#it's also virtually indestructible

[syncallio]

Today's pen is the Parker 51:

Also known as the most popular fountain pen ever made. The original production run lasted from 1941 to 1972 and sold at least 20 million pens.

As simple as it looks, it has some features that were groundbreaking at the time. The cap is a slip cap, when everybody else was using screw threads. The nib is tube shaped, making it especially rugged. Said nib is protected by a plastic hood so that only the point sticks out, to minimize drying when uncapped.

And the plastic is acrylic, which has stood the test of time. No cracking, no shrinking, no weird discoloration. Look at this sleek little bullet of a pen!

It's a nice size, lightweight and well balanced. And it writes beautifully.

Also, fun fact, this was Queen Elizabeth II's favorite pen. She had a red one.

I think in any industry there's a model that just works. Like, all the engineering comes together in such a way that you get exactly what you were aiming for. There are prettier fountain pens than the 51, and many more expensive. But the 51 is pure Fountain Pen in the best way.

[wannaeatramyeon]

Gun Park x Reader: It starts with a plant

G/N. Fluff. Gun's home is cold and sparse. Masterlists

"Take this," you grin, holding out the small plant towards Gun. "It's for you."

He frowns, wondering why he would ever want that and makes no move to take it.

You thrust the plant closer, "Here."

"I don't want it."

Rolling your eyes, you place it down on his coffee table. "You need to look after it."

"I don't."

"It's a gift from me."

'I don't want it' is on the tip of his tongue again but the look on your face stops him short. Gun decides on saying thanks instead.

"Try not to kill it."

.

.

You had commented that his house is kind of a dump one morning, and Gun had countered that you didn't mind last night.

Not that he was particularly offended by that comment, he did live in the middle of a junkyard after all - let's not pretend there's anything glamorous about that.

His furniture was sparse, decor non-existent though hints of luxury still peeked out here and there.

It was just so... cold, though. A bit like the man himself, you suppose.

.

.

It starts with a plant.

You aren't trying to impose, or make your mark on Gun's home or anything of the sort. But then the salesperson spots you eyeing up this particular long-leafy plant (for your own home actually) and starts explaining how it's virtually indestructible, can put up with a lot of neglect, a lack of sunlight and still thrive-

Well.

It's just that plants liven up a place, don't they? A bit of healthy greenery is always pleasant to look at, and it's good for the air quality as well, something to consider when living amongst mounds of rusting old metal.

What's the harm in giving this to Gun?

.

.

Gun, to his own credit, actually listens to your parting words.

"Try not to kill it."

There's so much blood on his hands, and that has been so easy, that trying to keep something alive should be far harder.

Gun looking after a plant goes much better than anyone would expect. He is nothing if not meticulous with his methods.

Each time you visited him, which used to be a once-in-a-blue-moon middle of the night sloppy visit and eventually turned into weekly sleepovers, you noticed the plant steadily getting greener and more lush until one day-

"I think it needs a bigger pot."

.

.

Next was the blanket.

You buy it thinking about how warm and fluffy it is, how it has the cutest pattern and you get cold sitting with him on his threadbare sofa in that shack.

You did not buy it thinking about how out of place it would look in Gun's home.

Gun keeps his face carefully neutral when you unveil the monstrosity and drape it on the sofa. He refrains from commenting, refrains from looking at it at all and plans to burn it as soon as he can.

Then he sees you snuggling in it, a happy sigh leaving your lips, looking all snug and practically glowing.

He's not actually heartless, okay. At least not when it comes to you.

Maybe he can just stuff it in a dark corner somewhere when you're not around.

.

.

The candles are completely unnecessary though Gun will admit that they smell quite nice.

A couple of rugs also invades his home at some point, as well as a welcome mat for the front door.

"People aren't welcome here."

Giving him a side eye, you tell him it's just a name.

The wall 'art' Gun did put his foot down and refused. You come back with framed pictures of the both of you instead and- Gun sighs and concedes, fine.

.

.

Gun liked his house exactly how it was - blank and minimal.

The new decor and furnishing you got didn't really add to his quality of life but he keeps every item. Each time he looks at something, something that is vastly out of place in his previous bare home, it reminds him of you.

The plant continues to thrive, along with the few more that you gifted him and the blanket never moves from the sofa.

.

.

"Here," Gun says, handing you a toothbrush to keep neatly next to his. Along with your own dedicated closet space, and free rein to replace his furniture and decorate as you see fit.

"Stay." He says. For tonight, tomorrow, forever.

You can't keep the smile off your face. "Really?"

He nods, because this feels right. His house has been feeling less like his, and more like ours and to his surprise, like home more than ever.

[koolades-world]

Hello dear, I really enjoy your work and was curious if you’d write something for some of the demons with an s/o who has issues with anger? Getting angry fast at usually innocuous things, that kind of hot frustration that’s hard to tame at times. I’ve been trying to deal with my own recently and was itching for some catharsis from namely Lucifer, Diavolo, Satan, and Beel if thats not too much. N pressure of course, and thank you greatly for your time <3

hi! again, sorry for the wait! thank you for waiting! I actually love you for only giving four characters and that one is Dia!! I don't get to write him much and I love him sm

I can of course write this! hope you enjoy!!

Mc with anger issues

Lucifer

Back when he was younger, he also had that sort of rage, not unlike Satan's. it was explosive and was very different from the demon you see today

before he met Mc, he didn't even know humans could experience such a problem but is willing to help you out

over all just super understanding

When he notices the anger beginning to bubble, he urges you to take a break and come back once you're ready

if he's not there when you get angry, however, his room is always open for you to hide and destress in, even if he isn't there!

Diavolo

As a prince, he's bene prepared for and dealt with most types of demons, and subsequently, people and angels if needed

he's pretty good at diffusing situations but he wasn't sure how that would translate to his s/o

he's here to offer all the hugs and everything money can buy for you, such as a dummy of someone who may or may not make your particularly angry

he doesn't try to stop you from being angry, since he knows it can't be healthy, so he just lets you get it all out and try again later with what ever made you mad, even if it was a person

you are allowed to take breaks during RAD in his office whenever despite Barbatos' nagging

Satan

ooh boy he's all too familiar with rage that can't be tamed that's literally his whole existence

he understands everyone is different and you will probably have different triggers and destressants, but he shares everything of his with you

he lends you all his virtually indestructible items he uses to calm himself but he also understands if you just want to let it all out

he's also there to just talk and let you vent if that's what you need

he wants to be the person he never had when he learn to deal with his rage and help you through it

Beel

he's another one that's very understanding

while he doesn't have personal experiences with the type of rage you experience often, he's always offering you anything to make you feel better

he's heard exercise might be the outlet for you, so he starts inviting you on all his trips to the gym to show you all the equipment

he also invites you on the more unconventional workouts, such as mountain climbing to show you some of his favorite sights

he learns what makes you tick and uses it to make you more comfortably by removing triggers and introducing things that make you happy to his personal spaces <3

[postmortem-dca]

Huitzilopochtli, the god of war.

[Past] Eclipse. It is based on the god Huitzilopochtli, the god of war according to the Aztec religion. One of the most important gods for the Mexicas. For humans.

Eclipse, called War in this AU. He was Killcode's first son. The god of destruction.

→ ORIGIN

To explain the origin of War we have to go back thousands of years, when the first gods were looking for a way to create life on Earth. These gods had created humans several times, many wasted attempts that could only exist for a few hundred years if they were lucky.

The reason why humans died in such a short time was not because of a lack of food, or natural resources, or the sun.

It was a more worrying problem. Something the gods could not control. A withered storm.

The storm was located underground. It was practically a parasite that fed on life within the earth. Killing anything that was alive, plants, animals, humans. Everything was eventually devoured by the storm again and again, wiping out humanity again and again and again.

The gods were tired of every attempt by humanity ending up dying because of this storm, so they decided to find a way to destroy it. They failed multiple times to destroy this storm, making it stronger.

And while the gods were searching for a way to destroy the storm, War appeared one day. He never said where he came from. He simply said that he was meant to destroy the storm.

Thanks to him, the storm was destroyed shortly after its appearance, with the help of the other gods. War at this point had no purpose now. His goal had been successfully completed. But then, Sun proposed him to be part of them. Be a god like them. Participate in the creation of humanity.

And War really had nothing else to do with his existence. So he accepted, expanding the team with one more member.

Sun (Sunrise) Star (Lunar) Fauna (Earth) and War (Eclipse)

→ CREATION

How Star existed thanks to the first star that appeared in space, how Fauna existed thanks to the collision of two planets, War also has a how it was born.

War was born from the blood of Killcode, the supreme god of destruction. To the other gods, being a child of Killcode is disgusting, repulsive. An impure son, born of an impure god, of evil, of destruction, of darkness.

War never told them where he really came from. The others didn't insist either, they didn't need to know something so unnecessary. Even if they had suspicions from the first moment.

→ EXTRA

• War was one of the first gods to interact directly with humans. Humans had great respect for War, making sacrifices in honor of this god. They even created their own temple to be able to communicate with this god. War used to "help" humans when they were at war by protecting them to achieve victory as a sign of his gratitude. He was also "responsible" for the creation of Tenochtitlán.

• War can control snakes. No matter how dangerous, violent or venomous they are, War can control them physically and mentally like a puppeteer. Snakes will never attack War no matter if their lives are in danger. Even snakes feel safe around this god.

• War's body is made of pure blood which solidifies to form a body. When he suffers any damage he can recover faster than any other god.

• War has a weapon based on the macuahuitl. It is a wooden sword with ends made of obsidian. The feature that makes him unique is that his weapon is made with magic. Magic prevents the obsidian from breaking when he uses the weapon, making it virtually indestructible. This weapon was a gift to War from the other gods.

→ REFERENCES AND CONCEPTUAL ART

Representation of Huitzilopochtli according to the Aztec/Mexica religion.

Macuahuitl. The Aztec sword.

Questions are always welcome here.

[heliosthegriffin]

How to make Aura not so invincible.

A certain that I see trends in RWBY Fanfics from time to time is one that concern's Aura, or how to get around it's protection.

Let's not beat around the bush, Aura is a very powerful ability. It grants a reactionary force-field that negates damage, until it's depleted sorta like a hp bar, which means at least one hit is always going to be negated, along with protecting anything on it the wielder, shields them from the temperatures, from below-freezing to lava hot, and it's defensive abilities seem to be able to grow, even if, the amount of aura doesn't really increase.

It also, amplify damages, and possibly grants superhuman strength (The show is unclear if that is related to one semblance, training, or aura itself.) Grants the ability to sense others which when coupled with it's shielding abilities, makes hitting them a challenge with gunfire up to including cloud to ground lighting, even if the opponents don't have a soul, and grants a personal superpower that can be virtually anything, that possibly runs off aura, it's unclear if semblance do, or don't, run off aura given their self-restoring nature, oh, speaking of which, and you get a healing factor too, a light one, but it's just a nice cherry on top. Plus, not magic in the form of Dust.

Oh, and anyone with a soul can use this, even robots. Hell, even giving it to a kid with not combat experience made him virtually indestructible, but Jaune may be an outlier given his semblance.

So, you see why one might want to get around that in a story? Alot of writers tend to downplay the protective natures of it, find a way to negate it, like introducing Remnants version of Seastone, or something, or just have characters get cheap-shotted before their Aura's up. Hell, the actually Writers did that last one in universe and had to make a soft-retcon that you had to train to have your aura up 24/7, which makes both does and doesn't make sense.

I understand it though, how can you have stakes in a story when your heroes have basically every defensive power at once, plus more? So, alot just try to balance the scales, sometimes too far in the other direction, going from tanking literally tons of damage to having an aura broken by a couple of pistol rounds. It's kinda of schizo, going from superhumans to slightly above average humans in fanfic to fanfic.

Which I can still understand depending on the tone of the story, but that can still be done without downplaying it's capabilities, as Aura does have limits, and a couple of which, could be quite nasty.

First off, Aura might protect against damage, but it doesn't take away one's need to breath. They need oxygen, better yet, in the right ratio, oxygen poisoning exists. Push their head underwater, aura might be able to resist the pressure of being underwater, but it won't stop water going down their throat.

Second, Aura might amplify the body, but it doesn't negate it's weak-points. Aura acts like a barrier around the skin, I think, this might protect from outside force, but what about self-imposed force? Aura doesn't absorb the force of their own blows (you know every action equal an equal opposite reaction?) get them in a grapple, and use that force agains them to knock a joint out of socket, or better yet, get them to tear their cartilage.

Why cartilage? It's avascular. It has no circulation. No blood, so it's very slow to heal. It also connects bone to bone. You can see why that'd be bad. Even with Aura's healing power, it'd take longer to heal, simply because it's such a slow healing tissue, and Aura's healing factor is pretty minor, it might reduce a month's long process to a week, or less, but that still puts a character out of commission for a week.

They still get tired and sweat don't they? That healing-factor might help at first, but they got to eat and drink like everybody else too. Tie them up and let them dehyrdrate or starve, aura doesn't help against that, it might make it worse, in attempting to regenerate, it may speed up metabolism.

Third, they are still subject to the laws of motions, aura can negate damage, it can't negate momentum.

And, that's all I got for now. @noneatnonedotcom @lonesilverw0lf @weatherman667 Thoughts?

[again-and-then]

A Breakdown of Angelic Weapons

Because Vivzie hasn't made and likely won't make a concrete magic system and I read too many high fantasy books. My personal thoughts and headcanons about Angelic weapons, written mostly for my own fanfiction: Pride, Envy, Wrath, but anyone can use the ideas.

Angelic weapons are the primary tools of Heaven's armies and are valued due to  the following properties:

the ability to rend the souls of immortal beings (passed on mortal souls such and Winners or Sinners, Demons and Angels) and bring about final death**

The ability to bypass most basic forms of magical defenses such as the invulnerability that Exorcists normally possess against attacks from Sinners. 

The fact that any wound left by an angelic blade takes significantly longer to heal, even for beings with advanced regenerative abilities.

The abilities of angelic weapons come from the fact that wherever they cut the body, the weapon leaves an equivalent wound on the soul and causes damage far greater than mere flesh wounds. This is also believed to be the reason that such wounds leave scars that take years or decades to fade even on creatures with naturally potent Regeneration.

**While these weapons seem to deal final death to angels and demons, it seems that the natural willpower of human souls allows them to partially persist after ‘final death’. However, only fragments of the soul remain with little to no consciousness behind it. It is believed these broken souls have infused into the rings of Hell and are the cause of the many watching eyes seen throughout Hell. There is currently no known way for a soul to be restored after this fate.

How are these effects achieved: The ability to damage a living soul directly is due to the weapon being infused with holy energy at the time of its forging, this being drawn from the ambient energy given off an Angel's soul. Being infused with the nature of a soul at creation effectively allows it to become a weaponized extension of the soul to its user.

Drawbacks of Angelic Weaponry: While angelic weapons are typically superior to conventional weaponry in most respects, there are some slight drawbacks to their use:

They are not indestructible. Many people who get their hands on an angelic blade think they have found an unbreakable super weapon and become overconfident, leading to their own demise. While more durable, even the finest blessed steel will dull and lose its edge after extended use, needing to be sharpened and maintained like any other weapon.

This is the reason Exorcists drop weapons during exterminations, as the weapon tends to start losing its edge after a few dozen kills and becomes little more than a blunt instrument. Adam, being lazy, reasoned that carrying damaged weapons back to heaven would be dead weight, thus it would be better to leave them behind so Sinners can use them to kill each other… This logic backfired.

Due to the nature of the weapon, it draws a very small amount of energy from the user’s soul over the period of its use in combat. Very small, but notable. A person fighting with an angelic blade might exhaust themselves 3-5% faster than a person fighting with a mundane sword of the same design. This can vary due to the innate power of a person’s soul. For more powerful individuals such as Overlords and higher order Angels and Demons this drain is so small as to be negligible.

Availability and cost. While these weapons are easy to make and stockpile in Heaven, they are not so easy to  procure in Hell and virtually unheard of in the mortal realm (it is theorized that legendary weapons of myth were merely angelic weapons that somehow made their way to mortal hands.) There are no ways for demons to make their own and the infernal magic given off by demon souls cannot recreate the soul rending effects of holy magic. Even with the supply to be found after Exterminations, Carmilla Carmine has cornered the market on the gathering and selling of holy arms which she tends to keep at prohibitively expensive prices.

Melee vs Ranged Weaponry:

The majority of angelic weapons to be found will be melee weapons simply due to the fact that they are easier to produce and the simple fact that they are the preferred tools of the Exorcist army. Exterminations have long been seen as an entertaining sport by the Exorcists and flying down to stab people is generally more fun than picking them off at range.

Ranged angelic weapons can exist and are used frequently but they have additional drawbacks. Primarily, the fact that for bows and guns both the ammunition and the items themselves need to be made using angelic steel. The reasons are unclear, but trying to pair angelic and mundane items tends to backfire. For example, an angelic arrow being strung on a mundane bow might cause the string to snap or an angelic gun trying to fire mundane bullets will misfire. This tends to press their use heavily against the previously discussed cost and availability drawback. While Exorcists can afford to waste a bunch of arrows, even Overlords wouldn’t dare waste holy bullets.

The topic of ‘Power’:

Not all angelic weapons are created equal and in the next section we will discuss the variations of their make and how each type varies in power. Before we do, one should clarify what ‘power’ means in this context, as it can be a nebulous concept without context. While the standard issue angelic weapon is only marginally sharper and more durable than mundane steel aside, more magically infused variants manifest further benefits. Primarily, increases in power result in greater strike force, penetrative ability vs both mundane and magical protections, and greater damage to the soul. To visualize that last point, imagine an angelic blade cutting a person and therefore their soul as a sharp knife cutting into a sheet of fabric. Now, to visualize a more powerful angelic weapon cutting into the soul, think of the effects on the fabric if the blade had been heated until it was glowing red. Greater heat will burn the fabric and cause far more damage than the mere cut itself. 

Types of Angelic weapons: The varieties of Angelic weapons can be most easily broken down by their method of creation and the material being used. The most common varieties are the following:

Blessed Steel: the most common variation one may encounter and the primary tool of the Exorcist army. Made using an alloy of Steel and Silver that requires holy magic to create. Their appearance is usually Silver or white with a soft glow and generally feels cold to the touch. These are to be considered the most basic, standard weapons.

Holy Aurum: a much rarer variation made from an alloy of Silver, Steel, and Gold. Aurum angelic weapons are much more magically dense and offer both greater power and lower energy drain, being generally superior to Blessed Steel in all categories. Unfortunately, the process required to create and infuse the alloy is far longer and more taxing, thus Aurum weapons are generally only made on rare occasions to denote positions of authority, such as Lute’s sword. It is incredibly rare that any of these make it into Hell and royal Demon houses will typically trade fortunes in order to secure them as status symbols. They have a fully gold appearance, a brighter glow, and are often described as giving off a slight warmth.

Carmine Pattern: The Overlord Carmilla Carmine has found a rather unique method of melting down holy weapons and reforging them into improved versions. They can be identified by the glowing silvery patterns that cover their surface, which while this seems to be decorative, the designs serve an important function. The glowing designs help to circulate holy energy throughout the weapon more effectively, increasing the natural power of the weapon by a small degree. They are unfortunately not as effective as Aurum weapons but a noted improvement over standard blessed steel. Carmine also seems to be able to imbue the holy metal into many varieties of objects to create unique weapons such as Husk's playing cards or her own Angelic ballet shoes.

Relic Weapons: Do note that this is pure fanfiction territory, more so than anything else so far which is more or less canon+creative license but Relic Weapons are a concept I created for my own story that you can use in your own writing if you feel inspired.

Relic weapons are the ultimate form of angelic weaponry, greater than all other variations by orders of magnitude. The difference between a standard angelic weapon and an angelic relic is the difference between a butter knife and a high powered chainsaw. The name was given to them due to the fact that the majority of relic weapons were made thousands of years ago, used in the war started by Lucifer’s Fall (if there was an angelic rebellion in you fic, if not then they are just fucking old). Relic weapons are vanishingly rare, likely only held by the Archangels and possibly Lucifer and the other Sins, with any others being locked away tightly in the deepest parts of Heaven’s armory, but its possible that a handful of others could be floating around. All Angelic relics are made of Holy Aurum, though their creation takes far longer, much more magic and very specific rituals. The resulting weapons are not only far more powerful, but manifest several unique features:

Relic weapons form a unique bond with their user that allows the wielder to summon and dismiss the weapon at will, recall it from any distance, and sense the direction of the weapon if it has been separated from them. Due to the ability to recall the weapon at will, they are virtually impossible to steal. The only way to break someone’s bond to an angelic relic is to kill them or through very long rituals where the user must willingly part with the weapon.

Near weightlessness. Angelic relics, when held by their bonded user, weigh next to nothing, making them very easy to use. Even massive and impractical weapons are as light as any dagger. When touched by someone not bonded to them, they become as heavy as a normal weapon of their size if not slightly denser.

External force generation. The bond allows the user to tap into their own soul and draw energy that the weapon can amplify massively and direct outwards. A relic bow might be able to create arrows of pure light, or a blade will be able to make sweeping arcs of holy energy as it is cut through the air. Doing this does tend to be rather draining, especially if the user is not already blessed with a powerful soul such as an Overlord, Royal Demon, or High Ranking Angel and can result in exhaustion if not used carefully.

Enchantments. Relic weapons can be inscribed with enchantments during their creation that allow for additional abilities or even the ability to recreate magical spells. An example of this would be Adam’s guitar which has the ability to alter its form (changing from a guitar to an axe) and its size at the will of the user.

It should be noted that Angelic relics also possess an additional property that is much harder to understand. While the weapons are not sentient, they do tend to possess a kind of… will. Its not as if the weapon will fly off and do its own thing or talk to you, but Relics do have a habit of subtly acting in ways that no normal weapon should. This can manifest in the surface temperature of the weapon seeming to change in response to its bonded user’s emotions or attempts to bond with the weapon failing seemingly because the weapon ‘rejects’ the person. Sometimes a relic can even cause rituals to break the bond to fail. In extremely rare cases, if the user tries to use the weapon in a way that is extremely antithetical to the purpose of the relic’s creation, then it can become as heavy as lead and practically unmovable but this is probably about the most extreme example of the weapon’s will and almost never happens.

…

And… yeah, that's my thoughts on Holy Weapons. Did I need to do this? No. not even a little. Use the ideas or don’t, rewrite everything if you feel like it, I’m not your dad.

[iocity]

One of the things I love about One Piece is their depiction of pain. Even for Luffy. There are time when he is hit and he writhes and screams. There are times when he doesn’t, and he is stoic. It’s a really valuable lesson that feeling pain deeply is, at times, just as noble as concealing it. No matter how strong a character is, sometimes they writhe and scream and cry. Sometimes they fail miserably and feel as if their world is out of their control. It shows that even the strongest characters experience pain in the most excruciating of ways. I always was really affected by that, because despite how much pain a a straw hat is in, they get back up. When things look the worst, they come back stronger than ever to conquer it. It makes them so much more human to me.

I also like the concept that Luffy isn’t as used to pain as the others and has a lower tolerance. He has been a rubber man since he was a child, so he doesn’t really get cuts and scratches or broken bones. He never got to build up that tolerance. It makes the scene where he takes a beating for Ace and Sabo even more significant and emotional because this kid who sees pain as a concept that is somewhat foreign is willing to take amounts of pain that even regular adults couldn’t bear. I’m sure his tolerance has been building since the start of the show, but I genuinely think it’s something to consider. This kid who is virtually indestructible, who is relatively hard to hurt, and who is relatively unconditioned to being uncomfortable in his body (like being sore or pulling a muscle) and hurting, is constantly taking a crazy ass beating for those he loves, but also those he barely even knows. Pain is significant to him, yes, but he is willing to put all of his suffering aside for the sake of people who have done right by him. Whether it be saving his life in Alabasta, or buying him a few lunches with their last few cents in Dressrosa; he will always suffer greatly in order to do right by the people he values.

[wanderingnork]

Githyanki Deep Dive: What's So Wrong With Dragonlance?

An Introduction To Crystal Spheres

So the greater cosmology of D&D is...interesting. Not only are there the various planes (arranged in a tree, a wheel, a weird stack, whatever), there are also...planets. If you visit the Forgotten Realms setting, you don't just have to visit the planet of Toril: you can also visit its moon, its asteroid cloud, or one of the other seven planets in that star system. And if you just keep flying, out away from the planet into the Sea of Night, you'll eventually hit...a wall. An endless curving wall of impenetrable, indestructible dark ceramic, like a shell.

That's when you'll realize that those beautiful stars you can see from the surface of Toril are actually innumerable portals to the Plane of Radiance or the Plane of Fire. If you can find a portal that doesn't go to one of those planes, or if you've got the right teleportation magic, you can cross beyond the sphere, out of Wildspace and into the universe beyond. Which is...an infinite rainbow ocean of "phlogiston" through which spelljamming ships can sail between the crystal spheres.

Because there are a LOT of crystal spheres. Essentially, in meta terms, any unique D&D campaign setting (with the direct exception of the Eberron campaign setting) has a crystal sphere of its own, containing JUST its own sun and local planet group. The crystal sphere containing the Dark Sun campaign setting, Athas, is completely inaccessible. Even Earth, in this cosmology, has its crystal sphere!

Please just hit pause right here and go read the "Earth" page on the Forgotten Realms wiki.

ANYWAY.

The "big three" of the crystal spheres are Realmspace, Greyspace, and Krynnspace. Realmspace is familiar to us all as the default setting of much of 5th Edition D&D and Baldur's Gate 3. Greyspace is the home of the Greyhawk campaign setting, one of the earliest settings and the default campaign setting to edition 3.5 D&D. Krynnspace is home to the Dragonlance campaign setting...and it's something of an oddball here.

You see, although each crystal sphere runs by its own rules, they usually share some commonalities. Spacefaring species can generally be found in any crystal sphere, as long as the particular sphere will sustain them. You might have a run-in with neogi ships, trade with the Arcane, or seek passage with a ship of adventurers in any crystal sphere at all. And since the githyanki have full access to spelljamming ships, you will certainly encounter them at some point or another. Unless you go to Krynnspace.

There, you won't find any githyanki at all.

What's So Special About Krynnspace?

Before I get going, please know that just about everything I'm going to discuss here comes from SJR-7, "Krynnspace," which is the AD&D 2nd Edition Spelljammer supplement on the subject. It's the most complete single reference on the subject (the Krynnspace article on the Spelljammer Wiki cites it more than any other single source).

For one thing, although virtually all crystal spheres are spheres, Krynnspace is like...flat. Pancake, albeit a giant pancake. So that's weird right out of the gate. Krynnspace is also colder than any other sphere, with its wildspace full of clouds of freezing vapor that can kill an unprotected traveler in an instant and can't be scried through, even by deities. Terrifying.

Unlike Realmspace, Greyspace, and other major crystal spheres, Krynnspace is relatively empty of wildspace societies. The sun has efreets and "helians." The burning planet Sirion has efreets and azers. The barren planet Reorx is mined and explored by dwarves, gnomes (from Krynn and beyond), and mind flayers (who we'll come back to in a hot minute). Chislev, a planetwide rainforest, is home to a limited amount of mortal races and whole lot of dragons. Zivilyn is even more scarcely populated, and only by shipwrecked travelers and marooned pirate victims. A cluster of asteroids hosts giff, space giants, gnomes, and others. Krynn, the largest, most hospitable, and most populated world, absolutely thrives with all sorts of life, including some mortal species completely unique to the cosmos...though it has only two ports of call for spelljamming travelers.

A tiny company of knights patrols Krynnspace, a few merchant vessels hop from planet to planet, and scattered pirate ships prowl the system. But that's it. Only a tiny fraction of Krynn natives are even aware of life on other planets and travel throughout the system is virtually nonexistent. Stories of Krynn and its heroes have gotten out to other spheres, but stories from other spheres have not generally gotten into this one.

In meta terms, this is easy to explain: the creators of Dragonlance were not interested in allowing spelljamming into their world. It just doesn't fit with the stories Dragonlance is meant to tell or the feeling of the world of Krynn. Dragonlance is a setting of knightly orders and great chivalric quests, not space pirates and journeys of millions of miles between planets. Minimizing those elements preserves the setting as its creators intended.

But...within the setting, what gives? Why the hell wouldn't Krynn, a world rich in resources and art and people, full of knights who want nothing more than to quest and would jump at the chance to go to the stars, be linked into the rest of the spelljamming world? Even if the other planets in the system are inhospitable, why aren't spelljammers regularly reaching out into the rest of the cosmos?

I can't answer those questions in this post. But I can answer this one: why exactly don't the githyanki try to take advantage of Krynn the way they do every other planet they can get their hands on?

Mind Games

Well...there's more meta reason for this, actually. In the 3rd Edition "Bestiary of Krynn, Revised," there's a whole table of iconic D&D monsters who are explicitly stated not to exist in the Dragonlance setting. Krynn doesn't play host to orcs, halflings, werewolves, drow, or even the great tarrasque. The table informs us that these creatures simply don't fit into the setting as written, and they're completely correct in that.

Halflings are replaced with the relatively similar kender. Adding drow (and Lolth) to the world of Krynn would destabilize the existing complex elven politics--and besides, there's no Underdark in Krynn unless a DM adds one! The githyanki and githzerai, with their distinctly extraplanar flavor and violent tendencies, would just not fit into the knights-and-dragons style of the setting.

One notable strange point on the table is mind flayers. Despite 2nd Edition Spelljammer allowing mind flayers to colonize the planet Reorx, this newer source states very plainly that mind flayers do not exist in the setting as written. Allowance is made for the Yaggol (p. 116-117), a group of squid-headed humanoids who came "from Beyond" but lost their innate mystic powers and civilization long ago. They're now just another monstrous threat in the wilderness, albeit a powerful one with a penchant for eating brains with their tentacles.

So there are just some creatures that don't fit the setting, end of story. And...we could just leave it at that. But that's not interesting, especially when there are two very powerful in-game reasons why the githyanki would want to stay far the fuck away from Krynnspace.

First, and most frightening on a personal level to a githyanki, is the fact that the planet of Krynn is actively hostile to psionics.

From the 2nd Edition "Unsung Heroes" Dragonlance supplement comes a single explanatory paragraph on page 1. The planet of Krynn does not produce any native psionicists. Visitors from other places never stay long because "if they stay on Krynn more than one month per level, their psionic abilities disappear permanently." Emphasis mine.

Doing the math, no githyanki ever gets far beyond 11th or 12th level before Vlaakith calls them home to consume their soul. Your average githyanki warrior would have less than a year on Krynn before their innate psionic ability vanished for good.

Sure, the githyanki could visit Krynnspace. But there's only really one planet worth their time--Krynn. Due to living primarily on the Astral Plane, the githyanki aren't looking for resources in terms of food or other perishables, so it doesn't matter how fertile the world of Krynn may be. There's no way for them to establish any meaningful permanent base there. They'd have to cycle people in and out of a stronghold constantly. No creche could be established. The babies would hatch without psionics!

For the icing on the cake, they have a living example of just what happens to a powerful psionic species that stays too long on Krynn. All they have to do is look at the Yaggol, the remnants of their most ancient enemies, to know the consequences of trying to stick around on Krynn.

Tiamat and Takhisis

The second reason to stay out of Krynnspace is of more concern to the society as a whole. The githyanki have several major weapons in to bring to bear when they go out into the cosmos. Their silver swords, their psionics, and their pact with Tiamat and the red dragons. Silver swords would function just fine on Krynn regardless of the issue of psionics, and let's assume that some very clever githyanki mages worked out how to protect their psionics when planetside. Great! Now they can come and go as they please!

Except that they still wouldn't, because the second a githyanki crosses into Krynnspace, the pact with Tiamat stops working.

And here we circle back to the cosmology of the wider D&D universe and the way the crystal spheres function. See, each crystal sphere is a universe unto itself. Not only does it have its own basic rules, it also plays host to its own pantheon of deities. The gods of Greyspace, Realmspace, and Krynnspace hold dominion only over what is within their very literal sphere.

Deities, while they can access other spheres, have their power limited to their own specific spheres. They can't harm deities from another crystal sphere or their worshipers. No matter how much Erythnul, god of slaughter in Greyhawk, might wish to wreak carnage on Faerûn, he's bound by an ancient compact to stay in his own sphere. And no matter how much Torm, god of justice in Faerûn, might like to see Erythnul brought down, he has to leave that fight to the gods of good in Greyhawk.

Most importantly to this discussion, different aspects of the same deity, who might be worshiped in different spheres, are limited in the same way. Tiamat is not a deity in Krynn. Takhisis, a similar five-headed evil dragon goddess, is one of the major divine players in the setting. According to the most recent source, they are aspects of the same being (Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, 43). But that doesn't change the fact that Tiamat's power stops at the edge of Krynnspace.

Takhisis may be an aspect of Tiamat, but the deal Tiamat made with the githyanki has no binding power over Takhisis. Nor does it have any power over the red dragons of Krynn. If a githyanki war party crossed into Krynnspace, they would have no backup from their red dragon allies. Speculatively, they might even face hostility from native red dragons, who would be unlikely to appreciate such familiar behavior.

Would Takhisis accept a similar pact if the githyanki tried to make it? Maybe. It could be advantageous to her. But the pact with Tiamat was made by selling the soul of Gith herself and every githyanki ruler who came after. What do the githyanki have to offer of that magnitude now? And what would be the purpose of taking such a risk for just one planet in one crystal sphere when there are so many other worlds they could visit?

[therealvinelle]

I think the vampires in Twilight are boring, largely because they are so perfect. They're beautiful, super strong, super fast, fabulously wealthy, they have superpowers, and all without any of the interesting drawbacks from popular vampire lore apart from the bloodlust (which is mostly utilized in the narrative for romance angst) or mental stagnation (which is weaksauce). I'm not even gonna talk about the sparkling

I think there's room for different interpretations of myths and archetypes but I feel like this one just sanded off all of the all interesting bits instead of actually reinterpreting them

What's the point of vampire romance if they're barely vampires?

What's your take as someone who is knowledgeable about this topic?

You know, rather than defend Twilight, I'm going to make the same argument about Good Omens, Alien, the Wizard of Earthsea, and Harry Potter. I'm also going to be incredibly mean to you, I'm sorry, I know your question is asked in good faith but deep in my heart is a snarky monster yearning to break free. It has been unleashed, because you see, I strongly disagree with the "the vampires in Twilight aren't actually vampires!" criticism.

The angels and demons in Good Omens are nothing like Biblical angels and demons and the authors just made stuff up they liked. I'm not sure what the point of that story was.

The alien in Alien bleeds acid, it's virtually indestructible and Ellen has to eject it into space to kill it. What a terrible villain design.

The Wizard of Earthsea and Harry Potter feature very different wizards which makes me wonder- why couldn't either Ursula Le Guin or J. K. Rowling back off? Find some other word, because these fictional creatures can't be both what they are in the Wizard of Earthsea and in Harry Potter. Don't even factor in Lord of the Rings or the Dresden Files - these authors are all over the place, it's like they can't pin down what a wizard even is.

Vampires, being creatures that I take very seriously and want to see accurately depicted in my YA literature, damnit, are grievously disrespected in Twilight where that Stephenie Meyer woman used her imagination and did her own thing. The sheer disrespect, smh.

[viviennevermillion]

Welcome to my newest AU: Lost but everyone who ever stepped foot on the island has some type of usable magic power from that moment on. Rules for this is every power has a drawback and it only activates at a critical moment to their character arc. Here's what powers I assigned them:

Jack Shephard: Can heal people using his own life force. He can only give up to 50% of his own life force to do this, if the injury can't be healed by that, he can't save a person. Jack's power doesn't activate until way into Season 6 because he didn't have faith in the island.

Kate Austen: Has the same power as Blake Belladonna in RWBY. Both are characters who are established as people on the run because of their past. Their powers reflect that. Whenever Kate is attacked, if she reacts fast enough, she can leave behind a shadow of herself to take the hit for her.

James "Sawyer" Ford: The angrier he gets, the more damage his punches do. On the other hand, if he gets genuinely sad and devastated, his physical abilities are significantly stunted and damage is almost non-existent.

Charlie Pace: Can focus on a person and play or sing a song that reflects their true nature. This can be used to gather information about them. He can only do this once per person.

Claire Littleton: She can sense danger, even when there otherwise isn't any indication of it.

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes: Can speak to the dead. Activates off-island.

Sun-Hwa Kwon: Can accelerate the growth of plants and the natural healing process of animals and people. She has to know and understand the species to do this.

Jin-Soo Kwon: Can communicate with the ocean to go with the "son of a fisherman" theme. If his head is underwater the ocean tries to kill him tho.

John Locke: Is the only one who doesn't have a power. He's like Mirabel Madrigal. He's deeply important to the story but he has 0 magic. He himself and other characters throughout the story think that he does during varying points of time but it's always the MiB messing with him. He realizes this at the end. Can you tell I like angst yet?

Michael Dawson: Can create a magic shield using his own stamina. Shield disappears when his stamina runs out.

Walter "Walt" Lloyd: Astral Projection. Self-explanatory.

Vincent: Ages normally and can die of old age but is otherwise virtually indestructible. Usually animals don't get any powers but Vincent's was given to him by Jacob directly to assist the survivors.

Sayid Jarrah: Can burn a person with his touch when he wants to. Doing this inflicts an equal amount of emotional pain to him as the physical pain he causes. I like angst.

Shannon Rutherford: Can master any skill within 30 minutes if she puts her mind to it. Never figures this out because she has been told that she's useless all her life and believes it. Only uses this once when she translates French but thinks those are lucky guesses.

Boone Carlyle: Blood-bending. Mostly gave this to him because everytime he angrily stares at someone you can tell that his blood is boiling. Never uses this once during his lifetime though.

Rose Henderson Nadler & Bernard Nadler: Have a soul link with one another. They can always tell how the other is feeling and neither of them can die while the other still lives as long as they're on good terms. Virtually indestructible unless you kill them at the exact same time but why the fuck would you.

Ana Lucia Cortez: Pyromancy. Fits her vibe. Also bound to stamina.

Elizabeth "Libby" Smith: Can read people's emotions.

Mr. Eko: Precognition. Can tell what he needs to do when and can anticipate things a couple seconds before they happen.

Benjamin Linus: Everytime he lies (to convince someone of his lie, sarcasm not included), it slightly alters reality in an unexpected way to make his lie appear like the truth. This is how Anthony Cooper gets to the island after Ben tells John about the magic box. The result of his lies is always unexpected and can backfire. He can't make something specific happen intentionally. His power activated during the purge.

Juliet Burke: Ice-bending. This has nothing to do with her character but I've previously seen Elizabeth Mitchell in Once Upon A Time and The Santa Clause and both times she plays a character that has something to do with winter. Also bound to stamina.

Ethan Rom: Superhuman strength. Self-explanatory. It actually takes multiple shots from 6 guns to take him down in this AU.

Harper Stanhope: Can see people's time of death over their head. Was very confused that Juliet's said 1977 and Ben's was way past his normal life expectancy.

Goodwin Stanhope: Idk what his power is but it's certainly not danger sense. 💀

Roger Linus: Can sense fear. Terrible power for a terrible man. I love Ben, I promise. I also love angst tho. The moment Ben killed him was the only time he didn't sense any fear from him, which scared the shit out of him.

Desmond David Hume: Activates his power after the events of "The Constant". Can see glimpses of people's past and future upon touching them. Can only do this once per person.

Frank Lapidus: Always lands safe. Literally always lands on his feet like a cat. Also applies to planes / helicopters he flies.

Charlotte Staples Lewis: Can speak any language after hearing it spoken once. Growing up with this was very confusing off-island.

Miles Straume: Reading the final thoughts of the dead. Self-explanatory.

Daniel Faraday: Stopping time for up to an hour. After using this power, he can't use it for 24 times the amount of time he stopped time for. Only can use it in present time.

Illana Verdansky: Able to tell when people lie.

Danielle Rousseau: Her bullet or arrow always hits the target unless the target specifically blocks it.

Alexandra Rousseau: Can make herself invisible. Used for stealth.

Karl Martin: Can accelerate his speed. Bound to stamina.

Mikhail Bakunin: Telepathy.

Eloise Hawking: Chain Reaction. Once a day for 5 minutes she can see the effects of every action of hers she thinks about.

Charles Widmore: Can take a glimpse at people's destiny. Only can do this once per person.

Richard Alpert: Can't be killed by anything ever. Can't even die of natural causes. Can't die.

[michanvalentine]

Vincent's slumber

I don't know if anyone has already talked about it, I'm relatively new to social media (and I have the same skill as Vincent in using it). In any case, I share this thought that I have always had, but which with the release of Rebirth came back to my mind stronger than ever. I'm talking about Vincent's sleep. Nothing that comprehends how long it lasted, whether he woke up from time to time to do who knows what or whether he instead remained locked in the coffin for the entire time until Cloud arrived. Maybe I'll talk about this in the future, who knows. Instead, I would like to focus on why Vincent needs so much sleep. In the OG it would seem that he slept for 30 years straight, later with the expansion of the FF VII compilation we learned that there were moments of wakefulness. Even in FF Rebirth, Vincent's crypt seems way more comfortable than a plain one and Vincent's own statements suggest that he has experienced something in the meantime. In any case, we can safely say that Vincent Valentine is a sleepyhead, who spends much of his time sleeping (or napping around, poor Cait Sith). In DoC we saw him dozing under the Nibelheim tree (I hope in one of his moments of pause as a bodyguard, lol), where he and Lucrecia had their picnic. So our hero loves to sleep. Subsequently, after being used for Hojo and Lucrecia's experiments, in DoC Vincent remained in suspended animation in the tube for an unspecified period. Basically asleep. We currently don't know when he woke up, where he got his amazing cloak, and how he ended up lying in a coffin. Always sleeping. Surely after everything that happened to him, poor guy, being depressed, hiding from the world, self-punishing, etc, is quite understandable. And this would explain why he continues to sleep. Until a certain degree. For starters, I've always thought that the reason why, once Chaos and Protomateria were implanted, Vincent didn't wake up immediately was because his body needed time to adapt. To recover. We know that Hojo gave him a virtually indestructible body, but even so the burden of Chaos and the other demons/monsters is physically too much to bear. So both Hojo and Lucrecia thought they had failed in their experiment, precisely because Vincent didn't wake up. Even after regaining consciousness, Vincent continued to sleep in his beloved coffin, because he was unable to come to terms with what happened and what he has become, certainly, but also because physically it was still too much for him. He still has to recover, adapt, struggle for every little thing. And we don't even know how much he needs to hold back to control his four roommates. And we are talking about powerful and dangerous creatures. Chief among these is Chaos, a primordial god of destruction. All this must have a weight, which certainly weighs on the body as well as the soul. In Rebirth this thing seems even more evident to me, starting from the phrase: "Being outside is exhausting, I hate it." Ok, it makes me smile too, if you think about how introverted, antisocial, etc, he is. Plus he's trying to understand and adjust to all the changes that have occurred during the thirty years he's lost, but perhaps the myriad stimuli in the outside world are also exhausting him physically. Because he is not alone, there are five of him inside him, and we don't know exactly how Vincent Valentine perceives the world and on which and how many levels. Certainly, as Rebirth points out, he is very sensitive to everything dark and supernatural.

The Rebirth also gives us the opportunity to better observe the transformation into the Galian Beast. Vincent grabs his head, writhes, screams and the beast takes his place. It is a painful process, which requires physical effort. Not only that, but by the end of the fight, Vincent is completely exhausted. He barely manages to get back on his feet, his arms dangling, his head too, and the steps that separate him from the crypt are difficult and very heavy to take. A painful sight to even watch (at least until he rolls over in the doorway, lol). And no, it doesn't depend on the attacks of Cloud and company, you just need to look at Reno's face after the clash in which sector 7 collapsed to realize it.

Vincent is not injured, his body is indestructible, he doesn't have a scratch, he doesn't limp, he doesn't hold his side or arm where he was hit. No. He is simply emptied, drained, exhausted in every cell of the body by the transformation. What he does is go back to sleep, he needs it, to recover from the effort. Only then will he join Cloud and the others on the Tiny Bronco. This also happens in DoC, during the first meeting/fight with Rosso the Crimson in the city of Edge. When Vincent regains control of himself, after Chaos' intervention, he collapses directly onto the streets of Edge. As long as Shalua gives him the opportunity and time to recover in the tube, at the WRO headquarters. The same thing will happen later after the battle with Azul the Cerulean. Vincent loses consciousness and later wakes up on the floor of the Shinra building. So to conclude, I always thought that yes, he loved to snooze when he was younger. Now he's dozing because he's a grandpa, and maybe he had nothing better to do in the basement of the Shinra Mansion, but he often really, really needs to rest. Physiologically speaking, as far as Valentine's physiology is known. Because being him, Vincent freaking Valentine, is quite a burden.

All the images do not belong to me, I thank those who shared them on the web!

[ittybittyfanblog]

EVERY BIT CHANGED BUT STILL INTRINSICALLY YOOOUUUUU!!!! YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!

I absolutely adored the direction you went with the ending, like I couldn’t think (per usual) of a more perfect buildup and ending for this series. The self healing for reader, the return-to-basics to build herself back up, and realising what things she clung onto that just wasn’t healthy for her :c THE QUITTING OF HER DUMBASS JOB YES GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE GIRL BECAUSE WHAT DO YOU MEAAANNN YOU WAS PULLING ALL-NIGHTERS FOR A COMPANY THAT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUUUUU.

I’m glad she’s taking the steps to release herself from all that isolation and take the steps to heal the hurt because she does deserve better🥺 she does deserve to feel better and she deserves to be surrounded by the people that love her!!!

And the Sylus change🥹 I didn’t rlly expect it (I should have though cause gray hair and CRIMSON red eyes isn’t rlly considered the ordinary) but it’s still him no matter what and I am so happy with this too!!!!!!! Even without all that power and immortality and the bravado that comes with it, Sylus is still him, he still loves the way he always has done😭😭😭😭.

The appearance change totally solved my little brainworm from a few days ago lol. No more being worried about extended family member #19 at the reader/Sylus wedding pulling her aside to whisper “idk if u know about this… game called lads… anyways… ur groom looks like a certain character… haha…👍”

Sylus better be setting up that tiktok account and make a killing as a Sylus ‘cosplayer’. He’s got a whole lot of spending to do yeeeepppppp but that will also complicate a lot of things at the wedding… “omg ur marrying THAT Sylus cosplayer????? Con😭grat😭ula😭😭tions”

Oh my god I could cry, that little (big) stalker found reader again🫶🫶🫶🫶

“Hello, my love. Have I kept you waiting?”

HELLLOOOOOOO????? AND WHAT IF I THROW UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU OOOOOOOOO YOU MAKE ME FEEL TOO MANY HAPPY EMOTIONS HE’S SO DARLING FOR THAT LINE I’M GONNA CRRRYYYYYYY STOOPPPPPPPPP

My god… at this point, that dildo is a side character LMAOOOOOO. I see you! Regretfully! (Not really🫶) now reader can get freaky with it and sylus will be THERE! In the flesh! And they can get freaky with each other!!!! I love that for themmmmm.

There wasn’t a single coherent thought in this, sorry that’s just how it is atm I’m feeling a LOT of things, happy things, but still a LOT🫶🫶 I’m just so grateful that you not only created this but you shared this with all of us🥹 I can’t wait to see your future works!!

Also… sylus thorts on Byron hitting on reader?🤭 surely he won’t be too happy about that <3 but he should be happy cause the reader called him her boyfriend.

— 🏎️

HIIIII RACECAR (🏎️) ANONNNN sorry i'm just getting to u rn!! i was trying to avoid posting any spoilers lol but i rly wanted to reply to this since i got ur ask 😭😭

damn i don't even know where to start—i love LONG rants, i just dk what to address first !/)&:& guess i'll start it off with a fucking HUGE THANK YOU for reading and loving the fic enough to send such a long ass message ilysm u lil dildo hater u 😩🤧

anyway!! so yeah, the direction for the last chapter really put emphasis on the player's growth, having her figure how to deal with her past and present hang-ups, as well as coming to terms with them. i rly wanted to start the chapter on a more hopeful note, past the months of depression she'd gone through from sylus’ absence. the gradual progression, even the slight misstep (the ~ghost of her past~ showing up when she least expected it). i also wanted to convey how “present” sylus was in her life, still—through her choices/actions, and from the little things that reminded her of him.

and turning sylus mortal has always been the endgame, even when the story was still in its ✨outline✨ phase. @grabby-smitten actually put it quite aptly—the idea that this almost god-like, virtually indestructible being is willing to turn “human” for you, and that it’s less of a sacrifice/demotion in his eyes, but more about being “equal” to you. because to be human is to be with the person he loves—nothing more, nothing less ❤️

and lmao, i like to think sylus gets a kick out of people staring at him a little too long, trying to place where they've seen him from 😂 he'd definitely fuck with conspirating distant cousins thrice removed by dropping not-so-subtle hints here and there.

also yes ok just to give u something to look forward to (breadcrumbing u guys so hard rn), byron will inevitably meet the “boyfriend” at some point (in the spin-off), and they may or may not hash it out through some….. light-hearted….. sparring 🙂‍↕️

[rjzimmerman]

Their Fertilizer Poisons Farmland. Now, They Want Protection From Lawsuits. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

For decades, a little-known company now owned by a Goldman Sachs fund has been making millions of dollars from the unlikely dregs of American life: sewage sludge.

The company, Synagro, sells farmers treated sludge from factories and homes to use as fertilizer. But that fertilizer, also known as biosolids, can contain harmful “forever chemicals” known as PFAS linked to serious health problems including cancer and birth defects.

Farmers are starting to find the chemicals contaminating their land, water, crops and livestock. Just this year, two common types of PFAS were declared hazardous substances by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Superfund law.

Now, Synagro is part of a major effort to lobby Congress to limit the ability of farmers and others to sue to clean up fields polluted by the sludge fertilizer, according to lobbying records and interviews with people familiar with the strategy. The chairman of one of the lobbying groups is Synagro’s chief executive.

In a letter to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in March, sludge-industry lobbyists argued that they shouldn’t be held liable because the chemicals were already in the sludge before they received it and made it into fertilizer.

The lobbying has found early success. A bill introduced by Senators John Boozman of Arkansas and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, both Republicans, would protect sludge companies like Synagro, as well as the wastewater plants that provide the sludge, from lawsuits. A House bill has also been introduced.

Ms. Lummis will “work with President Trump’s E.P.A. to ensure ‘passive receivers,’ like water utilities and others, are protected from bogus third-party lawsuits,” her office said in a statement, referring to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Synagro and Goldman Sachs declined to answer detailed questions. Synagro in its most recent sustainability report acknowledged the risks of PFAS contamination in its fertilizer, calling it “one of our industry’s challenges.”

Widespread manufacturing of PFAS began decades ago, with some of the country’s largest chemical companies making vast quantities and downplaying the risks. Water-resistant and virtually indestructible, the chemicals have been used in everything from nonstick pans and dental floss to firefighting gear and waterproof clothing.

[bthump]

Hi! I've been a fan of yours for while, and I want to say keep up the good work. I also wanted to ask something about Berserk. Specifically, a scenario in which the Berserker armour appears to Guts earlier in manga, like the Golden Age arc or Black Swordsman arc. How would he react? Would he even put it on? Would anything change if he had the armour before the Millennium Falcon arc? Sorry if this has been already answered before, this is my first time asking anything here. Thank you.

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words 💖

Hmm, Black Swordsman arc, he'd definitely wear it and presumably lose his mind instantly and become a monster lol. Dude needs several children saving him from it plus a goal other than revenge to focus on in order to keep his humanity while wearing it imo.

In the Golden Age though... I mean from a characterization viewpoint I think he would wear it, because Guts is kinda dumb about his choices having consequences. He would think 'oooh this would make me super effective in battle' and ignore the side effects for way too long.

And if he's heard Griffith's Promrose Hall speech, then he'd also be extra into that addictive mindset, where he loses himself in battle and stops thinking, which is of course extra literal with the armour that strips away his humanity. So he'd probably lose himself to it pretty quick. I mean, that's why he fought 100 men not long after hearing that speech - basically just to turn his brain off for a while and lash out.

I think it would be a fitting ending for Guts if he found it right after leaving the Hawks to pursue his dream of being the strongest and then became a monster in a solid "be careful what you wish for" style narrative.

But actually it might be more interesting if he got it during the happiest period of his life, because he'd have a greater capacity to resist it, and friends around to respond to it. Like he's a dumb kid who'd wear it in battle and ignore the problems and symptoms, and say he's fine. And Griffith could see the use as an asset, and be torn between taking advantage and being terrified for Guts' well-being which could be a great conflict. (Eventually reaching a breaking point where he can't justify the harm to Guts even when it makes the Hawks virtually indestructable and gets Guts to get rid of it, essentially prioritizing him over the dream again.) And thematically it could still represent Guts' inner darkness, ie basically his childhood trauma and abuse spurring him onto violence and self-destruction.

Like his years with the Hawks are the chillest where he's fighting because it's his job and he likes his coworkers rather than because of a driving need, but you could definitely argue that the trauma is still part of that, and explore it a little as the root of all Guts' violence, even when it's pragmatic.

In this scenario though he'd probably be able to overcome the armour eventually. But yk, it could be a good symbolic look at how the mercenary life exacerbates his trauma and maybe undermines how much friendships with other mercenaries can help him heal - since Guts' violence is an asset to everyone in the Hawks. Healing relationships could stlil win out, but there's neat conflict to potentially explore. Idk I'm spitballing, but it could be interesting.

Also obviously there'd be a scene where Guts loses himself and nearly attacks Griffith only to recognize him and come back to himself at the last minute.

Could even be a regular thing, like Griffith is the only one who can bring him back to his humanity after a battle...

So yeah, those are my thoughts. Thanks for the ask, it was interesting to ponder!

[athetos]

Not to tie into “the tumblr fanbase is steadily aging” but I got gifted a 30 oz yeti tumbler and it’s genuinely one of my favorite things I own right now. I never thought I’d have strong feelings about a tumbler of all things but shit stays ice cold for hours, it’s virtually indestructible, it’s got a magnetic lid, you can turn it upside down and it won’t spill, and it’s so easy to clean I never feel like I taste soap afterwards. Also it’s one of my fav shades of green.

[zestyderg]

Diggins' Jurassic adventure is funny and proves the man is virtually indestructible, and also incredibly lucky (the rex hating the taste of mint saved his ass from getting eaten, and that was the FIRST notable thing that happened to him).

I'm mad that he was apparently sent to the Jurassic but met a whole bunch of creatures that shouldn't be there at all, ESPECIALLY since this game knows better and literally tells us when and where each animal would have really lived.

(Oh also when he gets attacked by the stego he writes that he doesn't think it's his favorite dinosaur anymore and that maybe the trike will be his new favorite. Kinda wished he got attacked by a trike next.)