic motifs to cooking flavors. I thought this was really interesting, because it was made out to be a very mutually beneficial kind of cultural exchange, as opposed to in the U.S. today, where the conversation about cultural appropriation emphasizes the stealing of other’s cultures. I think maybe the difference is that often in places like the U.S., the cultural appropriation is done for profit, or without an actual interaction with the people whose culture it is, leading to disrespectful use of cultural elements and profiting off other’s culture without giving them any credit or economic compensation. In contrast, it seems like in these old Silk Road trade exchanges, people were actually sharing their cultures of their own accord, and interacting with those whose culture it was. Not that this means there wasn’t any ripping off of cultural elements or fetishzation of other’s cultures, but it makes me wonder if this sort of cultural mixing can happen in a positive and beneficial way that enriches humanity.

Wednesday night was the big night: the “world premiere” of my film on the Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD) to the COP21 climate negotiations. I’ve mentioned it throughout the blog, but to give you more context, I got a grant from my university in November 2015 to go with my friend Miranda and make a film on youth climate activism at COP21, the international UN climate negotiations where the Paris Agreement was created. We ended up meeting the Malaysian Youth Delegation, a group of 5 young peeps who were there for the first time representing their country. We hung out and filmed them for 10 days, and then over the past year and a half have been editing it together. Why’d it take a year and a half, you ask? Broken harddrive, Miranda graduating, me finishing school, general procrastination; these all comprise some aspect of the answer. But in a silver lining to a terrible event, Trump pulling out of the Paris Agreement actually made the film relevant again, so I kicked myself into gear, committed to going to Malaysia, and have been working on the film at 6 or 7am almost every day of this trip to finish it before, well, two days ago.

The film came out to about 40 minutes, the longest film I’ve made by far (the next longest is only 12 minutes). Screening it was an awesome experience; 4 out of the 5 main MYD members were there, and about 8 of their younger members who they’re currently training to go to the next COP in Bonn, Germany were there as well. Screening a film to a group of people who are so intimately familiar with each other and the material is a cool experience; they were constantly giggling at seeing themselves or their friends onscreen, and they already understood the context of what was going on, making it easier for them to get into it. They also laughed at my jokes throughout the film, which I think is every filmmaker’s dream; it’s really hard to tell whether the things I think are funny are gonna land with an audience, but I think it went pretty nicely.

I did a Q&A after the screening where everyone asked a ton of questions, and it was really nice to be able to share my experiences and reflect on things with them. Overall, in the moment the whole screening just felt like a really casual thing; we were just in a classroom, watching it on a projector. Very intimate. But I gotta say I feel pretty amazing that I was able to make this happen. There was a long period of time where I thought this film was just gonna go incomplete, and it really made me feel guilty and weighed on me a lot. Now, that weight is finally gone, and I have a project that I actually followed-through on which I am really proud of. I’m hoping to submit it to some film fests too, so hopefully things will keep happening. But I’m really grateful that I was able to do this screening, and that I got so much time and energy and support from everyone in MYD, and everyone else who listened to me whine about this film over the past year and a half.

My final 12 or so hours in Malaysia were the shitshow part. Amalen, Kelvin and I had planned to drive to Kuantan, a small town on the east coast of the country where Amalen grew up. It was supposedly a 3-hour drive away, so we set off around 12am after a little post-screening dinner, hoping to arrive by 3am. The catch was that I had to take a bus back to KL the next day at like 1:30pm, so I really would only have like 10 hours in Kuantan. But I did it because Amalen promised me some beach time, and I didn’t really have much else to do.

Oh, and I should mention that we brought Amalen’s cat Jenny along too, because Amalen wanted to get her spayed at the vet in his hometown. Unfortunately for her and us, he didn’t have a carrier. Apparently, in the past, she usually just chills out under the passenger seat and is fine. But today for whatever reason, Jenny was not happy. She kept scrambling up to the rear window, then down under the seats, then up my legs into a box on the seat next to me, then under Kelvin’s feet as he drove. We all tried to make nice spaces for her and calm her down. but she took at least 30 minutes to finally just sit down and start distracting herself by licking herself clean. Poor kitty.

Anyway, I should’ve known things weren’t gonna go so well on this trip when about 30 minutes into the drive, we stopped for gas and Kelvin puked in the parking lot. He had some sort of stomach bug, and it all hit him right there. Of course, all the gas station convenience stores were closed, so he couldn’t even get some water to wash his mouth out.

Somehow, he kept driving, and we drove up to the Genting Highlands, a detour Amalen and Kelvin had planned without me really knowing what was happening. It’s these really high hills where Malaysia’s only legal casino is built. We drove up and around all these hairpin turns, the yellow lights of this massive casino glowing all across the peak of this looming hill. Eventually, we stopped at a lookout point where you could see the KL skyline and chilled for like an hour, drinking beers and chatting. That was all good, except for when Kelvin started puking again. Turns out beer doesn’t mix so well with stomach bugs. Who knew?

Amalen took over the wheel, and we kept going. At this point it was already like 3am and we’d only made it like 45 minutes towards Kuantan cause of all the detours. I did my best to stay up and keep Amalen company as he drove, but I could feel the exhaustion and the beer dragging my eyelids down like stones. I drifted in and out of conversation, nodding a lot with my eyes half open before finally passing out. Amalen ended up pulling over in a parking lot around 4:30, planning to snooze for like 15 minutes. We woke up at 6:45am.

In the end, the snooze was for the best to keep up safe, even though we didn’t actually arrive til like 8am. An 8 hour trip total. And I had to head back at 1:30pm. So much for a 3 hour drive.

At this point, I was also just exhausted and hungover and my stomach felt like butt. Some combination of the fried food I had eaten for dinner and the beer and the lack of sleep made my body real pissed off, and pretty soon my tummy opened up the floodgates. I felt weak, and had a headache, and even the smell of food made me feel nauseous. But I pushed through, determined to get to the beach and just pass out on the sand. Which I did.

We chilled at the beach for like an hour and a half, and I even worked up the energy to sit in the waves a bit and look at all the tiny little crabs that would scatter into holes in the sand as I approached. So at least I can say I’ve been in the South China Sea, even if only as an attempted hangover cure.

Amalen drove me to the bus station at 1pm, and I’ve been in transit between bus and train and plane since then. Amalen was a super awesome host, giving me a place to stay and taking me to get all the staple Malaysian food and showing me some really beautiful parts of his world in Malaysia. I also really enjoyed the long car trips where we just got to talk and get to know each other’s stories and life philosophies better. He’s a really thoughtful, knowledgeable, goofy dude, and he cares a lot about his friends, which I really respect. It really blows my mind that, because of a random thought me and Miranda had to apply for a grant to go to Paris, I now have lifelong friends on the other side of the globe. Life is pretty dope like that.

So yah, that’s all. Hope you enjoyed perusing my travels, and if you have any questions or things to say to me or want some travel suggestions, hit me up through one of the ridiculous amount of communication channels I now have (WeChat, Facebook, Text, WhatsApp, GroupMe, Email, Signal, whatever).

Annyeong kyeseyo (Korean)

Joigin (Cantonese)

Zài jiàn (Mandarin)

Pope gone mai (Lao)

Selamat tinggal (Malaysian)

Byeeee (Scott)

[vaalkyrja-blog]

// Meta-a-day: tell me about how Zofian nobles show off their wealth, and aside from lineage, what other factors separate the nobles from the commoners?

ooc.

zofian displays of wealth

as much as the game tells us that zofia is across the board known for its leisure and plenty, and never having to work hard for anything, i think that this image actually is only perpetuated by the nobility. it’s clear in-game that the peasantry still works hard; alm talks about being handy with a plow, and those sheep in ram village aren’t going to milk themselves. even if mila provides a lot of bounty, it still takes human effort to actually obtain it by sowing crops, reaping harvest, etc. i don’t think that the hard-working villagers are only a product of the famine that’s been going on for two years by SoV — someone still has to farm, even in golden era times.

as a result, though, i think that zofian wealth display goes hand in hand with the idea of not working, because this helps to uphold the traditionally ‘zofian’ image of mila’s bounty. among the nobility, leisure pastimes are huge, and as much a presentation as they are an actual pastime. 

hunting for sport. zofian nobility often own vast amounts of privatized land ( clive and his four villas lmao ) and with that comes a lot of private hunting grounds that people do get jailed and fined for trespassing on, or hunting within. the game there is supposed to be solely for said nobleman’s use. though different nobles enjoying sport hunting to varying degrees, you’d be hard-pressed to find nobility that doesn’t own hunting dogs. breed and pedigree matter a lot here, and the dogs themselves are a symbol of wealth. more on that later.

sports such as dressage, pedigree showings, and horse races are also common in zofia among the upper class. in fact, i vaguely headcanon that dressage is one of the only ways that noblewomen are permitted to engage with horses beyond a purely aesthetic level, though it’s still considered a little strange. dog and cat shows are also common, and nobility who participate in these sports go a long way to not only make sure that the animal performs well, but also looks good; fortunes are spent on trappings and outfittings, and all sorts of fancy tools. there are books upon books on the subject. a lot of wealth display in zofia is centered around the idea of ‘how much money can i spend on stuff that isn’t  necessary to show that i don’t care about spending’.

on that note, certain animals are only owned by nobility — purebred dogs, for example, and horses. though horses certainly exist in villages and among commoners, they’re often very noticeably workhorses, and especially in villages, they don’t tend to belong to one specific person, since the upkeep for even one horse is very costly. nobility is often recognizable for owning fine horses of good lineage, and owning a lot of them, hence fernand: “i mounted my finest destrier and sped here as quickly as i could.” 

very importantly, only nobility are permitted to own warhorses of any kind; trainers are not permitted to sell horses bred and trained for anything related to battle to someone without the proper papers. this is to make sure that only nobility are able to become knights, which is something the game mentions. as a result, nobility are often depicted in portraits alongside a favored animal — often their finest hunting dog. the animal itself is an indicator of wealth and class.

i also have been thinking about how prior to the war, there was likely a holiday that the zofian nobility ( and to an extent, the middle-upper class ) celebrate which involves deliberate wastefulness. they’d gather together a bunch of stuff, the better quality the better, and burn it — clothing, food, silverware, etc. the point of it is to show that you’re so wealthy that you don’t even consider losing these things to be anything worth caring about. people noticed whichever house amassed the most things. it’s obvious why this was only done amidst the upper echelon, but the practice dwindled when mila left and the famine hit, and has probably since been dropped completely after the war as the nobility began to understand what it is to want for something.

wealth, of course, among the nobility, also manifests not only financially, but also as political power. the two are often directly correlated, but not always, and depends a lot more on influence and connections, as well as other forms of socio-economic monopoly. you can have a family that’s very wealthy financially, but if they don’t have assets or investments in the right places, they might not have a lot of political clout or leverage with which to sway the king. in some ways, political wealth matters more than financial wealth, and of course this is where the court games come into play.

difference between nobility vs. commoners

aside from the obvious blood lineage, there’s a whole lot that separates zofian nobility from commoners; in fact, they pretty much run in two entirely different spheres, and culturally they can even be vastly different. python points towards this incredibly wide gap when he says to clive that people born and raised in nobility just can’t ever hope to understand commoners, and vice versa, no matter how open-minded and egalitarian they might be. the lifestyles are just so vastly different.

one of the biggest cultural differences i think comes in the form of speech. it’s easy to see in the game, even, where that comes in — clair’s way of talking is an exaggerated form of noble rhetoric, but i think it’s actually what’s common in the circles she runs in. we should keep in mind that clive, mathilda, and fernand are nobles too, but in many ways they’re quite different from regular nobility. at the very least, they’ve been in the deliverance for this long, and have adapted their mannerisms to appeal to a wider audience. speech in the higher circles isn’t so much about what you’re saying as it is about how you’re saying it, and clair’s ‘fancy’ words and habit of speaking in third person and addressing others by epithets are likely a lot more emblematic of how the average zofian noble talks in court and at other social engagements.

class lines in zofia are also heavily drawn on the urban vs. rural line, as well; though nobles are decentralized around parts of zofia, urban areas tend to build up around noble places of residence — because of the heavy need for manpower within each house ( servants, etc. ), it’s natural that communities tend to form around the seat of nobility in each region. additionally, all high nobility have residences in the castle city around zofia castle ( which……is unnamed bc intsys likes to make my life hard idk, but is presumably the capital ) in order to attend court when it’s in session and also to just stay in the know. 

because of these aspects, nobility tends to be associated with urban lifestyles and culture, while commoners are associated with rural life. dialects are probably different as a result; nobility probably all speak relatively similarly, probably an ‘urban dialect’ with minor variations, while rural dialects can vary drastically, and what’s spoken near the mountain ranges probably sounds very different from what’s spoken elsewhere, etc. this is also why i think lukas gets so much flack for being “backwater nobility” — removed from metropolitan life and therefore uncultured, very literally situated amongst the commoners because of real, geographic location.

i also think that nobility and commoners probably view the mila faith differently and worship the zofian religion in different ways, actually. again, the game depicts zofians are being decadent and depraved, but realistically this probably only applies to nobility, or people who can afford to be decadent and wasteful. the mila faith among the upper classes tends to be about celebrating mila’s blessings with pleasure and leisure, because this is historically what mila wanted them to have — to lead lives of comfort and happiness. in this way, their worship verges more on what we see in SoV’s opening sequence, with wine and dancing and excessive food and riches. it’s all about just basking in decadence because you can, because this is what mila wanted for us. in this way, their faith much resembles dionysian worship practices.

in contrast, i think among the commoners, the focus is a lot more on being grateful for mila’s bounty and plenty, particularly focused around the harvest. there’s still a lot of food and drink and celebration, but it’s less about overindulgence and leisure and more about being grateful for what you have, sort of like the idea around thanksgiving. 

as mentioned before as well, only nobility are permitted to enter the knighthood, and i think traditionally, nobility are also the only ones allowed to assume high-ranking leadership positions in the military. there’s probably been more wiggle room for this over time, though, and there have definitely been cases where commoners have risen to become celebrated military leaders ( i’ll talk later about how i headcanon how mathilda’s house was one of these waaayy back in the day ), but this is still a rare occurrence, and the knighthood is still restricted to those ( men, usually ) of noble birth. this is why mycen had to be formally made a count by the king himself in order to be granted knighthood, though i think such an occurrence is very rare and — as fernand shows us — definitely looked down upon for not being traditional nobility by lineage.

[trebaolsmovingcastle]

You seem surprised at the state of things -- what motivation would any politician have to favor their constituent interests over monied interests, especially in matters of extraction/ waste dumping?

This actually is interesting from a few different directions. So bear with me on how I tackle the question, and if my writing gets seemingly heated, it’s not specifically at you, it’s just things I’ve thought about.

Naturally we must accept some kind of expectation from a government, in a best case scenario you desire or attempt to push government towards the goal of best representing the majority of the populace with practices that will ensure their emotional and material wealth and happiness for the long term. It should also go hand in hand with doing the minimum harm to any who somehow fall at either fringe of this practice.

Our whole founding principle was this idea of not just liberty, the freedom to live, but also happiness and the pursuit therein. 

So in the pursuit of politicians and politics, you vote, and by voting you attempt to nudge the nation in one direction or another. 

The current state of the government is too beholden obviously to large monied interests, it’s undeniable, and it’s been mostly an effort by Republican legislators to remove the limitations or hindrances to intertwining their interests with these donors. Democrats do this as well, though you occasionally have the few that are less obviously an issue.

One major component not just of the divide between the parties and how things are done, but also of how these monied interests have dominated the political sphere is our dogged pursuit of eliminating pork barrel politics and closed door deal making. In our attempt to air everything out and keep Congressman Joe Pigfart from tacking on a spending bill for his states highways to a new law about education we’ve eliminated most of the traditional means for politicians to basically get what used to be treated like kick backs…meaning actual laws and money for their home states. 

We handled the idea of pork barrel and ride ons as being somehow completely antagonistic to democracy…when in reality, the states go to the government to represent their various interests, those interests are often also the interests of the people who elected the politicians in the first place, so the politician would receive encouragement and a consistent voter pool if they brought money and jobs back from the government to the state.

Similarly, when we dragged all actions by members of the legislature out before the public we didn’t so much hold them accountable, we made it possible for the Tea Party to hold the nation hostage. You see, before you and some other members of the legislature would meet and discuss a law privately, you’d give and take…haggling over what the law would be and how it would serve both the individual needs of the people and states voting in favor of it, as well as the possible costs or unpopular measures that may crop up with certain constituencies. The outcome however is a law that had all the kinks worked out before being presented, often with bipartisan support. Now these types of actions are no longer allowed so if a republican law maker crosses the aisle to discuss any provision of a law, or a deal to get it through, they’re attacked by the reactionary members of the party, who then get their base to angrily petition them to never dare speak to a member of the other party.

These two things combine to create an environment where you can’t be bipartisan, and you can’t depend on your time in office to win you money for your state, and by extension get you re-elected. So how do you channel the necessary money into your reelection, since you now need to spend more money campaigning than before since you can’t depend on the goodwill of your constituency? You turn to donors and lobbying groups, who suddenly have an outsized influence on politics in the last thirty years as its become harder to let the legislature function the way it did in the past.

Currently our legislature is effectively in a constant state of doing nothing. Growing up I’d remember the big news about congressman this, or senator that, bringing back some bill or measure that would provide the state the means to do some new thing or support some measure the state couldn’t do solely on its own. Now…beyond really broad ranging laws that get infrequently passed, and the rare budget…our legislature, for all its money, has done very little for anyone…and when it does not, it clearly favors an already monied class.

So, it goes without saying that we also need to look at the concept of a strong federal versus a strong state system of government. For me, the myriad ills of state governance outweigh the benefits in comparison to a strong federal government, especially in social matters. The nation advances literally by dragging states into the 20th and 21st centuries. Labors laws, the Civil Rights Act, suffrage, the EPA, protections that broadly seek to maintain a status of life and happiness amongst all the people of the nations, as well as attempting to safeguard the future of the nations are found at the federal level. You might think a senator or congressman is most ready to sell out their whole state for a donor? It’s always been the state itself that is often the worst culprit…especially now, since you can no longer depend on spending bills coming from congress to support your infrastructure and development, state governments now are even more eager to do whatever shady thing is necessary to dump a heap of cash into the state economy, and their own pockets, even at the cost of the people therein.

The only argument I’ve heard for states being the pioneers of the nation was in marriage equality, and even that I disregard, because it wasn’t that California passed it, and then the other 49 fell in line, it was that a number passed laws, and the Federal government stepped in and said ‘look here, enough of the nation has said that this is important, time to get on board Alabama.’ You need that kind of power or control over the states to ensure you don’t end up with civil rights or labor abuses, which still happen, but at least if you can get your federal government to function you can dispatch any number of agencies, clothed in the power of the nation’s government to bring enforcement of the rights afforded to everyone else.

We now get into the issues with cynicism towards government, because that’s usually what comes back up, again and again. You can’t trust the government, they have no reason to do anything for anyone except those fat cats on wall street. etc. Ad Nauseum. Of course there is influence from the wealthy, of course things continue to lurch more in favor of these groups, but more often than not, almost universally I see only one answer provided by the people most incensed by this. 

Dismantle the whole government, then society. Hand the reigns to the people entirely, you can’t trust the man in Washington but you can trust your neighbors, etc. This is like a mantra for anarchism, but also somewhat libertarians, who believe that no one would know how to better serve the local publics interest than a strong local and state government.

My issues with this are that in the best case scenario you have to utterly and completely reeducate society, a society that would look at that type of thing as completely antagonistic to their own freedoms…or, if you go the libertarian route, then we end up in a similar place…

What happens to the disenfranchised and minorities? When I say minorities, I mean not just African Americans, Latin@’s, LGBTQ communities, etc, I mean the sick, those struggling with disability, the elderly. We already gerrymander many of the well known minority groups, to keep red states red, and influence out of their hands. But when you dismantle the Federal government and either hand the reigns to your neighbors, or to the states, you end up with quite literally your coastal elite, and a new antebellum south. Also, for as much as I like people, and I believe in people’s ability to make decisions, I also live around people and I do not trust my neighbors who make jokes about ‘picking cotton’ to the only black man in the room, to have the interests of that black man in mind when they’re handed all the power to decide what happens in their community.

There is absolutely an undeniable appeal in the notion of people serving one another and doing what is best for all over the vested the interest of a handful of incredibly wealthy and powerful individuals. But, that is a fantasy, the same way a Star Trek future is a fantasy in the modern day. I can’t say it’s impossible, but too often the suggestion is that you go from our flawed Federal Republic, to Full Communism, or Full Anarchy (there was this town in Spain/Syria/Wherever where anarchism totes worked and it was amazing so why not the entire country? The trash trucks kept trashing my dudes) or Full Whatever crazy alternative some other group may dream up. This is like saying that it’s an easy jump from identifying what causes cancer, to curing cancer.

To me, if you can have faith in people to even exist, or to ever do any good to one another, then you have to make room for other humans in government to also by some means make a positive decision. If, on the other hand this is wholly and totally impossible, then you must also accept that a positive or sustainable alternative is impossible because in essence you’d be saying that people are completely untrustworthy…which brings us into the other political discussion I never do because it’s out of hand crazy…monarchism, dictatorship, etc.

So, if you want a perfect world where the government is perfect, and small, or nonexistent, then you need to take steps to get society to accept not just that, but not devolve into a libertarian survival of the fittest scenario. You start with rights, human rights, healthcare, enfranchisement, you try to move towards a sustainable energy economy, you bring people up to speed, and give opportunities to those who have been marginalized and ignored, even as the old guard who had all the prestige and power angrily say that they miss the good ol’ days before this PC culture.

So in essence you are forced to look at, how do politicians stay in office, how do you favor certain policies or approaches to government over others. The obvious one would be to not incentivize extraction, to not do…precisely what the current government seems eager to do, return to the 19th century as if the earth suddenly created a whole new supply of oil and lighting it all on fire didn’t affect the environment at all. To be honest, as bad as this sounds, and despite being a statement that simply out of hand would be considered disrespectful…the problem is Republicans. Literally, the republican party, not even their voting base, who are a problem for their own reason, but the party itself is a parasite at this stage. The ills of the democrats are comparable, but in the way that a gun shot wound to the shoulder is as bad as being cut in half by a cannon ball. You can realign the democrats away from unfair economic globalization while embracing a world view that allows for other nations to exist and the freedom to move between borders…you can’t seem to ween Republicans off the bottle of selling their own children into a Mad Max future because there was a chance to make a cool million over the weekend.

Anyway, it’s imperfect, the question itself is somewhat hard to tackle, because if things were so easy as to simply state them, then magic would be real and no one would need to worry about anything because we’d be able to abracadabra a sandwich whenever we wanted one or fly.

[fabulizemag]

28 days of supporting Black creatives and small businesses

New Post has been published on https://fabulizemag.com/2019/02/28-days-of-supporting-black-creatives-and-small-businesses/

28 days of supporting Black creatives and small businesses

As we conclude Black History Month and head into Black HERstory month aka Women’s History month, we wanted to compile a comprehensive list of black creates and businesses to support. Please support black creatives year round. Let them know they are visible; even if you don’t but their goods, share their work with others. Be the word of mouth, share their social media and leave good reviews on their business pages.

Crown of Curls

Crown of Curls “I officially started Crown of Curls about 3 years ago. Initially I was making hair creams, and I only gave them to family and friends. I now make a larger range of products, from body butters to conditioning leave-in sprays. Every item is handmade using natural ingredients. All products can be tailored to fit your needs. I also offer completely custom-made hair creams and hair oils. While anyone can use my products, all items are made with kinky-curly hair in mind. ”

You can find them on IG and Facebook.

Ben Reynolds is an animator working on a few projects. He has Kerlash and he’s working on an hip hop animation series.

“Subscribe to me on Youtube! I have an animated web series about a ninja girl in artschool. I only have 2 episodes so far but I’m currently working on the next one. There’s also tutorials and videos of me ranting about animation. I have another fairly new youtube channel where I make AMV’s based on hiphop and R&B. I only have one video up so far, but will start updating more regularly once I wrap up some other things I’m working on.”

Whole As Wednesdays

WholeAsWednesday

Whole as Wednesdays is a podcast where the black femme working-class perspective is centered.

Banks of Commune

Banks of Commune “Banks of commune’s serums, masks, oil cleansers, and polishes are enriched with omega balanced fatty acids, helping skin to maintain the healthy oil and water balance our skin needs. skin that has a balanced layer of protective oil has less inflammation, a stronger immune system, leading to smooth, clear, calm skin. the select ingredients counteract environmental pollution, and stress-related inflammation. facial muscles and skin need a workout as well. having a facial clears out debris and toxins, giving that glow a great platform to shine through. providing facials for 16 years, and consistently researching our skin’s processes has shown me that stress and imbalanced nourishment combine to wreak havoc on our bodies, which is reflected in our skin. regular facial treatments and your skin’s daily “food” encourages balanced skin. a banks of commune skin is radiant.”

Charlotte Banks is an esthetician and has been practicing for 16 years. She formulates skincare products with black skin and melanated skin centered.

You can find them on Instagram

Hello Boogie

Serving you the full urban art anime fantasy, Hello Boogie is a clothing brand that is about empowerment in all shapes and form. It’s a brand that screams ‘Fuck you!’ to the nay-sayers. It’s passive aggressive rebellion made fashionable. It’s that brand that hates getting up in the morning. It does not have time to deal with it’s co-workers bullshit. It’s going to wear what it wants even if it’s inappropriate, even if it’s “too much”.

It’s cool, it’s sexy, it’s dangerous.

Beauty Pop

Shan Walz owner of Beauty Pop Self-Care Shop

Beauty Pop is dedicated to the woman who wants to live her best life on her terms. With a focus on natural ingredients, remedies, and holistic life hacks, Beauty Pop is here to serve you! In addition to fostering a culture of sisterhood and support, we are here to ensure other small businesses win! Come on in to Beauty Pop and let us enhance your dopeness.

About Shan Walz: I own Beauty Pop, a self-care shop in Norfolk, VA. I sell all natural soaps, hair, bath, and yoni products in addition to loose leaf herbal teas (hand blended by yours truly) and dessert teas. I also carry books and handmade accessories by local Black owned businesses. I’m also hosting a Free Baby Food Drive to assist families who won’t receive nutrition benefits in February due to the government shutdown. I literally picked vegetables from a farm and HANDMADE baby food to distribute from my shop, free of charge to those needing the service.

You can find them on IG and Facebook.

Inner Wisdom Doula and Lactation Services

Inner Wisdom Doula and Lactation

About Kendra:

“I’m a birth & postpartum doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, & Placenta Encapsulation Specialist serving the MetroWest Boston area. If you’re looking for a doula, lactation support, placenta encapsulation and/or you just like things birth, breastfeeding, & babies, come check out my page.”

Visit their IG for more info.

Drinking With Blerds

Drinking With Blerds is where two Caribbean-ish black millennial professionals unpack all the mysteries of life over drinks. Tune in as we discuss things like bad high school memories, adulting, being black and young in the workplace, a bunch of things going on in popular culture, all the the problematic shit going on in the world, and pretty much anything we want to talk about. Also we’re petty so listeners beware. Cheers!

Small Scale Styles

About Nina: “Well hello there, my lovelies! My name is Nina and I love making things. Art, craft, music, trouble. Those are my jams! This shop came about because I started making things for my niece’s doll. I soon discovered, how much I love making doll fashions. I also found I really enjoy customizing dolls so most of the dolls you will see in my shop, I redesigned to my liking!

This shop may be new to Etsy but I’m not. I have a metalsmithing jewelry shop (Beads In The Belfry) that I started in 2007 but is currently on hiatus. I hope you like what you see! I have so many ideas that I’ll be adding new things to the shop just as fast as my fingers can fly!”

Follow Nina and her pretty dolls on Instagram.

Griot Enterprises

Horsemen Graphic Novel

Home of The Horsemen and 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape! The gods of Ancient Africa have returned to save humanity from itself… Whether we like it or not.

Find more black comics on Facebook.

Yarn Goddess Cosplay

Yarn Goddess Cosplay

Geeky. Crocheted. Local. Yarn Goddess Cosplay shows there is more to crocheting than just granny squares. Shop crop tops, bathing suits, pillows or place a custom order!

Amasia

Shane Paul Neil launches Amasia

About Shane Paul Neil: “I’m the CEO of a new business development agency, www.Amasia.io. I’m slowly getting back to writing. Check spnwrites on IG. Check out. BlackPodcastHub.com for a directory of Black podcasts. Finally, Unreasonable Fridays is the podcast crew.”

Breast Milk University

Breast Milk University is the favorite source for all breastfeeding related spiritwear and keepsakes. We know the breastfeeding journey inside out and we want to share our pride with the world. We are here to #normalizebreastfeeding and we know breastfeeding comes in many different forms. Every breastfeeding journey is not easy and doesn’t last forever but let’s celebrate the accomplishments we have made! Our hope is to inspire women to learn more about breastfeeding and find support in this community of milk makers!

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

AforFi

Power through representation

Afro-Fi TV

Dreaming Elephants Tutoring

Dreaming Elephants Tutoring

Meet Thomas Sumter:

“I’m the Owner and Founder of Dreaming Elephants Tutoring in Philadelphia, PA. We offer in home Academic Tutoring and Test Prep(ACT/SAT, ISEE/SSAT, GRE/GMAT) for all students K-12 and *College and Grad Students(for select classes). Our primary focuses are English/Language Arts, Math, and the Natural Sciences(Biology, Chemistry, Physics,etc). Two things will make us different than your typical Tutoring company. First,we are led by people with a history or background in Education. I personally have been tutoring for 13 years and anybody I hire must have at least 3 years of tutoring/teaching experience. The second thing that makes us different(and better), we create individual tutoring plans/guides for each individual client and their academic needs.

Just as your teachers would create a lesson plan for an entire class, we do the same thing for each of our clients. This lesson plan is available for the client, their parents and educators to follow along as we tutor with them each session.”

Find them on Facebook.

Che’la McClain

About Che’la: “I’m a poet and I’ve been writing for what’ll be 15 years in a few months. I’m also a model and I’d like to think my website has variety in its subjects.”

Che’la McClain received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Poetry/Creative Writing with an Education Minor from Columbia College Chicago in 2017. A Gary, Indiana native she began her higher education pursuit at Vincennes University where she received her Associate of Science degree in General Studies as she shaped her long term goals. Che’la is an avid reader and through her literary excursions she receives inspiration for her true life passion which is poetry. She acknowledges her most free and authentic expression is through both writing and performing in this art. Since high school she has performed many of her original works throughout the Indiana and Illinois area in such events as both annual “Louder than a Bomb” Poetry Slam, and “One Night Only” Talent Showcase. As her schedule permits, she frequents the “open mic” circuit in Chicago. In her limited spare time she busies herself with her other interest which include photography, sewing, music of all genres, and playing the acoustic guitar. Her passion for all areas of the arts is the impetus for her ultimate goal; to teach underprivileged or special needs children self-expression through the arts. Che’la lives in Chicago, Illinois and is currently working in customer service to support herself.

Come Taste Africa

Come Taste Africa

Taste of Africa is a multi-pronged African Food Culture and Lifestyle initiative aimed at exposing, showcasing and providing access-to-market for African Food Products and those involved in its industry. We provide an experiential African food journey, online African food knowledge, information and lifestyle content depicting the modern and historical narrative of African food.

Learn more about their delicious food on Facebook.

The Art of Teshika Silver

View this post on Instagram

Grow. Inside. Outside. The spaces in between. The first in a series of three. Come by this weekend to one of the places I’ll be vending and pick up a print to remind you to grow. Check my bio and Instagram story for event details.

A post shared by Teshika Silver (@astratesh) on Feb 21, 2019 at 12:35pm PST

Teshika is a creative with over 12 years of wide-range professional art experience. Illustration is her passion, using both traditional media as well as digital programs to create pieces that are both captivating and magical. She is also an intuitive graphic designer, working with local organizations and small business owners alike: be it by logo design, promotional pieces or other marketing collateral. She is currently a teaching artist at Hyde Park Art Center where she works closely with youth. She strives to create work that uplifts, heals and promotes the resilience of marginalized people.

Follow her on IG.

Holistic Heights

“As the great grandchild of an Indigenous Healer from the Island of Grenada, I could not escape my roots. Working in Corporate America for many years, I began to see colleagues grow sick, many even passing at a young age. I had become overwhelmed by the need to liberate myself and my loved ones from a modernity that denies an age old tradition of healthy lifestyle. On September 11th, 2001, I was pregnant with my first child, working near The World Trade Center / “Twin Towers”. When Tower One collapsed, I ran for my life, and it feels like I’ve been running ever since; running from illness and the general decay that can get the better of us when we fail to equate happiness with healthiness. After 9/11 my son and I developed severe cases of asthma and eczema. The idea of becoming a guinea pig for allopathic treatment was out of the question. I was determined to heal the bodies of my son and I naturally. This was my mission as well as the birth of Holistic Heights!

I received my professional training as a Holistic Health Practitioner from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s cutting-edge Health Coach Training Program, as well as Teachers College, Columbia University.

During my training, I studied over 100 dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts. My teachers included Dr. Andrew Weil, Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine; Dr. Deepak Chopra, leader in the field of mind-body medicine; Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center; Dr. Walter Willett, Chair of Nutrition at Harvard University; Iyanla Vanzant, one of America’s most profound spiritual leaders and acclaimed empowerment legends; Geneen Roth, bestselling author and expert on emotional eating; and many other leading researchers and nutrition authorities.

My journey in wellness led me to further advance myself in various holistic methods of healing. Realizing healing manifests in many forms, I later became a Reiki Practitioner, Reflexologist, Aromatherapist, Iridologist and Yoni Steam Spa & Yoga Practitioner. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met and studied under some of the best healers of our day, including Dr. Laila Afrika, world renowned physician, researcher, author and healer; Dr. Akua, naturopath, spiritualist and master teacher, International Operations Director for A Life of Peace Wellness Institute, Inc., an international holistic health education and wellness non-profit organization, Queen Esther Hydrotherapist & Nutritionist of Queen Esther’s Holistic Haven LLC in Brooklyn, NY. Master Reflexologist & Healer, Dr. El Ha Gahn; Sister Maa and Dr Sebi, world renowned healers and founders of The Fig Tree, The USHA Healing Village in Honduras, and The Electric Cell Food; Elder Mr. Hooker, Intuitive Energy Healer and Wellness Instructor; Dr. Paul Goss, Master Iridologist and best selling author; Sat-Ra Sobukwe SoDaye, Kemetic Reiki Master and Founder of the Yoni Steam Institute, & LIFE the most important, influential instructor of all.

My education and intuitive abilities has equipped me with extensive knowledge in holistic nutrition, health coaching, energy healing and preventive health. Drawing on these skills and my knowledge of living a holistic lifestyle, I work with my clients to help them make lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results. My passion lies in educating, empowering and connecting one to their body’s innate ability to heal itself. It is our birthright.

Come join me…

My Approach

​*A different approach

I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected. Does stress at your job or in your relationship cause you to over eat? Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising? As we work together, we will look at how all parts of your life affect your health as a whole.

A health coach (or health counselor) is a wellness guide and supportive mentor. Together, we will work to achieve your goals in areas such as achieving optimal weight, food cravings, sleep and energy. Through working with me, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the foods and lifestyle choices that work best for you and implement lasting changes that will improve your energy, balance and health.

*Bio-individuality

The concept of bio-individuality is that each person has her or his own food and lifestyle needs. One person’s food is another person’s poison, and thats why fad diets tend to fail in the long run. Working on the principle of bio-individuality, I will support you in making positive changes that are based on your unique needs, lifestyle, personal preferences, and background. Instead of prescribing one fix for all people, I use a personalized, holistic approach that is based on your needs.

*Everything is food

We are not only fed by food, but by other factors in our lives. Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, regular physical activity and a spiritual practice are essential forms of nourishment. When these primary foods are balanced, what you eat becomes secondary.”

Support these black-owned businesses and creatives!