#southern merchant's survived

[androdjinni]

Yule Goat Poll

Goatstory below

Goat Webcam starts December 3rd, 2023.

Please reblog for more goat thoughts ty

[imthepunchlord]

For all the potential spin off shows we could have for AtLA, one thought I actually kinda want to see is about Kanna.

She left the North to go live in the South, during a war.

And I have so many questions as she had to travel across the world. During a war.

Did she travel alone? Or was it that the North and South were making trade at the time and she hopped on? Even if she joined warriors or merchants, there is a war going on. There'd be Fire Nation ships and pirates and what adventure did she go on? Is she a badass non bender that Hakoda and Sokka inherited? Or was she surviving by the skin of her teeth and had to rely on her wit?

Did she have to travel through the Earth Kingdom?

If "all old people know each other", who did she meet? Did she ever join the White Lotus too?

I just really wonder what was her adventure traveling from the Northern Water Tribe to the Southern Water Tribe. Cause it couldn't have been all smooth sailing the whole way.

Also possibly getting to see Hakoda's father. Like, presumably she got with a man from the Southern Water Tribe, but there's so little mentioned of him, which is kinda odd as SWT is typically more close knit community. Was he just not in his family's life that much? Was Hakoda's father someone from the Earth Kingdom, who wanted to fight in the war and that's why he didn't go with her? Or did Kanna have some spicy romance with a pirate who ultimately didn't want to settle in the SWT or had to keep moving as the FN and EK were after him?

She's a very minor character in the grand scheme of it all, but she has such an interesting background set up, I want to know what did she come across as she traveled across the world to be with the SWT. If AtLA got spin off shows covering iconic characters, she is one I want to see what her adventure was like.

[animentality]

I went down a Goat Hole.

So I love the Gävle goat wikipedia, which records the years when it survived vs the years when it was burned.

It starts off so normal. Did it survive, or was it burned?

And then it just....like an A24 movie, gets weirder and weirder.

I like that they include security measures.

Also, I feel bad for 1971, when the Southern Merchants got tired of their goat being burnt ;-; and stopped making them.

Then the Natural Science Club built one and it got smashed to pieces :((((

Then I feel soooo bad for 1992, when BOTH goats from the Natural Science Club and the Southern Merchants burned on the same night???

But then The Goat Committee was founded, like the Avengers, protectors of the goat. So silver linings.

Sadly, though, they made a new one, and it still burned.

So now I'm losing my mind, because the poor goat got thrown in the river in 2000, and its sibling got burnt too.

But I am also laughing hysterically at the idea of someone dressed as Santa and the gingerbread man shooting a flaming fucking arrow at the goat.

Like what the FUCK.

But also.

Dying. That's arson with style, baby.

But then it REALLY gets weird.

And I know that sounds impossible, but listen.

So people are getting WAY too goddamn coordinated on the burning of these goats.

And so.

We continue on.

And so now, you know the many stories.

Now, you may decide if it will burn this year or not, and whether you want it to.

Or not.

But isn't wikipedia fun?

I feel so bad for these goats, and for the two organizations that keep making them.

But the chaotic neutral in me does enjoy the testament to the indomitable human spirit showed by both parties.

they keep making the goat. the goat burns. sometimes, it does not.

life always moves in circles, never quite beginning or ending.

sometimes the goat lives, sometimes it dies, but there is always a goat. there must always be a goat.

[spacelazarwolf]

I’m an Italian ger who’s being converted in an Ashkenazi community. I want to connect to my culture so badly!!! Is there any books you’d recommend, Italki food you love, or special rituals you do on Shabbat / during the week that are influenced by being Italian? I’d love to introduce more into my own practice!!

yeah! also this ended up being probably more in depth than you were asking for so apologies lmao.

so for some context (in case you or anyone reading this is not already aware), italki jews are a specific group of jews within italy. italki isn't like a nationality, so it's not a synonym for "italian jew", it's more like a regional identity. people from rome, naples, and venice are all italian, but they're also roman, neapolitan, and venetian. even if they move somewhere else, they'll likely still retain that regional identity. italy didn't become a unified republic until 1871, so culture and language and food varied a lot by region (which it still does), and that's true of jewish communities too, especially those that came from other places.

italki jews are jews who were brought to italy by the romans or traveled to rome to be merchants, and have been there since roman times. ashkenazi jews came during the middle ages, primarily settling in the north in places like venice. it's very worth noting that ashkenazim in italy, with the exception of one or two communities, have significantly different musical tradition, pronunciation, language, and food than other ashkenazi communities. sephardi jews came mostly after the expulsion from spain and portugal, though there were some living in sicily and southern italy.

with all that in mind, i'd definitely recommend doing some research into the demographics of the jewish community in the place you or your family is from. if you already live there, it should be much easier!

resources:

the jews in italy- their contribution to the development and diffusion of jewish heritage

cookbooks by edda servi machlin (she has several, but some are hard to find)

cucina ebraica

i highly recommend checking out torah.it. it's a fantastic archive of recordings and pdfs all about italian jewry. you will spend hours there and still have only scratched the surface.

rabbi barbara aiello also has a lot of different resources.

i highly recommend checking out the work of leo levi for research on italian jewish music. he spent years interviewing and recording chazzanut, scholars, and other community leaders and saved so many italian jewish melodies from complete extinction. (i believe all these recordings are uploaded to torah.it as well)

primo levi is another italian jew to research. he wrote many books that are available for purchase, including a memoir about his survival in auschwitz. there is also an institute in his name dedicated to the preservation, study, and celebration of italian judaism.

ensemble bet hagat put out an album of reimagined italian jewish music a few years ago and i believe they are also working on a second one. it is beautiful.

anyway that's probably enough nerding out, i can get to the more personal stuff and answering the actual questions you asked me now lmao.

right now, it's just me in my apartment so there's a lot of traditions i can't do, but if you have family or friends you can invite over, there are a lot of lovely traditions you can incorporate. i use a three branched candelabra for my shabbat candles. the middle candle is lit first and used to light the other two, as you would with hanukkah candles. if you have multiple people at your table, you can give them their own individual candles, in which case you will light the shamash (middle candle), pass it around the table for each person to light their individual candle, then the host will light the two other candles.

for food, i love making riso del sabato. it's a risotto dish with saffron and it is delicious. there's also a pumpkin ravioli in brown butter and sage sauce in cucina ebraica that is to die for.

[splosh-crime]

Death of the Moon AU

Zhao successfully kills the Moon Spirit Tui and incapacitates Yue before she can fix it.

The tides and weather are so thrown out of balance that ATLA becomes an almost fully-submerged planet, with only the tallest mountain peaks remaining as islands; most notably, the Air Temples, Omashu, & Crazy Herbalist Greenhouse.

Yue is both waterbending and the Avatar Cycle’s only chance to return. Until then, the return of the moon is the Gaang’s new mission.

Northern Water Tribe is one of the first communities submerged due to being the coastal city and epicenter of La’s grief. La wishes to protect Tui’s corpse under his waves.

The majority of Fire Nation territory, including the capital (Caldera City), is completely submerged. What remains of the Fire Nation’s citizens lives on rare mountainous colonies, the navy, mercantile fleet, fishing industry ships, and the elite’s literal showboats.

Fire Navy ships undergo catastrophic amounts of bad luck, so many sinking that it may be a curse from La. Civilians are encouraged to join merchant and fishing ships instead.

The Herbalist’s Greenhouse, Gaoling, and Eastern & Southern Air Temples are the planet’s main sources of food besides aquatic life.

Refugees learn quickly to survive off fishing and farming aquatic plants, learning from Water Tribe members and Coastal City residents.

The Northern Air Temple’s tech-enhanced citizens remain free as always, their gliders becoming an even more valuable transportation method with so little ground to walk on. To be safe, they gain a focus on naval technologies, building the whale submarines early and spreading their borders with floating docks.

Toph is warned of the incoming disaster by the spiritually connected Badgermoles. She, along with her fellow Earth Rumble Competitors are able to raise Gaoling and part of its surrounding forest high enough to create a mountainous island before the floods arrive. Tall enough for even the Badgermoles to remain underground.

Sokka fails to contain his smugness when his sister asks for boomerang lessons to supplement her waterbending.

Ba Sing Se, Eclipse Invasion, or Boiling Rock Prison Break storylines are either postponed or erased since all those places are underwater.

If you are inspired enough to write or draw this, please tag me! I’d love to see your work!

[rufousnmacska]

Firsts

A manorian one shot that has all my usual tropes. I have a long standing head canon that Manon secretly watches Dorian a lot. She thinks it’s just out of curiosity since he’s a human. And that’s part of it, but there’s a bit more 😏. Also, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about all the first times they didn’t get in the books. So here are some, thrown into one fic.

Thanks to @mrstrafalgardshanks (for sparking some parts of this fic) and @itach-i (for her beta reading and constant manorian trashiness)! ❤️❤️

***

The heavy rain darkened the red of her cloak, turning it into a deep wine color. This was lucky, Manon thought. The cloak was the best way to hide her white braid and allow her the freedom to sneak in without being seen. A group of merchants sped by, heading for the castle entrance, and she jogged to catch up with them. The guard waved them in out of the weather, not looking twice as she pretended to be with them.

She’d never been in the castle. At least, not this part. She’d watched his balcony for hours that one night so long ago. Then she’d seen his bedroom. After it was destroyed by that Yellowlegs bitch. Manon grinned, remembering how Abraxos had disposed of the witch’s wyvern with one snap of his ironteeth. She’d never been able to feel remorse over that. Not when Dorian had been so close to his end.

They’d written, but this would be the first time seeing each other since the war. Manon had decided on a whim to come, and here she was. The sleepless nights had caught up so quickly. Meetings with her council passed without much input from their queen, and she’d begun to forget things. When Petrah offered to oversee the Wastes, to give Manon a break, she hadn’t argued. If nothing else, her kingdom deserved a queen who could remember the orders she’d given. A few days away might bring her back to herself.

Watching Rifthold’s people filter through the entrance hall into the throne room, she peered through her hood at the faces. The nobility and upper classes wore the usual pinched expressions of wealth and privilege, making her wonder how closely they’d allied themselves with Erawan to survive the war with their riches intact. The thought made her cheeks heat in rage.

The others, civilians wearing dingier clothing and awed looks at their surroundings, had suffered. These were the residents left homeless by the witches and valg king. Conscripted into Erawan’s monster army, set free by Southern Continent healers, and likely left with no memory of those months. If they were lucky. It struck her how difficult his job as king would be in the coming years.

As Manon skirted around the walls, she remembered Dorian’s most recent letter. He’d written about the nightmares he’d been having, images of pain and hell inflicted by his own hands. Images of those hands morphing into his father’s.

Perhaps that was why she hadn’t argued with Petrah. It made a good excuse to come here. To check on a friend.

A loud, vivacious laugh caught her ear and she saw Yrene across the crowd. Quickly, Manon pulled her hood a little tighter, hoping the material was still dark enough to blend in.

The line to speak to the King was long and enough people had come simply to watch that Manon was able to get into the throne room unseen. Taking a spot in the back corner, she resisted the urge to stand on something in order to actually see the throne.

She didn’t know why she was sneaking. It felt ridiculous. Childish.

But the thought of having planned a visit, or being received as the Witch Queen, with all the pomp and attention it required, made her skin itch. She’d considered waiting for him in his rooms and surprising him. But after sending Abraxos away to hunt at the city wall when they’d arrived, she’d heard about the Audience with the King happening that day. It would be boring, of course, watching Adarlanians petition Dorian for things or settle disputes. But her curiosity had been piqued. As a queen, she’d wondered how his court was run and thought this might be a good learning experience.

She hadn’t really thought it through though. It was impossible to hear and she could not get a clear view of him no matter how high she stood on her toes. There were simply too many people.

About to give up and go find a way into his rooms, Manon pushed through the people in front of her. Suddenly, and for just a moment, there was a break in the crowd.

Dorian was sitting at a table, Chaol next to him along with others. Advisors, she guessed. The throne sat empty behind him. A couple was speaking to him, gesturing wildly to a snarling merchant. Dorian wrote quickly while the others at the table listened.

When he finally looked up, she got her first sight of his face in months.

His black hair had grown, curling around his crown. But other than that, he looked the same - bronze skin, a quick smile, and sparkling blue eyes. Even from this distance, the sunlight caught his eyes.

But no, she realized, as something else sparkled too. He was different.

His crown.

She’d never seen him with it on.

It was a thick band of gold with three large stones, rubies, set along the front. Simple, but well crafted. There were designs incised along the band but she couldn’t make out the detail.

He looked like a king.

Her king.

The break filled in again and she was shuffled aside, back against the wall. Growling under her breath at the rudeness, she regretted being disguised and almost reached for a dagger.

As she turned to leave, that thought - her king - fluttered into her mind again. But she pushed it away and focused on the shove by the crowd, letting her annoyance take over as she left the castle.

…

Dorian closed his door and sagged against it, exhausted by the day and so many people. This was the fourth audience held in Rifthold since the war. After the first one, he’d called for a table and abandoned his throne, wanting to actually get something accomplished. He’d started the practice with the hopes of letting his people see him, speak to him. Trust him. And while that seemed to be happening, albeit very slowly, a part of him was regretting it.

It was the same part that longed for the adventures and romance that he read about in his novels. The part that wanted to be a normal man, anonymous and irresponsible.

But that part was small enough that he could tuck it away and forget about it.

Not the longing for romance though. Golden eyes, moon white hair, a fleeting smile given only to him. That was something Dorian refused to forget, even if it might not ever happen.

We’ll see.

Those two words spoken with that not-quite-there smile. Manon had looked at him, smiled at him, when she said them. The hope she’d sparked that day still filled him. Especially on nights like this when he was dead tired yet afraid to try and fall asleep.

Pulling himself away from the door, he strode through his outer rooms into the bedroom. Dorian glanced at his desk and thought about writing to her. But he’d just sent a letter last week. He should at least wait for a reply. With a laugh at himself, he thought he should try to maintain some semblance of control.

Grabbing a glass, he poured himself some wine and stared at the mess around his desk. Piles of books, papers, even some containers of soil that were given to him by a farmer at the last audience day. The man insisted his additions to the soil would improve crops across the kingdom. Dorian kicked at one, telling himself he needed to look into the claim.

After draining his wine, Dorian put the glass atop a stack of novels and reached for his crown.

“Leave it on.”

Dorian spun, his magic noticeably not flaring to defend him.

Manon sat on his bed, back against the headboard, her bare feet crossed, a book open in her lap.

As he stared at her, trying to decide if she was real or a figment of his imagination, she stood and walked toward him.

Her eyes, glowing in the light of the fire, caught on his crown. “It looks good on you,” she said.

Real. Her scent, her presence, her voice filled him.

“Hello witchling.”

Manon smiled then. A true smile. For him.

“Hello princeling.”

She reached for his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders. Dorian watched, using every bit of self control he had to let her undress him. It struck him that they’d never done this before. Every other time had been hurried, either to avoid the cold or to pretend there was nothing between them. Hell, they’d never even used a real bed.

So he let her slowly unbutton his shirt, let her remove her leathers, enjoying the show she made of it, his eyes drinking her in, her eyes never leaving his.

And when she led him to his bed, he kept his crown on.

…

The next morning, Dorian woke early to send two messages - one to Chaol canceling all his meetings that day, and one to the kitchens for enough food to last until tomorrow. Then he returned to bed, where Manon still slept.

Later, when they were enjoying a very late breakfast in in bed, he caught her smiling. “Is something funny?” he asked lightly.

Manon bit into a piece of bacon and looked around the room. He followed her gaze but saw nothing amusing.

“I’ve never spent a day lazing around in bed,” she finally replied. “Unless I was injured. I suppose with all your many lovers, this is nothing new for you.” She was teasing him, but he responded seriously.

“You’ve never done this? Never wanted to stay with someone after?” He saw the answer in her face, the way her smile faded. Pushing the tray of food away, he pulled her onto him, her legs straddling his waist. “Ask me who I will do this for now,” he demanded.

Manon said nothing, but the heavy rise and fall of her chest gave away her excitement.

Dorian kissed her, using his magic to pin her hands behind her back and yank her closer while his real hands tangled in her hair. Her teeth scraped over his lip and he moaned.

“Ask me.” His voice was rough and commanding as he freed her mouth to speak.

Barely a whisper, she said, “Who.”

He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, letting her squirm in his lap as his magic caressed other spots. When she groaned, a mix of pleasure and annoyance, he said, “Just you, witchling. No one else.”

…

Manon was so close to the edge, driven there by his lips and phantom touch and the sharp demand in his voice. But those words pulled her back. The promise, the declaration of … something … something they couldn’t say. Yet.

The thought of that yet made her soften in his arms. He felt it and dropped his forehead to rest on hers. “Just you, princeling.” She saw his smile, his relief.

That promise, that declaration in her words cracked a barrier inside her. Slowly, tentatively, she cupped his cheek and said, “Tell me about your nightmares.”

Dorian’s eyes flashed, either from her touch or the question. But instead of answering, he ran a knuckle under both of her eyes. “Will you tell me about yours?”

Manon nodded.

Then he kissed her, so softly and tenderly, it could have been her first kiss. It took her a moment to open her eyes and when she did, Dorian was smiling at her. She couldn’t help but return it, and soon they were laughing, at what, she didn’t know. But it felt good. Right.

They spent the rest of that day and night in and out of bed, never leaving his rooms.

Dorian taught her how to luxuriate in a hot bath, kept warm by his magic. Manon taught him how to properly sharpen the dagger Sorrel had given him a lifetime ago. He showed her the symbols on his crown, which was heavier than she’d expected.

They spoke of their nightmares, of how last night was the first time either had slept, truly slept, in forever. They shared their worries of ruling, each boosting the resolve of the other.

The next day, they had breakfast with Chaol and Yrene. Their baby stared at Manon, making her fidget in her chair despite Yrene’s reassurances that Josie was always like this with new people. Everyone watched, Chaol nervously and Dorian amused, as Yrene sat the babe in Manon’s lap.

Manon held her carefully, not wanting to drop her. Josie reached for Manon’s braid and tugged on it playfully. When she cooed, everyone laughed. That was when she realized she’d never held a baby before. She wondered how different her life, the world, everything, would be if Asterin’s witchling had lived.

Sensing the change in her mood, Dorian reached over and took Josie, distracting them all by bouncing her on his knee until she broke into a fit of giggles. Manon caught his eye and he winked at her.

A day later, Manon said goodbye to her new friends. And Dorian. It was harder to leave this time than it had been in Orynth. He walked with her to the city wall where she’d find Abraxos. They were both hooded and cloaked to avoid stares. And he held her hand - another first, and probably not the last - as he led her through streets and alleyways.

But she would return. And he would visit her. Soon. Because they’d both agreed, though not with words, that this time together had been important. They needed each other. And while she didn’t understand the full implications of that, yet, she knew it felt right. He felt right.

Her king, and his queen.

***

Thanks for reading!

Fanfic master list

And to the anon/s who sent a few requests a while back, thanks for your patience! I’ll try to get to those soon. 🤗

[lunastrophe]

Like many I wanted to thank you for this blog. Ever since playing BG3, I've grown fascinated with drow. Some of the lore I read about them feels cartoonishly monstrous, though, and I'm admittedly a little uncomfortable with all the slavery that I don't know how to play one in a proper D&D campaign. Is there a way to tackle this sensitively/better without watering down the drow (or the Underdark for that matter) and making them into something they're not?

Hello and thank you for reading! 🙂 I agree, in some sources - especially older ones - drow often seem over the top evil, although even in those older sourcebooks, it was already stated that not all the drow are evil and chaotic.

🕷️ Drow And Slavery - lore-wise, many Underdark societies - drow, duergar, illithids, aboleths, beholders - are slave-owning societies.

Lolth-sworn drow are typically focused on individual advancement at the expense of others - not only non-drow who they consider to be inferior, but also other drow. The concept of innate freedom and equality is utterly foreign to them. They are taught that the strong are meant to rule the weak, and that the weak exist to be exploited or to die. The presence of slavery in the Underdark drow societies is, in a way, a consequence of this grim worldview.

This worldview, on the other hand, is closely tied to the Way of Lolth - although it may be also connected to the fact that Underdark is an extremely dangerous, often deadly environment where survival of the strongest is usually a thing.

🕷️ Not all Lolth-sworn drow keep slaves, though, even if they do not oppose slavery. Many drow, especially commoners, cannot afford to buy and keep a slave. Groups of drow adventurers, mercenaries or small military squads also generally do not keep slaves or servants.

🕷️ There are also drow societies that do not support slavery and these are mainly Eilistraean. Followers of Eilistraee are forbidden to take slaves and they often actively oppose enslavement in its many forms, fighting the slavers and freeing the slaves.

🕷️ Also, I imagine that in the Underdark, there are drow who do not support slavery by matter of choice or alignment, not necessarily in connection to any particular culture or faith.

Such individuals could be outcasts, mercenaries, adventurers, scholars, artists, merchants - maybe even former slaves (to other denizens of the Underdark, like illithids, for example).

In the Underdark, there are - usually small and secluded - communities where freed slaves seek refuge. Drearing's Deep from Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark can be an example of such a community. They are often inhabited by surfacers or deep gnomes, but there can be also some drow among them.

🕷️ Not long ago, Aevendrow and Lorendrow were also introduced to the D&D universe, two factions of "good" drow who rejected Lolth. They do not live in the Underdark, though, but in secretive enclaves: Callidae in the North (Aevendrow) and Saekolath somewhere in the southern jungles (Lorendrow).

🕷️ So, to sum things up, it is totally possible to play drow who does not support slavery, or even a Lolth-sworn drow who simply does not rely on slaves and does not keep them.

There are several established drow-inhabited locations where slavery is not present at all - but if you want to, you can also create such locations and incorporate them into your game without straying too far from the established lore.

You are also free to use the existing lore only as inspiration and, for example, create a setting in which slavery does not exist (anymore). Underdark drow society in such setting could, for example, forbid slavery because in the past, series of slave rebellions nearly destroyed many drow cities - and in result, keeping slaves was deemed too dangerous.

Hope you will find at least some of this information helpful in some way 🙂

[girlactionfigure]

*ISRAEL REALTIME* - "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"

HAPPY CHANUKAH !!! Chanukah night 8 tonight 🕎🕎🕎🕎🕎🕎🕎🕎

▪️ROCKETS… short range from Gaza, around 10am.

▪️U.S. SHOOTS DOWN HOUTHI DRONE… yesterday.  Not stated whether targeting Israel or merchant ships.

▪️U.S. DELAYS GUN ORDER OVER “SETTLER VIOLENCE”… The Biden administration is holding up the sale of more than 20,000 US-made rifles to Israel over concerns about attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank, Axios said on Wednesday, citing two unnamed US officials.

▪️MASS SURRENDER AT GAZA KAMAL ADWAN HOSPITAL… pictures show them all coming out with rifles (held over their heads).  Essential medical equipment?

▪️HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS?  The Arabic newspaper Al Jadid quotes senior Egyptian officials that Israel has officially approached Egypt to resume negotiations with Hamas.  On the other hand, statements by senior Hamas officials that negotiations will only be possible with a complete cessation of hostilities.  “It seems that Israel is getting back to work with the Egyptians and pushing the Qataris aside.”

▪️EXCELLENT… https://x.com/Eretz_Nehederet/status/1734945981651673297?t=z-guAG1JZSTvAiE5IrNZtA&s=35

▪️MORE ON LEBANON NEGOTIATIONS… (The Arab Desk) Towards a diplomatic agreement 🤔

First option:  Hezbollah will withdraw to a distance that will not allow accurate shooting at the settlements adjacent to the fence.

Second option:  Hezbollah will withdraw beyond the Litani line.

Both options are destined for failure in advance.  Here’s why: am agreement was signed after the Second Lebanon War - UN resolution 1701, it is not worth the paper it was written on. Hezbollah over the years came back and took control of the entire southern Lebanon, built infrastructure above and below the ground, dug tunnels, built attack positions hidden from view from which, by the way, they fire missiles every day.

Hezbollah will not throw away this infrastructure in which tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested.  Their hold on South Lebanon is a strategic hold, there is no one in the world who can guarantee that something like this will not happen again if they sign such an agreement.  War with Hezbollah is not a question of if but when.  They aim to surprise us, this is their supreme goal.  

A diplomatic agreement with Hezbollah can happen, the IDF forces will withdraw and the northern border will return to normal.  Months of quiet will pass, the north will bloom again, and we will be put to sleep again and then... it will happen again, simply because the reins are in the hands of Nasrallah (Hezbollah leader) in Beirut, only this time it will be ten times stronger.  What will our leadership say then? “We didn't know, there were no early signs, the cable was disconnected, the lens of the camera was covered in dust, there was no fuel in the vehicles, there were clouds and rain.

Enough with the lies, enough with the manipulations.  We live in a different time, everything is exposed, everything is known.  All the (“peace”) concepts that have been running us for decades collapsed on Shabbat Simchat Torah, and we are paying the price in the lives of our warriors who put their lives at risk so that we can survive here another day.  (( And the lives of our citizens, and hostages, who those concepts failed! ))

Do not take Hezbollah off the table, if you take it off the table we will pay a price that we cannot afford as a country. (( and as a people and nation. ))

[mysticstarlightduck]

Happy WBW! World map emoji - How many countries are there in your world? Feel free to dive into them as much/little as you want! 🍃 - How many seasons are there in your world?

Thank you so much for the ask, @pluttskutt! I'm sorry for the (very) late answer, these past few weeks have been a bit chaotic!

How many countries are there in your world? Feel free to dive into them as much/little as you want!

Since I'm working more on Of Starlight and Beasts I'll go with that WIP for this answer!

Well, the short version is... I'm not really that sure yet. What I mean by this is that I know the key locations where the story has taken place and will take place so far, but I also know that there's a whole continent of kingdoms, cities, and landscapes in the world the characters are in, and while those places exist in their world, they just haven't appeared in the actual story or been visited by the characters yet, but are mentioned.

Mostly, so far, the main countries/kingdoms that are extremely relevant to the story are the capital city of Tirawen, the former kingdom of Idraven (now conquered by the forces of the Crimson Queen), the provinces of Monbern, the vast landscape known as the Frosts, and the seaside city of Orloch - all which are part of the characters stories, journey and which hold the landscapes which are key parts of the trajectory of their quest. There will be more kingdoms and countries introduced later on, but these are the ones I've got so far!

Now, a little bit of quick lore about those cities:

Tirawen - This kingdom (whose capital city has the same name) rules over a large portion of the realm, its dynasty was known for upholding the current era of peace before the main conflicts of the book threw the world into chaos. Despite being a beautiful marble city known for being the melting pot of the realm, where different cultures could exist in harmony and where knowledge, arts, and magic could thrive, Tirawen also has a complicated/darker side. Beset by strange, ravenous beasts throughout the year, but most strongly during the dark winter months of the city, Tirawen's survival depends on the magic borders around the kingdom, which provide a defense system capable of keeping most of the beasts at bay. But the more distant from the capital, the less efficient the magic, since it is a limited resource - small backwater villages and faraway provinces are more at the mercy of the beasts, while the cities near the kingdom's heart/the capital rarely suffer great losses. But now, with the kingdom's protective magic waning - for reasons yet unknown, Tirawen faces the reality of a dire future that may put at risk its very survival.

Monbern - A duchy deep in the forests of the southern part of the kingdom. It was once one of the most powerful and rich places in the realm, nearly a sprawling merchant empire in a stone-built city, but when the ducal family was betrayed and the throne usurped, Monbern changed. It's sprawling merchant city gave way to one of the most infamous (and largest) black market trading outposts in the realm - with the crime lords being personal friends of the new Duke, having helped him come to power - and many loyalists to the former ducal family were either driven to exile or vanished (killed). The old city now lives under near militaristic oppression, with high taxes and threats, though those loyal to the "new duke" seem to suspiciously thrive. However, there's more to this province than meets the eye - underground, carved into the earth's stone, there are ancient fortresses and tunnels, where another city (reminiscent of the old Monbern) thrives right under the new Duke's watch, which is unaware of the existence of this secret part of the province.

Orloch - This city is home to the largest port in the realm, covering most of the kingdom's coast. It is ruled by a council of naval commanders who answer to the royal family of Tirawen, most notably to the King's sister-in-law, a former captain. It is responsible for trades between cities in the realm but also with cities beyond the sea. Many of the budding captains and commanders dream of reaching and exploring the mythical "Uncharted Lands" that lie beyond a sea of monstrous creatures and deathly enchanted fog that confuses the minds of sailors and drives them adrift forever.

The Frosts are an incredibly large expanse of land beyond the city of Tirawen, a frozen, landlocked desertic tundra in the heart of the continent. It is said that most non-humanoid dragons and giant serpents hail from these lands, and that magic is at its wildest here. The kingdoms within the Frosts are independent of Tirawen, though they hold diplomatic connections and trade relationships with that city, and its lands are divided between five matriarchal, ancient clans - which are said to be the only ones able to master the ginormous creatures of their land, and have existed long before Tirawen was even a village.

Idraven - It was once a "sibling kingdom" to Tirawen, before the two lands were divided into two, centuries ago. Idraven was a powerful kingdom with a warrior's culture and a strong connection to their kingdom's spiritual magic. It was separated from Tirawen by a vast mountain range and had cities nestled in the walls of the mountains and even within the rocks. After the kingdom politically "disappeared" two centuries ago it was said that Idraven fell to at the mysterious curse that was awakened and took hold of the mountains and forever locked Tirawen away from it. This is partially true, there was a curse, but Idraven was actually conquered and isolated by the forces of the Crimson Queen. Much of its population died in the brutal attack (either fighting against the Queen's forces or trying to run from it), and the ones remaining were enslaved by the Crimson Queen. It now looks more like the mix between a ghost town and a military outpost.

How many seasons are there in your world?

All my fantasy WIPs have the same Four Seasons as we do (mostly because that's a system that works and it would be too much additional work for me to great new seasons). At times, the length, characteristics, and strength of each season may vary in certain locations in each WIP, though!

[idonothaveanymorequarters]

Today, I did well. *some spoilers ahead*

Tackled the Beastman for awhile and then gave up after dying a lot. I still haven't quite grasped the timing of this game. Still waiting for a miracle on that score.

I noodled around southern Limgrave for a long time. Came across a walking building with a huge bell on it. I have to say the sound design on that bell is amazing. Somehow, you can get up there, in theory. But I have yet to figure out how.

Came across a bowl with some weird glow worm thingies and found an extremely lonely merchant. He had a lamp. I love my new lamp.

Man, this game really likes to hide its absolutely essential mechanics and items. It's a bit frustrating, just a bit.

I still haven't figured out the trick to the giant undead ogre by the beach in central Limgrave. I only do the leeetlist sliver of damage at the moment.

Oh, I did find a dude named Blaidd in some ruins next to the giant bears. I now know why folks become furries. Whoever Daviril (or whatever his name is) is, I will find him, and I will kill him.

I cleared out the Coastal Cave. Poor Boc. You bet I went down there and cleansed that place like it was a 2E DnD module. Bastards, don't touch my extremely cursed little boffin. Yes, I used the gold summon person because turns out there's two giant stabby goblins in there. So it's fair.

I went through and found the dragon church. You can toss dragon hearts and get neat abilities, but I am suspicious. There's a lot of petrified dragon people all around. I suspect gathering all the draconic abilities does not have a high survivability.

Then I went back to the Beastman. And I decided that I was going to win that fight on my terms. Because I can't dodge or parry right to save my soul. So I set him on fire. A lot. It worked.

Litizia is now that sort of Confessor and shall keep fire pots on her person at all times.

[hapigairu]

I think there's an excerpt/dialogue from the monastery post-ts that mentions about how some pious people from Adrestia were never seen again during the war? I can't remember which chapter though.

I don't know if this is what you had in mind, but I did find this:

(this is chapter 17 of Silver Snow, but it might be in other routes as well) So... yeah, for all Edelgard's spiel about how she only rejects the Central Church and not the faith itself, her actions sure tell another story. Maybe she didn't do that in Hopes, but I have to wonder how she actually treats pious people who aren't too keen on the Southern Church. Would it be a "take it or leave" kind of situation? Or would she force them to join the army? Cause we know she does that. There's a side battle in chapter 13 after which she conscripts merchants into her army:

Now, we don't know all that much about the merchant class (or however you want to call it), but I doubt many of them would be able to fight and survive in this war. Still, they've got no choice but to fight for Saint Edelgard who's building a world where everyone gets to choose how they want to live... wait... Something's off.

[heavenbat]

Vote for Disaster Dragonborn

After much deliberation, I decided to enter my dragonborn barbarian to @the-ultimate-oc-tournament :3 so here's a bit of propaganda for her hehe

I played her in a homebrew campaign one of my friends ran, titled The Drowned Archipelago.

She started out as a blacksmith in a small village; for the most part, she was content to just tolerate how life was, despite the Lord of the town being an absolute shitheel who constantly took advantage of the commoners. She and her family were of the opinion that if you kept your head down and didn’t get involved in things, you’d survive just fine.

But then she met Epiket (owned by @ushauz​), an air genasi gardener, who was much more opinionated and much less willing to accept things the way they were. She fell head over heels in love with him, and slowly began to agree with him. It wasn’t Fair that the Lord could sit so high and mighty on the backs of the working class. And so she began to get angry.

Eventually, she and Epiket began to conspire against the Lord. They settled on a plan to poison him at a banquet and, surprisingly, pulled it off. In the aftermath, though, they were forced to flee; Crista drew the most attention to herself, knowing that because Epiket had a lung condition she’d be able to handle any pursuers better, she tried to make the law come after her and give Epiket the best chance to escape.

Her travels took her to an area of the world known as the Drowned Archipelago, a cold, forsaken pirate-riddled series of islands in the southern sea. And that’s where she began to unlock her barbarian abilities, tapping into the sea’s storms themselves to fuel her rages. Eventually she even develops wings, a gift from a storm god:

For the most part, she still tends to be rather laid-back, very go-with-the-flow. She tends to not get involved in things... unless the situation involves commoners getting taken advantage of. She’s quick to stand up for the little guy, because in many ways she still considers herself one. Loud, crass, and pretty straightforward, she tends to face things with humor up until the point where she starts getting angry. And though she’s not technically educated, she’s still fairly clever, and loves coming up with wacky inventions and weird solutions to problems.

also she's polyamorous and ended up in a relationship with a half-orc tailor:

Fun Facts:

She speaks with an Australian-esque accent

She once stole a special harpoon from the Big Bad (Naga Tor) and then engraved "Naga Tor is a weenie" on it (with help from the party's bard)

Speaking of, at the very beginning of the campaign, before she'd even gotten a level of barbarian, she successfully out-rowed Naga Tor's ship, a notoriously dangerous pirate ship, on just a rowboat. She refuses to let him live it down.

She's borderline illiterate; she can read and write, but she's very very bad and slow at it

Due to her being a Storm Herald barbarian (which allows her to breathe underwater) and developing wings, she was dubbed an ATB: All Terrain Barbarian

Being a Copper dragonborn, she has the ability to spit acid; she uses this in her blacksmithing to do acid washes

She once spat acid at the head of a corrupt merchant's guild because she was tired of his bullshit

When she got a lot of gold for a reward, she immediately donated all of it to repair a city's failing sewage system (and thus pissed off the merchant guild for not going through the "proper channels" aka giving them a cut of the profit)

When the party got attacked by a giant serpent made of animated silks and ribbons, Crista's solution was to let herself get eaten by it and then cast thunderwave from an item she got, thereby exploding it from the inside. It worked :P

The party once ran into a water devil trapped in a pot of boiling water. The party put out the fire under the cauldron and then Crista, wanting to see if it could talk, stuck her head underwater. While the water was still boiling hot. Not her brightest moment XD

Her solution to fighting an ancient black dragon was to pilot an airship into it. It worked, and also the party managed to (barely) survive

yes she has a mullet

she was originally a Homestuck OC and I've just exported her to several different universes. In at least two of those universes, she invented steam-powered technology

Once she got her own forge/blacksmith shop, she named it "STOrMS FOrGE". the sign reads exactly like that, and that was after she got help spelling it; that was her third attempt, and when someone pointed out the r's were lower case she said "eh fuck it I ain't makin another one, it's close enough"

also she ended up becoming a werewolf:

[love4heejayke]

SYNOPSIS: Born from the full moon's light, Y/N is sent by her witch aunt on a secret mission to Decilis Academy, the purpose of which is to investigate the source of the obscure energy that hovers under the Silver Millennium. However, when she saves her roomate Sooha from the attack of dark creatures with the power to fortify themselves from the energy of nightmares and discovers her secret identity, she promises not to tell her friends, but everything changes once she falls for Lee Heli, one of Decelis' star students and posibily, her past life's lover.

TAGLIST #1: (closed) @enhacolor @amarillyis @ckline35 @fairycheol @jeanbobean @heejakegf @axartia @ineedcoffeeandtherapy @rosie-is-everywhere @prdxinvade @heedeungieluvbot @jungwonnnnnnnnnnnn @bambisgirl @yebin14 @m4r1eluvs (can't tag you bae, sorry)

TAGLIST #2: (open) [comment or send ask] @bluemanifesto @ineedaherosavemeenow @ahnneyong @jiawji @aki1e @yjjungwon @captivq @jaxavance @rikiluvly @dimplewonie @talia02 @cherriegyu @enhastolemyheart

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4 - the new student who wants to learn (4)

The El Dorado Empire is a land of great monuments and architectural wonders, built amidst vast deserts of golden sand.  The empire's central city is an imposing metropolis, surrounded by high walls, ornate with ancient inscriptions and intricate carvings. The buildings are tall and majestic, many with pointed spiers that reach into the sky. And now, Diana and Selene arrived together at Solaria, located in the center-southern region, to discuss with members of the Solari elite another attempt at a peace treaty between the Solari and Lunari, who 5 centuries ago, entered into a diplomatic conflict non-armed, with different objectives: El Dorado to expand its territory, military power and socioeconomic influence on the continent of Elysium, and the Silver Millennium, to protect its territories against Solarian invasions and carry out diplomatic agreements only with strategic cities, conserving cultures and traditions of their original peoples. Selene looked around the city with her eyes apprehensive and restless and bit her lip, listening for strange noises in the shadows.

"Mama, did you hear that?" Selene asked

"I didn't, dear." answered Diana. "You may be hearing things."

"But I swear mom, somebody is watching us."

"Calm down, daughter. You must be nervous to attend your first appointment."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." the young mother moon sighed.

Walking along the dunes, they bought more supplies from merchants who had set up their stalls to trade in the Empire: fresh starfruit and two canteens filled with icy crystal water, all for 20 drops of the sun – the official currency of El Dourado, the trek. to Solarian HQ would still take about 1 hour, so they need all the hydration they can get to survive the desert heat until the time of the meeting.

✶⊶⊷⊶⊷☽⊶⊷⊶⊷✶

Hecate was sitting in her chair, surrounded by her apprentices and followers in the classroom of the Triple School of Lunar Magic, located in Riverfield, located 10 km from the Silver Millennium, with its attractive coastline for tourism and water sports, the city was one of the most highly developed in the Empire, whose lands were a haven for witches, sorcerers, and wizards from Lunarosa. The school is an imposing old stone building with thick walls and tall, narrow windows. The main entrance is adorned with a large Gothic arch and a silver coat of arms bearing its symbol. The central courtyard is spacious and has several water fountains and statues of mythical figures. The classrooms are equally impressive, with high ceilings and walls covered in rich tapestries and shelves of antique books. The overall ambience is magical and mysterious, evoking a sense of reverence and respect for the art of magic.

Hecate now teaches Mystic Meditation, in her guise as Professor Enodia. She wears a long, flowing, light gray dress with long sleeves and a discreet neckline. Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose bun and a few strands fell softly across her face. She wore no makeup, but her skin glowed a silvery hue, lending an air of magic to her appearance. To complete the disguise, she wore a pair of low-key, comfortable flat shoes, and carried a small brown leather bag, containing the materials needed for her class. Her eyes were covered by round glasses, with silver metal frames, to disguise her true identity. A silver pentagram necklace, the pendant of which was a downward crescent moon with a star on top and a tiny sliver of birth peridot set in the center to protect her from dark spells. Despite her peaceful and serene appearance, there was something powerful and magical about her presence.

Since she handed over her crown and her royal status to her eldest sister to give birth to her daughter, the Kynthos royal family has agreed to fake her death to protect the family and her subjects from Solari imperialism and attacks by dark magic beings, leaving her Lunarosians her spiritual wisdom on the nights they pray and meditate in holy temples for her protection, in the hope that one day, the Spirit Moon, would be reborn. 550 years after Selene's coronation, Hecate still maintains this guise to seek out her daughter, while sharing her knowledge to wizards, fairies and sorcerers with a thirst for learning, making it clear that she was an experienced and respected teacher of magic.

She had just started her class on Spiritual Magic, teaching them the importance of mystical meditation to connect with the spiritual energies around them.

"My students, each and every living being that inhabits the realm of Elysium has an innate flow within them." Enodia began in a soft tone, closing her eyes.

Upon touching the ground, a stream of purple magic flowed from his fingers and spread across the air and the ground.

"This is mana, the essence of this universe, and the way we manifest mana in the world allows us to invoke magic, but for that, body and mind must be in balance with their spirits, so take a deep breath." Enodia's chest rose and fell in a slow breathing rhythm "And exhale."

The students calmly followed the teacher's commands, among them, a high elite vampire, student of the Decelis Academy. Decelis is in the middle of his summer vacation, but due to the recurrents he sees in his nights of sleep, he attends his classes as an extracurricular complement and to acquire knowledge about these nightmares. He had short purple hair and levitated in the air while invoking a sphere of shadows in his hands, at the same time his mind was consumed with negative thoughts, as the sphere grew, the boy lost his balance more.

"T-teacher, is too strong… I…"

Enodia, feeling the disturbance in the boy's mana, advised:

"It's okay Noa. "Don't try to repress these emotions. Try to use them as a guide and cast a spell."

He would then see the images he most feared as he fell asleep. In Noa's nightmare, he finds himself before a dark lake of mana, whose waters seem to pulse with evil energy. He feels drawn into the lake, and as he dives in, he feels his soul being corrupted by the darkness. He tries to fight the temptation, but something inside him makes him want to give in to that corruption.

He emerges from the lake transformed, his body covered in sinister shadows. He feels enormous power running through his veins and a desire for destruction growing within him. He raises his hands and conjures shadows that spread through the air, forming grotesque and frightening creatures.

Noa takes perverse pleasure in controlling those shadows, in seeing their influence spread wherever she goes. He smirks, feeling powerful and invincible. But at the same time, a feeling of fear and anguish envelops him, as if he knew that this was not what he really wanted.

By forcing his mind to get rid of that torment, he split the sphere of shadows in two and cast two dark beams across the school, emitting a dark aura that accidentally stunned the teacher and three classmates in a radius of 2.5 meters, luckily, they woke up in less than 2 minutes, but that was enough for others to whisper behind his back.

"Freak."

"Only a spoiled brat like him could stun our teacher."

"May the Righteous Moon purge this plague with her merciful light before it infects us all."

In a world where the light of the moon is venerated, beings who worship darkness are the most hated, when not excluded and subjugated from society, they are hunted and imprisoned, or depending on where they were born, executed, for refusing to accept this gift. As much as he saved many lives with his darkness, that Riverfield was no longer the same as last year's, a new moon was in power, new rules were established and from them only the "purest" are blessed, but sadness, remorse and darkness are what make Noa unique, but despised, so he couldn't do anything but lower his head and listen to those insults in silence, but to his happiness, his strength was admired by those who understood it and even without him knowing it , a powerful ally was before him, to lift his head and welcome his faith, whenever he felt the instability of his spirit.

"Miss Thrace, I failed! I couldn't…"

"Get it together, Noa, giving in to anger is not the solution."

"But what can I do if everyone here wants me dead?"

"That's a problem, but I have to admit," she put her finger under her chin, "I've never witnessed a shadow power of such magnitude. Keep it up boy, but watch where you're going or else you'll lose your way."

Enodia comforted him with a pat on his shoulder, but withdrew it as soon as she heard a strange noise through the walls. She closed her eyes as she concentrated, felt a presence, something sinister that lurked in the shadows.

"Something is wrong" Enodia said in a lower tone, "We need to get out of here now."

"Miss Thrace, what's going on?" asked one of the mages

The witch said nothing, she just clapped her hands to teleport her and her apprentices out of the school, attracting enemy shadows with her. They quickly attacked the witch, but she summoned her staff. Hecate's staff is made of dark wood and carved into an elegant, curving shape, resembling a coiled serpent. At its tip is a glittering crystal that seems to reflect moonlight. Engravings in silver adorn the handle of the staff, forming images of serpents, moon and stars, symbolizing the power and magic of the sorceress. When used to invoke your spells, the crystal glows brightly, emanating a moonlike glow that illuminates your surroundings. When she closes her eyes, she lets a portion of her mana out of her body to envelop herself in her apprentices' souls, healing them and enhancing the strength of her basic strikes, invoking one of her special spells: the Sheath of the Crescent Moon.

Together they draw a circle of mana with their staffs, invoking a wave of purple mana that repels the shadows' blows and nullifies their spells, however when holding it for more than 5 minutes, the mages' hands trembled, the sparks in their staffs lost strength and cracks appeared in the barrier, breaking it with a single blow from those creatures. Her allies still had some energy left to face them, but Enodia didn't. She tried to fight back with her purple mana spheres, but she couldn't. Her legs and arms were wobbly, her eyes heavy and she avoided them in slow, out of sync movements, nothing could be done to help those mages, so she used her last bit of mana to transport herself back home.

Upon arrival, she lay unconscious on the floor, her long black hair spread around her. Her silver and black dress was torn and bloodstained, her skin pale and cool to the touch. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was shallow and ragged. Despite her weakened appearance, she still exuded a powerful and mysterious aura.

Two soldiers from Selene's guard approached cautiously, checking that the place was secure before approaching the priestess. With great care, they lifted Hecate into her arms, feeling her lightness in her body, and carried her to the palace.

Along the way, Hecate began to mutter words in an ancient and unknown language, and her arms moved as if she were casting spells. But there was no strength in her hands, and the words that fell from her lips were weak and powerless. It was evident that this combat left her weak and vulnerable.

Noa found himself in a distorted world, a living nightmare, where darkness envelops him from all sides.  Friends of his, those he was sworn to protect and fought alongside him, now stare at him in fear and revulsion, as if he were a monster.  Shion, his best friend and confidant, now sides with his enemies, his face stained with the corruption of darkness.

Noa tried to convince them that he is not an enemy, that he is still the same as before, but his words fall on deaf ears.  They attacked him, with Jino using his fire powers to destroy everything around him, while being forced to use his own darkness to defend himself.

But the more he uses his powers, the more he finds himself consumed by darkness, growing further and further away from his friends. He screams in despair, trying to fight the darkness that consumes him, but it's no use.

In the end, he finds himself alone, surrounded by darkness and a woman's evil laughter, unable to find a way out of this terrible nightmare. He wakes up in a cold sweat, still feeling the sensation of his own darkness consuming him.

A/N: So much pain, nightmare and shadows, I wonder who's behind this...

[chokkito]

Do you have any top 5 facts you would like to share regarding shipwrecks I’m very curious /Nf /gen

-♟️

I DO HAVE!!!! Ok ok let me think of some good ones

1 - Talking about the most famous one first, a lot of people think that the Titanic wasn't as secure as the fame she had at the time, and this, in my opinion, has to do with the movie (which is a whole other problem that i should talk about later) but in reality, it WAS one of the safest ships at the time.

Yes, to today's standards, it would be considered way too unsafe to transport people, as it had lifeboats for only half the people at the time of the tragedy, however, at the time, it actually had MORE lifeboats than required by the law - if you go see the merchant shipping act of 1894 (which was used at the time of the tragedy) ships at the size of the Titanic had to carry 16 lifeboats, while the Titanic had 20. And yes, although it was not a lot more, it was definitely better than having the minimun.

Alongside with that, they only carried enough boats for half the passengers as they believed they could call other ships for help in the case of a shipwreck happening, but everything going on together for the worst made it impossible for it to happen.

2 - A lot of people think that "Women and children first" is a law/code of conduct that people follow heavily in the case of tragedies, but it is actually the complete opposite

Although data may not be 100% certain, a study done in 2012 using 18 shipwrecks as database showed that on average, 20% of female passengers survived on average, while 10% of the children survived, while the ones who survived the most were crew members and the captain.

The reason for this myth existing on popular mind is because of the Titanic as well - as it is an exception to this rule. The crew, in the Titanic's case, made sure to actually call the WCF order and put it in practice, making it so a lot more women and children survived compared to men. Alongside with that i'll leave this link right here which goes more in depth about it.

3 - The oldest shipwreck that we know about is the Dokos Shipwreck, which was found in the southern part of Greece, more precisely, near the Dokos island - which gave it it's name. The shipwreck is dated back to around 2700-2200 BC, and at the moment of discovery (in 1975) it obviously had no traces of the ship left, but, with the vases and pottery pieces left around the area, they could determine it was a merchant vessel.

4 - There was a woman named Violet Constance Jessop who got the nickname "Miss Unsinkable" during her lifetime. She was a nurse who worked on the three "big sisters" at the time of their shipwrecks (RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic and HMHS Brittanic) and she managed to somehow survive all of them and live to old age. Also, as a funfact: she didn't stop working in ships even after these 3 shipwrecks....Which honestly i wish i was as courageous as she was tbh.

5 - There is a cruiseferry called MS Estonia who sank in 1994, taking the life of +800 people and being considered one of the worst shipwrecks in history during peaceful times. Alongside with that, the site of it is considered a graveyard by the government, and it is completely illegal to dive there or try anything to take the ship out of the ocean or to recover the bodies from it - the area was also covered in gravel to prevent grave plundering.

If any of these interested you, i urge you to go search a bit more about them!!! I absolutely adore searching about it as it has been a hyperfixiation for a long time! Also if you want to ask anything else feel free to do so!/gen

[fio-renze]

trick or treat!

There was never a reason for her to stop by Gorgonzormu's merchant stall in Valdrakken -- fine cheese wasn't a necessity at the camp, nor was it ever on the shopping list, but the part of her that had grown up entertaining in her parents' curated salons with delicate cheeses and sharp wines dictated her stopping by anytime she was there.

The cheesemonger was, however, a bronze dragon and she had begun to notice subtle quirks over her visits -- all the ways people would stop and stare for a moment, taken aback by something in stock that they remembered from a time long gone.

It had happened to her once with a particular kaşar, yellow and made soft by the use of whole sheep's milk from a particular cottage farmer that had tenancy in Eversong Woods' Glimmerglen many centuries past.

The human man, if he truly was -- most humans didn't stand quite as marked as the others; the nuances were lost on most, but not her. The subtle quirks of posture and sharp bite of darker magics were all there in the weave that made them them. Cursed, or not depending on the varying point of views.

Fiorenze offered an easy smile to the gent, her bright green eyes a stark reminder of their individual factions current but tentative neutrality. "It's overwhelming at times, no? Not just the smell, I mean," she offered in faintly accented Common.

He only glanced over for a second before turning the small, tightly wrapped wheel over in his hands, offering only a quiet hum under his breath to even note that she'd said anything at all.

Had any of them been able to save their cattle before the plague set in? Did their ways of life live on in Darnassus, and then again with their Southern cousins? So much change in less than half a century, and only survival to show for it.

She nodded toward his cheese as she closed up her own basket over her purchases, "It's worth the coin. The stock rotates, and there's a chance you'll never see it again."

Sometimes the nostalgia was worth the indulgence.

( thanks @comorbidinsomnia! )

[moonsugar-and-spice]

I don't know if you answered this before. But what was Lu Da's childhood like? O.O

It was, uh… Not Good. I touched on aspects of his childhood via a “five-sentence” prompt fic a while back, but there is certainly more I can get into, which I am going to put under the cut for substance/parental abuse and suicide.

Lu Da came into the world in 62 AG in the tiny village of Gai Ho, or what he likes to call a mud pit, in the Southern Earth Kingdom. He was the second born of Rangsei, a penniless orphan of low birth, and Ji Hun, an addict and disreputable merchant. He has an older sister named Soraya, an earthbender like her father. Lu Da and his mother are non-benders.

Soraya was sunshine bottled into skin, light and warmth spilling out of her at every turn. They were best friends, inseparable, much of their days spent playing around the pond that skulked in the little valley between their village and the next. Due to his occupation, their father was often away for long stretches, which would leave their family pinching pennies or living on next to nothing until his return. Those were the times Lu Da and Soraya would come to covet the most; for all that Ji Hun brought back with him in money or goods or food, he took so much more.

When their father was home, it was like living with a keg of blasting jelly, just waiting for a spark. Lu Da can’t remember a time his father wasn’t physically abusive with his mother. But over the years, as his drinking and using escalated, things only worsened for them all. He was eight, Soraya eleven, the first time they went out to play and she didn’t race to beat him to their pond. In time, he came to understand her gingerly gait and flushed face, the quiet that had fallen over her, why she snapped at him if he ever asked what was wrong.

The first time he tried to intervene, the door wasn’t even locked. The force of the iron kettle in his young grip had only managed to stun and enrage their father, who beat Lu Da within an inch of his life that night. It was a year before he worked up the courage to try again, but Soraya pleaded with him to leave it be. He couldn’t understand then, couldn’t have known that he had only ever succeeded in making things worse for her. A conduit through which their father funneled the brunt of his rage.

At one time, Lu Da had resented Soraya for eventually leaving him the way she did. It was little things, at first. The way the sunshine slowly clouded over. A terse word where a tender one had been. Later, it was days-long disappearances without warning, only for her to finally stumble home looking hollowed out, greeting his relieved concern with a door in his face. Each time was longer than the time before, until one day she simply never returned.

He was eleven, that same year, when he lost his mother. Or rather, found her. Lying in their washtub, gashes from elbows to wrists. Lu Da had never shared a close bond with Rangsei, but that was the moment he hated her. Hated her for not doing enough to protect Soraya, to protect him, not even herself. Hated her for leaving him, all alone, trapped in this life with Ji Hun.

In the year that followed, during his father’s long absences, he was left on his own for weeks on end. No one ever came to check on him. The little food he had would run out and he’d be left eating leaves from the trees, grass, worms, spiders, whatever he could find. It was during this time, he first learned how to steal to survive, having taught himself to tread almost silently when his father was around. Getting caught and beaten was only a lesson in what to do differently. It was preferable to the violence his father preferred.

Ji Hun broke an axe handle over his back when he didn't chop enough wood. He pounded Lu Da’s ribs to breaking when he stumbled under the weight of hauling buckets of water. And once, when all of it boiled over in a blaze of crying and curses, his father buried him alive on their tiny plot of land to “teach him how to be a man.” It was a wonder he was able to be revived once his father deigned to unearth him.

The next time Ji Hun went away, Lu Da started running, and didn’t stop until he collapsed from exhaustion in the dodgy streets of Gaoling. Homeless, starving, and dehydrated, he fell back on what Po Jiang would later call his uncanny aptitude for theft. It was how they met, after all. A stroke of luck, or mercy, if the universe could be said to have any.

Lu Da even knew a mark when he saw one, he’d later tell him, having chosen to pick the pocket of a man who could afford to spare a coin pouch or two. Lu Da ate his first real meal in weeks that night, reveling in his little victory, until Po Jiang returned the next day with an ultimatum. Either he could turn him over to the authorities on charges of theft, or he could come and work for him.

Po Jiang is the kingpin of a prolific network of thieves and criminals fronting as an altruistic society in the southwestern Earth Kingdom. This is where Lu Da spent the remainder of his childhood, where he perfected his skills as a thief, a sword duelist, and rose through the ranks to later train and freelance as an assassin.

Po Jiang may not be the most scrupulous man, but he was the first parental figure in Lu Da’s life who didn’t hurt him, who showed him what it means to be loved. This is the man Lu Da considers a father, the man who raised him not only in the ways of criminality but in everything. He taught him about the world, about life, helped him discover his affinity for music.

Lu Da was nineteen when he fled the Earth Kingdom, stowing away on an outward-bound ship after what should have been a routine assassination job gone bad. Really bad. The ship was later captured by pirates and all on board were given the choice either to die or join their crew. He had the gall, some experience, and nothing to lose — and the rest, as they say, is history.