As a former librarian I'm actually required to remind you that many libraries that subscribe to Libby are opted into a program that lets you subscribe and access magazines for free with no wait
And that this is actually a really fun, low cost way to not only access news and larger cultural magazines, but also to get free patterns for many different crafts that you can screenshot if need be and that lower the financial barriers to entry for trying new things
From my experience working in both academic and public libraries, many libraries are use it or lose it funding-- I have to say this because a lot of patrons feel guilty for how much they use the library and how often they're using it funny enough, but the worst thing you can do for libraries is not try out new features and not use what's already given to you as much as possible.
The numbers that come as a result of your patronage are how most libraries justify their continued existence in times of financial hardship, which sucks but, go check out some magazines on Libby!
He drinks a whisky drink (action) he drinks a vodka drink (bonus action) he drinks a lager drink (hasted action) he drinks a cider drink (action surge)
this reminds me of that time Plato defined humans asĀ āfeatherless bipedsā and Diogenes ran in with a plucked chicken screamingĀ āBEHOLD A MAN!ā
Zeus: *hits joint* okay so like. Itās gonna have a duck bill right. But an otter body okay? And then a beaver tail. Itās a mammal. But. It lays eggs!
Hades: wait wait dude. Give it. Give it poison. Make it poisonous
Athena: You mean venomous, and make sure the eggs have both reptile and bird traits.
Hermes: *takes the joint* Give it extra senses.
Poseidon: It should be aquatic.
Normally I hate drawing landscapes (and backgrounds in general) but something about DS terrain is so soothing to paint š¤
The air, as always, was cold and damp. Viktor had only seen remnants of the pre-Stranding world in photos and videos, but apparently, the ever-present fog and thick, overcast sky hadnāt always been the norm.
He didnāt mind, though. After too much time breathing the sterile, filtered atmosphere of the underground cityāair that felt not just dead, but never alive to begin withāthis was refreshing. And away from Zaun, beyond the chiralium-laced smog that made his skin itch and his eyes burn, it tasted almost sweet.
They were an hour into their journey, swallowed by the mossy-green expanse of the landscape. Jayce strode a little ahead, scanning the terrain, his sharp eyes picking out the hidden perils of loose rocks and uneven terrain. Every so often, heād point out a potential hazard, warning Viktor of dips and ridges.
Unnecessary, but Viktor let him. Normally, he might have found such gestures condescending, but Jayce was impossibly earnest. It was sweet, reallyāthe care. Being the subject of Jayce's attentiveness made his heart do strange, fluttering things.
āWe should collect chiral crystals while weāre out here,ā Jayce announced, gesturing toward a large cluster in the distanceāa grotesque tangle of hands clawing skyward, frozen in time. āWith the new Zaun trade agreements, weāre gonna be fighting other research teams for supplies.ā
āFine, but only the big ones,ā Viktor said. āIf we zigzag the entire journey, we wonāt be back to the city until tomorrow night.ā
āNothing under 50cg, I swear,ā Jayce returned with a grin.
Viktor smiled back, then turned his gaze toward the horizon. The land stretched out before them in rolling hills and jagged cliffs, shrouded in fog. In the far distance, mountains loomed, their peaks swallowed in shifting clouds, their silhouettes deep blue against the gray sky. The world here was eerily quiet, save for the occasional distant rumble of falling rock or the whisper of wind through the moss-covered earth.
It was beautiful in its transienceāa landscape destined to be reshaped by timefall and chiralium. Not erased, but altered. Transformed. Evolved. Something new from something gone.
You might be frustrated by the library never having a complete manga collection on its shelves at any given time, but the 12 year old checking out 14 volumes of One Piece at once is vital to the library ecosystem. He's like the sea otter keeping the kelp forest from being devastated by an excess of sea urchins.
---The new parents checking out 47 picture books for their 7 month old baby who clearly has nothing going on in their head except the Wii Sports Resort theme song
The retirees donating every new Mills and Boon novel they buy after one read. (Our entire collection of those smut filled pocket rocket books is donated.)
āThe old magic persists thanks to itās unfathomable power.ā
No, the old magic persists because the new magic canāt run the legacy spells I need to do my job, and keeps trying to install spirits I donāt want or need onto my orb.
Look, if the new magic didn't have a personality construct that kept trying to tell me which spells to use, maybe I wouldn't still be using the old magic.