#i have become... poisonous but plural

[racefortheironthrone]

The Unwanted Guest and Grand Lysis

As part of my ongoing obsession with a certain transcendental plural entity, I re-read "The Unwanted Guest" with an eye towards what was Palamedes thinking about Grand Lysis and the nature of spirit magic shortly before the transmutation.

While a lot of the discourse on TUG has focused on the permeability of the soul (for good reason), I found myself on this re-read focusing on a different bit of Sextus' Poirot reveal:

PALAMEDES It’s all so messy … so much messier than we ever imagined. I’ve been in Camilla’s body for months now, and I’ve started remembering things I never saw. This is the real truth of Lyctorhood, Ianthe—it’s not some bloodless swapping-out of batteries. It’s grafting; transplantation. When you absorbed Naberius Tern’s soul, you didn’t swallow a diamond. (emphasis mine)

When I initially wrote my essay about Grand Lysis and Paul, I had thought of the Sixth's version of the Eightfold Word as a megatheorem that was enacted in the very moment as we saw it in Nona. That's certainly how it appeared at the time, but this paragraph above strongly suggests that the process we see later with Paul on the Ninth was in a certain sense already underway throughout their time on New Rho.

This certainly explains why Palamedes was so confident in his psychic duel that he had out-thought Ianthe about something so core to her core area of expertise: the nature of the soul. Because contrary to Ianthe's arrogant presumption that only she had "eaten ice cream," Palamedes and Camilla had been experiencing transplantation-leading-to-lysis for months and had been thinking really hard about what it all meant about the soul and the nature of Lyctorhood.

Moreover, one of the things I absolutely love about TUG is the way it completely recontextualizes and makes us rethink one of my favorite passages from Nona:

They dashed toward the abandoned body of Ianthe Naberius—an abandoned body that was now propped up on its elbows, staring out with pale, distrustful eyes, an expression on its face of commingled hate and despair. “So there was another way, Sextus, after all,” the body murmured. The figure crouched down and extended their arm. “I know how hard it is for you to kick against the goad,” said the new person. “But there are more worlds than this. Come with us. We are the love that is perfected by death—but even death will be no more; death can also die. There’s still time, Ianthe. Time for you, and for Naberius Tern.” The abandoned body stared at what had once been Camilla’s hand, at what once had been Camilla’s face, then at the hand again. After which it said brightly— “I bet you say that to all the boys.”

As I said in my original essay, one of the things I originally thought was so funny about this sequence is the idea that Ianthe would ever have contemplated the idea of Grand Lysis with Babs. But now that we know what passed between Ianthe and Palamedes during their psychic duel, it explains exactly why Ianthe is consumed by "commingled hate and despair," because she's just had a core element of her worldview, her ambitions, and her sense of herself comprehensively debunked and sees the proof of it standing before her.

And it also throws in a different light Paul's offer to Ianthe, which is rendered far more sympathetic and compassionate than before. They’re not just trying to convert Ianthe to their way of thinking, they’re recognizing that lysis is actively happening to Ianthe regardless of her will. Unwantedly, the inviolability of Ianthe's personhood has been compromised because she never stopped to count the cost of ascension, and thus Ianthe Tridentarius no longer exists - she is Ianthe Naberius (not Tern) now. Better to fully embrace the comingling of "proteins and lipids and molecules" and become something new and whole, rather than poison yourself with resentment and denial for a myriad.

And thus the tragedy that Ianthe refuses Paul's good news.

#the locked tomb #tlt #palamedes sextus #ianthe naberius #camilla hect #the unwanted guest #nona the ninth #tug spoilers #ntn spoilers #world building #necromancy #lyctorhood #the eightfold word

[rainybubbles]

When COD men realize their crush on you

Ghost, Soap, Price, Gaz, Alejandro

Part 1 if you want more context to understand

G H O S T

Remind : you're a cashier and a strange man came every day at 2AM to buy ropes.

-After questioning if this masked man was here to hurt you or just to do some things with the ropes he bought, you have started a staring contest with him.

-Which was a bad idea because he didn't blink.

-At all.

-Which was scary.

-But you acknowledged your defeats, each time, by letting your employee discount to him on the ropes.

-It's not like you'll need one.

-Isn't it ?

-It was entertaining for the both of you, this little challenge when he was entering in the shop, and the small talk when he made his purchase.

-(It was more him nodding while you said "hi" but...yeah it's a talk.)

-But what is worse than one client buying rope and scissors at 2 am ?

-Two clients doing it.

-An another man did the same thing but with some knives and ropes.

-The first thing that came to your mind was "what is going on in this fucking town ?"

-And...

-"Sir, is there any bondage club you go with this guy ?"

-...yeah.

-It was the only solution to buy this much ropes.

-Or maybe he was his twin ?

-But the only answer Ghost gave you was a frown of his eyebrows.

-He seemed a little worried.

-You laughed trying to clear up the mood because it was clear your joke wasn't funny to him at all.

-And...

-Ghost disappeared.

-Guess he's not scared about killing people or doing stare contest with you but a bad joke could make him run away.

-Damn, you felt like you were back to 12 during school where just being yourself felt like a burn.

-You fucked up the only thing that distracted you a little.

-But Y/N remind the other guy ?

-Yeah knives one.

-He...-Unlike Ghost he gave you bad chills.

-He was smiling at you, asking you personal questions that feels too personal.

-Such as your hand size or even if you have good relationship with your family.

-You tried being professional, ignoring him.

-But slowly you had the impression he was everywhere you go.

-So...you quit.

-And you found a job in a pet shop.

-It was okay.

-That was the problem.

-It was okay.

-And not...weird or fun like your little meetings with Ghost were.

-One morning while you started your shift, you saw on the checkout 2kg of rat poison.

-You stared the thing because how many cold cases did you have seen with this poison ?

-You looked up slowly and...

-"Fuck Sir. I don't know if I should worry about you or me at this point"

-"Good to see you again, Y/N" Ghost said.

-You smiled.

-"Yeah. Good to see you again too."

-You didn't know what to say, so you let him pay.

-But when your shift ended, you saw a figure with a mask.

-"So you're here to wait for your victim, or are you so impatient to see me again ?"

-"Who said you're not my victim ?"

-"...my mom"

-"I didn't meet her."

-"Me too and well, now we have a common point so you can't kill me."

-"That-" he sighed."That's not how it works you know ?"

-"It seems to work for me, I'm still breathing."

-"...you're a case Y/N."

-"I know, I mean it seems like men with an obsession rope are attracted to me. "

-"Men ?" he repeated, hearing the plural.

-"Yeah the other guy he...he was kind of a creep. That's why I'm here now. "

-He seemed to think about it.

-"Do you want me to go home with you ?", he asked, worry to let you alone.

-"That's sound creepy you know."

-"That's why I ask, if you don't want to, I'm leaving."

-You stared at him.

-"I...I would love to but-"

-"I understand." he said cutting you

-"Wait, let me finish. I would love to but actually I'm fucking hungry so I don't plan to go home. I want to buy some food."

-"Okay."

-"But Thursday I'm free if you know, you want to become my personal bodyguard and disappear again mysteriously."

-He nodded.

-He didn't know how he felt about you.

-But one thing was sure, when he was at the base he was searching for one thing : your eyes.

-And just this tells him it was to late to step back.

S O A P :

-So after complimenting your father's ass in French, he ended up to ask you if you could teach him

French.

-But you're not a charity.

-So you said that if he wanted some French lessons, he had to give you something.

-In reality you just think about some food, like his dessert because the military food was not the best except the biscuits.

-But he proposed some anecdotes.

-About his team.

-Each lesson will be about one secret about the 141.

-You could have said, "no, Soap, it's too private and we're professional."

-Yeah.

-But you're Y/N.

-A human.

-Who loves gossips.

-So you accepted.

-And slowly every night after you taught him French, you learned how Price ended up in underwear on a roof in Siberia, or how Ghost almost married a grandma accidentally during an infiltration, or Gaz became bald when he tried bleaching his hair.

-It was cozy.

-Those nights were the best.

-You were chatting next to a fire, while the Scottish man was narrating you with his accent and gestures his stories.

-You had this impression to be in those teen movies where the guy seduces the main character with his guitar on the beach near to a camp fire.

-Except that you were on a military basis, with Ghost checking you (or intimidating you, you couldn’t tell).

-And the only music was Price's snore and some soldiers farts.

-Which by the way could awaking a dead.

-Yeah, it was fun for the both of you.

-Until the sounds of your laugh were replaced by the silence.

-You were only a translator.

-And your mission was done.

-So you left.

-And Soap turned out to be alone again during those nights.

-He's not alone in fact.

-The 141 is here.

-But he feels lonesome.

-During his insomnias he could find you and pretend he had one more story he had absolutely to tell you, while in reality he just wanted to hear your laugh to feel this...this peace. But you’re not here anymore.

-Hearing you was like....like peace, yeah. He didn't have any other words to describe it.

-"I should call them, isn't it ?" he murmured to himself.

-"If you don't. I'll kill them. Nobody alive should know about Giselle." Ghost answered.

-Soap smiled.

-"You just say that because you miss them too L.T. "

-Yeah, he should definitely call you.

P R I C E :

-A child.

-It was a child they saved during a mission and that you had patched up, he looked at him and-

-"You suck at being nice with them. I'm going marrying them before you."

-Price blinked his eyes.

-"Someone seems to have competition here." Gaz joked.

-Price just stared the kid.

-His first thought was "Language, kid."

-And...

-Was he so obvious ?

-He knew he had something for you.

-He's not that stubborn to deny an attraction.

-But he also knew that involving someone in his life will be complicated.

-So he didn't do anything to show his feelings.

-But it seems that even an unknown 8y.o kid could tell he likes you.

-"You know what kid ? Yeah I suck at this. But even if I did, just see them smile at me is enough to highlight my day."

-The little boy was surprised at this confession.

-"I could help you, I mean....I got my best friends wedded at school, so I'm kinda a love expert." he said self-confident.

-"Is that so ?" Price smiled, amused by him

-"Yeah. The first thing is giving a gift. Thomas, my best friend he gave Leo some Pokemon cards and he had a hug. Maybe if you do the same, Y/N will hug you."

-Gaz and Soap laughed their ass off as the kid continues listing his techniques.

-But...the next day you found at your office some Pokemon cards.

-And chocolates.

-With a little note.

-Maybe Price should let himself expressing as openly his feelings as this kid express honestly his thoughts.

(even though the Pokemon cards were not his, Soap and Gaz just found it funny to put them when they saw the chocolates)

G A Z

-After your kiss undercover, you didn't see each other.

-You didn't talk about it even if you both had dreams about it.

-And time passed.

-And on this Tuesday morning while you were chatting with your neighbor, because you finally came back home, she decided to set you up on a blind date.

-Telling she had a wonderful grandson, kind, nice and-

-You said yes.

-And you regretted it.

-Because her grandson was undoubtedly the stereotype of the "nice guy" who complained how nobody loves a nice guy nowadays.

-You tried giving him a chance, but the longer the dinner went, the longer you wanted to strangle him or beat him up between the cookies and the turkey.

-"I think they had to leave, sir," a voice said.

-Your date frowned his brows.

-"No I don't think so, we're only at the starter !" he answered to the waiter.

-You didn't listen.

-Your eyes were glued to the said waiter who was none other that Gaz himself.

-"I promised you; we have a call by their mother. They have to go at the hospital, so please stop shouting."

-"I DIDN'T SCREAM, AND I'M SURE YOU'RE LYING BECAUSE YOU'RE A JEALOUS -ASSHOLE. THEIR MOTHER COULD WAIT, WE'RE HAVING A FUCKING DATE"

-Well.

-Remember the turkey.

-He ate it.

-By his nose.

-You stood up and punched him.

-"Fucking finally, I don't hear your shitty thoughts anymore." you sighed of relief.

-Gaz smirked while you both left the restaurant.

-"I guess it's a mission?," you asked.

-"Yes, we tried to contact you, but you didn't answer."

-"He took my phone saying "it's only us", kinda romantic at first until he starts speaking."

-"He didn't want you to runaway." Gaz realized.

-"Scary."

-He nodded.

-You walked with him at the car waiting for you with your baggages already there.

-"I'm surprised you didn't make any jokes about the turkey.", you asked.

-"Because I was too concentrated on the fact that I was kinda relieved, your date was..."

-"Shitty? Horrible? Terrible?"

-"I would say, "not good", but yeah," he admitted.

-"Want to take me on a good date then, Garrick ?" you asked with a smirk.

-"Yeah. But no kiss at the first date, sorry Y/N.", he joked

-"Too bad we already kiss then." you answered with the same irony.

-"Yeah it seems we have to kiss again on the first date.",

-"Wow that's so terrible, I don't know if I could survive."

-"Wait after the mission to know."

-"Just don't bring a turkey." you said.

-"Promise, I don't."

-He did it, he brought a fucking turkey.

-And he asked Price how to cook one, just to mock you during your date.

A L E J A N D R O :

-Through reports.

-After you put microphones on him, the mission ended. And you had to complete the list of what you had used, how did it worked, in order to help the company to improve the equipment and the gear.

-Little do you know this report also went to Alejandro's desk, who saw the occasion to thank you for your hard work.

-You replied with a note, saying it was your job.

-He answered you could have said no and...

-Every mission you had together ended up with some exchanges through your reports.

-But only through papers...

-Because when you were seeing him on the base, you were unable to put words without stuttering, or even talking to him like a human being. Too anxious to approach him.

-And it was okay.

-You had a friendship with the Alejandro Vargas that you had seen in a bunny outfit, and it was perfectly okay.

-Yeah.

-But your brain decided to make up some scenarios.

-You were already attracted to him.

-He's gorgeous.

-But now you knew him a little bit more.

-And you were fucked.

-That's why on the last report. You decided to imitate your dad : you ran away and bought milk.

-Cut everything to put some distance.

-You accepted a mission on another basis and...

-And that's how you were supposed to stop feeling this sparkle about him.

-But you didn't.

-And now it was too late to try to even pursue your friendship with him with what you had done.

-"I fucked up," you whispered to yourself while you were listening to a military audio you had to write down.

-"Well, if it's not our favorite technician," a raspy voice said suddenly to your ears.

-Awoop.

-Jumpscare.

-You felt down and looked up to see the 141, Alejandro and Rudy.

-"What the fuck is happening, why are you in France-"

-"We worked with this unit. We have an enemy in common who is helping the cartel. After we had all we want, Alejandro will interrogate him to have information about the relationship they had with the cartel." Lasswell explained.

-You nodded.

-You didn't know what else you could do.

-Until you felt something on your wrist.

-' Mind if we talk, cielo ?"

-Yes.

-But you just nodded again and followed him, ready to be eaten up alive.

-"Listen Alejandro; I didn't want to be an asshole, I fucked up and-"

-He interrupted you.

-"Calmos. You had your reasons. and-"

-"And there was no reason, I was just scared." you interrupted him.

-"Scared ?" he asked.

-"Yes, I...I had a crush on you. And all the crushes I had didn't end well. I mean the last one dies, before he had a fiancé, before this before they used me to make jealous his ex and before this before and this before he said I was only a 4/10 and-"

-"They're just fucking pendejos."

-"Except the one who dies." you corrected him

-"Except the one who dies, I guess. But it's not because it happened, that it will be like that again."

-"Please Alejandro, you're like...Like a main character of a badass series. And I'm..."

-"The main character of a badass series too, cielo. I wanted to ask you on a date since day one. Rudy stops me because you were a civilian."

-"I work with military every day."

-"I know, but I have to make sure you knew the life we lived if we start a relationship. I wanted to know you before starting something."

-"And when I ran away, you-"

-"I had bought roses to ask you on a date, the day you left."

-"...fuck." you said realizing the consequences of your actions

-He laughed.

-"Yeah you can say that. But I was sure that if you did something like this, it was probably because you thought about it."

-"Well, surprise I'm not clever. I'm just a wimp."

-"We called that un gallina."

-"Well a gallina, then. I'm sorry for the roses, the reports and everything really."

-"You could make it up, if you accept the roses, cielo, you know ?."

-You opened your eyes wide.

-"Wait you-"

-"When I like someone, it's with my whole heart, cielo. So yes, I still want a date."

-"...how am I this lucky?"

-" I could say the same."

-You laughed.

-"Yeah, I- Yes I would love a date with you Alejandro."

Sorry for the mistakes, English and Spanish are not my mother tongue :(!

If you want more : my masterlist

#cod x reader #alejandro vargas x reader #ghost x reader #captain price x reader #gaz x reader #soap x reader

[corviiids]

hello! i don't have a lot of bug facts sorry. i do know some fun animal facts though. the havanna brown breed of cats is the only cat breed to have brown whiskers! they're very brown all around. also, unrelated, border collies and i believe some other sheepdogs have extra skin to allow them to stretch their legs out further when they're running.

your posts always brighten my day. i love to see another australian #winning. uhhh a question for you. trade me a fun fact if you have one

my deep confusion when i googled 'havana brown' and didn't see cats because the first thing to pop up was a human dj. anyway found the fella:

thank you so much for these fun facts. i love these guys and their little brown whiskers. i cant believe sheepdogs have extra skin just so they can run super good. imagine being that devoted to the grind

my fun facts:

the word 'platypus' comes from greek and means (something like) 'flat foot' (my grammar is bad)

this means if we were to follow the etymology then the grammatically correct plural for platypus would be 'platypodes' (think the 'pod' in 'tripod' or 'podiatrist')

incidentally this is also why 'octopi' is not technically the grammatical plural for octopus, because it's the same root word (eight foot). it would also be octopodes

the notion that it should be 'octopi' or 'platypi' is a common error arising from people assuming the root is latin instead, and we assume words that end in '-us' are pluralised as '-i'

however, 'octopi' (and 'platypi' and also 'platypuses' and 'octopuses') are so common in the Collective Lexicon that even though they aren't correct from an etymological perspective they've become correct through use which is how language works. also nobody fucking says platypodes. except me sometimes because i like etymology

so really you can say whatever you want.

also male platypuses have venomous spurs on their feet so the fact that perry the platypus never poisoned dr doofenshmirtz to me suggests that he is transgender

#asks #i love the platypus you see #thank you for the animals my friend #and also for the kind words #i am so happy if i have ever improved a single one of your days

[sophieinwonderland]

ok but… if you are non-disordered, then you can control switching, meaning employment is never at risk of finding out. if you CAN’T control switches, and someone who isn’t meant to be out comes out and employment figures that out, then… you are disordered, therefore can be protected. the simple fact is your employers don’t need to know you’re a system, so you aren’t going to be discriminated against.

Wasn't this the logic behind "don't ask, don't tell?"

"You can keep [insert trait] secret and won't face discrimination as long as you do, therefore the discrimination doesn't exist and/or doesn't matter."

The same logic could just as easily be applied to religious discrimination, as your religion isn't something that is typically visible on the outside, and you could just as easily say that nobody needs to know what your religion is.

I am not playing an oppression-olympics game where we argue about who has it worse. Both disordered and non-disordered systems face some similar forms of oppression from society. And both face unique forms of oppression that the other group doesn't due to different circumstances.

Moreover, keeping your plurality a secret is becoming increasingly easier said than done.

This is a world where everyone is on Facebook, everyone has a camera in their pocket, and privacy is constantly being eroded every day. One person you trust that you shouldn't have can be disastrous.

And the internet is forever. One Tweet you make coming out as a system in your teens can be found by employers 20 years later.

You could go about life telling literally no one, constantly lying to everyone in your life forever, keeping everyone in the system but the host locked away in headspace or forcing them to mask... but that's not an ideal way to live.

And to non-host headmates, what you're essentially saying is "you won't face discrimination as long as no one knows you exist."

And the fact that you can't see how problematic this sentiment is, IS part of the problem.

The advantage to being able to control switches is the ability to choose your poison.

To avoid societal oppression, we have the privilege to oppress ourselves, and try to pass as singlets. And I'm very happy to have that option. But these shouldn't be our choices.

Systems shouldn't have to choose between two bad options. Systems shouldn’t have to choose between one path of prejudice and another of lies and isolation.

#ask box #syscourse #plural #endogenic #plurality #plural system #endogenic system #actually plural #actually endogenic #multiplicity #system #systems #system stuff #lgbt #lgbt stuff

[a-beneficial-union]

I've been returning to how the really old version of this AU (prior to its several year abandonment) involved the targeted spread of a magical plague. It was a walking sort of infection— similar to how zombies are?

Let me find my old, old art on it:

(I believe my inspiration for this walking curse was the Candy Mare).

I really need to figure out hoe to redesign it.

These beasties (“Tattered Delights” or “Tats”) can be taken down really easily if you know what you're doing and are prepared— but good luck on that, given that if you are not prepared and do not know what you're doing than you're very likely a goner. If you survive an encounter, you're very likely infected with microbials that will consume the flesh to reproduce itself.

Anyhow, I was taking this old idea and put it in context with the rest of what was happening in the AU at the time; the plurality of Omnitrixs' AIs were generating a network of programs, databases, and algorithms (culminating in a generative AI later called “the System”); Eon's war against certain allied forces (namely the U.S. government and the Plumbers) was in full swing; and both sides of the Time War had started targeting -ens, be they bystander or otherwise.

Given how I characterize the System as arming itself with other people's strategies, I realized that it would likely generate a bio weapon of its own. It isn’t one that would work on Eon's side, since they all have Omnitrixs of their own (thus have immunity) but the other side didn’t have that.

The targets for this bioweapon would largely be humans at first, since the war was originally between Eon and the U.S.. The contagent, then, would have been designed around that target. As the System was drawing its reference data from Tat attacks, its weapon would have been proximity based, likely through the injection of venom (which was a common disablement strategy for -ens), absorption through mucous membranes (as is common in earth infections), or through skin contact. For this, the System repurposes the existence of bodily secretions (sweat, saliva) for the production of the contaigent. Drawing from many poisonous animals on earth, there would likely be a distinct indicator for the presence of this toxin, say colour.

So let's have the secretion be a bright or stark hue, such as cherry red. That would mean that -ens who produce this toxin would appear to be smattered with blood, drooling it in more extreme cases. This trait would likely be most prominent in designer forms rather than, say, base forms (like Ben's standard human one).

Okay, cool, we have the concept for a very edgy looking whatsit. The problem then is that the Plumbers eventually get involved and they are varied in species. Many diseases and infections do not contaminate others if the individuals are biologically dissimilar enough. The solution there is easy: the System has access to all of the Omnitrix's data, including that on all of its millions of species. The toxin would be composed such that it cam effect all organic matter (from the mammal types, insectoids, and the walking plants in the show) to the inorganic (the tetramands and so on).

Next question, how exactly would the System design this beast of a toxin? Its programming disallows it to take life unless there is a significant risk to its data or programming. The scientists and those studying the captured -ens (in an attempt to better arm against Eon's forces) would absolutely be targeted, but where would the line be drawn and how would it be discerned?

Individuals working with those who've crossed the line (becoming a recognized risk) would be targeted. Would the System design the toxin to divvy further into microbials so as to keep track of who engages with who, observe patterns of proximity and map biosignatures? In order to do that, wouldn’t the toxin need to weasel its way to silently observe while being spread within unsuspecting hosts?

Hm….

…..

..

#………. #Thinkiiiiing #speculative stuff #Ben 10 #Eon #bioweapons #I think I originally based the idea if Tats partially on how- #During the black plague- #People would throw bodies of the diseased over enemy walls as a means to infect them. #Was that the black plague? Can't recall. #Anyway- #Give to me yon thoughts!

[ghost-party]

Another longer “drabble,” because I just can’t help myself. 😅 Click below to open today’s gift!

Want a sneak peek? You’ve long avoided — and loathed — a former college classmate after a game of spin the bottle. But now that you’re stuck on vacation together, will you finally clear the air?

Warnings: swearing, enemies to lovers vibes, nudity (and ogling of said nudity)

This was supposed to be a trip with friends — plural friends, not just Jean’s grumpy roommate from his college days. But since everyone else came down with food poisoning the night before your scheduled departure, you’re stuck in a goddamned Scottish castle with Roy Mustang.

Luckily, your seats were in different parts of the plane. But you couldn’t avoid talking to him during the Uber ride, and wow, he is just as obnoxious as you remember.

Upon arriving at your home-of-nobility-turned-bed-and-breakfast, he whistled. “This place is huge.”

“Of course it is,” you answered tersely, dragging your suitcase over the flagstones and towards the front door. “Big enough that we won’t even have to see each other.”

He laughed, and even the sound of it, deep and rich, made your skin crawl. That’s what that feeling was, right? It couldn’t have been anything else…

“You do realize we graduated eight years ago, right?”

You simply huffed in response, shoving your way inside and nearly stumbling over your luggage.

“That’s a long time to hold a grudge.”

“Not really,” you replied breezily. “I haven’t even hit a decade yet.”

After ringing the bell at the front desk, you each received keys to your rooms. Although you discovered he would be staying just down the hall from you, it was much better than him sleeping right next door.

As the two of you headed upstairs, Roy continued, “I suppose we’ll be old and gray someday, and you’ll still be shooting me that adorable little glare.”

Adorable? How dare he. Feeling a jolt of anger at the implication that your enduring rage was somehow cute, you turned on your heel and jabbed a finger into his chest.

“You deserve to be glared at.”

He smiled at you, dark eyes almost seeming to glimmer in the candlelight as dusk quickly turned to night.

“We’ll see if I can change your mind.”

•••

Now, two days later, his words are haunting you.

Because against your better judgment, you’ve found yourself enjoying his company. So much so that you seem to have lost all motivation to work on your next novel. Instead, you’re lying face down on your bed, mired in feelings of irritation, confusion, and, worst of all, attraction.

Roy fucking Mustang.

Your longstanding grudge began when the two of you were seniors in college. You both ended up playing spin the bottle at some stupid frat party, and after he kissed you, he made a face.

It wasn’t disgust or displeasure. But it certainly wasn’t a flirtatious grin or any indication of enjoyment. It was… completely unreadable.

And then he proceeded to avoid you until graduation.

You could only assume you had scarred him for life with your abominable lips. So you’ve avoided him in return, though that’s not an easy task when you share many of the same friends.

I should just talk to him about it. It’s ironic that you haven’t, considering how forthright you are in other social situations.

But what if he confirms that it was the worst kiss of his life? What if it emotionally devastates you until the day you shuffle off this cruel mortal coil?

With a groan, you roll off the bed and get to your feet, your hunger becoming too insistent to ignore. As you step into the hall, you think you remember where the kitchen is. Maybe?

But the castle is dark this late at night, and perhaps you’re already woozy from lack of sustenance.

In any case, you open what you think is the right door — and your brain immediately shuts down. Because this isn’t the kitchen.

This is the master bathroom. And sprawled in the large, marble bathtub is the very last person you want to see right now.

Roy’s arms, braced on either side of the tub as he leans back, are more muscular than you would have guessed. His dark hair, usually something of a mess, is wet and pushed back, revealing more of his undeniably-handsome face.

Your gaze flickers down almost involuntarily, and you can’t tell if you’re relieved or disappointed that a wooden bath caddy blocks your view, laden with a large, leather-bound book and a glass of red wine.

You would think the setting romantic if you weren’t gaping at him without a single coherent thought rattling around in your head.

“Can I help you?”

Roy sounds amused, and when you look back at him, you see that he’s smiling, a smug twist of his lips. Your cheeks are growing hotter by the second, and you know it’s not just the surrounding steam that’s to blame.

“I thought — the kitchen —” you stammer, frustrated by your sudden inability to speak.

He tips his head to the side. “You don’t remember? Down the hall, turn right, then right again.” He sits forward, biceps flexing, and you swallow hard. Bastard.

“Something else you need?” His grin has one part of your brain seething while the other part desperately struggles to reboot, shaken by the sight of water dripping down the planes of his chest, dusted with dark hair.

“No,” you snap. “Next time, lock the damn door.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Must have slipped my mind. Maybe you should pay more attention to where you’re going.”

“I — you —”

“I expected a writer to have a better grasp of words.” He props his head on one hand, seeming to revel in your indignation.

“And I expected a corporate lawyer to be professional.”

Roy smirks. “I’m on vacation. And besides, you shouldn’t believe everything you read in romance books.” Noticing your surprise, he teases, “What, you thought I didn’t know? Riza let your pen name slip one night after karaoke.”

You bristle defensively. “I’m looking for some common courtesy, not fantasy.”

“Are you sure about that, princess?”

Your mouth drops open. It’s what the love interest in your latest book called the main character. He didn’t just listen to Riza and Google your pen name afterwards — he’s reading your work.

He shifts, and your traitorous gaze drops to the peek of hard muscle visible above the lapping water. “Fantasy seems to be your specialty. Such naughty thoughts in that pretty little head…”

His words leave you momentarily speechless, dizzy with the internal struggle between irritation and reluctant arousal. “If you’re trying to embarrass me, good luck. It can’t be worse than Thanksgiving dinner with my parents.”

“Let me guess. They’re avid readers?”

Shaking your head, you step back towards the hallway, putting some necessary distance between you and the tantalizing, infuriating man now leaning against the side of the bathtub. The way his arms are crossed only makes his biceps more noticeable. Asshole.

“You’re giving a lot of mixed signals for a guy who looked like he wanted to run away after kissing me.”

Your words have a noticeable effect on him, his own lips parting in surprise. “That’s what you thought?”

“Considering you kept me at a distance usually reserved for infectious disease patients, yes,” you snap, crossing your arms defensively.

Shit… You really hadn’t meant to bring it up. But between tonight’s banter and his closeness these past few days, you’ve hit your limit.

You have to know.

Roy slides back into the tub, running a wet hand through his hair. “I didn’t realize… I just…” For once, his expression looks unguarded, his trademark smirk nowhere to be seen.

“Let me be clear,” he says, voice firm but somehow also soft. “It was a good kiss. And I was a fucking idiot for making you think it wasn’t.”

You nod and then wait, sensing there’s more he wants to say.

“But you know how I was back then… So consumed with my own selfish goals. All I could think about was law school and the career I wanted to build.”

He winces. “I was self-aware enough to not want to put someone through all that. But I was stupid enough to not say anything, and then I thought you hated me because I’m a dick, because, well, fair enough —”

“Being dense and being a dick are two different things,” you admit, a little begrudgingly. “I get it.”

“I’m sorry.” And it sounds like he really means it, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “If I could do it all over again… I’d never stop kissing you.”

Your whole body heats up, and you feel dizzy at the realization of what he’s said. It takes you a moment to respond, sifting through years’ worth of doubts and conflicted feelings, all amidst an undercurrent of attraction to him that’s never really gone away.

When you speak, your words are quiet, barely a whisper over the gentle lapping of the bath water. But Roy remains very still, focusing on you with rapt attention.

“Can we… maybe try again? Have a fresh start?”

And then he smiles — something bright and charming but devoid of the mischief you’ve come to know so well. It’s genuine, and you treasure it, committing it to memory even as he answers.

“I’d love that.”

#if you recognize any of this from a wip i abandoned last year #no you don’t 🤣 #ghost-party’s drabble advent calendar 🎄 #fullmetal alchemist #fma #roy mustang #roy x reader #roy mustang x reader

[welshoot]

Twisted Wonderland Dorm Names Analysis

Each of the dorms have intriguing names that link them to their respective Disney Movies that were used to their inspiration as well as to various other references. I thought it might be fun to take each name apart, piece by piece, and analyze them funsies. Analysis is below the cut due to length.

Heartslabyul, for me, calls to mind two words, “Heart” and “Labyrinth.”  The Queen of Hearts  is most likely the inspiration for the heart part. At Disneyland there's an attraction called “Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, however the labyrinth section of the name could also be a reference to the veritable maze, or labyrinth, of rules the dorm members are expected to know and follow. 

As for Savanaclaw, Savannah probably references the pride lands from The Lion King while claw might reference lions or even just beasts in general. 

Octavinelle is a bit trickier, but the prefix Octa means eight, like the eight tentacles of an octopus. Vin has two different possible implications. There is the more common one, typically linked to French, that implies ‘wine,’ but I highly doubt that wine has anything to do with this dorm's name. The other possibility for vin comes from the Latin word ‘veni’ or ‘venio’ which means ‘come.’ Finally, ‘elle’ often implies ‘she’ or sometimes ‘they.’ Putting all that together you could interpret Octavinelle as “She with eight (tentacles) comes,” which might link back to Ursula from “The Little Mermaid.”

 For Scarabia the Scarab references the Golden Scarab Beetle that Jafar uses to find the Cave of Wonders and Arabia is where Aladdin is set.

 Pomefiore basically translates out into apple flower, with apple no doubt being for the poisoned apple. As for the flower part of the name, that could be referencing that Snow White is often used to name white varieties of flowers. Additionally, it is the apple blossom, or the apple flower, that eventually becomes the fruit so referring to this dorm as an apple flower could be a way of saying the students there are still growing. 

For Ignihyde, Igni is latin for fire (Hades’ hair) as for -hyde, many chemicals end with this suffix. Interesting ‘Hyde’ is Middle English for a measure of land and it’s plural form is ‘Hydes’ which is very similar to Hades.

Finally, for Diasomnia,  the prefix “dia-” has Greek connections to meaning through or across as well as Latin connections, via the Latin word ‘dies’, to meaning day. “-Somnia'' is Latin for sleep, sleeping, dreams, or dreaming. Thus Diasomnia could means something along the lines of across dreams, across sleep, through dreams, or through sleep. However, it could also mean something akin to day sleeping or day dreaming. Both meanings line up surprisingly well with “Sleeping Beauty” and, additionally, Silver. Additionally, one could argue that the happy ending of “Sleeping Beauty” is reached through sleep and/or dreams since it isn’t until after Aurora has slept, and possibly dreamed, that she finds out she can be with the man she loves.

#Twisted wonderland #Heartslabyul #Savannaclaw #Octavinelle #Scarabia #Pomefiore #Ignihyde #Diasomnia #Etymology #analysis #mywritings #twst #Disney TW #Latin #Greek #French

[dr-otter]

Apropos of a recent post, I want to talk a little about Francis Oldham Kelsey.

Born in Canada in 1914, she studied pharmacology at McGill University in Montreal, and went to a PhD program at the university of Chicago.

When she arrived in Chicago the FDA was dealing with a national emergency; a series of deaths had followed the use of the antibiotic "Elixir Sulfanilimide" made by Massengill Co., and as a grad student she worked in the team that identified diethelyne glycol (DEG) as the toxin. This wasn't malicious on the company's part; it wasn't widely known that DEG was toxic at the time and safely testing new drugs or preparations wasn't required prior to 1938. Over 100 people died in that incident, and the owner of the company denied that they had any responsibility because they "not once could have foreseen the unlooked-for results". And that was precisely the problem; you SHOULD look and make sure you aren't producing poison before you sell a medication to the public.

That's why we require safety testing. Federal regulations are often written in blood; remember this the next time someone tells you they are "burdensome to innovation."

Dr. Kelsey went on to medical school, taught pharmacology, worked as a primary care physician for awhile, then was hired by the FDA as chief of the Division of New Drugs. Her job was to decide whether to approve new medications for use in the US, and as we noted, this was a relatively new concept at the time and there were no formal requirements around how safety testing was done. Companies just submitted an application and expected it to be taken at face value. Kelsey received an application for thalidomide from F. Joseph Murray, an executive from the William S. Merrill Co. that looked on paper like a wonder drug for insomnia and treatment of morning sickness in pregnancy (among other things). It was already approved and in use in Europe and Australia, where it was becoming wildly popular, but some parts of the application stood out; they claimed it had no side effects and no lethal dose (even water has a lethal dose). The "data" was a collection of anecdotes (data is not the plural of anecdote). She denied it. They resubmitted.

She noticed an article linking thalidomide to nerve damage in England and asked why they hadn't addressed that, and requested safety data for the fetus since this was supposed to be given to pregnant women. Denied. Resubmitted (still without safety data).

Murray went on to pressure Kelsey by writing an angry letter to her boss, and resubmitting the application a total of five times. Around the same time he was pushing for approval, reports of birth defects involving missing or deformed limbs started emerging in Europe and Australia. It took some time to connect these to thalidomide.

Kelsey had rejected the approval of thalidomide four times and it was withdrawn on the fifth. Around 8,000 babies were born with severe birth defects, and thousands more were miscarried. Only 17 of these were in the US, from samples Merrill gave out as an "investigative trial".

One result of this was that now safety trials have to be based on adequate, controlled studies and the FDA can inspect labs to ensure that this is happening. It also requires any human participants in those trials to give informed consent; if you are taking a drug that isn't approved you have to be told, and understand the risks. This was not the case before 1962!

Again for the folks in the back: Federal regulations are often written in blood. The reason we require safety testing is 100+ deaths from an antibiotic elixir and 8,000 babies with no limbs. Also, if you were born in the 60s with all 4 limbs, thank Frances Kelsey.

#us fda #pharmicotoxicology #drug safety #Francis Oldham Kelsey #thalidomide

[girl-star-girl]

White: The warm kind. The color of milk in the morning light. I mix it with honey to make it go down easier. Never fond of the taste but my own mother made me finish my cup every morning and (you know all too well how) Habits are Hard To Break. I spill some milk on the counter and it is in the shape of a dove. I hope everything is okay.

Brown: Tan, technically. Beige, almond, nude, khaki—These are now the worlds we live within. Long walks and errands and small talk. The crunch of a leaf teaches me what a participle is, and I wait for something to crack open spilling That Golden. I can’t remember your phone number. But it’s for the best because this springsummerfall winter I am going to be so good.

(I am going to let Holidays pass me by and for dinner I will eat my unrelenting guilt).

Grey: For memories. I shouldn’t be indulging. But there is something to be said about how the soft grey of hindsight can turn poison into passion. Passion.

Pink: This surprised you. How willing I was. I think it surprised me too.

Pink: I pretended it didn’t.

Yellows: Plural. Because I am becoming (that was where the sentence used to end) a sky of bees (this is where the sentence ends now). Awake. Stinging myself singing myself back into Being.

An albatross sang me your phone number last night and my mother was a cricket on my shoulder retching up lemon seeds. This is out of my hands (and into my ????)?? I can’t be awake without

Brown: Chocolate and warm thiswillbemynewnormal. Your doorstep. Hollow knocks echo back through my brain and I remind myself (again) this Is What I Want (again). Then: The embrace of a grizzly bear. You cock an eyebrow at the peonies in my hands.

White: Pearly. Soft to the touch. You will want me in the way I’m meant to be wanted. Folds and folds in my rasping pleas to distract from the

Blues: and blues and blues and blues and. These are seeping from under my tongue. Inside my elbows. The crooks of my knees. Boom.

(You knew a girl once who went through a pack of pens a week her hands were too tight everyday you would see her washing her blues (and blues and) off at your kitchen sink (but you don’t see her anymore / you think they’ve cut her hands off, probably you hope so anyway)).

Black: There is something unholy inside me.

Red: You are blinding.

Black: The second thing you ever told me about was how you slept through a solar eclipse. I am thinking about you as you were and (now) how you will have been (what I must have been). Gossamer lids blanketing your eyes a secret lullaby for your ears only lulling your eyes shut I see myself eating the sun.  I think about my moons inky swelling shadow enveloping your body and wonder how your heart didn't skip a beat as I consumed your warmth, leaving you in the path of

total void. Null. and when I had had enough when my hunger was satiated your dark eyes flutter open and your calves were cold quivering as if they held the answer to the lemon question haunting your lips, frozen in a circle.

Red: No one would believe me if I told you this.

Blue: there is no winner when the two players are desperation and deceit.

Red. Endless fruit. Still counts for something even if. It is pitted.

Brown: I make myself (our(?))coffee in the morning. I walk home barefoot raking mud between my toes humming something euphoric. I spend 6 nights dreaming of poisonous tree bark and the warning calls of moas before remembering who you are. We rust.

Grey: Heavy smoke. I fall into something.

Yellow: is blue is blue.

I sunbathe and keep putting honey in my milk. It’s still cold. I think of your warm hands in mine but in my mind’s eye before I can Hold On they morph into handfuls of week-old snow. Rancid.

White: (one last time). I fear I am immortal

#poem #prose #ekphrasis #art #spilled ink #first draft #colors #lyrics #please

[theoutlawfaleena]

So we Austrians love our ✨ Gebäck ✨, thus König becomes deeply depressed whenever he's stationed in the US because y'all obviously don't have the German (plural as in all the countries with German as their government language) quality like we do.

(bare with me as I'm in the fandom for the non-American characters and not the actual military fuckery 😍 so I have no idea if he'd ever get stationed to the US).

Like nothing against people from the US, but the fact that you consider toast as 'normal' / your main bread makes me depressed just thinking about it.

anon i am so with u. american bread is nothing short of depressing. i mean all of our food is poison unless we grow it ourselves so . i can't even imagine poor könig having to deal with the atrocity that is toast

#get my baby OUTTA THERE #anon ask

[peppermint-rat]

I'm on an exmo kick right now and I have to bitch about something

I fuckin hate when the subject of the church's history comes up and the church's telling of it is given any time of day, because it's always from the church's official "historians"

If you know a single thing about the mormon church you would know that there is absolutely positively zero fucking way that a person in charge of telling the church's history would ever admit to anyone that the church has ever done anything wrong or that stories the church tells about Joe Smith and Friends could be even slightly inaccurate. It's literally their job to make sure people keep believing that shit, because the church is a mega corporation whose income depends on its members believing everything they say 1000% or they might stop handing over the absolutely criminal membership fees.

"Unbiased historian finds that Joseph Smith manipulated women, often married women, and underage girls into becoming his plural wives. But LDS historian says that's not true, so who knows."

Ok. "Scientists and doctors find that Fizzy Drink is made of pure poison. But Fizzy Drink spokesperson Johnny Poisonhands says that's not true and people should keep buying it. So who knows."

LDS historians are not a credible source for LDS history, full stop. Anyone with a financially motivated agenda to keep everyone believing one version of a story is not a trustworthy source, full stop.

But the thing is the church also literally brainwashes its members to believe that non-mormons as a whole have an agenda to destroy the church because they're secretly being manipulated by satan and by ignoring them you are a hero whose holy mission to save the earth cannot be impeded. Because yes, it's definitely the rest of the world that's lying to you and manipulating you, not the church that has an actual fucking reason to lie to you

Uughfhrhghbg

#exmo #exmormon #drives me fucking wild

[dollycas]

Cozy Wednnesday with Vicki Delany - Author of Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Year-Round Christmas Mystery) #AuthorInterview / #Review / #Giveaway #greatescapesbooktour

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday! It is my pleasure to welcome Vicki Delany to Escape With Dollycas today!

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Year-Round Christmas Mystery) by Vicki Delany

Hi Vicki,  Please tell us a little bit about yourself.           Thanks for asking. I am the author of more than 50 published books.  Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas will be the 52nd. I started my career writing standalone suspense and police procedurals. Now I write cozies. I have four cozy series currently running: The Year-Round Christmas series, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop books, and the Tea by the Sea mysteries, as well as the Lighthouse Library series I write under the pen name of Eva Gates. I live in Prince Edward County Ontario and I am a past chair of the Crime Writers of Canada. What are three things most people don’t know about you? Hard to say. I’m rather an open book. However: I am an extreme introvert, which some people find surprising. Introvert doesn’t mean shy, remember. I wasn’t a cat person until I had to look after my daughters’ (plural) cats (plural) for several months and I decided I like cats a great deal. I don’t have a pet because I travel too much. What books/authors have most inspired you? I particularly loved Mary Stewart and Barbara Michaels when I was younger and wished I could tell stories like them. My first exposure to mysteries was the VI Warshawski books by Sara Paretsky.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? None? Okay, not exactly none. I have done location research for books in places I’ve never been or haven’t been recently, such as going to Cape Cod for the Sherlock Holmes and Tea by the Sea mysteries, and the Outer Banks for the Lighthouse Library series. Which is always great fun. In October I’m going to the UK, for location research for both the Tea by the Sea series and the next Sherlock book as I plan to set books from those series in Halifax and London, respectively. I have done research into killing methods, poison in particular. The eleventh Lighthouse Library book (coming 2025) is all about art, so I did some research into 19th-century American impressionism.

The plot of Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is about an amateur theatrical production of the musical version of A Christmas Carol. I’m very familiar with the book but have never seen that adaption, so I watched several versions of it on YouTube. Other than the travel, I don’t start any research until I’m well into the book and discover what I need to know, that I don’t. Do you ever suffer from Writer’s Block? When I originally took creative writing, I was told there’s no such thing. It’s a job. Do it. Plumbers don’t get plumbers’ block. So, no. I don’t.  I have good writing days and bad writing days, but I wouldn’t call that Writer’s Block. What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer? I have two pieces of advice which I give regularly: - Read and read a lot. You can’t be a writer if you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve. Plus you need to know what’s popular and what’s being read these days - Persistence is key. Keep on writing and keep on submitting. When you are not writing what do you like to do? I do jigsaw puzzles. I work on one most days. I travel a lot. Usually two or three big trips a year as well as smaller trips to closer places. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?           As it happens I’ve booked one of my dream destinations for next year. The Galapagos. Ten days on a boat touring the islands, preceded by nine days’ tour of Ecuador. Otherwise, I’m lucky enough to have been to a great many places all over the world, particularly in South and East Africa which I love. The only place I have not been where I’d particularly like to go is Antarctica.

What is next on the horizon for you? Keep writing. I have continuing contracts for all my series, so I’m working on those. Between that, as I mentioned above, I’m off to England in October and Ecuador in January. The next book coming out, after Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas, is The Sign of Four Spirits, the 9th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop book which will be released next January. Vicki, thank you so much for visiting. It is always fun to get to know the author of the books we love a bit better. I would love to stow away in your luggage to The Galapagos. It is one of my dream destinations too. Now keep reading for my thoughts about Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas.   

Read the full article

#cozymystery #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley #NewYork #VickiDelany

[kumarbuus]

Hip Hip Cartoons!

Huge glistening eyes, brightly shaded hair, obscure nose and exaggerated facial foundation expression jogs my memory of just one single thing. Are you able to guess what it truly is? If your solution is Anime, then BINGO, you just read an otaku's intellect! Anime (pronounced: "Ah-nee-may") is known as a type of animation usually via Japan. They may have their own design and style and it can show that during strange and wonderful techniques. Anime also provides its own sensation of comedic and has a specialized way of thinking. It could possibly get seriously deep and serious, as well as it can become silliest (like: "Lucky Star", "Kill Me Baby") and hectic (like: "Death Note", "Gintama") thing you have ever seen. Most Anime shows derive from popular mangas (Japanese Comics), just putting a little more lifestyle into all of them. Anime sometimes covers worse topics when compared to typical shows. In America, cartoons are considered a sort of entertainment intended for children. In Japan, many people coming from all ages (no, not newborn baby babies! ) watch cartoons. Most shows and movies happen to be centred for childrens, adolescent or perhaps young adults, yet there are also various anime that are made for more aged crowd sometimes businessmen and housewives! The word "Anime" is a abbreviated pronunciation of "animation" in Nippon, where this kind of term work references all animation. Outside Japan, anime is required to refer specifically animation from Japan or maybe Japanese disseminated animation trend often seen as colourful images, vibrant personas and imaginary themes. Japanese people animation started out in twentieth century. Katsudo Shashin is usually claimed as the earliest Western animation. The 1923 Nice Kanto earthquake resulted in wide-spread destruction which include demolition of earliest Anime Studios and anime gets results; leaving Kouchi's Namakura Gatana as the oldest surviving computer animation. The primary anime tv series was Otogi Manga Work schedule aired by 1961 to 1964. My own introduction to anime was in elegance four as i watched "City Hunter" within a T. Sixth v. channel, Animax. Though I could see anime (as a matter of fact the plural in anime can be anime) just like "Doraemon", "Shinchan", "Avatar-The last airbender", "Summer Days with Coo", "AstroBoy", "Dragon Ball-Z", "Naruto" long ago before but I did not realize the unique sense in anime when it was dubbed in Hindi (rather I would declare "contaminated" instead of "dubbed" by means of old, absurd male voices in Hindi who would crack unnecessary, slap-stick jokes deviating viewers in the plot and land you in a hotch-potch of indianised anime). My sister ( 3 years younger when compared to me nevertheless I won't admit jane is more mature as opposed to me) had taken strange affinity for Japanese anime like micron Tears to Tiara" and "Stigma with the Wind" shown in Animax: which I believed strange at that time as my own "patriotic inertia" would prevent me right from accepting not Indian solutions. I was first repelled by the fact that all of the voice casts were on Japanese also to understand the storyline I had to adopt trouble from reading the English subtitles together to coordinate the dialog with the video tutorial shown; for which great deal of focus was required. It was out of the question for me to carry out both those tiring assignments at the same time, thus i returned to my good old T. V. channels: Animation Network, Nickolodeans, Hungama, Pogo, Boomerang and Jetix. After https://youtube.com/channel/UC6D5Qb-rkuN9Dxr3qVIjEzg , in class seven, I once again started experiments my skills in understanding anime which turned into a success, when I first indulged through anime like "Hayate the Combat Butler" and "Fairy Tail". Also! Such a special poison! After having a whole hectic day in school, tuition, golfing classes, artwork and beats classes, and whole various heck number of activities; We waited just to sit back and relax to look at these cartoons. At that time, nothing at all mattered if you ask me; not even my parents, friends and teachers. In this virtual area of pleasure I was able to tackle my own defeats and sufferings simply because easily the time i had consumed successes. Nothing bothered all of us, except once i had to enroll in phone calls or to open door, if any sort of guest comes when the anime shows are ongoing. Yet , anime barely did change my studies as following watching two hour very long program, My spouse and i suffered from SAFEGUARDS (Post Cartoons Depression Syndrome) for which We suffered the guilt in wasting time period which was additional intensified simply by my mom's rebuke (I would like to identify this situation seeing that "Kata Ghaye nuun-er Chheta") and this guilt would catapult me to examine harder, focus and help longer time and this transpired as day to day routine for me; thus i could very easily outdo the vast majority of students specific studying or perhaps swimming or any type of other give good results. Thus to all guardians, I want to ask for to allow young kids to watch anime as it figured out for me (maybe I have odd wirings during my brain! ). Watching cartoons would definitely assist you to hone the literary, language and synthetic skills. Moreover, it would function as an astounding source of entertainment, at least technique beyond the league of daily American native soaps. Comprehending the culture in origin is very important to realize the plot, whether Japanese anime, Korean Aeni webtoons, Asian Manhua Cartoons or North american sitcoms (which I encountered when I was novice during watching anime). If you have enjoyed any cartoons, you will probably observe that the characters behave in another way and points in general (like houses, transport, eating etc . ) are bit unlike what you employed to. Probably the most conveniently apparent disparities between Japanese people animation and more is the art where enormous eyes (bigger than nose), brightly female hair, a bit of well-endowed characters and exaggerated emotional words and phrases and gestures are typical of cartoons. Being hand-drawn, anime is certainly separated out of reality featuring an ideal course for escapism into which audiences can easily immerse by yourself with general ease. The production of cartoons focusses much less on the toon movement and even more on the realism of settings like "The Garden from Words". The opening and credit sequences of most cartoons are accompanied by Japanese rock or put song which inturn maybe related to the anime series, by means of popular rings. "Nanairo Namida" by Tomato n' Pine of cartoons "Beelzebub" and "Just Awake" of cartoons "Hunter Populace Hunter" are a couple of my favourite anime songs, that you can try out. And there is several types of cartoons, one will need to classify them in different types, some of them are: Action, Music, Mecha, Grand adventure, Mystery, Bishounen, Yuri, Yaoi, Akuma, Seinen, Shoujo, Shounen, Kodomo, Portion of Lifestyle and many more. If you're a fabulous die-hard cartoons fan (such me generally labelled seeing that "otaku"), a casual watcher, an interested onlooker or commoner from non-anime domain: cartoons genres would certainly equip you with some basic knowledge to help you to venture the anime world effortlessly and satisfaction. I am going to share some remarkable quotes of anime which etched these heart happen to be: • Motoko Kusanagi in "Ghost inside Shell a couple of: Innocence" "We weep designed for blood of your bird but not for blood of a seafood. Blessed will be those with your voice. micron • Shinchi Akiyama from "Liar Game" "People Needs to be doubted. A lot of us misunderstand idea. Doubting persons is just a component to getting to know them. What a lot of us call "trust" is really merely giving up in trying to understand others which very work is far worse than doubting. It happens to be 'apathy'. very well • Hachiman Hikigaya in "My Youngster Romantic Comedy SNAFU" "If truth is harsh Then Are lying must be kind Then Closeness must be lie"

#website

[antasmas]

i somehow managed to misread your url as miasmas

Zero, this is so funny??

#rochezach #i have become... poisonous but plural

[unreluctantone]

Encountober - Villa

As part of @catbatart’s Encountober, I present:

Master of the House - (a Dungeons and Dragons Encounter for 4 characters of levels 2-4)

Ruined Lar, in the colonnaded garden of the villa. If your players do exceptionally well, consider having Eroan use a lair action to animate four or more twig blights (Monster Manual, pg. 32) from the twisted weeds of the garden.

The Dreadful Mire is studded with abandoned and ruined villas, relics of the Kingdom of Calamar that once ruled over the land in the days before the supernatural disaster that created the Mire. These fine houses were once the country homes for the half-elven nobility and may still hold riches and secrets worth the effort of exploring them. They are also frequently lairs for a wide range of dangerous creatures.

The party has cause to search one such ruined villa, the House of Amriel, located a half-days travel from the village of Sodden Hope. Perhaps they are pursuing the person who impersonated one of their band and looted the church of the village, perhaps they are merely seeking to uncover the riches that the Amriels are rumoured to have hidden within its walls. Regardless, they will be confronted the last inhabitant of the decrepit hall: Amriel Eroan, the grief-madden household spirit.

Household spirits, commonly called lar (plural lares, pronounced 'lair', 'lair-reez') by the Calamareans, are small fey spirits that occupy particularly old homes or houses were they are accorded special honour. This occupation binds them to the building and its immediate environs, and is believed to help protect the families that dwell within from more mischievous types of fey, who are bound by the rules of hospitality to respect the lar. Unfortunately, if some great disaster befalls the home and the lar is not unbound from the house, they become twisted into a malevolent shadow of their former selves, which is made more powerful by the potent grief that drips from their fingertips like poison. Characters may be familiar with this lore if they succeed at a DC 12 Arcana, Nature, History, or Religion check.

Amriel Eroan is a such a shadow. Formerly much respected and lauded by the Amriel family, he loved them in return and their hurried abandonment of the villa torn out the little fey's heart. He now spend his days lurking around the ruins, particularly the large colonnaded garden, now overgrown with weeds and woody shrubs, although his tremorsense means he is typically aware when intruders arrive. He will Hide (DC 13 Perception check to avoid being surprised, roll Stealth +3 if you prefer), wait for someone to step into sight, and then start to pelt anyone he sees with chucks of the ruined structure. He will switch to melee when people approach him or if an opponent appears to prefer non-spell-based ranged attacks, in the latter case Eroan will misty step to the ranged attacker and unleash a melee Multiattack on them.

The entire time, Eroan will be ranting and screaming invective at his opponents, upbraiding them to leave the ruins. In particular, he will keep referring to an unnamed recent female visitor who warned him to expected looters and robbers. He will insist that she is an Amriel, returned to collect him and take him back to the family, and that she had worn the signet ring of an Amriel heir.

If reduced to 20 or less hp, Eroan will misty step away to elsewhere in the ruins to try and set up another ambush. He will be raving about how his Amriel visitor had said she needing the family sword so that she could cut him free of the ruined villa (Arcana DC 15 to recognize this requirement as false, the family head could simply un-invite the lar) so he showed her the maps that lead there, and that he just needs to hold on a little longer. So that she can return and save him.

He will fight to the death.

Afterwards, a search of the ruins will uncover a secret compartment in the floor of the dining room, that has been left open (it would normally be a DC 15 Investigation check to find it). It is empty of any gold or relics, aside from 3 old gold pieces that are clearly part of a larger, now absent hoard. What it does contain is several tomes describing the lives of the Amriel family and the history of the Kingdom of Calamar, which will be worth 100 gp to an antiquarian, collector of rare books, or historian. One tome in particular, which bears the crest of the House of Amriel, should be pointed out as important: It contains maps. A hour's study of this tome will provide the party with directions to the Tomb of Amriel, where the impostor has gone to next.

A typical lar, dressed in the typical Bloodwood fashion:

An example of a Calamarean villa. Replace all references to Romans with half-elves, and we're good 🤣.

(Art source 1, Tam Turtledove by Tony DiTerlizzi, from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide via the Spiderwick Chronciles Wiki.)

(Art source 2, artist sadly unknown, image originally from Great Empires: An Illustrated Atlas by Stephen G. Hyslop and Patricia Daniels)

#encountober #dungeons and dragons #tabletop roleplaying games #poorly sourced art #elemental knights

[shadowfae]

Have a bit of an odd question that I'm curious if you have insight into. The other reason I don't want to get involved in the plural community further is that pretty much every endogenic system I& have met have been quite vocal antis. Do you have any idea why that is? I can see why traumagenic systems would be more susceptible to falling into the that mindset, but why the endos? Has soulbonding damaged their objectivity? I can see how that could happen, one of my headmates and all of my sister's

are versions of characters that entered our minds after getting fucked over royally and permanently by their sources, but you don't see either of us our our headmates baying for censorship :/

Mmmmm, I can kind of see it? I mean, I don't pretend to fully understand antishippers, there's a lot of reasons why someone would become one, and they're all flawed logic if only slightly understandable.

It reminds me of that post of someone asking why all the big fictionkin are proship considering all the stories are real to us (tl;dr because the big fictionkin are adults, and had it drilled into us that we do not belong anywhere near fandom, and also the stories are vague legends and mean very little about what actually happened to us), and that's probably true for systems of all kinds as well?

I don't go into system spaces often, which is to say I go in them not at all. I know other systems through 'kin spaces or finding them in the wild. So I really don't know the big narratives on how fandom and system spaces intersect and interact.

Now, Al's awake and he does want to point out that his source has a very rose-tinted (he ignored the accidental pun entirely) view on what happened. He's the third youngest Gold Saint in his garrison, and yet he had the longest tenure out of any of them preceding the Holy War. He was a child soldier, in every way, and Saint Seiya absolutely downplays that. So his view on the matter is very much that Saint Seiya as a work of fiction downplayed literally everything that happened, and if someone wants to write a version of it that's darker than canon, they're only going to be depicting history and the Saints' experiences more accurately - or more respectfully - than canon ever did or tried to do, so he's fine with it so long as he doesn't have to deal with it. Which is entirely understandable, he dislikes having to focus on the trauma when it isn't his idea.

And it probably goes both ways? I feel new soulbonders - and this is hugely a damn guess based on my own experiences - could be very protective of the sources of their headmates specifically because it happened, so they're mistakenly thinking that the source belongs to them, and only what they say can go. I know when I was young it used to drive me into a visceral, incandescent rage when someone knew my headcanons and then did something different. I can assume when it's real to you, someone else deliberately (or accidentally) getting it wrong can be a bit irksome.

But that doesn't give them the right to be antishippers and harass people over it. It's fine to not like it. We don't like a whole lot of things. But it's not fair to give others grief over what they're doing on the other side of the sandbox. It ain't your damn issue, go move to your own part of the sandbox and get out of their splash radius.

Kinda wish that was a more common sentiment, but with new fandom poisoning literally all metaphysical spaces that have any chance of brushing up against it, I'm not very surprised by it.

#asks #anonymous #on shipcourse #it sucks but what can you do really