What's water like in your hels? Is there any there? Is it there in limited quantities? Does it rain at all? Is there only water in specific places? Was it brought from the overworld? I'm curious
There is water in hels! Just barely! It was one of Evil X's gifts to the server, getting it there. I imagine the city has a cistern he artificially filled, which is where the water from the fountains in the city and the tap water comes from. Hels is very much like the nether though! So to raise the boiling/evaporation point of the water so it stays liquid where it's supposed to be, the water is acidic. It's not eat-your-skin acidic, but its corrosive enough that using it to, say, polish armor, will lead to breakdown over time. Metals and stones they anticipate coming into a lot of contact with water [fountains, pipes] probably need regular maintenance and water proofing.
It doesn't rain in hels, all water there was brought there artificially, but I do imagine they have some weather phenomena. The peripheral of the city has a small geyser problem [any time water leaks from the cistern and comes in contact with the hotter stone around the city, you get a geyser.] There is still a cycle of hotter/cooler air, so they do get wind, and that wind will bring dust clouds and gas clouds from surrounding lava lakes and things. They get a lot of fog and fog-adjacent weather patterns, and a haze of clouds is often passing through. I also imagine they get "snows" of ash from eruptions around basalt deltas, and there are probably times of year where the different shroom plants release their spores, causing colored snows of red and blue. [We have cottonwood plants around here in the summer that coat the roads in a false snow, especially around the river where I live. I imagine whenever the warped / crimson fungus lets out spores, it would look a bit like that].
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The Giggle At a Funeral
so... just want to reiterate I love my bbg Tamlin. Precious lil guy who should have been a happy bard and deserves the happiest ending possible. Just keep that in mind pls. Enjoy!!!
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It looked like it was a quiet passing.
Not a single peep had rang out amongst the now dark forests, like all sparks of life were smothered to cold ashes. The only noise was the rustling of dead leaves and snapping of weak branches against the harsh wind.
It looked like it had been a soundless death; an even lonelier funeral.
Rhysand was the one who had originally found the corpse. The body was already in the stage of rotting when the High Lord happened upon the remains. Rhysand seemed to have been there with the intent to antagonize and gloat. One could only rationally assume he was met with an unwanted response from his target.
Eventually, the news had followed Rhysand back to the Court of Dreams, where Lucien was first informed of it. He had originally been there to offer updates on the politics of the Continent and any changes from the last briefing. All for show, of course, Azriel already knew all there was to know. It just took place so the Inner Circle would test to see if Lucien lied.
Lucien had been occupying a lone leather chair close to the corner, delicately nursing a small glass of fae wine. Time spent in the Mortal Lands made it so consuming fae cuisine was now unreasonably difficult. It was hard to withstand flavors now when one was accustomed to the taste of ash.
The Inner Circle was lazily scattered on the other pieces of furniture occupying the room. Mor was languidly draped over a velvet couch, chatting idly with Cassian who was giving her a tender foot rub. Azriel was standing over them, pointedly staring at the floor with crossed arms but dutifully nodding along when appropriate.
Nesta was off training with the Valkyries. Lucien rarely saw her nowadays, and it felt purposeful, at least on Rhysand’s end. Keeping the outliers separated.
The ancient horror was, thankfully, away with her Summer Court prince. Small mercies.
Elain was nowhere to be found. Lucien had stopped letting that wound sting for a while now.
Finally, Feyre was settled in the other couch, her son in her arms. The baby kept trying to squirm out of his blanket, and Feyre was trying her best to keep him snuggled, but Nyx’s small wings kept getting squashed or poked out awkwardly. The boy had started making agitated squeaks, and Lucien could tell a meltdown seemed imminent. Nobody had looked to be worrying about that on the other side of the room. Feyre had briefly glanced upwards at one point towards the Inner Circle, and had tried to get their attention, but her calls were drowned out by their combined voices.
Lucien had thought about getting up to help several times, but he was rooted to his seat. He had helped her so many times before on much grander scales. The trials, Spring Court, Autumn Court, The armies, and what did he ever receive as gratitude? Nothing at best and torture at worst.
What would happen to him this time if the Inner Circle deemed him too close for their liking to the Heir of the Night Court? Too close to the High Lord’s Lady? It seemed utterly irrational, but it’s been proven to be completely within the realm of possibility for this Court.
It made him all the more apprehensive to put his head on the chopping block again for her, even if it was no fault of Nyx.
So he had only watched on, and it made him feel despicable. It was a lonely and wretched feeling.
Though he had been invited to Velaris, he was certainly not welcome.
Suddenly, Rhysand had stumbled through the doorway and roared thunderously, shaking the mansion like a quake. Nyx let out a startled screech that quickly devolved to inconsolable wailing. Feyre tried to comfort him, but there was little she could do by herself. The Inner Circle quickly flocked to their High Lord with questions and worry.
Some started to celebrate the news once Rhysand’s crazed rambles gave enough context. Their applause and cheers seemed to muffle out the baby’s crying and Feyre’s calls for help with her son. Rhysand seemed to be the only one enraged like a mad animal.
Lucien had been struck paralyzed for an eternity before he had found himself winnowing to the ruins that was once the Spring Court, Running to a tomb that was once his home, and standing over the body that was once alive.
Among the bones of animals, He was laying on His side, eyes closed with softened features, like He was merely taking a much needed rest. Thin arms hugged His body, locked in place even after His heart quieted. The tunic, empty baldric, and trousers looked more like they blanketed His emaciated corpse instead of being worn.
It uncannily looked everything and nothing like who He was before.
His face was never that peaceful or open.
It looked unbelievable. Fake. A cruel joke that made him want to hold his breath for the moment when the ruse ceased. But that moment would never come.
Lucien couldn’t understand Rhysand’s rage. Didn’t Rhysand want this? Rhysand was furious at His continued existence and now he has the gall to foam at the mouth at His death?
Rhysand was always a spoilt creature, never satisfied with anything.
It was all so insane that it made Lucien laugh. He couldn’t hold it back. He kept laughing and laughing until he was sobbing, slowly falling to his knees and his hands clutching weakly onto the cold, rotting hand of the other.
Tamlin was gone.
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not to. Return There. but. I am compelled to burn my wings against the bright light until the end of times, so.
I think that if Totk Ganondorf was ever meant to be a criticism of imperialism, it's a pretty incomplete one without Rauru taken into account.
While Ganon is very representative of the "conquest" aspect as a Strongman Fascist who reveres strength and the violent part of the initial domination, he has no concrete plans of enforcement and structure down the line, no way to preserve his flimsy grip on power (the game makes a point to tell us he doesn't care for survivors and he doesn't ever seem eager to preserve any kind of infrastructure). Rauru --who somehow couldn't "come to the aid" of Hyrule without crowning himself king about it-- isn't about the conquest or the violence, but Hyrule is nothing if not an extremely well oiled system with a centralized religion, coin, language, history, legends and social class self-replicating since the literal beginning of times.
The *very long sigh* imperialism thing isn't about making one of these two egotistical weirdos more righteous than the other: it's about acknowledging the parallels, even if the game itself throws hissy fits at the mere suggestion Ganondorf and Rauru are two characters who are begging to be compared (and even make vague strides that they should be during cutscenes, though they are not super specific and immediatey dissolve into a little puddle of nothing, I'll give you that willingly), because if Ganondorf represents stage 1: the conquest... then Rauru should represent stage 2: the consolidation.
And the fact that the game is desperate to refute that these two kingly idiots adhere to the same fundamental system of governance (and the one who's deeply into the concept of centralization and automation and leveling of culture and repression of literal identity through the liberal use of masks not being the chaotic dramaqueen on his edgy unicorn giggling to himself about awkward murder scenes) feels like pretty offputting denial --because, truly, what is so scary about noticing the similarities? Wouldn't it be enriching and worth the conversation?
What are we so afraid of?
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vietnamese cuisine doesn’t really use sesame seeds or sesame oil or dark soy sauce as much as the chinese, korean, or japanese, a lot of us think sesame oil has such a strong flavor it’s basically only suitable as a preservative to mask the off-flavors of turned meat and using old ingredients is a big nono to us, we have a “go to the market everyday for fresh ingredients” culture. one of my core memories in the kitchen with my mom was when i was making sườn heo kho tiêu/black pepper braised pork ribs with my mom as a gift to one of her ailing friends, and my mom drizzled sesame oil and sesame seeds on top of the finished ribs and she was like we only do this when giving food as a gift to someone else so it can seem “fresh” for a longer amount of time. which is why using sesame oil isn’t as common because in our minds, it’s relegated to the chinese koreans and japanese because they supposedly don’t get fresh ingredients everyday and NEED sesame oil, according to my family. similarly most of us barely, if at all, use dark soy sauce because it’s “so heavily flavored” that it’ll overwork and damage our kidneys, because a vietnamese philosophy for living a long life involves lightly seasoning your food.
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