Ramadan Challenge 2024, Day 1

What are your goals this Ramadan? Possible suggestions: 1 habit to build, 1 habit to break, and one accomplishment you hope to gain!

It's early on the first day as I write this, my suhoor hasn't even digested yet.  I wish I had a nice answer for this question, but the fact is I'm just trying to survive it in one piece.  Ramadan this year falls in a somewhat difficult time for my family where we can't afford, well, time.  It's wishful thinking to assume our schedule will allow for any additional thing when we're already living in half-hour chunks from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep.

That being said, I do have goals! They're just not what you'd expect, like trying to do a khatma.  That's unlikely.  Instead, besides just trying to survive, I'm really hoping that the schedule change during Ramadan allows me to implement any one of the changes I'm trying to do anyway.

1. Be more mindful when I read Quran (even 5 minutes of mindfulness is better for me than 20 minutes of blind reading).

2. Be more consistent in my son's education at home (30-40 minutes skills work before school isn't that much time per day but it'll have a huge impact over time!).

3. Carve out time in the day for my physical health (even if you manage 5-10 minutes of walking before or after futoor, it's something!).

4. Do better at housekeeping this mess (~1-2 hours regularly or daily beats 4 hours once or twice a week).

5. Dedicate time to support husband's Ramadan goals (sitting with him for 15 minutes to keep him on track is still more than letting him rely on his poor executive functioning skills).

6. Tackle the backlog.  There's always a backlog, but right now a few items that have been left undone too long are having consequences, especially the things affecting my health and my family.

7. Mental health.  The way I've been letting it decline hasn't been helping anyone. It's hard work to sit with your demons, but it's Ramadan, so they're all chained up!

8. Bite the bullet around well-meaning but ultimately tactless family and/or friends. Socializing is difficult.

I wish I had time to do all of them, but getting even one or two going would be nice.

They're mostly the kinds of goals that are stepping stones on the way to more luxurious, privileged goals like having the time, health, and resources to attend taraweeh daily.  Maybe in another year or two, inshallah we'll see easier Ramadans.

There is nothing more I can do for our brothers and sisters in Palestine than what I'm already doing.  If nothing else, put in a daily click.

Oh, and I really like this goal setting sheet from this year.

Day 2

“now this is real horror, it makes you uncomfortable and doesn’t rely on cheap jumpscares” would it kill you to stop being such a prick and have fun for once. could you try anyway

How good has the Plaithius Army been doing under Syfyn and Trystan's lead, are they running even better than when Commander was leading them in the past?

Honestly, the entirety of Plaithus is falling apart very, very slowly. I don't want to say too much A.) b/c it's spoilery, and B.) b/c a lot of it is/will be Patreon stuff, but I can say that Trystan, Syfyn, Marcelle, + Emeline are all struggling to live up to their roles as leaders right now. The Council is corrupt and taking over, and the people are angry and pointing fingers in the wrong directions.

As for soon to be new Queen Esmerelda... there's a lot going on there, too. A lot of pressure to live up to, and subvert, expectations.

LOVE UR PIRATES...now let's see the wizards

YESSS TY LETS GOOO (Once again I have a whole lotta wizards and I ramble a lot so I'll just pick a few!! For now.) OKAY!! Let's start with her highness, Persephone Solanaceae! Who is not, in fact, actually royal. But a Marleybonian noble known more for her infamous family name (and the horrible, terrible, fantastical rumors that surround it) rather than her actual title itself as the Heiress.

Growing up in a rather unorthodox setting (A mad scientist father will do that to you), Persephone has always been a bit off. And that is aside from the fact that she’s mean as sin and just awful to be around, as if she wouldn’t spit on you and call you peasant trash for breathing her air. (you may get the feeling you’re not actually the thing she’s so angry and disgusted with, hm!). She’s a necromancer with immense magical skill and knowledge, despite being perhaps one of the most glass glass-cannons to ever live. It surprised everyone when she volunteered to take the place of “The Savior Of The Spiral” after the original was put out of commission (Strange, some think, suspicious, others think), and she became intensely dedicated to this task. Grumpily so. Angrily so. Thinks everyone is annoying, thinks the Spiral should stop trying to die every other week. All in all though she may have an impressively vile personality she... appears to be trying to help. Or maybe she's just trying to avoid going back home to her manor in Marleybone. A prissy little rich thing with too many secrets.

And her (probably future girlfriend) Lilith Vitae! My awful not-so-little theurgist! Persephone and her are... opposites in MOST ways, so they have been petty rivals since childhood. And by petty I mean It's On Sight, they will fight! Lilith comes from a much more humble upbringing and is super, super upset about being a Theurgist, seeing it as too 'soft' for her. Healing is not what she's interested in, she likes fighting! Adrenaline!! Do you remember Morganthe's offer in Zafaris for the YW to join her? Lilith sure does. She was never the savior, even if that was the group she was stuck with for most of her teenage years, hearing THAT put ideas in her head. And she realized huh! That sounds fucking great, actually! Obviously at the time it wasn't an option but, years later? Long after said queen has been disposed of, and Lilith is now free of school and obligation? She thinks maybe SHE'LL go back to Khrysalis, maybe she'll pick up the remnants of Morganthe's army and influence, and maybe. Maybe she'll fill the empty role of queen and finally get to live up to her true potential! So she says! Lilith is highkey deranged and highkey trying to have a villain arc partially because she genuinely WANTS TO, and partially because certain people have led her to believe this is the best path. TLDR she's a punchy-boxer type fighter stuck with life magic and a lot of repression! Is also very gay for Persephone. Aaaand one more to round it out, let's go with Oceania Zenith, resident storm main. So yk it's bad. (sry storm mains.) Ocean was the INITIAL Savior of the Spiral! She had a natural connection and talent to storm magic from a very young age! and this was recognized by the Council of Light rather quickly, who came in to scoop up Ocean as fast as possible to start shaping her into the perfect savior. Well, what good that did! Since Ocean grew up to know so little of how normal kids acted that she was just painfully sheltered. She knew how to duel, how to fight, didn't know what a sleepover was or how to talk to people her own age. And she now has the ego of an Aquilan God and a hero complex to boot. So she became incredibly cocky and full of herself, because I mean, scoff, she's THE Savior. She can do no wrong, perfectly fine to idolize her though<3. She had no friends hah. Except Persephone, because apparently their mean energies were so powerful they attracted each other. (Or because Ocean felt a need to protect the weird little goth girl from the world.) But she's unstoppable really! She swears! Spoilers she is not unstoppable, and her arrogance leads her into a very awful, very super not good time! She's not the Savior anymore.

A little headcannon I have is that the OG Fairy Council's native language isn't english (and maybe even the past fairytale world in general) but rather a forgotten ancient language that hardly anyone knows of now. It wouldn't really make sense but I think it's cool.

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Oh hey, i almost forgot to live blog my bad choices.

So last night my teeth hurt real bad. Woke me up from sleep bad. And I ended up using clove essential oil to numb it.

Which is okay if you dilute it with say, olive oil and use a cotton swab to apply it or something.

I just stumbled for my clove oil in the dark, put a drop or two on my finger and rubbed it in there.

So if you see a news story about a dumb white girl who died of liver failure, remember me fondly. <3

sunstone..? perhaps???

anon ur so real for this... they're my faves since i first played rw

havent drawn them in a loong time though so i doodled these real quick :^)

Heaven Official's Blessing except I haven't read the book, remember nothing of the donghua, and saw a few spoilers.

Sorry, for the delay, I got sick last week and couldn't update, here is part 8 ! As always, please, no spoilers in the replies or in the reblogs! I read all the tags, and I intend on reading the novels once I'm done with this serie. In this case, a spoiler would mean any sorts of correction regarding what I've put in this comic: I know I'm wrong, this is the point of this serie. (Character's name or role in the story counts as well.)

Lots of new characters today! One of the rare thing I remember is that this whole arc happens in the Gobi desert, so I wanted to reflect that in some way. I had a lot of fun doing this part, I hope you'll enjoy it too! And happy spooky season! :D

Part 1 | <<Previous Part<< | >> Next part >> | Final Part

the only thing staying this woman's hand is the westerosi equivalent of a catholic upbringing

assorted doodles (+an edit) for a god au friend and i have been rambling about

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 2: From Table to TV

Hi I would like to hear abt ur ocs 👀

cracks knuckles, TYSM FOR ENABLING ME! I have a whole lotta ocs so I think for this ask I'll just pick a few so I don't write a whole novel at once! A few pirates of mine! If anyone wants a wizard post of the same nature... (;

Let's start with my love my light my darling, Desiderius Calamitas! My resident musketeer. This guy.

Desi is, in a sense, my 'main' pirate! This is The Pirate! Born and raised in Monquista, he had it pretty rough being a non-native and dealing with Monquista's... shall we say exclusionary tendencies. Being a gorgon and growing up to feel ashamed of it and hide this at ALL times, along with being treated like some dangerous feral beast, Desi left the instant he could. Which was when he turned 18 and hijacked a pirate ship, effectively coercing the crew into handing over power as a trade-off for saving them from a close call with the Armada. He's a megalomaniac, it's true. With a love for all things bright and sparkly and pink and oh, he just wants to be a pirate yk?? He takes over as Captain to a reluctant crew and ends up slowly becoming a very infamous and wanted figure. Because he's a menace to society<3! A smart chessmaster, but naive and vain and the holder of a megalomaniac complex. Lovely little man. He wants to take over Monquista someday, but for now? He will happily settle for having the highest bounty possible by the Armada (and trying to figure out how guns work haha help he's never done this before).

MOVING ON! To one of his crewmates! Marion Merripen! (Desi's boyfriend cough cough) Who is the crew "witchdoctor", though in reality? He's a necromancer with a hatred of his own magic and is far more inclined to act as the crew's medic. Having been raised for a time by a Marleybonian doctor, he has medical knowledge and is in charge of keeping everyone else in one piece... mostly. Though he's been a pirate for longer, he doesn't seem all that interested in fame or fortune. Rather it's just... what he knows, after being picked up as a younger teen for the crew to get him away from Marleybone. Why away from Marleybone, besides it being hell on earth? Marion is a fae! Specifically, the son of a faerie and a merrow, a hybrid who can't help but stand out and... does not bode well with worlds like MB who can't hide their judgements. So he became a pirate instead. It was a nice outlet for his INTENSE repressed anger! He's a very grumpy fella, but he has plenty of reason to be, even if he's a touch too rough and mean at times. So a vulgar and fairly mean goth who's also in charge of patching ya up after ya get stabbed on the job for the millionth time, good luck!! And how about the starter antagonist, General Achille, (Desi's other boyfriend cough cough) someone who Desi and co. assume is a member of Kane's court. A 7ft tall battle angel General, who, after one too many disturbances, is tasked with finding and capturing Desi and his crew. Or killin him. Whichever comes first, the Armada isn't picky. Achille opts for the second option more often than not. There's a few issues though. Issue number one is that Desi is IMMEDIATELY taken by the sight of him, falling head over heels for the person trying to murder him weekly and finding him to just be the most radiant man to ever walk the Spiral. Achille has no fucking clue what any of that means, but over time Desi's weird reactions and constant flirting strike up a bit of, gasp, fondness?? Perhaps? And he starts to look forward to their encounters a bit, perhaps. Maybe. The other issue is that Achille is... not a clockwork, not that this is common knowledge. The crew doesn't have time to think about this while he's trying to slice them in half. But raised under the 'care' of the Armada since he was terribly young (after he lost his mother, three guesses as to how), he was taken in as a pet project. His sun magic being seen as a potential weapon to be wielded. Essentially brainwashing him for his entire life to be the perfect solider and question no orders, to not think for himself. But no one knows this. Not even Achille, having fallen so deep into the trance that he truly sees himself as a machine and needs to work to regain his humanity. Woo! After all, those clockwork wings attached to his back sure speak another story, huh?

something i've always loved about dungeon meshi that i can talk about now since it finally happened in the anime is like, the way everyone especially Marcille is shown adapting their skillsets to the circumstances of their unusual dungeon crawl. we get lots of clever problem solving spotlight moments with things like Senshi and Chillchuck collaborating to use flame traps to cook, and Laios' monster knowledge helps them defeat plenty of monsters and discover things like the living armor mollusks. Marcille gets some moments like this too for sure, especially with things like drinking the undine. she's clearly competent and an important member of the party, but her destruction focused magic doesnt have the same utility that can shine yet. there's only so much she can adapt to as a mage, and without the usual dungeoneering resources, she's out of her element.

and then we find out that's because her element is ancient forbidden elf war criminal magic

okay okay okay okay okay so at the end of The Runaway Bride Donna is still wearing the bio-damp wedding ring, right? I think she keeps it. I think at first it's just a sort of sentimental trinket- a reminder to keep traveling and explore the world and seek out the weird around her. And, well, it's a little thing, so might as well keep it on a necklace, right?

Then it comes with her on her adventures with Ten. And really it becomes less of a totem and more utilitarian. Both because of the actual bio-damp ability and because in their heart of hearts both Donna and Ten have a grifter's spirit and they WILL pretend to be married if convenient and/or funny.

Then she loses her memories. She doesn't even remember most of her failed wedding but her ring for that looked quite different and she was perfectly fine to pawn it for some quick cash. But this one. This one doesn't make sense. She asked around, of course she did, but no one around her has claimed this thing. It's just a plain gold band that happens to fit her like it was custom made, but that's not that weird, for a ring. She should sell it. She should give it away. She doesn't even need it, she has a real wedding ring now, given to her by the love of her life. Yet every time she thinks about getting rid of it, she feels a sharp pain in her chest and a tightness to her lungs, so instead she shoves it to the back of her jewelry box and tries not to think about yet another little mystery from her missing year.

14 comes into her life. Her memories come back with him. She doesn't actually remember the ring until Rose is going through her jewelry for something to wear to dinner tonight and Donna spots the chain out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't point it out, but after Rose has left she sort of. Starts wearing the necklace again. Just for her, not for anyone else, she tends to hide it under layers. The Doctor ends up spotting it. Of course he does. He looks a little stricken, recognizing it instantly, but she sends a pleading look that stops him from talking.

Rose and Shaun both talk to her about what The Doctor is to her. It feels a bit like pulling teeth, trying to explain where he fits, because best friend feels inadequate and brother isn't even close to right and she feels equally intense about The Doctor as she does about Shaun but she doesn't feel the same about them, they're different kinds of love and it's okay. They let her know it's okay. That she can have multiple people that are the loves of her life and they can be different but no lesser kinds of love and. Well. She starts wearing two wedding rings on her finger.