#Whether it's beach restoration

[acecentro]

[blueiscoool]

Gigantic Skull of Prehistoric Sea Monster Found on England’s ‘Jurassic Coast’

The remarkably well-preserved skull of a gigantic pliosaur, a prehistoric sea monster, has been discovered on a beach in the county of Dorset in southern England, and it could reveal secrets about these awe-inspiring creatures.

Pliosaurs dominated the oceans at a time when dinosaurs roamed the land. The unearthed fossil is about 150 million years old, almost 3 million years younger than any other pliosaur find. Researchers are analyzing the specimen to determine whether it could even be a species new to science.

Originally spotted in spring 2022, the fossil, along with its complicated excavation and ongoing scientific investigation, are now detailed in the upcoming BBC documentary “Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster,” presented by legendary naturalist Sir David Attenborough, that will air February 14 on PBS.

Such was the enormous size of the carnivorous marine reptile that the skull, excavated from a cliff along Dorset’s “Jurassic Coast,” is almost 2 meters (6.6 feet) long. In its fossilized form, the specimen weighs over half a metric ton. Pliosaurs species could grow to 15 meters (50 feet) in length, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The fossil was buried deep in the cliff, about 11 meters (36 feet) above the ground and 15 meters (49 feet) down the cliff, local paleontologist Steve Etches, who helped uncover it, said in a video call.

Extracting it proved a perilous task, one fraught with danger as a crew raced against the clock during a window of good weather before summer storms closed in and the cliff eroded, possibly taking the rare and significant fossil with it.

Etches first learned of the fossil’s existence when his friend Philip Jacobs called him after coming across the pliosaur’s snout on the beach. Right from the start, they were “quite excited, because its jaws closed together which indicates (the fossil) is complete,” Etches said.

After using drones to map the cliff and identify the rest of the pliosaur’s precise position, Etches and his team embarked on a three-week operation, chiseling into the cliff while suspended in midair.

“It’s a miracle we got it out,” he said, “because we had one last day to get this thing out, which we did at 9:30 p.m.”

Etches took on the task of painstakingly restoring the skull. There was a time he found “very disillusioning” as the mud, and bone, had cracked, but “over the following days and weeks, it was a case of …, like a jigsaw, putting it all back. It took a long time but every bit of bone we got back in.”

It’s a “freak of nature” that this fossil remains in such good condition, Etches added. “It died in the right environment, there was a lot of sedimentation … so when it died and went down to the seafloor, it got buried quite quickly.”

Fearsome top predator of the seas

The nearly intact fossil illuminates the characteristics that made the pliosaur a truly fearsome predator, hunting prey such as the dolphinlike ichthyosaur. The apex predator with huge razor-sharp teeth used a variety of senses, including sensory pits still visible on its skull that may have allowed it to detect changes in water pressure, according to the documentary.

The pliosaur had a bite twice as powerful as a saltwater crocodile, which has the world’s most powerful jaws today, according to Emily Rayfield, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom who appeared in the documentary. The prehistoric marine predator would have been able to cut into a car, she said.

Andre Rowe, a postdoctoral research associate of paleobiology at the University of Bristol, added that “the animal would have been so massive that I think it would have been able to prey effectively on anything that was unfortunate enough to be in its space.”

By Issy Ronald.

[sokkastyles]

Zutara Month Day 30: Time Loop

The night after Zuko takes them to Ember Island, Katara wakes up in the middle of the night, and decides to take a walk on the dock. While she is there, a spirit speaks to her from the water, a small, silvery fish with a long, serpentine tail, whispering in the moonlight.

The spirit tells her that it overheard her earlier, saying she didn't know whether she was strong or weak for not killing Yon Rah. It also heard quite a bit more of the conversation, and tells her that it has an offer for her.

"You are wondering whether that boy," it says, inclining its scaled head towards the beach house, and for just a moment she thinks it's talking about Zuko, until the spirit continues. "The current Avatar, you wonder whether he would forgive you if you had made a different choice."

The spirit offers Katara the chance to find out her true strength, and the truth of how Aang feels about her. The next day, she finds herself waking to an endless loop, repeating the day she and Zuko went after Yon Rah.

It ends when she realizes that Aang will judge her no matter what choice she makes. Even in the loops where she chooses forgiveness, or not to seek out the Southern Raiders at all, she feels herself diminished in Aang's eyes, somehow, even as she gives him what he wants.

It's worse when she makes herself kill, when she has to experience her own death, only to wake up again at the beginning as if it had never happened. She watches Zuko die for her, trying to save her. Every single time, she comes back to Aang's judgement, feeling no more certain about the strength of her own choices than she was the first time.

It's coming back on Appa without Zuko that makes her realize what it is she's truly meant to learn. She knows the route by now to his family's vacation home on Ember Island, even though he would never take her there in this timeline. She sits alone on the dock, and weeps. Below her, a silvery fish with a long tail watches her closely.

She wakes up, restored to her true timeline. She goes with the gaang to see a terrible play, and watches as Zuko dies again onstage.

The next morning, when the rest of them are having fun in the sun, she feels again that pang of absence, and knows now what it is that makes her strong. She goes back up to the house and asks him to come down to the beach with her.

[sage-nebula]

Personally, I love that Whisper is a little messy.

I love that she is—for a Sonic character, at least—complicated. Overall, she's a good person. She wants to help and protect others. She's compassionate, and brave. She accepts others for who they are even when it might be inconvenient. (Ian Flynn clarified on a Bumblekast that when Whisper replied "I don't" to Lanolin when Lanolin asked her how she handled Tangle in the Urban Warfare arc, what Whisper meant was that Tangle is her own person and Whisper doesn't try to control her one way or the other. It wasn't her being angry.) She's usually patient and owns up when she makes mistakes. She's smart and capable, but still humble. She's determined and diligent and loyal.

But she is also traumatized, and while some of that trauma comes through in Socially Acceptable™️ ways of being sad and soft-spoken, it also comes through in less Socially Acceptable™️ ways. She self-isolates to the point where it damages her inter-personal relationships, sometimes on purpose. She is willing to commit murder against those who have caused great harm and has attempted to kill both Mimic and Eggman in canon twice each. She can be terse and is hypervigilant and sometimes violent as a result of her hypervigilance, warranted or not. (Because although we know she's right about Duo being Mimic, that doesn't give her a pass to put hands on Lanolin the way she does.) She regularly fails to communicate her feelings until cornered or she hits a breaking point. She spent the vast majority of her time in the story steadfastly refusing to heal from her grief over the deaths of her friends by saving the recording of the moment they died so she could watch it again and again.

None of this to say Whisper is a bad person. She's not. She's a severely traumatized 16 year old girl. She deserves to be given grace. But she is complicated. She's messy. Saving the body cam footage of when your friends were murdered so you can watch it over and over and keep that grief and need for vengeance festering in your heart is not a healthy coping mechanism. Self-isolating to the point where you won't even say goodbye (as she was going to do when she left the Restoration prior to Trial By Fire before Tangle happened to catch her in the act) isn't great behavior, either. And while the topic of whether a villain deserves to die for their actions is a moral quandry comics fans have wasted decades arguing about, the fact remains that the willingness to do so is rare by Sonic hero standards. In fact, it's usually only the antiheroes (such as Shadow) who are willing to do it. But Whisper shot Eggman through the heart in Urban Warfare; he would be dead right now if she hadn't been stuck halfway in cyberspace.

Yes, Whisper is soft with her wisps and her girlfriend and her friends. She tells jokes about toasters. She gets very excited to chill at the beach, and she is willing to put herself on the line time and again to protect strangers. But she is also willing to do the things she feels must be done, no matter how her friends might not approve, and sometimes her coping behaviors (or lack thereof) are awful. This wolf contains multitudes.

And I love her for it.

[atla-genderbender]

ATLA Gender Bender: "Princess Zuka"

Zuko -> Zuka

Alternatively, it is possible that female Zuko would still be called "Zuko". The ending -ko is feminine in Japanese. But within Fire Nation royalty, there exist masculine and feminine counterparts to names: Iroh/Ilah, Azulon/Azula. The ending -a is also used for Zuko's mother's name, "Ursa". This suggests that the feminine equivalent of "Zuko" would be "Zuka".

Like her male counterpart, the banished princess would have the most extensive wardrobe. I tried to draw several, but not all of these outfits.

If Zuko had been born a girl, a large theme of her story would be the traumatic loss and restoration of her femininity. I don't think that she would be a tomboy, but would be just as driven as her male counterpart to regain her honor.

I've been picturing Cricket Leigh as the voice of "Princess Zuka". Specifically, her voice as "angry Mai" in the Beach episode.

OUTFIT DESCRIPTIONS:

1: Young Zuka, from "Zuka Alone" flashback

She is supposed to resemble a young Ursa. Rather than being dressed like Azula, her clothes are inspired by ruqun.

2: Zuka at age 13, prior to being burned

Her ponytail is supposed to show off her long, beautiful hair, which is cut off during her banishment.

3: Zuka at age 13, after being burned

"Zuka" is shown with a fully shaved head, to illustrate an alternative scenario where Ozai does not challenge her to an Agni Kai, but immediately deems her actions treasonous and orders her to shave her head. In this alternative scenario, her refusal to cut her topknot is what prompts Ozai to scar her face and banish her anyways. This is supposed to be more in line with the treatment of "dishonorable" women in real life, as there are many world cultures throughout history who punish women by shaving their heads.

Still, I am not sure whether it was appropriate to include this in her wardrobe lineup. The Fire Nation is higher in the gender equality index than the cultures it is based on, as a consequence of firebending being an "equalizer" between the sexes. It is therefore plausible that "Zuka" would have still been challenged to an Agni Kai by Ozai, and that things would have occurred in the same fashion to her male counterpart. In this scenario, she would not have cut off her topknot. I picture her wearing the same hairstyle as regular, male Zuko, where she shaves the sides of her head to symbolize her shame.

4: Book 1 Zuka

Unlike her male counterpart, I think "Zuka" would grow out her hair. Zuko's shaved ponytail is based on a real hairstyle worn by Thai boys. But in-universe, Zuko appears to have fashioned himself after the hairstyle worn by Sun Warriors. A few other men in the Fire Nation also wear this hairstyle, but women are not seen wearing this. If "Zuka" had this hairstyle, I think it would come off as rebellious, instead of loyal to the Fire Nation. It makes more for "Zuka" to fashion herself after female Sun Warriors, who wear their hair in ponytails without shaving the rest of their heads. Her asymmetrical bangs are meant to contrast with Azula's perfectly symmetrical bangs. Underneath her armor, I picture her being very athletic, with lean, defined muscles.

5: Book 1 Zuka, as the "Blue Spirit"

The comics explain the origin of Zuko's Blue Spirit mask, which is based on "The Dark Water Spirit", a male character from the play "Love Amongst the Dragons". While "Princess Zuka" could don the mask of the "Dragon Empress", I think it fits her better to wear the mask of the "Dark Water Spirit" instead. This is because Zuko and Azula would reenact the play as children, with Zuko playing the Dark Water Spirit and Azula playing the Dragon Emperor. If the Azula was a boy and Zuko was a girl, I think "Azulon" would still play the role of the Dragon Emperor, while "Zuka" would still play the role of the Dark Water Spirit. This would foreshadow their eventual rivalry and Agni Kai, and I don't like the implications that come with "Zuka" playing the Dragon Empress. For these reasons, I chose to have "Zuka" don the mask of the "Dark Water Spirit" instead of the "Dragon Empress". This also does a better job of symbolizing the "Blue Spirit"'s role as enemy of the Fire Nation.

Additionally, I think it makes sense for "Zuka" to disguise herself as a male while donning the Blue Spirit mask. Failure to do so would make her disguise a lot less effective, due to the male dominated nature of the Fire Nation army. It would make her and Admiral Zhao both look smarter, as Zhao would still figure out that she is the Blue Spirit. Due to her physical build, she would not be able to pass for a fully grown adult man, but could pass for an adolescent boy. The cross-dressing element of her disguise could also connect the Blue Spirit to her "animus", symbolizing her complicated relationship with her femininity.

6: Book 1 Zuka, after assassination attempt

She would be shown without any color on her lips, due to her beat up state.

7: Book 2 Zuka, after cutting topknot

8: Book 2 Zuka, messy hair

This hairstyle would only be seen briefly during her sick episode

9: Book 2 Zuka, post haircut

After her bout of sickness, "Aunt Ilah" buys "Princess Zuka" new clothes and gets her a hair cut.

10: Book 3 Zuka, emo hair

11: Book 3 Zuka, formal dress

12: Book 3 Zuka, after joining the "good guys"

13: Fire Lord Zuka, coronation outfit

Her hairstyle is inspired by the Kdrama "Queen Seondeok" (2009).

14: Fire Lord Zuka, comics outfit (formal)

Her costume combines elements of Queen Seondeok, Queen Panhtwar, and Empress Wu Zetian.

15: Fire Lord Zuka, comics outfit (casual)

In these drawings, "Zuka" is shown having one of two lip colors: red and pink. The red shade is supposed to be the same color as Azula's lips, while the pink shade is supposed to be the same color as Izumi's lips.

The reason I did this was originally based on a mistake. I thought that Ursa had a lighter shade on her lips than Azula, and was trying to make "Zuka" look like a younger Ursa. However, this was a mistake. Ursa and Azula actually have the same lip color. Ursa's lips only look lighter because of the lighting in the "Zuko Alone" flashbacks.

I decided to keep this decision to have "Zuka" switch between Azula's lip color and a lighter shade of pink. This is supposed to make "Zuka" look a bit like Izumi, Zuko's daughter. It is also supposed to indicate when "Zuka" is wearing makeup and when she is not. I think her lip color should change upon becoming a fugitive, as she wouldn't wear makeup while living in poverty.

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[simply-ivanka]

At the end of the movie Shawshank Redemption Andy was sanding on a piece of junk boat up on the beach. He has gotten away with a lot of money. Why didn't he just buy a good boat that he could use with some of that money?

Andy actually explains it in the film.

In the scene where he tells Red about Zihuatanejo, he shares his dream for a new life where he can “open up a little hotel right on the beach, buy a worthless old boat and fix it up like new, and take my guests out charter fishing on it.”

(The explanation is in this scene.)

It’s a rather simple dream but it speaks exactly to Andy’s character.

Sure, he could just buy a new boat. The $370,000 he stole from Warden Norton is about $3.48 million adjusted for inflation. So he has more than enough money if he wanted to go that way.

But buying a new boat is not his style.

Andy prefers to earn his dreams.

He’s a patient man who respects the value of putting work into his life. And ultimately he believes in renewal and rebirth over everything.

He also needs a mission he can invest his energy into.

Whether that’s carving a chess set from scratch, or building the best prison library in New England, or helping other men graduate high school, or carving a tunnel through his prison cell wall, he needs to be working towards a goal he can be proud of. And restoring a “worthless old boat” by hand is just such a project.

That way, when he takes his guests out fishing, he can take pride in the work being all his own.

(Andy always prefers to invest his time and effort into his projects. In the film he’s a rich and intelligent man, regardless of the fact that he’s a convict. He has money and connections and could easily try to buy and bribe his way out of most difficulties - yet he insists on all his victories being DIY, rather than taking the easy path of using wealth and power. In fact, as a prison inmate he once spent what would be nearly $200 today on a rock hammer without even blinking so he could make a chess set. For the same $200 he could have easily just bought a high-end chess set through Red instead.)

Andy needs to know that it’s his toil and effort that have made the important moments in his life possible, and that the moment of happiness he creates are something he has earned.

[mensfactory]

1935 Duesenberg SJ Gurney-Nutting Speedster

The Speedster body was fitted to chassis number 2614, which is believed to be the last Duesenberg chassis produced in 1935. The body was designed by A. F. McNeil and built by J. Gurney Nutting & Co. Ltd. in the fashionable Chelsea district in London. 

The one-of-a-kind luxury automobile was built for Maharaja Holkar of Indore, India and commissioned through a British sales agent R.S.M Automobiles Ltd of London. 

Destined for a life of royalty, the Gurney Nutting Speedster was built with unique, lavish features including a rumble seat with a concealed fold-down step built into the sides of the body for easy access, as well as red and blue lights on the front fender to indicate whether the Maharaja (red) or Maharani (blue) was driving the vehicle.

Upon its completion, the Duesenberg was delivered to the Maharaja’s mansion in Santa Ana, California due to fears of Japan invading India. After the tension in the region dropped, the automobile was shipped to India, then disappearing over time and thought to be lost until its rediscovery in 1959. 

The outstanding auto was brought back to the U.S., eventually acquired by General Lyon. Restored with all of its royal touches retained, the 1935 Duesenberg placed first in the Maharaja Class at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and will now be showcased at the 2019 La Jolla Concours d’Elegance under the Registered Class: American Classics Open (1920-1948).

[elliespuns]

So, apparently, there are many people who don't understand why Ellie went furiously after Abby, wanting revenge so badly, only to let Abby go at the end.

I think a lot of people don't realize that Ellie doing this was never really about revenge. It was about her nature and what kind of person she is underneath the thick layer of her tough attitude. It was always about her proving once again how good a person she really is.

As we know, Ellie and Joel weren't on good terms for a long time, and Ellie knew how much Joel hurt not being able to connect with her anymore. So when Abby took him away from her, she not only robbed Ellie of the person she loved but also robbed her of the opportunity to forgive him. Which gives us a much better understanding of Ellie's hatred towards Abby. Because just as the hope for a restored relationship with Joel came back into her life, Abby snuffed it out with one hit.

That kind of messes with you as a person, and that's why Ellie became so vengeful all of a sudden; because she thought this was the right way to 'make it up' to Joel somehow. She wasn't doing it for herself; she wasn't doing it because she would enjoy killing either. She was doing it because she felt she owed it to Joel.

If you remember, there were more than a few times when Ellie killed innocent people and immediately felt bad about it. She was in shock after beating Nora to death. She felt sick after realizing she had killed a pregnant Mel. And all of it was just so well portrayed that this only makes you realize how fragile Ellie actually is, regardless of all the hate that's been tying her up.

So, when Ellie arrives at the beach and finds both Abby and Lev tied to the wooden stakes, utterly exhausted and beaten up, she realizes that they have suffered immensely during the past few months. It becomes apparent that Abby has already endured way more suffering than Ellie could've ever hoped to inflict on her. And just as she frees Abby, you can see in Ellie's face that she's doubting her intentions of wanting to hurt Abby some more.

And then she follows Abby to the boats, and that's where we can see that Ellie has come to understand that killing a tormented person would be both needlessly cruel and pointless. So she's about to let Abby and Lev go, but after seeing a flashback of Joel's face covered in blood, the desire to avenge Joel strikes her once again and she tries to go for it, challenging Abby to fight her.

But even now at this very scene, you can see it's really not in Ellie's nature to want this. You have to understand that by this time, Ellie is already extremely conflicted about whether to kill Abby or not. And this decision does not come out of nowhere.

Because right before Ellie drowns Abby, she gets another flashback; this time it's Joel playing his guitar on his porch. This flashback is absolutely integral to understanding why Ellie decides not to drown Abby in the end.

The flashback is a representation of the last conversation between her and Joel. Joel admitted that he "would do it all over again." And so Ellie indicates that she would like to at least try to forgive him. If she can forgive Joel for what he did, then perhaps she can also forgive the woman who killed him... and she does. So in that sense, the flashback reminds her of the fact that she is capable of showing mercy. And by not killing Abby, she does not only forgive Abby - she also comes to terms with what happened between her and Joel, proving that she can indeed forgive other people who wronged her.

So Ellie redeems herself by letting Abby go. She knows she has killed so many innocents, and it has clearly taken its toll on her. Killing Abby would have shown that she not only lost friends and loved ones in her quest for revenge but also her humanity.

Ellie used revenge as a tool to distract herself from Joel's death to avoid having to deal with her loss in a mature way; because when the hatred is gone, everything that's left is grief and pain.

Deep down, Ellie knows that she hurt Joel more than anyone else by disconnecting from him, and she hates herself because of that.

So this ending actually redeems Joel. And despite this being the most heart-wrenching end of a story I've ever seen, it's absolutely understandable why Ellie did what she did.

I guess there has always been more humanity to her character than most people are able to see.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Sonic Prime positivity headcanons?

Hello, my dear!❤️✨

Positivity headcanons… hmm! Okay, I’ve got some:

When Green Hill was restored—just a bit after Shadow took the prism and before the picnic on the beach—Sonic made sure to give each of his friends a very, very long hug. Especially Tails.

Shadow learns to accept hugs from Sonic and to not fight him. Sure, he still flops around like a noodle in Sonic’s arms, but he grows to like them.

Sonic has an irrational fear of the dentist. It’s usually a team effort to get him to go and stay with him. He’s much more willing to go if he gets either a lollipop at the end, or gets to dig around in the prize box for a small Cracker Jack toy.

Shadow and Sonic use the prism every once in a while to check in on everyone in different shatter spaces.

Shadow and Sonic are very, very close after restoring the shatter-verse.😏

All of the palm trees have names, as well as a back storySonic and Amy get really offended if you don’t address them by their names (Their personal favorite is “Steve,” he lives by the beach and daydreams of being a chef).

None of them (except for Amy) knows how to cook. Sonic and Tails are notorious for setting fires in the kitchen and burning food.

Rebel and Renegade run for public office and win in a landslide. They’re marketing campaign consisted of eco-friendly reconstruction and more palm trees to plant.

Rusty and Black Rose sail across No Place in search of mystical gems and shiny gold rings. They’re also an old sea tale (that Catfish 100% “did not” make up) of them slaying a water monster that swallowed glowing rocks.

Prim and Thorn learn to mend their relationship and talk a bit more about their feelings. They bond over throwing spears and planting trees.

Gnarly is convinced that werehogs are real and sets traps for them all around the Bozcage Maze.

Nine reprogram the Alphas to have free will. They think and feel, but keep him company. Nine knows that it’s not the same, but he’s content with the company.

The Chaos Council are still drifting through the Void and spend more time arguing with each other than before.

Sonic has severe separation anxiety.

Big, New Yoke Big (would his name be “Smalls?” I’m calling him Smalls), Hangry, and Catfish like to take naps in high places. Whether it’s in trees, the ship’s sails, or on the roof, he likes to find a quiet place to nap.

Of all of the crew members on the Kracken that have a bounty on their head, Froggy has the biggest reward money. His crimes are too horrific to ignore.

Mangey makes a really good fruit salad.

Rouge knows everyone’s deepest and darkest secrets. She likes to playfully tease her friends about it once in a blue moon.

If Sonic and his friends go on walks in the forest, everyone needs to stop and let Amy talk to the birds. She loves the Flickies and can name every species.

Shadow guards the damned 4th chaos emerald (and the Paradox Prism) with his life.

[positivexcellence]

genpadalecki: can you hear that? it’s the *healing* call of the wild. 👂🏞️❤️‍🩹

david strayer, a cognitive psychologist & researcher at the university of utah, says that spending time in nature can restore the human brain. he cites the “three-day effect” as a calming influence that reduces stress, improves cognition + fosters creativity.

scientifically, exposure to nature decreases stress hormones, elevates mood, and enhances cognitive function. parks and forests offer mental health benefits, including reduced anxiety & improved attention. added bonus: even virtual nature scenes, like this reel, can promote relaxation – so go ahead and watch a few times!

these findings underscore nature’s profound impact on well-being. so next time you’re feeling sad, overwhelmed, or burnt out, schedule some time in the great outdoors. whether it’s a camping trip, a long weekend in a mountain cabin, or a beach vacation, the experience can do measurable good for your mind, heart, body, and soul.

[the-late-night-writer]

Baldur's Gate 3: Act I Guide

My group of friends have been wanting to play BG3 since I've been raving about it, but have all had a lot of trouble getting through Act I because of the way the game is set up with earning experience and leveling up. So I've put together what I believe is a good order to do quests/areas in Act I and also left some helpful tips! I tried to keep it as spoiler free as possible. Guide below the cut :)

(Note: You can recruit Karlach as a companion much earlier than mentioned here, the area she's in just happens to have higher level enemies)

Ravaged Beach

Recruit Shadowheart, who can be found either passed out on the beach or knocking on an ancient door, depending on whether or not you saved her on the nautiloid

Recruit Astarion, who can be found just past the wreckage where you defeated the intellect devourers

Recruit Gale, who can be found in the "dangerous portal" near the overgrown ruins

Recruit Lae'zel, who can be found in a cage being guarded by some tieflings in the overgrown ruins

Abandoned Chapel

Bandits will have moved into the chapel, and you can engage them in combat for some good xp

The chapel will have lots of camp supplies for you to loot

The tombs here are heavily trapped, so it'll help to ungroup Astarion and send him out to dismantle them all, since he has several bonuses for this skill

The final room in the tomb has some enchanted corpses who will engage you in combat. Defeat them and you can go into the secret room where you'll meet Withers and get some decent loot from his sarcophagus

Emerald Grove

After battling the goblins at the gates, have your party travel up the hill to the right of the gate. A bugbear assassin will be there attempting to kill Nadira. If you save her, you can pass a DC to receive a Soul Coin from her

Convincing Rolan to stay or go from the grove will impact which tieflings you can encounter in Act II and III. I recommend convincing him to stay

While exploring the druid's inner quarters of the Emerald Grove, you can climb behind a bookshelf where you'll find a chest. There's a note in the chest that opens a quest to investigate Kagha

At the small beach near the Sacred Pool (the one with the bear), you can overturn a rock to find The Amulet of Silvanus, which allows the wearer to cast one Lesser Restoration per day without spending a spell slot (very helpful if you're romancing Astarion :p)

At the rocky beach behind the grove, there is a nest of harpies trying to lure in a young tiefling boy named Mirkon. Defeating the harpies will give you xp and also Mirkon will give you the password to enter the children's hideout

Recruit Wyll, who can be found training some tiefling children in The Hollow

Forest

There will be a trio of siblings, one of whom has been attacked by an owlbear. You can either engage the surviving siblings in combat, send them to the owlbear cave, or encourage them to continue living their life which will result in them finding the goblin camp

Just north outside of the Blighted Village, a dog named Scratch will be protecting his master's corpse. You can convince Scratch to follow your scent and come to your camp if his master doesn't wake up, and he'll become a permanent camp companion. Don't shout at the body to prove he's dead, as it will engage Scratch in combat

You may encounter a group of harpers just at the entrance of the Blighted Village. Speaking to them will allow you to get information on the Nightsong

Owlbear Cave

There is some decent loot in the cave outside a statue of Selûne

If you encounter the mother owlbear and convince her to let you leave the cave, leave immediately. Trying to sneak around and get more loot can result in engaging both her and the owlbear cub in combat

It's important to encounter the cub before traveling to the goblin camp, so he may become eligible to be a camp companion later on

Blighted Village

Wipe out the goblins in the village for a good amount of xp. There are also ogres in one of the abandoned buildings, as well as an ogre and bugbear in the abandoned barn. You can fight the ogres, but you can also convince them to work for you

Rescuing the gnome that the goblins are torturing on the windmill will benefit you in Act III

Underneath the apothecary there's a cellar with a great amount of loot, and navigating it just right will lead you to other secret rooms where you can engage in battle and find The Necromancy of Thay

In the well near the Blighted Village waypoint, there's an area you can access called the Whispering Depths, but leave that alone for now

Sunlit Wetlands

To the left of the tea house, you will encounter a monster hunter named Gandrel who you can trade with, and also engage in combat. He carries a decent heavy crossbow if you choose to loot him

If you encounter the frog while in the swamp, do NOT engage in combat with it! You may think haha late is being silly goofy, it's just a little frog. The frog will kill you. You will regret your decision. Plus if you speak to it after killing the hag, it'll lead you to some nice loot as a reward!

The tea house has a good amount of loot including camp supplies and potions

Choosing to rescue Mayrina will benefit you in Act III. If while battling the hag she takes the appearance of Mayrina and you're having trouble distinguishing between the two of them, the hag has higher HP

The hag has great loot as well as lots of helpful items in the room behind where you fight her for Mayrina

In the swamp there's an island you can get to by jumping across rocks, the Decrepit Sanctuary. You can engage in combat here with some nature spirits, and investigating the tree stump in the center will give you evidence you need to complete the "investigate Kagha" quest

Underground Passage

While walking through the forest, you and your party will roll a perception check that if passed will reveal a stone door leading to an underground passage connecting the forest to the druid grove

Stealth your way through here to deactivate the runes, aggroing them will cause them to shoot fireballs at you

There are some goblins in here you can engage in combat, and also can save the man they've beaten up

Whispering Depths

Entrance can be found at the well in the Blighted Village

Large spiders in this area are guarding a dark amethyst, which is related to the Necromancy of Thay quest

While in combat with the spiders, you can use a cantrip like fireball and aim it at the webs they're on, and they can take a good amount of fall damage

In this area you can also find an entrance to the Underdark. You can use featherfall or fly to jump down without dying

Risen Road

Recruit Karlach, who can be found just across a creek near the tollhouse

Gnolls are all over this area, the tougher of the two groups is further up the road, and the fight can be made easier if you convince the lead gnoll to turn against the travelers in the cave. But if you defeat the gnolls and the travelers survive, it opens up an opportunity to progress the "Find the Missing Shipment" quest

Visiting Waukeen's Rest opens up the quest to rescue Duke Ulder Ravengard. If you agree to help, you can obtain one of three powerful weapons as a reward

If you encounter the githyanki patrol, do the talking yourself. In my experience Lae'zel somehow always aggros the group into a fight and I've personally never managed to beat them in combat

Goblin Camp

At the goblin camp, there is a booze tub that can be spiked with poison. You can convince a good amount of the goblins to participate in a toast, and everyone who drinks will end up dying. You have to pass a DC to convince them that you had nothing to do with it, but it takes care of a handful of enemies

Interact with the owlbear cub and offer him your scent so he may later come to your camp

Once you're in the Shattered Sanctum, stealthily destroy all the war drums so that if you end up in combat the goblins can't call for backup

If you choose to participate in the Priest of Pain's ritual, take off all your clothes and armor and participate in the ritual naked. It'll give you a +4 advantage to your rolls for the ritual. If you succeed, you'll receive the buff "Loviatar's Blessing" which is beneficial if you have 30% health or lower

If you're under leveled, or you're like me and just don't like combat, there is a way to defeat all the Goblin Camp leaders without fighting them directly:

Priestess Gut: Separate a member of your party who can be poisoned and send them back with the priestess to be examined. I used Lae'zel. The priestess will give you a sleeping potion and you'll be knocked out. When you wake up, you'll be restrained, but don't try and escape. Korrilla, one of Raphael's minions, will come and kill Gut for you and set you free.

Minthara: Agree to go along with raiding the druid grove, but as she's walking across the wooden bridge away from the area, have a member of your party with a ranged weapon shoot the bridge. She'll fall to her death in the chasm, but you'll miss out on her loot.

Dror Ragzlin: Separate the strongest member of your party from your group and have them take an invisibility potion (the vendor Roah Moonglow sells two of them). Have them go over to Dror and shove him into the chasm. He'll fall to his death, but you'll miss out on his loot. You'll still have to fight the others in the room, but the fight is much easier without him.

Githyanki Crèche

Complete the ceremonial weapons puzzle to unlock the crest to the Blood of Lathander. If not, when you try to take the weapon, it will trigger the destruction of the entire monastery. The mace is found on a drunk kobold, the battleaxe is with the guardian, and the war hammer is on the roof in the eagle's nest

There are 3 mind flayer parasites located in the back of the infirmary with the doctor that you can swipe after she leaves the room

If you visit the hatchery and convince Varsh Ko'kuu to give you the egg, he'll also gift you a pair of boots that give you resistance to acid damage

The inquisitor's chambers has a TON of good loot, make sure to check all the chests and display cases

Don't worry about handing the artifact over to the inquisitor or Vlaakith - you can do so and still come out of the situation without killing your guardian. You can go in the Astral Plane and simply speak with them before returning to the chambers and you can come away from combat with the artifact still in your possession

By solving a statue puzzle in the inquisitor's chambers, you'll be lead to the basement of the temple where the Blood of Lathandar is kept. Make sure to complete the ceremonial weapons puzzle as mentioned above to keep the monastery from collapsing when you claim it

Underdark

There are four entrances to the Underdark in Act I: the pit in the Whispering Depths, which you can enter by using featherfall or fly to avoid fall damage; one accessible through the Shattered Sanctum at the Goblin Camp, where you'll need to get to the Defiled Temple and solve a puzzle to grant entrance; the pit in the hag's lair, again use featherfall to access it; and finally, a shed in Waukeen's Rest has an entrance concealed behind a wardrobe

At the decrepit village near the beach waypoint, there are duergar waiting to ambush. Defeating them will get you some good loot, and also progress a quest available with the myconid colony. This will also give you access to the duergar's boat, which you'll need to take later to reach Grymforge

Speaking with Spaw, the myconid sovereign, will open up the quest to kill Nere and bring Spaw his head. Completing Spaw's quests will reward you with some good loot located in the circle as well as a bonus for bringing Nere's head

There is a poisoned gnome, Thulla, in the same area as the sovereign who you can choose to help, and as a reward she'll give you her boots, which are an item needed for another quest if you so choose to follow it

The dwarf merchant who sends you looking for her husband will reward you with loot if you bring him back safely. The husband himself will also give you some scrolls for your trouble

If you find the large cluster of Bibberbang mushrooms where the husband was trapped, DON'T detonate them to clear the area. Doing so destroys the rare mushroom the couple was looking for - and it's the only one found in the game (learned this one the hard way 😓)

Speaking to the hobgoblin Blurg about the tadpole will open up a quest for a potential cure, and completing this quest gives you the chance to obtain a rare ring as loot (you'll need to pass some DC checks)

Approaching the Selûnite temple from the front is a bad idea - you and your party will get fried by the temple's security. There is a way to enter the temple through a side window if you take the long way around, and from there you can destroy the moonstone held in the statue's staff to disable the security system

The Arcane Tower has several arcane turrets that will target members of your party if you get within range. These turrets are weak to lightning - I recommend using an invisibility spell to send in a member of your party with a shocking grasp cantrip or a conjure lighting spell

Grymforge

IMPORTANT: Freeing True Soul Nere from the collapse is a time sensitive quest. Long resting will pass the days and if you long rest twice, it will trigger his death along with the gnomes that are trapped with him

Speak to the duergar called Elder Brithvar, and you can cut a deal with him to turn against Nere after you free him from the collapse. He and several other duergar will aid you in the fight against him

If you find the spiders near the boats, convince them to become followers of Lolth, the spider goddess. Now if you find yourselves in combat, the spiders won't aid the duergar in their fight against you

If you convince the duergar tossing the deep gnome bodies into the water to let you take over, you can loot the bodies and obtain a rare ring

Barcus Wroot, the gnome from the Windmill in the Blighted Village, can be found here if you saved him from the goblins. If you choose to save him here it'll open up the option to reunite him with the friend he's been looking for

If you choose to try and free Nere from the collapse, you can locate a runaway gnome called Philomeen and bargain with her for a vial of runepowder (after convincing her not to blow the place up, of course) that will help clear the blockage

If you side with the rebel duergar against Nere and take him down in battle, you'll be allowed to take his head, but if you want to loot his pockets, have someone become invisible or stealth your way through it. Looting him will trigger a fight with the duergar you were just allied with

At the Ancient Forge when battling the forge guardian, have a member of your party stay near the lava valve and periodically turn it on after the lava drains from the forge. This makes the guardian superheated and vulnerable to certain types of damage. You can also lure the guardian to the forge hammer and use it to crush it, dealing 100 hp of damage

There is an elevator at Grymforge that leads you to an area with access to the Shadow Cursed Lands, should you choose to travel this way. I personally recommend returning to the mountain pass, as it's the fastest way I know of to obtain a Moon Lantern

Let me know if you have any useful tips to add! Hope this helps, and enjoy the game :)

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 10/24/2023

this post and this series not sponsored by hellofresh

listening

caravan palace's new single MAD. genuinely the song i've had on loop while working but i had a very strong "ugh can't use that one it's cringe" reaction while drafting this entry and am trying to sort of sit with myself for a bit and go okay WHY is it cringe? how can we talk about it being cringe other than the fact that steampunk and electroswing are no longer fashionable? some weeks the policy of No Such Thing As A Guilty Pleasure is easier than others

i would not classify this song as electro or swing, and it's considerably jazzier than their more recent dancey pop stuff. more of a languid stroll with enough brass to keep my brain interested while i peer at spreadsheets? spotify

-

reading

Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke. i liked this quite a bit but i have some longer form thoughts percolating that require a reread. it was a tense but fun read, i do not know that mr hall achieved the goal he set forth below. in a broad initial stroke, there is certainly a great deal of internal conflict not helped by our trans lead’s difficulty seeing her trans self in a loving relationship.

how this conflict resolves did genuinely keep me on the edge of my seat bc i could not fucking figure out how she was going to do it

-

watching

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951, dir Lewin). this is a movie where (in the immortal words of the switchblade sisters podcast) it’s not what happens, but how it happens. the movie opens with fishermen dredging up two star-crossed lovers. i will not be particularly concerned with spoilers here or in my letterboxd review.

age and a deft scorsese-backed restoration have been very kind to this sea-mist movie. cinnamon fucking topography, technicolor at some of its prettiest and best used. jack cardiff (also did Black Narcissius, The Red Shoes, The African Queen) you've fucking done it again. the restored version is on american tubi and it's so so lush and dreamy. the very first handful of scenes contains a church bell ringing wildly, giving you glimpses of commotion on the beach, and it just keeps getting better from there. the beach party, full of dutch angles and toppled statuary and debauchery and no one dancing the same, is exactly the same as every beach party i have ever been to.

james mason is at his hottest, wettest, and most brooding. not all of our main characters are as openly debauched as pandora, but all of them are just as selfish. i have a lot of fucking beef with some of the letterboxd reviewers, who are simply wrong. pandora is not supposed to be a likeable or redeemable character. i think one of the questions for YOU to answer is whether or not a flighty, homewrecking, irresponsible woman like pandora is redeemed through her willingness to die for true love-- this is generally an admirable quality in myths and fairy tales, but is it cancelled out as just another flight of her fancies that ultimately kills her?

also the people who don't "get" what the film's about and complain it's too slow. it's about insanity and the sea what's not to get!!!

thank u @dying-suffering-french-stalkers

-

playing

so we are mostly through the genshin 4.1 part 2 events. i am so tired of the past few battle events cycling through the same arenas; however, this is the first event where i read the directions and was like "augh that's too complicated we'll do that later" and did all my weekly bounties instead. speaking of bounties, i finally did enough to unlock the treasure chest locator and confirmed my suspicions that i have in fact picked over the region pretty well in the last ~two months. the liffey and research institute were at 85% and 95% respectively before i unlocked this thing, but i did almost immediately find two remarkable chests in the far south by the port. augh. would have bit me if they had teeth etc. i would prefer if the regions showed 100% when i have actually 100%ed them instead of whatever margin they have going now, but i recognize that i have brain problems.

-

making

im MAD bc i was given a singular hellofresh dinner by a friend going on vacation and it was fairly easy to make and tasted good and everything WORKED. and it was like a fun little after work project!!! and the directions said “here’s what to do to the peppers if you don’t want it super spicy” and it most importantly it all WORKED. this is a very expensive thing to have a sudden interest in. i feel like i fuck up most of the food i make and i know that's part of the learning curve but it's SO fucking expensive to fuck up food and i have such a limited amount of energy :<

[exactlycleverpirate]

Rafayel's Timeline Redux Part 6

Spoilers below.

See Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 7.

Rafayel and MC are reunited as adults on her 99th attempt to escape the palace. They meet several times and grow close.

There are other Lemurians on Philos with Rafayel,  including Amund. They are killing human nobles, with the belief that by doing so, it will help restore the oceans and Lemuria.

MC: “Why do Lemurians need to kill humans? Revenge?” Rafayel: “Your Highness and I know revenge is meaningless. The seas are but sands for 30,000 years. We only want one thing.” MC: “The Lemurians want to go home?” Rafayel: “...Yes. We must awaken the seas and return to our homeland.”

MC can use a Lemurian Fishtail Beacon to summon Rafayel.

Rafayel and Amund are plotting to recover “the God of the Sea’s (Rafayel’s) heart from MC by cutting it out with a dagger on the Island of Songs. However, the heart must be given willingly. Rafayel is uncertain whether the legends are true about killing MC to restore the oceans and Lemuria. Per the legend, the goal seems to be attaining Absolute Power. 

According to the legend, “Lemurians who seeketh Absolute Power: Combat the treacherous tides. Dive into The Deep for pearls. Find a true love. When blessed with a true love’s kiss, claim her heart by your own hand. A heart, pure, flawless-and filled with love. It is the best offering humans can give to Lemurians. -Lemurian Ruins, Slate No. 0065, Lemuria: Tome of the Sea God”. 

(Amund has served multiple Gods of the Sea over the centuries. Are these all reincarnations of Rafayel or are there multiple Gods of the Sea?)

6 months after Rafayel and MC celebrate her birthday, he and Amund take her to the Island of Songs (now no longer an island), which she recognizes. She remembers her past life with Rafayel and realizes that Rafayel will fall into eternal slumber and the seas will never be restored if she does not return his heart. She offers to cut it out, but Rafayel refuses, saying he and the Lemurians will have to find their own way to change the story. He attempts to erase her memories and sever their bond to save her. Rafayel calls her his beloved bride.

Rafayel's flames are black because his power is dying.

“The black flames don’t flicker. They burn silently like the man who lit them. No energy, no warmth, and no hope in sight.” (This is similar to how Rafayel describes being trapped on the beach to MC in Nightly Stroll: “No way out, no hope, and waiting to die.”)

Rafayel: “The…seas will dry up.” MC: “Anything else?” Rafayel: “When the God of the Sea is revived, the seas will awaken. To take back what he’s lost, the God of the Sea must kill his beloved.”

Rafayel: “A god must protect his followers. If the legend pertaining to the God of the Sea is inevitable…”

Rafayel: “Shouldn’t the God of the Sea himself change the story?”

Rafayel: “If the ending is fixed, let us start anew and be rid of this tale.”

Rafayel: “Lemurians must rewrite their own story, with their own hands.”

Rafayel: “Goodbye, my beloved bride.”

Continue to Part 7.

[tieronecrush]

listen.... i know that halloween joel has been taking up so much real estate in our brains.. but for the sake of asking about a fic i know nothing about: PLS antique restorer joel is exactly what i need on this day 😵‍💫 ILYSM

AHHH KIWI! you have selected my nearest and dearest wip to ask about.

this one is *actually* called patina...the title hasn't been updated for my doc because this fic has actually been living in one of my notebooks. so i will try to summarize as best as i can!

oh! and it is my first OC fic!

Mabel Fletcher has been waiting for her life to feel like hers. Only thirty years old, and she feels worn, used, and discarded -- by family, friends, and especially her (pending) ex-husband, Bridger Monroe. All thirty of her years have been spent on the east coast, following a path carved out for her with such fine detail, if she stepped out mere centimeters, it felt like all would crumble. And, well, she was right. Leaving what she knows behind, Mabel moves herself across the country with a suitcase and a backpack to a small town near Monterey, California. Random, obscure, and totally off radar. Plus, the picturesque town reminded her of a version of home that wasn’t broken; the perfect setting to finally make her own choices and begin her first novel. She rents a cottage near the beach for a month, paranoia telling her to move on before she gets too settled. Building a routine quickly in her first few days, there's a mysterious man she encounters on the beach nearly every morning. Following her swimming and lounging on the sand, Mabel heads into town to the cafe, either picking up a to-go cup or sitting down to work. A curious young employee, Ellie, starts up conversation each time Mabel visits. One morning, following her same schedule, unable to shake the rigidity of her previous life, the mystery man approaches her after she comes out of the water. Introducing himself in a gruff manner, Joel Miller asks if she's the author his kid keeps talking about, and informs her that he runs and workshops out of the antique store in town. What she comes to know about Joel shapes their relationship through their differences, and it all finally feels like her choice. Whether it's the right one is to be discovered.

in each run-in after, tension thickens between the two of them, and, well, the rest is to be written. but i do have it planned! angst, fluff, smut, hurt/comfort, this fic will have it all!!!

that was a lot but i am very excited for this one. definitely won't be posting until it's all written though, sorry friends!

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

First of all, love your writing, didn't really use tumblr (mostly if I was bored) untill I found your account, also could I possibly ask for something very angst (giving you lots of free reign) but maybe like serendipity!verse were we get more of the reader pov on the events whether it's them finding out dick left before the wedding or after the wedding or even them a month later trying to hold the pieces together of their crumbling world, but something really angsty... once again, I really do enjoy your writing and in the middle of exams, a quick read between studying is the best, so thank you for daily updates:)

Bruce stood at the door of your house. A cute little brownstone you'd restored and remodeled- and tried not to fidget.

The reporters that had been lurking had been paid off or scared off, he wasn't sure which. And he wasn't sure if you'd speak with him or not- part of him hoped that you wouldn't. Pictures of what Dick had been up to had started to surface and well. Hell hath no fury.

When the door opened and your housekeeper regarded him through coke bottle glasses, her thick brows sunk into an absolutely withering scowl, he couldn't help but feel guilty. "Maggie," Bruce said, trying his most charming smile, "Is Y/N at home?"

"No-"

"Maggie," you sigh from somewhere past the door, "Let him in before the ghoul squad resurfaces. The last fucking thing I want is stories about me revenge fucking Dick's dad."

The housekeeper gave him a look that could have frozen boiling water but she stepped back to allow him entry. "She's in the front room," Maggie sniffed.

"Thank you," Bruce said, trying not to wince when she slammed the door and stalked off to her kitchen. He wasn't sure if she was retreating to avoid him or retreating so she wouldn't lecture you but it hardly mattered. Bruce made a mental note to not drink anything she gave him, just in case as he made his way to your front room.

The double doors were open but the curtains were closed, making the usually welcoming space look like a cave. Boxes sat along one wall and there was a garbage can with broken picture frames and glass to the right of that. Photos that had been shredded into minute pieces. Paper; letters probably had met the same fate. And Bruce winced. It was normal, he supposed that you'd lose it once you were out of the public eye but that didn't mean it hadn't been terrifying when it happened.

"Out with it," you demand, "Is this about hush money or-"

"No," Bruce said quickly, holding out his hands, "I just- we thought someone should check on you."

"And you drew the short straw, huh?"

"No," he said again, watching you pull your cardigan closer to your body and light a cigarette.

You exhale a cloud of smoke and regard him impatiently, giving nothing away- a feat given that he could, like most of the family, read you like a book. "I haven't said and will continue to say nothing," you snort. "No worries on that front. I have a flight out tomorrow-"

"Where are you headed?"

"Away," you answer, taking another drag. "As far the fuck away from here as I can get."

Bruce nodded, "Understandable," he said. Trying to remember that his son just upended your entire world and now you had to pick up the pieces while he partied on the beach. "I uh- I paid all the vendors. And the venue. Wired your money back to you and uh- I wanted to know what you wanted to do with your dress?"

"I'm not sure but at some point between the bottle of vodka I started with and the tequila I twitched to I think I burnt it."

Years of training and he couldn't stop the wince.

"It's fine. It's probably bad luck to wear something someone got jilted in."

"Still," he said, frowning slightly. But when your only answer is a cloud of smoke and a shrug, he decides not to press his luck. You hadn't thrown anything. Or blamed anyone- aside from Dick and that... that was better than he thought he'd get. Even if he knew you just wanted him to go. Leave you to retreat and count your wounded.

"Is that all you wanted, or did you want to see the carnage for yourself? See if the paparazzi were exagerating?"

"I'll do what I can about that," he promised.

"Thanks," you snort. "Guess Dick is less interesting. You know. Since he's really out there just putting it all on his insta."

"What are you going to do?" he asked quietly. You were smart. Driven. Savvy. You knew how to make something from nothing- he hated the idea that you'd just give up. Not on Dick. Dick deserved you walking away from him after how he'd treated you. But on your life. He'd hate to see you wither up and spend the rest of your life hiding.

"Who knows?" you shrug, stubbing out your cigarette and taking a drink from your coffee mug. "All I know is that I'm not doing it here."

Bruce nodded, smiling a little, "Good Luck," he said sincerely. Turning to go, leaving you to light another cigarette and do... whatever you'd been doing before you were interrupted.

[natrasharomanova]

You fell from a CLIFF??

🚨 lore incoming 🚨

in september of 2022 my province was hit with a hurricane that caused a lot of damage and coastal erosion. my aunt and uncle live on the coast (nice lil house on a cliff overlooking the ocean) and my brother and i decided to go visit the week after the hurricane. since they live in a very rural area their power hadn't been restored yet and since they're on a pump they had no electricity OR running water (this detail is important for later).

bro and i decided to go for a walk down to the beach. normally it's fairly easy to scramble down the cliffside to the beach (there's a fairly safe path and we are both experienced rock climbers) so he went down ahead and i told him i'd meet him down there. so i'm on my way to the path and on the very edge of the cliff and have completely forgotten about how much coastal erosion hurricanes cause when the ground disappears from under my feet and i tumble a solid 10 meters down the cliff (if you've ever seen a cartoon character bouncing and rolling down the side of a cliff i imagine that's exactly what it looked like) before landing headfirst on a large boulder.

upon getting up i realized that my head was wet and that i must have landed in water. i was also in a moderate amount of pain and decided to cancel my beach walk. so i scramble BACK up the cliff that i've just fallen down and am on my way back to the house when someone comes out of a neighbouring house to ask me "are you ok? i just heard a scream." to which i replied "oh that's weird, i didn't hear anyone scream, it must have been a bird." guy THEN takes a good look at me and is like "you need to go to the hospital immediately" and i'm like ???? because yes i did just fall off a cliff but also i'm FINE (sidenote, shock is an extremely powerful and also very scary thing).

guy, upon realizing that i will be no help at all, goes to get my aunt who predictably freaks the fuck out upon seeing me because i'm absolutely covered in blood and being very normal about it. guy is like "we should take her to the hospital" and my aunt is like "we need to disinfect the open gash on her head immediately" and my brother, who has finally come back from the beach to be the voice of reason is like "hang on, before any of you do anything she's going to want pictures of this" (picture is provided under the cut because there is a LOT of blood and i don't want anyone to have to see that without being properly warned and prepared for it).

so anyways after my brother documents the moment everyone decides that they should get rid of all the blood to see exactly how bad the wound is before deciding how emergently i need to go to the hospital (a reminder that we're in a very rural area quite far from a trauma center). so everyone is debating the best way to get all the blood off my head so the wound can be inspected but you'll remember that the house is on a pump and there's no running water because the power is still out from the hurricane. so this band of absolute fucking morons decide that the most logical solution is to put a towel over my mouth and nose and then just dump buckets of seawater on my head to clean it off. after visually inspecting the wound there is a heated debate among everyone about whether it warrants a trip to the ER but all these people are engineers and i'm the only one with any medical experience but i'm far too concussed and in shock to add any value to the conversation. they eventually decide to bandage it and observe me overnight and since my brother and i were planning to go back into the city the next day he would just take me straight to the hospital.

BUT they have literally no medical supplies except these massive bandages that are literally the size of my head. so these fuckers take REGULAR TAPE and just use it to tape my head shut and then for good measure they slap a massive bandage on top of it. this whole time i'm mostly distressed about the fact that there's a shitton of blood in my hair and i can't shower because there isn't any running water and they're all like "you just shook hands with death and ran away and your only concern is the blood in your hair????" but idk what to tell you guys i was in shock and highkey not thinking logically.

it's important to note that before these events transpired i had been hoping to run a 160 km race two weeks later (that's 100 miles if you're a savage). so the next day i go to the hospital and tell the doctor "i'm supposed to run a marathon in two weeks" specifically not telling the doctor that i'm actually planning to run the distance of four back to back marathons. doctor says "you can run the marathon as long as your skull isn't fractured" (cue my brother and i doing surprised pikachu faces because neither of us even considered the possibility of my skull being fractured) and then for good measure the doctor is like "you're very lucky to be alive by the way" and sends me for an emergency CT.

after the CT my brother and i decide to go to a bar (again i cannot overstate the degree to which i was unable to think logically) and everyone at the bar is naturally curious about the girl with her head taped shut so i told the story a bunch of times and everyone who heard the story bought me a drink so now i'm in a bar with a concussion and absolutely plastered and i don't think i should have to tell any of you why that's a terrible idea.

SO tl;dr fell off cliff, almost died, got my head taped back together, ran 160 km two weeks later after finding out my skull wasn't fractured

and finally PLEASE do not look at the picture under the cut unless you're comfortable seeing blood don't say i didn't warn you 🫡