#How to build a list

[urfriendlywriter]

what will your character do..

(reblog and brainstorm, lovelies! u can also write drabbles with theseee )

if they're met face to face with their plot, with no warning?

if they're stressed?

if they're happy? who will they want to share it with?

if they're sad? will they go to anyone for comfort? if yes, who?

if they're forced into a life of death situation?

if they're being threatened?

if they're kissed by their ex?

if they're confessed to by someone who they had no clue liked them? (given, they're single or not)

if their lover betrays them?

if they're coughing up blood out of the blue?

if there's a strange presence in the room, and it feels ominous?

if they discovered a dead body?

^ if the dead body is their best friend? (great question to start and develop a plot)

if their enemy is at their doorstep, bruised and injured?

if they had to share a bed with someone they don't particularly hate? ahem

if they had to be fed by someone they didn't like/their crush?

if their partner-to-be? enemy? pulls them into a secluded and shushes them? (their bodies pressing and all that!!)

when asked to choose between their family and their lover? (given the circumstances of ur story)

when kissed on their head by their enemy after a near death experience?

if they're dancing with a stranger, and the stranger says 'stop dancing, sweetheart and you'll hunted. do u wanna die?' ?

if they find out the food that served to them has glass dust on it? (who is it served by?)

when being pulled into a hug when they most need it by someone they least expect?

when they have to hold someone they loved at a gun point? why would it even occur?

when they have to choose between their own life and their lover's?

when they've to give up something (of great importance to the character) to save their lover?

[kagooleo]

my WIPs are so unorganized but rice is forever, in doodles and Even when coding >:]

[thelostgirl21]

Jaskier and Radovid are the queer men equivalent of U-Haul lesbians.

[sesamestreep]

sexy himbo jock interpretations of James Tiberius Kirk are silly and do a disservice to the character for a lot of reasons, not least of which is that it fundamentally ignores all the times in canon when Kirk is faced with a scientific discovery or oddity and you can see the effort it takes for him not to clap and skip with excitement. like in ‘the devil in the dark’ when Spock posits that they might be dealing with a silicon based life form and McCoy’s like “but that’s impossible!” and Kirk literally crosses the room to flirt talk excitedly with Spock about the prospect and how it could work! and what it would mean!

What I’m saying is, Kirk’s gotta be smart and a huge dork because how else could he pull a bad autistic bitch like Spock?

[thebraxiatelcollection]

I pulled the plug and watched the reality war.

I am done with New Who. Doctor Who needs a break, it needs to go off air for a few years until it gets a fresh new show runner, writers, etc with FRESH and NEW ideas.

I am just so disappointed. Disappointed, but not surprised. This episode felt like a tick list for RTD on how many references he can fit into one episode without doing ANY actual research on the characters or items.

Yeah sure, looms KIND of got canonised. But even that didn't spark any joy in me.

And Billie Piper is back maybe / maybe not as the Doctor? RTD, please leave it.

[hollowwhisperings]

just finished reading two devastating Thomato stories in a row so have some devastating/cute headcanons

Ayato sends Thoma weird snacks for multiple reasons:

1) Ayato has a troll's sense of humour;

2) Ayato wants Thoma's attention, even (especially) while they're apart, and terrible/"unusual" food is the best way to tease a talented chef;

3) Ayato genuinely thinks some of these flavour combos are "good" (novel/intriguing/funny) and Thoma often cooks up better ways of implementing whatever Ayato was intrigued by (out of spite and ruffled pride).

4) Sending Thoma "snacks" is a means for Lord Kamisato to show "care" for his retainer in front of whomever he is working with; it doubly serves as "proof", to his retainer, that Lord Kamisato has not neglected to eat and drink outside his retainer's personal supervision.

5) Certain food combos, certain ingredients and plating styles... Thoma's familiarity with Inazuma's eateries is extensive and even the most innocuous of leftovers can inform Thoma of where his Lord may be. Who he might be with, what they could be up to, whether they are paying adequate respect to the Yashiro Commissioner. Thoma sometimes identifies details Lord Kamisato hasn't and Thoma's insight (even guised within the "observations" of a long-suffering third-wheeling Shuumatsuban agent) can be very helpful indeed.

6) For all the festive trappings the Yashiro Commission is associated with in the minds of the greater public, and for all that its authority over the Shuumatsuban is kept underwraps... it is still Helpful, for Thoma's unofficial official dealings (for Ayato's peace of mind), to remind the public that Thoma is PROTECTED. His whereabouts are tracked. His continued wellbeing is noted. Any and ALL illusions of intimacy Thoma may allow are just that: illusory. Thoma belongs to the Yashiro Commission. He is of the Kamisato Estate. His true loyalties, his true affections, are not for the likes of YOU.

7) Thoma doesn't always come to the correct - or "full" - conclusions about his Lord's little "gifts" to him. Sometimes, for all that the delivery is playful and the contents objectively evil... sometimes the ingredients or name or their relation to weather and season... sometimes, especially when constructed ~specifically~ by Lord Kamisato's own hands... sometimes, the gifts are but clumsy poetry: Thoma is the sun, the spice and sweetness, to the cold seasalt bitterness of his Lord.

(tragically, Lord Kamisato's talent for poetry greatly exceeds his talent for food preparation)

[nevermoorsource]

Warning for US fans ordering Silverborn from the UK

As of today, Waterstones and Blackwell’s will not be shipping any orders to the US. The wording on their websites are:

We regret that we are currently unable to accept or ship orders to the US, while we establish options to be compliant with the new tariffs. [Waterstones Delivery FAQ]

and

Due to recent Tariffs imposed by the U.S, we have made the decision to temporarily stop taking orders from there. This will also impact any outstanding orders yet to be shipped. We are working hard to limit the impact this has on our customers and hope to have you back shopping with us very soon. [Blackwell’s Delivery FAQ]

As far as I can understand, orders are just on hold, not cancelled. Hopefully things will be fixed by May 8th (or beforehand, so the preorders can be sent out before that date). There is a chance we might see some price increases though. I don’t know if any indie bookstores will follow suit.

[fictionadventurer]

Reblog and tell me about your favorite book (I want to say classic, but let's just say published before the year 2000) that has never gotten an adaptation.

[bf-rally]

hii

Boyfriend⭐️Rally is a virtual boyfriend collector I'm trying to create. I'm hoping to make it into a full fledge web game in time.

i feel like im like 75% or 80% of the way to having the site at a "bare minimum" for use

so i wanna share my form again!

im looking for anyone interested in joining and using the site in its super early days and giving feedback on any issues they run into.

here is the form for anyone interested. once i publish the most recent version of the site, i'll start inviting people to try it out 🫡

also any boyfriends you get on purpose or on accident you can keep lol

[lazuliquetzal]

What's your favorite joke in each of your favorite stories? :) I love you

I LOVE YOU TOO MEG :)))

“It’s voice-activated?” Itsuki squeaks. “How much did it cost?” “Can you put a price on a human life?” Shirakawa deadpans.

^ From The Disappearance of Narumiya Mei, which is funnier in context, because it is, in fact, the price of a human life--

(The logic was there. It didn't prevent anything, but the logic was there.)

^ From Intestacy. I try not to use referential humor too much, but this was also hilarious in-context, which is the standard.

This post is also the source of “Just like everyone else here, I only lie in real life” copypasta.

^ From The FoX-Files Archives, which doesn't have many quotable lines but the concept as a whole is nonetheless hysterical to me.

“Come here,” he says, and he holds out his arms.  Miyuki hiccups, and his eyes flash with panic. “Wh — what?” “Oh my god, have you never been hugged before?” Sawamura grumbles, face burning. “Please hurry up. I don't want Kuramochi-senpai to accuse me of T-posing at you while you cry.”

^ From Theseus' Paradox, which is unfortunate (not because the story is bad, but because this feels like such an AAB coded joke)

“This is why I told you to come alone,” Legend whined, flicking a quick glare over at Sky. Sky’s hand twitched, lifting a weak but heartfelt middle finger.

^ There are actually SO many good ones in Dawn of the Fourth (Four with breaking the crutch over his knee is a CLOSE second) but I think this is the one that has the worst best placement.

“Okay?” Nori echoes, with a distant tone. His eyes focus on something else, looking past Miyuki like he doesn’t exist. “What is ‘okay’ but a temporary state of being? Can any of us ever truly be okay?”

^ From AA Batteries. I wanted to include the entire Akira-Nori scene but it would be too long. Know that this is funnier with the weight of Chapter 12 behind it.

“I never wanted to rule,” the King admitted, repeating his earlier sentiments. He looked out to the kingdom— his kingdom—and his fingernails began to dig into his palms. “My siblings all fought for the throne, but I never wanted it. I only wanted to survive.” The wind picked up, whistling past the pair. A leaf fell off a tree and sailed on the breeze. It landed in the King’s mouth, and he swallowed it. 

^ From Replication, and no one commented on it, which is honestly as funny as the joke itself

“What did you do?” Atreus asked, crouching in the space next to him. “It shouldn’t have killed him!” Loki said, his voice rising in pitch. “That was a healing spell?”

^ This one from Lie By Omission, and also the quick jump to Loki knocking out Baldur before going back to Kratos's dramatic half of the plot.

“Pfft, none of that shit,” Raizou says, laughing. He steps closer and plops down next to Sanada, on the dugout bench. “You’ve obviously been cursing me out in your head since day one. No need to censor yourself.” “I know that you and your son are yōkai just pretending to be human,” Sanada blurts out.

^ From Sophomore Slump, which genuinely ruined Sanada for me because I cannot picture him as a normal person anymore.

It‘s not until the two of them start discussing Bend it Like Beckham that he realizes what’s actually happening. “Oh,” he says, relief filling his chest. “You’re gay.”

^ From Reflection, which has many better jokes that are too contextual to include in a best jokes post.

AND FINALLY, my FAVORITE JOKE, simply because it is so, so, so fucking stupid (and so is the story it's from):

“I swear, you’re kidnapping bait. How many times have we broken into this castle to rescue you?” “Six,” Dink snaps. He knows this fact intimately, because he had to file five claims to dark insurance to replace all the dark stained glass and get dark money to hire new dark guards. Later tonight, he’s going to have to start his sixth claim. It’s probably going to get dark denied.

[weekend-whip]

💌 Talk shop Tuesday!!

What characters did you have the most fun developing in legacyverse?

Ooh!!!

Lessee, the easiest answer is probably Jesse, given that every single thing he does is meticulously planned and I love finding meaningful ways to integrate him when I can! I'm also sort of playing the loooong game with his character, so every time he hits a new beat with his arc I get excited to develop it further! We literally have barely scratched the surface with him and there's still SO much more to dig into *-*

But THEN I also unexpectedly had/have a ton of enjoyment out of Kai? I say unexpectedly cuz I always knew he'd be a tricky character to write for and with so many of the Things That Happen being from his PoV, it was something I was going to have to adjust to quickly. But, once he clicked, he clicked.

He also holds a special place in my heart in general because we follow him straight from the beginning- watching him adjust to his new team and the world at large in the Pilots, then him cementing his role and who he is throughout Book 2, and then him taking what he's learned to apply to Lloyd (and others) in Book 3 (and beyond) because he sees so much of himself in other people HNNNNNNG. That, my friends, is what we call The Good Shit ™ (why do u think I'm so hyped for Monstrosity hjggfdfd)

And for a side character, I also like writing Dareth's character a LOT if anyone couldn't tell hjhgfgfd, he could've had a lot to offer if the show would LET HIM. People keep calling my depiction the 'goofy but wise uncle' and I think that's a very appropriate description of what I'm going for jhgfdghfds

[pmd-etu]

hey hey hey. thats a crustacean. standing there. menacingly.

[fjordline]

What are you even supposed to do after you finish reading something that cannot be beat. I felt like that after finishing Golden Kamuy, but now I'm really fucking feeling it after just finishing Usogui. That was the most insane incredible experience I've ever had reading a manga. I kneel.

[miirshroom]

About Astrology and Elden Ring

So, I noticed that there's been a reveal lately about "Libra" being a boss in upcoming Nightreign. Cool cool, giving the zodiac some formal recognition. Elden Ring is already absolutely loaded with imagery relating to the astrological signs.

Not only are there sheep roaming about everywhere, but some sheep up on the Altus Plateau are golden fleeced like in the story connected to Aries in the Western Zodiac. The Ancestral Followers have ties to reviving another ancient civilization like Farum Azula, and they wear bull horns on their heads in the image of Taurus, as well as there being rock carvings depicting bulls found throughout the underground, and bull skulls on the surface and skeletons in underground areas.

Nokron and Nokstella are twin cities which each sit on a different branch of an underground river. In this underground can be found the Mimic Tear which makes a twin of yourself. And also the Nightmaiden & Swordstress Puppet ashes which are summoned as a duo and described as a pair of sisters. D, Hunter of Death and D, Beholder of Death provide a spin on the Castor and Pollux whose story is connected to Gemini.

Crabs for Cancer are found all over, and through the deathroot-infested crabs they carry the implication that the deathroot itself is a manifestation of "cancer". Grafted scions and Godrick the Grafted in particular have a bit of that crab shaped body plan. Same with lions and lion imagery for Leo being scattered all over. With the most notable use of a Lion being through Serosh as Godfrey's Regent.

The Abductor "Virgins" evoke Virgo, who tends to be depicted in myths as a virgin. More to the point, in Greek mythology Virgo is related to Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld. So this is also the star sign of the Gloam-Eyed Queen who is an embodiment of Death.

And here is where a discontinuity in the visual matching occurs. Because Libra in the Western Zodiac is represented by a set of scales for weighing, or as the claws of the Scorpion - the next sign in sequence. And I've never been confident about who or what is meant to depict Libra. Maybe this is the point - the scales of Libra have been excised from the narrative because justice has not been carried out. Anubis cannot weigh the heart against a feather and cast judgement while Destined Death is removed with the defeat of the Gloam Eyed Queen. On the other hand it is also said that justice is blind (Lady Justice began to be depicted with a blindfold in the 1500's), and there are quite a lot of folk in the Lands Between who have taken this to a horrifying (and wrong!) conclusion and literally gouged out their eyes.

But of course FromSoftware knows that they have cut a void around the classical depiction of this starsign, thus making it available as a direct named enemy in Nightreign.

Scorpio brings the emergence of something interesting. Because the ancient god of Rot is associated with a scorpion - leading to the conclusion that "Aries" was never the first point on the timeline. There was a much deeper history associated with the ancient Scorpio. I have a speculation that the sequence of the Scorpion charms supports this: Lightning, Fire, Holy, Magic. The Scorpion sheds it's skin and adopts new forms of power through the ages - from the ancient dragons wielding lightning, to the [redacted] age of the Fell God's fire, to Marika's holy Age of the Erdtree, to the rise of Carian sorcery. So, Rennala and/or Ranni embody the modern Scorpio through association with their associate Seluvis holding the Magic Scorpion Charm, as well as Raya Lucaria being located above the lake where the Scorpion's Stinger can be found.

In the next few signs, they seem to be actually connected to individual characters. Ophiuchus the "man holding serpent" was claimed by Rykard, similar to Radahn the archer on horseback being a representation of Sagittarius. The reason why Radahn is closer to the Sagittarius fire sign than the Leo one is that time marches forwards. There's already a Leo associated with Godfrey, and Radahn's lion theme is explicitly inspired by Godfrey. Visual hints alone are not good enough - the thematic elements are also important. Sagittarius is themed around a desire to merge man and beast, as Radahn has done so by being inseparable from his horse and adopting the golden lion persona.

And here at Capricorn to Pisces the Western Zodiac breaks down again. Especially where Pisces is concerned - there are no true fish in the Lands Between. But the Vedic Astrology system can still be applied. Capricorn is a Cardinal Earth sign associated with the bones of the body and structures that hold people together, such as blood. The fishtailed corpse of Godwyn is buried deep in the earth and brings to my mind the fish-tailed goat of Capricorn, in which the meaning of the fishy tail is that it contains a spiritual world - and it is in a spiritual world that the Lichdragon Fortissax is fought on Godwyn's behalf. Miquella is also found buried underground first at the Haligtree and then at Mohgwyn Palace, and the Shadowlands where Miquella can be encountered features a sky draped like a baldachin echoing how Fia bestows the Baldachin's Blessing and has close ties to Godwyn.

Aquarius is a fixed air sign associated with sweeping away the past to make room for something new. Both Capricorn and Aquarius are signs governed by Saturn - a planet adorned by many rings and also the titan who devoured his own children. A description very aptly applied to the Elden Ring and Queen Marika. So if Miquella is associated with Capricorn, then Malenia would stand for the air sign of Aquarius the water bearer. She is associated with wing motifs and practices a sword style like flowing water.

This, I believe, is where astrology enters a strange state of the process of heralding its own demise. Pisces is an ending and a new beginning - a mutable water sign symbolized by two fish tied by the tail and swimming in opposite directions (or by a Swallow in Babylonian astrology - much like the bird that tops the bird's eye telescope as if declaring an intent to seek the change offered by Pisces). It's also ruled by Neptune and there is one character in the game who strongly corresponds to Neptune: Mohg. Three pronged trident and using liquid as a method of attack (though that liquid be blood and also on fire). Mohg sets up his base in the underworld - his dynasty is dead. I would say that the Aquarius/Pisces transition is the end of the influence of astrology on the Lands Between. The Age of Stars is about being free from these mythological sky rulers who dictate fate. Reckoning with stars as what they really are: giant fusion reactors emitting light and radiation as they generate elements. Which would first be examined with intent beyond inherent human ability after the invention of the telescope.

Also to loop back to that thing that I said about ancient Scorpio, the blue dancer and the splitting of the Ainsel and Siofra rivers I am guessing correspond to the ancient expression of Aquarius and Pisces.

And there are plenty of more examples of astrology imagery popping up in the Shadow of the Erdtree. The spider-scorpions, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, the EVEN BIGGER golden fleeced sheep, the bull-headed stone vessels, the centaur aspect of the crucible used by Crucible Knight Devonia, to list a few.

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

So we all agree that H2O and Mako Mermaids are different timelines right?

Like yes we see Rikki in Mako Mermaids, but that's definitely not Rikki from the same timeline as H2O.

She's not wearing red, she's selling the artifacts she's using her mermaid abilities to find and retrieve to random privet collectors instead of trying to get them back to the rightful country/cultures.

Even though back in H2O we had a whole episode about why Rikki shouldn't just sell anything she uses her mermaid gifts to take out the ocean to complete randos for personal gain.

Like baby girl this is how you ended up accidentally selling endangered/protected animals to the black market. Let's not repeat your mistakes with historical artifacts, by way of selling it to random privet collectors instead of repatriating them to the people they rightfully belong to.

Let's not be the British Museum.

This doesn't even get into the fact that Rikki in Mako Mermaids only mentions that she was with two friends when she was turned into a mermaid. And when asked about where they are now, she just says that they all grew up and got different interests.

She only mentions two girls, and she doesn't mention them by name even.

Even though H2O Rikki was also good friends with Bella by the end of that series, and her not mentioning her two friends by name leaves the door open for the other two girls in her old group to not be Emma and Cleo.

Which I honestly think there's a pretty good chance it wasn't Emma and Cleo who MM's Rikki became mermaids with.

MM's Rikki says she became a mermaid after ending up in the moon pool with her two friends.

But H2O's Rikki wasn't friends with Cleo and Emma when they became mermaids. If you go back to watch the first episode of H2O, I'm pretty sure Cleo explicitly states that while she's seen Rikki around school before, she's only even talked to her a couple of times.

For H2O's Rikki her becoming a mermaid alongside Cleo and Emma was the bedrock of that friendship.

Sure they might have still ended up as friends if they'd stayed on Mako's beach until the water police came to pick them up and never went to the moon pool.

It's just as likely that without the secret to bind them together they wouldn't have. I mean, Rikki 100% stole a boat and got them stranded on an island who's waters is a shark breeding ground.

I definitely think Emma at the very least wouldn't have been interested in being Rikki's friend if it weren't for being turned into mermaids togehter and having to share that secret.

Not in the immediate aftermath of their being stranded on Mako island together, due to Rikki being reckless, anyways.

Now if Cleo wanted to stay friends with Rikki after that, because Rikki did save her from when Zane tried to strand her on the boat and have her drift out to see alone, even if Rikki also ended up getting her stranded on Mako island for a few hours.

I could then see Emma eventually ending up as friendly acquaintances with Rikki due to their mutual friendship with Cleo.

Not immediately, but at some point, and they'd definitely wouldn't have been anywhere near as close of friends as they were in H2O's timeline.

Then there's the fact that MM Rikki doesn't have either of her friendship necklaces. Either her locket from the 50s girls that she shared with Emma and Cleo, or the moon pool crystal necklace that she shared with Cleo and Bella.

And while that could imply that she simply doesn't choose to wear either one anymore due to drifting apart from them. I could also pretty easily see it being that due to it being a different group of mermaids from H2O, they never ended up with either set of necklaces.

I mean, they meet Mrs. Chadwick because the woman randomly spotted Cleo while she was taking a trip to the marine park, and the woman noticed that Cleo was a mermaid.

Without Cleo in the group, Mrs. Chadwick might have never made contact with MM Rikki's group, and thus even if one of them did find Gracie's locket at the bottom of the moonpool it would have just been a random locket.

I don't know if they even would have thought it belonged to someone in a similar situation to themselves. Or if it was brought into the moonpool by like sea currents, or a bird flying over the moonpool dropping it. Or something like that.

While the moon pool crystal necklaces are only introduced after Bella gets one first, and it seems like MM Rikki might have never met Bella.

All of this, and MM Rikki never talks about how she and two of her friends saved the world because apparently the Mako mermaid pod that has supposedly lived there for hundreds of years at least, were slacking off and not paying attention to the impending doom of it all.

And when we see MM Rikki in the moon pool with the Mako Mermaid group, she mentions that it hasn't changed at all since the last time she was there, even though the moonpool looks completely different in the two shows.

In H2O it looks way more natural and cave-like, while in Mako Mermaids the edge of the moon pool is like tiled, or has large stone blocks squaring the edge of it off at least. It looks man (mer) made, or at least has had construction done to it.

The moonpool in H2O definitely feels more wild-magic-y I guess you could say.

Magic collects and moves through there by way of natural means and processes, and will do so without the interference, presence, or guidance of any kind of sentient being. It is in itself alive and sentient to some degree.

It directs Rikki, Cleo, and Bella on how to deflect the comet and save the world, or at the very least the surrounding area, from the potential impact.

Mako Mermaid's moon pool feels far more colonized I guess. Lived in by beings that change nature in order to make themselves more comfortable is what I mean.

I mean the mermaids are shooing away fish from around the island, they're gate keeping the moon pool to keep humans away, they've altered the moon pool from it's natural lava tube/sea cave structure into something more people friendly, they use the moon pool's magic for their own ends.

They're also just completely willing to potentially destroy the moon pool due to their own personal fears of mermen, which is said to also kill any mermaid that is tied to that moonpool, but that's a whole other thing.

Not to mention the fact that the H2O moon pool is severely damaged by that illegal mining operation in H2O season 3. And it's the whole reason why Cleo and Rikki have to help Bella make the tower of light instead of Bella doing it on her own with the help of the moon pool.

While it's again, completely fine magically, and in fact looks like it was altered for people's comfort in Mako Mermaids, even though it's only a time gap of 6 years because Rikki is 24 years old when she meets the Mako Mermaids.

So there's just no way that H2O's season 3 and Mako Mermaids exist in the same timeline at the very least.

There would have been mention of the potential end of the world, or at the very least how the Mako Mermaids had to repair the moon pool, or Rikki noticing that he moon pool was repaired after what Will's sister did.

But none of that happens, so the only explanation is alternate timeline, and I'm not afraid to argue that to the bitter end.

[bitchfitch]

So in that demon thing one of the fundamental Rules™ of the setting is that nothing forged or wielded by human hands can ever har a demon. Ok,

Esti, our main character is a half demon and an apprentice to a demon warlord. He is, like his human relatives, completely unable to injure a demon by traditional means. Which is bad for him, obviously, for many reasons give nthe amount of violence against demons he is expected to do. Now he's a clever guy, so you would think he'd had found some sneaky solution to get around that whole Thing, some loop hole. But he hasn't.

Because, he figured out fairly quickly he doesn't Need a weapon. His other half is shadow themed. Unlike his kin he can't make little minions rise up or anything like that, but he can melt into and move between connected shadows, splatoon style.

He can also grab things and people to make them come with him.

everything below the surface layer of dirt, the gaps between floorboards and spaces between them, cracks in cliff faces, etc, are all things he can move into very easily. If he drags someone down in there with him, and lets go. They dont. Do well.

He found this out on accident when someone grabbed him as he was trying to flee. and I mention it because it's extremely funny to me how when you write this type of Mystyk Inescapable Curse™ you almost always end up with something significantly more brutal than if the cursed could just use a knife.