#so her options are a bit less restricted

[eldritchblaaaast]

i really, really appreciate the nuance in KCD and in A Woman's Lot DLC regarding gender and class in medieval europe

like yes theresa does have to get married eventually. that's an imperative for a woman in her station of that time period. the survival and economic stability of herself and her family depend on it, and she does not necessarily get that much of a say in the ultimate decision. but she's more upset at her future husband being older (and not henry) than the concept of getting married itself. and in the days leading up to the attack on skalitz, she can drink ale and haul flour and learn how to shoot a bow and arrow and traipse around skalitz with her dog and get mud on her dress.

there are absolutely Rules that structure her life, but they are definitely Not The Same Rules that structure the life of women born into a higher station.

like even the nuance with her father arranging a marriage for her! her father does spring the idea of marriage on her, which is a bad look for him. however, it is still his responsibility to take care of such things, and economics feature heavily in that decision making process. but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't go well immediately, if theresa gets cold feet for meeting with her fiancee-to-be. there are no potential alliances to be built or broken, no lands to be fought over, no livelihoods to protect - the stakes are generally lower.

there's room in the relationship between father and daughter for discussion, for apologies, for the potential of feedback that never gets realized.

i just. A Woman's Lot DLC.

[thegeminisage]

origins-style conclave quest where instead of picking the next king of orzammar you have to help pick the next first talon after caterina dies. who is your rook throwing their weight behind?

lucanis dellamorte: caterina's flesh and blood and chosen successor. has the necessary skills to do the job passably but emphatically does not want it, which may affect how well he does. from a crow house with only like 2 people left in it. well-known weakness: illario, which may put a giant target on both their backs. other weakness: he is a known abomination, which makes him and spite a package deal. being an bomination would make him hard to kill, but it would also make a lot of the religious types really REALLY want to kill him.

illario dellamorte: also caterina's flesh and blood but she hated him. little bit of a disaster, but would have schemed his way into it with surprising cleverness had zara actually killed lucanis like she promised to. great at lying; even lucanis said illario was better than he thought. also from a crow house with only 2 people left in it. wants the job REAL bad but maybe only because of grandmommy issues, so who knows if he'd actually put effort into it or not. did kind of betray the entire country of antiva, which would DEFINITELY put a giant target on his back.

viago de riva: bastard man (honorific) who wants the job so so so bad and would be RUTHLESSLY good at it, bringing a kind of strength to the crows they haven't seen in awhile, but he definitely only wants it because of his daddy issues (he is the king's bastard and being first talon would make him more powerful than the king). would one hundo percent ditch the job to pull a coup in the future if he spotted a good opportunity. well-known weakness: teia, which may put a giant target on both THEIR backs. counterpoint: she can take care of herself though.

teia cantori: pretty compassionate as far as assassins go, has a strong sense of right and wrong, and would probably reform the crows to make them less horrible as she is probably genuinely a good person. this combined with her being an elf would piss pretty much every single other crow who ever lived off which would put a huge target on HER back. however, this is probably the only person you could put in this seat that viago would NOT try to kill...in fact, he'd probably help protect her even though he, again, REALLY wants the job for himself. his ambitions would be shelved in favor of being teia's boytoy for the rest of his life.

rook de riva: available only to crow rook players, only you can know how good of a job your de riva rook would do and what direction they would take the crows in, but hey, if rook saves the world, who would complain? viago, that's who. this option would likely cause a falling out between them. furthermore, de riva rooks who are also romancing lucanis may struggle in that relationship since it's a job he didn't want (it's likely he will not want his beloved doing it, either). de riva rooks who are not romancing lucanis are putting a big target on their love interest's back.

zevran arainai: the crazy amount of horrifically tedious sidequests and picking the EXACT right options would make this a rare option because he's technically totally ineligible, and would cause complete and total pandemonium if he did get in. however: it would be funny. i'm adding a restriction to this option so he won't just sweep instantly: if your warden romanced zevran and died during origins or of the calling since, he will be hardened and and KILL everyone else on this list upon assuming power. if your warden romanced zevran and is still alive, he will refuse to take the seat no matter what to be with them.

[hypnonerd1095]

Contract

"Wake up Amanda"

Amanda blinked, confusion and drowsiness washing over her as she stumbled a bit, thankfully the man who had spoken to her was quick to catch her and steady her back on her feet.

"Easy there Amanda, I know it's disorienting, just take it slow. Good girl" the man said reassuringly

She shook her head a bit, trying to regain her bearings. She hadn't responded to the name Amanda for over a month now, it took a moment to even recognize the man was speaking to her, but being called a good girl sent a wave of calm and contentment through her that helped slow her thoughts enough to focus. That was right, she was Amanda, and this man had been her employer for the past month... what was his name again? The memory of that was fuzzy, the only name she could come up with was Master...

"Ngh... is it always this bothersome when we wake up?" Amanda grumbled, letting Master guide her to a chair as she rubbed her temples "no offense Master, but you should really work on this... also why can't I remember your name?"

Master chuckled "it gets easier the more used to it you become. This was your first time so it makes sense your thoughts are jumbled. As for my name, that's a bit of a safety precaution. Can't have you spreading word about this position around after your employment ends, everything is technically above board, but you never know what kind of protesters might show up on principle" he explained

"Right... the position... " Amanda mumbled "so I've seriously been your slave for a month? I can only remember bits and pieces. Guess that's part of it huh?"

"Yes, we can negotiate how much you do or don't want to remember. Some of my girls enjoy knowing exactly what is being done to them in their waking lives, some wish to leave their work lives separate. For trial runs like this we default to partial remembrance, in case you decide not to renew" Master said with a nod, providing her a laptop "feel free to confirm your payment was received and anything else you like. I'll have a servant bring you something to drink that should help. We can talk more when your head is fully clear"

Amanda nodded, logging into her bank account, wow, that was a lot more zeroes at the end of her balance than she was used to. Checking the transaction history, it was legit. Exactly the amount he'd promised, and a little more to boot for "extraordinary performance." She didn't know what that referred to but she blushed at the words, she had a decent idea.

A woman "dressed" in what one might classify as "underwear" if they were feeling generous came in with a plate of food and a fizzy drink. Amanda couldn't help but steal glances at the woman as she stood at attention, smiling down at Amanda blissfully.

"T-thanks" Amanda murmured, focusing on her meal. Is that what she'd looked like? The woman seemed so happy and content, didn't even seem cold from the lack of clothing.

It was hard to believe this job was real. Voluntarily be turned into a hypnotized slave for a predetermined length of time, all living expenses covered, and get paid a generous wage to use as she saw fit during her time off. She could even set limits on what tasks she'd be used for... though the less restrictions she placed on her service the more she was paid.

When Master had approached her with his offer she'd almost called the cops on him to have him carted away to an asylum. Only a sizable up front deposit had convinced her to humor him... but there was no denying it was real now.

When Master returned, he carried with him several different contracts. "Now that you've had time to clear your head, I've brought you options to review going forward. You can, of course, decide this job isn't for you. But you did quite well here, I'm prepared to offer you quite a generous starting wage." he said, putting the various contracts down in front of her.

Amanda looked over the contracts, various lengths, with varying amounts of time on and off duty. With what she'd made already she could easily walk away, this nest egg would carry her a long time. She could go back to her old boring job, serving customers with a fake smile, following inane orders from bosses who either didn't know or didn't care how impossible their expectations were. All for a pitiful wage that wasn't remotely worth it. It'd be better now, with these savings she had... but...

Amanda glanced at the slave next to her, that blissful expression mixed with arousal now that Master was here. Was being a hypnotized slave really worse than being a wage slave? She could feel like THAT all day, and live in luxury on her weeks off. Work this job for a few years and she could even retire!

She barely needed to think about it as she took the longest-term contract on offer, filled out her choice of restrictions, and signed her name. Probably the last time she'd be using her name for quite a while. Her Master smiled.

"Glad to have you with us, my Good Girl. Now then, slave A-42 activate"

Amanda smiled as the trigger took hold, she was going to enjoy this new job.

[capesch-arts]

Arthur and Nyarlathothep

Let's be quick, Kay? Your shiny keeper is going to be worried sick!

"What? Why?"

Well, he can't see inside here, my good pal. Let's just say for both of your sakes, it's for the better.

"I- um... Questions... Hastur said, you're one of the only gods here that carries great knowledge. At least, one that is willing to give to us."

Awww shucks, that makes me blush! And yes! In fact, I've been waiting for you to come back to me.

"Yes I- what do you mean, back?"

Oh, my poor little lost lamb! I guess you should remember. Addison? Ever wondered why you never blew it up sky high?

"Yes, because it was risky to detonate a coal mine and it... No... We ... We made a deal..."

Uh-huh. I happened to LIKE the gal running that town, and I couldn't let you destroy it! So... What did we do?

"You offered to hide the book with his heart and gave me a decoy. But- but it wasn't you- it was a friend- it- .... Altering my memory was part of the deal..."

So your yellow fellow won't find out it was me! He was still uh, grumpy, at me. Hoho. But, that's another story. Hmm and then? And then?

"I took the deal but there was a price... Oh gods..."

Yes... I swore to hide the book somewhere outside of your mind BUT, you need to let The King in Yellow to PLUCK your soul out from your scrawny lil' meat sack.

"... That's right... I chose to leave her... I.."

We're not all perfect dads, Arthur! We all make HARD decisions. I should know! I had a daughter too, you know! But, trust me. This was the best option ya got. Remember his attack dog? What was his name Happy Dick or something? I don't know. Back then he would command him to kill your little girl. He would Artie. And he'd LAUGH at your face too. So... It is what is, dear boy...

"Why are you telling me this?"

Well, I kinda feel bad for letting you in the dark... hmm maybe? A lil' bit? I'm still deciding... since you stole my ex from me .. BUT, I actually CARE about that big ol' peacock. Well, for one reason or another...

"But, why? I'm not your friend nor is Hastur. In fact, all I've heard from the other residents of the Dreamlands is they're terrified of him. Why would you want to help him?"

I have my own personal reasons and a less personal one. Specifically regarding The Blind Idiot.

"The Blind Idiot?"

Azathoth! The creator of all. Big ol' stupid deadbeat dad of mine. I have issues

"From what I've gathered, or what I've gained from asking The King, he's the creator of all. He's a source of ultimate chaos and that the reality we exist in is his dreams..."

Correct! And a big powerful idiot like him needs to sleep SOUNDLY. And do you know who needs to make sure of that?

"No, who?"

ME. I need to keep him HAPPY. and ASLEEP! If he wakes up then [pop] everything ends... Everything dies... All the chaos? All the cults? Why do I need to make sure they exist? I need to feed that idiot. Sacrifices. Rituals. Chaos. Yadda Yadda Yadda FUCK THAT. Do you know how STRESSFUL IT IS keeping your SENILE BRAINLESS PAPPY content? FUCK IT'S HARD. like- like- having a vein CONSTANTLY on the brink of POPPING. WHOOOO! Calm down, calm down. Well, until The King came and everything was... Manageable. I don't need to make that TWIT sleep happily anymore...

"Why The King? What's so special about Hastur?"

Well, let me start with big ol' pappy. You're spot on! The very reality we're standing in is his dreams. It started out as a "good" dream. No pain, no madness, no death, no FLAVOUR! Endless power and chaos! No rules! No stakes! No NOTHING! Just a "happy" little dream with no in-betweens.

"I thought he's the embodiment of amorphous and ultimate chaos? How is that good and happy?"

Well, a world with no restrictions can seem chaotic to your pea brain now, Arthur?

"Well you don't have to rub it in"

CONTINUING...! A boring little dream with the appeal of boiled chicken...! Until... He had a nightmare. It was a small one. So MINISCULE. So... Out of reach.. yet it became the center of his attention.

It started as a dancer. A jester! To be precise. Dancing in the middle of all that chaos for all to see. So small and yet so blaring! So... Yellow. With a wide smile and a happy little song serenading every flow of its movement. And as it danced and danced, it became slower, stiffer, weaker... And the smile on its face gradually faded and became a pitiful frown. As it turned its last tune, it fell! Broken! Withered and pale... It DIED.

"How would that-"

Come on, Arthur! You're an ARTIST! You should know that you humans could give MEANING to death. But for us? Death? Actual death for us is TERRIFYING. And for Azathoth, it was damning. The slow decay and withering of life, weakening and fading out existence, before being subjected to a fate lower than oblivion. It's the reason why every offspring he has, has so much power, Artie! He's projecting his fears to us by giving us tremendous power. Even though it is ultimately futile...

"How does this connect with The King in Yellow?"

That nightmare woke The King up, Artie. And not only that, he was a WILD ONE. No one seems to know what he is or why he is but the moment he existed, DEATH! DECAY! THE END! Came with him and SPREAD throughout this little dream we call our reality. And despite that, he's still singing and playing his songs like some sort of MOCKERY towards the father of all. Well, until his recent block that is... Carcosa dying and all that...

"And that's why you're relieved of your duties? Hastur became daddy's new favourite?"

Oh Arthur... Didn't you hear what I said? I said he WOKE up not that he's BORN from the nightmare.

"What?"

Let me be clear. He's. NOT. Azathoth's.

"... What?"

Whatever he was, was asleep. Asleep for who the fuck knows how long. Older than dear old pappy, I'd say! And when that little nightmare came to him and SHOOK the Blind Idiot, THE KING. WOKE. UP.

"Wait, wait... How can that be? You're implying that The King is a separate entity far beyond even your own creator, the one whose dreams are our reality. Are you telling me, The King is older than that? What.. what is he...?"

Oh come on, Artie! I think you have a guess on what he is. I can feel the gears running in that teeny little brain of yours. Keep going though! I know you still have some more questions!

"It- I... How does this all... Keep Azathoth asleep? Does death keep him satiated, or?"

AHH it's more like, he's now aware that there's something outside of his dreams that exists... And it's looking RIGHT AT HIM. And he doesn't want to know what's in store for him when he opens his innumerable amount of eyes and stares back at the abyss.

"Is he- wait- if he's more powerful than Azathoth, how can he even exist on the same plane as us? If he's separate from him how is he here?"

The same way he can walk casually with your little meat suit in the human world, that form is just an avatar. An extension of him. Hell! He doesn't even NEED to have a powerful one! In some realities that avatar is a Great Old One born from... Uhh I don't know one of the many kids Azathoth has? It mixes up. For the one you're seeing in our Dreamlands, he hijacked Azathoth's nightmare, the little dancing jester, and used it to conjure a physical form in this reality. To spread his plague of wither and death. An extension of his mockery towards dear old dad. After all, what could be more humiliating than having your own dreams be used to "birth" your ultimate horror? So POETIC! Gah! This is why I love him!

"I... This is too much..."

Oh, I reckon. Sit down! Sit. Not everyone gets to discover how this little globe twirls around without their brains going KA-PLOOSH!

"If he is... Some sort of bringer of death... Why is he desperately trying to keep his city alive? Why does he collect humans? Why does he... Why does he value life if he mocks it?"

Well... That's the mystery isn't it? And I'm sure your little detective mind can figure it out! Oh and we're out of time anyways. I think your King's about to burst through my front door. WOW! He's really clingy isn't he? Luckyfuckingbastard >:(

"Wait, WAIT! I still need to-"

Sorry Artie! This one's all on you now! Oh and I'm keeping your Addison memory jumbled up. He's still mad at me I'm afraid! Sooo BUH-BYE!

"WAIT! OOF-!"

[Arthur disappears]

Well... Let's see how THIS show goes...

[flying-womrats]

replacements for a few LMS mods

If you think you saw this post yesterday, yes you did- then I made a couple edits and realized I should have done it under a readmore in case people reblogged it... So here we go again! These are the possible replacements I found for the littlemssam mods I was using, in case they help anyone else.

Caveats: - Often not a 1:1 replacement. - I only went looking for replacements for mods I was actually using, so this only covers a fraction of her catalog. - Most of these modders still use Curseforge, they're just not exclusive to it.

Additionally, if anyone knows of a replacement for any of the following: Go For A Walk, Improved Meditation Stool, Improved Practical Spells (the improvements to the spells themselves,) No Random Job Offers (I know BosseladyTV has one, but it's CF exclusive,) Purchased Items Delivered By Mail, Release All The Ghosts, or Tea For Children, please drop me an ask! I only request no Curseforge exclusives and no Zer0.

On to the list:

Allow Stoves in University Housing -> Zerbu, No University Housing Restrictions

Auto Employees -> Kuttoe's "X Everywhere" mods, Zerbu's Spawn Refresh

Auto-Light Fireplaces Only When Cold -> Bienchen, fireplaceautonomytweak

Buy Treats via PC -> Bienchen, buypettreat

Calendar Tweaks -> Kuttoe, Less Frequent Prom (caveat: takes time to start working, especially if you're using a longer season setting)

Cookbooks -> ClaudiaSharon, Cook Experimental/Cultural/Jungle Food Without Tasting It First

Immortality Potion Fix -> Kuttoe, Potions Rework (only a half replacement- removes the VFX, but doesn't lock aging like the Scarlet/LMS mod)

Kids Can Walk Dogs -> ChippedSim, Paws & Claws (A Sim's Best Friend module)

More Away Actions -> Bienchen, awayactions (is actually included in the LMS mod)

No Burning Sun in Forgotten Hollow -> TwistedMexi, Daywalkers + Underworlds (caveat: per TMex's comment on the latter, the eternal night is only cosmetic and still requires Daywalkers for vampires to come out at "daytime". Also, Daywalkers affects all worlds. Still interested in a mod closer to LMS's if one exists!)

No Insects Herbalism -> Simularity, Improved Herbalism Potions & Features

No Shoe Sign Animation -> Lotharihoe, Shoe Sign Animation Tweaks (doesn't remove the animation entirely but does stop it from interrupting walking)

No Sick, Dirty, Sad and Hungry Pets -> Bienchen, catanddogsanity

Pregnancy Overhaul ("sims can do more" part) -> Bienchen, pregnantsimscandomore

Pregnancy Overhaul (belly sizes) -> t0nischwartz, No Bump or sonozakisisterssims4, "The belly in pregnancy depends on the number of babies" (the former is simpler but has no equivalent to the "larger belly" option, the latter has a bit more going on but has direct equivalents to LMS's sizes, so take your pick!)

Sleep All Night and Sleep In -> Midnitetech- Stay Asleep, Mokunoid- Better Sleep Autonomy or Lot 51- Sunrise depending on desired depth/customization

Social Activities -> adeepindigo, Youth, Friends and Family Activities

Small GF Reactions Overhaul -> Bienchen, lesscelebreact

Small Laundry Overhaul -> Bienchen's laundry mods cover some (but not all- anyone have something to make it cost money on community lots?) of it, along with Lotharihoe's No Autonomously Set Laundry Down to replace the "auto put away laundry" part.

Spar With For Everyone -> Bienchen, sparwithfornonmilitary

Toddler Ask For Food No Junk -> Bienchen, healthyhighchair (not quite the same thing but it solves the "why do they always give the kid chips" issue at least)

WEE: Working Elevators Everywhere -> Ravasheen, Uplifting Elevators (space and wall height permitting, it's also possible to make no-CC elevators with the RoM debug portals!)

Wellness Treat Fix -> Bienchen, petanxiousbufffix

Also, while I wasn't using either of them myself, Meet&Mingle can replace SimDa Dating App, and Lovestruck adds a "canon" dating app (though given EA's complete lack of attention to QA etc. I wouldn't recommend paying for it.)

edit 6/26/24: added Sunrise, petanxiousbufffix, pregnantsimscandomore

edit 6/27/24: added No Bump, moved into a new post.

edit 6/29/24: added Daywalkers, No University Housing Restrictions (ty @northernnightsky!) and the sonozakisisters bump mod

edit 7/2/24: added Underworlds (ty anon), Paws & Claws, and a link to the tutorial I followed for no-CC elevators

edit 8/22/24: added Spawn Refresh

[cosmerelists]

Renarin Ranks Starting Places For New Readers of the Cosmere Series

"Renarin ranks something" requested by @themoonstonechronicler :)

Fans often argue about where new readers should start in the Cosmere: which book is the best starting place? In this list, Renarin will rank various options. Because if any character can break the fourth wall, it's either Hoid (of course) or Renarin with his funky corrupted Future Sight.

[Contains Stormlight Spoilers through Rhythm of War!]

1. Way of Kings

"Starting with Way of Kings is like jumping into a 4 versus 1 Shardblade duel armed with a sword that screams when you touch it after a lifetime of not really being allowed to train in real combat scenarios due to your blood weakness. Will you be in over your head? Yes. Might the experience harm you? Very possibly. Will Kaladin's presence save you? Absolutely. Is it a bad idea? Objectively yes. BUT does this choice make you inherently cool? I think so. At least, I have no regrets."

...

"Make that very few regrets."

"I give this an 8/10."

2. Elantris

"Listen...I get it. You want to start from the beginning. Proceed chronologically. I think my cousin Jasnah would be inclined toward this. But speaking as a 'funky time guy,' as Adolin called me once, I have to say that the past doesn't necessarily predict the future and uh...this one just might be a little tough to start with. In my opinion."

"4/10."

3. Tress of the Emerald Sea

"I think...I think I like Wit. Mostly. There was that one time he tried to make everyone think I was hooking up with, like, multiple women at once, which was...weird. But he also made fun of me. Which does not sound good, but it meant he respected me in a Wit way. In any event, this book is like sitting and listening to Wit for hours. Is it good if that is the first thing you ever do? Maybe? The little rat is cute."

"9/10."

4. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

"This one is Wit too. Just to get that out of the way. And I think it might be a little bit confusing for a first-time reader since it is clearly being told to a Rosharan, which is not something a new reader would understand."

"But on the other hand, it is maybe...refreshing to have a main character who hasn't yet realized what he's good at, and another main character who hasn't yet realized that not all aspects of her religion should restrict her as much as they do."

"So a confusing place to start, but not necessarily a bad one."

"6/10."

5. The Emperor's Soul

"This one is short! That might be good for someone who is looking for less of a commitment. Plus, it involves a lot of research into how things work, if that appeals to you. But I think the real benefit is that if someone is reading it to you, it would probably only take a few hours."

"10/10."

6. The Sunlit Man

"This book is like seeing into the future, since it is literally about the future. It's also very painful. Which, in my experience, the future often is. The future can be changed...but not in this case, because now it's written down. So I would say: start here at your own risk. On the other hand, it will probably seem less sad if you read it without any backstory. But it will make other things sadder later, trust me."

"3/10."

7. White Sand

"This one can be good if you're a man, since there are a lot of pictures. There are also a lot of words, of course, but if you're just starting out on the reading thing, then having the pictures would help a lot I'd imagine."

"6/10."

8. Warbreaker

"Speaking as someone who...well, I can't say that I deliberately make dramatic reveals, but I have been known to do things like scrawl warnings on a wall or appear suddenly from the shadows or, you know, stuff like that. So I might actually recommend reading this before you read our books, just so you can have those, 'Wait, it's YOU!' moments over and over again."

"Seriously, why did so many of those characters end up in our series?"

"I'm not answering the question, though. This one is standalone, and not too long, yet still manages to have a pretty big cast of characters and a bunch of storylines. It is like Sanderson training."

"8/10."

9. The Final Empire

"This is what everyone always tells you to do. Sometimes it can get frustrating when everyone is SO SURE that they know what's good for you, especially your dad, who won't listen when you tell him that you don't want to become an ardent even though he thinks it's the best. And you know what? In the end, I am a fighter, but also a scholar, since men can do both now. So sometimes what people say is good, but only when it happens in the way you want it to and...I think I lost the thread. Um. You can do what people tell you that you should do IF you want to. "

"If you start here, I imagine you'll like it. Sometimes what everyone tells you to do is a good idea...but only if it's what you want too."

"9/10."

10. The Alloy of Law

"Starting with Mistborn Era 2 is like bonding a corrupt spren. It's almost what everyone agrees is a good thing to do (start with Mistborn / bond a spren), only you're going about it in a...different way. But different is not necessarily bad! Yes, I have abilities that are maybe from Odium and that give me a maybe sacrilegious ability to foretell the future...but when given the chance, I immediately recommended my best friend do the same thing."

"Being different can be good. 7/10."

[possiblylando]

Talking about Kagurabachi Ch. 70

This was probably one of the best chapters in a minute because it pretty flawlessly combines exposition and action. About half the chapter is exposition but that exposition is used to bolster the action in the chapter. While I was first reading it I thought the exposition was kinda slow and weird since it was right in the middle of such an intense moment but on a re-read knowing what happens, it all makes alot more sense now. So Itsuo Shirakai

He's an interesting character already because he's clearly very ego driven. He can back it up but just from this introduction he's clearly someone who values skill & strength while using it as a reason (or an excuse) to kill. His phrasing "Cut them down" parallels Chihiro talking about his own murders so at the moment the implication is that Itsuo killed his decenters to prove a point. Additionally he seems to be alive still. This panel doesn't have a black outline which could signify this is modern day before transitioning into a flashback. But it's hard to say at this point. If he IS alive then I have faith he's going to come up later due to how important he is to the current fighting styles being used.

I think he could potentially serve as a mirror to Kunishige in that he's someone who created a deadly weapon but he has no regret for it. He made something meant to kill and he wants it to be used that way. Onto Hiruhiko.

This backstory got me for a bit cause it's dark as hell. I doubt I even need to say that but wow. I've heard some contentions about the translation as this might've been meant to mean Hiruhiko is a CSA victim and not just* an abuse victim. *(I don't want to imply either is inherently worse just that it would be added on top of physical abuse) Either way this pretty directly paints a picture of Hiruhiko as a person because it's become incredibly clear he's a result of circumstance. He's so willing to trust Yura and work with the Hishaku because he's experience the absolute worst anyone could at that age. I doubt this event will get a full flashback as this is still public in Shonen jump so there are restrictions on that kinda horrific stuff. But I do think this is going to explored way more because this really shifts Hiruhiko from 'Violence for the sake of violence' to 'A victim being taken advantage of because Violence is all he knows'. I sincerely doubt Hiruhiko is going to die right now. We've seen these kinds of injuries before and he seems far less damaged than previous lethal attacks. If he was going to die here it would've been a decapitation or something similar. He's going to survive and come back later. TRUST UP.

From here I can see Hiruhiko's story going one of two ways. 1. The path of recovery; Hiruhiko will be given a chance to change, If he takes it then he can start the process of recovery. We've seen this happen in the series because with it's more nuanced takes on violence. 2. The path of tragedy; Either Hiruhiko rejects the chance to change, or is never even given one in the first place. From here I could see him spiraling further into his mentality and need to inflict violence onto others. This would undoubtedly end with his death. Iori was really cool this chapter.

The fact she's the basically only the second (Shiba being the first) person to go for more non-lethal options makes her rather unique so far. Her eyes being closed is a bit silly but I understand why it's being done this way. 1. It creates a direct parallel with Samura; Since she learned everything she knows about swordsman ship from him. 2. It creates distance between her and the violence. She doesn't directly see it but she still inflicts it. It plays into one of the minor themes of the story surrounding the ignorance of violence. She's able to look away from the violence she inflicts. 3. It makes her seem more ethereal. Like she's in a trance almost. Closed eyes tend to be used to show sleep; Which generally implies she's work on autopilot here. Also I really like this one panel.

It'll probably end up buried beneath the rest of the art in the chapter cause pretty much everything in this one is incredible. The Rokuhira eyes HAVE TO BE explained later down the line as well. They've been brought up like 2 or 3 times now and they're apparently the key to Kunishige's smithing and Chihiro's adaptive sword skills. There's gotta be more to them aside from good genetics. It's possible but I feel like they're gonna find their origin on the Datenski Island.

Please bring back Hakuri I miss my gay success son

[asteroidfieldgame]

Some thoughts about setting up for Stormlight 6: loose threads from Wind and Truth (massive spoilers):

Battar was presumably pulled into Taravangian's recreation of Kabranth. Now, she's with the rest of the Heralds, and knows about, and possibly where to find it.

Retribution identified Hoid as the last threat to him on the planet, and destroyed him. But Hoid probably isn't the most invested being not in his control. Nightblood is either not a threat in his view, out of his ability to destroy or detect, or is close enough to a Spren to be protected. The other highly invested beings are all protected (bondsmith spren, Navani, presumably the Heralds, possibly the unmade).

Taravangian's emotional side seems to be taking over much more. Last time he encountered Hoid, he cleverly messed with him and erased some memories. This time, he simply destroys his body immediately, allowing him to heal elsewhere, with his investiture fully intact. But now that he has no more restrictions, he could have messed with him much more, or even potentially unmake Hoid.

Are the Voidspren protected or does Retribution plan to keep using them? He didn't seem to reclaim them. He seemed to think he would need to deal with Ba Ado Mishram, which either means she's protected or he's afraid to directly confront her while Odium likes her more than him.

Speaking of Shards leaving, is that a major concern for other Shards? Is Harmony at risk of losing Preservation if it finds someone who really really hates change? Or is that more of an Odium thing? Maybe a bad example; Preservation would hate changing vessels. Unlike many of the original vessels, the power actively chose Taravangian, so if anything it should be less likely to leave him. Or this is evidence for my earlier theory that Cultivation intentionally made it so Odium would be drawn to him on his stupidest day, but will become misaligned with his intent as he continues and goes back to his normal schemy ways.

Cultivation is really stupid. Despite being repeatedly claimed to be the best at seeing the future, Taravangian, Dalinar, and even Moelach and Renarin ran circles around her.

Who claimed Dalinar's soul, or maybe his cognitive aspect? The only ones who it seems could do something like that are the Oathpact (who doesn't seem to be doing that), another Shard, or maybe the Nightwatcher. The ones I could see claiming his cognitive aspect could be Cultivation, Valor, or the Nightwatcher - he presumably died with valor and she was name-dropped a bunch for someone who wasn't in the story, or Cultivation or the Nightwatcher could still lay claim to him. Or maybe the power of Honor wants to let him die, but if so I'd think it would oppose animating the Blackthorn Spren. Even without intervention, a sliver like him could potentially survive for a while as a cognitive shadow, perhaps indefinitely. I realize he stretched towards the beyond, but it's unclear exactly what survives in a Cognitive Shadow.

Jasnah is set up for a very interesting arc in the back half. Before, I questioned how a novel would focus on her, since she seemed to be much more self actualized than the other main characters and soon-to-be main characters, and having already reached the 4th ideal her character development seemed to be 80% done off page. Now, after her huge and basically single-handed failure in Thaylenah, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as her past mistakes were thrown at her, I'm excited to see where she goes next. I hope she figures out how to Elsecall properly soon. Szeth was able to do it by focusing on his quest even though he was previously unable to.

Shallan has 2 main options: go worldhopping or be saved by Jasnah or Navani. Navani seems a bit stuck, but maybe Jasnah will figure it out. However, I don't see Shallan waiting around for years, and I doubt Jasnah will have such a potentially major piece of character development off page, given how much has already been off page. Unless, flashback chapters extend into the timeskip, in which case I could see this happening.

[kiwoa]

The only heartworm allowed in this house is a plush one - after nine months of treatment, Jackie is heartworm-free!

Her journey's been a bit different from the traditional path. For one, she's been on heartworm preventatives for a long time. The problem is that heartworm takes six months to show up on a test. She was taken in by a shelter at two months; we adopted her at seven months. Somewhere in her early puppyhood, an infected mosquito must've gotten her and the worms grew until they could finally be detected after she'd settled into her forever home with us. So takeaway #1 - always test for heartworms, even if they've been on preventatives, especially if there's a gap in their history!

For another thing, we opted to try the Moxi-Doxy protocol, a method less tested than the traditional treatment, but super promising in cases like hers, where the dog is healthy and the disease is young. The problem with Moxi-Doxy is that it takes longer than arsenical injections, so it's not a great pick if the worms are already doing damage or causing symptoms. The advantage, however, is that the restrictions and side effects are WAY fewer!

You start off with a month of Doxycycline, same as with traditional treatments. It kills a symbiotic bacteria in the worms and weakens them. This was actually the hardest part of the treatment for Jackie, as the dosage is high and is given all month, but she only had issues in the last week of it, so we were able to push through. The big difference in treatments comes after that - with Moxi-Doxy, the next (and potentially final) step is application of drops containing Moxidectin as directed for as long as it takes. For us, we put Advantage Multi on Jackie once a month.

Since the worms are being killed so much more slowly than with arsenical injections, the risk of embolism from multiple worms detaching/breaking down at once is considerably lower. We couldn't take her on any super long walks or to dog parks or other places that would raise her heart rate and keep it up for a prolonged period, but she was still allowed normal walks. She still got to play fetch. She could still wander around the house freely and thrash her toys and even have brief stints of zoomies. And there was no pain from injections or deleterious side effects - just some painless drops on her skin once a month.

There's still much to be said for the traditional method. It has a higher success rate (we were always aware that Jackie's treatment could fail and we'd end up having to start the traditional protocol after a year and a half of failed efforts) and it works much faster. I think there's a lot to be said for Moxi-Doxy as well, though, since it's a much more comfortable process. And it's always nice to have options. It's a much newer protocol and I had never heard of it until a vet suggested it could be an option for Jackie, so I figured I'd put this information out there for dog owners who might be similarly unaware. For us, at the very least, Moxi-Doxy worked without side effects and cured our Jackie in less than a year. I think that's worth telling people.

[kawaii-queen-kaiju]

Young and Alone

Part One!

She should’ve done more. She should’ve seen it sooner. Should’ve talked him out of it, should’ve convinced him it wasn’t worth it. But she’d been a coward, and hadn't wanted to tell him she knew about Robin. Hadn’t wanted to risk him telling Bruce she knew and dealing with Batman, but that was stupid, it was Jason. He didn’t snitch, and especially never on her. Even that one time she swiped a granola bar from the corner store, or accidentally set fire to Old Man Johnson’s clothesline.

And now he’s gone. She could’ve done something and she didn’t, and now she’d never see him again.

Riley sobbed, kneeling in front of his grave (why was it in a public cemetery? She was grateful in a way, but what the fuck, Bruce?!), desperately trying to keep a grasp on her powers. Bright light would be awfully noticeable in dreary old Gotham and she’d singe the grass beneath her.

She should’ve done more.

Bruce should’ve too. He lived under the same ridiculously large roof, imposed the expectations and finally, restriction that was the last straw for Jason. He should’ve done more to reach out. This all could’ve been avoided. It was partly her fault, but also his.

Her sniffling slowed, despair giving way to anger and… a very horrible idea… one that would be oh-so-satisfying to see through.

She never claimed to make smart decisions when she was mad.

-

Bruce was tired. He was angry, and depressed, and grieving, and feeling a million other things he couldn’t name, let alone want to deal with. The last thing he needed was a new threat to deal with.

He was immersed in reports of people being sent to the hospital, beaten half to death. All of them said the same thing. A bright flash of life, pain, then they woke up in the hospital. Everyone was attributing it to Batman, but he knew it wasn’t him. He didn’t knock his out that quick.

At best, he was dealing with a new vigilante, who probably took notice of the recent… lack in Batman’s restraint and decided to take things into their own hands. Going off of their own marks, that’s not it. At worst, it’s a new Rogue. Considering they’re not going after innocents or committing crimes other than assault and battery on criminals, that wasn’t it either.

He had time to think about this later, it was time for patrol.

-

She’s scared. Anyone would be when face to face with Batman, especially with his recent behaviour. Yet, Riley - Phoenix in costume - found herself grinning ferally. The height difference was definitely obvious. She stood at 5’3”, and Batman had to be at least six foot. The kevlar added bulk to his figure as well most likely, contrasting her leggings, skate knee and elbow pads and black bomber jacket with on-the-nose star and sun patches. She spent what little budget she allowed herself on the tinted goggles that acted as her identity protection, as well as keeping herself from getting blinded by her own abilities. She had to wear the goggles in lieu of her glasses, so everything was a bit fuzzy, but she was still more than capable of kicking ass.

“Who are you.”

It was less a question, and more of a demand. The man’s voice was low and gravelly. She crossed her arms, glaring up at him - not that he could see it. “Nunya.”

Batman wasn’t impressed. She could feel the aggravation rolling off him in waves. Good, but not enough. She wanted him roiling in anger. She wanted him to be at his limit, then to push him past it herself, to make him have no other option but to listen and see.

Well, if he didn’t kill her first. Chances of that were slim, but not zero. She wasn’t too worried. Worse comes to worst, her mother would hunt him down and kick his ass with a chancla, carrying on Riley’s mission in her stead.

She’d like to think she took him by surprise, not wavering in the face of his ‘Bat-glare’ as it was dubbed.

“What you’re doing is dangerous. You’re a child. Go home to your mother and father. This isn’t your place.”

She could hear the anger in his voice, depression shining through too. She felt just the slightest bit assuaged. At least Jason’s death hit him hard too. He wasn’t doing enough though. Had he found Jason’s killer? Did he make whoever it was suffer? He didn’t even hold a proper funeral for him… though it could’ve been private, so she tried not to let that contribute to the rage she felt toward the man. Not that it would’ve made much of a difference.

“Please. My father was a scumbag. And oh, I’m sorry, was Robin not a teenager? Silly me, I suppose I was wrong.” She let her voice drip in angry sarcasm, a sense of petty satisfaction hitting her as Batman visibly bristled.

“That was- different. It’s,” He stopped, showing a surprising amount of emotion for how much she’d heard of his stone-cold demeanor. “It’s why you're going home. Now.”

She scoffed, trying not to let her waning determination show. It was too late to be worried now. “I’m not a Robin, you can’t tell me what to do.”

Her statement seemed to surprise him. What, did he genuinely expect her to listen to what he told her to do? Hah, dumb bitch.

“What do you mean, a?” His voice lost some of its growl, something of a familiar voice seeping through. She frowned, turning her sentence back in her mind. ‘I’m not a Robin.’ She smirked. She caught Batman off guard.

“Come on. It was obvious the two weren’t the same guy. Also, I gotta say, not a good look for you, putting a preteen in a speedo, ya asshat.” She jeered, delighting in the choked sound he made.

“I didn’t want him to wear that, he insisted.” He dropped back into his growl, but the affront was still there. Riley… actually believed him. She’d seen clips of the first Robin on the news, and insisting on a banana hammock seemed entirely in character. Plus, Jason had… had pants. She had gotten distracted, but her goal was back at the forefront of her mind. “Whatever. He was still out doing this shit. And so was- the other one. You have no leg to stand on, hypocrite.”

Batman froze, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees. He took a step toward her, and she stepped back, a spike of the fear she’d heard she was supposed to have in the face of the Bat shooting through her. The little patience and soft (as soft as Batman could be) demeanour he’d had was gone. She’d hit a sore spot, and she suddenly remembered the small-time criminals he’d put in the hospital, and the fact that she was technically a small-time criminal too. She’d counted on the fact that he’d hold back because of her age, but maybe pushing him to seeing red was a worse idea than she’d initially thought.

“Go. Home. Now.”

Despite her earlier attitude, she found herself clumsily racing back along the rooftops towards her apartment.

The next day when Bruce Wayne shows up at their door, she kicks herself for not making sure he wasn’t following her.

~

Part Three!

[theygender]

Still baffled by the time I (MMJ patient, needs cannabinoids to be normal) tried to get CBD and delta-8 for myself and my girlfriend (non-MMJ patient, likes to participate in celebrations without getting drunk) while we were out of state for her sister's wedding.

We were in Missouri. I was looking for CBD stores online, but all of the results I was getting seemed to be for dispensaries. I was heretofore unaware that Missouri had legalized medical marijuana, but I knew that my card wouldn't work out of state. I continue looking until I finally find a listing for a smoke shop that doesn't say dispensary and has reviews mentioning CBD and delta. We drive to the store and I go in by myself.

When I get to the front door of what looks like a normal shop I see a glowing neon green sign with the word "dispensary" and a medical cross on it. "Oh no," I think. "I've made an error. This is also a medical dispensary." Right then, a woman walks out to adjust the signage and I stammer out something about having a card but it being from another state bc I'm not from here so I know I can't go into a dispensary but I didn't think this was one but now I see the sign so I'm wondering if I'm allowed in. (I have not yet had the cannabinoids I need to be normal.)

She looks at me in confusion for a moment before my words finally catch up to her and then responds, "Oh don't worry; we're not legal."

This statement doesn't set off any alarm bells for me. "Ah yes," I think. "She means that they're not a dispensary selling medical marijuana and you don't need legal documents to get in. So they'll only sell things like CBD and delta-8. I'm familiar with this. This is exactly what I was looking for."

I follow her into the shop and ask for CBD and delta-8 gummies. They have CBD, but it turns out they don't have many options for delta-8. She asks if I would like delta-9 instead.

"Hmm," I think to myself. "I thought delta-9 was regular THC. I must be mistaken." Out loud, I ask, "Is that stronger than delta-8?"

"Oh yeah," she replies. I buy the delta-9.

I take the CBD and gradually become more normal. Later we return to the room my girlfriend's mom rented us and I decide I want to have a bit of the delta-9. Not wanting to get too high, I only have half a gummy (15 mg) which is about equivalent to my regular MMJ dose at home.

When it hits, I experience the most extreme synesthesia I have ever had in my life.

My sense of sight and sense of touch are completely swapped. I don't feel touch physically anymore, I'm seeing every sensation as swirling lines of color in my vision instead. I can't see my surroundings through the swirls, I only have a vague sense of them from the way the reflected light feels on my skin. Gravity has shifted on a 90° axis. Down is now left. The only thing preventing me from plummetting sideways off the bed and into the wall is my girlfriend holding me and promising she won't let me fall. She's petting my hair and it's making me see pretty colors. It's not an entirely unpleasant experience.

This—I cannot stress this enough—has never happened to me before.

The next morning, I do some more googling. It turns out delta-9 is just regular THC. It also turns out that marijuana is legal not only medically in Missouri, but also recreationally. So if she wasn't referring to medical restrictions, then what did that woman mean when she said her shop wasn't legal?

I research the brand and find out that it's from a company that uses the "hemp with less than 0.3% THC content isn't classified as a drug" law as a legal loophole by just making Really Big Gummies. "Maybe she meant they only sell federally legal products?" I think. That's a weird way to phrase it.

I look closer at the site. The label on the package seems to match a product that the company stopped selling a significant time ago. The expiration date on my bag is current. The package design also doesn't seem to match any of the pictures I'm seeing of that product. And the gummies don't seem to be much bigger than my normal ones which is strange considering the legal loophole they're supposed to be using.

Ignoring everything else, it's also the most bizarre experience I have ever had on weed in all of my years with it.

What did she mean when she said they weren't legal?

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hi Cas,

I love your writing and I'm a big fan of it. But I'm here for a bit of advice.

I'm a bisexual girl who has a huge crush on this girl in my class. She's absolutely wonderful. She's very forward and has a lot of courage and speaks up for LGBTQ+ rights every chance she gets.

At the start of this year, she asked me out after confirming that I was, after all, into girls. But back then, I hadn't gotten to know her and only thought of her as a friend and really didn't know exactly how I felt about her. I was also going through a pretty bad breakup at around the same time. So, I told her I wasn't ready for a relationship.

She didn't take it badly, we're classmates and not as close as we were at the start of the year but we don't avoid each other or make the whole thing feel wierd.

But now, I really do like her. I might even be slightly obsessed. But I don't know what to do about it. If I do ask her out, I know that our relationship will be public because she said in the beginning that she's not ashamed of this sort of thing. There are a lot of homophobic people in my class and I don't know how I feel about coming out to all of them.

Of course, I know that she'll be supportive and will try to keep it secretive if I ask her to but I feel like that might be restricting her. I don't want to do that. I appreciate her courage to accept herself a lot.

I really don't know what to do, Cas. I've talked to a few others about this but I don't have any LGBTQ+ people in my circle. So, can you pls tell me what I can do?

Okay so...

I think if you want to get her attention, you could say something like "Hey, remember that question you asked me at the beginning of they year? Is that still an option?" That way you're not like...all-out asking her out, but you...are? It just feels less scary in my mind, at least.

As far as not wanting to be loud about it, I think you need to talk to her about that if she agrees to go out with you. Be VERY honest about both your fears and your worries for her. And tell her that you completely understand if she doesn't want that. As someone who is out and who wouldn't want to be in a closeted relationship, I also wonder, do you mean you would want to be closeted or just quiet? Because like...not wanting to make out in the middle of the hallway would be cool with me, but lying about a relationship wouldn't. So be clear about that as well, you know?

But yeah I think you just need to be honest and ask her to be honest with you. That's the best way to not get hurt <3

Naming you courage anon

[thedeafprophet]

Finished drawing my character designs/ line up of the Light Fingers Crew to formalize my drawing of them

Overview/ Design talk under the cut if anyone is interested in that sort of thing

For all the designs I used the art given for them in the game as a starting point and then went from there. For all but Hephaesta of course that means using a non character specific art. I also wanted all the colors to sort of fit together so where i would have done more vibrant stuff and i strayed away from that.

Clara and Her Sister

Putting the discussion for these two together, as their designs recieved similar thoughts because they are identical twins. ('She is wearing the Fading Music-Hall Singer's face, which seems rude.')

The basic art of the bohemian faction is used to depict the sisters.

So this was my basic starting point for the visual design. I ended up diving further into research into bohemian fashion, which of course lead to me reading up on the history of the term and the connection to the Romani people. According to wikipedia, the word comes from the french term 'bohémien', which was the word for the Romani people.

This of course put a complex spin when i looked into the clothing used in the time, as theres a question between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and one I don't have the full understanding for.

Nevertheless i did take some inspirtation for the clothing here, Clara with having her hair loose and down and looser clothing, the singer with the hair scarf and the necklace among some inspirations.

Inbetween the two I imagine the singers appearance to be more reserved then Clarabelle's. For one, my interpretation of the singer is as someone who uses her singing as a backdrop for sneaking and gathering information (per her role as a 'contact' of the player). The other being that we are told Clara's title is the 'eccentric opera singer' to me implies a grander sense of creatativity and wilder clothing. In less stressful times I imagine her wearing brighter clashing colours and skirts with patterns on them and jewlery (which i intend to draw at a later time when i get better at adding patterns to clothes lol).

We also know the two of them are 'not young' so i attempted to not make them appear so.

Hephaesta

Heph is of course the one character of the group with a personalized art, which i used as the base for my design.

Hephaesta is supposed to be a large figure, as she is a strongwoman, and is described as towering over even jasper and frank. So of course I had to make her tall compared to the others of the group.

And of course i can't go without bringing up Katie Sandwina (again), a real strongwomen of the time who serves as a great inspiration both in body type and height.

What a woman huh.

Dr Vaughan

The Campaigner template art was the one used to depict her when you first speak to her and was a starting point here.

To me i always pictured her as a fairly older women given her experience and amount of time she's been researching. Clearly someone with a lot of exprience. And also i just vibe with it.

I kept her outfit simple, as i dont figure her as someone to put too much into the latest fashion given her focus on her work. I took the green from the art to use as her skirt to tie in that colour. I also looked up some photos of female doctors of the time and that partially influenced my art direction here.

Obliging Silverer

I debated including him or not given that you only have him as part of the team if you use the light fingers exclusive option to access the parabolan basecamp. But given the fact that he literaly dies defending the camp, I think its only fair that he gets included.

i just had a bit of fun with the design as there wasnt too much to restrict off. I dont draw a lot of characters with mustaches depsite them being a thing of the time, so I figured this was a good excuse as any. I kept with some orange colours within his colour scheme for further callbacks to parabola and his work.

Also hey did you know that people of an ashkenazi background can also have red hair? Fun fact heh.

[thatgreyjedi]

As voted on by you guys, today’s episode of “ThatGreyJedi’s Song Analysis” is the ever iconic yet actually pretty emotional song if you listen the acoustic version (yes, the one from Deadpool 2)

Take On Me by A-ha

Now, I was already considering this as Buddie song WAY before the Contagion Arc, but let’s just say that recent developments have more or less heightened it?! I have quite a bit to talk about, so get comfy while I bring you another English teacher’s pet interpretation of an 80s song in relation to a medical procedure t.v show (and a superhero movie, because why not?).

Let’s start from the beginning of the song:

We're talking away

I don't know what I'm to say

I'll say it anyway

Today is another day to find you

Shyin' away

Oh, I'll be comin' for your love, okay

Now, I can imagine what a lot of you are thinking right now and you’re right! The constant FaceTime calls after Eddie left for Texas. Yeah. That.

No matter what happened that day, whether they’re having the best day or the worst nerves or even going through one of the most absolutely devastating losses of the series, they’re always there for each other. They’ve shown us that for the past 7 seasons, even if it’s for just a few minutes, and it reflects how far one would go for the other, even if it means letting them go (but only for a little bit).

Alright, the next part of this song also SCREAMS 8b:

Take on me

Take me on

I'll be gone

In a day or two

When I sat down to write this analysis, I couldn't stop think about the underlying theme of love, specifically a love that goes beyond the bounds of time and space. A love that isn't simply restricted to warm fuzzy feelings or romantic outings. A love that isn't always easy but endearing through sacrifices and compromises.

Buck and Eddie? They not only reflect love, but they show all aspects of truly loving someone. It's easy to be angry at someone you love for choosing to leave, but there's always the option to be happy for them. Will you be upset? Angry? Hurt? Those are common emotions for any human being to endure and it's alright. Was Buck hurt by Eddie's decision to leave? Absolutely, but he let him go so he could be with their his son. Plus, it was obvious to most of us and the general audience watching this show that Eddie wasn't going to be gone for too long, but we just didn't know when he'd return, with or without Chris. Buck was in that same scenario, TWICE (The first with Abby and the most recent with Eddie)! However, the biggest difference between Abby leaving and Eddie leaving is that the latter's was only ever going to be TEMPORARY. Sure, he would be gone for a time, but Eddie was always meant to come back to LA. Abby, well, she never had any true intentions of staying in LA after her mother died and she never had any reason (at least in her mind) to come back permanently.

So, what's the purpose of this? Why am I even taking the time to even analyze this? Why did this immediately ring a bell in my head as a Buddie-coded song?

Well, as we move into season 9 in the fall, I know that many individuals have strongly stated that they will not be returning to watch the series as a result of Bobby's death. I understand why people are angry at that decision and I can't lie, I was a little upset about 9-1-1's PR response to the beloved captain's death. However, I want to remind people as to why we're here in this online community. We are here because we all share a common belief: Buddie going Canon before the series ends (which is hopefully not for a long time). We have rode this bizarre and insane at times roller-coaster that is one of the slowest burns in all of television history, and I promise you that the fruition of this relationship is coming soon.

[animeyanderelover]

For my Yandere Alphabet I always only accept 4 letters so I'll choose only 4 you named in your request.

Tw: Yandere themes, possessive behavior, obsession, control, authority abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, strict behavior

Yandere Alphabet

Affection-How and how often do they show affection?

💓​Cornelia is very specific with her affection for you as she is an ardent believer that good treatment should only result from good behavior. As a family member of the royal family she is freer yet somehow also more restricted than others as she has duties to fulfill as the princess and warrior for her kingdom. Affection is a sign of her pride and fondness for you yet she can't be proud of you if you misbehave yourself and disrespect her so as she is the one in charge of you. If you want affection it needs to be earned and then she prefers to not make a show of it and keep it in more private surroundings. Whilst neither verbal nor physical affection are love signs she excells in, she still values quality time together with you as a bonding experience. Whether it is enjoying an expensive meal with you or taking you with her to a famous opera. Whilst she does give you gifts from time to time as well she isn't outright drowning you in lavish presents as she would think of it as a waste to give you more than you need. When she gifts you something then only when she knows that you need or want and will actually use it instead of letting it lie around somewhere to be forgotten.

Confession-How do they make their feelings visible? Would they ever confess and court their darling?

💓​Her feelings have always been tricky for the princess to accept, not even to mention to merely tolerate, as she possesses awareness of her own unhealthy emotions. Cornelia, the woman who prides herself as a strong warrior, feels ashamed of her own feelings that are out of her own grasp of control, something that has never quite happened to her before. It takes quite a lot out of her to stomach everything and in return your mere presence seems to put her in a worse mood as you are the catalyst of all of her current problems. She tries not to mind you but she can't help but hyper-focus on you a bit more which normally ends in her scolding you and calling you out for every little mistake you commit which she probably wouldn't have noticed under other circumstances. She'll give you an especially hard time if you are a servant or even a soldier serving her kingdom as it often feels like she is specifically targeting you. She will give praise where praise is deserved though so if you actually manage to elicit a compliment out of her you know that she is earnest.

💓​Mutual marriage is not a well-known topic in the royal family as most engagements are arranged as nobles are wed to other nobles. It would already take quite a bit of work to ease up her father and other advisors into the idea of her taking someone who might not even be a noble and in the worst case not even from Britain. With all of the effort she puts in to even ensure that everyone will tolerate it she will not make a fool out of herself by having you reject her. By the time she informs you about all the arrangements she has made as well as her own feelings both of you have already known each other for quite a while which means that by that point in time she has already gotten a good picture of how you see her. Depending on her observations as well as the conclusion she could draw from them she might be less strict and demanding if she at least knows that you are loyal and respect her very much. In either case though you will not be given the option to choose whether or not you even want to be her lover as she has already made that choice for you.

Earnest-How intense and dangerous are they really?

💓​Life with the Princess Cornelia can feel very restrictive and smothering. She never lets you off the hook even if you are her lover as she believes that the rules should reply to all people under her father's kingdom and she won't let you step out of line just because you think you have more privileges than others as she won't let you use her as a shield to get away with certain stuff. She has virtues which she lives by and which she demands all of her knights to have as well. Now that you also belong to her you have to live by those virtues as well and if you behave yourself, she will always without a fail have you punished. After all you are under her care and for that every act of rebellion and lack of respect would be directly disrespectful for her as well as put her in a position of embarrassment and humiliation as she is the one responsible for you. Her strictness shouldn't be mistaken with needless cruelty though as she never does anything that would torture you without any purpose, without any lesson she wants you to learn, behind it. She is domesticating you, establishes her own dominance without showing any weakness as you may otherwise see it as an opportunity to bite.

Sharing-Would they ever share their darling with someone/let them see others?

💓​Cornelia is a strong and independent woman who doesn't rely on anyone else. As a member of the royal family there are a lot of public events she is expected to attend to and in such instances she will take you with her as you now have a role to fulfill as her lover. If you should have previously misbehaved though you will be locked up as she won't let you disappoint her in front of other people. She wouldn't needlessly show you off though as she knows that there are people out there who fight against her kingdom and who would target you simply to deliver a cowardly blow to her. It's due to her independence that I can see her only willingly share her darling with two people. One of them would be Euphemia, her beloved younger sister who she adores and would trust and who would serve as the opposite that would balance life out for you a bit. The other option would be Guilford, her chosen Knight who has proven his dedication and loyalty to her over and over again and who she knows she can trust blindly with you.

[nabi-unveiled]

Ooooh okay PLEASE go off about DnD. Whatcha playing? Whatcha DMing? Got any good stories?

- also a DM and player 😊

Thanks for the ask!

As I said earlier though...don't expect me to know all the legitimate rules or be able to argue technicalities of rules/builds. We're the "if the DM allows it" kind of people and most of the people I play with are very casual players. We do have a lot of fun though.

Let's start with "Whatcha DMing?"

These days I primarily DM for 13 year olds 😂. I used to do it for high school groups too, but I don't volunteer there as much anymore. The game has gained enough popularity that they normally find a teenager to DM the sessions at the high school these days.

This summer I'll DM a couple of one shot sessions for my son and his friends. During the year, they are part of the DnD club at school and a different family hosts a small group of them fairly regularly to run a longer campaign. They have a session on their long campaign tomorrow.

But I'm the one that hosts the sessions with any of the "friends" that aren't committed enough for long-term campaigns and a place to add some variety and let them try out new characters and scenarios. For the kids, I typically modify one shot outlines I find online or in books. Most of my planning will get wasted. Kids are much less predictable than adults.

I'm currently planning the June session (modified outline). Child went missing in a swamp. They must find and rescue her. It has a bit of a Hansel and Gretel vibe. Given the players' ages, the tricky part is making them actually want to go rescue the child so the reward will need to be pretty sweet.

Whatcha playing?

Just like the board game Diplomacy, finding a good group to play DnD with can be tricky lol. I typically stick to one shots. It's less frustrating than prepping or getting excited and people bailing last minute. And honestly -> my own time is pretty restricted too. I don't want to have to bail on others either.

I should probably note that we mainly use the 2014 rules + any relevant expansions. None of us have invested a lot of time into the 2024 rules yet. I have the book, but I mainly use it as a DM (if a kid relied on that edition to build their character).

Last one shot I played was in March. We rolled for characters. As in the DM had us roll to decide our class, race, etc. We then got 30 minutes to finish creating our character (decide on our name, build our backstory, roll for stats). I do not recommend this route unless everyone you are playing with is very experienced. The variety and push to try something new was fun, but it turned out very badly for many of us individually and for us a party as well. People ended up with classes they didn't know well, and then they didn't have time to investigate and make good decisions. We had fun, but it would've been disastrous if you have a serious group of players. If you want to do it, I'd almost recommend rolling at a pre-session 0 so people have time to familiarize themselves with their character.

I ended up as a warforged artificer with the very obvious name of Ferric and minimal backstory as I spent my 30 minutes mostly reviewing mechanics and focusing on the build. And the one-shot had a ton of aoe and dexterity based traps so....😅

Any Good Stories?

Most of my stories are probably the same as other people and not very exciting.

You probably know the type -> The Barbarian decides to punch the bartender in the face for no good reason even though that was the person with the information we needed, and the DM had CLEARLY indicated they had the information and were amenable to sharing. But no, barbarian decides to knock them out instead of letting the high charisma character talk to them. DM got irked and we had to go "search for clues" for an insanely long time (for a one shot) before we found anything useful.

There was one session where we came to the edge of a ledge and could not see the bottom (seemingly bottomless pit). There were options (other rooms/paths to take, etc.), but one of the idiots (or geniuses) in my party decided to jump. Turned out it was some type of false gravity/gravity loop mechanism. DM had to throw out 3/4 of the planning/one shot because it was supposed to take us a long time to figure it out. That said -> I feel that was bad planning on their part. We easily could've thrown something down there if the idiot hadn't jumped.

Probably most unique (and homebrew) session was when I had to bring my daughter to a session (with permission). She was like 4 at the time. DM decided to make her a "pseudodragon" that tagged along with our party. We told her they couldn't talk and could only make certain noises, and she happily played along for the whole session. We used her as a scout, etc. The fighter decided to "throw her" to knock something off of a high wall. They said "why not?" Why not? Because she can fly 🙄. For the record, it failed. She loved the idea though and acted out bouncing off the wall.

Those are the ones that immediately come to mind. There are probably better ones, but...I'm tired.

Thanks again for the ask! I'm always up for hearing a good story myself ✨.