Young Ancient

27, US-born World Citizen, Genderfluid, likes RWBY, Last Airbender, Huntik, cheese (not a show), and our world's magical legacy. Writer, dabbling artist, occult enthusiast, and pen-and-paper game designer.

[tiltedsquare]

Wally West’s arguments with Batman.

[riotousgrianatrix]

Wally processes events in planck seconds. He has lived the equivalent of entire universal lifespans standing there letting Batman talk broody. I think any of us would go for the throat.

[riotousgrianatrix]

Greek Pantheon Cast

So, don’t read too far into it, but I had this idea for how to make a really satisfying cast for the Dodekatheon (plus a few), in a big budget movie context. Here’s what I’ve got. If you have any better suggestions, or any actors to add in new roles, jump in those notes! Zeus - Nick Offerman Poseidon - Temeura Morrison Hades - Milo Ventimiglia Hera - Sharon Stone Demeter - Octavia Spencer Apollo - Simu Liu Artemis - Gemma Chan Athena - Gal Gadot Ares - Jake Gyllenhaal Aphrodite - Vicky Papadopoulou Hestia - Christina Helena Dionysus - Jack Black Hephaestus - Michael Pena Hermes - Elliot Page Persephone - Candice Patton

[acchuli]

i guess some people call it anarchy !!!!

[riotousgrianatrix]

You know, Jinx and Vi are all well and good, but where is my Wandvision parody featuring Cho'Gath and Aurelion Sol?

[did-you-know]

In hopes of inspiring younger generations, NASA created this series of gorgeous retro travel posters that encourage you to imagine a future where common space travel is a legitimate possibility. Source

[veggiezombiex]

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THEM!

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galleries/visions-of-the-future

[tea-time221]

THESE LOOK SO FIRE HOLY SHIT

[gailcarriger]

Next level cover art.

[obaewankenope]

These look like things from Bioshock and I am here for them all

[riotousgrianatrix]

That WOULD be the next Shock game. We had System Shock (orbiting space station), Bioshocks 1/2 (undersea city), Infinite (flying city), now we need a planet-hopping adventure.

[party-gilmore]

It's come to my attention that a good portion of the younger generation has not been made aware of one of the greatest and most hated PILLARS of millennial society.

So I apologize, but I must take on this task. A new hand must touch the beacon. The knowledge must be passed on. The chain can not be broken.

So.

The Game.

The following are the rules of The Game:

there is no winning The Game

once you know of The Game, you are always playing the game

the point of The Game is to not think about The Game

if you think about The Game, you have lost The Game, and must announce this to those around you - causing them to also lose The Game

A "reset period" of roughly an hour or two before loss announcements is common in colloquial rules to allow yourself and those around you to properly temporarily "forget" about The Game, however that is not an official rule.

Go forth, you next generation, and I am sorry.

[hartsnkises]

What have you done

[riotousgrianatrix]

It seems I must step forward to save the next generation from what plagued mine. Heed my words, for no one listened to me back then. Do the rules of monopoly matter if you aren't playing? What about the rules of tic tac toe? Fortnite? No, these rules do not bind you, no matter what they are. So it does not matter if the rules assert that everyone is playing. If you assert that you are not playing, and never deviate from that, the rules of the Game do not apply to you.

[sew-birb]

Dude, ravenette isn't a word, But I don't know how else to address my character. I have a habit of using "the blonde" and "the redhead" but like, "the black haired asshole to the left" doesn't work in place of ravenette. Please help :'(

I would just use his/her/their name. 

I know it can feel like you’re repeating their name a lot but honestly, people’s eyes will just skim over it. 

If it’s a side character and they don’t have a name it’s totally fine to just use “the janitor” or “the lawyer” or even “the tall lawyer” or “the defense lawyer” if there happen to be two lawyers in that scene. 

The only thing to watch out for is describing someone as something that has absolutely nothing to do with what’s happening, e.g.

“The motorcycle pulled up beside me and the swim teacher dismounted.” 

How do we know he’s a swim teacher if this is someone we haven’t met before? We don’t. It would be much better to describe him as “the rider” or “a tall man”. Otherwise I’m going to picture a guy in shorts and flip-flops with a whistle around his neck (if that was what he was wearing, and you wanted to convey that, you could call him “a man dressed like a swim teacher” since as far as the reader knows he may be an assassin or an interpol agent or a baker who just has really really bad fashion sense).

When a character is described solely by their hair colour, it falls into this category of irrelevant description - if it’s a character with a name (especially if it’s a character from a fandom and everyone already knows what colour their hair is) then it’s better just to use their name. 

Otherwise I’m going to picture one of those people from the front of a bottle of hair dye. 

That’s so Ravenette

[riotousgrianatrix]

As an alternative, there’s also brunette. Black hair isn’t really black, but dark brown, due to the nature of melanin, so a word for brown hair is just as applicable regardless of the shade. We don’t refer to mousettes, auburnettes, and so on. Notice that blondes are called yellowettes or goldettes, and redheads aren’t called redettes. I don’t understand the fan-ficy desire to call all unusual hair colors a fictional variant of the word brunette. This very subject does address why calling someone by their hair color is so odd. I wouldn’t refer to a man with a mole as Mole Man, nor would it be wise to refer to short people as dwarf and tall people as giant in casual description. There are exceptions. Referring to Tyrian as a dwarf has a place in the narrative, and someone with gigantism or just generally a large build could be described as “Giant.” But it’s hyperbolic; you don’t want to throw it around like a name constantly. Take for example: a scene in which someone’s hair is romanticized in describing them for a heroic or amorous context. The eye lavishes over every detail as the narrator stares at the person in awe. This isn’t really a place to call a woman “the blonde,” but it is a good point for hair to be described. Much in the same way, you probably want to reserve words like “giant” for when the character towers menacingly (or perhaps protectively) over the narrator.

[riotousgrianatrix]

A Little Drabble with Thieves and Vampires (Leverage)

(What follows is not even a rough draft, but expressing an idea I’ve had rolling around. Someone made a post about vampires staging a heist to get their stuff back from a museum, and I had a thought. What if the crew of hit TV show Leverage were vampires...) “The MacPhersons are Boston old money,” Hardison pointed out, “and when I say old, I mean OLD,” he gestured to the screen with a picture of Martin MacPherson, for emphasis. “Yes, Hardison,” Miss Deveraux said with an almost sighing delivery, “we are aware of the mark’s age. What can you tell us about the exhibit?”

“Sophie, I got you, but let me finish: we’re not talking decades. We’re talking-”

“Centuries,” I cut him off, much as Alec likes a good rant.

“Are you saying,” a voice from on high called down, as Parker descended from the ceiling, “that he’s one of us?” Descended, not because the impish, blonde thief-of-all-trades was a vampire. She was one of the few in our crew who wasn’t. The woman just like rappelling, a lot, actually. Hardly a day went by, where she wasn’t climbing up something in our little hideout or scaling back down it. Or plummeting from the ceiling, as the case currently was.

“They all are,” a weary voice clipped by impatience said from the back of the large presentation room. Nate Ford turned away from the bar, which was currently unattended, “Martin, his sons, and over half the people in his employ are not among the living.” He sipped at a scotch, regarding it. “Not the way most people have come to expect.”

Sophie had turned to face him the moment he started speaking, and now answered him with a curious wideness to her dark eyes, “Vampires?” “Some of ‘em, yeah,” Hardison tried eagerly to draw attention back to his data. The man loved his data. “Martin and the two eldest sons. Most of his employees are some kind of revenant, ghoul, or assorted reanimated whatever.” Parker now hovered just off the floor, drawing attention to the odd paradox that was her skill set. Most of the things she liked were dangerous, or would be, if she were still alive, or had a body to put in danger. How a ghost had figured out how to wear a harness and use ropes like that...well, I’ll say it’s above my pay-grade. She made a face at Hardison, “Speaking as the local ‘reanimated whatever,’ I’m gonna need clarification.” “Parker, dear, I think more than half of us could be considered ‘reanimated’ in some fashion,” Sophie chided.

Nate spoke up again, and everyone else fell quiet, “Either blood-bonded to one of the key MacPhersons, and still living, or brought about from the result of their less-than-legal dealings.”

“Murders,” Hardison added for clarity, “a lot of people have died because of this family, and most of them didn’t end their service there.”

“Well, that’s just sad,” Parker crossed one floating leg over the other, leaning back in an imaginary armchair.

Hardison looked at each of us with nervous energy. When he locked eyes with Nate, he got the signal to proceed. No one interrupted this time.

[emergentfutures]

A Mission To Alpha Centauri Within A Human Lifetime Has Just Become More Realistic

It will take thousands of years for humanity's fastest spacecraft to reach even the nearest stars. The Breakthrough Initiatives have been exploring the possibility of reducing this to decades, potentially allowing the scientists who launch the mission to live to see the results. A new paper, in the Journal of the Optical Society of America B, shows one of the major obstacles for such a project can be overcome with existing technology, although the authors admit other hurdles remain.

[riotousgrianatrix]

As long as there isn’t a Resource Shortfall. Not but seriously... Ban anyone named Nwabudike Morgan, Corazon Santiago, or Miriam Godwinson from participating. If there is a Prokhor named Sakarov involved, I think we’re on the right track. Does the U.N. know if Pravin Lal will be available?

[fanonical]

i love how everyone has a pokemon that they’re ride or die for like everyone just picks one lil guy to stan forever

mine is absol

[snuffysbox]

my attempts at getting better at integrating characters into actual backgrounds, ft. my adventurer OCs Jackson and Luca ✨

[riotousgrianatrix]

This would be such a good show!

[writing-prompt-s]

Angels are thought to be beautiful, while demons are thought to be vile and disgusting. However the truth is Angels are extremely scary, while demons are beautiful and elegant creatures.

[riotousgrianatrix]

Uh, this isn’t really a premise, it’s a common contrast in some circles. The way angels are described in the Christian Bible, they are terrifying creatures of physiological, even technological anarchy. Demons on the other hand are almost never described, and typically come seeking to waylay or deceive rather than frighten. You get the odd exception, like the man in the graveyard or the assorted cases that are probably epileptic/some other seizure disorder. The one I can recall whose appearance is described is Lucifer, who is traditionally thought of as beautiful.

[riotousgrianatrix]

Religion and Tornadoes

Look, I’m not normally one to mock religion (sure, the religious), but I can’t help noticing a certain irony. Looks just fine outside, my religious parents and friend are freaked out about tornadoes in the nearby area. They went to go hide in fear well in advance, and will probably remain so for a while. Despite the fact their religion says not to fear, and that even if they die, they will all to go a perfect place with the god they care so much about. Here I am, a godless, areligious little munchkin, just content to sit by the window and watch the sky. Do I have any assurances about eternity? No. Do I have a god telling me not to be afraid? No. Am I afraid? No.

[blackpyrefly]

i think about this incomprehensible minecraft meme i found on instagram on a near daily basis

[blackpyrefly]

thank you Minecraft Daily Photos for showing us this harrowing glimpse into uh. something

[riotousgrianatrix]

I get almost all of this. The Creepers/Terrorists blow themselves up. The Skeletons pop up out of nowhere and shoot you/Gun Violence for no reason. The Wither destroys everything, like Nuclear Weapons. The Iron Golem is a robot, and also Big Brother that watches over everyone. The Zombie PIgmen are gold crazy. The Endermen are always looking at you, but get hostile and scary if you look too closely at them. The Ghasts bombard you from above. No idea about the foxes and bees though.

[scionofchaos]

The Process of Warding

I will not be sharing my exact process for the creation of wards, nor will I describe in detail the wards I use most often. However, I am happy to share with all of you the fundamentals of proper warding, as I have learned them. The great hindrances of warding come from the ideology used, and the essences contributing. If you envision a wall around yourself, any spirit sufficiently motivated can attack from above, or can hurl attacks over it like a catapult. If you resolve this by envisioning a dome, the spirits can still work from beneath. While the ground resists a direct attack, it is a trifling matter for spirits to simply pass through solid matter, as they are not themselves material. By this means they can enter your dome-shaped ward and assault you. One would think to use a perfect sphere, so that this ground assault is not possible. However, the very idea that you are enclosing yourself entirely means that you are psychologically limiting your own ability to feed on energies outside the barrier, or to counter-attack through it. Keep your mind open to the possibilities, as to how you can form an intact barrier and yet not limit your own offensive abilities.

Also harmful are the common assumptions/instructions that prayer to any one or combination of gods, invoking their names, or envisioning a “perfect, pure, white light” is enough to repel anything with ease. Spirits that know of and respect your deity may stand down just from hearing the name, or realizing that you’re invoking that deity. Even if they do not, your deity will have to either intervene directly, or provide you with sufficient power, to repulse the attack. This is a limited measure, not an automatic victory. As for “white light,” there are many spirits that feed on that construct, ignore it, or otherwise will not be affected by so basic a construct. Learn to defend yourself properly, and then count on your deities (if any) to embolden those defenses further.

Physical essence is a great tool for warding, whether you are using material objects or not. Even a small amount of material (like a circle of chalk or charcoal) can be invaluable to guiding your mental processes. However, it is very difficult to call up effectively, very difficult to mold, and extremely difficult to alter once it has taken shape. These are all problems you do not want to face when engaged in the light-speed defense against a spiritual being. If you’re going to use it, be sure to make proper use of Conscious essence for the conjuring, Psychic essence for the molding, and Vital essence for both.

Conscious essence alone is more likely to empower incoming attacks, or feed your enemy, than it is to protect you from them. However, you can form warding constructs out of physical or Vital essence with a base of Conscious essence. It will sustain and grow them instead of the enemy.

Psychic essence is valuable as a defense, but you have to master the sufficient Conscious and Vital essences needed to make effective use of it, the iron will needed to direct it where you want it to go, and the physical resources to maintain such a defense.

Vital essence of itself is a poor choice for warding, but it is instrumental to the construction and maintenence of good wards.

You must also construct a system of warding that is dynamic and renewable, rather than trying to make a single, invulnerable barrier. Leave the same ward as-is for long enough, and people will find ways through it. Or it will just degrade over time. Instead of trying to make a ward that does not respond when hit, make one that punishes the aggressor for hitting it.

On a closing note, spirit communication should be handled in a similar fashion to combat. Have the proper wards in place, have a strategy for engagement in mind, and create sensors external to your wards. The last step is critical, because proper warding can make it difficult to communicate effectively with those you do not let through. Because of this, you will want a system in place where even something that gives you respectful distance has a way to communicate without trying to beam signals through your wards. Make sure these sensors are not tied directly to you, but record information that you can decide if you want to engage with.

[riotousgrianatrix]

@tisdevyn, I’m curious what your thoughts on this post are. Care to give a review?

[everydayilearnmore]

if you want you can come meet me in the astral realm tonight and we can hug

[riotousgrianatrix]

Sounds like fun!

[ilovewhiterussian]

- you think people are ready for contact with us?

- let’s try their drinks

- wow l i q u i d 

[chickenwraith-deactivated202403]

the translation does nothing to explain this

[riotousgrianatrix]

I believe it is a war of the worlds reference

[rihwooby]

Hey does anyone know some good games for the switch?

I only have three games so far, Outer Worlds, Mario kart 8 and Animal crossing

[riotousgrianatrix]

@rihwooby depends on your taste. Here's my library and opinions. I have bought breath of the wild, Witcher, ff8, transistor, Hades, Minecraft, asphalt 9, wrc, mk11, age of calamity, and a few other games I can go look up. Of those, I'd say all but Witcher Minecraft and wrc are solid. Mk11 and asphalt are not really usable without good net. Witcher is good, but if you've played certain games it ruins the experience. Particularly, don't play breath of the wild first, if you get both.