#but i don't think they'd have any magic whatsoever and I think they'd be so small scale and pathetic the novas would feel sorry for them

[anonymouspuzzler]

If the trio was in Slarpg what creachers would they be

well you see they are two bears and an otter and by happy coincidence I think that would suit them in SLARPG also

#anonymous puzzler answers #gavternoon #anonymous puzzler art #anonymous puzzler originals #villain coded comic #they would be so funny in SLARPG world because like they'd still be villains. #but i don't think they'd have any magic whatsoever and I think they'd be so small scale and pathetic the novas would feel sorry for them

[mechanical-aristocrat]

What are your thoughts on Screwllums letter to Svarog? I'm open for discusstions.

[OOC:]

My immediate thought upon reading it was "this is super wholesome and cute" and yeah, I still definitely think that, but I've got a lot more to say now that it's been sitting in my brain for few days so buckle up:

First off, this man is so totally autistic /aff (as is literally any robot character in any piece of media, you can't convince me that an allistic robot is a thing that exists). Over explaining to make sure the exact point he's trying to get across does so as accurately as possible and apologizing in advance for accidentally crossing boundaries (considering that at this point in time Svarog is basically a complete stranger), as an autistic person myself it's very relatable to see.

Second, I think it's really funny that he only knows of Svarog's existence because he watched what is essentially an E-Sports tournament, which he only watched because Silver Wolf practically begged him to (because I think we can pretty safely assume that the "Stellaron Hunter friend" he was referring to was her); that just adds onto the relatability for me because I also do not give a flying fuck about E-Sports, he's so real for that. I love Screwllum and Silver Wolf's dynamic with each other, they give off uncle-niece vibes and it's very fun (what I don't understand and will never understand is people shipping them with each other, it makes me really uncomfortable for several reasons, but for the sake of my sanity I'm not going to get into it).

Third, the letter honestly just confirmed some of the headcanons I had once I sat down and read all the lore regarding the Machine Emperor Wars about a month ago (which I highly recommend btw it's super interesting stuff). I guess I sort of had the fear that Hoyo would try to make it so the IPC just completely dropped every last bit of their idea to exterminate all mechanical life the second Screwllum proved to them that robots aren't inherently harmful to humanity, and that everything was just magically okay after that and humans and machines could live in perfect harmony with absolutely no conflict whatsoever. Thank fuck they didn't do that because that would've been both super boring and super unrealistic, Screwllum acknowledges within the letter that there are many places where robots are regarded only as tools, they don't often have the same sort of foot holding in society that humans do, and he hopes that changes someday.

(one of the headcanons that I have regarding this is that there's a secretive group of people within the IPC that are specifically trying to fuck up Screwllum's reputation and the reputations other robots who are also massive public figures that advocate for robot rights, but especially in Screwllum's case they haven't found much success because that man does not have a single problematic line of code in his programming)

Lastly, I would kill to see Screwllum and Svarog properly interact in the future, I think they'd get along so well and their dynamic would be so fun. I don't necessarily ship them, but more power to you if you do, honestly I might eventually be convinced to ship them if more stuff like this shows up, this was super cute (also, before anyone reading gets confused, the "we will come to call each other "brothers"" bit at the end of the letter does not mean anything that would make shipping these two characters quote-on-quote "problematic". The word "brothers" in this context purely refers to a strong bond of friendship and mutual understanding. I honestly should not have to explain that, but considering that the internet is the internet, I figured I ought to).

#I've never gotten to answer an ask like this #this was super fun thank you #honkai star rail #screwllum #svarog #ooc | out of character #hcs | headcanons #cinamoncoffecup

[sakebytheriver]

In huntlow, who do you think would ask the other on a date first and how?

Oh babe tbh I have no idea 😭😭😭😭😭

Like they're both just such dorks who have no romantic confidence whatsoever, like even though Willow's grown a lot and gotten more confident in her abilities I don't feel like she has any confidence in like herself as a person. I just feel like my girl has been torn down and broken so many times in her interpersonal relationships that I just don't think it would ever occur to her that Hunter liked her romantically and when she finally realizes that she has romantic feelings for him it's not like she's going to act on it, because in her head she's still Half a Witch Willow and there's no way her crush would like her back so she's just going to suffer in silence everytime they hang out as friends and of course she has tons of practice hiding her real feelings so like of course Hunter has no idea that her feelings are anything other than friendship and it's not like he's ever had any experience with teens his own age before this point so he can't really see the nuances of her crush the way Gus and Luz and Amity can, so of course he's also just suffering in silence with his much more obvious crush on her and the way Hunter looks at Willow is like she's on an unreachable pedestal, his first friend, the witch who showed him not to make snap judgements, the witch who can rip open the ground underneath him with magic more powerful than any witch he ever met before and also she's beyond sweet and goofy and she forgave him and she's really pretty and strong, so of course there's no way in hell she would ever like him the way he likes her, I mean his self image is even worse than Willow's no way he would ever think his feelings are reciprocated, so I mean, ultimately I think neither one of them would ask each other out, they'd just sit and suffer in their own silence while their friendship takes a turn towards romantic without either of them really realizing it and without the romantic PDA. Like they go hang out together as friends but they're basically just dates that neither of them realize are dates, every adult around town will see those two enter their establishments laughing and giggling at each other looking like the cutest couple at Hexside and they've all just decided these two are like their little pet project, the witch who owns the plant supply shop is always sneaking romantic flowers in their way, the witch who owns the book store is always trying to slip romance books into Hunter's piles trying to give him ideas, the witch who owns the little bistro they go to for lunch is always trying to give them a romantic table with a candle and romantic music, etc etc. And like basically the whole town along with every kid at Hexside is just of the mind that Willow and Hunter are both giant goddamn idiots who are literally the only ones in town not to realize that the two of them are already dating. They look so much like a couple without being an actual couple so much that Hooty doesn't even give them their own Tunnel of Love because he already thought they were together 😭😭😭

In the end I don't think either of them asks each other out first, I think someone else assumes they're a couple in front of them and then Willow and Hunter have the most awkward conversation afterwards like, "I mean, I wouldn't mind if we were actually a couple" and "Yeah I would maybe kinda like it" "You would?" "I would." "Me too." "Oh." "So are we a couple now?" And like that would be that 😭😭😭😭

Next time they go out on one of their we're just friends dates the whole town is doing their whole routine of trying to get them to be romantic and then they all watch in Pikachu shock face as every one of their romantic traps actually work for the first time ever and the two of them kiss at the end of it and the town thinks they finally did it, they finally got the Boiling Isles two most oblivious teens to figure it out meanwhile the two of them have been an official couple for like a week now 😭😭😭😭😭

#ignore me #anon #answered #huntlow #anonymous #the owl house #hunter noceda #willow park

[tadpolejourney]

Day 22

I was way too upset last night. I wrote so angrily I actually broke my quill and ripped through the paper at the end of my last entry, stabbing myself in the leg with it in the process. I threw the quill into the fire and went to bed early. I didn’t notice I had left my leg to bleed all night until this morning.

Before I started to write last night, I spoke with Gale and everyone else at camp. Literally no one but Gale supported Mystra's plan, naturally. Lae'zel had a particularly interesting insight as a follower of Vlaakith. She thinks Mystra is doing this for selfish reasons. The Absolute must be a threat to her dominion. And she has no faith in Gale whatsoever, which is why she is demanding he die while still demanding his faith. Again I say, it's absurd.

Yesterday we ventured into the ruins of a Lathander monastery in order to gain access to the githyanki creche.

A small troop of githyanki were outside with a few Absolutists that they'd captured. One cultist tried to run and got shot in the back. Safe to say we found the creche. The dream guardian spoke to me outside the door leading to the creche, and bid me to stay away from the githyanki. I couldn’t turn back then, after promising Lae'zel and making it all the way there. We had to see this through. Besides, it gave me no good reason to stay away other than it said so? Consider yourself ignored, guardian guy. That door was magically locked anyway. At least now I know for sure that thing, whatever it is, is not omnipotent.

In our attempts to find another entrance to the creche, we found a pack of kobold looters drunk on firewine. There were too many of them, so we stayed in the side room and had someone by the door to close it behind anyone who made their way in. Again, my tried and true battle tactic when you're ambushed and/or outnumbered... It should have been an easy fight since our enemies were drunk.

Gale had other ideas. The kobolds had bellies full of firewine, there's firewine on the ground, and firewine barrels everywhere. It's a very flammable space. What does Gale do? He casts fireball in the entryway of the next room where all the kobolds are. Perhaps a great idea in theory or in other circumstances. And sure, he killed a couple, but the blast burned all of us, knocked him backwards, set the room we were in on fire, and I was hurt so badly I fell unconscious. The fire nearly killed me. Astarion tried to pull me up but couldn't get me out of the fire, and I blacked out again. When Gale pulled me up, I was surrounded by kobold corpses and more were making their way into the room from above, but the fire was out.

We finished them off, and Lae'zel seemed really inspired by that battle for some reason. I guess we adapted well and had good teamwork in the end? Or maybe it was me almost dying. I don't know, I probably would have inspired her if I'd died in that fire. Gale asked for my forgiveness immediately, and of course he got it. Mistakes happen, and I'm sure he won't cast a fireball like that anytime soon. I think he's used to being more... precise as a formerly top-notch wizard than he currently is. Maybe he just didn't see that big old barrel of firewine by the door. Oh well, nobody died and we won the fight, that's all that matters.

Then we ran into a huge gremishka nest. Since there wasn't any fire and Gale didn't cast any spells, that one was quick and easy.

Being in the Lathander monastery's ruins reminded me a lot of my dad. He was sent to Baldur's Gate by his monastic order (of Helm) to help protect the city's growing population of lost and hopeless people. I was one of the lost and hopeless people he found and protected. He adopted me and changed my life. Before that I'd been nothing but a victim. A dolly for my biological parents, an easy target for criminals, devils, and monsters. He taught me how to defend myself and how to heal my mind from the horrors I experienced from infancy until we met. He saved me, in all the ways a person can be saved: physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. Monks, of any order, will always have my respect. I don't consider myself to be one, and truly I'm not a monk. I just know how to fight like one and how to think like one.

We explored the entire ground level, upper level, and roof of the monastery ruins. While exploring we learned this place stored the Blood of Lathander. Lae'zel, naturally, was completely disinterested and very frustrated with us backtracking and not going straight for the creche once we determined its location.

I told her dramatically, “I bet Shadowheart would be reeeeal interested in this place,” referring to the monastery ruins. To which Lae'zel replied, “Tchk, fine. But do not tarry for too long. We have waited long enough.”

We grabbed what we needed to find the Blood of Lathander below and headed into the creche. According to Lae'zel it seemed relaxed to the point of undisciplined. I suppose that's one perspective. It was istik this and istik that everywhere we went. Their healer had tons of mindflayer parasites. She studies them. The 'purification protocol', known to githyanki as the zaith'isk, is a crazy looking device. It looks insectoid and yet is definitely mechanical at the same time. I had a bad feeling about it. I insisted upon going first, even though Lae'zel was initially quite upset. She ended up being impressed by me over it because I stood my ground against her. I really only went first because this thing seemed dangerous, it was too late to back out of it, and I thought better me get hurt than her, Astarion, or Gale. I thought surely it couldn’t be worse than some of the shit I’ve been through in my life already.

I was right. It wasn’t worse, but it was pretty fucking bad, and definitely dangerous. That thing tormented me. It didn't cure me, but it sure did change me. I feel more in touch with the illithid tadpole than before. Not a good thing. Not at all. In the attempt to remove my infection the zaith'isk exploded. The healer was horrified and outraged. Lae'zel thought the creche must have a traitor in it because the 'treatment' failed. I was done entertaining the githyanki at that point. Crazy ass zealots, the lot of them. I got us out of there before we had to face any more danger. I decided we'll try our luck again with the Underdark.

We made our way back to the myconid colony today. There we met a mindflayer. It was peaceful, said it had broken free of the elder brain. Its name is Omeluum. It told me about the Grand Design, a plan to eliminate all githyanki and enslave all other humanoids. This is the first time I've ever had a conversation with a mindflayer. It's definitely different from my other experiences with its kind. It is offering to help me understand why my tadpole is different. All I have to do is find some rare and dangerous mushrooms that mess with your mind. Yeah.

I gave an antidote to an Ironhand gnome named Thulla. She wants us to go rescue her kin from duergar slavers across the lake. Looks like I'll get to help the gnomes and the myconid if I take out the duergar. I met with Sovereign Spaw as well. It was turning corpses into mushroom zombies. Normal mushroom guy stuff. Another sovereign, called Glut, came with us to kill the duergar.

On the way we ran into the bulette again, and managed to finish it off this time. Glut turned it into a mushroom zombie. That was the most badass thing I've ever seen in my life. Mushroom zombie bulette. I don't think we'll top that on this journey. Glut helped us kill all the duergar on this side of the lake, but immediately asked us afterwards to kill Spaw so it could take over the circle. We pushed it off a cliff.

Tonight in camp I didn't speak to anyone. I didn't hear much chatter around camp either. I think we're all starting to feel the weight of our situation, more than ever. We have so much more to worry about now than just becoming mindflayers.

<<< Day 21 | Index | Day 23 >>>

#it's me I'm the Gale that set the party on fire and nearly killed my Tav #also I highly recommend using Glut to transform the bulette into a zombie. Hilarious. Strong as hell. Fun. #bg3 #baldur's gate oc #baldur's gate tav #bg3 spoilers #bg3 tav #baldurs gate tav #baldur's gate #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #bg3 gale #bg3 lae'zel

[outeremissary]

🍳 🔮 🔎 for Kasander?

Thanks for the ask! This was fun for shaping some floating ideas into something more solid, hehe.

[prompt list]

🍳 — cooking

Kasander is a terrible cook. They have no experience whatsoever preparing food, they're easily distracted, and they have no sense of restraint at all. The concept of "flavors that don't go together" is still a work in progress and Kas has a pretty high threshold for food that sucks on top of that. They're perfectly fine at making food that they find edible and decently tasty (even if they wouldn't consider it as good as what someone else makes) that is probably safe for consumption and not raw, but they cannot be trusted to cook for anyone else. They mean well. They really do. They believe strongly in their ability to help others out by doing the cooking, or making something to cheer someone else up, or just helping Gale out, but they can't be allowed to do this. For everyone's sake. Getting Kas a task so they feel useful enough to stop hanging around the campfire trying to contribute is necessary for every meal.

🔮 — magic

Kas has a somewhat weird relationship to magic- they've never been formally taught, they don't find magic any easier to learn than it was before, and it's not something they're interested in for its own sake. But as a paladin they are able to channel magic, and for a paladin they're also really good at it. The fervent, feverish belief that powers this ability is something that Kas never questions, and for them magic isn't so much a thing that they're doing as a thing that happens when they badly need something to happen. The gap between thinking "I need to help" or "I need to hit harder" or "I need to understand" or "I need it to hurt" and something happening is so small that it hardly feels like they're doing anything at all. They wouldn't be able to explain their magic, and they don't tend to think of it in terms of discrete spells, abilities, and effects so much as desires, associated actions, and ranges of results. It's pure instinct and they'd say as much. For them, there's not a lot of reason to think much more about it. It works and they're grateful it does. That's enough.

🔎 — investigating

Investigating is kind of a tossup for Kas- they have very sharp senses and can notice a lot of things that other people can't, but they don't always know how to parse that information to determine what's unusual and what isn't. It's easy for them to discard information as irrelevant that they'd benefit from following up on. And when it comes to anything involving people, they're dead in the water. That 8 Wis really drags them down. They tend to take other people at their word and aren't very good at picking up on tells in social interactions. Overall Kas is a lot better at helping someone who's better at organizing and prioritizing information investigate- they can contribute a lot with someone to ask them questions about what they're picking up on and guide them through what to do. Once that information has been vocalized it's easier for another investigator or Kasander to stitch it together into something useful.

#kas is a menace with cooking. a helpful menace. or a menace trying very hard to be helpful. but a menace. #as for magic... kas had 18 cha very early so I like to think they're pretty effective at what they do even if they don't know how #the raw force of personality definition of cha is very true of kas I think #ask game #ask me emithing #kasander #emi plays bg3 #arendaes

[evilwickedme]

As someone who’s not in the TS fandom by any means but has been enjoying the TV re-releases and album tracks, which have you enjoyed most of the re-releases and could you say more on the Red TV opinions you have?

I would say 1989 *would* be the rerelease I enjoyed the most if it weren't for everything going around it, both in the world at large and in my personal life. So we have to go with Speak Now instead, which is the album that made me a swiftie (I listened to fearless first, then debut, but SN has always been my favorite. I used to cry listening to Mean). I think the vault tracks are really strong and the discourse wasn't overbearing or really very present. And the cover art is gorgeous, I have it displayed in my living room.

As for my dislike of Red tv...... I just don't think the actual rerecord is any good. The sad songs aren't as sad, the happy songs aren't as happy, and what you get is stronger vocals that lack any emotion.

I also have complaints about specific songs. Sad Beautiful Tragic doesn't feel ethereal enough, it's too solid. She misses the first note in The Lucky One, and the vocals on that track in general are an album low. 22 and WANEGBT just lack any sense of joy whatsoever.

There are songs I like in the rerecord, don't get me wrong. And I think the vault tracks are phenomenal - which makes me a little bit sad, actually, cause imagine how much punch they'd have packed if they'd been made when the emotions were still strong and present? Because it's so clear to me that my main problem with this album is that Taylor has moved on. When she was making Red (stolen version) she was 23, had just come out of an incredibly toxic relationship, and was just trying to find herself afterwards. She couldn't sing as well as she can now, but by God did she put every bit of her soul into those damn songs. And she's just... Clearly moved on now. A song like 22 about the highs and lows of being in your early 20s isn't relevant someone in her 30s. All Too Well doesn't hit as hard when she, frankly, doesn't remember it all that well anymore.

Actually can we talk about All Too Well? Cause my most controversial opinion on this album is that I..... Don't like the Ten Minute Version. I think the production taking more of a folk tone makes the emotional punch less intense, and I think the added lyrics break a lot of the magic of the original track for me, which was the narrative of it all. ATW starts with the scarf and ends with the scarf, because it's this one piece that symbolizes the whole. ATWTMV finishes the scarf metaphor and then keeps going for another four minutes. There's a lot of things about ATWTMV I don't like but I would be willing to forgive, like the fact that "I was never good at telling jokes" onwards just sounds like a different song, or even the fact that the last 30 seconds are artificially put in there to get it up to ten minutes, when I'd have been okay with the 9:30 minute version instead. But when you mess with the story that is what made the song a fan favorite and deep cut in the first place?

Also I don't like that she's decided the lyric is "you almost ran the red cause you were looking over at me". Not only is it clunky and she has to sing strangely fast to fit it in, but "cause you were looking over me" is more effective. It makes Taylor herself seem like an object, and it also makes it seems as though he was lingering on her. "Looking over at me" sounds like it's barely a glance. And she had the nerve to not only change this lyrics on ATWTMV, but also on the rerecord of ATW (the original five minute rock inspired version)!!!!

Anyway whew. That doesn't even cover everything but those are my big complaints.

#t swizzle #gail speaks #page-vacat #ask #thanks for asking ily

[jasminedragonart]

oh god, the inconsistencies in bbc's merlin. I was just replying to a comment, no shade btw, i probably did get a few things wrong, but the show itself has a lot of inconsistencies I wish they'd gotten straight before making this damn show.

Like, how many kingdoms are there? There are like 5 in one episode and 7 in another. There's like four Olaf's and Cenreds and I honestly can't keep track of them all.

Also, I said this in a reply, but Morgause's backstory doesn't make sense. She was smuggled out of camelot for having magic, meaning that morgana's mother was in camelot when she had morgause. Unless we're going with the fact that Uther might be her father and they're half sisters this way (unlikely since Morgause knows they're siblings but she doesn't know Morgana is Uther's daughter until Merlin almost offs her in her bday epiosde) then she's Morgana's mother's daughter and they're siblings that way.

But this makes no sense whatsoever because it looks like Morgause is the older daughter. Yet Morgause is the one smuggled out? Meaning that the great purge would have been going on when Morgause was born. The great purge that wouldn't have happened if Arthur wasn't born, meaning that Arthur isn't the youngest which I've assumed simply because of the myths and is in fact the oldest.

It doesn't make any sense. It would imply that it goes Arthur, Morgana and then Morgause because I don't see why Morgana's mother would be in camelot if not to keep Uther company. I'm guessing she came to camelot when Gorlois went off on campaign and they had an affair that way- campaigns can last years, we don't know exactly when he set off. Or maybe Gorlois and his wife spent a lot of time in Camelot- I'm saying his wife because he's not married to Ygraine in this show but is in the myths which is how morgana and morgause are born. Then Uther sent him off to war because he needed someone to fight magic or something after Morgana was born?

I don't know. We don't get any information on this and it looks like the writers didn't think this through either.

Also, the magic stuff. It kind of annoyed me that they had Merlin speaking old english- i think, there was a behind the scenes and they had him speaking something- but there were also runes included in this show??? Runes came over with the Vikings. Before that the writing in england was probably either celtic or latin with the roman's having left not long before. The idea of runes being there would mean that there had been a viking invasion, yet the vikings don't come to England until after the Saxons. the Saxons who are just invading at the start or end of Season 4. The saxons were from the German region so they wouldn't have runes- I don't think, I could be wrong.

But keep your magic consistent bbc. Don't just throw shit in and expect me not to notice this.

Like, I can excuse historical inaccuracies, but only to a point. If you're going to use old english then don't use runes. they don't exist yet. Work out your kingdoms. Write out your character's backstories so you don't mess up their continuities. My GOD!

It's so enraging.

#bbc merlin #bbc #merlin

[flowers-of-io]

I'm having thoughts about the concept of truth in Destiny, born first from an idea I had when I first began drafting This Book Is Full of Lies, about the Light being truth, and then I spiraled further into Savathûn's pseudointellectual monologue in the Witch Queen trailer. Like I'm sorry, maybe I'm not getting something here, but it sounds like something that tries so hard to be a witty gotcha but when you think about it a moment more it's really... not. Or, idk, maybe I really need to take that BA in Philosophy to understand it.

And okay, it could be tricky because the base assumption I'm coming from is that truth =/= illusion/deception/lie, and truth = physical world, and paracausality can really throw a wrench into it, particularly sword logic, but alright. Let's start with the trailer:

Truth is a funny thing. Does it live in the world, or in the mind? Is it constant, or can it be bent? Who decides what is true? In this universe of Light and Dark, there is no greater power.

Okay, we could philosophically argue truth doesn't live in the world because two people's empirical observations of the same phenomenon can yield different results; and we could argue it doesn't live in the mind because then every person would have their own version of the world and there would be no shared reality, so every lie, to someone, could be true. But truth is obviously constant because if it's bent, it's not truth anymore; "true" is the quality of a thing, much like "white" is. If you paint the wall another colour, it's not white anymore--but it doesn't mean it wasn't before. In Destiny Lore terms, I'd define truth as "what is". You could change it to your will (Anthem Anatheme), but does changing "what is" to "what is wanted" = rendering "what is wanted" the new "what is" mean the old state of beings was never true in the first place? The Hive would have you believe that (aiat), but I don't agree with it from a philosophical standpoint.

Finally--who decides what is true? LITERALLY ASCENDANT HIVE. The entire sword logic Ascendant magic worm pact thingy has been about changing reality to your will, and in my assumption reality = truth, so changing reality means changing the truth. Doesn't mean this act ANNULS the truth-ness of the thing retroactively (though for the Hive it does, because if it allowed to be bent, it had never been true), but when it's bent, the old state of reality stops being true.

But why I'm kinda brushing past all that? Because whatever we could squeez out of this monologue plays no part in The Witch Queen itself whatsoever. The witty "what is your truth now" I guess is about our belief in the Traveler hating the Hive, OR that the Light can be manufactured/stolen (it cannot, so it's not true lol), or... what exactly? The fact you have some belief doesn't make it true. It has never been stated (or proven, for that matter) the Traveler couldn't give the Light to anyone besides Humanity. The whole campaign essentially proves the truth lives in the world because Sav's idea of it turns out to be warped. It proves to be constant, no matter what the Witness tried to bend it by telling the Hive the Traveler had caused the Syzygy--the whole twist in the final mission, the truth Savathûn has to survive, is that it had meant to bless the Krill in the first place, and that there was another way if they'd waited just a little longer. And "who decides what is true" has literally no power here because the truth Just Is, regardless of anyone's intentions! It comes out in the end, despite the Witness' deception or Savathûn's pained ignorance, or our own shock and resentment upon finding out she was risen by the Light just like any other Guardian. Nobody Anthem Anathemes their way out of this one, folks.

"In this universe of Light and Dark, there is no greater power." WHAT DO YOU MEAN? Certainly not Oryx, or the overall sword logic angle of looking at things, so what's your point here ma'am? And no, I don't think she means herself here, because the difference between her and Oryx has always been in the way they handled truth. He had no qualms about changing the universe into a more fitting shape, and there was delightful simplicity to it, but Sav would spin her illusions and deceptions on top of the truth rather than change it. The more brilliant the lie, the more it tastes like the truth. But that core, the true state of being--she always kept it close, and guarded it, and dissected it in her mind. She needed to be the only one who knew the whole truth if she was to outwit everybody.

Literally no conclusion here. I have no idea. Help me.

#i like my lore with coffee #destiny 2 the witch queen #aunt savathûn #maybe i'll add something when i figure it out idk #haven't had coffee yet

[dcviated]

it is indeed tharja's birthday... :: open

@convxction sent: If it weren't for the chit chat around the camp, he would not have remembered it was the dark mage's birthday. Luckily, Lissa made it clear it was Tharja's birthday after she, Gaius and Libra worked on something for the dark mage. Now for chrom ... What should get for her? ... Sigh. He went around the market but nothing called for him except a black looking gem. Quite the eye catching. He asked what it was and the merchant told him it was an onyx gem, it enhances one's magic affinity. He highly doubt this would be of use to her but it looked ... Pretty, no? She is still woman, surely something like this might uh... Now he is worried. Oh well, he will know when she toss it to his face. Going back, he called for her outside her tent. "Tharja, a moment please. I know Lissa already made a scene but .. happy birthday. We do appreciate your help. Here you go .. if you don't like it I understand."

A scene is one way to put it. Perhaps it was that entire ordeal with the over-enthusiastic healer that put the rest of the group on alert and aware of the date. It's not as though Tharja had any intentions of going around advertising it. Seeking attention? No, no thank you. She had letters from her family that would give her all those fluffy feelings it's fine.

To be so foolish to think it'd be that easy. First it was the play from Lissa. Then a book from Miriel and... well, only a few things from there but it was already awkward and more than she needed. Right. Someone said they'd be making her a cake... and now Chrom. Oh ever glowing leader.

Like a small mammal from its burrow, Tharja pops out from her tent at Chrom's call, head first. Looking ready to slip away at a moment's notice had he dared to bring a party with him. Alone? Oh good.

"Guhh.. if you're going to make yourself go through with this gift giving thing you could at least have some confidence about it. I'd hope your little mage girl doesn't get similar treatment." Tharja scoffs, taking the box after a flitting glance at the other's face.

An onyx stone. Pretty. But having no magical affinity whatsoever. It's just that. A pretty rock. It's not like she couldn't take it nor could she not put some other effort into ... something with the stone. It's not worthless. Chrom did a decent job.

"...It's very nice. Thank you. Now shoo shoo, run along. Unless you needed something else from me. I was busy figuring out a memory hex to make people forget about today." She's made enough embarrassing faces for one person of her station.

#convxction #muse :: tharja #inbox :: answered ic #birthdays :: tharja 2023 #hehehe #she did like it #you're safe

[alteredphoenix]

Notes on The Mountain Wakes: A Brief Rundown on Technology and Its Influences

It's been quite a while since I last updated The Mountain Wakes, but I always remember how I looked at games such as Dark Souls 2, Morrowind, and They Are Billions (ironic, because I'm not really into zombie apocalypse media anymore like I used to be over a decade ago, and my PC at the time could barely run it) for inspiration to form the basis of the Bad Ending AU the fic takes place in. (You can clearly tell I'm a Morrowind fangirl because Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren move in on Cephiro and put their stakes down the moment the Paths open without any conflict from Zagato and Emeraude whatsoever - not because it happens out of conquest, but because they're so immersed in their love for each other they ignore the problems going on Cephiro a'la fuck the world we don't care what happens to it so long as we have each other, it's not our problem anymore).

I would say the technological advancements, in the three year span that takes place after Chapter 1, would be much more developed than the steampunk Tesla Tech aesthetics seen in They Are Billions. With the arrival of the three realms, Cephiro goes from a very pastoral fantasy world with hints of old magitech (via the Saturn game) to a hard, cyberpunk theme that's part of an industrial revolution that's very much enforced.

Of the three Fahren very much leans into said cyberpunk aesthetic but is more or less inspired by the Japanese subgenre with Chinese/Asian influences and the splash of tech noir and that retro 1980s vibe that's often idealized (i.e. Chapter 2's first scene takes place as a train station terminal with payphone booths, something that IRL - at least in the States - barely in use anymore with the rise of mobile phones).

Autozam takes this a step further by being postmodern as well as nanopunk/biopunk (or trying to going in that direction in a bid to co-opt Fahren technology and repurpose it to eliminate Autozam's pollution and ecological disasters). It's about as futuristic as you can get, with their mechs and architectural approaches, so in comparison to Cephiro it's going to stick out a lot.

Chizeta would be something akin to solarpunk (to relieve the issue of overpopulation) while recognizing they are very much in the camp of technofantasy (because they don't explain their magic by applying science to it). However, there is an undercurrent of Cold War/cloak and dagger element going on that undermines Tarta and Tatra's attempts at establishing a colony for their people (read: hold onto control via authoritarian means that affect the population not in line with their cause/beliefs).

I had plans for Debonair and Nova to show up (albeit under different circumstances), but as I didn't get very far in the brainstorming phase at the time they currently don't amount to much in the plot beyond Nova being a boss fight for Umi to overcome. I like to think they'd be their own faction and sowing chaos in the background because everyone re: the three realms is too busy trying to get their upper hand over each other in the attempt to be the one to overthrow Zagato and Emeraude to become the Pillar and the people of Cephiro are too doompilled to fight back (and if they are fighting, it's against each other). They would be in the camp of pure magic and taking advantage of all the technology lying around for their own purposes while manipulating people's emotions a'la the Will of Cephiro to focus on perpetuating all the in-fighting.

#it is very much a dark fantasy au #but there is a Earn Your Happy Ending in this fic #it kind of reminds me of the days when i used to go to my local library and seeing all the old sci-fi/fantasy books from the 70s and 80s #which...it technically *wasn't* the vibe i was going for at the beginning #but it certainly does give it off now lol #after all MKR is a 90s manga w/ 80s-90s aesthetics #so the fic is inevitably going to reflect that #esp. based off the premise of 'what if the magic knights lost against zagato' #b/c teenage girls in over their heads against someone being Crazy Prepared in anticipation of the magic knights #and what the aftermath would look like if we take mkr2 into account under that vein #and if umi and fuu were also as emotionally affected by the pillar situation as hikaru was in mkr2 #mywriting #fanfiction #the mountain wakes #notes on the mountain wakes

[fireemblems24]

Verdant Wind Ch 21

Can't believe there's only one chapter left after this. I don't want to say goodbye to Claude yet. I feel like we've only just started getting to know him.

Anyways, below is my reactions to chapter 21 of Verdant Wind. Only one more to go!

Pre-Battle

I feel so bad for the Golden Deer. They literally just had the same conversation SS did, but with a slight twist because Lorenz said it this time instead.

Surprised Lysithea didn't get any unique lines.

Except this time I have Rhea AND Judith with me and for no reason whatsoever I can't use either of them in battle😭

(ok, Rhea makes sense, but why no Judith? Forever salty about this)

Does that mean this one's getting that dubstep track too? whyyyyyyy

Yeah it's the same one :(

Battle

These Slither in the Dark people are so cheesy, I can't

On another note, if they have the ability to just replace people, why didn't they use that more often??

So I totally missed that there were other rooms to open on this map when I played it on SS lol.

This is so eerie. I've killed everyone and haven't opened the main room where Thales is hiding yet, and there's no music playing. Everything is echoing in an empty room on an empty map. It's a bit surreal.

Poor Claude. This is close to the final boss and his conversation is "lol, you think you can beat teach and her big sword?" Compare that to what Edelgard and Dimitri get and . . . He deserved so much better.

Lorenz was my MVP and he deserved every second of that.

Oh, it's the cut scene again. At least VW had a good number of cut scenes different from SS. Poor CF got almost nothing lamo.

Oh, Right, poor Rhea's about to get trounced by some magical nuke again.

I just think Rhea deserves to be happy, ok?

This is the second time she'd tanked a nuke for us, but apparently is still the devil in CF for some reason.

Oh, this one is extended! It looks like Han Solo breaking out of his rock tomb thing but he turned evil while he waited.

Is that the guy from the first cut scene? Nemesis?

Post-Battle

Rhea, no :(((((((((

So . . . if that Nemesis dude didn't wake up in SS, why did he in VW? Who's going to be the final boss of SS then? SS is 21 chapters, right?

Rhea's not a "beast," Claude. She's a dragon, a proper lady.

And now I really need Edelgard to meet Robin Hobb's insufferably arrogant dragons and the Fool who argues they actually are the top of the food chain and humans just have to deal with being #2.

Oh, God, now I REALLY need the Fool to sit Edelgard down and give her a nice chat.

OH MY GOD those two would HATE each other. H.A.T.E. except the Fool doesn't really hate anyone but to say they'd disagree with each other is an UNDERSTATEMENT.

I'm so off topic. I'm sorry to everyone who doesn't know what the Farseer Trilogy is. Not because I just rambled about it, but because I feel genuinely sorry for everyone who hasn't gotten to read that, which you should change asap.

I swear I'll get back on topic now, but anticipate an essay about the Fool's vs Edelgard's beliefs about how humans should handle magical creatures who have some inherent superiority.

(random side note, but both characters are LGTBQ+ though hell if I know what label to put on the Fool. It's been 9 books and I still don't know his/her gender. The Fool just doesn't care and decides to live as a man here and a woman there and whatever the fuck they want and I think is romantically in love with a man, it's a very complicated relationship)

Ok, back to Rhea now. Nooooo :(((((

Does that group literally go down in a single chapter? Lamo. It's what they deserve. They truly suck as villains. Like, they're pathetically badly written.

Oh, I get to hear from Rhea!

Is she going to die :(

Who is the progenitor god?

Oh, shocking, humans engaged in senseless wars. Tell me something new lol.

Imagine being so lame that you didn't achieve revenge in generations and when you try, Claude and friends beats you up in one chapter. I'm crying. I almost feel bad for them. Maybe if they had a smidge of development.

Wait . . . is Sothis the god Rhea's talking about?????

Is Sothis Rhea's mother???

OH MY GOD - is Rhea x Byleth awkward then

Poor Rhea's been through so much :((((( Almost all her people died. Are Flayn and Seteth all she has left?

Those "weapons made from bodies" - is that the heroe's relics?

That's nasty.

Lol, I always thought Rhea and Serios were the same. They looked the same (and she had the same VA in FEH)

Wait, wait, wait . . . are you telling me VW's going to finish with a plot dump from Rhea and the final boss is . . . Nemesis?

Poor Claude. Compare that to Edelgard for Dimitri (I'm assuming) and Rhea for Edelgard (I'm assuming), and Claude gets . . . Nemesis. Unless Dimitri faces Edelgard next and then gets bonus Nemesis piled on top, but I really, really hope not. That would be incredibly lame.

Who cares if Count Glouster is unharmed. He's an ass.

So we're just going to let Nemesis ravage the land while I go fishing and eat dinner 10 times lol.

Wait, if the seal was broken when Shambala fell, then is he SS's final boss too??

OH MY GOD - Sword of the Creator is Sothis?? So if I kill Rhea with is in CF, I'm literally killing her with her mother's body.

Oh - God - that's dark. I think I have to do that now.

So Slither people made Crests and relics? But Edelgard blamed the church for that . . . . me thinks she got some things wrong.

Poor Rhea.

Though, uh, why did she put Sothis in Byleth? Is that what Jeralt got so freaked out over?

So why did Rhea put the Sothis stone in Byleth? And why are crests and relics so wanted if they're from an evil dude?

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses spoilers #verdant wind #claude von reigen #rhea fire emblem

[thoughts-from-a-chaotic-mind]

Women Shall Rise

As women begin to rise

Many will fall to their demise

We will not be told that our bodies are just incubators for birth

Because the ones that say they're pro life

Are really just pro birth

What a sick and twisted way to say

My life is nothing if it doesn't suit your ways

What about the women who are raped

Now forced to carry a reminder of that traumatic day

Going into debt to feed a child

They had zero intentions of having

Giving up their dreams because a man lied saying he couldn't have any

Now he disappears with zero guilt

She's left alone without money for bills

Or the children now forced to carry to term

Unable to take care of themselves as it is

A child raising a child, when it wasn't their fault to begin with

Theres consequences to actions YES

but what about the victims that are now forced to face them

Forced to face their own hell as men go around wreaking havoc

They can have sex with whoever with no consequences for THEIR faults

No one holding THEM accountable

What a sick and twisted world in which we live

Adam and Eve thats what i was taught

But sometimes I'll get lost in thought

And i wonder, was Lilith real

Because if she was im starting to feel

Like she was the example for the strongest women still

She's the one that refused to obey

Because why should we be the ones following mens ways

When in reality women are smarter

We think way harder

We are magic, elegance and beauty

We produce life and treated like property

And i know God made us different for a reason

He made women delicate yet powerful

Life givers and caring lovers

So why are we the ones being mistreated

Why are we living in a mans world when WE hold the power that's needed

The power of life

Shouldn't they be scared of us

Not the other way around?

As we lay on the ground

Crying out "do you hear me now?!"

What about the women carrying a dead fetus

Now forced to risk their lives to birth when no heart is beating

Forced to be treated like witches and evil beings

Over something we can not control

Even if we miscarry we get ridiculed and are told its our fault

How cruel and cold people must be to have those thoughts

God gave us free will and free will to ALL

So for you to tell me what i can do with MY body?

What kind of God do you truly serve and call

Because my God said to not judge yet i see every "Christian" forcing their morals into law

Onto others, they push and snarl

They're cruel and mean, this is what I've seen

And it's sad because that's just not God to me

Because for me, God said love others as yourself and love Me.

No hate, no judgement, no condescending accusations

Its one thing to hold your fellow believers accountable

But to force your beliefs and morals onto others is unfathomable

Im speechless and appalled

At the nasty ways people now are

These fake followers claiming God not seeing how harmful they are

All they are doing is destroying God's kingdom

They are not true witnesses or followers

They're crusaders, hypocrites and liars

They point a finger at others instead of looking in the mirror

Focus on your own relationship with God

Stop judging others!

This is why so many reject God because they see His "followers" actions and say ENOUGH

Because if it was the other way around you know damn well you too would be fed up

So to disrespect women and strip us of our rights

Is so disrespectful i cant even think right

My energy is drained but i lean on my Savior

Because He alone knows that this is not in His favor

I'm not saying God love abortions but I'm saying there's more to it than people realize

They only see it as a quick fix they hyperfocus on this one side

They don't think of others whatsoever

Or the children already here struggling

If you're so pro life then volunteer!

What about the children already here!

They're everywhere neglected and treated poorly left to a vicious system

Left to fend for themselves before they're even old enough to see they are victims

Im sad and disappointed in this state of mine

But what more can i expect from a racist state that sugarcoats lies

MAGA this, MAGA that, yall treat him like a God

It's disgusting I'll tell you now because the King of Kings is not surprised.

Remember God was a servant, some of you seem to forget

He gave to the poor and helped the needy

He cared even after they'd reject

But no one that follows trump is a caring or loving soul

Because if they were they'd see through the fur, he's a wolf in sheeps clothes

I wouldn't be shocked if he were the anti christ

I would've called it from the start

There's always been something off with him, starting with his cold dead heart

♡KelseyonFire♡

11•5•2020

Prepare yourselves....the red coats are coming🥀

#deep thinking #deep thoughts #god #faith #poetry #womens rights #a call for an uprising #red coats #abortion rights #revolution

[happyhollow-mellowmarsh]

Burning Through The Haze || Kanade Oshiro || Trail 4-4 || Re: Kashmir, Natalie, Haven

The only brief moment of rest she got (mentally, considering everything), was when Kashmir flicked the card up, a fond smile on her face as she watched. It was stupid, small, but probably what she needed considering everything that was being asked of her. It certainly felt that way anyways.

"I'm not entirely sure what we brought, but I think the screw is probably mine. Do you remember the like... RPG dungeon we were in? With the dragon, and the npcs, and the quests? I took a screw then, after all those metal objects got brought our way. I didn't notice it on me either, so... It would make the most sense. As for the cards... I wasn't keeping any in mind, but I bought the explosion card as a backup in case I needed fire and the card I had didn't work. I already had the fire card, before like....the third new area we got, so if there was one in the shop that was purchased that wasn't me. If... If anybody saw the amount of cards that were in my pockets, they'd probably be aware I've been holding on to all of mine." 

She gently moves one of her hands to the back of her head, bracing like she's expecting massive amounts of pain, relaxing as she does so and it comes back with slowly drying blood caught in her hair. She gives a little frown, not daring to look at those around her, trying to shrink into her coat.

"I'm...I'm still missing part of my memory, but I can say something with confidence because I know it's true: I never intended or planned to hurt Blakeley, my entire plan was to attempt to craft a magical item of sorts."

This is the whole truth. Regardless of what you think of her, what you want to believe, you internally know she is not lying to you when she says that through magical means. 

"I didn't get to investigate this at all for obvious reasons, so I have to ask: What was the exact state of my injuries? I'm not trying to clear myself so much as establish facts here, but you can see how much blood is staining my hair. Healing doesn't get rid of what was already there, and based on my knowledge from my work, I can safely assume it was bad enough I don't think I would be able move effectively, if at all. Combined with how much pain I was in earlier, something I know factually... It seems unlikely I would have been able to move whatsoever. If you want to prove me wrong though, please do. I..."

She frowns, looking as exhausted as she feels. She's only barely resisting the urge to cry, body shaking slightly before she takes a breath. 

"I just want to know what happened. There's....There was something else I wanted to... Blakeley had burns on her hands, where they seemed slightly worse. I....That has to mean something, doesn't it? Probably means her hands were closer to whatever hit, right?"

She feels like she's slowly, slowly going somewhere. She only wishes she knew where that destination actually was. 

#erika #chapter4 #trial4 #submission