#remnants of history ( writing info/lore )

[pit-of-maggots]

EVENT: IL CARNEVALE DI VENEZIA (CLOSED)

The great High Priest of a notorious Gluttony Cult in Italy, Concetto Faunus, is away from home. Gone off to celebrate his birthday in Venice during the time of the Carnival, followed by the other three Gluttony Priests, and Domenico.

The event begins today, the date of my OC's actual birthday, February 11th, and it ends on March 31st at 10 PM GMT/5 PM EST.

This event will contain NSFW content, so please I ask to refrain from having underage muses interacting! (The exact same golden rule going for underage muns/writers obviously. You ain't off the hook either buster😠)

THERE ARE TWO SCENARIOS YOU CAN INVOLVE YOUR MUSE INTO:

You can have your muse join Faunus & the gang in the Carnival & his birthday celebration in general in Venice! Have fun! Drink! Eat to your heart's content! Cause shenanigans! Dance with the muses! Or you can try courting them too... just be careful if you choose to try your luck with Eve or Adam. (Context provided at the bottom here)

You can have your muse visit the Faunus residence (or stumble across it...); here, you will be greeted by one of Beata Maria's children: Lisa Maria-Antonietta, and her friendgroup: a selkie and witch guitarists, and a werewolf drummer; they are on babysitting duty, looking after Faunus' children: the faunettes, giant maggots with infant faces that will eat and destroy anything in their sight if they are not kept under proper watch, and will starve to death if not fed for more than a day and a half. Lisa is the lead singer of her band and a very passionate musician along with her friends, she might try to persuade your muse to stay and watch over the faunettes for them as they go to perform a quick live-show, would your muse be able to handle the thousands of worm toddlers? And If your muse stays long enough at the mansion... they might also be greeted by the deity of one of the Gluttony cults, Beelzebub! Coming to meet his worm grandchildren 💜

RULES:

1. First and foremost I request you read through the beginning of the event! So you have an idea of what is going on and gain more context about the scenarios instead of going in blind.

2. Anyone can join! Our muses don't need to know eachother already to interact. Just be sure to tag anything involving the event as #event: il carnevale di venezia !!

3. You can write random starters with either one of the two scenarios! Just tag me and be sure you've read the beginning of the event first. (Mainly to have some context)

4. If you want me to write a random starter for you, regarding this event, send me one of the following emojis:

🎭 for a completely random starter (muse will be picked by the mun) set in THE VENICE CARNIVAL. ( or by commenting 'masquerade' )

🏠 for a completely random starter (muse will be picked by the mun) set in THE FAUNUS RESIDENCE. ( or by commenting 'home' )

🐝 for a specific starter with FAUNUS. ( or by commenting 'fly' )

👾 for a specific starter with BEATA MARIA. ( or by commenting 'blob' )

🧚‍♀️ for a specific starter with EVE. ( or by commenting 'fairy' )

💚 for a specific starter with ADAM. ( or by commenting 'green heart' )

💋 for a specific starter with DOMENICO. ( or by commenting 'kiss' )

🔥 for a specific starter with FREDDY. ( or by commenting 'fire' )

🎸 for a specific starter with LISA. ( or by commenting 'guitar' )

5. If you're multimuse and you send one or more of the previous emojis: please specify which muse for which emoji!

6. Freddy is going to be present at the Venice Carnival only! So if you want a starter with him, your muse will be at the Carnival since he is keeping an eye from a distance on the leaders of the cults to ensure no mayhem or public hysteria breaks out as a result of them doing something they shouldn't. (Your muse can also provoke Freddy and somehow try to force him out of hiding to expose him to the Gluttony Priests, but that's entirely up to you)

7. As you may have noticed, Lisa's friends and Beelzebub do not have an emoji you can choose from above! That's because these guys in particular are not meant to be picked; they will appear on their own only if you choose to go to the Faunus Residence. (picture it as being like finding a rare Pokemon in a specific area!)

8. Only in the Carnival scenario belly kinks, stuffing/foodplay and vore kinks might be present, just so you're aware of that! If you specifically want to go for a more frisky route involving those- you can hmu with your nsfw alt. if you have one. (And please let me know what you are and aren't comfortable with!)

9. Anons are also welcome to interact with the event! Talk with any to the Gluttony Priests! Go pester Domenico! Ask questions about Lisa's friends! Try to grab a faunette! Go hog wild.

10. Have fun and no drama!! This event was made on the spot for funsies to celebrate my OC's birthday, interact with friends and other mutuals alike, and flesh out my own universe.

[dailyadventureprompts]

do your adventures and settings take place in like a specific dnd setting like faerûn or eberron and if not, is there a setting you feel fits best OR. you often include history tidbits in your location prompts so i was wondering if there is any unifying ~world or ~continental history or other setting info you might share or elaborate on?

If I'm honest, I find the idea of big canonical campaign settings sort of laughable. Every group changes the setting as needed and while it's useful for some DMs to have something to pull from to fill in the background, anyone who prioritizes memorizing the lore to improving their storytelling craft has missed the point of being a good storyteller.

As for my own campaigns, things drift in and out of existence as necessary. I love it when I can draw connections between my stories because that's just fun detail work, and I'm absolutely delighted when that happens enough for me to weave a full and cohesive campaign idea out of it. That said, ideas will often float around for months or years before they get pulled into any kind of cohesive setting, and the same idea may feature in multiple campaigns and radically different worlds over the years.

So much of my early years as a Dm was spent convinced that I had to make massive worldmaps and fill them up with original content, or fill entire journals with the exact flow of entire campaigns. The remnants of these attempts now sit in a pair of boxes on my self marked "Cringe Atlas" and "Library of Bad Ideas" respectively. Modular ideas gave me the freedom to work on my craft, and now when I run a campaign I can fill it with exactly as much detail as needed to tell a good story before recycling the pieces for the next.

Thanks for writing in friend, and if you'd like more off the wall information about any of my listed campaigns/adventures, do feel free to ask.

[moon-ursidae]

TBOBF SPOILERS

okay so i’m gonna try to put my incoherent video ramblings from when i watched the episode together. why i didn’t just write them down? no clue. this one’s LONG folks.

ANYWAY WE SHALL BEGIN??

(if there’s anything wrong here pls let me know!! i’d love to learn more about star wars lore!)

it opened up w that butcher set and i went “no way is he gonna show up this early” like i was fully expecting din to be in this ep for 20-30 minutes tops. BUT THE WHOLE DAMN EP?WHEW

his silhouette? so hot and sexy of him. ceo of dramatic entrances

HE SAID IT HE SAID THE THING!!!

then immediately felt the consequences

no but when he said that i got fucking chills

THEN HE WHIPPED OUT THE DARKSABER?? i was like “oh so we’re actually using this shit?? AIGHT THEN”

but what i loved seeing was how he struggles to use it. he kept throwing himself off, and had barely any control over it, ultimately burning himself with it.

and i LOVE THAT SHIT. like obviously he’s not gonna be well versed with this kind of weapon. he’s used to blasters, vibroblades, the spear, etc.

i also have to wonder if he’s taking jobs again to get any of his aggressions out. like obviously he’s upset and wants to distract himself. i would too if i had to hand over my kid to a jedi stranger, not knowing when i can see him again.

idk if the client specifically requested the head or what, but it seemed kinda like overkill in a way? he already cut him in half on the table, yelling while dealing the final blow. then also cut his head off? pretty brutal.

it kinda makes sense though bc that’s something i’d expect pre S1, or S1 din to do. but the last time we saw him bounty hunting was in s1, so i can see the connection there. he’s also without the kid, so he doesn’t really have to worry about him seeing that side of him. he never really got like that in front of the kid, unless i’m forgetting something haha.

and then when he’s turning the remnants of his bounty in, I LOVE that one continuous shot from when he’s walking up to the elevator, until he’s off the elevator again, going to the covert. SO HOT I LOVE BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD. the wrap around at the table? ITCHED MY BRAIN

the covert symbols!!! I YELLED. SCREAMED.

as soon as i saw those ladders i was like DIN PLEASE BE CAREFUL SIR YOUR LEG and then he almost fell. i G A S P E D. lots of gasping this ep actually

THE ARMORER OUT OF FOCUS?? AND THE FORGE SOUNDS IN THE DISTANCE IN THE SCORE?? D E L I C I O U S. WONDERFUL.

also that shot where it pushes in on the back of the armorer and we see the stars and the city above her that seem to stay stationary while the camera pushes in? LOVELY. the camerawork and direction on this ep is 🤌🏻🤌🏻

i’m glad that those that don’t know the backstory behind the darksaber are getting that info now!! i haven’t made my way through all of clone wars, or started rebels, so this was v nice.

like i already knew that a vizsla forged the saber, so i expected paz to be inquisitive as to how din has a piece of his ancestral history. i’d imagine being a part of clan vizsla carries a lot of weight and expectation, so i understand why paz is pissed about it. the ends up challenging din for it.

going back to mando history, that fucking flashback to the night of a thousand tears was devastating. i started tearing up. i couldn’t imagine living through that tragedy. seeing all those mandalorian helmets on the ground? GODDAMN.

on a more lighthearted note, “a specific foundling” I LOST IT. LOST MY MIND. and the way he’s like “nah fuck that jedi shit that’s MY kid bro. family comes first.”

WHEN SHE STARTED SPEAKING MANDO’A AHHHHHHHHHHH YEA BABY!!

i did laugh tho when he fell off and she was just like 😐 AND THEN BONKED HIM ON THE HEAD HEHEHE

but are we gonna talk about how hot and sexy it was when din was like “maybe.” then the “and now it belongs to me.” FINISHING IT OFF WITH THE “that’s right.” SO HOT SO SEXY GIRLBOSS DIN DJARIN

i know it’s a very serious thing, but referring to my other post about this, i can’t help but chuckle a bit bc it feels like 2 kids fighting over who gets a turn on the xbox.

also paz was really getting ready to fully murder din djarin for this blade. someone from his own covert. this shit holds WEIGHT. like how many times have 2 people that cared about each other fought/killed over this blade? goddamn.

WHEN SHE STARTED ASKING ABOUT HELMET REMOVAL I WAS LIKE PLEASE DON’T ASK DIN MISS GIRL. and the way din pauses thinking how he’s gonna go about it? YEAAAA. like was he gonna lie? i’d imagine he’d almost feel worse about that.

and then she was so blunt about it. “then you are a mandalorian no more” i felt so bad for din. he sounded so desperate with the “i beg for your forgiveness. how can i atone?” POOR TIN CAN MAN DUDE🥺

maybe he’s better off without them though. i think his time with grogu allowed for some self discovery, and he was able to begin to forge his own path. it diverts away from what being a child of the watch is. what he’s known. i respect him so much for that. breaking away from religion like that is HARD. i can see s3 touching on this more in depth maybe?

after getting kicked out, din still sees/knows himself as a mandalorian. when going through customs he said the “i’m a mandalorian. weapons are part of my religion.” he saw bo katan and her fireteam remove their helmets. they’re still mandalorians. why can’t he do the same?

speaking of bo katan I KNOW she’d be PUNCHIN THE AIR rn if she saw din djarin put the fucking darksaber in that luggage. I LOVE that juxtaposition though. here’s this weapon that hold so much goddamn history and weight, but let’s put it in this luggage bc customs won’t allow weapons on the transport

din stays fuckin strapped though. i didn’t even know he carried that small blaster and like a whole fucking bomb???

THE DAD POINT “i know everything that’s in there” 😑👉🏻

when he’s looking out the window with such melancholy? UGGHHH and the little kid waving at him was so cute. and then he was like “damn wish my kid was here” and took out his lil gift. WHICH IS WRAPPED IN THE SHAPE OF GOGURT’S HEAD!!!! i threw myself on the floor bro. shit’s cutting deep.

all the music from the first season is really nice as well. i fuckin love it. tasteful. delicious.

MOS EISLEY BABY🕺🏻 pickup those power converters for luke will ya?

BD UNIT. I REPEAT. BD UNIT. AHHH

PELIIIIIIIIIII MY BELOVED I LOVE HERRRR

din hittin that sexy lean? MMM YEA

fuck that womp rat. all my homies hate that womp rat

he was so hopeful for another crest UUUGGHHH this poor guy

when she pulled of that tarp i, you’ll never guess, threw myself into the wall. THIS IS WHERE THE FUN BEGINS. HEHEHEHEHE

“do you want your credits back?” 😐 “yes.” PFFFFFFFT

peli goin into car salesman mode I LOVE “while we’re waiting, can i tell you a little something about this honey?”

god i fucking love amy sedaris

shooing away the droid with the credits

WHEN HE WAS WORKING WITH THE BD UNIT🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 YA’LL GOTTA STOP

his voice sounded so soft🥺

“higher. yea. just a little- no, a little higher. i can’t even see what i’m doing. can you stop moving?” *sigh* “just focus right here. yes, yes. thank you.” SUCH A FUCKING DAD.

that was a mouthful lmao “the jawas had a turbonic venturi assimilator from a galactic republic-era starfighter?” that’s the most i’ve ever heard him say at once

“dated a jawa for a while. they’re quite furry. very furry.” AND THE MOUTH SOUNDS. I LOVE PELI

how the fuck amy sedaris spoke jawa without laughing, beyond me. I LOVE HER

din talking ship parts? kinda hot. my god i am down bad.

“oh that’s okay. i’m workin on me right now.” YEA PELI AS YOU SHOULD💅🏻

i love this whole ship building montage. i’m a sucker

“where does this panel go?” *bd shows him* “thanks little guy.” *bd happy dance* PLEASE I CAN’T DO THIS AT 6 AM

peli is lowkey smart for having him help her with the ship. giving him a distraction UGHH🥺

pyke spice runner?👀

the evolution of him fucking obliterating jawas in s1 to saying “thank you” and paying them!!!

THE SHIP LOOKS SO FUCKIN DOPE W THE SILVER AND YELLOW LIKE THE CREST

i’m so used to him having a gunship this is odd

THE DROID PORT IS NOW FOR GOGURT I DON’T MAKE THE RULES

the music here AHHHHH the strings? beautiful.gorgeous.etheral.

peli lookin at him like that OH MY GOD she looks so proud

the parent-kid dynamic of the “start her up!” “really?” “yea! start her up!” 🥺🥺🥺🥺

she wants to skip the technical parts so he can feel the reward of building the ship AHHH

“i’ll open her up” YA’LL I’VE BEEN READING TOO MUCH FIC🥴

“gonks’s scomp jack”

the music when he’s flying up and off planet is so fucking good

NODDING AT THE KID I CAN’T FUCKING DO THIS TODAY

i love the angle from inside the cockpit. seeing the outside of the cockpit while he’s flying is so dope.

THE X-WING PILOT FROM SEASON 2 HELPIN A HOMIE OUT YUHHH

“you mind answering a few questions” CAN’T TALK NOW GOTTA GO😐✌🏻

“well? how was it?” “wizard.” PLEAASSSEEEEEE I CAN’T

“she tell you her name?” *in the distance* “fennec shand”

me: *immediate bisexual panic*

THE MUSIC🤌🏻

AND THE CALLBACK TO “we need muscle.”

“tell him it’s on the house.” DEVELOPMENT YA’LL

“i gotta pay a visit to a little friend” *credits start* me: crying, banging my fists in the floor

Starring: TEMUERA MORRISON (miss girl where??)

the card that said pedro’s name was HOT

OKAY SO, that was hella cool.

am i upset that boba was not in it and fennec was there for less than a minute? a little bit yea. it is The Book of Boba Fett after all.

this basically felt like the s3 pilot, which makes me wonder what the actual 1st ep will be like since we got A LOT from this one. maybe there was a way to set up s3 without overshadowing the plot of tbobf, but this was still a really good ep. bryce dallas howard knocked it outta the park i’m so proud of her!!

but yea i’m not gonna be able to focus in any of my classes today.

[itsclydebitches]

Another problem RWBY has is that a lot of side matter are better written then the show itself. Songs? Characters motivation in only a few line. Novels? Insight on character inner thoughts. App game? Better or any explanation on character backstory? World of Remnant? Better world building. Handbook? Actually telling us characters weapons and semblance names. The amount of stuff that is better outside the show tells you a lot.

I’ve got a couple of other asks that touch on this, namely in regards to some of these sources clarifying Salem’s motivations (which I hope to answer tomorrow). But yes. Part of the issue is RT putting non-supplemental material into supplemental creations. Telling us that the primary enemy evolved in an app game, or telling us what our primary villain’s plans are in a companion book... neither of these things are additional content that can be separated from the main story. Not when your villain’s motivations are important for reasons I shouldn’t need to explain, or your heroes are fighting in a kingdom where the cold - and the enemy’s reaction to it - has a major impact on the fights. In a fighting show. RT doesn’t seem to have a good handle on what parts of their  story are significant, so not only does it lead to them trying to make unimportant things sound important (Ruby will learn hand-to-hand rather than mastering her Silver Eyes) it also leads to them putting crucial information into side-creations. They seem to think this information is supplemental when it’s very much not. Or, even if they’re keeping it secret in the web-series for some reason - Salem’s plans will be revealed in a suitably dramatic way somewhere down the line - why ruin that for everyone who does pick up the additional material? 

In addition to not having a good sense of what should be driving the main story, compartmentalizing information like this is just plain easier to do. It’s easier to list grimm facts on their game cards. It’s easier to explain world building in bite-sized shorts that are about that aspect of Remnant and that aspect alone. It’s easier to write about a side character in a novel that’s not concerned with the main characters. Meanwhile, it’s so very hard to figure out how to incorporate all that into one cohesive, entertaining tale. (Which is often why, if you create OC’s, it’s much easier and more fun to present facts about them in short posts instead of figuring out how to weave that all into a narrative. Cool ideas rarely come attached to their story). Because the addition of a story requires that you present everything in a logical manner. How do we naturally bring up these grimm facts? How do a bunch of teens already know/learn so much about the world’s history? How do we tell this character’s story without drawing too much attention away from the main heroes? A good writer recognizes opportunities - they can learn basic facts in a school setting or a mission briefing, we’ve introduced a character who has lived through all this history (and another who studies it), if we have first years train with their older peers that creates opportunities to learn more about Coco without abandoning Team RWBY’s development - and a good writer also knows when to pull back, when to say, “That’s too much info for an action-driven story and it’s not crucial for the audience’s understanding/investment. I’ll save that for a supplemental publication or fun tidbits in interviews.” Some writers don’t succeed. Or that success is subjective. That’s one of the reasons why I lost interest in George RR Martin’s novels: too much detailed history/lore when all I wanted was to know what happens. Meanwhile, my friend positively adored that level of detail and considered it a crucial part of the fantasy genre. In contrast, a story without a lot of explanation may produce feelings of frustration or delight at the opportunity to imagine things for yourself. Tastes differ. But RWBY has skewed so far in one direction that much of the story simply doesn’t make sense - and you never want that. In contrast to Martin, RT needs someone to tell them, “Figure out a way to bring that up in the web-series, even if it’s just through blatant exposition, because it’s important.” 

[pinetreewitch]

Really Big Witchy Masterpost

This is everything I have in my google docs pertaining to witchcraft, except my own stuff because I’m too lazy to also do that so here are just some links. I don’t know how organized it is or if some of the links contain fake information (as I usually just save them so I can read them at some point in my life.) Let me know if you find anything problematic or unhelpful, or if you just have suggestions. I’ll probably continuously update this. Have fun!

Astral Projection/Lucid Dreaming magick-

Astral projection Warnings

Planes of Existence

Astronomy/Astrology-

Spells and Moon Phases

Quick Lunar phases and Correspondences

Star Magic

Planetary Rulers

Solar Magic

Cosmic Witchcraft

When to do stuff

Celestial Warding

Simple planetary magic

How to write cosmic spells

Celestial music

Astrology Starter Pack

Astrology, the basics

Planetary botanical blends

Candles, Colours -

Candle colours and meanings (MASTERPOST)

More candle colors

Psychology of Colours

Planets and Colours

Candle Flame Meanings

Crystals-

Cleansing crystals MASTERPOST

Mineral and Crystal safety and care MASTERPOST

Crystals for the green witch

Selenite

Crystal Colour Meanings

Raw Quartz

Different crystal shapes

Cleansing crystals

List of crystals and how to NOT charge them

Astrology crystals idk

Crystals for Dreaming

Divination-

Scrying Methods

Fire Scrying Basics

Hydromancy- (1) (2)

Sea Shell Divination

Runes-

Anglo Saxon runes

Fun ways to divine

Stone casting

Dreamwork-

Dreamwork Correspondents Masterpost

Crystals for Dreaming

Earth Magic-

Earth Magic MASTER

Crystals for the green witch

Using dirt and soil

Energy work-

Sensing energy

Elemental attunement

Charging

Seeing auras

More Auras

Energy work

Energy for beginners - (pt1) (pt2)

“Sinking” (grounding)

Empaths in Crowds

Grounding Visualizations

Energy work master post

Meditation stuff

Empaths

If u cant meditate

Pendulums

Meditation and hypnosis

Warding

Glamours

Faeries-

Faeries

List of fae MASTERPOST

Tuatha de Danann

Faefolk lesson

Faerie Magick

Faerie tradition

Lore

Dryads and other Faery lore

Communication

Seeing

Contact

Offerings

Characteristics

Fae meals

Fae

Fae

Faerie Garden

Leanan Sidhe

Offerings to the fae

Grimoire stuff-

Pretty grimoire

Another pretty grimoire

Grimoire ideas

History and random info-

Types of witches (history and other stuff)

The elements?

Witches ladder

Crossroads

Poludnica

Leanan Sidhe

Witch of Endor

Slavic/Russian Pagan Resources

Pretty Latin words relating to the night

Palo Mayombe

Resource blogs

Nocturnal

LAWS OF MAGICK

MORE Laws of magick

Hoodoo and Palo Mayombe

Prayers for modern deities

Unworshipped gods

What is secular witchcraft lmao

Bees in folklore

Persephone (Tumblr post)

Witchcraft in Winter

Jinxes, Hexes, Curses-

What to do after a big curse

Reverse a curse

Sea witch curse

Remove a Curse

Morality?

Alternatives

Kitchen witchcraft-

Basic Ideas

Moon Cakes

Magical Correspondents

Practical and ritual correlations between cooking and the craft

Music-

Majour Scale Correspondences

Minor Scale Correspondences

Music Witchcraft MASTERPOST

Celestial music

Winter solstice music

Paranormal-

Precautions

Lots of tips

Safety

Communing with the dead

Introduction

Spirit Work Basics

Spirits of Place

Automatic Writing

Sensing and recognizing

Necromancy

Plants and Herbs-

Poisonous plants

Rosemary

Dandelion

Dandelion

Blackberry

8 forms of potions

Mistletoe

Herb Growers Cheat Sheet

9 Healing Herbs

Planetary Botanical Herbs

Flower Associations

Common Substitutions In Witchcraft - Herbs and Oils

Herb MASTERPOST

Herbal uses in tea

Bay Leaf

Herbs and stuff used in weather magic

Herbs in Sleep magic

A-Z incense list

Plant tips

More plants and uses and shit

More sleepy herbs

Smoke cleansing with wood

Protection and Warding-

A Crash Course in Warding

shielding master post

Protection sachet

4 shells protection spell

Witches ward

Protection chants

Self Defense MASTERPOST

Aggressive protection jar

Celestial warding

Protection techniques

Malignant spirits, be gone

Warding Meditation

Mistakes in Warding i

Mistakes in Warding ii

Quick protection ward

A long list of ways to spiritually protect yourself

Ultimate protection magic masterpost i

Sachets-

Protection sachet

Sea craft-

Working with the tides

4 shells protection spells

Sea Witchcraft MASTERPOST

Scapegoat (returns to sender idk)

Tips

Landlocked sea witch salt

Calming Gif

Sea witch curse

Charging sea glass

Sea witch stuff

Sea witches bottle

A sea witch is well protected

Sea herbs and plants

Ocean Water

Minerals for Sea Witches

Sea Glass

Sea Shell Divination

“Sinking” (grounding)

Sea Herbs and Plants

Different Waters

More magical water

Sigils and symbols-

Serpent sigil

Sigil MASTERPOST

Some symbols

Alchemical Symbols

Malignant spirits, be gone

Spells-

Writing spells

Spell writing

Knot magic

More Knot Magic

Witches ladder

Witches ward

Cosmetics and Glamour

Glamours

Why wasn’t it successful

Wanna make time seem faster?

Beginner bos

50 simple charms

Sweet ass money spell

To remember more dreams

How to enchant an item

How to make a witches ladder

Sensory Bottle Thing

“Hail the Glow Cloud” a nightvale spell to draw surreal experiences to your area

Casting Glamors

Memory Spell

To Make Someone Forget a Secret

Banishing Nightmares

Spell to “calm the waves” (ease tension between relationships)

Actions

Disposing of Spell Remnants

Time of Day for spells

Alleviate self-hatred

Motivation star jar

Simplicity

Frost Salts

To find something lost - knot magic Sleep remedies

SLeep and dream pillows

Luck and money powder

Sigil for anxiety/panic attacks

Motivation

Spell sheet thing

A touch, a tempest

Chronically Ill Witchcraft

Storm craft-

Knots to bind the wind

More binding

Weather MASTER

Herbs and stuff used in weather magic

More weather stuff

Weather stones and other things

Predicting the sky

Whistling up wind and rain

History of the art of storm calling

Weather magic and folklore

Weather witching

Resources for storm and weather magic

Tempestarii (wiki article)

Traditional storm raising methods

Rainwater

[silent-of-spirit]

World of Warcraft rant below, in regards to datamined info about the Battle for Azeroth expansion. Spoilers abound, but much of this is subject to change, considering we are still in Alpha (Here’s hoping) @inner-muse because you Get Me (tm) on this particular subject.

(Warning this is like PURE salt. I KNOW things may change, I KNOW that Blizz is known for retconning lore. Just... allow me my salt. I am Tired (tm))

Salty rant brought to you by this.

So, Night Elves. The Night Elves have been a historically strong and prominent race in lore. Their empire spread over much of Azeroth in ancient times, and even since, Kalimdor has largely been under Night Elf influence. This is a people who created one of the strongest and most fearsome armies Azeroth has ever known, comprised entirely of women while their men lie sleeping beneath the earth in barrow dens.This is an army that gave Warchiefs pause, an army that could not be overtaken by the might of the Horde. This is why Night Elven territory has largely been left alone despite the heavy Horde presence spreading over Kalimdor.

This is a people who has beaten back the Legion not once, but twice with very little - if any - outside assistance. This is a people from which some of Warcraft’s most powerful lore characters come from. Azshara, Illidan, Malfurion, Tyrande, a race which Ysera gave her favor and which holds the favor of one of the most powerful Goddesses in Warcraft - Elune, AKA the mother of the Naaru?

And this is a race that has been consistently shit on since Cataclysm. This is a race whose leader loses more of her spine with each new expansion - a woman who, historically, was known for her strength and fearlessness, who was chosen to lead her people because of her ability to do so. She is a woman who doesn’t crumble beneath pressure or difficult decisions, a woman who will accept an alliance but will not bow before them. She is a woman who has always led her people in a way that strengthens them, and a woman who would not hesitate to cut any ties that would hinder their progression. Tyrande is proud and fierce while still serving her people and her goddess with little regard to herself.

Or, she used to be. Now Blizzard tosses us the watered-down priestess who quakes in the face of the encroaching Horde, who bends over backwards to meet the demands of a King who would not do the same for her people (I LOVE Varian, don’t get me wrong, but if you think he would show the same devotion to the Night Elves that Tyrande does to the Alliance, well... agree to disagree.) A woman who spent ten thousand years aching for her lover, but still leading a strong and proud people, who falls apart the moment he returns? That is not the Tyrande I know. That is not the Tyrande I accept. With each expansion she becomes more unrecognizable - a spineless, blithering creature that makes me wonder if Blizzard even remembers their own lore. And now? With the burning of Teldrassil? You expect me to believe that she would not fight with everything in her to protect the World Tree? To protect her people? Her home? She has a goddess on her side! One who quite literally speaks through her at times and will imbue her with power.

But Sarah, we don’t know yet that she doesn’t fight back. Okay, okay, I will give you that one - but with this caveat. I truly believe that if she fought the way her character would, then she would not have survived the burning of Teldrassil. Datamining has showed us that Tyrande is alive and well.

Back to the People. Cataclysm wasn’t the beginning of Blizzard showing the faltering might of the Night Elves, but it was the most prominent stepping stone to further lore and expansions that continue to stomp all over the Night Elves. Now, okay, okay, I know, the Cataclysm destroyed major Night Elf settlements and lands... but not their armies. The Sentinels were split between Teldrassil and Feralas (both locations which the Cataclysm itself did very little in the way of destruction), with very few of their numbers actually falling during the events that rent the world. (Remember, a singular army that actually stopped the Horde from taking Night Elf lands. No backup, just THEM.) So now all of a sudden the Horde are invading Ashenvale? And making like... a lot of headway? (I know the reasonings behind the invasion. The invasion itself makes sense, but not how FAR they got) So... the sentinels just... do nothing? And the Night Elves can’t take back Ashenvale? I’m sorry? Please direct me to the place where this makes sense cuz like... it doesn’t. (Not bringing Hyjal or Desolace or Darkshore into this because the Cataclysm had much more of an impact than the Horde did in those zones) And yeah, the Cataclysm dealt the Night Elves a serious blow. I’m not discounting that, but their armies are still intact.

An army of expertly trained warriors from a race that is known above all else for their fierce pride. They would not sit idle. Even while helping their devastated territories, they would have more than enough numbers to march to Ashenvale and drive the horde back out. MORE than enough. The Horde presence was barely a blip in the grand scheme, and yet Blizz tried to tell us that they could not be pushed back, and that the elves are struggling to find purchase in this newly rent world. Ajhegdfkjg. The Night Elves are probably the most ADAPTABLE people in Warcraft lore. They survived the Sundering, survived the Legion TWICE (four times if you count BC and Legion now), survived demons and the Nightmare and betrayal and power and corruption and a world that has done everything in its power to see them wiped clean of it. They survived it ALL and THRIVED (not to the extent they used to, granted, but compared to others?) They moved, they rebuilt, they replanted, they trained and grew and prospered in the wake of all THAT and now you tell me that the Cataclysm is too much for them to come back from? AHjjhdgfh.

Mists wasn’t as hard on the race as a whole, but it was really a turning point in regards to Tyrande and how much her character had declined in SUCH an out of character way. Sending her people to a new land while the Horde still pressed in on Night Elf territories and their Warchief cackled in glee in nearby Orgrimmar after the bombing of an Allied city on her continent? Are you serious? *deep breath* Always always always she would put her PEOPLE first, not the runaway whelp of an allied king when there was still so much at stake. (Again, LOVE Anduin and Varian) The Night Elves didn’t even get a chance to rebuild before she was sending them off to places unknown at the command of Varian Wrynn. *salt salt salt salt*

Draenor? Same shtick, but with weird space-time travel that the Night Elves should want NO part of. (Hello? Well of Eternity anyone? Weird magic leads to baddddd things. Night Elves were RAISED not to trust that shit or anything having to do with the Void, which, let’s be honest, most weird time-space magic is usually Void related in some form or fashion)

Legion? *deeper breath, distant screaming* This expansion was the worst thing that could happen to Night Elves as a whole, Tyrande included. Yes, yay, we get to journey back to their ancestral homeland but then BAM we are smacked in the face with a corrupted World Tree, corrupted ghosts of a once noble order, a desecrated Vault and corrupted Wardens, the return of Illidan the Betrayer and all his cronies who are literally Part Demon, remnants of their people who survived in a protective shield only to turn to a well of arcane power (HELLO WELL OF ETERNITY AGAIN), Azshara’s naga cronies, tortured ghosts of Aszuna, satyrs everywhere you look in Val’Sharah, Old God bullshit, MORE Legion, and a consistent theme in the expansion is whacking us in the face with how easily Night Elves can be corrupted, used, and tossed aside. Weak Night Elves are like... half of all the content in the expansion. And that’s what upsets me so much, is that they are being painted this way and shoved in our faces as THIS and they are NOT weak, NOT easily corrupted (at least not any more than the other races), NOT power-mad, (the list goes on) And like? They face all of this absolute pile of shit in their ANCESTRAL HOME and they don’t even give themselves time to GRIEVE before they are leaping in to drive the darkness back. Like what about that is weak? Nothing, but hey, let’s paint them that way anyways.

And Tyrande? I cried actual tears at how she was portrayed. Malfurion too, though less so. Where did her fire go? Where did her spine go? Where is that ferocity and tenacity and pride that made me fall in love with her in the first place? There is so little trace of it left in this expansion that it actually felt like a physical blow. Instead we see her as a whimpering girl (aside from her interactions with Thalyssra. That is the most in character I have felt her be in a long time.)

And now we have a coming expansion that threatens to diminish the Night Elves and their proud history even more (I love the overall, okay, but the Night Elf stuff and Teldrassil REALLY bothers me). Not to mention, Sylvanas’ datamined dialogue regarding Teldrassil and Kalimdor? It feels like forced and lazy writing - a lore-shattering shove just to be able to justify the whole “separate continents” thing without really delving into why it is necessary or acknowledging the Night Elves and their history and how UNLIKELY it would be for the Horde to even get far enough to manage to torch the World Tree.

Yes, I am a Night Elf fangirl, but I think I am justified in feeling the way I do. When I see people who main Horde even seeing this pattern and saying the Night Elves should get a break? That should say a lot. We have been consistently shafted for no real reason other than lazy writing, and I am just... Tired (tm)

End rant.

[sparda3g]

Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 131 Review

Making a decision is often seen as a difficult task. It all lies on one person and whatever he/she decides, the responsibility now rest on that shoulder. It can be an ultimatum and it can lead to a large amount of pressure. It's not easy to declare if it's the best or worst decision until the effect passes through, and it can take a while. This chapter clearly reflects the notion and it's only matter of time to see where the path leads to.

The chapter continues to draw out more drama as well as world building with a newer mystery to think over. The mystery aspect goes to what Ayato discovered far underneath the surface and the drama continues off with Touka and Kaneki. It continues to have me more invested with this newly discovered location that can expand the lore further, yet it has me tore up to see where Kaneki and Touka have to go through. It's hard to fault them to make their decision and much like video games, you just have to hope that it's not a bad one.

The chapter clearly starts to push the audience on thinking of what Touka will do. What will Kaneki do? Will they actually risk themselves to save one friend? Kaneki monologues more than usual in here because it challenges his mind on what is considered the right choice. Even when he was talking to the kids, his mind is boggled with the thought of Touka and possibly meeting Mutsuki in order to meet her demand.

Touka on the top of the tower or some sort has me feeling uneasy. I'm not saying she was going to suicide, but it's that mood of depression taking place. It's one of those moments where people outside can't truly tell on what they're thinking; even if you jump to conclusion to suicide, you could still end up not knowing. Kaneki couldn't read Touka exactly; only believe that she's doing fine. It doesn't help that she is great at putting a front, so it's the highest level of poker face.

One of the more unsettling notes is Kaneki is confirmed to be in a bad state and it will continue to worsen; unless in theory, he starts going cannibalism. Nishiki believes that he needs high concentration RC cells in his body. I always thought that Kaneki just needs to eat human and get the nourishment to get better, unless I forgot something. Maybe he's really in a bad state to the point now he has to eat ghouls.

Basing off of the explanation of his body, it interpreted that his body may be aging at a rapid rate. I wonder if this means Ishida is a fan of Metal Gear Solid. I don't know if this is true based on science, but it looks like the repercussion of a human becoming a Ghoul has more side effect than initially said. When Kaneki begins to cry out blood, it puts us the audience in a conflicted feeling. If he really goes out there, who knows that his body will just suddenly give up on him.

I should mention his moment with Kou. Kou is a lunatic that somehow put out a fanboy display. What perplexed me is the amount of info that he knows about Kaneki. I understand that he's from CCG, but it got me wondering if he knows more about him. He said that he doesn't know much about the letter, which could be a lie even said in honesty, but it puts Kaneki on a really tough position.

Taking break from all of that, the interesting aspect comes in with what Ayato is exploring. It's practically a ghost town until three kids come out of nowhere with stronger than first level Kagune. After Ayato essentially stopped them from fighting, the mystery kicks in when they first speak. I don't know if the translation from one site decided to translate it in a normal language or the real dialogues is full of babbles, but if the latter is true, then I like the fact that they don't know the proper language. That or their accent hinders their speech.

There are a lot of confusing yet interesting points coming from this one sit down. These kids believed that they are human. Maybe they are but if true, why they're in that area? They thought Ayato is there to eat them and they make it sound like a traditional part of life. It's even stranger that they said this area is Tokyo itself. I'm confused as Ayato by this point. Lastly, they say "Nagas" destroyed everything. The sight of what appears to a massive size of Kagune is staggering.

I don't want to go to completely on theory level since this is a review, but I want to address this part quickly. I don't know what is "Nagas" but it could be either a Ghoul from above or One-eyed Ghoul from below. Maybe the kids are ghouls and train to act like human. The reason could be that they are made to be eaten up later on, if that is their nourishment. As for Tokyo, maybe since everyone grows up there, they are trained to believe in a made-up area.

On the other hand, there were human remnants back there, so perhaps they are them. But then it only leaves me confused. Perhaps this is Tokyo or rather was. Maybe what's above is the new Tokyo that no one is aware of. How they can even live down there for long? It leaves a lot of questions that could tie in with the history of CCG and perhaps V. I heard that Nagas is an old language name for "Dragon" or something like that. I don't know exactly, but this could be a revelation that may connect to not only Furuta but the Washuu.

The last segment resumes with Kaneki and Touka and this couldn't be more unsettling. It bothers me that all these nice pairing moments are done along with terrifying event. It's not that I don't like them in a writing sense; it's more of uncomfortable feeling that it's done in a tragic way. It's similar to that one recent anime that I won't spoil where it feels like it's nice and charming but the end path is nothing but downhill slope and everything you would like to end on a good note didn't happen. This chapter didn't help.

It begins with Touka and her decision while talking to Kaneki. He believes that she will outright tell him on what to do next. It's not as apparent as you would think, but it makes the moment more effective. When she announces her possible pregnancy, Kaneki wanted to be happy or anything that a guy would react; accident not included. Instead, he is more devastated that Touka reacted like the world continues the same before the memo was read; in other words, it's ignored. This leaves Kaneki to bring it up or it can be ignored completely.

He dismissed it.

The thought of marriage sounds nice in one world, but in this series, it's done more of distraction and dare I say death flag rise. Distraction as in deludes the thought of her best friend being executed and keeps the flow going with the thought of happiness. Let's be sadly honest, marriage is a death flag sign in media, unless it's not battle. Then again, "that" anime did axe one still...

In any case, this is pretty hard to watch with its presentation and the continuous struggle from Kaneki. There are plenty of monologues from him that shares with you on his situation. The last part could be mistaken like they are so selfish for each other, but you have to recall the place they're in. Kaneki is weak, Touka is pregnant maybe, GOAT is not as strong as they were, going up there can risk everyone to be exposed in which leads to extermination, and so on.

If anything, Touka is taking the worst. Just because we didn't see her reaction about her best friend, it doesn't mean she feels nothing. She was at that tower, which is an obvious metaphor. Again, many of their love actions are based on distraction and that is tragic enough. It will be significantly worse if everything becomes a naught such as giving birth. It's the matter of how much they can endure.

This chapter brought in a hard-hitting decision, strange mystery of the newly discovered location, and the ending that continues to bring the worst is underway. It's somewhat an uncomfortable chapter. In another series, it could have been sublime and touching to see them as lovers, but make no mistake, it's going to get worse from here on. Will they survive? I hope so.

[drink-n-watch]

  Genre : Action, Drama, Historical, Time, Action

Episodes: 13

Studio: ufotable

  To mere mortals, time may seem like a steady unyielding stream, flowing eternally from the past to the future. But to those who know better, it’s a chaotic whirlpool that spins back on itself and splashes all over the place. If you’re not careful, the whole thing is liable to fall apart. Kind of like this analogy. The Time Retrograde Army has been pulling all the stops to disturb the flow of history but thankfully, the loyal Swords of the second unit are here to stand in their way. No matter *when* a disturbance comes up, they rush to the frontlines to take the enemies down while the unsuspecting humans go about their destinies. But all wars have casualties and the loyalties of even the most faithful soldiers can be tested when they need to choose between their old Master and their new one.

Did that description make any sense? Touken Ranbu is kind of a weird series guys. It’s a bit all over the place. I did my best!

I watched Touken Ranbu Hanamaru last year and was very pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure what I expected at the time but it certainly wasn’t a cute slice of Life comedy with mild fanservice and nonsense humour. Essentially a Moe show for those who like chiselled abs. It was way more fun than it had any right to be and I quickly added Katsugeki to my watch list for when I was in the mood for another lighthearted pretty boy fest.

oh no, pretty boy is sad!

From the very first scene, I thought to myself, well this looks different. Good but different yet also familiar. As the opening credits came up I instantly realized what I what I was seeing as the name “ufotable” came up on the screen. I have been watching A Lot of ufotable lately. Sure I saw fate back in the day but in the past few months, I have been making my way through all the Garden of Sinners movies as well as my weekly Demon Slayer viewings with Crow. I can now say that the studio has a pretty distinctive visual style AND certain storytelling preferences. Just one look at Katsugeki Touken Ranbu was enough to see that it was indeed a ufotable anime. Which makes sense considering the studio’s frequent collaborations with Nitro+. Ranbu is based on a mobile game by Nitro in case you didn’t know.

My instant follow-up thought was: is Hanamaru also ufotable? It looked really different. Man, I can’t wait to see ufotable’s take on cute boys doing cute things! That is so out of the studio’s usual fare!.. for the record they did not produce Hanamaru, that was Doga Kobo. Something that becomes obvious in retrospect.

The studio has some undeniable strengths and certain weaknesses. The visual style is blunt, striking, with saturated colours and fantastic use of light and shadows. Whether it’s to your personal tastes or not, the look is clearly polished. Likewise, animation is often impressive and ufotable has some of the best CG integration in the business. Katsugeki is no exception with frequent CG which is in general perfectly melded to the animation. To me, it went just a bit overboard in the last episodes and ended up clashing with the rest of the show but otherwise, it was good.

it may not translate to stills so well but this is 90% CG

On the flipside, I have not been as impressed with the audio mastery of the studio. In this series the soundtrack is uninspired and at times overbearing. As for the voice acting…. I’ve heard some of these actors before so I know they can act but it just didn’t work here. The delivery was all over the place making it seem like characters standing next to each other were reacting to completely different situations and there was a clear lack of chemistry.

The most disappointing production aspect for me was the lack of the non-verbal storytelling I’ve been so impressed with in the other ufotable works I mentioned above. There is some blunt use of light to set up the mood but otherwise, I didn’t notice anything worth writing about. And I think this may be in part because of the narrative itself.

Like I mentioned, Touken Ranbu is based on a nitro+ mobile game. Last time I checked there was only a Japanese version out so I haven’t had a chance to try it out. From what I understand it’s a sort of digital card collecting game mixed with a little dog fighting. You get random sword cards which each have specific stats, group them together in “units” and send them out to battle *stuff*. There’s also some situational lore where the swords are famous historical weapons, having belonged to famous historical warriors and the battles are based on real life events. I don’t know much beyond that. This is because every video I’ve found explaining or reviewing the game have all been extremely confusing. Seems like it’s one of those games with dozens of mechanics that add up to more or less the same thing and an extremely complex backstory which sounds kind of deep but is never developed enough for you to really understand it. It’s just flavouring for a CCG.

not that I got anything against falvour

Why did I just waste a paragraph on that? It’s because I need you to understand how thin the source material is. To fix that Hanamaru Touken Ranbu took the sword characters and kept their in game designs but treated the lore much like the game does, as a bit of background info. The actual show was a completely unrelated imagining of the cute hijinks the swords get up to when they are not fighting and had little to do with the actual game. In fact, the only obvious remnant of the game origins was the choice of never showing “the master” onscreen, who represents the player character not actually in the game. It became a pretty fun running gag. Oh, an in case it isn’t clear, those guys ARE the swords. They get personified as good lookin’ dudes!

I was really looking forward to seeing how ufotable would handle a Moe show. Demon Slayer is so far the most light-hearted series I have seen from them and it’s still a brutal tale of loss and revenge filled with blood and death. How would the studio shift to a fluffy comedy?

The answer is, they wouldn’t. Aside from both being Touken Ranbu, Hanamaru and Katsugeki are completely different shows. A fact made clear in the first episode with a very visible master that turned out to be a blank nondescript young man.

he seems like a nice kid, just a little boring…

Katsugeki feels much more loyal to the game (although I can’t tell for sure) and many moments felt like illustrations of game mechanics. The story stays firmly “only lore”, concentrating all the action on those reenactments of historical battles as the second unit tries to stop retrograde soldiers from changing history. If what I just wrote sounds a bit hard to follow then you’re right on track.

To me, this change was detrimental to the series. Katsugeki Touken Ranbu is watchable but every narrative element feels threadbare and underdeveloped. And by this I mean not only the actual storyline but also the characters and settings. Everything is just sort of surface level. If I was more familiar with the game or maybe more up on my classical Japanese martial history, I probably would have appreciated the series more, but as it is, it was just a “pretty meh” for me. I mean the series was pretty but I was kinda bored.

Good thing I could count on Yager and his sexy sexy voice for distraction!

oh…me too!

Favorite character: Yager (I think it’s the voice…I’m not sure…The hotpants don’t hurt)

What this anime taught me: the Battle of Hakodate in Hokkaido was the last stand of the shinsegumi in 1869. 

“Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.”

Suggested drink: A Sword in the Darkness

Every time Izuminokami and Mutsunokami argue – take a sip

Every time history has changed – take a sip

Every time an innocent bystander gets killed – take a sad sip

Every time Konosuke (the little fox) acts as a smartphone – awwww

Every time there’s a blood splatter – get some water

Every time anyone says Shinsegumi – take a sip

Every time Kunihiro says “Kane-san” – take a sip

Every time we see retrograde soldiers – gasp

Every time anyone talks straight at the camera- take a sip

Every time there’s a massacre – have a snack

Every time there’ a fire – fan yourself

Every time we hear about the “first” or “second” unite – stretch

awwwww

You know the drill right. These pics and so many more can be seen in their full resolution glory over on imgur or you can just grab them easily from my Pinterest!

  Katsugeki Touken Ranbu – Action! Genre : Action, Drama, Historical, Time, Action Episodes: 13 Studio: ufotable To mere mortals, time may seem like a steady unyielding stream, flowing eternally from the past to the future.

[pit-of-maggots]

Elizabeth what are your riddles three about Adam

"Very well! ...Pay close attention, Lítið lærirer ( ' little learner ' ).

I am parasitic in nature as I grow within you. I was never concieved, yet I have died.

The answer to your first riddle... is the cause of the answer for the next:

I heal time and time again, I teach you new lessons, but it's up to you to understand and move on. I can cause you pain, but in the end I'm forever yours.

And now, your third riddle...

I pick you up. I am sweet. But I am layered, and I can become sharply unpleasant if you get to my core, but I am worth it.

Now. Prove to your Priestess that you, lesser mortal, are dignified of her presence~"

[pit-of-maggots]

During my headache-related insomnia again the other night I kept thinking about Ice King from Adventure Time and...

Only now I'm kind of realizing that in SOME WAYS, he and Faunus have things in common, mostly emotion-wise:

- Faunus is very attention-seeking, not just out of his own egoism but also out of loneliness. He doesn't have any real friends and never has until he was accepted into the cult of Sons of Gluttony.

- His backstory before the cult is mainly enveloped in mystery, as in- nobody (or very little people) know about where he came from, etc. and he will do anything to keep things the way they are. He has destroyed/will destroy anything thay remotely digs back up anything of his past.

- Even if in a serious relationship, he doesn't like digging into the past which easily results in anger outbursts that y'know kinda sours things up in the moment, OR he is the most awkward person alive which just kind of makes it sad when he attempts to do fun activties with a partner bc you can tell he doesn't have many relationships (set up a picnic in his garden not actually outside bc he doesn't like them yucky bug-covered trees and yucky outside-grass; playing board games in complete silence with a few awkward questions thrown here and there like "so, what kinda things do you do for fun on your own?", he might be a charmer when he's still a stranger with people but behind closed doors he turns into a 24/7 robe-wearing grumpy old man and when in a serious relationship that requires him to open up he becomes a shy teenager hermit)

- he 100% misinterprets his partner's feelings/what they're trying to communicate with him and instead goes off with his own personal assumptions of what they're trying to tell him, and it's not until after things are said and done that when things are finally clarified with him he then goes "well why didn't you just say so??" 💀

Ah and we can't forget that Faunus too slowly goes insane with time, given Barathrum's influence, so he has limited access to how much fun time he can have with his partner if in a serious relationship, before he (temporarily) completely forgets and his brain goes nonsense-broodbeast-mode™️. And if the emotional immaturity wasn't enough to drive away partners before, his gross physical anatomy transformation will 100% do the trick for most since he becomes less gentlemanly & well-mannered, and more animalistic & unhinged, behaving more like a fly that only sometimes has coherent thoughts and they're all about hallucinations he's having or being hungry (picture dr. Brundle during his final stages of fly-transformation in The Fly 1986 + Ginger acting less like herself as she gradually loses herself to the werewolf in Ginger Snaps).

[pit-of-maggots]

Even while pregnant Beata Maria would remain the exact same monotone serious face as ever. She almost never shows any signs of mood swings or symptoms of pregnancy you'd commonly see with Faunus for example to someone's outside POV it just looks like she's rapidly gaining weight.

This is because 1. She isn't human, so her pregnancies are not going to be a normal experiences either since she's this eldritch horror in the guise of a woman and 2. In classic stereotypical goth style, her mindset is: "all life is pain. Physical pain is merely a disturbance within the temple of your soul."

How did she get pregnant you say? Who's the father? Nobody. She can reproduce asexually much like Faunus and Rotgut. She's the dad and the mom 💪 kinda like how some microorganisms or cells reproduce on their own. Except: unlike Faunus- she can control when this happens and, unlike Rotgut- she has self-control to say "ok 10 kids is enough for me."

[pit-of-maggots]

Concetto and Beata fight like an old married couple almost 24/7. Both of them have their own head shoved so far up their own ass they sterny believe their individual opinion is the only right one and when either one of them challenges the other's word, it's like two stars colliding together.

[pit-of-maggots]

Ominous gurgling could be heard from a dark corner among the Venetian buildings.

Dr. Kraus' sharp, bloodied blade shined in the moonlight as he raised it once more, before driving it straight down the aquatic beast's neck base, tearing through it's ribcage. The creature, choking on it's own blood, finally took it's last breath.

It wasn't even March yet... why was this sea vermin attempting to cause trouble already? That drunken fool was lucky he'd spotted what was going on before the creature could swallow him whole. He hadn't even woken up! Still sound asleep like a damn rock.

And this one merfolk looked to be from the deeper parts of the sea, given it's size and pale skin... either it must've been driven up here because of the noises of the Carnival and it's food... or something was going on down below.

He hoped it was the first option, he was just overthinking.

...

No matter. He needed to focus on bringing this guy away from the water. He shoved the sea creature's lifeless body off the surface with his shoe, letting it splash into the body of water and sink to the depths from whence it came.

[pit-of-maggots]

When Beata said 'the trip had been stressful for all of them' as an excuse to de-escalate the situation caused by Eve, she wasn't entirely bluffing just to draw away unwanted attention... once you consider the actual trip Faunus & co. had to take from where they reside...

I'd be pissed too in Eve's shoes if I just found out the one contest I'd been looking forward to for almost 11 hours straight had already been concluded days ago.

(Eve is the one person in the group that doesn't know a whole lot 100% about italian events/culture, unlike the others, such as these during the Venetian Carnival because she is not italian, she's Faroese-Irish-French. So that's why she wouldn't have known the Festa Delle Marie only lasted one day, and just assumed it went as long as the Carnival did)

[pit-of-maggots]

Curious, how does the cult of gluttony feel about vampires? Since part of their thing is consuming as well, it's a favorable view I imagine?

They don't mind them at all!! Vampires are just another supernatural species on the planet, much like werewolves, faefolk or merfolk. Just so you have an idea of where I'm trying to go: it would be like asking them how they feel about rats since a big thing that characterizes them is that they will eat just about anything and are fat in shape /lh /gen

It's very possible there might even be cult members that are vampires! They just require a different diet to be provided to them at ceremonies/reunions (and depending on the vampire species-variant, if a bite won't turn others into vampires, fellow members are willing to offer themselves for their companions to feast on)

Whatever it is, if it fits with their main glutton characteristics, it is a sacred thing for them. (Even more so if it is insectoid in nature)

[pit-of-maggots]

What are some of Faunus’ hobbies? (Asking for his birthday hehe)

"How thoughtful~ mi scalda il cuore..." ( ' warms my heart... ' )

He smiled, and while he wore a mischievous look- he did genuinely appreciate the question. It takes guts to willingly want to approach THE Concetto Faunus, secretly-a-cannibal-fly-monster aside- his general image to the public was often imposing, given his wealth and his status.

He did a small bow and kissed the anon's palm, before resting his hands on his protruding abdomen.

"I quite enjoy reading, and writing poetry. But as much as I would like to gas myself up about it, I cannot say without doubt that I am excellent. Besides, everyone has a different taste on poems, no?

I also enjoy knitting and sewing- mostly regarded as women's jobs, I know. But I have quite a large family, and as a single father I'm allowed to want to make them some decent pieces of clothing myself. Although one of my daughters would disagree- I find that it is much more worth than anything money could buy."

He conventionally 'forgot' to mention that the main reason he's into sewing is because of the sudden growth spurts he would have in his midsection, which often would tear and rip his favourite clothes while he was still able to wear them, and obviously he would want them impeccably stitched back together. He isn't lying when he says he enjoys making clothes for his children, but they are not why he begun and started enjoying sewing and knitting; he came first, before anything or anyone else.

"I also love playing the piano and the organ; and dancing... though I currently have ah- a much tighter schedule that prevents me from dedicating enough time for that like I did before...

What more... oh! Si, si... this a more recent thing I've begun to grow fond of.. one of my faithful followers, Domenico, has introduced me to this table game... they call it Dungeons and Dragons, although neither of those things are present within it during the times we have played. I imagined it would be the most important thing about the game, it's core... like when you play Hearts, the core of the game would be the cards with the hearts, otherwise- why would it be in the title? ...hmm..

Maybe I should not be so quick to judge, perhaps we will enter a dungeon, or find a dragon in our next session..."