#Ember 3.0

[tartquez]

Also think 1. write a scene from another character's POV (from literally any of your work you're feeling) sounds fun but potentially too much work so ! Just if you feel inclined ! <3

Thank you for this ask beloved Echo <3 Please have a tortured Bez pov from the rosquez wedding 3.0 in Bicameral!

It’s hard for Marco to describe the feeling in his chest when he notices Pecco and Luca stumbling into an empty elevator with a blonde haired man dressed in a dark blue suit. Luca’s hand darts out to steady the man as they tumble into the elevator, laughing, Pecco’s cheek finds its way onto Luca’s shoulder, they’re still laughing. It shouldn’t still hurt after all this time. Marco has long since resigned himself to being the spare when it comes to Luca and Pecco. The hurt is a hollow echo, something that has never quite healed right but has been wrong for too long to correct. This is how Marco thinks of his heart, still beating away, functional but deformed.  

Before the elevator doors close, he catches a glimpse of Luca kissing the man’s neck, he whispers something which makes the man shiver. Marco watches the doors slide shut, his own reflection stares back at him impassively. 

His hotel room is next door to Pecco and Luca’s, hazards of checking in together. He’ll wait it out at the reception for a few more hours, maybe he can convince someone to let him crash in their room. Luca and Pecco aren’t the only ones who can pick up at a wedding. 

Marco shakes his head. He’s sweating in his tuxedo, some fresh air might help. No one stops him from leaving the party, no one notices. He arrived with Pecco and Luca. 

He’s not expecting there to already be someone on the balcony. Valentino turns his head warily and regards him through a cloud of smoke, lit cigarette balanced between his middle and forefinger. He taps the cigarette against the side of the banister and a few flickering embers drift down onto the ground. 

Vale’s gaze is heavy as he studies Marco, shrewd.

“Bez, what brings you here?”

He should be asking Vale that question, it’s not Marco’s wedding everyone is here for. Then and again, the last he saw Marc, Vale’s now lawfully wedded husband was lustily recruiting the groomsmen to a clumsy conga line.  

“I wanted some fresh air.”

Vale holds his gaze, as if daring Marco to flip the question around on him. He looks good like this, posture languid and illuminated by the milky glow of the moon. Though, Marco is forced to concede, it’s rare that Vale doesn’t look good. His bow tie has come untied in the course of the evening, dangling around his neck, the first three buttons of his shirt are undone. Marco bites his tongue, imagines there are worn grooves in his tongue by now in the shape of his teeth.

Vale brings his cigarette to his lips, takes a drag, Marco’s throat goes dry. He’s pretty sure one year, when he first joined the campaign, he got drunk at a Christmas party and confessed to having a crush on Valentino. Mercifully he’d had the sense to lie and qualify it as a long time ago. Not that he thinks Vale believed him but it felt important to have said it, to have had some sense of self-preservation left, some sense left. Always with the scraps, Marc concedes ruefully.

“Well you came to the right place.”

Marco nods. 

If he’s being honest with himself, he doesn’t think he’s ever been Vale’s favourite. Not like Pecco, not the one whose radiant talent must be carefully coaxed out of hiding. Not like Luca, not golden and beautiful and loved like it was a precondition of his very being. Certainly not like Marc, not an abomination but so undeniably brilliant an abomination that it didn’t matter in the end, didn’t preclude him from being loved, adored. Marco, Bez – always the spare, always with the scraps, always turning his face eagerly towards any hand that promised warmth. 

He still remembers opening the door to find Pecco on his doorstep the day after Luca handed in his resignation. We finally talked – properly, me and Luca, Pecco had said in lieu of a greeting and suddenly Marco understood why so many wives dreaded opening their doors to find soldiers on their doorstep. I think deep down he loved me all along, Pecco confided breathlessly, shaking his head as something sunk in Marco’s stomach, can you imagine? 

No, Marco lied, I cannot.   

Pecco had brushed past him, exuberant, Marco holding the door open for him, I brought wine, he’d swept into the kitchen, fished two clean glasses out of Marco’s dishwasher and uncorked the bottle of wine, do you want a glass?

The last thing he had wanted was to sit there and listen to Pecco tell him in painstaking detail how his life could now be marked in distinct periods of before and after, where the deficiency of before had been exchanged for the abundance of after. How now there would be no more scraps left for Marco.  

Vale is still watching him.

“Yeah,” Marco laughs softly, “I guess I did,” without even realising it, here he is crawling back to Vale, an open palm, begging for scraps.  

“Can I offer some advice, Marco?” Vale blows a puff of smoke.

Marco nods. 

“You are loyal and for that I love and value you.” Vale inclines his head, his expression is difficult to parse. It surprised Marco – that since announcing his retirement from politics, Vale has become more inscrutable not less. “You should quit politics.”

“What,” Marco frowns, heart beating fast in his chest. What. 

Vale’s expression is solemn, he takes another drag from his cigarette, “loyalty is an admirable quality but it’ll get you killed in this line of work – or worse,” a shrug, “forgotten.” 

“I don’t understand,” he’s worked for Vale for as long as he can remember. He may not have been the favourite but he’s not foolish enough to think Vale would have kept him around on sentiment alone. 

“Your problem,” Vale explains, taps his cigarette idly against the side of the balcony, “is that deep down, you would still rather be loved than to win. Get out of this profession while you still can, Marco.”

He doesn’t mean it unkindly, which is worse, confirmation that Marco is marked out, separate, different, is not cut out for this. It’s worse, Vale is looking out for Marco’s feelings. He doesn’t think Vale has ever looked out for Pecco or Luca’s feelings. 

Vale opens his mouth, brow slightly furrowed, like there’s more he wants to say. 

“Hey, is this where you’ve been hiding?”

Vale’s eyes flick from Marco’s face and he has front row seats to the way affection washes over his face, reshaping his features. Even without turning around, Marco knows who Vale is looking at. 

“I’m sorry, you’ve caught me,” Vale raises his hands as if offering them to be cuffed. 

Marc crosses the space between them in two strides, plucks the cigarette out of Vale’s hands and tosses it aside, before wrapping his fingers around Vale’s wrists. His eyes drift over to Marco, dismisses him, before returning to Vale. “Thought you might have run for the hills,” he jokes but there’s something, a tightness around his eyes, that betrays him.

Vale’s lips twist wryly, “no,” jerks his chin at the discarded cigarette, “just indulging in one last vice, forgive me, amore.”

Something passes between them, unspoken. Marco has never felt more of a spectator. A spare. 

“Okay,” Marc tugs Vale’s arm again, tightness dissipating if ever so slightly, “come on old man, a dance.”

Vale lets himself be led back inside towards the reception party, he pauses for a second in front of Marco. Standing this close, Marco can feel the heat radiating from his skin, the smell of nicotine and sweat. Without any warning, Vale loops an arm around Marc’s waist, stops him and pulls him flush against Vale’s front. His free hand brushes Marco’s hair off his forehead.

He freezes as Vale’s lips press briefly to his brow, “good night, Bez.”

It’s over in a second, less. Marco closes his eyes and when he opens them he’s alone on the balcony, breathing in the lingering bitter tang clinging to the air. 

“What was that?” he can make out Marc hissing.

“Nothing, amore,” Vale replies easily and something sinks in Marco’s gut for the second time. Right, of course. 

[lukeniklaspierce]

HAND THAT FEEDS

Finally a collab with Luckers (Luckstralight) ♥ What a better way to get back to fantasy posts than casting spells with this gorgeous? Check his awesome feeds: flickr / primfeed

luckstarlight: deadwool - laurel wreath somnium - young regent the factory - tarot cards

luke: stealthic - like lust deadwool - laurel wreath ag - thomas skin aerth - winterveil tattoos dobs - raven cloak ersch - berth top toksik - bloodlust pants aii - ghost mage hands vae victis - reliquia - scroll capsa bundle vae victis - deus somniorum - hymnbook static - fae embers unholy - malevolent hands polarbunny - onyx dyed fingers

decor: dirty rat - ancient emerald rune moonlight backdrop - the bearded guy jay battlescars - clouds - night eclipse 3.0 b

[infinitycars]

Bring Home the Next Generation of Mclaren Cars – Ft. Mclaren Artura

McLaren fans assemble! The wait is finally over, and India is set to witness the marvel supercar – the McLaren Artura. It’s brand new MCLA (McLaren Carbon Fibre Lightweight Architecture) optimised for HPH powertrains, hybrid technology, ravishing design and breath-taking performance all make Artura true to the claim – The Next Generation of McLaren Cars! Let’s take a deeper dive into this supercar and look into McLaren Artura specifications.

Engine: A Game-Changer Hybrid Powertrain

McLaren Artura is armed with a powerful twin turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine coupled with an E-motor and energy-dense battery pack, producing combined outputs of 680PS (671bhp) and 720Nm (530lb ft). This combination of potent power & sustainable fuel economy enables instant torque, fast acceleration, enhanced fuel efficiency and a thrilling performance. The Artura flaunts a full Plug-in Hybrid capability that can be charged to 80% in just 2.5 hours.

Performance: An Experience Like No Other

Are you all prepared to be BLOWN AWAY? This agile supercar can fly from 0 to 100 kmph in a mere 2.9 seconds and to 200 kmph in 8.3 seconds. The McLaren Artura can sprint to its top speed, 330 kmph, in just a matter of seconds. It is built for an edgy racetrack thrill and for a comfortably smooth city-drive. The sharpest-ever throttle response is powered by its 95PS E-motor giving instant torque of up to 225Nm.

The E-mode allows 31kms of emission-free, electric only driving alongside 3 other Powertrain modes – Comfort mode, Sport mode and Track mode.

Design: Form Meets Functionality

The McLaren Artura is designed to be ultra-light and modern yet one of the most powerful supercars. The super-formed lightweight engineering makes the Artura with a kerb weight (DIN) of just 1498kgs. Every aspect of the design is created to enable an unrivalled driving experience. The aerodynamic design ensures efficient airflow for improved performance and stability.

The ultra-luxe interior of the McLaren Artura is adorned with top-notch materials and amenities. The Club Sport seating offers exceptional style & comfort. Wrapped in premium lightweight Alcantara upholstery, the seats, dashboard, headlining, central armrest, and door armrests along with Extended Nappa Leather through rest of the interior exudes a level of style and comfort that passengers will truly admire.

The carbon fibre steering wheel, enveloped in leather, not only adds a touch of class but also ensures a comfortable grip. The McLaren Artura also features signature dihedral doors that open close to the car.

The McLaren Artura is available in 15 exterior paint colours, three of them that are unique to the vehicle at launch – Flux Green, Ember Orange and Plateau Grey.

Features:

The transmission features an eight-speed dual-clutch SSG for smooth & precise gear shift. The Artura boasts of McLaren’s Proactive Damping Control system which adjusts the suspension settings in real-time giving better comfort & stability.

[swordshapedleaves]

Ember the Monk from page 39 of the 3.0 Players Handbook

[qingxin-dream]

Burning for You

a/n | BASED ON GENSHIN 3.0 LEAKS!⚠️ …okay, so i have a confession. two things… one, i believe in love at first sight. and two, i am hopelessly in love with tighnari. <3 wrote this in a few hours high off of my new fav dendro main so i hope it’s okay! (art credits: u/murasakisumire on reddit)

warnings | character leaks, slight profanity, probably ooc tighnari but i’m having fun with it anyway :)

genre | fluff, smug tighnari likes to tease you

word count | 1.1k

pairing | tighnari x reader

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

In the humid wilderness of Sumeru’s lush rainforests, there was no room for error as a forest ranger. It was a matter of life or death—eat or be eaten.

The vast majority of the rainforest was relatively untouched by civilization and teeming with vibrant creatures of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. As a ranger, you were expected to be an expert in animal and vegetation identification, and able to sense danger through disturbances in the surrounding ecosystem.

You had been reminded of this requirement on numerous occasions by your superior, yet somehow you defied all natural laws with how you constantly attracted trouble. Sometimes it’s a simple, easily avoidable mistake on your part, but other times it turned into a horde of enemies charging in your direction with no obvious escape in sight.

As a result, you were assigned under the direct supervision of the Lead Forest Ranger, Tighnari, for special training. But it wasn’t your fault you magically invited danger everywhere you went. At first, you were quite intimidated by the long-eared ranger. You knew he was the best of the best, so the stakes were high. If you messed this up, maybe you really were hopeless.

Expeditions were extremely silent and awkward with your new companion. After a while of suffering from solitude, you had tried to get to know him more, but it proved to be difficult.

“Hey, ‘Nari,” you would inquire softly as he was focused on referencing an encyclopedia from his pack.

An ear would twitch accompanied by a nearly indiscernible hum, eyes not breaking from his work once. “Yes, (Y/N)?”

“Um, do you ever take a break?” you sheepishly asked, rubbing the back of your neck nervously. He raised a brow, promptly closing his book, and touched his chin in thought. Worried you had offended him, you continued, “L-like do you do anything for fun?”

“This is fun, is it not?” Tighnari replied nonchalantly. “I love my work.”

It was true. All Tighnari would ever discuss with you was about Dawson Rainforest. Such was the extent of any line of questioning you could think of. You could rarely ever get a reaction out of him, not that you wanted to tease him—well, maybe you wouldn’t mind to see the quiet and clever Tighnari devolve into a stuttering, blushing mess at least once.

But that is beside the point. You felt ignored and lonely. Breaking the ice was useless. You were going to have to be a lot more forward if you wanted to get Tighnari’s attention.

Which ultimately led you to this moment months later, as you snap out of your thoughts staring at the burning embers rising from the campfire. You like to think your relationship had improved or you understood each other better since then. At the very least, your skills were improving and working with him in a team wasn’t as bad as it used to be.

You both had set up camp together less than an hour ago after completing your duties since you were too far from the main base to lodge for the night. Tighnari had just set his ranger journal aside, pale green eyes locked onto you.

A strange rush of heat spread across your cheeks in embarrassment. You prayed to the Archons it wasn’t noticeable. Had he said something and you completely missed it? Why is he looking at you like that?

You cleared your throat, unsure of what to say since he still scarcely gives you the time of day, “What?”

Perfect. You were such a great conversationalist, you reprimanded yourself silently.

“You were lost in thought,” he observed, lips pursing slightly in disappointment. “I… apologize if I have come across as rude in the past.”

“No!” you insisted, shaking your head frantically and laughing it off. “That’s not why at all. Don’t worry about it. Just feeling bored I guess?”

“You must always remain vigilant. As you can tell, none of the wildlife here seem bored in all their clamoring even in the darkness of night,” Tighnari notes out of habit, but he pauses for a second before shaking his head too and scooting next to you. “But we aren’t on a mission so I suppose I may entertain your antics this time.”

Did the flame of the fire suddenly grow hotter? Your cheeks flushed with another intense wave of heat when Tighnari grew near, surely it wasn’t your Pyro vision acting up. Then again, every time the lead ranger draws close, you swear you can feel the fiery pulse of your vision on your chest. Or was that your heart leaping?

His bright jade eyes flickered knowingly from your vision to meet your skeptical gaze, a playful, smug smile threatening to tug at the corner of his mouth.

“Do you enjoy this, ‘Nari? Making me—!” you accused in shock, words abruptly trailing off as you find yourself nearly admitting your embarrassment. “Argh. This is what you actually do for fun, isn’t it?”

“Me? I could never partake in such fruitless endeavors,” he responded with an innocent wave of his bushy raven tail, rotten mischief dripping from each word on his tongue.

“Oh, but the excitement is just radiating from you, go ahead. I’m ready to hear the great Tighnari speak to me finally,” you retorted sarcastically in a huff.

“I would be more inclined to say it’s written all over you, (Y/N),” his voice lowers as he leans in ever so slightly, tall ears towering over you in an almost intimidating manner. “I’m… not as oblivious as you may think.”

Fuck, the fennec fox never cared to talk to you and the minute he opens his mouth it was your downfall. Your breath hitched subconsciously, the only confirmation Tighnari needed, a sharp-toothed smirk adorning his smug expression. You hated it.

You had quickly learned long ago he had a penchant for teasing and trickery, and you always walked right into his traps. After all this time pushing you away and reeling you back in at will with his wit, he knew he had you wrapped around his finger. You were utterly touch-starved and Tighnari reveled in it, lightly grazing the back of his fingers against your hot cheek.

His pearlescent irises glimmered and marveled at you—a predator helplessly enamored with his prey.

“This isn’t fair, ‘Nari,” you whispered, lidded eyes watching with longing as he slowly inches further toward you. The instinct to pull away crosses your mind, just to deny him the victory, but how could you when the promise of his lips was so imminent?

He brushed his nose against yours gently in a loving nuzzle, whispering onto your lips, “Neither is this burning in my heart for you now, is it?”

Tighnari could hardly restrain himself any longer, drinking in your scent like this so intimately, inevitably succumbing to your sweet lips in a passionate display of desire. When he held your cheek or trailed his hand down to your waist, you felt that familiar burst of your Pyro vision glowing alongside his Dendro one—his touch consuming you with an aching need for more.

You almost considered caressing his long ears when he nibbled at your bottom lip, until he broke the kiss with a soft smile and couldn’t resist indulging in your addicting taste once more.

thanks for reading! reblogs are appreciated! my masterlist.

[abysskeeper]

ok asking about Ziost 2.3 my beloved. AND asking about The Collective because i am curious and love titles like that.

@gothamcityneedsme Ziost 2.3 all our beloved, is for a prompt fill you sent me...3 years ago...about Tav figuring out Vitiate knows Trick and the aftermath of that. I've been working on revising the fight that facilitates him realizing that and had one, brilliant idea of Trick fighting with his vibroknife (that in turn facilitated and explained a headcanon in a different WIP on this list) before kinda getting bored and moving onto the conversation after. And then I wrote this 4 days ago in a sleepy haze:

"And in the quiet moment that passed between them on the dying planet, her weight resting and relying on him to keep her steady against an insurmountable burden, he understood there was nothing he would not do to pull through for her. To ensure her trust in him was never any fault in her judgment.

He understood he loved her."

And have been stuck with the understanding that Ziost is probably when they both realize and solidify their feelings as Feelings (her moment is in 3.0) and then...one of them disappears for 5 years. Oops.

***

The Collective is one of my two that actually isn't SWTOR related at all. It's about new girl Em, specifically in the verse we're creating to eventually rp in. And since anything goes and it's inevitable, hi Cas...remember when I said Ember was running from and loved by something else other than her father? This is what I meant.

The Collective is the name of an artificial god the tieflings created by fusing five souls (and later revealed, five physical bodies) together via magic and alchemy. It's the first time Em is "meeting" them, so to speak, as her mother is offering her as their bride in a bid of power. They eventually accept, and it's why Em is considered heir apparent to the throne.

The fact that her childhood sweetheart is the leading soul of the god definitely means nothing and wasn't premeditated at all. The fact that one of the other souls was her brother's lover also definitely means nothing.

"The scent of the incense and flames permeated the room, swirling and swelling around her until it perfused through her own blood. Her lungs were dry and her throat was burning, but she continued the hymn, her voice raising higher and higher until she could feel the frenzy created in her body from her physical obedience and her mental reluctance.

It was wrong to be doing this, praying in such a way to one who was not Infernal. If she were doing this for Father, it would be one thing, but this was an artificial...an abomination still in the eyes of so many. And yet...she could not afford to stray from Mother's word.

And yet...she had to see for herself. She had to know.

Just as the hymn reached its peak, her voice reverberating off the walls in an ever-growing crescendo, just when she was growing certain this was pointless and nothing would come of these hours of prayers...there was a spark. A floating sensation.

And nothing.

Tahalia opened her eyes, faced with a white, endless void, and five tieflings staring back at her. A tremble cascaded down her body with the confirmation she knew each and every one of them. Her eyes remained transfixed on the purple one--Dirin, poor, sweet, gentle-hearted Dirin--before slowly, with mounting, reluctant horror, traveled to the one standing foremost.

Faust. Her Faust. The golden-eyed son of the Engineer. The billow of smoke to her never-ending fire.

Her stomach dropped with another tremble, and she suddenly, desperately understood why Telnar ran."

We're playing with Lovecraftian horror, which is a whole new realm for me but I'm having fun and that's all that matters.

[professorspork]

Hot take, perhaps, but if/when Penny 3.0 happens I don't think she should have Floating Array, etherial or otherwise. It's just too bound up with her self-image as a Weapon instead of a Person. If Penny gets a sword, it needs to be a sword she can put down.

This is-- a fascinating take! I’m not sure I agree with it, but I think there’s some meaty ideas here worth unpacking. And I do think we agree on the fundamental premise (i.e. Penny’s autonomy needs to be foregrounded above all).

You assert that Penny’s current problem is that she sees herself as a Weapon and not a Person, and I don’t think that’s exactly the case. 

One of the things I admire most about Penny is is that when people try and tell her who (or, insultingly, what) she is, she quietly but assertively refutes them. Though early on her conviction in her own personhood was somewhat shaky, when her friends encouraged her she took it to heart. After Ruby “I Love You And Your Beautiful Soul” Rose told her that she was real and Winter “Everyone’s Feelings Are Valid Except For Mine” Schnee told her that her opinions mattered, she got-- really quite bullish about this. To illustrate:

Random citizen: It's Ironwood's robot! Robyn: [suspicious] Penny. Penny: I-- I didn't! [7.06, A Night Off]

Vine: I thought you were supposed to protect the people, not hurt them. Penny: I would never hurt anyone. Elm: Well Winter’s in critical condition, because of you. Harriet: And you repaid her by stealing the power that should have been hers. Penny: But taking the Maiden power was the only way to stop-- [8.03, Strings]

Cinder: You’re just a tool to be used! Penny: You do not know what you are talking about. ... Cinder: I don’t serve anyone. And you wouldn’t either, if you weren't built that way. Penny: That is not… I choose to fight for people who care about me. [8.05, Amity]

Which isn’t to say Penny isn’t prone to self-doubt, because she absolutely is, or that Penny doesn’t have a self-sacrifice streak a mile wide, because she absolutely does. But Penny wouldn’t have that reflexive, Janet-saying-“Not-a-girl”-style reaction to people telling her she’s nothing but a weapon unless she genuinely thought they were wrong. She’s not defensive, in these moments, even though she’s defending herself. She’s certain.

Maybe this is me splitting hairs with your argument, but I don’t think Penny’s issue is that she sees herself as a weapon. It’s that she sees herself as a hero. Not just a soldier, but THE soldier. The Protector of Mantle. She’s not Winter; she’s not most comfortable when she’s got orders she can hide behind so she can reassure herself she’s doing the right thing because someone else already did that math. She’s-- she’s Spider-Man. She feels a tremendous responsibility to save everyone she can, because that’s what you do. And yes that’s also, literally, what she was built for, so I can see where the argument is coming from, but I think it matters that the argument’s being made about someone from Remnant.

And on Remnant, your weapon is an extension of who you are.

We’ve never, as far as I can remember, seen anyone straight up switch their weapon. Ironwood made the nuke attachment for his pistols, but it’s still Due Process underneath. Maria only carries one of her two canes, now, but she didn’t make any design changes. Same with Yang and (lefty) Ember Celica. Jaune gave Crocea Mors substantial upgrades, but it’s fundamentally the same weapon; Blake chose to solder Gambol Shroud back together rather than replace it... and if anyone had an argument that using the same weapon might be too traumatic, it would be her. I mean, hell, the Messrs Oz have been using the same staff for millennia.

Weapons aren’t something you turn your back on. I don’t think it’s something that would occur to people. It would be like-- like turning off your Aura. That’s you. 

Unless, of course, you’re Cinder.

Cinder gave up on Midnight after the Beacon arc, and we’ve never seen it since. She relies exclusively on Maiden weapons instead-- some of which she molds into forms quite similar to her old swords or bow, but still. She tossed it aside. This follows the logic of the show: Cinder discarded the weapons, and with them the person she used to be, when she found it all to be lacking. Instead, she embraces what she sees as a higher form of power.

I don’t think Penny would think of Floating Array that way; as a sign of her failure. Nor do I think she’d see it as the prophesy/burden your take implies.

Granted, Watts used a sword from Floating Array in order to get access to her code and install the virus; it ended up being the vector for a huge breach of autonomy and violation of consent. But so was Tyrian using Harbinger to murder Clover, and Qrow’s still using it.

And granted, Penny didn’t choose Floating Array in the same way most people chose or designed their own weapons. She was born with it; activated combat-ready. But then, that’s not so different from Jaune inheriting Crocea Mors, is it? It might not be what either of them would have selected or been most suited for if they’d had the chance to say for themselves at the start, but... well, we’re far from the start, now. And Penny does choose Floating Array, when it matters. When she conjures weapons in her new, self-created body, she instinctively reaches for what she knows, what’s familiar. Her father’s providence. So for me, the moment you’re alluding to... it’s already happened. The whole point of leveraging Ambrosius’ limitations in the way they did is that Penny is separated from the parts of her that can be weaponized-- she watches her synthetic body eat itself, consumed by its own self-destructive urges. It doesn’t get much more metaphor-made-literal than that!

What remains, then, is Penny. And Penny uses Floating Array.

If Penny comes back and doesn’t resume the Winter Maidenhood (which I think is... low on the list of options, given Winter’s desperation and the likelihood that Maiden transference shenanigans are going to be a part of the vehicle that allows Penny to return in the first place), then she won’t have a choice. Either because that will mean she’s back in a 3.0 robot body (in which case it’s the same lack of choice she always had; Pietro wouldn’t give her an unfamiliar weapon after all that) or because she’s a Regular Normal Flesh Gal now and unless her Semblance is telekinesis (which it may be!!! we don’t know!!!) a weapon like Floating Array just isn’t on the table. But all of that, as I’ve already laid out, has to contend with so many unknown factors. How she comes back, and in what form, and at which time.

If Penny does end up designing a wholly new weapon, to me that would signal total transformation, given the rules and themes of the world. And that... well, it depends on the execution, I suppose, but I think I’d find that a little alarming. That she’d choose to have so little of her old self in her new form. But on the other hand, maybe I’m dead wrong there! That could also be read as yet another gorgeous act of creation by the Maiden best suited to it; it could be Penny choosing to yes-and herself into doubling down on her identity. She could be SO MUCH of a person that she, and she alone, gets to make a new weapon for her new self. I’m not against any of that! 

But even if that’s the case, I still think we’d see the hard light version of Floating Array again, especially if we have a Maidenbowl Redux. Even if I were to concede to your point that it’s too bound up in her self-image issues, that doesn’t imply to me that she’d have to move beyond it. If she’s to contend with herself, if she’s to decide she’s a person and not a weapon as you lay out, she’s going to put all of herself in the effort. As the speech goes, it’s a part of her. Even if it’s just a part, that’s still... a part. And this show has never been about severing yourself from your broken bits; it’s been about embracing them tenderly and letting them actually heal.

...also, Floating Array is *checks notes* cool. 

[lackogazda]

Tragédiából húz hasznot a kertész: a faiskolák a profitjukat féltik

"Én okoztam a balesetet. De ha nem tudtam megelőzni, gondoltam, nyerészkedek rajta!" - nyilatkozta lapunknak megbánás jele nélkül a neve elhallgatását kérő Lackógazda.

Ki Issai meg ennek a levét?

"Bő hat éve még kopasz kivi nagyhatalom voltam. 10-12 bogyót is simán szüreteltem az erkélyről. (A kopasz kivi a szőrös kivinek közeli rokona, csak kisebb termése van, aminek a héja is ehető. A szőrösé is az mondjuk, ha van hozzá gusztusod. A szerk.) Az Issai fajtára esett a választásom, mert bár vannak hátrányai, ez öntermékeny: nem kell hozzá külön termős és porzós példány. Ami ugye jól jön egy kicsi erkélyen. Aztán jött egy erős hőhullám, nem figyeltem eléggé rá és az egész megnyekkent." - kezdi visszaemlékezéseit riportalanyunk, nem elhallgatva saját felelősségét sem.

Hiperpinguino lenyűgöző felvételén jól kivehető a szőrmók (Actinidia deliciosa) és pőre kivik (Actinidia arguta) közötti vizuális különbség. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

"Úgy voltam vele, hogy ott egye meg a fene. Ki akar öt-hat-hétezer forintokat kiadni egy újabb cserép ilyen nyámnyila gazért." - redukálja a kognitív disszonanciáját a szakember. "De aztán az idén mégis úgy voltam vele, hogy üsse kő, próbáljuk meg megint!" - mutatott kevés önkontrollt beszélgetőtársunk. "2022. május 31-ének hűvös reggelén azonban matatás közben véletlenül letörtem róla egy elég nagy hajtást." - sokkol mindenkit páratlan memóriájával a kétbalkezes romboló.

A kép bal oldalán jól látható a törésnyom. Brutális!

Ez is a gyökerek miatt van!

Sokan talán azonnal kétségbeestek volna ebben a szituációban, de az agrár felsőoktatásban végzett elkövető megfelelő lélekjelenléttel uralta a fennforgást.

"Megijedni? Hülye vagy? Ingyen dugvány!" - kurjantott bele a nyakunkra települt válság nehéz levegőjébe szakértőnk. "Az egészet villámgyorsan felnyestem 10-15 centis darabokra, az alsó leveleket levágtam, a legfelsőt meghagytam és félbevágtam, hogy minél inkább csökkentsem a párolgási veszteséget." - mondta a szaporító. "Mindehhez természetesen alkohollal alaposan fertőtlenített metszőollót használt!" - ékelte közbe növényvédelmi munkatársunk, de azért maga sem gondolta teljesen komolyan, hogy a két hete nem használt metszőollón majd pont kivivírusok meg más kivikórokozók szaporítóképletei tanyáznak fertőzőképes mennyiségben.

Barbár módon felnyesett dugványok megfelezett felső levéllel. Épp csak a fotó erejéig fekszenek így. A vízveszteség miatt sietni kell.

Igyekeztünk megtudakolni, hogy a gyökereztetés elősegítése érdekében milyen házi praktikát alkalmazott. Sokan fahéjra, mézre, savanyú tejre és ilyesmikre esküsznek. Sajnos nehezen értettük, mit mond, mert fuldokolni kezdett a röhögéstől.

"Nézd, a gyökerek képződését egy precízen szabályozott hormonális folyamat irányítja. Ezekben a házi csodaszerekben pont semmi nincs, ami befolyásolná a gyökeresedést. Néhányan esküsznek mondjuk a fahéj antibakteriális hatására, még videókon is mutatják, hogy lám, milyen jól működik. De az így bemutatott fajok mindenféle kezelés nélkül is jól gyökeresednek. Elsősorban nem a bacik miatt barnulnak, döglenek az ember dugványai." - utal sejtelmesen a beszélgetés későbbi szakaszaira a suspense már-már hitchkocki nagymestere.

Növényi hormon hatású anyagot (naftil-ecetsavat) valóban tartalmazó gyökereztető készítmény doboza. Mondjuk ezzel nincs kisegítve a nyájas olvasó, mert már nem kapható. "Az a helyzet, hogy a kivi nagyon jól gyökeresedik zölddugványról (tavasz végén, nyár elején fejlődött, még nem elfásodott hajtásokból készült dugvány. A szerk.) akár egy pohár vízben is. Nincs univerzális szabály, hogy melyik növényt lehet így szaporítani és melyiknél esélyesebb a bukta. Lehet vakon próbálkozni, de érdemesebb rákeresni az adott fajra és szaporítási lehetőségeire még mielőtt belevág az ember." - hárítja magáról a kudarcainkért vállalt felelősségét a kertészmérnök.

"Pár dugványt beraktam csak úgy egy pohár vízbe, néhánynál viszont használok hormont, mert miért ne? Van a hűtőben. Ez nem túl bonyolult művelet: belemártod, lepöckölöd a felesleget és ennyike. Persze célszerű nem a tiszta porba mártani a növényeket, hanem kiszedni belőle valamennyit, de kicsire nem adunk." - avat be a fortélyokba a new yorki Planting Fields Arboretum növényiskolájának egykori gyakornoka. "Az eljárás során az előírásoknak megfelelően védőkesztyűt, védőszemüveget és maszkot hordott, csak úgy tűnik, mintha nem." - okvetetlenkedik már megint a munkaegészségügyisünk.

"Belemártod, lepöckölöd a felesleget és ennyike" - ismételte a kis herceg, hogy jól az emlékezetébe vésse.

"Hogyhogy milyen márkájú gyökereztető közeget használok?" - értetlenkedett a szerintünk teljesen értelmes kérdés hallatán a fiatalnak már nem nevezhető fiatalember. "A közegnek csak néhány dolgot kell tudnia: tartsa a dugványt egy helyben, ne hagyja kiszárdani és engedjen a képződő gyökerek közelébe egy kis levegőt. Ha ezen kívül nem szennyezett és nincs tele kórokozókkal, az külön előny. De lényegében, ami ennek megfelel, az jó. Nem kell túlpörögni. 150 éve is gyökreztettek sikeresen homokban vagy nyirkos faforgácsban. Persze van különbség, hogy milyen közegben hogyan fejlődnek a gyökerek. Egy faiskolánál fontos, hogy mennyi időt tölt egy dugvány a gyökereztető tálcában és onnan mennyire munkaigényes felcserepezni, de házi körülmények között annyi más tényező felülírja az eltérő hatásokat, hogy fölösleges ezen aggódni. Lehet használni perlitet, vermikulitot, kőzetgyapotot, mindenféle mixeket. Én jól elvagyok a homokkal. Vettem egy 25 kilós zsáknyi homokozóba való homokot anno egy ezresért. (Most 1500 forint körül van a barkácsáruházakban. A szerk.) Még bő tíz évig biztos kitart." - veri a fogához a garast a skót.

A dugványok, csak úgy lazán betűzdelve a homokba. Bámulatos!

"Fontos, hogy ne legyen csuromvizes a homok. Az az állag, ami már épp nem esne szét, amikor kifordítja az ember a körteformából, tökéletes. Ha ennél nedvesebb, megsínylik a dugványok." - idéz fel óvodáskori emlékképeket a kertész.

"Érdemes a dugványokat felcímkézni, főleg, ha több növényt is szaporítasz, mert egy hét múlva már arra sem fogsz emlékezni, mi volt az." - néz hülyének mindnenkit ez a tudálékos padlizsán.

Ez komolyan egy fagyisdobozból kivágott igénytelen címke???

"A dugványok levelei ugyan párologtatnak, de még nincs gyökér, ami pótolná lentről a vízmennyiséget. A páratartalom emelésével csökkenthető a vízveszteség. Ehhez nem kell semmi extra: rakjuk be a cserepeket egy nagy átlátszó műanyag dobozba és naponta, kétnaponta szellőztessük át, majd spricceljünk be egy kevés vizet." - hangzik nagyon kioktatóan többes szám első személyben emberünk.

Kíváncsiak voltunk, tud-e valami választ adni arra, hogy miért barnul és rohad sok embernek mégis a dugványa, pedig mindent pont így csinált? "Hát azért, mert mégsem mindent pont így csinált. Kulcsfontosságú, hogy az elején ne öntözd a "talajt". Éppenhogy nyirkosnak kell lennie. De ezt már feljebb is mondtam, mégsem figyeltél." - hoz minket kellemetlen helyzetbe a paraszt.

"A legnagyobb gondosság mellett is előfordul, hogy elbarnul egy-egy levél, vagy megnyiffan egy teljes dugvány. Ezeket azonnal távolítsuk el, hogy ne kezdjen penészedni odabent, mert akkor tényleg szívunk." - utal burkoltan korábbi saját kudarcaira is Ő. "Növénye válogatja, hogy mikorra indul be a gyökérképződés. Van, aminél már 2-3 hét után bújnak ki a cserép alján az új gyökérkék, de van, aminél akár néhány hónapot is várni kell. A kivi ebből a szempontból a középmezőnyben van." - bocsátkozik jóslatokba vendégünk.

Szaporítódoboznak csúfolt sima obis műanyag doboz belseje sok gyökerező dugvánnyal. (Fedél eltávolítva a fotózáshoz.) Kap némi napot, de nem közvetlenül, nehogy megfőjenek bent a növénykék.

A kákán is biztos egy csomót keres

"Mennyit spórolok ezzel?" - ismétli vissza a kérdésünket ez a hamiskás mosolyú ilyenolyan. "10 dugványom van, egy része vízben, egy része itt cserépben. Ha csak a felük megered és bolti áron 5000-nek veszek egy növényt, már csak ezzel 25 000 forintnál járok. Nem beszélve arról, hogy több fajom is van mindenfelé: papíreperfa, füge, véletlenül lekaszált feketeribizli, nyáriorgonák, innen-onnan csaklizott egyéb díszcserjék dugványai. Teljes értéken bőven százezer forint fölött járok." - feledkezik meg jótékonyan a faiskolákat terhelő munkaerő, cserép, ültetőközeg, rezsi és egyéb vállalkozási költségekről Lackógazda. (Cikkünket a gyökeresedéskor folytatjuk.)

[darksaiyangoku]

RWBY: Colours of Justice 3.0

Ruby Rose- Super Rose (Superman)

Blake Belladonna- Shadow Bat (Batman)

Jaune Arc- Wonder Knight (Wonder Woman)

Nora Valkyrie- Storm Flash (The Flash)

Lie Ren- Green Lantern

Weiss Schnee- White Lantern

Penny Polendina- Cyborg

Neptune Vasilias- Hydro Man (Aquaman)

Yang Xiao Long- Power Ember (Power Girl)

I swear, I spend more time establishing roles than I do actually writing the story, lol.

[itcars]

3 McLaren Cars to Debut at Salon Privé in September

McLaren Automotive will have a major presence at Salon Privé on September 2-5 with the new high-performance hybrid McLaren Artura, the windscreen variant of the company’s open-top Elva, 765LT Spider and the McLaren GT all on display. Prospective owners will be able to experience the GT & 720S Spider.

Held in the spectacular surroundings of Blenheim Palace, Salon Privé is one of the UK’s leading Concours d’Elégance events. Since its establishment in 2006, it has become a popular social fixture of the autumn season with fine-dining, champagne and guests encouraged to dress for the occasion.

The latest in the McLaren display will be the Artura high-performance hybrid supercar in Ember Orange, fresh from its appearance at the British Motor Show. Representing the full force of McLaren’s knowledge and experience in road and race cars, it features the all-new, and British-innovated and built McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) & is powered by a 120°-angle twin-turbo 3.0 liter V6, assisted by a compact 95PS axial flux E-motor.

With a class-leading DIN weight of 1,498kg and a combined output of 680PS and 720Nm, the Artura is capable of stunning performance of 0-200km/h (124mph) in 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 330km/h (205mph). It is also designed to be driven in electric-only mode for journeys of up to 30km*. Available from £185,500 in the UK, the price includes a comprehensive warranty and servicing package.

Sharing the spotlight will be the Elva with windscreen. Retaining the essence of the Ultimate Series car's pure distillation of driving pleasure, if not quite blurring the boundaries between the interior and the outside world, the narrow screen perfectly complements the Elva’s beautifully-sculpted form. The car on display has a stunning Satin Blue finish and, as one of the rarest McLaren cars ever built, is a must-see for visitors to Salon Privé.

Also new to the event will be the 765LT Spider in Ambit Blue. Announced earlier in the summer, the latest Longtail follows last year’s fully-sold-out 765LT Coupe. Its carbon fiber chassis allows the Spider to retain all of the critically-acclaimed dynamic prowess of the coupe, while adding an electrically-operated one-piece retractable hard top that lowers in just 11 seconds. It is the most powerful McLaren Spider yet, bringing the drama of the 765LT’s quad exhaust note into the cabin to deliver an intensely visceral driving experience.

Designed for those who value both performance and supreme elegance, the McLaren GT in Serpentine completes the Salon Privé line-up. The GT opens the McLaren driving experience to a wider audience, with stunning design, generous luggage capacity – in which travel pieces from McLaren’s collaboration with TUMI fit perfectly - and a luxurious interior ambience in addition to the astonishing levels of performance and dynamic excitement expected from a McLaren.

“It’s wonderful to return to Salon Privé, a highlight of the UK motoring calendar and the perfect fit for McLaren as a modern luxury supercar company. It will be fantastic to see our supercars complementing the many cherished automobiles from both past and present in the stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace where we look forward to meeting McLaren owners and admirers of the brand.” Brett Soso, Managing Director – Europe, Middle East & Africa, McLaren Automotive

In addition to the four cars on display, prospective customers will also be able to book test drives in the McLaren GT and 720S Spider at the event. Enquiries can be made at the McLaren display.

[kaile-hultner]

Nihilism is so easy, which is why we need to kill it

(I initially published this here a couple weeks ago.)

So last night it dawned on me that, after over two years of being relatively symptom-free, my depression snuck back up on me and has taken over. It’s still pretty mild in comparison to other times I’ve been stuck in the hole, but after 24 months (and more) of mostly being good to go, I can tell that it’s here for a hot minute again.

How do I know? Well, it might be the fact that I spent more time sleeping during my recent vacation from work than I did just about anything else, and how it’s suddenly really hard for me to stay awake during work hours. I don’t really have an appetite, and in fact nausea hits me frequently. I don’t really have any emotional reactions to things outside of tears, even when tears aren’t super appropriate to the situation (like watching someone play Outer Wilds for the first time). And I’ve been consuming a lot of apocalyptic media, to which the only response, emotional or otherwise, I can really muster is “dude same.”

For a long time I was huge into absurdist philosophy, because it felt to my depressed brain like just the right balance between straight up denying that things are bad (and thus we should fix them, or at least try to do so) and full-blown nihilism. This gives absurdism a lot of credit; mostly it’s just a loose set of spicy existentialist ideas and shit that sounds good on a sticker, like “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

In the last couple years, while outside of my depressive state, I went back to Camus’ work and found a lot of almost full-on abusive shit in it. Not toward anyone specifically, but shit like “nobody and nothing will care if you’re gone, so live out of spite of them all” rubs me the wrong way in retrospect. The philosophy Camus puts out opens the door for living in a very self-destructive fashion; that in fact the good life is living without care for yourself or anyone/anything else. The way Camus describes and derides suicide especially is grim as fuck, and certainly I would never recommend The Myth of Sisyphus to anyone currently struggling with ideation. That “perfect balance” between denial and nihilism is really not that perfect at all, and in fact skews much more heavily towards the latter.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has been a big albatross around my neck in terms of the media products I’ve consumed in my life that I believe have influenced my depression hardcore. It sits in a similar conversational space to Camus’ work, in that it confronts nihilism and at once rejects and facilitates it. A lot of folks remark that Evangelion is pretty unique – or at least uncommon – in its accurate portrayal of depression, especially for mid-90s anime properties. The thing I notice always seems to be missing in these discussions is that along with that accurate portrayal comes a spot-on – to me, at least – depiction of what depression does to resist being treated. This is a disease that uses a person’s rational faculties to suggest that nobody else could possibly understand their pain, and therefore there’s no use in getting better or moving forward. Shinji Ikari is as self-centered as Hideaki Anno is as I am when it comes to confronting the truth: there are paths out of this hole, but nobody else can take that step out but us, and part of our illness is that refusal to do just that. Depression lies, it provides a cold comfort to the sufferer, that there is no existence other than the one where we are in pain and there is no way out, so pull the blanket up over our head and go back to sleep.

Watching Evangelion for the first time corresponded with the onset of one of the worst depressive spirals I’ve ever been in, and so, much like the time I got a stomach virus at the same time that I ate Arby’s curly fries, I kind of can’t associate Evangelion with anything else. No matter what else it might signify, no matter what other meaning there is to derive from it, for me Eva is the Bad Feeling Anime™. Which is why, naturally, I had to binge all four of the Evangelion theatrical releases upon the release of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time last month.

If Neon Genesis Evangelion and End of Evangelion are works produced by someone with untreated depression just fucking rawdogging existence, then the Eva movies are works produced by someone who has gone to therapy even just one fucking time. Whether that therapy is working or not is to be determined, but they have taken that step out of the hole and are able to believe that there is a possibility of living a depression-free life. The first 40 minutes or so of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 are perfect cinema to me. The world is destroyed but there is a way to bring it back. Restoration and existence is possible even when the surface of the planet might as well be the surface of the Moon. The only thing about this is, everyone has to be on board to help. Even though WILLE fired one of its special de-corefication devices into the ground to give the residents of Village 3 a chance at survival, the maintenance of this pocket ecosystem is actively their responsibility. There is no room or time for people who won’t actively contribute, won’t actively participate in making a better world from the ashes of the old.

There are a lot of essentialist claims and assumptions made by the film in this first act about how the body interacts with the social – the concept of disability itself just doesn’t seem to have made it into the ring of safety provided by Misato and the Wunder, which seems frankly wild to me, and women are almost singularly portrayed in traditionalist support roles while men are the doers and the fixers and the makers. I think it’s worth raising a skeptical eyebrow at this trad conservative “back to old ways” expression of the post-apocalypse wherever it comes up, just as it’s important to acknowledge where the movie pushes back on these themes, like when Toji (or possibly Kensuke) is telling Shinji that, despite all the hard work everyone is doing like farming and building, the village is far from self-sufficient and will likely always rely on provisions from the Wunder.

As idyllic as the setting is, it’s not the ideal. As Shinji emerges from his catatonia, Kensuke takes him around the village perimeter. It’s quiet, rural Japan as far as the eye can see, but everywhere there are contingencies; rationing means Kensuke can only catch one fish a week, all the entry points where flowing water comes into the radius of the de-corefication devices have to be checked for blockages because the water supply will run out. There is a looming possibility that the de-corefication machines could break or shut down at some point, and nobody knows what will happen when that happens. On the perimeter, lumbering, pilot-less and headless Eva units shuffle around; it is unknown whether they’re horrors endlessly biding their time or simply ghosts looking to reconnect to the ember of humanity on the other side of the wall. Survival is always an open question, and mutual aid is the expectation. Still: the apocalypse happened, and we’re still here. The question Village 3 answers is “what now?” We move on, we adapt.

Evangelion is still a work that does its level best to defy easy interpretation, but the modern version of the franchise has largely abandoned the nihilism that was at its core in the 90s version. It’s not just that Shinji no longer denies the world until the last possible second – it’s that he frequently actively reaches out and is frustrated by other people’s denials. He wants to connect, he wants to be social, but he’s also burdened with the idea that he’s only good to others if he’s useful, and he’s only useful if he pilots the Eva unit. This last movie separates him and what he is worth to others (and himself) from his agency in being an Eva pilot, finally. In doing so, he’s able to reconcile with nearly everyone in his life who he has harmed or who has hurt him, and create a world in which there is no Evangelion. While this ending is much more wishful thinking than one more grounded in the reality of the franchise – one that, say, focuses on the existence and possible flourishing of Village 3 and other settlements like it while keeping one eye on the precarious balancing act they’re all playing – it feels better than the ending of End of Eva, and even than the last two episodes of the original series.

I’m glad the nihilism in Evangelion is gone, for the most part. I’m glad that I didn’t spend roughly eight hours watching the Evamovies only to be met yet again with a message of “everything is pointless, fuck off and die.” Because I’ve been absorbing that sentiment a lot lately, from a lot of different sources, and it really just fuckin sucks to hear over and over again.

It is a truth we can’t easily ignore that the confluence of pandemic, climate change, authoritarian surge and capitalist decay has made shit miserable recently. But the spike in lamentations over the intractability of this mix of shit – the inevitability of our destruction, to put it in simpler terms – really is pissing me off. No one person is going to fix the world, that much is absolutely true, but if everyone just goes limp and decides to “123 not it” the apocalypse then everyone crying about how the world is fucked on Twitter will simply be adding to the opening bars of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

We can’t get in a mech to save the world but then, neither realistically could Shinji Ikari. What we can do looks a lot more like what’s being done in Village 3: people helping each other with limited resources wherever they can.

Last week, Hurricane Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast and churned there for hours – decimating Bayou communities in Louisiana and disrupting the supply chain extensively – before powering down and moving inland. Last night the powerful remnants of that storm tore through the Northeast, causing intense flooding. Areas not typically affected by hurricanes suddenly found themselves in a similar boat – pun not intended – to folks for whom hurricanes are simply a fact of life. There’s a once-in-a-millennium drought and heatwave ripping through the West Coast and hey – who can forget back in February when Oklahoma and Texas experienced -20 degree temperatures for several days in a row? All of this against the backdrop of a deadly and terrifying pandemic and worsening political climate. It’s genuinely scary! But there are things we can do.

First, if you’re in a weather disaster-prone area, get to know your local mutual aid organizations. Some of these groups might be official non-profits; one such group in the Louisiana area, for example, is Common Ground Relief. Check their social media accounts for updates on what to do and who needs help. If you’re not sure if there’s one in your area, check out groups like Mutual Aid Disaster Relief for that same information. Even if you’re not in a place that expects to see the immediate effects of climate change, you should still consider linking up with organizing groups in your area. Tenant unions, homeless organizations, safe injection sites and needle exchanges, immigrant rights groups, environmental activist orgs, reproductive health groups – all could use some help right now, in whatever capacity you might be able to provide it.

In none of these scenarios are we going to be the heroes of the story, and we shouldn’t view this kind of work in that way. But neither should we give into the nihilistic impulse to insist upon doing nothing, insist that inaction is the best course of action, and get back under the blankets for our final sleep. Kill that impulse in your head, and fuck, if you have to, simply just fucking wish for that better world. Then get out of bed and help make it happen.

[adventurepunks]

Dearly departed

@thedemonconstantine​ + Nick Nolan

It was moments after midnight, what some called the witching hour when onto his arms he carved three runes and faced the mirror he pried off the bathroom wall.It was moments after midnight after a week of heart ache that Nick gave himself to the Voids mercy as to get guidance.

You're always busy, I never get to see you anymore Nicky.

Nick carved the last blood rune on his arm and mentally he had left this house days ago, tired of a mentor that would not wake up out of his stupors at night and just fucking go to bed. It was a lesson for sure ,never look to closely to those you idolize you will find their facade cheap and yourself a fool for believing them to ever have been true.

"Blood willingly given… I place myself Nicholas Nolan to your mercy and care, hear my pleas and guide me"

He would tell the ones on the other side about all of his pain, for pain was powerful energy. About how he felt trapped and abandoned and now just needed a sign of where to go.

He found the departed often talked to him, perhaps it was the letters he left in shrines of accidents. Perhaps he had a natural gift for reaching their ears. 

Nothing happened for a while and he remained still in his meditation position, he'd wait and wait un-moving for days if he had to.

Dearly departed,I pray you find peace. I am sure you are missed and in your absence left a void his first summon that was answered a year and a half ago when a crash victim decided to reach for him. He had slept against the shrine and when he woke up there she stood staring at him.

It was the same today, he had to wait but eventually knocking came from the mirror and with his bloodied palm placed on the mirror...an invitation, a shadow of a hand grabbed his.

//There is a home for those that wander...// the wisp of a spirit spoke to him.

//You are not lost young whisperer, I see your future. You are trapped because you chose to be//  she was once lost too, she too once in 1931 knocked on that door and asked for shelter full of despair after her gift had been found out.

“What do I have to do?” he would do a lot to get what he wanted...but not anything.

//Ask. Stand facing the last light of day and burn this.” A tattered business card with a logo of the all seeing eye and a rose flower as an iris reading Drs Occult Investigations was given as a gift to the boy that spent his nights soothing them, talking to them. Learning a craft nearly abandoned.

It was Nick’s turn to be one of the departed as in the middle of the night he stuffed his gym bag and cardboard box of belongings into his Ford Capri 3.0s and felt every bit as beaten up as his shitty car.

He placed a coat over Giovanni who once more had passed out clutching his bottle and drove off towards the last light of day with the help of a compass to find a clearing in a area facing west in Gotham.

He burned the card and exhaled as embers danced around him.

A path appeared, he took his bags and hand firmly knocked three times on the door. They met before, why was he so nervous?

“I didn’t know where else to go” Nick deflated admitted when the door opened, staring at his feet. He had no idea how many dozen people said those exact words standing by that door.

“I can’t...take it anymore.” he nearly had tears in his eyes. He was eighteen years old, how was he supposed to be the one being a carer. He gave everything to study magic, even his boyfriend dumped him because he had become a ghost.

“I have nowhere else to go-” He couldn’t go home...no. They wouldn’t understand.

“Someone has to help him...it just can’t be me anymore”

He glanced back at his car, his cassette was still playing. He'd drive into the unknown if he had to.

[unatkozorobotok]

Könyvek a világ végére

Mint minden épeszű ember, én is szívesebben tölteném a telet rumosüvegek címkéjének olvasgatásával valami trópusi függőágyban. Ehhez képest ezeken az ezeroldalas szörnyetegeken próbálom majd átrágni magam, miközben az utolsókat rúgja ez a nyomorult bolygó:

The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 (Alfred Thayer Mahan)

A tengeri hadviselés alapkönyve, melynek stratégiáit gyakorlatba ültette minden valamirevaló 20. századi hadsereg.

We, the navigators  (David Lewis)

A csendes-óceáni szigetvilág hajósainak földkereséséről.

World 3.0: Global Prosperity and How to Achieve it (Pankaj Ghemawat)

A globalizáció jövője a 21. században.

The Origins of Political Order (Francis Fukuyama)

Az államok stabilitásáról.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey (Candice Millard)

Teddy Roosevelt amazóniai kalandozásai.

The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger (Marc Levinson)

Avagy hogyan változtatta meg a szerény konténer világunkat.

The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad (Fareed Zakaria)

Magától értetődő, sajnos.

Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II (Arthur Herman)

Hogyan nyerte meg a háborús termelésre átálló amerikai ipar a világháborút. Érzésem szerint ennek még lesz jelentősége a 21. században.

[zktop10]

Author Feature: ZutaraWasRobbed

Our next featured author is ZutaraWasRobbed AKA @zutarawasrobbed !

Because this is an actual person that I know and care about, I want to clarify: WIPs and WIPs in M+ ratings specifically are SUPER DIFFICULT TO GET A HIGH SCORE. People will slam their kudos and bookmarks on something steamy, and with so few stories that are WIPs, it massively skews the ranking.

Small pool means the kudos and bookmarks have to work harder. That's all.

Adult content so the list is under the cut!

Title: Accidental Exchange (Zutara Week 2018, Day 2: Letters)

Rated: E

Summary: writing letters seems to be the only thing that Katara can do to pass the time while her husband is away. Feeling stuck, and more lonely than ever, Katara finds herself writing more and more letters to a certain fire lord. There is just one problem. She never sends them…save for one day when Aang sees a letter Addressed to Zuko and sends it. when Katara receives a letter back, it is nothing like she expects… For either of them.

UNDER RECONSTRUCTION

Score: 7.1 / 10

Rated E One Shots: 0.5 / 10

Tags: One Shot, Zutara Week, Letters, Fluff, Smut, Declarations of Love

Title: Zuko Can't Talk to Girls (Zutara week 2018, Day 3: Tea)

Rated: E

Summary: Zuko has never been good with is words. In fact most of the time he was so bad with them he ends up ending a relationship before one can even begin. Knowing his downfall, he promises himself, this time around he won’t say anything. This way, when he finds someone he likes he won’t blow it. (Modern day, no powers AU)

Score: 6.4 / 10

Rated E One Shots: 0.2 / 10

Tags: One Shot, Zutara Week, Smut, Alternate Universe, Modern Day, No Bending

Title: Hesitant to Love

Rated: T

Summary: Zuko loves his wife, but he doesn’t know how to tell her.

Score: 5.9 / 10

Rated T One Shots: 5.4 / 10

Tags: One Shot, Zutara Week, Post Canon, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Arranged Marriage

Title: The Four ways Izumi could be Katara's

Rated: E

Summary: I'v always had this theory that Izumi (Zuko's daughter) could be Katara's. Therefore, I have come up with different ways this could happen. Some are serious, some are just outrageous. But each chapter stands on its own. Arguably Korra compliant.

Score: 5.2 / 10

Rated E WIPs: 3.3 / 10

Tags: Fluff, Angst, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy

Title: Ember Island Players: The After Shock (Zutara Week Day 1: First Kiss)

Rated: G

Summary: Watching the Ember Island players made an impact, some more than others. But for Katara, it made her remember one the most painful days of her life. The Crystal Catacombs.

Score: 5.0 / 10

Rated G One Shots: 7.3 / 10

Tags: One Shot, Zutara Week

Title: The Princess and the Turtleduck (Zutara week 2018, Day 4: Turtleduck)

Rated: T

Summary: Zuko is a turtleduck who believes he will never find his mate. That is until one day a young princess named Katara comes by to feed him. It's love at first feed, but the only problem is... His mate is a human. (Zutara meets the Princess and the Frog, enough said)

Score: 4.3 / 10

Rated T One Shots (Two shots were included): 3.5 / 10

Tags: Two Shot, Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe, Zutara Week

Title: The Calm Before the Storm

Rated: T

Summary: The calm before the storm. That's what they call it... He calls it regret.

Score: 3.7 / 10

Rated T One Shots (Two shots were included): 2.9 / 10

Tags: Two Shot, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers

Title: After The war

Rated: T

Summary: For @addictofreading on Tumblr, Zutara exchange 2019.

Zuko and Katara talk about their future after the war.

Score: 6.3 / 10

Rated T WIPs: 0.0 / 10

Tags: Zutara Exchange, Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers

Title: No Romo

Rated: T

Summary: Reflecting on their time together during the war, he concluded that his relationship with Katra was completely platonic, and this situation was no different and completely innocent.- He would know, he was friends with Jet for a while in the Earth Kingdom. And he was very affectionate with him... even more so than Katara. Sure he could blame it on the earth kingdom and their weird earth kingdom customs. Like goodbye kisses that sometimes lasted and escalated way beyond what he deemed as a proper goodbye. So what he and Katara expressed their friendship differently? It's not like it was romantic or anything...

Score: 3.0 / 10

Rated T WIPs: 0.0 / 10

Tags: Fluff, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Multi Ship Tag

Title: Zutara Month 2018, Day one: Vigilantes

Rated: M

Summary: This game of cat and mouse has gotten very tiring for Zuko. lucky for him, his target decides to give him a break...

Score: 2.7 / 10

Rated M WIPs: 0.0 / 10

Tags: Alternate Universe, Modern Setting, Zutara Month, No Bending

[rosedavid]

Andi Mack Fanfic Masterlist

Thank you so much for checking out my fanfic masterlist! :) I am so grateful for everyone who reads/requests fanfiction from me! you are all amazing and inspire me every day to write more! Feel free to request prompts in my inbox if you’d like!

Newer fics added to bottom of each category!

Tyrus tumblr oneshots:

5 times TJ kisses Cyrus + 1 time Cyrus kisses him 

Flamingos

Motocross bonding

Will you stop acting like it never happened?

Skate Date

Height Difference

Game Day

I’m sorry / I was probably deluding myself anyway

Laughter

Cute Park Boy

embers (a bench scene fic)

TJ gives Cyrus a piggyback ride

Donut Shop au

Hoodie Snatcher

Eskimo kisses

Sledding

Post-finale Tyrus 

Skipping Stones

Secret Relationship (post finale)

Argument

Jealousy

First Day of School Panic

Finale Kiss

Jealousy 2

Zoo Date

What’s in a name: TJ name reveal

Karaoke

Basketball Hoodie

Reunited

Texting confusion

Prom Kings

Blueberry Macadamia Muffins

Broken Promises

Return of Kira

TJ formally meets Marty

Swingset Scene 3.0 AU

In Sickness and in Health

Basketball Daze

TJ wearing Cyrus’s hoodie

Cyrus takes care of an injured TJ

Sitting in Silence

Boyfriend does my makeup challenge

Cyrus goes to SAVA

Nowhere I’d Rather Be

First High School Football Game

Cuddles

Babysitting

Ice Cream Date

If At First You Don’t Succeed 

I Love you A Latte

Party at Jackson Street Gym

Flustered TJ

Fight + First I Love You

Haunted House (First meeting AU)

Pumpkin Carving

Horror movie

“I was in the neighborhood”

Lazy Day Sketches

“You’re warm.”

“It doesn’t bother me.”

“Stay there. I’m coming to get you.”

“I’ll still be here when you’re ready.”

“It’s two sugars, right?”

“I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

Summer-Salt

“Go back to sleep.”

Crutches

love sick

Flower crowns

Cookies and Chaos

Send your cutest delivery boy

“Don’t you ever say that to me again. I mean it.”

“What happened back there? I promise you can tell me.”

“You’re the only person I know who calls me that. It’s kind of cute.”

“Thank you, really. I wouldn’t be me without you.”

“Please don’t cry. I hate seeing you cry.”

“My future has you in it. Everything else is just a bonus.”

“Hey cutie, are you single?” “We’ve been dating for a year.”

“We really are the cutest, aren’t we?”

Ambi tumblr oneshots:

Amber finds out Andi is going to SAVA

Eskimo kisses

Andi contemplates her changing life and style

Muffy tumblr oneshots:

Eskimo kisses

Sleep Talk

Other Andi Mack tumblr oneshots:

Cyrus tells Buffy about his crush on TJ

Tyrus ao3 oneshots:

Nocturne

first dates

gone, but never forgotten 

feline good

piano guy

Tyrus chaptered:

Bittersweet Summer

Andi Mack Headcanons:

Read all here

Andi Mack Texts:

Read all here

Andi Mack Season 4 Headcanons:

Read here

[autumnslance]

My personal take on the Tempered argument for the Ascians:

More powerful primals seem to be more subtle and less-hands-on in their control than our initial introduction in the Bowl of Embers. In that instance, Ifrit just hammers the soldiers with aether and the transformation is really dramatic. And then we never, ever see a tempering like that again.

This got a bit long, so have a cut:

Shanti’s actions and words in Stormblood allowed for other actions. While she ended up with the goal of “you will worship our god” in the throne room, Lakshmi was summoned based on Shanti’s desires--for her daughter to live, and to protect her people from further similar pain in the striders’ war. Lakshmi’s actions, and even those of Shanti later on, include that goal, and it’s not until 4.1 that she even attempts to have others enthralled by her god; it’s not at all a goal in 4.0, though Lakshmi herself is hungry for worshipers as a newborn primal.

Similarly, the Heavens’ Ward in 3.0; some of those men were decent, some were bastards--we only have short blurbs in the lorebook to really go on, and the line from the short story that the “last true knight of the Heavens’ Ward” died the night Charibert murdered the old Archimandrite, thanks to Ascian schemes and probably the Archbishop’s command. So were the decent-ish ones peer pressured? Convinced this was the best way to end the war with Dravania? We don’t know enough, honestly, thanks to the various cuts to content and interactions with those characters. But we do know how some of them interacted and the choices they made that had zero to do with “becoming the Knights of the Round”. Many of their actions against the Scions and their allies were not necessary on the road to that end goal.

In my opinion, if say, Zephrin, were a decent man aside from his tempering, why would he shoot to kill? Even under orders, he could have made a different choice if he so chose. But he could perhaps justify to himself that trying to kill the WoL was a necessary step, and his tempering might have strengthened that.

And that’s sort of where I see the Ascians. They created Zodiark based on their desires, and He certainly fulfills that, though with some unexpected consequences. But the tempering doesn’t have to be heavy-handed; it’s more likely to be subtle, and so interwoven with their own desires as to be difficult to separate anyway. They make terrible choices and actions--and a quiet voice in the back of their head lets them justify all of it.

In the end of 5.0, after Emet-Selch has spent the story telling the Scions “the Truth” (from his perspective, perception, old memories; Ascians are still people and not perfect), and demands they “prove themselves” in the drama play that is the Amaurot instance, he immediately moves the goal posts after, claiming the protagonists failed. THAT specifically strikes me as the tempering talking; a justification for his disappointment and anger, by having the Scions “fall short". Because he doesn’t see sundered souls as actual people, if they fail his test to prove otherwise, then it’s acceptable to kill them.

There is a LOT that is directly 100% the Ascians’ own faults, parts of the schemes they didn’t have to do to anyone, but chose to for their own goals anyway (that end in the destruction of entire worlds). To me, however, any time they may have reconsidered, may have expressed a bit of doubt, may have begun to see the sundered as people...Then the tempering kicked in to shut down those ideas and move the goal posts, reminding them of their overarching mission that they have sacrificed so much for, including the freedom to change their minds.

Zodiark is only enforcing their conviction. They put themselves on this path ages ago and now they can’t choose to step off of it. Which is why redemption can’t be possible until/unless the primal lets them go (dissipated doesn’t work; the primal must choose to release them, as seen in Coils). They may not have realized that would be a consequence of creating their god.

It makes it interesting to me because the Ascians’ own choices are very “ends justify the means”--but there are also aspects where they can’t simply choose to stop being manipulative destroyers, either.

Do I want Emet-Selch back (and redeemed)? Not really, as I think his death was powerful as-is and don’t want to see that cheapened. Will I care if they find a decent way to do it? It’ll depend on how long it takes and how well it’s written. I think we’ve had a few too many fake-out deaths and sudden returns lately as-is, while having to wait some time is a good idea (such as Gaius’ return, which I am still on the fence about).

But I’m also not really emotionally invested in Emet-Selch outside of he’s a fantastic antagonist and foil with great personality and story beats, and the literary analysis he generates (and I really don’t care about the “hot or not” debate, he’s a made up pixel character). Were this a grimdark story, with a perspective shift he could easily be the antihero protagonist who meets a tragic end at the hands of those his ends-justify-the-means actions threaten. I figured when they introduced him in the StB patches he was there to be a villain we could kill so they could keep Elidibus for whatever the Ascian endgame is. And I like the discussion, stories, and art--favorable and not--concerning Emet-Selch, because of how interesting he is as a villain who has done terrible things of his own accord--and cannot choose to stop doing them, even if he wanted to.

EDIT: I think where I’m really going with this is there is room for both prevalent theories in regard to Ascian motivations.

You want to see some or all as cognizant, unrepentant monsters? There’s room for that.

You want to see some or all as guilt-ridden, unaware victims of their own primal? There’s room for that.

Personally I think it makes it a little more horrifying and tragic, if some of them revel in and accept their monstrous actions if it means they get back what they lost, while others have a low key horrified awareness they’re doing wrong but also can’t change their minds and come up with justifications they know are probably from their tempering but they can’t do anything about it—so stay the course and make sure the ends justify the means to ensure this suffering is worth it.