#excuse the terrible photo quality

[averagebakedpotato]

Bunch of Hunter redraws.

#the owl house #toh #toh hunter #toh golden guard #redraw #toh redraw #hunter #my art #the gift of digital art continues to elude me #so this is it for my art #doodles in the back of cheap notebooks #excuse the terrible photo quality #my phone is a potato #oh fudge just realized i forgot his scar in half of these #oh well

[likea-black-widow-baby]

Jarvis’s look of utter betrayal when Peggy says she called a taxi is worth enduring every minute of the season 2 love triangle

#Edwin Jarvis #agent carter #Peggy carter #Mundie says things #excuse the terrible photo quality I had to take it with my phone because Disney+ blocks screenshots like the monstrosity it is

[a-master-procrastinator]

Usually I have something nice to say for the New Year, but this year just this: may we all get through this shit alive and as well as possible.

And not to be a total mood killer, I offer you cats trying to be festive (read: play with tinsel and lights).

#excuse me if i don't sound cheery #it's because i'm in terrible mood the whole week #and today even more than before #(also you can tell that these photos were taken on different cameras. mine is so potato quality)

[the-furthest-city-light]

Hey hi hello I'd like to tell you about the wonderful gift my friend @swordsmans made for me.

I literally spent Thursday night just. Looking through it and turning it over in my hands. It's SO pretty and has SUCH A VISION in the making of it. Gyro's work is amazing. Just. Look.

The cover? The gold foil lettering? God. It looks so good on my bookshelf. And the DETAIL. They painted the edges of the pages guys, it looks SO COOL.

(excuse the low-quality photos, I have learned i am terrible at staging books, but just LOOK AT THESE PAGES.)

Okay and now for me waxing poetic about this.

When gyro first mentioned that they were going to start commissions for binding people's fics I was excited for them and also planned to commission them to bind one of my own fics. I knew I wanted to get a bound copy of their fic The Sea Makes Bones of Bodies as well, because if you haven't seen the typesets for that and the copies they've made you really should (here's my personal favorite of their copies). So I reached out and imagine my surprise when I discovered Gyro was already planning to do so.

Genuinely one of my favorite experiences in fandom is seeing people make art for their favorite fics and be inspired by other fanworks so when I tell you that I was BEYOND HONORED about this and SO PUMPED, like. I don't have words. I'm so grateful to have received such a lovely gift (it's on my bookshelf next to my copy of Rilke. Rilke.) and I keep running around with a huge smile on my face because I still can't believe anyone liked my silly Zolu fic enough to be inspired to actually bind it and now I have it in my hands.

I don't actually know anything about bookbinding except for what I've gleaned from Gyro but I did wonder how it would like. Feel in my hand compared to traditionally published books. I'm super careful with it because I love it so much but this thing is not going to fall apart at the drop of a hat. Also the book just feels nice in my hands. Weird thing to notice maybe but Gyro also picked a lovely font? I read the fic (IN BOOK FORM AHHHHHHH) and it was just as readable as it is on AO3 (though obviously this is way better/more special askdfjajjakkkiss).

If you are interested in fanbinding and the actual process Gyro used to make this, they made a post here. If you would like to request a fanbinding project their form is here. Gyro's Kofi is here as well. And if you'd like to follow gyro's fanbinding archive that would be here.

Okay! I think that's all I wanted to say. Gyro it was so lovely to have a front-row seat to the creation process and see how you made the book. Genuinely one of the best gifts I've ever received, thank you so much!!!

#bad blade bindery #fanbinding #zolu #book binding #spill your wine #gyro AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #I love it so much <3

[mauesartetc]

I've observed that some HB fans with trauma feel so attached to the characters and the show that they defend every writing decision and take any criticism as a personal attack. I can understand relating to and feeling sympathy for a character because of personal experiences, but Helluva Boss is a terrible media for emotionally vulnerable teenagers and young adults to uncritically consume.

It just pisses me off that so many people will praise HB for representing abuse with Stolas and Stella, yet ignore the unhealthy relationship dynamics, abusive behaviors portrayed in a positive light and bad writing in general.

Real talk: Speaking as an emotional abuse survivor myself, it pisses me off to no end that Helluva Boss has failed to represent this subject with any sensitivity or subtlety.

It's important to remember that abusers are often charming and charismatic, and they exhibit positive traits (at least early on) that make the other person want to salvage the relationship.

What the hell are Stella's positive traits? In what little screentime she's had thus far, she's been elitist, rude, destructive, pouty, murderous, sadistic, and a little stupid (failing to consider that if Stolas died, Octavia would inherit all his wealth and leave her with nothing). While there's evidence to support the claim that she acted like she was in love early on in her marriage (she's smiling in the Loo Loo Land photo, sleeps in the same bed as Stolas in a flashback and has stated she used to pretend to want to fuck him), there's nothing to suggest her personality was ever anything but odious. Even when Stolas first sees her photo as a child, it portrays an awful little brat.

It's pretty clear Stolas has never had any reason to love her, so why does he stay?

He says it's because he wants Octavia to have "a normal life", aka a two-parent household. But how exactly does that benefit her when those parents are constantly fighting? You might think "Well, that's a lot of parents' excuse for not getting divorced, but that doesn't mean it's right", but the show never challenges his stance on this. There's never a moment when he realizes, "Oh shit, maybe my definition of 'normal' is actually hurting my daughter". He only declares he wants a divorce after his first tryst with Blitzo and on the balcony when he tells Stella he "can't do this anymore". He's doing it entirely for his benefit, not because it would improve Octavia's life.

(And because the writers blatantly favor Stolas and everything he says, I have to wonder if they actually believe the standard nuclear family represents a "normal"- implied in this case to be good and desirable - life by default, regardless of how miserable everyone in the family is. On the off-chance that is indeed the case, as someone who lost a parent at a young age: Fuck all the way off with that, show.)

Also, we're not lead to believe divorce was never an option at any point. If a royal in this world gets divorced, what are the consequences? Would Stolas lose his title? Would he be executed? The whole point of this marriage was to have a kid, so literally what was stopping them from splitting up after she was born (other than the bullshit "normal life" excuse)? Why can't Stolas just visit Octavia? Why does he have to live with her? Plenty of kids with divorced parents still get quality time with both of them. The solution was right there all along, but Stolas felt the need to wait until his daughter was seventeen to split with his wife? For some reason?? The writers try to pass it off as some noble sacrifice he's making, but in reality, he's just being a dumbass.

Okay, so maybe he's just afraid to leave, like many abused people are. I'll have to call bullshit on that, since he never even tried to keep his affair a secret. He's openly flirted with Blitzo in public (at Loo Loo Land and the Harvest Moon Festival, in front of dozens of witnesses) and met Blitzo at a couples-only nightclub, where they sat in plain view of everyone else there. Couldn't even bother using your powers to disguise yourself, bud? Or does that only work when it's convenient to the plot? If Stolas were the least bit threatened by Stella or what the Goetia family would think, he wouldn't be this bloody obvious. While it's possible this is a self-sabotage sort of thing, the show has never given us evidence that Stolas has those kinds of tendencies.

In short, Stella's a hamfisted, stereotypical portrayal of an abuser, and Stolas just doesn't come off like the abuse affects him at all (or at least not until the episode where it needs to for plot reasons). Obviously not all abusers or abuse survivors in real life will fit into the same mold, but there's straight-up zero logic to these characters' behavior. I've mentioned this very astute video before, but here's one quote that perfectly sums up how poorly this show handles character motivations:

There's a... character consistency issue that results from having these characters exist only to dispense abuse. Their actions stop adding up... [Stella's] thing is that she wants to be away from Stolas... Why does she repeatedly show up to the house just when Stolas is around to torment him? This behavior is quite strange. She does not like him. She does not want to be around him... We're to assume that Stella wants to feel mad, wants to feel bad, and that's what she wants to do with her life.

This isn't how real people act. And of course fictional characters aren't real people and any sense of agency they have is just an illusion at the end of the day. But ideally they should feel real to the audience.

I now fully understand why I was leery of these writers potentially exploring a character's addiction. It's because they've shown they can't be trusted to give serious subject matter the care and weight it deserves.

#helluva boss #helluva critical #writing #helluva stolas #helluva stella #ask #chinesegal

[crestoflames]

discord keeps marking this as explicit so im posting it here, enjoy

also pls excuse the terrible quality i havent edited photos in a bajillion years

#scarlet hollow #sam wayne #reese kelly #wayne scarlet hollow #reese scarlet hollow #my stuff #scarlet hollow meme

[margareth-lv]

👑 The Royal Family 👑

Caution: the contents of this post should not be seen by those who are hypersensitive to 🧛🏻‍♂️.

Ladies, beware!

☣️☣️☣️

My post below is kind of… weird,  I know, but still, I want to share my thoughts with you.

The whole story was actually quite bizarre, thus my analysis couldn't be anything but, well, strange. And as I went AWOL for almost a year I’m coming today with some outdated news, let’s say to celebrate the king’s coronation last Saturday.

(All I want to say is that you read it at your own risk)

One more warning: I’ve posted below a photo of 🧛🏻‍♂️. Please, be warned.

I’ve also posted a „photo” of Baby Augustus, but his “image” was so heavily (and badly) photoshopped, that I don’t feel bad about sharing it on my blog.

So, as you can guess I want to discuss with you damage control post-funeral photo published, supposedly, in Irish Daily Mirror one day after the funeral, but made public five months after, in January 2023.

You know, from the legal point of view, if it was a REAL funeral photo with a REAL baby image published without the consent of the family, it wolud have been removed from internet months ago. It’s not such a big deal even for an aspiring lawyer. Baby’s image (apart from rules of sharing images with or without consent of baby’s parents) is considered as a personal data. So, as Ireland is a member state of the European Union, the GDPR (data protection rules) applies there. It means that a short request to cease the infringements would end the case.

But the photo, despite of everything, saw the light of day five months after it was taken.

You don’t have to be a genius to come to the conclusion that it was meant to go public.

What a creepy family, indeed, The Balfes.

By the way, poor quality of work in Photoshop on Baby Augustus photo reminds me the story of,  if you'll excuse me, failed “Potato Jesus” (aka “Monkey Christ”) restoration, a certain amateur restoration job that gone terribly wrong. 

Making long story short, the painting of Jesus wearing a crown was given a fresh lick of paint by an elderly local resident of a small village in Spain and in the end the face appeared to have been strangely smeared (just like Baby Augustus 😉). The result of the botched restoration spawned a photoshop meme:

(Anyway, the depth of the image of “Potato Jesus” is comparable to Baby Augustus “photo”, best proof of lack of skills in Photoshop. Caitríona’s PR department never bothered to pick a guy with any talent, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN).

And now…

☀️

Here Comes the Sun.

The Royal Family in all its unflinching glory:

⬇️⬇️⬇️

No, this wasn’t my idea.

Someone wrote on Tumblr that Baby Augustus was strikingly similar to prince William.

Yup, he really was. As if he was William’s twin brother.

… or younger brother who wears old clothes of his big bro.

And why on earth the whole family looks like a cost-reduced version of the royal family?

You know, I can’t help thinking that there's more than just a coincidental similarity in these photos.

Another conspiracy theory.

I'm tired.

💁🏻‍♀️

[May 8, 2023]

[gin-astro]

HERE HE ISSS!!!

PLEASE EXCUSE THE LIGHTING MAN. ITS TERRIBLE.

But HERE HE IS!!!

:D , I PROMISE ILL GET BETTER AT LIGHTING. ILL GET AN APPLE PEN HOPEFULLY SOMETIME TO DO DIGITAL

ALSO IF ANYONE HAS LIGHTING TIPS FOR BETTER QUALITY PHOTOS PLEASE TELL ME.

Ink sans by @comyet

#undertale #ink sans #inktale #tobyfox #my art

[very-feral-lesbian]

i think theres something to be said about the placement of eddie during the sneak peek of 6x11 and what picutures they have chosen to share for next weeks episode

please excuse the quality, im working on getting better screenshots

this is part of the preview that was shown after last nights episode to tease the next episode

in this clip, each member of the 118 are passing the glass doors, something they *dont* do according to buck last season but of course their team was hurt and they keep moving in

however chim, hen and bobby all stop once they see that bucks being wheeled back

but eddie doesnt, he keeps going. his face is full of determination and hurt and most importantly, fear. he cant stop himself from wanting to follow each movement of buck to make sure he is safe. he is at the forefront of the camera, the videography making it clear that him (and bobby) are the ones in main focus right now

and then they gave us this sneak peek for next weeks episode

i think theres alot to be said especially since this is one of only two photos released so far about the episode

we already know its going to be a dream/coma episode, but having this interaction of chris coming to the hospital to see buck during this coma speaks volumes

whether the writers like it or not, buck is chris’s second parent, it’s undeniable and this really shows that

chris has seen both of them in unspeakably terrible situations and has always always been a anchor for their recovery. it’s important to note that while is face is clearly showing that he is upset, he is also pretty neutral

and dont be mistaken, he loves buck to the depths of his soul but after seeing what eddie and buck have gone through when one of them is hurt, he knows he needs to be strong for them both

in general, i think its quite interesting that there is such a focus on this subject in the sneak peeks and i think its worth noting that nothing is unintentional

#911 season six #buddie #911 season sex #buckley diaz family #evan buck buckley #eddie diaz #911 6x10 coda #911 spoiler #911 6x11 #911 coda #christopher diaz

[onyx6o6]

Needles is a very scary person definitely.

Excuse the terrible photo quality I just had to draw this so I did it in the trainride back.

#the magnus protocol #tmp #the magnus protocol episode 6 #the Magnus protocol spoilers #tmp spoilers

[tiffanylamps]

(I edited this so it doesn't read like I wrote it at 1.30am... even though that's exactly what happened)

Pals, in episode 1, I think Joo Won wanted Dong Sik to be his partner...

Hear me out.

Joo Won has been obsessing over Dong Sik for 9 months and stalking him for roughly the same amount of time (being the amateur photographer that he is). In episode 1, Joo Won and Sang Bae are in Sang Bae's office and they are discussing Joo Won joining the team. The FIRST thing Joo Won asks is

(excuse the terrible photo quality. Netflix doesn't allow screenshots anymore 😫) He knows everyone who works in Manyang Substation because of his "pro bono" photography (he took some great photos of Dong Sik. The one where DS is leaving work with his head down? gorgeous. Also, JW took a photo of Sang Bae watering flowers and had the audacity to think this man is suspicious. Also, how did a group of police officers not realise they were being photographed??? I digress). He is clearly anxious about who will be his partner.

When they're all being reassigned to the different teams, Dong Sik rejects wanting to be Joo Won's partner (based on the very silly reason of "hE's NoT mY tYpE"). Joo Won's response? Surprise and intrigue.

(He looks so offended lol)

I genuinely don't think he's experienced much rejection from strangers* before. Most people have probably smothered him his whole life just because of who his family is. So, to finally meet the man he's been obsessing over, and to find that Dong Sik DOESN'T give a shit that Han Joo Won is in the building, must be odd for him.

*are they a stranger if you've been stalking them and created an almost parasocial relationship with them?? asking for a fictional weirdo

Then Nam Sang Bae works his magic and puts these two crazy kids together. (He could see it. He knew.)

So.... what is Joo Won's reaction to being paired with the man he's been obsessing over for 9 months, the guy he's been stalking, the man he is investigating for multiple murders?

An almost sigh of... exasperation?... amusement.??.. relief??? and a.... (joo won) smile??? What?

Why is he like this???

#beyond evil #jtbc beyond evil #han juwon #jwds #lee dongsik #he needs help #he looks excited #what a weirdo #i love him #no one help him #ppl its 1.45am why am i watching ep 1 and on tumblr writing about it?? #i need to sleep #i hate them and what they have done to me #(thats a lie)

[whysojiminimnida]

My Moots Are BEST MOOTS - Fight Me

Look what showed up in my mailbox!

@lauvamp is a very talented, incredibly patient artist (I was... a little stoned the first time I ordered okay) and also happens to be an amazing human. She's also a house elf up in here so BE NICE AND BUY ART and excuse my lighting, these are actually SO high quality and so much more beautiful in person:

...and I got presents! From LAU herself and also from our dear @lorenuchi78 who sent me a beautiful LAU print of the Jeon-Parks which I had wanted but thought "well FML I should really only buy so much" AND THEN IT CAME ANYWAY:

I feel like we don't talk about Fairy King Jimin enough but DAMN and chainy Koo is clearly a bottom superior Koo.. And THIS. This piece is incredible. The detail is stunning. I had to get it in two sizes, my photo is terrible but the prints are INSANE, they're just SO GOOD LOOK AT THIS: NSFW my lily white ass

And also THIS. The colors are just stunning. This one is a matte finish and it's just SO BLUSHY OMG

And HOBI OMG Dear Lord, why am I not talented like this I do not know but thank You for brilliant artistic friends:

AND THIS

AND OMG THIS

And I'm just overwhelmed with all this beauty. These are getting the explensive matted frames from the snooty frame store as they are clearly unsafe from a Yoongi-the-cat... I'M...JUST...Y'ALL. Thank you so much!! My heart is happy, my world has beautiful jikook just jikooking in my house, I am smiling ear to ear and feeling like a princess. I feel so loved! 사랑해💜💜💜

#fan art #jikook fan art #kookmin fanart #thanks @lauvamp #thanks @lorenuchi78 #my moots are the best moots #fight me #the jeon parks #jeon park house elves being awesome #minggukie supremacy #jimin and jungkook #minkook #there's always a hobi #i need to get yoongi art next #this artwork approved by yoongi the cat

[gemsofgreece]

Some complain that we should make a Greek song for Eurovision but we already had one in 2018, but we were disqualified even though it was a pretty song. Maybe because it a soft ballad or something but it was something to send a song in our native language.

But i think we should start first...voting for the candidates who will represent us and second mix both traditional and modern rhythms.

Bre make a Pontiac song and see how much on top we would be, would make the whole crowd dance 😉

Oh my God Anon 😂😂😂 You are young, right? Or started watching Eurovision recently? This is not condescending, I just want to cheer you up. I am asking because Greece retains a honorary title of being a Eurovision powerhouse due to its mostly consistent success throughout 2001- 2013. In all those years, almost all the songs that succeeded had either Greek music or both Greek music and lyrics. The 2014-2019 dry spell had mostly entirely English songs except for two, which had very bad performances. The 2021-2022 successes made people hopeful that Greece was coming back but long time fans complained that Greece should also return to its authentic sounds.

When it comes to the 2018 song, have you watched the stage performance???? I think even Victor two days ago was better than Yanna, and that says a lot! It had nothing to do with the song or the language or it being soft. She sang terribly and supposedly her whole freaking equipment for the staging was stuck at the customs and never arrived at Eurovision (that’s what she said)!!!Have you ever heard of such an occurrence before? 😂 One more suspicious person would say there were barely any ideas for the staging at all and she had no better way of excusing it.

Despite all that, the public did keep her in, albeit barely, and gave her the 10th place. She was murdered by the juries who gave her the 16th place and disqualified her. Here’s the thing though: Yanna accused the juries and the production in general of a sabotage. This might sound crazy but something shitty DID happen. There is a point in the song, during the chorus, where fireworks pop. However, inexplicably during the jury show, the technicians chose to randomly shoot the fireworks during the very calm verse. This was so out of place it was visibly wrong, it wasn’t like a detail you won’t even notice. The Greek team requested that the performance should be repeated, since it was the crucial jury show and it was the technicians’ fault, but the production refused and asked the juries to vote based on what they saw, a decision that was criticised by Greeks and other fans of the song alike.

So as you see here not only the singing is atrocious but as if this was not enough, they really just randomly shot the fireworks to her face. I honestly have no idea what happened but this was the unluckiest song we have sent. It was a gorgeous song that did not deserve either Yanna’s live vocals and her lousy team or the problematic production there. And the fact the audience tried to keep it in was solely the song’s and the language’s achievement as there is not any other redeeming quality in this participation unfortunately.

This is a topic I feel strongly about because I loved this song and I had a lot of faith in it and it still hurts. But also - regarding the language thing - it’s a myth, not only for Greek but for all languages I think. It was true in the past, when only English or French songs would win, but ever since 2010s people want diverse songs and more languages. The juries are worse on that but the public does want the ethnic element.

And to prove it, I once made a very passionate analysis on how Greek entries performed and the conclusion was that on average a song that was either fully Greek or at least in a Greek music style performed better than a totally English song. Again, on average. Here’s the link to the analysis:

And then I saved for last a stab to your heart… We have sent a song in Pontic Greek… and it is the third one that flopped 😅😅😅😅😅😅 The notorious Utopian Land by Argo, fam! But it was a bad song, even though I see on You Tube it has developed something like a cult following.

But in stark contrast, Alcohol is Free was a totally Greek song in everything (with freaking rebetiko) and it finished 6th (and 2nd in its semi) . And the reason it didn’t make it to the top 5 was that some hysteric people were clutching their pearls at the title, whining “how they would allow their kids to watch Eurovision now”. I have some very deep into esc stuff friends from Europe and I know for a fact that this was the case with some people. And yet it ended up sixth and some considered it an injustice, which it was, because it should have won, seriously. Oh yeah, I forgot, it would make it in the top 5 in spite of all that, had it not been for the juries. The public voted it 4th and the juries 14th and it ended up 6th. Similarly, Watch My Dance by Loukas Yorkas was half in Greek and it ended 7th (and notoriously 1st in its semifinal, ahead of the Eurovision winner of the year, Azerbaijan, which does raise questions about the final results - see the link above with the analysis). Interestingly, the only criticism I saw the song ever receiving was by people complaining that the whole song should be like the Greek laiko in the chorus and diss the English rap in the verse. Another example, OPA by Yorghos Alkeos, which was also entirely in Greek and finished 8th.

Now an ethnic Greek entry and a cheerful one at that will certainly be butchered by the juries, like they did with the Ukrainian Shum or the Finnish Cha Cha Cha and our own Alcohol is Free. But who cares? Better be butchered by the juries and be loved by the public, than going with bland and bad English ballads that only the juries might like and nobody else. The people have made clear what songs they want from Greece. And in any case, I would rather suck by sending something from my culture that others may simply not get than suck by sending something that doesn’t even represent me in any way.

I know you agree by the way, you just touched a sensitive chord in my heart and I went full rant mode 😇

#greece #Eurovision #Greece in Eurovision #eurovision song contest #esc #Greek facts #anon #mail

[oraclekleo]

3-Pile Tarot Reading - What kind of blockage / obstacle is preventing you from moving forward / keeps you stuck?

I have prepared a reading where you pick one of the three piles (or two or all of them) based on which resonates with you. Then you scroll to the reading for your pile.

Clear and simple, right? Shall we begin?

What kind of blockage / obstacle is preventing you from moving forward / keeps you stuck?

(Excuse the misserable quality of the photos, I have absolutely terrible lighting in my bedroom and it looks even worse when I use a flash)

Pile 1 - Labradorite - 52 Datura

Pile 2 - Clear Quartz - 34 Elder

Pile 3 - Wooden Pebble - 53 Apple

Pick the pile or piles you feel most drawn to!

See you in your reading!

3-Pile Tarot Reading

Pile 1 - Labradorite - 52 Datura

You might feel stuck in life because you have dedicated your energy and attention to something or someone but no matter what you do, your efforts are not coming to fruition. You have given it your all and yet can’t see any progress, you might feel desperate and like you have run out of options. The cards are advising you to take a step back and look at the situation from a new angle. You might need to start collaborating with someone or maybe you need to learn a new skill in order to finish what you have started. Sometimes the result is complete even when it’s imperfect. If you feel like you can’t move forward with something, maybe this is your final destination. Maybe it’s time to forward your project to somebody else who has the skills and abilities to develop it further. When you are blocked on all sides in a sports game, you kick the ball to your team-mate and they score but they wouldn’t be able to do so without you. When your sibling is getting on your nerves and you have no more options on how to bring them to their senses (apart from physical violence), maybe it’s time to call the bigger authority of your parents. When you have finished your painting, you might need to seek a craftsman who will give it the last touch by putting it into a beautiful frame. You should know that sometimes you are not meant to do all the work yourself.

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Pile 2 - Clear Quartz - 34 Elder

You might feel blocked by other people having a hold on you. They say they are protecting you out of love but you probably feel caged and stuck. They have lulled you into comfort and apathy but it’s time to wake up and spread your wings. You might need to stand your point strongly, don’t back up. Make a plan, build a strategy, show those people you are not a fragile flower and you can go out and progress and advance in anything your heart desires. Allow yourself to heal from previous disappointments (which probably made it so alluring to live in the golden cage) and build your strength and courage. You can achieve great things if you find your own path, sometimes visible only to your eyes. Others may have different plans for you but you should listen to your instinct.

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Pile 3 - Wooden Pebble - 53 Apple

You might feel stuck out of pure exhaustion. You have whipped yourself over your limits, you have taken upon more than you could ever manage, you couldn’t say no. And now you have it. Your powers are close to running out, you have no more energy to give to overcome obstacles. It’s time to retreat, regroup, recharge. You might be close to an end of your project or endeavour but it’s time to accept there will be a delay. You need to take a step back, a breather, a holiday. Reach down to your soul and ask yourself what it is that truly matters? Is this thing you are working on worth devastating your health? You might be surprised how little break will help you in the long run. Taking a power nap will allow you to rejuvenate and recover, it will boost your brain and energy. The further progress will feel much easier and sweeter if you just delay the completion a little bit.

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I hope you liked this little game type of a reading. Let me know in the comments which pile you picked. As usual, pick what resonates with you and dismiss the rest.

Thank you for your attention!

Thank you for reading!

Hit the Like 💖

Comment! 💬

Reblog! 🔁

Follow for more! 💌

Any Feedback is Welcomed ✅

#oracle kleo #tarot #tarot readings #free readings #free tarot #free tarot readings #tarotblr #tarot community

[velvet-cupcake-games]

A Winter Solstice Story

Happy Solstice!

The four main holidays in Avalon are the summer and winter solstices and the spring and fall equinoxes. Each one celebrates a different aspect of Avalon life or history, and is mixed in with distinctly human takes on the fae.

Below the cut is a segment of one of the lore stories that will appear in the Made Marion Mega-Guide. It is set on the winter solstice two years before the game begins, when Marion was 18 and running her father's holding on her own. The segment begins as Marion is hosting Glastonbury's solstice gathering for the nobility, having failed to find a partner with whom to spend the Longest Night.

When designing the commoners' winter solstice festival, I was inspired by European folk festivals in which participants don elaborate costumes, mimicking supernatural beings. Enjoy!

Photo by Alistair MacRobert on Unsplash

Everyone knew that the commoners had a much more interesting method of celebrating the Winter Solstice.I wouldn't be the only young noble to sneak out and join their festivities - in fact, I suspected that was why the Hold's attendees were largely older and married. Still, this was my first time taking the chance. My restless loneliness and Lady Katherine's rejection had pushed me toward the choice.

When our final guests departed at dusk, I rushed upstairs to my parents' rooms. I packed the costume I'd found in my mother's closet into a backpack and headed out on our property with the excuse that I wanted to spend some time with my greatstag, Cróga. Instead, I changed into the costume in a small outbuilding before summoning Cróga to take me into the woods on the edge of town. The moon was rising bright, and I had no trouble finding my way along the well-worn path.

I looked down at my green-clad arms, admiring the craftwork. My costume was lovely and wild, an elegant take on a greenling fae. Silken leaves had been sewn everywhere, entwined with needlework vines and felted flowers. I topped it off with a matching mask, as I certainly did not wish to be recognised.

I wasn't terribly surprised that my mother had a greenling costume in her closet. Sneaking off to the commoners' Winter Solstice festival was just the sort of thing she would do. But did she participate in the Wild Hunt? I couldn't see my father joining her in such shenanigans, and I'd thought their marriage had been a love match. But then again, she'd left him for another. Left us.

Cróga snorted and slowed, sensing my negative thoughts. I forced myself to calm down and send reassuring feelings through our emotive link. Forget my mother. Unlike her, I had no marital or emotional entanglements. I could participate in the Wild Hunt free of guilt.

I dismounted and dismissed Cróga in a glade just outside the bounds of the woodland celebration, snuggling my thick cloak around me. It may have been the first true day of winter, but it had been quite cold already. My boots crunched as they sunk into the icy crust, and the tree boughs were heavy with snow.

Glittering torchlight shone through the trees, lighting my way to the festival. A short walk later, I had anonymously joined the crowd, just one young person among the many dressed as either greenling or wildling fae.

I strolled amongst the boisterous company, a mug of warm mead in-hand, noticing that I drew some curious looks. Even with my costume covered by my cloak,my clothing was more elaborate and of higher quality than most of the others. Still, folk greeted me cheerfully and respected my anonymity.

Soon, the call to assemble for the Wild Hunt came. A crowd of costumed young people gathered in a marked-off grove. About half wore costumes replete with leaves and sticks, representing greenling fae, and the other half wore furs and bones, representing wildling fae. Most participants were couples who had decided ahead of time who would be the greenling and who the wildling. It was a fun debate, deciding who walked closer to the light and would play the greenling or who walked more in shadow, playing the wildling. Couples were not meant to see each others' costumes ahead of time, and the wildling's challenge was to "capture" the correct greenling in their bough so that they could spend the Longest Night together.

Some participants, like me, had no partner arranged. They hoped to meet a compatible partner in the Hunt. I shivered, both from the cold and the anticipation. Soon I would toss aside my cloak and become "prey," though both parties had to agree to spend the night together once the greenling had been captured. Still, it was a risk. I had to bet on being captured by a fellow noble or, if I took a chance with a commoner, they could not know my true identity. It would be the scandal to end all scandals in Glastonbury.

Master Humphrey the Blacksmith, dressed as the King of the Wild Hunt, stood upon a wooden platform and blew his hunting horn once, signaling the beginning of the Hunt. All of us dressed as greenlings threw off our cloaks and bolted into the woods. Some tried harder than others to hide. I decided that if I was going to play this game, I might as well do it right, so I crouched behind a strand of snow-covered bushes. They also served to keep me a bit warm, blocking the wind.

Several minutes later, the horn was blown twice, and we heard the stomping sounds of the wildlings running into the woods. I was quickly flushed from my hiding place by a tall man wearing an intimidating deer skull helmet, but once he saw me running, he merely smirked and turned away. I was not the prey he sought.

I jogged behind a tree, and in front of me, I saw a tall woman dressed as a greenling gently captured by another woman dressed in fox fur.

"Do ye seek a particular prey, Wildling?" The greenling asked the ritual question.

"Yea, and it be ye, my love," I knew the wildling's voice well. Katherine had captured her lover, and they giggled as she snaked her arm around the other woman's waist and lifted her fox mask to kiss her lover.

I sighed softly. It was, indeed, lovely to see Katherine so happy. She'd been miserable under her father's thumb. And yet, I…

My thoughts scattered as a green bough flitted downward past my eyes, tightening around my torso. I'd been so distracted by Katherine that I'd been captured! I attempted to turn and get a look at my captor, but a strong hand gripped one shoulder, holding me in place. My pulse raced and my breath sent rapid puffs of fog into the air.

"Do ye seek a particular prey, Wildling?" I asked, my voice coming out strangely thin.

"I do," a low, half-whisper was voiced some distance above my head. Not the traditional response, though it told me that my captor was a man. But not a man for me, judging by his answer.

"Then I fear I am not the prey ye seek," I answered, trying to spin away to freedom. The hand on my shoulder merely squeezed harder. I felt his other hand against the small of my back tightening around the ends of the garland that held me fast. How could mere greenery be so strong?

My captor shifted, and I felt his breath ghost against the back of my neck. The slightest amount of fear crept up my spine, but a strange thrill overrode it. Noone had ever dared to treat me in this manner, but I wasn't in any grave danger with so many others around us. I only had to shout for assistance if need be. And yet, I did not feel the need. Not yet.

"Let me go, good hunter," I willed more steel into my voice. "I am not the prey you seek."

"But you are the prey I seek, Lady Marion," he spoke softly, for my ears alone. I sucked in a breath in shock. I knew that voice.

#made marion #lore story #who is it? #beware cliffhangers #full story in the Mega-Guide #yes I'm mean

[anormaladn]

Ah, I forgot about it...

Back in 2020 I made figures of the characters from Rêve and a fancy stand to display them, I still like it very much. The characters were made with a 3D pen, the stand was a wooden frame on which I built on with cardboard and paper mâché and various paper and artificial plants I bought.

Excuse the quality of the photos, I've always been a terrible photographer.

Cute pictures without the stand under the cut

They went on an adventure

#art #anormalart #Rêve comic #fantasy #original character #3D pen #figurine #traditional art #photography #creature