the inn at the crossroads

stay awhile and listen; or don't I'm chill

[orteil42]

given the current climate this pride especially i feel i must mention that i love my trans friends, i stand with trans people in the fight against transphobic legislation and those who would enforce it, and this blog is not a good place for you to be if you do not vibe with that

[nateeseart]

[quinnthebard]

Thinking about Ms Eminne again lol

[imapuppetqueer]

Gotta catch em all

[lizzystarie]

Fields of Mistria chibis 🩷It's the siblings' turn~

[whimsywillowfox]

Humming for his friends 🐦🎶🎵

[quinnthebard]

Trying to claw myself out of the mental health trenches I've been in for like a month. Bear with me

[quinnthebard]

I read This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews and I can't stop thinking about it. It's been a month lmao

[wildehacked]

things in fic I'm used to people kind of faking their way through writing about:

the city of los angeles

the city of new york

sex

how drinking alcohol works

how getting high works

how a child of any age speaks

how nuclear physics work

how [my job] works

how debilitating being shot in the shoulder is

how hypothermia works

things I have never before seen someone fake their way through writing about, until today:

what french toast is

[headspace-hotel]

read through the notes on this one trust me

[kiragecko]

Here's some of the notes, starting with the things multiple people brought up:

SHRIMP COCKTAIL:

banahbanah: #flashback to that one fic where Peter Parker frets about drinking shrimp cocktail because of the alcohol

generaldeliciousness: adding: what a prawn/shrimp cocktail is

#why is your character turning it down because they're under 21 #do you think prawn cocktail is a cocktail #this lives in my brain rent-free constantly #the rest of the fic was so normal #and good enough that i'll still re-read it #but bro

And then many, MANY, people wondering if this was actually authour mistake, since Peter really would do this!

POMEGRANATES:

zhajhassa: #haha where's that post that was like someone describing someone eating a pomegranate but they ate it like an apple

thornhands: #once someone wrote persephone biting into a whole Pomegranate #had to stop and stare at a wall for a minute

sungsingsanguine: I once saw someone very confidently write about a character eating slices of pomegranate.

FRUIT TREES:

zagreuses-toast: #given a very endearing glimpse into a writers blindspots by seeing them describe someone sitting under a ''pineapple tree''

salatrash: I remember something about picking watermelons... OF A FUCKING TREE

baander: #cranberry trees

DOUGH/BATTER:

maycelium: #I'm a chef so I'm really used to people not accurately describing how to cook food #But I was surprisingly flabbergasted when someone was writing making a cake and was kneading it. Which uh #Not necessary for cake. It was interesting for sure but just bizarre

livebloggingmydescentintomadness: #the one that drove me nuts was when a character set aside a batch of PASTA DOUGH 'to rise' #pasta doesn't have yeast!! #it does need to REST but it will never RISE #you do not want an airy crumb on your noodles

lovesodeepandwideandwell: #THE ONE WHERE THEY MADE COOKIES BY LADLING BATTER INTO A TRAY

Some other topics:

ANIMALS:

catenarwhal: #mandatory 'how cows produce milk' mention#i'll never recover from that one I fear

piromantic: #one time i saw someone fake their way through describing how spiders behave

pluto-lichen: horses

misskittypotter: #stardew valley faking its way through what fresh fish smell like

pa-pa-plasma: #saw someone faking their way through knowing what a seal is once #i still am fucked up over that one to this day. they just straight up did not know #& they were NOT good at guessing it either like it was clear they had never googled that animal ever #& was only just now realizing via answering questions from anons that seals are not!! what they assumed. initially

SEX:

dykevandyke: #what a prostate is #and where it is located #as in. external.

dreamyeyedrose: #I remember back in the ff.net days reading an Ichigo/Renji fic where the writer assumed the penises go inside each other #and I was like “I mean I don't know how it works for sure I don't have one but idk if that's how it works”

SOME OTHER FOOD STUFF:

thetrekkiehasthephonebox: #add another one to the list bloggers#this character is cooking a salad

shosta: #still baffled about the published work that didn't know food could freeze

sun-dari: #once i read a fic where the author didn't understand cinnamon

alto-tenure: #read something recently where the author was just. blatantly wrong about spices

dramatic-dolphin: #i saw someone try to fake their way through what ramen is once. like 14 years ago.#but i remember.#i was very confused about ramen for a few months. they were writing it so authoritatively.

the-celery-stalks-at-midnight: #i will never ever forget someone putting leftover fries in the microwave to reheat them and setting the timer for five minutes

typeghost: #this sparked a memory of a hannibal fic where the author had to fake their way through writing about gravy

draculin: #the one fanfic where the author knows about coffee only as a concept wrote a character as a coffee drinker#was very interesting#I don't remember the fandom or the plot but I was mesmerized by the coffee actions and choices

11235811235811: #there's a lot of faking their way thru congee in the svsss fandom i'll also note

fishali3n: #read one where the person clearly didnt know what tofu is

emmy-everafter: #in the aftermath of shadow and bone s2 i saw a lot of people pretending to know what stroopwafels are #babes they are more like cookies than breakfast waffles #like yes there is a waffle pattern but you're not gonna cut into a stack of them with syrup and sugar#🤣🤣🤣

NON-FOOD STUFF:

red-umbrella-811: Shoutout to Dame Agatha Christie for faking her way through what a wrench is in a very popular published work.

bluebeetle: #once saw someone have a character put an entire phone book in their pocket

nonametis: #- sex talk in languages other than english #<- or just the petnames in a different language other than English

sadisticpony: #the fanfiction i saw this week where op DIDNT KNOW HOW AUTOMATIC DOORS WORKED #and that they arent in peoples homes!!! of course. also opening the automatic door for someone is unironically very funny but its not #its not like. grabbing the door handle to let someone in. helpppp

danmeichael: #reminds me of the fic with the figure drawing class where the character started with the feet. #i love you feet first figure drawing author

meowmix1100blr: #me watching this one fic absolutely obliterate what the board of directors does

vexedhexes: #one time i read an architect character making a doorway bigger by building a bigger door #what a beautiful world. #OH. also gravity falls fic where they go 'oh piedmont is in california so its warm all year round'

leveragehunters: #characters going to a beer garden #And it's literally a garden outside the pub#It was a very cute mistake

fitofpique: #yes! #grown men do not get blind drunk off two beers #but i am possibly guilty of the hypothermia one #assuming it does not make you very horny?

dadvans-likes: #always thinking abt the soup kitchen fic #the entire setting of the fic was 'soup kitchen' #and i very quickly realized #the author did not know what a soup kitchen was #and they thought that soup kitchens only served soup #fic

msmargaretmurry: #i love fanfiction #once read a fic where the characters played 20 questions #but the author seemed to not know how to play 20 questions and was just kind of winging it........ #immaculate

shakespeareaddict: #Look I know not all of us are hockey experts #But it takes about ten seconds of research or any attention paid to the show to realize #That the Stanley cup playoffs are not in fucking September

baejax-the-great: #the funniest one i saw #was someone faking what church is like #like 1. they really didn't have to write an entire church experience for their fic #and 2. they had clearly never even watched a show where people went to church #it was bonkers weird

twosunson: #things ive seen authors faking #knowing how to unclog a drain #knowing. literally any history #knowing what ketamine looks like (apparently- oregano) #(you know who you are)

waterhorseyblues-ao3: #beltane being celebrated in winter #wales being portrayed as a completely separated land from england (i wish) #characters getting up after weeks of bedrest like that dosnt completely fuck you up

violetfairydust: #i once read a fic where the flight time from london to seattle was 3 hours

purekesseltrash: One time, in a fic set specifically in Des Moines, IA, two of the characters casually drove 20 minutes to the ocean. The memory continues to delight me. I want to know where that author thought that Iowa was.

[quinnthebard]

Work really is just throwing wrenches in all of my plans, huh

[ampersketch-art]

The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate DestiMii

[quinnthebard]

WIP Wednesday

A bit form Casting Light. Another snip in the past because those are my favorite, oops.

This occurs just before Mathilda has the ceremony officially recognizing her as the Dragonsworn. A small, intimate meeting with Kiel. The Caldosian Oracle. Her friend. Perhaps something more.

(this does not include the explanation that her mental bond with Caldarus allows communication, so I'm providing that context here lol) Notes: Mathilda is the farmer's past life Kiel is Eiland's past life and the Caldosian Oracle of the past

The bells began to toll outside and Mathilda inhaled sharply. She quivered, just a little, in her Dragonsworn armor, newly created to fit her perfectly.

Crafted with a mithril alloy tinged purple, the armor was designed and enchanted to not only protect its wearer but the region itself. Each piece symbolic of the four corners of the temple walls that surrounded the Caldosian Order area and the fifth representing its heart, where the essence pools rested. It was a fairly heavy plate armor, decorated with various dragon themed motifs running along its edges and light teal fabric with crimson accents draped across the torso and around her waist. The final piece, a winged helmet was to the side, sitting on a nearby bench.

“You have nothing to fear, Mattie.”

“Easy for you to say. Now I just get to be presented and shown around like some kind of trophy.” She shivered at the thought. “I do not enjoy being in the spotlight.”

“Unfortunately, you must suffer it. Just a little.” He smiled. “If need be, I can try to contrive some excuse for us to get out of there.”

“And risk your parents’ wrath? I don’t know that I’m worthy of such a price, Kiel.”

“My parents always find fault with me. What’s one more? Besides, I thought you were excited about today.”

Lightly scowling, she pouted but the effect didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I was until I remembered the pomp and circumstance that awaited. I like the idea of the job of Dragonsworn but not the ceremony of it.”

“You just like that they’re giving you a nice sword.”

She huffed, crossing her arms. “Maybe. That one’s mostly ceremonial. Caldarus says I should be able to summon an essence one on command with enough practice.”

Tilting his head, he raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Yeah, straight out of legend, right?” Her tongue poked from between her teeth as a goofy grin spread across her face. “It sounds really cool but I’ve been warned not to try it yet. I suppose,” She rolled her eyes as she emphasized the word, “it’s really tricky.” She paused with a wince. “I know, I know. I won’t try it before you tell me I’m ready.”

“Getting scolded?”

“Perhaps a little.” Mathilda looked to the window, watching the bustle outside. People passed while others barked orders. The sun shined brightly with hardly a cloud to be found in the sky to obscure it. Her tongue flicked across her lips, then she sighed. “It’s almost time.”

He resisted the urge to shove his hands in his pockets, unwilling to remove his hand from her soft grasp. “It is.”

It was quiet in the room again. Desperately he wanted to fill the silence with something—encouragement, reassurance, anything—but he was at a loss. So instead he shifted his hand so he squeeze hers and hoped it made a difference, a comfort. His thumb rubbed across her skin, across the callouses formed from countless hours practicing with her sword, from working the farm with her parents. Callouses that he was intimately familiar with from their many adventures over the years.

“Kiel?” Breaking the silence, her voice wavered with an unusual uncertainty. One that he so rarely ever heard. His lips twisted in concern. His tongue flicked across them. Then, he responded in kind.

“Mattie?”

With pursed lips, she stood straighter. Her gaze that just a moment before had been avoiding his now looked at him resolute, then she leaned in closer, taking a single step to tighten the gap between them. “Kiel, I… When I said before that nothing was going to change…”

“Don’t tell me you changed your mind.” He teased lightly. That got him a smile and he grinned right back. His hand reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. To his surprise, she leaned into his touch.

“Definitely not.” Then she rested a hand on his chest, fingers pressing into the layers of his robes and creating valleys and peaks of the once smooth fabric. “I just… I wanted you to know that if they did change, I hope that we’d…” As she trailed off, the gap between them closed, the armor she wore pressing gently against him, their noses nearly brushing.

His heart raced and he dared to believe in that dream he so often tried to forget. When he had gained the confidence to pursue it, the door swung open wide and they jumped apart, startled. The warmth of her hand left his and his heart ached.

“It is time, Dragonsworn.” An initiate stood awkwardly in their light turquoise robes, eyes wide for a moment before their head snapped to look away and to the side.

Mattie’s eyes were cast downwards as she responded, the tenderness gone from her voice. “Of course. I will be there shortly.”

The initiate nodded and turned to leave the room in one swift motion, their back stiff as they pulled the door behind them. Kiel’s hands itched at his side, wishing to grab Mattie’s again. He flexed his hands once, then twice. Biting his lip, he cleared his throat.

“Mattie, I—“ He closed his eyes firmly as he tried to gather his nerves. To tell her at least a fraction of what he felt. Quickly, he counted to three, then opened them again, meeting her wide-eyed gaze. “For however much it’s worth. I hope so too.”

It was worth it for how her face brightened at his words. With a thunderous heart, he continued. “And I want you to know that no matter where being the Dragonsworn takes you, I’ll always be here waiting for you to come home.” He fought the urge to look away. He tried to ignore the heat rising to his cheeks. “Besides, home isn’t quite the same without you. It’s much better with you here. With me.”

She pursed her lips. For a terrifyingly long pause, she said nothing. He wiped his palms on his robes and shifted his weight between his feet and back to front. He waited. He would always wait for her. She was worth it. Cool relief flooded through him when she finally took a step closer to him again, a small smile on her face.

“My home is with you too.”

The edges of Kiel’s lips quirked upward, just a bit. Reaching out, he brushed a lock of her bangs out of her face, away from her eyes, then cupped her cheek. “Then I’ll be here, waiting for you to return. I expect some great stories of your adventures.”

Mathilda huffed a quiet laugh. “I’ll try to make them presentable for you. Up to your standards.” Then she sighed and pulled away, reaching towards her helm that rested on the bench at the foot of the bed. “I suppose it’s time though.”

Kiel nodded once. “I suppose it is.”

With shaking hands, she put on the helmet and adjusted it until it sat right. He watched as she worked and checked her armor, shook out her joints, and took a deep breath. “They’re waiting for me.”

Sweeping an arm to the side, he bowed gently at the waist with a teasing grin. “After you, Dragonsworn.”

“Knock it off, Oracle.”

He stood straight. “Point taken.”

[quinnthebard]

WIP Wednesday

A bit form Casting Light. Another snip in the past because those are my favorite, oops.

This occurs just before Mathilda has the ceremony officially recognizing her as the Dragonsworn. A small, intimate meeting with Kiel. The Caldosian Oracle. Her friend. Perhaps something more.

(this does not include the explanation that her mental bond with Caldarus allows communication, so I'm providing that context here lol) Notes: Mathilda is the farmer's past life Kiel is Eiland's past life and the Caldosian Oracle of the past

The bells began to toll outside and Mathilda inhaled sharply. She quivered, just a little, in her Dragonsworn armor, newly created to fit her perfectly.

Crafted with a mithril alloy tinged purple, the armor was designed and enchanted to not only protect its wearer but the region itself. Each piece symbolic of the four corners of the temple walls that surrounded the Caldosian Order area and the fifth representing its heart, where the essence pools rested. It was a fairly heavy plate armor, decorated with various dragon themed motifs running along its edges and light teal fabric with crimson accents draped across the torso and around her waist. The final piece, a winged helmet was to the side, sitting on a nearby bench.

“You have nothing to fear, Mattie.”

“Easy for you to say. Now I just get to be presented and shown around like some kind of trophy.” She shivered at the thought. “I do not enjoy being in the spotlight.”

“Unfortunately, you must suffer it. Just a little.” He smiled. “If need be, I can try to contrive some excuse for us to get out of there.”

“And risk your parents’ wrath? I don’t know that I’m worthy of such a price, Kiel.”

“My parents always find fault with me. What’s one more? Besides, I thought you were excited about today.”

Lightly scowling, she pouted but the effect didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I was until I remembered the pomp and circumstance that awaited. I like the idea of the job of Dragonsworn but not the ceremony of it.”

“You just like that they’re giving you a nice sword.”

She huffed, crossing her arms. “Maybe. That one’s mostly ceremonial. Caldarus says I should be able to summon an essence one on command with enough practice.”

Tilting his head, he raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Yeah, straight out of legend, right?” Her tongue poked from between her teeth as a goofy grin spread across her face. “It sounds really cool but I’ve been warned not to try it yet. I suppose,” She rolled her eyes as she emphasized the word, “it’s really tricky.” She paused with a wince. “I know, I know. I won’t try it before you tell me I’m ready.”

“Getting scolded?”

“Perhaps a little.” Mathilda looked to the window, watching the bustle outside. People passed while others barked orders. The sun shined brightly with hardly a cloud to be found in the sky to obscure it. Her tongue flicked across her lips, then she sighed. “It’s almost time.”

He resisted the urge to shove his hands in his pockets, unwilling to remove his hand from her soft grasp. “It is.”

It was quiet in the room again. Desperately he wanted to fill the silence with something—encouragement, reassurance, anything—but he was at a loss. So instead he shifted his hand so he squeeze hers and hoped it made a difference, a comfort. His thumb rubbed across her skin, across the callouses formed from countless hours practicing with her sword, from working the farm with her parents. Callouses that he was intimately familiar with from their many adventures over the years.

“Kiel?” Breaking the silence, her voice wavered with an unusual uncertainty. One that he so rarely ever heard. His lips twisted in concern. His tongue flicked across them. Then, he responded in kind.

“Mattie?”

With pursed lips, she stood straighter. Her gaze that just a moment before had been avoiding his now looked at him resolute, then she leaned in closer, taking a single step to tighten the gap between them. “Kiel, I… When I said before that nothing was going to change…”

“Don’t tell me you changed your mind.” He teased lightly. That got him a smile and he grinned right back. His hand reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. To his surprise, she leaned into his touch.

“Definitely not.” Then she rested a hand on his chest, fingers pressing into the layers of his robes and creating valleys and peaks of the once smooth fabric. “I just… I wanted you to know that if they did change, I hope that we’d…” As she trailed off, the gap between them closed, the armor she wore pressing gently against him, their noses nearly brushing.

His heart raced and he dared to believe in that dream he so often tried to forget. When he had gained the confidence to pursue it, the door swung open wide and they jumped apart, startled. The warmth of her hand left his and his heart ached.

“It is time, Dragonsworn.” An initiate stood awkwardly in their light turquoise robes, eyes wide for a moment before their head snapped to look away and to the side.

Mattie’s eyes were cast downwards as she responded, the tenderness gone from her voice. “Of course. I will be there shortly.”

The initiate nodded and turned to leave the room in one swift motion, their back stiff as they pulled the door behind them. Kiel’s hands itched at his side, wishing to grab Mattie’s again. He flexed his hands once, then twice. Biting his lip, he cleared his throat.

“Mattie, I—“ He closed his eyes firmly as he tried to gather his nerves. To tell her at least a fraction of what he felt. Quickly, he counted to three, then opened them again, meeting her wide-eyed gaze. “For however much it’s worth. I hope so too.”

It was worth it for how her face brightened at his words. With a thunderous heart, he continued. “And I want you to know that no matter where being the Dragonsworn takes you, I’ll always be here waiting for you to come home.” He fought the urge to look away. He tried to ignore the heat rising to his cheeks. “Besides, home isn’t quite the same without you. It’s much better with you here. With me.”

She pursed her lips. For a terrifyingly long pause, she said nothing. He wiped his palms on his robes and shifted his weight between his feet and back to front. He waited. He would always wait for her. She was worth it. Cool relief flooded through him when she finally took a step closer to him again, a small smile on her face.

“My home is with you too.”

The edges of Kiel’s lips quirked upward, just a bit. Reaching out, he brushed a lock of her bangs out of her face, away from her eyes, then cupped her cheek. “Then I’ll be here, waiting for you to return. I expect some great stories of your adventures.”

Mathilda huffed a quiet laugh. “I’ll try to make them presentable for you. Up to your standards.” Then she sighed and pulled away, reaching towards her helm that rested on the bench at the foot of the bed. “I suppose it’s time though.”

Kiel nodded once. “I suppose it is.”

With shaking hands, she put on the helmet and adjusted it until it sat right. He watched as she worked and checked her armor, shook out her joints, and took a deep breath. “They’re waiting for me.”

Sweeping an arm to the side, he bowed gently at the waist with a teasing grin. “After you, Dragonsworn.”

“Knock it off, Oracle.”

He stood straight. “Point taken.”

[quinnthebard]

I'm working on the scene for Casting Light where Caldarus chooses the Dragonsworn pre-Sealing and I'm having a really good time trying to like... convey the difference in reverence that people would perceive him with compared to the absolute goober we see in the present lmao

I don't know if it's landing but it's a good exercise :D

Here's a smol bit so far

The trees bowed beneath another rush of wind, a mighty pulse beat out as she watched in awe. A dragon landed before her, his head lowered so his eyes were in line with hers. Be at peace, mortal. The voice that rumbled had no physical manifestation, it was only in her mind. She clenched her hand around the hilt of her sword and with pursed lips, stared down the dragon, taking in his visage. The limestone colored scales and sweeping turquoise crowned points along his spine. The amber eyes. Dropping her arms, the sword bounced in the grass. “Caldarus.” The great Dragon let out a long exhale, the warmth of his breath sweeping over her.

[quinnthebard]

I don't really FFXIV post anymore but I'm really excited because it's been so long since I've joined PF and I cleared the new Ex fight! Literally shaking hahahahahaha

[bill-blake-fans-anonymous]

I think strange horrible things should stop befalling my friends

[catastrophespouse]

I think strange wonderful things should start befalling my friends

[ilex-cassine]

Caldarus: Incredible! :) The culinary delights of your era never fail to amaze me. *Munches thoughtfully for a few seconds* And you say a shrimp fried this rice??