#guardian elixir

[alchemyofazeroth]

Major Troll's Blood Elixir

Difficulty:

Journeyman alchemy. Alchemy trainers do not teach this in classes, but copies of the recipe are sold on the market.

Ingredients:

One-part Liferoot, whole and freshly harvested.

One-part Bruiseweed thistles, milled.

Fresh water.

Makes one elixir. Multiply measurements of ingredients by volume in a 1:1 ratio for larger cauldron batches.

Recipe:

The recipe for a Major Troll's Blood Elixir originates in the Swamp of Sorrows. To begin, one must gather Liferoot and Bruiseweed. Liferoot, known for its remarkable fluid retention properties, acts as the base liquid in which the elixir's reagents will bind and infuse. No additional binding agents such as alcohols or oils are necessary, as the saline-rich waters stored within the Liferoot's tuberous roots provide the ideal medium. The earthy, brackish essence imparted by the Liferoot harmonizes with the pungent, astringent notes of the pulverized Bruiseweed thistles.

A large cauldron, preferably wrought of dense iron to better conduct the swamp's ambient heat, serves as the vessel in which this concoction is mixed. Patience is paramount, as the inherent thermal energies of the swamplands gradually permeate the cauldron and its contents over the span of a day, allowing the elixir to reach a perfectly blended state without the application of any external heat sources that would disrupt the delicate alchemical processes at play.

In the event that the elixir is prepared outside of the Swamp of Sorrows, leaving the cauldron exposed to sunlight for an entire summer's day will impart sufficient ambient heat before brewing begins.

Major Troll's Blood Elixir is a blue-green liquid with an intense, pungent aroma that hints at its medicinal properties. The elixir derives its distinctive color from the combination of finely ground Liferoot and Bruiseweed that serve as its primary active ingredients. Upon imbibing the elixir, one first notes a mild, briny taste imparted by the Liferoot, which quickly gives way to the sharper, more astringent herbal notes of the Bruiseweed. The elixir is smooth in texture with a slight viscosity that allows it to coat the throat. Despite the implications of its name, Major Troll's Blood Elixir contains no actual blood; rather, it earns its moniker from its ability to greatly accelerate the body's natural healing processes in a manner that mimics the powerful regenerative capabilities for which trolls are known. Upon entering the bloodstream, the elixir's active compounds immediately begin stimulating the division and proliferation of the imbiber's cells, enabling the rapid repair of damaged tissues, the mending of broken bones, and the restoration of lost blood. While its effects are potent, they are not instantaneous, and the efficacy and speed of healing depends on the severity of the imbiber's wounds. The duration of this elixir can last up to an hour, depending on dosage. Nonetheless, Major Troll's Blood Elixir remains one of the most sought-after healing tonics available to adventurers, soldiers, and all those who find themselves frequently imperiled in the Swamp of Sorrows or beyond.

[sonsofks]

Descubre las Maravillas de Voldis: Amazon Games Revoluciona Lost Ark con una Actualización Épica

Este 13 de diciembre, Prepárate para Adentrarte en un Nuevo Continente de Aventuras Mañana será un día épico para los jugadores de Lost Ark, ya que Amazon Games tiene preparada una actualización monumental para el juego: “Las Maravillas de Voldis”. Este nuevo contenido promete llevar la experiencia de juego a niveles insospechados, con la incorporación de un continente inexplorado, desafíos…

[fluentmoviequoter]

A Princess Worth Saving

Part 4 of Bradford's Princess

Pairing: Tim Bradford x younger(24-26y/o)!fem!reader

Summary: Tim misses a call from you in your time of need, and after he saves you, he promises never to leave his princess alone again.

Warnings: angst, robbery, r is held at gunpoint, comfort and fluff, domestically dominant Tim, softie!Tim

Word Count: 4.1k+ words

A/N: Thank you yet again to @nevereclipse for sharing this idea and letting me have so much fun with it. You're a genius and I hope you like this!

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Rules

Tim pushes your front door open, stepping inside with a large gift box in his arms.

“Hi,” you greet, tipping your head to the side. “Do you need help with that?”

“I got it,” he assures you, kicking the door closed. “You look beautiful.”

You roll your eyes even as you smile. As usual, you stand on the couch cushion and wait for Tim to set the box down and approach you. His hands are warm and steady on your hips as you lean forward to hug him tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he says while he pulls you over the back of the couch and into his arms.

“For what?”

You loop your arms around his shoulders, leaning your head against his shoulder as you breathe in his cologne.

“I know I said I would go shopping with you tomorrow, but Lopez and Harper caught a case and need all the help they can get,” he explains, rubbing his hand along your back as he circles the couch and sits. “I offered to work with them.”

“That’s fine, Tim,” you say against his neck. You interrupt yourself to plant a kiss below his ear, then pull back to look at him. “It’s your job. I get it.”

“It shouldn’t come between us.”

“It’s not.” You chuckle at the disappointed look on his face, bringing your hands forward to squish his cheeks until he grunts. “It’s a day of shopping, not our wedding. I’ll be fine.”

“Take my credit card,” he offers, dragging his hands along your waist. “Get whatever you want.”

You lean forward, brush your lips against Tim’s, then remind him, “I already have what I want.”

The mall is just opening as you arrive. The stores are turning on their different music, overlapping in the main walkways as gated doors are opened and lights buzz above you. You’d been looking forward to walking through the stores with your hand in Tim’s, getting his feedback about what you wanted to buy, and enjoying the day with him. You didn’t want him to see how disappointed you were, so you maintained a brave face last night and distracted yourself by kissing him. Now, you try to distract yourself from how empty your hand feels and how strange it seems to not have Tim stationed at your side as a guardian, a lover, and a friend.

Your favorite store is your first stop, and you have a short list saved to your phone of everything you want to look at, try on, and buy. Tim usually looks over your shoulder when you scroll through Pinterest or online sales, pointing out what would look good on you or be a good addition to your home, until he distracts himself by playing with your hair or kissing you until you set your phone aside.

After greeting the college-aged girl working behind the counter, you walk to the back of the store and begin looking through hangers and at displays, practically hearing Tim’s voice in your head as you consider what you like.

Lucy tips her chin up when Tim returns from Angela’s desk. They’ve been looking through witness statements and evidence photos in hopes of finding something they can use to identify the robbery and homicide suspect. He’s robbed several stores in a few short weeks, and during the last theft, he shot and killed an innocent bystander. With the full attention of the LAPD, they suspect he’ll either lay low or keep progressing in violence.

“Is that you?” Lucy inquires.

“What?” Tim sighs as he returns to his previous seat.

“That smell. What is it… rose?”

“Oh. It’s some elixir or something,” Tim murmurs, pushing a case file into his designated ‘unhelpful’ pile.

Lucy smiles, leaning over her keyboard. “Did you buy it for a special someone?”

“She does have her own money and free will, you know,” Tim deadpans. “I don’t just buy her things, contrary to station belief.”

“No, you also get all soft and gooey inside when we bring her up. I can see that you want to smile.”

“What I want is to get back to work so I can go home on time. I was supposed to have today off, Chen.”

“Ah, that’s why you’re grumpy. You’re here with me instead of your pretty princess.”

“Are you done?”

Lucy’s smile droops as she admits, “Yeah, I’m done.”

Less than a minute later, she looks away from an evidence log to inquire, “Why do you smell like her elixir or something?”

“Chen,” Tim warns.

She raises her hands and returns to work, assuming she knows why the scent of your skincare lingers on Tim. If he were slightly less grumpy, she’d ask him how long he’s been assisting you in getting ready.

“Does he always target places that have more than one store?” Tim asks. “Malls, strip malls, outlets?”

“Yes!” Nyla calls from her desk.

“Interesting,” he murmurs, turning to his computer to load a map of Los Angeles.

“Ooh, that color would look so good on you,” you tell a woman staring longingly at a sundress.

“You really think so?” she inquires softly.

“Absolutely! It compliments your hair and skin, and I think your eyes would pop against it.”

“It’s a little… bolder than what I usually wear,” she admits.

You run your fingers along the dress, nodding appreciatively at how it feels. “Try it on. Never too late to wear something new.”

She steps forward and finds her size, smiling at you as she asks a nearby employee to unlock the fitting room. You continue browsing, looking for a sweater Tim sent you a screenshot of last week.

“Are you searching for something specific?” the employee whose nametag says Jenna inquires kindly.

You unlock your phone and find the image as you answer, “This sweater. I saw it online, but I wanted to check in store before I ordered it.”

“Oh, yes,” she murmurs, looking over her shoulder. “I think we moved them to one of the racks over by the register. Let me check for you.”

“Thank you so much,” you call after her, glancing toward the fitting room.

The woman you spoke to before steps out, smiling with the dress draped over her arm.

“And?” you ask.

“I love it,” she admits. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Everyone deserves to wear what they love and feel beautiful.”

She thanks you again before approaching the checkout area, and you text Tim to let him know you’re thinking of him. He had a little longer before work this morning than he does most days, so you enjoyed the extra time together. You sat on the bathroom counter as he did your skincare, and you’ve already decided to surprise him with a homemade dinner tonight, making the most of what was supposed to be an entire day together.

“I found them!” Jenna calls, stepping back into your eyeline. “We have more colors here than that online listing, too.”

“Perfect,” you reply, following her through the store as the mall gets busier.

“Are you sure that’s the same guy?” Lucy asks, leaning closer to the monitor.

“We might be able to answer that if we could see him,” Nyla points out.

Lucy pulls back with a mumbled apology, allowing the others to see what they suspect could be security footage from the first robbery. The jewelry store on the other side of the mall captured nearly a minute of footage facing the targeted store before it moved. In the video, a man wearing a black sweatshirt speaks to the man behind the clothing store counter, then runs out with his arms full of clothes and small items.

“He didn’t look like he had a gun,” Angela muses.

“Progression,” Tim says simply as he clicks the mouse to play another video. “This is from this week.”

This video is blurrier, but it shows the gun pulled from his pants, aimed at the store clerk, and then jerked toward the murder victim now lying in the morgue.

“For a few hundred dollars,” Nyla sighs. “Okay, what else did you get?”

“Possible name,” Tim says, passing a police record over his shoulder.

“We’ll get a warrant,” Angela responds. “Keep looking. And thank you.”

Tim lifts his phone from the desk, smiles, and sets it aside again. Lucy decides not to comment, but she briefly wonders if you have any idea how far gone Tim Bradford is for you.

You open your wallet to pay at the third store you visit, shaking your head when you see Tim’s credit card tucked in front of your ID. Last night, you told him you didn’t need him to buy you anything, though you appreciated the offer. It’s one of the ways Tim shows he loves you, you know, but it’s not necessary. Maybe you’ll use it on one little thing you can both enjoy, like a book or something for dessert.

With another bag hooked on your arm, you enter a store marketing the newest pop culture merchandise and vinyl records. You don’t need anything, and it isn’t on your list, but you’re sure you’ll find something you like or that Tim might enjoy.

“Welcome,” the store attendant calls over the music. “Let me know if you need help or a fitting room.”

“Thank you,” you reply, walking toward the large clearance sign at the back of the store.

As you look through the hangers of graphic tees and patterned hoodies, your gut tells you something is wrong. Since dating Tim Bradford, your instincts have sharpened and begun to sound like him. You move toward the door but hesitate when you see a limited-edition Dodgers jersey. No one enters the store, and the clerk is more than happy to help you get Tim’s size from the wall and even gives you 10% off. Shaking your head as you exit the store, you check your phone before you head to the next store. Now, when you think about missing Tim, you wonder how you managed to go shopping without him carrying your bags before. The thought makes you smile, and you text Tim another short update and reminder that you love him, for more than carrying your bags… and you, when the occasion calls for it.

“Bradford, you got anything?” Nyla asks over the radio.

“Negative,” Tim replies. “Boss said he didn’t show up today and he’s on his third strike. We’ll drive by the house again, check a few stores along the way.”

“Okay. Keep us updated.”

Tim sets the radio in the console, slowing as he nears a strip mall less than three blocks from the suspect’s job. It looks normal, people come and go freely, so he continues driving.

“Where do you think he is?” Lucy asks.

“Laying low,” he replies. “He isn’t a cold-blooded killer; he shot someone, so he’s probably letting that cool off before he pulls another job.”

“Isn’t it weird that he doesn’t take much? That he hits stores and malls with lower-end prices?”

“He’s targeting places he’s more likely to get away with robbing,” Tim says. “They’re not as likely as say a jewelry store to have cameras or to prosecute. Insurance pays out, they write it off. That’s why a shooting throws such a major wrench in his plan.”

“Interesting,” Lucy hums. “Hey, there’s another mall a block east of here, if you want to check it out.”

Tim nods, hitting his blinker to turn off before they check his house.

“Good morning,” you greet as you enter a men’s clothing store.

“Morning,” the teenage boy behind the counter replies. “Everything is 25% off today, and clearance is buy one get one for a dollar.”

“Awesome. Thank you!”

“Sure. My name’s Dustin, let me know if you need anything.”

You nod, moving slowly along the right wall, looking for something Tim would wear. He spoils you with gifts, and though it isn’t your preferred love language (not like it is for him, at least), you like getting him small things and spending time with him while he enjoys it.

This is the busiest store you’ve been in today, but you attribute that to the sale and the fact that it’s nearing lunchtime. Four men browse the clearance racks while two more talk about colors and debate which items to try on. You smile at the only other woman in the store, who taps her finger back and forth between two different sizes, like she’s trying to remember what size she needs to buy.

“Sir, that door needs to stay open,” Dustin calls. “Mall policy.”

The door clicks closed, and you turn just as the hoodie-wearing man slides the lock into place. “Everybody stay calm, and this will go a lot smoother and faster,” he says.

You step backward, your eyes widening as you drop your bags and fumble for your phone. The woman beside you ducks behind the closest rack, whispering to whom you assume is a 911 dispatcher. One of the men makes a discreet call, holding his phone against his leg. Your first idea isn’t 911, however. After you tap Tim’s name, you pull a shirt off a display table to drape over your wrist and hide your ringing phone.

“Nobody move!” the man demands, raising a gun above his head. “Empty the register.”

Dustin nods as he fumbles with the control on the tablet beside him. The woman beside you ends her call abruptly when the intruder walks toward the back of the store. Tim’s voicemail plays, muffled beneath the shirt as you attempt to end the call. Before you can move your other hand, the man rips the shirt away. His fingers wrap cruelly around your wrist, tugging you closer as he displays your phone to the other shoppers-turned-hostages.

“You see this?” he yells. “Stupid! I said stay calm and stay where you are.”

You turn your head away from him, his voice too loud in your ear, and his touch painful. He twists your arm sharply, causing you to drop your phone onto the table your thighs are pressed against. You quickly forget that your arm is suspended over your head and pulled back painfully when the cold barrel of a gun is pressed against your temple.

“Don’t do what she did,” the man says, quieter now, as his chest heaves against your side. “How’s that register coming?”

“It’s open, but we haven’t been to the bank yet this week or anything, so there isn’t much,” Dustin rambles.

“Well, that won’t do. What should we do about that?” he asks, leaning too close to you as his hand twitches on the gun.

“If he moved out yesterday, he was probably upset about the shooting, right?” Lucy asks, returning to the shop after an unhelpful conversation with the suspect’s former roommate.

“That’s one possibility,” Tim replies, closing the door too hard. His phone lights up, and he furrows his brows when he sees a missed call from you. He wasn’t gone long, and you rarely call when he’s at work. As he prepares to call you back, dispatch radios an alert of a robbery in progress.

“The mall,” Lucy sighs. “Think it’s our guy?”

Tim is no longer concerned about that. He hits the lights and sirens, yanks the gear shift into Drive, and steers the shop into a tight U-turn to speed toward the scene. It’s not just any mall, it’s the mall you are in. Tim decides not to call you back, his adrenaline pumping as his mind threatens to show him the worst-case scenarios.

“Tim,” Lucy grunts. “Easy.”

He doesn’t reply, blowing through a red light as he nears the mall.

“What store?” he asks.

Lucy opts not to argue. She raises the radio to ask where exactly the armed suspect is, then tells Tim. He follows the signs toward the entrance closest to that store, pulling up onto the curb before he pulls his gun from his side and leads Lucy inside.

The mall is evacuating, so people are running out toward their cars, some screaming while others shove people and displays aside carelessly.

“Where?” Tim barks at a security guard cowering behind a table in the food court.

“Straight through this archway, and then right,” the man answers, pointing weakly with his stun gun.

“Put that away before you hurt someone,” Lucy demands.

She follows Tim as they enter the archway. He clears the corner, then moves quickly but carefully toward the closed door separating him from you and a man with a gun.

“Tim, think about this first,” Lucy pleads.

“I am,” he assures, ducking to look through the windows covering the front of the store. “One armed at the back of the store,” he tells her. “One civilian behind the counter.”

“And the door is locked,” Lucy adds, nodding toward the heavy metal rod holding the door in place.

“Back up,” Tim requests.

He stays low and shoots through the glass panel beside the door. It shatters as his shot echoes, but he doesn’t care about the noise as he climbs through the opening, his gun aimed at the thief.

Tim swallows and moves his gun an inch to the left when he sees that the man has a hostage. He reminds himself that he can’t remember it’s you, not if he wants to ensure you go home safely with him. For now, he’s Tim Bradford, the cop, not Tim Bradford, the man with a princess in need of saving. A cruel voice in his head points out that you might not be in this situation if he’d answered your call, but it’s too late to think like that.

“LAPD,” Lucy yells, taking her position beside Tim. “Put the weapon down and let me see your hands."

The man shakes his head and moves behind you, his gun at your temple and his other arm around your neck. You keep your eyes on Tim, your teeth grinding together painfully as you dig your fingers into your palms.

“Out,” Tim demands. Dustin rushes out through the broken window, disappearing around the corner as the two men closest to the entrance follow after him.

“Let the other hostages go,” Lucy encourages. “Then we can talk.”

“Sure,” the man says. “Everyone behind me can go.”

The rest of the customers take that invitation, running as fast as they can out of the store. Then, you’re left alone with a crazed gunman who didn’t get what he wanted, and two cops who don’t have a clear shot. Tim nods to you, nearly imperceptibly, but you don’t know what it means. Is it a promise he’ll save you, a command to do something?

“It’s over,” Tim says. “Let her go, and this goes much smoother for you.”

“I lost everything,” the man behind you replies. “It’s been over.”

You look at Lucy, then quickly turn your eyes to the left. She narrows her eyes slightly, so you move your fingers away from your palm. She tips her head quickly, then adjusts her grip on her gun.

“Bradford,” she murmurs softly. “Derecha.”

At that, you pull to your left, gaining less than a foot of freedom before the man tightens his grip on your neck. Or tries to. Tim takes the opening, firing at his chest. His arm falls away as you stumble back toward Lucy, who holsters her gun and steps toward you.

“Cuff him, Chen,” Tim says, taking her place. He pulls you into his arms, tucking your face against his chest as you cling to his uniform. You hear Lucy talking into her radio, but you’re so relieved to be with Tim that you don’t listen. Within a few minutes, you’re being led away from your boyfriend and escorted into an ambulance. The paramedics tell you it’s just a quick check of your vitals, but you watch the mall parking lot outside as they work, ignorant of what they do as you wait until you can return to Tim.

“I understand,” Tim tells Wade. “Can I go now?”

Wade sighs as he signs off on Tim’s statement. He nods, then walks toward the sergeant interviewing Lucy. Tim turns toward the line of ambulances parked in the handicap spaces, but he doesn’t know which one you’re in.

You’ve been waiting beside a police car for the last minute and a half, watching Tim's back. So, when he turns away from his watch commander and is alone, you don’t hesitate to run toward him. He doesn’t see you coming, yet still manages to catch you in his arms. Relief floods into him, seeping into you where you’re pressed against him.

Tim clings to you, one arm secure around your waist, while the other hand raises to your shoulder to brush your hair away from your face.

“Get out of here, Bradford!” Angela yells when she sees you in his arms. “Take her home!”

Tim takes you to his home, though you spend enough time at each other’s places that the lines are beginning to blur. He pats your hip after helping you change, a silent instruction to sit on his bed. You obey, watching his back as he disappears into the bathroom. You haven’t spoken yet, aren’t sure where to start, but being this close to Tim is the only way you think you’ll be able to deal with what you’ve been through.

When Tim returns, he has a wet cloth and a bottle of lotion. Your bags from the mall are still in Tim’s trunk, but he placed a book, a drink, and your favorite snack on the nightstand for you, so you have more than everything you need.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Tim says, standing between your legs. He sets the lotion beside you, then hooks his finger beneath your chin to lift your face.

“I was scared,” you whisper. “But when you got there, I knew everything would be okay.”

Tim nods, frowning as he observes the bruise on your forehead and the redness of your neck. He dabs the cool washcloth against your injuries, then gently wipes the rest of your face. When he’s content and convinced that you're comfortable, he steps away to put the cloth in the sink, but he’s back at your side in mere seconds.

Tim helps you get comfortable in his bed, reclined against pillows with everything you need in reach. He picks up the lotion as he joins you in bed, passing you the remote. After you turn on your favorite movie, Tim takes your hand. He squeezes a drop of your favorite lotion into your palm, closes the tube against his leg, and rubs his thumb over your palm, spreading the lotion with a relaxing pressure and his usual reverence. He uses both hands to massage you, moving the lotion down your fingers as you relax beside him. Every second he touches you is calming, and you’d be content to stay here forever, you think.

“Thank you,” you say as he finishes with your other hand.

“I should have answered the phone,” he replies. “I’ll answer next time.”

“It’s not your fault, Tim. You saved me. That’s more than I’d ever ask for.”

“You’re going to be okay?”

“I am,” you assure him. “Mostly because you’re here, and I’m not alone.”

Tim smiles, kisses your hand, and invites you to recline against his side. Comfortable under his arm, you can feel his heart beating as he drags his fingers up and down your arm.

“You’ll never be alone,” he promises. “Everything and everyone that you face… your enemies have to contend with me, and I’ll never be far. I won’t miss another call.”

“I love you,” you say, turning your face toward his. “I love you so much, Tim.”

“I love you,” he promises, kissing you gently as he tugs you impossibly closer.

You might be Tim’s princess, but he will always be more than a prince. He’s a knight, a protecter, a pamperer, and that's just the surface of who he is. He’s yours, he’s the love of your life, he’s a constant, and you will be by his side no matter what.

“I was going to buy you a gift,” you murmur, “but something came up.”

“Gifts are my job,” Tim argues. “Besides, this is more than enough for me.”

You chuckle, then pull Tim’s shoulder. He understands what you’re inviting him to do, and he slides down in the bed to hook his arm around your waist and rest his head on your chest.

“Angela wants to know when you’re up to meeting everyone,” Tim says against your sternum, growing heavier against you as you run your nails along his back.

“I was always ready,” you remind him.

“You met Lucy today, that’s enough for now.”

“Whatever you say.”

Tim slides his hands along your waist as he reaches up to kiss your jaw, then he relaxes again, and your memories of being scared disappear as you find comfort in Tim Bradford, growing happier each day you are lucky enough to be his princess.

[ancientnapdragon]

hello scum villain fandom. i finished these silly books like two months ago and have been rotating them in my mind since then.

ANYWAY, i've come to propose a fun AU from my brain: Shen Yaun 'Food Peak' Lord. >:) (please excuse any typos i'm on my phone)

This is a Scumcum AU cause I decided that SJ is like my fave and I wanna see him get wifed up. Does he deserve it? No. Will this stop me? Also no.

So, slap cut to SY and he's suddenly like waking up the day after being chosen as a Sect disciple. He's like 13 and really confused and something feels... kinda wrong! It's like he has all these swiss cheese spots in his memory and he feels like he should be alarmed he's not in his own bed! But, he also IS in his own bed? What's his problem? SY is still 100% a transmigrator but since he's in a kid's body his memories are like half on lockdown. He remembers a few things but not much. The System shows up and seems just as surprised as this turn of events as he is, sort of analyzes a while, then ends up making him think (by accident) it's some like Guardian Family Spirit who is there to guide him.

In truth, the System is trying to find the best route to get the story on track within it's programming. This is NOT what it's assignment was supposed to be! Ugh!

SY has now been shuffled into what is basically an OC so it more or less just looks like him from his old life, not that he is aware, except as a kid. Everyone calls him Kong Yuan (name pending) (also I'll keep calling him SY for this to make it easier) and he was just taken into the lower Peak in charge of Food, Wine, and Elixirs. Of course this is like, with it's own special PIDW twist so everything is cool and magic. Without any real ideas on what to do otherwise, and feeling like this is Right, he throws himself into learning stuff about the Peak. He was a lazy Millennial rich boy in his last life so he's, like, kind of a SHIT COOK. That's on top of being kind of just bad at the type of physical cultivation needed for this Peak!

While highly specialized, the people on (Food) Peak are certified badasses in their own right, even if it's not in like a proper fight. You got people dipping arms and torsos in boiling oil, doing all sorts of fancy knife tricks with qi, tearing whole large beasts apart for processing; the Peak Lord and SY's new Shizun had some giant metal ladle that's twice as long as herself and looks like it weights more than a building. She's built and buff and uses this thing effortlessly to stir this giant cauldron in the center of the Peak that is as big as a house. It's a smaller Peak but always a flurry of activity! The System, deciding it will at least try and work with this, starts giving SY Taste Points as he improves. Occasionally, it will even give him little quests for bonus points! Usually it's for meeting new people, at the start, or learning certain techniques on his Peak. He notices that he usually get these 'Meet x Person' quests when on other Peaks, though... like that really sad looking but polite boy on Qiong Ding, the sort of nervous and mousy kid from An Ding, the sharp tongued girl from Xian Shu- even the real scary guy from Bai Zhan! Then after he gets those quests done, they always turn into a 'Befriend X Person' quest after... which is way harder but rewards more T Points!

(DID YOU THINK THIS WAS JUST A PEAK LORD AU BTW? NO NO NO! IT'S ALSO A QING DISCIPLE AU! HA! >:D) But why does he even WANT the T Points? Well, Guardian Spirit/System says it will provide him special memory rewards! SY rationalizes this as thinking he's receiving visions from a past? future? reincarnation of himself, which the System does not correct. It's usually smaller things about his old life, with the real important stuff all locked away behind higher and higher Points. The System will also provide him with small boosts to his palate (his was quite shit) and sometimes even... cookbooks! Part of being a Food Cultivator is enhancing your QI and Spiritual Veins by eating food that is both delicious as well as Spiritually Enhanced. This isn't just cooking in the kitchen with mama time, this is an ART. Only the best of the best have the refined palate, knowledge base, and skills to make their own recipes. It's fairly common on the Peak for the Masters to work for YEARS to try and make SOMETHING of their own they can be proud of! When SY is like 15, enough time to get to know his fellow (future) Peak Lords, he gets a special quest: [ BECOME HEAD DISCIPE ]. For the first time, THIS quest has a time limit (two years!), and the System warns him of graaaaaave consequences if he is not able to do so....

This lights a fire under his ass a bit and makes him panic! See, SY has all these cookbooks from the System, and he can even make some of the recipes! But most of them ask for all these ingredients he FEELS like he should know but he's never really heard of.... And some of the techniques are so strange, too! The System offers him a special upgrade (for what is, at the time, probably almost all this T-Points): A taste-alike Beastiary!

So, Ancient China did not have a lot of modern fruits and veggies from around the world. PIDW? Aside from a few things ones cause Airplane was a hack writer, mostly the same! But you know what PIDW does have? Lots of weird demons and animals and spirit beasts and flowers. The next time SY looks at a cookbook he will see little (???) next to the stuff he doesn't recognize. But also! There was this one recipes he wanted to make, and he had everything except for ONE thing to make it, and it has a (Inferno-Harpy-Vulture Egg) next to it. So! It shows him stuff he can SUBSTITUTE! Provided... he knows the name of the plant or animal already....

SY had always had a passion for the weird beasts and creatures he sometimes saw, but no reason to act on learning more since he was so busy.... but with this he can totally indulge! AND it will help him with his goal! Double win!

At some point in all his fumbling, he makes better connections with the Future Peak Lords, gets a reputation as being very reliable and kind (if a bit danger prone and sharp tongued at times), and is earning the attention of his buff Shizen. After getting a lot of T-Points, he manages to uncover some of the more expensive Memories....

Which warn him of a cruel villain named Shen Quinqui. An abusive man who was just the worst! Basically, all the stuff SY thought he knew about him in SV. AND the guy was gunna cause the world to end or something? UGH! Why didn't anyone DO anything about that guy in the future? :( The System says he's not allowed to tell anyone, but if he keeps working, maybe he can change Fate! Now, you're probably like 16 paragraphs into this and like 'okay, this is all super cool and you're really smart. but where is SJ at???' Well, he is HERE!

See, while SY had been to Qing Jing Peak multiple times, he's never actually got a Quest to meet anyone from there which is super weird! But he's called over there to act as a chef for a few weeks because one of the guys who usually does it is on some mission. He decides to scout out the Peak while he's there and see if he can find anyone named 'Shen' who might be the evil guy in the future.... [Mission: Meet Xiao Jiu] suddenly pops up from the System! And SY tries VERY HARD to do so! Every day he goes to work at QJ, he never meets anyone he doesn't already know. Sometimes, he hears rumors about a new kid who the Peak Lord took in and the rumors sound NASTY about him. He's only 15 (just a bit younger than SY by like a season or two!) and the guy is said to have murdered people, slept with prostitutes, perved on the girl's in their dorm there, (probably) was actually a real demon.... and was just a huge asshole. But, eventually, SY does end up meeting this mystery Xiao Jiu! He's done in the kitchen for the night and finished cleaning with the other cooks when he remembers he left something there. Going back, he finds this real skinny and lanky guy in the kitchen picking through whatever was leftover in there (not much). He's real cagey and looks ready to beat the hell out of SY for coming in there; but also like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't do. They sort of stare at each other a bit before SY hesitantly introduces himself and the guy basically runs off through the back. Rude! [Mission Complete: Meet Xiao Jiu] [Mission: Befriend Xiao Jiu]

The guy didn't even SAY anything, though! And he seemed like he wanted to beat him up! System, that doesn't seem FAIR! But... SY really wants those T Points for more future memories to try and stop whatever bad stuff is going to happen in the future, so...

Just trying to find Xiao Jiu ends up being a huge problem in of itself! This is a whole Peak and SY is mostly just here to act as a chef for a few hours in the evening. The guy never comes in and gets food, either! Does he only eat the stuff that's left in the kitchen after? But they always clean up really thoroughly so there isn't much left... and he had looked really skinny....

SY starts staying over past everyone else and leaving some extra buns and stuff he saves from dinner on the counter. Except, he gets in trouble after a day or two because the Morning Chefs had come in to find the food left there all night. Was the guy not taking it?

Eventually, he gets the idea to leave the food but... hide it. For some reason it reminds him of hiding a treat from a cat to make it want the treat more. It... sort of works? Usually only one of the buns is missing instead of the multiple he hides. But! Hey! At least the guy got some food!

Things go on like this for a while, until one night when he's heading back to his Peak, he gets sideline kicked into a dense copse of bamboo along the path. And the guy is standing over him with a sword (not a Spiritual one, but still really sharp!) at his throat. And demanding to know what SY is trying to do by leaving him food.... AAAAND I think this is long enough. For NOW. I'll write more on it when I have some time!!! My big wants is basically Feral Angry Cat SJ being slowly socialized to like the one (1) guy who keeps feeding him. They're gunna be BESTIES! (And SY just TOTALLY doesn't feel weird about thinking his best bro is pretty! That's, like super normal!)

I'm sort of half vomiting all my ideas out of my brain but also half writing a bit of a rough outline for a future fic i want to write. If this inspires you in some way, though, feel free to write stuff! Just tag me! I WANNA SEE!!!! >:)

If you have any questions or anything feel free to reach out! I wanna expand more on the Cookbook and the Food Quest and like, how SY would befriend the other Future Peak Lords. Plus, I have a really evil idea for the System to try and force the plot back on the rails later on hehe.

Ty for reading my rambling ilu <3

[leiatalon]

Ink and Intrigue: Romantasy IF

It's here! It's here! 🎉

Ink and Intrigue is published and you can play it now! ❤️‍🔥

Play the demo for free!

Heed magic's call! Find love on a lush tropical island among immortal warrior-mages as you explore ancient mysteries, craft dragon-rune tattoos, and discover your true loyalties. When mystery tempts, how do you answer?

Ink an Intrigue is a standalone Heart’s Choice IF romantasy adventure set in the same world as Their Majesties' Pleasure.

Plunge into a world where magic calls the passion in your soul.

Choose your kindred: a powerful dragon, a shapeshifting griffin, or a blue-lightning phoenix.

As you train to become a warrior-mage, do you romance or befriend a sexy tattoo artist, a feisty initiate, a playful sage, or a maverick with an unfulfilled quest?

Ink and Intrigue is an interactive high-heat fantasy novel by Leia Talon, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based—300,000 words and hundreds of choices, without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

As a seasoned spy from the kingdom of Minare, you have been sent as an emissary to the Kitherin warrior-mages of Ra'zai, whose tattoos give them supernatural abilities and whose magical rites bond them to powerful creatures from another world.

But, as soon as you enter Ra'zai, you hear the call of the Kitherin. The magic has chosen you, and now, your fingertips tingle and your heart pounds. An unnamed need grows within, like a thirst that can't be quenched. Magic infuses your very breath.

As your magic expands, so does your heart. Which of your new Kitherin companions calls to you?

TEO: Are you attracted to Teo, the soft-spoken tattoo artist whose muscular body is covered in tattoos and whose eyes blaze with amber fire? When he paints dragon runes onto your skin, do you feel the power of his heart as well as his magic?

KAI: Or to Kai, whose dark hair contrasts with brilliant blue eyes: his mastery as a warrior is unmatched, but his quest to overturn a corrupt regime has earned him the opposition of the Kitherin Council.

RAE: Perhaps you prefer Rae, a feisty fellow initiate, with her dark skin and wicked smile. Rae's determination is legendary—she has failed the trials before, but never stops trying—and her boisterous spirit is unbreakable.

THEA: Or maybe Thea is the one for you, with her sea-green eyes and copper hair. Elegant and serene, dedicated guardian of the temple—but if you earn her trust, she will show you her playful side, and sing the songs of her Fae ancestors.

What does the call of the Kitherin mean for your duty to the crown? Will you confess the clandestine role you've played for your king, or keep your secrets and leave your past behind? What information will you send back? Will you use your position to build alliances with the Kitherin Council and other nations, or will you use your spy skills of blackmail and poison to get what you want?

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, bi, and/or asexual.

Romance a passionate artist, a serene sage, a feisty initiate, or a determined warrior.

Choose high-heat or sweet options, or avoid sex scenes entirely.

Form a psychic bond with a magical creature: choose a dragon, a griffin, or a phoenix.

Learn how to craft dragon-rune tattoos, and infuse your art with powerful magic.

Explore a lush island paradise crowned with ancient temples, peaceful healing gardens, a hidden library, and sun-swept beaches with the perfect waves for surfing.

Indulge in magic elixirs and delectable food as you revel under the full moon.

Dive through portals to strengthen your ties with your bonded creature, and explore other worlds!

When magic calls, where will your heart find its home?

Play the demo of Ink and Intrigue and try the first three chapters free to see if the adventure sucks you in!

Big shout out to everyone who has given feedback on the WIP demo and during beta testing. Thank you so much for your suggestions and for sharing in the excitement for this game!

I can't believe Ink and Intrigue is 300k words! It's actually upwards of 375k words including repeated text (much of which still has to be edited for different situations). I meant to write it much shorter, but I accidentally wrote a whole extra chapter during beta testing and added to all the paths.

There are so many gems to uncover in this game!

If you have any asks, hit me up! I'll do my best to answer. Just please be patient as sometimes I forget to check socials for days at a time. 🤣 After working for a year straight on this game I'm taking a breather. I'll rest, you play. Let me know what you think!

Play the first three chapters for free!

Ink and Intrigue is published by Heart's Choice, the romance division of Choice of Games. Game art by Adrien Valdes.

[kindaasrikal]

Okay so thanks to my genius amazing smart mutual @chebyshevptera i have come to a very important realisation about the design choices they made for Morro in Dragons rising.

More specifically, his transparent arm.

The realm crystal is an incredibly powerful item created by the fsm before he ever even came to Ninjago, very likely created by pure dragon and oni energy before the guy was ever actually the first spinjitzu master to begin with. With it, the only other people to have ever held it as long as he did were Wu, Lloyd, the Oni, and Nadakhan (before Jay made a wish to take it all back)

Now note how Morro is the only person not actually equal in terms of power or bloodline to any of them. He was the master of wind, equal to the other elemental masters, and was also a ghost. Whilst being a ghost could make him immune to a lot, it could also open up a lot of risks to Morro’s soul. More so than the rest, who are literally built to handle the energy of the realm crystal naturally.

Taking that into consideration:

Looking at his ‘death’ from the preeminent at the end of season 5 Morro holds the realm crystal in his left arm.

And in Dragons rising season 3, his left arm is his supposed ‘transparent’ one. The one with the visible bones.

I think one of the possible reasons his body and arm are the way they are is because of the lasting effects of the realm crystal on his soul itself, possibly making him in-tuned to the merge, so when it happened it left his body a mess. This could also link to the well with the healing elixir and its possible connection to him as the guardian of lost souls as despite it’s very important purpose, it only emerged after the merge.

The realm crystal at the current moment is broken from what i recall, due to Garmadon attempting to stop the Oni from coming in through it. Is it possible the merge was quickened using the shards of it (if there were any shards left)? Or was it rushed due to the magic and energy within it being released? Despite its importance, theres not much on the realm crystal other than who made it and what it does, is there?

Does this mean that the realm crystal could also possibly be a link/stabilisation between all the realms?

Okay ignoring all that lets focus on Morro again because if the realm crystal has abilities like that and very likely left his arm in its weird state, it could actually mean that its one of the reason Morro seems ‘chosen’ for the job of guiding newly dead souls to peace, as well as how his body is now far more different to that of a ghosts.

They may actually use the realm crystal as an important tool in the later seasons in regard to the merge and how it was caused as its a key link between all the realm except the departed one.

Okay anyways I’m done i was just doing a lot of thinking on how the realm crystal is absolutely at fault for Morro’s weird arm now dhdehh

[resident-dumb-fuck]

sweeney todd tumblr dashboard simulator

🥧mrs-lovetts-meat-pies Follow

GRAND RE-OPENING tomorrow at 9am!! If you're in London tomorrow come by Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop we have good pies this time I promise

(31 notes)

🐦jojos-bizarre-adventure Follow

why do the birds outside my window sing if theyre trapped in cages

🐤bird-enthusiast Follow

we blind em so they keep singing

🐦jojos-bizarre-adventure

goddamn i was gonna do like symbolism because i also cant get out of the house but thats so much worse than i expected

(3 notes)

⛵sailor-boy Follow

women pretty...

(25,800 notes)

👨‍⚖️judge-turpin-official Follow

there are children trying to elope with my ward

⛪beadle-deedle-deedle-deedle Follow

fucked up have you tried marrying her first

👨‍⚖️judge-turpin-official

good idea

(5 notes)

🐦jojos-bizarre-adventure Follow

this shit sucks the guy whos like my legal guardian wants to marry me. what the fuck

⛵sailor-boy Follow

i could marry you first

🐦jojos-bizarre-adventure

fuck it why not

(17 notes)

🥧mrs-lovetts-meat-pies Follow

Please for the love of god come to my pie shop we are going out of business I know the pies taste like shit but please

(316 notes)

🪒da-so-famous-pirelli Follow

Are you experiencing hair loss? Want your hair back? Try Pirelli's Miracle Elixir - only costs a penny*, guaranteed!

*no longer only costs a penny

🥟toby-ragg Follow

promoting this on my main blog because i get paid for every bottle purchased please please please buy this

(15 notes)

💈sweeneys-barbershop Follow

where is my wife and child

(7 notes)

⛵sailor-boy Follow

back in london!!! yippee!!!!

💈sweeneys-barbershop Follow

london kinda sucks ass if you think about it hard enough

⛵sailor-boy

this is where all my stuff is though

(15 notes)

[artershetried]

Let's analyse Atsushi, Dazai and Ranpo's outfits

I remembered that I actually deal with theories in bsd fandom, so like, share, and let's go!

We will start with Atsushi

Firstly, there are obvious elements of feng shui: The red colour in the shoes and outerwear symbolises happiness, yellow, although there isn't much of it in Atsushi's outfit, symbolises wealth, and black symbolises the water element.

Secondly, Atsushi is shown half in tiger form, and the image of the tiger is also traditional in this practice.

This animal is considered the guardian of the home, family well-being and a symbol of good luck.

Thirdly, the artwork itself is created according to the principle of yin-yang balance: smooth silk fabrics, blue and black shades, and red and gold colours, a stiff belt.

In addition, despite Atsushi's rather graceful and fluid pose, his face reflects the fury and aggression characteristic of a tiger.

Now about my favourite fool, Dazai.

I won't say that Harukawa is straying from the ideas she incorporated into her art with Atsushi. In feng shui, water symbolises movement, change, wealth and abundance. It is believed that paintings with waves attract good luck and financial prosperity.

As you can see, the same symbol is depicted on the earring (Happy Pride Month, it's on the left) and on Dazai's belt.

I can't say for sure what it specifically refers to, but here are a few suggestions

Balance of opposites The circle represents the sky, infinity, and yin energy (flexibility, flow). The rhombus symbolises the earth, stability, and yang energy (structure, order).

A sign of prosperity and good fortune In business feng shui, the rhombus is associated with wealth. The circle enhances energy circulation, and red attracts success.

Mysticism In Taoism, such geometric figures symbolise the elixir of immortality (the circle represents spirit, the rhombus represents matter).

Ofc, ver 2 is the most likely, but I like version 3 better because it refers to Dazai, eheh

And, of course, we can't fail to mention Dazai's cute pink tail, who is depicted in the artwork as a Huli-jing (fox spirit).

It is considered a powerful creature capable of bringing good luck and wisdom.

In Taoist tradition, it is a symbol of longevity (eheh 2.0) and transformation, as the creature can turn into a human.

UPD: We were shown Ranpo!

As with Atsushi and Dazai, there is an element symbolising good fortune. In China, the panda is a national treasure associated with prosperity. It is also a symbol of harmony, kindness, peacefulness and prosperity.

That's all, thank you for reading. I understand that very few people will see this post, but I am grateful to you too for taking the time. I hope you found it interesting!

[i-love-zelda-16]

stoop dissing my man Wild HE DID NOTHING WRONG OK.

mhm sure. here’s a list of some things “your man Wild” has done. i still love Wild sm dwww

1. Tried to climb a sheer cliff during a thunderstorm — just to “see the view.”

2. Put Goron spice in the stew and didn’t tell anyone until after they took a bite.

3. Befriended a Lynel. Named it something cute. Brought it to camp.

4. Cooked dubious food on purpose to “test everyone’s constitution.”

5. Used bomb arrows to fish. In a lake. While others were swimming.

6. Rode a bear into town because “horses are boring.”

7. Tried to surf a shield down Death Mountain’s slope.

8. Slept in a tree. A really tall one. Claimed it was safer than the ground.

9. Tamed a Wizzrobe. For science.

10. Forgot to mention he angered a Hinox earlier that day — and it followed him back to camp.

11. Set up a campfire on top of a rock monster.

12. Got struck by lightning and survived. Shrugged it off.

13. Mistook a Yiga ninja for a traveling merchant. Tried to trade apples with them.

14. Tried to cook with Monster Extract just to see what would happen.

15. Challenged Revali’s ghost to a race across the sky. Nearly fell off the Divine Beast.

16. Used magnesis to prank Time’s fishing line. Repeatedly.

17. Drank dubious elixirs like they were juice.

18. Gave an ancient Guardian arm to Four and said, “Here, build something fun.”

19. Woke up surrounded by wolves. Named them. Asked if they wanted breakfast.

20. Mistook a cursed statue for a Korok and tried to give it an apple.

[r0-boat]

The Wonders of the deep Blue!

Thank you all for participating!

And now May I present to you....

This documentary

...

Water; an element we all know. It is as dangerous as it is beautiful.

It is no wonder that so many creatures crave its elixir of life, whether it's a drink to live, breathe, or even play.

on the glittering sands of the Unova region a family of Pokémon skip and play. The salty Sea tickling their noses. Craving the warm sun in there fur and the calming voices of the ocean This leafeon and Espeon enjoy their evening buried up to the head in the warm sand.

A Vaporeon watches it's brother from afar sharing it's love for the sea to the curious and playful Eevee catching a little ride on tiny waves on his inflatable raft.

Ah... Flareon doesn't seem too happy. It is a fire type, and cold seawater does nothing but make their fur itchy and lower their body temperature, But at least their siblings are having fun.

- @marchy-emmet

However from those warm beaches we go somewhere colder.... Where the winds howl and the waves crash against the ice...

It appears to be Selkie mating season, and This male has found a potential mate... Luckily for him He doesn't have competition other than The snarling female...

.... Oh?

It seemed that the young male did succeed. As here you see the mother and father sleeping with their new pup!

This male might be lazy but he takes his job of protecting his pup and his mate very seriously...

- @jazzingout & @dream-effect

In a more recent discovery, Marine hybrid biologists have made a miraculous discovery. Previously thought Mer Hybrids as incredibly territorial to other species have caught footage of. A nurse shark hybrid taking care of the pups of other species.

The nurse shark frantically swim to catch and groom as many fry as possible. Even a struggling gulper eel fry as it hissed and nipped until it eventually accepted his squeaky clean fate.

There are still many things left undiscovered by our aquatic Half cousins. Perhaps they are as curious about us as we are about them...

- @jazzingout

We move out from the Pacific Ocean to the warmer waters of the Atlantic. The tropical environment is home to many beautiful creatures It is no different for the ones below the waves. It's Golden scales shimmering from what little light makes its way down from in the deep. There's a legend from the locals...

'To all catches it's interest It will generously give you one of his gold scales... But be warned about catching his eye for those who succeed in winning his interest gets whisked away to make you apart of his treasure.'

His size and vanity alone grant it worthy of being King of the Ocean's treasures.

- @mammonsmaster

During an expedition on a remote Island unfortunately one of the members of our crew got separated as the storm Begin to worsen as we approach the store. Only a day passes that we were able to meet back up with her She excitedly retold the tale...

To seek warmth she wandered into a cave where the spring inside connected to the open ocean despite the center of that pool having a faint glow she cared little and she was more focused on not freezing to death. That's when She It's horns before it's head poking out the water glancing at her curiously yet vigilant. Before emerging. Handsome and sculpted like a Greek statue as it curled closer to inspect...

Our team is hesitant to believe her...

- @da-shrimping-station

Back in the Deep Pacific a dance begins....

Hybrid known for its rage and violence takes It's mate lovingly in its arms as they dance in the ocean. Looking at her beautiful blue as they water waltz, the ocean becoming their stage.

They circle, they swim; he dips her before holding her close. A message to show her that he is forever hers. Even a violent species full of rage and destruction has a soft side. They are highly possessive of their mates treating them as if as if they are the greatest treasure that their eyes have laid upon. These creatures made for life after all.

- @notquitebunnie

Not everything that That lurks within the deep is dangerous. As our cameraman prepare to take more photos of friendly Mer took interest in our cameras pawing and swimming around our camera cameraman until we gave in and took a photo.

Mers are very playful and intelligent as he knew enough what we were doing to even strike a pose for the camera. It seems like he even gotten himself presentable when he saw us. Wrapping himself in pink ribbons he had been hoarding in his den.

As rain stops and the clouds begin to part spring ends and summer begins. Take this time to enjoy long walks on the beach the moonlight being reflected from the sea and the glow of sparklers and a warm fire, for toasting marshmallows for delicious and overly sweet s'mores.

This devil was so engrossed with the glow and crackle of a sparkler he didn't realize that the human in front of him was taking a picture.

- @tokkiiecloud

The next time you see a body of water appreciate its beauty yet beware of it's cruelty. remember of how many creatures needed to survive, as well as thrive. Water is the lifeblood of Earth, It feeds the very trees that makes Earth breathe. It was our first cradle from time long forgotten It even now we can't bear depart from it as it's deep mysteries draw us the study every corner of its vast oceans.

Make sure to drink plenty of water and have a wonderful Summer everyone!

[alchemyofazeroth]

Elixir of Defense

Difficulty:

Intermediate alchemy. Alchemy trainers in major cities of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms will teach you how to brew this elixir.

Ingredients:

One-part Wild Steelbloom flowers.

One-part Stranglekelp fronds.

One crystal vial, for bottling.

Makes one elixir. Adjust for larger batches in a 1:1 ratio.

Recipe:

To brew an Elixir of Defense, one must carefully combine equal parts wild Steelbloom flowers and Stranglekelp seaweed. Steelbloom is an yellow flowering plant that only grows on the sheer cliffs of remote mountains, requiring skilled herbalists to carefully harvest the blossoms at peak potency. The vibrant yellow petals contain unique compounds that, when properly extracted and concentrated, imbue the drinker with enhanced resilience and fortitude. Stranglekelp, on the other hand, is an aquatic algae found along every costal shelf of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. The thick, fibrous stalks must be collected by divers and then dried to preserve their alchemical properties.

Once the two ingredients are obtained, they must be finely ground into a powder, combined in a 1:1 ratio by weight, and then suffused in a base of purified springwater over a low flame until fully dissolved. The resulting elixir takes on an unassuming gray hue and conveys remarkable protective abilities to the imbiber, shielding both body and mind from harm for a limited time.

While an Elixir of Defense is highly prized by warriors, adventurers, and anyone venturing into perilous situations, crafting one requires mastery of both herbalism and alchemy, along with access to these somewhat scarce ingredients.

[needfantasticstories]

GIFT EXCHANGE!

As part of a gift exchange, I wrote a fic for @nopenototdaysatan! <3<3<3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/64465384

Written on My Skin

Wild contemplates his scars. Wind tells a tale.

Campfire light dances under the pine boughs, shadows gently dancing as heroes from divergent worlds rest around the campfire, groaning as they may be. 

The battle had drawn out for hours, and long before the end they’d turned their thoughts towards rationing and restocking.

Luckily, it had been enough.

The monsters and their shadowy leader had fled. The trail had fallen cold. 

Like the others, Wild holds his skewer of bright-eye crab over a campfire. He winces as his arm, no longer broken from the lizalfos’s tail-strike, still twinges under his scars from a much older wound. 

—

Red light lights flashed. Fire consumed him. His bones resisted little more than twigs, shivering as he tried to rise, to reach for her…he sees his arm, his own seared…

—

He holds the roasting crab skewer at an easier angle, half-listening as Warriors’s battle-rasped voice doles out assignment suggestions for the next time they find a town. Wild wants to hold that pride, but it is slipping. 

“Hopefully they have more than just speedy elixirs,” Four drones, head held in one weary hand while the other barely keeps his crab out of the flames.

Wild’s arm twinges again. He is happy they won, but Legend won’t stop glancing at his arm. Vibrant eyes catch the firelight like twin torches when he glances at him. The Veteran seems convinced that the scars are new, that they weren’t there before the battle today. 

Wild doesn’t know how to tell him where they actually came from, that twinge of guilt still sitting, just heavy enough on his tongue to keep him silent. If he begins, he knows he will struggle to finish any explanation without diving where he has no strength to go. Not after the battle has left them drained and languid as empty water skeins. 

For the first time, Wild feels strange about his scars. He’s never felt ashamed of them before, and those he met commented on them with some degree of pride or interest. He would show them without hesitation. People usually opened up with fascinating stories of scars of their own, as he did so, and it made an easy point of introduction. But tonight, with Legend’s eyes searing two holes into him, he wonders what stories people might be attaching to him. He knows of one.��

He tries to cast aside the Veteran’s looks, and to remember his pride at being willing to die to protect Zelda and the kingdom. And yet, was it not also a mark of his failure? A brand that haunts him? 

—

Her golden locks were blemished with mud. She crawled to him under the fire of their furious glares. She was in danger… she would die if they struck! He tried to reach for her. He tried…she had screamed; first at him, then at the traitorous guardians… and then she was gone in a flash of blinding light.

—

His free arm twitches forward, reaching for a girl who isn’t there. Wild starts, fully alert now, and moves his outfacing palm flat over the fire to catch the gentle warmth. 

The night has grown cooler. Farore’s heroes draw cloaks and blankets closer. Campfire chatter continues, but Wild does not listen. Not until a younger voice chimes in with an impressive buoyancy of enthusiasm despite the long day of fighting.

“I wish I could have kept that one!” Wind says with a wistful grin.

“It crossed your entire face, sailor,” Hyrule counters. “What would your princess say?”

He smiles and sighs dreamily, as tragically in love as the Skylofian, “That it’s badass.” 

Wild expects objections, but Time and Warriors laugh deep belly laughs and heartily agree. He knows they’ve met the pirate princess, and he defers. 

“I wish we could pick which scars we get to keep,” Sky offers in agreement with the young sailor. “I once got nicked by a giant scorpion beast just under my eye. I saw my reflection in a rupee I picked up on the way out, and I looked older with it.”

“Exactly! I know which ones I’d have kept, too!” He quiets with the gravity of his answer. 

And it's too much for his companions. 

“Oh, is that so, Sailor?” Warrior’s tone is smug. “Tetra told us a few things. How about the—”

“HEY! NO! WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT ONE!” Wind makes a show of reaching for his boomerang, and the two older men slowly quiet their laughter to let the boy speak. 

—

Wind soared through the air, shot out of a cannon from Tetra’s ship. He screamed, and cut the edge of the fortress walls with desperate, clawing fingers.

 —

“A canon?” Twilight lights up. HIs half smile shows a canine, and Wild hopes that Wolfie might decide to make an appearance tonight. Anything to fight this strange foreboding.  

“Twi!” Hyrule hisses. His eyes are round with interest. He is everyone’s favorite audience, enamored with their strange, lush lands.  

“Some things never change,” Twi gripes lightly, and Sky gives him a nod and a wink. Wild sees. He must ask them both about that later.

“Anyways…” the sailor continues his tale.

—

Wind ran through dark corridors, sure he could find his little sister this time. 

He entered the room completely unprepared to face the mountain of a man who stood before him. He was a silent volcano at rest as he stood beside the window, the disaster yet hidden from the eyes of the world but when it exploded it would prove the doom of all living things. 

The hand that grabbed him was strong enough to snap his spine. It snapped his wrist and bore hard nails into his skin. 

Wind screamed. The shattered glass of the window sliced as sharp as any dagger as the raging force of nature hurled him out into the dark night.

—

“I wish I had kept them.” Wind offers no reason why, only glares into the fire light as the others digest his tale silently. 

Wild skewers another crab and sets it aside for him; the boy’s first one had long since burnt to a crisp and fallen from his skewer. 

Finally, Wind holds up his arm and stares at the blank canvas of his skin. “I wish there were still some warning of him. But he’s completely erased, like he never existed.” Wind chews on that thought a moment. “It may be for the best, but… it happened . But when I took a potion, the marks were all gone.” He let his blue sleeve fall over bare skin.

Sky shifts a little in his bedroll. Four too. Wild knows they have scars from their darkest hours. At last, Legend looks away, eyes down.

His eyes brighten. “I kept this one though!” He holds up his right hand and shows a humble little scar on the back of it. “Aryll scratched me once with a stick when we were playing tag. I like this one a lot. Grandma’s poultice didn’t fix it that time.”

Wild looks at his own hand again. Trails of red run parallel to his veins underneath. They shine pale in the light. Zelda had looked at his scars the way that Legend did. Yet Robbie—eccentric old Robbie—recognized him immediately by the shape and pattern of them. Distinct. Badges of experience no one else had of an effort that had meant everything to the old man. Robbie had explained that stopping the guardians had saved hundreds and thousands of lives, including the eccentric inventor. 

Wild looks at his hands. 

“I wanted to say,” the veteran mumbles, “I mean, your arm…” The veteran is many things, but easy to broach difficult subjects is not one of them. He shifts, and tries again, but Wild beats him to the finish. 

“It’s not the break, veteran. I'm just thinking about the old ones.” He holds up his arm. “What they say about me.”

The veteran smiles, wry and pleased, a quip on his tongue, when Time beats him to it.

“It means you’re a survivor.” 

Warrior raises his skewer like it’s the finest wine. “It means you’re more than worth your salt.”

“A badass,” Wind chimes.

“Tougher than your own weapons,” Four mumbles into his little wooden drinking cup. Sky fights back a laugh.  

Wild wants to feel pride in the marks. He wants to see it as he always has, but melancholy seeps all around as if growing from the darkening woods. The others quiet down, gently watching with the side of their eyes. They can sense the heaviness now. They must. Only the fire crackling interrupts his quiet plea. “And even if… everyone in sight of the castle… I couldn't...”

“Stop.” Twilight’s voice is bold. “You done enough, Champ." Wild looks at him, and he sees iron in those eyes. Hears iron in his voice. "All you can do is hold the line." He grabs his shoulder, his left shoulder. "Ain’t none of us immortal.”

Wild remembers the story. He'd lost the whole appendage, once. Only by the grace of the Light Spirit was he with them at all. 

“Except Sky’s girlfriend,” Hyrule teases. His own pillow is snatched and thrown at him by the Skyloftian in answer. The others laugh, and the sound is like the breaking of a spell. Gone are the claws of shadows. Gone is the heaviness over his heart. Wild sees the burns and remembers. Legend watches him now with a lightness in his expression. There is no worry, no weight. 

 —

Zelda approached cautiously, but desire moved like a wave before her. She had to know. He could see the hope in her eyes. Every word was soft and yet sharp as a scalpel. Her eyes examined him. May I ask? Do you really remember me?”

—

He closes his fist, stretching the scars taught. 

He does. 

[talonabraxas]

Garuda - Divine Vahana of Vishnu Talon Abraxas

Garuda was said to be the king of birds, and the Vahana of Lord Vishnu. In Hinduism, Vahana has a great significance as the Vehicles of Gods and Goddesses. Garuda was immensely powerful, and was so huge that he could even block the sun. He resembled a bird with the head, wings, talons and beak of an eagle and the body of a man.

Garuda was the eternal enemies of the nagas, or serpents, and used to kill them and eat them. Garuda’s image is often used as a charm to protect a person from snakes or snake bites, as it was thought that snakes were afraid of him, and did not harm his devotees. Garudi Vidya is a hymn used to cure all kinds of snake poison and remove all evil from this world.

He is known by various names, like Chirada, Gaganeshvara, Kamayusha, Kashyapi, among others. There is an Upanishad in his name, the Garudopanishad, and a Purana, the Garuda Purana is sang in his devotion. The earliest mention of Garuda is in the Vedas, by the name Syena. It is written that the mighty bird was responsible for bringing nectar to earth from heaven.

One of the five faces of Panchmukhi Hanuman is that of Garuda’s, which points towards the west. He is known to have powers that can heal any kind of poison from a person’s body. Garuda wears the serpent Adisesha on his left toenail and Gulika on his right cerebral vortex. His sacred thread is formed by the great snake Vasuki. The belt of his hip is formed by the dreaded cobra Takshaka. He wears Karkotaka as a necklace around his neck.

Garuda, being the eternal devotee of Lord Vishnu, plays a major role in the Dwapar Yuga when Lord Krishna, Vishu’s avatar, and Satyabhama ride on Garuda to kill Narakasura. Lord Hari rides on Garuda to save the great devotee elephant Gajendra in another instance. According to legend, Garuda’s wings chant the vedas when he is flying and they are in motion.

Garuda was born to the great rishi Kashyapa and Vinata. It is said, that when Garuda was born, he appeared as a raging inferno capable of destroying the whole universe. The gods pleaded to him and asked him to stop causing so much of destruction. He heard to their prayers and reduced his size and intensity greatly.

Garuda’s father, Sage Kashyapa, had two wives, Vinata and Kadru, who were the daughters of Prajapati Daksha. The wives wanted two wishes from their husband, and sage Kashyapa granted them with two wishes. Vinata wished to have two sons, and Kadru wished to have a thousand snakes as sons. Both of them laid eggs.

Kadru’s eggs hatched early and the thousand snakes came out. But, Vinata’s eggs took a lot of time to hatch. Impatient, Vinata tried to break open one egg. Aruna, the red rays of the Sun, was thus born, with the upper body of a human. Aruna cursed Vinata that she would be a slave to her sister Kadru, and only her second son who would hatch out of the egg be able to save her.

When the second egg hatched, Garuda was born. He radiated of brilliant energy and was of immense size and proportions. He went on to become the king of birds, and the sworn enemy of serpents, his brothers and the sons of Kadru around the world. When he came to know of his mother’s curse, he wanted to save her at any costs. So, he approached the serpents, and asked them what they wanted in return of his mother.

The serpents told him to bring the elixir of immortality, amrita in return for his mother. At that time, the amrita was in possession of the gods who guarded it very seriously, as it was the source of their immortality. They had kept the amrita amidst a great fire that covered the sky. They had also stationed two deadly poisonous snakes as the guardians of the elixir, and also set up many death traps all around it.

Garuda fought with all the gods and defeated them. To extinguish the fire, he took waters from all the rivers and poured it on the fire that was burning around the elixir. He also managed to kill the two deadly snakes who were guarding the elixir. Then, he carried the amrita to the serpents in his mouth, without swallowing it. He met Lord Indra on the way. He promised Indra that once he gave the amrita to the serpents and released his mother, he would get it back to the gods. In return, Indra promised him the serpents as his food.

He went to the serpents and gave them the elixir. They released his mother in return. He then asked them to go cleanse themselves before consuming the nectar. As the serpents left for cleaning themselves, Garuda carried the amrita in his talons all the way to heaven. He had dropped a few of the elixir, which was licked by the serpents. It led to their tongue being split into two. From that day on, Garuda became an ally of the gods, and the sworn enemy of snakes.

Garuda had six sons, Sumukha, Suvarna, Subala, Sunaama, Sunethra, and Suvarchas. From them, a warrior race of birds descended. This race of birds was very powerful, and fought against evil in the world. They were protected by Lord Vishnu, and were the main enemies of nagas. They often battled these nagas and stopped them from causing chaos and brought order to the world.

Garuda was also one of the most beloved and devoted followers of Lord Vishnu. He was the mount, or vahana of Lord Vishnu. The story goes, that when Garuda hatched from his egg, he was very hungry. He went to his father to ask for food, and his father told him to feed on the cattle of a village. Being new born, he did not know the difference between cattle and human beings, and tried to eat the villagers.

Just, then, Lord Vishnu arrived to save the villagers. He asked Garuda about the problem. Garuda told him that he was really hungry, and nothing in this world could satisfy his hunger. Vishnu smiled and offered his arm to Garuda to sit on. Garuda sat on his arm, and then Vishnu offered him some flesh from his arm. Garuda, being very hungry at the moment, fed on the flesh, and his hunger was finally satisfied.

Garuda noticed that there was no wound on Vishnu’s arm, and he realized that Vishnu was no ordinary being. Bowing to the Lord, he asked to be his servant at all times and serve him. Lord Vishnu smiled and blessed him with immortality, and made him his mount. From that day on, Garuda has been carrying Lord Vishnu on his mighty shoulders.

Garuda is also mentioned many times in the Mahabharata. Garuda was the representation of great speed, power and intelligence on the battle field. Whenever the Pandavas used to rapidly decimate their foes with their might and strength, it was likened to Garuda swooping down on serpents and killing them. Their fallen and battered enemies were likened to the serpents.

Dronacharya, the great teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas who also led the army of the Kauravas for a while, used a military formation named after Garuda. The formation was impenetrable, and caused a lot of destruction in the Pandavas camp. Lord Krishna, one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, always carried an image of Garuda on his banner. It is said that the chariot of Arjuna was unaffected even after being bombarded with so many celestial weapons because Hanuman and Garuda were present with him in the chariot.

Garuda, the king of birds and the mount of Lord Vishnu, has mention in other religions too, like Buddhism. He is also worshiped in countries like Indonesia, Mongolia, and Thailand.

[thefirstknife]

Stuff about Nezarec from the TWID:

 CLASSIFICATION  - Disciple of the Witness   - Dread   - Prime Tormentor   - Resonant   - Unknown origin species   - Other names: (The) Purest Light, Darkest Hour, Whispering Nightmare 

Unknown origin species! Prime Tormentor!

INTEL  - Created from Rhulk’s blueprint, Nezarec was the first Tormentor from which all others owe their lineage. Nezarec relishes in sowing fear and pain, feeding off the terror of sentient beings. He can induce nightmares across entire worlds.  - Nezarec—in possession of the Veil—lead the Black Fleet as it assaulted Earth during the Collapse but was betrayed and killed by Savathûn. She separated, cursed, and entombed his Lunar Pyramid within the Moon and stole away the Veil. Guardians uncovered the Lunar Pyramid when the Vanguard mobilized to assault the Scarlet Keep, and they uncovered the Veil when they made contact with Neomuna on Neptune.  - For centuries, Nezarec remained buried. Then his disembodied head, held aboard the Witness’s Pyramid, was struck by a terraforming beam fired by the Traveler. It revitalized him as it reshaped the Pyramid, where an undaunted fireteam cut him down once more.  - Much that is known about Nezarec is derived from anecdotal experiences, engaged fireteam raids, and a tome recovered from the Golden Age that was entitled "Of Hated Nezarec.” 

Really interesting implications in the first paragraph. Created from "Rhulk's blueprint." What does it mean Bungie. Is he a result of Rhulk's experimentations? Or is this in the sense of the Witness using Rhulk's base biology to create something new? Or to corrupt some "unknown species"? What does it all mean.

OF NOTE   - An old Psion Exotic relic known colloquially as “Nezarec’s Sin” has long found its home among Warlock operatives. The helmet has known many owners throughout the years, all of whom have perished under mysterious circumstances, been rendered comatose, or have since relinquished their possession of the helm to another owner. This helm is currently believed to be in possession of the Guardian, [NAME REDACTED], a hero of few words.   - Mithrax, Kell of House Light, is currently afflicted with Nezarec’s curse despite Nezarec being destroyed. This occurred when the Kell led an effort to recover Nezarec’s scattered remains. He wants to distill Nezarec's essence into a mentally revivifying elixir while siphoning the corruptive elements into himself. Attempts to dispel or cure this curse are ongoing. CHA-319 was assigned to monitor it and report back any changes.   - Legends from the Dark Age speak of Lightbearers and non-bearers alike suffering night terrors when the Moon is at perigee. The legends detail rituals with the nearly extinct Earth-plant lavender, long thought to hold protective, calming, and cleansing properties. Furthermore, there are later legends detailing victims of these night terrors smelling lavender after waking, as if the nightmare mocked their attempts at protection. This led to a subsequent switch to a myriad of other panaceas. 

PSION MENTION!!!!!!! Nezarec's Sin is a Psion relic! Super cool information about it. Basically confirms that there's only one in existence and the YW has it.

Mithrax????????? Man. I was hoping that plot point turned not as terrifying as it originally sounded but nope. Apparently this is an active investigation into his wellbeing. Please. Don't do this. CHA-319 is Chalco Yong!

Love the silliness with lavender though. Incredible.

[rebornofstars]

ik we joke a lot that wild drinks sunscreen (or at least. i do. and if you dont you need to read young volcanoes by jelly_dragons RIGHT NOW and be enlightened) but what do you think would actually make him throw up???? what foul thing would BREAK HIS GUTS OF STEEL. WHERE'S THE LIMIT!!!! not including literally inedible things like screws and guardian parts. and i know that bugs and lizards and stuff turn into dubious food but if you make them into an elixir he drinks that anyway so !!!! i'm betting it's like. pondwater. or mud. or does that count as inedible? or what if its something normal that he's just allergic to. like potatoes. can people even be allergic to potatoes??? can i make him eat a potato and then throw up please

[elle-rosewater]

What It Looks Like

Rating G, gen, 1362 words

a short written for @legendoflinkficfight using prompts by @ok-pop-1 ""This isn't what it looks like--" "No, I think it is."" and @doomed-era "It was about as regular of a day as it could be at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab."

Every year, Purah made the journey to the Great Plateau to visit Link in the Shrine of Resurrection. She'd go as often as she could, but as her body got slower and the ache and fatigue of age began to settle in her joints, it was harder to manage anything much more than once per year. The monster camps got larger and stronger. The guardians seemed to grow faster at the same rate that she came slower.

It was a risky route that became more difficult every year, but not once did she think that it wasn't worth it. Not even when she had to spend days on the cool ground of the shrine, cleaning and dressing the wounds she'd taken just to get there. Purah looked on the bright side: It was more time she got to spend with Link.

In the beginning, in those first few years after they lost everything, Link's father and uncle would come with her to visit the shrine. The three of them would sit in silence a lot of the time. Other times they would talk and talk and laugh, sharing stories about Link and telling each other what they'd say to him when he finally rose from the basin.

No one knew how long that would take. No one really knew anything about how the shrine worked. But between the unknown and certain death, Purah knew that Zelda had made the right decision. Link's father and uncle agreed.

His uncle died first. He was trying to rescue some kids who'd been taken by monsters. There was no body left for them to recover.

Purah and Link's father had a few more years of visits together before the man told her that he wasn't going to leave. He was going to stay in the shrine with his son. There was nothing else for him out there. Purah didn't try to change his mind, and she buried his body on the plateau when she found it the next year. It was a pretty little plot. Not far at all from the entrance to the shrine. When Link rose and left this place, it would be one of the first things he walked past.

A few times Impa could be convinced to make the journey. Her intentions were good, Purah told herself, but her sister was deep in her grief for Princess Zelda. She saw as a means to get the princess back, wherever she had gone. Impa was always like that, and Purah had always hated it. Link was a person. They fought about it, and Purah asked Impa to never come with her on these shrines visits ever again.

So it was just Purah making the journey before long. She was determined to understand the shrine. She needed to know that a day would come when Link would leave it, and she decided that she was going to be there to meet him when he did—no matter what.

Blessed as they were with such long lives, they were not immune to the deterioration that came with age. Purah didn't leave home without a healthy stock of bandages and a few elixirs. Wounds became commonplace for the journey. But still she went to the shrine. The harder it became for her, the most important it was that she went. It was worth the risk to her. Every year. No matter how many monsters or how close the blood moon. No matter whether another one of those treacherous storms lashed down on her. Alone or with company, Purah made sure that she went to the shrine at least once each year. Every creak of her joints and line on her face was time running out. She'd made Link a promise that he'd have a friend still when he woke up, and Purah meant to keep it.

Sheikah were blessed with good health and long lives, but it wasn't enough. She needed more time.

"I might not be back next year, Linky," her ninety-nine-year old voice told him. It was damp and chilly in the shrine. There was another storm raging. Purah ran her hand along the side of the basin. Blue veins stood up prominently under her thinning skin. She gave him one of her mischievous smiles. "I got an idea for a new project, and I think it's going to take up all my time. Don't you worry though. I'll show it to you when I'm done. You're going to love it."

That was her last visit to the shrine. She told herself that Link would understand. They would more than make up for the lost time when she figured this out. And she threw all that remained of herself into research. If it weren't for her family and friends reminding her to eat and drink and bathe, she might not have done any of it. Some had enthusiasm for the project, though Purah never fully explained to anyone what she was doing. But when she asked Robbie to help her with something without giving him the full context, he eagerly agreed.

It took several years. Progress was definitely slowed by her failing eyesight and her increasing need for rest, but Purah thought she finally had something that would be workable. Something that would give her more time. She tested it on a few plants first, reducing apples to blossoms, sunflowers to seeds. When she planted them again, they grew, which was a pretty important part of the study. She wasn't a plant, but it was a promising start to trials. Insects were reduced to larva.

The door to Purah's lab was flung open one day. She was on the floor, cuddling a puppy. Moments before, it had been the faithful old stray Hylian retriever who had frequently visited her at the lab; he hadn't been to see her in a while because his hips made travelling up the hill difficult.

Not anymore.

Purah watched Impa's old, keen eyes take in the sight. She knew her sister recognised the dog's markings. She saw the realisation. Saw her sister put it together.

And that unshakable impulse to deceive her older sister and avoid harsh judgement flooded Purah. Some things never changed, did they?

"This isn't what it looks like—"

Impa sighed. Closed the door behind her and came to laboriously lower herself to the floor besides Purah, the lab table and chair aiding her. She was even older than Purah. It was a wonder that they could even see each other. Side by side, Impa reached a hand out and scratched the puppy behind the ear.

"No, I think it is."

"You're not mad?" They could have been young girls again.

Impa hummed in thought. "No. I understand. Suppose I should be grateful you're testing it at all. You usually skipped right to experimenting on yourself."

Purah smiled. "I can't afford for this not to work."

They sat there in silence for a while, the only sound was the joints of their fingers cracking as they scratched the dog.

"I miss them," Impa admitted.

"I do, too."

"She was my best friend. I think about her every day." Impa looked up from the dog and smiled at Purah. "And Link was always willing to help your untested experiments."

"He's a great person. And he shouldn't be alone when he gets this second chance."

"When are you going to do it then?"

Purah would have shrugged if she were younger, but age had put pain in her shoulder blades. "Soon."

"Will you let me know beforehand?"

"Maybe." She grinned her shit-eating younger sister grin. "I'll tell Robbie, and he'll tell you how it goes if I'm not able to."

Impa sighed, but it wasn't the same as all of her old, disappointed sighs. "So it'll be just another day in your lab?"

"Just another day." Purah bumped her sister's arm. "If it works, do you want me to use it on you, too?"

She laughed. Nudged Purah back. "Little sister, this one life has been more than enough."

"Not for me."

Purah started her life over a few months later, and Link wasn't far behind her.