Kitchen And Craft Wix Corner (Exciteable Bird, Enter At Own Risk)

are there essential oils for tea and coffee? i think that may be nice as a base note for some of these

 

I like myrrh with black pepper, for smokey/slight nose sting but that might just be me

 

light nose sting may be a bit much for a beard oil at least? idk what folks with beards like but given it's like right under the nose that Sure Is A Bit Strong Maybe.
The tricky thing is I'm hyper sensitive to scents and get overstimulated very easily so this is like a tightrope between 'lightly scented care products that are unisex/masculine enough to read as barber supplies', my perfectionism, and my sensory processing disorder.
I should add that this is a LARP project so some fantasy-esque stuff and slightly more antiquated scent notes are appropriate.

 

I adore sandalwood & vanilla as my go-to light unisex scent combo. Idk what would go with myrrh that would be light :/

 

vanilla everything is nice, so sandalwood and vanilla sounds great af, nodnod. Thanks for input!!!!

 

A lot of incense is surprisingly nice with, like, slightly fruity smells - myrrh and a leeeeetle orange for example

 

speaking of joinage in life destroying horrible hobbies, I should fucking
look in ma's jewelry crafting cupboard. she said she still have magnets she doesn't plan to use and I could see if they'll work for quartzy

 

aight so we had disk magnets, not stick magnets but i'm literally just too lazy to order stick magnets on amazon sssoooooo fuck it. I'll rig something up. if I have to i'll just use two magnets and construct weird armature wire pegs to use or some thing. I just need these joints functional, not pretty lmao

 

hrhrhrhrhhhhhhhh
i want to post pictures of quartzy in progress but I'm not 100% happy with them and idk and I haven't worked on her in forever....... so i'm externalizing.
rate this post if u want me to post a progress timeline for My Girl

 

The People........ Have Spoken...........

Again, the concept art bc i'm still pretty happy with it, even tho the end result is gonna look nothing like it lmao it was just an Initial Vibe

Spoiler: big prolly

then the initial stages of cleaning up bc HOO BOY this was a very well loved doll, thanks again to @TwoBrokenMirrors for sending me her and the frankie stein

Spoiler: doll.... dismembering...? also partial doll nudity

and now the actual crafting progress!

Spoiler: full doll nudity, also spreading infection stuff

First shoulder modding done with hot glue and wire!


Hair! (yes it's a terrible job, yes it's wefts, no i will likely never reroot because fuck that, i'm gonna cover it in a bit)


Finally a damn base coat to get rid of the staining! And the first bits of blush and eyebrows!

 

Spoiler: spreading infection and doll nudity pt 2

And now the first thing i'm actually really proud of, really fine bits of veining where the stone is growing out of the skin! and the stone bits i used the super glue and baking soda method on is to disguise her horrid hairline


Eyebrows looking fine, everything else..... eh...... not so much....... god eyelashes are difficult af to draw

this is also when i derped and field off some of the base coat bc there was some really visible staining on her under chin and I wanted to fix it..... but i made it so much worse.............. also when i gave up trying to fight my nature and let her go full goth lipstick....

shading and detailing the eyes!


and finally! her current status with the fully realized face up with some little touches in mica water colors for glittery eyes

now i just need to do her new arm, some more body modding to tie the stone bits in entirely, and then I gotta give her clothes!

 

oh wtf those mods are cool as hell that looks awesome

 

THEY'RE REALLY EASY AND CHEAP HONESTLY
just a thing of pebbles from the dollar store equivalent for Decorative Kitchy Nonsense and a whole lotta super glue and soda and hotglue
and shaded with some pastels! I love working with them it's like using makeup but on teeny tiny dolls........

 

Have some candid shots ::P

 

you know in hindsight maye eating leftover compost in winesauce at noon was not my smartest idea

 

however i believe i promised folks a post.
So!!!

Spoiler: ocularum

A skull set upon a staff, these macabre artifacts cause magical shards in the area to glow with magical radiance when a viewer looks through the eyes of the skull.



Alexius was quite clear in his orders. We must scour the countryside to find more of the shards. Without them, the Venatori cannot claim the treasure our master seeks. For that, we need the oculara. Without them, the shards are nearly impossible to find, even if they are no longer cloaked by whatever magic hid them for all these centuries.

There must be more Tranquil in the area — the rebels abandoned most of them when they fled their Circles. Remember, the skull will only attune properly if the Tranquil is in close proximity to one of the shards when the demon is forced to possess him. Even then, the blow must be delivered immediately. The oculara produced from Tranquil killed even minutes later failed to illuminate the shards when used.

I trust you to continue your efforts in this matter. Our master expects success.

—A letter found in an abandoned house in Redcliffe Village

Spoiler: A Worn Diary

This book appears to be a diary, with strange charts and illustrations drawn beside thin, cramped columns of text:

At first I thought the rocks that glow fell from the sky, but the spirits whisper that these shards have been here for ages "as you reckon them." Did the tear in the Veil reveal these stones? Is that why the strangely-dressed mages want them? Yesterday they were erecting skulls, of all things, on top of pillars! The spirits warned me to hide, and it was a good thing I listened. I saw one of the mages cut a man open with a dagger, and milk the power of his blood, and I am afraid of a man who could do that to another as if it's nothing.

I thought templars were supposed to stop blood mages, but the ones that came are strange, and red, and are working with the mages. The spirits agree - it's very alarming. They've been urging me to run further into the wastes, but my supplies are low. I'll go in a few days if hunting goes well.

Spoiler: Leather-Bound Hakkonite Journal

Thane Harofsen thinks he alone can work the words of lowlanders, as though the augurs had not learned the tale-drawing runes to study the old magic. He is blind, but the Jaws of Hakkon would not be here without him. A hold needs blind men with big blades sometimes.

In the old times, the first Jaws of Hakkon spoke with the great spirit himself. He opened their eyes that they might see the elfstones hidden across the world, and they entered the old cave and learned the mysteries of winter. Their working of cold let them slip through the ice-wall that wards the lowlander fortress, and we must now do the same if we are to take it as our own.

Hakkon has been silent all our lives. He cannot speak to us in dreams or open our eyes, and we remain blind to the elfstones. The lowlanders, though, have found a new way to see them. The skull of a dream-slain, set with the right magicks, can bring the elfstones to our sight.

We will regain the mystery of winter.

Spoiler: David Gaider statement on the Rite of Tranquility

transcript:

Wulfram wrote
Is the brand a necessary part of the process, or just something they do so you can recognise them?
​

David Gaider
It's part of the rite, the lyrium being what severs the link to the Fade.
[Accessed via Wayback Machine]

Spoiler: Titans

Harritt made an odd discovery in Skyhold's Undercroft: a page of handwritten text torn from Shaper Valta's personal journal.

The Titans are real. I knew it the moment I unearthed that ancient text. Renn scoffed at the words I read. I couldn't blame him, even as I felt the truth settle on me like a warm cloak. Much of our history has been lost, and the Wall of Memories goes back only so far. There had to be more to the story of our people, and I've finally found one of those lost chapters.

It's impossible to describe in words how truly vast a Titan is. The one I met is so large you can only glimpse parts of it. I had wandered inside its body for who knows how long without even realizing it. I've heard tales of dragons and giants on the surface, but descriptions of their size do not compare to the Titan's.

Its blood now flows through me, and its song fills the gaps in our history. I close my eyes and see glimpses of the world that was, before everything changed and the dwarven race broke in two. Something caused the Titans to fall, and the fate of my people fell with them. The Titan wants me to know. No, more than that. It wants me to understand. There is a loneliness to its song.

Spoiler: Dialogue with Cole

Inquisitor: I'd like to talk to you about Templars.
Cole: They're heavy with forgotten songs, like Varric. Some of them are too loud. It's hard to stay near them. Cullen is softer, but demons asked questions that hurt him. Evangeline was kinder. I want to explain, but I-- Rhys's mother spoke to spirits but not to him. And then she died for a templar he loved. Words just... bounce off the edges...
[Investigation option: Explain how templars feel]
Inquisitor: Can you tell me more about how the Templars feel to you?
Cole: They feel older than they look. They've been changed and their bodies are incomplete now. The lyrium helps, but their bodies always want to connect to... something older, bigger than they are. That's why they block magic. They reach for that... other thing, and magic has no room to come in. Varric feels like that. [if Inquisitor is a dwarf:] So do you. Except your mark pulls you up.

Spoiler: Old Elven Writing

This elven writing found in the Arbor Wilds is so old as to be incomprehensible.

There are whispers from the Well of Sorrows. It's impossible to understand the entire text, but certain parts suddenly reveal a shadow of their original meaning.

"In this place we prepare to hunt the pillars of the earth. Their workers scurry, witless, soulless. This death will be a mercy. We will make the earth blossom with their passing."

For one moment there is a vivid image of two overlapping spheres; unknown flowers bloom inside their centers. Then it fades.

Spoiler: Veilfire Runes In The Deep Roads

In the light of the veilfire, the runes seem to shift, coiling and uncoiling like snakes. A thunderous voice shatters the stillness, shouting:

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!"

For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire.
The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy.
A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic.
Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast.
A voice whispers:

"What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

Spoiler: Tracing from the Temple Doors

An inscription taken at the temple doors in the Forbidden Oasis, followed by a translation. The writing is shaky and uneven, as though the writer labored to complete the task:

Emma solas him var din'an. Tel garas solasan. Melana en athim las enaste.

Arrogance became our end. Come not to a prideful place. Now let humility grant favor.

Spoiler: Inscription in the Oasis Temple

Faintly carved into the stone is a figure
bound in chains. Two other figures have
turned their gaze from the central image.

The script below the image is ancient,
though Solas is able to provide a partial
translation:

Pride in our accomplishments and in our
hearts. That same pride became (a word
meaning corrupted or altered) within him,
he sought to claim (indecipherable), cast
from favor and so he was bound.

Hidden from mortal eyes, death lies within.

Ssssooooooo...

1. Lyrium is titan blood and is the only reliable way beyond dreamslaying to severe someone entirely from the Fade because the connection to the Titans through it fills the room a link through the veil would normally occupy.
2. The "elfstones" or shards can only be reliably found by someone possessed by a spirit (prior to the cloaking being lifted, though this just makes them visible at all), or by using the skull of a tranquil killed the very instant a spirit is pulled into their body, then set with a crystal in the right eyesocket and afixed with magic. (which makes them actually glow with some sort of magical energy), suggesting the shards are partially titan-era-dwarven in nature, presumably appropriated/modified by the elves of Arlathan and at least cloaked and hidden by elven magic.
3. The cloaking on the shards failed at the same time as the tears in the veil began appearing
4. The shards are primarily used to access the temple of Solasan.
5. The shards can be found without the oculara but it is extremely difficult. Still the Venatori have been working to find them with singleminded determination days after the Breach first appeared, and they knew of Solasan.
6. Something was bound in there by two figures, for some sort of transgression.
7. Mythal was hugely involved in the war with the Titans.
8. Solas does not see any being connected to the Titans as people either. He is the only source of this knowledge Corypheus could have possibly had.
9. The temple is fucking called Solasan.
10. In conclusion: tranquil if brought into contact with an awake Titan could potentially be granted the same magic as the Titans granted Valta. The shards are dwarven in nature.
11. The pride demon we saw sealed inside of there may very well become relevant come DA4. It could be anything from an advisor to Mythal sealed here for egging her into the conflict with the Titans, or a lieutenant of Solas' rebellion who was tempted by something from the void, or the titans, or this was a forgotten ones, or any other thing. But I feel like it is very clear that Solasan was sealed off by mythal and solas together. It may even be an aspect of Fen'Harel sealed here in an effort to contain his worse impulses. It's definitely likely to be relevant as it is a DAKeep tapestry portion.

 

Also I've seen some folks say Cole's comments make the explanations of Seekers' powers make no sense, but it makes perfect sense,

Spoiler: for Cassandra's personal quest

they're possessed by a spirit of Faith and have lyrium branded into their body, of course they would be able to influence the lyrium inside templars (and themselves, allowing abilities similar to those of templars) and have access to powers similar to Wynne's Vessel of the Spirit abilities.
It remains my headcanon that Seekers of Truth have the brand of tranquility on the back of their heads, where hair would grow over it and that's why they don't like. realize it's the rite of tranquility leading into the vigil.

 

Can i just say that i love your DA theories?

 

alright but if "murder the world to make it better" is the plan cooked up without his worse impulses, what the Fuck is he going to come up with next if the demon there is released

 

THANKS I TRY
My secret is that I'm massively disappointed in 90% of the theory crafters bc they're lazy and don't support their hypotheses well enough and it's dumb and shit
new theory: fenris's marks absolutely should have some sort of influence on his ability to dream. Lyrium is one of the few things to actually appear in the exact same spots as in the real world in the fade as well which is interesting, and we know varric can end up in the fade in Night Terrors and Here Lies The Abyss, and dwarven wardens can be sucked into Sloth's demesne in the Broken Circle quest as well. But it's odd and fenris literally has the same powers as Justice in Dragon Age: Awakening and one of the gifts for Justice is a ring set with unrefined lyrium, which is toxic to 'most living creatures' (which is fine, Justice is in a corpse during that time. Rip in Piss Kristoff.)
Actually give me a moment to actually read up on his skill descriptions.

Spoiler: Tevinter Fugitive (Specialization)

Tattooed with lyrium and fueled by vengeance, Fenris is an unnerving foe and an invaluable ally on the battlefield.
(I see what you did there bioware owo)

• Veneer of Calm: Fenris maintains an appearance of calm, but it is only a facade. Every wound he takes stirs at his deeply buried resentment, increasing his attack damage.
  Damage: Up to 150% (inverse proportion to health)
• Battle Tempo: Every time he kills an enemy, Fenris's pace quickens for a short time.
  Attack speed: +30% upon enemy death.
• Inner Reserves: Each time Fenris kills an enemy, years of hard conditioning restore a portion of his stamina.
  Stamina regeneration: Minimum 5% upon enemy death, based on enemy rank
• Deflect: Fenris further attunes his tattoos. Their lyrium pathways now help to negate hostile magic attacks.
  Magic resistance: +25%

Those are the passives, which like, yawn boring, whatever, next. But the active skills OuO

• Lyrium Ghost (sustained): While this mode is active, Fenris fades into a wraithlike state and becomes difficult to track on the battlefield.
  Defense: +20%
  Critical chance: +20%
  • Lyrium Specter: Lyrium Ghost protects Fenris more effectively.
    Damage resistance: +10%
    Magic resistance: +10%
• Spirit Pulse: Fenris flares with dark energy, lashing foes with a blast of spiritual force. (Lyrium Ghost must be active.)
  Spirit damage: 2x
  Elemental Force: 4x
  Size: 8m
  • Spirit Flux: The energy behind Spirit Pulse turns chaotic, stunning most enemies.
    Stun chance: 100% vs normal enemies.
    Duration: 5s

Compare to the Spirit Warrior Specialization in DA:O-A

Spoiler: Spirit Warrior (Specialization)

Although spirit warriors employ magical abilities, they are not mages; instead, they flirt with inhabitants of the Fade who agree to augment mortal abilities in exchange for a glimpse of the physical world. Naturally, the Chantry's templars rarely acknowledge that distinction.

• Beyond the Veil (sustained): The warrior dons a cloak of mystical energies from the Fade in order to evade a substantial proportion of physical attacks, although the mode drains stamina constantly. If the warrior has Soulbrand, this mode also adds a moderate chance of resisting hostile spells, and the warrior's attacks all deal spirit damage, bypassing enemy armor. If the warrior has Blessing of the Fade, the chance of resisting hostile spells increases further and the warrior gains bonuses to movement speed and attack speed.
• Soulbrand (passive): The warrior has gained a deeper connection to the spirit world. While Beyond the Veil is active, the warrior gains a moderate chance of resisting hostile spells, and attacks now deal spirit damage, bypassing enemy armor.
• Blessing of the Fade (passive): The warrior is able to draw strength from the benevolent spirits of the Fade. While Beyond the Veilis active, the warrior's chance of resisting hostile spells increases further and the warrior gains bonuses to movement speed and attack speed.
• Fade Burst (activated): The warrior bursts with energies drawn from the other side of the Veil, dealing spirit damage to all enemies nearby, particularly harming creatures from the Fade. The amount of damage depends on the warrior's willpower attribute. Friendly fire is possible.

It is very important to note that Dwarves can become spirit warriors without problem, which confuses things a bit, but then dwarven templars theoretically exist too. And Lyrium appears in the Fade and can be used to augment mana if treated right, though arguably that's just blood magic at work. either way, if we look towards the popular fan theory/fanon thing of all elves developing magical ability once the veil comes down entirely, it is very much possible that Fenris might become one of the most powerful and influential people in DA4 given the titans and Valta's stuff being a giant loose thread right now. It is entirely possible Fenris' abilities are related to Titan magic as well, as he is entirely dependant on the Lyrium brands.

There's also something with the Profane and Rock Wraiths, titan bullshit and Shades (physically manifested demons in the material realm without possession being invovled) and the fact that Titans may actually just be a far enough removed breed of Spirit that manifested more physically than the other fade denizens?