#and not so much on verbal commands with set rules

[apprentice-alwyn]

So I read the new Asra Tale “The Lost Spell” on Dorian and uh....that was...Not Great.

There were a lot of issues and I ended up thinking about what I would have done differently/how I would change the story while still trying to stick to more or less the core concept of it, and I figured I would share those musings here.

First things first, I would have made this story a more...personal one for Asra and MC involving Asra’s past and his parents. A story where Asra and MC are trying to retrieve something that was lost to his parents...I would have made this story not about a missing spell, but instead about lost alchemical research. Alchemy being the field of expertise for Asra’s parents, blending science and magic, and a field that Asra himself is most likely more unfamiliar with. (You could still make reference to this material/lost alchemical research being relevant to the current efforts to fix Vesuvia’s water system with a mention of how it could have been helpful I dunno)

This ends up being what leads Asra and MC to seek out The Magician for help  after digging for information in the palace records and library havent turned up anything and Asra’s attempts to track via magic havent been fruitful. Thus leading to the hint that what they seek can be found in Asra’s memories.

Instead of skipping straight to being told where to go to find the information, it could have been fun to have Asra and MC searching through the pools in Asra’s gate to find the right memory, giving us fragmentary moments from Asra’s past to witness as a result. Perhaps moments from, for example, when Asra and MC first met, a memory of Asra’s time on the streets with Muriel, the argument Asra and MC had during the plague, etc...until eventually they come across the memory they are looking for...one that is so old as to have been long forgotten by Asra, something a little raw and bittersweet...a memory from when Asra was a small child before he was separated from his parents. In this memory they find the alchemical research they had been searching for in the Alnazar home.

I dunno something along those lines could have been nice, while sticking to the idea of searching for some lost knowledge/magic.

[poorlittlegreenie13]

Deleted scene from 'Rules For (fake) Dating an Italian' to keep you busy while AO3 is down:

(Sydney & Carmy babysit for Richie, set in between chapters four & five — I wrote it & then decided to scrap it, I don't even know why lol it just wasn't working. & I didn't edit it, so it might have mistakes. But anyway, you guys can have it as a treat.)

Richie runs out the front door, pulling his jacket on. 

“Carmen,” he says, walking up to Carmy and, much to Sydney’s surprise, taking Carmy’s face in both hands and pressing a firm kiss to the top of Carmy’s head. “Thank you so much. I owe you, brother.”

“It’s fine,” Carmy mutters. 

“Sydney,” Richie says, pulling away from Carmy to look at her. 

“I don’t need a kiss,” Sydney says quickly, “just a verbal thank you is more than enough.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Richie says. “Carmy explained the situation, right?”

“I told her what you told me,” Carmy says. 

“Because I never miss a weekend with her,” Richie says, “I mean, I have literally never missed a single minute of a weekend with her before, but if I don’t go to the DMV today, it’s like six months till I can get another appointment, and I really need to get my license renewed.”

“It’s fine,” Sydney says, not dwelling too much on the thought of how much Richie has been driving her around with an expired license so far. “We’re happy to look after her.”

“I’ll be back in two hours,” Richie says. “She has her iPod, and all her Barbies. There are Uncrustables in the fridge, or you can cook with whatever’s in there, and she likes watching Unicorn Academy, she can put it on herself.”

“We’ll be fine, cousin. Don’t be late to your appointment,” Carmy says, with a somber expression that looks less like someone taking on babysitting duties, and more like a soldier awaiting command.

Carmy called Syd that morning, saying Richie was freaking out about needing a babysitter. Granted, Carmy was also freaking out about being a babysitter. 

"Nat’s busy, Tina’s busy, everyone’s fucking busy, can you please come with me? I’m not good with kids."

Sydney isn’t particularly good with kids either, but she didn’t tell him that.

She would’ve taken any excuse to see Carmy. Because she’s a masochist. And because the fact that he asked her to come not because it would help trick Richie, but because he wanted her help, made her feel kind of hot in the face. 

When he picked her up, she slid into his passenger’s seat with an almost-practiced ease, and he just sat there looking at her for a minute. 

“Your hair,” he said. 

“Oh,” she said, touching the end of one freshly-done braid, “yeah, microbraids, like I told you.”

“They look nice,” he said, and she blushed, despite the stiffness of the complement. 

He always seems to rehearse his words to her in his head before he says them; they come out practiced and overly formal, and it frustrates her, how measured they seem, though it shouldn’t. 

She’s pretty sure that’s just Carmy’s way. He’s careful with everything, not just compliments. She’s learning that about him. 

She’s been learning other things about him, too. 

Like the fact that he seems to go quiet in crowds, and gravitate toward walls. He flinches if anybody moves toward him too suddenly. Sometimes, not often, but enough to notice, he stutters when he speaks. 

She wants to know everything about him. She wishes his life story was a book she could read, so she could just catch up to where he is now, and understand everything about him. She wants to know the right things to say, to do, how to put him at ease. She wants to know what he’s thinking when he looks at her. 

Now, she watches Carmy walk into Richie’s house, stooping to pet Zanzibar as the puppy runs excitedly up to them, letting out high-pitched barks and tapping his little claws against the tiles of Richie’s entrance foyer. 

In the doorframe of the kitchen across from them, a tiny girl with blonde hair and Richie’s facial features peeks out at them. 

“Hi,” Sydney says, giving her a little wave. 

“Uncle Carmy?” the girl asks. 

Carmy looks up at her, unmistakable anxiety crossing his face. 

“Uh, hi,” he says. “Richie’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”

“She doesn’t call her dad Richie, does she?” Sydney whispers. 

“She knows who I mean,” Carmy whispers back. 

Eva looks between the two of them.

“Dad said you would make me lunch,” she says. 

Sydney smiles. “We will,” she says, looking at Carmy expectantly. 

He nods seriously, walking ahead into the kitchen and beginning to look through Richie’s cabinets. Sydney follows Eva into the room, watching the little girl take a seat at one of the kitchen chairs, pulling her knees up into her chest and looking at  Sydney with huge eyes she hasn’t totally grown into yet. 

“Are you Uncle Carmy’s girlfriend?” she asks. 

“Yeah,” Sydney says, glancing over at Carm. 

He’s holding a box of Mac & Cheese, and holds it up for Eva to see, raising an eyebrow. 

“This good?” he asks. 

“That’s good,” Eva says, crossing her arms and deepening her voice slightly to mock Carmy as she says it. He cracks a smile, filling a pot with water and setting it on the stove. 

Michelin starred chef cooking boxed Mac & Cheese in a tee shirt three feet away from Sydney. Her life is a joke. 

“Why are you his girlfriend?” Eva asks. 

Sydney laughs softly, considering this. 

“Well, uh,” she says, with a little shake of her head. Carmy has his back to her, facing the stove, but he’s standing still, like he’s listening. “He’s great at cooking,” Sydney says. “And I really like spending time with him. He’s good company.”

“My dad said Carmy’s never looked this happy before,” Eva says. 

Carmy clears his throat. “I am happy,” he says, though there’s an ironic flatness to it. 

“Because of her?” Eva asks. 

Sydney bites the inside of her cheek. 

But Carmy turns around and looks at Sydney, brow furrowing slightly, eyes soft. 

“Yeah. Because of her,” he says. 

He says it like it’s true. 

Michelin star mac and cheese is about as good as it sounds. Carmy is leaning against Richie’s counter, watching Sydney and Eva eat. Eva’s iPod is set on the table in front of her, playing some Taylor Swift deepcut that Sydney doesn’t recognize. As Sydney swallows her third or fourth spoonful of food, she stands up, turning to Carmy. The heat of the stove has put a slight flush in the tops of his cheeks, and there’s a towel slung over one of his shoulders. 

“You’re not eating?” she asks him. 

The question seems to take him off guard. His eyes flicker to the pot of food, then back to her. 

“No, I made it for you two,” he says.

“There’s plenty, Carm,” Sydney says, grabbing a bowl from Richie’s cabinet and filling it for him from the pot still warming on the stove. When she hands it to him, he just looks at it for a second, before taking a small spoonful and putting it in his mouth, chewing like it’s his first time eating a meal. 

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Sydney asks him, picking her own bowl back up. 

“It’s alright,” he says, taking another, bigger spoonful. He does that sometimes; it’s one of the things she’s noticed. He eats like he’s starving, or he doesn’t eat at all. It gives her this weird urge to take care of him. To text him in the mornings, and at night, and ask him if he ate that day. To show up at his apartment unannounced with bags of groceries and make him sit down for twenty minutes while she meal preps for him. 

“It’s good, Carm, it’s better than alright,” she says again, tone light, even though she’s willing him to believe her as hard as she can. Trying to get him to take a compliment is like trying to throw a ball through a brick wall. 

He averts his eyes, nodding again. “A little flat, but I guess that’s what you get with boxed mix,” he says, pushing the noodles around with his spoon. 

“Ever make it from scratch?” Sydney asks. “Or is that too pedestrian for a fancy New York Chef?”

“I'm gonna pretend I know what pedestrian means in that context,” he says, meeting her eyes with an amused smile. “I made it from scratch one Thanksgiving, years ago. Had no idea what I was doing. My mother passed out at like 3:00pm, and we were all scrambling in the kitchen trying to get dinner together for her so she’d, you know, see it and be happy with us when she woke up. But Sugar burned the turkey, so Mikey had to spend hours trying to calm her down; she got these crazy panic attacks when she made mistakes. And I made mac and cheese.”

“How old were you?” Sydney asks. 

He seems surprised at the question, and shrugs. “Twelve, I think? Mikey would’ve been seventeen, Sugar would’ve just turned fourteen.”

“You’re the youngest?” 

He nods. 

“That figures,” Sydney says. 

He scoffs. “Why does that figure?”

“I don’t know, just does.”

His bowl is almost empty. Wordlessly, she takes it from his hands, refilling it. 

“So, did your mom like the mac and cheese?” she asks. 

Something in his face darkens. He gives a quick shake of his head. 

“No, she couldn’t get past Nat burning the turkey. We just, uh, took all the food into Mikey’s room and watched The Peanuts until she stopped yelling and fell asleep.”

“Uncle Carmy,” Eva interrupts, getting up from her chair and walking over to where Carmy is standing, looking up at him expectantly.“Daddy said you would play Barbies with me.”

“I will play Barbies with you,” Carmy says, and then, looking over at Sydney: “Syd, would you like to play Barbies?”

There’s a fond, almost relieved smile on his face, like another minute of talking about his family might’ve pushed him off some cliff’s edge that he wasn’t prepared to crawl back over. 

“Obviously I want to play Barbies,” Sydney says, letting Eva lead them into the other room. 

"You're such a liar," Sydney murmurs, as they walk behind Eva.

"I am?" Carmy asks lightly.

"Yeah," Sydney says, "you told me you weren't good with kids."

He smiles, shaking his head ruefully.

"I'm not," he says.

Sydney rolls her eyes.

And they play Barbies, for an hour. Carmy kneeling on carpet, listening attentively as Eva explains which Barbie is which (she has a Taylor Swift box set, it seems, and a Barbie dream home that looks like it cost more than Sydney’s last paycheck). Sydney sits cross legged across from them, watching Carmy delicately hold a Barbie doll in one tattooed hand as Eva brushes out its hair. 

Watching him be a good uncle shouldn't be as fucking attractive as it is. It shouldn't be conjuring up vivid images of Carmy holding sleeping babies and cooking family dinners.

God, Sydney is so fucked.

“Speak Now Taylor Barbie is marrying Jacob from Twilight Barbie,” Eva says. “‘Cept I forgot Jacob at Mommy’s house.”

“I see,” Carmy says. Sydney bites back a smile. 

“Are you ever gonna get married?” Eva asks, looking up at Carmy. 

Sydney’s smile quickly fades. 

Carmy’s eyebrows shoot up. 

“Me?” he says. 

“You and Sydney,” Eva says, looking over at Sydney expectantly. 

“Uh, maybe,” Carmy says. He’s looking at Sydney too; an expression she can’t read. “I don’t know. Depends on… lots of things.”

“Like what?” Eva asks. 

Carmy clears his throat. “Like… whether Sydney puts up with me for long enough for me to ask her?”

“Oh, shut up,” Sydney says, smiling exasperatedly, shaking her head at him. “He’s kidding, Eva.”

“So you are getting married?”

“No,” Sydney says, “no, not right now.”

“When?”

She looks at them with expectant, innocent eyes. Sydney can’t help but laugh.  

“Not for a long time,” Carmy says. 

"How long?"

Carmy looks away from Sydney, shaking his head like he doesn't know how to answer.

"I don't know," Sydney says, drawing Eva's attention over to her. "Whenever we decide we want to."

"Don't you want to marry him now?" Eva asks sincerely.

Sydney laughs uncomfortably. When she looks over at Carmy, he's looked back up at her. His brow is furrowed slightly. He should be smiling and laughing. This is funny. Objectively. He's taking it way too seriously.

"Yeah," Sydney says, staring at Carmy, raising a taunting eyebrow at him. "Sure I do. But marriage is really complicated so I think we're probably going to wait and see. Right, Carm?"

"Right," Carmy says, with a stiffness to the word like he's in pain. "Yeah, let's not talk about getting married anymore."

Eva frowns.

"It makes him nervous," Sydney stage-whispers to her.

Eva cheers up at that, smiling and nodding knowingly.

"People get nervous when they love each other," Eva says. "Mommy told me."

Sydney scoffs softly, but when she looks at Carmy he isn't smiling. He's just staring back at her, doing that weird, hyper-focused thing where he gets, like, fixated on her face.

It makes her face feel hot.

It makes her nervous.

Fuck.

[queen-of-elves]

Getting caught cuddling with General Hux and taking the blame saying you were the one being clingy but really it was him lol the man is like a needy cat and the purring (smooching noises) gave you away

you can honestly go in any direction you want with this. i just thought it'd be a fun lil idea to base off

Getting caught

A/ N: I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH THANK YOOU!! I am telling you Hux is always going to be this soft and touch starved man that I adore plus I am in my Hux era obsession so this request was soooo sooooooo perfect

A/N 2.0: I also made it so that their relationship was not official yet hopefully that’s no problem

Word count: over 1.8K

Warning: affection?? Lol and cursing as always, also not proofread

*********

General Armitage Hux was a man of strict discipline and undeniable loyalty to the First Order, you have admired these qualities of his since the first day you had the luck to be under his command. There was just something so interesting about him which exceeded even beyond him becoming one of the youngest generals in the First Order history. So it made you a one lucky individual when he set his eyes on you.

You really hoped his secretive glances were interpreted by others as an angry stare at a subordinate or just his regular cold and stern glare because today was awfully full of these glances. It was a miracle that no one has yet figured out this weird arrangement between the two of you. No, you were not dating, at least none of you verbally stated it. But by the time the two of you had already made out in a random maintenance room or closet for the second time that week it was obvious. Something was cooking between the two of you and obviously keeping it secret as much as was humanly possible was an unsaid rule.

It would be a lie to say you knew exactly how it all started. You just knew that one thing led to another and you and the handsome general Hux ended up passionately kissing in one of the empty corridors of the Finalizer. But this all is a tale for another day.

This time it wouldn’t be any different, you were following the commanding officer throughout the left part of the flagship’s corridor and discussing the next plans after the last mission. Nothing out of ordinary, just a normal conversation in the middle of the day, you were afterall one of the main strategists on the flagship in the command of Armitage Hux so it was expected of you to have frequent interactions with him. However, today felt very different to you, if you didn’t count the stares throughout the day, Armitage was still acting jittery and unconcentrated which was highly unlike him. 

Did something happen?

You couldn’t help but feel concern for the wellbeing of your general. In fact you were so lost in your thoughts over it, you haven’t even realized that you have just confirmed a false statement about one of the missions from last week. And then it happened again and again, discussion containing false information soon turned into one about even nonexistent missions planned for the next few days. A confusion slowly crept on your face, did you prepare data for the wrong missions? 

What is he talking about?

And then it hit you. He was furiously looking behind you, checking the corridor before spinning on his heel and glancing down the other side of the hall. You two were the only one or so it seemed since you couldn’t hear any steps or talking except for Hux who was still going on about the fake mission. When his inspection of the hall was done and he seemed fairly satisfied, snatching your hand and dragging you to the door of what you deemed to be some sort of maintenance room was the next step in his plan. 

So before you could react properly he smashed the lock on the side of the door causing the door to open widely and pushed you in. You had no time to even recognize what the room actually contained before the door closed behind the both of you, plugging you into a darkness. It took a bit for your eyes to adjust and it also got worse when he placed his hands on your shoulders, spinning you around to face him. You couldn’t make out any specific details of his face but he still looked so handsome to you. 

Armitage truly was a being above all in your eyes, handsome, disciplined and incredibly smart, too smart for his own good sometimes and this man, this stupidly handsome man was now kissing you. His hands rested on your cheeks and lips on yours and you felt once again as in ecstasy, just like you were drug to him, he was to you.

He slowly backed you to the nearest wall until your back hit it and then it all really started. His kisses went across your whole face, starting at a temple on one side, stopping momentarily to kiss you furiously and ending at the jaw across before he gave himself the time to properly breathe. This was what you loved about kissing with him, how out of breath he would get, it was as if he couldn’t get enough of you and it made you feel eternal.

There was nothing explicitly sexual about this, nothing beyond simple makeout, no great sinful desire at least this time. And if there was anything in it, it was all about comfort, the comfort you brought to him and you could feel it radiate from him. He needed the comfort you provided, that only you could provide.

This time he nudged his face into the croak of your neck and inhaled slowly while squeezing you in a tight hug as if he was afraid you would turn into mist and disappear from his arms.

With Hux it wasn’t just about the kissing, the cuddling was also very prominent and you were pretty sure oftentimes Armitage enjoyed the cuddling much more than he would ever admit. At this point in his life this man was just beyond touch starved and if he would let you, you would give him hugs any time he wanted. It made you so happy to see him smile after every quick kiss or just slight touch of hands that got unnoticed by others. You truly loved making him happy and it felt like he was on the same note with you. 

Armitage was also decently vocal, actually he was the most vocal guy you have ever been with, you noticed it the first time the two of you made out in his office. The little moans that escaped his mouth and oh my, you would be a goddamn liar if you said you didn’t enjoy every second of the sound he would make. Whenever it was caused by you hugging him or kissing the hell out of him.

His mouth felt like it was everywhere, that HE was everywhere and you couldn’t get enough of it. Armitage’s hand moved from your shoulder to your hip while the other sneaked on the small of your back, gripping the hip and bringing you again so close you could hardly breathe. Both of your chests were now touching but even without his mouth touching you, you felt the excitement accumulating between your bodies. 

You have now noticed his vibrant red hair all out of place, you quite liked the disheveled look on him, and the buttons of his uniform sat loose, he must have unfasten some of them while he dragged you to this room and in between the kisses. But instead of kissing you again he nuzzled his face into your neck again while humming slowly. He was contend, purring like a cat onto your neck and chest. You hope for this moment to never end, to just simply cuddle him until you die.

However, the whole moment shattered with the heavy door sliding open with a long whoosh sound. The both of you stood frozen for agonizingly long, hoping whoever opened the door would either not notice you, which was very unlikely considering you were an eyesore in the now lit room, or pretend to not notice you. In those excruciatingly drawn-out seconds you have noticed a blush creeping on Armitage's face but even that image ripped out of your mind by a stammering voice of a much more embarrassed officer.

“I-I am so sor-rry, SIR. I d-din’t know that- I heard a we-weird sound and I thought-” Oh god, the two of you must have been really loud if they could hear you through the door. And on top of that you were pretty sure that officer wouldn’t keep his tongue behind their teeth after what they saw.

“Get OUT!” Armitage's voice echoed through the room silencing the officer. 

You couldn’t see his face, his silhouette was illuminated by the hall's light still present in the room after the officer just ran for his life, leaving the door open. And there was a certainty the officer wouldn’t escape the punishment Armitage was already making in that smart head of his.

When he finally turned to you, you could see his face seeping red, the tips of his ears caressed with blush just like his cheeks and neck. He wasn’t looking at you, instead his wide eyes rested a few meters before your feet on the metal floor. Half of his face was obscured by his left hand which was holding his mouth in a tight grip. If it weren’t for the blush you would have thought he was contemplating his life choices or maybe he really was and maybe this was it. You knew Armitage was a man of a great reputation and to taint it with a flirt with one of his subordinates was unforgivable.

“I hoped it wouldn’t get out so soon.” A stoic mask was placed again on his face, the one he sported when he commanded on the bridge, when he was back in his role, unforgiving and with no mercy for failure. You did enjoy seeing him like that, full of pride and in his element but you also enjoyed how he would hold your hand while kissing your cheeks softly. The duality of this man surely would be the death of you one day and maybe this was the day.

“It seems it’s official then-” Your voice interrupted him.“What’s official?” Your heart was pounding so hard against your rib cage you were afraid it might leave bruises, you were too nervous to care for formalities now. This could be either exciting news or a soul crushing one.

“Us, obviously.” He stated, while he still hasn't noticed your nervous expression and your eyes following his every move before the realization came crashing down on you.

Oh.

This time you could hear the heavy steps, it obviously wasn’t an officer, probably a stormtrooper but you still didn’t expect Phasma, the stormtrooper captain, to appear in the still open door, her stare unrecognized by you thanks to her helmet, causing Armitage to turn his back on you again.

“Captain Phasma, I apologize it’s my fault I-” This time it was your general interrupting you.

“Yes, your choice of location to inform me of classified information is-,” Armitage turned back to you, shooting you an unidentifiable look,“ maybe next time choose my office. People could get the wrong idea, officer.” It seemed to be the end of the conversation or at least Phasma deemed it as one since she turned ready to leave while informing general Hux of new details about her mission. However, before both of them could exit the room you caught Armitage shooting you a smirk.

“Yes, sir.” You whispered with a small smile painted on your lips.

Oh god, that man was truly going to be the death of you.

[pearlprincess02]

taylor swift and joe alwyn synastry (sun)

the sun rules will power and ego. it is the core of your potential and uniqueness as an individual; who you are and what you are about. it represents the main direction and focus you want your life to take, and your determination to accomplish what you set out to do. it is your personal honesty and integrity, and the ability to command respect and authority, to impress and influence others.

house overlay and aspects

taylor's sun

taylor's sun in joe's 2nd house

sun in the 2nd house synastry brings a forth light onto material security and self worth. the sun person (taylor) becomes like a care taker of the house person (joe), it could be financially. the sun (taylor) provides confidence in security and wellness of life. the house person (joe) feels protected and treated like royalty, spoiled with sweets and kisses.

taylor's sun conjuct joe's lilith

lilith (joe) in this scenario is truly the sun persons (taylor) dark side personified. the sun (taylor) is a hot arizona morning and lilith (joe) is the dry dark night. with the conjunct specifically, a lot of mutual attraction is shown, the sun person (taylor) represents liliths (joe) good side, and lilith (joe) is the sun persons (taylor) dark side. together in synastry the two may be able to strike a really nice balance of energy if both can meet in the middle. the sun person (taylor) will activate all of liliths (joe) traits, which could be uncomfortable if they haven’t been exposed much to them. similar to the square/opposition something about being together feels a bit wrong but it’s more likely to be sexy then alarming. the flip side with the conjunct here is that it can go either way, if the chart is mostly positive it mostly an enhancer that adds depth, two different sides of the same coin. the connection will feel profound even if it’s mundane.

taylor's sun square joe's pallas

it takes some effort, but sun person (taylor) and pallas (joe) person can come to understand each other. sun person (taylor) is at first thrown off by pallas person's (joe) intellectual nature and may see pallas person (joe) as aloof or scheming. pallas person (joe) may see sun person (taylor) as only out for themselves and out conscientious of how their gifts can benefit society. it may take some effort to adjust to each other’s nature but with mindfulness and patience, sun person (taylor) can awaken pallas person's (joe) creative side. pallas person (joe) can draw on their artistic and charismatic nature to further their agenda as sun person (taylor) will inspire them to do. pallas person (joe) can help sun person (taylor) develop a more socially responsible attitude and channel their leadership skills toward collaborating on important strategies. each may struggle to be in charge and compromise may be needed so this couple can more effectively work together.

taylor's sun opposite joe's vertex

sun (taylor) has some qualities about them that vertex person (joe) desires in their ideal partner. there is a mutual attraction, although usually vertex person (joe) feels this more. even though in some ways their characters may be different, they can fill in pieces for each other- it is a balancing act. 

joe's sun

joe's sun in taylor's 3rd house

the lower mind of the house person (taylor) becomes radiant and full of life. conversations about themselves become more prevalent. the house person (taylor) provides knowledge and quenches the curiosity of the sun person (joe). the sun person (joe) can comfortable verbally express his or herself to the house person (taylor), and vice versa. there’s lots of good and open communication here. opening the mind becomes a daily process.

joe's sun trine taylor's moon

with the sun trine moon synastry aspect, the relationship simply flows. the moon person (taylor) relies on the sun person’s (joe) energy, enthusiasm, and vibrancy, while the sun person (joe) appreciates the emotional support of the moon person (taylor). this couple has a strong emotional bond. they’re attracted to each other mentally and naturally understand each other. in fact, the sun trine moon synastry aspect means that this couple is really in sync. they may each feel actual pain when the other person is hurt. each person feels as though they can rely on the other. this is a natural quality, so this is often found in the chart of couples who stay together long term. the sun trine moon synastry aspect makes this energy flow from day one! typically, the sun trine moon synastry couple is at ease with each other. the sun person (joe) may “lead” the relationship a bit more, while the moon individual (taylor) provides the emotional support, but this usually works for the couple and no one feels overshadowed. this relationship is full of emotional bonding. each person feels super secure with the other; you know that your emotions are safe with each other. the sun person (joe) shines a light on the moon person’s (taylor) darker side, while the moon individual (taylor) gives emotional depth to the sun’s (joe) ego. ultimately, this is a really beneficial, important aspect.

joe's sun sextile taylor's uranus

there is respect for independence and individuality in each other. their connection is through the mind, through learning, and through lots of activity. sun (joe) brings passion and excitement, uranus (taylor) brings discovery. this aspect can make the couple sensitive to bad communication or disrespect. 

joe's sun trine taylor's lilith

the lilith person (taylor) will feel like the sun person (joe) really “shines” a light on their personality and can discover untapped talents. the sun person (joe) isn’t likely to hold back the lilith (taylor) in terms of sexual expression and spirit, theyre likely to “get” what/why lilith (taylor) is the way they are. sexual undertones will be present in most interactions as lilith (taylor) is quite sexual by nature.

joe's sun trine taylor's ceres

sun person (joe) and ceres person (taylor) bring out the best in each other. sun person (joe) knows how to uplift and empower ceres person (taylor). ceres person (taylor) in turn is nurturing, caring and affectionate, making sun person (joe) feel loved and admired. this makes sun person (joe) feel more secure. sun person (joe) can help boost ceres person (taylor) self-esteem and both understand each other’s unique emotional needs. sun person (joe) can bring ceres person (taylor) out of a low mood and help ceres person (taylor) nurture their own needs as well as finding deeper inner value. ceres person (taylor) may find sun person (joe) to be encouraging and inspirational.

celeb's masterlist / moodboard

crd:

sun synastry

sun - lilith aspect / sun - pallas aspect / vertex aspects / sun - moon aspect / sun - uranus aspect / sun - cere aspects

[goddess-jordan]

Rules for good sissies

good sissies:

Remember their place. You’re pathetic and don’t deserve the scraps of attention I give you.

Use honorifics. You’re far below my level, and should remind yourself of that every time you speak. I am your mistress, goddess, ma’am, etc.

Are greatful for everything I give them. It’s far better than you deserve to even sit before me. It’s a privilege that you can never earn, and it is only by my mercy and kindness that I allow you to be my slut.

Follow my every command. I should never have to state orders more than once. If I tell you to verbally degrade yourself you should do so with no hesitation. If I tell you to stop touching your pathetic excuse of a dick I don’t care how much it throbs, you do so.

Only speak when spoken to. I’m not here with your disgusting little pig self to hear constant jabbering. You’re a set of holes, a piece of meat, a toy- nothing more.

I wrote these down because I know some of you struggle to remember anything fed into that tiny brain of yours. Now there are no excuses.

[theoutcastrogue]

D&D 5.5 Rogue tweaks

[5.5, 5.75, 5.24, OneD&D, 2024 D&D, ugh, I don't care]

Rogue

In the base class, honestly everything's GREAT except stealth rules and damage output. So all I got to add is:

See Invisibility, Trueslight and similar don't let you see creatures that used the hide action successfully

Pending a more comprehensive stealth fix, because dear god these rules suck, and also I won't be sure how they even work until the DMG comes out.

Sneak Attack 1/turn/target

Extra Attack at lvl 5

My old 5e houserule. This may seem too much (with the Nick Weapon Mastery you can have 3 melee attacks/attack action at lvl 5) but remember that it's a much bigger hassle to set up sneak attack for multiple targets (stealth and Steady Aim will only cover one attack), Cunning Strike sacrifices sneak attack dice lowering dmg, and often you'll simply run out of targets. So you won't actually be dealing 3 x sneak attack dmg every round. Also remember that other martials got boosted even more and deal quite a lot of dmg. Needs playtesting, but I'm confident it's gonna be fine, and if it's not, I'll just roll back the extra attack.

Cunning Strike includes Disarm, like in the playtest

Come to think of it, shouldn't that be a Weapon Mastery? Do you think books down the line will introduce alternate weapon masteries, like, rapiers normally get Vex, but alternatively you can pick Disarm or whatever? Cause we can beat them to the punch and homebrew that right now!

Arcane Trickster

you can cast Mage Hand without verbal components

you can cast without verbal components [Proficiency Bonus] times / long rest

Self-explanatory. Sorcerers are the masters of metamagic, but conceptually this subclass needs Subtle Spell.

Mage Hand can be used to pick locks and disarm traps

No idea why they removed this ability, and limited Mage Hand to Sleight of Hand, but that's just silly and we're bringing it back.

you can use scrolls of the spells you know

Just clarifying a little thing here – an unfortunate wording appears to prevent Arcane Tricksters and Eldritch Knights from doing that by RAW, because they choose "Wizard" spells, and you can only use scrolls of your "class's spell list".

Assassin

the extra damage from Surprising Strikes is now twice your Rogue level, and applies only on the first sneak attack that hits in the first round

Assassinate, famously, used to let you crit surprised targets. Surprise rules changed, and now we get instead advantage on initiative (new and cool), advantage vs creatures that haven't acted yet on the first round of combat (as before), and Surprising Strikes: if you sneak attack on the first round, add +rogue lvl to damage. (so like, +3 at lvl 3 and +20 at lvl 20). Although much more reliable, this flat bonus is really underwhelming, and doubling it gets it on par with a crit. I feel that's appropriate. What's the point of being an Assassin if you don't wreck someone once per combat? It's your job!

As for the crit, I will miss it because it was HEAPS of fun, but I'll admit that for multiclass martials the "Assassin 3" dip was simply too good, and anything that's too good is bad design.

And I added the "only on the first sneak attack" clause due to my 1st houserule: now rogues can potentially sneak attack more times per round, and we only want to go nova once.

Soulknife

Psychic Blades can now be used outside your turn

Opportunity Attacks are finally feasible with psychic blades in 5.5, but for example a Commander's Strike from your Fighter buddy gives you an attack as a reaction, not called an Opportunity Attack, so it wouldn't apply. And it's a pointless restriction.

Thief

is perfect 10/10 no notes

Main sources:

2024 DnD 5e Transition Guide and Change Log: Everything That's Different in the new Player's Handbook (RPG Bot)

2024 PHB Rules Changes D&D 5.24 (Treantmonk's Temple video)

2024 Player's Handbook First Look Review (Dungeon Dudes video)

[redacted]

[comicsforyall]

Exposing the Empire with YA, The Amulet of Samarkand Review

“It’s like Harry Potter, but for boys.” This confusingly misguided comment is one I remember distinctly from the book store employee who was trying to sell my grandmother and me The Amulet of Samarkand. The even more baffling part is that it worked. But to be fair it was 2007 and, as an eight year old boy in the rural American South, I was horrified to learn that I potentially had been reading and enjoying a book series that was for girls.

Having read the entire Bartimaeus series in my youth, I still have no clue what that employee was referring to, unless it was pure author discrimination. However it is very clear that similarities between the series do exist, at least superficially. The Amulet of Samarkand is book one of the Bartimaeus Trilogy (or Sequence if you’re nasty), and centers around a naive, misguided orphan who is introduced to a world of magic and politics in London. The overall setting and description is honestly the extent of the crossover between Bartimaeus and HP, besides some common themes and tropes that are much more attributable to the genre than anything.

The book is certainly an introduction into a new specific world cooked up by author Jonathan Stroud. There is a significant amount of time spent building the logic and lore of this version of reality, though it is admirably obscured within gripping action and drama sequences. The political structure that is explored can seem a bit simplistic when viewed now, but I do distinctly remember being confused and challenged by many aspects as a child. This story unfolds in a way that is not revolutionary, but is potentially subversive for the target audience.

Nathaniel, But Kindly Keep His Name To Yourself

Despite not being the series titular hero, the viewpoint character for The Amulet of Samarkand is the young magician named Nathaniel. An orphan being raised via abuse, while simultaneously being integrated into a lifestyle of power and privilege. He is a tragic mess from the start to the end of this journey.

The world that unfolds for Nathaniel, and the reader, is a society of distinct hierarchies and exploitations of power. In other words it mirrors reality quite sharply. The ruling class is exclusively magicians, who keep their knowledge secret and consolidated. Nathaniel is indoctrinated with the ideas that the British Empire’s magicians are noble heroes, and that they keep peace throughout the world. He is so young and sheltered that his naivety drives a lot of his actions. The other force pushing him is ambition and privilege.

With one hand his adopted parents, particularly his father, is smacking Nathaniel down with physical and verbal abuse. The other hand is feeding stories of glory and spelling out the ways to achieve it. Nathaniel’s growth and liberation is linear and clear from early on, however it becomes marred in the death of his innocence.

The exploits of Nathaniel and his gradual rise in power could be considered the main story, but the more interesting angle is the system that he learns about. As he becomes more adept at wielding his position, the consequences of doing so are revealed.

The magician’s main weapon is the enslavement via magical bonds of djinn, pulled from another realm. Utilizing the inherent power of knowing a djinni’s true name, the magician’s have developed a reliable system to continually wield the magic for themselves. The whole process is very business coded, with the orders and bonds between the two parties basically being magically bound contracts. Unfortunately for Nathaniel, djinn can utilize a magician’s true name to inflict intense pain, if they somehow manage to learn it. This lesson comes to him through a trial by fire, and it is the first domino to fall for the young boy.

It becomes very hard to justify commanding other beings through force, when they suddenly can deliver direct consequences to you. The reality in the novel, and in many cases in the real world, is that the privileged simply cannot comprehend the repercussions of their action, as long as they remain secluded above it.

The instant the tables turn, the crushing weight of empathy and sympathy starts to press on Nathaniel, in a relatable manner. From there he’s presented with the easy option of playing into the system, or the harder one of standing against it. This decision will be continuous, one Nathaniel has to keep making. He does not see the full picture, even at the end of the novel, but the building contrast between Nathaniel’s abilities and his morality is the lynchpin of his character.

Bartimaeus, But Keep His Name To Yourself

The second protagonist, and the guide for both the reader and Nathaniel, is the djinni Bartimaeus. He can only be described as pure wit, using footnotes to give long winded and personal asides, ranging from petty jabs to small history lessons. Bartimaeus keeps up a cold, sarcastic facade, but slowly reveals a much more relatable personality to the reader.

An unaging spirit, who has been around for much of humanity’s history, Bartimaeus is a deep well of experience. From him the reader learns the dynamic between the djinn and the magicians, namely the former being ripped from their homes and forcibly bound to the will of the latter. The many levels of djinn have varying abilities ranging from vaguely useful to horribly destructive. The more powerful the spirit, the more difficult it is for the magician to bind and wield.

Bartimaeus reveals himself to be a mid-level djinni, but continuously builds himself up with stories of his historical exploits. The most important insight he allows is that ancient Egypt was his favorite era, and that he made a magician friend in that time. The boy named Ptolemy becomes a clear indicator that Bartimaeus has a much larger capacity for compassion than he lets on.

In terms of an arc, Bartimaeus doesn’t have too much progression as a character. He is forced into participation in the story, and spends most of the story quipping and darting through action sequences. In between he uses humor to mask the information dumping, as he describes the levels of imps and the specific limitations of certain magicians. Charming and very funny, his chapters are highlights and a breeze to read, if a bit one note.

Systems, Sarcasm, and Storytelling

As the first in a series, The Amulet of Samarkand is unabashedly an introduction in many ways. There is a clear sense of trying to describe as much of the political and magical systems as possible, while still delivering an engaging story. The occasional separation of the information dumps into footnotes is interesting since it provides an easy way for readers to simply skip the long winded explanations, but in doing so highlights the stark difference in content. There is certainly a sense that the story wants to be action packed, dramatic, and over the top, but feels obligated to justify each sequence. In the best cases it helps to keep the story fleshed out and immersive, but at worst the distinct sections can feel too dissimilar and actually pull the reader out.

As Nathaniel gains more real world experience, the political landscape of this version of the British Empire is exposed to him. From a younger perspective this can be pretty enlightening, as the fictional empire very much mirrors those that dominate the international landscape of reality. As an older reader though it is decidedly the less interesting out of the two systems that are being presented.

The magic system for the novel is based around different planes of existence and perception. The more powerful a djinni, the more levels they can see and manipulate, with the humans largely staying confined to the first material plane. From the perspectives of the protagonists, the system is fairly intuitive and at least feels like it makes sense even when the exact events are vague or rushed.

Building out the institutional structures takes up a large portion of the reading, but the spaces that are left are crammed with sincere character moments and romping action sequences. There are very few conversations or altercations that do not feel as though they are moving the plot or characters along. The story comes out tight and self contained, while simultaneously poised to be expanded into much more.

Conclusion

There are plenty of novels where the YA label can come across as unnecessary or borderline derisive. Without getting into the merits of those arguments or the classification in general, The Amulet of Samarkand works as a fantastic novel for readers of any age. The light it shines on society in general could be seen as one that has long been illuminated for older readers, who may not feel truly challenged by the story or themes.

For even the most seasoned fantasy veteran though, there is plenty of interesting magic and lore, not to mention jokes, to keep the story compelling. An easy read, with plenty of new ideas and at least one standout protagonist. The novel exceeds expectations but does not necessarily smash them.

Score: 70/100

Citation Station

The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud

Cover Art by Melvyn Grant

Original Article, The Cover

[fabuloustrash05]

So out of pure curiosity, do you have any headcannons for salamandrian culture and salamander characters (Newtralizer, Sal Commander, Mona Lisa). There isn't much info about these people and I'm curios

I’ve talk about a few ideas from time to time in other posts of mine but never got to fully explain them, so here’s some HCs I have of the Salamandrians from TMNT 2012.

Mona is 2 years older than Raph (so Casey’s age of 17), Sal Commander and Splinter are the same age (50s), and Newtralizer and Tiger Claw are the same age (30s)

The Salamandrians are an honorable warrior race. They live to fight in battle, so much so that they recruit young children into their armies. They live by a simple rule: “If you can walk you can train and if you can train you can fight”. 

Mona, Sal and Newt all joined their militaries at young ages. Joining the military and earning high ratings of lieutenant or commander is considered very normal and common on their planet. Ex: Mona was promoted to lieutenant when she was only 14 years old

Salamandrians have massive appetites, they get hungry and can eat a lot (think of it like Saiyan appetites from Dragon Ball)

They are very literal, metaphors and puns will go over their head.

Their “Rokka Rokka” is more of a verbal tic than being truly apart of their language. The tic usually comes out when a Salamandrian experiences great/intense emotion (excitement, rage, etc)

They don’t celebrate birthdays. They see no point. To Salamandrians their logic is: "Why celebrate your birth? Congratulations, you survived another year! What a waste of time!" Because of this, characters like Mona Lisa don’t know when her birthday is.

Millions of years ago, Salamandrians used to hunt and eat Kraang, back then known as Utrom. Though over the course of history they evolved and peace grew between the two species, that doesn’t stop a Salamandrian from still have a desire to consume one (we’ve seen Newtralizer do it and Mona has even threatened to eat one)

The Salamandrains only ever got involved in a war against the Triceratons because the Triceratons were at war with the Kraang. The Salamandrians found it insulting that an equally powerful race like the Triceratons were at war with a weaker alien race instead of them, a more powerful and stronger opponent. They saw it as an insult on their honor and declared war with the Triceratons to prove that they are a more worthy opponent than the Kraang. So basically Salamandrians started a war with the Triceratons because they’re petty.

Marriage does not exist on Salamandria. Instead when you come of age you are set up in a matchmaking process, using statistics and skill sets (strength, intelligence, etc), you are match with your “mate” with the goal to create a strong offspring to one day assist in the planet’s military. It is seen more as a business deal than actual compatibility and love. Only rarely do matches actually end up falling in love and stay together and continue to make more offspring.

For Mona Lisa, she was matched with three different suitors, but they were all disgraceful in their own way, seeing her as a trophy for them to brag about (because she has such a high ranking honorable status in the military). Mona knew this very well so she rejected them, and with three rejected suitors Monas reputation in matchmaking was badly damaged and she was known as the unwanted prize. It wasn’t until she met Raph, who was a man who saw her own person and respected/loved her for who she was.

For Sal Commander, when he was a young man, he too was matched, and in truth he fell in love with his mate, but sadly she never reciprocated those feelings. Despite that, she agree to go through with being his mate and they had a child together. Shortly after the child was born, Sal’s mate left him and a few short years later Sal’s child died in combat at a young age. 

Over his years in the military Newtralizer grew to love fighting in battles just like any Salamandrian, but he began to enjoy it more than others to an extreme level. He yearned to kill and spill blood during times of peace, something that disturbed many of his comrades, including Sal. Desperate for more battles, Newtrailzer made a deal with Lord Dregg to become his personal assassin just so he could continue his sick trill of killing. For years Newt did this secret job on the side but one day Sal discovered the dark true of his friend and pupil.

Fighting in battle is traditional for Salamandrians, but willing killing and harming innocent with out a cause was disgraceful. That’s what Newtralizer did, and when his dark secret was discovered he attacked and nearly kill Sal Commander and fled Salamandria to avoid his trial for his crimes.

Also, if anyone’s curious, here’s a list I put together of canon facts about Salamandrians according to the show >> LINK

[and-stir-the-stars]

William lines that I like from my fic Collection:

Father nodded wordlessly, but Evan didn’t need words to know what would happen next. The couch cushions dipped under his weight as the nine-year-old shuffled closer to the couch’s edge, closer to Father.

William needs. so much control. I think the Afton kids' lives are filled with a lot of moments like this; William doesn't have to tell them what he expects of them-- on a lot of levels, William enjoys that his will (pun intended) has been so thoroughly projected and enforced that he doesn't have to always verbally order his kids around for them to do what he wants. A lot of the relative few interactions William has with his kids is based on Routine. Doing the same things over and over, always in William's way. Not that this Routine means the kids are always safe around him, of course. William's known to change the rules at a drop of a hat; something that William wants of the kids one day will set him off the next should they try to repeat it. And the moments where the kids struggle to understand and fulfil William's Unvoiced Commands when they don't actually know what William wants of them are Awful.

Father hadn’t given him any water for his pills the first times when he had given Evan his medicine. Those times had been filled with crying and choking on pills lodged half-swallowed in the back of his throat as Father’s jaw tensed in annoyance.

It had been a great relief when Father finally started bringing a glass of water with him. 

Though, Father still didn’t like it when he asked for a glass without trying to swallow the pills on his own first. 

William probably tells himself and his kids that he does stuff like this because he wants to toughen them up but honestly he's just being Petty.

Evan’s breath caught in his throat. He tried not to stare– staring was rude; people who stared were doing nothing but asking for trouble– but the nine-year-old couldn’t help himself. Father never sat beside him when he was dealing with Evan’s wounds, only knelt or stood nearby. 

Smth smth William has Issues With Touch and is only okay with it when he's using touch to manipulate others to his advantage. I dunno if touch makes him Uncomfortable exactly, but at least he definitely just like. doesn't see the point of it or why it's necessary, which makes his kids' need for touch both annoying and hard to deal with outside of manipulation scenarios. but it might make him Uncomfortable too.

…What if Father didn’t like Snowball? 

Evan’s Fredbear plushie had been a gift directly from Father, after all. The only gift Evan had ever gotten from Father that wasn’t given because it was his birthday or Christmas, but because Father had wanted to.

And Evan had replaced it. 

Evan's almost right! Snowball DOES bother William-- but not because Fredbear was some grand show of fatherly love and William feels rejected by Evan replacing the golden bear plushie. Rather, it bothers William that Before, the only plushies Evan had were Fredbear Entertainment plushes, and now, Evan threw every last Fredbear Entertainment toy he had away and replaced it with something that has nothing to do with William's Great Accomplishment. Evan's actions here really wound William's arrogant pride.

“I did notice that,” William said. “I told you you were fragile, didn’t I, Evan?"

Evan didn’t meet his Father’s eye as shame burned in his cheeks. "Yes sir."

Reference all the way back to MBMW chapter one! >>“Evan!” Father snapped in a way that sent chills up Michael’s spine. “You know what I said about bringing friends over, and you know how I feel about that boy. You were fragile enough before your incident; do you honestly think I trust you, let alone around him, any more now than I did before?”<< No specific thoughts from me on this one but like. william. you rat bastard. Actually, now that I'm looking at it, I do wish I had phrased this differently, though... it would hit so much worse if William hadn't forced Evan to agree that William had said he was fragile, but if William had said smth like "see? you ARE fragile, aren't you" and Evan was forced to say "yes sir, I am"

Father used to get upset about how scared Evan was of Fredbear's; recently, Father didn't seem to think much of it at all. 

Just like Evan throwing away his plushies, the time in between Charlie's death and William starting his illusion disc experiments when Evan was terrified of animatronics was a wound on William's pride. His son acting like this was not only embarrassing when in public but was a personal insult as well. Even when William starts twisting Evan's fears and using them for his own gain with the illusion disc experiments, Evan's fear of William's creations is still a sore point on his pride, but it also becomes something of a necessary evil to William.

"Most nightmares have monsters,” William chided. “What made this one so special?"

I don't even know what it is about this line but it. it. hnnnnnnnnnnng.

Evan didn’t want to talk about this, any of this, but… it was a good thing that Father wanted to talk about it, right? It meant he cared enough to listen. It was like when Mr. Fre–

…Like when Mr. Fazbear would encourage him to talk about anything that bothered him. 

It was just like that.

So… why didn’t this feel anything like when Mr. Fazbear would talk with him and calm him down? 

Oh, poor Evan. He just wants his father to love him so, so much. This is actually one of the reasons I posted "Live and Let Die" in the middle of the funtimes arc rather than putting it off until after; once I knew I was going to be writing funtimes 1.5, I wanted to have that moment at the very end of Live and Let Die where Freddy is encouraging Evan to talk about this very stressful and traumatic thing that happened to him. a little bit of contrast with how William is in his chapter. Freddy is gentle. He assures Evan to take his time, not to rush himself, he doesn't make Evan feel like he is forced to talk. He makes sure Evan knows he is safe. William does none of these things.

Evan tried to stifle his gasp as Father’s fingertips dug into the bruises he had found on his wrist when he woke up that morning. 

William knew exactly what he was doing here.

William cleared his throat. “If you hurt yourself, then I won’t clean the wounds for you, Evan. An accident is one thing, but otherwise, you’ll have to do that yourself.” 

Oof. Michael especially probably has trauma from this little rule of William's. I can see Mike putting his fist through the wall and the like and William refusing to help him with the injury. His time is precious, after all, and his kids need to learn not to waste it.

William stared down at his son, disappointed. He hadn’t even managed to ask about the most important thing he genuinely, truly, desperately needed to know. 

How did it feel to know you were about to die? 

He couldn’t ask it, though. 

He didn’t think he’d ever be able to ask it, no matter how much he wanted to. Because part of him would always be too terrified of what the answer would be.

Unrelated to the story, but this makes me think of crumble's headcanon about Will's Uncle Jay; maybe his Uncle Jay's death (or the death of anyone he was close to, really) when Will was younger is what sparks William's intense fear of but also fascination with death and the moments right before you die and what comes after. It would have been a very traumatic event for an already unstable young William, after all. Or it could have been sparked by Mrs. Afton's death, but I generally think of William as having been a killer even before she died.

“That’s enough.” 

Father pulled away, and despite how his father’s grip had hurt, a pang shot through Evan’s core as his father’s touch left him. 

That's enough crying. That's enough physical touch and affection. That's enough being weak. That's enough being close. That's enough; that's all that I can take; you've done enough.

“You can have it back.” William’s pale eyes met Evan’s gaze. “But not now. You know the rule about napping all day, Evan. If you wanted to sleep…”

You should have done it at night when you were meant to instead of wasting the day away.

Once again... he knew exactly what he was doing here.

[vodika-vibes]

So my brain is focused on Cal and Spark and their connection with the 501st, because there's absolutely no reason why a group of, self proclaimed, anarchists would have anything to do with members of the GAR, but here you go-

It's starts with a party. Every three months, like clockwork, the members of the Daines house pool their money to rent a warehouse for 3 days. The money goes to the warehouse, to food, to alcohol and other drinks, to tattoo supplies, to hair dye, and everything else they might need for a truly spectacular party. There's no door fee, but everyone does have to show ID to get in. But, as far as everything else, it's all covered by the members of the Daines house. Every tattoo. Every dye job. Every meal and every drink. The only rule is no bigots. They can and will throw out anyone who feels that they're better than the people partying with them. And there is an open invitation for everyone and anyone to come and party with them. And that is how it starts. Fives finds the announcement, left laying on a table, and he brings it to his brothers. And Rex isn't so sure, but the majority of Torrent is sure, and so Rex sighs and agrees to go. It takes the convincing of Tup, Hardcase, and Fives to convince Dogma that one party won't kill him, but eventually even he agrees. When they show up at the warehouse, in groups of ten, they expect to be turned away, but they're not. Jesse and Hardcase head directly to the tattoo stations. Tup heads to the hair dye station, but the majority of the vod'e make their way to the dance floor. And that's where Fives meets Cal. She drags him to the dance floor with a grin and a wink, and Fives essentially attaches himself to her. She's pretty and pastel and makes the war seem so much further away than it is. Dogma sticks to the walls, not really comfortable with the whole situation, and that's how Spark finds him. Spark encourages him to go and get food, to get drinks, and while Spark doesn't get him onto the dance floor, they do spend the whole evening together. And before anyone really knows what happening the night has rolled into day, and cots are being laid out on the dance floor, and food is being made, and stands are being set up to offer counseling services to people who need it, and free medical/dental care to people who need it. And somehow the men of Torrent end up running self defense classes to women and at-risk youth. And when the night rolls around again, the party starts all over again. And it repeats, for all three days. When Torrent finally leaves the warehouse, a lot of them have dates set up, and all of them are so drunk that they're barely able to see straight. In fact, the following morning Torrent is still more drunk than hungover, and Cody has to lie out his ass to get the 501st pulled off the mission that they're about to be sent on. Instead of the 212 and the 501 going to Umbara...it's the 212 and the 104, under the command of General Pong Krell and General Plo Koon. And it changes everything.

When the wrong Jedi Arc happens, Ahsoka ends up crashing on the couch in the Daines home, because where else is she going to go. Luckily for her, one of the long term residents of the home is a Criminal Defense Lawyer, who takes the chance to verbally eviscerate the Senate with a frightening amount of glee. And so Ahsoka is cleared of all wrong doing, and remains a part of the Jedi Order. And when, later, Fives is accused of trying to assassinate the Chancellor (which he deserves) he also runs to the Daines House for aid. And, once more, the wolf like Lawyers of the Daines home are more than happy to turn their fangs against the Senate.

[creativebrainrot]

okokokok *purusing the questions like in the line to subway* can i get... pyrs and louis pre relationship 1 to 3, and gwyn and twahearne domestic life 5 to 7 with a side of love 1 to 3 for both ships pls

lemme get on that order for you right now

Pyrs & Louis

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

oooo one of my favorite lil tidbits of lore Belial, early on as commander, had implemented a program to encourage recruits of the different orders to get to know one another. The program would pick groups of recruits and rotate them through the order halls for training with each order. Pyrs was a Vigil recruit picked for this program in it's testing stages. His group was meant to train with the Priory.

Their very first meeting was the introductions of the Vigil recruits to the Priory recruits & faculty. Pyrs couldn't stop staring at Louis, even though he tried. Louis, thought he was cute, handsome even.

2. What was their first impression of each other?

Louis thought Pyrs was adorable. This sweet, nervous sapling genuinely trying so hard to chase his Wyld Hunt, which was quite vague, despite how unfit for the Vigil he was at first. Louis found him physically attractive as well, Pyrs is shorter than him, has always been stronger than him, and his voice is like a siren's song to Louis.

Pyrs was very very nervous in Louis' presence because of his high rank in the priory. That faded quickly when he got to talk to Louis, finding out that he was a really sweet person. He thought Louis was very handsome, he could listen to him talk for hours. (he was able to aswell- attending priory lectures Louis gave.) He thought- and still thinks,- that Louis is a charismatic, kind, caring man.

3. Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Louis keeps in touch with his family who're back home in Kryta through letters. His little sister encouraged him to try and get closer to Pyrs when their relationship was new. Louis wrote this off as her naivety- Pyrs was a recruit after all, that's a bad idea.

Pyrs' closest friend, Branthyn, wanted him to "just tell the damned magister already!" She was sick of his pining. (And wanted him to quell his anxieties, he was worrying about everything to do with it so much, she just wanted him to be able to relax again.)

(Pyrs was the first to confess, very nervously asking Louis on a "date," or whatever next best thing they could manage. Louis thought it was adorable, needing to stand up from his desk to feign browsing the bookshelf behind it in order to hide the smile creeping onto his face.)

Maelgwyn & Trahearne

DOMESTIC LIFE

5. Who’s the stricter parent?

Trahearne. Maelgwyn's more like "I taught them how to use a knife, it's fine." It's not that drastic of a difference though, both would probably set rules, but Trahearne's the one to be more specific with said rules or outright ban certain activities.

6. Who worries the most?

I think this is a tie. They've both been through a lot. Maelgwyn has had to deal with some heavy trauma regarding loss and loss of loved ones. Trahearne has too though, and more times than Gwyn. They're almost always at eachother's sides in combat. I'm sure both always have that thought in the back of their minds, "Is this the last time I get to tell him how much he means to me?" And every other thought like that.

7. Who kills the bugs in the house?

Maelgwyn's house, where they both live, is very open for airflow so they probably both just swat/relocate bugs back out where they came from. I can't see either of them being squeamish about insects tbh. "put those lil idiots back outside where they came from >:V"

FOUR of Them (both ships)

Maelgwyn & Trahearne

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first?

Avae beat ya to this one by like a millisecond last night asdfgdhsfgdsf

2. What are their primary love languages?

Trahearne's is verbal. Telling Gwyn he loves him, randomly telling him he's attractive, and getting back at Gwyn with inappropriate comments. Touch as well just less than words.

Maelgwyn it's definitely physical affection & gifts. Words are Difficult and Talking about Emotions is HARD for him, so why not grab Trahearne by the waist when no one is looking? Why not snatch him at any chance he gets just to kiss him or touch him. why not.

Trahearne certainly doesn't seem to mind.

3. Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

Honestly i don't think either of them do, but if I had to pick, Maelgwyn would find the worst ones just to ironically inflict them upon Trahearne.

Louis & Pyrs

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first?

Honestly this one is almost a tie as well. I think Louis would've really really wanted to tell Pyrs first, but opt instead to let Pyrs say it whenever he was ready. So Pyrs did say "I love you" first. Pyrs was the more heisitant of the two, until the campaign against Mordremoth. He told Louis he loved him, the day after he almost lost him.

2. What are their primary love languages?

They're both very affectionate & cuddly with eachother. Louis favors being the one touched. They're both very flirtatious with eachother aswell, through words, touch, and body language from across the room.

3. Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

so louis' guilty pleasure is goldclaw books. and pyrs is a dork who would abso-fucking-lutely find the worst lines in the whole book just to slip them into conversations with louis. A "i know you know that i know," sort of subtle teasing. the way it makes louis flustered is endlessly entertaining to pyrs.

[orime-stories]

A Moment Alone

Aurelle Silmontier - Final Fantasy XIV

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The Warrior of Light and Aymeric catch a sorely needed private moment to check in with each other after recent turmoils. Full story below the cut. (1002 words) Previous Story / Next Story / Read on AO3 / Tumblr Masterlist

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There was a tiredness hiding around Aymeric's eyes as they all reconvened in his office to exchange updates and introductions. Camouflaged within the unfeeling sterness he always projected at such meetings, but there to see for those that had come to better know the intricacies of his face. Aurelle shuddered to think how bone-deep that tiredness must run, if even that much was leaking through the tight grip she knew he kept on his features in professional company.

If only the path towards easing his burdens wasn't littered with so many of those impossible obstacles so often seeking her out like moths to the brightest flame. A tangle made all the more impossible to navigate as she willfully held herself back from the one path that had flowed so effortlessly between them. The one path that every instinct within her was so sure was the only one that had even a chance of leading her through it all and to the other side with her sanity intact.

"Warrior of Light," he called as she made to follow the rest of the group back out into the city, all of those worries and uncertainties held tightly in her own grip.

Y'shtola's hand came to rest lightly on her arm, meeting her gaze with a look that asked 'are you comfortable being left alone with this man?'. "I can wait for you," she added verbally.

"No no it's fine, I— It's okay. Thank you. I'll catch you outside." She smiled in nervous appeasement.

After one last probing look, the Miqo'te left.

And then it was just the two of them.

"You will set out in the morning?" Aymeric asked, still with the formal bearing of a Lord Commander.

"That's the plan," she confirmed, matching his distance. His stoic presence seemed to deflate momentarily.

"Should you find the time," he began, carefully. "Should you wish to—"

"Can I see you?"

Relief softened his brow. "Later, yes. I would like that very much."

"At your house? Properly?"

He nodded in confirmation, and an uncomfortable tangle of elation and anxiety stammered through her. That she might finally learn how he was really doing beneath that impassive mask he refused to relinquish in public. How they were really doing.

And if easy laughter over drinks was a joy yet allowed to them, or if that had been torn from her as well.

—

She'd tried to judge when might be late enough for him to have returned from work, but not so late as to be cutting into his sleeping hours. There was still so much she didn't know about his habits.

But his staff had been quick enough to answer the door when she had knocked it, Aymeric himself appearing in the doorway to the parlour long ahead of any chance to summon him, waving the others away. Crossing the room and kneeling before where she had been seated, taking up her hands in one smooth, easy motion that stopped the breath in her.

"You have been so patient with me," he said, contrition and sincerity writ plain upon his blessedly unguarded face. True connection unfurling between them at last, an ocean flooding through a desert that had feared it might forget the rain.

Her fingers remained tense and motionless in his grip, so afraid to break one of his rules and lose that again.

"We're in your home now," she began, seeking clarity. "So I can... We can..."

"Yes," he breathed. "Anything you want."

A noise akin to a sob escaped her throat then as she slipped from the couch and sank to her own knees before him, fingers cradling his face and bringing it to hers. Thinking of how close she had been to losing him too. Losing everything.

His arms were quick to fold around her, to hold her safe and close. And that was all she had wanted.

"Forgive me," he pleaded between kisses. "For keeping this from you. From us both. Forgive me."

"I understood," she breathed in return, even though she hadn't at all. Fingers threading through his hair, pulling him in closer. The press of his body against hers all that mattered, all that she had wanted. "I understood, it's okay."

"I failed you."

"No." Easing back onto her heels as her fears scattered before the warmth of him. Aymeric following against her, leaning over her into the kiss. One hand sliding up to cradle the back of her head as he dipped her back further still, the seat of the couch coming to press an awkward angle against her spine. Had it not been there to catch her she wondered if momentum would have carried them all the way to the floor. If she should twist them round and allow that to happen. If he had meant it when he had said that she could have anything...

Need seared in her. The need to draw him in closer still. The need for him to be alright. To stay alright. For this to be alright. The need to know that she was pleasing him. That she was doing things the way he wanted and not making things harder.

But there was still so much she didn't know.

And it was those doubts that pulled her from him in the end, drawing her back to see his face, to look for reassurance, but... what she found there coiled within his eyes, it only served to spike every need within her, to painful sharpness. But what did he need?

She watched him collect himself in the pause. Let him collect himself. Urgency bleeding from them as the hand that wasn't supporting her head came up to trace careful lines down her cheek, a grateful calm coming in to fill the space around them.

"I was so scared," she whispered. Hearing herself more clearly than she had since the Vault had upended everything.

"As was I," he confessed in turn.

"This helps," she said, a tentative smile spreading across her features.

His eyes smiled back. "Yes. Yes it does."

[theataerravoltartist]

I think, possibly, I might have found the best arc for Locke while hitting all of the bases. So basically rolling the two versions of him(writing wise) into one.

It would go something like this. He would get that vision of Knuckles dying( sorta obligatory at this point), go to Athair just for him to say something basic and cryptic like,"prepare yourself." Of course he internalizes it. Going out of his way to run tests on himself for the most optimal out come.

Knuckles is born but Locke is still second guessing as the perfectionist he is. He wants nothing more than his son to live a long life. So he takes the egg in the dead of night and used the chaos chamber without asking any other guardian. Why go through the chain of command when your are the youngest?(I really feel like age would hold much power with how the guardians are set up) Of course the doctors are confused but cannot question the guardian. One of them probably asks Laura-Le if she knew what he was up to and confused she sorta shrugs it off cause of baby brain.

Now every guardian is mad at Locke, specifically Spectre for such sudden action to be taken. Rules are placed specifically on Locke, making him more jaded in the process. "All of you would have done this for your children!"

Later down the line Locke proposes that the Master Emerald be brought underground making it harder to find and less of a risk. The idea is shot down primarily by Tobor and Thunderhawk.

When Knuckles is twelve he gets injured terribly. Locke having taken Sabre's advice walks a lap around Haven. Upon his return to the serveilance room he is mortified, remembering the vision of his son dying. Breaking all protocol, Locke rushes to Knuckles side bringing him back to Haven to tend to his wounds. For a full day Locke is able to treat Knuckles in peace, but the next day Sabre arrives. While happy his grandson is alive he gives Locke a verbal lashing for going against protocol. Locke retorts that Sabre would have done the same thing for him... right? Sabre shakes his head in a mournful fashion. Locke senses some unrest but is preoocupied with Knuckles.

As Knuckles heals and becomes more lively Locke realizes how much of his life he has missed out on. Living in fear wasn't the answer. Is being a guardian even worth the hassle? Locke enters the meeting room, every guardian alive is there. His own father standing at the opposing end. Sabre doesn't seem very enthused by what is about to take place, yet Locke can tell Sabre is falling back on his leadership persona for such an occassion. The guardians have deduced that Locke should not be allowed among their ranks any longer. His disreguard for protocols and previously ignoring the chain of command has netted him distrust among the others. Surprised by such a sudden scolding Locke asks why he wasn't given any warnings. None of them answer until Sabre remarks that he took the oath and knew the rules. He had warnings from the start. As Locke leaves, Sabre's voice breaks as he tells him Knuckles is no longer in his custody. Knuckles now belongs to the leader. Locke turns back, betrayal written on his face. He sees a single tear coming down Sabre's face."Then you will have to rip him from my cold, dead, hands."

Locke makes valiant attempts to retrieve Knuckles from the med bay only for the doors to shut. With Knuckles still in his weakened state teleporting the boy isn't an option. Locke beligerently leaves as it dawns on him that this is how Laura-Le undoubtedly felt when they divorced.

He has been getting calls from his mother periodically. The poor woman has no clue that her own family split. Locke gently tells her if she wants to speak with him it will have to be in person. He pulls his and Knuckles credit into new accounts before the others think to withdraw their lifes-earnings. Taking on a new name Locke finds a job within the medical field in IT. he still lurks in the areas he hopes to find Knuckles training at, yet so far those attempts have been fruitless.

He thought he could pull himself together by making friends in new places. He must be coming off as jaded since most of his colleagues tend to not acknowledge his existence. On his way home he sees Laura-Le at a coffee shop. Knowing she wanted space he avoids her only to abruptly feel a hand on his shoulder. She must have seen him through the window. She can see something is off from his uniform up to his face. He is tired, hopeless. Not the confident man she had married so long ago. She invites him to catch up with her at her place. Knowing she is an empath, he abliges. The insurmountable pain and pressure build as she guides him to be seated. Man up she doesn't need your sobstory. The moment she asks about Knuckles the dam breaks. He tells her everything that he can fumble from his mouth. He makes sure to apologize, she was right for her doubts. She was right to worry. "I knew this was wrong the moment we left college, but I didn't know how." Soothing him, she reminds him that the man he truly is is burried beneath the generational trauma, the lies, the gaslighting. Holding his face, she wipes some of his tears. Telling him that she can still see the man she fell in love with deep within, but he will have to fight hard to bring that man out to the forefront.

Life isn't perfect. He wants Knuckles at his side dearly. However, Laura-Le is showing him that he can be who he was thirteen years ago. She will help him in this journey. He asks her how she could still love him after all of this time. "I did not divorce you because I hated you. I hated who you became."

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Danggggg that was much longer than I anticipated! There is an alternative version where he could easily become an anti-hero, but I prefer this path. To note the,"cause I said so", attitude Locke bears in the comics is not reflected in this. I personally think it conflicts with the loving father theme that had been pushed in earlier issues. My go to for Locke is, Scientist dad who tries his hardest and is often misunderstood.

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Why am I still writing/thinking of obscure legacy characters? The child in my brain says I must. So anytime I rant about old echidnas the child in me has taken the reigns. It's also great practice for character analysis!

[edupoweracademy]

Top 7 Strategies to Ace Your IPMAT Interview: Expert Tips and Tricks

Are you preparing for the IPMAT exam? It is a tough nut to crack, but with proper guidance and preparation, one can ace it. To help you out in this endeavor of yours, here are some expert tips and tricks that will surely help you score better in your IPMAT interview:

1. Get familiar with the structure of the test: The first step towards acing IPMAT interview preparation is understanding its structure well. Make sure to read up on all aspects related to IPMAT such as syllabus topics covered by it, types of questions asked, etc., so that when appearing for an interview or answering questions during an exam session there won’t be any surprises!

2. Practice mock tests regularly: One way to get comfortable with taking exams like these is by practicing mock tests available online or offline frequently till perfection sets in and scoring higher becomes easier than ever before! 

3. Focus on time management skills: Time management plays a major role while attempting competitive examinations such as these where every second counts! So make sure not only to understand each question properly but also answer them within stipulated time limits given per section/questionnaire set forth by respective authorities conducting this test series annually throughout India.

4. Quantitative Aptitude Section: This particular section requires extensive practice from aspirants who wish to perform well during their interviews/exams; hence pay special attention while studying various chapters related directly or indirectly which includes topics like Arithmetic & Algebraic problems, Geometry & Mensuration, Trigonometric Identities, etc.  

5. Logical Reasoning Section: Aspirants must have good command over logical reasoning concepts if they want to achieve success at this stage; some important areas include Coding-Decoding Problems, Blood Relationships between family members along with other puzzles based upon Syllogisms too!  

6. Verbal Ability Section: In order words – the English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT); typically consists of grammar rules followed closely by comprehension passages wherein candidates need to decipher hidden meanings behind sentences written therein using vocabulary-building techniques taught through books/coaching centers alike.

Also Read: IPMAT interview coaching

7. Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) Sections: Lastly comes AWA sections which require applicants to demonstrate their knowledge about current affairs happening around the world plus provide solutions to existing social issues faced globally today depending upon how much research they did prior to attending actual examination day itself!

[davidanderson121]

Can Dogs Eat Mackerel - K9 Basics - Dog Training

How To Start Training Your Own K9 Dog One of the benefits of owning a dog is that you get to watch them grow and learn new things. Whether it’s obediently sitting down when you tell them to or mastering a new trick, dogs are endlessly fascinating creatures. One thing you may not know about dogs is that they are also capable of learning certain tasks, like police work. In this blog post, we will teach you how to start training your own K9 dog so that you can have a loyal companion by your side during dangerous situations. Can Dogs Eat Mackerel What You'll Need If you're new to dog training, there are a few things you'll need in order to get started. Firstly, you'll need some training basics such as commands and potty training tips. Secondly, you'll need a leash and collar, both of which can be purchased at most pet stores. Finally, you'll need some toys that your dog will enjoy playing with – preferably ones that are interactive. How to Train Your Dog One of the best ways to teach your dog new behaviors is through positive reinforcement, or giving your dog what he or she desires in order to encourage desired behavior. Positive reinforcement can be verbal (asking your dog to "sit" or "come") or physical (giving your dog a treat). It is important to use rewards that are appropriate for your pup's age, size, and level of intelligence. Another way to train your dog is using negative reinforcement. This means using a punishment such as removing treats when your dog does not obey a command. The idea is to make sure that the punishment is unpleasant enough so that your dog will avoid repeating the naughty behavior in the future. Negative reinforcement should only be used as a last resort after other methods have failed. The Benefits of Training Your Dog There are many benefits to training your dog. Not only will your pup learn some basic obedience commands, but he or she may also develop loyalty and a strong bond with you. Training can help keep your dog safe, healthy and out of trouble. Here are some of the benefits of teaching your furry friend some manners: 1. Your Dog Will Be Safe If your dog knows how to obey basic commands, he or she will be less likely to become aggressive or destructive in general. This is especially important if you have smaller pets that may get targeted by larger dogs who don't know their limits. Plus, having a well-trained dog can make home life much easier – no more licking doors or stealing food! 2. Your Dog Will Be Healthy Regular obedience training can help keep your pup's weight under control and prevent him or her from developing health problems such as joint pain, obesity and diabetes. Training can also teach dogs how to interact calmly with other people and animals, which is key for keeping them safe on walks and in public settings. 3. You'll Develop A Strong Bond Training is a great way to build a strong relationship with your dog – it teaches communication skills, patience and reliability all while providing hours of fun! If you have an active pup who loves spending time outdoors, obedience training can help keep him or her safe while enjoying the great outdoors together. Conclusion In this article, we are going to show you how to start training your own K9 dog. It is not as difficult as you might think and with a little patience and practice, your K9 will be obedient and well-behaved. Start by establishing basic rules and routines early on, then gradually increase the difficulty of the exercises while always rewarding good behavior. You can also find useful advice on training methods, nutrition for dogs, and more in our comprehensive guide to training your K9 dog.