#you should listen to friends at the table counterweight

[grandmagbignaturals]

I can't draw or I'd do a comic but fuck. Relistening to counter/Weight and there's this bit in the storm over September where jdq says something like "there's no escape latch right, because its a divine. And not only are you not supposed to get into that much danger because it's a DIVINE but also like. You go down with the ship, right. There's no escape hatch, no ejector seat" and I'm just picturing Audy struggling and struggling to get out of Detachment with that text over it, and then a cut to black, and then signet being absolutely yeeted from Belgard moments before belgard dies . Anyway. Just fun friends at the table thoughts.

#fatt #counterweight #cw #twilight mirage #counter weight spoilers #you should listen to friends at the table dont start with heiron

[emergenciesstory]

Sea Shanty- Part 3

Masterlist

Pirate AU

See masterlist for warnings and summary. 

 *Y/n POV*

“Be ready boys! Storms gathering before us.” Bucky's voice rang out loudly by the door. You set your sword on the table, worry on your lip of keeping it safe. For the past two days, it was your safety net, but now, now you needed to help. Those on this ship spoke little to you, but they had soft smiles and kind words to you when jumping in.

You stepped out of the small cabin, lanterns lighting the ship as everyone moved quickly. Tucking your braid in your shirt, you moved out onto the upper decks. Flashes of light grew in the distance, and the wind was beginning to grow.

“Lang! Let’s aim to hit this storm in alignment, Northwest.” Bucky called out, a series of “aye, aye”’s following his order.

“What can I do?” You asked, looking over the organized chaos below.

“We have his, thank you, though.” Bucky said softly, looking down at you.

“All do respect, Captain, but I can work for my keep on your ship.” You said sternly, looking up at him.

“Good thing it’s not my ship.” Bucky chuckled back, a smile loosely held on his lips. “It’s Steves, and he would agree with me.”

“I only agree when you are not an idiot, which is slim to none.” Steve’s voice rang out, him moving quickly beside Bucky. “What was the question?” He addressed you with a kind smile, hand pulling the captain's hat from Bucky's head.

“I’d like to help. Where shall I jump in, Captain?” You asked, ignoring Bucky's antics. “I’ve worked with most of your crew in the past couple of days.”

“As I’ve seen. Help tie down the sails, and then report to Lang. I’m sure he’d enjoy your help keeping us on course, as it is your course.” Steve smiled, moving quickly to help on deck as well.

You nodded, moving quickly across the deck and climbing the post to help lower the closest sail. You felt eyes on you as you moved around, quickly jumping in with instruction from other crewmates. Buckys eyes locked on yours, and followed you as you moved back up to the middle deck, passing him to join Lang on the navigation deck. 

“Hey, How can I help?” You said, watching the man look around the skies.

“Quite a storm we head towards.” His voice shook as he smiled in the rain. A soft laugh slipped from your lips.

“Nothing to worry about, you’ve got this.” You moved beside him, gesturing to the lightened space in the clouds. “That’s the eye, if we can get to it, we can resecure the decks as needed, then sail out.”

“I think we can handle that.” Lang said, pointing just west of the Eye. “I’ll sail us that a way, and the fighting currents should push us just into it.”

“Sounds perfect. As long as the winds don’t push us out.” You smiled, closing your eyes to the mist on your face. All the noise of the crew disappeared from your hearing, nothing but the sound of the waves crashing on themselves, the wind blowing on the ship, and the creaks of the old wood fighting back consuming your mind. You took another breath, listening to the winds before opening your eyes once again.

“You should be okay, maybe just adjust more West when we enter the worst of it?” You said softly, placing a hand on Langs shoulder and giving it a squeeze. He nodded, barking out plans to Steve on the deck. 

Your eyes wandered to find him, listening intently to Langs guidance. You watched as crewmates finished their tasks above deck and moved below to secure the rest of the ship, which you had yet to explore. Making a mental note to check after the storm, you moved quickly across the deck to the point deck, looking ahead as lightning lit the dark waters. Everything but the storm faded from your senses, taking you back.

“The point deck, little miss, is the best place to captain your ship.” Your fathers voice was in your ear as he held you up on the railing. 

“Why’s that?” You asked, looking back at the endless deck behind you both.

“Behind you is a crew who knows how to do their jobs, a first-mate to make sure they don’t need help, and a navigator who will keep you from capsizing.” He smiled, pointing in front of you. Your eyes followed the end of his finger, to the dolphins moving to the west.

“Before you is nothing but the sea, and all of the answers you need to prepare. Tell me, what do the dolphins tell you?” He asked.

“Weather moving from the East. We should keep West if anything comes, but steer East if we can not avoid it.” You said pointing towards the sky, finger tracing down from the sun.

“Good.” Your dad said, squeezing your sides as he lifted you, placing your feet back on the deck and taking his hat from atop your head. “These are things you miss when back on the Navigation deck. From here, you learn to speak to the cruel mistress that is the sea, and she will speak to you.”

A tear dripped down your face, the wind and rain making quick haste of clearing it from your face. You watched the ocean before you, tuning out the voices behind you.

___________

*Bucky’s POV*

Bucky watched as you effortlessly climbed the swaying ship, swinging down on one of the ropes, using yourself as a counterweight rather than pure strength. The crewmates moved with your assistance effortlessly, some seeming to appreciate your quick movement. His eyes stayed locked on you as you joined Lang, listening intently and adding your own advice. He heard your soft laugh fall in the middle of the panic and urgency of the situation and couldn't help but smile. 

Bucky moved after a pointed shout from Steve, securing the upper deck and the doors to the Captains and First mate quarters. He turned back to find you, only seeing you were no longer with Lang. Panic filled his chest as he moved swiftly down to the deck.

“Below deck!” Steve called from where he stood at the entrance.

“Secure!” Rang out from various depths, echoing as the message was passed up. 

“Eyes on Her?” Bucky asked, receiving no call backs.

“Point.” Steve gestured to a dark figure at the opening deck of the ship, the rain picking up harshly.

“Is she crazy?” Bucky said, shock crossing his face.

“I think she knows more than we think.” Steve gripped his friend's arm, gaining his attention. “You don’t think..?” 

Bucky looked at Steve, reading his unasked question through his eyes. He looked back at your figure, holding the railing lightly, unswayed by the rocking of the ship.

“She couldn’t be, could she?” He asked softly.

“No one has seen her since she was little. Stark hid her once she hit maturity.” Steve shrugged. “Rumor was she went to school, joined society with her mother, became a lady.”

Bucky looked at his friend, giving his shoulder a squeeze as he repeated your words from the first day. 

“She’s no Lady.”

#Pirate!AU #reader x bucky #Steve

[branched-man]

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you already know how passionate I am about friends at the table (the actual play podcast). It’s getting a lot of buzz right now so I just wanted to make a brief post saying 1) PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS SHOW and 2) if you’re curious about where to start, fatt just released a new summary of the best places to get started with the show. 

If you’re not into listening to an audio clip about it, I’ve summarised them (in my own words) under the cut. 

Fantasy:

1) Fall of magic - a small commitment at just 3 episodes, a story about a world where magic is dying, and the group of people who are travelling across the land to find its source and save it. One of these people is a bush dog wearing incredibly fancy clothes. A story with an incredible vibe, notes of studio ghibli in there, bittersweet and magical and melancholy at times (although funny, too. fatt is always funny)

2) Marielda - do you like heists? of course you do. marielda is for you. A mini season (14 episodes) that acts as a prequel to fatt’s multiseason fantasy story, but can be listened to entirely separate from anything else. A story about a gang of outlandish criminals pulling off heists in an outlandish city - a city of depressed gods, secret forbidden book clubs, magic trains, ghosts and fish rocks raining from the sky. A fun, fast-paced ride from start to finish.

Science Fiction:

1) Partizan - the current season, which means you could feasibly catch up and listen in real time which is imo incredibly worth it. one of the best parts of listening to a podcast is melting down with all the other fans at each new episode each week. Set in a dystopian future, a world of rich nobles and clunky tech and enslaved robot gods. If you like court intrigue and politics, big robot fights and revolution, partizan is for you. Probably the best season for a newcomer to start with just bc of how immediately on their game the players are

2) COUNTER/weight - a cyberpunk dystopian season that’s technically a prequel to partizan but so far separate they can each be listened to completely separate from each other. It has a bit of a rougher start than other seasons listed here, but if you like cyberpunk media, hate capitalism and love big lesbians with huge robot arms, counterweight is your bag

Uhhhh (???): Bluff city - bluff city is impossible to fit under a single neat genre label. it started as a patreon-exclusive show that they have since released the first season of for free. basically its set in an alternate universe atlantic city where all sorts of wacky stuff can happen. fatt’s funniest season, in my opinion, and if you should understand anything about fatt it’s that they are consistently extremely funny, so this is a high honour. each arc is kind of its own self-contained story with different characters and genre and game system, although they do all eventually link together. some of its genres include ghosthunting, teen superheroes, noir mystery, wrestling and bird heists.  If you listen to the first episode of this and don’t a) bust a gut laughing and b) get sold on fatt, I don’t know what to tell you.

If you want to know more please feel free to ask! I can talk about fatt forever and if I can convince one person to listen to it my life will feel worthwhile

#i feel like i should have included like... a short summary of why i love this show #the incredible characterisatio and worldbuilding #the incredible original score #a diverse cast playing diverse characters #the thoughtfulness that goes into plotting #and themes and character choices and philosophy #the love they have for their fans and how that shows #how funny the show is! #but i never feel like i'm saying enough or saying it well enough #words fail me! #so anyway... give it a shot i am begging

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

🏰⚔️DMODT- chapter 7 full

Eren's mood worsened as he tried to distance himself from everyone. He realised how dependant on those around him he'd become over the last few months. Nicollo had a sharp tongue, but cared for those whole appreciated his cooking. Hanji was crazy interested in science, and how science and magic could better the world. Moblit was ever loyal to Hanji, often acting as the counterweight to keep her from going off the deep end. Both Armin and Mikasa always seemed genuinely happy to see him at dinner time, or the times they'd bump into each other within the castle... and Erwin. He'd known they couldn't be friends, yet the man had been kind to him since his arrival. By their nature, omegas were more social than betas and alphas. "Relationships" and "families" were formed within the confines of a sanctuaries. Or they had at the one he'd been at, but then again, omegas didn't usually spend 5 years there. And now that he thought of it, there was no reason he shouldn't have taken his vows sooner... Why had Levi even sent him to the sanctuary? Was it his fault he was forced to stay there so long? Did the man hate him for sneaking into his stables that day? Outside his window, the sky show for the Marley party rained down. It was too beautiful for words, especially with Eren having no part of it. All the omega could do was sit in the frame of his window, watching the small pitiful sparks dance in his palm. Reiner had mentioned using a scrying spell, yet once he knew, he couldn't un-know. With all the festivities, no one would notice his absence. No one would be coming to check him, or notice if he stole in the magical stores to steal some chalk and a scrying crystal. Yet he'd never done a scrying spell before. If his magic flared or got out of hand, he could potentially injure his master, or even worse, summon them right into his bedroom... and how was he supposed to explain that? How was he supposed to admit that he knew Hanji wasn't his master? Everyone around him wanted to believe that so, so he had to pretend too. No matter how much it sucked and hurt. He'd rather have stayed at the sanctuary, or begged to have a normal non-magical life, than to be denied by the one who was supposed to share his soul and magic with. * Levi was on his forth goblet of wine already, and the feast had only just begun. The Marley party had only arrived a few hours before hand, but Zeke was on his nerves. This time the alpha was accompanied by a tall woman with a perpetual silencing glare on her face. It was as if she was being contaminated for merely setting foot on their island. The fact Zeke had brought with him more soldiers than last time was hard to ignore, as was the way Zeke seemed to be scanning the feast, as if looking for someone in particular. He didn't know, and he couldn't be bothered caring. Erwin had already left his side as he'd been roped into dancing within the U-spaded tables of the feast, and even watching the man making a fool of himself had failed to lift his mood. He didn't know why he felt so depressed, only that he was tired of it keeping him up at night "Erwin, your mood is most unbecoming of a prince. Is something wrong within the kingdom?" It took Levi a moment to realise he was being talked to. Zeke had been busy talking to a Marley soldier last time he'd looked to him "No. No, all is well. I was simply lost in thought over Levi's dancing" "He is quite terrible" "Usually he is much better. There must be something distracting him" "And hence, it is distracting you. It rather ruins the food to see the prince so sour" "I'm sorry. That wasn't my intent" "Perhaps I could lend an ear? Is it a trouble of the heart? You are really at the age where you must present an heir" "What's the good of having an heir, if no one can ascend the throne?" "This is why you're such a difficult nation to negotiate with. Tell me, do you plan to wed soon? There are many a lovely lady in Marley, or perhaps it's a male omega that takes your fancy" What? No. He didn't like Eren. He didn't know the boy... Why was he thinking of Eren? "It is. I can see the look upon your face. Is it someone I happen to know" Levi drained his goblet, holding up to be refilled by his attendant "It's nothing like that. Running this kingdom doesn't exactly leave time for romance" "One does not need romance to create an heir. As an alpha, you should know that well. I hear you recently went through your rut. Did you spend it alone?" Levi bit down a growl. No well mannered person would ask that "Why does that concern Marley?" "Like I said. We have many a nice woman, and omega in Marley... yet, I suppose there are one or two attractive enough omegas in your court. You could have them all, that is your right as ruler" Zeke clicked his fingers, one of his female attendants rising from the floor behind them, gathering her robes up, she climbed into his lap "See. This one knows. Her belly will soon be swollen with child, and she is not the only one. We are the ones who shall rule the world. While fine breeding is important, spares are also necessary..." Zeke was unpleasant enough. He didn't want to think about the alphas offspring. Kissing the girl, she giggled as she climbed from his lap. Zeke slapping her arse with a laugh, before she returned to her place on the floor "You're the prince of a kingdom Erwin. It is time you started acting like one" Levi sighed heavily. He didn't want to breed an "army" of spares. Having lost his virginity to Eren, had brought up enough strange emotions as it was, and certain frustrations that could only be calmed in the dead of night. He was just lucky he hadn't been forced to spend any extended time with the teen. As far as he could tell, the teen hadn't been amongst the mages sky show, leaving him to hope Zeke hadn't noticed. But if Zeke was so open with his attendants, then it would be doubtful he'd still be perusing Eren. After the unpleasant feast, Levi woke with a hangover the size of the island. Thankfully, he saw no signs of having dragged anyone into it, even in his drunken state. With a chill in the air, bathing wasn't as pleasant as it normally was. The fire in his hearth refusing to stay a lit, the water for shaving was cold to the point of frigid. Dressing and donning his thickest fur coat, his irritation increasing when he found his room was the only one affected. He felt like a fool for wearing such thick clothes as he entered the dining hall, for all eyes to fall upon him. Stupid Erwin wasn't there, but Prince Bitch was. Striding over to take his place at the table, Zeke was all smiles "Prince Erwin! How are we this morning?" "Fine. Yourself?" "Never better. Eager to start this hunt you have planned" Right. The stupid hunt. Why they had to head out so soon, he didn't know. At least he knew where the real prince was "I was talking to the staff. None of them seem to know where that pet mage of yours is" "I do not have a pet mage" "That's not what I've heard. Apparently his magic was strong enough to grow a quite magnificent apple tree. The warm cider from it has proven to be quite flavoursome. Perhaps we should have him teach our magic users? It'd be a shame for him to waste here" So not only had Zeke not forgotten Eren, someone had opened their mouths over the strength of Eren's magic... "Our mages have always been strong. The achievement of one mage, hardly matters" "Really?" "Yes. Now, I wish to eat my breakfast" Zeke gave him a long look, that Levi didn't like one bit. His smile far too wide to be genuine "Eat, eat. A good hunt is always better with a full stomach" It'd be even better if he had an actual appetite. His alpha was angered over such casual talk of Eren. Zeke couldn't take Eren from Eldia as it was. The teen had vowed himself to the empire, and had his nape marked so. If Zeke openly took Eren, he was sure the consequences weren't going to be pleasant for anyone. Not understanding magic had been a majorly idiotic idea. When Levi and Zeke finally headed out to join the ranks, Erwin decided to finally join them. The scent of rain faintly in the background of his scent. Levi's heart gave a small flip when he saw Eren climbing into a supply cart. He'd been hoping the teen would be remaining at the castle, under Hanji's care and that a few weeks of extended distance would cause his thoughts to abandon those of Eren. They were unhealthy, and unwanted, and not unnoticed by Zeke. Too consumed in glaring, he didn't smell the way his scent shifted to possessive, nor did he see the smile on Zeke's lips over it. If he'd realised, he would have realised that everyone but him, knew he had more than just a passing "thing" for the omega. * Eren wanted to be left alone. The previous night had been one of the worst he'd had in a while, and just wanted to forget how lonely he'd felt. He was still curled up in bed when a loud knock landed against his door. Sorely tempted to hide away and to tell them to fuck off, he covered his head with his pillow "Eren?! It's, Levi. Are you awake?" "No!" He couldn't very well ignore the prince, especially as he listened to his door creak open "Eren?" Pulling the pillow away, he rolled to look at Erwin. Unexpected concern on the man's face "Is everything alright?" Why did he care? Did he know that Eren knew his "little" secret "Huh? What?" "We did not see you last night, so I was wondering if you're ok?" "I'm sorry. I had a headache, and we all know my magic is..." He trailed off with a weak shake of his hand "Ah. Right. No doubt you know Prince Zeke has returned" "Really? I hadn't noticed" Erwin crossed his arms, giving Eren his best "unimpressed dad" look "Sorry. I didn't have the best nights sleep" "Today we will be leading an expedition south to go hunting, and we'll be taking Moblit with us. Hanji has her hands full back here. As Hanji's student, you'll be required to join us" But he wasn't "hers", she wasn't his true master "Are you sure? I do not wish to be in the way" "You won't be. You previously expressed an interest in herbs, and it was mentioned that you came from the south" "Shinganshima, sir" "I am sorry to hear that, is that where you lost your parents?" "It was. Will we be near Shinganshima?" "As you know, under our treaty, we were unable to resettle in Shinganshima. But yes, we shall be passing close to them, and into the forests of the southwest tip of the island" "And you want me to come with?" "Indeed. I believe there are herbs that only grow in that area. Ackerman will also be there..." Ugh. Mikasa was going to "mum" him... "Um... can I ask a question?" "Just one?" Now who was being immature?! "I was wondering about sleeping arrangements?" "You will be sharing a tent. The mages sleep with their masters to prevent anything happening, which means you shall be sharing with Moblit. Don't worry though, the tents are quite spacious, and reinforced with magic as we'll be there for some time" More magic he couldn't do "Do I have to ride a horse?" "You'll be with Moblit. While we hunt, you'll be helping him with herbs" "And no Zeke?" He sounded pathetically hopeful "I cannot say. We rarely hunt the South East forest, so despite the hunt supposedly taking up the next two weeks, don't be alarmed if it doesn't" "I guess I'll get ready then" "Of course. Make sure you eat before you join us" "I will, thank you" Erwin raised one of his huge bushy brows "What are you thanking me for?" "I don't know. It seemed the thing to do" Erwin gave a soft laugh, before sweeping out his room and leaving the damn door open. Groaning, Eren flopped back on his bed. What the hell was this shit?! Why couldn't he stay at the castle? If Hanji was his master, he should be here. Not teaching Moblit about herbs, when the man probably knew better than he did. It was a little over two hours later that Eren found himself sitting beside Moblit. Travelling sandwiched between the two parties of soldiers, Moblit hadn't bothered trying to talk him out of his bad mood. They'd exchanged pleasantries when he'd climbed up into the cart, but that was it. Moblit looked as happy as Eren felt. Neither of them had asked to be riding across the countryside at the whims of two stupid Princes and an imposter, and Eren had been keeping his distance from the man since "figuring out" that Hanji was indeed not his master. He knew it wasn't Erwin. He felt something when around the man, but now that he knew what his lack of feelings around Hanji actually was, he knew the same thing applied to the prince. Moblit also wasn't his master. So far, he'd crossed only a handful of people off his list. Moblit. Hanji. Erwin. Levi. Armin. Nicollo, and Mikasa. And Reiner, though something felt off about him... Perhaps because he was from Marley? All this fresh air and sunshine left him with far too much time to think this all through. It had to be someone "up" in the castle, in order to get Hanji to comply. Or it could have been a simple soldier, to limit his powers so Hanji could run her experiments. He'd seen half the army, and they were big men... but no men he wanted inside of him. Whoever had held him, had made him feel warm and safe... something he longed to feel again.

[transfemmbeatrice]

Where should I start listening to Friends at the Table?

A short novella by me

Friends at the Table is one of the best actual play podcasts out there and you should listen to it because they tell amazing stories with both diverse characters and a diverse cast (the GM is a queer black man and almost everyone at the table is some flavor of queer). They put character development and good storytelling at the forefront while creating incredible and complex worlds to play in. They make you laugh, cry, and laugh so hard you cry (and also give you chills on occasion) and I genuinely cannot recommend them highly enough. Whether you like a good story, characters to fall in love with, learning new ttrpg mechanics, or listening to friends have a good time together, FatT is for you.

FatT also has an enormous backlog that can make it hard to dive in so here is a handy guide for when you want to listen don’t know where tf to begin.

The Friends have provided some resources for this: there is a flowchart that gives you the quick and dirty deets (though it hasn’t been updated to reflect their current season) and also Austin made a 20 minute ep of him explaining the show and stuff and put it at the beginning of the podcast feed which could also be helpful (which I haven’t actually listened to bc they put it out after I was already deep into the show)...but this is my over detailed take.

There are currently 4 seasons of FatT. In order: Autumn in Hieron, Counter/Weight, Marielda/Winter in Hieron, and Twilight Mirage. Marielda is a mini season that takes place in the Hieron universe but before the Hieron seasons; Counterweight and Twilight Mirage are both standalone but do take place in the same universe, tens or hundreds of thousands of years apart. 

Twilight Mirage is approaching its endpoint and will be followed by Spring in Hieron which should be the last Hieron season. There are pros and cons for starting with any of these seasons so depending on your taste and preferences you can take your pick!

(Also, each new season begins with an Episode 00 which is just the friends discussing the setting and pitching characters. It’s not required listening and they’re pretty long so you can skip them if you want but for people like me who live for worldbuilding and behind the scenes, they’re great prefaces to each season!)

Autumn in Hieron: The very beginning! This is where I started because I’m a hardcore chronological completionist. There is definitely something very fun and satisfying about watching them develop over the past 4 years, in confidence and skill and in production quality! They’ve been amazing since the beginning but it only gets better. 

However, because it’s early, the audio quality is not great, so if that’s an issue for you, this probably isn’t your best starting point. Some extremely good shit goes down in this game and I highly recommend listening to it if you can parse the bad audio. Also, starting at episode 5, they split into two smaller groups and the audio improves, so if you want to start here but find the sound unbearable at the start, you can try skipping to here to see if it works better for you! The first few episodes are just a mini quest and it’s definitely fun but not deeply plot relevant so you’ll be fine to skip it. This is also a season potentially worth returning to even if you don’t start here because as I said, it’s good, and the bad audio might be more listenable once you know the players’ voices better. But if you absolutely can’t, no worries! They recap this season at the beginning of Winter in Hieron so if you don’t listen to it you won’t be lost as the story continues!

Hieron is a high fantasy setting in what Austin describes as the post-post-apocalypse. It’s been long enough that they’re past just surviving and have rebuilt tons but it’s still a wild world out there, and no one alive really remembers what apocalyptic event happened, but they all know something bad went down. Over the two (and a half, counting Marielda) seasons they’ve done they have really built out the world. It explores a lot about the concepts of divinity and entropy and so much more. I think Hieron is a great place to start because fantasy is the usual setting for actual play podcasts so it’s a familiar touchstone. And also just, really fucking good.

Counter/Weight: Welcome to SPACE. The second season of FatT is a good starting point because it’s self contained--it’s longer than the Hieron seasons but when you reach the finale, you’ve gotten the whole story. It starts off a little slow as they adjust to a new system and new characters for the first time...but there are some hilarious bits in those first couple of missions that I love. Then they switch systems again to something that fits more what they are doing and things pick up from there. 

The “ground” game (the majority of the episodes with characters going on adventures as usual) is interspersed with the “faction” game--Austin and two other players not in the other half of the game zoom out and use mechanics and roleplaying to decide what the big factions/corporations/etc are doing around the sector, and eventually we see these events trickle down to effect the player characters in the other half of the game. These are a bit slow, especially when they first start, but I recommend listening to them because it’s cool to see how things are moving around on a more macro scale than one little crew of fixers, and it really informs the world they’re operating in. It’s not strictly necessary if you really find these episodes untenable, but you’ll definitely be able to follow along better if you’ve heard them. Also, around the 3rd or so faction game session, they cut down the number of factions significantly so it goes a lot smoother. I’ll also put in here that Counterweight is probably my favorite season of the show at least thus far even though I wasn’t sure I would like it at all when I first started it, for what that’s worth.

Counter/Weight is a cyberpunk/scifi setting somewhere in the Milky Way. It is set less than a decade after a war in which two rival powers united in an uneasy alliance to drive back an Empire. They succeeded, but now things have settled into a good old fashioned cold war. There are lots of robots and mechs and they use the cyberpunk genre to explore labor and capitalism and feeling small and helpless in the face of such massive, powerful corruption. Or, sadness and robots in space. (Also, literally none of the PCs ended up being cishet.)

Marielda: Marielda is a mini season they did right before Winter in Hieron. Set in Hieron before the events of the other seasons, it provides some context to the world. It’s also fucking delightful. This is probably the most recommended starting point for FatT because it’s short, has high production quality, and some of their best work. It really encapsulates what this show is so if you’re unsure if this is the podcast for you, this is a great starting point. 

Since it takes place long before Autumn in Hieron, you don’t need to have listened to it to follow along; but I do find it somewhat helpful because there are callbacks to the events of that season as they show how some of the things they encountered then came to be in the first place. Marielda (and Winter in Hieron) were made with new listeners in mind, so Autumn definitely isn’t required.

Marielda is of course also high fantasy, but it has a tinge of steampunk too because this island has more technology for....reasons that will be revealed as you listen. The only train in Hieron is there, and the crew stages a heist on it, and it’s amazing. Marielda has two parts--the first couple episodes are some of the players playing The Quiet Year, a collaborative mapdrawing game, to build this city. Then the other players played a few missions in Blades in the Dark as scoundrels who steal information to sell to the highest bidder. Their shenanigans are hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking and I’ve relistened to it so many times.

Winter in Hieron: Hieron season two of three! Winter begins with two episodes recapping the events of Autumn in Hieron, so if you skipped Autumn you can listen to them and be good to go, and if you didn’t...you can skip the recaps! (Unless maybe you listened to Counterweight in between and you need a refresher). There are two new PCs in Winter because Andi and Janine joined between Autumn and this season, and they only make Hieron better.

This season is a little heavier than Autumn because it’s Winter and...Winter is usually darker than Autumn. I’m in the middle of relistening to it now, though, and it’s still incredible the second time through and a great starting point. I would not recommend starting with Winter without listening to Marielda first, partly because Marielda is so good, but also because Marielda informs so much of what happens in Winter. 

Since Twilight Mirage is getting close to finishing up (as of writing this, anyway) if being Current In The Fandom is something that’s important to you, I’d start with Hieron (whether that be Autumn or Marielda/Winter). After Twilight Mirage wraps up, they are reportedly planning to return to Hieron for its final season--Spring, so if you start catching up now you can be ready! I don’t know for sure yet but so much has happened at this point that I find it hard to imagine that they’ll do a recap before Spring that lets you jump in there very easily. I could be proven wrong but even if I am....I don’t recommend it. You’ll miss too much Seasons of Hieron is a joy to listen to.

Twilight Mirage: The current season! Usually I say to start here if you find the backlog intimidating--it’s current and you can jump in to what’s happening now and get to the rest when you feel ready. And that’s still somewhat true, but Twilight Mirage has gotten pretty long so it’s potentially still intimidating? And they have said they’re nearing the endgame, but I have no idea if that means weeks or months. But regardless, it’s still less to get through than starting further back, and it is a standalone season so it’s a great starting place!

Twilight Mirage is another game in space. It is set in the same universe as Counterweight, and there are some callbacks to it, but it’s set far in the future from the events of that season and was intentionally made so that people who hadn’t heard Counterweight could listen fine. It’s more like easter eggs than important backstory.

The premise is a dying utopia: a massive fleet that has slowly been whittled down, still home to millions of people, but they’re starting to look for somewhere to hopefully colonize. This game does a great job of questioning what a utopia would look like--what does prison look like in a utopia? how do we treat synthetic beings?--and exploring the themes of self/identity and colonization and so much more. It’s the most philosophical FatT season to date but the narrative is also great and stands on its own--you can engage at whatever level you want. (I, for instance, don’t get a lot of the philosophy referenced, but I’m still deeply enjoying it because it’s a great story and I love all the characters!) So much shit happens to alter the original premise and it’s fascinating to see the characters have to adapt to all these evolving circumstances and question their values as they themselves also change. Also, lots of robots and mechs and aliens and shit. One of the PCs is just a cat person. One of the PCs is a downloadable hitman who is losing their memory every time they die and get downloaded into a new body. It’s A Good Season, they friends are extra af (more than usual, even) and it’s a Delight.

And that’s my answer to the age old question, where do I start listening to Friends at the Table?, answered in more detail than anyone ever wanted. If you have any questions or anything feel free to shoot me an ask or a message, I’m literally always here to talk about FatT!

#friends at the table #fatt #f@tt

[academy-x]

[Annaphobic comment]

i was gonna be margaretphobic and link to some gross pathfinder spell but i couldnt find any at a glance so just imagine theres a link to how you can get an awesome tentacle arm

anyways what would you say is the best starting point for friends at the table? i tried starting counterweight but didnt get into it for some reason? should i start there again or listen to a different thing first?

#you keep capitalizing my name its very funny to me #asks #stormandrout #blockanswer

[sell-b4-germany-blog2]

Common Mistakes Massage Therapists Make

Massage Mistakes Produced By Beginners and Professionals

Body Mechanics: While in school, beginning massage therapists tend to use improper body mechanics they should use their bodies for leveraged strength and balance because they haven't become acclimated to how. By using the flow that is correct you can relieve your arms of early fatigue by combining full body movements during a massage. Techniques, such as, learning proper body mechanics and posture, can help you avoid any undue stress to your body, while concurrently providing your customer with the best massage possible.

During a massage session, therapeutic massage therapists should be attuned to how their customer is reacting to pressure. Massage mistakes include errors in pressure, or not checking in with the client about his or her comfort. If you are applying more pressure than is comfortable to the client, they will tighten their muscles, restrict their breathing, and will be uncomfortable. When your client's body is tensed, you are only creating more stress - not relieving it. If your pressure is too light, the massage may be relaxing, but will likely not absolutely impact the muscles that the client wanted addressed. It is important to check in aided by the client about pressure to make certain your therapeutic massage techniques are effective.

Self-Care: Common massage mistakes therapists make are as they should that they do not take care of themselves as much. Much like any extended physical activity, it is important before you begin a session for you to stretch. Keep in brain that while you're going to be primarily using your arms, your body that is entire will getting a workout as you'll be depending on your legs for counterweight, your back for strength, and your torso for core balance and posture. Of course, the primary complaint of massage practitioners is that their arms, wrists and fingers hurt. Again, while this is normal, it can be avoided by stretching and using a proper flow and massage techniques. It is important to maintain proper stretching and strength exercise routines to make sure you avoid any symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, that may cause early burnout and fatigue.

One very important thing for therapists to remember is to routinely receive massage. Mistakes often made by therapists include forgetting the "self-care" portion of their profession, which attributes to a level that is high of burnout. Another important factor for massage therapists to weigh is staying current with the client experience – how does it feel to be on the table? What massage techniques work, and which aren't as effective? By receiving regular massages, you can keep a focus on the consumer perspective of the massage experience.

Customer Service: First impressions count in every industry, and this consideration applies to all massage therapists, even those with existing practices. At all times, you should strive to dress in appropriate attire, appear professional, and be well-groomed when massage that is performing. Techniques for checking your appearance would be to simply think, "Do I look like a professional?" You shouldn't wear jeans, a tee-shirt with logos, old sweatpants, etc. during a massage while you should be comfortable in your clothes. Mistakes in appearance can leave a negative impression, or potentially make a client uncomfortable. A good industry standard is to wear clean, loose yoga or exercise pants or loose fitting khakis. Scrubs, a solid polo shirt or cotton t-shirt with a high neck is generally considered appropriate for massage. Therapists who are smokers in their time that is free need avoid cigarettes and cigarette smoke while at work. Many clients are sensitive, or even allergic, to specific dyes and odors, and may be incredibly uncomfortable with the scent of tobacco, perfume, or even some strong deodorants. Because of this, it is also very important to use a hypoallergenic cream or lotion which performs the identical to other creams, and does maybe not adversely impact your massage techniques.

Whether your client is a normal or has a first-time visit, it is necessary to ensure that you greet your client as soon as possible, offer them a seat in a waiting room if you're running behind, and not keep them waiting for an unreasonable amount of time past their set appointment. It is crucial for all massage therapists to be professional, on-time, and courteous before, during, and after a massage. Mistakes can leave a bad first impression, and prevent a repeat consumer. From a continuing business standpoint, it's all about customer service.

Focus: While working with your client, it can be obvious when you are sidetracked and not attention that is paying your client's needs or requests. Before going into the room, take a moment to let go of your mental list that is to-do don't think about your next client, or anything which may distract you from your current client. Therapeutic massage techniques should include not only posture and flow, but focus since well.

When meeting with your client before the massage, truly take the right time to listen to them while you review and chart your S.O.A.P. notes. Look carefully over their intake form, and be sure to ask them about any problem that is specific or points of concern before a massage. Mistakes massage therapists commonly make are to either fall into a routine where they supply the massage that is same and time again, or to ignore the client's requests for pressure / focus and instead only focus on what the therapist feels is important. At the end of the day, you should always provide a consistent level of service to all consumers and make sure you focus and listen during massage. Techniques focused on customer service preserve your reputation as a therapist, and build and maintain customer rapport and business.

Code of Ethics: After novice massage therapists graduate from school, they may actually be very aware of the code of ethics and confidentiality that comes with a therapist-to-client relationship. But when a seasoned massage therapist becomes more comfortable in their practice, they may tend to forget these rules (even with yearly CEUs on the subject) and accidentally divulge client information, or begin an inappropriate personal relationship with a client massage that is receiving. Mistakes happen, but it is necessary to routinely assess your ethics. While it is imperative to develop a rapport with your clients, it is not appropriate to call them at home (unless to confirm an appointment), discuss their personal lives, or accept personal gifts whether directly or indirectly related to massage. Techniques involving professionalism that is consistent make sure the success of your practice.

Additionally, working with a client means maintaining their right to confidentiality. clash of clans free gems During a session, massage therapists may be made aware of personal conditions that are medical treatments - these should always be kept strictly confidential and private. It is not appropriate to go home and talk to friends or family about a client, even if their name remains anonymous. .

Avoiding Common Mistakes

These massage mistakes are among the most common for all therapeutic massage therapists, whether you are just beginning or have years of experience. By enrolling in continuing education courses, massage therapists can refresh their knowledge of ethics, body mechanics, and current massage techniques to stay up to date within the field and also promote their personal and development that is professional.