#cannot wait for 3.6

[emanation-aura]

So we've got Meetings in the Outrealm: Series V (for those of you who've forgotten, it's the "beat a boss in co-op" set of the achievements) now, and I think it's a good time to look back on the five Outrealm achievement namecards we've got and their connections to lore.

(Long post warning. Go grab a snack and some water, like I forgot to do when writing this post)

Achievement: Reunion - We shall meet again someday.

Released in Version 1.0. Pointedly, predates Chapter I Act IV: We Will Be Reunited (Version 1.4), but carries the exact same theming— the Traveler twins will meet again.

So we'll meet again. Though we need not rush, (brother/sister). I have more than enough time to wait for you.

It's my belief that, from this point forward, all the "Meetings of the Outrealm" achievements foreshadow, or at least echo, the themes of the Traveler Archon Quests, as well as other relevant Traveler lore we learn.

2. Achievement: Gate - What encounters lie on the other side of this door?

Admittedly, this one immediately breaks my presumption because it bears very little resemblance to anything I can remember of Chapter II Act IV: Requiem of Echoing Depths. The door depicted in the namecard (released Version 2.0) is obviously the loading screen door, which is located in the same sky-heaven area (suspected to be Celestia but we're not sure) in which the twins encountered the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles by trying to leave Teyvat.

There is one crucial difference between the two depictions, which is the four-pointed star/primogem present on top of the door in the namecard. It's not present on the loading screen (I know the screenshot above is night-time which makes it hard to see, but I'm pretty sure the symbol is different). The symbol is obviously so well-known and thematic everywhere in Genshin that I'm not surprised it's here; notably instances of its use, apart from in primogems and Khaenri'ahn eyes/neck, includes: the "eye" in the Traveler's original wings, the logo of WWBR (representing each twin) and on the front of Lumine's dress/back of Aether's cape.

The fact that the same symbol now hangs over the door that brings us into the world of Teyvat raises several questions and possible ideas that aren't within the scope of what I want to say. In this context where the Outrealm achievements are very clearly Traveler lore-themed, I'll just suggest that the door to Teyvat with the four-pointed star represents that the purpose of our journey, at least in Teyvat initially, is to search for our sibling (this becomes less relevant later on, but is still generally true).

Also, Rudolf Koch's Book of Signs suggests that the four-pointed star "is a phenomenon carrying a grave and solemn warning", so there's also a more sinister outlook to the door in the namecard.

I think the link with Requiem of Echoing Depths might be loosely based on "encounters on the other side of the door" theme. Dainsleif emerges from a portal (a more metaphysical 'door') at the beginning of the quest, just as our twin disappeared into one at the end of WWBR. The door is a symbol and gateway of both the unattainability of our twin, and the regular encounters we have on our journey in Teyvat.

And, if you want to stretch it a bit further into the future, the door to Khaenri'ah in Hangeh Afrasiyab, released in Version 3.6, carries on this theme of doorways and encounters— you cannot enter it at the moment of writing, but the existence of such a door is a reminder of Khaenri'ah. What sort of encounters did your sibling have behind this door, in the kingdom underneath the ground? You don't know, and that's part of the mystery that separates the two of you, and why in Requiem, you two share such differing beliefs on why or why not the purification device should be activated.

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3. Achievement: Fated Encounter - One day, our encounter at this moment shall shine like a star of reminiscence in our hearts.

4. Achievement: Orbits - "O Almighty Sovereign, the Universitas Magistrorum has provided the predictions you requested: The two stars have been captured by the world's gravity… After a lengthy orbital period, today their paths shall intertwine once more."

I'm putting these two together (released in Version 3.0 and 4.0 respectively) because I think the corresponding Traveler acts, Caribert (Version 3.5) and Bedtime Story (Version 4.7), correlate inversely with the release dates of these namecards.

For example, Orbits and 3.X lore:

In Version 3.3's Archon Quest Interlude Inversion of Genesis, we indirectly hear the words of Pierro (a Khaenri'ahn) on the topic of our sibling, retold to us through Scaramouche.

The reason why there are records about your (‍sister/brother‍) in Irminsul… It might have something to do with Khaenri'ah. Apparently, Khaenri'ah was (‍her/his‍) first destination when (‍she/he‍) arrived in this world. Plus, (‍she/he‍) only came to this world because the heavens responded to the summoning.

Later on in Caribert, Chlothar Alberich, Khaenri'ahn and founder of the Abyss Order, tells us:

We once believed that you [the Traveler's sibling] would bring new strength and hope to Khaenri'ah. To us, you were the Abyss... A wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension...

Setting aside debates on what the Abyss actually is, all of the above dovetails with Achievement: Orbits, which clearly depicts two primo-stars representing the twins in 'orbit', and the Khaenri'ahn organisation Universitas Magistrorum talking about them, suggesting they are somehow scrying the fates of the two who have been 'captured by the world's gravity'. Given that it is all but directly stated that Khaenri'ah summoned the twins (or, perhaps, just the sibling depending on how you look at it), the namecard is basically the Khaenri'ahn perspective of everything we learn in Version 3.X.

Perinheri (a book released in 4.5) also tells us that Khaenri'ah awaited the arrival of beings who could transcend the gods, and this dovetails nicely with Orbits and Chlothar's statement to support the hypothesis that the twins were summoned, or at least, scried on and waited for. The implication that the 'Almighty Sovereign' (explicitly, a royal, likely the king, in CN) requested this scrying almost confirms it.

While the text obviously means that this hypothetical comment must have been made when Khaenri'ah still, well, existed, it also thematically resonates with all quests where the Traveler does reunite with their sibling in some form, most prominently in WWBR, but also Requiem of Echoing Depths (via mirage), Caribert (via memory and shattered mirror), and Bedtime Story (via Caribert's realm, and subsequently forgotten).

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Meanwhile, Achievement: Fated Encounter ironically suits the themes of Version 4.X Traveler lore better.

Let's get the big one out of the way first. Chapter IV Act VI: Bedtime Story is a cruel, cruel subversion of the namecard's theme— because no. Your reunion will not shine like a star of reminiscence in your heart. You will not remember it at all. Narratively, I find it neat that 13 versions after Rukkhadevata's wiping from Irminsul, the audience is now thrust into the same position as the Traveler: as the only one who 'remembers'. As the witness to something wiped from history. (Can you tell this makes me emotional?) As an audience member, this moment is for you, you will remember it, and nobody else. Even the phrasing of "one day..." suggests that only at some nebulous point in the future will this reunion become remembered.

Hell, the namecard is two hands hovering over a four-pointed star. Given the symbolism of the primo-star as representative of both "your twin" and "warnings of an encounter" (roughly), it is basically a perfect set-up for Bedtime Story; not withstanding that the symbolism also suits the events of Caribert, where we're jumpscared with our twin in a shattered mirror, suiting the portend of an omen (the first and last quests in Caribert are named Destined Encounter and Portended Fate, neatly tying this together as well).

Of course, Fated Encounter's text harkens back to WWBR itself, as both the 'fated encounter' and becoming the moment upon which we reminisce.

The reason I think it fits better with 4.X Traveler content is because of where else we get moments of reminiscence of the Traveler and their twin: notably, in Wriothesley's SQ, Reborn in the Land of Grievances, and Xianyun's SQ, A Thousand Moonlit Miles.

For context, recall that Wriothesley's SQ is about a 'fear gem', which the villain is using to control a society of people to do his bidding by injecting them with liquid fear. Traveler and Wriothesley pick up the gem containing this liquid at the beginning of this quest, and touching it causes unpleasant flashbacks of, essentially, moments that create fear. For the Traveler, these four images are shown when they touch the gem:

Top left is vs Sustainer from the opening of the game when their twin is taken away. Top right is from Caribert, where Traveler realises they have been experiencing a memory from the perspective of their twin. Bottom two are images from the Defiled Statue room in WWBR, including the dead Grand Thief.

It is almost self-explanatory why these are a record of moments when Traveler felt 'fear'. I think this works particularly well as a thematic reflection of Achievement: Fated Encounter because this is a negative-context reminiscence of said 'fated encounters'. Here, Traveler is recalling these moments with a very strong negative association due to fear.

Compare and contrast with Grus Serena Act I's ending cutscene, where due to Xianyun's 'positive dream' Suspensus Somnium Mechanism, we get this lovely scene with the Traveler dreaming of reuniting with their twin:

Now, this is explicitly a dream, which isn't real and hasn't happened. I would argue, however, that regardless of whether this is real, this is the second important Traveler scene in Version 4.X before the release of Bedtime Story, serving to both set the emotional stakes, and as the positive counterpoint to the theme of reminiscence touched on in Wriothesley's Story Quest.

Thematically, this is the other side of the 'star of reminiscence' in Achievement: Fated Encounters. While the scene in Xianyun's SQ is a bittersweet dream, ending up with the Traveler waking up in tears and thus is not a straightforward positive happiness, this melancholic nostalgia for a more innocent existence in Grus Serena Act I still contrasts with the sharp burst of fear we're served with the images of our past experiences Cerberus Act I. They are two sides of the same coin and a reflection of the conflicting myriad of feelings the Traveler has about their twin— longing, heartbreak, fear, confusion— exploring what the memory of their twin means to them. Shine like a star of reminiscence in our hearts much?

Also, you encounter the gem of negative reminiscence at the beginning of Wriothesley's SQ, and the dream of positive reminiscence at the end of Xianyun's SQ. You could possibly stretch this to reflect the journey as a whole— which begins with fear, loss, and confusion, and ends with bittersweet happiness. Wait, shit, does that mean one of the twins is going to die—

Essentially, it's all about memory. Which also echoes Bedtime Story and how Caribert attempts to connect with others, however briefly, through his incomplete Loom of Fate, trying to 'live' like a real person even though he cannot exist as anything but a memory in people's minds— I would make a slight tie with Nara Varuna (the twin, as referred to by the Aranara), but I'm running out of short-term memory storage to load Aranyaka lore, so I'll try again later.

(Cheekily, the four-pointed star in Achievement: Fated Encounter is actually part of the co-op mode symbol, which is the star plus radiating waves resembling a WiFi symbol. You could point to this just being an acknowledgement of the fact this namecard is obtained from playing in co-op mode, but apart from what I've discussed, I can add a suitably unhinged suggestion that the co-op mode icon contains lore. It's a modification of a WiFi icon, which popularly depicts a dot as a broadcast origin, and concentric waves surrounding it as the signal broadcasting from it. Simple, but Genshin replaces the dot of broadcast origin with a four-pointed star, ostensibly just representing the game's version of connectivity. And yet, the four-pointed star broadcasting a signal outwards can also use the symbolism of the Traveler/the Twin as the point of origin as a reach for 'connection', both reaching for their sibling, and as a general harkening back to the theme of the Traveler being a 'connector' of people's wills, a la Liyue finale, Inazuma finale, Sumeru finale— wait, I'm sensing a pattern here...)

Of course, let me not forget to mention that Achievement: Orbits is also relevant to Bedtime Story and some of 4.X. That quest is where Dainsleif casually drops the Five Sinners of Khaenri'ah on us, so it ties in with the disembodied quote we get about Khaenri'ah addressing the twins. We also learn about the Universitas Magistrorum from the Narzissenkreuz WQ series beginning from 4.0, where it is stated that they 'inverted the alchemical stages' (likely referring to how, in real life, the alchemical stages of Magnum Opus, the process of creating the philosopher's stone, were Nigredo -> Albedo -> Citrinitas -> Rubedo, whereas from Albedo's ascension voicelines, we know his Art of Khemia, originating from Khaenri'ah, inverts Citrinitas and Rubedo, suggesting that the irl Magnum Opus is actually the lore-accurate method as opposed to what the Art of Khemia says about Rubedo -> Citrinitas. But that's a story for another time). While unrelated to twins lore specifically, the gradual addition of Universitas Magistrorum lore might serve a purpose like the continual drip-feeding of Qiaoying Village pre-4.4, as well as Dornman Port and Blackcliff Forge now, building up to eventual relevancy. For now, there's no way of knowing.

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...wait, why did I make this post again?

(nervously checks notes) ah right, to dissect the Outrealm achievement series. So, let's look at what we have for 5.0.

While I won't suggest we can predict the plot of the next Traveler Chapter through this namecard alone, we can go through the themes and plot points brought up by this namecard, and see where it gets us.

Obviously we are tying back with Bedtime Story here. That is where we first learn that the "Sea of Flowers at the End" is a real place (and not just Travail's artistic concoction of the finale of the game)— both the title of Achievement: Endpoint and the depiction of Inteyvats reinforces that this is where our journey will end.

You: Why... Why can't we continue our journey together? Sibling: At the end of my journey, I arrived at a place known as "The Sea of Flowers at the End." Do you remember? A long time ago, when we traveled between worlds together... You told me… You wanted to find a place in the universe where that one flower was in full bloom. To have a place like that suddenly appear before me…  Well, would you think of that as a coincidence?

It is all but outright stated the reason our sibling cannot move on from Teyvat and travel with us is (aside from the war with the Heavenly Principles) because Teyvat contains the true endpoint of their journey, not just the journey through the land itself but their journey through the cosmos at large— the Sea of Flowers, which is the location we will reach at the end of the game.

The Sea of Flowers is a field of seemingly-endless Inteyvats and, contrary to my belief before 4.7, an actual physical (or at least metaphysical) location. Achievement: Endpoint says of this place "a sea of blossom awaits the return of a single flower, anticipating the day when both hearts and petals shall become soft and tender".

Breaking this down, we can identify that the return of a single flower should refer to Lumine, regardless of whether she is your Traveler or your twin, since she wears the Inteyvats in her hair. This creates two completely different narratives about the game depending on who you picked, which seems mostly antithetical to how Genshin has written the siblings thus far. (Well, she wears Inteyvats plural on her hair, so the single flower thing shouldn't apply.)

So let's skip that and contextualise the rest. If the Sea of Flowers is waiting for an Inteyvat to 'become soft and tender', then there is a condition we need to fulfill. Recall Dainsleif's words in Requiem of Echoing Depths about the Inteyvat:

But if you were to pluck one and take it out of Khaenri'ah, the petals would stop growing and turn hard. Only when it finally returned to its home soil would the petals grow soft once more, and finally turn to dust... So the Inteyvat is a symbol for a wanderer far from home, signifying the tenderness of the homeland.

The symbolism is incredibly blatant. The Sea of Flowers awaits the day when the return of a single Inteyvat, because only when the flower returns to its homeland will it grow soft.

Here's where we resolve the Lumine problem. The name of this flower is the Inteyvat. Prefix in-, which English borrows from Latinate words, where the prefix was used in a variety of ways but in our case, to mean "not-". Therefore Inteyvat, as in "not-Teyvat", or more fancifully, "not of Teyvatian origin".

If the returning flower is an Inteyvat, it is not actually about who carries the flower, but what the name of the flower represents: "not-Teyvat". Which means it should be your chosen Traveler, regardless of gender, because your twin has become "part of this world" for a reason unknown to us, and no longer counts as an external being, or Descender— we learn as such from Inversion of Genesis.

Nahida: Irminsul does not keep records on the Descenders. Anyone who comes from beyond this world is not counted as part of Teyvat. Scaramouche: The reason why there are records about your (‍sister/brother‍) in Irminsul… It might have something to do with Khaenri'ah. Apparently, Khaenri'ah was (‍her/his‍) first destination when (‍she/he‍) arrived in this world.

Essentially, this is a giant lore teaser for: you're going to the Sea of Flowers at the end, and everyone will be happy again...

Or, not?

Because Endpoint tells us that it awaits the day when both hearts and petals shall grow soft and tender. This is a yearning for the softness and happiness of reuniting without anything standing in the siblings' way, except... Dainsleif explicitly tells us that after the flower returns, it doesn't just go soft— it turns to dust.

This is why, earlier, I suggested that theory about the emotional overtones of our journey, as derived from Wriothesley and Xianyun's SQs. Without the supporting evidence of the Inteyvat's dissolution implied at the end, it's just crack; but now, I think it's going to compose the bittersweetness of the reunion or ending we're promised, like Xianyun's SQ depicts.

(I want to be clear that this isn't a prediction of Traveler or twin dying. While it certainly isn't outside the realm of possibility, I wouldn't lock in the Inteyvat dissolution symbolism into that event alone; it's also possible, for instance, that one or both of them lose their memories, etc, or they lose something else dear to them. We can't even be sure the story will end on such a note anyway, so this is purely extrapolation on extremely limited connections.)

As a mini-prediction: we could either get more Sea of Flowers lore in Natlan's Traveler Chapter (unlikely, doesn't seem Hoyo's style to follow-up so soon, we still don't understand the Defiled Statue etc.), or we could follow the emotional beats implied by the namecard description. Or, like Achievement: Gates and Requiem, it could have loose or no connections at all.

This post is mostly an excuse for me to talk about my favourite lore in the game. I'm going to bed

[malleablemusic]

the queen is dead - the smiths

i’ve never listened to the smiths, and have tried to avoid them my entire life as much as i can. i successfully avoided watching 500 days of dummer for 23 years before giving in and deciding i should experience it in order to form my own opinion without any preconceived notions. it’s safe to say i was not surprised by how much i disliked the film, which definitely doesn’t make me feel better about branching out now, but hopefully the smiths will not disappoint. as a disclaimer, these opinions are a practice in separating the art from the artist- i still hate morrissey as a human being. here are my notes:

the queen is dead: 3.3/5 stars

"oh, has the world changed or have i changed?" this hit harder than i expected it to

his voice is so unique and special, and i love that he acknowledges that with the line "she said, 'eh, i know, and you cannot sing'" and then to follow this up with a joke about his piano skills being worse is unfortunately iconic of him

obsessed with the voice cracks he allows himself to sing, specifically on "were" in the line "i swear to god i never knew what drugs were" because it adds such a youthful vulnerability

i love how he compares the inconvenience of his hair being messed up by the rain to "love, law, and poverty"

overall, i think the lyrics are fire, but i don't love the beat. the drums are very cool, but it's lacking in guitar/bass

frankly, mr. shankly: 3.6/5 stars

groovy fun beat that i enjoyed immediately

the way that he sings "fulfilled" and "mentally ill" to rhyme them scratches my brain

"flatulent pain in the ass" is an epic insult that i will now be adding to my vocabulary

i know it's over: 2.9/5 stars

soothing beat and singing voice

"loud loutish lover treat her kindly, though she needs you more than she loves you" felt like a slap to the face and made me gasp out loud

morrissey is so good at dragging himself, "then why are you on your own tonight?" ok ouch

"it takes guts to be gentle and kind" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

beautiful lyrics but didn't stun or wow me, unfortunately boring

never had no one ever: 2/5 stars

wait was he 20 when he wrote this??

we get it morrissey, you are alone

this was very whiny and not in a hot way

cemetery gates: 3.8/5 stars

love the guitar so much

love the simplicity of this lyric, "they were born, and then they lived, and then they died / seems so unfair, i want to cry"

"'you say 'ere thrice the sun done salutation to the dawn' and you claim these words as your own" trying very hard not to be a misandrist here but it is so unrealistic for a man to have this experience and not the other way around LMAO

bigmouth strikes again: 4.3/5 stars

immediate banger

"sweetness i was only joking when i said I'd like to smash every tooth in your head" and "when i said by rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed" HUH???? what did he sayyyyyy

"and now I know how joan of arc felt" probably the best lyric I've ever heard, once again not sure a man could ever know what she felt but sure ok

obsessed with the high pitched echoing voice in the background

the boy with the thorn in his side: 2.6/5 stars

"behind the hatred there lies a plundering desire for love" i think in this song morrissey really gives himself away in that he confuses love for acceptance. he doesn't seem to wish to be loved by someone and acutally love them in return

hard to empathize with this song not gonna lie

i like the little scatting thing he does in the second half of the song

vicar in a tutu: 1.6/5 stars

in the least chronically online social justice warrior way possible i don't love how this song is just a big joke on how funny it would be if a man wore a typically feminine piece of clothing

dumb and stupid and not funny or entertaining (though i do love a good jab at the church)

there is a light that never goes out: 4.3/5 stars

another banger

the kind of song i want to scream out my car windows while speeding down a highway

is that a flute or recorder in the background? either way, so fun!

quintessential angst teen experience of driving around in your car

some girls are bigger than others: .1/5 stars

the opposite of going out with a bang

following a banger with a FLOP

the title made me flinch

what is the point of this song?? so so lame

didn't even want to finish the song, it just repeats the one stupid lyric "some girls are bigger than others"

overall, i did not hate the album as much as i anticipated! a few bangers to add to the playlist, but definitely a few flops. this album gets a 3.4/5 from me!

[dualbrew]

How to easily stream your (New) 3DS to a PC

For a long time, capturing footage from a 3DS was a pain - streaming the 3DS screens either required a hardmod to install a capture card (which, if you can, should still do if possible), or use one of the several wireless methods (NTR CFW and HzMod) that gave poor results, especially on Old 3DS.

Today, thanks to the effors of zbash92, there is now a way to stream the New 3DS display to your computer with actually decent picture quality and low latency!

New NTR CFW test done back when it was firstly released

Here's a few applications of streaming your 3DS to a computer:

Playing on a bigger screen

Recording footage of 3DS games

Capturing audio for OSTs or music you made on 3DS

Below is a guide to setting everything up, including audio capture.

Requirements

A hacked New 3DS system (Old 3DS users might use HzMod via a separate guide but the performance is VERY POOR. Old 3DS can still have their audio captured by audio cable.)

A good network connection that both the New 3DS and your PC share

(If you want to capture audio) A 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable and either a microphone port or a Y splitter that has a microphone port

Setup wireless streaming (3DS)

Install the .cia file onto your 3DS from the latest release of this NTR fork

Run the newly installed app, go through the setup until prompted to run a desired version - pick 3.6 HR at the very bottom

Press X+Y to open the NTR CFW menu and choose Remote Play (New 3DS) - this will show you the IP address your console has, and will also let you configure quality and performance options

Setup wireless streaming (PC)

Install one of the following NTR viewers: - NTRViewer (Windows and Linux, x64) - Snickerstream (Windows, x86 and x64) - kit-kat-slim (Windows, allows using input redirection AKA controlling your 3DS with the PC) - Twix (Windows, also allows input redirection and looks fancy) - cuteNTR (Linux) - cuteNTR-OSX (Mac OS) There are other ones, including for Windows 10/Xbox and even Wii U, but the performance may not be ideal for these

Run the NTR viewer you chose and input the IP address you got earlier. You can also set quality and performance options in the viewer as well as rendering options if available

Connect to your 3DS and enjoy looking at your console on a bigger(?) screen!

Setup audio capture

Connect the 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable to your 3DS headphone port and PC's microphone port (directly or via the Y splitter in computer's headphone port)

You can test the audio by either enabling listening to the new microphone device or using a program such as Audacity or OBS

Notes and Issues

TRY NOT TO CLOSE YOUR 3DS LID! It can sometimes lead to black screens and no response from the console, in which case you should hold the power button until it shuts down

This CANNOT record your DS, DSiWare or GBA VC games. Those require a capture card or using an emulator instead. Audio can be captured regardless of what your system is running

Some games may disable your internet connection, which means that you need to use patching option provided by NTR CFW or your NTR viewer of choice

If your NTR Viewer doesn't work, check firewall and viewer's render settings first and then try other viewers for your system

If your viewer disconnects on still screens, increase the timeout/wait time of the viewer if available (for Snickerstream, it's in Advanced settings)

If you have choppy framerate, decrease the quality, fiddle with QoS value and Encoder Priority, or get a better internet connection :p

If you have audio issues, try switching between microphone out and line out

-- Red

[cleelczipsybane]

WLC 3.6: A Mother's Rage

Outside of the tower, the spellcasters continue to hold off the undead tide.

"Don't you have anything more offensive, Ling?" asks Oighrig, still floating, still maintaining a barrier above, and now gesturing to have her storm spider rain acid spiders onto the mass.

L: What she was attempting to do was have her acid react to the basic bile of some of the worms, but basic worm bile was pretty rare.

"Sorry," says Ling, sarcasm dripping from the word, "I was told to prepare for an ecological disaster, NOT AN UNDEAD ABOMY!"

Melandria winces, "I mean, it's both of those things..."

"Would have been great to know before I brought my daughter down here," yells Ling, conjuring a giant lemon inside of the wormsworn, "Thought it was just going to be some sick plants or the mold flood came back, but no, it's zombie wormageddon." The lemon explodes. "And then ya've got the nerve to talk about my mum."

"What is wrong with your daughter wanting to know her grandmother?" asks Melandria, her shadow arms fling several worms on the ground into the air.

"My mum's a f******g assassin, Mel," says Ling. She slaps the earth and the worms attempting to burrow under the teeth wall turn to solid stone. "She has killed a s***eton of people. Why do think she moved from the surface?"

"Is this really the right time for this?" ask Oighrig, as she and her storm spider launch bolts of lightning into the airborne worms.

"The sun'll go cold before I let my daughter go down that path!" says Ling.

L: Didn't mean that literally, but good work making it true, Jevoi. Guess I can't stop ya from living your dream now. J: At this point, assassin is a step down, but thanks so much for your permission, Mum.

"I am almost out of things to throw at this," says Oighrig, conjuring a web to trap more worms attempting to burrow.

"Mel, don't ya have another Dark Hole?" asks Ling, conjuring a phantom chef that slices, dices, and juliennes several worms.

"I'm running on empty now, too, Ling," says Melandria, her shadow arms skewering worms onto adamantine spears, "Killing the previous ones took too much out of me."

"How many of these things have you fought today!?"

"This is the fifth," says Oighrig, continuing to order her storm spider's blitz.

"Why did ya wait this late to call me?"

"I thought we could handle this," says Melandria, her shadow arms grabbing and tearing the worms open, "I wasn't expecting it to be this incessant."

"I'ma kick your sexy a**e, Mel!" yells Ling, "If it's not dead the third time ya kill it, it's not staying dead!" Gravity reverses for a group of worms and they are brought helplessly up to the phantom chef's cutting zone. "I'm going to make ya watch me destroy Oighrig."

"What did I do?" asks Oighrig, almost taking her eyes off her spider.

"No, positively!" says Ling, "Ya're doing lovely! Keep not-f*****g-up!"

"Boss, we've got the salt!" says Gish and Gash, hauling a large bag on a makeshift trolley.

"Gash, I'ma kick your a**e, too!" says Ling, pulling a book out of pouch, "I gave you one b****y job, you b******d!" She has the book turn itself to the right page. "F**k it, Gish, help your idiot brother make a salt circle around the entire cave."

"The entire cave?" asks Gish, "You cannot be serious."

"Ya heard me!" says Ling, inducing a relative increase in speed to the group, "We need to sanctify this entire place."

[panyav]

I LIKE BIG BUNDTS AND I CANNOT LIE!

Happy National Bundt Day!

As usual, I waited until the last minute to choose a Bundt, thus was limited in both time and ingredients. Also as usual, I waited until the last minute to post this, thus this (gestures at the mediocrity).

I wanted to make this Gingerbread Cake, but it calls for stout, and we don't use alcohol, so I altered it based on one of the comments, and made a Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake instead.

I (as usual) adjusted the ingredients and their amounts, based on what I had on hand…

(listed in the order I added them to the bowl):

2 cups (11 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

2 Tablespoons ground ginger

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

6 Tablespoons vegan butter

3 large equivalent vegan eggs

1/2 cup (4.6 oz) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (3.6 oz) packed light brown sugar

1 cup (10 oz) packed pumpkin purée

1 cup (12 oz) molasses

The directions call for boiling the stout and molasses with baking soda, but since I wasn't using stout, and several commenters mentioned issues with the soda, I omitted that as well. They also mentioned issues with the cake sticking to the pan, so I greased it with two whole Tablespoons of vegan butter, then coated that with granulated sugar.

It only stuck a tiny bit, but I think that had more to do with my 20-plus-year-old pan than a lack of grease. (Those remnants were chewy.)

The resulting cake is moist, chewy, and very gingery. The pumpkin doesn't stand out as much as I had hoped it would - it's more of a hint of pumpkin flavor. Maybe a bit like eating gingerbread after eating a piece of pumpkin pie.

I didn't have my usual eggnog bath this time, but I did have pumpkin spice-flavored cream, and that was just as good.

As always, thanks to Mary the Food Librarian for coming up with the concept of I Like Big Bundts! Her listing of previous Bundt Day posts is here.

Go make a Bundt!

[moonlightdoesgenshin]

You wanna read about the history of Kazuha on my account?

No?

Too bad.

I didn't get Kazuha in 2.8 for Reasons(mainly that I had him on an alt acc), so I had to wait until 3.7. It was not fun not having him in the time in between. The amount of times I got a "No Kazuha?" in response to asking for advice was crazy lol

So, I tried to save for him for a while, like I started after Alhaitham I think? Might be wrong though it's been a while since then

I had a lot of slip-ups in-between, like I know I got Baizhu by accident at like 34 pity(I love him though no regrets) and purposefully got Nahida in 3.6 and Miko at 40-something pity(I hated her back then but I also love her now) during the first half of 3.7. I thought my chances of Kazuha were doomed.

So- weird thing about me, I cannot handle my pity not being a multiple of 10(or 0, 0 is also fine). I do not know why so don't ask lmao. So, after I got Miko, I was doing singles to get back to 10 to calm my stupid brain, and at 9 pity I got a Qiqi. This incident is actually the reason I still love her to this day, because to me in that moment, she saved me.

So, as Kazuha's banner drew closer, I saved up money and bought a $100 genisis pack so I could guarantee him on release(yes I spend money on this game, but I haven't bought anything over $10 for the past 6 months or so).

I got him at literally 1 pity. I did the first 10 pull, it was gold, and he was the very first one. This is still by far the luckiest I have ever been in this game.

I used the rest of my pulls on the weapon banner, and got a LoFI at 29 pity(which I was very happy about because I love Alhaitham) and had 40 pity towards the next 5 star.

I grinded out the pulls I could, and got another LoFI at 50ish pity. I had maxed fate points.

I wasn't originally going to push for FS, but a couple days before the banner ended the sunk cost fallacy got to me and I dropped another $100 on it and got it.(I have no regrets, but also don't do what I did lmao)

From there on, the Kazuha Year began. For ~a year after I got Kazuha and FS, I solely strongboxed VV for a year, trying to make him the best he could possibly be. I got the final piece for the first completed build on 7/15/24, and it looked like this at the time

1,013 em and 190 er. It was basically perfect.

I gave him his first crown, his burst, on 7/22/24, but I don't have a screenshot of that.

If I had made this post pre-5.0, that would be it. But 5.0 is here.

First, I hit soft pity(78) on 9/3/24 and won my first 50/50 since Hu Tao in 4.1 and got c1.

Then, I finally got enough sanctifying elixirs, and used them on a new circlet, making this his final build.

At this point in my account, c2 Kazuha is basically just an 8% boost to his elemental damage buff, so I wasn't going to really try to get it, but I do like Kachina as a character so I decided to keep going.

3 days later, on 9/6/24, I was on 10 pity, and did my dailies and ended up with 9 pulls. I decided to wander around Natlan a bit to try and get the final one to do a 10 pull.

I finished a series of puzzles, had enough pulls, and pressed the button. The wish screen lagged slightly, and even though that happens often on my tablet, I knew. That lag was different.

The wish went gold, and after a couple seconds worth of anxiety, I was graced with my very own c2 Kazuha

And 2 days later, I had gathered the weekly boss drops, and farmed the Liyue talent domain, and I gave my favorite character the last two crowns he has long deserved.

Now he looks like this, which until I inevitably give in and go back to VV, he will stay like this.

I'm so proud of how far I've come with him<3

[pooma-bible]

▪️Gospel Minister Obi

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

With great joy and love, I send my regards after a long while.

I hope we are all still contending for the faith that was once presented before us by Christ Jesus, denying all forms of ungodliness and worldly lost.

TODAY WE WILL BE CONSIDERING A VERY VITAL TOPIC TITLED: THE CAPSULE AGAINST SIN. BEFORE WE BEGIN SHALL WE PRAY.

Father in the name of Jesus, we, your children are gathered again today before you to appreciate you for all you have done in our lives. Father, please in your wrath, remember mercy. Teach and speak to us all in accordance with our understanding. Thank you, Father, for the answer to these prayers. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Topic: THE CAPSULE AGAINST SIN

Text: 1 John 3:5

Looking at our text for today, Jesus Christ came purely to take away our sins.

It says "And he (Jesus Christ) was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no sin... If the Bible says in Jesus Christ there is no sin, how can one be in Jesus Christ and still be living in sin? It's totally impossible.

Sin cannot be found in Christ Jesus. This means anyone still living in sin must be outside Jesus and not inside him. Because inside Jesus Christ, there is no sin to sin.

So for a man, woman, boy, or girl to still be living a life of sin, that person must have told Jesus to wait 😭 I know that in you there is no sin to sin. I want to go outside you for a moment. Because inside you, Lord, there is no sin to sin.

Sin can only be found outside Jesus Christ and not inside him. That's the reason why we say a Christian is not a sinner and a sinner is not a Christian.

Let's see from verses 6 to 10:

1John.3.6 - Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

1John.3.7 - Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

1John.3.8 - He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1John.3.9 - Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin because he is born of God.

1John.3.10 - In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

The children of God and the children of the devil are made manifest in what? In 'this' singular, not plural 'these'. The Bible says in verse 10 in this, we can know the children of God and also on Jesus Christ, we can know the children of the devil.

If sin cannot be found in Jesus Christ and we say we are children of God, then sin should also not be found in us.

Except we go outside Jesus Christ can we find sin, and anyone who goes outside Jesus Christ cannot be called a child of God. Such a person is a sinner, and a sinner has no inheritance in God's Kingdom.

You might be asking what is sin... The Bible says in 1 John 5 vs 17. All unrighteousness is sin. Which includes lying, cheating, pornography, masturbation, boyfriend and girlfriend, premarital sex, abortion, gay, lesbianism, bribery, smoking, alcoholic, stealing, backbiting, murder, slander, envy, malice, jealousy, unforgiveness, gambling, anger, and so many more... No man or woman or boy or girl who still indulges in any of the above-mentioned will say he or she is in Christ Jesus because all these can only be found outside Christ.

This message is a wake-up call to all believers and unbelievers to come to Jesus Christ today and do away with those sins that easily make us fall.

God help us to understand these words.

Thanks for your time. Remain blessed. Questions are always welcome on anything you don't understand. God bless you all.

Daly UN Ministry ▪️India

[integrellie]

Arguing makes tired

[jamrroll]

Guys. Kaveh’s plunge attack.

*dies*

[fictionkinfessions]

This is like, totally unrelated to everything I'm about to say, I was just checking to see if anyone else had submitted anything with emojis related to me to see like, what tag I could use and I'm baffled to see I'm the first (so far)?? Where is everyone lol?? Anyway, though!!! Sorry about this like. WALL of text, I have SOOOO much to say!! This should be the norm though 🤭🤭🤭

Okay, so like. Archons, where do I even start? It’s so weird to see my face everywhere, admittedly, especially with the launch of the 3.6 trailer today, but it’s also so… relieving? I guess?? I haven’t been around super long, only like, a couple months (system things am I right??), but I’ve known literally everything about myself from day one, before all of these leaks and my model and etc etc etc were all out and it’s like!! Woah!! Freaky!! 😵‍💫😵‍💫 To see how much I knew without having a reason to know?? Which is expected, I guess, but it feels so good also?? Anyway though (2), I miss everyone so much. There isn’t a single day that goes by where I don’t think about Cyno or Tighnari or Faruzan (GODS don’t even get me started on how happy I am we get her FOR FREE with the event because I’ve missed her on every banner and like. I NEED my baby sister!!!), and archons above, if I could STOP thinking about Al Haitham, that’d be a damn miracle!!! That awful man consumes my every waking thought, he is so. I cannot stand that man, but gods if I don’t love him… he’s so frustrating, and so wonderful. It’s like talking to a brick wall sometimes, but the brick wall has the most gorgeous chalk mural on it and it’s supposed to rain in like, two hours. I hope that makes sense?? It probably doesn’t. I don’t know!! My point is I miss my friends!! I miss my home!! With it reaching spring here, the humid, cool-ish weather is so nice and reminds me of the waterfalls in the forest. I know you’re all out there somewhere and just know that, where ever you are and whatever you’re doing, I hope you’re having a good time!! Like really genuinely hope you’re so so so happy and healthy and doing well and I can’t WAIT to talk to you and see you all again!! Don’t forget about your favorite light okay?? Please?? Lots of love (and kisses!!) 💋🤎💋💚 - Kaveh (#☀️🏛️)

🛏️

[slutneto]

Can we talk about how Greg's demeanor changed since the moment Tom talked about Nero Sporus ? Like he is talking more personal stuff, and then calls Tom 'Tommy' starts touching him ... Lolz

i wrote a very long response to this yesterday, but my phone died just as i was proof-reading it. i'll try my best to recreate my train of thought, but i fear i'll miss half of it. anyway.

there is no denying the fact that nerosporus was crazy. so crazy in fact that thinking about it and the 'let's fight like chickens' line that comes after tests my limits of comprehension. BUT STILL there is more. there is also tom saying 'neither do i greg' when greg tells him he does not want to wrestle him. it's a direct parallel to tom admitting he does not like the person he is after the safe room fiasco. those brief moments of honesty are exactly what enables greg to understand tom better than any other character.

the reason i am comparing these two situations is because greg reacts to them the same way - he ups the friendship factor. in 2.4 he makes sure to mention how much he likes tom multiple times, in 2.6 he follows tom around like a lost puppy, watches his presentation with this 😳 expression never leaving his face. in 3.5 he includes tom in his current family drama, goes out of his way to keep him updated, orbits tom subtly, spares tom quick glances when he cannot see greg looking.

but in both of these situations another shift occurs. both of these times greg uses this new sign of weakness he sees in tom to ask for things. in 2.4 he gets a new office out of it, but it comes with a price - tom threatens to rat him out and break his legs, he has to give up his leverage. it's that moment that truly plants the seed of discord between them, that ultimately leads to greg choosing to save himself and leaving tom for dead (if he stayed, if the cruises docs stayed at waystar, they would still pin it on ken, even if he deflected. it was all up to greg, truly).

BUT even though something similar happens in 3.6 - greg asks tom to go to prison for him, tom keeps history from repeating itself. not by saying yes, because in the end he does not end up in prison, no. for wanting nothing in return. that is the moment that truly shifts their whole dynamic for me. tom showing greg that he would do something so big for him, not for leverage, not for any future favours, but because he cares about greg is a gesture big enough for greg to trust tom unconditionally from then on. to drop the mask completely - he is more open with tom, more playful, more honest. i am so curious to see where that takes us. can't wait.

as for the touching part though. i think that's tom's fault because after nerosporus he has stopped touching greg almost completely. before that he was always so handsy with greg. after? he either crosses his arms, keeps his hands in his pockets or makes sure his hands are full when he is talking to greg. and it's visibly getting to greg, who is, as we all know, touch-starved, and who, up to that point has had tom touch him constantly. there is a moment in 3.6 when he is speaking to tom and kind of strokes his own chest simply because of this (it reminds me of the way drug addicts can sometimes kind of paw at their chests while going through withdrawal? obviously it wasn't intended to be viewed that way, but it looks a bit like that to me for some reason).

understandably, tom slips up a bit in 3.7. because he is happy. because he now recognizes it's greg. greg matters to him an inconceivable amount. but his touches become smaller and smaller as the party progresses. i did not even catch the way he touches greg's hand just before the compliment tunnel at first, and greg probably did not register it at all. he was literally stealing that last touch. he does not touch him again until the hug at the end of 3.9. and again, it visibly bothers greg. comfry touching his arm and kissing his cheek does not sit right with him, makes him doubt the validity of their super fresh relationship for some reason. makes him reach out to tom multiple times, something he hasn't done often before. makes him touch tom, call him tommy.

it must have been killing him during the proposal. because they sit so close they are nearly scissoring, tom leans in so close, but makes sure not to touch greg anywhere. no wonder greg gets so testy, no wonder he reaches out and grips tom's shoulders so hard, no wonder the handshake is not enough, no wonder he is so eager to embrace tom tightly. i sincerely doubt he knows why he wants tom to touch him again so much, but he needs it badly.

[bananaapplewaffle]

Archon Quest: Chapter III: Act VI: Caribert

Let’s fucking go

Who’s asking?

SAKLDJASKLDKJASKLD

NOT ME AND PAIMON SHARING A BRAIN CELL 

lumine@paimon.hyv

Oh look at how the letter style has changed

Ain’t no fucking way that he just on a whim set this shit up

ITS A FUCKEN SET UP

Girl Boss? Good god

I fucken knew it

The god’s smile upon shudap

So he’s been here before

Ah so Sumeru is on the way to Mondstadt from wherever the hell Khaenri’ah 

GIRL THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS

THE SUDDEN SILENCE 

IS IT HE

Oh it was after he was taken in

Okay, okay 

The mental notes

DO YOU HEAR THAT

ADOPTIVE FATHER

;LASDKASDLKASL;DKADSL;

HUH

WHAT

NEAR SUMERU?????

ASDKL;DAK;LDASLD;KASDASDK

OH NONONO

NOW I'M SCARED FOR 3.6 

AND I'M JUST STARTING 3.5

ASKLJD;ASK;ADK;LSLD;SK;ASLDK

ASADSA’;KLASLDK;ASDK;ASKD;AS

ASDKSA;LDK;ASLDKA

HIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

YOU’RE FUCKEN LYING

…

Are you saying this so Dain can hear it

Is that what you’re doing? 

Define certain things

…

THAT’S HOW YOU SAY ALBERICH

GOD ITS JUST LIKE LUXORD ALL OVER AGAIN

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Oh wait

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

DAIN DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT

I FEEL LIKE IM THE ONE IN TROUBLE

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

KAEYA IS THE WHO OF THE WHAT

DESCENDANT OF THE ABYSS ORDER FOUNDER 

HE WASN’T EVEN AWARE?????

GIRL THE TEA IS PIPPING HOT

At the same time, ain’t no way he didn’t know something

See, he always knows something

…

So wait we got Pure-bloods, now?

So Kaeya could be mixed? 

Kaeya you are literally a knight 

Man i’m just thinking about all the fanfics that just became an au with this sudden confirmation 

Well maybe not

Maybe the king of Khaenri’ah was also the founder of the abyss order 

So he’s still a royal somewhere down the line ion

…

Who the fuck is the King then

THE LOOM OF FATE

THAT’S IN THE TRAVELER’S PROFILE 

Dain bestie what are you talkin bout

Oh yeah its the abyss order’s thing

GIRL BACK IN MONDSTADT

HELLO??

THAT WAS LIKE YEARS AGO??

EROSION???

ZHONGLI WAS TALKIN BOUT EROSION

…

I’m gonna kick you

He looks so out of place in all this greenery lol 

:) has it not changed

or is this another branch :) 

Let Kaeya be around I swear to god

That sounds like a fucking lie but okay 

Oh no

Paimon no

We cannot talk about our friendship 

Paimon you sometimes say some fucked up shit,

but you are my friend.

OH

WE’RE BRING UP BROTHER

LET ME HEAR HER

LET ME HEAR HERRRRR

SHE COULDA SAID THIS HYV

SHE COULDA SAID ALL OF THIS

HUH

PAIMON YOU UNDERSTAND

WHO WERE YOU SEPARATED FROM 

…

No Paimon why are you taking first watch

WHAT THE FUCK DO Y’ALL NOT WANT ME TO KNOW

Oh hey we have actual colored elements in the loading screen

WHERE THE FUCK IS PAIMON DAIN 

Why did we sleep on the floor and not the bed in the house

WHERE THE FUCK IS PAIMON

AND WHY AM I SO OUT OF IT

OH NO BABY GIRL CRIED OVER AETHER LAST NIGHT

Y’ALL WILL REUNITE 

WHERE IS PAIMON

THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN ASKING LUMINE

WHO THE FUCK IS IN THE HOUSE

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

THEY LOCKED ME OUT OF THE MENU BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE PAIMON WITH ME

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I CAN’T SWITCH CHARACTERS 

I WANTED BARBARA IN THE TEAM BUT I GUESS WE’RE GOING FULL ATTACK THEN 

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT NOISE 

DAWG ION WANNA OPEN THE LEAVES

WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU

GIRL

ITS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE FUCKING HERALDS 

SASADKAS;DAS;LKDLASDK

THE EYES

THE EYES OF KHAENRI’AH

…

Why are you talking like this

Who ever is on the mic needs to swallow the spit in their mouth good goodness

Put yo hands on me, I dare you

Kill him

He has to die, Lumine.

I am strictly morally gray! 

So I’m peeking in the room

That’s a fucking Hilichurl on the bed

So he’s been trying to heal them…

OH NO

Ooh

I can choose

Fuck these gods. 

Well…I can’t say that since we are friends with all the gods we’ve met depsite things.

SO I GUESS I’LL GO FRIENDSHIP ROUTE

Hello, Eide. 

Damn, so they dropped the cataclysm and then the gods were like

“That’s not enough.” 

Curses with immortality

So souls are affected by erosion…? 

…

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

SO

“PURE-BLOOD” KHAENRI’AHNS WERE CURSED WITH IMMORTALITY

BUT THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO JUST WENT THERE TO LIVE LIFE WERE CURSED INTO BECOMING HILICHURLS 

THAT’S FUCKED UP DAWG

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

HIS SON

HE WAS A NOBLE

WHAT

A MONDSTADT WOMAN

OH WAIT

THE TITLE OF THIS IS CARIBERT

Also resending what I said before, Kaeya is in fact a “pure-blood”

That had to fucking hurt

To see that happen

Where

Where is Eide

ALSO 

WHERE THE FUCK ARE PAIMON AND DAIN

I would like to go to the Royal Library of Khaenri’ah

I would take the time to get real close to my screen and read every single book obtained from there

Eide is still gone btw

…

Every. Single. Time.

A post from a year ago. 

My head is in my hands

Why does the mushroom looked fucked up

Okay but what kind of mushroom is that

This man is still gone

ASAD;LSADKL;ASDK

WAIT

THE SHIT JUST 

GIRL

MY SHIT JUST RELOADED

I'M BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS SCENE

Okay everything worked out and he’s back!

What

No

I mean

I already have the power of dendro

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I CAN’T JUST TELEPORT

This is not what you say to get what you want

Bro just lie

Ion think its got shit to do with the Seven tbh

It was someone higher up who had the issue 

…

I better not come back to the Hilichurl being dead I swear to god

God this is so fucked

Lumine being reminded that the gods are fucked

Oh no

They’re Philosopher Stone Mushrooms

Fertilizer he says

It doesn’t look like it but shitt might be

Oh no…

This is toward the Chasm…

Where they go to die

Where the fuck are Dain and Paimon btw

What the fuck is going on 

Changed my Party Setup, Babs is back

LUMINE

LUMINE MY BELOVED

YES SAY MORE 

SAY MORE

…where the fuck dawg

Okay but the music is popping

Lumine sounds spooked

Understandable tho

Now I’m just staring at the statues wondering why their faces have been hacked off

OH NO

HOW DOES HE NOT LOOK LIKE HE’S FROM THE ABYSS ORDER??

AN AUDIENCE WITH WHO?

TRAIL OF DESTINY 

Oh I fucked up if I needed Pyro

Nope Fischl did just fine

Hello?

…

Did you just fall in love, Eide? 

What is going on?

:/

Ion like that laugher 

He did not btw

He is simply just like this

What the fuck

What the fuck is this thing 

Who the fuck was the Grand Thief 

Ah them 

WELL

WE ALL SEEN THIS COMING

INSIDE MY FUCKING HEAD

HELLO

WHO IS THIS

A SINNER

HELLO

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

OH NO I GOTTA FIGHT HIS ASS

Okay but was there not someone there

HELLO???

THE CHILD IS AWAKE

ION TRUST NONE OF THIS SHITT

And this is why you should have never done this

Ignorance is Bliss 

Okay, Caribert

Take of your mask

I need to know what’s behind it

Is it like the ribbon around the girls’ necks from Wolf Among Us

AYO SPEAKING OF THAT GAME

When is 2 coming out?

WHERE THE FUCK ARE DAIN AND PAIMON 

It was the Zeroth God

I decided to go back and talk to Caribert 

Nice lad

ITS GONE

We sure will see it again

Will it come

Nope no laughter as we leave

NOW CARIBERT’S GOING TOO

HE’S ABOUT TO GO TAKE OFF HIS MASK

OOOO

YEP

THE FUCKING MIRORR 

WHAT DID HE SEE

WAIT

THE MIRROR 

I WAS FUCKING RIGHT

I CAN’T KEEP BEING RIGHT

WE ARE ON ANOTHER BRANCH OR SOME SHIT

That looks like he placed it but okay

Girl don’t be the victim 

Ay ay ay relax

Before you transform 

Who the fuck is that

Sounds like Goku

Girl shut up

AOSDAS;LDKLAS;D

ITS THE FUCKING PLACE

FROM THE TRAILER

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK 

WHAT THE FUCK 

I took a shit ton of screenshots

WHAT

HELLO

OH NO

DEFINE TRUE IDENTITY

BITCH

BITCH 

BITCH

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

THE FUCKING

BP BALLAD

THAT VENTI TELLS US EVERY FUCKING TIME

WE ARE THE ROYALS

A SERVANT 

YOU RAGGEDY BITCH

CHLOTHAR YOU HOE

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

CHLOTHAR ALBERICH

AINT NO FUCKING WAY DAWG

WELL SHIT

FUCK ME THEN

My hands hurt from the punching I was just doing 

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT 

BECOME WHAT

WHAT

THE LOOM OF FATE

I SWEAR TO GOD IF I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THAT OTHER SHIT

HELLO

PRINCE

UM 

MY NAME IS LUMINE

MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE/THEY

I WAS FUCKING AAAAAAAAAA

APOLLO 

BY THE POWER OF FUCKING WAKING 

ONCE AGAIN

I IMPLORE YOU TO PLAY KINGDOM HEARTS

I better not be fucking right

YEP

YEP

I FUCKEN KNEW IT

I fucking knew the mushrooms were red for a reason

I fucking knew it

Lumine after going through something traumatic:

Dain:

Define he

Aether he?

Or Kaeya he?

GIRL THE FUCKING VOICE HE

OH

SO ITS SOMEBODY THO

OKAY

ALRIGHT

WILL IT BETTER FUCKING BE RIGHT NEXT TIME DAIN 

I CANNOT WAIT 

OH

OH I KNOW WHO IT IS

ITS FUCKING XEHANORT

THIS MFKER HAS PLANNED FOR EVERY EVENTUALITY 

PACK IT THE FUCK UP Y’ALL

I really did miss you Paimon

I couldn’t even go in my menu

Um so

That was it

They really should pick this back up in 3.6 

Or else :)

Ending pending…

:) 

Please be prepared for more hurt.

[scarletscarveszines]

Our results from the Interest Check are in! Thank you so much for the whopping ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR responses! We really appreciate your enthusiasm and hope that we can bring you an amazing zine in the near future! ✨

Let's jump right into the results!

Where did you hear about this zine?

83 of you heard about this zine from Twitter, a whopping 49.1% of you all! 35 (20.7%) of you heard about it from a Discord Server, 30 (17.8%) from right here on Tumblr, 11 (6.5%) through the Zine Trackers, 6 (3.6%) through Instagram, and finally 4 (2.4%) of you heard about our zine from your friends. You have awesome friends!!

A fun fact, 25 respondents answered that they heard about the zine from two (2) or more places! Amazing!

Are you interested in participating in this zine?

94 participants are interested in participating in our zine, 30 participants are still on the fence, and 19 participants say they are not interested in participating. I hope to see all 94 of your applications! 🥰

Would you apply for the zine as a(n)...

Quite a large percentage of our participants (33.7%) plan to apply as a Page Artist! 22.3% of participants plan to apply as Spot Illustrators, 15.2% of them as Digital Merch Artists, 12.4% as Physical Merch Artists, and finally 7.1% plan to apply as Writers! I can't wait to see all the talent!

Which character would you most like to see?

Susie is the undisputed winner at 46 responses, with Ralsei just one response behind at 45, and Kris bringing up the top three at 44 responses. Humbly receiving 37 responses is Noelle, and right behind her is Lancer at 36 responses! Spamton and Queen are tied at 27 responses, but there's so many characters after them. Check out the full write up at the end for the rest of the list (especially Nubert, my man!)! ✨

What merchandise would you want to see?

Pay attention, potential Merch Artists: here are the most popular options that participants are hoping to see!

Physical Merch:

Sticker Sheets (15.5%)

Enamel Pins (15.1%)

Individual Kiss-cut/die-cut stickers (11.3%)

Pencil Pouch/Case (8.8%)

Washi Tape (8.7%)

Bookmarks (8.3%)

Rubber Stamp (7.5%)

Notepads (7.1%)

Sticky notes (6.8%)

Colorable Postcards (5.2%)

Custom L-Shaped Folders (4.2%)

Digital Merch:

Phone Backgrounds (28.0%)

Desktop Wallpapers (21.4%)

Shimeji (Desktop Buddy) (18.1%)

Discord/Twitch/Picarto emotes (15.1%)

Twitter/Discord Icons (12.4%)

Other suggested merch included badges, water bottles, a Deltarune-themed acrylic clip (to hold the pages of the coloring book), a banana car freshener, and a stress ball! In the comments section of the form, someone suggested we include charms as an option, though we are unlikely to go with that option. On the digital side, suggested merch included videos of artists coloring their work and crochet/knitting/embroidery patterns. One final suggestion was for a “digital coloring book” which we will happily provide since our fanzine is a coloring book zine and we plan to sell a digital version no matter what!

What is the most you'd be willing to spend on a Digital Zine (Basic Digital PDF and Digital Merch Bundle)

65.8% of our participants would buy our basic PDF zine at $15-$20 USD, 14.7% would pay $25 USD, and 4.2% of participants would pay over $30 USD for our zine.

In terms of the Digital zine + merch bundle, 29.4% would pay roughly $25 USD, 28.0% would pay around $30 USD, 16.8% would pay around $20 USD, and 11.2% would pay over $35 USD for our zine.

Scarlet Scarves Zines is looking into a method of trying to get the digital zine to those who cannot afford it. Follow our social media for more updates on this as we release them!

What is the most you'd be willing to spend on a Physical Zine (Basic Physical Zine and Full Bundle)

35.7% of our participants would buy our basic zine at $25 USD, 24.5% would pay $30 USD, 14.0% would pay $35 USD, and 14.7% of participants would pay $40 USD for our zine.

We might include the digital zine as part of this bundle, but we will need to calculate our budget completely before promising this. Keep your eyes out for further announcements!

In terms of a full bundle (which would contain all digital merch, the base zine, and all physical merch (currently estimated at 6 merch options)), 35.0% would pay roughly $55 USD, 15.4% would pay around $65 or more USD, and 12.6% would pay $35 USD for our zine.

Which option is most appealing to you?

Unsurprisingly, the full bundle (physical and digital zines and merch) was our most popular option with 50.6% of our participants. Physical zines and merch were also very popular at 32.2%. Still, we hope that those who love digital zines will appreciate what we have to offer (all 9.8% of you!)!

To check out the rest of our Interest Check results (including additional comments and questions), please see the full write up!

We just want to thank you all for your positive comments and your well wishes! We cannot wait to bring you Color Cafe: Deltarune Coloring Book Fanzine!

Don't forget that our contributor applications are currently live! You can apply here: Contributor Application Form

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Melvald’s General Store (One-night Stands, Part 1.)

Description: Chief Hopper was a mystery since he appeared back in town. Most of the people thought of him as a “lost, whoring-around alcoholic junkie”. But what if he actually manages to find a friend amongst all of the known strangers he meets in Hawkins daily?

Part Summary: Being a retail clerk in Melvald’s General Store meant that you rememebered almost all the people coming to the shop and their usual purchases since you also knew shopping routine.

Word Count: 3.6 K

Tagging: x

Master list: One-night Stands

One-night stands. What a strange, funny concept. There is a lot to be said about the concept it and yet, so few people talk about it. And even a smaller percentage of those people has the actual balls to say "yes, I've done it and I’ve enjoyed all of it".

What's even the rush behind it all? What makes people look away from the risks it comes with? What's the reason people fall for each other for one night, just to be never seen or heard of the day after? It can be the anonymity of it all. It can be the rush based on physical and chemical attraction to a person that is strong that you simply cannot resist. It can be the routine of it all - some people simply find themselves having fun flirting and sleeping with other people. Who are we to determine why people still spend their time sleeping around with other people just that one time, for that only night of physical pleasure?

There's, of course, another sort of people that commits to this fast, unsettled way of living. Some people feel fear and pain that we, for the most part, are not able to understand. This particular kind of person wants to be loved, they don't want to be alone and they want to feel the warmth of a human body. They need to feel the heaviness of another person laying next to them. But why are they so afraid, you ask me?

The reasons causing the fear can vary. It can be a loss of someone they loved, a bad relationship, or even a divorce they've been through. It can be caused by previous experiences or it can just appear one day. We are talking about those who have been hurt and whose pain goes so deep that they'd rather not feel anything at all than feel a slight emotion growing in their core. The pain and fear is something so incredibly cruel that it changed the people, who carry the pain inside, for good. These people often see themselves as unable to be brought back to normal and don't do much about it. Yet, no matter how much they try, there's still this small side of them that begs for human affection and interaction.

And usually, that's how they get tangled up in the intricate cycle of one-night stands. Usually, there's much more to be said about them. One thing you knew for sure - James Hopper was certainly one of those who were reaching out for the warmth of basically anyone. For one of those who could give them a small moment of tranquility, that small moment in which they'd feel normal and human again.

____

54. 54 blue cans. 54 blue cans of blueberries. That was what you thought about while sitting behind the cash register, waiting for anything to happen. But expecting anything to happen in Melvald's, a grocery shop in the middle of Hawkins, was very similar to waiting for a miracle.

It was a warm, early September day - one of those rare ones when the sun shines, but the air isn't too damp or too hot. There still were remnants of summer lingering in the air making the weather very pleasant to be in... And while this could be said about the weather, it couldn't be said about your new work clothes. When Donald told you he ordered you the uniforms, he was all over the place. He did so when Jeffrey quit the job and you took his place - to welcome you as their new worker. But when the clothes came in... Dear, it wasn't what you expected at all.

The material wasn't too comfortable to run around in all day long, it also stank a bit at times (especially at the end of your shift) and most importantly, it had these small biting spots on your arms and all places where the tank top couldn't reach. Once again, you scratched with an unpleasant hum and a very unhappy face, catching the attention of your only other coworker. Joyce rose her big, bright brown eyes from whatever she was doing under the counter, watching you. God, you loved that woman since the day you met her. It happened one evening, just a few days after you moved to Hawkins...

It was a hot and humid summer night, one of those when the sky gets darker than usual and the stars come out pretty early. I could be around nine, almost ten p.m. and the shops still didn't seem to be closing, which could be just a local precaution for the 4th of July. People needed stuff and shops needed money. Why wouldn't they keep their door open for a bit longer if it meant acquiring more money? You just finished moving into your new, super small flat located in one old lady's attic, deciding to have a walk around the town to discover at least a small part of it, finding yourself some marks to orient by - at the moment, you found yourself standing in front of the library. The old lady, Mrs. Dixon, didn't mind at all - the attic entrance didn't lead through their actual house, so you were free to roam around as long as you weren't super loud, rude, or drunk. And at the end of the day, you were an adult, why would she need to allow you to go on a walk?

Once again, you flashed to the present moment, looking around the library a bit. The library was just like the rest of the town - quiet, calm, almost boring... Which made it safe. And you felt that way. You felt safe in Hawkins.

For a moment, you stood in front of the local library, watching it with palms stuffed inside the pockets of your light summer sweater. The building looked nice, kind of scary. There was a slight moment where you wished to have your camera with you. It would've been a really nice photo, you felt like. You liked the overall feeling of it. When you had enough of staring at the library, you turned on your heels, walked through a small and well-lit park, walking to the other side of the road to look at all the shops and restaurants. At first, you were so lost in your thoughts that you overlooked it. In the end, it was just a small plastic sign glued next to the entrance to the shop.

As you looked at it again, you furrowed a bit, reading the with more attention. Help wanted. With a step back, you read the name of the store saying 'Melvald's General Store' in big, easy-to-read plastic letters. Help wanted in a general store. With an unbelieving burst of laughter leaving your lips, you swung yourself back and forth. How lucky did you have to be? To bump into an opportunity like this on the first night of roaming around the town? The question was if you were lucky enough to get the job - surely, the qualifications weren't too high, but what if there was someone quicker grabbing the opportunity?

With a small smile, you opened the door with your palm and stuck your head inside. In your head, you were preparing for a really awkward conversation and being invited to an interview the other day. Since there was a customer already talking to the lady behind the only working cash register, you decided to walk around a bit. With small steps, you looked at everything around you - there were electronic devices like cables, Christmas lights, and bulbs right next to canned fruits and various vegetables, and next to all of that, there were exemplary balanced milk and pastries. There was also a huge spot where various homegrown products from around town were shown - it varied from eggplants to apples. It honestly all looked very inviting and delicious.

While still taking in the range of goods in the said general store, you overhead the conversation the other store clerk and man, who was shopping there, had. - "... I'm just worried about you, okay? I-I didn't mean to touch a sensitive spot." - The woman said, shaking her head. Clearly, they were arguing. - "It got a lot worse in the last few weeks. Last week, it was two six-packs of beer, and this week alone, it's the third six-pack you're buying. I just wanted to ask if you're doing good."

Stepping behind one of the shelves to hide from plain sight, you watched the man lower his head a bit, exhaling out loud. With a loud gulp, he shook his head and thought about what should he tell her. - "I appreciate the worries, Joyce. Thank you, but I don't need them. I bet you have other, more important things to be worried about." - And just like that, he grabbed the pack of beers and stormed out of the store. Technically, he didn't storm out; he was just so tall that it took him barely five steps to reach the door from the cash register. The woman, Joyce, watched the door close behind him, taking in a deep breath. She wouldn't even notice you if you wouldn't step to the side a bit, bumping into one of the shelves on accident.

With a sudden burst of energy, the woman smiled at you. It seemed that she forgot about the man ever being there. She had a beautiful smile and big, bright brown eyes. Joyce was in her best years which was probably why there was some form of natural confidence coming out of her. "Hey, welcome to Melvald's. Do you... Need something?" - Unable to respond, you shook your head a bit. With whom should you talk about the help wanted sign? After a short look around, you realized there's only you and the Joyce lady inside.

"You're probably just passing by, hm? Traveling through the state, looking around. I wish I could do that too when I was your age, but unfortunately, I chose to go down a different path." - The lady told you, shrugging her shoulders like it was no big deal, clearly lost in her memories. With that, she turned her head to look at a picture hanging above the cash register - it was a kid's drawing of a spaceship in all-rainbow colors. A bit carefully, you walked out of your horrible hiding spot and went to stand in front of her. - "I'm not traveling. I'm here because I saw the sign outside, wondering if you still needed some help?" - With that, you smiled at the lady and pushed your palms deeper into your sweater. - "Oh." - Joyce said simply.

Weirdly enough, her smile grew even larger. Instead of kinda bouncing around, she finally lowered herself on her feet and let her gaze wander around your face. Joyce appeared to be very sweet and kind from the get-go as if she was one of those people who were too nice for their good. The aura of greatness and love shone just from the way she stood behind the cash register. "You must be new then, right? Hadn't seen you here before. Name's Joyce, Joyce Byers." - With that, she offered you a handshake which you accepted, smiling at her. Your palm was a bit sweaty and sticky, but who cared? The weather was humid and sweaty anyway.

"I'm new in Hawkins, yes. Just moved in, to be honest. Hi, my name's Y/N." - At that moment, a friendship was started between you and Joyce. She told you that the sign is very much still actual and to come in the other day to talk to the owner. It was great news for her. Ever since Jeffrey quit his job, because he was moving to a different town, Joyce had to take double shifts since the number of employed went from 2 to 1 real quick. Truth be told, there was only her and Donald working at the shop. But with you around? She could be home more, spending time with her boys, making sure they're healthy, happy and that they both have everything they need.

First few days in your new job, you were shy and silent, taking everything in. Joyce taught you how to do everything around the job with patience and happy smiles that were given to you all day long; there wasn't too much to do, but it could be felt that Joyce knew everything about Melvald's and about being a clerk. In a few days, Joyce only stayed with you in the mornings and noons before leaving for home, leaving Donald with you. Every once in a while Joyce stayed there until late evening - since barely anyone came in, you were just listening to the songs (Africa by TOTO was playing at the moment) and... Yes, counted various cans and goods around the store. Which is how you got into the present moment.

"What's going on inside that head of yours, hm?" - The woman asked sweetly, putting down the Halloween costume she was working on. Watching her, you bopped your head in the rhythm of the drums. By the size of it and realizing it was already September, you guessed it belongs to Will, her younger son. You got to meet both of them - Will was a young, bright kid with a wild imagination. When the boy came to see Joyce, he was accompanied by three local kids, presumably his friends. Jonathan was a tougher cookie to crack. He was a bit younger than you and looked like that outsider type, he never spoke too much and mostly came to help Joyce with the groceries. But because Jonathan wasn't that much younger, still in your age range you'd say, it sometimes prompted Joyce to talk to you like you were her kid too. It didn't bother you at all, it was pretty sweet actually, but every time Joyce realized she did so, she panicked a bit and started laughing.

Even at that moment, she covered her mouth with her hand a giggled almost devilishly, making you smile back at her. "Sorry, I'm so sorry." "How many times do I have to tell you it's completely fine? And what's going in inside my head? It's simple. 54 blue blueberry cans." - Hearing that Joyce sighed a bit. With an innocent expression on your face, you shrugged your shoulders and hugged the counter behind you with both your palms, holding it tight.

"Come on, Y/N. You should be out there, I mean, look at yourself. Enjoying life, going to pubs and discos. Instead, you're having a double shift in Melvald's... With me." - The sigh coming out of Joyce's lips was an unhappy one. She furrowed at you, putting both her palms in her lap. It took her a moment to smile again, yet this smile wasn't the happy, usual one. That's what you heard a lot too, yes. You heard it from Joyce, from Marissa at the library, and even from that Barry guy who ran the bistro a few miles away from the town. That Barry who asked you out a few days back - and whose offer you turned down with a sad smile. As they said, you were young, didn't have a boyfriend to come home to and you didn't have any kids. You should work on that, right? Everybody was telling you the same thing over and over again, but Joyce was the only person that you kind of listened to.

"That's because I'm new in town and I don't have any friends, you know? What I'm trying to tell you is that you're my only friend, Joyce Byers, whether you like it or not. Why don't you go out with me, huh? A lady like yourself? Men would still buy you drinks, I would gladly bet my favorite t-shirt on that." - It sounded a bit devilish, yes, but Joyce understood everything you didn't say out loud. It was hard, to move into a new town full of strangers and start over. On the other hand, to be honest with yourself, it was also the change you needed so much. As you said, in Hawkins, you felt safe.

Joyce laughed, shaking her head. - "See, that's another problem. I live in this town for too long and I already know everyone. How about a compromise?" "Hit me with that compromise, Joyce Byers." "Chicken casserole at my place with Will and Jonathan and a movie after? You can stay the night if you wouldn't want to go home. I get it, it can be kind of annoying, being there all alone." - Even before you answered, your smile already compromised you. Casserole sounded really, really good, especially talking about Joyce's casseroles. Yet before you answered, the sound of the doorbell made you turn away from her.

The sad truth was that you were both... Lonely. You were lonely because you were the new one in town - while Joyce was a loner by nature, you'd say. Joyce was glad to have a friend, someone to spend her evenings with sometimes, someone to share her interests with, and someone to simply talk to. And honestly, you were glad to have someone too. - "I'd actually... Love... To." - You got out, watching the customer who just walked into the shop. With a furrow, you checked your watch. That day, he was really late. Usually, he came to buy his dose of alcohol early in the morning.

Police Chief Hopper walked into the shop with his typical speed-of-light walking. Again, he was just very tall and his legs were capable of making steps twice the size of yours, he wasn't walking that fast... And even though, he looked like he's in a never-ending cycle of rush. The cycle of never slowing down... Even tho you have never seen him doing anything too special. He was a particular man, a one you wouldn't miss even if you tried - big in proportions, grumpy, with a pale skin tone and unkempt facial hair... And kind of scary. Also, surely an alcoholic.

Another thing about Hawkins was that soon enough, you learned every face that you were seeing on daily basis, and with that, you learned what they usually buy - Karen Wheeler and her daughter Holly stopped for groceries and sweets every other day. Powell, another policeman, usually stopped for a bottle of milk every other day because it always disappeared a bit too fast. Mr. Clarke, a local teacher, usually came to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola during his lunch break and Marissa stopped by to have her daily dose of gummy bears. And, well, Hopper was just... Not too hard to remember. Usually, he bought some super-unhealthy pre-heated and packed food, a sick pack of beer, and a pack of unfiltered Camel cigarettes. He, also, always walked to the same cash register. You doubted he even knew you were working there. What you meant by that was that while you remembered him and watched him walk in and out, he never truly... Seen you. He wished you a good evening, tipped his hat for you, and stormed out, but you seriously doubt he ever stopped himself to even look into your face.

It must've been comforting for him, walking to Joyce's cash register every time - he knew Joyce (she told you they were schoolmates back in the day when you asked about the argument you saw when you first entered Melvald's) and truly, Hopper seemed like that small-town cop who liked to have a routine he could just slip into while he ignored the whole world. As usual, he chatted a bit with Joyce while he waited for the price he had to pay for his goods. Don't get it wrong, it wasn't a full-on conversation. Joyce was the one doing the talking while Hopper simply hummed back. It seemed that he actually didn't give two cents about what Joyce was telling him (just for the information, this particular story was super sweet because Will and his AV club friends had won a trophy). With a furrow, you stared at the back of his head and tried to figure out what's going on inside of his. Before you got the chance to do so, Hopper put the bag on his forearm and as usual, looked at you while tipping his goddamn hat.

And even though, you could say he's not paying a single bit of attention to you standing behind the second cash register and watching him with your full attention directed to him. He just walked past you, saying only one word, as he did every time. "Miss." "Chief." - You answered and nodded at him with all due respect, watching him leave as fast as he entered. James Hopper was a particular man. He was never present in the moment, all over the place, apathetic, strange and that was probably what made him so... Exciting in your eyes. To be honest, you were pretty interested in Jim without knowing, what kind of interest it was, exactly. But it was one nonetheless.

Joyce watched you furrowing at the door, giving Hopper (who wasn't even there anymore) an unreadable look that could be saying anything on the range of disgust to a very strange and strong attraction. Yet she wasn't able to decipher it - and you wouldn't be able to either.

[apiarymusic]

Okay, seeing A LOT of dumb takes regarding Roe V. Wade. Let's go through some of them.

TRIGGER WARNING: Abortion, mentions of rape, mentions of infertility, adoption, also biology so avoid if you don't want to learn anything.

*"If YoU cOuLdN't HaVe KiDs YoU'd ReAliSe ThAt LiFe Is SaCrEd!".

Hate to break it to you, but I've had 4 miscarriages, am so sub-fertile I'm almost in the infertile health classification.

I still think that abortions, contraception and morning after pills should be taken if the girl or woman wants them. Fuck it, hand 'em out like Smarties. While we're at it, if life is sacred, what about the girl's/woman's life? Isn't doing what is best for her part of this "sacred duty" bullshit you're spouting in order to force people to carry babies they don't want?

*"Pregnancy is a GiFt fRoM gOd"?

Sometimes people get gifts they don't want, you keep every bit of tat people dump on you? No? Then jog on. God's a big boy, he doesn't need you to stand up for him.

*"BuT tHe BiBlE sAyS..."

The biblical defence doesn't actually work here, partly because modern Christianity, particularly American Christianity, has actively twisted the information available in it, removing a huge amount of info from the original Aramaic and Greek readings.

The bible tells you how to and when to perform an abortion. You've arbitrarily decided that only God should take a life but the events in the bible itself actively show that he's pretty much okay with us offing each other.

*"ThInK AbOuT tHe ChiLdReN!!"

I am, are you? I'm not even going to waste my time explaining that almost everything aborted isn't a child, isn't functional and will not survive if removed. Not going into this "but it has a heartbeat under a microscope" idiocy because most do not. If I put skin cells under a fucking lens they have a beat.

I'm gonna frame it differently. Every little girl who needs an abortion because of some form of statutory rape, whether by a stranger, a family friend or a family member, is a child. They're not old enough or mature enough to make decisions about their own life but you want their lives to be either ruined or forfeit because you want there to be no abortions control over others. I'm not surprised. You don't give a shit about children once they're born so you certainly aren't going to care about a 9 year old who had to travel out of Texas state to get an abortion because her father raped her (there's so many testimonies like this, it's not rare).

*"BuT tHeY CaN jUsT PuT tHeM uP fOr AdOpTion?"

Actually, no. Dependent on state laws, ability to safely raise a child and spaces in the adoption systems they may not be able to 'just' put a baby up for adoption. Let's say they can though, what happens to the baby then? There is a huge disparity between numbers of people looking to adopt and children who need a family.

In Alabama alone the average wait in the foster and adopt system is 3.6 years (data courtesy of childwelfaresparc.org). Once a child hits 4 years old they are seen as an older adoptee. Their chance of adoption plummets significantly year on year, ultimately meaning that once they hit 8/9 years old their chance of getting adopted is a dismal 15%, the remaining 85% age out of the system - no family, no home and few options for their lives.

Numbers-wise, that means for every family looking to adopt a child there are 5 or more children still needing a family. You gonna step up and adopt these kids? I kinda hope not because if you're against other people's right's and autonomy so you use abortion as a weapon to control them, I cannot imagine you seeing children as people rather than property.

Imagine being that child - you're trapped, unwanted, unknowing for your entire life. Let's say you find out that your birth mother had wanted to abort you but was forced to carry you. Maybe she died from the pregnancy, maybe it destroyed her relationships, her chance at putting food on the table, her childhood or sense of being a person in her own right - the reason doesn't matter. Leaving you in the adoption centre or a selection of foster homes. None of which want you. THERE IS A REASON WE OFFER LIFELONG COUNSELLING TO ADOPTED, FOSTERED OR AGED-OUT PEOPLE.

*"PrEgNaNcY Is A NaTuRaL StAtE FoR WoMeN, ThEy ShOuLd JuSt HaVe ThE BaBy"

That's fucking stupid. A woman's natural state is to NOT be pregnant, pregnancy is meant to be an occasional and relatively rare condition for a woman due to it's risks and difficulties. Think something natural can't harm? Then you're a moron who's never heard of lead but might have drank a fair bit of it.

Humans have rather odd procreation. The womb is the most hostile environment for cells on this planet. This is intentional, to ensure strong cells survive and, hopefully, make better evolved offspring, carrying whatever is useful on and adding to it.

In a straightforward pregnancy in order to survive the womb, an ovum (the woman's egg) is released into the fallopian tubes. These run from the ovaries to the uterus (womb). Most ovum are fertilised by the man's gametes (sperm) IN the fallopian tubes and then carry down to the uterus. From there, the cells mingle and start to divide, becoming a BLASTOCYST. Y'know, like most cells move to as they change, including for certain diseases.

As the blastocyst develops it basically makes a dint in one side of the little round cell structure (at this point, an electromagnifying device is required to see it in a lab, it cannot be seen directly in the womb for at least six weeks) and has a crescent moon shape, a divide inside it's walls. The larger section does, over many weeks, become a placenta, the smaller section is eventually going to be an embryo. Between 5-12 days later it has started to wire in to the mothers nervous system and blood system, which is why foetus cells are often found in the organs and brains of women who have died while pregnant or during childbirth.

Up until 6 weeks minimum, chance of miscarriage is extremely high. Early miscarriage occurs in 1 out of every 5 wanted pregnancies (data on unwanted or forced pregnancy is too limited), most often because of GENETIC INCOMPATIBILITIES WITHIN THE EMBRYO. Doesn't matter if you've had kids with this particular person before, it is still a common occurrence. Other causes can include toxic womb (where the womb lining is toxic to the embryo), illness and stress in the carrier, and many other reasons including lack of healthy food and lack of time to cook due to work and family demands.

The body avoids pregnancy to ensure it's survival, allowing for possible pregnancy when the woman is in a better position to carry AND EVEN THEN it's not a given.

"WoMeN ShOuLd TaKe ReSpOnSiBiLiTy For HaViNg UnProTeCtEd SeX, ThEy CaN'T JuSt BlAmE ThE MeN"

Oddly enough, women haven't been blaming men for this attack on them and the fact you bring it up speaks volumes about you. If someone doesn't use a condom during sex then...then they did something stupid and should go get checked out for diseases and take a morning after pill if female. Not punished for it, humans make mistakes. But seeing as you brought it up, here's some fun info:

Almost every pregnant teen has been impregnated by a man over the age 25 (making them victims of rape, for those of you slow to keep up)

Men are less likely to get the burden of looking after their child as judges presume that women should look after children HOWEVER when men appeal these rulings, even if abuse from the male is a factor, they have an approx. 85% of gaining some form of custody

Rapists can sue their victims for access to the baby in 50 American States

Consent to sex isn't consent to pregnancy

If your idea of "Responsibility" is to force a woman to look after a pregnancy and child, with the huge costs involved, even though she doesn't want it or can't keep it then you're using pregnancy to punish women for having bodies and lives of their own. This goes extra if you don't FORCE MEN to take responsibility and cover costs, including medical and demand that he must absolutely stand by the woman carrying a child that they both created BECAUSE HE WASN'T USING CONTRACEPTION EITHER. Gotta be a little fair, right?

Let's be honest, this isn't really about kids, babies or whatnot, it's about power and control, criminalizing half of the American populace and therefore preventing them from voting, whilst denying their personhood.

[wanderinglotus7]

Cycle of Change

It’s weird how everything in my life was coming together; I was living life on the highest then life threw me a curveball. Actually, life threw me several curveballs all around the same time. Complete panic mode! June was supposed to be ,y time for relaxation, not a time for unexpectedness and uncertainty. Good news, I finished grad school with a 3.6 GPA and graduated with my Master of Social Work on May 23rd. It was so nice having my family make the trip to Boston in celebrating this amazing accomplishment. I played tour guide the entire weekend. I’ve seen more of Boston in those four days than the almost two years I lived here lol. I wish my Grandma Shirley and my granddaddy could’ve been present. However. I know that they are smiling upon me from Heaven.

In a surprising turn of events, my boyfriend (at the time) and his family came to Boston as well. It was also nice of them to make the trip for this celebration. Yet, it was somewhat awkward for me. I’ve been contemplating this decision for several months, and the weeks leading up to this event gave me confirmation that I was making the right decision though it pained me to do so. Around Memorial day, I decided to end my relationship with my now ex-boyfriend. I realized that it was best for us to go our separate ways. Our paths were diverging, us in different stages in our lives. I wish him and his family the best. For my first relationship, I learned much about myself and how strong of a person I really am. Reading my “Open Letter (2019)’ helped me reconceptualize what I want and value in a relationship and in a partner.

On top of that I almost screwed myself over. I found myself in a sticky situation where I had to make a serious career decision: DOVE or Adelante. On graduation day, I received a phone call from the executive director of DOVE presenting me with an official offer to be their new employee and I had until that upcoming Friday to give them my finally answer. Yet, I was still waiting to hear from Beth Israel regarding my employment offer. Friday arrived, and I gave myself a slight panic attack because I still haven’t heard from BI. I called a few people expressing my doubts and worries. I needed to remain calm. I cleaned and prayed about the situation. I proclaimed it in my journals. I proclaimed it into the universe. I proclaimed it in my prayers. I trusted my instinct. I called DOVE and told them “Thank you”, but I declined their offer not knowing if I actually had a job or not. Luckily, about 5 to 10 minutes later, I received a phone call from BI with my official job offer with Adelante (CVPR). Staring June 20th, I will be starting my position as a social work advocate!

Exciting! Then I got punched in the gut...my housing situation fell apart leaving me dumb founded. Three days before I was supposed to move to Brighton, I received news that I could no longer move into that apartment, but did not receive a clear-cut response to why I couldn’t. I had no were to go because I was moving out that Friday from my prior place of residence. Where could I go in such a short notice? I seriously considered sleeping in my car or staying in a temporary shelter until I could figure out this horrible. I wish that landlord could’ve shared that news with me earlier in the month instead of last minute. I was so pissed! I swallowed my pride and asked for help. Thankfully, a couple from NewCity Church offered to house me until I housing. I am totally grateful for their generosity. So, I am technically homeless even though I have a roof over my head. I never saw myself in this position. I kept telling myself “Why me?”. I so don’t need this negative karma in my life right now. Yet, on the other side of things, this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe that prior apartment wasn’t meant for me. I was meant to be somewhere else. My housing search continues and that has been a hit or miss because of timing. Most places I cannot move-in till September 1st which I’m trying not to do that because I don’t want to over-stay my welcome at this couple’s home. Though they are not in a rush for me to leave right away which again I am grateful, but I am not trying to be here for another 2 to 3 months with my whole life remaining in packed boxes and suitcases.

I’m trying to find somewhere to go by the end of this month especially since I start my job on the 20th which transportation to work is another beast within itself. Increase in rent and the fact that my car isn’t registered in the state (MA), provides me with other obstacles I’m facing while looking for housing. Either way it looks like I will be spending around $1,000 to $1,200 in rent for any apartment I apply to [good thing for BI & Chipotle]. I did had to change my mindset in searching for housing. I don’t plan on moving every year...NO SIR! So, why am I settling or searching for places like I am in survival mood. If I am going to be paying around $1,000; I deserve a nice place to live even if it is with roommates. If I can’t have a nice condo or apartment to myself, I am going to pay the money to live in the biggest nicest room if possible. I’m still on a time crunch, but I’m being a little picky. So far, Brighton, Allston, and Brookline (possibly Jamaica Plain) are on my radar. I know God is going to provide.

Me, Alex, and Daniela are still figuring out our flights for Costa Rica. July will be here sooner than we realize and I am not trying to pay more money on flights than on the overall trip. I want to purchase tickets next week before they go way beyond my budget. We might have to settle with flying into SJO airport and take that 4 hour bus/shuttle ride to Puerto Veijo if we cannot solve how to fly from SJO to Limon International which would definitely cut down the travel to this Caribbean beach town. Other than that I haven’t been doing too much lately. I attended a few different social justice rallies in Boston. I’ve been trying to read more and haven’t really written anything. I’m trying to be more physically active since the weather has become warmer. I’m getting closer and closer in putting in my two week notice at Chipotle (food service isn’t for everyone long-term). I guess, I’m taking time to adjusting to all this new stuff occurring in my life. No longer a student, but becoming a professional. Here comes the real adult life lol!