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feelslessfoodmore · 2 years

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Ok so after going through the tag I feel like I'm really not seeing enough people talking about how narrowly Orym avoided an Absolute Perma Death this last episode‽‽‽‽ Laudna making that perception check (which Matt was very reluctant in allowing to begin with!) single handedly decided Orym's fate.

Let's break it down real quick: 1) Matt said they were 300-400 feet up which is above the cap for max fall damage but below the height where you take more than a single round to hit the ground. Orym would've fallen to the surface of the planet and taken a fuck ton of fall damage well before Imogen could cast fly and catch up to him. (The fly spell makes the target hover so by rules as written, she technically wouldn't have been able to catch up anyways since she wouldn't've been able to free fall and would've had to descend at her 60 ft. fly speed.)

2) in the keyfish incident, Keyleth's body did not remain in one piece and I doubt Orym's would either. This combined with the time it would take to get the body back to F.C.G. would put them well outside the time like l limit of revivify.

3) And finally, all of that is predicated on the condition that they can even find his body at all!! That air ship was high in the sky, moving notably fast, with strong winds perfectly capable of blowing a halfling around mid air. Predicting where Orym would land would be way more difficult than just retracing steps. I can't remember if they were still above jungle or not but if they were they'd be pretty much fucked unless F.C.G. had locate object prepared (dead bodies are objects RAW but they also could just target something he'd had on him and hope it didn't go flying in the fall.) It could take days to find Orym and I don't think the captain would be willing to risk it since as they said falling overboard is usually a one and done deal.

Like that wasn't just the usual "Oh Orym is putting himself at risk in battle again and might die" because in those cases F.C.G. is right there, diamond at the ready if healing isn't enough.

This was Certain Death.

This was Liam makes a new character because the Hell's Bells do not have the connections to bring him back yet. No church connection, the only person they even know of capable of bringing him back is Keyleth and while there might be some Watsonian reasoning that the characters would think to go to her I just can't see the players wanting that. Asking Keyleth to fix all their problems just doesn't make for a fun campaign.

Orym keeps dancing with death but this was something so infitesimaly close to the end of his life that I'm convinced if Laudna had failed that roll Liam would've narrated how during the fall Orym sees a Raven and just watches it peacefully has he grips his tattoo. His last words before he hit the ground would be "I'm sorry" and then something about his husband being on the other side and getting to see him again, maybe even a "didn't make you wait as long as I thought I would I guess".

P.S. How poetic that it was Laudna who once again when faced with Certain Death –instead of kneeling to Fate– took that shit in hand and said fuck no.

#critical role #cr c3e23 #Orym #Orym of the Air Ashari #Laudna #critical role spoilers #Feather Fall is a sorcerer spell for Laudna I'm pretty sure btw #that overturning of death #that isn't Delilah #Laudna is a shadow sorcerer in and of her own #SHE is the one overcoming death¸ not Delilah #also this post is about Orym but here I am focusing on Laudna in the tags lmao #but yeah no Orym would've died died if Laudna didn't make that check #depending on if Matt uses the optional changes to falling mechanics in Xanathar's #Orym would've hit the ground instantly and taken 20d6 bludgeoning damage which averages to 70 damage #depending on how much damage Orym had already taken it would've been technically possible for him to survive that fall if Matt rolled low #but even at full hit points the average knocks Orym unconscious #it was really not good odds at all

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inkskinned · 1 year

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she says he won't let her get a dog, which is fine, because they're in an apartment, and that's the kind of thing people say about their partners. he won't let me get a dog. and you're at a dinner party and you tilt your head a little to the side just like that dog he won't let her get, because is this the thing that's going to upset you? you don't know every corner of their relationship, she could be joking, they could have had so many healthy conversations about the dog, right, and maybe she's not letting herself get the dog because of money and time and whatever. but, like, she did say let

and she wants to move away from his hometown and he wants to stay and then he tells you with a wink and a conspiratorial stage whisper don't worry i'll convince her and she laughs about it - so clearly this is something they laugh about. but you do just stand there and stare at him like what the fuck, man. you can't say what you want to say which is why do you get the final say on everything because they're both obviously aware of the other person's stance on this and have obviously had private conversations about it and what are you going to do about it except make a scene and then he'll be mad at you and call you one of those bitches behind your back and she'll cut you off, which is a loss that doesn't feel worth it just because he makes you a little skeeved out every 3rd comment

and they both agree he just isn't the type to get flowers which is fine because everyone shows love differently, and are you really gonna judge someone based on their sense of individual relationship responsibility? maybe he's constantly cleaning her car and writing her poems and making her furniture or something. maybe she doesn't even like flowers and this is perfect, actually. and no you couldn't date him, obviously, ew; but like, she tells you she's happy. you almost send her a tiktok that says don't be 25 and the cool girl that doesn't need anything, you'll hate not getting flowers at 30, but that's like, starting drama & you shouldn't start drama needlessly.

and you're a little older than her but not so much older you can pull the whole trust me on this one babe thing and besides that wouldn't have worked anyway (when does it ever) and besides you have trauma so you and your therapist both agree that you're always looking for a problem even when there isn't one. and you tell yourself that just because you see them for 15 minutes every month does not mean you can identify every single red flag based on a single shitty half-joking(?) comment

and besides, what are you going to do? she says i actually wanted another stand mixer but thankfully he stops me when i'm about to spend too much money and you're standing there like are you okay? is this normal? is this just something people say? and again - what are you going to do?

to your therapist you try to language it - it's not, like, any of my business. but sometimes, doesn't it feel like - you should do something. there's got to be something, right? you've tried dropping little hints but they sail right through and you've tried having a single serious conversation and she got upset because why does it matter to you, yes it's different but we're happy, it doesn't need to make sense to you and you're like. really unwilling to push a boundary about it anymore; because the truth is that you know logically it shouldn't matter to you, as long as both parties are happy.

and besides, you've been wrong before. it's just... like, every time you see them both, something else happens, some kind of shiver down your spine like do you even hear each other when you talk. it's their strange, bickering orbit. just the way he's on his phone through dinner or watching sports instead of helping in the kitchen or, fuck, another one of these little throwaway comments he makes about we'll see about that, babe. she laughs when he calls her passions stupid shit and meanwhile she gets him tickets to see the knicks and he tells you well at least she's smart about something and still! it's none of your business.

you say get the dog anyway and she laughs. like, this is is you being funny. and not you saying - no really. get the dog. get the dog and get out of here. pack up and start running.

#this btw is not including toxic friendships this is legit just something ive experienced MANY times now #writeblr #you ever have a friend in one of those relationships where ur like #u don't HATE their partner explicitly #but ur like. what the fuck y'all #like the weird part of being an adult is that you can't be like . CERTAIN their relationship is toxic #and also if u move too fast or push too hard u can hurt someone who is already in a scary situation so you just are like #frozen there. laughing awkwardly. saying ''haha..... yeah..... couldn't be me....''#and like u can't tell - is this banter or does he actually think like. he's better than her.#all you can do is be there for your friend and hope they wake up to it #or ... that it really IS good #and it's just odd to you #tbh btw id rather have my friends feel safe coming to me if they have a concern about my relationship #like yes it's not ur business but it also IS bc im making u hang out with them and also ur my friend #it's a weird thing to experience as an adult bc it is such a blurry line and when u spend time #around couples that aren't like ACTUALLY ur friends but instead ''extended friend circle'' ur like #.... i don't know y'all well enough and he just called you a cow. and ur okay with that . and i don't know how to respond.#so ur like :) okay. um. go to couple's counselling i think #but also you are NOT supposed to pass judgement so it's like.... this weird limbo of feeling like you SHOULD say something #but knowing you CANNOT #idk that there's a way to resolve it!!!!!!!! it's probably a different approach person to person #edited my tags bc tumblr's new system fucked em up #PS EDIT: btw i should have said:#the pronouns in this can work in any and every direction. every gender and every sexuality and every #type of relationship tbh. even non-romantic relationships where ur like ''what do u mean ur bff calls u stupid''

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jeeaark · 3 months

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Shirtless Disaster Pt. 1

So. pretty sure the emperor cusses. just. never had the reason to say out loud. or has a filter on when they talk. Until Greygold happened. You ever try and look with the emperor's perspective when Tav makes decisions and go, 'H-how are you not ceaselessly cussing like a sailor at Tav?'

ANYWAY- HERE'S THE THING. TRULY. Always had my squinty-eyed caution on Emps. Trying to ascertain if they were for real with their words/actions/intentions or not. but. Squid buddy sharing their feelings of caring was the uh snowball that started this avalanche. Can't fake feelings huah, GREYGOLD FINALLY FOUND THOSE MUSHY BITS HUAH.

I ain't gonna let y'all wonder what Greygold's answer was, so uh. Bonus!

#bg3 #bg3 spoilers #baldur's gate 3 #the emperor bg3 #greygold #bg3 fanart #bg3 comic #-snorts up delusional cocaine- okay so HERE'S HOW WE CAN STILL MAKE PINA COLADA FRIENDSHIP WORK #We turn it into a pina colada -more-than-friends-ship \ o /#WAS I AWARE THAT ALL ODDS WERE STACKED AGAINST GREYGOLD? YOU BETCHA #BUT I PUT TOO MUCH EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT IN THIS SQUID YOU THINK I WAS GONNA SAY NO????? ///HA///#You think I didn't think I couldn't make the impossible happen?????????????#the ending to this game was either gonna be -really- fucking good or really really REALLLY FUCKING //TRAGIC//#and I was all here for it #WHO NEEDS TO PLAY AS DURGE TO SUFFER WHEN YOU CAN JUST MAKE REALLY RISKY LOVE LIFE CHOICES WHILE HAVING THE HUBRIS OF THE GODS THEMSELVES

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otaku553 · 2 months

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More reluctant king sabo au! I realized recently that this au is an excellent excuse for drawing sabo in pretty outfits that he would be absolutely miserable in :)

#one piece au #sabo #king sabo au #I have a very specific idea of sarie in my head.#in which she is largely a product of her upbringing #entitled but due to being given everything she wanted when she was raised #sheltered and poorly socialized because she was always above those who lived outside the castle #Sarie has the potential to be a good foil to sabo. I think their dynamic would be so interesting #because while I don’t think sabo is interested in love at all #I also don’t think sarie understands what love is outside of the fairytales she is allowed to read #and she must have such a twisted idea of love from growing up in the royal family where I’m sure there must have been fights over heirs #not to mention she must have so many people vying for her attention if whoever marries her is apparently third to the throne #it definitely must have been impressed upon her since she was young that she doesn’t marry for herself #or maybe she realizes this and is waiting for a fairytale knight in shining armor to take her away. idk #I do think that to her sabo is an odd superposition of a prince and a knight #I don’t think she ever really falls in love with him. she’s just so alienated from the concept of love and #someone who actually cares about her as a person that sabo being the first one floors her and convinces her she’s in love

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autisticlancemcclain · 3 months

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Could you explain your position on Shallura? Since Allura was established as a teenager when she started dating Lance and Shiro was very clearly an adult. I can understand the bi shiro headcannon but the shallura thing worries me

i am going to remind yall that i have been in this fandom since 2016. and in the early seasons, allura was not established as a teenager. in fact she was coded as older, as closer to shiro's age -- there was a specific divide between her and the younger paladins that she did not have with shiro. they made her younger (both explicitly and in mannerisms) as the show went on. and i do not give a fuck about voltron like...post s4 and i didn't even watch s7-8. so like. especially with older fics, im going to enjoy shallura.

#also this is less relevant and i was going to put it in the main post but i cant find the words for it #but i found your last sentence kind of condescending. “the shallura thing worries me” as if i am your little project and things arent going #to plan. as if you are the Knower Of All Things and i am straying from my path lol. twas odd #and this is a controversial thing to say i know it but like #we take fandom way too seriously. if someone decides in fic to make two characters the same age to ship them or whatever. do we really need #to get the torches and pitchforks. like i can understand discomfort when people ship like shiro and pidge or something but. also. i feel #like you can just block and move on?? like i dont ship sheith bc they are brothers. to me. but also i dont think sheithers should be #harassed or any dumb shit like that. i think its so so whatever like theyre Lines man theyre moving lines #at the same time i understand that peoples headcanons can be reflective of their worldviews (like when racism/transphobia/sexism shine #through someone's headcanons/characterization) but how much scrutiny is too much? when do we get to remember that fandom is a place to #work with the FICTIONAL? where you can change details without consequence? i saw a fic where keith was the older sibling and shiro was the #younger once. it was a good fic. how come we can play with ages but only when the Fandom Council approves?#i guess this is a really long and clumsy way to say like. you do not own the fandom nor do you get to dictate my work. and while there #is always room for necessary criticism please also think critically before you post your criticism #anyways #rant #ask

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ot3 · 3 months

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#Oplb #The fact that I'm having this discussion should give you an idea about what my notifications look like #To all of you poor souls out there who want to tell me about the secret good one piece (the manga):#I'm sorry. It's just not happening. Its never going to happen. Please give up on that one #Maybe if I finish the anime and decide I really want to revisit the franchise but shatteringly low odds

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damianwaynerocks · 3 months

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think i might re-read the tim drake ebola fic just to feel an emotion. that thing had me in tears. so good.

#good dad bruce??#jason lived??#bruce adopts tim??#tim and damian have a healthy relationship??#its so good #like no shade at all #but the way i laughed so hard when tim got ebola it was so amazing #i was like wow this author is hyperfixating on ebola rn!!#but like it was still so good #and well written #and it made me really scared of ebola #tim drake #bruce wayne #batman #batfamily #dick grayson #jasont odd

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coconut530 · 5 months

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RELIGIOUS TRAUMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

#Nevermore #Nevermore Webtoon #Webtoon #ACTUALLY LIKE. ONE OF THE BEST EPISODES EVER #LIKE YES MONTY STILL IS A BAD PERSON FOR ALL THE THINGS HE’S DONE #BUT HE IS AN AMAZING VEHICLE TO TELL THIS STORY WITH LIKE GOD👏🏻DAMN👏🏻#LIKE THE HANDS BURNING HIM AND LIKE PUTTING THEIR DIRT ON HIM TO MAKE THEMSELVES CLEAN WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #ALL THE ADJECTIVES #“SO WHAT IF I AM!?” GOD. WHAT THE FRICK #NEED YOU FOR WHAT MONTY!?! OH CRAP IS THAT HIS MOM #WHY ARE YOUR EYES COVERED AND YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE IN RED #I MEAN YEAH MONTY WHAT YOU DID IN LIFE DIDN’T SOUND VERY GOOD YOU MAY HAVE EARNED THIS #MAKING HIM PRAY LIKE WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT #ACK GOAT EYES AND OHHHHHHH JEEEEEEZZZ CREEPYYYYYYY #ALTHOUGH RED N FLYNN LIKE REALLY POPPING OFF TODAY #ACK GOAT CREATURE #THE CANDLES THE CIRCLE THE CREATURE THE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #THE LORD’S PRAYER IN THE LIKE FLAMES THE HANDS THE CREATURE SACRIFICING A PERSON LIKE WHAT THE TIDES HAVE CHANGED #AND MONTY’S LAUGH TAKING US OUT #OH HI ANNABEL AND OOP PROSPERO AND EULALIE AND BERENICE AND MORELLA HI WHAT’RE Y’ALL DOING HERE ODD COMBO OF PEOPLE #PROSPERO COVERING HIMSELF FROM THE AIR #“Goodness…” UH NO DUH LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON!?#DUKE HAS MADE ADA TAKE THIS TO THE EXTREME AND HE CAN’T TURN HER OFF AND HER EYE PARTICLES ARE ALL OVER THE LITTLE ALCOVE #WILL’S GETTING THE LIFE CHOKED OUT OF HIM BY MONTY STILL UNDER THE ADA INFLUENCE #LENORE TRYING TO STOP HIM (??) WITH PLUTO HOLDING HER BACK #WHAT’S HAPPENINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

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skydigiblogs · 2 months

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this was originally supposed to just be the first image and i was supposed to stop there

then i decided to shade and finish it bsdhfbshjdfvdsjfds

i've never been able to draw devimon and finish a piece with it at the focus before now so i'm pretty proud of this

also the wings are heavily inspired by ST-344's artwork!! it's giving distressed jeans vibes (/j)

#digimon #devimon #digimon art #digimon fanart #sky's art #i finally started adhd medication and i'm trying to make the best of having energy in the evenings now to do art #one of the reasons we didn't really do a lot of digimon art was primarily the level of detail dissuading us from it #we can draw detailed characters yeah #(we're a grand chase fan for goodness sake)#but the mix of complex detail and odd proportions would often disincentivize our brain and we'd end up with unfinished sketches #also did you know some card artwork of devimon depicts them with hair???#it's such an interesting detail #like i know ladydevimon has hair and all but i'm so used to seeing devimon in the anime with that full-length cowl and no visible hair that #well it was jarring #if you look on wikimon at some of the older card art you can see what i mean

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sneakyboymerlin · 10 months

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I have said it before, but Kilgharrah has a parallel-opposite arc to Morgana. His character is redeemed in the same streak of episodes where Morgana goes from an ally to a major villain. While Kilgharrah was often self-serving and manipulative in the first 2 seasons, this changes by the end of season 2 because Merlin chooses to show him mercy after incapacitating him. It’s the first real kindness that Kilgharrah has experienced in well over 20 years. Whereas, when Merlin shows Morgana mercy by making the deal with Morgause to save her after she’s been incapacitated, Morgana returns more vengeful than ever. Back to Kilgharrah, though…

Not only does he indebt himself to Merlin, he comes to see Merlin in an entirely new way. Before, when he would call Merlin kin, it was in the most literal sense—both are creatures of magic, cut from the same cloth, and should be allies. But now, they’ve formed a bond from that kinship (and in a literal soul connection sense, too, no less). Kilgharrah’s plea strikes Merlin with so much force because they’re both now the last of their kind, and Merlin cannot help but consider and understand what Kilgharrah has been through, despite the destruction he’s caused, because it’s happened to Merlin, too. When they see each other next, this is what they have to say:

Merlin: I didn't think you'd answer my call.

Kilgharrah: Merlin, I could not resist a dragonlord, even if I wanted to.

Merlin: I’m grateful, thank you.

Let’s focus on that: “…even if I wanted to.” Kilgharrah did not want to resist Merlin’s call for help because he’s come to care about Merlin in his own way. This development is easily traced back to Merlin’s show of mercy. It cannot be stressed enough: this was the first kindness Kilgharrah had been shown in over 20 years, after rotting away in a dungeon when he was betrayed in every way possible, suffering from the grief of his entire species going extinct on Uther’s orders. And with this one show of mercy, Merlin changed the heart of a creature that everyone had already dismissed as a monster (the same way Merlin sees himself), one who sought his revenge by razing an entire city to the ground. From the start, Merlin treats him as a person: “Why are you doing this? You’re killing innocent people!” No one who saw him as a mere beast acting on its true nature would ask a moral quandary of him. And in the end, this path leads to Kilgharrah being spared, and Camelot repeatedly being saved as a result.

Kilgharrah’s sincerity in his care for Merlin is consistent in later seasons, and is seen in more than just his rescues. In 4x02, he plainly urges Merlin not to sacrifice himself, despite the fact that Arthur’s life (and thus, Kilgharrah’s ultimate freedom) hangs in the balance.

Merlin: Arthur intends to sacrifice himself to heal the Veil. It is my destiny to protect him; you taught me that.

Kilgharrah: Merlin, you must not do this.

He shortly follows this with something we’ve known since Merlin mended the rift between them in 2x13:

Kilgharrah: From the moment I met you, I saw something that was invisible. Now, it is there for all to see […] It will be an empty world without you, young warlock.

Having failed to convince Merlin to let someone else be the sacrifice, Kilgharrah commends him. Not only that, Kilgharrah mourns him.

This is all to say that Kilgharrah’s actions in seasons 1 & 2 should not be the sole focal point for our judgment of him, when he undergoes such an extreme change of character. Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that Kilgharrah’s faith in the prophecies is anything but genuine. Alongside his newfound care for Merlin, his ultimate goal is his own freedom, and he believes that Arthur is the key to that.

Kilgharrah: We need Arthur to live […] Your destiny is to protect the young Pendragon until he claims his crown, and when he does, magic can be returned to the realm. Only then will I be free.

This logic is in line with what occurred in 5x13. Kilgharrah wouldn’t have said or done any of what he does in 1x13 if he did not believe that Arthur’s ascension to king would lead to his own freedom (even if it didn’t take immediate effect). Arthur’s place on the throne made room for an end to the wars, namely the one on magic. Kilgharrah did not make these prophecies up, nor is he the only one to believe in them. Alator and Finna possessed knowledge of the same prophecies, and both believed in Emrys’ vision/mission.

Kilgharrah had great knowledge himself, and tried to share that with Merlin to pave the best path, but he was not all-knowing, and he tells Merlin as much himself. Kilgharrah is merely a messenger, believer, and interpreter. So, he still believes the prophecy has come to pass, even if Arthur did end up dying anyways. The five kingdoms could now be united and magic restored to the land once the war was ended upon Morgana’s death. The prophecy was fulfilled within Arthur’s lifetime, despite the success of Arthur’s Bane. It did not go as Merlin expected, nor how Kilgharrah expected, but it still… went. This is what he means when he says, “No young man, no matter how great, can know his destiny.”

The idea that Kilgharrah simply played Merlin, when he was depending on Arthur as much as any creature of magic, and when he genuinely cared for Merlin as kin, is bad faith conjecture. How they got to the end point still mattered to him (i.e. Merlin must protect Arthur so that he has a chance to fulfill the prophecy), because that potential only existed through Arthur, and they all continued to suffer until that time came. Regardless of the age at which Arthur died, though, he was destined to fulfill these prophecies and return at Albion’s time of need. This, Kilgharrah knew. So is it any wonder that he maintained faith in it even after Arthur died? Especially after Arthur died, proving the prophecies true once again?

Kilgharrah: Merlin. There is nothing you can do.

Merlin: I've failed?

Kilgharrah: No, young warlock, for all that you have dreamt of building, has come to pass.

Merlin: I can't lose him! He's my friend!

Kilgharrah: Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold. Merlin... Arthur is not just a King— he is the Once and Future King. Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again.

No, Kilgharrah did not predict the exact ending, but he did his best to help Merlin bring about the best possible outcome, and he said what he could to comfort Merlin when he was grieving Arthur. Kilgharrah was genuine, and his motives were in alignment with Merlin’s by the start of season 3.

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pallanophblargh · 6 months

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We still have this little critter, and she has successfully healed from her spay.

She rejected her homemade cone of shame (rolled up soccer socks courtesy of J) so we got her a proper baby shirt. It’s shocking we got her into it, and that she tolerated it as well as she did. She may be a shit, but she’s a good kid at heart. Maybe because she’s so stinkin’ cute.

It is probably wishful thinking, but her manners seem to be getting better. She still hasn’t been formally introduced to Zelda, but we can already tell she’s a little bully, so keep your fingers crossed because it would kinda suck to rehome her.

(It’s doubly hilarious because I’m the “no more cats can’t deal argh!” sort and this lil shit just HAD to choose OUR yard as the place to hang out in.)

Mammals are so utterly frustrating!

#Frida #cat #stray cat #tortoiseshell #tortie #she’s obnoxiously cute and sometimes that’s annoying cause I want to make sure she learns some good manners #she still likes to bite #but it’s mostly play biting and she’s slowly learning we find it rude #I’ve never been good at training animals and that’s all on me #Zelda’s backstory is she was borderline feral as a kitten when J found her #so she’s special and hates everything but j and me #she’s chosen me as her person which is really odd #I just don’t want Frida beating up on Zelda because Zelda is a coward #the shirt was adorable and it kept her from getting up to shenanigans #build a bear lookin’ ass #she fell asleep on me multiple times so at least she’s a cuddlebeast #when she’s not doing parkour off the walls #honestly she isn’t as much as a disaster as she could be so I am grateful

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asjjohnson · 4 months

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Today I decided to test how my new camera does with snow.

honorable mention background snowflakes:

...I don't see much point in adding image descriptions to all of these. They're just close-up photos of snowflakes.

The snowflakes are on the metal railings on either side of my front steps, but it's impossible to tell that from the photos.

Most of these are dendrite snowflakes (the large type with a lot of branches), but there's a few other types of snowflakes in some of the photos. One photo has a small hexagonal snowflake. I don't know it's classification, but it might be a short cylinder (it's two hexagons on top of each other, but the angle and my camera aren't good enough to get the exact details).

The last photo is smaller and blurry. It shows a small, simple six-armed snowflake on top of a large dendrite snowflake.

#asj post #snowflake #photography #macro photography #there's around 80 photos that turned out alright out of 192. Which is really good odds.#My last camera (which I broke last December) didn't have good enough odds to go out for snow photos. The lens wasn't retractable enough.#The camera I had before that was better with snowflakes than that last one and had a retractable lens but it still hadn't gotten 40%.#Though it's possible today is a first-time exception. The good-photo rate could be lower next time.#(I have a better photo of the last flake but the lighting's different and the small snowflake on top is invisible besides its very center.)#(all of these photos are cropped by the way.)

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michyeosseo · 24 days

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I want to become stronger sooner to help Master wipe out the miasma from the Immortal Realm to free the people from oppression.

#cdramaedit #cdrama #the legend of shen li #zeng li #feng xue ya #与凤行 #baby ah'li is crazy good #even in the troop sparring at the camp you could see how she mirrored and improved upon the drills with her shifu i–#the matching silver sword ugh yes more passage-to-screentime #really gets to me that despite her accomplishments in the field that earned her the throne #despite being whispered about as a weak ruler #shen muyue's leadership policy is about aggressive diplomacy #'twas not enough to prevent shen li from making The Choice #and so she is left as survivor yet again... hoping against odds #last night's ''her holiness will never give my belongings away.''#and you're right about that darling she's resorted to be a mainstay at your armory #caressing the training spear in place of all the blisters turned calluses in your tiny palms

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sideblogforweirdshit · 9 months

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Whump Reference Post for Fingernail Removal Torture

Hi whump writers of Tumblr! I recently made a little introduction post in which I said I’d be making reference posts. This is one I already had typed up, because for some reason this was the first thing I thought of.

There are no images attached, but I’m putting the rest of the post under a readmore since the majority of the content is semi-graphic written description of the how-to’s and wherefore’s and such of fingernail removal torture.

To be clear: I will be going into as much depth as I possibly can without using images. The content of this post will be purely academic. There will be no artistic liberties taken. This post is meant to be as accurate to (and descriptive of) a real-life situation as possible.

I hope some part of this post eventually winds up being a helpful resource for someone!

1) Not as painful as it’s made out to be

-It's painful, but definitely not to the extent it’s shown in movies or whatnot. A lot of the "pain" comes from the shock factor of seeing your body without something it’s always had, as well as the inherent "wrongness" that comes with experiencing a part of your body being removed.

2) There is very very thin film of skin between the fingernail and the finger.

-If one is careful in removing the fingernail by peeling it back slowly, one can preserve this thin piece of skin. -If one pulls the fingernail back quickly and without taking care, this thin film will rip, and the nail will pull away with bits of flesh attached.

3) The flesh under the nail will be vertically striated.

-If one uses the peel-back method, and is careful to not let the thin film of skin between the nail and the flesh rip, the skin/flesh underneath the nail will be as visibly striated as the fingernail itself. If you look closely at your fingernail right now, you’ll see that there are many tiny grooves from the tip of your nail to the base. This is true for all human fingernails. If the nail is peeled back with sufficient care, those striations will be echoed on the skin underneath the nail.

4) The “peel entirely off” method versus the "peel back and then stop" method versus the "pull out entirely" method.

-The “peel entirely off” method is how I will refer to the method of grasping firmly the tip of the fingernail in some sort of vice (usually pliers) and then peeling it backwards, moving the pliers from the nail at the tip of the finger towards the hand itself. Using this method, the nail will remain firmly grasped in the pliers the entire time. The movement of the pliers only stops when the base of the nail is ripped entirely out of the finger. This will necessarily result in ripping out a fair bit of skin past the cuticles, as the technical base of the nail (aka “nail matrix”) is generally around half a centimeter hand-wards past the cuticles (and follows the curve of the nail, so is deeper than the cuticles as well). Due to the nature of skin, I would expect a tear reminiscent of an extremely deep hangnail that goes from the base of the cuticles to at least halfway between the first and second knuckle (and at most goes to the second knuckle). In this case, it is not guaranteed that the nail will grow back. There is a chance it’ll come back, but there is also a chance that the nail matrix is permanently damaged and will not be able to grow a new nail. Since every human is different, there’s not an exact science to determining where a person’s nail matrix is before it’s ripped out. A (very) general rule of thumb is to follow the curve of the existing fingernail, and draw a point on that curve before it hits bone. Obviously, this is extremely subjective.

-The “peel back and then stop” method is how I will refer to what is essentially the previous method, but one stops before the nail-ripping goes past the cuticle and snips off the peeled part, leaving a milimeter or so of fingernail existing on the nailbed. In this case, it is assured that the nail matrix is undisturbed, and the fingernail will grow back. This is the method I will assume is taken for the future steps

-The “pull out entirely” method is how I will refer to the situation where one grasps the protruding part of the nail firmly, and applies force away from the hand and in the direction the finger points. In this case, there’s a large chance that the nail will rip. This depends largely on the care taken with the pulling object (pliers, usually) to grab the nail exactly parallel with the sides of the pliers. If any part of the pliers digs into the nail at a singular location, this will create a point at which pressure will build up, and the nail will likely rip at this location. The strength of the individual’s nails also affects the ripping. The individual’s nail strength can vary based on nourishment as well as on a general person-to-person basis. Personally, I do not recommend this method.

-If one wants to make the removal definitely permanent, there’s the possibility of peeling it back all the way down and out, and then chemically burning where one assumes the nail matrix is. (Some serious irl hikers do this to their toenails on purpose, to reduce the chances of getting ingrown toenails from being laced into hiking boots for days on end.) Removing the nail permanently will obviously reduce the opportunity to peel it off again, but will give a permanent Horrific Aspect to the victim.

5) For the first three days, the exposed flesh will be painful.

-The entire tip of the finger will be a constant deep and throbbing pain. Any deviation from this norm will be an increase in pain, never a decrease (save medication or an ice-bath-for-full-minutes immersion to the point of numbness).

-Any contact with the exposed nailbed will increase the pain. Knocking the exposed flesh against anything, even extremely gently, will result in a visible bright red welt under the thin layer of skin (bright red on light skin only! on darker skin, the welt will still be visible, but will show as a dark red-brown). It is a visual similar to an extremely tiny, non-protruding blood blister. Knocking the nailbed against something less gently will result in fully scraping off that delicate outer layer of skin.

-Using the finger for anything will be painful (though not unbearably so), and it may even be painful to bend the finger at all.

-Any moisture on the exposed flesh (including anything from regular water to antibiotic ointment) will hurt a lot. This will intensify the throbbing at least twofold across the entire nailbed, and will also result in an amount of stinging as if one had just realized one had been stung by a bee.

6) For treatment and healing thereof (if quick healing is desired)

For those first three days, any bandaid application is inadvisable -The exposed flesh will be so tender and vulnerable that any bandaid (even the non-stick kind) will stick to the exposed flesh and rip it upon removal. I can only assume this is in part due to the curvature of the finger, which means that any wrapping-around type bandaid will inherently put pressure on the nailbed, resulting in sticking.

-To promote healing, the first three days should be without any sort of covering on the wound.

After the first three days, a scab will form. -At this point, the pain will be much less. it might be uncomfortable to bump the nailbed into objects, but it will not be the same pain as in the first three days.

-The wound will also be much less sensitive to moisture.

-When the scab starts to crack (usually a vertical crack), one should apply antibiotic ointment and a bandaid. At this point in the proess, it is desired for the scab to remain as consistently moist as possibly. This will help the scab fall off when it is ready to do so.

-At this point, the finger can be used normally (within reason) without much (if any) pain.

After two or three days with the bandaid covering, the scab will start to fall off.

-One may expedite this process if one is careful.

-At this point, the skin on the nailbed is sensitive to the touch, but not to the point of pain.

-There will be some dry, loose skin around the edges of the nailbed.

-The previously visible striation will no longer be there.

-Pressure on the exposed nailbed will not be necessarily painful, but it will feel decidedly Odd. Though not painful, It will be an extremely sensitive area.

-The nailbed will be a delicate pinkish color.

Around a week after the initial scab falls off, there will appear to be another scab. It will be a relatively thin layer of dry, dead skin.

-If the nail is allowed to grow normally, it is likely that it will cover this second scab before it has the chance to fall off.

-If the stub of the fingernail is trimmed routinely, it is possible for the scab to fall off, leaving only relatively smooth unblemished skin where the nailbed is. This skin will be roughly the same color and texture as the skin on the tip of the finger.

7) The rate at which fingernails grow back is extremely slow

-The average growth rate is about 3.5 milimeters per month. There are several factors that can cause this to vary:

-Fingernails on the dominant hand grow back faster than the nails on the non-dominant hand.

-Fingernails grow back faster than toenails.

-Nails grow back faster in warm weather than in cold weather.

-Depending on the nail and the aforementioned conditions, one can expect a total regrowth time of anywhere from three to six months (or more).

8) Life Without Fingernails

-Fingernails affect a large part of our everyday lives. We mostly use them when we’re manipulating objects with our hands, and we use them to scratch. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a lot. It’s hard to explain just how weird it is to not have fingernails to someone who’s never experienced it, but here goes:

-Fingernails are the Hard Backs used to brace our fingers against a hard shell when we manipulate something with our hands. If you pinch your fingers together right now, you’ll see a white band along the top of your fingernail. This is where the pressure from the pinching goes; it’s braced against your nail.

-Picking something up without fingernails feels extremely odd the first few hundred times you do it. It takes a long time to get used to it.

-Writing is even worse. Without the hard shell backing your fingers, the pencil tends to slip out of your grip more often. If you usually have long enough fingernails that you balance your pen/pencil on them, you’re extremely likely to have the pencil completely slip out of your grip multiple times a sentence.

-You don’t realize how much you unconsciously scratch itchy parts of your body until you no longer have the ability to do so. If you’re only missing a few nails, you have to consciously adjust your hand so that you can scratch with the existing ones. If you’re missing all of them, you have to actively find an external object to alleviate the itch.

Some places on the body one can scratch with their teeth, but for most places, one needs to either find an “itch stick,” or rub that part of their body on something scratchy. A lot of clothing is scratchy enough to work for this. One needs to learn how to vary the pressure so that one can alleviate the itch without tearing through the skin or scratching themselves.

Pros:

-Body horror

Fingernail removal is a more mentally significant mutilation than cuts or burns, if only because it draws on the "that was there and now it's not" aspect of body horror.

-Can be inflicted more than once

Since fingernails grow back, they can be removed again and again and again. Though it may take some time for the nails to regrow, it isn't even close to the type of permanent that’s chopping off a finger or a toe.

-Helplessness

Since it takes a few days for the nailbeds to heal enough to be able to use one's fingers, a complete removal of all fingernails will take away one's ability to use their hands. Even after this initial period of extreme sensitivity, the lack of fingernails is something most people aren’t prepared for. The previous section explaining how fingernails affect daily life is significant here.

Cons:

-Can’t repeat often.

Once a fingernail is off, it's not coming back for at least three months (likely longer). It doesn't have the relatively quick reset time that burns or cuts do.

-Relatively short amount of time in pain

All of the pain is in the first few days. It is inconvenient afterwards, but there is little to no pain at this time.

-Amount of care needed

One needs to be relatively careful inflicting this. Fingernails are not as resilient as you'd think, and the likelihood of them ripping before you can finish ripping them off is fairly large if you're not being careful.

If you have a short-tempered or impatient whumper, this might not be their particular wheelhouse.

Conclusion

Overall, I’d say that the effectiveness depends entirely on the desired result. The time it takes for the fingernails to regrow versus the amount of time in which the subject is in pain is not a very productive ratio, so if you’d want your whumper doing a particular torture regularly, I wouldn’t recommend this.

However, if the whumper’s goal is to appeal to the body horror aspect without permanent damage, this is a great option. The fact that it takes nails so long to regrow gives the victim a sense of horrified freakishness. It also has the added benefit of reducing the victim’s maneuverability far after the fact.

The semi-visible nature of this method of torture can be effective if one wishes to horrify characters outside the whumper/whumpee relationship. You don’t immediately look at other people’s hands when you meet them, and as such it might take a while for outside characters to notice the lack of fingernails (especially if they’re past the three day mark). But once they notice, it will be hard to look away.

#whump #whump writing #whumpblr #whump community #whump reference post #this is the post i already had typed up i hope it passes muster #i tried to be as exhaustive as possibly because i KNOW there's so many details one needs when writing a thing #investigative journalism but with injuries that's us here at sbfws #ummm i don't know what to tag this #if y'all want a trigger warning tag for this stuff please let me know?#or if y'all want to be added to a tag list also please let me know??#also also please feel free to make specific post requests if y'all want?#i don't know how timely my responses to them will be but i will FOR SURE try to get to them as soon as i can #just like #if you're a whump writer who fuckin hates having to do research into different types of injuries hit me up!#(especially the weird injuries)#(fingernails are all fine and good but i thrive on the Weird Stuff There's Barely Any Research On you know)#(I really like researching weird niche stuff)#(you'll be doing me a favor if you give me something Decidedly Odd to fixate on)#nail gore #nail whump #hand whump

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roguishwretches · 2 months

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HI!!! I made something!!!!!!

#having an art style crisis rn #I was listening to the Astarion playlist I made while rendering this and #it felt both odd and really cool at the same time #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion ancunin #observe the boy #baldur's gate 3 fanart #this all started as a random scribble #and then it decided to look good

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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With Birthdaygate pretty much confirmed, here are two moments from 4x02 Vecna's Curse that hit different...

(1) First we have Jonathan stopping Will as he goes into Rink-O-Mania to tell him something. Will turns around quickly and almost looks, dare I say, hopeful?

But why would that be the case? Unless of course there's something Will's waiting for Jonathan to say, that he hasn't said yet? Happy Birthday perhaps? Surprise Will! We didn't forget your birthday! We're coming in! We have a party planned and everything! Meet you inside! (interesting that there were birthday decorations in there as well...)

Unfortunately, all Jonathan does is tell Will that they'll be back to pick them up at 6:00. And so Will goes from sad, to hopeful, only to go back to looking sad again...

I think a lot of fans attributed Jonathan's concerned looks in this moment as him knowing about Will's feelings for Mike. And I do still think that's present, especially as he's telling Will they'll be there to pick them up later. In that specific moment he sounds sympathetic like Sorry buddy, that sucks.

However, the look Jonathan makes after Will turns away, as Argyle starts driving off, doesn't look like sympathy or pity from someone witnessing unrequited love. It looks like confusion and almost deja vu being experienced by Jonathan himself. As if he's forgetting something, but doesn't know what it is...

(2) Next is at the very end of Will and Mike's fight. Mike sort of echoes the same level of frustration he had during their rain fight, when he said It's not my fault you don't like girls. We know the scenes parallel each other, and how after both of those things are said, there's this silence that takes over, making clear that this is as far as they can go, otherwise they might risk hurting each other beyond fixing. We see both of them make faces of deep emotion here, because they probably are also being reminded of their fight last summer.

And so Will's options here were to, either (A) take it even further and risk hurting Mike more than he's hurting him, or (B) just don't say anything and let the argument end there before it gets beyond repair.

But the thing is, it almost looked like Will was going to say something. He quite literally mouths the word But-- only to cut himself off all together, looking defeated.

Here's what I think. THIS would have been the perfect moment for Will to say, But, you forgot my birthday, Mike. If it was genuinely something as simple as Mike and everyone simply forgetting and needing a reminder, without any supernatural implications involved, I think this would have been the moment to do it.

It would have also mirrored their rain fight even better because it would have been Will saying something and likely walking away, leading to Mike being like OH SHIT I have to fix this! I messed up.

But we all know it's not that simple.

As far as Will knowns, EVERYONE forgot his birthday, not just Mike. And so him calling out Mike here, might have felt slightly unjustified in that it wasn't just him who forgot.

It's almost like they're not the problem here, he is. (WILL POV ANGST)

That's what truly makes the scenes at Rink-O-Mania so heartbreaking. Because it wasn't just about Mike and El ignoring him, it was the fact that it was his literal birthday. All the most important people in his life, who used the literal memory of his birthday to bring him back bc they cared about him so much in the past, have now apparently forgot about him in the present.

Not to mention, the story not blatantly acknowledging his birthday being forgotten in the narrative of s4, means that it was framed this way bc the whole point was they only wanted it to be hinted at in s4, saving it as a surprise revelation in s5.

And so, if Will did say here, but Mike, you forgot my birthday, how would that have impacted the conflict in s4 and Vecna's plan as a whole, specifically for Will? All it would have taken was them connecting the dots after that, figuring out Vecna's plan before he could even reach Will, rendering s5 plotless?...

S5 is likely going to jump right into this, there's too much incriminating evidence about unused footage at the Rink-O-Mania location. It also fits with them not mentioning it in s4 if it's intended to be an early s5 revelation.

TBH with all the storylines going on in s4, them exploring the depths of Will's connection to Vecna just wasn't an option, bc they wouldn't have been able to do it justice. He needs to be front and center for that.

They're clearly saving the best for last...

#byler #<- target audience #stranger things #will byers #birthdaygate #stranger things 5 #st5 predictions #rink o mania #unused footage gate #vecna vision #will getting vecna'd #this also explains them just focusing on byler buildup in s4 #if a lot of s5 going to be filled with angst and revelations behind all these hidden truths going way back to the beginning #it's really good we got these moments in s3-4 that sort of show they are struggling but always come back to each other #and how that is always a constant for them no matter what #it's going to make them defying all the odds against them in s5 that much more epic #also vecna knows will pretty well...#he probably knows will is the kind of kid that if everyone in his life he forgot his birthday #he wouldn't say anything bc clearly that's a sign he is a burden (mistake)#like... that's the whole point #he is too humble to make ppl feel bad in this scenario #when he's taking it as a sign he's unloveable #like it hurts a lot but #that's will byers for you

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