Forrester's Fire

Paladin Aesthetics. Avatar by June Jenssen. Main: lynmars79

[red-alynore]

Welcome!

This is the blog for my Outland-born human paladin/engineer/enchanter Alynore Forrester. I have not played World of Warcraft since mid-Legion, but still keep her stories and info here. This blog has mostly transitioned to paladin aesthetics.

Alynore’s bio and general info can be found in "About Alynore." Writing tags and links to stories and roleplay logs can be found in "Alynore’s Writing." Info about The Silver Dragoons, an old RP guild Nore ran for a few years, is also available.

I also maintain blogs for my druid Vember @vembermarlon​, my catch-all alts/general WoW posting at @lynmarswarcraft​, some general romantic inspiration at @farawayreflections, and other games/roleplay @secondspark​. Most active is my Final Fantasy XIV blog, @autumnslance​.

All likes, follows, replies, asks, etc come from my main blog, @lynmars79​.

Avatar art is by June Jenssen.

[lynmars79]

Hope is not a condition of the world, but one of the soul. I have not yet seen anything fall so far that it has gone past the point of recall. One life ends, but the world asks us back in a new name, in a new guise, in a new life, time and time again. Do not lose hope.

-Dame Morgaine (Brennan Lee Mulligan), Critical Role campaign 4 episode 11 "Make Merry"

[wearepaladin]

“I have a fondness for heretics”

The paladin admitted, as he added a bit of honey to flavor his tea. The warlock stared at him, disbelief etched on her features.

“I just saw you smite one the other day. After they had a whole rant too”

The paladin considered that, then handed over another cup to the warlock. She accepted automatically, while her eyes tracked his expression.

“That’s true. But I haven’t slain every heretic, nor will I. I killed him because his intended actions for heresy would have harmed others innocent of the reasons. But heresy itself…”

He sipped his tea, thinking. Once he only took it black, but the warlock had taken him to her family apiary and he’d proven a happy convert.

“All paladins swear a vow and have the courage to fight for what we believe. We do good works to to perfect our faith. Not all are raised to it, but many of us are. A heretic is raised in a faith, but has the courage to step away and dispute it, the courage to risk ostracization and hostility to do what they believe is right from what they were raised to believe is the truth. I wouldn’t say they’re all good for that alone. But I admire that courage, and hope if I ever feel the need to stand against what others believe is right, that I would have that same courage too.”

The warlock considered that, thinking of her pacts, both formal and informal, the beliefs that guided her and those she’d broken despite the risk to herself. To be called a warlock did mean to break oaths after all. She then smiled knowingly at the Paladin. He simply smiled back.

[wearepaladin]

“So you chose apostasy.”

The Oathbreaker closed their eyes, their shoulders coiling like serpents and their heart crystallizing as they realized they would not escape this moment. Silence reigned in their being for a moment before they exhaled, the chill leaving their chest as they accepted the inevitable and turned to face the speaker.

The Paladin was leaning beside the threshold of of the exit, looking at their former sibling in faith, melancholy bright in their eyes. The Paladin wasn’t alone. Not far behind him the Warlock watched, her eyes dark with focus. The Oathbreaker didn’t sense hostility from either, but couldn’t ignore that both were clad with in their respective armor and tools. Not that the Oathbreaker was any different, the weight of their axe comfortably near, in easy reach.

The three of them considered that moment, all perfectly aware on how things could go. Then the Oathbreaker spoke, an their tone empty in its attempt at sounding casual. “Have you come to stop me?”

The Paladin considered that, then shook their head. “No. Just… wanting you to know that I’m still your friend, and to wish you well.”

The Oathbreaker blinked, then turned away for a moment, willing no sign of weakness or regret to take seed in their heart. Then they willed themselves to meet the Paladins gaze squarely. “We could be enemies tomorrow.”

The Paladin did not look away, nodding slowly. When they spoke, their voice cracking only slightly. “That will have to be your choice to make”

The Oathbreaker closed their fists before willing them to relax. They were all quiet for a long moment before the Warlock stepped forward and without preamble embraced the Oathbreaker tightly. She’d been swift and for a moment the Oathbreaker was in a paroxysm of uncertainty before wilting in the embrace. The embrace tightened and the Oathbreaker willed their composure not to break with the realization that the Paladin had joined the hug.

For a moment, the Oathbreaker was held in a warmth that desperately to tried to reach their soul. It succeeded, but their path was set, and gently but insistently the Oathbreaker broke the embrace. For a moment, they stared at their friends, not bothering to brush away their tears, before finally turning away.

The Paladin and Warlock watched for a longtime without speaking. Only when the Oathbreaker had faded into the dark did they speak. “Was that the right thing, letting them go?”

The Paladin held their holy symbol for a moment, knowing the icon by touch as well a sight. “Yes. Whatever else they do now, whatever they choose to believe, I won’t imprison them or stop them out of fear.”

The Warlock blinked and smiled knowingly. “Because you still have faith.”

He considered that, then kissed her above the eyebrow.

“In them, in you, in the world, in the light. Yes my love, always.”

[patitocat-deactivated20251219]

😺🐾😺

[everyday-cutephoto]

[psychhound]

its about conviction so strong it turns into power. its about being utterly devoted but not necessarily to each other. its about being somewhere between a weapon and a shield and a bandage but not a person. maybe more of a person with each other maybe less. its about not being able to set down the weight of your duty and being with the only person who gets that. its about begging the other person to stop being a symbol and being told no and not being able to blame them for that. its about service and humility at the cost of your desire for each other. its about being scared but never having any inch of room to be so you're not. its about doubt. its about your home being a concept that would see you dead rather than not chasing it. its about your real home being a person you can't let yourself love too much. its about paladin4paladin. is this thing on. can anyone hear me. hello.

[captainofthetidesbreath]

I love Rux plainly and confidently saying "in song or in silence" because it creates a vibe of like

clerics: It is a despair and heartache to lose the warmth and light of the direct gaze of gods. paladin: I know what oaths I have sworn, and I need only the light of my vow to carry myself through the dark.

[queerlyvictorian]

Brennan Lee Mulligan arguing for the primal nature of morality on Ep. 40’s Fireside Chat is one of the funniest and realest things I’ve ever heard. He once again put into words what I have been trying to say for what feels like forever.

EDIT: No, I actually need to quote this out for myself.

“One of the things that happens a lot in philisophy that is, I think, a point of failure, potentially, in it, is that philosophy contains a lot of formal logic studies, and there’s a degree to want to sort of explicate, logically, everything, and go like, ‘What are the reasons and rationalities behind all of this?” But I think ignoring the primal origins of morality- You don’t need- If you watch someone kick a small animal, you don’t need an explanation for why that’s bad. It’s a first- It’s a primary thing, right? And you get into weird positions when you’re like, ‘I believe that humans should have good- be flourish and be happy, and have safety and joy!’ And someone can literally just go ‘Why? To what end? To what end should they have joy?’ And you’re like ‘Not to what end. I’m saying this is the end for me. The end for me is joy and safety and peace.’ And I get to say that because I’m a weird brain monster living in the universe and I can create meaning with my mind. You’re doing the same thing right now, but I just choose joy. Are you choosing something else? Because if you are, then we’re in conflict!” -Brennan Lee Mulligan, “Fireside Chat for WWW ep40 ‘Aid and Comfort’”

Choose joy, motherfucker! If you’re not, we’re in conflict!!!

[jaubaius]

Source

[bigwordsandsharpedges2]

Explosive decompression

[dumbbitchawards]

[greater-than-the-sword]

There’s no way this is the maximally efficient way to do this

[recoiloperated]

You would think, but actually it is one of the best ways. You know how there’s always a significant amount of unpopped kernels in the bottom of the bag or pan? This method pops basically all of it.

This is also the method for making puffed rice.

[mdstroup2142]

Let’s be real. You like it because it is basically a popcorn shotgun.

[recoiloperated]

I Am a simple man

[voidsentprinces]

For those who need it.

[lynmars79]

One problem with writing happy endings in a world that seems increasingly irrational is that it is harder than ever to convince myself that they are realistic. But I nonetheless continue to do so. They haven’t managed to win, not in the long term. They have all the money and all the power, and still, here we are. Happiness is not just an act of optimism—it is an act of defiance.

-Courtney Milan, Author's Note in Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure.

[steellegacy]

The myth that knights could barely move in their armor has finally been dispelled by Thrillist

[cryptdfish]

(darkest dungeon) reynauld’s 2.0 speed is such bullshit i tell you aghhh

[dduane]

(laughter) Hey @petermorwood, show them the video from the Royal Armouries that’s, what, pushing a decade older than this? Thrillist was asleep at the wheel.

[petermorwood]

This one surfaces every couple of years and, to go by some of the disparaging Facebook comments, any claim of “has finally been dispelled” remains wishful thinking.

The full knight-soldier-fireman obstacle run is here and Thrillist wasn’t that slow off the mark (their post was 2017) since the run took place in October-November 2016.

I can’t find the Royal Armouries video @dduane​ mentioned (I think it’s LITERALLY a video, i.e. a VHS tape) but here’s a short film, also from 8 years ago, with the armoured guy from the obstacle run…

…a compilation posted 9 years ago, circa 2015, meaning that all the clips are that old or older…

…and here’s Mike Loades in a clip posted on YouTube 16 years ago…

…from a series called “Weapons That Made Britain”, originally broadcast in 2004. The complete episode on armour is here.

Loades has been busting armour-immobilty myths since the 1990s (once again, I have VHS tapes somewhere…)

I’ve also got several posts tagged #mobility in armour about it on my Tumblr blog, but here are a couple of things about armour in general which nobody seems to consider.

If knights could barely move in armour, why did they - and everyone else who could get some - wear so much of it for so long?

A knight who couldn’t move effectively was no more use in battle than a tank without an engine, which suggests they could move in it just fine.

*****

All of that refers to armour for serious kill-or-be-killed battle, known as “field armour” or “field harness”. Incidentally, if you read about someone who “died in harness” (i.e. while still working at their job rather than retired) it implies the sort of harness worn by draft horses, but AFAIK is not the original meaning at all. 

It’s also what’s meant when a knight who lost a joust forfeited “horse and harness” - not just his mount, its saddle and bridle, but all his armour as well. 

Losing was an expensive business, but profitable for winners (some men, like William Marshal, made a career out of it) because, since that armour was almost certainly made to measure and since making another would take months, the loser would be more inclined to buy it back so as to quickly re-equip and perhaps be the winner next time.

*****

Tournament armour wasn’t field armour, which had to balance the advantages of protection against the disadvantages of weight and fatigue during the several hours of a battle.

It started out as the same armour worn for war, but gradually developed into specialised sports kit worn in closely monitored, tightly rule-bound contests. It was often so specialised that an armour worn for one style of jousting…

…was different to the armour worn for another style, so great lords, princes, kings and emperors would own several armours built for whichever were the most popular jousting styles of their region.

Horses were also specially trained. The jousting horse or “destrier” (a word derived from “dexter”, right) was trained to always swerve right, not left, in other words away from not into any potential risk, and of course every jouster needed more than one horse.

*****

Tournaments had become a sport for the rich and the royal.

Before François I of France met Henry VIII of England in a formal foot-combat at The Field of Cloth of Gold (a 1520 diplomatic bunfight in Calais) he invoked a “my country, my rules” privilege and changed them. 

This forced Henry to abandon his specially built armour - among other features, the gauntlets could lock shut around a weapon so he couldn’t be disarmed - in favour of less impressive armour thrown together in a hurry from existing parts. 

It really annoyed him, which was almost certainly François‘s intention. There was no love lost between them…

Here’s a Royal Armouries video about it.

*****

Because tournament armour wasn’t meant for wear for protracted periods it could be - and was - made heavier and more rigid for safety.

Most jousting helms were screwed or bolted to the breastplate, to prevent a head-strike slamming it backwards and breaking the knight’s neck. 

It didn’t matter that the only view was forward through a narrow slot. Forward was where the action happened, and that narrow slot kept it from coming inside.

The trick was to lean forward when charging in order to see out and aim, then lean back at the last instant before impact. It was a game of chicken, with the one who leaned back last being the one with final best aim.

However as happened to another king of France, Henri II, getting the timing wrong could be literally fatal.

Other armours had extra reinforcement plates (”pieces of advantage”) fixed in place over the main armour, with a very limited range of motion because more wasn’t required.

This one even has a head-brace in case the other fastenings weren’t enough, and it, the extra face protection and doubled breastplate /shield (”buffe” and “grande garde”) are held in place by very modern-looking wingnuts…

These armours have right arms with only two positions, either holding the lance…

…or not holding the lance.

A knight encased in something that inflexible really couldn’t get up unaided, but he wasn’t wearing it in the sort of battle situation where being able to get up, and indeed mount up, was a matter of life or death. This wasn’t typical combat armour any more than a Formula One or Indy 500 racer is a typical vehicle for going to the supermarket.

These tournament armours often belonged to important, wealthy people who kept them as decoration after their working life was done - “bruiséd arms hung up for monuments”, as Shakespeare puts it. 

Because of that, more heavy, inflexible tournament kit has survived than light, nimble battle armour, and I’m pretty sure - thanks probably to the Victorians, originators of so much other “everyone knows” medieval nonsense - that’s the source of most claims about excess weight and minimal movement.

[lynmars79]

“Yes,” he said briskly. “It’s the old ‘tupping for kittens’ argument. I hear that one a lot.” She choked. “Tupping for which?” “Kittens. It usually goes like this—suppose that a madman has sixteen precious, innocent kittens in a sack. He threatens to throw them all in the river to drown unless I engage in intercourse with some woman, who is agreeable. What do I do?” Mrs. Farleigh stared at him. “What do you do?” “Assuming those are my two choices—tup, or the kittens shuffle off this mortal coil—well, it’s simple. My moral code is not so rigid that I would let innocents suffer.” “But—” “I would also tell lies, strike another man in the stomach and blow my nose in the Queen’s presence. All for the benefit of kittens.” “Lucky kittens,” Mrs. Farleigh managed. She was doing a poor job of suppressing a smile. Around her, the crowd shifted in confusion. Mark wanted to see her laugh. “I admit there are some times when chastity is not the right answer. You see? You have me there. In most circumstances, though, there are no kittens. No madmen. There’s just a choice to make, and a simple one at that. One mustn’t justify day-to-day morality with extraordinary circumstances. Otherwise, we would all feel free to rape and murder at the drop of a cat.”

-Sir Mark Turner & Jessica Farleigh, "Unclaimed", the Turner Series, by Courtney Milan.

Where the Hero wrote a book on practical male chastity, and the Heroine is a courtesan hired to try and ruin him.

[sirdolraan]

Touching Base

(( DWC November 2024 Day 3, Morose/Strength, CW: None; @daily-writing-challenge ))

The blue light of the holo-transmitter lit up Dolraan's room, pushing back the darkness of night-time Dornagal. He fought the urge to yawn as he spoke at length with his executive officer Alynore, catching each other up about the goings on on the opposite sides of the world. Lucky her, it was morning in Light's Hope.

"-should have everything ready for your idea about setting up Argent embassies in regions shared by horde and alliance-aligned peoples, the emissaries will be leaving in a few hours to present the idea to the leaders still in Orgrimmar and Stormwind. Beyond that, the work out here continues, there's scourge to suppress and naturalists to protect. Got some good news from Crown's Guard, the extra three yards of purification have held, and our druid friends were making very excited noises over the soil samples we brought back." Alynore reported, her image ticking things off her fingers as she spoke, before she looked at Dolraan with a wry smile. "How's the island vacation?"

"Oh, you know, plenty of sun and surf," Dolraan replied, shaking his head wryly. "Have you had a chance to go over that package I sent about the Arathi Imperials of Hallowfall?"

"Sure did, Wes agrees with me that it's a lot to take in, and certainly more than I bet you were bargaining for when you headed out to Dalaran to hunt down the Harbinger."

"It certainly is. The strength of their faith is nothing short of inspiring... if not also a bit worrying."

"Thinking about the Scarlets?" Alynore asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Little bit. Enough conviction and you can find yourself going in entirely the wrong direction. They've got their own little void cult problem who think that the best way to honor their Sacred Flame is to trigger their apocalypse, and another who responded to us showing up by using the light to raise their fallen as undead to prove they could stand alone. The Lamplighters and the majority of the folk are good people in a bad position, but everything they tell me about their home, and their ideas on strength and faith, makes me worried as hell."

"We've sent word to Stormgarde and Silvermoon to ask if they have any records of the timeframe that would have led to this empire's founding, but considering how many of the northern cities have risen and fallen again and again since then..."

"We're not likely to find much." Dolraan replied, rubbing his eyes. "Do me a favor, suggest to the other highlords that we should build some new watch towers along the eastern coast. Just in case."

"Wes is already drawing up plans. You're getting slow in your old age." Alynore replied, grinning mischeviously.

"Says the woman who got a good night's sleep. Take care of Light's Hope, sister, I am going to get some shut eye."

"Will do, brother. I'll let you know if we get any news," Alynore signed off as Dolraan turned off the device, and stretched, walking over to the bed. He sighed slightly as he lay down, lamenting how lonely it was. Worst part of the job was when it set him on different paths than his beloved wife, he thought, as he wrapped himself up in the blankets and closed his eyes to prepare for the new day to come.

[claret-ash]

- HOLY DIVER -

[subsequentibis]

look i just think paladins are interesting because they're not might makes right, they're right makes might. my god only lets me hit you with the force of a thousand screaming angels because i helped that old lady cross the street yesterday. i think that's funny

[jottingprosaist]

Lately I've seen a lot of people using "Star Trek ending" as a shorthand way of saying "cheesy 60s ending where all the characters get together and laugh at some shitty one-liner until the freezeframe in order to wrap things up with a neat breezy bow" and, well. They're not wrong... but that's only half the episodes.

The other half of the episodes end you staring at the TV in haunted existential silence because the story's thesis was "Don't delude yourself that waging war with technology is any less brutal than committing murder with your bare hands. You are a mortal and an animal like any other and if you think you have a justified reason to kill you had better be prepared to face your enemy, and recognize him as an intelligent equal, and smash in his skull with a rock."

[jottingprosaist]

This is the episode, by the way.

The one we all laugh at for looking silly and awkward and dated because the fight choreography is terrible and the man in the rubber costume clearly can't see through his mask.

And yes, it is those things. But by that point in the episode I was so enraptured and distraught by the premise of the story that I genuinely wasn't seeing the meme.

Through voiceover Kirk reminds himself, and us, that despite its appearance, the Gorn is also a starship captain-- a being just as clever as Kirk, and just as desperate to save its crew. They're being forced to fight to the death with sticks and rocks, and the loser's ship and crew will be blown up.

And the show demands: Why is this so appalling to you? Ten minutes ago they were chasing each other in starships and shooting each other with lasers. Ten minutes ago Kirk was willing to risk every life on the Enterprise by pushing Warp 8 in order to catch and destroy the Gorn. It was righteous. You were cheering for him. Don't you dare be appalled that now they're being made to beat each other to death with bare hands, that the crewmembers who didn't participate or even get to choose their own course of action will be executed just because their leader lost. This is what battle is. This is the brutality of war when you don't get to dissociate behind technology. Is it still worthwhile?