aramis-dagaz

[aramis-dagaz]

Just checked the numbers, 55,000 words in 8 weeks. Holy crap, it's been a good month and a half.

[aramis-dagaz]

Star Fox: Crew Rest, Part 1

This story takes place one year after the events of Star Fox: Assault and two years before Star Fox Command.

As evening approached the temperature began to drop within the Fichina University Department of Astrosciences building.  There was no need to keep the interior any warmer than above freezing as most of the students and faculty had already left for the day.  Only a handful stayed behind, using personal space heaters, hot water bottles, and heavy jackets to keep the chill at bay as they continued their work.

Isabelle didn’t notice the cold until her shivering made it difficult to keep typing.  She only took a short break to put on her coat and gloves, turn on her space heater, and drink some hot coffee from her thermos, and then it was back to work.  There was always a mountain of paperwork in the Dean’s office, from invoices and inter-department communications to student grades and research grant requests.  Someone had to make sure the papers were filed, the requests routed, and the daily thrum of mail kept moving, and the pool of secretaries had steadily dwindled since she started working here four months ago.  Even with less hands to handle the paperwork, the work itself never stopped.

She didn’t mind, though.  It was gratifying to be so useful and busy, so she stayed behind long after the others left and the temperature in the building had dropped.  She found that she did some of her best work in the evening, when there were fewer distractions and the incoming flow of work slowed, if only for the night.  Plus, no one was around to be bothered by her humming, which helped keep her spirits up.

A knock on the door of her office caused her to nearly drop the stack of papers she was holding.  Isabelle wasn’t expecting anyone as the Dean had long ago left for home and most of the professors were also gone for the day.  “One moment!” she said, crossing the few feet to her office door.  Upon opening it, she was greeted by the sight of a familiar pink-furred rabbit.

“Hi Lucy!” Isabelle said.

"Evening, Izzy!"  Lucy looked past her into Isabelle’s crowded office.  It was more of a glorified storage closet, stuffed with boxes and stacks of paper, but she didn't mind.  So long as she had a desk for her computer and space to store paperwork, that's all she needed.  "Still working hard?"

"Oh yes!  There are grades to file away, expense accounts to add to the ledger, meeting minutes to transcribe and–"

"Same as always, I see.  Have you had dinner yet?"

"No, but I'm okay!” Isabelle replied.  “I had a sandwich from the vending machine in the breakroom for lunch today.  It was pretty good."

"The ones made from those impossibly thin slices of bread?” Lucy said.  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.  How about we go hit up Leo's?  I could really use one of his coffees to perk me up after such a long day."

"Oh, well, I'd love to, but there's still a lot of–"

"C'mon, the work ain't going anywhere.  I don't think this place will collapse if you're gone for a couple hours."

"Well, yes, but–"

"My treat," Lucy said.  "And they're serving Leo's special tonight."

Isabelle hesitated for a moment.  She hated to leave all this work behind, but then again, Leo's was her favorite restaurant.  And if Lucy was treating her...

"Okay, let me get my hat and parka.  I think the cold air will help energize me a bit."

The early spring air practically hit her in the face the moment she stepped outside.  Isabelle quickly tightened her hood, leaving only her eyes and a flash of yellow fur visible.  Her entire body shivered as she and Lucy huddled together and practically jogged through the snow to the University metro station.  Leo’s was a beloved fixture in the building, offering a nice view of the passing metro trains and Fichina City’s skyline while promising a quick, hot meal for those on the go and a warm place to sit for those with the time to spare.

They both stayed silent until they got their cups of Leo’s finest, as they would barely have been able to get a proper word out until they warmed up and the chattering of their teeth stopped.  It was practically a ritual here, with all other concerns put on hold until one was warm and comfortable.  Isabelle wasn’t sure if Leo’s coffee was so good because it was so warm after a jaunt through the frigid air or if it was simply that amazing.  Probably a mix of both, though she never had a chance to try it otherwise.

“Ah, that hit the spot!” she sighed.

“Yeah, makes it worth the dash through the cold just to get here!” Lucy agreed.  “If they ever build that coffee pipeline the engineering students keep talking about every year, I might never leave the Astroscience building.”

“Oh, wouldn’t that be convenient!”

Lucy smirked over her cup.  “On second thought, maybe it is a good thing they haven’t gotten around to it.  Gives us an excuse to get out of there every now and then.”

“Such a cruel fate.  Imagine how much more work I could get done!”

“Yeah, kinda frightening to think about.”  After placing their orders for two Leo’s Special, Lucy continued.  “So how have you been?  We haven’t had much chance to catch up, what with midterms bearing down on us.”

“Yeah, pretty busy, but I’ve been able to stay on top of it,” Isabelle said.  “The work hasn’t seemed to let up since Cara and Dachs were let go last month, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“I see,” Lucy said, her gaze not wavering from Isabelle.  “Izzy, give it to me straight: when was the last time you went home?”

“Oh!  Uh…”  Isabelle shrank into herself, though not from the cold this time.  “...Last weekend?”

“Izzy!”

“It’s okay, really!  The gym showers are not far away from the Astroscience building, and I’m able to get back home to do laundry and make myself meals for the week!”

“It’s a near-literal icebox at night!  How do you stand sleeping in there?”

“I have plenty of blankets and the small office warms up pretty quickly.  I get so much done this way!”

Lucy buried her face in her hands and sighed.  “Izzy, I swear, this department doesn’t deserve you.”  She ran her hands through her hair and over her ears, causing them to spring back upright as she stared out the window.

"Look, Izzy,” she said, “there was a reason I wanted to talk with you tonight.  I won't sugarcoat it: the University is downsizing."

"Again?"

"Yes, again.  And you're on the chopping block this time."

Isabelle blinked in surprise and her breath caught in her throat.  "What?  Me?  Why?"

Lucy scowled out the window in the direction of the University.  "The Dean has no idea how much you hold her office together and frankly doesn't care aside from how much the admin staff is costing the department.  I tried to fight it and tell her she’s an idiot for even thinking of laying you off, but she’s not interested in what a mere associate professor has to say.”  She sighed heavily, weariness crossing her face.  “I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’d rather you hear it from me now than when the University hands you your severance notice."

"Oh."  Isabelle gazed into her coffee, suddenly feeling exhausted.  She'd been working at the University for four months, the longest she held onto a job for the past year since Snowpoint was destroyed in the Aparoid War.  She hoped that finally she found a place for her after all this time, and she made such good friends while working there.  Apparently, it wasn't to be.  "Well, I guess it's back to the job search.  I'm sure there are companies hiring."

Lucy placed her hand on hers and smiled.  "Well, there I have some good news!  You remember that my dad works for Star Fox, right?”

The bells in Isabelle’s hair tie jingled as she perked up.  “Of course!  How can I forget?”

Lucy’s smile grew.  “Well you see, with all of the work they've been getting recently between hunting down Androssian and Aparoid remnants and providing security details throughout Lylat, they've been overwhelmed with all of the paperwork.  They're pilots, not office workers.  Dad complains about it every time I talk to him.  So, I can let him know you're looking for a new job.  I have no doubts they'll hire you on the spot, and I guarantee you, they will appreciate the work you do and the pay will be a lot better."  Her eyes flashed darkly.  "I'll make sure of that."

Isabelle felt tears of relief and gratitude welling up in her eyes.  "Oh Lucy, how can I ever thank you?"

"No need to thank me, this is the least I can do for all of the hard work and long hours you've done for the department.  I can only hope the job makes up for all of the crap you had to put up with over the past six months."

"Oh!  Speaking of which, I really should get back!  I have to make sure all of my work is finished, the reports are organized, and–"

"Whoa, settle down there for a second," Lucy said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  "They're firing you, remember?  I don't think you owe them anything.  Let’s enjoy our dinner, talk about something other than work, and then you go home and, I dunno, finish reading that novel you've been telling me about.  Let me talk to Dad and I'll let you know what he says in the morning, okay?"

Isabelle nodded, her bells ringing merrily.  “Okay!”

“Then it’s settled!  Now,” Lucy said, her nose twitching mischievously, “since I don’t know when I’ll be able to do this next, let me regale you with the latest inter-departmental drama wracking our fair U of F…”

#star fox #animal crossing #isabelle #star fox: crew rest #stories #aramis dagaz's stories

[aramis-dagaz]

Screw it, that Star Fox x Isabelle crossover fic ain't gonna write itself.

#star fox #animal crossing #isabelle #star fox: crew rest

[aramis-dagaz]

Added some content warnings to the document in the link above.

Less of a sample and more of a couple of early chapters to a sword and sorcery/sword and sandal novel, though with less of an emphasis on adventure (though there will be plenty of that) and more on the arcs of the main characters.

Here's a sample of The Ashen Crypt, the story I'm working on.

#aramis dagaz's stories #the ashen crypt

[aramis-dagaz]

Here's a sample of The Ashen Crypt, the story I'm working on.

#aramis dagaz's stories #the ashen crypt

[aramis-dagaz]

33,000 words and the ending of one scene completed, though I still need to write the beginning of it. Progress continues.

#aramis dagaz's stories #the ashen crypt

[aramis-dagaz]

The Ashen Crypt, a story I'm writing, is at over 31,000 words. Been at this for a month at this point. Certainly not a proper NaNoWriMo pace but still pretty good. Still have a lot more to go, there are three or four parts to this I've only sketched out and many scenes are only partially completed. But the writing continues and the connective tissue is at least outlined.

Really looking forward to seeing how it continues to progress.

#aramis dagaz's stories #the ashen crypt

[aramis-dagaz]

"Forgive me, but I was under the impression that sorcerers did not want the uninitiated involved in their work," her Ladyship said.

"Typically, no, but most don't know how to make the most of those around them." He shook his head. "It's to their detriment, really. They could be so much more efficient, but I suppose that's what happens when you let fear override mastery of your craft."

"Some would say it's foolhardy to let the uninitiated handle even a fraction of such dangerous power."

"We were all uninitiated once. And I think you underestimate how trivial I find simultaneously fixing your problem and managing a layperson assistant."

#stories #aramis dagaz's stories

[aramis-dagaz]

Final Fantasy XV and the Final Fantasy VII remake make it seem like Final Fantasy games are about a group of friends who are ultimately trying to save the city/country/world, but that's not going to stop them from having a fun road trip and if they're able to help people and make some gil along the way, so much the better!

I'm all for this new direction.

#final fantasy

[aramis-dagaz]

A simple map of Brightshore, the party's adopted hometown. Their house is the one on the south side of the ravine.

#dungeons and dragons #nine cities campaign

[aramis-dagaz]

So this happened in my D&D game tonight:

The party was hired to rescue someone who is able to project an antimagic field around them. She was captured by a cabal of dark mages who summon demons into their soldiers to enhance their combat capabilities and was being transported by a lightning rail-like hovertrain. The party managed to board the train undetected and used a couple of shaped charges to disconnect the car from the locomotive and blow open the door.

However, when they opened up the impressive-looking vault they believed was holding the prisoner, it instead unleashed a wave of intense cold and unleashed the antimagic field, stunning everyone in the train car (the party and the possessed soldiers alike). Inside the vault was a couple of glass jars holding what looked like pieces of a human's brain.

Things are about to get very interesting, however, as they are on a rapidly slowing train traveling around 100 mph while hovering over 5 feet in the air. The barely contained antimagic field within the vault was causing some glitches with the arcane levitation units, but now with the vault open, well...

Things could potentially get messy.

I can't wait for next week!

#dungeons and dragons #nine cities campaign

[aramis-dagaz]

Tried roasting vegetables again, only this time I stuck to Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and mushrooms this time and I cooked them for 25 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

Those 5 minutes seem to make a huge difference. The broccoli and mushrooms were much better and less burnt to carbon, while the Brussel sprouts would've benefited from staying in the oven for those 5 extra minutes.

The leftover 4-ingredient bread was still good after being frozen and microwaved for a minute. Not as good as freshly baked, of course, but no bread is as good as when it's fresh out of the oven.

Also, being liberal with coarse salt in the olive oil for dipping bread in is definitely the way to go.

#food #aramis's culinary adventures

[aramis-dagaz]

Aramis's Culinary Adventures: 4-Ingredient Homemade Bread

Made some simple bread over the weekend using this recipe, and this I'm very happy about.

Another simple recipe, though one that you'll need anywhere between 2 hours to 3 days to fully realize, so plan head accordingly. Only four ingredients needed:

3 and 1/4 cups flour (I used all-purpose flour, but the recipe recommends bread flour)

2 teaspoons instant yeast (I found small premeasured packets of about 2 teaspoons each, which is good for a first foray into baking)

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 and 1/2 cups water at room temperature (temperature is to help the dough rise)

The recipe also suggested adding 2 teaspoons each of garlic powder and herbs, so I tried that as well, and I think that really made this bread amazing.

After mixing the ingredients together until the dough is sticky and moist throughout, cover and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours to let the dough rise (the dough will be twice as big after that time). It's okay to bake after that, but the recipe highly recommends putting the dough in the fridge for 12 hours to 3 days for the best flavor. Shape into two long loaves and place on a baking sheet (though it worked just fine in a loaf pan like I did). Cut three slashes into the loaf, then bake at 475°F for 20-25 mins.

I baked half right away after the dough rested for 3 hours and saved the other half for later.

Here are the results:

This bread is delicious, and the crust is the best part. The garlic powder and herbs went a long way to making this bread distinctive, but it doesn't overwhelm it to the point of tasting like a spice rack. I would've devoured the whole thing if I let myself. It's really good dipped in olive oil mixed with herbs and coarse salt. This is the kind of bread an Italian restaurant would serve as an appetizer and it would be in danger of spoiling your dinner before you read through the entire menu.

I forced myself to save a couple of slices as I'm curious as to how it tastes a couple of days later. I'm really looking forward to baking the rest of dough after it's had a chance to sit for a couple days.

I'll definitely make this bread again, only next time I'll try bread flour or whole wheat flour.

#food #aramis's culinary adventures

[aramis-dagaz]

Aramis's Culinary Adventures: Roasted Vegetables

Today I tried making roasted vegetables, as I've had them before and I've always like them.

I used this recipe, which is pretty simple:

Chop up the vegetables into pieces about the same size

Separate them out by category (root vegetables, squash, crucifers, etc), as each category has different cooking times

Mix vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper

Place on a baking tray, separating out as much as possible

Cook at 425°F

I used small potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and a mushroom medley. The carrots were already chip-sliced to reduce prep time. All of these were store-bought and most came in small bags. Using the recipe linked above, cook time for the broccoli, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts was 30 mins and the potatoes and carrots was 1 hour

Here are the results:

Overall, pretty decent for a first try. I didn't time it so both were done at the same time, so I had the broccoli and Brussels sprouts first. The Brussels sprouts were easily the best part of all this. Seriously, roasted Brussels sprouts are amazing.

For my next attempt, I think I'll be even more generous with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and try baby carrots instead of chip-sliced to see if fewer carrots get burnt to cinders.

#food #aramis's culinary adventures

[aramis-dagaz]

This is how my current years-long campaign got started. @midnight-mod made some homebrew rules for fishing in D&D and we decided to play test them a bit. Just to keep things from being too dry, I made up a simple scenario about a small town with an annual fishing competition/festival. Ended up being two sessions long culminating in a boss battle against a giant maneating catfish called the Brephophagist.

The party is now 14th level and has gotten into all sorts of adventures. Occasionally we go fishing for one reason or another.

source

#dungeons and dragons #nine cities campaign

[aramis-dagaz]

One of my New Year's resolutions is to cook meals from scratch (well, from "scratch") once a month. My first foray this month was trying out ice cream bread since it seemed extremely simple, and it turned out pretty well. Kinda like a denser angel food cake. Not bad for a first try at baking.

Since I have left over flour, I think I'll try making some Irish soda bread in February. I also want to give roasting vegetables a try, as I've heard that's the superior way to eat vegetables and I do have a lot of olive oil on hand (been slowly changing my diet to the Mediterranean diet for health reasons).

#food #aramis's culinary adventures

[aramis-dagaz]

Sorry, you activated my worldbuilding neurons:

- dire cicada nymphs, about the size of potatoes. Can be farmed, but commonly found out in the wild like truffles. Taste like nutty shrimp.

- domesticated naked mole rats, bred for their meat. Look like little round sausages with tiny legs. Fed by inserting sticklike fodder vegetables into the ground where their tunnels are. Utterly helpless without human assistance. Locals recommend sautéing in butter with herbs.

- giant termites the size of a human handspan. Semi-domesticated, can be raised on a farm like bees but usually a community will find their huge nests in the wilderness nearby and venture to it periodically. Feeding them logs and sawdust keeps the nest healthy and productive. The termites are harvested by sticking thick wooden dowels into the nest and pulling out the termites attacking it, like how chimps do with twigs but on a larger scale. Don’t stick your hands in there unless you’re wearing metal gauntlets. How they taste depends on what kind of wood they’re fed.

- if you find fermented fish buried randomly in the ground, check for the tracks and spoor of the parvelin. If there are none, you can take it as it will remain safe to eat for a couple weeks. However, don’t get too greedy, as too many missing fish will be quickly noticed. If you see fermented body parts from anything other than fish, the parvelin is likely agitated and you’d best leave the area as quickly as possible.

I don't think meat should grow on trees. Not normal

#worldbuilding