#created at the same time from the same raw materials by the same being

[blue-rose-soul]

Devil's Lost Son AU

Honestly, wildly accurate behavior from the three scheming uncles. Even in their silly moments they are uncomfortably cool with the fact that they'll be sending their emotionally unstable, god-complex-ing nephew into Hell to thwart a rebellion that's probably not coming with only Lucifer at the palace. And dangling the opportunity to see his mother again on a hook to ensure compliance.

Just the dissonance of cheerily sending someone you've "cared" about into danger, because you feel it a necessary evil. Very Hazbin Heaven coded.

No wonder Alastor has such warped ideas of interpersonal relationships.

And then there's Uncle Michael. Unaware that he's just highlighting Alastor's loss.

I'm glad you like these scheming weirdos. I kind of have a semi-solid grasp of their personalities at the moment, so I'm still figuring them out. The only thing I'm absolutely certain of is that Samael is the most stern and Gabriel is a nerd.

The sad thing is they really do start to develop some affection towards Alastor as they interact with them over the years. That does nothing to stop them from using him as a tool. Alastor knows this too, or at least he picks up on it in his teens, before he even reaches adulthood. And ultimately, he decides he's fine with it. He's already having these violent thoughts, can't fully connect to other people, and now thanks to the angels' interference he feels even further disconnected from humanity. If he can cause a little chaos and get back at the jackass who left his mother to die, he's fine with being a their weapon. For now.

Even with Michael - the 'uncle' he's ostensibly closest with - Alastor keeps his walls up. Not only because of how similar he is to Lucifer, although that's a big part of it, but because he can't figure out what Michael wants from him. He's fine with people who want to use him, or want something from him. He can work with people like that. But Michael's motivations are a mystery to him, and that makes the former leader of Heaven's army extremely dangerous.

Meanwhile, Michael is using a magic light ball to rewatch old memories of himself and Lucifer and more recent ones of himself with Alastor as though they're home videos and swearing to himself that, whatever went wrong with Luci, he's not going to make that mistake with Alastor.

And then Alastor's shot in the woods while burying a body.

[xxsabitoxx]

Costume Party | Kinktober

Angel Yuta Okkotsu x AFAB Devil Reader

Warnings: raw sex, jealous Yuta, angry Yuta, costume wearing, creampies,

A/N: day twoooo hehe, this one is a shorter one but still, enjoy!

WORD COUNT: 1.5K

“Yuuuta-ah~” you drawled, fingers digging into the sheets and tugging until the material went taut. The man behind you didn’t answer, brows creasing in concentration as he tried to carry on his “silent” act. You had upset him earlier that day, and now he was determined to “punish” you. The thing is, you were Yuta’s biggest weakness. There were very few things you could do to upset him, and even then it was hard for him to truly stay mad. This time though, this time he was trying his damn hardest to keep the angry act up. 

But, the latex one piece, the red devil horns barely holding on to your hair, the fishnets he had ripped instead of taking off… they were making his resolve crumble, even as his hips were actively plowing into your dripping cunt. “Y-yuta please!” you squealed as a harsh slap was dealt to your already sensitive ass cheek, mascara streaking your cheeks and staining the sheets as he continued to leave your pleas unanswered. The halloween party was the root cause of his annoyance, your couple costume had garnered a lot more attention than he anticipated. 

Angel and Devil, it was a classic – cliche even – costume idea. Yuta went as the angel, his outfit looking oddly similar to the uniform he wore in his years at Jujutsu Tech. A white button up and black jeans, a pair of angel wings and a headband halo. You went as the devil, a red latex one piece that left little to the imagination, red fishnets, a cute black ��devil tail” and two clip-in red horns for your hair.  It was simple and easy, and Yuta only did it because you wanted to. He only went to the damn halloween party because you wanted too. 

He had initially been hesitant, it was a college party with kids he didn’t know but you had been invited and were familiar with a good chunk of the attendees. Maybe that’s why some of the drunken morons had the audacity to hit on you despite him being right there. That was the cause of his anger, even though it wasn’t your fault for looking so good, he couldn’t stand the way the other men at that party made him feel. Their cocky attitudes and side glances made him realize that they truly thought they could take you from him if they wanted too. 

Now, he was blowing off steam, and shamelessly punishing you for being “too damn hot”. 

…Though it was killing him to stay silent, still. Especially when your cunt was suctioning to his length, hugging every inch of him and nearly making it difficult to pull in and out. “Yuta! Please… oh fuck please say something… I want to hear you so bad angel.” You felt him twitch, hips stuttering in their brutal pace as you focused your head back to try and look at him. In his haste to fuck you, he hadn’t even bothered taking off his own costume, merely undoing his pants to get his cock out. You had to admit, the sight of your boyfriend all sweaty and bothered with angel wings and a halo on was going to stick with you for a long while. 

Yuta could arguably say the same about you, that sinful costume still half-hazardously clinging to your body was unforgettable. The slightly stretchy material of the latex one piece was pushed to the side, he had no patience to pry the thing off of you. The red fishnets were torn open so he had clear access to your cunt, it was a filthy sight. Something about his desperation set every nerve ending in your body on fire, the fact that he was trying so hard not to make a noise only fueled the flames. “Y-yuta… baby… angel… p-please… fuck I need to hear your pretty moans.” You let out a loud cry as his hips slammed deep, causing the skin of your ass to recoil with the force. 

He stopped all together, dull nails digging into the flesh of your hips as he kept you tightly against him. The head of his cock was pressing tightly to your cervix, creating a pressure that made you want to crawl forward to try and ease. “Y-yuta please… please…” you babbled, unsure of what you could say to get him to speak, or at least make some noise for you. Yuta’s determination was leaving his body with each clench of your walls, squeezing his embarrassingly sensitive cock too good. You whined loudly as he leaned forward, somehow pressing himself into you even harder as his front met your back. 

You couldn’t think straight, not when his lips were ghosting the shell of your ear, breath labored as he spoke one word. “Apologize.” You felt your own breathing stop, dazed, struggling to figure out why you needed to even apologize in the first place. It took you all of five seconds to comprehend why you were even in this situation, begging your own boyfriend to make noises. He was jealous. Jealous of the men who shamelessly ate you up as you strutted by, arm hooked happily in your boyfriend’s. You hadn’t even noticed them until you felt Yuta tensing. Still, his hips were beginning their brutal pace, cock hot and heavy as it dragged out of you. 

You were too desperate now to even care, “I-I’m sorry Y-yuta please… I’m sorry I’m sorry…” You choked, eyes watering all over again as you sobbed, breath catching in your throat every few thrusts when he dragged over that one particular spot. The spot that had your cunt fluttering around him as the coil in your gut threatened to snap. “P-please! Fuck, cmon Yuta I’m sorry!” you wailed, getting frustrated that he was still holding off. “Please, I don’t k-know what else you want me to say! I was only l-looking at you the whole night baby… please I’m sorry…” You continued your barely coherent babbling, struggling to look back at him with tear streaked cheeks. 

That was enough for him, his resolve disappearing altogether as his shoulders sagged. Yuta’s head fell forward, the halo headband nearly falling off as he moaned, loud and unrestrained. You practically moaned with him, arms growing a little weak as his noises finally graced you. “T-thank you… oh fuck thank you… so pretty… fuck you’re so pretty Yu…” you let your eyes shut, realishing in his breathy gasps as he rutted his hips even faster. “Oh fuck.” was the only intelligible statement he got out, hand pressing down on the latex covering your small back. You gave in easily, sore arms giving out as your chest and face squished into the mattress. 

Yuta was practically climbing on top of you, fucking into you at a deeper angle. His pants and whimpers had the feeling in your gut growing, your mind drawing a blank the moment you felt one hand shakily slipping between your legs. You let out a shaky cry of his name, the rough circles over your already sensitive clit was enough for the coil to snap. You came hard, thighs trembling as you gushed around his length. Not once did Yuta slow down, hips still thrusting into you deliberately hard as he chased his own release. You felt like jello, body melting into the bed below you as Yuta’s hands were the only thing keeping you upright. 

“Let me… oh fuck please let me cum inside.” He choked, face bright red as sweat dripped down his temple, he was close, dangerously close. If you didn’t tell him no within the next couple seconds, he was positive he’d be blowing his load in you regardless. You let out a half-hearted “yes”, too far gone to tell him with more reassurance. Though it didn’t seem to bother Yuta in the slightest, two more thrusts and he was heaving a sigh of pure bliss as he split inside. Silence fell over the two of you, nothing but racing hearts and ragged breathing filling the space. It took you several minutes to get enough energy to speak, your body already feeling tender. “Yu… this costume is going to be a pain to get off now that you got me all sweaty.” 

You smiled a bit when you heard him laugh, pulling out of you slowly and resting your hips on the mattress carefully as he fell onto the bed beside you. It didn't last all that long though, he had forgotten about the damn angel wings until they were digging into his back. “We’ll just have to cut it off of you then.” He said it pretty matter-of-fact, ignoring the way you looked at him as if he had just suggested something terrible. “I like this costume, Yu.” He didn’t care, huffing out a laugh before he spoke “This costume will never see the light of day, ever again. It's for me and me alone, got it?” The possessiveness in his tone had you squirming. “Yeah, I suppose.”

[dailyadventureprompts]

Homebrew Mechanic: A Carver's Guide to Monster Parts

Artsource

As long as I've been playing d&d my players have been wanting to salvage trophies or crafting components from slain foes and with Monsterhunter currently taking the internet by storm these requests have only increased. Knowing the core rules were never going to be of help I decided to take a look into the 3rd party space, and while plenty of people HAD created some very thought out systems they weren't quite what I was looking for, though the results were often too specific (only dealing with monsters in a specific book, useless for anything not listed) or too fiddly (requiring lookig up multiple tables and doing lots of math, potentially taking as long as the fight itself)

What I knew I needed was a fast and lightweight system that my party could opt into whenever they felled a great foe that wouldn't require anyone at the table to keep track of the individual value of various monsterbits. As such, I (quite appropriately) salvaged what I could of all the systems I read and supplemented them with my own ideas to get something I think works quite well:

After combat with a monster, the party may attempt to salvage valuable components from their prey by making a carving roll

The DC of the carve is set at 10+ (1/2 the creature's CR rounded down)

A medium creature can generally be carved once, plus an additional time per size category above medium. Multiple Small and smaller creatures may be required to make up a single carve. Multiple characters may carve the same creature at once.

Each carve (which includes preserving the part for transport) takes about an hour. Depending on the danger of the region this may provoke a random encounter as scavengers or wandering monsters are attracted by the scent of a fresh kill.

The roll used depends on the type of creature being carved and what the carver is looking to take. Dexterity (survival) is the go-to option, but arcana/alchemy might be used to salvage components form an aberration or elemental, while someone seeking to trap a ghost's essence might use religion.

Beating the DC by any multiple of 5 grants an additional monster bit per multiple (IE beat it by 10, get +2)

When carving, the character in question may choose one of the following options:

Carving for market: The monster bit is worth 50gp X the creature's CR. This may either be sold or used as raw materials for crafting. Generally noted as Monsterbits (GP VALUE), though some notable items ( such as giant spider silk, a unicorn's horn, troll's blood) can be listed individually as some traders/quest givers will pay extra for them.

Crafting for food: The characters gain provisions of a quality equal to the monster's rarity (Cr5-8 uncommon, CR 9-12 rare etc). Some monsters make for better eating than others.

Carving for trophy: Proof of a kill & boasting rights. Preserved to prevent spoilage but made almost useless for crafting. Trophies are generally worth less than market carves (10gp x the creature’s HD), but a collector may be willing to pay far more for them.

These rules may also be applied to looting groups of enemies, rifling through their pockets and packs for salvage and supplies.

A group twice as large as the party counts as a large creature, where as a group three times as large as the party counts as a huge creature.

Taking bits off fallen sapient creatures is generally thought of as "Freak Behaviour" by both authorities and lay people, and will likely get the party shunned or outlawed.

[synchodai]

Arcane S2 wasn't as good because it wasn't about air

The common critique of Arcane season two was that "it didn't let the story breathe." I'm going to one-up that and state that season one set up an entire story about breathing and forgot that in season two.

Yes, yes, Arcane was a story about Piltover oppressing the undercity, but unlike a lot of other stories about social stratification, Arcane was very explicit about the methods Piltover uses to disenfranchise Zaun. Season one was clearly a story about eco-apartheid maintained through extractivist practices.

WHAT IS ECO-APARTHEID?

Ecological apartheid (also known as enviromental racism) is a form of disenfranchising and spatially separating a class of people through pollution, exploitation, and abuse of their local environment.

[E]nvironmental apartheid was largely instituted through rural marginalization, the use of rural space as an environmental means of marginalization... - Environmental apartheid: Eco-health and rural marginalization in South Africa

Topside and the undercity are basically one nation state with a blindingly stark fence between them. Piltover and Zaun are simultaneously connected and separated by the Bridge of Progress. Progress unites them and alienates them from one another. Progress is why Piltover is wealthy and clean, and it is why Zaun is impoverished and polluted. It is was on the Bridge of Progress that Silco incited the riot that led to Vi and Powder's orphaning and Vander's betrayal. It's where Ekko and Jinx have their standoff, and where the Hextech core is exchanged. In other words, progress is a border.

WHAT IS EXTRACTIVISM?

Prior to the proliferation of shimmer and the chembarons, industry in the undercity appears to be heavily centralized around one thing — fissure mining. Vi and Powder's parents used to be miners along with Vander and Silco. Jayce and Vi visit one of these mines and she explains the masks the workers use. Oh, and let's not forget the children don't have to yearn for the mines when they're dying in the mines!

The Zaunites' livelihood being dependant on the extraction of natural resources for the benefit of the Piltovans is what is known as extractivism — the exploitation of a resource-rich land and its people by a separate "global North."

In practice, extractivism has been a mechanism of colonial and neocolonial plunder and appropriation. This extractivism, which has appeared in different guises over time, was forged in the exploitation of the raw materials essential for the industrial development and prosperity of the global North. - Extractivism and neoextractivism: two sides of the same curse

The "North," in this case, clearly being Piltover. The resources being abused and exploited here aren't only the fissure mines, but also the bodies of the workers and those born around them. Viktor's illness, for example, is a product of growing up around the gaseous waste of the fissure mines. The Zaunites take the brunt of the side-effects of the pollution so that the topsiders don't have to. The "dregs" are kept below while materials, both people and things, that are deemed useful get to rise to the top. The processing of raw materials and shipping happens in Piltover, so it's the Piltovans who get a final say on the profits.

Silco and the chembarons establish their power by creating an industry that operates outside of fissure mining that doesn't rely on the patronage of the global North. Needless to say, drug dealing isn't exactly a noble trade, but extraction, processing, and distribution are mainly controlled and operated by Zaunites, which allows them a source of wealth and power that they can leverage against Piltover. To use a more recognizable phrase, they own the means of shimmer production.

I find it fascinating that shimmer is made by killing innocent underground creatures. Cannibalizing your own kind for a temporary boost of strength that eventually turns the user into a monster? It's a poignant metaphor about the infighting of not just the chembarons' gangs but of oppressed groups in general. And while shimmer offers power and brings in wealth, that's not what the undercity truly needs and only corrupts it even further.

Nah, the show has been very clear that what Zaun needs is breathable air.

SEASON 2 FORGOT ABOUT AIR

Even outside of the air pollution caused by fissure mining, the theme of breathing and air is everywhere in season one. Ekko and the Firelights' community is built around a tree — the clean air it provides is the reason they've been able to sustain themselves. It is considered an oasis in polluted Zaun. Jinx's is often heralded by brightly colored smoke, and the way she signals to Violet is through a flare that emits it. Silco's altercation with Vander involves him almost drowning — Vander literally choking the air out of him. Silco, in reponse to this traumatic event, teaches Jinx to willingly submerge herself in a place without air by baptizing her in the same filthy water he was choked in.

In other words, air is life and purpose. Zaun's aesthetics are defined by gas masks and smoke. Meanwhile, the scenes in Piltover are clean and clear. Ekko and the Firelights' tree represented hope and the possibility of clean air in Zaun. Viktor was similarly associated to flowers that grew in the underground, symbolizing how beautiful things can live even in the harshest circumstances.

Environmental degradation, more specifically air pollution, is the raison d'être of topside-undercity conflict. Silco says as much when he threatens the other chembarons and reminds them of why he's in charge.

Have you forgotten where we came from? The mines they had us in? Air so thick it clogs your throat — stuck in your eyes. I pulled you all up from the depths, offered you a taste of topside and fresh air. I gave you life. Purpose. But you've grown fat and complacent, too much time in the sun. We came from a world where there was never enough to go around. That is why we fight. Do you remember? - The Boy Savior, Arcane S01E07

But by the second and third acts of season two, pollution may not as well exist in Zaun. How does Viktor's commune plant its flowers and grow its fruits? Does the Firelights' tree ever get cured of its corruption? Did everyone forget that the undercity is literally suffocating? Seriously, why is Ekko's storyline with the tree never resolved? Why give Jinx that monologue about a wispy goddess of air the fissurefolk pray to and never go anywhere with it?

JINX SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED TO JANNA

The Grey presented an opportunity for Jinx to be the revolutionary hero Arcane wanted her to be. The enforcers have clearly aligned themselves with pollution and poison, and Jinx could have been the herald of their wind goddess come to answer the people's prayers for relief. But the people don't rally behind Jinx because of her association to Janna, clean air, or her repelling the invading cops using bioweapons.

I firmly believe that Jinx being a symbol of the revolution because she blew up a government building is missing a few steps. She'll get radicals who already hated Piltover behind her, sure, but the everyday Zaunite would more likely blame her for causing chaos and bringing trouble to their streets. Because the average person doesn't really care who's on the council or if a politician so far from them dies. But they do care if the cops are suddenly at their door with tear gas because an extremist junkie decided to commit arson.

The first act of season two had me very optimistic that the show was picking up where it left off with its enviromental themes. The enforcers use The Grey, polluted air, to surpress dissent and hunt down Jinx. Jinx fights back under a mural of Janna, the goddess of clean air. Her plan involves her using air to push back The Grey and send the gust up to Piltover. After being actively gassed by the enforcers, Jinx and her association to colorful wind becomes a symbol of hope and revolution to the people of the undercity.

Except that's not what happens. The Grey is only shown affecting targeted criminals with no collateral damage to civilians despite it being deployed all over the trenches. The gusts of wind Jinx pushes up to Piltover don't make topsiders experience the air pollution Zaunites suffer. Instead, it just midly inconveniences them with paint splatters. In the end, The Grey is forgotten and has nothing to do with their fight in front of Janna's mural. Caitlyn gets a promotion despite gassing the entire underground with nothing to show for it, and the undercity idolizes Jinx despite her being the reason they were gassed in the first place.

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION IS INTERPERSONAL RESTORATION

Unlike in the game, Arcane chose topside and the undercity to be originally established as one city — and I don't think that was done without reason. The nation of Zaun and its identity is established as a reaction to the suffering of those underground. A community developed centered around helping one another cope and survive through the pollution. In short, Piltover created Zaun.

Thus, the interplay between Piltover and Zaun extended to all plotlines and the relationships they explored and developed. Jinx and Vi, Vi and Caitlynn, Viktor and Jayce, Ekko and Heimerdinger — these are all relationships that reflect the tension between Zaun and Piltover. Family torn apart by civil war, bitter ex lovers, different ideological approaches to scientific advancement, intuitive inventiveness and practiced genius. Their relationships are born from a common desire and degrade because of that looming border inflicted by the pursuit of progress.

Piltover and Zaun is a single house fractured because of how it threw all its detritus in the basement as it sought to build a tower that will reach the skies. The whole building is threatening to crumble, especially now that someone threw a bomb at it like in the finale of season one. The status quo Arcane and we as a globalized eco-apartheid have is extremely precarious as is any foundation built on abuse and exploitation. A lot of people will cheer on the Jinxes who don't care so much about fixing it than they do burning it all down to express their understandable rage and grief, but that doesn't really fix the problem of having breathable air, does it?

Unfortunately, we'll never know how the show will wrap up the Zaunite plight because it was all but forgotten in season 2. The problem of Zaun was never that they needed to evolve or be perfect — it's that their environment and the people by extension were being suffocated.

In my perfect world, the finale would have addressed the lack of light and clean air in the underground. It would have mirrored how some bodies and relationships can never truly fully recover the damage that has been done. As in real life, restoration is not a substitute for not doing harm in the first place. But it could have ended with a hopeful message that burning it down and running away isn't the answer either.

When Viktor was healing Vander and decided that, despite the unprecedented effort and time, his natural, non-weaponized humanity was worth saving because of how much he means to his local community, I thought that was what they were going for. Alas, they didn't let the show breathe.

[sagistrology]

𝖕𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖔 𝖎𝖓 𝖆𝖖𝖚𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖚𝖘, 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖙𝖜𝖔 - 𝖕𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖘, 𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖆𝖑 + 𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖘𝖎𝖙

(these observations are general and do not cover all aspects)

♏︎ pluto shows where we burn, toughen, and become resilient. reaping the fruits of this process can be strenuous, and might be seen better in hindsight.

♏︎ the energies can be raw and primal, given pluto's urgency and intensity. centring obsession, compulsion, paranoia, etc.

♏︎ it can feel as though you symbolically enter a wound, refracting its pain back to you upon contact. the energies can be vile, and gory.

♏︎ pluto compels us to confront our deepest wounds, and demands us to see where our perception is tainted by trauma. it is an undercurrent, nudging us to the edge to fall (confront) - and rise (heal).

pluto in the first house

♏︎ a dominating placement since it falls in the house of 'identity', creating a deep resonance with plutonian themes. there's frequent retreat due to an early disillusionment about people's intentions - leading to relying on oneself. can detach from people and be cautious, extremely observant. you can find a detailed description on pluto conjunct the ascendant here.

♏︎ during transit: change in appearance, often 'darkening'. can be a time of vitality, endurance, and determination. coming out of introspection - redefining oneself.

pluto in the second house

♏︎ compulsively chasing security and resourcefulness, focused on materialism and control, fear of scarcity and being dominated – dealing with cyclical loss, creating a fear of losing ones foundation. this loss can range from opportunities, careers, assets or wealth to the loss of an identity or person (core wound).

♏︎ during transit: reclaiming what's been taken from you, having firm boundaries, accumulation and loss of wealth, defining value, learning that abundance starts from within.

pluto in the third house

♏︎ sensual voices - talking oneself into positions of power, feared for their intellect and silenced by those less competent. often critical of institutions. requiring depth and versatility - jack of all trades. loving banter and debate. intrigued by intelligence, quick and instinctual.

♏︎ can be extremely critical of themselves, downplaying their achievements even if they are exceptional. longing to be heard and valued.

♏︎ during transit: intellectual obsessions, craving taboo or occult knowledge, communal differences - questioning one's belonging, focus on mental health and what doesn't serve you.

pluto in the fourth house

♏︎ giving birth to creations through their pain - ancestral and domestic wounds that happened secluded and privately, inflicted trauma. highly intuitive and enduring, healing themselves and those to come. breathing life into everything they touch.

♏︎ where does life grow? in the mother's womb. what is inherent to this process? its cyclical nature. what does it consist of? sacrifice, dependence, excruciating pain, loss. what does it lead to? birth.

♏︎ during transit: domestic affairs or betrayal being exposed, secrets being told or asked to be kept. can be about loss, sacrifice, or distance to a beloved. creating boundaries or having them crossed.

pluto in the fifth house

♏︎ wounded inner child, being unable to create, often by force - a suppression of light. urge to be centred. tend to be erratic, having tunnel vision while creating. the initial 'wound' can vary in cause and effect based on how pluto's aspected. while pluto aspected by jupiter can create a feeling of superiority and a certain blindness to flaws, saturn causes doubt and repression, amplifying critique and diminishing one's work. same blindness, just flipped.

♏︎ during transit: immersing oneself in a project or person, craving to be inspired, finding a muse, dealing with copycats. being plagiarized or robbed of your creation. think of ai generated art based on artist's models or corporations stealing designs. (having upper hand despite fraud)

pluto in the sixth house

♏︎ destructive humility where one’s identity can dissolve – people feeling entitled to both their autonomy and service. demand to 'function' to a state of paralysis while disregarding their condition. worth can feel synonymous to performance.

♏︎ during transit: confronted with criticism, obsessive and compulsive tendencies in the mundane, change in routines, purification, having no 'saviour', learning to sacrifice for oneself rather than others. new ventures, e.g. professionally.

pluto in the seventh house

♏︎ fearing control and dependence - often seeking complex and unavailable partners in the house of 'others', with them being centred. there can be themes of possession, manipulation, and dominance, being sovereign. private and protective. being criticised in the public eye, confronted with jealousy and projection.

♏︎ during transit: business ventures and deals that need to be analysed carefully, focus on social class and status, entrance of opposing energies challenging your identity, keeping bonds private. having eyes on you.

pluto in the eighth house

♏︎ sexually reserved, treating sex and intimacy as something sacred or ritualistic. casual sex and intimacy drains them and generally can't be sustained. once committed they are bound. can have obsessive tendencies and high stamina. desired and charismatic, however out of reach.

♏︎ can be calculated and sense opportunities to gain power. psychological affinity allowing them to recognize patterns and behaviours. deeply tied to wealth (currency of power), either born into influential families or striving to attain status.

♏︎ during transit: having power and losing it, being stripped of everything you thought was yours. letting go of conditioned shame. financial dependence, trauma being centred (actively or in hindsight). intimacy, few but significant connections.

pluto in the ninth house

♏︎ the occult, philosophical expansion and psychic abilities - abundant yet compromised by structure. seeing past division and aching over discrimination, hatred, and coldness. receptive to transcendence, deeply wounded by closed hearts.

♏︎ when restricted or bound to a place the jupiterian expansiveness turns inward (mental). they are curious, wise, artistic, philosophical, and energetic. attempting to compromise their nature makes them burst (and leave).

♏︎ during transit: desire to attain higher education or specialising in a field, craving intellectual depth and mental stimulation, change of perception (also ideologies and religion), experimenting despite resistance.

pluto in the tenth house

♏︎ stunted legacy - often hindered by authorities or outer circumstances to achieve greatness, putting them at a disadvantage despite their capabilities. opportunities can be disproportionate to their potential. think of an excellent communicator working in a call centre. having to work harder than the average person.

♏︎ during transit: focus on public sphere and reputation, facing scrutiny and striving to be respected, peaking. can be about inheritance, passed on legacies, scandals, and authority. be strategic of what you put out, esp. online with pluto in aquarius. defending one's principles.

pluto in the eleventh house

♏︎ intelligent and analytical, craving originality and detecting lies without trying. can appear vain due to their selectiveness, needing mental stimulation, bored by repetitive and constructed thoughts. can be isolated - principle above sympathy. detached when nothing piques their interest.

♏︎ during transit: focus on higher concepts - disconnect that brings awareness to societal structures, innovation, and the subconscious. peak social awareness and calling out misbehaviour. pioneering esp. in tech and humanitarianism. decentralizing status, prioritizing impact.

pluto in the twelfth house

♏︎ being intertwined with the world's suffering and consumed by agony that isn't theirs. pain can be unrestricted since it transcends the material. the veil, to both humans and the otherworldly, is thin. feeling out of place, or surreal.

♏︎ mesmerizing eyes, and an existence between the worlds. characterised by sensitivity and wisdom beyond their years. esp. dominating when pluto in the 12h is conjunct their ascendant.

♏︎ during transit: loss of unity with their pain concentrated inward, can feel cataclysmic and fated. confrontation and healing of trauma. fear over losing our cognitive abilities and originality due to advancements, esp. ai.

[oxymore134]

Galemancers I love you.

I am not an active,nor skilled, user of social medi in general and tumblr was not exception. I am ordinary the lazy reader who hit "like" and "reblog" once in a while. 

But habits exist to be broken, right ?

I have lurked in shadows long enough, and that is worthy of being said.

Galemancers I love you. You are brilliant. 

I have read so much posts taking about headcanons, writing process, or how much it is normal to fall for a fictional character.

So, no, you are not normal. You are unhinged, half crazy, and obsessed. But most of all you are creative, invested, imaginative, sensitive. And courageous enough to hit the "publish" button to treat us with your drawings and stories. 

And there is the most precious of gifts. So be thanked for that. Be thanked for giving the world colours and music. And be thanked for celebrating love on all is forms with each of your publication. 

There are two very important things that you might know.

First and foremost, as it seems that anxious writers are the common breed amongst you (us ?). I never wrote fanfic. But I play Dungeon and Dragons since four decades, mostly as a Dungeon Master, so I am not a total stranger to writing process. 

Your story, your words, your vision, your feelings. Each time you start a new story, you create a new world. Your style is good. Your headcanons are right. And your Gale is THE Gale. You are right, you are legitimate, and we readers are just guests, who you give the privilege to visit your story. And the only thing we are entitled to do is thank you.

So thank you. You are all wonderful. Please, don't be normal. Or rather don't care about what is considered normal, just be yourself, what you show is beautiful. 

Second. I was wondering recently about how the word Galemancer was created. And assumed that it is from Gale and Romance. Which was kindly confirmed by @optimisticgrey in her infinite wisdom and knowledge. 

I think it is pretty accurate, but not comprehensive. Please indulge. 

We are on Toril right ? So, unless I am misleaded since decades. Necromancers don't romance zombies (well, they can indeed, but....), Chronomancers don't romance hourglasses. And Chiromancers hopefully don't only romance hands (I hope some of you have mental pictures by now).

The -mancer sufix is related to magic, the first ancient greek meaning is tightly related to divination, but the modern common sense encompasses mastery and manipulation as well.

You are magic users. All of you. You use the raw material of Baldur's Gate and shape it into something new by a mere act of will, skills and knowledge. Te same way wizards do with the weave.

You are closer to fully understand Gale than you might suspect. 

You are miracle makers. Each of your post, each of your line, is a miracle. And a miracle is something we need.

(This post is dedicated to @optimisticgrey , my guide and mentor in the fanfic bubble, so, so, so much more.)

[crappycamille]

a/n: i’m not really sure if this makes sense. i hope what i was tryna do is conveyed. i sleepily wrote this. sorry for the bad grammar, like i said i was sleepy. <3

katsuki’s guilty pleasure is listening to mac demarco. it does something fuzzy to his chest.

the first time you put it on was on a long car ride. he can’t even remember where exactly the two of you were going, he just remembers the peaceful quietness of the day.

neither of you had really said anything to each other the whole day, just silently basked in each other’s presence. the day was filled with nothing but tender, tranquil, love.

it’s days like that where katsuki remembers why he’s alive. why people are so crazy about love. why he fights to protect his love, your love, and love in general.

the car ride was nothing short of peaceful. the car itself was warm just the way he liked it. not hot enough for him to sweat, but cozy and comfortable. it was beautifully sunny outside, but it wasn’t so bright that it hurt his eyes to look at the road. the roads were clear and chill allowing him to relax while driving. he didn’t have to be on such high alert for reckless drivers nor did he have to worry about getting irritated with traffic.

but most of all, he had you with him. you were barefaced, dressed in a homey-cozy little outfit. your hair the same as your clothes. and you were nothing short of beautiful.

he likes seeing you like this the most.

no one else got to experience you like this. you were your raw self. katsuki’s heart swells when he thinks about how he’s earned your vulnerability. how could he have gotten so lucky to have you not only love him but wholeheartedly trust him?

the beginning of the car ride matched the day in its cozy silence. but then katsuki heard you peep a quiet “oh!” as you reached over to grab his phone. as he glanced over at you, he noticed you excitedly biting your lip.

that’s when you played mac demarco. you then sat back satisfied as you reveled in the enhanced calming ambiance you’d created. clearly feeling accomplished having found music to perfectly match the atmosphere of the day.

at first, katsuki couldn’t understand why you liked it so much other than it being “vibey.” especially because he related so hard to all of those songs. he felt them deep within his soul.

he understood the kind of guttural love mac demarco was writing songs about. the kind of person mac demarco felt devastatingly connected to. because… that’s how katsuki feels about you.

he was almost mad that you introduced him to this music. he feels so shaken everytime he listens to mac demarco. it makes his chest buzz with the overwhelming emotions he has for you. he can’t even control it. the feeling is overwhelming. it’s addicting.

he just loves you.

so now he finds himself listening to mac demarco all the time. when he’s cooking, when he’s cleaning, when he’s at the office, when he’s working out, when he’s driving. whenever he feels the need to musically materialize his love for you.

it’s especially hard when he’s away on missions. he’s sitting in his hotel room at night, earbuds pushed deeply into his ears. he sits back and presses play as he’s laying down for bed. he’s already had a video chat with you, but the aftermath of that always stings the worst at the realization that you aren’t with him. the quietness after the end of the call is loud enough to send him spiraling sometimes. he tries to ignore how cold and empty the bed feels and he fills the silence with that musically materialized love.

it’s calms him. creates a feeling that ripples from deep within his chest throughout his entire body, like ripples on a still pond. he misses you dearly. enough to make him cry. enough to make him leave his hotel and get back to you. but he won’t.

he’s a hero through and through. he sacrifices so he can fight. and he fights day in and day out to protect love. his love, your love, and love in general.

[theres-a-body-here]

Scumtober- Day 26 (Aphrodisiac)

Blaidd x Male!reader

You sat on your bedroll near the crackling campfire as you tinkered with your materials. You sighed deeply while attempting to craft a Bloodboil Aromatic. The alluring scent of flora wafted through the air. Blaidd had been gone for some time, hunting for fresh meat. Your fingers were stained with various potions and ingredients, but there was still something missing – Land Octopus Ovaries.

You huff as you look through your bag again. You stop when you see you still have beast blood from those Monstrous dogs you had slain in Caelid. You bring the glass vial to your nose and sniff it. It almost smells the same as the ovaries. You wonder if it could serve as a substitute.

Fuck it. You pop the cork and pour the thick blood into your mortar.

As you mix the substances together, you hear rustling of leaves from the woods. Suddenly, Blaidd exits the treeline and heads over to your campfire. He's carrying a large piece of raw meat. He drops it beside the fire and gives you an exhausted smile before collapsing onto his makeshift bedroll next to yours.

"Did I miss anything?" he asks groggily.

You shake your head slightly. "Nothing much, just trying to make something," you say nonchalantly as you carefully pour the contents of the mortar into a new vial. Instead of the usual deep red color associated with Bloodboil Aromatics, the liquid inside has taken on a faint pink hue.

Blaidd raises an eyebrow and approaches you curiously. He takes the vial and uncorks it before taking a whiff. His eyes widen in realization.

"That doesn't look like any Bloodboil Aromatic I've seen before," he remarks, eyeing the unfamiliar color of the potion. "What did you use instead of the Land Octopus Ovaries?"

You shrug casually. "Just beast blood from those big doggies we fought back in Caelid," you explain. "I figured they might work since they're kinda similar, right?"

Blaidd hesitates for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Well, I suppose so... But I don't think anyone has tried using dog blood instead of octopus ovaries before. This might be interesting."

Nodding firmly, you grab the vial containing your concoction and raise it to your lips. "Only one way to find out!" you declare boldly.

Blaidd looks worried. "Are you sure? We don't know what effect this will have—"

"Too late".

You swallow the entire contents of the vial without another thought. Immediately afterward, a strange sensation begins to spread throughout your body. Warmth fills your veins, followed by an mild burning sensation that seems to radiate from every cell in your being. Sweat breaks out on your forehead as you feel like you're on fire from within.

Gasping for breath, you drop the empty vial and lie on your bedroll.

Blaidd rushes to your side, concern etched across his features. However, upon closer inspection, he realizes that rather than experiencing pain, you appear to be... enjoying yourself? With each wave of heat coursing through your body, you let out soft moans of pleasure.

Your hands stretch out towards him, desperately seeking contact. Confused yet intrigued, Blaidd tentatively allows himself to be pulled closer. Your arms wrap around his waist and pull him close.

Puzzled by your behavior, Blaidd leans in closer to get a better whiff of whatever is causing such a reaction in his mate. As he takes a deep breath, his eyes widen in surprise. That familiar scent – one that sends shivers down his spine and causes his heart to race – emanates from you. Arousal.

Somehow, in place of creating a Bloodboil Aromatic, you had managed to craft up an aphrodisiac!

As Blaidd continues to process the situation, you begin to grow impatient. Moaning louder now, you attempt to draw him even closer until your faces are mere inches apart. Your lips part slightly, begging for a taste of his mouth.

He quickly comes to the conclusion that perhaps the beast blood played a role in changing the outcome of the potion.

Frustration bubbles within you as Blaidd remains lost in thought. Unable to hold back anymore, you release a whimper, demanding his attention.

Finally, he snaps out of his daze and gazes down at you, taking in your flushed face and pleading expression. Understanding dawns on him – you need him now, more than ever.

Blaidd lowers his lips to meet yours in a fierce, passionate kiss.

Intoxicated by the potion's effects, you throw caution to the wind and devour Blaidd's lips with fervor. Your hands move restlessly beneath his armor, eager to touch bare fur.

Blaidd chuckles softly between kisses, finding your aroused state highly entertaining. Yet, despite his amusement, he cannot help but crave more contact with you.

Reluctantly pulling away from your lips, Blaidd starts to remove his armor piece by piece. Hearing your plaintive whines, he gives you a playful grin. "Patience, mate," he coos teasingly.

Eager to join him, you hastily shed your own garments to relieve yourself of the heat overtaking your body.

Stripped bare, you settle back onto the bedroll, legs spread wide open in invitation. Your hard member stands proudly erect, pulsing with desire. You can't help but give into primal instincts, letting out a series of heavy pants that echo through the campsite.

Blaidd's ears perk up at the sound, his own arousal growing stronger by the second. With swift movements, he joins you on the ground, his tail swishing excitedly behind him.

Chuckling softly, Blaidd watches as you continue to behave erratically. Could the beast blood be responsible for bringing forth these animalistic behaviors? To test his theory, he reaches out and gently strokes your belly.

The instant his hand makes contact with your skin, you arch your back and let out a mewl of delight. Your canine nature seems undeniable. You emit a low whine of approval, prompting Blaidd to continue exploring further south.

Encouraged by your response, Blaidd delves deeper into his exploration. His fingers dance across your inner thighs, sending shivers of pleasure through your body. You writhe beneath his ministrations, unable to contain the building pressure within you.

It doesn't take long for his hand to brush against your twitching cock, eliciting a sharp cry from your lips. Your hips buck wildly, urging him to keep touching you.

Teasingly, Blaidd wraps his large hand around your throbbing erection, squeezing gently as he begins to stroke you. The sensations send shockwaves through your body, eliciting a series of whining moans.

"Such a needy little mate," he murmurs affectionately, unable to resist leaning in for another kiss.

Fueled by the aphrodisiac, you lose control entirely. Whimpering and reaching for him, you manage to capture his head between your palms. Pulling him closer, you devour his lips once more, turning the kiss into a messy affair filled with slurping sounds and saliva.

Beneath the influence of the potion, your speech devolves into babbling, but one word rings clear amidst the chaos – "please." Over and over again, you beg for release.

Growling low in his throat, Blaidd responds to your pleas with increased vigor. His tongue delves deeper into your mouth as the pumping on your cock picks up speed.

Abruptly, Blaidd tears his lips away from yours and slithers down your torso. Without warning, his warm tongue swirls around the tip of your member, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to your core. Sucking you whole, he begins to bob his head rapidly, eliciting loud cries from your parched throat. You buck your hips into his maw.

"Mmmm... fuck... yes..." you mumble, completely overcome by the pleasure. As Blaidd works your cock, you dissolve into a mass of incomprehensible moans and mumbles. Your body temperature skyrockets due to the aphrodisiac, leaving you covered in sweat and borderline delirious.

The intensity builds within you, threatening to break the dam holding back your release. With a pitiful cry, you finally succumb to the waves of pleasure crashing over you. White hot cum shoots from your cock, filling Blaidd's waiting mouth. He opens his maw wide, allowing you to witness your semen splattering the walls of his throat.

Without missing a beat, Blaidd switches his focus to your quivering hole. He presses his tongue flat against your puckered entrance, circling it with practiced ease.

Overwhelmed by the sudden stimulation, all you can muster is a weak protest mixed with a whine. "Blaidd, wait, I... fuuuuck."

Blaidd lifts your legs over his broad furry shoulders, giving himself unfettered access to your hole. He raises your ass off the ground a bit. He presses his nose against your crevice, inhaling deeply the musky scent of your arousal.

Slathering his wet tongue over your asshole, he digs his furry snout deeper into your crack. All the while, he growls his appreciation, letting you know exactly how much he's enjoying your flavors.

"So...good," he rasps between licks. "You taste so good, my mate."

Blaidd drives his long tongue deeper inside you. Each thrust feels impossibly filthy, yet incredibly exhilarating. As he forces your body to accommodate his size, he lifts your ass higher, forcing you to balance awkwardly on your shoulder blades.

Unable to form coherent words, all you can offer in return are helpless whimpers.

After a few minutes, Blaidd withdraws from your depths and surveys his handiwork. Your hole is loosely open, glistening with wolf saliva. Even in its relaxed state, it still seems hungry for more.

Seeing how well you've taken his tongue thus far, he praises you. "Good boy, such a good, responsive mate."

With a gentle tug, Blaidd guides you back down to the ground, positioning you just right to receive his thick wolf cock. Its massive girth slaps against your now flaccid member, reminding you that there's still much more to come.

Despite your exhaustion, you find the strength to beg for more. "Please, Blaidd... I want it... please fill me up"

Blaidd teases you mercilessly, pressing the tip of his massive member against your gaping hole. Instinctively, you clench your inner muscles, trying to entice him further.

"Be patient, mate. We have all night." His words leave no room for argument, though they do little to quell your burning need. He pushes the very tip inside before retreating once more.

Frustrated by Blaidd's slow pace, you throw caution to the wind and wrap your legs around his waist, attempting to pull him deeper inside. Unfortunately, he proves too strong for your feeble efforts.

A deep rumble escapes his throat as he laughs heartily at your bold move. "So eager," he remarks playfully. "I like that." Undeterred, he continues to plunge the head of his cock in and out of your eager hole.

Finally, Blaidd decides enough is enough and slides an inch deeper inside you. The sensation sends you spiraling into another wave of ecstasy.

Growling in approval, he claims possession of your body. "Feels so good having me inside you, doesn't it?"

Unable to formulate words, you simply nod frantically, lost in the haze of desire. Satisfied by your state, Blaidd takes hold of your hips and plunges the remainder of his monstrous, canine cock into your body.

Once Blaidd bottoms out, he allows himself a moment to revel in the connection. "Mmm, perfect fit," He mutters as his furry balls nuzzle against your ass.

Instead of immediately thrusting, Blaidd opts for something slower – grinding and gyrating his cock inside you. Grabbing your hands, he pulls them around his torso, locking you in place as he sets a leisurely pace.

In the midst of your passionate coupling, Blaidd suddenly pulls out completely. Before you have time to protest, he slams back inside with a single forceful thrust.

Your cries of surprise morph into pleasured mewls at the sudden intrusion. "Shhh, there's a good mate," Blaidd whispers tenderly, knowing full well how sensitive you must still be from the potion. "Sweet boy".

Nestled within the comfort of his embrace, Blaidd resumes his measured strokes. With each powerful thrust, his heavy balls slap rhythmically against your exposed rear end.

Taking advantage of your closeness, he presses his nose into the crook of your neck, taking deep breaths filled with your scent.

Overcome by your intoxicating scent, Blaidd cannot help but comment on it. "You smell amazing, love. Maybe we should make some more of that aphrodisiac for next time." His words send a fresh surge of arousal coursing through your veins.

Urged on by your growing excitement, Blaidd picks up his pace, fucking you harder than before. His tongue darts out to trace the edge of a prominent scar adorning your neck – the mark he gave you when you both became mates. His thrusts become erratic, bordering on feral.

Wrapping his arms around you possessively, Blaidd's voice lowers to a primal growl. "Oh gods, I want to flood you with my cum so badly, mate."

Hearing these words ignites a fire within you, prompting you to beg for it. "Yes...cum in me," You mutter in a daze.

Encouraged by your words, Blaidd doubles his efforts, driven solely by primal urges. Every powerful thrust of his cock elicits a mix of squelching and squishing sounds from your ass.

As he nears climax, his knot swells dangerously close to bursting point.

Giving into his most basic impulses, Blaidd sinks his teeth into the flesh surrounding your bonding scar. You cry out as you hold him tighter. At the same time, his bloated knot forces its way past your ring of muscle with a wet pop, locking you together. Finally, he releases his load deep within you, filling every crevice with his cum. You whine as you feel his cock twitch and throb with every pump of cum.

With both of you trembling during the comedown, Blaidd cradles you gently in his arms, offering words of solace and praise. "That was incredible, mate. You took me so well... so perfectly."

You let out a content sigh. "Yeah, that was amazing," you say as you kiss the side of his muzzle.

Sensing your improved mental state, Blaidd cannot help but remark upon it. "Seems like the effects of the aphrodisiac have finally worn off, eh? Good thing too, otherwise we wouldn't be able to stop ourselves from fucking all day."

Locked together at the hips, you manage to summon a small smile. "Sounds like a plan for another night. I think I might need to write down that recipe." Your words are met with amused chuckles from Blaidd.

Scumtober 2023 Masterlist

[sparkflower-fields]

Confidence… is key.

Rodimus repeated this to himself every cycle before facing his crew, his people. Constantly reminding himself to be confident, even if he didn’t feel as such. To never let anyone see him as anything less. To be less was to admit weakness, to admit defeat in the face of doubt. There were other aspects he strove to embody; pride, leadership, even friendliness. All of which his predecessor, Optimus Prime, embodied. He shaped himself into what was expected of a Prime. A mech worth looking up to. Or at least he tried.

But no one believed any of that for one second. Not one mech under his leadership thought of him in any of those ways. Very few even saw him as a true Prime. Too young, they said. Too naive. Too reckless. Too stupid. They didn’t think he knew what they said about him behind his back. But he did. And it left a bitter, bitter feeling in his spark.

What the others didn’t know was the sacrifices one has to make to become a Prime, not just through morals and principles. You sacrifice a shard of yourself. You cut it out of your spark despite the agony that it brings you to lose such a vital part of yourself. Your joy, your happiness. Your peace of mind. You lose your sense of individuality, becoming infinitely connected to all the Primes before you and carrying the ever crushing weight of their pains, their sorrows. Their haunting voices forever screaming through you in your quiet moments. Like an echo of agony that never ceases to bear down on your very being.

No.

No one ever speaks of the white hot pain that is transforming into a Prime.

Taking on the matrix, it rebuilds you. Changing your very CNA, shred by shred. It tears open your spark and plucks it out right before your optics, reconstructing it like pieces of a puzzle into Primus’ sovereign champion. It does the same to your frame, breaking it apart and twisting it, forming it into a body worthy to carry it. It is a process that lasts only moments, but instills vorns worth of pain and suffering into the very essence of the wielder. And Rodimus was the youngest to ever be made a Prime. Barely even matured, he had hardly lived before he was remade in Primus’s vision. His tortured scream still haunted Optimus. He could feel it on occasion, echoed through the Matrix.

Hot Rod was cut from his own frame, dissected and pulled apart from himself, to be remade into Rodimus Prime, used as raw material to be created again, but never made quite whole. It left him feeling raw, empty. Like the essence that made him uniquely himself was siphoned from his spark and burned.

He often wondered if this is how Orion Pax felt, once upon a time. He never bothered to ask Optimus. He knew the answer as the thoughts formed in his processor. Their agony was his. And his agony was theirs. Rodimus supposed in pain, he had fellowship, but if that were really true, he often questioned, why didn’t any of them feel the agony he was in emotionally? Perhaps they did and simply didn’t care. Or chose to let him feel it all alone. Maybe that was how Optimus felt. Despite being connected he still had many questions that went unanswered, that he had to figure out on his own.

But how cruel was that? To be promised glory, power, adoration, and be given the strut shattering reality that was his existence. To simply be a vessel to a parasitic artifact that he once revered with the highest respects. Thrown into a blistering inferno of raging consciousnesses and struggle to find your own inner voice in it all. To trust so wholly in someone such as Optimus, and still trust him wholly despite not telling Rodimus of the horrors of becoming a Prime.

In the end, when he left his homeworld in search of the Knights of Cybertron, it wasn’t totally for the greater good. He did it for himself too. To try and prove he could walk in the footsteps of the Primes before him, both to his people and to himself.

But he failed.

And the sad thing was he wasn’t even surprised when it really sank in.

He wasn’t surprised when he lost the respect of his crew, or when even Ratchet confessed he was among the ones who wished to vote him off the ship. His ship. He was hurt, but not surprised. His blunder after Primus forsaken blunder prepared him to the notion that they had all given up on him. He himself wouldn’t have followed a leader who seemed so… incompetent. So, he didn’t really blame them in the end.

Losing the respect of his crew sent him into a tailspin of the likes he had never experienced. He had finally felt like he was discovering himself again, when it was all ripped out from underneath of him. It tore his wound in his spark from the matrix open again.

The only thing he had as a constant reminder of who he was, was the weight of the Matrix itself in his chassis. Despite the pain, and the grief that came with becoming one with it, he found solace in the ebb and flow of its energy. Eventually. It hadn’t been that way at first.

His perspective of the artifact had been changed once it was assimilated into his frame. Parasite, he would think. He still thought that of it. But he grew to understand it the longer he was connected with it. It was alive, in the way that the essence of the Primes from the past were alive in it. It drew upon their wisdom and knowledge and urged him towards action as if it was instinct. At first he fought against the thoughts and feelings that were forged by the Matrix. It stole his sense of self, so why would he want to further erase himself and do what it wanted?

But he eventually realized it wasn’t really the Matrix telling him what to do. It was the way the Primes communicated to him and shared their experiences. This realization softened his spark to it, and brought him out of his hatred for it. It’s what made him really start listening to it. Reaching to it for comfort in his failings, to learn of what he could do to change things, to make his circumstances better. And it helped him.

Then, he was demoted. By Optimus.

It crushed his spark when Optimus brought Megatron of all mechs onto his ship to “co-captain” with him. It was the biggest slap in the face next to his crew petitioning to have him thrown out. He was a Prime! He should have outranked anyone regardless! But, ‘Primes don’t think like that.’ Optimus had said. And the shame he felt melded with the utter betrayal in his spark. This was his mission! His adventure in the stars! And it was practically taken from him.

So he sulked for a long time. He didn’t engage in extracurricular activities outside of his duties. He didn’t joke on the bridge.

He even changed his plating color. From his bright and cheery orange, red and yellow, to black, purple and blue. He couldn’t stand looking at himself in the mirror and seeing a failure. So he changed himself. He became gritty, and brooding. Dismal even.

When he entered a room, people finally listened. And it angered him it took a complete overhaul of his personality to make it happen.

[toxictigertonic]

Okay. Here me out. I know I already asked for something and this i can't ask for anything ever again from you but please your magnificents I am but a poor little British boy asking for the crust of your bread:

WHAT IF THEY WERE HOSTING A BAKE SALE. WHAT IF.

Keep asking me things!! I love to yap!! My bread crusts are free, I shall even throw in some butter for them!!

A bake sale hosted by the prime assets for the reagents would be the most hectic, hilarious, and probably dangerous thing you've ever seen, and that's saying a lot. Where did they get the baking materials? Did anyone follow a recipe? Should you eat anything that Franco or Leland had a hand in creating? Who knows!

COYLE

- He cannot bake to save his life.

- It's both underbaked and overbaked at the same time. Outside's burnt to a cinder and the inside is still batter. Turn down the heat on your oven you fool.

- He'd either try to make something really simple, like oatmeal cookies, or he'd think he's a God at baking and try to make some shit like macarons or a soufflé.

- Kinda guy who thinks he can just fuck with the measurements and imgredients in a recipe and still have it come out the same. Also doubles his recipes and forgets to double the baking soda (I'm guilty of that ngl)

- The reagents would buy his baked goods just to use them as throwable items. Bricks are out, Coyle's homemade oatmeal rocks are in.

- Honestly I think he'd be good at making things taste good, he just can't bake them properly.

- As for being at the bake sale, he's immediately jealous of how good Phyllis' desserts look. They've got that homemade charm but still look amazing.

- Takes some comfort in seeing the mess Franco is serving up though.

- Would tell people that if they don't like the way his cookies are baked then they should make them themselves. I payed 2 tickets for these cookies I deserve to complain.

MOTHER GOOSEBERRY

- The QUEEN of the bake sale. Bow down to her.

- She spent an entire month planning and prepping for this bake sale, this has been the only thing on her mind for 4 goddamn weeks.

- Makes at least 5 or 6 different desserts, ranging from mini apple pies, to simple chocolate chip cookies, to actual perfectly made macarons. This woman is magic when it comes to baking.

- She even has cute little packaging for all of her baked goods. This woman went all out and you better appreciate her.

- Will offer you a sample if you don't know what something is, but if you say you don't like it you better be ready to answer to Futterman.

- Futterman is not allowed to advertise the baked goods. Mainly bc anyone who says they aren't interested is chased down. There's no more room underneath the table to hide unfortunate reagents.

- Besides, Phyllis is already amazing at advertising her own baked goods. Her personality makes people want to try her stuff immediately (and the table smells heavenly).

- By the end of the bake sale, her table is empty. Sold through everything and had people begging to order stuff from her. (There might be some angel dust in those cookies but don't tell her I told you that)

- Franco was not allowed to try any of her baked goods. Samples are only for paying customers, little man. He tried to snag one secretly many a time but he's almost gotten a drill to the hand as punishment.

- Coyle and Franco fight over who gets to lick the spoon when she's done mixing batter. Neither of them get it, Futterman gets the spoon.

FRANCO

- I want you to be honest now. Would you really eat anything he made? Would you trust his baking skills?

- Remember how I said he likes his cookies severely underbaked? That's what he's bringing to the bake sale. Just nearly raw cookie dough. And it's not even good cookie dough.

- I love him, you know I do, but he would not change spoons between taste testing the dough.

- Forgot about the bake sale until the day of and just threw something together so Phyllis wouldn't yell at him for not participating.

- The only way I'm trusting anything he makes is if Phyllis is supervising him. They can make thumbprint cookies together :)

- Honestly I'd probably just give him 50 dollars and let him buy things rather than allow him to sell things. Let him buy some cake pops.

- The reagents bully him for his shitty baking skills, and the poor guy had to hand Lupara off to Phyllis at the door. He's just gotta take it, or start a fist fight.

- He'd throw a mini tantrum anytime somebody bought from the other two. How DARE you not buy his cookies, he made them with love! And potentially teeth.

- Spends most of the bake sale trying to steal a single thing from Phyllis bc she won't let him have any samples. Hides under the table and keeps getting his hand slapped by her.

Keep sending in requests, art or headcanons I don't mind! It gives me something to do and I love any chance to draw or think of the sillies.

[thecoiledserpent]

hi,🐰 I want to ask you about food theory around Indian culture. Eating non veg or not . Because I can't grasp my mind around it. Why would say one cannot eat certain food . There has to balanced. I am not talking about cow or pigs but meat , chicken and fish. And don't we relate taurus with meat?????

Please 🎀

hi! well actually the debate about non-veg or veg is majorly among the hindus and it's not an indian thing as such, many non vegetarian dishes are native to india. hindus, in particular, abstain from it.

there are three major reasons:

meat, onion, garlic and wine or drugs of any sort are of tamasic guna or impure or unholy nature. they increase laziness, anger, lust and greed while reducing the wisdom and sattva guna, or the positive qualities of a person.

that which lives is of krishna, or achyuta, or lord vishnu. even a worm, an ant, an unmoving tree or a fish or bird belongs to him and all that he creates has a right to live. we, as humans, are not given the right to kill these innocent beings for any purpose.

karma; every action, good or bad, comes back to you. animals cannot speak, but they can feel fear, anxiety, anger and hate. when we kill them, they express these negative emotions towards us which comes back to us in the future.

just as the christians have their bible, hindus have the geeta as their code of conduct. geeta, or bhagvad geeta, is essentially a guide to life and spirituality. geeta was narrated orally by lord krishna to arjuna in which he told arjuna about the way of living, the nature of death and the atman (soul), and spirituality and peity towards gods.

while various other hindu texts talk purely about knowledge (you could call them ancient encyclopedias or books), the bhagvad geeta is a summary of human life and guides the person on how to live.

now, in bhagvad geeta, lord krishna explains to arjuna the influence of food on the human body and mind, as in the following verses:

Bg 17.7 — Even the food each person prefers is of three kinds, according to the three modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities and charity. Now hear of the distinctions between them. Bg 17.8 — Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart. Bg 17.9 — Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease. Bg 17.10 — Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.

COMMENTARY ... Nature has designed the human body to be vegetarian. Human beings do not have long canine teeth as carnivorous animals do, or a wide jaw suitable for tearing flesh. Carnivores have short bowels to allow minimal transit time for the unstable and dead animal food, which putrefies and decays faster. On the contrary, humans have a longer digestive tract for the slow and better absorption of plant food. The stomach of carnivores is more acidic than human beings, which enables them to digest raw meat. Interestingly, the carnivorous animals do not sweat through their pores. Rather, they regulate body temperature through their tongue. On the other hand, herbivorous animals and humans control bodily temperature by sweating through their skin. While drinking, carnivores lap up water rather than suck it. In contrast, herbivores do not lap up water; they suck it. Humans too suck water while drinking; they do not lap it up. All these physical characteristics of the human body reveal that God has not created us as carnivorous creatures, and consequently, meat is considered impure food for humans ...

Meat-eating also creates bad karma. The Manu Smṛiti states:

māṁ sa bhakṣhayitā 'mutra yasya māṁsam ihādmy aham etan māṁsasya māṁsatvaṁ pravadanti manīṣhiṇaḥ

“The word mānsa (meat) means “that whom I am eating here will eat me in my next life.” For this reason, the learned say that meat is called mānsa (a repeated act: I eat him, he eats me).”

Lord Krishna proceeds to mention that all people who understand that an unmoving tree, a small ant, a fish, a docile cow, a lovely parrot and even another human being is equivalent to himself is very precious to him.

Bg 12.13-14 — One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me – such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

once again, dairy products are alright bcs you aren't killing an animal or hurting them for it. in fact milk, clarified butter, butter, cottage cheese etc are all said to be our deities' favourites.

note that, however, krishna or no hindu text says 'Don't eat meat.' no hindu text or verse is like that; they only serve to tell you about the consequences of your actions so that you know what you're doing before you go on to do it. fairly insignificant considering i just spoke of the words of krishna, but my personal opinion stands that fresh fruit and vegetables are quire unbeatable. have three nice apples in the morning and nothing else and you wont feel drained until 12.

as for a balanced diet, tbh pure food, like pure milk, fresh fruits and vegetables etc are all rich in vitamins, minerals and proteins and are usually enough to sustain the body but you cant even find fresh stuff or pure milk nowadays 🤦‍♀️packaged milk is not the same as freshly taken milk from a cow, so it doesn't have that much effect,

i wont go too deep into this, but in our culture things like amla, neem, haldi, chia seeds, jeera, cinnamon etc are very commonplace. like neem is the healthiest thing you can eat, it literally eradicates all impurities from the body. you wont actually need anything else and you'll really feel well. but i do understand that these things wouldn't be available that commonly in foreign countries so i don't mention it too much.

now, like if say you're from a very isolated region in the world where proper nutrition can only be derived from animals and by eating their meat, then such a person will be more exempt from their sin then someone who willingly ate meat when they could avoid it. although ofc, you can't ever run away and eventually things come back, regardless of limitations, lack of knowledge or simply bad luck.

i'd like to end this with another verse from the geeta:

BG 18.63: Thus, I have explained to you this knowledge that is more secret than all secrets. Ponder over it deeply, and then do as you wish.

[kaiasky]

ok so a while back I was playing terrafirmagreg. once I got to steam power I switched over to gregtech community pack modern. i crafted the first hv circuit last night so my thoughts

Gregtech is desperately in need of better emi tooling. look this is a long one I made a GH ticket about it. (don't like. bother the author about it i just don't wanna explain twice)

note that this is not gtnh which is the pack everybody says is ultra grindy

Ore veins + high resource demands is fundamentally awesome. If you need more iron, you mine 20 stacks of iron. it is really nice to think in full stacks, and to know that e.g. if you turn 5 stacks of steel into plates you will find a use for them. By FAR the thing gt does best is just make huge ore veins so you're limited by your processing capacities and not raw materials.

Likewise, I like that thus far I haven't unlocked one-block solve-everythings. e.g. for ore processing it seems like I'll be using long lines of thermal centrifuges for the foreseeable future

Not a huge fan of having progression be "voltage" imo. like... LEDs are always gonna run at around 3.3 right. I understand that we're crushed under the weight of IC2 here but yknow.

the tier system as a broad concept I, surprisingly, really like. The goals of a tier feel different enough that it's not just "ok set up the same stuff again" but it's nice how you have to gradually bootstrap your way into being able to make that tier's stuff efficiently. Knowing that e.g. I will probably want a HV assembler helps with the learning curve.

I'm not a huge fan of the wiring and cable loss. "run diesel throughout your base, and put a generator adjacent to any machine you'd like to power" is less interesting than 'build a power station and run power everywhere from it'.

But at every stage gt seems to incentivize running fuel over running power. A fuel line can power lv/mv/hv generators. Even a wood pipe can transport diesel to power maybe 100 machines, while wires scale linearly in cost with the amount of amps you want to run through em.

(Probably this will change at some point, like if I'm gregtech I'm eventually making the only viable power source a multiblock nuclear reactor or something)

multiblocks: wallsharing is cool and I do like the capital investment of building an expensive but powerful multiblock. Buuuuut.... idk. I think especially when they just function like a machine but big, it's like.. eh. I think of create's "sequenced assembly" concept and wish it was applied here. Or just... something.

Item pipes: pretty good implementation. I think a lot of pipe mods err on the side of being too powerful. gt pipes feel like pipes, not conveyor belts/hopper chains (by this I mean that the pipes are kinda a symbolic connection and not a literal physical queue items travel through) but a pretty weak version of pipes compared to others.

I can feel on the horizon the specter of ae2 and I'm never sure how to feel about that. having every item/fluid/power available in one cable is just too much. At the same time, routing it all manually in separate pipes is a nightmare. idk. I haven't played with Create's package frog system but it seems like a good solution to 'how can we not just rely on ae2'.

The mod pack includes the classic gtnh decor mods and specifically the sloped frame blocks. It's interesting how iconic that is as part of the gregtech aesthetic.

I think the 1m^3 machine size is really good. That's silly but I was comparing it to Satisfactory a lot as two games where you need to build factories in 3d first person. and I think it's just a lot nicer to be able to walk around the machines at block scale instead of having machines that are too big.

The fact that a generator producing less than its full amperage does this crazy stutter sound as it rapidly goes off/on is INSANE. like c'mon if something is drawing a steady state 16 eu/t it should supply that & then make a softer whrrr than the normal one. Or have it wait until the internal buffer is 20%,kick on until it's 80%,shut off etc. Awful sound design

[wachinyeya]

https://news.ku.dk/all_news/2024/06/researchers-invent-one-hundred-percent-biodegradable-barley-plastic/

From the article; Enormous islands of it float in our oceans and microscopic particles of it are in our bodies. The durability, malleability and low cost of plastics has made them ubiquitous, from packaging to clothing to aircraft parts. But plastics have a downside. Plastics contaminate nature, are tough to recycle and their production emits more CO2 than all air traffic combined.

Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences have invented a new material made from modified starch that can completely decompose in nature – and do so within only two months. The material is made using natural plant material from crops and could be used for food packaging, among many other things.

"We have an enormous problem with our plastic waste that recycling seems incapable of solving. Therefore, we’ve developed a new type of bioplastic that is stronger and can better withstand water than current bioplastics. At the same time, our material is one hundred percent biodegradable and can be converted into compost by microorganisms if it ends up somewhere other than a bin," says Professor Andreas Blennow of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences.

Only about nine percent of plastic is recycled globally, with the rest being either incinerated or winding up in nature or dumped into enormous plastic landfills.

Bioplastics already exist, but the name is misleading says Professor Blennow. While today’s bioplastics are made of bio-derived materials, only a limited part of them is actually degradable, and only under special conditions in industrial composting plants.

"I don't find the name suitable because the most common types of bioplastics don't break down that easily if tossed into nature. The process can take many years and some of it continues to pollute as microplastic. Specialized facilities are needed to break down bioplastics. And even then, a very limited part of them can be recycled, with the rest ending up as waste," says the researcher.

Starch from barley and sugar industry waste

The new material is a so-called biocomposite and composed of several different substances that decompose naturally. Its main ingredients, amylose and cellulose, are common across the plant kingdom. Amylose is extracted from many crops including corn, potatoes, wheat and barley.

Together with researchers from Aarhus University, the research team founded a spinoff company in which they developed a barley variety that produces pure amylose in its kernels. This new variety is important because pure amylose is far less likely to turn into a paste when it interacts with water compared to regular starch. Cellulose is a carbohydrate found in all plants and we know it from cotton and linen fibers, as well as from wood and paper products. The cellulose used by the researchers is a so-called nanocellulose made from local sugar industry waste. And these nanocellulose fibers, which are one thousand times smaller than the fibers of linen and cotton, are what contribute to the material’s mechanical strength.

"Amylose and cellulose form long, strong molecular chains. Combining them has allowed us to create a durable, flexible material that has the potential to be used for shopping bags and the packaging of goods that we now wrap in plastic," says Andreas Blennow.

The new biomaterial is produced by either dissolving the raw materials in water and mixing them together or by heating them under pressure. By doing so, small 'pellets' or chips are created that can then be processed and compressed into a desired form.

Thus far, the researchers have only produced prototypes in the laboratory. But according to Professor Blennow, getting production started in Denmark and many other places in the world would be relatively easy.

"The entire production chain of amylose-rich starch already exists. Indeed, millions of tons of pure potato and corn starch are produced every year and used by the food industry and elsewhere. Therefore, easy access to the majority of our ingredients is guaranteed for the large-scale production of this material," he says.

Could reduce plastic problem

Andreas Blennow and his fellow researchers are now processing a patent application that, once it has been approved, could pave the way for production of the new biocomposite material. Because, despite the huge sums of money being devoted to sorting and recycling our plastic, the researcher does not believe that it will really be a success. Doing so should be seen as a transitional technology until we bid fossil-based plastics a final farewell.

"Recycling plastic efficiently is anything but straightforward. Different things in plastics must be separated from each other and there are major differences between plastic types, meaning that the process must be done in a safe way so that no contaminants end up in the recycled plastic. At the same time, countries and consumers must sort their plastic. This is a massive task that I don’t see us succeeding at. Instead, we should rethink things in terms of utilizing new materials that perform like plastic, but don’t pollute the planet," says Blennow.

The researcher is already collaborating with two Danish packaging companies to develop prototypes for food packaging, among other things. He envisions many other uses for the material as well, such as for the interior trims of cars by the automotive industry. Though it is difficult to say when this biofriendly barley-based plastic will reach the shelves, the researcher predicts that the new material may become a reality in the foreseeable future.

“It's quite close to the point where we can really start producing prototypes in collaboration with our research team and companies. I think it's realistic that different prototypes in soft and hard packaging, such as trays, bottles and bags, will be developed within one to five years," concludes Andreas Blennow.

[cyanocophrenic]

What are your favorite aspects about blueberry inflation?

lmao I'm so sorry, Anonococcus, you probably don't deserve this, but it's happening anyway.

👆 That's basically the question that prompted me to create this, an entirely separate tumblr from my normie one. I figured I'd write a couple of horny stories, get no attention whatsoever, and look at What I Had Done, and I'd see some patterns, and I'd be like "Ah Okay Now I Understand What's Wrong With Me" (fun fact for y'all homestucks, I'm a diehard Kanaya main. best girl. i miss her. do with that what you will.) anyway and having that analytical understanding of my weird fetishy ways, i'd then dissolve those desires back into the raw psyche-material and integrate them into more realistic, normative sexual expressions irl. i been thinkin' bout berries alone for a long time, and i got really tired and sad being that alone.

anyway, i have at least one fursona now, and i've made some cool friends (with more on the way?), and i keep finding good ideas for stories, and people seem(?) to enjoy the ones i've published, so... you can see how well that worked. and i love what i have now. working toward accepting these things about myself is (and was) the only real way forward, and i'll fight tooth and nail to keep what i've found here.

so, *big boss voice* favorite aspects of blueberry inflation, huh?

Gonna put this under a cut because it's gonna be nasty and weird and vulnerable and I don't wanna just drop that on anybody. Not suggesting that anyone will want to, but maybe don't reblog this if we're not mutuals, or if you don't Get It. And knowing me, Getting It will be a rare occurrence.

And once more, for the people in the back: MINORS DNI !

Favorite blueberry inflation aspects, go:

Well, first of all (and I mean this very literally):

it gets me soaking fucking wet.

I've kinda stopped trying to understand why. I have vague ideas, but I don't know that I'm ever going to be able to explain my needs to someone in a way where their lightbulb clicks on and they get it, and... I could be using that time to look at yummy smut instead, tbh.

It cuts straight through my skull, grey matter, every real and imagined barrier i've put between the outside world and my deepest vulnerability. It hits me dead-center-bullseye in the heart and the mind at the same time. That's a favorite, for sure.

Like... I kind of love everything about it? Even the depictions I don't care for, or the interpretations that don't resonate for me. I don't know if I've just spent too long fermenting alone and maybe I've gone a little crazy, but... I don't think I have. I think I was always like this, but it's been hard to tell without anyone else to provide context. Now I've gotten to talk with some people, and feel a little seen, and see them (i think? a little?) for who they are, and we're so different while still being the same. I knew there were other people like me, but now I Know, y'know? It's a wild feeling.

It's pretty cool how it just haunts me like a shadow, too. I mean that.

Not often, but every once in a while, I'll catch myself in the mirror, avoiding eye contact for some reason. I'll just kinda like... watch myself: long two-tone hair, pronouns, frankly great boobs, muscles, tattoos, long legs... no lie, I'm lowkey a hottie irl. T4T candy, at the very least. It's taken a while to get there, but I can see what other people have seen, sometimes. I have a few really-good things going for me. Not the ones I would choose for myself (get me a rouge the bat bbl STAT), but good nonetheless.

But I digress (a lot).

Anyway, I'll just watch that reflection and think "You think you're supposed to be a blueberry, don't you?" and after a moment, it'll reply "So do you, beloved."

How can I hide from that?

I know this isn't what you wanted this answer to be, Anon, and I'm a little sorry about that. I just can't really answer your question in a fun or hot way at the moment.

I don't think I have favorite aspects of blueberry inflation, disappointing as I know that answer is. I don't know that it's accurate to say I like it, or want it. I'm somewhere else with it for the time being. Hate to say this, but-

Blueberry inflation isn't something I just enjoy. Blueberry inflation is what I am.

[forged-in-paper]

A crafting system to go with yesterday's post about gathering mechanics

I was originally going to make a single post explaining both the gathering and crafting mechanics in celestial solstice but very quickly realized it would have been much too large for my liking so consider this an extension of yesterday's post which can be found HERE. The crafting system is at least more long winded if not more complicated than the gathering system, so lets go ahead and get started without wasting any time.

There are five crafting skills: Alchemy, blacksmithing, enchanting, leatherworking, and woodworking. Save for enchanting which is a special case we'll discuss more fully a bit further down, all crafting skills rely on the raw materials gathered using the gathering skills so that's something to keep in mind if you're interested in dabbling in the crafting rules. The items you craft are of a tier equal to your tier in that skill up to the max of tier five so crafting is neither necessary nor superfluous, it's just another path toward powerful items.

As an aside, one thing I've been trying to do is to make each playstyle and activity feel unique to engage with. In service of this, every crafting skill does not work the same. Enchanting works differently than alchemy, blacksmithing, leatherworking, and woodworking, and alchemy feels different in execution than BS, LW, and WW. This is on purpose and my hope is that the added complexity will be worth it in the long run.

Alchemy uses the herb packages gathered with the herbalism skill to create various poisons and potions. While blacksmithing, leatherworking, and woodworking largely allow you to craft items that can be found or bought elsewhere like weapons and armor, most of the brews created by an alchemist can only be acquired through the alchemy skill. (Note: Forgive how these tables look, you're literally seeing a screengrab directly from my word doc)

The first thing you need to learn about alchemy is preparations. These are created using herb packages and are the bases for the different types of potions you can create. Healing preparations are used in potions that heal and help the imbiber, poisoned preparations are used in poisons meant to harm, and effective preparations are used in potions that have an effect that can't easily be categorized under one of the other two labels, in this case things like a potion that glows like a torch or a potions that makes you invisible for a time. The players and keeper are encouraged to use the provided examples to create their own potion effects. Alchemists can also forage using their alchemy skill and on a success find fatwax, which can be used to create fuel for lanterns. There is a whole darkness mechanic and things can get pretty bad in a dungeon if the darkness gets to deep, so having consistent access to light sources is important.

Blacksmithing uses the ores, stones, and gems gathered with the mining skills to create weapons and armor. Blacksmithing, woodworking, and leatherworking all take a lot of inspiration from runescape of all things, so I apologize if that's not your thing.

Blacksmiths need ingots to create anything and to create ingots they need the raw materials gathered by miners. Those materials are refined and then become the miscellaneous bits and bobs that will be used to assemble a final piece, things like weapon heads and armor fittings. You'll notice that weapon handles are required for weapon projects but can't be made by a blacksmith, and that's because those are made by woodworkers, the idea being that the crafts need to work together to thrive rather than being in competition with each other. (Another note: All of the numbers in these tables are 100% totally made up and subject to change. These are just the baselines that I used as a starting point.)

Enchanting is its own entire bag of worms that is gonna take some digging to get to the bottom of. First of all, enchanting is its own gathering and crafting skill. Creating magical items is impossible in Rodonia; the techniques required to do so use enchanting magics that have been lost to time, so any new enchanted weapon requires that an old one be destroyed. Enchanters break magic items to obtain mana dust which is essentially a physical bypass method for the lost spells of the ancient enchanters. That mana dust is then applied to an item to begin the enchantment process, the more dust the more powerful the final enchantment will be. The enchanter can then choose to include negative enchantments on an item to gain even more power, but negative enchantments aren't chosen, they're random, so this can be a double-edged sword. Finally the enchanter decides which positive enchantments they'd like to add to the item and applies the points they've gained from mana dust and negative enchantments to power them up. The number of enchantments that can be added is capped at three positive and three negative for now: every character can add one of each, characters with access to magic with the [basic] tag can do two of each and characters with access to [advanced] magic can do three.

Aesthetic are largely there for the looks and don't actually change anything mechanically about the item. They cost one point to add during the enchanting process and are purely for flavor if the player is into that kinda thing. As with everything else, the enchantments are presented as examples meant to spark the imagination of the keeper and players and encourage them to create their own.

Two more to go with leatherworking next up. Since you've already read about blacksmithing you've already got a pretty good idea of how leatherworking, well, works. It uses the hides gathered by skinners to create things made out of skin. At the time of writing there are fewer things which leatherworking can do which is something that will be fixed eventually.

Lastly is woodworking. Woodworkers take the logs gathered by foresters to create wooden weapons and armor, as well as a few other random things.

I can feel myself losing steam so I'm gonna cut it off here before I get even lazier with my formatting and explanations. Combined with the gathering system this represents a pretty major gameplay loop which players can participate in. Like I said earlier the two are neither necessary nor superfluous, its all just there to give players a fun way to interact with the world and their characters. If you've got any questions or comments feel free to drop them, but until next time happy gaming! - Forge

[ink-drenched-cat]

"The Guiding Star" AU

Sky cotl - as I have written

World Building =

Temples

They are always located at the highest point in the land, or are otherwise the tallest structure, as it is believed that it brings them closer to the sky and thus to the Megabird. Usually they can serve multiple purposes such as a home for the Elders but also as a final resting place and ascension chamber for passing spirits.

Rite of Passage

A ritual for rebirth or coming of age ceremony. In sky it is usually used in two ways. First it is usually celebrated on specific birthdays when the person reaches a new state of life, also called the masking ceremony as they gain a new mask each time. This custom is done at the ages of: 10, 20, 40, 60 and in death.

The second way is, as previously stated in death, as they are adorned in robes, a special masks and gifts from family members, before they are burned. That’s done in the belief that fire sets the spirit free and cleanses it from all accumulated darkness.

Megabird/ Chet

The deity of light and soul. Each string of light that makes up it's body, is connected to a world by their tear (the prince/king) and let's the cycle of birth and death happen. Without it, the cycle would halt and —as seen in sky— the spirits would be stranded on their world, neither truly dead nor alive. To restart this cycle, until the old tear fades and a new one can be send down, their feathers (the skykids) do the job manually by collecting the souls and bringing them to the connection point.

The Light

The soul, life and core that can be found in everything. Dark beings hold no such light and thus have to leech it off of others and gnaw on passing souls to stay alive.

The Flame

The power and will of every being. It manifests as personality, creativity or even cosmetics.

Obsidian

A stone made from pure darkness and a direct by product of the light that flooded the land. Thus it does not react to the flame — like dark stone does — but rather the light itself. The King had bestowed the Elders with shards of this stone, that granted them special abilities such as immortality. However, these shards became their downfall when the heart / light crystal exploded.

They reacted and absorbed the accumulated darkness that had Overwhelmed the heart from within and thus instantly destroyed the physical forms of the elders. However, as they could not be killed, their souls landed in limbo and were since unable to reconnect with their flame and thus their will and duty.

Darkstone

A natural stone / crystal that grows in dark places such as caves and mines or where light creatures have died . The stone reacts to flame and absorbs it, turning its raw power into controlled energy. Due to this, it can give other objects that do not have light, the ability to fly or other interesting uses. Dark stones thus come in two types, the conduct that is made from naturally grown crystal or the batterie/ spells that are made from crushed light creatures/ their bones and lightblood or other natural materials such as wood.

The Elders

Immortal Demigods that watch over their own constellations and posses both dragon flames and obsidian shards. The Constellations give them the ability to return to the world with their memories intact. The Dragon flames grant them power over the elements and powerful magic. The Obsidian shards grant them immortality.

Edens crystal

The crystallised power and heart of the King. It absorbs the darkness of the passed on souls, even those that had not been burned at the burial and leads them straight to the megabird.

Time

A timeloop created by the elders power whose eternal sleep has caused the day to stop at their favourite time. Said power is a by product of the obsidians power to "freeze time". However only the daytime/ weather is affected, everything else keeps on aging and changing. Areas beyond the elders domain continue changing as usual.

The dragons

The four Elemental dragons exist in every world for the same purpose. To await the tear chosen by the megabird and test if they are strong enough to uphold the connection and are worthy of their flames. Such events however happen very rarely and while the dragons slumber and dream of the future, their guardian tends to their cave and trials, and records the whispered prophecies until the day they wake again.

The Krill

Creatures born after the second Cataclysm. They are a mix of bones, sludge and the bodies of the dead. Some say that there are more than one kind. Some even older that rose from the depths of the ocean, though none have ever lived to prove their existence.

Constellations

Like the nations of our world, the spirits have sworn themselves to different Constellations and follow their path on their travels diligently. If the spirit guide fades or dies, their constellation disperses and leaves the affiliated spirits to wander until they reach or form a new one. Just like the saying of the Northern star, they too follow the sheperds staff to find the mysterious Kingdom in the clouds and explore it's secrets.

Whisperers

These are special spirits that have in their life time been very closely affiliated with light creatures and have tended to their Sanctuaries their whole life. Due to this, they not only have adapted some mannerisms and features of their creatures, but also retained their voice even after death.

Flight/ transportation

An ability given through light. Spirits could also use their inner light to fly freely though it was best to wear a cape while doing so, as to not loose control so easily when airborne. After the introduction of the darkstone and the usage of flying boats, it was generally seen as crude when spirits flied themselves as only champions or travellers did so. Other transportation methods also involved tamed light creatures.

Nature

After the connection happened and light flooded the land, it transformed nature and turned clouds almost solid. That way they keep the islands afloat by their natural light. Plants were also changed as seen in woods and forests. The trees stopped growing leaves and instead created thin white leaf like objects that stuck to one another if they were close enough and would form, after enough time, new clouds. If the trees were apart far enough, the clouds would rip themselves off of the branches and fly away; if not, they would stick to other trees and create pocket clouds in which those forests were hidden. The trees also had a unique ability, as they could absorb the filth from the earth, push it through the cloud leaves and let it down again in the form of rain. If there was too much death however, they would not be able to cleanse it fully and let rain fall that drained the light of all creatures.

The old world

Barely anything is known about the world before the first Cataclysm, but some say that there are still a few places that preserved until this day.

The sea

Broad and vast, it encompasses almost all of the Planets surface and hides old ruins and secrets underneath.

The Leviathan

Hypothesised to be a form of ancient Krill, that got corrupted after much of the sludge and filth from the darkstone production was dropped into the ocean and sunk into the depths. Researchers had discovered it hibernating after setting up a mining facility nearby and studied the life cycles of light creatures and their uses while still alive, such as the ability to make water breathable.

The Bells

Like a beacon, the ringing of the bells would draw the spirits near and guide them to the holy mountain. This was done everything a funeral was held though it was also used for communication.

Spirits

Their bodies had long since turned to stone and rot and their spirit trapped within the oily confines of plants, blind to the world and unmoving. Their eyes could only see light filled things and their calls functioned like echolocation. To free a spirit and reawaken them through flame, they had to first relieve their most important memory, before burning the body like it was intended to cleanse it from the rot.

To help a spirit further, one could go out and find their treasured items and bring them back to their grave until they are ready to pass on in peace.

The oily sludge

Industrial left over sludge that has been dumped into the outskirts of the city and sea without a care. Sludge within the city is a result of mass deaths and lack of purging.

The oily plants

Maybe like rot and mold, they grow upon corrupted biological matter and constantly resurface where the darkness hasn't been purged. The flames appear as a result of the industrial sludge and oil clinging to it.

Colored lights

Pure light is always golden, but if one breaks it apart, it reveals a multitude of colors and uses, hence the creation of magic spells. Some spirits have managed to break their light into fractions and use the power accordingly, or create new light and flames from the world around them by mixing it with alchemy.

Light generator

An old colloseum for sport festivals and more. It's special structures continously rotate to keep the wind going and give the contestants an easier time in the air.

Gates/ portals

Special doorways that lead to the Realms on by one. No one knows where they came from, only that they've always been here ever since the children arrived.

Winged light

Feathers of the mega bird that did not manage to form a hybrid body and thus remain as drops of power rooted in place. Can be collected only by fellow feather (sky kids)

Memory lanterns

Lanterns into which the memories of the deceased have been carved into. If lit up, they throw the memories like a projection onto the wall, much like those paper lanterns.

-> will probably add more in the future