shiftingpath

[shiftingpath]

if i wasnt constantly debilitated from prophesy-induced stress i could probably kick off the ass of any guy on here

#manus is this u

[shiftingpath]

recently i pulled away the paving stones that laid against the side of our house for the last decade, perhaps, and found a dead possum. vulture culture details under the cut.

it was completely decomposed aside from a few tufts of sandy hair, not even connected to the body. it had been sheltered here for years; i have no idea how many. its skull was inverted and i could see one lone fang poking straight up, shining. one jaw mandible was visible beyond it, the other i couldn't see. the entire thing was exposed and fascinating. the tiny paw bones. thin delicate ribs. chunky vertebrae in a line, and then falling individually. the tail in one whole piece.

i kept one paving stone to shelter it until i could get to it. i'm unsure how much energy i'll be able to devote to it. though i love vulture culture and have many friends into it, it's my first time practicing myself. i really couldn't ask for a better tryout; there's practically no flesh or smell to deal with.

today i've been spending taking the skull and jaw bones (the second mandible was beneath the head, found!), soaking them in soapy water and brushing them with an old toothbrush. there's almost nothing but dirt attached to it; the skull is almost clean already.

my friends joke i'm doing necromancy, but i've been struck instead by the sense of wonder and appreciation i've had working on it. i haven't touched the bone with a bare finger yet but i'm looking forward to it; it feels so smooth even through gloves. the twin feelings of delicacy and strength in the bone is fascinating. i poured soapy water through the empty brain case and watched it pour out the sinus cavities.

the cats watch me scrub bones on the front porch. after i get the gloves off and wash up, i pet them and feel those same fragile, strong bones under my hands, the shape just a little different. the depth of love and reverence i feel for these little animals; and the other one i have out on the porch, being remembered, being appreciated.

photos in the future.

#vulture culture #tw animal death #no gory details but some anatomy talk #path is a vulture uhhh #possum project

[shiftingpath]

#i can't vote bc i'm. afternoon shower >_> #my main sleep is at 4pm so i shower right before that #does that technically make me a night showerer? hmm

[shiftingpath]

Keep seeing pronoun positivity posts is about he/they and she/theys. That's cool and all but this one's for the she/hes. If you're a she/he I love you and you can take as much mint as you want from our garden

[shiftingpath]

my dad just sent me this text completely devoid of context

#i too would care more about the dog being so wrong

[shiftingpath]

“And unto the mountains they fled, for the world grew dark with shadows which sprung from the heart of Lorkh, who though greatly sundered still believed in the light of Man.”

–Vateshran Eoinola

#oh that's uh dead on #the sphere of heaven #just spear of heaven things

[shiftingpath]

Eyes on me

[shiftingpath]

Makinng stickers ✨️

[shiftingpath]

To a scientist, moral and emotional life are layered separately onto a world of things; to a sorcerer, they are its very fabric.

— The Glass Maker’s Dragon, by Jenna Moran

#for the love of god de montreal #this chuubo's business

[shiftingpath]

Name Takahashi Sayuri (formerly Ledaal)

Exaltation Dragonblood

Elemental Aspect Air

Weapon(s) Whirlwind’s Aria the blue jade jian, and three blue jade throwing knives named Hearsay, Rumor, and Suggestion

Goal(s) Avoid being captured by the Wyld Hunt, figure out the truth about the Anathema, maybe establish her own house somewhere out in the Scavenger Lands

Fear(s) Getting caught and tried for desertion, getting her face and/or soul eaten by the Anathema, dying in some really stupid way and becoming a cautionary tale/joke

Defining Feature(s) Small, airy tattoos of cherry blossoms, clouds, and butterflies trailing down her entire right arm from shoulder to wrist

Quick Biography

Born to the dynastic house Ledaal, Sayuri was an admirable student and very aesthetically poised, on top of being something of a beauty. This made her a desirable prospect for marriage, but when her parents struck an engagement for her to someone she couldn’t stand, Sayuri surprised everyone by volunteering for military service to avoid the wedding. She took the first out she could find: the Wyld Hunt. 

Unfortunately, not only did Sayuri loathe military life, being a part of the Wyld Hunt presented her with an even worse problem. Not long after she joined the ranks, the Hunt was called out to put down a recently-Exalted Solar. The Solar in question was a teenage girl who had been trying to shut down a human trafficking ring. Instead, she had been shut down by dozens of heavily armed Dragonbloods. When Sayuri asked if they were also going to deal with the human traffickers, she was told it was none of the Wyld Hunt’s concern. (In fact, there were decent odds that some of the money from the flesh trade was making it into dynastic coffers.) Rather than be suspected as an Anathema-sympathizer or get a reputation for questioning orders, Sayuri ditched this new obligation, too, deserting the Wyld Hunt the first chance she got, and striking out into the Threshold on her own. She soon took up with a roving band of unattached Dragonbloods who called themselves mercenaries in order to make some income, but it soon became apparent that they were just thugs. Their leader, Najir, blackmailed Sayuri into staying, threatening to turn her in to the Realm for desertion if she gave him trouble. 

Trapped in yet another situation she didn’t want, Sayuri played along until one day Najir’s band tried to rob the small frontier town of Pelt. Unfortunately, this time the half-dozen dragons were utterly outmatched by the three Celestial Exalts defending the town. Rachna alone took out Najir with one slash, and gave the remaining dragons an ultimatum: either leave Pelt and never return, or surrender and serve them instead. Several members of the group fled the town. Sayuri stayed. 

If asked why she decided to throw in her lot with three ‘Anathema’, Sayuri might’ve answered that she still felt guilty about the teenage girl who had been cut down when she was just trying to make the world a better place. Perhaps she thought that no one had a stronger desire to avoid the Realm than Anathema. Maybe she just felt like she had nowhere else to go. 

Likes Fresh air, strong sake, throwing knives, good silk, sarcasm, cold drinks, freedom, sleeping in

Dislikes Being told what to do, rigid social expectations, hot weather, cheap clothes, Immaculate monks/nuns, terrible handwriting

Relationship to

Anjali 

Her primary… ‘master’, ‘leader’, and ‘employer’ are all the wrong term for the sort of relationship Anjali has with Sayuri, but regardless, Anjali is the person Sayuri takes most of her cues from, and who she gives the most respect to. This isn’t to say that she sasses off to any of the Celestials (she’s not that brave), but she’s nicer to Anjali. It helps that they’re both scholars, and can talk on similar wavelengths and topics. Sayuri often helps Anjali with old texts, or correspondence, and Anjali finds it useful having another sorcerer around to share the Essence load of spellwork. 

Rachna

Sayuri recognizes that Rachna is Anjali’s partner and therefore the most important person in her life, but she is slightly uncomfortable around him. She can’t help but feel as though he doesn’t trust her, even though Sayuri has done nothing to give him a reason to be suspicious of her. 

Shem

The recently-Exalted Lunar single dad who lives in Pelt, and who took a personal beef with raiders in his town, Shem chilled out considerably toward Sayuri once the mercenaries were routed and Sayuri mentioned that she hadn’t wanted anything to do with them anyway. He offered to let Sayuri stay in Pelt if she wanted to start over, but Sayuri declined, not wanting to spend the rest of her life in a tiny frontier town with almost no amenities.

#i'm. in love with her

[shiftingpath]

BUDDY you're a BOY you're a BIG BIG BOY you're a BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG BOY you got mud on your face you BIG BIG BOY kicking your can all over the place singing WEE wee WEE wee WEE wee WEE wee

#this gave me a cataplexy attack #this gave me FOUR cataplexy attacks

[shiftingpath]

His water dance

#AT LAST!! #this guy drinks water the same as haebae #she doesn't do the dance but she excitedly stands on her back feet #then readies her Slapping Paw #then drinks it all the dunk way right at the end #congratulations kid nobody's ever done it worse #except this guy

[shiftingpath]

Hi I have a question about Pacific Rim. Given that the sparring is just A way to test for drift compatibility and any activity that requires people to collaborate and anticipate each others moves works, including stuff like multi player video games

Can you test for drift compatibility via improv comedy

#ryan will be colin's arms for this one

[shiftingpath]

Karsus' legacy

#bg3 #my husband folks #you put that down this instant or i am walking out that door

[shiftingpath]

$$$ HI I HAVE COMMISSIONS OPEN $$$

(remaking my post to include some extra information)

They are 120 american dollars apiece (with possible price augmentation). They will be as detailed above.

I do this because this will be the 3rd? 4th? check that has had, the equivalent of or greater, an extra car payment tacked onto it.

(this last time it was THIS guy having potential thyroid problems, but thankfully she got an A+ on all of her labs!! and I got a bill for $400 🥲)

Anyways. You can check out this Form for additional details, and also submit a request for a slot.

Thanks for reading, and know that any RBs are greatly appreciated.

[shiftingpath]

1st batch comms ^^ for @wepon, @shiftingpath, and @skarchomp respectively

Also I am considering this an official announcement that i will be doing a second run of these (to help cover some unanticipated vet bills!)

You can submit a request here.

Thanks!

#towersong #commissioned #hell yes hell yes

[shiftingpath]