#✯ [ starter call // let's start the trickster game ]

[dream--writing]

At long last, they’re here! For my Persona/Bayo au, this is the disgraced witch Kuragari and his persona, Odysseus.

Before I talk about Kuragari, I’m gonna start with Odysseus, since that decision influenced a lot of what came after. Now before you hardcore Persona fans yell at me, yes I do know Odysseus already exists as a persona in the second game. However, there are several reasons why I chose him for Kuragari. For starters, Odysseus’ family plays a large role in his story, particularly his wife and son. The same could be said for Kuragari, as his romance with Akiko is what begins this whole story and he is very close with his son Akira. That was honestly the main reason I chose Odysseus. Another reason is that Odysseus is actually in hell, at least according to Dante Alighieri. In his Inferno, Odysseus is in the Eighth Circle for his “crimes”. Therefore, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that in this universe he was reborn as a demon in hell and would form a contract with an Umbra witch. The last reason, when you think about what Odysseus does during his adventures, wouldn’t you call him a trickster?

When it comes to Odysseus’ design, I’ll admit I wasn’t too satisfied with Atlus’. It’s just, if you told me that was supposed to be Odysseus, I probably wouldn’t believe you. So I thought it would be fitting to draw him as the warrior he was. I gave him bronze coloring, as a lot of Greek statues were made of bronze. I also wanted to incorporate the iconic black and orange you see on Greek pottery somewhere in the design, and I thought bronze would go better with that than say, marble. I ended up using those colors on his shield, his main weapon. I can just see him bashing in angel skulls with that thing.

Once I settled on Odysseus as his persona, I began on Kuragari’s design. The name Kuragari, as far as I can tell, means “darkness” which felt like a nice contrast to Akiko’s name. I wanted to put Greek elements into his outfit to reflect his persona. The bottom of his shirt and sash were inspired by men’s chitons and sashes. I also put in the Greek knot pattern for a little something extra. The hat he’s wearing is called a petasos, which was worn by travelers. I thought that would be a good accessory. His umbra watch is shaped like a compass, which is also a nice tie to Odysseus. And of course I had to give him the famous comedy/tragedy mask. The one problem with that though, was that with all the Greek masks I saw, they covered the whole face. And when you look at the masks in Persona, they all leave at least part of the face uncovered so we can see the character’s expressions. So as a compromise I only covered the bottom half of Kuragari’s face. This allowed me to show off the mask’s mouth while leaving his eyes exposed. This also connects back to Rosa, who also keeps the bottom of her face covered. Kuragari’s mask can actually change depending on his mood. For example, when he’s battling angels it’s shaped in the comedy smile, but when something serious happens (ex. the Umbra clock tower is destroyed) it changes to tragedy.

I wasn’t too happy with the first pose I put Kuragari in, but I kept it because it showed off his outfit. I did draw him in another pose though (ref used) that also included his chains. I tried to add his guns, but the angle wasn’t working so I kinda gave up. If you’re curious though, his guns are the same design as Rosa’s (because I can’t design weapons myself) but are instead named Anemoi. Their individual names are Boreas, Zephyrus, Notus, and Eurus.

I think that covers everything! If you’ve read until the end, I appreciate it! Let me know what you think, and I’ll be back soon with another update!

[jokarnofuru]

meant to do this right after my intro post so i forgot but better late than never! akira’s here and a bit confused but he’ll manage. for now. (sits waiting for a certain castmate to arrive) that aside you know what this is by now! like this for a starter from this thief! capping at 3!

[unnecessarywriting]

Agent Rogers

Chapter 3: Assemble

A/n: Hello all! I am back again with a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy, and I just wanted to say that I will be updating some more soon. Any questions will be answered in further chapters in flashbacks and such, so if you are confused, well just hold on, but feel free to ask me questions whenever. Requests are open still and I will still tag people. Thank you all for reading!

I sit in the bath and let my body soak in the hot water. My latest mission was much longer than it should have been. My three-day excursion in the Andes became two weeks of battling the hot vs cold weather while avoiding getting caught in a safe house all on my own. I almost felt a little lonely, but soon enough I was able to finish up and get the intel to help my company. Yes, Fury is director, but Shield is mine and forever will be. 

My phone buzzes and I know another mission is on its way. I would let it ring, but Fury would only get annoyed and make my life a living hell. 

“This is my bath time so it better be something important.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble agent, but there is an emergency. Our world is in danger, so I’m engaging in the Avengers initiative.” Same old Fury, always so serious. 

“Alright. I gave you the role of director, so I didn’t have to have my bath time interrupted. Go ahead with your plans, make the world a safer place and all that, and don’t call me again.” I hung up the phone and tossed it aside. I did not have time to deal with something, not of my concern. 

Thirty minutes later I step out of the tub and wrap my fluffiest bathrobe around my body. The bliss I feel is interrupted by an incessant knocking on my front door. 

“Here I thought that I could have a relaxing night to myself,” I mutter to no one. “You know, I’m not gonna live forever so I don’t know why I can just have tonight to mys-“ the door opens and reveals Agent Coulson. 

“Not gonna live forever ey?” He pushes past me into my house. “You would’ve fooled me, Agent.”

“I told Fury that he can do what he wants. It’s not my business unless he throws Shield under the bus when he inevitably fails.”

“We need you. I know you refuse to see yourself as an avenger, but we both know that you are one of the most skilled assassins in the world, not to mention the serum flowing through your veins.”

“You make it sound like I asked for this to happen,” I say pouring some wine into a glass.

“I thought the serum prevents you from getting drunk.”

“Sure, but I can still enjoy the taste. It is quite delightful Coulson. What exactly do I need to do?”

He hands me a manilla folder holding information about one Loki Laufeyson. 

“So, still at war with aliens. He was the one from before when Thor came to Earth the first time right?”

“Yes, but now he is after the Tesseract. We need you to infiltrate his people.”

“What’s that supposed to mean exactly? It’s not like he’s some small-time gang robbin’ banks and such. He’s a damn God for Christ’s sake. I may be above the average person, but I don’t have any powers to fight off someone like him.”

“You have a few powers that have gotten you this far in this world of corruption. Liz, he has Clint under some spell. You’re the only one that will be undetectable and let’s face it, as far as anyone is concerned, you’re just another Agent with a vendetta against Shield.”

“Fine, I’ll do it. But I’m not going anywhere near him.” I finish sipping on the red liquid at the thought of having to finally face him. 

“You don’t have to. You two are doing separate missions, but I can’t guarantee that will stay the same throughout this instance. Loki is unpredictable.” Coulson turns to walk away. 

“And Liz, he doesn’t know about you. The only file we have confirms your suicide back in the day. I think you at least owe him knowledge of your life. He has no one, and he hasn’t taken to the time yet.” I stay silent and pour another glass hoping that the alcohol will suddenly start to intoxicate me, but alas, I am cursed to live in this world. 

——

Dressed in my black suit, I emerge into the underground base run by Loki. I see Clint approaching me. 

“Agent, what are you doing here? This is no place for you. His hand is preparing to grip any weapon.”

“Relax Barton, I’m not here as a part of Shield. Where’s your guy?”

“I presume you are looking for me?” The man from the picture in my file comes forth from behind Clint. 

“Loki I presume?” I extend my hand. He obliges with a royal look of suspicion. 

“And to what do I owe this pleasure, Lady,”

“Elizabeth. And you see, I heard about your diabolical plan to take over the world,” I say accentuating the place around me with my hands, “ and I couldn’t help but wonder how you would do that without my help.”

“And what is it that you could do for me?”

“Well, for starters, I’m a much better company than that fool over there,” I say pointing to Clint. “But I also know a lot about Shield. More than anyone else.” I try to hide my knowing smirk, but it’s a struggle.

“How exactly is that true. You appear to be some lowly agent. You could very easily be lying to me right now. I do have a way to find out.” He extends the tip of the spear to my heart. I grab the spear before he has the chance. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Although I do like having someone else having total control over my body, my mind remains my own always. I have no reason to lie, which is precisely why I will not tell you exactly who I really am, or how I know what I know. I can assure you, however, that there are things in this world I do not approve of, and I am intrigued by you and your ideals.” So, I told mostly the truth. He’s a trickster, and as one myself I know it is very difficult to trick another one. 

“I like you. Let’s get to work.” I smirk knowingly. 

——

On the Helicarrier

After running the cross-examination there was a 79% match for Loki in Stuttgart, Germany. Fury looks at his phone when the ping comes through. 

Did the camera get him?

He looks at Steve. 

“Captain, you’re up.” Steve nods in response.

——

I chose to wear a black gown. It is a sad day I presume. I flew all the way to Germany, and I doubt I’ll get to have any Schnitzel. What a sad day it is. 

I walk into the ballroom of well-dressed men and women. Loki is due anytime. My mission was to report, not to act, so all I can do is watch as he saunters down the steps. Everyone becomes flustered, but I move to the stairs where I sit up on the second floor overlooking this event. He pierces the man’s face, and I can’t help but return to my dark days for a second. If he wasn’t so psycho, he may have been my type, but times have changed. He won’t live very long anyway if Shield has a say. I know I may just overrule Fury to watch him executed. Taking over the world, the last time anyone really made that attempt, my brother did everything he could to stop it. And what do you know, we’re back in Germany. I guess what they say is true, history repeats itself. My thoughts are interrupted by Loki’s yelling outside. 

I walk out and see four of him standing with giant horns. Really? What kind of villain wears something as atrocious as that. I mean come on Loki, you were doing so well. I watch the old man rise amongst all the others. Of course, the German from my time has something to say. It’s quite rich actually, refusing to be ruled by some crazily dressed dictator in this decade. My amusement is cut short by the entrance of one man dressed in red, white and blue. Here he is. Alive and well. I inch away from the scene. There is no way I’m getting in the way of this. I may actually switch sides and really help Loki. I go back inside and watch through the large windows. Maybe this was Coulson and Fury’s plan all along. 

I watch my brother get beaten by this fool until I hear see none other than Tony Stark. Oh yes, the avengers include him. It’s like a family reunion right before my eyes. I leave the building and prepare to get on the quinjet back to the helicarrier. I need to make sure this doesn’t get messed up by those two idiots. 

——

“How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can’t hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill because it’s fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.” 

I stand in the hallway listening. I hate having to play the double agent, but I can’t stop Clint and I have to make sure that all hell doesn’t break loose on this craft. Do I want to be here? No, but I can’t stay back and let Loki do whatever he wants here. I also don’t know how to help Clint, and the only way to figure that out is by being with the best scientists in the world. 

I hear Stark come out and talk about god knows what. He honestly sounds just like his father back in the day. I continue to listen as he goes on about everything the iridium can do. I turn around the corner and enter the room. 

“Well, if it isn’t our wonderful agent. Long time no see.” Fury says with a bit of anger in his voice. “Do you have any answers for us, or are you just here for the show.”

“I don’t know what you could possibly mean, but let me make one thing clear, this is the last place I want to be. Stark, it sure has been a while. And Romanoff, I see that you’re still sulking over Barton.” I like an entrance. I can feel Steve’s eyes follow me carefully trying to figure me out. I guess I’ll just play the great-great-niece card. 

“Everything Stark said is right, I’m pretty sure. I don’t fully know everything about all of that gibberish, but I do know that they are building that portal.”

“Then why are you here then.”

“Simple. I am completing my mission. I go where Loki goes. He trusts me, I think, and if I have to play the game of double-agent, then so be it. Anyway, the staff has nothing to do with the Tesseract. They are two different beings entirely. I believe that there is some type of power to it, one that is like no other. I observed it as closely as I could, and while there are similarities between the two, they are very different.”

Banner and Stark look to one another, I assume sharing some sort of genius telepathic ideas. 

“What about Barton?” Nat looks at me carefully. 

“He’s in no imminent danger, but he easily could be. I couldn’t take the risk of investigating him and then having to kill him. I don’t know how to fix him exactly, which is why I am here. Banner, I know that you're only here to find the Tesseract, which I would’ve loved to help with by the way, but they are already on the move and I don’t know where to, I need your help or expertise in figuring out that spear.”

“I think I can help in the meantime while we look, but there is no guarantee that I can understand it.” I nod my head in understanding. 

“Cap, you’re awfully quiet.” Stark urges. 

“I know, ‘who are you? How do you look just like her?’ Let’s keep it simple then. Hey Uncle. It sure is really great to meet ya. We can talk about this some other time, alright? Now if you don’t mind, I need to talk with Loki and make sure he knows what’s going on.” I leave and try to avoid the disappointing looks on Fury and Coulson’s faces. It is for the better and for my own safety. I’m not about to expose myself to everyone right before a major mission like so. If we make it out of this alive, I am in no position to be used as a weapon or to be targeted again. 

----

“What exactly is it that you want here Loki?”

“Well, I could tell you, but I think it would be rather interesting if you found out yourself.”

I circle around his cage.

“Well how about I open this up for you. You haven’t exactly told me what to do in a bit. I’m starting to wonder if you even want me on your side.” I turn away from him. He has an angle, I just need to figure out what it is. 

“No. I don’t think you should. Elizabeth, dear, we do have plenty of time to get to know each other better. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do look forward to that time, but my plans come first.” I nod my head and retreat. At this rate, I’m not going to learn anything. 

I walk down the hall, and I hear Tony and Steve arguing.

“...finishes breaking into all of Shield’s secure files.”

“I’m sorry. Did you say-”

“Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, I’ll know every dirty secret Shield has ever tried to hide.” 

I continue past the door. Tony really is like Howard. I’m honestly not surprised, but if only he knew the dirty secrets I’ve had to hide. That information would never make it to a computer. I’m from the old days, and there is no way I’m going to trust something anyone can hack into with all of the real dirt hidden beneath my fingernails. But, Fury doesn’t understand that security precaution, so I can only wait to see what Tony finds. This could be very dangerous for him. 

----

The crashes from around the craft tell me that Loki’s plan has commenced. Everyone is starting to infiltrate, and it's only a matter of time before this place comes crashing down. I rush around trying to avoid anyone. I hear a loud roar from somewhere in the craft. The beast is awake. I hurry through others trying to get to Loki. There was no way in hell I would let him get away. As I approach, I see Thor trapped in the cage. I glance around to where Loki is and watch him disappear.

The world starts to slow down as I look up at Coulson. The spear all the way through his body. Everything stops for a moment. Before I know it Thor is gone too.

“Loki, what did you do?”

“Come on love, I thought you would enjoy this. Clean up the place, will you?” He walks away with a proud look on his face. I rush over to Coulson.

“I-it’s gonna be okay. I promise.” I feel the tears spill over my cheeks.

“C’mon Liz. I never knew you to be so emotional over death.”

“Well, good. That means you aren’t dying.”

“Just, tell him who you are. Now, leave me here and go do your job.”

“Shut up. I’m not going anywhere. I may hate your annoying ass, but you’re my favorite agent, and I refuse to let you be alone.”

“Tell me about the old days. I never got to hear about what you two were like.” I talked for what seemed like forever. My life before the war. Who Steve was, his friendship with Bucky, our mother. I told him everything I could fit into that time.

Fury soon runs over. I move aside and watch.

“Sorry Boss. The god rabbited.”

“Just stay awake. Eyes on me.”

“No, I'm clocking out here.”

“Not an option.”

“It’s okay, boss. This was never gonna work if they didn't have something to…” Coulson stops. His body breathing its last breath. He was never supposed to be a martyr. I put my head in my blood-stained hands. I never should have brought Loki here. This is my doing. 

----

I steal one of the quinjets. I may not be considered an official avenger or whatever, but my friend died. Although Fury lied, he wasn’t entirely wrong. I get out in New York. There, I see the destruction I’ve caused. It is time that I stop sitting on the side-lines. I see my brother looking around aimlessly. I guess now is a good time to stop whining over him.

“Cap, I think you might want to stop looking around for some miracle,” I shoot some of the aliens down and pull out some other weapons, “And start throwing that shield around.” The look he sends me tells me he knows who I am. It is all I need to know as I rush off ensuring that my coms are on. The fight continues until we regroup. Banner rides in on his little motorcycle. Now, this can really begin.

Steve starts giving his orders to everyone in the group. “You, me, and Liz, we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here.” Nat and I nod and prepare for the fight. “And Hulk...Smash.” 

Never did I think that I would be here fighting alongside my own brother, in our home of New York, but as I have learned over the decades, try not to expect anything,

I see Steve trapped by a few of those aliens, so I rush in and help lighten the load. The look he gives me sends shivers down my spine. He’s not happy. It may have to do with me putting my life in danger but I am a grown woman now. 

“You’re welcome,” I shout and run away from the scene and start fighting elsewhere. 

I see the portal close and someone falls through the sky. I sit on the building and watch Tony come back. I let out a breath of relief. Normally, I would rejoice with my team, but I know I’m not wanted there. This whole thing was my doing. I drift away from the scene and go back to my apartment in DC. I never was an avenger. I was just the one who brought war upon my people. I was created to protect, but instead, I brought death and destruction.

I slip into the shower and wash away the blood and dirt. Then, I let the tub fill up, and sit myself down into it and let the hot water soak around me. I pick up my phone and send a message to Fury.

Let him know who I am. Nothing more, nothing less.

“This is all I can do for you now Coulson. I am truly sorry, but I will work up to it.” I dunk my head under the water and stay there. Just for a little while.

@jessyballet​ @wherewecomealive​ @lilulo-12​ @irespostthingsiwanttoseelater​

[tumblunni]

Aaaaa let me pokems...

Gonna hopefully HOPEFULLY be able to get my capture card from the post office tomorrow and be able to start playing this game a week later aaa. I hope my patience is worth it!! I hope it all works well and i can do a fun lets play that everyone enjoys!!

But man im REALLY dissappointed to learn that almost half of all the outfits for your trainer are exclusive to eevee version, like wtf? And theres not really any other alternative for like.. Half of the rainbow. The eeveelutions added some well needed options for colours like pink and purple and light blue. Aww well i know i couldnt make my character look like me anyway cos you cant choose hair colour, so i guess this is just more of a reason to make a new oc from scratch.

Oh, and what should i name my pikachu? Like i was thinking Chuppy cos thats what i called my first pika in Yellow, but he was a boy and i kinda wanna take the opportunity to have a female starter for the first time. Name idea for her: Loki? Cos yknow Loki in the original mythos was like the patron god of genderfluidity after all. Plus i just dont know any names of any female-all-the-time trickster deities that i could use instead. Aside from like.. Femme fatale types, which doesnt fit well for a lil rascal of a pet. Oh! Or maybe just call her Rascal! But for some reason that seems to fit an eevee better in my mind, so maybe i'll headcanon it as Trace's starter's nickname?

ALSO!! I'M EXCITED TO HUG TRACE!! I love this good shy boy i will protect him forever. His design is boring but his personality is actually a nice spin on the friendly rival archetype from what ive seen so far. I'm already attatched to the idea of my oc trainer being more of a grumpy ego times gary-as-a-girl character, except also what if the egos rudetime was also LOVV SHE FREMD?? She protec the weak instead of stomp them down. Big sister feels! But aaaa i dunno what to name him? Cos i'm gonna get so attatched to him and do lots of fun buddy dynamic with him and Darcy, so he needs a name that just Sounds Right As The Friend Of She. Yknow??? Like i initially wanted to call him Cedric after the beta name of Barry from gen 4, cos theyre both Soft Boys, but i dunno if "Darcy and Cedric" sounds good? Like its not similar OR different enough to sound like a matching buddy cop in an 80s movie. It works best when its like "Darcy and Barcy" or "Darcy and Fnebt" or "Darcy and Hjdhfjbkyljk". Rhymey or similar length or one short and one long or LONG AND ALSO RHYMEY HMM YEH THATS THE GOOD SHIT!!! What is a good name of that? Randomly thinking of another 5 letter name, how about Quinn? Cos that'd make them both the same length visually but one is shorter in syllables, and also they can both ne first names of normal kids or surnames of buddy cops. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING

Gaaaaagh i should start doodling stuff to figure it out!! Like think about what hairstyle and outfit Darcy would have if the customization was more free. And i think maybe she'd have hair colour similar to James? Or a rusty red maybe, or another anime hair colour thats like a Soft Anime rather than super bright? Or maybe just brown hair instead of black, i dunno. OH AND MAYBE GLASSES!!! Or maybe stick those on Trace/Cedric/Quinn if i was to give him a new less Gary-ish outfit. Or maybe he has cute glasses and she has cool shades? OR MAYBE FRECKLES BOYE! Oh and if i doodle Chuppy vs ideas for other pikachu ocs, maybe itd help me figure out what i want to go with?

Hhhh im so excite for game why u no be in my heart already game

Man i need to stock up on snacks aaaa

[shadowron]

The Totems of Shadowrun (1st Edition)

So you have decided to play a Shaman. Maybe you have taken my earlier recommendations seriously and have chosen the Street Shaman as your starting archetype. More likely, you first picked the Street Mage because you are better grounded in western occult fantasy practices or always played the Magic-User in D&D or really thought of yourself as Ravenclaw only to find that, while you really enjoyed healing your friends and mana bolting your enemies, the restrictions of dealing with elementals has proven to be too annoying, and want to stretch your role-playing chops by picking something different.  And summon City Spirits and Hearth Spirits. They’re the best.

By now you realize that the magic system of Shadowrun is a mosaic of cultural appropriation, with idea of the Awakening taken from the b’ak’tun of Mayan Civilization, the hermetic tradition dating back to the reverence of Hermes Trimestigus of Hellenic Egypt, and the shamanic tradition taking its name from Siberian tradition but incorrectly smearing it across the varied spiritual practices of the Native Americans that extend the base premise by having them be the first group to harness the recurrence of magic, really nailing the racist “noble savage” trope, and use it to form the Native American Nations of 2050. Just wait and see what they did to Ireland Tír na nÓg.

But this is a game, and a game I dearly love, which is why I’m going to make fun of it some more.

“Shamans get their magic from the world of nature and the power of their emotions. They form a link through nature through an animal figure called a totem.”

Let’s get the obvious out of the way.

The totem you’re going to pick first

Coyote – The Great Trickster

Coyote is the Great Trickster, which basically gives the PCs an excuse to be Chaotic Neutral. They have no advantages or disadvantages, making it the ideal Starter Totem. Played well, it could be your only totem – my buddy played his Coyote Shaman throughout at least four or five different characters of mine. Like most CN characters, this one can become predictable in his unpredictability, and advanced role-players should look for more of a challenge.

The totems of minor inconvenience

Congratulations! You’ve taken the next step into the totemic world by realizing there are 8 other totems that the writers gave you to choose from, and decided to give one a shot. You were comfortable with the flexibility of the Coyote shaman’s abilities, and so want to pick a totem that will align well with being a shadowrunner and minimize the annoying restrictions (realize, a real shaman would never think of these as restrictions, rather as natural as the fury of the waterfall or the venom of a spider).

Dog – Shaman’s Best Friend

Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read the Secrets of Power novel trilogy from 25+ years ago (authored by Shadowrun designer and writer Bob Charrette): the protagonist Samuel Vernor, a.k.a. Twist, starts out as a former Renraku Wage Slave/Almost Decker but then discovers he’s a Dog Shaman, so if you were the type of emulate heroes from Shadowrun fiction, he’s the magician you would make once you realize Sally Tsung is simply Molly from Neuromancer reimagined as a street mage.

Advantages are slightly above par, +2 dice for Detection spells, field spirits, and hearth spirits, though of course you’ll only need to summon the latter (if you’re a shadowrunner and you find yourself in a field, things have already gone way, way wrong). Disadvantage is that you’re stubborn (must make a Willpower (4) test to change plans/tactics), which if you have an unsympathetic GM could get annoying really fast (“They’re out of your preferred brand of Sloppy Soy. Make a Willpower test to see if you’ll settle for a burrito.”), but if that happens, just remind them that you could have played a Coyote shaman.

Eagle – the one no one picks for one good reason

“An Eagle shaman will not tolerate evil or ignoble actions.”  

Umm… The writers do know what game this is, right? Shadowrun? Where it’s understood that most actions will be ignoble? Their advantages aren’t that attuned to the shadows anyway: +2 dice for wind spirits and detection spells, which means that if the GM isn’t running a 2050 Weather Channel style campaign, this one is best left for NPCs.

Raccoon and Rat – the thief totems

Seems natural, right? Shadowrunners are criminals, after all. Raccoon gets +2 dice for Manipulation spells, and as we’ve discussed in a different article, there is a basket of goodness there. They also get +2 dice for City Spirits, which should be half of the spirits you’re summoning anyway. Rat gets +2 dice for all Spirits of Man, which includes both City and Hearth Spirits, so basically all the spirits you’ll be summoning, but his bonus dice are in Detection and Illusion.  

So what’s the catch? -1 dice to combat spells for both, so either take the hit on your Mana Bolt spell, or utilize your above advantages to supplement the more direct combat types.

The totems of major inconvenience

Now you’re in for a challenge, because playing one of these is like tightrope walking while drunk – yes it’s possible you might luck out and make it work, but it’s more likely you’ll make a minor slip and die.

Raven and Snake – the ones that hate to fight

These take the combat disadvantages of Raccoon and Rat and dial them up a bit. Raven is a Trickster like Coyote, but hates to fight (takes -1 to combat spells) and can’t refuse food, which means that your James O’Barr’s The Crow inspired character can be sidelined by a soy-ham sandwich. Raven gets bonuses to Manipulation spells and Snake gets them to Healing, Detection, and Illusion, giving both a lot of spell versatility. Pair either of them with a Combat Mage and your team has things covered.

Bear and Wolf – the ones that go berserk

As a zoological aside: Coyotes, Dogs, and Wolves all belong to the same genus, Canis. However similar they are genetically, they differ more wildly magically. Let’s face it – the reason why Bear and Wolf are here is because they have the chance to go Berserk when wounded.  Now – it’s a Willpower (4) test, they need 3 successes to avoid going berserk altogether, and any shaman worth their moccasins will max out willpower at 6, that’s still about a 50/50 chance it’ll happen every time they’re wounded.

That’s right – it’s not per combat, it’s per wound. And “a berserk shaman will attack the closest living thing”, which in most cases will be their fellow PCs.

Every time they’re wounded

they have to make a roll.  Sooner or later, it’s going to happen, Bear is going to take a swipe at the Rocker, and everyone is going to feign outrage even though it’s the Rocker. Like Eagle, Bear works best as an NPC, with their bonus to Health spells and Forest spirits and having to heal anyone who asks (many a Bear Shaman Street Doc have gone bankrupt because of this) – who are going to be his teammates just after Bear goes berserk. Wolf gets a justified bonus to Combat and Detection spells, but this just means he has a better chance of offing his friends when that corporate security guard gets a lucky shot in at range.

[askthewidowstar]

What's the opinion on some survivors that you got?

"So, for starters, this is, yes, current outfit so far 'fore I go back in my main look. This ain't bout m'though, it's on the survivors so I'll put it off as a rank system." A chuckle escaping from the lead singer , this was something he doesn't usually get to say the opinions on survivors without being called out some way.

"Alright , let's start with my husband. I love him, they're determined t'get everyone out alive but does he make it harder for me as the killer to go for others? Oh , definitely. I'd rather fight th'demo than see my efforts get fucked over because o'him." Sage was a bit huffy as he called out his significant other, as much they were loved, he didn't think that he'd actually get irritated through the games. "I have t'always make sure he goes down first- call it, slug him before I go for th'others, makes my job easier."

"Cheryl, th'gal of my favourite list o'independent women- She's th'only one so far who puts a fight up with everything despite bein' able to get her blonde ass up again with that halo of th'sun piece. I like her but she doesn't exactly help 'round trials, I get that she's been traumatized, yet, cmon, do more than hoggin' the gens. That's as bad with Claudette bein' a ragin' brat on trying to heal everyone."

"Ashley. This guy. I despise 'im more than I wanna let on, y'all think I'm obsessive with most people? I'm exactly worst when it comes t'seeing Kura harmed or put in harms way because of him. Not many killers get why as he looks like yknow, any other old man who probably ditched his family for somethin' entirely fucked up but we're gonna put it at this. He's my first kill, no matter what happens."

"Let's finish this off with th'one , the only, th'bitch known as yun jin. I get why Trickster probably doesn't like 'er, she'll just run 'round, not helping, barely even gonna focus on the task at hand which is survive, it's not god damn hard. She's usually my second or third kill, depending on my mood if I let ANY of 'em go which is beyond rare."

[arkhamarchitecture]

the ioun post you knew was coming

Let’s start with the most important point, one I do not want any of you to forget: I’m not mad at Scanlan for getting Ioun’s blessing. I’m disappointed that Percy didn’t. There is a huge difference between these two things and I will lay them out as such. If you came at me for this post arguing that I hate Scanlan or I’m insulting him, I’m just going to ignore you because you clearly didn’t read anything I’m about to write.

For starters, let’s break down the two characters here in terms of things Ioun values, which is knowledge and the spread of knowledge, and the big thing she doesn’t like, which is secret keeping.

Percy adores learning in all its forms, is happy to teach others some things, but not things he deems dangerous. He believes very strongly in keeping records of histories and people, and he absolutely endeavors to preserve knowledge where he considers the knowledge worth preserving. And also, for all that people call him an arrogant elitist (and to a certain extent, he is), Percy is shockingly willing to alter his entire worldview based on new information and explanations people give him. Percy went from thinking magic was frightening and incomprehensible garbage to incorporating more of it into his arsenal just because Taryon spent a lot of time over the year break talking it over with him.

Does he keep secrets? Yes, absolutely. Percy is an intensely private person and doesn’t like sharing details about himself. He also believes that dangerous information should be suppressed or, if possible, destroyed. Recall that until Ripley made that impossible, Percy had hoped that guns would die with him and their secrets lost. Now, because he cannot change the fact that Ripley spread knowledge of guns all over the damn place, he has been forced to surrender that goal but is still limiting their spread as much as he can. The riflemen of Whitestone are not using new guns Percy has made for them but rather the confiscated guns from Ripley and even then, they are being used primarily because Percy would be an idiot for surrendering a major advantage in the defense of his city just because he wishes the guns weren’t there.

Meanwhile, Scanlan enjoys learning new things but rarely seems to seek out new information unless it’s to his benefit. Which is to say, he’ll read a book about demons if they’re going to go fight a demon but he wouldn’t sit down and read it just for something to do on a rainy day (see for example the fact that this episode he needed to sing about the Calamity and pointed out that he didn’t know anything about it). He tells stories but most of them are fiction. And there’s nothing wrong with fiction, obviously, we all write it, but I wouldn’t call that spreading knowledge. I would call that spreading art and that is an incredibly worthwhile endeavor that I applaud Scanlan for, but it’s not Ioun’s bag.

And as for secrets? Boy howdy does Scanlan keep them. Let’s not forget that he separated from the group in the first place because he never told them anything about himself and blamed them for not prying about something he was tight lipped about. And let’s also not forget that before he left, Scanlan was starting to concern a number of people with his use of Modify Memory, a spell which actively destroys knowledge in small doses - he was using it to keep secrets for his own benefit.

My point here is not that Scanlan is a bad person, because he’s not. My point is that if the sin Ioun passed Percy over for is secret-keeping, then Scanlan is equally guilty and no more worthy than Percy is. In fact, I’m not even saying Scanlan is a bad fit for Ioun. He’s a perfectly reasonable fit for Ioun. He’s just not the best fit.

Because the thing about this entire scenario is that it feels less like Ioun would actually prefer Scanlan over Percy and more than there’s no other major god who has been important in CR that fits Scanlan, while Percy can fall back on Erathis (a deity that I will remind you all has a major temple in his hometown but which he has never demonstrated the slightest interest in, compared to Ioun whom he was fascinated by as soon as he found out about her). 

Sehanine (the trickster goddess) and Avandra (the luck goddess) soooorta fit Scanlan in a very odd and slightly forced way? It’d be weird to watch and all of us would kind of squint over having to see Scanlan champion some goddess we’ve all been barely aware of. So I can see why Matt did this. The other options are bad story beats.

Basically: Ioun was the best choice for Scanlan, but Scanlan wasn’t the best choice for Ioun.

I don’t usually talk about immersion in the context of anything but a video game but in the case, it is actually an issue of immersion. Scanlan was picked as the Champion more due to gameplay reasons than story reasons and it’s impossible for me to forget that or put it aside. And Matt’s not wrong to do it - sometimes that’s shit you gotta do as a DM. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s wrong or bad. I’m just explaining my displeasure with the story beat.

Also, while I know Percy isn’t angry about it (and good for him because that dude does not need to be even angrier than he is) and I’m sure a lot of that rests on the fact that he probably wasn’t super comfortable being champion of a god anyway, and if/when VM eventually goes after Erathis and Melora, it’s going to be real fuckin’ weird if Percy suddenly takes up with Erathis (again, a goddess he is well aware of but has never cared about) after having now been snubbed by two separate goddesses that he was trying to put his faith in.

(another essay entirely is the tremendous hypocrisy of a goddess who despises secrets planting knowledge in someone’s head that will disappear as soon as it is no longer required because it must be kept secret, but ain’t nobody got time for that)

[saffronaura]

Folly Five AU - The Scaley Trickster and The Dancing Demon

This is a starter fanfiction story of a toon alternate universe idea me and @the-vampire-inside-me have been brainstorming together and it’s going to get bigger. :) 

It basically has toon characters from Disney, Bendy, Cuphead, and various other cartoons, games, and studios many people are familiar with or recognize. Few of the characters in our AU are OCs owned by me and vampire. 

Anyway, enjoy! ;3

Whizbang the Dragon © me Bendy, Bendy and the Ink Machine © theMeatly Horace Horsecollar, Pete, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit © Disney Prologue 1  Prologue 2 Prologue 3

Folly Five AU  - The Scaley Trickster and The Dancing Demon

The Tooniverse. A world between the real world and the world-between. Cartoon characters that were ever created go here to call home.  It was during the olden days of black-and-white when cartoon characters would gather in the growing settlement of Toontown. When they aren’t doing their jobs in playing their cartoons, toon characters would come to Toontown to relax, rest, spend time with friends and family, and most of all have fun. Main cartoon stars and their co-stars would leave the studios of their workplace to retire for a hard day’s work until they are called back. Most characters play roles that are identical to when they are off the set, while others have opposite personalities. Toontown is reminiscent to the real world, such as the presence of toon crime, violence, and other things. But it was otherwise a nice establishment, where toons come and work together as a team. Everyday was the usual for the toons.  Except for one little fella.

A baby, black and white dragon scurried through the streets in a playful prance. A cute mischievous smirk was plastered on his small muzzle and only one baby tooth poked out of his mouth. A pair of small wings stood from its back and a ridge of small spines ran along its back. As he walked, he was leaking drops of black ink from his stubby body, leaving behind trails of black spots on the sidewalk. The little toon is a newcomer, having been created and drawn on the storyboards three hours ago. And already, he managed to escape his human creators and entered through the world between and into the Tooniverse. You could say today was his birthday. 

This mischievous baby dragon would later be named ‘Whizbang’. Of course, during his first run through Toontown, he had no name. He was pretty much nameless.  POP POP POP! A loud popping sound made itself known followed by a yell of surprise. A nearby dog toon howled loudly and jumped out of his chair after being startled by a firecracker that placed under his seat. Whizbang grinned happily. He had just pulled a firecracker prank on the unsuspecting toon and was quite proud with himself. What a little scamp. 

Soon he did the same trick on a large fat cat called Pete, a rabbit named Oswald, a horse called Horace, and many other toons around Toontown. After each firecracker pop, Whizbang would make a quick getaway before his victims could catch him in retaliation. Nearby toons would sometimes laugh at the prank or act surprised. Regardless, the reactions of bystanders and his victims made Whizbang laugh. At this pace, he would be the best beginning prankster, and this got him cocky.  Maybe too cocky.  Whizbang then decided to play his next firecracker prank on a trio of teenage toons at once: a cat, a dog, and a human toon. A small feat for a beginner. The baby dragon snickered cutely at the idea before making his move. A perfectly placed firecracker was dropped at the center of the trio of teens, before it went ‘POP POP POP POP!’. There was a yelp, a yowl and a yell from each respective toon teenager, causing Whizbang to drop on his back and release a series of cute laughs. However like the other toons, these three kids didn’t take firecrackers prank very well and they shot aggravated and menacing glares at Whizbang. This made the little dragon stop laughing when he notice their expressions and he only smirked at the teens with a toothy grin feigning innocence. And when they began to approach him aggressively, Whizbang quickly scurried away with the angry teens in hot pursuit. As he ran, loose ink ran down his body and dripped on the ground behind him, leaving a trail of dots. This would accidentally lead the bullies to where the dragon would hide: an alleyway. Surprised by this change of events, Whizbang found himself cornered as the teenagers approached him with smirks and laughs, eager for revenge. With nowhere else to run, the dragon has no choice but to try and defend himself. He tried to breathe fire, but all that came out was a small harmless ember. Seeing Whizbang’s attack attempt, the bullies laughed cruelly at him and the leader roughly pinned the baby down with a hand while his two companions gathered around, snickering.  Whizbang squirmed and wiggled against the bully’s grip, but wasn’t strong enough to get himself free! He then felt a hand grabbing hold of his left wing and the baby spiraled into a world of pain when the bully started getting yanking on Whizbang’s developing wing. The lead bully was intentionally pulling on the dragon’s wing, causing Whizbang to cry out in agony. At this rate his wing will be ripped off! 

The baby dragon whined. He just wanted to play a few tricks that’s all, they were harmless! But apparently these three bullies intend on hurting him for playing pranks on them. Turning his head, Whizbang managed to sink his teeth into the bully’s arm holding him. The toon released the baby briefly in pain but he became enraged and pinned Whizbang’s head to the ground heavily to keep him from biting.  As this was taking place, a devil shaped figure with a floating head approached the entrance to the alleyway. This mysterious person had followed the trail of ink spots on the ground and they led him to the commotion coming from within. Hearing the voices from the alleyway was a black, devil-like toon wearing equally black shoes, a white bowtie, and having the standard white gloves. A devil’s tail swayed from behind the toon and a pair of horns stood atop his head. This little devil’s name was Bendy, also known as The Dancing Demon, another new toon character who arrived in Toontown a while ago. When he quietly stepped closer towards the alleyway, Bendy widened his eyes when he saw what the bullies were doing to Whizbang. From the looks of the ink he followed, the little dragon was a newcomer like him, fresh out of the drawing board and new to the Tooniverse. The baby may also be that little prankster dragon Bendy heard about around town. “Keep him still!” “I am, I am!” “This little lizard’s gonna get it!” While the bullies were too preoccupied with harassing Whizbang, they failed to notice Bendy standing behind them. The ink demon felt furious and curled his hands into fists, angered by the bullies hurting a baby toon like Whizbang. Ink began oozing down over the devil’s left eye and then over his mouth. Strangely, he didn’t seem fazed by this. Instead Bendy’s features melted even further into big drops, and then he started growing bigger and larger with ink pooling out from him… With Whizbang fully pinned, the lead bully smirked almost evilly, grabbing hold of the little dragon’s left wing once again, “Heh! Now let’s see if this wing pulls off like paper, boys!” He began pulling on the wing once again, and Whizbang released a pitiful squeaky screech of agony, squirming wildly in vain. It was no use. He was held down, no matter how hard he struggled, he just didn’t have the strength to fight. The poor baby dragon closed his eyes, preparing for the incoming pain of his wing getting forcefully ripped from his body. Boom… boom… boom… The ground suddenly began to shake, stopping the bullies in further tormenting Whizbang. The toon cat, dog, and human looked down at their feet, feeling the vibrations and seeing the nearby rocks and empty cans rock and topple over with each tremor. Whizbang, in spite of his aching wing, came to notice the ground shaking as well and looked around briefly in confusion. But then it started to dawn on the teens and the baby. These tremors felt like footsteps. Something big was coming. A dark shadow soon eclipsed them all, blocking the sun. The intensity of the shadow was enough to send deep chills down the spines of the toons caught within.  Whizbang and the bullies involved all froze up in growing terror, their eyes spread wide to the brink. Slowly, their heads tilted upwards until they gazed upon a black, massive ink demon! Six curved horns stood atop the beast’s head and its body was constantly oozing with ink; the only things that stood out was the left portion of its white face, its wide grin that contained sharp fangs, and a white bowtie which strangely wasn’t stained by the ink. Long arms stretched out from its shoulders, each ending with clawed hands that could slice through steel and flesh. A pair of solid black eyes, deeper than the ink that coated its body, stared down at the small toons from the monster’s head with bone-chilling, white pupils focused on them. Its elognated, oozing legs were creating a pool of ink around it, but they allowed the monster to tower over the toon bullies and Whizbang. A devil’s tail swished back and worth from behind the demon, also dribbling with ink. The teenage toons and Whizbang gawked at the large inky monster that loomed over them menacingly. None of them uttered a gasp as they were locked in terror. As if to break the silence, the ink monster spoke to the teenagers in a demonic and slightly garbled voice, "Oh don’t mind me! Go on! I’ll just have fun to DRAW YOU TO HEEEELL!!“ A guttural growl then leaked out from the monster’s grinning jaws and it leaned down slightly towards the cornered toons.  “AAAAAAHHHH!!!” The toon bullies let loose a chorus of comical screams of horror, their ears popping out of their sockets and their eyes bulging out comically. In a panic-induced rush, they released Whizbang and desperately ran around the ink monster, stepping in the pool of ink as they did. They fled the alleyway, crying for their lives, and for their mommies. The ink monster’s haunting glance followed the teens until they were out of sight. It looked amused at the result, its grin stretched slightly further as a mischievous glint appeared briefly in its eyes. As soon as the bullies dropped him, Whizbang had climbed to his feet, panting softly from the pain erupting from his pulled wing. He looked in time to see the bullies running away, and now only he and the ink demon remained in the alley. The little dragon now has to escape too; who knows what this monster is planning, or thinking, right now. But then Whizbang saw the massive ink demon turn its haunting, penetrating gaze back to him. Those bone-chilling, white pupils and that toothy grin tore through the little dragon’s little soul like daggers. And that was when the monster grinned wider at him. Whizbang’s eyes widened and his ears dropped down in terror, “!!” The  inky monster took a big heavy step towards Whizbang, and that was enough to send the poor baby in a state of panic. Whizbang took a few steps back to keep his distance away from the approaching fiend. Overcome with fear, he tried running to the side of the monster; the same opening the bullies took to escape. A huge inky hand belonging to the monster suddenly plopped down in front of the baby, blocking the little toon’s escape route. 

“!!” Whizbang was quick to stop in his tracks and run for the other side of the monster. But another clawed hand dropped down before him, cutting the dragon off again. That same hand moved toward Whizbang before he could run and carefully wrapped its oozing claws around his small form. The monster’s grasp on the little dragon was enough to secure Whizbang from escaping, but not agitate his already injured wing. The next thing he knew, Whizbang was lifted off the ground and pulled close to the monster’s demented face. Captured again, Whizbang was forced to stare into the eyes of the inky beast holding him; those little, glowing white pupils observed him closely. The baby dragon was trembling like a leaf, fearing the worst. Worst scenarios played through his little head like a projector. Was he going to be eaten alive by this ink monster? No, ripped to shreds? Or both?? Eaten alive and ripped to shreds?! Oh, the worst possible ways to go! Never to see his mother or father creators, or see the light of day again! Whizbang closed his eyes and whimpered, ready to accept his premature demise. When suddenly, the ink monster released his grasp on Whizbang and gently held the baby in the palm of its hand. A large finger, no longer clawed, from the demon’s other hand reached over and softly prodded on the dragon’s head as if it was petting him.  Whizbang was startled, inching back slightly at this sudden guesture, becoming confused as his eyes went wide, “??” The finger then moved to Whizbang’s stomach and began rubbing against it, causing Whizbang to start laughing cutely, “Hahahahaha!” The baby pawed and kicked at the monster’s inky finger in an attempt to stop the demon from tickling him. This earned him a deep chuckle from the large ink demon, who became amused by Whizbang’s show of innocence and cuteness. The monster moved its finger away to further inspect its object of attention, leaving the little dragon covered in blotches of ink.  Catching his breath, Whizbang took the chance to shake the messy ink off his small body and looked back towards the face of the monster. He was surprised when he noticed a sudden change in the demon’s features. It no longer has claws and the fangs the monster once had were replaced with just a regular friendly grin stretching from ear to ear. The white pupils in its eyes had grown bigger and rounder, giving the expression that this ink 'monstrosity’ was curious and docile, but a bit on the messy side with the ink. In spite of this change, Whizbang still felt uneasy about this ink demon. Why did it save him? And what was it planning to do next? Plus that cute face it was making was creeping Whizbang out. There was a sudden shift that rocked both the demon and Whizbang, causing the monster to blink its eyes and shift his face to a look of confusion. When the large ink demon looked down, Whizbang followed its gaze and saw that the demon’s body was dissolving into a puddle of ink, causing it to shrink. This decrease in ink mass caused the monster to rapidly shrink down, accidentally leaving Whizbang to stand on open air. The baby dragon flailed frantically to stay afloat, even flapped his tiny wings, but he began to plummet towards the ground below with a cry of distress. The shrinking ink demon caught sight of the baby dropping towards the concrete like a rock and frantically lunged forward with its arms outstretched to try and catch Whizbang- SPLOOOSH! There was a big splash of ink that surged and splattered on the walls and the corners of the alleyway. After a few moments, the ink started to move and was being pulled back into its source. Recovering from the fall, Whizbang groaned softly and opened his eyes slowly. He gasped softly when he found himself in the arms of the toon devil Bendy in his regular small form, laying flat on the ground. Bendy was currently absorbing the loose ink around them into himself. Once all of the ink was drained, only large black stains were left behind on the ground, walls and surrounding objects. Bendy opened one black eye, then the other. He saw Whizbang unharmed and gave out a sigh of relief. The little devil then rose to his feet, using his right arm to support himself while holding the baby with the other. “That was close! Almost dropped ya.” Bendy smiled, bearing his trademark grin innocently at Whizbang, “Can’t hold on to my other self fer long, still learnin’.” Whizbang stared at Bendy for a moment, but his face turned into a frown. The baby dragon suddenly jumped forward with his small jaws open and bit down on the space between Bendy’s eyes with his baby teeth. CHOMP! “AAHH!!” Bendy yelled in pain, quickly grabbing hold of Whizbang by the tail and  started trying to yank him off. Finally, the ink demon managed to pop Whizbang off his face leaving behind three bite marks. He held the baby by the tail, glaring at Whizbang in the eye in a cute manner, “Hey! Is that any way ta treat yer hero?!” Whizbang only barked at Bendy, furious that the demon had scared him, “Rawrh rawrh hissss!” The baby dragon still got chills from the scare, but that didn’t stop him from yelling his anger out at Bendy. Unfortunately for Whizbang, Bendy couldn’t understand his baby talk and thought Whizbang was being playful. “Heh, fiesty little scamp huh?” The ink demon chuckled, his small scowl curling back into his signature grin. He held Whizbang with both hands at eye level, as if he was admiring the baby. The ink demon soon came to notice Whizbang wincing in pain, and then saw the baby’s limp left wing. 

”Aw those bullies were pulling on yer  little wing?“ Bendy cooed, then smiled reassuringly, "Don’t worry, they’re gone now. You don’t need to worry about them, at least for a while. Let’s say we take ya back to yer studio, before you get into more trouble,” He began walking out of the alley, carrying baby Whizbang in his arms. As soon as they walked back onto the sidewalk… POP POP! “AH!” Bendy yelped with surprise, jumping up with his devil tail sticking up comically but kept his hold on Whizbang. He quickly turned his floating head, seeing the singed remains of a firecracker that was dropped on the sidewalk behind him. Bendy turned back to Whizbang, seeing the baby snickering at the look on Bendy’s face. “Hehehe!” The dragon couldn’t help but play another prank to get another laugh; at least a bit of payback for Bendy scaring the daylights out of him. But then Whizbang tensed and stopped his laughter. There was a chance Bendy didn’t like the firecracker scare and may seek retribution. And the baby already has an injured wing. Who knows what Bendy might do to him now.

“H-Heheheh… Hahahahaha!”

There was a snort, followed by a hearty laugh afterwards coming from Bendy. This surprised Whizbang. The inky devil found… the prank funny? And Bendy was the victim of said prank. None of the other toons who got pranked laughed. But Bendy… After a moment, a small smile appeared on the baby’s little muzzle. Finally a toon that can take a joke without getting angry!

“Heh, quite the prankster aren’t ya? I like that!” Bendy chuckled, as he continued walking down the street with Whizbang in his arms, “I dun know why those other toons get so angry at you. They dun have much of a big sense of humor!”

[toffeecoffeedragon]

A Silly Summary of Wardbreaker

In the fashion of many sarcastic recaps on YT; ‘just me rambling from my memory about this book I just finished and love. 

Wardbreaker (by @maramahan) is the story of a group of friends and their prisoner, who live on a Rubik’s Cube. (yeah, spoilers ahead) 

Welcome to the city of Alinor! Where thieves, heroes, and common folk live. And also our main character Kyrin and his terrible government assigned brother, Rat. Everyone else has magic but Kyrin does not, so he has become excellent at annotating poetry to survive. So he and Rat break into to home of Best Friends Forever and Local Heroes: The Knights of Alinor. Oops, they’re already home. Time to meet the family. Tryn, the leader who rules with a healing fist. Briea, the muscle & animorph you(I) wanted to be as a kid. Brysson, a fire bender. Dain, a great conversationalist. And Sal, who can possess people.

They capture Kyrin, but not before the wicked witch of the somewhere breaks in and steals the flex tape keeping the city together; she also steals Kyrin’s heart, that happens too.

Kyrin escapes for a bit, but his life as a morally-grey Aladdin ends when ultimate anime villain, The Faceless, sells him right back to The Knights.  

The Knights must go on a quest to retrieve what has been stolen by the witch, and they bring Kyrin along. It’s time to take a shot every time a character curses due to their quest trying to kill them at every turn. City boy Kyrin learns that the world outside the city... is a cruel minecraft map. None of them really trust or like Kyrin, though absolute sweetheart Sal is doing her best to be friendly. They end up in a swamp where English-is-my-favorite-subject Kyrin deciphers riddles to help take down a monster trying to play the “No I’m the real one!” game with the group.      

Doctor Dad heals them up before deciding that Kyrin might potentially be useful since he might be able to hear magic which I assume sounds like scratchy CD covers at best and like an explosion at worst. So it’s off to the monastery! Here the group rests and Kyrin speaks with someone guarding his prison cell, questioning the role of socioeconomic position in his whole thief situation. Oh hey it’s Tryn’s college buddy Pel, so of course he’ll join the party. Kyrin also passes Pel & the monks’ pop quiz and is a confirmed for magic hearing. On top of all that, we learn the origin story of the world, in that it was dropped by one of the two brother gods and messily fixed with magic, the true krazy glue of this world. Not-so-bad-to-the-bone Kyrin asks the brother god for a second chance at life. And maaaaybe Kyrin is bonding with The Knights by virtue of almost all of them being very good at witty banter? Scratch that. Resident former outlaw Brysson is gonna take Kyrin back to Alinor so he doesn’t pose a danger to the quest. After all, the Knights have mapquest necklaces, so they’re good. Brysson & Kyrin depart into the bitter snowy biome homeward, but are attacked. Weakened space heater & street fighter Brysson faints after defeating the attackers. 10% luck, 20% skill, 5000% concentrated-power-of-will Kyrin manages to drag himself and Brysson back to the knights to be healed. 

Next they decide to just continue questing, and then encounter the most horrifying scene in which plants are proven to be the scariest force in this world. Plant monsters that feed off human flesh immobilize and carry off the group to feed to the master tree. However, unfortunate chosen one Kyrin is instead made into a DIY gardening starter kit. Kyrin flees and meets up with the group, minus Pel and Brysson’s arm. Things are difficult now as shepherd Tryn tries to keep his flock stable, and they sit in tension. Determined to kick start his own redemption arc, Kyrin tells his backstory in which his dad, Lucius Malfoy, tries to kill him because he lacks magic and wins Alinor’s parent of the year award. Understandably baggage heavy, Kyrin and the crew call it a night. But not before the whole flower thing happens where Kyrin gets help to free the parasite plant from him. Oh, also the literal girl of his dreams-- the witch Esmeralda continues visiting Kyrin, which is a thing she’s been doing. Ah, Kyrin also apologizes, and look, there’s a lot going on!   

Back into the dark, scary woods. We have to. We’re in fantasy, how could we not?! Elves. Time for the tricksters. Right when The Knights were just beginning sign Kyrin’s adoption papers, he decides to “sacrifice” himself to the elves and drops the f-word. So his friends can go free. Dramatic irony Kyrin of course does this because Esmeralda said she was about 10 mins away from picking him up. “Hop in loser, we’re going (to make our dreams come true)”. Maybe he did want to turn his life around and become a lawful good but the world is looking pretty lawful inconsiderate and.... there is a warrant out for his death. So, why not just run away with Esmeralda? After again connecting with fellow english major elves, Kyrin does exactly that. The knights were put in a monster pit but... knowing their skills, Kyrin decides they should be fiiiiiiine.     

Skipping their HGTV episode, go-getter Esmeralda has already found a large, enchantment sealed castle complete with a library and glassy room to complete the life of a new couple. She & Kyrin roam the castle before checking out the balcony. They have an “everything the light touches, is our kingdom” moment before spotting... yeah, The Knights of Alinor. Oh yeah, they were tracking down Esmeralda... that was the whole quest purpose. Kyrin is going to side with Esmeralda who reveals that she has the power to steal magic which is kind of linked to the magic wielders soul and maaaaybe kinda important for keeping them alive. Also she’s kinda planning on letting Alinor get wrecked. 

A terrible actor and maybe an even worse buddy at this point, Kyrin dupes The Knights into walking into the castle for a “Prepare for trouble and make it double” surprise attack with Esmeralda. Somewhere in there Ems & Ky share that Disney moment kiss. However, at the last moment of realization, the power of friendship and concern for Alinor overtakes Kyrin as he sees his friends having their lives taken from them and stops Esmeralda from completing her goal of stealing all the kights’ magics. Of course, not before having them all seeing him dramatically betray him. RIP Brysson’s heart... Though, when Kyrin saves the day, and after everything they’ve been through, the Knights of Alinor decide he has potential and want to help him turn things around and fulfill his childhood dream of being one of the Knights of Alinor. Hooray!                    

 (In all seriousness, Kyrin was a very cool character to follow as he went on a journey. It was so nice to see a broody character... whose feelings do get hurt, who does find themselves making mistakes, and like I think a lot of people having change be a hard and bumpy process... maybe I just feel like I haven’t encountered that so often. And something about Kyrin’s relationship with the sensory elements, sort of resonated with my experience of ADHD, which was really cool for me. If anyone read this far, I hope maybe you got a little laugh!)   

[soulstream-rp]

Hi Eva! We're always blown away by the characters you make, seriously. Jacques is well thought out and we're really excited to see him on board. He's gonna work out well in our (not so little) town. We can't wait to throw all of our characters at him. Please make sure to follow everyone on our masterlist and to follow the tags for announcements, starters, follows & unfollows, as well as events. Also, make sure that your submit is activated for OOC chat link purposes. Congratulations!

OOC info.

Third Character App

IC info. Original Character

Character Name: Jacques DeVries

Age: 28

Character Type: Medium

True Name: “Deceit”

FC: Gaspard Ulliel

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Date & Place of Birth: March 28th, 1988 / Antibes, France

Occupation: Thief / Occasional musician at Pisces

Background:

Saying that he was born in France can make it sound quite sophisticated by default but the truth is that there was nothing fancy, agreeable or that encapsulated the joie de vivre in the wrong side of the city where Jacques spent his childhood. His father was frequent client of Lex Roux Club, a guy who couldn’t keep it in his pants when visiting the table dance and ended up getting too tangled up with the star performer, Greta DeVries. A baby boy was born as a result of their sexual encounters and Jean-Luc Marchand showed little to no interest for looking after the baby, leaving Greta mostly on her own to raise him and provide for him. She could barely afford an education for him and juggling two jobs to maintain her little boy meant she was barely around, leaving the kid to be looked after babysitters who didn’t really care much for the boy’s upbringing. There were the times when his father dropped by sporadically, making his mom immensely happy and Jacques infinitely miserable. Jean-Luc was a violent brute who thought the best way to turn his son into a man was through firsts and belt buckles. He never got a lot of affection and attention during his childhood. Certainly the kind of attention he got from his father wasn’t the kind he wanted, and in fact he feared him. He trembled every time his father stepped into their crappy apartment for one of his surprise visits, and Jacques would either run to hide his room’s closet or run out of the house.

As he grew up rules were an abstract concept for him, though, because no one truly educated him to follow them. The way he saw them, they were something to bend to his liking if needed be. Such a behavior was emphasized further when the teen became part of a gang of little rascals and petty thieves often called “The White Devils” by the locals, a moniker they earned for their mischievousness and because they were usually nearby a tavern by the name Le Diable Blanc. Even if he was just a fifteen-year-old at the time and was certainly not allowed to be in such a place as a tavern, Jacques and the owner of the place, Maximilien Canet, formed an interesting bond after a while. There was something in Jacques that reminded Max of his young self and so the boy gradually became an apprentice of his. He started to spend a lot of time at Max’s tavern in spite of his parent’s disagreement and protests, which only gave him further incentives not to show up at home because at last he could avoid his father. Le Diable Blanc became his new home, a place where he rubbed shoulders with the toughest and most cunning of Antibes, a place where learned to make himself at home in the harshest of environments side by side with ex-cons. He dealt with alcohol-infested clientele on a daily basis like it was nothing and when it came down to bare-knuckle fighting Jacques learned not to back down even if he lost his first brawls. He was hardened by that place and the young man loved every second of it, feeling empowered. He gained new talents, new skills to deal with people by charm or by harm. It was pure bliss to spend time in that place drinking, playing card games, pickpocketing the unsuspecting customers and even entertaining some of them by playing some good tunes on the piano. Maximilien Canet was the king of that duplicitous underground world and he had turned Jacques into his heir apparent.

A couple of years went by and Jacques dropped out of high school, investing his time in what truly mattered to him: Le Diable Blanc. Unfortunately for him and his mentor, the tavern was closed down by authorities by the time he was twenty, all because of the illegal dealings that often went down in the tavern. Then an opportunity arose for Maximilien to move to America and he chose not to leave his protégé behind and Jacques followed him to New York with no hesitation whatsoever, even if it meant further estranging his already distant relationship with his mother and abusive father. The pair of tricksters didn’t stay long in that city and hitchhiked their way across several states, pulling off their thievery mischiefs here and there. Three years ago Jacques’ world was turned upside down when Max and he pulled off a big heist in San Francisco In just a month they got everything they stole into the black market and had nothing to trace them back to the heist. Or so they thought. The police’s ongoing investigation was catching up to them and by being in the wrong place at the wrong time Jacques learned that Max was going to rat him out. It was a hurtful blow to know his mentor, his father, was willing to let him carry the blame on his own. Without a second thought Jacques pulled that move against Maximilien instead and threw him under the bus, throwing all the blame on him. It resulted in Maximilien getting 3 years in prison and deportation back to France upon the sentence’s end. Jacques has been on his own since then, still playing the dangerous game of thievery and risking his freedom just for the thrill and the gain. Now that Max is out of prison, Jacques is certain his old mentor will try to make him pay for the betrayal which is why the young thief moved to Port Ashborne to lay low. Luckily for him, he’s always been quite skilled at misdirecting people to avoid being caught.

Additional Information:

His full name is Jacques Gael DeVries.

He speaks English very well after living in the US for eight years, however there is a faint hint of his French accent.

He is technically unemployed, since his shenanigans robbing hardly count as a job. But he oftentimes plays the piano at Pisces and gets a decent enough amount of money out of it.

Jacques sends money to his mother every now and then. He sometimes attaches a small note for her in case she’d like to know how and where to contact him but she never does.

He had a criminal record back in France, however only for minor charges. He has never been arrested in the US.

FAMILY:

Jean-Luc Marchad (father/estranged)

Greta DeVries (mother/estranged)

Maximilien Canet (mentor/enemy)

CONNECTIONS:

n/a

Personality:

Jacques is the result of lacking limits as a kid, understanding little about restraints and rules. If anything facing a restriction or law only ignites in him the will to break and to bend them. It’s all a challenge for him, and he rarely backs down from one. He relied greatly on Maximilien for years, the man he revered as his mentor and even as his father, but even since learning of his intentions to betray him, Jacques no longer put his trust on others. He’s a one man force of nature to be reckoned and he lives by the motto of “every man for himself” now. His moral compass is not pointed towards north and his choices are never permeated by ethics, he simply acts according to what will benefit him. Jacques is an individualist to the core and his past has given him a bit of a dissociative personality as a coping mechanism. He comes off as smug and so sure of himself, which to an extent are true traits of himself, but they also serve as the first layer of the shields he has put around himself. Being selfish and detached are ways in which he feels he can’t be hurt and in which he keeps others at a safe distance.

Skills:

Thanks to Maximilien he learned all the skills that he could need to survive as a thief and know how to avoid getting caught. He’s quite skilled from basic things ranging from pickpocketing and forging people’s handwriting, to break-ins, safe-cracking or disabling security systems.

He is a decent enough fighter when it comes to hand to hand combat. More than having impeccable technique, Jacques has the sheer ferocity and brawn to hold his own in a fight.

Jacques knows how to play the piano. He learned to play by ear and by seeing some locals play at Le Diable Blanc. He kept developing his playing skills with practice and playing the piano is a hobby of his. He doesn’t know how to read sheets of music.

He possesses medium skills, however he is not prone to perceiving ghosts all too well, he can only distantly hear them. His skill developped in the way of illusion manipulation, or at least in a subtle form of it. Jacques is capable of tricking people into seeing, smelling or hearing things that aren’t really there. The illusory changes he is able to create are small and subtle, but they have always been enough for him to avoid getting caught.

Sample Paragraph: TW: rape and violence

“Marcos, please” she pleaded, eyes clouded with tears as she squirmed beneath the weight of his body. “I won’t go to the police, I won’t say anything. I promise. I promise I’ll stay quie-”. Her words were cut off as his palm collided against her cheekbone. It stung, a pulsating warmth under her skin in the place where he slapped her.

The tears fell down her cheeks and she met Marcos’ eyes again, silently pleading him to stop this. It was impossible for her to find the familiar softness she used to see her boyfriend’s dark eyes. It was gone now. They were pits of coal, burning with a type of cruelty that brought the deepest, rawest kind of fear in her.

“Please, Marcos” Lourdes pleaded once more, her voice quivering with sobs she couldn’t contain any longer. “Please don’t do this”. The young man was deaf to her cries and he hit her once more, harder than the previous one.

Panic found her once more when Marcos unzipped his pants, when his hand forcefully restrained her by the wrists. Lourdes did whate she could to fight him off, to try to get him to move from crushing her body against the floor. She cried out again, painfully aware that he would get to have his way with her yet again. No matter how hard she fought him, she couldn’t stop Marcos from hitting her, from ripping her underwear off her body. She was powerless to stop him from violently getting his pleasure out of her pain and suffering.

- - -

Lou woke up with a start, a scream dying in her throat when her eyes opened. There were tears already in her eyes and they just continued to fall as she curled herself up, her arms wrapping around her knees. Her body shook, quietly sobbing. She wanted to cry out, to yell, but she did not to make any sound that could wake up her uncle.

The emotions brought by what she’d dreamed about ran free. Her only comfort was that it had been just a dream. A nightmare… This was unlike the other times she’d relieved her experience with Marcos, this wasn’t the first time her mind took her back to that event. However, it was the first time she went through it so vividly.

That experience was seared into her brain. It only made sense that her worst nightmares were crafted with the sharp edges of those memories.

[jokarnofuru]

okay i know i need to. write the other starters i owe (i’ll get to them! very soon!) but i also wanna throw this boy into the event so here we are! so for this akira is going to be a devil and he’ll have to deal with that so that’ll be fun for everyone! anyways capping this at 3!

[jokarnofuru]

it’s show event time!

akira is definitely one for wanting answers and to expose the truth of what’s really going on around here. he’s more than likely going to be sparring with how he uses his water bottle and as for stealing (laughs) he’s a thief if he has to he will (but only if plotted out of course!)

and you all know this song and dance by now. capping this at 2 and castmates are exempt!

also as a side note: if akira appears to your muse in his phantom thief attire do not have them realize he and joker are one in the same, especially if they’ve interacted before. castmates are exempt from this since they should know obviously!

[jokarnofuru]

it’s show event time part 2!

akira more than likely will survive considering he does have a fighting chance (plus he’s sneaky considering his acts as a phantom thief) but he’ll still probably need help in surviving since without his persona he can’t really fight. and considering this boy’s tendencies for saving people he’ll more than likely want to help anyone that’s powerless survive as well. if anything this boy is damn determined in wanting to survive.

and you all know this song and dance by now. capping this at 2 and castmates are exempt!

(also the whole ‘don’t know that it’s akira if he appears as joker in front of your muse’ still applies. castmates exempt for obvious reasons.)

[jokarnofuru]

event time! i’m excited and so is akira even if he’s annoyed a bit bc dash commentary stuff but that aside!!! capping this at 2 and castmates are exempt as per the usual!

[jokarnofuru]

alright i know i got all my part 1 starters out like...basically two hours before part 2 dropped but hey, gotta get that event participation!

for part 2 of the event akira will more than likely be at either the artist’s studio or the administration offices. while akira can fight, he probably won’t go to the testing labs willingly but i am up for doing it only with muses that can fight.

capping at 3 as usual and castmates exempt!

[jokarnofuru]

we be out here being spooky

So who’s ready for this! Akira is dressing up but I’m keeping it a secret until a certain thread gets a bit more underway. Just trust me on this. He’ll also be attending the festival along with this.

Capping at 3, and castmates exempt as usual!