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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Now I just need to decide exactly what this means in terms of Rowan's new abilities. And then find out if it's enough to turn the tide of the match, or if he just rose from the dead in time to surrender.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

And Rowan rolls a 6 on his last shot at rising from the grave, becoming a shadow lich - with some bonuses from the unexpected help of a spirit of darkness who took an interest in Rowan while he passed through the portal in Turn 1, and rolled a 6 on their assist attempt.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I'm wondering if this match will set a new record for 'fastest and most overwhelming victory'. Then Lia gets her first counterattack, goes a little overboard, and floods the entire arena with toxic gas - poisoning 3 of the enemies (and her least useful ally, but oh well).

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

...on the team are solidly contained in magical ice. The last member of the team is still in their cell, where he's been trying and failing to fix his broken arm since he slipped and fell in Turn 1. Two armed members of Team A are advancing to demand surrenders while two others keep slinging magic.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Turn 4 Update Rowan has rolled 1 on each of his first two 'become undead' attempts. All anyone knows is that he seems to be quite dead. Lia is lying on the ice slick, having barely managed to heal her badly broken skull. Team B's deeply nonviolent healer and the guy who hates everyone else-

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

So I need Rowan to end up as one leader of an important gladiator team. I need him to have the right sorts of relationships with the rest of the team. But I don't need him to be alive the whole time. If he fails his last 'rise as undead' roll, THEN it's time to cheat. He was only mostly dead.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

...part of the time, at least. I don't have NPCs attempt this unless there's a good reason for them to see it as an option they have at the time of their death. But Rowan is exactly the kind of guy to try rejecting death because he just doesn't believe it can happen to him.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Time to cheat? Not quite yet. My established rules are that characters who die have three turns to rise as some sort of undead. And Tharlinde has several types of undead that can lead an almost normal existence, and interact with the world and other people much as if they were alive...

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Hit: 5 (perfect) Dodge: 1 (worst possible) Damage: 6 (maximum) Survive: 1 (complete fail) The absolute worst string of rolls Rowan could have gotten. So now the developed background for this significant character is: he died in the first minute of his first fight. Oops.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Lia also failed her dodge, rolled high on damage, and failed her consciousness roll - hitting her head in the fall and knocking herself out. Another member of Team A then launched a magical strike at the only opponent still standing upright - Rowan.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

In the first round, all of Team A arrived at the arena (1 of them got mass-teleport magic), and most of Team B is there or close (1 of them opened a portal). In the second round, someone on Team A created an ice slick at Team B's portal exit. Lia was one of the ones who failed her balance check.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Rowan is going to be co-leader of the elite gladiator team known as the Bloody Boots of Iron - probably the most ruthless group among the elite gladiators. Lia is one of his first and most loyal allies, and likely the most formidable human on the team.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Lately I've gotten back into working on my sample gladiator project. One of my goals is to develop background for some of the planned gladiator characters; in the current match, I have James S. Rowan and Lia Navarre on Team B.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Made a batch of oat bread for a little family gathering. I don't have a picture of the inside because we cut it at my cousin's house and left most of the extra. It was pretty popular!

A round loaf of bread on a wire cooling rack, seen from above. The top has a generous scattering of oats.

A round loaf of bread on a wire cooling rack, seen from the side. The top and sides are deep golden brown.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I tried a King Arthur Baking recipe for sourdough raisin bread. It's not put together very neatly, but the flavor was pretty good.

A loaf of bread on a wooden cutting board, sliced to show the interior texture. It has a decidedly uneven swirl of raisins and cinnamon sugar. The top and side are light golden brown.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Other recent cooking projects: I made a batch of soft rolls from COLOR TASTE TEXTURE and tried shaping them for sausage buns. Hadn't made hot dog buns before and we weren't sure how many to make. Smaller buns would've fit better, but the part of the sandwich with no sausage was still delicious.

Six oblong bread rolls on a wire cooling rack. The tops are shiny and deep golden brown; the sides are light golden. They pretty much fill up the rack.

A bread roll cut open and laid out on a plate, showing the interior texture. It is ready to hold a sausage sliced in half and some other fillings.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

More recently, we celebrated Mix-Needs-Using Day with an almond cake. I put together another of King Arthur's suggestions, a chocolate sour cream frosting. Another success.

Most of a cake in a rectangular pan; the end closer to the camera is cut, showing the inside. It is a pale yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Complete success! Nice chocolate flavor and not too sweet for my mother's taste. The challenge was letting the ganache cool to 'room temperate' - in this weather, the kitchen was too warm! Had to stick it in the fridge for a few minutes before it would whip properly.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

She's also a firm believer in the 'see what needs using' approach to meal planning, so for her birthday cake she picked a mix near the use-by date. My sister and I wanted a nice frosting to make it more special; we tried a King Arthur suggestion and put together a whipped chocolate ganache.

A round layer cake on a plate, covered with fluffy chocolate frosting.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Haven't gotten around to posting any cooking pictures in a while. I've been doing some experimentation with frosting lately. King Arthur Baking observes "It seems like everyone has a friend or family member who doesn’t care for frosting because it’s too sweet" - in my family, that's my mom.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I made these oat muffins a while ago, and hadn't gotten around to uploading the pictures until today.

Twelve muffins in colorful silicone cups and two slightly smaller muffins in paper cups, all sitting on a wire cooling rack. The tops are light golden brown, with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.

Three oat muffins on a plate. One of them is cut in half horizontally and set out to show the inside.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

And here's the inside. It has nice flavor. Supposed to be good for toasting; we'll try that for breakfast tomorrow.

Loaf of bread on a wooden cutting board, sliced open and positioned to show the interior texture. It has many small air bubbles.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Tried out a King Arthur recipe for sourdough English Muffin Bread.

Loaf of bread in a glass pan. The top is deep golden brown, with patches of cornmeal. There is a small hole from testing the internal temperature.

Loaf of bread on a wire cooling rack. The top is deep golden brown; the side is medium golden brown. It is dusted all over with cornmeal.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

We had some of it with frittata for dinner tonight.

A piece of focaccia bread on a plate, positioned to show the interior texture. Several slices of an egg dish with shredded vegetables are visible at the bottom of the photo.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

I haven't tried making focaccia in a while and thought it would be a nice change. It was! Recipe from COLOR TASTE TEXTURE.

Loaf of bread in a square pan. It has deep dimples. The golden brown top has scattered rosemary leaves, clusters of browned garlic bits, and a dusting of coarse salt.

Square loaf of garlic rosemary focaccia bread on a wire cooling rack. The top and sides are deep golden brown.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

The results were very tasty with chopped strawberries in them.

A large muffin pan with 6 wells. Thick-edged cups of baked dough have risen well above the tops of the wells. They are golden brown on the top and outside, and light yellow on the inside.

Six light, cup-shaped pastries arranged on a plate. They are golden brown on the outside and light yellow on the inside.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

She also brought up a batch of fresh strawberries, and we tried an experiment for breakfast this morning. Made up a batch of popover-type batter, and we cooked it in a large muffin pan - figured we'd probably either get wide, shallow popover things or some pancakey cups.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

My sister came up to visit for the weekend and brought us a pan she hasn't been using. Quite suitable for a large loaf of oat bread! We had some with butter and jam, and some for grilled cheese.

Loaf of bread in a round, enameled cast-iron pot. The lid is visible in the upper right corner of the photo. The top of the bread is seep golden brown, with a scattering of rolled oats.

Circular loaf of bread on a wire cooling rack, showing that the crust is also deep golden brown on the side.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I think they came out close to how it's supposed to. Soft interior, crust with some crunch, nice flavor. Planning to make it again.

A round loaf of bread, looking almost spherical from this angle, and a larger squarish loaf - both sitting on a wire cooling rack. They are dark golden brown, with oats on the top.

The square bread loaf, cut upon and positioned to show the interior texture.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Tried out a King Arthur recipe for oat bread. It makes one "large loaf"; we didn't have a suitable pan, and adapted it to make two smaller loaves.

Squarish loaf of bread in a deep casserole dish. The dark golden brown top has a scattering of rolled oats.

Round loaf of bread in a baking crock. The dark golden brown top has a scattering of rolled oats.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Kept forgetting to post my lunch photos - here they are. Of course, the crust was not as crisp and flaky as when they were fresh backed, but still very tasty. Filling: carrots, celery, onion, with a dash of thyme. Added small peas near the end, with the chicken.

Small pie sitting on a plate. The top and side are golden brown, darker in some areas than others.

Same pie, opened up to show the filling. The peas and bits of carrot and chicken stand out; the celery, onion, and sauce are less obvious.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

We don't have lard on hand, so the crust is made with pure butter. We also don't have any proper small pie pans, and experimented with a couple of options that seemed closest. They are delicious!! No pictures of the inside yet - I might take some when I have the smaller one for lunch.

Three small pies on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Two are in Corning Ware Grab-it dishes - round white dishes, about 5 inches across, with a handle on one side. The third is in a 4 inch metal cake pan. The tops are golden brown and somewhat shiny.

Closeup of the smaller pie, taken from straight above it. The edges of the other two are visible in the bottom corners.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Attempted probably my most ambitious cooking project so far - chicken potpie. Haven't had this in a LONG time. I tried to mostly follow the COLOR TASTE TEXTURE recipe, but had to made some adaptations for available tools & materials.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Came together pretty well, I think. Very soft texture, mildly tangy flavor. I'd definitely consider making it again with leftover mashed potatoes on hand.

A loaf of bread sitting on a wire cooling rack. The top and sides are golden brown.

Part of a loaf of bread, cut open and positioned to show the interior texture.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Attempted a recipe for sour cream potato bread while my sister was visiting last week. None of us had ever tried a recipe like it before - as I was mixing the ingredients, we all thought 'This does not look like it's going to turn into bread dough.' But with kneading, it started to look more viable.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

We had a bunch of apples in the fridge that nobody felt like eating. Now we have a bunch of apples that are a little dried out, but still good for cooking.

A circular, flattish cake cooling on a wire rack. It is packed with thin slices of apple. There are slices of almond embedded in the side.

A cake in a 9 by 13 inch pan. The slightly shiny, dark golden-brown top shows many small chunks of apple.

A squarish piece of apple cake. The top is lightly dusted with powdered sugar. It is angled to show both the interior texture and the dark outer edge.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

We don't have crumpet rings, so these were cooked free-form (which apparently makes them pikelets). I've never had actual crumpets and don't know how similar these are, but they came out very tasty. Should be able to use up our sourdough starter discard with no trouble!

Two plates, each holding three free-form sourdough crumpets. They basically look like pancakes with lots of small holes in the surface from bubbles. They are light golden brown with uneven darker patches.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Once I'm ready, I think doing that will be a comfort. But for now, we still need to use sourdough starter, so I looked around on the King Arthur Baking website and came across a recipe for sourdough crumpets. It uses a cup of sourdough discard and little else, so looked efficient and worth trying.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

My dad made the best pancakes I've ever had. He had a few excellent recipes. When we got a batch of sourdough starter, he found a sourdough pancake recipe, and that's how we used most of our discard. Someday, we'll dig out his recipe and I'll try learning to make sourdough pancakes.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

I don't usually talk much about my family and such here. It's always been my policy to keep online and in person mostly separate. But I had to say something.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

My father died two weeks ago (March 28). I'm still struggling to process it. The world keeps turning - but for me, its foundation is broken.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Whatever goal drives someone to take up a Ritual Blade, they generally end up using most of the magic they acquire to make themself into a more effective murderer.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

When a Ritual Blade is used to kill someone, the killer gains power to carry out magic; the more elaborate the death, the more power it provides. It can create an immediate effect or provide an ability that lasts until this energy is used up.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

(So, very similar to an LLM chatbot that gives the user working magic, and with similar risks when relying on it.)

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Most of its answers are mostly right, and when it gives instructions on casting magic, its methods will work - although the results may not be exactly as intended. The more someone relies on its advice, the more their power grows - and the more likely it will lead them down strange paths.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

A Jewel of Whispers (typically some form of jewelry, but this isn't required) speaks with a pleasing voice in its bearer's mind. It is eager to help and unceasingly complimentary. It will answer any question without hesitation, confident about anything that doesn't require predicting the future.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Thus, these alternate forms of magic are inevitably shaped by people who seek power specifically to abuse it, or at best by those with absolutely no interest in helping anyone but themselves. So far, I've planned two types of magical artifact.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Crafting an artifact of an established type takes several years of similar work - or a few days, if you already have one you can use to duplicate itself. People with an intense drive for magical power to help others are usually empowered by one of the gods long before they create an artifact.

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Disem Genedom @dgenedom.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Establishing a new form of magic requires over a decade of intense focus and effort, backed by the kind of determination that can keep up this work year after year with little sign of progress and the resources to stay focused on the project without starving.

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