#because on kesh if you're not

[i-think-in-metaphors]

You know I've never really got why people seem to think the lost tribe wouldn't approve of vestara being gay/bi. Tbh being bi is probably a huge boon for people because you can manipulate anyone and your reactions are more authentic.

So it's like ahh, yes I do approve of you using your body to manipulate your enemies. Unless it's gay. Absolutely no gayness allowed in this good Sith household.

#idk man #its just never really made sense yo me #lost tribe of the sith #meta analysis #but like at 12 30 in the morning #by all means feel free to disagree with it #its the middle of the night #i dont really care #vestara doesn’t realize there are people out there who *arent* bi #because on kesh if you're not #you fake it until #well #not til you make it #but until the job is done #tldr #pretty much everyone on kesh is bi #because what good is being hot if you cant get something useful out of it

[nordic-language-love]

IRL Japanese 2: Things the kids I teach say all the time

If you're planning to work as an ESL teacher in Japan working with kids, this vocab is gonna be super useful for you! You'll pick up a lot as you go along, but it's good to have an overview from the start.

できた = done, finished (whenever they finish an exercise I've set them. The older kids will use the ます-form, but kids under like age 8 will use this one)

かえる？= is it time to go home? (lit: go home?)

わかった = got it (again, the older kids will use the ます-form)

わからない / わかんない = I don't get it (idk if わかんない is just dialect or if it's common overall, but I hear it more than わからない. Usually from the kids who don't wanna be there and are making zero effort)

ちがう = wrong / different (when they give an answer but realise it's not correct. It's basically like "wait, no")

ばか = idiot (sometimes boys say this to their friends)

全部？（ぜんぶ）= everything?! (asked in disbelief when I ask them to write more than one word)

やめろ = stop it! (used with friends when they're teasing each other)

いたいよ = that actually hurts, you know! (used with friends when they're rough-housing)

よし (more like 'yoshhh') = right then (filler word indicating the start of an activity or a change of activity)

水筒（すいとう）= water bottle (most kids bring one to class and frequently forget to take them with them when they go home)

忘れた（わすれた）= I forgot (usually in reference to the text book they left at home)

トイレに行きたい = I want to go to the bathroom

先生、大好き！（せんせい、だいすき！）= I love you, Sensei!

Other useful classroom/school vocabulary:

サイコロ = dice

トランプ = playing cards

ごろごろ = onomatopeia for the sound for rolling (I found the kids got confused if I just mimed rolling a dice/ball and said "roll!" but if I did the gesture and said "gorogoro", they understood)

ビリビリ = onomatopeia for ripping (useful for when you have tear-apart crafts in class)

ケシケシ = onomatopeia for erasing something (useful when you try to explain to a kid they spelled something wrong. Because it's easier to just say "A kesh-kesh, E" than "Not A, E. Okay great you wrote E, but A needs to go. No no no not the whole word, just A. Oh my God. Okay. Let me write it and you copy.")

ちょっと = a little, soon, wait a little (useful if the kids are getting a bit antsy and ready to go home a bit too early/don't want to wait their turn. Don't use it with parents though!)

がんばれ = do your best / you can do it!

あぶない！= dangerous / look out! (useful if a kid unexpectedly runs in front of me while I'm carrying a table)

せえの！= Altogether now! (When I need the kids to repeat something after me)

だめだよ = Don't do that (for when the kids repeatedly do something I've asked them not to do)

少々お待ちください（しょうしょう　おまち　ください）= polite form of "please wait a moment". Useful if you have a parent talking to you and you need to go get something (e.g. a communication sheet for them to point at so you know what they're trying to say)

授業参観 (じゅぎょうさんかん) = parent observation (PO). A couple of times a year, parents are invited into the classroom to watch the lesson (absolutely not a thing in the UK, not sure about other countries). The past two months I've had POs at my various schools, and so the parents come to the door and ask me if it's PO week. I don't understand most of the question, but I can pick out this one word and a question particle and figure out what they're asking.

It's also obviously a good idea to learn vocabulary related to stationery (eraser, pencil, crayon, pen, notebook, textbook, pencil case etc) because kids forget/lose their stuff all the time and will inevitably ask you if they can borrow something.

#japanese #japanese langblr #learning japanese #japanese for beginners #esl #esl in japan

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

ATSV Fun Fact!! - Mumbattan Cultural Details

Gayatri & Inspector Singh follow the Sikh Religion

Have you ever heard of Punjabi Sikhs?

If you don't know - Sikhism is a religion that originates in northern India, specifically Punjab.

The turban Gayatri's father wears - along with his last name 'Singh' implies that her father is most likely a Punjabi Sikh.

I notice this the first time watching ATSV and was like 'wow that's so cool :)'

It only hit me today that 'Oh wait I don't think a lot of people know about this very-specific, rarely-mentioned religion maybe i should say something,'

And because I LOVE yelling about world culture, LET'S GO!!!

[a SHORT essay where I explain the basics of Sikhism, a religion built on equality and justice. And details in The Singhs design, and exactly why Sikh Representation matters]

So What's Sikhism about?

Often mistaken for Muslims - Sikhs are actually a non-Abrahamic religion, with 20 million followers worldwide.

But even with so many visible practicing members, most people know very very little about this beautiful religion!

Sikhs believe in equality and unity - and defending the oppressed. Their book of faith, The Guru Granth Sahib Ji, is called 'Guru' for a reason - Sikhs see the book as not just a code of conduct, but as a living, breathing teacher for every practicioner;

From Wikipedia on Guru Granth Sahib: Sikhs since then [1708] have accepted the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture, as their eternal-living guru, as the embodiment of the ten Sikh Gurus, the highest religious and spiritual guide for Sikhs. It plays a central role in guiding the Sikh's way of life.

The Guru Granth Sahib is the spiritual leader of Sikhism, and it's treated as such.

That's why in Gurdwaras - their place of worship - it's treated as such, being clothed and held in ornate structure, constantly fanned throughout it's readings (the fan you can see in the left picture).

They believe that by following the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, they can cultivate compassion, peace, and harmony in their communities, while diminishing 'Mara' - concepts like hatred or violence.

Sikhs believe that every Sikh should revere themselves as champions of unity. And because of this many Sikhs have the same last name -

Kaur for women (Meaning Princess) and Singh for men (Meaning Lion).

Having the same last name also does away with the Indian caste system, making it another point of equality.

In ATSV Gayatri last name is Singh. However from my understanding, her name would most likely be Gayatri Kaur in reality.

I think they kept her last name as Singh as a deliberate choice to keep her initials as GS, like Gwen Stacy.

So is Gayatri Sikh?

Maybe - most likely.

But we can't be sure. Mainly because of her hair.

Gayatri has a short bob haircut, and while that might not seem like it matters, it does!

In Sikhism there are the '5K's - different aspects Sikhs wear to show their faith.

Notice the first one?

'Kesh' is the practice of leaving ones hair completely uncut. That's why you may see a lot of Sikh men with long, long beards!

And hence, the large turbans.

It's done as respect for God's creation - leaving it unaltered.

[Fun Fact! - Rastafarians, a Jamaican religion, also don't cut their hair for this reason. Think Bob Marley. Rastas call God - Jah]

So, Gayatri having short hair means she doesn't keep Kesh.

However, Sikh is a super accepting and open religion, and it's main focus is on acceptance of difference, not conformity - so she could entirely follow the faith without doing all of any of the 5Ks.

Also, if you're curious about the steel sword K - Kirpan, yes that's a thing!

Sikhs of all genders are encouraged to carry a small ceremonial blade with them.

Instead it's a symbol of the commitment to fighting for what's right - and defending those who cannot defend themselves.

A Kirpan can ONLY be used to defend the life of yourself or others, which is incredibly rare.

Why is this all so rad, cool, and important?

If you haven't noticed by now, Sikhism is a religion driven by justice. Not just in theory, but in really life as well.

That's why you may see many Sikh police officers and politicians, even here in the West. Most of them wearing the emblem on their turbans.

In fact, Canada has SO MANY Sikh politicians, that in 2019 they elected 18 of them.

For centuries Sikhs have been dedicated to justice, and developing systems of support, whether that be political involvement or feeding those in need.

The biggest Gurdwara (a place of Sikh worship) The Golden Temple feeds over 100,000 people A DAY.

For FREE.

It's a practice called Langar. A communal meal anyone can enjoy. And of course, Langar food is vegetarian.

Making Inspector Singh a Sikh - and showing him saving people and being warm to his daughter on screen is great representation for a community so often overlooked! Despite the fact they are over 20 million practicing Sikhs.

It's a great detail for Indian and Punjabi representation in specific. It accurate shows their beliefs and commitment towards helping others, no matter the cost.

And from what we can tell, this choice came later in development. We know this because ALL of his concept art shows him with a turban, not keeping Kesh.

It seems like someone later on down the line said 'Wait if his name is Singh I think he's Sikh and if he's Sikh then we're gonna have to redesign him and make that obvious oops'.

That, dear audience, is why you always have an Anthropologist in the writing room. Or some amateur anthropologist like me :)

-------------

I hope you enjoyed reading this, I really enjoyed writing it!! Sikhism is one of my favorite religions and if you have never heard anything from the Guru Granth Sahib I HIGHLY recommend it, it's very optimistic and compassionate. Sikhnet(.)com is also a great resource!

I have no idea if this will pique anyone's interest, but I hardly ever see Sikhs reflected in media and I know many many people may confuse them with Muslim, especially since many women Sikhs keep kesh and cover their hair as well.

But if you ever wanted to know the difference, here it is! If you read this far, thank you SO MUCH. And if you're a Sikh and reading this, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

As usual, here's a photo of Hobie for your travels.

BYE.

#Did yall know about this? Idk know is any of this is common knowledge im gonna be real dugshjdgjks #It's a GREAT detail its so small but I love it #no proofread you get what i meant #and of course if you have any info to add or correct me on #feel free!! I wanna spread accurate info :) #spiderman #atsv #spider man #marvel #across the spiderverse #pavitr prabhakar #atsv meta #atsv meta analysis #meta #meta analysis #spiderman india #spider man india #pavitr #atsv pavitr #gayatri singh

[banneduser-on-cohost]

Characterizing The Crown of Glass: or How I Learned to Love the Fucked Up Slumber Party

clemposting and palisade partizan spoilers below the cut. Shout out to Rudy and the Boys

Given that we know the crown of glass to be one of the most heavily populated places on palisade as well as a party hangout destination for Millennium Break, WE know that Clementine isn't just insane when she mentioned the slumber party. She just totally flubbed the delivery. Rolled a 2 on Performance. Beefed it in front of the rival.

But she is totally right. She KNOWS what millennium break people get up to in the crown of glass. The benders, parties, the debauchery. She has eyes like, fucking everywhere now that I think about it. And she loves it because it's her little kingdom that these revolutionaries get to frolic in. It is the source of her pride and a microcosm of what she would do if... no... When she seizes Stel Kesh, and therefore, the principality(her thoughts).

Which is made all the more hilarious and horrifying that Millennium break, specifically the Blue Channel, gave her the key to unlock the power of the Iconoclasts. Is she grateful for this? Perhaps. But there's so little surviving information about the incredible beings of truths outside of Divinity that she's just gotta wing it and make a bunch of em and see what sticks. Hey that one looks like a squid doesn't it. Time passes, and Ope, Horrors walk the streets now. Axioms, we're pumping out Axioms now baybee. They all look hella weird when you're stumbling between bars drunk as fuck. Some of them are kinda cute like when the creepy kids in the horror movie draw fucked up shit. Eldritch doodles. Freddy fazbear. She thinks she's a goddamn genius with the kinds of iconoclastic beings she can make and fully control. Axioms, not so much but she can understand what they Do (they just Are).

Then when the opportunity arose to take the pride of Kesh. She seized it. But not only with iconoclasts. She also led The Armed Forces of the Crown, Millennium Break Joint Forces, and her very own personal squad (guess what she named it) to utterly vanquish the Whitestar fleet. Or maybe she just distracted the main fighting force long enough to sneak behind them and capture Lander One. I wonder where we've seen that gambit before.

So when she said slumber party she really did mean girl's night at the crown of glass. That's what it does best. She's flying Gucci there right now playing Barbie girl on the sound system. The sound system is The Kestrel’s internal vocal chamber by the way. It sings.

#friends at the table #palisade spoilers #palisade #partizan spoilers #clementine #five nights at clementine’s #clemposting #Rudy and the boys #the crown of glass #the witch in glass #gucci garantine #fatt #the Kestrel #clementine kesh

[mariusperkins]

Hello, so I have 0 understanding of the Gilded Age apart from your blog and sometimes things that show up on TikTok. The things I have seen on there make Mrs Russell seem abhorrent (there’s a bit where the daughter is crying to her dad because her mom banished a suitor?) and another where the mom fires a governess for letting her adult daughter go out and about. Are we meant to be rooting for the mom or the daughter, or both, and is the mom really a bad person?

Hello! Sorry this reply is about to get long -

I think there are a lot of reasons that people enjoy the gilded age as a show, whether you're a fan of period costumes, christine baranski, or just love to listen to nathan lane's little colonel sanders accent, but I would say that if you don't enjoy the russells or at least find them entertaining, then you would not enjoy the show - not that there's not stuff going on outside of them, but bertha russell especially is such a huge force the I think if you couldn't at least find her entertaining to watch then they show would be unbearable. It would be comparable to watching breaking bad but hating/not enjoying walter white - you could watch the show, and there would be other stuff for you, but you probably wouldn't enjoy the show as much who someone who tuned in to see whatever messed up, horrible thing walter white was scheming about that week.

I kind of loved bertha right from the start because I am a simple creature and so when the switch is flipped on for 'I like this character' I tend to kind of be ride or die for them and on their side no matter what they're doing, and this kind of tends to be especially true for me with "abhorrent" female characters (see also: every bitchy teen girl in a slasher movie that you're Supposed To Hate, clementine kesh, mary lou from hello mary lou: prom night 2, scarlett o'hara, (arguably) season 1 of teen wolf lydia martin, (extremely arguably) late seasons skylar white, to name just a few), characters I absolutely would not want to ever meet in real life but love to see what plan they're attempting to pull off in fiction or what terrible thing they're going to say next. So, obviously, since this is coming straight from the Bertha Russell Defense Squad, you should take all of this with a huge grain of salt.

With bertha it's like... it's the 1880s. She's working within a very strict set of rules - she can chose not to follow them, and we see plenty of characters that don't, but if she wants to get to the top of the very specific social structure as set out by the gilded age's version of mrs astor's new york, then she has to work with what's there.

At that time, most young women of their social class would have been expected to not leave the house unless they were accompanied by someone (even marian, a character who is a few years older and is socially "out", brings peggy with her if she wants to go somewhere), especially if they were not "out" to society yet, which gladys (bertha's daughter) was not when her governess gets fired. I believe gladys in s1 is supposed to be 17 or 18 - really on the line of it being appropriate for her to still have a governess (instead of a lady's maid who would accompany her on shopping trips/walks/etc) - and you definitely get the idea that bertha has been holding off gladys' coming out for longer than would be considered "normal" due to a combination of over-protectiveness/being controlling and waiting to hold such an event on a grand scale as a social power play. I think the show itself is kind of in two minds about whether bertha as "right" to hold back, she's obviously waiting until she can time it right to swing things in her favour socially regardless of what gladys actually wants, but bertha is right in that unless certain social things were in place she couldn't have "filled the ballroom" - if you moved into a new suburb, you'd probably hold off on your child's party until you were sure the other parents would let their kids come over for it.

But back to your question - the governess situation is maybe the simpler one and the one where I'm more like, I don't know that bertha is doing anything here that is so out of the ordinary for an 1880s socialite - certainly the only time we ever hear agnes van reijn, the russell's old money neighbour, say anything nice about bertha is when they see that gladys is accompanied out of the house with her governess. The governess that's supposed to be watching over her teenage daughter has been helping said teen daughter secretly meet with a man at a hotel (which gladys arranged specifically to meet with him away from her parents - now, obviously that is only happening because bertha is so controlling, but, still, that's kind of exactly the sort of behaviour you have a governess to stop, or at least warn you about). Bertha is cold about it, and it's absolutely coming from a horrible, controlling place, but it's exactly what would have been expected of her in that situation.

As for archie baldwin, the suitor bertha had banished, that's a little more of a grey area (although, again, it's not totally out of line with what real 1800s socialites were doing). Archie seems nice enough and essentially perfect on paper (old money family, stable career, likes gladys), but bertha of course wants more than just 'good on paper', she wants something she can rub in people's faces. From our more modern perspective gladys is also very young (she wasn't even "out" at that stage), although from what george says and from the ages of george and bertha and their children, we can assume george and bertha weren't all that much older than gladys when they got married.

BUT, and it is a very big but, when george and bertha got married they weren't high society and so could marry for love and not strategy. Frankly, that george goes along with the plan to send archie away (and even does quite a bit of orchestrating the "banishment" himself) is enough to convince me that he didn't think much of the young man or gladys' feelings towards him despite having a more emotionally close relationship with his daughter (although, maybe george's thoughts were along the line of 'bertha gets one free veto before she has to make a real argument against one of gladys' suitors').

Who's "side" should we be on then? I mean, that's up to you, whether you watch the show or not. The russell family is absolutely going to contain more than a few social and internal explosions in s3 with the set ups we're given at the end of s2. Personally I hope, as I always do when I watch the show, that bertha gets everything she wants.

#the gilded age #replies #also quite frankly if bertha wasn't Like That would she and george have even worked as a couple #is marrying your daughter to a duke REALLY that much worse than busting unions etc

[kookaburra1701]

From this asks to spread the love here,

1, 3, 11, 13 & 15 if you're so inclined: any that inspire or all. XD

A fanon characterisation that you love I really like fics that show Madanach as an actually decent ruler of the Reach during the Forsworn uprising, and then once escaping Cidna Mine basically taking over and securing the areas of the Reach that's not Markarth.

3. One of the best takes you’ve ever seen The White Arts on Trial by @greyborn2 it's an incharacter defense of necromancy by pointing out just how horrific the other schools of magic are. It's fantastic and made me fall in love with Kesh gra-Bruma. 11. Recommend a fic with an unusual/original headcanon or characterisation that you loved The Tragedy of Moira, Maiden of the Reach by @dumpsterhipster

When I first did "A Night to Remember" I REALLY felt bad about the Hagraven. As someone who has never been conventionally attractive (even as a child my grandmother would tell me it was a good thing I was smart bc I wouldn't be able to rely on my looks at all, thanks grams!) that bit of the quest brought back A LOT of cruel jokes and "pranks" from Middle and High School. This fic does her justice with an excellent backstory.

13. Recommend a fic (can be your own!) that features something you wish was written about more

Tides to Carry Us Home by @gilgamish because I want more MLM Kaidan fics.

15. A topic you never get tired of discussing What sort of farming and agricultural technology would actually be feasible in a society with magic and old Dwemer machines left around. The answer is never a hay baler.

#kbs asks

[magnetarbeam]

I realized recently that the trans girl Ben fic actually interlocks really well with the fic that has Vestara learning to love being a really hot girl for its own sake. Those are most likely going to be the same story.

The timeline I've laid out for Ben's transition has her starting to present female fulltime at around the same time that Ves has turned to either being a Jedi herself or just living with the Jedi while she figures out her next steps in life after the Sith. Either way, she has a lot more freedom to choose how to dress and present herself now.

So even if she is a Jedi, I don't think she'd choose to wear Jedi robes. Now that she's free from the Sith traditions, I really think that she'd want to express herself in different ways.

And Ben's been transitioning for, like, 2.5? years at this point, and she can probably offer a lot of advice on figuring out that kind of stuff about self-expression.

Even though Ves is cis, the expectations of beauty on Kesh are so demanding that, like, it leaves no room to actually enjoy it.

Like, they might just be at the Temple and safe enough that Ben can wear something really revealing of her awesome body, and then Vestara asks what the point of that is, and Ben's just like "I'm showing off because I'm really hot and proud of it. It's not for attention or to attract anyone. But if you're attracted, I'm not gonna complain."

Kind of blows her mind, to find out that it's that simple to people off Kesh.

TLDR: Ben teaches her girlfriend what gender euphoria is.

#star wars legends #vestara khai #ben skywalker #skykhai

[livums]

Hi Liv! Happy WBW!

(Have I sent you a question today? I don't think I have, but if I did: oh well, have another) I'm curious about the Old Magic in The Romance of the Demigods. What can it do?

Can anyone use it, given they possess the knowledge, or is it a gift you're born with? Or maybe it's bestowed upon you?

Hi Sam! Happy WBW! Thank you for the thoughtful question! 😄💜 I am VERY excited to explain it because it's a pretty important (and, I think, interesting?) part of the story.

So in-universe, what is meant by "Old Magic" is essentially any magic that is "of the Earth", or in other words, comes directly from a human invoking Fae magic (via the traditional means . more on that in a second. god this sounds so...).

To make it quick to understand, the domain of Old Magic can generally be thought of as elemental magic--especially as the elements relate to natural phenomena (natural disasters, the weather, plant growth, etc).

The Fae are the only creatures who are known to have native magic. Before and for a time after the arrival of the Sonnelic faith to Brennenhaugh many centuries ago, when Man and Fae intermingled far more frequently, it was incredibly commonplace for Fae to lend their magic to humans in return for... a number of possible things: amusement, further human devotion to the two Fae-gods, The Bit, a future favor, renown... things of that sort. But mostly that second thing. Usually.

And humans, for their part, used Fae magic for any number of purposes: a more fruitful harvest, to ease the winds or the sea for a voyage, to burn down the house of someone who insulted your mother, to call or halt the rains.

Maybe humans were more trustworthy, back then.

Fae magic is bestowed via the Fae's Name--inscribing a portion of the Name in Fae Script/sigil on the human's body allows the human to channel the Fae's magic, the intensity/power commensurate with the portion of the Name inscribed on the human's body.

It's something of a risk for a Fae to allow a human to channel their magic. There are old romantic stories of Fae and humans falling in love, and the human being entrusted with the Fae's full name, but those are fables--no Fae would do such a dangerous thing. Especially... times being what they are...

(putting the rest under the cut by god this got so long SORRY!)

A couple of Things about the Fae magic:

-It is theoretically possible for a human to inscribe a portion of a Fae's Name onto their own body, and so channel the Fae's magic without the Fae's permission. Typically, this is a very bad idea, because pissing off a magical creature who could burn your whole town to ashes is not, like, wise. But it's theoretically possible!

-The extent to which a Name must be "inscribed" in order to be effective is... flexible. In the old days, it was most common to use paint, or coal dust, or blood, or ink. Though lightly scratching with a nail or tracing with a finger may be effective to a minor degree, in a pinch.

-Related: the channel remains "open" for as long as the sigil remains on the human's body. The most efficient and long-lasting method is, of course, a tattoo of the Fae's Name. Nobody does this. Doing this without permission is a great way to get one's limb taken off by a jilted Fae.

The way all of this interacts with Kesh is........ part of the fun of the story! Lol!

As the Church of the Sonnelic Host expanded in reach, influence, and power, more and more regions have become wary of or hostile towards Fae and Fae magic--what's commonly known as the "Old Way". The Old Way further maintains that the relationship between Man and Fae (and Man and Earth, more importantly) should be a reciprocal one. The Sonnelic thought holds that Man has a holy duty and right to maintain dominion over all that the Earth has to offer, including magic, for this is the purpose of the Earth.

But that's a whole 'nother story!

Anyways, to the end of establishing dominion over the Fae, the Paladins of the Host have concocted a way to utilize Fae magic without the risk and responsibility of channeling via Name. They do this by crafting weapons and talismans infused with Fae blood.

Thank you again for the question! I'm not sure if any of that made sense and I am not proofreading this response at all! 🤠 This turned out so much longer than I intended... LOL. Anyways!

#writeblr #wbw #worldbuilding wednesday #{roses there are many} #asks

[ezrisdax-archive]

Vetra Nyx

send me a character and I will tell you my:

First impression: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH PLEASE MARRY ME

Impression now: still my fave of the MEA romances and probably MEA characters. I literally just texted people yesterday about how much I missed her. I just think that Vetra is a lot of fun! and very different from Turians we had in ME so I enjoyed that.

Favorite moment: the moment where you talk to her about cats lmao she's so baffled by why humans love them (but also the moment on Liam's loyalty mission where if you take her and you're about to be blown out into space and tell Liam to hold you she just says she hates you both, I laugh every time)

Idea for a story: I would just love more of Vetra and Kesh's past and how Kesh hired her and everything.

Unpopular opinion: I'm not sure I have one for Vetra

Favorite relationship: romantic, her and Ryder obv, platonic though Vetra and Drack. I always want to take them everywhere because I think they have the best conversations of the group, it means so much to me he supports her with Sid's stuff.

Favorite headcanon: that Vetra would be the person who then likes the cat more than Ryder when they got one but keeps denying it and erases all video evidence any time someone gets some

#beej talks mass effect

[staringdownabarrel]

I've finished Flight of the Nighthawks by Raymond E. Feist; here's my thoughts.

This one has a similar kind of pacing to the Conclave of Shadows trilogy--fast paced, fairly tight writing. Even in terms of plot structure, it mirrors Talon of the Silver Hawk with the first half being Tad and Zane's training and effective conscription into the Conclave of Shadows, and the second half being them proving their mettle.

I think this actually works a lot better in Flight of the Nighthawks than it did in Talon of the Silver Hawk for a couple of reasons. One is that the book is set over the course of I think eight or nine months in total while Talon was set over the course of five or six years. The time span is shorter, so it does a better job at communicating that.

The other reason is that straight after the Conclave of Shadows trilogy, most people are going to be familiar with the overall beats of a plot like this. There wasn't as much of a need to draw the early pastoral scenes out too much because everyone kinda-sorta knew what direction this book was headed in.

The drawback to this is that while it does work in this particular case, there's only so many times in a row that it can before it gets stale. The classic example of this in my mind is Dan Brown's work (and yes, I'm aware that Dan Brown has never really been that great). Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code both had the same pacing and plot beats to the point that it's entirely fair to say that they're basically the same book but with different window dressing.

This works for those books, though. If you're a fan of that kind of book, you aren't necessarily looking for variety; you're just looking for variations on a theme. This is the big reason why pretty much every other police procedural has like ten or more seasons and a few spin-offs. It's also why pretty much every popular mystery/thriller writer seems to have one character they've spent most of their careers writing about (I type as if I'm not also currently reading the fantasy equivalent of this).

There's also an energy to Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code where it still feels exciting to read these books even if you more or less know how it's going to turn out. It's only possible to get that when the formula is still fresh. That's why they worked and the next Robert Langdon book, The Lost Symbol, didn't, even though it still uses the exact same formula as the other two.

I'm worried that this may end up happening with Feist's next few books in the Riftwar cycle. I don't necessarily think it's going to happen with this trilogy in particular, but I can see it happening with the Demonwar duology. While this book and the previous trilogy did have a certain energy to them, that's only really possible because it's still relatively fresh. I wish I could say for certain, but it's been so long since I last read these books that I actually genuinely don't remember what happens over the course of the next few books.

I think the biggest issue with this book is that while in terms of actual plot structure, it quite directly mirrors Talon of the Silver Hawk, it's also nowhere near as political. There's definitely room for it to be political, given that most of the same main characters are present (albeit often in smaller roles), and also this book is set in Great Kesh and involves a plot to usurp the throne. Unfortunately, it never really dwells on any of this; it just sorta treats it as window dressing in the hunt for Leso Varen.

I also feel like overall, while this book never quite reaches the same lows as some of Feist's early work, it also never quite reaches the same highs. Like, it has a small love subplot between Caleb and the mother of Tad and Zane, but it's nowhere near as forced or as prominent as some of the love plots in the early books. But also, it's kinda difficult to feel the same connection to these newer characters as one did to the main cast of the early books.

Still, hopefully the next couple of books help course correct on these fronts.

#flight of the nighthawks #raymond e. feist #riftwar #darkwar #books #rant

[amstories]

S04E17: Crush at First Cake

Pairing: Roldan x Kesh from Too Busy Being Yours by shirlengtearjerky

Prompt: “my best friend is getting married and he and his fiancee dragged me along to a cake taste test and you're the one who baked the cakes”

Note: This is one of my entries for Ate Leng's Ficlet Writing Contest last 2015. This is not affiliated with shirlengtearjerky or any of her stories. I wrote this when I was young so please bear with it.

“Zades,” Kesh denied her offer in cake testing. “I don’t have a sweet tooth. You asked the wrong person.”

“Oh, c’mon, Kesh! We just need your opinion,” Zade insisted. Kailangan kasi nila Zade at Andreau ng opinion sa wedding cake na pipiliin nila. Halos lahat kasi ay nagustuhan nila.

Kesh Manzano, not a fan of sweets, is unfortunately Zade’s best friend and she and her fianceé needs an opinion. But Kesh is also a fan of conditions, typical best friend. “I’ll do a favor for you if you come with us today.”

Napatayo agad si Kesh from her bed. Although wala pa siyang naiisip na kapalit, pumayag na siya.

(( minsan lang kasi magkautang si zades sa kanya ))

The couple was so excited bringing Kesh to the bakery where they got the samples of the cakes. Nalaman din ni Kesh na college friend ni Andreau ang nag-bake ng mga cake samples nila. She’s not so excited because aside from she doesn't eat sweets, she is with two lovebirds and she feels left alone.

“Get a room, will you?!” Kesh complained. “Sinama niyo pa ’ko dito kung maghaharutan lang kayo d’yan.”

“Kailangan mo nang love life, Kesh,” Andreau teased, which Zade agreed on.

Kesh grimaced in response. Wala siyang panahon sa mga ’yan. Priority niya ang kanyang career ngayon. But she wants a love interest, aminin man niya o hindi. Boring ang buhay kapag single ka, she admits to herself. Walang kilig, walang selos. She wants to add spice in her life, too.

As she tastes the first cake sample they gave—black forest, nasarapan na siya agad. Nang natikman naman niya ang pangalawa, it felt heaven in inside her mouth. Nang matikman niya lahat ang samples ay agad niyang sinabing, “Sino nag-bake nito? I want to meet her.”

* * *

“Dan! Tawag ka nung guest ng Cortez couple,” tawag sa kanya ng coworker niya. “Nasarapan daw yung guest! The fact that she doesn't eat sweets to much, tapos nasarapan siya sa lahat ng samples na binigay natin?! Dude, you're the man!”

Napangiti naman si Roldan sa narinig niya at dali-dali naman siyang lumabas to meet the engaged couple and their guest.

However, Kesh is still savouring every bite. Nang makarating si Roldan sa table nila, napatigil si Kesh.

“Roldan, meet Kesh, my best friend and bridesmaid,” Zades introduced.

“Kesh, this is Roldan, my college friend and the baker of the cakes you loved,” Andreau said.

(( come to think of it, they both had a little crush with each other after that day. ))

((( she wanted to add spice in her life, she said. he never thought he'd have more sweetness in his life, he said. )))

#amstories #ficlets #S04E17 #rolesh #shirlengtearjerky #tbby

[baoshan-sanren]

BAI LI QI MY MAN!!!

#长歌行 #chang ge xing #the long ballad #nif #li long #shang keshe #jgdfhgjdfksd I LOVE THIS DUDE #i'm so glad he got this role #because he is INSANELY GOOD in it like #he fucking steals every scene he's in #such a good actor holy shit #and you'd never know from the parts he got in the wolf and in the winner is love #gjfgjkdfxzdsfdj i'm starting to feel bad for wu lei every time they're in a scene together bc like #yeah you're very pretty but #li long is outacting you by a mile lmaoo

[quietblues]

boy howdy that sure was A Year huh?? i went through a whole bunch of interests (read, attempts at raising my dopamine flow), met some great new people, and most importantly lived to see what's hopefully gonna be a better year. and i couldn't have done it without everyone below the cut <3

first off ofc we have rieley @uniformbravo - my bestest friend forever and ever?? we celebrated our 10th year friendaversary this year and it feels like it's been like two weeks and yet two centuries. you're seriously one of the most talented people i've ever met in my whole life, and i love you so so so so much. you're 100% the kendall to my logan 💚

second we have my bestie rae @piecesofpeachx ! you seriously are such a peach, a complete angel in every sense of the word. every day with you in my life makes me unbelievably happy. i can't wait for more writing and squealing over everything in the world with you! you're the calum to my michael 🧡

next up is a new friend but quickly becoming one of the most important people in my life, rooney @neuroweird. seriously how would i have made it through without your wisdom and support? you're incredible in every single way and don't ever forget it, the ben to my joe 💚

my darling aly @koospell !!! idk why it won't let me tag you but ! you're seriously so sweet, a shining star in my life. you make me laugh every time we talk and i can't wait for us to take over disney together someday. you're the koo to my hobi 💛

lillian @sweetlykissedadora !!! i know we both had it kind of rough this year but i think that will just make us even stronger in the future. you're so kind and give off such regal energy, it's amazing. you're the barba to my carisi ❤️

kesh!!!!!! @2manytabsopen oh my gosh the fact you're my friend amazes me because you're way too goddamn cool for me???? you and i always have the coolest conversations and i feel like i've really found a dear friend in you. you're the jack to my quinn X) 💙

sully @orrsoared !! my bruins bud! again you're seriously cool as hell and i seriously wanna watch some games with you later this year. bruins 2022 stanley cup amirite? you're the debrusk to my mcavoy 💛

taylor!! @joeljuice you're such a gem, i can't even believe someone as talented and great as you exists? i hope we can become even closer friends in the next year!! ofc you have to be the sorokin to my barzal 🖤

patricia! @titsbeauvillier i can always count on you to say something that makes me laugh (and sometimes have to wash my eyes). kiss all your doggos for me, the georgiev to my shesterkin 💜

and finally selena who i don't even think has a tumblr but who i couldn't go without mentioning. i am so proud of you, everything you have done, everything you have accomplished and everything you are. you're truly one of my best friends and i can't wait for another year with you in my life, the benny to my ethan 🧡

thank you all so much for being part of my life!! below are just some blogs that made some fantastic content this year or at least just made my dash a better place. if any of y'all wanna be friends, please hmu. i hope your 2022 is as wonderful as you all!! ❤️

@andreburakozy @babeseungmin @bangcakes @barzzy @barzybeau @confused--castiel @connormcdavo @europeanpuck @gryz @hhintz @hockstuff @iwantahockeyhimbo @islesnucks @jaemtens @joelsfarabee @lesbianswayman @mattgrzelcyks @newlyacquiredbois @phillyjoel @realstraykids @ryanpulock @saintgritty @savedbyoettinger @sebbyaho @seonghwaminho @softboybarzal @ssebastianaho @theseulgis @thistlefly @turbolainen @tuukka @twicesonce @zachyman

#follow forever #i love u all !!!!!! best wishes n blessings for 2022!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ramblingcj]

Many of the female Krogan sound off in Andromeda. Artificial. Like the voice actors did their jobs and then their voices were pitched lower in editing. I think Morda is the most jarring since she's literally voiced by a dude (Liam Hourican) and seem to be pitched higher.

It's not a big deal unless you're nitpicky like me. And I only noticed it because I went into MEA right after playing the trilogy. It's a subtle thing, but if you compare Kesh to Bakara, you'll notice that there is a slight "artificial" tone to Kesh while Bakara sounds more natural.

Like I said, nitpicky. I don't doubt for a second that Allegra Clark and the other voice actors have the range. It's just amusing that Bioware seem to have taken it another step by pitching the voices lower or higher in Morda's case.

I will say though, the voice actor for Dr. Aridana would've been great as a Krogan!

#cj plays games #mea #mass effect andromeda #also it's weird how all the female krogan take on warrior roles when we're told in the trilogy that female Krogan are kept separate #due to their importance because of the genophage #again - nitpicky

[typical-simplelove]

FUCK YEAH SOFT THOUGHT THURSDAY I'M A BITCH FOR SOFT THOUGHTS, so lemme offer you another dad!matty thought:

so now, the child is 'presentable' with her hair in on ebig ol knot, in a big pink frilly princess dress, and she's ready to take on the fucking day. the next process is actually getting her to day care, which usually wouldn't be a problem but it's like all of mattys dad brain cells left him, so he's now stuck in a very uncomfortable position trying to get his lil princess into the booster seat but he just can't get it on her and he's getting a little frustrated while you're hanging back with a cup of coffee giggling over matty trying his best while his daughter keeps on hitting him with her princess stick.

PLEASE! I should just call it "Kesh gives me soft dad!matty thoughts Thursday".

He'd also be super stubborn about it. Matty wouldn't want you to help him because he'd feel guilty that you're a part-time single mom while he's on the road and wants to do things on his own. Your daughter would probably be like "Daddy, please hurry. We're going to be late." He'll grunt in frustration and keep trying. "Momma does it faster." That would only get him more frustrated and somehow she'd know and have a smirk on her face. "Yeah, well, Momma, -- damn it, how does she do this?" Eventually, you'd go over to help knowing that your daughter wouldn't want to be late.

Soft thoughts Thursdays?

#asks #2manytabsopen #lovely mutuals!! #soft thought thursday #<- something new #matthew tkachuk

[livums]

One Song for Every OC Pairing

Heyo! I was tagged in the One Song for Every OC game by @sarahlizziewrites (find her post here!).

Originally, I did the post for my OCs from The Marking Blood (find that post here!), but I've had sooo many songs for romantic pairings burning a hole in my head, so I thought I'd do that instead!

Please enjoy!

🌙🩸The Marking Blood🩸🌙

Sonea / Maja

If I'm out of line / Just show me the door / I promise you I / Won't come here no more / If you just tell me / What you think about me / I can collect all my things from the floor

More under the cut!

Sylah / Nieve

It's a secret I keep tucked inside my chest / With this heart of mine that's guilty, not remorseful / There is love that doesn't have a place to rest / But it would have buried you if it had settled on your shoulders

Zova / Cas

Strange is the call of this strange man / I wanna fly down and feed at his hand / I want a nice, soft place to land / I wanna lie down forever

And the choice is yours if you're willing to choose / Seeing as you've got nothing to lose / And I could use a canary

Suddenly, nothing is as it was / Where are you now, Orpheus? / Wasn't it gonna be the two of us? / Weren't we birds of a feather?

Sonea / Nic / Cas

If you weren't mine, I'd be jealous of your love

🔪🐝Sister Hollow / The Rival🐝🔪

Trinket / Seybryn

All of this is getting just a little too real / And I don't wanna fuck around / I don't wanna, I don't wanna / Punish me to yet another ordeal

I don't wanna talk about the way I feel / Right now I feel like I could never fuck with you again / But it's okay, you'll probably just forget

Trinket / Aviyah

But I didn't die a lover of sky / And now I know why / And it had nothing to do with that fuckin' guy

After one too many facts / I heard, "Who has made you cry like that?" / There stood Aphrodite, where I wept in the grass / With one glimpse, I was seduced / Her immortal face set my limbs loose / Two minds became one / She was second to none / Call me "nothing new" because she was the sun

🧚‍♀️🌟The Romance of the Demigods🌟🧚‍♀️

Kesh / Eve

I stole your fate / And now you're forced to love a man you hate / I know you don't feel the same / But I burn for you

You burn for me?

I burn.

and another one for them because i'm obsessed rn sorry

"What makes you pull the rose, the rose? / What makes you break the tree? / What makes you come to Carterhaugh / Without the leave of me?"

"But Carterhaugh is not your own / Roses there are many / I'll come and go all as I please / And not ask leave of any."

Anyone who feels like it please feel free to do it and say i tagged you lol. anyways i did this instead of writing . oops. also me dropping this without explaining who half these people are...... erm..... forgive me 🙏🏼

#writeblr #tag game #my WIPs #{sanguis in monte} #{in peace unyielding} #{roses there are many}